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Kyuushutsu (Rescue, Deliverance): Chapter One

by Terry L. McElrath ::: 29.Dec.2004

Resisting the urge to cough as choking clouds of dust rose from the dry road, Himura Kenshin refocused his awareness on the area surrounding the wagon he was walking beside. They were nearing their destination and now was not the time to lose concentration. Although he had not detected the presence of enemies so far during this leg of the trip, that was no excuse for letting down his guard, especially considering what had happened earlier. Only a couple of miles to go, he thought, with satisfaction, then it’s back to Kyoto. He felt ill at ease, exposed, out here in the countryside. It was odd, how quickly he had become re-accustomed to the violence and danger that was Kyoto. It was almost as if the quiet and peace he had known in Otsu had never been. His mind quickly shied away from the memory of those days, before the pain could overwhelm him. Instead, he thought back to his meeting with Katsura this morning.

It was quite early, just after breakfast, and he had been in his room, sitting in front of the open shoji that led to the balcony that ran the full-length of the inn, watching the clouds drift slowly to the north. He had found out some time ago that cloud-watching calmed him, allowing him to feel a measure of peace for a short while. He treasured these moments, which were too few, too seldom. A soft knock at the shoji leading into his room brought him back to his surroundings with a jerk. “Come in,” he called.

“Gomen nasai, Himura-san,” Tsunoda, the innkeeper, said as he slid open the shoji, bowing nervously, “I’m sorry to disturb you, but Katsura-san requests that you attend him in his office downstairs.”

Kenshin smoothly stood up, slipped his daisho through his obi, and walked past the innkeeper, murmuring “arigatou” as he left his room. Moving through the inn with the silence of the assassin he had been, he quickly arrived at the door to Katsura’s office. Upon hearing Katsura’s quiet “enter” after knocking, Kenshin slid the shoji open and stepped into the room, bowing respectfully to the man kneeling behind a low table.

“Ohayou, Kenshin,” Katsura Kogorou said, pleasantly, waving negligently to a cushion near the table. “How are you this morning?”

“Ohayou gozaimasu, Katsura-san, I am fine, arigatou,” Kenshin replied, kneeling facing Katsura.

“I’m glad to hear that, Kenshin. It’s much too nice a day to spend indoors,” Katsura said, indicating a stack of papers waiting to be reviewed. “So I’m going to let you spend some time outside today.” He looked expectantly at Kenshin, obviously waiting for him to say something.

Kenshin, not knowing what Katsura wanted him to say and not being comfortable with small talk, anyway, simply sat patiently, waiting for him to continue.

Katsura mentally sighed. Trying to engage Kenshin in conversation was like trying to chat with a rock. He had never been one to talk much, but since his return from Otsu he had been even more uncommunicative than ever. Katsura felt a tremendous sense of responsibility for the young man’s suffering. He had brought Kenshin into the Ishin Shishi and asked him to become a shadow hitokiri, even though he was only fourteen at the time. When Kyoto had become too dangerous after the attack on the Ikedaya, it was his decision to send Kenshin and Tomoe to Otsu, to live together posing as man and wife. He had been surprised when they had actually married. Unfortunately, Katsura had asked Tomoe to become Kenshin’s sheath to protect his sanity and, in a way, that had led to her tragic death at Kenshin’s hands. He felt it was his duty to keep the lines of communication open with the former hitokiri, as a way of stopping him from retreating further from contact with others. In this way, Katsura hoped to be able to help him retain the humanity that Tomoe had sacrificed everything to help Kenshin recover.

“A shipment of Western armaments has arrived from Osaka. Because of the plan to destroy the main Shogunate supply depot in three days, those arms are needed immediately, so there will be time to distribute them before the troops move out. The weapons are, therefore, being taken to the northern mountain training camp this morning,” Katsura said, getting straight to the point.

Kenshin looked surprised. “You are sending the shipment during the day? That’s very dangerous. How many carriers?”

Katsura nodded, “Yes, I know it’s dangerous, but we really have no choice. I’m only sending the one wagon. I want you to accompany it, along with three other men. It will appear that two merchants are delivering a load of rice and you will be posing as a guard.”

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Kenshin considered the situation. Katsura was risking the entire cargo, with only four guards? Usually a shipment would be split up into a number of small loads and sent out over a period of several days, to minimize the danger of losing the valuable supplies. The Ishin Shishi must need the weapons badly, indeed. Well, there had been some serious losses recently. With only four men guarding the wagon, it was unlikely that any Shogunate spies would become suspicious. There was no question of refusing the mission, of course. Kenshin had sworn to do whatever was necessary to bring about the new era and he had taken on more difficult assignments in the past.

“It’s a bold plan, Katsura-san.”

“Yes, Kenshin, and the very boldness of the plan may be it’s saving grace. It is certainly unlike anything we have done in the past. I probably wouldn’t have agreed to do this, if you weren’t going to be there. I have great confidence in your ability to handle anything that comes up.” In fact, Katsura considered Kenshin’s extraordinary abilities as a fighter to be the equivalent of sending a full troop along as protection. And the apparent lack of guards would be excellent camouflage for the shipment.

