Epilogue

...Spring...

"Will it rain, today, do you think?" Kaoru was wrestling an uncooperative Kenji into his small white clothes with an air of panic. Kenshin blinked, pausing as he tied his hakama.

"...Yes, Kaoru, I think it will rain today. It is spring." The look she gave him could have singed his eyebrows.

He relented, laughing gently, kneeling to help her dress their son. "His clothing is very nice, that it is. No puckers in the seams at all." He smiled; the baby's clothes were exquisite, the finest sewing he had ever seen her do.

She blew an exasperated breath, fluffing her bangs out of her eyes. "I just want to it be perfect."

"It is already perfect, that it is." His gaze traveled over her flushed cheeks, her pink lips, and her bright eyes.

After due consideration, they had decided to combine two ceremonies, the First Shrine Visit and the First Meal, into one big party. It had allowed Kaoru time to recover, it had allowed the unusually cold winter weather to fade, and it had allowed their entire extended family to return and gather as one for the brief house party. Even Hiko had shown up; Kenshin had broken a dish when he tripped onto his face at his master's appearance two days ago.

"Can you believe it has already been one hundred days?" She stroked the baby's face, smiling wistfully. Kenshin held her close, and looked at the baby as little Kenji babbled and jerked tiny limbs excitedly.

"Yes, I can believe it," his voice was quiet. "And I'd like another ten thousand days just like this one."


Author's notes

So do I believe that Kenshin and Kaoru would only have one child? No. No, like most starry-eyed fangirls I like to think they'd have a houseful of little sweet-eyed red-haired munchkins. Kaoru is ever sensitive to his needs, though, his real needs, and I think that she would give him a nice long break between babies if the birth of the first had been traumatic. After all, she's like, what, 19 or 20 in this story? She's got the time to wait.

A nice reason for there to be a four year old only child in the epilogue of the Manga, huh?

As the mother of three children, I can attest from personal experience that as your first child grows up and becomes a not-baby, you start to long for chubby hands and toothless smiles and milky kisses. Kenshin would give in eventually, I think, with Kaoru's (and his own) desire for another baby and Megumi's assurances that Kaoru would be in minimal danger.

So now I just gotta figure out what to write next...

See you next story! Thanks to all of my kind reviewers, you're all wonderful. :)