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Rurouni Yahiko
A Rurouni Kenshin continuation fic
By Chester Casta�eda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel/fanfiction.htm

I've been meaning to do this for a long time....

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech


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Chapter 1: Roots
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     On the 16th year of the Meiji, in the year 1885, Yahiko, for 
lack of a better word, was awe-struck. What could possibly give pause 
to Yahiko Myoujin, acting master of the Kamiya Kasshin Dojo, Master of 
a Thousand Shiratori?

     <I'm holding it,> Yahiko thought to himself, responding to his own
mental debate. He gently fingered the leather coverings of the hilt of 
Kenshin's... no, his... sakabattou. It was now his reversed-edged sword.
He then proceeded to wrap a cloth it around for posterity's sake.

     He sighed sullenly. Yutaro Tsukayama, lifelong rival and childhood 
friend, had already begun poking fun on his unwillingness to practice 
with the sword, saying that he was too 'dumbstruck with awe' to practice
sword forms with _Kenshin's_ sword, having to wrap it all up in a bundle 
like a newborn baby.

     <Yeah, well cat eyes says a lot of things... he's just a loudmouth 
bastard who's just jealous he didn't get a sword, like I did. I practice
with the sword... I'm even getting used to the weight and stuff. I... 
just need to 'get the feel' of the sword more... yeah, that's it.> 

     He proceeded to tie up the cloth-wrapped package as further 
thoughts began to invade his mental privacy... thoughts about the 
gravity of the situation... the great burden of responsibility that was 
now upon his shoulders... endless questions composed mostly of "what's" 
and "why's" aggravating him to no end... all this he wouldn't even 
admit it to himself... no, not Yahiko the strong, Yahiko the acting 
master of the Kamiya Kasshin school. This was beyond him... he wasn't 
ten years old anymore, after all.

     But when even his most ardent of reasoning failed him... when his
own gutsy angst-filled front was in vain... another voice in his head 
guided him... it had always calmed him down and let him contemplate... 
it permeated within his awareness like no other. 

     It was Kenshin's voice... Kenshin's words that broke down the 
barrier within his mind, the one which cut through his muddled, confused
and chaotic maelstrom of thoughts... the very words which he etched 
within his own heart as his own mantra of living. 

     "The Kamiya Kasshin school is the school of the sword that protects
life. It is the sword wielded for people, to protect. One sword can 
protect you, or make two destinies. If you fight and lose with such a 
sword, you have not fulfilled your destiny to protect yourself. The 
practitioner of the sword that protects life cannot allow failure. Let 
only this be engraved on your mind."

     "With my sword, I'll make it my destiny to protect. I will not 
allow failure," was Yahiko's answer then... as it still was now.

     "Unbelievable... has it already been a year since Kenshin gave
me the sakabattou for my fifteenth birthday... for my genpuku, the
swordsman's coming of age?" Yahiko muttered to himself, hefting the
precarious load with both hands.  "It seemed like it was only 
yesterday...."

     He looked at his precious bundle just one more time before he took 
off, memories again flooding through the figurative passages of his 
mind.




***




     "This is going to be a bit difficult." Yahiko sighed. It took him a
long time... a year's time, in fact... to finally make up his mind on his
decision. It was very atypical of him, being a man who acted on the fly,
his choices always determined in an impulsive and impassioned manner... 
but this was the sort of resolution that demanded a responsible 
assessment of things.

     <Come to think of it, I really haven't thought things out, have 
I?> Yahiko pondered morosely as Kaoru greeted him at the gate of the 
Kamiya dojo.

     "Yahiko? Wow... it's been, what? Three months? Come right in, you 
dummy... gee, you look out of sorts... it's probably from all that 
training you're doing... are you still insisting on that silly idea on
a Kamiya Kasshin Ryu-Hiten Misturugi Ryu fusion technique? It's 
ludicrous, I tell you. Say, what's with bundling up the sakabattou in
cloth? You look like a street peddler."

     Yahiko blinked several times before he was able to finally follow
Kaoru's desultory diatribe. He coughed once before responding to her
last query. "That's what I wanted to talk about. And I _don't_ look
like a street peddler. Is Kenshin in?"

     Kaoru nodded. "He's at the back doing the laundry." 

     "Typical... even as husband and wife, Kenshin is still the 
housekeeper," Yahiko mumbled.

     Kaoru pinched Yahiko's left ear for that comment. "Hey! I heard 
that! I'll have you know that I'm a perfectly good housewife, thank you
very much!"

     "Oops, did I say that aloud?" Yahiko wondered idly to himself, then
to Kaoru he said, "Really? You're a good housewife?" with a bored 
expression on his face. 

     As a response to that, Kaoru said, "Come eat the delicious rice 
balls I made for lunch to find out! And cut it out with the supposed 
'bad-ass' attitude of yours, it doesn't suit you."

     Yahiko made a face. "The rice balls that sticks to the roof of
your mouth _and_ your hands? No thanks, I'd rather have diarrheaAAAHOWW! 
YOU OLD HAG! YOU RACCOON-WOMAN! STOP THAT!"

