"Laundry"
By Amos Whirly
The water in the tub splashed as he scrubbed the stained garment. The spot absolutely refused to come out.
With a sigh, he let the garment slip below the waterline in the washtub, and he rocked back on the balls of his feet.
Better to let it soak for a moment, he thought quietly to himself.
A sweet wind breathed through his bushy red hair. It was a cloudless day in Tokyo. The sun was shining brightly above him.
A squeal sounded suddenly from across the yard. He looked quickly and smiled beautifully as two little girls came bounding around the corner of the dojo.
"Uncle Ken!" the older of the two laughed, running up to him and leaping onto his back.
"Uncle Ken!" the younger latched onto his right arm and giggled.
"Good morning, Ayame and Suzume," he smiled at them.
"Come play with us, Uncle Ken," the older Ayame pleaded, still hanging on his back, her breath tickling his cheek.
"I have a great deal of laundry to finish, Ayame, that I do," he smiled at her. "Perhaps, when I finish."
"But it's no fun without you, Uncle Ken," Ayame pouted, brown eyes sad.
"Yeah, no fun," little Suzume chimed in.
"That's not so," he smiled again. "Why don't you find Yahiko? I'll be along in a moment."
"All right, Uncle Ken!" Ayame laughed, her hopes restored.
"All right!" Suzume echoed, and both girls raced across the yard again.
He laughed to himself quietly and continued to scrub, and he chuckled brightly as he heard Yahiko's shouts from the other side of the dojo.
"I'm training!" the boy wailed. "I don't have time to be your horse!"
The man could imagine Ayame and Suzume clinging to Yahiko's slight back, demanding to be carried around like they were royalty. He could also imagine the expression on the young boy's face as he acquiesced.
"Kenshin?"
He looked up at the sound of his name.
Kaoru Kamiya, the assistant master of the dojo, stood on the veranda.
"Yes, Miss Kaoru?"
"You don't have to do that," she stepped off the wooden deck and approached him. "It's a beautiful day."
"It needs to be done, Miss Kaoru, that it does," Kenshin answered with a smile, "but thank you for your concern."
"Kenshin," she knelt beside him, "you always work so hard."
"I like to work, Miss Kaoru," he smiled at her.
"Just promise me that when you're done, you'll take a break?"
He glanced at her. Her blue eyes pierced through him. He could never deny her anything.
"All right, Miss Kaoru," he bowed his head. "After I finish the laundry, I will rest."
"Good," Kaoru nodded and stood.
Kenshin watched her walk around the side of the dojo, the wind catching in her long black hair tied back in a ponytail. The scent of jasmine still clung to the air even after she had gone.
It is difficult for her to understand, he thought as he turned his attention back to scrubbing. She did not see the terrors of the Revolution. For that I am most certainly thankful.
A smile crossed his handsome features again.
Perhaps that is what draws me to her, he thought. Her innocence. In my mind, I know I should leave this place-that my presence here only brings danger to the ones I love. But my heart refuses to agree. I do not think I could ever leave this place, even if the desire to do so existed.
He scrubbed at the stain.
When I am here, I can forget for a moment all my sins. When I sit here and scrub at the stains in these garments, I almost feel as if I can wash the stains from my past.
He scrubbed harder.
The blood, the pain I caused, the lives I took.
He stopped scrubbing and gazed at the garment. The spot still remained. He sighed heavily.
"Some stains never go away," he murmured.
He stood and shook out the garment, hanging it on the line. He fingered what remained of the spot on the hakama and smiled in spite of himself.
"Perhaps they never go away," he remarked, "but they do fade eventually, that they do."
He heard a shriek of laughter from the other side of the dojo. He dumped the bucket of soapy water in the bushes, and he untied the sleeves of his gi. Then, he hurried around the corner of the building to find Ayame and Suzume.
The water in the tub splashed as he scrubbed the stained garment. The spot absolutely refused to come out.
With a sigh, he let the garment slip below the waterline in the washtub, and he rocked back on the balls of his feet.
Better to let it soak for a moment, he thought quietly to himself.
A sweet wind breathed through his bushy red hair. It was a cloudless day in Tokyo. The sun was shining brightly above him.
A squeal sounded suddenly from across the yard. He looked quickly and smiled beautifully as two little girls came bounding around the corner of the dojo.
"Uncle Ken!" the older of the two laughed, running up to him and leaping onto his back.
"Uncle Ken!" the younger latched onto his right arm and giggled.
"Good morning, Ayame and Suzume," he smiled at them.
"Come play with us, Uncle Ken," the older Ayame pleaded, still hanging on his back, her breath tickling his cheek.
"I have a great deal of laundry to finish, Ayame, that I do," he smiled at her. "Perhaps, when I finish."
"But it's no fun without you, Uncle Ken," Ayame pouted, brown eyes sad.
"Yeah, no fun," little Suzume chimed in.
"That's not so," he smiled again. "Why don't you find Yahiko? I'll be along in a moment."
"All right, Uncle Ken!" Ayame laughed, her hopes restored.
"All right!" Suzume echoed, and both girls raced across the yard again.
He laughed to himself quietly and continued to scrub, and he chuckled brightly as he heard Yahiko's shouts from the other side of the dojo.
"I'm training!" the boy wailed. "I don't have time to be your horse!"
The man could imagine Ayame and Suzume clinging to Yahiko's slight back, demanding to be carried around like they were royalty. He could also imagine the expression on the young boy's face as he acquiesced.
"Kenshin?"
He looked up at the sound of his name.
Kaoru Kamiya, the assistant master of the dojo, stood on the veranda.
"Yes, Miss Kaoru?"
"You don't have to do that," she stepped off the wooden deck and approached him. "It's a beautiful day."
"It needs to be done, Miss Kaoru, that it does," Kenshin answered with a smile, "but thank you for your concern."
"Kenshin," she knelt beside him, "you always work so hard."
"I like to work, Miss Kaoru," he smiled at her.
"Just promise me that when you're done, you'll take a break?"
He glanced at her. Her blue eyes pierced through him. He could never deny her anything.
"All right, Miss Kaoru," he bowed his head. "After I finish the laundry, I will rest."
"Good," Kaoru nodded and stood.
Kenshin watched her walk around the side of the dojo, the wind catching in her long black hair tied back in a ponytail. The scent of jasmine still clung to the air even after she had gone.
It is difficult for her to understand, he thought as he turned his attention back to scrubbing. She did not see the terrors of the Revolution. For that I am most certainly thankful.
A smile crossed his handsome features again.
Perhaps that is what draws me to her, he thought. Her innocence. In my mind, I know I should leave this place-that my presence here only brings danger to the ones I love. But my heart refuses to agree. I do not think I could ever leave this place, even if the desire to do so existed.
He scrubbed at the stain.
When I am here, I can forget for a moment all my sins. When I sit here and scrub at the stains in these garments, I almost feel as if I can wash the stains from my past.
He scrubbed harder.
The blood, the pain I caused, the lives I took.
He stopped scrubbing and gazed at the garment. The spot still remained. He sighed heavily.
"Some stains never go away," he murmured.
He stood and shook out the garment, hanging it on the line. He fingered what remained of the spot on the hakama and smiled in spite of himself.
"Perhaps they never go away," he remarked, "but they do fade eventually, that they do."
He heard a shriek of laughter from the other side of the dojo. He dumped the bucket of soapy water in the bushes, and he untied the sleeves of his gi. Then, he hurried around the corner of the building to find Ayame and Suzume.