Chapter Five: Kenshin's Guilty Conscience
A/N: Kenshin awakens to the sound of wolf howls and growls. He opens his eyes and sees that he's laying on a futon in a warm, cozy little room. He turns his head to the left and sees a little girl around 7 years old with big brown eyes and long chocolate-brown hair staring at him. He's badly startled and falls off the futon.
Little Girl: Mister, are you ok?
Kenshin: (quickly sits up) I'm fine! You just surprised me!
Little Girl: (touches Kenshin's hair)
Kenshin: Erm…may I ask what you're doing?
Little Girl: (stops abruptly and puts her head on the ground) I'm very sorry sir! It's just that I've never seen anyone with red hair before. I didn't mean to insult you!
Kenshin: It's all right! Don't worry you didn't insult me! Here, (bows his head) you're welcome to touch my hair any time you want!
Little Girl: Really?! (touches his hair and giggles)
Kenshin: My name is Kenshin what's yours?
Little Girl: Lynn. You're nothing like the other Samurai I've heard about, Kenshin.
Kenshin: What have you heard about other Samurai?
Lynn: That they're cruel, mean, murderers, and live by a strict code of honor. If you don't follow it when you're around a Samurai then your better off dead!
Kenshin: (notices that his wounds have been cleaned and bandaged) So, who dressed my wounds?
Lynn: My mother, Takiko.
Kenshin: Do you know of two men named Heike and Futa?
Lynn: Futa's my father and Heike's my Uncle!
Kenshin: Oro?!
Lynn: What?
Kenshin: (thinking) I'm guessing Lynn took after her mother more than her father!
A/N: The door slides open and a young boy also around 7 years old enters the room. He has black hair and almond-brown eyes.
Little Boy: Oh boy you're awake!!! Out of the room Lynn, I need to have a man-to-man conversation with him!
Lynn: But Kenjii, it isn't really a man-to-man conversation when you can barely fit into a pair of sandals!
Kenjii: That's Kenjiioumaru-samma to you! Now get out Lynn! It's bad enough that the first thing he saw when he woke up was your ugly face!
Lynn: WHAT DID YOU SAY???!!!!!
Kenjii: I SAID TOU HAVE AN UGLY FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IT'S JUST GOING TO KEEP GETTING UGLIER AND UGLIER EVERY YEAR!!!!!!!!!
Lynn: Well at least I grow a few inches each year, unlike you who haven't grown an inch since you were 3!
Kenjii: That's not true!!!!! I measure myself every day!!!!
Lynn: Are you serious?
Kenjii: Yeah, why?
Lynn: Because, only an extremely short person would measure themselves everyday…
Kenjii: GET OUT!!!!!!!!!
Lynn: Right now?
Kenjii: YES!
Lynn: I don't feel like it!
Kenjii: Fine! Just shut up while I talk to him!
Lynn: (sticks out her tongue) What do you need to talk to Kenshin about anyway?
Kenjii: (ignoring Lynn) Please honorable Samurai, allow me to be your student!
Kenshin: Oro? Well…I…
Lynn: Kenjii, you know that your father, Heike, wants you do be an ox driver like him when you grow up!
Kenjii: …
A/N: The door slides open again and a woman that looks like an older version of Lynn steps in. She's carrying a tray of rice, bean paste, dumplings, and a glass of warm green tea. When she spoke, her voice sounded kind and gentle, like she was born to be a mother.
Woman: Lynn! Kenjii! Stop pestering the poor boy. Go outside and make yourselves useful by helping your fathers with the rice fields.
Lynn: Yes Mommy!
Kenjii: Yes Mrs. Takiko!
A/N: Both children go outside.
Takiko: (sits next to the futon) Here, (scoots tray along the futon to Kenshin) I can't believe you're already awake with such injuries! Like a lot of young men, you recover quickly! (laughs)
Kenshin: (wolfing down the food gratefully) I can't believe I'm so hungry!
Takiko: Well you've been asleep for nearly a day.
Kenshin: (choking on food)
Takiko: (slaps his back to stop him from choking) Oops…
A/N: Takiko forgets that Kenshin has rib injuries and by slapping him, well you can guess what happens…
Kenshin: OOOUUUCH!!!!!!!!!
Takiko: My God… Kenshin are you all right?!
Kenshin: I'm fi- (still choking on food)
Takiko: I am sooo sorry!
Kenshin: (starts chugging his tea to let his food go down)
Takiko: (gasps) Kenshin! You shouldn't drink the tea so fast; I just boiled it a few minutes ago and it's very, very-
Kenshin: HOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A/N: Well Kenshin turns eating into a battle he can't win (sweat drop). When he's finally done…
Kenshin: Thank you.
Takiko: For what?
Kenshin: For dressing my wounds.
Takiko: Nonsense! Anyone would have done the same.
Kenshin: I didn't want to ask the children this, but I was wondering where those howls are coming from?
Takiko: Oh that? That's Aleena.
Kenshin: ALEENA??? She's making that noise? Who brought her? How's she doing? She isn't hurt is she?
Takiko: Not all at once!
Kenshin: Sorry…
Takiko: (giggles) It's cute that you care about her!
Kenshin: (blushes) I'm just… It's not what you think!
Takiko: There's no need to be bashful! She is quite pretty when she's sleeping. (brings her hair behind her ears, revealing bandages on her arm)
Kenshin: What happened to your arm?
Takiko: Hm? Oh, this? Aleena bit me. (howling stops)
Kenshin: She bit you?! How could anyone do such a thing to a kind person like you?!
Takiko: She was terrified.(laughs) You should've seen what she did to Heike and my husband! Go see her; Kenshin was it? It would do her some good to see a familiar face!
