Author's note: Thanks as usual to everyone's reviews! I hope I was pretty quick with the update, though I think the chapters may all be becoming shorter..... Well, not as quick as some authors but like I said, I can't be promising reliably fast updates with everything going on at the moment. Rest assured that this is my top priority, though!
Response to Reviewers!:
Chiruken: Thanks very much for the review, and I'll have to see that Abbot and Costello skit sometime. Always a pleasure to hear from the much- acclaimed Chiruken.
Sakura Alex: I think you are on sugar, or maybe you are just an incredibly genki person, but your review is welcome always! Thank Kami-sama you're not dead - just kidding, you don't need to apologise for missing a chapter, jeez, how greedy do you think I am? Go Sakura-chan! Burn down your school!
Hiko-and-Kenshin: After reading your review I re-read my response, and I realised how sarcastic/bitchy it sounded! Really, I didn't mean it like that! LOL, I didn't really consider that a flame, but thanks all the same, and thanks for the review.
Kaoru-misao: Hiko is an awesome character, and thank you very much for the high praise. The seatmate on the train I basically fed a bunch of lies to when they asked me a whole bunch of nosy questions, and I was further amazed by the average human's complete gullibility. Especially when she asked what I had been in the mental institution for and I said 'I'm a pathological liar'. Anyhow, thanks for the review.
Crazy Girl Person: No more coffee for you! It makes you hyper! Gotta love blue penguin/bears. And Shikoku really is boring, so I'd understand if you didn't want to get Hiko's sandals for him. Always great hearing from you, thanx for your review!
Emz: I know you reviewed under CocaCola, but you'll always be Emz now sorry. Look at that, you must have remembered your password, good work! Lol, thanks very much, Long Live Emz!
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Routine
Chapter 13 - Justice in Broad Daylight
By Sinnatious
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"Baka Deshi! Hurry up and finish those dishes then go do the laundry!"
Kenshin sighed to himself. Even when just doing chores, Hiko wouldn't give him a break. At least he'd managed to catch up on some sleep, and his healing processes were moving along beautifully, in his opinion. His bruises hardly hurt anymore, and the colour ought to fade within the next day or two as well.
"Hai, Shishou. What will you be doing?" Kenshin replied automatically.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going to get supplies from the village. I'll meet you back here for lunch. Don't be late," Hiko gruffly replied, hefting a couple of empty sake jugs over his shoulder. It was cheaper just to refill the jugs than buy new ones.
Kenshin nodded, then turned and began gathering the laundry. He could have dragged the water back by bucket, but generally it was easier to simply do the washing by the river. The sound of the water was soothing as well. Perhaps that was why his Shishou always seemed to enjoy training in the river - the river was a nice place when you weren't spending half of your time floundering in it.
He made it to the river and quickly lost himself in the meditation of scrubbing at cloth. Time passed quickly, and soon, the sun was high in the sky. Startled from his trance, Kenshin realised that he was already late returning for lunch, and Hiko would be waiting for him, probably annoyed, especially after telling him not to be late.
First, though, he had to drag everything back and hang the laundry to dry. Then he had to put everything back away, and only then was he able to enter the small hut for lunch. "I'm sorry I'm late, Shishou."
When his master didn't respond, Kenshin turned and looked at him quizzically, wondering why he wasn't getting the usual lecture or at least a 'baka deshi'. What he was confronted with, though, made him quail visibily.
An empty complimentary bottle of sake, as well as the two usual sake jugs, sat by the table, the stench of alcohol reaching the young swordsman powerfully. His Shishou had been drinking? But it wasn't even dinner-time yet! What was going on?
It was all horribly wrong. "Shishou?"
This time, the man seemed to hear him. "Ah, you're here. Good, we can go now," the older man slurred, standing up somewhat shakily, and sliding his sheathed katana into the folds of his belt. Kenshin was still wearing his - it was starting to become a force of habit during daylight hours, as there was no telling when his Shishou, even on a chores day, would decide to have a few extra minutes of training.
