The Boy and The Fox [Book 2]

10 Part 2

Kenshin had spent the rest of the night outside of the vacation house sitting on one of the lawn chairs deep in thought and filled with a sense of guilt as he played out everything that had happened a few hours earlier. He wondered if there was anything he could've done to spare Tohru and Momiji of Akito's wrath, but every time he came to the same conclusion that he was just a coward for not interfering and instead confronting the girl once she was done with the two.

He was still in deep thought when a familiar voice called out to him, "Kenshi?" He turned his head towards the voice with a strained smile. "Momiji, warum bist du so früh auf?" He asked the boy.

"Ich konnte nicht mehr schlafen und wollte sehen, ob die Sonne scheint." The boy said a hint of hope in his voice, "Aber warum bist du hier draußen Kenshi, ich dachte alle Erwachsenen sind letzte Nacht nach Hause gegangen." Momiji asked his hope, turning into curiosity.

"Ich habe versprochen, dass ich bleiben und das Feuerwerk mit dir genießen würde, nicht wahr?" Kenshin told him trying to hide the guilt he felt for already breaking a promise he had made the boy years ago.

Momiji squealed happily before throwing his arms around Kenshin, hugging the young man tightly. "Du hast dich erinnert! Ich dachte, du würdest es nicht tun, weil Akito hier war, aber du hast es getan!" He exclaimed happily.

Kenshin smiled softly, ruffling Momiji's hair affectionately before his smile turned into a frown, "Hat er dich schwer verletzt?" He asked, his hand dropping to his side. "Worüber redest du?" The boy feigned ignorance since he didn't know that Kenshin had actually been there at the time.

"Du musst in meiner Nähe kein kleines Häschen verstellen, ich weiß, dass Akito dich und Tohru verletzt hat." Kenshin told him softly.

"Was meinen Sie?" Momiji asked, shocked at the sudden news.

Kenshin lowered his head in shame trying to hide the pain and guilt he had been feeling since the night before, "Ich wollte ihn aufhalten, aber ich konnte mich nicht bewegen, ich konnte dich oder Tohru nicht beschützen, egal wie sehr ich versuchte mich zu bewegen, ich konnte es einfach nicht." He hated himself for making excuses for sounding just like Momiji's father whenever he failed the boy.

Suddenly Kenshin felt Momiji grab his hand and bring it up to his cheek gently placing it there while holding his hand over his, "Ich mache Ihnen keine Vorwürfe, Kenshi." The boy said softly, causing Kenshin to freeze, not knowing how to respond. "Ich weiß, du würdest mich von niemandem verletzen lassen, aber Akito ist nicht irgendjemand."

Kenshin didn't know how to react to Momiji's words; he had never been told what the boy had just said, his entire life, he was punished for lesser things. He felt an overwhelming crash of emotions, each more intense than the last; they were all so confusing and new to him that he didn't know exactly what he was feeling.

"Warum bist du mir nicht böse?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly, not understanding how Momiji could forgive him for letting Akito hurt him.

"Denn du bist mein anderer Vater und kümmerst dich um mich, wenn es darauf ankommt." Momiji told him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Kenshin stood there in shock, the boy's sudden declaration catching him off guard, causing him to lean on his cane for support once Momiji's words finally settled in his mind. He moved his and Momiji's hands from where the boy had placed them before bringing him into a tight embrace letting his cane drop to the ground.