For the Love of a Child
by DQBunny
*****
DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are the
property of Nobuiro Watsuki. I'm just borrowing them for
awhile. This story is set after the Jinchu Arc of the
manga and relies heavily on information gathered in that
arc for those who do not wish to be spoiled.
*****
Part Five
The sunlight filtered through the windows of Kaoru's
bedroom, illuminated the three figures cuddled on the futon
in the middle of the room. Kaoru and Mikomi laid fully on
the futon with Kenshin half-on, half-off of it. During the
night, after Mikomi demanded feeding at 2 in the morning,
he had crept into the room to check on them and remained,
watching them sleep. After awhile, exhaustion overtook him
and he laid down as well. As the hours passed, he
unconsciously crept closer to the futon until all three of
them laid together.
Yahiko silently slid the shoji open. Misao stood beside
him, fatigue lining her face from the train ride from
Kyoto. She pressed a finger to her lips. "Let's let them
sleep," she whispered. "They've probably been up all
night. We can take care of the baby until they wake up."
Yahiko nodded and watched as Misao crept in the room and
took the baby from the middle of the futon. Almost
immediately, Kenshin and Kaoru rolled toward each other,
his arms going around her. She snuggled into his chest and
he rest his head on top of hers.
Misao backed up to the door, smiling at them. "They make a
cute couple," she whispered to Yahiko.
He nodded. "Yeah, they do. Let's get to the kitchen
before Mikomi decides to wake them." Yahiko slid the shoji
shut as quietly as he had opened it.
Neither could remember what pleasant dream each were
involved in at the time that made them move toward each
other, but Kaoru felt the pressure of gentle kisses against
her neck through the thick fog of sleep. Hmm, this is
nice, she decided, nuzzling apart Kenshin's yukata with her
nose and planting kisses on his chest.
After a moment, she found herself underneath him, his lips
on hers, searching and exploring her mouth carefully. With
each flick of the tounge, each caress by a finger, he drew
a response that moved her from sleepiness to alert within
seconds. Kaoru wrapped her arms around Kenshin's neck and
returned the kiss with equal passion. A moan sounded, but
she couldn't identify who it came from. His hands came up
and started to part her yukata.
The shoji slid open. "Hey, Kaoru-san? Where did you put
Mikomi-chan's....oh! Gomen nasai!" The shoji slammed shut
and Misao raced down the hall as fast as she could.
Seconds passed as reality set in. Kenshin slowly lifted
his head from Kaoru's and stared apprehensively into her
eyes. Gods, he couldn't remember how or why he started
kissing her, but once he was awake and realized that she
was a very willing participant, he didn't want to stop. He
didn't regret it one bit. Hell, it was way pass time that
they did something about the tension between them.
Kaoru smiled at Kenshin and kissed his nose. "Ohayo," she
whispered.
No screaming, no crashing through the shoji, no echoes of
"Kenshin no hentai," or "Kenshin no baka!" His confidence
flourished. "Ohayo," he replied.
"Where's Mikomi-chan?" Kaoru asked, looking around the
room.
"I presume Misao-dono has her. She ah...was looking for
her diapers, I think."
Kaoru giggled. "Poor Misao-chan. But, if she hadn't
walked in...," she let her voice die away, realizing what
almost happened.
Kenshin fixed his gaze on hers. "Would you let it?"
Her eyes were filled with determination. "Yes. I would,"
she replied with a nod.
He smiled, then pulled away from her. Kaoru sat up,
gathering the edges of her yukata together. Kenshin stood
and headed for the shoji, then stopped and smiled at her.
"I'll help Misao-dono with breakfast, Kaoru."
"Thank you. I'll be right out," Kaoru said as he left her
room. She stared in her lap. Their relationship had
changed drastically in the past 24 hours. She curled her
legs up until her knees met her chest. She wrapped her
arms around her legs and hugged herself. If she and
Kenshin had been in this situation the day before, there
would be no way she could had accepted it this calmly.
Amazing how a day changes you, Kaoru thought with a smile,
remembering May 14 a year earlier.
She got up to put on her kimono. Grabbing the obi, she
started to wrap it in the familiar butterfly knot of a
single woman when she froze. Kenshin had called her Kaoru.
No "dono." She smiled as she donned her clothes. Their
life had certainly changed.
*****
"How do we start looking for Mikomi's parents?" Yahiko
asked the gathered group. "Lots of babies look like her."
"But, she's prettier than other babies," Kaoru defended the
child, hugging her close.
