*Disclaimer: No, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, that I do not. Why do you think my pen name is what it is!?*

Two Atonements, One Sin

Part 3:

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Ami twisted and turned. There was fire everywhere, the ash getting into her hair. She choked on it. Then someone grabbed her hand, a tight firm grip. The ash disappeared from her eyes and she looked into the pale blues of Hiro. He stared at her, perfect looking. No soot was on him, and the fire danced next to him but did not burn his skin.

"You're not that weak," he said. His grip tightened. Ami began to sob. "I am, I am," she cried, ashamed. The grip tightened even harder, and as her tears faded she looked into the face of Gakuma. His face was so opposite to Hiro's. While Hiro's tan face was smooth, Gakuma's face was covered in bristles from a badly shaved beard. While Hiro's eyes were pale blue, almost icy looking, Gakuma's were black, bottomless pits. Gakuma grinned. Hiro had never smiled widely. She screamed and turned away, and the grip disappeared and she fell back into the fire but was caught in strong arms.

"Hiro!" she cried joyously but then looked up to see shining locks of red hair, the color like those flowers Ami had seen before at the flower vendor's.

"Thank you for your gift. That is very kind of you," he said. He opened the umbrella but to Ami's dismay the rain made holes in it and as the rain dribbled onto the man's head, his image seemed to be smeared away by the liquid. It was a nightmare. She was half repulsed, half yearning, wanting to get away from him, this melting man, and at the same time wanting to run forward to embrace him, to help him stay whole. She cried out to him, and reached out her hand. Then the sun came out and shone on the man, and he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He smiled at her, and her eyes shone.

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The fire crackled. Ami's eyes sprung open, but she stayed still, letting herself take in where she was. It was night. The sun had completely set, and the sky was a dark blue. She craned her ears for any noise that might prove the red haired man was about. She listened for a few minutes, at the same time noticing more of her surroundings. She was lying on a hastily prepared leafy bed at the foot of a tree. The night sounds were everywhere. But no sound of the red haired man. There was a nagging feeling in Ami's mind. She knew she had just had a dream, but she couldn't remember. She hated it when that happened.

She sat up, looking around. They were in the woods, it seemed. She was in the middle of a man-made clearing, probably by the red haired man. There was a small fire in the middle, and farther away was the umbrella and sack. The man was no where to be seen. She turned to her right, and through the brush, she could see the dirt road they had been traveling on. Or rather, the man carrying her. Ami looked down, disappointed with herself for making him carry her the whole way. She needed to toughen up. She remembered Gakuma's angry face, but she quickly forced her mind to not concentrate on that. She had already spent many hours in a stupor, she knew, and she wasn't going to force that man to take care of her even more.

There was a sound and Ami whirled around to see the red haired man entering the clearing, a fish on a line dangling over his shoulder. He looked a little surprised at finding her up. He then smiled at her.

"You're awake," he acknowledged. Ami nodded dumbly. The man speared the fish and put it over the fire, cooking it. He focused on the dinner. Ami, seeing he was lightly ignoring her, sat back against the tree and watched him.

The fire's colors and light danced over his features, making his hair seem even more fiery then before, she mused silently. He's handsome, she thought suddenly, fighting down her abashment. His hair was pulled into a high ponytail, a topknot, the hairstyle that was used by samurai. He definately didn't look like a samurai, though. His red gi was tattered, and the bottom of his hakama had brown smudges. She drew her eyes up to his face again. In the fire's light, she could see a strange scar on his cheek, an X. She remembered seeing it when he had rescued her, and she gave an involuntary shudder at the circumstances.

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Kenshin had carried the girl at least a mile and a half away from the house of the drunk. He didn't mind; she was quite light. And he wanted to get her away from there. As he had glanced down at her again, he noticed once again her skinniness. Underfed? Was she an orphan? Living alone on the streets, to be snatched up by that man? Kenshin wondered. His mind ran through all of the possibilities.

So she made the umbrella...he thought again, a slight smile tugging on his lips. He looked down at the girl with a small respect. She had fallen asleep, breathing quietly. A small craftsman. Or craftsgirl. His mind ran through another set of possibilities. Daughter of a poor parent, who worked making small things for money or food. Kidnapped by the man. But then, wouldn't the girl want to go back? Perhaps she was abused. He scanned her body for any sign of that. None, except for the usual scrapes and dirt you get from living poorly. But on her face...

Kenshin's face burned with anger. A bruise was forming. The drunk probably did that. It was a slap mark.

