WARNING: Rated R, for just about everything! Okay, this is one of the chapters which probably requires the rating. I don't do anything very graphic in my writing hardly ever (unless my evil alter personality takes over and changes things in chapters without my knowledge). Anyhow, this has yaoi and adult situations. Some people might reckon I should say it's paedophilia too, but I would like remind the readers of the time period and context - in Japan at that time a relationship with someone fifteen years (or however much is the difference, I'm not exactly certain) older wasn't that unusual, and neither were physical relations between older men and young boys. Yeah, it sounds immensely perverted, but bear with me here, it's kind of necessary for the story this time (provided I don't chicken out and change the end). At the start you were warned about potential shonen-ai situations anyway. Okay, I think I've covered my tracks now.
Author's note: This is the aspect of this story I was expecting to get flamed for, but I still request that people restrain themselves from flaming. Don't like, don't read, you know the drill by now. Hiko/Kenshin lovers should be happy I guess. It just seemed to me that if I was going to write a bunch of multiple drunken personality Hikos this personality would have to be in there somewhere because some of the tensions are practically imaginable even in the series. Right, I should stop fretting and just post the damn chapter. Sorry about all this, I've probably put everyone off now.
On to the much more enjoyable: Response to Reviewers!
Gee, people reviewed all over the place this time in different chapters and everything. It made it a bit complicated but I'll try my best to reply to you all in this chapter.
Sailor Gotland: Glad to see your still with me on this! Thank you for your review. I had fun with that chapter. As for the speech pattern question, I'm not certain if Kenshin ever spoke like that back then, most of what we see of Kenshin back then was training, silence, standing over the graves, yelling at Hiko, and later as Battousai, in all cases of which he probably wouldn't be polite (which is what de gozaru is - a very old form of polite speech in Japanese). But I figured that Kenshin probably wouldn't have just started talking like that on whim when he became a Rurouni, I think he probably just perfected it and over-used it later, so I throw it in there now and again whenever I feel it fits. If people disagree with that logic, though, I'd be quite happy to remove it from here on in. Thanks again for your loyal reviews.
Vesca: I recognise you! Nice to see another familiar 'face'. Hmmm, yeah, it is a depressing fic, and lots of angst, so I guess that's kind of expected. Thanks for your review.
Crazy Girl Person: I think funny loving drunk Hiko is my favourite - the rest of the chapters just made me depressed (getting depressed by your own fic, that can't be a good sign.) Hey, you got your uploading privileges back! (Cheers). I share your pain with evil people making you work on Christmas Eve (and yes, it is a Merry Christmas, thank you!) - I had to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. The bastards take advantage of anyone who lives alone by making them work those days; but I don't really care, working those hours gets you oodles of money which is good because I was pretty much as broke as a potato chip. Anyhow, enough rambling from me, thanks again for your reviews!
Emz: Thanks mate! Hmmm, maybe you're psychic.....
Ayumi Ikari: Yes, there are/were a couple of somewhat un-eventful chapters, I guess I'm still kind of setting the scene. Things should start going somewhere soon, though, c'mon, you haven't even met all the drunken faces of Hiko yet! (Unh, I think that one cup of sake in Japan had a lasting effect on me....) Anyhow, thanks very much for the review and I hope you keep reading.
Serene: Ooooo, thanks! I'll try and provide some longer chapters, but I'm not making any promises! If you're going to be greedy, though, there are worse things to be greedy over (and it makes me feel good, so everyone wins). Thanks very much for the review! Peace out.
Ketani: ANOTHER new reviewer. Wow, people popped out of the woodwork for this chapter. It went from like three to seven. Nice to meet you. Thanks for your review; I'm glad if you think the perspective is original, that was kind of what I was trying for, but I've developed a philsophy with fanfics similar to that of movie directors: Fanfics aren't released; they escape. I hope, despite the likely controversy of this chapter, than you keep reading and reviewing. Ta muchly.
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Routine
Chapter 4 - Introduction to a Seductive Hiko
By Sinnatious
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Hiko shook his head in disbelief. The kid actually seemed to be in a half- decent mood in the morning, a little more like his usual clumsy self. He was doing better in his training as well, and when he'd insulted one of Kenshin's kata, the kid had been neither submissive as was the trend lately, or defending himself like he expected. No, he'd simply grinned. There was a difference. The fluctuations in mood were slight, but with no one else around he knew his baka deshi well, and even the tiniest difference was profound to a swordmaster who based his entire existence on a sort of routine.
