Chapter 11
"... and then he jumped off the ship!" Senko said excitedly as she re-told the story to her brother. They had decided to camp out on the beach that night and head to town in the morning.
Unmei stared wide eyed at Kenshin. "You ran through fire to save my sister!"
Kenshin blushed he had never really enjoyed listening to tales about himself. "Well it was sorta my fault the ship had caught fire." He said with a laugh and rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Kenshin what did happen?" Senko asked. "How did the ship catch?"
Kenshin sighed. "Suiso used those powers of his to make the ship rock. It knocked over some lanterns." Kenshin said simply.
"But why was he using his powers?" Unmei thought out loud.
"He got upset at me."
"Over what?" Senko asked.
"I wouldn't take the sword he wanted me to have."
Senko gave Kenshin a queer look. "Why would you not take his sword? Not that I'm complaining!" She added quickly. "You are the Battòsai right? What difference would a sword make?"
Kenshin flinched a little as she said Battòsai. He hated being called it. He looked over at Unmei whose mouth had dropped. Senko hadn't, until now, mentioned the fact that he was the Battòsai. Kenshin gave him a weak smile before answering Senko's question. "I only carry this now." He said lightly touching his Sakabato. "This one will never kill again and will never carry a sword that kills at his side again." Senko gave an understanding nod.
"You're that Battòsai!" Unmei shouted. Kenshin gave another weak smile. "I can't believe it! Why would you save my sister?"
"Because no one should be forced from their homes."
It was Unmei's turn to laugh. "You're a curious man, but I like you." He said as he thumped Kenshin's back. Kenshin almost fell over from the sudden force. Senko laughed at the sight.
The next morning they made their way to town. Unmei showed them where he had been staying. "How did you survive brother?" Senko asked as she packed a bag of food.
"Like you two. I floated around then made it to shore. I wandered around looking for someone who would lend me or give me a good vessel. I made my way to this town and found a man who would sell me a boat when I raised enough money. That reminds me I need to tell him that I don't plan to buy that boat anymore!" He exclaimed and headed out the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes!"
Kenshin walked through the town. He badly wanted a change of clothes. He sighed. "What am I doing anyways? I don't have money to buy anything anyway." He looked to his left and saw a clothing stand and walked over to it. He was looking over the different color cloth. "No way!" He said as he held up a magenta cloth.
He was looking it over when the shop owner came up to him. "I'm sorry sir but we are closed!" He snatched the cloth from Kenshin.
"Oro? You seemed open; my apologies." Kenshin said with a smile. He looked at the man's cold stare but kept smiling.
Kenshin turned to walk away when the man said under his breath. "We don't need people like you poisoning this town." Kenshin heard him and was going to just ignore it when Unmei walked up to him.
"Oi Kenshin! Are you just going to let him talk to you like that?!"
"Unmei-san, please it's really no big deal. It was my mistake!" Kenshin said hastily to try to avoid a fight.
"Your mistake my ass! Now mister! My friend Kenshin here is a paying customer! You will serve him like all your other customers." Unmei yelled at the man.
"Unmei-san please! I don't have any money anyway! I was just looking!"
"You have plenty of money and what did I tell you about calling me Unmei- san!?" With that Unmei grabbed Kenshin's wrist and placed a heavy purse in Kenshin's palm. "Now what were you looking at?"
"Now see here! I am the owner of this shop! And I refuse to sell to murderers like him!"
Unmei looked at Kenshin who was very quiet. Kenshin was about to say something when Unmei stopped him. "You know about my sister right?"
The man looked at his feet. "Yes, and I am truly sorry."
"Well THIS man!" Unmei put an arm around Kenshin's neck. "He saved her." He gave Kenshin a noogie. "He may look like the Battòsai this town is afraid of but he is a great man!" Kenshin stood speechless.
"I am terribly sorry!" The man said and handed the cloth to Kenshin. "Any man who would risk his life to save that girl is a good man in my eyes. Please take this!"
Kenshin was still speechless but Unmei wasn't. "He can't wear it like this!" He laughed. "You were planning on wearing this right?" Kenshin nodded.
"Ah! Please sir let me fit you!" The shop keeper grabbed Kenshin's wrist and dragged him inside. "My wife is an excellent seamstress!"
"Oroo!" Kenshin finally managed to say as he was dragged inside.
Kenshin looked himself over in the mirror. "It looks great that it does!" He exclaimed happily glad to be back in his old bright colors. "You did a great job! Thank you very much!"
The shop keeper's wife laughed. "It was my pleasure! Unmei has been so down. I'm glad that he has been reunited with his sister." She rose to her feet and showed Kenshin the door. "I'm glad you like it. I hope to see you again sometime!" She said with a smile.
"Yes, I would like that too! Thank you again!" Kenshin headed toward Unmei's house.
"Such a nice young man."
"Kenshin!" Senko called to him as he approached. "I'm glad you found some new clothes." She looked him over. "Now all you have to do is wait until your hair grows out."
"Kenshin you look great!" Unmei said as he walked up and gave Kenshin another slap on the back. "Well you two should we head out? We still got a long walk ahead of us."
Kenshin nodded with agreement. "We need to get you two home so that your father won't have to worry anymore!" The three left the town together that day.
