A/n late again, as always. I say I'm going to work on getting through this, and yet here it is, like two months later. Alas. Life.
Anyway dear readers. On to the story!

Chapter 20

Kaoru was stunned with the speed with which the burial plan was carried out. She realized she should not be. The heat of the autumn days that far south, the risk of attack at any time, made haste essential. Nor should she have been surprised at dawn, the guards supplied with food and water by the older children acting as runners up and down the valley slopes.

String men, used to leadership and to improvisation and a people long practiced at working together, were elements that produced an atmosphere far different from how she imagined the militaristic city soldiers would be.

She worked alongside Megumi, preparing food for the guards now, and for the feast later. She watched for Kenshin. He passed often, not on horseback as she imagined he would, but on foot. That way he could speak more easily to people, both to organize and to reassure. He seemed tireless, she thought as she and Megumi flopped in the shade for a rest, mopping their brows after an hour spent by the fireside and the cooking pots.

Bare-headed, his hair copper in the sunlight, he stood out even amidst the group of large men around him. Kaoru watched as he paused and stopped an argument dead, just as the disputants were reaching for their knives. Kenshin did not seem to do very much, he simply interposed his lean form into the narrowing space between the two men and said something quietly.

"Natural authority," Megumi observed, following the direction of Kaoru's gaze as he turned away, heading for the next problem.

"More than that, he has charisma. I understand what Yahiko means when he says Kenshin is king-worthy. I thought at first he meant he had the right bloodlines to be considered, but it is more than that, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes. Oh!" Megumi broke off as one of the men, just as his knife neared its scabbard, jerked it up again and make a lunge for his opponent.

Kenshin spun around, his hand already reaching for the man's knife arm, apparently acting on sound alone to guide him. He forced the wrist over until the sharp blade fell to the ground, then followed the move up with a square blow to the jaw. The man went down as though poleaxed. Kenshin spoke a few curt words to the onlookers and strode off.

"Phew!" Kaoru sat down again on her stool. "Charisma and an amazing right fist." This was the man who had made love to her, she mused. At times he had been so tender, at others urgent, dominate, yet she had never lost the sense that they were partners in some erotic journey of discovery.

There was a distant rumble, and a drift of dust, like smoke on the side of the valley amidst the trees. "They must be blocking the river-shall we go and look?"

"Are we permitted?" Kaoru got up and brushed down her rumpled skirts. "I thought no one was allowed."

"We can go and look at the river and see if they have succeeded in diverting the flow." Megumi led the way down to where it curved round a bend. Upstream, on the shore, guards stood, hands on their spears, eyes watchful. "Yes, look, it must be working." She pointed and Kaoru saw the swirls of muddy water and the definite slacking of the flow.

"I suppose it will stop and then start again as the old channel is filled," Kaoru said, fascinated, as the river gradually ebbed away to a trickle.

A crowd gathered around them, watching as waiting. Small boys dashed down to the muddy bed to snatch up floundering fish, until at last, in a wave of mud, dead foliage and tumbled branches, the river came to life again, swirling past them.

"Look, Megumi pointed and there was Kenshin, mounted now, riding out of the valley and stopping to speak to the guards on the bank. Another man reined in beside him, then they turned and vanished up towards the site of the dam. "Kaito. Too friendly by half." Megumi said as they turned and went back to their cooking pots.

"Kenshin likes him." Kaoru pointed out, wondering if she could put off milking the goats, one of her least favorite tasks, until after the noon meal. "It would be easier all around if he didn't- at least he would feel more comfortable standing for the kingship."

"I don't know what is the matter with him." Megumi put her hands in the small of her back and grimaced. "This baby has six feet and they are all kicking. Are you going to milk those goats?"

"Yes, all right." Kaoru picked up a bucket and a stool and warily approached the oldest nanny goat. Their dislike of each other was mutual, and she watched warily for its yellowing teeth. "The matter is, I think, that where other men and Kaito want to be king because they want it for themselves. Kenshin is only considering it because he thinks it is his duty."

"Hmmm. He didn't think like that before you arrived." Megumi did not say it unpleasantly, but Kaoru shifted on her stool, her conscience pricked her. "He might not have thought seriously of the crown, but he was certainly ambitious enough to want to lead as many spears and swords as he could draw into an alliance with our Kin."

"Well the sooner the funeral is over and they are forced into a decision, the better," Kaoru said, slapping the fidgeting goat firmly on the hindquarters. "And the sooner we will get to the city, then I will leave and he can marry Tomoe."

"I am sure Tomoe would agree with you," Megumi said wryly.

… . . . …

Guards stayed at their posts throughout the night and the men did not come back to the wagons. There was activity at the burial site, the flares of the torches uncanny ans they flickered amongst the trees in the wooded valley sides, and there was much going on around the king's encampment.

Yahiko Appeared, unloaded a wagon, harnessed the oxen and led it off. "For the burial goods." He explained, looking harassed. "We need four of them, all in good enough condition to jolt over the river bed."

The women of Aoshi's household would be laying him out, dressed in his finest clothes, Megumi explained, as the three of them had their evening meal..

