Well, only Sky reviewed my last chapter. Sigh!!!!!! But never mind, on goes the story!
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin will never be mine. -.-
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"It's the letter!!! IT'S THE LETTER!!!" Yahiko yelled loudly at the dojo.
He looked around and found no one there. Slowly, he walked to Sano and Kojiro's rooms to find them both asleep. And to think Kojiro was complaining of them not worrying for Kaoru.
"Wake up, wake up!!!" Yahiko shouted as he shook Sano back and forth.
"What! Does someone need a beating? I'll show him…" Sano mumbled, half-awake.
"WAKE UP YOU FOOL!!! THE LETTER HAS ARRIVED!" Yahiko bellowed angrily. His patience was running out quickly.
"Huh…? OH YEAH!" Sano realized and woke up from slumber.
"Quick, Sanosuke. I need to go wake Kojiro. Wait for me at the dojo hall." Yahiko said commandingly and ran off to Kojiro's room.
Soon, the three were all assembled at the dojo hall. All were examining the letter that was slipped underneath the dojo gates early morning. Yahiko only found it while he was sweeping the floor. The letter was scribbled messily in black ink that was hardly readable.
"What's this handwriting?! I can't understand anything." Sano announced.
"Neither can I," Kojiro agreed.
"I think I can figure it out…" Yahiko said as he squint his eyes and stared hard at the paper. "I've got it! It's the old abandoned dojo of the Jishuun Ryu near the river! The last Master died a long time ago and last I heard, someone bought over the land and refuse to have to dojo removed!" Yahiko exclaimed excitedly.
"Damn! You're a smart boy, Yahiko!" Kojiro commended.
Yahiko grinned at the compliment and wondered if he could have a chance to be at the frontline this time.
"So… Can I go with you to rescue Kaoru?" Yahiko asked meekly.
"No." Kojiro and Sano answered in unison.
"I wasn't talking to you, rooster head!!!" Yahiko shouted.
Sano stuck out his tongue and laughed. Yahiko can be such a baka sometimes. But it was fun teasing him.
"So when do we leave?" Sano asked Kojiro.
"We take action tonight." Kojiro replied while closing his eyes. He sure has a lot to think about.
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More than ten years ago…
"I'm sorry, she has passed on." The doctor said weakly while apologizing. He covered a white cloth over Kaoru's mother's dead body.
Kaoru started wailing and crying non-stop for her mother, while Kojiro stood there like a statue, without any emotions. No tears, no anger. Kojiro walked out the door and went to the dojo. There he started to train incessantly for long hours.
At dinner, Kaoru hardly touched her food. She had no appetite to eat.
"Oto-san… Gomen-nasai, but why are you not sad at all?" Kaoru plucked up the courage to ask. After all, she was still a young kid.
"Urusai! Eat your food." Kojiro commanded. (A/N: Urusai means Shut up.)
Kaoru's eyes started to water and she started sobbing loudly at the dinner table. Kojiro ignored her and continued eating his food.
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"Kaoru! Fetch your bokken. We're going to train today." Kojiro demanded as Kaoru was mourning at her mother's room again.
"B-But, Oto-san…" Kaoru argued.
"I said get your bokken! Weeping is only for weaklings! Training will help you defend yourself so that you will never need to cry ever again!" Kojiro said angrily.
Kaoru sobbed as she got up and took her bokken. She was angry that her father was so emotionless. How can he still train when his wife had just passed away? Kaoru was confused.
"Hayaku, Kaoru!" Kojiro chased. (A/N: Hayaku means Hurry up!)
"H-Hai, Oto-san." Kaoru said as she wiped her tears away from her eyes.
Training became relentlessly vigorous as Kojiro got into the advanced stage of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.
"I expect you to take over this dojo when I'm unable to, Kaoru." Kojiro said once their training session has ended.
Kaoru was exhausted and walked over to her room and laid flat. She has been training for four hours straight. She wondered if Kendo was something she really wanted to do all her life. She always thought that she would find a good man and marry and start a family.
Kojiro slid Kaoru's door open slightly and peeped. Kaoru appeared as if she were asleep. Kojiro sighed heavily and closed the door. He never meant to be so harsh on Kaoru… It's just that Kendo was a way he could escape from reality.
"I wonder what's Oto-san doing now." Kaoru pondered.
She crept out of her room silently and went to her mother's room. There she saw her father kneeling down grabbing her mother's favourite kimono, weeping hardly. She was taken aback and started tearing. Never in her life has she seen her father so weak, so vulnerable.
