Chapter Three
The sky was starting to darken with the coming rain, the morning sky turning from it's azure blue to the dark greys and charcoal smudges of coming storms. Sano had been hoping to tell his entire story before the rains arrived, but it seemed that it was not to be. The tingling at the base of his neck turned into a fire that shot down his back as someone delicately coughed behind him. Whirling about faster than lightning, he was upon his assailant in the blink of an eye, his left hand coming in low for the solar plexus, intent on bringing his attackers nose down into his hard right fist for a quick combination strike. Noting something wrong at the last second, he pulled his strike while it was still an inch from... her... nose....
"Oh... crap......" Sano muttered...
*****
Tsubame was in shock. Once second she was trying to get Sanosuke's attention, and the next she found a fist filling her vision...
Now, despite many people's beliefs to the contrary, Tsubame had been living in a well known kendo dojo for the last eleven years. Though not practicing more than her husband, she DID get training from him in basic self defense. Specifically, he had helped her with that little Judo he acutally knew, and had drilled her in how to handle this sort of situation. Due, more than likey to the shock of the moment (and not this authors desire to watch Sano get tossed around by pretty women.) her training in the Art kicked in, and, though nearly a head taller than her, with years more experience, her pivoted righthanded hipthrow caught Sano under his right wrist, transferred the motion of his punch into momentum, and had him seeing the world upside down before crashing to the ground heavily, stars in his eyes.
"Owwwwwww............." Sano groaned while fighthing to figure out which way was up and which was was down again.
By this time, Tsubame was looking at her arms like they were from some great deep dark dungon. Suddenly she realized that SHE had just taken Sagara Sanosuke... THE Sagara Sanosuke out with a simple hip toss. Then, shocked, she realized that she had prolly just knocked one of her oldest friends out completely by accident.
"Oh, my........." was her slight response to the spinning eyed man now lying stunned on the ground.
*****
"Wel, that was a new one...." Sano though to himself before looking up at his... assailant. Straight black hair, quiet maroon eyes, western style black unform dress that fell to her ankles... he should know this girl, from somewhere. A memory long buried jogged to his awareness. A shinai, a dark ally, a fight that Yahiko wouldn't lose for a girl in a well work kimono...
"Tsubame?" Sano ventured carefully....
"Gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen nassai!!!!" Tsubame chanted as she fell to her knees and bowed her head to the ground of the cemetery at his feet. "You surprised me, and I didn't really think, and Yahiko taught me, and oooh......" she said before prompty falling to the ground unconscious in a dead faint.
Sighing deeply, Sano quickly thought about the situation. A deserted cemetery, a unconscious girl, and an aging martial artist were not the best scene for the passing person on the street to see. Thinking quickly, he remembered that Tsubame used to work at the Akabeko. Scooping her up in his arms, and half bowing to Kaoru and Kenshin's stone, he bounded out of the cemetery on his way to to what he still hoped was the Akabeko.
*****
Yahiko was in a good mood. Well, as good as could be expected considering the fact that the storm that had sprung up on this late fall afternoon had him soaked to the bone, cold, and hungry. He and his son, Shinya, had just returned from Okinawa on a trip to help an old friend with the death of his wife. He had been away from home for nearly three weeks, and was anxious to see Tsubame again. Yahiko made a point to take his son traveling with him when he was younger, and though he wished that it has been a better trip, he travels with his son were still happy times. However, his son missed his mother as much as Yahiko, and both were moving at a good clip to get back to the Akabeko and see her, however miserable and wet they looked at the moment. However, the trek had been long, and very tiring for the young, short legged Shinya, and Yahiko had dropped him at the dojo to get cleaned up and rested before he saw his mother.
Yahiko set off at a brisk pace, wanting to catch Tsubame for lunch, and tell her about his trip. Rounding the corner near the cemetery, however, Yahiko stopped in his tracks, his battle sense telling him something was off in the air. Suddenly, a man bounced out of the gate of of the cemetery, a very familar young woman in his arms.
"TSUBAME!!!!" Yahiko shouted, quickly attempting to close the distance between his wife's assailant, his hand already reaching for the sakabatou at his side.
Though he practiced Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, and had a vow to never kill, that didn't stopYahiko from dealing(?) out a great deal of pain when the situation required it. Right now, his eyes blazed in anger, and he saw where punishment was needed. Oh yes... quite needed, indeed. No one messed with his family, and he was going to teach this thug just that....
