Hello, I'm back. Thanks for suspending your disbelief, and for still reading this little piece. The things I can write when I don't want to study........ Sorry for the delay. I got busy with schoolwork again, and I got work again in the college council. Sorry as well if the chapter is dialogue-intensive.
The RKRC is back! Go nominate your favorite stories already!
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"When you come back, you'll stay at my house!" the little girl gave him a tight hug. "Is that a promise?"
"Alright," he had agreed as he patted her head. Then he said his goodbyes and went on his way.
He did hope to see the little girl again, but he did not count on it. He figured they would forget about each other in a few months.
He had forgotten about the little event from over 10 years ago. But nowadays memories, life-changing or insignificant, came to him without choice. It came to him in bits and pieces. He barely recalled what the girl looked like. He thought he remembered a little wooden sword on her person, but that was all. It did not matter. After all, it was only a meeting of a few hours.
The little girl had tapped his shoulder and smiled at him. "Why are you under the bridge?"
She had found him under a bridge, of all places. It was a good hiding place, while people searched for an assassin. Furthermore, the places under bridges were peaceful and dark. Just the thing for disturbing thoughts. "I don't know where else to go, little one," he honestly replied. "What about you? Why are you here?"
"Don't know where to go either," she answered as she sat beside him. "I don't know where my daddy went." But for a girl who was lost, she was quite calm about it. "You hungry, o-nii-chan?"
Yes, he was, somewhat, but he had no money left for dinner, he was far away from the woods, and he knew nobody in the new Tokyo.
He was probably thinking too long. The little girl got impatient.
"Kenshin?"
He looked at her with surprise. How in the world did the little girl know his name? He seldom gave his name to anyone, especially not to strange little girls!
"Kenshin?"
Think, Kenshin, THINK! Was this the daughter of an enemy, or a friend? What should he do to her?
The girl tilted her head at him. "Kenshin, have some breakfast! You still have a high pile of laundry to deal with!"
Laundry?! He held his head and tried to focus. "Kaoru-dono. Yes, I am coming."
"I hope you're not sick, Kenshin," Kaoru continued. "You've been staring into space for over an hour now. Apart from the many things that have been strange about you lately."
"Sorry, Kaoru-dono. I am not sick."
He was not sick. He was worried.
He had used up his last white pill yesterday evening.
He needed a new bottle of the sleeping pills, but he had no money left. He had just completed payment for the first bottle the other day. If he wanted another one, he had to pay for it first. Two days. He would gauge himself for two days. If he could go on fine for two days without them, he would not buy another bottle.
But his lofty plan was not working. Vegetables and soup blurred in front of him, and that was not because of the smoke from the cooking. The day and night seemed the same to him. And once every hour, was a new threatening voice.
She will never be yours. She will never be yours! Never! She will never be yours!
Around dinner time of the second day he was just barely aware of a hand being passed over his eyes. He did not even hear what Yahiko was saying. When he managed to snap out of his reverie, the dishes had already been cleared, and he was alone in the kitchen.
He sighed deeply. He had to sleep, normally, like most people. Not like this, asleep with eyes open. He had to buy another bottle, and soon. He did not know how to get money quickly...........unless............yes, there was a room in the house with a cash box............ he could get money quickly from there.
He was not sure if he was asleep or awake, hallucinating or dreaming. He was not even sure what time, what day it was. But he was sure he was in a large house, one that used to be affluent. His goal was to get to the room just past a large assembly area.......or was it a hall for sword practice?............yes, a practice hall. He was supposed to get some documents from a drawer, as well as assassinate the master of the house. A simple mission. A little out of his way, though. He had protested to his superiors. He was employed as an assassin, not as a thief.
"What's the difference?" one replied. "You steal lives." After the young assassin sighed, the man continued. "It will not be too hard. Kill the man when you meet him. Retrieve the documents from his drawer."
He accepted the black envelope with the potential victim's name, without a word. That was why he was now in the house. He was about to begin his mission.
Quickly and quietly he worked his way to the room. Not very large, and rather sparse. More of a woman's room, though; it had a mirror and a kimono. He barely made out a person sleeping in a futon to one side of the room. As long as the person was not his target, as long as the person did not wake, it would be fine. He just had to be careful.
