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 42: Strength
"Oh," Soujirou greeted, upon seeing that his path downslope was cut off by the figure standing there. "Hello again, Zheng-san." He tilted his head. "Is there something I can help you with?"
A gentle wind rustled through the leaves atop the trees on both sides of the road.
For a while, neither spoke.
Zheng opened her mouth. "Yukishiro Enishi," were the first words out it, "was that man just now." Her voice was resolute. She did not phrase her statement questioningly.
"Oh my," Soujirou giggled, hardly showing a trace of surprise or awe in his features. "I guess you found out after all!"
The girl was suddenly angered by Soujirou's reaction, or lack thereof, to her announcement. "Do you know who he is?!" Zheng screeched, her overpowering aura shocking even a few birds into escaping from the canopies of nearby trees.
Soujirou slumped slightly, still smiling. "Yukishiro-san is Yukishiro-san. I'm not aware that I need to know anything else about him."
"You are a fool!" Zheng struck at thin air with her hands. "He will betray you when push comes to shove. You will be left to fend for yourself when things go wrong, because all he ever cares about is himself!"
At that, Soujirou burst out laughing. "Oh, oh my dear lady," he managed to say amidst giggles when his laughter simmered. "You have /no/ idea how right you are." He pointed a finger to the sky, "I've personally lost count of how many times exactly he's left me in the deep pit of trouble and expected me to climb out by myself!"
Zheng was agape. "You know his ways and yet you continue associating with him?"
"Sad but true," Soujirou beamed.
"You are insane!" Zheng gasped.
"Yes, I figured that out a long time ago," Soujirou immediately grinned. "But I don't understand, lady... why are you so agitated? I knew Yukishiro-san got into a lot of trouble with the local law, but has he ever been to China?" Soujirou skewed his head to look at Zheng questioningly.
This caught the high-strung girl off guard completely. Soujirou's expressions were earnest. Did the boy really know nothing about Enishi's controversial past in Shanghai? Had they really been talking about two different things all this while? Unsure and unwilling to divulge further information about herself, Zheng bit her lower lip and asked something else instead. "Does Yukishiro hold you in high regard?"
Soujirou's brain activity whirled to a stop. His smile dropped slightly, mainly from genuine surprise. "High regard?" He blinked.
"Did you not notice?" Zheng calmly pointed out, "You asked him to get the water for tea, and he did with no complaints."
"Oh, /that/," Soujirou quirked his smile so that it was lopsided. "...actually there's a reason behind that particular event..." he trailed off, laughing uneasily. Both wanderers knew that it was to cover over Soujirou while he pretended like he did not know about Enishi's Shanghai-based past. It was necessary. Enishi knew better than to try to go against the tide. The lesser the enemy thought they knew about Enishi's Chinese mafia links, the smoother the mission would flow. Enishi may have quite a big ego, but he also knew how to yield when the situation demanded it. Decades of wandering around with limited budget could do that to you.
"I have never seen Yukishiro do anything for anyone for any reason except his own whim," Zheng nevertheless said, gritting her teeth. But quickly, she stopped displaying anger. Instead, she relaxed in her pose and smiled dangerously. "I warn you, boy, that the higher he regards you, the easier it becomes for you to be targetted by those who are against him. Disappear from him at once, so that you may not be implicated!"
Soujirou laughed. He thought he had been laughing quite a lot that evening. "What do you mean?" He eventually said, managing to stifle his merriment for a while. "Do you mean someone is after Yukishiro-san's life?" He waved dismissively in front of his face. "The entire Japan police force, right? I know that already, lady. Kind of hard not to notice when you're being chased around the entire country by screeching men in blue!"
Zheng's face grew impatient for a while. "Do you also know that you are his greatest weakness?"
Slowly, Soujirou's giggles dissipated. He was slightly crouched while trying to hold his laughter just now, so he straightened himself. His smile was sincere, his face set against the mixed rays of light and darkness. "That's impossible," his tone was light, but serious, "Yukishiro-san has no weakness."
Zheng laughed under her breath. "You would know, wouldn't you?"
Soujirou continued smiling. Nodding. "And even if he had one," he wagged a finger, "it wouldn't be me. Because I," he turned, already beginning to head down the path. His head alone was facing Zheng, "am not weak!" Smiling and waving, he turned completely. "See you at Azumamaro!"
