五
坂田银时的第一个具体的记忆是一个梦，那是一个在自己两三岁时反复出现的梦——他在石板路上拼命地奔跑，身后是朝自己疾驰而来的狼群。他不停地跑着，脚步却越来越沉重，双眼放着绿光的恶狼却离自己越来越近，他在空无一人的街巷里哭喊起来，妈妈！妈妈！正当这时，路的尽头出现了一个修长的白色身影，斜着身子朝他投下一瞥。妈妈？妈妈，救救我！银时朝母亲伸出手去—— 每一次，梦都结束在这个关头。满身大汗从梦里惊醒的银时，永远不知道自己最终是被狼群追上了，还是被母亲搭救了。而每一次当银时又清醒了一点，便会哑然失笑——毕竟自己从来没有见过自己的母亲，而以自己的能耐，也从来没有怕过野狼。自己似乎生下来就是一个有着惊人蛮力的野小鬼，少数友善的村民说他是“山里来的金太郎”，而大部分的人都叫他的另一个名字——“小恶鬼”。
坂田银时并不在乎自己在别人口中被称作什么，如果打酒吞童子可以活下去，那就去大江山打酒吞童子；如果食尸可以活下去，那就去做食尸鬼；如果掏战死者的衣兜可以活，那就去偷窃；如果要杀人才能活，那就拔刀。活着，活下去，这是这个世界教给他的首个生存哲学——如果那一天，吉田松阳没有把自己带走的话，这便将是他在这个世界唯一了解的生存哲学。
不过现在，一切都不一样了。他住在有屋顶的房子里，雨天可以在干燥的床铺上呼呼大睡；饿了有热腾腾的白米饭吃，再不用在血肉模糊的尸块间翻找食物。更重要的是，他有了一个对自己有所期望的人——老师也好，朋友也罢——即使他会在自己犯错时只用一根手指就送自己一头包，但银时并不排斥这样的力量。人其实是一种生而脆弱的轻飘飘的生物，如果不背负上一些重量，生命就会飘向虚无的深渊。“人是一种需要问应该是什么的生物，每个人的一生都在追寻着这个问题的答案，如果有幸找到了属于自己的方向，他便有了灵魂。”坂田银时依稀记得松阳在课堂上似乎这样说过，但是，用刀以外的东西回答问题实在不是自己的特长，这种期末考试附加题难度的问题，还是留给以后要上大学的高材生们吧。银时握着手中的竹刀，“人之所以为人”这个哲学问题只在他的心中造成了0.3秒的困扰。比起哲学，更让坂田银时感到困扰的是眼前这个眼神中翻滚着波澜的同龄人。
“怎么又是你？”面对拉开架势的高杉晋助，坂田银时已经不再掩饰内心的困惑，“小小年纪就这么轴，当心长大不会转弯拿不到驾照噢高木君！”
“是高杉！”高杉晋助握住竹刀的指关节更白了。
要比，就来比吧，反正都是我赢。坂田银时心里的话还没说完，便见高杉晋助的剑锋朝自己劈了过来。今天的感觉总觉得有些不一样，比之前几次锋利了不少，银时一边拆着高杉的剑路，一边暗忖道。快点，再快一点，看清他的剑路，预判他的动作，不然你可就要输了啊，松下村塾No.1坂田银时学长——
“一本！”
随着高杉晋助凶猛的一击，坂田银时小而强壮的身体在空中划出一道弧线，重重地砸在道场的地板上。整个身体被重力和重击按在地上的银时还来不及做出反应，耳边便传来了同学们的欢呼声。
怎么回事啊？！怎么明明他是来踢馆的，结果自己的同门却去为他欢呼？是我上次借了你三百元没有还吗小西君?是我趁你不注意偷偷喝了你的草莓牛奶吗村田君？是我在你的JUMP上滴上了酱油吗山本君？银时悻悻地从地上爬起来，朝同学们大声抗议。真是的，人间还有真情吗？失败者的心情你们就一丁点儿也不考虑吗？
