Author's Note: Blessings and thanks to Riddle-Master and Nicky9 for their reviews and to ShoshanaFlower for her insights. They just make my day! This unworthy one hopes deeply for more reviews however, as feedback gives ideas and improves the quality of the writing. Please especially do this if you notice me misuse or misspell a term, I'm a nitpicker myself!
Innocence-Chapter 2 Gratitude
It was late in the morning when Toshiro Jiro returned to the inn, sweaty and tired and quite close to desperation. Nearly collapsing as he sat, Toshiro ran his hands through his black hair and shook his head, trying to clear his mind of its sleep-deprived fugue. It had been early last evening when a messenger sent by his wife had come to inform him that his son was missing. When he had heard, Katsura-sama had been gracious enough to grant him leave. But after an entire night of searching no sign could be found of his son.
"What am I going to tell Keiko?" He thought. Suddenly a voice disturbed his thoughts.
"Ohayo Toshiro-san, we've been trying to reach you all morning."
Toshiro looked up at Okami. "What is it?" He muttered bitterly.
"Your son is here."
A weight came off of Toshiro's shoulders and he instantly thanked everything divine. "Where is he?" Toshiro demanded, tears in his eyes. " I need to see him."
"He's with Himura-san." Okami stated matter-of-factly.
Toshiro's raised spirits dropped like a stone. "You left my eight-year-old son with the Battousai?" Of all the dreadful scenarios that had run through his head last night, finding his son with the person he most feared on earth had never occurred to him.
"You know he hates it when people call him that." Seeing his ivory face, Okami continued, "I'll go get Koji-chan for you. Wait here. He's fine."
Okami sighed and walked up the stairs. As she reached his door she was surprised to hear the sound of something hard falling to the floor and a peal of childish laughter inside.
"Try releasing it closer to the ground Koji-kun." She heard him say. Opening the door Okami was again surprised to see Koji standing in the middle of the floor, playing with a top. Himura sat against the wall smiling amusedly, a strange gleam of lavender-blue in his eyes.
"Sorry to interrupt Himura-san, but Toshiro-san just arrived. He is very anxious to see his son." For reasons Okami could not determine Himura responded to her words with a frightening amber glare. This faded instantly however, when the boy picked up the top and went over to him.
"Thank you for letting me play with it Himura-san." He said, handing back the top.
"You're welcome." He kneeled and looked the boy in the eyes, his face gentle though unreadable. "Goodbye Koji-kun."
The boy leaned forward and put his arms around Kenshin's neck. "Goodbye Himura-san."
Trying to conceal her amazement, Okami took Koji by the hand and led him downstairs to his father. With the close of the door, Kenshin felt something in his heart slam shut with the clang of prison bars. He sighed and leaned against the wall, the hitokiri mask slipping back into place as he reached into his sleeve pocket for the black envelope he had been trying intensely to ignore all morning.
"For the new era…" Himura told himself sadly, not believing a word.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Koji was confused. He knelt by the table in their kitchen, watching his parents speak as they drank tea. "Why aren't they yelling at me?" He wondered. He had expected a least a spanking after all he done. But after his mother's tearful embrace, an admonition to "never, ever do that again" was the only reprimand he had received. "Maybe Himura-san said something. That has to be it." Smiling, Koji decided he definitely liked Himura-san. Besides giving him a bed and getting him out of trouble, he had listened to him. Not like his brother, who teased him for being small. "Yes, Himura-san is definitely a good guy."
"Koji, did you hear me?" His mother asked.
Startled out of his thoughts Koji answered. "Sorry Mom, what did you say?"
"I asked if you had anything to eat today." His mother gave him a hard look.
"Yes, Himura-san and Okami-dono made rice balls."
Koji's father choked on his tea when Koji said 'Himura-san.' "Is that so?" he spluttered.
Keiko raised an eyebrow at her son, a quizzical look in her brown eyes. "You call her '-dono'?"
