Well, my "before Thanksgiving for sure" promise ended up being way off target. Sorry for that! I've been super busy with holiday visits/gigs/etc., hence the incredibly long time it's taken me to update. But here is the next installment, finally!
He had wanted to keep as low a profile as possible, if only to discourage word spreading of a large, cloaked man roaming the streets. Naturally, this was next to impossible. Even though he stuck to the less populated roads, Hiko noticed plenty of surreptitious−and some not-so-surreptitious−glances. The latter he kept a sharp eye on but they all turned out to be gazes from pedestrians who apparently didn't realize that openly staring at a passerby was considered impolite.
It wasn't what he'd been expecting. Not that the lack of active attention towards him was unwelcome but he'd half expected to see Edo soldiers patrolling the streets and banging on doors. He wouldn't have been surprised to see at least an outline of himself posted on surrounding establishments either. What he did see was−well, utterly normal. Who wouldn't spare a passing glance at a hulking out-of-towner? He couldn't pick up any feelings of apprehension though, and the jumble of conversations he managed to eavesdrop on all seemed to be about mundane issues. Hiko's pulse quickened when he heard mention of the Emperor at one point, but he soon determined that the topic was about the marriage of the Emperor's sister.
Odd. Not one word about the tairou. And by now, the whole town should be buzzing about it. It was almost as if they didn't know it had happened. Or maybe everyone knew, and had been informed to keep their mouths shut. If that was the case, Edo must be a city teeming with inordinately skilled actors. Hiko couldn't think of any townspeople who were able to keep their mouths closed about something as weighty as a tairou's assassination. The only logical conclusion was that they truly knew nothing about the incident. And seeing as he had yet to run into any castle officials, guards or otherwise, it seemed there was no one out searching for him or Kenshin. Which, he reflected, made sense. Jisaemon's men had nothing to gain by looking for him, and he was certain none of the castle reinforcements had caught a glimpse of him. That just left Naosuke's special escort, some of whom might or might not indirectly blame him for their charge's death. Still, if the assassination was being kept quiet−and that was the general feeling he got−they would have no reason other than a personal vendetta to bother with him.
He found his mood lightening, but hesitated to drop his guard completely. He needed to confirm the situation and the best way to do that was to go to a place where conversation ran freely; where he could listen in on the latest gossip without being obvious and would blend in as much as could be expected.
He strode towards a building down the street, one of its walls decorated with oversized kanji proclaiming "saké" in a garish red. As he drew closer the tantalizing aroma of katusdon drifted out from the open establishment and his stomach growled in response. He was glad he'd accepted the bento from Misaki. He hadn't brought much money with him from Kyoto, and he was looking forward to throwing back a few saucers of saké.
Pushing aside the noren, Hiko stepped inside. The building wasn't overly large; there were several small tables, and a counter that spanned the length of room, dividing the dining area from the kitchen. Listening to what people were saying wasn't going to be a problem.
Hiko chose a table on the outskirts of room and had hardly sat down before an overly peppy waitress came to take his order. He indicated his bento and said, "Just saké." The waitress skipped off, and Hiko slowly unwrapped the bento, senses alert. Most of the customers were slurping bowls of soba or grilling strips of meat. There was trio of men two tables away though who were more intent on words rather than food.
Hiko's waitress came back and sat a jug of saké on the table before kneeling and pouring some into a saucer for him. "Just call if you need anything else." Hiko could've sworn she winked when she stood to leave, but he was too preoccupied getting a feel for the conversation at the next table to be sure.
Hiko took a sip of the rice liquor, savoring the mild flavor as he set the saucer down and untied the cloth holding the bento. He found himself unexpectedly impressed with the tasteful presentation. The bento was a rainbow of colors: pink tuna surrounded a generous mound of white rice topped with bright green cucumber, and golden-fried tempura rested next to it. Two halves of an egg had been sculpted into white flowers with soft yellow centers, and sliced strawberries served as a bed of grass beneath them. It was admirably meticulous, and Hiko wondered passingly if the Hattori family always had such grand meals or if guests warranted special treatment.
