Chapter Two: The Ties that Bind
He was taller, thinner, more tempered, but there was no doubt. His eyes were the same deep brown, if they weren't as friendly, and his hair was the same spiky mess, if a bit longer. His eyes, once wide and eager, were narrowed and fierce, his mouth seemed to automatically curve into a sardonic smile.
"Yeah," he agreed. "It's me."
Kaoru gave a strangled squeak and rushed over to hug him. He glared dispassionately down at her (he'd grown considerably) and shook her off. "Get off of me, ugly," he said, and the words were so reminiscent of the boy he had been that Kenshin had to choke back tears.
Sanosuke didn't look surprised, however. His eyes were narrowed at Yahiko, as if he had expected to see him here.
To his credit, Kenshin didn't appear remotely alarmed on the outside. But every samurai instinct within him was screaming as loud as possible. Perhaps it was his easy stance, or the way he fingered the sword he wore at his waist as casually as if it had been a money-pouch. Something about Yahiko radiated a challenge.
He wore a red yukata with a pattern of flaming dragons, and black hakama. His sword was thrust through a thin black obi, and he wore straw sandals on his feet.
"I'm serious, Kaoru, get off." He shoved her back, and Kenshin caught her.
"Now Yahiko," he said in a calm voice, "This one thinks you're being a bit rude, don't you?"
"Rude?" Yahiko stepped forward, looking down at the diminutive samurai, grinning the same mirthless grin. He laughed suddenly, and the sound sent chills down Kenshin's spine. "I hardly think that can be constituted as rude, wouldn't you say, Kenshin?"
Kenshin released Kaoru. "Yahiko, this is between you and this one, and he'll ask that you leave Sano and Kaoru-dono out of this."
Sano stepped forward, fists clenched, braced to fight. "What's going on, Kenshin?"
"This doesn't involve you, Sano," Kenshin said, eyes trained on Yahiko.
"That's bullshit! You're not shoving me aside just 'cause I don't fight the way you do—!"
"Sano," Kenshin said icily, turning toward his friend. "I said to stay out of this, and I meant it. It doesn't involve you."
Yahiko drew his sword and held it lightly with one hand barely wrapped around the hilt. "Let him fight, Himura. You've never been able to stop him before. My quarrel is not with you, Sanosuke. I'm here for Kenshin. If you get in my way, I'll kill you."
Sano snorted. "I hope you've improved, then, because last time I saw you, your swordwork sucked."
Yahiko's eyes were cold, his smile merciless. "I think you'll be surprised."
Before Sano could snap back a reply, Yahiko had struck him in the stomach, hard. Sano grunted slightly, but not from pain. No, it was surprise, because Yahiko had attacked not with the sword at his waist, but the heel of his foot!
"Interesting," Kenshin commented.
"Yeah," Sano said absently, admiring the Yahiko-footprint bruising on his flesh. "He's combined martial arts and swordwork."
"Yes I have," Yahiko replied, leaping into the air to strike downward at a seemingly unsuspecting Kenshin. "And I hardly think this is the time for idle talk!"
When the boy was mere inches from him, Kenshin met his strike with a metallic clang as the sakabatou clashed with Yahiko's katana. Yahiko leapt back, regaining his balance. "Consider what you're doing, Yahiko-kun," Kenshin said, meeting the boy's eyes for the first time. "We are your friends. This one has no desire to hurt you."
"Well that's a damn shame," Yahiko said. "Because I have a desire to hurt you."
Kenshin barely got his sword up in time to block Yahiko's next attack. As it was, the thin blade of the boy's katana snicked through the shoulder of his yukata and left his upper arm bare. "The next one slices your throat, Kenshin."
"I doubt that," Kenshin said, parrying yet another strike.
"Attack me, dammit!" Yahiko cried. "I'm not your student anymore, Battosai!"
Sano leapt and grabbed the boy from behind, holding him by wrapping powerful arms around his chest. Yahiko roared in fury and struck at Sanosuke, cutting a clean line ...
... though Sano's eye.
"Kami-sama!" (God!) Sano swore, clutching his eye. Blood dripped onto his bare chest and onto his pants, staining them red. Sano crouched over, trying to staunch the flow, cursing under his breath.
"That's enough!" Yahiko and Kaoru whirled. Kenshin's sword was out in his distinctive attack position, his eyes firce and angry. "You've blinded Sanosuke, Yahiko! This ends now! I can't stand by and watch you hurt your friends!"
