Chapter Four
Sano quickly came to the same conclusion that he had thousands of times before. Women were Trouble. Always. Take for instance the fact Tsubame had fainted without anything more than a "gomen gomen gomen." Now, he was hauling her halfway across town, under the threat of a thunderstorm, to somewhere he hopes she USED to work. Quietly sighing to himself, he scooped Tsubame up into his arms and set off for the Akebato. No sooner had he had begun his trek, his senses were suddenly assaulted with the sounds of "You BASTARD!!!!!!" from down the road. Turning slightly, he noticed a young man, maybe 25 running at him with a sword at his hip, his blue hakama and gi seeming oddly familar. By the look in his eye, he could plainly tell the man had seen him leave with Tsubame, and had naturally thought the worst. A ruffian kidnapping a woman, with some evil intent. Not having any time to think about what he was doing, he dropped Tsubame as gently to the ground as possible and prepared for the oncoming assault......
*****
Yahiko cringed as he saw Tsubame hit the ground. His already strained senses told him to get this over with quickly, so with a speed he rarely displayed outside of the most serious of battles, he came at the stupid idiot who would attack his wife with all the strength he could muster after both the long trek, and the stress of seeing his wife being nearly abducted by such a villian. He knew there were few people who could actively stand up to one of his attacks without serious injury, and was not expecting this man to be much of a challenge, attacking nearly defenseless young women in a cemetery, no less. Drawing his sakabatou in a running battoujutsu, his lateral strike was intended to slam into the side of the man's right ribs, and throwing him to his left, hopefully unconscious. It was a very large surprise to him, when the man shifting his postion just slighly to the right, allowing Yahiko's strike to pass him by just scant centimeters from his right side, and brought his knee up directly into Yahiko's solar plexus like a loaded shot of lead. The last thing Yahiko remembered before unconsciousness took him went something along the lines of "Boy that hairdo looks familar...."
*****
Sano looked down at the fallen man, slightly who had slumped over in his unconscious state. He could always remember trouble following him around when he was younger, but this was just plan stupid. Bending over, he turned the man face up, and for the first time got a good, long look at him.
"Well damn, I should'a figured on something like that... must be geetting feeble in my old age..." Looking one more time just to make sure, I confirm that, yah, I just knocked Yahiko out, and not only that, he was sloppy enough to let me do it in one blow... Maybe it is a good thing that I came back to Tokyo.......
Figuring that I had puttered about with the kids long enough, I picked Yahiko up off the ground, propped him up on a nearby wall, and slapped his face, hard.
*****
Yahiko stood in the dojo, quietly contemplating the sign in front of him. He had been meditating, trying to understand the character written on the white piece of silk when he heard someone come into the dojo. Turning around, he noted Tsubame coming towards him with a bokken in hand, a gentle smile on her face. Uhoh... this can't be good, he thought to himself. Turning around and standing, he came up and gently pulled her into a hug, her words coming like silk, she began carressing his face... "Yahiko-kun..... Yahiko-kun....." she gently mumbled, their faces getting closer and closer.... suddenly, her hand came up for the greatest smack he had ever felt in his entire life...."
"YAHIKO, you baka! Wake the hell up!" Jeez, people just couldn't handle a little love tap anymore, could they.
"Tsubame.... why'd you hit me....?" Yahiko mumbled before reality came crashing back on his senses. His eye's flying wide open, Yahiko looked up into the aged face of Sagara Sanosuke for the first time in ten years.
"How you doing Yahiko-chan. Nice to know that you are still carrying on th traditions of 'baka-deshi-ken.' Kaoru would be so proud. Now if you don't mind, could you take your hands off my waist... it's really starting to bother me....."
"Okay," Yahiko thought to himself, I am still dreaming. I can not have my hands around another man's waist, cause I know Sano can't be back in Tokyo. Therefore, whoever is over me must be impersonating Sano to try to gain my trust, then slip a tanto in my back. Well, I will show him. Moving slowly, he rested his left hand at the pommel of his sakabatou, and using a skill gleaned through many years of repeated attempts, drove the hilt directly into the man's chin. Crowing in triumph, he watched as the man went over backwards, unconsious.
Tsubame chose that moment to stir, her eye's fluttering like a butterfly in the breeze. She took in the scene before her, with Sanosuke lying unconsious a few feet from an obvious dazed Yahiko. Making a quick judgement, she quickly ran up and checked on her husband.
"Anata, are you okay?" She quickly began inspecting her husband for injuries.
"Yes, who the hell is that?" Yahiko nodded toward the slumbering form of Sano.
"Dear, don't you recognize Sanosuke? I found him meeting at Kaoru and Kenshin's gravesite, he startled me, and I hurt him a bit before... well... the rest is kinda fuzzy, but maybe tea would be a good way to bring this whole mess back into control, don't you?" Tsubame asked mildly, her eye's glittering with mirth.....
"Hooo boy... I have a feeling it's gonna be a long day......" Yahiko muttered before nodding his head at his wife's suggestion.
