Chapter Nine
The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, as Kenshin raced to the main building of the dojo; his heart thundering within him.
"Kaoru-dono! Shishou! Please! Be all right!" Kenshin silently begged, as he turned a corner, and another scent came to his sensitive nose.
"This scent...it's..." Kenshin's mind mumbled, as numbness started to take over.
"Hakubaiko. To me, it's my sister's scent...to you, it is probably..." Enishi murmured, sneering when Kenshin again gave him a look of rage and abject terror.
"Enishi! What did you do to Kaoru-dono?.!" Kenshin asked, his voice shrill with fear.
"The scent is a trail. Follow it carefully. The 'Answer' you have been looking for...is there." Enishi said, before disappearing into the smoke, "Take a good look! Mourn! Scream! Regret! Then cry yourself to death!"
With that anxiety added to him, Kenshin pushed his body to the limit; finally arriving in the dojo. What he saw made him drop his sword, fall to his knees, and begin to cry bitter tears.
"Ken-san!" Megumi shouted.
"Kenshin!" Sanosuke added, yet they both froze when they saw the scene of carnage in front of them.
"...What about Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu...? What about Himura Kenshin...? Once again...I couldn't protect the most important people...Kaoru...dono...Shishou..." Kenshin sobbed, as he closed his eyes tightly and bowed his head away from the horrible scene. Kaoru sat crumpled against the wall like a discarded doll, her eyes still open, but glazing over in death; with Enishi's sword jutting out of her chest. Across from her, and lying on his side, lay Hiko...with Winter Moon thrust through his heart, just as Enishi had threatened. And yet, as they absorbed the bloodstained chaos, Sanosuke and Megumi noticed when two more people entered the building from the door across from them.
"Hiko! No!" one man cried, as he rushed over to the dead man's side; green eyes filling with tears as he did so.
"There's nothing more we can do,...Shippou...We failed him..." the other said, as he quietly kneeled beside Hiko's corpse, and gently closed his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, my friend...that we didn't get here in time to prevent this." the man said, as he gently removed Winter Moon from its' owner's chest, placed it at his side, and laid him on his back.
"Who're you? What're you doin' here?" Sanosuke asked, distrust emerging in his eyes as he spoke.
"Just an old friend of Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth...One that has failed too many friends, for this lifetime. C'mon, Shippou." the man said, his tone grief-ridden and subdued, as he walked out the way he'd entered...only this time with his head lowered in defeat.
"Gomenasai. We couldn't find our way here without directions...and by the time we did..." Shippou sobbed, as he bowed to Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Megumi, and then rushed away.
"Wait." Sanosuke said, before the young man could disappear. Shippou paused, then looked tearfully back at him.
"Tell your buddy that is wasn't his fault...and not to do anything foolish, okay?" Sanosuke murmured, getting a slight nod for that, and then another bow. Then the two strangers were gone.
"Kaoru...Shishou..." Kenshin whimpered, as tears cascaded down his cheeks.
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Yahiko stood apart from everyone else, as he tried to absorb what had happened. Kamiya Kaoru, his instructor, and Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth, Grand-master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, were dead; murdered by Enishi in the name of his Jinchuu.
"Why...? How did it turn out this way...?" Tsubame sobbed, as they gathered in the now-silent dojo. Neither Megumi nor Sanosuke could offer an answer.
"When I woke up...after everything was over...I was in bed at Oguni Clinic. So I...never saw how Kaoru and Hiko died. What I saw were their bodies being prepared for burial. Kaoru was dressed in white, while Hiko-sensei...They were both like different people. That's why, even after their funerals...the fact that they are both dead doesn't feel real...And Kenshin...They told me that Kenshin disappeared while nobody was looking. Sanosuke's followers are trying their hardest to locate him, but he's still missing...Where did he go? There's nowhere else for him to return but here...The man who'd killed Kaoru and Hiko, Yukishiro Enishi, fled into the smoke with his comrade Gein...Kujiranami, who was defeated by Saito, is half-crazed and unable to communicate. Their hideout was attacked after the other three gave up the location, but it had already been abandoned...In the end, everything happened while I was taking my sweet time being unconscious..." Yahiko mused, angry with himself at this fact. They all jumped when a man shoved open a gate, and called out to Sanosuke.
