THE TOY
a fanfic by flori-dono
DISCLAIMER: This is a Rurouni Kenshin inspired fanfiction. RK characters are 
owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki and associates.

NOTES: This is dedicated to my dad who just passed away last April 21. Papa, 
thanks for being my number one fan. I love you too.

*** 
Kenshin stared at the small object in his hand. It had been years since he had 
last held it. The last time he did was more than ten years ago when he decided 
to be a wanderer. He had placed it in his small sack as part of his meager 
wordly possessions. He hadn't taken it out ever since.

He carefully placed the knot of the string on the nail's head. He then
wound the yellowish and slightly abraded string around the nail and the body of 
the top. He aimed at the ground and threw it, after which he quickly drew the 
string back to him.

He watched as the the top went round and round...

***
"Shinta!"

"Doushite, Otousan?" a little boy with hair in an unusual shade of red, said as 
he hurried to his father's side.

"Here," the man replied with a smile. "I have something for you!"

Little Shinta's eyes widened.

"For me?" he asked, not yet sure if it was real.

"Hai, chibi-kun."  

Shinta took the object in his father's hand. He had never had any toys. His 
family was poor. But he never did ask for any, his mother and father were always 
there to play with him. That was until lately, when his Otousan and Okaasan were 
always sick. He was sure his Otousan made it himself, so Shinta decided that he 
would really take care of it.

He tried to find out how to play the little brown top while his father laughed 
at his futile attempts.

"It's like this Shinta..."

And Shinta watched in rapt attention as his father showed him how to wind the 
string around the body then whipping it to the ground.

After a few tries, he finally did it on his own. He looked up and his Otousan 
rumpled his hair and smiled.

That was the last wonderful memory he had of his father. Soon after, his Otousan 
and Okaasan died.

It was also the last time he got to play with his toy as a child. He kept his 
vow and took care of the top as he would gold. When he was known as the Hitokiri 
Battousai, he would steal time to play with it, a reminder of his deprived 
childhood.

It was all too ironic.
***
...until it lost life and fell.

Kenshin smiled ruefully. 

"The nail's a bit blunt," he thought. "But it still works fine."

He then picked it up, looked up the sky and said, "Arigatou Otousan."

He turned his head and saw his newly found joy coming his way.

"Otousan!"

"Hey," he said as he scooped up the four year-old in his arms. It was time to 
part with it. Kenshin was doing it without regrets. And besides, he wanted his 
own son to have it with a wish that Kenji would never have to be deprived of his 
own childhood. And he would be there to make sure that it would never happen.

Kenhsin looked at the smiling face before him.

"Otousan  has something for you..."
*OWARI*