Dedicated to Beriath: Here's the (supposedly) second half of Ch. 9! I hope you like the conclusion! Thanks so much for teaching me how to set italics too!
To any readers: All people who like Kenshin, rejoice!
Kenshin's Brush With Art
Warning: Contains Flashback
Ch. 10: Talk about Excellent Control 2
If the founders of Hiten Mitsurugi ryu could observe the ensuing battle, they would have died of sheer embarrassment. Of the famed speed and accuracy of the school's technique, neither was in great store. Actually, the only reason why it could be called the Technique of the Soaring Swords was the fact that the swords were still soaring--- albeit like two stoned dragons. For the aforementioned reasons, the struggle was soon brought to the wide space on the cliff beside the waterfall, probably to prevent both combatants from cutting themselves in the desperate attempt to go on.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu--- Ryu Tsui Sen!" Hiko hurtled from the sky with a blow that would have skewered Kenshin if the rurouni had the reflexes of a straw dummy. "Shishou's going to turn in his grave for this." He muttered to himself, darkly.
"Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji!" Yelled Kenshin as he launched himself into a whirlwind of death, missed Hiko by meters, and barely stopped himself from running into a boulder.
"Kuzu Ryu sen!" Charging, Hiko performed the Nine-Headed Dragon Thrust which, against all statistical possibility, all nine strikes managed to miss; in a smooth elegant arc, Kenshin countered with a battou-jutsu with the legendary speed of a sloth; Hiko initiated a Dou Ryu Sen that caused some deadly damage to the place where Kenshin had been standing five minutes ago, while Kenshin leapt up and slashed halfheartedly at a passing bat…
The thing that both of them were (literally) dying to know was this: How long was Harada going to stand there and watch?
"Harada-san!" Cried Kenshin. "You go on! Leave this man to sessha!"
"If you don't hurry Harada, I will kill you when I'm done with him." Growled Hiko. Actually, it's starting to look more and more like a good idea, too.
"Hai, hai…" Murmured the artist, hesitantly. Walking thoughtfully on his way to Hiko's hut, it suddenly occurred to him something's wrong. It wasn't that he found it odd that both combatants seemed to be using the same style (to him it looked just the way swordfights were supposed to go), but Battousai-san seemed to be getting clumsier and clumsier by the minute. So was Kakunoshin, come to think of it. It's just a question of who would accidentally fall on his own sword first.
The liberation of Kageaki's Masterpiece could wait: Harada decided to join the battle royale. Finding some pots laid out to dry at the edge of the clearing, he picked a particularly hateful-looking one and chucked it at Hiko. It collided with the sakabatou of an airborne Kenshin, who was looking for something to land on. There was a soft 'ping' as pottery shards flew at all directions.
"Oops, sorry Comrade Battousai---"
"That's 500 yen you owe me, Harada Reizo!" Yelled Hiko as he tossed out a careless Ryu Sou Sen that neatly missed beheading the ex-hitokiri, who was combing ceramics out of his hair.
"Indeed? What's it made of then, profit margin?" Retorted Harada. He picked up another pot and lobbed it at the waterfall this time, for good measure.
Hiko's smirk was momentarily wiped off of his face. "HEY THAT'S MY SAKE YOU BASTARD!" He roared and went into a graceful swan dive towards the waterfall edge to save his favorite beverage. Kenshin instinctively followed suit--- after all, it's a pity to let expensive sake go to waste.
"You'll probably make better pots without it!" Harada yelled back, as explanation. "Get him now, Battousai-san!" He gave an encouraging holler.
Kenshin, whose legs were pumping urgently towards the cliff edge after Hiko, suddenly remembered he wasn't supposed to help and abet the 'enemy' in saving his alcohol. What to do next with Harada watching, however, was a problem…
***
(Flashback)
"Owwww!"
* Splash *
Hiko Seijuro sipped his sake as a dripping wet chibi-Kenshin crawled out of the waterfall, trying somewhat ineffectively to wring water and various small amphibians out of his clothes.
"Oi! About when are you going to get this Ryu Sou Sen right?" The swordmaster said, easily replacing the amused look on his face with that of annoyance. "For as impossible as it may sound, I am getting tired of sake breaks. Or should we turn this into a swimming lesson?"
His young charge plodded back onto the platform sullenly. "How am I supposed to get it right if you keep knocking me into the waterfall, Shishou?" He whined.
