Hana's Story.
A/N: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
Chapter Five: Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki
We stoped walking when we reach a waterfall.
"You can stay up there." Hiko-san said pointing to the top of the waterfall, far enough for me not to get in the way, but still close enough to be able to hear and see what was going on.
"Before we begin I have something to say to you. If you master this final technique, you'll gain strength equal to mine."
"No, wait, you couldn't be that good." He said
"At your very best you might be able to just touch my level. But don't get to full of yourself. If you bear your burden alone, and protect others by sacrificing yourself, the Meji Era will not be easy for you. Likewise, it will not be easy to gain happiness alone. If you fall victim here, the girl who came all the way from Tokyo just to see you will be left miserable and alone."
"Master, you don't mean..."
"Remember this, no matter how strong you are, you're only human. The Buddha has no need of violence. I'm through talking. Let's get started." He said while drawing his sword.
Watching those two go at it was amazing. Hiko-san is strong, he read Himura-san's moves, counter them, and nag him at the same time, it's an interesting experience.
"That's just child's play. You've got some hard training coming up." Hiko-san informed Himura-san after he got up.
"Oro?"
"Nothing! Come on and fight! There's no time. You keep fussing like that and you won't be in time to save those friends of yours." And so the fight continues.
"That was a long time ago." I heard Hiko-san whisper.
"Hey, how long are you gonna sleep? That's it wake up." Hiko said. He had knocked Himura-san out around 6 minutes ago.
"Well, if you're not going to wake up, I'll just sit back and keep remembering the old days." He said pouring himself some sake. He listed off two different incidents, cruel but efficient.
"To remember these shameful things that even this one has forgotten. You have to be truly evil. "
"What are you talking about? I've been training a whole week with my stupid pupil who left me after a fight. You couldn't ask for a better master."
"He has a point!" I called down.
"But I'm getting kind of sick this. If you can't get an attack in the next round, I'm not teaching you the techniques." And so the final round begins. With only one attack the round was over, Himura-san was knocked unconscious once again. I hopped down next to Hiko-san.
"Don't you think that was overkill? He can only take so many blows to the head after all." He just laughed.
"So why are you really here?" This statement really surprised me, a whole week and he's only now asking?
"W-what do you mean?"
"The whole partner thing, that's not your true reason, is it?" I stared at him for a while before dropping my head with a small, sad smile.
"No, no it's not… my reasons are far more selfish." He stared at me as if he was examining me.
"So when are you going to tell him?"
"Never. You saw the way he looked at Kaoru-san, it the same way he looked at her."
"You never know." With that our short conversation ended.
"Hey, how long are you gonna sleep? That's it wake up." Déjà vu. Except this time Himura-san got up the first time. He got up to fast that his head started to hurt.
"You struck with your full force, but you weren't focused. You were careless controlling your posture on you landing that's why you blacked out idiot. But even if you hadn't, you gave me a hit. I'm not saying it was perfect, but you can't change the fact that it was a hit." He said reviling his arm that had a small cut on it. I smiled.
"As I promised, I'll pass down to you the succession techniques." He said with a smile.
"Good job Himura-san!" I said as I hugged him from the back. To my surprise he leaned back into me.
"Thank you Hana-dono." He whispered.
"Alright, now don't move. One false move and you'll be killed. First a review. The types of attacks in Kenjutsu. First the Karatake, Kesagiri, Reverse Kesagiri Right Nagi, Left Nagi, Right upward cut, Left upward cut, Sakakaze, and finally Tsuki. In all the schools there is no killing technique that does not aim for one of those nine points. Naturally, the stances of defense were developed to correspond to these same nine points. But…" He attacked Himura-san before he finished.
"If you move with the godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi style and strike at all nine points at once..."
"There is no way for a person to defend themselves." I said.
"Yes, this move is the Hiten Mitsurugi- Ryuu Kuzuryuusen. The same power of even the wild attack technique Ryuususen in all nine attacks, combined with the charging techniques make avoidance of the strikes impossible. This is the technique I'm best at."
"This is the succession Technique…"
"Now quit standing there admiring it and give it a try."
"Just like that!"
"What are you talking about? You can't learn this technique by studying footwork, it's when you've felt ifs force and you're on your hands and knees that you learn. It's the way I always trained you."
"Oh yeah…This one was lucky to have survived…"
"Well, it's all thanks to my cleverly giving you just as much as you could take. If you get it, come on and try it. Full strength." When Himura-san tried it was a success…but Hiko-san countered with his own Ryuu Kuzuryuusen. Himura-san was on his knees from the blow he took from his master,
"No, it was perfect." Then he went in to detail about the forces behind the technique.
"If you're going to defeat my Kuzuryuusen, there's only one technique that can do it. The greatest secret of the Hiten Mitsurugi School, the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki." This was a shock; we had both thought that Ryuu Kuzuryuusen was the final move.
"Why do you two look so shocked? I never said that the Kuzuryuusen was the ultimate technique." Himura-san looked like he was about to hit Hiko-san, I knew I wanted to…
"The Kuzuryuusen wasn't created in real combat or training. It was made as a step in the passing down of the technique, as a test. To learn the succession technique, first you begin with the Kuzuryuusen. If you can defeat the Kuzuryuusen of the previous master the initiation in the secrets of the school is complete. However… think hard about the Kuzuryuusen yo just learned. If you do you'll get a general idea of the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki."
"About the Kuzuryuusen…" Himura-san started before he suddenly sheathed his sword and got in the Battou-Jutsu stance.
"Well done. That's right. Surpassing divine speed is the greater speed of Battou-Jutsu. This is the true nature of the secret technique Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki. But the problem is that the sakabatou will handicap the Battou-Jutsu. Can you still surpass divine speed?" After Hiko-san asked this Himura-san released his grip on the Sakabatou and just stood there.
