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br>Disclaimer All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to
Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated
parties. The characters of this series are used without his permission for
the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for
sale or profit. All characters I create belong to
me.
Kenshin arrived at Megumi and
Sanosuke�s house just after sunset to walk his wife home. Kaoru had not
come back from Megumi�s during the day, so he assumed that she would wait
there for him to escort her back to the dojo.
�Kenshin.� Kaoru
was sitting on the wooden porch in front of the house. Shinosuke sat on
her lap, cradled against her, fast asleep. She looked like an angel.
Sessha no tenshi (my angel).
�Kaoru.� She looked so
beautiful, holding Shin-chan against her protectively.
She smiled
at him and he felt his heart twist. She had always been able to make him
feel so much at once. From the moment she stopped him in the middle of the
streets of Tokyo so long ago, she became the center of his life. She was
independent and vulnerable, wise and naive. There were so many sides to
her and he loved every one of them.
Kaoru looked so slight. He
found it hard to believe that she was carrying a new life inside of her
slim body. The baby inside of her was draining her energy, tiring her. He
wanted to carry her around on a cushion for the next 8 months. Wrapped in
silk. Protected and totally coddled.
�Something amazing
happened today.� she said with a smile. Shinosuke slowly began to awaken,
blinking at Kenshin owlishly. He moved to help her rise from her position
with Shinosuke still in her arms.
�Yeah,� said the little boy on
a yawn. �Amazn�....� He looked so much like a Chibi-Sanosuke that Kaoru
fought hard not to smile at his actions. She wondered what the baby inside
her was going to look like. She was hoping for a small version of Kenshin.
�Amazing?� Kenshin looked to his wife, who just smiled even more
mysteriously. Suddenly, she reached out with her free hand and grabbed
him.
�Come on, Kenshin. You have to see for yourself,� she said
with a grin, pulling her husband in her wake.
�Oro~?� gasped
Kenshin as he was dragged unceremoniously into the house.
******************************
�You gave birth? You went
into labor? Today?� he asked Megumi. He could not keep the shock out of
his voice. Megumi lay on a futon, looking a touch paler than usual, but as
beautiful as always. �With only Kaoru to help you?!?�
�Yes, well,
she was very helpful,� she replied with a small smile. �Gensai-sensei and
I both thought that I had time before I was going to go into labor. That
is why they decided to visit his sister this week,� she
explained.
�Nothing went wrong?� he asked
worriedly.
�No. Everything went well. Now Kaoru knows what will
happen when her turn comes.�
�Megumi-dono. Omedeto de gozaru
(congratulations).�
�Arigato, Kenshin. Sano should be coming in
so we can introduce you.�
As if on cue, Sanosuke came in holding a
baby. The infant in his arms looked very small against his large form.
Kenshin was happy for his best friend.
�Omedeto, Sano.�
�Heh. Arigato, Kenshin.� He looked very proud. The grin on his
face was full of pure joy. �Yahiko was right yesterday about Megumi being
ready to burst.�
�Yahiko said that?� Kaoru asked, coming in
with another baby in her arms. This one looked just as small as the
first.
Kenshin fell over. �Oro~! Twins? With only Kaoru to
help?�
�Believe me, Ken-san... They did not want to wait,� said
Megumi with a soft smile. �Since these two surprised us, we have to think
of names for them.�
�Kenshin, meet our new daughter and son,�
Sano ordered with a grin. �This is our daughter. She�s the younger one.�
The baby in his arms looked so much like Megumi, it was
uncanny.
�And this is the boy,� added Kaoru. �He looks like
Shin-chan, doesn�t he?�
�Ken-niicha.� Shinosuke pulled at
Kenshin�s hakama (those cute pants ^_~). His face serious with new
responsibility. �Shin�s really an oniicha now.�
Kenshin kneeled
to the same level as the toddler, meeting him eye to eye. �You are, aren�t
you. That�s a very big responsibility. I�m sure that you are going to do
your best helping your �kachan and �tochan and the babies.�
�Yeah.
Shin�s gonna be �specially �sponsible,� he replied in a serious tone.
�They awre berry smawl. Shin has to pwrotect �em.�
�I�m sure that
you are going to do a good job.�
�Uh huh. Shin will.
Kaoru-neecha says so,� Shinosuke lisped, reaching his arms out , wrapping
them around Kenshin�s neck, silently asking to be carried. Kenshin obliged
with a grin. He maybe the older brother now, but he still wanted to be
babied a little.
�She did, huh?�
The little boy nodded
vigorously. �Yeah. Kaoru-neecha says so.�
�And she�s always
right?� asked Sanosuke wryly.
The little boy just grinned at his
father.
�No comment, huh?� Sano grinned back at his son. �Heh,
smart kid.�
To that Megumi replied, �He gets that from my side of
the family.� ******************************
Kenshin was
thinking about babies and births as they walked back to the dojo. Kaoru
seemed so slight and small. Would she be all right? Megumi was taller and
more sturdy than Kaoru. Kenshin began to really worried about what was
going to happen. He did not want to loose her.
Kenshin seemed to
be in deep thought as they walked back to the dojo. Kaoru, sensing that he
was pensive, did not push for a conversation. They walked together in
silence until they reached home.
�Oi! Kenshin! Kaoru! Where
have you guys been?� Yahiko yelled from the house.
�We were at
Megumi and Sanosuke�s place. Megumi had the babies today.�
�I
told you she was ready to explode. Wait a minute. Did you say babies?
Plural?� he ask incredulously.
�Yes,� Kenshin replied with a
smile. �Kaoru delivered them. By herself.�
�She had the babies.
And Kaoru delivered them. All by herself...� His voice trailed off. He
thought they were kidding at first, but they were obviously not.
�Two...�
�A girl and a boy. Shinosuke is really excited. I was
worried that he might get jealous of them. But he is already really
protective if them,� added Kaoru.
�A boy and a girl? Megumi and
Sanosuke are going to be run ragged by all those kids,� Yahiko said with a
grin. �I can�t wait.�
�Yahiko!�
�What?� he asked, trying
to look innocent.
Kaoru stood over her student, her face looking
more than a little threatening. �Guess who�s gonna help
out.�
�Heh. I got it,� Yahiko conceded defeat quickly. He was
only teasing anyhow. He looked forward to babysitting with Tsubame.
�Anyway, I�m off to bed. Oyasumi(�nite).�
�Brat,� Kaoru said with
a soft smile. She turned her attention back to Kenshin. �Kenshin, what�s
wrong? Kenshin!�
�Oro~,� he mumbled. �Gomen,
Kaoru....�
�Kenshin, what�s wrong?� she asked, moving closer to
him.
�Kaoru.� He hugged her close to him, breathing in her
scent. �I was just thinking about you giving birth. Maybe its silly, but
I�m a little scared.�
�Kenshin. Don�t worry. Everything will be
fine. I�m really strong. Really. Women have babies every day. Look at
Megumi. She came through just fine.�
�I know, but I can�t help
it.� He was shaking. �I�m afraid that I might lose you.�
Kaoru
moved forward to kiss him, holding him tightly to her. �Himura Kenshin,
you are never going to lose me. I have you now and I�m not ever going to
let you go.�
�Never, huh?�
�Yeah. Never ever.� She
kissed him again. �Come on, let�s go. I feel like celebrating again.�
She winked at him as she led him off to
bed.
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