"No, she doesn't look like other children at all," Kenshin
agreed with her.
Yahiko rolled his eyes. "Geez, you'd think the two of you
are her parents or something. You sure act like it."
Kaoru scowled at Yahiko. Misao jumped to her feet and laid
a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "Let me, Kaoru-san," she said.
"KECHO KICK!" she yelled, kicking Yahiko off the porch and
into the dirty laundry water.
"In any case," Misao said, settling herself beside Aoshi,
"I asked Jiya to inquire in Kyoto about anyone who could
had been pregnant a few weeks ago and visited Tokyo around
that time. I also started inquiries in the Tokyo area."
"We could put up posters," Yahiko sputtered, getting out of
the tub.
Misao glared at Yahiko. "Baka. She's not a dog. You
can't just go around putting up pictures of a baby. What
next? Paint her portrait on jugs of sake?"
"If it gets the word out..."
Misao growled and her kunai appeared in her hands.
"Perhaps, you can inquire with the doctors around here,"
Aoshi spoke up. Misao tucked away her kunai and kicked
Yahiko's leg, sending him back into the laundry tub while
Kenshin and Kaoru focused their attention on him.
"Even if the mother is from another area of the country,
it's obvious that she gave birth in Tokyo," Aoshi
continued. "Therefore, we can take the child and show her
to local doctors."
"We can rule Genzai-sensei out," Kaoru said. "He checked
the baby yesterday and didn't recognize her. Besides, he
remembers that he didn't deliver any children around that
time."
"We can contact Megumi in Aizu," Yahiko said. "That's
pretty close to Tokyo, and if someone gave birth at her
clinic, they could still reach the city."
"What do you think, Himura?" Misao asked, shifting the
attention to Kenshin.
He stared at each of the faces around him. Misao, Aoshi,
and Yahiko's main concern was finding Mikomi's mother.
That was only natural. Kaoru's expression, while still
concerned, didn't contain the same hope that their friends
did. It was as if she didn't want them to find her mother.
Kenshin couldn't blame her. Deep down, he felt the same
way.
Still, they both knew how selfish it was to even want
another woman's child as their own, even if she had
abandoned her. He forced a smile. "It's a good idea,
Misao-dono. I noticed a small birthmark under her ear
earlier. A doctor would remember seeing that."
"Wonderful!" Misao jumped up from her seat. "Between the
five of us, we can find Mikomi's mother within a few
hours!"
Kenshin and Kaoru shot each other panicked looks. Kaoru
cradled Mikomi closer to her chest. "Well...," she
stammered.
"You see...," Kenshin said at the same time, inching closer
to Kaoru's side.
Misao stared at them and opened her mouth to say something,
but Aoshi laid a hand on her arm. She stared at him and he
shook his head.
"I think perhaps Battousai and Kaoru-san will remain with
the baby," Aoshi said. "She seems to be happy with them."
"But, Aoshi-sama..."
Aoshi shook his head and Misao scowled. She glared at
Kenshin and Kaoru and stomped out of the room. Yahiko,
once more out of the laundry tub, shrugged at them and
followed her. Aoshi quietly rose to his feet and gave the
couple a searching look.
"Battousai. Kaoru-san. Don't care too much for this
child," Aoshi's voice almost turned gentle. "It's easy to
care for a child that is not your own, holding it and
loving it as if she's your own. But, one day, you will
have to hand her over to her real parents. If you don't
prepare yourselves, that moment of separation will tear
your hearts apart. The pain will never fade, even when you
reunite, for you will always feel a sense that you
abandoned the child despite the fact you gave her up for
her own good."
Kenshin and Kaoru stared at Aoshi, their jaws sagged with
shock. Other than in the heat of battle, Kenshin doubted
her had ever heard so much come from his lips. "Aoshi," he
said.
"I must help," Aoshi nodded to them and followed the others
out of the house.
Kenshin stared after Aoshi, realizing for the first time
how painful it had been for him to leave Misao behind with
Okina when she was eight years old. He sighed and looked
back at Kaoru, noticing tears in her eyes.
Mikomi stirred in Kaoru's arms, and she absently rubbed her
back. "He's right, Kenshin," she whispered against the
baby's blanket. "We're being selfish. It's wrong to keep
someone's child as our own."
"Aa, I know," Kenshin started for his room to get his
sakabatou. "I'll start looking as well."
"Kenshin?" Kaoru reached out and grabbed his gi. "Let me
go. It...it'll keep my mind off of the possibilities.
