Ah well, I will resign myself to the fact that updates probably won't be weekly. Sorry, too much going on. Be forewarned, Kenshin has a few more winces ahead. But you probably already knew that. ;) Now let's get on to the final showdown!
Why? The word echoed deafeningly in Hiko's mind, challenging him to try and make sense of the scene before him. Why was Kenshin here with a castle guard who was obviously working for Jisaemon? Dressed as he was, the "guard" would have tried to come across as a friend, not an enemy; and Kenshin knew enough not to take a man who said he was a friend at face value. He should have stayed quiet, stayed far enough away that this man would pose no threat. Why hadn't he done that? Was he even more of an idiot than Hiko gave him credit for?
Hiko's eyes fell to the sword at the guard's side then, and a sickening feeling washed over him. Next to the sword was an empty saiya, one that looked remarkably familiar. "No." Hiko breathed, his anger finding a new outlet.
"Yes." Jisaemon interpreted his outburst incorrectly. "I had a backup plan, Seijuurou. If you were to show up here, I had someone disguised as a castle guard ready to go find your student who surely wouldn't be far. Incidentally, thank you for making his job easier. I doubt your bright little deshi would have been quite as convinced with our story had he not had your saiya to look at." Oh, Jisaemon was confident now, his triumphant smile making new paths for the blood that ran freely down his face.
"You bastard." Hiko ground out, fighting the urge to smash Jisaemon's nose into his brain as comprehension came with blinding clarity. Kenshin would have seen the saiya and automatically drawn the conclusion that something had happened to Hiko. Faced with that, he wouldn't have thought to question whether the guard was in disguise or not. You baka! Hiko thought scathingly, and he wasn't sure if the epithet was directed at himself or Kenshin. Even if something had happened to me you should have run away, not willingly thrown yourself into their hands!
"You're good at names, Seijuurou." Jisaemon commented. "I have a task for you: start thinking of what you'll call your student after he dies." He looked to the man holding Kenshin and caught his eye, giving a slight nod. Hiko watched as the man pulled the empty saiya from his waist, mouth turning up in a cruel smile. The next instant he thrust one end of the sheath into Kenshin's solar plexus. Kenshin doubled over, and Hiko heard the air exploding from him even at that distance. The guard didn't stop there. He turned the saiya lengthwise and placed a hand at either end of it, then reached over Kenshin and hooked the saiya under his chin, hauling him off the ground. Hiko saw the boy's eyes widen with fright as he tried to take a breath, heard the strangled noises as the pallor of his face changed rapidly from white to red.
It was only done to rile him, not kill Kenshin; he knew that. The knowledge didn't make him any less furious. "What the hell do you want, Jisaemon?" Hiko's sword arm trembled as his muscles clenched more than he'd ever imagined they could.
"I want you to step away from this murdering bastard." Jisaemon said flatly, looking at Naosuke as he spoke. There was an audible intake of breath from Naosuke.
"I gave my word to protect him." Hiko matched Jisaemon's tone, watching the castle guard from the corner of his eye. He still held the saiya under Kenshin's chin but he had lowered him enough so that his feet touched the ground.
Jisaemon nodded at Hiko's response. "Ah. I see. And your student? Did you give your word to protect him as well?"
Hiko stayed silent. He hadn't, actually. To teach him, yes. But not to protect him.
But did he really need to voice that? Should it not be a given that he would protect his own student, if it came down to it?
Perhaps it wasn't a given.
He needs to learn how to protect himself. He wants to learn how to protect himself.
But the boy was still only an apprentice, after all. And a foolish one at that.
So you should step in to save him from his own mistakes?
That seemed just as foolish. If he didn't learn how to deal with his mistakes now, it would only be a harder lesson to learn in the future.
But how much of the mistake is truly his?
Did it matter? Sometimes people paid for mistakes that weren't their own. He should know that.
Does that mean you should sit by and let him−die?
He couldn't. And yet, he had to. He had promised to protect Naosuke, given his word as a Hiten Mitsurugi master. If he went to Kenshin, Naosuke was dead and Hiko would have effectively ignored all tenets of his school for the sake of one life. But so many people had already died for that life. He couldn't imagine that he was meant to save it three years ago, only to have to surrender it now.
Kenshin's strong. He can find a way out of this.
Could he? He was on the verge of unconsciousness already and Hiko could see fresh wounds, evidence he'd already been in a fight. He was already past his limits.
Kami, what do I do?
All this flashed through Hiko's head in a matter of seconds, and although he was paying more attention to what was going on in his peripheral, he kept his eyes on Jisaemon the entire time, revealing nothing of his internal battle. Just behind him, he could hear Naosuke's breath, heavy with fear. He could feel the tense ki of the castle guards−only two, hardly enough to deal with the cluster of five samurai who had formed a half circle around Hiko. Certainly not enough to deal with Jisaemon.
