Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story.
Chapter 6
The entire trip from Kyoto to Tokyo took nine days. The evening of the ninth day found the trio walking down the streets of Tokyo, heading towards the dojo.
"I know we probably should stop by the clinic and let everyone know we're back, but we can let them know tomorrow. Right now, all I want to do is take a nice hot bath and go to bed," Kaoru said, starting to drag her feet a little as she walked.
Hiko agreed with her, silently. Although he would deny it vehemently, he knew he was sick. He had felt sluggish and weak the past few days and had actually found himself wishing Kaoru would set a slower pace and suggesting breaks a little more often. His throat was sore and he had developed a bit of a cough over the past day, accompanied by a headache. He had done well at hiding it from Kaoru, but he was surprised Kenshin hadn't said anything. Of course, Hiko mused, Kenshin would know that bringing the subject up would not have changed anything. I would have denied being sick and it isn't too serious anyway. It's best to just let the illness run its course.
Upon reaching the dojo, Hiko sensed the ki of several people inside, but Kenshin didn't seem worried about it, so he assumed they were Kenshin's friends. Kaoru opened the gate, and they all stepped inside.
Across the courtyard, two little girls were playing a game, drawing in the dirt. They looked up when the gate opened and dropped what they were doing, running towards Hiko. "Ken-nii-san! Ken-nii-san!"
Hiko watched them run over. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as they both attached themselves to his legs. The smaller one stepped back, holding her arms up towards him. Hiko looked at her in confusion. The only child I've ever had to deal with was Kenshin when he was younger. What does she want?
Kenshin discreetly elbowed Hiko in the ribs. "Pick her up," he said, softly enough so that only Hiko could hear him.
Reluctantly, Hiko reached down and hoisted the little girl in his arms. He tried to pull back when the girl threw her arms around his neck, but she held him tight. "Ken-nii-san! We missed you! Wanna play with us?" she asked, hopefully.
"Yeah, we wanna play!" the older one echoed, still gripping his hakama.
Hiko was saved having to answer by the appearance of several other people exiting the dojo.
"Now Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, Ken-san has been walking all day. I'm sure he's too tired to play with you right now. Although, we were expecting you earlier today," Megumi said, transferring her attention to Hiko.
Kaoru spoke up. "How did you know we would be arriving today?"
"Weasel-girl sent us a letter when you left Kyoto late," Sano said, a fish bone dangling from his mouth. "Although, she didn't say you were bringing your master with you, Kenshin."
Megumi's eyes, which had been studying Kenshin's new body, widened slightly in surprise. "This is your master, Ken-san?" she asked Hiko. Sano obviously knows him, so I assume that they met when everyone else followed Kenshin to Kyoto, before he fought Shishio... Megumi derailed that train of thought before it got any further. After the fight with Shishio they had all believed Kenshin was dead and she didn't need to remember that time period. Noticing Hiko seemed to have his hands full with Ayame and Suzume, she decided to introduce herself. "I'm Takani Megumi," she said to Kenshin, bowing in greeting.
Kenshin started to return the gesture, but realized that Hiko wouldn't bow to anyone. Instead, he nodded his head, acknowledging her. "Hiko Seijiro XIII."
"Alright, they're here. Can we go now?" Yahiko asked, standing on the porch, looking annoyed.
"Go?" Kaoru questioned.
"Yes, Kaoru-chan. We're all having dinner at the Akabeko," Megumi explained.
"But I--" Kaoru started to protest.
"Oh, come on, Jou-chan. The kid's been waiting to go all day," Sano said.
"Who you calling a 'kid?!'" Yahiko yelled, grabbing his shinai, and whacking Sano on the back of the head.
"You little brat! C'mere!" Sano shouted, chasing Yahiko around the courtyard.
"Yahiko, you need to respect your elders, or at least not mouth off to those who are stronger than you. You'd save yourself a lot of grief that way," Kaoru called to her student.
"Why should I, you ugly old hag! Kenshin's the only one who can catch me, so I got nothin' to worry about!"
