Standard disclaimer applies.
A/N: Revised and reposted.
CHAPTER III
Blue Eyes
Aoshi was following a familiar path towards his friend's home. It had been a year since his last visit. He was only a few meters away from the gate when he spotted a little figure crouching beside the fence. The figure was pounding something with a stone. He wondered whose child this was wandering in the Himura compound. He could not mistake the kid for Kenji since the little guy bore the characteristic red hair of his father.
When Aoshi was near enough, he saw what the child was pounding at. The little guy was pounding green leaves, Aoshi was sure he got it from the nearby weeds.
The child stopped moving when his vision caught the shiny black shoes coming towards him. He looked up and Aoshi was surprised that his presence hadn't startled the child, as most children he met had. He even had that same effect on adults. Amazingly, this child was different. Even in his crouched position and was towered by Aoshi's tallness, his intent gaze to him was confident. No trace of fear.
The child got to his feet. "Good morning!" Ryusei greeted.
Aoshi noticed the child's mouth tilted into a smile, blue eyes sparkling.
"What are you doing in here? Aoshi spoke his words softly, suddenly afraid to scare the child. And this was the first time he did so. Never before he cared what he looked or sound to others, much more with a kid. But this time… this time… maybe because of his impression to the child, he thought. Courage.
"I live in here… uhmm… temporarily," Ryusei trailed off. "Mama and I were visiting her friend, Kaoru-san."
"And that?" Aoshi asked pointing his chin at the pounded green weeds.
Ryusei was still holding the stone. "I'm preparing herbs to make a medicine," Ryusei said matter of factly.
Amused as he was, his expression showed nothing. Obviously, that was an adult phrase the boy had learned by rote. He wondered more this time as who could be the parents of this boy. He must belong to someone who's knowledgeable of herbal medicines. But there's only one he knew who's also a friend to the Himuras, he thought. No, it can't be? Could it be?
As if an answer to his mental questions, a voice rang from inside the dojo's yard.
"Ryusei, where are you?"
"Mama, I'm here," Ryusei called back throwing away the stone from his hand. He cast a smile to Aoshi.
"Ja. My mama's calling me already," then he rushed forward all at once, throwing himself against Megumi and putting both arms tightly around her legs.
She laid her hand on the back of his head, pulling him close, but her eyes were glued on the man standing outside the gate. The recognition was all at once. She could never mistake him for any other man. That long beige trench coat complimented his tall features. Those cold blue eyes that had always sent her chills, paralyzing her, were looking now on her.
But wait… something was changed, she thought. She mentally figured it out. He no longer wears his blue Oni uniform, instead, he's wearing a blue western shirt and a pair of pants, like those foreign businessmen she saw at the capital.
Though surprised by the abrupt answer of his unspoken questions, his expression showed no evidence. Neither his eyes gave any impression.
At the continued silence, Aoshi's eyes left their contemplation of Megumi's delicate pale face and again sought the child's. He looked more closely at the boy's face. Indeed, he has the familiar features of Megumi's face except for the blue eyes.
"Shinomori-san, it's been a long time," Megumi managed to say. She doesn't really know what to say to this man given that they hadn't actually acquainted each other much. And given that the man had always been difficult to read because of his lofty nature.
Aoshi only stared back at her, unable to say anything. And if there really was, it had been answered before he could even verbalize it.
"Mama, you know him?" Ryusei asked. The child's gaze was now on him, he realized, rather than on his mother.
"Hai. He is Shinomori-san," Megumi whispered avoiding Aoshi's eyes.
"The one you told me about?" Ryusei's eyes sparkled.
Megumi felt her cheeks growing hot. If Aoshi weren't there, she would be more than glad to hear Ryusei remembered a topic she had told only once as a part of their bedtime stories. But at this very point, it's just not the right time and not the right place.
His eyes narrowed at that. He was tempted to wonder what Megumi could have told her son about him. Given their unpleasant past, there would be nothing good to talk about him. Again, silence had followed after Ryusei's comment. Aoshi wasn't sure anymore what his face might have revealed, but he knew that those simple words had had more of an effect than they should have had.
"Shinomori-san! What brought you here?" A sound from the inner yard broke the tensed silence that had stretched between them. Megumi was ever grateful of Kenshin's intervention. Whether it was done for her benefit or simply a greeting to the newly arrived guest, she doesn't care, as long as this encounter was over. She sighed almost audibly in relief.
Kaoru was behind Kenshin greeting their friend, "How are you, Shinomori-san?"
"Fine." An unusual release of air was audible from Aoshi. The couple had caught it and exchanged a quick glance to each other and shared a certain understanding of what they had just witnessed.
"Please, come in, Shinomori-san," Kaoru offered and began her steps back to the house.
