Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Alchemy of Gold and Silver ❯ Endured ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I do not own RK or any of the characters. The plot is the result of Japanese History, the manga/anime, and my own (odd) imagination.

 

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Chapter 3: Endured

 

Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny.

Aeschylus

 

***

 

“Watch it, gramps! That hurts!” the teenaged boy shouted.

 

Gensai sighed and finished applying the ointment anyway, bandaging the wound to prevent any further damage, or worse, infection. Luckily for the boy, he was young and strong; how he managed to sustain such injuries in the first place was something the good doctor would rather not know.

 

So young… this boy couldn't be more than fifteen, and yet… I wonder where he came from.

 

Gensai wasn't exactly unused to strangers wandering into his clinic for emergency treatment; there was a war going on, after all. Despite this, it still shocked him to treat one so little removed from childhood.

 

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not immediately register that his patient had ceased his loud grumbling and was now gawking silently at the door.

 

“H-hey, grandpa…” the youth swallowed.

 

Gensai flicked his eyes upward, and his hands immediately stopped moving.

 

“Kaoru-chan?” This can't be…

 

But he knew little Kaoru when he saw her. All the students at the Kamiya dojo had been through his clinic once or twice when they'd gotten a little too enthusiastic with training, but Kaoru and her father were regular social callers as well.

 

Yes, it was most certainly her, and yet… She was covered in so much blood that the smell alone was overpowering, never mind the sight of a child bathed in it. She stood dumbly in the doorway, eyes puffy and red from where she had clearly been sobbing for quite some time. The trails the tears had left on her cheeks were dry now, though, and the grief-stricken visage was gone, replaced by something so hard and world-weary he would have thought it better placed on a battle-toughened veteran. Her normally blue eyes were unnaturally bright, and a touch of silver glinted at the edge of the iris. In her hand was a katana encased in black lacquer with silver trimmings. It was almost as long as she was tall, and he would have found the sight incongruously humorous if the rest of her didn't seem to belong to it now.

 

He quickly tied off the boy's bandages and motioned for him to stand.

 

“Help me, would you, Sanosuke-kun?” Gensai took hold of one of Kaoru's arms, and gestured for the boy to take the other. Kaoru was clearly in shock, and she wasn't going to move on her own.

 

They maneuvered her into a sitting position, and Gensai began checking her over gently. None of the blood appeared to be hers, and after no more than a cursory glance, he was able to determine that she was uninjured. No… she's beyond injured, it's just not the kind I can heal. She still sat, unmoving, eyes staring off somewhere he could not see.

 

Without any other recourse but to wait for her to come around, he took a wet cloth and went to at least remove the spatters of blood that had reached her face. As his hand extended, however, he found it caught swiftly in a small, vice-like grasp.

 

“They killed him,” she whispered, and Gensai could feel that her hand was trembling violently. “They killed them all.” Her gaze came back into focus, and she locked eyes with him. He watched as the silver rim around her iris thinned, and then disappeared entirely.

 

Kaoru shuddered, then fainted dead away.

 

***

 

She awoke two mornings later, and was surprised to find that she was no longer in her bloody gi and hakama. Rather, she was wearing a sleeping yukata that was a tad too big for her. Most surprising, though, was that she was clean. Someone- Gensai's wife and nurse Mariko, she would guess- had bathed her.

 

She sat up quickly, and immediately regretted it when her blood pressure dropped sharply. As soon as the room stopped spinning, though, she was up and walking on unsteady feet, with only one thought in mind. I have to find the man called Hiko. Still, she was practical enough to realize that she would at least need to find something to wear first. Glancing about the room, she noticed a small kimono neatly folded beside the futon. Kaoru grimaced. It was light pink and had what appeared to be a pattern of white plum blossoms on it, but beggars couldn't be choosers, right? If getting out of here and finishing what she started meant she had to wear a kimono, well, she'd just have to grin and bear it.

