Wolf's cub/Puppybaddog
Summary: One day during training a little someone falls in Saitou lap…oh the horror, set during present times.
Disclaimer: Don't own don't sue
Chapter 1 Saturday
One day master Kio was out training with his two sixteen year old deshies in the woods they were sort of more like playing hide and seek; master would hide while Okita and Saitou tried to sneak up behind him.
The trick was not to get pummeled while attacking their master. Anyway now the tables were turned and the deshies were now the master's prey, as they were both tree hoping to get away from their master they both headed for the river then split up. Saitou sighed rubbing the back of his head 'It's amazing he didn't crack my skull the way he threw me to the ground and...' he thought to himself then was suddenly cut off from his thoughts when he sensed an extremely weak ki towards the shore of the river. And headed for it, when he got there he gasped and leaned down, gently rolling the small form onto it's back it weakly cried out and slowly opened it's azure eyes staring fearfully at dark amber ones.
Feeling a very familiar ki rushing towards him, Saitou turned and tried to yell out for his master to stop but he was too late, Kio was already above him about to send his deshi crashing into the river, thinking quickly Saitou gathered the small form in his arms rolled to the side slamming into a tree and yelled out "NO MASTER STOP!"
Crouching low to the ground Kio a medium sized, forty-ish year old man with long brown hair tied in a high ponytail and hazel eyes stared out at Saitou. "What the hell for?" he drawled out.
Saitou looked at the form in his arms, there lay a shivering, skinny little red headed boy he couldn't be more then three, four years old, his clothes were torn and bloody, he was covered in cuts and bruises.
Kio slowly approached his deshi and gently brushed the little boy's hair out of his face, narrowing his eyes a bit he quickly looked around. "OKITA TRAINING'S OVER GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE NOW!" he yelled out then laid his hand on the boy's forehead and flinched "Damnit he's got a fever."
"He's also shivering." Saitou sighed and gently laying the boy in his lap, Saitou took off his haori and wrapped the little boy within, Saitou growled out as it started to drizzle rain. "Of course," Saitou seethed, "Stupid rain."
"Put your haori back on and use your body heat to warm up the boy." His master instructed.
Saitou sighed and did what he was told.
Kio looked around not seeing his other deshie anywhere he was beginning to get impatient, "OKITA..." he yelled again.
"What?" came the reply from atop a tree.
"Come on we have to take this boy to the clinic...now." he told the sixteen year old as he watched Saitou slowly stand.
"What boy?" Okita asked as he jumped from his perch to land beside Saitou, Okita then gasped as Saitou opened his haori a bit to show him the battered form of what looked like a small boy. "Oh my god!" he whispered.
"Come on…" Kio ordered as he leapt up a tree and began tree hopping his deshies following closely as their master led the way.
As they hurried out of the forest, Saitou could hear the boy's breathing as it got extremely ragged, looking down he frowned. "Master...he's getting worse."
Kio glanced behind him, "Where almost at the road." He answered picking up the pace.
Several minutes later as the three rushed to the car, Kio started the engine and put the heat on high, waiting until his deshies entered the car Kio dialed a number on his cell and called the hospital, glancing beside him as Okita held the door open for Saitou, closing the door he quickly sat in the back. Kio hung up and sped off, glancing over at Saitou he sighed as Saitou pulled back his haori to look at the little one still cradled in his arms. "Master he's turning blue."
"We're almost there." Kio grunted as he swerved nearly hitting a truck, at least ten minutes later he slammed the brakes and got out of the car rushing in the clinic, while Okita opened Saitou's door and followed their master inside the building.
"Boys, this way…" Kio instructed his deshies as he and a nurse led them in a room. Okita stayed by the door as Kio and the nurse tried to pry the child off Saitou, the boy simply refused to let go crying out in protest as the doctor entered the room.
"Well now what have we here? You didn't get your boys injured during training again did you Kio?" she asked with a smile.
"Saitou found this boy in the woods, he's badly injured." The master answered.
Saitou tried to take off his haori with no luck the boy now extremely frightened refused to let go, so the doctor tried to examine him while he was still clutching Saitou. As she tried to undress him to look at his wounds, he cringed and cried out leaning his head on Saitou's shoulder. When the doctor tried again Saitou had had enough. "Alright, alright enough jeez..." He spat turning his back then sat on a chair away from everyone and waited until the boy calmed down a bit, when he did Saitou was able to release the boy's death grip on his haori and carefully sat him on his lap. Still holding on to the tall teenager, the boy seemed to relax a bit as he looked around the room.
After a couple hours
Suki the doctor smiled as she looked at the boy, whom was still clutching Saitou, "Alright, there all done. My you're a very good boy, didn't even shed a tear." She cheered at the little boy after she had taken a blood sample.
