Chapter 11: Suspicion
Morning once again came too early, but Kaoru crawled out from under her blankets and stood, faking her readiness for battle. The soreness in her arms had faded quite a bit, though there was still a bit of pain.
After being led out to the dark training field, she discovered that the punching bags of sorts had been removed, and they were now standing in an empty field like they were when the first arrived.
"Today," Shoji said in the haughty, business way he usually did, "you will be training with your weapons. Try not to hurt anybody too badly. Megumi-san is here to help the injured."
Megumi was sitting on the steps, looking rather angry at Shoji. Kaoru figured that since Megumi tended to hold a grudge, she'd be like this for a few days. They didn't get along usually, but truth be told, Megumi was her closest friend.
"Don't go all out like a madman please," Shoji told them, though his eyes glanced at Kenshin who looked very offended by the remark and took hold of his sakabatou. "Try and learn some skills. If you've never been taught, try and learn from the people around you…" He yawned and plopped down next to Megumi. "Begin."
Kaoru wasn't sure what type of training this was, sending all the men into a frenzy of unplanned battle with anyone they caught sight of. It was fairly unorthodox, but she supposed that maybe this would help… after all, most battles in the Bakumatsu weren't planned either.
She sensed someone approaching and took hold of the katana she'd been given. It took her a lot longer to draw than most, since she never carried an actual blade, and her arms were sore, but she swung it out and blocked an attack from…
"Saitou…" She whispered, horrified.
"Allow me to teach you a few things, boy," He said, pulling his blade back and slashing at her.
Trying to remain calm, she kept Kenshin's fight with him in mind, remembering his moves and trying to judge the best way to avoid and counter them.
She managed to dodge the first swipe without injury, but the second one left a scratch on her shoulder as she ran. Her moves weren't fast enough with the heavy sword instead of her lightweight boken.
In defense, she swung up, and the two blades crashed against each other.
Saitou smirked. "You fight fairly well. It's almost as if… you've done it before."
Was he on to her?
She broke the clash and jumped back. "I'm just a quick learner," She told him in her toughest voice, "like the fact that I now know how you're impossible to get along with."
"Honestly," He said, coming at her. "You could come up with something better than that, right?"
"Lay off," She said. "I just woke up."
"A warrior must be ready for anything," Saitou told her, clashing blades with her again. "Like the fact that not everyone is going to go easy on you."
"I said I was tired, not stupid, Hajime-sensei," She said, turning her blade and breaking his stance. She'd learned that move from watching Kenshin. She hoped he was watching, and that he'd be impressed.
"Maybe you've watched a lot of fights?" Saitou questioned, raising his eyebrows, and looking fairly entertained. "You can't honestly say you've never in your life been taught swordsmanship or done any of it."
"Sure can," She lied. She definitely couldn't tell him honestly, but after all the lying, she'd become quite good at it and look the part. It wasn't as hard to lie to Saitou as it was to her friends.
"Oh, so you ARE a liar," He said, his wolfish eyes glittering.
"What?" She yelped as he passed her, leaving a scratch on her face.
As she turned around, he was right in front of her, so close that she almost bumped into him. She hadn't ever noticed just how tall he was until now.
"I was leader of the third squadron of the Shinsengumi, and you actually expect me to believe the nonsense you're putting out?" He leaned over so that they could meet eye to eye. "Okita Soji was the only man with that kind of skill on his first try, and you've got a long way to go before you catch up to him."
She couldn't believe it. She'd been using Kamiya Kasshin-ryu and watching sword battles for years now, and she was only up to the level of Okita Soji in his earliest years. Yes, he was a prodigy, but it was painful to know that she didn't stand a chance against Saitou. She'd been hit twice when he was going easy on her.
"I've seen a lot of fights, but I've never actually been in one," She told him, trying to look as truthful and serious as she could.
"Why?" Saitou asked, grabbing her wrist and lifting her left hand. "Afraid you'll break a nail?"
She couldn't believe it…again.
He'd just let his guard down to mock her. Apparently, he didn't think of her as much of a threat.
She swung her weapon high in the air and brought it down on his shoulder, only to find his blade shove it away. Maybe he hadn't dropped his guard after all.
"I respect the fact that you put forth an effort, but you should probably go find someone else to fight who's more at your level, like Sagara."
She glared at him. Sano never used a sword. She knew darn well she was better at it than him.
Saitou walked away and stepped up next to Aoshi. "I see you're still just watching."
"Even the most skilled can't always tell right away," Aoshi responded blankly.
A man yelped and ran from the crowd, hands over his head… and collided with Kaoru full force.
When he looked down, he was hovering over her with his legs on either side of her, and his hands above her shoulders.
"Woah!" He cried, jumping up. "Talk about your awkward position. So sorry, are you okay?"
The man helped her up. He was taller than her and dressed in a black kimono with white hakama tied over it. His socks matched his shirt.
His brown hair had been tied up high in the back with white string and curled around his face in split ends. His face was quite youthful with bright green bambi-eyes.
"Um, I'm Tomi, and I'm really sorry," He told her, blushing in embarrassment.
She stared at him perplexedly for a long time. Who IS this guy?
"Um… I'm Kahei… Kasuhige Kahei," She told him.
"I'm Tomi… Oh, I already told you that, didn't I," He said, blushing even deeper. He seemed a bit uncomfortable.
