Chapter 3-Koi
Sajin returned to the dojo, still trying to figure out why that woman was following him. In a far away part of his mind, she seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember anything. Not yet, anyways. He was so preoccupied thinking about it that he failed to notice, upon walking through the gate, that Kaoru was angrily chasing Yahiko. Again. She threw her shinai at him, but missed. However, her aim was not all that bad, because it hit Sajin right in the head. In the time he had been at the dojo, Sajin had definitely acquired one thing from his brother.
"Ororoooo." he said, and fell over, knocked out cold.
"Ha! Nice aim Kaoru! At least you hit someone," said Yahiko laughing. He soon noticed Kenshin eyeing him, and quickly shut up. It wasn't smart to annoy Kenshin's wife while he was still there, or to laugh at Sajin for not paying attention.
"And you want us to stop calling you little? Keep acting like that and you'll be called little until you're twenty-three!" Kaoru said. Kenshin walked up to Sajin, picked him up by the arm, and took him inside.
Sajin looked around. The village seemed very quiet, but he knew there had to be a few thieves left. A small sound caught his attention, and he swerved around, only to see a girl watching him. She seemed very scared, and he soon saw why. There was someone in the shadows. He had sent her out as a decoy to distract Sajin, but it didn't work. The thief was quickly disposed of. As he sheathed his sword, the young girl walked up to him.
"Thank you sir," she said softly. He looked at her and smiled
"Please don't thank me. Taking lives deserves no thanks. I deserve to be cursed at. They may have had evil hearts, but they were living beings, that they were." He looked down at the ground. The girl sat down next to him.
"You seem very lonely sir. Do you have any family?" Sajin wasn't sure why she cared, but politely answered.
"Yes, a brother. He's the only living relative I know about. And you?"
"I have no family. They're all gone," she said sadly. "Sir, you seem like a really nice person. Would you mind if I traveled with you for a while?" Sajin looked at her, then at the sky.
"Only if you want to. I sometimes travel to dangerous places, so you wouldn't always be safe."
"I don't mind, I just want someone to talk to." Sajin smiled and got up. The girl did the same.
"Well then, that settles that I guess. The name is Sajin. Sajin Himura," he said, proudly emphasizing his last name.
"I'm Koi Hira," she replied. Sajin nodded, and the two started on the path.
"HEY SAJIN! WAKE UP!" The loud yell made him jump. He landed on his rear, a dazed look on his face.
"Sano, you didn't need to yell right in his ear," Kenshin said.
"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure he heard me," Sanosuke replied. Sajin just sat there as the two talked.
"Well, I definitely heard you," he said. He got up and looked at Kenshin. "What happened?"
"You were, um, knocked out by a falling tree branch," Kenshin replied. Sajin knew that wasn't what happened, simply by the way it was said. He suspected it had something to do with Kaoru since Kenshin was the one making up the excuse, but decided it was best left at that.
"Ah, ok. Remind me to keep an eye out for tree branches from now on." That got a chuckle out of Yahiko and Sano. Kaoru tried her best not to giggle. Kenshin sighed, knowing all too well that everyone knew what happened. Sajin grinned at his brother, then walked outside. Kenshin followed. "I had an odd dream while I was out," said Sajin.
"Really? May I ask what it was about?"
"It was.like an old memory. I dreamt about something that happened a few years ago." Sajin stopped. That girl from today.could it have been.no, it couldn't be. He hadn't seen her forever, and he doubted anyone from so long ago would recognize him.
"What happened in your dream?" asked Kenshin. Sajin shook his head.
"Nothing, forget about it." His brother looked at him, puzzled.
"I'm going to take a walk. I have a few things on my mind right now," said Sajin.
"All right," replied Kenshin, "Just be back before dinner." Sajin nodded and left.
As he walked around Tokyo, he thought about the girl who had been following him. She was definitely as beautiful as Koi, but he still wasn't convinced it was her. Pausing his thoughts, he looked up for a moment.
"Orooo, this is just great," he muttered. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, and was now completely lost. "I think way to much sometimes," he said to no one. Sajin looked around. He was on what appeared to be an abandoned street of homes. They were all in disrepair. Suddenly, a scream shook him out of his observing state of mind. It sounded familiar. The day was getting more and more confusing.
Sajin rounded a few corners, and soon found himself watching three men approaching a girl.
"C'mon babe! We just want to have a little fun," said one of them, slurring as he spoke. They were all drunk, Sajin could tell. He didn't have a clear view of the girl ye, but he knew she was scared of them. He wouldn't allow the men within three feet of her.
