Chapter 7
Grey eyes
The morning was fresh and sunny and the wind brought the first scent of fall. The Kamiya residence was quiet and peaceful. Yumiko tied her obijime and straightened the knot of her obi. Distractedly, she smoothed her hair. Then, she removed the sheets of her futon and folded them neatly before doing the same thing with her futon. Satisfied with her work, she got out of the room, leaving the shoji open. Then, she walked on the veranda and, finding a quiet and nice spot, she sat down. This house was truly beautiful. Its smell reminded her of her okiya. It made her at peace. Although her parents had sold her, she had never hated them for doing so. She had loved the life of a geisha. And even after the fire, even if she had gone through so much hardship, she had always been thankful. Talking to Himura had been a good decision. She felt lighthearted, almost blissful. She was ready to move on.
The sound of the floorboards creaking behind her stopped her train of thought and she turned around to see Kenshin's son, Kenji. The little boy was looking at her with curiosity from behind a post. Yumiko smiled at him; he really looked like Hikaru.
"Good morning, Kenji."
The boy said nothing but came closer and sat next to her. They both looked silently at the garden for a while. Then, the red-haired child thrust his small hand in front of her. When she looked down, she saw two wrapped candies resting on his small palm. With the tip of her fingers, she took one and unwrapped it, thinking he wanted help. When she tried to give it to him, he grunted and refused to take it back. Yumiko smiled softly and put the candy in her mouth.
"Thank you, Kenji."
Looking pleased, the boy unwrapped the other candy and popped it in his mouth with a little laugh. He then proceeded to give the wrapping back to her. Yumiko laughed and held the two wrappers in her left hand. Kenji then got up, gave her a hug and walked away like he had come. What a sweet child, she thought.
Someone from the ryokan came to the dojo at around eight. Kaoru had offered to cook breakfast for Yumiko but she had politely refused. At the gate, she thanked both of them for their hospitality and apologized for the scene she had made. Wishing them well, she started heading back for her accommodation, fighting her desire to turn around and lay her eyes on Himura one last time.
Kenshin watched Yumiko walk away with a leaden heart. How he wish he could have made it up to her. Kaoru was relieved that the whole ordeal was over.
Kenshin was sipping tea on the veranda when Yahiko returned from a dojo in town. His zori and tabi were covered with mud and he looked exhausted. He walked up to Kenshin and carelessly put his bouken down before sitting next to the man. Seeing the sembei on a plate next to the samurai he grabbed one and shove it in his mouth.
"Woah! They were really out to kill me! Those little monsters I tell you. I could strangle them with my bare hands, I swear!"
Having said that, he gobbled down a few more sembei before proceeding to take off his muddy tabi.
"Nah, Kenshin. You look very tired. Did something happen? You look like you spent the whole night up."
Kenshin smiled. Yahiko knew this smile, it was Kenshin's something-terrible-is-happening-but-don't-worry smile. He didn't like it at all but knew that insisting would be totally useless.
"By the way, I saw something so strange earlier today. I was walking in front of Akabekko on my way here when I saw... Well when I saw you! This guy had bright red hair and looked just like you! The only difference was his ponytail, it was a bit..."
Kenshin suddenly jumped on his feet and took Yahiko by the shoulders.
"Are you sure? Where was that? In front of Akabekko?"
Kenshin was so tense that he hurt Yahiko's shoulder. His eyes were pretty scary as well.
"Yes, I think he was coming out of the ryokan next to Tae's place. Why? Please Kenshin release me, you're actually hurting me."
Kenshin let go of Yahiko and mumbled an apology. He reached for his sword and realized that he didn't have one anymore; he had given it to the young man for his genpuku. Old habits were hard to kill.
"Tell Kaoru I've gone to town. I'll be right back. Oh and keep and eye on Kenji; he's sleeping in your room."
Without further ado, Kenshin started running.
"Geez! Will someone please tell me what's going on?"
Kenshin rushed through the main gate and past the sakura trees he and Kaoru loved so much. Maybe this was just a big misunderstanding but even if there was the slightest chance of this man being his son he wanted to see him with his own eyes. His heart beating fast, he rushed towards the centre of town.
