Oi! As in the first, Kenshin and the story pertaining to him do not belong
to me, as myself, as in I of the great one-ness!
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"Kenshin!" the call was rough and deep in aggravation.
"Yes Sensei?" The youth pushed past branches and stood on the cliff next to his master.
He stood a good two and a half feet over the boy, his black hair worn well past the collar of his white cape. His shoulders were broad and his muscles disciplined in the art of hiten-mitsurugi-ryu. It was almost ludicrous to belief that the puny looking young man beside him could be the only disciple of the sword school, but as it was, was how the master accepted it. Already, after only four years tutelage Kenshin was already a swordsman equal to almost any in the field.
"Where have you been?"
"Practicing master." He replied, avoiding the older mans gaze.
"And..."
"I found a young child in the woods."
"Where is it?"
"Her sister has care of her now. The young one had been playing and got separated."
"Very well." His voice carried well over the spray of the waterfall behind him. He swept his cape to the side and stepped into the water. "Stand and defend." He gestured his student to the falls and waited while Kenshin stripped off his shirt, laying it carefully on the ground before jumping into the frigid river.
"How come we never practice like this when the waters warm?" Kenshin asked the air, knowing his master would not answer such a question.
As his master swung his sword in an arch to lob off the young mans head a gasp of fright sounded from the woods edge. Kenshin barely managed to duck, not counter, as he should have, as his sight twisted to where Lila stood with fright in her eyes.
"Bad form." His master kicked out, catching Kenshin in the stomach and pushing him, none to gently, into the fast moving stream.
"Master!" he protested, sitting up, "I was distracted."
"No excuse young man." He chided, "But I can see you will get no real work done today. When you head back to the hut bring water for tea." He sheathed his sword and disappeared into the wood.
"Ma'am." Kenshin bowed gently to the girl.
"I'm sorry." She hurried over as he pulled himself from the river. She grabbed his jacket from the ground and held it out to him. "I just wanted to apologize to you." Kenshin paused in his reach for his clothing and smiled gently.
"No, it is I who should be understanding enough to realize you were only worried for your family." He checked his sword belt, wrapped his jacket around and tied it closed over his wet hakama.
"Thank you." Lila bowed and stepped back, hesitantly, as if she had something else on her mind.
"Yes?" Kenshin tucked his hands into the opposite sleeves and for a second looked so unbearably innocent that Lila found herself blurting out without a thought.
"Your welcome to lunch with us." Kenshin was set to refuse politely, but she looked so irritated with herself that he found his own head nodding accent.
"Gladly, if it would not be too much trouble."
"No trouble at all." She smiled, talking through clenched teeth. She turned back toward the path and berated herself firmly. ~He might seem nice enough, a little absent minded...~ she looked back and found Kenshin smiling and staring off into thin air. Had she looked back a moment earlier they'd have locked gazes seeing as how he'd been watching her hair ripple from blue-black to deep maroon-black as she walked.~ But he could be tricking you... he doesn't know who you are... nobody around here knows...~ "My sister and brother and I have made camp a few minutes from the river. Its comfortable, I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Lila commented.
"Camp? Are you not from around this area then?" He asked, interested.
"No, we come from a small village east of Tokyo."
"Why are you so far from Tokyo? Kyoto is a good few days travel."
"Nothing so special... Where are you from?" she asked hurriedly, realizing that the more information she gave the young man, the more he could turn back on them.
"I don't know where I'm from, originally." He caught up with her and pushed some branches from the path so she wouldn't have to duck.
"Thank you... You don't know?" she asked as the trees branches swayed behind them.
"No. I was sold to some slavers when my parents where killed. That was before I could really remember... though sometimes I can still see my mothers eyes in my mind. She had dark eyes like mine."
"Oh... are you... that man..." she tried to phrase it politely, but found herself blurting it out, "Are you that mans slave?" She was horrified by her own manners, but blushed when he laughed. It was a nice, warm laugh, one untouched by cynicism as her brothers often was.
"No. No I'm not, though sometimes it feels that way." Kenshin brushed a stray leaf from her hair, paused carefully as her breath caught, and showed her the fallen foliage. Her hair was soft, and it smelled of jasmine.
"So you're his pupil?" she stepped back from him a bit, just realizing how close they'd come during the journey.
