Chapter 4:  Where the Road Leads

From her perch on the dojo porch, Kasume stared at the night sky and the stars twinkling up above. Much to her own irritation, she found herself wondering what that smiling fool Soujirou was doing and whether he had enough money for food and a room at an inn.

“Baka,” Kasume muttered to herself. “What are you doing thinking about that crazy rurouni at a time like this?” She had a job to complete, and nothing ever stopped her from completing a task she had set for herself. Clenching her fists, Kasume attempted to force the annoying thoughts out of her head, but without success.

“Little rabbit, I see you still like to stare at the stars.” Kenshin’s voice jarred Kasume out of her reverie as he sat down beside her and looked up into the sky where Kasume had been staring.

Kasume smiled a bit ruefully. “It’s just relaxing at times,” she explained. She turned to look at the man next to her, giving him a thorough examination. He still looked like the teenager she remembered from long ago even though he was in his early thirties. However, there was a contented glow in his eyes that had never been present in his younger days, and Kasume found herself thinking that Himura Kaoru must be special indeed to have managed to drive away the ghosts which had always haunted the former Hitokiri Battousai. “Himura, it’s nice to finally see you so happy. You deserve some peace after all the hell you’ve been through.”

Kenshin smiled slightly. “Sometimes I wonder if my life is too good to be true. I never thought I’d have a family again, but Kaoru…”

“I like her, Himura. You know, you should bring her to visit Uncle again after your baby is born. He’d get a real kick out of meeting his baka deshi’s son or daughter.”

“How is shishou? Is he still rusticating in the mountains and working on his pottery?”

“Yeah…and he never leaves that hut of his until the sake runs out. The man can be such a pain sometimes.” Kasume made a disgusted face, drawing a light chuckle and nod from Kenshin.

With a sigh, the older man turned to look at Kasume curiously. “So what have you been doing these past few years? I haven’t seen you since you were fourteen or fifteen years old!”

“You were too busy wandering the countryside to drop by and visit,” countered Kasume dryly. “I’ve been lounging around Kyoto, raising chaos. Uncle keeps saying that I should stop trying to perfect my Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and settle down like a proper young woman of my station.” Kasume grimaced at that preposterous idea, eliciting another smile from Kenshin.

“And what would shishou know about ‘proper’?”

“Humph...you have a point there.” Kasume reached up to cover a yawn and blinked owlishly at Kenshin before giving him an apologetic smile. “Anyway, I think should go and get some desperately needed sleep. I’ve been on the road for ages!” Kasume stood up and stretched before giving Kenshin a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Good night, Himura!”

“Good night, little rabbit.”

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“Kaoru, are you sure you can make it to the market by yourself? I don’t think you should be walking too much right now,” Kasume’s voice trailed off nervously as she flinched under Kaoru’s glare. And people tell me that I’m stubborn, she muttered silently.

“I’m fine Kasume-chan! I’m definitely strong enough to get some tofu, and some exercise would be good for me. Besides, somebody needs to stay here and watch over Ayame, Suzume, and Souzou.” She picked up the tofu bucket and walked towards the gate. “I’ll see you later, I promise I won’t be gone long!”

Kasume watched Kaoru’s retreating form with a worried look. Himura was going to kill her, she thought to herself, especially if anything happened to his wife. Nobody else was around, since Kenshin had gone off to catch some fish for dinner while Yahiko was waiting tables at the Akabeko. That left her to deal with two young girls and a little boy, all three of whom looked at her expectantly.

“What should we do Kasume?” asked Suzume excitedly.

Kasume grinned, picking up Souzou in her arms as Ayame and Suzume trotted alongside of her. “How about I tell you a story?”

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Kaoru waddled happily down the street, swinging the tofu bucket back and forth. I haven’t been outside in ages, she thought to herself. With Kenshin gone fishing and Kasume at the dojo to watch over the children, she had found an unexpected reprieve from her confinement at home. Not that she wasn’t touched by everyone’s worrying over her, but it was nice to be able to get some fresh air once in while.

Suddenly a deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey, little missy, where are you off to today?”

Kaoru turned to find a seedy and smelly looking man leering at her. She glared at him and continued walking. “None of your business, you bastard. Leave me alone.”

The man reached out to grab Kaoru’s arm in a painful grip. “Not so fast. Now hand over all your money like a good girl before I get angry.”

