Author-chan's notes: KONNICHI WA MINNA!!!!! I'm still alive! I'm drinking cold coffee and writing this fic on a napkin (though I'll be transferring that to my computer so that you guys can read it on of course). Opps! Coffee's gone. T.T Sad. Oh well. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Key:
"talking"
'thoughts that can only be heard by thinker, a.k.a. private thoughts'
/thoughts that can be heard by thinker and spirits, a.k.a. telepathy/
qpqpqpqp indicates scene/time change
Like Father Like Son
(Chapter Thirteen: Unlucky)
Back at the DojoSano lay on his futon, waiting for Megumi to arrive. Hearing the shoji slide open, the former fighter for hire picked up his head to greet his wife. He discovered, much to his displeasure (understatement), that trailing behind her was his one time rival, Saito Hajime.
Saito had changed a bit from the last time Sano had seen the cop. His slicked back hair was no longer uniformly black, but instead gray streaks peppered his hair. He was no longer sporting his crisp police uniform, but instead an outfit similar to the medicine peddler costume the Miburo had worn when Sanosuke had first met him. The change in wardrobe caused Sanosuke to think that the older man had left his job at the police force. But what really surprised Sano about the wolf's appearance was the absence of the usual ever-present katana at Saito's waist.
"What the hell are you doing here Saito?!" Sano snarled, pointing an accusing finger at the lanky man, "You better not be making trouble again, not with Kenichi kidnapped!"
"Nice to see you too, ahou," Saito smirked, "Wounded and helpless again, I see."
"Shut up!" Sano growled, glaring daggers at the former Wolf of Mibu, "What are you doing here?"
Saito was quiet for a long moment. He watched Sano, as if he was gauging whether or not the younger man deserved an answer. Suddenly he snorted, shaking his head briefly, a small smirk touching his features. Sanosuke had passed his test.
"I'm looking for Battousai," Saito responded with a shrug, "There's something I want to speak to him about." There was a moment of silence.
"You came to late, idiot wolf," Sano muttered, "Kenshin isn't here."
"Then I'll wait," Saito responded calmly, pulling out a cigarette. Sano laughed bitterly, a pain in his voice that was not from his wound.
"Then you'll be waiting for a long time," Sano hissed, "Kenshin has been dead for two years."
"Impossible!" Saito protested, the cigarette in his hand pausing in its journey to his mouth, "I haven't heard anything about Battousai crossing over to the Next Side."
"Believe it," Megumi said quietly, "Both Ken-san and Kaoru-chan have been dead for two years. Sano and I were at the funerals, and this time both of them were really dead, unlike that time with Enishi. I checked the bodies myself."
"Tanuki-chan may have crossed over," Saito retorted, "But I know that Battousai is alive. My…informants…agree to that."
"You're delusional!" Megumi cried out, "Both you and your 'informants'!"
"Whatever you say, Kitsune-onna," Saito shrugged, "But Battousai is alive. And if you don't know where he is, then I have no need for furthering this conversation." With that being said, the former Miburo prepared to leave.
"Wait," Sano murmured, "What is it that you wanted to tell Kenshin?"
"Why do you want to know, ahou?" Saito sneered, "You think he's dead."
"And you think he's alive!" Sano retorted, "I can take you to the grave if you like, if you're still having trouble understanding!"
"No," Saito snorted, "Knowing how incompetent you are, you'll probably go off and get us lost."
"What was that?!" Sano snarled, getting up to his feet.
"Sanosuke!" Megumi chided him, "Stay down! You just got shot under an hour ago."
"But Megitsune!" Sano protested.
"No buts, Sagara Sanosuke," Megumi said tartly.
"Damn."
"Please," Megumi turned to Saito after scolding her husband, "Tell us what is it you want to say to Ken-san." Saito was quiet.
"Not all things stay in their graves, Kitsune," Saito said seriously after a long pause, "Dead men can walk if they so wish, and they speak loudly."