"It's been over a year since your last visit," Kenshin started conversationally.
"Aa."
Megumi had started walking, too, following Kaoru. Her hand was at the back of her son's head, guiding him down the steps.
"I have been looking all over for you. You should be preparing. We are to visit my doctor friend, remember?" Megumi scolded her son. But even with that firm voice, her message was conveyed with a transparent affection.
"I'm sorry," the child apologized sincerely and was responded by her gentle smile.
Aoshi found himself staring, fascinated at the exchange instead of following his host.
"Aoshi-san?" Kenshin asked, standing at the doorway waiting for him to step inside. At the sound of his friend's voice, he diverted his gaze off from the mother and son towards Kenshin and stepped inside following his friend.
His cold façade never left his face, but Kenshin caught it anyway. The way his friend stared at the lovely scene of Megumi and Ryusei. He can almost read through Aoshi's preoccupation from his blue eyes. Kenshin almost chuckled and his smile became wider.
It had been a week since Megumi followed this route. She walked early to the Oguni clinic and going home late in the afternoon to the dojo.
When she first visited the old doctor Gensai, he had been prepared to leave and temporarily close the clinic for a visit to his sister. He had been very grateful when Megumi offered to tend to the clinic while he's away.
After deciding that it's time enough to close the clinic, Megumi rose to her feet and tidied her kimono from folds. There's not much patients nowadays since the town hospital was built but the old doctor kept his clinic for his patients who continue to come to him despite the medical advances at the hospital, either because they only seek minimal medical attention or just for consultation. But, most of all, because they can't afford the hospital services.
She stepped out of the door and locked it. Feeling an unusual dampness in the air, she looked up unto the sky that had gone darker than its regular shade at this time of afternoon when she usually decides to go home.
She quickened her steps as she tightened her lips knowing quite well that she would be soaked in the rain any minute now if she doesn't hurry.
She was so drawn of her thoughts about her forgotten umbrella and getting soaked that she hadn't noticed the men coming her way from the opposite direction of the road.
"Hey, Missy! Ya seem so alone 'long this road. Got any company?" A rugged voice drew Megumi's attention to the men in front of her.
"I haven't had a companion. If you'll excuse me, I'm on a hurry. It's going to rain anytime now." Megumi then started her steps noting that the man who spoke was grinning stupidly at her with his two front teeth missing. She also smelled a hint of alcohol from his breath. Instinct warned her of the possible harm that these indisposed street thugs might do.
She resumed her quickened steps, feeling her whole body began to tremble and was terribly disgusted upon sensing that the two thugs were following her.
"Yah, bad weather, ne? Very unpredictable. Ya care if we'll walk ya home, missy?" the taller man asked her, flashing a silly grin. At least this one had his teeth in tact but she wondered of the unusual thinness of his body.
She refused to answer and focused her eyes on the road instead. She cringed when the taller man began to pull at her.
"Let go off me! Leave me alone!" She wrenched her elbow free, and started to run away from her pursuers.
She bit her lips as she felt the constricting effect of her kimono slowing her steps, compared to the thugs' long strides after her. Suddenly, she felt her foot bumped into something hard and her body staggered forward to a fall.
Just as it seemed she might go down, a strong hand grasped her elbow, holding her upright until she regained her balance. She looked up into a pair of furious blue eyes. He wrapped one arm around her waist, supporting her.
Megumi couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from those blue orbs. She remained dazzled by those ocean-deep sparkles as its gaze left hers and were planted dangerously to the thugs behind her.
"What's going on here?" asked a deep icy voice. The man felt stupid asking that as if he hadn't figured what had occurred, but he asked it anyway to measure the situation.
"We're just offering the lady a good walk home, she seems to be alone," answered the taller man who seems to be desperately gaining his bravado in the face of the woman's rescuer.
Megumi thought that the thug was obviously intimidated by her rescuer's presence. She stared at his face and found that his furious, chilly expression hadn't change a bit since the time he intervened. He looked solidly masculine and incredibly competent to deal with the "good only at brawling" street thugs.
When Aoshi offered no immediate response to their reasoning, the thug mistook his silence as yielding to their offer.
"Come on, Missy, we'll walk you home." As the thin man reached for Megumi, Aoshi's fingers closed around his wrist, twisting it. He held the smaller man away from him at arm's length, inclining himself between Megumi and the thugs without letting go of his hold to her.
"Your offer is kind, but she's got no need of it," Aoshi warned, his voice dangerous, enough to send shivers to the thugs as much as to Megumi herself. She felt his arm tightening around her and wondered if he ever felt her shivered.