     Kaoru relinquished her hold of Yahiko's ear. "Hah! How'd you like
that, eh? Now the true Yahiko comes out!"

     "Whatever... get off my case," Yahiko flippantly said as he hid 
an embarrassed blush. "Let's just get this over with. Is cat eyes 
around?" Yahiko asked as he surveyed the inside of the dojo.

     Kaoru then smacked her fist into her palm. "Oh, that's right! I 
haven't told you yet... Yutaro wanted to have a little sabbatical of his
own. His birthday is coming up and he wanted to be with his father in 
Germany to celebrate. You just missed him... he already took a boat out 
two days ago."

     "Hm... it's okay, I guess," Yahiko considered. "I'm thinking you 
could tell him whenever he came back...."

     "Tell Yutaro what, Yahiko?" Kenshin said as he smiled warmly at
the youth. "It has been a long time. How are the revisal techniques
coming?"
     
     "Heh... they're coming along great," Yahiko proudly said as he 
puffed up his chest in apparent triumph. "All I really need to do now is
develop a basic maneuver and I could use that as a foundation to form
the rest of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu revisal techniques... just as you've
suggested, Kenshin," the young man excitedly related.

     "That's big talk from a guy who used to be a street punk," Kaoru 
insisted, raising an eyebrow. "I think it's just your arrogance 
talking... besides, both Yutaro and me agree that that dubious technique
of yours is basically an exercise in futility."

     Yahiko audibly growled at the assessment. "It is not! Besides,
Yutaro is behind me by one year! I've already mastered Kamiya Kasshin 
Ryu and the Kamiya Kasshin succession techniques when I was just ten! 
I even heard that I have hold of the entirety of Eastern Japan! What 
does _he_ know?!" At the background, Kenshin sweatdropped.

     "As a matter of fact, Yutaro is doing well with his kata and the
various forms of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, Mr. 'I'm so good that I have 
already mastered this form, so I can skip this and go to the next 
one,'" Kaoru shot back in Yutaro's defense. "I admit, you have an innate
talent to learn and understand techniques so fast and so well that you 
could develop them several ways. But as your master, it's my job to 
guide and advise you and, at times, tell you off when you go out of 
line." 

     "I don't get you! Why are you so opposed with my trying to improve
our technique?" Yahiko demanded in an infuriated tone. "Kenshin seems 
to approve! I don't see the problem with trying to fuse those two styles 
together! I know I can do it and I can prove it... cat eyes knows that, 
even though he's not willing to admit it! He doesn't know what he's 
talking about!"

     "Don't you talk like that! Even though Yutaro has a noticeable limp
in his injured arm, he, at the very least, has great fortitude and 
perseverance! He probably practices at least ten times harder whenever 
he couldn't get a technique right... he repeats a technique over and over 
until he perfects it, and I can tell you now that his determination is 
far better than a year's advancement in technique!"

     "Quit harping on me! It's beside the point! The revisal techniques 
aren't about that! Just go ahead with your favoritism for Yutaro for all
I care!" Yahiko tactlessly spouted, giving Kaoru pause. 

     "Now, now... why can't we all get along?" Kenshin said soothingly 
at the argumentative duo. "You're saying things you don't really mean."

     "After six years, you still act like an immature child... you're
still behaving like a ten-year-old brat! Unbelievable! Is this the 
important thing you wanted to talk about?" Kaoru said as she went on 
with her tirade, recovering from her initial shock.

     It was Yahiko's turn to hesitate. "I... I was just about to get to
that!" he said as his eyes darted from left to right, avoiding a direct
gaze at either Kaoru or Kenshin.    

     The wind chime hanging the wooden ceiling tinkled as autumn leaves 
began falling on the ground, accenting the color of the late morning 
sky. 

     "Oh my goodness! I almost forgot! The groceries! We don't have 
anything to eat for dinner! The market is about to close soon and if 
I don't hurry I won't make it!" Kaoru cried out as she suddenly realized
the time. 

     "I have to go! Kenshin, take care of Kenji so he won't wake up... 
when he finds out I'm already gone, he'll be sure to start wandering 
around again, looking for me!"

     "Of course, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin blissfully nodded, though there
was a crease between his eyebrows as he sweatdropped at Kaoru's... 
rather animated state. 

     Kaoru then suddenly turned to Yahiko. The youth immediately tensed 
his body up, his eyes staring in askance and defiance... in other words,
Yahiko's typical fearless gaze. 

     "I have no problems with whatever technique you're trying to 
develop... it's just that, as my father had lectured many times 
before... in developing kenjutsu techniques, you have to realize that 
you're also developing ideals and beliefs... extensions of your 
personality, even. With that said, I'll have to be blunt... I don't 
think you'll be developing any worthwhile techniques worthy of the name 
'Kamiya Kasshin' if these are techniques developed through arrogance and
pride. It has to go deeper than that, Yahiko." 

     Yahiko just stood there, eyes still defiant, but not a word came 
out of his mouth. He merely responded with a simple nod.