The little sweetie was dehydrated, malnourished, his left wrist was fractured in several places and he had a shit load of deep cuts and bruises. After being bandaged, poked, prodded and given some very horrid tasting medicine and antibiotics he still had a fever, though it wasn't as high as before even so he still refused to be taken away from Saitou. The boy yawned as he stared at the catheter in his right arm then at the tube attached to it followed by an IV bag. The boy seemed extremely dazed at the moment as he leaned his head against Saitou's chest.
A nurse had called the police and they had tried to get the boy to answer a few questions, but he never said a word. Master Kio, after giving out his address and number to the police whom assured him that they would contact the master in a few days if they found anything about the boy.
Suki and Kio had had a long talk with the police and social services and they all agreed that the boy when released from the clinic would stay with the sword master and his two deshies whom he had legally adopted when they were both four. He had found them both much like how Saitou had found the boy in the woods, except their village had been burned to the ground and they were the only two survivors that he knew about.
Okita was at the door listening in on their conversation, Saitou just sat in his chair, the boy's head under his chin. "Ahh I am so bored..." he grumbled then looked to the child in his lap, "Hey boy...boy?" He nudged the little three-year-old, the boy blinked his eyes and looked up drowsily. "What's your name anyways...we can't keep calling you boy."
"..." the boy just looked at him curiously, then turned to Okita whom began talking.
Okita chuckled, "Yes what exactly do we call you. Hmmm I think we should have ourselves an introduction, I'm Okita Souji, this one here is Saitou Hajime, and that one coming through the door there is our master Kio Yuri." He smiled.
The boy looked at all three then yawned, and leaned his head on Saitou's chest. Saitou leaned his head down and whispered in the boy's ear. "What's your name little one?"
The boy yawned again and rubbed at his eyes with his right arm he then whispered back, "Kenji..." then fell asleep.
Of course little Kenji had to stay the night for observation, and since he still had a hand wrapped around Saitou's shirt, Master Kio smirked as he told his deshie that that meant that Saitou had to stay with him as well. "We'll be back in the morning, to pick you two up." Kio chuckled.
"This isn't funny." Saitou hissed.
"Oh yes it is..." Okita snickered and rushed out the door before Saitou could get his hands on him.
XxXxX
The next day Sunday,
Kio opened the door to little Kenji's room and smiled wishing he had a camera Saitou was fast asleep on his right side, and Kenji lay facing Saitou, his face buried in Saitou's chest fast asleep. Saitou's left arm was wrapped around the small boy protectively, as the light from outside entered the room Saitou's eyes snapped open, then narrowed.
"Ready to go home?" Kio asked trying very hard to hide a smile. "The doctor checked him while you were both sleeping and has released him in our care, we just need to stop at the pharmacy for a few prescriptions, and some formula for Kenji."
"What time is it?" Saitou asked with a yawn.
"Almost nine..." Kio replied and chuckled.
"What are you laughing about, I just fell asleep twenty minutes ago." Saitou carefully sat up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "The kid wouldn't stop moving around, and only fell asleep unless I lied down with him." He grumbled.
"Quit your whining and come on."
"Alright Jeez, ya mind if I take a leak first?"
Kio entered and waved him off, sitting down on the bed he ran a hand in Kenji's hair watching him sleep peacefully for a moment then gently shook the boy, and whispered. "Kenji-chan...wake up."
Kenji only moaned and turned over, Kio laughed.
"What's so funny?" Saitou asked from the bathroom.
"He's exactly like you were when you were young." As an after thought he added. "Except he's cuter."
Saitou entered the room and leaned against the door, "Oh haha...can we go now?"
Looking at Kenji who was now slowly waking up from all the noise the two men were making, Kio helped the boy sit up and watched as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Kio looked at the boy and held out his arms as if asking permission to carry the boy, Kenji looked at Saitou then leaned into Kio's awaiting arms. Gently picking him up Kio asked. "Are you feeling better now Kenji?" he asked.
Kenji nodded, and looked around, leaning his head on Kio's shoulder he yawned and closed his eyes again.
XxXxX
That night
Spending most of the day with Saitou and Kio as they bought every little thing that a three year old would need, Kenji looked just as Saitou did...tired and bored.
Finally arriving home Saitou headed for his room and fell asleep the second his head hit his pillow. Okita had prepared a room for the boy (Next to Saitou's of course) after his bath Kenji quickly fell asleep while Kio was drying him. Kio sighed at the half naked boy fast asleep next to the tub and muttered. "You're going to be a handful I can tell." He chuckled and finished cleaning and bandaging the boy's wounds then dressed him in a sleeping yukata and carried him to his new room, and put the boy to bed.
XxXxX
Three o'clock in the morning
Okita slammed open the shoji door grumbling, "Master if that baby doesn't stop crying soon I'm gonna stab myself in the head."
Kio smiled, "Here he's probably hungry, he didn't eat much at dinner."
