The Week After

Yahiko

The night had waned into the day by the time the young man had made his way from the forest. As he made his way to back gate, the sounds of the normal home reached his ears. Sano's loud laughter followed by Kaoru's yelling insults to the rosters, and the lady Vixen's high laughter at something said. A smiled played faintly on the youth's mouth. It would seem the stillness and the dread where gone from the dojo, it had become home again. Traces of cooked rice and fish reached his nose, and from the scent of the meal, Kenshin had cooked.

Yet at this thought of the red haired samurai, the smile went back into a grimace, and those feelings from the day return in full flight to his chest. Yahiko opened up the gate and was about to make a dash for his room. He did not want to fell wrath of the raccoons, or the joking of the Roster. He could go with no food tonight. Often, when was back the Yacuza, a simple rice ball had been a rare pleasure to his body. Thinking back to those days made him feel that old anger to those men.

Yet unknown to him as he made his way to the house, a pair of lilac eyes watched him. He had seen the flight from the earlier that day. Worry for the young man had made Kenshin wait near the back gate. Seeing how tense he was from his movement made him even more worried.

Yahiko, was half way to the house, the sounds of his family reached his ears. Their outline could be seen in the paper doors. He stopped to watch them for a moment, and then turned on his heel, he could not bare to be even in his room. Feeling the guilt from these feelings and an old anger from the past. Yahiko headed to the front gate, yet when he turned to walk in the directions. The man he did not want to see stood there.

'Miss. Kaoru was worried about you Yahiko, that she was.'' Ken shins gentle voice spoke. 'And so was I. We had not known where you had gone.''

Yahiko looked at the man, this same samurai was the sourse of this confusion in his heart and morals today. In an almost vemsonoue tone he answered him.

'Why would you care!' he whispered. Shock and concern played on Kenshins' face, his hair slightly moving from the spring wind. He often did this, being so still and silent. An old habit from his hitokiri days. Often Kenshin did this with out realizing, but Yahiko did, and at first he had found, unnerving. But once he found out who his saver had been from the Yakuza. Everything had made sense to the young man.

'Yahiko, have I done something?'' Kenshins asked, his voice softer then normal, like that of a child.

Yahiko stared sight into the older man's eyes. Which in any part took a strong samurai sprit and will to do. Kenshin stared back into the brown ones. He could see the storm of raw emotion in his eyes.

'Why?' he said, his eyes dropping to the earth. 'Why did you fight to kill? Why did you turn back into Battosai?''

With every word, his voice grew harsher in the whisper. Kenshin was with out an answer to these questions. As Yahiko looked up, the tears he had held back that day crept to the corner of his eyes. Kenshen closed his eyes to the young ones. In him self, he had asked the same things all day. Still never finding his own answer. And in a way was shocked to see his own questions being asked to him by the boy he saw as a brother.

Some time passed between each of the men. Each in their heart trying to find an answer to what has been asked. It was not the question that was hard to answer, but the form of the words, which was needed on both ends. Yet, even the older and younger man could form the sounds or words in their minds.

'Yahiko, I do not know why I did, that I do not. But I would hurt you or the others in any way.'' Kenshins' whispered in a sorrow filled tune, barely being heard to the young man's ears.

Yahoko looked up, and saw the sorrow, real sorrow in his friends' usally bright eyes. All anger he felt was gone. It would seem the older one was punishing him more then the young ones words or anger ever could. And due to this, he too felt sorry.

'I know Kenshin.' He said 'I was scared.'' His voice in a low whisper. Kenshin, in most part was not use to hearing a confection of fear from the younger swordsmen. Then he smiled, and walked over to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder like a brother would. Yahiko looked up, all tears gone from his eyes. Yet it was a look of a child, for fear of loosing his family. This always made Kenshin realize how young Yahiko still was, and yet how strong he was in both mind and body. Their fathers about the world, and how to live in it were normally teaching boys his age. Their mother's smiling and being there when needed. Yet this young man had lost his father and his mother. Had over come the Yazua and kept his pride as a samurai, and now even more, had battled people of great power and dealt with it like a man should. He was no longer a child in his soul, or body. Before Kenshin stood a young man.

All Kenshin could do was smile at Yahiko, and in return got a smile back. ' I saved you some dinner for us, we should eat.'' He said. Yahiko smiled and nodded. Not needing to see anything to him as they both made their way to the outlines of their friends.