The characters in this tale belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki. This tale follows A tale of Sanosuke: Niigata and A tale of Sanosuke: Aizu, and precedes A tale of Sanosuke - 4: Shinshu. References are made to events detailed in A tale of Soujirou: Question and Answer.
Many thanks for all the constructive feedback!
This tale is dedicated to Aredhel.
A tale of Sanosuke - 3: Tokyo
By Daniel Lam
THE TALL man was sure he had been along this row of shops before. In the few years he had been away, the city of Tokyo had undergone great change.
There were more buildings constructed in the style of the foreign peoples, for one thing. But most obvious were that more Japanese - men, women and children - were dressed in Western fashion.
Such was the scale of change that he had become lost a number of times. The streets no longer looked the same, and already twice he found himself tracing his steps after having walked into a dead-end.
The man stopped by a shop selling dumplings and bought two, for at the rate he was going, he would not find his destination before lunchtime.
After paying the trader, he turned and was very nearly run into by a boy whose mind seemed to be elsewhere.
"Hey kid, watch where you're going," the man said, not unkindly.
The boy looked up. "Oh, sorry, sir!" he said and went on his way. In his hand he held what looked like a long shopping list.
The man squinted as the boy went into a shop. That kid looks awfully familiar, he thought, trying hard to place the face.
In the end he gave up. Arggh! Sagara Sanosuke, where it comes to faces you're next to useless, he berated himself mentally.
He took a bite of the first dumpling and felt much better. Banking on his gut feeling, Sanosuke took a left turn, then right and left again.
He cursed under his breath when he found himself facing a dead-end again, although this one was a little different from the previous two. A group of men were seated on benches and wooden crates lined up against the walls.
"Good morning, guys," Sanosuke said by way of greeting, his eyes on their overall demeanour and their sake bottles. "Don't mind me ... I'm just a little lost."
Involuntarily, he jingled the contents of his money pouch as he turned to go. Sanosuke found his way blocked by two burly men with less-than-savoury expressions on their faces.
"I'll be going now," he stated. He could hear movements behind him - the men were getting up.
"Well, when a mouse runs into a den of cats, the cats would be foolish to let the mouse go," the burly one on the left said with a sneer, "-right?"
Sanosuke grinned, much to the surprise of the two men. He dropped his duffel bag and took another bite of the bun.
"I think my luck's just improved, guys," he said aloud, turning to face the rest of the men. There were fifteen of them, including the two blocking his exit.
"What?" remarked the one who spoke out earlier.
"I mean, I was just getting all worked up about getting lost, and the next thing I know, I get into the one thing that really improves my mood," Sanosuke continued.
A man with a red nose scratched his head and muttered: "I don't understand a single word he says."
The man next to him shrugged. "Who cares ... I think he talks too much."
"Let's just get him!" Red Nose declared, and the rest nodded in unison.
"Wait!" Sanosuke finished his dumpling and took out the other one. "Not good to fight with one's mouth full."
He swallowed. "That's better. Now, I'll take all of you on in the time it takes this dumpling-" he threw it impossibly high up, "-to fall!"
"Wha-?" was all Red Nose managed before Sanosuke sent him flying with one punch. Before the others could react, he floored another.
By the time they managed to move, a third was sent to the land of dreams.
Sanosuke swung around and slammed his fist into the stomach of one of the two burly ones who had blocked his path. The other man jumped on him and managed to unbalance Sanosuke, but not for long.
With a twist at the hip Sanosuke grabbed the fellow and used the momentum of his fall to throw the man over his shoulder. The sound of crashing convinced him that yet another of the thugs was down.
One of the thugs got to Sanosuke before he could flip himself back on his feet. The knife struck Sanosuke's ribs, but something metallic turned the blade.
Sanosuke grabbed the man by the hand and spun him like a rag doll, using him as a projectile to floor two others.
Those still standing decided to call it a day, and ran.
"Hey, the party's not over!" Sanosuke called after them. "What's the hurry?"
Those who turned tail did not reply, but he was not expecting them too, anyway. His mood had improved considerably.
"Nothing like a brawl," he declared, an instant before he heard something soft fall onto the ground.
The dumpling.
Sanosuke slapped his forehead. "Sano ... you talk too much!" he scolded himself as he picked up the bun. "Still edible," he commented, dusting it and taking a bite.
He gave the alley one last look to make sure everyone was unpleasantly asleep and then went on his way.
Once he had turned the corner, Sanosuke knew he had stepped into familiar territory. He finished the last bit of the meat dumpling as he walked along the river towards his destination.
Not much further now, he thought as he wiped his hands clean on his cloak. The thought of seeing his friends again brought a smile to his face for the umpteenth time.
Sanosuke hesitated for a short moment before rapping on the gate of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Dojo. In times past he would just open the gate himself and step right through, but now things might have changed.
In any case, he wanted to make sure it was the right place.
The gate opened slightly, and the man stared into ... nothing.