"Friends?! I hate all of you!" Yahiko yelled. "I hate you! All you ever did was belittle me and lead me to believe that you respected me! He deserves everything he got!" Yahiko waved wildly at Sano, who, although standing, was still wincing in pain and trying to see out of his wounded eye. "And you, Kenshin—you deserve worse!"
"Yahiko!" Kaoru cried. "What are you doing?" She flung herself in front of Kenshin, tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Yahiko. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I didn't give you the respect you deserved, and I'm sorry I drove you from my dojo. Truly, I didn't mean to. But this isn't the right way! Don't you remember what I taught you? The sword that saves?"
"Bullshit!" Yahiko roared. "Everything you ever taught me was a lie, Kaoru! Did you ever really believe that yourself?" He whirled to face Sano. "Go ahead, take your revenge! Come on, Sanosuke, hit me! Stop patronizing me for once!"
Sano shook his head, barely able to force the words out. "I ... don't know ... what happened while you were gone ... but it can't be worth this." He still clutched his eye, face contorted in an agony he'd never known, only accented by the crippling fear that he would be left half-blind.
"You wanna know what happened when I was gone?" Yahiko hissed, voice burning with a deadly sort of fury that the other Kenshingumi found infinately more frightening than his yells. "They took everything from me." He shivered and suddenly looked like the boy who had left them ten years ago. "Everything. My money, my sword, my clothes, my life, my—"He broke off.
"Who did?" Kaoru asked, engrossed in spite of herself.
"A group of underground rebels. Former samurai and their sons," Yahiko said with a hint of his old stubborn pride in his bloodline. "People who want the Meiji Era gone and the samurai restored. They taught me how to fight. Better than you ever did, Kaoru. They're my family now. I'm no longer Kenshingumi."
"The street rats. The ones who wounded me," Kenshin said suddenly. "They were part of this rebellion, weren't they?"
"Yes," Yahiko said. "Perhaps age hasn't dulled your wits that much, Kenshin."
"Why did you stay with them?"
Yahiko glared at Kenshin. "They're my family. My friends. They taught me what you wouldn't."
"Friends don't hurt you, Yahiko," Kenshin said gently. "I remember how battered you were. What had you done wrong?"
Yahiko's eyes narrowed. "I hadn't killed you yet," he spat.
He was taller, thinner, more tempered, but there was no doubt. His eyes were the same deep brown, if they weren't as friendly, and his hair was the same spiky mess, if a bit longer. His eyes, once wide and eager, were narrowed and fierce, his mouth seemed to automatically curve into a sardonic smile.
"Yeah," he agreed. "It's me."
Kaoru gave a strangled squeak and rushed over to hug him. He glared dispassionately down at her (he'd grown considerably) and shook her off. "Get off of me, ugly," he said, and the words were so reminiscent of the boy he had been that Kenshin had to choke back tears.
Sanosuke didn't look surprised, however. His eyes were narrowed at Yahiko, as if he had expected to see him here.
To his credit, Kenshin didn't appear remotely alarmed on the outside. But every samurai instinct within him was screaming as loud as possible. Perhaps it was his easy stance, or the way he fingered the sword he wore at his waist as casually as if it had been a money-pouch. Something about Yahiko radiated a challenge.
He wore a red yukata with a pattern of flaming dragons, and black hakama. His sword was thrust through a thin black obi, and he wore straw sandals on his feet.
"I'm serious, Kaoru, get off." He shoved her back, and Kenshin caught her.
"Now Yahiko," he said in a calm voice, "This one thinks you're being a bit rude, don't you?"
"Rude?" Yahiko stepped forward, looking down at the diminutive samurai, grinning the same mirthless grin. He laughed suddenly, and the sound sent chills down Kenshin's spine. "I hardly think that can be constituted as rude, wouldn't you say, Kenshin?"
Kenshin released Kaoru. "Yahiko, this is between you and this one, and he'll ask that you leave Sano and Kaoru-dono out of this."
Sano stepped forward, fists clenched, braced to fight. "What's going on, Kenshin?"
"This doesn't involve you, Sano," Kenshin said, eyes trained on Yahiko.
"That's bullshit! You're not shoving me aside just 'cause I don't fight the way you do—!"
"Sano," Kenshin said icily, turning toward his friend. "I said to stay out of this, and I meant it. It doesn't involve you."
Yahiko drew his sword and held it lightly with one hand barely wrapped around the hilt. "Let him fight, Himura. You've never been able to stop him before. My quarrel is not with you, Sanosuke. I'm here for Kenshin. If you get in my way, I'll kill you."
