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Young Again: Chapter 5 - Adulthood

by Fitz

“’Niisan!

‘Niisan! Wake up, Yahiko-niisan!”

Muttering complaints all the while, Yahiko blinked his eyes open. He frowned.

‘Niisan?

He looked into Kaoru’s impish little face. His unspoken question was still unanswered. Why was Kaoru calling him brother? She smiled brightly.

“What’s for breakfast, ‘niisan?”

“Huh?” he murmured sleepily.

“Food! Breakfast! We’re hungry, ‘niisan!” she insisted childishly.

“Enough with the baby act, busu,” Yahiko pushed her away and threw back his covers.

A sniffle reached his ears, and he paused in the act of folding up his futon. He glanced down at Kaoru’s baby face. She was sitting on the floor, her eyes wide and rapidly filling with tears. She sniffled again.

Oh no, he thought in growing horror. She’s going to-

“No, Kaoru,” he dropped the blankets. “I didn’t mean it! Don’t c-”

“WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

“-cry,” he mumbled. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around the bawling girl. “Kaoru, I didn’t mean to push you down. Stop crying.”

“Y-you c-c-called m-be b-b-b-busuuuuuuuuuuuuu!” she wailed.

“You’re not ugly either!” he insisted desperately. “You’re cute even! Adorable!”

She sniffled, her tears dissolving away as if they had never been.

“Really?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yep,” Yahiko smiled widely. He tapped her nose. “Now go get Kenshin and Sanosuke while I change.”

She smiled cheerfully and flounced out of the room. Staring after her, Yahiko wondered what had just happened. Usually Kaoru got angry when he called her busu. She did not cry. And she was a terrible actress. She couldn’t lie to save her life. So he wondered... why is she acting like such a child?

^_^

The day only got worse. Kenshin and Sanosuke had surprised Yahiko by acting almost as childish as Kaoru.

Sanosuke was, surprisingly, easy to handle. He acted like the typical, rambunctious child, poking fun at Kaoru and trying to draw Kenshin into his games. Yet, he rarely gave Yahiko problems, acting sheepish when the boy caught him in the act of doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

Kaoru was more difficult than Sanosuke. Quick to cry, then quick to forget and smile, she was full of ups and downs. She was also far more disobedient than Sanosuke. Unlike the brown-haired boy, she would push Yahiko’s patience to the limit with her disobedience.

Of the three, Kenshin was the most difficult to predict. He was so quiet that Yahiko had prematurely assumed that he would not be a problem. Yet, that silence was what caused the problems. Kenshin would be gone for several minutes before anyone noticed, and then Yahiko would spend as much as two hours, searching for him.

Then, there was the problem of two of the children ganging up on the third. As Kaoru and Sanosuke were the dominant personalities of the bunch, Kenshin usually received the brunt of the teasing. But, unlike Kaoru, Kenshin took the teasing rather well--quietly in any rate. It was not until Yahiko discovered the pattern of Kenshin’s disappearances directly coincided with some particularly nasty harassment that he put a stop to it.

As he washed the laundry with Kenshin’s help--having told Kaoru and Sanosuke that they had to play without him--he wondered if Kenshin had been this antisocial when he really was eight... or six... maybe five. They all looked younger than they had the previous day. If so, he pitied the man... boy. But more than that, he was annoyed that Kaoru and Sanosuke had picked on him to the point of driving him into hiding.

Lifting a sheet out of the water, he snapped the remaining soap away.

Finally, he breathed in the clean scent of the sheet. That was one way Sanosuke and Kaoru had managed to bother Kenshin so much. This particular sheet was his, and he had wet the bed the night before. The poor boy had been in tears, apologizing profusely to Yahiko when the young man had found out. Yahiko, a bit put out by this, had managed to calm Kenshin and assure him that it was all right.

I never would have pegged Kenshin for the bed-wetting type, he thought absently. He grinned inwardly at the memory of the wide, tear-filled violet eyes, almost hidden beneath that fall of unruly red hair, the mortified flush of crimson across his cheeks, and the anxious wringing of his hands. It was as unlike the Kenshin he knew as he had ever seen him.

“Yahiko-san?” Kenshin’s high voice interrupted his thoughts.

“What is it?” Yahiko asked, maintaining the facade that he was irritated at having to do the laundry. He couldn’t very well tell Kenshin to do it. The boy would never be able to reach the lines.

Kenshin stared at his hands timidly. His eyes were impossibly wide.

“Ano...” he stammered. “There’s someone at the gate, Yahiko-san.”

“There’s what?!” Yahiko whirled, splashing water over the boy beside him. Kenshin sputtered and wiped the water from his face. A relieved sigh exploded from Yahiko’s lips. “Megumi-san!”

“You look a bit frazzled, Yahiko,” Megumi said with her sly smile. She wove her way across the yard, skillfully avoiding the young girl and boy chasing around her legs, and knelt beside Yahiko. She smiled at Kenshin, reaching out to tap his nose lightly. “How are our young friends doing?”