 

A few minutes later, she was dressed. Mariko had left her ribbon, surprisingly unbloodied, beside the kimono, and Kaoru tucked it into the obi carefully before casting about the room, looking for her father's sword. To her dismay, she could not seem to see it anywhere. Deciding to just find Doctor Gensai and ask him where it was, she slid open the door to the room she was in and made her way out to the general living area.

 

A tall boy a few years older than her was reclined on the ground, lazily chewing what appeared to be the bones of a fish. She was a little surprised when he turned to greet her; she was sure she had made no sound.

 

He grinned, “Hey, little missy. Finally decided to wake up, huh? Gramps has been worried about ya.” His tone was a bit too cheerful, Kaoru thought, as though it was masking something else.

 

If she had been her usual self that day, she might have taken him to task for calling her something like “little missy” but as it was she merely nodded absently, eyes flicking about the room.

 

“Where is he?” she asked in a flat voice.

 

“In the clinic. He said he'd be back in a bit, told me to have ya wait if ya woke up. Weird how doctors can sense that stuff, huh?” He tried smiling again, but it quickly faded when met with nothing but a blank stare.

 

“Yeah,” Kaoru sat down a few feet away from the spiky-haired boy, leaning her back against the wall and closing her eyes.

 

There was silence for a few seconds, then: “Name's Sagara Sanosuke, by the way. You should call me Sano, though.” The silence invited a response.

 

Kaoru cracked an eyelid, then both as she caught sight of his expectant expression.

 

“Kamiya Kaoru.”

 

“Kaoru-chan… nah, I like little missy better,” Sano decided, nodding to himself.

 

Kaoru's eyes narrowed, “Listen, you… rooster-head! What makes it okay for you to decide what to call me?”

 

He snapped his mouth shut, breaking the fish bone in the process, “Rooster-head?! You wanna say that again?!” He seemed more surprised than angry though, perhaps because she had finally shown some reaction to anything he said.

 

Kaoru was about to retort, but the sight of half the fish skeleton falling out of his mouth was too much. Before she knew it, she had dissolved into a fit of giggles.

 

***

 

 

“Hey! Why are you laughing at me?” But this only caused her to laugh harder, and Sano could have sighed with relief. The quiet had been grating on his nerves. At least she was acting like a normal human being now. He'd heard what happened to her dad, and he sympathized. She was already on her way back to well if she was laughing.

 

Her thoughts seemed to move in the same direction as his, though, and her laughter subsided, leaving her with a rather morose expression.

 

“Little missy?” The rest of his question was cut off by the arrival of Doctor Gensai.

 

“Sanosuke-kun,” the old man nodded at him, and Sano returned the gesture. Truthfully, he'd been planning on getting healed and then leaving, but Kaoru's arrival had prompted him to stay. Something about what had happened to her had struck a nerve in Sano, and so the doctor had let him stick around for the extra few days.

 

“Kaoru-chan,” Gensai continued, “I see you're looking much better.”

 

“Yes, thanks to you, doctor,” the gratefulness was genuine, Sano guessed, but the lightness of her tone was all fake.

 

“Not at all, my dear, it was the least I could do for you. I am only sorry that I could not do more…” He trailed off, and Sano watched Kaoru's eyes fill with tears. She blinked them away, though, and continued in a steady voice.

 

“I need to find a man named Hiko. Father…” her tone wavered, “Father said you would know how to reach him.”

 

The old man nodded, and Sano thought he didn't seem at all surprised by the information.

 

“I do indeed know how to find him, but I must insist that you stay here for a few more days. I will be able to take you to Kyoto then.” Gensai made to head for the kitchen, but stopped when the girl spoke again.

 

Kaoru shook her head, “This isn't something that can wait. I have to do it now, or…”

 

Sano understood. When Captain Sagara had been killed, he had immediately hit the road, needing something to do, somewhere to be, that didn't remind him of the man he considered both mentor and parent. He'd gotten into a bunch of fights, and kind of drifted for a while, but he figured the missy would probably do better than him if she had someplace to go.

