Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin, and most of the characters related to and featuring in the following fictional stories are property of creator and master manga artist Watsuki Nobuhiro, and no copyright infringement was intended in any way in the creation of these projects. Used without permission.


Light of the Snow-Red Village
Part IV - The Third Candle: Arrival in Tokyo - Chapter 4

by Akai Kitsune

~*~

I stand with a blank expression now
And I can't believe myself
Will someone tell me how
Did I get here
I am walking
Changing slowly
I am chasing
Climbing closer...

~*~

    Walking through the market a few days later, Kenshin was pleased to see that none of the police officers he encountered seemed to take notice of him. It seemed as if the meeting with Yamagata and the police chief had made them aware of his presence in town, and most likely had warned them not to get involved in any disputes.

  'So, it was a chance after all.'

  'Maybe... I can learn to trust again...'

  '... carefully, perhaps...'

Kaoru and Hikari were puzzled by his behaviour after the general had left, so he had been careful to place on a cheerful face for their sakes. Ether they were fooled by his facade, or they chose to ignore it, for they asked no questions.

    "Kenshin, you're lagging behind again - hurry up!"

He snapped to attention at Kaoru's impatient voice, and sped up his pace to catch up with them, a small smile on his face. "Sumanei, Kaoru-dono. I was just looking around; Tokyo seems to be very busy."

    "Well, it is the capital," Kaoru shrugged, a bokken slung over her shoulder with a bag tied around the end. "Everyone loves it here."

    "I sure do," Hikari spoke up, spinning around in the streets to get a glimpse of her surroundings as she walked by, "There's so much of everything; it's almost too much to take in!"

    "Well, you'll get used to that!" Kaoru assured her with a laugh. "Pretty soon it will all look the same."

Kenshin smiled at them, simply enjoying the sunshine of the day, then suddenly met Hikari's eyes. His smile brightened.

Quiet, running footsteps. Moving towards him.

He sidestepped, scooping Hikari up and swinging her onto his shoulders, reveling in her delighted shriek. "Tousan!"

  'She's getting too heavy for this,' he thought, half in horror and half from relief.

Kaoru chuckled beside him, shaking her head. "You two-" she began.

    "YAA!"

They halted, looking down in innocent puzzlement at the young boy sprawled across the wooden bridge at their feet, falling through the space where Kenshin had been a moment earlier. "Oro?" Kenshin said blankly, one eyebrow raised. "Are you all right?"

The boy grit his teeth, rubbing his elbow where he had fallen. "Fine. I'm fine. Leave me alone."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed, and she grabbed his collar to haul him to his feet. "How rude of you! He was trying to be considerate - we could have kept walking, you know! And what were you running blindly for, anyway?"

He merely yanked his arm away, scowling. "Nothing an ugly hag like you should know about."

Kaoru's temper skyrocketed, and Kenshin winced in sympathetic pain as she tackled the boy. Hikari patted his shoulder, and he carefully put her back down, relieving his already weary back. "Sumanei, ume-chan... you're getting to be a bit big for that."

    "It's okay," she shook her head uncaringly. "Demo... this boy, he..."

    "Don't worry about him. I'll deal with it," he murmured in assurance, then stepped forward to pull Kaoru aside. "Kaoru-dono... calm down, it's all right."

    "How dare he!" Kaoru huffed, glaring at the sullen boy before them, still clutching his gi.

Kenshin peeled her fingers away, then turned to the boy. He reached into his own gi and pulled out his money pouch. "Is this what you were after, child?"

The boy's jaw dropped, eyes wide in surprise. "Whu-what?"

Before he could respond further, Kenshin placed the folded material into the boy's hand, curling it into a fist and turning away. "A reward for the attempt, even though it may have failed. You really shouldn't let yourself be caught so easily."

He closed his eyes as he walked away, ignoring the protests of Kaoru and his daughter.

  'Do you see it, boy? Do you understand?'

