Conventions: //…// is thoughts, *…* is emphasis

Disclaimer: Nope, no RK rights here. Just borrowing.

This is a short scene between Yahiko and Shinta, placed just after the end of chapter 8b, from Yahiko's POV. Enjoy!


Prism - Vignette: Myojin Yahiko

by Calger459

~*~

Looking back on everything that happened that week Kenshin was separated, I guess you could say I was in a kind of shock through most of it. Granted, I'd seen some weird stuff since meeting Kenshin. Let's see, that man-giant Gohei, Henya the Flight (really, how did that guy make himself look like a bat? Gross…), and that giant Fuji guy. Then of course there was Enishi and his whole crew of weirdoes, and….well, Kenshin's story.

Okay, so that was something I heard rather than saw, but Kenshin has this knack for describing things with words. When he described the Bakumatsu for us you really *saw* those murders in your head, as if you were actually there. He's so close-mouthed all time it was bizarre to hear him talk so much in one sitting, and his life before he met all of us, when he still lived in Kyoto…it was horrible, terrifying. The things that he did back then, and the effect it had on his mind…I'll admit that his story really scared me. I'd heard (and believed) so many legends about Battousai, but when I learned who Kenshin really was I stopped believing some of them. Obviously, most of that stuff was really exaggerated, and while they *were* based on the truth Kenshin wasn't like the guy in the stories. Right?

Then Yanagi came and split Kenshin into three, and I didn't know what to think anymore. Battousai attacked Sano, just like that. He could have killed him if he wanted to, and even though he didn't…I was still scared of him, of what he could do. I remembered Battousai, from that duel with Saitou, and how I was so terrified by the murderous look in those flat, cold eyes I could hardly breathe. The rurouni kept the hitokiri reined in…we all knew that, even if we didn't really understand it. Now, thanks to Yanagi, Battousai was free to do what he wanted, and I didn't know what to expect from him. None of us did, not even Kaoru.

I look back on it all, and the *strangeness* of the situation still makes my head spin a bit. What really sticks out in my mind though is Shinta, and what happened the night Battousai ran off to fight Yanagi on his own.

I remember feeling like I was going to throw up when I heard the hitokiri was gone. Battousai was insane, he was out of control, he had taken Kenshin's sword and I was sure, so horribly sure, that Yanagi wasn't going to survive the night. Battousai had personally killed hundreds of people, and no one could match his skill with a blade. No one. Just because I was afraid of him didn't mean I didn't respect him. Kenshin was still Kenshin, though at the time my brain refused to admit that. It took having a talk with Battousai himself to clear up that misunderstanding.

But getting back to the point, I went to bed early that night and sat alone in my room, waiting tensely for the news I was sure would come. I think I fell asleep at one point, far too exhausted by the day to keep my eyes open any more. Later I woke up, and for a moment I wondered why…then I heard voices down the hall.

It was *them*. Battousai had returned, and now the two of them were arguing. I couldn't understand their words, but I could hear the anger in their voices and I felt myself tremble. No, it couldn't be true. He wouldn't have…

The arguing died off a few minutes later, and I heard the padding of small feet coming down the hall. The steps stopped outside my room and I felt my eyes widen in surprise when Shinta slid open the door and slipped inside.

If Battousai was intimidating, Shinta was downright unnerving. He had confused all of us ever since his appearance. As I said, we'd all been aware of the differences between the rurouni and Battousai. It was just how Kenshin was, one of his many quirks that for the most part we accepted without question. Shinta though…I didn't understand him at all. He seemed, on the outside, to be Kenshin's sense of humor and fun, and the rurouni had remarked once that Shinta was what was left of his innocence. Okay, I could see all that…but there was more to this little kid than that. Far more. "Hey, what happened out there?"

