"I don't think you understand the gravity of my situation," Soujiro had his arms crossed as he glared at Koharu from across the table they were seated at. They had managed to travel far within the past two weeks away from civilization before they lost the sun to an overcast of clouds. Soujiro had tried pressing forward and only managed to stumble back upon a main road, which Koharu was thrilled to see again. For a awhile, she had not mind being lost with him, but after awhile, it felt like they were traveling far to nowhere. She was desperate for a change of scenery. In her favor, Soujiro decided to tread the main road cautiously, especially when the gray clouds started to rain upon them.

"Relax Sou," Koharu smiled happily. "If it was that serious, you wouldn't have caved so easily to come back here."

"You wouldn't stop begging me," he arched a brow.

From the main road they traveled until the sun would clearly reveal itself and guide the way for them again. It never did. From the main road, they had stumbled onto a rural village, which Soujiro planned to bypass altogether. He probably would had managed to had he and Koharu not been able to smell the food from afar being prepared in the village's only restaurant. Though his stomach and Koharu protested against it, he had tried pressing onward. He was in a rush, after all, and had already lossed so much time.

They had nearly put the village behind them when the rain started coming down in torrents. Guilt was already eating at Soujiro in how he was pushing Koharu, who was getting drenched by the rain while Soujiro got to stay somewhat dry with his hat. Even Koharu's clothes were already showing signs of wear and tear and being out in the elements like that was not helping either of them. Soujiro himself was close to being starved. He could only imagine what he had already put Koharu through. Once the rain began pouring and Koharu insisted on turning around, he finally was moved to oblige for both their sakes.

Before entering, he felt it best to give up his hat to her for her to tuck her braids and ribbons in. They would end up drawing more attention, otherwise, with her boyish clothing than if he continued wearing it. He kept his sword, of course, but kept the blade lined vertical against him and used his own sleeve to cover over the blade.

"What's the good of having money if you don't spend it?" Koharu questioned.

"It's supposed to be for emergencies."

"This is an emergency!" She raised her voice. "We'll die if we don't eat," she said as matter of fact. "And how can I know the gravity of your situation when you won't tell me everything. All I really know-"

"Koharu."

"-is that your crimes are bad enough apparently to send you off to be execu-" When she didn't take the earlier hint, Soujiro reached across the table, slapping his palm over her mouth. His head was lowered in disbelief at her carelessness. This was a bad idea to come here.

It was in that moment the waitress came to their table ready to serve the hot tea Soujiro had ordered for them. She paused with a puzzling expression at finding Soujiro sitting over the table with his hand over Koharu's mouth. He sat back with a nervous chuckle trying to play it off as nothing. The waitress could only relax when Koharu let out a girlish chuckle. "Sorry Sou." She then softly laughed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Oops. There I go apologizing again."

Even with all her giggling, he was cringing. She was supposed to be disguised as a boy. "Uh, domo arigato." He said as the waitress placed the tea pot and two cups down to their table.

"This is going to be the first time I haven't been kicked out of a restaurant," Koharu said out loud.

The waitress stood nervously from the table and looked to Soujiro for some sort of explanation. Instead, she found him with his head down in his palm, his eyes wide with embarrassment. She still managed a smile for them. "Your meal should be out shortly." She said before she hurried off.

Soujiro brought his fingers through his hair as he exhaled from the stress he was being out through. "You might yet have to prove if that will be the outcome," he muttered as he began pouring their tea for them. Once he did so, he was too happy to clutch the cup of tea to his chest and breathe in the hot steam and feel the warmth against his face. He had closed his eyes as he had done so and sighed in contentment from the comfort the hot drink was already bringing him. He opened his eyes when he heard Koharu release a forced sigh out loud and realized that she had been copying his every action in how she handled her cup. He lowered the cup back to the table, but still held it close for warmth. "Koharu, I'm been meaning to ask..." He paused with a frown when Koharu copied his last action. One would think she had never handled such a common thing like a cup of tea. He continued to ignore it. "If you don't mind me asking, what did happen to your brother? Does it have anything to do with your fear of heights?"