“Fine,” Yahiko glanced at Kenshin. Those dusky, purple eyes swept back and forth between him and Megumi as they spoke. Some instinct warned him not to speak openly in front of the young children. “Go see if you can find the cat, Kenshin.”

“Do you need-”

“Just go find it!” Yahiko interrupted, earning a startled blink from Kenshin. “And take your time.”

Kenshin’s chin trembled slightly, his eyes widening, but he did not cry. He climbed to his feet and walked away calmly. Yahiko sighed, rubbing a damp hand across his face, and looked at Megumi unhappily.

“They’re like little kids now, Megumi-san!” he explained anxiously. “Kaoru called me oniisan this morning, and she cries at a glance. Sanosuke is okay, but when he’s around Kaoru, they pick on Kenshin. And Kenshin wet the bed last night. He friggin’ wet the bed! I mean, he was crying over it this morning, muttering something about a bad dream!”

“Calm down, Yahiko,” Megumi tittered at the thought of Kenshin’s bed-wetting accident. “Obviously, they’re regressing. I noticed that the instant I saw Kaoru and Sanosuke running around here like wild animals.”

“What do we do?!”

“We wait,” Megumi shrugged. “And considering the situation, I believe it may be better that I take the sword with me.”

She indicated the sakabatou she had carried with her across town, wrapped in a blanket. Yahiko nodded in agreement, then backpedaled to the words before that.

“What do you mean wait?” he demanded. “I don’t want to baby-sit them all day!”

“You’ll have to-”

“And I have to work at the Akabeko tomorrow morning!” he persisted. “I can’t bring them along when they’re so unmanageable. I’ll be fired!”

“Tae-san won’t fire you,” Megumi smiled warmly. “You can bring them to the clinic, and I’ll keep them busy while you’re at work.”

“Yahiko-san, I found the cat!”

Megumi and Yahiko looked up to see Kenshin awkwardly carrying a cat in his arms. The boy was hesitant in approaching the two, but then rushed forward and held out the animal.

“Here.”

“You’re too fast, Kenshin,” Yahiko grumbled, plucking the cat from Kenshin’s hands and shoving the animal away. The cat scurried across the yard and up a tree. Kenshin watched with wide, uncomprehending eyes. Yahiko scowled. “I’m talking. Go...go do something.”

Kenshin’s eyes went wider still, but not with innocent shock. His eyes narrowed, blazing with undisguised resentment and fury. Fisting his little hands, he turned on his heel and walked away, not quite stomping his feet. When Kaoru and Sanosuke approached him, he yelled wordlessly at them, startling the two, before disappearing into the dojo.

Megumi and Yahiko watched the entire thing, astounded at Kenshin’s mild but obvious temper tantrum.

“Perhaps I should explain some things about children to you, Yahiko,” Megumi said finally.

Yahiko groaned and buried his face in his hands.

^_^

“Sanosuke! Don’t touch that!”

“Kaoru! Don’t go over there!”

“Kenshin, come out of your room!”

“Don’t even think about it, Kaoru.”

“Sano! Kaoru! Leave Kenshin alone!”
“No pulling the cat’s tail!”

“No-!”

“Wait-!”

“Ack!”

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

^_^

Somehow, Yahiko managed to get dinner served. Admittedly, it was not very good. Kenshin’s cooking was far better. But he was proud to say that his cooking still surpassed Kaoru’s attempts at it. Of course, all he made was rice and some rather flavorless soup. As long as it got everyone fed, he did not care.

“Sit. Eat,” he ordered, setting the bowls and trays out.

“I’m not hungry,” Kaoru whined.

“Yes, you are,” Yahiko dropped a bowl of rice into her hands. “You just don’t know it yet- Oi!” he jabbed his chopsticks into Sanosuke’s little face. “I know what you’re planning with that soup, so don’t even think about it.”

Sanosuke grinned and began an elaborate manner of eating his soup. As usual, Kenshin was quiet, glaring over his soup at everyone. Kaoru glared back at him, not liking that the boy was looking at her with such hostile eyes.

“Yahiko-niisan, Kenshin won’t stop staring at me!” she snapped unhappily.

Kenshin averted his eyes, just before Yahiko looked at him. The eleven-year-old baby-sitter snorted impatiently.

“Well, he’s not staring at you now, is he?” he put some soup in front of her. “Stop whining and eat.”

“You’re mean, ‘niisan!”

“’Niisan’s just annoyed ‘cause you’re such a brat, Kaoru,” Sanosuke said brightly.

“Yahiko-niisan!!” Kaoru wailed, tears flooding to her eyes.

“Be nice, Sanosuke,” Yahiko said automatically. “And don’t listen to him, Kaoru. You’re... you’re not a brat.”

He had to choke on his tongue to spit that one out. When the girl turned wide, tear-filled eyes to him, he even managed to smile.

“Now eat dinner, please?” he asked a bit desperately.

“Okay!” she smiled, the perfect angel, and started shoveling rice into her mouth.

