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Standard Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin characters are the property of creator Nobohiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Shounen Jump, and Sony Entertainment.

Light of the Snow-Red Village
Part II - Light the Wick: The Early Years - Chapter 1

Jack is in the corner
The dish is with the spoon
The sheep is in the meadow
The cow is on the moon
But I am here with you and I believe
There's no other place I'd rather be
And a promise not to leave you
Is a promise I can keep

You're my muse
You're my rhyme
You're the fire warming this heart of mine
When you hear me say "I love you"
Do you know how much I do?
~*~

The sun shone down on the grassy field, bright and warm on the backs of the workers among the crops. It was nearly noon hour, and they swung their small scythes faster, trying to get their share of the chore done, knowing lunch and cooling water awaited them.

Kenshin lowered his tool and straightened up, wiping his brow. He had not grown tired from the work; on the contrary, he had a great deal of energy left, enough to work for many more hours. However, other things lay in his mind, and he was as anxious as any man to get out of the hot sun. A loud bell rang from one of the workhouses, signaling the midday meal. The scythe dropped from his fingers, and he rushed, swifter than the others, towards a small hut just beyond the larger building. Opening the door, he was greeted by the smiling faces of three women and various children. "Mitsuyo-dono?"

"Ah, Himura-kun!" one of the women greeted, glancing at him with an aged, friendly face. "She's been waiting for you."

He smiled back and walked over to her, taking the cheerful, active child from her arms. "Good morning, Hikari," he kissed her brow, wiggling his finger as she grasped it. "I missed you." She cooed softly, and he chuckled.

"She's grown a bit since you came here." Mitsuyo noted. "Gained a few pounds as well; thank goodness. She was all skin and bones, like a certain someone I know." she raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "I can't believe you traveled with her! You can't just move around all the time, especially with a child her age. How old is she, a year? Less?"

"You're going to have to reconsider your actions, Himura. She must have been half-starved when you arrived. Didn't you ever feed her?" she crossed her arms and huffed. "Well, I'm just glad she's here now, where people can take care of her properly."

Kenshin gazed down at his daughter's face, intent and delighted as she played with the long, flame-and-ember strands of his hair, tied low at the nape of his neck. Some of Mitsuyo's words stung; it was true, traveling had been harder with a child, and there had not been enough food as he would have preferred... but she had no right to judge him, especially when there was so much she did not know. The days he had worked all day long, resting rarely, to return to his daughter and feed her, saving none for himself, just so she could survive. The days it had been so hard to go on, yet one smile from her had washed away the aches, pains... the memories...

Mitsuyo must have noticed the hurt in his voice, for she was silent for a few moments. Finally, she spoke again. "I thought you'd be coming here for lunch. I had your meal brought here so you could stay with Hikari-chan."

"It's nothing." she waved him off nonchalantly. "You'll find it in the corner. Hikari-chan has already eaten, so don't concern yourself with her." her voice lowered, just a little. "Try adding some meat to your own body, child."

Humming softly, Mitsuyo washed the dishes routinely, trying to ignore the young man in one edge of the room as he ate. His puzzling arrival, a mere three weeks previous, brought many questions and wonderings among the other workers. Who was he? More importantly, who had he been? She had brushed off most of the remarks as nonsense. Himura Kenshin, who had at first attempted to pass off as simply Rurouni, was a sweet, gentle-hearted young man, and obviously not capable of doing much harm, despite the sword that hung from his waist when he had first arrived. This was certainly made concrete whenever she watched him with his daughter. There was sadness in him all other times, but with her, he was content. It was as if he, some kind of dying flower, blossomed with a smile at the sight of the sun. And their eyes both had the most wonderful violet shade...

She sighed softly, scolding herself. 'Daydreaming about a child, Mitsuyo? Shameful.'

Yet his presence on the farm, strange as it had been at first, stirred something in her heart, something long dormant. 'As if he were a long lost son coming home... but... rurouni... this is not his home, and he will leave someday...'

Gradually, she had grown from a fierce, impassive kitchen woman, into somewhat of a protective grandmother to the baby he had brought with him. She had been so small... it was understandable, considering his meager condition and slight stature, but at her age, the child should have been much bigger. It was obvious she needed someone who knew what they were doing. Kenshin gave his heart completely, never holding back, pouring all his love into the care of his daughter. 'But love isn't enough,' Mitsuyo thought ruefully, 'And someone has to teach him that. She needs a more steady life, a home to grow up in. Maybe that's what he needs as well... it's almost like he's running from something. He was so reluctant to stay here at first, but he needed the money so badly...'

