#hiko seijuuro

[stygiovictoria]

[aoimone]

[lafeae]

Rurouni Kenshin doodles!

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tales 5 (JUMP SQ)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involved the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (March 2022) there are a  total 52 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation.

Read the previous chapter on dtninja website: https://dtninja481.wixsite.com/dtninjavillage/ruroken-tales-of-kamiya-dojo

Previous story:

While Kenshin and Kaoru were having their wedding ceremony, Hiko Seijuuro arrived and destroyed their dojo because it would be rebuilt by Yamagata Aritomo.  Hiko Seijuuro came and ran away, but a young man came and asked for Niitsu Kakunoshin, which is Hiko Seijuuro alias.

After Kenshin and Kaoru got married, Yahiko lived in the Gorotsuki house left by Sanosuke. At his room someone visited and offered a job for him, then he worked as a doorkeeper at Gekikenkai, where their fighters show their skills in Kendo Performance. In the middle of the Kendo Performance, Yahiko saw Aoshi faught Hiruma Gohei for the show.  When Yahiko came back to Kamiya Dojo, he found out that Aoshi and Misao came from Kyoto to visit them.

Yahiko was assigned to help out at the Gekikenkai* in Asakusa*. At the event, which was a kendo performance, he found that Aoshi Shinomori had entered the tournament. Yahiko was surprised to see an unexpected person, but contrary to Yahiko's expectation that the match would be won in a blink of an eye,  Aoshi played  a "good match" against Hiruma Gohei, a small fry, without showing any difference in ability. Once you have a sword in your hand, it is not polite not to play a serious game. Why was he here in this place in the first place?, Yahiko thought. The day after the event, Yahiko came to Kamiya Dojo to practice. He met Aoshi while he was doing kata practice.

・

“Please keep the show a secret”

Aoshi said, swinging the wooden sword in both hands unbothered. This was the first time Yahiko had seen a Kodachi Nitoryu* in kata* practice, and his movements were lean, intense, and beautiful.

“I'm not supposed to tell anyone”

That's a problem, Yahiko thought. He had already told Tsubame.

“I mean, you're performing in an exhibition match, isn't that a bit much to ask?”

He felt somewhat embarrassed to confess that he had told Tsubame, so he tried to insist that he could not keep the secret from another angle.

The Gekikenkai  was also a place where the best and the fiercest show off their strength. As Hiruma Gohei said, if one's strength is recognized there and one's reputation grows, one may be able to get a job as a bodyguard somewhere. There were even people who participated in the tournament with the intention of seeking such prestige.

“Oh, I didn't word it well enough.”

Aoshi finally stopped his kata practice and faced Yahiko. Even though it was after an intense movement, his breathing was not disturbed at all.

“I don't mind the world knowing”

“Then who are you going to keep it secret to? Misao?”

“No, I don't know... it's more like...If my relatives are watching the game…”

There he took a breath as if searching for words. His breathing, which was not disturbed in intense training before, was disturbed at this time as a sigh.

“Very very troublesome”

At that moment, Yahiko's mind flashed back to the events at the Gekikenkai, and he was convinced. Ah, come to think of it, Aoshi was very popular among women and received a lot of yellow cheers. If Misao saw him in that situation, it would be raining of blood.

“Well, I see”

When Yahiko seemed to understand the situation, Aoshi blurted out.

“I know it's out of character”

He was also the head of the former Oniwabanshu. Considering his origins, he should not have been cheered at an entertainment event. And it was obvious that it was out of character for Yahiko, who knew Aoshi's personality to a certain extent.

“There must be a reason for this”

Aoshi simply nodded silently to Yahiko's words.

・

After Yahiko and Aoshi's practice was over, they were wiping sweat off their faces at the side of the well.

“Since we're here, why don't we all go to Akabeko today?”

Kaoru suggested with a smiling face. Whenever something good happens or people get together, they eat beef hot pot at Akabeko. That was Kaoru's usual idea. Yahiko would usually take her suggestion without hesitation, but that was not the case today.

