Little Bird

Chapter 1

Himura Kenshin waited outside of the room where Megumi was busy delivering his and Kaoru's first child, biting a thumbnail and making Yahiko and Sano seriously consider knocking the agitated man out. It would save their friend from his anxiety, and their patience wouldn't have to be so strained. They shook their heads and let the man worry all he liked while they waited.

Kenshin, to almost everybody's surprise, had been keeping his fingers crossed for a girl the whole time that his wife was pregnant. He wanted a pretty little girl he could teach to cook and do laundry, a little angel who would ride on his shoulders and call him 'daddy'. In his mind, he saw a miniature Kaoru, with his violet eyes and ready smile. He even had a name picked out for her: Kaen. Flowery Grace.

Kaoru swore up and down that she was going to have a boy, because the baby was always moving and turning. Her heart was set on a little boy who had Kenshin's bright red hair and talent for sword craft. She was stuck between two different names: Genro or Koji. Phantom Wolf or Young Victor.

After four hours of waiting, Kenshin finally call to him and tell him that he could come in. The red haired swordsman almost knocked the doctor over in his rush to get inside. He smiled at Kaoru and looked at the baby expectantly.

"Well? Is it a boy or a girl?"

Kaoru laughed at the look of delighted suspense on her husband's face. She handed him the baby, smiling as he shifted his grip to support the baby's head as if he had held thousands of babies in his lifetime.

"It's a girl."

Kaoru was a little disappointed, but also thrilled at the sight of her baby. Kenshin's face split into a grin as he looked at the little bundle in his arms. She had pale skin like her mother, and a wide forehead. A shock of red hair grew out of her scalp, and when she opened her eyes for a moment, he saw that they were brilliant purple.

A little different than my original thought, Kenshin mused, smiling at the baby and his wife, but she is mine. And she is beautiful.

"What do you want to name her, Kaoru?"

Kaoru looked away slightly, her cheeks pink.

"I never thought of any girl names… I was so sure that she was going to be a boy… Do you have any names?"

Kenshin grinned and bounced into a chair.

"Yes, this one has a name for her. Kaen. This one thinks it is a suiting name, that he does."

Kaoru smiled and brushed back the baby's red hair.

"Kaen it is. Why you go show her to Sano and Yahiko? They'll love meeting her."

Just as she predicted, as soon as Kenshin walked out the door, Yahiko and Sano jumped to their feet and smiled. The red haired wanderer held the baby so they could see her and grinned.

"Yahiko, Sano… Meet Himura Kaen."