Author-chan's notes: HIYA, EVERYONE!!!!!! A-chan is back with a new chapter! (I'm so proud! *sniffles*)
Anyway, again I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my fic. To Maeve Riannon and JML, thank you for pointing out my mistake about Kenji and his knowledge of Hiten Mitsurugi. According to Maeve Riannon and JML, Kenji does know some moves of the style, namely Sou Ryu Sen (he's seen doing it during his practice sessions) and Ryu Tsui Sen (seen during his fight with Yahiko). Anyway, I'm sorry for my mistake. I haven't seen the OAV in a while (I'm scared to do so. I don't want to see Kenshin-chan die again! *sobs*). Maybe I ought to watch it again some time. (But A-chan is scared! Ken-chan don't die!!! *sobs again until her sensible side whaps her over the head*) The point is, Kenji doesn't know most of Hiten Mitsurugi and hasn't been taught how to read ki. The not being able to read ki part is very important.
Also, a quick note to kat, who asked why Kaoru is calling Kenshin Shinta. Heheheh, actually I've been waiting for someone to ask this question. In the OAV, Kenshin tells Kaoru to call him Shinta, his original name, once he got back home to the dojo from China. He tells her to do that because since he was no longer a swordsman he no longer needed the name Kenshin, which is a swordsman's name.
Thanks again everyone, and now on with the fic!
Like Father Like Son
(Chapter Six: Baby)
Back with Kaoru and Shinigami
"Did you find anything yet, Kaoru-san?" Shinigami called to the raven-haired ghost. Kaoru and Shinigami were currently in the Spirit World looking through the vast library there in search of loopholes for the spells on Kenshin. So far their search did not bear much fruit.
"I think I found something here," Kaoru answered, trotting over to reach him. In her hand was a slim volume bound in aged and cracking leather.
"I'm sorry to say this Kaoru-san, but that doesn't look like much," Shinigami said, eyeing the thin book critically.
"Well, it's better than nothing," Kaoru snapped.
"True, true," Shinigami nodded, sweat dropping slightly at the ghost's tone.
"Did you find anything, Shin-chan?" Kaoru asked. Shinigami shook his head.
"Nothing much," Shinigami admitted with a sigh, "What I did find was so useless! Kenshin-san would do better off as he is now than if we tried any of the 'remedies' in this book!" To emphasize his point, Shinigami threw down a fat heavy-looking book down on the floor in disgust. Kaoru couldn't help but marvel at the tiny kami's strength. She could tell by the size and the loud thump that the book made that she would have had a hard time trying to pick that tome up, let alone carry it about as Shinigami had been doing earlier.
"Baka book," Shinigami sneered, glaring at the manuscript. Kaoru blinked slightly. Was it just her imagination or were her companion's eyes completely golden now instead of their usual green and gold mix?
"DIE!!!" Shinigami snarled suddenly, causing Kaoru to step back a few paces. The air around the green clad kami seemed to spark and gain a malevolent feel to it. The short little being seemed to radiate power and anger as he held up a hand and made exotic looking gestures at the thick book on the ground. Kaoru couldn't help but give off a little shriek as the tome on the floor burst into flames.
'T-that's just scary!' Kaoru thought to herself, her blue eyes wide, 'Shin-chan sure can be vicious when he wants to.' In some distant corner of the ghost's mind, she compared the sight before her to one she had seen years before. Those angry amber eyes seemed so familiar…But the comparison was swept out of her mind as Shinigami began speaking again.
"K-Kaoru-san?" Shinigami squeaked, coming closer to the blue-eyed ghost, "Are you alright?" Kaoru blinked a few times and shook her head to clear it. Looking into the kami's eyes Kaoru was relived to see they were back to their usual green and gold fusion. Perhaps it had just been her imagination…
"I'm fine," Kaoru murmured weakly, "Just don't scare me like that again."
"Gomen," Shinigami apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I got carried away."
