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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

The first plot point is fast approaching.

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech


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Chapter 3: Village under siege
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     "Kaoru-san! Kenji-san! Kenshin-san! They're here! They're here!" 
one very excited Tsubame Sanjou exclaimed, clutching a white envelope.
"Yahiko-kun's letters are here!" 

     "Hold on a minute, Tsubame-chan... it's two-o'clock in the 
afternoon. Your shift at the Akabeko ends at four," Kaoru lightly 
admonished. "Tae-san isn't a very strict person, but still...."

     "I'm sorry," Tsubame regretfully said, making Kaoru trail off. 
"I told Tae-san about the letter, so she agreed to give me the rest
of the day off just so I could deliver it to everyone here. Besides,
Yahiko-kun gave very implicit instructions for all of us to read his 
letters together."

     "Yay! A letter f'om big bwotha'?" Kenji sunnily put his head
on his mother's lap, an impish smile on his face. "Read it, mama." 

     Kaoru resolutely sighed, saying, "Well, now... I guess that
settles that. Hopefully Yahiko's writing has improved a bit since
the last time he wrote unreadable drivel."

     "That's too harsh, Kaoru-san." Tsubame then blinked several 
times, remembering something. "Um... where is Kenshin-san?"

     Kenji suddenly sat up straight, pouting as he crossed his arms,
making clucking noises with his tongue the way his mama always did. 
"Daddy always ruins things for us."

     Kaoru suddenly tickled Kenji's side playfully as she responded 
to Tsubame's question. "He's out at the back of the dojo doing 
laundry... he said the exercise helps keep his dizzy spells at
bay."

     "Oh... so he still has those?" Tsubame said worriedly. After all, 
from what Kaoru narrated to her three months ago, those dizzy spells 
almost cost Kenshin his life. "What did the doctor say about them?"

     "Oh, he attributed it all to nausea and stress... but he did say 
that it'll probably be best if I got a second opinion," Kaoru said 
contemplatively, her brows slightly furrowed in concern. "But lately 
Kenshin has been able to handle the recent bouts with his daily
regimen... so I think it'll be alright."

     Tsubame nodded thoughtfully. She then gave Kaoru a look of sudden
confusion. "Kaoru-san... where's Kenji?"

     "ACK!" Kaoru yelped in surprise. "He was here a moment ago!" 

     "It's okay. He's with me," Kenshin reassured, suddenly appearing
in front of the two bemused females. His hands and hakama were still wet
from all his laundering. "This little one wanted to get the letter 
reading started as soon as possible," he said, pointing at his son as 
the tyke steadfastly clamped on his left leg.

     "This's impo'htant!" Kenji said indignantly.  

     Tsubame and Kaoru both giggled in unison. "Yes, yes... we should
already stop delaying... let's read my idiot student's letter," Kaoru
said in between giggles.

     "Oi... you now sound like Master Hiko, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin 
idly noted, which earned him a cheek-pinch on his cross-scarred cheek by 
one very irritated Kenji. "No mo'h delays! We w'ead now!"     

     Kaoru giggled some more as she affectionately ruffled Kenji's 
flaming-red hair. "Fine, fine... you win, Kenji." She then proceeded to 
unfold and peruse Yahiko's letter. "'Hello all. It has been a month 
since I left Tokyo. Y'know what? It was a mostly...'"




***




     <Boring day. Nothing's happening. Boredom killing me faster than a
maddened nerve-hypertrophied Enishi ever could,> Yahiko thought to 
himself as the heat and humidity of the midday sun exhausted him. After 
spending what little money he had traveling toward the province... 
somewhere near Shinsu, he vaguely remembered... he had to walk the rest 
of the way. With the humid weather, repetitive surroundings and very 
little stuff to amuse himself with, walking was mostly a bad idea. 

     Yahiko looked through the rend of his recently-acquisitioned woven
straw hat. A pensive look crossed his features. <Takae-san... your 
family did say that I could keep this fancy kabuto of yours as a memento
of sorts. Hope you don't mind my using it in this heat.> 

     He looked around... as expected, most of the people with even half 
a brain had already gone indoors, leaving him all alone to mind the 
annoying heat and the dust that was now annoyingly caking on his sweaty
skin like mud. <Eh... it's a humid and windy day. No, not just that... 
it's a humid, windy and boring day. Could things get any worse?> 

     As if on cue, an irate-looking Kaoru suddenly stormed out of
what appeared to be a local law enforcement office... or a postal 
office... perhaps a doctor's office? Hard to tell with all the 
houses looking exactly the same in the backwater village.

     Right then and there, Yahiko suddenly forgot how to breathe.

     Yahiko blinked once. He then blinked twice. By the third blink the
eerie phantom had gone past him, fuming. He made a double-take, then a
triple-take. He rubbed his eyes. He contemplated pinching himself, but 
that would be really silly of him. 

     <What the heck is Kaoru doing here?> he finally exclaimed in his
thoughts, wondering if it was some sort of dream. But he wasn't out of
it like the time when he searched for a 'misplaced' Kenji the entire 
night. Besides, he reasoned, if worse came to worse, the phantom Kaoru 
would probably try to hit him with a stray slipper. That was nothing 
new. 
    
     The young kendo master was about to say something when the ethereal
image of Kaoru suddenly walked over his general direction, a familiar 
glare aimed at his person. He decided that the best course of action was 
to shut up... like how one would play dead when a dangerous bear
suddenly appeared before him. 

     "Do you know what the police said to me? Hm, young man with the 
weird hat? They told me to get lost! They have some nerve! Wait 'til 
my grandfather in Tokyo hears about this! I'll have them know Raikouji 
Muneiwa has many connections in the capital!" The phantasm then
throttled the dumbstruck Yahiko. "Just because this village is in the 
middle of nowhere doesn't excuse those lazy cops from being lax! 
ARRRGH!!!"  