"Oh," she looked away shyly. "Well...you could say that. But don't we all naturally have fears like that?"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he assured her. He could understand considering he never planned to ever reveal his past out loud. But if she were to stay with him, it would help to know such things. He felt sure that was why she attached herself to him so quickly, to fill some void her brother had left behind. "It's just when Hisato mentioned it, I was able to understand you a bit better, but I still can't help but question it a bit more."

"I thought the less you knew, the better," she quoted his earlier words from when they first met. She then bit her lower lip in regret at saying those words to him. She wanted to apologize, but remembered that Soujiro didn't want to hear it anymore.

He simply shrugged in response as he took his first sip of his hot tea. "I just thought I would ask. I'm sorry."

Koharu raised her head at hearing him apologize instead. While he clearly proved to be sorry in how he treated her before, he had never actually said the words. Her apologies were worthless to him, but it meant a lot to hear it come out of his mouth. She looked back down to stare at her reflection revealed partially in the cup of tea she held. She gave it a small shake to distort the image before she managed to speak again. "He was nothing like you."

For a moment, Soujiro didn't know how to register that comment .

"He was good at first. Back before we worked for Hisato."

"He wasn't good to you?" Soujiro asked. If that was the case, then he wasn't sure what void he was filling exactly for Koharu. He figured he had somehow reminded her of him, but that didn't appear to be the case.

"He..." her voice gave off a slight crack as she tightly grasped her cup of tea. "...blamed me for Mother's death. They both did."

"Who?"

"He and my father," she then forced out a chuckle, but her eyes revealed confusion. "The strange thing is my brother would defend me whenever my father would lash out against me. He would lash out and attack both of us, especially after he would drink. My brother and I came to hate him. But one night, I changed my mind about my father," she said as she pulled her music box back out and set it on the table. "I found him one night playing this music box. He was crying. When I asked my brother, he said the music box belonged to Mother. It was something she had treasured since she was a little girl." She cupped her music box fondly as she spoke. "Father loved her. He was grieving for her still."

Soujiro was about to take another sip of his drink before he changed his mind to speak. "That's no excuse for him to blame and attack you two."

"What would you know?" She snapped bitterly. She exhaled to calm herself. "Forgive me. You just asked about my brother and I'm giving you my life story."

Soujiro only smiled. "I figured it would lead to that, Koharu. What happened to your father?"

"Ah, well," she picked up the music box fondly again. "One night, while he was gone, I snuck into his room for this. I just wanted to see if up close and hear it through just once. In the middle of playing it, he barged in unexpectedly and in his usual drunken rage. He-"

"Attacked you?"

"He would have killed me had my brother not intervened," Koharu confirmed. "All my brother did was shove father away me. My father couldn't catch his balance…and hit his head. He wouldn't move anymore after that. My brother ended up killing him trying to protect me. We had to run after that. The police wouldn't understand. My brother would have been arrested and who knows where I could have been sent off."

"I'll take it that's when you two ran into Hisato."

"Hai," she uttered distastefully. "Hisato seemed like such a nice man at first. He drew us in by promising food and clothing in exchange for working for him. He promised we'd be well taken care of. And we were, as long as we each did our part. I was allowed to stay as long as I did my part too and my brother took responsibility for me. I often ended up embarrassing him though. It didn't help that my brother looked up to Hisato from the very start. All he wanted was Hisato's approval. So I ended up becoming a burden to my brother, holding him back." She was now turning her music box over and over in her grasp as she spoke. "When the boys would make fun of him because of me, he would lash out at me more violently, calling me names like busu and whelp, well,I guess they all did. One day, he hit me in front of all them. They liked it. They liked it when I cried and so they encouraged it. Once my brother figured that out...that he could win their approval in some way…." she stopped to wipe a tear away. Soujiro was surprised she was able to keep her composure this long. Perhaps she had already cried enough over it.