I'll go crazy if I just sit here. Besides," she added with
a smile, "someone needs to fix lunch and I don't want to
poison the group."
Kenshin chuckled and held out his arms. "You're a good
cook, Kaoru."
Kaoru handed the baby over and smiled. "Thank you for
saying so, even though it's not true." She patted his arm
and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Moments later, he heard her footsteps leaving the dojo
Kenshin stared at the bundle in his arms. Slowly, Mikomi
stirred and opened her eyes. Her brown eyes met his violet
and she yawned. He smiled at her as she studied his face.
Mikomi stared at Kenshin for a few seconds. Then, she
closed her eyes. Her face turned red and her face twisted
into a scowl. Before he realized what was happening,
Mikomi let loose with a loud howl.
*****
Misao kicked a rock in front of her as they walked down the
street. "I can't believe Himura and Kaoru-san are acting
like that," she complained. "It's like they believe
they're Mikomi-chan's parents."
"Well, they did find Mikomi-chan out in the woods about
starved to death," Yahiko replied.
"Still, they took someone's baby and named it and they're
treating her as their own."
"Couldn't go around calling the baby 'aka-chan' all the
time now, could we?"
"Bah, you're as bad as them," Misao scowled at Yahiko.
"Don't you see why they're doing this?"
"Hmm...maybe because Kenshin and Kaoru happen to be nice
people that are suckers for anything that goes 'coo'?"
"No!" Misao halted and Yahiko nearly ran into her. She
wagged a finger in his face. "Himura just received a
horrible shock. He found out that Tomoe was pregnant when
she died and he lost his chance to be a father. Now, this
baby suddenly appears and so he's allowing himself to care
for the baby in order to forget the pain."
Yahiko whistled. "Man, that's good, weasel."
"Don't call me weasel you....inu-chan."
Yahiko pulled out his shinai and slashed it at Misao. "I
AM NOT A DOG!"
Misao laughed. "You look like it with that spiky hair and
those brown eyes. You're so cute, I want to pet you," she
added, patting the top of his head for good measure.
"I'm gonna hurt you!" Yahiko screamed, taking off after
Misao, her laughter carrying down the street.
*****
Please send any comments to dqbunny28@aol.com. Also, please
visit my website at
http://www.geocities.com/weaver_stories/index.htm for my
other works ::bows::
by DQBunny
*****
DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are the
property of Nobuiro Watsuki. I'm just borrowing them for
awhile. This story is set after the Jinchu Arc of the
manga and relies heavily on information gathered in that
arc for those who do not wish to be spoiled.
*****
Part Five
The sunlight filtered through the windows of Kaoru's
bedroom, illuminated the three figures cuddled on the futon
in the middle of the room. Kaoru and Mikomi laid fully on
the futon with Kenshin half-on, half-off of it. During the
night, after Mikomi demanded feeding at 2 in the morning,
he had crept into the room to check on them and remained,
watching them sleep. After awhile, exhaustion overtook him
and he laid down as well. As the hours passed, he
unconsciously crept closer to the futon until all three of
them laid together.
Yahiko silently slid the shoji open. Misao stood beside
him, fatigue lining her face from the train ride from
Kyoto. She pressed a finger to her lips. "Let's let them
sleep," she whispered. "They've probably been up all
night. We can take care of the baby until they wake up."
Yahiko nodded and watched as Misao crept in the room and
took the baby from the middle of the futon. Almost
immediately, Kenshin and Kaoru rolled toward each other,
his arms going around her. She snuggled into his chest and
he rest his head on top of hers.
Misao backed up to the door, smiling at them. "They make a
cute couple," she whispered to Yahiko.
He nodded. "Yeah, they do. Let's get to the kitchen
before Mikomi decides to wake them." Yahiko slid the shoji
shut as quietly as he had opened it.
Neither could remember what pleasant dream each were
involved in at the time that made them move toward each
other, but Kaoru felt the pressure of gentle kisses against
her neck through the thick fog of sleep. Hmm, this is
nice, she decided, nuzzling apart Kenshin's yukata with her
nose and planting kisses on his chest.
After a moment, she found herself underneath him, his lips
on hers, searching and exploring her mouth carefully. With
each flick of the tounge, each caress by a finger, he drew
a response that moved her from sleepiness to alert within
seconds. Kaoru wrapped her arms around Kenshin's neck and
returned the kiss with equal passion. A moan sounded, but
she couldn't identify who it came from. His hands came up
and started to part her yukata.