     "Urk! Oi, get a hold of yourself!" Yahiko nearly yelped, not
knowing what to do. <If this isn't Kaoru, then I don't know who 
this-- wait, she said something about a Raikouji fellow....> The young
boy slammed his fist on his open palm. "Hey, lady... did you say
Raikouji Muneiwa? Old man Raikouji the foreign goods trader?"
 
     The girl became visibly calm as she heard the name. "Yup, that's
what I said." She then brightened. "Wow! You're from Tokyo? Then you 
know my grandfather?"

     Yahiko shrugged as he began putting two and two together. "We
used to buy imported rice from him." He gave the girl a once-over.
<Man... she's the spitting image of Kaoru. It's almost scary.> To the
lady, he said, "I didn't know he had a daughter."

     The girl quirked an eyebrow. "It's granddaughter, actually. Ah, 
well... Tokyo was a bit getting too crowded for my tastes so I moved 
over here. I visit from time to time... wait, sorry," the 
twenty-something woman said. "I have far more important things to 
attend to... excuse me." 

     Yahiko didn't really feel like prying, so he let the woman go. 




***




     "Look-a-like? Maybe I've misread something...." Kaoru re-read the
tentatively stroked characters again. 

     Tsubame shyly peeked over the Kaoru's shoulder. "It says right 
there... 'She looks like the...' um... 'Old hag.'"

     Kaoru scoffed. "Maybe what he meant to say was 'She looked like an
old hag.'" Kaoru preened herself. "There's no way that a kenjutsu beauty 
like me would ever have a double. I'm one of a kind!" 

     Kenshin sweatdropped. <So... Raikouji's daughter is somewhere in 
that province.> He then looked at Kaoru intently, his features bearing a
remarkable resemblance to that of a lost puppy. 

     "Kenshin... what's with that look?" Kaoru inquired with half-lidded
eyes and a raised-eyebrow.

     <Kaoru-dono does look like her... perhaps they were twins separated 
at birth?> Kenshin idly wondered.

     Kaoru blinked once. She then heaved an exasperated sigh. "Kenji, 
don't do that to your father."

     Kenji sniggered. "But it kind of looks good on him!" From the 
other side of the room, Tsubame tried hard to restrain a giggle. 
     
     "Oro?" Kenshin wittily riposted, unaware of the cute blue 
ribbon that was now tied up on his hair in a neat bow.




***




     Halfway inside the village, Yahiko felt a tap on his shoulder.

     The Kaoru-look-alike introduced herself. "By the way... my 
name's Chizuru! Nice to meet you!" 

     Yahiko visibly bigsweated.

     <I thought she had something urgent to do... what a weird woman,> 
Yahiko thought with half-lidded eyes. "Uh, my name's Yahiko. Myoujin 
Yahiko," he said, mainly because he thought he was supposed to.

     "My, my... you look like a strapping young boy," Chizuru said,
idly fingering Yahiko's chin. "Maybe you could help me clear his 
name." She nodded to herself sagely, adding, "Stupid bunch of 
yellow-bellied, paranoid hicks... blaming the poor man for all their
troubles." 

     "Clear whose name, lady?" Yahiko inquired none-too-gently as he
slowly got annoyed at the woman's assuming demeanor. "Look, it's not as
if I'm traveling at my own leisure and delight like some happy-go-lucky 
tourist, you know... I have got places to go, dojo to train in, 
techniques to improve upon...." 

     Chizuru clapped her hands excitedly. "Really? Dojo? Techniques?
Then you must be some sort of traveling martial artist! That's perfect! 
What's that long, wrapped package you're carrying? Is it some sort of 
specialized bokken?"  

     Yahiko deftly swung the cloth-wrapped sakabatou away from the
weird lady's reach. "Like I said, I have no time for this. I have to
go."

     Chizuru rambled on as if she had not heard anything Yahiko just 
said. "Oooh... this is perfect. With a martial artist backing me up, 
then maybe these village idiots would listen. They'll learn that the 
Battousai isn't a bad person." 

     Yahiko did his double-to-triple-take once more. "Say, you didn't 
just say 'Battousai' now, did you?"

     Chizuru nodded excitedly at the statement. "Yes, yes I did. I 
don't suppose you have some sort of hearing impediment now, do you?"

     Yahiko narrowed his eyes. "What are they saying about Battousai?"  

     "Oh, horrible things! Unfounded rumors and lies! Like how he had
finally turned up after years of anonymity... his plans to oust the 
the Meiji government of its power because his theories of isolationism
conflicted with their beliefs... that sort of stuff."

     Chizuru shook her head in dismay as Yahiko listened in rapt 
attention. "Probably the most dumbfounding and unbelievable information 
I've heard is that Battousai is already somewhere around this district 
right now, planning an _announced_ assassination attempt on one of the 
premiere members of the diet." 

     Yahiko nodded in understanding. "Where'd you get all of this
information?"

     Chizuru shrugged. "By word-of-mouth. The news spread like 
wildfire around this small village and the other towns surrounding
it. The ignorant masses, typically, lapped it all up, adding their 
own token Battousai horror stories." She crossed her arms in 
disapproval. "Battousai isn't really like that... the vagabond could 
never bring himself to do such blatant acts of terrorism."

     Chizuru nodded to herself as she continued. "He may look like a 
swordsman, but he didn't act like one at all. He was a peaceful, 
non-violent man who only fought when provoked, having a habit of 
getting his nose into situations where people are in need." 

     She looked a bit pensive as a wave of nostalgia hit her full-force.
"And, aside from the cosmetic stuff like the cross-shaped scar on his
left cheek and the longish red hair, he also had the weirdest speech 
pattern. The one thing that I did remember about him was his continuous 
use of the word..."




***




     "Oro?!" 

     Kenshin, master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, a school that trained 
the user to have superhuman 'divine speed' and the incredible reaction 
time that came along with it, was suddenly and easily throttled by a 
very, very irate Kaoru Kamiya. 