To Be Continued.
Sano quickly came to the same conclusion that he had thousands of times before. Women were Trouble. Always. Take for instance the fact Tsubame had fainted without anything more than a "gomen gomen gomen." Now, he was hauling her halfway across town, under the threat of a thunderstorm, to somewhere he hopes she USED to work. Quietly sighing to himself, he scooped Tsubame up into his arms and set off for the Akebato. No sooner had he had begun his trek, his senses were suddenly assaulted with the sounds of "You BASTARD!!!!!!" from down the road. Turning slightly, he noticed a young man, maybe 25 running at him with a sword at his hip, his blue hakama and gi seeming oddly familar. By the look in his eye, he could plainly tell the man had seen him leave with Tsubame, and had naturally thought the worst. A ruffian kidnapping a woman, with some evil intent. Not having any time to think about what he was doing, he dropped Tsubame as gently to the ground as possible and prepared for the oncoming assault......
*****
Yahiko cringed as he saw Tsubame hit the ground. His already strained senses told him to get this over with quickly, so with a speed he rarely displayed outside of the most serious of battles, he came at the stupid idiot who would attack his wife with all the strength he could muster after both the long trek, and the stress of seeing his wife being nearly abducted by such a villian. He knew there were few people who could actively stand up to one of his attacks without serious injury, and was not expecting this man to be much of a challenge, attacking nearly defenseless young women in a cemetery, no less. Drawing his sakabatou in a running battoujutsu, his lateral strike was intended to slam into the side of the man's right ribs, and throwing him to his left, hopefully unconscious. It was a very large surprise to him, when the man shifting his postion just slighly to the right, allowing Yahiko's strike to pass him by just scant centimeters from his right side, and brought his knee up directly into Yahiko's solar plexus like a loaded shot of lead. The last thing Yahiko remembered before unconsciousness took him went something along the lines of "Boy that hairdo looks familar...."
*****
Sano looked down at the fallen man, slightly who had slumped over in his unconscious state. He could always remember trouble following him around when he was younger, but this was just plan stupid. Bending over, he turned the man face up, and for the first time got a good, long look at him.
"Well damn, I should'a figured on something like that... must be geetting feeble in my old age..." Looking one more time just to make sure, I confirm that, yah, I just knocked Yahiko out, and not only that, he was sloppy enough to let me do it in one blow... Maybe it is a good thing that I came back to Tokyo.......
Figuring that I had puttered about with the kids long enough, I picked Yahiko up off the ground, propped him up on a nearby wall, and slapped his face, hard.
*****
Yahiko stood in the dojo, quietly contemplating the sign in front of him. He had been meditating, trying to understand the character written on the white piece of silk when he heard someone come into the dojo. Turning around, he noted Tsubame coming towards him with a bokken in hand, a gentle smile on her face. Uhoh... this can't be good, he thought to himself. Turning around and standing, he came up and gently pulled her into a hug, her words coming like silk, she began carressing his face... "Yahiko-kun..... Yahiko-kun....." she gently mumbled, their faces getting closer and closer.... suddenly, her hand came up for the greatest smack he had ever felt in his entire life...."
"YAHIKO, you baka! Wake the hell up!" Jeez, people just couldn't handle a little love tap anymore, could they.
"Tsubame.... why'd you hit me....?" Yahiko mumbled before reality came crashing back on his senses. His eye's flying wide open, Yahiko looked up into the aged face of Sagara Sanosuke for the first time in ten years.
"How you doing Yahiko-chan. Nice to know that you are still carrying on th traditions of 'baka-deshi-ken.' Kaoru would be so proud. Now if you don't mind, could you take your hands off my waist... it's really starting to bother me....."
"Okay," Yahiko thought to himself, I am still dreaming. I can not have my hands around another man's waist, cause I know Sano can't be back in Tokyo. Therefore, whoever is over me must be impersonating Sano to try to gain my trust, then slip a tanto in my back. Well, I will show him. Moving slowly, he rested his left hand at the pommel of his sakabatou, and using a skill gleaned through many years of repeated attempts, drove the hilt directly into the man's chin. Crowing in triumph, he watched as the man went over backwards, unconsious.
Tsubame chose that moment to stir, her eye's fluttering like a butterfly in the breeze. She took in the scene before her, with Sanosuke lying unconsious a few feet from an obvious dazed Yahiko. Making a quick judgement, she quickly ran up and checked on her husband.
"Anata, are you okay?" She quickly began inspecting her husband for injuries.
"Yes, who the hell is that?" Yahiko nodded toward the slumbering form of Sano.
"Dear, don't you recognize Sanosuke? I found him meeting at Kaoru and Kenshin's gravesite, he startled me, and I hurt him a bit before... well... the rest is kinda fuzzy, but maybe tea would be a good way to bring this whole mess back into control, don't you?" Tsubame asked mildly, her eye's glittering with mirth.....
"Hooo boy... I have a feeling it's gonna be a long day......" Yahiko muttered before nodding his head at his wife's suggestion.
To Be Continued.