Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Baptism of Blood ❯ Kenshin in the Kiheitai ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Over the next week, Omara led Kenshin to Choshuu by way of the wilderness of Iwami to avoid government check points. It wasn't an easy journey, but Omara was a seasoned warrior and Kenshin had trained with Hiko in the mountains and was no stranger to the wild lands. Neither of them suffered too badly as they cut a path through the timber and bush.

They ate as they walked and stopped only to sleep and practice their kata in order to stay sharp. Kenshin was shy about anyone seeing his kata and always went off by himself to practice. Omara respected this, but his ki sensing abilities picked up the strong ki from the younger swordsman.

On the third day, Kenshin and Omara were hacking through a field when both their ken ki spiked, sensing something. It seemed there was a row taking place not too far away. Grasping the hilt of his katana, Kenshin broke away from Omara's side.

"Wait! Kenshin-kun!" called Omara, but the youngster was already out of his sight.

Omara rushed after him. As he got closer to the tree line at the edge of the field, he sensed spiked ki and heard the sounds of fighting. He emerged just in time to see Kenshin cut down five ronin who had been about to attack a woman with five children with a nine-point attack.

'HITEN MITSURUGI RYU, RYU SO SEN!'

The ronin went flying in different directions, crashing into the ground with sickening thuds. The ones that were able to get up jumped to their feet and helped their comrades away. Amazingly, they were all still alive. The woman with the five children thanked Kenshin and forced some food into his hesitant hands.

"Kenshin-kun, that was amazing," said Omara when Kenshin rejoined him.

"Not really. It was pretty sloppy," said Kenshin, dubiously inspecting the food.

"If that's sloppy, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of perfect," said Omara, clapping Kenshin on the shoulder.

That night, the two shared the spoils of Kenshin's victory over a roaring campfire.

---
Finally, they crossed the border from Iwami into Choshuu. From there, it was a day's journey to Hagi. Even though he was back in his own han, Omara kept off the main roads. They moved quickly along the banks of the Abugawa River, stopping for a drink every now and then. Omara's eyes lit with glad recognition when Hagi came into the sight of the trail weary duo. Kenshin's eyes widened as they entered. Though Hagi wasn't very big, to a country boy like Kenshin, it was a metropolis!

As they walked through the streets, Kenshin's violet eyes took in everything. Every street corner seemed to have a pottery studio on it. He stopped and looked at the different vessels on display. Most of them had beautiful natural prints on them such as trees, flowers, butterflies or herons.

The pair made their way to the Kiheitai headquarters. Omara was greeted upon his return, but the second-in-command, Yamagata Kyosuke looked a bit dubiously at Kenshin.

"That's all you got, Omara-kun?" he said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that young Kenshin was standing there.

"He's all I need, Yamagata-san. You'll see when Takasugi-san returns," said Omara.

"That'll be tommorow actually. Well, I hope for your sake this stripling can do something or you might be laughed out of the Clan," said Yamagata.

"Fuck off," said Omara with a smile, then he turned to Kenshin.

"You rest up in the rooms down the hall. I have to report to my superiors now," said Omara.

Kenshin was suddenly rather frightened at the prospect of being all alone in a strange place. Sure, he could fight, but to be alone like this. Sensing his apprehension, Omara's eyes softened.

"You'll be fine, Kenshin. If anyone gives you a hard time, just mention my name and they'll leave you alone if they know what's good for them. Now the furo's out in back and dinner's at the hour of the rooster," he said.

Kenshin made his way down the hallway to the last room on the left. It was sparse with only a futon folded up in the corner. After journeying all that way and sleeping on the ground, it would be good to sleep in a soft bed again.

Having dispensed with his belongings, Kenshin headed out to the furo. After getting undressed, the youth soaped and rinsed his body and hair, glad to finally get a bath after trekking through the wilderness. After he was cleaned off, Kenshin headed for the large bathing area. He slid the door open to reveal a room full of large strong men sitting in the water. A few of them looked up at the youth and smirked at his small stature.