He walked to the dresser and began opening the drawers. More female articles, mostly. Nothing worth stealing. Something was not right. In the drawer he found a box, but the box was full of money, not papers.
He shook his head, refocused, and remembered. This was the present. He came to the dark little room for the money. He needed the money. Any way, any how.
Whatever. It was something about money, something about a mission. Something about retrieving some articles, in the process of eliminating someone. In any case, he had to hurry and leave the house. Soon he would be noticed. The consequences would be terrible.
He dropped two gold pieces in his haste. They clinked as they knocked into each other. He quickly snatched them and hid in a corner.
"Kenshin? That you?" a voice mumbled.
It was a female, rather high-pitched. She must be murmuring about her husband or something; surely there were other people in the city named as he was. He chose to ignore the voice, and to slowly sneak out of the bedroom before the woman got any more suspicious. Unfortunately, the gold pieces clinked again, and made a definitive racket.
"Who's there?" the woman asked, with a menacing tone. "You better come out."
He knew better than to show himself. He did not want to kill a woman if it could be helped. Thus, he waited in the shadows, until she murmured, "Must be my imagination............he couldn't do that to me, that red-haired annoyance............" she snuggled back under her blanket. he?"
The man heaved in relief. From the tone the woman used, he knew that this woman was not a pushover. Male or female, if it were a thief, she would take them down, forcefully if not efficiently. He slid open the door just enough for him to slip through, and sped back to his room with trained silent, swift feet.
The rush of adrenalin was incredible. He had not felt so............alive..........in months. The exhilaration in the efforts to avoid detection: it was a sensation he had left behind him. The thrill in the danger: it was a sensation not easily replaced. But it slowly dawned on him that this sensation would not happen again, not in a long while. It was now the era of peace. Yes, he did want peace, both for his country and for himself. He knew he had found it, and he would not let it go, not for the world. But it was hard, really hard, to get used again to a calm, peaceful life.
His thoughts slowly returned to the present. The implications of his actions had not reached his consciousness, yet. Still, he now remembered that he was in his room at the Kamiya dojo, and that he had just............stolen from Kaoru.
He had just added to his already many offenses against her. And this was the worst he could do. This, without doubt, will make her throw him out of the dojo. He would be out of her life, and she would not be the worse for it. She would forget him as an annoyance and a robber. And he deserved it.
But he needed that new bottle, even if she got mad, even if she threw him out. He did not know how to last another day without decent sleep. He did not want to return to the terrible days of nightmares. He would explain, someday. He would explain. This was not a permanent arrangement, he convinced himself. Only as long as he needed, not longer. He would stop taking them when he no longer needed them. And he would return to being the man she.........she admires, relies on, depends on.................loves.
She must not run into him this morning, he thought. He had to leave the house before she waked. Otherwise, who knows what could happen between them so early in the day. The young woman could be quite terrifying when provoked; he had seen it happen all too often.
The gold pieces and paper bills clinked and crinkled noisily in the billfold as he walked to the doctor's office, accusing him to no end. He wondered why no one else heard the coins jangle so much.
But fate was not on his side. "Sorry, Himura-san, I've just run out," the doctor said. "You can get some here," and he scribbled an address at the far end of town.
Thus, he was forced to listen to the accusing jangling for a few more hours. He did not care to analyze where his feet were taking him. He did not bother to notice what kind of place it was, just that it did not look anything like a pharmacy. He needed them. That was all he knew now. He talked to a man with a knowing grin and weasel eyes, handed him the money, got his bottle, asked no further questions, did not look around. He had what he wanted. That was all he knew.
He thought he heard victorious laughter from just beyond his line of sight. This is interesting! He heard someone say. That redhead's been on our case for a long time! Now he's one of our clients! Very interesting, indeed! We needn't worry about the police for a while longer. Let the good times roll!
Yes, he knew they were talking about him. He did not understand, and he did not care. He had what he wanted. Nothing else mattered.
He only returned at a time he was rather sure Kaoru would be teaching elsewhere and Yahiko would be occupied with errands.