He'd temporarily forgotten the reason he'd come to this place as he admired the food, but his attention refocused immediately when a voice from the nearby table mentioned Edo castle. He listened as he chose a pair of wooden chopsticks from a cup at the center of the table.
"You said your cousin hasn't returned from the castle either?"
"That's right. They told me the same thing, some disease the tairou caught that's spread to all of his retainers. They're keeping them in the castle, said it's too dangerous for anyone to go near them."
"Cheh! That's too coincidental that everyone contracted it on the same day. There's something they're not telling us."
The third man spoke. "Maybe the shogun found out they weren't loyal to him and had them killed." This was met with derision from the other two.
"You wouldn't find a man more loyal than Yurinojou!"
"Heisuke either."
Silence descended on the table and Hiko mulled the words over as he ate a piece of tempura. So a number of people who worked at the castle hadn't returned to their families and the shogunate was saying it was due to some highly infectious disease. It seemed the shogunate thought Ii Naosuke would be more dangerous dead than alive and were determined to keep his death a secret as long as possible.
Hiko continued to listen as he polished off the bento. The men continued to hypothesize the reason for their relatives' absence but an assassination was never mentioned. The closest they came to hitting the mark was wondering if their family had been killed in an assault on the castle.
"It would make sense to attack if the sonno joi folks heard that the tairou was sick." One of the men nodded. "It's a perfect chance for an attack."
One of the other men grunted in agreement. "Maybe Heisuke died protecting the tairou and the shougunate doesn't want anyone to know about it because it might encourage more attacks while the tairou is in a weakened state."
That remained the general consensus until the men left, reminiscing about fond memories they'd shared with their missing friends and acquaintances.
Hiko stayed a while longer, finishing off the bento and enjoying the rest of the saké jug. It seemed he had little to worry about from the commoners, at least. They knew nothing of Naosuke's assassination. Hiko would bet few of the castle guards and workers were privy to this information either, which meant the situation for him and Kenshin was good. Very good. Kami must have finally decided to smile on them.
The rigid tension that had been gripping him for the past week began to melt away and he considered purchasing one more jug of saké now that he could truly enjoy it. The faint tickle of caution that remained lodged at the back of his mind convinced him not to though. It might be that no one knew about Naosuke's assassination, but Hiko still didn't know what had happened between leaving Kenshin at Honmaru's and when he'd appeared at Edo castle, and that was a whole other something that nagged at him. He wouldn't feel completely at ease until Edo was far behind him and his student; preferably the exact distance to his cottage in the mountains of Kyoto.
With that in mind, Hiko paid his bill, ignoring the overly long gaze his waitress gave him as he handed her several coins. He smiled smugly after he turned though, sensing that the waitresses' eyes still lingered on him. If he didn't have a student to train . . .
But he did, and that was his priority. Waitress effectively banished from his mind, Hiko started back towards Hattori's. It would be convenient if his deshi decided to rouse himself from his semi-lucid state when he returned. Hiko found himself coming up with more questions the longer Kenshin remained unconscious, and he wanted answers as much to satisfy his curiosity as to determine how safe the journey back to Kyoto would be.
As he turned onto the street that Hattori's clinic was on, Hiko saw a small figure standing outside the clinic door, head twisting left and right in a comical searching gesture. As the face turned towards him, Hiko recognized Hattori's younger son. The boy's dark eyes lit with recognition when he saw Hiko, and he immediately began trotting in the swordmaster's direction.
"Hiko-sama, Hiko-sama!" He called almost before Hiko was within shouting distance.
The boy looked pleased so Hiko didn't think anything was amiss but even as the child got closer he wondered why on earth he was waiting outside the clinic obviously searching for him.
"Hiko-sama!" The boy, whose name escaped Hiko, was panting by the time he reached the swordsman. Hiko waited with studied patience while the boy rested his hands on his knees, gasping. After several seconds he wiped a hand across his brow and straightened, grin splitting his face. "Kenshin-kun is awake!"
