Kenshin wakes in an unfamiliar place with an abrupt start, and sitting bolt upright, his right hand begins searching automatically for his sword.
"Easy, Young Man," says an older man kneeling to his right, lifting an arm to stop him from rising further. Kenshin stares into his eyes, untrusting, so the man puts on a placating grin. "Forgive me, my name is Oguni Gensai. I am the doctor to the Kamiya family, in whose manor you now find yourself. The lady of the house found you yesterday against the west wall."
Memory floods into him and he relaxes a fraction, nodding in understanding. "Yes. She asked me inside for water…"
"Aha!" the Doctor laughs pleasantly, "Poor child, she thought you died on her in the bathhouse. But you are lucky she found you, dehydrated as you were. Now that you are awake, sir, you should eat the breakfast she has had prepared for you."
Kenshin is wary of this friendly doctor, of the Kamiya manor. He is deep within enemy territory, and Katsura said his movements must be kept secret, his identity unknown. Now, here he is, not three days in Kyoto and already in danger of compromising everything if he does not proceed with the utmost caution. The kindly doctor uses his hesitation to thrust chopsticks into his hand and place a tray over his lap.
"Please eat, Young Man! The lady did not make this herself, so it ought to be quite tasty!" He laughs, as though this is a terribly funny joke, and in spite of himself Kenshin chuckles along as he begins to eat.
The doctor pours tea for the two of them and proceeds to tell him everything there is to know about the Kamiyas, every new detail further proving that Kenshin will be in over his head if they start questioning him. Apparently the Kamiya are an Edo samurai family of high standing with the shogun, who can trace their ancestry back to the Tokugawa clan. Kamiya Koshijiro, the current head, is in Kyoto now to assist the shogun in his discussions with the Emperor, sitting in the room of lords, guarding the shogun's palanquin, offering advice. And interestingly, Lord Koshijiro founded his own sword style, which he teaches at his dojo in Edo.
"Perhaps you have heard of it, Young Man? The Kamiya Kasshin-ryu?" Kenshin merely shrugs, so the doctor elaborates. "It is a sword that doesn't kill, you see. A sword that protects life."
"A sword that protects life?" Kenshin repeats, around a mouthful of rice.
"Yes, yes. Koshijiro-sama explained it to me once, but not being a swordsman, I found it very confusing. No doubt you would understand it better."
Kenshin does not understand it. Shishou taught him that a sword is a weapon, swordsmanship is the art of killing, and even when that death protects a defenseless innocent, it is still a death nonetheless. He will use his deadly sword to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to end suffering and to build a better Japan; that is why he is here in Kyoto, why he abandoned Shishou's mountain and followed Katsura. A sword that cannot kill is of no use to him, no use to anyone in these turbulent times.
But the doctor appears not to have noticed his consternation, and he carries on his one-sided conversation while Kenshin finishes his breakfast.
"Kaoru-sama is of course Koshijiro-sama's best student. He trained her from a very young age, more formally once her mother died. She is quite accomplished in terms of swordsmanship, though her womanly accomplishments have suffered for it. She makes splendid tea, however!" The doctor laughs again.
Karou must be the name of the girl he encountered yesterday, Kenshin thinks. And then, as if her name has summoned her, a familiar, soft voice calls from the other side of the shoji. "Dr. Gensai? I am coming in!" The shoji is pushed aside to reveal the same young woman kneeling on the porch, dressed for sword training, bending forward to pick up a large tray laden with what Kenshin recognizes as his own clothes, daisho resting atop them.
"Ah, good morning Kaoru-sama!" the doctor bows, and lifting Kenshin's finished breakfast tray from his lap, he rises to set it on the porch and obligingly shut the shoji behind the girl. "The Young Man and I were just speaking of your excellent tea, were we not sir?"
"Oh! Ye-yes," he stammers, casting about for his tea cup, only to realize it is now on the porch. He gestures vaguely with what feel like awkwardly empty hands and adds, "Very delicious."
The girl called Kaoru beams at them, and Kenshin is momentarily awestruck by her wide and easy smile. It crinkles her eyes and seems to light the entire room. She bows her head to both of them, and comes further into the room to place her tray beside Kenshin's futon.
"How are you this morning, Osamurai-san?" she asks him quietly, her large blue eyes filled with concern. They are a very deep blue, an unusual colour, he notes, like that of an evening sky, or stormy sea. Faced with her concern, he finds an overwhelming desire rise within him to put her at ease, to never make her worry. He cannot bow, at least not easily, dressed as he is in a borrowed yukata and sitting swaddled in blankets on a futon, so he closes his eyes and inclines his head with as much respect as he can.
"I am well, thanks to you, Kamiya-sama. My profoundest thanks."
