Little Bird

Chapter 20

Kaen woke up early to wash her hair, passing Asuma's room on the way, peeking in to catch a glance of the snoring boy as she walked by. She spared a glance at the sky, clouds hanging low, threatening rain. As she scrubbed, she listened to the birds singing outside. She would miss this, miss everything…

She smiled as she thought of what was waiting for her at the end of the week. Her father would come with her on the train with Yutaro and his family until they got to the ship in Tokyo. Then she would board the ship and be on her way to Germany with her new 'family'. She still had so much to do…

She got up, squeezing water out of her hair. After she wrapped her head in her towel, she wandered out of the bathhouse, looking for somebody to talk to while she combed her hair. Combing her hair took ages, because it was so thick and long and twisted into tough knots. She envied Heidi and her mother, whose fine hair never was snarled enough to cause trouble.

Kaen smiled when she saw her father carrying a pail of water into the house, his head tipped down and his hair obscuring his face. It was too early to start cooking, so she followed him into the house, pulling her comb from her sleeve. He set the pail down in the kitchen, jumping when he felt a small hand tug on his sleeve. He turned, smiling, to his eldest.

"Yes, little bird? What is it?"

Kaen smiled and dragged her comb through her hair, wincing as she yanked at a stubborn knot. Kenshin shook his head and took the comb, pointing outside. After Kaen had sat and her father sat behind her and began fighting her hair, she let out a sigh.

"I'll miss things like this. Being the only two awake and talking. Making breakfast and waking the others up. You, Mother… the boys. I'll miss Yahiko and Sano, Megumi too."

"There is still time to change your mind, you know."

Kaen shook her head, smiling.

"No, Daddy. I'm still going to go to Germany, but I just want to get you to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Will you make sure that Yuki knows I didn't abandon her?"

Kenshin snorted, smiling despite his heavy sadness. Leave it to his little bird to worry over the feelings of a cat as well as the feelings of her family…

"I'll make sure she knows."

"Good."

There was a crash and the two watched as lightening arced across the sky. Kaen's face fell as rain came roaring down in torrents.

"Great. Now what will Mother and I do? We were supposed to go shopping!"

"Who?"

"Mother and I. We decided last night while you were getting Asuma ready for bed. I finished packing a few things and was going to take a bath and ran into her in the hall. We talked and she suggested that we go out, just the two of us."

Kenshin smiled. He hated it when his wife and daughter fought, which was often, and was always trying to make them get along. Maybe now they would finally get things straightened out before Kaen left. His mood slipped a little from depression to quiet contentment, slowly running the heavy comb through Kaen's flaming hair.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry that I won't be there to pray at Tomoe's grave with you. I'll pray while I'm away."

Kenshin bit his lip. He had told Kaen about his first wife only when she had insisted on going with him to Kyoto when she was ten, and only a little bit of the story. As far as she knew, Tomoe had died of an illness when she was very young. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he had, with his own hands, killed her. He didn't want to see how she would look at him if she knew. It had been hard enough to tell Kaoru…

Kaen twisted to face her father, her eyes worried.

"Daddy? Are you okay?"

Kenshin jumped, snapping back to reality. He handed her the comb and stood, brushing grit off his legs and watching as she copied his actions. He sighed and the two walked into the kitchen and began to make breakfast, Kenshin cutting up vegetables while Kaen cooked the rice and put the cut vegetables into the steamer.

"I'm fine, little bird…"

"No you aren't. You're upset because I'm going away…"

He smiled and tossed a radish at his daughter, who caught the vegetable and stuck out her tongue with a laugh.

"Can you blame me little bird? You're the oldest, our only daughter… it just won't be the same without you."

Kaen leaned on her father, resting her cheek on his shoulder and smiling.

"A wise man once told me that change is just another word for life."

Kenshin scowled at his daughter and gave her a gentle cuff on the head, making her laugh and duck out of the room. He called out to her as she walked toward her brother's rooms.

"I hate it when you parrot my words back at me!"

"Ah, but I am a little bird, it is what I do. Chirp. Tweet."

Smartass. He thought, shaking his head and getting ready for the rest of his family to come for breakfast. He glanced out the window to see Yutaro and Shinta, both holding umbrellas, coming toward the house. He walked out the door, smiling.

"No lessons today, Yutaro. No outings with Kaen either, Shinta."

The pale haired boy looked from his father to the red haired man with worried eyes.

"Is she sick, Mr. Himura?"

Kenshin smiled at Shinta and shook his head.

"No, Kaen is not ill. Today she will be with her family only."

Yutaro nodded and led his son away, speaking in rapid German. Kenshin went back into the house just in time to hear his wife yell at him for dripping water all over, even though he had hardly moved from the door. Kenshin shook his head and walked toward the room he shared with his wife, muttering.

"You would think you were pregnant again, with how cranky you've been…"
"What was that?!"

"Nothing, Kaoru!"