by baru-chan
REGARDING TSUTOMU'S AGE: I am aware that the historical Fujita Tsutomu was born on 1876. However, for the purposes of this series, I changed his age. My version of Tsutomu was born on 1866. (I apologize, JML, for not clarifying this earlier.)
Summary: Little Tsuyoshi is born and five-year-old Tsutomu isn't very happy about it.
Tsutomu's mother was well into the third trimester of her pregnancy, and the scampering, active boy that is Tsutomu was becoming quite a handful for the young woman. Her husband, in a fit of desperation - figuratively, of course: Saitou Hajime (who is currently going as Ichinohe Denpachi) isn't known for throwing fits - asked her younger sister, Takagi Tami, to reside with them for a bit as he is quite busy teaching kendo at the local university. Though Hajime sometimes brings his firstborn with him, he couldn't afford to have a child distracting the students with shorter attention spans. Kenjutsu isn't something to take lightly after all.
However, with the constant 'shoo-ing' he received from Tami whenever the lonely five-year-old tried to cuddle up next to his mother, Tsutomu developed a dislike for his aunt and only followed her orders and requests in the presence of either Father or Mother.
All in all, the Ichinohe[1] household isn't the most relaxing place to be at this moment.
Tsutomu pouts and glares an amber-eyed glare at the wall, refusing to acknowledge his companion.
It isn't fair! he thinks grumpily. Why am I supposed to be with her? I don't even like Auntie Tami! How come I'm not with Father? I want to go to the university with him!
Tsutomu transfers his glare to his companion on the porch, who happens to be Auntie Tami, and continues his mental tirade. Auntie Tami is bad! She doesn't let me near Mother! How will I know if Mother is all right if I doesn't see her?! Bad, bad, bad Auntie Tami!
He notices his Auntie Tami looking at him and that aggravates the temper of the already-annoyed boy. Tsutomu is about to say something to her - "Stop staring at me! It's very impolite!" - but the words die on his lips when he hears Mother's voice through the rice paper walls, calling for Auntie Tami urgently.
Auntie Tami looks worried! Tsutomu realizes when his aunt scurries quickly out of the room. Seizing the chance to check in on Mother, he follows Auntie Tami towards Mother's room and quickly jumps out of the way when Auntie Tami goes out of the room and races past him.
Furrowing his still-babyish eyebrows together, Tsutomu quietly enters Mother's room, and, seeing Mother's smile of invitation, kneels beside her, looking her over. Aside from sweat on her forehead, Mother looks fine to Tsutomu. He narrows his eyes and wonders why Auntie Tami acted oddly.
He suddenly realizes what his aunt did. "Why is Auntie Tami running around the house, Mother?" the five-year-old asks indignantly. "Running is not allowed in the house while my little brother or sister is still inside you - Father said so! I follow Father's rules! Why isn't Auntie Tami following them too? Bad, bad, bad Auntie Tami!" he declares, raising his chin.
Mother frowns disapprovingly at him. "No, Tsutomu-chan," she scolds gently, "Auntie Tami is not bad."
Tsutomu also frowns. "But Auntie Tami does not follow Father's rules! So Auntie Tami bad!" he says with the conviction of somebody who knows he is right.
"Tsutomu-chan, Auntie Tami ran inside the house because Mother felt that your little brother or sister is starting to go out. She went to send a message to Father and to fetch the midwife. If Auntie Tami does not hurry, then Mother will have to give birth to your new brother or sister by herself. Does Tsutomu-chan want Mother to be alone when she is giving birth?"
"But you wouldn't be alone! I'll be with you!" he protests, childish pride offended.
"Yes, you could help," Mother agrees. "But have you witnessed a woman giving birth before?"
"No," the child sulkily admitted.
"Then does Tsutomu-chan see that it's okay for Auntie Tami to run inside the house if Mother is giving birth?"
"Yes," Tsutomu sighs, pouting.
"Father," the little boy whimpers, "why aren't you going to Mother? Mother's hurt! Auntie Tami and the ugly hag are hurting Mother! WHY AREN'T YOU STOPPING THEM?!" Tsutomu buries his face into his father's chest.
Saitou Hajime mentally snorts at his son's apt description of the midwife Tami fetched. Hag indeed... He sighs - it wouldn't do to have his son insulting people at such a young age. Maybe he'd allow it when Tsutomu is old enough to learn the subtle art of sarcasm. "Tsutomu-kun, your Aunt and the midwife," - he stressed - "aren't hurting your mother. They are merely helping her go along the process."
"But why is Mother hurting? Hurting is bad! Why aren't you stopping the hurt?" The child looks up beseechingly at his father.
Hajime sighs again. He absolutely hates it whenever Tsutomu looks at him with tear-filled eyes. It distinctly reminds him of his sister who used that tactic to convince the young men in their neighborhood to do something for her - especially if it involves something "unfeminine". Hajime knows that that is the only way his son could convey his earnestness, but that doesn't mean he'd have to like it. (Tsutomu inherited it from Tokio's side of the family, he is sure of that.) Maybe he'd convince Tsutomu that having tear-filled eyes is "girly".
After the boy dries his eyes, of course.
"I'm not 'stopping the hurt' because they wouldn't let me in," Hajime says tersely. Tsutomu isn't the only one affected by the screams, after all.
Tsutomu thinks for a while and brightens. He points at his father's katana. "You could use your sword! Cut Auntie Tami and the ugly hag so you could get to Mother!" he eagerly suggests before furrowing his brows together. "Or maybe you could stab them instead," the boy amends as he remembers that his father's preferred technique is a left-handed thrust.
Hajime swallows down his chuckle - the boy is already bloody-minded at the tender age of five years! However, it would not do to encourage such thoughts. Tokio will be furious, and Hajime likes the way he looks, thank you very much. Besides, annoying sisters-in-law and visually unappealing women are not as high on the 'Aku Soku Zan' scale as unscrupulous politicians and scandalous heathens.
"Tsutomu-kun, the way of the samurai does not involve killing unwanted aunts and unattractive midwives. A man who has no self-control is a danger to himself and to those around him - and he who could not control himself is not worthy to be called samurai. Always remember that." The former leader of the Third Squad and Assistant Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi gives his son a level stare.
Tsutomu nods his head furiously, abashed. No, he would not suggest that his father kill those two women who are keeping him away from his mother nor would he do it himself. He sighs ruefully. He'd just have to envision it, then.
Notes:
[1] After the Battle of Aizu, Saitou Hajime moved to the Aomori Prefecture (the northernmost prefecture in Honshu) and called himself Ichinohe Denpachi.
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. No profit was, is or will be garnered from this work of fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
