Right off the bat, I'd like to tell all the other Escaflowne fans that I finished the series today and I loved it up until the end…I was SO p.o'ed that Hitomi didn't stay with Van…Absolutely crushed…What a horrible ending, they could at least like jump back and forth between worlds to visit right? GRRRRR….okay, I'm calming down now….Anyhoo, thanks Bao Blossom, I'm glad some one understands my randomness (giggles). As for the WAFF in the last chapter, I don't know where it came from, I actually had them all departing for Kyoto, but instead rewrote it into that…umm…errr…thing I call chapter 5….Kenji's fear of water will play a big part later on (NO, he's not going to almost drown again…I may be repetitive but hopefully not THAT bad…LMAO), so I hope everyone got the picture…the kid freaks out around water….okay, I'm done…I need sleep, coffee, something….a sedative…I dunno….sigh….

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Chapter 6

The end of the week had stole up on them quickly and with it came a sudden cooling trend. The humidity dropped and the searing heat ebbed away, leaving only pleasant afternoons and cool evening nights. The Himura family kept busy, attacking chores that had gone undone for far too long. Yahiko was sent to market with a list a mile long, while Kaoru swept and scrubbed the dojo, preparing it for the return of her students, which she expected the following week. Kenshin got up early, as usual, and lazily moved through his normal routine, cooking breakfast, doing dishes and laundry, and tending the garden. Kenji "helped" as well, swinging a broom around the dojo, knocking the wood against his mother's ankles and knocking over anything that got into his way, until she sent him outside to play in the backyard.

Kenshin grinned as he heard his wife yelp in pain, his son obviously working his magic inside the training hall. The child appeared around the corner, glaring over his shoulder at his mother, a large kitchen spoon and cup in hand. Kenshin wondered what on earth his wife was thinking, giving their son such strange toys, but shrugged it off. Whatever kept the boy happy and out of everyone's hair was fine with him.

He smiled to himself and continued digging in the soft dirt, trying to unearth a particularly difficult radish. He loved working in the garden, almost as much as he loved doing the laundry. He could do with out the dirt under his nails, and having to pull the sticker plants that grew relentlessly in the summer time, but there was a certain satisfaction in planting a seed and nurturing it until it grew. Gardening required a lot of hard work, effort, and time, but it was worth every bit of it, and Kenshin disregarded the teasing remarks of his friends and family. He was a good gardener, and was not afraid to show it.

He glanced at his son, who stood staring in disgust at the spoon and cup he held in his hands, apparently trying to figure out what he was suppose to do with them. Kenshin chuckled to himself as a thought crossed his mind. Maybe if he planted Kenji chan in the garden, all his problems would be over with. Child rearing and gardening weren't too much different really. A seed was planted, it grew in the earth until it sprouted into the sunlight, and from there it grew into a plant. Of course, to be healthy and productive, the plant needed to be tended on a regular basis and provided with the utmost care, just like a child did in his earliest years. The only difference was that gardening was no where near as stressful and if the plants died or came out wrong, things could easily be started over again.

"What are you laughing about, Kenshin?"

Kenshin looked up, trying to contain the stupid smile that plastered itself on his face, and met the amused gaze of his wife. "Nothing koishii. I was just thinking of something silly, that I was," he laughed. He brushed his brow with the back of his hand and sat back on his haunches.

Kaoru smiled at him, not bothering to tell him about the streak of dirt that he had wiped across his nose and forehead. "Well, it's good to see you laughing again anata." She sat down on the porch, her feet dangling over the edge and hakama blowing in the slight breeze. "At least you're not brooding anymore." She stared at him hard, her blue eyes searching his, knowing all too well that his fears were only buried for the time being and nothing had been solved.

Kenshin wiped his dirty hands off on his hakama, briefly wondering how well the stains would come out of the fabric, then glanced at his wife. She was waiting for him to begin, wanting the explanations he'd promised her the previous day. Kaoru would not badger him in an outward manner, but she would be relentless in her pursuit of answers in a round about way. He sighed, not really wanting to talk about the things that troubled his mind, afraid his decent mood would be shattered, but he owed her and it could not be avoided. A promise was a promise.

"Laughing is good for the soul, koishii," he started, "But I still need to go to Kyoto….with Kenji." He saw her lips twitch and her eyes widen slightly, but he stilled her with his hand. He would giver her answers, but she had to be patient and keep still.

Kaoru complied, folding her hands in her lap and watching her husband closely.

"I have to speak with shishou…to be certain," he fumbled. It was so hard to explain to her what was going on in his head, when even he really couldn't grasp it. She would not be able to relate to the fears he had, and would more than likely think him insane or senile. "As much as I hate to admit it, only he has the answers to the questions plaguing my brain. Kenji's future is as stake, and I'm willing to set my pride aside and beg for his assistance."