"Stop where you stand, and leave her be!" he cried. They all turned, backing up as they did. This gave Sajin a clear view of.Koi? It couldn't be. But it was. Now Sajin was really angry. No drunken fool was going to touch her. He wouldn't kill them, but he'd make sure they never did this to anyone else again. But as he approached, the three men ran off, screaming like little children as they ran. "Uh, ok. What kinda sake were they drinkin?" he wondered out loud. He looked over to Koi. She was on the ground, crying. "Koi-dono, are you ok?" he asked her. She looked up at him in surprise, just then realizing it was he who saved her.
"Sajin.is it really you?" she asked him. He nodded.
"Hai, but I still want to know if you're ok." He replied. She immediately jumped up and hugged him tight. So tight, he started having trouble breathing. "Koi-d..dono, could you p..please let me breathe?" he managed to ask. She released him and giggled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to choke you," she said smiling, "I'm just so happy that I found you finally." Upon saying this, she sat back on the ground. She seemed very tired.
"Koi-dono, would you like a place to sleep?" he asked. She nodded, and was quickly out cold. Sajin calmly picked her up, and, after getting directions from about three people, made it back to the dojo.
"Megumi-san, how is she?" Sajin asked. It had been almost a day since he had brought Koi to the dojo.
"She should be fine, Sajin. From what I could observe, she has been traveling a lot with little sleep." Sajin let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't slept well that night himself. He was worried about Koi. Not that he let anyone else know about it. After Megumi left, Sajin pulled Kenshin aside. Literally.
"I could have walked over here. You didn't have to pull me," he said, annoyed. Sajin grinned.
"Just listen. I need you to do something for me Kenshin. I want you to ask Koi why she's been traveling and not sleeping much for so long."
"Oro?" said Kenshin, confused. Sajin banged him on the head.
"Don't 'oro' me! Just do it, and tell me what she says. By the way, now you've got me saying 'oro'. Darn you," he said with an "I'm messin with ya" grin. Kenshin smiled and went to Koi's room, fully aware of why Sajin asked him to do this.
"We're definitely alike, that we are," he said softly.
Authors notes:
Hey all. When I previewed this thing, all the quotation marks were messed up. Not sure why, but it's not my fault.
Kenshin: but you wrote it, how is it not your faul.
Don't mind him *Author has just hit Kenshin on the head*
Kenshin: Ororoooo
Sajin returned to the dojo, still trying to figure out why that woman was following him. In a far away part of his mind, she seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember anything. Not yet, anyways. He was so preoccupied thinking about it that he failed to notice, upon walking through the gate, that Kaoru was angrily chasing Yahiko. Again. She threw her shinai at him, but missed. However, her aim was not all that bad, because it hit Sajin right in the head. In the time he had been at the dojo, Sajin had definitely acquired one thing from his brother.
"Ororoooo." he said, and fell over, knocked out cold.
"Ha! Nice aim Kaoru! At least you hit someone," said Yahiko laughing. He soon noticed Kenshin eyeing him, and quickly shut up. It wasn't smart to annoy Kenshin's wife while he was still there, or to laugh at Sajin for not paying attention.
"And you want us to stop calling you little? Keep acting like that and you'll be called little until you're twenty-three!" Kaoru said. Kenshin walked up to Sajin, picked him up by the arm, and took him inside.
Sajin looked around. The village seemed very quiet, but he knew there had to be a few thieves left. A small sound caught his attention, and he swerved around, only to see a girl watching him. She seemed very scared, and he soon saw why. There was someone in the shadows. He had sent her out as a decoy to distract Sajin, but it didn't work. The thief was quickly disposed of. As he sheathed his sword, the young girl walked up to him.
"Thank you sir," she said softly. He looked at her and smiled
"Please don't thank me. Taking lives deserves no thanks. I deserve to be cursed at. They may have had evil hearts, but they were living beings, that they were." He looked down at the ground. The girl sat down next to him.
"You seem very lonely sir. Do you have any family?" Sajin wasn't sure why she cared, but politely answered.
"Yes, a brother. He's the only living relative I know about. And you?"
"I have no family. They're all gone," she said sadly. "Sir, you seem like a really nice person. Would you mind if I traveled with you for a while?" Sajin looked at her, then at the sky.
"Only if you want to. I sometimes travel to dangerous places, so you wouldn't always be safe."
"I don't mind, I just want someone to talk to." Sajin smiled and got up. The girl did the same.
"Well then, that settles that I guess. The name is Sajin. Sajin Himura," he said, proudly emphasizing his last name.
"I'm Koi Hira," she replied. Sajin nodded, and the two started on the path.
