Forgotten Era
Disclaimer: Did ya miss me?
DH (DarkHand): glower
Disclaimer: Ah…I don't own anything.
MC (MysticChaos): sighs I still have no reviews…'cept for you DarkHand.
DH: sigh I didn't get to go to Dorney Park.
S4R (ShinHwa4Real): sighs too I don't who Aoshi or Soujirou is.
Kenshin: Miss Kaoru kicked me out of the house again. um…sigh
Shishio: TT Yumi doesn't love me anymore.
MCC (MysticChaos's Conscious): I'm stuck as a human thought again. whimper
Silence
MC: So…anyone wanna eat popcorn?
Everyone: --;;;
DH: HELLO! We're depressed here, if you didn't notice!
MC: TT I wanna eat popcorn…
DH: slaps forehead
Kenshin: Just let MysticChaos eat her popcorn, that you will.
MC: YAY! runs off
S4R: At least one of us is cheerful. --
Shishio: TT Yumi doesn't love me anymore.
DH: WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT THAT ALREADY?!
Shishio: TT Yumi doesn't love me anymore…
DH: twitch, twitch
MysticChaos comes back
MC: throws popcorn POPCORN FOR EVERYONE! WHEE!!!!
Everyone: OO
MC: whispers as she hands everyone sugar canes Get sugar-high. runs off ON WITH THE STORY!
Everyone: still holding the sugar cane Oo;;;
Chapter 8: Changes
As the warm spring went into summer, and summer smoothly going into fall, winter began its arrival with a icy wind, spreading the white snow across the great city of Kyoto and the fields that held the food of fall. Everyone knew this was going to be a cold, but pleasant winter.
Meanwhile, a familiar boy raced through the crowds, past the market, and behind a tree. The way in how clean, strong, and healthy the boy looked, no one would have suspected that it had been the fellow three seasons ago that had stolen a rich man's pocket watch. Right now, he was warily looking around, looking for a particular person…
"Too slow." a feminine voice softly said in the branches of the tree.
The boy, startled, jump away, wielding his bamboo sword.
A raven-black haired woman with golden eyes jumped down from the tree and swiftly slashed out an arm, holding tightly onto the boy's collar.
Lifting him up, she smiled, "Try not to make yourself so obvious next time."
The boy snapped, "Well, it's not MY fault that you had 18 years of training, Saeko!"
"That sensei to you, Kisho." Saeko playfully scolded as she dragged the fuming boy back to the market.
Kisho, who we now know is his name (yes, the same boy from Chapter 7), mumbled, "Jerk."
Saeko sighed and muttered back, "Thief."
"Ugly."
"Poop."
"Fool."
"Stupid."
"Moron."
WHACK!
Now Kisho had a rather large bump on his head, muttering nothings under his breath.
'How did I ever get this urchin to be my student?' Saeko thought, looking back at her pouting apprentice.
Kisho heard his teacher say this and thought. A dim memory came back as a result.
(S4R: FLASHBACK TIME!)
Kisho carefully watched the fishes swim back and forth. He knew he could get it if it only stayed-
Kisho threw the sharpened stick, but missed.
-If it only stayed still.
Sighing, Kisho got out of the water and glared at the fish, who resumed their normal lounging around. He'd been doing this for one month now and didn't get any closer to getting the damn fish. Closer to the target maybe, but still he missed. Yelling in frustration, Kisho threw down the staff and stomped on it furiously.
"You're not getting anywhere if you break the stick, having nothing to strike the fish with." a gentle voice said, good-humouredly.
Alarmed, Kisho looked up and saw a young man with short black hair and dark blue eyes across the small pond. He was smiling. He looked a bit weak and timid to Kisho. Assuming he had nothing to worry about, Kisho sat back down.
"I know! It's just that the damn fish won't stay still!" Kisho complained.
The man looked at the fish, his eyes sharp and focused. Suddenly his arm lashed out, revealing a withering fish in his hand.
"See? It's not too hard." he smiled.
Kisho just stared. Who was this guy? Then the fish sprayed water into the male's face, making him release the fish back into the pond.
"Whoops. Silly me." the guy laughed.
"WHY'D YOU LET GO OF IT! I COULD HAVE GOTTEN IT AND SPIKE IT THROUGH SO THE WOMAN CAN TEACH ME SWORDSMANSHIP!" Kisho yelled.
The man blinked and said with wisdom, "Then it wouldn't count as getting the fish by yourself."
"I DON'T CARE!"
Kisho was gasping for breath while the smiling man backed away by one step.
"If you don't then…" the man turned around to leave, but said with cheerfulness, "And oh, fish aren't that smart. Just trap them into a corner and catching them is a breeze!"
Kisho lifted his eyebrow as the man left and looked down at the fish. Jumping into the cold water, he scared one fish into a rounded edge. Then he stabbed it, raising the staff up, with the silver fish flobbering in the sunlight.
Extremely happy, Kisho yelled, "THANK YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"
The gentleman turned around and waved. Then he tripped on a rock. With a large sweat drop, Kisho wondered in how this stranger was able to get these high speed fish, but not aware of the rather LARGE rock in the path.