Kaoru remained silent, regarding her husbands almost frantic look with mild pity. "What are you afraid of Kenshin," she asked quietly. She understood his concern for their son's future, it was natural for any parent to worry about such things, but Kenshin always took things to the extreme when it came to the ones dearest to him.

A look of confusion passed across his face as he returned his wife's stare. He faltered for an answer to her question, trying to think of a half-truth, not wanting to put his worries into his wife's heart as well. "I don't want Kenji to make my mistakes," he replied lamely.

Kaoru raised her brows at his answer, her face neutral, "He's not you, Kenshin. He's Kenji. He'll make his own mistakes, and learn from them like you did yours." She watched as fumbled for a reply, his lips moving but no sounds coming out. She sighed and kicked her feet against the porch, "But, if you must speak to Hiko san, so be it. If that's what it takes to put your mind at ease, I won't object. I do want to come with you though."

Kenshin started to protest, but the look Kaoru gave him told him it would do no good.

"I'll send Misao chan a letter today. I've been wanting to visit her and the others, so I'll stay with them while you and Kenji do what you need to do," she slipped off the porch and kissed the top of his head, "Baka rurouni. Just stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Hai. I promise," Kenshin replied, smiling at his wife innocently.

She smacked him playfully, "Don't make promises you can't keep anata!" She smiled as he held his hands up in mock defeat.

***********

Kenji stooped low in the back yard of the dojo, peering down at the small mound of dirt between his small feet. He watched the ants travel to and fro from the small hole in the top of the mound, some carrying things in others carrying things out. Today they were dismantling a grasshopper and Kenji watched in wonder as the smaller insects swarmed the larger bug, which still twitched occasionally. He knew the grasshopper still lived, but the ants were relentless in their efforts to take it apart piece by piece, and he cringed at the thought of being eaten alive.

There were so many of them out today, over a hundred at least, each the size of a grain of rice, scurrying here and there with some assorted business on its mind. Kenji glanced at the mound that was their home and wondered exactly how many ants could actually live down there. They seemed to keep coming and coming in an endless black line, marching like soldiers. He cocked a brow and stared briefly at his spoon and cup. There was only one way to find out and he started digging.

***********

Kenshin took down the last of the laundry and folded it carefully, separating it accordingly into various stacks. One belonged to Yahiko, another to Kenji, and a third to himself and Kaoru. He smiled to himself, happy that the chore was finally done, and tried to gather all the stacks into his arms. On a normal day, this wouldn't be a problem, but the laundry had piled up over the past few days, and there was more to put away than usual. Fearing he would drop one of the loads into the dirt and have to start over again, he glanced around the yard, looking for his son.

"Kenji chan?" he called, knowing the boy was around the corner, "Come help your father!"

The boy came darting around the building, his kitchen spoon gone, but cup in hand. He laughed at his father, whose face was hidden behind a towering pile of laundry. "Yes, father?" he asked, giggling at the man again.

Kenshin motioned with his foot to the small pile of clothing he had placed on the ground. "Would you please go put that in Yahiko's room for me?" His reply was muffled from behind the towering laundry, but Kenji understood him and gathered the small amount of clothing under one arm.

"Hai!" he shouted and scampered off with Yahiko's clothing and cup in hand.

Kenshin chuckled to himself as he cautiously made his way up the steps, thinking how bored the child must be, playing with cooking utensils. He had some time before dinner needed to be started, and playing with Kenji sounded like a fine idea between now and then, he was certain his son wouldn't object. The boy liked to play in the field by the bridge, and Kenshin decided happily that they would go spend some time there together after he put away the laundry.

Kenji made his way to Yahiko's room, carefully balancing laundry in one arm and the cup in the other. He regarded his agitated treasure with intense interest, watching as the black ants tried to climb out of the slippery cup he held in his hand. He managed to collect quite a few of them, digging an impressive hole in the back yard and somehow managing not to get bit in the process. He discovered that ants were not all the same size, once he started digging, larger ones, about the size of a bean, came out of the hole in the ground. He collected them carefully, picking them off his shoes as they scurried around him, oblivious to the fact that the ants were indeed trying to attack him.

He jiggled the cup, giggling as the bugs moved frantically inside, trying to escape. In his amusement, he misjudged the distance between the door and Yahiko's futon, and stumbled as his foot caught the edge of the unmade bed. "Baka," he growled, debating on whether or not to tell his mother the young man left before putting away his bed and tidying his room. He grew even more aggravated when he realized he'd tipped his cup over and lost over half of his new pets onto Yahiko's futon. Disgusted with his older brother for being messy and making all his hard work for nothing, Kenji emptied the rest of the cup's contents onto the bed and threw the laundry on top.

"Kenji!" The boy jumped at his father's voice, his head craning around to stare at the door. His father's silhouette appeared suddenly and Kenji turned to stare at the man. "Would you like to go down by the bridge with me before supper?"