"He is my master, and has been since I was young." He smiled gently and waited for her to continue walking.
"We are almost there." She nodded and turned back to the trail, hoping her blushes weren't visible from the outside.
One minute they were two teenagers, walking along a deer path in companionable silence, then the silence shattered as they heard a thin wail amongst the trees.
"Lila!" Katsu screeched as the hairy hand clamped around her mouth.
"Shut up you little brat." His breath was warm and smelled of rotting things. The little girl kicked her legs and tried to free her arms to no avail. The man just wound both arms around her tiny body and glared at the young man kneeling by the fireside.
A line of blood ran from his temple down to his chin and dripped on the simple brown of his pants. His arms strained against the ropes used to tie his elbows and wrists together, and his lungs were laboring under the ribs, he was sure, the men had broken. His thick black hair was pulled back into a braid down his back, but was tugged on at the base by another man whose breath left much to be desired. He grunted as the man tugged again.
"Where is she?" He punctuated the question by spitting in the fire.
"Far away from you slime ball." The youth punctuated his statement by spitting in the mans face.
"Should I kill the little one?" the taller of the two was growing impatient with the brats kicking, she was leaving little heel sized bruises on his stomach, he was sure of it. The other took a calming breath, wiped the spit off his face with a shirt that had been kicked around during the battle to subdue the boy.
"Not yet. I'm sure the other is around here somewhere, but until we find her we need to keep the brat."
Kenshin wrapped his hand around Lila's arm and tugged her back below the bush line.
"My brother..." she whispered as she heard the man kick the boy to loosen him up.
"I will help them, stay behind, stay here and don't move." Kenshin got to his feet and, moving around to the other side of the encampment, made as much noise approaching as he could.
"That must be her now." The short one pushed his ratty hair back from his face, straightened his uwagi and sneered as a red headed youth pushed through the foliage. "I guess not." He scowled in disappointment and kicked the boy at his feet.
Kenshin surveyed the scene calmly, noting the tall man restraining Katsu and the short one at Lila's brothers side. There was a third man, leaning against a tree at the far side of the fire. His features were hidden by the light of the flames; the shadows of the leaves. He made no move from his area, so Kenshin looked over at the tall man, noting the tight muscles of his arms and the relaxed stance that twitched every time a tiny foot hit his chest.
"You'll put her down, gently, now." Kenshin stated calmly. The mans eyes narrowed, his sneer became more pronounced as he held the girl at arms length and shook her violently.
"Why should I kid?"
"Because if you do not you will loose that which you are proud of." Kenshin took a breath and expelled it shortly. Before his breath was gone he was standing at the thugs side, sword unsheathed, the tip balanced precariously near his balls.
"Ah..." he dropped his arms quickly, letting Katsu fall to the ground. Yet she didn't hit it. Once again, at the end of a short breath, Kenshin had moved. Faster than the human eye could trace he held the child in one arm, his sword rested at the tall mans neck.
"Thank you." Kenshin nodded and held the girl tightly as she began to cry. "Katsu- chan, no tears for the moment hai little one?" he hushed her and set her gently in a tree.
"Boy!"
"Oro?" Kenshin looked over at the smaller man, the tall one was still blinking in shock.
"Who are you?"
"Why should I give you my name? You'll just dirty it with your foul lips." Kenshin settled into stance and glared, "Now you'll step away from the boy, take your companions and never return." The men glared, three sets of eyes followed Kenshin as he expelled a breath and smiled gently. "I'm giving you a choice." He said once before taking another breath.
"Wait!" The man under the tree commanded. "Untie Tsukasa, let him go." The short one muttered something under his breath, but reluctantly bent to untie Lila's brother, and pushed him toward Kenshin violently. The boy got to his feet, stumbled over to Kenshin and collapsed at his feet. He coughed up blood as he lay there; Kenshin laid a hand on the boys shoulder and turned him over to his back.
"I can't breath..." Tsukasa panicked. Kenshin hauled him to his feet and leaned him against a tree.
"Sit, relax, when these men have gone I will get you help. Breath slowly, gently." Kenshin wiped the sweat from Tsukasa's brow and got to his feet, once again facing the three men. They had gathered together under the opposite tree, the middle one muttered under his breath and smiled. The other two nodded in agreement, and left the clearing.