     Kaoru sighed. "I guess that's good enough a response from a 'tough 
guy' like you, Yahiko. I'll be going now, Kenshin... Yahiko. Remember 
to not wake Kenji up, ok?" And so she was off, already making her way 
out of the gates, a basket and a wad of cash in hand.

     It was only after this did Yahiko realize that something was amiss.
"Dammit, I wasn't able to tell the old hag about it!"

     "Please, Yahiko... stop calling Kaoru-dono that. She's my wife and
the mother to my child," Kenshin reprimanded slightly. "Now, what was it 
that you wanted to talk about?"

     Yahiko shuffled his foot a bit as he gathered up his courage to 
reply. <Why the heck am I being so wishy-washy about this? I have
already decided, haven't I?> But beyond the voice in his head, a 
deeper, subconscious voice suggested that perhaps he wasn't so certain 
after all... that he really didn't want to....

     But Yahiko quelled the subconscious voice as he gathered up the
courage to finally come out with it. "Kenshin, after you gave me the
sakabattou, with that speech about how I've realized my coming
of age and all... I've been thinking... asking myself... what now?"
He looked up once to see Kenshin deeply pondering his points, an
unsaid atmosphere in the air as the elder swordsman probably already
had an idea as to where this conversation was going. 
     
     Yahiko looked down at the ground, coughing once before 
continuing. "So I was wondering... perhaps I have to find my own 
answer... I mean, the way you and Aoshi did... and to do that...."

     Tiny pitter-patter of feet made their way into the yard, a tiny 
shadow mischievously hiding among the bushes upon seeing two familiar 
figures which he could play around with later. He giggled in 
anticipation.

     Kenshin smiled slightly as he noticed the little figure hiding 
nearby, but that smile suddenly turned into an outright frown as pain
suddenly shot through the very core of his being, his surroundings
abruptly bearing irrelevance to him. 

     The tiny figure was curious as to what game redhead was playing... 
he kind of disliked the tall redhead, always cutting mama's attention
away from him, but his larger counterpart's sudden nap also piqued his
inquisitiveness. Was the game any fun? It didn't look like the redhead
was having any fun, though.

     Yahiko exhaled a calming breath once more, oblivious to the 
situation around him. "So in order for me to find myself, I've decided 
to get away from Tokyo for a bit... and not just for a training trip. 
I'll always be thankful for the lessons you've thought me and I'll 
remember them as I go on my path, but I feel that I really must leave 
in order for me to... find my own answer." Yahiko then looked up on 
Kenshin. "Do you understand--?! Dammit, what happened to you, 
Kenshin? Oi, Kenshin?! KENSHIN!?"
       
     In Yahiko's panic, he wasn't able to take note of the frantic
pitter-patter of little feet as a tiny shape made its way out of the
Kamiya dojo, trying to find motherly solace that was not readily 
present. 




***




     "So you've finally woken up. You really scared the hell out of me.
Could you tell me what's going on?!" Yahiko 'greeted' the half-awake 
Kenshin.

     "Hmmm... how long have I been out of it?" Kenshin inquired as
he rubbed his temples. He noted that he was now laid on a spare 
futon... it was probably a while since he passed out, he reckoned. 

     "Not long... about an hour or so... you have any idea what's going 
on? Mind filling me in? Maybe I should call the local doctor or 
something... Kaoru should know about this... maybe you should call 
Megumi if this goes on in the long term...." Yahiko began to ramble.

     Kenshin waved him off. "No, no... it's quite alright. Kaoru-dono
already knows... they were mostly just dizzy spells before, though. We
already planned on contacting Megumi this coming New Year's celebration
and reunion. I guess I should really have slept instead of keeping 
patrol of the house all night long." 

     Yahiko quirked an eyebrow at that. "So it was your fault that you
got a major dizzy spell... but still, that was _some_ dizzy spell."
     
     Kenshin chuckled lightly. "I guess. But you have to understand, as
a former Hitokiri I used to have sleepless nights for weeks on end... 
the Hiten Misturugi Ryu Succession Technique probably did take a lot out 
of me."

     "That sounds about right... though I really do suggest that you
have Megumi or some other doctor examine you before that sickness of 
yours becomes worse," Yahiko said seriously. His eyebrows shot up as a 
question surfaced in his mind. "Why _were_ you patrolling the dojo in 
the middle of the night?"

     Kenshin shrugged. "Call it a swordsman's intuition or just plain 
and simple paranoia, but I get the feeling that someone's been spying
on us during the past few weeks."

     Yahiko considered that for a bit. "No, I don't doubt your 
intuition... tell you what, I'll be keeping an eye out if ever." He then
did a mental double-take. <What the hell am I saying?! I'm supposed to 
be telling them that I'm planning to leave, instead of going around in 
circles, avoiding the main issue. I really, really have to do this.>

     To Kenshin, he said, "So are you sure you're alright? If you need
anything, I'll be staying here." He then metaphorically whacked himself
upside the head. 

     <You idiot! 'I'll be staying here,' you say... you're supposed
to leave as soon as possible!> he mentally berated himself.
 
