DISCLAIMER: All copyrighted characters belong to their respective
owners. No money is being made out of this fanwork. Please do not
distribute without permission.
WARNING: Spoilers! If you don't know who Kenji is, please read at your own risk!
WITH DUE CREDIT: This fic was loosely spun off from two fics - "Over the Sting" by sasori and "Chronicles of a Rurouni", one of my earlier fics.
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Yesterday's Shadow is Tomorrow's Twilight
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Chapter 37: Plodding
It was the workshop, not the residence, that Hiko eventually led them to. The workshop was a little house just like the abode, except that it was situated directly beside the huge furnace, which burned with a slow but terrifying heat. Soujirou and Enishi could not help but find their gazes fixed upon the fire as they marched quietly behind Hiko, each wondering what use anyone could have for such a large burning pit.
"Stop gaping," Hiko's casual, smug voice recalled them both to attention. He stood in front of the opened doorway of the workshop and gestured for them to step in. "Come in before I throw you in that furnace, seeing how you seem so fascinated by it."
"Please don't joke with us, Hiko-san," Soujirou politely replied, a twitch of agony on his face showing that he /knew/ Hiko was likely /not/ joking. The old master had meant every word he had said.
Hiko shrugged in reply. He then disappeared into the dark shadows of the hut.
The two wanderers quickly followed, not wishing to test the man's threats of a fiery death. Once inside, Soujirou set Kenji down on a pile of rug, putting a hand over his forehead to see if he was running a fever. He then proceeded to examine the rest of wounds, relieved that none were individually threatening. As he was doing that, Enishi examined the room, taking in as much detail as he could. Just like the little hut they had already been in, this one was lined from floor to ceiling with various articles of pottery and art. There were no windows, but there was a back door that was firmly shut at the moment - much to Enishi's surprise. Hiko had never been a big fan of security.
"I must say, though," Hiko drawled lazily, while pouring out a helpful supply of sake for himself, "that I thought both of you knew the better than to implicate a mere boy in this business of yours," he eyed Enishi warily, causing the man to stiffen. "Care to explain?"
Soujirou had words on his mouth, but he reined them in when he sensed that, for some reason, Hiko was seeking an answer from Enishi instead. Enishi, on his part, was frowning in deep concentration. Soujirou could tell that his partner was trying to watch his words, and although he was half amused, he also understood the situation. If you got caught in a verbal sparring match against the master of the Hiten, all you could probably do was to sit and be lectured. The Hiten's psychological training must be something truly formidable for it to produce students like Hiko and Kenshin.
Eventually, Enishi settled for the brief, summarised truth. "He followed us himself. Didn't point a gun at him asking him to come along," the voice was gruff and unhappy. It only made Hiko's smirk grow wider.
"With both of your intelligence combined," the old master started, "I don't believe there wasn't a single method you couldn't have employed to shake the boy off your tracks cleanly." He saw the duo flinch and cocked his head slightly to a side. "So speak the truth up. Why, against good judgment, did you choose to keep the boy? Did you have something to prove? Was it for old times sake? Or wasn't it that you both saw," Hiko frowned and leant forward, "a glimpse of his father's spirit in him?"
Enishi protested, after a split second delay, "What the hell was that supposed to mean?" He would have risen to full height in his furor if Soujirou hadn't firmly put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stay on the ground.
The younger wanderer was not smiling, but instead pensive. He stared at the floorboards and shook his head. "He has a point, Yukishiro-san," was the mumble of explanation. Still, it calmed the raging tiger down somewhat. Enishi then looked away, and Soujirou tipped his head in a bow of recognition. "I suppose, Hiko-san, that you have hit the nail on the right spot."
"Don't I always?" Hiko commented dryly, and Enishi suddenly felt a rising urge to destroy something. Anything! Soujirou, on the other hand, simply looked up from his bow with a plastered smile.
"I think we were looking for Himura-san in him," Soujirou was saying, calmly, slowly, quietly. "I think we tried to see if we could find the man who changed our lives in his progeny. And I think..." his words trailed in the pause. "... that we went, a little too far."
"It felt good, didn't it?" Hiko continued from where Soujirou left off, without a twitch in muscle. "It felt good knowing you could control a little boy - the boy who would grow to be like his parent. The man who once used to dominate your lives now become dominated by you." Hiko chuckled while sipping some sake. "You wanted to bask in the irony, didn't you? Both of you."
Enishi did not respond, although he looked like he was going to. Instead he stole a glance at Soujirou, whose smile had returned and was beginning to radiate strange vibes. Recognising that expression, he shrank back into conversational darkness, knowing, that he did not have to wait long for the next spoken word.
"Hiko-san," Soujirou's voice was polite, but slightly restrained. "We were looking for Himura-san... in his child," he slowly expounded, carefully pronouncing his words, "but we were not looking," he paused slightly, "... for Himura-san, himself."
There was silence.