Kenshin bowed his head in acknowledgment of the compliment Katsura had paid to him. He had no doubt as to his ability to cope with any situation that might arise. Kenshin deeply respected and, more importantly, trusted Katsura and would do everything within his abilities to accomplish any task he set.

Katsura continued his instructions on the assignment. “Go to the Shimizu warehouse near the Kamo River in the Shimogyo-ku,” he said, handing a slip of paper with the address to Kenshin. “Report to Iwamura Kazuhiro. I believe you know him?”

“Hai, Katsura-san, I have worked with him before,” Kenshin confirmed.

“Good. He will introduce you to the others who will be escorting the wagon with you. From there you will accompany the shipment to the training camp.” Katsura picked up two envelopes and handed them to Kenshin. “Give this one to the sentry at the camp. And give this letter to Commander Suga Hatsuke, he is expecting it. Wait for his answer. Once the weapons have been delivered, I want you to return to Kyoto as soon as you can.”

“Hai, Katsura-san,” Kenshin said, standing and bowing. “I will report to you as soon as I return this evening.” With that, he left the office and went back to his room.

Once in his room, he began going through his clothes, looking for a suitably nondescript outfit. He had decided he would appear to be an ordinary ronin and for that he could not look particularly noteworthy. He found a dark brown hakama and gi and a tan yukata to wear under the gi. Of course, he would have to wear a hat. He always wore a hat when he went outside during the day, it helped cover his distinctive red hair. In minutes he was leaving the inn, heading towards the southern district.

Even as quickly as he could walk, it took him nearly an hour to arrive at the Shimizu warehouse, what with the crowds and all the horse-drawn vehicles congesting the streets. He made a mental note to tell the other men protecting the wagon that it would take longer than usual to get out of Kyoto.

Kenshin knew he was being watched several blocks before reaching the warehouse, as he sensed the fighter’s ki of several men scattered throughout the area. Unobtrusively, he wandered through the streets, checking out the situation. Without seeming to notice, he carefully located the various observers, seven in all. It took him only a few minutes to discover a route to the warehouse that was not visible to the guards. Sloppy, he thought, it shouldn’t have been that easy to bypass the security. Of course, he was accustomed to avoiding traps. It was a skill he had honed to a fine art during his time as the Ishin Shishi’s top Shadow Hitokiri and it had served him very well many times.

He slipped into the warehouse through a window that faced onto a blind alley, having entered the alley by dropping down from the roof of one of the facing buildings. He moved between the rows of merchandise as silently as a ghost, listening to the voices of the men moving around inside. He stood in the shadows, the others unaware of his presence, while he watched them. He recognized Iwamura Kazuhiro immediately. Iwamura was directing seven other men as they loaded barrels of rice onto a large wagon.

Conversation ceased and two men drew their swords when Kenshin suddenly appeared in their midst. Kenshin completely disregarded the blades and looked steadily at Iwamura, who laughed, surprising the swordsmen.

“Himura-san, you enjoy scaring the daylights out of people, don’t you?” Iwamura, asked, chuckling. “Relax, men, this is Himura Kenshin, he’s on our side.”

“Your security is lax,” Kenshin said, severely. “I’ve been listening to you for a while, and I could have killed all of you without any difficulty. Who set up your defenses? How long have you been using this warehouse?”

Iwamura sobered up immediately. “Katsura-san’s new second in command, Uchida-san, arranged for the use of the warehouse and guards and this is the first time. What’s wrong?”

Kenshin ignored his question, asking another instead. “How many lookouts are there around the warehouse?”

“Six. Why?” Iwamura asked, suddenly very serious.

“You’re sure it’s six?” Kenshin queried, looking sharply at Iwamura. “Do you know where they are located?”

“Yes, to both questions.”

“Show me,” Kenshin demanded.

Iwamura didn’t hesitate, walking over to a dusty counter. Using his finger, he drew a crude, but effective, map of the area surrounding the warehouse. “They’re on the rooftops of these buildings,” he said, marking each spot, creating a roughly circular pattern surrounding the warehouse. “Each site commands a good view of the streets leading here. What’s going on Himura-san?” he asked again, wiping the markings away with a sweep of his hand.

“Not good enough. I didn’t have any trouble getting here without being seen.” Kenshin thought for a moment before continuing. “There are seven observers out there. Stay here and finish loading the wagon, but be on guard. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” With that, he left, moving as silently as before.

Back in the blind alley, Kenshin easily leaped to the roof of an adjacent building. From there, he crossed two more roofs before jumping back down into another alleyway, avoiding any possibility of being seen. Recalling the map Iwamura had drawn for him, he used several back streets to come up behind the building concealing the unexpected spy. Kenshin had spent the extra time getting here to consider the possibilities. This observer’s post was outside of the Ishin Shishi perimeter and not in direct sight of the warehouse. It seemed likely that the agent wasn’t specifically watching the warehouse itself, but probably the general area, instead. He had to be taken care of, however, because of the risk he presented. It would not be possible to get the shipment past him without his knowledge. Granted, he might not suspect anything, but Kenshin was not prepared to take that risk.

