Disclaimer: You guessed it – I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, yet just like million other fans, I wish I did. :)

The beginning of this story is quite awful, but keep reading, okay? Please, remember that this is my first RK fic, and that I'd love to receive some comments! Thanks!

A Puppy

by Lucrecia LeVrai

May 1869, Japan

A young man was walking a dusty road. Only a month left to his twentieth birthday, he looked no older than sixteen, due to his small frame and delicate, nearly feminine features. To the general surprise of all people that he had met earlier on his way, he carried a katana, as if he deliberately ignored the Meiji law against swords. Brilliant red hair, a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek and striking violet eyes added to his usual appearance.

The weather couldn't have been described as anything else but beautiful. In spite of the heat, Himura Kenshin was walking relatively fast, pinched with hunger and a bit impatient to find the nearest village.

The road was empty, but as soon as he had crossed a small wooden bridge, the former hitokiri felt that he was being watched… and followed. Much to his irritation, he couldn't sense who or what it was. With a hand on the hilt of his sakabatou, the young man turned around.

Just as he had presumed, the bridge was no longer empty. However… he definitely hadn't expected to see a small ball of dark-brown fur standing there on its four shaky legs. It stared at him with two large, trusting eyes. In other words, it was the sweetest puppy Kenshin had ever seen.

What is such a small dog doing alone on the road? the red-haired man wondered. He squatted down, extending his hand towards the animal. "Hey, are you lost?"

The puppy trotted up to him. As soon as was close enough, it started to lick Kenshin's fingers. The man laughed, genuinely amused, which was quite rare of him. Granted, he laughed and smiled a lot, but his laughter was hardly ever sincere.

"Hey! Stop it!" he demanded, however, he didn't withdraw his hand and the puppy kept tickling it with its tiny tongue.

Suddenly, his stomach rumbled and Kenshin remembered that he hadn't had a decent meal in quite a long time. He looked at the dog thoughtfully.

"Maybe sessha should just eat you…"

As if it could read the man's intentions, the puppy growled, baring its small fangs. Kenshin blinked, hurriedly jerking his hand away, just in case the dog bit him.

"All right, all right! Sessha was only kidding!" he paused. "…You're really smart, you know?" he scratched the dog behind its ear. It instantly rolled on its back, ready to play.

"You're a cute little one…"

He stroked the dog for a couple of minutes, finally standing up.

"Sorry, but sessha has to go."

About four hundred meters later he came to a halt, sighing in frustration. He slowly turned around. No, he wasn't mistaken - the puppy had been following him.

"Oh, but sessha can't take you with him! Sessha has no money, so he won't be able to feed you!"

In response, the puppy trotted up to him and started to climb his leg.

How stubborn… Kenshin thought, slightly amused.

He ran a hand through his fiery hair, pushing a few strands out of his eyes. Maybe I could take it with me and sell it? he absently wondered. Nah, who would take such a tiny, harmless animal? It's not very useful, is it?

The puppy was still climbing his leg, sniffing it curiously.

"Fine, you won, sessha surrenders," the man leant over the brown fur at his feet. "Well, since we are going to travel together, sessha could at least name you… Let's see…" grabbing a hold of its skin rather unceremoniously, the rurouni lifted the puppy high above the ground… well, maybe not that high, considering his own size. "Oro? So you're a 'she'!"

You're making a fool of yourself, Himura, Battousai scowled. Talking to a dog like that? Pathetic, just pathetic. Are you that lonely?

As if the entire world was indeed against him, this very second his traitorous stomach rumbled again.

Next, you'll be talking to your sword, the inner voice mocked him.

The puppy moved uncomfortably in Kenshin's grasp, craning its neck to lick the man's hand. The rurouni sighed. "Talking to my sword… sessha thinks not."

He put the dog back on the ground, but, just as he had expected, it didn't walk away. Finally overcoming his frustration, Kenshin straightened himself up.

"Sessha can't concentrate right now… sessha will think of a name later."

