Reliving the Teens
Ch 6
Hello everyone! Sry it took so long... but multiple things came up. Hee hee. I know that you want to know but I won't let you know. Did anyone get that? Have fun reading this! Please review!
Kaoru woke up earlier then Kenshin, which was highly unusual, still disturbed by the early morning's events. She went out to the dojo, changed into her training gi and hakama and began practicing to work off her nerves.
Yahiko found her still in there a few hours later, sitting and breathing heavily, against the wall still holding her bokken. He tiptoed over to her, peered down curiously into her face, then stepped back and shouted, "Wake up buso! You're supposed to be making breakfast, not sleeping!"
The girl jumped and her eyes snapped open. She stared, then stood up and gestured with her bokken at him, "Listen runt, why are you telling me to make breakfast when you always complain and whine when I do?"
Yahiko scowled, "Just make it okay? I'm hungry." The boy looked around, "Where's Kenshin? He's always up by now."
Kaoru sighed. "Something happened last night with Kenshin that I need to tell you and Sano about. Where is the rooster?" Yahiko looked surprised, "He's coming later, probably with the fox," he followed Kaoru into the kitchen. "What did you mean about Kenshin? What happened?"
"Not yet, I'm start-" Kaoru began telling him.
"Hey! Anyone home, I'm starving!" Sano's voice echoed as he walked into the dojo. Kaoru scowled, "We're in here rooster, keep your voice down. Kenshin's still sleeping." As she finished, the rooster showed up on the kitchen doorway.
"Kenshin's sleeping? He's usually up by now." Sano observed smartly, taking a banana and sat down to begin eating. "He had nightmares last night." Kaoru explained, causing Yahiko and Sano to stare at her.
"Nightmares?"
Kaoru nodded. "He kept apologizing about something, then apologized to his mother about how he 'turned out.'" She frowned. "That's when he woke up."
"Is anyone home? Kaoru? Yahiko?" An older voice asked from the yard, followed by childish laughter.
"Dr Genzai?" Yahiko asked standing. He and Sano ran out into the yard, followed later by Kaoru who had to stop her cooking. In the yard stood the elder Dr Genzai, with his granddaughters Ayame and Suzume clutching at his pant legs, the elder one talking continuously.
The three visitors looked up as the awake dojo residents stopped in the yard. Ayame and Suzume shrieked with delight and ran at Kaoru.
"Auntie Kao! Auntie Kao!" They shouted as they hugged her legs and any other part of her they could reach. Kaoru laughed and kneeled down to their level. "Hi there!" She greeted, giving into their embraces.
"They missed you Kaoru." Dr Genzai smiled as he watched his granddaughters nearly tackle the girl to the ground, laughing.
"What's all the noise about?" Kenshin asked tiredly as he walked out of the dojo while rubbing his eyes. Ayame and Suzume scrambled off of Kaoru and ran at the redhead, immediately latching themselves onto him. "Uncle Ken! Uncle Ken!" They shouted happily, causing Kenshin to stare wide-eyed at them for several minutes, then smiled in a friendly manner.
"Hi there," he greeted, leaning down to ruffle both of their hair. "How are you two?" Ayame responded happily, "Uncle Ken! Grandpa said he was coming to visit you guys here and we decided to come too!" "Come too!" Suzume repeated, bouncing on her heels.
"Ayame, Suzume don't bother Himura too much." Dr Genzai warned, winking at Kenshin. "It seems that he just woke up."
Kenshin rubbed his head, his hand snagging on a few knots in his hair. "That is true, I wasn't expecting guests."
Ayame pulled on the red heads hand. "Play with us Uncle Ken, play with us," her little sister copied the gesture, "Play with us!" Kaoru stepped in, "I'm not sure that's a very good idea." When the girls turned to her with wide, pleading eyes, she relented, "Kenshin hasn't had breakfast yet."
"None of us have had breakfast yet." Sano pointed out hungrily, causing Kaoru to glare at him. "Who's going to make it?" Yahiko asked, looking around.
"It's alright, I'll play with the girls while Kaoru makes breakfast." When Kaoru turned surprised to look at him, while Yahiko and Sano gave him 'are you kidding me?' looks, the redhead added, "Kaoru's cooking isn't nearly as bad as Shishou's."
Dr Genzai laughed. "I should meet this Shishou of yours one day Himura, he sounds like an interesting man." Sano rolled his eyes, "Interesting is one word for it."
"Uncle Ke-en!" Ayame whined, pulling at his hand again. "I wanna play!" The girl's sister echoed her. "Play, play!"
The redhead nodded. "Alright, what do you want to play?" When they looked confused he named off a few, "ring around, duck duck, tag," he stopped when Ayame shook her head, "No! We wanna play Horsie!" "Yeah, Horsie!"
Kenshin grimaced, "Uncle Ken's back isn't up to that I'm afraid. I know, what about a new game?" Suzume nodded. "New?"
Kaoru smiled as she watched the fourteen year old play and talk with the girls. "I never knew he was so good with children." She commented. "Although he has always had fun with Ayame and Suzume."
"Surprising that a man without a childhood is good with children." Dr Genzai commented, causing Yahiko to turn and stare at him. "What makes you think he didn't?"
"A man who, at the age of 13, can become a hitokiri would not be the kind who would have had a childhood." Dr Genzai explained, causing Kaoru to hiss at him. "It's true."
