Chapter 52
Kenshin KNEW that telekinesis could be developed through practice, but he realised that there was no way that this ability could become strong enough for him to be able to handle at least one Akatsuki within six years.
After dinner, Kenshin did a little practice of his telekinesis by moving small objects. From now on, he decided to do the simplest things with his telekinesis to hone his control and strength.
At the moment it was insanely hard for him to even hold a pencil in the air. It was one thing to roll a salt shaker across the table, and quite another to lift an object into the air. But he didn't give up, and after two hours of practice, his head was woozy again and his eyes were sleepy with fatigue, so he headed back to the second bedroom and fell asleep in minutes, deciding not to disturb the girls and let them spend the night with the babies.
*****
On the morning of the 174th day, after breakfast, Kenshin told Ichiro to linger, and took him and Fourth into the drawing-room, ordering all the household not to disturb them unless absolutely necessary.
He originally wanted to use his memories, but decided that memories on behalf of Ichiro would be much more effective for one of the brothers.
All three took a comfortable stance, and Kenshin placed both hands on his sons' heads and repeated yesterday's words, urging them to relax.
- Ichiro, concentrate on Keiji. Your job is to think about him. The way you remember him from the day you were born, right up to that day. - Kenshin said calmly, and Ichiro opened his eyes and stared at his father in amazement, but didn't say anything, and after a few seconds he closed his eyes again and concentrated on his brother's memories.
The fourth was surprised too, but he didn't show it. He had heard about his older brother, who had died before he was born, and how it had hit his mother and father. He thought of Keiji as a hero who had sacrificed his life protecting their beloved father.
It took Kenshin about five minutes to establish a stable connection, and the session finally began. He helped Ichiro select the right memories, and guided and supported him in every way he could, broadcasting many fragmented but coherent memories into Four's mind.
The first was the memory of the first time Ichiro was allowed to hold his fragile little brother, and how joyful he felt.
Then came countless pictures of a measured family life, with Kenshin, Aya, Ichiro, and little Keiji enjoying life, getting out to the river, or the forest, almost every day.
The first encounter with a rabbit, the frightened squeal and then the joyful laughter at the contact with a fish. The happy look in the blue eyes of a child who received candy, and the glassy gaze of a young man dying with a pierced heart.
As soon as Fourth saw the last picture, the telepathic link was abruptly interrupted, and he opened his eyes, which had turned bright red, with one small comma. Bloody tears flowed from Fourth's eyes and it was hard for him to breathe. The memories he had seen hit his perception with a steel hammer, and his chest pinched.
Kenshin cringed slightly after the connection was broken, and opened his watery eyes. Even though he had a perfect memory, and remembered everything down to the smallest detail, it still hurt, especially when he saw it from a different angle. He was grieving for his second son, and just as the pain of the loss faded a little, it returned with renewed vigour.
- Congratulations, son. - Kenshin said with no particular joy, and patted Four on the shoulder. - Ichiro, help him get used to the sharingan, and I'll go get some rest.
As soon as Kenshin made an attempt to stand up, he felt dizzy and his eyes went black. He staggered back to his feet, regained his coordination, and after calming his sons, headed for the bedroom, this time taking Aya with him.
After it was revealed that Fourth had awakened the sharingan, everyone in the Nakayama family was ecstatic. Aya was glowing with happiness, Natsumi congratulated "little Fourth" and her best friend, and his younger brothers were filled with joy mixed with envy.
Kenshin rested until the evening, and at supper he announced that he would hold one session a day, and ordered the Sixth to get a good night's sleep, and be ready for the morning.
After dinner, he practised his telekinesis again for a while, and again he fell exhausted, once again falling asleep apart from the girls. He needed absolute peace, so he deliberately went to sleep in the other room.
Kenshin realised that the first few days or weeks were the most difficult, his brain had to get used to the rigours of the exercise, and become many times more powerful. He KNEW it was relatively safe, and it would take a lot of effort to get injured from overstretching his psionic powers. To do so, he had to either forcefully break into the mind of a strong-willed man, or strain his strength, and "leap above his head" tenfold.
*****
The next day after breakfast, Kenshin repeated the "session" with Six, but without Ichiro. He had all the memories he needed in his head, so he had no trouble transferring them to Six's mind.
It was the same as the first time, with a few minor adjustments. Kenshin changed the transmission of the memories a bit, arranging them in such a sequence as to make it look as sad as possible. He didn't like this cynical approach, but for the sake of his sons' sharingan awakening, he was willing to go beyond his principles.
At the end of the session, Six abruptly opened his eyes, from which bloody tears flowed and his iris turned red, becoming a classic sharingan with a single tomoe.
Kenshin was mentally exhausted, so he congratulated the Sixth without much enthusiasm, and went to rest.
He rested a little quicker this time than before, so just before dinner he practised his telekinesis, trying to hold a small apple in the air. Kenshin found it incredibly hard to do, even for what he thought was a small thing.
If he was distracted, the apple would fall on the bed and it would take Kenshin at least a second to concentrate and lift it back into the air.
Aya and Natsumi had already recovered from the birth, and were hinting to him that they were ready for another pregnancy, but Kenshin didn't care. His brain was in the active phase of transforming and adapting to his new abilities, so Kenshin felt tired almost all the time.