Chapter Sixteen:
"Ohayo, Yahiko-kun." Yahiko jerked in surprise as he heard Kenshin's voice from beside the door. He'd been pacing, back and forth through the dojo's training hall, waiting for the second class of students,which wasn't supposed to show up for another ten minutes – he'd been excused from teaching the first class, in order to see Shinya off on the train.
"Have you been taking lessons from Aoshi-san?" Yahiko asked wryly, as he made a conscious effort to stop his pacing and gave Kenshin what he hoped looked like a plausible smile.
"I don't think you were paying attention." Kenshin said returning Yahiko's grimace with a sincere smile as he entered the room, his gaze brushing over the long list of students that hung across a whole wall. "Remember when there was just you and Kaoru-dono on that wall?"
"A lot has changed since then..."
"Most of it good, this one must hope," Kenshin said with a sigh, before turning to Yahiko. "So, what is bothering you?"
Yahiko opened his mouth to speak, but broke off before he could say anything, his breath hissing out through his teeth as he started pacing again. Kenshin waited silently, his purple eyes impassive as they followed the younger man.
"Do you think I should have let Shinya go to Kyoto alone?" he burst out after a long moment, rounding on Kenshin. He didn't want to mention the insane urge he had had to jump on the back of the train as it left the station, and follow his children to whatever faced them in Kyoto.
"Hai. You cannot leave Tsubame-dono or the Akabeko so soon after returning," Kenshin said shrugging. "If you wish to be rurouni, like this one was, you should make sure you do not leave behind anyone who you care about, or else you may find that they follow you..."
"But they're fifteen!" Yahiko clenched his fists as he repeated Tsubame's argument.
"This one was hitokiri at fifteen... And you were 'the one who caught a thousand blades', Yahiko-kun. They have Aoshi-san and the Oniwabanshu to watch them, they'll be fine."
"Misao let Shinko go adventuring with Hiruma Gohei."
"Oro? Wasn't that one...?"
"Hai!"
"...Well, was Shinko-dono harmed?"
"But-"
"This one thinks that you are worrying too much, Yahiko-kun. If you truly believed that they would not be able to handle what they find in Kyoto, then you would have gone with them. It is as simple as that," Kenshin smiled, bowing slightly to Yahiko. "Now this one must go and prepare Kaoru's bath, and your students are about to arrive." He slipped out of the dojo as quietly as he entered, just as Yahiko's first students came in.
*break*
Kenji had been awake for hours when Misao came out of her and Aoshi's room, holding a small pigeon and yawning. Stretching her free arm, she walked across the courtyard, running her fingers through her sleep tangled hair and waving at Kenji as she entered the large, open room where Aoshi was sipping green tea, and watching Kenji train.
"Yahiko-kun sent San-chan across last night, he must have done it almost as soon as Hachi-chan arrived... he's very worried, look, he even bothered to write neatly," she said to her husband, holding the bird out and showing him the note attached to its leg. "Shinya-kun is on his way, and that's it..."
Kenji froze, nearly tearing a muscle as he arrested his momentum in the middle of a lunge.
"Masaru still hasn't found where Shinko-kun is, there is not much point in her brother coming to save her." Aoshi said, blowing on his tea.
"I... well I think he might have come for Natsuko. No-one expected it to be a trap for Shinko-chan..."
"Why? I must have trained you poorly for the Onmitsu if that is the case."
Misao jerked back as if she had been slapped, her back stiff. Kenji sighed slightly. Aoshi was still cold, after all these years. Kenshin had said that when he had lost Hannya, Beshimi, Shikijo and Hyottoko, something had broken inside him, and that it would never truly heal...
"I am Oniwabanshu, and I have been more loyal to our onmitsu and city than you," Misao spoke very calmly, but her back was ramrod-straight. "The reason no-one could expect a trap this well-laid out is because Shinko has done nothing to earn enmity from powerful circles, and because we did not know of the existence of these people. I thought that at best it was a petty yakuza boss who wanted revenge for her bashing up a few of his goons."
Aoshi regarded his wife for a moment, before standing up in a single fluid motion and wrapping his arms around her.
"Gomene, Misao," he murmured, dwarfing her as he ran a hand through her long hair. Embarrassed, Kenji turned away, moving to another part of his garden before continuing his training.
