Author's note: Hey everybody...Again! I'm back with a second installment.
And I'd just like to thank my first reviewer, WhiteRabbit5, for
um.....Reviewing! Anyway, thanks for being the first of hopefully many in
this story O mine. And thanks to my good GOOD friend among this whole
fanfin.net thing MeiDarkreign. And yeah, Hiro is pretty dark...But not EVIL
dark. You'll see later on. Anyway, I usually kinda rant on in these A/Ns
but I don't really have anything worthy of speaking about.....Sooo...On
with the story!
This is Blades. "Good reading equals good times." I'm out.
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"So this is the Kamiya dojo, eh?" Hiro asked walking up the stairs and seeing the large building before him.
"Yes, this is it.....Do you like it?" Kenshin replied, carrying Sanosuke over to the doors.
"Mmm, it's alright."
They went inside and called for the doctor.
"I'll be right there." The voice that replied wasn't old and masculine but a younger more feminine kind. It was Megume.
"Oh my! Sano you are torn to pieces! Who did this to you?" She already had him lying on the ground, his coat off and needle with thread in hand.
"I did it."
Megume looked up at Hiro for a moment, probably judging if he really could have cut Sanosuke up like this. "Hmmm, you don't seem like the fighting type.....All exceptt your eyes. You have the eyes Kenshin had in his previous life..." She went back to sewing Sanosuke up.
Hiro turned to Kenshin with a raised eyebrow and a tiny, coy smile. Just hearing anything about him compared to Kenshin made him feel like all he was doing wasn't in vain.
"Ok, there. Now you just need to rest for a bit. You're lucky this young man didn't lie into you any more then he already did or this wouldn't have been such an easy process."
Sanosuke sat up and made his way to his own room. "Yeah, yeah. Next time I'll be ready for him..."
"Or so you think..." Hiro retorted as the fighter walked away.
Megume sat in front of Hiro and stared at him with him staring back in return.
"Is there something the matter, Miss?" He asked, slightly annoyed.
"Did you hear about what happened last night?" Her eyes became more like slits.
He shrugged. "I hear a lot of things....Anything specific you're referring to?"
"The mass murder. Did you hear about that?"
Hiro nodded his head once.
"Do you know how it started?"
"With words, one would assume."
Megume just hardened her stare. "I'm assuming that group was taken out by one man and one man alone....Do you have any idea what kind of strength and talent one must posses to fight and kill that efficiently?"
"A lot, I would guess."
Magume paused for a moment before continuing. "Sano is a great fighter, only matched by Kenshin.....You took him out with little thought...."
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say....?"
"Did you kill those people?"
Hiro shrugged. "Only the one's that deserved it.....Maybe if they didn't take that father from his family their blood would not be coating the streets...."
Megume was wide-eyed and silent. Kenshin now had a sterner look on his face. He stood up and starting walking out of the dojo. "Come with me, if you please."
Hiro stood up and followed him, not saying a word. There was a deafening silence between them as they walked. Kenshin made his way to a bridge and looked over the side at the water. Hiro stopped next to him and rested his back against the edge.
"Did you kill them in cold blood?" Kenshin's voice was low but stern.
"No, they deserved it."
"No one deserves death, Hiro."
He turned to Kenshin with a raised eyebrow. "This coming from the infamous Batto-"
"I am no longer the Battousai. I'm just a wanderer, that I am." Kenshin's words were sharp as they cut off Hiro's sentence.
There was another pause before Hiro spoke up. "So what are you saying....I never kill again?"
Kenshin nodded solemnly.
"Sorry, can't do....This is my way of living. I can't change who I am."
"No, you're wrong. Every man can change who he is, that he can.....It just takes effort. I changed from being an assassin to the kind man you see before you. My sword never to take a life again...." He turned to Hiro. "Please don't make the same mistakes as I have...."
"Hmph...." Hiro grunted, looking away. "I'm gonna go find something to eat....When I get back this conversation will never have happened. I have something to ask of you when I return also."
"Oh and what is that."
