Pure Heart Part 7

First smile

Long after Kenshin fell asleep, Hiko sat in front of the small hut. He smoked his last tobacco and silver smoke was rising into the night sky.

Just a few days ago, his life had changed so – radically. After years of search, he had found someone to train. Someone worthy to inherit the Hiten style. Now everything else was predetermined. In a few years, maybe a decade, he would die by Kenshin's sword. But that was still so far away.

Doubt beset him. He had been fourteen as he began his own training, normally too old to begin the life of a swordsman. But given his size and strength, even at that time, he had already shown a few qualities. Kenshin had neither and, right now, was even too weak to really hold a sword. So he could not mirror his own training, but would have to imagine something new for Kenshin's. Even though he had prepared himself for years to train a student, he was unsure in this case.

As Shinta awoke early in the morning, he felt his bones ache and how uncomfortable he was. He looked around himself. He had not slept on his new futon ,but on an old blanket. It was not especially thick. So that was the reason why he felt so stiff and cold. He was alone in the small hut, Hiko had his own futon packed away in a corner. His own futon was... outside.

Suddenly, he remembered last night. The thought alone made him blush. His thoughts began to race. If only it had been a dream! He felt so ashamed.

"Baka deshi, what is taking you so long? The sun is up already!"

Shinta turned around, startled. Hiko had returned into the hut and was standing behind him. "Gomen..."

Shinta replied and then began to stow away the blanket and the covers.

After he had dressed, Hiko sent him to fetch water. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw his futon in the grass. Sighing, he ran past it, trying to run away from his shame. Not only had he soiled his bed again, it had been a very new futon. Bought just for him. He had never had a futon for himself or felt the joy he had felt last night when he had made himself comfortable on it

Hiko watched him, thinking. Even though it was nearly a week since Kenshin and he had started living together, he felt somewhat surprised each morning when he saw Kenshin sleeping. He had lived alone for too long to simply readjust. And his pondering last night had not brought any answers either.

Besides that, he had decided not to heed his doubts. He had all the time in the world to imagine ways to train Kenshin. It would be weeks until the training could even begin in earnest. Kenshin had to become physically stronger, as well as give his body time to heal before then.

Getting more and more angry with himself, Shinta ran faster and faster through the wet grass between the trees. He fetched the water at the same spot they had practised swimming yesterday. There was nearly no current and the waterfall was barely audible.

On his way back, he had to walk slowly since he was getting tired on the one hand and would be spilling the water on the other. He was still angry, though. How could something like this happen? It was a miracle Hiko had not thrown him out already. It was so terrible. Only babies wet their beds. Shinta was sure he'd die from shame, if this was ever to happen again.

And then, he also was ashamed for thinking Hiko would sell him to the slavers. Even though he had been so much trouble, Hiko had bought him a futon. And now he had disgraced it on the very second night. Could anything be worse?

It could.

After a short breakfast, during which Shinta's thoughts were still centered around last night, Hiko left him no time to think about that.

Somehow, Shinta had already expected this day to begin as the last had ended. In the water. But this time they were at a different place. Much closer to the thundering waterfall. Shinta could not see it behind a riverbend, but he could hear the water very well.

At a shallow spot, Hiko told Kenshin to repeat yesterday's lessons. The outcome was not exactly great. Kenshin seemed to have forgotten everything.

"You swim like a dead duck..." Hiko said sourly.

Shinta looked at him, frowning. "Dead ducks can't swim!"

"That's the point."

Amused, Hiko registered an angry sparkle in Kenshin's eyes.

"You'll practise until I come back. Tomorrow we will cross the river."

Shinta watched Hiko in awe. How could he even think about managing that when yesterday he had to give up after a few meters? But before he could ask, Hiko was gone between the trees.

So Shinta began to practise anew. He swam up and down the riverbank as well as he could. It was tiring and he had to stop often. Besides, he swallowed so much water that his stomach felt uneasy. As the sun was high in the sky, Shinta hoped for Hiko to come and allow him to have a nap.

Hiko came, but the nap did not. Instead, Shinta helped to cook and wash.

Shinta was incredibly tired as he followed Hiko along the path towards the valley. During the afternoon, he had practised swimming some more until supper. He had practised his writing afterwards and then they started to walk. He did not know where they were headed, he only knew it had something to do with Hiko running out of sake.

