Chapter Five- De Gozaru Yo!

~*~

Anya blinked up at the slim redhead figure standing in front of her, sword unsheathed, holding a small copy of himself in his arms...

"Kenshin?" she asked uncertainly.

"Annie-dono!" the Chibi said cheerfully. "My Dad is here, that he is!"

/I can see that,/ she thought. "Uh, hello?"

The grown Kenshin nodded at her politely before turning to the Bishoujo-girl that lay on the forest grass, sprawled and unconscious. "She will not wake for a time, de gozaru yo," he said. "We should get moving before she wakes."

Slowly, Anya nodded and then looked around for Sano. He was immediately at her side, checking over her.

"Anya no baka! First you punch the damn girl with the same damned weak hand and then you nearly get yourself carved up by this crazy halfling! Do you WANT to get yourself killed here?"

"Sano, will you stop that and shut up?" she asked. "I'm fine, you're fine... right?" she added.

"Of course I'm fine!"

"I didn't realize you were so worried," she said in a sly tone.

He turned away towards Kenshin, apparently ignoring her. "Kenshin-" he began.

"Let us get a move on, de gozaru yo," the grown Kenshin said politely. "We can talk as we go. For now, I want to get my son away from this woman, de gozaru yo."

Sano nodded, and the odd group began to walk away from where the half-girl half-Bishoujo lay.

"You know, Kenshin, you really are getting soft," Sano began to complain as they walked through the dark woods. "Or is it a growing habit of yours to let your kid run off by himself? He could have been hurt a lot of times following us, or Missie mighta decided to capture him!" He threw a thumb in Anya's direction.

"Well, I didn't, did I?" Anya asked defensively. "Jeez. I'm not the type to steal little kids!"

"It was alright, I was watching both him and you, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said. "I found him sneaking off and knew he was following you again, Sano, so I decided to see where it would lead."

Anya blinked. "So, you were following your son who was following Sano who was stuck following me?" she asked.

"That sounds right, de gozaru yo." Kenshin turned grave violet eyes on her. Man, did she feel unworthy. "You are remarkably restrained for a trainer, if I may say so. Many would leap at the chance for a Chibi. Seeing one of our young is a rare occasion, de gozaru yo."

She found herself rather stupidly blushing. "Eh, well, thanks? I don't know, put from your point of view, it sounds so wrong..."

For the first time since she saw the grown one, Kenshin smiled. She felt twice as unworthy. "You are an interesting trainer, de gozaru yo. You're not even trying to capture me?"

Anya snorted. "Are you kidding? You're married, or so I hear, and I don't feel like dealing with a pissed Kaoru."

The smile grew. Then Kenshin turned to Sano, stopping their walking party. "What were you doing wandering off anyhow, Sano? You were wide open for capture."

Sano shrugged. "The scouts have been- uh," he said, glancing at Anya.

"Um..." Anya glanced at the three Bishonen. "Is... this something I'm not supposed to hear?"

"Would you mind, de gozaru yo?" Kenshin said politely.

"Can you show me how YOU punch, Annie?" Chibi Kenshin asked eagerly. "Can she, Dad?"

Kenshin sighed and let his son down. "Just do not hurt yourself or I will have to explain to your mother, de gozaru yo."

Chibi Kenshin immediately took Anya's hand and dragged her away out of earshot, and she glanced back curiously at the two Bishonen. Then she turned her attention to the adorable Chibi, who had released her hand and was jumping up in down in a vague fighting stance.

She grinned. "Alright, what do you know?"

~*~ Sano and Kenshin ~*~

The two waited until the trainer was out of sight before they spoke again. Kenshin was the first. "I never thought I would see this, Sano," he said, obviously amused about something.

"What?"

"You are so concerned over a trainer. I have seen your care grow over only a few days. That in itself is a miracle, de gozaru yo."

Sano frowned. "We didn't ask her to leave to talk about sentiments, Kenshin."

Kenshin smiled. "Very well."

"What I was going to say was that the scouts from our main city's been disappearing, and it's not at the usual rate." Sano glanced at Anya. "I talked to Megumi, and she told me a few have come in barely alive, as though someone's been beating them."

Kenshin's smile faded to a frown. "That is disturbing. Any idea who?"

Sano shook his head.

"We have clearly stated our territories," Kenshin mused. "And what of the trainers?"

Sano thought about that. "I'm not sure, but I don't think so. The most likely is that someone's trying to take over our territories, though I'm not sure who."

"Hmm. What about that odd girl that was attacking you? I've never seen a girl like that," Kenshin said, "and I have seen half-breeds before, de gozaru yo."

The two fell silent, then Kenshin chuckled.

"What?" Sano asked.

Kenshin nodded towards where Anya and the Chibi were. She was kneeling with her hands cupped for receiving punches, and the Chibi was awkwardly trying to punch into them.

