BAM! Betta Chapter! Well, at least I hope…did I sound guilty when I said that or what?
Review? Ideas? Don't yell at me?
"Ayame I think my arms will fall off if I carry you again," Ama laughed patting the girl's hand. The little girl pouted and turned to Sanosuke.
"No way kid," he sighed. "I already have Suzume up here and there ain't enough room." She pouted again making her sister laugh. "The only reason you're up there is because you promised not to mess with my hair. So don't forget it."
"Ok!" she laughed kicking her feet. They were back in the town and nearing the Kamiya School. On the way back, instead of battle stories, Ama had told ancient myths and legends to the girls. Some were from the western world; she explained that an old friend of hers was from America and he shared most of the stories with her. They involved fearsome beasts and brave men and women, similar to Japanese legend, but the heroes reminded Sano of people he knew. Like Kenshin or Aoshi, even himself at times. Suddenly the small child yelled out, "Uncle Kenny!"
"Glad to see you four got back safe and sound," Kenshin smiled picking up Ayame.
"Why's that?" Amaterasu asked sitting on the steps of the house, "You sound like there might be danger in the streets."
The two girls ran of again seeing their grandpa, and decide to go inside and get a snack from Kaoru. Kenshin looked at both Sanosuke and Ama explaining, "The man that Dr. Gensai attended to was attacked by someone wandering the city skirts. We don't know what he looks like or anything except that he was very strong. The police are going to watch the city to make sure no one suspicious comes in."
"I have a good remedy for that," Sano scowled punching his fists together. Ama rose lowering his hands.
"I doubt that's a good idea. We'd just be attracting attention into the city," she warned. If she was right, even if she had just made a guess, this stranger could be more dangerous than they believed. "I think we should wait the night out, and maybe, MAYBE, check things out in the morning." Sano opened his mouth to argue but Kenshin nodded.
"That's a good idea that it is," he agreed. "Come on Sano, you and Miss Sorayookami can stay here the night." He led them inside, Ama earning a glare from Sanosuke, and showed them to spare rooms.
Night hung thickly on the dojo, so a dark figure took it to their advantage. They crept across the courtyard blending in with the night and shadows. Once they reached the streets, they clung to walls hid so well not even the great Battousai might be able to find them. As they ran through the streets, a large figure came into view at the end. The creeping figure stopped leaping onto a roof to hide easier.
The looming figure carried a large sword, a zanbatou.
Sanosuke's zanbatou.
The zanbatou he had forgotten to rebury after his fight.
The looming figure smirked as he walked along the empty road searching for foolish victims to pummel. The man he attacked earlier was easy prey, but he wanted something more. A certain fighter he had heard of from his employer was somewhere here. And from what he was told, this would be an interesting fight indeed.
The person on the roof watched with cold eyes. They were not welcome on these streets of peace. Looking down into a nearby window, they saw a small child sleeping with the mother in peace and perfection. No, the carrier of the sword could NOT be here. And wouldn't be for long. They jumped down behind them whistling sharply.
"Huh?" He turned a grinned. Perfect. "And what do you want?" No reply was given, but the mysterious shadow just stood there for a moment longer. "Answer me! Or feel my wrath!"
"Wrath." They took off past the sword carrier and ran through the street slow enough to keep the chaser on the run. When they made it to the edge of the city limits the figure disappeared. Looking around, the man with the zanbatou growled in a deep voice.
"Dammit! Where'd they go?" he hissed, crooked yellow teeth protruding from his lips. He looked up seeing a small piece of paper gently drift to the ground. He snatched it from the air reading it aloud. "Stay out. Wait for the midday sun. Perhaps your prey will be willing then.
"Érsu," the man smiled crumpling the paper. "Perfect."
"Good morning Miss Karou," Ama smiled stepping into the room she was training in. "I see you and Yahiko are hard at work." The two stopped long enough to greet her and went back to their training. Ama smiled sadly, it was a good thing to see two that were like brother and sister training together. She knew from experience that the knowledge passed both ways, from sister to brother and brother to sister.
"Hey Amaterasu?" Yahiko asked taking a break. "Where did you learn that staff fighting?"
Her gray eyes lit up; she liked this question, because nobody ever asked her. "When I was about your age I used to run off from my guardian's home. Almost every week. One day I had gotten over fifty miles away," Yahiko and Karou's eyes lit up in shock, "and I crashed into an old blind woman. Let's just say that she was well acquainted with another group of fighters and saw the same look in my eyes she saw in theirs."
"How could she if she was blind?" Kaoru asked.