Then, after a moment, that same folded wallet collided with the back of his head, and the others couldn't see the small smile on his face as he fell. He remained kneeling as the boy replied, in a sharp, angered voice, "I'm no child! I'm the son of a Tokyo samurai, Myoujin Yahiko! I haven't sunk so low that I need pity from strangers; I was just making fun of you, because you're wearing a sword! Don't get me wrong, baka!"

Kenshin turned to the boy, smiling broadly. 'Tokyo samurai... yes, I can see it, child. I can see who you wish you were.' "Sumanei. You may look like a child, but you seem to have matured. Did I overestimate you?"

The boy glared at him, turning away. "Che. I don't care what you think of me."

They watched him run off in the opposite direction, and Kenshin bent down to pick up his folded wallet, carefully tucking it back in his sleeve. "Now Hikari, what did you think of that? Pride, or honour?"

    "A little bit of both, I think," Hikari said quietly, staring at where the boy had run off to. "I think he was looking for something."

Kenshin nodded with a smile. "Aa, so it seems."

Kaoru huffed, stomping away. "Well I say he was just rude, and a thief to match." Kenshin and Hikari glanced at each other for a moment, but Kenshin merely shook his head. "Never mind; Kenshin, since you're so happy to give out your money, you and Hikari-chan go shopping for dinner. I have to get to Maekawa-san's dojo to practice."

    "Oro?" Kenshin replied helplessly, as Kaoru disappeared into the crowds. "I give up..."

Hikari giggled. "Come on."

~*~

    "Kaoru-dono doesn't seem to have come back yet," Kenshin observed as he and Hikari entered the dojo a few hours later.
Hikari let out a long sigh and deposited her share of the groceries in the kitchen. "Whew! I'm not used to having so much food around. For a dojo with no income, she sure buys a lot, doesn't she?"

Kenshin shared her sigh, looking forlornly at his wallet. "She won't be very happy when she comes back though. We didn't get everything on her list..."

    "She wanted more?" Hikari couldn't hold back a laugh. "Kaoru-san... she's lucky to be so carefree about her money like that."

    "And about the money of others..." Kenshin muttered, and Hikari just smiled and shook her head.

    "You're the one who gave her the idea, don't forget." She stood up and stretched, then looked at him curiously. "By the way... why did you offer your money to that boy? That wasn't like you at all."

Kenshin chuckled softly. "I'm not really sure. But to be honest... I didn't think he would take such charity. He seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't accept the pity of strangers." He looked meaningfully at her. "That sounded a lot like someone else I know."

She blushed slightly, fingering the flame-coloured ribbon in her hair. "Well..."

He smiled again, then turned to put away their purchases. "I think I'll go make dinner now."

~*~

    "Tadaima!"

    "Ah, welcome back, Kaoru-dono... what's the matter?" Kenshin's cheerful greeting quickly faded when he noticed Kaoru's expression as she entered the dojo. He stepped down from the porch where he had been watching Hikari practice, and they both approached the distraught kendo teacher.

Kaoru pulled the bokken from her shoulder, her sapphire eyes concerned and somewhat nervous. "It's... well, remember that kid who almost ran into you this afternoon? I saw him again... with some of the local yakuza. It looked like they had beaten him pretty badly."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed, and he gazed out towards the gate. "Kaoru-dono," he said quietly, "I'm sorry; I haven't yet prepared dinner, but you must be hungry. You and Hikari go ahead and eat without me... I shouldn't be gone long."

    "Matte!" Kaoru called after him as he moved towards the entrance to the street. "You... what are you planning to do?"

He hesitated, then turned back with a slight smile on his face. "I'm really not sure, just yet. But try not to worry too much. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Kaoru blinked, and watched him disappear into the street. She glanced back at Hikari, perplexed. "What... what was that?"
Hikari sighed, rubbing the back of her head as if developing a headache. "That's just how he is. You'll get used to it, if you let us stick around long enough. I know I have. But..." she straightened, her eyes darkening as she looked back towards the gate.

