Standard Disclaimers... blah, blah, blah.
Glossary:Kodora=small tiger, Oodora=big tiger, Saiai=beloved, Backumatsu=revolution, Sofu=grandfather(affectionate), Onegai=please, Ojiisan=Grandfather(respectful), Ikka=Home, Jou-chan=young lady/girl, Chibi=dwarf/midgit, Kuso=Shit, Chicushou=Dammit!, Ashikarazu=I'm sorry, Ashitieru=I love you, Nani=What?, Otousan=Father, Okaasan=Mother, Aisoku=beloved son, Akachan=baby,
Chapter four
Hiten Mitsugrui Ryu
"Up, and THEN down, Kodra. Why can't you get that through your thick head? I swear, you are almost as stupid as your Father was." Seijurou Hiko snarled viciously at the young red-haired boy, who was trying to pick himself up off the ground where he had landed in a bone-jarring cloud of dust only seconds before. "Come on... Get up already, and let's begin again."
"Again....?" The sweating, exhausted 16 year-old met the glittering emerald green eyes of the large dark-haired Samurai who was his Master. "But, Sofu... we have been training since before sunrise, can't I take a rest? Onegai? Just a little one?" The voice, that sounded so much like Kenshin's, was filled with entreety and just a bit of childish whining. "I am hungry too. You said we would stop for Lunch, and we have not done that yet... can't we please stop for just a little while? I promise I will train twice as hard after I have rested and had something to eat."
Hiko frowned and stared into the angelic face of his grandson, Himura Kenji, and realized he had been out maneuvered by the little Devil... again. When the boy acted this way, and turned those incredibly beautiful eyes on the old man, he could almost feel the harshness in his heart melting away. Damn that kid anyway. It had been like this from the moment his mother had laid the squalling little brat in his arms all those years ago. One look into those enormous aqua-blue eyes and he had been hooked for life. A slave to his own traitorous heart as it had fallen helplessly in love with the powerful and pure little soul that snuggled fearlessly against him, and no matter how hard he tried, whenever the thankless brat looked at him with those eyes, he turned into a worthless puddle of human emotion and could refulse him nothing.
"All right, fine." He growled angrily. "But I will hold you to your word, Kodra." Hiko tried in vain to make the youth whither before his fiercest scowl, but it was useless. The boy simply was not afraid of him, nor was he intimidated by his gruff and oft times cruel manner. It just did not seem to matter what he did, Kenji never took offense or became upset. In fact, Hiko had begun to wonder if the boy even had a temper or and of the other more negative emotions in his body. Love, laughter, and kindness seemed to come as naturally to him as breathing and holding a sword, the later being the most frequent subject of discussion between Hiko and Kenshin ever sence the boy had picked up his first katana at the age of 6.
Kenji had a natual grace and skill that not only rivaled his Father's, but his Grandfather's as well which was a phenomena neither man could truly fathom despite the incredible power and strength of the boy's spirit-ki.
Kenshin had begun to train Kenji in the basic kata of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu when he turned 7, and was amazed at how quickly the small boy had learned the complex and fluid movements. For three years the two of them rose early in the morning, before the Sun had risen over the rim of the mountain, and practiced in the quiet serenity of the empty Dojo to the light of several candles. When Kenshin felt his son had progressed beyond what he was willing to teach him, he began sending the boy to his Grandfather in Kyoto for the Summer months, and then, when Kenji came home, the two of them would once again resume their early morning kata's incorperating the new things Hiko had taught him.
Over the last seven years, the Small Tiger, as Hiko had named him on the first day he'd held him, progressed with smooth gradual competance as his skill improved more and more with each successive pass of the blade. There was only one problem standing in his way. Kenji could not seem to master the Ryu Tsui Sen. His Father had shown him a thousand times if he had shown him once, but the young swordsman could not seem to grasp the ability to leap so high at such an incredible speed, and then draw his sword on the downstroke, striking his opponent between neck and shoulder with the deadly crushing force of a great hammer. The Dragon's Hammer. It was his Father's favorite move, and it shamed Kenji that he could not seem to get it right.
Hiko had been working on it with him for nearly two months straight, and still, Kenji had made no true progress. Despite his outwardly appearance of amiable goodwill, he was beginning to despair of ever being able to perform the difficult technique, and Kenji knew if he did not conqure the Ryu Tsui Sen, he would never be able to learn the Kuzuryusen, or the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. He would never be a Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and he wanted that more than anything. He wanted to make his Father and Grandfather proud. He wanted to prove himself worthy of the name his Father had given him. He wanted to be The Sacred Sword, and so he worked and trained and sweated beneath the harsh voice and words of Seijurou Hiko.
"Thank-you, oh benevolent, Ojiisan. Thank-you for showing mercy to this unworthy one, and letting me eat before I die of starvation." Kenji's aqua-blue eyes glittered with merry laughter as he deftly ducked beneath a well aimed cuff from Hiko's fist.
"You better watch your mouth, Runt, or I'll forget just how benevolent I am." Harsh words spoken in a deeply annoyed voice, but Hiko could never fool his grandson. Kenji could see the glint of laughter he tried to hide in his dark green eyes, and that never failed to bring a beautiful smile to his young face as well as a round of unabashed chuckles at the older mans expense. "Shut-up already, and eat your food. I don't have all day to wait on a baka-deshi who thinks feeding his stomach is more important that learning his kata."
Kenji just smiled and winked as he stuffed his face with cold fried tofu and fish. "Come on, Sofu," He chided in a companionable tone. "You really need to lighten up, you know. Your way to serious all of the time. If you do not learn how to relax, I am going to wake up one day and find you all tied up like a woman's obi because all of your muscles have popped."
"You think so?" Hiko reached out and took several pieces of cold fish and tofu for himself as he considered Kenji's words. "And how would you deal with that difficulty if you found me like that, Kodora? Hmmmm?"
"I'd just drag you out of the Ikka and throw you in the stream. The cold water ought to straighten you out right quick." Hiko's shocked face was even further stunned when he caught the malicious gleam of wicked mischief in his grandson's glass-clear green-toned eyes.
"You little Devil." An unbidden smile of appreciation curved his thin lips as he acknowledged himself to be in the presance of a true smart-ass. "You would enjoy it too, wouldn't you?"
"But of course. Didn't you always say, 'if you are going to roust someone, do it well and do it right because God knows they are going to try and get even, so you better get your licks in while you can still stand up.'?" Hiko was fairly certain that the mocking tone of voice Kenji used was supposed to sound like him, but he was quite sure he did not sound like THAT.
When he finished quoting his grandfather, Kenji merely smiled smuggly and continued to stuff his mouth with food. Hiko found he had nothing to say to that response, and all he could do was look at the little red-haired demon that meant more to him than life itself and wonder what he had gotten himself into.
"You realize, of course, Kodora-san, that this means War?"
"Of course, Ojiisan. It would not be any fun if it didn't."
"Fine. Then consider yourself well warned."
"I do."
"Very well."
"Indeed."
"Spawn-of-a-demon's loins."
"Devil that spawned the Demon."
"Disrespectful red-haired hyena."
"Loud mouthed old wind-bag."
"Undersized runt."
"Muscle-bound Grotesque."
"Clod."
"Idiot."
"Baka."
"Sorry excuse for a jou-chan."
"What?!"
"What?"
"Did you just call me a girl, you little Chibi?"
"Hey! Who are you calling a 'Chibi'?"
"You!"
"I do not think so, you oversized Barbarian."
"Barbarian?"
"Yes, Barbaian. Hummmph." Kenji snapped his head to amplify the insult and then climbed to his feet. As he brushed the dust off his white haki ma, he cast a sidelong look at his now silent grandfather. 'I wonder what he has got to say to THAT?' He wondered to himself as he adjusted the angle of the katana hanging from the left side of his belt, and then, with his hands resting on the hilt, turned to face the older man who was still setting on the ground chewing his food.
"Who's ahead, Kodora?"
"We are still even, Sofu."
"Kuso!" Hiko stook up fluidly, even for a man aged 64, and brushed himself off. "I must be getting slow, I thought I got you with that 'Chibi' thing."
"Nope, I got you back with the 'Barbarian' thing."
"Oh yeah, that's right. Chikushou! All right, Come on, you little Hellion, let's get going."
"What?"
"You said you would train twice as hard if I let you eat and rest." Diamond hard green eyes met the wide innocent looking aqua-blue and he pointed a stern finger directly into Kenji's chest. "So, get to training monkey-ass, and lets see how high you can fly."
Kenji sighed heavily, and turned to walk back out onto the training field. The roar of the massive waterfall had always been soothing to him even when he just a boy and had first started coming up here with his grandfather. He closed his eyes and tried to let the sounds of the water crashing over the cliffs and onto the boulders far below calm his mind so he could reach inside his soul and summon his spirit-ki.
He was determined to learn the Ryu Tsui Sen even if he had to....
His aqua-blue eyes flew open in stunned amazement as he realized something truly incredible. As the remarkableness of the fact settled into his dazed mind, Kenji's eyes grew round and wide showing every sparkling detail of those crystaline orbs. Tiny golden flecks dotted throughout the pale greenish-blue irises, and a brilliant ring of golden-amber circled the large black pupil. They looked like glowing lanterns within the pale white flesh of his face, and they were his most striking characteristic. Because they were so piercing and unusual, people would often notice his eyes long before they even noticed the brilliant red of his hair. But right now, they were simply blown wide open with the amazement of his own shock and incredulity.