He turned around, noticing smoke in the distance. Ah, a village! Just in time… I hope that the people who live there are friendlier than the ones I met yesterday…

Stay away from us! Your sword will only bring us trouble!

Well… I can't blame them, now can I? the former hitokiri thought bitterly.

He had quickly left that place. Staying there would have been dangerous, both for him and for the villages. Battousai, his second nature, was never fully asleep… and Kenshin certainly didn't like to be teased and called a bastard.

I deserve it, he reminded himself, slowing down a bit, since nobody walks fast while troubled and drowning in self-contempt. And I must stay away from people. They are right. I will only bring them misery.

Tomoe…

He instantly paused in his footsteps, a small moan escaping his lips.

Don't think of her, don't think of her! If you think of her now, you'll end up crying again! Just stop thinking at all!

Pathetic. Weak. Battousai growled. Get yourself a life!

No, I just…

Suddenly, these depressing thoughts scattered as Kenshin realized that something strange was going on.

What the-!

Looking down, he saw that the puppy was pulling at his hakama, growling playfully. Though it struggled with all its might, it was too weak to tear Kenshin's pants… which he found rather fortunate. He couldn't afford himself a new set of clothes.

"Hey, sessha believes that this is enough, little one," careful not ruin the material, Himura bent down and started to remove the white hakama from the dog's teeth.

He was lucky, the villagers didn't act hostile. Actually, they greeted him politely when he was passing them, even though he could hear that, behind his back, they kept whispering about his sword and his strange looks.

All right, where should I ask?

During his journey as a rurouni he had learned a couple of useful things. He knew that, while asking for food or for a job, he should rather avoid rich looking houses. People who lived there often treated him like beggar… or, worse still, like a common bandit - if they were observant enough to notice the sword, that is. Such accusations hurt. However, what hurt him even more, were the small, humble shacks. Their occupants were too poor to help a vagabond, even though they were usually generous and kind-hearted. Kenshin felt sorry for these people, yet he could do nothing about their poverty. He couldn't work for them for free, for he needed something to eat, after all.

Finally, after passing a couple of cottages, he stopped in front of a fence that surrounded an average-sized house. A very old woman sat outside, on a bench; her hunched back propped against a wall. She held a three-year-old child in her lap; it was probably her grandson… or granddaughter. Kenshin couldn't tell, the kid was too small. He walked up to the fence and bowed deeply. The red hair immediately fell into his eyes, obscuring his vision.

"Sumimasen…" he started a bit shyly. "Sessha is a rurouni, de gozaru yo… My pardons for asking, but…" he hesitated. After two years of wandering, he still felt uneasy about this… worse still, he knew that it not always worked. "Would you be so kind as to share some food with sessha? That would be most generous of you, that it would," still bent down, he waited patiently for an answer.

Ah! Finally a young man who speaks in a right manner! The woman's face immediately lit up. "…But of course, my dear!"

Dear…? Battousai was truly disgusted.

Quit complaining. I'm hungry.

"…Come in, I will prepare you some rice and vegetables," she smiled and rose to her feet with visible effort, the child still in her arms.

Kenshin straightened himself up with a bright, yet entirely practiced smile plastered to his lips. "Domo arigato! Sessha is very grateful. However… sessha would rather wait here, if you do not mind. Sessha does not want to bother your family more than necessary, that he does not."

The woman was delighted. So, after all, it's not true that young people nowadays are always rude, she thought triumphantly. What a cute, polite lad… Oh, but what happened to his cheek? Who could have hurt such a sweet boy?

"Are you sure, dear?"

"Sessha is sure."

Himura... the cold, reasonable voice reminded him. You're acting like a fool… again.

I certainly have my reasons, right?

"As you wish," she nodded. "Wait here, I will be back in a couple of minutes…" she paused. "Oh, what a nice dog."

"Mhm…" Battousai flinched, fortunately unnoticeably to anyone but Kenshin. The rurouni, on his part, only smiled, glancing down at the puppy.