Sighing softly, Yahiko settled down to eat his own food. What he would not give to just throw his dishes up into the air and go bursting from the dojo, screaming that someone else could take care of the three. If he had to do this much longer, he might actually do that, he decided.

Contrary to his inner frenzied turmoil, he was outwardly calm, eating much slower than usual. He reached out without thinking to prevent Sanosuke from ‘accidentally’ spilling his soup into Kaoru’s lap. When Kaoru tried to sneak away without helping with the dishes, he grabbed her ponytail and made her sit back down. And he glanced frequently to Kenshin, a bit anxious at that cold expression on such a young face.

Any time now, he thought uneasily, and something really bad is going to happen.

But the rest of the evening went smoothly. Kenshin retreated to his room again, and Kaoru and Sanosuke actually played nice together. The sun started to set, and the children started yawning. With great relief, Yahiko led Kaoru to her room, made sure she was okay for the night, and turned to take Sanosuke to his shared room with Kenshin.

“Yahiko-niisan?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Yahiko looked to see Kaoru holding her night yukata--still the one that grown-up Kaoru usually wore--and looking at him with a little smile on her face.

“I love you, Yahiko-niisan.”

He blinked. A warm flush settled across his cheeks, and he nodded silently, unable to speak around the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat.

“G-good night, Kaoru,” he said hoarsely.

“Good-night.”

He closed the door, and brought Sanosuke to his room. The tall eight-year-old did not give him the same, cute treatment Kaoru had given him. But he smiled and sleepily murmured ‘oyasumi’ to him as his eyes drifted shut.

Yahiko turned and looked around. He had already noticed that Kenshin was not in the room, but he had a good idea of where the boy was hiding.

A few minutes later, Yahiko peeked over the top of the roof. Sure enough, there was Kenshin, looking small and vulnerable as he stared up at the emerging stars. Moving quietly, so as not to disturb the boy’s meditation, Yahiko sat beside him. They sat together for several minutes, not saying a word, just staring up at the inky sky.

“Yahiko-san?” Kenshin’s voice was so soft that Yahiko barely heard it.

“Hmm?”

“Do you hate me?”

Yahiko blinked, looking down at Kenshin in alarm.

“No!” he blurted. “What would make you think that?!”

“Everyone else hates me,” Kenshin murmured, looking down at his knee, drawn up to his chest.

“No one hates you, Kenshin,” Yahiko insisted. “Kaoru and Sanosuke are just playing. They don’t know they’re hurting your feelings.”

“Oh,” Kenshin sighed and looked up again, still avoiding Yahiko’s gaze. “Yahiko-san?”

“What is it, Kenshin?”

“I wish you were my real big brother.”

For the second time that night, Yahiko found himself with tears in his eyes. Impulsively, he hooked his arms around Kenshin and dragged the little boy into his lap, hugging him tightly. Startled by the move, Kenshin was still for a few seconds. Then, he hesitantly wrapped his short arms around Yahiko’s back and returned the hug.

Me too, Kenshin, Yahiko thought tearfully. Even as a little child, you’re so much wiser than me.

Standing with Kenshin still caught up in his arms, Yahiko made his way to the edge of the roof.

“It’s time for bed, Kenshin,” he said gently. “I want you to get some sleep now, okay?”

“Okay,” Kenshin climbed down easily, followed by Yahiko--not so easily. Kenshin waited on the ground for him. Taking the older boy’s hand, he walked with Yahiko to his room. When they were outside the door, Kenshin tugged on Yahiko’s hand, and the older boy crouched down to be at eye level with him.

“I’ll be real good tomorrow, Yahiko-san,” he said solemnly. “At Megumi-san’s.”

“You heard that?” Yahiko smirked. “You’ve still got great hearing, Kenshin... that you do.”

“Huh?” Kenshin blinked cutely, then smiled. “Oyasumi nasai, Yahiko-san.”

“Oyasumi, Kenshin,” Yahiko ruffled the boy’s hair. “Now go to bed.”

“Hai!”

Smiling to himself, Yahiko went to his own bed.

^_^

Yahiko was deep in blissful slumber when he felt that something was not quite right. Slowly drawing himself out of sleep and into the real world, he cracked an eye open.

Now, what’s not right here? he wondered groggily.

Something shifted against his side, and he frowned, glancing down. What he saw there brought an amused smile to his face. Kenshin, who he had not left that long ago, was curled up on the futon against his side.

And not only Kenshin. Sanosuke was sprawled over the smaller boy, his head and arms on Yahiko’s side. As he was so much smaller than Yahiko, the older boy did not mind. Strangely, Kenshin did not seem to notice, as he was sleeping soundly.

A soft snore beside him made Yahiko blink. All three of them were in his bed! Kaoru was pressed against the side opposite to Kenshin and Sanosuke. Yahiko fought the urge to laugh. Smirking to himself, he settled back down and closed his eyes again. He would kick them out later. For now, they were too cute and helpless-looking to disturb.

Sighing softly, Yahiko dropped back into dreamless slumber.