Chapter 16 “So…I guess I’m stuck with you again today.” Cho gives me a broad smile before latching on to my leg. What?! “I love you Yahiko-chan!” Where did that come from?! Every time I am forced to be with this little girl, she does something strange like this. What’s next?! This is going to be a long day… * * * “Coming!” Who could be visiting? I don’t remember inviting anyone. With an annoying creak, I open the door to my dojo. “Aaaaaaaaagh!!!” “Kaoru! What’s wrong!?” Kenshin runs out of the house with Kenji in his arms. Before me, is a meekly smiling woman with the man who put us through hell last year behind her. She is holding his hand as if she had to force him to come to our door. He growls at the sight of Kenshin. His beady teal eyes dart from father to son, and narrow. “Enishi…!” The mentioned man looks away, obviously angry at being dragged to this place. “Day before yesterday, you say we talk when Enishi tell me story. Last night, Enishi tell everything he know. Now, you talk.” She waits patiently for one of us to let them in. Kenshin? “Kaoru…get tea.” He hands me our son and smiles at our ‘guests’. “We have a lot to talk about, that we do.” Enishi seems disturbed by how quickly we are letting him into our home. Apparently, he was expecting us to kick him out while screaming obscenities at him. I turn to get the tea ready. We bought some good cakes yesterday. Maybe I could serve those as well. I think that would be nice. Nice?! What am I thinking?! This is Enishi we’re talking about! I hold Kenji closer to me. He won’t touch him. He won’t come near my baby. I don’t care if he’s stronger than me. I’ll defend my child! But…if he wanted my baby, wouldn’t he have done something by now? This doesn’t make sense. I’m so confused. I’ll just make the tea. * * * “Are you still being threatened?” I notice Enishi has his sword with him. He must be pretty uneasy with the yakusa around. Speaking of being uneasy, he just scoffed at me. I see. I’ll have to talk to him through Liya-dono. “What kinds of questions do you have?” She is prying the sword from Enishi’s grasp. I smile warmly. She doesn’t want him to do anything he’ll regret later. “Enishi only see sister die. You say you love her. Book say she love you. Why kill?” My smile softens even more. She sounds so blunt because of her limited knowledge of Japanese. Her eyes betray her abruptness though. She is trying to be as gentle as possible. “It was a trap. Tomoe was lured there as bait. The forest we were in prevented me from being able to predict my opponents moves through their ki. Each warrior I faced removed one of my senses. By the time I got to the…man behind the trap, I could sense nothing. Tomoe stepped between me and the attacker at the moment I made the killing blow meant for my opponent and only my opponent. It was an accident, that it was.” Liya-dono seems satisfied with this answer. I think she has a bit of a warrior’s spirit within her. Otherwise, she would never have survived the yakusa’s treatment. She can tell that I’m not lying. Enishi is a different matter all together though. “I don’t believe you. Why would ‘Nee-san step between two opposing blades? She knew better. It doesn’t make sense.” He has every right to ask that. It doesn’t make sense. I have often wondered why she did it. I lower my gaze. I don’t know how to answer his question. “I don’t know…why she did it.” A tear escapes. It cascades down my scarred cheek to fall on my clenched fists. Kaoru silently steps into the meeting room. She diligently sets tea down in front of everyone as well as a small plate full of cakes. Liya-dono takes a relaxing sip of her cup. She is fearless of the menacing emotions coming from her lover. “Now, you have baby?” Enishi’s murderous expression contorts into surprise. It seems he is as confused about the change in topic as I am. “Yes…” Kaoru tries to smile as she clutches her child. “His name is Kenji.” Liya-dono smiles brightly. “He very handsome.” The thick atmosphere in the room seems to lighten somewhat as the women exchange friendly conversation. To my astonishment, my wife scoots closer to the other woman. “Would you like to hold him?” Her voice shakes slightly as if she’s not sure of her decision. This further proves how brave my wife is. Liya-dono seems surprised by her question as well, yet she still accepts. Enthusiastically, she opens her arms just wide enough to allow the newborn to be slipped into her grasp. Women and babies always make good men see the error of their violent ways. My eyes wander toward the other man. He is watching his lover hold my son, with tender eyes. There will be no fighting here with a scene like this present. “You will stay for dinner.” I smile at his ‘lost child’ expression. My story will take a large toll on him. All