Sano watched too, with a small smile on his face.

"Do you trust her?" Kenshin asked.

"Eh?" Sano asked, blinking.

"Do you trust her, de gozaru yo?" Kenshin repeated.

"I don't know. I guess I do. What's it matter?" Sanosuke asked.

"I am merely curious."

Sano gave him a suspicious look, then waved at Anya as she glanced their way. She stood and let out a yelp as Chibi Kenshin punched her squarely in the knee. The Chibi looked immediately concerned and looking for the injury while she limped back to the two Bishonen. Sano smirked.

"You have a tendency to get hurt, don't you?" he asked her.

"Shut up," she replied. "No, Kenshin, I'm fine..." She glanced at the grown Kenshin. "So I guess you're heading back with your Chibi?"

Kenshin looked up at the treetops. "Well, it is very late. We should make camp for a while, de gozaru yo." He glanced back at where they'd been. "And that girl will not try anything at least for tonight."

Anya blinked, and then realized for the first time in a while that it'd been pretty dark for the past few hours. "Oh," she said lamely.

"We will return home in the morning," Kenshin decided. "For now, let's make a fire and get some sleep, de gozaru yo."

"Are you sure you're OK, that you are?" Chibi Kenshin asked worriedly, poking at Anya's knee. She twitched.

"YES, honest," she replied, and glanced at the other two. "Who's getting firewood?"

~*~ The next morning ~*~

Anya felt very warm and very, very content when she woke the next morning, though she wasn't exactly sure why. The sleeping bag she has was nice enough, but it didn't generally stay this warm all night. And she never really felt content first thing in the morning.

Suddenly something moved against her stomach. She froze, and opened her eyes to look down at herself.

She saw a mass of red hair, and realized that the Chibi Kenshin was snuggled quite firmly next to her.

/Wha? How? When?/ she wondered. /He was sleeping with his Dad last night... Why's he over here?/

"He prefers sleeping with young ladies, it appears," said an amused voice.

Anya looked up to see the grown Kenshin watching her. "Uh, morning," she said lamely. "Eh, did you just read my mind?"

"It was obvious what you were thinking, de gozaru yo." He nodded at the Chibi. "Sometimes we take him for outings, Kaoru and I, and he usually prefers sleeping with Kaoru." He shrugged.

"Oh."

There was a long silence, when she shifted a little as the Chibi was sort of burying his face into her stomach. "Uh, do you want him back?"

"When he wakes, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said with a smile. "We will let him sleep a while longer."

The two fell silent again.

Anya, seeing as she probably wasn't going to be able to leave her sleeping bag for a while longer, glanced around herself. Kenshin was sitting cross-legged near the remains of the fire they'd built the night before. Sano was a little ways away from them, leaning against a tree and snoring his head off. The Chibi, of course, was right next to her. Anya grinned a little at Sano as he shifted in his sleep-

-and fell on the ground.

"ITAI!"

He woke up and, cursing, nursed his sore head, which had hit a small rock. Anya shook her head.

"That's one of the most creative ways to wake up I've ever seen."

"Shut up, Missie," Sano replied.

"Good morning to you, too."

"Ah..."

The Chibi stirred and opened his wide violet eyes. He looked around him sleepily, then up at Anya. "Annie-dono. Good morning."

"Morning," she said.

Those violet eyes... /My god he's cute when he's a sleepy Chibi,/ she thought admiringly as she stared into them. /It.. I mean... ah, heck with describing. It just makes you wanna go 'aww' and hug him! Kinda like the innocent curious looks Kenshin shows in the anime.../

Then the Chibi blinked and the spell was broken. "So what's for breakfast, Annie-dono?" he asked brightly, climbing out of the sleeping bag. "Can I have more of that... that, uh... peanut butter, that is?"

"Peanut butter?" Kenshin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I gave it to him the other day when he said he was hungry," Anya said. "I figured on just giving him a little snack..."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose we can eat and then leave, de gozaru yo. What do you have besides... peanut butter?"

Sano snorted.

Anya thought, then pulled out her refrigerator capsule. She tossed it on the ground and with a poof the refrigerator appeared. She opened it and made a little bow. "My food is yours."

Kenshin stood and walked over to peer curiously in.

A while later, the group finished dining on fruits and a sandwich each. Anya leaned against a nearby tree, feeling satisfied with herself. "Ah, being fed feels good," she said, stretching.

"That it does!" Chibi Kenshin agreed cheerfully. "What next?"

"We go home, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said firmly. "It's time that we returned, your mother is probably very worried, de gozaru yo."

"Make sure you're wearing armor, hey?" Sano asked with a grin.

Chibi Kenshin paused and tilted his head to one side. "What about you, Uncle San?"

Sano threw a thumb in Anya's direction. "I'm going with her."

