"Irasshaimase!" Meirou called as the door to the
sake shop opened, the welcoming words at odds with the lack of enthusiasm
in her voice. It was late in the evening, just before closing, and
another customer at this hour usually meant more trouble than good.
Turning disinterested eyes toward the entrance, she found her curiosity
piqued by the oddly-matched pair standing just inside. The tall one
she recognized as Hiko Seijuurou, a friend of her father and a frequent
customer. But his companion... his form mostly hidden by Hiko-san's,
the only thing she could discern was that he was slight of body and short
of stature. Still, as he half-turned to close the door behind them,
her quick eyes spotted the swing of the saya hanging from his waist, caught
a glimpse of the guard strapped to his hand, and from these she guessed
that he must be the "stupid pupil" Hiko-san spoke of so often to her father.
"Konbanwa, Meirou-chan," Hiko greeted her, stepping further into the
store and away from his student.
Bowing slightly, letting her inquisitive gaze shift from Hiko to his
companion as she straightened, Meirou opened her mouth to respond in kind...
and stopped, staring, the words unsaid. With his delicate frame,
red hair, and wide violet eyes, Hiko-san's student was the most striking
individual she'd ever seen. Kawaii!! her brain immediately
began screaming, making it a struggle to think anything else. "Kon...
Kon... Konbanwa, Hiko-san," she finally managed, tearing her eyes
away from the young man standing by the door.
Hiko nodded once in acknowledgment, turning to make his selection from
the shop's well-stocked shelves. It didn't take long - sake was sake
- but he dragged the process out, enjoying the little drama unfolding behind
him, always willing to have a laugh at his idiot pupil's expense.
Given Meirou-chan's initial reaction, things were bound to get interesting.
Hiko's attention straying to the store's offerings, Meirou let hers
travel back to his student, lingering over the flame-bright hair, the sensitive
face. Kawaii... she thought again, sighing in appreciation.
Kenshin frowned as the shop girl continued to stare at him, seemingly
unaware that his master was smirking at them both. True, shishou
often smirked, so it didn't necessarily mean anything, but Kenshin felt
sure that he was the target of some unwitting joke. I wish she'd
stop that, he thought, shifting uncomfortably under her incredibly
focused gaze.
Meirou blinked as he began to fidget nervously, realizing belatedly
that she'd been staring like some moon-struck ninny.
Talk to him!
she admonished herself, Ask him his name! Say something!
"Konbanwa! Are you Hiko-san's student?" Great beginning, Meirou-chan!
Nosy and abrupt. She smiled brightly, hoping it would soften
her words.
"Hai," Kenshin responded, relaxing a little now that she'd stopped staring
at him quite so hard. Unfortunately, the smile she was giving
him was only slightly less daunting than her stare had been.
Now what do I say? "I thought so! Hiko-san's always telling
father about you." There... that wasn't so bad, was it? His
eyes had narrowed. Oops. Maybe it was.
Shishou talks about me? Kenshin glared at Hiko's back. If
it's anything like the way he talks to me, it's no wonder everyone
acts like I'm stupid. "Oh."
Baka! You shouldn't have said that... now he's annoyed.
Annoyed isn't the right frame of mind at all! Distract him! "Do
you know very many people here in town?"
The violet gaze shifted from Hiko-san back to her. "No."
Yatta! The mental shout was both jubilant and selfish.
"Oh? Well, I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance," she told him, tilting
her head slightly, smiling so her dimples showed, "My name is Meirou."
His eyes widened, surprised that she would be forward enough to give
him her name, but it was only polite to give his in return. "Kenshin
desu. Doozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
Heart of Sword. Somehow, that seems... right. "It
suits you," she told him without thinking, and in response he smiled hesitantly.
Taking that as a good sign, Meirou began flirting in earnest. "Do
you like my name?" she asked, bowing her head shyly, peeking up
at him through her lashes.
What difference does it make? Kenshin wondered, politely answering,
"Hai."
"Honto?" She blushed, her eyes sparkling with pleasure, and reached
up to twine a lock of hair around her finger, toying with it as she watched
him.
Now it was Kenshin's turn to wonder what to say. He'd never really
talked to a girl before, but didn't see that he'd said anything that should
make her blush. "Hai," he repeated, for lack of anything better.
Meirou let her voice drop until it was almost a whisper, and fluttered
her lashes at him. "Arigatou." She nibbled teasingly on the lock
of hair she'd wrapped around her finger, searching for something else to
say, wanting to call attention to her mouth.
His eyes bewildered, Kenshin glanced at Hiko, unable to fathom why she'd
started chewing on her hair, or why it seemed to make him just a touch
uncomfortable. Aren't you finished yet?! he half-demanded,
half-pleaded.
What am I doing wrong? Meirou wailed as he looked away, apparently
uninterested in her flirting. "Kenshin?" His polite attention immediately
returned to her, and summoning up her courage, she asked him the first
inane question that popped in her head, "Are you any good?"
Kenshin heard Hiko stifle a laugh at that, and frowned, puzzled. What's
she talking about? "What?"
"With the sword. Are you any good?" She tried batting her lashes
again to prompt his response.
Kenshin merely blinked at her. Why does she keep doing that
thing with her eyes? he wondered.
"You didn't!" Sano interrupted, surprise warring with laughter
for control of his voice.
"Oro?" Kenshin's was steadfastly put-upon.
"Don't 'oro' me! You can't possibly have been naive enough to
wonder why she was batting her lashes at you!"
"I don't see why not!" Yahiko sullenly declared, remembering how Tsubame
had done the very same to him, just that morning. He immediately
regretted saying so, as it set Sano laughing again.
