"Put me down! Put Me Down! PUT ME DOWN!!"
Sanosuke sighed. Michiko was still thumping him on the back and she hit surprisingly hard for how small she was. "Would ya knock it off?" He grumbled, "You're making this a lot worse than it needs to be."
"Put me down!"
"Could you at least stop hitting me in the same spot? I'm going to have a hell of a bruise."
Finally, she began to tire. The struggle to free herself put too much strain on her frail body. Sighing in exasperation, she gave up and there she dangled over his shoulder. "I hate you, you know." She muttered.
He ignored her. "Yahiko! Hey, Yahiko, is there anything left to eat here?" He called to a boy who was sweeping the path in front of what looked to be a run-down dojo.
"Nah, you're too late for-" The boy looked up, "What's with the girl?"
"This," Sanosuke swung her around and set her back on her feet, "Is Michiko."
She looked at Yahiko for a moment. He was a scrawny boy, with stick-up hair and wide eyes. Then she turned to glare at Sanosuke. "Why you-!" She began but her legs trembled and her knees gave way beneath her.
Sanosuke caught her as she fell. She turned to look up at him, her heart pounding. He looked worried. "Yahiko, go get some water. Hurry up, before she passes out."
The kid dropped the broom and scampered off. Sanosuke eased Michiko gently to the ground. Her whole body trembled and her skin felt clammy to the touch.
"I told you that you weren't in any shape to be running around." He chided her.
Her eyelids fluttered. "...Shut up..." She whispered hoarsely, "...You...you don't know w-what you're talking about."
"Don't talk. Just rest. You'll have a lot of talking to do soon."
She looked away from him. He couldn't make her tell anybody anything. She still didn't trust him, especially not if he was friends with Battôsai the Manslayer.
"I got water!" Yahiko came trudging back, lugging a bucket. He plopped it down before them. "Whew! That's heavy."
Michiko leaned greedily forward towards the bucket, shoving Sanosuke away from her. Cupping her hands, she dipped them into the clear water, then drank. It felt cold and good going down. She hadn't had anything in days.
"Ow! He bit me!"
"Quit whining. He's just a little kid."
Michiko, Sanosuke and Yahiko looked up. Kaoru and Kenshin were walking towards them and Kenshin had squirming Yoshi in his arms.
"Well, they caught the kid." Sanosuke said pointedly.
Kenshin let the little boy go and he ran to Michiko.
"How about telling us what's going on now, Sanosuke?" Kaoru demanded.
"All right. This is Michiko Atokato and her brother, Yoshi. I found them in the woods yesterday. She's running from some one, but won't tell me who. Whoever it is, he's been hitting her." He pushed up her bangs to how off the bruise. She didn't fight it, just sat there quietly listening to him talk about her, "And she's trying to keep the keep the kid safe. I took them home with me and Megumi checked them out. She says the kid is fine, but Michiko isn't doing so hot. She's been giving been giving him all her food. That's pretty much it. She won't tell me any more."
"And why should I?" She folded her arms across her chest, "I won't tell friends of the Battôsai anything."
"I'm not going to hurt you, that I will not. I have sworn to never kill again. Battôsai is no more." Kenshin said softly.
"You aren't...You're not...I don't understand." She was very confused. This man could not have been the Battôsai. "...You can't be..."
"The Battôsai? He is very much me."
"No! You are not!" She shook her head, trying to make sense of her jumbled thoughts.
Kenshin's face darkened. "People do not see the truth any longer; it has been obstructed by Gohei's lies and falsities." He frowned, "My name is Kenshin Himura. During the revolution I was indeed Battôsai the Manslayer. Now I am nothing more than a simple wanderer and I have sworn to protect the innocent."
"If you need help, you should trust Kenshin."
Michiko's gaze traveled to the person who'd just spoken to her; the girl with the ponytail. "And who are you to tell me what to do?" She asked snidely.
Kaoru's face flushed red with anger and she clenched her fist.
Sanosuke, noticing her expression, jumped into the conversation. "Where are my manners?" He said lightly, "Kenshin's introduced himself. That's Kaoru Kamiya -this is her family's dojo- and her student, Yahiko Myojin." He leaned towards Michiko, "Be nice. Kaoru can get violent."
"I heard that!" Kaoru fumed.
