AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This chapter has been edited.
A cold early morning breeze ruffled the group of people's garments. The sun was barely rising above the north mountain, making the pile of snow beneath the people seem like a sanctuary.
There were loud conversations and laughter from children running between the wives and husbands of the Ishin-Shishi. Any bystander would have thought that the war was over and that no more casualties would happen. Unfortunately, that was still not the case.
Despite the lighthearted scene in front of him, Kenshin stood several feet away. His piercing gaze kept looking around, being a watchful protector over his group. His frigid hands pulled the purple shawl from his katana's hilt and wrapped it around his neck like a loose scarf.
Eventually, he sat down on top of a large tree branch and waited. Higher ground was his best option, therefore he could not enjoy peace─not that he didn't yearn for it. His amber gaze kept looking at the sun's position and noticed it was nearing its highest peak.
"Katsura-san." He called politely as he landed silently on the pile of snow next to a makeshift tent. "The Shinsengumi will arrive soon." He bowed and waited for further instructions from his leader.
"Thank you, Himura. Please stand by our side and keep watch." Katsura spoke as he came out of the tent, dressed in a casual yet formal robe of fine silk. His geisha, Ikumatsu, followed after him in a fine kimono. "I see you decided to wear what I gave you."
Kenshin let his mask falter for a second, feeling confused as to what he meant. However, upon seeing a dark red color at the corner of his vision made him realize what he meant. "Yes." He answered plainly, though the dark red kimono and black umanori hakama truly contrasted with the Ishin Shishi's color.
"Relax, you look fine." Katsura assured him, noticing the timid way in which the hitokiri seemed. "No one is meant to dress as warriors. It is best for all of us to take this opportunity and be as casual as we are able to be." He held his arm out, Ikumatsu gently wrapping her arm around it.
The red-head did not comment and silently followed behind the couple. His gaze continued to pierce around the openings and between trees. Once they got closer to the group of people, he noticed the conversations had died out and they were staring forward.
"They're here." Kenshin thought gravely. The Ishin-Shishi members split evenly for their leader to walk in the center. The hitokiri kept his pace silently behind his leader and halted when Katsura did so.
"Kiyokawa Hachiro." Katsura greeted as he bowed. In turn, Hachiro also bowed and greeted him. His attire was casual along with all his men and their family, though the silk was fine just as Katsura's. Hachiro's woman, who was besides him just like Ikumatsu, also bowed at each other.
"I appreciate that you would accept our truce." Hachiro spoke in a rough voice though was very polite. "We understand that you feel uneasy, therefore we have taken into consideration to celebrate Christmas in a inn that has no affiliation to neither of us." Kenshin took notice of a man standing behind his leader, just as he was. Though kept his gaze strictly on Katsura's back. He could already guess that the man was Saito Hajime by his posture and his position.
"We thank you for the invitation. There is no trouble, we would like to celebrate along with all of you for the new era that is bound to come." Katsura responded. "Just as our agreement was discussed, the only man who has a weapon among us is Hitokiri Battousai."
Hachiro's eyes narrowed at the name, however, there was no hostility in his ki in which Kenshin could read. Katsura gently moved his hand forward, an action for the Hitokiri to introduce himself.
Kenshin stepped forward, earning intense stares from the Shinsengumi group along with their families. He could easily tell that the men, wives and children were very curious and baffled by how a mere boy could be the Battousai. However, it was obvious that they were reacting like this because they had never seen him before. The red-head ignored them and stood besides Katsura.
"I have also kept to our agreement." Hachiro spoke after a moment of silence, motioning for Saito to introduce himself as well. Saito stepped forward, his eyes boring into Kenshin's small frame. He could not believe that this was Battousai, he wasn't even a man─but a boy. Though even a child could become a murderer. The hitokiri locked eyes with Saito. He was not at all intimidated and challenged him by not breaking eye contact. This brought a small smirk to twitch on Saito's lips.