She sighed again, this time, wistful. 'He *could* make this place his home... but will he?'

Kenshin let Hikari pull him around the room, each of her small hands clasped around his for support. She was walking now, not through her own strength alone, but it was a step up. 'Kami help me when she begins to walk on her own... I won't be able to keep track of her.'

Scant steps away from a table leg, he steered her away before she could run right into it, and she giggled for no reason, a bright smile on her face. Her violet eyes twinkled, the perfect indication of complete joy and contentment.

The season always brought grief, it seemed. Grief, anger, self-recrimination; a flurry of emotions that tore at his heart and soul and made him wish he could turn back time, try his life once more, change events so that everything could be right in the end...

Yet whenever he glanced into his daughter's face, all those emotions stopped short in the midst of a wondrous love for something that had almost not been his.

'And perhaps... someday, I will grow to love the cold season. I will not feel the chill of memories, the aching pain of loss...'

Hikari stumbled, and he slowed her fall before she hit the ground. Tugging her tiny hands out of his grip, she pulled herself to her feet and stepped forward, unaided.

Kenshin watched, stunned, his heart burning, pride, unjustified fear, and the familiar, eternal love filling it and pushing all his sorrows away.

The sword flashed in the light, glinting and reflecting silvery sunlight as it cut through the sky with precise strength. A soft wind followed the attack, blowing a few leaves from the trees. A child giggled as one floated past her, tickling her nose.

Kenshin relaxed for a moment and chose another form, attacking the warm air intently. Hikari toddled along in the grass not far away, and he sent her a sideways glance before returning to his exercises, ever-aware of her presence and safety.

"If you hurt that child with that oversized carving knife, Himura-kun, I swear to every kami that exists in the minds of mankind that I will kill you."

Kenshin sent Mitsuyo a sideways glance, halting in mid-thrust and sheathing his sword in one quick motion. "I could never hurt her, even if I wanted to. You should know that by now."

She approached him, arms crossed, almost like a condescending mother. "I suppose, but one can never be sure about men who keep secrets."

Kenshin ignored her not-so-subtle hint. "Besides," he added warily, "Do you take killing so lightly?"

Mitsuyo raised an eyebrow, but he did not speak further. "Hm. It seems you hold more secrets than most men I know. When you first came here with a sword, I thought you were merely showing off, to scare people away from you. I never imagined you would know how to use it so... effectively."

Kenshin winced inwardly at her last word, and she pretended not to notice. "Only a fool carries a sword he does not know how to wield. Besides, carrying a weapon would be more likely to provoke, rather than scare."

"True." Mitsuyo passed him and scooped up Hikari, bouncing her lightly in her arms. The child giggled, waving her arms cheerily. The sight brought a warm smile to Kenshin's face, helping him forget the sting of her words.

"I've been meaning to talk to you, Himura-kun." she shifted Hikari's weight further up her arm, meeting the young man's eyes with a stubborn gaze. He returned it, containing no less strength. "There are a number of things we must discuss." her eyes narrowed. "Important things."

He waved a hand, almost uncaringly, motioning for her to speak. "Alone, Himura-kun." She turned from him and raised her voice. "Kinuki, get back to town! And take the rest of those rascals with you!" Silence. "NOW!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, a small group of sheepish children crawled out of the taller grass of the field and waved at the pair. Kenshin blinked, then returned the gesture.

The elder woman shook her head. "It's rude to just watch someone without letting them know. And your mothers would all have a fit if they knew what you were up to. Playing in the field with a swordsman... go on, get out of here before I get angry!"

Kenshin watched her berate them, a little mortified. 'If that wasn't anger already...'

Mitsuyo waited until they had disappeared into the distance, then took Kenshin's arm and led him towards the path to town. She didn't speak, and he waited a while until finally prompting her. "Mitsuyo-dono, what do you want to talk to me about?"

She didn't look at him. "Himura-kun... do you have the faintest idea what you are doing?"

"Surely you know what I'm talking about." she glowered. "Hikari-chan, I'll admit, is perfectly healthy... but only because of her good treatment here. I've said it before; she wasn't fed nearly enough before you came to our door, and *you*, young man, are in a pathetic condition."

"Don't start that again." she interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Listen to what I say. The season is almost over, and with it, the harvest. When winter comes, your work here will be finished."

"I know. I'm sorry that my presence inconveniences your family, and I will move on-"

"Himura!" she hissed, startling him. Hikari stopped smiling, and her voice softened. "Himura, that is not what I meant. What kind of idiot are you? Traveling through the wilderness in the middle of winter? With a child, no less? Do you think the owners of this farm are so cruel, that they would force you to leave?"

