Known
It was funny how, everywhere he went, people knew Kenshin before they knew Kenshin. All over Japan the story of the Battousai was spread, known for his big influence in the war, and stories of his swordsmanship were well told.
Kenshin always responded humbly to strangers shocked to learn that he was that well-known assassin. Insisting that he was not that great, holding up his hands as if that could somehow keep the compliments at bay. He smiled and was kind to even the fiercest of strangers and never once rose to the insults they threw his way. Being called small, having his kimono insulted, having his deeds judged: Kenshin took it all without complaint.
Sometimes, Kaoru wondered whether those ten years of wandering were not so much about helping other people as it was about punishing himself.
If he was he did a very poor job at it. Every time he met those strangers that only knew the battousai, he always left Kenshin behind. And always, always was he left them smiling, surely that was a reward in itself?