Chapter 16:- Together forever

[Kenshin's POV]

"First I'll chop the vegetables into small pieces. Then I'll heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. The heavy bottom is necessary to distribute the heat evenly otherwise the stew will get burned easily." I murmured as I cooked. It's my habit of speak to myself while cooking. It helps me focus. I noticed Akane watching me cook and her intense stare made me a bit uncomfortable. But I focused on the stew because if I don't, I'll lose the perfect color and flavor.

"Add oil, onions, garlics, carrots and potatoes and saute until the onions start turning translucent but not brown. Add the stock, chicken, salt, white pepper and bay leaf and then bring it to a boil over high heat." I noticed some oil and foam floating to the surface which I quickly removed with a spoon. This is usually blood from the chicken and should be removed. One should skim off as much of the oil as possible in order to not let the stew become too heavy.

"There's no more foam rising so it's time to cover." I partially covered the pot with a lid and turned the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer for fifteen minutes. "Nee-san, can you keep an eye on the time? It needs to simmer for exactly fifteen minutes." Akane nodded and I put my attention to the other things.

"While it cooks, I'll prepare the broccoli." I par boiled the broccoli by adding it to a pot of boiling water which I had a shadow clone prepare beforehand. I added a generous pinch of salt alongside the broccoli and cooked it for one minute after the water came back to a boil. Drain the broccoli and set it aside.

"Hey, fifteen minutes are up."

"Got it, thanks nee-san." I opened the lid to skim off any additional oil that accumulated on the surface before adding in the mushrooms. Let this simmer for a few minutes until the mushrooms are cooked.

Get a nice kiss from Akane before adding the roux. Gently stir everything together. Bring it to a simmer to thicken the sauce while being careful not to let it come to a full boil. Add in the broccoli to reheat it.

"It's done!" I served the stew with some white rice I cooked during this whole thing.

[Reference image for the Cream Stew]

"It smells amazing!" Akane sniffed the stew as her stomach rumbled louder.

"Go on, dig in." I served her a bowl of rice and watched as she ate.

[Third person POV]

When Akane took the first bite, she couldn't even react for a few seconds. It was better than anything she had ever eaten. Maybe her reaction was a bit exaggerated but she's been living alone for nearly 8 years.

"Is it good?" Kenshin asked, concerned about whether she likes it or not since she wasn't saying anything.

But without replying, Akane finished it in seconds before asking for more. Kenshin quickly served her more which she finished up just as quickly. He gave her more and more until she had finished more than half of the stew and two thirds of the rice.

"Hey slow down! I need to eat too you know!" Kenshin said, though Akane was already full.

"Sorry. It's just.... I haven't had food this good in like..... forever. You're really good at cooking. You should be a chef instead of a shinobi." Akane said with a content smile.

"You're exaggerating it. I'm not that good. Besides, I only learned to cook because mom couldn't. And I can't let my bloodline go to waste. It's a blessing and I want to use it." Kenshin said, serving the remaining rice for himself. Once once he was done eating, Akane cleaned up the dishes and prepared the bed while Kenshin took a much needed bath.

"We finished all of the stew. What about mom?" Akane asked once Kenshin came out of the bathroom.

"I'll make some more for her tomorrow and give it to her for lunch." Kenshin replied, drying his hair. "You got the bed ready?"

"Yeah. Come on, nee-san will put you to sleep tonight." Akane said, blushes softly.

Once he was done drying his hair he turned around to see Akane inviting him to the bed. 'Dude this feels like a dream!' he thought as he went to the bed and laid down. Akane rested his head on her chest and soon, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

"He looks so cute when he's sleeping." Akane murmured as she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead before drifting into sleep herself.

[The next morning]

Kenshin woke up to the sight of Akane kissing him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. I don't remember asking you to wake me up like this though."

"You once told me this in our past life that you want to be woken up like this by the woman you love. So I just thought I'd fullfil that wish of yours. Why, you don't like it?" Akane asked, her dark hair creating a veil around their faces.

"I love it. Thanks, nee-san." Kenshin replied, kissing her again.

"Now get up brat! It's time to go to the hospital." Akane said, getting up from him.

[At the hospital]

"Ken-chan! Why are you so late tonight?! I can't eat without you!" Kana playfully pouted.

"Come on, mom! It's hard enough to take care of one baby, but now I have another to feed." Kenshin replied, acting annoyed.

Kana was visibly confused and shocked at his reaction. "Did you secretly get married, Ken-chan?!!!"

"Of course not!" Kenshin was confused as well. Meanwhile Akane was just amused at the banter between the two and watched while smiling softly.

"Then what's the baby you're talking about?" Kana asked, finally calming down.

"The 37 year old baby lying in front of me, and the 17 year old baby standing beside me." Kenshin said, crossing his arms.

"Why..... I'm not a baby! You're so rude! Can't I be fed by my little brother?!" Akane asked, walking to Kana's side.

"Yeah that's right! And it's not like I'm being fed by you because I have a choice!" Kana added.

"I'm not saying you can't but I'm the one you're supposed to spoil, not the other way around. I'm the youngest one in this family!" Kenshin said angrily before hugging the two of them tightly. "Once you're recovered, I want to be fed by you, mom."

"Oh my little boy! Of course. Mommy will baby you all you want once I'm back on my feet." Kana said, holding him tightly. "From now on, the three of us will be together, forever."

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Everyone, thanks for your support with the previous chapter. As always, please give me your power stones if you want to support me and let me know if you have any helpful suggestions/criticisms.