     "You weren't fooling around with a look-alike of me on the side, 
were you, Kenshin?" Kaoru bristled as she pointed accusatorily at 
Yahiko's letter as if it was Kenshin's love child. "How did that strange
woman know you so well?! She may be Raikouji-san's daughter, but if ever
you cheated on me with her...!"

     "B-but Kaoru-dono... you haven't even met her! Oooh... I feel 
faint! It must be another dizzy spell!" Kenshin said in swirly-eyed 
confusion as Kaoru shook him like a very shakable thing. 

     As Tsubame looked at the marital dispute in amusement, she 
suddenly felt an insistent tug on her uniform. It was Kenji, crawling on
all fours, giving her a pathetic look.

     "Pw'ease w'ead the letter. Daddy did something stupid again, so 
Mama's gonna be busy choking him and I dun wanna distu'b her." 

     "Ok, Kenji-chan... now let's see... ah..." Tsubame started. "'With
such a persuasive portrayal of Kenshin, I was convinced that the 
raccoon-woman doppelganger was telling the truth....'"




***




     Yahiko considered her words. "I see. So you know who Kenshin is?"

     "Who?" Chizuru asked, puzzled.

     Yahiko sighed. "I mean... you've already met Battousai the 
vagabond, right?"

     Chizuru nodded. "Oh yeah. Yes, yes I did. So you've also heard 
about Battousai's misadventures as a gentle wanderer of sorts, haven't 
you? I can attest to you firsthand that Battousai isn't really all that 
bad as they claimed him to be and those stories about him being a 
gentle vagabond are all partly true... except for that one story about 
him fighting a living corpse with a flaming sword, which is just plain 
ridiculous." 

     Yahiko sweatdropped at Chizuru's statement. "Uh... right." 

     "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and convince those 
idiots that Battousai isn't really their enemy!" Chizuru prodded as
she began pushing Yahiko toward the direction of the town square.

     "Oi! I didn't say anything about helping you out!" Yahiko
protested. "Besides, if the ignorant masses prefer to remain ignorant, 
who are we to stop them? Let them believe what they want to believe!"

     Chizuru paused for a bit, a deep frown marring her features as 
she gave Yahiko 'the look.' Now, Chizuru wasn't really fully aware 
of what 'the look' was and how it actually functioned when it came
to Yahiko, but Yahiko himself was all-too-familiarly acquainted 
with it.

     It was a look of half-dissatisfaction and half-disappointment... with 
just a touch of disparagement... Kaoru gave him when he suddenly became
'supremely arrogant' or 'incredibly insensitive.' A look which really, 
really annoyed and bothered Yahiko to no end... and a reprimand or 
speech usually followed it shortly.

     Well, the fact that the strange lady made a complete facsimile
of 'the look' grated Yahiko's nerves in ways a repeated 'Yahiko-chan'
appellation from Tsubame would.  

     "What do you want from me, you old hag!?"  Yahiko couldn't help
but exclaim.

     Chizuru seemed to try to compose herself first before speaking.
"Young man, you may have not noticed, but this entire village is 
under siege. A group of people claiming to be with the Battousai is
terrorizing this neighborhood, and all the villagers are either too
scared or too apathetic to do anything. And the police seem too 
concerned with the safety of that one Ishin Shishi politician to even 
care about what'll happen to this little village. Well, _I_ care, so 
even if you won't help me, I won't let this village fall into their 
hands without a fight."

     Yahiko regarded the mature woman in a new light. "Ok, old hag... 
what do you want me to do?" A slipper hit him on the face.

     "First of all, rude boy... I have a name! Call me by that name!"
Chizuru fumed. "Secondly... thanks. I'm not sure if you could help all 
that much, Yahiko... but your assistance is very much appreciated! I 
won't let a couple of rumors and badly dressed hooligans get the better 
of these poor, hardworking people. Why, after all those years of...."

     Yahiko rubbed his temples as his head went into the verge of an 
oncoming headache, conveniently ignoring Chizuru's oncoming rant. 
He mentally sighed. <Is this really a good idea?>




***  




     "Ah... it's good to see that this soba house is still 
up-and-running," a well-dressed young man of twenty-two years of age 
said, addressing the owner of the quaint little establishment as he 
blissfully inhaled the hot vapors of the freshly cooked cuisine. 

     "It's partly because of you... even with all these weird men 
running about causing such-and-such problems in this small village, 
it's a refreshing change to see a cheerful and handsome young boy like
you frequent my restaurant. You're like a heaven-sent angel."

     "You're too kind, Sakaguchi-san," the young adult said humbly as 
he parted his chopsticks and then clapped his hands in apparent 
thanksgiving before he consuming the hot meal. He paid no heed to the
fact that he was the only customer inside the establishment, despite
the fact that it was already lunchtime. He liked it better this way,
after all.

     "So... how is your employer... Akahori-san, isn't it? I heard he 
will be staying inside the manor just west of this village to address 
the issues concerning the rampant money-laundering in the Diet, even 
though there were already those weird...."

     "Death threats?" the young lad finished for her, his tranquil smile
never leaving his face. "Akahori-san gets a lot of those... he's a very
influential and powerful man in the Diet, so I guess it's natural. It's 
just business as usual for him."

     "I see... oh, please do excuse me... I'm not a very good 
conversationalist when it comes to politics," the middle-aged woman
said. A mischievous look then crossed her features. "Though when it 
comes to other matters... I've heard that you've become quite close to 
Akahori-san's daughter, Miss--"

     The young man slurped his soba noisily, really savoring its taste. 
"What a great tasting soba! You spoil me at times, Sakaguchi-san," the 
supposedly well-mannered young man cheerfully said, admiring the soba
bowl as if it was made of gold.

     Nonoko Sakaguchi held back a giggle. <Ok, ok... I'll hold back on
teasing you this time. It's the least I could do for your recent 
continued patronage.> To the charming young man, she said, "It's good
to see you even happier than usual."

     A flicker of wonderment crossed the seventeen-year-old boy's 
cherubic eyes. "Happier, Sakaguchi-san?"