The woman hastily disappeared inside, taking the child with her. Kenshin sighed and leaned on the fence, his violet eyes once again absent.

I have to find a job as soon as possible. The summer's just started, I know, but time goes by fast… I have to prepare myself for the winter. I can't let it surprise me like it did last year…

Last winter, thanks to his own stupidity, he had nearly frozen to death.

The dog wallowed in the sand at his feet, making it hard for him to concentrate.

"You want to play?" the rurouni finally smiled.

As soon as Kenshin had spoken these words, a tanned man in his forties emerged from the house; he was most probably the woman's son and the farm's owner. He stopped in the doorway, measuring the vagabond with a curious glance. He saw the unusual hair, the scar… and, of course, he inevitably noticed the sword. His expression instantly changed, first to disbelief, then, seconds later, to apparent distrust. Kenshin suppressed a sigh.

"A rurouni, eh?" the man pointed at the hilt. "Why are you armed, then? I say you're a ronin, not a vagabond…" he frowned. But - he thought to himself - isn't he a bit too young for that… and, well… quite short, too, for that matter? "Look, I'm sorry, lad, but in this village we try to avoid trouble. Please, leave as soon as my mother gives you the food you've asked for."

"Sessha is not a ronin, but sessha understands anyway, so he would leave. Sessha thanks for the generous welcome. You have been the most kind," not a trace of irony in his voice, the red-haired man bowed very deeply.

Wuss… the hitokiri teased him.

He certainly doesn't talk like a swordsman - the villager noticed, but he kept the thought to himself. "Lad, no offence meant. It's just that… you certainly know about this, don't you… swords are forbidden."

Yeah, no kidding.

"Sessha knows."

Fortunately, before this moment could turn even more awkward, the old lady reappeared and walked up straight to the fence. The child trotted next to her side, clutching the blue kimono in his/her tiny hands. Kenshin bowed even lower, as the woman handed him a relatively large bundle.

"Dozo… Dozo yoi tabi-o," she told him; here you are… have a safe journey.

"Honto-ni domo arigato," he said; thank you for everything.

When Kenshin took the gift, he noticed that the kid was smiling at him. He smiled back. And then, without another word, he walked away, leaving the beaming old lady and her slightly perplexed son behind.

He didn't have to turn around to know that the stubborn puppy was still following him, which he accepted with some relief. At least he wouldn't be eating his lunch alone.

It really must be my lucky day or something… Kenshin thought, running a slender hand through his messy red locks. The weather was magnificent. Perhaps too magnificent, he decided, discovering that his hair was a bit damp. Not a single cloud in the sky…

He spotted a stream and a single tree that grew nearby. All he had to do was to cross a small meadow. Ah, perfect! He smiled and, in spite of the heat, set himself a relatively fast pace. Somewhere at the man's feet the puppy was panting, trying to keep up with him.

Two minutes later the rurouni knelt on a flat rock, his hands clasped together and filled with cold water. Narrowing his lavender eyes in pleasure, Kenshin drank for a long while, until he completely quenched his thirst. Then he started to wash his hot face. It was wonderfully refreshing.

Meanwhile, the nameless puppy was splashing about in the shallow part of the stream, jumping from one rock to another, lapping up the water.

"Just don't drown, okay? Sessha doesn't want to paddle in this icy water to fish you out…"

Hmph. If you fall into the water, idiot, don't expect me to jump down for you. Kenshin's face grew darker, as he remembered Hiko Seijuro, his master. Hiko had said a similar thing… a long time ago…

Has it really been… six years? Shishou… I'm sorry…

I wonder… What is he doing? When I left… did he take another student? Does he remember me? Does he know who I have become?

As if on cue, his stomach rumbled, reminding him of the most important issue at that particular moment. "Riiight…" he grinned sheepishly, even though nobody had been there to hear the embarrassing noise… unless one counted the puppy.

He sat down under the tree and sighed in relief. He felt much better now, when he could finally get some rest in the shade. Smiling, the young swordsman quickly unwrapped the package.