 

“Kaoru-chan, I understand your urgency, but I can't let you travel all that way alone,” Gensai's voice was gentle as ever, but firm.

 

“I'll go,” Sano spoke up, “Weren't those people ya wanted me to meet in Kyoto as well? Just draw us a map or something,” he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. Really, though, he was itching to be moving again. Even Sano felt guilty about freeloading off someone like the old man for too long.

 

The doctor seemed unconvinced, and Sano rolled his eyes.

 

“Look at her, grandpa. Ya told her Kyoto, and ya know she'd leave anyway with only that to go on. I'm just takin' up space here anyway, and if ya really want me to see these Oniwaban guys, it makes sense.”

 

Gensai thought it over, then offered a small smile, “Very well then. You know, Sanosuke-kun, you're actually quite mature for your age, when you want to be…”

 

“Yeah, whatever,” Sano huffed, “Just draw us the map and let's get outta here.”

 

***

 

Gensai watched them go with fear in his heart. He couldn't believe that he was allowing a twelve-year old and a fifteen-year-old to travel all the way to Kyoto on their own. He murmured an apology to the departed Koshijiro.

 

Still, they should fare better together than apart.

 

He only hoped that they would not fall prey to the dangers of the road, or of the war.

 

***

 

Sano strode down the road with his hands in his pockets, occasionally stealing glances at his taciturn companion. She probably had to take two strides for every one of his, but not once had she complained or showed signs of lagging, which was saying something, since she was walking in a kimono, Gensai's wife having refused to allow her to don her still-bloody gi and hakama. So she had made do, strapping her sword to her back instead of wearing it at her waist.

 

Her silence was making him fidgety. From what he had seen that morning, Kaoru was naturally spirited, so this complete reticence was getting awkward. She didn't seem to notice or care, though, because his few attempts at conversation were met with monosyllabic answers. So, with a great sigh, he had resigned himself to a long, quiet, uncomfortable journey.

 

Just how far was Kyoto, anyway? A few days? A few weeks? Sano certainly hoped the latter wasn't the case. He pulled the old man's map out of his pocket and peered at it.

 

Damn maps. Sano was completely useless with directions, though he'd never say it aloud. He considered giving the map to Kaoru, but she didn't exactly look like she wanted to be interrupted. After a few minutes of staring fruitlessly at the paper, he shook his head and refolded it carefully. The doc had said all they really had to do was follow this road for most of the way, anyhow. He looked back over at the little missy, but her expression hadn't changed; she was still stony-faced and staring straight forward.

 

A wry smile crept onto his face. He had a feeling she'd just keep going until she collapsed, which meant he had to be the responsible one. He nearly laughed at the irony of it, but settled for an exaggerated stretch instead.

 

“Well, whaddya think, little missy? I think it's about time we set up camp for the night. Gotta get our rest, ya know?”

 

Kaoru didn't respond, and for a moment he thought she would just keep on going, but then she spoke.

 

“Okay. But where should we stop?”

 

Sano's grin widened. So it wasn't exactly a conversation, but it was a start.

 

“We probably oughta get away from this road.” He thought he had found a nice spot, but he wanted her to speak, so he left the question up in the air.

 

“What about over there?” She pointed to the grove of trees he had noticed, and he felt a twinge of self-satisfaction.

 

“Looks good to me,” Sano abruptly veered off the road, and Kaoru followed a little more cautiously, careful not to rip her kimono on any of the brambles that covered the ground.

 

“I'll stay up and keep watch first. When the moon's about there-” Sano indicated a point in the sky- “I'll wake you up for your turn, okay?”

 

At Kaoru's affirmative nod, Sano settled himself onto a fallen log and turned to face the road. The chances of anyone finding them here were pretty slim; they hadn't seen a single other person on the road all day. Even so, Sano knew better than to take a chance. If it had been just him, he might have risked sleeping, but the little missy was another case entirely. If Sanosuke had ever had a sister, he would have understood why. As it was, he accepted the seemingly natural protectiveness as a consequence of his promise to the old man to keep her safe.

