119 5.8 Secrets and Being A Disciple (2/2)

I hung my laundry on the clothesline and felt that a one or two later the clothes that I had washed for Hiko-sama would be dry by the sun and the soft billowing wind.

Hiko-sama had retired to his room and saw a jug of sake was left open while the other was sitting at the edge of the living room. It must be for his comrades that might drop in anytime, I thought.

I decided to retire to my room too since there was nothing much I could do at this moment. I went to the smaller bedroom and after setting the Takamura that looked like a small bolster that was filled with buckwheat seeds in them, I placed my head and lay down.

Soon after, I fell asleep in a dreamless state.

After about 1.5 hours later, the sliding door of my room was slid open and Hiko-sama peeped in. ”Hey, kid. Are you asleep yet? There's a yatai around the corner that serves baked sweet potato on hot stones also known as Yaki Imo. You want some?”

”Sure, I'd like 2 pieces, please,” I said as I stood up and adjusted my Takamura in position and smoothen my yakata. I stood up and joined him at the front of the house. Soon a yatai moved slowly in front of the house and the vendor was calling out ”Yaki Imooooooishi...! Yaki Imooooooishi...!”

Hiko-sama sama called the vendor and he pointed 4 fingers and soon 4 pieces of freshly baked sweet potatoes on hot stones that were placed on an open fire of the yatai came forth.

Eating hot baked sweet potatoes on a cold winter afternoon was a simple pleasure. It's cheap and costs only 5 bronze coins each. I remembered back on a modern day Nagoya, this trade was really fading. And it costs something like 10 JPY for 3 pieces.

Both of us were eating at the terrace, blowing the insides of the sweet potatoes as we removed its slightly charred skin away. It seems both Hiko-sama and me shared a common interest; food and eating!

The food was simple and yet it brought back certain memories and the taste was simply delectable. The two pieces of sweet potatoes were quite large and after eating it we both felt full and Hiko-sama went to fetch some tea which he had brewed while I was asleep.

We drank the tea while sitting at the terrace of the house. None of us spoke anything much as we had our fill from the afternoon snack. Soon, other yatais were circling the district and selling their wares. I soon found out that the district we were living in seldom cook heavy meals and depended on the yatais for their tea break in the afternoon.

Since lunch and dinner can be preordered for 2 weeks in advance, the district basically made breakfast or supper if need be. Furthermore, with the vendors of this yatai moving about in our district, there would be an endless supply of food as long as one has money.

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Me being this poor had to depend on Hiko-sama for the moment for my daily meals. I dare not ask for anything because it would impede my progress in this situation.

Also asking from Hiko-sama whom I had known for a little while would seem a burden for me. I wish I could earn money soon so I would not be such to him.

I looked at the direction of Hiko-sama sama and he was looking up at the sky. I wonder what he was thinking through the great mind of his. Since I have no access to any information right now, I wouldn't know where to begin with this Himura Kenshin character, but somehow I felt it would unravel when the time comes.

”Have you hold any weapons before in your life, Himura? Like a katana, kodachi or something similar?”

”Sensei, in the past I had held a bamboo pike, a kodachi as well as a kurisagama. It's a long story, but if you hear it our from me, it's as if I'm lying to you BIG time. I am also known as a pugilist and had been assessed by a Buddhist Monk before.”

”Interesting... But words can only mean to much. Why don't you show me some of your moves?”

”You mean now? If you insist, Sensei...” I replied to him as I made my way to the small clearing in front of the house. I stood with one leg which I had placed all my weight on it while the other leg I just placed it loosely, just like before. After I felt my body swaying and felt rooted to the ground with my other feet, I raised my hands in front of me.

All this time I had my eyes closed and meditating and as I felt my arms being swaying like the branches of a tree in the wind and my foot rooted like the strong tree trunk. My hands moved freely as it made movements from forming a beak's hand in front and it circled to form the sign of yin and yang.

This time I felt my movement being unrestricted as I moved my legs to form stances with the fluidity flow of my arms in a kind of fighting pose. I imagined myself being a crane out of the water and being able to fend off attacks from Predators.

I was doing the 'white crane spreading its wings' and soon I was doing the 'creeping snake movement'. All of a sudden I saw a white flash before me and I managed to evade and counterattack the flash with a downward block followed with an upward thrust at the flash by using a flick of my wrist. My sudden fluid move turned into a devastating block and counter!

Another flash ensued on my right and I can feel its nearing me as I do a split on the ground to totally evade this time and jumped up and unleashed a flurry of kicks from a front roundhouse kick, spinning back heel and ended one jumping slamming roundhouse kick.

I stood in my 'pouring stance' with my hands at my sides and opened up my eyes. I was surprised that Hiko-sama was holding a short staff while another lay broken on his sides.

”Catch...! Show me what you can do with this broken staff.” He used his foot to hoist the broken staff and I split it into two separate pieces. I twirled both of the sticks in my hands as I prepared myself. ”Go!” I shouted as I advanced with the two short sticks in both hands as evade, blocked and attacked Hiko-sama who was pursuing me with his staff.

Having two short sticks with my hands proved to be a formidable weapon as I am able to execute a series of moves that I was otherwise unable to utilise and add with my high side kicks and snap kicks. I was able to move around Hiko-sama, encircling me as he tries to swings, stabs and strikes me with his long staff. ”Stop!”

Hiko-sama was a bit short of breath and he walked to the terrace to sit and motioned me to join him. I took the sticks with me and decided to even the lengths later on. Since it's broken, it's considered as useless but I could make another use for it.

”Hey kid, you are amazing. I didn't know you could so such moves. You had a Master before you, isn't it? Don't tell me someone from the village taught you all those?”

”Actually I had a Master once, but he taught with me the basics. I moved in after that and had learnt how to use a bamboo pike, a kodachi and a kurisagama soon afterwards.”

”I saw a murderous intent in your eyes when we were doing some practice on the staffs. Are you trained by a ninja and learnt the arts of a Ninjutsu?”

”Frankly speaking, Sensei... Believe it or not, I had already killed 3 ninjas. First by using a bamboo pike, then afterwards with a kurisagama and lastly with a kodachi. The lastninja that I took down was assisted by my friends at that time.”

I recalled the time when I had taken down the Assassins in Exile Island in the 2nd series and how they had initially killed my friends and how I avenged their deaths. But I didn't tell Hiko-sama because the revelation of me killing 3 ninjas at the age of 11 years old was already a shock to him!