Promise

Rurouni Kenshin is copyright a whole bunch of people, most notably The Author and Sony. Lest they let Takani Megumi have me for a scientific and business experimental subject, allow me to assure you that I have no rights whatsoever, that this fic was written solely for nonprofit entertainment, that I would appreciate any comments whatsoever at raye_j@yahoo.com, and that I'd also really appreciate it if Misao would stop aiming those kunai at me now. Please?

The young samurai couldn't have been any older than fourteen, the master of the dojo decided, looking out into the street from the door. He was standing alone, stirring neither hand nor foot from his position at the gate of the house where the man he had been escorting had told him to wait.

Obviously a bodyguard, and one trained to kill, the master decided. That was a katana the boy-warrior was carrying, and his stance clearly indicated his ability to use it. A hitokiri, then. So the man he was guarding was obviously highly placed in political circles. The master shook his head. To use the young so!

Returning to his class, the master of the dojo didn't see his young daughter, chasing her errant ball, run out onto the road, right into the path of a laden cart.

The redheaded hitokiri did.

The little girl, concentrating on her toy, felt a sudden pressure around her waist. Suddenly, the world tilted, the sky spun sideways, and she was flying, over the road and above the wagon, firmly held about the waist by the ponytailed man flying beside her. Her eyes widened and she shouted, "WHEEEEE!"

The world righted itself distressingly fast. The child found herself settling gently onto her own feet, on the opposite side of the road from her home, facing the pretty man who'd been flying beside her.

"That was fun!" she declared, her glorious blue eyes glowing. "I'm Kaoru," she added, as an afterthought. "I was five yesterday!"

The hitokiri smiled back at the innocent child. "I'm Kenshin," he replied. "I'm fifteen," I think, he added in his thoughts.

The ball which had nearly caused a tragedy finished its journey across the road, rolling to bump against its small mistress' ankle. "Want to play, Kenshin-san?" she asked, scooping it up.

Kenshin smiled at her. "Sure, Kaoru-chan," he agreed. He let his eyes widen in mock shock as Kaoru promptly threw the ball straight at him, catching it neatly and tossing it back.

They played like that for a few minutes, playing catch and toss. Kenshin found himself charmed by the little girl, her constant smile and cheerful laughter. He started mimicking fear as she took her turn at tossing to induce the triumphant giggle she always gave when he appeared to be afraid.

"Ne, Kenshin-san," she asked, after a few more tosses.

"Yes, Kaoru-chan?" Kenshin replied.

"Will you marry me when I grow up?"

This time the shock wasn't feigned, and Kenshin made no attempt to catch the ball. It struck his chest, making him blink. "...Oro?"

"Will you marry me when I grow up, Kenshin-san?" Kaoru asked him again, a tad impatiently. "You only have to say 'yes' or 'no', you know!"

The young man stared at the little girl. "But - but I'll be a lot older than you when you're grown up!" If I'm not dead...

"That doesn't matter!"

"It will, Kaoru-chan-"

"Not to me! Will you marry me, Kenshin-san, when I'm a grown-up?"

He shook his head and sighed in acquiescence. "Yes, Kaoru-chan. I'll marry you when you grow up."

She nodded once, decisively. "Yatta! Catch!"

They continued the game of catch and toss a few minutes more, when a woman's voice called from the house across the street.

"Kaoru-CHAN! Where are you this time? Kaoru-CHAA~AN!"

Kaoru looked up, and then apologetically at Kenshin. "I'm sorry," she said, "but Kaasan's calling me. I've had fun! Byeee!" And with that, she fled across the road, into the gates of the dojo.

Kenshin straightened and stood at the gate of the house where the minor leader he'd been sent with was meeting a minor official of the government. He couldn't let his contempt for the party politics show; he had to take the duties he was given. He was a blade for the Issun Shishi, after all, and it was not his duty to think. It was his duty to be the blade in the dark, the shield for those more important than he.

And no-one, he thought, remembering a pair of clear, happy blue eyes, is more important than the children.

He remembered those beautiful blue eyes and clear laughter all the way back to Kyoto and for a little time after. Until the memory, like so many of the other happy memories he'd earned so painfully, was washed away in the crimson flood of the Bakumatsu.

Kamiya Kenshin looked down at his sleeping wife. Stroking her long black hair that he still couldn't believe he had the right to touch, breathing in her sweet scent, he relaxed in the predawn air.

There was an air of unreality about the scene before him; he had dreamt of it so many times that he had to touch, just to make sure it was real. Of course his lightheadedness could be attributed to the fact that he had had absolutely no sleep the previous night. Kenshin chuckled softly; he didn't want to wake Kaoru, who had gained very little sleep either.

"I'll always keep all my promises to you," he whispered.

For some reason he couldn't quite remember, he thought of children playing with a ball as he drifted into sleep.