Still, as it grew towards evening, the boy seemed to lose his light-hearted demeanour, and became somewhat apprehensive once again, as every good mood did these days. After training was finished and they were walking back towards the hut, his eyes would flit to the side to appraise him, almost as if he were expecting him to do something. Some days he honestly didn't understand his baka deshi at all. To make matters worse, he was still sitting up while he drank sake. Still, it had been nice to see his gloomy apprentice smile for once. The boy had a nice smile, and whilst brooding seemed to fit his features, it didn't seem right for a boy his age, whether or not he was to be a Hiten Mitsuryugi swordmaster, to be constantly down.
Since the teen seemed to be performing at a decent capacity for once, Hiko had pushed it for what it was worth; they had trained until dark, and Kenshin was actually panting by the time the swordmaster lowered his sword. His breathing had calmed down by now, but the flush to his cheeks added to the effect, and seemed to jar with the growing-gloomier expression of his apprentice.
"I'll make dinner," he half whispered once they entered inside. Hiko let him, of course - who was he to complain when the kid AGREED to do chores? He paused to test the sake jugs to see how much he had left. Hiko frowned. It certainly should have been more than that, he only had enough for the rest of the week now. Was his baka deshi taking up the habit behind his back? It would certainly explain his student's current lack of co- ordination and sleepiness.
No, not possible. Hiko would have noticed the smell on his breath, he had a sixth sense for sake. Perhaps he was drinking more than he noticed. Come to think of it, he seemed to lose a great deal of time every night, and could hardly ever remember actually going to bed.
Brow drawn together in concentration, he didn't realise he was staring at the jugs until Kenshin timidly interrupted - timid, that was word he hadn't expected to ever use to describe the boy - "Is something that matter, Shishou?"
Shaking himself out of it and calling himself either paranoid or imagining things, he gruffly replied, "Of course not. Mind your own business, baka."
Wordlessly, Kenshin returned to tending to dinner, trying to be quick so that his master would get started drinking faster. Hiko had been particularly rough during training that day, and the student felt he was too tired to stay up late in order to entertain the drunken older man that night. He had even considered perhaps disposing of the sake when his master wasn't looking behind his back thus giving him at least one night's true rest, but last time he had done it Hiko had been a violent drunk for a week, almost as if his master drunk knew things his master sober didn't.
Well, that was partially true, Kenshin admitted. It was truly odd to see someone on so many levels.
Again, dinner was eaten in near silence, though Kenshin spent most of the time focusing on his food, wondering once again what to expect that night. He wasn't terribly sure what he was hoping for anymore. He never wanted his master to be violent, but if for long periods he wasn't he grew more apprehensive of the day he would be. As for that OTHER side of his master... he still wasn't sure. A jovial Hiko, or a singing Hiko, he usually liked because it didn't take as much effort and he got to go to sleep earlier. He was hoping that tonight, as tired as he was, that it would be like the night before; he had actually received a decent amount of sleep, and his bruises were all healing remarkably well - the ones on his abdomen had almost vanished, after only two days. That was practically a miracle. Then again, he did always have a penchant for healing quickly. Did god-like speed apply to knitting bones as well?
For a change, it was his master who interrupted the young student's thoughts. "You've stopped eating."
Kenshin realised suddenly that he'd become so wrapped up in his own thoughts he'd put his chopsticks down on the table and was just staring at the rice. With a guilty start, he picked them up again and resumed; his Shishou was almost finished and it was always the younger man's duty to wash up afterwards. The old man should just get married so he'd have a wife to do it for him. Like anyone would marry a drunkard like his master, though.
The boy almost started again in surprise at the thought. He'd never before thought of his Shishou as a drunkard. It had been his Shishou drunk, his Shishou with a sake problem, or some other well-consutructed phrase, but drunkard was such a..... low, term. Such a term didn't fit in his mind at all with the majestic swordsman that he almost admired on some of the better days. But to be entirely hoenst with himself, that was what Hiko had become in the last few months; a drunkard.
It was a disturbing thought. For the first time, he hadn't considered his master as Japan's greatest swordsman, as a harsh teacher, as a solitary man, or anything else. He'd thought of him as a drunkard. And it bothered him greatly.
Hiko noticed his baka deshi had stopped eating again, the second time that night, purple velvet eyes glazed over as he seemed to lose himself in thought. The boy's ki seemed conflicted, and it troubled him more than he'd admit. To say he hadn't been hoping that the teen's comparatively good mood that day would endure would have been a lie; was it depression? What did the boy have to be depressed about? Sexual frustration was about the only thing Hiko could come up with, and there wasn't much that could be done if that were the case. It had been a good day of training, he'd progressed impressively, so it couldn't be that, either.
"Oi, Kenshin," Hiko said, making a concession and using the boy's given name for once. To his surprise, the red-head's eyes snapped up to face him faster than usual. He blinked. He was not enjoying being surprised by his increasingly unpredictable student's actions at all.