"Nani?" Megumi blinked.
"Is Battousai's brat still alive?" Saito asked suddenly out of the blue.
"Kenji-san?" Megumi blinked again, "Yes, he is, but why?"
"Since you two are so adamant that Battousai is dead and gone," Saito began, sticking his almost forgotten cigarette into his mouth, "I suppose I must conduct business with his son."
Saito reached into the sleeve lining of his Western style jacket to toss a folded up piece of paper onto Sano's lap.
"If you read it, you die. That paper is for Battousai's brat's eyes only," Saito said while lighting up his cigarette, "He'll know what to do once he reads that."
"Is that so?" Sano asked, picking up the piece of paper to stash it into his Aku jacket.
"Ahou," Saito said icily, "No matter what, remember this: that paper is for Battousai's brat's eyes alone. The only other person allowed to read it is Battousai himself. Your job is to make sure no one else reads that letter. It's important."
"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," Sano nodded, waving Saito's words off.
"If things go well, then I won't be needing to step foot into this dojo again," Saito murmured, as he reached for the shoji, "But if worse comes to worse, I might be back."
"Well then let's pray that things go well, ne?" Sano smirked jokingly.
"Hai," Saito nodded. Then the Wolf slid open the shoji and stepped out, disappearing from the grounds of the Kamiya Dojo.
qpqpqpqp
Back with Yahiko, Sasuke, and Chizuru
After leaving the Akabeko, Yahiko and Chizuru broke out to a light jog, or as much of a jog as Chizuru could manage with a kimono on. Yahiko was carrying a snoozing Sasuke as they ran. The three of them were only a few meters away from the dojo when Yahiko stopped dead in the street.
"I've got a bad feeling," Yahiko said suddenly.
"Why is that?" Chizuru asked.
"I feel like something horrible is coming this way," he replied, "Something evil, cruel, and murderous…"
"Fancy meeting you here, Chizuru-san, gaki-chan," a slow drawling voice intoned from the trio's right side. Turning, Chizuru and Yahiko came face to face with the last person they expected to see.
"Yamaguchi-san! /Saito, you bastard!" Chizuru/Yahiko shouted at the exact same time, their voices merging. Sasuke yawned a bit in Yahiko's arms before settling again.
"Yamaguchi?" Yahiko blinked at Chizuru.
"Saito?" Chizuru countered, equally confused.
"Ahou ga," Yamaguchi/Saito sighed, blowing a puff of smoke from his cigarette at the confounded pair.
"Hold up!" Yahiko yelped, "Saito, you're Chizuru-chan's Yamaguchi-san? Her cousin?!"
"Distant cousin," Saito elaborated, "Though how you know Raikoji Chizuru-san is a mystery to me."
"We're…friends," Yahiko supplied cautiously. Suddenly Yahiko's brain kicked into high gear as he thought for a moment.
'Oh Shimatta!' Yahiko thought in horrified shock, 'Saito's Chizuru's cousin! And Chizuru is married to…Oh that's so wrong! If Kenshin and Kaoru found out, they would be spinning in their graves! Related to Saito…Freaky. How can Chizuru stand it?'
"How do you know Yamaguchi-san, Yahiko?" Chizuru asked, breaking Yahiko out of his stupor.
"Don't ask," Yahiko growled, his eyebrow twitching as he glared at the former Shinsengumi captain. Saito smirked down at the younger swordsman.
"You've grown up, brat," Saito commented off-handedly, "Battousai and his Tanuki-girl raised you well."
Yahiko blinked in surprise. "What's that got to do with –"
"How's Battousai's brat?" Saito asked, cutting Yahiko off, "I was going to ask the ahou back at the dojo, but he looked like he was about to pass out from his wounds."
"'Wounds'?!" Yahiko and Chizuru yelped in astonishment.