"Boy." The leader pushed away from the tree. His hair was pulled under a tenugui his smile was cold and ruthless. "I have no doubt that Shibas granddaughter is somewhere hiding in these trees. I have a bet to place with you. If my men find her before you kill me, you must let us leave here with her. But if you manage to kill me first, they will leave, and you and you friends will be safe from us."
Kenshin glared at the man as he sheathed his sword, "No deals will be made with you. I will not allow you to leave these woods with anything but your lives. But if you insist on fighting I guess you give me no choice."
"I guess not." He grinned, "I am Hisuro Nakaura, I am your opponent, defeat me and your friends will live." He pulled a knife from a sheath behind his back and, screaming into the air, he attacked. Kenshin merely stepped to the side, pushed the knife arm away from his body, stepped in, grabbed Nakaura's elbow and, using the attackers own momentum, spun the larger man to the ground.
"You're not very good at this are you?" Kenshin asked, as he flung the knife away into the trees. Nakaura got to his feet and stood, towering over the boy as he pulled another knife from his boot and slashed up. Kenshin bent backwards and ducked down, spinning his left foot into the mans knees. He tumbled to the ground again and grunted as he hit his head on the hard dirt.
"Actually I'm just gauging my opponent. You must not be a good swordsman, you haven't used it once." He spit on the fire and pulled himself up again, "so far you've used it to threaten Otoku, but no more. It seems like that sword on your belt is nothing more than decoration. You're using more Aikido than anything else, you faker."
Kenshin merely nodded his head and rested his palm on the hilt of his shinken, "If that is what you believe, you are welcome to try your luck."
"Fine kid. Lets fight." Nakaura went back to the tree he had been resting on, and drew from the pack two kama, "I'll use these." He laughed, "You're short, but tall enough to be like grass that needs trimming." He swung the sickles to warm his wrists and settled into stance across from Kenshin. Kenshin, in return flicked his sleeves out of the way, leaned his right shoulder forward and lightly rested his right hand on the hilt at his left side.
"Ha!" Nakaura grinned, "I know that stance. Only one man in the world can use hiten mitsurugi-ryu correctly, you're going to embarrass yourself kid."
"Is he?"
"Master?" Kenshin straightened from stance and looked behind, to where Nakaura's gaze had settled, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"Hi...ko?"
"Did you wish to die today Hisuro?" Seijuro Hiko stepped into the circle of light with a faint smirk on his lips, "if you so wish, then continue this battle, by all means my lazy pupil needs to practice against someone other than myself."
"Look Hiko, I'm only doing my job. Just let me do it and we'll get out of your way."
"Itsuruku Shibas grandchildren are under my apprentices protection Hisuro... take my advice- turn tail and run. He may be a lazy, irritable, pain in the..."
"Master." Kenshin rolled his eyes as Hiko began counting all Kenshin's faults on his fingers.
"...But he is good...very good." He smacked Kenshin across the back of his head when the youth looked up at his Master in shock, "And don't let it swell your head. I meant it, but I can't stand a proud apprentice."
"Sensei." Kenshin bowed his head reverently, but the smile in his eyes showed in his stance as he flicked his sleeves back and settled his palm on the hilt of his sword. "Well Nakaura-san, do you wish to continue?"
"Sloppy." Hiko stepped back from the battleground and smirked as Kenshin adjusted his shoulders a fraction of an inch. "Better." A faint line of sweat beads began gathering on Nakaura's brow as he crossed his arms in front of himself, preparing to defend rather than attack.
"Master?" Kenshin waited, seeing no reason to begin the duel himself.
"Come now Nakaura, surely you're not afraid of a child?" Hiko laughed. Then the scream sounded over the hush of the battlefield.
"Lila!" Tsukasa struggled to get up, but Hiko rested his hand on the boys shoulder.
"Stay. I will find them." He turned to Kenshin who was staring into the trees.
"Kenshin?"
"Go north. She was waiting on the deer trail." He then turned his attention back to Nakaura, who had taken that opportunity to vanish.
"Kenshin, come!" Hiko yelled as he disappeared into the woods, "They will all be together. They do not need the other two."
"We will return." Kenshin called to Tsukasa as he followed his Master into the maze of trees.
"Don't worry about us." Tsukasa muttered as Katsu climbed down to him, "we'll be fine." He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the small hands of his sister, patting his cheeks and hugging his head.
