Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ —¤: Boy meets dad :¤— ❯ Picture Perfect ( Chapter 14 )

 

 

- CHAPTER 14 -

 

Kenshin Himura, the Hitokiri Battoussai of the revolution, strongest of the Imperialists, formerly known as Shinta, son of a poor farmer turned slave before he became the 14th apprentice of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, can also now add “Cradle Robber” to his list of aliases.

 

Kenji-chan had conveniently failed to tell him, when he oh-so-wonderfully shared intimate details about the future with him, that his beloved mother was a mere baby when Kenshin was assassinating men twice his age! How can the boy tell me about specific and sometimes even trivial details but not the fact that I would become a pedophile in the future?

 

Okay, so maybe she's not really a baby baby…

 

But she was a mere child! She is so young!

 

The words `robbing the cradle' were never far from his mind as he tagged along with Koshijiro and Kenji, with little Kaoru in tow.

 

“My little Kaoru has always been interested in the Kasshin Style,” boasted Koshijiro as he showed them to their room. “She's taken up a bokken since she can hardly walk!”

 

Kenji nodded in agreement, seemingly sharing the pride Koshijiro had in his beloved daughter's skills at such a young age. The two looked like two proud papa bears as Koshijiro explained the finer points of the Kamiya Kasshin Style to the two swordsmen, and Kenji hung on to his every word.

 

The Battoussai could hardly maintain his composure, his hand itching to reach for his katana and hack his good-for-nothing son to pieces before he beat him into a bloody pulp. I mean, sure she's cute and all, but she's just a mere baby! Way too young for me now and probably way younger than me in the future! Kenshin silently fumed as he was stuck baby-sitting his young future wife. He couldn't believe his fate. If Kenji-chan knew that I was going to rob the cradle, he could've at least warned me. He figured it'd take him more than 10 years to get over this fact.

 

Would it really have changed anything? Asked a calm, reasonable voice inside his head. This is inevitable. Resistance is futile.

 

I refuse to accept the fact that I'm going to resort to taking advantage of young women in the future. I have committed enough sins to land me in Hell already.

 

But she's so cute and she's going to grow up someday. No one's telling you to marry her right now.

 

She's a mere baby!

 

But a cute baby!

 

But a baby still!

 

She's going to grow up into a beautiful woman someday, just look at her!

 

Wait… isn't my rurouni side supposed to show itself years from now? What are you doing inside my head right now?

 

There was a pointed silence, no more voices arguing inside his head for few seconds before that voice replied, almost as if it was embarrassed. Point taken, see you in a few years then, Battoussai!

 

Despite the voice's “leaving” him alone though, he followed its advice and dared to steal a quick look at the little girl who was walking beside him. Aw, she is cute! Especially with her little bokken, which she used to attack me with just a couple of minutes ago… At least he wasn't worried about some ugly, mystery sword-wielding amazon woman anymore.

 

……

 

Her trusty bokken still in hand, little Kaoru was extremely fascinated by the new visitors to the Kamiya Dojo. They both had pretty red hair, swords on their belts, and they almost even looked alike. In her opinion though, even though the one with an easy smile on his face and softer eyes seemed friendlier, she was more intrigued by the red one with the scar on his face. The nice man even caught her even after she hit him with her bokken earlier, and made sure to set her down gently back on the floor afterwards. Little fingers itched to touch the diagonal wound and she wondered if it still hurt, that scar.

 

She sustained cuts and bruises before as well, while working in the kitchen, that's why she dared only venture into that realm when absolutely necessary - like in times when she was absolutely famished and there was no one else to cook - so she was very sure that the red-haired man felt pain when he got that booboo on his pretty face.

 

Father said that they were visitors, so that meant that they were good people. She was supposed to help good people, because that was what father shouted at the dojo everyday to his students. She didn't quite grasp the whole concept of the `teachings' just yet, and she not only wanted to help the pretty man if he was in pain, but she was intrigued as well. In her little mind, she figured there was only one way to satisfy her curiosity. She tugged on the pretty man's pantleg to gain his attention.

 

The Battoussai turned his eyes to look at the cute little girl, wondering why she was tugging on his hakama. “Up!” She demanded, holding up her hands in an obvious command, digits closing and opening in impatience.

 

Reluctantly, the young hitokiri picked the little girl up and settled her tiny legs around his waist, steadying her with his hand against his frame. Purple met a pair of unwavering azure eyes. She leaned closer until their heads were almost touching, and then whispered quietly, almost as if she wanted to keep the question a secret between the two of them, leaving the two proud papa bears out of it. “Does it hurt?”

 

He was confused with the question. Did she mean her bokken squarely connecting with his head? “Does what hurt, Kaoru…” He didn't know why but the word seemed to be attached to the name, “…dono?”

 

Little Kaoru giggled at the honorific and reached up a petite finger to trace the diagonal scar on his face gently. “Your booboo.”

 

He couldn't figure out why, but the Battoussai's heart felt like a warm, gentle hand just caressed it. “Not anymore,” he shook his head as he told the little girl solemnly and gifted the child with a rare, genuine smile.

