"What do you think of her, Kenshin?"
Some time had gone by and a regular routine including the Atokatas had been established. Michiko followed Sanosuke around as if she were his shadow. She still called him "Sagara-San" and still refused to reveal any more of her past, but she was safe and happy. She seemed to be gaining some weight and didn't seem quite as twig-like any longer. She'd gotten herself some clothing that fit properly. Yoshi too seemed to thrive. The past was fading quickly from his mind and he became a very cheerful boy. He didn't talk and he preferred Sanosuke over Kenshin -which puzzled both men- but every one was rather fond of him.
Kenshin looked at Sanosuke for a moment, then his violet gaze traveled to where Michiko was playing in the yard with Yoshi, Aiyami and Suzume. "She is very nice, Sano. Polite and respectful. Yet the respect she knows is one spawned of fear. Whatever has happened to her, it has left her very frightened."
"I know what you mean." Sano was watching her as she lifted Yoshi up and he hugged her, "She seems happy, but she's still living with the fear that her past will catch up with her."
"If she fears it is too close, she will run again."
"I wish she'd tell us who did that to her. I'd really like to pound 'im, whoever he is. That was a rotten thing to do to the little girl. She still doesn't trust me. Never calls me by my first name. I'm letting her stay with me and she hates me."
"I do not think she hates you; that she does not. I think she likes you very much."
"Are you kidding me? She tells me she hates me on a daily basis, Kenshin."
"You must understand that hating the man who hurt her was her only defense. She knows nothing but how to hate. It keeps her from getting too attached to some one who could end up hurting her."
Sanosuke sighed. He was getting attached to her and he wouldn't mind if she got attached to him too. He wanted to keep both her and Yoshi safe from harm. He looked over at her again. She had Yoshi on her shoulders and Suzume was dragging her off to show her something. She was laughing she truly looked happy. He could easily get used to her being around.
***
Sanosuke awoke that night to the sound of Michiko's crying. He found her hunched up in the corner of the small apartment, her face buried in her hands.
"Michiko?" He whispered, "What's wrong?"
Startled, she looked up, wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry," She said softly, "I know that I'm putting you in danger by being here. If he finds us here...especially since I am with you...he will try to hurt you. But I don't know what else to do or where else to go."
"It'll be okay. No one'll find you here. Everything's going to be fine."
"No it won't!" She looked up, a wild look in her dark eyes, "You don't understand. Saying that doesn't make it all right. Yoshi, he's nearly forgotten everything already. It's fading from his mind. I don't want him to ever know any of that ever again. He doesn't deserve it."
"Neither do you. When are you going to understand that your life is worth fighting for?" He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, "You can't let anything happen to yourself and leave him all alone."
She swatted his hand away, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "I hate you. I hate you so much." The coldness of her whisper could have frozen hell, "You made me care. You made me feel something other than emptiness. I'm a shadow; I'm not supposed to feel. You aren't supposed to care about me. It's all wrong." She shrank back so that only half her face was visible in the moonlight, "I despise you."
He felt cold and numb. Kenshin was right; she didn't want to get close to him because the last person she'd trusted had taken advantage of her trust. What kind of person could have done such a thing? "You're not a shadow." He grabbed her arm, pulling her from the corner and forcing her to look at him, "You just don't let yourself shine."
Her eyes went wide and she stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Her tiny body quaked with fear and tears rolled off her cheeks, "Please don't..." She whispered.
Sanosuke's eyes met hers and he could see sheer terror was written across her face. She was afraid of him. "Michiko...I didn't mean..." He dropped her hand, took a step back, "I'm sorry." He had promised to keep her safe and there she was, afraid of him. He looked away, too ashamed to face her.
The, much to his surprise, he felt her thin arms around his waste. He looked down. She was crying into his chest. Her gaze traveled upwards, tears pouring down her face. "...I don't hate you..." Her voice was barely audible.
"I know." He hugged her back, "I know. You're afraid."
"I don't want to be afraid any more." She sobbed, "I want my turn to shine."
"You were born to shine. I can tell."
"Promise, if something happens to me; promise you'll keep Yoshi safe. Please, promise me."
He tilted her chin, studying her face. She looked scared, her dark eyes wide and haunted. "I promise."
A relieved smile crossed her face. "Thank you." She yawned.
"Go back to sleep, Michiko." His hand ran across her cheek, "It'll look better in the morning; I promise."
