A Fox in Japan
AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Well, this one came sooner than I thought it would but that's a good thing. It means that you can get more even sooner. So read and enjoy.
Now to reviews.
mpowers045: Well, you'll just have to see how this chapter plays out.
4 The Fox And The Manslayer
Finding himself on the retreat, Alejandro was back at the hotel where his family was at, but this time he was running on the roof. The explosion from before caught quite a commotion, and it didn't take long for Zorro to hear the whistle that signaled the local authorities. Deciding he had enough patrolling for one night, Alejandro went back.
The second Zorro then peered over the edge of the roof, thankful that they booked a room that was on the top floor. Seeing the empty street below, he grabbed the edge of the building and swung down, entering feet-first through the window of his room.
Letting a sigh of relief he took off his hat and mask, everything else following soon after until he was back in his simple shirt and pants.
He was then greeted by the sight of his father coming over to him in his sleeping clothes. "Dios Mio, Ajelandro!" he exclaimed. "What happened out there? I saw the smoke from here!"
"Things got more complicated than I expected," Alejandro said as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "It would appear I discovered some sort of smuggling operation. I heard some thugs talk about it and followed them to a warehouse. The crates in there were secret containers for firearms and gunpowder. Unfortunately, some powder was lit up by accident and ended up blowing the warehouse, and killing most of the bandits."
A concerned look came across Diego's face as he heard that. "That is… quite concerning," he said. "Tell me, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. Some bruises at best," Alejandro said. "I'll have to look into this more. It would appear that Zorro is needed here even more than we thought."
"You may be right about that," Diego said. "But right now he isn't. Come, Alejandro, you had a busy night and you need rest."
Alejandro nodded before going to his room while Diego went back to his.
Whatever was happening, Zorro needed to be at full strength to face it.
Kaoru, dressed in her usual kimono, brought a basket full of clothes outside to dry. There was still some time before noon so the time was perfect. After putting the wet clothes up, a breeze blew in her direction, making her long black hair flutter as she closed her eyes to enjoy the pleasant sensation.
When she walked inside, she was greeted by Yahiko. "Hey, Kaoru. I'll be training outside so call me if you need me."
Kaoru smiled at him. "Alright, thanks for the information."
"Right. See ya!" he exclaimed before quickly running outside with a bokken in his hand.
Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle at the young boy's enthusiasm for improving his swordsmanship. She was certain that her father would have been proud of him if he were still here.
'I should also train some more as well,' she thought. 'Don't want my skills to get rusty.'
The three Vegas were currently walking up some stairs that led to the place they found out was the Kamiya dojo. Diego decided that they visit the place as soon as possible, eager to meet some people from this land. The rest agreed and immediately got ready.
Alejandro still had the events from the night before in his mind. Somebody was smuggling weapons, and he needed to find out who and why. Despite how many times he tried to get it off his mind there was still the nagging worry in the back of his head that wanted to deal with it quickly, but that was expected as someone who carried the mantle of Zorro.
The youngest Vega was excited about this, his eagerness to meet new people matching that of his grandfather. Wanting to know more about the people who lived in this country made his young mind somewhat impatient.
Joaquin then noticed something or someone that is, just further up the stairs from where they were. "Hey, papa, grandpa. Someone is in front of us."
The two then looked and saw that a person in a blue kimono and long black hair was in front of them.
"Hmm, it would appear that we aren't the only ones who are visiting the dojo today," Diego commented.
"Indeed," Alejandro said before approaching the person. "Excuse me," he called out causing the woman who was in front to turn back. "A thousand pardons, señorita. We were just wondering if you were headed towards the dojo."
The woman smiled. "Yes, I have," she answered. "I am friends with the people inside. But I don't think I met you before."
"Alejandro de la Vega, at your service," he said with a bow. Diego and Joaquin introduced themselves in a similar gentlemanly manner. "We are acquainted with the one Kenshin Himura, and we thought to pay him a visit."
"Oh, so you know Kenshin," she said. "My name is Megumi, Takani Megumi."
Alejandro smiled. "It is an honor to meet a beauty such as yourself."
Megumi's cheeks reddened, both from the compliment and the way Alejandro spoke in such an accent. "W-why thank you."
"Say, my son," Diego said. "Why don't we be gentlemen and escort the lady to the dojo?"
"Oh, my, you really don't have to," Megumi said.
"But we insist," Alejandro said before offering his arm. "It would be rude not to."
Megumi chuckled before putting her own arm under his. "You're all so polite. Why can't more people be like you?"
"That is a mystery even to us, señorita," Alejandro said before the two began walking up the stairs, with Diego and Joaquin following.
When they reached the top, they stood in front of the wooden gates that were the entrance to the dojo. Alejandro knocked several times, and soon after a boy with spiked black hair opened the door.
