Red
Kenshin hadn't truly understood where his red hair came from or why he had it in the first place. There were times where he was told he was cursed, but then there were times where he was praised for having such pretty hair. No one else in his family had red hair, but he knew that they were his true family. Throughout his life, Kenshin had just learned to live with it and carried on his life while ignoring the strange stares he got from people.
However, he was horrified when he first saw that his son Kenji also had the same red hair. He vaguely wondered if this was the same reaction his own father had when Kenshin was born, but immediately tossed that thought out when he began remembering the trouble his hair got him. Almost immediately after Kaoru fell asleep and Megumi ordered Kenshin to get some sleep as well, Kenshin ran to the nearest clearing to meditate his trouble away.
The next morning, Kaoru woke up to the cries of her child and wondered if Kenshin was going to tend to young Kenji. Knowing the samurai, Kenshin probably wouldn't have the slightest idea on what the baby needed.
"You stay right there Kaoru! I can take care of the baby," Megumi called out. The doctor had told Kaoru before she fell asleep that she was supposed to rest for an entire month after childbirth. It felt ridiculous, but Megumi had never failed her before, so she took the doctor's word and rested back on her back.
"Shh. I know, you're probably want to see your mother, and maybe your father if we can just figure out where he went," Megumi whispered to the young child. Kenji physically took to Kenshin a lot more than he did to Kaoru, but she could tell that he had his mother's caring spirit. As Megumi took the small child to his mother, Kenji immediately quieted down. After giving the baby to Kaoru, Megumi went to the kitchen to cook breakfast and fetch Yahiko to find Kenshin.
"Hi there young one. My, you really do look like your father, don't you?" Kaoru whispered to the baby once Megumi left. "You even have his hair. You know, your father is probably in his field meditating because he feels so guilty giving you this hair. He probably doesn't want you to carry on his legacy as the Battousai, but Kenji, you need to remember that your father wasn't just the Battousai, okay?"
Kaoru smiled as the young child looked up to his mother as if he was intently listening. His brown eyes mirrored his mother's, and they shared the same love and care even though the child was hardly a day old.
"No, your father is an amazing man. After the war, he carried his sword on his waist in order to protect the people around him because he had deemed all of Japan worth saving. He even saved all of Japan from falling into ruin you know," Kaoru continued. She could still remember those days that seemed so long ago when Kenshin journeyed to Kyoto to defeat Shishio. So much had happened during those few weeks, but at the same time, Kenshin, who was prepared to fall back on old habits and kill again, managed to keep his vow. Never was she more proud of that man than that moment. Well, perhaps when he asked Kaoru to be his wife, but that was beside the point.
"Kenji, I know that as you grow older, your father may seem hard to connect with. I know from experience that he can be a difficult man because for so long, he was lost. Sometimes, I think Kenshin still loses his way, but you must remember this: we are the light that will guide him through that darkness. Even now as he's sulking in that field of his, it isn't because he's disappointed in you my son. He's disappointed with himself," Kaoru explained. In response, the young child blew a raspberry as if to say that his father was an idiot. Kaoru couldn't but laugh in response.
"Yes, he can be quite unreasonable sometimes. It doesn't seem to occur to him that he doesn't have to take the world on his own, but that's our job to remind him of that." Kaoru began brush her child's red hair. Kaoru often heard Saito describe Kenshin's red hair as a demon. It was because of that hair that Kenshin earned the nickname "Demon of Kyoto". To be honest, Kaoru wasn't even sure what was so demonic looking with his red hair. It anything, it made Kenshin look adorable given his small stature.
"Kenji, if you can hear me at all or even understand me, please just remember this: your hair does not mean you are inheriting Kenshin's sins. I know that is what he is probably thinking at this moment, but you're not. This red hair is not representative of the blood he gathered on his hands. No, he had already atoned for that. Instead, this red hair is representative of all the love he holds in his heart. Your father did not give you hate to hold in your heart; instead he gave you his heart so full of love. Cherish that Kenji, but that is the largest present Kenshin would ever give to anyone, and be careful with it," Kaoru clarified and smiled as the child seemed to nod in understanding.
From the hallways, Kaoru heard quick footsteps made their way from outside and into her room. She heard a shout from Megumi and a hurried apology before she heard her own name echoing in the hallway. A blur of red shot past the room she was currently resting in and into the room that she and Kenshin shared. After realizing that she wasn't there, the blur returned to her room gasping for breath.
