Ikemen Sengoku x reader

Together (Kenshin x reader)

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku
Reader-insert: Female
Pairing: Kenshin Uesugi x reader
Genre: Romance
Warnings: None
Word Count: 2k+

          It was a heated, summer afternoon and you were at your favourite shop in Echigo, choosing different fabrics with your beloved Kenshin. The heat was unbearable inside so you turned worriedly towards Kenshin who had so kindly offered to accompany you.

          "I'm gonna take a while, Kenshin. You can wait outside."

          "Are you sure?" He stared at you with tender, heterochromatic eyes.

          You smiled at him, replying: "Yes, I've got this. Besides, it's too hot in here."

          He nodded in understanding. "I'll wait for you outside, then." He turned to go, then cast a concerned glance your way. "If you need anything—"

          "I know." You interrupted him. "Don't worry, I'll be alright," you reassured him, flashing a comforting smile.

          "Hmm." Kenshin nodded and walked out of the shop.

          While he was impatiently waiting for you, he heard a childish giggle. A few moments later, he spotted a little girl chasing a cat around. Her clothes were torn and filthy. Purple bruises covered her frail arms. Her left cheek was reddish and swollen, and she looked very thin. Kenshin observed her as she picked up the cat and cuddled it, brushing its fur with one dirty, tiny hand.

          The more he looked at the girl, the more he thought there was a resemblance between her and you which led him to contemplate fatherhood and what it would be like if you were to have his child.

          Having a son would be great. He could train him and pass on his knowledge to him, preparing him to rule Echigo one day. Having a daughter would be amazing as well, he mused. Although, it would be different. He would also train her and pass on all his knowledge to her, but he knew deep down he would go soft on her, as soft as he could, anyway. Girls were delicate and he was fine with that, but he wanted to raise a strong girl. She had to learn how to stand up for herself in such a cruel world, so he would have to be strict, as well as soft. Unbeknownst to him, there was a smile adorning his handsome face.

          The little whine the girl let out as the kitten leapt off her arms, roused him from his reveries. The girl ran after the cat as it dashed off. Worried, Kenshin followed her. She ran and ran until she collided with a man and fell backwards, heading directly for a fruit track.

          The cart wobbled, one of the plums from the pile fell and rolled, stopping at the little girl's foot. Fortunately, she got up to her feet seconds before dozens of plums rolled down the cart and onto the street.

          "Why, you little rascal! Haven't I told you I didn't want to see your snotty face again?"

          The merchant, whom she had collided against, seized her by the arm. His grip on her was achingly tight. The girl wailed in pain, tears forming in her droopy eyes.

          "You're gonna pay for this!" Yelled the vendor in anger as he raised his hand.

          The girl closed her eyes shut, body trembling as she hopelessly awaited to be struck painfully on the cheek. But the blow never came.

          Enraged at whoever gripped his wrist, the merchant yelled: "Hey! Who do the hell you think you—"

          "Don't you dare lay a finger on her," Kenshin commanded in an icy tone, staring threateningly at the man, successfully silencing him.

          "L-lord Kenshin!" The merchant stuttered as he released his hold on the girl.

          Kenshin let go of him, fixing him with cold, mismatched eyes.

          "Lord Kenshin, this little ruffian messed up my cart!" The man explained with indignation.

          "I don't care." The warlord's sharp statement stunned the man. "This should cover the damage," Kenshin deadpanned, giving some coins at the vendor.

          "W-woah, Lord Kenshin... this is very noble of you!" The man's eyes shone with greed at the generous amount of money Kenshin had offered him.

          Kenshin's jade and sapphire orbs softened as he looked at the kid. "Where are your parents, child?"

          "She doesn't have anyone. Her father died at war and her mother passed away from an illness last month. She's all by herself," replied the vendor.

          "Come here, let me see your face," Kenshin instructed with a tender tone.

          The child was too scared of him to move, so she just stood there rooted to the floor, quivering lightly.

          Kenshin sighed and crouched down to pick up one of the scattered plums. He rubbed it clean on his kimono before offering it to her. Hesitantly, she accepted it, devouring it eagerly and making a mess of her face and hands while Kenshin picked the rest of the fallen fruit up, giving it to the merchant who put it inside a wooden box.

          "My name's Kenshin, what's your name?" Kenshin inquired, taking a hand towel out of his kimono to wipe her face with rough yet caring strokes.

          Now that he was at eye-level, she was not so scared of him anymore. "I'm Kana." Her voice was sweet and high-pitched.

          "That's a cute name," he complimented, lips quirking up into a faint smile. "Come with me, Kana. I'll take you home." He extended his hand to her.

          The girl eyed his hand for a moment, before placing one tiny hand on his palm, showing him a disarming, bright smile that melted his heart.

          Clasping her hand securely in his, he walked with her to the fabric shop while effortlessly carrying the wooden box filled with plums over his shoulder.

          Soon he spotted you, waiting outside the shop with a puzzled and worried expression on your face.

          "Kenshin!" You beamed when you saw him. "There you are. I was getting worried, where have you been?" You queried as he approached you. "Oh? Who's that pretty little thing?" You grinned at the child who was walking behind him, clinging to his hand.

          "Her name is Kana," Kenshin replied, placing the fruit box down on the floor.

