Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Giant and the Lion Cub ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Standard disclaimers apply

Chapter 11

"I see them! They're returning!" Misao leapt from her seat on the porch and wiped away any remnants of tears from her eyes. The night had been long, filled with worry and sadness. No one had slept, each person locked up deep inside themselves, afraid to dare rest due to the nightmares that would indefinitely follow. Even awake they were all plagued by panic, fear, and thoughts of the worst possible scenario. What if Kenji chan was never found, or worse, what if he was found but no longer of this world. No one could bring themselves to say such a thing, but it was never far from their thoughts. The effect on Himura san would be horrific, to say the least. Not even the discovery of Kaoru's body on the dojo wall could mirror the pain he'd feel if his child were killed by a cruel hand. The consequences would be devastating for them all.

She strained to see the search party as it moved slowly up the street, silhouetted by the brightness of the morning sun. There were three figures, two tall and slender, the other significantly shorter but far to tall to be a child of Kenji's age. Misao's heart fell, Kenji chan was not with them, obviously still missing. She closed her eyes and said a prayer, asking the gods to give them strength and moved into the street to greet the men.

"Aoshi sama," she choked, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She was surprised she had any left, having sat and cried underneath the stars, feeling the pain and grief of her friends and as well as her own helplessness. She glanced at Saito, glaring at him briefly and wiping a cheek with the back of her hand.

Aoshi stopped and stared at her impassively. He studied her face, which was streaked with tears and swollen from endless sobbing. Her large eyes, usually dancing pools of blue, were now red and bloodshot, almost lifeless and lackluster. He admired her courage, her ability to feel so much for the people around her. He knew nothing of other people's pains, but far too much about his own. He was beginning to understand though, the disappearance of Himura chan, Himura's reaction, and his own strange need to find and secure the child who had touched him so deeply with his innocence, strangely fitting the pieces of his own puzzle into place. Peace could not be found through meditation alone, nor could it be achieved by burying ones self under mounds of paper work. The only way to truly live with yourself was to allow yourself feel and feel for the others around you. It was a foreign concept to him, but somehow it seemed to make sense.

Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the girl on the shoulder. It was all his mind would allow for right now, larger steps would come later. "It's okay Misao chan," he replied, motioning to Kenshin, who looked like he was about to drop at any moment.

Kenshin took a tired step forward, casting the ninja girl a slight smile, "Kenji chan will be okay, that he will." He offered nothing more, and moved past her into the Aoiya, leaving Aoshi and Saito to explain. There were more important matters to attend to right now, two people from his family needed him right now and he needed them.

He found Yahiko in the courtyard out back, his back propped against one of the walls, shinai held securely across his lap. It looked as if he was sleeping, and Kenshin smiled at the familiar position. Quietly he stole up next to the boy, touching his head gently, trying not to start him awake. "Yahiko," he whispered, stooping down.

The boy's eyes fluttered open, a frustrated frown crossing his face. He had managed to doze off into a restless nap, his mind far to tired to comprehend who had woken him from the much-needed sleep.

"Yahiko," Kenshin said again, hating to stir the boy, but needing to assure him that all was well, "It's me. Kenji is alright."

The young samurai's eyes shot open and he knocked Kenshin onto his rump as he sprung forward. "Kenshin," he shouted in surprise, "What did you say?" He looked behind the man, his dark eyes searching for the familiar face of his red haired little brother.

Kenshin laughed and steadied himself, "Kenji chan is going to be fine. He is with my master."

"Your master? Hiko sama?" Yahiko frowned at Kenshin, his face confused, but relieved as well, "How? Why? Where is…" He was ecstatic the child had been found, a huge weight lifted itself from his chest and he steadied himself against the urge to throw his arms around the samurai.

Kenshin sighed and stopped the boy with his hand. He was far to exhausted to answer a hundred questions that no doubtedly the boy had. "Maa, maa Yahiko. All that matters now is that he's safe. I'm very tired and need to rest. When I wake up, we'll go retrieve Kenji from shishou." He cast the boy a slight smile, which twitched as he mentioned his master.

Yahiko pursed his lips in thought, "Are you sure that's a good idea Kenshin?" But the red haired man was already on his way into the building, his only answer was a slow smile as he slid the door shut behind him.

