Kaoru sat gracefully across from Mr. Yamagata. Her eyes rested on her hands folded in her lap.
"I'm very sorry to hear this," Yamagata said. "I hope Himura is all right?"
She nodded. "Kenshin's fine. I just wanted to know if you knew who did this."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
She twittled her thumbs. "Kenshin believes it may have been someone in the Meiji government who hired those assassins."
Yamagata pulled at his mustache. "That is troubling."
A servant came in and set a tea tray before them. Kaoru's eyes narrowed slightly at the western silver set, but she didn't question it. Actually, it matched the room they sat in.
Yamagata poured her a cup and then one for himself. "I assure you, Miss Kamiya, I will be looking into this. Though, to be honest, no one could lay a hand on Himura without first assessing him as a threat. Unless he's found to be dangerous, nothing could happen."
Kaoru nodded. "Thank you."
Her words felt hollow. The look in Kenshin's eyes was haunting her.
Yamagata threaded his fingers together and rested his head on them. "If I can offer any consolation, it's that if someone really thought Himura was a threat, they'd be proven wrong."
Kaoru scanned his face for any sign of farce. None existed there. She smiled a bit, and then said the words with more feeling. "Thank you."