"Hello," a child's voice greeted, and the man looked considerably lower down.
"Hello, little one," Sanosuke responded. The child would be in the region of three years of age. The hair was dark with perhaps a hint of red. And big eyes.
Which could only mean one thing. The man could not help but grin.
"Kenji! I told you to wait for me!" a woman's voice was heard from within the compound.
The child grimaced as he turned. "Tall man," he reported. Seconds later the gate swung wider.
She hesitated when she set eyes on him. Sanosuke noted that she had a look that suggested that she was expecting someone else.
There was recognition in her eyes, but there was no greeting, no address. After what seemed to him to be too long, he decided to break the silence.
Sanosuke gestured at his duffel bag. "It's a bag, miss, not a zanbatou," he said, referring to the massive weapon he had brought with him when he first came to the dojo years ago, to challenge someone to a duel.
"Sanosuke," she managed finally.
"Yes, Kaoru," he replied before she lunged forward and gave him a big hug.
"Whoa, that's more like it!" he laughed after she released him. "And this is your son, little Kenji?"
The boy was glaring at him.
"It's okay, Kenji," Kaoru said. "This man is a very good friend. Say hello to Uncle Sanosuke!"
The boy did not answer immediately. Then he declared: "Already! Kenji not little!" before running off.
Sanosuke picked up his bag and stepped into the compound. "Doesn't like his mum hugging tall, handsome men, I guess," he remarked.
Kaoru sighed rather loudly. "He's a good boy ... but he does get jealous."
She closed the gate. As if to convince herself, she poked him the chest a number of times.
"You have become ... bigger," she said finally.
Indeed he has. Years ago he was somewhat thin. The years of travelling around the world had beefed him up considerably. He almost looked older than his twenty-five years of age - his unshaven face probably didn't help.
"You feel ... funny, though," she added. "Everything else is about the same." She gestured at his unruly hair.
"Oh, I'm wearing Western armour underneath. Chainmail ... the best steel," he explained. "Saved my life a couple of times ... probably."
Kaoru nodded, though whether she understood what he meant, Sanosuke could not tell.
He continued: "As for my hair ... it has a certain charm to it, don't you think?"
"If you say so," came her nonchalant reply.
As they headed towards the house, he asked: "Were you expecting somebody?"
She stopped and smacked herself on the forehead. "Yes ... I just sent Outa off to buy some groceries."
"Outa?" Sanosuke repeated. "Higashidani Outa?"
"Yes," Kaoru said, nodding. "Your brother came by with your father, Kamishimoemon, not too long ago. They said you recommended us."
"That I did," was Sanosuke's reply. He had not expected to be able to meet his younger brother so soon.
They got to the main house. Sanosuke dropped his bag somewhat loudly, drawing an angry look from the little boy.
"Sorry," Sanosuke said quickly, but Kenji had already run off.
"Is Yahiko here?" Sanosuke asked. Myoujin Yahiko was the Kamiya dojo's sole kendo student for a number of years.
"No, he's out ... he spends much of his time with Tsubame when she's finished work for the day. Right about now he would be training other kendo students," she said.
"What about you? Still adjutant master?"
"I'm a full master now, Sanosuke," she said, mildly irritated. "But today I'm here to look after Kenji."
Sanosuke grinned. "Where's the redhead?"
"He's not here," she replied.
"I know he's not here," Sanosuke said. "If he was, I wouldn't have to knock ... he'd know I was coming."
"I don't know where he is. He left early in the morning. He got a letter - delivered by a police officer - and said he had to go see someone," she said. "He's the reason why I'm not out teaching with Yahiko."
Sanosuke nodded. Kenji was playing with a ball by the well in the courtyard, occasionally running between the rows of drying laundry. Kaoru muttered something about tea and went off to the kitchen.
He was watching the boy play, noting the child's resemblance to Kenshin, when Kenji stubbed his toe and fell. Sanosuke's eyes narrowed as the boy got up and picked up the offending pebble.
Although he could not hear what Kenji was saying, his gestures strongly suggested that the boy was berating the pebble before throwing it out over the back fence.
The boy has a temper, and at such a young age, too, Sanosuke thought. Must have got it from his mum.
Kaoru returned just then.
"Does he still ... fight?" he asked as she placed the tray on the floor.
"Kenshin?" She shook her head. "He ... doesn't any more. Although just a few months ago ... I was afraid he would have."
"Oh?"
"Remember Seta Soujirou? One of Shishio Makoto's men?"
Sanosuke remembered Soujirou all right. He had been a witness to the battle between Kenshin and the youth. It the first time Sanosuke had ever seen anyone actually faster than Kenshin. Considerably faster.
"Well, I never thought he would be someone THAT young," Kaoru stated. "He looked like he could be Yahiko's age ... but even I could feel how powerful he is."
"What happened?" Sanosuke had met Soujirou when he arrived in Japan at the port city of Niigata. The Tenken was about to depart Japan for the mainland to seek treatment for the girl he was travelling with.