"Sano-san, we found him! We've found Himura!" the man shouted, gasping as he recovered from his sprint.
"Where? Where is Kenshin?.!" Sanosuke asked, as some relief entered his strangely-careworn gaze.
"We need to at least tend to his wounds!" Megumi added, but was cut short by the man.
"Hold on. Women and children shouldn't come. He's in the 'Fallen Village'." the man stated, as their eyes widened in disbelief. They knew what kind of place a fallen village could be; usually filled with those who had abandoned the era, and those who were abandoned by it...People who were pushed away by society, and disliked by the public. It was a final destination for those who had given up on their lives. When they got there, Kenshin was a sorry sight to behold; his eyes were dull and listless, and he barely registered their presences at all.
"Let's go! Stand up! We're gonna go kill Yukishiro Enishi! We'll avenge Kaoru and Hiko!" Sanosuke shouted, then continued, "It won't bring them back...but...we can't just back down! This can't be the end! KENSHIN!!! Why don't you say something?.!" With a fierceness that they had forgotten Sanosuke had, he grabbed the front of Kenshin's gi, and pulled him into an upright position. But the response they got only enraged the former fight merchant.
"No...more...Too...tired..." Kenshin whispered; his voice coming out like the last breath of a dying man.
"Y...YOU MORON!!!!!" Sanosuke roared, furiously; his grief and rage fueling him, as he threw Kenshin back onto the ground again, and just about started punching the daylights out of him...only stopping when the rest of the residents of the Fallen Village surrounded them.
"I don't know what the story is, young man, but even though the newcomer has only been here a few days, he's our companion...on our side." one man said, quietly, yet they could all hear the threat in his voice.
"There's no law here, but there is an absolute rule to protect one another..." another added.
"We will not allow outsiders to do us harm. If you still plan to carry on like this..." yet another trailed off.
"You'd best be prepared!" a final man finished.
"Hah! The rejects licking each other's wounds! I'll take on all of you!" Sanosuke challenged, angrily.
"Stop it, you idiot! We have Tsubame-chan with us!" Megumi snapped, trying to bring Sanosuke back to his senses, just as the young girl hesitantly approached Kenshin.
"Kenshin-san...?" Tsubame meekly asked, as Kenshin slowly got to his feet, but only returned to where he'd been sitting.
"No more...too tired...Let sessha rest...in peace..." Kenshin softly said, and as they did just that; parting when they got to the entrance of the village.
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It was on his solitary, lonely walk back to the dojo that Yahiko found himself remembering how he'd met Kenshin and Kaoru.
"It was on this bridge. On a cold winter day...that I met Kenshin and Kaoru for the first time...Since that day, they had always been there...and my dreams began...and after so many hardships and battles, we met Kenshin's master, Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth, as well...He was arrogant and strong...yet could be brave and selfless, as well...But...now..." Yahiko thought, as tears came to his eyes. While it may have been true that he hadn't known any of them for very long, least of all Hiko, he felt as though his own future had ended when their lives had been stripped away from them. He was so wrapped up in his grief, that he didn't sense that someone had arrived on the bridge behind him till a familiar voice called out his name.
"Yahiko?" a girl's voice asked, as Yahiko tensed, then turned around. To his amazement, there was Misao Makimachi and Aoshi Shinomori!
"I thought it was you. What are you doing out here? What's the matter? Did something happen?.!" Misao asked; noticing that grief was in the young swordsman's eyes.
"Follow me." Yahiko replied, as he led the way back to the dojo. When they got there, he showed them the only proof he had to what had happened. Misao's face went pale, when she saw the two funeral plates.