"Miss Kaoru, please calm down." Kenshin still sounded just as calm as before, "Perhaps you'd allow Miss Michiko to use your bath."
That did sound appealing. Michiko was filthy. It'd been a very long time since she'd had a hot bath. She nodded eagerly. "That would be very nice. I'm sorry I reacted so badly to you all." She paused, "It is hard to tell who I can trust."
"Can you please take her to get cleaned up, Miss Kaoru? Kenshin asked.
"All right, Kenshin." She turned to the younger girl, "Come on."
"But..." She looked at Yoshi, still sitting on her lap.
"Kenshin can take care of him. He's good with kids."
Michiko nodded. She stood up and set Yoshi down on the ground. Kenshin smiled at him, but he just sat there. His lower lip trembled and tears filled his dark eyes.
As the two girls walked away together, Kenshin knelt to be level with the little boy. "Don't worry." He said pleasantly, "Everything will be okay; that it will."
Yoshi burst into tears. He cried noisy sobs, snuffling and wiping his eyes with his fist. Then he scurried behind Sanosuke and stood there peering out from behind his legs. Kenshin looked dejected, but a pleasantly surprised look crossed Sano's face. "Well what do you know." He lifted Yoshi up onto his shoulders and the boy smiled, "I didn't think the kid liked me."
A smile lit Kenshin's face. "You can keep him entertained then. I'm sure Miss Michiko is very hungry. I'm going to go make lunch."
"So," Yahiko smirked deviously, "What is it about that girl? You got a thing for her or somethin'? Isn't she a little young for you?"
Sanosuke looked at him as if he had two heads. "What are you? Insane? How could I have a thing for her? A girl like that, I could break her in two. Plus, she's no fox. She's just a scared kid."
"So what are you letting her hang around you for, huh?"
"She needs help. Some one's hurt her pretty bad."
"Still; you're really chummy with her."
"You should just quite while you're ahead. Just stop now. I don't want to hurt you in front of a toddler."
"What's up with the kid? He should be able to talk, shouldn't he? He's old enough."
"Yeah, but I haven't heard him say anything."
Yoshi had been busy untying the red bandana Sanosuke wore around his head. He pulled it off, causing Sano's hair to fall into his eyes, and waved it around. He giggled happily, patting Sano on the head.
***
"Here's a towel. You can take your time in there." Kaoru had taken Michiko to the bath house and given her a towel and a bar of soap, "When you're done, i'll give you something clean to wear."
"Thank you very much for your kindness. I'm afraid I'm not good at returning such gestures." The girl hung her head, her face pink with embarrassment, "I don't deserve this nice treatment. I'm worthless."
"Who told you that?" Kaoru seemed angry, "Who said you're worthless?"
"He said it all the time. Said my life was nothing. Said I was no one. Everyday." She dipped her hand in the bath water, testing its temperature. Then she began to undress.
"Who did? Who's _he'?"
"Look at me." She let hr clothes fall to the floor, revealing a series of deep purple bruises, "Do you understand now? I can't keep living like this. If there's any chance he may find me, I will not say his name."
"Oh my..." Kaoru's hand went up to her mouth, "This is very serious. You could be in terrible danger."
"I'll be okay as long as he doesn't find me." She slid into the bath, "And Sagara-San promised to keep Yoshi safe."
"Only Yoshi? No one's going to keep you safe? Your life is worth something too, you know."
Michiko did not respond. She was very quiet for a long time. Then she said at last, "Miss Kaoru? What is it like to have some one care about you? It seems that I have forgotten and you all care for one another very much. I can tell."
Kaoru looked at Michiko for a moment. An image of Sanosuke with her flung over his shoulder sprang into her mind. She smiled softly. "I think you'll know soon enough, Michiko."
***
"Do you know what my mother told me once?"
"No; what?"
"She said that as long as there is a shadow, there's hope for a brighter future. But as soon as darkness falls, all hope is gone. You cannot have shade without light. A shadow is stronger the brighter the light. Sagara-San's shine will give me strength; I can tell."
Kaoru smiled. Michiko had turned out to be very pretty once she was clean and in nice clothes. Being shorter and smaller, she looked lost in the kimono Kaoru had given her and there were dark circles under her eyes, but her appearance had drastically improved over what it had been.
"C'mon, I think Kenshin's been cooking."
"He cooks for you?"
