The giggles of two small girls rang
out. Each attempting to play with the former hitokiri while he did the chores.
Kenshin smiled at this act though, and walked around sweeping with the two
girls latched onto either of his legs. Sanosuke, out of boredom, was tormenting.
Getting dirt or leaves on the porch and acting like it was done by accident.
Or well, until he was hit with a playful swipe from a broom. He smirked at the
grinning Rurouni and got off the dojo's porch. He then looked around in an attempt
to find other means of entertaining himself. "Kaoru-dono and Yahiko are training
inside. That they are." Sanosuke blinked at the redhead.
" Yeah. I think I'll watch for a little." Sanosuke said and smiled, turning to head inside the dojo. But he stopped and turned around, slowly, as if unsure if he even really should. "Ken...Shin?"
The smile was gone, and the sweeping had long since stopped. The two girls stared up at the Rurouni, either concerned or confused. Hues of violet were fixed on the porch, unwavering. Slowly, he looked up and over at Sanosuke. Moving over and handing the broom to his friend.
"Ken-nee!" The two girls squealed in union as Kenshin walked away, seeming hurried. Something was not right, he could feel it. Or at least the presence of others as they moved nearby, heading off into the forestry.
The Rurouni only waited to be a little away from the dojo before deciding to run. He came upon the area rather quickly, crouching behind some bushes within the forest that he was now deep within.
A soft little yelp was heard and a frame, smaller than Kenshin's own, was thrown harshly against a tree. All blue, too much blue. The boy's attire was of three, maybe four different shades of blue, deep cerulean eyes complimented the pale skin and soft features. Hair of raven, so black, the highlights seemed blue even. 'I know this person, I think...' Kenshin thought to himself, then noticing something. The Rurouni winced, taking note of a silver chain wrapped around the thin neck, and another around the left ankle. The metal reflecting every color nearest each silver link. The apparent child's eyes were closed, he couldn't make out fully who it was.
"Can't run so fast with those wounds, now can you?" A voice shouted.
Kenshin snapped out of his thoughts. "Wait..." He whispered, as if there was someone else with him. The small boy barely stood over four ten, his tiny, compact frame pressed against the tree.
"Not so tough now, without a weapon and when you're not running around!" Another voice hissed. The chain tightened around the boy's neck, making him part his lips within an attempt to catch his breath.
The Rurouni was slowly moving closer. He was finding it harder and harder to keep his thoughts and temper under control as each moment passed by. It felt like eternity to him. He had to move now, and was about to but froze. Kenshin gasped when one of the four men had kicked the boy in the soft spot at his side; the area between the hips and ribs where bone was not. Standing to run over, he stopped again when the boy's deep, full cerulean eyes opened.
Kenshin let a hand lower to the hilt of the sakabatou at his side, taking it within grasp.
"Soujirou..."
And as soon as that whisper escaped Kenshin's lips, Soujirou's eyes snapped shut and his features turned to the side. Hiding his face in his kimono gi at his shoulder after one of the four kicked him hard in the stomach. He choked, the sound coming out almost like a soft squeak. A bit of blood spilling onto the pale blue fabric.
The thinner, smaller one of the four, moved over in front of Soujirou while the other two forced him to remain within stand. The third grasping a patch of soft, black hair at the back of the boy's head and making him face the other, who unsheathed a dagger.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." He smirked, letting a bit of light reflect from the blade. "I want you to feel this."
Soujirou just gave a small, helpless smile to the taller man before closing his eyes when he felt a warm hand against his chest where the gi and shirt were now parted. A thin, cold blade pressed against his chest. Slowly embedding itself into his body.
A few different sounds were heard, then the one before him was choking out a gasp at the same time the metal, played deep inside his skin, tore itself free in one quick motion, ripping the skin harshly and cutting deeper. The cold metal of the dagger's blade didn't seem that way anymore. The quick, violent motion made it seem as if it were aflame. Burning him instead. It was a sudden rush; the pain. Making it seem as if the dagger had completely cut him through. He might have well as been, the pain seared through his body, feeling as if he had been cut in the back, too or the blade had just went that deep. Soujirou didn't know that he was thrown aside until his frame crashed into the ground, intensifying the pain threefold.
The next few sounds heard were those of bodies hitting the ground, then a scurrying sound. As if they ran, but couldn't get to their feet correctly.
Cerulean eyes opened in time to see the four figures frantically moving to their feet and running off, the four scattering out amongst the forest. Kenshin sheathed his reversed katana and moved over to Soujirou. He stared up at the Rurouni, he looked like a blur. Then there was two of him which started to fade as he attempted to focus his sight. Kenshin had called his name, two... No, three times, or was it? He wasn't sure. The voice seemed too far away and muffled to make anything out correctly. To Soujirou, it sounded as if Kenshin was trying to speak through a tube from afar. Then he couldn't hear him.
