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Chapter Twenty; The First Path to Truth

Theme Music; She's every woman - Garth Brooks

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"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do."

- Helen Keller

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AU- Good goddess, I hardly know what to do with myself. Another chapter, I guess the free time I prayed for is now here! I wish it could have come in a better form. I wrecked my car on Sunday the 3 on the way home from Houston; it's totaled and my mobility is severely restricted so now I actually have nothing better to do than stay home and write chapters of RK.

…

STOP CHEERING!

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Kaoru was in the kitchen.

At one point in her life this would have been justified reason for mass panic. However those days were over, strangely enough. Now her cooking was cause for widespread celebration (it meant neither Kaori or Enishi had cooked).

Silver fished scales rained down onto the wooden cutting board and she ran the sharp edge of a cleaver against the side of a shining sea bream. She looked up as a soft whistling emitted from the pot over the fire where the rice was cooking.

Kaoru used her bokken to ease the pot over to the edge of the flame so the steaming grain wouldn't scorch, yet would stay warm for supper.

Just as she returned to scaling the fish, Kaori trotted into the kitchen. Kaoru noted the odd expression on her daughter's face with a raised eyebrow; Kaori seemed to be stuck somewhere between amusement and annoyance, but closer to amusement.

"Expect one more for supper," she reported. "Yahiko brought someone home with him!"

'Ah.' Kaoru thought. 'That must be what Raven meant.'

"Do you know whom?" she asked.

"Yup." Kaori nodded. "Kaneda finally crawled out of hiding. I'm going to turn out a room for him."

Kaoru startled herself with a chuckle. "Well, its not as if we weren't expecting him. Where is he?"

"Making life difficult for Enishi-kun." Kaori's pretty mouth turned down in a sour little frown. "Enishi is showing him around the dojo, but…"

"But what? Musume?" Kaoru prodded gently.

"I don't know." Kaori shook her head. "Maybe it's just me. Do you need anything?"

The kenshi woman leaned her head on one shoulder and crossed her arms in a thoughtful pose. "Hmm… I'll be starting some saké -broiled sea bream once I finish scaling the fish, but I just found out we're out of cooking saké . Could you go to Hiko and ask him to either donate some of his stock or nip out for some more?"

Kaori saluted. "Will do, Kaa-chan!"

"Dismissed, soldier!"

The ten year old pivoted on her heel and marched out of the kitchen, stopped as soon as she was out the door and ran off to Hiko's rooms with a giggle.

Kaoru smiled as her daughter left. Just as the girl turned a corner, Aoshi leaned into the room.

"The coast is clear," she told him.

Aoshi withdrew a packet from his trench coat and commandeered a teapot. He was quiet as he started the tea -his own personal blend- but as soon as the water was on, he accepted another cleaver from Kaoru and started in on another fish.

"I don't see why you don't want anyone to know you like to cook," she said indifferently. "You treat it like it's a state secret."

"The Okashira of the Oniwabanshuu does not sully himself with common labor." Aoshi quoted. "So sayeth my predecessor, Makimachi Mikito."

"Its all-right for you to do the Oniwabanshuu accounts but not the actual chores?"

"Apparently." Aoshi shrugged. "At the Aoiya, Okon and Omasu were uncomfortable with me in the kitchen. It puts one on edge to have one's leader hanging over one's shoulder."

"That makes sense."

With sparse yet precise movements Aoshi divested the sea bream of its head and tail, de-boned it, and reduced it to two pale fillets.

"We'll need six tonight." Kaoru told him. "Kaneda finally turned up."

Aoshi nodded without comment, but Kaoru sensed approval from the laconic ninja; it had been bugging him that there was always a fillet of fish going to waste in the dojo when anything but whole fish were being served. Of course, he was too polite to say anything.

"Hanya has received word from our contacts in Izu." he commented. "You're right, there is an underground movement there headed by one Isurugi Raijuta. I've arranged for the local weapons-dealers to 'run out' of stock and a goodly portion of his 'army' is being arrested by the police for past misbehavior or on the run from creditors who've been tipped off as to their location. By the time get there, Hanya will have Raijuta-san stripped of his resources." he broke off and glanced at the door.

Kaoru didn't react as Aoshi set down his cleaver and departed the kitchen just before a shadow filled the door to the kitchen. Hiko set down a jug of saké on the flint counter with a grunt.