"Baka deshi, your Shishou is not a straw dummy. Straw dummies take hits; opponents defend." Hiko suppressed a chuckle as a particularly wicked idea crossed his mind. "What you need to do to avoid falling into the waterfall again, therefore, is to put some force into the charge. Knock the wind out of your opponent so that he is unable to respond and then you're free to subject him to the straw dummy treatment."
Kenshin's eyes lit up with new determination at his master's words. That's it? The thought of siccing some straw dummy treatment on Hiko was certainly enticing. His master hadn't known about the atrocities he usually put the dummies through, if they could still be called dummies instead of straw tied together with holes.
"Begin!" Commanded Hiko. The redhead gripped his sword tightly and, with head down and teeth clenched in concentration, shot forward like a cannonball towards his master…
…who, snickering, stepped smartly aside at the last moment.
"IIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"
*Splash *
Hiko smirked. Training was SO much more fun than he thought.
(End of Flashback)
***
Kenshin watched in horrid fascination as his legs, despite his loud mental command to halt, kept on carrying him towards the edge of the waterfall where Hiko was. Another… person… was sitting at the swivel chair of his brain, giving orders.
What the… am I possessed by the Hitokiri again?
No, it's me. Said a voice. Your inner child… now listen up--- if you let this chance go another may never come by!
Suddenly, a million childhood humiliations screamed for revenge. Kenshin watched his legs race faster and faster until the remaining distance to close was three meters… two meters… one meter…
"Gyaaaaaaa!" Screaming, Kenshin propelled himself through the air with every ounce of his strength and barreled into Hiko, who had just retrieved his beloved sake.
There were some things Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Masters couldn't do, and one of them was to stay anchored on a slippery cliff edge when impacted by the momentum of a 48kg rurouni traveling at godspeed.
"Nani…" Hiko muttered in disbelieve as he took a step back onto empty air. His mantle billowed out, like the wings of a giant bird. Unlike any bird's wings, though, these had 80 pounds of metal strapped to them, which didn't help matters a whole lot. After a few seconds in which Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu took license to render everything slow-motion, gravity finally came to its senses. Hiko's other boot slipped off the tuft.
*SPLASH *
The last Kenshin saw of his master, he was wearing an extremely annoyed expression before disappearing under the foam. And all Kenshin's inner child could feel at that moment was pure, ecstatic joy of a score finally settled…
That is, before Kenshin the Rurouni and Battousai elbowed their way back into control.
"Kami-sama…" They said in unison. "Shishou's going to kill sessha/me for this!"
"Way to go, Battousai!" Harada cheered from his perch giving Kenshin the thumbs-up. "I'm going to find the Final Masterpiece of Kageaki now, can you wait here and make sure he stays underneath? Thanks!"
With that, he ran up the path, leaving a stricken rurouni behind.
"Kenshin?" A familiar voice called.
The ex-assassin spun around, and who but his beloved Kaoru-dono came trotting down the mountain path.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru gave a squeal of delight and, dropping her lantern, leapt into Kenshin's somewhat numb arms. "I'm so glad you've come! Your hair is messy--- have you been in a fight?"
"Sessha has."
"Did you win?"
"Regrettably, yes." Sighed the redhead. "What are you doing here at this time of night, Kaoru-dono? It's dangerous!"
"Really?" Said Kaoru, looking around curiously. "This place sure is crowded tonight--- some old guy just shoved me aside on my way down! Anyway, what have we to fear with Hiko-sensei around?"
"Ah, sessha thinks you've just answered your own question, that you have." Said Kenshin sorrowfully. "How did you know sessha would come up here?"
"Mou! I wasn't expecting to see you!" Exclaimed Kaoru. "I knew Tokio would sooner or later unshackle you, so I took the liberty to help you do something you've always wanted to do---"
"Which is---"
Kaoru rummaged in her pocket and fished out a bunch of keys with great fanfare. "I found the key to Harada's study and broke in to steal the pot for Hiko-sensei!" She said triumphantly.
"But… you didn't give it to him, did you?" Said Kenshin, his voice increasingly shaky.
"Oh, I left it at his place because he wasn't there." Replied Kaoru brightly. "But I'm sure he'll thank you for it later."
*** To be Continued
Next Chapter: Talk about Excellent Control 3