"Oh that's what Himura-san calls her. That's just the way he talks. He's really nice."
Keiko nodded. "Yes, indeed he is." She silently wished a blessing on the man for taking care of her son. "Jiro, you will have to thank him formally later."
Jiro choked on his tea again. "Thank him?" He squeaked. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, why wouldn't you thank him? Who knows what could have happened to Koji out there?" Keiko looked down for a moment, appearing to study the flowered pattern of her gray kimono, but really trying not to think about hitokiris and Shinsengumi or any of the countless other things that kept her up at night. "You can thank him tomorrow when you return the clothes he lent Koji."
Jiro looked at his wife, thinking. "How did I get into this mess?" He had no desire to even be noticed by Battousai, much less talk to him, but his wife was right. Honor demanded he show gratitude.
"Is something wrong?" His wife asked looking concerned.
Jiro wished she knew. "No." He said. "I will thank him properly tomorrow."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Toshiro walked into the dining hall, his sweaty hands gripping the bundle of clothing nervously. Trying to keep his legs from buckling Jiro walked to the furthermost table by the wall where a lone figure sat. His head was down, seemingly lost in thought. "E-excuse me?" Jiro asked.
Amber eyes flitted up to meet his through blood red bangs. "Yes, may I help you?" Though polite, the voice was chillingly cold.
Feeling like candle wax being melted under a flame, Toshiro took a deep breath and set the package on the table with a thump. He gave a deep, shaky bow, reciting the speech he had practiced. "My name is Toshiro Jiro. On behalf of me and my wife, I wish to thank you for saving our son."
Kenshin steadied Jiro silently for a moment, making a mental note of his features so he could keep an eye on him in future battles. "There is no need. I merely found him outside. Only…"
"Yes Himura-sama?"
Kenshin grimaced at the honorific, causing Toshiro to shrink back. "Take care of the boy."
"Yes Himura-sama. We will. Oh, and here are your clothes. My wife washed them. We're both so glad to have Koji back." Jiro realized he was babbling. Bowing two more times, he backed away and left the dining hall, going as fast as he could without seeming rude.
Innocence-Chapter 2 Gratitude
It was late in the morning when Toshiro Jiro returned to the inn, sweaty and tired and quite close to desperation. Nearly collapsing as he sat, Toshiro ran his hands through his black hair and shook his head, trying to clear his mind of its sleep-deprived fugue. It had been early last evening when a messenger sent by his wife had come to inform him that his son was missing. When he had heard, Katsura-sama had been gracious enough to grant him leave. But after an entire night of searching no sign could be found of his son.
"What am I going to tell Keiko?" He thought. Suddenly a voice disturbed his thoughts.
"Ohayo Toshiro-san, we've been trying to reach you all morning."
Toshiro looked up at Okami. "What is it?" He muttered bitterly.
"Your son is here."
A weight came off of Toshiro's shoulders and he instantly thanked everything divine. "Where is he?" Toshiro demanded, tears in his eyes. " I need to see him."
"He's with Himura-san." Okami stated matter-of-factly.
Toshiro's raised spirits dropped like a stone. "You left my eight-year-old son with the Battousai?" Of all the dreadful scenarios that had run through his head last night, finding his son with the person he most feared on earth had never occurred to him.
"You know he hates it when people call him that." Seeing his ivory face, Okami continued, "I'll go get Koji-chan for you. Wait here. He's fine."
Okami sighed and walked up the stairs. As she reached his door she was surprised to hear the sound of something hard falling to the floor and a peal of childish laughter inside.
"Try releasing it closer to the ground Koji-kun." She heard him say. Opening the door Okami was again surprised to see Koji standing in the middle of the floor, playing with a top. Himura sat against the wall smiling amusedly, a strange gleam of lavender-blue in his eyes.
