Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Life the Saitoh Fujita Way ❯ Tales in Tonami - Breaking New Ground ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: anreg

Tales in Tonami - Breaking New Ground

April 1871

Stopping in my tracks, I am surprised to see a lone figure out in the garden. I decide to stand back and watch her for a few minutes. That cultivating tool is heavy, I don't see how she can lift it up, much less swing it over her head. But she does, hitting the ground in a rhythmic motion, but not making much progress in the hard ground. She doesn't seem deterred.

Now that this household has more mouths to feed, mine included, the garden has to be enlarged. It is a matter of survival. Finally, I move from my viewpoint and approach her.

“What do you think you are doing,” it is more of a statement than a question.

“Preparing the garden for planting.”

“I can see that woman.”

“Then why ask me.”

That doesn't even deserve a response. She knows very well why I said what I did.

“I told you that I would do that when I finished helping Kurasawa-san.”

“I know, but you have so much to do already, and I am quite capable of doing this myself.”

I give her a derisive snort. She is just over five feet tall, and slightly built. After living in these sparse conditions, she can't weigh much more than a hundred pounds, if even that. But what she lacks in body mass, she makes up in determination. I have to give her credit for that, and I learned in Aizu not to belittle what she decides to do, so I just keep my mouth shut.

I can make more progress in five minutes than she can in a half an hour. Walking over to her, I remove the tool from her hands and start working. I notice the flushed skin on her face and the beads of sweat on her forehead. Stubborn, stubborn woman, I think to myself.

With a sigh of resignation I relinquish my digging tool. I know that I could never win a battle with him over a garden implement. Now if it were a battle of wills, I could hold my own, but never in the physical arena.

It is really better for him to do this. He will do it more quickly than I could. That will allow me to get this space planted sooner, which means that it can be harvested sooner. It is a practical matter, and having the extra room to grow vegetables is necessary for survival.

I walk over to the old sakura tree by the garden's edge and settle myself down in the welcome shade of its blossoms. This tree will provide more shade when the leaves fully sprout, but now the blooms provide a most glorious canopy. It is only early spring and although the sun is shining, it does not give much warmth. But I am feeling overheated due to working so hard, so the small amount of shade feels good for a while. I remember that the sakura were blooming in Aizu when I first met Saitoh-san.

I turn my gaze back to him. I think that I could sit here and watch him all day. His movements are so fluid and graceful, which is not surprising for a former master of the sword, even though it is only a garden tool that he now holds in his hands.

I smirk to myself. She probably doesn't realize that I know she is watching me. If it was any other person, I would have called out, `Ahou, don't you have anything better to do?' But I won't do that to her. Let her look all she wants; it is of no consequence to me, or at least that is what I'm trying to lead myself to believe.

Feeling a little cooler and letting out a yawn, I stretch my arms and rise to my feet. He has made so much progress, during my short rest, that I can now go behind him and pick any big rocks, or large weeds out of the patch. The ground will be smoother for planting that way.

Helping him with the garden makes me wonder what it would be like to spend the rest of my life working beside him. I realize that I will most likely never find out. So I will enjoy today, and any other days that I am given to be in his presence, whether he notices me or not.