Chapter 17: Discoveries and the Sakabatou

"The craziest things have been happening to me," Kenshin said as he stood in the shower back at Hiko's home, washing the shampoo from his hair.

"Mm-mm," Hiko said, brushing his teeth.

"Hey, Hiko-san… I… just realized something…"

Hiko spit in the sink. "What?"

"I… I can see… without my glasses."

"Hm?" Hiko's eyes widened. "How'd you get perfect vision?"

"I don't know," Kenshin said, the water shutting off and a hand emerging from the curtain and grabbing a towel.

"You know… Kaoru was really worried about you, Hiko said.

"Yeah…" Kenshin said, thanking the curtain silently for covering his red face. "She barely knows me though… I just… well, I guess I never understood the female race, de gozaru yo." He began drying his hair with his towel.

"You don't have to understand them. You just have to accept them," Hiko said.

"Is that hard?"

"Depends."

"Oro."

"You're catching my drift, aren't you."

"Oroooooooo….." Kenshin stepped back slightly in the bathtub when his foot met with the soap bar. "ORO!" He slipped and landed on his back in the tub. "DAMMIT!"

"Ouch," Hiko raised an eyebrow, chuckling slightly. "Clumsy bastard."

"Leave me alone," Kenshin pulled back the curtains and hung over the edge of the tub, towel around his waist, rubbing his back.

"I'm headed downstairs," Hiko said. "If you aren't there in ten minutes, I'm leaving without you."

"Yes, shishou…"

"Are you mocking my authority?"

"Hai, shishou," Kenshin said cheerlessly.

"Baka apprentice," Hiko glared at him.

"Oh, that shattered my self-esteem," Kenshin said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I don't think I will ever recover, de gozaru yo."

Hiko rolled his eyes. "You know, I could always let you sleep outside."

Kenshin went silent, then smiled nervously at him.

"Tch. Teenagers…" Hiko walked away.

Kenshin crawled out of the bathtub and put on his boxers and uniform. He combed his hair quickly, using the hair dryer, then pulled it back as he always did.

"There," Kenshin said in satisfaction, placing toothpaste upon his own toothbrush. "Well… it seems my life quickly turns itself around… de gozaru yo…" He put it in his mouth and brushed fiercely, trying to keep his mind off of things.

My whole life… It feels like a rerun, de gozaru yo…I mean… have I lived… before? I can't seem to get this question out of my head, and since all of these strange and horrible things have been happening… I… I don't know what to answer the question with, de gozaru yo. Oro… It makes my head hurt just thinking about it… I wonder… If I… His eyes widened. He spit out his toothpaste and wiped his mouth, turning on the sink to wash the toothpaste down the drain.

He ran into his room and looked up above his bed. "Where is… my sakabatou?" He asked, eyes wide. "That doesn't make any sense, de gozaru yo." He slipped his socks on. "I'll look for it this afternoon, de gozaru yo. I better get downstairs."

-

Kenshin headed towards his Japanese History class. He was staring at his feet with a vexed look upon his face. Everyone kept asking him questions… questions that he didn't know the answer to. They all wondered 'what happened' and 'are you okay'. He wasn't sure about either. All he knew was that the Juppon Katana had not shown up that day. It worried him. Perhaps they were plotting something.

They… call me Battousai… but… Kenshin gasped. Those nightmares… were they… BATTOUSAI? His breath caught in his throat. No… there's no way that I could have been… He looked around and then turned on his heel and headed towards the library, his class forgotten. I have to read up on this more… Something is going on…

-

Kenshin looked along the shelves for books on the Battousai. He preferred books for if he didn't find what he needed immediately, he could take it with him. He had no computer at Hiko's home.

Kenshin was in awe as his fingers traced the spine of each book, searching for something, anything. He pulled three books off of the shelf and sat down in the corner, flipping through them to find anything on Battousai. Nothing.

"Damn," He muttered under his breath so the non-observant librarian couldn't hear. He returned the books then continued along the shelf. He pulled out a book from the shelf labeled simply Samurai.

He read through it, entranced in anything he could find. "Shinsengumi… Hajime Saitou?!" He said aloud, his eyes tracing the words as he continued to flip the pages. His breath was getting heavier. He kept finding names that he swore he had heard before. Hajime Saitou, of course, was an example.

He continued flipping pages. "There's nothing here… on Battousai either…" He put it back. He stood up and headed towards the computer, giving up on the books.

Kenshin searched through website after website, finding only slight mentioning of the name 'Battousai'. "There's got to be some other way to search him…" He looked up at the search bar. His eyes looked down at the mouse, watching his hand click it, then his hands type something into the bar.

He looked up.

Himura Kenshin.

-

Where is that little shit?! Hiko thought angrily, stomping down the hall once he had finished teaching. Where is Kenshin?! He looked into each classroom for any sign of the red-head and couldn't see him.

"Aren't you on another hall, Hiko?" Saitou asked, emerging from his classroom, glaring at Hiko.

"Kenshin didn't come to my class," He said, glaring back at him. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," Saitou said, smoking on his cigarette. "-but he'd better be in that gymnasium. I don't want to look like an idiot being in there."

"I know," Hiko said flatly. "I've got a few more places to check."

"You've got ten minutes before your class lets out."

"I know," Hiko muttered. "I should find him by then."

-

Kenshin came across a website, one with names of… all of his friends. He had become so entranced in every article that he printed them out, sat in the corner, and read them over and over and over.