She nodded, yawning again. She was emotionally drained and wanted to do nothing more than stay there safe in his arms. Her head rested on against his chest and she could feel his heart pounding. "I love you, Sanosuke." She whispered.
Then she removed his arms from around her, pulled away from him. He watched, his eyes wide, mouth open, as she walked back into the darkness.
***
"Good morning, Sagara-San."
Sanosuke looked at Michiko, feeling slightly confused. Had he been dreaming the night before? She had called him Sanosuke...hadn't she? Why was she back to all the formality? Had that been some moment of vulnerability or did she just slip and call him that? What had happened between them?
"Last night," She said, as if reading his mind, "I was not thinking straight. I was scared. I'm sorry if I worried you."
"It...it's okay."
"I made you breakfast." She smiled.
"You made me breakfast?" He repeated stupidly.
She blushed. "I thought it would be something nice I could do. I'm sorry if I was wrong."
"Oh, no. It's fine. I appreciate it."
Her shy smile returned. When she smiled, her whole face lit up. A great anger washed over him. She should've been happy all the time. She should never have to cry or be scared.
He was surprised by her capabilities in the kitchen. "This is very good. I think you're better than Kenshin."
"Thank you. He...he made me cook for him. It was one of my chores and I had to teach myself. He didn't like it at first and he..." She lowered her gaze to the floor, "He hit me when he didn't like it."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that. I would never hit you, Michiko. Besides, if I can stomach Kaoru's cooking, I can eat anything."
"That's not very nice."
He shrugged. "Kenshin likes her food. That makes her happy."
She loves him very much, doesn't she?"
"Oh, sure. But I get the idea she doesn't really want any one to know. Plus she's got Megumi the Fox to compete with."
"I envy her ability to love him freely. If he had loved me," She said slowly, "maybe it would be different. He loved the idea of me, the control he had over me, my inability to fight back. But then, if he had loved me, I would not know you." She sighed, "I would not know any of you."
Sanosuke frowned. "I'm glad that I met you. You're a very nice person and I like having you around. But it would've been better if you'd been loved all along."
"My parents loved me. I had to teach myself not to love any more. When he...when he would...It was like I left my soul somewhere. Like I wasn't there. It wasn't love." She stumbled over the words, "But when I came here, my heart came rushing back." She looked out the window, allowing the sun to wash over her face.
He looked over at her. Tears were streaming down her face, catching the sunlight and shimmering as they fell. "What's wrong?"
"Don't you understand?" She whispered.
"I'm afraid I don't."
"Then does it really matter?"
"It matters to me. I don't like to see you cry."
"You are very good to me, Sagara-San, but I'm afraid that my being here is not very good for you. Somehow, light is changing to shadow. I'm drawing you into the darkness with me, the more you know me, the darker you become. You need to stop caring."
"I can't do that."
"Then you will only get hurt." She said sadly.
"I -oof!"
Yoshi had come running into the room and he tackled Sanosuke in a hug. "Hey there, Kiddo." Sano lifted him over his head and Yoshi squealed with laughter.
Michiko rested her hand on Yoshi's feathery hair and he looked up at her, his eyes wide with innocence. Then he grinned. She smiled, lifting him from Sanosuke's arms. "Do you want some breakfast, Yoshi?"
The boy nodded eagerly. Michiko served him breakfast, then served herself. She sat next to the boy, chewing thoughtfully. "Sagara-San?" She swallowed; looked up at him, "Do you know what I would like to do today?"
"What?"
Her inky eyes sparkled as she smiled, "I would like to clean your home."
That took him by surprise. He had not known what to expect from her; she'd never asked to do anything before. She'd just followed him everywhere, his constant shadow. He would have thought that -after all the time she spent doing what he wanted- she would want to do something more selfish. But no; if he'd learned anything over the past weeks it was that Michiko Atokata never put herself before another person.
"You want to do what? What's wrong with the way it is?" He blinked.
"You haven't ever cleaned here, have you?"
"Is it that noticeable?"
"Yes." She laughed, "You must go ask Miss Kaoru for her broom and a brush to scrub the floor with."
"Well, I don't know. I kind of like it the way it is."
"It will be much better; trust me. Now please go and take my Yoshi along with you so he can say hello."
Her Yoshi? He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. It must've just been a slip of the tongue, her calling him that. "C'mon, Kiddo." He swung Yoshi up onto his shoulders and the boy laughed.