     "I am a bit worried about Kenji... I sensed him a while back in the 
yard... he was already awake," Kenshin said in a tad concerned voice. 
"Is he ok? Where is he now?"

     As the words finally registered into Yahiko's brain, his body 
reacted immediately as he frantically ran all over the dojo, scouring 
every nook and cranny, every hole and crevice, for a certain legendary 
swordsman's son. "Kenji! Where are you?! I can't believe I forgot about
Kenji!"

     "Oro? He's not in here?" Kenshin asked, his tone going into a 
slightly higher pitch than normal. "Yahiko, where could he be? Kaoru's
not going to like this."

     Yahiko panted heavily as he looked at Kenshin's prone figure. He
began to apologize profusely. "I'm very sorry, Kenshin... don't worry,
I'll find Kenji. I have no doubts... he went outside this time. He has 
done this before. Just hang on tight and rest a bit, I'll get him back
before Kaoru gets home."     

     Kenshin looked at his present state and sighed. "I put my life 
into your hands, Yahiko," he half-joked. "I'm so sorry that you have to 
be involved in all of this... I mean, you're just a guest and Kenji is
my responsibility." 

     Yahiko waved Kenshin off. "There's no need to fret... you're in no
condition to go out and about in town right now... besides, it seems 
that it's my lot in life to save that little cat from harm." Having said
that, the young samurai then grabbed the wrapped-up sakabattou and went
off into the fast approaching twilight. 



***



     
     "So... what have you found out for us?" a middle-aged man of medium
stature yet strong build addressed the rugged man wearing traditional 
ninjutsu garments.

     "It would seem that the one known as Battousai is beginning to...
water-down as he aged. He has been a bit lax lately, letting his guard 
down for hours on end... certainly a lot worse than the state he was in
just a year ago," the practitioner of the dark arts confirmed in a 
menacingly smooth baritone voice. His eyes were hidden from plain view 
under the shadow of his flat, woven hat as he concentrated on cleaning 
his two blades. "What are your plans now?"

     The brawnier man chuckled, playing with the slowly dripping candle 
wax with his the tips of his calloused fingers, not at all minding nor 
feeling the burning sensation from the hot liquid because of his 
hand's deadened sense of touch. He then craned his neck toward the 
light, revealing old scars around the appendage... scars from the past. 
He pointed at them, almost as if they were war trophies of some sort.

     "These were scars I got when I fought with Battousai all those
years ago," the man said, an insane grin on his lips, akin to the wild
sneer of a rabid dog. "I have never forgiven him for that... he calls 
himself the Hitokiri Battousai... well, I'm the Hitokiri Gasuke, the 
premiere assassin of the Yakuza! After six years I can finally serve 
my divine retribution upon that watered-down samurai and his family!"
 
     The ninja's lips quirked at Gasuke's declaration.  "Six years? I
didn't know that the Yakuza acted so... slow whenever they exacted
revenge... I'm on the opinion that you worked faster than that."

     "It wasn't because we were slow or anything... it was more the 
boss's fault," Gasuke scoffed, banging the table before him, rattling 
the candleholders a bit. "It was Tanishi's fault... the fat, old coot, 
getting scared of a stupid samurai. A 'true' Hitokiri, he says... feh.
What is it to you anyway, Takae?" 
     
     "I think your boss had a lot of sense in him," Takae said 
offhandedly, adding, "Even though it would seem that the Battousai's 
skills have been diluted as he aged, his kenki... his swordsman's 
spirit and presence... remains strong. I couldn't even begin to imagine
what sort of demon he was five years ago, or even ten or fifteen years 
ago, when he was still the famed, cold-blooded Hitokiri." 

     "I think both you and the old man give him way too much credit," 
Gasuke said derisively. "Besides, come next midnight, he'll be
fish food, just like our good ol' friend Tanishi."
 
     There was a fanatical glint in the Yakuza's eyes as he spoke to the
prone, bloodied figure of the former Yakuza boss. "Ain't that right, 
boss?" His maddened laugh echoed inside the enclosed space.

     Takae casually went back to his sordid task of cleaning his 
bloodied daggers. "The fat old man spurted dirty blood... it'll rust 
my kunai faster than salt water if I don't completely clean it off," 
the aged assassin said with a disgusted tone.

     "Heh... just shut up and do as I say and you'll be compensated
well." Gasuke furrowed his brow in concern. "We Yakuza had to look 
elsewhere to continue our activities... trafficking opium to far-off
places just to get away from that Battousai... he's too tightly-knitted
in this community of his, so if anyone gets hurt, there'll be hell to 
pay. But now that he's so decrepit that he's already getting dizzy 
spells at such a relatively young age, it'll be a prime opportunity for
us to strike!" 

     Takae looked curiously at Gasuke before speaking. "What about that
boy that was once in employment with you... the one named Myoujin 
Yahiko? Many street gangs are afraid of him. Some even say he has his 
grip on all of Eastern Japan."