"No..." Misao muttered, in disbelief, when she read the names that were inscribed on them.
"It's not a lie. Those are Kaoru's and Hiko-sensei's." Yahiko said, sadly, as he sat down and faced the far wall, "It's all too late. Kaoru and Hiko were both murdered...and Kenshin is broken. In the end...I couldn't do anything." He didn't expect what happened next. Not only did Misao begin yelling, but she also smacked him with her travel bag for good measure.
"I don't want to hear any more whining! How girly can you get?.! Save your whining until later! You have something you have to do right now!" Misao shouted, as she forcefully put what appeared to be a diary between them.
"This is what Kaoru asked me to bring. The diary of Himura's late wife...with her true feelings written within. We'll pry open that white-haired man's eyes and show him this, to slap him in the face with his stupidity and the senselessness of what he's done! Then we'll make him bow down so hard in apology at Kaoru-san's and Hiko-san's graves, that he'll bury his face in the dirt!" Misao said, then added, "Though, ordinarily, I would want to take his head and use it as an offering...but that would stray from Kaoru-san's Kamiya Kasshin Ryu...and go against Himura's vow. But we at least have to do this, or Kaoru-san will never rest in peace. And this is a task for you, Kaoru-san's first student...and one whose potential Himura saw! I'll help too, so let's first find the white-haired...What?" Misao had noticed that Yahiko was actually staring at her in wonder.
"Nothing...I just thought...You're always...such an upbeat person." Yahiko muttered.
"Well, energy is my strong point!" Misao chirped, enthusiastically.
"Or rather, your only strong point." Yahiko mumbled; smirking inwardly when he noticed just how much that statement was so similar to what Hiko would have said, in that situation, then added, "But it's like you said! We can't let him get away with this! All right. We'll head over to Kenshin first thing in the morning, along with Sanosuke...and search for white hair!"
And yet, it didn't stop Misao's tears from falling, when no one was around to see them.
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The next morning, Yahiko and Misao made the trek to the Fallen Village alone, since Aoshi had gone to take care of other business.
"We should have gone and gotten Sanosuke first. It's a pain to babysit you alone." Misao muttered, as they walked.
"What?.!" Yahiko growled, yet stopped when he noticed Sanosuke coming from the opposite direction.
"Sanosuke! I didn't know you were here. Good timing. Let's go see Kenshin again and...!" Yahiko was cut short, by Sanosuke's growling tone.
"Don't bother. Go home, and never come back here again. Seeing him is a waste of time, when he's alive, but dead inside." Sanosuke snarled, as he walked right past them; his eyes so cold that the froze them deep within their cores.
"Sanosuke?.!" Yahiko cried, stunned by what the ex-fighter-for-hire had just said.
"I left my room in the Gorotsuki Long House. I'm giving it to you, so hurry up and move. If you stay at the dojo, you'll end up broken too. See ya." Sanosuke said, as he walked off.
"Sanosuke...too...Kaoru...Kenshin...Hiko...Sanosuke...They're all leaving Kamiya Dojo. Is it too late? Is this the end? Is it?.!" Yahiko wondered, as he gripped his shinai, and called out after Sanosuke.
"Sanosuke! It's not the end yet...no! I won't let it end like this! I don't know where you're going...but make sure you come back to witness the end!" Yahiko shouted, panting when even that exertion took it's toll on his injured young body.
"Himura sure saw something in him. There's no need for me to act energetic to keep his spirits up." Misao mused, then said, with determination, "Let's go see Himura, so it really doesn't become too late!"
"Okay!" Yahiko agreed, and they both continued on down the path together.
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Megumi sighed when Aoshi had finished telling her all he knew about the message Kaoru had sent them, and the diary it had had them retrieve from Tomoe's grave.
"The diary...I didn't know she had asked for something like that...But it's too late...It's all too late." Megumi sadly said, with an empty look in her eyes as she gazed out the window.
