Notes: Sorry for the long wait…again. Thankfully I'm mostly free this summer (until July) and plan on working on my neglected fanfics. Please read and review…I found myself getting depressed when I updated one of my fics and only got 3 reviews…for my record that's the lowest of lows…::sulks::
Remember, Jessie and Soujiro have no clue what the other is saying.
Warning: Some racist remarks and a nasty misunderstanding between Jessie and Soujiro…that's all.
WHEN THE RAIN FALLS ON THE OCEAN
Part IV
"What are you doing!!!!!"
Soujiro winced and placed a hand to his ringing ear that wailed in protest to Jessie's extremely high-pitched shout. After leaping off the moving locomotive (which the little American boy kicked him in the shins for after they were safe on the grassy ground), the two had made their way to the outskirts of the booming city of Kyoto. Soujiro always found himself surprised every time he returned to see the majestic buildings that still stood despite the harrowing and violent times they stood through. The young Japanese man found himself smiling almost proudly that the city had drawn out a wondrous gasp from Jessie.
But instead of heading straight into the busy city streets, Soujiro had stopped beside a large tree. While Jessie was preoccupied with the landscape and the city, Soujiro quickly dug an elongated shallow hole, and placed his sword in and began covering it with dirt. It was then Jessie spotted his actions and yelled in his foreign language straight into Soujiro's ear.
"Please, Jessie," said Soujiro, looking down wearily at Jessie's small yet heated visage. "Don't do that again." In reality, Soujiro had been feeling ill since waking up and making his speedy exit from the locomotive. Jessie's belligerent behavior was not helping.
"Why in the world did you bury your sword?!" demanded Jessie. When he only got a tired look, the boy snarled and with one both hands pulled the heavy sword from its makeshift grave and held it close. "I don't know what you people think! Its cool, and I'm not letting you get rid of it!"
Soujiro blinked, then sighed, "You're worried about the sword that much Jessie? Don't worry; I'll come back for it tonight. The police in Kyoto will arrest me if they see me with that sword. Now," Soujiro reached out his hand, ignoring how Jessie bared his teeth at him angrily, "give it here so that I can hide it."
"No!" snarled Jessie shrinking away from his hand, then suddenly turning tail and running.
For a good couple of seconds, Soujiro was stunned, then with an exasperated groan he went after the boy and his sword. He didn't even need to use his sikuji technique to reach the blond boy. Grabbing hold of one of Jessie's bony shoulders, he halted the little runaway, and spun him around, latching his other hand onto the scabbard of his sword.
"Jessie, let go," Soujiro said as patiently as he could. After running after the boy he was now feeling light headed.
"NO!" shouted the boy, trying to yank the sword away him. "You can't do it! You can't! I wanted you to show me how to use it so I can be strong like you! Don't get rid of it! Don't!"
Jessie's cries were making his head hurt and his ears ring. It was beyond Soujiro's comprehension on why Jessie was acting this way. His patience was thinning, and though Shishio would have knocked him flat if he had ever behaved this way, Soujiro was not his late master and was determined to find another way to get what he wanted without physically hurting the infuriating boy. Pulling back, Soujiro said, "Jessie, stop it right now. This is not the way to get what you want."
But when he pulling again, Jessie switched his hold to the hilt of the sword, stumbling back and unsheathing it. There was a long silence in which both boy and young man neither moved nor spoke, both with their eyes trained on the naked blade that shone beneath the rays of the late afternoon sun. Jessie's eyes were bulging, his small mouth gaping open as he lowered the heavy blade's tip to the grass, afraid to move.
Soujiro could only stare in growing horror at the image before him. Jessie standing…his small pale hands wrapped firmly around the sword's hilt…such a small boy holding a weapon that had ended lives so brutally. In Soujiro's mind, he saw a different boy, just as small under a different darker sky, standing alone in the rain holding a blood drenched wakisashi, smiling down at the corpses that he himself had slain with his own two small hands.
Are you crying?
