Dance of Pales

Chapter One

"Kaoru! Kaoru, where are you?"

The Queen stood in the palace garden and anxiously called for her young stepdaughter, fervently wishing she would appear out of thin air. Always rebellious, the girl had a habit of skipping out on important events, and the problem seemed to only worsen as she got older. Now, at age eighteen, she could not be found on the day she left to at last meet her fiancée. Only Kenshin, her life-servant, could have found her, but she had predictably taken him along. He was unable to stand up to her in such matters except for arriving at his sword lesson on time.

Glancing at the sun, the Queen estimated that they would be home in an hour, if Kenshin followed his usual course of action. Giving up her own search for the moment, she entered the palace and headed for the throne room.

At the moment, Kaoru and her servant were saying their goodbyes. Normally, a life-servant was the same gender as their master, and would therefore stay true to their title and be with them for life. Kenshin's case, however, had been unique; he had been found by Hiko Seijuuro, the captain of the army, around five years old. Taken in, his first friend had been the princess, and the two were soon spending all their time together. But Kaoru having another man so close to her while married would have been grossly inappropriate – even more so than it had while she was free.

They had been informed of the separation by the King that morning. Now, sitting on a hilltop overlooking the city, they reveled in each other's nearness for what they imagined was the last time. Many words had already been spoken between them, but had not yet helped to heal the pain, so they lapsed into stillness.

"Everything will be different," Kenshin said at last, daring to speak. "I do not want you to go."

"There's nothing either of us can do about it... Father told me that my record has scared away too many kings to be picky when one finally agrees to a marriage." She smiled faintly, remembering a time they had been caught covered with mud, grass stains, and twigs in their hair as they returned to their rooms one day while her father was entertaining a visiting royal. "But he also said your life will improve."

"It could get better?"

Kenshin's quizzical tone at last made Kaoru smile fully, something he had been trying to do since the news. "Of course it could. You'll officially be an apprentice of Hiko's. He's going to train you to become the next Army Captain. Kenshin, you're not going to be a servant anymore."

"I would rather stay with you."

"It's not allowed. And it would have been the only thing I asked from Father."

They let silence envelope them once again, until Kaoru asked, "You're coming with me on the ship, aren't you?"

"Of course. I am not leaving you until I absolutely have to." Total confidence was evident in his tone, before he added, "When do you think we will see each other?"

"Whenever I visit, I suppose. Holidays, or certain parts of the year. I want to see Yahiko get older, and you growing in the army."

Kenshin's voice dropped conspiratorially as he whispered to her, "Do you think I would be tried for treason if I said that I think Shishou is insane for wanting me in an Army post?"

His mistress laughed, finally, and the sound made him feel somewhat better. Her eyes suddenly brightened and she looked at him with a wide azure gaze. "I have an idea!"

He blinked, startled. "What? What is it?"

"When you're Army Captain, you can attack whatever country I'm going to and take me back home!"

It was his turn to laugh, and he went along with her mock-plans. "Perfect! Would the king be mad at me if I broke the alliance and took over your future lands, or pleased? He is making alliances so he can expand, you know."

"Well, he might be mad at first, but I would tell him that I plotted the scheme with you and so it's my fault, really, that it happened at all." She was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"And then he would forgive you and all would be forgotten. But where will you be by then, as a wife?"

Kaoru made one of the faces that made her stepmother go on rants about proper manners. "Oh, when you come I'll be waiting in the window of a stone tower somewhere, with lacy curtains in a frilly, silk yellow dress, pregnant with two toddlers around my knees."

Their facetious air finally cracked as they both imagined Kaoru thus attired. The pair trailed into quiet chuckles after a few minutes, until Kenshin spoke again. "Putting that aside, I think that part of becoming an Army Captain requires some years of travel. Shishou will most likely send me your way."

"Probably. He thinks that you have potential and acts tough so you bring it out, but he knows what you care about and will help you when he can."

"Like rescuing me from some terrible fate after being separated from you?"

"Well, yes."

He sighed and leaned back on his elbows, resting comfortably in the grass until he checked the position of the sun. "Kaoru, it is time to go back."

Standing up, both felt something inside them screaming in agony at what was to come.

Not only Kenshin came with Kaoru to the ship. Her younger brother Yahiko also trekked with them alone, his own life-servant, Yutaro, having come down with a fever. Several nobles and their servants likewise accompanied them, ambassadors to the country of Kaoru's future husband in place of her own family; her father and stepmother were occupied otherwise.

The two-day journey to the coastline with the small convoy was memorable for the roughness of the dirt road. Kaoru, riding in one of the wagons used for transporting her dowry, found it difficult to retain her composure, as she was constantly jostled by the bumps in the road. Kenshin alternately rode behind her on his own horse and with her in the wagon. Inside the wagon was also aggravating because of the noise the wheels made while running over rocks and ruts.

The night on the road was spent in tents with the supplies carried in wagons, some nobles complaining about the lack of dignity in such an act. Kenshin and Kaoru pitched their own tent, just big enough to include Yahiko. This activity earned them stares from the nobles, who were surprised to see the princess working alongside her servant. They considered her to be beneath such odd behavior, and some pondered the legitimacy of the marriage. However, the pair was used to such whispers and ignored them as usual, not caring and almost hoping if continuation of such unusual conduct would give reason for the marriage to be canceled.