Kenshin's cheeks turned red. Their smirks were almost exactly like those of the slavers before they would... Kenshin tamped those unpleasant memories down. Ignoring the leers and snickers, Kenshin slid carefully into the water in the free spot near him.

"Hey kid, get lost on the way home from school?" asked one.

Kenshin flashed him a glare, but didn't retaliate.

"My, aren't you a pretty one," said another, leering at Kenshin as if he were a piece of meat.

Kenshin turned red and held himself rigidly, feeling very self-conscious and wishing they would all just stop staring at him. Flashes of the slavers' leering faces and the feeling of their clammy hands permeated his thoughts, making him feel dirty even in the bath.

Just then the door slid open again and another man came and got into the hot tub. He was excited and had news to share.

"Takasugi-san returns tomorrow and brings an important guest from Kyoto!" he declared happily.

This news caused excited murmurs to rise in the ranks and Kenshin was quickly forgotten, for which he was grateful. The men fell into talking about Takasugi-san and what the future held for them as a unit. Kenshin picked up that they all thought very highly of their leader.

After soaking for half an hour, Kenshin arose from the water and wrapped his towel around his waist. He quickly left the company of the older men and found a yukata. After wrapping up in it, Kenshin headed for the dining hall. No one seemed to notice him as he entered and sat at an empty place.

The food was served and he ate quietly, suddenly missing his meals with Shishou. Even though the conversations had been mostly one-sided monologues about the greatness of Hiko Seijuro XIII, at least there had been the companionship and the shared interest in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Kenshin felt no companionship with the other men except for Omara, who was nowhere to be seen. No one made any friendly advances and when someone did notice him, it was usually with derision or something which made Kenshin's insides clench.

With a heavy heart, Kenshin returned to his room. In the room, Kenshin unfolded the futon and climbed in. For a long time, he lay awake and thought about everything that had happened. His anger at Hiko had worn off long ago and been replaced by an awful hollow feeling. He hated that he had parted on such bad terms with his master, but he knew in his heart that this was what he must do. How many more people like that woman in the village were being bullied and killed even as he lay in his futon?

---
The next morning, Kenshin was awakened by a knock on the wall. The shouji slid open, revealing Omara, who looked very excited. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Kenshin sat up and looked at him in confusion.

"Hurry and get dressed, Kenshin-kun. Takasugi-san's back and it's do or die," said Omara, shutting the shouji again before Kenshin could respond.

After dressing and sliding his katana into his obi, Kenshin found himself being herded out with the rest of the potential new recruits to the training grounds where they would eat breakfast before showing their skills off to Takasugi. The group sat around eating a breakfast of rice and miso. Kenshin was grateful when Omara took a place next to him.

"You nervous?" asked Omara.

Mouth too full of rice to reply, Kenshin shook his head.

"You couldn't lie to save your life," teased Omara. "Don't worry. You'll do fine."

Kenshin nodded and continued eating.

As soon as breakfast was done, a call was given and everyone got to their feet and went to start their initiation. Kenshin watched as different men sparred with different weapons; some with swords, some with spears and some with weapons he had never laid eyes on. All of them were very strong and adept, though he knew privately that none of them could hold a candle to Shishou or even to him in a real battle.

Kenshin's violet eyes traveled over to a hill on which stood two men. One had large, protruding ears, bushy eyebrows and a shamisen slung over his shoulder. The other had youthful and handsome features with black hair pulled back in a short samurai topknot.

"The man in white with the shamisen is our chief, Takasugi Shinsaku. The man in black is Katsura Kogoro, the leader of the Kyoto faction of the Choshuu Isshin Shishi. If he's here, something important is afoot," explained Omara.

Kenshin wondered what that important thing was.

"Well Kenshin-kun, your turn's coming up. Remember. No worries," said Omara.

Kenshin nodded, grateful for the support. Stepping toward the training posts, Kenshin again felt the eyes of the men on him and heard the mockery in their voices.