    "If that boy is hurt, then we should be ready to treat his injuries when they come back."

    "When... they...?" Kaoru's eyes widened, and she followed the younger girl as she headed for the main house. "Wait, Hikari-chan!"

~*~

    Kenshin didn't return until late that night, and neither girl was surprised when he placed the boy unsteadily on his feet in the dojo, smiling cheerfully at them as if everything was right in the world. They were curious at the obvious struggles the boy had faced, with cuts and bruises covering his visible skin, and flushed-red eyes, which he did his best to hide in front of them.

Glancing from one to the other, Kenshin finally patted the boy's shoulder and said calmly, "This is where you will be learning kenjutsu. Welcome to the Kamiya dojo, Yahiko."

Kaoru stared at Kenshin in dismay and horror, pointing one finger at the stunned child. "Wait just a minute, Kenshin-"

    "You're gonna teach me?" the boy whirled around, eyes flashing with excitement. "Seriously?"

Kenshin winced slightly, noticing Hikari's surprised and surprisingly hurt glance. "Actually, the adjutant master here is Kaoru-dono. You'll be learning from her; with the kendo of the sword that protects life, you'll be sure to become strong-"

    "IIE! No way! I can't possibly learn anything from this witch!"

    "How dare you! Kenshin, what are you thinking-?"

Ignoring both objections with a shrug, Kenshin turned abruptly and left the dojo, waving a hand behind him. "I'm going to go prepare some food for us, if you don't mind. Yahiko, you should have those wounds tended. Training starts early tomorrow morning, all right?"

Kaoru chewed gently on her lip in growing frustration, and immediately followed him, calling out protests as she disappeared behind the shoji.

Hikari sighed quietly, unsure of how to react to the new situation, then glanced down at where the newcomer had fallen to the dojo floor, his expression flummoxed. "Come on, I'll take care of your injuries."

~*~

    "Itai!"

    "Oh, stop whining," Hikari rebuked quietly as she cleansed one of the smaller cuts that covered Yahiko's arm. "I thought you were boasting about being such a great Tokyo samurai."

    "Shut up," he scowled in response. "If it hurts, it hurts. Leave me alone."

She smiled slightly. "Is that your reply to every nice thing that someone does for you?"

He pulled his arm from her tending and turned away, muttering to himself, "Chichi no onna."

Hikari blinked, staring at him in confusion. "Wha... what did you call me?"

He sent her a sideways glance, moving to stand and walk away. "You heard me. You're a typical 'Daddy's girl'. Everything you do makes him happy, and you're so cute you can do whatever you like, right? That's why he taught you kendo. How am I supposed to learn from someone like you and busu?"

Hikari gazed at him for a moment, her eyes unreadable. Finally she stood and took him by the arm, dragging him behind her.

    "Oi! What are you doing? That hurts, you know-"

    "We're going to the dojo, Myoujin Yahiko, Great Tokyo Samurai," she whirled around to face him, her eyes full of fire, "And I'm going to show you what it really means to know kendo."

~*~

    "Kenshin," Kaoru tried once again to get a response from the secretive rurouni as he began to cut vegetables for their late supper, "What's going on?"

Kenshin smiled placidly, making her bristle at his carefree attitude. "He has a very strong will, Kaoru-dono, and he wants to be much stronger in the eyes of himself and the world around him. If not for his attitude, I'm sure you yourself would see that his goal is very noble. He wants to protect his name... and that is exactly what you were seeking to do the first day we met."

    "Can't you tell me what you're planning here?" she rephrased insistently.

    "It should be simple," he shrugged. "You need more students to reopen your dojo, don't you? You now have two willing pupils awaiting your lessons."

    "Paying students would be better," she muttered, then regretted immediately as Kenshin's knife halted above the vegetables, and he turned violet eyes to her, his expression cool and distant.

