"Ah, so that's how your story goes... don't worry, I'll always be here for you," Makoto ran her fingers through Kenshin's hair. Kenshin had been hesitant to talk, but Makoto had provided him with the comfort to do so.
"What about your story, Makoto?"
"Ah..." Makoto hesitated. Kenshin's curious eyes were observing her wounds.
"I guess these wounds... they make up your story," Kenshin pointed to the scratches on Makoto's chest with his finger. Makoto smiled. "Yes, those wounds, just like yours, Kenshin." Makoto's face fell. Makoto was startled when Kenshin suddenly put his hands on her shoulders. "Is your father also a monster..." his eyes were looking into Makoto's eyes. Makoto blushed. It was embarrassing to be so close to Kenshin and look into his eyes, but at the same time, it was pleasant.
Makoto smiled. "Yes, my father was a monster too, and so was my mother." Kenshin embraced Makoto. "M- my mother took good care of me, I feel sorry for you." Kenshin pulled back and placed his hand on his chest. "But I promise, I'll always be here for you. I'll be your hero. Even though I couldn't be my mom's hero, I'll be yours..." Kenshin continued to lose all that beautiful spirit of his as he remembered his mother. Makoto filled with joy. In response to Kenshin's embrace, she pushed him onto the bed and began to cuddle him. "Once upon a time, my parents were good, but one day they changed. Home became a prison for me. Eventually, I ran away from that house. And I found you, my hero." Whenever Kenshin lost all his spirit, Makoto easily awakened his spirit. Kenshin was happy to be Makoto's hero.
"What do you want to do to those two, Kenshin?"
"What?"
Makoto approached Kenshin, who was sitting next to the pillow. "People who took your mother away, they are bad people; bad people deserve punishment." Kenshin's head filled with thoughts. 'Time for punishment,' that woman had said while hurting Kenshin's mother. According to Kenshin, that man and woman deserved punishment because his mother was innocent, but they still punished her. His mother didn't deserve any punishment. She definitely deserved better, but could Kenshin punish them? Would he become a bad person if he punished them? They deserved it. So punishing them wouldn't make Kenshin a bad person.
"Y- yes, they deserve punishment. They are bad people," Kenshin nodded. Makoto nodded in agreement and headed towards the cupboard.
"Well... before we beat up the bad guys, we need to deal with the problem here." Kenshin got up and climbed onto the counter from the chair Makoto used to climb onto the counter.
"What should we do, Makoto?" The cupboards were empty. They needed to find something to eat.
Makoto started thinking. Would it be right to involve Kenshin in such a task? No, she couldn't do that.
"Wait for me here, Kenshin, I'll go find us some food and come back," Makoto dangled her feet off the counter and jumped down.
"Should I come with you, Makoto? I want to help you."
"No, wait here, Kenshin, I'll be back soon, don't worry."
"O- okay." Kenshin had to listen to Makoto. He also climbed down from the counter and started playing with his and his mother's figurines. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the figure that represented his grown-up self. There were two friends by his side. His mother used to tell him that one day he would meet these two friends. He had already met one of them; it was Makoto. Who was the other friend, and when would he meet them? He was eagerly awaiting their encounter.
"I'm back." Makoto entered the cabin, covered in mud. She had prepared the plates before entering the house. "Now it's time to eat, enjoy, Kenshin." Makoto placed the food plates on the table and climbed onto the chair. Kenshin climbed onto the chair opposite her.
"You're amazing, Makoto... where did you find these?" Kenshin's eyes lit up after seeing a beautiful plate for the first time in a long while. They had been eating only what they needed for a long time, as he and his mother. There had never been a meal they enjoyed. The most beautiful thing Kenshin had fed on would no longer be his mother's milk; it had now been replaced by the plate in front of Kenshin.
"It's a trade secret. A secret I learned from my parents." Makoto smiled, showing her teeth, and put her finger to her mouth. "Ah, I see. My mother taught me some cool stuff too."
"Now, let's enjoy our meal."
