CHANCES ARE . . .
(X MARKS THE SPOT)
By: TREASURE
CHAPTER 8 Moving On'Megumi-chan, aren't you ready yet?'
'Nee- san, I'm almost ready! Just trying to fit my newest kimono in my bag!'
'Hurry up will you?' Tomoe ordered her sister. 'The train for Edo would be leaving at noon and we must hurry to catch it.'
'Hai!'
The two young ladies, hurriedly close their small house and went to the next door neighbor and told them that they're on their way to Edo. Tomoe did not elaborate the purpose of their trip, just thanked the neighbor who had wished them a safe journey.
They have traveled light. Personal belongings were wrapped in one meter by one-meter cloth, which they tied up two diagonal ends together which serve as lock; and the other two diagonal ends as sling or strap so they could carry the bunch a la messenger bag style.
Occasionally, Tomoe and Megumi would check on their notes, without having to look at the map. They have memorized the poem on the map and tried to picture in their mind's eye the great wealth they would be amassing once they've located the treasure site.
Their journey would last almost one whole day to their destination.
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Yahiko's animosity towards Kaoru continued. He felt that Kenshin should have chosen him instead of that busu to be his assistant. But no, Kenshin always treat him as a child and not as a grown up!
'Hyaaa! Hyaaa!' Yahiko swings his bokken forward in tune with each right footstep. He swings and swings his bokken until he lost count. He is doing it mechanically, his mind off to something.
'Yahiko, Yahiko!' Kaoru called his attention.
Yahiko stopped at the sudden distraction.
'What do you want?'
'You are not focusing your attention! Look at your bokken! The tip is now smashed like an old paintbrush, hitting the dojo wall! Kenshin would surely ask what happened here!'
'You can tell him for all I care!' Yahiko yelled and ran to his room like a spoiled brat.
'Yahiko!' Kaoru whispered under her breath.
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'Why so gloomy Yahiko?'
'This is nothing Sano, its just not fair that Kenshin had given the Dojo assistant job to busu! It should have been me!'
'Don't fret about it kid! It had always been fun outside than inside that confining dojo! What do you say we make some 'treasure maps again?' Sano rumpled the kid's hair.
'If you want me to have some fun with you, stop calling me kid! I'll go to your place after I'm finished with my business with busu!'
'I won't do anything stupid if I were you!' Sano warn Yahiko as the kid walk towards the dojo.
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'Yahiko' Kaoru called 'Dinner is ready. I think we should eat now, Kenshin would not be back till tomorrow afternoon.'
'Why doesn't he tell me things now? Why does he let his messages pass through you and not directly to me? You're not wife!
'Yahiko-chan!'
Yahiko flared and hit Kaoru with his bokken. It landed straight to her left shoulder. Yahiko strike again, this time she managed to dodge the attack, but her shoulder hurts like hell. Yahiko's strike had been forceful and now, here he comes again aiming straight at her forehead.
'Yahiko – stop!' Kaoru yelled at him.
But Yahiko seemed to be in the trance of anger. Realizing this, Kaoru jumped to her feet and managed to get hold of a stick broom and fight off Yahiko's strikes with it. When she found an opening, she quickly swipes the soft end of the broom over his face.
Yahiko stopped and seemed to have woken up from the trance. Seeing what he had done to Kaoru, he tossed his bokken and ran out of the kitchen, out of the compound.
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It was late afternoon the next day that Yahiko decided to comeback at the dojo. No he would not apologize to that busu, but would confront Kenshin about the decision he had made.
He round the back to see who else is at the dojo at that time. He would not let Kaoru speak ill of him. He would show Kenshin that this girl is a weakling and unfit to be the dojo's assistant master.
But was he too late? He heard voices and he knew that one of them is Kaoru. He pressed his ear against the thin wall of the kitchen.
'Don't worry about me Kenshin. My shoulder would heal in no time. I was so clumsy that I have no idea that that chopping board would fall on my shoulder, luckily it didn't hit my head or we will be having Kaoru's brain stew! Ha ha ha!'
'What? She didn't tell him that I've hit her!' Yahiko cursed.
'I thought somebody had gone in without your permission and challenged you! If that happened, I'll hunt him whoever he is so he could have the taste of my katana!' Kenshin's eyes turned from light shade of violet to a light shade of red.
And that did not came unnoticed by Yahiko. 'This is bad!'
'Oro!' Kaoru gasped.
'Well I think we should take some tea and relax for the time being. Would you like to see the things I traded yesterday?' Kenshin tried to change the topic when he noticed that Kaoru seemed to be affected by the strain on his voice.
'If you want to!'
'By the way, where is Yahiko?'
'He went to Sano's.
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04292005