"Hi, miss Megumi. Good to see you," Yahiko said before looking at the man whose arms she was holding. "And who's that? Your boyfriend?"
Megumi chuckled while Alejandro smiled amusingly.
In the dining room of the dojo, the de la Vegas, Megumi, and the residents of the dojo, which included Kenshin, the young boy named Yahiko Myojin, and Kaoru, the owner of the dojo. When Kenshin told them that they can expect three foreigners to visit them, and how they were his friends, Kaoru and Yahiko were surprised, even more so when Kenshin explained to them that when he and Sano were attacked by some thugs and one of the foreigners defended them.
The fact that they visited the very next day, with one of them escorting Megumi as well, was also a bit surprising but Kaoru didn't mind, and immediately prepared the gentlemen some tea. They had excellent manners and drank it with some grace, even the young Joaquin.
"This is incredible, señorita Kaoru," Diego commented with Alejandro and Joaquin agreeing.
"Thank you very much, Sir Vega," Kaoru said. "I hope you like your stay in Japan."
"Oh, do not fret about that," Alejandro said. "Our experiences with your country have been very positive." True there was the thing from yesterday, fighting bandits and almost exploding, but those things are expected when you are a vigilante so Alejandro couldn't complain.
"Didn't fight off some thugs in Akabeko yesterday?" Yahiko asked.
"Why yes I did," Alejandro said. "A man was in trouble and I went to help."
"Wow, you're pretty awesome!"
Joaquin smiled. "Of course my papa is awesome, he is-!"
Diego coughed loudly, stopping the youngest Vega from talking. "Now, now, no need to brag."
Kenshin picked up on the exchange, getting the message that they didn't want to have their Zorro secret exposed just yet.
"I think that was very kind of you to do, Sir Alejandro," Megumi said. "Not many people would do such a thing, especially for Sanosuke."
"It was nothing, I assure you," Alejandro said.
"You must be a great swordsman," Yahiko said, wanting to know more about this man.
"Well, the de la Vegas have been taught how to properly use a sword," Diego said before putting up his cane and showing the hidden blade. "It pays to be prepared."
"Wow, that's so cool," Yahiko commented as he looked over the blade. Hiding a weapon in plain sight like that is similar to something a shinobi would do. "I wish had one of those."
"There will be time for that for when you're older, Yahiko," Kaoru said as the young boy's shoulders slumped.
"Don't worry, I know how you feel," Joaquin said. "I also have to wait until I have my own sword."
That piqued Yahiko's interest. "You train with the sword?"
Joaquin nodded. "I do. My papa and abuelo are teaching me."
"Well, I'm also training to be a swordsman," Yahiko said as he crossed his arms. "And trust me, I'll be the best swordsman there ever was."
The two older Vegas chuckled. "I like your enthusiasm, pequeño Yahiko," Alejandro said.
Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "Um, what does that mean?"
"Oh, I apologize. 'Pequeño' means 'little'."
Yahiko then grumbled as he frowned. "I am NOT little!" he said in a raised tone.
"Yahiko, behave yourself!" Kaoru said as she pulled Yahiko by the ear. "I am so sorry about this. Yahiko is shorter than children his age usually are so he is sensitive about that."
"And how old are you, Yahiko?" Diego asked.
"I'm ten."
"Oh, I just turned ten a month ago!" Joaquin exclaimed happily but then he saw Yahiko's mood sour even more. "Um, did I say something?" he asked not knowing that he added salt to injury considering that he was taller than Yahiko.
"Oh, don't worry about it. He'll get over it soon enough," Kaoru said with a smile as she patted Yahiko's shoulder who only mumbled about life being unfair. "But tell me, did you hear about the incident that happened last night?"
Kenshin looked at her puzzled. "What incident?"
"I think that señorita Kaoru is speaking about an explosion that happened," Diego said. "Yes, we heard about it. I wonder what could have caused it."
"Well, there were some rumors that a man dressed in black was the cause of the explosion, but the local police couldn't confirm anything about that."
"I hope nobody was hurt," Alejandro said, actually hoping that no innocents were hurt in the explosion.
"There were people who were unfortunately killed in the explosion, but they seemed to be robbers who attempted to raid the warehouse."
"A misfortune, nonetheless," Alejandro said as he sipped his tea. It was definitely a tragedy since the men who died no longer had any chances of redemption or thinking over their lives. Alejandro has killed before, he cannot deny that, but even he knew that direct confrontations sometimes lead to death.
"I am curious about one thing," Megumi said. "You said that you were friends of Kenshin. Just when did you meet?"
Diego smiled. "Well, my son and grandson only met señor Kenshin today. I met him around ten years ago when I was visiting Japan, after the war has ended."
Megumi, Kaoru, and Yahiko were surprised to hear that piece of information, hearing that he would visit a country not too long after the war was raged in it.