Soujirou's glance shifted in Kenshin's direction as he was very carefully rolled onto his back. The soft touch of Kenshin's hand to his cheek was barely felt as this point. As if his body was falling numb. He heard his name again. But this time it sounded as if Kenshin was trying to scream through the tube. Then nothing. No sound again, the pain was gone suddenly. And now, his sight too was fading. A sudden rush of dizziness, he felt light and his eyelids heavy. Every thing went black just as he spotted Kenshin leaning over him further to shake him.
" Yeah. I think I'll watch for a little." Sanosuke said and smiled, turning to head inside the dojo. But he stopped and turned around, slowly, as if unsure if he even really should. "Ken...Shin?"
The smile was gone, and the sweeping had long since stopped. The two girls stared up at the Rurouni, either concerned or confused. Hues of violet were fixed on the porch, unwavering. Slowly, he looked up and over at Sanosuke. Moving over and handing the broom to his friend.
"Ken-nee!" The two girls squealed in union as Kenshin walked away, seeming hurried. Something was not right, he could feel it. Or at least the presence of others as they moved nearby, heading off into the forestry.
The Rurouni only waited to be a little away from the dojo before deciding to run. He came upon the area rather quickly, crouching behind some bushes within the forest that he was now deep within.
A soft little yelp was heard and a frame, smaller than Kenshin's own, was thrown harshly against a tree. All blue, too much blue. The boy's attire was of three, maybe four different shades of blue, deep cerulean eyes complimented the pale skin and soft features. Hair of raven, so black, the highlights seemed blue even. 'I know this person, I think...' Kenshin thought to himself, then noticing something. The Rurouni winced, taking note of a silver chain wrapped around the thin neck, and another around the left ankle. The metal reflecting every color nearest each silver link. The apparent child's eyes were closed, he couldn't make out fully who it was.
"Can't run so fast with those wounds, now can you?" A voice shouted.
Kenshin snapped out of his thoughts. "Wait..." He whispered, as if there was someone else with him. The small boy barely stood over four ten, his tiny, compact frame pressed against the tree.
"Not so tough now, without a weapon and when you're not running around!" Another voice hissed. The chain tightened around the boy's neck, making him part his lips within an attempt to catch his breath.
The Rurouni was slowly moving closer. He was finding it harder and harder to keep his thoughts and temper under control as each moment passed by. It felt like eternity to him. He had to move now, and was about to but froze. Kenshin gasped when one of the four men had kicked the boy in the soft spot at his side; the area between the hips and ribs where bone was not. Standing to run over, he stopped again when the boy's deep, full cerulean eyes opened.
Kenshin let a hand lower to the hilt of the sakabatou at his side, taking it within grasp.
"Soujirou..."
And as soon as that whisper escaped Kenshin's lips, Soujirou's eyes snapped shut and his features turned to the side. Hiding his face in his kimono gi at his shoulder after one of the four kicked him hard in the stomach. He choked, the sound coming out almost like a soft squeak. A bit of blood spilling onto the pale blue fabric.
The thinner, smaller one of the four, moved over in front of Soujirou while the other two forced him to remain within stand. The third grasping a patch of soft, black hair at the back of the boy's head and making him face the other, who unsheathed a dagger.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle." He smirked, letting a bit of light reflect from the blade. "I want you to feel this."
Soujirou just gave a small, helpless smile to the taller man before closing his eyes when he felt a warm hand against his chest where the gi and shirt were now parted. A thin, cold blade pressed against his chest. Slowly embedding itself into his body.
A few different sounds were heard, then the one before him was choking out a gasp at the same time the metal, played deep inside his skin, tore itself free in one quick motion, ripping the skin harshly and cutting deeper. The cold metal of the dagger's blade didn't seem that way anymore. The quick, violent motion made it seem as if it were aflame. Burning him instead. It was a sudden rush; the pain. Making it seem as if the dagger had completely cut him through. He might have well as been, the pain seared through his body, feeling as if he had been cut in the back, too or the blade had just went that deep. Soujirou didn't know that he was thrown aside until his frame crashed into the ground, intensifying the pain threefold.
The next few sounds heard were those of bodies hitting the ground, then a scurrying sound. As if they ran, but couldn't get to their feet correctly.
Cerulean eyes opened in time to see the four figures frantically moving to their feet and running off, the four scattering out amongst the forest. Kenshin sheathed his reversed katana and moved over to Soujirou. He stared up at the Rurouni, he looked like a blur. Then there was two of him which started to fade as he attempted to focus his sight. Kenshin had called his name, two... No, three times, or was it? He wasn't sure. The voice seemed too far away and muffled to make anything out correctly. To Soujirou, it sounded as if Kenshin was trying to speak through a tube from afar. Then he couldn't hear him.
Soujirou's glance shifted in Kenshin's direction as he was very carefully rolled onto his back. The soft touch of Kenshin's hand to his cheek was barely felt as this point. As if his body was falling numb. He heard his name again. But this time it sounded as if Kenshin was trying to scream through the tube. Then nothing. No sound again, the pain was gone suddenly. And now, his sight too was fading. A sudden rush of dizziness, he felt light and his eyelids heavy. Every thing went black just as he spotted Kenshin leaning over him further to shake him.