119 5.8 Secrets and Being A Disciple

We reached home and after arranging the confectionery that had been bought by Hiko-sama, I placed them on the side table in the kitchenette and placed a food cover on it.

The eggs I placed them at the corner of the kitchenette and away from the furnace. As the cooking area was elevated, it seems rather modern than the usual squatting and blowing of the fireplace on top of the rocket oven.

I wonder why it's called a rocket stove though it doesn't even look like a rocket to me. It was a simple stone fire stove and we feed wood to keep the fire ablaze. A simple chimney like was built at the rear of the stone fire stove to prevent the wall behind it from being charred and stained.

I looked around and found the condiments neatly arranged in a small basket and placed it near the eggs in case I need to cook breakfast for the next day.

"Here, Himura-kun, these are your new clothes, go and take a shower once you are done and change into these fresh pair. And talking about the shower, what did you add to the water in the bath?"

"Thank you for the clothes, Hiko-sama. I would repay you one day. As for the water in the bath, I simply did this. I burned some wood in the furnace to heat the house as well as heat the pipes that run behind it. Then I trickle the water and last I did this... "

I clapped my hands and vigorously rubbed the palms together. Once I had gathered enough heat, I opened my palms and showed it to him. In the middle of both palms were 2 small Psi energy marbles that I had generated for healing which was gathered using the energies around me.

"Ehhh... What are those? I haven't seen it before in my life... Is it dangerous? How did you manage to do that? Are you a mage or something?"

"These are called Psi energy balls. And this is used for healing directly or non directly depends on the situation. If I apply it through drinking water, it will replace loss energy as it will energise the water. I made a few of these when I was preparing your bath and I knew it would be beneficial for you."

"Yes! I could feel the energy when I soaked myself into it earlier. The moment I sat in the tub, the water seems to soothe my aching body and I felt light. You can see that till now I feel full of energy!"

Hiko-sama looked at me in surprise that at this young age I am able to perform simple healing. Furthermore, it's the first time he had seen a Psi energy ball and almost wanted to touch it.

"Hiko-sama, when you found me in that village, how long do you think I was lying down in the snow? And how long was it since the last bandit left the village?"

"Hmm, I think it would be roughly 2 days... No, it was more than 3 days because that's how long it took for us to travel there since we have gotten news of bandits pillaging other villages. YOU SHOULD BE DEAD FROZEN BY THEN!"

A sudden realisation came up to Hiko-sama as he thought of me lying there in the snow and perhaps had died then. But when he found me, I was not a bit suffering from frostbite at all!

He looked at me and with eyes and mouth wide open. It's true if a person does not have proper channelling of his chakra, the flow of energy would not be circulating within, thus making him alive until the time to rise.

"It is amazing! I didn't realise it by now since you brought this up. By the way, this Psi energy balls, is it dangerous?"

"Nope, it's not dangerous. Come spread your hands to me." I said as I slowly 'poured' the two energy balls into his palms. "What am I going to do with it?" Hiko-sama asked in confusion as he felt a certain warmth emanating from the Psi energy balls.

"Slowly raise it to your chest. This would help you heal certain old injuries starting from your chest onwards."

"OK, I trust you so I would do this only. Here goes..." Hiko-sama exclaimed as he slowly clasped his two hands to his chest. As the moment the Psi energy balls enters his chest, he could feel warmth generating from it and it tingles as it made its way to his lower and upper limbs and then to his head and back to the centre of his chest.

He kept his eyes closed and regulated his breathing as he feels the energy being regained and parts of his worn-out joints being repaired by this miraculous Psi energy balls.

After some time he opened up his eyes and blew a long breathe out from his lips. "I never felt like this before, kid. You must be someone special... Someone gifted and if someone... No, if I nurture you, would you be my disciple?"

"I have thought of opening a dojo but that takes thousands of gold coins. However, this place of mine can be a temporary dojo that would fit at most 6 students."

"I would be glad to be your disciple, Hiko-sama. Please drop the honorific when you call me and from this day onwards, I would call you, Sensei."

I explained to him and would prefer to be called just Himura instead of being added with an honorific. It's just simply confusing just to remember which honorific to use. Haa... Haa...

"From now on, as my first disciple, you will need to train under me as your Sword Master. I will teach you the art of a samurai and I want you to train hard."

"At the meantime, I will just call you Himura and sometimes Battosai which I deem fit. Go now, have your shower. And thank you for your Psi energy ball... It really is a miracle."

"Thank you Sensei... I go take my shower now and wash up my dirty laundry. Yours would be dry soon and I will take them in.".

"The small bedroom next to mine is yours now. Make it as your own and decorate and make it lively as you wish."

"Thank you, Sensei." I then picked up the new bundle of clothes and went to the small bedroom that I had cleaned and placed the new clothes in the corner. I slowly unwrap the bundle of clothes and took out a yakata from it.

I then took the yakata and went to the bathroom. There is no need to run the furnace for warm water as I could heat it up using the Fire Release method.

I drained the bath that was used by Hiko-sama and filled the tub slowly. I removed my kimono and began to soak it in a bucket before rinsing once and then adding the yellowish solid soap into it.

After a few scrubs with the corrugated washing board and a few rinses afterwards, my kimono and hakama smelled fresh.

The water in the tub was half filled and I made a handseal for Fire Release. After doing a few times to the water, it felt incredibly warm and inviting and I scooped the water and doused myself.

I wrapped the yakata around me and took my laundry in the bucket to go outside to dry. By this time I would not be using my sandals that were from my village and instead wore the zori that had been bought earlier.

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!