Chapter Thirteen
Morning had dawned, hot and clear, when Megumi arrived at Oguni Clinic. With a yawn, she checked on her charges; finding some relief when she saw that Kenshin and Yahiko were still asleep. She jumped slightly when some banging could be heard on the front door, and rushed to answer it.
"What's the matter? Is there an emergency?" Megumi asked; opening the door to find a rather bedraggled Sanosuke standing there.
"What happened to you?" Megumi questioned, when she'd seen the rather frazzled look on the fight merchant's face.
"I hope...I never have to ride...a horse again...That ride...was pretty damn awful..." Sanosuke muttered, as he entered, and sat down.
"You rode a horse to get back here? How did you manage that?" Megumi asked, confusedly.
"Hiko had somehow managed to get some horses from somewhere...Don't ask me how or where...I just think he's got more connections than we'd thought..." Sanosuke replied.
"Did you say...? Where is Hiko-san, now? Why isn't he here with you?" Megumi again asked.
"Jou-chan wanted to get a change of clothes, so he took her back to the dojo. I think he also wanted to go get a shovel so he could dig his mantle back out of that grave...Though he'd said something about not being able to wear it for a while, since it might smell like rotting flesh by the time he gets it back." Sanosuke muttered, then grinned, "I'll say one thing for him, he's one hell of a brawler. Even still recovering, he made taking down a hundred guys look easy!"
"Let me guess. You also were involved in the fight, and messed up that hand of yours' again." Megumi said, as irritation caused her eyes to twitch.
"Yeah...Can you take a quick look?" Sanosuke asked, flinching when Megumi exploded.
"I have no medicine to cure stupidity! I already told you that!" Megumi snarled, as she smacked him on the head with a broom handle.
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There was a sigh of relief, from Kaoru, when they finally got the dojo within sight.
"Home at last!" Kaoru thought, as they rode up to the gate. They had ridden hard all night, and yet, only the slightest hint of strain could be seen in Hiko's dark eyes.
"Sano was right. He's in a lot better shape than he was when he first arrived here." Kaoru mused, as she reached into her kimono for the key to the gate, only to feel some exasperation when she found that she'd forgotten it in Shinshu.
"No key, I take it?" Hiko asked, as he dismounted, then helped her get down, as well.
"Hai...I must've left it." Kaoru said, sighing in irritation at herself for that lapse.
"I guess this means I jump the fence again." Hiko muttered, then picked her up, and leaped. Within moments, they were back within the dojo compound; finding their first surprise hanging on a clothesline. The white material was almost blinding to look at, and the red lining looked almost like freshly spilled blood. On the porch near it, sat the shoulder weights.
"It seems someone took quite a bit of time to clean my mantle...and to get the smell of the grave out of it." Hiko murmured, as he took the mantle down, sat down, and started putting the weights back where they belonged.
"Yeah..." Kaoru agreed, then wondered, "Then they know that we're still alive?"
"Go ahead and do what you have to, Kamiya. This will take a few moments." Hiko stated, as he busily worked on getting the mantle back into it's normal state.
"Right. Be out in a moment." Kaoru said, as she hurried off. When she returned, wearing a fresh gi and hakama, she could only smile when she saw the elder Hiten master. Once again, he was wearing his mantle proudly; the cloak actually completing an image that had been gone for too long.
"He looks like the Hiko Seijuro that had come to our rescue at the Aoiya, now." Kaoru thought, with some relief.
"We might as well go back to that clinic, since no one else is here." Hiko said, and got a nod of agreement from Kaoru.
"Let's go, then!" Kaoru shouted, as she raced out the gate; leading the way to the clinic with an eagerness that only she could muster. She started when Hiko again picked her up, and used his godlike speed to get them there even faster.
"Better for that Baka Deshi to see that we're both alive, than to panic for even a second if you're a little late." Hiko murmured; explaining away his actions with that one phrase.
"Right..." Kaoru skeptically thought; knowing that the elder warrior wanted to know his apprentice's frame of mind, as well.
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"So, you found Hiko-san and Kaoru in Shinshu? And then you three rode all night to get here?" Megumi asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Yeah. And seeing them there had surprised the hell outta me." Sanosuke said, remembering with a wince the near-miss with a heart attack he'd suffered.
"I thought your heart had sounded a bit strange." Megumi said, almost as though she'd heard Sanosuke's thoughts.
"They'd met up with my dad, sister and brother there, somehow, and were waiting at the house...I'm just glad they're okay." Sanosuke murmured.
"Same here." Megumi agreed, probably for the only time. It was then that they heard a knock at the door, and Megumi rushed to open it. She was almost floored by who walked in, just seconds after she did so.
"I take it there's still nothing to cure stupidity?" Hiko asked, with an almost mischievous smirk on his face, as he escorted Kaoru inside.
"Unfortunately not. Even if I did make some, it probably wouldn't work on the bakas we know." Megumi replied, as she smiled at the pair.
"True enough." Hiko sighed; dodging when Kaoru playfully tried to gently elbow him in the stomach for that remark.