His landlady was still out when he returned to the Kamiya dojo. It was better that way. His worry about her only compounded to the threatening words and awful dreams that already filled his head. He peered down at the bottle in his hand, new and full. Just one of these, and the concerns would disappear. It would be worth all the trouble he went through. Yes, even disappointing her. It would be worth it if he could forget it with these little white things.
With only a little remorse, he opened the small bottle of white pills. He took one, just one, for right now. He knew it was not enough to put him to sleep, not anymore. It was just enough to numb his condemning conscience, and to make him forget the possible impact of his deed on Kaoru.
He was still much in a drug-induced stupor when Kaoru found him in the porch. She was red in the face and sweating profusely, yet it did not matter to him. It was......best............more or less........to be calm about.......it.............and let the........storm pass.
"Where have you BEEN?!" Kaoru shouted. "The laundry isn't done, the yard is still unswept, the water in the kitchen is all gone!"
"Sorry, Kaoru-dono," was all he said with a half-hearted glance at her.
""Sorry' won't be good enough right now," she marched toward him. "Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"The money I got saved is gone, and only you know where I keep my money." She raised an open palm. "You bought another bottle of those things. Hand it over. I'm giving it back, and getting back my savings. Don't you realize that I haven't taken the market money yet?"
"I did not take your money," he said flatly.
"LIAR! I saw you!" Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "You entered my room, you took out the box, you took every single gold piece! How could you! I thought you were better than that!"
He deserved every bit of her wrath, yet he could not surrender the bottle.
"Himura Kenshin, I am asking, forcing, demanding that you hand over the bottle!" Her eyes blazed, as the tears dropped to her cheeks.
He shook his head and rose to leave.
"I might be younger than you, but I am still your landlady, and you are here because I allow you to stay. I am giving you an order! Give the bottle to me." A few more tears fell. "Please!"
He bowed. "I cannot." He began to walk away.
"Do NOT walk out on me, Himura Kenshin!" she screamed after him. He continued to walk away. "I am master of this house, you will do as I say!"
He turned the corner.
"DON'T DO THIS, KENSHIN!!"
Then she screamed at the heavens. "Idiot! I am such an idiot!!"
.....................................
He popped the second one when he returned to his little room, and became oblivious to his crime and to his furious landlady. He swore to explain everything to her............someday............explain everything properly...........some...........
As he lost himself in the chemical fog, the little girl appeared again. She walked beside him, her hand in his, and swinging his arm with it. She was a frisky little girl. She peppered him with stories about big bullies and trips to the river with her father.
"Aren't you even a little bit afraid of me, my little friend? You only met me today," he interrupted after a while.
"Should I be afraid of you, o-nii-chan? You look like a nice guy. At least you listen to a girl like me, not like most grown-ups. They just think I'm a nuisance," she answered with a sweet smile. "And stop calling me little!"
"What should I call you then? What is your name?"
The girl told him her name, even her full name. He just could not remember it now. He did recall it was rather short. It was also a bit too girly for this rather boyish girl.
"I'm not scared of you!" she declared. "You're too nice. You talked to me, and you're walking me home. You can't be a bad person!"
He smiled sadly. That is one person who is not scared of him, so far, one only. Only because she did not know who he was.
"But it is so soon after the war, my dear. I could be.........a very bad man, a ..........a murderer. Didn't your father warn you about strangers? Haven't you heard of the Hitokiri Battousai, the..........the best...........killer in the war?"
She pouted. "All you grown-ups talk the same! War! War! Always war! But not my daddy!" She tossed her head and raised her chest proudly. "My daddy says, the war was bad for everybody, especially the grown-ups. But the war is over! We all have to move on! My mommy would have wanted it that way."
"Your mother died in the war?"
She shook her head. "She got sick and she died, that's all. But my aunt died because of the war. And I liked her a lot." She frowned. "But my daddy says, now that the war is over, we have to be happy for those who died. My aunt will be sad if she sees all of us sad from where she is."
Even Tomoe? She would be happier if he lived a happy life from now on?
"That's why I try to cheer everybody up! And I try to be a good kendo student! That's what makes my daddy the happiest!"
The little girl was right. He had to live his own life, beyond the war. He would be the best at what he knew how to be. He had promised not to kill anymore, but he could use his sword to help protect those that needed it. That would make Tomoe happy, he was sure.