*break*
Shinko was famished when someone finally seemed to recall her presence in the attic room, and had absolutely exhausted any possible method of escape through the window onto the sloping roof below.
"Stupid shoulders..." She muttered for the fourth time as she pulled her head back inside – there was a nice view of the sunset-stained sky from her window, which meant she'd been in the small room for eight hours or so – just as a knock came on the door.
"Sumimasen, may I come in Shinko-dono? I have food for you." A soft feminine voice called through the door.
"Sure." Shinko murmured, pulling her gi off her shoulder to check the extent of the bruising suffered from trying to reshape her shoulders. The door clicked open and the servant walked in carrying a tray. Shinko's eyes widened as she took in the gi and hakama, thinking for a moment that it was another girl in boy's clothes, before she saw the long triangle of distinctly flat chest showing between the sides of the gi.
"Oh! Sorry, um..." Shinko blushed and stepped away, pulling up the collar of her own gi.
"Are you feeling well, Shinko-dono?" The androgynous young man asked, setting down a tray with an obento on it.
"Fine..." Shinko said suspiciously, scooting around the table so that she could grab the food without leaning past him. She was about to tuck in when he spoke again.
"Good, Toranaga-sama said that sometimes chloroform can cause a person's heart to stop, so I was worried about you..." The young man said, smiling coolly at Shinko. "Please, don't wait to eat on my account." He gestured to the chopsticks that Shinko was holding.
"Itadakimas..." Shinko muttered, before beginning to wolf down the bowl of rice.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself; I am Kano Kiyoshi." The man bowed. Shinko noted with a start as he straightened again that his eyes were a pale liquid colour, somewhere between blue and grey.
"Myojin Shinko." Shinko muttered between mouthfuls.
"Ah! Like the mountain?"
"Mountain?"
"Mm, I am from Osaka. Myojin-yama is nearby, my grandfather was a monk, and he lived there." Kiyoshi said, his distant smile becoming slightly warmer as he sat down across from Shinko.
"Really? You're from Osaka?" Shinko asked, unable to hide her surprise. "I didn't notice your accent..."
"Nandeyanen." Kiyoshi drawled, slouching back into a more relaxed pose. Shinko felt a slight giggle escape her mouth at the sound of the nasal merchant's drawl coming from the mouth of someone who could easily have been taken for one of Kyoto's most sophisticated artisans.
"Gome." She stopped herself, covering her mouth as Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow at her, but the young man just smiled and shrugged, and Shinko felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth again.
"I am glad I could make you laugh, Shinko-dono, you must be dreadfully frustrated; you have no idea where you are or why." Kiyoshi let out a rueful laugh. "And I'm afraid Toranaga-sama will not let me tell you..."
"Why?" Shinko demanded, the amused smile fading from her features.
"I am not certain. I believe it may be because Toranaga-sama himself has been commanded not to by Tanuki-sama."
"Who is Tanuki-sama?"
"The person who decided you should be here." Kiyoshi said noncommittally. "I'm afraid I must go, Shinko-dono, I have other things to do." He stood up, his smile becoming cool again as he left the room, locking the door behind him. Shinko watched the door disbelief etched on her features. He'd seemed so nice, but he'd locked her in again, just like that...
She screamed in frustration and flung her empty rice bowl against the door, where it shattered.
*break*
When Shinya got to the train station Kenji was waiting for him, grim-eyed and standing absolutely still as he let the burgeoning crowds swirl around him. The younger boy felt his own body tense in response – something was very wrong.
"What happened?"
"They didn't want Natsuko-san – she's safe at the Aoi-ya." Kenji said calmly, turning on his heel and walking away from the train station, Shinya hurrying behind with his single bag of luggage.
"That's good, ne? Ne?" Shinya asked, feeling his throat go dry as Kenji continued walking for along moment without saying anything.
"In a way, but Natsuko-san was bait; and now Shinko has been kidnapped instead." Kenji said flatly.
"NANI?" Shinya demanded, grabbing Kenji's collar and pulling him around so that he could yell in the redhead's face. "You let some slimy bastard kidnap my sister?"
"I assure you it wasn't intentional," Kenji said coldly, staring over Shinya's shoulder. "If I'd known, I would have let them have Natsuko-san."