Kenshin and Makoto happily dug into their plates. Kenshin's eyes brightened with every bite he took. It seemed like this taste had been waiting for him for a long time. "Thank you so much, Makoto." Kenshin felt the urge to thank Makoto with his mouth full. "Hahahaa Kenshin, finish what's in your mouth first." It was the most beautiful and special meal of their lives.
"You stole him from me. Because of you, he forgets about me. I won't let you make him forget about me... I... I'm his true protector." Makoto listened to Kenshin, who was speaking with anger and sadness, with her eyes closed, but this wasn't Kenshin. There were still things Makoto didn't know about Kenshin.
Kenshin climbed on top of Makoto. "If I do this..." he brought his hands to Makoto's neck level. "If I do this..." his hands were trembling. "But, Kenshin, he loves you..." Makoto continued to lie quietly without doing anything. She had to understand this hidden side of Kenshin better. "Because of you, he forgets about me... even if he loves you. I've been protecting him all this time... not you." Makoto had found an answer to a loophole. Kenshin had said that whenever his father came home, his eyes darkened, and they only brightened again when he was with his mother. What was this thing then? Makoto couldn't figure it out. Could it be some kind of god? A guardian god? But gods no longer existed. She would learn this over time. She stopped thinking and continued to listen to Kenshin lying on top of her.
"No, I can't... you're lucky, Kenshin, he loves you." Kenshin was crying. Makoto felt sorry for whatever this thing was for him. But Kenshin was what mattered, she needed to learn what this thing meant to him.
Kenshin finally pulled away from Makoto and lay down beside her. This night was important for Makoto to discover Kenshin.
"Kenshin, a question came to my mind last night. What exactly happened to you when your father came?"
"Hmm, what?" Kenshin, with his mouth full of the new food Makoto brought, raised his head in surprise. Makoto loved this side of him.
Kenshin swallowed and began to think. "Hmm..." While Kenshin was lost in thought, Makoto watched him without getting bored.
"I remember. I remember."
"Yes, Kenshin."
"That day, I heard that voice in my head."
"Which voice?" Makoto eagerly awaited the answer.
"It actually doesn't have a name. It told me to give control to it. Since that day, whenever my father came, my eyes closed, and they opened again next to my mother."
"I see." Makoto nodded with a smiling face. Kenshin responded in the same way and continued eating. Makoto could now speak to that voice.
Makoto waited for days for the voice to show its presence again, but it never did.
"I'm leaving, Kenshin."
"Okay, Makoto."
Makoto left the cabin as usual to bring food, but today, she wouldn't be the only one leaving. Kenshin was filled with curiosity, just like the night he couldn't sleep, about what his father did to his mother. He needed to find out how Makoto got this food.
He watched Makoto from behind the wall. He had managed to follow her silently. Makoto had called out to the man standing in front of the shop. Kenshin knew Makoto couldn't pay for the food. Was the man looking at the shop helping them? The question swirling in his head had found its answer, but it had disappointed Kenshin. Makoto had started running away with the grabbed food. Kenshin felt a strange feeling at that moment. Was Makoto a bad person? He had to reach home before finding an answer to this question. He needed to talk to Makoto about it.
"Why, Makoto?" Makoto understood that Kenshin had learned everything from his facial expression. "K-Kenshin."
"Why are you a bad person, Makoto?" Kenshin's eyes were filled with tears. Someone he trusted as much as his mother was a thief, and Kenshin had been fed with what the thief stole.
"I'm not a bad person, but..." Makoto placed the plates in her hand on the table and sat across from Kenshin.
"I had to do this... otherwise, we would have died."
Kenshin was in turmoil. Makoto was right after all. "But but..." Makoto wrapped her arms around Kenshin. Although Kenshin loved this warmth, he couldn't accept it right now. He pushed Makoto away hastily. "Y- you're bad, Makoto." Makoto knew Kenshin could react like this. It was time to reveal the truths without hiding them anymore.
