Smile
Life is made from smiles. You give someone a smile and that smile will return to you.
Sometimes the smile returns right away. For example, you order a tasty meal at an inn and give your biggest, most honest smile while thanking for the food later, and you will get an honest smile in return hundred percent of the time. Well, ninety percent of the time. Okay, okay, at least seventy percent. Innkeepers are really good at fake smiles.
Other times, however, it takes a while for the smile to return. Take this young boy, for instance. He is tired. He has trouble keeping up even with your slowest pace. The sword you gave him is heavy. You stop and offer him a piggyback ride with a gentle smile. He steps away and shakes his head, clutching the sword. The boy is scared. He wasn't scared two hours ago on that field of corpses where every moment was a battle of life and death. He wasn't scared to protect himself against an adult with a sword. He is scared now that someone is showing him kindness.
The boy doesn't last long. Half an hour later he grunts softly as he falls to his knees. The only thing keeping him from landing on his face is the sword.
You don't sigh. You look at the red and gold sky instead. It is getting late, the sun maybe an hour from setting. You hadn't hoped to get very far from the battlefields and the Joui troops anyway, but a little further would have been nice. The boy seems anxious as well, resting where they could be found easily. You tell him that if anything happens, you will protect him. He is confused.
You build a small fire together. The boy has some trouble gathering firewood for the night while also carrying the sword, but he manages. He is surprisingly good at finding dry branches and in the meantime you make a small dinner. Nothing big. A small fish you caught earlier, some rice, a couple of manju. It's not enough for two and you only have one bowl, so you let the boy eat first.
He is not holding the chopsticks right and you correct him. He tries earnestly for a few minutes, but then gives up and uses the two sticks to shovel food into his mouth. When he's done, you offer him another bowl. He wants to refuse at first, having realised that food is scarce, but then he takes it, his hunger greater than the vague desire to be polite. You're happy to see that. While he's munching on the manju you make a decision to reach the next village tomorrow no matter what it takes. You're going to need more food from now on.
The boy is fading out quickly after that. Having a full stomach, some sense of security, and being warmed by a fire can do that to an exhausted kid, apparently. Before he dozes off you ask for his name again, half expecting to meet silence as an answer like before. But after a few minutes of listening to the quiet cracking of the fire and an owl hooting in the distance, the boy whispers his response,
"Gintoki."
The owl hoots one last time and a pack of wolves takes its place in filling the night with noise. The nights are getting rather chilly. You take off your haori and put it around the boy's shoulders. He looks startled so you tell him that it's a hundred years too early for children his age to sleep in the cold. When he pulls the haori closer and lies down, you smile.
"Good night, Gintoki."
The next day he trusts you enough to allow himself to be carried when he gets tired. You consider that almost as good as a smile.
Author's notes: I call this one: "Kat had an awesome idea for a fic but then Sorachi came in and wrecked it all with that Utsuro crap." And I was actually pretty sure I didn't want to post this drabble anywhere besides Tumblr, but it's never gonna be a fic anyway so whatever. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless ^^