Author-chan's notes: WHEEEEE!!!!!! CHAPTER THREE!!!!!!!!! (Heheh, I rhymed! Sugoi!) Author-chan is in a good mood, yes indeed! ^_^ Enjoy the next chapter!
Like Father Like Son
(Chapter Three: To Be Dead)
Back with Kaoru, Kenshin, and their "guest"
"Anou, who are you, de gozaru ka?" Kenshin asked the visitor.
"And how can you see us?!" Kaoru yelped.
"Please let me introduce myself," the stranger said, "I am Shingami."
"Oro?" Kenshin blinked, "As in Shingami, the god of death?"
"Correct, Kenshin-san!" Shingami chirped. Both Kaoru and Kenshin blinked at the stranger, and then blinked some more.
"Anou, Shingami-dono, but you don't look like the god of death," Kenshin said.
"I get that all the time," the kami sighed. The god of death was short, shorter even than Kaoru and Kenshin. The reason for his size might have something to do with the fact he looked like an eight-year-old boy. Shingami's pale face had large green eyes with a gold starburst pattern around pupil, a cute button nose, and a wide mouth that was quick to grin. He had long light brown hair that was tied back in a long braid that reached his waist. (AN: Yes, everyone, he has Duo Maxwell's hair. I just could not resist!) He was wearing a dark green gi that matched his eyes with golden phoenixes embroidered at the hems and a pair of clean white hakama. And he looked solid, not transparent like a ghost. Both Kenshin and Kaoru instinctively knew that although Shingami looked solid, a normal human being would not see him. But all in all, he looked like an adorable life-sized doll.
"Kawaii!" Kaoru cried, grabbing the chibi-sized kami in a hug.
"Ack!" Shingami yelped as he was smothered by Kaoru's bear-like embrace. Kenshin had to stifle a chuckle. There had been times when he was a recipient of that hug. After a few minutes, Kaoru finally released Shingami. The poor kami collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Gomen," Kaoru apologized, blushing slightly, "I just couldn't resist. You're so cute! It's hard to believe you're the god of death."
"Arigato, Kaoru-san," the pint-sized god of death said with a slight blush.
"I don't want to be rude," Kaoru said, "But, what are you doing here? Don't you have important things to do?"
"Yeah, well, my assistants are taking care of all that," Shingami said, waving the question aside.
"'Assistants'?" Kaoru and Kenshin blinked. Shingami nodded.
"Hai, assistants," Shingami said, "Kenshin-san, you used to be one of my assistants, so don't look so surprised."
"He did?" Kaoru blinked.
"Back during the Bakumastu," Kenshin realized, "when sessha was a hitokiri."
"Hai!" Shingami nodded, a wide grin on his face, "You were one of the best assistants I had during that time. You finished all your assignments quickly and neatly, unlike some idiots I could mention…"
"Shingami-dono, can you please not talk about that, de gozaru ka?" Kenshin asked, his head bent so that his ginger bangs hid his eyes. Shingami gave the former hitokiri a small smile of understanding.
"Alright, Kenshin-san," Shingami nodded.
"You said you could help us, Shingami-sama," Kaoru said, changing the subject, "How exactly are you going to do that?"
"I'll show you," Shingami said with a mischievous little smile. Husband and wife looked at each other, not quite sure whether or not they should trust that grin. They soon discovered how right they were as soon as the child-like god began chanting.
"Anata!" Kaoru yelled, as her husband's already transparent form dissolved into nothingness. The female kendo teacher whirled to glare at the god of death.
"What did you do to him?!" Kaoru yelled, shimmering ghost-tears running down her translucent face, "I don't care who you say you are, but if you hurt my anata, I will personally hunt you down!"
"Calm down, Kaoru-san!" Shingami said, holding his hands up defensively, "Kenshin-san is fine. After all, you can't kill what is already dead."
"Then where is he?!" Kaoru hissed, looking extremely dangerous indeed. Shingami, like so many others before him, found himself fearing the petite woman despite himself.
"I'll explain, just calm down, Kaoru-san!" Shingami wailed pathetically, looking every inch like a child. Kaoru couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Reaching over, she drew the tearful child-kami into her arms, soothing him like she had soothed a five-year-old Kenji so many years ago.
