DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor will I ever own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit from this and I will remove this if requested to do so for any legitimate reason.
WARNING: This story is rated R for violence, so if you do not like graphic depictions of people dying I suggest you find something else to read.
The Last Battle of the Bakumatsu
Chapter 12
"Again," Yahiko barked and Outa complied by repeating the strike he had just been shown. Yahiko paid careful attention to the young boy while Uki watched from across the yard. She was doing the laundry but also making sure that Outa wasn't pushed too far. Uki had treated his hands after his first day of training and even though they were covered with scratches, cuts and blisters he still had a smile on his face. That was due to Yahiko's praise and the fact he said that Outa was a quick learner just like Sano.
"Okay a hundred more," Yahiko's order brought a nod from Outa whose face showed his concentration as he started his strikes. Uki watched her brother throwing himself into his task and giving it his all as he wielded his stick. Yahiko didn't have a shinai, so they had to make do with a stick that was cut to the right size. It was the reason for the bad shape of Outa's hands but he still treated it as if it was a real sword.
"I still don't see the point of it," grumbled Uki as she finished the laundry.
"He seems happy enough, why are you complaining?" the deep, masculine voice came from behind Uki.
"Because he's going to go off to Tokyo with my idiot brother Sanosuke. I bet he'll take him out drinking, fighting and gambling and he'll never come back to his worried big sister." Uki looked over to Outa with a face full of concern but he was still busy with his strikes and didn't notice her.
"There's nothing wrong with drinking, fighting or gambling and I'm not an idiot, Half Head." Uki's face flushed red with anger as she whirled around to face the voice.
"DON'T CALL ME HALF HEAD!!" Uki's scream startled both Yahiko and Outa who were standing on the other side of the yard. Sano was the target of her scream but appeared to be unaffected.
"You don't need to shout, I'm standing right here," Sano complained as Uki glared up at him.
"I think I do need to yell to get something into that thick skull of yours. First you show up five years ago when I thought you were dead but you never told me who you were. Then you come back with Yahiko and leave him here so you can go gallivanting off to Tokyo. Finally you come back but you are only going to leave again and take Outa with you. Do you care about this family or not?" Uki's rant ends with her slightly out of breath but still glaring at the taller Sano.
"And what exactly is the point of that question?" Sano looked a little bemused and Uki looked ready to explode.
"And you think you're not an idiot," Megumi's defeated sigh quickly cooled Uki's temper as she noticed her standing just behind Sano.
"What's that supposed to mean Fox?" Sano angrily responded as he turned to face her.
"It means you think you're not an idiot when in fact you are," Megumi stated flatly as Uki looked a little surprised by her.
"Is she your wife?" Uki asked shocking both Sano and Megumi who both blushed at the suggestion.
"They aren't married, although they do fight like a married couple," Yahiko chuckled as he saw their faces but it was short lived.
"What would you know Yahiko-chan," Sano smiled as Yahiko became angry at the use of the old, simple taunt he hated as a ten year old.
"Don't call me CHAN!" Yahiko tried to take a swipe at Sano but he only aggravated his shoulder injury.
"Careful Yahiko, you don't want to hurt yourself," Sano laughed as he swayed out of the way of Yahiko's swing.
"Don't provoke him Rooster head," Megumi chided as she observed Yahiko grimace.
"Is he like this to everybody?" Uki asked Megumi as she stepped between Sano and Yahiko.
"Yes, he seems to have natural talent for annoying everybody," Megumi picked up her medical bag and headed for the house. "I think I should have a look at that shoulder Yahiko," Megumi looked over her should to make sure Yahiko was following. Uki also followed with Sano pausing to pick the other bags before heading that way as well and Outa stayed close to Sano.
"Well at least I'm not the only one affected by the idiot Chicken," Uki smirked as Sano scowled at her.
"You should be nice Half Head or I'll keep your present," Uki stared up at him with a little surprise.
"I don't believe you. I bet it's some cheap gift from Tokyo," Uki's eyed Sano suspiciously as he followed her.
"I'm not that cheap and it's from Shanghai, not Tokyo," Sano waited for Uki to enter the house. Yahiko and Megumi, who entered first, had already gone to another room while Sano, Uki and Outa settled down in the main room.
"So if she's not your wife, who is she?" Uki asked as Sano dropped their bags and sat down.