But the other man stayed even to the last ounce of his bravado. "Why is that so? Who are you anyway to decide that?" he said defiantly, twisting and turning as he tried to free himself from those iron fingers wrapped around his nearly breaking wrist.
There was only a moment of silence before Aoshi answered. "I was supposed to make sure that she's safe from the slightest danger."
The thug ceased to struggle, apparently considering Aoshi's words. And then his eyes narrowed, seeming to consider as well the caliber of the man who said it. Since Aoshi was taller by more than half a foot, he had to look up to make that assessment.
The other thug, the smaller one, looked back and forth from Aoshi to his comrade, waiting, as it seemed for another resistance from his companion.
Aoshi released his hold from the thug's wrist as he felt no resistance from the man but remained on guard for any sudden or unexpected blow.
"My comrade and I just wanted the lady walked safely home. Hell, you don't need to break a wrist. We don't mean any harm, right?" He patted the back of his small companion asking for affirmation. The man only gave a nervous nod understanding his companion's retreat.
They both flashed their same silly grin and without another word hurried away to the direction where Megumi had been.
When the thugs was out of sight. Megumi became aware, for the first time, that as much as Aoshi held her tight, she was clinging to him, hands gripping the front of his coat, as if her life depended on him. Which was rather true, she couldn't have handled two drunken street brawlers alone, she thought.
She felt herself flushed at their position, which could have added to the validity of Aoshi's statement. It's no wonder the thugs believed his words easily seeing them that way.
She lifted her hands off him this time feeling her cheeks, rather covering any sign of blush and was surprised to feel the stream of moisture marked it. She realized then she had been crying and had started to wonder how distressed looking she might have been to prompt Aoshi to help and invoked him to say what he had said.
"Takani-sensei?"
Her name had been a breath, loud enough for her ears alone, his eyes on hers.
"I'm all right," she said uncomfortably still looking at his eyes. "Except for my foot. It's throbbing, I bumped it to a stone, I think." Megumi stammered her words out grateful that their eyes had broken its uneasy contact this time as his eyes trailed down to where her injured foot was.
"It might have been bruised," Aoshi said without looking at her but concentrated on her socked foot.
Megumi, on the other hand, looked at him and watched as his gaze came back to hers. She noticed how easily his expression changed from seemingly concern into a look of anger but not in any way comparable to the fury she saw in his eyes a while ago.
"Don't worry, I can still walk the remaining distance to the dojo," she said as she took a painful step away from him. She couldn't be sure what injury her foot had acquired until she took her white socks off.
"It shouldn't have happened if you'd waited inside the clinic," Aoshi said coldly.
Megumi flinched at the tone of his voice.
"It's unwise to wait there for Yahiko until it rains. I thought it's better to go long before the rain pours," she replied, her voice thickly controlled from any sign of her irritation.
"Still, it's unwise to go on the road alone knowing that thugs pass this way and with a heavy rain…," Aoshi trailed off with rather obvious sullen irritation.
"How am I supposed to know it will rain this afternoon when it had been a fine day when I woke up," she said after looking away from Aoshi, feeling the burning pain in her ankle. She shifted her weight on the uninjured foot.
"Where's Yahiko anyway? He's supposed to be the one here fetching me," she asked irritably, suddenly remembering why Aoshi was the one with her now. It's not that this was the first time Aoshi escorted her on her way. In fact, this was the second time he fetched her home aside from the one where he escorted her to the clinic. That had been that way, in this whole week of seeing to the clinic. Since the people at the dojo were busy with their task sometimes, he would kindly offer to fetch her along on his way from his business. She thought it was not necessary to do so, but Kaoru insisted she be fetched, all for the sake of safety. Silly girl, she thought.
Her son had been so absorbed by the on-going activities at the Kamiya School where Kaoru and Yahiko taught. At first, Ryusei had insisted on coming along with his mother to the clinic but later found himself tagging along with Kenji who had started practicing the sword already. It was a relief for her that she doesn't have to look after him while she's tending to her patients. She had no Fujiyama couple here to watch after Ryusei so she settled her son over Yahiko's care. The young man had been so handy in terms of keeping Ryusei and Kenji.
"He had been requested at the Akabeko." His answer drew Megumi's attention back. "He had put your son to sleep before he left," he added as if reading her mind that had gone wondering about her son.
Megumi only gave a nod, which left Aoshi wondering, for his turn, what could have change this woman so much. She had become quite agreeable and silent, unlike the one he used to know. He could still remember how the fiery Megumi and the stubborn Sagara would exchange arguments over almost a nonsense topic. She had been the kind who wouldn't let an idea pass her, but she had changed so much. Perhaps, motherhood tempered her.
Their eyes met quickly as both of them felt the initial drops of the rain they had almost forgotten.