They had finally reached a familiar street. She lit up and ran to the large house with a prominent name at the gate. He followed her to the gate at his own pace.
"Thank you so much!" she beamed. "You have to come inside! You have to meet my daddy!"
It was too dangerous to be recognized in Tokyo as the Hitokiri Battousai. "Some other time," he smiled. "I have to go now." He took up her hand, and gave it a good pat. "Thanks a lot, my little friend. I will remember what you said. Goodbye. Grow up to be a fine lady, alright?" He then turned and began to walk away.
"Wait!" the girl shouted to him. "What's your name, o-nii-chan?"
It was too soon after the wars had ended. She might not know him, but her relatives might. Better safe than sorry. "Let's just say, I'm a rurouni."
"Ru-rou-ni?" the girl tilted her head.
"I'm not a samurai, but I have no master, not anymore," he explained. "So, for now, I wander around by myself."
"Okay," the girl grinned. Then she ran to him, and tugged at his gi. "When will I see you again?"
"I do not know," he smiled back at her.
"When you come back, you'll stay at my house!" she gave him a tight hug. "Is that a promise?"
"Alright," he agreed as he patted her head.
...............................................
I think I'm being a bit too obvious, but I suppose I do want to be obvious. I hope you liked this little bit. Also, if you think this is very uncharacteristic of our redhead, remember that dangerous drugs do weird things to the brain. My point being, he's not exactly aware that all of this uncharacteristic behavior is happening to him. You expect your medicine not to do anything weird to you, right?
pnaixrose – Hiya! Welcome to RK fanfiction! Author ecommendations: Chiki, Conspirator, XD, angrybee. It will also be nice if you can check the stories winning and getting nominated in the RK Reader's Choice Awards. The best of the best are there.
Kana173 – thanks a lot for liking the story!
Brittanie Love – Thank you!
junyortrakr – That's love for you. Thanks for liking the story.
JML -- Hiko-sama? Maybe not this story.
Alexiel – Thanks much! I don't think I'm that unique. I'm just a little nuts. The life I live makes me go crazy sometimes. No, I will NOT kill my favorite redhead, don't worry! It's not my nature to kill off characters.
The RKRC is back! Go nominate your favorite stories already!
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"When you come back, you'll stay at my house!" the little girl gave him a tight hug. "Is that a promise?"
"Alright," he had agreed as he patted her head. Then he said his goodbyes and went on his way.
He did hope to see the little girl again, but he did not count on it. He figured they would forget about each other in a few months.
He had forgotten about the little event from over 10 years ago. But nowadays memories, life-changing or insignificant, came to him without choice. It came to him in bits and pieces. He barely recalled what the girl looked like. He thought he remembered a little wooden sword on her person, but that was all. It did not matter. After all, it was only a meeting of a few hours.
The little girl had tapped his shoulder and smiled at him. "Why are you under the bridge?"
She had found him under a bridge, of all places. It was a good hiding place, while people searched for an assassin. Furthermore, the places under bridges were peaceful and dark. Just the thing for disturbing thoughts. "I don't know where else to go, little one," he honestly replied. "What about you? Why are you here?"
"Don't know where to go either," she answered as she sat beside him. "I don't know where my daddy went." But for a girl who was lost, she was quite calm about it. "You hungry, o-nii-chan?"
Yes, he was, somewhat, but he had no money left for dinner, he was far away from the woods, and he knew nobody in the new Tokyo.
He was probably thinking too long. The little girl got impatient.
"Kenshin?"
He looked at her with surprise. How in the world did the little girl know his name? He seldom gave his name to anyone, especially not to strange little girls!
"Kenshin?"
Think, Kenshin, THINK! Was this the daughter of an enemy, or a friend? What should he do to her?
The girl tilted her head at him. "Kenshin, have some breakfast! You still have a high pile of laundry to deal with!"
Laundry?! He held his head and tried to focus. "Kaoru-dono. Yes, I am coming."
"I hope you're not sick, Kenshin," Kaoru continued. "You've been staring into space for over an hour now. Apart from the many things that have been strange about you lately."
"Sorry, Kaoru-dono. I am not sick."