Jisaemon was watching Hiko carefully. "You're actually thinking of staying true to your word." He said slowly, and he sounded surprised. "I didn't expect that. Really, I didn't." He stared at Hiko a moment longer, face calculating, then shrugged and looked away. "Well, no matter. I guess we don't need the boy anymore." He waved a hand towards the man holding Kenshin. "Kill him!"
And just like that, his time was up. He couldn't waver between his own principles and Hiten Mitsurugi's, he had to make a decision now.
Hiko moved then, sweeping his sword in a wide arc and toppling the five samurai who stood in front of him. "Get through the gate!" He ordered sharply, words directed at Naosuke. He sensed more than saw the frantic nod, felt the renewed spirit of Naosuke's defenders. Hiko's eyes were several hundred meters away though. The false guard still had Kenshin in a choke hold, and Kenshin's eyes−Hiko did a double take. His deshi was staring directly at him, a pained semblance of a smile on his face. But those eyes−
Kenshin reached behind him then, and before the guard knew what was happening, Kenshin had grabbed his sword, pulling it from its sheath and swinging it backwards at the man's neck, perhaps a bit slower than usual but with unerring precision. With a startled cry the guard dropped the saiya he'd been using to hold Kenshin and sprang back, avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth. Kenshin's feet landed heavily on the ground but somehow he managed to keep his balance. He spun immediately, sword swinging at the shaken guard behind him. The man raised Hiko's saiya, and his arms shook when Kenshin connected.
Hiko could feel Kenshin's ki pulsing out like waves in a storm. All his pent up anger and hurt from the past week was being focused into this moment, serving as fuel for his spent body. It would take its toll later but for now Hiko took advantage of his deshi's resilience.
Jisaemon seemed to have temporarily forgotten Hiko as he watched Kenshin's unexpected retaliation with a stunned expression. "You should learn where to focus your attention in battle." Hiko snarled, and in one smooth motion his sword swept out, raking a gash across Jisaemon's midsection before the man could spring away completely.
Jisaemon grimaced, bringing a hand to his stomach and pressing it against the long wound. The movement elicited a cough. His last minute scramble backwards had saved him from being completely disemboweled but as he coughed blood dribbled from his already paling lips. Still, Jisaemon lifted his sword, hands shaking from the sudden loss of blood. "I know just where to focus my attention, Seijuurou." He spat, and then he brought his sword over his shoulder in a one-handed grip.
Clarification came a shade too late, and by the time Hiko realized what he was doing Jisaemon had launched his sword at Kenshin who still stood locked in a clash with the guard.
"Kenshin!"
Shoving his opponent back with a mighty effort, Kenshin turned at Hiko's roar of warning. His eyes widened when he saw the sword flying towards his head, and he ducked to the side to avoid it. Balance seemed to evade him though and what was intended as an evasive maneuver turned into a fall. His sword hand opened involuntarily as he hit the ground, and Kenshin's horrified expression showed he understood all too well that he was wide open. The guard behind him brought his sword to bear, slicing without hesitation at the easy target.
It will not end like this. Hiko moved faster than he ever had, willing himself to get there soon enough. It was going to be close. He ended up throwing himself forward the last meter, lashing out with his foot to kick Kenshin out of harm's way even as he raised his sword to block the guard's swing. The man obviously hadn't expected to see Hiko in front of him, and as the swords clanged deafeningly his arms wavered. Hiko shoved upwards, batting the other's blade away with ease before thrusting his sword deep into the guard's midsection.
There was a scream then but it didn't come from the man Hiko had just impaled. As the light faded from the guard's eyes and his body slumped heavily, Hiko yanked his sword free and whirled, searching for the source of the scream. At first he couldn't quite make out what he saw. There was a huddle of men in front of the sakuradamon, both samurai and guards, although it appeared they were no longer fighting. Everyone seemed to be clustered around Jisaemon, who was kneeling on the ground.
Surely no one had been able to deliver a fatal blow, Hiko thought with a frown. Then Jisaemon stood, clutching the wound Hiko had given him with one hand and raising the other hand in the air.
A hand that clenched the severed head of Ii Naosuke, tairou of Japan.
A joyful shout burst from the samurai who were still alive, and swords were waved in the air. Hiko watched with a feeling of detachment.
I . . . failed? He turned the word over in his head. Strangely, it didn't affect him as he thought it would. Possibly because he didn't feel as if he'd failed. Why was that? By all accounts he should be furious, chastising himself for not protecting the life he'd been entrusted with. He wasn't so much angry as regretful though. Hiko's mind drifted back to his previous thought, and realization began to grab him. The life I've been entrusted with . . . He shot a glance at his inert deshi, noting the slow but definite movements that said he was still breathing; still alive.
