Where the Broken Heart Still Beats
Part 11
By: Jean Lyons
Still wondering if ANYBODY wants a lemon. I'm not sure if I do or not, so HELP! VOTE!
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The next month or so went by uneventfully. That is, until Misao went into labor in the middle of the night, waking up half the city of Tokyo. Including Kenshin, Kenji, Katai and all of her siblings. They all rushed to see what was the matter, and found Misao screaming and Aoshi in a state of panic, which is scary. If Aoshi is panicking, who can be looked to for peace? It was fortunate they everyone got there when they did. Kenshin, Katai, and Ryo proved to be the most knowledgeable in this particular situation, Kenshin having witnessed Kenji's birth, Katai having had a baby herself, and Ryo having witnessed the births of all nine of his siblings and Katai's son.
"Aoshi, hold her hand. She might break your fingers, but it's a small price to pay." Katai directed. Katai shoved everyone out the door except Kenshin, Ryo and Aoshi, who was holding Misao's hand. She barked orders at everyone until the job was done and the screaming was over and Misao had a tiny baby girl in her arms. They named her Kotori. They let everyone else back into the room to coo over the child. Misao fell asleep shortly after Kotori came, so Aoshi led everyone else back out of the room into the living room, where everyone just had to hold the baby. Aoshi reluctantly passed the child around to everyone. Katai looked sadly at the child, almost jealous because this beautiful child had survived when hers hadn't. She held her longer than anyone, which nobody minded, as she was the most helpful during the birth, and therefore deserved to. Finally, Katai hugged the child once more and gave her back to Aoshi, and since it was still the middle of the night, everyone went home to get what sleep they could before it was time to begin their daily routines once more. This, and Katai had to get back home to Rumi, who she now regretted leaving alone. If they'd gone and left her like that, she wouldn't be too happy about it. Kenshin walked home with Katai and her siblings before continuing down the road to his own home, where he'd left a sleeping Kenji.
"Daddy?" whispered a three year old voice.
"Yes, Kenji?"
"Why did you leave?"
"Because my friend needed help. I wasn't gone long."
"I was scared."
"Why?"
"I was afraid you'd never come back. Like mommy."
Kenshin wasn't sure what to say. He'd thought Kenji had forgotten Kaoru, but he'd been wrong. He scooped the little boy up into his arms and held him close. "Don't worry. I won't go anywhere for too long without telling you. I love you, son, that I do."
"Didn't mommy love me?"
"Of course she did. Why?"
"She didn't tell me she was leaving."
"I don't think she knew."
"Where did mommy go?"
"I'm not sure, son."
"But why did she go?"
"She was very sick. She died."
"What's 'died?'"
"When people have lived a long time or when they get sick or even if they're in a bad accident, sometimes they die. That's when you just stop moving. You don't breathe and your heart doesn't beat anymore. Your soul moves on without you."
"What's a soul?"
"That's the part of you that makes you who you are. You, my son, have a very good soul, as did your mother."
"Are you going to marry Ms. Katai?"
"Maybe."
"If you do, will she be my new mommy?"
"Nobody can ever replace your mommy, Kenji. Even she knows that."
"Will mommy's soul be sad?"
"No. Your mommy's soul will be very happy for us."
"How do you know?"
"Because your mommy would have wanted me to be happy. And you, too." He was really mostly trying to convince himself.
"But mommy loved you. If you marry Ms. Katai, she would be sad if she was here."
"But she's not here. She told me before she died that she wanted me to be happy. She must've known she didn't have much time."
"Will Ms. Katai make you happy?"
"She will make me very happy."
"Good. She makes me happy, too."
"I'm glad. You'll be going with her tomorrow. You should go back to sleep now."
"Will I get to see Ms. Misao's baby?"
"How did you know that's where I went?"
"She screamed. Mommy says that you scream when you have a baby."
"You can see Ms. Misao's baby tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodnight, daddy."
"Goodnight, Kenji."