'Grandfather won the War!' His mind reeled from the knowledge that Hiko had slyly slipped two more jibes in without him even being aware of them. Kuso! That rotten old man! Kenji could not help but smile. 'Oh well,' He shrugged to himself. At least if he was going to be beaten, he had gotten beaten by the best. No one was better at 'The War of Words' than Grandfather... except maybe Uncle Saitou. Kenji loved it when the two men got together. That was when the sparks really got to flying, especially if Grandfather could get Uncle Saitou to join him in a few nips of sake', then it got really interesting around the fire.
Of course, Kenji liked it whenever Uncle Saitou and Aunt Tokio came to visit because they always brought their children with them. They had both spent the first ten years of their marriage thinking the other was dead, but Grandfather had fixed that, and even though they got a late start, Saitou and Tokio had four children. Two girls, Kuumi and Quii, and twin sons, Ruakii and Tokken.
At 20, Kuumi was almost four years older than Kenji, who was getting ready to turn 17 soon, but Quii, who was only 15, was his junior by two years, and her brothers by five since they had just turned twelve.
The reason Kenji enjoyed the Saitoh family so much, besides the bantering between his Uncle and Grandfather, was because he was trying to decide who he was more attracted to. The quiet dark-haired, blue eyed Kuumi, OR the free-spirited Quii, with her wild tangle of chestnut hair, and her Father's gleaming yellow wolf's eyes.
CRAAACK!
Suddenly a big clod of hard packed dirt came flying out of nowhere and struck Kenji square in the side of the head and sent him stumbling several feet. After he regained his balance, he turned and sent an ice-cold glare in Hiko's direction and found the older man standing nonchalantly with his arms folded across his chest. "What was that for?" He asked in his usual even tone, even though there was the tiniest of feeling of angry fury burning in his chest.
"I've been calling your name for five minutes, Chibi-chan, and when that didn't get your attention, I decided to take more drastic measures." A wicked smile crossed Hiko's face as well as a look of pure satisfaction. "It seems to have worked."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, I have your undivided attention NOW don't I." An elegant black eyebrow arched sardonically as the youth's features fell in defeat. "I thought so. No pull your head out of the clouds and whoever's kimono your were invading and concentrate. We have a lot of work to do."
'Kuso!' Kenji swore to himself. 'How does the old geezer do it? How did he know I was thinking about the girls?' He sighed in frustration, and then found himself ducking and dodging the lightening fast attack of 'the old geezer' as his katana sliced through the air towards the vulnerability of his neck. As Kenji pulled his sword from its sheath with an incredible amount of speed, his smaller lithe frame twisted out of the way of Hiko's descending katana, and he parried the vicious attack just in time, and the sound of steel clashing on steel rang out above the din of the waterfalls.
Just as swiftly, Hiko rolled out of the way and then countered Kenji's parry with a powerful upper cut meant to disembowel an enemy, but the boy was gone and Hiko's sword flowed through nothing but air and the power of the thrust carried the katana high over his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of vivid red coming towards him from his left, and very low to the ground. He struggled to maintain the swinging power of his blade and have it bring him in a full circle that would cut the boy off, but the angle was all wrong, and suddenly Hiko felt a knot of cold fear pulling at his vitals. He could not protect himself... he could not parry... there was not time to move... if this were a real battle, he would be drawing his last breaths... he would be dead. A flashing glint of silver passed lightening quick before his startled eyes, and then the tie that held the great white cloak across his shoulders was severed and the cloak floated lazily to the ground and settled around his feet.
Hiko was frozen where he stood. For him, time was standing still, he had ceased to breath, and his heart stood still within his great chest. He had been beaten, again. But, somehow this time was even more significant than the last. This time he had not been prepared for that possible outcome of defeat. This time he had meant to teach the boy a lesson about concentration and preparedness, and instead, he found himself on the learning end of this engagement. But what had he learned? What was the significance of this loss to a boy of only sixteen years? What did it mean? Did it mean he had finally reached the age of worthlessness as a Warrior? Did it mean he was no longer useful as anything except a teacher, as a sensei? Was his sword otherwise useless? Fear of being seen as old and weak congealed in Hiko's heart as the miriad of questions raged through his stunned mind. What had he done wrong? How had the Kodora beaten him so easily? Frantically he searched for an answer of some kind as he replayed the duel over and over in his head, but he could find nothing wrong with either of his technique choices, and he had maintained God-like speed throughout... It was as that point that Hiko realized he was not at fault, the boy was simply faster... He had been faster than God-like speed for a period of time longer than the time needed to perform the Amakakaru Ryu no Hirameki... longer than anyone had ever been able to maintain it before. The hand of time clicked and the world moved, Hiko's arms dropped limply to his sides and he bowed his head in defeat and confusion.
"How?" He whispered almost to himself. "How can it be?"
"Sofu??" The small worried voice reached out and touched Hiko's soul as only Kenji could, and he looked up into the wide diamond clear eyes. "Ashikarazu Ojiisan... I did not mean to ruin your Master's cloak, truly I did not, but my angle was such that if I had not pulled back when I did, I would have..." Hiko watched a look of horror and dismay cover his beloved grandson's beautiful face as his quiet voice trailed off into silence unable to finish what he had been trying to say.
"You would have cut my head off, my beloved Kodora. If we had been involved in a true duel for our lives, you would have killed me in an honorable fight. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Hiko reached out and put a strong reassuring hand on the trembling boys shoulder. "I am proud of you, Kenji. Just as I have been proud of your Father." The boy smothered a sob and buryied his face in Hiko's chest.
"Aishiteru, Kenji... You are gifted beyond all mine or your Father's expectations. I believe you are meant for great things, Kodora."
"Great thing?" Was the muffled response as Kenji pressed closer to his grandfather.
"Yes, after all, you are the son of The White Warrior, Kenji. I have seen the manifestation of your Father's spirit-ki, The Mighty Oodora, and your mother is the most courageous and strong willed woman I have ever known, and you are made up of pieces of both of them. You have surpassed God-like speed before being tested by the Kuzuryusen, and I can only surmise that makes you more than capable of the Amakakaru Ryu no Hirameki."
"But Sofu, I have not mastered the Ryu Tsui Sen, how can I have surpassed God-like speed?"
A deep rumble of laughter rolled around in Hiko's large chest and Kenji pulled back rubbing his nose where the vibration had tickled it. "Because you are special, Himura Kenji, and the Gods have brought you here for a specific reason. All we have to do is prepare you for it; although, it would appear you already have the skills you need. We just have to find your confindence and resolve."
"Sofu?"
"Nani, Kodora?"
"Are you telling me I was born with a 'purpose' already set before me? Because if you are... well, I do not think I want to know what it is. I do not want to have a 'purpose'. I just want to live my life in peace like Otousan. Why can't I do that?"
"You want to live in peace like your FATHER??" Hiko pushed the boy away from him until he could look directly into his stoic little face. "Do you really believe your Father has always lived in peace like he has during your lifetime? Is that what you believe?"
"Well... yes, I suppose I do. Isn't that true?"
"No, Kenji-san, it is not true." Hiko pulled the boy behind him until he reached the old fallen log they aways sat on when they came to the water fall. "Sit here beside me, boy, and tell me what you know about your Father's life before you were born."
"Before I was born?" Hiko nodded, and Kenji looked confused and worried as he struggled to understand what was being asked of him. "Okaasan told me he fought in the Bakumastu... that is where he got the scar on his face, and she said that he lived alone for a long time before they met and fell in love. But neither of them have ever told me anything about bad times other than the Revolution."
"But they told you about the night in the Palace... Yes?"
"I guess... sort of. I mean, they told me that there was a great battle and that you, Uncle Aoshi, Uncle Saitou, Soujro, and Yahiko were all there. And that Okaasan and Kuumi were there as well, and a very evil woman was trying to kill them and Otousan. They have always said that the battle was like something out of a nightmare, but neither of them ever went into detail about it. Father said it happened before I was born, so there was no need for me to know anything about it... he did not want me exposed to it, he said. I know that both Otousan and Okaasan nearly died before it was over, and that everything that happened because of it, is what 'made' our family what it is now, but that is all I know."
Hiko sat listening to Kenji explaining the bland empty details that Kenshin and Kaoru had shared with him concerning the most monumental night of their lives... and his for that matter, and he felt a surge of paternal outrage against their decision to shelter their son from the 'real' facts. 'Idiots!' He snarled to himself as he toyed with the idea of telling the boy himself. He knew, of course, that he could not do that. He had promised himself the day he had finally held Kenshin in his arms and claimed him as his Aisoku that he would never interfer with his decisions... unless he had to, and he had not. Not in nearly 17 years.
"Sofu? Is there more that I should know? Are there things they have not told me?" Kenji's face reflected the worry and deep concern that colored his young voice. "Why did you want to know what I knew about Otousan anyway?"
"Oh Kenji-san. Sometimes parents make decisions concerning the things they think their children should know and the things they should not, and for better or worse, they do it out of love and the hope that it is the best thing. However, sometimes it turns out that some of those decisions are not only poor ones, but they are completely wrong."
"Are you saying Otousan and Okaasan are keeping things from me about the past? Things I should know?"
"Perhaps, but it is not for me to say. I am not in a position to judge what your parents choose to tell you and what they choose not too... especially your Father." Hiko's dark emerald eyes grew misty and took on a faraway look that Kenji did not understand.
"Sofu?"