of his ideals have been thrown away because he has heard the truth. Even if he doesn’t entirely believe it, it will still have an impact on him. He nods to accept my offer. “Only if Liya helps cook.” Kaoru’s temper flares. She growls at him, but rethinks it. My smile grows as my child coos from Liya-dono’s arms. * * * I blush and swallow my pride. I admit it. I’m a bad cook. It’s not my fault that my father raised me. I didn’t have a mother to teach me the essentials for being a proper woman. Liya is following me to the kitchen. Maybe she can teach me a little bit. I would like to learn how to cook before my son gets to be old enough to complain about it. “Just put him in the basket. We can let Kenshin watch him while we cook.” She nods and adjusts the blankets before snuggling him into their depths. “Kenshin! Come and get Kenji!” I hear my husband stir from the meeting room. Soon, he comes to retrieve the basket. He’s alone? He left Enishi to roam the house? No. I don’t think he’d do that, especially when his…wife (?) is here. “So…” I chuckle nervously. “What are we going to make?” * * * “No Yahiko-chan! You have to do it like this!” She takes the piece of twine away from me and threads the bead. This is girly stuff! Boys don’t do this! Why can’t I do anything fun with her?! Maybe I can! “Come here Cho-chan! I wanna show you something!” Her eyes light up. Immediately, she ignores the beads and tries her best to catch up to me. I may not be teaching her real sword fighting, but at least it’ll be more fun than making necklaces! * * * “Kaoru-san…slice radish. Do not murder radish.” She brushes my hands aside and takes hold of the knife. “You teach sword. Yes?” I nod. “Good. Use that. Hold knife one hand. Firm hold. Hold radish one hand. Curl fingers so do not cut. Guide radish with hand. Guide knife with wrist. Steady knife with one finger. Yes?” Oh! I see! She smiles at me and hands me the knife. I guess it’s my turn to try what she taught me. This seems so much easier now! I think I’m getting the hang of it! Liya giggles at me. I guess I need to practice a bit more. My slices are still uneven, but they do look a little better and it is easier to control the knife this way. She decided it would be best if I made something simple while she taught and fixed mistakes. Despite her choppy speech, she’s a very good teacher mostly because she’s so patient. Maybe that’s why she can put up with Enishi. A woman would have to be patient to be involved with him. “Done!” “Good!” Her eyes scan over my recent attempts. She smiles. I can see the difference too. “Now, we make soup.” It’s another idea of hers. She thought soup would be easier to teach to a beginner like me. “Now, give small bowl.” She pours sake into the bowl until it reaches about half-way. “Remember.” I study the contents. “Now, give cup.” She pours the sake into the cup. It reaches the very top. “See?” I see. She’s showing me how to measure the amount I need. Now, she pours it into the pot. “See?” She smiles at my understanding expression as she washes her teaching tools. “Put in small things.” She must mean all the small vegetables. I shyly touch the spices, vegetables, and other things that could be seen as small. She nods and shakes her head accordingly. I obey. “Smell.” I do as I’m told. “What smell like?” “Um…I smell garlic and sake…and onions…and…” “Smell cold?” Cold? I guess so. Nothing’s cooked, if that’s what she means. I guess that’s what it is. The scent is too raw. “Good. Now, wait.” But how will we know if it’s done if we don’t hover over it and watch it? I suppose I should trust her. She’s obviously a much better cook than I am. I shouldn’t complain about it. “Do not worry. Soup good when wait long enough. You know it ready when it smell done.” But what does it smell like when it’s done? * * * I wrap my arms around Cho-chan from behind. “This is how you hold the stick Cho-chan.” She smiles and tries to hold still. Obviously, this is nothing but a game to her, but that’s okay. I’m learning how to teach. I’m going to have to teach students some day, I may as well practice now. “Don’t you think she’s a little young to learn sword techniques?” Dr. Gensai rubs his lower back as he takes a small breather. It’s been a rough day for him. The new yakusa in town is really doing a lot of damage. “Yahiko-chan? Where’s Onii-chan?” “I don’t know. Didn’t he come back last night?” She shakes her head and pouts. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Ms. Tae probably let him stay with her family. He’ll be back later.” She seems satisfied by that answer, so I’ll drop the subject. It does worry me a little though. Well, I’ll give him until Liya-san comes back with Enishi. Maybe he’ll be nice and look for his friend. “Okay…Now, swing it like this.” * * * A warm aroma fills the room. I have no doubt in my mind that it’s filled other rooms as well. “Now is it done?” Liya opens her eyes and smiles. “Very good, Kaoru-san.” I did it?! Really!? “Now, we put in other things.” The other vegetables? The bigger ones then? I guess so. Again, I point to the remaining spices and vegetables. As before, she nods and shakes her head accordingly. I do exactly what she directs me to do. “Stir. What feel like? What smell like?” My wooden spoon struggles to get all the spices mixed in with all the new, much larger contents. The spices smell cooked, but the bigger things smell too fresh. I can smell the difference. I couldn’t before. I always just threw everything together and hoped it turned out okay. Obviously, it never did. This will be different though! “Now we wait again?” She smiles. I think I’m getting it! As she sits, she takes a long sip of her tea. “Where you meet Kenshin?” I blush at her sudden question. I suppose it would be nice to have another female friend around, even if she is ‘with’ Enishi. She’s a very nice woman. I think we would enjoy each other’s company. I smile as I nibble on a cake. “He just wandered in one day.” I chuckle. “Just wander in?” “Yes. My father’s dojo was being dishonored by two very bad men. I thought one was a friend, but the other killed openly and said he was the Battousai. Kenshin saved me and the dojo. That’s when I found he was the real Battousai. He’s been staying here ever since. What about you?” Now, it’s her turn to blush. She sets down her cup of tea and stares at the floor. “I run from yakusa. Enishi speak Chinese. He help me. At night, he scream in sleep. I hold him like mother. He stop. Morning, he not like comfort. Elder make things right. Yakusa send note as threat. At night, Enish protect me. Things change.” I think I understand what she said. It was very choppy; a little too simple. I guess Enishi’s been protecting her from the beginning. Things were relatively innocent until just recently. Interesting. * * * “I still don’t trust you.” I give him a knowing smile. “I’ll deal with it though. I think our women like each other, so I have no choice.” He stares at me funny while I bluntly laugh. Idly, my finger strokes my son’s face and hair. As if he’s telling me to stop, he curls his tiny digits around the offending index finger. “As long as you stay the way you are now, I’m fine.” Despite himself, he makes a sound that could be somewhere between a growl and a chuckle. “Have you given much thought to marrying Liya-dono?” “Yes. I want to wait until after this threat has passed.” That’s a wise decision. He’s finally growing up. I think Liya-dono has done more for him than he realises. It’s as if he’s a completely different person now. I never would have imagined him voluntarily coming to my home to inquire about the truth of that day, even if he was ‘voluntarily’ dragged. I wonder how she convinced him to come. I look down to find Kenji sucking on my finger. He must be hungry. The food should be ready soon…I hope. I wonder how the women are doing. There haven’t been any plumes of smoke coming from the kitchen yet. Liya-dono must have things under control. * * * Liya-san has begun to make fish while we wait for the soup to boil. I’m doing well with my simple task! This is actually exciting! I can make soup! Hopefully after a few more lessons, I can make a full meal. Wouldn’t that be a surprise!? Kenshin having a good meal for once and I was the one to make the whole thing!? I watch diligently as Liya-chan heats up a pan on the grill. She shifts and tosses an assortment of mushrooms, onions, and other spices together by simply twitching her wrist. I wish I could do that. I suppose I can. I do have kendo training, which includes flipping a man with a twist of my wrists and the aide of his own sword. That might be a bit of an overkill when it comes to cooking, but I could probably use that knowledge to some extent. “Kaoru-san? You get paper ready?” Oh yeah! She said this was one of her favorite dishes. You put all this stuff and the fish inside a rolled piece of parchment. Then, you bake it. In our case, we’re going to put them on the grill, but she said it’ll be just as good. I can’t wait to try it. It sounds really good and, from the look of it, really easy to make. I’m glad she let me watch her make it. I place a fish on the paper as she spoons a healthy amount of the mushroom stuff on top. Just as before, she smiles and shows me how to fold it. First, the other half of the paper is folded over the food. Then, the corners are tucked around it like one is crimping origami. It looks really professional. I bet her mother taught her how to do these kinds of things. I wish Father had been able to show me. Liya stands as she gathers the cat