"Why you little-- Yahiko, you'll learn some respect even if I have to beat it into you!" Kaoru yelled, her exhaustion forgotten as she grabbed her bokken and joined the chase.
Hiko blinked. In a matter of seconds, the dojo had dissolved into chaos. He resisted the urge to massage his temples as their yelling made his headache worse. He hoped that this wasn't a usual event. A soft clearing of a throat drew Hiko's attention towards his deshi.
"I usually play the peacemaker around here," Kenshin hinted, his voice low. He couldn't quite keep the annoyance out of his tone.
I suppose this is a normal occurrence, after all. And now I get to break them up. Lovely. "How would you suggest I go about stopping this?" Hiko asked, also keeping his voice quiet. He knew what he would do, but he wasn't sure what Kenshin usually did to regain order.
"Why don't you try saying, 'Maa, maa. If we don't hurry, the Akabeko will close, that it will.' That will stop Yahiko and Sano. And if they stop running around, Kaoru will, as well," Kenshin explained.
Hiko closed his eyes, letting out a deep, heartfelt sigh. Why me? I don't even feel like eating right now. "Maa, maa, everyone. If we don't hurry, the Akabeko will close." Kenshin's elbow found its way to Hiko's side, yet again. "That it will," Hiko added, grudgingly.
As predicted, Yahiko and Sano immediately perked up at the thought of food, all previous thoughts of the chase having vanished.
Having almost forgotten Kenshin and the others were present, Kaoru was jolted out of her thoughts of teaching Yahiko some respect. She paused, weighing her options. She could go with everyone to the Akabeko, or she could take a nice hot bath and go to bed. She was quite sore from traveling, and the latter option was much more appealing to her. "I think I'll pass. I'm too tired to go to the Akabeko tonight."
"Oh? You're too tired to enjoy a relaxing meal, yet you have enough energy to chase Yahiko around the dojo?" Megumi asked, her voice slightly sarcastic. She walked over to Hiko. "Oh, well, I suppose that gives Ken-san and I more time to ourselves," she said in a sweet voice, latching onto the arm that wasn't holding Ayame. Hiko, for his part, ignored her.
Immediately, Kaoru was between them, prying Megumi off his arm. "You know what? A relaxing dinner at the Akabeko does sound really nice. Come on, Kenshin. Let's go drop off our things so we can go," Kaoru said, ushering Hiko past Megumi and inside. Kenshin followed, careful to keep his emotionless mask in place. It was much more amusing to see Megumi and Kaoru clash when he wasn't in the middle of it. He discreetly informed Hiko which room was his, and they both put their travel bags in there, before going back outside. Kaoru joined them a few minutes later, having changed into a clean kimono, and everyone headed off to the restaurant.
. . .
"Welcome back, Kaoru-chan! Kenshin-san!" Tai said as the group entered the restaurant. "How was your stay in Kyoto?"
"It was fine, Tai-chan," Kaoru replied, the group following the owner to a table.
Tai? That's odd, she looks exactly like Sai, who runs the Shirobeko, in Kyoto. It's a good bet that they are related, Hiko thought, mentally shrugging as he kneeled at the table next to Kenshin. Megumi slid onto the cushion on Hiko's other side while Kaoru was still distracted talking to Tai.
Dinner went by without too many problems. Hiko picked at his food, not really hungry and stayed out of the conversation, for the most part. The loud atmosphere was not what he considered relaxing.
Megumi noticed Hiko's silence and the fact that he hardly touched his food. He might just be experiencing fatigue from traveling, she thought, staring at Hiko.
Kaoru, seeing Megumi's unwanted (in her opinion) attention, distracted her from the red head by engaging the older woman in conversation.
After dinner, everyone stood outside the restaurant, exchanging goodbyes. Megumi watched Hiko, carefully. The red head looked like he was tired and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. Are his cheeks a bit flushed? It could just be a trick of the light, but... her thoughts trailed off as Hiko caught and returned her stare. His eyes were emotionless, his face carefully neutral, before he turned and followed Kaoru and Kenshin back to the dojo. He's trying to hide it. He's sick, knows it and is trying to hide it. I could examine him tonight, but he looks pretty tired and could probably use the rest. "Ken-san! Could you stop by the clinic in the morning?" she asked.