Shinya's face went very red as he bared his teeth, trying to find some way to express his revulsion at Kenji's callous cold-bloodedness.
"Let go." Kenji said, his voice as soft as poison as he gripped Shinya's wrist, pulling out of the dark-haired boy's grip. "The Onmitsu is looking for her, and when they find her, I will take her back, and kill whoever dared take on her." Shinya's eyes widened, and after a moment, the anger in his face subsiding into pain and desolation.
"What if they hurt her?" He asked quietly, more to himself as Kenji's blue eyes darkened like storm clouds. The dark-haired boy looked around the streets of Kyoto, feeling lost. It seemed that Shinko was getting further and further away from him, and the days when they'd run through Tokyo with her in nothing but underpants together. He'd been worried when she'd vanished off to Tokyo; felt that a vital part of his world was missing, even though she'd only been gone for a week before Misao had sent a pigeon. Now she was lost, and possibly hurt, and he didn't know what to do.
*break*
"Masaru's back!" Yuki shouted running into the room. "Said he found something!" Everyone looked up, training their attention on the girl, and the young man who entered behind her.
Masaru was a completely unremarkable looking young man, unless someone took the time to study the expression in his eyes. He was seventeen, and his eyes gleamed with an unreadable, but perturbing expression as he bowed respectfully to Aoshi, his eyes sweeping over the room, noting Misao, Kenji and Shinya with mild disinterest. His eyes narrowed as he saw Natsuko, sitting beside Shinya, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"Who's that?" He asked brusquely, folding his arms, a gesture which caused Misao to tense slightly.
"Natsuko, she's a friend of Shinko's and Shinya's. She was the one who 'Toranaga' originally kidnapped." The dark-haired woman explained quickly. Masaru studied her for a moment longer before letting his hands fall back to his sides with an unconvinced grunt.
"Fine. She can stay then." Masaru said after a moment, as he turned and shooed a protesting Yuki out of the room.
"What did you find out, Masaru-san?" Kenji asked insistently from the corner as soon as the door shut behind the girl.
"That Toranaga is a new face. He's Japanese, but the rumour is he lived somewhere else for several years, probably due to a police investigation into illegal weapons or something of the sort. He showed up a few weeks ago on a privately owned ship, which he sold immediately, no records of the transaction. Some people are saying he was the manager of a criminal gang that does most of its business internationally, and was called home to report, or be punished. Others think he managed to set himself up in a more local organisation."
"What organisation?" Aoshi demanded his voice tight.
"No-one knows. Whoever they are, they've managed to stay completely undetected by the oniwabanshu." Masaru said flatly.
"We've gotten soft," Aoshi hissed, standing up. Misao came to stand behind him, resting one of her small hands on his arm. "And we will be coming with you to find Shinko, where is she?"
"I haven't got her pinpointed, yet, but I will by tomorrow evening." Masaru bowed again and turned to leave, Natsuko rising to her feet in a single fluid motion, following him out with delicate steps.
"Will you really be able to find Shinko-chan, Masaru-san?" She asked hopefully as he went through the door. Shinya didn't even notice her leave, his eyes were locked with Kenji's, and for once, they were in perfect agreement.
One day is too long.
*break*
NB: Kiyoshi: Japanese people can very occasionally have blue eyes – not sure why, but I did meet a Japanese girl with blue eyes once (A really, really dark blue, almost black, kinda midnight-coloured, SO cool, and there was Sayuri from Memoirs of a Geisha). Also, Kiyoshi's from Osaka, because there IS a mount Myojin near there, which I thought was cool, and wanted to mention. I did some research into the 'Kansai dialect' or Osaka-ben, and nandeyanen is, I believe, a fairly indicative word of this dialect – means 'you've got to be kidding' when I looked it up. However, Kiyoshi doesn't speak in the Japanese equivalent of Texan, because a) most Japanese people tend to use the more standard Japanese, and that is what is taught in schools and b) he just isn't that type of guy. He's one of the trademark RK girly-men (From Kamatari to Kenshin himself, passing by Seta in the middle). You've just gotta love 'em... :)
Author's Note: I know I'm probably bragging, but I just got an award in a short story competition! It wasn't very big, and I didn't actually win but I am still very excited, and telling everyone I know. Or don't know... pretty much just everyone.