The first thing that crossed his mind when he woke was that he must have had a horribly rough training session the day before. His body ached everywhere, particularly his back and right arm−what had shishou had him do?− and he felt spent and weak. He didn't even think he had the strength to move a finger. He hadn't opened his eyes yet but when he tried he found that he had to exert an enormous amount of concentration just to feel them. Kenshin knew the training must have been intense because he couldn't remember even the smallest detail, no matter how he racked his brain.
Then light filtered into his eyes, and as images and shapes began to coalesce in front of him jerky memories of rain and darkness and strange voices ran through his head. No, he hadn't been training. He'd been−fighting? His memories were muddled and confusing−a leering man, blood and a headless body, ropes−and panicked emotions flooded his body. It seemed little effort now for his eyes to fly wide open and he whipped his head from side to side, needing to see where he was.
A clean, well-lit room met his eyes, and the faint scent of plum blossoms was in the air. The calming atmosphere slowed his rapidly beating heart somewhat and he relaxed a little more when his eyes met a gently smiling face. This wasn't a visage from a nightmare. Still, he frowned inwardly as memories began returning in the right order. He'd thought his shishou had taken him−somewhere. Looking for something. His memories might be returning but they were incredibly fuzzy and he found there were massive portions where his mind simply went blank. He must have looked panicked because the face that he'd forgotten about−a face that looked surprisingly familiar now that he thought about it−started speaking.
"Kenshin-kun, you're safe. Do you remember me?"
Did he? He thought he did. It seemed like such a long time ago that he'd seen him. The answer came to him though, and he opened his mouth to say so but instead of words a dry hiss sputtered from his throat.
"Ah, you'll need some water. You haven't truly spoken in days." Kenshin took the cup the man offered him, trying not to slurp.
"You're a doctor." There. That was better.
"Doctor Hattori, yes. Your−teacher brought you to my clinic several days ago. Do you remember that?"
"Not really." Kenshin confessed. "I remember rain. And . . . and my father?" He broke off in confusion. That was impossible but he could distinctly remember that.
"You were delirious for a while. You probably saw a number of things that can't or didn't happen." Hattori explained.
"But I-" Kenshin stopped. There was no use arguing. The last thing he really remembered clearly was his shishou bringing him back to Naosuke's house. After that he didn't know what was real and what wasn't. There was one person who could settle his uncertainty, though. "Hattori-sensei, is my shishou here?" Kenshin looked around, as if he might have missed such a hulking figure the first time he'd canvassed the room.
"He stepped out for a little bit an hour or so ago but I'm sure he'll be back soon." Kenshin wasn't even aware that he reacted to the information but Hattori's sharp eyes saw how the boy's body sagged at the news. "In fact," The doctor turned towards the back door where the clinic joined his house. "Inoue!" A shaggy-haired boy bounded into the room.
"Hai!"
"Go keep an eye out for Hiko-san, please. Search around the block if you have to. Let him know that Kenshin is awake." Inoue left and Hattori turned back to Kenshin. "There. You know, I think he went to get information about something. I don't know what, but except for this he's hardly left your side."
"W-what? Shishou?" That was something Kenshin would never expect to hear.
"Mm. A very private man, your shishou, but he-" Hattori stopped abruptly and Kenshin stared, waiting for him to go on. Hattori just shook his head though. "Never mind. You shouldn't hear it from me."
Kenshin was fairly aching with curiosity now. He'd thought for a minute that the doctor had been going to tell him something important about his shishou, something critical that might change how Kenshin viewed him, and strangely he'd felt a glimmer of . . . well, he didn't know what. He couldn't call it happiness, but . . . something . . .
Kenshin didn't have any more time to dwell on the strange moment because the door was thrust open at that moment, and Inoue came bursting into the clinic, babbling excitedly.
"I found him, Otousan! Hiko-sama's here!"
Kenshin saw the edges of the Hiten mantle spreading on either side of Inoue, and even though the sight reassured him, he felt a moment of uncertainty. This was the second time in a very short period that he'd caused excess trouble for his shishou.
Hiko stepped from behind Inoue and Kenshin followed his movements, waiting to see if he would say anything. The Hiten master's gaze swept over him, then moved to look Kenshin in the eye.
