iv.
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you
Even though his hands are raw, he does not stop scrubbing them until he catches the scent of white plum blossoms. He glances up from beneath sweat-matted bangs to catch her eye as she drifts past the doorway, eyes still dark and deep and questioning. Her words from weeks ago echo in his head.
If I had been carrying a sword that night, would you have—
She looks away and continues down the hall, leaving him alone to continue his ritual cleansing. Kenshin does not move again for a long time after, until his fingers prune and his knuckles sting. But when the blood is scrubbed from his flesh and the memory of his target is but a faint pink tint of the water, he remembers her eyes and feels dirty.