Chapter 4 – A Faithful Meeting
Unmei came over the next morning with his family. Kenshin found Maki to be a bright young girl with midnight hair tied back in a small ponytail. She was just a tad bit taller then Kenshin when she stood next to him.
Unmei talked with Kenshin for a long while trying to catch him up with all that had happened in the past eight years when Taku began to pull on his father's sleeve. "Daddy I'm bored." He cried unable to sit still any longer.
"I could take him on a walk through town." Kaoru suggested half wanting to leave herself. For some reason she felt out of place in the group's talking. Kaoru stood knowing no one would mind. She reached out her hand and Taku grasped it. "We will be back later." She waved goodbye to Kenshin. "Don't leave me behind." She half joked, half reminded.
"I won't Miss Kaoru." He said somewhat forlorn as he rubbed his palms.
"Kenshin is there something wrong with your hands?" Kaoru asked concerned.
Kenshin shook his head. "They just burn a little. It must be from my fight with Shishio." He rubbed his palms again. They didn't hurt too badly but it was a bit of a nuisance. "I'll be fine." He said with a smile.
Kaoru found the young Taku to be very spirited and full of energy. He made her forget all that had happened for a moment. She liked little Taku so much that she even bought him a little ball. Taku took it happily and immediately began to bounce it all over the street.
Taku soon wore Kaoru out and she had to sit down. "Don't go too far okay?" She informed the little boy who nodded in agreement. Taku started to bounce his new ball and soon lost control of it. It rolled away so he chased after it.
The little ball rolled up to the feet of a man who had been watching the boy play. The man picked up the ball and waited for the child to come and get it. This man had short black hair and was tall and slender. He had a smile on his face as the boy ran up to him.
"Excuse me." Taku said politely. "That's mine."
The man smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry." He started to hand Taku his ball but then stood straight up. "You look familiar." Taku frowned, he wanted his ball back. "You look like someone I know." The man looked like he was thinking. "Perhaps I know your father."
"You know daddy?" Taku said curious.
The man looked Taku over carefully. "I know your father is Unmei. Isn't it?" The man said knowing he was right.
Taku clapped his hands happily. "Yes! That's daddy!" The man continued to smile. Taku's happy clapping stopped; that man's smile sent chills down his spine. "How do you know my daddy?"
"Taku!" Kaoru called to him afraid that she had lost him. She saw Taku standing in front of a man holding a ball and she walked up to them. "I'm sorry," Kaoru apologized "if he has bothered you."
"No, not at all." The man turned his smiling face to Kaoru. "I know his father and we were just having a chat." He handed Taku his ball.
"You know Unmei?" Kaoru asked as Taku hid behind her legs.
The man nodded. "Oh yes. It's been awhile. I use to hang out all the time with his sister Senko and" the man raised a dark, thin eyebrow "a man named Himura, Kenshin." Kaoru was a little surprised at the last statement. How many other secrets did Kenshin have? "I was hoping to meet up with the three of them again. It's been so long." He said with a small laugh at the end.
"Well..." Kaoru stalled trying to decide whether to tell him where to find Kenshin or not. He did say that he was a friend of Kenshin but that smile made Kaoru very uneasy. "I could take you to Senko's house, if you would like."
The man's lips parted showing the white of his teeth. "I would love that." Kaoru, Taku, and the man walked in silence as Kaoru led the way back. The only sounds were the noise of the small crowd in the market and the man's excited laugh that would sometimes escape his lips.
Kenshin rubbed his palms harder as the pain suddenly returned. "Are you alright Kenshin?" Senko asked as she noticed him doing this yet again. "Is there something wrong with your hands?"
Kenshin itched his right foot with his left heel as his feet began to itch. "I suffered a few burns recently." He told her. "I think that's the problem." He gave her a smile. "I'm fine." Senko gave a smile back but didn't feel that he was telling her the truth. "Miss Kaoru has returned." Kenshin announced without turning around. He could feel that she was standing just behind him with Taku and someone else. The other felt like someone he knew but he couldn't recall who.
"I brought someone who says they know you Kenshin." Kaoru said as Senko, Unmei, and Kenshin all turned at the same time and saw the smiling man.
Kenshin was a just a little faster then the other two as he placed a hand on his Sakaboto. "SUISO!"
