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Disclaimer: Sony, I know you're smart enough to realize that an art teacher from Ohio doesn't own Rurouni Kenshin and isn't looking to make a profit from her silly fics, so *nyah* ;)

Prepare folks, this is a long one, with lots of conversation ^_^ Okay, so I finally watched "Multiplicity" on the recommendation of my beta-reader...and it gave me a few ideas ;) No, this fic won't turn into a comedy or a clone-fest or anything like that, but if a couple of the lighter moments bear a vague resemblance to the movie you'll know why ;) On with the fic!

Prism - Chapter 5

The rurouni awoke just before dawn with a small gasp. Breathing deeply he tried to brush away the lingering images of his dreams, which as usual had been vivid and bloody. This night they'd been even worse than usual, the worries and fears of the previous evening following him into sleep; he was relieved to finally be awake.

Shaking off his nightmare the rurouni sat up carefully so as not to disturb the two people who slept on either side of him. Shinta was curled into a snug ball on the futon. Kenshin smiled tenderly and tucked the blankets around him. The child didn't even stir, sleeping deeply the only way young children could, his features trouble-free. Kaoru shifted in her sleep and Kenshin tucked her in as well, leaning down to brush a careful kiss across her cheek; he drew back in surprise when the action woke her. She opened her eyes slightly, just enough to be able to see him. "Ohayou," she whispered with a faint smile. He returned it and kissed her again, stroking her hair gently. He knew she enjoyed the sensation; after their marriage it had become a morning ritual for him to comb out her long raven locks until they shone. He fully intended to so do today, but he had things to attend to first.

Kaoru murmured her assent as her eyes slid closed, already mostly asleep. Satisfied that all was well for the moment, the rurouni slipped outside. He didn't bother to change out of his sleeping robe; no one would see him this time of morning, and besides he didn't need to hide anything from the person he sought. Prowling swiftly around the yard, Kenshin quickly located his quarry up on the roof of the bathhouse.

The rurouni stared up at the hitokiri, who was dozing lightly in the growing light, again marveling at the fact that he could stand here and literally observe himself. It shouldn't have been possible, to see Battousai outside of his dreams, but he couldn't deny what every sense told him was true. He had slowly begun to remember more details from the previous evening, and he was awed at the power Yanagi had developed in such a short period of time. When he'd known him in Hokkaido, there had been no doubt the youth was good with ki; he'd always been able to sense Kenshin's presence easily without seeing him, but even more telling was his ability to mask his ki. Dampening your own life spirit was a difficult task and usually required extensive training, but as far as Kenshin knew Yanagi had always been able to do so naturally, and was good enough that he could easily sneak up to and surprise the former hitokiri. And that had been years ago, before the man had received any extensive formal training. He's been traveling for seven years, developing his skills and seeking training from countless swordsmen, including Jine. This does not bode well. Now apparently the man had advanced to the point where he could separate a person's ki into its component parts, an ability Kenshin could never even have conceived of existing. What other frightening skills did Yanagi possess, and what was his true purpose in all this? Perhaps even more importantly, did he have a way of recombining ki once it had been split? These questions and countless other whirled in the rurouni's mind as he stared up at the still-sleeping assassin.

Battousai. Kenshin wondered if Yanagi knew what a potential monster he'd released in the form of the young hitokiri. It was Kenshin's worst nightmare come true; he'd tried so hard for so long to banish the young, temperamental, and often rather immature side of himself. Battousai was wild and unpredictable, with the unfortunate tendency to strike first and ask questions later. It was a side to his personality that normally he kept firmly reigned in, but now the hitokiri's chains were broken. Battousai was free to do whatever he wished, and that worried the rurouni to no end.

It didn't surprise him that Battousai had stayed out here for the night. The youth's anger last night had been very real and powerful, and not unjustified; if it had been him, and he had felt that his temper was becoming a danger to others, he would have retreated as well. But I've never had to do that. I won't deny that I've gotten that angry before, but I never show it in front of others if I can help it. Kenshin frowned thoughtfully and rapped on the side of the bathhouse. Battousai's eyes snapped open immediately, and he glanced down at the rurouni. "Oh, it's just you," he sighed. "What do you want?"

The rurouni rolled his eyes. Unlike the others, he was used to Battousai's sarcasm. "Well you seem to be in a somewhat better mood, at least."

Battousai shrugged and hopped down off the roof, landing lightly beside his counterpart. "I had some time to myself, that's all. Kaoru already beat you to this discussion anyway."