He was not sick. He was worried.
He had used up his last white pill yesterday evening.
He needed a new bottle of the sleeping pills, but he had no money left. He had just completed payment for the first bottle the other day. If he wanted another one, he had to pay for it first. Two days. He would gauge himself for two days. If he could go on fine for two days without them, he would not buy another bottle.
But his lofty plan was not working. Vegetables and soup blurred in front of him, and that was not because of the smoke from the cooking. The day and night seemed the same to him. And once every hour, was a new threatening voice.
She will never be yours. She will never be yours! Never! She will never be yours!
Around dinner time of the second day he was just barely aware of a hand being passed over his eyes. He did not even hear what Yahiko was saying. When he managed to snap out of his reverie, the dishes had already been cleared, and he was alone in the kitchen.
He sighed deeply. He had to sleep, normally, like most people. Not like this, asleep with eyes open. He had to buy another bottle, and soon. He did not know how to get money quickly...........unless............yes, there was a room in the house with a cash box............ he could get money quickly from there.
He was not sure if he was asleep or awake, hallucinating or dreaming. He was not even sure what time, what day it was. But he was sure he was in a large house, one that used to be affluent. His goal was to get to the room just past a large assembly area.......or was it a hall for sword practice?............yes, a practice hall. He was supposed to get some documents from a drawer, as well as assassinate the master of the house. A simple mission. A little out of his way, though. He had protested to his superiors. He was employed as an assassin, not as a thief.
"What's the difference?" one replied. "You steal lives." After the young assassin sighed, the man continued. "It will not be too hard. Kill the man when you meet him. Retrieve the documents from his drawer."
He accepted the black envelope with the potential victim's name, without a word. That was why he was now in the house. He was about to begin his mission.
Quickly and quietly he worked his way to the room. Not very large, and rather sparse. More of a woman's room, though; it had a mirror and a kimono. He barely made out a person sleeping in a futon to one side of the room. As long as the person was not his target, as long as the person did not wake, it would be fine. He just had to be careful.
He walked to the dresser and began opening the drawers. More female articles, mostly. Nothing worth stealing. Something was not right. In the drawer he found a box, but the box was full of money, not papers.
He shook his head, refocused, and remembered. This was the present. He came to the dark little room for the money. He needed the money. Any way, any how.
Whatever. It was something about money, something about a mission. Something about retrieving some articles, in the process of eliminating someone. In any case, he had to hurry and leave the house. Soon he would be noticed. The consequences would be terrible.
He dropped two gold pieces in his haste. They clinked as they knocked into each other. He quickly snatched them and hid in a corner.
"Kenshin? That you?" a voice mumbled.
It was a female, rather high-pitched. She must be murmuring about her husband or something; surely there were other people in the city named as he was. He chose to ignore the voice, and to slowly sneak out of the bedroom before the woman got any more suspicious. Unfortunately, the gold pieces clinked again, and made a definitive racket.
"Who's there?" the woman asked, with a menacing tone. "You better come out."
He knew better than to show himself. He did not want to kill a woman if it could be helped. Thus, he waited in the shadows, until she murmured, "Must be my imagination............he couldn't do that to me, that red-haired annoyance............" she snuggled back under her blanket. he?"
The man heaved in relief. From the tone the woman used, he knew that this woman was not a pushover. Male or female, if it were a thief, she would take them down, forcefully if not efficiently. He slid open the door just enough for him to slip through, and sped back to his room with trained silent, swift feet.
The rush of adrenalin was incredible. He had not felt so............alive..........in months. The exhilaration in the efforts to avoid detection: it was a sensation he had left behind him. The thrill in the danger: it was a sensation not easily replaced. But it slowly dawned on him that this sensation would not happen again, not in a long while. It was now the era of peace. Yes, he did want peace, both for his country and for himself. He knew he had found it, and he would not let it go, not for the world. But it was hard, really hard, to get used again to a calm, peaceful life.
His thoughts slowly returned to the present. The implications of his actions had not reached his consciousness, yet. Still, he now remembered that he was in his room at the Kamiya dojo, and that he had just............stolen from Kaoru.
