A/N: I don't know how I did it but in every single story I'm writing at the moment they are all at fighting scenes… I got a little burnt out. I am so glad I decided to make Maki and Senko bigger characters it gave me something new to think about. So this chapter was suppose to come later but hey, it didn't really matter when so I apologies that right now there is no fighting. Also when Maki and Senko are speaking Gallic (did I spell that right? Anyway it's the Irish langue) it is shown as this: insert words here because no one else besides the sisters understand what they are saying.
Reviewers!Lady Battousai456 - Sorry for the wait I hope you enjoy this chapter… sorry for the lack of action!
doc anderson - Wow… I'm being read all the way in Iraq!!! Thanks for the little history lesson!!! That's so cool! I need to move somewhere with a better library! Anyway as for Yahiko/Senko relation I hadn't really put much thought into that b/c I normally keep everyone paired with who they had in the manga/anime series. Yahiko I wouldn't mind toying with because it took him a while to settle with Tsubame… hmm… you've opened a whole knew idea for this story… at the end of this chapter I will ask the other reviewers and see what they think!
knightsfairlady - I had originally wrote that part with Kaoru literally beating Kenshin over the head with a bokken. However, as I read it I noticed that I never had Maki come on to Kenshin in anyway. I had her mostly trying to kill our beloved Rurouni! Even when she is beat she didn't try to flirt with Kenshin. She is too much of a Tomboy for that and when I realized that I just couldn't see Kaoru getting mad. I kept seeing her as I ended up portraying her. I was really sad though as I deleted my 'Kenshin gets his ass kicked by Kaoru' scene. Thanks for the grammar notes. I will have to go back and change that. I didn't have a beta reader for this story and I can never seem to catch my own mistakes. Your comments about me lying made me blush! I really did think I sucked at action and fighting but I seem to be getting good reviews so perhaps I was wrong!
Chapter 6 – A Plot Almost Emerges
Chou shoved his hands in his pockets trying to keep his excitement counseled. This was finally going to be an assignment he could enjoy. He was to gather information on an illegal swords match and then put a stop to it but not before he had some fun. Finally, a chance to show off his impressive collection, but where to start? As of right now he had no idea where it was being held. It looked as if he was stuck with information gathering right now.
Kenshin, Sano, and Kaoru returned from lunch and began to look for Yahiko who had gone off ahead of them. They were surprised to see Yahiko with Maki and her younger sister Senko. Maki seemed very happy to see them as she hobbled over to great them, mindful of her right side. "Himshin-san!" She bowed and winced a little in the process. "I'm glad I finally get to meet you out of the ring!"
"Baka!" Senko yelled waving her finger at her sister. "The doctor said to take it easy!"
Maki pushed her sister's hand away and ignored her comment. "So are you going to fight again?" Kenshin laughed a little at Maki's eagerness. "Yes, this one still needs to make up some money a friend loss." Kenshin gave Sanosuke a glare.
Maki laughed but tried to stifle it. "Is this your friend?"
"Aa, this is Sagara Sanosuke and Kamiya Kaoru." Kenshin said introducing them.
"Maki." Kaoru said her excitement clearly visible. "What style sword do you use."
"The Peters' Style." She said a wide grin on her face. "It was my grandfather's style."
"Peters…" Kaoru repeated the strange word.
"Normally it gets pasted down to the men in our family but my father only had us to past it down to." Maki said motioning to her sister and herself.
The announcer called out a name and Maki looked longingly at the ring. "Oh no!" Senko said sternly. "You're not going back in there."
"I know!" Maki shouted at her sister.
"But you're going to try aren't you!" Senko shouted back. Maki began to yell in a langue that the others around could not understand. Senko understood and started to yell back.
Why do you have to be such a pain! Maki shouted.
Because you'll end up killing yourself if I don't! Senko retaliated. The two siblings continued to fight.
"Oro?" Kenshin said meekly not sure what to do with the two.
That simple word brought Maki and Senko out of their fight. "Oh… sorry." They said together making everyone else laugh. Maki and Senko looked to each other and began to laugh too. They were being silly.
"So Maki, you guys are foreigners aren't you?" Sanosuke asked after the laughter had died down a little.