"She couldn't," Ama laughed. "But that's what she said. So she told me I needed to learn something I'd actually be able to put to good use. So she taught me a few things and I added in my own techniques I learned form my father and uncle." She picked up a broom that rested in the corner of the room. She lightly held it in one hand and began to balance it on a single finger as she talked, "Although a sword may be better suited for a real fight, I prefer the staff. Mainly because – "
"No one expects a blind woman to attack," Kenshin's voice finished. Ama turned around and smiled spinning the broom around two fingers before putting it back. Yahiko and Kaoru both stood amazed; she may not use a weapon like a sword or knife but she was dangerous nonetheless. If it weren't for Kenshin's influence on him, Yahiko might have considered learning staff fighting. Then again, most likely he would have quit that and jumped back to sword fighting. "I made some breakfast for you all, if you want to come in and have it."
"Alright!" Yahiko sheered putting his sword away like lightening and running to go eat. Kaoru moved slowly, but she also hurried to go and eat. Ama smiled at the scene playing out around her; it seemed to be going in slow motion and she smiled leaning on the doorframe and letting it play out. Everyone had left the room when she snapped out of it, and the only reason she did was because of a sound from behind her.
"Where is everybody?" Ama spun around seeing Sanosuke walking in groggy and then nearly stumbled as he came into the room. He smiled at Ama crookedly, "So you did stay the night. Where's everyone else?"
She led him by the arm to the place where everyone had settled to eat, "Waiting for you to roll out of bed." He grunted in response and slumped into a seat next to Kaoru and Ama. Kenshin set down the last tray of steaming food before them. Ama chuckled as everyone's eyes drooled for the food, "Early risers make the best cooks."
"Ain't that the truth," Sano grinned digging in. Both he and Yahiko ate with the same amount of vigor that Ama could only stare in shock. Kaoru picked on them for it, while Kenshin ate with the same slow and polite movements as Ama. He caught this and merely nodded to himself; it was customary for most samurai's and their families to be trained in etiquette and manners, so he was not surprised by how Amaterasu conducted herself. She had graceful moves, she rarely smiled except when she deemed it necessary, and she ate only small mouthfuls and they were very discreet. So discreet that Sanosuke didn't even realize she had eaten until she set her bowl and chopsticks down thanking Kenshin for the meal. She rose to her feet. "Where are you going?"
"Just a walk," she answered. She stopped just short of the door and turned back, "It's been many years since I've been to Tokyo, so I wanted to see how much ahs changed. Thank again for the meal Mr. Himura." With that, she was gone.
"She's pretty strange," Yahiko scoffed. "I mean, with all her secrecy and being quiet and then running off for a walk. What a weirdo."
"Look who's talking," Sanosuke and Kaoru teased.
Amaterasu wandered the early morning streets smiling inside. How many weeks has it been since I've been in a big city? Too much time in the woods and not enough around real people I suppose. She wove her way around the market place taking in all the smells and sounds and smells and sights and smells…
"What IS that smell?" she giggled out loud. Ever since she began training without the use of her eyes all of her other senses were heightened, especially her sense of smell. Taking a slow, deep breath, she found the place where it was coming from. Sweet, but very strong and musk like, similar to the sweets her father would cook her as a child.
"Papa!" Amaterasu squealed running through their home. "Papa! Papa!"
"In here Tera," he called laughing. Her tiny little legs ran into the kitchen finding her father. Instead of sweeping her up in his arms, he placed a finger to his lips and winked. She clung to his leg biting on the edge of her thumb. He was mixing things in a fry pan, "Don't wake up your mother. I wanted to surprise her since she was taking such good care of your brother."
Amaterasu nodded and watched her father work; he hardly ever cooked, so she never knew if it was even possible. He was rolling a small dough ball around in the fry pan, which as slick with a mixture of grease and sugar. The sweet smell hit little Ama's nose and made her smile, sweet things were always a good thing. "Papa?"
"Yes my Little Wolf," he chuckled using her pet name. She dislodged her thumb and peered into the pan.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Secret recipe," he laughed bopping her nose. After he rolled the ball around in it, the small white dough had turned golden brown. Once he did that, her father picked it up and quickly tossed it into a bowl filled with spices. They were musky and made Ama sneeze when she tried to inhale them in. He ruffled her messy hair before beginning again on another one. He stopped halfway and turned to her, "Come on, you make some. I'll guide you through it."
So together they made a batch of at least a dozen of the little round sweet, at least four became burnt because of Ama's inexperience. Just before they finished, her baby brother crawled into the room giggling and gurgling. Amaterasu dutifully picked him up; even for such a small child she was strong when it came to her brother. He smiled when she lifted him and pulled lightly on her cheeks. Her father turned to her with the tray in hand, "You two cubs better get going. Let's go surprise mother."
"Mama!" her brother squealed bouncing in her arms. Once they had awaken her, the four sat together eating the sweet breakfast treats, Ama made sure she ate the burnt ones since she assumed they had more spices.