"Nani, Kenji-san?"
"Why did you say it like that?"
"Say what?"
"You are not in a position to judge my parents, especially Otousan? Why did you say it like that?"
"Kenji, it is not always a good thing to go digging around in the past, my boy. Sometimes there are things back there that are better left buried in their graves where they belong. Often all the past holds is painful memories that can offer the owner no comfort, so they are best left forgotten... do you understand, Kodora?"
"Yes, I think so. Are you saying that you and Otousan were not always close to each other like you are now?"
"No, we were not."
"Did you disagree a lot?"
"Some, but that was not exactly the problem between us."
"What was?"
"Kenji, I cannot tell you these things without breaking with the decisions your Father has made in not telling you about his past. In good concience, I cannot speak of them... I truly cannot."
"But... why not? You do not have to tell me everything. Just tell me why the two of you did not agree all the time. What kind of things did you disagree about and why?" He shook his head in bewilderment sending his long red hair dancing around his shoulders. "I just cannot see the two of you argueing and being angry with each other over anything. That I cannot."
Hiko tried to supress the smile that flashed across his face, but failed. It did not happen very often, but every once in a while Kenji would pop out with one of Kenshin's trade mark catch all phrases, and when he did, he sounded so much like the other man that Hiko would have to take a double look to make certain whom he was talking to. He shook his head in paternal amusement. The love he felt for this amazing boy was often so overwhelming to him, he almost felt smothered, but he would not trade the feeling for anything else. Just as he was not willing to back away for the feelings he now shared with his beloved son, Kenshin. Hiko would never give up on those feelings, or waste them again. Every moment he spent with Kenshin he treasured in his heart like a rare jewel.
"I realize it is difficult for you to understand, Kodora, but it is all quite true. There was a time when your Father and I went many years without speaking or even seeing one another, and I... I did not want to see him."
"YOU DID NOT WANT TO SEE HIM?" Shocked aqua-blue eyes stared into Hiko's face as the pain of that statement settled into the boys mind. "Why not? What happened that you felt that way? He was your son? You were his Father? Fathers and sons are supposed to love each other... what happened, Sofu? What happened? Did you hate him?"
"Yes, Kodora... I hated him." A great heaving sigh lifted the broad shoulders as Hiko once more stared off into space while his mind remember things that had happened almost 40 years ago. "Things happened... bad things... when he left to join the Bakumastu, he was only 14... did you know that?"
"No..."
"Well, it is true. He was still so much a child, yet he was the most gifted swordsman I had seen in years. When I started training him he was only seven years old, but he took to the sword like his hands and heart had been made for it. He was extraordinary... and very deadly with his skill. Kenshin learned everything quickly and very well, much the same as you do now. When he left, his training was incomplete, and even though he knew this, he left anyway... despite my forbidding him to go until he completed. He refused to listen to me and joined with the Ishin Shishi. I never forgave him for that, nor for what he did with the Hiten Mitsurugi that I had taught him."
"What do you mean by 'what he did with it?'? What did he do with it? All of the Samurai who fought in the Bakumastu used whatever technique they had been taught by their Masters, so why should Otousan been any different?"
"I cannot tell you that, Kodora. I can only say that he used his training for something other than fighting, and my father's heart hated him for it while my Master's heart wept at the blasphemy he was comitting."
"I am so confused, Sofu. You are making Otousan sound like a criminal or a murderer or worse. Why are you doing that? Otousan is the kindest and most honorable man I have ever know, and you have told me that as well. All of our friends and family come to him for advice and council because of his wisdom and fortitude. How can you say these things about him? How?"
"Because he was not always kind, honorable, or wise Kenji. Your father was not always Himura Kenshin."
"What do you mean not 'Himura Kenshin'? If he was not himself, then who was he? You are not making sense, Sofu, and I cannot believe he was ever as bad of a man as you are making him out to be. That I cannot."
Hiko sighed and made a decision. "Kenji-san," He waited until the youth turned and faced him. "I want to know what you know about the Bakumatsu and the Meiji. What do you know about how the Meiji came into being?"
"The Meiji?"
"Yes, the Meiji. You were born into the Meiji. It was a time of peace that was brought about because of the Bakumatsu, and other certain key events, but it did not last for very many years before the Government evolved into what we have now. I want to know what you have learned about the history of your own country, Kenji. Tell me what you know."
"Almost everything I know about the histories, I learned from Uncle Aoshi."
"Well, He should know. He was there right along with the rest of us. Tell me what he has taught you."
Over the next couple of hours the two of them sat on the old dried out log and discussed the recent history of Japan and how the Meiji Era came into being. Kenji told Hiko about the Europeans coming and opening up the trade which eventually led to the downfall of the Daimyos and the Samurai and then the whole economic system of the Country. It had taken Japan nearly ten years to recover from that economic disaster, but it had survived and found other ways to make revenue and support its peoples, but the way of the Daimyo's and the Samurai was fadding away and would soon be completely forgotten. They spoke of the people most responsible for the downfall of the Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji, and they discussed the influence of the Shinsengumi and the Onniwabanshu on the development of law and a judicial system. It seemed to Kenji, that the more they talked, the more he began to realize just how many of the people he was close to and called his 'family' were directly involved in the formation of the country of Japan as he knew it to be.
Uncle Saitou was the former leader of the 4th squad of the Shinsengumi, better known as the Wolf of Mibu because of his razor sharp precision and fierce killing style with his katana. He had then moved on to become a spy for the Government's Internal Affairs Office, posing as a Chief of Police in Kyoto.
Then there were Uncle Aoshi, Auntie Misao, and the entire Aoiya. They were THE Onniwabanshu. They were the Black-Webb of information and assassians. Uncle Aoshi had been the Obashira at one time, and Auntie Misao was supposedly one of the best Ninja there had ever been.
But his mouth had nearly fallen off his amazed face when he learned WHO the historical 'Tenken' was. Kenji had always been facinated by the stories about the Tenken because of his faster that God-like speed called the 'shicuchi'. No one had ever seen it before, nor had it been recorded sence. 'The Sword of Heaven' had been one of the most notorious assassians of the Meiji Era because of his ability to chase down a moving carriage, a galloping horse, or disappear into thin air as well as his ability to kill without regret or remorse. History said he had the face of an Angel and the soul of a Devil, but it never gave his real name.
Seta Soujiro. The Sword of Heaven.
Kenji still could not believe it. His own brother... the second most kindhearted, honorable, and wise man he knew. Soujiro was so much like their father that sometimes it was frightening. It would seem the two of them shared a bond that went far beyond Father-Son love and bordered on the supernatural, but their personalities were nearly identical as well. It was as if they has somehow shared the same life and the same life experiences, but Kenji knew that was impossible. Especially now that he knew Soujiro's secret.
Soujiro was an ex-assassian, their Father could not have been anything like that. But he could not figure out how their father fit into all of this, and he was sure his grandfather was trying to make a point. What it was, Kenji was not sure. He had ideas, but he was not willing to think about them.
"Sofu, I can hardly believe that all of this is true. Soujiro... my own brother, the 'Tenken'? I cannot believe it. How can he have been such a monster and now be the way he is? I do not understand. Truly I do not. It is not possible to change one's soul that drastically is it? I mean, that is like changing from a devil into an angel. How can he be the same person who committed all those horrible murderers?"
"How indeed, Kodora? How does a man despise his own son for more than ten years? How does he deny the son of his heart the Father's love that so rightly belongs to him because of arrogance and pride? How does a man made of stone and steel learn how to cast aside his pride and find the humility to cry and ask forgiveness with a heart he never knew he had? How does a man who never wanted or needed a family finally learn that a family is the one thing in his life that he needed the most, and then reach out with frightened arms praying to be accepted by those he has shunned for so long? How does he learn to hold an Akachan when he has hardly even seen one before? And how does he learn to accept all of the changes that have occurred within his heart and soul because he finally learned how to show those most precious to his heart that he loves them and how to accept their love for him?" Dark emerald-yellow eyes gazed with loving emotion into the beautiful face of the red-haired boy before them, and a tear slid down the craggy face. "How does he accept such a dramatic change within himself when the person everyone knew before him was nothing more than a cold, cruel, heartless bastard whose main goal in life was to serve himself? How indeed, Saiai-Kenji?" A large brown hand reached out and cupped the soft white cheek. "He does the best he can and he hopes that those who love him will be understanding if he stumbles and makes a few mistakes along the way. It is the power of Love that changes the weave of a soul, my beautiful boy. When you love someone and they truly love you in return, anything is possible. Even changing the weave of a soul from Devil to Angel. Do you understand now, Kodora?"
Misty aqua-blue eyes locked with Hiko's yellowish-green, and Kenji nodded in affirmation then looked down at his hands where they lay clasped loosely in his lap. "Sofu? What part did Otousan play in the Revolution? Who was he?" The simple questions were spoken in a simple small voice, and Hiko found himself looking down at Kenji's hands too.
"Why do you think your Father had a part to play in the Revolution, Kenji-san?"
"Because everyone else we know and love did... He must have... he is the axis upon which this family turns... he is the center of everything, so I know he must have once been a very important man. Was he?" He continued to look at his hands not wanting to see his grandfather's expression.
"Yes, Kenji-san. Your Father was a very important man during the Bakumatsu."
"Did he have anything to do with the Government?"
"Yes, in a way, I suppose he did. He worked for them, in a manner of speaking."
"Was he very valuable to them? I mean, did they look up to him?"