The Chinese girl let Soujirou walk away without another further word to him. As she looked at him slowly vanish into the shadows of the night, she allowed herself a wry smile. "He will fall..." she whispered to the stars above. "...Yukishiro Enishi will pay for his crime with the highest price he can afford..."
--
In the meantime, said Yukishiro Enishi was, at this moment, staring at the kiln. He had been doing it for a rather long time. He noted that the kiln was rustic, forged by hand with clay and bricks. It was simple, in that there were not outward design - not even the stroke of a painting brush. It was also very big, which was why he was thinking of using it to blast the few sets of clay he had been molding.
That is, if the person hiding inside would kindly get out to allow him to actually shove the wares inside for firing.
"Excuse me mister red-haired shorty hiding somewhere in there," Enishi stared at the gaping hole that was the entrance of the blasting furnace. "Will you get the hell out of there by yourself, or do I have to go in there and drag your sorry ass out for you?"
Silence reigned.
Enishi sighed.
"One..." The ex-mafia boss began counting, without any prior fanfare. His voice was calm, but it also sounded strangely diabolical at the same time. "...two..." He straightened and began walking towards the furnace with loud, deliberate steps. He had a fire starter in his hand. "...thre-"
A blur of black, blue and red dove out from within the furnace, rolling fiercely a few times on the ground towards Enishi. Enishi gave the blurred figure a sound kick, succeeding in stopping its progress. The upturned dust and soil cleared soon after. Kenji found himself trapped beneath Enishi's strong, unbudging foot, which was firmly planted atop the back of his shoulders. He twisted his head around uncomfortably. "Ehehe..." he had the grace to laugh sheepishly. "Hello, Enishi!"
"Don't give me that," Enishi stomped once on Kenji's back, causing him to yelp in pain. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's the old egomaniac?"
"AARGH!" Kenji shrieked. He tried to get up by pushing his hands against the floor, but Enishi's foot wielded much strength than both his hands combined. Therefore he fell back onto the ground, flat on his face. Figuring he was a lost cause, Kenji mumbled to himself, before pushing his face away from the ground, propping his head up with a hand, since that wast he furthest Enishi would allow him to raise from the ground without stomping him back down again. "Both of you tricked me!" He started whining loudly. "You said I could learn some fantastic moves from the old master... and you never told me it was the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu!"
"Don't be stupid!" Enishi stomped on him again, causing his hand to slip from beneath his chin and thus he found himself face-flat on the ground once more. "You think you can be of any help with those cat-and-mouse skills you have at the moment? You should be happy that the old guy even bothered to want to train you!"
"Yeah, but I don't want to learn /that/ sty--oof!!" Kenji's head met the floor for the third time that day, as Enishi moved his foot from Kenji's back to his head.
"That's what you SAY, you little bugger, but deep in your heart you really /want/ to know more, don't you?" He grounded his heel, succeeding in ruffling Kenji's hair. "It's written all over your damned face, midget! You're easier to read than an open book!"
"Who wants to know more about the stupid style of swordsplay that stupid man used to learn!" Kenji screeched at the top of his voice. "The stupid style that killed that stupid man, made my mother so sad... that swept my house into discord!!" He shook his head, which was now free. Enishi had long removed his foot from there, though he was also now sitting fully on the hysterical redhead's back, like it was a bench. "Not me! Not me!!"
"You sure have some pretty strong guts to be saying something like that," Enishi remarked, his calm voice contrasting greatly with Kenji's high pitched wailing. "I wonder who was the little idiot using Hiten style swordsplay on the alley battle against Jinguuji in Tokyo?" He could feel Kenji jump slightly. "You haven't forgotten Soujirou saw you there, huh? That boy can recognise a Hiten move from a mountain away."
"That wasn't Hiten!" Kenji grit his teeth, stuck his lower lip out and shook his head furiously. "Those were just moves Yahiko was always telling me about! I just improvised! That wasn't the Hiten! How the heck was I supposed to execute a Hiten when I've never been trained or even seen it in action before?! I was just-!"