The rurouni narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "What exactly did you say to her?"

Battousai suddenly looked guilty. He averted his eyes to stare off into the yard. "I was...um, a bit short with her. Actually, I kind of yelled at her and told her to leave me alone. I think I've made her really angry at me...not that I blame her."

This genuinely surprised the rurouni. "You raised your voice to Kaoru? Why?" Are you insane!? was what he wanted to ask, but he held his tongue in check. Karou was not a woman to be crossed, and he was amazed Battousai was even still alive to tell the tale.

The hitokiri shook his head. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, suddenly looking every inch the young boy he resembled. Though his face remained carefully impassive, Kenshin could see the distress in his eyes. "Something's not right...with all this. With me. I don't know what it means."

"Neither do I," the rurouni murmured, gazing at him with sympathy. "I suppose my stupid carelessness is to blame."

"No, I shouldn't have said those things." Battousai was now completely unable to meet the rurouni's eyes. "I suppose it's one thing to berate each other in our mind, but to do it aloud..."

The rurouni privately agreed; now that he thought about it, they had merely been continuing what normally went in on in Himura Kenshin's mind when he was under stress, with no thought of how it seemed to the others. "True, nevertheless it will probably happen again, won't it? Yell at me if it makes you feel better, but don't take this out on Kaoru. She doesn't deserve it."

"No, never," the younger Kenshin agreed. "I...I'll try." He could tell the rurouni was not satisfied with this answer, but he honestly felt that he couldn't promise anything right now. Sitting up all night thinking had helped, but he still felt very on edge and temperamental. "I suppose we should...make breakfast?" He asked uncertainly, raising his head to meet the rurouni's gaze.

Kenshin looked thoughtful at this. "Well, there is Kaoru to consider. I have to do her hair sometime this morning, and she'll be up soon. How about you make breakfast while I do that?"

The hitokiri blinked and stared at him. "Hey! Why do you get to brush Kaoru's hair! She's my wife too!" His eyes narrowed in sudden challenge. "Which brings to mind a number of other...issues that are going to crop up now that there's more than one of us."

The rurouni squirmed uncomfortably. The thought had crossed his mind, actually, but he'd been hoping that the younger Kenshin wouldn't make an issue of it. Well that was a stupid notion. I should know myself better than that.

Then an idea suddenly occurred to him. "Well, actually, seeing as you're a boy and quite a bit younger than Kaoru, it really should be me doing the husband thing, don't you think?"

"I am not younger than her!" Battousai said indignantly. "I'm the same age as you, even if I-" He brought himself short, eyes widening in shock. "Wait...what do you mean I look like a boy?"

The rurouni sighed. "It's what I said, you look about fifteen at most. You're the same age as when--"

"This whole mess began," Battousai whispered, his expression horrified. "But...why?" He winced when he thought about it a little more. "My behavior does leave a lot to be desired, doesn't it?" He scowled. "Fine, do the husband thing for now, but we're going to have to work this out later, especially if..." He trailed off, neither wanting to acknowledge the thought that this condition might actually be permanent.

Battousai went through the normal routine of preparing miso and rice for breakfast, his brain running mostly on autopilot. It's not fair! he thought furiously, chopping the vegetables with unnerving speed and ferocity. If he noticed the deep grooves he was gouging in the wooden cutting board, he showed no signs of caring. I swear to the gods when I find that little ass I'll make him so sorry... The brief image of a gleaming sword slicing clean through Yanagi's thin frame flashed through Battousai's mind and he allowed himself a grim, almost murderous little smile.

Battousai's head snapped up in shock, the kitchen knife frozen in mid-air. "Yahiko?" How in the hell did he just appear like that? First Sano...and now him. Absorbed in this new puzzle, the young Kenshin wasn't aware of the scowl on his face, which was keeping Yahiko frozen like a cornered rabbit.