Kenshin: I wouldn't call myself 'a familiar face'. She can't stand me!
Takiko: (stands up and walks to the shoji, orpaper door)
Kenshin: Hey! Where're you going?
Takiko: (reaches into her sleeve, pulls out a dumpling, and tosses it to Kenshin)
Kenshin: (catches it)
Takiko: (smiles) There! That'll give you an excuse to go see her! She's in room across from this one. (leaves)
Kenshin: … (thinking) How can I face her after what I've done? I killed her father after all…
A/N: Kenshin finally gets up and leaves his room. He slowly makes his way to the shoji across the hall. He hesitates for a moment or two before he slides it open. Aleena was sleeping on the hard wood floor instead of the futon which was right next to her. Kenshin sat down beside her.
Kenshin: (thinking) For some reason I imagined that while she slept, she would have her mouth wide open drooling and snoring. But Takiko was right! She does look kind of cute when she's sleeping!
A/N: Kenshin couldn't help himself; he laid his hand on her head and stroked her hair. Aleena stirred and for a brief moment she smiled, but it turned into fury immediately afterward. She sank her teeth into his wrist. Kenshin didn't even flinch. Her eyes startled him; they quickly reminded him of the same hate in the eyes of Akira. But her eyes differed by one crucial factor: she showed mercy. After a few seconds she stopped.
Kenshin: Here. (sets dumpling in front of her on the floor)
Aleena: (looks at it intently)
Kenshin: It's food.
Aleena: (still staring at it)
Kenshin: Aren't you hungry?
Aleena: (looks at him blankly)
Kenshin: I know you can talk.
Aleena: (looks at the shoji then back at Kenshin)
Kenshin: Oh I see, you want me to leave.
Aleena: (nods)
Kenshin: You're way too cute for your own good! You know that?!
Aleena: …?
A/N: Kenshin stand up to leave, but hears a noise coming from behind. He turns around and sees Aleena gobbling up the dumpling in no time flat!
Kenshin: (nervous smile/laugh) So you are hungry eh? (thinking) She eats like an animal!
Aleena: (licking the area of the floor where the dumpling was)
Kenshin: (sweat drop) I'll bring you a tray of food…
Aleena: Thank you, but I've already eaten.
Kenshin: Wow, you spoke…
Aleena: Yeah… I just don't like to use human tongue.
Kenshin: If you've already eaten then why did you eat that dumpling just now?
Aleena: How can anyone throw away food?
Kenshin: Still, you shouldn't eat when you're stuffed!
Aleena: I'm never 'stuffed'; I eat everything I can, because food may not be there the next day.
Kenshin: Who told you that?!
Aleena: No one, it's instinct! (she said this as if Kenshin was crazy)
Kenshin: (stares at his wrist which is bleeding)
Aleena: (ties a piece of cloth around his wrist)
Kenshin: Thanks, where did you get the cloth?
Aleena: (shows him the blanket on the futon; it has a piece missing in the middle) It's ok! I'm not using it!
Kenshin: That isn't your blanket!!!
Aleena: Yes it is! Takiko gave me it!
Kenshin: She let you borrow it, not have it!
Aleena: Borrow?
Kenshin: You don't know what borrow means?
Aleena: (shakes head) Nope!
Kenshin: (sighs) I'll explain it to you later!
Aleena: I'm sorry.
Kenshin: For biting me?
Aleena: No, for biting too hard!
Kenshin: Why did you bite me in the first place?!
Aleena: I had to figure out what kind of person you are.
Kenshin: Huh?
Aleena: Well, when I bit the two men you were with they yelped like puppy dogs. That told me that they're cowardly, but they immediately told their families to get back, that tells me that they're family oriented.
Kenshin: You found that out by biting them?
Aleena: Yes.
Kenshin: What about when you bit Takiko?
Aleena: She was trembling, but she didn't cry out in pain. That means that she tries to remain calm no matter what. When I stopped she smiled warmly at me; my whole body felt guilt afterwards. That means that she's a kind person.
Kenshin: Wow…What did you find out about me?
Aleena: Nothing.
Kenshin: (anime fall) W-What do you mean nothing???
Aleena: You didn't seem to notice my bite at all.
Kenshin: What are you talking about?! Of course I did!
Aleena: You weren't focusing on the pain. You were looking into my eyes the entire time. I wonder... you must be guilty of some awful crim-
Kenshin: Shut up! You don't even know me!
Aleena: You must be foolish too! Seeing as you the one who asked what I found out about you!
Kenshin: (looking down, clenching his fists, and trembling) Just shut up!
Aleena: That proves it; mass murder.
Kenshin: SHUT UP!!! (draws his katana and swings it towards Aleena, he stops it as it barely punctures her neck)
Aleena:(glares at him directly in the eyes) You can't kill someone when they look right at you. You must have a moral code that doesn't involve killing women or children. And the way you hesitated before drawing your blade, even if you didn't notice that yourself, means that you have a conscience, even if it is a guilty one.
Kenshin: (puts his katana back in its sheath)
Aleena: (cheerful again) So what did you find out about me?
Kenshin: (thinking) I can't tell her I killed her father! I can't tell her I'm a hitokiri! I can't tell her anything! And yet… it's as if she already knows…
Aleena: What's wrong?
Kenshin: I have to go! (he runs out of the room)
A/N: Kenshin ran outside in the back yard. The fresh air did him some good. He kept wondering a lot of things: Why did he feel so guilty for killing a wolf? What was with that strange dream he had? Why did it bother him that Aleena knew so much about him without really knowing the truth? This one puzzled him the most: Why did all that not seem to matter when he was around her? Then something strange occurred to Kenshin…
Kenshin had never told Aleena his name.
