Chapter Twelve
Kaoru looked on in some concern, as they all sat and ate. Even though Sanosuke had said he was fine, he still looked pale and a bit shaky.
"I suppose it's only to be expected...We did give him a pretty severe shock." Kaoru mused, then glanced at Hiko. The older man sat apart from them, silently enjoying his hard-earned sake; even though no smile could be seen, even she could sense that he was pleased. Yet, the mood swiftly changed, when Higashidani and Sanosuke heard some movement outside; they both quickly got to their feet, and prepared for a fight.
"Relax, you two. I don't sense any threatening ki, so it could just be the neighbors." Hiko said, not even looking up when he said that, and pouring himself another cupful of sake while he was at it.
"Higashidani." a voice called, from outside.
"Master of Sakura-ya...What do you want, this late at night?" Higashidani asked, as he opened the door for his neighbors, and let them in. To their surprise, a pile of vegetables and several other kinds of goods greeted their sight.
"What's all this?" Higashidani questioned; with some surprise showing in his eyes.
"Payment for the hats, that's what." the shopkeeper from before said, with a smile. Higashidani could only grin slightly at this, and look over his shoulder at Kaoru and Hiko.
"I was intimidated by Fudosawa into not buying those hats from you...but he didn't mention anything about trading for them." the shopkeeper stated, as the family gazed in disbelief at this turn of events.
"The vegetables are to thank you. You're always helping us." another man said, honestly.
"Minna..." Uki murmured, with a hopeful smile appearing on her face as she said that.
"Higashidani, we've made a decision. We will fight too. We've all been forced into this situation, and we can't leave you in the forefront all alone." the shopkeeper said, determinedly.
"That's right! From now on, let's stand together, get hurt together, and win together!" another villager agreed, wholeheartedly.
"Minna...!" Uki said, greatly encouraged by what her neighbors were saying.
"Wait. Your enemy is the yakuza, who are all used to fighting. Even all of you together can't beat them." Sanosuke murmured, realistically.
"That is the truth of the matter, unfortunately." Hiko agreed, as he also stood; making his presence known to the group. In their eyes, he could see the desperation they had for their town, and remembered that it had not been so different, in the distant days of the Sengoku...when he himself had been a warlord.
"Amateur fights can turn into something horrible. If that happens, I won't be happy, even if we win. So all of you just keep doing what you've been doing." Higashidani said, then added, "We don't need to band together to fight. If our hearts are together, then it is as though I have a hundred men with me!"
"Higashidani..." the shopkeeper murmured, moved by the determination in the stubborn man.
"There's no need to worry. It will all be over soon." Higashidani reassured, then called out to Uki, "Hey, Uki, get some more dishes and chopsticks!"
"Mind if I help, too?" Kaoru asked.
"Sure. Go right ahead." Higashidani replied.
"Just don't let her cook anything." Sanosuke muttered; ducking when the kenjutsu teacher took a swing at him with the broom.
"The Master of Sakura-ya has some logic, but logic does not work on the yakuza. Let's eat all this with everyone right now!" Higashidani said.
"A party would be nice." the shopkeeper agreed.
"Everyone, come on in." Higashidani invited, as the villagers accepted the invitation and entered the house.
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As the impromptu party wore on, Hiko was becoming aware of an unsettling presence.
"Fighting ki...about two-hundred men, all told...massing in the mountain." Hiko thought, as he gripped Winter Moon tightly.
"Sense something, Hiko?" Sanosuke asked, quietly; keeping his voice low, so he wouldn't alarm his family, their neighbors, or Kaoru.
"Aa...And it's coming from the mountain. If I had to hazard a guess...it's probably those yakuza that had been mentioned." Hiko replied, calmly. Sanosuke then gave him an almost unnerved look.
"What's the plan, then? You look like you want to fight, too." Sanosuke murmured; inwardly surprised by how much Hiko's reaction to this problem was like Kenshin's would have been.