Hiro started walking off the bridge and without looking back he said. "A re- match."
Kenshin sighed as he walked back to the dojo. As he reached the door he was greeted by a smiling Kaoru. "Kenshin!!! Where have you been???"
"I was only gone for a short while, Miss Kaoru. You worry too much, that you do." He smiled back at her and walked through the doors.
"So where's our guest. I heard someone came over but I didn't get to meet them. Will he be returning?"
Kenshin's smile faded. "Yes, he will be."
She looked at him, now slightly concerned. "Kenshin. Is something wrong? Sano told me you two sounded like you knew each other when you met. Where do you know him from?"
"Kyoto...."
She gasped slightly. "You mean from all those years ago?"
He nodded. "Yes, he was only a small boy when we first met....And it wasn't on the friendliest of circumstances..."
"What happened?"
Kenshin sighed and sat down. "We fought....If you could even call it that."
"What?? You did? What happened?! I know you didn't have your Sakabato yet.....So how is he still alive?"
"It's a long story, Miss Kaoru...."
"We've got all the time in the world, Kenshin." Sanosuke said from the doorway. Yahiko and Megume were next to him, nodding their heads and Sanosuke's comment.
Kenshin sighed again. "Very well....We met sometime after the fire in Edo...I was more docile then in my earlier years which is way he stayed alive. He heard of my skills and wanted to challenge me. Even at such a young age he was a decent swordsman.....But I was his first real battle. It didn't last more then a couple seconds. He charged me, I parried, flipped my blade, and struck him with the dull side knocking him unconscious. I met him a couple times after that and he even stayed at my house for a while....All the while asking for a rematch. I told him to train and get stronger then we would fight again. I guess after ten longs years he thinks he's now strong enough."
Sanosuke sat down next to the samurai. "Does he want to kill you?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not...I did nothing to him. But it has been ten years. I don't know what his mind set now is...."
"Well he doesn't seem that great to me." Yahiko blurted out. "I was training and he just came up outta no where and started sparing with me. Said he was 'testing me strength.' "
"Oh really? How did you fare against him?" Kenshin was now intrigued at his encounter.
"Ummm, he took me out pretty quick but that's only because I was tired from all my training! I bet if I fight him again I'd win for sure!!"
Sanosuke laughed. "You're very confident of yourself, aren't you 'little Yahiko.' "
"Grrr! I'm not LITTLE!!" After said, Yahiko leapt at Sanosuke and started rolling on the floor, trying to get the better of him.
Kaoru sighed. "Won't you two ever grow up?!"
"Look who's talking!!" Yahiko retorted as Sanosuke wrapped an arm around his neck.
"What?! Oh that's it!"
Kaoru was soon in the mess of things as Kenshin and Megume just watched from the back, laughing inwardly to themselves.
Hiro was still looking for a place to get some food as he thought to himself. "You'll see, Himura....You'll see that I've grown....That I have far surpassed you. That I am the ultimate, the best.....That I deserve the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. With that, I will be.....Unstoppable."
He walked around and saw a nice store to sit around and rest in. He took the opportunity and walked in.
A young boy walked around the market place looking for a good place to grab something to eat. He was starving and hadn't had anything decent for a long, long time. As he walked he saw a mouth watering site. A ton of loaves of bread just sitting on a counter of some store, completely untended to....Should he....Just take them? He had no money and he was really hungry. He was sure the owners would understand. But then again.....He was always taught that stealing was wrong.....But he was sooooooo hungry.
He walked in and stared at the bread, drool forming in his mouth. Maybe no one would notice, maybe if he just grabbed some and ran he could get away. With every thought he stepped closer to the food, his hunger only growing. Yeah, no one would notice....In fact, no one would even care! Yeah, he was just some homeless boy. This would be like a common thing. It would be a crime NOT to take that food.....He had to now! There was no other choice!