"Yes, both of those things. Even after the Bakumatsu was over, the Government Leaders tried to get him to come back and take a position of Leadership within the governing body, but he refused."
"Why?"
"Because he wanted to live in peace. He was finished with the War, and wanted no further part of it, so he turned them down... over and over and over again."
"Was he a spy?"
"No, Kenji-san. Your Father was not a spy."
"Was he an officer in the Ishin Shishi?"
"No. He did not usually have much to do with the Military except the occassional joint mission here and there."
"Then that means he could be only one other thing if he was working for the Government, and he was as important as you say."
"Oh, and what do you think that is, Kodora?"
"A Hitokiri." Silence followed Kenji's summation, and the boy finally raised his head and locked eyes with his pale-faced grandfather. The answer to all of his questions was plainly written in the horrified depths of Hiko's eyes, and he could do nothing to hide them. "That is what I thought." A shuddering sigh escaped from Kenji's slender form as he stood up and walked several feet away. "He killed people for the Governement..."
"Yes..." Hiko's voice sounded like the raspy whisper of a long-dead ghost. "Kenji... Kodora...
"It is all right, Sofu. I am not as upset as you thought I thought I would be." He flexed his shoulders trying to relieve some of the stress he felt, and then turned around to face the distraught older man. "I kept telling myself that only Soukiro was an assassin, and that Otousan could not possibly have been anything like that, but they are so much alike. Their personalities, their views on life and Honor, their beliefs about good and evil. It is almost like they are the same person sometimes." Kenji paused and looked down at the ground in thoughtful silence for a moment. "He was not just any Hitokiri, was he?"
"What do you mean, Kenji.... Not just any Hitokiri?"
"I remember hearing some stories at a couple of the Dojo's that Uncle Aoshi and I have gone to once in a while when I go visit him."
"What stories?" Hiko felt as though someone were pouring icewater down the length of his spine. 'Oh Dear God,' He agonized in his soul. 'What have you heard, Kodora? What have you heard?'
"Stories about the 'Manslayer'."
"The Manslayer...?"
"Yes, he was supposedly the most feared Samurai during the Bakumatsu. I heard men saying that just the mention of his name could cause a panic in the streets because he was supposed to be the spirit of a demon or something like that."
"Really... what else did you hear?"
"He had hair like the fires of Hell... and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek... "
"And what does that mean to you?"
Kenji was silent for several long moments as he contemplated the unspeakable thing he was thinking about his beloved Otousan, but after setting with Sofu and talking about everything he knew about the Bakumatsu and the Meiji, and discovering 'who' everyone was, he knew what he was thinking had to be true. His beautiful, smiling, gentle Otousan was....
"Otousan is the Battousai... or, rather, he WAS the Battousai. Otousan was the legendary Manslayer of the Bakumatsu who murdered over 400 men in the name of bringing peace to Japan."
"Not quite 400, Kenji. He did not kill more than 380 men... I kept count." Kenji's head snapped up in shock when he heard Hiko say those quiet yet chilling words.
"You kept count of the men he killed? Why?"
"I do not know. It was something I could not stop myself from doing. It almost felt as if I were compelled to do it, and with every man that fell beneath his katana, I died a little more. I hated him for doing that to me... to himself. Those 3 years were the worst of my entire life. They were worse than the 10 years he disappeared on his wanderings when i did not know if he were dead or alive. By then, I had convinced myself I did not care IF he were dead or alive. I know now that had I found him to be dead, it would have utterly destroyed me. I might never have recovered from losing him like that if it had happened."
"How can you say that? If you hated him so much that you did not care if he were alive or dead, how do you know you would have grieved so badly had you found him dead?"
"Because I watched him die right before my eyes, and I died with him... and I knew I never would recover from it because I had wasted our entire lives without once telling him that I did truly love him."
"He... he died??"
"I thought he did... and Yahiko-san too. There was a terrible cave-in inside a tunnel under the city, and Yahiko-san was caught in it. He was barely 13 then, and Kenshin, Myself, Aoshi, Soujiro, and Saitou had just spent the better part of eight or nine hours trying to find the kid when it happened. I did not know what it meant to be a father who loved his son enough to brave hell and his own death to try and save him from dieing, until I watched Kenshin walk into that crumbling death-trap to save Yahiko-san."
"He... he did that?"
"Yes, he did that, and half the tunned callapsed on top of him and your brother burying them beneath at least a ton of dirt and old mortar. When the dust settled, the only thing the rest of us could see was the mountain of dirt where they were supposed to be. Soujiro was very newly bonded to your Father, and he was as devistated as I was. Niether of us knew what to do or what to say. Kenshin and Yahiko-san were gone.... and we had never told them how much we loved them.... I had never told Kenshin how much 'I' loved him, or how proud I was of the way he had taken his life back, and of the man he had grown into. Despite all of our animosities, I had to admit that he had become one of the most honorable men I had ever known, and I was proud to call him my son... but I never got to tell him that because I was too damned proud to bend my arrogant will and let him see inside my heart. I have never regretted anything more in my life than I did that day when I thought about the things I had never said to my son, and all of the time I had wasted just being too stubborn to talk to him."
"I-I can't believe it. THAT is what brought you and Otousan together?"
"Yes... that, and your Mother. Kaoru-san is one of the... most irritatingly insightful woman I ever knew, and there were times I wanted to wring her neck for some of the things she said to me."
"Why?" Kenji looked horrified by Hiko's less than friendly statement about his sweet Okaasan.
"Because she had a bad habit of being right about things... especially things hidden deep inside my soul that I did not want to admit were there. She was an insufferable nuisance, but if not for her, there would be so many things in my life that I would have missed out on. You for one."
"Me? Why Me?"
"Because without her around to take your father's mind off his self-imposed life-sentance of guilt and repentance, you might never have been born."
"What do you mean, 'self-imposed life-sentance'?
"Your father was just about the most morose, depressing excuse for a man that ever crawled the face of the earth until he laid eyes on your mother. After that, he got interesting." The suggestive tone of his voice and the knowing gleam in his eyes made Kenji blush and turn away. "Well, it is the truth, brat. Your mother made him discover that it was much better to live in the world of the living that dwell in the world of the dead with those whose blood he carried on his hands."
"They are not the people I have grown up believing they were. I almost feel as though we are talking about strangers instead of my Otousan and Okaasan."
"Then it is time you learned that people are rarely who we believe them to be. You must never judge a person by what they choose to show you or tell you about themselves whether it be the truth or only a part of the truth. We are all hiding things about ourselves... even you."
Kenji's head snapped up and his startled gaze locked with the knowling look of his grandfather's dark emerald eyes. "You think I am hiding things from you, Sofu?"
"Of course, Kodora. But the difference between you and your parents is this, you have not lived long enough to have anything very interesting to hide, so I am not worried about your little secrets."
"I have not done anything for you to be ashamed of me for, Sofu."
"I know that, Kodora."
"How could you know that?"
"Because you have to honorable of a soul to bring shame upon yourself or upon your family. You are your Father's son."
"But you have just told what a dishonorable son Otousan was, so how can you say THAT?"
"Because, he has raised you to avoid his mistakes. He has raised you to be the young man you are now by instilling within you the beliefs he learned through the terrible mistakes he committed while growing up. He is trying to make you a better man than himself, and that is possibly why he has never told you the entire truth about himself and his days as the Battousai."
"I think maybe I understand now." Kenji walked back to the log and sat down again. "It was all of those terrible things he and Soujiro did all those years ago that has made them the kind of men they are now. Is that right?"
"Yes."
"They had to go through many horrible experiences before they were able to evolve and grow into the men of peace and honor that I know."
"That is right, Kodora. Learning from our mistakes is one of the most important things a man can do in order to become a better man."
"But I do not want to make the same kind of mistakes that Otousan and Soujiro made in order to become an honorable man. I do not want to be a muderer, Sofu."
"You do not have to be a murderer, Kodora. Your Father has raised you with the benefit of HIS experiences so you do not have to go through them for yourself. That is why it is so important for you to listen to everything he tells you and tries to teach you about life and the choices it presents you with. Your Father, above all, understands about the choices one makes in life and the consequences they can lead to."
"Soujiro as well?"
"Yes, Soujiro as well. Both of them have much to teach if you are willing to listen and learn."
"I will, Sofu. I will listen, and I will learn. If I am meant for some predetermined purpose in this life, then I am going to need all of the knowledge and advice I can get."
"That is true, my Saiai-Kodora. It would seem you are learning to listen already." Hiko reached out and playfully ruffled the shaggy silken mop of flaming hair on Kenji's head, and then thumped the youth on the back. "Come on, you lazy brat. You have wasted enough of your time this afternoon... and mine. We have work to do." He watched as a glorious smile spread across the boys face, and then he was leaping up off the log with his never ending supply of teenage energy and running back out to the practice field. Hiko chuckled to himself.
"God, I love that damn kid." And he pushed himself to his feet and ambled lazily out to face the energetic boy. "All right," He called loudly. "Get on with it. We have a lot of work to do."
"HHHHYYYYYYIIIAAAA!" Himura Kenji lunged forward from his battou jutsu stance and disappeared.
"Here we go again." Hiko muttered, as he sprang fluidly into the air pulling his katana from its sheath. "God help me." And the resounding clash of steel on steel rang piercingly through the trees again and again and again.
PLEASE REVIEW... THIS WAS A DIFFICULT
CHAPTER TO WRITE. WHEW!!