 

***

 

“Sano. Sano, wake up. Sano!”

 

Sanosuke rolled over, mumbling something about it being too early, and tried to cover his head with his hands. Kaoru frowned and narrowed her eyes.

 

“Sano, if you don't get up right now, I'm going to kick you in the ribs again!”

 

The teenager's eyes flew open, and he was on his feet quicker than Kaoru would have thought possible. She smirked slightly; it seemed that had done the trick.

 

“Okay, okay! Jeez, little missy, you don't gotta be so violent.”

 

“It got you up, didn't it?” He had no response. Shaking her head, Kaoru checked that her sword was settled into place, the strap that held it crossing her chest comfortably. A few weeks on the road with Sano had taught her the reason he always took first watch. If he had this much difficulty getting up with the sun on his face, it would have been nigh impossible in the dead of night when her watch started.

 

Stretching lazily, Sano made his way over to the road. One of the benefits of such a spartan camp was that it made getting back on the road an easy task. Kaoru threw some ash over the smoldering embers of last night's fire and trotted to catch up. He yawned as she approached, and she couldn't help but be reminded of an oversized housecat, chicken-head notwithstanding. Sano was head and shoulders taller than her and still growing, and at times he was amusingly all limbs.

 

He paused mid-yawn when he saw her smiling at him, and his face was just too funny. She snickered at him, then laughed aloud when his expression abruptly switched to one of exaggerated puzzlement. He laughed too, and pretty soon they were both left standing in the middle of the road, grinning like idiots.

 

“Well, shall we?” Kaoru asked, gesturing to the road, “Can't be more than a week now, right?”

 

“Er… sure,” Sano hedged.

 

“Sano?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

 

“What?” he tried to sound as casual as possible.

 

“Do you have any idea where we are?”

 

“Of course I do! We're on this big road to Kyoto!”

 

Kaoru sighed. Is he serious? “Why don't you let me take a look at that map?”

 

Sano looked like he was about to protest, but she silenced him with a glare, and he sheepishly handed over the paper. Taking a look, Kaoru managed to estimate their location using a landmark they had passed the previous day.

 

“Okay,” she said at last, “It looks like we follow this road for another day or so, and then head into the forest…” She folded up the map, ignoring the hand he held out to take it back and tucking it into her obi instead. This forced her to look down at the kimono, and she grimaced. Three weeks of road wear and a few harsh washings in small bodies of water had not been kind to the material, and it was scuffed and smudged in numerous places. Not that she herself was in much better shape. She really, really needed a good bath, and from the way Sano smelled, he needed one even worse.

 

“Let's go,” she said firmly, heading down the road once more.

 

“You bet,” he replied, sounding relieved.

 

Kaoru could sympathize. It seemed as though their arduous journey would soon be at an end, one way or another. She just hoped that this Hiko person was still where this map said he would be. Who lived out in the wilderness like that anyway? Sano, it seemed, would see her to her destination, then head into Kyoto proper to meet with some friends of Doctor Gensai.

 

A slight breeze kicked up, propelling dust from behind them, and Kaoru found her weary soul buoyed by the support.

 

Father… I hope I can make you proud.

 

***

 

“That's enough for now,” Hiko lowered his blunt practice sword and sheathed it with the ease born of true mastery. His pupil gave a shrug, and followed suit. “Go get cleaned up.” He tossed his own practice sword at the boy, and walked off towards his house.

 

He reached his porch and sat, looking out onto the now-empty patch of grass that served as a practice field. His sharp mind replayed the match several times, and he frowned. He disliked the flecks of gold that appeared in the baka's eyes, marks of a shift in his ki, one that in this case indicated he was allowing his violence to rule him. Hiko himself had once struggled against that very same sensation, and he was stronger for his victory. Unless his apprentice could master himself, he would be unable to learn the final succession technique.

