I know, I know, Kenshin was a little gruff in the previous chapter…but as one reviewer already said…"LET THE TRAINING BEGIN!" Hee hee, it's time for Kenji to learn some manners (not too many mind you…LOL…then the fic would be no fun…) Plus, all us parents have our days, even the most mild mannered of us…Koneko-dono, naw, Kaoru probably doesn't snore, but I put it in there anyway…I got the idea when I watched the episodes with Raijuta. There's a scene when they are all sleeping and Kaoru is laying on top of Kenshin, and he's not getting much sleep…cracks me up every time! I love the look on his face at breakfast! Poor Ken-san!

Standard disclaimers apply

Chapter 5

"Kyoto? Why would you want to go there?"

Kaoru put her hands on her hips and stared at her husband's back, waiting impatiently for his answer. He hated going to Kyoto, and if it was with in his power, he only made one trip there a year. He kept his business brief and to the point, only staying a day or two, long enough to pay tribute to Tomoe-san and visit the Aoiya. He had made that trip already this year, leaving when the snows melted and traveling was easy, but now he was planning another trip, one of his own accord. It sounded fishy to her.

"I have some business I need to attend to there," he stated, keeping his back to her as he quietly cut up vegetables for supper. It was hard enough to admit to himself that he needed advice to ease his troubled mind, let alone tell his wife and family he could not find the answers that eluded him. He already felt like an incompetent father, he didn't need anyone else thinking that as well.

"Business? You took care of all that this spring!"

"It's not that kind of business, koishii."

"Then what kind is it, Kenshin?"

"A man's business," he replied, but the moment he did, he knew he had not chose his words wisely.

"WHAT? A man's business? Of all the…" Kaoru shrieked, instinctively pounding one of the serving tray's into the back of her husband's head. Kenshin reeled forward at the impact, spilling the chopped vegetables across the floor and dropping the knife with a clatter.

"Orororo," he groaned, sliding to the floor.

Kenji, who was sitting on the table, helping his father, let out a gasp and covered his head with one of the large cooking bowls. He was a firm believer in the concept of if "you can't see them, they can't see you," and he pulled the bowl down tightly over his eyes, praying his father would shut up and that his mother wouldn't start yelling again.

"You listen here Kenshin," Kaoru shouted, waving around one of the large stirring spoons, "You are not going to go wandering off again with out telling me what you're up to! Every time you do, you get into trouble and it takes years off my life! I'm your wife and your obligated to tell me what is going on in that thick skull of yours!" She gave her husband a smart whack on the head with the spoon and glared at him.

Kenshin winced and rubbed the back of his head. "Maa, maa, Kaoru," he groaned, pushing himself up off the floor, "I apologize for my abruptness. I did not mean to insult you koishii."

Kaoru snorted at him and pointed the spoon at his nose, "You might be able to get away with being gruff and rude to the rest of the people around here, but don't you DARE try it with me. Keep your foul manners to yourself, anata."

Kenshin bowed his head in defeat and in shame. He had that coming, there was no denying it. The foul mood that trailed him over the past few days made victim of everyone around him. He found himself being blunt, snappy, and down right rude to his most cherished loved ones. There was no excuse for his behavior and he owed everyone an apology.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru. You're right, I do owe you and everyone else an explanation." He extended a hand to his wife, offering her peace, "I have a lot on my mind right now and I didn't want to bother you with my problems."

Kaoru's gaze softened some and she took her husband's hand gently, "Baka! Old habits die hard, ne? I'm your wife, your problems are my problems! It's my job to help you, or try to at least. By denying me that, you're doing me a great injustice! And it's not just me, Sano, Yahiko, Megumi, even little Kenji! We all want to help you, so stop trying to keep everything inside!"

Kenshin sighed at pulled his wife into a tight embrace. How he loved his reactive, explosive woman. It was so easy to find her fiery spirit absolutely invigorating and get lost in the passion that drove her soul. She was far wiser than she let on and her quick insight always caught him off guard. How did she manage to put up with him? He saw himself as insufferable, selfish lout, who always ended up hurting the people around him, even when he desperately tried not too. Yet she stood by him, no matter what his moods or his faults, her faith in him never faltering. What did he ever do to deserve such a woman?

"You're right Kaoru. I am sorry." He placed a kiss on her nose, smiling as she squished her face up, pretending to still be perturbed at him for his earlier arrogance. He knew she was no longer angry with him, though he could still see the worry in her eyes dancing like the lights of fireflies over the river. "Why don't we discuss this after dinner, koishii?"

