Standard disclaimers apply.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
"I don't like it," Sano announced flatly. "You're in love with Kenshin. Why the hell are you marrying his greatest enemy?"
"And his brother-in-law at that!" Yahiko interjected. "It's not right, Kaoru, and you know it."
Both boys stood with their arms crossed over their chests. Kaoru had insisted on taking them all out to dinner at the Akabeko after the meal she'd been preparing was burnt beyond recognition. She had hoped that with the solving of earlier problems, they would agree with her and Enishi's decision.
However, judging by their angry looks and defiant stances, neither Sano nor Yahiko were happy about the decision. And they weren't the only ones.
Every few seconds, Tae, the owner of the Akabeko, would glance over and shake her head in disappointment. She clearly remembered the last time that she had seen Enishi and didn't like the thought of him eating in her restaurant, much less marrying one of her friends.
Tsubame was having a similar reaction. "Miss Kaoru . . . . uhmmm . . . . don't you think that maybe you should at least try?" she asked while setting their tea down in front of them. "Try and get Himura-san back to his proper age, that is," she quickly clarified.
Yahiko and Sano both gave her a thankful look for her words and sat down, but Kaoru knew that they would be back up and arguing the second she answered the shy, young girl's question.
"Tsubame-chan, I don't want to. I believe - " she began to say before Sano rudely interrupted her.
"You don't want to?" he demanded. His dark brown eyes were flashing dangerously, and as he shouted, the fishbone in his mouth bobbed up and down.
"No, I want Kenshin to be happy. He wasn't happy before . . . . when he was older," Kaoru said after a slight pause.
"And just how would you know that?" Megumi demanded. The lovely doctor had been sitting quietly across from Kaoru since they had arrived. Kaoru had been hoping that her silence had meant that she wasn't going to oppose her union with Enishi, but judging by her cold tone of voice, she didn't approve of the decision either.
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked carefully. There was a slight chance that she was wrong and Megumi just wanted reasons. If she got snappy, she might not get a chance convert the young woman to her side.
"How do you know that Kenshin wasn't happy?" Megumi re-stated. She picked up her cup of tea and took a careful sip, watching Kaoru carefully.
"Because . . . . . . " Kaoru's voice trailed off. "Megumi-san, didn't you ever look at his eyes? They were always sad and lonely. Even with all of us around, Kenshin never felt like he was one of us. He never felt like he deserved to be happy. He smiled and laughed, but not because he was happy or amused. It was because he loved us and - "
"Dammit!" Sano exclaimed, standing up abruptly and picking Kenshin up from where he was playing with his chopsticks. "Stop talking about him in past tense. He's right here, and all we have to do to return him to normal is to find a Shinto priest and have him reverse the process!"
"If it's reversible," Tsubame whispered softly.
"It's gotta be!" Sano exclaimed in horror. "Who'd want to be trapped in an itsy bitsy body, not even being able to talk?"
"You were saying," Megumi prompted, ignoring Sano and his words completely. "I believe you said, that he acted happy for us because he loves us?" Her words were cold and full of disapproval.
"It's true," Kaoru said simply. "Kenshin has been trying to make up for his past ever since the Bakumatsu. Once he met us, he realized that not everyone blamed him as harshly as he had thought. To a degree our love and trust in him brought him out of his shell, but what Ji'eh said was true."
"What did Ji'eh say?" Enishi piped up from his side of the table. "I take it that you're talking about Kurogasa, ne?"
Kaoru nodded slowly. "He said, 'A Hittokiri is a Hittokiri until the day that he dies.' Kenshin never could escape the stain of blood on his hands. He could only try and make amends for it. His guilt, his regret for his actions, they kept him from being happy. Now that he's a baby, he doesn't have to be a hittokiri anymore. He - "
"He can't even tell us what he wants because he can't talk," Yahiko interrupted.
"That's what I said!" Sano announced. "We should at least turn him back to his normal age and see what he wants. I feel confident that he doesn't want to be a ba - "
"Sssh!" Megumi hissed sharply. "Let her finish."
Kaoru sighed. She didn't seem to be getting anywhere with her words. "Megumi, what I'm trying to say is this turn of event, Kenshin being a baby again, this is a good thing. It gives him a clean slate. He's not a killer anymore. He's just a baby, and all babies are innocent. He doesn't have to cope with the guilt that comes with - "
"Killing people, my sister included," Enishi finished. "Himura is better off this way. He should have never been a warrior in the first place. This child," he took Kenshin from Sano, "Should be a farmer or merchant. He should never have to worry about the taint of blood."
