Tanuki To Ryuu
Here I am again! Fanfiction.net seems to dislike us fanfiction writers
at the moment, so I can't publish Tanuki To Ryuu Chapter 7 as planned
until they finish deleting the NC-17 fics(stupid ruling if ya ask me,
but oh well, won't affect my fic). I seem to have gotten over my
writer's block so I am diving in once more. I'd like to say all the
C&C I got is greatly appreciated, oh and I can't help but thank my
prereaders and sounding boards. Also, got a little bit of flack from
some readers about Kenshin using his sakabato blade to chop firewood.
Kenshin did this at least twice in the manga, so it is normal behavior
for him(no speculation about it). As I stated in earlier chapters,
this is a manga continuation fic, so familiarance with the manga is a
plus, but not nessisarily needed. My website has links to read the
manga, BTW, http://tanukitoryuu.anifics.com/
Chapter 8: Approaching Plots and Villians
"Lord Akutsa," a woman said as she addressed the dark employer,
"I believe I should be the next to strike. Save the other elite,
because I alone can defeat that woman," she said with bitterness. The
woman was dressed in a dark pair of hakama that obviously were well-
traveled and a dark gray kimono top and held a naginata next to herself.
The dark employer, Lord Akutsa, contemplated the suggestion and
the irony if a woman with her proper weapon defeated the woman that
defiled kenjutsu. The woman before him was indeed a powerful martial
artist with some unique abilities which most likely would allow her to
defeat Kamiya Kaoru. At the same time, if she were to lose, then he
would lose yet another of the Elite Five. A difficult decision in his
eyes, yet he made it without hesitation. "Go Ayane and defeat her
quickly," Lord Akutsa ordered, "I have more planned than defeating one
woman,"
***
Kaoru sat on her porch and watched Kenshin and Hiko battle in
her courtyard. When Kenshin woke up that morning he insisted that he
needed to keep his edge and his master agreed to a sparring match.
Kenshin and Hiko lept into the sky at eachother and exchanged furious
amounts of swings at speeds which were incomprehensible to Kaoru. Both
as they approached the ground exchanged a final slash which pushed the
other away. The two swordmasters landed on the ground a good 20 yards
away from eachother, then lept up into the sky and exchanged yet more
blows.
"You're getting soft, Master!" Kenshin shouted. "I nicked you
at least twice in that last Ryu Sou Sen!" Kenshin flipped his body in
midair and landed on the roof.
"I'm going easy on you!" Hiko shouted in return as he contorted
his body into a flip and landed his feet on the side of the outer wall.
With a mighty push of his legs, Hiko sailed horizontally towards
Kenshin. "How about we move it up a notch, my stupid student? KUZU
RYUU SEN!" Hiko's arms blurred as he delivered 9 precise thrusts with
lightning speed.
Kenshin returned the attack precisely, but was knocked back from
the sheer strength of Hiko's attack. Kenshin used the backward
momentum to flip mid-air and land his feet on the side of a tree. The
deep-rooted tree shook from the force of Kenshin's impact against it,
and Kenshin responded to his master, "I still can't match yours just
yet, but I have plenty of tricks left," and Kenshin pushed off the tree
in blinding speed and shouted, "Ryu Kan Sen Tsumaji!" as he spun into
his attack. Hiko blocked the strike and was pushed off the roof from
the force of the strike.
"Ah, but tricks I taught you, remember?" Hiko reminded Kenshin
as he lept up again and struck Kenshin with the back of his blade in the
gut, "Ryu Sho Sen!" Kenshin landed in a loud thud and held his stomach
with one hand. "Good match, Kenshin,"
Kenshin nodded and grinned, "Yeah, master. By the way,"
Kenshin added as he lowered his voice to a whisper, "This shirt seems to
be making a difference,"
"Yes, you slowed down a tad and seem to be moving a touch more
solidly," Hiko noted. "Now be quiet about the shirt, your woman's
coming around the corner,"
"Kenshin!" Kaoru shouted as she ran around the corner, "Are you
alright? He seemed to have hit you pretty hard," Kaoru gave Hiko a
small glare and walked to Kenshin's side.
"Maa maa, Kaoru, I'm alright!" Kenshin insisted. "We sparred
like this all the time when I was 12. In fact, I noticed a slight
improvement in this session when compared to our last one, Master,"
Kenshin noted as he sheathed his sakabato.
"Ahh, that's true. Seems my stupid apprentice is finally
understanding the art," Hiko replied as he too sheathed his sword. "I
need a drink," Hiko announced to no one as he walked into Kaoru's house
in his search for sake.
