Sickness is so not cool. The SUCO plague is going around already. At least my Mommy-Away-from-Home is getting me drugs…I'll be hopped up on Nyquil soon. Ahhh….*hacks and coughs*

Muses: O_O Stay away!!!

How 'bout you go 'way so I dun get you sick. You can all read the story instead of talking with me since I'm dying…*wheezes*…Damn asthma… _

***

Early April…

"Himura! HIMURA!!" Misao burst through the entry gate of the dojo. It had taken long enough to get there and she was excited to see them. Aoshi had made the trip painfully slowly because he was fretting over her and she was tired of traveling.

Kenshin was doing laundry around the side of the house when he heard a voice calling his name. "That sounds like Misao-chan…" He looked up, blinking his amethyst eyes, "But what would she be doing here in Tokyo?"

Aoshi trailed along behind his wife. He wanted to tell her to slow down, but they had reached their destination and he was very relieved the trip had gone off without a hitch. Perhaps he would indulge her just this once and let her run around. She wouldn't run far.

Not that she could run very fast to begin with. Nearly six months of pregnancy could slow any one down and Misao was no exception to this. Even the great ninja and self-proclaimed leader of the Oniwabanshu knew when she had to slow down and take it easy. "Himura!" Klutzy as always, she tripped over a rock and stumbled. "Gah!"

Aoshi caught her by the armpits from behind. "See why I want you to be careful, Itachi?" He asked fondly.

She looked over her shoulder at him, a slight blush spread across her cheeks. "Thank you. And I'm sorry I make you worry. I don't mean to do it…"

"I know." He set her upright on her feet, "That's just the way you are." A smile crossed his face, "And I wouldn't change you for anything."

"Aoshi…" She took one of his large hands in hers, a grin on her face, "I love you. You do know that, right?"

"Oh?" He said nonchalantly, "I was unaware."

She feigned mock outrage at this. "Why you!" Laughing, she threw herself at him and he caught her in his arms. "I love you and I'll make you love me." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gave him a kiss. "Now do you love me?"

His eyes danced with happiness. "Of course, Itachi. I have loved you all along."

"Misao-chan….Aoshi." Kenshin caught them in the middle of this pleasant moment, "How very happy you both look."

"Himura!" Misao exclaimed. She slid out of Aoshi's embrace and looked at Kenshin, a bright smile on her face. "Hi!"

He studied her for a moment. She looked as he had remembered, that long braid hanging down her back, her expression one of cheer, and yet…His eyes came to rest on her middle. "M-Misao…you…You're…" He stammered, his face slightly red. Although awkward about such things, it wasn't as if Kenshin had never seen a pregnant woman before. But Misao…He hadn't expected that.

"I'm what? Out with it, Himura!" She stood there, hands on her hips, a rather menacing look on her face. If there was one thing Misao could not stand, it was Kenshin's occasional cluelessness.

He blinked his violet eyes, trying to figure out what he could say that would be least likely to result in a blow to the head. "You're…" A pause, "…Expecting." He finally finished meekly.

"Yeah, you can thank him for that." She said happily, jerking one thumb in Aoshi's direction.

"Oro?" Now Kenshin was even more confused. When had Aoshi and Misao…? Were they married? Last he knew, she had been fixated on the man with the ice blue eyes, but he saw her as little more than a friend or maybe a sister.

For a moment, Aoshi was perplexed by Kenshin's confusion. He had written a letter to the Battôsai, hadn't he? No wait…That letter never got sent. That was the day…the cat…I never sent it. No wonder he's shocked…I suppose I do have quite a bit of explaining to do. He sighed. The purpose of that letter had been to keep him from having to vocalize the somewhat long explanation of what had transpired in Kyoto.

"What's all the surprise for, Himura?" Misao simply barged into an explanation, "You think you're the only one who can get married? Where is Kaoru anyway?" She looked around, as if the act of doing so would magically make the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu appear before her.

"Kaoru is inside with her students, that she is." Kenshin finally managed to recover from his shock. He turned to lead them inside and, while doing so, a thought crossed his mind. Do they know about Kenji? Or will they be equally surprised? I do not believe they know…He smiled to himself. Today was turning out to be quite the interesting day.