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Aoshi was, unexpectedly, the proudest father you'd ever meet. Knowing Aoshi, the strong man he was, you wouldn't expect him to do what he did. He cried. But when tough guys turn into dad's they turn into big babies themselves.*
The next day, after Kotori was born, he took her into town to show her off. He got lots of compliments, and comments he wasn't sure of (such as, "She looks just like you!" or "She has Misao's nose!") Everyone was shocked by how he was acting. He was Mr. Strong-and-Silent, but suddenly he was Mr. Fluffy-Ball-of-Hugs. Having a baby really changed his attitude towards others as well as towards his wife. He already had loved her with all his heart, but the birth had been painful, and with all the screaming, her throat had to be sore... That was more pain at one time than he, a swordsman, had ever felt, and he had a newfound respect for her. Soon, however, he had to go home. Kotori had to be fed.
He arrived home to find Misao sitting on the porch against the side of the house. He sat down next to her and handed her the child. "She's hungry, Misao."
"I see that." She opened her top and began to nurse the baby. Aoshi couldn't believe it. Outside? In public? He had to admit, it was a lovely sight, but that one breast still didn't need to be exposed to all of Tokyo! So he moved closer to her and put an arm around her. He forced his expression to be stern, so all of the passing men would know that she was his and not to be leered at. Misao rolled her eyes and leaned her head on Aoshi's shoulder. "Good thing you're not jealous," She said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I most certainly am not jealous," Aoshi said sternly. Aoshi held her even tighter as a man on the street stopped and stared.
"No, dear. Not at all." Still sarcastic.
"You think you're so cute, don't you? Well, I've news for you! You're absolutely... right. Why do you always have to be right?"
"Oh, Aoshi, you're right a lot too. You're just so quiet half of the time, that we don't hear your opinion until I say it. Then I get credit for it. If you'd speak for yourself sometimes instead of being so antisocial, maybe people would like you more."
"People like me. I'm likeable. Rakei likes me."
Misao growled.
"Misao!" called Katai from the street, not seeming to mind the sight before her, "when you're finished here, do you want me to take her for awhile?"
"No thanks. Aoshi's been carrying her all day, and besides early this morning when I last fed her, this is all I've gotten to hold her." She pouted and said, jokingly, "I don't think he loves me anymore. There's a new woman in his life now."
"That's not true, Misao. I still love you," said Aoshi, not picking up on the joke. He kissed the top of her head, which was all he could get to, as she was so much shorter than him. She sat up straighter so she could reach to kiss his cheek.
"I know, Aoshi. I know. And I love you too. No one could sweep me off my feet like you, Aoshi."
Katai eventually walked away, leaving the happy couple to it, and left to find Kenshin. She wondered if she and Kenshin would ever be that way. She quickly chased the thought from her mind. It was definitely too soon to be thinking about marriage! But she could help but hope that one day she'd have a child survive. A child whose father was a lovely red- haired man. But that would mean... She didn't think that... She just wasn't sure if she could do it. Lost in her thoughts, her feet took her to Kenshin's door, where he and Kenji greeted her. She took the small boy from Kenshin's arms and just held him. Kenji played with Katai's hair while Katai talked to Kenshin. "You're doing a great job, Kenshin. He's a good boy. You should be proud."
"I am. He hasn't forgotten Kaoru. He just asked about her last night. He asked where she went. How do you explain that to a child?"
"I've been in that situation. Children often come to me with questions like that. You can never be prepared for those types of questions. Did you know that Hojo asked Misao where babies come from?"
"He hasn't asked about that yet."
Hearing that made Kenji curious. He released Katai's hair and asked, "Daddy, where DO babies come from?"
"I'll tell you later," Katai promised, seeing the horrified look on Kenshin's face. Kenshin looked slightly relieved that he wouldn't have to give his son 'the talk' just yet. "It's time for us go anyway." They waved goodbye to Kenshin and went in search of the other children and Kenji went back to playing with Katai's hair.
Kenshin watched them walk away. Watching Kenji play with Katai's hair like that made him want to do so also, and he wondered vaguely how soft it was, before quickly reverting to other thoughts. He couldn't be thinking of her like that. He was forced to, however, because just then, Pietro came along with his guitar. How could Kenshin have forgotten that he'd asked him to help him write a song for her for her birthday. Her birthday was coming, reminding him of how young she really was. He'd never taken much notice of it before, but now he was forced to realize that she this was child he was falling fast for. She would only be turning sixteen. And he was 31. With a 3 year old son. They would have to talk. He needed to know if she really was ready for him. But, he thought, she was more mature than most her age. She had a lot of experience with children and she'd been forced to grow up a lot sooner than was healthy for a young girl. But was she old enough? What if Ryo had been right? He had said before that she was too young and even a few times said that Kenshin wasn't good enough for his baby sister. What if he wasn't good enough? People didn't look too kindly on single parents at that time. And he had killed all those people... Perhaps Katai did deserve better. He would have to talk to her.