     The older woman noted, grinning. "You always seem to smile, but 
lately, somehow, there seems to be a reason behind your smiles. Trust me,
a woman knows these sort of things... it's in our inborn intuition." She
winked mischievously at him.

     The young man smiled enigmatically at that statement. "Maybe."
He then blinked as he remembered something that was bothering him
ever since he went in the eatery. "Where's Kyoko-san? She's usually
the one serving me the soba."

     "Oh, I had her go to the wet market to buy me some groceries,"
the elder Sakaguchi said as she twisted her wrists, wincing. "My 
arthritis had been bothering me lately... oh, I'm too young to be 
having such diseases for the elderly!" she said mournfully.

     Just then a raucous suddenly exploded just outside of the refectory
as a lively pair suddenly made their way inside of the establishment.

     "Geez... do this, do that... you're very demanding, y'know
that, raccoon-woman?"

     "It's Chizuru, you jerk! CHI-ZU-RU! I am not a mythical 
forest creature, I am not an old crone... I'm just me! Stop giving
me all these stupid nicknames!"

     "What? More customers? Oh... it's San-san! And she brought
a friend. That's good." Nonoko said as she looked apprehensively
at the boisterous couple. "Chizuru doesn't have that many friends
in this village ever since she moved here... she just rubbed them
off wrong... oh, leaving already?"

     The young adult bowed courteously at the restaurant owner. "I have 
to get going... I have some very important assignments to do. Thank you 
for the meal," he said as he left some bills and loose change at his
table.  

     The adolescent passed by the argumentative duo at the eatery's 
entrance, giving the young man with the spiky-hair the briefest of
glances before making his way out. The aforementioned boy, feeling
the older boy's stare, stared back... only to see the guy's back
turned at him as he left.

     <What a weird guy,> Yahiko idly thought before he went back to
retorting Chizuru's most recent jibes. 

     The young man smiled... a blissful, idyllic smile... as he left 
the restaurant.




***




     "That soba lady sure was nice to give us some extra servings since
_some_ of us are too stingy to buy some more," Yahiko offhandedly said as 
he patted his full stomach. "Raikouji-san is a generous fellow... can't 
believe you could actually be his granddaughter."  

     "You ungrateful brat! After I fed you, you say such things? I only
get just enough money from grandpa, so shut your mouth before saying 
such insensitive comments!" Chizuru snapped. "Besides, what's with this 
'soba lady' thing? You have a very bad habit of nicknaming every other 
person you see!"

     "Feh. You're too uptight," Yahiko scoffed. He then suddenly stopped
as a group of men began walking arrogantly in the streets. "Tsk. Who do
those men think they are? The Shinsengumi?"

     Before Yahiko could protest, he was suddenly dragged away by a very
alarmed Chizuru. Hidden in a narrow alleyway, she clamped her hand over
his mouth as the party passed them by. 

     "What the hell was that all about?" Yahiko hissed in a discreet 
manner. "Who are those guys anyway? Yakuza?"

     "No... worse. They're terrorists."

     Yahiko's eyes widened. "Terrorists?"

     Chizuru nodded. "They claimed that they're here because of the
Battousai... that their group is affiliated with him." She glared holes
at the passing troupe. "But in actuality, they're just two-bit thugs 
who clambered up the Battousai bandwagon. I hate those hypocrites."

     Yahiko's brow furrowed in contemplation. "So what about the 
police? Can't they do anything about it?" He then reflexively backed
away as Chizuru seethed. 

     "That was what I was trying to do a while ago... I wanted those
men arrested, but the police kept saying that their hands were tied...
what was left of them in the police station anyway." She clenched her 
teeth in anger. 

     She continued, "The police said that the most they could do was 
issue a warrant against them for loitering and trespassing. But that's 
just a cover-up for their indifference! Some of those guys were wearing 
real swords, and not just sword-canes! But what's worse...."  
     
     Chizuru rubbed her eyes raw. "What's worse is that the people 
here are too scared to act... too scared to take matters in their 
own hands. I feel both pity and annoyance at the same time for their
plight." 

     "Oi... get a grip on yourself, Chizuru," Yahiko anxiously said.
<As long as there're people like you in this village, then there's 
still hope.>

     Chizuru gave Yahiko a shocked look before she altogether smiled.

     Yahiko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

     "It's the first time you called me by my name," Chizuru said,
grinning. "You could be sweet when you want to, Yahiko."
 
     A brief screech was heard, taking the duo out of their reverie.

     "It sounded like it came from near the wet market!" Chizuru
said. "I wonder who's the poor girl that... oi! Yahiko? Where are you
going? Yahiko!"




***



 
     "Please, mister... let me pass," a young girl of seventeen years of
age carrying a wicker basket full of vegetables and foodstuff politely
said to the gathering hoodlums around her, cornering her in a dead end.

     "You're the daughter of that soba woman... Sakaguchi, right? Well
aren't you a little cutie?" one of the ruffians said, leering. "You
became quite the woman now... why don't you play with us, little girl?"

     The young woman began to turn away when the goon suddenly 
slammed his fist against the wall. "Hey! Don't be rude! You should pay 
attention to your elders when they speak! It's the polite thing to do!" 
he spat out.

     The very same ruffian was then violently yanked out of the way,
landing face first on the dirt road. The teenaged girl looked up timidly
at her savior... only to recoil in disgust. 

     "The presence of Kyoko-chan is wasted upon the likes of you," a
burly man... apparently the leader of the group... said to his 
comrade's fallen form. "Are you alright, my dear?"

     Kyoko slapped the man's hand away, giving him a steadfast glare.
"Please go away, Keisuke-san."

     The man identified as Keisuke guffawed with reckless abandon. 
"You send me away with such venom in your voice and daggers in your
eyes... but you still say 'please.' You haven't changed a bit, my dear.
You're still as lovable and endearing as ever." 

     Keisuke insolently cupped Kyoko's chin with his right hand, easily 
invading the girl's personal space. "Ahh... Sakaguchi Kyoko, daughter 
of the common copper Sakaguchi Satoru. It's too bad that your cripple 
of a father was reassigned in another district... on the other hand, 
it's better that way. He doesn't have to get hurt again." 

