What's up? This is a little idea I got while reading the manga to Ruoruni Kenshin. It's my first fic for this fandom, so idiot-child-of-mine it may be, please try to love it nonetheless.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ruoruni Kenshin; Watsuki does!
Chapter 1: Family
Tokyo
The sun rose over in the east, falling upon the first land it saw, Japan. The place was The Land of The Rising Sun for a reason, and that was abundantly clear that morning.
The heart of the Meiji government; Tokyo was an unusually busy town. At least in the afternoon. In the early morning that it was however, that wasn't quite so. One saw very few signs of life; with the night-time vices coming to an end, peddlers going to sleep, and the people of the morning just waking up, preparing to greet another day in the 11th year of Meiji.
Kamiya Dojo
The sun hit the roof of the Dojo, falling through the material that made up the walls, shining to wake everyone up. One by one they rose, first Himura Kenshin, then Kamiya Kaoru.
However, the other two inhabitants of the dojo, Myōjin Yahiko, and Sagara Sanosuke, both remained asleep, too lazy to bother waking up.
Kenshin
He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, still feeling half-asleep. He mostly wanted to go back to bed, yet he knew that chores had to be done. It was the one thing that made his stay welcome with Kaoru-dono.
Personally however, he wanted to go home and visit his family. He couldn't help but remember how much he enjoyed being back in Osaka, in his little village he grew up in.
Getting dressed, he wondered how things had changed since he was last home. It had to have been at least since he was 16, when a break in the revolution and his passing by allowed him to visit.
He remembered his little brother, Takahiro, who had been only 4 when he'd visited. He couldn't help but remember the last thing his little brother said to him. Or the entire visit for that matter.
As he was making the tea, he couldn't help but flashback to it.
Osaka-12 Years Ago
Kenshin made his way down the same used road he left on only two years before.
The dirt and gravel crunched beneath his shoes, with the occasional pebble wedging itself between his sole and the sandal.
As he walked however, he began to pass a certain field that was all-too-familiar.
It seemed that Kale was in season, as that was growing out in the fields. He couldn't help but smile at the workers out in his family's land, working like they always had.
"Kenshin-dono's back!" a worker shouted, the first to say something.
As he walked past, he couldn't help but hear the word spread.
As he made the road up to his family's house, a rather modest yet expensive house, he couldn't help but marvel at the place he grew up in.
The house was only one floor, yet quite large. About 6 rooms, taking up roughly a quarter of an acre in area.
It was also situated on a rather rocky piece of ground. Part of it was raised on stilts, another was on a piece of ground.
Right in the middle, were the familiar three grey stone steps one walked up to get inside.
He climbed them in an instant, and immediately came upon the door.
At this point, he could already smell his mother's cooking, the usual noodle soup that she always made. This one was fish!
Sliding the door open, he announced "Mama-chama, this son's home"
"Ken-chan" his mother replied, running from the kitchen in the next room to greet her son, wrapping him in a big hug.
Himura Kotone was tall, and her son was a mirror image of her. In her Kimono that she always wore, she practically matched the walls of the house, both having the same pattern.
"Is the war over?" Kotone asked "Is my first-born son finally staying home?"
"This one still has a war to fight in" Kenshin replied "The revolution is moving near the area, and this one thought a visit would be good."
"Takahiro-chan wishes to see you Ken-chan" Kotone replied "Takahiro, Kenshin's home!"
"Brother's home!" a child's voice shouted from down the hall. The stomping footsteps that followed revealed yet another one of Kotone's red-haired sons.
About 3 ft 5 inches, Himura Takahiro looked more childish, with mussed hair and missing teeth, than the little brother of Hitokiri Battosai.
"Kenshin-chama, you're back!" Takahiro cheered, wrapping his big brother in a hug around the legs, all he could reach up to.
Kenshin tousled his brother's hair, "This one has missed you"
"How long will you be staying Ken-chan?" Kotone inquired.
"Only a few hours will this one be staying." Kenshin sighed "This one prefers his mother's cooking rather than that of the camp cook's. This one is only able to stay for lunch."
He felt his little brother fall to his knees in disappointment.
He then noticed the smell of his mother's cooking wafting through the air.
"Ken-chan, I believe lunch is ready" his mother announced "I made your favorite, with fish"
"This one is hungry" Kenshin admitted "Let's eat please."
#
With lunch finished, Kenshin couldn't help but smile at how full he was. It had been forever since he'd had a home-cooked-meal.
"Mama-chama, your cooking is as good as always" he complemented, belching out loud out of respect.
"Thank you Ken-chan" Kotone replied "It's great to have the whole family together. Is there any way you can stay for dinner?"
"Stay this one cannot" Kenshin sighed "This one must return to the army to make way to Edo"
With that, he got up, and began to make his way back to the door. "This one had fun visiting though"
On the way out of the door to the hall, Takahiro spoke up.
