Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Way of the Wanderer ❯ Chapter 4

A/N: Yeah a few things first off sorry for the long update I just started collage so thing were a little crazy for me. Also I changed the title because one I thinking of taking this story in a new direction. hmm Is there anything else Oh yeah I don't own RK so don't sue me.

Way of the Wanderer:

Chapter Four

"I can't believe that I made such an irresponsible brat like you assistant master!" Kaoru yell. Needless to say Kaoru was less than pleased with Yahiko's late return from lunch.

"I'm irresponsible, I come back a little late one time and now I'm Irresponsible." Yahiko shot back in response, as if he was trying not to defuse the situation.

"A little late, you were suppose to be back an hour ago, and don't even try to past this as the first time you have been coming back later and later all this week." By this the training hall was all but empty. The students of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo had long since learned that when their Sensei and senpai started fighting it was best to leave the immediate area. "Do you know how bad it look when the assistant master can't make it to class on time you you Baka deshi!" Kaoru shouted. Yahiko taken aback by the comment but wasted no time in coming back.

"Baka deshi! Well if I'm a baka deshi then it's only because you're a baka sensei." Kaoru's eyes narrowed as she slowly got closer to Yahiko.

"What did you call me Yahiko-Chan?" She said in a very dark and low tone. Yahiko unaffected by Kaoru's threatening tone also took a step towards Kaoru and said in an equally dark tone.

"Don't call me `chan' busu."

***

The students of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo waited out the storm outside. The younger students decided to pass the time by playing samurai and ninjas, while the older students listen in on the battle that was going on inside. "Oh man Yahiko-senpai just called sensei a busu." One student said as he pulled his ear away from the wall. Just then another student looked over at Kenshin, who had grown use to Kaoru's and Yahiko's fights, doing laundry as if nothing was amiss.

"Um… Himura-san don't you think you should stop them?" Kenshin looked up from his bucket of laundry and gave a smile.

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much, they'll tier out soon enough." The older students gave him a doubtful look, but decide not to question him. Just then Kenshin's attention turned to the door. "There is no need to be shy, it may be a bit loud but I assure you it is quit safe to come in." The students were just about to ask Kenshin who he was talking to, when a young man step into the door way. He was dressed in a crimson yutaka and had long black hair, for a while he just stood there looking around. He then spotted Kenshin and began to walk towards him, when suddenly a shinai flew right into his face.

"Hey no fair, I thought we said no disarming moves!" Reiki whined.

"Hey I'm a ninja I don't need to follow rules." Shira said rather proud of himself, as the two boys started fighting over the honor codes of ninjas', Kenshin hurried over to the fallen young man. But before he was even half way to him he was already back on his feet. By the time Kenshin had gotten to him he was already patting the dirt out of his clothing. Then suddenly he dropped his head down.

"Are you alright?" Kenshin asked, worried that the blow he had received had done more damage than he once thought.

"Oh I'm alright" he said as he shook pieces of dirt out of his hair. After he was done he slowly brought his head back up, rubbing his forehead were the shinai hit him. "After the night I had this is nothing." Kenshin then noticed that the fall had caused the young man's yutaka to loosen revealing freshly warped bandages on his chest. "Oh my where are my manners" the young man quickly straitened out his clothing placed both arms by his side and bowed. "How do you do I am Kisho." Kenshin quickly responded with a slight bow of his own.

"I am Kenshin, it is a pleasure to meet Kisho-san. I must apologize for what happened earlier."

"Eh no harm done, don't worry about it." Kisho said brushing off the whole shinai incident.

"So Kisho-san are you here to become a student?" Kenshin asked. Kisho began to rub the back of his head.

"Well the thing is I just came here to…" just then two older students came running up to them.

"What's wrong?" Kenshin asked.

"It's Sensei and senpai!" That was all Kenshin need to hear. It would seem that Kaoru and Yahiko had yet to calm down, and it was up to him to return order to the Kamiya dojo, or at least the closest thing to controlled chaos. Kenshin excused himself from Kisho and then quickly made his way to the training hall, what he found there was truly and sight to behold. It would seem that Kaoru and Yahiko had move beyond verbal barbs, and had progressed to biting and hair pulling, buy the time Kenshin got there the two were in a stalemate. Yahiko had a rather firm grip on Kaoro's ponytail, while Kaoru had her hands warped around Yahiko's neck.

"Let go of my hair" Kaoru grunted.

"Why don't you let go of my neck" Yahiko wheezed.