     Through her cold glare, Kyoko retorted, "It's a good thing for you 
that he's gone too... your broken nose doesn't have to get re-stitched 
again."

     Keisuke slapped the young girl hard as he shouted at his 
hooting underlings to shut up. "You're playing hard to get again, 
Kyoko-chan... you know I hate that. You should just give it to me 
now."

     "Gladly," was what Keisuke heard before he fell into a boneless
heap with the thug he kowtowed earlier. The other people in the group
began drawing their swords as they backed away at their unexpected 
aggressor. 

     "You're the fearsome terrorists I've heard so much about? Don't 
make me laugh. You're no better than common street gangs and Yakuza... 
hiding in the safety of groups while bullying teenage girls. You're 
all really pathetic," Yahiko said darkly as he protectively helped the 
injured girl up.

     Kyoko just as curtly slapped Yahiko's hand away in the same manner
she did with Keisuke. "Mister, I don't know who you are... but please
mind your own business."

     Yahiko stared numbly at Kyoko as the surrounding thugs began
taunting him with jeers of "That's right!" and "Go home, dipshit!" He
continued to stare blankly in space as the girl suddenly stood up and 
ran from the dumbfounding scene.

     Doors were opened and gates were unlatched as people began heckling
Yahiko from all sides. 

     "Who is that outsider?"

     "He should mind his own business."

     "What does he know?"

     "He's only making trouble."

     "If Battousai ever found out about this...."

     "Go away, outsider! Go home! Go home!"

     "GO HOME!" 

     Repeated cries of "GO HOME!" echoed across the narrow landscape of 
the small village, overwhelming Yahiko in shock and humiliation.

     Chizuru suddenly appeared from the side, taking Yahiko's arm,
screaming, "What are you standing here for, moron? Run away!"

     Yahiko looked listlessly at the derisive villagers and the hooting
group of thugs as he was dragged away from the mortifying scene.




*** 




     "Now you fully realize my problem. How can I save a village that 
doesn't want to be saved? As you can see, they're all apathetic about
the situation at hand... like the way you are right now. OI, ARE YOU
EVEN LISTENING?!" Chizuru queried. 

     Yahiko continued to stare into space. A miasma of bad memories
played inside his distracted mind... memories of something which he 
thought he had gotten over in the passage of time. 

     Rejection. 

     "What a weird boy... all he ever talks about is his dead father."

     "Did you hear? That kid's mother is in the pleasure district?"

     "How sordid! It's no wonder that he doesn't have any friends."

     "Go home. We don't want to play with you."

     "Go home. Go home. GO HOME!" 

     "I don't want to go home!" Yahiko half-muttered to himself as he
grasped Chizuru's arms tightly for balance. He paused for a bit before
letting her go, blushing. He muttered a haphazard, embarrassed apology.

     Chizuru crossed her arms, unfazed. "Well then... if you don't want
to go home, then I would presume that you also don't want to give up on 
our little endeavor... or am I mistaken and you were just spouting
gibberish from that little daydream of yours?"

     <What am I doing? Getting distracted with something so stupid.>
Yahiko then looked at her, his voice completely serious. "I won't give
up. I'll never give up."

     Chizuru smiled. "That's good to hear. Hmm... now what are we going
to do now that you've ruined the villagers' first impression of you?"

     Yahiko shrugged idly, his old confidence slowly returning. "I say
let them be... I don't care what they think. Let's just storm the hideout
of those supposed terrorists and then beat the crap out of them."

     Chizuru then slapped Yahiko around soundly with a slipper. "Look, 
violence may work well with Yakuza and street gangs, but it just won't 
cut it with this village!"

     <You who just whapped me with a slipper could say such things?!>
Yahiko thought indignantly. 

     "So what if you could beat the crap out of them? What'll you get 
doing that? If you truly did take the vagabond's stories by heart, then 
you'd know that he doesn't work that way!" Chizuru finished with a
flourish.

     Yahiko gawked at Chizuru as he considered her words carefully. 
<Wow... her words are still as demeaning and presumptuous as ever, but 
she does have a point... Kenshin doesn't go around bullying people just 
to prove a point. Is this the same crazy woman that throttled me a while 
ago?> 

     "Tsk, tsk... stop admiring my beauty so much and listen up," 
Chizuru jibed mischievously. "Listen up... the only way we could do
this correctly is to sway the villager's general opinion. We can't 
force them, but we could try to convince them... if we could only 
convince just one of them... just one... then it'll be enough."

     "What's with this now?" Yahiko regarded his companion in open 
confusion. "Just hours ago, you were about ready to strangle each and 
every one of those villagers. You called them a stupid bunch of 
yellow-bellied, paranoid hicks. What's with the one-eighty?"

     "Oh... that. Heh. Well, I hope you don't take it against you, but
I was impressed with the way the villagers collectively jeered at you.
It may have been a bit negative, but it's the first time I saw them
do something together. If only we could reverse that...."

     Yahiko let out a feral growl. "My near-traumatic humiliation gave 
you faith in those cowardly rednecks? What sort of twisted reasoning is
that?"

     Chizuru shrugged. "You're always so negative. So angst-ridden. 
You should cheer up a little... here, let's have a soba on me to cool 
down those stressed-out nerves."




***




     "I'm sorry. We're closed. Please go away," the soba shop owner
said as she slid the door closed.

     "Hey, I don't get it! Sakaguchi-san was so nice before... she even
gave us extra servings for free. What's with the cold shoulder?" 
Chizuru visibly frowned as she walked in a huff away from the closed
restaurant.

     "Didn't you hear what the thugs said before? The girl... she's the
soba shop owner's daughter."

     "Ack! Of course, of course... no wonder." Chizuru slapped her 
forehead as she groaned. "So much for convincing even just one of them. 
Well now, Yahiko... it looks like it's just you and me against the 
world... er, village."