"Sorry to interrupt Himura-san, but Toshiro-san just arrived. He is very anxious to see his son." For reasons Okami could not determine Himura responded to her words with a frightening amber glare. This faded instantly however, when the boy picked up the top and went over to him.
"Thank you for letting me play with it Himura-san." He said, handing back the top.
"You're welcome." He kneeled and looked the boy in the eyes, his face gentle though unreadable. "Goodbye Koji-kun."
The boy leaned forward and put his arms around Kenshin's neck. "Goodbye Himura-san."
Trying to conceal her amazement, Okami took Koji by the hand and led him downstairs to his father. With the close of the door, Kenshin felt something in his heart slam shut with the clang of prison bars. He sighed and leaned against the wall, the hitokiri mask slipping back into place as he reached into his sleeve pocket for the black envelope he had been trying intensely to ignore all morning.
"For the new era…" Himura told himself sadly, not believing a word.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Koji was confused. He knelt by the table in their kitchen, watching his parents speak as they drank tea. "Why aren't they yelling at me?" He wondered. He had expected a least a spanking after all he done. But after his mother's tearful embrace, an admonition to "never, ever do that again" was the only reprimand he had received. "Maybe Himura-san said something. That has to be it." Smiling, Koji decided he definitely liked Himura-san. Besides giving him a bed and getting him out of trouble, he had listened to him. Not like his brother, who teased him for being small. "Yes, Himura-san is definitely a good guy."
"Koji, did you hear me?" His mother asked.
Startled out of his thoughts Koji answered. "Sorry Mom, what did you say?"
"I asked if you had anything to eat today." His mother gave him a hard look.
"Yes, Himura-san and Okami-dono made rice balls."
Koji's father choked on his tea when Koji said 'Himura-san.' "Is that so?" he spluttered.
Keiko raised an eyebrow at her son, a quizzical look in her brown eyes. "You call her '-dono'?"
"Oh that's what Himura-san calls her. That's just the way he talks. He's really nice."
Keiko nodded. "Yes, indeed he is." She silently wished a blessing on the man for taking care of her son. "Jiro, you will have to thank him formally later."
Jiro choked on his tea again. "Thank him?" He squeaked. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, why wouldn't you thank him? Who knows what could have happened to Koji out there?" Keiko looked down for a moment, appearing to study the flowered pattern of her gray kimono, but really trying not to think about hitokiris and Shinsengumi or any of the countless other things that kept her up at night. "You can thank him tomorrow when you return the clothes he lent Koji."
Jiro looked at his wife, thinking. "How did I get into this mess?" He had no desire to even be noticed by Battousai, much less talk to him, but his wife was right. Honor demanded he show gratitude.
"Is something wrong?" His wife asked looking concerned.
Jiro wished she knew. "No." He said. "I will thank him properly tomorrow."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Toshiro walked into the dining hall, his sweaty hands gripping the bundle of clothing nervously. Trying to keep his legs from buckling Jiro walked to the furthermost table by the wall where a lone figure sat. His head was down, seemingly lost in thought. "E-excuse me?" Jiro asked.
Amber eyes flitted up to meet his through blood red bangs. "Yes, may I help you?" Though polite, the voice was chillingly cold.
Feeling like candle wax being melted under a flame, Toshiro took a deep breath and set the package on the table with a thump. He gave a deep, shaky bow, reciting the speech he had practiced. "My name is Toshiro Jiro. On behalf of me and my wife, I wish to thank you for saving our son."
Kenshin steadied Jiro silently for a moment, making a mental note of his features so he could keep an eye on him in future battles. "There is no need. I merely found him outside. Only…"
"Yes Himura-sama?"
Kenshin grimaced at the honorific, causing Toshiro to shrink back. "Take care of the boy."
"Yes Himura-sama. We will. Oh, and here are your clothes. My wife washed them. We're both so glad to have Koji back." Jiro realized he was babbling. Bowing two more times, he backed away and left the dining hall, going as fast as he could without seeming rude.