     Gasuke laughed, long and hard. "That little runt, Yahiko?! I knew 
him ever since he was just a little waste of sperm living off the shit 
of the 'new age of enlightenment' of the Meiji government. I even got a 
taste of his old lady." He made a face in remembrance. "The old, sickly 
whore! I knew it was a waste of money." 

     Takae coolly ignored the squalid words coming off of Gasuke's mouth
as he carefully regarded the situation further. "The Battousai trusted
the boy enough to give him his sword."

     "The Battousai gave the boy the sword because the dilapidated fool 
couldn't use it anymore!" Gasuke bellowed angrily. "Street gangs are 
nothing compared to an organized Yakuza group! Besides..." he paused 
briefly as he fingered a pistol from under his hakama. "Nothing could 
possibly stop hot lead from ripping through human flesh! Not a
weakened, fragile Battousai, and definitely not a street urchin 
pretending to be some sort of great warrior! HAha-- Takae, where are
you going?"  

     "Somewhere else," the shinobu tersely said, suddenly disappearing 
into the shadows as he waved his cloak around himself with a flourish. 
"I felt a strong spirit in my bones... the essence of battle awaits!" 
his baritone voice echoed inside the room long after he was gone. 
 
     "Feh. Stupid ninjas and their philosophical mumbo-jumbo," the
self-proclaimed Yakuza boss said. "Ah... but it doesn't matter... by the
stroke of midnight next evening, I will have my vengeance... I'll rape 
the woman, mutilate the child, make Battousai eat hot lead and then
send the street urchin to hell with his whorish mother and loser 
father!" he said, slurring the rest of his words as he went on a state
of drunken stupor.




***
 



     He waited patiently at the Akabeko as Tsubame Sanjou, a girl about
Yahiko's age, with shoulder-length raven-hair and a generally cheerful
disposition was just finishing her shift. She smiled brightly as she
warmly greeted Yahiko outside. "Yahiko-kun, what a nice surprise! I 
thought you'd be out practicing for that special revisal technique of 
yours, as usual."

     Yahiko embarrassedly scratched the back of his head. "It's 
progressing nicely so far. At least, I think so."

     Tsubame practically beamed at Yahiko. "That's good. I'm so happy
for you, Yahiko-kun." She then stopped for a bit. "What's wrong? You
don't look so good."

     Yahiko bowed his head down, as if begging Tsubame for something. 
"I was irresponsible... I neglected to look after Kenji while Kaoru
went to the market and... and he ran away, probably looking for his 
mama. Have you seen him? Did he somehow find his way here in the 
Akabeko? I have got to find him soon, before Kaoru gets back, or else 
there'll be trouble. I don't think he would have gotten that far."

     "I'll ask Tae-san if she has seen him... you could go look 
around at the houses near Himura-san's residence. Where could we 
meet afterwards?" Tsubame said, the gravity of the situation readily
apparent.

     "I'd say we should wait for each other here at the Akabeko's 
front. I'm sure he could be anywhere in the marketplace, but since he
can easily stick out like a sore thumb with that hair of his, we really
won't have that much of a problem... just remember to look for a little 
Kenshin, and we'll be fine. See ya," Yahiko said as he went off to one 
of the nearby stalls.

     <Yahiko-kun... you're really worried about Kenji-chan. Even though
you say that finding him isn't really much of a problem, you were 
really frantic,> Tsubame thought, wistfully smiling. <You always did 
wear your heart on your sleeve, Yahiko-chan.>   

     As Tsubame made her way back to the Akabeko, Yahiko berated himself
once again. <I guess I really couldn't tell her about my planned 
'untimely' departure just now... I can't just nonchalantly say, 'Oh, and 
I'm going away for a long time and I'm not quite sure when I'm coming 
back, because I'm just trying to find myself and stuff,' now could I? 
But... dammit... she's the last person I want to say goodbye to... 
should I really go? Am I really prepared to go?> 
 
     A crying noise... a very recognizable crying noise that was akin to 
a cross of a bird chirping and a cat being strangled... at least, in
Yahiko's point of view... was heard just a few meters away, right across 
a proverbial wooden bridge. 

     Yahiko narrowed his eyes as realization struck him. <Kenji.>


     

***




     Sitting on one-side of the wooden bridge overlooking the golden
river caressed by a fast-descending sun was Kenji... edging away from a 
crowd of onlookers who were gathering around the scared little boy. 

     "Mama... whe's mama?" Kenji half-pleaded to the faceless mass, 
whose appeals of comfort and calm fell upon deaf ears as they were
words which held no meaning to him... only the familiar voice of his
mama could calm him down as he suddenly wailed even louder.

     He needed the comfort of his mama's voice... his mama's words... to 
finally gain comprehension from the words which had hurt him so bad... 
he really didn't understand everything the tall, spiky-haired boy 
said... but he did understand two of the words he had said... it had a 
simple meaning which he just recently learned from his mother and then 
from the redhead which was incidentally his father.... 

     "Mama, whe'd the wedhead go?" he asked one night as he couldn't go
to sleep because his mama seemed so sad and distracted. 

