Chapter Seven: Sacrificing pride
*As the next morning greeted Kyoto, people began to mill around the streets slowly. Businesses that normally opened at the crack of dawn seemed to be slow in commencing with the selling of their goods. Around the town people yawned and apologized, and sleepy children were still too tired to run about the streets as they usually did. There were no busy sounds of any business transactions, nor of anyone calling out in joyful greeting of one another.
To Kaoru, this was a good sign. With a large haversack of fresh fish weighing heavily on her shoulders, her fishing supplies and three shallow baskets in one hand, her bokken tucked into her obi, and the small baby girl in her other arm, the empty streets were a blessing. She had no need of worrying people would take advantage of her in her vulnerable state, and making her way through the streets to an empty stall would be easy. But she had one stop to make first; to be sure she would be allowed to complete her business here.
"Good morning, Mr. Fayue." She smiled brightly at the middle-aged man who stood behind a wooden stall full of scrolls and inkpots.
"Miss Kamiya, what can I do for you this morning? It looks like you're weighted down… is, is that baby yours?" The man's friendly face suddenly became cold.
"Oh, no. I'm watching her for a friend today." Kaoru painted a smile on her face. She could only imagine what the older man had been thinking she had done to get the baby.
"Oh." The man's face lightened. "In that case, how may I help you?"
"Would it be possible to borrow a stand and sell these fish I caught this morning? Preferably a stand near the Akebeko?"
"Well Miss Kamiya…" Fayue frowned at he checked his scrolls. I can see that I have only one more stand left in that area of the market, but it's very small."
"That's fine. I only plan on staying until noon, or until I sell all of my fish. Whichever comes first."
"Well then, go right ahead and set up shop. And I may be over later to buy a few of those fish, if they're big enough."
"I'll save three of my biggest for you." Kaoru smiled and bowed slightly, trying not to fall off balance with her heavy load. The old man returned her courtesy, and then she turned and strode towards the area where her stand would be located.
When she spied the beaten up, old stand, she felt slightly disheartened. That stand? Well, it was better than nothing, and the Akebeko would draw a good crowd to buy. She sighed and gently lay Namida down on the top of the stand so she could shrug the heavy sack of fish off her back. Then she brought out the long, shallow baskets she had been carrying and set them atop the stand. Laying her fresh fish in the baskets carefully, she hoped someone would come along soon and begin to attract attention to her stand. She had only managed to catch thirty fish, mostly using a net as the schools of salmon and trout swam down the river. If she could sell all thirty for the bargain price of three yen a fish, she would be well on her way to help paying off her debts.
"Excuse me Miss, how fresh are they?" A middle-aged woman stopped at her stand. Kaoru smiled.
"Very fresh, I caught them just this morning."
"And how much for three?"
"Nine Yen." The woman looked shocked.
"Surely you jest! Nine Yen!" Kaoru narrowed her eyes, but bit back a smile. She knew her price was reasonable; it was simply that haggling was part of their culture.
"Nine Yen is perfect for these fish, they're very fresh, and large. They'll be good eating."
"Nine is too high. They are long, but skinny! There's no meat on those fish."
"No meat! Look at this one! Fat and long. He'll feed two at least, four to five in a stew by himself! Nine Yen."
"The most I'll pay is six Yen."
"You jest! You would rob me that much?" Kaoru pouted. The older woman looked at her and suddenly broke out laughing.
"Alright then. Nine Yen. I won't be accused of stealing." Kaoru smiled.
"Which fish would you like?" The woman pointed to her fish and Kaoru hand them over, wrapped in yesterday's newspaper. As the woman left, more people came to her stand, and within the next three hours Kaoru had soled all of her fish. Namida had cried for nearly the entirety of the last hour of that time, and Kaoru was at her end's wits.
Never before had she had to deal with such a loud, screeching child. What was it about her that Namida hated so intensely? She had spent the last half an hour rocking the child back and forth, shushing her as best she could while dealing with her customers. She had changed her diaper, fed her some warmed milk she had bought from the stand next to her, and still she cried. She had had mothers give her advice, but each time she followed it, Namida cried harder.
Now, with a migraine beginning, she gathered up her baskets, fishing pole, and other paraphernalia, not to mention the money she had earned, and abandoned her stand. Walking straight towards the Akebeko, she tried to shut out the bloody murder screaming of the child she carried.