"I knew, the moment I saw him," the wanderer continued, still smiling, "that he was the son of Himura Kenshin. Immediately, there were so many things I wanted to ask him. So many things I wanted to know. I thought he had answers to the questions I had. I thought he would take off from where his father left off. But it wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be fair to the boy, who was trying so hard to find his own identity. I could see in his eyes, that he was so confused," the smile slipped, and Soujirou opened his eyes full to behold Hiko. "There was so much pain - so much dissent. Then I knew. I had to know, that this is Himura Kenji. He is not the Himura-san I used to know.
"If we had not let him come along, Hiko-san, we would never have known him as anything else - other than that he was Himura Kenshin's son." He smiled. "Of course, he has answers for my questions, without a doubt. But they are answers that he will give me as himself, and not as his father's son. That is what I have found out - that is what it will continue to be."
Again, there was silence.
"I see," Hiko closed his eyes and finished the rest of the sake in his cup. "That is good to know, because I would have accepted no other answer," he said, much to the surprise of the duo seated before him.
"What do you mean?" Enishi found himself asking without really thinking about it.
Hiko stood and eyed the duo carefully. "Do you think the boy is blind? He may be as stupid as my baka deshi, but he's not an unfeeling block of stone. He can feel, whether he realises it or not, what the both of you really see in him, what you really wanted him to become." He frowned at the unconscious figure of Kenji, still lying peacefully on the ground. "He knew you did not trust him. He could tell he was just an accessory. I don't know if he knew who you were, but if he does then it must have been painful when he knew he was nothing more than an ego boost." He walked towards the back door and shook his head, while pushing it open. "He's as stubborn as my baka deshi was. He sets his sight on something, he bulldozes his way to the finish. And his goal this time," the man halted in the middle of stepping out of the back door, "was to be of some real help to the both of you."
"He'll be of real help to me if he doesn't ever cook for me again," Enishi agreed with a nod. Soujirou elbowed him painfully in the ribs. He quickly retrieved his hand after shooting Enishi a warning glance, then reclined and bowed deeply while still knelt. "Thank you for your advice, Hiko-san. Rest assured that it will remain deep in our hearts as always."
Hiko actually smiled. He lifted his cup to his lips and tilted his head back to down the drink. After giving a sigh of satisfaction, he rose to his feet. "Follow me." He instructed plainly, then strode out via the back door. Soujirou and Enishi glanced briefly at each other, then followed him out.
After the door clicked shut, a peaceful silence began to creep over the room.
Kenji rolled to his side and opened his eyes. He stared at the floorboards for a long time, an unreadable expression painted across his features.
... to be continued
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28/10/04
tougenkyou . net / xd
a/n
hi, and sorry for the short chapter. i just needed to get this out of my system first. then we can go on to fry bigger fish! oh yeah!!
thank you all for your patience between updates. -bows-
WARNING: Spoilers! If you don't know who Kenji is, please read at your own risk!
WITH DUE CREDIT: This fic was loosely spun off from two fics - "Over the Sting" by sasori and "Chronicles of a Rurouni", one of my earlier fics.
------------------------------------------
Yesterday's Shadow is Tomorrow's Twilight
------------------------------------------
Chapter 37: Plodding
It was the workshop, not the residence, that Hiko eventually led them to. The workshop was a little house just like the abode, except that it was situated directly beside the huge furnace, which burned with a slow but terrifying heat. Soujirou and Enishi could not help but find their gazes fixed upon the fire as they marched quietly behind Hiko, each wondering what use anyone could have for such a large burning pit.
"Stop gaping," Hiko's casual, smug voice recalled them both to attention. He stood in front of the opened doorway of the workshop and gestured for them to step in. "Come in before I throw you in that furnace, seeing how you seem so fascinated by it."
"Please don't joke with us, Hiko-san," Soujirou politely replied, a twitch of agony on his face showing that he /knew/ Hiko was likely /not/ joking. The old master had meant every word he had said.
Hiko shrugged in reply. He then disappeared into the dark shadows of the hut.
The two wanderers quickly followed, not wishing to test the man's threats of a fiery death. Once inside, Soujirou set Kenji down on a pile of rug, putting a hand over his forehead to see if he was running a fever. He then proceeded to examine the rest of wounds, relieved that none were individually threatening. As he was doing that, Enishi examined the room, taking in as much detail as he could. Just like the little hut they had already been in, this one was lined from floor to ceiling with various articles of pottery and art. There were no windows, but there was a back door that was firmly shut at the moment - much to Enishi's surprise. Hiko had never been a big fan of security.
"I must say, though," Hiko drawled lazily, while pouring out a helpful supply of sake for himself, "that I thought both of you knew the better than to implicate a mere boy in this business of yours," he eyed Enishi warily, causing the man to stiffen. "Care to explain?"
Soujirou had words on his mouth, but he reined them in when he sensed that, for some reason, Hiko was seeking an answer from Enishi instead. Enishi, on his part, was frowning in deep concentration. Soujirou could tell that his partner was trying to watch his words, and although he was half amused, he also understood the situation. If you got caught in a verbal sparring match against the master of the Hiten, all you could probably do was to sit and be lectured. The Hiten's psychological training must be something truly formidable for it to produce students like Hiko and Kenshin.
