Chapter 8

By Crystal

Author's Notes: Thank you everyone that has been reading and reviewing!

*Screw the disclaimers ^^;;*

Toshiko had already opened up the box after awaking, it was the prettiest kimono she saw. The bottom of the kimono was golden, and then turning to red and to white where her chest would be. Red, gold and white flowers were everywhere, making the kimono even more breathtaking. The obi was black with golden roses. Then folding it back in the box.

There was not much to do here in Otsu, they've been walking around the village for a few minutes. Toshiko was having some conversation with some people around the village for a few minutes, and they ran in a kid, about seventeen to eighteen years old.

The kid apologized, "Gomen nasai!" And looked up, his eyes suddenly filled with surprised. "...Tomoe-san?"

Toshiko tilted her head curiously while Soujiro raised his eyebrow, "Tomoe...May I ask who you are?"

"Hisashi Toku desu. Are you Tomoe-san?" Toku asked curiously, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Iie...demo, I'm her sister. You know Tomoe?"

"Hai, she used to live here with her husband years and years ago. It must've been over a decade. Kenshin sold medicine for the whole village and after work, he would play with us all. I remember we used to have mud fights a lot, since that year, it was rainy." He smiled fondly at the memories. "Ah...I really miss him. And his wife, she looked exactly like you, except she didn't smile, and she was always quiet, looking sorrowful. But Kenshin was very nice to her." And then added in a smaller voice, "She was pregnant. But she didn't tell Kenshin yet then."

"Did she tell him later?"

"I don't know, a few weeks later, their house burnt down. And we never got to see them again." Toku looked at Soujiro and back at Toshiko, "May I know your names?"

"I'm Soujiro, and this is Toshiko." Soujiro finally joined in the conversation.

Toshiko bit her lip, "Sou ka...Oneechan and his husband probably died in the fire."

Soujiro put his hand on her shoulder, "Goshinpainaku Toshiko. I saw Himura-san just an year ago. I have no doubt that he's quite healthy."

"Aa...I hope that's true. Toku-kun, would you mind leading us to where they used to live?"

"Sure, the house wasn't rebuilt for some reason. I really miss those two. The whole village like Kenshin. He was really nice most of the time, but sometimes, his eyes would turn yellow, but it would disappear in a few seconds." Toku sighed.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the burnt house and went inside, some part of the furniture were not burnt, example the desk. For a second there, Toshiko thought she heard her sister's voice, but shook it away. Tomoe couldn't be dead, Soujiro said that Himura-san was alive, there was no way her sister died, if she did, then he would have too.

Soujiro was quiet, it has been proved that Himura-san had a wife, but he never told him that. Not that he expected Himura-san to, I mean, we were having a fight. Lots of people was named Himura Kenshin...But this was too weird, the timeline could have been right, and Himura-san could have been sent here with his wife during the Bakumatsu. Nothing was impossible, but for whatever reason his boss sent the Battousai to Otsu, he would have no idea. That is, until he talks with Himura-san.

He suddenly picked up a sweet scent, filling up his nostrils for a second, then vanishing into thing air. It smelt like... white plum... As he closed his eyes, images flashed into Soujiro's head. A younger Himura, one single scar on his left cheek, not yet an 'x'. A women he suspected to be Tomoe in Himura-san's arms. Himura-san's single scar bleeding, beads of blood dropping on the floor and him holding what appears to be a diary. He opened up his eyes.

This was definitely getting weird. He saw Toshiko and Toku-kun opening the drawer in the desk, inside, was a mirror and a bottle of perfume. It looked old. Himura-san...with one scar, his eyes lifeless when it bled, and alive when he held his wife. This was just his imagination, Himura-san had a wife, so what? He was having visions of them in this house over a decade ago, so what? It wasn't real, was it? It must be his imagination.

He looked over to Toshiko. 'white plum...' She would smell good with hakubai-kou. Just like his sister would be. He groaned, 'I don't know Toshiko's sister. I must be going nuts. All this thinking about Shishio-san and Himura-san must finally be getting to me.'

Toshiko picked up the perfume and said softly to herself, "White plum" Toku-kun had left a minute ago, saying that he would be at the village if they needed him. He didn't want to bother them.

She had taken the mirror and the perfume, reminding herself that she was going to give it back to Tomoe when she meets her. She put it in the box, which fit perfectly, she had even stuffed the blanket in the box, one less thing to carry. Before leaving, she turned around and had one last look at the burnt house and left.

Soujiro and Toshiko said their thanks to Toku with him asking if they were going to bring Kenshin and Tomoe-san to visit sometime, and Toshiko had promised him. They waved and went out of sight.

It was noon, and after eating from their bag of provisions, they resumed their trip to Kyoto. Seeing Kyoto once again was going to bring back Soujiro's memories. It was, after all his 'home' once. Oh right, he had to visit Anji, and maybe Chou. Even Kamatari if she was still in Kyoto. He took a glance at Toshiko that was happily humming to herself again. 'Now would be a good time to tell her about visiting Anji, Soujiro.'

"Ano...Toshiko?" He asked hesitantly.

"Hai, Soujiro?" She looked at him, humming happily, so carefree.

He gulped, 'don't let her be mad.' "I'm...er..." He suddenly didn't know what to say anymore.

"Spit it out, Soujiro. You know I won't be mad at you, ne?" She glanced up at him with big cute eyes.

"...In Kyoto...I'm going to break into a jail-"

"NANI?!" She shouted, and quieted down immediately, "What are you talking about Soujiro, are you crazy?!"