No. He hadn't completely failed.
Hiko couldn't revel in that though. He still had unfinished business. Jisaemon might be bleeding profusely but he was still alive, too. Sheathing his sword, Hiko walked towards the man slowly, listening to the peals of celebratory laughter that echoed across the bloody field. Jisaemon caught sight of him, and he lowered Naosuke's head, grinning.
"Some things are meant to be, Seijuurou." Almost reverently, he knelt and placed Naosuke's head on the ground, then pulled a short dagger from his hakama. "I do not regret my actions. I serve the emperor, and even if he cannot see what must be done for this country, there are those who will help him find his way." Hiko increased his speed as Jisaemon placed the tanto at one end of his already torn stomach. The traitor thought he was dying with honor but he was taking the coward's way out, and if Hiko could help it, he was not going to let him have that satisfaction.
"I'll see you in the next life, Seijuurou." Jisaemon plunged the tanto into his side then, grunting as he ripped the dagger up and across. He fell forward as Hiko reached him, hand still closed loosely around the bloodied hilt of the tanto. "Tell your student . . . I'm sorry for his pain." Jisaemon gasped as Hiko stopped in front of him.
"Apologies mean nothing at this point." Hiko said. He bent down and Jisaemon choked back a cry as Hiko grabbed his hair, pulling his head up. "Do you think you can make up for everything you've done with this little bit of self-imposed suffering at the end? That it will somehow purge you of sins?"
"No. Not completely. But at least I can choose the manner of my death." Jisaemon said through gritted teeth, voice hardly more than a whisper.
Hiko let Jisaemon's head drop, pulling his sword "No. You can't." He gave the samurai one last scornful look before unsheathing his sword and slicing Jisaemon's head from his body in one smooth motion. Quick; merciful; relatively painless; and since an enemy had performed the decapitation, not an honorable way to die after attempting seppuku.
The samurai Jisaemon conscripted had all fallen back when Hiko approached, and they continued to move further from the castle now, drifting towards the forest they'd come from. Apparently they cared little for what happened after their mission was accomplished. Despite their leader's death, their attitude was still joyful, although considerably subdued as they observed Hiko's movements without trying to appear obvious.
As they left, one of the samurai dropped a sheet of paper to the ground, where it fluttered gently. Hiko moved towards the square of white, tilting his head to read it. Bold strokes filled the page, outlining a manifesto. The final paragraph summarized the reasons for the morning's attack.
We have consecrated ourselves to be the instruments of Heaven to punish this wicked man, and we have taken on ourselves the duty of ending a serious evil, by killing this atrocious autocrat.
Hiko snorted at the flowery language. That was just like Jisaemon, trying to make plain murder sound like justice by wrapping it in pretty words. Hiko raised his head skywards, sighing as he watched a skein of clouds float across the blue sky. People's souls were truly conflicted, an echo of the tumultuous times they lived in.
Faint sounds from inside the sakuradamon brought Hiko's eyes back to his immediate surroundings. Reinforcements would be arriving any minute, and he didn't want to be here when they burst through the gate looking for conspirators. It was time to leave. There was nothing more he could for Naosuke, and the men who had accompanied him to the castle were either dead or had run off. Turning his back on the violent scene that lay just outside the castle walls, he made his way back to the end of the southern castle road.
Kenshin was still lying there unmoving, although it looked as if his eyes were at least partially open. Now that the battle was resolved, Hiko found himself beset by conflicting emotions. He was pleased that his deshi had managed to hold his own for the most part and hadn't been sliced in two. However . . . he wanted to strangle him for showing up in the first place. And when it came to displaying approval or irritation Hiko was much better versed in the latter. He had already prepared a sufficient tongue-lashing by the time he reached Kenshin but he found the words died in his throat when he saw the sheer relief written across his pupil's face.
"Shishou, I knew you couldn't be dead!" Kenshin was struggling to raise himself but Hiko shook his head.
"Lie still." He ordered, kneeling and prodding Kenshin gently as he searched for new wounds. He had come by a number of minor cuts and there was already impressive bruising across his neck from where the saiya had choked him. It didn't seem as though he'd acquired anything more serious though . . .
Hiko looked up sharply as Kenshin flinched and gasped. His hand was resting above the lower half of Kenshin's stomach. "Here?" For several long seconds Kenshin looked as if drawing a breath was agony.
"Y-yes."