"Your brother would hurt you to seek out their favor," he was able to finish for her once more.

She nodded and managed to continue. "One night I messed up really bad. This is the dept Hisato was referring to. He blamed my brother, but it really was my fault. We were lying in wait to ambush a carriage," she switched from her music box back to hold her cup of tea. She had yet to drink from it. "Even then I had a fear of heights, and my brother knew that, but he made me climb up a tree with him where the branches stretched out over the road. If I had refused, it would have given him a reason to lash out against me."

That's no doubt the reason why he did it, he thought as he listened and took another sip of his tea.

"My brother and I had a simple task, according to Hisato. Kill the driver. Release the horses. But if we couldn't be great thieves, how could we be killers? It wasn't going to stop my brother from trying though. He was prepared to do anything in favor of Hisato."

"He couldn't bring himself to do it?" Soujiro guessed.

"He never got the chance. By the time the others had forced the carriage to a stop and my brother jumped from the branch on top of the carriage to take the driver down, I was still trying to muster the courage to jump. I knew I had to. Once I finally did, I landed but twisted my ankle with a painful screamed. I guess it was enough to startle the horses and it alerted the driver of my brother, who right behind him. The horses were sent in a frenzy and the driver used that to his advantage. The horses scared the others that had been blocking the way before the horses sped off. My brother and I were thrown from the carriage when he turned a sharp corner. That's how I cost everyone their share of spoils that night. Hisato was harsh enough when we didn't bring in enough. My brother and I were forced to take the fault. As you can imagine, my brother tried pinning the whole thing on me...I guess in a way I did deserve all the blame. Nothing went wrong until I screamed. Hisato said, as he looked at me that he needed to do something about it and make sure I was to never mess up again."

Soujiro had looked away as she spoke, turning the cup in his hand, his eyes clearly reminiscing on his own memories. It all sounded too familiar. He was probably one of few that could understand her feelings and what she went through. Not only was she mistreated by her family for simply existing, but she was constantly torn apart by her brother and the others so that they were be built up by what they did to her. "The weak become food for the strong," he echoed Shishio's words.

He had become such like 'food' to his family while he had slaved for them. His tears brought them the same pleasure like Koharu's tears brought the others. He was nearly consumed by their hunger to finish him off and pin his death on Shishio. And how good that would have made them look if they succeeded. They would have been looked up to as heroes after murdering him and turning in Shishio. Of course, they wouldn't have succeeded in reprimanding Shishio if they got that far.

Since his fight with Himura Kenshin, he had started to question Shishio's beliefs in the notion that the weak die and strong lives. However, Koharu's past and his even now seemed to be making those words ring loud and true, once more. Their weakness had aided in making the strong, stronger.

"What's that mean?" Koharu questioned.

Soujiro turned his gaze back to hers. "Oh, it's just something someone told me once. If you're strong, you live. If you're weak, you become food for the strong. In other words, you die."

Koharu tilted her head with a raised brow. "That's a terrible way to go about life, Sou. Who told you that?"

Soujiro frowned. "Can you really deny it? Everything your brother has done to you was done to benefit himself and make him look better. By tearing you down, he was made stronger."

She scoffed, but then thought on the words for a moment longer. "I guess I can see what you mean -no- I refuse to believe that. Soujiro, I'm not dead, aren't I? I'm certainly not strong, but I'm not dead."

"Because of me."

She slammed her good hand on the table. "Exactly. You're already refuting those words. I'm alive because my first brother protected me from my father. I'm alive because you protected me from Hisato. My brother was strong. You're strong, but you don't oppress the weak. You're making it sound like the strong have to oppress the weak to live. I'm alive because the stronger ones protected me."