Michiko watched as the two people she cared most for left. Then she set about pulling back as much of her short hair as she could. "This," She smiled to herself, "Will take a lot of work."
***
"You? You're cleaning? You are?" Kaoru had given Sanosuke the brush and the broom, but she was quite skeptical that any actual work would be done with it, "Wouldn't you rather hang around here and eat my food?"
"Yeah, but she looked so happy about doing it, right Kiddo?"
Yoshi nodded from where he sat on Sano's shoulders. Then he pointed at Kenshin, indicating that he wanted to get down. Sano, however, didn't notice. Kaoru was still talking to him.
"You'll do anything for her, won't you?" She asked incredulously.
"No." He said crossly, "I will not. But she's...Well, I'd rather have her happy." Frustration filled his voice.
Yoshi stopped pointing and sighed. He wanted to get down and see Kenshin. He tugged on Sano's bandana, but still the man paid no attention.
"You like her, don't you? C'mon; admit it."
"Well of course I like her. But not how you mean."
Kenshin smiled to himself. He'd been watching silently the whole time. His friend's face had flushed slightly pink after denying that he liked Michiko "like that." He was well aware that Sano did care for her very much and tried to please her as he saw fit. Helping her clean would be one way.
"You do too!" Kaoru argued.
"Like you're one to talk." Sano snorted.
Then something amazing happened. Yoshi leaned around, staring at Sano, a frown on his face. His little mouth opened. "Down." He demanded in a perfectly clear voice.
The three of them stared at him.
"He talked." Kaoru said in disbelief.
"That he did." Kenshin agreed.
Sanosuke's eyes met Yoshi's. He was so surprised that he didn't know what to say and could only stare at the little boy. Then he grinned. "We've got to go tell Michiko this, Kiddo."
"No; Sano, down!" The little boy repeated his demand.
"All right." He set Yoshi down and the boy ran to Kenshin.
"Up! Up!" He said cheerfully.
Kenshin picked him up. "I knew you would talk when you were ready, Yoshi." He smiled.
"Ya." The boy agreed. Then he looked around, "Yahiko?"
"Miss Kaoru," Kenshin turned to the girl, "Take him to see Yahiko; if you please. I would like to speak with Sano alone for a moment."
"Okay. Come on, Yoshi." She carried the little boy outside and Kenshin looked back at Sanosuke.
"What's wrong, Sano? You have had a far away look in your eyes since you arrived."
"Something Michiko said this morning's been bothering me."
"Oh?"
"When she told me to bring the kid along to see you, she called him hers. 'Take my Yoshi along' she said. I've never heard her say that before."
"It bothers you that much?"
"Yeah. Because I don't know what she meant. She made it sound as if she owns him."
"Now Sano, you know Miss Michiko better than that. Something else is bothering you, something besides that."
"Last night, she was crying. I tried to get her to stop and she started to yell at me. I grabbed her by the wrist. She looked so scared and I couldn't believe what I'd done. I thought she would leave, but she just hugged me, cried harder." He seemed to have slipped into a deep reverie as he recounted what had happened; his eyes held a distant look, "She's so small...Her arms were around my waste, her head rested on my chest. She looked up at me," He paused, hesitant to repeat what he believed she had whispered to him.
Kenshin looked at him encouragingly, his violet eyes full of concern. "What happened, Sanosuke?"
"She told me she loved me, Kenshin."
"Oh Sano..."
"But then, this morning, she said she wasn't thinking right; that she was scared. So I don't know if she meant it or not."
"Do you want her to mean it?"
"I don't know. I don't know anything any more. I'm so confused."
"Just let her be. In time she will shine; that she will. Part of her wants to love you, I believe. But the other part is still too afraid to love. She'll come around. All things time will heal."
"I suppose you're right, Kenshin. You usually are," Sano smiled off-handedly, "I just hate seeing her cry. It reminds me of everything that's wrong in the world. But I better get going. See you later." He sauntered outside, "Okay, Kiddo, ready to go?"
"Sano!" Yoshi leapt into his arms, "Home?"
"That's right, Kiddo. We're going home."
Kaoru watched as they left, then she went back into the dojo. "What was that all about, Kenshin?"
"Oh, nothing, Miss Kaoru." A smile crossed the Battsai's face, "We were just throwing a little light on the shadow, that we were."