"Yes, I remember," Kenshin said. "You were driving through the countryside I was walking through. I remember how you entertained the young children there with your magic tricks and those pieces of gold you gave them."
"You have gold?" Kaoru asked in slight shock. These people were definitely rich if they can just give out gold pieces if what Kenshin said was true.
"My family amassed quite a fortune over the years, yes," Diego said. "But enough about that. Where were we? Ah, yes. I remember seeing a young man who seemed to aimlessly wander around, that is before I invited him to have a little chat with me."
"I still thank you for that hospitality, don Diego," Kenshin said with a smile.
"It was no trouble at all."
"So that's how you two met?" Yahiko asked.
"Yes, and after that, I decided that I would one day visit Japan again, and, well, here we are," Diego finished telling the story.
"Interesting little tale, father," Alejandro commented.
Diego shrugged. "Nothing special, but it is what is," he said before looking Kenshin straight into his eyes, and the brief glance was enough for Kenshin to read that Diego didn't want him to tell the whole truth.
Kenshin smiled and nodded, subtly sending Diego a response. The truth of how the two met was quite different indeed.
Kenshin walked through a small town, his mind busy over what happened in this country recently. This war that was started never left his head, the people he had killed in it, the pain he wrought. It was no wonder he was given the title of 'manslayer'.
He looked down at the place his katana used to be, recalling all the times he reached for it to cut someone down. He got rid of it, swearing to never take another life or pick up a sword. He wasn't sure if he could control himself if his hand ever gripped the handle again.
As he was walking, he noticed quite a peculiar sight. A small group of children was gathered around an older man, one Kenshin could immediately tell was a foreigner. The children around him looking excitedly as the man performed several magic tricks, such as making a rose disappear in his hand or taking out coins from behind the children's ears.
Kenshin looked at the scene with a smile, happy to see someone bringing such joy after such a depressing time. Even some adults were amused by the sight.
The man then handed the children something that Kenshin recognized as small pieces of gold. The children thanked him for that and went back to their homes, though they probably didn't know just what exactly they were given.
The old man then went into a carriage, which soon began driving away. Kenshin was still smiling as he looked at the retreating carriage, happy to see that such nice men still existed.
Then his keen eyes spotted something, a group of men then walked to the side of the road, and hurriedly moved in the same direction the older man's carriage was headed.
Kenshin frowned. Bandits. He easily recognized their ilk. They no doubt saw what the nice gentleman was doing and decided to rob him. It was something Kenshin wouldn't allow to happen. He then suddenly froze as he felt his hand instinctively reach for the sword that used to be there. He clenched his fist and shook his head. It would seem that old habits really did die hard.
He couldn't waste any more time and he began running into the forest where the foreigner and the bandits went. It would be dark soon and he was certain they would attack him the moment the sun was down. While he wasn't as good of a warrior as he was with a sword, he was still skilled enough to repel some bandits.
The night arrived, and Kenshin finally caught up to the bandits, seven in total, who were now surrounding the man's carriage.
"Come on out, we know you have money!" one of them yelled. "Why don't you make this easy for us?! It's no fun beating up an old man!"
The rest of the bandits laughed while Kenshin glared. These men were nothing but vermin, attacking those weaker than they were. The Battousai was about to make his move when suddenly the door of the carriage opened, and a voice spoke in accented Japanese.
"I give you this one chance," it said. "Turn away or you will feel the strike of my whip and the bite of the blade of Zorro!"
The bandits were surprised at first but then laughed again. "This guy is clearly crazy. He speaking non-"
With a movement that only Kenshin could see, a whip struck the ground in front of the bandits, a sudden fire erupted and took the shape of a letter 'Z' that burned on the sandy road.
The bandits were shocked to see that but even more so when a sudden black blur tackled the two in the front and slammed them on the ground. A black figure then rose above the knocked out bandits, completely covered in black along with a hat, cape, and a mask that only revealed his eyes. In one hand he held a whip while in the other was a sword that the bandits have never seen before.
"I warned you, banditos," the black-clad man said. Then he dashed at one of the bandits who couldn't bring his katana up for defense as the man blade quickly cut a 'Z' his chest, making him scream and fall on his back.
One tried to attack from behind but the man in black swung his whip and caught the bandit's arm. Pulling back, the bandit was forced to meet that dark man's boot as it struck him in the head and sent him flying.
The three remaining ones went to attack at the same time, but the man in black jumped away before striking with his whip and giving it a small twist. The whip struck one of the bandits on the cheek, getting a yell out of him. The struck bandit went to nurse his wounded cheek as blood dripped from yet another 'Z' that made, and in quite an unorthodox way, before he ran away.
The man in black went for another strike with his whip, but one of the bandits got lucky as he swung his katana, slicing the whip in half. The man in black inspected his ruined weapon before throwing it away.