Soujiro's arm shot out, grasping the hilt of the blade and shoving back hard and swift, sending Jessie down to the ground with a small startled cry. Quickly sheathing the blade, hiding its hideousness from seeing eyes, he turned his back on the boy, and headed back to the tree with stiff steps.
"Soujiro!" cried Jessie, making the young man stiffen at hearing his name, but he did not turn back. Jessie ran to him, tangling his hands into one of Soujiro's flowing sleeves, pulling at it and trying to halt the other. "Just stop! If I get some money I'll buy it from you, okay? Don't get rid of it! Please!"
When his desperate words were not acknowledged, Jessie lunged for the sword again, but Soujiro had anticipated this action. Swinging the sword to the side across Jessie's small stomach, he pushed back harshly, sending the small boy sprawling onto his back, winded but unhurt.
Reaching the tree, Soujiro completed burying his sword, covering it with some dry brush. With that done, he turned back to where Jessie now sat, in the same place he had fallen. The boy's bluish green eyes were shimmering with accusation and hurt, looking like Soujiro had betrayed him in some way or other.
Soujiro went to the boy who remained in place, never taking his eyes off of him. "You should consider yourself lucky, Jessie," whispered Soujiro more to himself than anyone else. "My family would have beaten you black and blue and starved you till you'd have no room for anger…Shishio might have done the same thing. He never had a reason to do it to me, so I don't know." Soujiro knelt down and looked straight into those accusing eyes, "I don't understand why you are so mad about the sword, and I understand that you don't understand my words, but this does not excuse your behavior, Jessie. Your should be more respectful since I am your elder."
He reached for the boy, but hesitated when the boy stiffened, his anger replaced by growing fear. "I won't strike you," he said, his words becoming soothing, as he took Jessie's elbow and stood up. He could feel the thin muscles in Jessie's arm going taunt with nervousness, and did not fail to notice the way Jessie was not pulling away but leaning back, his face pale and eyes wide with growing dread. Moving his hand from Jessie's arm to his blond head, Soujiro asked, "How many times have you been beaten, Jessie? I saw the bruises and know that you have been mistreated. But even though you are doing a good job at frustrating me, I won't strike you. I am stronger than you, and it would be cowardly of me to use such force against one as weak as you. I am many things, but not a coward."
Soujiro saw that the fear in Jessie's eyes was replaced by wonder. The boy had expected pain to his defiance. No…it would be too easy to beat Jessie into submission. Shishio never did that, but used words and methods to get what he wanted out of Soujiro…but then Soujiro had been a different child…nothing like Jessie.
Jessie hadn't been broken yet…
Soujiro could not recall the way he was before his parent's untimely deaths. Not even the sweet memory of their faces remained. The only faces he remembered from his past were the terrified ones of his family as he slew them one by one on that night from hell when the devil was walking the streets. Had he been as spirited as Jessie, trying to get his way from his mother and father, pulling at their sleeves and making such a ruckus that they'd laugh and give in to his childish whims? When he had been frightened had he curled by his mother's side and let himself drown in her warmth and unconditional love? Had he held his father's hand and wondered of the possibility of his had ever possessing that same strength that was only obvious to a son looking at his father? Was he an obedient child who made his parents proud…before the world became hell…before…
Soujiro smiled gently, "You've had enough pain, Jessie. And though I'm sure you will get hurt somehow or other later in your life, it will never be my hands that hurt you. I promise."
He turned away and started heading straight toward the road that led straight into the main crowded streets of Kyoto. The sun was readily sinking, casting a red hue over the sky like a blanket of crimson blood. Soujiro paused, and looked over his shoulder at Jessie, who looked eerie standing next to the tree with the red sky above.
They stared at each other for a moment, before Jessie yelped, "You're not getting rid of me that easily!" and sprinted to his side. The boy looked up at Soujiro, and then surprised the young man with a sincere smile. "I thought you were gonna snap and smack me a good one. Guess I was wrong." He laughed and raised his hands behind his head.