"In formless stance with your sword put away… you intend to use Haisui no Jin? That's foolish." Haisui no Jin… Oh My God he's trying to get himself killed!
"This one knows but even so… Even if this one's life is thrown away this one must master the succession technique." Hiko-san's arm went limp as he called Himura-san a stupid pupil again.
"You haven't learned anything at all." He said as he turned and walked away.
"Take one night. Until morning search your heart and find that part of you that you lack. If you can't do that, in mastering the ultimate technique, you really will be throwing away your life.
"Himura-san." I whispered. He was sitting on the closed well. It was night time, had been for a few hours now, and he still hadn't moved. I started walking up to him from my stop by one of that hundreds of trees.
"Hana-dono?" He questioned as I sat down beside him.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked. Such a stupid question like everything else about me. All he did was look in my direction and smile.
"This one's past."
"Oh… "I knew his past everything in fact.
"I never thought about why I surpassed others. I thought I was a sinner, hiding the true nature of the Hitokiri deep in my heart. What is it I lack…?" His eyes were golden…
"I…I cannot answer that…I'm sorry. But when you figure it out I'll be right here, right beside you." I said resting my head against his shoulder. It hurt the fact that I couldn't do anything to easy his pain.
"Thank you Hana…for everything." He whispered.
I fell asleep sometime between then and morning. Himura-san had also moved me into Hiko-san's house.
"So… Have you discovered that witch you lack?" I heard Hiko-san ask.
"…No." So he hadn't been able to figure it out.
"I see. So here you are a man with limits. You were not able to discover that which you lack. As incomplete as you are… mastering the succession technique and defeating Shishio are both meaningless Even if you devote yourself to beating him… You could never defeat the Hitokiri that lies deep within your heart! Tormented be anguish and pain your entire life…You kill. Instead of the succession technique, prepare for the worst…My final duty as your master." I couldn't bring myself to go outside. I moved myself to sit against the wall closest to where I hear the fight come from.
"Please Himura-san…Please be okay…" I whispered to myself as I pulled my knees to my chest. I fell asleep listening to the two men talking.
"MASTER!" Was the next thing I heard. I jolted awake as Himura-san brought his master into the house. Hiko-san had a horrible wound along his chest.
"Wh-what happened?"
"We were fighting." Was all the response I got. Himura-san was looking for something, as he did this I unfolded my green kimono and started tearing it into shreds to use for Hiko-san's chest.
"Here it is." He said holding a package, just as I finished bandaging his chest.
"He's going to be okay right?" I asked
"He will be okay." He said as he poured the medicine then water down Hiko-san's trout.
"You get some sleep then, I'll watch over Hiko-san."Himura-san nodded gave a small smile.
A few hours later it was late afternoon, when Hiko-san woke up.
"'Bout time you woke up." I said. He looked around a little disoriented.
"How long have I been out?"
"Not as long as you should have been, maybe 5 hours at best."
"Danm." I giggled at his pain, but I shut up when he threw me a glare.
"Give him till morning. You sleep too." I ordered, He actually listened to me and lied back down.
"What the hell are you going to do?" I asked him the next morning when I saw him pick up his coat and walk to Himura-san.
"Oi, do you intend on spending the entire day like that?" He asked while he kicked Himura-san's Head.
"Hiko-san!"
"There are people waiting for you to return. So stop lollygagging and get off of my mountain! You to!" he said pointing at me. Himura-san stared at Hiko-san for a while before rushing up. Hiko-san sidestepped and Himura-san crashed in to selves of pottery.
"The day that I'd actually be happy to get hugged by a man hasn't dawned yet. So don't jump around like that when you're near me."
"Hiko-san." I wined as I went to help Himura-san.
"But…this one is glad the medicine worked."
"What? You mean this stuff? That's just Placebo."
"Then…why?" I asked.
"Well it's probably because of the sword." He answered as he held out the Sakabatou. He then went on to explain that the sword responds to its wielders emotions, so he wasn't harmed.
"If I may say it again, my genius wasn't wasted in training you to make use of everything the sword can offer you." I wasn't amused by this at all, and neither was Himura-san. More words were spoken between the two, I didn't hear them because I left giving those two some privacy.
"Now quit hanging around on my mountain and get lost already! There are people waiting for you two to get back."
"Thank you for everything master." Himura-san said as we were about to leave.
"Wait! The white cloak is passed down from generation to generation. It's proof that you're the successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi School. Take it you've earned it." After Hiko-san said this I had this image for Himura-san wearing the cloak, it wasn't pretty. I had to bit my toung so I didn't laugh.
"This one will have to decline." He said as he turned around, he must have had the same thought as I did.
"Hey You!"
"Master, this one has learned the secret techniques., but this one has no wish to succeed as the fourteenth Hiko Seijuurou and continue the school. This one only wants to pass on the ideals of the school." Hiko-san turned round after Himura-san said this.
"You're pretty selfish. Well, it's not like this is the first time."
"You might call this selfish as well, but there is one more thing, while this one is fight thing Shishio's men, will you protect the Aoiya for me?" I had totally forgotten about that… For a minute it looked like Hiko-san would say yes, but he gave us a tumbs down.
"I've has about enough of you talking me into things. When you said you wouldn't carry on the Hiten Mitsurugi School, I was no longer your master, you are no longer my student. Forget I was ever your master." He said as he turn around to go back to his 'house.'
"Master!"
"Hiko-san!" We yelled at the same time.
"But remember this. Just that I didn't teach you the Hiten Mitsurugi Style to bring you misery. Don't worry about it too much. Go beat Shishio." He finished. I smiled and turned to start walking to Kyoto, it took Himura-san a minute to catch up to me. We were silent as we made our way to Kyoto.