     His mama grinned and laughed... he was glad that he was able to 
make his mama smile again, even as that bad redheaded man made her look 
funny again with those slight creases in between her brows. "You 
shouldn't talk about your father like that... besides, you're a little
redhead too!" she said as she tickled the little toddler.

     "But whe'd he go? You look sad," Kenji pouted a bit... the redhead 
was always making his mama sad.

     Her expression then turned melancholic, which gave the child 
pause... he never liked that expression on her face. She then spoke
softly, carefully choosing her words.  

     "He had to... go away for a bit... because of some very important 
stuff. I'm sad because I really miss him, but I'll be happy again once 
he gets back... we should both welcome him back once he does come 
back." 

     Kenji made a face as he pondered his mother's words. "Mama... what
does 'go away' mean?"

     His mama stroked his red bangs affectionately as she said, "It's
when someone's not here anymore... when they're somewhere else."

     Kenji again fell silent as he contemplated that statement. He then
shot his mama another question. "What do you say when they not 'go away'
anymore?"
   
     It was now his mama's turn to think for a bit on Kenji's words. 
Finally, she answered, "That's when people 'come back', Kenji." 

     Kenji snuggled up his mama's bosom. "I wish wedhead come back...
so you not sad anymo'." 

     Kenji wanted very much to snuggle on that very bosom right now
as the strange and scary people began to approach him. He cried...
in the same way he did as when he was stuck numerous times on the 
roof... a cry that summoned a familiar presence every time. 

     "Kenji, you little idiot! How'd you get all the way from here?! 
Uh, excuse me, ma'am... that little tyke's mine. Sorry about this."

     Kenji's face brightened. He knew that voice... and as a familiar
spiky-haired shadow descended upon his face at the dim luminescence of
the afternoon sun, his guess was confirmed. He glomped on one of the
figure's legs. 

     "Now don't give me that! Kenshin and me were worried sick about 
you! You shouldn't go running off like that every time Kaoru goes 
away... you're a big boy now!"

     "Why'd spiky-hai'd Yahiko go away? You not like us anymo'?" was 
Kenji's innocent reply.

     Yahiko was at a brief loss of words at that statement. "Kenji...
you...."

     Kenji's went into a cheery mood again. "But it okay... Yahiko now 
come back... eve'ything alright."

     Yahiko sighed long and hard as he hefted two heavy bundles on 
shoulders... one the sakabattou and the other Kenji... both heavy 
burdens of responsibility that originated from Kenshin one way or the 
other. 
     



***


     

     "So everything's okay? I hope Kaoru-san doesn't find out." Tsubame
fretted a bit as she smoothed her kimono. "It's getting dark."

     "Yeah, I know," Yahiko said as he slung Kenji over one shoulder 
like a duffel bag. The little boy, exhausted from crying, was already 
softly snoring. The night was approaching pitch-dark already. 

     "You probably shouldn't handle little Kenji like that... he's not
a cat, y'know,"  Tsubame chided. 

     "He's ok... he's used to it... thanks again for the help, and
sorry for getting you to stay up so late," Yahiko said as he started to
make his way back to the Kamiya Dojo. "See ya."
 
     "Don't worry, I don't mind... bye, Yahiko-kun!" Tsubame cheerfully 
waved at the retreating figure. 
 
     Still facing away, Yahiko addressed the girl. "Tsubame." 

     "Yes?" the girl said as she gave a sidelong glance, her eyes
apprehensive as her intuition practically cried at her to brace herself.

     Yahiko gulped once before speaking again. "Uh... nothing, nothing. 
Just be careful, okay?"

     Tsubame regarded the young boy earnestly. "You too, Yahiko-kun."

     The silence of the night reigned supreme as the two teenagers
parted ways, the reticence marred only by the chirping of various 
insects and the soft snore of a young tot.




***




     "Boy, Kenji... you're getting heavy," Yahiko muttered to himself 
as he continued to heft the little boy on his shoulder. "You must have 
been eating out at the Akabeko more... I mean, you couldn't have gained 
weight by eating Kaoru's cooking, right?"

     "Spiky-hai'h Yahiko..." Kenji mumbled in his sleep, slightly 
pouting. "Spiky-hai'h kinda itchy on face."

     Yahiko sighed audibly. "I'd prefer it if you'd call me something 
else... like Yahiko-san or maybe big brother...."

     "Big b'wotha..." Kenji muttered blissfully.

     Yahiko sighed once again. "I guess that'll do."  

     "What the hell are you doing here?" a deep voice slurred in the 
background. Yahiko slowly turned at the source of the voice. It was 
from an unkempt-looking man dressed in ragged clothes, smelling of sake. 
"Get out of the street, punk! I'm walking here."

     Yahiko discreetly ignored the drunkard, but the boy was soon 
surrounded by others like him in various states of drunkenness. He also
cautiously held the wrapped-up sakabattou as the drunkards began 
flaunting their sword-canes. <Yakuza. This could get serious.>
 
     "What's goin' on?" Kenji drowsily whispered. "Who ah' they?"