Hiko frowned. Cracked ribs, no doubt. Whether they were already injured before Hiko had unceremoniously kicked his own student out of the way was a mystery he didn't care to solve. He continued his prodding and was thankful that Kenshin made no overly pained reaction to his legs or upper body being examined. That just left his arm. Kenshin had managed to lose his sling, and his entire right arm was swollen now, particularly at his wrist. Hiko was fairly certain that there should only be one protrusion where the wrist met the hand, and Kenshin undeniably had two. Something to note, but for the time being, nothing he could do anything about.
The sound of confused voices and the creaking of a large door being swung open drifted towards him, and Hiko paused in his examination. Standing in the middle of the castle grounds, surrounded by dead bodies and a beheaded tairou, was not where he wanted to be when all of Edo's militia were sent chasing after the assassins.
"We need to leave." Hiko plucked Kenshin from the ground even as he tried to get to his feet, pulling his deshi close enough so that the Hiten mantle draped over him, effectively hiding him from view. Kenshin stiffened briefly and let out a faint squeak, then became dead weight. In hindsight, Hiko probably should have given the boy a warning, as there was really nowhere to pick him up that wasn't sorely abused. Time was of the essence though and it was better that Kenshin suffer a brief shock than Hiko have to deal with a sticky situation that would be anything but brief.
Moving swiftly, Hiko disappeared down the road just as the sakuradamon were thrown completely open and a stream of men stumbled onto the macabre scene. He heard the chaos that erupted, heard someone loudly reading the manifesto that had been left. The sound of sheathed swords thumping against their wielder's legs suggested men were already spreading out to search for culprits. And then Hiko rounded a bend in the road and the animated sounds faded into the distance, leaving him to listen to his own breathing.
He slowed then and glanced down to make sure Kenshin was still hidden beneath his cloak. A man carrying an unconscious boy looked suspicious enough. When said boy looked as maltreated as Kenshin . . . well, Hiko didn't need to gather any more attention than he already had.
Kenshin appeared to be resting comfortably but his peaceful expression was belied by the ugly gray pallor of his skin. This was accompanied by labored breathing that occasionally rattled in his chest, and fever-heated skin that burned against Hiko's arms and chest. If Kyoto hadn't been in the cards two days before, it was even further away now.
One thing they couldn't do was stay at Naosuke's residence for the night. Hiko was going to have to find lodging, and that could prove troublesome, depending on how fast the news of Naosuke's death traveled. He supposed the surrounding woods would do well enough for a night, give him time to assess the situation. He should be able to find some medicinal plants to complement the ones Hattori had already given him.
First though−Hiko glanced at his deshi again to make sure he hadn't missed it, saw he hadn't−they were making a side stop to retrieve Kenshin's sword. The baka had dropped it after all.
At last, Jisaemon meets his end! Just a quick historical note: I did not choose to change history. Ii Naosuke really was assassinated by Arimura Jisaemon, and Jisaemon actually did commit seppuku immediately afterwards. (Pretty sure he wasn't beheaded by a Hiten Mitsurugi master but I'm gonna let that one slide.) I'm not sure what happened to the Mito samurai but I'm gonna say they tried to run as fast as they could back to Mito.
Whew, no more attempts on Kenshin's life! He's safe to recover. We'll see how that goes in the next couple of chapters. As always, comments and cc are welcome and appreciated! Thanks to all my reviewers! May your lives be full of lots of good stuff.
Kaida Ukitake: Haha, your review made me laugh! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Szahara again: Thanks for the in-depth review! Gush all you want, I don't mind. ;) I have watched the training episodes sooooo many times. Love 'em! Yes, Kenshin left his sword. He's not thinking very clearly right now. As for Jinchuu . . . *shudder* Yeah. That ending just about makes me cry. Which is NOT how RK is supposed to end! I think I already ranted about that before, so I'll stop now. I feel like I'm slighting you for such a short response to your review!
Althea M: Catching breaks isn't allowed if you're a practitioner of Hiten Mitsurugi. It's in the rules somewhere. :) Hiko definitely wasn't too happy at Jisaemon's comment about how he treated Kenshin. But like the stoic swordsman he is, he handled it rather well. "You're welcome" for keeping it interesting! I do try.
ZukoFlame: Okay, here you go. *chastising tap* ;) Seriously, don't feel bad. I read chapters and then don't have time to write a good review so I plan on going back later . . . and then stuff happens . . . you get the idea. Yes, Hiko had to choose who to save. Oh, the trials of a Hiten Mitsurugi master! On the up side, this should spur Kenshin on to become better quickly, so he can rely on himself instead of Hiko. Eagerly awaiting your next chapter!
one-who-loves-sesshy: Yep, stress, wounds and fights are never good for keeping fever low. We'll see what happens!
t42n24t: I think you are always the first to review! You need a trophy or something. Yeah, Hiko might've spent a little too long enjoying his retribution . . .