"I'll decide whether or not it's too late. An onmitsu's true nature is to be absolutely realistic. Start by describing the situation in as much detail as you can." Aoshi demanded, his icy-blue eyes taking on a slight glint of determination as he said that. With a slight nod, Megumi told him all she could; from the time the Jinchuu was declared, all the way to its' gruesome end.
"That's all...My story is pretty much the same as everyone else's who was there." Megumi murmured, when she'd finished her tale. Aoshi's eyes then narrowed.
"I don't understand." Aoshi muttered, then added, when he got a confused look from Megumi, "Is there anything else? Any physical evidence?"
"The police collected all the evidence...Oh! It's not directly related to this...but the thing Sanosuke picked up a long time ago is in the dojo's storage..." Megumi said, starting a little when Aoshi made to leave the room.
"Right. I'm leaving now." Aoshi said, in his usual quiet tone.
"I'll come with you, if you're going back to the dojo. You don't know where the key to the storage house is." Megumi offered, getting a silent nod from the onmitsu as her only response to that.
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"No more. Too tired. Let sessha sleep..." Kenshin thought, as his dreams took him to a dark and forbidding landscape. All around him, and even under him, were piles upon piles of human bones, and bloodstained mist rose into the darkness around him.
"Here again..." Kenshin mused, knowing that this could only be hell.
"Yo." A familiar voice sneered, as it's bandaged owner walked up to him, and gazed down at him, "What's the matter? How pathetic."
"How ironic that you are sessha's guide...It doesn't matter. Let's go." Kenshin said, flatly, as a disgruntled expression crossed Makoto Shishio's face.
"None of your crazy talk. Why would I take you? I just came to laugh at you, for spite. Although, if you really want me to, I can take you. But only if you admit your defeat, right here. If you admit that your sword, your life, and your philosophy are all one huge mistake you can't take back..." Shishio sneered, yet faded when another presence entered Kenshin's psyche.
"Kenshin?" A calm, quiet voice asked; prompting the battle-weary rurouni into looking up for just a moment. To his slight bewilderment, he now found himself sitting on one of the rocks at the base of a familiar-looking waterfall.
"Shishou's favorite training ground...What am I doing here?" Kenshin inwardly wondered, as someone approached him. He froze when he saw the red-trimmed white mantle, and felt tears come to his eyes for the first time in days when he thought of who it was standing before him.
"Kenshin." the voice said, firmly; making Kenshin realize that this voice was unfamiliar.
"Who..." Kenshin began to ask, his own voice freezing in his throat when he beheld who now sat across from him. The man was tall, about as tall as Hiko had been, but was more lithe than muscular, and, though garbed in the familiar white mantle, was also wearing armor under it as well. His hair was tied back away from his face in a high tail, yet long bangs hung in front of his sea-green eyes.
"Who are you? Why are you wearing Shishou's mantle?" Kenshin asked, some form of anger rising, when the thought of someone desecrating his master's grave came to mind. In response, the man only gave him a sad, yet gentle smile.
"Believe it or not, young Kenshin, I am your Shishou's Shishou. In life, I was known as Seijuro Hiko the Twelfth." the man replied, his calm, young-sounding voice making confusion rise within the soul-scarred rurouni.
"What are you doing here? Why have you come before sessha?" Kenshin asked, confused to no end about this.
"I came because I could sense your confusion and pain, even from where I was. Though...my predecessors told me that I needed to mind my own business...It just isn't in me, to leave a soul as injured as yours' alone." Hiko the Twelfth said, his manner quite a contrast from the one Kenshin had been used to from his own master.
"Shishou never told sessha too much about you..." Kenshin murmured, noticing when an almost tangible sadness appeared in Hiko the Twelfth's expressive green eyes.
"I wouldn't expect for him to have done so. My death was a tragic blow to him...One that, even now, still haunts him. You did the impossible, Kenshin...with your sakabatou, you spared his life, and gained the ougi." Hiko the Twelfth stated, proudly.