"Ha ha, a kid carrying a sword like a man. Let's see what you can do," teased one.

"If you can split it in half, I'll give you one ryo," jeered another.

Kenshin glared at the two, then concentrated on the training post in front of him. In a flash, he unsheathed his katana and sliced the post in half. While the top half was still hanging mid-air, he obliterated it with his sheath.

'Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, So Ryu Sen.'

No one laughed or even spoke. All eyes were on him, this time in awe. Cooly, Kenshin turned to the man who had jeered him and held out his hand.

"One ryo," he said.

"Ah..." said the dumbfounded guy as he stupidly dug into his pockets and fished out a single gold coin for the boy.

---
Kenshin went back into the headquarters with the others and started heading for his room. On his way there, he was approached by the man from yesterday, Yamagata Kiyosuke.

Yamagata looked him up and down, then smiled at him.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked.

"Kenshin," answered the youth, hoping he kept the nervousness out of his voice.

"Where are you from?" Yamagata continued to grill him.

"Aki," said Kenshin, feeling more and more nervous by the second. Why was he being singled out by the second-in-command?

"Takasugi-san would like you to eat dinner with him in his room tonight," said Yamagata.

Eyes wide as saucers, Kenshin could do naught but gulp and nod dumbly. With a final glance, Yamagata turned and walked off to wherever. Now much too tense to return to his room, Kenshin decided to head out to the countryside and get his thoughts together before his "important dinner" that night.

---
Away from Kiheitai headquarters and just outside the border of Hagi, Kenshin felt much better with the weight of all those eyes off his shoulders. Unsheathing his sword, the boy swept into his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu kata, which he had faithfully practiced every day, barring injury or illness during his four years with Hiko. Working the familiar moves was very calming to the youngster's shy and sensitive spirit.

The rhythm of his kata helped to center his spirit and calm his emotions. As he moved from the basic swordsmanship and into the Hiten forms themselves, the kata became faster and also more intricate. Kenshin was now moving with his shinsoku in a red, brown and silver blur. Sweat broke out all over, but he wasn't hot or tired, rather he was exhilarated.

Kenshin ended his kata with an enthusiastic Do Ryu Sen, splitting the ground before him in two. Sheathing his sword and standing still to catch his breath for a moment, the young man felt much better than he had before and more confident about meeting with Takasugi-san tonight.

For the rest of his free time, Kenshin wandered about the countryside, taking in all the natural beauty Choshuu had to offer. He stopped by the Abugawa river, removed his foot gear and sat with his bare feet in the cool water. The babbling of the water over the rocks in the river reminded him of the river and the waterfall back home where he and Hiko had spent hour after hour training together.

A casual glance to the west brought Kenshin back to earth with a thud. The sun was starting to slip into the horizon. He would be late for his dinner with Takasugi! Berating himself for being so absent-minded, Kenshin yanked his feet out of the water, struggled into his tabi with his wet skin sticking to the fabric and stepped into his sandals. Finally, he poured on his shinsoku to try and make it back to headquarters on time.

---
"There you are! You're late," reprimanded Yamagata as he laid eyes on the redhead who had just run in through the gate.

"Please forgive me. I lost track of the time," explained Kenshin quietly with a bow.

"Just follow me," said Yamagata, turning and heading into the building.

Entire body now trembling, Kenshin nodded and fell in behind Yamagata; the sense of peace he had just achieved in the countryside now shattered.

Yamagata led Kenshin to a shouji where he stopped and knocked. Upon hearing a muffled reply, he slid the shouji open and gestured for Kenshin to enter. Swallowing his apprehension, the young swordsman stepped in. Against the wall sat Takasugi with his shamisen in his lap. Takasugi smiled at Kenshin and gestured to the middle of the room where two hakuzen were set out across from each other, each with a delicious three-course dinner on it.