The young samurai stared at the hitokiri before him in growing alarm. Oh shit, it wasn't a dream! He'd woken as usual to the sounds of Kenshin making breakfast, and had wandered in fully expecting the rurouni to be there...but instead he'd found a stern-faced, flame haired boy, his long hair tied high in a samurai's topknot. Battousai appeared to be thinking about something, and that's when Yahiko saw it...the small, terrifying little smile that had appeared on the boy's face, an expression he had never seen on Kenshin's face before, and one he hoped to never, ever see again. He hadn't meant to startle the hitokiri so badly; now he was glaring at Yahiko with an angry scowl, the large kitchen knife clenched in white-knuckled fingers. Yahiko's entire body was shaking with fear; looking into Kenshin's fierce golden eyes he could suddenly believe every awful story he had ever heard about the Hitokiri Battousai. It's just Kenshin, it's just Kenshin he won't hurt me... Yahiko repeated to himself like a mantra as he tried to edge back through the doorway. Suddenly Battousai blinked and put down the knife, the anger in his gaze gone as if it had never been. "Yahiko?" he repeated softly. "Wait...where are you going?"

The boy swallowed hard and hovered in the doorway. "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean...I'll just come later okay?"

"No! I--" but Yahiko was already gone; Kenshin could hear his feet pounding all the way back to his room. There was absolute silence as Battousai stared after his young friend. "Yahiko..." He heard light steps coming from the opposite direction and felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. Slowly, Battousai let his gaze drop and he looked into a face startlingly like his own, only much younger. "Shinta."

The tiny boy smiled warmly and leaned against Kenshin's leg, winding the rough fabric of his hakama around his short fingers. Battousai sighed gently and resumed chopping vegetables, now at a much more reasonable pace. For some reason he felt calmed by the boy's presence. With Shinta leaning against him he felt much more normal, almost as if he were whole again. The relief that flooded through him was very welcome, and almost absently he reached down to tousle the child's feather-soft hair. "Thank you."

Shinta nodded, not bothering to reply. After all, they were one; there was no need for words between them.

The rurouni returned to their room to find Kaoru already awake and partly dressed, carefully arranging the folds of her kimono. She looked up when he came in and watched in thoughtful silence as he quickly dressed. Walking over to the package of gi from yesterday he shook out the new blue cotton one, slipping it over his shoulders and tying it through long practice. Tying his hakama he turned to face her, a shy smile on his face.

"You look really nice," Kaoru said softly, her eyes tender. "Does it fit all right?"

He shrugged and came over to help her with her obi. "It's a little big in the sleeves, but I'm used to that. I really did need a new one."

Kaoru sighed gently and held the obi while Kenshin tied it behind her. "I suppose we'll need to get another one for him, though, won't we? He can't go around in that tattered thing." Kaoru felt Kenshin's hands freeze and his breath catch at the mention of Battousai. Kaoru continued, aware of Kenshin's growing nervousness behind her. "Little Shinta will need something too, though I guess we could use some of the old training gi and hakama from the storage shed."

"Yes, we could," Kenshin whispered in a pained voice. "Kaoru I...I don't know what to do. I wish I knew how long we're going to be like this. They've been so much trouble already...."

"Oh, and you're not?" Kaoru said good-naturedly. She turned around and gave a small gasp at the genuine distress on his face. Mou! He takes everything so seriously. She gently pulled him into a hug, which he accepted gratefully. "Kenshin, it's okay. We'll find a way to fix this. What I don't want is to see you taking all the blame for this."

Kaoru smiled. "Yes, you are my self-defeating Rurouni. Listen, don't let Batt--Kenshin push you around and make you feel guilty. No one's at fault for this."

The rurouni bowed his head. He was a little puzzled at how she'd stumbled over the hitokiri's name, but he let it go for now. "He's right to be angry though."

"No," she said firmly, "he isn't, which is what I made clear to him last night."

Kenshin looked up sharply, upset. "He yelled at you, didn't he? I won't let him make you unhappy, he has no right!"

"Kenshin," Kaoru said, exasperated, "relax. Did he step over the line a bit? Yes, but I handled it just fine. You let me deal with him, all right? You no longer have control over what he does, and seeing as he is also my husband, he is my responsibility to deal with when he misbehaves."

Kenshin stared at her with wide eyes. Apparently that thought had never occurred to him. Kaoru nodded at his unspoken question. "Yes, he is a part of you, isn't he? However, I somehow doubt that anything you say will have much of an effect on him. If I may propose my own little theory on this, he's just as set in his ways as you are. If you try to boss him around you'll just end up fighting like you did last night. So I say just let him be himself, and if he gets out of line I'll handle it."

The rurouni frowned, certain she was oversimplifying things a bit, but nodded reluctantly. "All right, koishii. I just hope you're right about him."

"Kenshin." Kaoru cupped the side of this face, placing an affectionate kiss on his nose. "He's you, a little sharp-tongued maybe, but nevertheless he's Kenshin, which means he's not some evil monster. He's a good man like you, so everything will be fine. All right?"

