Chapter Three
"Friends"
The snowman was coming along quite nicely, Kenshin decided. All it was missing now was a face. He stepped back, admiring his handiwork. It was not as good as the one Okita-san had created yesterday, not by a long shot, but it certainly wasn't bad, either. This thought evoked a happy grin beneath his baby blue scarf.
It was really too bad Okita-san and Shishou could not play with him again, but really, he couldn't get too selfish. They had things to do, after all, and they had spent all day with him yesterday.
Nodding to himself, he decided to finish the snowman, and see if he couldn't manage to convince the two men to come out for a break after lunch. Digging into one of his coat's many pockets, he produced a carrot Tae-san and Sae-san had provided for his creation. He would need to be careful sticking it on, he reminded himself, or the snowman's head would split wide open, as Shishou had so kindly demonstrated yesterday.
Scrutinizing the snowman's roughly circular face, he marked off the position for the entrance of the carrot with a mittened hand.
"Hey there."
The sound of the strange voice was so sudden and so unexpected that poor Kenshin literally shot a foot into the air, all the while trying spin around and confront the unknown danger. As a result, he lost his balance and landed with a thump in a wet, ungraceful heap on the snow. Instinctively, he sought to protect himself from the foreign threat with the only thing he had: the carrot, which he now held like a sword. It seemed Shishou's training was already starting to take effect.
"Whoa there, kid, calm down. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
Kenshin blinked. There, at the end of the driveway, standing so relaxed and casually, as though he'd been there a thousand times before, was a boy. Kenshin would have guessed him to be around nine years old, judging by his face, but he seriously doubted himself on this one, seeing as how the boy would have to be the tallest nine-year-old he had ever met. Even standing at full height, he would fall depressingly short of the boy's chest.
The huge difference in their heights would have frightened – or at least made a bad first impression upon – any six-year-old. Kenshin was no exception; his heart sped up like it had been given two tons of sugar. Unlike most other six-year-olds, however, Kenshin had the unique ability of trusting whatever direction his over-sensitive intuition pointed him in, and it was now bashing him over the head with the fact that it was convinced that this boy was no threat. Perhaps it was something about the boy's soft chocolate-brown eyes, or the way he was grinning at the younger child. Whatever it was, Kenshin relaxed into a friendly, though shy, smile.
Encouraged by the redhead's lack of hostility, the brown-eyed boy strode forward, hands casually tucked into his pockets. He had interesting hair, Kenshin noted, wondering how the boy managed to get it to stick up in such a fashion. It actually looked like it was naturally spiky.
"You making a snowman?" It was a rhetorical question, really, but Kenshin nodded anyway. The boy's voice carried such a mild, carefree tone that the child became immediately attracted to him.
"Hn. It's missing a face," the bigger boy pointed out. He seemed to have a talent for listing the obvious. Kenshin nodded again, holding out his carrot.
"Ah. There's the nose. Can I stick it on for you?" At Kenshin's nod of approval, he took the carrot and shoved it into the snowman. Stepping back, he cocked his head and frowned. "Ah, it's crocked. I always do that. You don't mind, do you?" Kenshin giggled, and shook his head. "'s okay. Doesn't matter," he answered a soft voice.
The tall boy grinned down at him. "I thought you were a girl at first, you know," he stated very honestly, without the least bit of shame. "You look like it, because you're so small, and with that long hair n' all," he gestured to Kenshin's red, silky locks, which Omasu had tied back in a high ponytail. "You're not a bad kid, y'know? There aren't any kids in this neighborhood, and every time I go to the park, the kids stay away, because they think I'll pound them or something. You don't think I'm mean, right?" Startled a little by the straightforward question, Kenshin shook his head in an emphatic 'no,' violet eyes wide.
His grin widening at this response, the tall boy continued his one-sided monologue, "Yeah, well, I used to bully kids somewhat. But then my dad took me in, after he found out my mom died and all. He told me, 'don't you dare let me catch you picking on smaller kids, mister. God gave you height, and you'll use it for the benefit of other people. Now, those kids already need to look up to you, so you give'em a reason to do so'." He had deepened his voice rather comically to mimic his father, but now continued on in a normal tone. "So, I don't hit kids no more. By the way, I'm Sagara Sanosuke."
