A Matter of We
By Anime no Miko
You know the disclaimer. Let's save me that.
Shuro..gomen but I promised Misao ... Soujiro is for Misao ..u know, the fic... (he is really mine, though ^_^ )
**********
Chapter 1: Rice Barrels and Rain, Again!
'How ironic, isn't it? Am I walking in circles? It seems so, ne Shisi-o- sama? Life seems to repeat itself. Oh yes, it certainly does ... Or ... does it not, ... Himura-san? Where does my truth lay? Here I am, doing what I used to do back when I was eight. The same setting. A meanie person. Evilness. Abuse ... even the familiar rice barrels. Load- walk- unload? Stumble ... I did not stumble this time. I did not hit my face on the ground. Sim-i-lar, not equal.'
"Hey boy, you'd better hurry up!" a man growled behind the shoji doors. "Remember you've got to move all the sacks before it starts to rain, otherwise I won't pay you a cent (yen?)! Hahahaa!!!" finished the man with an evil grin spreading across his fleshless countenance. No reply. He slid open the fusuma to find a smiling Soujiro waving back. The man snorted in disgust as he had expected the boy to plea for more time, to argue, to speak back ... whatever, but not this. Definitely no. Thirty heavy barrels filled to the top with rice awaited to be moved inside the barn, under a secure roof and away from the menace of the approaching storm, and this boy just nodded and smiled back cheerily! "Weirdo" muttered the man as he slammed close the fusuma.
In all his thirty years in the rice-packing business, never had the man encountered with such an odd young man or rurouni, as Soujiro had introduced himself. The stern man was utterly taken aback when the rurouni remained impassive (or rather content?) with the description of what he was to do, given credit to how fragile and incompetent for the task he had labeled Soujiro to be upon the minute he turned the corner asking for job. Indeed little did he know about the boy's former (and present?) indentity, Tenken no Soujiro. But, who was to be blamed? After all, Soujiro did look like a fragile and effeminate (A/N: don't misunderstood me, I looovee Sou- chan ^^) youngster, rather than like the former stoic and bloody assassin he was. And Soujiro had the right timing. He had appeared just in time before the man went into the verge of desperation. It was payday and when the man had refused to listen to his workers' demands for salary raise, they erupted in wild protest. Their zeal was soon subdued, however, by the forthcoming storm, and the workers took their leave determined to come back tomorrow and have the problem settled. And as a reminder, they had left the boss fifty rice barrels to carry inside the barn by his own.
Soujiro came offering his services in exchange of virtually anything, however he wasn't a meager, that was for sure. The man knew it, and hadn't hesitate in giving the boy the part-time job. He just needed someone to move the sacks inside the barn because he was definitely not doing it. He was the boss, and was, by no means, going to lower himself doing this menial task intended for empty-brained men stuffed with excess of muscles and fat (Not Soujiro's case though ^_~). The deal? To move in the sacks before the storm started. All of them or no pay will be given at all. What a trickery! Oh well, that was the way things were.
'There's something else missing. I know it. What is it? And I? Am I the same? Or ... have I ... changed? The strong live, the weak die: Shishi-o- sama's words. I ceased to be weak that day, under the rain.'
Anticipating the rain, Soujiro shifted to his godlike speed and carried all Shifting his speed back to normal, he began walking towards the house to claim his pay as it began to rain.
'What is this? Water. Rain. It rains again ... Yes ... That day, in the rain, I smiled, but I was really crying. I was really crying. Crying? Tears that flow down my cheeks like these rain soaking my whole emptiness. Loneliness, is this my truth? Rain, rain, rain. Bad memories. Or lack of memories, lack of feelings. What are feelings? This rain is unwelcomed.'
He stopped a few steps away the fusuma and called the man out.
"Bosu-san, I've finished. All the *rice barrels* are inside the barn, and I think I did it before the *rain* started" Soujiro informed with unintended flouter.
The man jumped out his seat at the calling, and full of skepticism went out hurrily to be met by an even Soujiro.
"Seems that I went through with the deal, bosu-san" Soujiro said cheerily pointing with his index finger to the empty lot where the barrels stood fifteen minutes earlier.
"Kuso! Kid, how on earth did you do it?!" asked the surprised man, eyes wide.
Soujiro shrugged.
"Even faster than those machos!! Unbelievable! Who would have thought it? Look at you, you look like a gi..." the man stopped as Soujiro raised an eyebrow in inquiry. He cleared his throat. "Ahem..nevermind...Hey boy, what do you say? Work for me. Shelter, bed, food, and clothes. Non-stop. Only you and the rice barrels, eh??" offered the man as he handed Soujiro his pay for the part-time job.
The Tenken took the money and thanked he man.
"Hehe..Arigato-gazaimasu, bosu-san. But I must decline your offer. *smile* Rice barrels are unwelcomed in my mind until I find my answer, as Himura- san did" Soujiro vowed politely and smiled turning around to leave.
"O.K. You win, forget the deal. You may take your time. What do you say? Hey, boyyyy!!" bargained the man, almost yelling to Soujiro's form disappearing under the rain.
Out of the man's sight, the Tenken sprinted with his godlike speed towards a small o-chaya he spotted by the road. Away from the rice barrels and the rain.
As he approached the o-chaya, he could distinguish a petite figure wrapped in a purplish cloak entering the place. A familiar dark long braid exposed as the soaked cloak was removed.
TBC....
******************
Misao: "Hey, Katia!!! Come out!!! What was that?!! All the fuss you made before, and I only got to appear at the end??!!!"
Katia: (backstage with certain Aoshi-sama) "err...Misao...I'm a little bit...occupied...right now...ne, Aoshi??
Soujiro: *smiles*
Misao: "Arrghhhh!!!"
