Finally got around to updating this, hope you enjoy the new chapter, enter Megumi, the Aoshi arc begins!
Kenshin and his pupil stood face to face, swords sheathed, in a combat stance.
"GO!" Kenshin shouted, as the two simultaneously rushed each other.
Roaring towards each other, the two drew their swords, swinging with unbelievable speed.
The match ended as it had each time for the last ten years…Kenshin stood triumphant, while Derek lay on the ground before him with a rather large bump forming on his forehead.
"Your speed is still lacking," Kenshin stated, helping his injured student to his feet. "You need to use more pressure on your right foot, and you think too much about the swing itself. True your strength has increased however without speed it is essentially useless in a swordfight that it is."
"Rrrrr," Derek softly growled, still kicking himself mentally for his inability to surpass his sensei's speed no matter how much he practiced. After ten years of training the outcome remained the same.
"You seem more excited about this than usual pupil," Kenshin noted, causing Derek to sweat slightly. "Is this about Jin-ei?"
Derek smiled, lowering his head slightly in acceptance of his sensei's level of perception.
"Indeed sensei, I told him that we would have our rematch…someday. In order for that to happen I must become stronger."
"That battle is far off young one that it is. Jin-ei will be locked up for quite a while and you may never get a chance to face him once more, let your mind and body be at peace for now. It is often best to think of the present instead of constantly looking to the future."
Derek smiled at his teacher, who once again had succeeded in alleviating a great burden from his mind, for the time being.
Sanosuke interrupted the moment, bursting through the bushes, causing Derek to fall backwards in surprise.
"Come on guys," he commanded. "There's something we gotta do."
In town...
Tension rose in the air as Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Derek sat…staring at the men across the floor. Sanosuke sat, Derek and Kenshin absent mindedly sipped tea behind him, only an empty bowel separated them. Sanosuke sweat dropped slightly before speaking.
"Ok Kenshin, Derek, what's the roll?"
"5, 6, odd," Kenshin whispered.
"2, 4, even," Derek whispered, sipping his tea.
"All right," Sanosuke shouted, slamming his fist on the floor. "5, 6 odd I'll go with!"
The two men across the floor tossed the dice into the bowel, letting them spin for a bit before finally landing on a two and four.
"2, 4, even," the first man said. "You lose."
'GAH!" Sanosuke shouted, falling onto his back. "That's the third time in a row, what was the point of asking the two of you to come if you both pick different outcomes?"
"It's not our fault that it isn't," Kenshin started, sipping some of his tea. "Predictions made during swordfights and gambling are completely different."
"I never expected this would be the reason you called us away from the dojo, and just because we are master and pupil does not mean we agree on everything," Derek commented, sipping his tea as well. "In fact I can't even recall once gambling with Kenshin-sensei," he scratched his head as if trying to remember. "Isn't gambling illegal nowadays?"
"Nah, were all friends here," Sanosuke answered with a smile on his face. "We only use spare change here, it's not my fault my pals from way back look like thugs."
"That's cold Sano," the first man answered. "Besides you're the one wearing that symbol on your back, you're the most thug-looking of us all."
"That is very true that it is," Kenshin remarked, causing everyone in the room to burst out laughing, Derek did his best to keep his laughter to as small a chuckle as possible.
"That's it! This time I'll go with the kid's prediction! Roll those dice!"
"2, 6, even," Derek guessed as the dice flew.
"2, 6 even, come on 2, 6 even," Sanosuke chanted.
"2, 5, odd," Kenshin whispered.
The dice rolled for several moments until finally stopping….on a 2 and 5.
"2 and 5, odd," Sano's friend answered, grinning from ear to ear.
Before anyone could think Sanosuke had Derek in a head-lock, strangling the apprentice swordsman with all his might.
"When I go with Kenshin you are right…when I go with you Kenshin is right…How am I supposed to make any cash here??" Sanosuke shouted, shaking Derek back and forth, ignoring his pleas about spilling his tea.
"Er Sano," Kenshin started, pulling on Sanosuke's arm. "I understand how you feel that I do, but if you keep choking Derek like that I'm going to be one apprentice short in a few minutes that I will."
"Calm down Sano," the second friend commented. "You seem extra excited about this game today."
"Of course I am," Sanosuke replied, dropping Derek's semi-conscious body to the ground causing Kenshin to rush over to his pupil's side, Sanosuke having completely forgotten his anger towards him. "I owe some money to Yoita the candy man and I was hoping to pay him back plus interest, by the way where is he, I thought he'd be here for sure today."
The men suddenly became quiet; they awkwardly glanced around the room, avoiding eye contact with Sanosuke.
"Yoita…is dead Sano."
Sanosuke sat straight up, the look of a serious man appearing upon his face as his normal look of humor faded instantly.
"HOW?" he shouted, grabbing the scruff of the shirt of the closest man. "Illness? He was never sick a day in his life, much less with anything serious!"
"It…" the man choked out. "Was opium."
Sanosuke simply froze; Kenshin was listening intently to the conversation now, Derek still recovering before him.
"He was told…that it was good for him, by the time he realized it was opium…it was too late, we're so sorry Sano."
"As am I that I am," Kenshin added.
"M-me too," Derek added groggily from the ground.
"But where…where could he have gotten the opium!" Sanosuke shouted, slamming his fist on the soft floor.
As if connected to his strike the door flew open, revealing a woman standing on the street.
She was tall, long hair ran down her back like a black waterfall, her skin was quite fair.
Everyone simply remained where they had been, gazing at this woman who now stood before them, perplexed by her presence.
She appeared to be out of breath, as if she had been running a great distance; frantically she glanced around the room as if looking for something.
She found it as her eyes landed squarely on Kenshin's sword, she rushed towards him.
"Help me please!" she pleaded, nearing Kenshin, arms extended.
It was this moment that Derek unwittingly decided to sit up, rubbing his neck, directly between the woman and his teacher.
Next thing he knew the woman, not having seen him lying there, plowed into him, embracing him as she had meant to do to his teacher. Turning his head he noticed hers was but a hairs length from his own, he could feel her breath on his face.
"Well hello ma'am," he started cheerily, laying down his tea cup which had spilled upon impact with the woman. "What a strange way for two people to meet." With that he smiled broadly, ignoring the look of utter surprise mixed with comical horror on the woman's face.
Whew, been so long since I wrote a Kenshin chapter, over a year to be exact-ish. I should be able to get around to it faster next time, Read and enjoy it, Review if you like it or have any constructive criticism, no flames plse :)