银时正不顾一切地嚎叫着，忽然，他感到有一只手轻轻搭上自己的右肩。他扭过头去，桂睁着一双黑眼睛望着他，摊开的右手中是一个冒着微微热气的饭团。这个叫桂的小孩好奇怪，明明不认识自己，却一脸亲切地招呼自己捏饭团，嘴上还说着什么“不分敌我”的怪话。上次见他的时候，他不是还和高杉在一起吗？怎么现在却跑过来安慰朋友的对手了？这个小孩，脸长得这么漂亮，怎么做起事来这么古怪？松阳也是，明明连桂的面都没见过，就自顾自地吃起了他的饭团来，老师怎么也古怪起来了？银时揉着右边的肩膀，无奈地看道场里的人吃的吃，笑的笑，桂和老师的腮帮子里塞满了米粒，发出一连串愉快的咀嚼声。算了，既然你这么热情，银时我再拒绝可就不识相了。终于说服自己的银时拿起一个饭团，和道场的其他人一样咀嚼起来。银时正嚼着，牙齿忽然结结实实地咬上了一块梅肉，带着酸味的甜在舌尖上蔓延开来，钻进了他因为过度摄入甜食而产生的龋齿的细小缝隙中，突然引发的微型刺痛令他不禁呲了呲牙，抬头却发现桂正站在一步之外看着自己笑。
“别以为你给我吃了饭团我就和你熟了！要想和我做朋友，起码得先给我买一箱草莓牛奶才可以！”银时鼓着泛红的腮帮子朝桂说道，而后者没有拒绝，也没有答应，只是说：“甜食吃太多会变得软弱噢。”
“我才不弱，不然你和我来比比？”银时朝高杉努嘴，说：“他也才赢过我一次，你们是一个学校的吧？他和他谁是谁的小弟？”
“谁都不是谁的小弟。”桂认真地说，“高杉晋助是我的好朋友。”
“好朋友？”银时一手抱胸，一手摸着下巴上并不存在的胡子，说：“那看来你选朋友的眼光不太好啊，怎么选了这么个笨蛋？”
“高杉不是笨蛋，他只是不爱喝牛奶长得矮了一点。”桂小太郎一本正经地回答。
“你这么说高杉君他会高兴吗？ra……tsu……zu……”银时的眉头绞在一起，脸上的表情变了又变，终于发出了一个完整的音节：“zura？”
“假发？那是什么？”桂一头雾水地盯着银时，继而又一本正经地纠正道：“不是假发，是桂。”
“太麻烦了那个，以后你就是假发了！”银时说着，挠了挠自己乱蓬蓬的白头发。眼前的桂仍在坚持不懈地纠正自己——“不是假发，是桂”——一旁的同学们闪着星星眼围着高杉讨教“打败坂田银时的办法”，老师则站在充满喧闹和生机的道场中，目睹这些无关紧要的日常小事的发生。银时舔了舔手指上残留的米粒，真神奇，看上去平凡无奇的白米饭粒，如果认真咀嚼一段时间，也能品出甜味来。如果每天都有这样的饭团吃的话，那高杉也不是不可以天天来。
在那之后，桂小太郎和高杉晋助制定了一个偷换时间计划——两人分别在一天中错开时间去讲武馆和松下村塾，在讲武馆的那个人负责修改老师的考勤表，在松下村塾的那个则要记下当天吉田松阳讲课的内容，两人再在回家的路上交换情报。桂和高杉认为这次配合天衣无缝——尤其是桂小太郎的那双水光涌动的黑眼睛，再加上他特有的真诚语气，讲武馆门口的守卫大叔总是乐意在他偷偷将校门拉开一条缝时恰巧正在打盹儿，以两人的身高，加上两侧树丛的掩护，没有人知道在短暂的几秒钟里，一个学生偷偷溜了出去，一个学生偷偷溜了进来。
在讲武馆的时间过得很慢，在松下村塾的时间却过得很快——很快一个回合就打完了，很快一堂课就结束了。渐渐地，道场里多出了一套护具，教室里也加了一张矮桌，松下村塾的学生们已经习惯了这两位交替出现的旁听生。
孩子毕竟是孩子，即使再有魅力的老师，也阻止不了学生在老师宣布下课后欢呼着冲向户外。坂田银时在一阵欢乐的尖叫中醒来，他意识到现在是下课时间了。而令他感到意外的是，教室里除了刚睡醒的他，竟然还有一个人留在自己的座位上。
“喂，都下课了，你在干嘛呢？”坂田银时猫着身子绕到桂小太郎的课桌前问道。