"Oh, sure. All the time. It's one of those little things he does to be nice to other people. And he's a better cook than I am anyway." She grinned, "If you stay with Sano, you'll be eating here a lot. He's a free-loader."
"Is he now?"
"Sure. But he's a good guy. If he said he'll keep you safe, he'll do it. He causes problems for Kenshin sometimes so he likes to feel useful."
"I..." Michiko looked down at her feet, "I told him that I hate him."
"He'll get over it. Now let's go eat!"
"Right!"
***
"You look much better now, Miss Michiko."
Kenshin's voice startled Sanosuke and he looked up from Yoshi, who sat at his feet. Michiko certainly did look different. Her damp hair fell softly across her forehead, hiding the bruise. Her cheeks had some color and she looked almost happy. There had indeed been a noticeable change in her appearance.
Yahiko nudged him. "She's not looking so bad any more, is she?"
"Shut up!" He pushed the boy away.
Yoshi raised his arms to her and Michiko picked him up. "Were you a good boy for Sagara-San?" Smiling, the boy handed her the bandana. "Oh!" She looked at Sanosuke. He was staring at her, his hair falling in his face. She almost started to laugh, but her face flushed red instead. "Here. I'm sorry if he caused trouble."
"He was fine. Yoshi's a good kid." He tied the bandana back around his head.
"Thank you for watching him."
"No problem. You must be starving. Kenshin made lunch."
Michiko ate like eating was going out of style. Counting the days, she figured it'd been about a week since she'd had a real meal. "This is very good, Himura-San." She said between a mouthful.
"Thank you, Miss Michiko. And you may call me Kenshin. We're all friends here, that we are."
"Friends?" She swallowed, "I haven't had a friend in a long time." Tears filled her eyes, "I am very grateful to all of you."
"You don't need to cry about it." Kaoru smiled.
The younger girl wiped her eyes. "I can't help it. 'Happy' is not something I feel very often."
"You'll be happy a lot if you're around Kenshin. As long as no one's trying to kill any of us, he's happy."
Michiko smiled. Then an amazing thing happened. She laughed. Her laugh seemed to bubble up from deep within her and rise to the clouds. It felt very good to laugh.
Sanosuke sighed. Michiko was still thumping him on the back and she hit surprisingly hard for how small she was. "Would ya knock it off?" He grumbled, "You're making this a lot worse than it needs to be."
"Put me down!"
"Could you at least stop hitting me in the same spot? I'm going to have a hell of a bruise."
Finally, she began to tire. The struggle to free herself put too much strain on her frail body. Sighing in exasperation, she gave up and there she dangled over his shoulder. "I hate you, you know." She muttered.
He ignored her. "Yahiko! Hey, Yahiko, is there anything left to eat here?" He called to a boy who was sweeping the path in front of what looked to be a run-down dojo.
"Nah, you're too late for-" The boy looked up, "What's with the girl?"
"This," Sanosuke swung her around and set her back on her feet, "Is Michiko."
She looked at Yahiko for a moment. He was a scrawny boy, with stick-up hair and wide eyes. Then she turned to glare at Sanosuke. "Why you-!" She began but her legs trembled and her knees gave way beneath her.
Sanosuke caught her as she fell. She turned to look up at him, her heart pounding. He looked worried. "Yahiko, go get some water. Hurry up, before she passes out."
The kid dropped the broom and scampered off. Sanosuke eased Michiko gently to the ground. Her whole body trembled and her skin felt clammy to the touch.
"I told you that you weren't in any shape to be running around." He chided her.
Her eyelids fluttered. "...Shut up..." She whispered hoarsely, "...You...you don't know w-what you're talking about."
"Don't talk. Just rest. You'll have a lot of talking to do soon."
She looked away from him. He couldn't make her tell anybody anything. She still didn't trust him, especially not if he was friends with Battôsai the Manslayer.
"I got water!" Yahiko came trudging back, lugging a bucket. He plopped it down before them. "Whew! That's heavy."
Michiko leaned greedily forward towards the bucket, shoving Sanosuke away from her. Cupping her hands, she dipped them into the clear water, then drank. It felt cold and good going down. She hadn't had anything in days.
"Ow! He bit me!"
"Quit whining. He's just a little kid."