To say that Kenshin was a little surprised by the openness of this boy would have been an understatement. Really, he could not fathom how anyone could be so non-withholding. In only five minutes, he had learned more about him than he knew about…well, anyone save his now deceased family. Even more than he knew about Shishou and Okita-san. Realizing it would be rude not to offer his own name now, he quickly stammered, "K-Kenshin. I'm Kenshin."
"Kenshin, eh?" Sanosuke grinned. "Ne, Kenshin, call me Sano. Can we be friends?"
The redhead blinked, feeling overwhelmed by the quick flow of events. He had never had someone just come up and ask for his friendship.Was that how things were supposed to happen? "I…I would like that," he said timidly, peering up at Sano through his thick bangs. "I'd like that a lot."
And Sano laughed. He had such a light, easy laugh that Kenshin could not help but admire the complete lack of troubles and worries in that light, melodious sound.
They played together for the rest of the day. For the first time, Kenshin realized what the term 'best friend' truly meant.
xxxxx
Hiko stared dismally at the foot-high stack of paper on his desk, waiting patiently to be completed. He had been half-heartedly hoping that if he ignored it, all the tedious paperwork would somehow disappear. No such luck. His hand would cramp before the hour was done.
It was probably for this reason that he welcomed the knock at his door with very uncharacteristic enthusiasm. Maybe a lesser employee of his had decided to drop by his office. It would be a great opportunity to shove some work onto the unlucky victim.
Opening the door reveal a tall, handsome, ebony-haired young man, with eyes the color of the crisp, windy winter sky. "Hiko-san, good morning," he intoned in a monotonous voice, obviously more ritually than sincerely.
"Oh, Shinomori, it's you," was Hiko's disappointed reply. There would be no forcing this man to do his backlogged work. Shinomori Aoshi, the twenty-five year old financial overseer of his entire corporation, had enough on his plate already. Giving him more would ultimately result in very deep trouble, which he, as CEO was sure to be in the midst of. It would not be a pleasant experience. Thus, he was resigned to prolonging the awaiting torture for as long as possible. "How may I help you?" he asked in what he hoped would come off as a pleasant voice, praying, for the first time in his life, that the man would take the hint and carry on the conversation. Aoshi, however, was a man of few words, and he jumped straight to the point without dallying with unneeded pleasantries.
"My little sister and cousin are out of school already, and no one is available at home to watch them. If you do not mind, may I leave them in the main house while working?"
(Now, at this point, it may help to describe the Hiko manor a bit before moving on. As has been mentioned, Hiko Seijūrō, being the recluse that he is, sold the corporation's old office building in town the day after he took office. Thereafter, his home became headquarters. Most of the work was done in the attached West Wing of the house (accompanied with its own parking lot, gym, and cafeteria) while his own office was located in the much smaller East Wing. The main building was the original house, and that was where Hiko, his full-time house workers, and (for this month) Kenshin, lived and slept. Both the back and front yards are fenced off, and surrounded by forestry, making it difficult to see either the West or East wing from within their confines. The whole facility was as big as a castle. With the two Wings designed as they were, Hiko rarely saw any of his employees – which only meant that the design served its purpose.)
Looking past Aoshi, Hiko spotted the two little girls behind the man, both of whom were still bundled in their outdoor coats and peering up at him with wide eyes. Yes, he'd seen them before – the same thing had happened last year. The girls usually went to after school care until Aoshi got off work and took them home, but with Winter Break here, that wasn't possible. Well, it wouldn't hurt to let the kids run in the main house. He needed Aoshi to be working.
"It's fine, Shinomori. Dump them in the backyard with Kenshin. Then get your butt to your office and get down to business."
"Thank you, Hiko-san," Aoshi bowed, and led his two charges away.