"If a plan is to be made, then we must discuss it outside. I would rather not have them panic by overhearing this." Hiko said, as he stiffly got to his feet, and walked to the door. Without saying a word, Sanosuke followed; knowing better than almost anyone to follow the elder warrior's battle instincts. Once they were outside, Hiko then did something rather odd; he turned his attention to one side of the darkened path, and gazed at the shadows intently.
"I was wondering when you would notice I was here." A man's voice said, casually.
"Indeed. I take you've noticed all of the disturbances here, lately?" Hiko questioned.
"Hell yeah. The village has been given hell by those damn yakuza, and that pig Ishin Shishi arriving today didn't help matters much." the voice replied, with much distaste for the yakuza and the ex-Ishin Shishi, in his tone.
"So, what do you intend to do?" Sanosuke asked, impulsively.
"Give that ex-patriot a beating he won't likely forget. I, for one, don't appreciate strange packs moving in and threatening my own, so it's time for a little payback." the voice said, eagerly.
"'Packs'? Does he mean, like wolf packs?" Sanosuke wondered, curiously.
"Then see to it. We'll take care of the yakuza." Hiko said, determinedly.
"You sure about that? From what Ginta and Hakkaku had told me, the blood-scent they'd picked up from you hinted at some pretty severe injuries. Something had beaten the shit out of you, and, even though you're pretty tough for a human, even you can't heal that fast." the voice stated, with some concern, then added, "You sure you can handle it?"
"Just have to wait and see." Hiko responded.
"Feh. Always knew you were more stubborn than you let on. Fine then! We'll let you take care of the mountain, while we handle the pig trying to be the king of it. See ya." the voice said, before it's owner retreated even deeper into the night.
"Who was that?" Sanosuke asked, as he listened to the sounds of running feet with a confused look on his face.
"An old ally. Now, let's get going." Hiko said, as he began walking in the direction of the mountain.
"Right." Sanosuke agreed, then silently added, "The sooner this is taken care of, the sooner we can head back to Tokyo."
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Uki sighed in irritation as she cleaned up the mess the neighbors and her father had made.
"They ate and drank all they wanted, and then just went home...Ota, don't become a drunk like them, okay?" Uki grumbled, as she handed him the empty sake bottles. Ota only nodded.
"Reminds me of a few parties that I've been to." Kaoru murmured; remembering those times fondly, and secretly wondering if they even had a chance of happening again.
"By the way, what happened to Hiko-sama? I just realized that I haven't seen him since the party started." Uki said, and Kaoru noticed that he wasn't there.
"Oh no...don't tell me he's..." Kaoru thought, as she worriedly rushed towards the room Hiko had been using, only to find it empty, and the futon still rolled up.
"He's...gone...and Sano is too...What's going on?.!" Kaoru asked, out loud; jumping when Uki let out a cry, and started yelling that her father had just disappeared as well.
"Hiko-san! Sano! Higashidani-san! Please! Don't do anything stupid!" Kaoru thought, as she rushed to the panicking girl's side, and then they both rushed out the door.
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"So, how do you want to divide 'em? Half for you and half for me?" Sanosuke panted, as he raced alongside the Thirteenth master.
"Doesn't matter to me. Just so long as they don't reach the homes of the townsfolk." Hiko replied, feeling equally as winded by the run, since his ribs and lungs were still healing.
"Better split 'em three ways, then." Higashidani's voice said, as he joined them in their sprint.
"Whoa! Waitaminute! You don't mean to tell me you're planning on fighting with us?.!" Sanosuke said, as he abruptly halted; his actions forcing Hiko and Higashidani to do so as well.
"This battle depends on who launches the first big strike. Whoever strikes first will ultimately weaken their position." Higashidani said, as he gave the two before him a grave look., "Even the ex-Ishin Shishi uncle will not be able to cover up a fight they start themselves...Then it will all go in our favor, and they will never be able to take the town..."
"You're too naive." Sanosuke murmured.
"What?" Higashidani asked, confusedly.
"You don't realize the power they have. White becomes black...truth becomes lies...and even justice...becomes evil." Sanosuke said, bitterly; speaking from his own experience to the stubborn man that was his father. For a few moments, the two stood, silently; neither of them backing down. Inwardly, Hiko was reminded of the way he and Kenshin had parted, fifteen years prior...how neither of them had been willing to give even an inch.
