Child in cage

"Time to pull off another masterstroke." Makoto placed her hand on Kenshin's shoulder. "Show yourself, Kenshin-chan." Kenshin had become accustomed to these situations, as skilled as Makoto herself. "Let's do this, Makoto. Together." They had shared many adventures together, and their bond grew stronger with each passing moment. "Should I lay out the plan, or do you already have it in mind?" Kenshin donned his mask. "I've got it all figured out, Makoto." Makoto smiled. "That's my Kenshin-chan."

Kenshin carefully observed the group of fishermen below. Standing atop the mast with Makoto, they needed these acrobatic skills for their line of work.

"These are the bad guys, Kenshin. I heard shouting coming from that warehouse, and I have no doubt these men are up to no good." But this wasn't just a simple theft mission; it was also an execution task. It was time for heroics. "So, which plan are we executing first, Kenshin?" Makoto adjusted her mask as she looked at Kenshin. "First, the rescue mission-"

"Hahahaa, but Seaster, don't look at me like that." Kenshin's voice was interrupted by the voices of the three men below. They walked away from the warehouse. "First, the execution mission." Kenshin's eyes gleamed as he stared at the three men. "Are you sure about this, Kenshin?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Kenshin began sliding down the mast, gripping onto it. "Hey, Kenshin, that wasn't the plan." Makoto's subdued voice couldn't stop Kenshin. He was tired of the bad guys. He had to eliminate them completely. Makoto sighed and slowly slid down the mast, watching Kenshin follow the three men. "I trust you, Kenshin." She started walking towards the abandoned warehouse.

"And then, boom, the fish fell right into my hands."

"Hahaa, you're quite the master at this, Kevin, but today, I'll show you true mastery."

"We'll see, Seaster. Just don't cry when you see the results."

"Hah, you're talking nonsense, both of you. The winner today will be me, boys."

"Did you hear that, Kevin? Lumber, who thinks he can compete with us, spoke."

"I heard, Seaster. This guy really has a vivid imagination, thinking he can beat us."

"Hah, you'll see-"

"Ahh!" Lumber's voice was cut off by two painful cries. He turned his head to his two stiffened companions. When he saw the knives stuck in their backs, he turned around, only to face a small masked figure. "What do you think you're doing, you little punk? Hey, kids, say something. You can't seriously be impressed by those little knives."

"They can't speak. These aren't just any knives. These are Makoto's creations."

"What nonsense are you spouting, brat?" Lumber began reaching for his gun at his waist. This kid needed to be taken care of. "I can see everything, Lumber. Your efforts are in vain." Kenshin threw the new knife he had in his hand at Lumber's hand reaching for the weapon. "Ahhgh! You little brat!" Lumber began holding onto his stabbed hand. "Don't worry. This isn't an ordinary knife; your fate won't be like theirs." Kenshin pointed with his finger towards Seaster and Kevin, who had fallen to the ground. "I will erase you evil-doers with my own skills." Lumber shuddered at the gaze of the child before him. Surely, he couldn't be afraid of a kid? "Y- you little rascal, I'll teach you a lesson, don't worry." Lumber pulled out the knife stuck in his hand and threw it at Kenshin. Kenshin swiftly dodged to the side, avoiding the knife thrown at him. "I will eradicate you and those like my father from these lands." Kenshin began running towards Lumber with two knives in his hands. Lumber, thinking the child's intelligence could only go so far, smirked. He reached for his gun at his waist and swiftly aimed it at Kenshin. "The game ends here, you little troublemaker."

"Only evil will perish." Kenshin threw one of his knives towards the barrel of the gun pointed at him. When Lumber fired the weapon, the bullet collided with the knife. The knife was above the bullet. The bullet split in two upon impact, and the knife impaled itself into the gun. "Y- you little..." Lumber was filled with shock. Had such a scene really occurred? Could such absurdity be real? Until he shook off his astonishment, he was faced with the sight of the child leaping onto him. The knife was embedded in his head. Again and again and again. Initially feeling intense pain, he lost consciousness, and all sensations faded away. He fell to the ground, his head bathed in blood from multiple blows, facing towards his two fallen friends.

"Evil must be cleansed. Those like my father... must be cleansed." Kenshin removed his mask, washed with blood, and threw it away. He felt terrible. He had killed again, but they were bad people. He had to kill them so a new, better life could emerge. Although his guilt diminished, it still didn't leave him alone. This hero business was turning out to be very different from what he had imagined. Tears began streaming from his eyes. He didn't feel like he was crying. Because what made him cry was the spirit of heroism within him. He felt sorry for becoming someone like this, but here, he could only be such a hero. He stood up and looked at the three corpses lying on the ground. He had to lose his sorrow for them. After all, they were bad guys. To understand that they were completely evil and for his peace of mind, he headed towards the warehouse.