Xxx
Kenshin crouched, making himself as small as he could, as he peeped out from behind the lower, scented green needles of the evergreen pine he was hidden behind. Heart pounding excitedly, adrenaline racing through his system, it was all he could do to keep himself still and not springing out to reveal his well-chosen location. He would wait. He had to wait. After all, good things came to those who waited. And that good thing was bound to show up any time. In fact, it should be crossing…right…about…
…now!
The suddenly rustle of pine needles and a burst of white cloud was all the warning his prey got before it was pounded with a furry of crudely packed snowballs.
"Arrrrrrrrrgh! Kenshin!" Sano screamed, trying to fend himself from the onslaught, waving his arms wildly in front of his face. This, of course, only encouraged the younger boy to press his advantage, and drain his supply of ammo as quickly as possible. "Stop!" the older boy wailed, though the huge grin plastered on his face assured Kenshin it wasn't hurting as much as Sano would want him to believe.
Left with the last snowball, Kenshin sent it flying into Sano's chest with a satisfying smack, and used the distraction to run away before his friend could recover enough to come after him.
"Come back here, you!" Sano hollered, shaking snow from his hair and rubbing his eyes with wet, mitten-covered hands, before sprinting after the younger boy. His longer legs definitely gave him an edge. Kenshin laughed, and stole a glance over his shoulder. Uh-oh. Sano was gaining. He pumped his short legs as fast as they would go.
He cast another glance over his shoulder. Sano was almost caught up. He turned back around –
and smacked straight into something big and solid.
The boy tumbled backwards, losing his balance, and landed hard on his bottom, crashing into the hard snow. Sano had no time to break, and ended up tripping over the smaller boy, collapsing to create a very confused and wet tangle of bodies and limbs.
"Sano-nii! You're heavy!" Kenshin protested, trying in vain to disentangle at least one of his arms. "You're crushing me!"
"You're the one lying on my leg!" Sano retorted. "Awk! Ah, no – my zipper's caught–"
"Hey! That's my scarf!"
"Hold still, my zipper's got your mitten – "
"Ack – Sano-nii! You're strangling me!"
It was safe to say that their attempt at sorting themselves out failed miserably.
"Oh, goodness. Hold still, both of you," a firm voice commanded, holding such authority that both ceased moving immediately. Kenshin peered up from where he was still trapped by Sano's larger body, and smiled when he recognized the person. "Ohayo, Aoshi-san," he greeted the man he'd met a few day before amiably, as though he met people while lying sprawled on the cold snowy ground every single day.
"Ohayo," Aoshi grunted as he picked Sanosuke bodily up by the boy's collar, and set him on his feet. Sano blinked. "How'd you do that?" he asked, completely baffled.
Aoshi ignored him, and helped Kenshin up as well. "Kenshin-kun, here. I want you to meet my little sister and cousin." The man stepped aside, and beckoned his two charges forward. They came slowly, staring at the two boys bemusedly. Kenshin shifted uneasily; he could have sworn they were whispering about him beneath their scarves. Really, he hadn't had much experience with girls his age, and he wondered faintly how it was that he should act. Absorbed in his thoughts, he almost missed Aoshi's next words. "This is Kaoru, and that's Misao," the man said, gesturing to the girls in turn as he introduced them.
"Hi!" said the smaller of the pair, a very bubbly girl who had her raven-colored haired tied back in a braid that fell past her shoulders. "I'm Misao!" she stated, completely missing the fact that she had just repeated her cousin. The girl grabbed a very surprised Kenshin's hand, giving it several firm, over-enthusiastic shakes that nearly landed the boy back on the ground. "How are you doing?" she asked, with a smile bright enough to light up a city.
"F-fine…" Kenshin answered, withdrawing his hand and backing away wearily, as though afraid she might want to eat him.
The other girl, Kaoru, giggled at his reaction. "Don't worry about it, she doesn't bite. She'll just run you over," she said, though it understandably didn't seem too comfort the boy very much.
"Kenshin, how old are you again?" Aoshi asked, ignoring his younger cousin's indignant protests at Kaoru's words.
"Six," the boy answered, wondering why the man wanted to know.
"Well then, you should all get along fine. Misao's six, too, and Kaoru's eight."