The shoji slid open. "Hey, Kaoru-san? Where did you put
Mikomi-chan's....oh! Gomen nasai!" The shoji slammed shut
and Misao raced down the hall as fast as she could.
Seconds passed as reality set in. Kenshin slowly lifted
his head from Kaoru's and stared apprehensively into her
eyes. Gods, he couldn't remember how or why he started
kissing her, but once he was awake and realized that she
was a very willing participant, he didn't want to stop. He
didn't regret it one bit. Hell, it was way pass time that
they did something about the tension between them.
Kaoru smiled at Kenshin and kissed his nose. "Ohayo," she
whispered.
No screaming, no crashing through the shoji, no echoes of
"Kenshin no hentai," or "Kenshin no baka!" His confidence
flourished. "Ohayo," he replied.
"Where's Mikomi-chan?" Kaoru asked, looking around the
room.
"I presume Misao-dono has her. She ah...was looking for
her diapers, I think."
Kaoru giggled. "Poor Misao-chan. But, if she hadn't
walked in...," she let her voice die away, realizing what
almost happened.
Kenshin fixed his gaze on hers. "Would you let it?"
Her eyes were filled with determination. "Yes. I would,"
she replied with a nod.
He smiled, then pulled away from her. Kaoru sat up,
gathering the edges of her yukata together. Kenshin stood
and headed for the shoji, then stopped and smiled at her.
"I'll help Misao-dono with breakfast, Kaoru."
"Thank you. I'll be right out," Kaoru said as he left her
room. She stared in her lap. Their relationship had
changed drastically in the past 24 hours. She curled her
legs up until her knees met her chest. She wrapped her
arms around her legs and hugged herself. If she and
Kenshin had been in this situation the day before, there
would be no way she could had accepted it this calmly.
Amazing how a day changes you, Kaoru thought with a smile,
remembering May 14 a year earlier.
She got up to put on her kimono. Grabbing the obi, she
started to wrap it in the familiar butterfly knot of a
single woman when she froze. Kenshin had called her Kaoru.
No "dono." She smiled as she donned her clothes. Their
life had certainly changed.
*****
"How do we start looking for Mikomi's parents?" Yahiko
asked the gathered group. "Lots of babies look like her."
"But, she's prettier than other babies," Kaoru defended the
child, hugging her close.
"No, she doesn't look like other children at all," Kenshin
agreed with her.
Yahiko rolled his eyes. "Geez, you'd think the two of you
are her parents or something. You sure act like it."
Kaoru scowled at Yahiko. Misao jumped to her feet and laid
a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "Let me, Kaoru-san," she said.
"KECHO KICK!" she yelled, kicking Yahiko off the porch and
into the dirty laundry water.
"In any case," Misao said, settling herself beside Aoshi,
"I asked Jiya to inquire in Kyoto about anyone who could
had been pregnant a few weeks ago and visited Tokyo around
that time. I also started inquiries in the Tokyo area."
"We could put up posters," Yahiko sputtered, getting out of
the tub.
Misao glared at Yahiko. "Baka. She's not a dog. You
can't just go around putting up pictures of a baby. What
next? Paint her portrait on jugs of sake?"
"If it gets the word out..."
Misao growled and her kunai appeared in her hands.
"Perhaps, you can inquire with the doctors around here,"
Aoshi spoke up. Misao tucked away her kunai and kicked
Yahiko's leg, sending him back into the laundry tub while
Kenshin and Kaoru focused their attention on him.
"Even if the mother is from another area of the country,
it's obvious that she gave birth in Tokyo," Aoshi
continued. "Therefore, we can take the child and show her
to local doctors."
"We can rule Genzai-sensei out," Kaoru said. "He checked
the baby yesterday and didn't recognize her. Besides, he
remembers that he didn't deliver any children around that
time."
"We can contact Megumi in Aizu," Yahiko said. "That's
pretty close to Tokyo, and if someone gave birth at her
clinic, they could still reach the city."
"What do you think, Himura?" Misao asked, shifting the
attention to Kenshin.
He stared at each of the faces around him. Misao, Aoshi,
and Yahiko's main concern was finding Mikomi's mother.
That was only natural. Kaoru's expression, while still
concerned, didn't contain the same hope that their friends
did. It was as if she didn't want them to find her mother.
Kenshin couldn't blame her. Deep down, he felt the same
way.
Still, they both knew how selfish it was to even want
another woman's child as their own, even if she had
abandoned her. He forced a smile. "It's a good idea,
Misao-dono. I noticed a small birthmark under her ear
earlier. A doctor would remember seeing that."
