Chapter 15 “I remember you!” I think her name is Tae, but it doesn’t really matter. She giggles as I nod. Why is she giggling? Her hips sway suggestively as she leads me to a table. I raise an eyebrow in response. Her blush confuses me. Wasn’t she just trying to catch my eye? Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. I’m not interested in this woman. “What can I get for you?” With a bright smile, she holds her tray to her chest. “Sake…Please…” “Anything else?” Her features are contorted with concern. Why? Hasn’t she ever heard a man order just sake? “No…” “Well alright, as long as you pace yourself this time.” She winks and escapes into the back. Pace myself? I suppose she doesn’t want to have a drunk on her hands. Maybe I should order food with my drink then. I heard that keeps people from getting too drunk. * * * I snake my arm around her as we bathe. By her direction, the changing room has been cleaned to her liking. It was very dirty. I smile at the memory and pull her closer to me. She seems exhausted. Apparently, I have more stamina than most men. “Dr. Gensai said we are okay to go home tomorrow.” We? Oh! Kaemon! Yes. I guess we’re going back to the village tomorrow then. Suddenly, I am reminded of Battousai again. That bastard just had to show up today. We can ignore him in Rakuminmura. Even if he is friendly, I don’t want him or his friends turning Liya against me or anything. Not that Battousai would do that, but his friends might. “What’s wrong?” She sighs as I unclench a fist I don’t even remember forming. Suddenly, I feel her shift and rise. Where is she going? I watch her sit upon the edge of the bath directly behind me. What is she doing? With heavy grace, she trails her hands from my shoulders to my neck. Her fingers make deliberate circles along my tense muscles. “Why do you let him bother you?” Why?! I unconsciously tense and begin to get up. I don’t want to talk about this. Her fingers almost painfully press against a sore muscle forcing me to stay put. “He is nothing but an over-polite man with a bloody past. Why does he bother you?” “You have no idea what you’re talking about!” She presses another sore spot. Normally, I would be able to ignore the simple pressure, but this is different somehow. The fact that she is serious enough about this conversation that she feels the need to punish me with pressure point techniques is throwing my masculine strength out the window. “Then, tell me.” She presses yet again causing me to wince and hiss. Her voice is surprisingly soft and lulling considering the present strength of her fingers. I suppose I should tell her everything. It’s only fair. Still, I find myself scowling. She presses harder and I relinquish. “Alright! Alright! I’ll tell you! Gods woman!” She smacks my shoulder before continuing with the massage. * * * “I think you’ve had enough…” Without waiting for a response, I begin to clean off the table. It’s starting to get late. Most of the other customers have left and they’re Tsubame’s tables. I invite myself to sit down. The guy just looks so pitiful. He looks like he lost his girl. “Do ya wanna talk about it Honey?” I gently put my hand on his back. Almost immediately, he begins to cry. I’ve never seem a man cry before, except for my dad. His head falls to the table with a pathetic thump. People are staring, but he’s drunk so it doesn’t matter. “Why does she love him!?” He suddenly blurts out, surprising me. His fists clench as he pounds the table. Thinking only of table number 6, I take his hands to prevent property damage. He squeezes my hands until it seems they will fall off. “You mean that little Chinese girl and Enishi?” He growls making me yelp. Now, everyone is staring. Most are regulars. A couple have tried to court me. They actually start to get up until I smile and wave them off. “It’s okay!” Louder this time, he begins crying again. I thought the couple looked good together, especially since she managed to calm him down before he caused too much damage. She also got him to leave a wonderful tip the last time they were here. The money nearly paid for an eighth of the damage caused by his “Revenge”. I thought that was very thoughtful of them. “He isn’t even sane! I don’t get it!” Well, I get it. Enishi loves her and you’re being a brat about it. “I had a tough past too, but I’m not insane!” I beg to differ…Sighing, I rub his back as he complains and cries. * * * “That bastard killed her! Cold-blood! I’ve read her diary over and over and I still don’t get it! She loved him. And he killed her! I had to get revenge, but he was too powerful. He could have slaughtered me with his little finger back then. So I fled. I found myself in Shanghai. I lived off of garbage and what I could kill. That is…until a kind and gentle Japanese couple found me. They took pity on me and brought me into their home. I killed them and took their money and valuables. They had a book that taught me a fighting style. I perfected it and molded it into my own personal style. I worked my