Author's note: Miracles do happen, but I will never own RK. This story takes place when Kenshin is still a hitokiri, before he met Tomoe.
Innocence-Chapter 1 Encounter
The man known as Battousai sat in the shadows under a porch awning watching the rain. He looked across the road at the dark, unlit house where he had expected to meet his target this night. Three hours and he had detected no sign of activity. As he watched, the rain lightened momentarily to a drizzle, then stopped. Letting out a sigh that condensed in the freezing air, Himura gave up and decided the party his target had been expected to attend must have been called off due to the weather. Sensing the rain would continue soon, he left the porch and began darting swiftly along the roofs towards the inn where he lived, a blur of blue and red. As he silently dropped into the courtyard, Himura sensed an unfamiliar presence hiding in the bushes. Creeping in the shadows, he circled around the back and leaped upon the intruder.
"Ow! Let me go!" The intruder yelled. Himura was uncommonly surprised when his hands closed around a small boy not more than six or seven years old. The child rose to his feet and tried to run, but his struggling only smeared Himura's hands with the mud that stained his black pants and once white gi. Bits of leaves and twigs fell from his curly black hair. Grasping the back of the boy's collar, Himura lifted him out of the bushes and into the moonlight. The boy glared defiantly at him, trying to hide the fear in his dark brown eyes, only to meet an impassive amber gaze that seemed to penetrate to his very bones. The boy shivered.
"Come inside." He said, still dragging the boy by his collar.
"You better be nice to me," the boy said with false bravado, "my Dad's a great swordsman, even better than the Battousai."
"Indeed?" The corners of his mouth rose imperceptibly at the irony. He walked around to the eating area and gestured to the boy to sit down. "That does not explain what you are doing here however."
"I'm here to help my father win the war." The boy stated before he sneezed.
Kenshin's gaze softened to a gray-blue. "So young and he wants to fight?" he thought. "You don't understand what war is." Handing the boy his handkerchief, he looked into the boy's eyes and spoke. "You are young. Wait until you are older to fight."
The boy blew his nose before protesting, "I am eight; I'm just a little small for my age, that's all. Besides, Mom said Dad can't come home until the Ishin Shishi win the war."
"Even if you are eight and just small for your age that is too young." Kenshin went to the stove and took off the pot of tea Okami had left him before she went to bed. "There are many people older than you who can fight in the war. Your father will be able to return before long."
"Yeah, try hard and win it soon, okay? I miss my Dad."
"We are trying to our best." Pouring the tea, he handed a cup to the boy to drink. "What is your name?"
"Toshiro Koji. Who are you?"
"Himura Kenshin." He recognized the boy's family name as belonging to one of Katsura's lesser bodyguards. "Wait here." Kenshin went upstairs to Okami's door and knocked gently.
Okami answered the door; her hair disheveled, one hand holding a blue shawl around her shoulders, the other rubbing her eyes. "What…?" She yelled irritably. Seeing whom it was, she bowed and her voice changed quickly to a more polite tone. "Oh Himura-san, what can I do for you?"
"Please let me know when Toshiro-san gets in. Tell him his son is here."
Okami looked bemused. "And how did that happen?"
"A long story." Kenshin sighed, "He can use my futon."
Coming downstairs he said. "You will need to stay here until your father returns from his duties."
"Aw, now I'm going to get it from Mom and Dad!" He whined pleadingly, "Can't you fix it so I don't get in trouble? I just wanted to help."
"Did you not think about the consequences before you snuck out of your house?"
"Ah come on, Himura-san, please?"
"It is most likely that your parents already know and are very worried. Kyoto is not a safe place at night."
"You're safe enough." The boy insisted.
"That is different." Kenshin said before he thought. "Besides I'm not safe at all, though that's not what he means."
"Well I don't see how. Just cause you got swords doesn't means you know how to use them. Besides how old are you? You look younger than my brother."
"This is not a matter of debate Koji-kun, and I am fifteen."
"You are younger than my brother!" Koji exclaimed, breaking into a grin. Kenshin failed to suppress a smile, finding the boy's smart-mouthing to be surprisingly relaxing. It had been a long time since he had spent time in the company of someone this comfortable in his presence. There was an innocent quality about the child that seemed to somehow bring him back to himself; to the person he had been before the war.
When the grin became a yawn, Kenshin commanded, "Come, you need sleep." Motioning for the boy to be silent, he took hold of his hand and led him up to his room. Once they were inside Kenshin pulled out one of his spare gis and an old pair of pants from a drawer, grateful for once for his small frame. "Wear these. You may wear Choushuu blue for a short time." Kenshin unrolled the futon and went to sit against the window with his sword cradled on his shoulder. "You use the futon."