"I'm glad you three made it. A day later, and you would have been left behind." Megumi said, and got some confused looks from the trio as an answer.
"A lot happened while you two were missing, and while Sanosuke was out being stupid. Stay calm and listen well..." Megumi said, then began to explain the situation.
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Kenshin looked up, as the dreamscape changed around him again. He was sitting in the Fallen Village again, yet now it was snowing. A thick blanket of pristine white covered everything, and a peaceful quiet was all that could be heard. And then, he heard footsteps.
"Are you...still too tired to get up?" a woman's voice asked, hesitantly. Kenshin looked up and smiled, gently; seeming surprised to find that Tomoe wasn't alone. Lingering slightly behind her, Hiko the Twelfth also stood; his green eyes showing immense relief at the peace he could now sense coming from Kenshin.
"No...Just needed a short break." Kenshin replied, then added, after a few moments, "Since that snowy day, for fifteen years...this sword has known no rest."
"I know." Tomoe replied, softly.
"From now on, it will never know rest." Kenshin mused; now getting an idea as to how his master must have felt, while living those long years alone. Tomoe then smiled at him.
"Yes." Tomoe agreed; feeling some pride in knowing that she had a part in helping Kenshin find his way, after so long.
"You are finally smiling..." Kenshin said, happily.
"Hai...When you smile, the part of me inside you...will be smiling too." Tomoe replied, her words surprising Kenshin to no end.
"Is that right?" Kenshin couldn't help but ask.
"Of course." Tomoe said, then added, "Please, take care of Enishi. I am probably not smiling inside him right now...and..."
"What?" Kenshin asked, as confusion filled his deep purple eyes, when he saw an almost enigmatic smile cross Tomoe's pretty face.
"And the person wishing the most to see your smile is waiting for you. Please wake up and go greet her." Tomoe said, happily.
"I will." Kenshin said, before he roused up for the first time in days.
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Hiko could only duck, as food flew through the air. Even across the room, no one was safe, as Sanosuke and Yahiko attacked the meal with gusto (and as Kaoru just about did the same).
"Hiko-san, are you sure you don't want to eat in a separate room? One where you probably won't end up wearing any food in your hair or mantle, afterwards?" Megumi asked, somewhat sarcastically.
"Is there one available?" Hiko in turn asked; shielding himself from a flying chopstick as he said that.
"Follow me." Megumi said, as she led the way into the adjoining room, where he sat down and sedately continued his meal. As he ate, he could tell that Megumi was gazing concernedly at him, and sighed in irritation.
"I'm not about to lose any body parts, Takani, so don't look so worried." Hiko muttered, as he glanced up at her with exasperation in his dark eyes.
"I know! It's just...the last time I saw you, it looked as though you were about to die...and yet you were still standing...Still determined to protect." Megumi said, quietly.
"The desire to protect is almost as strong as the will to live. As Kenshin's master, I couldn't do anything less." Hiko said, as he set aside his bowl, and stood. Even though Megumi could tell that his wounds still bothered him, he wasn't about to let them hinder him now.
"All right! Let's go!" Sanosuke and Yahiko said, when they'd finished eating, and one of them stuck his head into the room.
"You coming or not?" Sanosuke asked.
"Might as well." Hiko muttered, since he knew that they wanted to go up and see Kenshin.
"Would you wait! Ken-san shouldn't be bothered! He's exhausted and seeing Kaoru so soon could be detrimental to his mental health!" Megumi argued; actually bristling when Hiko mumbled something under his breath about that not really 'being too big of an issue' with Kenshin.
"Either way, from what you've said, the police ships leave tonight. By then, it'll be too late." Sanosuke said, as he reached for the doorknob and started to open the door.
"But why would you guys need to go with the police to the island?" Kaoru asked, "We're not being held prisoner by Enishi."
"An eye for an eye. Some payback needs to be done, or some of us won't be able to rest, after this." Hiko stated, as the door opened completely. To their surprise, Kenshin was already out of bed and dressed, with his sakabatou at his side.
"Kenshin." Yahiko murmured, glad to see the red-haired rurouni up and about.
"Apologies for making you worry...All is well, now." Kenshin said, as he looked up at them and smiled; his gaze lingering on his master and especially Kaoru the longest.
"It's good to see you are both all right." Kenshin said, with a sigh of relief.
"Feh, at least you're not leaping at me, as you did the day after you learned the ougi." Hiko replied, yet smirked at him, regardless.
"Gomen...Shishou." Kenshin murmured, embarrassedly.
"Baka Deshi." Hiko muttered, then shoved Kaoru forward, "This is the one you should be launching yourself at."
"Hiko-san!" Kaoru snapped, as a blush colored her cheeks...And her embarrassment wasn't helped at all when she saw the mischievous glint in his ebon eyes.
"Better get used to it, Kaoru-dono...Shishou just has a way of embarrassing people." Kenshin said, warmly, as he hugged the kenjutsu teacher gently.
"I agree with you on that." Kaoru mumbled, then returned the hug. She was back where she belonged, what more could she ask for?
Author's Note!
Getting there! But stay tuned! More action coming up!
Gemini14