Taking time to make sure there were no witnesses, Kenshin jumped to the roof, landing noiselessly behind a chimney. Scanning the rooftop, he didn’t see anyone, but his ability to sense ki said that he wasn’t alone. Where are you? Ah. . . very tricky. The spy was hidden in a cleverly concealed niche, which posed an interesting problem. How to get to the man without exposing himself to attack first. One of his Shishou’s training exercises came to mind, when he had taught Kenshin how to use his ki to convince an enemy that he was helpless. Let’s see just how sensitive you are. Kenshin concentrated on some of his more painful memories, sending the sensations towards the unseen observer. Gradually he began strengthening the mental image, building a picture of pained helplessness. Just as he was beginning to think the man was incapable of receiving the impressions, Kenshin heard the scuffle of sandals on the roof. Curious, the man walked towards the back of the building, looking down into the alley for the source of the distress he had detected. Moving around the other side of the chimney, Kenshin stood behind the spy and stopped projecting his ki.

“You’re looking in the wrong direction,” Kenshin said, quietly.

The man jerked at the unexpected voice, but smoothly continued the motion, spinning to face his adversary. He drew his katana and smirked confidently when he saw the small man standing there. He easily stood a foot taller, and was at least ninety pounds heavier. He had no doubt as to the winner in this confrontation.

“Where are the others?” the spy said, looking around for the expected ambush. “You’re pretty puny bait.”

“There are no others.”

He was a bit confused by the little man’s relaxed manner, but quickly regained his confidence. After all, he held the title of best swordsman in his troop. “Then you die alone,” he said, laughing harshly.

With that, he charged forward, feinting a slash towards the swordsman’s unprotected right side, only to change the swing at the last moment, expecting him to try to dodge the strike. His target disappeared, but his momentum carried him forward two more fateful steps. He started to look to his right, expecting the man to have slipped to the side to avoid the stroke. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw him suddenly appear at his left and felt white-hot pain blossom throughout his abdomen. Stumbling to a stop, he looked down disbelievingly as his guts began to protrude through the slice that had nearly cut through his spine. Falling to his knees, his sword slipped from his grasp as he feebly tried to hold himself together. He was dead from the massive shock to his system before he fell face-first in a pool of blood.

Kenshin cleaned his blade and sheathed it before he searched the body, looking for information and finding none. Unfortunately, the hidden niche proved to be empty, as well. It appeared to be a permanent lookout, indicating this was a regular post. Looking around at the other buildings, Kenshin wondered if there was more than one observer. He had to assume so, although it would take far too long to find any others. Besides, even if they saw the wagon, it would be difficult to pinpoint which warehouse it had come from, now that this lookout had been eliminated. He had to get back to the others quickly, though, as the Shogunate would know soon that their spy had been discovered. They would most likely begin to search the area immediately. The weapons must be long gone before that happened.

Kenshin was pleased when he found that the wagon was loaded and ready to go. The men were standing guard at the doors and windows, watching for any sign of attack. “Iwamura-san,” he said, softly, almost laughing when the man jumped.

“Damn it, Himura-san! Don’t do that!” Iwamura complained. “All taken care of?”

“Aa. We need to leave now. I’ve got a message for Uchida-san, though. Tell him that the Shogunate has set up permanent look-outs around this area, at least, and they’re well disguised. There will be a search of the buildings as soon as they discover their spy is dead, so you will have to clear out immediately. It won’t be safe to use this warehouse again, so make sure he warns Shimizu.”

“I’ll be certain Uchida-san gets the message. Alright, you heard the man! Get moving!” Iwamura ordered, making the others scramble, some going to the wagon, others heading towards the main doors. “The armaments are loaded and ready to go, Himura-san. The bed of the wagon has a large hidden compartment and most of the barrels of rice have false bottoms. It wouldn’t be a good idea to let any of them fall. Many of the barrels are packed with explosives.”

Kenshin’s eyes widened slightly with the realization that the shipment was dangerous in more ways than one. He then walked over to the wagon, giving the three men standing there his undivided attention. Two were dressed as moderately successful merchants, their kimonos well-
made, but not flashy. The third man was dressed more roughly, he was the driver. Of course, they weren’t wearing swords, it wouldn’t have been appropriate. That was his cover, being their guard.

Iwamura walked over. “Gomen, Himura-san, I haven’t introduced you to the others yet. They are Hagino Ichiro, Tsurubuchi Danno, and Ikeda Mashiro.” Each man bowed slightly to Kenshin as his name was given. “They are very good fighters, the best in my troop. Their weapons are hidden where they can get to them quickly.”

Nodding, Kenshin walked towards the doors. “Let’s go,” was all he said.