"IDIOT!!!" Enishi grabbed Kenji by the back of his head, grasping a handful of hair and using it to help him shake Kenji's head. "Calm the hell down! I can't even understand half of what you're rambling about!" He shook Kenji's head a few times more, then dropped it like a sack of hot potatoes. Sighing, he stood, then kicked Kenji so that he rolled over and his face now glanced at the sky. "Okay," Enishi squatted down beside the rebellious looking Kenji and narrowed his eyes at the young boy, "/now/ we talk like the calm, sane people we are."
Kenji turned to look at Enishi. He stuck his tongue out at him. Rolling onto his feet, now that Enishi no longer had weight on him, he tried to make a mad scramble for the safety of the house. He failed. Enishi had him by the scuff of his collar before he could even yelp for help.
"Lemme go lemme go lemme go lemme go..." Kenji started to chant when Enishi hoisted him over his shoulder and began walking back into the forest, where Kenji had evidently come from. He kept his peace, determined to send the redhead back to where he knew Hiko was waiting at - the waterfall. Besides, if he used the blasting furnace as a hiding spot again, he was just going to start the fire without caring if Kenji was inside or not. Nobody distracted him when he was seriously trying to do something!
"Ara? Yukishiro-san? ...and Himura-san," Soujirou slowly materialised from the shadowy edges of the forest, his smile and step alike ghostly. "What are the both of you doing? Is Hiko-san back already?"
"The little fellow here," Enishi pointed at Kenji, who was still chanting away and struggling to get off Enishi's shoulder, "ran away from training!"
"Oh my!" Soujirou clasped his hands together. "Well, on the bright side, at least he didn't run away from home!" He chirped.
The silence that next filled the clearing was resounding.
"...right." Enishi managed.
"I dowanna learn from Hiko-jiji!!" Kenji finally wailed, when nobody else chose to speak up. "He's mean and a big bully and he never really teaches me anything anyway!!"
Soujirou laughed into his fist, while Enishi shook his head and put his free hand on his forehead. "So this is what it's all about?"
"I don't think so, Yukishiro-san," Soujirou walked up closer. "Come on, let the poor boy down," he suggested, gesturing at the ground in front of Enishi. Enishi stared at him questioningly, but eventually shrugged and put Kenji back onto the ground. The young boy had a shakey touch-down, so he ended up a heap of limbs on the ground instead. He gave a howl of unhappiness, flopping onto the ground spread-eagle. The two adults stared at each other, then at him. "What's wrong, Himura-san?" Soujirou eventually asked.
The boy flung his arms over his eyes. "Training sucks."
"If you don't train, we won't be able to bring you along anymore," Soujirou warned in a friendly voice.
This caused Kenji to sit up. "Why?" He questioned, eyes sharp, "You've been all right with it all this while. Why can't any of you train me anyway?"
"Hmm..." Soujirou rubbed his chin with his fingers. "...you want /us/ to train you?" His voice was hollow all of a sudden. "...I suppose if you really want to, we could work it out..."
"..." went Enishi. "...I'm not even going to ask if you were serious about that just now." He directed his disbelieving speech to Kenji.
Kenji puffed up, looking as if he was going to make another grand speech. But before he could, Soujirou had crouched to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Himura-san," he asked, firmly, "what is it about the Hiten that you do not wish to train for?"
Kenji stared at Soujirou, then down at the ground. He seemed to be considering the question seriously, but could not find an answer anywhere.
While they waited, Enishi shifted about impatiently. Finally, he reached over and fisted the top of Kenji's head softly. "If this is about your stupid father again, don't even bother," he scoffed. "It's not worth your time."
"But I!" Kenji found his voice almost immediately after Enishi turned to look away. "I just... don't want to learn the same school of philosophy that led him to his death..." Kenji was glad it was dark, for the angered blush on his cheeks would have been fairly evident otherwise. He pouted, waiting for the lashing out from the duo that was sure to come. After all, even he felt that he was being too stubborn as respects the entire matter.
The 'lashing', as it was, turned out to be several loud hoots of laughter.
Or at least, Enishi was the one hooting. Soujirou was merely softly laughing away. Confused, Kenji stared at them, agape. Before he could turn his confusion into inquiry, however, Soujirou wiped a tear from his eye and spoke out. "Himura-san," he managed, in between giggling, "do you actually know what the philosophy of the Hiten is?"