"Ha! Got you beat! I'm nine!" Sano injected, unable to bear being left out of the conversation.
Aoshi raised an eyebrow and the display of immaturity. "And who is this?" he inquired dryly.
"I'm Sagara Sanosuke," the boy said proudly, and raised himself to his full height – almost a head above Kaoru but still shy of Aoshi's chest.
"He's my friend," Kenshin added helpfully.
Aoshi gave a noncommittal nod, showing in no uncertain terms that he couldn't care less about who exactly Sano was. Turning back to the girls, he intoned, "Behave, you two," and then left the four children behind, trudging through the snowdrift to begin the day's work.
"Feh. The guy's colder than the snow," Sano muttered, brushing himself off. "He needs to warm up."
"Hey! Don't you talk like that about Aoshi-sama!" Misao yelled, instantly shifting to "protective female mode", rounding on Sano, fairly crackling with fury. "He's ten times the man you'll ever be!"
"You need to chill, itachi musume!" Sano exclaimed, backing away from the infuriated girl. "Sheesh, what's gotten into you?"
"Misao-chan is in love with Aoshi-sama," Kaoru informed him nonchalantly, as if falling in love with a cousin who's almost twenty years your senior was perfectly normal.
"Ho. The ice block and the weasel. Perfect combo. You can cancel each other out!" Sano grinned, amused at his own little joke.
"DON'T CALL ME A WEASEL!"
xxx
"Hey, are you sure about this?"
Misao frowned in clear disapproval at the person who had dared to question her beautiful, ingenious, and obviously one-hundred percent flawless plan. "Of course I'm sure, stupid tori-atama!" she replied in a heated whisper. "Now shut up, or someone'll figure out we're here!"
"I'm surprised they haven't already," Kaoru muttered, every bit as doubtful as Sanosuke. She had been a part of many of Misao's notorious "brilliant plans" before, and every single one had turned into a disaster. Now she wondered just how she had been dragged into and persuaded to go alone with yet another one.
"Misao-neechan…I'm really not sure this'll work…" Kenshin whispered worriedly. His 'neechan' only glared at him. He had picked up the nickname for her only because when he'd tired to called Kaoru 'neechan', Misao had thrown a fit, and declared that if Kaoru got to be called 'big sister', then she ought to be called that, too. It didn't matter that they didn't know who was older (since Kenshin wasn't sure when his birthday really was), there was 'no way in How' Kaoru got a little brother and she didn't. ("What's 'How'?" Sano had asked blankly, only to be bashed over the head by the insulted girl, who screamed, "None of your business!" though her face was suspiciously flushed red.) It's wouldn't be fair, she had then insisted, since Kaoru already had a big brother, and a good-looking one too!
"You're gonna get us all in trouble, itachi musume!" Sano growled. "If we get busted, I'm blaming it on you!"
"I said, shut up! And call me okashira! We're on a secret mission! We have to go by code names. And we won't get caught if you'll just be quiet, tori-atama!" the girl snarled, all but baring her fangs.
"Oro…" Kenshin muttered to himself. "I have this bad feeling, de gozaru…"
"Quit talking to yourself, Kenshin. One crazy person is all we need here," Sano said, all the while glaring at the back of Misao's head. Kenshin felt a huge sweatdrop roll down the back of his skull.
"Alright, the area is clear. Places, troops!" Misao ordered, a mad gleam in her aqua-blue eyes. Seeing that argument would just provoke the wrath of their 'leader', the other three had no choice but to obey and slip quietly into their designated positions.
"Operation 'Tenchū' is about to commence!" Misao hissed across to her reluctant comrades in an over-dramatized voice, her whole body quivering with anticipation. ("Tenchū, smanchu. What a stupid name," Sano muttered.) "On my signal…three…two...
…one!"
In a flash, she disappeared from her spot, reappearing a moment later on a nearby stool, scampering up onto the counter. Kaoru and Sanosuke, cooperating for once, ran to their stations next to the shelf Misao was now reaching into, standing on her tiptoes on the countertop. Between them, they stretched a snow-white bed-sheet they'd borrowed without permission from the laundry room. Meanwhile, Kenshin had gotten beside the door, ready to sound the alarm if anyone started their way.