"Miss Kaoru?" Kaoru looked down, and saw Tsubame beside her.
"Hello Tsubame. Don't mind the baby. Is Tae around?"
"Yes, of course. Let me get her." The young girl disappeared into the restaurant for a moment, and then out of the door came Tae's familiar figure.
"Miss Kaoru! What can I do for you today?"
"Tae, you wouldn't happen to need an extra pair of hands for the rest of the week, would you? I could use the part time work, and I promise that I'll keep Namida here quiet in the restaurant."
"Miss Kaoru, you've never wanted to work here before!" Tae jump with excitement. "As it happens, business has been booming lately, and I could use a dishwasher, mine quit just two days ago. Tsubame has been covering for me, but I need her to help serve. And you can keep your eye on the little one while you wash. By the way, how did you come across a baby? I didn't miss a wedding, did I?" Kaoru, put out by both the crying and Tae's quick paced speech, tried to keep face.
"A friend asked me to watch her for the week, I'm still not a bride Tae."
"Just making sure. You never know anymore. You and Mr. Himura could have run off and eloped, and I would never have known!" Kaoru flushed deeply at her suggestion.
"Tae! As it so happens, Kenshin is very ill at the moment. He is in Megumi's care, in her clinic. I think it's just a flu, but when you never get sick the way Kenshin does, it hits you harder than anyone else."
"That's so true." Tae nodded. "Well, let's get you inside and working on those dishes!"
"Alright." As Tae walked in, Kaoru followed her, looking at Namida. "Please Namida? Please stop crying? I know you want your mother, but she'll be back soon. Please just do this for me?" The baby did not stop, yet she did seem to take her fussing to a quieter level. That was enough for Kaoru.
"Here we are. Just sit and wash, it's not too hard. If you need water, you'll have to draw it from the well in the back."
"Alright. Thank you Tae."
"Sure thing Kaoru dear. You need something, let me or Tsubame know!" And the cheerful waitress went back out front to entertain her guests. The bustle of the crowd out in the other room momentarily shocked Kaoru. She had never been in the Akebeko when it was this bad! The pile of dishes that sat beside the washtub made her dizzy, and screaming baby beside her made her head pound harder. Still, she grabbed her first dish and began to scrub.
"Here Kaoru." Tsubame chirped, adding four more plates and teacups to Kaoru's dirty plate pile. The assistant master sighed. Inside her felt broken and beaten. This work, it wasn't the same as teaching swords. In teaching swords, one not only worked frustration out through the exercise, but also felt a sense of pride and accomplishment when a student preformed a move right. It centered a person and brought them into a meditative state that helped control their tempers and patience.
But here, working in the Akebeko, she felt little pride. She was neither accomplishing something nor centering herself, and it made her feel old and tired. The things she went through to keep her pride were nearly stripping her of it, she wondered, was it worth it?
Kaoru wished she could slap herself for her thoughts. How dare she think that her dojo, her Father's dojo, his memory and his pride, were not worth demeaning herself? Of course they were! Shaking her head, she noticed that Namida was finally silent. Looking over at the child, she saw that the baby had cried herself to sleep. Finally. Kaoru grabbed another dish and began scrubbing.
"Miss Kaoru, it is five o'clock." Tsubame called from the kitchen doorway. Kaoru tiredly looked up at her. Five o'clock?
"Really? So soon?" She smiled meekly.
"Really." Tsubame giggled. "Tae said to let you know we can handle it from here, it usually quiets down around now."
"Wonderful. I'll be back tomorrow around noon?"
"Maybe a little earlier, an hour before noon?"
"Alright, an hour before then. I'll see you tomorrow, and tell Tae I said thank you." Kaoru stood, grabbing Namida, who had been giggling at the soap bubbles that floated around the room.
"I will. See you tomorrow!" And Tsubame left the room. As Kaoru repacked her haversack and pulled it over her shoulders, she wearily cleared her throat and shook her head, trying to wipe the sleep away from her eyes. The sun still had another hour before it set, and she had still more work to be done. Lessons to teach.
"Well Namida, it looks like it's time to head on over to the Hiami house, and teach Jebilu. Think you can be a good girl for our lesson?" The baby cooed, and Kaoru quirked a thin smile. "I don't understand. You were so terrible earlier, but now you're such an angel… I'll never understand I don't think. Well, as long as this keeps up."