"Kenshin!" the call was rough and deep in aggravation.
"Yes Sensei?" The youth pushed past branches and stood on the cliff next to his master.
He stood a good two and a half feet over the boy, his black hair worn well past the collar of his white cape. His shoulders were broad and his muscles disciplined in the art of hiten-mitsurugi-ryu. It was almost ludicrous to belief that the puny looking young man beside him could be the only disciple of the sword school, but as it was, was how the master accepted it. Already, after only four years tutelage Kenshin was already a swordsman equal to almost any in the field.
"Where have you been?"
"Practicing master." He replied, avoiding the older mans gaze.
"And..."
"I found a young child in the woods."
"Where is it?"
"Her sister has care of her now. The young one had been playing and got separated."
"Very well." His voice carried well over the spray of the waterfall behind him. He swept his cape to the side and stepped into the water. "Stand and defend." He gestured his student to the falls and waited while Kenshin stripped off his shirt, laying it carefully on the ground before jumping into the frigid river.
"How come we never practice like this when the waters warm?" Kenshin asked the air, knowing his master would not answer such a question.
As his master swung his sword in an arch to lob off the young mans head a gasp of fright sounded from the woods edge. Kenshin barely managed to duck, not counter, as he should have, as his sight twisted to where Lila stood with fright in her eyes.
"Bad form." His master kicked out, catching Kenshin in the stomach and pushing him, none to gently, into the fast moving stream.
"Master!" he protested, sitting up, "I was distracted."
"No excuse young man." He chided, "But I can see you will get no real work done today. When you head back to the hut bring water for tea." He sheathed his sword and disappeared into the wood.
"Ma'am." Kenshin bowed gently to the girl.
"I'm sorry." She hurried over as he pulled himself from the river. She grabbed his jacket from the ground and held it out to him. "I just wanted to apologize to you." Kenshin paused in his reach for his clothing and smiled gently.
"No, it is I who should be understanding enough to realize you were only worried for your family." He checked his sword belt, wrapped his jacket around and tied it closed over his wet hakama.
"Thank you." Lila bowed and stepped back, hesitantly, as if she had something else on her mind.
"Yes?" Kenshin tucked his hands into the opposite sleeves and for a second looked so unbearably innocent that Lila found herself blurting out without a thought.
"Your welcome to lunch with us." Kenshin was set to refuse politely, but she looked so irritated with herself that he found his own head nodding accent.
"Gladly, if it would not be too much trouble."
"No trouble at all." She smiled, talking through clenched teeth. She turned back toward the path and berated herself firmly. ~He might seem nice enough, a little absent minded...~ she looked back and found Kenshin smiling and staring off into thin air. Had she looked back a moment earlier they'd have locked gazes seeing as how he'd been watching her hair ripple from blue-black to deep maroon-black as she walked.~ But he could be tricking you... he doesn't know who you are... nobody around here knows...~ "My sister and brother and I have made camp a few minutes from the river. Its comfortable, I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Lila commented.
"Camp? Are you not from around this area then?" He asked, interested.
"No, we come from a small village east of Tokyo."
"Why are you so far from Tokyo? Kyoto is a good few days travel."
"Nothing so special... Where are you from?" she asked hurriedly, realizing that the more information she gave the young man, the more he could turn back on them.
"I don't know where I'm from, originally." He caught up with her and pushed some branches from the path so she wouldn't have to duck.
"Thank you... You don't know?" she asked as the trees branches swayed behind them.
"No. I was sold to some slavers when my parents where killed. That was before I could really remember... though sometimes I can still see my mothers eyes in my mind. She had dark eyes like mine."
"Oh... are you... that man..." she tried to phrase it politely, but found herself blurting it out, "Are you that mans slave?" She was horrified by her own manners, but blushed when he laughed. It was a nice, warm laugh, one untouched by cynicism as her brothers often was.
"No. No I'm not, though sometimes it feels that way." Kenshin brushed a stray leaf from her hair, paused carefully as her breath caught, and showed her the fallen foliage. Her hair was soft, and it smelled of jasmine.
"So you're his pupil?" she stepped back from him a bit, just realizing how close they'd come during the journey.
"He is my master, and has been since I was young." He smiled gently and waited for her to continue walking.