"For what good it did. Kaoru-dono and Shishou are both dead, now. The Ougi failed to protect them, when it was needed the most." Kenshin bitterly said, as he again looked away from his master's predecessor; his grief and guilt proving too much to show to the kind-hearted warrior that sat nearby.
"I will stay near you, regardless...Till you find your answer." Hiko the Twelfth calmly replied, as he and the dreamscape faded from around Kenshin, and he awoke from the dream.
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"Himura!" Misao called, backing away slightly when she finally got a reaction from the rurouni; almost dead-purple eyes giving her a numbed look.
"What...What are you doing here?" Kenshin asked, softly.
"Get up, Himura! Let's go avenge Kaoru-san's death!" Misao shouted, yet got no response to that at all. She could only watch as Yahiko approached, and kneeled down in front of Kenshin.
"You don't have to move. Just listen. I'm going to find Yukishiro Enishi, and I'll make him pay for murdering Kaoru and Hiko. But...I don't know what will happen after that. But I won't falter. I won't lose my way. I will never look back, and just keep looking ahead. And, as you'd said before, I will become strong with Kamiya Kasshin Ryu...and wield my sword for the weak and abused who reflect in my eyes, just as you've been doing up till now." Yahiko said, then stood back up and turned to leave, "I...won't come here again. I'll be waiting for you, at Kamiya Dojo!" With that said, Yahiko gave the rurouni a brave smile, then turned and walked away; his head held high as he did so.
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Both Yahiko and Misao jumped, when they heard a shocked shout come from the dojo's yard.
"What?.!" Megumi's voice yelped, "What are you thinking?.! Do you know what you're saying?.!"
"Megumi!" Yahiko called, as he and Misao rushed over to see what was going on.
"What? What's going on here?" Misao asked, surprised when it appeared that Megumi was arguing heatedly with the quiet onmitsu.
"Listen to this! This guy, of all the things he could say...!" Megumi ranted, getting a snarled disagreement from Misao about calling Aoshi 'this guy'.
"So, what's going on?" Yahiko asked, bewildered, to say the least.
"Tonight, we will exhume their bodies." Aoshi said, knowing Yahiko, Misao, and Megumi would know whom he was talking about, with that one statement.
And, that night, that was just what they did.
As they went about the grim work of digging up the two graves, Yahiko could only wonder what they were about to find.
"What is Aoshi thinking?" Yahiko wondered, as first one coffin, and then another, was unearthed. He could remember the conversation that had ensued over the disturbing thought, but it had been Aoshi who had pointed out that the whole thing just felt wrong. He'd then explained the meticulous planning and the malicious way it had been carried out, and yet, the step leading to their deaths was missing.
"Kaoru's and Seijuro's moments of death...Yukishiro Enishi knew very well the effect this would have on Battousai. But, in the end, he completed Jinchuu by not allowing Battousai, or anyone else, to witness this moment." Aoshi had explained, and had then showed them the decomposing form of the Iwanbo Version Two. It had led Yahiko to the same conclusion Aoshi had made a short time before.
"The bodies Kenshin saw...may have been fake." Yahiko's mind repeated, as they stood before the two unearthed coffins, "It is only a possibility...Thinking about it rationally, it's very unlikely...but...it's not impossible!"
"Let's open them." Yahiko said, as they removed the lids, and looked inside each one. There, lying motionless within them, were the bodies of Kamiya Kaoru, and Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth.
"Kaoru-san...Hiko-san..." Misao whispered, as tears came to her eyes at the pitiful sight. With gentle hands, Megumi felt the wrists of both bodies; despair taking over as the realization settled in.
"There's no mistake...these are not dolls. They truly are Kaoru and Hiko-san..." Megumi murmured, sadly, as Yahiko gazed at the strangely still faces and felt an emptiness move into his heart.
"Close your eyes for a moment." Aoshi ordered, as he began to unsheathe one of his kodachi, and move towards Kaoru's coffin.
