Hi guys! Review responses at the end. Thanks for waiting. Disclaimer: RK ain't mine, but the fic belongs to me.
(laughing like the Phantom of the Opera) Hahaha. EK-san is getting to Chiki-san! You can find evidence of plot devices from Seven Days and Nine Months in "The Past is the Present". Worst part of it is, when Chiki takes the plot device for her own, it reads better than mine after she's done with it! Oh, well. (sniff) Still, it's a great compliment! Hahahaha!………Where are they? That's for me to know and for you to find out……..Hahahaha! At any rate, most of you guys who read my work are already reading Chiki's, so no need for me to plug anymore to read her fics. Hihihihihi!
To be fair, though, my descriptions are improving slowly, thanks to Chiki. Her influence on my work is in the overall results. ^_^
(reformatted)
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"Sugoi! Such a beautiful kimono!"
Kaoru was enviously ogling the window display in a new store, her husband behind her, carrying a basket of foodstuffs. The kimono she was looking at was royal blue, made with the best silk in Tokyo. The hems and borders were filled with small, colorful flowers, with more than a few spilling over across the rich blue cloth. Golden butterflies were generously stitched throughout the fabric. It reminded the shopper of the first day of spring, when the flowers first come to life. Kaoru was dreaming of the kimono, the beautiful silk wrapped around her, enveloping her formerly slender figure.
"Kaoru-dono, are you alright? Oi, koishii! Oi!" Kenshin waved a hand in between his wife's eyes and the window, and got a blind stare in response.
"Give me a break, anata," Kaoru replied. "It's not every day that you see a kimono like that!" She stared again at the beautiful outfit dreamily. She sighed aloud. "Oh, I just wish someone would buy it for me!"
In an unprecedented turn of events, the sentence reached its intended hearer. Himura Kenshin looked his wife full in the face, and asked with horror, "Kaoru-dono, do you realize how much that would cost?"
Kaoru nodded with longing. She knew Kenshin well enough now. He would not buy it any time soon. She walked away from the clothing store, a large pout on her face. "At any rate," she consoled herself aloud, as she peered down at her 5-month large abdomen, "it won't fit me now."
Kenshin tossed the long dangling end of his old worn scarf away toward the back, then put an arm over Kaoru's shoulders. "Don't you worry, koishii. Someday it will……"
"You mean you will…….?" Kaoru's eyes began to widen.
"Someday a kimono like that will fit you beautifully," Kenshin finished. "Right now, we will worry about that baby of yours, Kaoru-dono."
Kaoru's face fell once more. The cool autumn afternoon suddenly became colder. She wrapped her thick shawl more closely around her neck.
Since Kaoru began her maternity leave a month ago, Kenshin had become seriously, sometimes ridiculously, economical. The Himuras kept eating the best vegetables, tofu, and fish, and sometimes meat, that the market had to offer. But for all other things, Kenshin scrimped to an insane degree. A new bokken could wait until next spring. A paint job for the roof need not be done; it just had to be scrubbed well. Kaoru had to ask him about any new expense they had to make, and it took him two days to decide if it could be bought.
It was beginning to drive Kaoru crazy. Even she was not so miserly about the finances when she earned the money for the housekeeping. When she felt an urge for a new obi or a new ribbon, she saved a few weeks for it then bought it. Now, since Kenshin held the checkbook, she was not able to buy any new womanly things. It must be said to Kenshin's credit that he, too, had not bought any new clothes for himself. However, the level of economic depression was making even the thrifty Kaoru depressed.
Kaoru released some of the monetary tension through eating pickles – an unbelievable amount of pickles. She began to eat them at an alarming rate two weeks after her leave started. The only reason why she could satisfy this quirky pregnant urge was that she got Yahiko's help. Yahiko would ask poor Kenshin for money, telling him it would be for tofu. Yahiko then would head to a shop and bought a jar of pickles, large enough for Tae to serve 50 orders for lunch.
As the couple came home for dinner, Yahiko pulled Kaoru aside and demanded to be paid.
"Paid? For what?" Kaoru asked innocently.
"Bribe money, busu! I need to buy a new hair comb for Tsubame, it'll be her birthday soon. I need money for that. Now if you don't give me my pay for the all the trouble you cause with your pickles, I will tell on you! And boy, will you get it!" Yahiko threatened.
"What makes you so sure? This is Kenshin, you remember!"
