Happy Time Machine H²

[mayovice]

Characters: Hijikata Toshirou (age 9) & Hijikata Toshizou (age 15) [mayovice & smokydemon]
Content: In where Rou ties to get Zou to teach him something. Except that his teacher is a busy busy man.
Setting: Downtown Melior, where the ladies frequent rather often. |B
Time: Fourteen years ago, and a bit over a year after Rou and Zou met for the first time as kids.

Comments

[smokydemon]

Toshizou would never understand what it was about women that brought them flocking on days when he got into fights. They didn't seem to like fighting... maybe they were hoping he'd let them patch him up or something. Regardless, it was an established fact that whenever he so much as threw a punch, someone skittered off to get the word out and a herd of girls came back with them.

He sighed in mild annoyance, running a hand through his hair and wondering if he should shake off the two girls hanging all over him and trying (in vain) to find anywhere he was injured. If it was two, he figured it was all right--one would risk the others' jealousy, but two were just lucky, not directly in his favor, so they probably wouldn't get in trouble with their peers.

Someone appeared in the back alley who didn't fit the general profile of its inhabitants (that is to say, who wasn't teenaged, female, or fawning). Still not bothering to remove the people clinging on to him, he found himself glancing over and noticing his cousin--well, dammit. Couldn't that brat tell when he was busy?

[ooc: pongwqepoweaposgoinpjOGT4no I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this! There was kind of a family emergency, and I've been out of sorts, and then my family came to visit and I didn't want to be away from them and yeah ._.]

[mayovice]

Well, it looked like he was right; Toshirou let a scowl cross his face as he noticed his elder cousin currently being surrounded by loads and loads of females. Seriously, just what was it with his cousin that had them all acting like that? The boy really couldn't get it, and would not as well for the next few years. For now though, he only facewalled as he started to make way to where his cousin was while dodging women still flitting ahead of him to the annoying asshole up there.

"Oy, oyaji," Toshirou started once he was within hearing range and spoke as loudly as he could over the fawning of the ladies (and trying not to twitch - really, these women had no shame). "Are you done peeving already? I'm bored."

[smokydemon]

There were looks from the crowd of girls towards Toshirou--mostly unpleasant ones. He was too young to be of interest, and therefore an annoyance.

Toshizou wasn't really all that much more pleasant. He scowled, pointedly wrapping an arm around the nearest girl's waist and pulling her closer. "I gave you a book to read," he muttered in annoyance. "And stay out of places you have no business being in."

[mayovice]

Looks like his cousin was going to be difficult - not that that was anything new, really. Toshirou scowled again and crossed his arms over his chest, an annoyed glare directed towards the elder Hijikata. Two could play at that game, and he wasn't going to back down this time.

"The book was boring," retorted the nine-year-old, sparing a glance in annoyance and disgust at the ladies before continuing, "And I already read it before anyway. Plus you still owe me a lesson, asshole."He would get the asshole to give him a lesson today, females fawning over him or not. That he would make sure of it.

[smokydemon]

Toshizou rolled his eyes, and the girls around him immediately reacted with sympathy, one of them stroking his bangs out of his face gently as she glared at Toshirou for daring to annoy the older cousin. He ignored her, inasmuch as one can ignore someone so utterly in one's personal space.

"Your lesson is in patience," he snapped. "Get back to the house and work on it."

[mayovice]

Toshirou stared back at the woman who was glaring at him, as if challenging her to go against him. And what about patience? He had been waiting forever for a lesson - it had been ages since the last one (well, about a month ago to be more exact but...).

"That's what you told me the last time I came here!" the boy snapped back, his 'patience' being tried as it were. "And in the end you just end up peeving and didn't teach me anything at all!" He huffed, arms still crossed and a challenging glare directed at his cousin. "I demand my lesson now."