"It is nothing," she murmurs, and raising his head he sees she is blushing, staring down at her hands in her lap while she fingers her sleeves. "It is all anyone would have done."
"Just so!" booms Dr. Gensai, and they both jump, remembering the doctor is still there. The Lady Kamiya releases her breath with a shaky smile, and Kenshin returns it with one of his own.
"I must check on my other patients now, Kaoru-sama," the doctor says, "but I trust you can administer the balm I have prepared? Extra on the scalp, yes?"
"Yes, Dr. Gensai, of course." She bows to the doctor, "Thank you for your help in this matter."
"No trouble, Child, no trouble!" Turning to Kenshin he adds "An honour, Young Man! I hope to see you again!" He bows himself out of the room before Kenshin can respond, chuckling as he slides the shoji shut.
"Dr. Gensai is a very kind man," the Lady Kamiya offers, smiling at the closed shoji. "He has been my family's doctor since before I was born." She turns her brilliant smile upon him again, and pulls the tray of his belongings closer. "I took the liberty of having your clothes laundered, Osamurai-san. There were a few holes I have mended. Forgive me, but the patches are not quite the same colour."
"Thank you very much!" he cries, taken aback by the kindness of this girl who doesn't even know his name.
She smiles shyly, shaking her head. "It's nothing," she repeats. "If you will permit me, I will comb out your hair and then administer the balm as Dr. Gensai requested."
"Oh…yes. Thank you."
She slides across the tatami and kneels behind him, taking up a comb and gathering his long red hair in one hand. Her strokes are gentle, mindful of his sunburnt scalp, and Kenshin, who has only ever combed his hair himself, usually long after it requires it, relishes the soothing pulls. When she has finished, the Lady Kamiya opens a tin of ointment and proceeds to massage it into his scalp. The balm is cool and herbal, tingling as it sinks into his hot skin. He releases a soft sigh, eyes sliding shut, chin lowering to his chest, shoulders slumping in relaxation. He had not realized how tightly drawn his skin had felt.
"Does that hurt?" she asks softly, and her fingers lighten their touch.
"No," he assures her, glad when her massaging pressure is renewed. "Thank you, Kamiya-sama."
"Such a burn…" she sighs, and clicks her tongue. "You should be more careful, Osamurai-san! Someone with such light skin ought to wear a hat!"
Kenshin smiles faintly, leaning into her fingers. "This humble one is used to the cover of trees, so he is," he apologizes. "It is my first time visiting a city."
The Lady Kamiya huffs softly at his admission, applying more ointment to the top of his head. "Well, there is not very much shade in a city at this time of year," she advises, "so be careful and make sure you stop to drink water."
"Ah, this one was not certain... that is, can one drink from any well? Or... do they belong to each house?"
She laughs, a light tinkling sound that is lovely to hear, like the ringing of a summer chime. "You really are a fish out of water, Osamurai-san. You can use any water that has a ladle with it."
"Oh."
The Lady Kamiya gathers his loose hair and ties it in a tail at the crown of his head, then begins rubbing the balm into the back of his neck, the top of his shoulders. When her hands slide down the sides of his neck he raises his chin, instinctively trusting her. She massages his ears, his chin, the hollows at the base of his throat. She runs her hands over the top of his chest, and Kenshin draws a deep breath. He opens his eyes to find her sliding across the tatami to face him again, scooping more ointment from the tin.
"Close your eyes," she instructs softly, and he does so, extending his face towards her and keeping himself very still. Her fingers stroke gently across his forehead, rubbing soft circles into his temples, and then ghost over his closed eyelids. They slide down the sides of his face, across his jaw, and once more under his chin, leaving a soothing chill in their wake. From there they slide up his cheeks, rubbing in circles again, and then begin smoothing across his nose and under his eyes.
Kenshin opens his eyes again slowly, thinking he will thank her, as she moves her fingers to cover his upper lip. Their eyes meet and the Lady Kamiya freezes, her fingers still on his lip, her focused expression widening into surprise. Anything he might have said dies on his tongue, and he watches a slow blush spread across her cheeks.
She is pretty, he thinks, with her large unusual coloured eyes and her full bottom lip, the blush complimenting her otherwise ivory coloured skin. And then he is blushing too, considering how the fine arches of her brows and her thick lashes are the exact same colour as her jet black hair, and how becoming it looks pulled into a high tail, her head framed by the large bow of an indigo ribbon.
"Oro," he says, in spite of himself. The tension seems to snap between them at the sound, and the Lady Kamiya withdraws her fingers with a startled shake. She moves away from him and bows deeply, speaking frantically to the tatami. "Please be sure to apply the balm to your hands, Osamurai-san! I will leave you now, to dress for the day. Call out when you are ready!" Then she flees, looking anywhere but at him, slamming the shoji behind her.