The red-head bowed silently, as did Saito. Saito had no problem in needing to say his name, though Kenshin was not ridiculous enough to expose his identity to them. Hachiro stared at Kenshin for a while longer, his eyebrows knit together. The hitokiri was nothing but a boy a very similar aspect to Okita. However, he could tell their personalities contrast drastically.
After a while of discussion from Katsura and Hachiro, the group walked united down the mountain. Slowly, the families began to mix despite the different clans. The quiet and tensed air was filled with chattering and small laughter after a while. The children began to chase each other, though were careful to not bump into the adults and their parents.
The two leaders walked side by side, speaking of the future and how Christmas was a very merry holiday. Saito and Kenshin both walked behind their leaders, focusing ahead. Tension was electrocuting between them, though no one would guess that by their seemingly calm walk.
One of the children who had been running slipped closely behind Kenshi due to the snow. In a swift movement, Kenshin stopped the boy from falling by placing his hands on the child's back. He recalled the times he had played with the children back at the cabin with Tomo─he discarded his thoughts and steadied the boy to his feet.
"Ah! Thank you and gomen!" The boy spoke cheerily at the red-head. Kenshin let a tiny smile slip. In turn, the boy grinned up at him and ran quickly to his friends, yelling about how the snow wasn't fair for them to play hide-and-seek. Through all this, Saito had walked at a slow pace to see what Battousai was doing. It had confused him, though he quickly remarked on it.
"The Hitokiri Battousai actually has a heart. I'm shocked." Saito mocked the red-head, his eyes showing interest in the gentle action Kenshin had displayed. This further proved to Kenshin that Saito was keeping his eyes fixed on him, watching all his actions.
Amber eyes glared at the tall man though ignored him and let his expression fall back to the emotionless mask. "Of course I have─a…heart." Kenshin thought doubtfully, slowly questioning if he had always been seen as a killer or a demon. But of course, that's all he had ever done in front of these people. Not once did he show these feelings, not while this man was staring at him intently.
"Did I hit a soft spot? Sorry." Saito spoke casually, though did not mean his words. He could care less about what the Battousai felt, all he knew was that this man─no, this boy was a Hitokiri and someone who he would eventually combat.
"Saito-san!" A cheerful voice greeted Saito, a happy smile in place as this man walked towards his side. Kenshin's amber gaze looked to the side to see Okita Soji, leader of the first Shinsengumi squad, casually speaking with Saito. "Today's weather is quite cold, isn't it? I have been trying to do this new technique where you can keep warm. Maybe you should try it some time."
Okita's cheerful smile faltered when he felt he was being watched. He stepped back a bit and was met with thoughtful eyes. Kenshin narrowed his eyes for a split second and gazed forward once more. He had deliberately let the young man see him staring, though he was not prepared for what happened next.
"You must be Himura-san!" Kenshin's eyes widened, though thankfully his red bangs had obscured his shock. Okita had made his way towards the opposite side of Kenshin, a smile still plastered on his face. "I have heard many rumors about you, though I never would have thought they were true. Your hair is truly like the color of blood." He noticed the dark red kimono and beamed. "I really love your outfit! Do you like the color red? Perhaps I can bring you a gift with that same color."
If Kenshin could, he would be going for his Katana's hilt by now. It was just a hand move away, though he knew that he was not in danger and should not tarnish the truce just because of his discomfort of being between these two strong men. This was the first time he felt his heart was beating rapidly. He was astonished that the name 'Himura' had been taken seriously and rumored so quickly.
"I would not speak so casually with Battousai, Okita." Saito spoke, though a smirk was in place. He was enjoying the way in which Battousai was between them, yearning that if he was discomforting the boy due to their close distance, this would be the best day he'd ever had. At least in some way, he could enjoy the holiday.
"This will be a long day." Kenshin thought in exasperation, feeling himself very wary and tensed. Not only has he grabbed the attention of these two ruthless men, he could practically feel holes burning into every inch of himself by the stares of the others around him. Okita Soji was far too friendly for his sake, though he suppose that would be an advantaged if he wished for his opponent to mistake him for weak.
To Be Continued...
Thank you very much for reading!
