Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not my property and just a fun exercise of poetic license.

This is a nostalgic interest after my love for this story was re-sparked by Season 2 on Netflix and the rabbit hole that followed as I re-explored my beloved childhood anime! This is also directly inspired by Hajimete no Otsukai, A Japanese reality TV series that follows children running their first errand that's treated like a national right of passage.

Chapter 1

Kenji waddled as he carried a stout stool to the kitchen counter that was half his height. He needed to climb onto it to bring himself to counter height. Tugging up the long sleeves of his robe, the small boy spoke, "I will help Daddy!"

Kenshin smiled as he turned around with a basket of vegetables that had just been washed. "Thank you Kenji, let this one gather all the ingredients then I will show you how to prepare miso soup."

Cooking with was one of Kenshin's favorite activities with his young son. Kenji seemed to be catching onto the cooking lessons quicker than Kaoru.

Kaoru sat praying at her father's shrine as the wind blew the chimes and incense wafted the dojo. She meditated on her thoughts and how different her life was since her father had passed. What would her father think of her life now? She dedicated her life to build her family's foundation on the virtues he instilled in her.

The dojo now has more students and Yahiko had taken more responsibility teaching a few classes since she had become pregnant with Kenji.

Her thoughts drifted to her, now husband and father of her child, Kenshin. Kenshin was proving to be an amazing husband and father. Not that she even doubted his qualifications. He was just as protective, patient, attentive, and kind as ever. Still her mind drifted to what her father would think of how they were raising his grandson. Now that she was a mother, she felt more empathy for her father raising her by himself during such a chaotic time in Japan's history. Her father's teachings have given her all this good fortune, after all.

"Kenshin? Kenji? There you two are!" Kaoru walked into the kitchen to see Kenshin and Kenji chopping vegetables. Kaoru showed her appreciation to Kenshin with a kiss on his scarred cheek. Kenji seemed too busy entertaining himself with the vegetables to acknowledge his mother when she kissed the top of his head.

"Hello Kaoru, beloved. It seems we will need more miso for tonight's dinner." Kenshin said as he showed her the empty miso bucket.

"This would be a good time for Kenji to run his first errand!" Kaoru suggested.

"Oro, don't you think he is a bit young?" Kenshin protested.

"I was running errands for my father at his age! And Tokyo was a far more dangerous place then. I think he can do it!" Kaoru argued.

He hesitated as he thought of the potential danger that may befall their son without a guardian. While their lives were now peaceful, there could always be an enemy from his past seeking their revenge on the Battosai. Kaoru had been the target to coax his manslayer past to the present. He feared a threat to their son would plunge him into another level of darkness. Kenji was a spitting image of Kenshin with his dark red hair. It wouldn't require much effort to hunt down the Himura family.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's tone as tentative as she shifted to meet his gaze. He was staring at Kenji with the look of the Battosai. Kenji was innocently inspecting an oddly shaped yam and giggling to himself, blissfully ignorant to his parent's conversation.

"You're right, send the beloved child on a journey," Kenshin quoted a popular Japanese proverb. Was it truly an era of peace if he allowed the demons of his past to imprison his future?

"Kenji! Today is a very special day, that it is!" Kenshin beamed sitting on his heels to talk to his son face-to-face.

"My birthday? My birthday!" Kenji blurted out with glee.

"Uhhh well uhm, Kenji," Kenshin said softly feeling a pang of guilt for dampening his excitement, "your birthday is still another three months away…" Kenji folded his arms and directed his pout towards his father. Kenji had Kaoru's quick temper.

"This day is special because you will be running your first errand," Kenshin explained.

"My first errand?" Kenji echoed with big innocent eyes.

"That it is, Kenji. You are old enough to go shopping in town by yourself and come right back home, that you are."

"This one has never run an errand before" Kenji said, mimicking his father's speech pattern. Kaoru loved observing all the little similarities between Kenshin and Kenji that grew everyday.

"That's correct, this will be your first time. Do you believe you're ready for your first errand?"

With a sudden burst of energy Kenji brought his fists to his chest "Yes! I'm ready!"

Kaoru moved to sit in front of Kenji. Automatically he moved to sit in her lap but Kaoru held him at arm length to speak to him face-to-face, "Do you know remember where we go to buy miso?"

Kenji put his finger to his chin as he visualized the streets of Tokyo and all the places he had been. "Akabeko!" he proudly recalled from memory.

"Yes! You will go to Miss Tae and buy 1 kilogram of shire miso paste. What will you say when you see Miss Tae?"

"Excuse me," Kenji began in a small voice. Kenshin silently shed a happy tear from his young son's politeness. "I would like to buy 1 kilogram of shiro miso, please."

"That's right! Very good Kenji!" Kenshin praised as he handed Kenji a small purse with yin for his purchase and an umbrella. He felt a potential rain shower in the air with grey clouds in the sky.

"And Kenji," Kaoru began as the three walked together to the dojo gates to see Kenji off on his first errand in town by himself. Kenji ignored her as he studied the closed umbrella. "Kenji Himura! Are you listening? Look me in the eyes and listen to me carefully! This is very important!" Kaoru bristled. Kenji's stance straightened and quickly moved his focus to his mother. Mom was being serious.

"Please use the umbrella properly," Kaoru said with a tone of exhaustion. Memories of Kenji breaking her favorite umbrella over Kenshin's head with a downward strike while he was doing laundry fresh. Kenshin sheepishly rubbed the lump still on the back of his skull.

"Yes, Mommy." Kenji wasn't entirely sure why he had gotten into so much trouble that day. Mommy often praised him when he copied her.

"Alright then, we will see you soon then Kenji!" Kaoru waved and Kenji began to run down the path towards town.

"Don't forget to say 'thank you' if you ask anyone anything!" Kenshin called out watching his small son run away without saying a goodbye to his parents.

"You're welcome~!" an energetic Kenji yelled waving as he ran towards town and not looking back.

"Oro…I wonder if this is ok." Kenshin shoulders slumped.

He expected raising a child would not be easy but he didn't expect how much anxiety Kenji's budding independence would bring. Since calling the Kamiya dojo home, he discovered any disruption to his domestic bliss caused his mind to reel with the fear of losing it all. Kaoru was always there offering comfort when his thoughts overwhelmed him.

He smiled, Kaoru was proving to be a strict yet loving mother. Motherhood seemed to come naturally to her. She did turned the gang of misfits collected from the streets of Tokyo into a loyal family that kept him grounded after his wandering days.

The sound of pitiful sniffling interrupted his thoughts.

Tears were streaming down Kaoru's face as she cried, "My baby Kenji is growing up too fast. It was only a short time ago when he could only crawl and now he's running his first errand in town. Maybe this is too soon! He's only three! What if he gets scared? Or lost?! Or falls into the river? I'm a terrible mother for sending him off without someone to watch over him!"

Kenshin tried to comfort his wife with an embrace, "Oro Kaoru you're a wonderful mother. This one is sure Kenji will do just fine on his first errand."

Kaoru wiped her tears as she laid her head on his chest. She felt comfort in the vibration of his chest as he spoke, "You were saying yesterday we hardly have any privacy now that Kenji has become so curious. We should use this time to try for the other baby you have been talking-" SMACK!

"-ORO!"

End Chapter 1

This is my first fan fiction so reviews are greatly appreciated! The next few chapters are works in progress but I intend to upload the next chapter by next week. My goal is to write more as exercises to improve my dyslexia so please be understanding if there are any mistake in the story!