"What are you doing...?" Megumi asked, aghast as the steel blade made its' appearance before them.
"According to the books, the dolls are incredibly well-built. It is impossible to recognize them without breaking them open." Aoshi said, quietly.
"You monster! How far do you have to go...?.!" Megumi snapped, enraged at the thought of disturbing the dead by this.
"It's only a possibility...thinking about it rationally, it's very unlikely. But...not impossible." Yahiko thought, as he grabbed Megumi's wrist, and gave Aoshi a firm nod.
"Do it, Aoshi!" Yahiko said, as the onmitsu did just that. Cutting deep into Kaoru's flesh, and then reaching in, he pulled out the unbelievable; wires! Then he did the same to Hiko's body...and found the same thing!
"Good thing we bet on...the probability of possibility. There is no way to know why Yukishiro Enishi used such elaborate measures to fake their deaths...but this I can say with certainty...Kamiya Kaoru, and Seijuro Hiko have not yet been murdered." Aoshi said, almost smiling when looks of hope and joy re-emerged from within the trio in front of him.
"They're alive! Kaoru and Hiko are both still alive! Kenshin!" Yahiko jubilantly thought, as tears of joy appeared in his eyes; watching as Aoshi reverently removed Hiko's mantle from the grave. The instructor of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, and the Grand-master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu were still alive...but where were they?
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For a brief moment, nothing made sense. Kaoru's mind was a confused blur as she slowly regained consciousness; where was she?.
"What happened...? The last thing I can remember is being knocked out...Where am I?" Kaoru wondered, as feeling returned to her body. For a moment, she could have sworn that she was a little girl again, cradled in her father's arms; with a gentle heartbeat at her ear to lull her into slumber. Then her senses cleared, and more details came into focus. The heartbeat she was hearing was uneven and weak, as though the person it was within was slowly dying. Something sticky coated her clothing and skin, and her stomach gave an involuntary lurch when she realized that it was blood.
"But whose blood is it?.!" Kaoru's mind asked, as she opened her eyes, and tried to look up at the person who now held her so close. Her mouth instantly went dry.
"Hiko-san!" Kaoru yelped, her voice getting a slight flinch from the swordsman, before he slowly opened his eyes.
"K-kamiya..." Hiko whispered, as a soft, relieved smile appeared on his bloodied face.
"W-what...Where? How did we...?" Kaoru stammered, tearfully, as she looked frantically around her. Woodlands greeted her vision, and it took a few moments to realize that they were far away from the dojo.
"I carried you...as far as I could...in my current state...We got separated for just a moment...and Yukishiro had managed to corner you...He knocked you out...and tried to carry you off...But I managed to get you back...before he could get very far..." Hiko said, his voice quieter than Kaoru could ever remember it being.
"Hiko-san...Please hang on." Kaoru begged, afraid that the brave swordsman was losing his fight for life.
"You hardly even know me, Kamiya...The Baka Deshi has made an even bigger impact in your life...than I have." Hiko murmured, his voice a little bit stronger than before, but not by much.
"True...but, without you, there wouldn't have been a Kenshin to meet...You rescued him from death, just like you rescued me...So I can't let you die, Hiko-san." Kaoru said, as determination entered her voice, and she gave him a brave look. A look that he answered with a very slight smirk.
"Stubborn girl." Hiko muttered, with a pained sigh. Kaoru only smiled.
"It's who I am." Kaoru replied, then asked, "Where are we, anyway?"
"As far as I can tell...we're now fairly close to the main road, just beyond the town of Shinshu." Hiko said, as he stiffly helped Kaoru get to her feet, but didn't move from where he now sat.
"I'm going to go and see if I can't find some help. Stay here." Kaoru ordered, getting an arched eyebrow from the elder Hiten master for that.
"Do you see me moving, Kamiya?" Hiko retorted, with a semblance of his usual sarcastic persona. Kaoru only sighed in exasperation.
