Chapter 11- "The Meeting"
"Seta . . ." Kaoru murmured, fixing her gaze on the smiling young man's face.
"Soujiro?" Misao finished for her, holding up multiple kunai. "Who's that?" Yahiko still pointed the tip of the shinai at the blue clad man, his expression serious.
"I bet he's one of Shishio Makoto's spies!" Yahiko shouted, taking a step forwards. "Get away from him Kaoru!" Soujiro blinked once and then shifted the pile of firewood he held under one arm.
"Shishio Makoto?" he asked, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "I work for Niitsu-san." The three looked at each other and then back at the smiling Soujiro. Soujiro shrugged and went back into the forest quickly, coming out with a wooden bucket full of water. "Anyway, Niitsu-san doesn't really like visitors, so I recommend turning back at this point." There was an uncomfortable pause as the three began whispering to each other, before Soujiro sighed and turned around to begin heading back.
"Ma~Matte!!" Misao shouted, running and dashing in front of Soujiro, who stopped quickly and spilled some water in the process.
"Hai?"
"Niitsu-san . . . as in Niitsu Kakunoshin?" Misao asked, pulling out the papers Okina had given her. Soujiro nodded once, still smiling. 'What's up with the smiling . . .' Misao thought to herself, before exchanging a look with Kaoru.
"We need to speak to Hi~ Niitsu-san." Kaoru said tentatively. "We think one of our friends visited him here." Soujiro looked at her, smiling still but obviously thinking the idea over. "Ah . . . I'm Kamiya Kaoru, this is Myojin Yahiko and Makimachi Misao." Soujiro nodded to each of them in turn then turned on his heel.
"You might as well come." Soujiro said, walking off slowly, making sure he didn't spill more water. Misao and Kaoru smiled, Yahiko grinned, and all three of them fell into step behind the blue clad young man.
"Ne, Kaoru . . ." Misao whispered to the older girl walking next to her. Kaoru glanced over at her. "Do you think he knows?" A question mark popped up above Kaoru's head as they walked. "Um . . . about, you know . . . The secret name?" Misao sneaked a peek at Soujiro's back as they turned a corner. "About Hiko Seijuurou?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe . . ." Kaoru said, also watching Soujiro's back.
"I doubt it." Yahiko grunted, resting his shinai against his shoulder. "I think Hiko Seijuurou would only tell special people, great swordsmen about his name. That guy up there doesn't look like he could fight at all." Kaoru covered Yahiko's mouth up quickly.
"Shh! He's showing us to where Hiko and mostly likely Kenshin is . . ." Kaoru whispered. "So be polite!" Kaoru sped up slightly to walk side by side with Soujiro. "Etto . . . Seta-san~"
"You can just call me Soujiro." He replied, looking at her and smiling.
"Ah, Soujiro . . . are we nearly at Niitsu-san's house?" Kaoru asked, sweatdropping. "We've been walking for a while . . ." Soujiro smiled again and didn't answer. Kaoru dropped back between Misao and Yahiko and shrugged slightly.
"Why should I be polite to a freak who smiles constantly?" Yahiko mumbled under his breath. Kaoru bonked him on the head then looked up as they entered a clearing filled with multiple separate kilns and a small hut in the very middle.
"Eh? That's weird." Soujiro said quietly to himself, looking about. "Hi ~ Niitsu-san was sitting right there when I left. Maybe he went inside." Soujiro put down the firewood in a pile next to one of the kilns then started towards the hut with the bucket in his hand. The uninvited guests followed right behind him, practically stepping on the back of his zori. "So . . . this is it. ^_^"
"Can we go in?" Kaoru asked, looking a bit nervously at the door.
"Maybe it was a mistake to teach you Hiten Mitsurugi at all." Hiko's voice said, floating outside. Everyone outside the door paused for a moment, sweatdropping. Then Misao and Yahiko smashed the door open, after running over Soujiro.
"Eh??" Hiko and Kenshin looked up as the door smashed to the ground and Soujiro flopped down on top of it, as Misao and Yahiko jumped into the room in fighting stances.
"What was that just now??" the two shouted in unison, glaring at Hiko, who merely looked back and then glanced at Kenshin.
"Eh, Soujiro, who are they?" Hiko asked, thumbing at them. Kenshin, who sat with his back to the door, turned around slightly, his eyes widening.