in her arms. “Now, we see soup.” We’re not going to watch the fish cook? Just to be thorough, I check the time to keep track. I won’t be able to smell the fish from here, so I have no way of knowing if it’s done. We step back into the kitchen. “Taste. Taste done?” Taste it? Isn’t that rude to put your mouth all over the food before you serve it to everyone else? I shrug. She’s the teacher. I get out a bowl. “No.” She hands me a tiny saucer. “Only taste.” I do as I’m told and sip at the broth a little bit. It’s a little bland, but not by much. “Needs…It’s bland…” She takes my saucer and tastes for herself. After nodding, she picks up the soy sauce. Only a few dribbles? She stirs and tries again before handing me the tasting saucer. It tastes good now. Amazing that it only took a little bit of the sauce to do the trick. I would have ruined it with way too much of the stuff. I guess the soup is done now. She takes it half off the heat. Now, all we need is the fish…which I guess is almost done because she’s hurrying outside again. Carefully, she peals the paper of one of the bundles. With her finger, she prods the fish gently. “Please…Chopsticks?” I hand them to her. She prods again and seems satisfied. “Grill cook fish faster!” Really? No wonder all my grilled food tastes bad! I cook it too long! I must burn everything! “Go set table. I bring fish.” Afraid of getting burned, she lifts the bundles off the grill with only two fingers and places them on a tray. With a proud smile, I return to the kitchen to admire the soup before setting myself to my chore. * * * Cho-chan’s stick flies through the air. Her grip isn’t very firm. It travels until it hits a small rodent that’s hiding in the trees. The brown thing falls to the ground stunned. I burst out laughing as Cho-chan starts to cry. “Agh! Don’t cry! It’ll be okay!” “It will?” She sniffles, unsure whether to believe me or not. I smile and wink. Her face brightens at that. “I’ll go get your sword back for you. Okay?” Enthusiastically, she nods. “Stay here!” I call over my shoulder as I run to retrieve the stick-made-sword. A scream?! I turn to see two men grabbing for Cho-chan. “Hey!” I tighten my grip on my shinai and bolt into action. Are these guys from the yakusa? “Get away from her!” “Shut up kid!” I step between them. One man tries to strike me as if I’m just as easy to beat as Cho-chan. Immediately, my shinai comes into contact with his hand. The idiot growls with pain. “Okay brat! Now you’re mine!” Seemingly out of nowhere, he produces a sword. No problem. I’ve dealt with this before. Does he think I’m such a weak little kid that a stupid hidden sword can scare me!? Ha! Think again! I leap into the air only to hear another scream from Cho-chan. There were more than two guys here!? Where did he come from?! It doesn’t matter! He has Cho-chan! I try to turn before I land, but it doesn’t work and I find myself on the ground. I wince. Someone just sliced open my shoulder. I try to block, but I’m severely outnumbered now. There are ten men around me. Cho-chan is nowhere in sight. Now, they’re just out for fun. They’re not going to get me that easily! I roll out of the way of another attack. They’re closing the circle on me! I have to get out of the circle! I’m a goner if I lose all my ways out! I have to find Cho-chan! It may not be too late! “Cho-chan!?” No sound! Not even a scream! Don’t panic! It won’t help anything if I panic! I dodge more blows and thrust my shinai at something near me. Dirt was just kicked in my eyes. I can’t see! Saitou was right. Guys like this don’t fight fair. * * * “Ha! This is what happens when you go against us Enishi!” Another cannon is fired upon Rakuminmura. People run screaming. The sanctuary is being demolished. I take a whiff of my bottle of white plum perfume. What would my daughter do? Ah, I think I know. I must find help. “Where you goin’ old man!?” I’ve been spotted? Stopping in my tracks, I don’t even dare to turn around. “Who said you could leave?” I hear a few snickers and the sound of metal against metal as if someone is removing a sword from its sheath. I can’t be killed. I have to find help. The people of this village don’t deserve to have more terror given to them. I close my eyes and pray for a miracle. Suddenly, the sword is brought down. * * * Author's Notes: Don't try to make the soup I had Koaru make. I just needed a way for the two women to bond. In fact, I'm sorry for all of you who are good cooks. This soup probably wouldn't be very edible. The fish dish, however, is one of my favorite recipies. It's very good. Well, that's it from me! I hope this was a good chapter!! Things will be heating up now! And I have no idea how to continue, so please bear with me! I may be a bit slow on posting. Thank you for reading!!