"We need to talk." Kenshin quailed inwardly. He could think of a number of things Hiko would want to talk with him about, and none of them were appealing. On the bright side though, the doctor and his son were still in the room and even though Kenshin didn't have any expectations that his master would curb his tongue because of it, it made him feel better.
Unfortunately, Hattori seemed to think he might be intruding because just as Kenshin finished his thoughts, the doctor glanced out one of the clinic's windows. "It's about time to close for lunch." He motioned at his son. "Come, Inoue, we'll leave these two for now." Turning to Hiko, he said, "I'll come back shortly to look him over and bring some food, and then he still needs considerable rest."
Don't wear him out.
Hiko understood the doctor's subtle hint, and he gave a cursory nod before Hattori dragged his son from the room.
Silence blanketed the master and student. Kenshin stared up at the ceiling, doing all he could to avoid looking at his teacher. Consequently, he missed the surprised concern that flickered across Hiko's face for a bare heartbeat. When he chose to glance upwards and assess the situation's gravity, he found Hiko looking straight at him, jaw clenched. Kenshin hastily looked away again.
"Why do you think we're having this conversation?" Hiko began, not unkindly. Kenshin might think otherwise, but he wasn't angry with the boy. Not at the moment, at least. He was more taken aback by his student's appearance. After being mostly unconscious for three days, Kenshin was a thin, ghostly shadow of the boy Hiko was used to laying eyes on. It seemed he'd only lost more weight since Hiko had first seen him in Edo. That made the swordmaster more than a little disgruntled.
Kenshin was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, unable to get a sentence started. He didn't know how to answer. If he told his shishou what he really thought−that maybe he'd changed his mind about giving Kenshin a second chance at learning Hiten Mitsurugi−then the swordmaster might decide it was a good idea and leave him right then and there. If Kenshin made up some mundane answer though, his shishou would probably see right through him and keep badgering him until he coughed up what he didn't want to say in the first place. Kenshin couldn't decide which was the lesser of two evils. Luckily, his shishou saved him the trouble of choosing. After watching Kenshin struggle with words for several seconds he rolled his eyes and waved a hand.
"Never mind, I don't want to know. Why did you leave Honmaru's when I specifically told you to stay put? What happened there?" For a minute, Hiko thought Kenshin was going to pass out. Color drained from his face, and his breathing became fast and shallow. Then he swallowed.
"I-I didn't plan on leaving, shishou. Things started happening though, and−and I couldn't do nothing!" Kenshin's voice rose, and his eyes pleaded with Hiko to understand.
"I'm not admonishing you." The yet was unspoken. They both knew that if Hiko deemed it necessary, admonishment would be dished out at the appropriate time. "I only want to know what happened. It could be important."
Kenshin nodded, and his brow furrowed as he searched his memory. "I sat there for a long time. Nothing was wrong. And then it got really quiet. I thought everyone had left at first. But it felt wrong. And then I heard something-" Knowing his shishou could guess what he'd done after that, he glanced over, but Hiko said nothing. So Kenshin continued. "It sounded like someone was in trouble, and then I remembered that Haruko-san had been there earlier. At Naosuke-san's, I mean. I couldn't leave her, shishou! It wouldn't be right. Especially since I'm training to be a swordsman." Kenshin sighed as if his fate had just been sealed. "I had to help her. So I left. I think most everyone on the ground was dead when I walked out. I didn't stop to look at them though." Kenshin spoke as matter-of-factly about this small-scale massacre as he had about the one where Hiko had first found Shinta.
"So that happened before you moved," Kenshin nodded, even though Hiko seemed to be musing to himself. "Do you know why Jisaemon's men were there?"
"One of them said something . . ." Kenshin's eyebrows scrunched together. "I think they were just checking to see if Naosuke-san was there. They were only at his place." Some of the tension lining Hiko's face eased. "It must have been Haruko who killed the two men at Naosuke's, then?"
Kenshin's eyes went wide with awe but then his expression fell. "I could only defeat one, shishou. I tried as hard as I could but I landed badly." Kenshin's eyes dropped and he missed the show of surprise that crossed Hiko's face.
