Author's note: Stuff happens this chapter! Dramatic stuff! (Reviewers: 'About time....'). Well, I think so, but then, I shouldn't be singing my own praises, should I? Thanks as usual to everyone's reviews, it's always great to hear from you all!
Response to Reviewers!:
MsJadey: Believe me, your presence was missed, you certainly keep me on my toes (it's killing me trying to think of good titles these days now). Righteous Hiko is among my favourites as well, you're on the money with that one I admit. Hiko is a lot of fun to write, seeing as he's such a cool character yet probably the time spent between him and Kenshin is the least explored, which in my opinion makes it fertile fanfiction ground. I also find it interesting considering how such a secluded relationship might work, and I think we should officially make 'hermitude' a word. 'Solitude' works well too, though, I guess. Wow, your review is deep. I think I'm going to be up all night thinking about all these issues now. Thanks as usual for your great review!
Chiruken: You and MsJadey certainly think alike, between the two of you I'm quickly running out of surprises with your uncanny predictions and analyses. Always great to hear from you, thank you for your review! Go work on some of your own great fanfics!
Kaoru-misao: Glad you liked the chapter, hope I keep your interest then. Most people have trouble telling whether I'm kidding or not but yes, that lady did apparently buy my story (bows). It was a good laugh. I think I might make a career out of riding public transport and telling people completely made-up life stories. Hope you put up a fanfic yourself, I'd certainly like to read it! Thanks again.
Hiko-and-Kenshin: Go eat, don't be starving yourself! (So hungry...) Thanks for your review. Glad it's all good.
Emz: Gee, I didn't think it was THAT shocking, I'm flattered though.... maybe you should do some Zen meditation before this chapter or something. Fair enough about the pen name, I too had a tough time thinking of a good one that hadn't already been taken. Thanks for the review, as always. Everybody bow to Emz, who always manages to be the first person to review each chapter! (It's magic, I swear it).
Enough from me, here's the chapter!
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Routine
Chapter 14 - Dirge of Swords
By Sinnatious
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Hiko Seijuuro the 13th rolled over, staving off the comforting aura of sleep from around him. Opening his eyes, he regarded the sun through the one window, and was very much startled to see it nearly setting.
That made the swordmaster sit up quickly. In perfect timing, his baka deshi chose this moment to walk through the door of the dilapidated hut, carrying an armful of firewood. His apprentice smiled when he saw him awake through the doorway. "Shishou! Are you feeling better now?"
"What are talking about, baka deshi?" Hiko growled, throwing aside the cover of his futon and placing his white mantle on his shoulders, making his way into the kitchen where the boy was preparing to make a fire. "What happened?"
The red-head somehow managed to look incredibly innocent to him as he paused, obviously choosing his words carefully. "I think some of the sake you had was bad, Shishou - by the time I came in for lunch you were quite ill and threw up. You went to bed and I cleaned up, don't you remember? I didn't think bad sake was that strong."
Now he knew his apprentice had to be lying. Even though it was true the complimentary sake he'd received for taking care of a rogue thief while he was in the store had been strong, he certainly knew it wasn't bad; at the very least, not bad enough to make him ill. Hiko Seijuuro knew his sake, after all. But what reason could his apprentice possibly have for lying about something like that? Try as he might, he had difficulty seeing deception in his pupil's perfect face, and as usual, his recent lack of ability to read him properly was frustrating. IF his baka deshi was telling the truth, then it was an immensely embarrassing affair, one that the swordmaster had no intention of knowing any more about than was absolutely necessary.
It didn't add up in his mind, though. Even though it was a perfectly logical explanation, it didn't sound right to him. Hiko struggled to recount it clearly to himself, wondering why it seemed so difficult, though if he were ill, it might affect his recollection.
Interrupting his thoughts, Kenshin continued, "Oh, and I wasn't sure if it was the bottle of sake or the opened jug, so I had to pour the rest of that jug down the river."
That effectively stopped Hiko and his suspicious thoughts in their tracks. "You did WHAT? Baka! Sake isn't cheap, you know!" Though it was vaguely amusing to consider how a substantial quantity of sake might affect the fish in the river.
Kenshin winced at the volume, rubbing his head nervously. "But Shishou, it seemed like a good idea at the time!"
"Of course it did, baka deshi! You didn't think!"
"Gomen, Shishou. But what would you like me to do about it?"
Hiko sighed. There really wasn't any point in punishing the boy over something like that, especially when really he'd been looking after his own interests. He'd momentarily forgotten, in the annoyance of losing almost an entire jug of sake, that he wasn't entirely convinced that the incident had even occurred as his pupil told him. Furthermore, he'd wasted the entire afternoon sleeping! This was most annoying. "Forget it. Just get dinner ready. We'll eat early, then you can do some practice on your own before you go to bed." Hiko mournefully admitted to himself that in the interest of preventing having to go to town to get new supplies so soon, he'd probably have to skip his beloved drinking ritual that night. Always on the days he most needed it, too.....