He was inches away from the basket now. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. He caught the glimpse of a man with a black robe on but his attention turned back to his sake. No one else seemed to be watching the boy. So then, without thinking of the consequences, he reached up and grabbed the whole basket and ran as fast as his little legs would carry. If the owner didn't notice him before, he sure did now.
"Hey, you little thief!! Get back here!" He jumped over the counter and chased after the boy with a few others following.
As the boy ran he shoved one loaf of bread in his mouth to plug the drool that was flying out. It tasted so good!! It was so much better then the stale stuff he had been eating! He could eat this kind of bread for the rest of his life!
His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly tripped over something and went tumbling across the ground. He sat up to see his food spilled all over the place and a man looking quite mad at him.
"Ha! Gotcha! Now you'll be punished for this waste! That was my finest bread and it's all ruined!" It was the owner of the store and his foot was the reason to the boy's downfall.
Some of the owner's friends caught up and surrounded the boy. "So what are we gonna do to him?"
"Eh, nothing big....But enough to punish him for stealing AND running."
"Couple whips to the back?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
The boy was terrified and would have been crying out if his DELICOUS loaf of bread wasn't still in his mouth.
One of them men tried to grab for the boy and pull him to his feet but the boy just squirmed under a table, rocketed straight up, and pushed it towards his captives giving him enough time to continue he escape. As he ran he also grabbed a leg off the table. If he was going to get away he might need protection.
So once again the chase began and the boy was just two steps ahead of the others. He cut a corner and ran down some side street. A thud to the head brought him down again....The force still wasn't enough to knock the bread from his mouth, though.
"Wooo! Nice aim! That rock clocked him right in the skull!"
The boy stood up with his stick in one hand, other hand rubbing his head, and tears streaming down his face. That hurt a lot more then he thought it would!!
One of the men closed in on the boy. "Ok, enough kid.....You're coming with- BAM-" There was a loud crack as the boy shoved his stick deep into the man's most private of spots.
With a few, high-pitched grunts he fell to the ground, twitching.
"Oh you asked for it kid!" The owner yelled, pulling a bokudo from his sash and charging the youngster.
The boy glared sternly at him and quickly jumped to his side as the owner brought his weapon down.
"Ha ha, too slow OLDIE!!" The boy shouted at him as he brought his stick down in the most professional way.
Another crack rang through the streets as the owner grabbed his back in pain.
"Hahahahahahaha!! See, see? I'm the greatest! Woooo!!" The boy shouted, laughed, and danced with stick in one hand and bread in the other. Too bad for him he didn't notice the other man behind him swing his own weapon crushing the young boy's spirits and maybe even his spine.
The owner stood back up and grinning at the kid. "Ohh, you're just a little bastard aren't you? I guess no one's gonna miss a little punk like you...."
The owner grabbed the end of his bokudo and pulled out its hidden katana. He raised it above his head and brought it down onto the boy's skull.
Blood filled the air as the scream of death was heard. The boy lay silent as he looked up and noticed not a scratch was on him. The scream came from his attacker and the cause was a man in a black robe standing over the young boy a katana in hand, it's tip smeared with red. It was the same person he saw back at the store!
"Wh...What happened?" The owner asked as he fell to his knees then his side. His answer would never be known to him as death touched his body and took him from the world.
The young man turned around to face the other two standing behind him. "If you wish to live, I suggest you run now."
The men didn't think twice about his suggestion as the bolted away down the street. The young man humphed and sheathed his katana. Kneeling down next to the boy, he used the hilt of his katana to move the boy's face around so he could inspect his injuries.
"Heeeyyy, I'm fine! Just a bump here and there."
"Heh, you're a tough one, aren't you?"
The boy nodded and smiled, putting the piece of bread into his mouth and taking a bite this time. "Bu hay. Hood joo kim himf so quik?
The young man sighed. "Can you swallow first?"
"Eheh..." The boy gulped and re-said his sentence. "How'd you kill him so quick? I blinked and he was DOWN!"
"Practice makes perfect. I see you have some moves yourself, kid."
"The name's Tomonadi, not 'kid'. And yeah, I know how to swing em."
