The Neighbors Will Talk
"There he is, that one!"
"The tall, thuggish brute? Oh, he is handsome!"
"No, the short one!"
"Oh! Oh, my, is he Japanese? Would Kaoru-chan really…?"
"Well, how should I know? She's been alone for some time, except for that housekeeper who recently went to prison, poor dear."
"Well…whatever he is, he's a looker too."
"…I know! I thought I was the only one who thought so!"
Kenshin overheard everything Kaoru's neighbors were saying. He feigned deafness and kept an ear to Sano who was going on about the great fight the night before. But he was deeply interested in what the local residents had to say.
He'd been with Kaoru for only a few weeks. It seemed like the neighbors had finally realized he'd moved in.
"Where did he get such a dreadful scar? It's across his whole face!"
"Well, he has a sword… Maybe he cut himself?"
Kenshin snorted. Some people were so…well…stupid.
"Wait…red hair, cross-scar, sword…you don't think…?"
"Eh? No, Kaoru-chan told me that he defeated the Battosai and that's why she asked him to stay."
"He defeated the Battosai? Well he must be invincible! …Maybe the demon gave him that scar!"
…Well, that's one way to think about it… Kenshin reflected wearily.
So, Kaoru had hidden his true identity from her neighbors. He was relieved to hear that, since he had never discussed doing such a thing with her. But she was an intelligent girl, and had known to cover up his tracks. And if the other idle chatter was true, then he was staying in the home of the nicest girl in Tokyo, a veritable angel and beauty to boot.
He knew all of that already, but it was interesting to hear it confirmed. Not to mention humbling. He hadn't met someone as kind and understanding as she in… in a very long time.
He doubted he'd ever understand why she bothered with someone like himself.
"How long do you think he'll stay?"
Until she gets tired of me.
"Well…let's hope a good long time! That girl could use a husband and a few children. It's about time she settled down."
"You've stopped listening to me, haven't you, Kenshin?"
Sanosuke's very direct question wrenched Kenshin from his eavesdropping.
"Iie, you just said that the gambling ring was relocated."
"…Yeah…five minutes ago."
Kenshin avoided his friend's eyes and smug grin.
"I figured you'd stopped listening when I called you a short bastard a couple of times and you didn't respond."
"…You forgot to mention how ugly I am," Kenshin replied dryly. Sanosuke laughed once, shaking his head in good humor.
"So, what're you brooding about now, you short, ugly bastard?" he asked. Kenshin idly noted that the pair of middle-aged women he'd been listening to were no longer within his hearing distance.
"Oh, I'm not brooding!" he chose to reply, hitching a cheerful grin onto his face. He knew that Sano wasn't exactly fooled, but probably wouldn't continue asking.
"…You really are ugly. Stop leerin' at me, tiny."
Kenshin feigned insult, but was relieved that the subject was dropped. He appreciated how his new friends understood his private nature and weren't offended by it.
He then reflected on the great irony it was that he had just been eavesdropping on a private conversation, and fully intended to do so again if only to get an idea of how his presence in Tokyo was affecting his landlady's good reputation. Paying attention to the whispers of the masses had always kept him one step ahead in the past. If there was one thing that Kenshin had learned to use to his advantage as a rurouni, it was that talkative townsfolk would always speak their minds when they thought no one was listening.
A/N: Will continue! Going to be rather short chapters with lots of choppy dialogue. Hopefully not too distracting or confusing! This is more or less an exercise in working with my favorite medium of all: choppy dialogue ;).
Haha, thanks for reading! _caseyedith