    "I did offer to leave, if you recall," he murmured, keeping his gaze on her even as she squirmed and looked away in discomfort. "You have the freedom and the right to ask Hikari, Yahiko, and myself to leave at any time. I ask you only to remember who it was that wanted me here in the first place." He brushed past her, leaving the knife on the counter and taking a bucket from the corner. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get some water."

    "Kenshin, wait." Her soft, guilty voice made him halt, and he frowned. He hadn't meant to make her feel as if she had been rebuked; he simply wanted to get a point across. "Don't... don't you want to be here?"

Hesitating for only a moment, he finally turned back to her, a plaintive smile on his face. "I do, Kaoru-dono," he replied honestly, "Which is why I want to always give you the choice of allowing my presence. I never want to inconvenience you - or anyone - in your own home. Remember that, as well."

She didn't know how to reply to that, and instead left him to prepare the meal in the silence he seemed to enjoy more than the company of strangers - which was, of course, what she was. Even if it hurt.

  'But... if I'm careful... we won't be strangers for much longer. Yes, if he stays... if they stay... we can be friends, can't we...?'

~*~

    "First position! Start!"

Yahiko winced, as the shinai was knocked from his unpracticed fingers to the ground, and he followed soon after when Hikari's foot knocked his legs out from beneath him. "What the hell-?"

She stood a few paces away, watching him with an unimpressed expression, clearly waiting for his retrieval of the shinai. He took it from the floor, determined not to lose to her.

  'Come on... this shouldn't be so hard. She's smaller than you... use that to your advantage.'

    "Yah!" he charged again, raising the shinai above his head.

The confidence he carried a moment before shattered, as she buried the side of her shinai into his stomach. She leaned up close, her voice soft and calm. "For a samurai, you sure have a lot of openings."

Letting loose a small groan, he let himself fall to his knees, and looked up at his sparring partner. "Okay... I get the idea. So you're not such a pushover. But why can't I learn from Kenshin? Didn't you?"

Hikari expression saddened, and she shook her head. "Iie. If you really want to be a swordsman, you should pay closer attention to our fighting styles."

Yahiko rolled onto his rump, leaning back and using his palms as supports as he regained his breath. "Hm... yeah, I noticed you fought differently than he did - at least, what I saw of his style - but I figured maybe you were just showing off or something."

She smiled slightly. "Ah, so you finally admit that I actually have something to show off?"

He grimaced, his face fading into a sulk. "Stupid. I didn't say that."

Hikari shrugged and turned away, placing his practice sword on the wall with the others, and carefully sliding her own shinai through the makeshift carrier at her back. "I should have guessed. So... in return for not really kicking your butt all around the dojo, like you deserve," Yahiko winced again, "You can answer my question. What did my father do?"

Yahiko lowered his gaze to the floor, his face fading into a half-sulk. "He... he went into the yakuza base and brought me out."

    "Just like that?" she raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

    "No," he snapped, "First they beat the shit out of me. It was so nice of him to come before they killed me, okay? Now leave me alone."

Hikari pursed her lips into a tight frown, and dismissed his request for the moment. "There's something you should take into consideration before you either make fun of him, or chastise him for not coming to protect you from everything," she said quietly.

    "I don't need him to protect me, dammit," Yahiko muttered hotly.

    "You should remember," she said again, ignoring his comments, "That he could have not gone after you at all. As a samurai, you have your own honour. You owe him your life; the least you can do is respect his wishes for your future as a practitioner of kenjutsu, and try to learn something before you tear it down. Kaoru-san is a very good teacher, and I'll warn you of one thing-" A slight smirk appeared on the younger girl's face as she approached the door, "She's much better than you are, and she always will be if you don't take this school seriously." He watched her, stunned, and without a reply. "I'm not really hungry, so I think I'll go to bed. See you at tomorrow's practice."