"Kaoru," Kenshin said between gasps. Kaoru shook her head in fond disbelief. Megumi must have told Yahiko to find Kenshin who in turn must have told Kenshin that Kaoru was in danger of something to ensure his speedy return home. The first time Kenshin had run off to that clearing of his, Kaoru had to travel a good mile in search of her husband to tell her she was pregnant. Kenshin had immediately apologized and found a closer one in case something ever happened to Kaoru, he would be able to return home as quick as possible. Kaoru understood that sometimes Kenshin needed space to think, so when she saw him leave for a few nights, she rarely though anything of it anymore.
"Kenshin, come here," Kaoru beckoned, but Kenshin almost seemed afraid to enter room as if he had some kind of disease.
"Don't you want to see your son?" Kaoru asked in slight confusion. During the last nine months, all Kenshin seemed to talk about was his excitement and worry about his son. He had even spoken about it to Saito who was surely sick of hearing his past rival talk about such trivial things, although Tokio seemed thrilled with all the baby talk.
Kenshin smiled regretfully and said, "It's more of a question if he would want to see me."
Almost as if the child could not believe what he was hearing, Kenji began crying. Kaoru wished she had a camera to take a picture of Kenshin's face when he heard Kenji's cries. It was somewhere in the middle of absolute fear and complete shock. To see the "Demon of Kyoto" freeze at the cry of a child was something Kaoru thought she would never see.
Rocking the baby in her arms, she cooed to her child, "You want to see your father as well, don't you?"
The baby quieted in response and moved its eyes to the direction of the door. Kenshin finally got over his shock and swallowed hard. He didn't want to taint the child with his bloodied hands. He already gave him his sins, but Kenshin didn't have much left to give the child. He took a small step and flinched when the child made a sound.
Kenshin slowly opened his eyes and saw his son look curiously at him. On closer inspection, the hair wasn't as red as his own, and he did not have the same eyes as him. At first glance, the child might have looked like Kenshin, but on closer inspection, he looked more like Kaoru. He certainly had the same eyes of Kaoru.
"Kenshin, please sit beside me," Kaoru asked and Kenshin complied. His wife looked so tired, and immediately Kenshin felt guilt for leaving his wife right after childbirth. He was so frightened of what he saw, he just felt he had to leave.
"Kenshin, you're scared, aren't you?" Kaoru inquired, but her eyes never left her child.
The swordsman would never not be surprised with his wife's intuition about himself. At times like these, he wondered if it was because he was getting predicable or if he and Kaoru shared a sacred spiritual bond.
"He will forever carry on my sins Kaoru. What kind of father am I if that's the only thing I can give him?" Kenshin admitted.
"Oh Kenshin, you did not give him your sins. He is not the Battousai's son. He is our son. He is Kenshin's son. He is the man who save Japan's son. Instead of the sins, you gave him your love," Kaoru assured him. Inside, Kenshin couldn't help but admire Kaoru's unique optimism. Like her sword style, her viewpoint was a reality that Kenshin didn't mind living even if he knew it wasn't true.
"He's also the child of the Japan you worked so hard to bring, but he won't grow up to be the person you would like him to be if you're not there to guide him," Kaoru explained and took her husband's hand and laid it on the boy.
Kenji was so small but was very warm. It was as if the child was brimming with life, and it was a life Kenshin would do his best to protect and cherish. The child didn't make a sound as a foreign hand began touching him. Instead, the baby blinked and smiled at his father. Kenshin's heart began beating fast.
"Don't fear him Kenshin. He's your son, and no matter what life brings him, if you are good to him, Kenji will always love you too," Kaoru said before exhaustion began rising. Her eyes began to feel too heavy to keep up and she promptly closed them. She gave Kenshin her child and laid back down. Her last image before falling asleep was Kenshin being dragged by Megumi who wanted to teach Kenshin the proper way of holding a baby.
She was glad. Kenshin finally didn't seem scared of his child's red hair any longer. Instead, he almost seemed proud of it. She knew inside that Kenji might never escape his father's legacy as the Battousai, but her hope would be that he would keep his head high and remember her words the Kenshin's hair is not representative of the sins he acted on but the love he carried. Whatever happened, Kaoru knew that Kenshin and her would be there to guide her son into the future he deserved.