He sighed quietly, not wanting to wake her. He would have to wait until she was feeling well to find out. He needed to know why, for what reason did so-and-so do this. Throughout the years, within each battle, no matter how small, he wished to know the circumstances for his opponent's actions, so he would not judge them harshly. After all, he had practically chosen to become Hitokiri Battousai, a manslayer, a shadow assassin. And all he had wanted to do was to protect the common man, earn rights for them.

As only a sliver of the sun was showing in the horizon, Kenshin decided it would be best to make camp. He came across a small clearing and moved the twigs and brush away, making it larger. He laid the girl down gently and quickly made a makeshift bed of leaves in a soft area of grass. After placing her onto it, he proceeded to make a fire. After he was done, he glanced towards her. She was sleeping peacefully. He smiled, a feeling of protectiveness settling over him. He began running off a list of things of what she might need or do when she woke up. Perhaps she'll be hungry, he thought. He went to his sack and pulled out some fishing wire.

Even as he had been making a fire, Kenshin's ears had picked up the sound of a river. Following the noise, he came across it, and proceeded to tie the wire to a long stick. He casted, and sat down to wait and muse. So this is how children were living in the 5th Year of the Meiji. He had been so foolish, thinking that once the Bakufu were destroyed, that the changes would come quickly and everyone, in every class, would finally have happiness. But...surely in later years, some good would come out of it, not just for the rich. Kenshin inwardly shook his head. That was his way of thinking the year right after the Bakumatsu ended. Now, he could not count on any changes; he could only hope. The line was yanked.

Later on in the future, Kenshin's cheerful mask would also be combined with extreme clumsiness. If it were in that time, Kenshin would have abruptly let out an "Oro!" and proceed to give the impression that he'd let the fish get away, and maybe he'd fall into the river for good measure. However, it was only his 5th year of traveling, and he was alone, so he quickly yanked on the line without any feigned surprise and the fish was tossed out of the river onto the bank, flopping as it struggled to breathe. Kenshin came over to the creature and quickly killed it to cease its pain, then walked back to the clearing where he had left the girl.

As he walked back, he became aware of her ki, which was awake and curious. He put on a look of surprise as he stepped into the clearing, and he saw her whirl around to meet him. He smiled at her.

"You're awake," he acknowledged. He saw the girl nod, then went immidietly to the fire to cook the fish he had caught. He wanted to give her time to think of what to say to him. Instead, he realized she was watching him. He sensed her emotions in her ki. She seemed somewhat at peace, and she had an admiring emotion. Though Kenshin showed no sign of noticing her, his mind racked, trying to interpret her thoughts. Admiring? he wondered, a small flustered feeling growing inside him. He tried not to turn red. He wondered how old she was. She looked young enough to be nine.

It most be because I helped her, he clarified. Now she showed signs of curiousness. If he didn't have that much control, his hand would have subconciously reached up to his scar. Not that he was ashamed of it. But what if she asked about it? He didn't exactly want to lie to her, but the truth...

Oi! It isn't like she is staying long. After she feels better, I'll take her back to her home... but what if she doesn't have a home? Kami-sama, I wish this fish was done so I could ask her after dinner. He sensed a small shudder from her. He glanced at her. She blinked, and suddenly a low flush spread across her face as she knew he caught her looking at him. She looked down.

Kenshin suddenly remembered Tomoe, with a pang in his heart. She always looked down, proper and silent. It was how she had been taught. He knew she had kept all her emotions inside, and it had made her grief filled and confused. He inwardly shook his head, and inspected the fish. It was done, finally. He took out a knife from his sack and split the fish, dividing it among themselves. Ami watched on in interest.

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Dinner was ready. She had thought she wasn't hungry, but as the scent of the fish had drifted around, she realized how empty she felt. She watched the red haired man prepare their meal, and she wondered if she could help. She didn't want to seem rude.

"Can I do anything?" she asked timidly. He glanced at her, then smiled. "It's all right. I'm almost done, de gozaru." Ami sat back. Does he think I can't help? she wondered, ignoring his explanation. Perhaps...I am really weaker than I thought...Hiro would be disappointed...

Her vision became wavery. Then a hand appeared, the speared fish on it, offering it to her. Ami smiled at him and took it. She bit it timidly. She didn't want to eat too fast, because then the man might get a bad impression on her. The same if she ate too slow. She glanced at him. He was eating. She watched him from under her hair, studying his pace. Slowly, she began to copy him.

The fish was pretty small, but that was all right. Even hungry, Ami wasn't a big eater. When she was about finshed, the man moved slightly, to draw her attention. She looked up. He cleared his throat.