Soujiro had been fighting a smile when she referred to her brother as her 'first' brother and he hid the smile as he drank his tea. She didn't even realize she had worded it in such a way. By the time he had lowered his cup from his lips, however, her words had struck another nerve in him.

Koharu's whole posture and demeanor changed when she saw the waitress bringing their meals to them. "Finally, our food is coming," she folded her arms eagerly on the table. The waitress still managed a smile as she passed their meals down to them. Soujiro had ordered them both the same miso soup with udon noodles and hearty vegetables. "Enjoy," she said before she had to take her leave to answer another's costumer's call for a drink.

Soujiro had been reflecting on her words, especially on how he accidentally ended up denying Shishio's words after defending the words he had believed in for so long in front of her. He didn't get long to meditate on them before he noticed Koharu hungrily shoving as much of the bowl into her mouth as she could. Instantly, she spilled some of the hot soup on her lap and began choking on the hot broth. She would have dropped the bowl had Soujiro not managed to reach over the table and grab the bowl just before she let go. She began coughing to the point of tears, her face turning a sweltering red. Soujiro had a feeling this wasn't just her having been clumsy or not thinking it through.

He rushed by her side placing a hand on her back and began patting it. He wasn't sure if she was still choking or trying to recover from it. She had poured hot broth down her throat and could still be suffering from the effects of that.

"Is he all right?" The waitress rushed to their side as soon as she heard the commotion.

"Water, please, " he said in an urgent tone of voice.

"Right away," the waitress said and hurried off.

When Koharu still hadn't taken a full breath of air, Soujiro felt he had to do something. He started to pull her against him before she suddenly pushed him aside and stumbled for the front door and shoved it aside.

"Koharu?" He followed her outside into the rain. She had barely turned the corner before she finally vomited what had been lodged in her throat, which was a piece of vegetable. Soujiro felt a twinge of remorse hearing the poor girl finally take in a lungful of air. She softly moaned as she stumbled back and accidentally struck Soujiro. The force would had knocked her over had he not latched his arms under hers. Instead, it was her hat that flew to the ground. He pulled her out of the rain and against the wall of the restaurant where it would be dryer. "My hat," she said in a raspy voice.

Soujiro turned on his heel and quickly fetched the hat for her and placed it on her head. "Are you all right?"

"I can't even eat right," she said as she tucked her braids back in her hat. "I'm sorry." She then smacked her head when she apologized again.

Soujiro was hardly paying attention to that. His guilt was mounting at realizing how starved the girl had been.

The waitress finally hurried through the shoji door Soujiro forgot to close in his rush after Koharu. She gave the cup of water to Soujiro.

"Arigato," he said to her as he passed the water to Koharu. She gratefully took the drink from him and carefully began to consume it. He looked back at the waitress as he raised a reassuring hand. "We'll just be a minute."

"Is there anything else I can do?" She asked sincerely.

When Soujiro convinced her otherwise, she bowed and returned inside, sliding the door shut behind her. Soujiro turned to rest against the wall beside her until Koharu would fully gain her composure. It was then Soujiro convinced himself he wasn't cut for this task of caring for her. He had done nothing but driven her across the country surviving little on food and making her openly face the elements. He had thought it was risky and pointless coming to this village at first, but he saw now it had been emergency. He was picturing Koharu having dropped dead had he decided not to turn around. "I told you I'm not much of a caretaker, or guardian…. Whatever it is I'm supposed to be, I'm not cut out for it."

"What does that have to do with this?" She asked, but continued to softly cough.

"I had no idea you were starving like that."

"I only choked, Sou," she tried to convince him otherwise.

"Koharu, you acted like an animal as soon as you got your food," he said bluntly. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

The way he worded it slightly embarrassed her. "I didn't know-" she started into another series of coughs trying to raise her voice.

Even as he questioned her, Soujiro knew better. He couldn't be sure if he was ever starved to the point she was at, but he knew enough. After all, his family had to feed him some to expect so much labor out of him. He knew once your body was accustomed to surviving on so little, it couldn't just freely take on a full meal easily, and they were only having soup. Even then, it didn't stop a human being from acting savagely once they finally got their hands on a decent meal.

