For Laughs

Disclaimer: Now come on, do any of us fans own the stuff up here? Oh all right, I own the two premium boxes of Rurouni Kenshin, along with the Director's cut of Samurai X Trust & Betrayal and volumes 1 and 2 of the RK manga. I don't own the idea for RK, that belongs to Watsuki. But you can't take my RK stuff!! I bought fair and square, which makes them mine!

looks at diclaimer Wow, that's long. On to the story,

I was standing in the doorway of the dojo after my own practice watching Ayame and Suzume play a few feet behind Kenshin as he did the laundry. 'They must be waiting for him to play with them' I thought, smiling to myself as the two girls starting whispering to themselves. 'Those two love to play tricks on their "Brother Ken".'

Yahiko, Sano and even I will tease Kenshin for letting two little girls sneak up on him when he's the best swordsman in Japan. But we all know that it's because of his past as a swordsman, as an assassin, that he lets himself be made a fool. Its just that the two other men, or man and annoying little boy on his way to becoming a man, don't seem to realize that all of the idiotic things are part of his mask.

As my gaze turned from the girls to the ex-assassin who loves to clean clothes, I couldn't help but think about the different traits that make up his personality. He thinks of himself as if he were two people who share the same body. He believes it so much that he has most other people believing it too. He almost had me believing it, but I'd been studying him since I waved his own sword in his face when we first met.

I can still remember hearing the sound of his sword sliding into its sheath. More importantly, though, I can clearly remember never hearing his sword hit the ground. It was that non-sound and the way he played with two little girls who were currently coming up with ways to sneak up and push the "unsuspecting" redhead into the soapy water that made me want to figure him out. I've gotten to see both sides of him, the wanderer and the assassin. And the two personas are so differently that it's hard to tell that they're both the same man.

Battousai the assassin is serious and aggressive, which makes perfect sense since he had to fight in Kyoto. Kenshin the wanderer is easygoing and goofy to the point of coming off as an idiot. But the two have vital points that connect the personas together. They are both caring, calm in the face of a crisis, and most importantly, the things that they do are for the people they care for. Kenshin uses the Battousai when someone needs to be protected; though he tries not to take off his wanderer mask completely. Battousai is easier for me to figure out than the wanderer, which seems strange since the wanderer is the mask Kenshin seems to prefer. But I guess that's because the wanderer hides almost all of his true emotions. I've always wondered why Kenshin doesn't act more like a regular man, but rather enjoys playing the fool.

I thought it was because he didn't want to scare us by seeming perfect. But there are other ways of doing it than by just allowing us to get the better of him. I couldn't do anything but shake my head and laugh as Ayame and Suzume are able be sneak up on "Brother Ken" and push him over into the tub filled with soapy water and dirty clothes he was cleaning. 'There is no way he didn't know that was going to happen.' I thought to myself as I laughed. If I could hear the two girls whispering, there was no way he missed it. I started to think about how Kenshin was trying to seem more normal by allowing himself to be caught "unaware" when I saw his eyes as he lifted his head at the sound of the three of us girls laughing. It was at that moment that everything I found out about my red-haired wanderer fell into place.

His eyes are his most amazing feature to me, and I'm sure others have thought that too, but for different reasons. Most people would say, and I agree, that his eyes are beautiful, if a bit feminine. Then again, most people only see him in passing. People who have seen him fight in a battle would say that his eyes are frightening. To me, however his eyes are made incredible by the emotions he chooses to show through them. That's why his enemies can find his eyes so fear-provoking, it's because he keeps his emotions from being seen through his violet orbs. Or amber, depending on how angry he is. This same aspect makes figuring out the wanderer so much more difficult. Most people who wear a mask can be found out through the emotions in their eyes. However, Kenshin's not most people, and either through his Hiten Mitsurugi style training or just his own amazing self- control, he keeps what he's thinking behind his mask of being a wandering swordsman who's clumsy in everyday life. It's his mask when he's not fighting. Except on rare occasions that can be missed if you blink. Lucky for me, I didn't blink.

Most people think his usual laughter is honest and open. But after seeing the emotions in his eyes while watching Ayame, Suzume and I laugh at the two younger girls' prank, I can tell you its not true. I can also tell you that his "idiotic" tendencies are for himself as well as for us and the other citizens around. That look of pure happiness that was shining through his eyes could just be glanced over given the fact that he just dunked by two children. But skipping small little things like that won't help me to figure him out, will it?

He watched us laugh as if it were the best sound he had ever heard. 'And for him' I realized, 'it IS.' I can't even begin to imagine the horrors of the revolution, but I know it gives him nightmares frequently. I've heard him crying out in anguish during the night. I asked him if he would tell me and said that it might make the nightmares lessen. After MUCH arguing, our first argument come to think of it, he finally told me that when he wakes up he can still see the blood on his hands and hear the screams ringing in his ears.

It's at his moment of unguarded joy that two pieces of the puzzle that is Himura Kenshin came together. But these are pieces that I don't think he even realizes could be connected. 'Kenshin, You need these silly routines just as much as we do. No, you need them more.' As I watch Kenshin play with Ayame and Suzume while doing the laundry, I have my little revelation. Kenshin may make himself believe he's playing the fool so we won't be scared of him, but he also does it because its something that he NEVER cause to happen during the Revolution. Instead of hearing the sounds of people screaming in terror of him, he can hear the sounds of children, and many times adults, laughing.

'Well Kenshin, if I ever need a reason to laugh at your acts, I'll remember that its as much for us as it is for you.' For someone whose life had revolved around pain and sorrow. Who had caused many other people to scream in fear and cry in grief to bring about this new world we all live in, the sound of even one person laughing would be like a soothing balm on his battle weary soul.

AN: My first fic!!!! This is what happens when you watch enough RK. Or maybe I just thought alittle too hard on the subject of Kenshin's antics. Please review, I need all the self-esteem boosters I can get. Along with all other writers (