"'Swing em' Heh, ok....."
The young man stood up and started to walk away.
"Hey, hey, hey! Where are you going??"
"Home and I suggest you do the same."
"I....Don't have one."
"Neither do I but you just have to find one...."
"How bout I ummm....Stay with you? You can even teach me some of your moves!"
"I don't take pupils.....But maybe you can stay with me. Come to Kamiya dojo later and you'll have an answer.....Just ask for Hiro Torinama."
Tomonadi smiled and nodded his head. "Right! Well I'll see you later then!! Bye Hiro."
"Good day, Tomo..."
"Ok, Yahiko. That's enough practice for one day. Go clean up for dinner." Kaoru said to her pupil as he ran inside.
She wiped some sweat from her brow and looked up at the setting sun. "I really need some more pupils if I ever want to get this thing off the ground."
"Well I have another recruit coming here soon if you'll accept him. He's young, maybe around nine but he's strong willed. He'll be a good swordsman."
Kaoru turned to the young man coming up the stairs. "Hiro Torinama, I presume."
"Miss Kamiya, I presume."
She nodded and smiled. "So you're planning on staying with us for awhile?"
Hiro shook his head. "No, I'm just here to keep a promise...."
Hiro seemed to be looking past Kaoru....She turned and saw why. Kenshin was right behind her.
"Ready Himura?"
"You know longer have to call me Himura, Hiro.....You may refer to me as Kenshin now."
Hiro shrugged. "I'm used to Himura....Better then Battousai, anyway."
Kenshin made his way in front of Hiro and stood with his right side facing Hiro. Hiro did the same only facing him with his left side.
"You'll be using your all I hope, Himura."
"Do not worry, this battle shall be one you would expect."
Hiro laughed slightly. "Good! Just what I was counting on!! So now my friend.....Your Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu will go up against my own Shin Mitsugume Ryu!"
"Hmmm, Shin Mitsugume? I have heard of that before.....It belongs to the assassins of the wind. So you are one of them now, are you?"
"The members of that clan were all wiped out.....I'm the only survivor. I had to perfect this style to honor my kinsmen! Now, Himura.....You'll see its power."
"Then come."
Hiro nodded and reached for the hilt of his katana as Kenshin did the same. They both drew their weapons and began the fierce battle.
This is Blades. "Good reading equals good times." I'm out.
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"So this is the Kamiya dojo, eh?" Hiro asked walking up the stairs and seeing the large building before him.
"Yes, this is it.....Do you like it?" Kenshin replied, carrying Sanosuke over to the doors.
"Mmm, it's alright."
They went inside and called for the doctor.
"I'll be right there." The voice that replied wasn't old and masculine but a younger more feminine kind. It was Megume.
"Oh my! Sano you are torn to pieces! Who did this to you?" She already had him lying on the ground, his coat off and needle with thread in hand.
"I did it."
Megume looked up at Hiro for a moment, probably judging if he really could have cut Sanosuke up like this. "Hmmm, you don't seem like the fighting type.....All exceptt your eyes. You have the eyes Kenshin had in his previous life..." She went back to sewing Sanosuke up.
Hiro turned to Kenshin with a raised eyebrow and a tiny, coy smile. Just hearing anything about him compared to Kenshin made him feel like all he was doing wasn't in vain.
"Ok, there. Now you just need to rest for a bit. You're lucky this young man didn't lie into you any more then he already did or this wouldn't have been such an easy process."
Sanosuke sat up and made his way to his own room. "Yeah, yeah. Next time I'll be ready for him..."
"Or so you think..." Hiro retorted as the fighter walked away.
Megume sat in front of Hiro and stared at him with him staring back in return.
"Is there something the matter, Miss?" He asked, slightly annoyed.
"Did you hear about what happened last night?" Her eyes became more like slits.
He shrugged. "I hear a lot of things....Anything specific you're referring to?"
"The mass murder. Did you hear about that?"
Hiro nodded his head once.
"Do you know how it started?"
"With words, one would assume."