"We are almost there." She nodded and turned back to the trail, hoping her blushes weren't visible from the outside.
One minute they were two teenagers, walking along a deer path in companionable silence, then the silence shattered as they heard a thin wail amongst the trees.
"Lila!" Katsu screeched as the hairy hand clamped around her mouth.
"Shut up you little brat." His breath was warm and smelled of rotting things. The little girl kicked her legs and tried to free her arms to no avail. The man just wound both arms around her tiny body and glared at the young man kneeling by the fireside.
A line of blood ran from his temple down to his chin and dripped on the simple brown of his pants. His arms strained against the ropes used to tie his elbows and wrists together, and his lungs were laboring under the ribs, he was sure, the men had broken. His thick black hair was pulled back into a braid down his back, but was tugged on at the base by another man whose breath left much to be desired. He grunted as the man tugged again.
"Where is she?" He punctuated the question by spitting in the fire.
"Far away from you slime ball." The youth punctuated his statement by spitting in the mans face.
"Should I kill the little one?" the taller of the two was growing impatient with the brats kicking, she was leaving little heel sized bruises on his stomach, he was sure of it. The other took a calming breath, wiped the spit off his face with a shirt that had been kicked around during the battle to subdue the boy.
"Not yet. I'm sure the other is around here somewhere, but until we find her we need to keep the brat."
Kenshin wrapped his hand around Lila's arm and tugged her back below the bush line.
"My brother..." she whispered as she heard the man kick the boy to loosen him up.
"I will help them, stay behind, stay here and don't move." Kenshin got to his feet and, moving around to the other side of the encampment, made as much noise approaching as he could.
"That must be her now." The short one pushed his ratty hair back from his face, straightened his uwagi and sneered as a red headed youth pushed through the foliage. "I guess not." He scowled in disappointment and kicked the boy at his feet.
Kenshin surveyed the scene calmly, noting the tall man restraining Katsu and the short one at Lila's brothers side. There was a third man, leaning against a tree at the far side of the fire. His features were hidden by the light of the flames; the shadows of the leaves. He made no move from his area, so Kenshin looked over at the tall man, noting the tight muscles of his arms and the relaxed stance that twitched every time a tiny foot hit his chest.
"You'll put her down, gently, now." Kenshin stated calmly. The mans eyes narrowed, his sneer became more pronounced as he held the girl at arms length and shook her violently.
"Why should I kid?"
"Because if you do not you will loose that which you are proud of." Kenshin took a breath and expelled it shortly. Before his breath was gone he was standing at the thugs side, sword unsheathed, the tip balanced precariously near his balls.
"Ah..." he dropped his arms quickly, letting Katsu fall to the ground. Yet she didn't hit it. Once again, at the end of a short breath, Kenshin had moved. Faster than the human eye could trace he held the child in one arm, his sword rested at the tall mans neck.
"Thank you." Kenshin nodded and held the girl tightly as she began to cry. "Katsu- chan, no tears for the moment hai little one?" he hushed her and set her gently in a tree.
"Boy!"
"Oro?" Kenshin looked over at the smaller man, the tall one was still blinking in shock.
"Who are you?"
"Why should I give you my name? You'll just dirty it with your foul lips." Kenshin settled into stance and glared, "Now you'll step away from the boy, take your companions and never return." The men glared, three sets of eyes followed Kenshin as he expelled a breath and smiled gently. "I'm giving you a choice." He said once before taking another breath.
"Wait!" The man under the tree commanded. "Untie Tsukasa, let him go." The short one muttered something under his breath, but reluctantly bent to untie Lila's brother, and pushed him toward Kenshin violently. The boy got to his feet, stumbled over to Kenshin and collapsed at his feet. He coughed up blood as he lay there; Kenshin laid a hand on the boys shoulder and turned him over to his back.
"I can't breath..." Tsukasa panicked. Kenshin hauled him to his feet and leaned him against a tree.
"Sit, relax, when these men have gone I will get you help. Breath slowly, gently." Kenshin wiped the sweat from Tsukasa's brow and got to his feet, once again facing the three men. They had gathered together under the opposite tree, the middle one muttered under his breath and smiled. The other two nodded in agreement, and left the clearing.