The look on Kenji's face told him that he did not. "Wasn't it the same as that man's ideals?"
By this time, Enishi's laughing had simmered into amused silence. Soujirou himself was holding a hand over his mouth, trying to straighten his expression out. The younger wanderer donned a thoughtful look. "I would not advise you to jump to conclusions yet, Himura-san." He said, while nodding sagely. "You may be surprised at what the actual situation is."
Kenji remained unconvinced. "What exactly is it, then?" He wanted to know.
"Hmm..." Soujirou scratched his cheek. He looked troubled about something. "I don't think I'm in a position to tell you that, Himura-san. You should really allow the master to tell you that himself." He glanced to the dark, shadowy part of the forest boundaries. "...shouldn't he, Hiko-san?"
Kenji jumped in surprise, whirling around to look where Soujirou was looking. He had not sensed anyone else around at all.
At first, nothing happened. But slowly, the sound of feet shuffling through grass could be heard, until finally, Hiko stepped out of the shadows into the gleaming moonlight. He had the same confident grin he always wore, and his sake bottle and cup were where they always were; in his hands. He took a sip from his cup. "My wine ran out," he explained, nonchalant. "I was going to get a refill." Without waiting for either of the trio to speak, he whisked towards the hut.
In silence, they let him pass. Kenji had a frown on his face that told the world that he was unhappy about something. As Hiko took one step into the interior of the house, the boy could not hold his question back any further. "Is it true?!" He shouted, out of frustration rather than true concern. Hiko paused just at the threshold of the doorway. "Is it true that my father's philosophy was not the same as the Hiten's?!"
What proceeded next, was a silence, where nobody spoke or moved from where they were standing.
Until Hiko shoved the piece of straw acting as door to the house away.
"A sword is a weapon," he declared, loudly. Surely. "And kenjutsu is the art of killing." He paused. "That was what I always taught him. Of course, he obviously never paid attention." A cold wind picked up the fallen leaves on the ground and tossed them away with much rustling. "If that's not something you can swallow - you and your Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, then take your things and leave at once." The voice was stern. Concerned. "You're not going to be up against random boy scouts. I'd rather you give up now," he turned, narrowed eyes as if piercing through Kenji's soul, "than you die trying foolishly, without even /having/ the ability to fight back."
Kenji's eyes flashed. He opened his mouth to want to say something, but Hiko was faster.
"If you do give up, then... Yukishiro," he directed his next words to Enishi, who had been standing around, listening quietly all the while. Enishi blinked and threw Hiko an impatient, questioning glance. "Remember the deal." He smirked.
Enishi growled, and would have leapt and pounced had Soujirou not tug as his elbow quietly. When he turned to look at his comrade, Soujirou smiled and said, "Yukishiro-san. I need to talk to you about something," all the while gesturing towards another spot in the area that was rather far away from their current location. Enishi snorted softly, but followed Soujirou when he started walking away.
Neither gave Kenji a lingering look of any sort.
Not that he needed any, of course.
The youngest of the gang had his fists clenched tightly by his side. His head was bowed. His blood was boiling. Of course, he knew, that whether the mission could advance or not depended upon his decision. It was now clear to him by Hiko's words that Kenshin did not exactly abide by the philosophy of the Hiten. Kenji was, truth be told, very intrigued. But would it seem like he was yielding, if he agreed to train now? Would it make him look soft? Easily swayed?
...Weak?
The words of the stranger along the mountain path suddenly re-entered his consciousness. Kenji narrowed his eyes, a hint of gold appearing in them.
If there was one thing he would gladly sacrifice his pride for, that would be it.
Being called weak. Being treated like a common rat was of more threat.
A whole week couldn't possibly do any good, but Kenji was suddenly willing to try. He broke into a run, towards where he knew he had escaped from - the designated training area. The noisy waterfall and rather dumb looking cliff. He wondered briefly why Hiko favoured such a random location, but guessed he had his reasons. As he ran, his newfound conviction followed him.
As long as he got strong enough, they wouldn't keep him in the dark any longer.
As long as he got strong enough.
As long as he got stronger.
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... to be continued
31/12/04
tougenkyou . net / xd