Akabeko is not good today! Yahiko thought.

First, he was trying so that none of his friends knew about Aoshi's appearance in the tournament. He had not yet told Tsubame that he was going to do so. Yahiko needed to speak first with Tsubame now that he has inadvertently shared his secret with her. Second, Akabeko was located in Asakusa and the Gekikenkai's performances are also held in Asakusa. There is no way to know when they will run into the people involved. Therefore, under the current circumstances, they should not go near Asakusa.

“Akabeko is nice, but Misao said she wanted to go to Ginza*”

Yahiko casually suggested changing the destination from Asakusa to Ginza.

“Ginza. Ginza, huh? It's said to be haunted there”

Kaoru was reluctant to accept Yahiko's suggestion. And the reason was a ghost.

“What are you talking about? Ginza is a fashionable town lined with brick buildings with a taste for foreign countries, isn't it? There's no way it's haunted”

Yahiko's face was filled with disgust, but Kaoru was able to smile more seriously than ever.

“When I was still about Yahiko's age, or a little younger, there was a big fire in the area from Tsukiji to Ginza. More than 10,000 people lost their homes and were burned out. A number of people were taking refugee from our dojo because they relied on my father”

If this had happened before the Meiji Restoration, the burned buildings would have been quickly rebuilt and people would have been able to return to their normal lives from the evacuation site. In Edo there was a famous line that said that fire and fighting are the flower of Edo. The firemen of Edo would not hesitate to tear down houses to extinguish fires, and the carpenters would quickly build them back up. However, the Meiji government did not try to save those who were burned out. The people who lived in the Ginza area at the time were evicted without any compensation, as the government ordered that no one was allowed to build wooden houses until the government rebuilt the fire damaged wood-and-paper district into a brick district that would not burn.

“I still remember my father doing everything in his power to help those who had nowhere else to go”

“Damn, the higher-ups, they can do whatever they want!”

Yahiko felt as if his parents were killed by the Meiji government. When he thought of those who lost their places due to the government's tyranny, he became angry as if it were his own. The forceful and arrogant screwing was repulsive.

“They built shacks on the burnt ruins, and even the people who lived there were evicted as if they were clinging to the place. The story goes that the grudge from that time seeped into the brick street and it is haunted”

Kaoru said, shuddering.

Is that why she don't want to go to Ginza? Yahiko made a point. But he had never heard of a ghost in Ginza. Yahiko was able to empathize with the stories of people who lost their places due to the tyranny of the Meiji government, but the ghost story did not move him at all.

Despite Kaoru's insistence, Misao's attack that she wanted to go to Ginza and Yahiko's covering fire (backing up someone) eventually had the Kamiya Dojo group walking through the Bricktown district.

“One eye-witness is better than many hearsays!”

Misao, who was happy to be able to come to Ginza with Aoshi even though Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko were also there, patted Kaoru on the shoulder to encourage her, who was afraid of ghosts.

Ginza Bricktown was laid out like a grid, had cherry and willow trees along the streets, and a whopping 85 gas lamps, which were lit and shined in the evening. It was exactly what civilization had brought.

“I don't know if there are ghosts or not, but they probably lurk in the darker, more frightening places, not in such a western, fashionable place. Right, Himura?”

“I've never seen any kind of demon or ghost, that I don't know”

“No matter how strong Kenshin is, he can't cut ghosts. That's why I'm scared”

Kaoru held Kenshin's arm tightly.

“Oh shoot, I didn't know you had it in you”

Suddenly, Misao huffed and shouted, slapping his forehead.

“I should have set it to be afraid of ghosts!”

Holding her head, she murmured in a small voice.

“I could have hugged Aoshi-sama”

“Hey, your mind is leaking”

Misao was surprised by Yahiko's comment.

“I didn't say anything, did I?”

“Yes, yes. You didn't say anything, you didn't say anything”

Yahiko's lighthearted attitude was met with an angry bird kick from Misao, which he defended against, and the wide, well-planned streets of the brick town allowed them to enjoy themself without bumping into people.