Yahiko was disappointed when Kaoru told him that he would not be hunting with Kenshin that night, as there was more than enough food in the wagons. He found it difficult to relax without Yutaro there to keep him company, and was worried about his friend's health. After helping his sister and her servant build a fire and finding a stump to sit on, his continuous shifting at last caught Kaoru's attention. "What is it, Yahiko? You can't keep still!"

His stubborn brown eyes gazed back at her angrily. "I'm bored and I don't know how Yutaro is doing."

She took a bite of some of the hard bread made for the road, chewed, and swallowed before answering, "You saw him this morning and he was doing fine, even beginning to get better. It was just a spring fever, nothing unusual. Hasn't he always gotten sick easily?"

"Yes, but it never stopped him from going anywhere before now. Why am I here, anyway? What can I do on this trip?"

Kaoru took another bite of the food, at last responding. "You are the son of the king and will take that post in the future. Diplomacy will be an essential part of your life, and this is one of the good opportunities to begin practicing that time. All you have to do is come on the ship, attend the wedding, and go back home." She refrained from adding "With Kenshin", not wanting to stew in those thoughts again so soon. "Nothing very hard, just a basic mission."

The ten-year-old stuck his tongue out at her mockingly. "Like you know anything about diplomacy."

"Be silent!" His older sister retaliated with a similar gesture as she threw a crumbling corner of the bread at him. This was one of the many small things she was going to miss; childish banter with her half-brother. He was the son of her father's new bride, but any expected distance had been lost on them since childhood. Blood may be thicker than water, but friendship bonds more firmly.

Kenshin watched the exchange silently, quietly munching on his own food. Kaoru had effortlessly shifted her brother's attention from what was bothering him, one of her many talents. The brother and sister's squabbling was a simple pretense that covered up a deep familial love. He clearly remembered a time when Yahiko was four years old and had run sobbing into Kaoru's waiting arms after being terrified by a stray dog.

When their bickering became too loud once Yahiko blew a raspberry and nobles glanced over indignantly, Kenshin at last stood up. "Come now, I believe it is time for us to go in the tent. It is getting dark." They obeyed, grumbling, but the red-headed servant saw some others of his status attempting to hide smiles.

The three crouched together inside the tent as the sun began to sink below the trees and mountains in the sky, the fires from outside throwing shadows over those who huddled near them for heat. The campfires had been set in a circle to ward off any dangerous forest animals, with the tents and wagons in the center. These, along with the general presence of humans, would ensure the convoy's safety. While the tents were just a little cramped for many there, they would be warm.

With the darkness came silence. The last muttered conversations of servants and nobles alike faded away as they bundled up and settled in for the night, until only the sounds of the fires and nightlife were left to hear. Yahiko lay asleep between Kenshin and Kaoru, warmed by their body heat and a shared blanket. Kaoru rested on her side, using an elbow as a pillow, and Kenshin seemed to have fallen asleep on his back with his hands folded over his head. Yahiko suddenly shifted in his sleep, and as Kaoru opened her eyes to begin calming him, she saw Kenshin staring at her.

She smiled sleepily, knowing that he must be plagued by the same thoughts as she. "I thought you were asleep."

He nodded, and spoke quietly to not disturb Yahiko. "Same here. Then I realized you were not tossing and guessed that you were awake."

"How do you know I'm a restless sleeper?"

"We sleep in the same room."

"I always thought you fell asleep first!"

Their whispers could have only been heard by Yahiko, who showed no signs of waking up. Kaoru paused for a moment before asking, "You pretended to be asleep?"

"Sometimes I was. But others I waited until you were."

"Why?"

"Just... because."

"You've been quiet this evening. I was a little worried."

"There is much on my mind, nothing to be concerned about."

"The same things on my mind?"

"Yes."

A long moment passed, and Kenshin thought she had really fallen asleep before he heard, "I don't want tomorrow to come."

Unexpectedly, a tear coursed its way down his cheek. "Neither do I."

"Maybe, if we wish it hard enough, it never will."

He looked at her again then, startled at what he heard in her voice. It was nothing he had heard before, yet so tenderly sweet and familiar that he felt an ache rise in his chest. This was hurting more than either was willing to show just yet, a disentangling of souls that would be a long a painful process. It would soon be interrupted by a two-week voyage to a distant land in a ship, where it would be difficult to escape prying eyes long enough to continue soothing the effects of separation by their talks. They would have to be strong, but right now they could comfort each other. He smiled reassuringly through the stinging in his eyes and said what they both needed to hear:

"We will get through this, Kaoru."

"I know."

They clasped hands over Yahiko on top of the blanket and, finally, slept.

Owari of Chapter One

Yay! I wrote about this story a little while ago, but I wasn't thinking too seriously about it. Then last night I suddenly had inspiration and wrote for three hours straight, finishing this chapter. This story is going to be shorter than Sincerely, Untitled and Separate by Species. This is my steam-blowing fic, kind of like Jerked Under except it has a plot. Also unlike the three aforementioned, I have a definitive plot structure for this story. A lot is going to happen in each chapter, which I'm hoping will all be around this length.

Kenshin is the servant, but I've made his speech more formal than Kaoru's. I just feel like it's a part of his nature.

Please read and review!

matthias208