Disclaimer: I do NOT own RK or PMK.

It was originally a one-shot, but I have received very positive feedback for the story. So here is another instalment. At this point, Okita and Kenshin still do not know each other's real identities yet. However, this may change in the following installments.

Janken and Candy

Mibu Temple Orphanage School, spring 1864

A gaggle of laughing children chased each other about the dusty yard under the watchful eyes of the pair perched on the each of the veranda. One tripped abd skinned his knee. Bawling, he ran for the pair.

"Waahhh… Sou-nichan! I hurt me knee!" With a tired sigh, Souji took a wad of cloth from his sleeve and dabbed at the bloodied knee. "Now, now, boys shouldn't cry… let's get that nasty scrape cleaned up, ne?"

Sniffling, the child nodded as the young man lifted him into his arms and carried him over to the rain barrel. The redhead youth watched as his older friend gently tied up the child's knee. It reminded him of his own shishou. Kenshin rarely cried. If he were to hurt himself during the course of his training, Master Hiko would rile at him for being careless, a baka deshi and how the kami-damned hell did you manage to tumble off the waterfall while perfecting the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's basic technique… Then the man would tend to his injuries with the same care and gentleness Sou displayed to the child.

"Kenni? What's up?" Sou resumed his place by the sweet platter as the now-laughing child rejoined his playmates.

"Nothing, you just reminded me of something…" Kenshin smiled at the carefree man who was like an elder brother to him. Yet, they knew so little of their backgrounds. Maybe it was for the best, Kenshin mused. Being friends with Battousai will probably be a nasty shock for poor Sou.

"My sister used to scold me that way whenever I cried. Once, playing hide-and-seek, my pals forgot to look for me. When I finally came out of hiding, it was so dark in the cemetery…"

"You hid in a cemetery?" Kenshin's eyes widened with disbelief. Sou nodded solemnly. "It seemed a great idea to hide there when the sun was up. I ran howling all the way home. My sis chided me. Sons of samurai should never cry, she said."

For a moment, they sat side-by-side on the veranda with the plate of sweets between them. The sun was shining. The children were playing. They were content to leave their older friends out of their games for a while. After three vigorous rounds of tag, a mini wrestling match and a run round the yard piggybacking each child, the pair was just as happy to sit and catch their breaths.

Kenshin watched as Sou popped another sweet into his mouth. That makes six since they sat out the game of tag. Kenshin felt the colour rise to his cheeks when the dark haired youth caught him staring.

"Let's play a game of janken! Winner gets to eat a sweet."

"You can have them. I'm not that hungry…"

"Aw, come on…"

Scissors! Paper! Kenshin won the first round. Reluctantly, he popped a sweet into his mouth. It was cherry-flavoured and reminded him of his first New Year with Hiko. Master Hiko had bought a bag of sweets for him as a special treat. They were cherry-flavoured too.

"Sou, you are very fond of sweets. I never see you without some."

Okita laughed a twinkling laugh. "I love sweets, so does Saizou." The man feeds sweets to a pig? Sou was the picture of an eccentric youth from a well-to-do samurai household. Kenshin mused. He just admitted his heritage and he had some impressive sword skills. However, Kenshin cannot sense any serious ki from him in his relaxed state. Sou must be some rich samurai's son. Their childhoods would be polar opposites.Orphaned at an early age,Kenshin was once a slave, later rescued by a sake-loving sword master.

Stone, paper… Souji giggled as he popped an orange sweet into his mouth. "Kenni, how are your folks? You never mentioned any family…" Here comes the clincher. "They're all dead," Kenshin answered truthfully.

"That's why I took up a job at Umeya as a kitchen help," he lied. Before Souji can ask more questions, Kenshin asked: "Sou, I guess you must be still living with your parents…"

"Nah, my parents both died when I was nine."

"Living with your sis?" Another round of janken, and a sweet was won by Kenshin.

"Nah, she got married and I moved out. I live with a couple of friends who are like family to me…" Souji smiled as he thought of the gang at the Yagi compound. "I feel closer to them than to my sis… Family is more than just blood ties, you know."

"Agreed," Kenshin thought fondly of the three slave girls who were like his elder sisters. He had been ready to challenge a bandit to protect them. They had willingly given their lives for his. He thought nostalgically of his shishou. Stern, sharp-tongued but with a degree of genuine concern for his deshi, Hiko was a father figure to him.

For a mother figure, he guessed Okami from Kohagi Inn would suffice. She always had a smile for him and a kind word when he helped out with the chores. There was the wacky gang at Umeya. The indomitable Umeko-san, with her wit and principles, often had fiery disagreements with Katsura-san. She was like a kindly aunt. The kunoichi waitresses of Umeya were a pack of good-natured elder sisters. As for older brothers… Kenshin stole a glance at Sou, who was watching the petals dance in the breeze.

"You know, Kenni, I always wished I had a younger sibling. Maybe a kid brother. Maybe that's why I like children so much." Souji smiled. Tetsu the new page to Vice-chief Hijikata was a likely candidate, but the boy had his own over-protective big bro watching over him. So Souji had to contend himself with sparring partner and kendo mentor. Poor Tetsu might freak out if he knows Okita treats him like a kid brother. As if one over-protective bro ain't enough.

"Say, Kenni, have you popped the question to her yet?" Kenshin flushed crimson at Sou's not-too-subtle hint at his crush on Tomoe. He shook his head vigorously.

"Sou, I haven't got the guts to ask her on a date yet…" Not too mention I drew my sword on her the other day… She knows I'm a killer, you don't. It will take a miracle for her to agree to go out with me…a man tainted by death and blood.

"I know a very good romantic play they are having at the kabuki theatre. I can help you get the tickets…"

Desperate to change the subject, Kenshin spoke: "Sou, why don't you ask your girlfriend out?"

Sou shook his head sadly. "There isn't a girlfriend, Kenni."

"Hotaru-san has a crush on you…" Kenshin confided.

"Hotaru-san?" Souji scrunched his brow in deep thought. "Let's see, she works at Umeya. She is about seventeen, with long hair and round eyes. She is slightly nervous."

"Only around you, Sou. Why don't you ask her out? That way, you two can get to know each other better…" Kenshin wondered what Hotaru would make of his little attempt at matchmaking. Hotaru did not acknowledge anything of her feelings, but it will take a blind fool not to see what she felt for Sou whenever he came to Umeya.

"No, Kenni. It wouldn't work out." Not with my line of work. Hotaru is a nice girl who deserves better than a Miburou. I'm glad she found employment at Umeya after she lost the job at the Shinsengumi. At least Hotaru did not tell Kenni who he really is. There is no way anyone can treat a Miburou with the same frank honesty Kenni treats Sou.

"Niichan! Come play!" A little girl beckoned the pair to join their games.

"Coming!" The first captain of the Shinsengumi and an Ishin hitokiri took their places in the ring of children, holding their tiny hands in their sword-callused ones. They started singing a children's rhyme as the game started.

Author's Notes:

About the ages, Kenshin is younger than Okita, even though you can't really tell from RK. They are both orphaned as children. Kenshin's childhood was considerably rougher than Okita's. At leastOkita wasn't a slave like Kenshin was.

More reviews please! This story may be a series of short insights into their friendship, or it may develop into something different from the New Kyoto Post-The Japan Bulletin-Sake Shack LIVE trilogy.