Sano snorted. "I hope you've improved, then, because last time I saw you, your swordwork sucked."
Yahiko's eyes were cold, his smile merciless. "I think you'll be surprised."
Before Sano could snap back a reply, Yahiko had struck him in the stomach, hard. Sano grunted slightly, but not from pain. No, it was surprise, because Yahiko had attacked not with the sword at his waist, but the heel of his foot!
"Interesting," Kenshin commented.
"Yeah," Sano said absently, admiring the Yahiko-footprint bruising on his flesh. "He's combined martial arts and swordwork."
"Yes I have," Yahiko replied, leaping into the air to strike downward at a seemingly unsuspecting Kenshin. "And I hardly think this is the time for idle talk!"
When the boy was mere inches from him, Kenshin met his strike with a metallic clang as the sakabatou clashed with Yahiko's katana. Yahiko leapt back, regaining his balance. "Consider what you're doing, Yahiko-kun," Kenshin said, meeting the boy's eyes for the first time. "We are your friends. This one has no desire to hurt you."
"Well that's a damn shame," Yahiko said. "Because I have a desire to hurt you."
Kenshin barely got his sword up in time to block Yahiko's next attack. As it was, the thin blade of the boy's katana snicked through the shoulder of his yukata and left his upper arm bare. "The next one slices your throat, Kenshin."
"I doubt that," Kenshin said, parrying yet another strike.
"Attack me, dammit!" Yahiko cried. "I'm not your student anymore, Battosai!"
Sano leapt and grabbed the boy from behind, holding him by wrapping powerful arms around his chest. Yahiko roared in fury and struck at Sanosuke, cutting a clean line ...
... though Sano's eye.
"Kami-sama!" (God!) Sano swore, clutching his eye. Blood dripped onto his bare chest and onto his pants, staining them red. Sano crouched over, trying to staunch the flow, cursing under his breath.
"That's enough!" Yahiko and Kaoru whirled. Kenshin's sword was out in his distinctive attack position, his eyes firce and angry. "You've blinded Sanosuke, Yahiko! This ends now! I can't stand by and watch you hurt your friends!"
"Friends?! I hate all of you!" Yahiko yelled. "I hate you! All you ever did was belittle me and lead me to believe that you respected me! He deserves everything he got!" Yahiko waved wildly at Sano, who, although standing, was still wincing in pain and trying to see out of his wounded eye. "And you, Kenshin—you deserve worse!"
"Yahiko!" Kaoru cried. "What are you doing?" She flung herself in front of Kenshin, tears glittering in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Yahiko. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I didn't give you the respect you deserved, and I'm sorry I drove you from my dojo. Truly, I didn't mean to. But this isn't the right way! Don't you remember what I taught you? The sword that saves?"
"Bullshit!" Yahiko roared. "Everything you ever taught me was a lie, Kaoru! Did you ever really believe that yourself?" He whirled to face Sano. "Go ahead, take your revenge! Come on, Sanosuke, hit me! Stop patronizing me for once!"
Sano shook his head, barely able to force the words out. "I ... don't know ... what happened while you were gone ... but it can't be worth this." He still clutched his eye, face contorted in an agony he'd never known, only accented by the crippling fear that he would be left half-blind.
"You wanna know what happened when I was gone?" Yahiko hissed, voice burning with a deadly sort of fury that the other Kenshingumi found infinately more frightening than his yells. "They took everything from me." He shivered and suddenly looked like the boy who had left them ten years ago. "Everything. My money, my sword, my clothes, my life, my—"He broke off.
"Who did?" Kaoru asked, engrossed in spite of herself.
"A group of underground rebels. Former samurai and their sons," Yahiko said with a hint of his old stubborn pride in his bloodline. "People who want the Meiji Era gone and the samurai restored. They taught me how to fight. Better than you ever did, Kaoru. They're my family now. I'm no longer Kenshingumi."
"The street rats. The ones who wounded me," Kenshin said suddenly. "They were part of this rebellion, weren't they?"
"Yes," Yahiko said. "Perhaps age hasn't dulled your wits that much, Kenshin."
"Why did you stay with them?"
Yahiko glared at Kenshin. "They're my family. My friends. They taught me what you wouldn't."
"Friends don't hurt you, Yahiko," Kenshin said gently. "I remember how battered you were. What had you done wrong?"
Yahiko's eyes narrowed. "I hadn't killed you yet," he spat.