iii.
The baffled king composing
She speaks so frankly with him that he doesn't quite know how to interpret it. Tomoe inquires so casually if he plans to kill her that Kenshin needs a moment to process her words and make sure he hadn't misheard her. As he glances up at her from his seat on the sill, he is almost startled by how calm she is.
She asks him with as much expression as a kokeshi doll; a bat of long lashes against pale cheeks, unreadable eyes of sumi ink. The only hint to the weight of her question is the soft click of her chopsticks as she lays them on the tray before her.
His fingers catch on the cotton of his hakama as he answers, hands rubbing idly against his knee in an unusual tell. He explains to her with as much steel as he can that he does not kill without reason, and when she tilts her head to consider his words the smell of blood grows stronger.
"Then, if I had been carrying a sword that night, would you have—?"
Tomoe does not allow him time to reel, standing and calmly informing him that she will be awaiting his answer. Kenshin is left with the distinct sensation that he has just been given a sort of test.
If I had been carrying a sword…
Kenshin rubs his eyes with tired fingers and thinks of her calm, expectant eyes. Somehow, he's sure he's failed.