Soujiro's smile widened at the boy's laughter and wondered if he had just been insulted. Truly the language barrier between them was one of the main causes for them constantly clashing. It was a something that needed to be fixed and soon. Jessie needed someone who knew his language to teach him Japanese.
But then, that was why Soujiro had brought the boy to Kyoto.
***~*~*~***~*~*~***~*~*~***
Walking through the heavy populated streets of Kyoto was easier than Soujiro had expected. Jessie seemed attuned with the crowds, dodging between people expertly without any trouble or looking as if he were uncomfortable with the vast city's settings. Jessie kept close to him mostly, sometimes stepping ahead to look at something that caught his eye at one of the venders, but never dallying too long, always returning to Soujiro's side.
No, what had Soujiro worried was the way Jessie's mere appearance, his pale skin, bright eyes, and blond hair was a rarity in Kyoto, and never failed to turn curious heads. He could hear the people whispering amongst one another about the young wanderer and his little blond foreigner. Here he was trying not to catch anyone's attention, especially here in Kyoto where the Tenken's reputation was notorious and heard in every house. Yet just by having Jessie with him he had every other person looking at him…wondering who he was.
After all, wanderers did not go traipsing around with foreign children.
Soujiro noticed that three scruffy looking boys were looking at Jessie with hostility in their young eyes. Knowing that he should stop what was coming, Soujiro opted to stand back and see the way things played out. Jessie was an aggressive child with him, spirited and filled with a raging fire that came from his harsh background and abuse. But how would Jessie react when faced with his peers?
He did not have to wait long. One of the brasher boys, a tall thin creature that needed a bath, darted forward behind Jessie and with scruffy fingers yanked back hard at Jessie's small tail at the nape of his neck. Jessie howled in pain and whirled around, pale hands fisted, light eyes flashing in rage at the person who dared to insult him by pulling his hair in such a manner.
The young offender smiled, a mouth filled with a mix of baby and awkwardly growing adult teeth. "Hey," he called back to his two other companions who were cackling amongst themselves, "that stuff on his head is real." He laughed, and Jessie glared, not understanding, but obviously knowing that he was being made fun of.
"Try again, Taichi, and this time pull harder just to make sure," laughed one of the boys.
"Lets see if you pull hard enough will he scream like a girl, cause he looks like one!"
Soujiro was relieved that Jessie did not understand exactly what they boys were saying; otherwise he wasn't confident that he'd be able to hold the boy back from killing them. When the boy named Taichi reached for Jessie's hair again, Jessie struck, smashing his fist into the other boy's face. Soujiro stood still as the boy's friends charged Jessie, tackled the smaller boy to the ground, and proceeded to pummel him.
"Hey…young man?"
Soujiro tore his eyes just as Jessie kicked savagely at one of his attacker's stomach, and looked at the older man who was addressing him. "Yes?"
"You're his servant or guard aren't you? Why don't you stop this before his parents find out that you're letting your charge get beaten! And really, young man, this is no time to be smiling!" Said the man severely, believing that Soujiro was hired help for some rich foreign family who resided in the city.
People could be so presumptuous. "I think you're mistaken. He hasn't called for my help, so I would be wounding his pride if I got involved before he had a chance to prove himself. And anyway, if you look closely you will see that Jessie is stronger than those two boys together…" As if trying to prove Soujiro's point, Jessie broke away from two beaten boys, kicking at them and they scampered away, their third friend having already disappeared after he had been hit the first time.
Jessie limped over to Soujiro, his small chest swelling in pride though he was bruised and bleeding from his lip. Raising a fist he said smugly, "Nobody messes with me! Right Soujiro?"
Seeing the limp, Soujiro knelt and reached for Jessie's ankle. The boy hissed and pulled away. "No, don't touch it. I twisted it when those two idiots jumped me." The boy took a step and winced, lifting his injured leg and balancing precariously on one foot. "It hurts," he added timidly, looking at Soujiro nervously.
