"It was all Ei, the current Raikage! He deceived our tribe, promising huge benefits if we unofficially participated in conflicts on the side of Kumogakure. But we were nothing more than pawns in the game of the great villages!" Noriko spat angrily, beginning to boil with rage.
"And what happened next?" Kenshin asked. His curiosity outweighed tact, and he knew Noriko wasn't easily offended.
"Next? Next everything was just perfect. Our tribe received land in the Land of Lightning, and we finally lived well. Kumogakure supplied us with all resources in exchange for rare, unofficial missions. Everything was going better than ever until we went on another mission in which almost all our strong warriors died…" Noriko muttered, sinking into memories.
Kenshin listened silently, letting her decide whether to continue and vent or not.
"The mission took place in the Land of Fire, and everything was going well until we encountered Konoha shinobi led by that one-eyed bastard Hatake Kakashi!" Noriko wheezed, pronouncing the name with hatred.
Hearing the familiar name, Kenshin could no longer listen sympathetically in silence and asked: "Was Hatake Kakashi the one who killed the best warriors of your tribe?"
"Not alone. But it was he who struck down my father… When it became clear we couldn't win, my father bought time, allowing me and several other warriors to escape. That's how I ended up in the Land of Fire, and if not for the injury, I would never have been taken alive!" Noriko wheezed furiously. Kenshin clearly felt her rage and was surprised by its external manifestations. Her long black hair seemed electrified and rose into the air on its own. The atmosphere felt much heavier, and Kenshin had to suppress the manifestations of her anger with telekinesis.
"Calm down, Noriko!" Kenshin commanded, restraining her, then sat closer and tried to hug her to dispel her sadness.
Unfortunately, Noriko's temperament was unlike anything Kenshin had dealt with before, and her anger only intensified.
"Let go! Bastard!" she growled, unable to move. However, her attempts greatly surprised Kenshin, as restraining her became harder and harder with each second.
"Noriko, calm down! No one will hurt you, quiet…" Kenshin said, but it was useless. The girl only increased the pressure until he finally sighed and placed both hands on her head.
After Noriko looked into his eyes, her berserk state instantly stopped. All the rage burning in her heart at that moment evaporated in a second, replaced by warmth and peace.
Kenshin, on the contrary, grimaced strongly from the flood of emotions. He felt incredibly disgusting, as if he had plunged headfirst into a pit of filth that was hard to wash off.
"We need to get going," he said, picking up the stunned Noriko and returning to the carriage.
Kenshin immediately, without embarrassment, began stroking the short-haired Makoto's head, trying to restrain his irritation until the disgusting feeling passed.
For the rest of the journey, Noriko was unusually quiet and for the first time in a very long while fell into a relaxed sleep. She dreamed of exactly what she had dreamed of as a child: endless green meadows that couldn't be found in the Land of Demons, and many different animals, from timid hares to ferocious tigers. But the timidity of the former and the ferocity of the latter were completely blocked by this wonderful place from a little girl's childhood dreams.
Meyumi behaved quieter than water and lower than grass, realizing that for some unknown reason the sir was strongly irritated. She mentally cursed the shameless Noriko several times for angering the master and happily lay down to sleep.
Makoto, on the contrary, felt quite comfortable. Over time, she gained a little courage and began taking initiative in conversations with Kenshin, asking him questions about what she saw outside the carriage window.
When only a few kilometers remained to the Nakayama Family's domain, Kenshin turned his gaze to Meyumi and said: "I'm giving you one last chance to change your mind and live your own life."
"S-sir, may I ask you one question…?" Meyumi said timidly, and Kenshin merely nodded.
"What will happen to me if I go with you?" she asked, gathering courage and looking him in the eyes.
"Do I need to persuade you?" he said with a laugh and added: "You will become a maid in the Nakayama Family and lose your freedom. In return, you will get food, shelter, and my protection."
Meyumi sank into thought for a minute, mentally weighing the pros and cons. The only thing bothering her was the unknown. She didn't know what awaited her and was afraid of ending up with bad people. Although Kenshin, despite all his rudeness, gave her some sense of calm, she feared he would simply give her to someone else, and she would have to accept her fate.
"The sir is apparently the head of a mercenary organization, and if he gives me to his subordinates…" Meyumi thought in fear, but Kenshin was quite tired of this long conversation and decided to intervene.
"You will be a maid in my family, so you don't have to worry about that," Kenshin said, greatly frightening Meyumi.
"WHAT?! C-could he really…" she thought in shock.
"I can, but it's tiring," Kenshin replied with a smile. He liked this girl's shocked reaction, and it gave him satisfaction, allowing him to get rid of the negative emotions he had received from Noriko faster.
"Ah!" Meyumi cried out in surprise.
"Be quiet, blonde. Let me sleep…" Noriko muttered sleepily and turned over.
"I-I agree, sir," Meyumi whispered. She was a little frightened by such a terrible ability, but her natural shrewdness allowed her to instantly see the prospects of serving such an unusual person.
The remaining ten minutes were spent in silence until the carriage finally stopped.
"Well, Makoto, do you want to see your new home?" Kenshin asked with a smile, ruffling her hair.
"Yes!" she declared happily. In the few hours spent in Kenshin's company, Makoto had almost completely gotten used to his presence and stopped being afraid to be herself.