Hey! Here's my attempt at retelling! Decided to jump on the bandwagon! Hope it's up to your standards! Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. From RK. Or from anywhere else. I own nothing. Maybe only the twists of this story I guess…

Ardour

Chapter 1

Quaint isn't it? In this seemingly ordinary village, where good, decent folk eke out a living, witches go unnoticed. Maybe they are just really skilled at casting their spells, working hard at formulating curses and potions stronger than previous ones… …You must be thinking: don't witches get together around cauldrons and chant eerie incantations in the dead of the night deep in the forest? Do witches even exist? Since they go unnoticed, you ask, it might just be my assumptions against your common sense. What proof do I have that they populate the village? Don't ask. Just look, just feel. Inhale. Exhale. How quaint…

'Ughh… Argh….' A young mother-to-be stands over the water closet behind her humble abode, throwing up all that she was worth. The churning motions of her stomach never cease to produce beads of perspiration lining her forehead. Her face is as pale as the petals of the fresh white flowers outside in their yard. Oh yes, she is the resident cultivator of this village. Her husband and her green thumbs are well known even outside of this little community, all the way to the Emperor's ears. The royal palace often makes their purchases at their corner stall, but now that she's pregnant, her husband tends the stall for her. Which explains his absence at this moment.

After much difficulty, she managed to manoeuvre herself out of the back room, into her house and eased herself down onto the rigid wooden chair that her husband laid out for her in the porch, so that she may enjoy some fresh breeze. Her keen eyes immediately darted out to her radish patch. 'The radishes are just not growing well this year' she thought, brows knitting, lips frowning.

You may wonder: it's perfectly fine for radishes not to be growing well at certain times of the year. Bad growing conditions, that's all. Should she not be more concerned for herself and her unborn child? Ahh… my dear, that is where you are mistaken. For her family's well being is hinged on this batch of radish harvest. The Emperor is hosting a grand banquet in two weeks' time, and they demand that she provide them with the radishes that the cooks will need. She groans. Oh, woe is she!

It was at this moment her husband came back to her.

Pulling back from their quick kiss, he smoothed her brows, "Why are you frowning so, my dear wife?"

"The radishes!" was her exclamation.

He frowned along with her. He knew that their deadline was nearing, that was why he spent the whole time at the market trying to buy radishes from other grocers. Problem was---you were right--- bad growing conditions caused this season's radishes to turn out sickly and small.

"What should we do?" she looked into his pensive face.

"I'm sure the cooks will understand, it's not our fault dear. This season's radishes just did not turn out well." He said with a faint shimmering of hope.

"But… but…" she started, but never finished since he silenced her protests with the best way he knew how.

It was during dusk when she saw them. Large, round succulent radishes, gleaming in the corner of her neighbour's small unkempt plot. The odd thing was, while the radishes were growing awfully well, the other vegetables were not, so to speak. It was almost as if the radishes were growing at the expense of the other crops, robbing them of their required nutrients and overcrowding them to a small area. She was ecstatic.

A little after dinner both husband and wife made their way down the little dirt path that leads to their neighbour's abode. Word has it that he (a/n: nope. no typing error, it's a HE all right) was an eccentric recluse that lives on his own. A few knocks later, the said neighbour greeted them with a pipe in his mouth and a very unfriendly glare.

"Well, are you going to say what you're here for or should I get a chair and make myself comfortable while you both are gaping?"

"We… We… ahh… we would like to buy your radishes…"

"I don't sell them."

"But we really need them! Can't you make an exception? The Emperor…"

SLAM! And that was the last they heard of each other, or so they thought…

"What a rogue!" huffed the wife. "Well, since he treats us so shabbily we should not be civilised to him either!"

"What are you up to now, my dear?" the husband rubbed his aching temple.

"I have a plan!" following that the whispering starts.

"WHAT! I can't do that! It's punishable by law!" he retorted.

"I never said we were going to STEAL! We will be purchasing, it's a fair trade, our vegetables for his radishes! And we're going to give him much more than what his radishes are worth!"

"But still…" He vacillated. She pleaded. He turns his head. She pleaded some more. He relents.

Saitou knew, since he saw. He sees a lot of things, visions he called them. He could see far, far into the future, and deep into the past, but to him, the future always matters so much more. He blew out his candle.

When he began to hear footsteps in his yard he backed up against his window, and took a peek outside to confirm what he saw. He decides to let his neighbour has his fun first; get his hopes up before he confronts him. What a sadist.

"Koshijirou! What do you think you're doing?" Saitou bellowed.

"I… don't get mistaken… was just trying to…"

"Excuses."

"No, please listen…"

"Shut up, you pilfering fool. I hope you realize that I could have you tried for thievery."

"NO! I was making a fair trade with you! See! I brought these vegetables in exchange for your radishes!"

"A fair trade eh? Would you be willing to trade anything I want in your household for those radishes?"

"Yes! Anything!" Koshijirou at this moment was too blinded by panic that he would be tried and executed for stealing, as was the norm in this era, and he readily agreed. Anything that will let him return home to his wife. "Except my wife!" he added as an afterthought.

"No, no … I wouldn't want your wife, fool." Saitou had the cheek to chortle. "Return, with the radishes. I accept your trade, and I'll be over to let you know what I want tomorrow." With that he disappeared into his shrouded house, leaving Koshijirou gasping with relief in Saitou's yard.

"I see you have finished the radishes already. My, my what a hearty appetite the pregnant woman has…"

"Shut up you barbarian, what do you want? I thought you already accepted our trade?"

"Ahh, yes, the trade, you remind me. I just want to modify the terms of trade a little. Now that you have taken the radishes, I'm here to claim my end of the deal…" Saitou ended in a drawl.

"What is it that you want?" Koshijirou spoke up.

"I want your daughter."

She fainted.

There was nothing they could do. It was either giving up their daughter or executing Koshijirou. A tough choice, but as a wife, she knew where her duties lie. Her husband, she knew, would rather die than let his daughter fall into the hands of Saitou that lowlife, but, they could have as many children as they want in the future, if only Koshijirou was around. A tough choice, but she already made her decision.

The day that Kaoru was born, there was chaos in the household of the Kamiyas. They did not have to make any decision in the end, all was clear. Saitou knew this as well. That was why he was so confident when he made this demanding request, all along understanding that he will come out the winner in the end. The cooks, after checking their stock of radishes, were outraged that the Kamiyas sent an inferior quality of radishes, passing them off as top-grade. As the council mages detected a faint whiff of illusionary spells emitted by those radishes, the Court deemed that the Kamiyas were a scheming bunch that cast spells on their produce to cheat the honest folks of the village. They were arrested. Having no choice they decided to give Kaoru over to Saitou, much as Koshijirou hated it, there was no other way.

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Ahh! 1st chapter! How do you all like it? Clever readers as you all are must have guessed which story is this a retelling of right? Haha… do drop me a review and tell me how you think about it yah?

And yes, Saitou is the 'witch' of the story… just can't think of any evil female villains in RK (Yumi's been used too often). Hope you all won't mind this twist! Well that's what retellings are about anyway…Next update will be after the exams period…

Here's a little teaser for you from the next chapter…

"Kaoru, Kaoru… What a nice name you have." Saitou touched the newborn's cheek lightly. Kaoru made a giggling sound.

Till then