Chapter four
The small village was quiet. Shinko, a week out of Tokyo and somewhat worse for wear, her stomach quietly complaining that half a dozen onigiri was not enough food for two days, looked around in surprise. At her last stop, a small, lakeside town that was bustling with fishermen and traders, everyone had been busy and cheerful. This village however, was quiet, and the few people out all suspiciously avoided the two-storey inn standing above the small square.
Shaking off the uneasy feeling, Shinko cautiously entered the town, hand resting on the hilt of her shinai. It suddenly felt like a very insubstantial weapon. The inn was in the centre of the town; it was a medium-sized two-storey building that looked out over the small houses around it. The sliding doors were shut though, and it didn't look like a very welcoming place. Shinko paused, wondering what to do, but she was duty-bound to help and protect those who could not do it for themselves, and if this town was in trouble, then she would most likely find it in the inn. Bearing this thought in mind, Shinko boldly slid the door open. The only path lies forward. She thought, mentally quoting her father's motto. She was about to kick off her sandals and enter the inn, when someone came flying out of it. Shinko grunted as her breath whooshed out of her lungs and she was knocked to the ground. It was a young man, his squinted eyes blinking rapidly as he stood up and straightened his clothes,
"Gomenasai Hiruma-sama. Gomenasai." He said, bowing repeatedly at the open screen.
"Shut the door!" A deep voice bellowed from inside the inn.
"Hai hai, sumimasen…" Shinko sat up, blinking in surprise as the timid young man scampered to the door. When it was closed, he turned around, and almost fell over in surprise when he saw Shinko sitting on the ground, looking slightly dazed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I knock you over? Please forgive me, I didn't see you there, uh…" he trailed off, not sure what to call her.
"Myojin, Myojin Shinko."
"Shin- oh my! Gomen, gomen, Myojin-san, I –" the man blushed as he realised that the dusty figure dressed in a travel-stained yukata was actually a girl.
"What's going on here?" asked Shinko, frowning as she stood up. There was definitely something wrong in this town.
"Hiruma-sama…he is a huge man, he says he came up against Hitokiri Battosai, and survived…a week ago, he came to this town, and claimed the inn, he said he was doing it as a tribute to his brother, and that he wouldn't stand down unless Battosai or Zanza could defeat him, so that he could lay honour at his big brother's grave." The man twisted the hem of his shirt, looking down. Shinko was quite impressed that he'd managed to say so much in one sentence.
"Hiruma…he knows 'battosai', and 'Zanza'? Oh, wait, Fatso-beard and ugly Shorty? They tried to take over the Kamiya dojo when Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san met! …Aren't they ancient by now?" Shinko stopped and looked at the man, realising she didn't know his name yet.
"Hiruma-sama is old, yes, but he is not ancient…and he is still very strong."
"And he took over the inn…what's your name, by the way?"
"Oh, uh, it's Taheki Hiro, my Father and I ran the inn…"
"…I don't think it's morally upstanding to beat up an old man, is it? But he is a bad guy…but when Kenshin-san and uncle Sano beat them up it was twenty years ago…maybe I can scare them off…" Shinko frowned. To fight or not to fight…
"Tell me more, Hiro-kun."
"Would you like to eat with me and my family first? You look tired."
"That is very kind of you, Hiro-kun, now, tell me how a fat old man can take over your inn.
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Shinko put down her bowl, murmuring 'Gochisosama' quickly, before looking up at Hiro and his father.
"So, Ugly Shorty died of old age, and now Fatso-beard wants to honour his memory by succeeding in crime. What an idiot." Shinko stood up and grabbed her shinai. "Thankyou for letting me eat here, but I have business to attend to."
"But Myojin-san, it's nightime, stay here tonight, you can sleep in Imoto's room…"
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm staying in the inn."
"But Hiruma-sama's…"
"Ja matte." Shinko left the house, letting the smile spread across her face. She had a chance to help someone! And one of Kenshin-san and Uncle Sano's old…maybe not quite enemies, but still, she was going to become a proper rurouni, and protect the happiness of everyone she could see. Just like Kenshin-san, Uncle Sano and Chichi.
Shinko banged on the door with her shinai, schooling her expression and taking a deep breath to calm down. She had lost so many bouts against Kenji and Ota when she was younger because she got excited and distracted, Shinya had been just as bad, but whatever happened in the inn this evening, she was going to win the inn back for the Tahekis.
"Oi! Fatso-beard, open up!" Shinko banged on the door again, before sliding it open, and entering. She saw the younger Hiruma brother, (Gohei?) kneeling at a low table with an obento meal. His dark brown hair was heavily streaked with grey, and his eyes were sad as he prodded at the food.