"I congratulate you for this accomplishment," he said before pointing his blade at the two bandits. "Now, en gardé!" The bandits gathered their courage and attacked.
Kenshin was completely shocked at what was happening in front of him. This man in black was completely decimating the bandits. Was this the same old man from before? Whoever he was, the man was definitely skilled. He had seen similar tricks to what this man had pulled during the war, and the way he fought spoke of years of experience.
There was another thing that Kenshin noticed. The man in black should be on a similar level as himself, which meant that he could have easily killed those bandits. But no, this man went for non-lethal strikes, either knocking them out or wounding them to the point where they would have scars, but no serious injuries.
And from the way things were going, it would seem that he wasn't needed after all.
The man in black deflected the slashes sent his was by the bandits, easily countering them before dealing a quick slash to one of the bandit's hands, making him let go of his sword. The bandit then ran away as well, leaving the last one to fight the man in black.
The fight was clearly one-sided as the bandit was easily pushed back but the makes man's thrusting style. The man in black then disarmed his opponent and pointed the tip of his blade at his neck.
"Now then," he began. "Perhaps you'll-"
The man in black was interrupted as he felt a jolt of pain in his leg, forcing him to kneel. The bandit then quickly slammed his knee into the masked man's chest forcing him back and making him land on the ground.
The masked man then saw the bandit he had just previously defeated holding his sliced whip, no doubt what he used to incapacitate him. The downed man then cursed to himself. He never would have made that mistake in his youth.
Another kick from a bandit made the masked man groan in pain as the other soon joined him, the two of them beginning to hit the downed man repeatedly.
Kenshin's mouth hung open for a moment at the surprising turn of events. The masked man that just made sport of the bandits just a few moments ago was now at their mercy. The grunts of pain began to sound louder as the two continued kicking him.
Seeing a dropped katana on the ground, Kenshin quickly picked it up. Then he caught his breath in his lungs as he saw that once again he has easily reached for a weapon. His arm began shaking as the familiar sensation began coursing through it.
He gained the urge to drop the sword and run away, not wanting to risk getting blood on his hands again. Then he looked back at the masked man and saw that he was beginning to spit blood. No, he couldn't let this man die.
One of the bandits disengaged from what he was doing as he went to pick up his dropped sword. Standing over the masked man, he was ready to finish him, his hands raised in the air.
"Leave him alone!" Kenshin yelled surprising the bandits. He dashed over to them, his hand instinctively going for a disarming motion. But at the last moment, he turned the katana in his hands around, which made the blunt end of the blade strike the bandit at the wrist joints.
The bandit screamed in pain as he felt his wrist break, the katana dropping on the ground. Kenshin honestly felt relieved. Normally that strike would have sliced the hand off, but since he used the other side the only damage done was a broken wrist. Kenshin quickly struck again with the opposite end of the katana and struck the bandit in the head knocking him out.
The last bandit stood there in shock. Not only did they have to deal with the masked man, now this one suddenly comes and easily dispatches his comrade. He couldn't ponder on it for too long as Kenshin was suddenly in front of him, hitting him right in the stomach with the hilt of the blade and making him double over in pain. Then Kenshin delivered an elbow strike right in the bandit's face, dropping him down unconscious as well.
Quickly dropping the sword, Kenshin leaned down to the man in black, who seemed to have been knocked out from all the punishment he was receiving. Moving the mask away from his face, Kenshin's suspicions were confirmed when he saw that it was indeed the old man from before now bruised and bloodied.
Kenshin then put the man's hand over his shoulder and picked him up before carrying him back to the carriage. He needed to get back to the village quickly or the man would die. And he wasn't going to let that happen.
"I've also heard that you train people to use the sword in this dojo." Kenshin blinked as he was brought to reality by Alejandro's voice that was addressed to Kaoru.
"I do indeed. This dojo has been in my family for generations, and it is my duty to keep it. I teach anyone willing to learn how to fight in my family's style. And Yahiko is one of the students here," Kaoru said causing Yahiko to cross his arms and smile proudly.
"That is a noble cause, señorita Kaoru," Diego said.
Yahiko then pointed at Joaquin. "Hey, maybe the two of us can fight with our styles to see who is a better swordsman!"
"Calm down, Yahiko! You shouldn't just go and challenge people like that!" Kaoru scolded.
Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle at what was going on. The de la Vegas have certainly already made the situation interesting that's for sure. And he was sure they would make it even more interesting in the future.
AN: And that is it for now! And some of you may have noticed, I took some inspiration from the Geeks For Fun's video about the events that played out, but I did change a few things like Kenshin using a regular katana instead of picking up Zorro's rapier. I hope you don't mind too much and I hope you enjoyed!
Implore you to check out my other stories, trust me, they are worth it. And leave a review. They are great motivators.
See you next time!