"HEY SAJIN! WAKE UP!" The loud yell made him jump. He landed on his rear, a dazed look on his face.
"Sano, you didn't need to yell right in his ear," Kenshin said.
"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure he heard me," Sanosuke replied. Sajin just sat there as the two talked.
"Well, I definitely heard you," he said. He got up and looked at Kenshin. "What happened?"
"You were, um, knocked out by a falling tree branch," Kenshin replied. Sajin knew that wasn't what happened, simply by the way it was said. He suspected it had something to do with Kaoru since Kenshin was the one making up the excuse, but decided it was best left at that.
"Ah, ok. Remind me to keep an eye out for tree branches from now on." That got a chuckle out of Yahiko and Sano. Kaoru tried her best not to giggle. Kenshin sighed, knowing all too well that everyone knew what happened. Sajin grinned at his brother, then walked outside. Kenshin followed. "I had an odd dream while I was out," said Sajin.
"Really? May I ask what it was about?"
"It was.like an old memory. I dreamt about something that happened a few years ago." Sajin stopped. That girl from today.could it have been.no, it couldn't be. He hadn't seen her forever, and he doubted anyone from so long ago would recognize him.
"What happened in your dream?" asked Kenshin. Sajin shook his head.
"Nothing, forget about it." His brother looked at him, puzzled.
"I'm going to take a walk. I have a few things on my mind right now," said Sajin.
"All right," replied Kenshin, "Just be back before dinner." Sajin nodded and left.
As he walked around Tokyo, he thought about the girl who had been following him. She was definitely as beautiful as Koi, but he still wasn't convinced it was her. Pausing his thoughts, he looked up for a moment.
"Orooo, this is just great," he muttered. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, and was now completely lost. "I think way to much sometimes," he said to no one. Sajin looked around. He was on what appeared to be an abandoned street of homes. They were all in disrepair. Suddenly, a scream shook him out of his observing state of mind. It sounded familiar. The day was getting more and more confusing.
Sajin rounded a few corners, and soon found himself watching three men approaching a girl.
"C'mon babe! We just want to have a little fun," said one of them, slurring as he spoke. They were all drunk, Sajin could tell. He didn't have a clear view of the girl ye, but he knew she was scared of them. He wouldn't allow the men within three feet of her.
"Stop where you stand, and leave her be!" he cried. They all turned, backing up as they did. This gave Sajin a clear view of.Koi? It couldn't be. But it was. Now Sajin was really angry. No drunken fool was going to touch her. He wouldn't kill them, but he'd make sure they never did this to anyone else again. But as he approached, the three men ran off, screaming like little children as they ran. "Uh, ok. What kinda sake were they drinkin?" he wondered out loud. He looked over to Koi. She was on the ground, crying. "Koi-dono, are you ok?" he asked her. She looked up at him in surprise, just then realizing it was he who saved her.
"Sajin.is it really you?" she asked him. He nodded.
"Hai, but I still want to know if you're ok." He replied. She immediately jumped up and hugged him tight. So tight, he started having trouble breathing. "Koi-d..dono, could you p..please let me breathe?" he managed to ask. She released him and giggled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to choke you," she said smiling, "I'm just so happy that I found you finally." Upon saying this, she sat back on the ground. She seemed very tired.
"Koi-dono, would you like a place to sleep?" he asked. She nodded, and was quickly out cold. Sajin calmly picked her up, and, after getting directions from about three people, made it back to the dojo.
"Megumi-san, how is she?" Sajin asked. It had been almost a day since he had brought Koi to the dojo.
"She should be fine, Sajin. From what I could observe, she has been traveling a lot with little sleep." Sajin let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't slept well that night himself. He was worried about Koi. Not that he let anyone else know about it. After Megumi left, Sajin pulled Kenshin aside. Literally.
"I could have walked over here. You didn't have to pull me," he said, annoyed. Sajin grinned.
"Just listen. I need you to do something for me Kenshin. I want you to ask Koi why she's been traveling and not sleeping much for so long."
"Oro?" said Kenshin, confused. Sajin banged him on the head.
"Don't 'oro' me! Just do it, and tell me what she says. By the way, now you've got me saying 'oro'. Darn you," he said with an "I'm messin with ya" grin. Kenshin smiled and went to Koi's room, fully aware of why Sajin asked him to do this.
"We're definitely alike, that we are," he said softly.
Authors notes:
Hey all. When I previewed this thing, all the quotation marks were messed up. Not sure why, but it's not my fault.
Kenshin: but you wrote it, how is it not your faul.
Don't mind him *Author has just hit Kenshin on the head*
Kenshin: Ororoooo