Kenshin stopped short, and he stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I-I don't understand-"

Mitsuyo sighed. "Himura-kun... you're going to stay with us, at least until spring. There is plenty of work to be done. You're the only man on the farm who is as adept in common housework as any woman. If there's nothing we can get you to do outside - and there will be plenty; firewood, clearing the paths - I'm sure we'll find something for you to do indoors. You can even watch the children when we're busy." she looked him up and down. "With that scrawny body of yours, there's not much else we can let you do, is there?"

Kenshin looked almost insulted. "I am *not* scrawny. Just... not as large as most men."

She sent him a sideways glance that only proved to irritate him further. "Have you looked at yourself recently?"

"Mitsuyo-dono." it was almost a warning, and she paused in her teasing long enough to consider it.

"Himura," she finally began again, "I'm not trying to make you angry, but I want you to understand. Hikari needs to grow, and traveling the country living on nuts and berries isn't going to cut it. It's not enough; not for her, and certainly not for you, either. You're going to stay here, and I don't want to hear another word of it." she handed Hikari over to him, turning away and following the path towards the main farmhouse. "I leave you to decide."

"Mitsuyo-dono!" his voice followed her, and she halted to listen. "I... appreciate your concerns, but... why are you doing this? You don't know anything about me, even if I do have a child. Why do you trust me enough to allow me to stay?"

"It has nothing to do with trust, Himura-kun." she replied softly, still facing away from him. "It is simply this; I see a young man with a baby he obviously loves enough to sacrifice everything for her. But, I also see a boy followed by great sorrow, with no wife to comfort him, and only an infant daughter as his family. In my eyes, this is something I cannot bear to leave alone." her voice rose a little, and she smiled. "Throughout the winter, I will teach you how to care for Hikari properly, if you choose to continue on your journey when the season changes again."

Nodding her head in closure, she continued down the path, and father and daughter watched her, the soft autumn wind playing through their hair, ember and sable strands against the sunset.

'Thank you for your kindness... I do not deserve it, but for the sake of my daughter, I will accept your offer...'

"First lesson." Mitsuyo began, waving a hand for Kenshin to sit, Hikari balanced against his knees. "Teaching her to speak."

"Yes, Himura," she said again, as if she were talking to a child who did not want to listen, "To speak." She knelt in front of him, taking Hikari with her and placing her so that father and daughter faced each other. "But, when a child is learning how to speak, she must first hear words to echo. So, in reality, our first lesson is teaching *you* to speak."

Mitsuyo rolled her eyes. "Himura-kun, you're a good father. I see that. You love her, she adores you, and you want to do everything possible to care for her... but you never talk to her!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Hm. And when you do speak, you're so quiet that it's a wonder she even hears you at all. Haven't you considered how antisocial you are?"

Kenshin frowned. "I'm not... well associated with... getting along with people." 'That's an understatement... ten years as a nobody peasant and slave, four with a hermit for a master, five as a shadow hitokiri, and...' the last thought almost made him choke, '... living alone... with Tomoe... I could not learn to be with others...'

"I suppose not." Mitsuyo smiled softly. "That's why you're here to learn. I'll help you develop some decent people skills, and at the same time, you can help Hikari learn. Children are incredible, and surprisingly easy to teach. The path is slow, but I think you'll find that it will happen faster than you realize." she motioned to the child sitting in front of her. "Care to try? I'm sure she's been dying to talk to you."

Kenshin gazed down at Hikari, and her dark eyes stared beseechingly into his. 'She's bored,' he smiled inwardly, leaning closer until their faces almost touched. "So... we will learn together, Hikari? Sou ka?" She reached out and poked his nose, and his smile brightened. "Aa."

He closed his eyes, and the joy filling him almost hurt. He felt her hands brush through his hair, heard her quiet giggle, reveled in the baby words she spoke. "Aa. Tousan is here. Tousan loves you."

"Ah." Hikari's smile was a light, a shining beacon. He would stay. He would stay with her, here, until the snow melted, until sun came again, until the flowers bloomed. "Ah-ee. Ah-ee..."

'Yes. We will stay here, until the light of spring shines, until she can laugh at butterflies and sakura petals...'

Only later, when the lesson had finished, when he put her to bed, and walked through the woods at twilight, did he realize that Himura Hikari's first word was love.

"Second lesson." Mitsuyo had come to him as he had been helping with dinner, cutting vegetables and watching the leaves fall through the window. "Meet me in the children's room when you are finished."

He didn't take long after that, and with the food cooking silently over the fire pit, dutifully watched by the other women of the household, he met with Mitsuyo once again.