Kenshin nodded again, but he couldn't banish his nagging doubts. While he admired Kaoru's confidence in his moral character, Battousai was right; there was something very wrong with all of them, something that extended beyond the fact that they were separated, but for the life of him he couldn't think of what it could be. Submitting to his wife's unshakable faith in him, he went to get her comb. He enjoyed anything that made her happy, and he looked forward to doing something normal and routine.

The eleven-year-old scowled and stubbornly dug his toes into the floor. "No, I'm telling you that guy scares me, you didn't see the way he looked! I'm not going out there."

"Oooh, the great Tokyo Samurai is scared? Never thought I'd hear that one Yahiko-CHAN."

Sano stepped forward and clubbed Yahiko on the head, hard, sending the boy reeling. "You ungrateful brat, Battousai's not going to hurt you! Even if he is the one who cooked--" Sano still could hardly believe that one "--he's not going to poison you! This is Kenshin or did you forget that already?" Hauling the dazed kid up by the collar of his gi, Sano slug him over his shoulder and stalked out into the hall. "I'm hungry, so let's go!"

Breakfast was an odd affair indeed, though not quite as awkward as tea the previous night. Battousai's cooking was exactly the same as Kenshin's (not surprisingly), and quite edible. Yahiko though picked at his food, his normally ravenous appetite dampened by his unpleasant encounter that morning. Battousai watched Yahiko out of the corner of his eye as he ate. Though outwardly he appeared stoic and uncaring, inside he was worried for the boy. He hadn't meant to frighten him, and he mentally cursed his lack of control. He wasn't sure whether to bring the subject up at breakfast in front of everyone; he figured Yahiko would be quite embarrassed, and also he'd have to admit to his murderous thoughts about Yanagi. Kaoru was already upset with him; he didn't need her getting any angrier. Damn it, I don't need to be scaring all of them either. He shoved away his self-pitying thoughts, determined to not think like the rurouni. Pity was a useless emotion for him, and he would not fall prey to it.

Shinta sat next to Battousai and hungrily devoured his meal. It had been a long time since he'd been this hungry. It was a bit confusing for him, his child's body and mentality mixing with the adult thoughts and memories of Himura Kenshin. He didn't let it bother him though. It was nice to finally be able to play and laugh freely. At the same time though, he was very aware of the mental states of the people around him, and he could feel the confusion and anguish of everyone at the table. Battousai especially radiated misery and discontent. Shinta had chosen to sit next to him for precisely this reason. He calmed Battousai, as he had discovered this morning. He wanted nothing more than for everyone to be happy again. Gently setting down his bowl, he beamed brightly at everyone. "So what're we going to do today? Can we play?"

Kaoru, who'd been lost in thought, looked at him with a blank expression. "Play?"

"I don't think Ayame-chan and Suzame-chan will be coming over today," the rurouni said quietly.

"Oh." Shinta looked downcast. This wasn't working to lighten the mood at all! "Well, we should all do something fun together then! I mean everyone's so sad and there really is no reason to be, right Battousai-san?"

"Don't call me that," the hitokiri said in a low voice. Yahiko glanced up, a faint look of surprise on his face.

"No. I'm. Not." Kenshin bit out through clenched teeth. "I'm Himura Kenshin, stop calling me by that hitokiri's name. Just Kenshin will do."

"No," he snapped, "It's bad enough that everyone from Yanagi to Saitou calls me that when they know I hate it, I don't need to hear it from you as well."

Battousai could feel the rurouni glaring at him in disapproval. "And I don't need any flack from you either, Rurouni, so stop scowling at me. I've had a hard time here."

Kaoru stared open-mouthed at Battousai. So I was right about his behavior. He gets irritated so easily and once he starts reacting, it's like he can't stop himself. Part of her sympathized with his plight, but at the same time his utter lack of tact was smothering the atmosphere of the room, and she couldn't stand to see all three of her Kenshins looking so miserable. "Kenshin, at the risk of sounding completely insensitive, keep your thoughts to yourself. Unless of course you really enjoy dragging everyone else down into your foul mood."