Without giving it much thought, Soujiro lowered his hand against her back to urge her of off the wall. "Come on. You still need to eat." He feared she could still drop dead soon if she didn't.

Koharu felt an inner warmth within from his simple, yet, concerned touch and couldn't help but look up to him as he guided her back inside. She didn't doubt his inability to look after her at all. She smiled fondly when she remembered the words he used to try and describe what it was exactly he was supposed to be to her. Guardian. I like that. It sounds better than caretaker. As hard as it was to admit he was the one doing all the caring, guardian seemed a more fitting title for him.

Soujiro was slightly embarrassed when the others in the restaurant turned their attention back on them as they entered the building having watched the episode with Koharu unfold. If anyone should have been embarrassed, it should have been Koharu, but she was far from it. She was proud to be seen with Soujiro's arm against her back as he walked beside her. In that moment, no one could touch her. No one could say anything against her and get away with it. She was allowed to be weak. She could be strong if he was there. Yes, guardian. That suits him much better, she smiled in thought.

"All right, Koharu. Just eat slowly. It should be cool enough now," he said and then returned back to his meal.

She tried not to look too disappointed when he left her side so that he could also eat. She cupped her bowl again and started to bring it to her lips until she saw Soujiro approach his soup differently with chopsticks. She had never quite grasped how to use them, yet he grasped and used them so naturally like two extra fingers he's always had. Not only could he handle a sword with such grace, but he made drinking tea and using chopsticks look like an art. She stared with a bit of envy.

"Koharu. Eat." Soujiro said more like an order when she had done nothing but stared.

She looked at her bowl feeling a bit of shame now in how she had to eat it before him, but obeyed. She waited for him to say something about it, but he never did and carried on with his meal. I'll never understand what he finds appropriate and what he doesn't, she thought as she continued drinking from the bowl.

After giving it much thought and consideration, Soujiro felt it would be in their best interest to stay over the night as the rain continued to pour. In a way, he felt like he owed it to Koharu and wanted her to recover her strength the best way possible before pressing onward in their journey. They would still have a decent amount of funds left over and he saw no harm in just this one time.

"Oh, it's lovely in here," she said as she explored the space he rented out for the night. "But there's only one futon."

"It's for you of course," he said as he slid the door shut behind him. His hand remained ready, however, to reopen it in just a moment.

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"Don't worry about it," he smiled as he raised another reassuring hand. Often when he did that, Koharu wasn't reassured. "I'll have some tea brought up for you. It will do you some good before we get back on the road tomorrow." He slid the door back open.

Koharu at once lunged at him and took hold of his arm at the risk of him shoving her away. "Oh, no you don't, Sou. I'm not staying in this room all by myself." She was surprised he didn't push her off immediately.

"It's really not approp-"

"Don't say it," she spat. "And I don't care. Who's going to know?"

"I will," he attempted to pull his arm free to leave, but her hold only tightened. "Look..." he had no choice but to admit to her, "...me doing this is a way of showing you respect. It lets us both keep our dignity. You need to understand that." He said in a firmer tone of voice.

"I don't care about that."

His eyes narrowed. "Do you even know what it means?"

"That's beside the point. You really are strange for a retired assassin, you know." She tried to turn it back on him.

"Oh, Koharu," He turned away scratching at the back of his head.

"I still have to tell you what happened to my brother. Didn't you want to know?" She then added to her plot to make him stay. "You can have your tea here."

"The tea is supposed to be for you."

"Whatever, just stay," she gave a jerk to his arm to force him back in the room. "If it doesn't bother me, it shouldn't bother you. I'm used to sharing my space with a bunch of boy-"

He had to cover her mouth as two workers were passing through the hall. "All right, fine. I'll stay for a bit. Please, be more careful what you say around here."