"To see my old friend Anji if they don't let me visit him." He finished, trying not to show a bit of fear, he did not know what angry women did.

"Sou ka...All right then." She replied, not caring much at all.

He noticed he was holding his breathe and let out a sigh of relief. Thank Kami-sama she was in a good mood, or else she would probably take his katana and slice him into pieces. He quietly thanked Aoma-san for giving her the kimono and Toku-kun for showing them Himura-san's house where she found the mirror and the perfume.

The rest of the day pasted fast enough, with both of them chit-chatting about their childhood, in Soujiro's case, his past, with Toshiko asking questions and Soujiro answering them. And for the second time of the day thanking Kami-sama because Toshiko had not mentioned the Hitokiri Battousai or asked anything about the hitokiri. And for that, he was glad.

Soujiro had learned that Toshiko was born in Tokyo, back then named Edo but moved after Tomoe and Enishi had gone away. No wonder she had lost connection with her sister.

The night came fast enough, and Soujiro told Toshiko once again what they were going to do the next morning when they wake up the first thing in the morning. They were going to have a little breakfast, then arrive in Kyoto in about another five hours. They would be having lunch, depending on how much distance they had covered by either eating in Kyoto or on the road. Then they would find an inn, that would lent it to them for about a week or so and both of them get jobs, together if possible, but it wasn't that easy to get a job, let alone get two people the same job and same place at the same time.

They ended up sleeping on the soft ground, Soujiro insisting that sleeping with the back against the tree would hurt in the morning with Toshiko admitting defeat and having the blanket cover the both of them on the ground. They were stargazing as a star flew past them and Toshiko immediately closed her eyes and put her hands in a praying position.

Soujiro ended up asking her what she was doing and she told him and made him do the same thing that she had done. With some hesitation, Soujiro closed his eyes and wished for something.

They stayed up watching the heavens and chatting quietly with each other until Toshiko finally gave up and fell asleep, her head on his shoulder as a pillow.

Soujiro knew he was going to have a sore shoulder if he didn't move her now. She was cutting the blood circulation in his arm, but he didn't have the heart to move her head, she looked so peaceful. Sleeping without nightmares. He sometimes wished he was her, always so carefree, sleeping nights without nightmares waking you up so you can sleep till noon.

She would never have any idea how jealous he was. She didn't need to have dreams about killing her own family and having blood on her hands. Blood that would never wash off no matter how many buckets of water you pour on. They would always be stained, until the day he dies, maybe even after then, since he was most likely going to hell.

He found himself suddenly thinking about Himura-san, as for him, he's killed more than Soujiro has had. He wondered how Himura-san could forget about his past and forget the blood stains on his hands, there forever. How he could forget every human he had killed and now live the peaceful life of a rurouni with a family? He himself had remembered every single face he had killed, even the ones that he killed just because he was in a foul mood. Even though Shishio-san asked if he felt anything, he had said no. He was completely unaware of his emotions, until Himura-san gave him a chance to atone the sins he had caused.

What Soujiro didn't know was that Himura Kenshin, the ex-Hitokiri Battousai, the most feared assassin in the whole Japan, had nightmares. That Himura Kenshin felt the same as Soujiro. No matter how much water you used to wash your hands, it was useless. They were stained, for life. But what Soujiro really didn't know was, Kenshin dreams of snow and blood mixed together every night. Kenshin dreams of how he killed his beloved more than a decade ago. And he could never forget, how his wife had looked up at him with all the love she had for him and said that she had forgiven him.

Soujiro didn't know the guilt Kenshin was having to go through ever day. Soujiro lacked one thing. He lacked killing the loved one Kenshin killed. When you kill someone you know and love, it is worst than killing hundreds that you don't know. When you kill someone you love, you regret it for life and there's nothing you can do about it, except promise them that you'll live on. Soujiro hadn't felt what it was to kill the one he loved, or even feel the one he loved killed.

Closing his eyes, he fell into a restless sleep...

Author's Notes: I think Soujiro and Toshiko's going to meet the Kenshin-gumi within 4-5 chapters. Maybe even less, unless I get more ideas. =p I really hoped you liked this chapter, I kinda blabbed on and on about Kenshin and Soujiro. Yeah... =p Thank you for those who are reading and reviewing. I'm kind of sick right now, so I might not be able to update so often. Thank you all and have a nice night and day! Sayonara!

Kenshin: Hai, hai, Crystal-dono has a cold, de gozaru.
Yahiko: Aww...and it was getting near the Kenshin-gumi too! Well, it'll be doing some people some favours, and least the readers of this fic doesn't need to see busu so soon. *disappointed*
Kaoru: Stop calling me a busu, Yahiko-CHAN!
Sanosuke: Yahiko-chan, Raccoon girl, break it up.
Toshiko: *stares wide eye at the Sano stuck in the wall* You two are scary... *Sweatdrops* Are they always like that, Kenshin?
Kaoru/Yahiko: *glares at Sano* Stop calling me Yahiko-chan/Raccoon girl!
Soujiro: Maa, maa...Calm down...Kaoru-san, Yahiko-kun.
Kenshin: Hai, hai, Toshiko-dono. *Watches the two fight* Ororo...

[I don't know why I bothered to do that. =p]

Gomen nasai - Sorry
Iie - No
Demo - But
Sou ka - I see
Oneechan - Sister
Goshinpainaku - Don't worry (Right?)
Hakubai-kou - White plum perfume
Ano - Say
Nani - What
Kami-sama - God