Heart Of The Battousai
Chapter 6 - Sparring Match
"It can't be..."
"Kenshin, are you ok? Do you know who this is?" Sanosuke asked looking at the stranger
"T... Tamaiya?"
She smiled brightly and giggled, "Yep, it's me, that it is."
Kenshin smiled and knelt down, holding out his arms, "Come here you."
Tamaiya ran to him and jumped into his open arms, hugging him tightly as he stood up, lifting her off the ground, "I can't believe it's you, I've missed you so much, that I have."
"I've missed you too, Daddy, that I have."
"Hey um... Kenshin!"
They looked over at the others and saw the confused looks on their faces as they watched the pair, "Ok, first of all, what is going on and how the hell do you know Kenshin, kid?" Sanosuke asked impatiently.
Kenshin smiled and set her down, "This is my daughter, Sano."
"Daughter!" everyone asked shocked
"I didn't know you had kids!"
"Well I do, as you can see, Yahiko, and I can explain, that I can..."
Kaoru smiled and shushed him, "You don't have to explain Kenshin, we can guess what happened. So was this the friend that you were going to see?"
"Yes, I... didn't really know how to tell you so I just... thought I'd go get her, that I did."
"Well she beat you to it, so what's your name little one?"
Tamaiya smiled and bowed slightly to Kaoru, "I'm Tamaiya Himura, that I am."
"You know me, I'm Kaoru, those two are over there are just the troublemakers."
Tamaiya smiled, "Nice to meet all of you, that it is."
"So you're... Kenshin's daughter?" Yahiko asked
"Yes, why do you seem so upset?"
"Well... Kenshin's never mentioned you to us and we just figured that he didn't have any family since he was a wanderer and all."
"Well he does."
"Yes I do, now, Tamaiya, why don't you explain to me how you got all the way out here by yourself?"
"Well, I... ran away with the help of one of my friends and I asked around and found out that you lived here in Tokyo. I got a couple of rides from people in carriages and I walked the rest of the way, that I did, I guess being a wanderer came in handy, huh Daddy?"
"Indeed it did."
"Well Tamaiya, you're more than welcome to stay here, any family of Kenshin's is part of our family." Kaoru said cheerfully, ruffling her hair
"Thank you, Miss Kaoru."
"Oh man, you mean I have to put up with another annoying girl?" Yahiko asked slightly annoyed
"What's wrong with girls?" Tamaiya asked
"Nothing except that they're loud and weird and most can't even fight."
"I can fight, that I can."
"Really? Do you know swordsmanship?"
"A little."
"You want to spar then?"
"I wouldn't do that, Yahiko, that I wouldn't, Tamaiya's not as timid as she looks, that she isn't."
"What are saying Kenshin?" Yahiko asked glaring at him
"I'm just saying that Tamaiya might hurt you, Yahiko, and I..."
Kenshin was cut off when Yahiko hit him on the head with his wooden sword, getting the swirly eyes and a pitiful 'oro' from the red head as he fumed at him, "I'd never lose to a girl, Kenshin!"
"Hey, you can't hit my father like that, that you can't!"
"I hit him all the time and so does everyone else, he lets us."
"That's not the point, that it isn't, now apologize or you will regret your actions, that you will."
"Are you challenging me?"
"No, my father taught me to never fight for personal game, there's no reason for us to fight, that there isn't, just apologize to my father and I'll drop the matter, that I will."
"No way, I didn't even hurt him!"
"That doesn't matter..."
"Let's settle this then, come on, I can take you on!"
"Yahiko, if she doesn't want to fight then she doesn't have to fight." Kaoru intervened
Kenshin smiled and tapped the little girl's shoulder, "Tamaiya?"
"Yes Daddy?"
"Go ahead and spar with him, Yahiko's just as stubborn as you are, that he is, just don't be too hard on him, ok?"
"Yes sir."
Tamaiya took off her robe and Yahiko saw that she had a deep blue gi and a white hakama on underneath. She reached up to put her hair up into a ponytail, her sleeves falling back to reveal strong arms, defined slightly by muscle from training. Once she had her hair up she turned to Kaoru and smiled, "May I borrow your sword, Miss Kaoru?"