If he could still push himself to such limits with those injuries . . .
Kenshin was still talking, voice miserable. "I know you can't accept defeat if you're fighting for someone's life but-I couldn't do it."
Hiko didn't give him time to wallow in self-pity. "At least your intentions were honorable. We'll just ignore the fact that you're an idiot to try and fight anyone as you are now." Hiko's voice took on an unforgiving tone. "What I can't understand is how you ended up at the castle. Without," He paused for emphasis, "the sword that I so generously returned to you."
Kenshin flinched. "But a guard came with your saiya, shishou, and−"
Hiko interrupted him. "I don't care how convincing some two-faced guard is, you were told to stay at Honmaru's and not move until we returned. I expect my student to be able to follow basic orders."
"But they said you'd been defeated and that Naosuke-san was dead!" Kenshin cried. He didn't know why he expected this information to change Hiko's view. In hindsight, he wished he hadn't even said anything more because Hiko only appeared angry now.
"He said that?" Hiko roared. "Even more reason to stay where you were supposed to! What do you think you would've done if I had been defeated?" Kenshin sat mutely, heartily wishing he could go back in time and rethink his actions.
"Well?" Hiko pressed. "I'll tell you what you would've done, you'd have made some noble effort to fight and since you were already falling apart, you would have been run through two seconds later. Where's the sense in that?"
Hiko paused and Kenshin started to answer, voice small. He had to at least try to defend himself. "I didn't think-"
"Exactly," Hiko snapped, "you didn't think."
Kenshin fell silent, lowering his head and blinking to keep hurt, angry tears from springing into existence. How could he be expected to think clearly after being told that his caretaker and mentor was defeated? How should he have known what to do? It wasn't fair that shishou was yelling at him like this. He hadn't said what to do if something happened to him.
There was the creak of metal springs, and Kenshin felt the mattress under him dip precariously low. He almost fell over but recovered his balance thanks to a surprisingly sturdy wall right next to him. The wall heaved a sigh, and Kenshin hazarded a glance upwards. Yes, his shishou actually was sitting on the bed next to his deshi.
"Kenshin," Hiko's back was to him, but Kenshin was glad for it. He didn't want to see that stern face looking down on him. This was easier. "Knowing the most powerful sword style doesn't make you any less susceptible to the harshness of battle. You need to use your wits as well as your strength. If you don't know your limits, when to fight and when not to, you're still as good as dead, no matter how skillful you are." Kenshin opened his mouth, prepared to apologize but Hiko held his hand up. "You don't have enough experience to always judge this accurately, so it's my responsibility to make sure you aren't in over your head."
Kenshin could think of a number of times he'd felt in over his head just during training, but he kept his mouth shut.
"As my student, it's your responsibility to trust my judgment, and do as I say, even if you disagree or think circumstances have changed. You saw what happened after you got to the castle?" Kenshin nodded mutely. He had caused a distraction, and however unintentional it had been, ultimately Naosuke had been killed.
"I'm sorry." He croaked. "I didn't know what to do."
"You thought with your emotions. That leads to hasty and misguided actions."
Kenshin had always thought his emotions to be a good thing. They were what drove him to be a swordsman, what kept him persevering day after day. "But shishou," Kenshin began slowly, "how can you be a good swordsman without emotion?"
Another sigh, this time exasperated. "Baka, I didn't say not to have emotion. I said don't make decisions based on them."
"But everyone does that!" Kenshin exclaimed. "Even you do, shishou." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Hiko's head snapped around, his eyes lit with challenge.
"Name me one time."
There was no point hesitating now, he'd already stirred the proverbial pot. "You came back to ask about me after the slave caravan got killed, and you came all the way to Edo to find me, and-"
"Entirely different circumstances." Hiko sniffed dismissively. "I had plenty of thought behind all of that. No use going into the fine details, they would be lost on you. Besides, you're missing the point." Kenshin blinked and stared. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Don't let your emotions dictate your decisions to the point that you lose sight of everything else."
Kenshin nodded slowly. He thought he understood. And shishou was right, he had a tendency to act on his emotions without thinking things through.