"I don't really know ... Kenshin didn't say much. All I know was that Soujirou handed Kenshin a sword, and Kenshin broke it," Kaoru said. "Please, drink," she gestured at the cup.
"Sword?" he asked before taking a sip. The tea was too hot but he suppressed the urge to complain.
"Yes ... an odd one, with a serrated edge."
Sanosuke remembered that sword - Mugenjin was its name - and it was Shishio's sword. So that was part of Soujirou's search for an answer? he thought.
Kenji ran up to them with the ball. His displeasure at Sanosuke seemed to have been forgotten, for he was poking at the duffel bag and making faces at the man.
"Later, kid," Sanosuke said. He took the ball and winked. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the ball flying. "Go fetch," he instructed, but the boy had already dashed off.
"Very quick reflexes," he remarked.
"Just like his father," Kaoru said. "Kenshin has remarked more than once, with a hint of sadness, that Kenji could be a great swordsman one day."
"So it's true, huh? You and the redhead are now married and all, and that kid's the result?" he stated, expecting a friendly punch from her.
"Yes," was all she said, her eyes following the boy's movements amongst the laundry.
"So ... Kenshin broke the sword with the serrated edge?" Sanosuke asked after a while.
"Yes ... it must have been something significant for both, because the man - Soujirou - left soon after, saying that he could then begin a journey."
"And for Kenshin?"
"Kenshin ... behaved somewhat strange for the next few days. Then he bestowed the sakabatou to Yahiko," Kaoru recounted.
"Kenshin gave his sakabatou to the kid?"
"Yahiko isn't a kid anymore, Sanosuke," Kaoru pointed out. "He's a man now."
Sanosuke frowned. Kenshin without a sword, he thought, is like ... no, it is! ... a tiger without the very claws that allow it to hunt, to feed itself.
"How is he coping?" he asked Kaoru.
Her attention was on Kenji again. Those eyes narrowed when Kenji tried some clumsy-looking manoeuvres with a stick that, to the trained eye of a martial arts exponent, were obviously attempts at mimicking some sword attack techniques.
Sanosuke leaned back and rested his head on his hands. Something on the wall caught his eye.
He got up.
"Sanosuke? Were you saying something?" Kaoru asked.
"It's nothing," he said as he walked towards the wall. There were nameplates there: Kaoru is listed as master, Yahiko and Tsukayama Yutarou as assistant masters. And Shinichi Kozaburo and Higashidani Outa as students.
"Outa..." Sanosuke read aloud. Uki must have been giving you a hard time, just as I suspected! Uki was their sister, who took it hard when Sanosuke left home to seek a life of adventure with the ill-fated peasant army, the Sekihoutai.
Kaoru came up to his side. "He said that you told him to come here when he was ready."
The man smiled. "How old is he, now?" he wondered aloud, drawing a curious look from Kaoru.
"He's eleven."
Sanosuke nodded. "And Yutarou's here too?"
"Well, not here, no. He's gone with his father on a business trip to Siam," Kaoru told him.
Kenji called out to Kaoru just then.
"Yes, Kenji dear?" Kaoru asked tenderly.
The boy inclined his head slightly and squinted.
"I think he got something in his eye," Sanosuke offered.
Kaoru did not answer. She went to Kenji, knelt and blew softly into the child's left eye, eliciting a variety of sound effects from Kenji, which were met with cooing from the mother.
Sanosuke could not help but grin at the sight. Never in a thousand years would I imagine seeing the little miss like this! he thought.
The show ended soon after, and Kenji was back to playing with the ball. Kaoru's pleas on being careful seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"Where is this dojo where Yahiko is training?" Sanosuke asked when he sensed an opening in Kaoru's supervision of the child.
"What?"
"Yahiko ... where is he training students?" he repeated. "Let's go and pay him a visit, and then we can go together to the Akabeko."
The Akabeko was a favourite haunt of theirs, serving claypot beef stew that everyone liked. Tsubame was a waitress there.
Kaoru shook her head. "I don't think we - Kenji and I - should go out today. On days when he goes out on urgent business, Kenshin gets very worried when he comes home and finds that we're not here."
"Does this happen often?" Sanosuke asked. "This 'urgent business' thing?"
"This is the eleventh time since Kenji was born," Kaoru said.
What struck Sanosuke was that she remembered the number of times, and the starting point of that memory.
"Oh well ... then tell me where I can find Yahiko. We'll buy some foodstuff and bring it home with us," he said finally. As she nodded in agreement, he remembered Outa.
"What did you send him to buy? He's taking a long time coming back," he asked.
"Oh, the usual ... miso, rice, soy sauce, soybean curd..."
Sanosuke groaned. "I see that some things haven't changed ... did you really have to send the poor boy out to buy so many things?"
She smiled at that, for she used to subject Kenshin to pretty much the same.
"I think I still do," she laughed. "Kenshin doesn't complain as much anymore, though."
"Never mind ... the Outa I remember needs to toughen up anyway. So ... how do I find Yahiko?"