The sun was setting and colouring the sky in a fiery orange. Finally, they left the forest and arrived at a plain covered with fields. There was a single lonely house that would be their destination.

"Ah, Hiko-sama! How nice to greet you after such a short time already." The man approaching them from inside the house was small, but broad and the deep furrows on his face showed his age.

"Hikagi-san, I want to introduce someone." Hiko took a step sideways and pushed Kenshin, who had kept Hiko between himself and the stranger, into plain sight.

Shinta bowed down to greet the old man.

"I am pleased to meet you."

Hikagi looked surprised at first, then he smiled warmly. "The pleasure is all mine. What is your name, boy?"

"Shin...Kenshin!" Shinta replied hastily

"So your name is Kenshin, I see. I am pleased to be introduced to you, Kenshin." He turned to Hiko. "Is that the boy you were looking for last week?

As Hiko nodded, Hikagi's face lit up and he turned around to call inside the house.

"Nozumi! Come here! Hiko-sama has found the boy he was looking for!" he called out loud.

Shinta looked at Hiko, puzzled. Why had he been looking for him? He had no time to ask, for the door opened again and an old woman, smiling in her good mood, came outside. She had her silver-grey hair bound up in a knot and wore a plain dark kimono.

"Kenshin, this is my wife, Nozumi." Hikagi introduced her.

Shinta bowed again.

"What a nice boy!" Nozumi called out approvingly.

Hiko rolled his eyes. He had feared something like this.

"What's your name, boy?"

"I am Kenshin. It is a pleasure to meet you, Nozumi-san".

Nozumi was already beginning to like Kenshin. She had no idea how long it had been since she had seen a child in this lonely area. She had lost most of her children either in child-bed or to hunger. And if they had survived this, by the gods' mercy, they would become ill and die. None of them had lived to see their thirteenth birthday. Only she and her man were damned to live a long life in these terrible times.

"Kenshin? What a nice name! You know what,Kenshin, you have arrived at exactly the right time to visit us." Nozumi declared.

"Is that so...?" Shinta replied, unsure.

"Yes, yes, let me show you something." The old woman took Shinta by the hand and led him around the house. On the backside, there was a small shelter. In front of it was a black and white cat with her kittens.

"Oh..." was all Shinta could say when he saw the kittens. The smile in the corner of his mouth was so small, Nozumi had a hard time noticing it.

"They are only two weeks old." she explained to Kenshin as she sat down in the grass next to the shelter.

"Come, sit down here." she told the boy as he stood still, unsure what to do. She placed one of the kittens in his lap. "I'm sure they want you to play with them."

Finally, Nozumi left Kenshin to play with the kittens. She walked over to Hiko, who had followed them around the house. He stood a few meters away, waiting for her husband to return with the sake.

"A wonderful little boy." she said, smiling.

Hiko said nothing. He watched as Kenshin reluctantly began to play with the kittens.

"Do you know where he will stay?" Nozumi finally asked, the smile vanishing from her face. As Hiko had been asking around, seeking this boy last week...

"That won't be necessary." Hiko declared "He will stay with me."

"So?" Nozumi replied, surprised. Somehow, the thought of Hiko showing interest in a small boy who, on top of that, looked much like a girl, amused her. The differences in appearance could hardly be greater between the two. "That's very generous of you."

Hiko watched her intensely. "No, Nozumi-san. You are wrong about that..."

End part 7

Hello again! Sorry for keep you waiting so long! I´m so busy this times, all I want is sleep. Sometimes I really hate my current job.

Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Nothing special, ne? Thanks again for all your reviews! Special thanks goes to Terry who is so kindly and helps Angel with the translation so that there aren´t so many mistakes.

Someone asked me about Kenshins age. In episode 42 or 43 there is a scene where Hiko remembers the day he found Shinta in the graveyard. He thinks "Has it been 19 years?"

So when Kenshin is 28 years in the anime timeline, he must have been 9 years when Hiko found him. In my opinion Shinta rather looks like a six –years – old in the anime and like a four-years – old in the ova. Still, he´s an adorable child.

Greetings from Germany,

Ayumi