"Kenshin, how can you honestly stand that man?" Kaoru asked.
"He seems to annoy nearly everyone.he meets, or kill them,"
"Kaoru, remind me to tell you when he first took me in," Kenshin
replied with a fond smile. "Underneath that cloak of arrogance is the
heart and strength to back it up,"
***
Kaoru walked into the kitchen and saw Hiko with a jug of sake.
"This all the sake you keep, Kamiya-san?" Hiko asked. "First sign of a
dojo's strength is how much sake it carries," and Hiko took a small sip,
then added, "and the sake's quality, yuck! Perhaps I should take my
student into picking another woman,"
"If you don't like the sake I keep, don't drink it!" Kaoru
replied. "And Kenshin's lovelife is none of your concern. You were
his master, not his father," Hiko saw that he went one step over the
line with his last comment and decided to make it up to the tempermental
girl.
"Even if I made the suggestion, he'd probably hit me with the
ougi. He IS deeply in love with you, you know," Hiko pointed out with
a grin. Kaoru blushed at Hiko's statement as Hiko took another sip of
the sake.
"What? But... why didn't he SAY anything yet?" Kaoru asked the
room in general, "If he feels this way, he should tell me!" Hiko
laughed as he took a break from his sake.
"He thinks you already know," Hiko answered. "I honestly think
if the two of you haven't said anything aloud yet, that it would be best
to wait until it feels right. Rushing into this would just create a
bunch of awkward situations. Thanks for the sake! I might drop by
tonight to talk to my stupid apprentice." Hiko said as he walked out of
the house and lept over the outer walls
***
Yutaro and Yahiko stood in the dojo facing eachother, both in
traditional kendo sparring uniforms. "Standard three point match!"
Kaoru reminded them. "You two wanted this match, so you'll get it.
Begin!" Kaoru signaled the two. Yahiko lept into action with
swiftness and swung his shinai down.
"MEEN!" Yahiko shouted as he struck Yutaro's helmeted head.
Yahiko stepped back out of Yutaro's range. "You sure you're good
enough for this match? We can stop before it becomes humiliating,"
"First strike!" Kaoru shouted as she held out her arm closest to
Yahiko. "Yutaro, Yahiko has a point. You have come a far way in
learning left handed kenjutsu, but there's still a skill gap,"
"Forget it!" Yutaro shouted back. "I AM ready!" Yutaro faked
for the right, then moved in to the left. Before he could start his
strike he felt a hit against his lower stomach.
"DOU!" Yahiko shouted as he struck Yutaro in the torso. Yutaro
lept back out of Yahiko's range before the match could end. "I just
got two strikes on you. We can stop this now, you know,"
"Second Strike!" Kaoru shouted as she signaled once again for
Yahiko. "Yutaro, please, you're pushing yourself too far too soon,"
Kaoru pleaded. "Just another two weeks and it'll be a better match,"
"No, I won't be a fool!" Yutaro shouted. Once again Yutaro
assumed his ready stance and waited for Yahiko to move.
"You cat-eyed fool. Do I have to beat you down to prove it?"
Yahiko lept up again to strike Yutaro one last time. "MEEN!" Yahiko
shouted as his swing came down.
"I will NOT lose like this!" Yutaro shouted in defiance as he
blocked Yahiko's strike. "DOU!" Yutaro screamed as he struck Yahiko in
the chest. Yahiko leapt back out of range and narrowed his eyes at
Yutaro.
"First Strike!" Kaoru shouted as she signaled to Yutaro's side.
"Good strike, Yutaro, just think if you can do it again then decide if
you want to continue," Yutaro narrowed his eyes and looked at his
opponent then decided.
"I want to continue, Kamiya-sensei," Yutaro said with
determination.
"You have to learn that some fights you cannot win, you brat,"
Yahiko stated in a matter of fact manner. Yutaro moved in once more to
strike.
"DOU!" Yutaro shouted as he moved in quick for a torso strike
when his shinai blade was stopped by the hilt of Yahiko's shinai.
"I said you aren't ready yet!" Yahiko said as he moved in and
made his final strike to Yutaro's chest. "DOU!"
"Final Point, Yahiko!" Kaoru shouted and signaled one last time.
"Yutaro, it's a good match, but as I said, you rushed into it," Yutaro
held his head down and nodded.
"I just thought I was getting it right," Yutaro mumbled to
himself. "I just want to be strong," Yahiko felt a little bad for
his treatment of his rival when Yutaro muttered the words he once said
many times for the past year.
"Listen, Yutaro," Yahiko said, "You aren't that bad. If you
don't beat me the first time, try again after learning more.