"No. We were born and raised in Japan. Our grandfather and his wife came to Japan and had a son, our father, then he married and had us." Suddenly Maki's smile vanished and her eyes were cast downwards. "But it wasn't easy. Our grandfather was killed because he was a foreigner."
Both Yahiko and Kaoru gasped. "Just because he was a foreigner?!" Yahiko yelled.
Senko flinched and moved behind Maki slightly. Yahiko's face turned a slight shade of red when he saw that he had upset Senko. "You see Yahiko," Kenshin took it upon himself to explain "times use to be different and people didn't use to be so… accepting." Kenshin said picking his words carefully.
"Yes, that's why our dad decided to fight in the Bakumatsu."
"You're dad fought during the Revolution?" Kenshin said a little surprised.
"Fought and died!" Senko spat out from behind Maki.
Maki said something southing that Kenshin didn't understand to Senko before she turned back to the group. "Senko never really met our father. She was too young to remember him. Anyway neither of us actually learned the whole technique. Life was hard so I taught Senko what I knew but it was missing a lot so we've mixed the style with forms we made up."
"What happened?" Kaoru asked earning her a confused look from both Maki and Senko. "I mean to make life hard.
You talk to much! Senko complained.
Maki let out a slow sigh before continuing. "Well like I said. Because of our heritage there were men who wanted us dead. Mother made us cloaks that we wore all the time to hide our identity." She reached behind her neck and put on her hood. "It hid our hair well." She put it back down. "Right at the end of the revolution some men came to our home to…" Maki took a deep breath to steady herself. "…kill us. Mother stayed behind to let my sister and I escape but…" Maki gave an empty smile and a dry laugh "… just because she was a full blooded Japanese, it didn't save her."
"That's awful!" Yahiko yelled angry. "What ever happened to the jerks."
Maki's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, they paid for mother's death." Kenshin saw Maki's hand turn into a shaking fist. Maki's fingers loosened and a smile returned to her face. "Well, Himshin-san don't you think you should be getting in the ring now?" Maki said just as there was a ring-out.
"Yeah! Kens… Kenura!" Sanosuke said with a smile. "We still need more money before we can make it back to Tokyo."
Kenshin sighed. "Alright. Alright." Kenshin slowly made his way to the ring. The announcer seemed glad to see him.
"Ah! The undefeated Himshin, Kenura has returned! Who will challenge him!" He called out to the crowd.
Chou rung his hands together excitedly as he made his way toward to the stage. "Undefeated huh? We'll see about that!" He whispered excitedly as he pushed a man aside giving him a clear view of the ring. He saw a redhead and the announcer standing in the center awaiting for someone to come forward. Both had their backs to him. "Hm… that Kenura guy looks just… like… the… Battòsai…" Chou could feel his heart drop right to the pit of his stomach as Kenshin moved his head slightly to the side exposing his scar to Chou's view. "DAMN IT!" Chou practically screamed as realization sunk in. He wasn't stupid enough to think he could beat Kenshin.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Chou hissed under his breath pointing a threatening fingerer at an oblivious Kenshin. "How dare you show up in this place!? How am I suppose to have any fun if you're here?!" Chou could feel his face turning red. Then an interesting thought passed his mind. "When I give the word this place is going to be raided." Chou smirked. "And the Battòsai would be caught in the middle of it all!"
Kenshin sneezed. "Why do I have this funny feeling someone is plotting against me?" Slowly Kenshin turned his head as Chou ducked behind a fat man. "Hm, I swore I felt something…" Kenshin left the thought at that because a challenger had finally entered the ring.
Chou stuck his head out from the fat man. "Oh yes! This mission might still be fun after all! I wonder what Saito will think when I tell him where I caught the Battòsai! If the Battòsai is here… that means." Chou looked around the area until he spotted Sano, Yahiko, and Kaoru all watching Kenshin fight. "Roster-head is here too!" Chou rubbed his hands together excitement and anticipation growing inside him.
A/N: Now a question for reviewers!!! doc anderson has suggested that I make a little romance between Yahiko and Senko. What I want to know is what everyone else thinks! I'm really curious! Please if you review (and you better!!! jk) send in a vote! Tell me if you would like to see: romance between Yahiko and Senko, nothing to happen between the two, or you want to be surprised!!!! PLEASE VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!