"Hey big brother!" Takahiro yelled. "I'm going to be as good as you are someday. Soon, I'll be training with Master Hiko Seijūrō, and learn the Hiten Mitsurigi-Ryu, just like you did."
"Since when has this been going on?" Kenshin asked "This one did not remember telling Takahiro-chan about that"
"Takahiro idolizes you Ken-chan" Kotone sighed "He wants to be just like his big brother"
A quick glance showed Takahiro finishing up his bowl of noodle soup.
"This one has to go now" Kenshin sighed. With that, he left, making his way back to the camp, and back to the war"
xXxxXx
As the tea finished, Kenshin couldn't help but wonder what Takahiro was doing right now.
If he remembered correctly, he was six when he went to learn from Master Seijūrō, and that the man only took in students when they were really young.
"Great Kami!" he thought to himself "Master Seijūrō has got to be at least 40 by now."
"The tea's ready!" He announced, walking inside "Come and get it"
Kaoru stalked into the room, tired and rubbing her eyes.
"This one wonders how you slept Kaoru-dono" Kenshin quipped, pouring a cup for her.
"I slept fine Kenshin" she replied, relieving him of the cup and downing it "I couldn't help but wonder one thing"
"And what would that be?" He asked, pouring her another cup.
"Where's your family in all of this?" she asked "I can't imagine that they'd think you were dead by now"
"This one's family is…" he managed, stopping in the middle of the sentence. He had no clue how his family was doing, and the worst part was that it was bothering him.
"You're family is what Kenshin?" Kaoru asked "Answer me!"
"This one does not know of how his family is doing" He admitted "Though that is on this one's mind today"
"Well," Kaoru replied "they're probably wondering where you are. I imagine your mother is still worried sick."
"This one has no clue as to that" Kenshin admitted "though this one does miss his mother's cooking every so often. This one is curious as to how his brother is also."
"You have a brother?" Kaoru exclaimed "That's impossible!"
"This one does have a brother" Kenshin replied, before counting to himself on his fingers "This one's brother should be coming of age soon"
"You're kidding!" Kaoru replied "You can't possibly have a brother who is of age!"
"Would you prefer him to be a bit younger?" Kenshin asked.
xTx
Out in Tokyo however, the very same person indeed was walking down the streets.
He had red hair just like his older brother, with black on his clothing and red hair falling down to his shoulders.
He carried a sword at his hip, hardly used, still in the sheath. He also carried with him a scroll, sealed with Master Seijūrō of the Hiko Hiten Mitsurigi-Ryu school of Osaka.
And boy was he lost.
Himura Takahiro
Coming upon Yamato Street for the third time, he sighed.
He swore that he'd been here before, and he was nowhere near finding where Kenshin was staying.
He sighed, before taking a look around.
He figured it wouldn't hurt to ask for directions to his destination. It wasn't like he could find it on his own.
He bumped into a person passing by, a tall woman in a green robe of a doctor, with long, thick black hair.
"I'm so sorry" the woman replied, before looking up, "Why Ken-San, it's so good to see you!" she paused "I like how you cut your hair"
"You must have me mistaken for someone else I'm afraid" Takahiro replied "Is there any chance that you know where the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu Dojo is at?"
"Why just go down Garimoto Avenue for about five miles" the woman replied "You can't miss it."
"Thank you" Takahiro replied, walking backwards some "I'm glad you could help me"
He continued to walk once he turned around.
"I hope Kenshin-Chama is still there" he mumbled, turning on
Garimoto Avenue and continuing to walk.
Kenshin
As he was eating breakfast, he couldn't help but wonder what Takahiro was doing now.
He hadn't been home in twelve years; he could only imagine what happened to the guy. He could probably still be learning under Master Akio, if the old man was still alive.
A knock on the door stirred him from his thoughts.
"Who could be knocking at this early?" Kaoru asked, looking up "Whoever it is, go send them off Kenshin"
"Why this one?" he asked
"Because if they're trying to break in, you can fight them off" Kaoru replied "Now go answer the door!"
She proceeded to punch him just as ever, ushering him out of the main room and into the hall, right to the door.
A quick glance ahead showed Yahiko answering the door.
"Who is it?" Yahiko asked, opening the door a crack.
A quick look revealed someone who looked way too familiar, with the features all too similar to his own.
Takahiro
The door was answered by a short kid with mussed hair, who appeared to be about 10.
"What are you doing here?" the kid asked.
"I'm looking for my brother," Takahiro replied "I was wondering if he was still here. His name is Kenshin"
"You're lying" the kid replied, before trying to shut the door.
Pausing about halfway through, most likely noting the resemblance, he replied "Prove to me you're Kenshin's brother then"