"Kenshin used to be the Hitokiri Battousai, YOU remember!"
Kaoru stopped the bantering.
"Now will you pay up?" Yahiko slowly asked again.
"The next fish money goes to you," Kaoru guaranteed, as she retrieved her pickle jar from the kitchen and reached in.
If it was difficult to keep the pickle money out of Kenshin's scrutiny, keeping the pickles out of Kenshin's sight was even harder. It would be no use to keep the pickle jar hidden, since that would arouse even more suspicion. But thankfully, Kenshin still had not noticed that the jar was always full with new pickles.
Kenshin saw things differently.
"They call me a tightwad, Tae-dono!" he complained the next day at the Akabeko, as he pounded a table. "That is not true, de gozaru! We still go to the best parts of the market, and we get the best tuna……….I tell you it is not true!"
"But you keep such a close eye on the expenses, Yahiko tells me," Tsubame offered an explanation.
"They do not understand, de gozaru! I let Kaoru-dono eat all the pickles that she wants, even if I do not understand why she eats so much! Do they think that I do not know how many times the pickle jar is refilled – with my tofu money! No matter what people say, I am not that dense, de gozaru yo!"
"Is the money from the police department tight, Kenshin?" Tae inquired.
"Anou, it's sufficient, I suppose, but without buying things for myself, for Kaoru-dono, and for Yahiko. Also, I am still trying to save some of the money for the ninth month. And that still does not take into consideration those pickles……….."
"I might help you with that, Kenshin, especially when winter comes," Tae offered.
"Oh, NO, Tae-dono, I am NOT hawking out your sushi again in front of the Akabeko!" Kenshin backed away and started for the door.
"No, no, Kenshin! I'm not asking you to sell for me! Not at all!" Tae clarified.
"Yokatta!" Kenshin sighed in relief.
"But you might want to deliver for me over the winter months. It should bide you over until almost the eighth month. Yahiko would be too young to handle it, don't you agree?"
"You mean, I will take over Yahiko's job over the winter? What would Yahiko do then?"
"We'll make Yahiko help here as a waiter. The holiday month keeps the Akabeko filled with people, and we'll need more hands here. Besides, I think Tsubame won't object to that…….." Tae sideglanced at the blushing Tsubame. "You will help us deliver food to the richer houses, when they send someone with an order. And believe me, they tip handsomely!"
Kenshin considered it. At least it was not as bad at speaking aloud to nobody in particular. After 2 months of being chief trainer, public speaking away from training still scared him immensely. Furthermore, if he took the job, it would give him something more to do after lunch, when training at the police department ended. And it would be good to eliminate his reputation as a tightwad, once and for all!
"Your offer is kind, Tae-dono," Kenshin bowed to her in gratitude, "and I accept. When do you need me to begin?"
"At the start of next month, which is next week already, I think," Tae replied. "I promise, you'll have more than enough for Kaoru this Christmas!"
Kenshin exited through the front door of the Akabeko, as Yahiko opened the service entrance.
"Yahiko-chan!" Tsubame greeted cheerfully.
"I said nobody calls me –chan!" Yahiko replied.
"Gomen," Tsubame apologized.
Then she looked behind her and left and right suspiciously. When she was sure that she and Yahiko were alone, she slowly lowered her head until it aligned with Yahiko's cheek.
All of Yahiko's nerves were tingling with excitement. Tsubame finally noticed him as a man, at last! He was all expectation, and closed his eyes, ready for the peck on the cheek or the kiss on the lips ---when he felt her breath warming his ear.
"Yahiko, tell the Cherry Blossom. Red Dragon has caught her." Tsubame whispered mysteriously.
"WHAT?!" A combination of defeat and confusion were heard in the question.
"Tell the Cherry Blossom that the Red Dragon knows her secret."
"Exactly what is all that jibberish, Tsubame?! You've been reading too many detective novels again!" he folded his arms in front of him skeptically.
Tsubame pouted. "You're no fun, Yahiko. Don't you appreciate a touch of suspense in your humdrum life?"
"Not when I don't know who this Red Dragon is!" Yahiko retorted. "Now please speak plainly, Tsubame!"
"Well, then, spoilsport. About your pickles. Kenshin knows about them. Warn Kaoru."
"Thank you!" Yahiko said with relief---then shock. "He knows?! Oh, dear……….I'll tell her….."