"Excuse me," she asked the vendor selling the food that had brought back such memories. "You wouldn't happen to have any burnt ones would you?"
"Now why would a nice woman like you want the burned ones," the vendor laughed getting a warm tray filled with burnt ones. "If you actually want to pay for one I'll be willing, but I usually don't sell them to others."
"I like them better," she chuckled handing him a generous sum of money. "Keep up the business, if I'm ever in town with friends you'd make a killing."
He handed over the treats with a heartfelt smile, "If I had more business like you I could buy my own restaurant. Have a nice day." She nodded and continued on her way smiling uncontrollably with her package in hand.
"Miss Sorayookami has been gone a long time that she has," Kenshin sighed handing Sanosuke a sheet. Sano reached up hanging it along the line that was set almost too high for Kenshin to reach. "What was it exactly that happened when we returned to the dojo yesterday Sano?"
He sighed hanging up a shirt that he was passed. "We got attacked, six guys, no big threat. One we caught acted like someone had sent them after us. I don't like it, and I'm worried we got ourselves another Megumi on our hands."
"I wouldn't say that Sano, she's very capable of protecting herself. Fighting you has proven that much." Kenshin could not get over this woman's style; what was it and why did he seem to recognize it? Perhaps because her family was with the Imperialists?
"Whatever, but she's just not exactly your everyday average girl," the gang fighter muttered. "Speaking of the Fox woman, where is Megumi? I thought you said she was coming over for lunch?"
"That's correct," Kenshin nodded. "I thought Kaoru invited her, she should have been here already, that she should." The men exchanged glances fearing the worst based off the experience alone. At the same time they ran to the gate, both running down the street to where Megumi lived. "I hope she is safe."
"I hope the no one hired the damned Oniwanban Group again!" Sano added.
Megumi carried a small pail of Ohaki that she was bringing to the Kamiya Dojo as she walked down the street. Suddenly she heard a sound behind her, so she spun around in shock. Behind her a large commotion was chasing people from their shops and they all scattered from sight. Megumi slowly approached the street where the people were running from to make sure no one was hurt. What she found was an emptying street and a large man bellowing and lumbering about. He yelled again and started down another alley. Megumi spun around and tried to collaborate her thoughts, "I should go warn Kenshin and Sanosuke."
As she started back down the street she came, which had also emptied, she was stopped short as the man cut her off. He turned toward her leering, "Hello lovely. Where are you going?"
She started to back away realizing she was caught. "None of your business you brute!" Just because he was big didn't mean she was going to back down.
"Watch your mouth bitch!" he snapped. He raised his arm to backhand her, but someone else called out.
"Look out!" a woman's voice shouted. Megumi was slammed into from the side and was knocked to the ground just in time to miss the blow. When she brushed her green locks away, she saw a girl snap to her feet raising a fighting staff. "Stay back!"
"Or what?" the beast muttered. "You'll poke me?"
"Or you will miss your appointment!" the girl with black hair shouted. Megumi caught a side-glance of her, seeing her in boys' clothes and with a sack tied to her waist's belt. The man seemed interested by the threat and grinned an ugly, toothy grin.
"And how exactly do you know about that?" he leered. In Megumi's opinion, the girl was very brave or very stupid.
She narrowed her gray eyes, "Because Aersu wanted me to come and make sure you didn't start anything stupid. Don't get into a fight you'll loose before you get into a fight with your opponent!" She turned over her shoulder to Megumi, "What are you waiting for? Get out of here! It's too dangerous!"
"Look who's talking!" she snapped back scrambling to her feet. Snatching up the pail of Ohaki, she backed up further along the road, pleased that the brute had ignored her now. "I have friends, I'll make sure they get here to help!"
"Don't need them," she laughed. Laughter? This girl has to be crazier than Sanosuke! Wait, if she doesn't want their help… Her eyes lit up and a smile began to creep onto her face, "Unfortunately, if you wish to make your appointment, you'll have to follow me!" With that, she ran past the monster and out towards the edge of town.
Megumi started back for the dojo, but she didn't even get ten feet down without spotting Sanosuke and Kenshin running for her. Kenshin screamed, "Miss Takani, you're alive, that your are!"
"Where've you been?" Sansouke asked stopping short in front of her. Megumi pointed over her shoulder to where the beast was disappearing.
"There's a girl being attacked! You have to go help her!" she explained.
"What girl?" Kenshin asked.
"She's in all black, and she carried a staff," Megumi recalled. Both Sanosuke and Kenshin exchanged glances of worry.
"Amaterasu's in another fight?" Sanosuke asked to no one in particular.
Megumi watched as they ran off down the street, "Wait! Who's Amaterasu? Why would she be fighting? Come back here you idiots!"
Oh lordy that was so filler it was scary……but obviously there's a fight scene coming!!!
Review as always my (hopefully) loyal fans