The Measure of a Man
Written by Jenna Muff. Based on the story Young Again by Fitz. 090003-??????
Disclaimer: Number one, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of the characters, places, or events therein. Number two, I don't own the original concept for this story; it belongs solely to Fitz-sama, who graciously granted permission for this little side story to be written. Domo arigatou, Fitz-sama!
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Kaoru stifled yet another jaw-cracking yawn as she and Megumi neared the dojo. The sun was setting low in the west, flooding the sky with one last blaze of golden glory. A flock of small birds twittered and fussed about in a tree to one side of the dusty street. Kaoru watched some of them, smiling at their chatter and marveling at how high up the normally low-hanging branches looked. Sometimes, she thought, it wasn't really so bad being small again; she felt like she was seeing a whole different world every time she opened her eyes.
"Kaoru-chan, you look tired," Megumi called from somewhere up ahead. "Do you want me to carry you home?"
Kaoru blinked, only then realizing that she had stopped walking and was standing stock-still in the middle of the road, staring up into the tree and grinning like a twit. Her cheeks flushed at the doctor's query. Megumi's always treated me like a little girl anyway, Kaoru thought irritably, hurrying to catch up, but this is ridiculous! "No, thank you," she replied, hating how shrill and whiny her voice sounded.
Megumi only smiled and began walking again, tossing her luxuriant hair over her shoulder with her free hand. In her other hand she carried the sakabatou, wrapped in cloth to prevent anyone from seeing it and picking a fight. Kaoru smirked to herself, taking some satisfaction in the fact that the doctor, despite her saucy manner, was almost completely unable to defend herself from even the most amateur of swordsmen. Whereas I'm the Assistant Master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, and I've stomped full-grown men into the ground! Kaoru hid a triumphant grin and suppressed a pleased giggle at the thought of Megumi, a full-grown woman, hiding behind a tiny bokken-wielding Kaoru. Her smirk died on her lips, though, as she looked down at her little feet in their equally small sandals—borrowed from Ayame, of course. But then, I can't really defend myself right now, either, can I? she mused irritably. Sano and Kenshin would be equally useless in a fight, she knew. Which leaves Yahiko in charge of defending us all.
It wasn't that she didn't trust her student with the task; she'd taught him well, thank you very much, and despite his big mouth and exasperating disrespect, he was quite talented. Not that she would ever tell him so, of course—his head was already big enough.
Lost in her thoughts again, Kaoru stumbled over a dip in the road, only barely recovering her balance in time to prevent an embarrassing fall. She caught Megumi's amused smile, and her face reddened again. Mou! Next thing I know, she'll be offering me warm milk and a bedtime story! Kaoru gave an irritated sigh and balled her fists, trying to concentrate on walking with some sort of womanly poise. It was difficult enough for her as an adult, as she had always been more comfortable taking the long, confident strides her training hakama allowed for. Even trickier, then, was the task of maintaining her composure as a little girl, since little girls weren't naturally built for grace and good carriage. Kaoru sighed again, this time despondently. I take it back. Being small again…is hell.
"Tanuki-chan, you're lagging behind again! Are you sure I shouldn't carry you?"
Kaoru could almost see the fox-ears peeking through Megumi's hair. "No…thank…you," she gritted out. She couldn't wait to get back to the dojo; a few hundred practice swings at an imaginary fox-lady would do much improve her temper, no doubt…
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As it so happened, Megumi and Kaoru arrived at the dojo just in time to welcome the boys back. Yahiko was carrying the fishing poles slung over one shoulder and a string of good-sized fish in his free hand, while Sano and Kenshin trailed behind him, with the smaller of the young boys carrying another string of fish and dodging the larger's playful punches. All three looked as though they'd rolled around in a field; grass stains marred their clothes, and their hair was full of bits of grass and leaves.
"Hey, Fox, Jou-chan, look at all the fish we caught!" Sano called out with a jubilant wave. "'course it was mostly Kenshin and me, but Yahiko sure tried hard!"
"What? C'mere and say that again, you little punk!" Yahiko shouted, shoving the fish and the poles into Kenshin's hands and taking off after Sano.