"Or maybe you're just finding it amusing to see your sworn enemy turned into a helpless child," Sano accused.
The white harried man took a deep breath, ignoring Sano and speaking directly to Megumi. "When he was in Oatsu with Tomoe -
Megumi tossed her hair behind her back. "Unless I'm mistaken, I believe that you were the one who destroyed his peace in Oatsu. Weren't you conspiring to kill him? Didn't that eventually lead to your sister's death?"
Enishi's eyes flashed dangerously.
Tsubame raised her tray over her mouth and nose, backing away from him. Yahiko stepped protectively in front of her.
Megumi didn't respond to the dangerous look on his face. She starred coldly at him, waiting for him to make the next move. Sano tried to get closer to her so that he could protect her if it came to a fight, but she shooed him away.
"Have you nothing more to say?" Megumi asked.
Enishi suddenly laughed. He threw back his head and laughed. If anything, the already apprehensive Kenshin-gumi, got even more nervous. "Listen to you!" he exclaimed. "Accusing me of killing Onnee-san." He laughed again.
"You find this amusing?" Megumi asked. "You think that it's funny?"
Enishi leaned towards her, all laughter suddenly gone from his eyes. "Let's make a couple of things clear. Number one, I didn't kill my sister. Number two, the person who did is now gone and I won't let him come back."
"He's right here," Yahiko blurted out, pointing to Kenshin.
"No, that's my son," Enishi said mildly. He handed Kenshin an empty tea cup, watching as he played with it.
There was a long moment of stunned silence, broken by the arrival of Dr. Gensai and his granddaughters.
"Who's the baby?" Suzume asked.
"Who's baby?" echoed Ayame.
Kaoru sighed and pulled them both onto her lap in a quick hug. "It's me and Enishi's son," she said.
"Tell them the truth!" Sano exploded.
"She did." Enishi's voice fell quietly from his lips.
"Nobody asked you," Sano snapped.
"He has a right to talk!" Kaoru exclaimed. "And that is the truth!"
"Oh yeah?" Sano replied. "Then tell me this, where's Kenshin?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell Ayame and Suzume where Kenshin is?"
As if on cue, both little girls started to ask for the red haired rouroni. "Where's Uncle Kenny?"
"Uncle Kenny?"
Kaoru shot an angry look towards Sano. "He's -"
"In Hokkaido delivering some medicine for me," Dr. Gensai piped up. He turned to Kaoru. "I wonder though . . . . does he know about you and Enishi?"
Kaoru glanced away. "I suppose he might know," she said after a long moment.
"Then does that mean he'll be returning or will he return to wandering?" Dr. Gensai inquired.
"Oh, I'm sure that Kaoru doesn't want him back here like before," Tae announced. She set down a steaming hot pot of stew in front of them. "Eat up," she said with a careful glance at Enishi.
Both little girls started eating right away, but none of the adults could find any room for food. They sat around the table, glaring, smiling, or simply looking on in confusion at one another.
"Here you go!" Suzume declared, she handed Kenshin a hot piece of meat. The young baby seized it and immediately began to scream.
Enishi calmly picked him up. "I'm going to take him outside and cool his hand off," he told Kaoru.
"Is he all right?" Suzume asked worriedly.
"All right?" Ayame repeated.
"Yeah, he's fine. Why don't you come out with me?"
"Dr. Gensai would be a fool to let you take his grandchildren out of his sight!" Yahiko exclaimed.
"Oh, there's no problem," Dr. Gensai announced. "If Kaoru trusts him, then I trust him. Besides, he's a father now and that changes people."
"But that's Kenshin," Megumi rejoined the conversation. "It's no child of his."
"That can't be Kenshin, he's far too young - " Dr. Gensai began to say as Enishi took the three children outside.
"Yeah well, it is," Sano hissed hotly.
** *** ** ** *** ** *** ** *** ** *** **
Enishi sighed. It was good to be out of the stuffy restaurant. The cool breeze and warm sunshine felt much better then the hot and angry expression worn by Kaoru's friends.
He had been expecting hostility, but the amount he was receiving was rather extreme.
He stopped walking in front of the well and dropped the bucket down. One of the little girls peeked over the edge. The other one, the smaller one, leaned over, trying to see where the bucket landed.
Enishi picked her up and set her down before hoisting the bucket up. He put Kenshin's tiny red hand into the water and turned to look at the examining stares of the children.
"What's her name?" Suzume asked.
