Chapter 34: Patterns of Meiji Swordsmanship

(Kaoru is dressing for practice.)

Kaoru: Hmm ... I wonder if this is a little too loose?

Yahiko (bursting in): Hey, what's taking so long? Hurry up, it's already getting dark--

(A scream and a thud.)

Kenshin (outside doing laundry):

(Kaoru marches out, the trussed-up Yahiko hanging from her shinai.)

Kenshin: Oh.

Kaoru: Jeez! That little peeping--

Kenshin: I'm sure it was an accident as always.

Kaoru: What do you mean, "as always"?

Kenshin: Are you going out today?

Kaoru: Today's an outside training day. The Makekawa dojo has always taken good care of us--oh yeah! Aren't you coming too? Maekawa-sensei said he'd like to meet you. You only came once, and you left right away.

Kenshin: I'd really better not. Besides the washing there's some wood to chop and the bath to get started.

Kaoru: Oh, in that you can do some shopping too. We need miso, salt, rice, soy sauce, some vinegar...

Kenshin: I guess I'm coming.

Kaoru: Looks like you have to! Come on now. Let's go!

(Outside a temple. A small hooded figure dashes in. His name is Yutarou, and his sensei is Raijuuta)

Yutarou: There you are, sensei!

(His sensei is a large man sitting against a tree. He wears a large straw hat and feathered shoulder guards.)

Yutarou: It took a while but I got almost everything. Let's see. First, there's four kenjutsu dojos in town. Of those four the most active is on the southwest side, the Chuuetsu school Maekawa dojo. The master Maekawa Miyauchi has been devoted to kenjutsu since his youth, until he attained a level at which he could open his own school. Probably the best practitioner in the area. There's rumors of a fantastically strong vagabond who's been living at the Kamiya Kasshin school dojo, but of course, they're just rumors.

Raijuuta: Hmm. Come then.

Yutarou: Yes sir!

(At the Maekawa dojo. Students in practice armor spar; others line up to practice their strokes.)

Instructor: All right, fifty strokes. Begin!

(The door opens; students look up.)

Everyone: Hi, Kaoru!

Kaoru: Hello!

Student: We've been waiting for you. Please come on in.

Kaoru: Oh, don't go to any trouble, please keep going.

Maekawa: It must be Kaoru. She always disrupts practice. I see you've brought this Kenshin you've been telling me about.

(Kenshin's and Maekawa's eyes meet; there is a moment of tension. A group of students form around them.)

Students: That's that vagabond everyone keeps talking about. He sure is. I've seen him before. Himura Kenshin. That's one guy Sensei should have a match with. I wonder which one's stronger? Sensei, of course. When he was young he was in the Edo 20th. Yeah, but this guy's no slouch. He's good.

Kaoru (thinking): Maekawa-sensei didn't say a word to me about this...

Students: Well, you can't tell who'd be stronger. It'd be a great match. They couldn't settle it without someone getting hurt.