THE Maekawa dojo was not a hard place to find, but Sanosuke had almost given up finding it - despite Kaoru's verbal directions - when he practically stumbled upon the school. The sounds of kendo students sparring probably helped, too.
None of the students paid him any heed as he approached. When he got to the training hall, Sanosuke saw why.
Two youths stood facing each other on the sparring area, their bamboo swords in hand, held at ready.
Sanosuke recognised the fuzzy hair on one of them, the one with his back facing the man.
Yahiko's grown taller in the past few years, Sanosuke observed. From behind Yahiko looked lean and mean.
His opponent was a little taller and bigger, and for all intents and purposes, would seem to be the likelier winner of the match. The reality was, as usual, more than meets the eye.
With a loud cry Yahiko's opponent jumped forward, right foot first, raising the shinai high above his head as he leapt and bringing it down just before the foot touched the floor.
Yahiko seemed to barely react in time, but to Sanosuke's trained eyes, the assistant master knew exactly what he was doing, and his timing was perfect.
In the next instant the student crashed onto the floor with a look on his face that showed he didn't know what hit him; Yahiko stood with his shinai thrust forward, held straight with the end at eye level.
"Your execution was good, but you left yourself wide open to anyone who can step aside fast enough to avoid your strike," Yahiko said as the student got up. "You put too much into the attack, preventing you from reacting to my riposte."
The student nodded. "Thank you, sensei."
"You'll get the hang if it with lots of practice, Genzo," Yahiko said. "Next!"
Three other students came next, one after the other, each getting floored by the assistant master of the Kamiya dojo.
"Hey kid, still practicing? Grow up already!" Sanosuke called out immediately after Yahiko dismissed the class.
The teenager looked at his direction, a serious look on the boyish face. The expression changed quickly, and within a few big strides he was by Sanosuke's side. It was the latter who was doing the hugging, however.
"Sanosuke!" he managed after the man released him. "It really is you!"
"Of course it's me! Who else would insult you the way I do, Yahiko?" Sanosuke replied.
"You feel funny," Yahiko remarked. "Are you wearing chains or something?"
"Yes, I am, kid," Sanosuke said. "Chainmail armour, made of the finest European steel. How did you guess?"
Yahiko pointed at the bit of the hauberk that could be seen, almost as if peeking out from underneath the white shirt.
"Oh. For a moment there, I thought you were smarter than the little miss."
"You've seen Kaoru? And Kenji?"
Sanosuke nodded in response.
"What about Outa?" Yahiko asked.
"The little miss sent him to buy stuff before I arrived. I'll get to see him later," Sanosuke said.
"You'd have missed Kenshin, then."
"How did you guess?"
Yahiko motioned for him to wait while he went to bid the dojo's master, Maekawa Miyauchi, farewell for the day. Sanosuke bowed in respect to the old man, who responded in kind.
Later on the street Sanosuke repeated his question.
"Oh, Kenshin got a letter today, just as Kaoru and I were about to leave for the Maekawa dojo," Yahiko explained, scratching his ear.
"Any idea what it's about?"
"I'm guessing that some big government man wants the services of the former Hitokiri Battousai," the teenager said, referring to the name Kenshin went by as the Ishin Shishi's master assassin during the chaotic years of the Bakumatsu, over a decade ago.
It was said that as Hitokiri Battousai, and later Himura Battousai, Kenshin sliced open a path that led to the Meiji era.
"So ... where have you been? Your letter mentioned lots of places," Yahiko asked.
"Well, I've been to too many places to say in one breath," the man pointed out. "Of interest to you, perhaps, would be the time when I was among a tribe of warriors who hunt lions."
"Lions?"
"Yeah ... kind of like tigers, but slightly smaller and with coats of beige. No stripes either, and they travel in groups, called prides," Sanosuke explained. "The male lions are impressive beasts, with a thick mane and a roar that strikes fear in those who hear it."
"Wow. I've read of them, but not seen one ... you've seen tigers, too?"
Sanosuke nodded. "Tigers are solitary creatures. And very dangerous ... I wouldn't go up against one unarmed." That last remark was significant because Sanosuke was an extremely powerful warrior bare-handed, and Yahiko knew it too.
With his Futae no Kiwami, modified to suit his style of fighting, Sanosuke could reduce practically anything to dust in an instant. This ability was not quite as impressive on living things, but the effect was still devastating.
"So ... you've hunted lions?" Yahiko asked after some thought.
"No," Sanosuke said, shaking his head. "The Masai - the tall warrior people I spent time with - do not hunt lions for sport. Lions are treated with the utmost respect ... and are only killed if they attack the tribe, or as part of a rite of passage to adulthood."
"Oh." Yahiko sounded mildly disappointed.
Sanosuke noted with a sigh that the journey back to the Kamiya dojo took considerably less time than when he left it to look for Yahiko.
When Yahiko opened the gate, Kaoru came running.
"Outa?" she called out. "No ... it's you two."