 

Little Kaoru smiled back and him and showed him her compassion by putting her gentle little arms around his neck and squeezing the air out of him. In spite of the fact that Kaoru was just an innocent little girl who only probably meant to comfort him for his `booboo', Himura the Battoussai couldn't keep himself from blushing at her show of affection.

 

“Aw, will you look at that? My little Kaoru's found herself a new friend!” Exclaimed Koshijiro. “She's the friendliest little girl on the block, too.” He boasted to Kenji, who again, nodded in total agreement.

 

Kenshin thought that in Kenji's eyes, his mother could probably do no wrong. He was also starting to see where his son had gotten his ego. And here I thought it was Hiko-sama's influence…

 

“She also looks like she's going to grow into a very beautiful woman someday, Kamiya-sensei,” said Kenji.

 

Koshijiro's chest puffed out in pride at the words voice, deeming them to be true. “Her mother was a beauty as well,” he confided, and both of them laughed a conceited laugh, causing our young hitokiri to sweat drop and little Kaoru to wonder what her beloved esteemed father and his new friend found highly entertaining.

 

“I guess it runs in the family, ne?”

 

The Battoussai thought that if he continued to shake his head some more, it was going to fall off of his neck.

 

……

 

Kenji had generously offered to have Kenshin cook them dinner tonight after they finished the tour of the dojo. Thankfully, they didn't have to go into town to buy any ingredients, as the dojo's pantry was stocked, but regrettably, the Battoussai wasn't so sure about his cooking skills as his son pretending to be his older brother seemed to be.

 

For all his superb skills as an assassin, he had absolutely no idea of how to cook, much less clean a fish. He was a manslayer, not a chef!

 

Kenji-chan didn't even give him the chance to get in a word of protest though. Not that he would have protested in front of an honorable man like Koshijiro, a man who trustingly took strangers into his home and offered them a roof to stay in, not to mention the honorable father of his future wife, but the Battoussai was still a little more than vexed.

 

His redhead look-alike wasn't here to incur his wrath though, not that he could actually picture himself being mad at Kenji-chan, but he could dream, can't he?

 

The real culprit was nowhere near the vicinity, so he turned his vengeance on the poor fish instead.

 

My list of accomplishments slash and or aliases just got longer…

 

Manslayer and fish regarded each other seriously, in their pre-determined battlefield that was the Kamiya Dojo's kitchen, before the former picked up a knife and sealed the cold-blooded aquatic vertebrate's fate.

 

Gutting and scaling fish isn't that hard after all…

 

After making sure that the fish was cleaned up, he stuffed it with a couple of garlic cloves, chopped onion, several pieces of tomatoes, rubbed it with salt, sprinkled an herb or two, and then added just a dash of pepper before he placed it over the fire to cook.

 

Delicious aromas drifted from the kitchen an hour later as Kenshin emerged with his masterpiece and presented it to his hungry audience.

 

“Itadakimatsu!”

 

“You're right Himura-san, your little brother is a good cook!” Koshijiro Kamiya praised as he reached for more fish to go with his rice. “You say he does laundry as well?”

 

“Yes, Kamiya-sensei. I'm sure that Kenshin will be happy to do your laundry first thing tomorrow morning.”

 

What do I have to do to get respect around here? First I'm reduced to a cook, now I'm expected to do the freaking laundry as well?!?

 

“Is that right, Kenshin?”

 

“Yes of course, Kamiya-sensei,” he heard himself speak.

 

“He's so helpful isn't he?”

 

“Oh, absolutely.”

 

“Can we keep him, Papa?”

 

Kenshin choked on his riceball as Kenji guffawed into his miso soup. “Now, now my Princess, he's not a pet. You can't keep him, but you can be his friend.”

 

Little Kaoru pouted, but resumed eating her meal.

 

When they were done with dinner, they cleared away the plates and gathered to watch the sunset at the dojo's steps.

 

“So how long exactly are planning on staying here, Himura-san?” asked Koshijiro of Kenji, breaking the silence.

 

Yes, how long? Kenshin, who was still holding a now sleepy-looking Kaoru, turned his eyes inquisitively at Kenji as well. I hope he doesn't plan on staying here forever. There's a war still going on and Katsuran-san told us to wait for his word in Otsu. If we linger here for a long time and the messenger reaches that cottage reserved for us, they might think we were dead or went into hiding without informing them… or worse, they might think we deserted them… He shuddered at the thought, he didn't want to be labeled a deserter.

 

Kenji had an unmistakable amount of regret in his purple eyes as he answered his unknowing grandfather. “Not long, I'm afraid.” He looked at little Kaoru who was now starting to doze off, comfortable in Kenshin's arms. “My brother and I wish to join the civil wars, it's our duty as samurai. The longest we can stay is probably two weeks, which I hope doesn't impose on you too much, Kamiya-sensei.”

 

Two weeks?

 

“Two weeks?” Echoed Koshijiro. “That's hardly enough time to learn the Kasshin Style, isn't it?”

