Megumi sighed. "Well, anyway, Rooster-head and I will go hunt down this old man for you, Kaoru-chan, but you need to stay here and take care of Ken-san. Okay?"
Kaoru nodded.
"Good." Megumi set down the spoon she was feeding Kenshin with and stood up. She grabbed Sano and dragged him out of the dojo with her.
"Pick up the pace, Rooster. We haven't got all day."
"Why do I have to go with you, Fox? You can find this guy by yourself."
"Because I wan…"
Their voices gradually died away as they walked further and further away from the dojo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru stood up, walked over to Kenshin, and sat down in the place Megumi was sitting a few moments ago. She looked down at the bowl of mashed rice and saw a good pile of it still sitting at the bottom.
"I guess I should finish feeding you." She said to little Kenshin. She scooped up some of the rice onto the spoon and lifted it up to the boy's mouth.
But Kenshin's lips were clamped shut. He shook his head stubbornly.
"Huh?" Kaoru was a little confused. Why didn't he want to eat it? "Um, don't worry… it's good… See?" She raised the spoon to her own mouth and nibbled a little off the end.
Kenshin smiled and opened his mouth for her. He nodded happily.
Kaoru grinned and fed him the spoonful of mashed rice. She pulled the spoon out of his mouth and piled more of the rice onto it. She looked back up at Kenshin and groaned inwardly. Again, the boy had his mouth shut tight.
She glanced at the spoon regretfully. She really didn't want to eat anymore of the mushy rice. It stuck to her teeth and the top of her mouth, and it didn't taste as good as normal rice.
She raised the spoon and rice to her lips again, this time she only brushed her lips against the spoons tip, hoping to fool the child. It seemed like he'd bought it. He smiled again and opened his mouth for her.
She fed him the rice and took the spoon out of his mouth, but before she could pull the spoon away, the redheaded two year-old kissed the tip of the spoon.
He giggled and pointed at her.
It was then that Kaoru realized what she had done.
'I… kissed his spoon… and h-he kissed it back… does that… mean something?' She shook her head sharply. 'Baka! Of course it doesn't! He's just a kid now. He's only having fun. Get those dirty thoughts out of your head, Kamiya…'
She continued mentally scolding herself as she finished feeding him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru finally finished feeding Kenshin 20 minutes later. She stood herself up and stretched.
"I didn't know taking care of a baby was so tiring…" She muttered to herself.
She walked over to the sink and began washing the dishes she'd used. She was almost done when she heard Kenshin making soft little grunts behind her. She turned around to see him squirming on the cushion he was seated on. His face was a little red.
"Ke--… um, Shinta… are you okay?"
After a few more moments of grunting and squirming, Kenshin stopped and looked up at her. He had a very cute smile on his face.
"Poopie" He said simply.
"Uh… What?"
"Poooooopie" He repeated.
Kaoru suddenly caught a faint sniff of something fowl. A wave of realization hit her as she instinctively put a hand over her nose.
"You… you pooped?"
Kenshin nodded happily. He seemed glad to have gotten his point across. "Hai! Hurry. Change."
Kaoru dropped the dish she was washing in shock. It made a loud clatter as it landed in the sink. "You want me to change your diaper…?"
Kenshin nodded again, a little confused about why she was acting so strange. After all, mommy changed his diaper for him every day… "Hai!"
Kaoru took in a deep breath and let out an equally deep sigh. She had promised to take care of Kenshin till they could change him back… if that meant undressing him and changing his diaper, then she would keep her promise. She was not going to let Kenshin down.
"Okay" Kaoru said in an almost resigned voice. She turned off the running water, dried her hands off on her kimono and picked up a clean, wet washcloth. She walked back over to Kenshin and picked him up off the cushion. She groaned as the awful smell she'd sensed earlier magnified itself overwhelmingly. She held her breath as she lay him down on the hard wooden floor.
Kaoru hesitated before unbuttoning the boy's cute little gi and sliding it off his shoulders. She folded it up and set it down on the floor next to her. So it wouldn't get dirty. Next was the hakama. She gently untied the sides off it and slid it off down his legs. She folded it up and set it on top of the gi. She sighed and looked back at him. Now all he was wearing was an almost-white cloth diaper with a disgusting brown stain on the bottom. She moved her hand over to unpin the sides of it, but hesitated again.
Why couldn't she do this? It was a fairly simple task to change a child's diaper. She had done it before while helping Megumi at the clinic. So why was this so difficult?
'Baka… it's because you love him, and don't want to disrespect him…' She thought sullenly.
"Gomen, Kenshin." She muttered as she reached out to unclip the cloth.
(A/N- Honestly, I think I'm doing a pretty freaking bad job at timing here… I think I may be rushing the plot… um, please review and let me know if you agree… or have anything else to say. I'd love any comments or suggestions. Also, all flamers will be used to toast marshmallows for my brother. PLEASE REVIEW!)