Sanosuke made a face. "We have feelings too, you know."
"Oh, sorry! It's just that Outa hasn't come back," she explained.
"What? He must have been gone for hours," Sanosuke stated, visibly alarmed now.
"Where did you send him?" Yahiko asked.
"To the shops," Kaoru said.
"For the usual heavy stuff? I know where those shops are," Yahiko said. He turned to Sanosuke. "Let's go look for him," the teenager suggested.
Sanosuke had already decided on that course of action.
They did not have to go far, for the boy was sitting by the river, the groceries at his feet.
"Yahiko ... let me handle this," Sanosuke said.
The teenager nodded. "I'll head for home. See you later!"
Outa looked up as Sanosuke approached.
"Hey, kid," the man began. "Been looking all over for you."
"I thought I was day-dreaming...." Outa said as he got up and touched Sanosuke. "You're real!"
"That I am," Sanosuke said with a smile.
"I thought I saw you earlier in the day ... but I wasn't sure," Outa said. "When I realised that I might have just run into you, I ran out the shop, but you'd left."
Sanosuke grinned, remembering the near-collision. "So that was you after all! I thought you looked familiar."
They embraced as brothers would, having not seen each other for years.
"How's Dad and Uki?" Sanosuke asked later, carrying a sack of rice under one arm and two jars of sauces with the other hand. Outa carried the rest of the things. "Do we have a brother-in-law?"
"Brother-in-law?" Outa repeated. "You mean Uki?"
"Yes, I mean, 'Is Uki married?'"
The boy shook his head. "Uki says she has her hands full taking care of Dad. She was very angry when I said I wanted to come here."
"And?"
"Well, Dad convinced her that it's for the best, and so she relented."
"She relented? Without a fight?"
Outa stopped. "Yes ... without a fight. She just sighed and said 'Fine. First Sano, then Naname ... you might as well be next'."
Naname was the name of their mother, who died soon after Outa was born.
"That doesn't sound good ... it's like she's given up."
The boy shrugged. "I think she'll be alright ... at least she knows where I am."
Sanosuke nodded. "She was always given to worrying too much. It's good that she doesn't worry any more."
"Yeah."
"How's Dad?" Sanosuke asked. "You haven't told me about the old grump."
"Dad's doing great ... the daikon field's producing again, and the waystation is still ours, so things are looking fine. If Dad hadn't made me wait until he felt Uki was ready for it, I would have wanted to come here on my own."
"Well, you're here now, kid," Sanosuke remarked. "And with all this carrying, you'll be stronger in no time!"
Outa grinned. "I wish Miss Kaoru wouldn't make me buy so much at a time, though," he lamented as they neared the Kamiya dojo.
Sanosuke did not answer. Instead, his eyes were on the entrance to the dojo, for a small man with long red locks stood there, waiting.
"This one sensed something familiar ... powerful, unconcealed, blatantly honest fighting ki," the small man declared. "Sanosuke."
"Some things don't change much, eh, Kenshin?" Sanosuke said as he stepped forward, put down the things he was carrying and had his fourth hug for the day.
"This is becoming a habit," he muttered as he released Kenshin. "And you're as scrawny as ever!"
Kenshin chuckled.
"Outa ... Miss Kaoru was very worried about you," Kenshin stated. "Hurry inside and lay her worries to rest."
"Yes, sir!" Outa replied, running into the house.
"Let me help you with the jars," Kenshin said, crouching first to take them, then rising in one swift motion.
"That's fine ... they're not that..." Sanosuke began, when he noted that Kenshin's hands were shaking, "-heavy. Are you alright, Kenshin?"
Kenshin smiled. "This one is fine, Sanosuke. Come, let us go inside!"
Sanosuke hauled the bag of rice and closed the gate. He followed Kenshin towards the kitchen.
After the things have been left on the kitchen floor, they both went to the main building.
Kaoru was giving Outa a lecture on keeping time, while Kenji was busy playing with the toes of his feet. The child looked up when Sanosuke entered.
"Tall man," Kenji announced, pointing at Sanosuke.
"Kenji, this is Uncle Sanosuke," Kenshin corrected in a soft tone. "A very good friend of ours."
The child made as if to make some retort, but was distracted by Kenshin's patting him on the head.
Kaoru was done with her lecture by now. "I'm afraid dinner would be a little late."
Sanosuke grinned. "Well, if your cooking hasn't improved much, 'a little late' is fine."
That earned him a glare that would turn lesser mortals into whimpering children, but Sanosuke warded it off by changing the subject.
"Where's Yahiko?"
"Yahiko has gone to the Akabeko. He helps out there during the evenings," Kenshin told him. Kenji was climbing all over his father now, occasionally tugging at the red locks.
When Kenshin did not respond to his actions, the child ran towards the sakabatou on the sword stand at the end of the room and tapped it.
"Papa," the child called out, gesturing at the sword.
"Yes, Kenji?"