"Kenshin-chan, you finally made it." Makoto jumped onto Kenshin as soon as she saw him. "There was plenty of supplies in the warehouse. These will last us for a long time." Makoto stepped back and looked at the blood on Kenshin. "Ah, looks like you've played a bit dirty, Kenshin-chan. We'll need to clean up."

"Wasn't there anyone inside, Makoto?" Kenshin's heart began to fill with fear. Had he killed those men when they were innocent? "Ah, there's a room inside the warehouse. I waited for you to open that door, Kenshin-chan." Makoto smiled and looked at Kenshin. Kenshin ran quickly towards the warehouse. There had to be someone in there. "But Kenshin, don't worry, they were bad guys, you can be sure."

"A- are you sure, Makoto?"

"Absolutely sure."

Kenshin approached the door that Makoto hadn't opened. He reached for the handle of the door. Someone had to be in there. He started turning the handle. 'Click,' the door was locked. "I guess the key must be on the men. I didn't see any key in the warehouse." Kenshin had to be sure. He began knocking on the door. "Hey, is anyone there?" There was no response. Kenshin started knocking harder. "Is anyone there?" The knocks turned into punches. "Please, whoever's inside, make some noise..." He began pounding his fists hard on the door. "Make some noise..." Kenshin started dropping to his knees. Had Makoto lied? No, he couldn't trust anyone as much as he trusted Makoto. He quickly composed himself and stood up. "Makoto, wait here."

"Don't worry, Kenshin, you killed the bad guys." While Makoto said these words, Kenshin had already left the warehouse.

"Where?" Kenshin lined up the three bodies and searched them. He had to find the key. Every time he looked at the bodies, he felt more fear. Had he killed them for no reason? Had he become a bad guy himself? "No, no, no..." He was afraid. This couldn't be real. And finally, he felt a sense of relief. His hand had touched a key in Lumber's jacket pocket. He stood up. He started running towards the warehouse. He had to see the person who was imprisoned.

"Yes, Kenshin, open and see. Those guys were complete scum." Kenshin nodded tremblingly. But what if there was nothing behind that door? Would Makoto be a liar? Would those guys have died in vain? He inserted the key into the lock's hole for all the answers. He turned the key. He began pushing the door open. He hoped to see someone in the slowly becoming visible room. The door opened completely. Kenshin collapsed to the ground. He felt relieved. By seeing the lifeless child inside the cage, he proved that those men were bad, but was that true? There was a child lying lifelessly there. Was this heroism? Kenshin felt a great relief as he saw a lifeless body while lying on the ground. He nodded. He immediately stood up and went to the front of the cage. "Hey, a- are you okay?" He began nudging the lifeless child lying there. "I told you, Kenshin." Makoto was right, but that wasn't the important issue now. Kenshin noticed the child starting to move his mouth. He couldn't make any sound. His mouth was too dry. "Makoto, bring water immediately."

"Okay, Kenshin."

Kenshin slowly started dripping the water brought by Makoto into the child's mouth through the bars. The child's eyes were slowly opening and closing. His parched lips desperately wanted to take all the water. Kenshin felt like crying at this sight. This child was just like Makoto and himself, but this child was unlucky. "Makoto, bring some food too."

"Of course, Kenshin." Makoto was also taken aback by the situation. What had those three men wanted from this child? This was a great cruelty.

"Here, Kenshin." Makoto placed the basket she brought next to Kenshin. The child was now able to stand up. "Take these, they're for you." Kenshin reached the basket through the bars towards the child. With gleaming eyes, the child weakly pulled it into the cage with his feeble arms. He eagerly started eating the food with trembling arms. "Do you know how we can open this, Makoto?"

"I think we need another tool for that." Makoto pointed to the lock of the cage. Kenshin sighed and stood up. He needed to check the bodies more thoroughly, but he couldn't do it with the feelings he had at that moment. He quickly left the warehouse.

"W- what?" The bodies were gone. Kenshin couldn't make sense of this. Where were the bodies? He started searching around. As absurd as it sounded, there was no other choice, but the result was the same. So where were the bodies? Kenshin didn't have time for these questions. He decided to return to the warehouse.

"Yes, Kenshin?" Makoto became curious about what had happened with Kenshin's sorrowful expression. "They were gone."

"W- what? How?"

"I- I don't know."

"Well, no problem. Don't worry, Kenshin. We can do it. Just like we always do." Makoto hugged Kenshin. It was as comforting as always. "Y- you're right, Makoto."

"By the way, the other kid is awake now." Kenshin's eyes widened at these words. He rushed to the cage.

"Hello." The child quickly jumped to the bars. He looked at Kenshin with joy. "You saved me... thank you so much. Do you want to be my friend?" Kenshin was unsure how to react to the child's state. "O- of course, what's your name?" He couldn't deny the requests of a child in such a situation. He had to approach optimistically. After all, the child was a victim.

"My name? Hmmm, I guess my name is Larry, my friends used to call me that." The child continued to watch Kenshin with a smile on his face.