Suddenly all his silly doubts disappeared as Pietro walk up onto the porch. "Let's get to work on that song. She deserves the best, you know. I'm glad she's got someone like you, though." So they went and wrote the song. By the end, Kenshin was very satisfied with it. It was nice. Katai would love it. Her brothers might not, though, so he'd have to make sure they weren't around to hear it. He wished he could sing as well as Pietro, but he was still sure Katai would at least love the song itself, even if he had no talent whatsoever.
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That night when Katai brought Kenji home, Kenshin offered to walk her home. The three of them (he wouldn't leave Kenji alone anymore) walked quietly up the street, watching the sky get dark. They arrived at Katai's house, but neither wanted to part company with the other. They sat on the porch for a long while. Slowly, Katai reached for Kenshin's hand. Seeing this as an invitation, Kenshin moved closer to her. Katai leaned over onto Kenshin's shoulder. He rested his head on top of her head. She let go of his hand and put her arm around his back. He put his arm around her waist. She used her free hand to hold the hand that was around her waist. He did the same. They sat like this for awhile before, without warning, Kenshin pulled Katai into his lap. He had never felt so bold in all the time they had been courting. Normally she would have screamed, but by now, she trusted him completely. She just curled up and rested her head on his chest. Kenji, who was nearby, thought this display of affection was 'yucky,' so he went off in search of Rumi. Finally, Ryo came out, wondering what was keeping Katai. Upon seeing the cute couple, he just turned around and went inside. He was starting to trust this man more and more and he knew how painful it must have been to see what happened to his sister. He didn't blame him anymore. He knew, intimate as the position was, Kenshin would do nothing to shame his sister. Now it was just Tetsuya that needed convincing.
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~*TBC*~
I like this chapter. I think it's my favorite so far. Other than the last one. These two are my favorite chapters out of every story I've ever written.
I still need to kill him, but not yet.
Jean ^_^
Still wondering if ANYBODY wants a lemon. I'm not sure if I do or not, so HELP! VOTE!
************************************************************************
The next month or so went by uneventfully. That is, until Misao went into labor in the middle of the night, waking up half the city of Tokyo. Including Kenshin, Kenji, Katai and all of her siblings. They all rushed to see what was the matter, and found Misao screaming and Aoshi in a state of panic, which is scary. If Aoshi is panicking, who can be looked to for peace? It was fortunate they everyone got there when they did. Kenshin, Katai, and Ryo proved to be the most knowledgeable in this particular situation, Kenshin having witnessed Kenji's birth, Katai having had a baby herself, and Ryo having witnessed the births of all nine of his siblings and Katai's son.
"Aoshi, hold her hand. She might break your fingers, but it's a small price to pay." Katai directed. Katai shoved everyone out the door except Kenshin, Ryo and Aoshi, who was holding Misao's hand. She barked orders at everyone until the job was done and the screaming was over and Misao had a tiny baby girl in her arms. They named her Kotori. They let everyone else back into the room to coo over the child. Misao fell asleep shortly after Kotori came, so Aoshi led everyone else back out of the room into the living room, where everyone just had to hold the baby. Aoshi reluctantly passed the child around to everyone. Katai looked sadly at the child, almost jealous because this beautiful child had survived when hers hadn't. She held her longer than anyone, which nobody minded, as she was the most helpful during the birth, and therefore deserved to. Finally, Katai hugged the child once more and gave her back to Aoshi, and since it was still the middle of the night, everyone went home to get what sleep they could before it was time to begin their daily routines once more. This, and Katai had to get back home to Rumi, who she now regretted leaving alone. If they'd gone and left her like that, she wouldn't be too happy about it. Kenshin walked home with Katai and her siblings before continuing down the road to his own home, where he'd left a sleeping Kenji.
"Daddy?" whispered a three year old voice.
"Yes, Kenji?"
"Why did you leave?"
"Because my friend needed help. I wasn't gone long."
"I was scared."
"Why?"
"I was afraid you'd never come back. Like mommy."