“But there are many strange stories that can only be attributed to the work of a ghost, such as the rice cakes that turned blue and moldy after only a short time of pounding, or the unused kitchen knives that were left unattended and became covered in rust.”

Kaoru was still obsessed with ghost stories. She was afraid of things that do not comprehend in the Kamiya Kasshin style.

“I'm going to solve that mystery for you, Oku-san*”

"What? You mean me? Oku-san?"

Perhaps this was the first time she had been stopped like that on the street. She turned around, embarrassed and happy, and there he was, *the young man who had been looking for Niitsu Kakunoshin during their wedding ceremony and looked like a student of calligraphy.

“Oh,it’s you. Did you find the person who you were looking for?”

Although this is only the second time they had met, both Kaoru and the young man were not shy, so they were able to have conversation naturally.

“Not yet”

“But Yahiko-kun gave me another name, Hiko Seijuro, so I am sure it will lead somewhere”

“He's a man of many faces”

“That brings me to the mystery I was talking about earlier. There is nothing strange about what is called the mystery of Bricktown. There is nothing to be afraid of”

They were all intrigued by the young man's words.

“What do you mean?”

Kaoru asks on behalf of the group.

“I would like to study the world's weirdness as an academic subject. If we can explain strange phenomena, we will not be afraid of them unnecessarily, and we can prevent them from happening in advance. It may also be possible to create mysterious phenomena on the contrary. That is why I am collecting and analyzing mysterious phenomena”

The young man explained.

“The reason the rice cakes in Bricktown went moldy even though they were freshly pounded, and the reason the unused kitchen knives rusted, was because of humidity. They built a Western-style brick house with a high airtightness on a humid Japanese land, so the humidity got trapped in the rooms and caused mold and rust.”

“I see, Well done. You have a point, that it is”

“Oh, wow. That's cool”

“Eh, so that is it”

“I'm kind of less scared now”

Everyone was convinced and impressed by the young man's solution to the riddle.

“I'm glad you understand.”

The young man was pleased.

“The moment I solve a mystery like this is the most enjoyable for me. Thank you for this chance reunion and the pleasure of solving the mystery today.”

The young man bowed and left lightly on his feet.

Everyone waved goodbye.

“He is a very strange person, but I learned a lot”

Misao was impressed. Aoshi, on the other hand, asked.

".... So, who is he?"

Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko all look at each other for a moment.

“I do not know, that I do”

“Now that you mention it, I wonder who he is”

“I don't know either”

Besides that he was looking for Hiko Seijuro, no one knew any more information than that.

“…”

This strange silence was broken by a man's wild exclamation.

A man covered in blood ran scrambling from behind a brick building. A familiar large man with a long black beard came running and gasping "help me".

“Ah! Hiruma Gohei!”

“Battousai!"”

He ran for help, but when he saw Kenshin, whether out of surprise or blood loss, he just collapsed.

Notes:

*)Gekigenkai: Kendo style match or event test their strenght in swordsmanship and fight (for entertaiment or even gambling purpose)

*)Asakusa: Shopping district in Tokyo

*)Kodachi NittoRyu: the name of the fighting technique used by Shinomori Aoshi.

*)kata: form, kata practice: practicing the technique form

*)Ginza: a district built in western style

*)Oku-san: ma’am, madam, a married woman.

*)The young man who had been looking for Niitsu Kakunoshin: Refers to Tales 1 and Tales 3

.……continue to chapter 6…….

https://kenkaodoll.tumblr.com/post/678884284217655296/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tales-6-jump-sq

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with the English also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that sounds not making sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want give corrections.

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters in his website. You can go and check on there, for now I only translate the chapters that I want to read.

I decided to continue translating the tales. I hope more ruroken fans can enjoy the story. https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[rahmakapala]

3 and 13 for the fanfic end of year ask!

Thank you for asking! These were fun questions (from the ask meme).

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

This is most likely a bit too long, but here’s a sneak peek into one of my unpublished stories:

The silence dragged on, and then, Kaoru couldn’t take it anymore. “You should go to her. Right now.”