"One of the most essential things in teaching a child to speak it repetition and cooperation." she said with a smile, watching Hikari gaze around the room and point at things at random. "Pay attention to what she sees; try and guess it, and name it for her. Repeat it, and chances are after several times, she'll try to name it for you." she paused, as Hikari reached out for Kenshin. "Tousan. That's tousan."

"Almost. Tousan." he blinked as she lost interest and pointed a chubby hand at Mitsuyo. "Ano... Mitsuyo-dono."

Startled by her speedy learning, Kenshin's eyes met Mitsuyo's. "So fast... I didn't realize she would learn so quickly."

"Is it because you are a slow learner, Himura-kun?" Mitsuyo replied, amused by his lack of knowledge. He scowled. "If you had paid more attention to what she tells you, you would know that she's been learning to repeat things for a while now."

Mitsuyo laughed out loud, the sound bouncing off the walls of the small room, as Hikari simply repeated her previous words. "It seems as though you have a nickname, Himura-kun." She stood, moving to the kitchen and returning in a moment with a small, dark purple fruit. Bringing a knife with her, she cut off a small piece and gave it to Hikari. "A reward for speaking so well, chibi. If you like the words, say it properly and ask for it... ume." she winked at Kenshin, holding up the fruit. "Plum."

Kenshin froze, staring at her with sudden fear and - she was surprised to see - suppressed remorse. As she wondered what she had done wrong, he murmured very softly under his breath, "Ume... hakubaikou..."

'Plum blossoms?' Mitsuyo glanced down at the child as she suckled on the sweet fruit. 'Perhaps the girl's mother. Poor boy... so young, and yet it must be so hard to forget...'

Kenshin withdrew from them for a moment, gazing out the window, and tried to shake the sorrow from his mind. 'The words themselves were nothing... I should be happy; she's talking to me. My child is talking.'

He closed his eyes, willing the memories to vanish in the night air. 'I shouldn't think of this now, not with Hikari... never with her...'

A soft weight rested on his knees, and he glanced down to see Hikari crawling into his lap, her clear gaze piercing his soul in the way only Tomoe could. She curved her head to one side, uttering a quiet, curious, "Oo mi?"

"Not for me, ume-chan," he whispered, picking her up and holding her in his arms. "Not for me."

Mitsuyo watched him, as he rocked her back and forth, whispering the words into her soft dark hair in a room that seemed, to her, just a little brighter.

Several weeks passed. Autumn turned to winter, bringing all the chills and dark weather with it. Despite the lack of sunshine that Kenshin had begun to depend on, nothing could steal from him the light shining from a small child who, in her own way, was teaching him as she learned the ways of the world.

"Do you see that, falling outside, Hikari?" Kenshin pointed out the window, supporting Hikari on his shoulders, as a recently prepared meal simmered over the fire. "That's snow. Do you see?"

Kenshin smiled. "Aa. That's right. Yuki." 'Yukishiro... beautiful woman of the snow, your kaasan...' "The snow tells a story when it falls... sometimes it's sad, sometimes it's filled with a long, enduring happiness. But it's always a story, and you can hear it if you listen."

"The story it tells us now, ume-chan... can you hear it?" he curved his eyes upwards to see her expression, eyes bright. "It is a happy one. The stars... they're shining like the sun of summer." 'I can see them in your eyes, love...' "They'll telling us something. Listen..."

"I'm listening to the food burn, Himura-kun, and I'm finally learning what happened to our dinner last week."

Kenshin nearly deflated at Mitsuyo's biting sarcasm, shattering his blissful moment. He turned to her, eyes already growing weary as she dutifully rescued the pot from the fire. "It was fine a moment ago."

She smiled wryly. "Yes... strange, isn't it? But I wonder how long you stared at those story-telling stars of yours. When was the last time you checked it?"

Kenshin grimaced, gently pulling Hikari from his shoulders and placing her on the floor. She toddled over to Mitsuyo, arms outstretched, and the old woman carefully placed herself in front of the fire before the child walked headlong into it. Though, she suspected knowingly, Kenshin would have caught her if she had gotten too close. Experience told her so.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, and I regret interrupting that, but our dear patrons are far less forgiving. You're becoming a very popular cook, and we both know how uncannily skilled you are, but only if the food is edible, not ashes." she chuckled, peering into the pot at the contents. "You should know that by now."

"And which is it?" Kenshin asked cautiously. His position on the farm, he knew, was by far an unbalanced one, jaded and uneasy because of his odd abilities; strength, evenly proportioned with his household gifts. He was useful, but only to an extent, and a frequent failure in one area could be his undoing. "Is it all right?"