"I'll get more later." he told her, which meant he hadn't wanted to go out to buy more saké and possibly be late for dinner which was synonymous with getting no dinner in this household. "How long?"

"Just long enough to cook the fish." Kaoru told him. "Another hour for all of them."

"I meant the bald boy."

Kaoru cocked an eyebrow. "Desu ka?"

"Kaneda." Hiko clarified. "How long is he staying?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. The Abbot at Iron Mountain may have sent him to keep an eye on Kaori; in that case he'd be here indefinitely. On the other hand he just might be visiting… I wouldn't count on it though."

Hiko looked like he might say something foul.

Ah, Kaneda had been displaying his dazzling intellect and rapier wit already. Hiko had never made any pretense of liking the young monk when he visited the Monastery. It was her prediction that the entire dojo would no doubt be after his blood within three days… or less.

"He's really not so bad." Kaoru said lamely.

"So says you," he retorted. "You always try to see the best in others, regardless of whether or not its actually there."

Kaoru did her patented eyebrow raise. "Well, he's spent the past several years guarding my daughter, excuse me if I'm biased. He's also a perfectly charming young man. I think if you just let him be, you'll find he'll grow on you."

"So will fungus." he said pithily.

Kaoru winced cutely with her eyes squeezed shut and a small smile. "Well-- yes but…"

Hiko shook his head. "Never mind, Ru-chan, I'll tolerate him for you and Kaori's sake, but if he ever says anything about my drinking habits again…" he left the sentence hanging.

Kaoru winced, she remembered the time Kaneda had suggested that Hiko get help for his 'alcohol problem' two winters ago-- it was not pretty. She wouldn't be surprised if the hole Hiko had made in the Monastery's roof with Kaneda's head was still there.

Rule #1 for a happy life with Seijuro Hiko: Never tell him he has an alcohol problem.

Hiko's eyes dropped down to the discarded cleaver on the board at Kaoru's elbow. He glanced back up at her quizzically.

"Kaori was helping before I sent her off," she said flippantly.

"Hey, Kaoru…"

Kaoru glanced towards the outside gate, where Yahiko had poked in his head. He had an empty wooden bucket with him and a shinai tucked into his belt.

"Where do you want this?" He held up the bucket. "I borrowed to go visit Kaa-chan's grave."

"In the back by the root vegetables." She tossed her head in the applicable direction. "Do you have practice now?"

"Nah. Enishi's too busy trying to be nice to the Monk. Do you need something?"

"Yes, Kaori's turning out a room for Kaneda-kun, could you go help her? Then you'll both be done in time for dinner."

Yahiko heaved a dramatic sigh. "All right."

Hiko gave him a good-natured smack on the back of the head as he left to 'help Kaori' to remind him of his manners. "I'll get out of your way." He said to Kaoru and followed the boy out.

"You can come out now." Kaoru called to Aoshi and was rewarded by seeing him drop down out of the rafters and return to scaling fish.

She didn't even sigh, that's how used to the weirdness she was.

***

About an hour later, as she'd predicted, dinner was served and anyone over twenty found themselves fighting for their meals against three hungry young men.

To be fair, neither Hiko nor Kaoru had much of a problem; no one would bother Kaoru's meal since she was responsible for its existence and no one bothered Hiko's food because he'd rip their lungs out if they did.

Normally Kaori found herself having to fend Yahiko's chopsticks off and eat at the same time, although Enishi 'avenged her honor' by snitching food off Yahiko's tray while he was occupied. Not tonight, however, tonight Kaneda displayed a dismaying propensity to break any chopsticks that got too near her tray.

It was actually something to watch because he did it so very quickly that one could scarcely see him do it.

Kaoru and Hiko were the only ones at the table who found nothing amiss with that, however they'd both been to the Monastery where it was 'every man for himself' at mealtimes.

Kaori was resigned to it. Kaneda had been her self-appointed guardian since she'd been born practically. Personally, she believed she was better served by being allowed to defend herself like Enishi did, but she couldn't expect Kaneda to understand that.

Enishi on the other hand was suddenly grappling with some very uncomfortable emotions, not in the least of them was guilt; it had never occurred to him to stop Yahiko from bothering Kaori. She'd always seemed able to look after herself, but all of a sudden he wasn't seeing her as a ten-year-old martial artist in training anymore…

Oddly enough, Yahiko was the only person other than Kaoru and Hiko noticed Kaori's annoyance over being 'defended', but he didn't care. He was more interested in the fact that Enishi's guard over his supper was delightfully low!