“No.”

Kaoru raised her brow in disbelief. “Why not? Kenshin was really upset, she needs you. Are you really going to let suffer alone?”

“Kenshin’s tougher than she looks.” Hiko said dismissively. “She knows the name of my hotel. If she gets in trouble, she can find me and I’ll rain hell on anyone who tries hurt her. But not before she asks me to.”

“That’s…” Kaoru bit her lip, tempted to say something she knew she’d regret. Suddenly, she didn’t wonder at all why Hiko had had troubles raising a child. “Then, at least tell me where I can find her. Please. I need to go to her and apologize.”

“No.”

Kaoru growled, clenching her hands into fists. “And pray tell, why not?”

Hiko huffed. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Trust me, kid – I have tried. No, Kenshin is the sort of self-sacrificial idiot who will never step out of the miserable little life she had made herself, if not by her own choice. She’s difficult like that. She’ll run and run, until she decides not to.”

“But surely I can talk to her? Try to help her?” Kaoru said, trying to make any sense of Hiko’s arcane musings.

Hiko scoffed, shook his head – and then the bastard decided to start walking down the stairs. “’til later,” he called out loud and lifted up his hand if farewell, holding up a bottle of-

“Son of a bitch-” Kaoru gaped, unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. Had Lord Seijuurou grabbed a whole bottle of their most expensive champagne? Really? “How wasted are you?”

“Not even nearly enough.” Lord Seijuurou declared without turning around. “I’d recommend you to do the same. It passes the time.”

Kaoru stared – that, that bastard! “You seriously aren’t going to give me even a hint where to find her?”

“I’d rather watch you sweat for it. After all, what a man has to fight for, he will always appreciate more than a price neatly handed to him.”

“What?” Kaoru stated, oddly furious. “Women aren’t things.”

“Yet, the principle still stands.” Lord Seijuuro turned around, and pointed his bottle toward Kaoru. “Besides, you have everything you need to find her yourself, don’t you?”

13. favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

I rarely listen to music while writing, but here’s the song that I often listen to when I am editing:

The Modern Quest - Mario Lucian Andreano

[kenshinomonogatari-blog]

[cadavaberry]

[rahmakapala]

RK Round Robin Fic

Rurouni Kenshin Week, Round Robin Fic Characters: Kenshin Himura, Kaoru Kamiya, Megumi Takani, Tsubame Sanjo  Rating: T  Word count: 953 Notes: I felt like writing Kenshin POV, so here we go! Sorry in advance for the probable grammar mistakes and typos - this hasn't been proofread and my English is not the best!

You can find @tact-and-impulse ‘s part 1 here, @awritingpen ‘s part 2 here, @kenkaya-fanworks 's part 3 here and Mr.Fujita's part 4 here.

This was was a really fun fic to write! Thank you for arranging this!

The clock was ticking on the wall.

Its sound was not loud, not really – but it was distinct against the constant patter of rain beating down the roof and howling of the wind. At the sidelines, the ladies were talking with soft voices, too muffled for Kenshin to make out what they were saying. However, if the intent look in Miss Kaoru’s eyes was anything to go by, she was already coming up with contingency plans for all their well-being if the hurricane wouldn’t let go soon.

Practical and kind, hard-working, tenacious…

Oh, how Kenshin admired her – even if he would never dare to say it out loud.

However, given the looks Megumi-san was shooting at him, he should join their discussion, instead of sitting by himself.

Well, compared to the options: Sano had grown bored hours ago and had conned Yahiko into going patrolling in the office building. Master had locked himself to his office and hadn’t been seen since. Even Saito had retreated from the other’s company, and currently, he was dozing in his cubicle, muttering in his sleep something about nuclear disasters, Zanza and how useless he found Kenshin.

To be honest, Kenshin wouldn’t even consider waking him up. Who knew if he was having a nightmare or positive dream? At least, by Saito’s (somewhat skewed) standards. The look on his face could have indicated either way…

No, better to leave him alone.