"Definitely my lucky day…" he mumbled, grabbing a pair of chopsticks. Just looking at all these delicacies made his mouth water. He instantly forgot about anything else. "Oh, a smoked fish!"

However, as soon as he had raised the chopsticks to his mouth, the puppy, dripping with cold water, jumped into his lap, sticking its wet nose into his precious food.

"Eeeek! Go away!" he pushed the dog aside, a bit too hard. Although he hadn't really hurt it, the puppy rolled onto its back, whining quietly. Kenshin's eyes instantly softened.

"Sessha is sorry. He completely ignored you… here!" he threw the fish to the dog.

They both started to eat in silence.

His stomach finally full, Kenshin inevitably thought about dozing off for a while, but quickly decided against it. If I slept now, what would I do at night? I'll better keep going… Yes, keep going, this seems like a good idea… but where to?

It doesn't matter.

He paused.

Is my life really that pointless? During the Bakumatsu, he had had his purpose in life, he had wanted to create a new, safe Japan, no matter how high the cost… or so he had assumed back then. Now, that the bloodbath was finally over, Kenshin had a new goal - to protect people without killing. Still, without any close friends or relatives, his life had become a bit… empty. The puppy had no such doubts. It was already asleep next to the ex-hitokiri's side. Kenshin trailed his fingers through its soft fur and, for a brief second, he felt relaxed, nearly happy. He lay the other hand on his stomach and closed his eyes, sighing in satisfaction. It was a good day, after all. Well, it certainly was, at least until a few irritating robbers stumbled upon him.

Five men with simple knives tucked behind their belts. Not much of a threat to anybody, let alone to the infamous Battousai. Still, these narrow-minded fools acted as if the entire world belonged to them. It wasn't very hard to tell that they took delight in bullying people wherever they went.

They stopped a few meters away from the tree. Kenshin, fully awake, measured them with an impassive, neutral gaze.

"Wanna share some money with us?" the nearest one spoke and, of course, it wasn't a question. To emphasize his words, he rested a hand on his hip and leant forward in a seemingly casual manner.

They want to rob me? A rurouni? Kenshin suppressed an amused smirk. Since when do I look like a wealthy person? They have to be really desperate… or eager to pick a fight.

Before Kenshin formed a suitable response, the puppy woke up. A small growl escaped the dog's throat when it noticed the strangers. Unfortunately, it hadn't been a very intimidating sound… besides, the puppy moved a bit closer to Kenshin's side, visibly scared.

The men smirked. "Oh, so you have a sword…" one of them sneered at the former assassin, pretending to sound afraid. Kenshin didn't even flinch, controlling himself well. "And what a fierce dog, too!" All five robbers laughed. "As tiny as its master!"

Even if I give them everything I have, they won't leave, Kenshin realized. They're looking for a simple pretext to beat me up. They want to provoke me. He frowned. "Look…"

"Shut up, runt," again, a fit of laughter accompanied these words. "Just give us what we want or else things will get nasty. Watcha gonna do, fight us? This sword is too big for you, anyway."

How dares he talk to you like that! Ignorant fool! Kill him!

No. I won't. Never.

"The truth is, sessha does not have much money."

"Yeah, but you have a sword. Be a good boy and give it to us. In return, perhaps… we'll spare your miserable life."

Boy! Boy! Battousai yelled. What are you waiting for, looser! Cut his hand off! He should know better than to mess with a hitokiri!

"Sessha-" Kenshin frowned once again. "I am sorry, but I cannot give you my sword."

"You oppose us, shrimp? A child your age shouldn't be so rude!" one of them took a step forward, extending his hand towards Kenshin's weapon.

Cut it off!

"I bear you no ill will. Please, leave… before it's too late."

"Before it's too late?" the bandit snarled. "Just who do you think you are!"

…You really want to know?

Kenshin leapt up to his feet in a blink of an eye, throwing himself to the left. The attacker's knife missed his head by two feet, hitting the tree instead and digging itself in the trunk. The dodge had been so fast that, for a brief moment, the robbers fell speechless, practically gawking in awe. However, they quickly regained their self-confidence.