The bed creaked again, and Kenshin felt the mattress jump underneath him, springing several inches higher. Hiko turned after he stood, brows drawn together, and for a second Kenshin thought he was going to ask something else. He seemed to change his mind though, and gestured at Kenshin. "You look more like an underfed waif now than you did four years ago."
It annoyed Kenshin that he never seemed to grow; annoyed him more that shishou frequently felt the need to draw attention to that fact. He couldn't very well disagree with the statement though, so he just glowered.
"I'm giving you a few weeks to get your strength back, and then we're going back to Kyoto."
Kenshin's eyes widened. "That long?" Shishou wasn't one to sit around idly. Kenshin had expected they'd at least leave the next day, if not that night. He must really look bad if his shishou said they were staying so long.
"You're still healing, and your fever isn't completely gone. I don't want any chance that I'll be carrying you back. I've done enough of that recently."
Kenshin flushed. "You didn't have to." He muttered, picking at the sheet in front of him.
"You're right, I suppose I could have just left you lying on the ground at the castle." Hiko smirked, then reiterated, "A few weeks. Enjoy it while you can, once we get back we're making up for lost time."
That sounded ominous. And now that he thought about it, he did feel tired. His body still ached all over, too. Not as excruciatingly as the last time he'd been fully awake, but still considerably painful. Maybe a couple of weeks wouldn't be so bad. After all, he'd need his strength for whatever lessons shishou was cooking up in his head. It would give his right arm a chance to mend itself, too.
"Kenshin?"
Kenshin started, eyes flying open. He hadn't even realized he'd closed them. "Gomen. I was just thinking . . ." His voice trailed off into a yawn. ". . . thinking that might be good." There went his eyes again, closing without any effort on his part. He didn't try to reopen them. From somewhere far away, he heard his shishou's voice, saying something Kenshin couldn't quite make out. He wanted to ask him to repeat it, but before he could think how to form the words, he'd drifted into slumber.
Kenshin's ordeal is finally over! Now he just needs some time to heal and tlc (I think Hiko might be tlc'ed out though, so Kenshin might have to do without that last). Sadly, I think this is the penultimate chapter. Who knows, if I get overly nostalgic I might try and work in two more, but I think the next one will probably be it.
AN: Noren are those short curtains that Japanese establishments frequently hang from the lintel of their doorways. I think they're pretty dang cool. Katsudon (long form, tonkatsu donburi) is a tasty rice meal with fried pork topping it. And yes, I spelled tempura the American way because I'm more accustomed to that, and frankly, the difference between "tenpura" and "tempura" is like "son" and "sun."
Thank you thank you thank you, reviewers! I think the last chapter was a record for me.
Lady Red 88: Glad you're enjoying the story and my portrayels of the characters! Welcome back to the world of RK. Great place to be!
Szahara again: I'm totally fine with "late" reviews. I'll take a review anytime anyone wants to leave one, even if the story's already done! I did appreciate the boost, thank you thank you, sorry it didn't make my productivity speed up too much. I might've taken the lazy way out and not had Hiko run into anyone specific during his search. I figured I'd keep character stress levels moderately low from here to the end.
Althea M: I do like to chip away at Hiko. He plays a minor part in the manga, but he played a large part in Kenshin's early life, and he's fast become one of my favorite characters. I'm glad you're waiting for the juices to flow again! I probably tried everyone's patience to the limit on this last chapter.
Kaida Ukitake: Haha, that dose of relief he's feeling (even if he's hard-pressed to show it) must be doing wonders for his personality, eh?
honeyberries: Welcome aboard! Wow, chapters 1-26 in one bite, that's a good bit of reading there. Glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review.
t42n24t: No worries, Hiko will repay the good doctor. :) Give him another chapter. He's not one to leave a debt hanging over his head.
one-who-loves-sesshy: Very cool, I have a few family members who are nurses as well. The end is near!
An (): Thank you! I'm flattered that you check for updates each day. Sorry you had to wait so long this time around! (I'm trying to decipher your username . . . the parantheses are throwing me).