To Be Continued
Authors Notes:
oh yes... *evil grin* What do you do when the hardest headed rooster and the hottest tempered tanuki trained fighter meet? :)
Jeremy Bennett
The sky was starting to darken with the coming rain, the morning sky turning from it's azure blue to the dark greys and charcoal smudges of coming storms. Sano had been hoping to tell his entire story before the rains arrived, but it seemed that it was not to be. The tingling at the base of his neck turned into a fire that shot down his back as someone delicately coughed behind him. Whirling about faster than lightning, he was upon his assailant in the blink of an eye, his left hand coming in low for the solar plexus, intent on bringing his attackers nose down into his hard right fist for a quick combination strike. Noting something wrong at the last second, he pulled his strike while it was still an inch from... her... nose....
"Oh... crap......" Sano muttered...
*****
Tsubame was in shock. Once second she was trying to get Sanosuke's attention, and the next she found a fist filling her vision...
Now, despite many people's beliefs to the contrary, Tsubame had been living in a well known kendo dojo for the last eleven years. Though not practicing more than her husband, she DID get training from him in basic self defense. Specifically, he had helped her with that little Judo he acutally knew, and had drilled her in how to handle this sort of situation. Due, more than likey to the shock of the moment (and not this authors desire to watch Sano get tossed around by pretty women.) her training in the Art kicked in, and, though nearly a head taller than her, with years more experience, her pivoted righthanded hipthrow caught Sano under his right wrist, transferred the motion of his punch into momentum, and had him seeing the world upside down before crashing to the ground heavily, stars in his eyes.
"Owwwwwww............." Sano groaned while fighthing to figure out which way was up and which was was down again.
By this time, Tsubame was looking at her arms like they were from some great deep dark dungon. Suddenly she realized that SHE had just taken Sagara Sanosuke... THE Sagara Sanosuke out with a simple hip toss. Then, shocked, she realized that she had prolly just knocked one of her oldest friends out completely by accident.
"Oh, my........." was her slight response to the spinning eyed man now lying stunned on the ground.
*****
"Wel, that was a new one...." Sano though to himself before looking up at his... assailant. Straight black hair, quiet maroon eyes, western style black unform dress that fell to her ankles... he should know this girl, from somewhere. A memory long buried jogged to his awareness. A shinai, a dark ally, a fight that Yahiko wouldn't lose for a girl in a well work kimono...
"Tsubame?" Sano ventured carefully....
"Gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen nassai!!!!" Tsubame chanted as she fell to her knees and bowed her head to the ground of the cemetery at his feet. "You surprised me, and I didn't really think, and Yahiko taught me, and oooh......" she said before prompty falling to the ground unconscious in a dead faint.
Sighing deeply, Sano quickly thought about the situation. A deserted cemetery, a unconscious girl, and an aging martial artist were not the best scene for the passing person on the street to see. Thinking quickly, he remembered that Tsubame used to work at the Akabeko. Scooping her up in his arms, and half bowing to Kaoru and Kenshin's stone, he bounded out of the cemetery on his way to to what he still hoped was the Akabeko.
*****
Yahiko was in a good mood. Well, as good as could be expected considering the fact that the storm that had sprung up on this late fall afternoon had him soaked to the bone, cold, and hungry. He and his son, Shinya, had just returned from Okinawa on a trip to help an old friend with the death of his wife. He had been away from home for nearly three weeks, and was anxious to see Tsubame again. Yahiko made a point to take his son traveling with him when he was younger, and though he wished that it has been a better trip, he travels with his son were still happy times. However, his son missed his mother as much as Yahiko, and both were moving at a good clip to get back to the Akabeko and see her, however miserable and wet they looked at the moment. However, the trek had been long, and very tiring for the young, short legged Shinya, and Yahiko had dropped him at the dojo to get cleaned up and rested before he saw his mother.
Yahiko set off at a brisk pace, wanting to catch Tsubame for lunch, and tell her about his trip. Rounding the corner near the cemetery, however, Yahiko stopped in his tracks, his battle sense telling him something was off in the air. Suddenly, a man bounced out of the gate of of the cemetery, a very familar young woman in his arms.
"TSUBAME!!!!" Yahiko shouted, quickly attempting to close the distance between his wife's assailant, his hand already reaching for the sakabatou at his side.
Though he practiced Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, and had a vow to never kill, that didn't stopYahiko from dealing(?) out a great deal of pain when the situation required it. Right now, his eyes blazed in anger, and he saw where punishment was needed. Oh yes... quite needed, indeed. No one messed with his family, and he was going to teach this thug just that....
To Be Continued
Authors Notes:
oh yes... *evil grin* What do you do when the hardest headed rooster and the hottest tempered tanuki trained fighter meet? :)
Jeremy Bennett