Author's Note: In this drabble, there's a second jump into the future. Maybe 10 years. And…I've changed the POV.

Kenshin's POV.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

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Title: An Unusual Reaction, Pt. 7
Rating: PG
Words: 799
Request from: Rayvn
Request: RK drabble. KK pairing.

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"You didn't honestly buy it, did you?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. She pursed lips and gave me a look daring me to reply negatively, but all I could do was shrug helplessly. "Kenshin! I thought we talked about this. We were going to let him take his own path. We weren't going to influence him at all."

From my position on the floor, I leaned back against the sofa and laid a hand on the carpet. "I highly doubt this one little thing will irreparably change our child's life forever."

With an indignant huff, she crossed her arms over her chest and shot daggers at me with her eyes. The faint, angry flush on her cheeks amused me for some reason, maybe because she looked adorable when mad, or maybe because I found the seriousness she attributed to the situation somewhat…silly. I had to duck my head and pretend to play with the wrapping paper that sat on the floor to keep her from seeing the betraying smile on my lips.

"I think you should take it back."

"Can't. I already tampered with it – checked to see if all the parts were present, and added a few things I felt could spruce it up a bit."

From the tense silence that followed my words, I could imagine the look on her face. Brow pinched with frustration, lips thinned, eyes dark. I cleared my throat and lifted my face to hers, careful to contain any revealing emotion.

"You actually added stuff?" her tone incredulous.

I smiled reassuringly at her. "With any luck, the present will make him hate chemistry."

Kaoru scowled. "You know that's not what I want."

"Then stop acting as if giving him a Beginner's Chemistry Set for his birthday is going kill him. Kenji's a bright boy. If he wants to like chemistry, he will. If he doesn't, then he won't. Who knows what having two parents whose lives revolve around chemistry will do to him. He's going to have enough exposure to it throughout the years that one little experiment set isn't going to brainwash him into following our footsteps exactly."

Kaoru brooded over my words for a minute before mumbling something like "whatever," under her breath, and then standing up and stalking out of the room. I shook my head with a soft chuckle, grabbed the controversial present, and set about to wrapping it with the colorful birthday paper. Kaoru remained absent during the process, but I could hear her rummaging about in the kitchen.

After placing the final piece of tape onto the box, I pushed the present to side with the handful of others, and stood. When I stepped through the kitchen's doorway, I immediately spotted my wife sitting on the countertop, her legs dangling, with a half-full glass of wine in her right hand.

Before I could speak, she said, "You make a perfectly rational argument. I'm sorry for being combative." I leaned against the doorjamb and watched as she brushed her bangs away from her face. "I'm just nervous about tomorrow. Starting the whole college chemistry professor job is really starting to hit me in the gut."

"You'll be fine."

A ghost of smile touched her lips, and she continued on as she hadn't heard me. "I felt the same way when I started teaching high school chemistry."

"You'll be fine," I repeated. I cleared my throat, and with a mischievous grin, I said, "Just don't trip and give yourself a concussion on your first day, though. I didn't like having to pick you up from the principal's office on the first day of classes at the high school."

Kaoru's eyes predictably narrowed, and she hopped down from the counter. "Are you implying something?"

"Nothing, my dear. Nothing at all." When she stopped in front of me, I took the wine glass from her hand, set it down on the kitchen table, and slid my arms slowly around her waist. For some reason she found one of the buttons on my shirt fascinating, and proceeded to pick at it. "But, just remember," I said as I leaned close, my lips skimming over the sensitive skin of her neck, "I can always take off work, and act as your spotter in case you suffer from a bad case of the jitters."

She let out an annoyed puff of air and squirmed in my arms. One foot caught behind mine, invariably unbalanced the two of us, and we tumbled onto the kitchen floor with thump and exclamation of surprise. She resisted slightly again, but when I felt her sigh of surrender against my neck, I raised myself up with my upper arms, and nuzzled her neck.

"I hate you," she muttered.

"Me, too. The feeling's mutual," I replied happily against her skin.