"What did you do to Sanosuke, you damn Wolf?!" Yahiko snarled, grabbing Saito's shirt front to drag the taller man to his eye level.
"Nothing," Saito replied, brushing the cinnamon-eyed swordsman's hands away as if they were lint, "Though that gunshot wound he got looked rather painful. And I do believe he mentioned something about a kidnapping…"
"Kenichi-chan!" Chizuru gasped, her face paling. Rushing past her cousin, the young woman ran towards the dojo as fast as she could.
"Chizuru!" Yahiko called after her as he too broke out into a run, Sasuke still in his arms.
As soon as he was alone, Saito sighed, leaning down to rub his tired muscles and aching joints.
"Yare, yare," Saito muttered, "Rushing about all over Tokyo like this…I'm getting too old, ne Okita-kun?"
A slight laugh in the wind, and then a voice.
"Never, Saito-san."
qpqpqpqp
Back with Kenshin (Kenichi) and the thieves, Shou and Sai
"Dead," Sai whispered quietly, staring at the redhead in the distance, "We're so dead."
"That we are," Shou agreed, unconsciously holding the baby in his arms closer.
"I wish I could kill Genji first," Sai growled, "That bastard got us into this mess, and now we're all going to get skewered by Battousai's brat."
"Naw, don't be so negative," a voice from behind the two thieves piped up cheerfully, "If he's anything like his father, he'll more likely use a slashing attack. Probably get cut in half or beheaded, that's what will happen to ya."
"Kuso!" Sai snarled as he and Shou twirled to meet the intruder behind them.
The intruder was tall and thin wearing a ragged red coat which had obviously seen way too many years. A blue headband was tied around his forehead, which above it grew an impossibly tall mass of blond hair shaped like the bristles of a broom. One of the man's blue eyes was closed, which, along with his smirk, made it look like the man was leering at them. But what really stood out about the man, besides the hair, was the fact he was bristling with swords. With some quick deduction, Sai realized that the man before them was the infamous police lieutenant, Sawagejou Chou.
"Who the hell are you?!" Shou yelled at the older man.
"Your savior," Chou answered mockingly, "Unless ya wanna get done in by Himura Kenji that is."
"What do you mean 'savior'?" Sai questioned carefully, holding up a hand to motion his friend to be quiet.
"As I see it," Chou answered calmly in his Kansai accent, leaning back against the door, "ya have two options. One: Come with me. Or two: Stay here and face Battousai's brat's wrath."
"What about this little squealer?" Sai asked, jerking his thumb to indicate the wide-eyed baby in Shou's arms.
"Give the kid to me," Chou sighed, reaching his hands out. Without hesitation, Shou handed the baby over to the blond.
Holding the bundle carefully, Chou studied the baby. Pale skin, red hair, and large violet eyes…Yes there could be no mistake which family this baby belonged to.
"Just like Battousai," Chou murmured, "Right down to the exact shade of the eyes. Ya look more like your grandpa than your dad does. All that's missing is that scar."
"You sound like you knew Hitokiri Battousai," Sai commented. Chou grinned wolfishly at the two thieves.
"If ya count fighting him, getting a broken nose, three broken ribs, a fourth cracked one and an array of bruises, and then living to tell the tale 'knowing' Battousai, then yeah. I knew him."
"You fought…" Sai choked, unable to finish the sentence.
"Know his brat too," the former Juppongatana said off-handedly, "Kenji sometimes helps the police, now an' then. Wish he worked full-time. He's more competent than those fools I normally have to work with. Good with a sword too."
"That's…nice…to know," Shou said nervously as he imagined that man who was "good with a sword" slice him up into ribbons.
"Enough talkin' then," Chou said suddenly. He walked over to the trap door he had appeared from, and kicked it open, "Get in, the both of you. If you're smart, once ya get out of the tunnel there, you'll go to the police station and tell them that Lieutenant Sawagejou sent ya. If you're dumb, you'll run."
The two thieves nodded, and jumped in.