Sano shook his head. "Not for Kenshin."
Meanwhile the redhead had sat down in the yard, forming a small, triangular circular with the girls. "Kaoru, Sano, Yahiko, Dr Genzai if you want to join in, you're surely welcome to," he called, then turned back to hush the chattering girls.
"I'll join you." Kaoru announced, walking over to and sitting down next to Ayame who moved politely away. "Me too." Sano said, joining as well. Kenshin looked up when the rooster sat down. "Aren't you a little too old for kid games?"
Sano scowled. "Jou-chan's around my age, why don't you tell her off?" The redhead smiled. "Because women will always be little girls at heart."
"Uncle Ke-en!" Suzume whined, pulling on Kenshin's sleeve. "Teach, teach!"
The redhead hushed her with a finger to his lips. "Shhh Suzume, we'll start. Now put your hand under mine. Yep that's it," he turned to Ayame who smiled at him. "Ayame, put yours on top of mine, mm hmm, then your other hand under Kaoru's and so on around the circle."
His fellow game-players exchanged looks, except for the two young girls, but did as he had said. "Alright then, now part of the game is lightly touching, but not slapping each others hands. Like this," Kenshin swung his arm so his hand landed on top of Ayame's, then he gently moved her arm so the three year olds landed on Kaoru's. "Everyone get it?"
"Mm hmm." Kaoru nodded and Ayame and Suzume gave a chorus of 'yeps!'
Kenshin smiled, "Okay we're almost done. Now there's a song that goes along with the game, but you don't have to worry about it. Last thing is that in the song we count to ten, and on ten you don't want your hand to be slapped, so you yank it away."
"Kenshin, I think we should start before this game gets even more complicated." She pleaded, waving his hand in the air.
"Hey, spiky hair guy, put your hands back!" Suzume protested, glaring at him. Sano growled and did indeed replace his hands.
"Never argue with a three year old, rooster." Kaoru advised the nineteen year old who stuck his tongue out at her. "Real mature Sano."
"Can we start now?" Kenshin asked mock-impatiently. His friends glanced up at him and blushed. "Yeah, sorry." Sano apologized, making Kaoru roll her eyes.
There was a knock at the gate and Yahiko turned to answer it but Kaoru leapt up and ran ahead of him. "I'll get it." She told Yahiko as the kendo instructor neared the gate and opened it.
When Kaoru saw who their visitor was, she scowled. "What do you want, wolf?" Saito smirked at her and drew on his cigarette.
"It's nice to see you too tanuki," he greeted, causing Kaoru to scowl and glare. "Answer my question Saito." Kaoru demanded, hands on her hips.
Saito slightly shifted his grip on the sword he was carrying. "You don't have to shout tanuki, I can hear you perfectly well. I'm here to see the Battousai, I want to talk to him."
Kaoru frowned, this would be the absolutely worst time for Kenshin to see Saito, especially since the fourteen year old version of Kenshin didn't know the wolf wasn't an enemy, you never knew with the wolf.
"You can't Saito, now will you leave on your own or will I have to drag you away from my dojo!"
The wolf just chuckled mockingly, threw his cigarette onto the ground and grinded it into the dirt with his shoe. "I need to see him tanuki, go fetch."
Kaoru growled slightly at him, "Listen wolf, I told you already, Kenshins busy," she stepped forward until she was nearly eye to eye with wolf, except by standing on her tiptoes, "come back tomorrow Saito."
The wolf continued the glaring contest until he chuckled and turned partially away from her, lighting up another cigarette.
"Those things are going to kill you, you know." Kaoru commented knowledgably, folding her arms.
Saito laughed, "they haven't yet," he sighed, "Very well tanuki, I'll come back tomorrow. But Battousai had better see me tomorrow," he walked off, smoking his cigarette, down the road unconsciously twirling his sword. (;p)
Kaoru rolled her eyes and stepped back, shutting the gate. Yahiko looked up as she walked by and asked, "who was it?" She shook her head. "No one," her student looked doubtful and curious but didn't question her farther. Kaoru walked over to where Kenshin and Ayame were finally finishing their game, it seemed Sano and Suzumi had lost in earlier rounds.
The two players were seated facing each other, the redhead singing the song while they clapped their hands together. Just as Kenshin counted to ten Ayame moved her hands away from his, causing the redhead to hang his head in defeat. The five year old looked worriedly at him and slowly moved towards him.
"Uncle Ken?" She questioned, gently brushing his hair away from his face to reveal the smiling fourteen year old. "You win." Kenshin announced, raising his head.
"Yay! I won, I won, I won!" Ayame shouted, clapping her hands together. Kenshin smiled and rose to his feet.
"Who was at the gate Kaoru?" He questioned as Ayame and Suzume danced in circles around him. She jumped and turned, "Huh?" Kenshin shook his head. "Never mind, I'll go start breakfast."
"Himura, you do know that you don't have to do everything around here. Kaoru should have a chance to improve her household skills." Dr Genzai interrupted, smiling slightly at the redhead.
Kaoru groaned, "why does everyone pick on me?" She saw Yahiko open his mouth to answer and shook her head. "Don't you dare?"
Yippe-yay! Well, what did y'all think? I know that everyone's waiting for Hiko to show up and he will... next chapter... I promise and yes I'm sure cause I already wrote it. But you'll have to wait... hee hee.
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