"Don't worry about it," Kaoru laughed, making her way towards the portal that connected the Spirit World with the Land of the Living with the slim volume she had found tucked under her arm, "Come on, let's go. We need to show Shinta the loopholes I found!"
"Matte, Kaoru-san!" Shinigami yelped, trying to catch up with her, "I have shorter legs than you!"
The two ran off, not paying attention to anything else. Behind them lay the ashy remains of the fat book that Shinigami had incinerated. Kaoru had no idea, but the volume that lay smoking on the ground was the same book that Shinigami had found the spell that had turned Japan's most feared swordsman into a helpless child…
***
Back with Sano and Yahiko
"Bad influence?!" Sanosuke yelled to the empty air, "We aren't bad influences!" Yahiko and Sano were in the main part of the dojo, in the same spot they had been ever since Kenji had left with Sasuke to check up on Chizuru. The ex-gangster was still a bit irritated at Kenji's description of the two older fighters. If Sano and Yahiko were bad influences, then Kenji was as well.
"We aren't bad influences, but you most definitely are," Yahiko told the former fighter-for-hire with a weary sigh, pointedly ignoring the rooster-head's angry glare, "I wonder what the new baby looks like? Maybe he'll look like a little twin of Sasuke's."
"Maybe," Sano shrugged, sitting down against the wall and chewing on his infamous fish bone. Silence hung between the two friends for a while.
"Do you think they're watching?" Yahiko asked suddenly, his brown eyes dark with thoughts and memories.
"Who?" Sano asked, clueless.
"Kaoru and Kenshin, of course!" Yahiko snapped, hitting the ex-gangster on his rooster head with his bokken.
"Itai!" Sano hissed, rubbing his sore head, "What did you do that for?"
"For being a baka," Yahiko growled, "Well? Do you think they're watching us? I mean, they should, especially since they now have two grandkids."
"Who knows," Sano shrugged, "I just hope the two of them are finally happy. They deserve a little happiness." Sano sighed, and ran a hand through his spiky locks.
"Something the matter, tori-atama?" Yahiko asked, seeing the distant look on his friend's face.
"I was just thinking of when I found Kenshin back on the mainland," Sano replied, his eyes becoming even more distant as he recalled the painful memory, "He was a wreck back then. If it wasn't for his hair and his scar I would have sworn it was someone else I had met back there. You should have seen his eyes, Yahiko! I never want to see a man's eyes like that again. Never. It was like he had already died, they were so blank. He barely recognized me! But, but somehow even though his memory was all but gone and his body was three-fourths dead, Kenshin still had that desire to go home and see Jou-chan again. I think that was Kenshin's bravest moment, more so than when he fought Shishio or Enishi. He could have died, Yahiko, but instead he wanted to live, to see her one last time." Sano put a hand to his face as if to block out the painful memory. Yahiko was stunned. It was rare that Sano spoke so seriously.
"Kaoru was like that too, yet not exactly," Yahiko whispered, ready to tell his part of the story, "Only she didn't struggle to live. After Kenshin's death, she struggled to die. Now don't get me wrong. She didn't try to commit seppuku or anything like that. She just didn't try to get better. You won't believe how badly she wanted to see Kenshin again. Kaoru would always ask for fresh sakura blossoms each day. I guess they reminded her of Kenshin. You do know he died in the cherry blossom grove by the dojo, right?"
"I didn't," Sano answered, kind of surprised.
"Yeah," Yahiko nodded, "After we cremated Kenshin's body, we buried the ashes there, at the exact spot where he had died. Don't try looking for a marker, you won't find one. Kenshin always did just want a peaceful life where he was able to slip away into history without being noticed and just be a normal citizen. Besides, I don't want any idiot grave-robber with a grudge against Battousai to come and dig up Kenshin's grave."
"What about Jou-chan's ashes?" Sano asked.
"Where else?" Yahiko asked, "Right next to the man she loved."