She let out a nervous chuckle and caught herself right before she was going to apologize. "Okay," it felt more awkward saying that instead. "Why don't I go bring you that tea?" She started to walk pass him before he lowered his arm to block her.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'll bring it. Just wait here."

"Isn't it more 'appropriate' for the girl to be entrusted with such a task?" She sort of mocked, but had really wanted to do it for him.

He looked over his shoulder as he was turning away to leave. "Not if she's dress like a boy." And if she's a klutz, he said the real reason in his head.

He heard a pathetic, "oh," leave her mouth as he walked away. She was right in that the girl was typically tasked with a chore like that and it was one he wished he could trust her with, but he didn't. I'll make it up to her a different way, he thought.

And he did. Once he returned with a tray of fresh hot tea, he let her serve them and ended up critiquing her. They sat on the floor facing each other with the tray of tea in between them, each of them sitting on a cushion. "Hold your hand over the lid when you pour it," he said when she tried maneuvering the teapot one handedly because of her bandaged hand. "It's good to remember to pour it when no one is holding the cup. Many end up doing it anyway, but you run the risk of hot tea splashing on their hand, which can cause other accidents to follow. And you'll be the one blamed for it." He didn't even realize he was teaching her and allowing her to experience something useful that would prove to be vital in her future, especially if she ever married.

"And then sigh in content," she said as she hugged the cup of warm tea to her chest. She closed her eyes as she forced out another sigh. She opened one eye when she managed to make Soujiro laugh for the second time. She wished she understood what made him laugh. She wanted to hear it more often. Even when her brother had been more protective and good to her, she couldn't remember ever causing such a sincere laugh out of him.

"That should come naturally, Koharu," He gave his last tip before placing his drink on the tray between them, his face becoming a bit more serious. "So what happened to your brother?

"Oh," her shoulders dropped in angst. It's not that she didn't want to tell him anymore, but she had simply been enjoying just having tea with him. But if it meant him staying longer, she would tell him what he wanted to hear. "Where was I?"

"Hisato had left it up to your brother to discipline you. Did he?" Even he knew discipline was too much of a nice word to use.

"Oh yes," she said in a deeper tone of voice. "We were followed by some of the other boys when he decided to drag me by my arm through the entangled woods. No matter how I begged for his forgiveness, he wouldn't hear it. I guess he was sick of hearing them too."

"Koharu, you should know I don't like you apologizing because you either apologize for things that aren't worth apologizing over or you think it's an easy way out for the wrong you do. Apologies have their place, but you prove their worth through your actions or changes you make so you don't repeat the mistakes. Regardless of that, I don't think that's why your brother wouldn't hear it. If he really looked up to Hisato, he would have been determined to follow through on what he was told to do.

"Well, he did," she clenched her cup of tea angrily over the memory. "He grabbed at my shirt and held me over a cliff. He punished me by making me live my fear to the extreme. He just held my there over a pool of darkness and watched me scream. The others only laughed at me and cheered my brother on for what he was doing to me, saying I deserved it."

Soujiro found himself cringing at that because he had done something similar to her when he held his blade at her throat before shoving her down a hill. No wonder she feared the drop more than my sword. She was probably reliving that memory. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean? As you said, Sou, I'm weak. There was nothing I could do. Eventually, a part of my shirt ripped and I fell. I barely managed to catch myself on the edge before I had to beg my brother to pull me up. Once he finally did, he reached into my pocket and took Mother's music box from me. He said that I didn't deserve it for killing her. By the time he brought me back to Hisato, it was seen clearly that his punishment on me worked. That was probably the only time Hisato made it clear he was pleased with my brother for what he did. He was becoming just like them."