Megume just hardened her stare. "I'm assuming that group was taken out by one man and one man alone....Do you have any idea what kind of strength and talent one must posses to fight and kill that efficiently?"
"A lot, I would guess."
Magume paused for a moment before continuing. "Sano is a great fighter, only matched by Kenshin.....You took him out with little thought...."
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say....?"
"Did you kill those people?"
Hiro shrugged. "Only the one's that deserved it.....Maybe if they didn't take that father from his family their blood would not be coating the streets...."
Megume was wide-eyed and silent. Kenshin now had a sterner look on his face. He stood up and starting walking out of the dojo. "Come with me, if you please."
Hiro stood up and followed him, not saying a word. There was a deafening silence between them as they walked. Kenshin made his way to a bridge and looked over the side at the water. Hiro stopped next to him and rested his back against the edge.
"Did you kill them in cold blood?" Kenshin's voice was low but stern.
"No, they deserved it."
"No one deserves death, Hiro."
He turned to Kenshin with a raised eyebrow. "This coming from the infamous Batto-"
"I am no longer the Battousai. I'm just a wanderer, that I am." Kenshin's words were sharp as they cut off Hiro's sentence.
There was another pause before Hiro spoke up. "So what are you saying....I never kill again?"
Kenshin nodded solemnly.
"Sorry, can't do....This is my way of living. I can't change who I am."
"No, you're wrong. Every man can change who he is, that he can.....It just takes effort. I changed from being an assassin to the kind man you see before you. My sword never to take a life again...." He turned to Hiro. "Please don't make the same mistakes as I have...."
"Hmph...." Hiro grunted, looking away. "I'm gonna go find something to eat....When I get back this conversation will never have happened. I have something to ask of you when I return also."
"Oh and what is that."
Hiro started walking off the bridge and without looking back he said. "A re- match."
Kenshin sighed as he walked back to the dojo. As he reached the door he was greeted by a smiling Kaoru. "Kenshin!!! Where have you been???"
"I was only gone for a short while, Miss Kaoru. You worry too much, that you do." He smiled back at her and walked through the doors.
"So where's our guest. I heard someone came over but I didn't get to meet them. Will he be returning?"
Kenshin's smile faded. "Yes, he will be."
She looked at him, now slightly concerned. "Kenshin. Is something wrong? Sano told me you two sounded like you knew each other when you met. Where do you know him from?"
"Kyoto...."
She gasped slightly. "You mean from all those years ago?"
He nodded. "Yes, he was only a small boy when we first met....And it wasn't on the friendliest of circumstances..."
"What happened?"
Kenshin sighed and sat down. "We fought....If you could even call it that."
"What?? You did? What happened?! I know you didn't have your Sakabato yet.....So how is he still alive?"
"It's a long story, Miss Kaoru...."
"We've got all the time in the world, Kenshin." Sanosuke said from the doorway. Yahiko and Megume were next to him, nodding their heads and Sanosuke's comment.
Kenshin sighed again. "Very well....We met sometime after the fire in Edo...I was more docile then in my earlier years which is way he stayed alive. He heard of my skills and wanted to challenge me. Even at such a young age he was a decent swordsman.....But I was his first real battle. It didn't last more then a couple seconds. He charged me, I parried, flipped my blade, and struck him with the dull side knocking him unconscious. I met him a couple times after that and he even stayed at my house for a while....All the while asking for a rematch. I told him to train and get stronger then we would fight again. I guess after ten longs years he thinks he's now strong enough."
Sanosuke sat down next to the samurai. "Does he want to kill you?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not...I did nothing to him. But it has been ten years. I don't know what his mind set now is...."
"Well he doesn't seem that great to me." Yahiko blurted out. "I was training and he just came up outta no where and started sparing with me. Said he was 'testing me strength.' "
"Oh really? How did you fare against him?" Kenshin was now intrigued at his encounter.
"Ummm, he took me out pretty quick but that's only because I was tired from all my training! I bet if I fight him again I'd win for sure!!"
