Chapter Ten: The Master and his Baka Deshis

"A signal flare?" Hiko mumbled, looking up at the blue sky through which the bright, said flare soared up into the air. "That's unusual these days . . ."

"I don't remember seeing any of them before, sensei." Soujiro replied, smiling as he handed his cloaked teacher another stick of wood. Hiko grunted and thrust the stick into the kiln.

"It has nothing to do with me."

"Hai hai, sensei."

"Get more wood baka deshi!!" Hiko shouted, sending his student scurrying off. A sigh escaped his lips as he stared at the ground.

"I can't believe Hiko-sensei needs so much wood . . ." Soujiro murmured to himself and he casually sliced a branch into smaller pieces with his sword. " . . . And so much sake." Soujiro sighed and shrugged, collecting the cut wood and bringing it back to the fallen log in front of the kiln where his master sat.

"What took you so long?" Hiko grunted, taking the offered wood. Soujiro sweatdropped and smiled.

"Ah, gomen Hiko-sensei, I didn't realize you wanted wood that quickly." Soujiro said, bowing slightly. Hiko waved his apology away with a hand and tossed more wood onto the fire, his eyes staring at the roaring flames.

The sky began to darken as Soujiro dashed about the clearing, practicing the three steps before Shikuchi. Clods of earth flew through the air as he raced through the area, slashing with his katana at imaginary enemies. Hiko still sat in front of the fires, his gaze still fixed on the fiery depths of the kiln. That gaze, however, clouded slightly when a dirt clod hit him squarely in the face.

"SOUJIRO!!" he bellowed, jumping to his feet and wiping away the earth that immediately went all over the front of his gi. Hiko's student screeched to a stop and back into sight, with not a speck of earth on him.

"Hai, Hiko-sensei?" Soujiro replied, with the normal smile on his face. Hiko calmed himself down, slightly.

"Get me some water." Soujiro nodded and turned, sheathing his katana and picking up the bucket. "And some wood. Enough wood to last through the night." Without turning around, his blue clad student nodded again and headed off into the surrounding forests.

"Baka deshi . . ." Hiko sat down on the log and wiped off the remainder of the earth with a cloth. Throwing the cloth to the side, Hiko looked up at the dark night sky and sighed, shrugging his shoulders and looking into the flames once again.

The slight sound of a light footstep reached the master of Hiten Mitsurugi. He remained sitting however, and heard the sound of a sword being drawn. The blade flashed through the air, cutting right through where Hiko had sat moments earlier. Landing nearly back to back to his attacker, Hiko gazed at the ground.

"It's pretty low of you," he said calmly. "To be attacking a mere potter out of nowhere." Hiko's eyes looked to the side even though his head did not move, as he heard the clink of a sword being resheathed.

"Hiko Seijuurou is no mere potter," his attacker replied, just as calmly. Hiko blinked slightly, then turned just as his attacker did the same.

"Who are you?" Then Hiko's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the man who had attacked him without warning.

"It's been a long time, Master . . ." Himura Kenshin said, facing him. There was a long pause as the two stared at each other, then Hiko looked away and walked towards a small hut, motioning Kenshin to follow him.

"Oro?" Kenshin said under his breath, looking at all of the shelves full of pots and jars. Hiko ignored his student and sat down on a trunk, facing Kenshin.

"Now that you've had the gall to show your face here, what do you want with me?" Hiko asked, a serious look on his face. Kenshin was silent a moment while his gaze was still fixed on the numerous shelves.

"It seems Niitsu Kakunoshin is a rising new name in the world of ceramics." He said, still looking around. Then, he finally looked out of the corner of his eye at his master. "Why pottery again?"

"I didn't really care, pottery, whatever." Hiko replied, gazing at the wooden planked floor of his hut. He noted there was a board that needed replacing and reminded himself to tell Soujiro in the morning. "It was just the easiest way to make a living without having to deal with a lot of people.

"That's easy for you to say."

"Well . . . you know." Hiko said slowly, before lightly touching his forehead with the two fingers of his right hand. "My genius shows in whatever I do." Kenshin sweatdropped.

'As conceited as ever . . .'

"You didn't answer my question." Hiko continued suddenly, causing Kenshin to flinch. "You came to tell me something that's hard for you to say." A smirk appeared on Hiko's face as Kenshin flinched again in surprise. "I was your master, I can read my baka deshi like a book."