When Yahiko got back to the dojo, ahead of Kenshin, he found Kaoru in the kitchen, finishing the last of yet another jar of pickles. It sickened him to see how gluttonous his master had become since she cooped up at home.
"You better take it easy with those things, Kaoru, you've become too sour!" he commented, then lowered his voice. "The Red Dragon knows your secret."
"Say what?" Kaoru asked as she munched.
Yahiko planted himself in front of Kaoru, hands on hips, and gravely repeated his warning. "Keep the pickle jar already, and stop! The Red Dragon knows, and he will soon get you!"
"The Red Dragon?" she thought for a few minutes---then understood. She simply tossed her ponytailed head indifferently. "Let him know, then! I'm getting tired of his well-balanced diets, anyway! I'm TIRED of all this saving and economizing and budgeting! At least his hard-earned money is still going into food, right? That's all he spends on now! And here I am, looking like a big, fat, ugly ogre, without new makeup and without a new ribbon………."
"Stop complaining, will you, Kaoru?! I heard from Tsubame that your Red Dragon is getting a new job, just to make ends meet!"
"Just to make ends meet? We still can't make ends meet, with all the saving we're doing?"
"……..Which he loses to the pickles…….." Yahiko added grouchily.
"Alright, you made your point! No more pickles." Kaoru pledged to Yahiko.
"Good." Yahiko nodded approval. He began marching out of the kitchen.
"I'm eating sponge cake instead!"
Yahiko stopped and faced his master with exasperation. "You are OUT OF YOUR MIND, Kaoru!"
"Let the Red Dragon try and stop me, Yahiko, let him try!!" Kaoru dared, and laughed an insane laugh coming from the depths, as she gobbled up the last pickle.
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Kenshin has been associated with a dragon several times in the anime and manga. Enishi is a tiger. Kaoru's flower is usually said to be the cherry blossom, as Tomoe's is the white plum. However much I've wanted to parody right here the movie Red Dragon, I haven't seen it (I'd rather not, actually!), so I can't. So my usage of the title is limited to that association of Kenshin as a dragon, who's quite red. ^_^
Responses, responses!
Chiki-san, I like Oro-kun way too much, too. ^_^x Weird, I don't particularly like unripe mangos and shrimp paste. I'll eat it when forced, and I'll like it, but I won't go looking for it. I like fishballs better. ^_^
Crystal, I'm not sure if Battousai will pop up soon.
JML, I can relate to the reading-too-much thing. I liked the pound cake idea, without the wasabi of course. I'll soon be using it. I remember that part, too. The rest of the food you mentioned would be good comfort food for ME! Yum! I don't particularly like udon, though. I like soba noodles better. ^_^ Don't worry, I won't turn into Saitou anytime soon.
Kaylee, thanks for liking the stuff so far! You will soon see sparks fly. ^_^
Bunny, thanks for enjoying the end of chap 4.
rurounix, thanks for the compliment. Which reminds me, I have to get back and read that fic, "Pay Attention, Class". I liked it, too.
Kaoru Himura, yes the reviews help to encourage the writing, you've no idea.
mi-chan, thanks again for liking it!
Sabrina Star, thanks for liking the training chap! It took me some major thinking to make up that little explanation about the "-dono". You can't get kendo out of Kaoru that quickly!
C-chan, thanks for liking it, too! Master Sergeant Kaoru, nice concept!
Diablo, thanks again for the defense. I don't hate dubs entirely, since that's usually the only way I can get free RK in my country, so I settle. But last year a cable channel showed RK in Japanese, so I can really say I know what I'm doing. I have Seisou Hen subtitled. I also have the Jinchuu arc manga volumes and the Kenshin Kaden. ^_^
Nye-Yen, thanks much!
yolei81, I hope to see Jubei-chan someday! Unfortunately it's not on TV, and it's not too easy to find on VCD. ^_^
Lina Gabriev, yup, oro-kun is a baka!
Azura Dea, I'll see what I can do about your requests.
Val, thanks a lot for the compliment!
marstanuki, sorry for the delay. Hope you liked what you waited for.
Emiri-chan, no problem! Like I said in Seven Days, I write fast, while the idea is still in my brain. ^_^ I haven't tried Pocky yet, but I've seen it. At any rate, I don't think Pocky was available in Kenshin's time!
That's everybody so far. I'll see ya, guys!