Kenshin rolled his shoulders and neck, listening as the bones creaked and popped. He was almost dizzy with sleep, the world becoming foggy around him and his limbs as heavy as lead. He wanted nothing more than to fall onto his futon and sleep for days. He would have to give his son a stern lecture once he gathered him from his master. Another episode like this one, and Kenshin was sure his life would be docked about thirty more years.

He slid open the door of his room, sucking in his breath when he saw his wife, lying motionless on their futon. The bed covers were huddled tightly around her, and she curled herself into a protective ball at the sound of the door. She wanted no visitors, no company, her posture made that apparent. Kenshin quelled the agony in his heart, he could not bear to see his wife so distraught and drained of her beautiful vigor. Quietly he removed his gi and tabi, setting his sword aside with a slight click against the wall. He moved to the futon and settled next to her, brushing away the strands of hair that fell across her ear.

"Koishii," he breathed, rubbing a hand down her back in a loving and reassuring gesture.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru turned over to face her husband, her face long since dry of tears. She could cry no more, having tossed her soul to the winds of fate, only praying that some sort of miracle would bring her husband and son back to her. She could see the tiredness in his face, he looked so much older than his thirty-three years now, but his eyes danced with the youthful gentleness of the rurouni. She sat up, shoving the away the covers and clutched him to her, holding him so tight he began to protest slightly. "I didn't think you'd come back to me!"

Kenshin pushed her away slightly, bringing his forehead to touch hers, "I will always come back baka," he teased, "And so will our son, because I will always find him." He couldn't help but to feel a little playful. He was truly happy his son was safe, and if he could elicit a smile or even a slap from his wife, he would be fully contented.

"You found Kenji?" Kaoru asked, her eyes glistening with tears of joy, "Where is he!" She looked around her, much the same way Yahiko did, and found nothing.

Kenshin stretched, buying himself time to prepare for his wife's reaction to the news he'd tell her. He gave a mighty yawn and laid down upon the futon. "He's with shishou." He closed his eyes, but every muscle in his body tensed, awaiting her explosion.

"WHAT!" Kaoru grabbed Kenshin and yanked him up by his hair. "How..When..Why didn't you go get him Kenshin!" She shook her husband vigorously until his eyes rolled back into his head. She could not believe his blatant disregard for everything that had happened to them in the past twenty-four hours. Here she was sick with worry and despair, and he was behaving like nothing was amiss!

"Ow Kaoru!" Kenshin yelped, removing her hand from his hair, "Kenji is going to be fine with master. I haven't slept in over a day, and none of us can climb up that mountain with out proper rest. As soon as I take a nap, I'll go fetch our son." He folded her hands into his, smiled softly, and purred, "I'd probably sleep better if you stayed with me koishii." He pulled her down on to the futon with him and wrapped his arms around her, warming at the feel of her breath against his bare chest. His statement was the truth, pure and simple. He always rested better when she was next to him, but this time his words were meant to keep her near him and not go darting off to retrieve their son with out him. There was no way he was going to miss seeing his shishou's face when he appeared to pick up Kenji chan. He grinned almost wickedly and closed his eyes, blessing his son's ingenuity.

"I hope Hiko san is okay," Kaoru muttered, shifting against her husband's chest.

"Oh, don't worry about shishou, he has a way with children," Kenshin murmured, "Just as Kenji chan has a way with adults." He sighed softly into his wife's hair, a great sense of satisfaction and justice stealing over him as he drifted off into a deep and most welcome sleep.

********

Hiko leaned against his favorite tree next to the river, a fishing pole propped against one boot, and watched the little boy with half closed eyes. Fishing was a form of meditation, claming and quiet, with only the sounds of the river whispering past and the wind laughing in the breeze of the trees. The tranquility of the sport was his favorite past time, even surpassing that of pottery, which required more focus and effort.

Surprisingly, the boy was relatively quiet, too engrossed in the make shift pole Hiko had made for him out of a piece of tree limb, old line, and rusty hook. He squatted next to the sharp barb, balancing himself perfectly on the smooth rock he insisted as his fishing spot, poking gingerly at the twisted metal. Curiously, he gave the line a couple of jiggles, trying to decide exactly how the whole concept of fishing worked. He had watched his father fish before in the river near their home, but he was never allowed his own pole before. It was absolutely fascinating. Of course, the big man gave him no instruction, just setting him onto the rock of his choice, avoiding the mud holes at all cost, and retreated to a spot under the tree.

