Through the Cracks Ch7 bit – Posse

Human, Sano thought, stunned, as Kenshin carefully outlined the events of that day and night, the vrondi’s light holding steady as he spoke. He feels… he is… human.

A human brightly Gifted with Fetching to Sanosuke’s senses, no matter how Kenshin tried to hide it.

That’s what I felt. That’s what Called me.

But how? I felt the Call for days! If he’s only a human for one night, and a hanyou the rest of the time….

A hanyou who’d acted very carefully human every minute he was in Pastun. He’d dealt with a dry-goods store for salt, a greengrocer for a nut spread and some of the tender sprouts wise people grew in glass jars to ward off winter ailments, and a baker for stale loaves. Like most Yamato, he’d found out on his own that bread was easier on the stomach than some other local foodstuffs.

“…And one needed that, Kaoru-dono, for one’s temper was – uncertain, that day, and one felt it would be wiser to spend the night away from strangers; that I did. But one stopped by a well to wash before leaving, and… I was tired, and it was cold, and for a moment my ki was less than innocent. And that is when I sensed a shock in a passerby’s ki, and knew my claws had been seen.” Kenshin shrugged wearily. “One can distract. One cannot create illusions, as onmitsu can. Once seen, remains seen. So sessha left. Quickly.” A corner of his mouth turned up. “Sessha did not go in a straight line… but it is likely one covered two hours’ ride by horseback before sunset. When sessha stopped, and made a hidden camp, and waited for dawn. Then – one napped a little, and set out once more. It took a few days to realize that sighting had drawn any more attention than the others. And then sessha was quite busy, eluding pursuit both by sword and by magic.”

“And you never stopped to ask why?” Kaoru gave him a skeptical look.

“They thought sessha a Changechild,” Kenshin shrugged. “One was less than interested in risking capture or confrontation to explain otherwise, that I was not.”