"Aa," Sano nodded, looking into the distance. Closing his eyes, the ex-gangster was able to remember the past with such clarity. Kaoru was teaching/yelling at a ten-year-old Yahiko, Kenshin was washing the laundry with a smile as he watched the pair squabble between themselves, and he, Sagara Sanosuke, was lounging about as the foxy-doctor Megumi berated him on gambling again. Those days had been happy ones, and none of the Kenshin-Gumi had any idea of what was to come in their near future. Sano opened his eyes and stretched a bit, wincing as he heard a few bones pop. He never thought he was going to muse about this, but Sanosuke realized he was getting older.
"Kuso," Sano muttered under his breath as he stood up.
"Where are you going?" Yahiko asked, the dark tension of the room seeming to evaporate a bit.
"Where else?" Sano replied with a shrug, "I'm going to go get something to eat. Can you believe Kenji is going to make us wait to see the new baby? It's not fair that my wife gets to see the kid before I do. What makes the kitsune so special?"
"Maybe it's because she's a doctor?" Yahiko said, his voice full of sarcasm. In a distant part of both fighters' minds they realized that the mood of the room, which had previously been gloomy, began to lighten up again.
"Very funny, Yahiko-chan," Sano grumbled, "Are you going get something to eat too or not?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
***
Back with Shinigami and Kaoru
"Kaoru-san, MATTE!!!" Shinigami yelled, trying to keep up with Kaoru's longer legs. Kaoru, finally heeding his pleas, stopped and turned around, waiting for him to catch up. When Shinigami reached her, he fell to the ground, looking exhausted.
"Gomen, Shin-chan," Kaoru apologized, a slight gleam of mischief still in her eyes, "Was I going too fast?"
"YES!" Shinigami wailed childishly. Kaoru laughed slightly at his tone. Shinigami sent her a mock glare. The tiny kami wasn't really angry and it showed.
"Do you want to rest for a bit?" Kaoru asked, "We're almost back to the dojo."
"Let's rest," Shinigami suggested, "My legs hurt."
"Somehow, I doubt that," Kaoru mused, her eyes narrowing, "And I have a feeling that you probably could have kept up with me if you wanted to."
"Why do you say that, Kaoru-san?" Shinigami asked, looking like the perfect picture of innocence.
"You're not breathing hard," Kaoru stated bluntly, "And you're not sweating, even though your expression looks tired." Shinigami laughed slightly at her observations.
"Kaoru-san," Shinigami began, a small grin on his face, "I'm not human. What makes you think I would have human reactions?"
"Oh," Kaoru blinked, smacking herself mentally for being so stupid.
"Since we're going to rest a bit," Shinigami began, not paying attention to Kaoru's berating of herself, "can I see the book you found, Kaoru-san?"
"Alright," Kaoru agreed, handing the object over. Shinigami quickly skimmed through the contents, a small frown starting to form on his face.
"Most of this stuff I've already told you and Kenshin-san," Shinigami observed, "Kenshin-san can only talk and act normally around people who know who he is. Wait a second! Here's something interesting!"
"What?" Kaoru asked, excited.
"It seems that Kenshin-san act like himself around people who didn't know him at all in his past life," Shinigami began, reading the page again, "That means he can still use all his weird catch phrases and sword techniques around strangers! But if someone who can recognize him as being Himura Kenshin back from the dead came within hearing or seeing distance, all those restraining spells on Kenshin-san would come back in full effect."
"That's not very helpful, Shin-chan," Kaoru sighed, "We want Kenji to find out about Shinta, not some stranger."
"Still, this might be helpful later," Shinigami pointed out.
"Anything else, Shin-chan?" Kaoru asked, trying not to let her impatience show.
"Just one more," Shinigami replied, "The rest of the book isn't helpful. It says here that if someone was to say a certain catch phrase or perform a certain technique in front of Kenshin-san that he knew before he died, then he can use it too and say he learned it from watching or hearing that other person."