Unmei came over the next morning with his family. Kenshin found Maki to be a bright young girl with midnight hair tied back in a small ponytail. She was just a tad bit taller then Kenshin when she stood next to him.
Unmei talked with Kenshin for a long while trying to catch him up with all that had happened in the past eight years when Taku began to pull on his father's sleeve. "Daddy I'm bored." He cried unable to sit still any longer.
"I could take him on a walk through town." Kaoru suggested half wanting to leave herself. For some reason she felt out of place in the group's talking. Kaoru stood knowing no one would mind. She reached out her hand and Taku grasped it. "We will be back later." She waved goodbye to Kenshin. "Don't leave me behind." She half joked, half reminded.
"I won't Miss Kaoru." He said somewhat forlorn as he rubbed his palms.
"Kenshin is there something wrong with your hands?" Kaoru asked concerned.
Kenshin shook his head. "They just burn a little. It must be from my fight with Shishio." He rubbed his palms again. They didn't hurt too badly but it was a bit of a nuisance. "I'll be fine." He said with a smile.
Kaoru found the young Taku to be very spirited and full of energy. He made her forget all that had happened for a moment. She liked little Taku so much that she even bought him a little ball. Taku took it happily and immediately began to bounce it all over the street.
Taku soon wore Kaoru out and she had to sit down. "Don't go too far okay?" She informed the little boy who nodded in agreement. Taku started to bounce his new ball and soon lost control of it. It rolled away so he chased after it.
The little ball rolled up to the feet of a man who had been watching the boy play. The man picked up the ball and waited for the child to come and get it. This man had short black hair and was tall and slender. He had a smile on his face as the boy ran up to him.
"Excuse me." Taku said politely. "That's mine."
The man smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry." He started to hand Taku his ball but then stood straight up. "You look familiar." Taku frowned, he wanted his ball back. "You look like someone I know." The man looked like he was thinking. "Perhaps I know your father."
"You know daddy?" Taku said curious.
The man looked Taku over carefully. "I know your father is Unmei. Isn't it?" The man said knowing he was right.
Taku clapped his hands happily. "Yes! That's daddy!" The man continued to smile. Taku's happy clapping stopped; that man's smile sent chills down his spine. "How do you know my daddy?"
"Taku!" Kaoru called to him afraid that she had lost him. She saw Taku standing in front of a man holding a ball and she walked up to them. "I'm sorry," Kaoru apologized "if he has bothered you."
"No, not at all." The man turned his smiling face to Kaoru. "I know his father and we were just having a chat." He handed Taku his ball.
"You know Unmei?" Kaoru asked as Taku hid behind her legs.
The man nodded. "Oh yes. It's been awhile. I use to hang out all the time with his sister Senko and" the man raised a dark, thin eyebrow "a man named Himura, Kenshin." Kaoru was a little surprised at the last statement. How many other secrets did Kenshin have? "I was hoping to meet up with the three of them again. It's been so long." He said with a small laugh at the end.
"Well..." Kaoru stalled trying to decide whether to tell him where to find Kenshin or not. He did say that he was a friend of Kenshin but that smile made Kaoru very uneasy. "I could take you to Senko's house, if you would like."
The man's lips parted showing the white of his teeth. "I would love that." Kaoru, Taku, and the man walked in silence as Kaoru led the way back. The only sounds were the noise of the small crowd in the market and the man's excited laugh that would sometimes escape his lips.
Kenshin rubbed his palms harder as the pain suddenly returned. "Are you alright Kenshin?" Senko asked as she noticed him doing this yet again. "Is there something wrong with your hands?"
Kenshin itched his right foot with his left heel as his feet began to itch. "I suffered a few burns recently." He told her. "I think that's the problem." He gave her a smile. "I'm fine." Senko gave a smile back but didn't feel that he was telling her the truth. "Miss Kaoru has returned." Kenshin announced without turning around. He could feel that she was standing just behind him with Taku and someone else. The other felt like someone he knew but he couldn't recall who.
"I brought someone who says they know you Kenshin." Kaoru said as Senko, Unmei, and Kenshin all turned at the same time and saw the smiling man.
Kenshin was a just a little faster then the other two as he placed a hand on his Sakaboto. "SUISO!"