 

There was one other detail that was bothering him, for a very different reason. Ever since that day eleven years ago when he had last seen Koshijiro, he had been unable to correct the stance the boy used when stepping forward for an attack. It was interesting, actually: the slight adjustment in the left foot took some of the strength out of the rush, but allowed for swifter changes in direction. Hiko had tried it himself, to find that it was clearly a technique for a man of a smaller build than himself, and allowed the baka to take full advantage of his speed, which, while not superior to his master's at the moment, eventually would be.

 

I wonder if that damn kohai of mine knew it. Hiko remembered Koshijiro saying that he had “already won,” and felt a wry smile creep onto his face. Of course he would have known. It figured that Koshijiro would have given the baka a modified technique, one that would prove an advantage when facing a slower, stronger opponent. It was exactly the type Kamiya himself would have used. Interfering little… But Hiko's smile remained, and there was no malice in the thought.

 

“Hiko-sensei.” Kenshin's presence, while not a surprise, was now forced to the forefront of his thoughts. Hiko realized the baka was expecting a rundown of the fight and all the things he had done wrong; such was the usual practice.

 

Instead, Hiko chose something else entirely. “The fighting's reaching the cities now,” he stated bluntly. He watched with a projected disinterest as his apprentice's eyes flashed that gold color again.

 

“Fools,” the boy ground out through gritted teeth. “Hiko-sensei, why don't we just go and stop them? You could. You could defeat any of them.”

 

Hiko laughed mirthlessly. “And then where would we be, baka deshi? Everyone would still be dead. Swords are designed to kill, and kenjutsu is the art of murder. It doesn't bring peaceful resolutions.”

 

“If you stopped the soldiers, than at least no innocents would have to die! Sure, we might have to kill, but we'd be creating a world where nobody would have to live in fear anymore!” Kenashin's face was turning red, and Hiko noted with no small irritation that the baka had changed his language to include himself.

 

“You're being an idealistic fool,” he said flatly. This argument was an increasingly frequent one between them, and Hiko tired of it. “Killing is killing, and you should never kill for the sake of a cause.”

 

“And why not?” Kenshin demanded, “Better than killing selfishly!”

 

“If I have to explain it to you, you'll never understand, baka!” Hiko raised his own voice to match, “Now go do five hundred sets to cool off. When you're ready to see reason again, I'll be here,” he finished with words little more than a growl.

 

Kenshin glared, but huffed off anyway. Hiko stood and entered the house. No, his pupil was not going to learn the succession technique anytime soon. He had not raised the boy so he could be a tool for someone else. He feared it may be too late for that, but he certainly would sharpen the tool no further.

 

He was unsurprised, though disappointed, when the boy did not return that evening, or the next. On the third day, Hiko ventured into his student's room. Finding most of the baka's belongings gone, along with one of his own katanas, he swore under his breath.

 

Baka deshi… what have you gone and done? Brainless moron. His thoughts continued to run along this vein for some time, until he resolved that the boy would be back eventually anyway. He just hoped it would be under his own power, and not in a box.

 

***

 

Three-and-a-half weeks, Sano decided, was way too long to be on a road anywhere. Now that the little missy was in charge of the map, he felt a little more sure that they were on the right track, but he had begun to wonder if it would ever end. He was tired, he was sore, and he was hungry. With nothing but traveling rations to eat, he was pretty sure he'd lost what little excess weight he'd ever possessed.

 

Not that the amount of time that transpired was all for the worse. Kaoru seemed to be recovering from her trauma remarkably well, and she was making conversation as they walked now. Unless he missed his guess, having a goal was doing her some good.

 

Personally, he was feeling a little better, too. Sano found he was actually looking forward to reaching Kyoto and meeting these Oniwaban people, and seeing what they were really all about. He'd heard the rumors of course: whispers of some shadow organization that was trying to stop the war. They weren't having much luck yet, but Sano was the kind of guy who liked to think that a few extra hands might make a difference, and he wasn't reluctant to be one of those pairs of hands if that's what was called for. Anything to stop more stories like Captain Sagara and Kaoru's old man.