Hiko stopped and looked at her.
Noticing his suspicious gaze, Megumi elaborated. "There's something I need you to do for me. Will you stop by?"
Hiko stared at her for a moment longer before he decided there were no ulterior motives and nodded. He turned to catch up with Kaoru and Yahiko.
Kenshin chuckled, internally. Observant, sneaky fox. Shishou, it looks like you didn't hide your illness well enough. You're going to the doctor in the morning.
. . .
Hiko awoke when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He batted the hand away, jumping up into a defensive position before he realized it was only Kenshin. He repressed a groan, closing his eyes as his body informed him sudden movements were a bad idea. Opening his eyes, he glared at his deshi. "You should know better than to try and wake me up like that, Kenshin," Hiko said, quietly.
Kenshin shrugged. "I tried talking to you, but you wouldn't wake up and I didn't want to raise my voice for fear of waking Kaoru or Yahiko," he explained. He grinned, a little mischievously. "Would you prefer for me pour a cup of cold water on you in the future?"
Hiko didn't even dignify that with a reply.
"Anyway, you need to get up and start breakfast. After breakfast, comes laundry and then you will go to the market to pick up any groceries Kaoru may need," Kenshin said, leading Hiko to the kitchen.
"I am not doing the laundry."
Kenshin looked at him innocently. "I could do it. I don't mind at all--"
"Absolutely not! Not in my body you won't! I forbid it!" Hiko seethed, barely keeping his voice quiet enough to not disturb the other occupants of the dojo.
"Well, Shishou, Kaoru is busy training Yahiko and teaching at other dojo. Yahiko is busying practicing and working at the Akabeko. Sano doesn't live here and flat out refuses to work, anyway. So, either I can do the laundry, or you can do it. It's your choice."
Hiko mumbled something, glaring at the floor. He already didn't feel well and Kenshin wasn't doing much to improve his mood.
"You're supposed to be acting like a carefree rurouni. Remember to smile-- like this!" Kenshin said, demonstrating.
Hiko stared. "You'd better wipe that ridiculous look off my face before someone sees you!" he whispered, fiercely.
Kenshin did as he was told, not quite fully masking the amusement in his ki as he helped Hiko prepare breakfast.
After it was ready, Kenshin gave Hiko a quick tour around the dojo, before waking the others. Sano appeared as the meal was served and he, Kaoru and Yahiko all attacked the food. Hiko stared at the ghastly sight before him. I think I just lost my appetite. Even Kenshin's sorely lacking table manners weren't nearly that bad! Hiko thought, glancing at his deshi.
Kenshin sat next to Hiko, calmly sipping his tea with his eyes closed, trying to block out the sound of his friends eating. He had grown accustomed to the display, but some days were worse than others.
After all the food had been devoured, Kenshin sat in the kitchen with Hiko, talking to him as the latter washed the dishes. "Most meals aren't that bad, but Yahiko's growing, so he's always hungry. Sano's only meals are what he gets here and what he can add to his tab at the Akabeko. Kaoru wants to make sure that they don't eat all the food before she gets some and, well, meals tend to dissolve into chaos pretty quickly," Kenshin explained, shrugging.
Hiko didn't respond, casting out his ki to make sure no one was within earshot. They weren't.
"Now, the laundry is next, but I think that can wait until after you stop by the clinic and see what Megumi needs," Kenshin continued, trying to suppress a grin. He failed miserably, but his master was facing away from him.
Hiko grunted. He disliked doctors, but she was one of Kenshin's friends and hadn't been lying last night when she said there was something she needed him to do. Kenshin didn't seem surprised by the request, thus leading Hiko to believe that this happened with some frequency.
. . .
Kenshin and Hiko entered the clinic, noticing the waiting room was surprisingly empty of patients.
Megumi looked up from her desk when the shoji slid open. "Good morning Ken-san, Hiko-san. How are you this morning?" she asked.
"Good morning, Megumi-dono. Was there something you needed?" Hiko asked, getting straight to the point. The less time he had to be here, the better.