"Then . . . I'll say it straight out." Kenshin said, before kneeling onto the ground. "I ask you for the instruction of the Hiten Mitsurugi school that I left ten years ago!"

"No!" Hiko replied bluntly, making Kenshin sweatdrop. "You were the one who left ten years ago." He stood up and turned as if to go. "Why now, after all this time and ~" Hiko's words stopped as a hand clung onto his mantle.

"Please . . . I beg of you."

A smirk appeared on Hiko's face as he looked down on his student. "Well . . . that's something. You look like you're at the end of your rope." He sat down once again on the trunk. "If you're asking, I'm listening."

"It's getting dark . . ." Kaoru said, looking around at the forest that surrounded the path.

"We should hurry," Yahiko replied, looking at the girl in front of them who held a sheet of paper in her hand.

"Mm. According to Jiya's directions, it's just a little farther." Misao murmured, flipping her way through the sheets of paper. "Himura went to see Niitsu Kakunoshin. Our sources say he's a rising potter deluged with orders. But actually, his hidden name is Hiko Seijuurou, a teacher of the Hiten Mitsurugi school. In other words . . . Kenshin's master."

Yahiko looked up at his teacher, with a question mark above his head. "Hidden name?" Kaoru looked back down at him, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"It could mean a lot of things . . . but, it's probably another name . . . kept secret."

Misao slowed her pace slightly as she turned back to look at the two following her. "In the case of Hiten Mitsurugi ryu, Hiko Seijuurou is the name of the founder, passed down generation to generation. It's inherited by those who have completely mastered the style, and will pass it on."

"Hmm . . ." Yahiko murmered, holding his chin between thumb and forefinger while thinking. "Wait a minute!! That means~"

"Exactly!" Misao shouted, thinking along the same lines as Yahiko. "When Himura left, he hadn't completely mastered the school! There was a technique he didn't learn for some reason, and he's going to master it now!"

"And then he'll be even stronger than before! Damn, the guy's just not human!" Yahiko shouted, punching the air with his fist while going chibi.

Misao mimicked Yahiko, a big grin on her face. "He's a demon! A demon!"

Kaoru sweatdropped in the background then looked up quickly as she heard a faint rustling in the trees to the side of the path. "What was that?" Yahiko and Misao turned back to normal, both of them reaching for their weapons.

"Spies from Shishio Makoto?" Misao said, taking out kunai from her clothes. Yahiko glared at where the rustling sound had come from, whipping out his shinai.

"Come out!" he shouted. "Face me!"

"And who are you?"

All three of Kenshin's friends jumped in surprise before regaining their composure. With a cry, Misao flung a kunai at the man who had appeared right behind Yahiko, and shouted again as he caught them effortlessly in one hand.

"EH???" Misao screeched, looking for more kunai. Yahiko gritted his teeth then pivoted smoothly, raising his shinai and smashing down on the dusty path.

"Where'd he go?" Yahiko shouted, looking up at where the man's face should have been.

"Once again, I ask who you three are." The man's voice came this time from behind Kaoru, who spun around and came face to face with a smiling young man.

"EH??" the three shouted in unison, pointing a finger at their 'attacker'.

"How could he catch my kunai??" Misao shouted, going chibi and glaring at the young man. "Who the hell are you?? Give me my kunai back!!"

"Seta Soujiro, now please tell me who you are."

END

Loosing inspiration once again . . . ~sees inspiration run off in the distance~ ahou . . .

I like da title of this chapter . . . hehe :P its called so cause this chapter (in the manga) is called "The Master and the Student" or something like dat . . . ~shrugs~ ^^

Btw I may . . . ~coughs~ ignore this fic again for a while because Changing Times (other fic) is near completion sooooo . . . if I complete it I'll only have 1 fic to worry bout ^^;

Shadowhunter13: etto . . . thanks for da review? ^^ ~scratches head~ I've seen the name spelt many different ways . . . do u mind if I keep it this way? Even if its wrong . . . I'm more used to it -_- thanks for pointing it out to me!

Dragona2007: thanks for ur advice! ^^ ~thinks~ da only trouble with that is . . . I kinda like writin about Neji also ~sweatdrops~ I think its cause I like the shinobi zue . . . ~grins~ anyway . . . I think soujiro's gonna meet Kenshin soon ^^