Alas, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I wish he'd "wander" into my life…
*****
BLADE OF THE PAST
Chapter 5 – River Memories
Kenshin was starting to get tired by the time they reached the river's edge. Suzume wasn't as small as she used to be, and Kenshin had never been very big to begin with. The girl was almost too old to be riding on his shoulders, but Kenshin wouldn't object to it as long as Suzume still wanted to thread her fingers through his hair as they walked.
"Is something wrong Uncle Ken?" Ayame asked, tightening her grip on Kenshin's hand as they approached their favorite fishing spot. A large tree grew near the shore, which provided a nice backrest and ample shade from the warming summer sun.
Kenshin shifted a little uneasily on his feet and set the bucket and pole down. "Nothing much to worry about," he said, trying his hardest to smile at her and make it seem genuine. Children were observant, unfortunately, and Ayame proved it to him.
"You just don't want to tell us."
"I don't want to tell anyone," Kenshin corrected, crouching down in front of her and putting a hand on the top of her head. "Just some old memories."
"Bad memories or good?" Suzume asked, kicking her feet a little in an impatient gesture to be let down off Kenshin's shoulders. He reached up and set her down on the grass, watching with amazement as she scampered off after a butterfly almost immediately.
"Bad memories or good memories?" Ayame asked, intending to find out the answer to her sister's question. Kenshin would have to talk to Megumi about the girls. It seemed the woman doctor had a great influence over them and their need for information.
"Both." Kenshin hoped it would be enough of an answer. It hurt to remember. He wasn't sure if he could even say it out loud.
Ayame nodded and smiled, patting Kenshin like he was sure Megumi comforted some of her childish patients. "Smile Uncle Ken," she said, giving him a smile of her own.
Kenshin couldn't help the smile and small laugh that escaped him. Ayame was satisfied with her Uncle Ken's mood now and chased after Suzume, making sure the younger girl didn't fall in the river or get mud on her kimono.
Baiting his hook and casting it into the water, Kenshin settled down against the tree. He wondered if he would be able to catch seven fish for dinner tonight. They may have to settle with just three or four, or maybe he could buy a few extra from the market on the way back to the dojo. Kenshin shifted against the tree trunk, occupying a space between two of the larger roots that jutted up out of the ground. It made it seem like the tree was embracing him, just like she used to…
Kenshin blinked, chasing the thought away as Ayame and Suzume's laughter floated along the breeze from further down river. He sighed, checking his line and tossing it back out again. He could feel her warm body wrapped around his, her arms laying over his own as they sat together in their small little house. This time, he didn't banish the thought. He allowed himself to remember her, the way she smiled at him in the darkness, the way she complained about his hair being longer than hers, the way they found something in each other that neither of them had ever experienced before: companionship.
He didn't know why he was thinking of her lately. He had thought of her often right after the end of the Revolution when he began wandering. In cold nights that he spent alone along the edge of the road, he missed her warmth. He missed the way she looked at him, with that brightness in her eyes that never existed when she looked at someone else. It was she who taught him how to cook. It was she who taught him how to read and write. It was she who taught him how to really love. And it was she who ripped him apart when his own blade ended her life.
"Uncle Ken," Ayame's voice was soft and worried. He hadn't even heard the girls come back, immersed as he was in his own thoughts. Suzume climbed into his lap, snuggling close to Kenshin's chest and reaching up to brush at his cheek.
He hadn't even realized he'd been crying.