Kenji stood up slowly, bringing the pole back carefully, mimicking the motions he'd seen Hiko and his father do many times. Satisfied with his position, he made a slight jerk of his arm, as if to cast, but was only met with resistance. Confused, he gave a couple sharp tugs, his line caught on a small shrub behind him. He heard Hiko laugh slightly and he cast the man a glare, before turning to meet the assaulting bush. With an agitated growl, he gave the pole a sharp tug and the bush gave up its hold on his line. Kenji, not prepared, fell backwards onto the rock, landing hard on his back and hitting his head slightly.

Hiko smirked, his eyes still half closed, shaking his head at the child slightly. The boy's patience wore away quicker than that of his former student. The child was extremely reactive, almost rash at sometimes, but even at his small age, remarkably intelligent. If he could balance the two, he would become a formidable swordsman, surpassing his father by leaps and bounds.

Kenji slowly picked himself up off the slippery rock and rubbed his sore head, glaring at the fishing pole he'd dropped. He made a started cry of dismay, the pole had snapped almost in two, the halves hanging together by a small piece of bark. He picked up the broken stick and shook it slightly, watching as it broke apart and clattered to the ground. Kenji bit his lip and turned large, crystalline eyes to Hiko, lightly grasping the end of his broken toy.

"Is he going to cry," Hiko thought, moving to an upright position and fixing his gaze on Kenji. "Kami Sama," Hiko sighed, not waiting to find out if the boy would shed tears. He stood up swiftly, grabbing his own pole, striding over to where Kenji stood. He snatched the child off his rock and thrust his own pole into the boy's hands, positioning himself behind the boy to help steady him. "Okay baka kodomo," he muttered, "I'm only going to show you once, so you better pay attention." He helped the child cast the line into the water, giving a sharp grunt of approval as Kenji laughed happily, his own broken pole forgotten. Fully satisfied the boy was no longer unhappy, Hiko retreated to his spot under the tree, watching as Kenji jiggled the line curiously in the water.

"There'll be no fish tonight," Hiko thought, watching the boy. He had not baited the line, knowing all to well the child would not sit still long enough to allow the fish to approach, so there was no sense in wasting good bait.

Kenji fiddled with the pole, cocking his head when he felt a slight tug, almost too light to really be significant, but enough to catch his attention. Scooting closer the edge, he watched curiously as the water ran past the thin, threadlike line, trying to peer into the foaming river. Suddenly, a massive tug on the line brought him lurching forward, the pole bending almost to the point of snapping in two. Kenji tried to right himself, but his stubborn grip refused to give up the new pole he held in his hands. Another sharp thrust wrenched his arm, and he slipped on the slick moss of his rock, falling forward into the frothing river.

**********

"I can't believe Kenshin is still sleeping," Yahiko muttered, picking at his rice bowl with his chopsticks. Several hours had passed since the search party returned home, and the red hair samurai showed no signs of getting up soon. Yahiko was relieved Kenji was safe with Kenshin's master, but he would only be fully satisfied once the boy was back within their family circle, being carefully watched. None of them would ever be the same again after this trip, and Kenji would lead a shadowed life, constantly being followed by one of his adult protectors.

"He's tired Yahiko kun," Misao replied, "Aoshi sama and Saito san are still asleep as well. They had long night searching for Kenji chan." All the men looked as if they were ready to drop when they returned in the morning, Kenshin being the worst off of the bunch. Aoshi had only briefly retold the tale of their nightly wanderings, before retreating to his room to rest as well. Misao reluctantly fixed a futon for the insufferable former shinsengumi captain, slamming the door behind her as he thanked his gracious weasel hostess.

"I know," Yahiko sighed, "But you'd think he'd be jumping to go get Kenji."

"I'm sure Himura san has his reasons. He trusts his master. Hiko sama would never let anything happen to Kenji chan, I'm sure." Misao cast Yahiko an encouraging smile. Hiko was an amazing man, confident and wise beyond compare. He was a father of sorts to Himura, and in a way, that made him the closest thing to a grandfather that Kenji chan would ever know.

Yahiko grunted slightly, "I suppose, but you haven't heard some of the stories about Kenshin's master."

"What about my master?"

Yahiko and Misao both jumped at the sound of Kenshin's voice, unaware he had quietly stole up on them during the latter half of their conversation. He stood in the doorway, smiling softly, his hair falling around his shoulders in a bright, disheveled mess. "I'd like some lunch before we depart, Misao dono, if that's not too big of a bother."