"History always repeats itself." Hiko mused, then sighed, "Yet thinking about it will get me nowhere."
"Is that so? But, either way, they will be making a move tonight. Rather than sit and wait, I'll rampage until the end." Higashidani said, determinedly.
"If that's the case, then what of your son and daughter? Win or lose, the authorities will imprison you." Hiko said, not even looking at the pair from where he stood, with his back to them.
"The people of the town will take care of them. I am sure of that. Besides, my firstborn is back home." Higashidani replied, almost sadly.
"Baka. This place is not my home, but it's where you belong! Don't fight without planning to go home, when you have a place to go back to! If you're going to protect them, then protect them to the end! 'Protect and fight' until you break!" Sanosuke shouted, his last phrase getting a silent agreement from the elder Hiten master.
"Return to your home, Higashidani. This battle is no longer yours'." Hiko said, quietly.
"If you won't move, then we'll resume this where we left off yesterday." Sanosuke warned.
"Heh...You speak like a grown man, Sanosuke...But this is my fight! I can't step aside, not even for my own son, or the honorable swordsman beside you!" Higashidani said, stubbornly; yet didn't count on Sanosuke doubling him over with a strong punch to the stomach.
"Y-you...were holding back...yesterday..." Higashidani gasped, as he fell.
"I'm not so ungrateful that I would hit my dad without holding back. Dad, I am buying your fight! The 'power of justice' of the Ishin Shishi...They aren't your enemy, they are mine, from ten years ago..." Sanosuke murmured, then added, "That being said, Hiko, they aren't your enemy, either."
"They are, since they were the ones who had pulled the Baka Deshi into their damned war...and, in so doing, turned his soul into another battleground." Hiko growled; his eyes hardening as he thought of it.
"Now is a time to act." Hiko silently added, as he and the fight merchant continued their flight to where the yakuza would turn up.
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"Get ready, men, the town is nearby! Unleash your fury!" Fudosawa roared, as he got bloodcurdling cheers from the men behind him.
"We'll start by tearing up Kamishimoemon...Huh?" Fudosawa asked, when he beheld what appeared to be two men standing before him. One was a tall, muscular fellow, with long, pitch black hair and even darker eyes. In his strong hands, he held a sheathed sword. The other man beside him was a bit shorter, and was unarmed.
"Yo." the shorter man, Sanosuke, said, coolly.
"What are you doing here? It's too late for apologies." Fudosawa growled, as he glared daggers into the fight merchant.
"I just now finished the fight I bought. That stubborn old man, Higashidani, is sleeping down the road. However...it was over in a simple punch, just like that. It wasn't what I was promised. It didn't relieve my stress at all." Sanosuke sneered.
"And what about the swordsman? Why is he here?" Fudosawa asked, as he eyed the tall warrior standing silently across from him.
"I was also in need of some 'stress relief' the swordsman replied, calmly, then mockingly added, "But there isn't a single true warrior among you."
"Huh?.! What's your point?.!" some of the yakuza howled, enraged by the pair's words.
"Hold it!" Fudosawa ordered, then looked at the two before him again, "I must apologize. Is that right? Then why don't I serve as your opponent?.!" With brute strength, Fudosawa struck the boulder beside him; leaving a clear palm print on its' face.
"'Ogre Crush'! It's a slap that'd crushed many a wrestler's face!" some members of the yakuza murmured, in awe of their leader's strength.
"To liven up the crowd tonight, we'll start by turning you two into a bloody pulp!" Fudosawa sneered, as bloodlust appeared in his eyes. To his surprise, Sanosuke wasn't even phased by his strength, and the swordsman was even yawning!
"So, you're a failed wrestler. No wonder you're so fat." Sanosuke muttered, thoroughly unimpressed, as he watched Fudosawa closely.
"Bark all you want! Eat this!" Fudosawa snarled, "Ogre Crush!" With one huge hand, he hit Sanosuke full force; shocked when the swordsman actually sidestepped the blow, and Sanosuke wasn't even badly hurt by it!