The boy made swinging motions with his hands, eliciting chuckles from both men.
"I think the kid wants you to show off your sword skills, Kenshin," Sanosuke remarked.
Kenshin shook his head. "It belongs to Yahiko, Kenji."
Kenji then tried to lift the sword off the stand, but it was too heavy and he dropped it with a cry. The blade slid out as it struck the floor. Kenshin was by his side in an instant, a worried look on his face.
"Kenji?" he asked, and saw that the boy was unhurt. He took the sakabatou, which was half unsheathed, and returned it to its place on the stand.
"Kenji," Kenshin whispered, "-please be careful. You could have been hurt." The child made a face. To Sanosuke, the former swordsman said: "Kenji saw me spar with Yahiko ... and hand over the sakabatou to symbolise Yahiko's passage into manhood."
There was short moment of silence after that. Kenji ran to his mother. His taking of a longer route so as not to come within Kenshin's reach, did not escape Sanosuke's notice.
"Hmmm ... how about we have dinner there?" Sanosuke suggested, breaking the silence. "My treat."
Kaoru frowned. "I think Tae still keeps your account updated, Sanosuke ... I doubt she would let you eat for free, let alone all of us." She got up. "This is your first night with us in a long time. I'll go cook."
"Hey, I do have some money, you know," Sanosuke said. "It's not a lot, but should be more than enough."
"We are apprehensive ... you are, after all, our guest," Kenshin said.
"Keep talking like that and I might actually start to think I'm not wanted," Sanosuke replied, eliciting protests from both Kenshin and Kaoru.
"Give me an hour," Kaoru said finally, and left. Kenji ran after her.
Kenshin smiled at that.
"How are things, Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked as soon as the two had disappeared from view. "I heard that the government dogs are still barking up your tree."
Kenshin's expression changed, as did his tone, which became more serious. "Things have improved for most people, Sanosuke. But some things ... are going from bad to worse. I have been to meetings with Yamagata Aritomo, the army commander."
"What does he want?" Sanosuke demanded.
Kenshin shook his head. "Nothing I can help him with." Sanosuke sensed that there was more that the redhead was not telling.
"There's something else," the former streetfighter pointed out. "Something that worries you more than this Yamagata."
"Yes, there is. Do you remember Takeda Kanryuu?"
Sanosuke frowned. "The name sounds familiar ... and it's not a good feeling."
"He was the opium trader who was blackmailing Miss Megumi. He killed Shinomori Aoshi's men with a Gatling gun," Kenshin said.
"Yes, I remember him," Sanosuke said. "He 'killed' a friend of mine, too."
Kenshin bowed his head, his coppery fringes falling to conceal his face for a moment. "He is free now, and helping the Meiji government."
"What?"
"Not officially. You might recall that the opium trade was just a means to an end. Kanryuu was planning on selling modern weapons," Kenshin said. "The government is planning on using Kanryuu's contacts to buy arms ... lots of arms over a long period of time. I could not find out from Mr Yamagata what the government plans to do. But one does not acquire weapons for show alone."
Sanosuke thought for a while. "What about Saitou? Is he letting this pass?"
Saitou Hajime - a former Shinsengumi unit captain turned intelligence officer - was somewhat of a troubleshooter within the government. Officials found to be corrupt or "evil" soon found themselves staring at the sharp end of Saitou's sword, usually the instant before they died. Until a few years ago, Saitou was also a sworn enemy of Kenshin's for a long, long time.
"Saitou has been sent to Hokkaido, away from all of these," Kenshin replied.
Sanosuke cursed. "I come home after five years ... and nothing's changed. I was in Aizu just last week, Kenshin."
"You saw Miss Megumi?"
"Yes. Remember pork bun?"
Kenshin frowned. "Pork bun?"
"Yeah, Tani Juusanrou ... remember him?"
Kenshin nodded. Sanosuke continued: "Well, he was trying to get rid of the good doctor. So I gave him a talking down he won't forget very soon."
The former swordsman chuckled. "There were rumours that that an Ishin Shishi had been attacked in Aizu. It was, one might surmise, the work of disgruntled samurai. Perhaps this one thought wrong."
"Well, disgruntled I am, but no samurai," Sanosuke said. "Just a former streetfighter."
Kenshin nodded. "Please continue."
"Well, I took care of him, warning him never to try anything like that again," Sanosuke said.
Kenshin nodded. "He won't, this one is certain." He looked away as he said this.
Sanosuke noticed other things too. Kenshin's hands were trembling again. He looked up and found Kenshin's eyes looking straight into his.
"How bad is it?" he asked finally. "Can you still fight?"
Kenshin looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Yes ... but no. This life as a swordsman ended when Yahiko accepted the sakabatou. This," he glanced at his trembling hand, "-comes and goes."
"Kenshin...."
The former swordsman looked as if Sanosuke had just reminded him about something important. He made as if to say something, but in the end nothing came out.
"Kenshin?" Sanosuke repeated. When nothing was forthcoming, he added: "You're an idiot."