Once they were out on the street, Kenshin forced himself to relax as he walked alongside the wagon, keeping his hand away from the hilt of his sword and looking slightly bored. After all, he was guarding rice, not treasure. He automatically masked his ki to make sure he didn’t attract any attention. He was on high alert, his senses ranging outwards, seeking any indication of more than casual interest. The crowds of people made it very difficult to separate individual impressions, though. It was nerve-wracking, knowing there were Shogun spies watching. The key to the success of this mission lay in the very ordinariness of their actions. The two ‘merchants’ rode on the back of the wagon, as befitted their status. The driver swore colorfully at any and all of the people who got in his way, just as any normal teamster would. Slowly they made their way through the crowded streets of Kyoto.

It was well over an hour before they were north of the city, moving more quickly now that they were on the main road. It is a beautiful day, Kenshin thought, reflecting on what Katsura-san had said earlier this morning. If he hadn’t been so keyed up about the mission, he could have enjoyed the warm weather. Fortunately, there was a brisk breeze, which kept it from becoming too hot.

After traveling for another hour or so, Kenshin became aware of a presence following them. The ki indicated it was a man. It was faint, but staying at a constant distance. It could be a traveler following behind us. Certainly they weren’t the only people going north on this road. But something didn’t seem right. He couldn’t pinpoint what seemed wrong and that bothered him. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. He carefully focused his senses on that aura and tried to read it, with no luck. There were no changes in the sending, no indications of emotion, and that was what had alerted him. He was accustomed to the wild variations within the untrained auras of ordinary people. But this ki was under complete control and that indicated a highly trained individual, possibly a samurai or ninja. But if that were the case, why wasn’t the ki being completely hidden? Is this man a decoy? He began scanning the surrounding area, trying to spot the exact location of that faint ki. It was behind him, perhaps fifty yards and a little to the right of the road. Are there others? He could not detect any other auras, but that was not conclusive.

Now that it appeared that they were being followed, it was imperative that they not lead them to the hidden camp. Casually, Kenshin dropped back to walk alongside the driver. When Ikeda glanced at him curiously, he spoke quietly, without looking at him. “Take the next road we come to and don’t look around.” Ikeda slouched on the seat of the wagon and managed to look even more bored. Good man, Kenshin thought, approvingly. If he remembered correctly, there was a road a couple of miles further on that led to a number of small villages. If their shadow followed, then he would take care of the problem. Under no circumstances would he allow either the shipment or the training base to be endangered.

Nothing changed as they approached the road, except the wind picked up, blowing steadily from the south. Kenshin kept his senses trained on the surrounding forest, hoping for an indication of how many men there might be surrounding them. Turning right onto the less-traveled road, they continued at the same leisurely pace, moving deeper into the countryside. Their observer kept his position, neither trying to catch up or fall behind. Kenshin had moved back up to lead the wagon, apparently unaware they were being followed. Now he was looking for a good place to slip off the road and into the forest without alerting their spy. The road narrowed for a distance, thick shrubs crowding the sides, creating a screen where his movements would be hidden. He took his hat off and disappeared into the undergrowth, moving with the ease of years of practice on his Shishou’s mountain.

Ikeda blinked when Himura literally vanished without a sound. Without turning his head, he warned Tsurubuchi and Hagino. “Himura’s gone after whoever’s out there. Be ready for a fight.”

Once off the road, Kenshin moved through the bushes silently, heading at an oblique angle towards the man following them. He had no intention of confronting the person until he knew exactly what the situation was. The forest opened up into a small glade, breaking the solid canopy of trees, allowing enough sunlight for grass to grow. Having kept the faint ki within his awareness, Kenshin knew that he was approaching the meadow. Moving behind a large tree at the edge of the meadow, Kenshin lightly jumped up into the branches. His brown ronin uniform served him well, easily blending with the bark and hiding him within the shadows. Kenshin had no fear of being discovered until he revealed himself. His ki was completely masked, as it always was during an assignment. He waited patiently, unmoving, as the man kept coming towards him.

Kenshin continued scanning the forest for signs of other pursuers: inappropriate sounds, the silence of disturbed birds, an animal running away from something. Nothing. Admittedly, it was not likely that there were many men coming after them, but he could not believe that there was only the one spy. Before long, Kenshin spotted movement at the furthest edge of the glade. After pausing to check out the situation, a figure stepped out into the open. He was dressed in a mottled green shinobi shozoko. A ninja, as Kenshin had suspected. He watched as the man cautiously made his way across the open area and melted into the forest on this side. It was obvious that he didn’t know that he was being observed, or that his ki was not fully hidden. Kenshin thought he might be young, but if that were true, then he should not be working alone. Where was his companion and why had he allowed the more inexperienced ninja to leak his aura that way? Even more suspicious of a trap, Kenshin continued to wait, only his eyes shifting, as he studied the surrounding forest.

Eventually, his patience paid off. A branch in a tree opposite the one Kenshin was standing in moved against the wind, alerting him. Ah. One travels on the ground, the other in the trees, Kenshin thought, nodding to himself. It made sense. Maybe the less experienced ninja was a decoy, of sorts. If he was discovered, perhaps no one would think to look in the trees. Kenshin had not been deceived, however, for his Shishou had taught him to always expect the unexpected. His Master had stalked him through the woods innumerable times, attacking him unmercifully every time he succeeded in sneaking up on Kenshin. It had been a very effective training method. He still remembered the first time he had been able to turn the tables on his Shishou. Hiko’s cursing after being hit on the head with a branch had been most satisfying. His Master’s retribution had been a small price to pay.

