"You look like you have something on your mind." Naki asked, seeing Akane's distraught look.
"It's just.... I have this weird feeling about this nightmare that I had last night." Akane told her everything about her nightmare, and Maki seemed genuinely surprised.
"If that happens, we will protect the leaf. We have lots of really strong shinobi here. Not to mention a user of the mangekyo sharingan, and the hokage of course. So rest assured, your nightmare will remain just that, a nightmare." Maki assured her as they reached the client's house.
"Now, just focus on getting this girl safely to the daimyo." Maki slapped Akane's back softly and they greeted their client who was already prepared to leave. She was roughly around 10 years old and had an arrogant and condescending tone.
"Hmph! Out of all people they had to send these two little girls here?! They couldn't send adults?"
"I'm extremely sorry to disappoint you Shizuka-sama." Maki said with a respectful bow. "But I assure you that we are qualified for the job."
'This girl is soo arrogant! But she's a client and I need to stay calm. I can't mess up.' Maki thought as she hid her annoyance behind a respectful smile.
Meanwhile Akane didn't care. She just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and go back to the village. She couldn't bear the thought of being away from Kenshin.
"Yeah sure! By the way, why is this girl not showing respect?! I'm the niece of the daimyo!" The client said, pointing at Akane.
"What? I'm bowing aren't I?" Akane replied, barely able to conceal her annoyance.
"Hmph! Whatever! We're getting late, let's go." The client ordered and she alongside her attendants began moving.
'This is gonna be a drag.' Akane and Maki both though as they followed them, one stayed up front and the other at the back.
[Back at the leaf village]
Kenshin was currently helping Kana walk as her legs were extremely weak. But her strength was returning by the minute.
'As expected of an Uzumaki! If I remember correctly, the fourth hokage's wife Kushina Uzumaki was crazy strong too. She was able to survive a tailed beast extraction after giving birth and even binding the nine tails. Not to mention mom's father was the leader of the hidden whirlpool village and the Uzumaki clan.' Kenshin thought, impressed by the speed of Kana's recovery.
Kana stumbled suddenly and Kenshin took her in his arms. "Mom, you should rest now. We can try walking again in the evening. Until then, rest."
"All right." Kana nodded before Kenshin put her down on the bed. "By the way, Ken-chan, you've grown up."
"Where's that coming from all of a sudden?" Kenshin asked with a smile.
"I had been bedridden for over four years now. I never got to stand beside you and compare our heights since you were 11. But now that I'm finally able to stand, I realized just how much taller you had become." Kana said with a sad smile.
"But I'm happy for being able to stay by your side, to have your sister with me as well. I just wish your father was here too but, I'm sure he's in a better place."
Kenshin placed his hand on Kana's and sat beside her. "Mom, it's okay now. You me and nee-san, we are together now. That's all that matters. And for the record, you need to recover quickly. Lying on the bed doesn't suit a kunoichi like you. So rest a lot, okay?"
"All right."
[Later that afternoon]
"Since Akane's not here I guess I should practice my kenjutsu. I need to wait a couple more days before mom can travel. And I'm not sure if I should use my own left eye or Shisui's eye to manipulate pain." Kenshin murmured as he walked to a training ground to practice his kenjutsu.
He infused wind chakra into the blade of the katana to increase it's cutting power, making it capable of cutting through entire trees with almost no effort. He practiced late into the night until he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
"Damn! I can't even lift my arm. But this katana is really good. And my wind chakra is just perfect for this."
'I wonder if I can infuse my wind chakra into a rasengan? Not like a rasenshuriken, but like a.... projectile. If it's wind chakra, I might be able to throw it. Or maybe fire? If I use fire it's basically a bomb.' He thought as he lay on the ground, staring at the sky.
"It's a clear night. I rarely got to see a clear sky my whole life. Anyways, I should go back. It's getting late." He got up, and walked back to Akane's apartment.
[Two days later]
It was almost noon by the time the village gate was in their sights. Akane and Maki were walking towards it, completely exhausted after putting up with that self absorbed girl and her constant complaints about everything.
"I'm dead tired! I'm going home. You should go too." Maki told Akane as they parted ways.
"Yeah..... I'm exhausted too."
Akane walked to her apartment but what she saw inside shocked her.
"M..m..mom?!!! You're walking?!" Akane stammered as she saw Kana standing in her apartment.
"Of course I am. I'm all better now. I could probably take on a couple of guys at once now." Kana flexed confidently but was interrupted by Kenshin.
"Yeah and then get bedridden for another week. You might be able to walk now but you can't put too much burden on your legs and back."
"Come on, Ken-chan you're always killing the mood! I was just joking. Anyways, I'm glad you're back, Akane-chan." Kana hugged Akane tightly. "Go on, make some food for your sister."
"All right ma'am. I can't disobey your order. I'll make something real quick." Kenshin went to the kitchen to make some light food for Akane and to prepare lunch.
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Everyone, thanks for your support with the previous chapter. I know that I'm unable to upload regularly but I'm trying my best so stay with me. As always, please give me your power stones if you want to support me and let me know if you have any helpful suggestions/criticisms.