The first night that Yahiko spent in the house, he left a lamp burning all night. Kaoru noticed it the next morning when she woke up to make breakfast. Grumbling to herself about forgetful kids, she tiptoed in and snuffed it while Yahiko snored on.

Later that morning over dried fish and miso soup, she mentioned it to him, adding that it was a bit of a fire hazard. Yahiko shrugged, made one of his sarcastic comments that she was already getting used to, and she thought no more about it.

Only after the second, third, and fourth time she found a lamp burning in his room long after Yahiko was asleep did she begin to suspect something was wrong.

"Yahiko," she said one morning as Yahiko scarfed down his bowl of rice. He always did so quickly, with one eye on her as if half-suspecting that she would take it from him. "You left the lamp burning again last night."

"So?" he said in a challenging voice, swallowing.

"It's okay to be scared of the dark," Kaoru said in what she hoped was a calm voice. This kid tried to antagonize her at every turn!

"I'm not scared of the dark!" the boy yelled, slamming down his rice bowl, scattering white grains all over the table.

"Now, now," Kenshin said with a smile, attempting to restore the calmness of the morning. "Kaoru-dono is only concerned, that she is..."

"If a fire starts because of your laziness, I—we lose everything," Kaoru said, fingers clutching her cup of tea rather harder than was needed.

Yahko scowled, turning his face away. "I'm not afraid of the dark," he repeated in a sullen grumble. "It's... it's for my parents. So they'll know where I am."

Kaoru and Kenshin exchanged a glance.

"Oro... do you think your parents' spirits are wandering?" Kenshin asked hesitantly.

Yahiko shrugged. "I wasn't given a chance to visit their graves before Tanishi dragged me into his gang to repay the debt. For all I know, they could be because maybe they don't know where I am, or... or that I'm okay." He scrubbed the back of his wrist over his mouth, dislodging a few grains of rice. "I'll stop leaving the lamp lit. I know it's unsafe." He stood from the table and left the room.

"Kaoru-dono..."

"Yes, I know."

#

The next morning, when Yahiko arrived in the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes, he was greeted by Kaoru pressing two rice balls into his hands.

"What's this?" he said, blinking in confusion.

"Breakfast," she said in a cheerful voice. "Come on. We're skipping training this morning."

Kenshin poked his head in from the outside, smiling when he saw Yahiko. "Are you ready, Yahiko?"

"Ready for what?" he said around a mouthful of sticky rice.

Kenshin glanced at Kaoru. "We're visiting your parents' graves today. Hurry up. It'll take a bit of walking to get there."

Yahiko's hand holding his rice ball lowered and he looked at Kenshin, then back at Kaoru, noticing for the first time that she was wearing a nice kimono, not her usual training hakama.

"Lemme wash up first!" he said, cramming the rice ball into his cheek as he raced back out of the kitchen.

#

The walk to the district where Yahiko had been born took a couple of hours. They stopped only once when they arrived to purchase flowers and incense at the local market.

In the graveyard, the plot for Yahiko's parents was small and sadly grown over. Kaoru could tell by its shabby appearance and small headstones that Yahiko's parents had indeed died poor. They were crammed in with other similarly small headstones. Yahiko stood in front of the stones, hands clenched into fists. Without a word, both Kaoru and Kenshin knelt and began tearing up weeds. After a moment, Yahiko joined them.

When the plot was clear, Yahiko lit the incense sticks and bowed his head.

Kaoru and Kenshin did likewise.

If you are wandering, she prayed, come back to him. Rest, for your son's sake. She paused, adding. You don't need to worry. I will take care of him. And Kenshin too.

Kenshin and Kaoru retreated a few steps to give Yahiko a moment of privacy.

A few minutes later, Yahiko knelt to leave the flowers on the grave and walked to where Kenshin and Kaoru waited.

"Feel better?" she asked as they walked back to the dojo.

"Yeah," he said, scuffing one sandal in the dirt. "I never got a chance to say goodbye, really, so... " His cheeks flushed. "Thanks, I guess, for taking me." The boy hurried ahead of them.

Kaoru clucked her tongue in exasperation, but Kenshin's hand on her shoulder stopped her from chasing after him for a proper show of gratitude. "He is very grateful, he is. Boys his age have hard time of showing such things."

Kaoru softened a bit. "I suppose you're right."

When Kaoru headed to bed later that evening back at home, she peeked in Yahiko's room and saw, to her relief, that the lamp remained unlit.

-end-