Glossary:Kodora=small tiger, Oodora=big tiger, Saiai=beloved, Backumatsu=revolution, Sofu=grandfather(affectionate), Onegai=please, Ojiisan=Grandfather(respectful), Ikka=Home, Jou-chan=young lady/girl, Chibi=dwarf/midgit, Kuso=Shit, Chicushou=Dammit!, Ashikarazu=I'm sorry, Ashitieru=I love you, Nani=What?, Otousan=Father, Okaasan=Mother, Aisoku=beloved son, Akachan=baby,
Chapter four
Hiten Mitsugrui Ryu
"Up, and THEN down, Kodra. Why can't you get that through your thick head? I swear, you are almost as stupid as your Father was." Seijurou Hiko snarled viciously at the young red-haired boy, who was trying to pick himself up off the ground where he had landed in a bone-jarring cloud of dust only seconds before. "Come on... Get up already, and let's begin again."
"Again....?" The sweating, exhausted 16 year-old met the glittering emerald green eyes of the large dark-haired Samurai who was his Master. "But, Sofu... we have been training since before sunrise, can't I take a rest? Onegai? Just a little one?" The voice, that sounded so much like Kenshin's, was filled with entreety and just a bit of childish whining. "I am hungry too. You said we would stop for Lunch, and we have not done that yet... can't we please stop for just a little while? I promise I will train twice as hard after I have rested and had something to eat."
Hiko frowned and stared into the angelic face of his grandson, Himura Kenji, and realized he had been out maneuvered by the little Devil... again. When the boy acted this way, and turned those incredibly beautiful eyes on the old man, he could almost feel the harshness in his heart melting away. Damn that kid anyway. It had been like this from the moment his mother had laid the squalling little brat in his arms all those years ago. One look into those enormous aqua-blue eyes and he had been hooked for life. A slave to his own traitorous heart as it had fallen helplessly in love with the powerful and pure little soul that snuggled fearlessly against him, and no matter how hard he tried, whenever the thankless brat looked at him with those eyes, he turned into a worthless puddle of human emotion and could refulse him nothing.
"All right, fine." He growled angrily. "But I will hold you to your word, Kodra." Hiko tried in vain to make the youth whither before his fiercest scowl, but it was useless. The boy simply was not afraid of him, nor was he intimidated by his gruff and oft times cruel manner. It just did not seem to matter what he did, Kenji never took offense or became upset. In fact, Hiko had begun to wonder if the boy even had a temper or and of the other more negative emotions in his body. Love, laughter, and kindness seemed to come as naturally to him as breathing and holding a sword, the later being the most frequent subject of discussion between Hiko and Kenshin ever sence the boy had picked up his first katana at the age of 6.
Kenji had a natual grace and skill that not only rivaled his Father's, but his Grandfather's as well which was a phenomena neither man could truly fathom despite the incredible power and strength of the boy's spirit-ki.
Kenshin had begun to train Kenji in the basic kata of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu when he turned 7, and was amazed at how quickly the small boy had learned the complex and fluid movements. For three years the two of them rose early in the morning, before the Sun had risen over the rim of the mountain, and practiced in the quiet serenity of the empty Dojo to the light of several candles. When Kenshin felt his son had progressed beyond what he was willing to teach him, he began sending the boy to his Grandfather in Kyoto for the Summer months, and then, when Kenji came home, the two of them would once again resume their early morning kata's incorperating the new things Hiko had taught him.
Over the last seven years, the Small Tiger, as Hiko had named him on the first day he'd held him, progressed with smooth gradual competance as his skill improved more and more with each successive pass of the blade. There was only one problem standing in his way. Kenji could not seem to master the Ryu Tsui Sen. His Father had shown him a thousand times if he had shown him once, but the young swordsman could not seem to grasp the ability to leap so high at such an incredible speed, and then draw his sword on the downstroke, striking his opponent between neck and shoulder with the deadly crushing force of a great hammer. The Dragon's Hammer. It was his Father's favorite move, and it shamed Kenji that he could not seem to get it right.
Hiko had been working on it with him for nearly two months straight, and still, Kenji had made no true progress. Despite his outwardly appearance of amiable goodwill, he was beginning to despair of ever being able to perform the difficult technique, and Kenji knew if he did not conqure the Ryu Tsui Sen, he would never be able to learn the Kuzuryusen, or the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. He would never be a Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and he wanted that more than anything. He wanted to make his Father and Grandfather proud. He wanted to prove himself worthy of the name his Father had given him. He wanted to be The Sacred Sword, and so he worked and trained and sweated beneath the harsh voice and words of Seijurou Hiko.
"Thank-you, oh benevolent, Ojiisan. Thank-you for showing mercy to this unworthy one, and letting me eat before I die of starvation." Kenji's aqua-blue eyes glittered with merry laughter as he deftly ducked beneath a well aimed cuff from Hiko's fist.
"You better watch your mouth, Runt, or I'll forget just how benevolent I am." Harsh words spoken in a deeply annoyed voice, but Hiko could never fool his grandson. Kenji could see the glint of laughter he tried to hide in his dark green eyes, and that never failed to bring a beautiful smile to his young face as well as a round of unabashed chuckles at the older mans expense. "Shut-up already, and eat your food. I don't have all day to wait on a baka-deshi who thinks feeding his stomach is more important that learning his kata."
Kenji just smiled and winked as he stuffed his face with cold fried tofu and fish. "Come on, Sofu," He chided in a companionable tone. "You really need to lighten up, you know. Your way to serious all of the time. If you do not learn how to relax, I am going to wake up one day and find you all tied up like a woman's obi because all of your muscles have popped."
"You think so?" Hiko reached out and took several pieces of cold fish and tofu for himself as he considered Kenji's words. "And how would you deal with that difficulty if you found me like that, Kodora? Hmmmm?"
"I'd just drag you out of the Ikka and throw you in the stream. The cold water ought to straighten you out right quick." Hiko's shocked face was even further stunned when he caught the malicious gleam of wicked mischief in his grandson's glass-clear green-toned eyes.
"You little Devil." An unbidden smile of appreciation curved his thin lips as he acknowledged himself to be in the presance of a true smart-ass. "You would enjoy it too, wouldn't you?"
"But of course. Didn't you always say, 'if you are going to roust someone, do it well and do it right because God knows they are going to try and get even, so you better get your licks in while you can still stand up.'?" Hiko was fairly certain that the mocking tone of voice Kenji used was supposed to sound like him, but he was quite sure he did not sound like THAT.
When he finished quoting his grandfather, Kenji merely smiled smuggly and continued to stuff his mouth with food. Hiko found he had nothing to say to that response, and all he could do was look at the little red-haired demon that meant more to him than life itself and wonder what he had gotten himself into.
"You realize, of course, Kodora-san, that this means War?"
"Of course, Ojiisan. It would not be any fun if it didn't."
"Fine. Then consider yourself well warned."
"I do."
"Very well."
"Indeed."
"Spawn-of-a-demon's loins."
"Devil that spawned the Demon."
"Disrespectful red-haired hyena."
"Loud mouthed old wind-bag."
"Undersized runt."
"Muscle-bound Grotesque."
"Clod."
"Idiot."
"Baka."
"Sorry excuse for a jou-chan."
"What?!"
"What?"
"Did you just call me a girl, you little Chibi?"
"Hey! Who are you calling a 'Chibi'?"
"You!"
"I do not think so, you oversized Barbarian."
"Barbarian?"
"Yes, Barbaian. Hummmph." Kenji snapped his head to amplify the insult and then climbed to his feet. As he brushed the dust off his white haki ma, he cast a sidelong look at his now silent grandfather. 'I wonder what he has got to say to THAT?' He wondered to himself as he adjusted the angle of the katana hanging from the left side of his belt, and then, with his hands resting on the hilt, turned to face the older man who was still setting on the ground chewing his food.
"Who's ahead, Kodora?"
"We are still even, Sofu."
"Kuso!" Hiko stook up fluidly, even for a man aged 64, and brushed himself off. "I must be getting slow, I thought I got you with that 'Chibi' thing."
"Nope, I got you back with the 'Barbarian' thing."
"Oh yeah, that's right. Chikushou! All right, Come on, you little Hellion, let's get going."
"What?"
"You said you would train twice as hard if I let you eat and rest." Diamond hard green eyes met the wide innocent looking aqua-blue and he pointed a stern finger directly into Kenji's chest. "So, get to training monkey-ass, and lets see how high you can fly."
Kenji sighed heavily, and turned to walk back out onto the training field. The roar of the massive waterfall had always been soothing to him even when he just a boy and had first started coming up here with his grandfather. He closed his eyes and tried to let the sounds of the water crashing over the cliffs and onto the boulders far below calm his mind so he could reach inside his soul and summon his spirit-ki.
He was determined to learn the Ryu Tsui Sen even if he had to....
His aqua-blue eyes flew open in stunned amazement as he realized something truly incredible. As the remarkableness of the fact settled into his dazed mind, Kenji's eyes grew round and wide showing every sparkling detail of those crystaline orbs. Tiny golden flecks dotted throughout the pale greenish-blue irises, and a brilliant ring of golden-amber circled the large black pupil. They looked like glowing lanterns within the pale white flesh of his face, and they were his most striking characteristic. Because they were so piercing and unusual, people would often notice his eyes long before they even noticed the brilliant red of his hair. But right now, they were simply blown wide open with the amazement of his own shock and incredulity.