"Name?" Ayame repeated.
"Huh?" Enishi responded. He crouched down beside them. "Actually the baby's a boy," he told them. He turned his crouch into a sitting position and leaned again the well. "I suppose we might call him . . . . . " his voice trailed off.
"I don't know . . . . . ." he muttered after a long time. He didn't like the idea of continuing to call him Kenshin. The name would have to be changed eventually. It would only bring up a past that they wanted him to forget.
"How about Soushi?" Suzume asked.
'Bout Sou?" Ayame added.
"I'll have to talk to Kamiya-san about that," Enishi replied. He wondered if she would want to keep his name Kenshin.
"Are you two going to get married?" Suzume asked slyly.
Enishi nodded and both girls leapt on top of him with squeals of delight. "What the hell!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Kaoru's like our sister," Suzume explained.
"Kaoru's out sister!" Ayame shouted.
"And that means you're our Uncle Enishi," Suzume added.
"Uncle Neeshee!" Ayame exclaimed fondly and kissed his cheek happily before giving him another hug.
"I suppose this is our - " Suzume started to refer to Kenshin when Sano strolled by.
Judging by the dark look on his face, Kaoru had been unable to convince him of anything. In fact, it looked like he might cause trouble with their union. Enishi made a silent note to up the time and place for their wedding. He didn't care if nobody came to the reception. He just wanted Kaoru and him to be safely married before her so called friends tried something stupid.
Moments later, Yahiko stomped by, his face livid. Trailing slightly behind him was a distraught looking Tsubame.
"Yahiko-chan," she called after the spiky haired boy.
He didn't even hesitate in his step. He didn't give any reaction to being spoken to at all. Within seconds, he was gone. Tsubame almost sank down to her knees, but spotting Enishi, she hurried back inside.
Enishi debated going in. Now that Sano and Yahiko were gone he might be more welcome inside. Before he could make a decision, everyone piled outside.
"Come along girls," Dr. Gensai called out. "We're heading home."
Both girls looked slightly confused, but they hurried after their grandfather, waving at Kaoru, Enishi, and Megumi as they vanished from sight.
"So what happened?" Enishi asked. He had a feeling that Dr. Gensai was opposed to leaving Kenshin a baby. That was probably why had given him wide berth when he had exited the restaurant.
"I believe that this calls for majority rules. "Nobody will be happy until Kenshin is back to his proper age. I can't be happy knowing that - " Megumi started to say.
"Wrong," Enishi said flatly, startling both Kaoru and Megumi. Kenshin, who was splashing innocently in the bucket of water, glanced up curiously before turning back to his game.
"What makes you say that?" Megumi demanded.
"Simple. You aren't thinking about Kenshin's happiness. You're thinking about your own happiness. That makes your entire train of thought defective. Seeing as that's the case, I believe it's time that you leave. Kaoru and I have a wedding to plan and things to talk about."
"Enishi don't be so rude," Kaoru said.
"It's in his nature to be inconsiderate," Megumi said dissmissively. She tossed her hair over her shoulder again. "I suppose that you invited everyone in Kyoto to your reception."
Her comment threw both of the off guard for a moment. "Yes, why?" Enishi asked, standing up and crossing his arms.
"We'll leave the decision up to them," Megumi said simply. "If one of them agrees with keeping Kenshin like he is, I'll back down. However, all of them want Kenshin to return to his proper age, then you both will back down."
"Deal," Kaoru responded.
"No deal," Enishi said at the same time.
"Well, what is it?" Megumi asked. "It can't be both. Why should I back down if one of you won't agree with what I say?"
"You're the only one who's going to back down. Sagara and Myojin. . . . . everyone else. We'll still have to deal with them," Enishi said flatly. "You just tried to trick us. How very . . . . . . fox like of you."
Megumi frowned. "I speak for everyone when I say we'll back down."
"Come back with them and let's hear you all say it together," Enishi responded. "Then, maybe I'll listen. Until then, get out of my sight."
Megumi turned and walked away without another word.
Kaoru sat down by the well with Enishi. She closed her eyes, savoring the pleasant air. "Thanks," she muttered.
Enishi nodded and sat down beside her. "I suppose that we should go in and eat," he said lightly. "It should be more pleasant inside now that everyone's gone."
"Tsubame-chan and Tae-san - "
"Will mind their own business," Enishi replied.
"I suppose . . . . " Kaoru muttered. She stood up and waited while Enishi got to his feet.