The young man could see that the small ankle was already starting to swell. It was not a good idea to put more pressure on it. Another wave of dizziness hit him, and almost wavered, but he clenched his teeth at the threatening weakness and turned his back to Soujiro. "Get on my back, Jessie. I'll carry you."
Jessie only stared at him, not understanding the gesture.
His masked smile widening, and feeling his stomach twisting uncomfortably, Soujiro reached and took Jessie's arms and placed them on his shoulders, his back still facing the boy. "It's okay, Jessie. Come on and get on my back."
The boy opened his mouth, and then shut it, a small thrown forming on his fair features. "Hey, Soujiro…you're looking kinda funny."
The boy was probably being stubborn, not wanting to be carried in public like a child. Blinking away the dizziness, Soujiro gritted his teeth and yanked the boy onto his back, swiftly clasping his hands around the boy's legs and standing up. Jessie squawked in his ear, the arms on his shoulder instinctively wrapping themselves around his neck, squeezing to an almost choking level. Smiling at the now gawking crowd, Soujiro bowed slightly to the man who had spoken to him and started walking away, ignoring Jessie's loud protests as the boy yelled into his ear.
"Wait! Stop! You look like you're going to faint! Put me down, you idiot! You're gonna fall and I'm gonna end up breaking something!" He went suddenly silent, noticing the stares of the people around them. Trying to hide his face on Soujiro's shoulder, Jessie muttered lowly, "This is embarrassing," and glared at Soujiro's plastered smile.
Relieved that the boy had quieted down, Soujiro went on his way, his bags hitting his side jarringly, and Jessie's lightweight seeming to weigh him down like…
…like a barrel of rice about to fall and shatter…
Soujiro swallowed hard at the malicious hissing voice in his head and continued on. Less and less people stared now that Jessie had given in. Soujiro really did not want any more attention aimed at them.
At the spotting of his destination, Soujiro's vision wavered and he stumbled in his steps. Jessie came to life and squeezed his neck threateningly saying, "I'm going to kick you if you drop me!"
He paused and readjusted his hold on the boy, and went closer to the building, watching as the elegantly written sign on the top became decipherable till Soujiro came to stand right in front of a cozy looking inn that went by the name of: The Aoiya.
Soujiro found himself hesitating, loosening his hold on Jessie and letting the boy slide safely down. Jessie kept on hand on his side, refusing to put any pressure on his throbbing ankle that was becoming bigger with swelling. Beneath the tabi, Soujiro could make out the beginnings of some heavy bruising. Hoping that the boy hadn't broken anything, Soujiro knocked on the door and slid it open to the entrance room, stepping in and helping Jessie in as the boy hopped beside him.
The boy yelped as four cheerful individuals, two men and two women suddenly appeared before them, all saying together in jubilant voices, "WELCOME TO THE AOIYA!!"
Despite his dizziness, Soujiro found their merry countenance giving him the feeling of relaxation…like returning back to Shishio's stronghold after one of his missions. Even though there was never any warm welcoming, Miss Yumi would always make him some tea while he reported his success to Shishio. In some twisted, dysfunctional way, those two had been his family. But they were gone now, creating their own kingdom in hell.
His smile still in place, Soujiro bowed slightly, watching Jessie's reactions from the corner of his eye. The boy still was holding himself up by keeping a firm hand on his side, scowling at the four happy people as the two were ushered inside.
"How long will you be staying?" asked the taller of the women, giving Jessie an amiable smile, which made the boy's scowl even fiercer.
"Well," said Soujiro honestly, "that would depend if Mr. Aoshi Shinomori of the Oniwaban Group is still residing here."
He saw their smiles freeze; their kind eyes go hard and calculating. All who worked in the Aoiya were ex-members of the Oniwaban Group, defenders of Edo Castle during the harrowing days of the revolution. He was taking a deadly risk coming here unarmed, and being so blunt with his intentions. The only thing stopping the four from grabbing him was the little blond boy at his side.
Soujiro bowed again, deeper. "Excuse me if I startled you, but Mr. Aoshi knows me from some years back. I don't mean any harm, I just need to speak with him, that's all."
