Chapter 2

"Oi, Kenshin-kun! Ohayoooh!" Tobe Hideki stood on the deck of the ship, waving one arm in the air while the other held a large canvas-wrapped bundle on his shoulder. He would not stand out among the men working in the harbor -- medium height, muscular build, with short black hair and a fringe of beard around his square jaw. His face and forearms were tanned, even in winter. He'd caught sight of Kenshin's distinctive red hair from halfway across the harbor.

Kenshin looked up and waved. "Ohayou gozaimas', Hideki-dono!" He climbed briskly up the gangplank and stepped down onto the deck, stumbling a little as he did so and catching himself on the weathered cedar railing that ran around the deck's perimeter. It was a moment before he straightened up again.

Hideki hurried over, concern written plain on his face. Kenshin looked pale, accentuating the dark smudges under his eyes and the large cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

"Hey, are you all right?"

The moment passed, and Kenshin raised his eyes. "Yes, fine, thanks."

Hideki frowned, but Kenshin did seem fine now, looking around the ship with a happy smile. He had his sandaled feet splayed outward for balance against the deck's rocking motion, any movement of his legs hidden by the long white hakama that hung to his ankles.

Hideki shrugged. "Well, all right then. Our cargo's down there." He indicated the hold with a thumb. "We'll start with these bolts of cloth; I've got a client coming in for them later this morning." He patted the canvas-wrapped bundle on his shoulder.

Kenshin nodded brightly and skipped down the stairs. The ship's hold was dark, with a jumble of boxes and bundles just visible in the light coming down from the open hatch. Hideki watched as Kenshin wrestled one of the wrapped bolts of cloth to his shoulder.

"It's heavy..." Hideki heard him mumble. He smiled. Today's youth had no muscle. Kenshin climbed laboriously back up the stairs.

"Oro--!" Kenshin's eyes popped as he watched Hideki lift the second bolt that he'd laid on the deck earlier. Hideki grinned, showing off a little, and strode down the gangplank like it was nothing.

o-o-o

They walked side by side across the harbor square and up one of the narrow dirt roads that led among the warehouses. Hideki eyed the sword hanging at his companion's waist and wondered. He knew that a lot of people had gone wandering after the revolution, mostly former samurai in search of a new start in life. Kenshin looked too young for that; he couldn't have been more than a kid during the war. Probably a samurai's son, Hideki thought, carrying his father's sword and wandering still, after all these years.

Hideki cleared his throat to break the silence. "So, ah, Kenshin-kun. Do you have any place to go home to?"

"I haven't. I'm a rurouni, that I am, with no home and no family."

"Oh." He frowned. "Must be lonely."

Kenshin shrugged.

"So, how long have you been wandering, then? I was wondering about that sword you're carrying..."

Kenshin looked away slightly, hiding his eyes behind his shaggy red bangs. "I would rather not..."

Hideki grinned sheepishly and waved his hands in embarrassment. "No, no, of course not, forget I asked." He caught his bundles again before they could slide off his shoulders. "Here we are anyway; this is the place."

Hideki's warehouse was a large simple wooden building with a wide doorway and a porch along the side facing the street, much the same as the other buildings in these few blocks next to the harbor. It looked clean and cheery in the winter sunshine, much more so than when Kenshin had first seen it dimly lamplit last evening. Inside it was spacious and tidy, an assortment of boxes and crates in various corners and a couple of bolts of cloth already stacked by the low table near the front of the room.

"Eri should be here soon to look at this fabric-- Eri, that's the client I was mentioning. Anyway, I should get it labeled for her," Hideki said as Kenshin lowered his bundle onto the pile. "So I'll leave the rest of the carrying to you, if that's all right."

"Yes, that it is. Thank you very much, Hideki-dono. I'll be right back." Kenshin bowed slightly, then turned with a smile and skipped down the steps. The rising breeze ruffled his long red ponytail as he walked back down the road toward the docks.