Shinta turned around and his eyes made me gasp a little bit. Damn, those weren't the eyes of a kid at all! They were narrow and angry, and if they had been gold instead of violet I could have sworn that they belonged to someone else…

I bit my lip, hard, to keep myself from saying anything really stupid and I tried not to stare as Shinta walked silently past me. That was another creepy thing about him. Little kids walked of course, but it was a quick kind of toddle, sort of light and bouncy. Shinta never walked like that…he *strode* wherever he went, with the sure steps of an adult. He didn't move like a kid either. Kids are clumsy, they stumble and trip over things all the time, and when they're doing basic everyday stuff they always hesitate because they haven't had a lot of practice yet.

It's strange the things you learn to notice when you're living as a pickpocket and you have to observe people so you can catch them off guard.

I watched as he unrolled his futon and dragged it over next to mine. He was all expertise as he laid out the covers and small pillow, his movements quick and neat. Everything about him just screamed Kenshin, and I wondered why everyone treated him like he was a little kid. Even Kaoru did that; of all people she should have known better, after all she's married to the guy. The adults patted him on the head, cuddled him, talked to him in high cutesy voices…as if he were exactly what he appeared to be. I didn't see a kid when I looked at him though, maybe because I'm a kid too. Takes one to know one, right? To me it was so obvious; just because his body was small didn't mean his mind had shrunk any, and I could tell something was really bothering him as he burrowed under the covers and turned away from me, apparently not in the mood to talk.

Well too bad, because I was dying of curiosity. "Shinta, what happened?"

He shrugged his tiny shoulders at me and I felt my nervousness turn to annoyance. I hated it when Kenshin wouldn't tell me what was going on. "Hey, Battousai came back, right? I heard them arguing about something. He didn't, I mean is Yanagi—"

"No." Shinta's voice was very quiet, and strangely cold. "He's still alive, Yahiko-san."

"Oh." I said, unable to keep the relief out of my voice. "Well, that's a good thing right?" I looked over at him and saw that his whole body was trembling. I blinked in surprise. "Hey, are you all right?"

Shinta suddenly sat up and hugged his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms tight around his legs. He pressed his face into his knees. "They're so angry at each other all the time, even more than when we were together. It hurts me."

"Do they know that?" I asked uncertainly. This was creepy, but kind of intriguing in a sick, twisted sort of way. Just what was Shinta, anyway?

He shook his head and looked up at me, and I shivered at the haunted look his eyes.

"I can't tell them. There's nothing they can do about it, and it would only make them worry."

I snorted at that. "Battousai wouldn't worry. He only cares about himself." Sometimes I really do deserve it when Kaoru beats me over the head with her shinai, and right then I wished she were there, because I sure deserved to be hit for that particular comment. I wanted to pull my words back into my mouth as Shinta straightened up and looked at me in horror.

"How can you think that?" Shinta asked after a long moment, his tone hurt. "He went there because he wanted to protect us."

"Oh come on!" My mouth was running faster than my mind, and I couldn't seem to shut myself up as I plunged ahead. "He just wanted revenge, that's what he's wanted since the beginning! There's nothing good about that guy, he's cold and violent and rude and…and…" My words ran out, and I realized that I was shaking, and my eyes stung. Why was I so upset all of a sudden?

Shinta was staring at me with a startled expression, which turned thoughtful as I fought to get myself under control. I sat back and scrubbed an arm across my face, scowling to hide how upset I was. Shinta had noticed though; it was impossible to hide anything from him. That, more than anything else, made him seem like Kenshin. I looked down at the futon. A second later I felt his small hands on my shoulders. "Did revenge bring me from Rakuninmura to save you, Yahiko-san?" I couldn't hide my gasp of shock, and I looked up into his gentle eyes, which were only a few inches from mine. "Does Himura Kenshin live for revenge?"

I gaped stupidly at him. Where the hell did *that* come from?! Kenshin *knew* how much I hated thinking about that! I blinked in sudden realization. He knew…and that was why he was mentioning it. Why had I said that about Battousai? Because Sano had…but Sano hadn't been there then, hadn't seen how hard we'd tried to get Kenshin out of that hellhole he'd retreated to. Talk of revenge had meant nothing to him…it was only when I was in danger that he finally found enough strength and purpose to move. "No," I answered weakly, too stunned to say anything else.