Chou sighed as soon as the pair was out of sight. With the baby still in his arms, Chou sat down and waited for Kenji to make his appearance.
qpqpqpqp
Back with Kenji and Kaoru
Kenji stood in front of the run down building which served as the headquarters for the thieves that took his son. Feeling his face contort into a snarl, the red-haired swordsman threw open the shoji before striding in.
Unseen by him, Kaoru followed her son, her own anger fueling his unconsciously.
"Who the hell are you?!" a voice shouted as one of the thieves appeared from the hallway to face Kenji. It was Haru, the youngest of the thieves next to Sai.
Kenji didn't even grace the thief with an answer.Instead hesprung forward with insane speed. Kenji all but tackled the thief, pinning Haru to the ground with his bokken to the thief's neck as if it was a live blade rather than a wooden one.
"Where is my son?" Kenji hissed quietly in Haru's ear.
The thief, noticing that Kenji was lighter than him, grunted and tried to throw Kenji off of him. However, the redhead's strength was that of steel, and try as he might, Haru couldn't get him off.
"Rot in hell," Haru snarled back, seeing as he couldn't dislodge Kenji. Glaring at the rogue, Kenji pressed his bokken a bit harder on Haru's neck making it harder for the thief to breathe.
"You are in no position to make threats, thief-san," Kenji growled, "Now. Tell me where my son is!"
"You can't kill me!" Haru protested. Kenji gave him an almost cruel smile.
"But I can hurt you," the redhead replied, "I can give you a multitude of pain. I can maim you to the point where you would be completely useless. I can make you suffer. And I will enjoy it."
"Monster," Haru whispered.
"Perhaps. Now tell me where Kenichi is!"
"Down the hall…Sai is watching him."
"Arigato," Kenji murmured softly. With that, Kenji stood up allowing the thief to sit up as well.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kenji blinked. Before Haru could react, Kenji swung the bokken in a perfect arc, smashing the wooden weapon against the thief's temple. In an instant, Haru crumpled liked a rag doll, unconscious.
With that, Kenji strode on, ready for his next battle.
qpqpqpqp
When Kenji left, Kaoru bent down to gaze at the oblivious Haru. Hovering her ghostly fingers above his bruising temple, the blue-eyed spirit frowned.
Kenji had put a lot of force in his blow…if he had been using the sakabatou, this thief would have been dead, his brains spilling out from his skull, instead of simply unconscious.
Kenji's rage was taking too strong of a hold on him…and that was dangerous.
Although she too was furious about what had happened to her Shinta, she knew that Shinta would never want her to become a murderer for his sake. And she knew that Kenji understood that too, that none of his family would want him to be a killer.
Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. The sword that gave life.
Kenji...would he be able to keep the vows as a master of Kamiya Kasshin?
Or would he end up following the wild hitokiri blood that he received from his father?
Katsujin-ken. Satsujin-ken. Life. Death.
Which would Kenji chose in his fury?
qpqpqpqp
Back with Kenshin (Kenichi) and Chou
Kenshin shivered in Chou's arms, his untrained vocal cords making slight mewling sounds. He could feel it…the rush of ken-ki that flooded the thieves' headquarters. It wasn't the strength of the aura that alarmed him, but rather the feel of it. The swordsman who owned that ki wasn't just ready for a fight, he was ready for a bloodbath. Kenshin hadn't felt ki like that in so long…it made him nervous.
Especially since he knew whose ki that was.
"Oi, kid," Chou's rough voice grunted at the sound of Kenichi's mewling, "What's the matter?"
Kenshin stared up at the blond sword collector with his large mauve eyes, hiccupping a bit. How was he supposed to answer when he didn't know how to talk?
In the distance, they heard a voice roar.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu! Ryu Tsui Sen!"
"Hear that, kid?" Chou asked with a smirk on his face, "Your papa sounds just like your grandpa!"