Sanosuke laughed. "You're very confident of yourself, aren't you 'little Yahiko.' "
"Grrr! I'm not LITTLE!!" After said, Yahiko leapt at Sanosuke and started rolling on the floor, trying to get the better of him.
Kaoru sighed. "Won't you two ever grow up?!"
"Look who's talking!!" Yahiko retorted as Sanosuke wrapped an arm around his neck.
"What?! Oh that's it!"
Kaoru was soon in the mess of things as Kenshin and Megume just watched from the back, laughing inwardly to themselves.
Hiro was still looking for a place to get some food as he thought to himself. "You'll see, Himura....You'll see that I've grown....That I have far surpassed you. That I am the ultimate, the best.....That I deserve the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. With that, I will be.....Unstoppable."
He walked around and saw a nice store to sit around and rest in. He took the opportunity and walked in.
A young boy walked around the market place looking for a good place to grab something to eat. He was starving and hadn't had anything decent for a long, long time. As he walked he saw a mouth watering site. A ton of loaves of bread just sitting on a counter of some store, completely untended to....Should he....Just take them? He had no money and he was really hungry. He was sure the owners would understand. But then again.....He was always taught that stealing was wrong.....But he was sooooooo hungry.
He walked in and stared at the bread, drool forming in his mouth. Maybe no one would notice, maybe if he just grabbed some and ran he could get away. With every thought he stepped closer to the food, his hunger only growing. Yeah, no one would notice....In fact, no one would even care! Yeah, he was just some homeless boy. This would be like a common thing. It would be a crime NOT to take that food.....He had to now! There was no other choice!
He was inches away from the basket now. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. He caught the glimpse of a man with a black robe on but his attention turned back to his sake. No one else seemed to be watching the boy. So then, without thinking of the consequences, he reached up and grabbed the whole basket and ran as fast as his little legs would carry. If the owner didn't notice him before, he sure did now.
"Hey, you little thief!! Get back here!" He jumped over the counter and chased after the boy with a few others following.
As the boy ran he shoved one loaf of bread in his mouth to plug the drool that was flying out. It tasted so good!! It was so much better then the stale stuff he had been eating! He could eat this kind of bread for the rest of his life!
His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly tripped over something and went tumbling across the ground. He sat up to see his food spilled all over the place and a man looking quite mad at him.
"Ha! Gotcha! Now you'll be punished for this waste! That was my finest bread and it's all ruined!" It was the owner of the store and his foot was the reason to the boy's downfall.
Some of the owner's friends caught up and surrounded the boy. "So what are we gonna do to him?"
"Eh, nothing big....But enough to punish him for stealing AND running."
"Couple whips to the back?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
The boy was terrified and would have been crying out if his DELICOUS loaf of bread wasn't still in his mouth.
One of them men tried to grab for the boy and pull him to his feet but the boy just squirmed under a table, rocketed straight up, and pushed it towards his captives giving him enough time to continue he escape. As he ran he also grabbed a leg off the table. If he was going to get away he might need protection.
So once again the chase began and the boy was just two steps ahead of the others. He cut a corner and ran down some side street. A thud to the head brought him down again....The force still wasn't enough to knock the bread from his mouth, though.
"Wooo! Nice aim! That rock clocked him right in the skull!"
The boy stood up with his stick in one hand, other hand rubbing his head, and tears streaming down his face. That hurt a lot more then he thought it would!!
One of the men closed in on the boy. "Ok, enough kid.....You're coming with- BAM-" There was a loud crack as the boy shoved his stick deep into the man's most private of spots.
With a few, high-pitched grunts he fell to the ground, twitching.
"Oh you asked for it kid!" The owner yelled, pulling a bokudo from his sash and charging the youngster.
The boy glared sternly at him and quickly jumped to his side as the owner brought his weapon down.
"Ha ha, too slow OLDIE!!" The boy shouted at him as he brought his stick down in the most professional way.
Another crack rang through the streets as the owner grabbed his back in pain.
