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Adversity

by: MrFoshizzlePro

Disclaimer: All rights go to Nobuhiro Watsuki as the owner of Rurouni Kenshin. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

He breathed in deeply, summoning all his ken ki to aid him in this most troublesome time. In front of him sat a child, eleven months old and almost an exact duplicate of the man sitting before him. The toddler's sky blue eyes were narrowed distastefully to the man.

Finally, inhaling another deep breath, Kenshin Himura's nerves were set at ease.

Now, he thought. Only one last thing to do...

His violet eyes flashed open and his once seldom expression drastically changed.

"Come Kenji, here comes the chu-chu train! Chuuuu-chuuuu!"Kenshin hovered a spoon full of mushy applesauce in Kenji's scowling face. All the while, his eyes were large and hopeful, and his smile was wide and goofy.

At last, Kenji grinned broadly and opened his mouth wide. Kenshin silently cheered in his mind and placed the food into the babies' small mouth gingerly. He told himself, Maybe the little guy's finally warmed up to me-

"Pthu!"

And all Kenshin's triumph was washed away down a river of hopeless losses. Kenji smacked his hands together, laughing. With a washcloth and a defeated sigh, he wiped the remnants of the spat-out applesauce from his face and peeked over the cloth to his son who was rather amused by his father's own expense.

-or maybe I'm far from it.

The sweet feminine voice called in from the kitchen.

"Kenshin! Is everything okay?"

The least Kenshin wanted to do was lie and tell his wife that all was going well with the stubborn boy. However, that was exactly what he did as he replied back gleefully, "Everything's fine, that it is! There's no need to worry. I have it all under control, yes I do!"

Kaoru found that hard to believe. "Is that so?" Quietly, she snuck her way through the doorway to see the situation for herself. Sure enough, there was Kenji, playing with the bowl of applesauce and a frantically sweatdropping Kenshin trying to reclaim the food back from the infant as inaudibly as he could make his pleas heard.

"Kenji...no! Give Daddy the - Orooooo!"

Splat!

Kenshin's beaming smile took a direct turn upside down.

Kaoru couldn't help but giggle softly as she came around to help clean up the mess the tot made of his Daddy's clothes and red hair. Once more, the baby clapped his hands together and bursted into fits of giggles. Kenshin hung his head in dispair.

"I'm never going to get him to like me, am I?" he questioned his wife.

Kaoru brushed the mush off Kenshin's clothes the best she could, moving to his once fiery mane, now soiled with applesauce, sympathetically. "It's not that Kenji doesn't like you, honey," she tried assuring him. "He's just going through a phase, is all. He'll start liking you before you know it. Just wait and see."

If only I could. He sighed.

Kenshin turned in for the night, exhausted and weary. As he slipped into bed next to Kaoru (who had peacefully drifted into sleep) he thought, A good night's rest will do me some good. After the day I've had, I could sure use some sleep.

He closed his eyes, awaiting for sleep to overtake him.

Suddenly, an infant's cry split the night's atmosphere.

Despite being as tired as he was, Kenshin quickly rose from bed and ran to the wooden cradle of which held Kenji to see what was the matter. Kaoru was slowly awakening, rising into a sitting position on the futon, rubbing her eyes. She mumbled sleepily, "Honey...what's wrong? Is...Kenji...alright?"

Kenshin lifted the shrieking baby from the cradle, pressing Kenji's small fragile body close to his chest, rocking him back and forth in his arms. He glanced to his wife and smiled. He whispered, "Kenji's okay, koishi. He just woke up, thats all."

"Would you like me to take him?"

Kaoru was already climbing to her feet to take the baby, her jaw stretching in a tired yawn. However, Kenshin stopped her with his hasty reply.

"No, koishi. It's alright. I have him. You go back to sleep."

She found no reason to argue with her husband over the debate of who would care for their son. Just as long as Kenji was in the care of his father, Kaoru felt no need to worry...well, almost no need.

Kenji screamed and wailed on the top of his lungs. Kenshin tried to calm the infant, but no amount of craddling and baby-talk seemed to be doing the trick. What is a father to do?

Inwardly, he frowned.

"Shhh-" he soothed softly in Kenji's ear. "Daddy's here, Daddy's here." What was wrong with Kenji? wondered Kenshin. He knew the baby had had a diaper change not too long ago and he had already eaten as well. Maybe he's had a bad dream? Kenshin only saw one way to silence the deafening cries, but he wasn't too happy about the idea.

He drew in a shaky breath, and, nervously, began to sing a low lullaby.

"Twinkle, twinkle little child, oh how your mother's food tastes so mild. Up above in the clear skies, flying bugs and fireflies. Twinkle, twinkle little child, sleep well and don't go wild..."

Though Kenshin's singing wasn't all too good, it was fair enough to put the infant back into a cozy sleep. Kenji nuzzled his head into his father's chest, grabbing fistfull's of his gi and snoozing on without a single peep.

Kenshin smiled softly. Maybe he is warming up to me afterall, he considered upon lying the baby carefully back into his cradle, rocking it rhythmatically side to side and peering into it down at the sleeping curled body of little Kenji. It'll just take some time, like Kaoru said.

He lingered an hour longer by the cradle until he was certain that Kenji was sound asleep. Then, he returned to his own bed, covering up, wrapping his arms around the sleeping Kaoru and pulling her toward him.

"Goodnight koishi," he murmured into her ear, closing his eyes.

Kaoru smiled. Goodnight honey, she replied in her mind.

Owari