"Haha! The kunoichi has broken through the defenses! Her superior skills are proven!" Misao crowed, and started to toss the fruits of her labor down, where they landed safely into the sheet Kaoru and Sano were holding. One after another, the packages rained down like mana from heaven. Sanosuke's eyes went wide at the sight of their catches. "Hey, sorry I doubted you, weasel girl. You're not bad at this ninja stuff."
"It's 'okashira'!" Misao snapped. "Of course I'm good, I even have specialty moves! Wanna see?" She dug her hands into her pockets, and produced three very dull, very plastic kunai. "Kansatsu Tobikunai!" she yelled, and hurled them off, sending them flying through the air, over the heads of her two friends on the ground. Without waiting to see where they landed, she turned back to the shelf she had been in the middle of raiding. "Only a couple more packages left. Then we can go – "
"Ahem."
All three children froze at the sound of the very deep, very intimidating, very adult voice.
"K-Kenshin?" Misao asked hopefully, not daring to turn around. "Kenshin, it's you right? Quit playing, it's not funny – "
"No, I'm afraid I'm not Kenshin," the voice replied wryly, dripping with sarcasm.
Slowly, very slowly, as though she was walking to her doom, Misao turned around to face the speaker.
She nearly passed out.
The door way was blocked by the huge frame of none other than Hiko Seijūrō himself. Behind him stood a very abashed Kenshin, who was staring shamefully and meekly at the ground, trying with all his might to wish himself somewhere else. The redhead was shifting his weight from foot to foot, guilty avoiding their gazes.
Misao's mind normally ran on hyper-speed. But now, the only thing she could think of to say – really, the only thing she could say – was,
"Uh-oh."
Xxx
"So let me get this straight," Hiko drawled. "You four staged this whole thing just so you could go and steal all the cookies and snacks in my house? You have way too much time on your hands." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, Okita? What should we do with these little thieves-in-training?" he asked of his advisor who had happened onto the scene of the crime while out searching for some chocolaty goodness.
"Hmm. Well, stealing is a Class-A offense prosecuted by law. Shall we turn them over to the sheriff?" The shorter man cocked his eyebrows, all the while trying desperately to contain his amusement at seeing the four children's faces pale.
"Huh? What are you talking about - ?" Hiko started, but fell silent when his advisor glared at him, stating plainly, 'play along!' "I mean – the sheriff? Too much trouble. Why not just lock them in the dungeon?"
The four were now looking as though they might pass out.
"Oh, I have an even better idea. Let's tell Aoshi-kun and turn them over to him!" Okita replied maliciously, a mischievous twinkle dancing in his eyes.
"No!" Misao and Kaoru shrieked at the exact same time, and a rushed of words immerged from the terrified cousins, blending and mixing into a very confused and unintelligible jumble as they both tried to explain themselves out of that ultimate punishment.
"Whoa, whoa!" Okita held up his hands, causing the two girls to fall silent, both gazing at him with despair. "Alright, we won't tell Aoshi-kun. But you have to promise me never to steal again. This is serious stuff. And next time it happens, we will tell Aoshi, understand?"
The two girls nodded frantically.
"And you, boy?"
"I understand, too!" Sano yelped, nodding his head off. Okita had to bite back a laugh.
"Kenshin?" Hiko turned back towards the redhead. "What about you?"
"I – it'll never happen again, I swear!" the small boy squeaked. "Never never ever! I'm so sorry, sorry – "
"Oh, nonono, not that again. No, you will not start on that again. Stop. I get it. Do not get started on that apology of yours, or we'll be here all day!" Hiko snapped, holding up a hand, inwardly cringing as he remembered the last time Kenshin had used that tone – the first day, when he'd broken the glass figurines. He was sure he could not listen to the child ramble on about just how sorry he was twice He would crack. He was sure of it."Go play somewhere else, all of you! And Kenshin, don't you dare let me catch you crying, or it'll be three hundred extra swings during tonight's practice!" With that last thought, Hiko stormed back towards his office, leaving the four pairs of wide eyes staring at his retreating back.