"What's this? You thought you could kill things with this?" Sanosuke asked, sarcastically.
"What?" Fudosawa yelped, when he saw that his killing blow had not done a single thing.
"Ogre Crush? It's useless. I fought on equal grounds...with a Myo-ou who crushes ogres with ease...and fought alongside a dragon who can blow them away!" Sanosuke shouted, as he fired off a powerful punch into the gut of the ex-wrestler; slamming him into the same boulder he'd slapped moments earlier, for added insult.
"Who...the heck is this guy?" Fudosawa wondered, frantically, as he hid behind the boulder and tried to recoup his strength.
"Do you want to get it? Or did you want to play hide and seek?" Sanosuke asked, then added, "That reminds me...the skill I learned from the Myo-ou negates the resistance of an object, and destroys it with two simultaneous hits. Which means..." Seconds later, the boulder exploded, sending Fudosawa flying.
"I see...it's not as powerful as the original, but it's rather good for an improvisation...This version uses both hands, so I can't manage a repetition of blows...But it's better than nothing." Sanosuke muttered.
"Feh...maybe I should learn it." the swordsman mumbled, then added, "But, then again, that would negate the purpose of owning a sword in the first place."
"Got that right." Sanosuke agreed, as they listened to the yakuza murmur their disbelief amongst themselves.
"And yet, that was only three blows, total...Not even close to enough for stress relief." Sanosuke growled, then motioned to the mob to come at will.
"Stupid fools! Do you think you two can win against two hundred men?.!" they roared, as they charged at the two wary fighters.
"One hundred for you, Sagara, and the other half for me." the swordsman muttered; actually sounding like he was looking forward to the fight ahead.
"Don't kill anybody." Sanosuke said, with a smirk.
"Feh." the swordsman replied, as he flew at his half of the mob; his sword flashing like quicksilver from its' sheath as he went.
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The townsfolk looked up, as a distant roar came to their ears.
"What's this?" one person asked, as the sound sent chills down her spine.
"What's this noise...?" another questioned, as he walked through the town's street.
"It's coming from the mountain." the shopkeeper murmured, thoughtfully.
"Rumbling? Howling? Or something else...?" someone else wondered, as all eyes turned to the mountain; curiously wondering what could be making such an eerie sound. Never did they imagine that it was two men bringing the fight to two hundred; one using just his fists, and the other using an ancient sword style that was designed for just such a purpose.
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Higashidani groaned, as he returned to awareness. Beside him, his youngest son sat, looking down at him, anxiously.
"Ota...What are you...doing here?" Higashidani wheezed, as he struggled to get his breath back. Then he noticed that the boy all manner of sticks and what he'd thought would be good weapons, tied to his waist.
"I see...you...came to fight too. Even though Uki protects you all the time, you're still a man. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do..." Higashidani murmured, as he ruffled Ota's hair a little bit, then stood abruptly, "We have to hurry or those two idiots will get killed! Let's go, Ota!" With that said, Higashidani took off; his own heart racing when he thought of the grim possibilities...of what could have happened to the stubborn swordsman and his equally stubborn son. When they got there, however, they were amazed by the sight that greeted them. Sanosuke and Seijuro Hiko were standing back to back; looking a little bruised and winded, but otherwise very satisfied by the fight they had just finished.
"I finally feel a little better. A little rampaging is always best for relieving stress!" Sanosuke said, with a grin.
"Won't replace the Baka Deshi, but it'll do." Hiko muttered, as he sheathed Winter Moon; the smirk on his own face attesting to the fact that he'd enjoyed this fight just as much.
"So, you two killed all two hundred of them, then?" Higashidani asked, as the two approached him.
"No way. I held back a little, so nobody is dead." Sanosuke replied.
"My sword shed no blood tonight...but it did make those yarous wish they'd stayed home." Hiko stated, as Higashidani snickered at this. He should have known.
"But with a defeat this great, Fudosawa will probably never recover as a yakuza." Sanosuke added, reassuring his father with that much.