way up in the shadows of Shanghai. I became a weapons dealer and planned my revenge on Battousai. I used his friends as a way to put him through hell before I attempted at killing him. I hired ‘comrades’, one of which destroyed the former Akabeko. Anyone Battousai knew and might know were targets, especially his woman. One of my men created a life-like doll of her. I kidnapped her while he pinned the doll to the dojo wall with a sword so that she appeared dead. As expected, Battousai became lost. He suffered while I waited. My revenge would only be complete when he was dead, but that didn’t happen. My sister stopped smiling at me; he didn’t die. Everything failed. I escaped being taken to prison and came to Rakuminmura. A year later, I met you.” His voice is barely a whisper by the end of his story. He has had an awesome and terrible past. Kenshin’s family has every right to hate him as they do…and he has every right to hate them as he does. But, there is a piece missing. Both men are different now. That is certain. Things just don’t add up. Why would Kenshin kill Enishi’s sister if she loved him…and he loved her. He did say that they were married and that he did, indeed, love her in return. This is confusing. Perhaps it is time to take Kenshin’s invitation now. “Tomorrow, we go see Kenshin.” * * * “And there he was! He was slaughtered by the stringy-haired demon with golden eyes! Mother died when Cho was born, so no one could take care of her but me!” He’s balling now. This is really getting bad. Everyone has left. Half of them weren’t even done with their meals yet. He picks up an empty choko and tries to drink. I don’t know what he got out of it, but he looks satisfied now as he continues his tirade. “Um…Tae-san…” Tsubame hides behind her tray while eyeing the drunkard. I smile and pat his back. “It’s okay. Let’s take him back to the clinic. That’s where Yahiko said Enishi was staying for now.” Her eyes widen, but she nods anyway and lowers her tray. Setting it on top of mine, we somehow manage to lift his arms around our shoulders as we heave him into a standing position. I don’t know how this is going to work since Tsubame is shorter than me, but we’ll just have to make due. “Come on Kaemon-kun. We’re going home.” I say with the enthusiasm of a tired mother. “You’re taking me home with you? You’re so niiiice Tae-chan!” He leans towards me. I wince at the smell of alcohol, but smile just the same. “I love you guys. I’m drunk as hell and you’re walking me home with you…and you don’t care!” He tries to gesture with his hands, but fails for obvious reasons. His antics cause Tsubame and I to lose our hold. We plummet to the ground. I groan as he giggles insanely to himself and the others around him. Suddenly, I hear him choke on his laughter. He audibly gulps causing Tsubame and I to divert our attention to the area surrounding us. Yakusa are circling our little group like wolves circle their prey. A smug smile is all I see before everything goes black. * * * “Tomorrow, we go see Kenshin.” Is she kidding?! Hasn’t she heard a single word I said!? No! Absolutely not! I forbid it! “Story is not whole. Kenshin answer question.” I stare at her with the most shocked expression I can muster. Her massaging stopped a long time ago. She is now standing. Though she’s normally calm and submissive, her face suddenly becomes commanding. It doesn’t matter though. I will not go to my sister’s killer to talk! “Child!” I force myself not to flinch at her harsh tone. Her onyx eyes pierce through me with the ferocity of an unhappy wife. She is speaking in Japanese, which she only does to me when she means business. “You are child. Man get all knowledge before fight. You act like spoiled child who lose favorite toy.” “You don’t know what it’s like to see your own sister murdered in front of you!” That was a stupid comment, but it doesn’t matter. She’s treading on thin ice with this conversation. “You know I know. Yakusa have no honor. Revenge good. Kenshin change. Now, he have honor. Now, revenge not good. You talk Kenshin. Get all knowledge. Make story whole. Yes.” I don’t like this. “I go with you. You not do stupid thing.” I growl at that. She is undaunted by my threatening ki. I know she feels it, but it’s not stopping her. “You not have to like. You just do.” “What if I refuse?” I’m still growling. I don’t care if it’s not working. “I not smile. ‘Nee-san not smile. You alone.” Gritting my teeth, I avoid her hard glare. I guess I have no choice. I’ll have to force myself to be in the same room with Battousai. * * * Author's Notes: No real notes, except that I'd like to thank my roommate from my freshman year of college for the drunk scenes. The whole 'I love you guys' part came from real events, so I have to give credit where it's due. Thanks Kristin!! Thank you for waiting so long for the next chapters. I hope I can write the next ones soon. I'm having a bit of writer's block. *nervous laughter* Well, I hope this one was just as good as the others!! Thanks for reading!