Author's Note: Personally, I never agreed with the future of the Himura family that was presented in the OVA Seisouhen (Reflections). I could rant about it forever, but instead I decided to write my own version of the events post-manga.

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This is a chapter fic. Each chapter contains a moment in the life of Himura Kenji, written as a one-shot and put together to tell the larger story as he matures. Emphasis is placed on the issue of swordsmanship, and Kenji's growth is expressed in relation to the sakabatou as it changes hands.

Thanks for reading!

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Chapter 1: Prologue

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Pleasantly worn out from an afternoon of teaching at the Maekawa dojo, Kaoru opened the familiar gate and glanced around the empty yard. Her redheads were nowhere in sight—Kenshin must have put Kenji to bed already. She always hoped to come home in time to say goodnight to her adorable two-year-old son, but on those days when she worked across town, he often fell asleep before she returned.

Sure enough, the door to her son's room was open, and she stepped into the doorway to see her husband kneeling beside the futon as the young child slept. Kaoru took in the scene with a smile.

But when Kenshin stood and made his way over to greet her, she noticed signs of unease in his posture. A quick glance back in Kenji's direction confirmed that the child was safe and healthy… still, something was bothering her husband.

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When he saw Kaoru's questioning look, Kenshin realized his doubts must be showing on his face.

"I'm worried about him," he admitted, gesturing back toward the sleeping child.

"You're always worried," his wife chuckled, shoving playfully against his arm. It was a running joke between them, but this time it failed to lighten his mood.

Seeing this, Kaoru's expression became serious. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No… not yet," Kenshin said slowly. "But he was fascinated by my sword today. I wouldn't let him touch it, but he obviously wanted to. He looked at it like it was a toy…"

Kaoru looked as if she wanted to say something, but he pressed on, his words coming out in a rush.

"He's too young to know it's dangerous, but that won't last long. What will happen when he learns he's living in a dojo, with a father who is rumored to have one of the most powerful sword styles in the country? If he's anything like me—"

"If he's anything like you, he'll want to help people, not hurt them," Kaoru interrupted, "and we'll teach him how to do exactly that. We can't keep swordsmanship from him forever, Kenshin. He's our son, after all. You know the consequences of a killer's sword; you'll be able to guide him the right way."

"Hiko knew the consequences too," Kenshin pointed out. "That didn't stop me from leaving him and joining the war."

"Hiko let you walk away without a fight," she retorted. Kenshin couldn't help smiling at the expression of disapproval on her face; though the two of them got along, Kaoru didn't like Hiko very much. "Can you honestly tell me you would sit and watch your son make the same mistake you once did?"

"No." It was true. Though he respected his surrogate father, learning that particular lesson the hard way was something he wished Hiko had prevented. Kenshin wasn't sure what he would have done if the roles had been reversed… but I would have done something, he realized. And I will do something if Kenji tries to throw away his humanity.

His wife nudged him, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Remember when Yahiko first started learning swordsmanship? He wanted nothing to do with the 'sword that revitalizes'. Two weeks later, he was saving up money to buy his own reversed blade."

"Yes, I remember… he was definitely a handful at first."

"That's an understatement." Her grumbling tone was betrayed by the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Kenshin finally laughed, pulling his wife into the circle of his arms. Her answering smile was triumphant— she always knew how to reassure him.

"Thanks, Kaoru." For a moment they were both silent, and Kenshin took comfort in the way she openly trusted him, her complete confidence that he would turn out to be a worthy father. He was determined to meet those expectations; despite all the mistakes in his past, he would do this right.

Something about his wife's words triggered his memory, and he pulled back to meet her eyes again. "Actually, I was thinking it was about time to call Yahiko back to the dojo. It's his birthday soon… he'll be fifteen years old…"

Kaoru waited for him to continue, unsure what he was getting at.

"He's an adult now." Kenshin smiled, the fingers of his left hand absently fingering the hilt of his sakabatou. "I'd like to let him know that I see him as such… and I believe he'll have more use for this blade than I will."

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I'm in a writing frenzy right now, so the next few chapters are already in the works. I'll do my best to hold them back, though - just long enough to set a good pace for updates...

Reviews and critique are always welcome! This is my first chapter fic, so advice is greatly appreciated. :)