Disclaimer: Watsuki-sama is still rightful god of this universe.

A Son's Guilt Chapter Two

"Masaki? What is it?"

Kenji looked up distractedly from the packages of foreign cakes he was sorting in the back room. The ready smile died on his face.

His friend looked whiter than he'd ever seen him, and his eyes were wide with fear. This was not an emotion the usually bumbly and comical Masaki would allow himself to show. Immediately Kenji tensed.

"What's wrong?" Then he heard a crash, and the thud of something hard as it hit the ground. Loud and sneering voices drifted through the doorway from the front of the shop.

"Kenji..." Masaki whispered, trembling. "There's a bunch of them...they have Kadoma..."

But the teen had no time to continue, for a swift punch to the back of his head had him fall to the floor, limp and unconscious. Kenji watched in horror as blood trickled down the back of his friend's head. It was then he realised that Masaki's attacker, a lean and bearded man, had several kunai between his fingers.

"Masaki..." he whispered, dropping to his knees beside his friend, his own face pale, as he pressed his fingers to the boy's throat, praying for a pulse.

"So this one must be Kadoma then."

A short and stocky man joined the bearded one in the doorway, leering as he tightened his grip on the frightened Kadoma's hair, a blade held against his throat.

"Just do as he says, Kenji!" the younger boy shouted desperately. "Just let them take the goddam money!"

Kenji got up slowly, relieved that Masaki had not been as badly harmed as he first thought. But they have Kadoma and my reverse blade is in the other room... he thought, heart sinking. The bearded figure menacingly stepped towards him and grabbed him by the collar of his gi.

"You heard your little friend," he growled, shaking him. "Give us all the money you have here, we know how rich this place is."

"And what if I don't?" Kenji asked defiantly, his voice shaking with anger. "What if I challenge you to a duel?"

The shorter man grinned. "Then I kill the brat here."

o-o-o-o

With a gasp, Kenji opened his eyes.

Waiting until the blurry ceiling came into focus, and ignoring the throbbing ache in his head, he slowly and carefully sat up. A shooting pain immediately ran down his arm and he winced.

Still not better, he thought hazily, looking down and grimacing at the blood that had soaked through his yukata.

I'll need to change the bandages again. Funny, I can't believe it's still bleeding, I used so many bandages to tie it up...

He looked out the window, relieved to see it was still very early morning.

Otou-san and Okaa-san should still be asleep, he thought, a faint smile gracing his lips as he thought of his father and his set time for washing the laundry every day. But the image of his father's honest and smiling face caused something inside him to constrict and he quickly shoved away the thought.

I still have an hour...I should probably wash my gi from yesterday...

Kenji pulled away the covers, ignoring the sluggish feeling in his wounded arm. Then, just as he was about to hoist himself up, he heard something and froze instantly. Was that...? It was. He listened again and realised with sudden fear, that someone was knocking softly on his door.

"Kenji? May I come in?"

Panic trickled into the teenager's mind and frantically he tried to think of a way to prevent his father from entering.

I could pretend I'm asleep...but no that wouldn't work! It must be later than I thought, if he would wake me up...they must both be up...Kenji blinked, shaking away the fuzziness at the edge of his vision and squinting out the window again. That's funny, I don't usually miscalculate...

A louder knock this time. "Kenji?" came the voice again, laced with distinctive concern.

Quickly, he drew the covers around him, hiding his wounded arm. "Yeah, I'm awake," he called out.

Kenshin slid open the door and entered, smiling warmly. "Good morning."

"Morning."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Kenji answered hurriedly, blinking again to clear his dizziness.

"I was thinking maybe the two of us should go for a walk. Some fresh air would do you good, that it would. You still look pale..."

Kenshin studied him closely. I had hoped a good night's sleep would help him...but it looks like he didn't sleep at all.

"Well, Kenji, what do you think?"

It's so hot, the boy thought oddly as he squinted at his father, his skin feeling as though it were burning. When did it get so hot?

"Kenji?"

"Uh, yep, sure, that sounds good..."

He trailed off uncertainly. Kenshin was frowning at him.

"Is everything alright Otou-san?" Kenji tried very hard to both keep the anxiety out of his voice, and ignore his heated skin.

Why is he staring at me like that?

"Otou-san?"

"You're wounded." Kenshin said flatly.

Kenji closed his eyes against the anger he saw flash across his father's face.

"How did you know?" he whispered, knowing any effort to hide the injury was futile now.

Kenshin stared at him with those unfathomable eyes. "You look unwell, and not just because you didn't get any sleep. You're sweating, your eyes are clouded, you're unnaturally pale, most likely you have a wound that has become infected. And also," he paused and his tone was suddenly bitter. "I can smell the blood. It's most likely gone through your bandages."

Kenji closed his eyes again, and not because his vision was still fuzzy. This wasn't supposed to happen...how could I have been so careless...

"Otou-san, I'm sorry, I-"

"Show me the wound."

Flinching at the sudden harshness in the man's voice, Kenji obliged. He lowered the covers and slipped off the sleeve of his yukata. Warm blood was still seeping from under the fully stained dressings. His father gasped.

Kenji swallowed. "Do you want me to change the bandages? I have some spare ones in the---"

"Be quiet!" Kenshin snapped, his eyes hard. "Kenji, do you have any idea what you've done? You need medical treatment right away!"

"But it's just a small cut, I didn't think---"

"You fool!" Kenshin shouted, his voice filled with uncharacteristic fury.

Kenji looked taken aback. But before he could fully acknowledge the hurt this made him feel, his vision began to blur, and his eyes swarmed with fuzziness again.

"Otou-san,' he whispered weakly. "I feel...funny..."

"Don't talk. I'm taking you to the doctors right away. You need to save your strength."

Ignoring Kenji's feeble protests, Kenshin picked him up.Careful not to hurt his arm, he quickly made for the clinic, praying he was not already too late.