"Hiko Seijirou was the one who taught Himura Kenshin the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu… Kamiya Kaoru was assistant master of Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, Myojin Yahiko her student… Sagara Sanosuke, or Zanza the fighter-for-hire, mastered in futae no kiwami and could swing a Zanbatou. Takani Megumi was a woman doctor from a long line of doctors that disappeared in the revolution…" Each article was amazing.

"Hajime Saitou was the leader of the third squadron of the Shinsengumi…."

Every word brought back a memory that flashed through his mind.

"Himura Kenshin…" He paused at the article. His eyes slowly read across the words. "…hitokiri… Battousai…"

"Himura!"

Kenshin looked up and met eyes with Hiko who looked all but happy to see him.

"Sh-shishou…" Kenshin muttered, wide-eyed.

Hiko grabbed Kenshin by the shoulder of his uniform and lifted him up. "Why the hell are you skipping my class?" He asked, his voice dripping with ire.

"I… I forgot…" Kenshin muttered, horrified at Hiko's face.

"Forgot… You forgot to come to class so you went to the damn library?" Hiko didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. Kenshin was more afraid of him this way than ever.

"I had a thought…" Kenshin said. "I-I lost control of my body you could say, de gozaru yo." Kenshin figured that his grave was being dug deeper and deeper. There was no way he was getting out of this one. "I just… I just…" Kenshin looked at the floor and bowed. "Forgive me…"

"Forgive you… Apology not accepted… and don't do it again. Only bad kids skip class. Even Sagara shows up, and he knows he's going to fail. You trying to follow the Juppon Katana or something?"

"No," Kenshin answered immediately, his voice drenched in calmed vehemence. Hiko was stunned. Kenshin's answer, simple as it was, sent shivers down his spine.

"You have another class to get to," Hiko said, regaining his composure. "I'll see you there, and I've got punishment for you.

Kenshin glared, narrow-eyed at Hiko's back. "Yes, sir."

Hiko left, watching him out of the corner of his eye. Hajime, I sure hope you know what you're doing.

-

Kenshin felt ashamed of himself as he entered the gym. He had thought about it a little, and he realized that he had been very foolish and unfair. Needless to say though, he had stashed the papers in his backpack.

"All of that… it must be someone's made-up joke… I mean, now that I've looked it over, I realize the site was even on the school's server… There's no way it's true… Just useless, stupid stuff, de gozaru yo… Then… why do I feel so strange?"

"Hey, Kenshin! Where were you in J.P?" Sano yelled from the bleachers.

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up. "Oh… I was being stupid…" Kenshin set his bag down. "Aren't we supposed to change now?" Kenshin asked.

"Nah, Hiko-san said that we don't need to. We're not doing anything."

"We aren't?"

"You are," Hiko's voice boomed suddenly from behind him.

"I am…?" Kenshin looked over his shoulder at him, a nervous look on his face.

"Yep, kendo club practice."

"-but you said that I'll be the only one… I won't have anyone to spar with."

"I've arranged that."

"Who am I battling?"

"Him." Hiko pointed over his shoulder.

Kenshin's eyes widened.

"Haaa---Hajime-san…" Kenshin felt faint.

"THAT'S CRAZY!" Sano yelled defensively. "We all know that Saitou-san has been fighting since he was little! He's a master swordsman!"

"Oro…" Kenshin sat down on the floor. He felt like his heart was about to bounce out of his chest.

"You can't do that, Hiko-san!" Kaoru yelled. Kenshin realized that she had been in there with the cheerleaders now.

"I can do whatever I want."

Kenshin looked up at him fearfully. "-but… where are the boken…." Kenshin was hoping that Hiko would leave to get them so he could run for it.

"You won't be using a boken."

"Shinai?"

Saitou tossed him something.

"This is…"

"Your sakabatou. I got it from home," Hiko said. "You'll be using that."

"Oro?! -but… It's a real…"

Saitou had slid a katana into his belt as he spoke. "Just fight, Himura," He said, his cold, golden, fearless eyes gleaming at him. Kenshin looked down at his hands at the sakabatou.

Now is my chance… to see for myself… if what that paper says is true. Kenshin stood up.

"Don't do it, Kenshin!" Sano cried.

Kenshin tied the sheath to his belt loop.

"Psycho!" Sano yelled.

"Let me be, Sanosuke," Kenshin muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I don't have much choice in the matter, de gozaru yo."

"Stupid…" Sano sat down, looking worriedly at his feet.

"Ken… shin…" Kaoru muttered, holding her pom-poms up to her face.

Oh, man… Misao backed up and sneaked away from the group, going behind the bleachers and withdrawing a cell phone. "Aoshi-sama," She whispered into it.

"What?" It stated in Aoshi's emotionless voice.

"Get over to the gym NOW."

"Why."

"The Battousai and the Wolf of Mibu… they're going to fight!"

Aoshi hung up without another word.

Does Kenshin even know what he's getting into? Misao wondered, peaking around the bleachers. Himura the Battousai fought Hajime Saitou of the Shinsengumi all those years ago… Will he emerge once again? Aoshi… hurry up and get down here. We need you to butt in on this! Put that Oniwaban-shu ability to use!! Hey… I'm part of the Oniwaban-shu too. I'll have to hold them off till he gets here. You can do it Misao… I need to. If Battousai is unleashed…