     Yahiko exhaled a frustrated breath. <So much for the sword that
saves... what good is it now? I can't draw my sword because it won't
do me any good. How can the sword save this village now?>

     Two thoughts surfaced in Yahiko's mind... two seemingly unrelated 
thoughts that was related to him in two different voices.

     "Remember all the battles of your life. The battles you've seen 
with your eyes. The battles you heard with your ears... the battles 
you embraced with your own skill... and all the battles you carry 
within you," one voice in his head said... it was Kenshin's voice.

     "We can't force them, but we could try to convince them... if we 
could only convince just one of them... just one... then it'll be 
enough," another voice in his head added... it was Chizuru's voice.

     <That's it,> Yahiko said as his eyes brightened in understanding.
"Chizuru... you said that all it took for us to sway this village's
opinion is to convince just one villager, right? Well then..." he
patted the older woman on the shoulder. "You're that one villager."

     "Eh? Are you daft?! That doesn't make any sense! I don't think 
these people even remotely consider me as part of their community!" 
Chizuru said, bewildered. "How illogical can you get?!"

     "This from the woman who was able to find faith in her so-called 
yellow-bellied neighbors when they communally began harassing me for 
helping a girl in need? I must have gotten this sort of logic from
you," Yahiko replied sardonically. 

     He then persisted, saying, "C'mon, Chizuru... you're the wild card
that's going to change their minds about Battousai. We've been going 
about this all wrong... we've been forcing on them our beliefs instead 
of letting them think for themselves. They've clammed up, so to speak, 
because they don't want to be dictated on their viewpoints." Chizuru
seemed to consider all this.

     "Come on, Chizuru... tell me how you met Battousai the vagabond. 
Or rather..." Yahiko waved his arms all around the surrounding area of 
the open veranda. "You should tell them... the villagers... more about 
the vagabond... not by ramming your opinions down their throats. Just
tell them this time."

     A hush fell on the surrounding area of the seemingly empty village,
but it wasn't by any means a deathly silence... rather, it was reticence 
filled with the atmosphere of anticipation so thick one could cut a 
knife through it.  

     "Well..." Chizuru started, although somewhat embarrassed even
though there weren't any visible people there.  She then modulated her
voice a bit so it would become clearer. "It all started in Tokyo, 
six years ago...."




***




     "Let me read that, Tsubame!" Kaoru said as she let go of Kenshin,
the latter falling into a boneless heap. Tsubame blinked as the letter
she was holding simply wasn't there anymore.  

     <How long was mama going at it?> Kenji casually wondered as he 
looked at his mother's excited state. <I couldn't tell.>

     "'She began with how Kenshin saved her from a group of thugs 
by--'" Kaoru stopped for a bit as she read the sentence carefully. 
"'Running away'... I knew it." 

     "Yes... it sounds exactly like Kenshin-san," Tsubame agreed.

     "Daddy's a dummy," Kenji seconded.
 
     Kenshin smiled self-effacingly. "Dono-dono was in trouble 
with several men who were disgruntled with the government. I did
the obvious thing to do in such a situation."

     Kaoru gave Kenshin 'the look.' "What's with the 'Dono-dono,'
Kenshin?" She then looked thoughtful. "It says here 'six years ago'...
Kenshin, that's about the same year we met!" She then looked 
emotional. "T-Then you met her first? I-I'm the doppelganger to replace
_her_?"

     Kenshin, with all the philosophies he had learned about life and
the way of the sword, didn't quite know how to reply to that. He simply
decided to continue. "Her parents were killed during the Bakumatsu 
because they got mixed-up in a fight between a patriot and a supporter 
of the Bakufu. Because of that, Raikouji-san became phobic of
swordsmen in general." 

     "You mean Raikouji-san was actually afraid of swordsmen? He seemed
particularly fond of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu philosophies and you in 
particular," Kaoru said, surprised. 

     "I guess his views changed for the better," Kenshin said 
cheerfully. 

     Kaoru scanned the letter again. "Hm... it says here Chizuru was
kidnapped...."

     "Mama! Just w'ead it aloud! No mo'h butt-ins!" 

     "Ok, ok... hold your horses, Kenji-chan... now where was I?"




***




     "Now where was I? Oh yeah! So these perverts and lechers kidnapped 
me, calling themselves the Forces of Heaven or something... well, after
that, the vagabond showed up!" Chizuru said, really getting into her
story, not really caring whether or not people were listening to her. 
At the very least, Yahiko would be the only one listening... that was 
enough for her. It would be better that way, since the boy was no less 
than appreciative of her stories of Battousai as she knew him.

     "I told him to run away, but I was gagged at the time, so the moron
misunderstood what I was saying and challenged the gang," Chizuru shook
her head in remembrance. "He said some fancy things to them... he really
disputed their so-called ideals, looking as if he really knew what he 
was talking about. But I still thought he was a total wimp and weakling,
so I was kind of afraid for his general safety. I mean... it looked like
he was out of his league, and there were thirty? No, forty fighters...."

     "Oi, you're trailing-off again," Yahiko warned, a bored expression
on his face.

     "Hey, I'm setting up the atmosphere of the story! Stop interrupting
me!" the quarter-aged woman said. "Now, then... the vagabond finally 
challenged the criminals... and they all dropped like flies! I was so 
scared! The gentle vagabond was actually a killer! A cold-blooded
Hitokiri!"

     Before Yahiko could protest or complain, Chizuru pulls him by the
collar. Caught completely off-guard, the seemingly dawdling 
twenty-something lady was able to take away the cloth-bundled sakabatou
from Yahiko. "Ack! What the hell are you doing, you crazy old hag!"

     "Sssh! You're ruining the moment! We need to visually demonstrate
the fight," Chizuru shushed. To her apparently non-existent audience,
she said, "So the leader and the vagabond-turned-killer faced off 
against each other... the cowardly boss wearing impenetrable black
iron armor to counter the former Hitokiri's sharp blade."