"You little-!"

"Get him, guys!"

Yes! YES! Battousai was excited. Show them no mercy! Kill!

No! Why should I? I don't even need to draw my sword…

Why, you ask! He called you a shrimp!

Mhm, you've got a point there, I suppose…

Still, Kenshin held back. Smashing the nearest man's jaw with his shoulder, he swiftly dodged a blow to his stomach and kicked a small dagger out some other guy's hand. Another knife was thrown at him, so he simply stepped to the side, using his incredible speed.

Where's the blood! Come on, how long has it been since you last fought somebody! Half a year! Draw your sword, at least! At this rate, you'll be out of practice very soon!

Amber sparks flashed in Kenshin's eyes, but he composed himself. The sakabatou, according to his will, remained in its sheath. There was no need to waste Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu techniques on these pathetic bastards. In any case, two robbers ran away as soon as they witnessed some of Kenshin's 'tricks'. The red-haired swordsman felt no urge to chase them. It took him about forty seconds to defeat the remaining three.

A tint of amber in his lavender eyes, Kenshin leant over the man who had been making most fun at his expense. "I hope I didn't hurt you… much." Battousai forced a little smirk out of him.

"Aaah! S-stay away… from… me, you demon…" the robber gasped. And fainted.

A demon… not for the first time somebody calls me that… Eyes widening, Kenshin backed off a bit. Dread crept into his soul when he realized that he had nearly enjoyed beating these men up… and it was so wrong! So damn wrong!

"I have to control myself better…" he said quietly, heart instantly filled with guilt. However, before he could drown in his dark thoughts, he realized something else. The puppy was playfully pulling at his hakama. Again.

"…Oro?" the legendary Himura Battousai blinked, staring at the stubborn dog. A few seconds passed, Kenshin's former emotions suddenly lost. "Seriously," he bent down and lifted the tiny animal to his eyes. "Do you have some sort of a problem?"

Three days and a small hole in his pants later, Kenshin, once again hungry, found another village. It was a late afternoon and the folk seemed rather busy. Nobody spoke to the red-haired stranger as he kept walking down the road, searching for a person who could possibly hira him.

Nobody, except for one little girl.

"Aw! Cute! Is it yours?"

Before Kenshin could do a thing, she snatched the puppy from his hands - yes, he had been carrying the damn animal like a fool, since it couldn't really keep up with him - and wrapped her arms around it in a totally disarming gesture.

The rurouni scratched his head. "Uh… err… kind of…"

"Can I have it? Can I, can I, can I?"

"Well…"

"Mister…?" she looked up, cradling the dog against her chest.

"Um… no?" Kenshin tried uncertainly.

"Thank- …What!"

Just like Kenshin's calm eyes could easily shift to Battousai's angry ones, the girl's face dramatically changed. Actually, her expression seemed rather… murderous. Nobody opposes me and gets away with it, her piercing gaze was saying. Kenshin sweat-dropped.

"If you don't give it to me, I'm gonna cry."

Wait a second… was that a threat?

"Sassha-"

"Too late." And she broke into a heart-breaking wailing.

What the-!

"…Oro?"

Faster than the rurouni had thought it possible, a small crowd gathered around them.

"Young man!" a nasty-looking woman pointed a broom at Kenshin's chest. "What have you done to this poor child?"

"Exactly," another one snapped at him. "Why is she crying?"

"No, I just…" Kenshin backed off, so startled that he actually forgot to add the 'sessha' thing.

"Answer me!" a well-built man demanded. "Did you try to kidnap her or something! Are you a slave-trader!"

Now, that was a bit too far, don't you think?

"Ororororo! Of course not!" he opposed frantically, waving his hands in the air like a madman. "You see… she just wanted to have my dog, and I… and sessha refused, and she burst out crying, and sessha didn't know what to do, and…"

Just don't overdo it.