Enishi offered her his arm, and then they went into the restaurant
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
"I don't like it," Sano announced flatly. "You're in love with Kenshin. Why the hell are you marrying his greatest enemy?"
"And his brother-in-law at that!" Yahiko interjected. "It's not right, Kaoru, and you know it."
Both boys stood with their arms crossed over their chests. Kaoru had insisted on taking them all out to dinner at the Akabeko after the meal she'd been preparing was burnt beyond recognition. She had hoped that with the solving of earlier problems, they would agree with her and Enishi's decision.
However, judging by their angry looks and defiant stances, neither Sano nor Yahiko were happy about the decision. And they weren't the only ones.
Every few seconds, Tae, the owner of the Akabeko, would glance over and shake her head in disappointment. She clearly remembered the last time that she had seen Enishi and didn't like the thought of him eating in her restaurant, much less marrying one of her friends.
Tsubame was having a similar reaction. "Miss Kaoru . . . . uhmmm . . . . don't you think that maybe you should at least try?" she asked while setting their tea down in front of them. "Try and get Himura-san back to his proper age, that is," she quickly clarified.
Yahiko and Sano both gave her a thankful look for her words and sat down, but Kaoru knew that they would be back up and arguing the second she answered the shy, young girl's question.
"Tsubame-chan, I don't want to. I believe - " she began to say before Sano rudely interrupted her.
"You don't want to?" he demanded. His dark brown eyes were flashing dangerously, and as he shouted, the fishbone in his mouth bobbed up and down.
"No, I want Kenshin to be happy. He wasn't happy before . . . . when he was older," Kaoru said after a slight pause.
"And just how would you know that?" Megumi demanded. The lovely doctor had been sitting quietly across from Kaoru since they had arrived. Kaoru had been hoping that her silence had meant that she wasn't going to oppose her union with Enishi, but judging by her cold tone of voice, she didn't approve of the decision either.
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked carefully. There was a slight chance that she was wrong and Megumi just wanted reasons. If she got snappy, she might not get a chance convert the young woman to her side.
"How do you know that Kenshin wasn't happy?" Megumi re-stated. She picked up her cup of tea and took a careful sip, watching Kaoru carefully.
"Because . . . . . . " Kaoru's voice trailed off. "Megumi-san, didn't you ever look at his eyes? They were always sad and lonely. Even with all of us around, Kenshin never felt like he was one of us. He never felt like he deserved to be happy. He smiled and laughed, but not because he was happy or amused. It was because he loved us and - "
"Dammit!" Sano exclaimed, standing up abruptly and picking Kenshin up from where he was playing with his chopsticks. "Stop talking about him in past tense. He's right here, and all we have to do to return him to normal is to find a Shinto priest and have him reverse the process!"
"If it's reversible," Tsubame whispered softly.
"It's gotta be!" Sano exclaimed in horror. "Who'd want to be trapped in an itsy bitsy body, not even being able to talk?"
"You were saying," Megumi prompted, ignoring Sano and his words completely. "I believe you said, that he acted happy for us because he loves us?" Her words were cold and full of disapproval.
"It's true," Kaoru said simply. "Kenshin has been trying to make up for his past ever since the Bakumatsu. Once he met us, he realized that not everyone blamed him as harshly as he had thought. To a degree our love and trust in him brought him out of his shell, but what Ji'eh said was true."
"What did Ji'eh say?" Enishi piped up from his side of the table. "I take it that you're talking about Kurogasa, ne?"
Kaoru nodded slowly. "He said, 'A Hittokiri is a Hittokiri until the day that he dies.' Kenshin never could escape the stain of blood on his hands. He could only try and make amends for it. His guilt, his regret for his actions, they kept him from being happy. Now that he's a baby, he doesn't have to be a hittokiri anymore. He - "
"He can't even tell us what he wants because he can't talk," Yahiko interrupted.
"That's what I said!" Sano announced. "We should at least turn him back to his normal age and see what he wants. I feel confident that he doesn't want to be a ba - "
"Sssh!" Megumi hissed sharply. "Let her finish."
Kaoru sighed. She didn't seem to be getting anywhere with her words. "Megumi, what I'm trying to say is this turn of event, Kenshin being a baby again, this is a good thing. It gives him a clean slate. He's not a killer anymore. He's just a baby, and all babies are innocent. He doesn't have to cope with the guilt that comes with - "
"Killing people, my sister included," Enishi finished. "Himura is better off this way. He should have never been a warrior in the first place. This child," he took Kenshin from Sano, "Should be a farmer or merchant. He should never have to worry about the taint of blood."