     She took of the cloth from Yahiko's sword. <A-an actual sword? 
Boy, good thing there aren't any police around here, or else he would 
have been arrested,> she concluded. She then drew the sword's blade out 
of its iron sheath. "So the vagabond... the legendary swordsman, 
Battousai drew his assassin's blade and slashed at the black armor as 
if it was nothing, killing the conceited kidnapper!" 

     She then stopped mid-swing as she saw the sword's blade... the
sakabatou reverse edge. Despite her surprise, she didn't miss a beat. 
"But as the leader of the so-called Forces of Heaven group fell, lo and 
behold... the vagabond reveals that his sword was actually a 
sakabatou! A sword with a reverse edge! The hostage takers weren't 
killed... they were just incapacitated by the protector of the 
weak... the Battousai!"

     She looked at an equally surprised Yahiko. "It's like the vagabond 
said... it's a sword that can never kill." Her intonation of the 
statement was relatively the same with her tone of voice during the 
entire storytelling session, but her inquiring eyes made it look as
if she had said it in a perplexed tone.

     "This sword isn't something which could kill," the vagabond said...
words which echoed in Chizuru's head as she held the curious weapon 
with trembling hands.

     <What is this guy doing with a reverse-edged sword? Is this the
vagabond's reverse-edged sword? Who is this boy? What is he doing
with this strange weapon?> 
     
     "But big sister Chizuru... why did the robbers get you?" a shy
little voice asked. It was followed by a chide of "They weren't 
robbers... they were kidnappers."

     More questions followed as Chizuru turned around to see their
origins. She was taken aback by what she saw... children had gathered 
around her while she was telling her stories of the Battousai. From 
all sides, doors were unlocked and opened... men, women and children 
began congregating all around the town square, either in rapt attention
or passing curiosity. 

     "What about the Battousai? Surely he's not as frail as you claim
him to be? He must have been six or seven feet tall!" one man hooted
at Chizuru rowdily.

     "Why did he wear a non-killing sword? What does he get out of it?" 
a middle-aged woman of portly shape added.  

     "How did he get the cross-scar? Did a legendary swordsman of great 
caliber give him that mark?"

     "You said he was a protector of the weak... so he didn't come here 
to hurt us?" an innocent young girl with light freckles and big, wide 
eyes hopefully said to Chizuru.

     "That's right! If what San-san says is true, then 
Battousai would never be in league with those... those terrorists!
They're just using Battousai's name to further their own purposes!"
 
     Shouts and nods of approval followed the anonymous statement
as a crowd began to gather under the mid-afternoon sun.

     "Looks like the sword did help save these people," Yahiko said as 
he woke Chizuru from her dreamlike state, taking the sakabatou away 
from her unresisting hands. "Even if it was just a story of its past 
deeds... the sword continues to save lives even to this day. Now
that these villagers aren't afraid, they don't have to get bullied
by those gutless brutes."

     "You're saying some weird stuff there, boy," Chizuru rejoined.
"Though, you're right... with the quickness of the word of mouth here in
the village, their confidence and self-respect would return in no time."
She then looked at the glinting blade that Yahiko wielded. "Yahiko, 
where did you--"

     "Oh, thank goodness you're still here!" a voice from behind them 
said as she pushed against the buzzing crowd. "I'm so very sorry with
the way I treated you when you came back to the shop."

     "Huh? Oh... the soba woman!" Yahiko said in mild surprise, 
sheathing and wrapping up his sakabatou. "What are you doing here?
Don't tell me you came all the way here just to apologize!"

     "My daughter... Kyoko... is gone! She ran away, taking her 
grandfather's sword with her... I'm afraid...."

     <Kyoko? That's right... it's the girl that I 'rescued' a few 
hours ago,> Yahiko concluded. "Do you know where she could have gone?"

     The woman sniffled a bit as she continued. "There's no doubt 
about it! She must have gone to take matters into her own hands! 
She's going to kill the Battousai group. She probably went to their 
hideout in the East Valley to murder them!"

     "Kyoko-chan's going to try and kill those low-life bastards? 
That's foolish of her! She's outnumbered for one thing, and for 
another she's just a soba shop waitress! What does she know about
handling swords?!" Chizuru ranted.

     "I'm going," Yahiko said. "Chizuru, stay here."

     "Hey wait!" Chizuru yelped.

     "It's too dangerous for you to go with me--" Yahiko started, but
was interrupted by an ear-twist care of Chizuru.

     "I didn't say I was going with you! I'm no idiot! But what I said 
about Kyoko applies to you too, y'know! Don't be foolish! Don't throw 
away your life! There are probably more of those bastards in their
hideout. Besides," she muttered, "You still haven't heard my question!"
 
     Regardless of what Chizuru said, Yahiko still made his way
through the crowd. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

     His back still turned, the young kendo master spoke. "The 
vagabond's true name... it's not Himura Battousai. It's Himura Kenshin."

     "Eh?" Chizuru managed to say.

     "Later... I won't be long," Yahiko called out as he finally 
broke into a run away from the setting sun.

  


***




     <I hope I'm not too late,> Yahiko thought as he went silently 
into the tree covered thicket. He remembered the soba woman's words well
as she caught up with him before he got out of the village. 

     "Please save my Kyoko-chan. It's all because of that man, Keisuke...
he attempted to have his way with her when she was just fifteen. Her 
father intervened. So they got into a one-on-one fight, nearly crippling 
him. Because of that man...."

     Yahiko gritted his teeth. <I can't forgive such a man... women 
shouldn't be treated like that. My mother... she shaved away her honor by
working in the pleasure district just so she could raise me right. I
would not let any woman suffer the way my mother did.> He closed his 
eyes as the soba woman's... Kyoko's mother... voice echoed a statement 
which really shook him.

     "Because of that man, Kyoko never smiles. He took away her smile
from us."