"Sure, have fun."
"There's no enjoyment in fighting, that there isn't but sometimes it must be done."
Tamaiya went out into the yard with Yahiko and Kaoru turned to Kenshin with worried eyes, "Are you sure this is ok, Kenshin?"
"Yes, she'll be fine, Miss Kaoru, just watch."
"My bet's on Tamaiya." Sanosuke said playfully
Yahiko look in front of him at his opponent and smiled, "You should know that I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl."
"I don't expect you to, that I don't, nor do I wish for you to. When I fight I want to know that I defeated my opponent at his full strength."
"Gosh, she sounds so much like Kenshin it's scary, but that doesn't matter, there's no way that I'm going to lose to her."
"Here I go!"
Yahiko charged at her but she only side-stepped and he flew by her. He spun back around and thrust at her stomach but again she side-stepped and let him go by her, but this time she brought her sword down onto the back of his head, knocking him to the ground, "Is this the extent of your abilities, Yahiko? You have to do better than that if you want to beat me, that you do. If you continue fighting me like you are now then you won't stand a chance against me, that you won't."
"Oh shut up! I'm going to beat you with the next attack, no more holding back!"
Tamaiya smiled slightly, "So you were holding back? That's ok, since you're not holding back anymore I'm not either."
She stood up straight and shut her eyes for a brief moment before looking up at Yahiko with cold, blank eyes, "Come."
"Fine!"
Yahiko came at her and thrust out but just as he was about to hit her she disappeared, "Where'd she go?"
Kenshin chuckled and pointed upwards towards the sky, "I'd move and look above you, Yahiko, that I would."
Yahiko looked up and saw Tamaiya up in the air as high as the roof and coming down fast, "Ready Yahiko? Ryu Tsui Sen!"
Her sword came down and hit him directly on top of the head and he fell to the ground, semi-conscious from the blow. Tamaiya shook her head and handed the sword back to Kaoru, "Here's your sword, Miss Kaoru."
"Thanks."
Just as Kaoru took it into her hands it snapped in two, getting a blush from Tamaiya, "Sorry about that, I guess I didn't hold back enough."
"Hold on, kid, you held back?" Sanosuke asked with a laugh
"Yes, I didn't mean to break the sword and I didn't really mean to hurt Yahiko either, that I didn't."
"Oh he's fine, he's been hit harder than that, his ego's just hurt is all." Kaoru giggled.
Sanosuke went up and patted her on the head, "You really nailed him, you must be Kenshin's kid, hey... could you hit him again?"
Kenshin laughed, "Sano, let her alone, she's never had to fight before, that she hasn't."
"You've never fought before!"
"Well... I've sparred with my Daddy once or twice, that I have, but that's about it."
"Dang! No wonder you can fight."
They heard a groan and looked over to see Yahiko making his way over, glaring at Tamaiya as he did so, "That hurt!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to, that I didn't, do you forgive me?"
Tamaiya gave him the puppy dog eyes and he sighed, "Yeah I guess so, good match, I'm Yahiko Myojin."
"Nice to meet you, Yahiko, that it is."
They shook hands and Kaoru cooed loudly, "Oh how cute!"
Yahiko turned around and made a strange face at his instructor, "Shut up, Kaoru, I know I can beat you, Ugly!"
"What did you call me!"
They started arguing and Tamaiya looked to the ground, getting Kenshin's attention, "What's wrong, Tamaiya?"
"I have a bad feeling, that I do."
"Don't worry, if anything happens I'll be here to protect you, that I will."
"I know... hey um... Daddy?"
"Yes?"
Tamaiya leaned up and whispered in his ear, pointing to Sanosuke as she did so, "Who's the man that patted me on the head?"
"Oh that's Sano, he's easy to recognize."
"How so?"
"Because he's the only rooster around here, that he is."
Tamaiya giggled as Sanosuke glared at his friend, "What do you mean by rooster, Kenshin!"