Resolution without strength has no meaning. One month and maybe you'll
get two hits," Yahiko said in laughter as he took off the armored helmet
and pads.
"I'll DEFEAT you in two weeks," Yutaro said as he firmed his
resolution once more and took off his padded armor as well.
"Well, you two better keep on taking your lessons then," Kaoru
said. "We're about finished for today and I think I smell dinner, so
why don't the two of you join us?" The two boys nodded and went into
the courtyard to see Kenshin and his master as they ate infront of a
fire. "You started without us?" Kaoru asked.
"Sorry, Kaoru," Kenshin apologized, "But the Master and I were
talking about the latest trends in pottery,"
"Quite a dull subject to those without such brilliance as my
own," Hiko said in his usual arrogant fashion. "Ahh, its that spirited
child that stood infront of the giant," stated Hiko as he looked at
Yahiko. "Seems you are getting stronger, child, good. Oh, and this
your second student, Kamiya-san?" Hiko asked as he looked at Yutaro.
"He's got natural talent, but is handicapped, right?"
"Hey, who are you?" Yutaro asked this rather rude guest.
"I'm this idiot's master" Hiko said as he pointed at Kenshin.
Yutaro was surprised that this Kenshin person who was amazingly strong
had a Master. "I sense pottery would be a dull subject to these
children, so I think I should tell you the story of the birth of Hiten
Misturugi Ryuu. You remember this story, my stupid apprentice?"
"Yes Master, I do," Kenshin replied with a grin. "I haven't
heard this tale in many years," Kaoru sat next to Kenshin, took the
bowl he handed her and proceeded to eat dinner.
"Oii," Hiko muttered as he took a sip of sake. "It was the
Sengoku Era and Hiko Sejiro the First was born a Samurai. He had a
natural talent for the sword yet even he could not protect his men from
a swarm of demons. As his men were being mowed down by a sea of
demons, Hiko Sejiro the first was lucky to witness the emergence of a
dragon from its cave," Hiko paused as he sipped sake from his jar
again, then continued, "This dragon was angered that those demons dared
to wake him from his slumber, so he took flight and ripped through the
demons with a ferocity unseen by most men. He moved with the speed of
the gods and striked from the heavens!" Hiko shouted as he waved his
hand to make emphasis of the dragon's flight. "In mere moments, the
field was near empty except for one demon left. This demon's name was
Naraku. The Dragon crouched low and sprang up with its fangs bared,
but the demon crouched low. When suddenly, in the wake of the mighty
dragon's leap, the dragon's tail wrapped around Naraku and the Dragon
curled upon the demon and shredded him with his mighty claws!" Hiko
paused once again and sipped from his jug. "Hiko Sejiro the First
thanked the Dragon for avenging the deaths of his men and vowed to
become as strong as the mighty Dragon. So for four years he lived in
the Dragon's cave, made tribute to the beast, and practiced kenjutsu in
the style of the Dragon which viciously defended its home. When he
finished, the Dragon gave Hiko Sejiro the First a parting gift for
honoring it: One of its claws forged into a mighty sword that all demons
would fear," Hiko Sejiro the Thirteenth stated as he unsheathed his
sword. "THIS sword is that very sword!" The two youths looked at
Hiko with awe in their eyes. "Oii, now if you'll excuse me, I better
leave. There's a lot of pottery to be made," Hiko said as he stood up
and sheathed his sword.
"Wait, Master!" Kenshin yelled as he followed the departing back
of his former master. "What about the matter we were discussing?"
"Oii, that," Hiko said with a grin. "As long as there's no
giants, you don't need me. By the way, there's a woman at the gates...
possibly with a polearm of some sort. Bye," And without another word,
Hiko Sejiro lept over the outer walls and into the darkness.
Moments later, the gates were kicked open and a woman stepped in
the courtyard. "My name is Ayane and I challenge you, Kamiya Kaoru!"
the woman Ayane shouted as she pointed the blade of her naginata at
Kaoru.
Kaoru grabbed a the bokken that was sitting next to her and
stood up. "I'll answer your challenge IF you'll tell me what this is
all about," Karou answered as she assumed a readystance herself.
***
Well, there goes Hiko! I read the "Crescent Moon of the
Warring States(Sengoku)" manga that Watsuki-sensei made long before he
made Rurouni Kenshin, and it indeed have a Hiko Sejiro which used Hiten
Misturugi Ryuu. Of course, the whole Dragon part wasn't in the manga,
but the manga was about Hiko the First's love affair with a princess
long after he created the style. Ayane's a character I created as
Kaoru's next opponent, but I'll tell you more about her at the end of
the next chapter!
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