by mswyrr
"You must be tired," Misao said, trotting along beside him. "All that fighting!" She waved her hands, "--even if you didn't really fight but instead just sort of ran around and around -- Still, that creepy little smiling-boy broke your sword! That must have been exhausting!"
Kenshin slowed his walk, and gave Misao a considering look. She was radiating tension and frantic cheerfulness . It reminded him of Ayame and Suzume at nap-time.
She grinned. "And I'm just nice enough to stop so you can rest!" she said, tugging on his gi. "Here's a tree!" She bounded over to it. "See, this place is perfect! Plenty of firewood and everything!"
Misao flopped down and leaned against the trunk. "Aren't you ..." she yawned like a cat, and blinked up at him slowly. "...even just the littlest bit sleepy, Himura?"
He smiled at her gently. "This is a good spot, Misao-dono. And it has been a long day, that it has," he said, turning to take stock of the situation. The ocean was close, just beyond the tree line. A few stars were visible, but it was still light enough to see. It would be simple enough for him to find dinner.
He turned to ask Misao to help collect wood, and found her draped against the tree, loose-limbed and breathing deeply. Her mouth hung open a little and she shivered in her sleep when a breeze came in off the ocean.
Kenshin felt a pang for ruining her cloak -- he could have easily leapt out of the way instead of using it to block her throwing daggers. At the time, he hadn't been thinking about the girl being cold at night. He shook his head at the thought, and quietly set about building a fire. He didn't think she'd like it if he woke her. She'd probably be grouchy, or even jumpier than before.
As he kindled the fire, her shivering eased. He smiled and built it as large as he dared, and then added a couple of cedar branches to the fire. They crackled and sparked. The aroma was very pleasant.
He walked to the edge of the tree line and removed his tabi and sandals before continuing onto the beach. He walked along the sand, tying back his sleeves and searching for clam beds. The sky had darkened considerably while he built their fire, and it took more time than he'd expected to find a suitable place.
As he tucked the legs of his hakama up into his waist ties and waded into the water, he sighed, thinking of friendly trips to the river in Tokyo. As a rurouni he'd learnt to find food anywhere. You couldn't rely on people for your dinner if you didn't often have the money to pay for it.
How many nights had he dined on seaweed, shellfish, and ferns or other plants that people with homes and destinations trampled over on their journeys? How many years worth of days and nights had he spent entirely in his own company?
During his stay with Kaoru-dono he hadn't missed wandering. It might seem a romantic way to live, he thought, rinsing the shellfish in sea water and pitching them into a pile on the beach, but after ten years and having met people far more enjoyable than himself, he would rather not be alone with his thoughts and the distant stars.
When he had enough clams for both he and Misao, he left the water and headed back with them cradled in the front of his gi. After collecting his tabi and sandals, he added wood to the fire and set the clams to roast on the outer edge of its coals. They sizzled and crackled as they cooked.
When they were done roasting, the shells had opened enough to pull the meat out. After removing the clams from the fire with a stick, he woke Misao. She got up, settled beside him near the fire and ate awhile in silence, yawning between bites and staring blearily at the flames.
"Pretty good," she said, staring at him and chewing thoughtfully.
He smiled at her, nodding his agreement. Whatever the situation, he enjoyed providing something as important as good food. It brought to mind his time as a farmer.
"I guess this is what you have to do when you're really poor and too uptight to steal, huh?"
He felt his face fall. "Someone is always injured by theft, Misao-dono."
"Yeah," she scoffed, "a rich someone."
"Rich people often have many lives depending on theirs, that they do. The inn those bandits you robbed stole their money from was large enough to employ many people. Any one of them could have been blamed for the loss, or fired because of troubles caused by it."
She stared down at her food. "Do you always think about stuff like that before doing anything?"
"We have to consider how our actions will affect others," he said solemnly, "that we do."
She looked up, smiling fondly. "You're just too nice, Himura," she said, and patted his hand. "It can't be healthy." A glimmer came to her eye. "Sometimes you've just got to act, you know? Let loose!" She leaned closer. "Stop thinking so much."
"Sessha --"
She ran her fingers up his arm, and kissed him lightly, flicking her tongue against his lips. He was on the other side of the campfire before she could blink. "Misao-dono," he said slowly. "What was that?"
"A kiss," she said, sounding annoyed.
"Yes, but -- why?" he cried plaintively.
"Why not?" she asked defensively. "You've got to know how pretty you are, and your lips looked really soft."
His lips looked soft? He decided to ignore that. "...What about Aoshi?"
"What about him?"
"Well, don't you love him?"
"Of course! I don't just follow people across Japan for nothing, you know!" She stood up, and stomped her foot.
"If you love him, then why would you..."
"It was just a kiss," she said, trying to sound sophisticated. "A kiss isn't love, Himura. It's just something people do."
Kenshin frowned disapprovingly.
She blushed, looking angry. "What are you, some queer Moral Matron? There's nothing wrong with kissing! It can be really nice. I mean, you seem like a sweet guy, even if you're kind of weird --and judgmental!-- and your hair is pretty, so I thought 'why not?'"
She marched to the edge of the trees and stood there, shivering.
Kenshin sighed. Maybe she was lonely? "Sessha doesn't agree with you about love, that he does not. However," he said, and thought of Kaoru-dono and her comforting, if often ill-timed, hugs, "if you would like a hug..."
Misao huffed. "Hugs aren't kisses, idiot."
He shrugged. "This one knows that, Misao-dono, but a hug can be nice, too."
She rolled her eyes. "Forget about it. I'm going to sleep," she said, and settled at the base of the tree closest to the fire. "Thanks for the food," she mumbled.
He found his own tree and leaned against it, cradling his sakabatou. He watched the distant stars a while, wondering which gambling house Sano was at and what Kaoru-dono and Yahiko had found to eat tonight.
A little later, when the flames had died down, he heard Misao whisper "Aoshi-sama, Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijou -- I really miss you guys. You better not have forgotten me."
Kenshin thought of Kyoto and the upcoming battle. He thought of his friends.
I won't forget.
-Finis-Disclaimer: Aforementioned fictional personages don't belong to me. I'm not making any money of 'em, either.
A/N: I owe much thanks to WhiteAdelphi for working as beta reader on this fic.
A/N2: "Moral Matron" came from SMDSP's fic "The Journey Home".