Chapter 38 - 2: Haruto

A dark sky giving a depressing impression, darkened as if by the negativity of living beings.

Further down, a battlefield covered with human and extraterrestrial corpses, lying on the ground torn, cut and crushed, pits with traces of bombardments were frequently seen, katana and firearms lying on the ground.

And in this battlefield a young boy of about 10 years old walked calmly, his features were rough but harmonious, his short red-hair was held in a short ponytail, his eyes radiated a feeling of indifference and maturity despite his age as he held a katana in his arms as he searched the bodies scattered over the battlefield.

He was handsome, extraordinarily handsome!

But this beautiful little boy, always indifferent, searched the corpses, stepped on them without any compassion or fear.

After a few hours spent searching the battlefield, the boy stopped at dusk and gradually moved away from the battlefield.

As he walked, he looked at the few bills he picked up from the corpses and sighed and said in a childish voice.

"It's not much, but after all, only a fool to bring money to the battlefield."

Then he continued walking again

Two hours later, he arrived in a small village rather dilapidated, gnawed by the sadness of war, where the inhabitants stared at him with a disgusted and apprehensive look.

But the boy continued to walk calmly through the streets towards a stall further on, ignoring the whispers of the villagers.

"Where did this beautiful child come from?"

"He must belong to a rich family."

"Look at his old clothes, how a kid from a rich family could wear such clothes."

"What, you don't know this kid's reputation?"

"Killing without blinking."

"It is said that this child is possessed by demons..."

"He walks from village to village, from town to town."

"He's already killed several people in cold blood two years ago when Bakufu's samouraïs attacked the Joui's camp 50km away."

"What's his name? "

"He hardly ever talks, nobody knows his name."

"It's even said that he goes to the battlefield and indiscriminately kills Amanto and the humans, and if an enemy asks why, he always says "your weapons sells well" before killing his enemy..."

"That kid is evil..."

....

....

....

Late at night the boy left the village carrying a dozen meat rolls in his arms with an indifferent expression as his silhouette gradually disappeared on the horizon.

And like a golem walked without stopping, without showing any sign of tiredness or sleep, walking tirelessly while eating a few hours later he arrived in front of an old temple not far from a village.

"I am lost, yet I am well on my way south." Murmured the boy before sighing, then h e raised his head and looked high into the sky and seeing the light of day pierce the horizon, he easily climbed up a tree, lay down on a branch and closed his eyes.

His face was not tired, drowsy or rested, but rather a reflective expression.

As the morning passed and the boy was still not moving, suddenly voices coming from below opened his eyes.

"It's not Zura but Katsura!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"It's not "doesn't matter", but Katsura!"

"You fool! Shut up, remember we are close to a temple!"

"Takasugi my name isn't stupid, it's Zura, not Katsura!"

The boy looked down and saw three boys marching towards the old temple, came down from the tree attracting the attention of the three.

"Excuse me, do you know where the nearest town is?"

The three then looked at each other before one with black hair with dark-purple highlights answered

"Approximately five miles to..."

But before he finishes his sentence the other boy with the black hair interrupted him.

"Takasugi stop! Politeness requires us to greet someone first before asking a question, Rude!" Says his lack-hair companion.

"You're the one who's impolite to talk like that to someone you've just met." Said another silver-haired man with a lazy look as he held a katana over his shoulder, while he was picking his nose

"Gintoki, you're not an example of politeness! So watch your mouth!"

"Zura don't interrupt me when I'm talking!"

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura!!!"

The boy looked at the gang of jerks for a moment before shaking his head and moved north.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

But he stopped suddenly and saw a rather tall man with long light brown-grey hair and green eyes wears a grey robe and a haori with a gentle smile on his face.

Then he saw the three boys with a bump on their heads lying on ground.

"Good children shouldn't play hooky." He says with a smile looking down at the three of them with their heads stuck in the ground.

"Understood Shouyou."×3

"We won't do it again."×3

They said at the same time

Then the man's gaze fell on the boy, the boy also looked at the man, both fell into a certain silence for a moment.

But the moment their eyes met, the two had the same thought.

"This man..."

"This child..."

"Has killed many people."

The man then shook his head before saying

"Kid, where are your parents?""I have no parents," replied the boy in an indifferent tone.

But the man had not pitying or empathetic for him, he simply said in a soft and reassuring voice containing simplicity and kindness

"You want to join my school."

The boy wanted to turn around and leave but something seemed to resonate when he saw the man's smile, it was a vague and familiar feeling, it was a feeling he had only felt once before, and that was in a certain orphanage that didn't exist in this world, it was a feeling of peace.

He then looked at the man for a moment as the three boys on the ground slowly got up, rubbing their skulls with pain.

The boy walked slowly and stopped a metre away from the man and then his gaze and the gaze of the man and the other three boys crossed.

"I hope your school has good food."

The man then smiles and says

"My name is Shouyou and you?"

"I have no name in this world." replied the boy

"I see, so what do you think, if you ever find a name, let us know, in the meantime we'll name you."

"But in the meantime we'll call you...um...it's spring, so what do you think of Haruto?"

"Shouyou don't have good taste I think Rex suits him better!" Says Katsura

"Nobunaga's also a good choice, at least it's better than Haruto." Says Takasugi in a reflective posture.

"Onigiri is also not bad." Gintoki added while picking his nose.

"Shouyou has really bad taste in names"

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

"Does anyone want to criticize the name I've chosen again?" Asked Shouyou while looking at the three of them with their heads stuck in the ground.

"No Shouyou! ×3

"Nice, Let's go back to school."

Haruto, following the four then wondered, looking up at the sky,

"Did I make a mistake following those lunatics?"

But as if to answer, a gentle fresh wind blew through his hair, then he smiled as he put his katana on his shoulder.

- - - - - - - -

Haruto = spring man