May we watch the burial?" Kaoru asked. "I do not know the custom. Are women allowed?"

"Normally yes. But this time, no. It will just be the council, the monks and the men who will fill the grave and unblock the damn."

"How can they be trusted to keep the secret?" Kaoru wondered aloud."

"They are all condemned men. Criminals. This is their one act of grace before they die-they will not leave the valley alive."

"Oh." Kaoru tried to imagine the scene. The rough river bed with its pools and trickles of water reflecting the torchlight. The grim-faced guards, the exhausted men who would see the dawn one last time. It was like some sacrifice from the days of the old gods, the blood of men mingling over the grave of the king as the sun rose.

… . . ….

Kenshin and Yahiko came back before first light and woke them. "It will be at dawn," Kenshin said, stripping off his filthy, wet clothing with his usual lack of self-consciousness. Megumi and Sanjo modestly effaced themselves as Yahiko lugged water, but Kaoru made no pretense of looking away.

She knew his body so well now, by touch, by scent, by sight. His muscles moved in the firelight, his skin gleaming like silk, cut here and there by old scars. She wanted to go and stand behind him and run her hands down his back, her thumbs dipping into the valley of his spine, feeling the taut dip of his waist, the flexible twist of his hips as he turned to take her in his arms.

And then she would be able to caress downwards through the felt of hair to where it narrowed, darkened into the intriguing tangle of curls that shielded his sex and…

"Kaoru, do you know where my fine linen gi are?" He was standing there-hakamas on, thank goodness- waiting for her to come out of her trance. Kaoru fought for some composure. He must have known she was staring at him. Had he guessed what she was thinking? The firelight reflected in his eyes made his gaze seems as hot as the touch she was longing for.

"In the trunk behind here." She hurried to open it, thankful for the excuse, searching by touch in the feeble dawn light. When she came back, holding out a choice of three for him, he had unlocked a small chest and was laying out pieces of jewelery, far finer than any she had seen him display before.

"Yahiko!" He handed the youth arm clasps and a heavy belt buckle then took out a cloak pin and passed it to Sanjo, who gasped and ran her fingers over it, holding it up to the light to admire the twisting gold wire-work. "Megumi may have borrowed you, but my household will be properly dressed for the occasion." Despite his serious tone, Kaoru saw the corner of his mouth lift at the girl's pleasure. "I shall want them all back in the chest by the end of the day." He warned the youngsters, provoking earnest nods.

He laid aside more clasps, a circular cloak pin and a magnificent buckle in the form of a coiled serpent, then turned to Kaoru.

"What will you be wearing?"

"The dark red gown of Megumi's and the long gold and red scarf over my head."

"Here, then." There was another clasp to match the one he had given her before, A necklace of twisted gold chains and a brooch heavy with garnet studs. "I do not expect these back." He added quietly,.

"I cannot!"

"Why not? Why do you want to deny me the pleasure of giving you something that enhances your beauty?"

"Because..." She stumbled over the words, then made herself say them plainly. "Because they should be Tomoe's."

"Garnets would not suit her, she would look better with blue or green stones. I think." He must have seen from her expression that this was a less-than-tackful answer. "If I contract to marry Tomoe, then the bride price will be agreed, and the jewels I will give her will be selected, not before."

Kenshin turned away and began to clasp the bracelets at his wrists. "Let me." Kaoru closed the right handed one by encircling it with both hands. "I am glad you have a proper talisman on your sword arm again."

"The monks would chide you for superstitions." He observed, smiling down at her as she reached for his left wrist and pressed that clasp closed also.

He changed the buckles over on his sword belt and settled the glittering scales of the serpent low on his hips. Kaoru handed him his cloak and when he had swung it over his shoulders, she reached up to fasten the pin over his left breast.

"Another talisman." she murmured, pressing her palm flat on it for a moment to feel the beat of his heart beneath. "I wish I did not feel you needed them."

"The watchers have gone." Kenshin threw one side of his cloak back to free up his sword.

"Only because of the cordon of guards. They are still there, I can feel them,"

"So can I." Kenshin lifted her chin in his hand "No wandering beyond the boundaries. Tomorrow we will send out sweep raiders to draw their attention, and some scouts on foot I hope they will not notice and then we will see what we can find."

Kaoru twisted her head to kiss the long, calloused fingers. "Go safely, Kenshin. I will see you at the feast."

Then he and Yahiko were gone, outlined against the sky, which was just beginning to turn milky rose with the first hints of dawn.

… . . …

The women lined the banks of the river and waited, covered heads lowered. Higher up, close to the bend that hid the burial site, the men stood in silent ranks.

They had wept, both men and women, as the wagon had creaked past with Aoshi laid out upon a raised platform draped in rich purple and scarlet cloths, his helm on his head, his sword in his hands. The treasure wagons followed with their tribute of glory to go with him into the darkness.

It was savage, yet monks followed close at either side and prayers were said, with no sense that they were seeing something from the past, the last of the Kings to come out of the forests of the east.

When the cortege had passed out of sight, many of the women began to sing, very softly, Kaoru could not make out the words, but the swelling wave of sound seemed to carry their grief and make it tangible. She found there were tears in her eyes as she stood there.