          "Nice to meet you, Kana. I'm (y/n)." You crouched down to her level and smiled amicably at her. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

          "She's our child, now," he said, staring fondly at Kana.

          You stood up abruptly. "What... what do you mean exactly?" You inquired carefully studying his face.

          "Her parents passed away. She has nobody," he explained calmly.

          Out of all his impulsive ideas, this was by far, the most shocking and insane... yet sweet and merciful. It made your heart swell with emotion, seeing how he had taken a liking to a child in need. However, you were not sure it was as simple as he made it look.

          "So... she's been living on the streets?" You frowned, staring at the girl with troubled eyes.
Kenshin nodded and stated: "We'll take care of her."

          "Kenshin, I-I-I don't think it's that easy." You panicked momentarily. "We can't just possibly adopt a child off the streets like it's a stray kitten... can we?" You looked questioningly at him as if trying to find the answers in his mismatched eyes. Despite not finding the answers, you found reassurance and serenity in the pools of his warm eyes.

          "As a warlord, I cannot turn a blind eye. It is my duty to protect all these people, they are my responsibility and so is she." His every word calmed your fretting heart. "The nokizaru needs fresh members, anyway. I'll make sure to train her myself," he smiled fondly at the child.

          As if coming out of Kenshin's shadow, Sasuke stated in a passive tone: "From my observations, this girl is not ready to be trained, yet, as she's—"

          You yelped in surprise, interrupting his speech. "Sasuke, what the—! Ugh, did you come from under that rock or what? You scared the living daylights out of me!" You reprimanded, pressing one hand on your chest as if to steady your heartbeat.

          "My apologies, (y/n). As I was saying, Lord Kenshin, she's too young to be trained."

          Scowling at his vassal, Kenshin said: "You'd better have a good reason to be here, Sasuke."

          "Certainly," he affirmed, handing Kenshin a letter.

          "What's this?" Kenshin frowned.

          "A missive from Lord Shingen."

          Upon reading the letter, Kenshin clicked his tongue in annoyance."I'll kill him," he muttered. Whatever Shingen had written, pissed him off.

          "I'll be taking my leave if you will excuse me, Lord Kenshin." Sasuke bowed down respectfully, before shooting you a barely noticeable smile. "See you later, (y/n)."

          Once Sasuke was out of sight, Kenshin turned his attention to you and spoke in a calm tone.

          "(y/n), I'm taking Kana to the castle, but if you have a problem with it, I'll ask one of the vassals to look after her."

          You shook your head. "That's not what I meant. Things are not this simple where I come from, but it's not just that... taking care of a child is a great responsibility, Kenshin. On the other hand, we can't leave her here."

          "I am aware it is not an easy task." Kenshin heaved a long sigh and placed a hand on Kana's head, patting it gently. "She reminds me of you," he mumbled.

          "How so?" You asked curiously, noticing how his eyes softened every time he looked at the kid.

          "She gobbles her food up as messily as you do." He chuckled lowly.

          "Excuse me, I have manners!" You crossed your arms, pretending to be angry as your lips pursed in a small pout.

          "Her hair and eyes remind me of yours, too," he continued. "Her innocent giggling... It makes me think of how carefree and pure-hearted you are." He met your gaze. The pools of his mismatched eyes were brimming with love for you.

          "Kenshin..." His heartfelt words moved you.

          "Lord Kenshin, I hear you're adopting that girl. That's so noble of you. Please, accept this offering, my lord." A shopper who had witnessed what the warlord had done earlier, offered him a package.

          "Accept this as well, my lord." Said an old woman.

          "Take this, Lord Kenshin. It's for the little one."

          A few other merchants gave Kenshin presents for Kana as they showered his noble and honourable lord with praise.

          "Wow, those are a lot of presents," you marvelled at the number of packages left by the townspeople.

          "You're done shopping, right?" He asked.

          "Yes, I told the clothier to take what I bought to Kasugayama."

          "Good. I'll ask him to bring these as well, then." He walked into the shop, leaving you and Kana alone. After a moment, he came back, the fabric seller was trailing behind him to gather all the presents.

          "Why did you buy that many plums?" You inquired, noticing the huge box filled with his favourite fruit.

          He shrugged. "What do you mean? I like plums."

          "Right..."

          Seeing as you were not convinced, he made up a more believable explanation. "We've run out of pickled plums. So, I thought I could make my own batch."

          "I'm pretty sure we haven't..." You shook your head, snickering softly. "Well, at least Kana seems to enjoy them, right Kana?" You smiled at the girl, who was eagerly munching one.
Kana hummed in reply as she swallowed, grabbing another plum before the seller picked up the box. "Mhm!"

          "If you keep eating plums, your stomach will hurt later." Kenshin chided her as he crouched down to wipe her sticky face with his hand towel.

          Watching Kenshin act like a dad taking care of his daughter melted your heart. Heaving a deep sigh, you made up your mind. "Let's take her home. I have no clue how we are gonna raise a child, but... we'll figure it out. Together. Right?" You flashed Kenshin a warm grin.

          "Together," he repeated with a smile on his face as if relishing the idea of you and him raising the young child.

          Kenshin took hold of Kana's right hand as you held her left hand, and the tree of you strolled back to the castle.

          Raising Kana was not going to be an easy task, but you and Kenshin would make it work, somehow. Come rain or come shine, the two of you—together—would overcome anything that came your way.