"Yeah… you did… Are you just a young guy, new here?" She asked, expecting him to be about fifteen just like her persona and Yahiko.
"Actually, no…" He told her in his little voice that he'd been speaking with since the very beginning. "I'm twenty-six."
"WHA-! REALLY!" It was like Kenshin all over again. She had the urge to ask him if he used Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, but figured it was a no anyways.
"Yeah… heh… Weird, huh… Well, err--- bye-"
"Wait!"
"Huh?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"I need a training partner. I promise not to hurt you," She told him. Maybe she could teach him a few things. That would up her confidence level again, surely.
"Well… okay…" He said, drawing his blade. "You better not!"
"I promise," She told him. "I'm a beginner!" She giggled. Wow, lying came so naturally, she worried she wouldn't be able to break the habit after she left.
"All right…" He said, steadying his sword. "Here I come…"
He ran rather fast but clumsily and ended up tripping on his pants leg and falling on his face.
"Are you okay?" Kaoru asked, helping him to his feet.
"Sorry," He said, blushing and rubbing his neck. "I'm not very good at this."
That's for sure, Kaoru thought.
He chuckled slightly and picked up his dropped weapon. "I'm such a butterfingers. I can't hang on to anything, heh…"
Kaoru laughed. "That's because you're not holding it right."
"Oh… Can you show me?" He asked, his green eyes wide with wonder, as if she was speaking the logic from the heavens.
"Sure," She said and proceeded to teaching him the basics of holding a weapon.
After about five minutes, he had it down perfectly, though by this point, he seemed tired. The man had to have been the weakest person she'd ever met, but he was so sweet and kind with a cute smile that it didn't phase her a bit.
"I like you, Kahei-kun," He told her as he swung the weapon a bit. "You're one of the few guys who're nice to me here."
She clapped her blade against his. "I try. I guess it's best to have somebody to get along with in times of conflict, otherwise you're not ready to fight. Insults can really have a way of bringing you down if you don't have someone there to assure you that it's not true."
He agreed, jumping back and making another go at her. He didn't trip this time, and they actually started into combat for a few minutes.
"By the way, Tomi-kun," She told him, countering his attack and forcing him down onto the ground. "I like you too."
"Swell," He told her, beaming at her from the ground and panting.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you though," She jokingly threatened.
"I'm going to become stronger, I promise. This is my chance to become tough enough to protect what I have back at home. I can't keep being the weak little coward I've always been, heh-heh."
Kaoru helped him up. "What do you have at home?"
"My girlfriend," He blushed. "My koibito… she's waiting for me back in Tokyo. When I get home, I plan to make her mine forever… but you don't want to hear about that! It's girly!" He laughed proudly.
Well, I thought it was sweet, Kaoru thought. Then again, I AM a girl…I need to stop thinking like a girl.
His laugh transcended into a coughing fit, but he waved it off, still snickering a bit. "Sorry, sorry…" He coughed.
"Fujisaki, Tomi!" Megumi's voice called.
Tomi glanced up innocently as she approached. "You need to come with me now."
"Again?" He questioned sadly. "I'll… s-see you later, Kahei-kun."
…and he was gone.
-
When she arrived at the river, Tenka was already there with a fire started, cooking fish that he had bought from the market. He was overjoyed to see her when she arrived and waved for her to sit and eat with him before she bathed.
Who could say no after training like that, especially with nothing but a small bowl of rice waiting back at home?
He asked her questions about her day, wondering if it was good or not, if anyone was mad at her, if she made any new comrades and the like, and she answered happily. There was something about him that she knew she could trust, and intuition in her told her so.
"That drawing I did of you," He told her. "I sold it today."
"What? Really?" She exclaimed. "That fast!"
"People love beauty," Tenka said, waving his fish at her then taking a bite out of it, "and I love people who will pay me enough so I can buy fish."
"Did you feel obligated to share it with me or something?" She asked.
"-but of course, Kaoru-chan," Tenka chimed. "I'll continue to share if you pose for some more pictures for me. All I need is to do some sketches until I get the feel of it down, and then I can draw without a guide."
Kaoru leaned her back against a rock and sighed. "Kenshin's team doesn't come to the hot springs for another two hours… I almost wanted to go spy on him…"
"Kenshin…?" He questioned, wide-eyed.
"Ah!" Kaoru blushed. "Oh, don't listen to me! I'm just being silly!"
"This…" He said, smiling somewhat slyly, "this Kenshin person… You must be in love with him or something."
"No!… Well, yeah… I think…" She mumbled.
"Is Kenshin the only team leader you know?" Tenka asked.
"Oh, no. There's Aoshi's team, and then I'm stuck on Saitou's team," She grumbled.
"Really…?" He said, sounding half-interested. His eyes glittered. His voice portrayed only part of the fascination his eyes played.
"Yeah," Kaoru said, chomping down on one of the fish, not noticing.
He closed his eyes and smiled brightly. "Aoshi, Saitou, and Kenshin. That sounds like a crackpot team. Who tells them what to do?"
"Oh… Shoji-SAMA," She said, rolling her eyes.
The color drained from his face. "Shoji!" He regained his composure before she caught on that he'd even lost it. "Well…"
She waited for him to finish, but when he didn't, she shrugged and finished her meal, then went out to bathe in the still freezing water.
Well, this is definitely an interesting turn of events… He thought, writing some words down on the page opposite of his exquisite sketches of Kaoru. Yes… indeed…