 

His train of thought was broken when he spotted figures in the distance. They had passed a few groups of people on their way, even a solitary traveler here and there, but this group had a different sense about them than mobile merchants or refugees. Sano could read ki to some degree, and these guys were definitely fighters. Probably not soldiers, though, as they weren't dressed in any uniform he recognized.

 

“Careful,” he whispered to Kaoru, “These guys look like trouble.” The girl next to him just nodded, blue eyes wide.

 

The two groups met on the road, and Sano made to pass to the side without making eye contact. It appeared it wouldn't be that easy, though.

 

“Oh, what have we got `ere?” The man's breath smelled of sake, his clothes of blood. “Two little kids out on the road all by `emselves.”

 

“Look, man,” Sano said, holding his hands up in front of him, “Me and my sis here don't want any trouble.”

 

The man guffawed, and elbowed one of his companions. “He don' want any trouble, he says. Guess he don't know who he's dealing with, do `e?” The other men laughed.

 

Sano didn't like where this was going. He tightened the bindings about his hands as Kaoru spoke.

 

“Please, sir, my brother and I don't have any money, or anything else to give you. We're just on our way to meet our uncle.” Sano had to hand it to her, her voice didn't shake in the slightest as she lied; making it seem as though someone was expecting them was a smart move too, though he doubted it'd be any use with these guys.

 

“No money, eh? Well, don' you worry about that, wench. There's plenty to be got fer a pretty little girly like you. An' yer brother here looks plenty strong. Yeah, there'll be lotsa money fer us at the end of this, eh boys?”

 

That did it for Sano. “Like Hell, you bastards!” He shouted, catching the nearest one in the jaw with his fist. No way he was going to let them get sold off on some underground slave market. Ordinarily, he would have doubted his chances, but these guys seemed pretty drunk, which gave him an advantage, even if there were five of them.

 

Of course, that was when he realized that three of them had swords. Sano hated swords; he'd never been any good with one himself, and while he could defend against them, it was substantially more difficult for someone armed only with his fists to take out a guy with a katana.

 

He had successfully dodged the first two swipes they took at him, but he seemed to have lost track of the third guy.

 

“Sano!” The cry was accompanied with a sound of steel meeting steel, and he turned to see Kaoru swiftly disengage the third swordsman and deliver a devastating blow to his collarbone. He was unable to see the result, however, because a fist caught him in the stomach. Resisting the urge to double over, he backed up to where Kaoru was standing over the body of her opponent. That, and the guy he had taken down initially, left three of them, two armed, including the leader.

 

He glanced sideways at Kaoru. He had no way of knowing if she was any good with that sword or if her blow had been pure luck. He decided that the latter was unlikely, since her dad was a dojo master. He didn't know if she had learned her father's style or not, but decided to trust that no decent man would leave his kid completely defenseless while he taught others to fight.

 

“I'll take the flunkies if you want the loudmouth,” he muttered so only she could hear. He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye, and dashed forward, attempting to cause a distraction.

 

He was partially successful, managing to lay out the unarmed man on his way over. His swordsman friend was slightly more cautious, though, and guarded against Sano's attack. He heard the leader grunt as Kaoru managed to hit him somewhere, and a grin broke out on his face.

 

His opponent took advantage of his momentary distraction and swung his katana. Sano was able to dodge, but the movement left him vulnerable to the inevitable follow-up. He braced for it, but rather than strike again, the man slumped forward and fell to the ground, revealing a determined Kaoru standing behind him, blue eyes flashing silver. He thought there was something weird happening with her ki, too, but before he had a chance to check again, it was gone, and her eyes had reverted to their normal color.

 

“Thanks,” he managed.

 

She smiled, “No problem. You'd better watch your technique, though, you leave yourself open a lot,” she suggested, barbing him a little with a grin and a know-it-all tone.

 

For once, Sano ignored the bait, and simply shrugged, “That's just the way I fight, ya know?” Captain Sagara had tried with little success to temper the aggressiveness of Sano's style, so he was used to hearing this.

