THE LITTLE THINGS
by Kyoko Takara
Completed on August 10, 2000
Category: Rurouni Kenshin - Drama
See disclaimers for all
literary works posted.
"Take care of Himura, Tomoe. . ."
Flickering lights from the sun signaled the beginning of another day for Tomoe. Normally, she didn't find it strange anymore to find Kenshin gone by the time she woke. This day however, the words of Katsura-san came to mind for the first time in months. . .
"A young man and his wife would not raise suspicion in anyone's eyes. . .take care of Himura, Tomoe . . ."
Why was this day any different?, she wondered silently. As she rose from the futon, her eyes rested upon a hastily written note from Kenshin.
Tomoe, I've gone on an errand. Will be back by afternoon.
Tomoe sighed softly, her head bowing slightly. There was so much to be done, she thought. The children will be here soon.As she worked her way around the room, Tomoe's eyes fell upon her diaries. The bound volumes seemed to look back at her, beckoning for some odd reason. Despite all the tasks she had, she couldn't stop herself from picking up an old edition, clearly defined by its yellowing edges. She blew the dust off the cover, then slowly opened the first page.
"'Bunkyuu Ni Nen*'," she read aloud. Had it been two years already? The time seemed to fly by too quickly. She wasn't getting any younger.
Her mind seemed to drift back and forth from the words on the page to words that Kenshin had told her on many different occasions. Their whole marriage arrangement was a strange circumstance. But there was so much Kenshin didn't know, so much she couldn't -- wouldn't -- tell him. As long as no one knew where they were and they kept a low profile, things would be okay.
"I left home today for Kyoto. Enishi was begging me to stay, but I had to go. There was no other way. Father will take care of him until I return . . . someday. . ."
She closed the book, using her fingertip as a place marker. Enishi. What was he up to these days? She often thought about what kind of man he would become. Would he remain the angry person she knew him to be, or had he changed for the better? A year could change a person quite a bit. Tomoe's head turned slightly toward the door, hearing a slight knock.
"Shitsurei shimasu. . *" a young voice called out, awaiting Tomoe to answer.
Tomoe walked quickly to the door, kneeling as she opened it. Expecting the shout of children, she was shocked to find an ominously dressed man in his thirties, carrying a small package in his hands. His eyes were narrow and dark, the scent surrounding him was pure blood. Tomoe kept a safe distance from the man, but not allowing him to enter. Before she could say something, he spoke.
"Give this to him," he said softly. It seemed like the "him" was understood. How did he know who they were? Who was he?
"Who are you?" she questioned. At her question, he placed the package just outside the doorway.
"You will find out soon enough."
With that, the man walked away, returning to the main road not far away. The package rested at the threshold, remaining untouched. Although her curiosity was piqued, she found herself able to keep her eyes off it long enough to return to her day's work.
Tomoe returned the diary volume to its place on the table, resting them among the many others. I'll get back to that later, she thought. Once she finished preparing her meal, she glanced over at the open door. The breeze was light, causing naught but a slight chill. Quietly, the package sat still, awaiting its owner.
"What could be in that?" she wondered aloud, eating her small breakfast. Moments later, the sound of the first children bellowed her name:
"TOMOE-SAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!" a dark-haired child came running to the doorway when he stopped at the package. "Ara, Tomoe-san? Do you want me to --"
"No, Choshi, leave it there," she replied to the incomplete question.
To this command, he raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.
"Ok, whatever. . ." he said obliviously. A second later, another child bellowed out to Choshi, quickly turning his attention away from the awkward silence between woman and child.
"Please return quickly. . ." Tomoe silently begged, wanting this eerie feeling to rest at once. She quickly crossed over the package outside, attempting to keep a watch on the children that had arrived, now numbering four.
The children, lively as ever, were playing ball with each other in the yard. At once, the thought of her own children crossed Tomoe's mind. It seemed impossible at this point that she would have any, however, she knew what it was like to be a mother. She had to be one for Enishi. It was only their father and them for a long time until he disappeared. Tomoe knew the responsibility, and refused to have any children in this unpredictable era of blood and war.
"Tadaima* --" a voice in the distance behind her called out. Without turning, she knew it was Kenshin. He was back early, she thought.
All at once, the children ran toward Kenshin, attacking him full force. Between sporadic questions like, "Where were you?" and "Let's play now, can't we?", he managed to greet Tomoe. Almost immediately, he knew something was wrong. Tomoe's visage was normally muted, but today, worry lines were etched in her pale skin.
"Calm down everyone. Give me a minute. . ." Kenshin patted all of their heads, then strolled toward Tomoe.
