A/N: Written for the LiveJournnal Community, fanfic_bakoff. Just a reminder that the community restricts entries to 100-300 words, so chapters in this collection will be short. This drabble directly follows "Just Wait" in the timeline.
Summary: Kaoru gets away for a few hours, leaving Kenshin alone with Kenji.
Home Alone
He'd bounced.
He'd swayed.
He'd sung… still Kenji wailed, inconsolable.
Himura Kenshin, former hitokiri – the man who'd defended Japan against the likes for Makoto Shishio – was being slowly defeated by a three-month old.
"Baka! Time to prove to Kaoru she's not the only one who can handle him!"
Kenshin went over a mental checklist of what could be bothering the boy, but came up empty-handed. Kaoru had fed him before leaving. Kenshin had bathed and changed him, but when they'd gone to lie down for a nap, the screaming had begun.
Now, nearly an hour later and nowhere near sleep, Kenji still howled and Kenshin feared the reprimand his wife would give him if the baby didn't sleep.
Desperate, Kenshin decided to change tactics. It probably wouldn't work, but Kenshin was willing to try anything. Shifting his grip, he held Kenji out at arms length.
"Kenji, your Okaa-san will be mad at us both if you don't take your nap. Is that what you want?"
Immediately, the wailing ceased; Kenji blinked at his father with wide, sapphire eyes. The two males stared at each other for a full minute before Kenji answered with a huge yawn.
"I didn't think so," Kenshin replied, gathering his son close once again.
xxx
The sun was setting when Kaoru pushed open the gate, smirking as she registered the state of the compound's yard. Clearly, Kenshin and Kenji had done battle here.
Moving stealthily through the house, she saw the shoji of her bedroom opened slightly. Peering in, Kaoru couldn't help the smile that blossomed. Father and son lay passed out on the futon, the baby's chubby fingers caught in his father's flaming hair.
Deciding to let her boys sleep, Kaoru quietly closed the screen once more, tip-toeing away to pick up the mess they'd left.
A/N: This drabble, at 300 words exactly, was written for the prompt, Catch. Originally posted February 6, 2010.