“我在整理刚才上课的笔记。”桂举起手中的书向银时展示他的笔记，秀丽的小楷在教科书的空白处写得密密麻麻，银时不由得脱口而出：“哇，将来要上大学的高材生！下课不运动只学习会很容易脱发噢，脱成条形码那样。”说罢，伸出手在自己的头顶比划了几下。
“我有好好锻炼好好洗头，不会脱发。”桂小太郎抬头，对上坂田银时的视线，说：“我很强壮的。”
“真的吗？”银时打量着桂比同龄人稍显瘦弱的身材，说：“那我们去道场，你和我比一场。”
“我不会和你比的。”桂的目光回到了书上，“我不会和任何人比的。”
“我发现，”坂田银时将脸凑到离桂小太郎眼前，说：“那个高杉就已经很古怪了，你竟然比他还古怪。说实话，假发，你除了高杉应该就没有别的朋友了吧？”
“不。你已经吃了我的饭团，还和我聊了六分钟，你也是我的朋友了。”桂若无其事地将手搭上银时的肩膀，他感到自己的心脏突然紧急震动起来。
“没见过你这样的……”银时别过头，嘴上嘟囔道。真是拿他没办法，才认识自己多久，就大大咧咧地勾肩搭背了，你这样的人可不能随便搭人的背，对自己稍微有点自觉好吗假发君？他刚想开口，桂小太郎却突然将书反扣在桌上，抬头问道：“你才古怪。明明在教室里，却又不听课。虽然不听课，却又跟那位老师最亲——你是老师的亲人吗？”
桂的问题问倒了银时，是师生吗？似乎不是那么单纯的关系。是亲人吗？又确实没有血缘关系。于是，银时只好如实回答：“我是被他捡来的。”
“我懂了，你是他的大弟子。”桂露出了然的神情，带着些许笑意，像是自言自语道：“真好啊。”
被说中心事的银时有些惊惶，他避重就轻地说：“不要说得那么正式，事实上就是他把他的剑和馒头给了我，我在他屁股后面一路跟到现在而已。”
“那就是收你做大弟子的意思，笨蛋。”
“笨蛋怎么好意思说别人是笨蛋，笨蛋！”
“不是笨蛋，是桂。”
“是假发。”
“不是假发，是桂。”
……
院子里、走廊上，少年少女们的吵闹声和欢笑声仍在松下村塾上空盘旋，坂田银时和桂小太郎的世纪大辩论还在继续，任何一方都没有收手的意思。风吹过后院的梧桐树，发出飒飒的声响，几片松动的桐叶被微风送到门廊前，在木板上踏着轻巧的碎步。走廊的尽头，是静立着的吉田松阳的背影。
这天，当高杉晋助在和桂小太郎在拉开一条缝的校门前擦肩而过时，他轻轻捏了捏他的肩，说：“今天结束了一定要等我，我有话跟你说。”
“我每天都在等你啊，高杉。”桂看着高杉的眼睛认真地说，后者却有些惊慌地错开了两人的视线，“你不会又有什么阴谋诡计吧？老是惹恼你父亲，即使是长男也会被挂在树上的。”
“放心吧，不算什么阴谋。那种事，必须堂堂正正地做。”高杉的嘴角稍稍往上翘了一些角度，“去吧，回来再说。”
看桂小太郎的奔跑的背影消失在自己的视线之外，高杉晋助吐出一口气，往教室的方向走去。今天下午，他准备给桂说一个自己的决定，一个可能会让自己失去一切，但又能让自己重新得到一切的决定——他要从讲武馆退学。鉴于他还没有想好该如何对自己的父亲提起这件事，桂将是第一个知道他的决定的人。他会怎么选择呢？他会和我一起走吗？如果他留在这里，以他的才干，迟早会成为长州的领袖，毛利大名身边的重臣，从此青云直上，光宗耀祖。他舍得放弃这个让桂家重回显要地位的机会吗？他舍得放弃这条通往权力的笔直大路吗？
高杉晋助一边走，一边入神地想着，突然，他感到自己撞上了一个软绵绵的物体，反作用力将他弹出两三步之外。他努力站稳想看清眼前是谁挡住了自己的去路，站在自己面前的老师却先开了口。 “高杉晋助，跟我来一趟。”
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