     Yahiko scowled at that. <That man would have more than a broken
nose to worry about once I'm through with... eh?> He sniffed the air 
around him... there was an unmistakable smell of rusty musk surrounding
the entire area. <What's that smell?! Could it be...?>

     The Kendo master's running pace suddenly quickened with the rate 
of his own heartbeat. Upon arriving in a makeshift cottage, the young 
boy's eyes went wide as they reflected the flicker of crimson.

     <Blood!?> 

     There, across the entire landscape, bodies were strewn everywhere. 

     Dead bodies. 

     He could smell death... breath death... sense death... touch death. 
It was death everywhere. 

     It wasn't an overzealous slaughter of a madman, as far as Yahiko
could tell... he didn't really have much experience with this. It was
more of an efficient, almost clinical... extermination. As if the men
before him were just mere pests. 

     Perhaps this was the closest glimpse he could ever have of the 
violence of the Bakumatsu.

     How long had they been killed? It didn't matter... his heart 
palpitated to panic as he raced out of the darkness of his near revolted
state when an unexpected sight suddenly greeted him. 

     There, amidst the dead bodies, was Kyoko, tightly gripping a wooden
cane as her eyes shimmered. But as she saw Yahiko she reflexively went 
into what appeared to be a Battou-jutsu stance, drawing a blade slightly 
from the mistakenly-identified cane as the metal glinted.

     "You..." he started, not able to finish his sentence.

     Her eyes widened in recognition. "Y-you... you were the boy who 
tried to save me." She withdrew her blade, a poignant look in her 
eyes as she looked at the full moon. "I wanted to protect my mother with
grandfather's Fuyutsuki, but...." 

     <Fuyutsuki? Winter Moon? Ah... she meant her grandfather's sword. 
So that's what it's called. But what's with all these tears? She seems to 
know a bit about kenjutsu. But if that's true, then... now way!> 

     Yahiko's eyes widened upon comprehending an appalling, unbelievable
reality. <No! That can't be true! She couldn't have possibly done it!>

     Kyoko sobbed as she fell on her knees, a wet, salty trail freely 
flowing on her face. "Who could have done such a horrible thing? All
these dead people... it revolts me to think what could have happened
if I... if I...." The rest of her words became mere burbles as she
broke down into sobs.

     Yahiko sighed to himself as he tried to approach and comfort the
distraught girl. <What a silly thing to think about... an innocent 
little girl killing all these men. But if that's the case then 
who-->

     He stopped at mid-thought as a bloodied hand grasped at his ankle.
He looked down at the person... nearly unrecognizable with the amount
of blood on his face... but the broken nose was unmistakable.

     "Keisuke-san! Are you alright?" Kyoko exclaimed despite of herself.

     Yahiko still remembered his solemn vow of retribution against the
man that took away Kyoko's smile... but even he felt pity at the 
pathetic state of the man before them. "You're lucky to be alive.
We better get you to a hospital or...."    

     "Red-hair... cross-shaped scar... please, get him away from...
m-me... h-help me..." the near-dead Keisuke said, visibly shaking in 
mortal fright.

     <It can't be... he must be kidding!> Yahiko said, alarmed. <First
the girl, now this! I can't take this in all at once! This can't be 
true!> 

     Yahiko was suddenly taken out of his confused state when Keisuke's
head rolled just inches from his feet.

     Kyoko screamed until her lungs burned as painfully as her throat.
Yahiko fought the oncoming nausea building up in him, but he forgot
all about that as he felt someone else's presence... a swordsman's 
presence.

     <Wait... I feel it... kenki!> He furrowed his brow. <But that's 
strange... it isn't the ki of murderous intent... perhaps it's just an 
innocent passerby?>

     Yahiko furrowed his eyes in resolution. <Yeah, right... an innocent
swordsman just happened to pass by! Damn, I don't want to leave Kyoko 
here like this, but....> Regardless of the fact, the youngster suddenly 
raced toward the direction of the kenki, his heart palpitating for some 
unknown reason. 




***




     "Tsk, tsk... it was an unfortunate waste of time. Oh well. Maybe 
next time I'll catch up with him," the well-dressed boy said cheerfully, 
cleaning his blade nonchalantly. "He certainly works fast, I give him 
that." 

     Footsteps were heard from around the bamboo groves to where he
was standing. A young boy of medium build carrying a sword met up with
the ever-smiling lad. "Oi! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

     <Strange... no one was supposed to detect me... oh, so it's him!> 
the older boy thought casually as he surveyed the person addressing
him. "Good evening! I remember you from the soba shop!"

     Yahiko was caught off-guard by the merry greeting. "Ah, so you're 
the weird guy from the soba shop... the only other customer," he said, but
his eyes suddenly darkened as he saw the young man's bloodied katana.
"Who would have thought that I actually chanced upon a psychopath 
that had a soba fetish? For the last time, who the hell are you? Why
did you kill all those men?!" 

     A muted thud was heard. Both of the young men looked over the
direction to where the sound originated... it was Kyoko, her eyes
wide with bewilderment and incredulity as her beloved Fuyutsuki fell
on the ground. "No... Seta-kun... not you...."

     "Y-you know this guy?" Yahiko said hesitantly at Kyoko.

     "Ah... of course! I haven't introduced myself," the boy said as he
calmly sheathed his sword. He clapped his hands excitedly as he 
addressed Yahiko in a courteous manner. "My name is Seta Soujirou. It's
a pleasure to meet you."




***
     



Next:  A duel between two prodigies.

Chizuru Raikouji isn't a fan-created character. She is a creation
of Nobuhiro Watsuki-sensei, just like Kenshin. She appears in the
bonus story of the first volume of Rurouni Kenshin. It debuted on 
Shonen Jump as a 31-page short story... the very first work of 
Watsuki-sensei that was published by the magazine. The short story 
laid the foundations of the Rurouni Kenshin we know today.

As for the Soujirou Seta as the main rival thing being a bit
of overkill for Yahiko's sake, well... let me put it this way.
Sesshoumaru is certainly well-beyond Inuyasha's level, so let's 
just consider Soujirou as Yahiko's Sesshoumaru. ^-^

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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