"I suppose that's a bit better," Kaoru sighed, "But are you sure there's no way to remove the spells restricting my husband's speech patterns and movements?"
"If there is a way to lift the spells, it's not in this book," Shinigami shrugged, closing the book with a snap, "But I'm sure the answer is out there somewhere, and if we don't find it, then Kenshin-san will." Kaoru nodded in understanding.
"Are you ready to go now?" Kaoru asked.
"Hai!" Shinigami answered, dusting off imaginary dust from his hakama, "But let me do something first." Closing his eyes, the child-like kami muttered a few words under his breath, obviously a spell.
"What did you do?" Kaoru asked.
"Compulsion spell," Shinigami replied, "I put it on Kenji-san. Don't worry, Kaoru-san, it won't hurt him. Your son will just discover he has the unexplainable desire to say a tiny little word more often then he used to…"
***
Back inside the room with Chizuru and Kenshin
"You're so tiny!" Chizuru murmured, stroking her baby's fuzzy red head, "You're much smaller than Sasuke was when he was born." The day-old child wiggled a bit in reply, opening his violet eyes briefly before going back to sleep. Chizuru smiled. What an adorable child. Ever since she had finished feeding the baby and he had gone to sleep, Chizuru had spent the time admiring the child. While Sasuke had her hair and eyes (or perhaps they were Kenji's eyes. It was hard to tell), the new baby had none of her features. The red hair, pale skin, and small frame were all traits of her husband. However, the baby's beautiful violet eyes belonged to neither one of his parents, and Chizuru was curious about where they came from. She supposed that one of Kenji's parents had violet eyes, since she knew that no one in her family had eyes of that shade.
"Chizuru?" a gentle voice from the doorway called, interrupting her thoughts. The young woman looked up to see her husband and older son there.
"The baby just went to sleep," Chizuru whispered, "Keep your voice down or else you'll wake him."
"Hai," Kenji and Sasuke replied, as Kenji swiftly walked over to Chizuru. Kenji gracefully sat down next to his wife with Sasuke in his arms.
"Baby," Sasuke said in an awed whisper. The one-year-old reached out with a chubby little hand to touch the little bundle in his mother's arms. The red-haired baby stirred a bit, but did not wake.
"What are we going to name him?" Chizuru asked. Kenji and Sasuke looked at her with confused eyes.
"We never thought of a name, did we?" Kenji realized, smacking himself mentally for not thinking about a name sooner.
"Now is a good time to start," Chizuru said with a smile, "Any suggestions?"
"I don't know," Kenji sighed.
"What about naming him after you, anata?" Chizuru suggested, "He looks so much like you."
"He looks more like my father than me," Kenji told her with a sigh, "Besides, don't you think everyone would get confused if there are two Kenjis running about?"
"True," Chizuru laughed, "What was your father's name?"
"Himura Kenshin," Kenji answered, "Why?"
"Kenshin," Chizuru murmured thoughtfully, "Heart of sword. How appropriate for a swordsman."
"Oro?" Kenji blinked at his wife.
"'Oro'?" Chizuru repeated, "Where did that come from?"
"It's something my father used to say a lot," Kenji answered, a slightly confused expression on his features, "I have no idea why I said it just then. I just had a weird feeling that I should."
"Well, it's a cute sound. You should say it more often," Chizuru said, "It suits you."
"Oro?!" Kenji squeaked indignantly. Chizuru laughed.
"Kenshin," Chizuru murmured again, looking thoughtfully at her younger son, "Do you think your father would mind if his grandson had his name?"
"We're not going to name him Kenshin," Kenji growled, his blue eyes getting a steely look to them.
"Tousan?" Sasuke questioned, surprised at the coldness in his father's voice.
"If you say so Kenji," Chizuru blinked, also surprised by Kenji's tone, but deciding it best not to press the issue.