"He certainly was," Soujiro said. "Maybe it suited him more than you like to admit." He didn't need to ask how it was clear it Hisato that what her brother did to her worked. He could imagine clearly without having her go through the details. He could get an idea of how she felt when he recollected her reaction as he held her over that steep hill and let her go. The absolute look of betrayal when he stepped out of her reach when she tried reaching out to him right as she fell. He secretly shuddered at what he emotionally put her through then. He had thought she was simply overreacting then.

She finally started sipping on her drink before she acknowledged him. "Hai. I thought maybe too. But as I said, I had cost everyone their share of spoils that night. Hisato still expected us to make up for it, and my brother was more determined than ever to do so now that he thought he had a foothold in having Hisato's favor. He convinced some of the boys just the following night to enter Gifu and raid one of the restaurants."

"Did Hisato know about this?"

"No. Hisato never allowed us to enter Gifu because of the police. My brother was determined to try even if it meant going behind Hisato's back. He thought if he could do what Hisato thought was impossible, he would be some sort of hero."

"I'm guessing it didn't go too well," Soujiro said. Considering he's dead.

"No." She soberly uttered. "After convincing Itsuki and his brother and a few others, we broke in to one of the major restaurants. I was brought along so Hisato couldn't question me about what they were planning. Getting in the restaurant was easy for us, it was getting away. To no surprise, we attracted the attention of the owners who resided upstairs. I think it was what my brother wanted because he knew the owner had to have been hiding more money somewhere." She then shrugged as she continued to speak. "I guess the owner's wife or maybe one of their children managed to sneak away during that time to get the police. It wasn't long before we were nearly surrounded. When they showed up, we took what we had and ran. We were scattered. I never saw Itsuki or Kaito again until you came along. I managed to find my brother being chased down the street I was near but even then, I felt some relief being away from him. I was still torn between staying with him though. What did I have without him?" She then slowly exhaled as she brought her cup near her lips, but didn't drink it. "Before I could make a decision, he was shot down in front of me. The majority of the police were after him since he was seen as some sort of leader. I knew then there was no going back to working for Hisato.

In that moment, I ran out in the middle of the street, taking the risk to be shot down to recover Mother's music box. I didn't even look at my brother's face again. I just took the music box, and ran." She bowed her head in shame at admitting it out loud. "I know that's wrong and I did grieve for him in my own way, but my brother was dead to me long before he took his last breath." She then turned away slightly, afraid how Soujiro would take such cold words coming out of her mouth. When the silence continued, she finally risked glancing up at him to find his eyes clearly reminiscing like they were before. "Is it wrong what I did?"

He shifted his eyes back at her and answered without hesitation. "Koharu, you did nothing wrong." At least you didn't slay your whole family, he thought as he sipped on the last of his tea. He never loved his adoptive family, he never even liked them, but they had still been the only family he knew. He had similarly grieved for them in his own way. Before meeting Shishio, he never even thought about killing them. Not up until that very moment the father's son reached out to him to cause him harm. It was part of the reason he had cried that night in the rain where Shishio found him. He had never wanted to kill anyone, but accepted that if he wanted to live, he would have to kill. At least, that's what Shishio led him to believe.

Soujiro got on one knee as he placed his cup on the tray and did the same with Koharu's cup. He picked up the tray as he spoke. "You should get some rest."

"That's it?" Koharu questioned, slightly irritated. "I tell you all that and you're just going to leave?"

Soujiro knelt back down on one knee while still holding the tray. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to appear cold. I just felt if you were ready, I needed to know. If you're wanting to stay with me it helps to know why... you're you," He managed a smile for her. "I need to know why you might need someone like me, or if I'm even the right person to be...for you to stay with," he adjusted his words. He still didn't feel comfortable saying he was raising her. He couldn't be sure if he was exactly. He felt she had nearly died of starvation because of him.

"Of course you are." It seemed so obvious to Koharu. She stood and snatched the tray of tea from him and approached the door and left the tray right outside for it to be collected later. She slid the door shut and continued blocking the door. "Now I know these people aren't just going to be letting you sleep just anywhere within the building, which only leaves you to sleep outside. I'm not allowing that, Sou."