Kaoru’s mind worked furiously. She obviously couldn’t fight the guy in her condition, especially without a wooden sword on hand. But no way was she going to let the guy have her money either. With a quick movement she slammed the tofu bucket against the mugger’s head and rushed down the street as fast as she could. The mugger chased after her, cursing the whole while.

But the extra weight Kaoru carried slowed her down and her pursuer didn’t have much trouble catching up. He grabbed her wrist to stop her and pulled out a sword, holding the tip to her throat threateningly.

“You little bitch! I’m going to teach you a lesson,” he growled as Kaoru stared back at him angrily.

“Excuse me, but I really think you should let the lady go.” A cheerful male voice interrupted. Both Kaoru and her attacker turned to see a young man with dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail of moderate length. He wore a navy blue hakama and sky blue gi over a white western shirt, which looked amazingly neat despite their worn-out appearance.

“You looking for trouble, kid? I’ll show you trouble,” threatened the street thug. “One false move and this lady gets it.”

The young man sighed. “Very well. Have it your way.” Suddenly the stranger disappeared in a flash of movement and the sound of breaking steel could be heard. A moment later the mugger stood staring at his sword, which had suddenly broken in two. Kaoru found herself staring also, not quite believing her eyes. Was it just her, or was this guy even faster than Kenshin? The mugger backed away in alarm and took off down the street without a backward glance.

The stranger sheathed his sword and turned to look at Kaoru. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Kaoru opened her mouth to speak but a sudden pain stopped her. With a gasp she put her hand to her back and hunched forward a bit. “Oh no, not now!” she muttered.

“What’s wrong?” asked the stranger, a worried frown crossing his face.

“I think I'm about to have my baby,” replied Kaoru in a whisper, causing her rescuer's eyes to widen in horrified shock.  Kaoru sighed over the young man's distress. “Do you think you could help me get back home? I live at the Kamiya dojo.”

The man immediately bobbed his head in assent, lifting her up into his arms and hastily following her directions.

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Kenshin sat on the porch of the Kamiya dojo as the afternoon sun began to die down, his intense gaze focused on the street while Kasume continued to pace back and forth in agitation.

“Kasume, are you sure she said she went out to buy some tofu?” Kenshin asked worriedly.  Kasume nodded, her violet eyes growing wide with anxiety.

“I’m sorry, Himura. I shouldn’t have let Kaoru go off alone, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“It’s not your fault. I know better than anyone how stubborn my wife can be. I’m just a bit concerned, that’s all. It usually doesn’t take her this long to get back from the market.” Kenshin and Kasume shared an anxious look, both unwilling to voice their worries out loud.  What if something had happened to Kaoru?

Suddenly a voice called out, “Excuse me, is anybody here?” Both Kenshin and Kasume's heads whipped around at the sound.  A strange man stood in front of the dojo gate carrying a familiar figure in his arms.

“Kaoru!” Kenshin gasped, rushing over to his wife with Kasume fast on his heels. “What happened? Are you okay?”

She nodded, her smile turning into an expression of pain as another contraction gripped her.

“I think she’s going into labor. Are you her husband, by any chance?” The stranger looked at Kenshin curiously.

“Yes. Here, I’ll take her. Thank you so much…” Kenshin’s voice trailed off as he took Kaoru into his arms and looked more closely at the stranger’s face.

“Himura-san!” exclaimed the young man with a smile.

“Soujirou? What are you doing here?” Kenshin stared in shock, taking in the cheerful features of the Jupon Gatana’s best swordsman. His jaw dropped open and he stared at Soujirou for a long moment, while the object of his scrutiny continued to smile back calmly.

Kasume’s voice broke the silence. “You two know each other?” she shouted in frustration. “Oh, this is just great. Can I not get away from you, rurouni?”

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her in confusion. Soujirou’s happy grin widened as he recognized the young girl standing next to Kenshin. “Nice to see you again, Kasume-san.”

Kaoru moaned in pain and reached over to whack her husband on the side of the head. “Kenshin no baka! This isn’t the time for reunions! Either put me down or take me inside, otherwise you baby is going to be born right here in the dojo yard!”

“I’m sorry Kaoru,” murmured Kenshin apologetically as he ran towards the house and called out instructions over his shoulder, “Kasume, do you mind running over to the clinic to get Dr. Genzai or Megumi? Soujirou, why don’t you come inside and rest for a moment.”

Kasume immediately nodded, sprinting through the dojo gates and down the street. Soujirou stood looking around with a dazed expression for a moment, then shrugged before following Kenshin inside the dojo.