'Grandfather won the War!' His mind reeled from the knowledge that Hiko had slyly slipped two more jibes in without him even being aware of them. Kuso! That rotten old man! Kenji could not help but smile. 'Oh well,' He shrugged to himself. At least if he was going to be beaten, he had gotten beaten by the best. No one was better at 'The War of Words' than Grandfather... except maybe Uncle Saitou. Kenji loved it when the two men got together. That was when the sparks really got to flying, especially if Grandfather could get Uncle Saitou to join him in a few nips of sake', then it got really interesting around the fire.
Of course, Kenji liked it whenever Uncle Saitou and Aunt Tokio came to visit because they always brought their children with them. They had both spent the first ten years of their marriage thinking the other was dead, but Grandfather had fixed that, and even though they got a late start, Saitou and Tokio had four children. Two girls, Kuumi and Quii, and twin sons, Ruakii and Tokken.
At 20, Kuumi was almost four years older than Kenji, who was getting ready to turn 17 soon, but Quii, who was only 15, was his junior by two years, and her brothers by five since they had just turned twelve.
The reason Kenji enjoyed the Saitoh family so much, besides the bantering between his Uncle and Grandfather, was because he was trying to decide who he was more attracted to. The quiet dark-haired, blue eyed Kuumi, OR the free-spirited Quii, with her wild tangle of chestnut hair, and her Father's gleaming yellow wolf's eyes.
CRAAACK!
Suddenly a big clod of hard packed dirt came flying out of nowhere and struck Kenji square in the side of the head and sent him stumbling several feet. After he regained his balance, he turned and sent an ice-cold glare in Hiko's direction and found the older man standing nonchalantly with his arms folded across his chest. "What was that for?" He asked in his usual even tone, even though there was the tiniest of feeling of angry fury burning in his chest.
"I've been calling your name for five minutes, Chibi-chan, and when that didn't get your attention, I decided to take more drastic measures." A wicked smile crossed Hiko's face as well as a look of pure satisfaction. "It seems to have worked."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, I have your undivided attention NOW don't I." An elegant black eyebrow arched sardonically as the youth's features fell in defeat. "I thought so. No pull your head out of the clouds and whoever's kimono your were invading and concentrate. We have a lot of work to do."
'Kuso!' Kenji swore to himself. 'How does the old geezer do it? How did he know I was thinking about the girls?' He sighed in frustration, and then found himself ducking and dodging the lightening fast attack of 'the old geezer' as his katana sliced through the air towards the vulnerability of his neck. As Kenji pulled his sword from its sheath with an incredible amount of speed, his smaller lithe frame twisted out of the way of Hiko's descending katana, and he parried the vicious attack just in time, and the sound of steel clashing on steel rang out above the din of the waterfalls.
Just as swiftly, Hiko rolled out of the way and then countered Kenji's parry with a powerful upper cut meant to disembowel an enemy, but the boy was gone and Hiko's sword flowed through nothing but air and the power of the thrust carried the katana high over his head. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of vivid red coming towards him from his left, and very low to the ground. He struggled to maintain the swinging power of his blade and have it bring him in a full circle that would cut the boy off, but the angle was all wrong, and suddenly Hiko felt a knot of cold fear pulling at his vitals. He could not protect himself... he could not parry... there was not time to move... if this were a real battle, he would be drawing his last breaths... he would be dead. A flashing glint of silver passed lightening quick before his startled eyes, and then the tie that held the great white cloak across his shoulders was severed and the cloak floated lazily to the ground and settled around his feet.
Hiko was frozen where he stood. For him, time was standing still, he had ceased to breath, and his heart stood still within his great chest. He had been beaten, again. But, somehow this time was even more significant than the last. This time he had not been prepared for that possible outcome of defeat. This time he had meant to teach the boy a lesson about concentration and preparedness, and instead, he found himself on the learning end of this engagement. But what had he learned? What was the significance of this loss to a boy of only sixteen years? What did it mean? Did it mean he had finally reached the age of worthlessness as a Warrior? Did it mean he was no longer useful as anything except a teacher, as a sensei? Was his sword otherwise useless? Fear of being seen as old and weak congealed in Hiko's heart as the miriad of questions raged through his stunned mind. What had he done wrong? How had the Kodora beaten him so easily? Frantically he searched for an answer of some kind as he replayed the duel over and over in his head, but he could find nothing wrong with either of his technique choices, and he had maintained God-like speed throughout... It was as that point that Hiko realized he was not at fault, the boy was simply faster... He had been faster than God-like speed for a period of time longer than the time needed to perform the Amakakaru Ryu no Hirameki... longer than anyone had ever been able to maintain it before. The hand of time clicked and the world moved, Hiko's arms dropped limply to his sides and he bowed his head in defeat and confusion.
"How?" He whispered almost to himself. "How can it be?"
"Sofu??" The small worried voice reached out and touched Hiko's soul as only Kenji could, and he looked up into the wide diamond clear eyes. "Ashikarazu Ojiisan... I did not mean to ruin your Master's cloak, truly I did not, but my angle was such that if I had not pulled back when I did, I would have..." Hiko watched a look of horror and dismay cover his beloved grandson's beautiful face as his quiet voice trailed off into silence unable to finish what he had been trying to say.
"You would have cut my head off, my beloved Kodora. If we had been involved in a true duel for our lives, you would have killed me in an honorable fight. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Hiko reached out and put a strong reassuring hand on the trembling boys shoulder. "I am proud of you, Kenji. Just as I have been proud of your Father." The boy smothered a sob and buryied his face in Hiko's chest.
"Aishiteru, Kenji... You are gifted beyond all mine or your Father's expectations. I believe you are meant for great things, Kodora."
"Great thing?" Was the muffled response as Kenji pressed closer to his grandfather.
"Yes, after all, you are the son of The White Warrior, Kenji. I have seen the manifestation of your Father's spirit-ki, The Mighty Oodora, and your mother is the most courageous and strong willed woman I have ever known, and you are made up of pieces of both of them. You have surpassed God-like speed before being tested by the Kuzuryusen, and I can only surmise that makes you more than capable of the Amakakaru Ryu no Hirameki."
"But Sofu, I have not mastered the Ryu Tsui Sen, how can I have surpassed God-like speed?"
A deep rumble of laughter rolled around in Hiko's large chest and Kenji pulled back rubbing his nose where the vibration had tickled it. "Because you are special, Himura Kenji, and the Gods have brought you here for a specific reason. All we have to do is prepare you for it; although, it would appear you already have the skills you need. We just have to find your confindence and resolve."
"Sofu?"
"Nani, Kodora?"
"Are you telling me I was born with a 'purpose' already set before me? Because if you are... well, I do not think I want to know what it is. I do not want to have a 'purpose'. I just want to live my life in peace like Otousan. Why can't I do that?"
"You want to live in peace like your FATHER??" Hiko pushed the boy away from him until he could look directly into his stoic little face. "Do you really believe your Father has always lived in peace like he has during your lifetime? Is that what you believe?"
"Well... yes, I suppose I do. Isn't that true?"
"No, Kenji-san, it is not true." Hiko pulled the boy behind him until he reached the old fallen log they aways sat on when they came to the water fall. "Sit here beside me, boy, and tell me what you know about your Father's life before you were born."
"Before I was born?" Hiko nodded, and Kenji looked confused and worried as he struggled to understand what was being asked of him. "Okaasan told me he fought in the Bakumastu... that is where he got the scar on his face, and she said that he lived alone for a long time before they met and fell in love. But neither of them have ever told me anything about bad times other than the Revolution."
"But they told you about the night in the Palace... Yes?"
"I guess... sort of. I mean, they told me that there was a great battle and that you, Uncle Aoshi, Uncle Saitou, Soujro, and Yahiko were all there. And that Okaasan and Kuumi were there as well, and a very evil woman was trying to kill them and Otousan. They have always said that the battle was like something out of a nightmare, but neither of them ever went into detail about it. Father said it happened before I was born, so there was no need for me to know anything about it... he did not want me exposed to it, he said. I know that both Otousan and Okaasan nearly died before it was over, and that everything that happened because of it, is what 'made' our family what it is now, but that is all I know."
Hiko sat listening to Kenji explaining the bland empty details that Kenshin and Kaoru had shared with him concerning the most monumental night of their lives... and his for that matter, and he felt a surge of paternal outrage against their decision to shelter their son from the 'real' facts. 'Idiots!' He snarled to himself as he toyed with the idea of telling the boy himself. He knew, of course, that he could not do that. He had promised himself the day he had finally held Kenshin in his arms and claimed him as his Aisoku that he would never interfer with his decisions... unless he had to, and he had not. Not in nearly 17 years.
"Sofu? Is there more that I should know? Are there things they have not told me?" Kenji's face reflected the worry and deep concern that colored his young voice. "Why did you want to know what I knew about Otousan anyway?"
"Oh Kenji-san. Sometimes parents make decisions concerning the things they think their children should know and the things they should not, and for better or worse, they do it out of love and the hope that it is the best thing. However, sometimes it turns out that some of those decisions are not only poor ones, but they are completely wrong."
"Are you saying Otousan and Okaasan are keeping things from me about the past? Things I should know?"
"Perhaps, but it is not for me to say. I am not in a position to judge what your parents choose to tell you and what they choose not too... especially your Father." Hiko's dark emerald eyes grew misty and took on a faraway look that Kenji did not understand.
"Sofu?"
"Nani, Kenji-san?"