[smokydemon]

"Well, you obviously didn't learn it very well," Toshizou shot back. Was the brat ever going to give up and go home? It wasn't like he was all that interesting to follow around, dammit... "Why should I teach you anything if you're not going to learn what I tell you to?"

[mayovice]

Okay, so his cousin was going to be difficult like this now was he? Well, two could play at that game, and Toshirou wasn't intending to lose. The nine-year-old huffed and gave an authoritative glare to the elder Hijikata - it was a rather odd sort of look t be coming from a nine-year-old from all people, but the boy had learned his lesson about authority well due to the life he lived. Time to test the theory out, he supposed.

"I did learn," he shot back with an irritated sort of tone in his voice, "Its only you who's being the pervert and peeving like nobody's business!" It was always the same old argument, really - he was the brat; Toshizou was the dirty old man to the boy's mind at least. Not that he was very far from the truth anyway.

[smokydemon]

"How I spend my time has got nothing to do with it." But the brat was going to be stubborn, wasn't he? Sighing in annoyance, Toshizou gave up on shooing his cousin away. He pulled the girls on either side of him close for a moment, kissing one on the neck before he sent them on their way.

"Fine. I'll come back here later...What the Hell do you want a lesson in, runt?"

[mayovice]

"Good," huffed out Toshirou, finally relieved once he saw the women flitting away, though not with out them giving the youngster a few annoyed glares which he returned with equal force. Two could play at that game, at least. Stupid women, didn't they have anything else to do other than following the old pervert and fawning on him like that...

He then looked back at his cousin when he asked him the question, only pausing for a moment before he answered with perhaps a little more excitement than he expected himself to have. "Sword fighting!" he exclaimed with a grin. "I wanna spar now, old man!" He had always loved those sparring sessions, as much as he never would admit it - the adrenaline, the power! It was all so enticing.

[smokydemon]

He should have known. It was a good thing Toshirou had waited for the women to evacuate the area before making his request, or they'd never have been able to get them to leave. The girls were even more clingy when he was exerting himself...

"Fine," Toshizou muttered, looking around for something they could use as swords. His eye fell on a pile of lumber nearby; walking over, he picked up two sticks of suitable length and tossed one to his cousin. "Come at me."

[mayovice]

Out of reflex, Toshirou caught the stick easily, cocky grin in place. Pausing for a moment to examine the stick before grabbing it with both hands at the thicker end. Normally he would use one hand but the weight was a bit too much... plus he had been all over the place earlier. It was understandable. The nine-year-old only readied himself and grinned before rushing head on towards his cousin.

Finally, he had his chance to show his cousin just how much he had improved. Toshirou gripped his stick tightly as he neared his cousin, raising his stick as he swung it directly at the elder in hopes for a first strike.

[smokydemon]

Some of the attitude that Toshizou always exuded faded away when he took up a sword, giving way to a more quiet, genuine confidence. He didn't boast or swagger, but kept his eyes steadily on his enemy, conserving energy in his movements, waiting for an opening.

Toshirou had grown faster than he remembered, but still not quicker than him--there was a reason Toshizou was teaching the boy, after all. With a side step, he barely had to put any energy into knocking the blow completely clear of him; once Toshirou's attack was out of line, he moved in, striking towards the space left open by the attack. If it worked, it might help the brat learn not to throw so much into the first attack unless confident it would help him; if not, it would be a sign the boy's instincts (already decent) were improving.

[mayovice]

Toshirou yelped as he was knocked off-balance by the intercepted move, but barely managed to regain his composure by sliding to the side and avoiding the counterattack from his cousin. One hand on the ground to steady himself, the kid switched to gripping the branch by its thinner end instead - just big enough for his grip. It would be harder to wield it given the weight displacement, but the younger Hijikata would have to do with it, he supposed.

He then rushed head-on once more, a fire in his eyes as he started on his next attack towards Toshizou. Unlike before however, he instead ducked to the side at the last moment and swung the stick in a low arc, in a bid to throw his cousin off-balance and land a blow.