Hello again! moonlightrurouni here! before anything else this one would like to apoligize for spelling errors T_T
this one fails at spell check, but on the bright side, Aisim-sama has graciously agreed to look over this one's writing before it being posted.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ONE DOESN'T OWN RUROKEN.
CHAPTER 4- Meeting upw
After eating at the Akabeko, I decided to see if I could find Saya again. Father and mother have taken me to Sagara-san's place before, but I'm still not entirely sure which house is his. I'm tempted to see if I can find Katsu-san, a supposed survivor of the Sekiho army, when I see a hooded figure walking swiftly towards the darker, more sinister parts of the area. I decide to follow.
I'm rewarded when I see the figure knock on the door and I see Saya open the door. "Saya-chan." The figure says. I'm surprised to see Saya squeal and jump up and wrap her arms around the person's neck. "Ryder!" she cries happily, but then starts speaking in a foreign language that I don't recognize. I catch a few words, but the only thing that I am sure they are talking about is her father.
"Did you see Kisuki-chan on your way here?" Saya asks, switching back to Japanese.
"Yes, but she said that her father wished to visit her aunt's grave in Kyoto before coming to Tokyo. Something about him not being ready to see Hitokiri Battosai again." I stiffen at these words. Hitokiri Battosai? The famous hitokiri from the Bakumastu? He's here? In Tokyo? I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I hear Saya talking again.
"Don't call him that." Saya scolds Ryder, "My father knew him. He positively resented that name. He told me that's why he became rurouni. Because he wanted to pay for his crimes committed while he was hitokiri. And for that I respect Kenshin-sama."
I'm barely paying attention to her final words. All that I am thinking about is how absurd it sounds to hear that a ruthless killer would want to atone for his 'crimes' as Saya calls it. but that's when it hit's me. she said 'Kenshin-sama'. Does she mean…what I think she means? No. that's impossible. My father. My frail, weak, not-even-able-to-hold-a-sword of a father cannot be the famed Hitokiri Battosai!
"He can't be." I growl. Saya's eyes, widen when she sees me standing in the shadows, and I am pinned to the wall behind me by a shruiken, thrown by Ryder.
"Wait! Ryder! Stop!" she says, grabbing his arm, as he reaches into his jacket for another shruiken. "I know him. He's Kenshin-sama's son."
Ryder's eyes widen when he makes the connection. The small-ish stature, (I hate my dad for passing that on to me…) the bright red hair. He realizes who I am.
"My apologizes Kenji-sama." He says bowing. I can easily tell that he was born here, despite the fact that he wears clothes similar to those from the continent.
"What do you know about this 'Battosai'?" I hiss dangerously, throwing back his shruiken, which he catches expertly, while it's still in the air. I make a mental note that this man-although younger than me by three years-can still be a large threat to my life if I pushed him.
He seems surprised, but annoyed at my question. "Kenji-sama, do you not know? Your father-" Saya, puts her hand on Ryder's shoulder, stopping him from speaking. "This isn't the time nor, place to speak of these things. Come inside. Now." She says.
I follow her cautiously, sneaking a glance at Ryder. His name doesn't suggest it, but I can tell that he is at least half-Japanese. Although his facial features are of a young fifteen-year-old Japanese swordsman, his eyes are a bright hazel colour, and his hair is a tawny yellow colour, similar to a lion's pelt. Although. I can't really talk.
We enter the room and I'm surprised to find that it's relatively clean inside. Saya sits down, and she gestures for Ryder and I to do the same.
"Now." She says as she pours some tea for us. "Where were we?"
"You said something about my father…and the Battousai." I say, guarded.
I hear Ryder snort behind me. "He doesn't know. I can't believe that he doesn't know." I turn around and give him an icy glare. He doesn't flinch at all, but smiles wickedly. "I doubt that you know who I am." He says. I say nothing, but continue glaring at him. "Ryder-kun, I swear, if you decide to test you're father's technique on Kenji-sama, I will hurt you." Saya threatens. Ryder stands down, but is still glaring at me.
Saya takes a deep breath and asks. "Do you know everything about you're father's past?"
I shake my head, hating that they know more about my father than I do.
"I'm surprised that they didn't tell you. Aren't samurai considered adults when they're fifteen? What are you now? Seventeen? Eighteen?" Ryder scoffs, but winches when Saya hits him.
I'm glad that she hit him first because I can't take his taunts. If I didn't know better I'd think that he was Sagara-san's son, not Saya. And I'd hate to admit that I'm nineteen.
"I think that I understand that your parents probably don't want to know everything about their pasts, but I honestly think that you should know everything. Have you ever wondered why you're father is always considered the best swordsman in Japan by the people that he know, and yet he hasn't been seen wielding a sword? That's because his body can no longer take the stress of the moves of his sword style-the legendary Hiten-Mitsuguri Ryu. He never talks about his past before he met your mother because he's ashamed of the crimes he committed as a patriot during the Bakumatsu." She meets my eyes, dark pools of brown, staring seriously back at me. "I've heard all of this from my father, and my father never lies to me. I know that it's hard to believe, but your father is Hitokiri Battosai."
I stare at her waiting for the punch line. When she doesn't I start laughing hisesterically anyway. Ryder and Saya look at each other then back at me, the looks on their faces betraying the fact that they think that I've cracked.
I phant, trying to regain control, but I can barely breath. "My father," I gasp, still trying to control my laughter. "Can not be…Hitokiri Battosai. He's too…gently." I grin. "Geesh. I may not seem like much, but one thing that I'm not is an idiot."
"He really doesn't believe us." Ryder says, staring at Saya. She sighs. "Well what do you expect? Considering whom our father's how can we not believe that he's the Battosai? I know that I didn't believe my father when he told me at first, but he showed me a picture that Katsu-sensei had drawn of Kenshin-sama, and although it could've been just fictional." She pauses and shudders. "His eyes. His movements in the portraits. I knew as I know now that it wasn't a figment of Katsu-sensei imagination. I knew that his man was for real. And I know that if he was as healthy as he was when he was younger…he'd be the winner in a fight to the death."
I can tell that they can tell that I still don't believe them. "Do you really want proof?" Ryder demands. Saya opens her mouth to object, but he holds his hand up, silenceing her. "Fight me Kenji Himura. I Saito Ryder challenge you to a duel. My father was the greatest rival of Hitokiri Battosai, and as his son, I will prove that the Gatotsu is able to beat the Hiten-Mituguri Ryu."
I grin back at him. "I'll gladly accept. Things around here are getting boring anyways."
"Are you two out of your minds?" Saya argues, putting a hand on both of our chests. "You." She says looking at Ryder, "Are crazy for challenging him. For one, I doubt that his parents will appreciate you beating on him, and two, you still can't use your Gatotsu to its full potential. And you." She turns her glare on me. "Have you comlpletely lost your mind? I know that you're already educated in the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, but I still think that if you two go head to head, nothing will be accomplished aside from one of your ego's being hurt!"
We both start laughing. "Our ego's are the last thing that you should be worrying about." I laugh, but still glare at Ryder. "I can't believe that I'm saying this but I'm agreeing with the ginger." He smirks, and I'm unsure if he's insulting me or not by calling me 'ginger'.
Saya watches with an enraged look on her face as we walk out of the door and face off.
Ryder grins, sinking into a crouch, holding his kanata with his left hand extended, his thumb at the tip of his blade, and his right arm pulled back grasping the kashira of his sword. "Are you ready Himura?" he shouts. I respond by settling into my battojustu stance.
"Here I come!" he yells as he charges towards me.
And the fight begins.
this one apoligizes about the cliff hanger...until next chapter!
-moony