"Boy." The leader pushed away from the tree. His hair was pulled under a tenugui his smile was cold and ruthless. "I have no doubt that Shibas granddaughter is somewhere hiding in these trees. I have a bet to place with you. If my men find her before you kill me, you must let us leave here with her. But if you manage to kill me first, they will leave, and you and you friends will be safe from us."
Kenshin glared at the man as he sheathed his sword, "No deals will be made with you. I will not allow you to leave these woods with anything but your lives. But if you insist on fighting I guess you give me no choice."
"I guess not." He grinned, "I am Hisuro Nakaura, I am your opponent, defeat me and your friends will live." He pulled a knife from a sheath behind his back and, screaming into the air, he attacked. Kenshin merely stepped to the side, pushed the knife arm away from his body, stepped in, grabbed Nakaura's elbow and, using the attackers own momentum, spun the larger man to the ground.
"You're not very good at this are you?" Kenshin asked, as he flung the knife away into the trees. Nakaura got to his feet and stood, towering over the boy as he pulled another knife from his boot and slashed up. Kenshin bent backwards and ducked down, spinning his left foot into the mans knees. He tumbled to the ground again and grunted as he hit his head on the hard dirt.
"Actually I'm just gauging my opponent. You must not be a good swordsman, you haven't used it once." He spit on the fire and pulled himself up again, "so far you've used it to threaten Otoku, but no more. It seems like that sword on your belt is nothing more than decoration. You're using more Aikido than anything else, you faker."
Kenshin merely nodded his head and rested his palm on the hilt of his shinken, "If that is what you believe, you are welcome to try your luck."
"Fine kid. Lets fight." Nakaura went back to the tree he had been resting on, and drew from the pack two kama, "I'll use these." He laughed, "You're short, but tall enough to be like grass that needs trimming." He swung the sickles to warm his wrists and settled into stance across from Kenshin. Kenshin, in return flicked his sleeves out of the way, leaned his right shoulder forward and lightly rested his right hand on the hilt at his left side.
"Ha!" Nakaura grinned, "I know that stance. Only one man in the world can use hiten mitsurugi-ryu correctly, you're going to embarrass yourself kid."
"Is he?"
"Master?" Kenshin straightened from stance and looked behind, to where Nakaura's gaze had settled, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"Hi...ko?"
"Did you wish to die today Hisuro?" Seijuro Hiko stepped into the circle of light with a faint smirk on his lips, "if you so wish, then continue this battle, by all means my lazy pupil needs to practice against someone other than myself."
"Look Hiko, I'm only doing my job. Just let me do it and we'll get out of your way."
"Itsuruku Shibas grandchildren are under my apprentices protection Hisuro... take my advice- turn tail and run. He may be a lazy, irritable, pain in the..."
"Master." Kenshin rolled his eyes as Hiko began counting all Kenshin's faults on his fingers.
"...But he is good...very good." He smacked Kenshin across the back of his head when the youth looked up at his Master in shock, "And don't let it swell your head. I meant it, but I can't stand a proud apprentice."
"Sensei." Kenshin bowed his head reverently, but the smile in his eyes showed in his stance as he flicked his sleeves back and settled his palm on the hilt of his sword. "Well Nakaura-san, do you wish to continue?"
"Sloppy." Hiko stepped back from the battleground and smirked as Kenshin adjusted his shoulders a fraction of an inch. "Better." A faint line of sweat beads began gathering on Nakaura's brow as he crossed his arms in front of himself, preparing to defend rather than attack.
"Master?" Kenshin waited, seeing no reason to begin the duel himself.
"Come now Nakaura, surely you're not afraid of a child?" Hiko laughed. Then the scream sounded over the hush of the battlefield.
"Lila!" Tsukasa struggled to get up, but Hiko rested his hand on the boys shoulder.
"Stay. I will find them." He turned to Kenshin who was staring into the trees.
"Kenshin?"
"Go north. She was waiting on the deer trail." He then turned his attention back to Nakaura, who had taken that opportunity to vanish.
"Kenshin, come!" Hiko yelled as he disappeared into the woods, "They will all be together. They do not need the other two."
"We will return." Kenshin called to Tsukasa as he followed his Master into the maze of trees.
"Don't worry about us." Tsukasa muttered as Katsu climbed down to him, "we'll be fine." He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the small hands of his sister, patting his cheeks and hugging his head.