**Pechan submits one last thing before Vegas. No Rurouni Kenshin ownership here.

~ Acceptance, after some Confusion ~

"Tell me more!!" exclaimed Mina, staring at Kenji.

"Ummm, okay," said Kenji.

Tokio refilled his cup of tea, "Slow down, Mina. There's plenty time for that." She looked at Kenshin, "so Kenshin!! Fill me in!! What's it like raising one kid all by yourself? Must be heaven."

Mina rolled her eyes, "Moooommm..."

"See that? She always rolls her eyes. It's damn annoying!!"

Goro sipped from his tea, rolling his eyes.

"See? He did it again!! I tell ya, I raised two little Goros; one just happened to be female. So that means I'm taking care of three at once!! Can you believe it?!! As if one wasn't enough."

"Mom, stop telling everyone that! It's embarrassing!!"

"Oh, it is not." She turned to Kenshin. "So! How was it?"

Kenshin smiled, "Well, Kenji wasn't a real problem. He's very well mannered, he listens well enough, and all in all, he's generally a good kid, that he is."

"Nice resume, Himura," muttered Goro.

Tokio felt like kicking him. "Who'd he take after? Obviously, his red hair comes from you. In fact, when I first saw him, I thought I saw you!! Save, you're kid has brown eyes, like Kaoru."

Kenshin nodded, "Yes, he does."

Goro mumbled in his tea, "Hard to tell which body he takes after, both parents are very femen-HEY!"

Tokio took away his cup, pouting, "No more tea for you." She smiled back at Kenshin. "What kind of sword style does he train under? Hiten Mitsurugi Style? Kamiya Kasshin?"

Kenji lowered his cup, "What's Hiten Mitsurugi Style?"

Tokio went, "Oohh, I see. So it's Kamiya Kasshin, is it?"

"Well, yeah, my mom trains me. I mean, my dad's got a sword, I never see him use it."

Tokio tapped the floor, "Ah, that's nice," she grinned, "Kenshin here never was much of a swordsman. More of a talker. It's best he never picks up one again."

At what seemed to be an insult, Tokio was just stating how Kenshin could solve most problems with words, not with blood. Just like he wanted to. Kenshin bowed, "Well, thank you."

Mina looked at her dad, "Daddy, are you reeeeeeaaaallllllllllllyy mad at me?"

"Of course not. My daughter should kiss whoever she wants." He narrowed his eyes, "Except for that miserable excuse for a child."

Kenji frowned, "Hey, just because you got a bone to pick with me dad doesn't mean you have to hate me too!!"

Mina gasped, "Kenji!!"

Kenji gulped, and was eating those words right now.

Saito smiled, "Ah, now what makes you think I don't like your father?"

"You called him Battousai when you we came in. Most people that called my dad that gave him other names too," Kenji narrowed his eyes, "And I wanna clear up that me dad's never shed any blood on my watch, sir."

Saito stated dangerously, "You have no idea who your own father is-"

Tokio huffed, "GORO!!"

He said nothing more, but was still smiling at Kenji.

Kenji gulped, "Look, I just saying, it seems like you hate me because of my dad, sir."

"You're very perceptive. What a fine son in law you'll make, solving mysteries and whatnot."

Tokio growled under her breath at Saito, "Mysteries like why I married you in the first place, jerk!!"

Kenshin waved his hands, "Aahh, now now!! No need to get steamed up over this, that we shouldn't."

Mina shrugged, "We're always like this. We're dysfunctional, that's what Chiba's mom says."

"Chiba's mother has a sixth toe," Tokio stated flatly, "Stop listening to that woman. She gives me the willies."

Kenji smiled, somewhat relieved the attention was brought away from him. Mina spoke, "Besides Dad, Kenji's not a bad guy. I mean, he fights pretty good too. He nearly managed to whack my head one day! When we were sparring"

"Oh, so now I should like the way he could beat you up."

Mina growled, "Hey, that's not the point! Anybody that can beat me is worthy of me!!"

He eyed her levelly, "So anyone who can take advantage of you can have you."

She gasped, "I-I didn't say that."

Tokio gripped her husband's arm, "Goro-"

"I'll only say this once, Mina. Choose your mate well. Because I will not help you once you leave this house. Understand me?"

She nodded, "Uh huh."

Kenshin sighed, "My, the house seems to have gotten a bit sadder since we came, doesn't it Miss Tokio?"

Tokio pouted, "Goro's being a moron. He's been acting this way ever since Kenji kissed Mina-"

"Mina kissed me first, for the record-" Kenji stated, pointing.

Mina grinned, "And it was worth it!" but she turned to her dad, "But dad, seriously, you can't hate Kenji!! I mean, we've been together for a few good months now!! And his dad is very nice too, I never met the mom, but come on, what do you want from him? The emperor's approval?" she chuckled, "I mean, I know you want the best for me, but daddy, maybe I don't want the best. Maybe I just want him!"

There was a long silence. Kenshin went, "Oro, shouldn't we leave so they can discuss this?"

Mina gripped Kenshin's arm, and whispered, keeping her eyes on her father, "Don't leave!! If you leave, there are no witnesses if he kills me!!"

Goro held his cup, "Yare yare.............. the thought of having an idiot for a son in law chills me."

Mina gasped, smiling, "So it's okay?"

"For now. We'll see what happens in a few weeks, when you get tired of him?"

Mina giggled, and hugged Kenji's shoulder, "No way!! This one's a keeper!! I'll never find a guy like him in a million years!!"

