Kenji to the Rescue
Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own Kenshin, so please don't sue.
Chapter 5: In need of a babysitter
Kaoru was surprised when she answered the knock upon her dojo door to find the mailman standing with a letter in his hand. Kaoru was puzzled; the Kamiya Dojo hardly received any mail, and her curiosity peaked when she spied black characters written gracefully on the crisp white envelope: To Kamiya Kaoru.
Kaoru thanked the mailman and offered him tea. The man politely refused and hurried away. The rumors he heard about the young dojo owner's culinary skills were enough to make him nervous about a cup of tea.
Kaoru frowned a little at the mailman's hurried exit. What did she do to scare the mailman like that? She closed the dojo door as Kenshin walked out to join her, holding a freshly changed Kenji in his arms.
"Who was that?" Kenshin asked.
"The mailman," Kaoru replied, holding up her hand.
"Are you sure?" Kenshin inquired.
"Huh?" Kaoru looked at him, confused.
"Are you sure it was a mailman? Did he look suspicious? Acted out of the ordinary?" Kenshin shot at her, a worried expression on his face.
Kaoru realized what was going on. It had only been a week since the madman made his horrific entrance at the dojo. Kenshin had been very jumpy since then. He was constantly patrolling the dojo, and he tripled check the locks every night. The family had gone out only once since then, and only for grocery shopping.
Kaoru sighed. She loved her husband to pieces, but Kenshin was really starting to overdo it.
"No, Kenshin, the man seemed perfectly normal to me. He did not act anything out of the ordinary, although, come to think of it, he did leave in a hurry," she remembered, her brow furrowed, "and after I asked him for a cup of tea too, I don't- oh."
Kaoru's perplexed look disappeared, replaced by grim expression.
"It figures; tea. I don't know what went wrong! I remember Tae saying something about putting in a little bit of garlic to enhance the flavor!" she exclaimed.
"Garlic?" Kenshin's eyebrows shot up.
"I don't know. Maybe it was ginseng. It began with a "g"," she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oro!"
x x x x x
The Himura family was sitting at the dining table. There was an air of anticipation as Kaoru carefully removed the letter from the envelope. Kaoru's eyes widened as she scanned the contents the message.
Dearest Kaoru,
How have you been? I am sorry to say that it has been a while since we last saw each other. I heard that you are married now, congratulations! Please give my fondest regards to your husband; he is one lucky man.
I am an old man now, and I'm afraid the time has come for me to go. I only wish to see you once again, my dear. I am hosting a tournament of sorts, and I've invited all of my old friends. Everyone will be staying at my place, so there will be plenty of time for catching up.
Humor an old man and come join us. The tournament will take place next Friday.
Signed,
Yamada Taro
"Yamada-san, is he an old friend?" Kenshin inquired.
"Yes, a very old friend. He knew my father," Kaoru answered softly. She was blinking rapidly, and Kenshin knew her well enough to know what was going to happen next.
He put Kenji aside and pulled her gently into his arms, being extra careful not to touch her injured shoulder or her leg. She immediately melted into his embrace.
"I just- I can't believe he's going. He was always so cheerful, so energetic. I can't imagine him gone! He was always so nice to me. After my mother died, he used to do anything to cheer me up. I don't want him to die; I love him so much, Kenshin," she cried. A solitary tear traveled made its path slowly along the curve of her cheek.
"It's all right, Kaoru. Dying is natural. It happens to everyone, at some time or another. He's not sorry about it, so you shouldn't be either. The best thing you can do right now is to make the last memories of his life happy ones," he soothed her, stroking her hair softly.
Kaoru sniffled.
"I guess you're right," she agreed, drying her tears on the front of his gi.
She looked up and gave him a small smile, and then she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I know," he said with a teasing grin.
"Baka," Kaoru scolded lovingly.
He laughed and lifted her off the ground.
"We can leave the day after tomorrow, but you have to promise me, no sparring. I know Megumi says your wounds are healing very fast, but you're still injured." he announced, suddenly business- like.
"All right, but who will take care of Kenji while we're gone?"
"Kenji? Why can't we take Kenji with us?" Kenshin asked.
