"Kaoru-dono! We're back!" Kenshin called cheerfully into the darkened dojo. He had told Koneko a little about what Kaoru-san did for a living and her trouble in finding students. It was the reason why the Kamiya dojo was in such a state of disrepair.
"Kenshin!" a figure stumbled into view, holding out a lantern. "Kenshin! What took you so long? I was worried sick!"
"Sumanu de gozaru," He replied. "Sessha had to talk to someone..."
"Koneko-san!" Kaoru gasped.
Koneko bowed politely. "Konbanwa, Kaoru-san."
"Koneko-dono is staying here for the night." Kenshin explained. "Sessha will accompany her back to her home in the morning."
"I hope I won't be much trouble-"
"Iie!" Kaoru grinned widely, taking her hand and leading her into the dojo. "You won't be much trouble at all. Come, I'll show you where you can sleep. Oyasumi, Kenshin."
Koneko cast a fearful look at Kenshin but he only smiled in approval, returning Kaoru's greeting with his own. He must have known how hospitable Kaoru would be in welcoming visitors. But of course, the two of them must have know each other for a long time. And yet, they still weren't married...
"Here, you can sleep beside me." Kaoru dropped her hand and went to one of the closets. They had stopped in a room that was slightly larger than hers with a single futon on the floor. Koneko watched as Kaoru brought out another futon and rolled it out beside the one on the floor. Then she went to another closet and pulled out a simple yukata. "I think we're about the same size so you can borrow one of my yukata."
"A-arigatou..." Koneko held the robe in her hands, still unsure at Kaoru's openness. "K-Kaoru-san...?"
"If you're going to sleep here tonight, you can just call me Kaoru, okay?" Kaoru smiled.
"H-hai...Kaoru then..." she carefully folded the robe and laid it on the futon. Then she sat beside the folded yukata, easing her injured leg. "Kaoru, how long have you known Kenshin-san?"
"Since I was seventeen," the black-haired girl smiled wistfully. "He saved me from a thug who was trying to ruin the reputation of the Kamiya Kasshin."
"Kamiya Kasshin?"
"It's a fighting technique of protecting people without killing." Her eyes darkened with sorrow. "My father tried to teach that to Gohei but Gohei felt humiliated. So he went against my father's teachings and killed a lot of people."
Koneko reached out and grasped Kaoru's shoulder. "Gomen nasai. I shouldn't have brought up memories of your father."
"Daijoubu," the black-haired girl smiled, her sorrow fading. "You must think little of me, missing my father after so many years."
"Iie. I don't think little of you at all." Koneko forced herself to grin. "I still miss my mother. Though I was very young when she died."
"What happened?"
"She was shot. On our way to Kyoto."
"Shot?" Kaoru gasped. "By whom?"
"By our enemies," Koneko clenched her fists at the memory. "My father had a lot of them."
"I-I'm sorry to hear that..."
"Daijoubu. I've learned to live with it a long time ago." She smiled now, one she felt deeply. "Many lives have been lost to create the Meiji government."
"Hai." Kaoru nodded. "And that is why Kenshin tries to protect it. The Europeans have been generous enough to share with us their works and helped make progress in Japan. But some Japanese find it hard to accept them."
"How easy would it be to accept them? They've killed a lot of Japanese people!"
"And so did the Japanese. But even though there was a lot of bloodshed, we must learn to forgive them." She held Koneko's gaze. "It is why we are living so peacefully now."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Koneko thought about her words, playing them over and over in her mind. Kaoru was so simple in her statements, and so idealistic. But she was still right. People must learn to forgive. Koneko started to nod. "Hai. Living a peaceful life."
Kaoru giggled. "I think we've stayed up long enough. We need to go to sleep."
"Hai." Koneko smiled politely, agreeing. The two of them quickly changed into robes before they lay back on the futon. After exchanging 'good night,' Kaoru promptly went to sleep. Koneko sat up in her futon, certain that the black-haired girl was asleep. She glanced at the door, noticing a slight shadow at the other side. She started to stand but thought better of it. If the shadow was an enemy, they would have barged in by now.
Koneko smiled. "Oyasumi, Kenshin." she murmured as she settled back into her futon. She stayed awake for a moment more, thinking about Kaoru's simple words. There was another reason why her father hated Europeans so much. One of them had been holding the gun that killed her mother.
Koneko closed her eyes and dreamed about her father.
Morning came a little too quickly for Koneko's taste, shining quietly against her closed eyelids. She turned to face the shade and opened them, at first wondering where she was. Then her leg started throbbing, bringing with it memories of last night. She slowly sat up, noticing Kaoru's missing futon and a strange kimono beside hers. She reached over to touch it-
The door slid open, filling the room with the smell of riceballs. Kaoru entered with a tray in her hands. "Koneko-san, you're awake!"
"Ohayo, Kaoru. And please, just call me Koneko."
"Ohayo." The black-haired girl gently set the tray beside Koneko. "I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some food."
"Arigatou," Koneko said, offering to help her host clean up. But the latter refused adamantly so she settled herself to eating.
"I hope you're not in a hurry to go back to your home." Kaoru continued. "Kenshin washed your clothes a while ago but it'll take some time to dry."
Koneko stared at her. Kenshin washed her kimono? But he's a man! Was it all right for a man to wash her clothes?
The black-haired girl turned to her, concerned at her lack of response. "You can borrow one of my kimonos if you want. I can-"
"Iie, it's not that." Koneko shook her head. "K-Kenshin-san does the laundry?"
"Hai. Kenshin always helps me with the chores. It's his way of paying me back for letting him stay at the dojo."
"B-but doesn't he feel ashamed to be laundering your clothes?"
"He doesn't mind. He's grown used to it."
"I-I see." Koneko continued eating. Her hosts were strange in their way of thinking. They bicker like a married couple, they talk like a married couple, and Kenshin helps Kaoru with the chores like a married couple. But they weren't married! Is there something going on here?
Her hand shook a little as she remembered her father. His marriage with her mother had been arranged by their parents, as was the custom, and they eventually grew to respect each other. When her mother died, her father missed her so much he never married again. Was it the same between Kenshin and Kaoru?
"When you're done eating, we can accompany you back to your home." Kaoru offered.
"Arigatou, Kaoru. But..." she set her chopsticks down, remembering her father's thirst for revenge. She didn't want to go back home to her father. Not yet. "Kaoru-san, would you mind teaching me the Kamiya Kasshin technique, before I go?"
The black-haired girl looked back at her, surprise in her eyes. "I'd love to but, don't you want to go back home earlier?"
Koneko dropped her gaze to her food. "I don't want to trouble you by borrowing your kimono. And you said that mine is still wet. I will leave when my clothes are dry."
At the corner of her eye, she saw Kaoru nod. "Alright then. You can practice with my student, Yahiko."
"Anything would be fine." Koneko murmured as she finished eating her meal. If she stayed out long enough, her father might be too worried about her that he would forget about the dishonor she caused. Even though she knew it wasn't very likely, she told herself to believe it.