"Kaneda-kun, did Kaori tell you that we'll be going to Izu for a holiday in a few days?" Kaoru asked the young monk as she refilled his rice bowl.

"No, she didn't!" Kaneda grinned, an expression somehow made all the more sunny by the odd twist of his blinded eye. "I hope you have room for one more, I can pay my way."

"You're always welcome, Kaneda-kun." Kaoru assured him-- she'd cleared it with the other before supper and if the vote wasn't unanimous it was a majority… barely.

"When exactly are we leaving?" he pressed.

"The day after tomorrow." Enishi said coolly. "If that's too soon for you, you can always stay here at the dojo."

Kaneda's expression took a turn for the predatory. "Oh no, Yukishiro-san. I'm quite used to large amounts of traveling. I certainly won't hold you back."

Kaoru blinked in surprise at the masterfully veiled insults in Kaneda's tone. What surprised her even more was the way Enishi reacted to it.

'What's this?' she thought. 'This isn't like Kaneda at all! What's gotten into him… and into Enishi for that matter?"

She got her answer a few minutes later when Kaori tripped as she got up fetch more tea from the kitchen. Enishi and Kaneda cracked their foreheads when they leapt up to catch her. Kaori caught her balance easily as they fell back into their seats clutching their bruised heads.

Kaoru could have groaned, or laughed, or gotten angry, but instead she found herself just incredibly tired.

'She's only ten years old and already she's stirring up this sort of thing!' she shook her head and noticed the semi-disgusted look on Kaori's face-- well, she was aware of what was going on, if only in part. 'At least she isn't enjoying it.' Kaoru consoled herself. 'It'd be very difficult if I suddenly found myself with a budding tease on my hands.'

Things did not noticeably improve over the next few days.

Kaneda took to shadowing Kaori wherever she went, and while this was not abnormal behavior for him, Enishi took it very badly. Suddenly Kaori was expected to help him at every lesson and when there were no lessons then there were chores to be done; chores that kept Kaori, and subsequently Kaneda, where he could keep an eye on them.

Kaoru was worried, Hiko thought it was hilarious, Aoshi politely didn't notice it, the Oniwabanshuu sided with Enishi, Misao counseled Kaori to drop them both, Yahiko was beginning to root for Kaneda if only because he was being cooler about it all than Enishi.

Although she would have liked to say something to the territorial boys, Kaoru's hands were full planning their 'holiday' to Izu. Aoshi had arranged for another quarter of Raijuta's men to have crippling 'accidents' and suddenly large burly ex-soldier servants were turning up in all the well-to-do mansions to discourage any infiltrations by what agents he had left.

The only clean-up left to do was Raijuta himself and his closest circle of fighters, Hanya had attempted to include them in his earlier 'tidying up' but they had proved to be elusive.

'It seems there will be something of a show-down in Izu after all.' Kaoru thought as she watched Kaori swing herself into the concealing branches of one of the courtyard trees while Kaneda and Enishi were busy staring one another down.

She might have continued her thoughts in a similar tone but just then a set of pale arms slipped around her neck and the scent of hibiscus surrounded her as a body with too many curves and too few clothes pressed itself up against her back.

"Kao-saaaaan!!!!" Megumi cried happily as she tightened her grip on the kenshi woman's neck.

"GurK!" Kaoru's eyes bulged slightly as Megumi unintentionally cut off her air supply. The strangulating noises she made attracted Enishi, who was just about to pull out his bokken and start dealing out damage to Kaneda.

"Takani-san!" Enishi loomed over the two women like a specter of death.

Megumi made a face at him, oblivious to her own impending end. Luckily, she did loosen her grip on Kaoru as she focused her attention on Enishi."Ohayo, Enishi-chan!" she cooed. "I was just saying good morning to my Kao-san!"

There might have been stronger words spoken, but Kaoru didn't stick around to hear it.

***

Kaori scooted to one side as her mother alighted on the branch beside her.

"Ohayo, Kaa-chan." she said in an undertone and Kaoru ruffled her hair.

"Let's go up another branch. Megumi always spots me on this one, I think the cover is better higher up."

So together the beset mother and daughter climbed higher into their tree to wait out the storm.

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End Chapter Twenty

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Seiyuu; I say unto you again, be careful what you wish for. Does anyone know what Raijut's sur name is? I put a blank there 'cause I can't remember!