Himura suddenly paused.

"…And?" the villagers asked in unison.

"That's it. Really."

A long pause.

"…Oh." A general moan.

Well, Kenshin's little speech - as well as his somewhat moronic smile - must have been pretty convincing, for the small crowd scattered as fast as it had assembled. Which didn't necessarily mean that Himura's problem was solved.

"But whyyyy? He's soooo kawaiiiii!" the girl still wailed.

"Actually, it's a 'she'"

"Huh?" the loud sobbing stopped at once.

Kenshin smiled at the child.

Never mind the fact that she's been mocking me all along. She knows that making a scene in public is the best way of forcing an adult to carry out her every single whim.

…Somehow, I'm not surprised.

"This puppy is a girl," Kenshin patiently explained, his voice suddenly patronizing and very adult-like.

"Oh! Does she have a name?"

"…Not really."

"But… but you said she was yours! If she's yours, than you must've named her!" the girl's eyes narrowed once again. "So you were lying all along!"

Pretty observant for such a small child…

Kenshin sighed, squatting in front of her. "No, sessha was not lying. The puppy has been following sessha for a couple of days, so sessha assumed that is was his. Sessha did not name it, though, because sessha decided that it deserved a special name, and yet he could not think of a good one."

The little girl was silent, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"…But if I took her, you would miss her, right, mister? Tlat's why you said 'no'?"

Another long, heavy pause.

"…Yes."

…I want to die of embarrassment.

"I'll never, ever take your friend away from you!" she exclaimed magnanimously. "Just let me play with her a little longer, pleeeease?"

What a humiliation… Get back to your feet, Battousai! Now!

So she's a good child, after all…

"It is all right," he smiled at her. "Sessha has changed his mind."

"Can I keep her, then…?" she asked, her large eyes widening.

"It is yours, that it is," Kenshin assured her, standing up.

She let out a happy gasp. "Tkankyouthankyouthankyou!"

How sweet, Kenshin thought. What a touching, beautiful moment…

And, exactly at that moment, his stomach rumbled.

…or maybe not.

The child looked up. "Are you hungry, mister?"

"…Yes," he nodded, extremely embarrassed.

"C'mon, mister," she grabbed his hand. "My parents will get you something to eat. You know, you may even stay with us, if you want."

"Oro? Oh, but sessha cannot…" he trailed off. The girl wasn't listening, already trying to pull him in the right direction.

Inviting a stranger to her house just like that? Her parents probably won't be very happy… Kenshin sighed. I'll risk an encounter with them, though. I guess I'm tired of sleeping under the stars… Who knows, maybe they'll let me stay for a while? I could work for them, right?

"What is your name, miss?"

"Ryaki Asaka. And yours, mister?"

"Himura. Himura Kenshin. All right, Asaka-chan. Lead the way, please."

As they walked down the road, the girl was humming to herself and squeezing the puppy so tightly that the rurouni started to wonder whether the poor animal could breathe at all.

I think I've just realized how lonely I am…

Oh, stop drowning in this ridiculous self-pity again!

Himura Battousai, the so-called merciless killer,sighed, his lips curled in a delicate, sad smile. I've been avoiding people for nearly two years… and I guess that a puppy is not exactly what I need…

Maybe I should really rethink my life.

Author's Notes: Actually, I intended to write a cute, happy story, but, in the end, it turned out bittersweet and slightly angsty. Well… it's just my luck to be stuck with angst forever.

My adventure with Rurouni Kenshin started about a week ago, so, as you see, I'm completely new to this fandom. (During the past few months I actually knew that something like RK existed, but I purposely ignored it… because, when I saw the manga for the first time, I mistook Kenshin for a freaking 15-year-old girl! Damn! It was undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes in my life! Rurouni Kenshin is so great! How could I ever live without it!)

Um, anyway, back to the subject…I'd like to apologize for every single grammar mistake in this fic. Just to let you know, English is not my first language.

Thanks for reading! Please review, I'd be sooooo happy! ^_^