TBC ...
By Anime no Miko
You know the disclaimer. Let's save me that.
Shuro..gomen but I promised Misao ... Soujiro is for Misao ..u know, the fic... (he is really mine, though ^_^ )
**********
Chapter 1: Rice Barrels and Rain, Again!
'How ironic, isn't it? Am I walking in circles? It seems so, ne Shisi-o- sama? Life seems to repeat itself. Oh yes, it certainly does ... Or ... does it not, ... Himura-san? Where does my truth lay? Here I am, doing what I used to do back when I was eight. The same setting. A meanie person. Evilness. Abuse ... even the familiar rice barrels. Load- walk- unload? Stumble ... I did not stumble this time. I did not hit my face on the ground. Sim-i-lar, not equal.'
"Hey boy, you'd better hurry up!" a man growled behind the shoji doors. "Remember you've got to move all the sacks before it starts to rain, otherwise I won't pay you a cent (yen?)! Hahahaa!!!" finished the man with an evil grin spreading across his fleshless countenance. No reply. He slid open the fusuma to find a smiling Soujiro waving back. The man snorted in disgust as he had expected the boy to plea for more time, to argue, to speak back ... whatever, but not this. Definitely no. Thirty heavy barrels filled to the top with rice awaited to be moved inside the barn, under a secure roof and away from the menace of the approaching storm, and this boy just nodded and smiled back cheerily! "Weirdo" muttered the man as he slammed close the fusuma.
In all his thirty years in the rice-packing business, never had the man encountered with such an odd young man or rurouni, as Soujiro had introduced himself. The stern man was utterly taken aback when the rurouni remained impassive (or rather content?) with the description of what he was to do, given credit to how fragile and incompetent for the task he had labeled Soujiro to be upon the minute he turned the corner asking for job. Indeed little did he know about the boy's former (and present?) indentity, Tenken no Soujiro. But, who was to be blamed? After all, Soujiro did look like a fragile and effeminate (A/N: don't misunderstood me, I looovee Sou- chan ^^) youngster, rather than like the former stoic and bloody assassin he was. And Soujiro had the right timing. He had appeared just in time before the man went into the verge of desperation. It was payday and when the man had refused to listen to his workers' demands for salary raise, they erupted in wild protest. Their zeal was soon subdued, however, by the forthcoming storm, and the workers took their leave determined to come back tomorrow and have the problem settled. And as a reminder, they had left the boss fifty rice barrels to carry inside the barn by his own.
Soujiro came offering his services in exchange of virtually anything, however he wasn't a meager, that was for sure. The man knew it, and hadn't hesitate in giving the boy the part-time job. He just needed someone to move the sacks inside the barn because he was definitely not doing it. He was the boss, and was, by no means, going to lower himself doing this menial task intended for empty-brained men stuffed with excess of muscles and fat (Not Soujiro's case though ^_~). The deal? To move in the sacks before the storm started. All of them or no pay will be given at all. What a trickery! Oh well, that was the way things were.
'There's something else missing. I know it. What is it? And I? Am I the same? Or ... have I ... changed? The strong live, the weak die: Shishi-o- sama's words. I ceased to be weak that day, under the rain.'
Anticipating the rain, Soujiro shifted to his godlike speed and carried all Shifting his speed back to normal, he began walking towards the house to claim his pay as it began to rain.
'What is this? Water. Rain. It rains again ... Yes ... That day, in the rain, I smiled, but I was really crying. I was really crying. Crying? Tears that flow down my cheeks like these rain soaking my whole emptiness. Loneliness, is this my truth? Rain, rain, rain. Bad memories. Or lack of memories, lack of feelings. What are feelings? This rain is unwelcomed.'
He stopped a few steps away the fusuma and called the man out.
"Bosu-san, I've finished. All the *rice barrels* are inside the barn, and I think I did it before the *rain* started" Soujiro informed with unintended flouter.
The man jumped out his seat at the calling, and full of skepticism went out hurrily to be met by an even Soujiro.
"Seems that I went through with the deal, bosu-san" Soujiro said cheerily pointing with his index finger to the empty lot where the barrels stood fifteen minutes earlier.
"Kuso! Kid, how on earth did you do it?!" asked the surprised man, eyes wide.
Soujiro shrugged.
"Even faster than those machos!! Unbelievable! Who would have thought it? Look at you, you look like a gi..." the man stopped as Soujiro raised an eyebrow in inquiry. He cleared his throat. "Ahem..nevermind...Hey boy, what do you say? Work for me. Shelter, bed, food, and clothes. Non-stop. Only you and the rice barrels, eh??" offered the man as he handed Soujiro his pay for the part-time job.
The Tenken took the money and thanked he man.
"Hehe..Arigato-gazaimasu, bosu-san. But I must decline your offer. *smile* Rice barrels are unwelcomed in my mind until I find my answer, as Himura- san did" Soujiro vowed politely and smiled turning around to leave.
"O.K. You win, forget the deal. You may take your time. What do you say? Hey, boyyyy!!" bargained the man, almost yelling to Soujiro's form disappearing under the rain.
Out of the man's sight, the Tenken sprinted with his godlike speed towards a small o-chaya he spotted by the road. Away from the rice barrels and the rain.
As he approached the o-chaya, he could distinguish a petite figure wrapped in a purplish cloak entering the place. A familiar dark long braid exposed as the soaked cloak was removed.
TBC....
******************
Misao: "Hey, Katia!!! Come out!!! What was that?!! All the fuss you made before, and I only got to appear at the end??!!!"
Katia: (backstage with certain Aoshi-sama) "err...Misao...I'm a little bit...occupied...right now...ne, Aoshi??
Soujiro: *smiles*
Misao: "Arrghhhh!!!"
TBC ...