Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho and Rurouni Kenshin belong to Shonen Jump, not me.
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The sharp click, click, click of the woman's high heels was the only sound in the building. She tapped her superior on the shoulder. "It's the children, sir," she whispered.
The immense man raised his bulk out of his chair to survey the little refugees. Seven of them, all orphans after the intense terrorist bombings in Tokyo.
The seven children ranged in age from thirteen to just over a year. They were dressed in ragged clothes, covered in soot and dirt, their eyes red from smoke and from weeping. The two youngest children were mercifully asleep, cradled in the arms of the older children.
The man turned to the social worker. "Find families who will take them in," he said. "Get them into a stable situation as quickly as you can." He turned one of the boys, a skinny mite with large violet eyes and a bloody bandage on his left cheek. "You, boy, how old are you?" he asked, speaking in awkward Japanese.
The boy looked up. "Thirteen, sir." A small girl with long black hair and blue eyes was clinging to his hand, leaning weakly against him.
"Your name?"
"Himura Kenshin," he said. He rubbed his thumb over the young girl's knuckles. "This is Kamiya Kaoru."
The big man nodded. He turned to one of the girls, a slender child with sharp eyes. "And you?"
"Takani Megumi," she answered. "I am seven."
The big man went down the line, gathering names and ages. The little boy sleeping in Megumi's arms was Seta Soujiro. The toddler with the spiky brown hair was Sagara Sanosuke, age four. He turned to the last boy, a slim boy cradling a tiny bundle in his arms.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
The boy didn't look up. "Shinamori Aoshi, eleven," he said.
"What are you holding?"
Aoshi jerked away. "Her name is Misao," he said, laying his forehead against the baby's. "She's almost a year old."
The big man nodded. He turned to his assistant. "Take them to the orphanage," he said. "I'll inform several of my associates of the refugee children's states."
The woman nodded and beckoned to them. "Come on," she said. "Don't just stand there staring."
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Aoshi bounced Misao on his knee. Wide awake, she giggled happily and clapped her hands. "Poor little angel," he whispered. "You don't even know you're an orphan."
"She's too little to realize it," Kenshin said. "She'll never know her parents."
"Neither will he," Megumi said, stroking a lock of hair away from baby Soujiro's forehead. She rested her cheek on his head. "None of us will ever see our parents again."
A frightened little whimper escaped Kaoru's lips. Tears streaked down her face. "I won't see my mama again?" she asked. "Is she dead?"
Kenshin pulled her onto his lap. "Your mother's dead," he whispered. She buried her face in his neck and sobbed.
A iron hand with manicured nails pulled her away. "Don't do that, you naughty girl," the social worker admonished. "You need to look your very best. Your new parents are here."
"My new parents?" Kaoru repeated. The social worker took her by the elbow and dragged her from the room. "No! No!" she cried. "I don't want them!" Kaoru held out her hand. "Kenshin! Kenshin, don't let her take me away! Please!"
Kenshin rested his head in his hands as the weeping little girl disappeared from view.
"We're all going to be adopted," Megumi said. "We might as well face it."
Sanosuke grimaced. "I don't wanna," he said. "I wanna go home."
Aoshi looked out the window. "We can't," he said. "None of us have a home any longer."
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Misao fell on the floor and burst into tears. She held up her little arms to Aoshi. He scooped her up and nestled her on his lap. "What's wrong, angel?" he asked. He and Misao were the only refugees left. They were ostracized by the other children, and that was fine with them.
Misao continued to cry. Aoshi began singing to her. He had made up a little song for her, line by line, and it always calmed her down.
"Listen, my angel, asleep in my arms
Know that you're resting here in here in my heart
Sparkle eyes, bright eyes, eyes of blue ice
Locked in my soul, in the depth of my spirit
Listen, my angel, I know you will hear it
When you lose my hand, I still will be there
Never far from me, always near me
Reach out and then you will see,
Listen, my angel, and never forget."
The baby's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she settled into sleep. Aoshi almost smiled when an cold hand touched his shoulder.
"Give me the child," the social worker said. "Her new parents are here."
Aoshi snatched Misao away. "No!" he said. "I will take care of her. We stay together."
The social worker shook her head. "No," she said. "If you were her brother it would be different, but the child has new parents now."
"Then I want to see them," Aoshi insisted. "I want to make sure they will take care of her."
The social worker sighed and disappeared from the room. Aoshi kissed Misao's forehead. The social worker came back in.
"May I see them?" Aoshi asked.
The social worker said, "Yes," but it sounded like a 'no.' Aoshi followed the woman down the hallway into a small gray office.
A man and a woman were seated in front of a desk. The young man had dark brown hair and gentle green eyes. But it was the young woman whom Aoshi studied. Misao's new mother was a slender girl, with long silvery blonde hair and large blue-gray eyes. Her clothes were plain, but made of expensive fabric. She smiled as she saw Aoshi and Misao.
"Is that my baby?" she asked. The social worker nodded. The young girl reached for Misao. Aoshi pressed a final kiss to the sleeping baby's round cheek and laid her in the woman's arms. Her lips parted in happiness as she gazed at Misao. "Isn't she beautiful?" she sighed.
Aoshi looked away as the man and the woman smiled at the baby. A soft hand caressed his cheek. "You love the baby, yes?" the girl asked. He nodded. "I am Karena Martova," she said, still stroking his thin face. "I wish you might come with us." Karena stood and kissed the top of Aoshi's head. "I promise to take care of her," she said. "When the baby is grown, look for her. I promise she will not forget you."
The young couple left the office with Misao. Aoshi watched the steel door close behind them.
"Don't forget me, little angel," he whispered. "Please, don't forget me."
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