"What happened? You don't look like your usual self."
"Something came for you. It's over there by the door," she pointed to the door, allowing him to look at it while she watched the children.
Kenshin's head turned toward the package by the entrance, then returned to Tomoe's somber face.
"When did this come, Tomoe?" he asked softly, moving slowly toward it.
"Not long ago. The man that carried it. . . he had the scent of blood on him. I didn't trust him, so I left it there," she explained, brushing away a stray strand of hair that was flying in the steady breeze.
When Kenshin was a few footsteps away, the package began to move. First with a little shake, then it jumped up and down fiercely. Something was trying to get out of it. His hand strayed to his wakizashi, prepared to kill whatever it could be. To his surprise, when Kenshin opened it, he was greeted with the claws of a small white kitten.
"AHH! Kawaii neko . . .*" one of the little girls beside Tomoe commented, running toward Kenshin. They all followed suit, rushing over to pet the pretty kitty.
Although Kenshin smiled at the beautiful young cat, he was curious as to who would have left such a strange gift. Certainly, no one knew that they were here with the exception of a few people. None of them were his enemies, however. Who sent this?
After looking over the kitten carefully, Kenshin handed her to one of the older children to play with. Tomoe realized he was calling her by the way he looked, those violet eyes of his narrowing slightly in a beckoning tone. They approached each other midway. Kenshin carried the empty box in his right hand.
"Tomoe. . ."
"Hai?"
"What did this man look like? This is too strange to be coincidence," he glanced down at the box. He noticed for the first time, some peculiar writing on the bottom. Simultaneously, they glanced inside to read it:
A smile can ease the saddest of hearts. Share this one.
Tomoe turned away from Kenshin the moment she saw his head raise from the box. Her hands covered her face quickly, hiding the slight tears falling from her eyes. Always observant, Kenshin realized something was wrong.
"What is it, Tomoe?" he glanced around her to see her wiping the moisture from her eyes. "Tears --"
"I have to prepare lunch. Please excuse me," she said weakly, rushing quickly into the house.
Kenshin watched her disappear into the house. Something about those words must have affected her. His eyes conveyed deep concern for what was going on her mind."Himura-san! Asobo*!!" one of the boys called to him. Another ran up to him, urging him in their direction to engage in mock swordplay.
Once through the front door, Tomoe closed the door shut behind her. Within moments, she regained her composure fully, recovering from the minor lapse of crying. Her eyes closed shut, remembering the words of her past, creeping from the depths of her soul. . . .
*flashback*
"Tomoe, you have always been a solemn girl. How I've longed to see your smile. . ."
Tomoe turned to face her father, a pot of tea in her hand. She knelt, pouring it into his cup slowly and carefully.
"You know that is difficult, Father. . ." she replied, pouring tea into her own cup. Her eyes turned briefly to look upon the sleeping Enishi.
"I've arranged the marriage, Tomoe," the old man announced, sipping from his cup. His eyes narrowed at Tomoe's lack of response. "Kiyosato's not a bad guy. He'll do right by you."
She merely bowed, sipping slowly from the scalding hot tea. Tomoe knew her father wanted some kind of response from her regarding the whole arrangement.
"You know, daughter," he began, resting his cup on the floor, "there's something your mother told me about smiles..."
Her eyes lifted slightly, curious to hear this short tale about her mother. It was rare that her father ever spoke of her, and although the loss was more than he could bear, in this moment, he seemed to want the painful memory.
"She always said, 'A smile can ease the saddest of hearts.' It is true, you know. And I know just how to get you to smile, Tomoe. . ." he smiled roguishly. "I'll be right back."
He stood, balancing himself on the nearby wall. Tomoe’s hand reached out to him help steady her father, but he held out this hand in refusal.
“It’s alright, Tomoe. My leg is fine. I’ll be right back,” his raspy voice said softly, winking at her before disappearing outside the door.
Moments later, he returned with his hands hidden behind his back. As he made his approach, he bent over to face Tomoe. She looked up at him with those mysterious eyes of hers, wondering what he could have brought inside the house.
“What is it, Father?”
“TA-DA!”
The small creature in his hands squiggled uncomfortably. This was the surprise? Tomoe wondered. A kitten? He had taken the neighbor’s kitten to get Tomoe to smile. The poor thing looked so distraught, scratching at the callused hands of her father.
“Here, take her, Tomoe . . .” he took one of Tomoe’s hands, opened her palm wide and placed the feline in the center. The violet-eyed kitten looked up at Tomoe, in all its innocence, meowing softly.