"Misao-donno . . . Yahiko . . ." Kenshin said quietly. Kaoru stepped quietly into the room, making sure not to step on Soujiro's hakama. "Kaoru- donno!"
"Are they friends of yours?" Hiko asked, glaring at his blue clad student get up from the ground and look ruefully at the spilt bucket full of water. Kenshin turned to his teacher and nodded. The master of Hiten Mitsurugi sighed and rested his chin on his palm. "It's like Grand Central Station in here . . . People should know when they're not wanted."
"Not wanted??" Misao and Yahiko shouted simultaneously, going chibi at the same time. Hiko ignored their outcry and looked sideways at his former student.
"Kenshin, run outside and get some water. Since Soujiro's spilled his, there's only enough for two here." Hiko said, casually ordering the red haired rurouni about. "You can't expect the kids to go all night without anything to eat or drink."
"Eh?" Kenshin replied, sweatdropping. "Why would I~"
"Aren't you going for a moonlight stroll with the girl?" Hiko murmured, looking at Kenshin's surprised face change into a slightly angry one.
"Master, that's not why I~"
"That's your old spirit!" Hiko grinned, before pointing a finger imperiously at the door. "Don't stand here talking about it, just go!" Kenshin sighed once then went, prudently avoiding the mess Soujiro had left with the water. "Baka deshi, don't just stand there, clean up that water!" Kenshin stopped and turned around.
"Hai, Hiko-sensei." Soujiro replied, smiling and rummaging around for a cloth.
"Hiko-sensei . . .?" Kenshin asked, his eyes wide, pointing at Soujiro. "He's . . ."
"My student." Hiko said bluntly. "Use that bucket." Kenshin nodded again and headed out the door.
"You were always such a slave driver . . ." Kenshin mumbled as he passed by, still keeping his gaze on Soujiro's back. Kenshin sighed once more as his gaze fell to the floor. He exited the hut without saying a word to Kaoru, who stood with a sad expression on her face, hands clasped in front of her.
"Found it!" Soujiro exclaimed, holding up a cloth, with which he started to mop up the mess on the hut's wooden floor, ignoring all of the glares directed at him.
'Kenshin . . .'
END
I'll try an write another chapter next weekend . . . people who wanted to see Soujiro think u all r getting more then enough right now ne? ^^; not sure tho . . .
"Seta . . ." Kaoru murmured, fixing her gaze on the smiling young man's face.
"Soujiro?" Misao finished for her, holding up multiple kunai. "Who's that?" Yahiko still pointed the tip of the shinai at the blue clad man, his expression serious.
"I bet he's one of Shishio Makoto's spies!" Yahiko shouted, taking a step forwards. "Get away from him Kaoru!" Soujiro blinked once and then shifted the pile of firewood he held under one arm.
"Shishio Makoto?" he asked, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "I work for Niitsu-san." The three looked at each other and then back at the smiling Soujiro. Soujiro shrugged and went back into the forest quickly, coming out with a wooden bucket full of water. "Anyway, Niitsu-san doesn't really like visitors, so I recommend turning back at this point." There was an uncomfortable pause as the three began whispering to each other, before Soujiro sighed and turned around to begin heading back.
"Ma~Matte!!" Misao shouted, running and dashing in front of Soujiro, who stopped quickly and spilled some water in the process.
"Hai?"
"Niitsu-san . . . as in Niitsu Kakunoshin?" Misao asked, pulling out the papers Okina had given her. Soujiro nodded once, still smiling. 'What's up with the smiling . . .' Misao thought to herself, before exchanging a look with Kaoru.
"We need to speak to Hi~ Niitsu-san." Kaoru said tentatively. "We think one of our friends visited him here." Soujiro looked at her, smiling still but obviously thinking the idea over. "Ah . . . I'm Kamiya Kaoru, this is Myojin Yahiko and Makimachi Misao." Soujiro nodded to each of them in turn then turned on his heel.
"You might as well come." Soujiro said, walking off slowly, making sure he didn't spill more water. Misao and Kaoru smiled, Yahiko grinned, and all three of them fell into step behind the blue clad young man.
"Ne, Kaoru . . ." Misao whispered to the older girl walking next to her. Kaoru glanced over at her. "Do you think he knows?" A question mark popped up above Kaoru's head as they walked. "Um . . . about, you know . . . The secret name?" Misao sneaked a peek at Soujiro's back as they turned a corner. "About Hiko Seijuurou?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe . . ." Kaoru said, also watching Soujiro's back.