"... and then he jumped off the ship!" Senko said excitedly as she re-told the story to her brother. They had decided to camp out on the beach that night and head to town in the morning.
Unmei stared wide eyed at Kenshin. "You ran through fire to save my sister!"
Kenshin blushed he had never really enjoyed listening to tales about himself. "Well it was sorta my fault the ship had caught fire." He said with a laugh and rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Kenshin what did happen?" Senko asked. "How did the ship catch?"
Kenshin sighed. "Suiso used those powers of his to make the ship rock. It knocked over some lanterns." Kenshin said simply.
"But why was he using his powers?" Unmei thought out loud.
"He got upset at me."
"Over what?" Senko asked.
"I wouldn't take the sword he wanted me to have."
Senko gave Kenshin a queer look. "Why would you not take his sword? Not that I'm complaining!" She added quickly. "You are the Battòsai right? What difference would a sword make?"
Kenshin flinched a little as she said Battòsai. He hated being called it. He looked over at Unmei whose mouth had dropped. Senko hadn't, until now, mentioned the fact that he was the Battòsai. Kenshin gave him a weak smile before answering Senko's question. "I only carry this now." He said lightly touching his Sakabato. "This one will never kill again and will never carry a sword that kills at his side again." Senko gave an understanding nod.
"You're that Battòsai!" Unmei shouted. Kenshin gave another weak smile. "I can't believe it! Why would you save my sister?"
"Because no one should be forced from their homes."
It was Unmei's turn to laugh. "You're a curious man, but I like you." He said as he thumped Kenshin's back. Kenshin almost fell over from the sudden force. Senko laughed at the sight.
The next morning they made their way to town. Unmei showed them where he had been staying. "How did you survive brother?" Senko asked as she packed a bag of food.
"Like you two. I floated around then made it to shore. I wandered around looking for someone who would lend me or give me a good vessel. I made my way to this town and found a man who would sell me a boat when I raised enough money. That reminds me I need to tell him that I don't plan to buy that boat anymore!" He exclaimed and headed out the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes!"
Kenshin walked through the town. He badly wanted a change of clothes. He sighed. "What am I doing anyways? I don't have money to buy anything anyway." He looked to his left and saw a clothing stand and walked over to it. He was looking over the different color cloth. "No way!" He said as he held up a magenta cloth.
He was looking it over when the shop owner came up to him. "I'm sorry sir but we are closed!" He snatched the cloth from Kenshin.
"Oro? You seemed open; my apologies." Kenshin said with a smile. He looked at the man's cold stare but kept smiling.
Kenshin turned to walk away when the man said under his breath. "We don't need people like you poisoning this town." Kenshin heard him and was going to just ignore it when Unmei walked up to him.
"Oi Kenshin! Are you just going to let him talk to you like that?!"
"Unmei-san, please it's really no big deal. It was my mistake!" Kenshin said hastily to try to avoid a fight.
"Your mistake my ass! Now mister! My friend Kenshin here is a paying customer! You will serve him like all your other customers." Unmei yelled at the man.
"Unmei-san please! I don't have any money anyway! I was just looking!"
"You have plenty of money and what did I tell you about calling me Unmei- san!?" With that Unmei grabbed Kenshin's wrist and placed a heavy purse in Kenshin's palm. "Now what were you looking at?"
"Now see here! I am the owner of this shop! And I refuse to sell to murderers like him!"
Unmei looked at Kenshin who was very quiet. Kenshin was about to say something when Unmei stopped him. "You know about my sister right?"
The man looked at his feet. "Yes, and I am truly sorry."
"Well THIS man!" Unmei put an arm around Kenshin's neck. "He saved her." He gave Kenshin a noogie. "He may look like the Battòsai this town is afraid of but he is a great man!" Kenshin stood speechless.
"I am terribly sorry!" The man said and handed the cloth to Kenshin. "Any man who would risk his life to save that girl is a good man in my eyes. Please take this!"
Kenshin was still speechless but Unmei wasn't. "He can't wear it like this!" He laughed. "You were planning on wearing this right?" Kenshin nodded.
"Ah! Please sir let me fit you!" The shop keeper grabbed Kenshin's wrist and dragged him inside. "My wife is an excellent seamstress!"
"Oroo!" Kenshin finally managed to say as he was dragged inside.
Kenshin looked himself over in the mirror. "It looks great that it does!" He exclaimed happily glad to be back in his old bright colors. "You did a great job! Thank you very much!"
The shop keeper's wife laughed. "It was my pleasure! Unmei has been so down. I'm glad that he has been reunited with his sister." She rose to her feet and showed Kenshin the door. "I'm glad you like it. I hope to see you again sometime!" She said with a smile.
"Yes, I would like that too! Thank you again!" Kenshin headed toward Unmei's house.
"Such a nice young man."
"Kenshin!" Senko called to him as he approached. "I'm glad you found some new clothes." She looked him over. "Now all you have to do is wait until your hair grows out."
"Kenshin you look great!" Unmei said as he walked up and gave Kenshin another slap on the back. "Well you two should we head out? We still got a long walk ahead of us."
Kenshin nodded with agreement. "We need to get you two home so that your father won't have to worry anymore!" The three left the town together that day.