Kenji clapped his hands together, the cup discarded and forgotten in a mere instant. "Hai" he replied excitedly, running to grab his father's hand and practically dragging him to the gates. In his excitement, Kenji smashed into Yahiko, who had finished his teaching for the day, and fell smartly onto his rump.

The older boy glared at the Kenji for a moment, then swiftly picked him up and dusted him off. "Sometimes I think your eyes are in the back of your head, kiddo," Yahiko muttered, giving Kenji a gentle thump on the head.

"Hello Yahiko," Kenshin smiled at the young man and swiftly picked Kenji up, knowing the boy would more than likely try to kick Yahiko for teasing. "Did you have a good day today?"

Yahiko gave a curt nod of the head, "Yeah, but I'm pretty beat, so I'm going to take a bath and take a nap before dinner. Where are you two going?"

Kenshin tightened his grip on Kenji, who glared hard at his brother, "We're taking a walk to the bridge, that we are."

Yahiko gave Kenshin a worried look, "Busu's not cooking tonight is she?"

Kenshin shook his head and smiled, "No, she's not. I'll be home in time to prepare supper."

"Good. I don't feel like dying today." Yahiko nodded to his family members again and set off inside the dojo, heading to the bathhouse to lounge in the tub, before settling down to snooze.

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

Kenshin settled himself into the tall grass, stretching his legs out before him and leaning back on an arm. He picked a long blade and chewed on the end of it thoughtfully as he watched his son chase dragonflies across the meadow. He chuckled as Kenji tripped and skidded several feet, only to bounce up and dust himself off, totally unhindered by the fall. Skinned knees and elbows, bumps to the head, and falling to the ground never stopped his son. The boy was like a ball, constantly bouncing back, almost unstoppable once he gained momentum.

Kenshin smiled thinking back to the time when Kenji was learning how to walk and how the child had fallen many times, but never shed a tear. It was so strange to see him take those first steps, he was so small and young, barely nine months of age. How Kenshin had laughed and Kaoru cried when the boy first let go of the porch edge and took a couple of cautious steps on his own. Of course, he only managed to get a foot or so before he fell on his rear end, but the tiny child only laughed and clapped his hands together excitedly, and crawled back to his starting point to try again. In a matter of weeks, Kenji was tottering across the house on his own, little arms extended for balance, but obviously overjoyed with the freedom of the new movement he discovered.

Now his boy was running through a field, confident and sure of his feet. His son was swift for his age, no match for an adult by any means, but Kenshin imagined by the time Kenji was grown, his son's speed would match his own. He smiled as Kenji pivoted in mid-stride, turning quickly as one of the darting bugs made a bold dash past the boy's head. He could hear the child laugh as he jumped to catch the insect, only to utter a loud "Mou" when his hands came up empty.

Suddenly, Kenshin was young again, chasing the week old chicks on his parent's farm as his mother and father watched in the background. He remembered hearing them laugh as he ran across the yard, wanting to hold one of the fuzzy, yellow babies in his tiny hands. He fell over the wash tub as he made a sudden lunge for one of the bobbing hatchlings, and skinned his knee. He had sat in the dirt, his eyes filling with tears, holding a hand over the bleeding cut. It didn't really hurt, but the tears fell out of frustration and anger at his failure to catch his prey. He pictured his mother, her hands helping him to his feet and dusting off his clothes.

"You never give up, do you Shinta chan?" she had said to him, smiling softly at her angry child.

His father had laughed and patted him on the head stating to his mother with a chuckle, "It's his persistence that will either make or break him."

Kenshin shook his head, frowning slightly. First the story of his brothers and now a memory of his parents. Strangely, he was remembering more and more about his own childhood these days, something he thought he'd long forgotten. Even more confusing, the recollections were not those of death and pain, but good memories of the time before his innocence was ripped away. The visions were often blurry and the faces of his family unclear, but he could recall the incidents vividly in his mind once they came to him. It was slightly painful to remember such a time, but also comforting knowing his entire life had not been stained with blood and despair.

He glanced at Kenji, who was now throwing pebbles at the trees, hitting some unseen mark repeatedly. Kenshin smiled at his son, aware that it was the boy's youth that sent him spiraling back into his own childhood, forcing him to remember the good times of his young life.