"Kenshin... Kenshin-chan, I know I'm a bad person, but if I didn't do these things, we would both have died of hunger. You would have died. I would have lost you." Kenshin couldn't find words to say to Makoto's tear-filled face. Even if Makoto was a bad person, she was right, and Kenshin still loved her.
"Unfortunately, this place is like this, Kenshin... you couldn't see the outside. You had a beautiful mother, but I had the chance to see outside. I didn't want to see the outside, but even if I didn't see it, the truth wouldn't change. I'm sorry for not telling you these things. Please forgive me, I can leave if you want because Makoto, Kenshin's sadness..." Makoto slowly turned away. "Should I leave, Kenshin-chan? Does bad Makoto deserve you?"
Kenshin's teeth were chattering. What should he do? His mother had told him to be a good person. Kenshin had to be a hero, but whatever Makoto said, Kenshin found her right. His father had shown him how bad this place was. Kenshin didn't need to go outside to see that. But he couldn't accept it. These events contradicted his feelings of heroism. What should he do? He would be alone again without Makoto, and he could predict that it wouldn't end well. He had to be a hero, and he had found it. He would keep the promises he made to his mother and Makoto; Kenshin would be Makoto's hero. He couldn't leave Makoto alone. No matter what bad thing Makoto had done, she had done it out of necessity. She had done it for Kenshin. Kenshin chose to accept the truth. He couldn't be a fictional hero here. He would be a real hero who could exist here.
"D- don't go, Makoto." Kenshin hugged Makoto from behind. "I- I love you, Makoto. I'll be your hero." Makoto smiled. "I love you too, Kenshin-chan." She turned around and hugged Kenshin. This time, Kenshin accepted the comforting warmth. "I'm sorry, Makoto, f-for pushing you away."
"I'm the one who should apologize, Kenshin. I hid the truths from you."
"You thought of me, Makoto. You're not a bad person... you did it all because you thought of me."
Makoto smiled. "I knew you would understand, Kenshin."
"But I have a condition now, Makoto."
"Yes, Kenshin?"
"You won't do these things alone anymore... I'll help you." As a hero, Kenshin needed to be by Makoto's side. He had to protect her. What Makoto was doing was dangerous.
"K- Kenshin, do you know what you're saying?" Makoto was taken aback. How could someone like Kenshin get involved in such a thing?
Kenshin nodded confidently. "I'll always be with you, Makoto."
"A- are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Kenshin was certain; this child had to surpass his fantasies. He couldn't be the hero he imagined here.
"O- okay, sir."
Kenshin smiled awkwardly. This choice still bothered him, but was there any other option?
"So, we're still okay, right Kenshin?" Kenshin nodded. Makoto was happy about this situation. Kenshin was indeed wonderful as she had thought. "Then can we continue playing mommy and daddy now?" Kenshin's mind was thrown into chaos by this question. Such a sudden proposal in the middle of such a serious matter. Makoto's face was getting closer to Kenshin's. Kenshin blushed, but he didn't want to stop this moment. He let himself be under Makoto's control. This kiss felt many times better than the first one they shared when they first met. After all, they knew each other now, and their relationship had evolved.
"How about moving on to dinner, Kenshin?"
"S- sure, let's move on."
Kenshin was hesitant about the plate in front of him on the table. He was reluctant to eat it. He still couldn't get used to this decision. The entire meal on the plate in front of him had been taken from others' hands, and nothing had been given in return. There should have been their tears on this plate.
"Kenshin, please..." Makoto couldn't touch her own plate because of Kenshin's state. Kenshin lifted his head and turned his gaze from the plate to Makoto. He had to get used to this. It was the cruel reality of life. "Okay, Makoto, please eat your meal..." Makoto felt relieved when Kenshin took his first bite. Kenshin felt guilty for enjoying the taste in his mouth, but he had to do this. After Kenshin made sure that Makoto was eating her meal, he started to eat his own.
The two children had now completed the bond they had established with each other. They had become a real duo.