"I can wait that long," he sipped, and glared at Tokio, "And stop pinching me."

She glared back poison, then smiled at Kenji, "Here that? She's all yours!! Don't wear yourselves too thin."

Goro rolled his eyes, Mina giggled, Kenji gulped, and Kenshin oro'ed.

Tokio laughed, "Ah, I was only kidding. Seriously, though-"

The door slid open, and his mother gasped, "RYU!! What the.... what happened to you?"

Kenshin turned, "You were in a fight?"

Mina widened her eyes, "Hoo, geeez!! Ryu, what did you do, man?"

Ryu rolled his eyes, "Nothing, I fell and-"

"The kid decided to take out some anger on this street gang," said Sano, as he sauntered in.

Goro's eyes narrowed. Not really at Sano, but at his son.

Kenshin stood, "Oh, Sano! You were there?"

"I got there, and yeah, I saw the whole thing," he smiled at Goro, "You know, if you don't do something this kid'll start owning the streets."

Goro said nothing to his son, and shifted his eyes to Sano, "What are YOU doing here?"

Tokio came up, and was looking at Ryu face, gently touching his swollen lip.

"Ah, AH! Mother! That hurts!!"

"Good! Maybe next time you won't do anything that stupid! Ryu, what is wrong with you?" she wiped the line of blood from his lip. She glanced at Sano, quickly flashing a grin, "Hey stud! What's up?"

Sano blushed, "Gahh, uhh, nothing much. Nice to see you, Tokio." He looked at Saito, and added flatly, "Goro."

"Moron."

Sano raised a fist at him, and Tokio held her sons face in his hands, "I'd expect this sort of behavior from Mina, not you! Your supposed to be the smart one!!"

Mina frowned, "I'm plenty smart! A smart person wouldn't have gotten his @$$ handed to him."

"Actually, Ryu won," admitted Sano. "My guess is he needed to get hit first so that he had a reason to attack."

Ryu glared at him. Tokio gasped, "My god, RYU!! YOUR ARM!!"

She held up his arm, the wound still oozing blood. Ryu yanked it away, "It's nothing, I-"

"My @$$ it's nothing!!" Tokio dragged him out of the room, "We're cleaning that, and you're going to tell me all about, and then-"

"Mother!!!"

"-and your TELLING your father everything that happened!!"

As they left, their voices died away. After a few seconds of silence, Mina shrugged, "I think it's safe to say that was unexpected."

Kenji rubbed his head, "He got mad because of me, huh?"

Mina bent over, "Huh? Kenji, look, don't even think it's your fault. Ryu's just frustrated, and I know it's not you."

Kenji sighed, "I........ if the.... the two of us together makes him so-"

Mina patted his shoulder, "Look, I'll talk to him." She hugged him briefly.

She got up, and left the room, following her mother and twin brother. Leaving three men and a frightened teenager all to themselves.

Goro sipped form his cup calmly. Kenshin did too. Sano said, "Okay, I don't know what's' going on, but since when did you wear a yukata, Goro? I thought you slept in that police uniform."

"I was in a hakama when we first met, idiot."

"Oh yeah, I forget, the day you tried to kill me!!"

"I wasn't going to kill you. You were a message I left for the Battousai."

Sano stomped, "I'M NOT AN ANSWERING MACHINE, OKAY?!

Kenji gulped, "You were the one that put that scar on Sano's chest?" Kenji gasped, "Then you're Saito!"

"Like I said, he'd make a detective yet, Battousai," Goro stood.

Kenji stared at him, "The leader of the 3rd squad of the Shinsengumi, Hajime Saito!!??" Kenji jumped, "AND I KISSED YOUR DAUGHTER!!!?????" Kenji looked at his hands, "Oh my god, I was touching his daughter!!!"

Saito shot him a dangerous look, and Kenji stammered, "When she fell, I mean, I had to catch her, and stuff.... uhhhh........."

Saito shook his head, ignoring the idiot's stammering, "Battousai, you didn't tell everyone you know who I was, did you?"

Kenshin smiled, "No, Saito, but when we would tell the story of our scars, your name happened to come up quit often in Sano's tales."

"Hey, is it true? Sano really knocked you out once?" asked Kenji excitedly.

Goro opened the door, "The moron talks more than he should." He looked at Kenji and then at Sano. "The both of them do."

Sano grit his teeth.

Goro nodded, "If you'll excuse us, there is a family matter I must tend to. If you feel we still need to talk over this, send me a letter."

Kenshin bowed, "Thank you for inviting us in, Mr. Fujita."

Saito stared at him, then bowed as well.

Sano shouted, "You can forget me bowing to you!!"

"It's foolish to train a dog how to bow so I should expect less from you-"

"BASTARD, I'LL KILL-"

Goro nodded to Kenji, "I suppose I'll see you again sometime soon. Good night."

Kenji bowed, and left the room with his father. Sano walked by Saito, before retorting, "One of these days, you're gonna fight me whether you like it or not!!"

"And how much would a great fight with you cost? Two, three yen? Or would this one be on the house?"

Sano lunged at him, but Kenshin and Kenji threw themselves on him, dragging him away. Kenshin sighed, "Now now, Sano!! This IS his house, and you were his guest-"

"Geez, Sano!! Don't' screw up my chance, alright?!!" exclaimed Kenji, holding his fist.

Sano kicked at shouted at Saito. Saito smirked, and closed the door.