"Yes, if you would follow me," she said, moving towards the back of the clinic. Hiko followed her into a small room with a mat on the floor in the center of the room with some medical equipment on a tray. "I need you to sit on the mat, and remove your gi," she instructed.
"I do not need an examination. If that was all, then I'll be leaving," Hiko said, turning to go. He found Kenshin standing in the doorway, conveniently blocking his escape.
"Ken-san, you're sick. Knowing you, you'll ignore it until it becomes much worse and ultimately more detrimental to your health in the long run. I just want to give you a quick examination to make sure it isn't too serious," Megumi explained. I'm glad Hiko came, I couldn't have forced Kenshin to stay. Although, I've never had to force an examination on him in the past...
"Shishou, please move out of my way," Hiko said, his soft voice betraying his anger towards his deshi. He cringed as he felt an intense itching in his throat. No, not now. I can't start coughing right now... he thought, firmly suppressing the urge. That only seemed to make it more insistent.
Kenshin looked down at Hiko. "Baka, you've been sick for the past several days. Let Megumi do a quick examination, and then we'll go." Are you so eager to wash the laundry, Shishou? Although, I suppose I have no room to talk. After all, I gained my dislike of doctors by following his example, Kenshin mused. He noticed Hiko tense, his breathing somewhat strained as he tried to keep himself from coughing. This should do it, Kenshin thought. "Are you going to deny being sick, or will you let Megumi examine you? Well, answer me, boy!"
Hiko glared at his deshi, his eyes shifting to amber. Kenshin was baiting him, and Hiko had no choice but to respond. "I'm not--" Hiko broke off into a fit of coughing, no longer being able to restrain it. "-- sick," he finished.
Kenshin just looked at him. "Uh-huh."
Hiko continued glaring. "It's just a minor cold," he said, dismissing their concerns.
"I'll be the judge of that, Ken-san. Nothing with you is ever minor. Now, will you please sit on the mat and remove your gi, or do I have to ask your master to restrain you?" Megumi asked.
Knowing Kenshin wouldn't hesitate to make a scene, Hiko did as he was told. He glared at the floor, coldly ignoring the other two occupants in the room, while he tried to come up with a fitting punishment for Kenshin when this was all over.
Seeing her patient was obviously in a very foul mood, Megumi worked quickly, not even taking the time to glance at his face.
Kenshin raised his ki until Hiko looked at him. The tall swordsman pointed to his eye. Hiko got the message and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they were violet. Kenshin nodded and Hiko went back to glaring at the floor.
. . .
Twenty minutes later, Kenshin and Hiko were back on their way to the dojo. Megumi had announced that he only had a cold (which earned Kenshin another glare from his master) and sent them on their way with some mint and chamomile tea for Hiko's cough. However, she was worried that he had continued traveling while being sick and told him to be careful to not overexert himself.
"Now, that wasn't so painful, was it?" Kenshin asked, almost jovially. Not only did Kenshin not need to be examined, but he got to force Hiko to sit through one. Yes, today was turning out to be a wonderful day, indeed.
Hiko retained his icy silence, although his anger did flare at the comment.
Kenshin sighed. "Look, someone was bound to notice sooner or later. It just happened sooner, and now whenever anyone else asks, you can tell them that Megumi already examined you."
Suddenly, an idea formed in Hiko's mind. "You know, Kenshin, Megumi told me not to overexert myself. I don't think I'll be able to do the laundry. In fact, I think I should lie down, and stay in bed all day. Doctor's orders, and all that," Hiko said. He waited to see what Kenshin's reaction would be.
Kenshin paused for about half a second before continuing down the street. "If you feel you must, then I will not stop you. However, you taught me that the only time you stay in bed is when you are physically unable to move from it. If you stay in bed, claiming you don't feel well, Kaoru will hover over you, crying, and Yahiko will probably stay in your room, as well. Megumi will come and give you a more thorough examination to find out what's wrong. Everyone will be convinced you're dying and you won't have a moment's peace. How badly do you want out of doing my chores?"
"..."
"That's what I thought," Kenshin said, smiling.