'That's what sessha was afraid of, de gozaru," Kenshin thought.
Glossary
Miburo- One of the nicknames of the Shinsengumi (see Shinsengumi)
katana- Japanese long sword, normally worn by samurai
Battousai- Kenshin's nickname back during the Bakumastu (Meiji Revolution); the name refers to Kenshin's ability with battoujutsu, a sword-drawing technique used to accelerate the speed of the sword and kill an opponent in an instant
-san- name suffix/honorific; means something along the lines Mr. or Ms.
-chan- name suffix; normally used for young boys or girls; also a term of endearment
-kun- name suffix; normally used for boys; also can be used by a superior talking to an inferior
tanuki- "raccoon"; Kaoru's nickname
Kitsune(-onna)- "fox (woman)"; Megumi's nickname
Megitsune- a corruption of Megumi's nickname; a blend of her name and "kitsune"
Aku- "evil"
Ahou- "moron"; "idiot"; "fool"; etc.
Dojo- training hall/grounds for martial arts
gaki(-chan)- "brat(-chan)"; used here as Saito's unflattering nickname for Yahiko; gaki can also refer to a type of Japanese demons/imps
Shimatta- all purpose curse word
Shinsengumi- "Newly Selected Corps"; a police/samurai group during the Bakumastu in Kyoto that sided with the shogun; it had ten units that were each led by group captains, in turn the entire Shinsengumi were led by a Commander and a Vice-Commander; at it's height it had over 300 members
Okita- Okita Souji (or Soushi), first captain of the Shinsengumi; deceased by the first year of the Meiji (1868) from tuberculosis; famed to have been one of the greatest swordsmen of his time, if not the greatest
Kuso- all purpose curse word; shorted form of "chikuso"
Arigato- "thank you"
Kamiya Kasshin Ryu- sword school that Kaoru (as well as Yahiko and Kenji) follow/teach; Kamiya Kasshin is unlike other sword schools in the fact that it teaches how to defend without killing, prohibits the use of a katana, and is based on the idea of Katsujin-ken
Satsujin-ken- "the sword that kills"; idea that swords and swordsmanship can only be used to kill
Katsujin-ken "the sword that gives life"; idea that swords and swordsmanship can be used to protect without killing
ken-ki- "sword energy" (loose translation); ken-ki is often used to refer to the "aura" swordsmen project when fighting or angry
Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu- "Honorable Sword of the Flying Heavens" (loose translation); sword school that Kenshin (as well as his master Hiko) uses; the strength of Hiten Mitsurugi lies in its ability to allow the user to fight against many people at once; known for its speed, power, and aerial attacks
Ryu Tsui Sen "Dragon Hammer Flash"; one of the attacks of Hiten Mitsurugi; it is an aerial attack where the user jumps up and then slashes downward at the opponent, normally aiming for the head or shoulder; one of Kenshin's favorite attacks which he uses often; also one of the few Hiten Mitsurugi attacks that Kenji knows and the only Hiten Mitsurugi attack Yahiko knows
sessha- "this unworthy one"; an archaic way of saying "I"; a humbling term used by samurai in the olden days to refer to themselves; one of Kenshin's speech quirks
de gozaru (yo/ka)- a archaic polite tag that Kenshin puts at the end of his sentences to make them more polite; there isn't a translation of it for English, but the anime translates it as "that I do"
-
Author-chan's note: Heh, done with this chapter! I've had lots of you asking for Kenji to lay a smack-down on the bad guys, well here's a little taste. Kenji's going to be fighting Genji, the gun-totting leader of the thieves in the next chapter.
If anyone says that Kenji seems kind of freaky in this chapter, I agree. Yeah, I kind of made him scary-ish…wonder how that happened? Might have something to do with the fact I was listening to the soundtrack for "Trust and Betrayal". It has the saddest music!
Um, keep an eye out for Sai and Shou. I have plans for them later. (Not to mention Shinigami does too!)