"Why did you say it like that?"
"Say what?"
"You are not in a position to judge my parents, especially Otousan? Why did you say it like that?"
"Kenji, it is not always a good thing to go digging around in the past, my boy. Sometimes there are things back there that are better left buried in their graves where they belong. Often all the past holds is painful memories that can offer the owner no comfort, so they are best left forgotten... do you understand, Kodora?"
"Yes, I think so. Are you saying that you and Otousan were not always close to each other like you are now?"
"No, we were not."
"Did you disagree a lot?"
"Some, but that was not exactly the problem between us."
"What was?"
"Kenji, I cannot tell you these things without breaking with the decisions your Father has made in not telling you about his past. In good concience, I cannot speak of them... I truly cannot."
"But... why not? You do not have to tell me everything. Just tell me why the two of you did not agree all the time. What kind of things did you disagree about and why?" He shook his head in bewilderment sending his long red hair dancing around his shoulders. "I just cannot see the two of you argueing and being angry with each other over anything. That I cannot."
Hiko tried to supress the smile that flashed across his face, but failed. It did not happen very often, but every once in a while Kenji would pop out with one of Kenshin's trade mark catch all phrases, and when he did, he sounded so much like the other man that Hiko would have to take a double look to make certain whom he was talking to. He shook his head in paternal amusement. The love he felt for this amazing boy was often so overwhelming to him, he almost felt smothered, but he would not trade the feeling for anything else. Just as he was not willing to back away for the feelings he now shared with his beloved son, Kenshin. Hiko would never give up on those feelings, or waste them again. Every moment he spent with Kenshin he treasured in his heart like a rare jewel.
"I realize it is difficult for you to understand, Kodora, but it is all quite true. There was a time when your Father and I went many years without speaking or even seeing one another, and I... I did not want to see him."
"YOU DID NOT WANT TO SEE HIM?" Shocked aqua-blue eyes stared into Hiko's face as the pain of that statement settled into the boys mind. "Why not? What happened that you felt that way? He was your son? You were his Father? Fathers and sons are supposed to love each other... what happened, Sofu? What happened? Did you hate him?"
"Yes, Kodora... I hated him." A great heaving sigh lifted the broad shoulders as Hiko once more stared off into space while his mind remember things that had happened almost 40 years ago. "Things happened... bad things... when he left to join the Bakumastu, he was only 14... did you know that?"
"No..."
"Well, it is true. He was still so much a child, yet he was the most gifted swordsman I had seen in years. When I started training him he was only seven years old, but he took to the sword like his hands and heart had been made for it. He was extraordinary... and very deadly with his skill. Kenshin learned everything quickly and very well, much the same as you do now. When he left, his training was incomplete, and even though he knew this, he left anyway... despite my forbidding him to go until he completed. He refused to listen to me and joined with the Ishin Shishi. I never forgave him for that, nor for what he did with the Hiten Mitsurugi that I had taught him."
"What do you mean by 'what he did with it?'? What did he do with it? All of the Samurai who fought in the Bakumastu used whatever technique they had been taught by their Masters, so why should Otousan been any different?"
"I cannot tell you that, Kodora. I can only say that he used his training for something other than fighting, and my father's heart hated him for it while my Master's heart wept at the blasphemy he was comitting."
"I am so confused, Sofu. You are making Otousan sound like a criminal or a murderer or worse. Why are you doing that? Otousan is the kindest and most honorable man I have ever know, and you have told me that as well. All of our friends and family come to him for advice and council because of his wisdom and fortitude. How can you say these things about him? How?"
"Because he was not always kind, honorable, or wise Kenji. Your father was not always Himura Kenshin."
"What do you mean not 'Himura Kenshin'? If he was not himself, then who was he? You are not making sense, Sofu, and I cannot believe he was ever as bad of a man as you are making him out to be. That I cannot."
Hiko sighed and made a decision. "Kenji-san," He waited until the youth turned and faced him. "I want to know what you know about the Bakumatsu and the Meiji. What do you know about how the Meiji came into being?"
"The Meiji?"
"Yes, the Meiji. You were born into the Meiji. It was a time of peace that was brought about because of the Bakumatsu, and other certain key events, but it did not last for very many years before the Government evolved into what we have now. I want to know what you have learned about the history of your own country, Kenji. Tell me what you know."
"Almost everything I know about the histories, I learned from Uncle Aoshi."
"Well, He should know. He was there right along with the rest of us. Tell me what he has taught you."
Over the next couple of hours the two of them sat on the old dried out log and discussed the recent history of Japan and how the Meiji Era came into being. Kenji told Hiko about the Europeans coming and opening up the trade which eventually led to the downfall of the Daimyos and the Samurai and then the whole economic system of the Country. It had taken Japan nearly ten years to recover from that economic disaster, but it had survived and found other ways to make revenue and support its peoples, but the way of the Daimyo's and the Samurai was fadding away and would soon be completely forgotten. They spoke of the people most responsible for the downfall of the Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji, and they discussed the influence of the Shinsengumi and the Onniwabanshu on the development of law and a judicial system. It seemed to Kenji, that the more they talked, the more he began to realize just how many of the people he was close to and called his 'family' were directly involved in the formation of the country of Japan as he knew it to be.
Uncle Saitou was the former leader of the 4th squad of the Shinsengumi, better known as the Wolf of Mibu because of his razor sharp precision and fierce killing style with his katana. He had then moved on to become a spy for the Government's Internal Affairs Office, posing as a Chief of Police in Kyoto.
Then there were Uncle Aoshi, Auntie Misao, and the entire Aoiya. They were THE Onniwabanshu. They were the Black-Webb of information and assassians. Uncle Aoshi had been the Obashira at one time, and Auntie Misao was supposedly one of the best Ninja there had ever been.
But his mouth had nearly fallen off his amazed face when he learned WHO the historical 'Tenken' was. Kenji had always been facinated by the stories about the Tenken because of his faster that God-like speed called the 'shicuchi'. No one had ever seen it before, nor had it been recorded sence. 'The Sword of Heaven' had been one of the most notorious assassians of the Meiji Era because of his ability to chase down a moving carriage, a galloping horse, or disappear into thin air as well as his ability to kill without regret or remorse. History said he had the face of an Angel and the soul of a Devil, but it never gave his real name.
Seta Soujiro. The Sword of Heaven.
Kenji still could not believe it. His own brother... the second most kindhearted, honorable, and wise man he knew. Soujiro was so much like their father that sometimes it was frightening. It would seem the two of them shared a bond that went far beyond Father-Son love and bordered on the supernatural, but their personalities were nearly identical as well. It was as if they has somehow shared the same life and the same life experiences, but Kenji knew that was impossible. Especially now that he knew Soujiro's secret.
Soujiro was an ex-assassian, their Father could not have been anything like that. But he could not figure out how their father fit into all of this, and he was sure his grandfather was trying to make a point. What it was, Kenji was not sure. He had ideas, but he was not willing to think about them.
"Sofu, I can hardly believe that all of this is true. Soujiro... my own brother, the 'Tenken'? I cannot believe it. How can he have been such a monster and now be the way he is? I do not understand. Truly I do not. It is not possible to change one's soul that drastically is it? I mean, that is like changing from a devil into an angel. How can he be the same person who committed all those horrible murderers?"
"How indeed, Kodora? How does a man despise his own son for more than ten years? How does he deny the son of his heart the Father's love that so rightly belongs to him because of arrogance and pride? How does a man made of stone and steel learn how to cast aside his pride and find the humility to cry and ask forgiveness with a heart he never knew he had? How does a man who never wanted or needed a family finally learn that a family is the one thing in his life that he needed the most, and then reach out with frightened arms praying to be accepted by those he has shunned for so long? How does he learn to hold an Akachan when he has hardly even seen one before? And how does he learn to accept all of the changes that have occurred within his heart and soul because he finally learned how to show those most precious to his heart that he loves them and how to accept their love for him?" Dark emerald-yellow eyes gazed with loving emotion into the beautiful face of the red-haired boy before them, and a tear slid down the craggy face. "How does he accept such a dramatic change within himself when the person everyone knew before him was nothing more than a cold, cruel, heartless bastard whose main goal in life was to serve himself? How indeed, Saiai-Kenji?" A large brown hand reached out and cupped the soft white cheek. "He does the best he can and he hopes that those who love him will be understanding if he stumbles and makes a few mistakes along the way. It is the power of Love that changes the weave of a soul, my beautiful boy. When you love someone and they truly love you in return, anything is possible. Even changing the weave of a soul from Devil to Angel. Do you understand now, Kodora?"
Misty aqua-blue eyes locked with Hiko's yellowish-green, and Kenji nodded in affirmation then looked down at his hands where they lay clasped loosely in his lap. "Sofu? What part did Otousan play in the Revolution? Who was he?" The simple questions were spoken in a simple small voice, and Hiko found himself looking down at Kenji's hands too.
"Why do you think your Father had a part to play in the Revolution, Kenji-san?"
"Because everyone else we know and love did... He must have... he is the axis upon which this family turns... he is the center of everything, so I know he must have once been a very important man. Was he?" He continued to look at his hands not wanting to see his grandfather's expression.
"Yes, Kenji-san. Your Father was a very important man during the Bakumatsu."
"Did he have anything to do with the Government?"
"Yes, in a way, I suppose he did. He worked for them, in a manner of speaking."
"Was he very valuable to them? I mean, did they look up to him?"