The walk to the Hiami home wasn't too long, only fifteen minutes or so. By the time Kaoru had arrived, she knew this would be a trying lesson. She could hear the family inside the home—the mother yelling at her youngest children, the father yelling at the mother for raising her voice, and the children were running a muck. Still, money was money.
"Assistant Master Kamiya, you are late." Kaoru looked up to see Hiami Junta, the father of the family and her employer glaring down at her.
"I apologize profusely, Mr. Hiama."
"How is my son to learn the art of the Kamiya Kashinn style if you do not give him proper attention or proper examples to follow?" He growled.
"Sir, I once again apologize. I will begin my lesson now and see that it ends well after it should, for no extra charge." Her words seemed to appease the man, who still grumbled as she walked around him and into the back courtyard, where his ten-year-old son stood, holding a bokken and awaiting his lesson.
"Good afternoon Assistant Master Kamiya." The boy bowed. Then he smirked. "You're late. I bet Father told you off!" He scoffed.
"You've earned yourself fifty strokes for your insolence. Never speak to your teacher that way again, understand, Jebilu?" Kaoru glared. Time to become tough, and work out her frustrations from the long day.
"Yes Assistant Master Kamiya." The boy sneered as he began his strokes. Kaoru lay her haversack down on the porch and placed Namida inside so she would not roll off and onto the ground. Then she drew her own sword and began her own warm up exercises. As she did, she observed Jebilu.
"Throw your hips into your strokes more, you won't be able to carry enough wait to harm an opponent if you don't." She corrected. He sneered and continued as he had been. Kaoru glared. "Very well, stop your strokes and we'll have a sparing match." The boy paled as she spoke.
"Sparing match?" He had only spared her twice, and both times he had been humiliated beyond what he had thought was possible. It was not that she beat him to a pulp, nor that she beat him in public. It was simply a matter of pride that a woman could beat him, a strong boy of an upstanding and well off family.
"Sparing match." Kaoru confirmed. She needed to let the boy know his place today. As much as Kaoru believed in training exercises and workouts with katas, she also firmly believed that if her student was going to take such an attitude with her, then she would need to teach him some respect. She was a woman of more experience and age, which meant that she pulled rank over him at the moment.
"Yes mame." Jebilu stood in the correct position, knowing that if he did not, his consequences would be much worse. Kaoru took her position, and they bowed.
"Fight!" She cried. Carefully controlling each of her movements, Kaoru waited for Jebilu to take his crazy swings and tire himself out. When he had finally gotten frustrated enough to charge her full on, she turned his weight and momentum against him. Side stepping his charge, she swung her bokken horizontally until it connected with his back, hard enough to make a soft crack and to make the boy cry out as he fell to the ground.
"As I said earlier, if you put your hips into your swings, you'll be able to face an opponent with much more force. Now stand and complete your strokes. I believe you have twenty four left?"
"Yes Assistant Master." The boy, his back and pride hurt, stood and lowered his head while he completed his strokes. Kaoru watched on for a while longer, and when Jebilu only had five strokes to complete, she stopped him.
"That's fine. Show me the kata I taught you last week. I wish to see if you practiced on your own."
When Kaoru left the Hiami house it was late for her. Namida was once again asleep, tucked into the crook of her arm. She herself was sweaty, tired, and exhausted. The day had been long and hard, and she still had six of them left to go. But the payment would be worth it, would it not? She snorted to herself. Of course it would. She was being childish and selfish to be so spoiled about working to save her dojo, and she knew it.
"Well Namida, we have to go through town to get home, let's stop at Megumi's clinic and visit, shall we? We'll check on Kenshin."
Yahiko and Sanosuke greeted Kaoru outside the door of Megumi's clinic. She saw them as she arrived, and took a deep breath. Then she shrugged her tiredness away and smiled brightly at them.
"Hey look, it's the Raccoon!" Yahiko sneered. Kaoru glared instantly.
"Yahiko, I brought my bokken, don't make me teach you a lesson tonight!"
"Hey Missy, relax! We're just a little bored is all. The Fox had us running her errands all day, and we've yet to eat."
"I'm sure she's preparing you a gourmet meal though." Kaoru pointed out, slightly put out. Megumi could always afford to eat and feed well, simply because of her job. It hurt that she could never measure up to the womanly standards the Fox set. Kaoru had never felt as though she were graceful, or beautiful. How could she, what with Yahiko always telling her she was ugly, and Sano always complaining about her cooking and not doing her own chores? Both boys complained she had Kenshin doing woman's work that she should be doing. And maybe they were right. Women were supposed to wash the clothes and dishes and sweep the floors, not teach swords. But this was all Kaoru had ever known, and she could and would not change now for them. Still— that did not mean it didn't sting when they made the comments.