"Gomen, koishii," Kenji sighed, running a pale hand through his hair, "It's just that, ever since I was a child, I would be compared to my father. I don't want this little one to share the same fate. He looks more like Tou-san than I do."
"I'm guessing your father had violet eyes as well," Chizuru commented.
"Hai," Kenji nodded, "Though Kaa-san once told me Tou-san eyes used to change color when he was angry." There was a lull in the conversation.
"So any more ideas on names?" Chizuru asked. To her surprise it wasn't her husband, but Sasuke who answered.
"Ken-nii!" Sasuke suggested with a wide grin. Chizuru and Kenji blinked at their dark-haired son.
"'Big brother Ken'?" Kenji repeated slowly. Chizuru laughed softly.
"He's not your big brother, Sasuke-chan," Chizuru said gently, "He's your younger brother. It should be Ken-otouto, not Ken-nii."
"Ken-nii-chan," said Sasuke with more force this time. Chizuru shook her head at her elder son's stubbornness.
"What about Kenichi?" Kenji suggested, "That way Sasuke-chan can still shorten it to 'Ken-nii'. It could be a nickname."
"Kenichi," Chizuru said slowly and thoughtfully, "I like it."
"Himura Kenichi," Kenji smiled, "What do you think, Sasuke-chan? Do you like it?"
"Ken-nii! Ken-nii!" Sasuke chirped, nodding his approval.
"Kenichi it is then," Kenji laughed.
***
Back with Yahiko and Sanosuke
"They named their kid Kenichi?" Sano whispered to Yahiko, "Is it just me, or do I see some sort of pattern going on here?" Yahiko shrugged in reply. The two of them were crouched outside of Chizuru and Kenji's room, peaking at the small family through a crack in the shoji. At their sides was a pair of dishes full of food that they had pilfered from the Himura kitchen. Sano, way too curious over the new baby to wait, had convinced Yahiko that they should go to the room anyway, and spy on the Himura family as well as the new addition.
"The baby's cute," Yahiko commented, making sure his voice was low. He turned his head a bit to get a better look at the baby, "He looks just like Kenji when he was born, red hair and all."
"Weren't you listening, Yahiko-chan?" Sano scoffed quietly, "The kid's got violet eyes, just like Kenshin. We don't have a mini-Kenji on our hands, we've got a mini-Kenshin."
"Only in looks," Yahiko reminded him quietly, "We have no idea what Kenichi's personality is going to be like."
"True, but I know one thing is for certain," Sano said with a reckless grin.
"And what is that, Tori-atama?" Yahiko asked, almost scared of the answer.
"Things won't be dull around here with Kenichi around," Sano replied, "I mean with a kid that looks that much like Kenshin, what else but adventure will follow?"
"Baka!" Yahiko growled, "Is fighting all you care about? The kid is barely a day old, and you're already thinking about dragging him into some wild stunt of yours! You planned the same thing when Sasuke was born!"
"Hey!" Sano hissed indignantly, "They're Kenshin's grandsons. Their bound to get into trouble sooner or later. I mean, Kenji got in a lot of messes, didn't he?"
"Boy did he ever," Yahiko grumbled under his breath.
Author-chan's notes: Short chapter, but that's okay, I'm building up to the good stuff later. So, Kenshin has a new name now. How many names does he have?! Let's see. There's Shinta, that's one. There's Kenshin, that's two. There's baka deshi, that's three. There's Himura, that's four. There's Battousai, that's five. There's Rurouni, that's six. And now Kenichi, that's seven. *whistles* That's a lot! And then we have to add in all the nicknames all us RK fans use such as Ken-chan and Oro-chan, and all those pet names Kaoru probably gave him such as anata and what not.
Anyway, what to look for next: A little midnight talk (a midnight rant really) and maybe some fun time in the life of Baby Kenichi! (Darn it, but I'm itching for Kenshin to grow up a bit. I've got some interesting stuff planned once he hits five or so!)
Please R+R!