"Oto-san has feelings after all." Kaoru mumbled to herself as she turned away and ran back into her room.
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"Damn. Why did I dream of that again?" Kojiro cursed as he opened his eyes to the ceiling. "Sigh, my wife, I wonder if you're doing well in the next world."
Kojiro stood up and walked to the front yard. It was almost dark, almost time to leave.
Sanosuke saw Kojiro and pat his back.
"Hey. Worried? Scared?" Sano teased.
"I'm the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu! Why should I be afraid?" Kojiro boasted.
Sano laughed as Kojiro's smug face appeared. Soon, Yahiko came running down the corridor.
"So are you guys leaving yet?" Yahiko asked excitedly.
"Yes, in fact we were just discussing how worried Kojiro is." Sano said.
"Baka!" Kojiro cursed as he walked out of the dojo gates. Sano followed suit.
Yahiko watched the two of their backs leave the dojo and wondered when he would ever be one of them, going off to rescue someone important.
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"Misao-dono, we have to hurry! It's almost nightfall! It'll take another two hours or so before we reach the dojo!" Kenshin hurried.
"Kenshin I'm not made of steel! We've been sprinting for about six hours already! My legs are about to break down into jelly!" Misao complained angrily.
"Sessha apologizes. Would you like to take a break, then?" Kenshin asked politely.
"That'll be fine, thank you very much." Misao said sarcastically.
Misao and Kenshin sat down and drank some water from the bamboo water container. Panting continually, Misao felt as if her lungs were about to explode.
"Are you rested enough, Misao-dono?" Kenshin asked with a smile.
"Oh man! There's no point arguing with you!" Misao answered and sprinted off again.
"Sessha apologizes, Misao-dono!" Kenshin said and sprinted after Misao.
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"Here it is. The Jishuun dojo. Sano go find a back entrance and wait for my signal. You know what it is, right?" Kojiro said.
"Yeah, yeah, old man. Just go already!" Sano said and ran to find the back entrance of the dojo.
Kojiro heaved a heavy sigh and walked into the dojo. Grabbing his sword tight, he knew this would be a night he would never forget, especially when he hasn't seen Kaoru for ten years or so.
"Ah, my daughter must have turned out to be a fine woman." Kojiro whispered to himself with a smile before walking into the fighting containment. His fate was about to be decided.
Kojiro pushed opened the door gently and saw a young woman roped up on the floor, sleeping. He had found his daughter. He walked towards her and woke her up.
"W-Who are you, now?!" Kaoru asked, frightened.
"I'm your father, Kamiya Kojiro, Kaoru. Where's the person that kidnapped you?" Kojiro asked.
"O-Oto-san? I-It can't be!!! I thought you're dead? Or missing?" Kaoru questioned.
"I'll explain once we get out of here, okay? Quick, I think we've got to leave. I don't want any unnecessary fights." Kojiro said.
"H-Hai." Kaoru agreed and scrambled up to her feet. It was numb after being roped up for so long.
They were just about to leave the fighting containment when suddenly two ropes caught their feet! Kojiro and Kaoru were being dragged on the floor backwards.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! You want to take your daughter and leave? Not before you defeat me, Kamiya Kojiro!" The man insisted.
"W-Who are you?" Kojiro asked.
"Have you forgotten me? I am Kazuki Nomi, best student of the Kamiya dojo!" Kazuki said.
"Is that really you, Kazuki? How can it be! I specially trained my students not to use the technique for murder! How ruthless can you be, Kazuki! What wrong did I do towards you?" Kojiro demanded for an answer.
"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! You refused to hand the title ship of Master of the dojo over to me! You gave it to your silly little daughter who can't even fight to save her life. She's as naïve as a squirrel. I want all the dojo masters to know that they're not all that strong and mighty, and they can't beat me! I am the best, Kojiro. And you have made a wrong choice not making me Master! I'll show that to you today!" Kazuki barked loudly.
Kojiro was taken aback. How can one of his students turn into such a bloodthirsty and greedy murderer?
"I didn't give you the title not because you weren't good enough, Kazuki, but it was because you were not teacher material. You're not patient enough. See what I mean? But I guess I have to teach you that lesson today!" Kojiro bellowed and charged towards Kazuki.
"ARGHHHH!!!!" Kazuki yelled as he charged towards Kojiro as well.
Kaoru sat there helpless and gasped as her father and her kidnapper fought each other.
"K-Kenshin… If only you were here." Kaoru said as she buried her face in her hands.
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End of Chapter.
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