Nikki's Notes: Sorry if y'all getting a little bored. You know, the chapter that I'm speaking about will be posted soon! Keep ' em reviews coming and thanks to all the people for your support! ('',)
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Grandpa Okina was usually drinking his hot tea that sunny afternoon. The old man was used to the noises in the house (and probably contributed to it), but since that boy came in, the house was unusually so noisy that Okina saw ripples on his tea. Okina was itching to see what was going on but remained silent in the middle of the living room. There is still a problem, just like what Himura said.
Unfortunately that time of the day, Kenshin was either doing some errands or was on his everyday routine of doing the laundry. The rurouni was not by his side to share his good ideas that Okina was more than willing to hear since he was the one who brought the boy in the house in the first place. What Okina didn't know was that his one and only granddaughter was really the person who dragged that boy in the house and that she impresses him and the others with her hospitality.
"Neh, neh.", the old man sighed to himself. The noise was becoming too deafening, particularly in one room…
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At the other room across Grandpa Okina, Sanosuke and Yahiko stared evilly at their "victim" for the day. "Perhaps you should challenge him to a duel. You're so damn good in fights, right?", Yahiko whispered to the evil-glaring Sanosuke.
"Are you outta your mind, kid? I've seen this moron fight, and I'm tellin' ya, you have no clue what he'll do next!", Sano whispered back, not taking his evil glare from his 'victim'.
"I see.", Yahiko replied. "He might snatch your pea brain in a jiffy."
Still glaring at the smiling face of their companion, Sanosuke shoved his elbow lightly to Yahiko's chest. He then cleared his throat and changed his evil facial expression into a seemingly sweet and gentle one.
"So, Soujiro… eh, would you share your lunch with us? We promise to massage you everytime you want!", he offered with a wide grin. Beside him, Yahiko nodded repeatedly.
Soujiro popped an eye open and shook his head to their surprise. "Sorry, but Misao offered to massage me every afternoon, and I don't need to share my lunch for that."
Both stared at each other with mouths wide open in shock. "Misao offered to do WHAT!"
Soujiro nodded again with his usual grin. "She just told me this morning. She's such a nice girl, don't you think?"
"I cant damn believe it!", Sano whispered furiously. "What will Misao offer to do next? Rub him in the bathtub?"
Yahiko raised a finger to his mouth. "Keep quiet, I got a better idea."
He faced the ever-smiling Soujiro Seta again with a fake sweet expression. "What if, we help heal your wounds? We could apply medicine to them and change your bandages, you know."
Soujiro shook his head with a naughty look in his face. "These wounds? I'm afraid they're getting better now, and actually Misao had just changed the bandages."
Now Sanosuke and Yahiko were getting pissed off. Yahiko pounded the table repeatedly, his eyes blazing red, and prepared to lounge at Soujiro when Kenshin barged into the room with a small poster in his hands.
"What's that, Kenshin?", Sano and Yahiko asked in chorus, quickly changing their pissed-off expressions into curious smiles. Soujiro rolled his eyes.
Kenshin bit his lips hard and appeared to be swallowing laughter. "I'm sorry, Seta, but I really think the government made a nice job of this one!" he raised the poster with his hand to Soujiro's face.
"WANTED: SOUJIRO SETA. REWARD: 10,000 YEN ALIVE. 1,000,000 YEN DEAD."
The room burst out laughing (except of course for our poor cutie Tenken).
At the middle of the room, Okina was trying to not to be so angry about the ripples on his tea.
"Something tells me that killing wasn't so bad after all.", Soujiro whispered to himself angrily.
"So it's back to Tenken business, eh?", Sanosuke teased. Even the often-serious Himura was rolling on the floor.
All of the sudden, Kaoru pushed the sliding door to her side and entered the room. Misao was behind her wit ha tray of newly cooked food.
"You know, that poster gave me a good idea, Sou.", Kaoru said thoughtfully.
"Yeah.", Yahiko followed. "You should play dead and then we'll surrender you, then we'll have lotsa money!"
"….", Soujiro was fuming.