Some time had gone by and a regular routine including the Atokatas had been established. Michiko followed Sanosuke around as if she were his shadow. She still called him "Sagara-San" and still refused to reveal any more of her past, but she was safe and happy. She seemed to be gaining some weight and didn't seem quite as twig-like any longer. She'd gotten herself some clothing that fit properly. Yoshi too seemed to thrive. The past was fading quickly from his mind and he became a very cheerful boy. He didn't talk and he preferred Sanosuke over Kenshin -which puzzled both men- but every one was rather fond of him.
Kenshin looked at Sanosuke for a moment, then his violet gaze traveled to where Michiko was playing in the yard with Yoshi, Aiyami and Suzume. "She is very nice, Sano. Polite and respectful. Yet the respect she knows is one spawned of fear. Whatever has happened to her, it has left her very frightened."
"I know what you mean." Sano was watching her as she lifted Yoshi up and he hugged her, "She seems happy, but she's still living with the fear that her past will catch up with her."
"If she fears it is too close, she will run again."
"I wish she'd tell us who did that to her. I'd really like to pound 'im, whoever he is. That was a rotten thing to do to the little girl. She still doesn't trust me. Never calls me by my first name. I'm letting her stay with me and she hates me."
"I do not think she hates you; that she does not. I think she likes you very much."
"Are you kidding me? She tells me she hates me on a daily basis, Kenshin."
"You must understand that hating the man who hurt her was her only defense. She knows nothing but how to hate. It keeps her from getting too attached to some one who could end up hurting her."
Sanosuke sighed. He was getting attached to her and he wouldn't mind if she got attached to him too. He wanted to keep both her and Yoshi safe from harm. He looked over at her again. She had Yoshi on her shoulders and Suzume was dragging her off to show her something. She was laughing she truly looked happy. He could easily get used to her being around.
***
Sanosuke awoke that night to the sound of Michiko's crying. He found her hunched up in the corner of the small apartment, her face buried in her hands.
"Michiko?" He whispered, "What's wrong?"
Startled, she looked up, wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry," She said softly, "I know that I'm putting you in danger by being here. If he finds us here...especially since I am with you...he will try to hurt you. But I don't know what else to do or where else to go."
"It'll be okay. No one'll find you here. Everything's going to be fine."
"No it won't!" She looked up, a wild look in her dark eyes, "You don't understand. Saying that doesn't make it all right. Yoshi, he's nearly forgotten everything already. It's fading from his mind. I don't want him to ever know any of that ever again. He doesn't deserve it."
"Neither do you. When are you going to understand that your life is worth fighting for?" He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, "You can't let anything happen to yourself and leave him all alone."
She swatted his hand away, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "I hate you. I hate you so much." The coldness of her whisper could have frozen hell, "You made me care. You made me feel something other than emptiness. I'm a shadow; I'm not supposed to feel. You aren't supposed to care about me. It's all wrong." She shrank back so that only half her face was visible in the moonlight, "I despise you."
He felt cold and numb. Kenshin was right; she didn't want to get close to him because the last person she'd trusted had taken advantage of her trust. What kind of person could have done such a thing? "You're not a shadow." He grabbed her arm, pulling her from the corner and forcing her to look at him, "You just don't let yourself shine."
Her eyes went wide and she stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Her tiny body quaked with fear and tears rolled off her cheeks, "Please don't..." She whispered.
Sanosuke's eyes met hers and he could see sheer terror was written across her face. She was afraid of him. "Michiko...I didn't mean..." He dropped her hand, took a step back, "I'm sorry." He had promised to keep her safe and there she was, afraid of him. He looked away, too ashamed to face her.
The, much to his surprise, he felt her thin arms around his waste. He looked down. She was crying into his chest. Her gaze traveled upwards, tears pouring down her face. "...I don't hate you..." Her voice was barely audible.
"I know." He hugged her back, "I know. You're afraid."
"I don't want to be afraid any more." She sobbed, "I want my turn to shine."
"You were born to shine. I can tell."
"Promise, if something happens to me; promise you'll keep Yoshi safe. Please, promise me."
He tilted her chin, studying her face. She looked scared, her dark eyes wide and haunted. "I promise."
A relieved smile crossed her face. "Thank you." She yawned.
"Go back to sleep, Michiko." His hand ran across her cheek, "It'll look better in the morning; I promise."