"Yes, both of those things. Even after the Bakumatsu was over, the Government Leaders tried to get him to come back and take a position of Leadership within the governing body, but he refused."
"Why?"
"Because he wanted to live in peace. He was finished with the War, and wanted no further part of it, so he turned them down... over and over and over again."
"Was he a spy?"
"No, Kenji-san. Your Father was not a spy."
"Was he an officer in the Ishin Shishi?"
"No. He did not usually have much to do with the Military except the occassional joint mission here and there."
"Then that means he could be only one other thing if he was working for the Government, and he was as important as you say."
"Oh, and what do you think that is, Kodora?"
"A Hitokiri." Silence followed Kenji's summation, and the boy finally raised his head and locked eyes with his pale-faced grandfather. The answer to all of his questions was plainly written in the horrified depths of Hiko's eyes, and he could do nothing to hide them. "That is what I thought." A shuddering sigh escaped from Kenji's slender form as he stood up and walked several feet away. "He killed people for the Governement..."
"Yes..." Hiko's voice sounded like the raspy whisper of a long-dead ghost. "Kenji... Kodora...
"It is all right, Sofu. I am not as upset as you thought I thought I would be." He flexed his shoulders trying to relieve some of the stress he felt, and then turned around to face the distraught older man. "I kept telling myself that only Soukiro was an assassin, and that Otousan could not possibly have been anything like that, but they are so much alike. Their personalities, their views on life and Honor, their beliefs about good and evil. It is almost like they are the same person sometimes." Kenji paused and looked down at the ground in thoughtful silence for a moment. "He was not just any Hitokiri, was he?"
"What do you mean, Kenji.... Not just any Hitokiri?"
"I remember hearing some stories at a couple of the Dojo's that Uncle Aoshi and I have gone to once in a while when I go visit him."
"What stories?" Hiko felt as though someone were pouring icewater down the length of his spine. 'Oh Dear God,' He agonized in his soul. 'What have you heard, Kodora? What have you heard?'
"Stories about the 'Manslayer'."
"The Manslayer...?"
"Yes, he was supposedly the most feared Samurai during the Bakumatsu. I heard men saying that just the mention of his name could cause a panic in the streets because he was supposed to be the spirit of a demon or something like that."
"Really... what else did you hear?"
"He had hair like the fires of Hell... and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek... "
"And what does that mean to you?"
Kenji was silent for several long moments as he contemplated the unspeakable thing he was thinking about his beloved Otousan, but after setting with Sofu and talking about everything he knew about the Bakumatsu and the Meiji, and discovering 'who' everyone was, he knew what he was thinking had to be true. His beautiful, smiling, gentle Otousan was....
"Otousan is the Battousai... or, rather, he WAS the Battousai. Otousan was the legendary Manslayer of the Bakumatsu who murdered over 400 men in the name of bringing peace to Japan."
"Not quite 400, Kenji. He did not kill more than 380 men... I kept count." Kenji's head snapped up in shock when he heard Hiko say those quiet yet chilling words.
"You kept count of the men he killed? Why?"
"I do not know. It was something I could not stop myself from doing. It almost felt as if I were compelled to do it, and with every man that fell beneath his katana, I died a little more. I hated him for doing that to me... to himself. Those 3 years were the worst of my entire life. They were worse than the 10 years he disappeared on his wanderings when i did not know if he were dead or alive. By then, I had convinced myself I did not care IF he were dead or alive. I know now that had I found him to be dead, it would have utterly destroyed me. I might never have recovered from losing him like that if it had happened."
"How can you say that? If you hated him so much that you did not care if he were alive or dead, how do you know you would have grieved so badly had you found him dead?"
"Because I watched him die right before my eyes, and I died with him... and I knew I never would recover from it because I had wasted our entire lives without once telling him that I did truly love him."
"He... he died??"
"I thought he did... and Yahiko-san too. There was a terrible cave-in inside a tunnel under the city, and Yahiko-san was caught in it. He was barely 13 then, and Kenshin, Myself, Aoshi, Soujiro, and Saitou had just spent the better part of eight or nine hours trying to find the kid when it happened. I did not know what it meant to be a father who loved his son enough to brave hell and his own death to try and save him from dieing, until I watched Kenshin walk into that crumbling death-trap to save Yahiko-san."
"He... he did that?"
"Yes, he did that, and half the tunned callapsed on top of him and your brother burying them beneath at least a ton of dirt and old mortar. When the dust settled, the only thing the rest of us could see was the mountain of dirt where they were supposed to be. Soujiro was very newly bonded to your Father, and he was as devistated as I was. Niether of us knew what to do or what to say. Kenshin and Yahiko-san were gone.... and we had never told them how much we loved them.... I had never told Kenshin how much 'I' loved him, or how proud I was of the way he had taken his life back, and of the man he had grown into. Despite all of our animosities, I had to admit that he had become one of the most honorable men I had ever known, and I was proud to call him my son... but I never got to tell him that because I was too damned proud to bend my arrogant will and let him see inside my heart. I have never regretted anything more in my life than I did that day when I thought about the things I had never said to my son, and all of the time I had wasted just being too stubborn to talk to him."
"I-I can't believe it. THAT is what brought you and Otousan together?"
"Yes... that, and your Mother. Kaoru-san is one of the... most irritatingly insightful woman I ever knew, and there were times I wanted to wring her neck for some of the things she said to me."
"Why?" Kenji looked horrified by Hiko's less than friendly statement about his sweet Okaasan.
"Because she had a bad habit of being right about things... especially things hidden deep inside my soul that I did not want to admit were there. She was an insufferable nuisance, but if not for her, there would be so many things in my life that I would have missed out on. You for one."
"Me? Why Me?"
"Because without her around to take your father's mind off his self-imposed life-sentance of guilt and repentance, you might never have been born."
"What do you mean, 'self-imposed life-sentance'?
"Your father was just about the most morose, depressing excuse for a man that ever crawled the face of the earth until he laid eyes on your mother. After that, he got interesting." The suggestive tone of his voice and the knowing gleam in his eyes made Kenji blush and turn away. "Well, it is the truth, brat. Your mother made him discover that it was much better to live in the world of the living that dwell in the world of the dead with those whose blood he carried on his hands."
"They are not the people I have grown up believing they were. I almost feel as though we are talking about strangers instead of my Otousan and Okaasan."
"Then it is time you learned that people are rarely who we believe them to be. You must never judge a person by what they choose to show you or tell you about themselves whether it be the truth or only a part of the truth. We are all hiding things about ourselves... even you."
Kenji's head snapped up and his startled gaze locked with the knowling look of his grandfather's dark emerald eyes. "You think I am hiding things from you, Sofu?"
"Of course, Kodora. But the difference between you and your parents is this, you have not lived long enough to have anything very interesting to hide, so I am not worried about your little secrets."
"I have not done anything for you to be ashamed of me for, Sofu."
"I know that, Kodora."
"How could you know that?"
"Because you have to honorable of a soul to bring shame upon yourself or upon your family. You are your Father's son."
"But you have just told what a dishonorable son Otousan was, so how can you say THAT?"
"Because, he has raised you to avoid his mistakes. He has raised you to be the young man you are now by instilling within you the beliefs he learned through the terrible mistakes he committed while growing up. He is trying to make you a better man than himself, and that is possibly why he has never told you the entire truth about himself and his days as the Battousai."
"I think maybe I understand now." Kenji walked back to the log and sat down again. "It was all of those terrible things he and Soujiro did all those years ago that has made them the kind of men they are now. Is that right?"
"Yes."
"They had to go through many horrible experiences before they were able to evolve and grow into the men of peace and honor that I know."
"That is right, Kodora. Learning from our mistakes is one of the most important things a man can do in order to become a better man."
"But I do not want to make the same kind of mistakes that Otousan and Soujiro made in order to become an honorable man. I do not want to be a muderer, Sofu."
"You do not have to be a murderer, Kodora. Your Father has raised you with the benefit of HIS experiences so you do not have to go through them for yourself. That is why it is so important for you to listen to everything he tells you and tries to teach you about life and the choices it presents you with. Your Father, above all, understands about the choices one makes in life and the consequences they can lead to."
"Soujiro as well?"
"Yes, Soujiro as well. Both of them have much to teach if you are willing to listen and learn."
"I will, Sofu. I will listen, and I will learn. If I am meant for some predetermined purpose in this life, then I am going to need all of the knowledge and advice I can get."
"That is true, my Saiai-Kodora. It would seem you are learning to listen already." Hiko reached out and playfully ruffled the shaggy silken mop of flaming hair on Kenji's head, and then thumped the youth on the back. "Come on, you lazy brat. You have wasted enough of your time this afternoon... and mine. We have work to do." He watched as a glorious smile spread across the boys face, and then he was leaping up off the log with his never ending supply of teenage energy and running back out to the practice field. Hiko chuckled to himself.
"God, I love that damn kid." And he pushed himself to his feet and ambled lazily out to face the energetic boy. "All right," He called loudly. "Get on with it. We have a lot of work to do."
"HHHHYYYYYYIIIAAAA!" Himura Kenji lunged forward from his battou jutsu stance and disappeared.
"Here we go again." Hiko muttered, as he sprang fluidly into the air pulling his katana from its sheath. "God help me." And the resounding clash of steel on steel rang piercingly through the trees again and again and again.
PLEASE REVIEW... THIS WAS A DIFFICULT
CHAPTER TO WRITE. WHEW!!