Her father watched the look on Tomoe’s face as she began to pet the cat. A small smile was creeping slowly onto her face, reminding him continually of her mother. The two were almost exactly alike. Almost. Tomoe had this somber mood about her, which unnerved him sometimes. To see her like this, it gave him unbelievable happiness.
“Nee-chan . . .” the slowly awakening Enishi murmured. His body turned toward the sound of the kitten, his eyes gradually fluttering open to see his sister petting the small animal.
Tomoe’s eyes glanced over at Enishi. The sudden intake of breath from her brother made her crook her head slightly. His eyes flew open, in utter shock at the small smile on her face. Never had he seen this open emotion with his sister. Tomoe herself was surprised by how good the kitten made her feel inside.
“Father,” she glanced up at the old man, “this is what mother said? About smiles?”
He nodded, then rested his hand on Tomoe’s head, gently stroking her hair.
“Tomoe, never forget that smiles come from the most unexpected of places . . .it’s something your mother taught me . . .it’s the little things that count . . .”
*end flashback*
It’s the little things that count . . .
The only person that could have sent her this was her father. But, how did he know where she was? Their location was supposed to be a secret. It was an ominous sign of things to come. Perhaps the beginning of the end. . .
“Father . . .” Tomoe whispered to herself. As she lowered her head, her ears caught the sound of scratching at the wooden door. She composed herself quickly, slowly opening the door. Kenshin stood in front of her, kitten in hand.
“Tomoe, are you all right?” he asked, concern threading through his voice. The kitten voiced its own opinion by jumping from Kenshin’s hand to claw its way onto Tomoe’s kimono. Reflexively, she held the kitten by the rear, pulling her away from her clothing.
Kenshin watched as Tomoe turned around, walking toward the meal she was going to prepare. She set the kitten down on the table behind her, whispered something in its angled ear and turned away. Amazingly, the feline stayed put, curling onto its side to doze off into the typical catnap.
“Are you all right?” he repeated his question, taking a step or two into the house. She merely nodded in response, pausing a moment to look into Kenshin’s violet eyes.
“The kitten was from my father,” she finally voiced her thoughts. “It just brought back good memories.”
“How—,” he started, but decided to leave it alone. To see Tomoe actually smile was more than he could have possibly imagined possible. The few times she actually granted him the privilege of her tightly bound smile, he was in awe at the beauty she really made.
However, he had to remind himself just what was going on. The fact that someone found out where they were only meant one thing. It was a matter of time before the Hitokiri Battousai would have to fight again. The era was coming to a climax, with reports of the Ishin Shi Shi’s new claims to the throne. The emperor would soon abdicate; the country would soon find some modicum of peace. It was all Kenshin Himura could hope for at this point.
For now, Tomoe and Kenshin, in this moment in time, could revel in the little things they had: a roof over their heads, safeguard from the roaming Shinsen Gumi, the love and adoration of the children that visited daily, as well as the love they felt for each other.
Was that enough . . .?
Author’s Notes:
My personal view on Tomoe Yukishiro is that she’s not as cold-hearted as she may seem. Her outlook on life has been brought about by the loss of many in her family, including her father and brother. She was raised around blood, therefore it’s kinda like a Soujiro effect, the repression of true emotion. I wanted to show that there are little things that can bring about a smile, especially in a person such as her. For those of you that are diehard Tomoe haters, well, sorry I went against the grain.
No, I’m not! If you don’t like it, tough. If you did, well, send me some feedback on it. There’s always room for improvement.
Granted, this isn’t one my BEST works, but hey. . .
Kyoko Takara
Additional Notes:
1) Japanese language notes:
“Bunkyuu Ni Nen” is the second year of Bunkyuu, otherwise known as 1862.
“Shitsurei shimasu” means “excuse me”, particularly when entering or leaving a place or person.
“Tadaima” is usually said when returning home, equivalent to “I’m back.”
“Wakizashi” is a type of Japanese short sword worn by samurai. It was typically used as a secondary weapon, as well as the weapon for committing seppuku, also known as harakiri (ritual suicide).
“Kawaii neko” means “cute cat”.
“Asobo!” is from the Japanese verb “Asobu”, meaning, “to play”.
2) The beginning quotes to the story regarding Katsura-san came directly from the manga (vol. 20, chap. 170).
3) Many of you may wonder why I didn’t use the name Watsuki-sensei gave for Tomoe and Enishi’s father in the manga: Oibore. I’m truly convinced that it’s not his real name, and perhaps Watsuki-sensei never will reveal the man’s real name.
4) And for those of you that didn’t like the fact I ended the story on a question? Well . . .*Megumi’s fox laugh* HOHOHOHO!!!