Standard disclaimers apply.

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Chapter 2: The Encounter

"Daijoubu de gozaru ka?"

His voice took her attention away from his sword and back to him. "Daijoubu," she started to say when another voice cut in.

"Kenshin!" A girl with her hair tied in a ribbon sprinted up to him. "Daijoubu desuka?"

"Daijoubu de gozaru yo." Koneko heard him murmur when she was suddenly engulfed by two arms.

"Koneko!!" Chihiro cried happily. "You saved me! How can I ever thank you?"

"But Chihiro-san," Koneko pried the portly woman's arms away from her. "I didn't do all the work."

"But you saved me! You saved my life, Koneko-chan. Take what you want from my wares, free of charge."

"Chihiro-san!" Koneko drew back in surprise. "I thought you needed the money!"

"Not as much as I need my life." Chihiro said. "I owe you a lot, Koneko-chan. And I'm sure we all owe your friend, too."

A chorus of agreement followed her announcement, the merchants grinning widely as they presented their own wares to the lanky man.

"No, thank you," he raised a hand to forestall their offer. "You need it more than Kaoru-dono or I do."

"We insist," Chihiro said. "It's our only way of thanking you."

"Chihiro-san," Koneko smiled. "You have thanked me enough by being my friend. Please, let me pay for this."

"Surely you would-"

"No, Chihiro-san. Just don't ask me to join you." she placed a hand on the portly woman's arm to soften her words. "I would love to help protect you but my father needs me. And I have a duty to him, as his daughter."

Chihiro snorted. "Your father doesn't even know the treasure he has!" But she smiled at Koneko and nodded. "Hai, I will take your money. But only because you told me to!"

"I tell you to." Koneko repeated, nodding.

"We tell you to, too!" the girl with the ribbon cut in. "It's nice of you to offer your crops but we can't just accept it! It's not fair for us to be gifted so just because we fought off the Ranmyaku. Anyone would do the same!"

Chihiro grinned. "Alright, if you insist. You may pay for your purchases."

The other merchants started returning to their stalls, the spectacle over. Koneko smiled as she reached for her money and paid for the vegetables she chose. But when she leaned in to take her basket, she heard Chihiro whisper, "In truth, not anyone would do the same as you did."

Koneko started to reply but when she looked up, Chihiro had already turned away as though nothing had happened. Koneko silently bowed her head and walked to the other end of the market. She still had mushrooms to pick.

Thankfully, nothing else happened and Koneko was able to buy the mushrooms without drawing her dagger. She started to leave the market and counted her money, expecting to have a larger amount than she would normally have. Chihiro and the other merchants were too proud not to give something back as a token of gratitude. Koneko was sure that the red-haired man and the girl with him would go home with more money than they expected as well.

Her hand brushed against the bulge in her kimono, where the dagger was hidden. The lump was small enough not to be seen but had plenty of room to move it with ease. Her father had a dagger hidden similarly. All who were trained in the Hidden Sword technique had one. But she wasn't really trained in the technique. Not properly. She had had to buy her own dagger with money she received from grateful people in situations not unlike Chihiro's. The only difference was...

Koneko was so deep in thought she didn't notice the person coming up beside her until she bumped into him. Or her, Koneko corrected as soon as she saw the blue ribbon and the long, dark hair.

"G-gomen!" she gasped, more from surprise than apology.

"Gomen nasai!" the girl staggered for a bit before recovering her balance. When she looked up, her blue eyes widened with shock. "Y-you're the girl Kenshin fought with!"

"Iie," Koneko shook her head. "He fought alone. I only helped him."

"Kenshin said you fought together." the girl shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. Arigatou, for helping him."

"Y-you're welcome. But he didn't have to fight them."

"Oh Kenshin does that a lot of times. As long as there's someone in trouble, he goes off to help. I'm Kaoru, by the way."

"I'm Koneko."

"You fight well, Koneko-dono," the red-haired man suddenly came up behind Kaoru. "Chihiro-dono tells me this isn't the first time you've saved her."