"nii-san always used to cook for us…" he said sadly, not looking up, "His meals were so much better than an obento from that stupid Taheki…"
"Hiruma…Fatso-beard. I am Myojin Shinko, and I have come to fight you for the possession of the inn that you have taken from the Taheki family!" Shinko declared, raising her shinai. The huge man looked up at her indignantly.
"You can't do that! A tiny girl like you could never beat me! I fought – " Hiruma's sentence was cut off as Shinko knocked him over the head with her shinai.
"Don't call me tiny, Fatso, my parents are just short, that's all." She said, her eyes narrowed. "Now, give the Inn back to the Taheki's, or I'll whack you again."
"Please don't take the inn from me! nii-san always wanted an inn, we were going to set up the Kamiya dojo to be an inn out the back! It would all have been perfect." A tear dripped onto Hiruma's rice.
"You tried to steal the dojo as well! I don't want to beat up an old man, but you have to give this inn back." Shinko said, feeling her resolve weaken. This man was just so… sad.
"I can't give up the inn, the name of Hiruma has to be remembered for something other than failure, I owe that much at least to nii-san's grave."
"Okay, okay, just don't cry…does the Hiruma name need to be remembered as a bunch of crooks?" Shinko patted the old man on the back, deciding that this rurouni business was completely insane. "Um…why don't you come with me for a while, okay? You used to be a student of Kamiya-sensei, Kaoru-san's father, ne? Well, why don't you learn how to be rurouni, like me, and you can help people. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to have the Hiruma's remembered as good guys, instead of pathetic wannabe crooks?"
"I just want people to remember my nii-san, he was so smart, and nice to me…" Hiruma nodded tearfully, "do you promise you can help me make people remember him?"
"Sure thing, Hiruma, just give back the inn."
"…okay."
"I'm going to fetch the Tahekis, they're staying with their cousin, you can come with me…" Shinko said, holding out a hand to the huge man sitting on the tatami mat in front of her, and sliding her shinai back into its sheath.
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"Arigato Shinko-sama, Domo arigato gozaimas!" Hiro said, bowing to Shinko once again.
"It's fine, really, I didn't even have to fight him…"
"No, no, you have truly saved us! Thank you, thank you. Is there any way we can help you, Shinko-sama?"
"Well, I could do with a pair of rooms for the night, and if you have a more substantial weapon than this, a bokken maybe? Not a katana though, unless its blunt, or a sakabato…"
"Sakabato? But swords are illegal in Meiji, except for decorative purposes…the only sword in the village is Yamamoto-san's, but he hasn't used it since before the bakumatsu…" Hiro said hesitantly.
"I can't take that. No bokken either, huh? Are there any retired swordsmiths nearby? I only have one spare Shinai, and this one's nearly broken."
"Gomen there are not many swordsmiths left in Japan..."
"Figures, it is the Meiji restoration after all. So no swords is a good thing. Can I just stay the night then, oh, and Hiruma too."
"Of course, and we will also give you food, for your journey as our thanks."
"Food? Domo Arigato! I get free food!" Shinko bowed to the two Taheki men, and Hiro's sister, a quiet girl who looked to be about two years older than Shinko. Beaming, Shinko went up to bed. This was a brilliant way to live.
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Kenji waited under the tree for Shinya, watching the play of light on water. It was true that he needed to defeat Shinya, then Yahiko, and finally his own father, Kenshin to win the sakabato and prove that he was better than any who came before, but then what? There was not much point in defeating an aging man who couldn't even use the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, it wouldn't prove anything. He needed a worthy opponent, someone who he could fight against in a death-match, to truly test him.
"Hey, quit daydreaming, I'm here already."
Shinya had come to stand across from Kenji, his sword already held in a battle poised stance.
Everyone had always said that Shinya looked, and acted, exactly like a young Yahiko, but Kenji had difficulty reconciling the image of an impatient boy with the confident, intense Yahiko that was known as the 'one who caught a thousand blades'.
"Begin."
Shinya charged, pulling his Shinai up to attack. Kenji was about to do the same, but checked himself at the last instant, inspiration flashing across his mind. Shinya reached him, raising his weapon for a slash, but at the crucial instant, Kenji slipped aside, bringing his own blade to strike across Shinya's back. Shinya spun, surprise on his face, but still completely ready for the next attack.
"Where did you-?"
"You should never limit the opponents that you fight, or you limit your versatility. I've just been fighting more opponents." Kenji smiled, knowing that it would incense Shinya.
"Fine. I don't need any sneaky tricks to win, I can beat you fair and square!" Shinya lunged again, but this time, he chose a less committed attack, so as not to expose himself again. Kenji always won the first point.
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