Kaoru nodded.
"Good." Megumi set down the spoon she was feeding Kenshin with and stood up. She grabbed Sano and dragged him out of the dojo with her.
"Pick up the pace, Rooster. We haven't got all day."
"Why do I have to go with you, Fox? You can find this guy by yourself."
"Because I wan…"
Their voices gradually died away as they walked further and further away from the dojo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru stood up, walked over to Kenshin, and sat down in the place Megumi was sitting a few moments ago. She looked down at the bowl of mashed rice and saw a good pile of it still sitting at the bottom.
"I guess I should finish feeding you." She said to little Kenshin. She scooped up some of the rice onto the spoon and lifted it up to the boy's mouth.
But Kenshin's lips were clamped shut. He shook his head stubbornly.
"Huh?" Kaoru was a little confused. Why didn't he want to eat it? "Um, don't worry… it's good… See?" She raised the spoon to her own mouth and nibbled a little off the end.
Kenshin smiled and opened his mouth for her. He nodded happily.
Kaoru grinned and fed him the spoonful of mashed rice. She pulled the spoon out of his mouth and piled more of the rice onto it. She looked back up at Kenshin and groaned inwardly. Again, the boy had his mouth shut tight.
She glanced at the spoon regretfully. She really didn't want to eat anymore of the mushy rice. It stuck to her teeth and the top of her mouth, and it didn't taste as good as normal rice.
She raised the spoon and rice to her lips again, this time she only brushed her lips against the spoons tip, hoping to fool the child. It seemed like he'd bought it. He smiled again and opened his mouth for her.
She fed him the rice and took the spoon out of his mouth, but before she could pull the spoon away, the redheaded two year-old kissed the tip of the spoon.
He giggled and pointed at her.
It was then that Kaoru realized what she had done.
'I… kissed his spoon… and h-he kissed it back… does that… mean something?' She shook her head sharply. 'Baka! Of course it doesn't! He's just a kid now. He's only having fun. Get those dirty thoughts out of your head, Kamiya…'
She continued mentally scolding herself as she finished feeding him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru finally finished feeding Kenshin 20 minutes later. She stood herself up and stretched.
"I didn't know taking care of a baby was so tiring…" She muttered to herself.
She walked over to the sink and began washing the dishes she'd used. She was almost done when she heard Kenshin making soft little grunts behind her. She turned around to see him squirming on the cushion he was seated on. His face was a little red.
"Ke--… um, Shinta… are you okay?"
After a few more moments of grunting and squirming, Kenshin stopped and looked up at her. He had a very cute smile on his face.
"Poopie" He said simply.
"Uh… What?"
"Poooooopie" He repeated.
Kaoru suddenly caught a faint sniff of something fowl. A wave of realization hit her as she instinctively put a hand over her nose.
"You… you pooped?"
Kenshin nodded happily. He seemed glad to have gotten his point across. "Hai! Hurry. Change."
Kaoru dropped the dish she was washing in shock. It made a loud clatter as it landed in the sink. "You want me to change your diaper…?"
Kenshin nodded again, a little confused about why she was acting so strange. After all, mommy changed his diaper for him every day… "Hai!"
Kaoru took in a deep breath and let out an equally deep sigh. She had promised to take care of Kenshin till they could change him back… if that meant undressing him and changing his diaper, then she would keep her promise. She was not going to let Kenshin down.
"Okay" Kaoru said in an almost resigned voice. She turned off the running water, dried her hands off on her kimono and picked up a clean, wet washcloth. She walked back over to Kenshin and picked him up off the cushion. She groaned as the awful smell she'd sensed earlier magnified itself overwhelmingly. She held her breath as she lay him down on the hard wooden floor.
Kaoru hesitated before unbuttoning the boy's cute little gi and sliding it off his shoulders. She folded it up and set it down on the floor next to her. So it wouldn't get dirty. Next was the hakama. She gently untied the sides off it and slid it off down his legs. She folded it up and set it on top of the gi. She sighed and looked back at him. Now all he was wearing was an almost-white cloth diaper with a disgusting brown stain on the bottom. She moved her hand over to unpin the sides of it, but hesitated again.
Why couldn't she do this? It was a fairly simple task to change a child's diaper. She had done it before while helping Megumi at the clinic. So why was this so difficult?
'Baka… it's because you love him, and don't want to disrespect him…' She thought sullenly.
"Gomen, Kenshin." She muttered as she reached out to unclip the cloth.
(A/N- Honestly, I think I'm doing a pretty freaking bad job at timing here… I think I may be rushing the plot… um, please review and let me know if you agree… or have anything else to say. I'd love any comments or suggestions. Also, all flamers will be used to toast marshmallows for my brother. PLEASE REVIEW!)