"You know what I mean...Be alive when I come back, okay?" Kaoru asked, as worry for him clouded her stormy blue-grey eyes. Hiko's gaze softened ever so slightly, and he nodded.
"I'm not going to die...don't worry." Hiko reassured, then watched as Kaoru ran in the direction she thought civilization was in.
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The day was just barely beginning, when she walked outside to go to the well.
"That lazy bum! Why can't Tou-san get the water instead?" she silently grumbled, yet froze when some movement caught her eye. Someone had just emerged from the woods, and the person's appearance frightened her. It appeared to be a dark-haired, teenaged boy; he wore what appeared to be the usual hakama and gi, but they had been soaked in blood sometime before.
"Is...is he a hitokiri? If he is, then what's he doing here?.!" the girl wondered, as she watched the youth approach the well and lower the bucket.
"I've got to tell Tou-san!" the girl thought, as she quickly rushed back inside to get her father.
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Kaoru had only been able to sigh in relief when she'd sighted the well; knowing only too keenly that Hiko was in dire need of it.
"He's lost so much blood already...I can only hope that this isn't too little, too late..." Kaoru mused, as she began lowering the bucket into the well; becoming so preoccupied by her concern for the man, that she didn't notice when someone else came to stand near her.
"You look a little young to be a hitokiri, kid." a man's voice muttered, startling Kaoru into looking up. To her shock, a man now stood there, with a girl and young boy peeking from behind a doorframe at them.
"I'm not a hitokiri..." Kaoru replied; shocked that someone had made that assumption, yet then took a good look at herself. She was covered, almost head to toe, in Hiko's blood...what other explanation could there be for this, in their minds? She watched when the man's eyebrows rose; almost disappearing behind his short bangs, in response not only to that, but also the way her voice sounded.
"Not only are you not a hitokiri...you're not even a man! Jou-chan, how the hell did you end up like this?" the man asked; an emotion akin to alarm taking up residence on his face as he gazed at her.
"My...friend's father was badly hurt protecting me from a madman..." Kaoru hesitantly replied, as she tried to gauge the fellow's reaction to this.
"Then the poor bastard has my respect. Where is he?" the man again asked; allowing some hope to re-emerge within the tired kenjutsu teacher.
"This way!" Kaoru said, as she promptly forgot about the water, and raced back into the treeline; the stranger following close behind her.
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Hiko could sense that Kaoru was returning with help, even before she appeared in the clearing.
"That was fast, Kamiya." Hiko muttered, as the young woman rushed back over to him; her expression clearly showing her relief.
"I know...But I'm glad I was able to find help so quickly!" Kaoru said, as the man with her took in his injuries with an almost horrified look.
"Damn. You've had the shit kicked out of you, all right. What the hell hit you?" the stranger asked, as he placed a firm hand on Hiko's right shoulder.
"You don't want to know." Hiko muttered, yet couldn't help but think that the man seemed familiar somehow.
"All right, fair enough. Think you can stand? My place isn't too far." the man said. With a silent nod, Hiko gritted his teeth and got to his feet; the act sending fresh agony through him.
"Hiko-san!" Kaoru managed to yelp, before he almost collapsed.
"Whoa! Hang in there!" the man shouted, as he caught the badly injured Hiten master, and hauled him onto his shoulders.
"Go back to the house and tell my daughter to start some water boiling, and then head into town and get the doctor! Hurry!" the man urged, as Kaoru wordlessly did as she was told.
"This poor bastard's on his last legs...Wonder what the hell exactly happened?" he wondered, then sighed and started running, "Doesn't matter. Gotta save his life, first, and then get some answers!"
And Higashidani Kamishimoemon was determined to do just that.
Author's Note!
Sorry about the delay in chapters, minna! (This chapter almost didn't get written...Writer's Block almost got it's claws into it again, but I wrenched it free!) Hope this chapter lived up to expectations!
Gemini14