. . .
Kenshin sat on the porch, watching as Hiko washed the laundry. The ebony-haired master smiled as he felt the ki of two little girls racing towards Hiko.
"Ken-nii-san! Ken-nii-san!"
Hiko looked up. Oh, no. Not them, again. What am I supposed to do? he wondered as they approached. He braced himself for the impact as one jumped onto his back and the other grabbed his arm. He waited a few seconds, allowing them to hug him, before speaking. "I'm sorry, little girls, but I need to wash the laundry."
They looked crestfallen until the older one had a bright idea. "We'll help you, Ken-nii-san!" she said, excitedly.
"Yeah, we'll help!" the smaller one agreed.
Hiko seriously doubted that.
About half an hour later, Hiko was grinding his teeth, trying hard not to yell at the children. Their idea of 'helping' him meant that they splashed water all over him and played with the bubbles in his hair. The front of his hakama was soaked, his hair and the back of his gi were wet and some of the bubbles had slid down into his right eye, stinging like crazy. To say he was unhappy would be a massive understatement. He didn't realize his ki had been rising in anger until he felt Kenshin's rise as well, in a warning. He glared at his deshi, violently curbing his anger. He didn't need to accidentally allow his eyes to become amber again.
Kenshin nodded at Hiko's silent demand, walking over to the giggling girls. They both stopped and stared at him as he approached. "Hi there. My name's Hiko. What's yours?" Kenshin asked, smiling.
"I'm Suzume and this is Ayame," the older one said, introducing them.
"You both have very pretty names," Kenshin replied. The girls giggled. "What are you two doing?"
"We're waiting for Ken-nii-san to finish the laundry so he can play with us," Suzume answered.
"Yeah, so he can play!"
"I don't think he'll be done for a while," Kenshin said, looking at the large pile of clothes waiting to be washed.
Suzume folded her arms, thinking. "Will you play with us, Hiko-nii-san?"
"Sure. In fact, I think I saw a ball in the dojo..."
"We'll go get it!" Suzume said, dragging Ayame off to find the ball.
Kenshin turned back to Hiko, who was still trying to rinse the soap out of his eye. The red head stopped long enough to glare at Kenshin with one clear violet eye and one bloodshot violet eye. "You're ruining my reputation."
Kenshin shrugged. "I could either play with them, or I could sit on the porch and let them continue to help you with the laundry. What would you have me do?"
Hiko chose not to comment, instead continuing his efforts to rinse the soap out of his eye.
Kenshin hid his smile, turning away from Hiko as the girls came back, paper ball in hand.
. . .
Gensai-sensei came by to pick up Ayame and Suzume before they got a chance to play with the red head. They didn't mind, though, because 'Hiko-nii-san' turned out to be just as fun. Gensai-sensei also dropped off a fish-- one of his patients had paid for his bill with food, so Gensai decided to share.
Hiko thanked the doctor for the fish, as Kaoru was currently in the bath, and took it to the kitchen.
"I would suggest you start cooking that now," Kenshin advised.
"It's a little early to start dinner, Kenshin."
"True, but if you don't, Kaoru will likely want to try out one of her secret family recipes. The end result will be inedible, and the rest of dinner will be ruined, as well. Trust me on this, Shishou. You don't want to let Kaoru cook," Kenshin warned.
Although he was a little skeptical, Hiko decided to take Kenshin's advice and started making dinner. A little later, Kaoru walked by, obviously having just gotten out of the bath.
"Kenshin? Isn't it a bit early to be making dinner?" she asked.
"I wanted it to be ready when you got out of the bath, Kaoru-dono," Hiko lied, easily.
"Okay," Kaoru said, a little uncertainly. She spied the fish cooking on the stove. "Oh, Kenshin, you should have told me we were having fish tonight! I wanted to try my grandmother's recipe!"
"I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono," Hiko apologized. Well, Kenshin was right about that. He was never a picky eater and indeed was willing to eat much worse things than I was. But, if he's warning me against Kaoru's cooking... Hiko shuddered mentally. Could someone's cooking really be that bad?
. . .
To Be Continued