A/N: Wolfish Oro doesn't own Kenshin, or Hiko, or Kaoru, or Kenji, or anyone else from the RK world. Damn.
SCENE: Hiko and a young Kenshin (think about ten or eleven) have wandered down to a small village to get more sake for Hiko, They are walking back to their lair (A/N:: I really can't help but call Hiko's place a lair. It just... suits him!) and they see a giggle of small children playing in the fields on the way back...
"Shishou?" Hiko looked over his shoulder at his young apprentice, who was gazing questioningly at the children in the field by the road.
'Shit. I know that look- here comes another stupid, out-of-nowhere question from Kenshin...'
"What is it, baka-deshi?" Hiko barked, not breaking stride. Kenshin looked over at Hiko and blinked sharply before jogging to catch up with his Shishou.
Hiko took a sip of sake, straight from the bottle, as Kenshin took a deep breath before asking, "Where do babies come from?"
'At least I didn't choke,' Hiko thought glumly as he looked down on the sake he'd spat out upon hearing the question. 'What a waste. Damn good sake, too. Ah, well...'
Hiko started walking again, thinking quickly, searching for a retort that wouldn't show his apprentice how nervous-- 'no, not nervous, nothing makes me nervous,' Hiko thought. 'Uneasy, that's a better word'-- uneasy the question made him.
"And why do you need to know, baka-deshi? Planning on having a kid anytime soon?" This got the desired result, and now it was Kenshin who was sputtering.
"Shishou! I just wanted to know!" 'Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of,' Hiko grumbled inwardly. He sighed, then turned to look at Kenshin, trotting beside him, a determined gleam in his eyes that Hiko knew meant Kenshin would keep bothering him until he gave Kenshin an answer.
"Bats," Hiko said suddenly. "Babies come from bats."
"Bats? Then what do we need people for? And how come we don't look like bats?" Kenshin was clearly baffled.
"Bats, baka. And babies need parents to look out for them, the bats just drop them off with couples. And people don't look like bats because bats are only the messengers. Babies are really hatched, up in the moutains, deep in caves, and the bats carry the eggs that are about to hatch from their eggs."
"Who lays the eggs?" Kenshin's ki was flooded with confusion, and his face also reflected this uncomprehension.
"Dunno." Hiko shrugged for good measure. "No one's allowed near the egg caves except the bats, and anyone who tries to get closer drops off the face of the earth." Appearing to suddenly tire of the conversation, Hiko lengthened his strides. "Hurry up, baka-deshi, or we won't get back before nightfall!"
::::::::::Years later, two red heads, one thirty four, the other seven, sit at the table as Kaoru leans against the wall, drinking tea...::::::::::
"Hey, tou-san?" Kenji was frowning slightly, and Kenshin looked at him curiously.
"Yes, Kenji?"
"Where do babies come from?" Kaoru choked on her tea, blushing, and fled the room. Kenshin knew she'd be hovering outside the door, and grinned as he thought about how he'd have to deal with her leaving him to this situation. Kenshin turned back to his son, hiding his grin and remembering a conversation he'd had years earlier.
Kenshin reached for his tea, looking calmly at his son, as he replied, "Bats."