"Or maybe you're just finding it amusing to see your sworn enemy turned into a helpless child," Sano accused.
The white harried man took a deep breath, ignoring Sano and speaking directly to Megumi. "When he was in Oatsu with Tomoe -
Megumi tossed her hair behind her back. "Unless I'm mistaken, I believe that you were the one who destroyed his peace in Oatsu. Weren't you conspiring to kill him? Didn't that eventually lead to your sister's death?"
Enishi's eyes flashed dangerously.
Tsubame raised her tray over her mouth and nose, backing away from him. Yahiko stepped protectively in front of her.
Megumi didn't respond to the dangerous look on his face. She starred coldly at him, waiting for him to make the next move. Sano tried to get closer to her so that he could protect her if it came to a fight, but she shooed him away.
"Have you nothing more to say?" Megumi asked.
Enishi suddenly laughed. He threw back his head and laughed. If anything, the already apprehensive Kenshin-gumi, got even more nervous. "Listen to you!" he exclaimed. "Accusing me of killing Onnee-san." He laughed again.
"You find this amusing?" Megumi asked. "You think that it's funny?"
Enishi leaned towards her, all laughter suddenly gone from his eyes. "Let's make a couple of things clear. Number one, I didn't kill my sister. Number two, the person who did is now gone and I won't let him come back."
"He's right here," Yahiko blurted out, pointing to Kenshin.
"No, that's my son," Enishi said mildly. He handed Kenshin an empty tea cup, watching as he played with it.
There was a long moment of stunned silence, broken by the arrival of Dr. Gensai and his granddaughters.
"Who's the baby?" Suzume asked.
"Who's baby?" echoed Ayame.
Kaoru sighed and pulled them both onto her lap in a quick hug. "It's me and Enishi's son," she said.
"Tell them the truth!" Sano exploded.
"She did." Enishi's voice fell quietly from his lips.
"Nobody asked you," Sano snapped.
"He has a right to talk!" Kaoru exclaimed. "And that is the truth!"
"Oh yeah?" Sano replied. "Then tell me this, where's Kenshin?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell Ayame and Suzume where Kenshin is?"
As if on cue, both little girls started to ask for the red haired rouroni. "Where's Uncle Kenny?"
"Uncle Kenny?"
Kaoru shot an angry look towards Sano. "He's -"
"In Hokkaido delivering some medicine for me," Dr. Gensai piped up. He turned to Kaoru. "I wonder though . . . . does he know about you and Enishi?"
Kaoru glanced away. "I suppose he might know," she said after a long moment.
"Then does that mean he'll be returning or will he return to wandering?" Dr. Gensai inquired.
"Oh, I'm sure that Kaoru doesn't want him back here like before," Tae announced. She set down a steaming hot pot of stew in front of them. "Eat up," she said with a careful glance at Enishi.
Both little girls started eating right away, but none of the adults could find any room for food. They sat around the table, glaring, smiling, or simply looking on in confusion at one another.
"Here you go!" Suzume declared, she handed Kenshin a hot piece of meat. The young baby seized it and immediately began to scream.
Enishi calmly picked him up. "I'm going to take him outside and cool his hand off," he told Kaoru.
"Is he all right?" Suzume asked worriedly.
"All right?" Ayame repeated.
"Yeah, he's fine. Why don't you come out with me?"
"Dr. Gensai would be a fool to let you take his grandchildren out of his sight!" Yahiko exclaimed.
"Oh, there's no problem," Dr. Gensai announced. "If Kaoru trusts him, then I trust him. Besides, he's a father now and that changes people."
"But that's Kenshin," Megumi rejoined the conversation. "It's no child of his."
"That can't be Kenshin, he's far too young - " Dr. Gensai began to say as Enishi took the three children outside.
"Yeah well, it is," Sano hissed hotly.
** *** ** ** *** ** *** ** *** ** *** **
Enishi sighed. It was good to be out of the stuffy restaurant. The cool breeze and warm sunshine felt much better then the hot and angry expression worn by Kaoru's friends.
He had been expecting hostility, but the amount he was receiving was rather extreme.
He stopped walking in front of the well and dropped the bucket down. One of the little girls peeked over the edge. The other one, the smaller one, leaned over, trying to see where the bucket landed.
Enishi picked her up and set her down before hoisting the bucket up. He put Kenshin's tiny red hand into the water and turned to look at the examining stares of the children.
"What's her name?" Suzume asked.
"Name?" Ayame repeated.