How long it was before they heard the horns blaring, the sound echoing from side to side of the valley like the summoning of a great army to battle, she had no idea. But the sun was climbing now, staining the scene with light. The weeping became louder, drowning the soft singing, and there was a cry as the first one, then a dozen bodies came swirling down on the current. The condemned men who had dug the grave had been executed, their blood had been spilled over the dead king's resting place.

His ancestors would have approved of the sacrifice, Kaoru thought bleakly, adverting her eyes from the last of the bodies. And the temporary dam must have been breached, for the water ran first muddy, then clear again.

"It is done," Megumi said quietly. By her side, Sanjo wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks. "It will never be the same again." No one seemed to want to move. "Look." She murmured. "The king's household." There was a short woman with long black hair, no longer young, her face bleak with grief. Around her, her ladies in waiting and around them, her servants. Someone Kaoru recognized.

Dressed in a splendid Kimono, her head veiled, was a slender woman whos dark brown hair flowed below the edge of her head covering. "Takada's sister, she looks very calm."

"She thinks she is going to marry the next king," Sanjo said. "One of the men of the council, do you think it will be a love match?"

"I don't know," Kaoru said dryly. "It has been known to happen. It happened to her.

Sanjo flushed and seemed on the point of apologizing for her lack of tact when the waiting women finally began to move away from the water's edge.

Kaoru, Megumi, and Sanjo drew back a little to allow one group to pass.

"You! What are you doing here, you city girl? It is a sacrilege." Tomoe, magnificent in dark blue, her eyes flashing, her arms laden with heavy bracelets, confronted them.

"I am here out of reverence to the memory of your king," Kaoru said as calmly as she could manage. She did not care what Tomoe thought of her, but she did not want any of the onlookers to believe she was here in any spirit other than one of utmost respect. "Takada's sister is also here. I mean no disrespect, any more than she does. In my city, it is normal for visitors to attend state funerals.

"Preinced, Ambasadors, persons of status and woth, I'm sure." Tomoe sneared. "Not slaves, not whores."

Kaoru gasped. Heads were turning. Sanjo stepped forward and Megumi put a hand on her arm to hold her back.

"I am neither, Tomoe. And it is you who are showing disrespect to speak so, just moments after the funeral. You do not like me, I can understand that, but this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it." Kaoru knew her cheeks were burning under the scrutiny of so many watchers. A murmur of voices rose around them and she realized that they were the center of a circle now. She struggled for dignity and control. It was difficult in the face of the slightly larger woman and her powerful, angry personality.

"This is exactly the time, without any of the men here to be seduced by your witchcraft, you whore."

"Stop using that word. I am no such thing."

"You deny you lie with Kenshin?" Tomoe spat her veil whipping back in the breeze. "You would swear to that? Would you, slave?

"No, I do not deny it." She would go far to evade an answer but Kaoru knew she could not put herself in the position of having to swear falsely or to be seen to be forced to an admission. "But to be the lover of a man does not make a woman a whore. I lay with Kenshin out of joy, not for payment."

There was a gasp at her brazen admission, but not, she sensed an entirely critical one. Many of the encircling women appeared to approve of the statement.

"Really?" Tomoe drawled, leaning forward to flick at the brooch on her breast and the gold on her neck. "You bought these then, did you, you lying trollop. Or did you steal them?"

The sneering face seemed to swim in front of her eyes. Kaoru ignored Sanjo's gasp of outrage. "Kenshin gave them to me as a gift so that I might wear them today and be fittingly dressed for the occasion."

"Liar! You've stolen them, they are mine, for I will be his wife." Tomoe spoke with utter confidence. Out of the corner of her eyes, Kaoru could see some heads begin to nod. Yes, that is what they believe will happen, And of course, they are right.

"When Kenshin negotiates with your father for your hand, then no doubt such things will be agreed. But he has done no such thing yet, has he? And until he does, then he may do what he wishes with his possessions."

Tomoe was very close now. Kaoru could see the way her pupils had dilated so the dark eyes seemed almost black. She was slightly taller, with wider shoulders, and longer limbs like most of her race and Kaoru fought the instincts to step back. Instead, she tipped her chin and returned the look of fury with one of calm superiority. It was her mother's best expression for dealing with other wives attempting to rise above their own place in society and it had always made her wince. Now she allowed her mouth to curve, very slightly, into a patronizing smile and waited for Tomoe's retort.

"You little slut!" As Kaoru had expected it would be more fo the same insults. Sooner or later the woman was going to tire of it and flounce off.

"But it must be worrying that Kenshin is taking so long about it." She added with provocative sympathy.

Then she saw the set of the other woman's mouth, the way her hands had flexed into claws, and realized, too late, that this was not a world where the game was won with verbal knife play.

She heard Megumi's cry of warning as Tomoe lunged, then she was reeling back, her head ringing from the violence of the blow to her cheek. Kaoru staggered, regained her balance and saw her rival leap for her, the small eating knife from her belt flashing in her hand.

A/n Kaoru got herself into a bit of a pickle!
Thank you for reading. Reviews are loved.