Beside him, Jessie demanded heatidly, "Why do you keep bowing like that? Be a man and stand up!" He glared the four who were staring at Jessie in surprise. Pulling at Soujiro's sleeve he whispered, "C'mon, lets go somewhere else. These guys are weird."
"An American?" Asked to the broader of the two men. Jessie stiffened at hearing a word that he recognized, and continued to pull at Soujiro's sleeve, but the man would not move from his bowed position.
"Hey? What's going on…" Soujiro looked up slightly from his place recognizing the young ninja girl named Misao. He had never had any contact with her, but he knew that she had eyes only for Aoshi and for a short time, had taken the place of Leader of the Oniwaban Group.
"Soujiro Seta!" Gasped the girl…or young woman. Three years had changed her from a budding sixteen, to a mature nineteen…but obviously none of her fire had died out with adulthood. She still wore the short cut kimono that allowed her all the legroom in the world, and her long hair still hung in a lethal braid draped along her back.
Jessie in turn stared with wide eyes at the newest arrival, then gave Soujiro a scathing look and shoved the young man, hoping away. "I know what this place is!" he hissed, and then pointed a finger at Misao who gaped at the boy. "This is a place where men come to have a good time with easy women!"
Soujiro had no clue what the boy's words meant, but it seemed that Misao had some understanding of the English language, for she flew at the boy, latching her hand quite painfully onto Jessie's ear, yanking ruthlessly as she hissed in English, "How dare you say that to a Lady! You should learn to respect your elders you little brat! I'm going to wash that dirty mouth of yours till it shines!!!!!"
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!!!!!" wailed Jessie, trying to get away from the raving mad women.
Moving fast, Soujiro whisked the boy from Misao, saying quickly, "Please Miss Misao, I don't know what he said to make you so angry with him, but he's just a boy and a foreigner and doesn't know our manners. Please don't punish him, because his ankle is quite swollen. Forgive him." He bowed awkwardly with Jessie clutching his waist, his face buried in Soujiro's stomach uncomfortably.
Misao took a moment to calm her wrathful anger, and exhaled. Giving the frightened Jessie a hard look she said in English, "In case you don't already know, he's apologizing for your rude comments. Do you speak Japanese?"
Jessie turned his head and looked at her fearfully, "No."
The young woman let out an exasperated sigh and switched to Japanese as she addressed Soujiro, "Let me guess, you wanna see Mr. Aoshi, right?"
Soujiro straightened and gave her a guilty smile.
Shaking her head she waved them in, and turned her back after saying, "You better not have any funny ideas, Tenken. I'm going to have both my eyes on you and that little brat of yours!"
Soujiro chuckled and took off his slippers, then after prying Jessie off of him, he helped the boy take off his slippers and tabis, careful of his grotesquely swollen and bruised ankle. The boy did not protest of pull back from him, simply hissing in pain as the injured limp was freed from the confines of the sock, and quietly climbed onto Soujiro's back when it was offered. It seemed Misao's sharp tongue and strong hand was enough to quell all the defiance out of the boy.
Misao led them to a sitting room, slamming the sliding door open, then slamming it shut behind her when they entered. Sitting himself and Jessie down on some sitting mats, he watched curiously as the young woman irately opened a small wooden wardrobe and pulled out some bandages. Fetching a small bowl of cool water, she sat herself in front of Jessie and yanked his leg to her, the boy subdued and not peeping, only once in a while glancing at Soujiro for reassurance that the woman was not going to pull out a dagger and cut his leg off.
Dipping a cloth into the water, she started cleaning the dirt off the boys foot, her hands surprisingly gentle. "How did this happen to him?" She asked Soujiro suddenly, not once glancing up at him.
"He got picked on by some boys and decided to fight back," responded Soujiro.
She paused for a moment then switched to English, addressed Jessie, "How did this happen?"
Jessie shrugged and said sullenly, "I got into a fight with some idiots who were pulled me hair. Don't know what they were saying, but I knew they were saying bad stuff about me."