"Then where will you sleep?"
Kenshin shrugged. "This is how I always sleep."
The boy started to protest again before he yawned deeply and near collapsed on the futon. "Must give you a backache." He murmured sleepily before drifting off.
"Such innocence." Kenshin thought, before he too surrendered to sleep.
All around Kenshin voices called. They were the voices of wives and of young children of the men he had killed. They stood around him, reaching for him with claw-like hands, demanding to know why. He heard his own voice answer, cold as death, "For the new era." Kenshin drew his sword, and a spring of blood flowed from the tip down to his feet. As they crowded around him, threatening to overwhelm him, to trample him, Kenshin swung his sword in a great circular arc. Screaming, they fell in bloody heaps, but there were so many, and each one surged forward to take the place of the fallen. The fountain of blood suddenly became a flood that rose quickly to his knees. He swung and swung as wave after wave of innocents tore desperately at him, futilely seeking revenge for all that he had done. The flood of blood rose higher and higher with every swing, threatening to cover his head…
Startled awake, Kenshin drew his sword. It stopped inches away from the boy's throat.
"Himura-san, are you all right?" The boy managed to stammer. "You were dreaming and I woke up."
Realizing whom it was, Kenshin hurriedly backed away, letting his sword fall with a clang. He picked it up and sheathed it. "I am deeply sorry Koji-kun, please know I would never intentionally hurt you."
"I understand Himura-san. My father did that once to my brother. I should have known better than to startle you when you were dreaming."
Thank-you Koji-kun, but there is still no excuse for what I did." Shocked at the boy's reply he thought. "What kind of world is this war creating?"
Koji leaned forward and silently put his arms around Kenshin's middle. "It's alright." He said. "Please don't be sad, I forgive you." Before Kenshin could answer, the boy walked back to his futon and tucked himself under the covers, returning to sleep.
"Such innocence." Kenshin thought again, almost in prayer. "May you never lose it as I did. This is what I entered the war to protect…" But inside he knew that the duty he performed now achieved no such thing. "…This one will, someday…" Kenshin sighed. There would be no more sleep for him tonight. He wouldn't risk it. He sat back down by the window, listening to Koji's breathing; the only company his morbid thoughts.
Innocence-Chapter 1 Encounter
The man known as Battousai sat in the shadows under a porch awning watching the rain. He looked across the road at the dark, unlit house where he had expected to meet his target this night. Three hours and he had detected no sign of activity. As he watched, the rain lightened momentarily to a drizzle, then stopped. Letting out a sigh that condensed in the freezing air, Himura gave up and decided the party his target had been expected to attend must have been called off due to the weather. Sensing the rain would continue soon, he left the porch and began darting swiftly along the roofs towards the inn where he lived, a blur of blue and red. As he silently dropped into the courtyard, Himura sensed an unfamiliar presence hiding in the bushes. Creeping in the shadows, he circled around the back and leaped upon the intruder.
"Ow! Let me go!" The intruder yelled. Himura was uncommonly surprised when his hands closed around a small boy not more than six or seven years old. The child rose to his feet and tried to run, but his struggling only smeared Himura's hands with the mud that stained his black pants and once white gi. Bits of leaves and twigs fell from his curly black hair. Grasping the back of the boy's collar, Himura lifted him out of the bushes and into the moonlight. The boy glared defiantly at him, trying to hide the fear in his dark brown eyes, only to meet an impassive amber gaze that seemed to penetrate to his very bones. The boy shivered.
"Come inside." He said, still dragging the boy by his collar.
"You better be nice to me," the boy said with false bravado, "my Dad's a great swordsman, even better than the Battousai."
"Indeed?" The corners of his mouth rose imperceptibly at the irony. He walked around to the eating area and gestured to the boy to sit down. "That does not explain what you are doing here however."
"I'm here to help my father win the war." The boy stated before he sneezed.
Kenshin's gaze softened to a gray-blue. "So young and he wants to fight?" he thought. "You don't understand what war is." Handing the boy his handkerchief, he looked into the boy's eyes and spoke. "You are young. Wait until you are older to fight."
The boy blew his nose before protesting, "I am eight; I'm just a little small for my age, that's all. Besides, Mom said Dad can't come home until the Ishin Shishi win the war."
"Even if you are eight and just small for your age that is too young." Kenshin went to the stove and took off the pot of tea Okami had left him before she went to bed. "There are many people older than you who can fight in the war. Your father will be able to return before long."