Kenshin could sense nothing of this individual. Assuming it was another ninja, then this person was more experienced and, therefore, more dangerous than the younger man. Will he cross the meadow? Kenshin wondered. He suspected the ninja wouldn’t, but was pleasantly surprised when he jumped down and warily approached the open area. Apparently, he had been reassured that they were undiscovered. That’s your second mistake. Kenshin had no illusions about the dangerousness of his opponent. This would be a very tough fight, especially since there were two ninjas. His best course of action lay in defeating the more experienced ninja first, hopefully before the other could come back. This man – at least Kenshin assumed it was a man – was wearing the same shinobi shozoko as the other ninja, but carried a short bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back. It was good strategy for the second ninja to be able to carry out long range attacks, but it would make it even more difficult for Kenshin to fight him.

He watched as the ninja carefully crossed into the trees, almost walking under the tree Kenshin stood in. Kenshin didn’t move until after he was under cover, correctly assuming he would relax his guard slightly once he was out of the open. Silently, Kenshin moved from branch to branch, keeping him in view, since he could not sense the man’s ki. The ninja quickly climbed up the trunk of a tall tree, moving with the ease of a squirrel. He settled on a limb briefly, before following after the other man, Kenshin easily keeping up with him.

Kenshin waited until he saw his opening, a couple of minutes later. By now, he was standing on a thick branch that was quite a bit higher and several feet to the side of the one the ninja was crouched on. With no warning, Kenshin jumped feet-first from his limb, aiming directly at the unsuspecting ninja. At the last possible second something warned the man and he started to turn to look at his attacker. However, it was a case of too little, too late, and Kenshin’s feet landed solidly against the ninja’s shoulders, knocking him off the limb. Because he had been turning, the ninja fell awkwardly, frantically trying to turn in mid-air to land on his feet. He partially succeeded, although he stumbled badly, twisting his left ankle, sending a jolt of pain up his leg. Kenshin landed lightly, perfectly balanced, a few feet away, having already drawn his katana.

Not wanting to give his opponent any time to recover, Kenshin immediately went on the offensive, moving in swiftly from the left. Taking three shurikens from a pocket on his left arm, the ninja quickly threw them with a flat throw from the side. They would not kill, but were intended to distract the swordsman. The three shurikens spread out in a fan formation, two bracketing the man – one aimed just to the right, the other to the left – and the third directly at his attacker, making it impossible to avoid all of them. One was certain to hit, giving the ninja time to move back and regroup. To his surprise, the man didn’t even slow down. His katana flickered almost imperceptibly, knocking the center shuriken aside easily. The ninja jumped awkwardly to his left, earning another bright stab of pain from his injured ankle, barely avoiding the first cut, while giving a piercing whistle at the same time. Instantly the swordsman corrected for the second strike, which he avoided by dropping to the ground. Even as he dropped, he struck out with a leg sweep, intending to use the ashiko strapped to the bottom of his foot to deliver a crippling blow to his enemy’s leg. Kenshin jumped into a high forward somersault right over the top of the ninja, slashing at his leg at the same time. The blade connected, cutting the thick thigh muscles to the bone. The ninja bit back the scream that rose in his throat as his leg exploded in pain.

Kenshin knew he had only a couple of minutes at most before the first ninja joined the fight. He did not want to have to fight two ninjas at the same time, even if one was injured. He spun to face the man as he landed, catching a glimpse of him taking a short piece of bamboo out of a pocket and putting it to his lips. Without hesitation, Kenshin dove aside, not knowing what was in the small blowgun. A cloud of powder appeared, but was quickly blown away by the wind. Even though the blinding powder had been ineffective, the distraction was enough for the ninja to regain his feet and withdraw two throwing knives. However, his target had continued to move and was now safely behind a tree. The ninja stood shaking, blood running in thick rivulets down his leg. A quick glance told him that the major artery in his thigh had not been cut, otherwise he would have bled to death in a matter of minutes. That did not mean he was out of danger, because he was losing a lot of blood quickly. Never letting down his guard, he took a cord from another pocket and wrapped it high above the wound, using the blowgun to tighten the improvised tourniquet, and then tying it down to hold it in place.