She nodded, yawning again. She was emotionally drained and wanted to do nothing more than stay there safe in his arms. Her head rested on against his chest and she could feel his heart pounding. "I love you, Sanosuke." She whispered.
Then she removed his arms from around her, pulled away from him. He watched, his eyes wide, mouth open, as she walked back into the darkness.
***
"Good morning, Sagara-San."
Sanosuke looked at Michiko, feeling slightly confused. Had he been dreaming the night before? She had called him Sanosuke...hadn't she? Why was she back to all the formality? Had that been some moment of vulnerability or did she just slip and call him that? What had happened between them?
"Last night," She said, as if reading his mind, "I was not thinking straight. I was scared. I'm sorry if I worried you."
"It...it's okay."
"I made you breakfast." She smiled.
"You made me breakfast?" He repeated stupidly.
She blushed. "I thought it would be something nice I could do. I'm sorry if I was wrong."
"Oh, no. It's fine. I appreciate it."
Her shy smile returned. When she smiled, her whole face lit up. A great anger washed over him. She should've been happy all the time. She should never have to cry or be scared.
He was surprised by her capabilities in the kitchen. "This is very good. I think you're better than Kenshin."
"Thank you. He...he made me cook for him. It was one of my chores and I had to teach myself. He didn't like it at first and he..." She lowered her gaze to the floor, "He hit me when he didn't like it."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that. I would never hit you, Michiko. Besides, if I can stomach Kaoru's cooking, I can eat anything."
"That's not very nice."
He shrugged. "Kenshin likes her food. That makes her happy."
She loves him very much, doesn't she?"
"Oh, sure. But I get the idea she doesn't really want any one to know. Plus she's got Megumi the Fox to compete with."
"I envy her ability to love him freely. If he had loved me," She said slowly, "maybe it would be different. He loved the idea of me, the control he had over me, my inability to fight back. But then, if he had loved me, I would not know you." She sighed, "I would not know any of you."
Sanosuke frowned. "I'm glad that I met you. You're a very nice person and I like having you around. But it would've been better if you'd been loved all along."
"My parents loved me. I had to teach myself not to love any more. When he...when he would...It was like I left my soul somewhere. Like I wasn't there. It wasn't love." She stumbled over the words, "But when I came here, my heart came rushing back." She looked out the window, allowing the sun to wash over her face.
He looked over at her. Tears were streaming down her face, catching the sunlight and shimmering as they fell. "What's wrong?"
"Don't you understand?" She whispered.
"I'm afraid I don't."
"Then does it really matter?"
"It matters to me. I don't like to see you cry."
"You are very good to me, Sagara-San, but I'm afraid that my being here is not very good for you. Somehow, light is changing to shadow. I'm drawing you into the darkness with me, the more you know me, the darker you become. You need to stop caring."
"I can't do that."
"Then you will only get hurt." She said sadly.
"I -oof!"
Yoshi had come running into the room and he tackled Sanosuke in a hug. "Hey there, Kiddo." Sano lifted him over his head and Yoshi squealed with laughter.
Michiko rested her hand on Yoshi's feathery hair and he looked up at her, his eyes wide with innocence. Then he grinned. She smiled, lifting him from Sanosuke's arms. "Do you want some breakfast, Yoshi?"
The boy nodded eagerly. Michiko served him breakfast, then served herself. She sat next to the boy, chewing thoughtfully. "Sagara-San?" She swallowed; looked up at him, "Do you know what I would like to do today?"
"What?"
Her inky eyes sparkled as she smiled, "I would like to clean your home."
That took him by surprise. He had not known what to expect from her; she'd never asked to do anything before. She'd just followed him everywhere, his constant shadow. He would have thought that -after all the time she spent doing what he wanted- she would want to do something more selfish. But no; if he'd learned anything over the past weeks it was that Michiko Atokata never put herself before another person.
"You want to do what? What's wrong with the way it is?" He blinked.
"You haven't ever cleaned here, have you?"
"Is it that noticeable?"
"Yes." She laughed, "You must go ask Miss Kaoru for her broom and a brush to scrub the floor with."
"Well, I don't know. I kind of like it the way it is."
"It will be much better; trust me. Now please go and take my Yoshi along with you so he can say hello."
Her Yoshi? He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. It must've just been a slip of the tongue, her calling him that. "C'mon, Kiddo." He swung Yoshi up onto his shoulders and the boy laughed.