 

Kaoru regarded him carefully. “I suppose it works, in it's own way. Just don't get yourself killed, eh brother?” She placed a teasing emphasis on the last word, reminding him of the cover story he'd made up.

 

He laughed, “Yeah, sure. By the way, did your old man teach you that stuff? You took those guys out like a pro.” Granted, they'd been drunk and none too skilled, but Sano was still impressed. He realized the mistake he'd made in referring to her father a little too late, but to his surprise, her smile did not fade.

 

“Yes, he taught me how to fight, but I didn't `take anyone out.' My sword school doesn't believe in killing, but protecting people.”

 

“But, you use a katana…” Sano trailed off and looked down at the bodies. Sure enough, they were all out cold, but she had done no more damage than he had, and the only blood anywhere was pouring out of one guy's broken nose and the small cut Sano had sustained from one of the swordsmen.

 

Kaoru drew her sword by way of explanation, and Sano was surprised to see that the blade was on the wrong side. “What the…?”

 

“It's a sakabatou,” she explained, “The blade can be flipped if I really need to slice something, but the right way to wield it is like this.”

 

“Huh. A sword that doesn't kill people. That's an interesting theory you got there,” Sano was interested, but decided not to press on the point too much for fear of saying something that would send her back to memories of stuff she didn't want to think about.

 

It was Kaoru's turn to shrug, “It's the way my father taught me.” The pride in her voice was evident, and Sano was reminded of how the Captain's men (himself included) spoke of their leader.

 

“Well, I guess we'd better get a move on. I don't suppose these guys have any money?”

 

“Sano! We are not going to steal from them!” Kaoru managed to sound shocked, offended, and slightly angry.

 

“Relax, little missy, I was joking!”

 

“And don't call me little missy, you rooster-head!”

 

“Not that again!”

 

A few minutes later, there appeared to be a clearing in the trees they were passing through. Before they could get any further though, Kaoru came to a halt. Sano watched her warily for a moment, then stopped himself when he felt a tumultuous ki. His senses for these kind of things were pretty good, and he prided himself on being able to tell if someone was aggressive or not. This particular ki seemed about as angry as they came.

 

A redheaded boy about Sano's age entered his field of vision, and he tensed. This was most definitely the source. In another time, Sano might have been surprised that someone his age possessed such an intimidating spirit, but he reminded himself that he and the missy too were both tougher than your average adult. Still, this was not a guy he wanted to miss with.

 

The missy and the stranger seemed to have locked eyes, and Sano felt curiously left out of something. Then Kaoru blinked, and started walking forward again. The redhead's eyes narrowed, but he, too, resumed moving in the opposite direction. Sano thought of asking him what the Hell he was doing out here, but something told him that would not be the best of ideas. The little missy didn't seem too concerned with his presence, anyway, and Sano was rapidly learning to trust her instincts as well as his own.

 

Even so, something about the guy unsettled him, and he couldn't resist giving him a glare as he passed by. The answering purple one was fierce, but Sano didn't look away until they were some distance past each other and he was sure the other teenager wasn't going to attack.

 

“What gives with that guy?” he inquired, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. His friend only shook her head and kept walking.

 

***********

 

Kiku's Corner

 

Hello, again, dear readers! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3 of Silver. By the way, I'm also taking submissions for alternative story names, since this was never more than a working title.

 

I'm on the road at the moment, and Beth/Torin have yet to contact me with edits, but as annoyingly punctual as I like to be, I decided to publish this chapter un-beta'd rather than late. Hopefully, I'll be able to put the edits in within the next couple days, but this was the only time today I'll have access to the internet. So if you find any grammatical and/or spelling stuff, I hope you'll forgive me.

 

Thanks to everyone who's reading; you guys make writing this story worth it. Thanks even more to the reviewers, who make my day when I open the little emails.

 

My Betas rock as well, just so you know.

 

~Kiku~