Wincing slightly, Kenshin pulled himself to his feet. Then he drew a neutral smile on his lips and headed towards the ladies group – no matter what Master always claimed, he did NOT enjoy brooding alone, thank you very much. He just had a healthy respect of the sheer amount of mayhem his office colleagues could come up when the situation allowed it.

“Sir Ken! How nice of you to join us,” Megumi-san called out to him, startling Miss Kaoru from the elaborate plan she was drawing in front of them.

“...Kenshin!” She breathed out, her pretty blue eyes zeroing on him.

Kenshin’s throat went dry, and he swallowed weakly. “Miss Kaoru,” he finally managed. “What are you drawing there, that is?”

“Oh, this?” Miss Kaoru reddened slightly. “Ah, well – um, you know while the electricity is still working, it seems that the storm is larger than anyone anticipated, so it might be that we will be stuck here until tomorrow. And for that, it wouldn’t hurt to plan out how to handle the necessities if something else goes wrong. Like, if the water supply cut out, how are we going to handle bathroom visits or washing, or–“

“Basically, we are amusing ourselves with coming up worst case survival scenarios,” Megumi-san interrupted, giving him a pointed glance, “At least it’s better than counting seconds to pass the time.”

“It’s not just an amusement, but reasonable precautions!” Miss Kaoru protested. “We already lost the internet, cell phones, and most phone lines. If the storm gets worse, water, electricity, and warmth might get cut just as easily, you know!”

“Yes, yes.” Megumi-san sighed dramatically. “And the pigs will fly, the rooster will grow up, and a certain unnamed person will stop pining and finally confess their feelings to the office sweetheart.”

“….what.” Miss Kaoru bristled. “You, you–“

“I’m sure Megumi-san didn’t mean it badly!” Young miss Tsubame cut between their bickering. “Please, let’s get back to the planning. Himura-san, maybe you would have some ideas how we could improve? After all, you know Director Seijuuro and his strategies the best.”

A shiver raced down his spine as the memory of Hiko Seijuurou’s strategies and viewpoint for crisis management flashed through his eyes. He had been just eleven when he had been stuck with Hiko in a summer cottage with no supplies (if the Sake bottle the older man carried with him wasn’t counted, and Kenshin certainly didn’t). Hiko had solved the issue by ordering the teenage Kenshin to forage mushrooms and berries from the woods, while he went fishing. With minimal instructions and hunger in his belly, it was no wonder Kenshin had eaten a few mushrooms on the way… and spend the rest of the day laughing himself sick, hallucinating and puking his guts out. The joy.

“Kenshin? What’s wrong?”

“Oro!” Kenshin forced himself to focus on the present. “Ah, nothing is wrong that it isn’t! This one would be glad to offer whatever help he can – even if this one is sure Miss Kaoru’s plan is very good already.”

Miss Kaoru reddened slightly at the praise and glanced aside. “Thank you.”

Megumi just huffed, “you two…”

“Oro?” Kenshin blinked, pretending he didn’t understand what Megumi was insinuating. “What have we done, that is?”

“Never mind her, she is just bored with no soap opera to watch!” Miss Kaoru squeaked in hurry, tapping the place next to her very purposefully. “Please, sit – and then, let’s get back to the planning, shall we?”

Warmth spreading in his chest, Kenshin stifled the foolish smile tugging at his lips and sat down gingerly, a calculated, neutral distance from her. The last thing he needed was her to realize how much he adored every single second spend within her proximity. They were working in the same company. It simply wasn’t appropriate. Even if they belonged to different units, the rumors of such a thing could affect her career and he couldn’t risk that.

No, it was better for him to yearn in silence.

“Miss Kaoru – could you walk this one through what you have planned out so far?” Kenshin asked.

“Oh, yes! Definitely!”” Miss Kaoru said. “Well, firstly…”

Kenshin nodded along with the explanation and purposefully ignored Megumi-san’s muttered words:  “No soap opera she says? I am watching one right now.”

[kenshinomonogatari-blog]

[kenshinomonogatari-blog]