"What happened, back there? I would like to know, de gozaru. If it is something serious that has been going on, I would like to help." Ami stared at him straight into his eyes, then broke away, glancing off to the side. She felt a bit of resentment. She didn't want to talk, let alone think of that ever again....

But he was only trying to help. He cared about her. Her heart rose. She turned back to him, feeling warmer.

"I live alone, in the woods where we first met," she said, almost shyly. The man nodded, realizing she meant the woods where she gave him the umbrella. "I make things..." she said, spreading her hands, trying to gesture. "Since it's winter, I was going into town, the same town you were heading to-"

The man's eyes remained the same, though a flicker went through them. Was he wondering why they didn't meet? She had been wondering about that too, almost hoping they would have when she had been walking down that road. All these thoughts ran through her head in a second, and she continued talking without skipping a beat.

"I stopped by a resturant; I knew the owner. She usually gives me..." she flustered again. She didn't want to let him know she ate leftovers. "-food. But she was busy, so I went away. Then the man was there-" she clenched her fists into her clothing. "-he caught me," she said bitterly, "and hit me." She began to notice the small thob in her cheek. She fought down the urge to touch it. "I was unconcious...and when I woke up, I was at his home, and you came." she finished quickly, and looked up at him to see his reaction.

He didn't say anything. He just stared into the fire, in deep thought. She didn't like it. He seemed to be in serious contemplation. She wished he wouldn't worry. She was all right now, after all.

"I'm glad the umbrella was good," she said after a while, trying to distract him. He looked up. She yelled at herself inwardly as she realized she had already said something like that previously. But at least he wasn't brooding. "I try to make lots of things," she continued, rushing. "I like to give it to the other poor people." She yelled at herself again. What if he thought she thought she was high and mighty, believing herself to be special for helping people? She wondered why she was contradicting herself so much. She talked on, trying to explain so he wouldn't think she was bragging. "I do it because my brother killed someone." She froze. She hadn't told anyone about that before, ever since she had left.

She looked down, talking softly. Unshed tears gathered in her eyes. She was frustrated with herself. What was wrong with her? Now he might think she was bad. There was no choice but to continue.

"My brother went to war. He didn't come back for a long time. So I lived by myself. It was really nice," she added quickly, not wanting him to think Hiro had neglected her. "My brother knew I could take care of myself. But then later, while I was outside, a woman and her son came. They burned down my house. They were yelling. What they said...it seemed like Hiro killed the father, the husband." Her gaze was fixed on a small pebble. "Hiro was good. Really good! It was probably a mistake of his. An accident. But afterwards...I felt sorry for the lady and her son. My house...it was just wood. That's all right. So I like to make things...for the people. They seem sad, so I want to help so there will be less sad people, like the lady and her son." She finally looked up. He was staring at her, a stare deep in thought. Then he smiled sadly.

"I've killed also. What I do is similar to yours. I am a wanderer, and I travel to help whoever I can with my sword, which took the lives of many men. It is my atonement." Ami stared at him. He had killed also...but he was most definately a good man. Grief for him and his victims was quickly replaced with admiration.

He is so strong...He's so kind, also...beautiful-

"That's wonderful of you." she said, wanting him to know how she felt. He looked surprised. "We are both-" she broke off.

So kind, so strong, he-

"Can I..."

I want to know him-

"Can I know your name? M-may?" she asked, then corrected herself.

He smiled at her. He knew now. This girl was innocent. She had accepted the fact that both her brother and he had killed, and she still accepted them. She was staring at him with such-

"Kenshin. Kenshin Himura." he said. Her eyes shone. Kenshin...

"I'm Ami..." she said, and came closer to him. "Ami Yasuragi."

They sat in silence, contemplating each other's names.

Sword...Heart of Sword..Red Village...?

Ami....friend. Yasuragi...tranquility.

Kenshin smiled. It was fitting. She looked so peaceful sitting there, smiling shyly at him. Small child.

"How old are you?" he asked, curious. Things like that did not usually strike his curiosity, but he wanted to know more about this girl, Ami.

"Ten," she said, raising a finger to twirl her hair absent mindedly. She sat up straighter, as if a certain thought occured to her. "Going on eleven. I'm not that little," she said quickly.

Kenshin laughed. She returned the question, then flushed once more. She was doing that a lot. She had apparently realized how rude that might have seemed.

"It's all right. You can ask me anything," he said warmly, abandoning caution to the wind. He didn't think a girl like her would ask more about his past anyway. "I'm twenty-two. Going on twenty-three," He said smiling, lightly teasing her.

