Author's Note: I feel like I'm on a roll here, so let's keep this ball going, neh? Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I appreciate them very much. I hope you enjoy this sixth installment. Please review!
Disclaimer: I may have some minor talent in drawing, but that doesn't mean I could draw Rurouni Kenshin. That means I don't own any of this. Conoce? Bien. (please forgive my random Spanish...I gotta practice for next semester somehow, ya know...)
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The landing was uneventful. The harbor police official took no notice of the quiet group of young men who stepped off the boardwalk. Sanosuke breathed a sigh of relief once they were a ways away from the harbor. Bai Ru and the others understood the tension release, since they all remembered why the tori-atama left Japan in the first place.
The rakshasa found a small, obscure little inn in which to spend the night. They ate in their rooms in silence, saving their energy for their trip to Tokyo which would commence the next day. Their main goal was to conserve energy as well as to not draw attention to themselves with their customary loudness. After all, they knew that the police in this town instantly blamed any foreigners for any disturbance if they possibly could and would fine them for disturbing the peace.
The morning after their arrival dawned dreary and cloudy with a misty rain that would soak through clothes almost instantly. Good weather for catching a cold for normal humans. "Kuso, it's cold out there," Omasu complained with a groan.
Sanosuke shrugged, "Like that's going to kill you."
Agreeing, Bai Ru said, "Don't be such a wimp." Grabbing his pack, he waved everyone out the door, then followed them into the cold, rainy outdoors. While they would have preferred to wait until it was not raining, it would be wise of them to leave before the police decided to check them out. They tramped the roadways until dark arrived, then made camp in a glade a bit away from the road, so as to not attract attention for unwanted sources, whether it be law enforcement or their opposites.
((((((000 In Tokyo... 000))))))
Kaoru itched to ask Hiko all sorts of questions while Kenshin was preparing dinner. However, she could not ask them in the prescence of Yahiko due to their nature. She would have to wait until she could speak privately with the older man. What did he mean by pointing out Kenshin's youthfullness? Did it mean he would continue to look that way for a long time to come? Hiko himself did not look more than thirty, though it had been over twenty years since he began teaching Kenshin Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. The Kamiya Kashin shifu's brow wrinkled as she pondered the problem.
Yahiko had been pestering Hiko about his life, when he noticed the look on Kaoru's face. "Nani ka, Kaoru?" he asked her.
"Iya," she replied, smoothing her brow and smiled. "I was just thinking."
Hiko knew very well what troubled the still young woman. He hoped that she would begin asking Kenshin the questions he knew she wanted to ask himself. This would prompt Kenshin to wonder about his youthful looks as well. It would provide a good ground on which he could build.
Dinner tasted wonderful as only the way Kenshin's expertise could fashion. Excellent cha, freshly made miso, gyoza, and shrimp tempura was the fare and they all dug in eagerly. Even Kaoru's worrying could not disturb her appetite when it came to devouring a tasty meal.
((((((000 In an office somewhere... 000))))))
"Saitoh-san, here is the report you wanted," a young, yet sufficiently competent police clerk said while handing Saitoh Hajime a folder containing news on an interesting murder case.
Saitoh's job consisted of investingating special cases that popped up every now and then. Shishio's case may have been nearly the worst he had to work on, but it certainly was not the last. However, even though this new case did not reach the level of Shishio's, it fell under a more mysterious category. The murders were strangely done, well, strange to most people, but Saitoh could easily recognize what type of person killed in this way. His eyes glimmered with interest as he surveyed the folder's contents. He grinned once he noticed a few clues that told him what he would be dealing with. How very interesting...
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Author's Notes: Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed! I think I'll be updating again pretty soon, since my holiday break is coming up so soon. I love breaks, don't you? I have a lot of work to do when it comes, but I'll find time to continue working on this, I'm sure. Please review! Your comments mean a lot to me, since your continued interest feeds my will to continue writing this.
Let's see, what needs explainations this chapter? Oh, yeah...
Nani ka? - means, what is it? roughly
Iya - I've seen this translated as no, but also as it's nothing. I'm using the latter for translation this time, but I'm sure to use it as no, along with iie later.
Shifu - If you've read Furuba, you'll know what this means. For those who haven't I guess I can tell you that it means master.
Review Responses:
Crewel: You're very welcome. I hope this update was soon enough for you.
Vathara: I don't know where I called Hiko a hopping vampire, but hey, I like the idea...maybe an omake theatre? I do hope that this will be the first fic I actually finish and post all the way (I did finish one called Shopping Disastors, then decided it was stupid and didn't finish posting it all...).
Hitokiri Musei: Thanks. Kenshin revelations? has an image of a trumpet blowing I'd check above for verification. :P
omasuoniwabanshi: Yeah, it does have caffeine, but caffeine in of itself can be good for you. I did experiments with caffeine and saw their effects on living creatures, so I don't think I'd exactly call it a harmful drug. I know that it is addicting and there can be severe withdrawal symptoms with it, but can't that be argued for many other things as well that we don't consider drugs? I think it's all a matter of moderation and will-power that can keep caffeine from being harmful to your system. Oh, and as for Kaoru bashing people on the head with her bokkun, I always thought that was the actions of an immature woman expressing herself the only way she felt comfortable with at the time...so now that she is older, she has found a better way of expressing herself. She always annoyed me whenever she hit someone with her bokkun...therefore, to my mind, she's outgrown it. I hope this update was soon enough for you and that you liked it.