Okita couldn't help it anymore. It was too much – the comically disastrous plan, the expression on the kids' faces, and Hiko's last outburst and obvious fear of Kenshin's tears – he lost the battle of self-control and collapsed to the floor, laughing hysterically.
Xxxxx
It had become routine for Hiko to tuck Kenshin into bed at night, so much so that the man barely felt odd about doing it any more. Which, if he had felt the need to dwell on it, should have been unsettling to say the least, but it was his not-so-humble philosophy that some things were just meant to be left un-contemplated.
"Here, Shishou," Kenshin said one night, about two weeks after he'd first set foot in the Hiko Manor, "Okita-san said to give this to you." He held out to the man a rather scuffed up piece of paper.
"Oh?" Hiko raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering exactly what his advisor had planted into the boy's head this time. He took the paper and tilted it slightly so that the dim glow of the night-light would illuminate it enough to be read. Seeing its contents, he frowned in confusion. There was only one word on it.
" 'Smiles,'" Hiko read aloud. "What is this, baka deshi?"
"It's my Christmas wish list. Okita-san said to make one and show you," the child replied sleepily, already falling asleep, lulled by the warmth beneath the heavy covers and the soft mattress.
"Ah." Yes, Okita had mentioned something about getting the boy presents for the holidays. "And you want 'smiles'? I was really hoping for something you can buy at a store," Hiko stated dryly.
"Mama always said that y'weren't supposed to wish for material things," Kenshin replied softly, his words a bit slurred. "Y'were supposed ta wish for what you wanted most, and it shouldn't be thing you could lose or break or get tired of. She said that was how God intended it to be." He shifted to peer up at his shishou with tired violet eyes. "Once, I wanted my own little shovel, like the one 'Kuya nii-chan got. That's when Mama told me about how I oughtn't wish for things like that. I guess I cried a bit, but then Haru nii-san took me and told me how Papa doesn't make enough for us to all get presents, and I should do like Mama said and wish for the right things instead."
"I see," Hiko murmured. "Well, why do you want 'smiles,' Kenshin?"
"Because I want it so that even when I leave, I'll be as happy as I was here, and smile just as much," was the prompt reply, spoken unabashedly as only such an innocent could.
"Sou ka…" the man sighed, folding up the paper and putting it into his breast pocket. "Well, I'll see what I can do. Good night, then, Kenshin."
"Oyasumi nasai, Shishou." The words had barely left his tongue before he was fast asleep.
Hiko silently stood up and walked out of the room without making the slightest noise, his huge frame seeming to simply glide over the carpeted floor. He left Kenshin's bedroom door cracked slightly open, before heading off to his office to wrap things up for the night.
It doesn't make sense, he thought to himself as he climbed down the stairs. It's true that farmers don't make that much money, but surely, no matter how bad the harvest was, they could have at least been able to afford small gifts for their children.
Where did all their profits go?
It was a puzzle, to be sure, one more piece in the jigsaw that was the Himura family. He had collected many of these pieces over the past two weeks, and there was no doubt in his mind that pretty soon, things would begin to fall into place.
Japanese Glossary:
Itachi musume: Weasel girl, or Misao's 'nickname'
Kansatsu Tobikuni: "Piercing/Killing Flying Daggers," Misao's specialty move
Kunoichi: Female ninja
Tori-atama: Bird head, or Sano's 'nickname'
Author's Note:
I'm so, so sorry for the huge delay in getting this chapter up. I actually had the first part written out, but it was so hard trying to figure out ifI wanted to post it or not. I couldn't make up my mind on how to write all our favorite RurouKen characters as children. You have no idea how many times I rewrote this. I'm still not sure I like the end result -in places, it just seems way too...ah, what's the word...sappy? Man, that's a lot of fluff. More than I've ever written before in my life. If it turns out I'm not pleased with it after a while, I might just delete it and put up an alternate version. Thanks for putting up with me! But please leave a review and give me some feedback, goodness knows I need it for motivation and inspiration. And thanks again for all your wonderful reviews!