He had just added to his already many offenses against her. And this was the worst he could do. This, without doubt, will make her throw him out of the dojo. He would be out of her life, and she would not be the worse for it. She would forget him as an annoyance and a robber. And he deserved it.
But he needed that new bottle, even if she got mad, even if she threw him out. He did not know how to last another day without decent sleep. He did not want to return to the terrible days of nightmares. He would explain, someday. He would explain. This was not a permanent arrangement, he convinced himself. Only as long as he needed, not longer. He would stop taking them when he no longer needed them. And he would return to being the man she.........she admires, relies on, depends on.................loves.
She must not run into him this morning, he thought. He had to leave the house before she waked. Otherwise, who knows what could happen between them so early in the day. The young woman could be quite terrifying when provoked; he had seen it happen all too often.
The gold pieces and paper bills clinked and crinkled noisily in the billfold as he walked to the doctor's office, accusing him to no end. He wondered why no one else heard the coins jangle so much.
But fate was not on his side. "Sorry, Himura-san, I've just run out," the doctor said. "You can get some here," and he scribbled an address at the far end of town.
Thus, he was forced to listen to the accusing jangling for a few more hours. He did not care to analyze where his feet were taking him. He did not bother to notice what kind of place it was, just that it did not look anything like a pharmacy. He needed them. That was all he knew now. He talked to a man with a knowing grin and weasel eyes, handed him the money, got his bottle, asked no further questions, did not look around. He had what he wanted. That was all he knew.
He thought he heard victorious laughter from just beyond his line of sight. This is interesting! He heard someone say. That redhead's been on our case for a long time! Now he's one of our clients! Very interesting, indeed! We needn't worry about the police for a while longer. Let the good times roll!
Yes, he knew they were talking about him. He did not understand, and he did not care. He had what he wanted. Nothing else mattered.
He only returned at a time he was rather sure Kaoru would be teaching elsewhere and Yahiko would be occupied with errands.
His landlady was still out when he returned to the Kamiya dojo. It was better that way. His worry about her only compounded to the threatening words and awful dreams that already filled his head. He peered down at the bottle in his hand, new and full. Just one of these, and the concerns would disappear. It would be worth all the trouble he went through. Yes, even disappointing her. It would be worth it if he could forget it with these little white things.
With only a little remorse, he opened the small bottle of white pills. He took one, just one, for right now. He knew it was not enough to put him to sleep, not anymore. It was just enough to numb his condemning conscience, and to make him forget the possible impact of his deed on Kaoru.
He was still much in a drug-induced stupor when Kaoru found him in the porch. She was red in the face and sweating profusely, yet it did not matter to him. It was......best............more or less........to be calm about.......it.............and let the........storm pass.
"Where have you BEEN?!" Kaoru shouted. "The laundry isn't done, the yard is still unswept, the water in the kitchen is all gone!"
"Sorry, Kaoru-dono," was all he said with a half-hearted glance at her.
""Sorry' won't be good enough right now," she marched toward him. "Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"The money I got saved is gone, and only you know where I keep my money." She raised an open palm. "You bought another bottle of those things. Hand it over. I'm giving it back, and getting back my savings. Don't you realize that I haven't taken the market money yet?"
"I did not take your money," he said flatly.
"LIAR! I saw you!" Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "You entered my room, you took out the box, you took every single gold piece! How could you! I thought you were better than that!"
He deserved every bit of her wrath, yet he could not surrender the bottle.
"Himura Kenshin, I am asking, forcing, demanding that you hand over the bottle!" Her eyes blazed, as the tears dropped to her cheeks.
He shook his head and rose to leave.
"I might be younger than you, but I am still your landlady, and you are here because I allow you to stay. I am giving you an order! Give the bottle to me." A few more tears fell. "Please!"
He bowed. "I cannot." He began to walk away.
"Do NOT walk out on me, Himura Kenshin!" she screamed after him. He continued to walk away. "I am master of this house, you will do as I say!"
He turned the corner.
"DON'T DO THIS, KENSHIN!!"
Then she screamed at the heavens. "Idiot! I am such an idiot!!"
.....................................
He popped the second one when he returned to his little room, and became oblivious to his crime and to his furious landlady. He swore to explain everything to her............someday............explain everything properly...........some...........