"Go where, Shishou?" Kenshin protested, even as the man made his way towards the door. What was this? Was his Shishou really drunk? He had no idea how much the man had. This was completely out of the ordinary. Hiko, getting drunk in the middle of the day.
"Go to deliver Heavenly Justish to the shcum of the earth, of course!" the swordmaster announced. Kenshin struggled to keep up as his master's long, though slightly unsteady pace, led them away from the hut and towards the road at the bottom of the mountain.
It was apparently becoming just as easy for Hiko to surprise an apprentice of the Hiten Mitsuryugi Ryu as Kenshin had been doing to his master recently. A Righteous Hiko? Again, in such a short time? The teen hoped fervently that the elder didn't want to go join the rebels again. He might actually do it this time.
Fortunately for him, the man didn't seem to be heading in the direction of either the village or Kyoto, but Kenshin knew that on this path they'd eventually intersect with one of the roads leading into the village. "But Shishou!"
"No butsh," Hiko corrected him, striding ahead.
"Shishou!"
The older man totally disregarded him now, leaving Kenshin to follow sulkily. At least his master hadn't launched into any speeches this time, and hadn't said a word about the rebels. Without a distinct destination in mind, the man would eventually pass out before he could do any harm to himself, his reputation, or anyone else for that matter. Though it would be nothing short of murder if the young red-head had to try and drag his comparatively enormous master that huge distance back to their cabin. That thought in mind, he set about trying once again to convince his Shishou to turn around, but every time he tried to talk to his master he was either blantantly ignored or quickly shushed, and in fact Hiko acted as though he weren't even there, aside from looking back occasionally after a long silence to make sure the youth was still with him.
Not even a day of nothing more than mundane chores like laundry and firewood chopping could be peaceful anymore, apparently. Kenshin wondered how long a man like Hiko Seijuuro could travel in a drunken state. Even though his master was clearly drunk, in broad daylight no less, his walk hadn't quite reached the point of a staggering, and though he meandered from side to side on the road, he seemed quite capable for the time being.
Wrapped up in his fretting, they had nearly reached the road when Kenshin sensed several nearby unfamiliar ki. Tensing as he recognised the state of several terrified and fighting ki, he unconsciously lay a hand on the hilt of his katana. Hiko, though, didn't react until he heard the screams - Kenshin wasn't sure how much ki he could sense when he was drunk, but obviously at least some of his swordsmanship instincts were intact. He moved forward, putting a hand on his katana himself. Kenshin ran to catch up as his Shishou burst past the tree line dramatically.
The youth paled when he laid eyes on the scene confronting him - though in most ways different, it held far too much familiarity to events in his past better forgotten. A large family of peasants and their carts were stopped in the middle of the road. There were three young men, two of them already dead by sword, having no means by which to defend themselves other than shovels. There were also several old men, as well women and children collected around the main wagon, the women screaming and the children crying as they were descended upon by a pack of what had to be bandits.
Lo and behold, Righteous Hiko had actually found some Heavenly Justice to be doled out.
"Stop right there, in the name of Hiten Mishu- Mitsubi- Mitsuryugi!" Hiko finally got it out. He drew his katana. Kenshin felt panic seize him. His Shishou was going to try and fight bandits in his condition? There had to be a dozen of them!
"Shishou!" Kenshin cried out, but it was too late, his master was already charging the first of the bandits, who held up a sword of his own and charged back. To the teen's surprise, and likely everyone else there, Hiko deftly and professionally swept past the man's defenses, sword cleaving through his shoulder. With a cry of pain, the first bandit collapsed.
Hiko Seijuuro moved on to the second, then the third in a mere matter of seconds. As the next ones blindly rushed him, he cut them down, almost seeming bored. Even drunk, he moved too fast for the untrained eye to track his movements.
The remaining six briggans apparently deemed this man a more immediate threat the young farmer who was still trying to protect his family with little more than a pick axe. Their eyes clearly spoke their thirst for revenge as well as cockiness now that the element of surprise was gone. They encircled him now, and Hiko was starting to look a little disorientated, very similar to how he looked before he went to bed or passed out. No, that couldn't happen! Not now!