"Now...guess I'll 'go home'." Higashidani murmured, then added, "Want me to tell Jou-chan that you're both all right?"
"Yes. And tell her to be ready to leave." Hiko said, quietly.
"What'll you be doing in the meantime?" Sanosuke asked, as he made to follow his father back to the house.
"Getting some form of transportation that'll get us back to Tokyo, with time to spare." Hiko replied, as he went in the direction of the town.
"He's a pretty damn mysterious one, wouldn't you say?" Higashidani muttered, as he watched the elder Hiten master disappear into the shadows.
"Yeah, but you couldn't find a better 'shishou' for a 'deshi'." Sanosuke murmured; remembering the faith Kenshin had showed in his master, while they had been in the depths of Mount Hiei, and the concern said master had shown, for those who were close to his apprentice.
"That much I can see..." Higashidani said, as they began the trek back to the house. On the way, Higashidani gently picked Ota up, and carried him on his back. And, within moments, the boy had fallen fast asleep.
"Poor kid's worn out." Sanosuke stated, as he gazed almost softly at his little brother's face.
"Yeah. He's usually in his futon by this time of the night. He came out to fight however he could." Higashidani said, quietly, then added, "He may appear weak, but he's a Higashidani. He'll fight when he needs to, and he wants to become stronger."
"I know how that is." Sanosuke murmured, as he remembered the years he'd sought the strength that he'd lacked to save Sagara Souzou.
"Men are said to grow up watching the backs of those who walk before them. It seems you've watched the backs of great men." Higashidani observed, before adding, "If I could, I would have raised you on my back..."
"Don't get mushy on me. I grew up on your back up until I was ten." Sanosuke said, then reached over and gently tugged on his brother's hair to wake him up.
"Hey, Apple-cheeks, wake up." Sanosuke called, as the little boy blearily roused up and looked at him.
"I'm sorry I said some cruel things the other day. I'm glad to see you are a man who can act when he needs to. It's probably hard...but until your sister gets married and has a new family, try to be a good 'little brother' for her. Once that happens, come out to Tokyo. Knock on the doors of a kenjutsu dojo called Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. There, you can become stronger." Sanosuke said, the boy's brown eyes widening at his words.
"Kamiya? Like Kamiya-san?" Ota asked, softly.
"Yeah. Kamiya Kaoru is the dojo's instructor." Sanosuke replied, grinning when a look of realization crossed his father's face.
"Well, that certainly explains why she was wearing a gi and hakama when Uki and I first met her. And I never even suspected!" Higashidani muttered, then grumbled something under his breath about 'becoming soft-headed'.
"Let's hurry and get back. I'm sure Jou-chan and Uki are pretty worried, by now." Sanosuke said, "And I'll bet Hiko's got the 'transportation' he'd mentioned by now, too."
"Right." Higashidani agreed; it was time to allay whatever fears they had caused in the women, and take their scolding as gracefully as they could.
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Kaoru roused up from restless sleep, when she heard what sounded like horses outside.
"But what would horses be doing here?" Kaoru tiredly wondered. She, Uki, and Ota had spent a few hours trying to track down Higashidani, Sanosuke, and Hiko, without any luck; reluctantly returning to the house to wait, at her insistence.
"Kamiya." Hiko's voice called, from outside.
"Hiko-san! You're okay!" Kaoru said, not even bothering to keep her voice down, and waking Uki in the process.
"Hiko-sama, is Tou-san all right? He isn't hurt, is he?" Uki asked, "And where's Ota and Sanosuke?"
"Those three are fine, and will be here shortly." Hiko replied, then turned his gaze to Kaoru, as they walked out of the house, and noticed that Hiko was astride a black horse; another standing close beside him.
"When Sagara returns, we ride for Tokyo." Hiko said, with quiet determination in his tone.
"Okay!" Kaoru agreed. It was almost time to return to where they were needed.
"Hang on, Kenshin. We'll soon be returning to your side." Kaoru silently promised, as she looked in the direction of Tokyo with determination in her blue-grey eyes.
Author's Note!
The return to Tokyo is imminent! Stay tuned for the next chapter, minna!
Gemini14