Mitsuyo gazed at the food for a moment, then silently dipped a finger into it, tasting. After a moment, she beamed at him. "You're lucky; I got here just in time."

Kenshin couldn't hide his relief, and she held back another laugh. He was strange, in the constant, often puzzling way of showing his need to stay, despite his early decision to leave as soon as the harvest passed. He was changing, she noted; they both were.

"You need to stop worrying so much, Himura-kun." Mitsuyo took Hikari into her arms and gave the pot to the young man. "It'll only give you wrinkles."

He smiled, replying very bravely. "Have you any children to worry over, Mitsuyo-dono?"

Self-conscious of the wrinkles visible on her own face, she almost glared at him. Almost. "Mocking words don't suit you, I see."

"I've never seen it as a strong trait." he smiled back at her, unable to feel angry in his daughter's presence.

"Not as strong as a certain person's smile." Mitsuyo turned, heading for the nursery. "Such joy suits you very well."

He stared after her, stunned, and this time she laughed freely. "Take care of the food before it gets cold, and I have to rescue it from your fire again, Himura."

Kenshin scrambled to finish the meal as the pot steamed in his hands, warming him as the steam met his cold skin.
But her words, spoken not in jest, but in a subtle, kind honesty he was still surprised by, warmed his heart in a way he rarely felt.

'Of course not. But if I must smile to keep her happy... for my child, I will... I will try.'

It seemed to Mitsuyo that spring, pleasant break from the cold that it was, came all too soon for the weary household. Despite all he had learned throughout the season, both of himself and of the small child he brought with him, she could sense a restlessness growing inside Kenshin. He would often glance towards the window, thinking...

'Heaven knows what he thinks,' she puzzled. 'There is no telling what goes through this boy's mind...'

However, it was clear to her that he was not entirely content. She shook her head in defeat; regardless of effort to make the farm his home, the road always called to the wandering soul.

'Like an old story... but... you will find only sadness along the road, Himura-kun... do you really want to take Hikari down that path?'

She knew it was inevitable, and he would not be convinced to stay longer. That was just the way he was.

She walked outside, closing her eyes briefly as the sun lit her face, and looked down, spotting Kenshin lying on the grass not far away, a small smile playing across his lips. He seemed to know she was there without turning, as he always did. Hikari toddled around at arm's reach, hands reaching out for the butterfly above her head.

'We will stay here, until the light of spring shines, until she can laugh at butterflies and sakura petals...'

As signs of spring were growing stronger around the property, warmth spreading through the ground and melting the blackened soil... he met her eyes, nodded once, and she knew it was time.

"And this one has some money in it; payment for some of the extra work you've done."

Kenshin took it gratefully, not wanting to look inside, knowing it was too much and he should refuse. Extra money, however, was constantly needed, and a gift such as this was not thrown away. "Arigato, Mitsuyo-dono. You've been a great help to both of us."

Mitsuyo smiled wryly. "Of course I have! Now, you be sure to return sometime. Otherwise I'll go out of my mind worrying about Hikari-chan."

He chuckled, brushing his free hand through the hair of the little child at his feet. "No more than I myself will. I... I will try to come back, when I can. Hikari will be glad to see you again."

She knelt beside the girl, old, weathered hands drawing the baby into her arms. "Goodbye for now, Hikari-chan. Be good for your papa, ne? And if he ever forgets what I taught him, you be sure to remind him." Hikari giggled, her nose tickled by Mitsuyo's hair. The older woman released her, straightening, and looked Kenshin in the eye. "You pay attention to what she tells you. Children are wiser than you may think."

He nodded, his smile turning wistful. "Aa. I will listen... and anything I do not yet know, Hikari will teach me."

Mitsuyo agreed quietly. There was a pause, until she spoke again. "Take care of her, Himura-kun." her words were stern, laced with a soft, motherly tone.

He responded without thought, the protectiveness in his voice an impulse, now. "Always, Mitsuyo-dono." He bowed slightly, then turned to the road ahead of them.

Mitsuyo watched them make their way down the path... such a contrasting pair. One, a swordsman, weighed down by war, guilt, and the care of a motherless child... the other, that same child, tugging on her father's hand as they went slowly, his pace matching hers without a misstep. A burden, yet strength at the same time.

She watched, alarmed, as Hikari stumbled, letting out a soft wail. Kenshin leaned down and scooped her up in an instant, cradling her close and whispering words the older kitchen woman couldn't hear.

She didn't have to; she could see Hikari's tears fade into a smile again, and Kenshin continued walking, the child nestled in his arms.