Kenshin watched his master carefully, breathing a barely audible sigh of relief when it appeared the man had accepted it.... for now, anyway. "Hai, Shishou. Dinner will be ready in a short while."
It had been a close thing, getting his master back up the cabin and removing any blood stains from his sword or clothes, as well as that of his own, and then returning the mule to the farming family, who had thanked him again. He had assisted them with finishing burying the bandits, then hurried back to the hut before Hiko woke up. It was good to be so busy though - he didn't want time to dwell on the battle. It wasn't as though any of it were terribly new to him, but this time he was more than just a bystander or a victim. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about any of that. At another point in time, he might have actually even been pleased with how he had fought and how he had saved the lives of the innocent and weak, just as he'd always strived for, but for now there were more pressing concerns.
Like throwing the rest of the open sake jug down the river. What was he thinking? He was nothing short of amazed that Hiko wasn't going to haul him over and make him train all night for that one. If nothing else, it might give him one night's respite from his Shishou's drinking, but it hadn't been one of his brighter ideas.
What disturbed him the most, though, and occupied his thoughts even as he went through the automatic motions of making dinner, was that it was the first time Hiko had become drunk during the day. That surely wasn't a sign that things were ever going to get better. But then, what was it he was hoping for now anyway? Had his situation become so futile?
Chopping the vegetables a little faster, as if hoping that could distract him from his thoughts, dinner was finished quicker than usual. Nothing more was said on the matter that night, even throughout dinner or as Kenshin did some practice outside, safe in the knowledge that Hiko probably wouldn't drink again until the next night in the interest of conserving his sake supply. The young red-head knew, though, that he hadn't convinced his master with his explanation and thanked every Kami he could think of that Hiko didn't press the issue. He was probably helped out marginally by the fact that Hiko didn't like asking questions that he didn't already know the answer to - the man would probably make a good politician, in that sense.
Those thoughts in mind, and despite the fact that he was plagued with the notion of his master now drinking in daylight hours, Kenshin found relief in a night's uninterrupted sleep and the simple predictable pattern of the next morning; being woken up by his Shishou calling him names, preparing for the day, eating breakfast in a quiet, if somewhat uncomfortable companionship, then setting himself to whatever the day's tasks were to be. His bruises were little more than memory once again, faded to nothing more than barely-noticeable shadows. It was as everything should have been. It was right.
It was all right.
So the day passed in this manner, like every other, until at last Kenshin sat down gratefully to dinner. His Shishou hadn't been in the greatest of moods all day, so he'd missed lunch, but it was a common affair. He'd done much better in training that day than usual though - he'd finally mastered the Ryu-Shon-Sen to Hiko's satisfaction, so why the older man was in a foul mood was anyone's guess. Probably cranky after giving his drink of sake a miss the night before.
The silence was normal; companionable and not stiff as it sometimes was inclined to be. The red-head wondered briefly which Hiko he'd have to face tonight - he felt he was being overly optimistic if he was hoping for another holiday, whether it be from abstinence or merely a singing or jovial Seijuuro. He probably didn't have to worry about Hiko going on another justice trip though - the day before, he was convinced, had fulfilled the man's need for about a month.
Lost in his thoughts, Kenshin paid no heed to much of anything as dinner concluded and he automatically collected and began washing the dishes, the movements so familiar they were almost unconscious. Hiko sat his sake jug next to table and poured himself a generous amount of sake, beginning to drink. Kenshin finished the dishes, and went and sat against the wall in his perpetual silence, katana propped against his shoulder; the encounter the day before still had him a little spooked. He still hoped his master would just sing or something tonight.
Time passed painfully slowly as Hiko drank the evening away. It was getting to the point where Kenshin was considering just giving in and going to bed when he heard Hiko muttering under his breath. Confident it wouldn't be long now, he settled himself for a few more minutes.
At last, the silence was broken; but not how he expected. Hiko placed his cup down on the table forcefully, garnering an inquisitive look from the young red-head. "Baka deshi, come sit over here."
Curious - the tone certainly didn't sound like Hiko in one of his more jovial moods - the baka deshi in question obliged, seating himself carefully across from his master, trying to study his facial expression and ki for any sort of hint. If this was going to be one of his master's songs, which he doubted, he certainly didn't like the way it was going.
Hiko spoke again after an extended pause. "I think," he said, though the words were rougher than the usual smooth tone, the only clearly visible sign thus far of his drunken state, "-that it is about time you stop pussy- footing around and tell me what is going on around here."
Kenshin mentally reeled at the words. What was this? What was going on? "I don't know what you are talking about, Shishou." Better to play it safe, for now. He wasn't yet convinced that his master truly WAS drunk yet, though he'd already drunk more than what it usually took.
A look of annoyance - and maybe even anger? - flitted across the swordmaster's face. "I don't believe you. I want a straight answer. Now!"