The former hitokiri slid the door to the training room open as quietly as he could. He didn't want to disrupt his wife's lesson if possible. Those days, the dojo was a flurry of activity and Kaoru was fairly busy.

Peering inside, he found her seated on the floor, barking orders at her students. Kenji was settled on her lap, his deep turquoise eyes wide as he watched the students practicing. Noticing Kenshin at the door, Kaoru rose to her feet, the little boy in her arms. "Kenshin, are you done with the laundry? I need you to hold Kenji while I demonstrate something."

"Well, of course, Kaoru…But I really came to tell you that we have visitors, that we do." He took the baby from her and Kenji proceeded to grab a fist full of his father's hair and give it a good yank.

"Visitors?" Kaoru blinked. Who would be visiting them? And why at such an odd time of year, in the middle of April? "Who?"

"Aoshi and Misao have come all this way to see us. Isn't that nice?" He shifted Kenji in his arms so that the child could no longer reach his thick hair.

"Aoshi and Misao?" Another blink, as she received Kenji in her arms once more, "They're here now?"

"Yes."

"All right then." She turned back to her students, "The rest of class is canceled for today. But don't think this means you can go and goof off. I'll know If you don't practice." This was a stern warning and they all knew she meant it.

Moments later, Kaoru, Kenji and Yahiko joined the two ninja and Kenshin on the porch. Misao could hardly contain herself. She was grinning from ear to ear and wriggling like an excited puppy. Aoshi laughed to himself at her excitement. She was such a child still.

Yahiko regarded the two Oniwabanshu members. Aoshi looked the same, maybe his face was a little softer, his expression more open, but he had not changed. But Misao…Two years ago, the young samurai would have teased her because she had gotten fat. However, after watching the varying stages of emotion and the violent mood swings Kaoru went through while pregnant with Kenji, he knew enough to keep his mouth shut.

"Kaoru!" Misao exclaimed, "Hi!" She looked at the baby in the other woman's arms. "Ooo…Is that your baby? He's soooo cute! Himura, he looks just like you!" She squealed.

Kenji did indeed look like his father. He had a fringe of deep red hair falling over his forehead and into his deep eyes. He waved his hands happily, giggling.

"This is Kenji." Kaoru brushed back the baby's hair, "He's a year old." She smiled.

"Hiii!" Kenji grinned.

"Well hello to you too." Misao grinned back, her eyes shinning. I hope our baby is this adorable. But how could we not have a cute baby? Look at Aoshi and look at me. Our child will be perfect!

"Misao, you're going to be having a baby too." Kaoru pointed out as politely as she could. This was somewhat surprising, but she was pleased that Aoshi had finally stopped running from his feelings.

"Yup. Only a few more months. And I'll be glad when this is over. Aoshi won't let me do anything." She nudged him softly with her elbow, the same teasing grin still on her face.

A trace of a smile flickered across his face. "You know it's for your own good, Itachi."

"I know." She sighed deeply, her voice becoming overdramatic, "But it's so annoying. I just want to be me and you're keeping me from doing that."

"I am sorry." His expression did not change as he regarded her. She had a full pout going, her expression one of those ones that easily made his heart melt. What did I do right in my life to deserve this? How did I wind up so blessed? His hand found its way into hers and her pout turned to a smile once more.

"When did you get married, Misao?" Kaoru asked her. She was curious about how all of this had come about and how they had wound up as husband and wife.

"Not long after my birthday. He gave me this," She pulled her hand from his and brandished the ring, "As a birthday present."

"It's beautiful." The other girl gasped. Aoshi had bought that for Misao? When had he become so romantic? He had always been so stoic and unemotional. She could imagine some highly poetic proposal, some terribly romantic scenario.

"Can I take a bath?" Misao stretched. She was tired of traveling, tired of looking somewhat rumpled and dirty and just plain tired in general. She felt somewhat tense and a bath would help relax her.

"Of course. You must be exhausted after walking all that way. Come with me." Kaoru led the younger woman to the bathhouse, Kenji still babbling away in her arms.