"Huh?" Enishi responded. He crouched down beside them. "Actually the baby's a boy," he told them. He turned his crouch into a sitting position and leaned again the well. "I suppose we might call him . . . . . " his voice trailed off.
"I don't know . . . . . ." he muttered after a long time. He didn't like the idea of continuing to call him Kenshin. The name would have to be changed eventually. It would only bring up a past that they wanted him to forget.
"How about Soushi?" Suzume asked.
'Bout Sou?" Ayame added.
"I'll have to talk to Kamiya-san about that," Enishi replied. He wondered if she would want to keep his name Kenshin.
"Are you two going to get married?" Suzume asked slyly.
Enishi nodded and both girls leapt on top of him with squeals of delight. "What the hell!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Kaoru's like our sister," Suzume explained.
"Kaoru's out sister!" Ayame shouted.
"And that means you're our Uncle Enishi," Suzume added.
"Uncle Neeshee!" Ayame exclaimed fondly and kissed his cheek happily before giving him another hug.
"I suppose this is our - " Suzume started to refer to Kenshin when Sano strolled by.
Judging by the dark look on his face, Kaoru had been unable to convince him of anything. In fact, it looked like he might cause trouble with their union. Enishi made a silent note to up the time and place for their wedding. He didn't care if nobody came to the reception. He just wanted Kaoru and him to be safely married before her so called friends tried something stupid.
Moments later, Yahiko stomped by, his face livid. Trailing slightly behind him was a distraught looking Tsubame.
"Yahiko-chan," she called after the spiky haired boy.
He didn't even hesitate in his step. He didn't give any reaction to being spoken to at all. Within seconds, he was gone. Tsubame almost sank down to her knees, but spotting Enishi, she hurried back inside.
Enishi debated going in. Now that Sano and Yahiko were gone he might be more welcome inside. Before he could make a decision, everyone piled outside.
"Come along girls," Dr. Gensai called out. "We're heading home."
Both girls looked slightly confused, but they hurried after their grandfather, waving at Kaoru, Enishi, and Megumi as they vanished from sight.
"So what happened?" Enishi asked. He had a feeling that Dr. Gensai was opposed to leaving Kenshin a baby. That was probably why had given him wide berth when he had exited the restaurant.
"I believe that this calls for majority rules. "Nobody will be happy until Kenshin is back to his proper age. I can't be happy knowing that - " Megumi started to say.
"Wrong," Enishi said flatly, startling both Kaoru and Megumi. Kenshin, who was splashing innocently in the bucket of water, glanced up curiously before turning back to his game.
"What makes you say that?" Megumi demanded.
"Simple. You aren't thinking about Kenshin's happiness. You're thinking about your own happiness. That makes your entire train of thought defective. Seeing as that's the case, I believe it's time that you leave. Kaoru and I have a wedding to plan and things to talk about."
"Enishi don't be so rude," Kaoru said.
"It's in his nature to be inconsiderate," Megumi said dissmissively. She tossed her hair over her shoulder again. "I suppose that you invited everyone in Kyoto to your reception."
Her comment threw both of the off guard for a moment. "Yes, why?" Enishi asked, standing up and crossing his arms.
"We'll leave the decision up to them," Megumi said simply. "If one of them agrees with keeping Kenshin like he is, I'll back down. However, all of them want Kenshin to return to his proper age, then you both will back down."
"Deal," Kaoru responded.
"No deal," Enishi said at the same time.
"Well, what is it?" Megumi asked. "It can't be both. Why should I back down if one of you won't agree with what I say?"
"You're the only one who's going to back down. Sagara and Myojin. . . . . everyone else. We'll still have to deal with them," Enishi said flatly. "You just tried to trick us. How very . . . . . . fox like of you."
Megumi frowned. "I speak for everyone when I say we'll back down."
"Come back with them and let's hear you all say it together," Enishi responded. "Then, maybe I'll listen. Until then, get out of my sight."
Megumi turned and walked away without another word.
Kaoru sat down by the well with Enishi. She closed her eyes, savoring the pleasant air. "Thanks," she muttered.
Enishi nodded and sat down beside her. "I suppose that we should go in and eat," he said lightly. "It should be more pleasant inside now that everyone's gone."
"Tsubame-chan and Tae-san - "
"Will mind their own business," Enishi replied.
"I suppose . . . . " Kaoru muttered. She stood up and waited while Enishi got to his feet.
Enishi offered her his arm, and then they went into the restaurant
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Thanks for reading,
Kissa-chan