"We have to be quick," he said, and then immediately pulling Megumi's arm to halt her from advancing to the road. She practically mistook his words. With that, he stooped down a little, scooping her in his arms that had earned a surprise shriek from the woman.
"What do you think you're doing, Shinomori? Put me down at once!" Megumi yield furiously, forgetting to address the man properly.
"You know very well what will happen to your injury if you push it," he answered curtly.
"You can assist me to walk! You don't have to carry me!"
"We will be faster this way." When Megumi's mouth opened again to say something, he added, "Just shut up!" with that said, the rain had poured so fiercely, blurring both their visions leaving Aoshi to decide that the nearest, safe place would be the clinic.
"Kenshin," Kaoru called out. She had been looking for him and found him nowhere inside the house.
"Over here." She heard her husband from outside and saw him sitting at the porch watching the rain. She sat beside him.
"Kaoru-dono! Where are the children?"
"Still asleep since Yahiko left. There must be something in the rain. It's very strong, it might be a rainstorm," Kaoru said looking up at the heavy drops falling, drumming at the roofs.
"I think it is. It's better for Yahiko to stay at the Akabeko," Kenshin said.
"I think he will be more than glad to stay there longer with Tsubame," Kaoru nodded in agreement, returning her husband's smile. They're aware quite well of the strong attraction between the two youngsters that had become the constant source of teasing.
"I wonder what could have happened to Megumi. Surely, Aoshi would not think of marching themselves down the road with the rain over their heads." Kaoru arched her brow to Kenshin's direction.
"Of course, being soaked in the cold rain would not be a good idea for Aoshi-san. Besides, Megumi-san would strongly disagree if he ever thinks of doing so. I imagine they'll settle to stay at the clinic until the rain ceases," he patted his wife's hands for assurance noting the genuine concern in Kaoru's face for their friend.
"And if the rain refused to stop until tomorrow?" she insisted.
"Then they'll be stuck there, all by themselves." Kenshin grinned unable to hide his amusement at the idea.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru admonished.
"What? I meant nothing!"
"But seriously, you think they can get along with each other well?" Kaoru asked without looking at Kenshin.
"They had been both casual to each other. They were better now. I think there would be no problem at all."
"It was really a blessing Aoshi came to visit while Megumi and Ryusei are here. She decided to stay for the whole month to make up for the long years she hadn't visited us. I could only hope Aoshi stays longer," Kaoru said almost beaming at the thought of their friends alone in the clinic.
"Kaoru-dono, we shouldn't even be thinking this way on this matter. Remember that his late wife was also our friend."
"I know. How could I ever forget Misao? Poor friend, I missed her so much," Kaoru said sadly.
"I missed her too but we shouldn't be sad. I'm sure, if she's here, she wouldn't want those expressions in our faces." Kenshin said smiling to cheer up his wife.
"I'm amazed how he was changed a lot. He seemed to be more alight now and can engage more into conversations, unlike his annoying silence in the past. Though he never really changed being unreadable most of the times." Kaoru pouted cutely.
Kenshin smiled fondly at her. "It had become his nature. It will be very hard to change it. After all, he grew up with it along with his training, you know. We can only be happy for what he had become now."
"I agree with you." After a minute of silence Kaoru spoke again.
"Kenshin, I'm worried about Megumi. Unlike the one we used to know, she seemed to be rather … withdrawn. I missed the Megumi I know, very witty and can converse almost in everything there is to talk about."
"I noticed that too. There's more to what had happened than what she told us. I believe this story have much to do with what she is now."
"Despite it all I couldn't help but wonder how she was able to raise her son the way she had. You must have noticed the peculiar maturity of the child. It's rather advance for his age." Kaoru pictured the little boy in her mind.
"I know. The boy is intelligent. I could almost imagine how a fine man he would be when the day comes. I'm tempted to believe that he can even surpass his mother's wit and brilliance." Kenshin, too, had his own picture of an older Ryusei in his mind.
"Hai, I can agree with you in that," Kaoru agreed happily. "I could almost envy Megumi-san for such achievement. She's rather great for raising Ryusei finely, with only herself to look after him."
"It takes a lot of patience, I guess. But knowing our friend, I would not wonder that she's very capable of raising a fine child even if she's alone." Kenshin smiled at his wife.
"Oh, what if Megumi won't be home tonight, I'm sure Ryusei will look for his mother," Kaoru suddenly remembered.
"He'll be alright. As we've agreed, the boy is mature enough to understand," Kenshin said to which Kaoru nodded in agreement. He rose to his feet and offered his hand to Kaoru. "Let's get inside, the wind's starting to get chilly."
"Hai!" She took his hand and they walked back inside the house.
END OF CHAPTER THREE
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