Yahiko finally snapped out of his stupour as the shoji slid closed, and he scowled tightly, hands curling into fists. "Chichi no onna," he grumbled again, staring at his hands, already sore from the brief spar.

He sent a brief glance towards the rack, where the shinai he had used lay in its proper place. Though untrained, his hands still tingled with the feel of it, something he had never before experienced.

  'I... I want to feel that again. I never want to go back to my old life.'

  'These hands... they were never meant to steal. They were meant to hold a sword.'

He felt a small smile tug at his lips, although he hated to admit it.

The next morning, Myoujin Yahiko began his training under the Kamiya dojo's roof.

~*~

I have had my share of pain
I will not look back again
I would rather die...

~*~

Part IV - Owari

~*~

Author's Notes:

    O_o This was a hard part to write... my apologies for not giving Yahiko more attention, as he deserves, but you've all seen this part, either in the manga or the anime, and I didn't feel like rewriting everything just to suit the story. This will most likely occur in the majority of the arcs.

    The final scenes between Kenshin and Kaoru, and Yahiko and Hikari, were purposely made to be parallel. Sort of my way of showing how alike Kenshin and Hikari really are, ^_^ Oh, and I actually think that Kenshin WOULD act that way (that is, reminding Kaoru that she can kick them out anytime), because he's probably not used to being accepted so easily by someone. He's not asking to be kicked out... he's just letting her know that he's okay with it. She of course feels guilty because of the hidden implications; she often acts like having Kenshin around is a problem or a burden (even though it's just an act, of course!), and since he doesn't appreciate his daughter being dismissed that easily, he'd be quite a bit more vocal about it.

    Chichi no onna: Since Yahiko has a nickname for almost everyone (besides Kenshin, it seems, ^_^), I thought that Hikari needed one as well. You can all thank Lee-san for this one; his votes were either "princess" or "Daddy's girl" and while I know Hikari would not appreciate either, princess seemed to be less an insult than the other.

    Yes, Yahiko has entered the story. That means you can expect the language level to rise a bit. Just thought I'd warn you now. I've changed the rating, anyway...

Special Thanks and kudos go to (for all of Part 4):

    Lee-san: do you ever get sick of seeing you name here? Thanks for all your support so far. Don't know what I'd do without you...

    Lifehouse: "Everything" yet again... as well as "Anchor", for the beginning of this chapter.

    I've been listening to musicals almost obsessively as I write this fic, and this month's focus was Miss Saigon. Two of the songs were taken from that musical, including the very end of this chapter.

    Omake Time! ^_^

    Random Omake: Musume for a Shounen

Yazuka: So, you want me to just give up the kid?
Kenshin *patting Yahiko on the head reassuringly*: Oh, I don't want him for free. I'm willing to do a fair trade!
Yakuza *slow blink*: A.. trade...?
Kenshin *dragging Hikari over*: I have this girl, see... she's been following me around all this time, and I really don't know what to do with her. What do you think?
Hikari *disoriented*: Huh? (I'm not even IN this scene!)
Yakuza *raising an eyebrow*: Hmm...
Kenshin *smiling cheerfully*: She's much faster than that boy over there.
Yakuza *still skeptical*: Hmm...
Kenshin: And... *leaning in, secretive* You should just SEE her when she gets older. Her mother? Hoo boy! Was she ever a looker.
Yakuza: Now that's what I like. Done!
Hikari *huge eyes: EH?

(Well YOU said it first, Lee! :P)

    Random Omake #5

Gohei & Gasuki *dancing and singing*: Oh, I've got a lov-e-ly bunch of coconuts, deedly-dee, there they are-
Yahiko *bites and kicks them both*: Shaddup!
Both *writhing on the ground*: My treasures!

(Those who have read the manga know precisely what I mean, ^_~)

Thanks for reading, everyone. If the next chapter (another vignette) is not ready by next Monday, I will be posting a few side-stories in it's place, ^_^ Till then, take care! (review! Please?)

 ~ Akai Kitsune

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