"You promise?" Kaoru asked, frowning at her husband. Though not a lair or sneak in any way of the sort, when pressed with question's, her husband had a habit of disappearing or forgetting the issue at hand. He could dance his way around an interrogation like one of those fancy footed western dancers, leaving the questioner confused and befuddled, so she couldn't help but to feel a bit skeptical. One thing she knew quite well though, Kenshin would never break a promise once he made one.

"I promise. I'd prefer to keep this private, " he said, smiling and jerking his head in the direction of Kenji, "There's too many ears here today."

Kaoru nodded slightly and at the mention of their son, looked over Kenshin's shoulder, "Kenji? What on earth are you doing?"

Kenshin turned to see what his wife was staring at and felt his face go slack, "Oro?"

Kenji lifted his metal helmet sheepishly with a small hand and his pale eyes peeked out, darting back and forth between his mother and father. He sighed, relieved that his father was still conscious and his mother had seemingly set aside her vengeful wrath for the time being. He grinned big, mimicking his father's rurouni smile and giggled slightly. "That was scary," he replied, pushing the big, metal pot off his head entirely.

Kaoru shook her head and took the pot away from her son. "Kenshin, he's your son," she stated, thrusting it into her husband's hands and exiting the kitchen, still shaking her head.

Father and son were left in the kitchen alone, staring at one another in silence for several long moments. Kenshin reached out and plucked a bit of radish from his son's hair, holding it carefully between two fingers and regarding it curiously. "What were you doing, Kenji?" he asked quietly.

"Hiding," Kenji replied quite seriously.

*************

Kenshin sighed and wiped the water from his face, grimacing as he took note of his hakama and gi, which were thoroughly soaked and clinging to his limbs and torso. His red hair, cut to hang just below his neckline, was plastered to his face, dripping with bath water, and his eyes stung from the soap that happened to splash into them.

Bathing Kenji was by far, the most tiring of all his chores, and he often likened it to going off to war again. Though the child had gotten better, allowing himself to be set into the tub and washed with out too much of a fuss, three years had done nothing to lesson the effects of the terrible accident and Kenji held a horrible fear of water. Immediately after the accident, Kenji would fight tooth and nail when brought near a tub of water. He would kick, scratch, bite, and hit anyone who threatened to drop him into any source of water. His screams could be heard across their district and more than one person had come away bleeding from the task. What was even worse, Kenji, the child who never shed tears, would cry. Tears would pour from his eyes and he would plead, as if begging for his life, and it tore both Kenshin and Kaoru in half to see their son so terrorized.

Time wore on and Kenji eventually subsided in his relentless fits, but the fear was still there. The small boy would allow himself to be placed into the tub, but trembled uncontrollably, his small hands fisted into white knuckled balls, and his large eyes wide with fear. Kenshin knew it was all the boy could do to control himself, the panic in his eyes deceiving his stony, silent demeanor. Both parents hated seeing their son in such a state, but were helpless to console him, though they had tried many times to ease his mind.

"I'm sorry, Kenji," Kenshin whispered, rubbing a soap reddened eye with a fist and groped for his son's arm with the other.

Kenji huddled himself into a tight, naked ball, in the corner of the bathhouse. His arms were pulled around his knees, his body pressed as tightly as he could manage into the farthest corner, and his hair dripping with water and suds. He flinched as his father's hand brushed past him and he pressed his cheek closer to his knees, staring at the man with empty eyes.

Kenshin peered at his son with one eye and sighed softly. There were rules to bathing Kenji, strict ones at that, and to break them meant utter chaos. First, the bath water was never more than waist deep on Kenji, just enough to cover his legs and bellybutton. It made the washer's back and arms hurt, due to all the reaching, but Kenji was a bit more at peace since his entire body wasn't covered in water. Second, he got into to the tub when he was ready. It was a mutual agreement between both parties, once in the bathhouse, Kenji agreed to bathe, but whoever happened to be bathing him had to wait until he convinced himself to get into the tub. It normally took only a five to ten minutes, but Kenshin, who was the normal washer, had the pleasure of sitting for an hour and a half on a few occasions. Third, final, and most important, under no circumstances was anyone to pour water over Kenji's head with out warning him first, nor was he to be dunked under the surface. Ever. This rule was by far the most strictly followed and upon breaking it, havoc ensued and Kenji was unlikely to be a docile bather for a few weeks prior.

Kenshin broke the third rule this evening. His mind wandered to his worries as he scrubbed his son's back, his thoughts drifting to his conversation with his wife earlier that day and in his absent mindedness, he poured a pitcher of water over his son's head. Needless to say, he realized the minute the water left the container what he had done, and from there everything went in slow motion.