The young Kenshin looked up in shock. With the expressionless mask gone, he suddenly looked painfully young. "What? I don't...I didn't mean..." He suddenly seemed to realize what it was he'd really been saying and he dropped his head to stare miserably at the table. The rurouni looked at him with a helpless expression, uncertain what to say. Shinta stared at Battousai's slumped form for a moment, thinking. Then he stood up and surprised everyone by wrapping his short arms around the teenager in a tight hug. They stayed like that until Kaoru heard Battousai give a shuddering sigh of relief.

What did he do? Kaoru wondered. The rurouni looked just as astonished as he watched Battousai straighten back up, his expression much calmer. "Shinta-kun?"

"It's okay," the boy said brightly. "He was letting himself get really mad again, he'll be okay for a little while now."

And the Weird Shit scale goes up another notch. Sano thought as he watched the bewildering interaction.

The rurouni and Kaoru remained inside to do the dishes while the others went outside. Kaoru watched through the open door as Shinta and Yahiko played in the yard, tossing a large paper ball between them. Sano leaned against the gate and watched in amusement, while Battousai sat in the shade of the porch, deep in silent thought.

"You know," she said quietly after a moment. "It's strange. Compared to the other two you seem so...well normal. As if nothing had happened."

"Do I?" he answered solemnly, picking up a rice bowl. "It may seem that way, but I don't feel normal inside."

Kaoru looked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue. "It's hard to explain, but I feel so empty, like I don't want to do anything. I don't want to fight or play, I just want to sit here with you."

Yahiko tossed the ball long and Shinta gave a small cry of dismay as a breath of wind caught the paper sphere and carried it far across the yard, around the other side of the dojo. "I'll get it!" he yelled over his shoulder, taking off at a run.

"I don't know what's happening to me," the rurouni continued in worried tones. "But I'm more fearful for Kenshin. He's having the worst time of all of us. We weren't meant to exist separately."

Shinta ran after the ball, which finally came to a rest against the back wall of the dojo, where a large tree overshadowed the wall. As he knelt to pick it up he felt the stirring of a presence close by. He froze where he was, cocking his head and listening with unchildlike intensity.

Eyes narrowed, Shinta approached the wall and stared hard up into the branches of the tree. He might be in a much smaller and weaker body now, but his ki abilities hadn't suffered at all, and he could clearly see the other person perched in the center of the tree, spying on the dojo. It took only a little more concentration to identify who it was.

"I know you're there Yanagi-san," Shinta said in a cold, steady voice very unlike that of a child. He felt the other presence stir in response, almost as if it were now...nervous.

"You're a bad man," the boy whispered, "A very, very bad man. Battousai-san's very angry with you right now, so I don't think you want to see him yet." More nervous stirrings from the man in the tree.

Kenshin made to rise from where they had been crouching over the wash bucket, but Kaoru stopped him with a touch of her hand. "Why is he always so angry?"

The rurouni sighed. "Not angry so much as frustrated. He's on new ground now, and when it comes to situations outside of a fight he's not sure what to do or how to react, so he becomes frustrated...which leads him to anger."

"Is this a normal thing?" Kaoru asked, faintly alarmed by this insight into her husband's mind.

"Rurouni-san." Both Kenshin and Kaoru looked up at the tiny figure that had appeared in the doorway. He had an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

"WHAT?!" Everyone jumped at Battousai's shout. He'd heard Shinta quite clearly and was running for the gate before anyone could stop him.

Battousai practically kicked open the dojo gate, running out into the street and casting his senses wildly for Yanagi. That's when realization hit him full force: he couldn't feel anything, no stirring of ki at all, not even from those inside the dojo. Just like with Yahiko and Sano, he was here and I had no idea. Oh this is not good.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru watched her husband anxiously as he stood stock-still in the middle of the street, looking more and more infuriated with each passing second.

Shinta pushed his way through the line of people and walked out to the hitokiri. "Kenshin-san, he's not here anymore, I told him to leave."

Battousai fixed Shinta with a glare that could have killed as effectively as any sword. "Why?"

"Because you're not ready to face him yet," the child told him plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Look at what you did just now! You don't even have a sword!"

"He's right, Kenshin," the rurouni added quietly. "If anyone faces Yanagi, it needs to be the three of us together."

Battousai stood with clenched jaws, amber eyes burning with frustration. Every fiber of his being wanted to take off in hot pursuit of his enemy, but he could hear the logic in their words, and with all his will he fought down the unstable anger burning in his gut. Breathing deeply, he centered himself. The Kenshin-gumi breathed a collective sigh of relief when he looked at them again with calm eyes. "All right, then. So where do we start looking?"