"You are in agreement with many others ... including yours truly, sometimes," Kenshin said cheerfully, although his eyes showed otherwise. "But even ... without skill with the sword, there are other ways to atone for one's sins."
There was a long silence after that, during which Sanosuke felt most uncomfortable.
But he could see that Kenshin's eyes were on the sakabatou on the sword stand at the end of the room. It was Yahiko's now.
"Kenshin ... so, you handed the sakabatou over to Yahiko," Sanosuke stated.
That seemed to lift Kenshin's mood. "Yes ... Yahiko has earned it. He has turned out to be a fine young man." There was pride in his tone of voice. "When Kenji is ready, Yahiko will hand my legacy to him."
Kenshin then turned to look at the doorway, moments before Sanosuke heard the soft footsteps and the sound of someone kneeling by the door. The door slid open and Kaoru peered through.
"Still discussing? We're ready," she announced. "Kenshin?"
The former swordsman got up. "Yes."
Kaoru smiled. "I'll bring the rice and dishes."
"Thank you, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said, and she went off.
"Years of marriage and you still call her 'Miss'? She's a mother of your son, Kenshin!" Sanosuke chided.
"Yes, she is. It gladdens my heart to see Miss Kaoru with Kenji. With him, she won't be left alone again."
The younger man groaned at hearing Kenshin say "Miss" again, and was about to ask about that last remark when Kaoru returned with the dishes and the rice, while Outa brought the rice bowls and utensils.
Dinner was a simple affair, and was over quickly. Sanosuke had to admit that Kaoru's cooking has improved over the years.
"I actually enjoyed the grilled fish," he remarked later after Kaoru had sent Outa and Kenji to the kitchen with some of the now-empty food trays.
Kaoru glared at him and made as if to throw something at him, and he laughed.
"Once more the excitable little miss I knew once," he stated, and Kaoru went all red. "And still as susceptible to teasing!"
"Bite me!" she growled, and Sanosuke feigned horror.
"Enough, enough!" poor Kenshin, caught in the middle, pleaded. "Sanosuke, Miss Kaoru, please!"
The boys came back to see the adults behaving like children. Somewhat wisely, however, they decided not to join in. In any case Kaoru quickly sobered up when she caught sight of Kenji.
"Are the dishes done, Outa?" she asked, and the boy nodded.
"Helped," Kenji declared, looking somewhat self-important while displaying his hands, which were wet.
"That's a good boy, Kenji," Kenshin said. The boy beamed, having evidently forgotten the incident earlier, and found his way into his father's arms. He giggled as he wriggled this way and that as Kenshin tickled him.
"That's more like it," Sanosuke remarked under his breath. Then he leaned towards Kaoru. "Any sake here, little miss?"
She nodded, and motioned for Outa to go get the sake. The boy came back with the flask, which Sanosuke noted had a thin film of dust on the waxed paper covering.
"When's the last time you had such an important guest?" he asked as Kenshin punctured the paper and poured out its contents into smaller bottles.
The fact that Kenshin used both hands, and still spilled some of the wine, did not escape Sanosuke.
Kenshin... he thought with pity.
For the next hour Sanosuke regaled them with tales of his adventures abroad, carefully omitting the more scandalous details and events on account of Outa and Kenji, whom the former streetfighter suspected understood more than he let on.
"Icy breath?" Outa was saying, repeating what Sanosuke had said about how cold it can get in the Siberian wasteland.
"How do people live there?" Kaoru wanted to know.
"Well, they do. Even thin people look fat under layers of fur and skins," Sanosuke pointed out. "I heard that some hapless fellow got himself too drunk and tried to urinate outside."
"Urgghh!" Outa and Kaoru chorused.
Sanosuke nodded. "He died, apparently. The stream froze right up to his bladder."
Later, when Outa started to yawn, Kaoru got up and said that she would retire for the day. Kenji was already asleep, his head on Kenshin's lap.
She carefully removed the boy and bid the men goodnight.
Left alone with Kenshin, Sanosuke grabbed the sake flask and declared: "It's still half-full."
"Yes ... Miss Kaoru did not drink very much," Kenshin said.
Sanosuke slid the door open. "Let's sit outside ... the weather's very pleasant tonight."
So they did, each sitting with their back leaning against a pillar. The air was cool, and in the sky the moon peeked from amongst the clouds.
"I met Soujirou in Niigata a while back," Sanosuke said suddenly.
"Indeed?"
"He has changed ... a lot."
Kenshin nodded. "How is he?"
"He's fine, I think. He was with a young girl ... Yuki, I think her name was."
Kenshin said nothing.
"But what struck me most was what he said much later," Sanosuke continued. "Soujirou said that his answer lay in a smile."
The former swordsman looked up. "A smile?"
"Uh-huh. Funny how these things go, eh?"
Kenshin did not answer immediately. Instead, he emptied the contents of the flask into his cup and drank it.
"And has he found it ... in her?" he asked finally.