Soujiro stood firmly to both his feet as he faced her directly. "This arrangement is hardly going to work out, Koharu, if you keep trying to undermine what I say."

She hated more than anything when he threatened in anyway of leaving her. She was already afraid of it and she didn't want to be the one to cause it. "Maybe your way isn't always best," she continued to fight it. "I won't be able to sleep comfortably knowing you're outside in the cold, wet rain. What's the point then?"

"The point is to not draw attention. I promise I'll find a dry spot to sleep in, okay?"

"What if you don't? Sou, just stay," she made it sound final. "I promise you I won't sleep well if you leave. You would have wasted time and money."

Soujiro tried to remain firm for a few more seconds before his shoulders finally dropped in defeat." In that case, fine. I'll stay." If I keep giving into her requests though, she'll think she'll have some sort of hold on me, he worried. After all, he was the one to give in and take her with him, to travel back on the main road and to travel back to the village. He was more soft than he wanted to admit. His worry over the matter was slightly put to ease when he had his back turned as he was setting the cushion he had sat on earlier in the corner of the room and loosening the sword from his side when Koharu dropped her blanket over his shoulders.

She stepped back with a smile. "It's going to be colder sleeping against the wall."

He only clasped the blanket to keep it from falling off his shoulders. "Koharu, that isn't necessary," he started to give it back.

"Nope," she laughed having expected it and fell against his back to trap him in another headlock. It was a more gentler one mainly to keep the blanket on his shoulders.

"Koharu, you know how I feel about that," he looked over his shoulder towards her.

"Get used to it, Sou." She smiled. "I want you to know my goal is to never undermine you. I want you here because I care about you. You don't let someone you care about sleep in the rain." Her hold on him turned into a subtle embrace. "And for what it's worth, I think you're a wonderful guardian. I wish you would stop questioning it."

Soujiro couldn't see it. He had done things to her already that rivaled the wrong her brother did to her. Of course, he was focusing only on the wrong he did, not the extraordinary things he had done for her.

"Sou, can you teach me to use chopsticks?" She asked in a new excited tone of voice.

She felt his shoulders quake from a burst of laughter she earned from him yet again. She still wasn't sure what she did to spark it out of him, but she sure enjoyed it when she did cause it and it made her smile just to see it and now feel it.

It had been such a random request to him. He thought she had been referring to him having saved her life, which had clearly earned him the title as her guardian, but obviously the little things meant just as much. "Sure, I'll teach you." He said and directed her arms from around his neck as he faced her. "Tomorrow night. How's that?"

Koharu's smile beam. "Hai." She reached for the blanket about to fall off his shoulders and pulled it more snug over them until he clasped it once more in the front.

"Arigato, Koharu, go to bed. I still want to leave early."

Once Koharu did fall asleep, Soujiro returned the blanket back to her to ease his own troubling conscience. He would hear it later, but she would get over it. In the end, his word would have to be final.

I'm alive because the stronger ones protected me.

Her words got inside his head again as he stood from her sleeping form. "I don't know what to believe," he clasped his bangs as he closed his eyes. "Sometimes Shishio's words make more sense, sometimes they don't." He almost got Koharu believing them because at how much sense they make at first. "Either way, I spared her life and then I rescued her. I went against what Shishio taught me." He released his tight grasp on his bangs with a more calmly sigh. "Shishio isn't here. It was my choice to save her, not his." He started to return to his corner before he paused midway." My choice..." He repeated the words. The words suddenly sounded so new to him. "I guess my way doesn't have to be his way anymore," he smiled, feeling a new sense of freedom.

AN: Every story has their slower points right? If you read the beginning chapter carefully though, it should be obvious I have more action/adventure planned so just bear with me. I hope the story is being enjoyed either way! Sorry I'm not one of those fanfic authors that can write a long interesting intro or outro to each of their chapters...