Michiko, Sanosuke and Yahiko looked up. Kaoru and Kenshin were walking towards them and Kenshin had squirming Yoshi in his arms.
"Well, they caught the kid." Sanosuke said pointedly.
Kenshin let the little boy go and he ran to Michiko.
"How about telling us what's going on now, Sanosuke?" Kaoru demanded.
"All right. This is Michiko Atokato and her brother, Yoshi. I found them in the woods yesterday. She's running from some one, but won't tell me who. Whoever it is, he's been hitting her." He pushed up her bangs to how off the bruise. She didn't fight it, just sat there quietly listening to him talk about her, "And she's trying to keep the keep the kid safe. I took them home with me and Megumi checked them out. She says the kid is fine, but Michiko isn't doing so hot. She's been giving been giving him all her food. That's pretty much it. She won't tell me any more."
"And why should I?" She folded her arms across her chest, "I won't tell friends of the Battôsai anything."
"I'm not going to hurt you, that I will not. I have sworn to never kill again. Battôsai is no more." Kenshin said softly.
"You aren't...You're not...I don't understand." She was very confused. This man could not have been the Battôsai. "...You can't be..."
"The Battôsai? He is very much me."
"No! You are not!" She shook her head, trying to make sense of her jumbled thoughts.
Kenshin's face darkened. "People do not see the truth any longer; it has been obstructed by Gohei's lies and falsities." He frowned, "My name is Kenshin Himura. During the revolution I was indeed Battôsai the Manslayer. Now I am nothing more than a simple wanderer and I have sworn to protect the innocent."
"If you need help, you should trust Kenshin."
Michiko's gaze traveled to the person who'd just spoken to her; the girl with the ponytail. "And who are you to tell me what to do?" She asked snidely.
Kaoru's face flushed red with anger and she clenched her fist.
Sanosuke, noticing her expression, jumped into the conversation. "Where are my manners?" He said lightly, "Kenshin's introduced himself. That's Kaoru Kamiya -this is her family's dojo- and her student, Yahiko Myojin." He leaned towards Michiko, "Be nice. Kaoru can get violent."
"I heard that!" Kaoru fumed.
"Miss Kaoru, please calm down." Kenshin still sounded just as calm as before, "Perhaps you'd allow Miss Michiko to use your bath."
That did sound appealing. Michiko was filthy. It'd been a very long time since she'd had a hot bath. She nodded eagerly. "That would be very nice. I'm sorry I reacted so badly to you all." She paused, "It is hard to tell who I can trust."
"Can you please take her to get cleaned up, Miss Kaoru? Kenshin asked.
"All right, Kenshin." She turned to the younger girl, "Come on."
"But..." She looked at Yoshi, still sitting on her lap.
"Kenshin can take care of him. He's good with kids."
Michiko nodded. She stood up and set Yoshi down on the ground. Kenshin smiled at him, but he just sat there. His lower lip trembled and tears filled his dark eyes.
As the two girls walked away together, Kenshin knelt to be level with the little boy. "Don't worry." He said pleasantly, "Everything will be okay; that it will."
Yoshi burst into tears. He cried noisy sobs, snuffling and wiping his eyes with his fist. Then he scurried behind Sanosuke and stood there peering out from behind his legs. Kenshin looked dejected, but a pleasantly surprised look crossed Sano's face. "Well what do you know." He lifted Yoshi up onto his shoulders and the boy smiled, "I didn't think the kid liked me."
A smile lit Kenshin's face. "You can keep him entertained then. I'm sure Miss Michiko is very hungry. I'm going to go make lunch."
"So," Yahiko smirked deviously, "What is it about that girl? You got a thing for her or somethin'? Isn't she a little young for you?"
Sanosuke looked at him as if he had two heads. "What are you? Insane? How could I have a thing for her? A girl like that, I could break her in two. Plus, she's no fox. She's just a scared kid."
"So what are you letting her hang around you for, huh?"
"She needs help. Some one's hurt her pretty bad."
"Still; you're really chummy with her."
"You should just quite while you're ahead. Just stop now. I don't want to hurt you in front of a toddler."
"What's up with the kid? He should be able to talk, shouldn't he? He's old enough."
"Yeah, but I haven't heard him say anything."
Yoshi had been busy untying the red bandana Sanosuke wore around his head. He pulled it off, causing Sano's hair to fall into his eyes, and waved it around. He giggled happily, patting Sano on the head.