Michiko watched as the two people she cared most for left. Then she set about pulling back as much of her short hair as she could. "This," She smiled to herself, "Will take a lot of work."
***
"You? You're cleaning? You are?" Kaoru had given Sanosuke the brush and the broom, but she was quite skeptical that any actual work would be done with it, "Wouldn't you rather hang around here and eat my food?"
"Yeah, but she looked so happy about doing it, right Kiddo?"
Yoshi nodded from where he sat on Sano's shoulders. Then he pointed at Kenshin, indicating that he wanted to get down. Sano, however, didn't notice. Kaoru was still talking to him.
"You'll do anything for her, won't you?" She asked incredulously.
"No." He said crossly, "I will not. But she's...Well, I'd rather have her happy." Frustration filled his voice.
Yoshi stopped pointing and sighed. He wanted to get down and see Kenshin. He tugged on Sano's bandana, but still the man paid no attention.
"You like her, don't you? C'mon; admit it."
"Well of course I like her. But not how you mean."
Kenshin smiled to himself. He'd been watching silently the whole time. His friend's face had flushed slightly pink after denying that he liked Michiko "like that." He was well aware that Sano did care for her very much and tried to please her as he saw fit. Helping her clean would be one way.
"You do too!" Kaoru argued.
"Like you're one to talk." Sano snorted.
Then something amazing happened. Yoshi leaned around, staring at Sano, a frown on his face. His little mouth opened. "Down." He demanded in a perfectly clear voice.
The three of them stared at him.
"He talked." Kaoru said in disbelief.
"That he did." Kenshin agreed.
Sanosuke's eyes met Yoshi's. He was so surprised that he didn't know what to say and could only stare at the little boy. Then he grinned. "We've got to go tell Michiko this, Kiddo."
"No; Sano, down!" The little boy repeated his demand.
"All right." He set Yoshi down and the boy ran to Kenshin.
"Up! Up!" He said cheerfully.
Kenshin picked him up. "I knew you would talk when you were ready, Yoshi." He smiled.
"Ya." The boy agreed. Then he looked around, "Yahiko?"
"Miss Kaoru," Kenshin turned to the girl, "Take him to see Yahiko; if you please. I would like to speak with Sano alone for a moment."
"Okay. Come on, Yoshi." She carried the little boy outside and Kenshin looked back at Sanosuke.
"What's wrong, Sano? You have had a far away look in your eyes since you arrived."
"Something Michiko said this morning's been bothering me."
"Oh?"
"When she told me to bring the kid along to see you, she called him hers. 'Take my Yoshi along' she said. I've never heard her say that before."
"It bothers you that much?"
"Yeah. Because I don't know what she meant. She made it sound as if she owns him."
"Now Sano, you know Miss Michiko better than that. Something else is bothering you, something besides that."
"Last night, she was crying. I tried to get her to stop and she started to yell at me. I grabbed her by the wrist. She looked so scared and I couldn't believe what I'd done. I thought she would leave, but she just hugged me, cried harder." He seemed to have slipped into a deep reverie as he recounted what had happened; his eyes held a distant look, "She's so small...Her arms were around my waste, her head rested on my chest. She looked up at me," He paused, hesitant to repeat what he believed she had whispered to him.
Kenshin looked at him encouragingly, his violet eyes full of concern. "What happened, Sanosuke?"
"She told me she loved me, Kenshin."
"Oh Sano..."
"But then, this morning, she said she wasn't thinking right; that she was scared. So I don't know if she meant it or not."
"Do you want her to mean it?"
"I don't know. I don't know anything any more. I'm so confused."
"Just let her be. In time she will shine; that she will. Part of her wants to love you, I believe. But the other part is still too afraid to love. She'll come around. All things time will heal."
"I suppose you're right, Kenshin. You usually are," Sano smiled off-handedly, "I just hate seeing her cry. It reminds me of everything that's wrong in the world. But I better get going. See you later." He sauntered outside, "Okay, Kiddo, ready to go?"
"Sano!" Yoshi leapt into his arms, "Home?"
"That's right, Kiddo. We're going home."
Kaoru watched as they left, then she went back into the dojo. "What was that all about, Kenshin?"
"Oh, nothing, Miss Kaoru." A smile crossed the Battsai's face, "We were just throwing a little light on the shadow, that we were."
