"Aa, if you like," he said with a smile. She had woken up well. Whatever nightmares or regrets had settled for the moment. It was strange how much a simple touch could do. If only that could be applied to everyone. He kept his smile and went to crouch beside the boxes to check for the laundry cord. It was difficult to find in the orange glow.

"I slept very well, thank you, and my shoulder is much better thanks to your efforts. Ah." He found the cord and pulled it out. He moved to the janitor's closet and stood on the balls of his feet to get the cord on the hooks that had been screwed to either side of the wall. (Why were they so high? This was Japan, wasn't it? Sometimes he wondered....)

He took her pants from the sink and squeezed them out. Hard wearing clothes they were, but a bit worn, still. She would have to get something more to wear since...one look told him his clothes weren't exactly adequate. He sighed and slung the pants over the cord, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder as he spread it out so it would dry better. Then he gathered the shirt. The bloodstains were still there.

"You might have to bleach this if you want to keep it," Kenshin said. Since even in New Meiji, blood stains tended to draw attention.