"Chihiro-san can be gossipy when she wants to." Koneko grinned. "She's probably very flustered to have someone call her 'dono.' "

"Kenshin calls everyone 'dono.' " Kaoru waved it off. "I've been trying to stop him from doing it."

"Oro?"

" 'Oro?' " Koneko repeated, puzzled.

"That too." Kaoru said, frowning at Kenshin.

"Orororo?"

Koneko giggled. The two of them acted as if they were married already but from the lack of rings in their hands, she guessed they weren't. But then, they might not be following European customs so readily.

Koneko shook her head. She was being too nosy to think that. Her father would disapprove of it if he found out.

"I have to go." she said out loud. "My father is expecting me."

"Hai," Kaoru nodded. "We must be on our way too. It was nice meeting you."

"Same here." Koneko bowed. "Sayonara."

"Sayonara!" they both called as she turned and hurried home. With everything that's happened, Koneko didn't realize she had been out longer than usual until she met those two. Her father would be worried about her...or not. Tetsuo didn't seem to notice her comings and goings. He wasn't likely to notice it today. But she still had to cook dinner.

Koneko didn't really want to leave the company of those two. They seemed so...open, and so trusting.

She reached the hut not long after and went to search for her father. When she found him, he was cross-legged in the backyard, meditating with his sword at his side. Not wanting to disturb him, Koneko started to back away.

"Koneko."

She froze, startled that her father had called her. "H-hai, otosan?"

"You're home late."

"I-I met some friends, otosan." she stammered in reply, unsure of what to say. "We...talked for some time."

"Were they Europeans, Koneko?" her father turned to face her, his eyes glittering with barely concealed anger.

"Iie, they were Japanese. Same as us."

Tetsuo's face softened just the slightest bit and he went back to meditating. "Keep away from those Europeans. Their open display of affection, disgraceful."

"Hai, otosan." she waited for him to say something else but when none came, she left to start dinner.

It was strange that Tetsuo would notice her coming home late. It was the first time she did but...does that mean he noticed all her comings and goings? If he did...then he does care about her!

Koneko stopped midway to the kitchen. Her father cared about her. He might not show it, but many parents don't either, do they? He cared about her.

Overjoyed, Koneko continued on her way to the kitchen. She happily chopped up the vegetables she had bought, quickly turning it into a soup. She still had rice left over from the sack she bought days ago and she boiled that. There was some fish she had caught this morning before she left for the market and she began frying them. When they were done cooking, she served as much food as she and her father needed, adding another helping for guests. Her father usually had guests come over to visit.

Time passed and soon the two of them ate their dinner without a word, as always. But for once, Koneko didn't mind the silence. Her father cared about her, that's all she needed to know.

They were halfway through their meal when they both heard a knock on the door. Tetsuo got to his feet to answer it as Koneko quickly finished her meal. She was done and carrying out her dishes to wash when voices told her of her father's return. She slid the door closed, pausing only when she heard a strange excitement in her father's voice. But when she heard his guest, Koneko quickly peered in through the slit she left.

It was Snotty! The leader of the group who attacked Chihiro!

"It's happening tonight." Snotty was saying. "They found out where Hiroshi lives and they are now organizing the group."

"Good." Tetsuo replied. "The sooner we get rid of those traitors, the better."

"There will be a lot of guards around Hiroshi's place. We weren't exactly secretive when we tried to find out where he lives."

"All the better to make them think their ploy is working. They won't have to know we have someone within their group until it's too late."

"So we were just a decoy?"

"Yes," Tetsuo nodded. "But a very important one at that. We have to make them think they're too smart for us. It softens them, makes them relax. They will not expect us to strike tonight."

"Okawara would be pleased to have you with us. He will be at the Iwata district."

"Then we must leave. Tomorrow will be a new day of fear for the Meiji government."

The two of them stood up and left, their voice quickly fading. Koneko stood in stunned silence. Her father was working for the Ranmyaku-gumi, the group that attacked Chihiro-san and the others. But for what?

She slid the door open, clutching the hilt of her dagger. Snotty had said something was going to happen tonight. And she was going to find out what.

Chapter 3