"I'm sorry, Shin-chan," Kaoru murmured, "But I'm worried about my Shinta. Can you tell me where you sent him?" After a few more sniffles, Shingami quickly calmed down and looked up at Kaoru.
"Well, it's like this…" the green-eyed being began.
***
Meanwhile with Kenshin: place unknown
'Where is sessha? It's so dark. Is sessha in hell? No, not hell. Hell wouldn't feel like this. Hell is torture, this is --this is…Then where is sessha? What is going on, de gozaru? Kaoru? Where are you, koishii? KAORU!!! KAORU!!!'
Call as he might, no one responded to or even heard the rurouni. And as silence, despair, and darkness began to take over his mind, one last thought was whispered, before the mind spiraled into oblivion.
'K-Kenji…'
***
Ten minutes later, back with Kaoru and Shingami
"YOU WHAT?!" Kaoru yelled, her eyes almost falling out of their sockets after hearing Shingami's explanation. Shingami looked ready to cry again.
"I t-thought it was a g-good idea!" the chibi-kami hiccuped.
"But still!" Kaoru yelped, still in the grip of disbelief, "That is the most twisted, weird, and insane thing I've heard in my life! Or afterlife for that matter!"
"Even more twisted than Jin-e-san?" Shingami asked, still looking wet around the eyes.
"Nothing is as twisted as Jin-e," Kaoru muttered. Shingami smiled a little.
"Well, I guess that's a start," Shingami said optimistically. Kaoru smiled gently, and ruffled Shingami's brown bangs.
"Are you sure you're who you say you are, Shin-chan?" Kaoru asked. Shingami nodded. Kaoru sighed.
"It's kind of strange," Kaoru murmured, "You're so much more than what you seem. That's just like Shinta."
"Do you think that's just a coincidence, Kaoru-san?" Shingami asked, with a mischievous little smile.
"Iie," Kaoru shook her head, "I stopped believing in coincidences and impossibilities the day my husband came into my life."
"So what do you want to do now, Kaoru-san?" Shingami asked.
"Watch and wait, like you told me to do," Kaoru answered. Suddenly the ghost-woman smiled a grin as sly as any of the ones Shingami flashed earlier.
"Kaoru-san?" Shingami asked, blinking at the smile.
"I was just wondering how Shinta would react as soon as he finds out what exactly you did to him," Kaoru answered. Shingami grinned as widely as Kaoru.
"Let's find out, ne?"
***
Back inside the dojo
"Clean!" Sasuke giggled from his spot on the floor.
"Aa," Yahiko sighed, plopping down next to the child. Yahiko and Kenji had spent the last half-hour cleaning up the pile of blossoms that had mysteriously appeared on the floor, and at the moment the spiky-haired swordsman was tired. He hated cleaning. As Yahiko sat on the floor contemplating, his thoughts inevitably turned to the word Sasuke said earlier. If Kenji ever found out that Sasuke had said that…And how had Sasuke learned that word? Is it possible that…Nah.
"Ya'ko?" Sasuke blinked, crawling into his surrogate uncle's lap.
"I'm fine, Sasuke-chan," Yahiko sighed, looking down at the baby staring up at him, "It's just old memories." Sasuke blinked, clearly not understanding.
"Ya'ko?" Sasuke blinked. Yahiko sighed, and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"Sasuke, just promise me something, okay?" Yahiko began, "Promise me you won't ever say 'gozaru' in front of your father."
"'Kay!" the baby cheerfully agreed. Yahiko smiled. Well, that was one problem solved. Sasuke was such an obedient child, unlike some little red-haired boys he could name…
"Yahiko?" a voice called. Ah, speak of the devil. The shoji slid open to reveal Kenji and Chizuru.
"Hmm?" the spiky-haired man asked, raising an eyebrow at the couple.
"I have something I want to tell you, and Sasuke too," Kenji began, looking a bit nervous.
"Actually, we have something to tell you," Chizuru piped up, interrupting her husband.
"Well, what is it?" Yahiko asked, a slight edge to his voice. They were up to something.
"Well, Chizuru went to Aunt Megumi a few days ago, and -" Kenji began.