 

“We're fast learners, sensei.”

 

“And we are only here to observe, remember?” The Battoussai addressed the Kasshin Master for the first time since they've met. Kenshin looked Kenji in the eyes, almost as if daring him to say that they were going to stay longer or wait until they learned the art before they had to leave. Koshijiro seemed pacified by the explanation and decided not to pursue the matter any further.

 

“War is ugly. It brings us nothing but death and destruction.” Both Kenji and Kenshin were deathly quiet. “But I have to say that I respect and admire the men who take up their sword and fight for their causes. If I were called to fight this war myself, or if my Kaoru was old enough to care for herself, I would volunteer as well…” He looked at his daughter lovingly. “But she's too young, and she has just lost her mother. Right now, I'll just leave the fighting to youngins like you. But maybe someday my time will come, ne?”

 

Oh if you only knew… Kenji thought painfully.

 

“Well now, the both of you must be very tired from your journey, I best leave you alone so you can get some rest.” He gently pried little Kaoru away from Kenshin's arms and bid them goodnight as he went to tuck his daughter into bed.

 

“Your grandfather seems like a very good man, Kenji-chan.”

 

“That he is, Kenshin.” He stood up and patted the seat of his hakama. “Well, we better make good use of that bathhouse, ne Kenshin? Might as well get a good night's rest tonight as well, if you're going to be tackling the laundry tomorrow.”

 

Kenshin growled. “I don't understand why you kept volunteering me to do things, Kenji-chan.”

 

“We have to earn our keep somehow.”

 

“And what about you?”

 

“I'll think of something. Besides, would you really let your only son to do a menial task such as the laundry? Have a heart, Kenshin.”

 

“So it's okay for your dear father to do menial laundry?”

 

“It's an accepted norm for the bridegroom to live with the bride's family to offer his labor for a certain period of time.”

 

Kenshin sputtered in protest. “But I'm not here to…“

 

“Well, consider it practice then, Kenshin. And besides, you might find it even … enjoyable someday.” The Battoussai seriously doubted that, but Kenji-chan had already gone off to have a nice bath before he went to bed so the Battoussai was left alone.

 

……

 

Later that night, the Kamiya Dojo's occupants were in their rooms, some sleeping and some…

 

“Do you think this is wise, Kenji-chan?” He asked for the last time today.

 

“Don't worry Kenshin, we're not tampering with anything in the future, and it's not like we're doing anything out of the ordinary. I think in some other language the words “Kamiya Dojo” stands for “Free for all Dojo”. It seems to be a magnet for free-loaders in the future, so we're just two more wandering free-loaders to add to the never-ending list of Kamiya charities.” The two of them were sharing a room. With their meager possessions in the corner, Kenji was sleeping on his futon in the middle of the room. “Aren't you going to unroll your futon?” He asked his father who was sitting with his back against a wall, his trusty katana by his side and his knee raised. Kenji knew that position well, since he preferred it as well, but not when sleeping.

 

“I prefer to sleep like this, Kenji-chan.”

 

“Doesn't your back hurt? How can you sleep like that?”

 

“Laying down makes me feel very vulnerable. An enemy could attack and slay you in your sleep easily.”

 

“But there are no enemies here.”

 

The Battoussai sighed. “It's hard to break a habit that's been with me for years. Just go to sleep, Kenji-chan.”

 

Kenji frowned at this but didn't force the issue.

 

“And I've been meaning to ask you…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“How come you didn't tell me your mother was so young?”

 

Kenji's frown deepened. “You're young, too. If you didn't notice, I'm older than both my parents at this time.”

 

“That's not what I meant.” Kenshin cleared his throat. “What I meant was that… she's just a baby and I am… old.”

 

Kenji sighed, exasperated. “I wish you wouldn't let that bother you so much. She might be young, but she's more mature than people her age, if you can't already tell by now.”

 

“I know that, but…”

 

“Age doesn't matter.”

 

“But she's so young and…“

 

“And she understands you despite the age difference.”

 

“But her father…“

 

“Will surely approve of her daughter's future tastes in husbands.”

 

“He is an honorable man while I am…“

 

“Almost quite as honorable and a war hero to boot.”

 

Kenshin frowned. He couldn't even finish his own sentences now. “I refuse to think that I will be robbing a cradle, Kenji-chan.”

 

“Well, it's settled then. I'm living proof that you accept it, you think she's mature, end of story. Good night, Kenshin.”

 

The Battoussai sighed. Bested by the kid again. “Oyasumi nasai, Kenji-chan.”

 

 

Confessions that aren't from Usher: If I haven't said so already in the beginning… my Japanese is poor even if I do understand most Japanese terms used in animé. I'm just afraid to use them because worrying about how I use them or if I used them right would only hinder me from writing, you know? I know that what the -dono, -san, -sama and even -chan and -kun suffixes mean, and I also realize that “Sessha” is “I” or “this unworthy one”, but I was aiming for comedy in the previous chapter.

 

Hehe, I confess, I had this chapter done yesterday, but I thought I'd wait until today to upload it. :P