Eventually, Enishi settled for the brief, summarised truth. "He followed us himself. Didn't point a gun at him asking him to come along," the voice was gruff and unhappy. It only made Hiko's smirk grow wider.
"With both of your intelligence combined," the old master started, "I don't believe there wasn't a single method you couldn't have employed to shake the boy off your tracks cleanly." He saw the duo flinch and cocked his head slightly to a side. "So speak the truth up. Why, against good judgment, did you choose to keep the boy? Did you have something to prove? Was it for old times sake? Or wasn't it that you both saw," Hiko frowned and leant forward, "a glimpse of his father's spirit in him?"
Enishi protested, after a split second delay, "What the hell was that supposed to mean?" He would have risen to full height in his furor if Soujirou hadn't firmly put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stay on the ground.
The younger wanderer was not smiling, but instead pensive. He stared at the floorboards and shook his head. "He has a point, Yukishiro-san," was the mumble of explanation. Still, it calmed the raging tiger down somewhat. Enishi then looked away, and Soujirou tipped his head in a bow of recognition. "I suppose, Hiko-san, that you have hit the nail on the right spot."
"Don't I always?" Hiko commented dryly, and Enishi suddenly felt a rising urge to destroy something. Anything! Soujirou, on the other hand, simply looked up from his bow with a plastered smile.
"I think we were looking for Himura-san in him," Soujirou was saying, calmly, slowly, quietly. "I think we tried to see if we could find the man who changed our lives in his progeny. And I think..." his words trailed in the pause. "... that we went, a little too far."
"It felt good, didn't it?" Hiko continued from where Soujirou left off, without a twitch in muscle. "It felt good knowing you could control a little boy - the boy who would grow to be like his parent. The man who once used to dominate your lives now become dominated by you." Hiko chuckled while sipping some sake. "You wanted to bask in the irony, didn't you? Both of you."
Enishi did not respond, although he looked like he was going to. Instead he stole a glance at Soujirou, whose smile had returned and was beginning to radiate strange vibes. Recognising that expression, he shrank back into conversational darkness, knowing, that he did not have to wait long for the next spoken word.
"Hiko-san," Soujirou's voice was polite, but slightly restrained. "We were looking for Himura-san... in his child," he slowly expounded, carefully pronouncing his words, "but we were not looking," he paused slightly, "... for Himura-san, himself."
There was silence.
"I knew, the moment I saw him," the wanderer continued, still smiling, "that he was the son of Himura Kenshin. Immediately, there were so many things I wanted to ask him. So many things I wanted to know. I thought he had answers to the questions I had. I thought he would take off from where his father left off. But it wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be fair to the boy, who was trying so hard to find his own identity. I could see in his eyes, that he was so confused," the smile slipped, and Soujirou opened his eyes full to behold Hiko. "There was so much pain - so much dissent. Then I knew. I had to know, that this is Himura Kenji. He is not the Himura-san I used to know.
"If we had not let him come along, Hiko-san, we would never have known him as anything else - other than that he was Himura Kenshin's son." He smiled. "Of course, he has answers for my questions, without a doubt. But they are answers that he will give me as himself, and not as his father's son. That is what I have found out - that is what it will continue to be."
Again, there was silence.
"I see," Hiko closed his eyes and finished the rest of the sake in his cup. "That is good to know, because I would have accepted no other answer," he said, much to the surprise of the duo seated before him.
"What do you mean?" Enishi found himself asking without really thinking about it.
Hiko stood and eyed the duo carefully. "Do you think the boy is blind? He may be as stupid as my baka deshi, but he's not an unfeeling block of stone. He can feel, whether he realises it or not, what the both of you really see in him, what you really wanted him to become." He frowned at the unconscious figure of Kenji, still lying peacefully on the ground. "He knew you did not trust him. He could tell he was just an accessory. I don't know if he knew who you were, but if he does then it must have been painful when he knew he was nothing more than an ego boost." He walked towards the back door and shook his head, while pushing it open. "He's as stubborn as my baka deshi was. He sets his sight on something, he bulldozes his way to the finish. And his goal this time," the man halted in the middle of stepping out of the back door, "was to be of some real help to the both of you."
"He'll be of real help to me if he doesn't ever cook for me again," Enishi agreed with a nod. Soujirou elbowed him painfully in the ribs. He quickly retrieved his hand after shooting Enishi a warning glance, then reclined and bowed deeply while still knelt. "Thank you for your advice, Hiko-san. Rest assured that it will remain deep in our hearts as always."
Hiko actually smiled. He lifted his cup to his lips and tilted his head back to down the drink. After giving a sigh of satisfaction, he rose to his feet. "Follow me." He instructed plainly, then strode out via the back door. Soujirou and Enishi glanced briefly at each other, then followed him out.
After the door clicked shut, a peaceful silence began to creep over the room.
Kenji rolled to his side and opened his eyes. He stared at the floorboards for a long time, an unreadable expression painted across his features.
... to be continued
--------------
28/10/04
tougenkyou . net / xd
a/n
hi, and sorry for the short chapter. i just needed to get this out of my system first. then we can go on to fry bigger fish! oh yeah!!
thank you all for your patience between updates. -bows-