She blushed, a laugh threatening to escape.

You can ask me anything...

Oh, can I, really...? Kenshin....?

"Kenshin?"

"Mm?"

"Can I stay with you?"

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~+OWARI+~

Author's Notes: I'm so stupid. I've been forgetting to reply to reviews. .' So there you have the meaning to the chapter's titles and how old Kenshin is. He still has his topknot! ^_^ Lovely. Oi! I'm such a baka baka baka *hits herself*. I'm so dumb. Right from the beginning, even if I had gotten the end of the Bakumatsu date right, the ages would still be screwy.

Kenshin: War ended in 1868. He traveled for 5 years. Thus, the war has ended for 5 years.

Ami: War ended in 1868, and somewhere during the war time Hiro went to battle when she was 8. Let's say he went in the same year it ended. Sometime later (it could be years even) the "fire" incident happened. Then Ami had been alone for 2 years. 0_o You see a hole? 5 years after the war DOES NOT equal 2 years after the war. Stupid Idiot Me. So this story was doomed in ages from the beginning. But who gives a damn. -_-' But wait a sec, I'm still fixed on this, so ignore me while I calculate.

18??-1868=Ami is 8. How about...1868=Ami is 8. Then....

1869= Ami is 9.

1870= Ami is 10.

1871 (the year my story is set in)= Ami is 11. But I want her to be 10! 0_o Ergh...I know, she is still 10, but going on 11 whenever her birthday is. Ha! SO THERE! But then....that is 3 years since the war. No, wait! It is still practically only 2 years, because it is only February! But then, ergh...*dies*

More screwiness then I thought. Oh well, I trust you all to forgive and ignore the error. I just have to make myself forgive myself. I'm just terribly annoyed at all of this. *hits herself repeatedly*

Replies:

AnimeAmba: Thanks for the comfort. I'm feeling better already! ^_^ I'm glad I inspired you to write your Sano fic. Let me know when you start writing it, okay? I want to read it. :)

Haruko: Thank you for the talk. *sighs* Yes, I suppose the ages will be screwy, but it was needed, so what's done is done. You're really not continuing A Third of Love? ;_; That's a shame. I really liked it. To make it a happy ending, when Kenshin dies you don't have to make it sad. I mean, from what I've gathered so far, it's pretty peaceful (I haven't seen Seisohen yet, only Tsuikohen). I've been thinking of writing a fic about that, Kenshin's spirit going to the afterlife and meeting everyone that is dead. Sounds sorta cooky, but hopefully it will seem nice when I get to writing it. Okay okay, I'll hold off the lemons for you. (But its not like I was gonna write a lot anywayz. I'm not like that! X_X')

Baka: I'm writing, I'm writing...there will be an endless supply of ideas! Muha! This fic will not end till I'm dead! X_X' (Ok, maybe till I'm grown and married, but hey. Married. *twitches*)

Eevee: I'm glad you find Ami believable. Yeah, the bark sandal was sort of..um..random, but I just wanted to get out another personality trait or skill Ami has: making things. When I think of Ami's character, I keep picturing her very good with her fingers and making all sorts of trinkets. It just seems to go with her character in my mind, so I just wanted to get that out. Maybe she'll make some shoes for Kenshin and he'll trip. Haha. ^^'

Lucrecia LeVrai: I'm glad you like Ami and the plot. I think POV switching is going to be a favorite thing of mine. ^_^ All the other fics I'm planning in my head are including it. Mostly K+T. 0_o. I dunno, maybe someday I'll try writing a K+K fic, but I highly doubt it. :P

**PLEASE READ!!***

This story will not be updated anytime soon after this, I'm afraid. School started again today...and I know that I won't have enough time to write the next chapter anytime soon. If I do update, it'll probably be my other fics, like RSI (Rurouni Spread Insanity), since those are just tiny stupidness. Please read my Bio for updates. I've been updating it every time a chappy has been ready, in case you haven't noticed. Baka school. Ruins everything. -_-' Sorry. At least Christmas break will come in a while. Then writing spree for me! So, zaijian!

Ami =friend

Yasuragi=peace, tranquility

Got those from dictionary once again. ^^ I'm not sure, but I think Ami can also transalate into "army". 0_o But according to the dictionary, "friend" is another transalation. But I'd like her name to mean "friend", rather than "army", ya know? ^^' Sorry for the break I'll be taking. I'll update my bio to let you know when I think I'll be able to start writing. Bye!