Slipping the bow over his head, Morikawa quickly strung it and nocked an arrow. All the while, he was searching the area for the other man’s ki. He didn’t really expect to sense it, however, since he had not felt it earlier. Given the extraordinary skills the swordsman had already exhibited, he was obviously a highly skilled warrior, not just the simple ronin he had appeared to be. This was significant. It meant that his suspicion about the wagon had been correct. He and his apprentice had been returning from a meeting and it had been pure luck that he had recognized one of the men seated on the wagon as an Ishin Shishi fighter. It was odd that the fighter had been wearing a kimono instead of the usual hakama and gi. It seemed to be a disguise and that aroused his curiosity. The wagon was probably loaded with food supplies for one of the Ishin Shishi camps. They were just leaving Kyoto and there wasn’t time to inform his superiors, so he and his apprentice had followed at a safe distance. Once they knew where the wagon was going, he had intended to send Yoshihito back with the information, while he did some reconnaissance. Everything had seemed to go well. The men with the wagon didn’t know they were being followed, so this was a good training opportunity for his apprentice. Obviously, he had been wrong. It now appeared that they had been led into a trap. Right now all he wanted to do was hold off the swordsman until Yoshihito got here. Between the two of them it shouldn’t be difficult to defeat the swordsman, or at least injure him enough to make it possible for them to escape.

Kenshin sent his senses out, seeking the ki of the other ninja. It was getting close, he would be here in less than a minute. This is not good. Yes, the second ninja was injured pretty seriously, but he was far from out of the fight. Kenshin had no doubt as to his ability to use the bow he now held in ready position. Kenshin’s long-range options were pretty limited and would require that he expose himself to attack, not something he was anxious to do unless he had no choice. After a moment’s thought, he decided to go after the weaker ninja before he could join forces with the older man. He faded back and soundlessly moved through the undergrowth until he found the younger man.

Yoshihito’s eyes widened when a swordsman with amber eyes that glowed in the dim light filtering through the trees stepped in front of him, already attacking. He jumped back, both hands reaching for weapons. Four throwing spikes flew towards his assailant while he unsheathed his ninja-to. The swordsman simply slid to the side and casually swung his blade towards his chest. Yoshihito automatically blocked with his sword – feeling the tremendous power of the blow – only to see the blade cut in two, half of it flying into the bushes. In desperation, Yoshihito threw out one end of the manriki gusari he held hidden in his left hand. The weighted end of the chain wrapped around the katana and he tried to yank it out of the other man’s hand. Rather than get involved in a tug-of-war, the ronin unexpectedly jumped forward, causing Yoshihito to lose his balance briefly and putting slack into the chain. The warrior quickly disentangled his blade and prepared for another attack.

Kenshin wanted to end the fight swiftly and began to move forward to give the final blow to his opponent. Suddenly he sensed an object flying towards him. Instantly, he leaped upward to land on an overhead limb. The arrow that would have buried itself between his shoulder blades flew harmlessly through the space he had occupied just a moment ago, missing the young ninja only because he was falling at the time.

Not allowing the swordsman’s surprising move to distract him, Morikawa immediately nocked another arrow and fired it at the warrior in the tree. Springing to another tree, the swordsman used the trunk as a shield.

Morikawa had become suspicious when the swordsman didn’t make any further attacks after getting behind the tree. Worried that Yoshihito wouldn’t be able to handle the skilled fighter by himself, he began stumbling in the direction he expected him to come from. Walking was a nightmare, with his right leg barely able to hold his weight, the pain almost unendurable. Only his training and iron discipline allowed him to keep moving. He had to get to his apprentice, he didn’t have the experience he needed to defeat the swordsman in a one-on-one confrontation. His fears were confirmed when he saw Yoshihito stumble off-balance and the swordsman move in for the kill. When the swordsman neatly avoided his first arrow by jumping into the tree, Morikawa was astounded. What kind of warrior is this man? he wondered, but pushed aside his shock to fire a second arrow as quickly as he could, only to see him leap safely to another tree. Shaking his head, Morikawa readied another arrow as Yoshihito got to his feet. Fortunately, their adversary was limited to face-to-face strikes. They could keep him at a distance and he would be unable to avoid their attacks for any length of time.

Kenshin watched as the younger ninja got to his feet and began walking towards the other. His attention appeared to be focused on the injured man standing some yards away. Moving around the trunk of the tree to get in a better position, Kenshin’s hair became entangled on a short branch. Yanking his head impatiently, he freed himself, not noticing that his hair tie was ripped loose in the process. Carefully calculating the angle, Kenshin launched himself downwards towards the trunk of a tree behind the retreating ninja. Flipping end-for-end, his long hair flying wildly, Kenshin hit the tree trunk with both feet, absorbing the shock of the landing by bending his knees deeply. Instantaneously he leaped again, spinning his body in the spiral of a Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji, the battou-jutsu beheading the young ninja before he even knew he was in danger, his blood splashing onto Kenshin’s gi. Twisting to land on his feet, Kenshin struck the ground with his katana, sending the shockwave of a massive Do Ryu Sen towards the injured ninja.

Struck repeatedly by flying rocks and debris, as well as the actual force of the Do Ryu Sen, Morikawa was thrown backwards, barely conscious. He had watched in disbelief as Yoshihito was beheaded by the flying swordsman. He had been so horrified, he was unable to shoot his arrow accurately, missing the warrior by nearly a foot. He struggled to stay conscious as his enemy approached. He walked through a patch of sunlight, his vibrant red hair blazing around his head, trailing like flames past his shoulders down to his waist. Red hair? A phenomenal swordsman with red hair? As the warrior stood above him, Morikawa saw the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

“You are the Battousai, are you not?” Morikawa whispered, painfully.