Chibi Kenshin looked at Anya. "But you're coming with us, you are, right?" he asked, sounding worried.

Anya smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm going on to the next town and I'm going to capture more Bishonen," she answered.

"But you'll come back in a week, right?" Chibi Kenshin asked.

"No... we probably won't see each other again," Anya said.

"But, but, but," Chibi Kenshin complained, wide eyes pleading. He turned to his father. "Dad, she's kidding is she not?"

Kenshin shook his head. "She's a human, de gozaru yo," he answered. "She goes her ways, and we will go ours."

"But, what about Uncle San?"

"I go with her, obviously," Sano answered.

"But if I never see HER again I'll never see YOU again," Chibi Kenshin fretted.

Sano looked at Kenshin. "You've got a bright kid, Kenshin."

"But I wanna see you again!" Chibi Kenshin said, latching onto Sano's leg.

Sano tried to shake him off, but the Chibi apparently had an impossibly strong grip. "Ken- kid! Get off! Come on, for crying out loud, get off!" He shook his leg, but the Chibi remained latched onto him. "Kenshin, a little help?"

The grown Kenshin was ignoring him, however, and looking curiously at Anya. Anya felt his eyes on her and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Yes?" she asked.

"And, and I wanna see you again!" Chibi Kenshin cried, releasing Sano's leg and switching to hers. Both of hers. She fell over from the surprise.

"Ack! Kenshin," she began, and stopped when she saw those huge violet eyes. /I... oh, I really wish I wasn't such a Kenshin fan.../ she thought. /I could drown in those eyes.../

The Chibi was also doing his best to look adorable, which made it all the harder to do anything but stare at him and adore him.

Sano sighed. "You should teach the kid restraint, Kenshin."

The grown Kenshin still watched her for a long moment, then sighed. "Kaoru will harm me, de gozaru yo. But I suppose it cannot be helped." He walked over and pulled Anya to her feet again gently. "Anya-dono, would you like a second Bishonen?"

She blinked. "Eh?"

Kenshin glanced down at the Chibi, then back up at her. There was no mistaking what he meant.

"What? But, he's a Chibi," she began lamely.

"And he likes you, and he will merely run off after his uncle later, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said, sounding slightly exasperated. "Wouldn't you?" he added to his son.

Slowly, Chibi Kenshin nodded.

"My... do you mean..." Anya felt shocked. "But he's still so little..."

"Sano will teach him until he grows," Kenshin said, glancing at named Bishonen. Then he lowered his voice. "But I must warn you before you accept, de gozaru yo. Our San stage goes from violent to depressed in an instant. We may be great burdens at this stage, for this is when... the Battousai name becomes known..."

"If... if you really mean it..." Anya reached down to hug the Chibi. "Yes, I'd love to take care of Kenshin!"

"Then you have my permission, at least, to take him, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said with a sigh. "Though, young one, you cannot come back unless she releases you..." he said to his son.

Chibi Kenshin grinned and hugged Anya. "I'm going with Annie-dono?" he said happily. "And Uncle San? YES!"

Kenshin glanced into the woods. "Well, I must be going, that I should..."

"Wow, uh, thanks so much, Kenshin," she said. "But... why do you trust me with your son?"

He smiled. "Because you restrained yourself from capturing him. And it's better a trainer I've met than a stranger. Farewell, trainer Anya-dono." He smiled at his son. "I will see you later down the road perhaps, de gozaru yo."

"Bye, Dad. See you later," Chibi Kenshin said, now reaching out to hug him. "And give Mom a hug too, that you will?"

"I will," Kenshin said seriously.

A moment later, he was gone.

"Well, I guess..." Anya began after another moment. "I should capture you..."

Sano shrugged.

Chibi Kenshin looked up curiously. "How do you do that?"

Anya held up a ball. "I catch you in this."

The Chibi frowned. "Aren't I a little big for that, Annie?" he asked uncertainly.

"You'll get, ah, sucked into it. Don't be scared, okay? I'll let you out again in just a moment, honest."

The Chibi thought about this, then nodded. "Okay!"

She tapped him with the ball, and he was sucked into it, his mouth making a silent O of surprise. She waited a moment until the ball stopped shaking and was still before saying, "Come out, Kenshin."

He appeared looking shaken. "That- that WAS scary, that it was," he said. "Please, don't do it again?"

Anya smiled and knelt down to hug the Chibi. "I won't," she promised.

Her Dex beeped. "Bishonen Two captured. Himura Kenshin, stage Chibi. Nickname?"

"No nickname," she told it. She then grinned. "YES! I got another Bishonen!"

Sano rolled his eyes. "Are we going or not?"

"Yeah!"

As they left, another redhead figure watched them go with an ironic smile on his face. He muttered, "Kaoru's going to kill me, de gozaru yo," and disappeared.