     "Just a bunch of drunken thugs whose collective asses are going
to get kicked by your big brother. Go back to sleep, Kenji," Yahiko 
simply said. 

     "What the hell did you just say?" one of the aforementioned 
thugs said as he charged at Yahiko, flinging his right fist wildly 
at the teenager's face.
   
     Yahiko didn't even move or react as the gangster's knuckles were 
at his face by mere inches. He then suddenly struck with the base of 
his sakabattou's hilt, snapping the man's wrist. He then swung the 
bundle at the man's armpits, dislocating the arm a bit. "You guys 
better sober up quick or else you'll all get a nasty headache come 
morning." 

     The hooligans all backed away as one of their compatriots howled 
in pain. Then shouts of "You can't do that to us! We're Yakuza!" and 
"Let's see if he can take us on all at once!" were heard as each of 
them began brandishing their weapons, advancing ominously at the 
teenager. 

     Yahiko hopped away slightly towards a narrower part of the clearing 
as he unceremoniously dropped Kenji to the ground. "Looks like your 
little nap's cut short, Kenji. Go hide behind the tree or something while
big brother plays with these ruthless yakuza scum." 

     "Okay. Have fun, big b'wotha!" Kenji merrily said as he hid behind
a nearby bush, giggling. 

     "Come on," Yahiko taunted at the charging hoodlums.




***




     "Wow! Big b'wotha was g'weat!" Kenji cheered from his precarious 
perch on a tree branch.

     <How the heck does he climb up so high like that?> Yahiko thought 
to himself as he retied the cloth bundle of the reverse-edged sword, 
surveying all the prone figures around him. Half of his attackers had 
already fled in panic, while the remaining others were either too 
groggy, too injured or just too drunk to be of any threat.

     <Having to beat up a bunch of drunkards... this is a new low for
me.> Yahiko made a clucking sound with his mouth. <Kaoru's obviously
back from the market already... and it's already late. Sorry, Kenshin,
but it looks like Kaoru's going to give you hell, whether you like it 
or not.> 

     He swiftly saw in the corner of his eye one of the older Yakuza 
crawling behind him... it would seem that he was actually the most 
mature of Yahiko's aggressors, now that young kenjutsu master thought 
about it. The old thug carried a ragged cloak from behind him, 
distinguishing himself from the other ruffians.  

     "My compatriots, unfortunately... were rather weak," he picked
up two sword-canes laying on the ground and wielded them like daggers.

     <What the-- this guy wasn't really drunk?> Yahiko thought in alarm.
"Who the hell are you?!"    
 
     "My name... is of no consequence to you. But it's impressive how 
you've taken down several people without drawing your sword once... even
though your opponents were dead drunk at the time." 

     The man smiled coldly, putting chills in Yahiko's spine. It 
reminded him of one of Saitou's manic grins. 
 
     "Just what is the true measure of your strength?"

     Yahiko suddenly turned toward the forty-something hoodlum's 
direction, gripping his bundled-up sword tightly, prepared for anything,
as the man suddenly... disappeared?! <What the hell?!>  

     "Big b'wotha, watch out behind you!" Kenji nearly screeched at 
Yahiko, arms flailing.

     Yahiko reflexively turned, his reaction time too slow as flashes 
of blue suddenly came upon his back.

     "Big b'wotha!" Kenji screamed.

     Yahiko... relying on pure instinct and will... thrust the tip of 
the cloth-wrapped sakabattou toward his side, intending to gut his 
opponent as he used the recoil to put a good distance between him and 
his attacker. But as soon as he executed the maneuver, said adversary 
had already vanished again. 

     He hopped a good distance away, slowly regarding the shadowed areas
of the paved road near the surrounding woodlands. He then put his back 
near the tree branch where the crying Kenji was hanging. "Oi, it's 
alright. I'm not hurt. You could stop crying now."

     Kenji sniffled for a bit. "W'eally?"

     Yahiko gave him a token smile. "Really." 

     "What are you doing?" a voice sinisterly mocked, the branch where 
Kenji was suspended was all of a sudden cut.

     Kenji didn't even have time to cry out as he abruptly fell on the
ground below.

     With no time to left to think, Yahiko acted on impulse, swinging 
his bundle half-blindly at the brief glint of light that cut through 
the tree branch. His strike hit true as he heard the resonant thud of 
a blade on his cloth-wrapped sword.

     "Kenji, run away!" Yahiko shouted at a very startled Kenji as he 
finally began his offensive on his unknown attacker, not able to spare 
any time to check if whether or not the toddler obeyed.

     "Your kenjutsu is of a decent caliber... but I really couldn't tell
with your sword still sheathed. Perhaps we should raise the ante of the 
fight a little?" the old man proclaimed threateningly as he blocked each 
and every one of Yahiko's strikes, neutralizing the adolescent's 
counter-offensive.
 
     Yahiko's eyes widened as the man suddenly flickered into 
nonexistence. He didn't know what to expect as he saw a horizontal flash
of light shimmer over his exposed abdomen, ripping his upper garment
open as he was nearly gutted like a fish. 

