Saying he might have heard of Haku was an understatement.
Taro knew of Haku. Very well.
Early the next morning, against Kaoru's protestations and Yoshi's tantrums, Kenshin, Sanosuke and an insistent Aoshi set off for the nearby town, where Haku lived. While still generally weak, Aoshi's mind was made up. He will go with them to seek this Haku.
The journey on foot was quiet, neither one of them speaking a word. Every now and then Sanosuke would help Aoshi, and they would stop while Taro checks on the wounded man every half an hour or so.
Meanwhile Kenshin found himself left to his own thoughts. And fears. None of these make any sense. People he does not know of are out to kill him, and he has to know why. And the dreams. What of the dreams?
Now more than ever he knew the recent attack at the dojo has something to do with the dreams he had been having, the dreams Aoshi also claimed to have seen in his sleep.
What is this puzzle? Where will they find the piece that will fit into place and solve it?
It took them the better part of the morning to reach the other side of the mountain and when they finally arrived at an out-of-the-way village, Taro led them through a foliaged path away from the main streets. Kenshin understood. The less exposure, the better.
The hut was small, but the yard was well-kept. The garden on the side was abloom, the cherry blossom trees welcoming whoever managed to steer toward this path. There were no nearby houses. Haku must be a recluse.
Sanosuke peered towards the open door of the hut. "You think someone is in there?"
"One way to find out," Taro said, and strode directly through the narrow path leading to the door of the hut.
They all stopped halfway through the door when a raspy voice spoke out from within. "I knew you would come."
"He's a seer. Who would have guessed?" Sanosuke whispered with sarcasm.
Taro spoke. "We come in peace, Haku-san."
The voice came on again. "Taro. It has been a long time."
"Too long."
"Come in."
Taro walked in, followed by Sanosuke, leading Aoshi. Kenshin took a few steps and stopped at the threshold, uncertain what to do.
What if this was a waste of time?
Again the raspy voice. "If you want your questions answered, walk through that door."
Kenshin remembered the shower of bullets at the dojo, the fear he felt at the thought of Kaoru being pierced by those bullets. He remembered the gleam in the eyes of Asha in his dream…the scar on her cheek.
He walked into the hut.
Haku must have been a very strong man in his prime, but now he looked too old to even get up to his feet. They all watched in pained silence as the old man slowly moved to the corner to retrieve sake for them, but no one said a word.
Gratefully they each accepted the sake offered to them, but Kenshin could not taste it. His mind was a whirlpool of questions wanting to be asked.
Haku stared at Aoshi, noted the pale skin, and smiled kindly. "The pain must be too great."
Aoshi spoke expressionlessly. "I have had worse."
"I knew you would not be left behind. You would see to it, even if you had to crawl all the way here."
Impatient now, Sanosuke spoke up. "This isn't exactly a social call."
The old man fixed his gaze on Sanosuke. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he merely smiled at him.
Finally his gaze settled upon Kenshin, who stared back at the old man. Old and frail he may look, but Kenshin sensed the strength in the seer's eyes.
"You want answers," Haku spoke without breaking off his gaze.
"Do you have them?" he asked pointedly.
"Some." He turned away. "Can you see the future, Mr. Himura? And I do not mean flashes or visions like you, Taro. I mean truly see the future."
"I cannot."
"Are you sure?"
Kenshin pondered on the question, not knowing how to answer. Haku sighed.
"Ah, but you have seen it, Mr. Himura. You have seen the future. And so did your friend Aoshi."
"The dreams…"
"Yes, the dreams." Haku lifted his gaze. "Let me tell you a story. A swordsman rose from the shadows, trying his best to bury the blood and screams behind him as he sought the light. But it is a hard ordeal, to bury those memories completely. They keep resurfacing, pulling at the swordsman, away from that ray of light beckoning him to come forward. But he persists. He gets a bit of that radiance.
"Then he realizes that to keep the fire burning, he still has to hold on to his sword and slay those who attempt to snuff the flame. So he does. And the fire kept its fervour. However, along the way, those who attempted, not all of them were fully stopped. And they vow revenge."
"Kanryu Takeda."
The name came out unchecked, and the others turned to look at Kenshin in surprise. Kanryu. The rich smuggler who acquired the services of Aoshi and his group to take Megumi and, in the process, cross swords with Kenshin. That was Kenshin and Aoshi's first encounter, one that caused both men more pain in the time that followed.
That night, while Aoshi made Kenshin his enemy, he also turned against Kanryu. But Kanryu died, didn't he?
"Yes," Haku said, nodding sagely. "The root was eliminated, but the branches had already taken their first sprouts."
Sanosuke spoke up. "Are you saying Kanryu Takeda's successors are behind the shooting at the dojo?"
Haku's silence was enough answer.
Aoshi cleared his threat. "I understand now why they are after me and Kenshin. They want revenge. But what of the dreams? Kenshin and I get the same dream, and at the same time, too. If there is one thing I do not believe in, it is coincidence."
This time they saw the old man look down and they realized there was more to the story.
Two months ago, a young man came to me. A distinguished-looking man, if I may add. He – as all the others – wanted a glimpse of the future. But he had a most unusual request. He asked what would become of his vendetta to the two men who wronged his father. So I did, and told him. He was not too pleased, but I only had the truth to tell."
