Pieces of Himura's Past

2. The Heart Will Handle It

Kenshin laid his daughter into her bed softly so she wouldn't wake from her dreams. He was happy to know he had a child to call his own. He loved children. But even though he was happy to have a daughter, he was furious that Sakina never had told him she was pregnant either. He was deeply concerned and questioned her about this.

"Sakina? Why didn't you tell me about having her before I left? I would of stayed if you had told me. I wouldn't of put all that responsibility of parenting on you." He wrapped his arms around the mother of his child. She turned her head slightly to look at him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. But I found out a few days after you left and I didn't know where you were so I figured after a while you weren't going to come back like you said in your letter. I guess I was wrong. You did come back," she turned to look at him, "and I'm so happy that you did." They stared into each others eyes for a few minutes and then the kissing started again.

*meanwhile*

The others had been situated in their rooms. Boys in one room and the girls in the other. Miss Megumi had asked, "Kaoru? Where is Sir Ken? He's been gone for a long time." She had her head out of the door so she could look around the hallway.

"I don't know. Hold on, I'll ask Sanoske." Kaoru made her way to the guys room next door to ask.

Unknown to Sanoske, he told Dr. Gensai and Yahiko about the encounter that he, Kenshin, and the mother of the little girl they saved. They both were obviously shocked intirely.

"No way! Kenshin has a kid? Now there's something you wouldn't expect." Yahiko was shaking his head in an disbelief.

"Yes. Well Sanoske, my question is how is Kenshin going to tell Miss Megumi and Kaoru? They both like him an awful lot and it will break their hearts to know that the man they adore so much has a child with another woman." Dr. Gensai had put a very serious look on his face compared to his usual happy face.

"I really don't know. He told me to do it, but I don't think I could. I don't want to be the one to break them apart." The tension in the room was thick as the two men and one wanna-be man tried to find out how to break it to the women, but little did they know that the whole time, Kaoru was listening to it all. She ran back to the girls room in tears.

"What's wrong?!? Is Sir Ken alright?!? Kaoru?!? What's wrong?!?" Megumi had a bad feeling go through her system as she watched Kaoru who was so strong both physically and mentally go into a crazy sad daze.

"That little girl...that woman...he...Kenshin..." Kaoru couldn't bring herself to say it to the others in the room. Even though Iname and Suzumi wouldn't understand right now, Megumi did. She had a feeling as to what Kaoru was trying to tell her.

"Girls, why don't you two go see your grandfather and the others while I take care of Miss Kaoru?" The two young ones complied with Megumi's wishes and left, "Tell me all about it."

"Miss Megumi...Kenshin is the father of that....little girl that they saved today." Her tears came more furiously now. Megumi craddled her and comforted her to the best of her abilities. She was crying too.

Iname and Suzumi knocked on the door. Sanoske opened it and asked, "What are you two doing up at this time? And why are you here?" He let them in.

"Miss Megumi is taking care of Auntie Kaoru because she was crying about Uncle Kenny." Iname said.

"Yeah because Auntie Kaoru was crying." Suzumi repeated.

Sanoske was curious as to why she could be crying over Kenshin. Did something happened between them? Or...he suddenly realized what could of happened. He quickly ran out of the door and went into the girls room. "What do you know? About Kenshin that is." He walked into the room to find Megumi and Kaoru both in tears.

"Kenshin is the father of that little girl," Megumi somehow managed to say. She was in better shape than Kaoru though. Megumi was in tears but her were not as furious or as upsetting as Kaoru's. Kaoru could barely talk, "I think you should go." Sanoske wouldn't argue. He understood that they both had been hurt in a way and left closing the door quietly behind him.

As he stood in the hall, getting ready to open the door, Sanoske heard noises. They were people. He had a feeling but went anyway. He walked down the hall to an open door. He peered inside to see Kenshin and Sakina in bed together. He shut the door vowing to himself he wouldn't tell the others what he saw.

*the next morning*

Kenshin awoke to find Sakina in his arms. They hadn't been like this in a long time. Together. In love. He missed the feeling of having her next to him. He stared at her as her head laid beautifully on his chest. He was hungry and wanted to get up but at the same time he didn't want to move and possibly wake his lover. He started to mess with her hair a little until she finally awoke.

"Good morning, sweetie," she kissed him softly, "I love you." They kissed again. Kenshin finally broke it off though.

"We should get dressed just incase....Miori..." He started to get dressed and so did she. They walked down stairs together hand-in-hand. To their surprise, Miori was downstairs already and so were the others. Kenshin knew that it was a matter of time until he would have to tell them the truth about Sakina and Miori. About his past here before and after the war. Until then, he decided to just continue to go on with his life.