Kenshin floundered for anything, for any excuse, but all of his previous rehearsals he knew suddenly wouldn't work. Every lie he'd used before was now useless, and he certainly didn't like where the tone in Hiko's voice was leading. Eventually, he was forced to reply, as Hiko's impatience was becoming obvious. "I- I......"
"Answer!" Hiko shouted, patience cut thin.
Flinching, Kenshin finally muttered, "I can't tell you, Shishou."
It was the wrong answer, and he knew it. Now he recognised which Hiko he was being faced with. Angry and probably violent. He was almost paralysed with fear. Was he really so afraid of his own master? Well, like this, probably yes.
Hiko stood, banging the table so hard it was a miracle it didn't break. "Can't tell me? What kind of line is that?!"
Kenshin remained silent. Nothing he could say now would change a thing.
Enraged at his lack of response, Hiko once again reached over and pulled him out of his chair, throwing him off to the side. The younger swordsman twisted his body mid-air and managed to land safely, backing slowly away from the other. "Does everything I've done for you mean so little you can't even answer a single question? I work so hard at training you, but your performance has been pathetic! I was fool, thinking I could train an impudent child like you into becoming the 14th Successor!"
The words cut straight through him. Even though he told himself that it was just the sake talking, even the consideration that there was a granule of truth in there stung horribly. "Shishou?" What was he talking about, anyway? Just that afternoon he'd been making good progress.
"It's clear you'll never become the Successor as the weakling you are now," he rambled on, steaming himself further into a rage. "Therefore, as your master, my last duty to you will be to put you out of your misery now!" With that, Hiko stood across from him and drew his sword.
"Shishou!" Kenshin exclaimed, stepping back, truly alarmed. NEVER had his master gone this far before, to draw his sword on him. Not even in his most violent rages. Did he truly hate him that much?
Did he truly love him that much to do the other things he did?
"Draw your blade, Kenshin Himura," Hiko ordered him roughly. "See if you can't prove to me that you deserve to live on as you are now."
Kenshin didn't doubt for a second that Hiko Seijuuro as he was now wouldn't follow through on his threat, so he wasn't about to sit there and not defend himself. What could he possibly do against his master if he was serious, though? Terror seized him, even as he dropped into the familiar stance of the batou-jutsu. What was he doing? Was he really going to try and fight his possessed Shishou who had just proclaimed he was going to kill him? He hadn't even landed a blow on the man in training before!
Maybe Hiko was right. Maybe he really was a fool.
With no warning, the swordmaster leapt upon the student, and Kenshin let loose automatically with his batou-jutsu. Hiko, though, even drunk, managed to evade it, and kept coming, intent on slicing him through. Desperately, Kenshin pulled into a double batou-jutsu, deflecting the strike with his sheathe just enough so that it merely scraped across his chest, opening a shallow gash rather than cutting straight through him. He twisted as his Shishou's momentum took him past him, and leapt backwards in preparation, left arm across the wound. Oblivious to the pain, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the blood coming from his own chest. Hiko wasn't kidding around. He really was going to kill him.
Breathing ragged from using more speed and strength than what he probably yet possessed, Kenshin gripped his sword again, struggling to predict what his master's next move would be from his stance. Hiko, obviously annoyed that his first attack hadn't ended things quickly, stepped things up and launched forward again.
'A Do-Ryu-Sen!' Kenshin panicked, frantically using all of his strength to muster all of his speed and agility to block and evade each of the strikes, some even coming close enough to graze him. If Hiko hadn't been drunk and thus slower than usual, he'd be dead by now.
Falling back from the attack, though, Kenshin wasn't prepared nor fast enough to evade Hiko's last unexpected thrust. Eyes wide, all he could do was dodge to the side and cry out as the Hiten Mitsuryugi master's blade pierced through his left shoulder. The momentum carried him backwards and he hit the door with a sickening thud, jarred again by the crash as the force tore the door off its hinges.
Even as he lay there, dazed and bleeding, Kenshin's hand was still clutched around the hilt of his katana as Hiko withdrew his sword. He was feeling the pain now, struggling to hold on to consciousness, vision fading in and out as he saw his apparently insane Shishou regard his stained blade then sheathe it. Other than his sword, he was untouched by any of the student's blood.
"Weakling," Hiko muttered under his breath.
'Please let it be over' Kenshin begged every Kami he knew, barely clutching onto that thin string of consciousness. He tried to will himself to move, to put distance between himself and this monster, but his body wouldn't respond. If Hiko decided to finish him off here, would he even be able to bring up his katana in time to defend himself?
He breathed with relief, though, when Hiko appeared disorientated, as usual, and made his way to his futon, apparently going to bed. Kenshin, though, sprawled amongst the mess, bruised and bleeding, couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed into a world of pain and darkness.
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What do you think? Another convenient cliche black-out ending to a chapter. Bwa ha ha! Please don't forget to review.