"Wonderful!" Misao jumped up from her seat. "Between the
five of us, we can find Mikomi's mother within a few
hours!"
Kenshin and Kaoru shot each other panicked looks. Kaoru
cradled Mikomi closer to her chest. "Well...," she
stammered.
"You see...," Kenshin said at the same time, inching closer
to Kaoru's side.
Misao stared at them and opened her mouth to say something,
but Aoshi laid a hand on her arm. She stared at him and he
shook his head.
"I think perhaps Battousai and Kaoru-san will remain with
the baby," Aoshi said. "She seems to be happy with them."
"But, Aoshi-sama..."
Aoshi shook his head and Misao scowled. She glared at
Kenshin and Kaoru and stomped out of the room. Yahiko,
once more out of the laundry tub, shrugged at them and
followed her. Aoshi quietly rose to his feet and gave the
couple a searching look.
"Battousai. Kaoru-san. Don't care too much for this
child," Aoshi's voice almost turned gentle. "It's easy to
care for a child that is not your own, holding it and
loving it as if she's your own. But, one day, you will
have to hand her over to her real parents. If you don't
prepare yourselves, that moment of separation will tear
your hearts apart. The pain will never fade, even when you
reunite, for you will always feel a sense that you
abandoned the child despite the fact you gave her up for
her own good."
Kenshin and Kaoru stared at Aoshi, their jaws sagged with
shock. Other than in the heat of battle, Kenshin doubted
her had ever heard so much come from his lips. "Aoshi," he
said.
"I must help," Aoshi nodded to them and followed the others
out of the house.
Kenshin stared after Aoshi, realizing for the first time
how painful it had been for him to leave Misao behind with
Okina when she was eight years old. He sighed and looked
back at Kaoru, noticing tears in her eyes.
Mikomi stirred in Kaoru's arms, and she absently rubbed her
back. "He's right, Kenshin," she whispered against the
baby's blanket. "We're being selfish. It's wrong to keep
someone's child as our own."
"Aa, I know," Kenshin started for his room to get his
sakabatou. "I'll start looking as well."
"Kenshin?" Kaoru reached out and grabbed his gi. "Let me
go. It...it'll keep my mind off of the possibilities.
I'll go crazy if I just sit here. Besides," she added with
a smile, "someone needs to fix lunch and I don't want to
poison the group."
Kenshin chuckled and held out his arms. "You're a good
cook, Kaoru."
Kaoru handed the baby over and smiled. "Thank you for
saying so, even though it's not true." She patted his arm
and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Moments later, he heard her footsteps leaving the dojo
Kenshin stared at the bundle in his arms. Slowly, Mikomi
stirred and opened her eyes. Her brown eyes met his violet
and she yawned. He smiled at her as she studied his face.
Mikomi stared at Kenshin for a few seconds. Then, she
closed her eyes. Her face turned red and her face twisted
into a scowl. Before he realized what was happening,
Mikomi let loose with a loud howl.
*****
Misao kicked a rock in front of her as they walked down the
street. "I can't believe Himura and Kaoru-san are acting
like that," she complained. "It's like they believe
they're Mikomi-chan's parents."
"Well, they did find Mikomi-chan out in the woods about
starved to death," Yahiko replied.
"Still, they took someone's baby and named it and they're
treating her as their own."
"Couldn't go around calling the baby 'aka-chan' all the
time now, could we?"
"Bah, you're as bad as them," Misao scowled at Yahiko.
"Don't you see why they're doing this?"
"Hmm...maybe because Kenshin and Kaoru happen to be nice
people that are suckers for anything that goes 'coo'?"
"No!" Misao halted and Yahiko nearly ran into her. She
wagged a finger in his face. "Himura just received a
horrible shock. He found out that Tomoe was pregnant when
she died and he lost his chance to be a father. Now, this
baby suddenly appears and so he's allowing himself to care
for the baby in order to forget the pain."
Yahiko whistled. "Man, that's good, weasel."
"Don't call me weasel you....inu-chan."
Yahiko pulled out his shinai and slashed it at Misao. "I
AM NOT A DOG!"
Misao laughed. "You look like it with that spiky hair and
those brown eyes. You're so cute, I want to pet you," she
added, patting the top of his head for good measure.
"I'm gonna hurt you!" Yahiko screamed, taking off after
Misao, her laughter carrying down the street.
*****
Please send any comments to dqbunny28@aol.com. Also, please
visit my website at
http://www.geocities.com/weaver_stories/index.htm for my
other works ::bows::