"What hey I don't know anything about babies no don't give him to me...awww master..."
"Quit whining…" Kio ordered and left to go to the kitchen to get the boy's formula.
"Please stop crying..." Okita cooed at little Kenji, he didn't quite know what he was doing and started humming, which still wasn't working when a very pissed off Saitou entered the room.
"What's with all the fucken noise?"
"Sorry Saitou he just won't stop crying."
"That's cause he doesn't like morons like you..." he snarled looking around, "Can't believe all this noise isn't waking up master, yet us sneaking in at two in the morning does."
Okita smiled, "Master went to get little Kenji's formula."
"Alright here we go," Kio said as he entered the room, Okita gladly gave Kenji back to his master, holding him close he tried to give the bottle to Kenji but he refused to take it, so he kept crying out as loud as he could, the two students just looked at him, silently asking 'Do you even know what your doing?'
Remembering their first encounter with the boy, master smiled. "Here" he gesture for Saitou to take the boy.
"WHAT...NO WAY!" he growled.
"Lower...your...voice...and...take...the...child...now." Kio seethed through clenched teeth.
Saitou huffed and took the three year old in his arms, after a few seconds Kenji stopped crying, they all looked at him astonished.
"Okay what just happened?" Okita asked amazed.
Kio only laughed "Well Saitou was the one who found him, it's no surprise that he would look up to him for comfort...He feels safe with you."
"Awwww Saitou's turned into a mother wolf and little Kenji's his pup." Okita cooed.
"Okita if you don't shut up they will never find your body understand?" Saitou growled.
"Alright that's enough, Okita bed now, or would you rather start training earlier in the day?"
"Um...no...good-night master..." he stopped and gently squeezed Kenji's cheeks "Night Kenji..." Okita cooed then reached to squeeze Saitou's cheeks for a good laugh.
"Don't even think about it!" Saitou glared, taking the hint Okita just smiled and rushed off to his room.
"And you..." Kio gave Saitou the formula "…feed the boy then put him to bed." Saitou scowled and grabbed the bottle, sat down in the reclining rocker and proceeded to feed the little three-year-old, who now gratefully took the bottle with no hesitation and drank it greedily. Kio chuckled at the scene. And left to get a few more hours sleep in his own bed, and laughed when he heard his deshi shout out.
"This isn't funny!"
XxXxX
Monday
That morning Kio woke up feeling very refreshed, and checked on his youngest charge, opening the shoji to Kenji's room he found the boy sitting on his bed wrapped in a blanket starring back at him. Slowly walking in Kio sat on the bed, and smiled, "Did you sleep well?" Kio asked.
"Hai." Kenji answered a smile plastered on his face.
"Would you like to help me make breakfast?" he asked.
Kenji slowly stood up and flinched as he put a little weight on his injured wrist. "Owww…" He silently cried.
Kio quickly gathered him in his arms. "Shhhshhshh, come on let's get you something to take away the pain eh." Kenji looked up as a tear ran down his cheek and nodded.
XxXxX
In the kitchen
Kio was preparing breakfast when he heard his two apprentices enter the kitchen dragging their feet and moaning from not getting enough sleep he chuckled and glanced at Kenji who seemed very well rested and had been sitting on the counter watching master Kio's every move, and chuckled as his deshie's sat at the table. "I'm guessing you two didn't get much sleep last night?"
"You're still laughing at that?" Saitou mumbled while resting his head on his arm and closing his eyes.
"Oh please it's not like I never went through what you did last night with you two."
"What?" They both barked and looked at Kio.
"I distinctly remember cradling and rocking you both to sleep from all the nightmares you'd have." He said looking at Kenji and tweaked his nose with his thumb and index finger, Kenji tilted his head back and smiled. "Hn do you want some rice?" he asked the boy; who only looked at him with curious eyes.
Okita and Saitou got up to set the table, then gathered the plates of food and the tea then sat them on the table, waiting until their master joined them.
Picking up the three year old, Kio sat down with Kenji in his lap, took his chopsticks and gathered a small amount of rice putting it to the boy's mouth. Kenji looked at the rice, then at Saitou as he took a bite out of his food, then stared at the rice in front of him and ate it, Kio smiled, "Interesting."
"What?" Hajime watched his master as he fed the kid.
"He's checking to make sure the food is safe to eat."
"What?" Okita asked looking up from his tea.
"He refused to take the rice unless Saitou took a bite first."
After little Kenji had had his fill, he leaned his head on Kio's chest and closed his eyes. "Master is Kenji alright?" Okita asked a little worried.
Kio looked down at Kenji and brushed the hair out of the boy's face. "Yes he's fine, I gave him something for the pain earlier the doctor said it would make him a little drowsy." Holding him close, Kio finished his breakfast as Kenji took a little nap.
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