"You first" Kaoru said

"Who `bout on three we both let go?" Yahiko said. "One two three" neither of them let go. Kenshin sighed as he prepared to separate the two.

Snicker Snicker

Kenshin turned around to find that Kisho could barely contain himself. Kisho, who had noticed Kenshin's confusion, tried to explain himself. "snicker I'm sorry laugh it's just that I've have heard of a master and a student not getting along but this…" Kisho then started to laugh uncontrollably. Kisho's laughter seems to be contagious, because soon Kenshin was also laughing at the sight. The sound of their laughter seemed to have an added effect of drawing Kaoru's and Yahiko's attention away from each other.

"Hey what's so funny over there?" Kaoru asked as she got up releasing Yahiko from her grip. Kisho, who had by this time reduced his laughing to a quite snicker, addressed the young headmistress.

"In all honesty Kamiya-sensei you are. And I must say that you have by far the most unusual grappling training I have ever seen."

"Grappling training…?" Kaoru thought for a minute as to what this young man could have meant by that. "Oh! You mean that, well you see that just a way I deal with lateness." Kaoru then shot a look at Yahiko. "Which seems to be an ever increasing problem for some." Yahiko just turned his head in response to Kaoru's less than subtle comment. "Well anyways um… what was your name again?"

"This is Kisho-san; I believe that He wishes to become a student here." Kenshin said.

"Oh no! I don't have any intensions of joining this dojo." Kisho quickly said. "It's not that I have anything against this place, it's just that I have a rather week frame and am cursed with chronic lateness." He added with a slight laugh.

"Well then why are you here then?" Kenshin asked.

"Well I'm here to see him actually." Kisho said pointing to Yahiko. Yahiko was about to ask why he would be here to see him when suddenly Kisho got down on his knees and bowed placing his forehead on the floor. "Thank you Yahiko-san, for saving my life." Needless to say everyone was a little shocked by Kisho's sudden declaration of gratitude. After a few minute of silence Yahiko finally figured out what was going on.

"You're the guy from last night, the one who was getting attacked by those thugs."

"Yes I am I wanted to thank the person who saved me, so I spent the whole day looking for you so I could thank you in person. I have to say though that you are a rather hard person to find." Kisho said as he got up off the floor.

"Yeah I'm pretty busy during the day." Yahiko said, while rubbing the back of his head.

"I believe that, the Akebeko was crazy today." Kisho commented

"You where at the Akebeko" Yahiko said rather surprised that he didn't see him there.

"Excuse me" Kaoru said interrupting the two boys' conversation before it went any further. "Would someone mind telling me just what is going on here?" Yahiko then began to fill in Kenshin and Kaoru on what happen last night. "WHAT you fought with to armed men and didn't bother telling me!" Kaoru shout shocked that he would neglect to tell her something like that.

"Well I would have told you if I didn't get my head bitten off as soon as I came in today. Anyway back to what I was saying…" Yahiko then told about the fight with the man with the Chinese sword.

"So after you caught his blade with your bare hands he pulled he sword away and then ran away." Kenshin said making sure he got the story right. Kaoru just gave him a look of mild disbelief.

"What! That's what really happened, here look" Yahiko showed the part of his hand that got cut in the fight.

"I didn't say anything" Kaoru said calmly. "So what happened after the fight?"

"I took Kisho to Gensai-sensei's place and then went home when he told me that he would be ok."

"I see, well Yahiko I'm proud of you. You did the right thing by making sure Kisho-san was ok instead of giving chase to those thug, you're really maturing" Kenshin said.

"Are you sure it's ok for you to be moving around Kisho-san?" Kaoru asked. "Someone who has been through what you have should really be resting." Kisho just waved his had dismissing her concern.

"Oh I'm fine, my body may be a bit weak, but it heals real fast, and besides Gensai-sensei said that my wounds weren't as bad as Yahiko made them out to be. Well I really should be going" Kisho said as he began to leave.

"Wait" Kaoru called out. "You can't leave just like that, why don't you stay for dinner?" Kisho smiled, but shook his head.

"I couldn't do that, I just came by to give my thanks I really should go" however just as he finished saying that his stomach gave out a very loud growl. Kenshin smiled

"It seems that you mouth says no but your body is saying yes, don't you agree Yahiko?"

"I don't know Kenshin, if he has to eat Kaoru's cooking then I think he would have been better off with those thugs." Suddenly Yahiko felt a sharp pain that shot up from his foot to the top of his spine.