"Dr Takani Megumi," Sano stated as he dragged his bag closer to himself and started to pull something out of it. "Hey Round Cheeks, this is for you. I thought you might want one of these rather than that stick," Sano tossed shinai to Outa who stared at it in disbelief.
"That's not much of a present?" Uki complained as Outa held the shinai in both hands as if he was about to fight.
"That's not his present, this is," Sano pulled out a red silk ribbon and leaned towards Outa. Sano tied the ribbon around Outa's head and then leaned back.
"Just what I don't want, if he looks like you he'll start to act like you," Uki glared at Sano who just smiled back at her. Sano stuck his arm out and offered a small present wrapped in a silk handkerchief.
"What is it?" Uki asked cautiously as she took the gift from Sano and started to unwrap it.
"It's a jade hair comb, I thought you could use it," Uki would have normally taken offence at that but she was mesmerised by her gift. It was intricately carved in the shape of a bird and she couldn't believe the way the light reflected off the jade. Before Uki could thank Sano, their father entered and looked around the room.
"So you're back then and what's this?" Outa stood before him with his red headband, shinai and a bright smile as he looked up. Uki too couldn't speak so she just held up her comb for her father to see.
"I thought you might appreciate this more than something from overseas," Sano pulled out a large, expensive bottle of sake that immediately caught his father's eye.
"Damn right, I'll get some cups," Kamishimoemon moved over to a cupboard while Sano opened the sake.
"Great now the two of you are going to get drunk," Uki whined as she thought of all the cleaning up she'd have to do.
"Three of us. Where is Yahiko anyway?" Kamishimoemon inquired as he sat down next to Sano.
"Getting his shoulder checked and we'll need six cups," Sano stated as he poured the first round.
"You brought a doctor as well, you could have taken him to town," Sano's father criticised as he got a couple of extra cups.
"She insisted on coming," Sano comment coldly as he filled the last cup.
"She?" Kamishimoemon looked inquisitively at Sano and as if on queue Megumi walked in followed by Yahiko.
"Your stitches of were terrible," Kamishimoemon stared at her but she didn't seem to notice his presence.
"Well it was the middle of the night, there wasn't much light and I was in the middle of a forest. Not to mention there were half a dozen people looking poke a few more holes in both of us so I was kind of in a hurry." Sano spoke as he passed around the cups of sake, handing the last one to Outa.
"Absolutely not, you are not getting him drunk," Uki pulled Outa away as he tried to reach for the cup of sake.
"Hey it's only one drink and you're joining us as well, so just relax," Sano tried to convince her but she didn't look like budging.
"Come on Uki it's just one besides I'm sure the nice doctor here doesn't have any objections," Kamishimoemon's charming smile did little to impress Megumi.
"I can't see how one cup of sake would hurt, I mean Yahiko was drinking when he was ten. Although I think that was more because he took the sake rather than it being given to him." Megumi took a tentative sip of her sake after Kamishimoemon, Sano and Yahiko all finished theirs in one gulp.
"So are you going to join us or not?" Sano asked as he poured a second round for those that had finished their first ones. Outa wriggled free from his sister, took his cup and then sat between Sano and his father.
"Fine but only one drink," Uki conceded as she picked up her own cup.
"What are we drinking to?" Megumi inquired just as they were about to drink their next round.
"We have plenty of reasons, who needs just one?" Sano replied as he downed his second cup.
"The boy is right, just having good sake is a great reason to drink," Kamishimoemon filled Megumi's cup with another attempt at a charming smile.
"Now I see where Sano's stupidity comes from," Megumi coldly commented as she ignored his attention.
"Hey Fox, lighten up, I'm nothing like him. I can actually hold my liquor," Sano declared much to his father's displeasure.
"I can hold more than you, you ingrate son. Uki get the sake, we'll have a match to settle this," both men turned to face each other while Outa sat between them with a half filled cup.
"If you're going to drink that Round Cheeks, do it in one go?" Sano announced without taking his eyes off his father. Outa looked up at him and then his father who nodded his consent. He took a quick breath and then drank the remaining sake in one go. Almost immediately his face became red and he tried to cover up a few coughs as the sake burned at his throat.
"That's the way, now move aside so I can put this boy in his place," Outa stood up unsteadily but was escorted away by Uki. Now with several bottles of sake the two men began to battle it out a bottle each at a time while the others watched on.
"This is totally idiotic," Uki sighed as her brother and father went through another bottle each.
