Saito: LoneStar doesn't own ::takes a long draft of cigarette:: Rurouni Ahou-::ahem:: Kenshin, ahou.
Aiteru: Don't you think you're setting a bad example for the children?
Saito glares coldly.
Aiteru looks around nervously: Uh… Pika?
A Bit of Food for Thought:
Aiteru was quiet for a moment. Soujiro just asked what she meant. "Haven't you ever lost someone close to you?"
How am I to answer that? I kill people. "No, not really I'm afraid," he said smiling at her.
She looked down at the trail they were traveling on, "I have. I loose lots of people close to me almost all the time. I've seen death for as long as I can remember…"
Soujiro was slightly surprised. This genki girl? He wondered.
She smiled at him, no sign of tears, "Every time someone I know dies, a part of me gets affected… hurt… lost…"
"So if someone kills another, it's not just that person that gets hurts. There's a circle of people around the killed that is affected," he said out loud after a short pause.
"Hai," she answered smiling at him as if he would never do such a thing. Soujiro continued to smile, but he remained quiet.
Aiteru's face fell. Ever since that gang attacked us, he's been treating me differently. She pouted. It's not like I knew what happened. All I remember is the fact that they came asking for trouble this morning, and the next thing I know, I wake up and I'm seeing Soujiro stand over the leader with that bloody sword.
Soujiro was lost in his thoughts again. For everyone I killed, I hurt more. So if I must repent for my sins, I must repent for damaging the families of each one I killed. So killing is more than just taking a life. It's ruining the lives of many.
"There's a town just beyond this ridge," Soujiro said after minutes of silence, smiling at her. Aiteru smiled back. She loved his smile despite the fact it looked empty. Like it once meant something, but it was forgotten or lost. She wanted to help bring that meaning back.
Upon entering the town in the late afternoon, an elderly man looked at them closely. Aiteru blushed at such an examination of her dirty state. Soujiro just smiled at him.
"Come with me," the man said grabbing Aiteru's hand, which he felt more relaxed about. Soujiro had an empty but strangely welcoming air around him, but Aiteru was purely warm and calming. The old man led them to an old dojo on the outskirts of town. [A/N: Just imagine a place like Kaoru's but just a little more run down.]
Pointing to a section of the building, the man said, "Welcome yourselves to the bath, and I look at your wounds afterwards." Then he rushed off to the source of a child's wailing.
"Yay!" Aiteru cheered, she wanted out of her dirty clothes. She looked into the room before the bathtub. She saw that there were extra clothes with all the necessary supplies.
Soujiro, who was still outside, inquired, "Do you want to go first? I'll fix up the fire."
Aiteru leapt out and forced Soujiro to go first. "You're far more wounded than I. So you go first. I can wait a few moments." She slammed the door shut, and skipped around to the other side. She had a nice pile of wood ready, but she forgotten how to start a fire. "Er…" she groaned. She banged her head against the wall once (alarming Soujiro inside), before sitting up again, suddenly remembering how.
Soujiro rubbed all the grime and dirt off his body, and looked at his wounds. They were neatly done and already close to being well. He came out a few minutes later, dressed in the white clothes left out for him.
"My turn!" Aiteru cheered. Soujiro helped prepared the bath for her, before getting kicked out by her. Soujiro smiled and kept the fire going outside. He watched kids play out in the courtyard. A few looked at him nervously, and then returned to their play. Most of them looked to be around ten.
"This is what I love most about being a doctor," Aiteru whispered, standing next to the knelt form of Soujiro. Soujiro looked up. She was dressed in deep blue gi and black hikami that certainly wasn't there when Soujiro emerged from the bath. She still had her bag slung on one shoulder, and her kimono and his clothes was draped over an arm. Her dark hair was now braided. "Giving people, especially kids, a new chance of life. A second chance to enjoy everything that life has to offer. That's what I love to do. Just listen to their laughter. They're living the moment. Not the dreams of the future, not the memories of the past, but the gift of the present. To be happy and carefree like that, what a life it would be!" glowed Aiteru for this is what she lived for… her spark.
"I see that you are done," the old man returned. "I'm Dr. Kimari." [A/N: I know this name sounds familiar, to me at least. But oh well! I'm not good with names at all okay?]
Aiteru smiled at him, "I'm Aiteru, and this is my brother, Soujiro Seta. Thank you so much for your hospitality!" Soujiro stood and bowed politely at the doctor. "Are those all your children?"
"No. Those are orphans from the war. I took in as many as I could," the doctor sighed sadly.
"That's real sweet," Aiteru answered, smiling and waving at the kids.
"You two seemed to be in horrible condition. It seems that it was just the mud," the doctor said looking at the two.
"We were traveling in the storm," Soujiro smiled, hand behind his head.
"If you don't mind, may I wash our clothes?" Aiteru inquired.
"Go right ahead," the doctor said, pointing to the laundry tub.