"Good morning, Mommy! Good morning, Daddy!," Miori cried out as she left Tehoma and another man sitting with them at a table to greet her parents, "how are you today?" She asked with her arms raised to them to be held. Her mother understood and picked up her child.

"We are fine. And you?" She asked sitting at the table. Kenshin sat besides her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Something that upset Kaoru. Megumi was obviously over it.

"Good!" Miori answered a typical child's answer.

The man who was with Kenshin and Sakina at the table looked somewhat shocked. He broke his silence after a good few minutes of conversation by asking, "Kenshin? May I talk to you in private?" Kenshin agreed and they went outside behind the inn where no one could see them.

"Yoko Daite. It's been a long time since I last saw you. How is everything? You look well and Sakina tells me that you're now the official owner of the inn. That's..." Kenshin tried to be friendly but he knew what was coming from Yoko.

"Listen, you..." He had Kenshin by the throat and against a wall, "I won't take your crap!

Don't do what you did last time you were here! Don't leave my sister alone with nothing said but a note! Or even pregnant again! Your marriage was going fine! Why did you leave her like that?!? You hurt her and she may not be showing it but I won't let you take advantage of her again! You had her wrapped around your finger since day one all those years ago when you two were teenagers upset by the war! She felt bad for you and then...you married her! You should of never taken it that far! " His anger was getting the best of him.

"Calm down, Yoko. I know I messed up but we were young. I was only eighteen. I was scared for my future. I had no children. I just....thought it would all work out." He has a tone in his voice that was apologetic. He never meant for her to get hurt by him.

"Well you ruined it! If you had never left none of her pain would of ever come! She wouldn't be so sad! The only reason she's alive is because of Miori. Which I guess I should thank you for but still, that's no exscuse for you to just up and leave." He was serious and in Kenshin's face. Kenshin got defensive.

"Well after seven miscarriages did you think I would stay?!? We were miserable trying to have a child in the seven years we were together! Not only that! No matter where I went she was a target! Why do you think I brought her back here and left?!?" Kenshin was no longer against the wall, "You tell me, Yoko," his voice going back to a whisper, "Tell me. Could this all have been avoided? She had just found out about my very recent previous marriage and how she died. Sakina was getting scared. Scared that she was not only married to a man involved in the war but the Batossai. She got scared and I wasn't going to let what happened to Tomoe happen to her. You need to understand. I did it for her. I didn't know she was pregnant. I would of stayed if I knew. I'm as heartless as you think."

Yoko got angry and knew that he would't win in this so he gave it up. He threw Kenshin down and told him, "Just know...I'm watching you and my sister. Don't make the same mistake you did three years ago." The two of them walked back inside. They went to the table they were previously at and continued to talk as they were before they went outside. It was as if the whole conversation had never existed.

*days later*

They had stayed many days later than they had planned. As they planned to leave on Agito's buggy again, they said their goodbye's. Miori was so upset that her daddy was leaving. Sakina was hurting again deep inside but she wouldn't let any of them, exspecially Kenshin, of her true feelings. As they started to make their way out Kenshin made Agito stop. They turned around and came back. The tears came once again to Sakina's eyes. Kenshin came back to her and he came straight to her. He got down on one knee.

"I know last time I left in a bad way. I ruined our marriage, but..." He took a moment to take something out of his pocket, "will you be my wife again?" The ring he pulled out was small but at the same time beautiful. She let him place it on her hand as she shook her head in agreement. He stood up and kissed her.

"I....don't know what else to say." Sakina looked at her hand in awe.

"You do know Kenshin that your marriage never ended legally in the first place. You and Sakina are still married so you don't have to have another wedding. Thank goodness." Tehoma was happy for them. She never wanted anything more than for their marriage to work out and for Miori to have a real father. This was their chance to make it all right.

"I guess you and Miori should get your things." Kenshin kissed his wife and picked up his daughter. They all went straight to the inn to get their things.

*a few hours later*

The friends and family of Sakina and Kenshin celebrated with dinner over their recent getting back together. After which they loaded the buggy again and left the town of Medoriko. They told all the villagers goodbye and made their way back to Kobe. From there, they would take a train to Tokyo. They were ready to have their lives connected once more.

There was excitement going all around them in the city. They told Agito goodbye as well and made their way to the train they had planned to take. It took the crew a long time to get back to where they called home. Once there, they settled back in giving Miori her own room in the one next to Kenshin's. They moved Sakina's belongings into the couple's room. All was going well. There were no problems. Miori and Sakina fitted in just fine. Little did they know what was soon to come. Something else to possibly mess with a recently fixed marriage.