"You shut up" Kaoru said under her breath as she dug her heel into Yahiko's toes. She then turned to Kisho with a big smile on her face. "Well then it's settled your staying for dinner and that's that."

***

Later than night sounds where heard in the Kamiya Kasshin dojo, sounds so terrible that it struck absolute fear into two of the inhabitants.

"Yahiko-niichan I'm scared" Kenji whispered. Yahiko patted his head.

"I know Kenji I'm scared too" Yahiko looked down at what one could only hope was food before him. However that was not what scared him, Yahiko was used to rice balls as hard as rocks, miso soup that tasted like sea water, and oddly cut vegetables, misshapen fish patties that was suppose to pass as oden, he had eaten Kaoru's cooking before after all. No what scared him was not what was in front of him; the object of his terror was sitting right beside him.

"munch munch Oishii gulp gulp yummy chomp chomp seconds please!" Kisho said as he held out his bowl waiting for Kaoru to serve him more oden.

"Why of course you can have as much as you like" Kaoru said completely beside herself with joy that someone truly liked her cooking. Kisho took another sip of his oden and tears began to pour down his face, he then grabbed Kaoru's hands.

"Kamiya-sensei thank you so much, it has been too long since I have had such a great home cooked meal." At that moment Kaoru felt like glomping the crimson youth.

"Why you, it seem like the longer I know you the more I like you, and please you can call me Kaoru." Just then Kenshin interrupted the two

"Kaoru don't you think now would be a good time to ask him?"

"Oh yes you're right Kenshin" Kaoru said remembering the important business that need taking care of. "Yahiko I need a favor of you."

"What kind of favor would that be." He said a little warily, knowing that it was never a good idea to immediately agree to one of Kaoru's favors.

"Well you see I need you to give lesson at a dojo for a month." Kaoru said forcing a smile. Needless to say Yahiko was less than please with this request.

"What a whole month and where is this dojo?"

"In Echigo" Kaoru said softly tapping her to index fingers together.

"And it's in Echigo" Yahiko now was in fever pitch. Kaoru tried to explain her case.

"I know it's sudden, but you see Kikuhara-sensei learn kenjitsu from the same school as my father, and he going to be away form his dojo for a whole month so…"

"So then why doesn't he just close the dojo for a month?" Yahiko said cutting her off. Kaoru began to tap her fingers together again.

"…Well yes that is an option, but you see his daughter is very frail in health so she would have to be left behind."

"Oh I get it" Kisho spoke up. "Kikuhara-sensei feels that having his daughter alone with a whole bunch of young men is just too insecure." Kaoru clap her happy that some got the picture.

"That's right! Kisho-san you really need to stop giving me reason to like you so much." However Yahiko just shook his head.

"There is still on problem, I'm a young man also you know." But Kisho then quickly shot back.

"Oh, but I thought Tsubame-chan was your girlfriend, I mean you always seem just a little bit too happy to help her out at the Akebeko." Kaoru then started to giggle

"He's right Yahiko we all know Tsubame is the only girl for you." Yahiko started to grit his teeth, and was about to say something back, however Kenshin decided to nip this argument in the bud by adding his two cents in.

"Yahiko no one is going to force you to go, but if you do then you could think of it as part of you sword training." Kenshin just let the words sit in the air for a while.

"Alright I'll go" Yahiko said suddenly. Kaoru clapped her hand excitedly

"Alright then now that that's settled you better get home and get so rest." Yahiko shot Kaoru a confused look, but Kaoru answered as if she already knew his question. "Well you're going to need your rest you're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"What!" Yahiko exclaimed, and then it suddenly dawned on him. "You guys planed on me saying yes from the start." Yahiko then shot a look over at Kenshin see how it was his word that swayed him in the first place.

"Oro?"

End of Chapter Four

A/N: Well that all for now, here are a few end notes

Echigo: (now Niigata prefecture) is one of the northerner's prefectures of Japan. o

Oro: Are you sure you watch RK?

Baka Deshi: stupid student

Baka Sensei: stupid teacher

Shinai: Bamboo training sword

Oh and about the next chapter it takes place right after the events in Yahiko No Sakabatou. Now I know what you're thinking "One wing what is Yahiko No Sakabatou" well you see the creator of Rurouni Kenshin deiced to make a 40 page follow of comic staring Yahiko that was only released in Japan, but fear not I have found a site that has the scan of the manga and another with a text translation and here they are:

http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanford/130/yahsak.html for the translation

andhttp://illuzion14.tripod.com/rk/ for the scans.

Enjoy.