"Yeah, try hard and win it soon, okay? I miss my Dad."
"We are trying to our best." Pouring the tea, he handed a cup to the boy to drink. "What is your name?"
"Toshiro Koji. Who are you?"
"Himura Kenshin." He recognized the boy's family name as belonging to one of Katsura's lesser bodyguards. "Wait here." Kenshin went upstairs to Okami's door and knocked gently.
Okami answered the door; her hair disheveled, one hand holding a blue shawl around her shoulders, the other rubbing her eyes. "What…?" She yelled irritably. Seeing whom it was, she bowed and her voice changed quickly to a more polite tone. "Oh Himura-san, what can I do for you?"
"Please let me know when Toshiro-san gets in. Tell him his son is here."
Okami looked bemused. "And how did that happen?"
"A long story." Kenshin sighed, "He can use my futon."
Coming downstairs he said. "You will need to stay here until your father returns from his duties."
"Aw, now I'm going to get it from Mom and Dad!" He whined pleadingly, "Can't you fix it so I don't get in trouble? I just wanted to help."
"Did you not think about the consequences before you snuck out of your house?"
"Ah come on, Himura-san, please?"
"It is most likely that your parents already know and are very worried. Kyoto is not a safe place at night."
"You're safe enough." The boy insisted.
"That is different." Kenshin said before he thought. "Besides I'm not safe at all, though that's not what he means."
"Well I don't see how. Just cause you got swords doesn't means you know how to use them. Besides how old are you? You look younger than my brother."
"This is not a matter of debate Koji-kun, and I am fifteen."
"You are younger than my brother!" Koji exclaimed, breaking into a grin. Kenshin failed to suppress a smile, finding the boy's smart-mouthing to be surprisingly relaxing. It had been a long time since he had spent time in the company of someone this comfortable in his presence. There was an innocent quality about the child that seemed to somehow bring him back to himself; to the person he had been before the war.
When the grin became a yawn, Kenshin commanded, "Come, you need sleep." Motioning for the boy to be silent, he took hold of his hand and led him up to his room. Once they were inside Kenshin pulled out one of his spare gis and an old pair of pants from a drawer, grateful for once for his small frame. "Wear these. You may wear Choushuu blue for a short time." Kenshin unrolled the futon and went to sit against the window with his sword cradled on his shoulder. "You use the futon."
"Then where will you sleep?"
Kenshin shrugged. "This is how I always sleep."
The boy started to protest again before he yawned deeply and near collapsed on the futon. "Must give you a backache." He murmured sleepily before drifting off.
"Such innocence." Kenshin thought, before he too surrendered to sleep.
All around Kenshin voices called. They were the voices of wives and of young children of the men he had killed. They stood around him, reaching for him with claw-like hands, demanding to know why. He heard his own voice answer, cold as death, "For the new era." Kenshin drew his sword, and a spring of blood flowed from the tip down to his feet. As they crowded around him, threatening to overwhelm him, to trample him, Kenshin swung his sword in a great circular arc. Screaming, they fell in bloody heaps, but there were so many, and each one surged forward to take the place of the fallen. The fountain of blood suddenly became a flood that rose quickly to his knees. He swung and swung as wave after wave of innocents tore desperately at him, futilely seeking revenge for all that he had done. The flood of blood rose higher and higher with every swing, threatening to cover his head…
Startled awake, Kenshin drew his sword. It stopped inches away from the boy's throat.
"Himura-san, are you all right?" The boy managed to stammer. "You were dreaming and I woke up."
Realizing whom it was, Kenshin hurriedly backed away, letting his sword fall with a clang. He picked it up and sheathed it. "I am deeply sorry Koji-kun, please know I would never intentionally hurt you."
"I understand Himura-san. My father did that once to my brother. I should have known better than to startle you when you were dreaming."
Thank-you Koji-kun, but there is still no excuse for what I did." Shocked at the boy's reply he thought. "What kind of world is this war creating?"
Koji leaned forward and silently put his arms around Kenshin's middle. "It's alright." He said. "Please don't be sad, I forgive you." Before Kenshin could answer, the boy walked back to his futon and tucked himself under the covers, returning to sleep.
"Such innocence." Kenshin thought again, almost in prayer. "May you never lose it as I did. This is what I entered the war to protect…" But inside he knew that the duty he performed now achieved no such thing. "…This one will, someday…" Kenshin sighed. There would be no more sleep for him tonight. He wouldn't risk it. He sat back down by the window, listening to Koji's breathing; the only company his morbid thoughts.