Where was he?
It was nearly lunch time, and unless they wanted to eat her awful cooking, the kenjutsu instructor and her little redheaded child needed to find their rurouni.
They finally spotted him as they rounded the corner of the porch. Kenshin was standing across the yard, apparently doing his daily chore of hanging laundry to dry. He was holding a clean towel, but instead of hanging it up on the line with the rest, his hands were clenching and unclenching on the fabric, his eyes unfocused and staring.
Kaoru knew that look. It happened less and less often these days, but right now her husband was caught in a bitter memory from his past.
A small hand tugged on her sleeve. "Why isn't Daddy smiling?" Though he was too young to understand the reasons behind it, Kenji could still tell when his father wasn't happy.
"He's thinking about something sad," Kaoru explained quietly. Glancing down, she noticed the anxious look on her son's face. "Want to cheer him up?"
At his eager nod, she leaned down to whisper in his ear conspiratorially. "Good, because I know just the thing…"
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An excited cheer rang out from the direction of the porch, and Kenshin had only a split second of warning before a giggling mass of flaming red hair collided with his stomach.
"Oro!"
He played along, pretending to lose his balance and allowing Kenji to tackle him to the ground. The young boy was running tiny fingers over his ribs, and soon Kenshin was laughing, though it was more at his son's antics than from actually being ticklish. He allowed the tiny redhead a few moments of free access, enjoying the excitement that flowed off of him in waves.
But those few moments were his downfall. Kenji climbed up his father's chest and reached for the side of his neck, and Kenshin jerked, his laughter real and uncontrollable this time. It was too late – the little boy was sitting firmly on top of him now, and all he could do was laugh helplessly as the only truly ticklish part of him was exploited.
Kaoru grinned as she watched her strong husband reduced to fits of laughter at the hands of his son. His eyes sought hers between bouts of giggling torture, and the message was clear: You gave me away!
Kenji relented at last, and Kenshin was still struggling to catch his breath when he felt a pair of small arms wrap around him in a hug.
"All better, Daddy?"
Finally understanding the purpose behind the little boy's sudden tickle attack, Kenshin was nearly overcome by a flood of emotion. Swallowing thickly, he wrapped his arms around his precious child and hugged him close.
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Reviews and critique are always appreciated. :)