A/N: Egads, sorry for the late update! Tests are a pain in the rearside...especially when all the teachers throw them at you on the same day...Oh well, I finally got around to writing something other than theses and research papers. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

I don't own S7

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A deathly silence fell, blanketing the room with a suffocating air of tension. Sets of eyes peered maliciously at their prey, plotting their next move. Oh, it was a tricky one this time. It was the thrill of the hunt.

Their prey, calm despite the odds, stood stoically in the center. His red jacket was slightly askew while his blonde hair was a little disheveled. However, his expression remained neutral though his crimson tinted eyes quickly flicked back and forth analyzing the situation.

Kyuzo was surrounded. He was one while they were many. Though outnumbered, his determination did not waver. Any fear he felt, he kept skillfully hidden. The minute his enemy caught wind of any hints of anxiety, they would be merciless.

Never had the crimson samurai been placed in such a precarious situation. Kyuzo adjusted his stance so he could leap out of harm's way in an instant. The subtle movement caused the surrounding enemy to twitch in anticipation.

This would have to be played out carefully. One false step and it would be the end. Kyuzo ran through the multiple options playing each one out and weighing the consequences. No matter which way he looked at it, the situation was grim. Therefore, he decided on the least damaging option. At least, it was the least damaging physically. How his psyche would fare, well, that was left up to the imagination.

"I…concede."

In an instant, eight bodies flung themselves at Kyuzo screaming in their excitement. To struggle would be futile. He merely surrendered his being to let his enemy do as they wished.

"If you would have said that earlier, you could have avoided such…pitiful events, Kyuzo-dono."

The silent samurai stared at his companion who had given in long ago. Hyogo patiently endured the current mode of torture.

"There. Now you look all pretty!"

Three small girls were giggling like mad as they admired their handiwork. Hyogo's hair was now in multiple braids with ribbons and trinkets sticking in them. Other parts of his hair were pulled into little ponytails held in place by decorative hair ties.

Kyuzo was appalled at how easily his partner obeyed the commands of their tiny captors. At least, he had gone down with a fight. He made them work for what they wanted.

"Let's play house!"

"Nuh-uh! He's gonna play bandits with us!"

He was jerked back and forth as a set of female monsters pulled hard on his right arm while the male versions held fast to his left. Kyuzo remained lying on the floor since two little children decided he would make a comfortable chair. Regardless, Kyuzo had never experienced such trying situations.

And this is how the day continued to progress. The stoic samurai discovered that he would never win against the children. They would always inexplicably find a method to force him to succumb to their wishes.

If he was not trying to convince one that he was not at the square with his wife and baby, he was attempting to explain, in minimum words, why the numbers zero and eleven were not numbers within the given range of one to ten. Then, he had to explain that lemons are not orange, nor are they pink, and oranges were the color of, well, orange. Try explaining that one to a child six years of age. Kyuzo discovered that it does not go well.

"Good. They are finally asleep…Hmm, I thought the day would never end. How about you, Kyuzo-dono?…Kyuzo-dono…Hello?"

The blond samurai had a slightly dazed look in his eye as he stared blankly at the sleeping children. A faint twitch, one that seemed to develop over the course of the day, flickered under his weary eyes.

"Ah good, the other caretakers are here. Let us go."

Hyogo had to gently grab the edge of Kyuzo's sleeve to get him to start walking away. It was not until after the cool air brushed against his face did the silent samurai seem to regain his senses.

"Why…"

"The visiting nobles would expect their children to be well looked after during their stay. Our master wished us to be there in order to show his concern over their welfare."

"What about our welfare?"

"We are samurai."

Ah yes, that wonderful sentence that summarized the entirety of his life. How little did he know that, until this day, that it could be so difficult.

"Only you were needed."

There was a hint of accusation laced in Kyuzo's voice. His companion merely shrugged.

"Misery loves company, Kyuzo-dono. At least you had enough sense not to draw your katana on them."

"I should have."

"You don't mean that."

"…"

"Come now, you were once a child…Okay, perhaps not. Never mind…We are not needed for anything else. Just go to bed already."

Kyuzo needed no other to tell him such. As soon as he got into his room, he pulled off his jacket, and not bothering with anything else, flopped face first onto his bed.

He could not say, nor would he ever if it were true, that he was anything like the little banshees in that room today. Never had he dealt with so many children at once. One here, one there, nothing he could not handle or scare. No, these ones flocked to him, stalked him, and painfully pulled on him.

As he mulled through the events, a small ghost of a smile graced his features. Despite their tendency towards violence and their ever need of attention, the little devils had their moments.

Whether it was the way any little thing he did was the greatest thing in the world, or that they were still so innocent and naïve, he could not help the small tinge of enjoyment. For once, living beings, of their own volition, embraced him as if they had known him all their short lives.

Kyuzo remembered the way they trailed behind him, looking up at him with such open-eyed admiration and how, before they went to bed, each one hugged him soundly before lying in their beds.

He decided that he should not be involved, for any long period of time, with a child or anything resembling such. They were loud, impatient, and always thought they were right. However, they had their moments.

Kyuzo admitted that, yes, they were kind of sweet and even cute, but would he ever admit that aloud? No way in the layers of hell. Regardless, he was content with keeping it to himself. Something special like that was rare and he planned on cherishing it for as long as he could.

And nobody needs to know that either.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: The part, starting at the being seen with wife and child, are all actual events I went through...except the kid thought I was at the park with my husband and baby...No matter how many times I told the kid otherwise, that's what he thought...Mind you, I worked with these kindergardeners my senior year in high school...I don't even have nor want a boyfriend...let alone a husband...one day, yes...right now, no. Also, the whole color of the citrus and numbers was a wonderful experience. I didn't know whether I was sad or amused when the boy told me that lemons were orange...then I corrected him and then I asked him what color lemonade was...pink...of course little kids drink pink lemonade...No, I don't particularly care for spending long periods of time with children, but I admit that they have cute moments. And then, spending that period with them was worth it...So yes, wonderfully fluffy ending Kyuzo style.

Can you seriously imagine Kyuzo with a legion of kindergardeners? Yeah, roll through that one for a while. Whatever the case, I hope you all enjoyed!