Kenji's entire body stiffened for a split second, then exploded into what seemed like a million fists and feet, shrieking his little head off and clawing his way out of the tub like a cat thrown into a sink. He grabbed the closest thing to him, his father, and used him as the ladder. Water flew everywhere and Kenshin was blinded by the stinging soap that splashed into his eyes. Sightless and confused, the samurai was thrown off balance as his son climbed frantically over the top of him, sending the poor man into the large tub as he tried to escape.

Now, his son sat crumpled in a corner, shaking out of pure terror, all because of his thoughtlessness. "Dammit," Kenshin cursed himself. Irrational as the fear was to other people, to Kenji it was far too real, having nearly died a violent death from drowning and Kenshin could not get angry with his son for the phobia. His son was actually terrified and his actions were nothing short of the will to survive. Water meant pain and death, so Kenji only reacted with animal instincts to flee from the danger.

"Kenji? I'm sorry…It's okay chibi chan," Kenshin murmured, trying to coax his son out from the wall. He felt horrible, his stupid carelessness had caused his son to suffer such fear. He could almost see the boy reliving the incident in the violet depths of his eyes. "Please, Kenji chan…I'm so sorry."

Kenji stared blankly at his father now, his breathing shallow and his body shaking. He could feel the water covering his head and no matter how hard he thrashed his arms, he couldn't get away from it. It swallowed him, pouring down his nose and mouth as he gasped for breath, the bitter taste of river stench engulfing his senses. His lungs began to burn and his chest throbbed as precious air was denied to him. His arms quit working, then his legs. He could feel the back of his eyes hurting, as the world grew dark. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't escape. All he could remember was the icy, foul smelling water surrounding him, throwing him like a plaything against the rocks, claiming his body and life as it's own.

"No…" Kenji whispered, his voice barely audible.

Kenshin's jaw clenched and he moved swiftly, pulling his frightened child out of the corner, holding him close and rocking gently back and forth. "Shhh," he uttered, brushing his son's wet hair away from his eyes, "It's okay. I'm here and I won't let anything hurt you…Ever." He brushed a light kiss across the boy's scarred brow, swallowing as Kenji withered away from the touch.

His thoughts were screaming at him. This was all his fault too. Not just accidentally pouring water on the child's head, but the entire incident should never have happened. If he had been a decent father and protected his child, the boy would have never wandered away and gotten hurt. He found his ineptness sickening. How could he possibly think of training his own child when he was nothing but a failure at best? He couldn't even protect the boy, and once again, his own carelessness had caused someone most dear to him to become victim to needless suffering.

Kenshin grit his teeth and mentally beat away his self-loathing thoughts. Kenji stirred in his arms, sighing slightly at the feel of his father's breath against his damp hair. His trembling was lessening, but his hands were still white knuckled and fisted close to his chest. Wordlessly, Kenshin robed his son and carried him away to his room, not caring that he or the child were still covered in soap and water. He wanted to get Kenji out of the bathhouse and away from the horrible memories he was seeing now.

He slipped the door open with his foot and moved quietly to deposit his son on Kaoru and his futon. Nightmares almost always followed his son after scares such as these, and Kenji would sleep in their bed tonight. Kaoru would not object, though she would probably scold him for being so careless, but he had it coming. Kenshin glanced at the door, briefly wondering when his wife would return from walking Tsubame home. The girl had stopped by shortly after dinner, looking for Yahiko, but the young man had already left for Sano's house.

Kenshin shrugged mentally and slipped into his own sleeping attire, discarding the water soaked gi with a solid smack against the far wall. He rolled his eyes at his own childish tantrum and crawled into bed, pulling the covers around himself and his son, far too busy to realize he was being watched intently. Closing his eyes, he sighed long and prayed for a restful night, hoping his wife would allow him to put off their promised discussion until the morning. He was far too weary to negotiate this evening.

"Mama's going to be mad at you."

The small, silky voice caused Kenshin's eyes to snap open. He found himself staring into wide, crystalline eyes, void of color except the slight hint of violet and blue. "That's an understatement, chibi chan," he thought to himself grimly.

"You better pick that up. Mama doesn't like wet things either."

Kenshin almost laughed at his boy's perceptiveness. "Maybe she won't notice," he teased. His expression turned serious as he looked into his son's eyes, "Are you feeling okay Kenji chan?"

Kenji nodded slightly, a hint of fear still dancing in his eyes. "Bad dreams sometimes come," he stated, knowing all to well how the scenario went. His only nightmares were those that pertained to water, he feared nothing else.

Kenshin's face saddened and he put an arm around his son, "I'm very sorry Kenji. Very, very sorry."

Kenji gave his father a thoughtful look. "I know. It's not your fault." He blinked once, regarding his father's solemn face and smiled slightly, "You have an owie too, don't you father?"

"Oro?"