He wondered if his parents remembered him as they moved through the afterlife. If they did, had they seen all the horrible things he'd done in his life? His mother would cry for him, having been such a gentle and compassionate woman. His father and brothers reactions he was uncertain of. They were farming men, ignorant to the ways of a swordsman, but he had no doubt they were all surprised by his chosen path. Who would have thought that the smallest and gentlest of the Himura clan would become the most feared man in Japan. They would not be proud though, but he hoped they understood why he did what he did, even if it had all been a mistake. He wondered if they watched over him and the newest Himura member now. Did his mother smile at her grandson's antics? Was his father proud of the strong, young boy his son had bore? Were his brothers making fun of him each time Kenji pulled a prank? Suddenly, Kenshin felt very guilty for not paying them proper tribute after all this time. He wished he could remember the place of his birth and travel there to offer amends and say a thanks to his long dead family. He was ashamed for allowing his dark past to over shadow their memory. It was unfair of him to do so, they were just as much a part of his life as the days of the hitokiri. He said a silent prayer, asking his family to forgive him for such negligence.

Kenji plopped down next to his father, his little cheeks flushed and his chest heaving from his play. He pulled up a piece of grass and inserted it into his mouth, mimicking his father.

Kenshin cast a sidelong glance at his son and smiled. "So alike, yet so different," he thought to himself before shifting forward and rubbing his son's messy hair.

Kenji giggled at his father's affection, spit out the grass blade, and in one swift motion tackled his father to the ground, pinning the man's shoulders to the soft grass. Kenshin almost choked on his own blade of grass, caught off guard at his son's playful invite to rough house. He regained his composure quickly though and obliged the boy, rolling over to turn the tables and laughing.

As the afternoon sun slowly began to set the two of them giggled, laughed and rolled around in the meadow, oblivious to the passerby's who stopped to watch them play, both lost in their own little world of father and son affection and bliss.

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

"Kenji chan," Kenshin started as the two walked back to the dojo, "We are going to take a trip soon."

"Where?" the boy asked, taking his fathers hand and staring up at him with wide eyes. "To Uncle Sano's house?"

Kenshin chuckled, "No, son, much further away than that. We're going to go to Kyoto." He waited for the boy's reaction, not sure if the child remembered that to be the place of the accident. Kenji had not been back since the fateful trip that left him lost on the streets of Kyoto and ended with him almost drowning in the river next to Hiko's house.

"Kyoto?" Kenji scrunched his face up in thought. That was the name of the place his father went every year and his little face lit up as he remembered something important, "Uncle Aoshi! Auntie Misao!"

Kenshin laughed and patted Kenji's head. "Yes that's where Aoshi and Misao live, we'll be visiting them too." It was beyond Kenshin why his son liked the stony face Aoshi so much, but it was apparent that the boy and the former okashira shared a definite friendship with one another. Each time Misao and Aoshi visited the dojo, the usually cold and indifferent Aoshi spent much of his time watching over Kenji, and once, Kenshin even found him tossing a ball around with his young son. Kenji trailed Aoshi as well, climbing over the top of him, yanking at his clothes, chattering away at the poor man until Kenshin or Kaoru told him to stop the relentless pestering. Aoshi didn't seem to mind though, usually brushing away the parent's scoldings with a quiet reassurance and excusing himself and Kenji to the back yard. How very odd a cold and reclusive man such as Aoshi Shinomori would find the company of a child refreshing.

Kenshin shrugged and smiled at his son, "While we're there, you'll be on your best behavior, right?"

Kenji nodded excitedly and hugged his father's leg, "Hai, father! I promise!"

Kenshin chuckled and pushed open the gates of the dojo, ushering Kenji in before him. Both were met with a spine splitting shout that stopped them short in their tracks.

"HIMURA KENJI! You get over here this instant!"

Kenshin's answering his own question's with out even knowing it yet…now their going to go to Kyoto, pay a visit to old friends….(insert laugh here). I like Aoshi and Kenji interaction, but it's difficult to write, so bare with me…a note of phobias. I am deathly afraid of heights, so much in fact that my body actually quits functioning, my feet refuse to move and I become immobile. Once, I was at work and had to cross a catwalk that ran above the floor of the plant I work in, I made it half way and my legs just stopped working. I couldn't take a step further and people had to come and escort me down (go ahead and laugh). I was TERRIFIED, though amazed I actually made it part of the way with out passing out. I think phobia's come in varying degrees of fear. I hate spiders, but I don't freeze when I find one on me or anything, but get me on anything twice my height and it's a different story. So, I kind of relate to Kenji's fear (though I can swim really well). As for Kenshin's last name (Thank you to everyone who cleared up my mistake, I'm still keeping it as a "regular" family name passed on from generation to generation (it makes it simpler), even though I've been told peasants had no surnames. I find this very interesting, and plan on researching it more, but I definitely appreciate Calger, Ranma, and the others for filling me in on the details! Funny, how last names become so important to us, like it's the only way to tell each other apart…hmmmm, very interesting…most people mistake my last name for my first (since my parents blessed me with a bizarre name…and NO it's not really Zosocrowe….LMAO…that name is a tribute to my two favorite bands)….anyhoo, thanks again for reading and if anyone had information on how they track family lineage's in Japan, I'd be very interested in hearing from you! charmin22@hotmail.com Take care you all!