"Shi-Shishou?" he looked around in confusion. "But- you haven't been drinking yet."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The swordmaster was more puzzled than annoyed. What did his sake drinking have to do with it? He knew he didn't usually - actually, ever - call the boy by anything other than baka deshi or some other, well, he liked to think of them as endearments but they were at base still insults, so..... that didn't answer what his sake drinking had to do with it.
Suddenly realising his rice bowl was still almost full, Kenshin once again resumed eating, probably more quickly than was polite to catch up. He left his master's question unanswered. He'd let his mind wander, but when he'd heard his own name coming from Hiko's mouth he thought he was being confronted by one of his drunken personalities again. Foolish, foolish, foolish....
"Baka deshi, you didn't answer my question! What was that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, Shishou," the red-head replied calmly, spooning the last mouthful of rice into his mouth. "I was just day-dreaming and became confused."
"Baka, you shouldn't day-dream so much. Keep your ki focused on the task at hand, even if it's washing the dishes or eating dinner."
"Yes, Shishou," Kenshin solemnly agreed, rising and taking both his and his master's dishes to be cleaned. Despite how much of their life was based on this simple routine, that one aspect, those few hours, were never completely the same. Had the conditions been any different, the apprentice might have been marginally glad for a change of pace.
If things were different..... Kenshin was beginning to get tired of the all the ifs and maybes. Things would come to a head eventually; and with his swordsman's intuition, he sensed it would be sooner than he was ready.
Yet.... the longer it went on, the harder to reveal the truth to his own master became. How could he explain that he had let it continue for that long? He was caught in a cyclic dilemma. By not doing anything about it, it became increasingly harder TO do something about it, until the day where it would be impossible.
Some things, though, were inevitable.
His Shishou placed his sake jug on the table and hesitated before pouring himself the first drink, most likely wondering if his stubborn baka deshi would insist on sitting up in a perpetual silence until he finished his drinking activities. Kenshin paid no attention to it; or at least, pretended not to. If his master could pretend to be so indifferent all the time, he didn't see why couldn't be.
So, once again, it began. Kenshin completed his chores, muscles still aching in memory of the day's training. Please be quick, he begged mentally. He needed his sleep if he wanted to function at all the next day.
Setting himself up against the wall, Kenshin settled in for the wait, determined to stay awake as usual. However, he soon found his head nodding, and it was some time later he felt himself being gently shaken awake.
Blinking, somehow not feeling the surge of panic that he usually did when awoken in this manner, he raised his head for his velvet gaze to come crashing into Hiko's much darker one. The man still had the teen by the shoulders from where he had shaken him awake.
"Shishou?" he asked sleepily. Was it morning already?
....No. He recognised the almost-coy look on his master's face. Normally he mightn't have minded, but he was so tired.....
"Kenshin, what are you doing falling asleep against the wall like that? It can't be good for your back."
"Sorry Shishou- I mean, Hiko," he amended hastily when he saw the somewhat reproachful look in his master's eyes.
The swordmaster didn't seem to mind as much as usual. He just grinned. Hiko grinning. He'd never get used to it.
"Um, what do you want?" Kenshin asked.
"You've been so sad, lately," Hiko said, rubbing Kenshin's small shoulders gently. The red-head stiffened, not certain if he was looking forward to or dreading what was to come next. "I want to cheer you up."
Knowing that there really wasn't any way out of it without a transition to a violent Hiko, Kenshin merely complied as Hiko led him towards his futon. He always went along with it now. It was easier, and.... well, Kenshin was a teenager, and Hiko was disturbingly good at satisfying his raging hormones. Still, he was so tired, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to summon the strength it required.....
After maneovring the smaller boy with a deft series of movements, Kenshin found himself on his back with his hair splayed over the sheets before he knew what had even happened. The swordmaster ran a hand through his long red locks, leaning in to kiss him with a mixture of passion and gentleness that one did not think the swordmaster was capable of. At times, the older man, if he didn't comply, could be quite rough but even the sake, normally so bitter to him, tasted sweet when his master was gentle in his affairs.
This was the one side of Hiko Kenshin could never make up his mind about.
He wasn't sure how much later it was when Hiko Seijuuro finally drifted off to sleep and Himura Kenshin was able to tiredly slip away, gathering up his clothes as he went, pulling on his sleeping hakama in his own room and collpasing into bed. At least it didn't hurt much anymore..... but it was still taxing on his young body, especially after a day as hard as that one. Just so long as his master didn't feel it necessary to wake him up with the blunt end of a Do-Ryu-Sen in the morning.
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(Paces nervously)..... um, I hoped you liked it? Please don't flame! Thanks to reviewers thus far.