"Shut up, stupid.", Kaoru glared. "Sou, you should keep quiet and don't let that poster provoke you at all. If you just hush down, nobody will know you that you still exist and eventually they'll become tired of looking for you."
"Live like a ghost.", Himura added, finally back to his normal self.
"But what if they don't quit?", Sano asked.
"Why don't you guys be positive?", Misao wondered. "I cooked my delicacy today, so everyone grab some chopsticks! Except for you two, Sano and Yahiko."
Both made their complains and cries, but when Soujiro stood up, silence reigned in the room.
"Sorry. I'm not so hungry this afternoon."
"But—", Misao protested. "But Soujiro! I worked hard for this and I really prepared…"
But Soujiro had already left the room, and it was strange to see him without his usual energetic personality. Kenshin tore the poster with his hands softly, looking down. Maybe the boy was hurt by the blame that Meiji has dumped on his shoulders. He could sense that the spirit of Tenken is still alive in him, but now that he's open to various feeling unlike before, he needs more time to know what to do without the use of his sword.
Kenshin looked back up to the astonished faces of his companions, and eyed Misao the last. She looked pretty hurt.
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For some reason, I feel that I'm going to be Tenken again. Yes, the Tenken who grinned and killed people. The Tenken who hides his motives in a smile. And it's not because of the damn poster that Himura paraded.
Since I've been on my own, things were so different and I could not adjust to the new environment that is normal to others. I accepted the fact that I have to stand alone since this is my life, like what it should have been from the start, but how the hell could I possibly do it if the world is against me?
If you want to kill me, do it because I served the wrong man before.
If you want me dead, wish it because I ended lives.
DO IT NOT BECAUSE I WAS BLAMED FOR THE THINGS THAT I DID NOT EVEN THINK OF!
Probably if I'm dealing with this kind of shit on my own, I would collect the heads of those Meiji officials and decorate my clothes with their blood. But now that I am with people that treat me right and risked themselves just so they could keep me, I cant just do anything that I want. What if I depend too much on them that I forgot who I am once more?
Meiji is being too unfair to me. Provoking the Tenken isn't good at all.
"Let's talk."
As his angry thought shattered in his head, he turned to see her again. Her figure was illuminated by candlelight since darkness from the night sky devoured the room. She was at her usual stance, arms crossed, legs spread wide open. Soujiro looked blankly at the worried face of Misao.
"I can see that you're so uneasy here because you planned to start a new life by yourself. But you cant do it now, you know Meiji is searching the tiniest corners for you.", she told him as if she was reading his mind. "You're a strong person, Seta. You wont crumble so easily."
He didn't mind answering. He was not sure what to say.
"Don't be so angry because that's what they wanted you to feel. If you're angry, you do things before you even think of them, and eventually it will lead you to do a real crime. And if you do that, you just gave Meiji a reason to celebrate your death."
She sat beside him now, hitting the wooden floor with her feet, and then whispering to him as if she was telling him a dirty secret.
"Tenken is still strong without the sword."
That made his heart flutter in hope. Her words echoed within him like a bell and perked up his low spirit. A smile was etched across his face, making her feel triumphant.
"I like that.", he whispered back, nodding his head repeatedly.
"Of course you do. How's your leg?", she asked, concerned.
Soujiro grabbed his bandaged leg and squeezed it lightly. "The pain's barely felt. I think I can use it now."
"That's amazing. That's how a warrior should recover!", she winked.
Yeah, of course! I used to carry hundreds of rice sacks everyday. These legs are tough, baby. "Part of killer instincts.", he joked.
She nodded in agreement, but pouted in the process. "You know, I'm not so happy about what happened this lunch. The food, the preparation and all.. and someone just didnt eat."
Soujiro chuckled lightly. I appreciate the little things you do for me. Don't be so sad, baby. He went in front of her slowly and bowed to her. "I promise to do anything you ask as a punishment."
She grinned to herself, flattered. Misao felt like a queen with Soujiro bowing before her as a slave. Soujiro is a slave. Her slave.
He's the mighty Tenken. A feared assassin. His leg is okay. His spirit is high.
Time to duel.