Chapter 15- Secret Weapon

As Genichi knelt there, deaf to the sounds of a battle, something was welling up inside him. His hands, gripping Aoshi's sleeve, began to tighten. His sobs became growls. His tears stopped falling. Anger was filling his heart.

Kenshin slipped to one knee, clutching at his bleeding side. The madman wasted no time in coming at him once again. "Prepare to visit the Devil!"

"No!" Kenji jumped in front of him, countering the sharp blade with his own.

Kenshin gasped. "Kenji?"

"I won't let you kill my father too!" he screamed, furious tears brimming his eyes. A new strength taking hold, he shoved the terrorist back.

"Kenshin, are you okay?" Yahiko asked, limping towards him. But the rurouni got to his feet, readying another attack.

"Little brat!" The madman yelled as Kenji sliced his cheek. "Now I'm going to scar!"

Kenshin charged. "Hyaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

Kenji suddenly felt fear overtake him. "Unh!"

SWOP! SWOP! SWOP!

Something zipped through the air, out of nowhere. The terrorist had no time to react as three sharp objects stabbed into him. "AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!"

The two Himuras and Yahiko turned. "What the?"

Genichi stood there, panting heavily with three more knives in hand. His eyes blazed with pure anger. "How.dare.you!!!"

The wounds not enough to strike him down, the man approached. "Wrong, how dare YOU!!!"

Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind, under the arms. His sword fell to the ground. "Hey! How dare you!!" he shouted.

Aoshi planted his feet and looked over at Genichi. "Now! Finish him off!"

The boy didn't even seem to notice him as he hurled the last of the kunai. And this time, they struck where it hurt. The terrorist barely had a chance to cry out in pain as he fell limp in Aoshi's lock.

"Aoshi?" Yahiko muttered. "No way."

Kenshin smiled. "He did it."

Now Aoshi tossed the corpse to the side. "Genichi, it's all right now."

Genichi just stood there, his body trembling in wild spasms. He was so fired up by his own anger that the hair on his head was rising towards the sky. His eyes continued blazing.

"Genichi, calm down." Aoshi told him, making his way slowly towards the boy.

The child's form gradually stopped shaking. He was trying to calm down, trying to come to his senses once more. Smiling slightly, Aoshi knelt down in front of him and placed his gloved hands on his shoulders. Their eyes met, the father's piercing icy orbs focused on the son's glazed ocean ones. "I'm here." Aoshi told him in his soft, but firm voice.

That did it. Genichi's eyes snapped into focus once more, only to fill up with tears. "P.Pa.Papa?"

Aoshi barely had a chance to nod as his son pounced on him, wrapping his small arms around his shoulders. Genichi was laughing and sobbing all at once, though the sounds were muffled against the ninja's shoulder. "Papa, I thought you were.you were."

His father snickered as he used a free hand to ruffle the hair on the boy's head. "You underestimate your father, Genichi."

Genichi pulled back, only to gasp at the bloody wound that marked Aoshi's shoulder. "How did you.?"

Just then, Aoshi's eyes closed and he fell forward, nearly knocking Genichi over. The boy cried out in alarm. "What? Papa!"

"Relax squirt, he's breathing." Yahiko told him.

Kenshin nodded. "Yes, he just needs rest Genichi."

Kenji glanced about the grass, which now served as a place of rest for the dead. "Wow.what a battle."

A heavy hand fell to rest atop his head, causing him to look up. Kenshin smiled down at him. "What say we head back?"

The boy looked up at him for a long moment before breaking into a wide grin. "Okay Papa!"

As Yahiko slung the unconscious Aoshi over his shoulders, he watched as the Himuras walked on ahead, exchanging happy expressions. So they're finally getting along now, he thought.