"Hahahahahahaha!! See, see? I'm the greatest! Woooo!!" The boy shouted, laughed, and danced with stick in one hand and bread in the other. Too bad for him he didn't notice the other man behind him swing his own weapon crushing the young boy's spirits and maybe even his spine.
The owner stood back up and grinning at the kid. "Ohh, you're just a little bastard aren't you? I guess no one's gonna miss a little punk like you...."
The owner grabbed the end of his bokudo and pulled out its hidden katana. He raised it above his head and brought it down onto the boy's skull.
Blood filled the air as the scream of death was heard. The boy lay silent as he looked up and noticed not a scratch was on him. The scream came from his attacker and the cause was a man in a black robe standing over the young boy a katana in hand, it's tip smeared with red. It was the same person he saw back at the store!
"Wh...What happened?" The owner asked as he fell to his knees then his side. His answer would never be known to him as death touched his body and took him from the world.
The young man turned around to face the other two standing behind him. "If you wish to live, I suggest you run now."
The men didn't think twice about his suggestion as the bolted away down the street. The young man humphed and sheathed his katana. Kneeling down next to the boy, he used the hilt of his katana to move the boy's face around so he could inspect his injuries.
"Heeeyyy, I'm fine! Just a bump here and there."
"Heh, you're a tough one, aren't you?"
The boy nodded and smiled, putting the piece of bread into his mouth and taking a bite this time. "Bu hay. Hood joo kim himf so quik?
The young man sighed. "Can you swallow first?"
"Eheh..." The boy gulped and re-said his sentence. "How'd you kill him so quick? I blinked and he was DOWN!"
"Practice makes perfect. I see you have some moves yourself, kid."
"The name's Tomonadi, not 'kid'. And yeah, I know how to swing em."
"'Swing em' Heh, ok....."
The young man stood up and started to walk away.
"Hey, hey, hey! Where are you going??"
"Home and I suggest you do the same."
"I....Don't have one."
"Neither do I but you just have to find one...."
"How bout I ummm....Stay with you? You can even teach me some of your moves!"
"I don't take pupils.....But maybe you can stay with me. Come to Kamiya dojo later and you'll have an answer.....Just ask for Hiro Torinama."
Tomonadi smiled and nodded his head. "Right! Well I'll see you later then!! Bye Hiro."
"Good day, Tomo..."
"Ok, Yahiko. That's enough practice for one day. Go clean up for dinner." Kaoru said to her pupil as he ran inside.
She wiped some sweat from her brow and looked up at the setting sun. "I really need some more pupils if I ever want to get this thing off the ground."
"Well I have another recruit coming here soon if you'll accept him. He's young, maybe around nine but he's strong willed. He'll be a good swordsman."
Kaoru turned to the young man coming up the stairs. "Hiro Torinama, I presume."
"Miss Kamiya, I presume."
She nodded and smiled. "So you're planning on staying with us for awhile?"
Hiro shook his head. "No, I'm just here to keep a promise...."
Hiro seemed to be looking past Kaoru....She turned and saw why. Kenshin was right behind her.
"Ready Himura?"
"You know longer have to call me Himura, Hiro.....You may refer to me as Kenshin now."
Hiro shrugged. "I'm used to Himura....Better then Battousai, anyway."
Kenshin made his way in front of Hiro and stood with his right side facing Hiro. Hiro did the same only facing him with his left side.
"You'll be using your all I hope, Himura."
"Do not worry, this battle shall be one you would expect."
Hiro laughed slightly. "Good! Just what I was counting on!! So now my friend.....Your Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu will go up against my own Shin Mitsugume Ryu!"
"Hmmm, Shin Mitsugume? I have heard of that before.....It belongs to the assassins of the wind. So you are one of them now, are you?"
"The members of that clan were all wiped out.....I'm the only survivor. I had to perfect this style to honor my kinsmen! Now, Himura.....You'll see its power."
"Then come."
Hiro nodded and reached for the hilt of his katana as Kenshin did the same. They both drew their weapons and began the fierce battle.