Kenshin approached the empty hakuzen and saw at the other one, the man whom Omara-san had pointed out: Katsura Kogoro. Mystified, Kenshin sat down, placing his katana at his side.

"Good evening. I hope you're hungry," said Katsura with a smile.

Kenshin nodded politely and began to pick at the food even though he really wasn't hungry at all.

"What's your name and how old are you?" continued the samurai.

"Kenshin, and I'm 14," answered the nervous boy.

Katsura's eye brows shot up. The boy sitting before him looked no older than 11, but was in fact a young man nearly at his genpuku. Still, his prowess with the blade was beyond his years.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Katsura.

"Katsura Kogoro of the Ishin Shishi," said Kenshin, praying he wouldn't stutter.

Katsura nodded.

"Any idea why you've been called here?" he continued.

Kenshin shook his head, his whole body shaking by now despite his best efforts.

"Don't be nervous. You've done nothing wrong," soothed Katsura, seeing how nervous the boy was becoming. "In fact, it's more because of what you've done right that you're here. I'm here looking for strong warriors to join the battle in Kyoto. I was very impressed by your moves today. I wouldn't expect one so young to be so adept with the blade. What sword style do you use?"

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," answered Kenshin, feeling more composed now that he knew he wasn't in trouble.

Katsura's jaw nearly hit the hakuzen. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu was a legendary sword style from the Feudal Era. He had never been certain if it really existed or was just a story. To find that it was in fact real and still being practiced in this day and age was a blessing in his eyes.

"So that's Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. I've heard of it before, but didn't know it really existed," said Katsura.

As Kenshin picked up his cup to take a sip of his green tea, Katsura looked him over seriously. Sensing the appraisal, Kenshin began to feel uncomfortable again and looked at the elder swordsman with his huge violets.

"Let me ask you a question. Have you used Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to kill anyone?" asked Katsura in a low voice, quite different from the one he'd used before.

"No," answered Kenshin.

"Then, can you?" asked Katsura.

Holding the steaming cup in his hands, Kenshin thought this over. He'd seen death many times. He'd seen Shishou kill people a few times. He had trained with deadly katana from the first day. Hiko's philosophy on swordsmanship had always been the bald-faced truth.

"A sword is a weapon. Swordsmanship is a way to kill. However you dress it up in righteousness, killing is the truth behind it."

Mind made up, Kenshin set down his cup and looked Katsura squarely in the eye.

"If when I finally lay down my blood stained blade, there is truly an era of peace, then..." he trailed off, uncertain of what to say next.

"I see. We'll head for Kyoto first thing tomorrow morning. Get some rest upstairs tonight," said Katsura.

Face schooled to a neutral expression, Kenshin bowed respectfully to Katsura, then to Takasugi. Standing up, he picked up his katana and left the room, very much perplexed. He had only come here to join the Kiheitai and suddenly he was being taken to Kyoto by the chief of the whole Ishin Shishi.

Kenshin ran into Omara at the end of the hall.

"Katsura-san is taking me to Kyoto," said Kenshin.

Omara's face visibly paled at this news. Seeing Kenshin's confusion at his reaction, he quickly pasted on a smile.

"That's great, Kenshin-kun," he said, though his ki didn't ring sincere.

"I'm off to bed because we get an early start. Thank you for everything, Omara-san," said Kenshin with a bow.

"Eh, you're welcome. Take care of yourself in Kyoto," said Omara.

"I will," said Kenshin with a smile before turning and heading upstairs.

Omara turned and headed mutely for his quarters. On his way, he ran into Yamagata.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Yamagata.

"Katsura-san's taking Kenshin to Kyoto," said Omara. "If I'd known..."

"No room for regrets in our line of work. Kenshin's skills are needed badly there. There's nothing you can do about it now," said Yamagata, ever the practicalist.

"I understand," said Omara with a bow.

It would be a long time before Omara Sadujino would think of Kenshin's bright violet eyes without feeling like he had led a lamb or some other innocent little creature to slaughter.