Kenshin wasn't sure what to say. He'd thought Kenji had forgotten Kaoru, but he'd been wrong. He scooped the little boy up into his arms and held him close. "Don't worry. I won't go anywhere for too long without telling you. I love you, son, that I do."
"Didn't mommy love me?"
"Of course she did. Why?"
"She didn't tell me she was leaving."
"I don't think she knew."
"Where did mommy go?"
"I'm not sure, son."
"But why did she go?"
"She was very sick. She died."
"What's 'died?'"
"When people have lived a long time or when they get sick or even if they're in a bad accident, sometimes they die. That's when you just stop moving. You don't breathe and your heart doesn't beat anymore. Your soul moves on without you."
"What's a soul?"
"That's the part of you that makes you who you are. You, my son, have a very good soul, as did your mother."
"Are you going to marry Ms. Katai?"
"Maybe."
"If you do, will she be my new mommy?"
"Nobody can ever replace your mommy, Kenji. Even she knows that."
"Will mommy's soul be sad?"
"No. Your mommy's soul will be very happy for us."
"How do you know?"
"Because your mommy would have wanted me to be happy. And you, too." He was really mostly trying to convince himself.
"But mommy loved you. If you marry Ms. Katai, she would be sad if she was here."
"But she's not here. She told me before she died that she wanted me to be happy. She must've known she didn't have much time."
"Will Ms. Katai make you happy?"
"She will make me very happy."
"Good. She makes me happy, too."
"I'm glad. You'll be going with her tomorrow. You should go back to sleep now."
"Will I get to see Ms. Misao's baby?"
"How did you know that's where I went?"
"She screamed. Mommy says that you scream when you have a baby."
"You can see Ms. Misao's baby tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodnight, daddy."
"Goodnight, Kenji."
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Aoshi was, unexpectedly, the proudest father you'd ever meet. Knowing Aoshi, the strong man he was, you wouldn't expect him to do what he did. He cried. But when tough guys turn into dad's they turn into big babies themselves.*
The next day, after Kotori was born, he took her into town to show her off. He got lots of compliments, and comments he wasn't sure of (such as, "She looks just like you!" or "She has Misao's nose!") Everyone was shocked by how he was acting. He was Mr. Strong-and-Silent, but suddenly he was Mr. Fluffy-Ball-of-Hugs. Having a baby really changed his attitude towards others as well as towards his wife. He already had loved her with all his heart, but the birth had been painful, and with all the screaming, her throat had to be sore... That was more pain at one time than he, a swordsman, had ever felt, and he had a newfound respect for her. Soon, however, he had to go home. Kotori had to be fed.
He arrived home to find Misao sitting on the porch against the side of the house. He sat down next to her and handed her the child. "She's hungry, Misao."
"I see that." She opened her top and began to nurse the baby. Aoshi couldn't believe it. Outside? In public? He had to admit, it was a lovely sight, but that one breast still didn't need to be exposed to all of Tokyo! So he moved closer to her and put an arm around her. He forced his expression to be stern, so all of the passing men would know that she was his and not to be leered at. Misao rolled her eyes and leaned her head on Aoshi's shoulder. "Good thing you're not jealous," She said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I most certainly am not jealous," Aoshi said sternly. Aoshi held her even tighter as a man on the street stopped and stared.
"No, dear. Not at all." Still sarcastic.
"You think you're so cute, don't you? Well, I've news for you! You're absolutely... right. Why do you always have to be right?"
"Oh, Aoshi, you're right a lot too. You're just so quiet half of the time, that we don't hear your opinion until I say it. Then I get credit for it. If you'd speak for yourself sometimes instead of being so antisocial, maybe people would like you more."
"People like me. I'm likeable. Rakei likes me."
Misao growled.
"Misao!" called Katai from the street, not seeming to mind the sight before her, "when you're finished here, do you want me to take her for awhile?"
"No thanks. Aoshi's been carrying her all day, and besides early this morning when I last fed her, this is all I've gotten to hold her." She pouted and said, jokingly, "I don't think he loves me anymore. There's a new woman in his life now."
"That's not true, Misao. I still love you," said Aoshi, not picking up on the joke. He kissed the top of her head, which was all he could get to, as she was so much shorter than him. She sat up straighter so she could reach to kiss his cheek.
