2
Hiko stoked the fire and checked to see if the stew was ready to eat. Seeing that it wasn't, he poured himself a cup of sake and sat back looking at the fire.
He turned when he heard a sound come from his sleeping area, where he had deposited the girl he had rescued. She had passed out when he tried talking to her, maybe from sheer exhaustion or fright or even both. She had been asleep the whole afternoon and early evening. It was already past midnight.
He let her be for a few minutes, letting her familiarize herself with her immediate surrounding. When he heard something fall and break, he finally stood up and went towards where the girl was cradling her hand, apparently she'd cut it with the broken crockery as she tried to crawl away.
"Let me see your hand," he spoke softly, but despite that, the girl still froze, her head whipping to where the sound of his voice had come from.
"Dare ka?" she asked, her voice somewhat panicked. "Who are you. and where am I? Where have you taken me?"
"My home, you'll be safe here," he told her, feeling somewhat exasperated at her obvious fear. It wasn't like he was going to do anything to hurt her. He just saved her this morning from getting raped for god's sake! He sat down next to her and impassively waited until she managed to gather enough courage to reach out and touch his face. "Your hand is bleeding."
She instantly withdrew her hand, "It doesn't really hurt."
"Well, you just managed to let blood drip on my clothes."
She looked alarmed at that and muttered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"It's alright." He stood up and looked for something to use as bandages. "Give me your hand." The girl stayed still for a while before she finally did as he asked. "This is going to sting a bit."
She winced when he poured a bit of sake over her wound to clean it. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For this and for before."
"What before?"
"For rescuing me."
"Oh that." He finished wrapping her hand, "That was nothing."
"Oh." She closed her eyes. "I." she paused.
"You what?"
"I don't have anything to give to you as repayment."
"I didn't ask for a reward."
"Yes, but-"
"Thank you is enough."
". Alright."
"What's your name?"
"My name's." she frowned. "Mae."
"You don't like your name?"
"It isn't my real name. It's just what people call me."
"Alright," he said, studying her face. "How old are you?
"Sixteen."
His eyebrows went up at that. She looked younger than sixteen.
"Where are you from?"
"I."
"Well?"
"I don't know."
* * *
"Nobody's looking for her."
Hiko's frown deepened as he heard Okina's words. He had gone to the Aoiya to ask the former Oniwa banshu members if they've heard any news about anyone looking for a missing blind girl. Seems there was none.
He was definitely having serious second thoughts about saving Mae. If it didn't go against his very nature and training as a Hiten Mitsurugi master, he would've wished fervently that he hadn't saved her from those men. As it was, he was finding it extremely annoying that he was now stuck with her.
Apparently, Mae either had a selective kind of amnesia or just wouldn't tell him where she came from. No amount of threat, asking, or cajoling would make her tell him where she lived or whom her guardians were. She was willing to tell him though that she had been blind since she turned five, after a particularly high fever that took away her sight after it had abated.
It had been three days since he had rescued her and she'd more or less familiarized herself around the shack he called his home enough that she voluntarily did the household chores that needed doing. He figured that if she could do that at his home, then he could maybe leave her to work at the Aoiya as a maid or serving girl. He knew Okina and his charges wouldn't hurt her. He had no use for a blind teenaged girl around his house. He preferred his solitude after all.
So that's just what he did. He struck a deal with old Okina and left her at the Aoiya. He left feeling gratified that his life would be now back to the relative normality that it had before this rather insignificant event.
* * * to be continued.
A.N:
Took two days to finish this chapter. And to think it's not that long a chapter. Oh well. Finally found the info on Hiko I needed to continue this fic. So, chapter 3's on it's way. Hope you continue to read and review. Thanks very much!
Btw, Mae's name is pronounced as "mah-eh", meaning two separate syllables, not as "may".
* * *
Warnings and Disclaimer:
First of, all Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X characters are not mine. Repeat, they are not mine. Mae's the only character I added and would lay claim to so far. All the names and characters mentioned are Watsuki-sensei's creations.
This story is not in any way yaoi or shounen ai so if you're thinking it would have any of those characteristics in the latter chapters, well you're wrong. I'm making it PG 13 for the language and some rather graphic descriptions of violence.