"What did you see?"
The question came from Taro.
"The same thing you saw in the dreams, only I saw more." He became thoughtful. "I also saw what the young man would do the moment he reached his home after hearing what I had to say." He looked pointedly at Aoshi. "I see they did not waste any time."
"They came, shooting the dojo down with their big guns." Sanosuke was also absorbing all these.
"They could not take you out, Mr. Himura, so they aimed for that light."
"Kaoru…" Kenshin whispered, realization dawning on him now. "But…why her?"
"She is a part of the future I saw."
Taro spoke. "Let us go to the dreams. What are they, exactly?"
Haku smiled. "Interesting, is it not? How you could see many years into the future."
"Who is Asha?" Kenshin asked, already knowing the answer.
"Your descendant. Your great-great-great granddaughter. The 18th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu."
Shock enveloped the whole room. Sanosuke looked dumbstruck, Taro was rendered speechless. Aoshi was silent, but Kenshin simply stared at the seer, who went on speaking.
"18th. You refused to take on the mantle from your master, Mr. Himura. Your sons won't. So would she. She shall be the first woman to have the title."
"What if you are lying?"
"We will never know now, would we?" Haku nodded sagely. "I take no sides in this dispute, Mr. Sagara. I say only what I see. If I do lie, what do I get out of it? I am an old man. I have not long to live in this world."
Aoshi broke the resulting silence. "And I? What am I in all these?"
Haku fixed his glance on Aoshi. "In those dreams you were looking through another's eyes, yes? Would it comfort you both to know that in the future, your descendants will still be together?"
"Are you saying…"
"You were looking through a descendant's eyes, Mr. Shinomori." He sighed, exhaustion finally appearing on his face. "I wish I could tell you more, but that is all I could. The Kanryu son who came to me was concerned with what I told him, and he tried to stop that future from happening. It is up to you both whether you want it to happen or not." He closed his eyes and the four guests knew the conversation was over.
"I have one more question."
"I know," Haku said without opening his eyes.
"You said they were alarmed. What did you see? Will our descendants prevail?"
Haku's eyes opened but said nothing.
TOKYO – PRESENT DAY.
It was a rush, and she felt exhilaration sweep through her.
She knew they were waiting for her, had anticipated their moves. But unlike them, she also knew her way around the dark alleys.
Asha sheathed her sword and looked down at the bodies of her attackers. Mediocre, she thought, remembering the movements these men did seconds ago. She did not even break a sweat.
They were alive, barely conscious. Heaven knows men like them deserve to die a thousand deaths with her blade, but she saw no wisdom to it.
And she isn't like them.
She didn't know what it was, but the air seemed to change, whipping past her head. Instantly on guard, she tensed.
Something is out there. Someone.
Slowly she turned her head around. The night breeze had returned to normal, but she still felt the prickling at the back of her neck.
But this seemed different, she thought. The presence around her…it was not threatening. In truth it felt almost…warm.
Kinship. She could feel it.
Asha looked up at the dark sky, seeing a single star and she felt as though it was smiling at her.
What had Grandpa Yoshi said?
A lone star shining is her ancestor smiling. Her ancestor.
She smiled. Wait until Grandpa Yoshi hears this. He hates being called Grandpa, or so he says, yet many times she caught his hidden smile at her endearment.
"Watch over me, Battousai," she whispered in the air, then turned to walk away.
She had just rounded the corner where the attackers hid minutes ago when she heard something. Stopping in her tracks, she felt the air around her.
This time she knew it was not a spirit of the past.
"Come out," she called out, her hand at the hilt of her sakabatou.
In the shadows to her left she sensed movement. She stood there, waiting for the stranger to fully show himself in the dimness.
It was no stranger.
Her grip on the hilt of her sword relaxed as she recognized a face she had not seen for nearly eight years, a face she had known she would see sooner or later.
"You sure lived up to your title, Master," the tall man said quietly. "I see you have not lost your touch with the blade."
"I see stealth is still a skill for you," she said, lifting her chin. "How long have you been watching?"
"Long enough," he said, striding towards her in a relaxed manner. "You know those men?"
"I have an idea, yes."
This close, she could see the shoulder holster beneath his jacket. She gave him a small smile. "Are you going to arrest me, officer?"
He shrugged. "Off-duty. And I am outside of my jurisdiction."
"When did you get back in town?" she asked, devouring his face in the shadows. She missed him. Terribly. Perhaps there were even times when she feared not seeing him again.
"As soon as I heard you were back. When did you get back to Japan?" he asked back.
"A month ago," she replied. "You could say I laid low a bit. At Grandpa's."
A smile could be heard in his voice. "I see you still haven't stopped calling him that."
"Have you?" she asked pointedly, and his pause was answer enough. "He did say you will turn up sooner or later. I was counting on sooner, and I wasn't mistaken. How did you know?"
"I heard of the Japanese-British scholar who opened the newest wing of Japan Museum. The name was foreign, but I know better. Natasha Shinta." The name rolled off his tongue. "Very few people know of your last name, Asha."
"I'm glad you were one of those who remembered."
He stepped forward and she could now see his face, unchanged. Still as handsome as before. The years have been good to him.
He was smiling now. "Welcome home, Ayasha Himura."
Asha returned his smile before responding. "Thank you, Ken Shinomori."