Kenshin's eyes grew round as his small hands were overloaded once again. "Yahiko, I cannot hold all of this, that I cannot!" he said frantically. He fumbled with the lines of fish, thinking that it was more important to save dinner than to hold onto the fishing poles. Yahiko would be irritated if the fishing lines were tangled again, but—!
Thankfully, a larger pair of hands swiftly steadied the poles and took the fish before they could be dropped. Megumi's warm smile shone down on the rurouni. "Why, thank you, Ken-san," she said cheerfully.
Kenshin felt heat creeping into his cheeks; somehow, the doctor had a talent for making him blush at the smallest things. "Oro?" he murmured, his usual method of deflecting her attentions. That's it, Himura, play dumb…
"Don't 'oro' me, young man!" Megumi scolded him, earning a shocked look from the tiny redhead. "If you want to help me make dinner, come along to the kitchen! Kaoru-chan, go wash up, and make those other two miscreants do the same!"
"Megumi-dono, I can make dinner myself, that I can," Kenshin protested, following after the lady doctor and cursing how unsteady his footing was as he tried to hold onto the three swaying fishing poles still clutched in his arms.
"Oh? And how were you planning to reach the higher shelves, Ken-chan?" Megumi asked with a sly smile. As color blossomed once more on the boy's cheeks, she put her hand to her mouth and chuckled aloud. "Tanuki-chan told me about that incident this morning. Don't worry, Ken-san, I'll hold you nice and tight, so you won't fall down again…"
Kenshin's mouth dropped open at the doctor's cunning wink. "Oro! Megumi-dono, must I remind you that I am eight years old right now?"
Fox-ears popped out of Megumi's hair, and her laughter rang out across the yard. "Ohohohoho! But that only makes it easier to cuddle you, Ken-chan!"
"Oro!"
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Dinner that night actually went better than Yahiko might have expected. The steamed fish, rice and vegetables were delicious, of course, since Kenshin and Megumi had prepared them. Kenshin's near-constant blush was comical, although Yahiko did have to wonder what exactly was bringing such color to the normally unflappable rurouni's face. Megumi's not hitting on him, is she? he thought to himself, making a face as he fended off one of Sano's attempts to steal his food. That's so gross! He's a little kid, for Kami's sake!
"Hey, brat, lemme have some of that fish! You got the biggest piece!" Sano growled, trying for Yahiko's dinner yet again.
"Hands off, Sano-chan, or I'll tickle you till you pee!" Yahiko threatened.
"Is that what happened to all of you? A tickle fight?" Kaoru giggled, her eyes sparkling at Kenshin. "I'd love to see you in a tickle fight, Kenshin! Did they gang up on you?"
"Nah, I took him on single-handedly!" Yahiko boasted, waving his chopsticks for emphasis. "He got laughing so hard, I thought he'd bust a gut!"
Kenshin ducked his head, but there was no hiding his embarrassed grin. "It was fun, that it was," he said softly. Then, his smile turned wicked, and he shot a glance at Sanosuke. "Although watching Yahiko pin Sano down and tickle him until he begged for mercy was much more entertaining, that it was."
"The rooster begged?" Megumi chuckled. "Now, that would be something to see! Yahiko and Rooster-chan, tussling around like puppies!"
Sano glared at them all. "Hey, lay off with the chan thing, damn it! 's not my fault I'm only half Yahiko's size now! And I didn't beg. I'm still gonna pay you back for that, brat, just you wait!"
"Bring it on, Rooster-chan!" Yahiko snorted.
"Why, you—!"
"Maa, maa," Kenshin interjected mildly, "don't fight, you two. I know you're both hungry, so you should hurry and eat before it gets cold, that you should."
"You ought to be ashamed, Yahiko," Kaoru remarked imperiously, "since you're the oldest out of us, and you should be the one breaking up the fights, not starting them!"
"Oh, be quiet, busu! Since when do you care who's fighting? You're usually the manliest fighter out of all of us, anyway!" Yahiko shot back.
"What?" Kaoru shrieked, her face turning red as she pushed her sleeves up. "That's it, Yahiko-chan, you are so dead!"