     The older man flickered back into reality. "It seems I was the one 
to draw first blood," he derided. 

     Yahiko clutched his abdomen as he felt a stinging, wet warmth. He 
frowned as he regarded his opponent carefully. <This guy... he's good. 
Very good... he's definitely no ordinary street thug,> he acquiesced 
grudingly. 

     <In fact, this stance... his abilities... it's all very reminiscent 
of Aoshi's skills with the double kodachi. I know it's essentially 
different on an aesthetic sense, but on a more fundamental level they're
very much alike. It's as if they're both... that's it!>
     
     "You're a ninja, aren't you?" Yahiko concluded.

     The man chuckled at that. <He's much sharper than Gasuke claimed...
this young man isn't just a ragged street urchin.> He smirked a bit at 
Yahiko before his visage again wavered into nothingness.

     Yahiko growled audibly. "You can't use the same trick on me twice!"
He then unwrapped the cloth surrounding his sword, unsheathing the 
sakabattou and throwing the fabric at the theoretical ninja's way
in two movements. 

     The fabric was immediately ripped and torn apart by an invisible
force. <You can't use cheap tricks on me, boy... as a Ninjutsu Master,
I know all of them!> the ninja thought disdainfully. 

     Yahiko furrowed his brows as he went into stance, fully feeling
the kenki of his opponent. <Should I use it now?> he mentally debated.

     <Should I use that experimental strike I learned from developing
the revisal techniques?> 

     The literal burning sensation in his gut, the early signs of 
fatigue in his eyes, the glint of the blades coming toward him and the
urgency of finding Kenji at the back of is mind had already made his 
decision for him.

     The shredded pieces of cloth dispersed into a circular pattern as 
the three blades collided. A reverberating clang of metal can be heard
from yards on end as the sakabattou vibrated like the well-taut string 
of a guitar. The two sword-canes clattered on the ground, their edges 
chipped away as they were not able to withstand the superior 
craftsmanship of Shaku's last creation.

     Yahiko drew ragged breaths as he examined the situation. Aside
from the near-broken sword-canes, metal shards and wooden splinters 
scattered on the ground, there was no sign of his peculiar enemy. 
He tensed himself again, just in case this was another one of his 
ninja tricks... but he could feel no particular kenki being emitted 
around the area... only groaning, moaning and prone drunkards 
littered the landscape he was standing on now. He sighed a breath 
of relief. 

     He then smacked his forehead as a very important thing entered
his mind. <Oh no... Kenji!>




***




     "You WHAT?!" Gasuke raged, a large, pulsating vein popping out of
his forehead. "Have you gone insane? What if the boy found us out and
warned Battousai?! Then even the police would get involved!"

     "I said I was testing the boy to see if he was as weak as you 
claimed him to be. This changes nothing," Takae said in a calmer, more 
collected manner... but in an intonation so menacing that it promptly 
shut up the ranting Yakuza boss.  

     "M-my boys were given a bum rap for your little stunt last night...
I don't want a repeat happening tonight, when everything is finally 
coming into place," Gasuke countered, though his behavior was much more 
subdued than before. 

     "Your 'boys' were a bunch of impudent fools who needed to get drunk
just so they could gather enough courage to fight your so-called 
'street urchin,'" Takae scoffed. 

     "I paid good money for you, you low-life scum!" Gasuke whined more 
than screamed, inching away from the ninja. He had seen how... effective
the ninja was at dispatching his old boss, using some sort of
'invisibility' trick that was so hard to catch. He fiddled under his 
clothing for his pistol, tensing himself up amidst his painful
hangover. 

     "There are no more ninja nowadays. They've all died from various
wars during the Bakumatsu... and you know what? Nobody really gives a 
shit! Without the yakuza, you're just a two-bit thug hired for petty 
jobs and the like! So learn your place!" Gasuke spat, wincing a bit as 
his headache began to rip through his cranium once more.

     The mobster backed away a bit, a firm grip on his firearm as he saw 
Takae's eyes glare back at him. "Are you with us or aren't you?" 

     Takae seemed to consider Gasuke's stipulation before replying, "It 
would seem that, for the time being, our agendas are the same." 

     Gasuke relaxed a bit as he put his hand away from his gun, rubbing
his temples with his other hand as his headache suddenly went up a 
notch. "The boys from the other district would be coming soon, scattered
all over the place... we'll all meet at the docks, and from there we'll
start the massacre in the Kamiya Dojo! We're going to rid the world of 
Battousai once and for all!"




***




Next:  Resolutions and farewells.

Wow. I was really meaning to write this for a long time... I
even had an entire mock-up and all prepared for it... I'm kind
of glad I wrote it too. And even though this is going to be
more of an action-oriented fic, there will be a bit of space for
romance, drama and the occasional comedic moment. A note of 
dedication goes to MadamHydra for inspiring me to make this 
fic... her own "That Which Lingers" is somewhat an influence 
in this endeavor of mine. 

Disclaimer: All characters used in this fanfic (save some others) 
are the rightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. 
Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.

Ja ne!
C. Casta�eda



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