"Don't you think that it'll be a bit… out of place to bring a baby along? It is a tournament, and I doubt there will be many women there, much less babies. Wouldn't it be a little disrespectful?" Kaoru said.
"I guess so," he remarked.
"You know," Kaoru started thoughtfully, "Yahiko owes me a big favor."
"Really? I don't remember that."
Kaoru snorted.
"After I gave him free room and board for five years and taught him swordsmanship, I'd say he owes me a huge favor,"
x x x x x
Yahiko was woken rudely by a loud rapping at his door.
"All right, all right, I'm up, I'm up," he got off his futon grumpily. After making sure that he was slightly presentable, he opened the door.
Yahiko's eyes widened in horror as he saw the tiny fist reaching for him. He tried to back away.
Too late.
"Ow, ow, not the hair, kid! Not the hair!" he protested as Kenji pulled on the black, spiky stuff that grew in every direction.
Kaoru burst out laughing and even Kenshin had to stifle a chuckle in order to save Yahiko from further embarrassment.
"Well, Yahiko, at least he's not gnawing at your head," Kaoru consoled.
The teenager scowled.
"Hey, I was still a kid back then," he defended.
Kaoru only handed Kenji over to him in response. The little boy's fist was tightly attached to a lock of Yahiko's hair. The slight jerk of her shoulder as she shifted told him that something was wrong. Worry immediately clouded his features.
"Kaoru, are you hurt?" he asked, with concern apparent in his tone.
The woman sighed.
"Yes, unfortunately, another crazy madman decided to stop by the dojo," she informed him.
"What?" he exclaimed.
"Calm down, Yahiko," Kenshin cut in, "Why don't we go inside the house."
It took a moment for Yahiko to realize that he hadn't invited his guests into the house yet.
x x x x x
"So let me get this straight; you've just been injured last week and now you're traveling to Kyoto?" he questioned disapprovingly.
"Yes, and I need you to take care of Kenji while we're gone," Kaoru stated matter-of-factly.
"What? Take care of the brat?"
"Hey, be careful who you're calling brat," Kaoru warned him. "His mother can still beat you up to a bloody pulp."
"Yahiko, we know you will take good care of Kenji," Kenshin spoke.
Yahiko paused for a moment, and then he nodded. Kenshin trusted him, and he didn't want to betray the man's trust.
"All right, I'll do it."
Kenji tugged on Yahiko's hair once in approval.
"Baka!" he exclaimed happily.
"Yup," Yahiko agreed, "I must be a baka to get stuck with you."
Author's Notes: Aw… I only got 7 reviews for Chapter 4, compared to 11 for Chapter 3. Is it because Chapter 4 wasn't as interesting? I know this chapter was not as action- packed as before, but I promise more will happen in the next few installments, so PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE! This part is pretty slow because I needed a break from the fight scene. It seriously stressed me out. Oh yeah, Yahiko owns Sano's place now, since he's gone to travel around the world.
I have a very bad case of writer's block, but your reviews inspire me, so REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!
P.S. If you haven't read about my LEGO ® incident, go check my profile now.
Reviewer's Corner:
WCgirl- Thanks for the compliment! And thanks for taking the time to review!
hisui-chan02- Is someone trying to kill Kenshin? You'll just have to read and find out.
1kenshinlover- I totally agree with you. I hate that Kenshin worked so hard for the new era just to have Kenji hate him for it. Don't worry, Kenshin doesn't die or leave in this fic. Thanks for your support!
Ayuka- Thanks; I try hard to make their moments all fluffy and stuff. I think they're the sweetest couple. I'm glad that you like my story/ And, yeah, I got my little sister to edit my chapters for me before I post them. I hope you'll continue to read and review!
alex- You think this story is shallow? How could you? My own brother insulting my writing… just kidding. I'll take it as constructive criticism. And, the major plot twist didn't even make its debut yet. Things will get more complex once they reach Kyoto.
haruko sohma- Well, thank you very much. Sweet and action- packed was exactly what I was going for, even though the two terms kinda contrast each other. Thanks for the support!
crazyanimefan101- Thanks for editing this story, and I know how much computer time I take up. Thanks for being so understanding! I love you, Wendy!