“Aa. You were a worthy opponent,” Kenshin replied, acknowledging the skill of the ninja he had fought.

“It is an honor to be defeated by the legendary Battousai.” Morikawa closed his eyes, preparing himself for the deathblow.

“What is your name?” Kenshin asked, raising his katana.

“Morikawa Seiji, of the Tatsumaki Clan. My apprentice was Yoshihito Hideki, also of the Tatsumaki Clan,” Morikawa said, faintly, almost unconscious.

“I will remember.” Calmly, Kenshin delivered the mercy stroke, putting the ninja out of his pain.

After a quick chiburi, Kenshin finished cleaning his blade with a cloth before sheathing it. He walked through the trees until he came to the road and began walking quickly to catch up with the wagon. As he passed where he had previously left the road, he retrieved his hat, grateful for the protection it offered from the hot sun.

Tsurubuchi spotted Himura first. Turning, he called out to Ikeda. “Stop! Himura’s back.”

Hagino watched curiously as Himura walked up to the wagon. “Any problems, Himura-san?”

“No,” Kenshin replied. Walking up to Ikeda, he ordered: “Turn the wagon as soon as you can. We’ve lost enough time already.” Unsheathing his wakizashi, Kenshin used it to cut a short length of cord from one of the barrels. Using it, he tied his waist-length hair back into its usual high pony tail, disregarding the interested gazes of the other men. Replacing his hat, he walked off ahead of the wagon.

It was some minutes later before Ikeda found a spot wide enough to carefully turn the wagon. Fortunately, Ikeda was an experienced teamster. He guided the horses with skill, managing the difficult maneuver with apparent ease. They had lost a total of more than an hour of travel by the time they were back on the main road, heading north once again.

Kenshin was not pleased when Ikeda called to him an hour later and told him they needed to stop soon. “It’s the horses, Himura-san. We’re entering the mountains now and they need to rest before we begin the really difficult part of the trip,” he explained, answering Kenshin’s questioning look.

“How long do we have to stop for?” Kenshin asked.

“Oh, half an hour should be enough time. We can eat lunch while we wait. There’s a good resting place up ahead, with a stream where we can water the horses.”

Kenshin just nodded and kept walking. Soon they came to a wide grassy meadow, surrounded by trees, with a stream running through the middle. Ikeda quickly unhitched the horses, leading them to the stream to drink. Afterwards, he hobbled them and allowed them to graze. Hagino and Tsurubuchi brought out some bento boxes, giving one to Kenshin. He took his, murmuring “arigatou” softly, and sat down next to the wagon. The other three men settled down a little further away, giving Kenshin some privacy.

“Himura doesn’t talk much, does he?” Hagino said, between bites of onigirii.

Tsurubuchi cautiously looked over at the young man resting next to the wagon. “No, but he doesn’t have to. I’ve heard he’s the best fighter in the Ishin Shishi. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, would you? I wonder what happened back there.”

“I doubt if we’ll ever know, and I wouldn’t try asking him, if I were you,” Ikeda said, shaking his head. “Have you looked at his eyes? They tell the tale. He’s the best alright. I’m glad he’s here.”

After a short while, Ikeda got up and began hitching the horses to the wagon. He carefully checked their feet before they continued the journey. It wouldn’t do to have one of the horses become lame in the mountains. They had already lost enough time as it was.

Kenshin shook his head, clearing his mind of the memories from earlier in the day. It was very late in the afternoon now, almost dusk, the sun lowering in the sky. Unfortunately, the wind had died down shortly after they had eaten and the rest of the trip had been hot and dusty. Kenshin was covered with a layer of tan dirt. Even his hair, where it wasn’t covered with his hat, was brown. He would be so glad to get back to Kyoto this evening. He intended to take a bath as soon as possible

Finally, Ikedo turned onto a faint track leading away from the side road they had been on for the last few miles. Kenshin was well aware of the guards surrounding them. He pointedly stared at each of the hidden men, before ignoring them completely. The word would be spread around the campfires tonight that there was no use in trying to sneak up on the Battousai. He would probably kill you, if you tried.

Two sentries stepped out of the trees and stopped the wagon. One man walked up to Kenshin. “Identify yourselves,” the senior man said, cautiously.

Kenshin slowly reached into his gi and brought out an envelope, given to him by Katsura that morning, and handed it to the man, who looked familiar.

He took it, opening the envelope and carefully reading the letter inside. “Onegai, would you remove your hat, sir?”

Kenshin reached up and took off his hat, the setting sun bringing out golden highlights in his bright red hair. “You’re Tsuji-san, aren’t you? We met just before the Ikedaya massacre.”

Tsuji’s eyes widened, as he took in the red hair, cross-shaped scar and amber eyes. “Hai, Battousai-san, you have a good memory. We only met the one time.”

“Aa. Can we go in now?” Kenshin asked, anxious to complete his mission.

“Hai, Battousai-san. Go straight into the camp. You will be met and guided to where the wagon will be unloaded.”