Yahiko grabbed a piece of fish and darted out the door just as the eight-year-old Assistant Master rocketed toward him. "Busu-chan, busu-chan, ugly tanuki girl!" Yahiko hollered back around a mouthful of fish.
"Get back here, brat!" Kaoru hollered, her tiny legs working as fast as they could.
"There they go again," Kenshin sighed.
Sanosuke shrugged and helped himself to Yahiko's leftovers. "More for us, I say!"
"Well, Ken-san, now that tanuki-chan is gone, I have you all to myself," Megumi purred, hooking one arm around Kenshin's shoulders and pulling him in for a squeeze.
The little rurouni squirmed a bit, trying without success to escape her hold. "Oro?" he piped, shooting a pleading glance at Sano, who just raised one eyebrow and chewed the fishtail he'd appropriated from Yahiko's plate.
"Now, Ken-san, don't be like that," Megumi cooed. "Do you want me to read you a bedtime story? Ohohoho!"
Kenshin flushed until his face matched his mop of red hair. "Megumi-dono, please…" he muttered.
It was the last straw for Sanosuke, who toppled over backwards and convulsed with laughter. "Hey, Fox, lay off until he hits puberty, at least!" the miniature ex-gangster crowed.
Kenshin glared from beneath his bangs. "Sano, I am going to hurt you, that I am."
"Don't pay any attention to him, Ken-san," Megumi sniffed. "Rooster-chan is just upset because no matter how old he gets, he will always be just that: an idiot rooster-head."
Sano sat bolt upright, a protesting scowl on his young face. "Hey, now, wait just a minute, Fox!" he objected loudly. "How come the shrimp there gets all the sweet talk? We're the same age, you know…and anyway, he looks like a girl!"
"Sanosuke," Kenshin growled.
"Ken-san is still a polite and considerate young man," Megumi retorted, ignoring Kenshin's irritation, "whereas you, Rooster-chan, are still as loudmouthed and obnoxious as ever. And as for his being small, well…" The doctor's smile brightened, and she squished Kenshin so tightly that the poor rurouni let out a gasp. "Don't you know that we women find very small children ever so much more adorable? The smaller, the cuter!"
"Megumi-dono, you are crushing me, that you are…"
"Does that mean I'm cuter than Yahiko, then?" Sano asked, giving Megumi his most devilish smile—which turned into a rather silly expression, since his boyish face hadn't quite developed the rugged planes necessary to carry off the 'charmer' look.
Megumi didn't get a chance to answer, because at that moment, Yahiko himself bolted through the room, with mini-Kaoru in hot pursuit. The elder boy leaped over the table—barely missing Sano, who dove out of the way—and fled through the shouji with a triumphant yell. "Can't catch me, busu-chan, so get over it!" he shouted over his shoulder, and was gone.
Kaoru flopped down against the wall, panting, her face red from exertion. She spat out a phrase that was far too adult for her tiny child's mouth, and swatted a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "I'm going to kill that brat, first chance I get!" the little girl declared breathlessly. Then, she took in the scene before her, and her expression darkened. "Megumi-san…what are you doing to Kenshin?" she demanded.
"Mm? Oh, just snuggling him, and telling him how cute he is now…ohohoho!" With that, Megumi finally released Kenshin, who gratefully scooted away from the doctor's entirely unwanted attentions, catching his breath. The doctor tossed her hair over her shoulder, and continued, "I think I am going to get back to the clinic now. There are a few things I have to do before I can go home for the night. I'll ask Yahiko to come in and do the dishes before he goes to bed."
"Thank you for your help, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said with his trademark rurouni-smile, although he made sure he kept himself out of the doctor's immediate reach. "I really appreciate it, that I do."
"Anything for you, Ken-san," Megumi tittered. "Oh, and Kaoru-chan, try not to kill Yahiko before morning, mm? He'll be the oldest one here tonight, so you'll want him at least mobile in case anything happens."
Kaoru clenched her fists, but nodded stiffly. "I can wait to pound him until tomorrow, I guess. One way or another, he's going to regret being so mouthy!"
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Yahiko let out a sleepy chuckle as he stared down at the redhead tucked into the futon. "Kenshin, you're not seriously taking that thing with you to bed, are you?"