Kenji pulled a small hand out of the blankets and placed his hand over his father's chest. "Right here," he stated, "Why?"

Kenshin sucked in his breath and wondered if anyone else had a six-year-old as perceptive and intuitive as his own. Nothing passed the boy by, and he was a keen observer. Once again, Kenshin was a fool, thinking he could hide his feelings from the child, and he chuckled slightly. "Aa, Kenji. You're far to young to understand your father's foolish heart, but maybe someday I'll tell you what a silly man I really am."

Kenji giggled at the mention of his father being a silly man. He'd have to agree, but it was still funny. "Does Mama know?" he asked.

"That I'm silly or my secrets?" Kenshin tried to suppress a smile.

Kenji gave his father a mock frown, "Mama knows your silly. That's why she calls you baka all the time!"

Kenshin laughed out loud this time, grabbing his son and hugging him close. "You're probably right chibi chan!"

*************

Kaoru padded softly to her room, sliding the door open quietly, wondering where her husband had gone. He certainly hadn't left the dojo, since it was well after Kenji's bed time and he'd never leave the boy unattended. She had searched the roof, his favorite hiding spot when things were troubling him and when she didn't find him there, she checked the bathhouse, kitchen, and training hall. He was no where to be found, and she was slightly frustrated that he could disappear so easily.

She stepped into the room, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dimness and rolled her eyes as her gaze settled on the vague form lying in the middle of their futon. So, he'd gone to bed early, how clever of him. It was the perfect way to avoid the conversation. Well, there was always tomorrow morning and she'd make sure he couldn't get out of it then.

Tip-toeing closer, she suddenly stopped, her hand moving to her heart. Father and son lay together in a tangle of sheets and arms, chests rising and falling in time with one another as they slept. The pale moonlight illuminated milky skin and red hair, casting a faint glow against the darkness of the room. Kenshin nose rested softly upon his son's hair and a long arm was wrapped around the boy in a loose grip, nestling the child close to his breast. Kenji's hair moved slightly as each slow breath exited Kenshin's slightly parted lips, a faint movement, but an unconscious devotion of love and protection. Kenji curled himself into a ball, hands tucked next to his father's bare chest, a cheek pressed into the crook of a strong arm.

"Angels," Kaoru thought to herself, "They look like angels." She knelt beside the pair, watching them sleep and stared in awe of their innocence and perfection. She knew her husband would vehemently disagree that he be likened to a heavenly being nor would he attest to being anything close to innocent, but Kaoru knew he was so very wrong. How little he really knew himself and how arrogant he was to think of himself as all knowing of things that were pure and untarnished. She smiled lovingly at her mate, laughing silently at him as he slept. He was no wiser than she about certain things, if not more ignorant. Matters of the heart befuddled him and sent his mind spiraling into a kaleidoscope of confusion. In his confusion was where his own innocence lived. She and the rest of the family watched quietly as Kenshin learned to live again. His eyes wide to the new experiences of having a home, family, friends, and people who generally loved him. He was like a child, afraid and timid, balking when pressured but dashing forward and wanting more. They dusted him off when he fell, consoled him when he appeared afraid and ready to run, and he was completely oblivious to it all.

She stood quietly, still smiling at her two men, and silently slipped out of her kimono and into her yukata. Carefully, she slid in between the covers, gently nudging Kenji over to make room for herself. She wanted to be a part of the serene solitude the two shared and feel the warmth and love that lay between the covers. Kenji made a small noise, rolling away from his father and into his mother's arms. He nuzzled her neck, a trademark response of acknowledgement since birth, before settling down into his deep sleep once again. Kissing his head and holding him close, she looked up into the faintly glinting eyes of her husband.

He stared at her in silence, a smile playing on his shadowed lips, eyes heavy with sleep but full of tenderness and love for his wife and son.

"You're awake," she whispered, feeling slightly bad for waking him and breaking the peacefulness of the room.

His only reply was to shut his eyes slowly and pull his wife and son closer to him, closing the gap between the ones he loved the most and completing the family circle for the night. No words were necessary, to speak now would shatter the happiness and contentment he felt as he was holding wife and son next to him in a protective embrace. For a brief moment, before sleep stole over him, he thought that no man could be exuberant as he.

This was a chapter of randomness….sigh…I tried and tried to make it meaningful, but it just wouldn't happen….oh well…sorry for the delay, things have kept me tied up here at home (desperately trying to prepare myself to go back to college…sigh…I thought I was done with all that crap, and I forgot who utterly frustrating it can be!!!) I finally saw the final episode of the Kyoto arc…awwww…I was so sad it was over! I'm really disappointed they didn't animate the Revenge arc, it just doesn't seem right….pout….