"I doubt it." Yahiko grunted, resting his shinai against his shoulder. "I think Hiko Seijuurou would only tell special people, great swordsmen about his name. That guy up there doesn't look like he could fight at all." Kaoru covered Yahiko's mouth up quickly.
"Shh! He's showing us to where Hiko and mostly likely Kenshin is . . ." Kaoru whispered. "So be polite!" Kaoru sped up slightly to walk side by side with Soujiro. "Etto . . . Seta-san~"
"You can just call me Soujiro." He replied, looking at her and smiling.
"Ah, Soujiro . . . are we nearly at Niitsu-san's house?" Kaoru asked, sweatdropping. "We've been walking for a while . . ." Soujiro smiled again and didn't answer. Kaoru dropped back between Misao and Yahiko and shrugged slightly.
"Why should I be polite to a freak who smiles constantly?" Yahiko mumbled under his breath. Kaoru bonked him on the head then looked up as they entered a clearing filled with multiple separate kilns and a small hut in the very middle.
"Eh? That's weird." Soujiro said quietly to himself, looking about. "Hi ~ Niitsu-san was sitting right there when I left. Maybe he went inside." Soujiro put down the firewood in a pile next to one of the kilns then started towards the hut with the bucket in his hand. The uninvited guests followed right behind him, practically stepping on the back of his zori. "So . . . this is it. ^_^"
"Can we go in?" Kaoru asked, looking a bit nervously at the door.
"Maybe it was a mistake to teach you Hiten Mitsurugi at all." Hiko's voice said, floating outside. Everyone outside the door paused for a moment, sweatdropping. Then Misao and Yahiko smashed the door open, after running over Soujiro.
"Eh??" Hiko and Kenshin looked up as the door smashed to the ground and Soujiro flopped down on top of it, as Misao and Yahiko jumped into the room in fighting stances.
"What was that just now??" the two shouted in unison, glaring at Hiko, who merely looked back and then glanced at Kenshin.
"Eh, Soujiro, who are they?" Hiko asked, thumbing at them. Kenshin, who sat with his back to the door, turned around slightly, his eyes widening.
"Misao-donno . . . Yahiko . . ." Kenshin said quietly. Kaoru stepped quietly into the room, making sure not to step on Soujiro's hakama. "Kaoru- donno!"
"Are they friends of yours?" Hiko asked, glaring at his blue clad student get up from the ground and look ruefully at the spilt bucket full of water. Kenshin turned to his teacher and nodded. The master of Hiten Mitsurugi sighed and rested his chin on his palm. "It's like Grand Central Station in here . . . People should know when they're not wanted."
"Not wanted??" Misao and Yahiko shouted simultaneously, going chibi at the same time. Hiko ignored their outcry and looked sideways at his former student.
"Kenshin, run outside and get some water. Since Soujiro's spilled his, there's only enough for two here." Hiko said, casually ordering the red haired rurouni about. "You can't expect the kids to go all night without anything to eat or drink."
"Eh?" Kenshin replied, sweatdropping. "Why would I~"
"Aren't you going for a moonlight stroll with the girl?" Hiko murmured, looking at Kenshin's surprised face change into a slightly angry one.
"Master, that's not why I~"
"That's your old spirit!" Hiko grinned, before pointing a finger imperiously at the door. "Don't stand here talking about it, just go!" Kenshin sighed once then went, prudently avoiding the mess Soujiro had left with the water. "Baka deshi, don't just stand there, clean up that water!" Kenshin stopped and turned around.
"Hai, Hiko-sensei." Soujiro replied, smiling and rummaging around for a cloth.
"Hiko-sensei . . .?" Kenshin asked, his eyes wide, pointing at Soujiro. "He's . . ."
"My student." Hiko said bluntly. "Use that bucket." Kenshin nodded again and headed out the door.
"You were always such a slave driver . . ." Kenshin mumbled as he passed by, still keeping his gaze on Soujiro's back. Kenshin sighed once more as his gaze fell to the floor. He exited the hut without saying a word to Kaoru, who stood with a sad expression on her face, hands clasped in front of her.
"Found it!" Soujiro exclaimed, holding up a cloth, with which he started to mop up the mess on the hut's wooden floor, ignoring all of the glares directed at him.
'Kenshin . . .'
END
I'll try an write another chapter next weekend . . . people who wanted to see Soujiro think u all r getting more then enough right now ne? ^^; not sure tho . . .