"And I was there because I kept getting sick, especially in the morning -" Chizuru interrupted.
"So Aunt Megumi checked Chizuru out -" Kenji continued.
"And she discovered I was fine -"
"Except for one thing -"
"And that was -"
"That Chizuru-chan was -"
"Pregnant!" they finished together.
"WHAT?!" Yahiko yelped, as the two finished their interesting dialogue. The couple smiled at the shocked man.
"That's right, Yahiko," Chizuru said with a smile, "I'm pregnant. Sasuke is going to have a little brother or sister."
"Whoa," Yahiko said, awe-struck, "Tsubame and I didn't have any kids until we were married for at least a year! And now, five years later, we still only have one! Damn, Kenji, but you're a fast one!"
"Yahiko!" Kenji yelped, reddening slightly. Yahiko smirked.
"It's true!" the older man pointed out.
"Tousan?" Sasuke questioned, pulling on the leg of Kenji's hakama. Kenji grinned, and picked up his son.
"Do understand what we're saying, Sasuke-chan?" Kenji asked, grinning at the child, "Kaa-san is going to have a baby!"
"Baby," Sasuke repeated, sounding kind of awed.
"That's right," Kenji said, still smiling, "You're going to be a big brother. You're going to have to take care of the baby, okay?"
"Kay!" Sasuke chirped, smiling cutely. Kenji laughed and ruffled Sasuke's midnight-black hair.
"I suppose you guys are going to go out and tell Sanosuke, right? I'm assuming Megumi already knows," Yahiko said. Kenji and Chizuru nodded. Two years ago, after Kenshin and Kaoru's deaths, Sanosuke had returned to Japan. One reason why he returned was because the government was no longer chasing him. A bigger reason why he had returned was out of respect for his two dead friends. But the most important reason why Sanosuke had returned was because he wanted to settle down with Megumi. It wasn't long after the ex-gangster had returned, when he and the fox-doctor finally got married.
"Do you want me to watch Sasuke while you two are out?" Yahiko asked. Kenji shook his head.
"It's alright. We'll take him with us," Kenji said, waving the question aside.
"Did you hear that, Sasuke-chan?" Yahiko asked the chubby child in Kenji's arms, "You're going to see your Uncle Sano!"
"Sano! Sano!" Sasuke chirped.
"See, koishii, Sasuke isn't obsessed with me," Kenji pointed out to his wife, "He likes Sanosuke-san better."
"It's the rooster hair," Yahiko and Chizuru sighed at the same time. Kenji laughed.
***
Back with Kaoru and Shingami
"Alright, it seems everything is set!" Shingami told Kaoru cheerfully.
"I hope everything will turn out alright," Kaoru murmured.
"Of course it will, Kaoru-san," Shingami said with a bright smile, "This is Kenshin-san we're talking about. He can take care of himself."
"In a sword-fight, maybe," Kaoru began, "But this is different, Shin-chan."
"True," Shingami agreed, "But I think he'll do just fine. Anyway, we have to believe in him."
"I've always believed in him," Kaoru said with a small smile, "He'll make it. He'll make Kenji understand."
"And maybe win back a piece of his soul in the process, ne?" Shingami added.
Author-chan's notes: And so, Chapter 3 is finished! YAY! And yes, I know that those conversations with Kaoru and Shingami were pretty vague, but everything will be cleared up in the next couple of chapters. Can anyone guess what happened to Kenshin? Personally, I think it's pretty easy to guess what happened; I'm so see through. Please stay tuned for the next chapter!
If you notice, Shingami has all sorts of violent mood swings. *winces* I hope no one is bothered by this. Originally he didn't have such sudden mood shifts, but it just came out that way. *sighs* Oh well. I still like him despite his flaws. I'll build up on his character soon enough.
I hope everyone is fine with how I'm portraying Kenji. I never liked him being a bratty little kid, cause I just couldn't see him that way. Kaoru and Kenshin would have raised him better than that. I always pictured him feeling left out, and kind of lonely; a boy wanting to know his father, but not being able to. But, since Kenji older in this story and has a family of his own, I pictured him as a family man --the family man that Kenshin should have been and wanted to be.
Please R+R!!!