"It's better to let them go, they'll regret it in the morning," Megumi stated as she watched Outa who seemed to be swaying as the sake started affecting him.
"So what happened to Sano anyway, he's chest is completely bandaged," Yahiko asked as he observed the two drunken men.
"He has several cuts on his chest and stomach from a fight with the men who were chasing you. It didn't help that a few days ago he took Misao with him and got into a brawl with another group of men. How about you Yahiko, how are you doing?" Megumi watched Yahiko as he gazed down into his sake.
"Apart from my shoulder I'm fine, why do you ask?" Yahiko didn't look up but he knew Megumi was watching him like a hawk.
"Just that both Sano and Ken-san appear to be holding something back when I asked about you," Yahiko's eyes darkened slightly as his stare seemed to intensify.
"I didn't think that Sano would be able to hide it from Kenshin," Yahiko muttered as he finished his cup of sake and refilled it.
"Uncooperative like most men," Megumi complained as Yahiko didn't respond. "How about you Uki? I should have turned to woman first if I wanted a good conversation," a stunned Uki blankly stared back at Megumi.
"Umm… what would you like to know?" Uki uncertainly asked as Megumi refilled her cup. Sano and his dad were acting as if they were the best of friends having lost count of how much they had drunk. Yahiko had taken a bottle of sake to a corner where he was brooding and Outa was watching the older male members of his family with his back to his sister so he could sneak a few more drinks without her knowledge.
"I don't know, are you married, what do you do, those sorts of things," Megumi wasn't quite sure what she wanted to know but she didn't want to sit silently drinking.
"I got married a couple of years ago, he's a silk trader named Watanabe Yukio. He's on a business trip to Nagoya at the moment which is why Outa and I are here," Uki decided that Megumi shouldn't drink alone so she filled up her cup with sake.
"But I thought Outa was supposed to go to Tokyo after you got married," Megumi could see that Uki did not share that sentiment.
"Sanosuke said he should go but I wouldn't let him. I don't think I have much choice now," Uki watched a slightly forlornly as Outa laughed at Sano's antics. "What about you? Are you married and how did you meet my brother?" Uki sipped her sake as she looked expectantly at Megumi.
"I'm not married, I'm too busy working at my clinic in Aizu. I have been staying in Tokyo because an old doctor friend died and left me his clinic but I haven't found anyone to take it over." Megumi sipped at her sake hoping to avoid the topic of Sano.
"What about Sanosuke? You don't seem to be the type of person who would associate with someone like him," Uki watched Megumi's face as she smiled weakly.
"I guess, we didn't meet in the best of circumstances, he had plenty of reasons to hate me and he appeared to for a while. Strangely enough, he still saved my life even though he had no real reason for doing so. I never asked him why he did that," Megumi watched Sano wistfully as he wrestled with his father for the last bottle of sake.
"You like him," Uki mumbled so that only Megumi could hear.
"It's not that easy, he's different from before. He used to be a young, arrogant, fearless street fighter who didn't back down to anyone usually at great personal expense. Now he's matured and seems to be trying to start a new life but there is something else about him. He's lost something or maybe he appears lost, I don't really know but there is something wrong that I can't quite figure out." Megumi studied Sano as he continued the tussle over the last sake bottle.
"You seem to see more than I do, I just see a idiot of a man who is my brother but I guess he was always like that. I must have been too young to see it then and I really don't know him now." Uki was also watching the wrestle but had a distant, regretful tone to her voice.
"We'll be leaving in the morning but if you have time you should come to Tokyo. I don't think Sano is going to wander off and you'll be able to meet the other people at the dojo while Outa trains." Uki stared up at Megumi with a doubtful smile.
"I don't think Sanosuke would like that," Uki mused as the battle for the last bottle of sake ended with the bottle being broken.
"It doesn't matter if he likes it or not, he won't turn you away and if he does you can rely on the people at the dojo to change his mind." Megumi sighed as Sano and his dad started wrestling over who was at fault for losing the last bottle of sake.
"Thank you Megumi-san but shouldn't we stop them," Uki watched the two men with apprehension but Megumi looked unconcerned as she stood up.
"No, let them be. They'll get tired of it eventually so we might as well get some sleep." Megumi went to the other room not looking back at the struggle going on behind her. Uki was more hesitant but eventually followed Megumi. That left the drunken Sano and Kamishimoemon wrestling while Outa cheered them on and a gloomy Yahiko watched from a corner.