"I know, Aoshi. I know. And I love you too. No one could sweep me off my feet like you, Aoshi."
Katai eventually walked away, leaving the happy couple to it, and left to find Kenshin. She wondered if she and Kenshin would ever be that way. She quickly chased the thought from her mind. It was definitely too soon to be thinking about marriage! But she could help but hope that one day she'd have a child survive. A child whose father was a lovely red- haired man. But that would mean... She didn't think that... She just wasn't sure if she could do it. Lost in her thoughts, her feet took her to Kenshin's door, where he and Kenji greeted her. She took the small boy from Kenshin's arms and just held him. Kenji played with Katai's hair while Katai talked to Kenshin. "You're doing a great job, Kenshin. He's a good boy. You should be proud."
"I am. He hasn't forgotten Kaoru. He just asked about her last night. He asked where she went. How do you explain that to a child?"
"I've been in that situation. Children often come to me with questions like that. You can never be prepared for those types of questions. Did you know that Hojo asked Misao where babies come from?"
"He hasn't asked about that yet."
Hearing that made Kenji curious. He released Katai's hair and asked, "Daddy, where DO babies come from?"
"I'll tell you later," Katai promised, seeing the horrified look on Kenshin's face. Kenshin looked slightly relieved that he wouldn't have to give his son 'the talk' just yet. "It's time for us go anyway." They waved goodbye to Kenshin and went in search of the other children and Kenji went back to playing with Katai's hair.
Kenshin watched them walk away. Watching Kenji play with Katai's hair like that made him want to do so also, and he wondered vaguely how soft it was, before quickly reverting to other thoughts. He couldn't be thinking of her like that. He was forced to, however, because just then, Pietro came along with his guitar. How could Kenshin have forgotten that he'd asked him to help him write a song for her for her birthday. Her birthday was coming, reminding him of how young she really was. He'd never taken much notice of it before, but now he was forced to realize that she this was child he was falling fast for. She would only be turning sixteen. And he was 31. With a 3 year old son. They would have to talk. He needed to know if she really was ready for him. But, he thought, she was more mature than most her age. She had a lot of experience with children and she'd been forced to grow up a lot sooner than was healthy for a young girl. But was she old enough? What if Ryo had been right? He had said before that she was too young and even a few times said that Kenshin wasn't good enough for his baby sister. What if he wasn't good enough? People didn't look too kindly on single parents at that time. And he had killed all those people... Perhaps Katai did deserve better. He would have to talk to her.
Suddenly all his silly doubts disappeared as Pietro walk up onto the porch. "Let's get to work on that song. She deserves the best, you know. I'm glad she's got someone like you, though." So they went and wrote the song. By the end, Kenshin was very satisfied with it. It was nice. Katai would love it. Her brothers might not, though, so he'd have to make sure they weren't around to hear it. He wished he could sing as well as Pietro, but he was still sure Katai would at least love the song itself, even if he had no talent whatsoever.
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That night when Katai brought Kenji home, Kenshin offered to walk her home. The three of them (he wouldn't leave Kenji alone anymore) walked quietly up the street, watching the sky get dark. They arrived at Katai's house, but neither wanted to part company with the other. They sat on the porch for a long while. Slowly, Katai reached for Kenshin's hand. Seeing this as an invitation, Kenshin moved closer to her. Katai leaned over onto Kenshin's shoulder. He rested his head on top of her head. She let go of his hand and put her arm around his back. He put his arm around her waist. She used her free hand to hold the hand that was around her waist. He did the same. They sat like this for awhile before, without warning, Kenshin pulled Katai into his lap. He had never felt so bold in all the time they had been courting. Normally she would have screamed, but by now, she trusted him completely. She just curled up and rested her head on his chest. Kenji, who was nearby, thought this display of affection was 'yucky,' so he went off in search of Rumi. Finally, Ryo came out, wondering what was keeping Katai. Upon seeing the cute couple, he just turned around and went inside. He was starting to trust this man more and more and he knew how painful it must have been to see what happened to his sister. He didn't blame him anymore. He knew, intimate as the position was, Kenshin would do nothing to shame his sister. Now it was just Tetsuya that needed convincing.
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~*TBC*~
I like this chapter. I think it's my favorite so far. Other than the last one. These two are my favorite chapters out of every story I've ever written.
I still need to kill him, but not yet.
Jean ^_^