The track led directly into the center of the training camp. Kenshin looked around, noting the neat rows of tents for the fighters. Each row was identified by a troop flag. There were a few temporary buildings: an infirmary, a kitchen, and an armory. An aide to the camp commander met them and led them over to the armory. He asked Kenshin to follow him to the commander’s tent, while several men arrived to begin unloading the wagon. The aide escorted Kenshin into the tent, bowed to both the Commander and Kenshin, and then left.

“Commander Suga-san,” Kenshin said, bowing respectfully.

Suga Hatsuke, Commander of the training camp, stood up and bowed in return. “Himura-san. Onegai, come sit and join me in some tea. I expected you to arrive earlier. Did you have any problems on the way here?”

Kenshin crossed the tent to kneel on the cushion the commander had indicated, removing his daisho and setting them beside himself. He then gave a brief account of the incident with the two ninjas.

Commander Suga looked relieved when Kenshin finished his report, detailing that the ninjas had been unable to pass on any significant information. “I see. I’m glad you were there, Himura-san. Now then, I believe you have a letter for me.”

Kenshin retrieved the other envelope from within his gi and handed it to Commander Suga.

The Commander took the proffered envelope and set it down. He poured tea into two cups, handing one to Kenshin, who took it with a quiet “arigatou.” Suga then broke the seal on the envelope and removed the letter.

Kenshin sipped his tea, waiting patiently while Suga read the letter. Rather than sit there watching the Commander, Kenshin looked around the tent. Since the officers met here regularly, it was the largest tent in the camp. There were two tables, one tall, which was currently covered in maps; the other, a low table being used as a desk. One corner was partitioned off with a curtain, behind which was a futon, obviously Suga slept there. Commander Suga cleared his throat, getting Kenshin’s attention.

“It will take me a few minutes to prepare the report that Katsura-san has requested. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and get something to eat, Himura-san. I should have the report ready by the time you are finished.”

It was a gentle dismissal and Kenshin immediately stood up after retrieving his daisho, bowed politely, and left the tent. He walked over to the kitchen and found Ikeda, Hagino and Tsurubuchi there, already eating. After getting a tray of food, he sat down beneath a tree, slightly away from the others and began eating.

Ikeda walked over and crouched down to talk to Himura, who regarded him with curiosity. “Himura-san? We’re staying here tonight and were wondering if you would like to go back to Kyoto with us tomorrow,” he said, somewhat nervously. Talking to Himura made him uncomfortable, but he thought it would be rude to not ask.

Kenshin swallowed before answering. “Arigatou, Ikeda-san, but I must return to Kyoto in a few minutes.”

Ikeda stared in surprise, before remembering his manners. “Uh, gomen, Himura-san. I was just surprised, is all. You’re going back tonight? After everything you’ve done today?” He shook his head sympathetically. “Well, thanks for protecting the shipment and us, too. Maybe we will work together again some time.”

Kenshin looked at Ikeda, somewhat perplexed. Why was he thanking him? Did he really want to work with the Battousai? No one ever wanted to work with him “It was my job, that’s all,” he said.

“Aa, but I still appreciate it.” With that, Ikeda stood up to rejoin the other two men, but Himura’s soft voice stopped him.

“Ikeda-san, I would. . . like to work with you again, also.”

Ikeda smiled, pleased by Himura’s acknowledgment. “Great! Be careful on the way back to Kyoto, Himura-san.”

Kenshin nodded, thinking how unusual it was for someone to be pleased by the prospect of working with him. After finishing his meal, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, intending to rest for a short while. A few minutes later he felt the ki of the commander’s aide approaching. He opened his eyes and stood up before the man could speak, startling him.

“Excuse me, Himura-san, but the commander would like to see you,” the adjutant said, apprehensively. He wasn’t comfortable around the Battousai, even though he knew they were on the same side.

Kenshin walked past the man without bothering to speak. His reaction was what Kenshin was accustomed to, what he expected from the men around him. He had been isolated from the other Ishin Shishi fighters ever since he became a hitokiri. In the time since then, he could count only a handful of men who were comfortable around him. . . and Tomoe. . . the aching pain of her memory filling him with grief. . . but he refused to think of that now, he had a job to do.

Kenshin walked into the Commander’s tent and up to the low table he was sitting behind. He bowed, then stood relaxed, waiting for Commander Suga to finish writing. After signing his name with a flourish, Suga inserted the document into an envelope and affixed his seal on the flap.

Looking up at Himura, the Commander handed the envelope to him. “Himura-san, this document contains valuable information and is for Katsura-san’s use only. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to be cautious as you return to Kyoto.”

“No, Commander Suga. If you will excuse me, I will leave now. Arigatou for the hospitality of your camp.” With that, Kenshin bowed and left.

Walking quickly through the camp, Kenshin soon reached the outer perimeter. Extending his senses to cover the area around him, he broke into a long distance hunter’s pace. He could maintain that gait for miles without exhausting himself. Katsura-san wanted him to return to Kyoto as quickly as possible and Kenshin didn’t intend to disappoint him.