Chapter 23

****

The next morning, Kenshin and Ichiro gathered in Shukuba City. Aya was very worried about her son going out into the world for the first time, to which Kenshin only rolled his eyes and laughed quietly, making Ichiro blush and feel embarrassed.

- Mom, stop it!" he declared, and after rubbing the "three year old" Keiji's hair, he jumped out of the house.

- Take care of yourselves. - Said Aya, kissing Kenshin on the lips.

- Uh-huh. You'll be fine. Don't let that weasel drink too much coffee, or he won't sleep at night. - Kenshin said with a smile, and took his son in his arms.

- And you, little bandit, listen to your mother, understand?

- Yes!" declared little Keiji.

Kenshin laughed, and handed his son to Aya, and then left the house, meeting Ichiro at the exit of the cave.

- Don't be offended by your mother. She loves you very much, that's why she cares so much. - Said Kenshin, fixing his shoulder bag and heading down the mountain.

- I know... But man, I'm an adult and she treats me like a kid!

- Because you are a kid. You'll always be a kid to her, even at fifty. Try to restrain your resentment, okay?

- Yes, father..." Ichiro exhaled, and followed Kenshin.

*****

By one o'clock in the afternoon, father and son reached the town of Shukuba, and immediately made their way to a liquor store. The clerk recognized Kenshin at a glance, and greeted him warmly as an old friend.

Five minutes later, Kenshin and Ichiro left the liquor store, and headed out to see the sights, more to broaden Ichiro's horizons a bit.

Ichiro looked like a redneck, coming to a big city for the first time. The blue-eyed young man spent most of the time walking around with his mouth open, marveling at everything he could.

After an hour of wandering around the city, Kenshin and Ichiro went through all the necessary stores and bought various things, from spices to clothes, then stopped at a local eatery to eat. But then Kenshin picked up an interesting conversation, and listened carefully.

- I'm not lying. Why would I lie? Everyone is talking about it, you'll see, by tonight the news will be on everyone's lips! - The middle-aged man, with a face red from alcohol, declared.

- It can't be! The Uchiha Clan is one of the pillars of Konoha, so that the entire clan could be slaughtered overnight? What nonsense! - Not believing a word of it, declared a stout looking man in his forties, with a short but thick beard.

- Don't you believe it? You'll see! Later you will be ashamed that you did not believe your old friend... - The red-faced man said with a sigh, and drank another glass of sake and ate something resembling sauerkraut.

- And you shouldn't have made up so many stories to give your words any weight at all! - The broad-shouldered man said with a laugh, and tipped his shot of sake as well.

"What?! The Uchiha Clan has been cut out?! So Itachi has already left Konoha, and Naruto and Sasuke are ten years old each... The canon is in full swing, and no one will wait for me!" - Kenshin pondered, shocked by this unexpected news.

- Let's go, Ichiro. This is no time to be idle. - Kenshin declared, settled the bill with a pretty waitress, who was making eyes at him the whole time, and headed for the exit.

On their way back, Kenshin and Ichiro went to the same village, and bought 20 bottles of wine this time, emptying almost all the stocks in the shop.

At seven o'clock in the evening, father and son returned home, where they were met by Aya with little Keiji, who squealed and threw himself into his father's arms, and then looked at his older brother and held out his arms to him.

Ichiro laughed, and took little Keiji in his arms, playing with his little brother for a while.

Then Kenshin and Ichiro took turns showering, and Kenshin thought for the first time that at this rate their apartment would become cramped for everyone. He could have rebuilt his "shelter" and created more simple showers, but decided against it for now, estimating that there was enough room for four people for now.

After the shower, everyone gathered around the table and began to eat their supper. Aya cooked hare meat in the "oven," with tubers of wild potatoes, which were almost no different from ordinary potatoes.

After supper, Aya and Kenshin headed for the bedroom, enjoying each other's company. They hadn't been alone in a long time, so they just lay in each other's arms, kissing and caressing. Kenshin reasoned sensibly that it was too early to have sex, for at any minute a cheerful Keiji, for whom the bedroom was a home room, might rush in.

Ichiro was washing dishes, and Keiji was circling from the living room to the kitchen, and then suddenly stopped, and with hungry eyes stared at the table, where in a vase lay a handful of candies bought in town.

Ichiro, seeing his little brother's gaze, took some candy, and put it in his little hands, causing the little boy to squeal with joy.

- Thank you old bat! - Said little Keiji, and hugged Ichiro.

- Ha-ha, you're welcome, Keiji. We're brothers, after all, and we're supposed to help each other! - With a laugh Ichiro replied, and patted the little brother's hair.

- I see! - Cheerfully, Keiji agreed, and galloped off to the bedroom, shouting: - Mom, Mom, Ichiro gave me a candy! Look, I got you one too!

****

The fourth day after Keiji was born, or the thirty-fifth day after Kenshin's arrival in the world, the whole family went to the river in the afternoon to take a break from their routine and let little Keiji feel the joy of his childhood.

Keiji became very fond of his older brother, and all the time he tried to imitate him. For example, not knowing how to swim, he tries to swim with Ichiro in the river, but is caught by his mother and kicked in the soft spot.

But by evening, Kenshin and Ichiro had taught the baby how to swim, and Keiji didn't want to leave the river he liked so much.

In the evening, everyone ate dinner and went to bed. It was the last night Keiji was allowed to sleep in his parents' bedroom, so he made the most of it by begging his mother to let him sleep in his parents' bed. And after much persuasion and grumbling on Kenshin's part, a contented Keiji crawled in between his father and mother, fast asleep.