***
"Here's a towel. You can take your time in there." Kaoru had taken Michiko to the bath house and given her a towel and a bar of soap, "When you're done, i'll give you something clean to wear."
"Thank you very much for your kindness. I'm afraid I'm not good at returning such gestures." The girl hung her head, her face pink with embarrassment, "I don't deserve this nice treatment. I'm worthless."
"Who told you that?" Kaoru seemed angry, "Who said you're worthless?"
"He said it all the time. Said my life was nothing. Said I was no one. Everyday." She dipped her hand in the bath water, testing its temperature. Then she began to undress.
"Who did? Who's _he'?"
"Look at me." She let hr clothes fall to the floor, revealing a series of deep purple bruises, "Do you understand now? I can't keep living like this. If there's any chance he may find me, I will not say his name."
"Oh my..." Kaoru's hand went up to her mouth, "This is very serious. You could be in terrible danger."
"I'll be okay as long as he doesn't find me." She slid into the bath, "And Sagara-San promised to keep Yoshi safe."
"Only Yoshi? No one's going to keep you safe? Your life is worth something too, you know."
Michiko did not respond. She was very quiet for a long time. Then she said at last, "Miss Kaoru? What is it like to have some one care about you? It seems that I have forgotten and you all care for one another very much. I can tell."
Kaoru looked at Michiko for a moment. An image of Sanosuke with her flung over his shoulder sprang into her mind. She smiled softly. "I think you'll know soon enough, Michiko."
***
"Do you know what my mother told me once?"
"No; what?"
"She said that as long as there is a shadow, there's hope for a brighter future. But as soon as darkness falls, all hope is gone. You cannot have shade without light. A shadow is stronger the brighter the light. Sagara-San's shine will give me strength; I can tell."
Kaoru smiled. Michiko had turned out to be very pretty once she was clean and in nice clothes. Being shorter and smaller, she looked lost in the kimono Kaoru had given her and there were dark circles under her eyes, but her appearance had drastically improved over what it had been.
"C'mon, I think Kenshin's been cooking."
"He cooks for you?"
"Oh, sure. All the time. It's one of those little things he does to be nice to other people. And he's a better cook than I am anyway." She grinned, "If you stay with Sano, you'll be eating here a lot. He's a free-loader."
"Is he now?"
"Sure. But he's a good guy. If he said he'll keep you safe, he'll do it. He causes problems for Kenshin sometimes so he likes to feel useful."
"I..." Michiko looked down at her feet, "I told him that I hate him."
"He'll get over it. Now let's go eat!"
"Right!"
***
"You look much better now, Miss Michiko."
Kenshin's voice startled Sanosuke and he looked up from Yoshi, who sat at his feet. Michiko certainly did look different. Her damp hair fell softly across her forehead, hiding the bruise. Her cheeks had some color and she looked almost happy. There had indeed been a noticeable change in her appearance.
Yahiko nudged him. "She's not looking so bad any more, is she?"
"Shut up!" He pushed the boy away.
Yoshi raised his arms to her and Michiko picked him up. "Were you a good boy for Sagara-San?" Smiling, the boy handed her the bandana. "Oh!" She looked at Sanosuke. He was staring at her, his hair falling in his face. She almost started to laugh, but her face flushed red instead. "Here. I'm sorry if he caused trouble."
"He was fine. Yoshi's a good kid." He tied the bandana back around his head.
"Thank you for watching him."
"No problem. You must be starving. Kenshin made lunch."
Michiko ate like eating was going out of style. Counting the days, she figured it'd been about a week since she'd had a real meal. "This is very good, Himura-San." She said between a mouthful.
"Thank you, Miss Michiko. And you may call me Kenshin. We're all friends here, that we are."
"Friends?" She swallowed, "I haven't had a friend in a long time." Tears filled her eyes, "I am very grateful to all of you."
"You don't need to cry about it." Kaoru smiled.
The younger girl wiped her eyes. "I can't help it. 'Happy' is not something I feel very often."
"You'll be happy a lot if you're around Kenshin. As long as no one's trying to kill any of us, he's happy."
Michiko smiled. Then an amazing thing happened. She laughed. Her laugh seemed to bubble up from deep within her and rise to the clouds. It felt very good to laugh.