Shinta nodded slightly, and I think that's when I finally began to understand. This was the part of Kenshin who could read ki, who could predict his opponents and understand their feelings. I knew Shinta couldn't actually read minds, but wasn't being able to read my emotions just as effective? //He's very powerful. // I thought in awe, and newfound respect. "He frightens you." Shinta said suddenly into the silence. He was stating a fact, not an opinion, and he knew that I knew that. "You really don't understand him."

"And you do?" I countered harshly, knowing it was unreasonable. Hadn't what he just asked me a minute ago proved that he understood the hitokiri? Still, I was very confused right then and I couldn't help my reaction. Shinta's hands squeezed my shoulders briefly, reassuringly, and he scooted away from me, settling back onto his own futon.

"Of course I do, he's me." I looked up at him sharply and opened my mouth to deny it, but was stopped by the look in his eyes. *Kenshin* was looking at me now. Those dark eyes, full of wisdom and experience, couldn't have belonged to anyone else. Shinta smiled slightly. "But somehow, I don't think you'll accept that hearing it from me. You'll have to talk to Kenshin-san and let him explain."

Well *that* was a terrifying thought. "I don't want to talk to that guy, he—"

"Kenshin-san would never hurt you." Shinta's voice was quiet and deep. I stilled at the confident tone in his voice. Were my thoughts really that obvious? Still, Kenshin was never wrong, not about things like this. I found that I believed him. "He didn't hurt Yanagi-san," Shinta continued. "Sanosuke-san was there to stop him, so it's all right. Good night, Yahiko-san."

I blinked as he lay down and turned away from me again. That was it? "Shinta…"

"Yes?" he asked politely, his voice muffled under the heavy futon blanket.

I sighed and lay down, suddenly too tired to think about this anymore. "Never mind."

A long while later I finally fell asleep, more confused than ever. It would have been really nice to sleep in that morning, seeing how late I'd been up, but Shinta apparently had other plans. He woke me just before dawn, all traces of adult seriousness gone (or more likely just very well-hidden) as he played prank after prank on me, until we were both running around the room, laughing and playing like…well, like a couple of kids.

Now that I look back on it, that was probably intentional on Shinta's part. Nothing that kid did or said was without purpose. I think he could tell how much the situation had affected me. Out of everyone, he was the only one who seemed to remember that I was still young, and that I had needed a break from the stress, even if it did deprive me of some much-needed sleep. It was thanks to him that I finally did have that talk with Battousai…and came to the earth-shattering realization that he really *was* Kenshin, and that Shinta had been right about him all along.

Shinta had understood everything since the very beginning. All along he had been doing his best to support his other selves through their pain and he had worked hard to bring them together, even to the point of nearly sacrificing himself that night Yanagi was defeated. That's who Kenshin is after all…protective to a fault, always ready to give his all for the well-being of those around him. Stupid, foolish, wonderful Kenshin, who understands everything, even when he seems to know nothing at all.

They were all parts of a whole, the three of them. If that week taught us anything, it made us all realize just how complicated a man Himura Kenshin really is. He is a product of the many different lives he's lived, and unlike Yanagi he learns and builds on those experiences, using his own strength to see the best in everyone, even his enemies. That's the kind of man I want to be someday.

Watching him do his chores, I rest my chin on my hand and remember everything that went on then. It's been awhile since then and life's pretty much returned to normal now, or at least as normal as it ever gets around here. The dojo's doing better with each passing month, I'm that much closer to mastering Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, and Kenshin's smile is real as he laughs with Kaoru in the sun. He's really found his happiness, and thanks to him I'm starting to feel that much closer to mine.

TBC…

Poor Yahiko got a bit shafted in the continuity of the story. I felt he deserved his own little chapter, and hopefully it shed a little more light on Shinta too (who ended up far more complex than I'd imagined him being at the beginning of this fic!). Remember, reviews make Calger happy! ^_^

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