"Not you, too!" Yahiko's flushed face answered the question for him.
"You're both hopeless."
On the other side of the thin partition, a tray laden with tea and rice
balls in her lap, Kaoru tried to stifle her own giggles. She hadn't
intended to eavesdrop, she really hadn't, but when she'd paused to open
the door... it'd just... happened. And once she realized
what she was overhearing - not a lecture on the birds and the bees, but
a recollection of Kenshin's own initiation - the temptation to stay and
listen had been impossible to resist.
"Do you want me to finish this or not?" she heard her husband ask, his
voice betraying both his annoyance and his embarrasment. The question
instantly put an end to Sano and Yahiko's bickering, and Kenshin resumed
his account.
Hiko was enjoying his idiot pupil's first encounter with the opposite
sex. Oh, Kenshin had met women before, but this was the first time
one of them had tried to catch his interest. And try though she might,
Yuuhou's youngest wasn't having the slightest bit of luck. It wasn't
so much that she was unsuccessful... rather, the boy just had no
idea what she was after, or what was happening to him as she tried.
During the course of their conversation, Kenshin's expression had changed
from polite attentiveness to bewilderment to outright fear.
For her part, Meirou's emotions slipped from interest to pleasure, followed
by despair, deteriorating finally to extreme annoyance. What is wrong
with him?! He can't really be as stupid as Hiko-san says he is...
can he? She pouted prettily, wondering what else she could try.
Kenshin realized he'd done something wrong, but was helpless to determine
what. He quailed inside as her expression took on new determination.
What
now?
"Don't bother, Meirou-chan," Hiko interjected, forestalling her as she
opened her mouth, "my baka deshi hasn't a clue what it is that you want,
or what he's done to annoy you."
"Shishou!"
"Honto?"
Kenshin's annoyed exclamation clashed with Meirou's astonished question,
both turning red with embarrasment. "Aa," Hiko answered, holding
out the money he owed for the sake. Meirou took it without thinking,
still watching Kenshin. "You can try again next time," he teased,
drawing her attention with a condescending pat on the head, "after he and
I have had a little talk." Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant,
and she ducked her head to hide both her amusement and her surprise.
Kenshin gave another furious yelp of "Shishou!" making Hiko's smile
broaden and Meirou giggle. I knew I was missing something,
Kenshin thought sourly. He followed -- his head bowed, his shoulders
stiff with embarrassed resentment - as his master headed toward the door.
He's even cuter when he's angry, Meirou thought, giggling again.
"Goodbye!" she called as Hiko stepped outside. Kenshin nodded stiffly,
and reached to close the door behind them, his hair catching the light
of the lantern outside. "Kawaii..." she sighed, her voice admiring.
Kenshin froze at the whispered word, feeling his face color once more,
before hurriedly slamming the door. Turning, he stomped past his
master, heading toward home.
"Baka deshi," Hiko began when they were about halfway there, "are you
going to ask about it or not?"
"Ask about what?" Kenshin's voice was still sullen and angry.
He squawked in surprise when he felt a hand grab him by the back of the
shirt and shake him like a puppy before dropping him on his feet again.
"Don't be stubborn. Ask what all of that back in Yuuhou's store
was about." Silence. "What she wanted and why she made you nervous."
"Did not." It was barely a murmur. Hiko grinned.
"If she didn't, that's more of a concern than if she did." He could
feel the confusion that caused, as well the boy's growing curiosity.
They walked in silence a few moments more, before finally his idiot pupil
gave a long-suffering sigh.
"All right, shishou... what did she want?" Silence.
Kenshin gritted his teeth, and then asked again, "Shishou, onegai, what
was that all about?"
Hiko gave a shout of laughter, clapping Kenshin strongly on the shoulder,
surprising him. "I'm glad Meirou-chan was tending the store today.
I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with you."
"Shishou." Kenshin's voice was low, almost threatening. Hiko grinned
again.
Taking a swig from the bottle of sake he'd opened as they walked, the
look in his eyes promising he was about to have fun at Kenshin's expense,
the thirteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu said, "It begins with...
"Anatomy."
Author's Notes:
-
We don't see much of young Kenshin interacting with Hiko,
but from what we do see, it looks like Kenshin often reacted to
Hiko the way Yahiko reacts to Sano. Kenshin was probably more respectful,
but Hiko could still get him to lose his temper with embarrassing ease!
I've tried to characterize Kenshin that way - not the painfully and unfailingly
polite rurouni we know and love, but something closer to a normal - if
well spoken and thoughtful - boy.
-
I'm not really sure, but I somehow have the impression that
it would be considered improper for a young girl to go around introducing
herself to strange young men - no matter how cute. Which is why Kenshin
is surprised. If anyone knows differently/better, please let me know!
-
In the pre-Meiji world, it would probably be strange for
Hiko to be close friends with a shopkeeper. (Yes/No/Maybe?) Hiko
doesn't seem terribly concerned about things like rank and class distinctions,
however, so I figure he'd be friends with whoever he felt like. And
who better, than someone who owns a sake shop? Supply, meet demand.
Index of Japanese terms:
-
Irrashaimase! - Welcome! Used in stores, shops,
restaurants, etc.
-
Meirou - written with the kanji for "cheerful"
-
Konbanwa - good evening
-
Kawaii - cute
-
Hai - yes
-
Honto - really
-
Arigatou - thank you
-
Shishou - master
-
Baka deshi - stupid pupil
-
Yuuhou - written with the kanji for "friend". It's
also an archaic usage, so as a play on words I used it to mean "old friend".
Chapter Two