Hiko stoked the fire and checked to see if the stew was ready to eat. Seeing that it wasn't, he poured himself a cup of sake and sat back looking at the fire.
He turned when he heard a sound come from his sleeping area, where he had deposited the girl he had rescued. She had passed out when he tried talking to her, maybe from sheer exhaustion or fright or even both. She had been asleep the whole afternoon and early evening. It was already past midnight.
He let her be for a few minutes, letting her familiarize herself with her immediate surrounding. When he heard something fall and break, he finally stood up and went towards where the girl was cradling her hand, apparently she'd cut it with the broken crockery as she tried to crawl away.
"Let me see your hand," he spoke softly, but despite that, the girl still froze, her head whipping to where the sound of his voice had come from.
"Dare ka?" she asked, her voice somewhat panicked. "Who are you. and where am I? Where have you taken me?"
"My home, you'll be safe here," he told her, feeling somewhat exasperated at her obvious fear. It wasn't like he was going to do anything to hurt her. He just saved her this morning from getting raped for god's sake! He sat down next to her and impassively waited until she managed to gather enough courage to reach out and touch his face. "Your hand is bleeding."
She instantly withdrew her hand, "It doesn't really hurt."
"Well, you just managed to let blood drip on my clothes."
She looked alarmed at that and muttered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"It's alright." He stood up and looked for something to use as bandages. "Give me your hand." The girl stayed still for a while before she finally did as he asked. "This is going to sting a bit."
She winced when he poured a bit of sake over her wound to clean it. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For this and for before."
"What before?"
"For rescuing me."
"Oh that." He finished wrapping her hand, "That was nothing."
"Oh." She closed her eyes. "I." she paused.
"You what?"
"I don't have anything to give to you as repayment."
"I didn't ask for a reward."
"Yes, but-"
"Thank you is enough."
". Alright."
"What's your name?"
"My name's." she frowned. "Mae."
"You don't like your name?"
"It isn't my real name. It's just what people call me."
"Alright," he said, studying her face. "How old are you?
"Sixteen."
His eyebrows went up at that. She looked younger than sixteen.
"Where are you from?"
"I."
"Well?"
"I don't know."
* * *
"Nobody's looking for her."
Hiko's frown deepened as he heard Okina's words. He had gone to the Aoiya to ask the former Oniwa banshu members if they've heard any news about anyone looking for a missing blind girl. Seems there was none.
He was definitely having serious second thoughts about saving Mae. If it didn't go against his very nature and training as a Hiten Mitsurugi master, he would've wished fervently that he hadn't saved her from those men. As it was, he was finding it extremely annoying that he was now stuck with her.
Apparently, Mae either had a selective kind of amnesia or just wouldn't tell him where she came from. No amount of threat, asking, or cajoling would make her tell him where she lived or whom her guardians were. She was willing to tell him though that she had been blind since she turned five, after a particularly high fever that took away her sight after it had abated.
It had been three days since he had rescued her and she'd more or less familiarized herself around the shack he called his home enough that she voluntarily did the household chores that needed doing. He figured that if she could do that at his home, then he could maybe leave her to work at the Aoiya as a maid or serving girl. He knew Okina and his charges wouldn't hurt her. He had no use for a blind teenaged girl around his house. He preferred his solitude after all.
So that's just what he did. He struck a deal with old Okina and left her at the Aoiya. He left feeling gratified that his life would be now back to the relative normality that it had before this rather insignificant event.
* * * to be continued.
A.N:
Took two days to finish this chapter. And to think it's not that long a chapter. Oh well. Finally found the info on Hiko I needed to continue this fic. So, chapter 3's on it's way. Hope you continue to read and review. Thanks very much!
Btw, Mae's name is pronounced as "mah-eh", meaning two separate syllables, not as "may".
* * *
Warnings and Disclaimer:
First of, all Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X characters are not mine. Repeat, they are not mine. Mae's the only character I added and would lay claim to so far. All the names and characters mentioned are Watsuki-sensei's creations.
This story is not in any way yaoi or shounen ai so if you're thinking it would have any of those characteristics in the latter chapters, well you're wrong. I'm making it PG 13 for the language and some rather graphic descriptions of violence.