(S4R: Flashback finished. )
Suddenly laughing, Kisho remembered the man's strange look when he fell.
'I never got his name…' the boy thought. 'But it doesn't matter. I could just ask him today.'
Then Saeko stopped, narrowing her eyes.
"Miburo." she said distastefully.
Kisho sighed. Saeko may hate the police officer that his teacher claims to be part of the Shinsengumi, but over the months, anyone can notice that Saeko had hated the "Miburo" less. Only a little though.
The police officer tipped his cap slightly, but passed by her without any sign of threat or fear. The man was always like that. Then Saeko, too, moved on.
"Alright. Your lesson today is to balance." Saeko said, rolling down a few logs and setting them up in a vertical position.
Kisho set his bamboo sword down while Hiko watched them train. Then the boy climbed up and tried to stand on the log, but the wood tipped dangerously.
"All you have to do is jump from one long to another without tipping them over. If you do tip them over, you will fall and the log will fall on you. Do you understand?" Saeko asked, watching the lad try to gain his balance.
Kisho nodded and tried to jump on the second log. Instead, the first one fell and Kisho ended up falling with the second log. He narrowly dodged the second log falling on him and the first trunk almost crushing his legs.
Saeko steadily watched her student bring the beam back up (which was practically 3 times his weight), and watched Kisho try to balance again. Then the ground shook as the logs fell, Kisho falling on the ground, twitching. Saeko shook her head and walked away to do her own training. Hiko too walked off to get more sake.
Kisho set the timber up again, but this time he sat on it, meditating. Then a familiar man walked up the hill, smiling.
"I heard a large sound this way. I assumed you may need help again." the black-haired, dark blue-eyed man said. It was the same person that had taught him how to get the fish, and his other training from Saeko.
Kisho smiled and jumped down from the log. It fell again. Wincing, Kisho pointed at the top of the other beams, Immediately the man understood.
"What does this master do to you?" the man sighed as he took off his Chinese hat and pack.
Kisho shrugged and honestly said, "Sensei's not all that bad. I guess she just want me to improve…the hard way."
Then the male rolled up his sleeves and lectured, "Well, there is no such thing to get better the easy way, is there?"
Kisho shook his head and watched the man climb the log. Soon he was up on the top. Standing on tip toes, he jumped up with speed and landed on the third stump, since there was no second one. The logs hardly budged at all.
Kisho scratched his head and yelled, "How did you do that?!"
The man jumped down and calmly said, "Remember when you were asked to run across some roof tops in town and try not to trip?"
Kisho eagerly nodded his head.
"It's the almost the same thing. Only on a concentrated area."
The boy's face lightened up and he immediately climbed up on the log.
"I think I understand! Look!" he said.
Then Kisho jumped off, lightly pushing off the first stump, jumping onto the third, then the forth, and finally the fifth. None of them fell. Kisho jumped down and did a little jig.
The man laughed and smiled as he turned to go. Kisho ran after him and pulled the guy back.
"You're looking for a place to stay right?" Kisho asked.
The man nodded.
The boy volunteered, "Then stay at my place!"
"Uh…" the male looked unsure. "Your master might not enjoy my company-"
Kisho wouldn't hear of it, so he dragged him off.
"So! What's your name?" Kisho asked.
Seeing that he had no choice, but to follow the stubborn boy, the man sighed and answered with a smile, "Soujiro. Seta Soujiro.
MC: Oh shit…
DH: eating sugar cane What's wrong?
MC: I just realized that when saying Saitou Hajime, Saitou is the FAMILY name, and Hajime is the…first name. Just like Himura Kenshin. Frock.
S4R: Then… sticks sugar cane into mouth Shay that you made a mishtake, but will not change the shtory and Hajime remains a lasht name.
Kenshin: But Saitou will be verrrrry angry. getting sugar-high
Saitou: SUGAR-HIGH-NESS!!!
MC: That's a good idea. SO! Saitou is the first name in my story and Hajime remains the last name (instead of the other way around). If I'm not too lazy, I MAY revise the story when it ends. But for now, just leave the name be-
Kenshin: SUGAR-HIGH-NESS!!!!
Shishio: ME TOOOOOO!!!
S4R: They never ate candy did they?
DH: Yeah, they did. There was such thing as a candy back at the Meiji Era, but not sugar canes that are purely sugar.
Kenshin: I AM GOING BACK TO THE DOJO AND STAY THERE EVEN IF MISS KAORU IS STILL ANGRY! THAT I WILL! runs off
Shishio: AND I WILL SAY THAT I DON'T NEED YUMI ANYMORE! runs off too
Everyone: Oo;;;
MC: Who do you think is going to last longer?
DH: I vote Shishio.
S4R: I vote Kenshin.
MC: I vote for neither.
silence
Shishio and Kenshin fall from the sky and land on their faces on the ground
Kenshin: Miss Kaoru tossed me into the air. TT
Shishio: Yumi slapped me into the sky. TT
DH and S4R: grumble, grumble gives MysticChaos chocolate
MC: Well, see ya next time! AND REVIEW! eats the chocolate