Misao jumped up, nodding quickly and ran off to the kitchen to prepare Kenshin a tray. Kenshin gave a slight nod of thanks and padded silently on bare feet to where Yahiko sat, settling himself down next to the boy. He yawned big, and stretched his arms, forcing off the remnants of his sleep. "Don't worry Yahiko, master will take good care of Kenji chan. He's a gruff and arrogant man, but he's not cruel."

Yahiko sighed and nodded, "I know Kenshin, but Kenji…"

Kenshin smiled a bit bigger this time, not bothering to look at the boy, "Why don't go you check on Kaoru, she was packing our things when I left the room. She may need some help."

**********

Hiko leapt to his feet, moving with swift speed to the edge of the river, cursing loudly, as he was too late to catch the boy in mid fall. The river, deceivingly gentle, ran with swift undercurrents and swallowed the child up almost immediately. "Kami, he can't swim!" The large man stripped off his white cape and ran along the riverbank, his eyes searching the water's surface. He rounded the bend, and gasped when he saw a flash of dark red bobbing above the surface, moving swiftly with the current's growing speed. He had to reach the child before the river grew even more treacherous, the moving water would increase rapidly as it approached the waterfall, and surely smash the boy against the boulders and jagged rocks that adorned the bottom of the riverbed.

With lightening speed, Hiko dove into the water, using the rapid current to his advantage, keeping his eyes on the barely noticeable gleam of red against the foaming white water. "By the love of all things holy child! When I get my hands on you…" Inside, the dark haired man was pleading for the boy to be alive, imagining lungs full of water or a small skull being crashed against the rocks with a sickening thud. He had thrown the boy's father into the river many times, but that child was larger, stronger, and able to defend himself against the river's unmerciful wrath. If he didn't reach young Kenji soon, his student's child would definitely die a horrible death.

The feeling of panic was foreign to Hiko, and he had no use for it. It inhibited the senses and clouded reasoning, but he could feel the slight twinges of it working on the edges of his soul as he watched the spark of red hair disappear again beneath the water ahead of him. With a surge of massive muscles, Hiko swam harder, keeping his eyes on the place the child disappeared, his quick mind predicting the path the current would take the child. "Please be alive baka kodomo," he thought as he dove beneath the water's surface, a large hand thrust before him, groping the murky water.

He felt his hand brush against something cool and spongy, instinctively, fingers clasped around the small, stick thin object. With a mighty heave, Hiko thrust himself from beneath the water's surface, hauling the limp form of Kenji above the water. The current rushed around him, propelling him forward with an unrelenting force that even he was powerless against. As air entered his lungs, he hissed against the burn in his chest, turning his head slightly as the water crashed him against a sharp rock. "Che," he growled, wincing slightly at the stone cut into his shoulder, "I'm getting to old for this kind of thing. Oh, Kami Sama…"

As he looked up, the forest horizon spread out before him in a magnificent view. Miles, upon miles of trees and mountains spanned out in a breath-taking scene as the canyon opened up. The roar of water deafened his ears and thrummed against his temples. Hiko braced himself for what he knew was now unavoidable. He had hoped to reach the boy before the water carried them as far at the towering falls, but it was inevitable now, they were going to go over and it was a long fall to the bottom.

Clasping the wet and limp body of Kenji close to his chest, Hiko allowed them to be carried over the edge of the fall. Controlling his balance with remarkable ease, he shifted into a dive, hoping to gain some momentum by gaining speed. It would take a massive amount of effort to get back to the topside bank, and the more speed he had, the easier it would be. One wrong move would send them both crashing into the rocky bottom of the falls. An eagle sharp eye caught sight of a protruding ledge, barely large enough for his foot. Swiftly calculating his speed and the angle of the rock, the Hiten Mitsurugi master shifted himself acrobatically in the air, preparing for the searing contact of his boot against the ledge.

Spring tight muscles jarred with the impact and sent them propelling upwards now, the sting of water biting into the flesh at the force of their upward momentum. Hiko kept his face taught with concentration, his only concern to focus all his power on reaching the top of the falls.

Thank you to all the reader's who have followed this fic religously. I hope I've made you laugh or smile in some way…I'm currently working on the final chapter, so it should be up soon. I wanted to end this with this chapter, but it would seem I had other plans….Thank you once again for all your support, your all fantastic!