This left the two men and Yahiko standing there. A small frown crossed Kenshin's face. He knew the reason that the two ninja had traveled to Tokyo was not purely one of pleasure. Something had happened in Kyoto and Aoshi had wanted to leave. "Yahiko, I'm sure Aoshi would like some tea after his journey. He and Misao must be hungry. Would you please run down to the Akabeko and get something to eat?"

Something is up…So of course he wants me to leave. "All right, Kenshin." He grudgingly agreed.

Once the boy had left, Kenshin turned to Aoshi. "This is not a social visit, is it, Aoshi?"

"No, it is not." Aoshi agreed, "I wish it was simply that and I had brought my wife to see you, but there is more to our journey than a reunion with old friends. To tell the truth, I am worried for her safety."

"What has happened in Kyoto?" Kenshin was intrigued by this. Misao could easily hold her own. But then, she was pregnant. That made her vulnerable. If something was going on -something involving the Oniwabanshu- the enemy would easily realize her as a target.

"It's a very long story…" Aoshi sank down on the porch, trying to mentally prepare himself for the regaling of such a lengthy tale.

"Go ahead. I am listening; that I am." Kenshin sat beside him, his violet eyes on Aoshi's face as he patiently waited for the other man to begin.

"Misao's eighteenth birthday began the way any other day would…" He dove right in, telling the story from start to finish. He knew better than to leave any part of it out. As clueless and spacey as Kenshin could sometimes be, a story involving the plight of others would not be lost on him and Aoshi knew it. So he spilled out the tale of Jishin and Misao, the kidnapping, his rescuing her, their marriage, the cat, the poison, the fire. He told it all, right up to the meeting of Saito in the inn.

"That is quite the story." This was troubling. Kenshin frowned as the ninja finished the tale. There was, however, a hint of a smile in his amethyst eyes. Misao had purified Aoshi's soul. The clarity he had sought after their battle, it came in the form of an eighteen-year-old girl. How alike he and Aoshi Shinomori were. "What do you plan on doing about it, Aoshi?"

"I don't know yet. This was the best I could think of at the moment to protect Misao. I am afraid for her and our child." The man confessed. Admitting to his fear took a lot of courage and Kenshin undoubtedly understood this, for the former hitokiri said nothing for a long time.

Finally, he spoke again. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you feel it is necessary. It would not be wise for Misao to be traveling much more for a while, at least not until after the baby is born. Kaoru would be happy to have another woman around, of this I am certain."

Aoshi nodded. It would also please Misao to be with another woman around her own age. She could ask Kaoru questions and get answers about what to expect when it came time that the baby was born and perhaps she would no longer be so nervous. Being around little Kenji would undoubtedly be beneficial for her too. She would get some experience taking care of a baby by staying at the dojo. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Battôsai, is your son hard to take care of?"

This question caused a smile to spread across Kenshin's face. Aoshi must be worried about how he is going to deal with a child. He laughed to himself, it must have been many years since he was around a baby and now that baby is grown up and having his baby. The ice man would have only been ten years old when Misao was a baby. He wanted to laugh out loud at this notion, but knew it would hurt Aoshi's pride. "Kenji is very easy to take care of, that he is." He said kindly, "And I'll tell you a secret, Aoshi…"

The ninja stared at Kenshin expectantly. A secret? What sort of secret? Does he know something I do not? The red-head seemed to be taking his question very seriously. He leaned forward ever so slightly, not wanting to miss this helpful secret. "Proceed."

"Misao will do most of the work. And what she doesn't do, Omasu and Okon will. Women love babies, Aoshi. They'll feed the baby, and clean the baby and dress it. You'll hardly ever get to see it. Until…" Here he paused, still trying to keep from laughing.

Until? Until what? A small frown crossed Aoshi's face.

"Until it cries and wakes you up at night. When Kenji was very small, I got very little sleep, that I did. For some odd reason, Kaoru always seems to sleep through his screaming. But you have nothing to worry about. You will be a fine father and Misao will be certain to tell you if you do anything wrong." A sympathetic smile lit his face. There was no doubt in his mind that Misao would be very vocal if Aoshi did something that did not sit well with her.