"I am indeed Kaoru." Megumi poked her head outside the clinic. "And it is finished. Would you like to stay for supper? I made more than enough for everyone…?"
"No, thank you." Kaoru could not accept the food, it was like accepting charity on her part, something she detested. "I just stopped by to check up on everyone."
"You mean you stopped to check up on Sir Ken." Megumi smirked. "He's fine. Still very ill, but he should be fine within three to four days."
"Is he awake?" Kaoru asked, her eyes lit with hope. Megumi looked into Kaoru's eyes and paused. Enough teasing, she knew.
"He's not awake, but you can go in and check on him if you'd like. He's in the last room on the right."
"Thank you, I think I will. Yahiko, can you hold Namida for me? I would hate for her to start crying and wake Kenshin up."
"You still have that baby Kaoru?" Sano looked at her in concern.
"I told you, I'm babysitting her for a few days. Her mother had some sudden business to attend to, and asked if I could help watch her. I agreed. Just hold her. And don't wake her up." Kaoru gently placed Namida in Yahiko's arms, and then dropped her haversack and bokken at the door. Slipping her shoes off as well, she donned inside slippers and quietly tip toed down the wooden hall and into another hall where Megumi kept her patients that were either too ill to go home, or that had need of operation.
Sliding the door open gently, she slipped into the room and shut it behind her. There was only one lantern lit in the room, thus it was very dim. When Kaoru's eyes fell upon Kenshin's prone form she dropped to her knees by his side in worry. Megumi had cut his hair out of its low ponytail, and the burnt orange red silk spilled out about his peaceful face. His delicate features were at ease in his sleep, and his thin lips were drawn into a straight line.
"Oh Kenshin, how sick you must be… I'm sorry you caught this. It had to have been because you were out in the rain with me. I'm sorry…" Kenshin shifted and turned his head towards her slightly. Kaoru gently raised a hand and brushed his bangs from his eyes.
"Kaoru…" Kenshin breathed with a raspy, heavy voice. His body racked with a barking cough, and his glazed violet eyes opened and stared back at her.
"Kenshin." She smiled, but drew her hand away quickly. "How do you feel?"
"Much better, that I do." He whispered, breathing heavily.
"Hmm. I'll believe that when I see and hear it." She joked. He smiled slightly.
"How was your day?" He asked her. Kaoru's heart skipped a beat. How sweet of him to ask! And he was so sick…
"It was fine. I was taking care of some work, and a few outside the dojo lessons. Nothing too exciting. It is very quiet without you, Yahiko, and Sano of course."
"No one hassled you?" He narrowed his tired eyes. If someone had laid a hand on his Kaoru, they would pay. Though Kenshin had slept the majority of the day, his dreams and nightmares had been filled with visions of Kaoru's pretty face. Sometimes she had been peaceful in them, happy and content, even holding his hand. But in others… in others she had been in trouble, and he had not been able to help her, he had been too sick, or too far away to reach her in time. Still, waking to her face now was the best moment in his long and tiring day, and if someone ever upset her, he would know why.
"No Kenshin, no hassling." She smiled at him gently. How kind of him to ask, to care… "But the dojo is empty without you and Yahiko. I know it's good for my work, but it's so quiet. Get better soon, please?" She begged him.
"I will try, I promise." He smiled. Then his eyes closed, and though he tried to prop them open again, he failed.
Kaoru smiled at him lightly. Kenshin's sweet mannerisms had brightened her day and given her more energy than she knew what to do with. As she walked back out to the porch and once again put on her sandals and haversack, even the boys noticed her upbeat attitude.
"Kaoru, you looked so tired, and you spend ten minutes in there with Kenshin, and you've got enough energy to power a steam engine. I don't get it." Sano scratched his head. Kaoru laughed and took Namida from Megumi, who was now rocking the baby.
"Sano, you need to get your eyes checked. I'm the same now as when I went in. I'll see you three later. Good night!" She called.
"Will you be alright walking home in the dark alone?" Sano called to her. She simply waved to him over her shoulder. He took it as yes, and turned back to Megumi and Yahiko. "So who's hungry?" *