Misao smirked, "Who won?"
Jessie blinked at her in surprise and gave her a nervouse grin as he said proudly, "I did."
Soujiro was certain that she was confirming Soujiro's story about Jessie's injury. He almost felt insulted, but he could not blame her, after all, had he not been an assassin? But he saw the young woman's tense shoulders relax as she and Jessie spoke.
It was just moments after Misao had finished wrapping Jessie's ankle that the door slid open, and when Soujiro looked up, he found himself staring at non other than Aoshi Shinomori. The tall man still stood straight and tall, his eyes no longer possessing that haunting iced look that made him not care about a thing other than his obsession of beating the Battosai. He wore a simply off white kimono, that was tied loosely around his waist, his feet bare.
To think, Aoshi Shinomori, looking…domestic.
When the Leader of the Oniwaban Group was seated across from them, Misao settled herself next to the formidable man, her eyes shining only for the man she adored.
"Soujiro Seta, second to Makoto Shishio," said Aoshi in his low voice. "Three years have done nothing to change you at all."
"The same can be said about you, Aoshi Shinomori."
"You have not been seen since Shishio's death," said Aoshi, "so what brings you out of hiding, and back here in Kyoto? After all, it isn't the best place for the Tenken to be recognized. You are still wanted by the Meiji police." His eyes drifted to Jessie, who was staring at him uneasily. "You have a peculiar companion, Soujiro Seta. I'm almost hesitant to ask where you came by him."
"His name is Jessie," said Soujiro, "I saved his life a couple of nights ago in Osaka. A foreign sailor was about to shoot him." Soujiro's smile widened, a stiff mask that made him want to tear his own lips off. "I…I killed the sailor, and couldn't leave Jessie alone. Actually, I don't think he would have let me abandon him when I saved him."
"Are you two being chased by the police or any of the sailor's mates?"
Soujiro shook his head.
Aoshi sighed, "I had assumed that you would be following Kenshin Himura's footsteps by becoming a wanderer that does not kill…I guess I was wrong."
The comment stung, but Soujiro took it in stride by saying, "I had assumed the same thing," He then added cryptically, "It's funny how people change when it rains."
"Why come here?" asked Aoshi. "Why not go to Kenshin in Tokyo?"
Soujiro closed his eyes and bowed low, his forehead touching the floor. Ignoring how Jessie growled at him and like the last time tried to pull him up. It seemed the boy had a problem with bowing for some reason. Foreign manners were a wonder.
"Mr. Aoshi, I am in need of your expertise," said Soujiro, his voice slightly muffled from his position on the floor.
"What for?" Soujiro could detect a hint of wonder in Aoshi's controlled voice.
He lifted his head and saw Misao gaping at him with her mouth open, and Aoshi looking down at him, his eyebrow slightly raised. Jessie had stilled in his pestering, giving up and simply glowering at him.
His smiling mask perfectly in place, Soujiro replied to Aoshi's question, "I need you to teach Jessie our language and customs."
The silence that followed was deafening.
TO BE CONTINUED…Ookai…things are getting interesting now…right? Right?????
Why has Soujiro been becoming dizzy??? And what will be Aoshi's response to Soujiro's request????
Hehe.
Sorry peeps, Misao is staying with Aoshi. Soujiro isn't finding true love in this fic.
I was thinking if anyone knew English it would be Aoshi and the Oniwaban Group. Aoshi come by to me as a very learned individual (remember the episode Kanrio Takeda and Hanya spoke to Aoshi while Aoshi was in a study reading some books) and of all the characters would know other languages other than Japanese. I doubt Kenshin learned anything other than swordsmanship from his master, and becoming an assassin during the revolution did not leave him much chance to really learn another language fluently.
Make sense?
OH! I need help! What is the name of the old man in the Oniwaban Group…the crazy dude???? I can't remember the Aoiya wouldn't be the same without the guy.
Sarlinia
Ps. Don't forget to review!!