Yahiko didn't know what woke him but he felt that something was wrong. The room was filled with shadows but nothing was moving apart from the rise and fall of the two other occupant's chests as they slept. Yahiko quickly noticed that Sano was no longer in the room and climbed to his feet with the aid of his sword. The side effects of the sake quickly evaporated as his mind shifted into battle mode and he slipped out into the cool, still night. He scanned the surrounding area not exactly sure what he was looking for but knowing he'd understand once he saw it.
Inexplicably he found himself draw in a direction which took him into a nearby forest. He walked cautiously but he didn't know why he felt on edge until he heard some noises. The further he went the louder the noises became until they became the distinct sounds of destruction and yelling. Yahiko felt no need to rush since he could only hear one voice and he already knew who it was. However as Sano came into sight Yahiko stood still with a mixture of awe and fear.
Sano stood among the remanent of boulders that had already been destroyed. His body was tense and his dark eyes seemed ablaze with rage as she launched forward at large rocky outcrop. He struck first with his right fist then his right elbow, right knee and right foot. He continued to spin and then struck with his left foot, left knee, left elbow and finally his left fist. He ended the eight hit Futae-no-Kiwami combo ready to start again but stood still as he caught his breath. Yahiko suddenly felt a hot breeze spring up and the leaves that fluttered around Sano began to snap. Sano then let out a bellowing roar as he dropped to his knees while at the same time punching the ground.
"Strong," murmured Kamishimoemon from just behind Yahiko but he was too transfixed on Sano to look back. From the four contact points of Sano's fists and knees came circular waves of the Futae-no-Kiwami. They expanded and merged, reinforcing each other as they spread out from Sano, disintegrating everything within twenty feet. As the dust settled a concave surface had formed on the rock outcrop where Sano's attack had lost its power. Sano stood up still breathing heavily as his skin glistened with sweat.
"Wow," breathed Outa who was standing next to his father. The small expression of admiration drew Sano's attention and he glared over his shoulder at them. His eyes had darkened to almost black but they seemed to shimmer with a shard of blue. Yahiko had seen a similar sight several times in Kenshin's eyes and it sent a cold shiver up his spine. Sano quickly turned away and took several cleansing breaths before he turned back but his eyes were still closed. He walked up to and crouched in front of Outa opening his eyes, which had returned to their normal colour.
"That was some variations on the Futae-no-Kiwami, an attack that is the pinnacle of destruction. When you get a little bigger I'll teach it to you so that you won't be defenceless even if you have no sword." Sano patted Outa on the head and then stood and walked past them, back towards the house.
"You looked like you were exorcising some personal demons, you feeling better now?" Kamishimoemon stared at the back of his eldest son but Sano didn't turn around.
"I only held them back for a little while. If I could rid myself of them just by smashing a few rocks they wouldn't be demons." Sano's voice was sombre and he was about to continue walking when his father spoke again.
"If you ever need help, you know you can ask me," Kamishimoemon's sincere offer made Sano look back over his shoulder.
"You can't help me with this one old man," Sano voice was despondent but he had a crooked smile on his face. He paused a moment before he turned and continued back to the house.
"Don't worry about him, there's someone in Tokyo who can help him, even if he doesn't want it," Yahiko started to follow Sano with Kamishimoemon and Outa behind him.
"I suppose this person is going to help you as well," Kamishimoemon couldn't see Yahiko's face but his head dropped as he walked and his voice was downcast.
"Probably but unlike Sano I want his help. I didn't know how to talk to him but now Sano has probably told him everything I don't need to worry about that. Although I doubt everything can be solved by a simple discussion," Yahiko reached the door to the house to find Sano waiting there.
"Come on, we've got an early start and I don't want to hear Fox complaining all day about how we should have had a good nights sleep." Sano opened the door and entered without waiting for the others to respond.
"So what is the relationship between that idiot and the good looking doctor?" Kamishimoemon asked Yahiko after stopping him from entering.
"They would deny that there's anything between them but everyone else who knows then thinks otherwise," Yahiko whispered back but Sano still heard them.
"You guys should mind your own business," Sano hissed at them as they entered the house.
"A man can dream of having a grandson, can't he?" Sano's only response was to give his father a despairing look. He then took his blanket and curled up facing the wall and away from the other smug looking people in the room.
Author's Note: Constructive criticism is always welcome, either by email or review. Of course you can only do that if you've read this far and are reading this, I guess that's wishful thinking on my part.