Kenshin's small fingers curled protectively around his sakabatou, which was lying atop the covers next to him. "Yes, I am," he answered. "I cannot sleep well without it, that I cannot."
"You do realize how silly you look," Sano remarked from his own futon, yawning expansively. "Yeesh, why don't you go borrow one of Kaoru's dolls, if you need something to sleep with that badly?"
Kenshin didn't say anything, just pulled his sakabatou closer and let his eyes fall shut. "Good night, Yahiko," he murmured.
The elder boy shook his head and stood to go. "G'night, kids," he said with a tired grin. The last thing he heard before the shouji slid shut was a sleepily drawled curse from Sano.
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The sword was nearly too heavy for the boy to lift; his small arms trembled with the weight of it. He could barely lift the tip of the blade off the ground. He'd never held a sword before, didn't know the first thing about wielding one. But he gripped the hilt all the more firmly, determined not to let the men hurt the girls behind him.
I have to protect them! I'm the only boy!
The hilt was slick in his grasp, slick with cooling blood and the cold sweat collecting in his tiny palms. His heart pounded against his ribs with such terror, he was sure it would burst. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him to run, to get away from the huge men with their cruel smiles and slashing blades.
But he couldn't. He didn't. He could hear the girls sobbing with fright behind him.
Protect them…
He had to protect them, the girls who'd only just met him, yet had treated him like their own little brother, sharing their food, helping him when he stumbled on the road. No one else was going to help them, he knew. He was the only thing standing between the girls and the bad men. He couldn't let anything happen to them!
He felt hands on him then, pulling him back into a huddle of warm bodies shaking with fear. The sword dropped from his tiny fingers. His heart shot into his throat at the loss. He couldn't save them without a sword!
Please, spare the child!
They were trying to save him. He wanted to protect them, but they wouldn't let him. They tried to hide him, and paid for it with screams and blood. He watched midnight-hued hair flutter to the ground, pooling around faces streaked with tears and frozen with horror. He saw the blade flash in the moonlight, marred with crimson blood. It would come for him, next, and he bowed his head.
I don't care. I couldn't even save them…
…couldn't save them…
Kenshin woke with a strained gasp, bolting upright in his futon. His small body trembled with remembered terror, and his hair hung heavy against his neck, his bangs damp with sweat. His sakabatou lay beside him, far too large for the childish hands that gripped it.
The nightmare clutched at his heart the more he stared at his own fingers wrapped around the sheath. "Damn," he whispered to himself. He'd had that same nightmare countless times in his long, haunted lifetime, but never had it so affected him. He kicked the covers off and hunched over, pulling the sakabatou up against his chest and holding onto it for dear sanity. His eyes drifted shut.
It could happen again. You're too small to save anyone, now…
Kenshin's eyes popped open again, and he tried to calm his breathing. His heart was racing as madly as it had in the dream. He gritted his teeth, glad for the darkness that hid his breakdown. Sanosuke snored nearby, still soundly asleep, unaware of his roommate's distress. Good, Kenshin thought grimly. No one needed to know his private dread, nor the hellish memories that inflamed it. It would only worry them, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Taking a deep breath, Kenshin rose from his futon and padded over to the shouji, clutching his sakabatou in both hands. He'd never slept well lying down, anyway…
…and a few moments later, the tiny rurouni had taken up a sentry position on the porch, his back pressed to the wall, the hilt of his unbelievably tall weapon propped against the wall above his shoulder. Then, only then, could he allow himself to drift off into a shallow, uneasy doze.
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Many thanks to niki92286, Wakadori Ramen, Sarah Lee1, and Hecate for your reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story thus far!
In response to Wakadori Ramen's question: I've always assumed that Kenshin's parents died when he was seven, he was sold into slavery very soon afterward, and spent a year or so as a slave until Hiko rescued him at age eight. I'm assuming that the scene in the "Trust" OAV is little Kenshin out on a jaunt with his master's underlings, who've just purchased the three girls and are now returning to the master's house… at least, that's what I think. I don't think there's any official information out there, but if there is, please let me know!
Yeah, I know, we don't know who the Big Bad is yet, ne? Mmm…we'll find out next chapter! Stick around!
Ja!
@Jen@