As he lost himself in the chemical fog, the little girl appeared again. She walked beside him, her hand in his, and swinging his arm with it. She was a frisky little girl. She peppered him with stories about big bullies and trips to the river with her father.
"Aren't you even a little bit afraid of me, my little friend? You only met me today," he interrupted after a while.
"Should I be afraid of you, o-nii-chan? You look like a nice guy. At least you listen to a girl like me, not like most grown-ups. They just think I'm a nuisance," she answered with a sweet smile. "And stop calling me little!"
"What should I call you then? What is your name?"
The girl told him her name, even her full name. He just could not remember it now. He did recall it was rather short. It was also a bit too girly for this rather boyish girl.
"I'm not scared of you!" she declared. "You're too nice. You talked to me, and you're walking me home. You can't be a bad person!"
He smiled sadly. That is one person who is not scared of him, so far, one only. Only because she did not know who he was.
"But it is so soon after the war, my dear. I could be.........a very bad man, a ..........a murderer. Didn't your father warn you about strangers? Haven't you heard of the Hitokiri Battousai, the..........the best...........killer in the war?"
She pouted. "All you grown-ups talk the same! War! War! Always war! But not my daddy!" She tossed her head and raised her chest proudly. "My daddy says, the war was bad for everybody, especially the grown-ups. But the war is over! We all have to move on! My mommy would have wanted it that way."
"Your mother died in the war?"
She shook her head. "She got sick and she died, that's all. But my aunt died because of the war. And I liked her a lot." She frowned. "But my daddy says, now that the war is over, we have to be happy for those who died. My aunt will be sad if she sees all of us sad from where she is."
Even Tomoe? She would be happier if he lived a happy life from now on?
"That's why I try to cheer everybody up! And I try to be a good kendo student! That's what makes my daddy the happiest!"
The little girl was right. He had to live his own life, beyond the war. He would be the best at what he knew how to be. He had promised not to kill anymore, but he could use his sword to help protect those that needed it. That would make Tomoe happy, he was sure.
They had finally reached a familiar street. She lit up and ran to the large house with a prominent name at the gate. He followed her to the gate at his own pace.
"Thank you so much!" she beamed. "You have to come inside! You have to meet my daddy!"
It was too dangerous to be recognized in Tokyo as the Hitokiri Battousai. "Some other time," he smiled. "I have to go now." He took up her hand, and gave it a good pat. "Thanks a lot, my little friend. I will remember what you said. Goodbye. Grow up to be a fine lady, alright?" He then turned and began to walk away.
"Wait!" the girl shouted to him. "What's your name, o-nii-chan?"
It was too soon after the wars had ended. She might not know him, but her relatives might. Better safe than sorry. "Let's just say, I'm a rurouni."
"Ru-rou-ni?" the girl tilted her head.
"I'm not a samurai, but I have no master, not anymore," he explained. "So, for now, I wander around by myself."
"Okay," the girl grinned. Then she ran to him, and tugged at his gi. "When will I see you again?"
"I do not know," he smiled back at her.
"When you come back, you'll stay at my house!" she gave him a tight hug. "Is that a promise?"
"Alright," he agreed as he patted her head.
...............................................
I think I'm being a bit too obvious, but I suppose I do want to be obvious. I hope you liked this little bit. Also, if you think this is very uncharacteristic of our redhead, remember that dangerous drugs do weird things to the brain. My point being, he's not exactly aware that all of this uncharacteristic behavior is happening to him. You expect your medicine not to do anything weird to you, right?
pnaixrose – Hiya! Welcome to RK fanfiction! Author ecommendations: Chiki, Conspirator, XD, angrybee. It will also be nice if you can check the stories winning and getting nominated in the RK Reader's Choice Awards. The best of the best are there.
Kana173 – thanks a lot for liking the story!
Brittanie Love – Thank you!
junyortrakr – That's love for you. Thanks for liking the story.
JML -- Hiko-sama? Maybe not this story.
Alexiel – Thanks much! I don't think I'm that unique. I'm just a little nuts. The life I live makes me go crazy sometimes. No, I will NOT kill my favorite redhead, don't worry! It's not my nature to kill off characters.