"I do not even know how to hold a baby." Aoshi blinked his icy eyes, "I don't know how to talk to one or take care of one…"

"You'll learn, just like every other man. It is a great achievement, becoming a father. You'll find all kinds of strength and energy you didn't even know you had."

Another solemn nod. If the Battôsai could raise a child, why could he? He had taken care of Misao when she was young, hadn't he? I can do this…

"Ahhh…I feel so much better now!"

Both men looked up at the sound of Misao's voice. She padded barefoot down the porch, dressed in a bluish-gray kimono with matching obi, her hair long and damp down her back. Kenshin was startled by her appearance. He had never realized Misao was so pretty. Back when he had traveled with her, she had always been dressed in that ridiculous ninja outfit. Of course, he thought Kaoru was a picture of beauty, but Misao was indeed a very pretty girl.

"What have you and Himura been talking about, Aoshi?" She asked, settling herself beside him. She was smiling, her face pink and shiny, framed by that mass of dark hair. A sweet honey scent proceeded her and filled his nose as he looked over at her.

"I was telling him about Jishin." He said slowly.

Her face darkened and she looked away. Aoshi stared at his feet, a glum expression on his face. Misao suffered so much because of that rotten man. She should be at home, happy and preparing for the baby. She's going to make herself sick with all this worrying…

"You should both cheer up, that you should." Kenshin said kindly, "You will be safe here, Misao-chan. I would never let any of my friends be harmed, especially not one in a condition such as yours."

Kaoru handed Kenji to Kenshin and sat down on the porch with the other three. "Misao told me about it. That sounds terrible."

"No worse than anything you went through." Aoshi pointed out calmly. He was well aware of all the hardships Kaoru faced simply because of her relationship with Kenshin. In fact, she had faced far worse in his mind. She wasn't quite as tough as his itachi.

Kaoru sighed. Kenji fidgeted in his father's lap and reached for her so she drew him into her arms. Kenshin was kind of staring of into space and Aoshi and Misao looked so solemn they might as well have been ready for a funeral.

It was like this that Yahiko found them upon his return to the dojo. He scowled. Something bad was going on again and he didn't know what. He also had the idea that they weren't about to tell him what was up. "Tell me what's going on!" He demanded. He was sick of not knowing, sick of being out of the loop.

"Misao is in trouble." Kaoru said plainly, not caring to elaborate on the details.

"What did you do this time, Misao?" He looked over at her, blinking his brown eyes.

The young woman stared at him for a moment, then her face crumbled and she burst into tears, burying her face in Aoshi's shoulder. This caused him to frown deeply as he drew him into his arms.

"Good going, Yahiko!" Kaoru would have thrown something at the boy, but she had nothing to throw save for Kenji and she wasn't about to fling her child through the air.

"Misao didn't do anything." Aoshi said coolly. He was stroking her hair as he spoke, trying to stop her tears. He didn't feel like telling the story for a third time, so he just left it at that.

"What's going on then??"

"I'll tell you later, that I will." Kenshin's voice came low and calm, as if he didn't want to further upset either of the Oniwabanshu.

Misao sniffled. "Will it ever end, Aoshi?" She whispered. She was snuggled up against him, her head on his shoulder. The thought of Jishin sent shivers down her spine. She remembered him kissing her and it made her cry even harder.

"It will end, Itachi." Aoshi smoothed back her damp hair, kissing her forehead. "I promise to keep you safe. I won't let anything hurt you ever again." He wiped away her tears, "So don't cry. Everything will be fine. We'll have a beautiful child and we'll go home and be happy together." She smiled faintly up at him and he hoped to the gods that everything would turn out the way he had said. It's not a promise, because I cannot promise such a thing. But please, let everything be okay…

***

*hack wheeze hack* Sorry that update took a while. The internet here is still a little funked up. According to Prof Schaumaffle (I think that's how you spell it… ^^;;;) some tube messed the system up with a virus.

And I think I'm dying now…Hope for your sake the SUCO plague don't kill me till after I'm done with the story…