"Arigato," Aiteru bowed before rushing off with her kimono and Soujiro's clothes.
"May I examine those wounds of yours," the doctor said, seeing Soujiro's arm as he sat down on the wooden walkway.
"If you wish," Soujiro said, sitting down.
"When did you receive these?" the doctor asked curiously.
"Ano… Last night. My sister patched them up this morning," Soujiro answered, keeping up the pretense Aiteru set up.
"Amazing," him murmured, taking out the stitches, "They're nearly completely healed. But they were serious injuries, weren't they?" The doctored said, more a statement than a question.
"Bring them here, and I'll wash them for you!" Soujiro heard Aiteru tell the kids, who had gone over to her in curiosity. A cheer followed it as the kids ran inside the building.
"Ara?" Soujiro said, as the kids came out again, each with a small armload of clothes, which soon became a ominous pile that loomed over Aiteru's head.
"Maybe just a little at a time," he heard her say as she pulled the clothes pile down to a reasonable size.
"I haven't been able to get enough washing done. I've been busy making my rounds and taking care of the kids," the doctor sighed, slightly embarrassed by the amount of laundry he had to do. "I do hope you can stay for a few days. I can use a little help."
"Arigato," Soujiro said. Then watched Aiteru somehow convince to kids to wash the clothes with her.
"I better return to my rounds. Please watch over the children." The doctor got up and left, after getting a soapy hug from all the little kids. Giggling, the kids returned to throwing soapsuds at each other and Aiteru continued to scrub the clothes clean. Soujiro rolled up his sleeves and knelt down next to the tub across from Aiteru and began to help. Aiteru smiled at him and continued to hum a little tune.
Soon half of the pile was washed, and the two were left with soapy and wrinkly hands. Aiteru flicked her arms and the suds spattered on the kids, who laughed and began throwing suds at each other again. She cupped a bundle of bubbles and blew it at them. She laughed and joined in their games. Flinching away from the water, she peeked through one eye before continuing her barrage on them. Soujiro smiled as the kids laughed and screamed happily around him. He enjoyed the change. It was better than hearing people scream in pain of death. Suds landed on Soujiro's nose, breaking his thoughts, "Ara?"
"Let's get Big Brother Soujiro all sudsy!" declared Aiteru as the kids went around pouring bubbles on the pour boy. Aiteru giggled, glad that the kids were now distracted from her. She picked up the basket of clean clothes and began hanging them while watching Soujiro laugh under the children's attack. She paused, smiling at the scene. Soujiro's laugh wasn't as empty as she remembered it. Or it could be the fact that the children seem to be tickling Soujiro. Soujiro? Ticklish? She mused to herself.
"Kids? Maybe we should stop torturing Soujiro-kun like this," Aiteru laughed pulling some of the kids off. "Go play with your ball, as soon as I'm done hanging the clothes, I'll play with you!" Aiteru promised.
"HAI!" the kids chorused, running off with their ball again. She turned to Soujiro, who got up and was dusting himself.
"See what I mean?" Aiteru giggled, brushing his dusty back with her hand. "There is no one in the world who deserves to live more than children." Seeing the distant look in his eyes again, she added, "Even if they are weak, they bring light to a bleak world. Even if they are weak, many find strength in them." Soujiro made no acknowledgement that he heard, his face emotionless. Unsure, she touched his arm lightly. Soujiro turned and smiled that empty smile at her, checking if his instincts were right. She smiled back encouragingly and went to continue her work.
Soujiro remained in his spot for a few more moments before standing next to Aiteru. "Someone's here," he merely said, smiling as usual.
Aiteru turned to the gate, and nodded. "Trouble…"
The gate door slammed open, and frightened the kids, who yelped and ran to seek comfort from Aiteru. Aiteru crouched and stroked their hair, hushing and calming them.
"Is there something I can help you with sir?" Soujiro smiled at the man. The man loomed several feet above Soujiro, and nasty scars on his face. He wore tattered black clothes and smelled of sake. Anyone could see that he wasn't someone you would want to run into.
"Tell the old man that if he doesn't pay up I'll burn this place down at sunset tomorrow!" the man threatened with the slurred speech of a drunkard. The man laughed rudely as he left. Soujiro's hand had automatically went to his side for his blade, but remembered that he didn't replace it back in its customary place. Aiteru knew that if he had his katana, that man would be dead right now… Right before the eyes of the innocent children… And she was determined to do anything to prevent that… She frowned coldly. I'll go to any means to protect the mental health of these kids… to keep them untainted by death… I will do anything…
Author's Note: Gomen. It's real long, I know. I just couldn't find a good place to end it. Please review. I want to know what you think should happen to the drunkard. Thanks for reading so far! I hope you enjoyed it. And just as a word of warning, I might not post for a few days 'cause I'm trying to punish myself into getting my history done (which is something I should be working on). Arigato! And keep sending in your reviews!