Sure enough, whilst he was raising his katana to attack his first target, Hiko Seijuuro suddenly swayed, and collapsed into unconsciousness as the sake, no doubt assisted by the exertion of even a simple sword fight, finally took its toll. Seeing this foe, moments ago untouchable, suddenly so vulnerable, one of the bandits advanced, sword raised for a kill and grinning.
"NO! SHISHOU!" Kenshin cried out, rushing forward with god-like speed and drawing his katana. He deflected the blow with his sword, and just as fast cut the man's arm from his shoulder. The sight of the blood made him nauseous, the scream of pain tore at his ears, but he forced himself to hold fast as he stood, katana raised, over his Shishou's unconscious form. He didn't care if he had to take a life; he'd protect his master and these innocents at any cost.
Sheathing his sword and moving into the stance for a batou-jutsu, Kenshin whirled as he sensed the ki another attacking him from behind, his katana ripping through the air. With that one stroke, he felled one opponent, twisted around again with ease in time to deflect another stroke and slice his next attacker through the collarbone.
Seeing this, the remaining three bandits retreated; or rather, ran for their lives. The young swordsman didn't move until they were out of sight. Finally, he let out his breath, trying not to think that he may have just killed three men. 'It was for a good cause. It was for Shishou and these people. Besides, Shishou attacked first. It must be alright.' Kenshin repeated this mantra to himself to stop himself from losing his cool at the sight of all the blood and the bodies on the ground. It was difficult to judge himself by his own master's standards when the man was blatantly drunk, though. The first principle of the Hiten Mitsuryugi Ryu, he told himself instead. He did nothing more than live out the first principle of the Hiten Mitsuryugi Ryu. He'd reacted on instinct, but it could still be justified. He couldn't be losing it, not here and now.
Once he felt he was calm enough, he turned to the nearby peasants, and addressed an old man who seemed to be the most composed and probably the head of the family. "Is everyone all right?" They both paused and regarded the two fallen men. Kenshin hastily added, "I am sorry for the death of your two sons."
The old man shook his head - the woman and children seemed to have calmed down, now, partially, though were naturally still upset after witnessing what they did. Kenshin forced himself to remain stoic, though - he had seen worse before in his life, after all. "Those two were just hired farmhands, but we will grieve along with their families all the same. I also would like to thank you and your.... master, you called him?" Kenshin nodded his affirmation. "Surely if you hadn't come along we all would have fallen. Your swordsmanship is truly excellent. Very kind of the samurai to assist us."
Kenshin shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to exchange pleasantries in the middle of a battlefield, and also not wanting to admit anything about his sword training. Plus, there was the added difficulty of getting his master back up to the cabin before he woke up in the middle of road asking all sorts of questions. How could he possibly manage it? "You're welcome?" What did one usually say in these situations? The only time he really recalled any similar thing happening was when Hiko had first rescued him, and he came and went like the wind with little more than a few words that were probably more depressing than of any real use.
The old man frowned, though, as if trying to think of what to do next. "Is your master injured?"
Oh, yes, it must look odd to anyone else seeing the man collapse in the middle of the road. "No, just sick." Right, like anyone would buy that. It was going to be fun trying to explain Hiko's missing time to him later. Maybe he could just feign ignorance this time.
"Oh.....," the old man was silent for a moment. "I know we don't have much, but is there any way we could repay you?"
Kenshin let his eyes slide across the scene, taking everything in. Of course he normally wouldn't accept any such offer, but he needed some form of help in his current situation. The carts were mostly filled with hay, and one with rice, all driven by mule except for one which was drawn by a pair of oxen. "If you may, there are two things I was hoping you could do for me?"
Nodding, the elder prodded, "Go on. We owe you our very lives."
Hesitating, Kenshin asked, "Could you perhaps bury the bandits? I know the farmhands will have proper funerals with their families, but even bandits deserve to be buried."
The elder seemed startled by the request, but agreed, all the same. "And?"
Kenshin eyed one of the mules. "And do you think, perhaps, sir, I could borrow one of those?"
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