Sanosuke nodded. "I think he meant to say that he had. Good for him, I'd say."
"Yes," was all Kenshin would say. Then he turned to look at the direction of the gate. "Someone is coming."
"Who?"
Kenshin was on his way to the gate when it opened. It was Yahiko, and he looked as if he had been running.
"Kenshin, Sanosuke!" the teenager called out, waving a letter in his hand.
"Another official letter?" Sanosuke asked. "Isn't it a bit late?"
Yahiko nodded as he passed the letter to Kenshin. "A man in uniform turned up at the Akabeko and asked for me. I thought it was a bit odd ... but he said it was important that you, Sanosuke, get it."
"It is an urgent dispatch ... from Shinshu," the former swordsman said in a low voice. "Addressed to Outa." He frowned at this.
"Shinshu?" Sanosuke repeated. "Let me see it, Kenshin ... if it's from my Dad, it must be something important that required his son's attention," Sanosuke said, adding: "He doesn't know I'm back yet."
Kenshin handed it to Sanosuke, who tore it open and went back into the hall. Kenshin tapped the teenager on the shoulder as they walked slowly in Sanosuke's footsteps.
"Yahiko ... you said the messenger told you the letter was for Sanosuke?" Kenshin asked.
The teenager nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"Probably nothing," Kenshin replied. But his brow was furrowed.
It must have been a short letter, for Sanosuke had finished reading it by the time they reached the hall.
"It is from Kamishimoemon ... my father," Sanosuke said as he handed the letter to Kenshin. "I have to return to Shinshu."
He then went out to the courtyard. Both Kenshin and Yahiko read the letter slowly.
It read: "My son Outa, things are not going well. Some men with government backing have come to take over the waystation.
"Your brother Sanosuke stopped them a few years ago, but this time around, they came armed with Western firearms. I do not expect you to fight like your brother, or even as I did, so don't think that way (Uki would kill me if I did!).
"But the people of this township need every pair of hands they can get. Come home, Outa, and help fight off these greedy pigs. If we can't fight fire with fire, we can at least make up with sheer numbers. Be here by the seventh. Your father, Old Kamishimoemon.
"P.S. I understand that your master Himura Kenshin is a very important man in the government. If you can get him to help, the people of Shinshu would be most grateful."
Sanosuke came back just then, a determined look on his face.
"No matter what you do, don't let Outa out of your sight," he said. "Don't let him know about this letter."
Kenshin nodded. "Sanosuke, this one already knows what you will say, but one must ask it nonetheless..."
"Kenshin," Sanosuke interrupted. "Thanks, but don't help."
"Besides," the former streetfighter added: "You have a family of your own to take care of now. This is my fight ... our fight, actually ... but I can't let Outa get embroiled in all this. I can keep running for as long as it takes, but he deserves better."
"This one understands," Kenshin said. "If there's anything...."
Sanosuke shook his head. "Sorry to cut our reunion short, Kenshin," he said. "But I have to go. Now."
"Sanosuke ... something about the letter, this one feels, and what the man who delivered told Yahiko, do not make sense," Kenshin said.
The tall man nodded. "I know ... it was addressed to Outa, but the man said it was for me. Anyone who knows I'm back in Tokyo, who is not one of us, is someone I'd be wary of."
"Could it be a trap?" Yahiko asked.
Sanosuke shook his head. "I don't know. But I have to go now ... today's the third, isn't it?"
"Yes," Kenshin confirmed. "You have time, but-"
"I want to be there early to check things out," Sanosuke finished the sentence. He looked up at the night sky. "I've done it before ... someone once told me it could well have been a record in Japan," Sanosuke added with a smile. "If I leave now, I can be there by late morning."
"You won't stay ... at least for the night?" Kenshin asked.
Sanosuke shook his head. "I'd like to have stayed, actually. I have a number of souvenirs from my days abroad ... things that I'm sure you'd like, and the little miss, too. And the others."
He reached for his duffel bag.
"I'll be back to see to you guys!" Sanosuke said as he pulled the drawstring taut and threw the bag over his shoulder.
Together they went to the gate.
After he had stepped out, Sanosuke turned and grinned. "You know what? This is just the kind of reunion I half-expected since I got here."
"Courtesy dictates that we should insist that you stay for the night..." Kenshin began.
"But you know I can't," the tall man said. "Whatever this is, I'll get to the bottom of it."
Sanosuke held Kenshin and said: "Kenshin ... take care of yourself, Kaoru and Kenji."
"This one ... I ... shall do all I can, Sanosuke, to protect all that matters," Kenshin replied.
"And you," Sanosuke turned to Yahiko. "I do have something for you, but I can't give it to you now. I made a promise to the man who gave it to me that I will remember its history. So, when we next meet, I'll have to tell you a long story before I can give it to you."
"That's a promise, right?" Yahiko said.
The tall man smiled. He then turned and began to jog briskly into the night, whistling as he did. Soon only his tune could be heard, and then, nothing.