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Chapter 8: Kimono Rights
It had all started the day before. Neither the young lord nor their new mistress were speaking to one another. The young lord was angry, Tae could tell by the stiff muscles of his shoulders and the irritated crease of his brow. Kaoru, on the other hand, was subdued. That she wasn't full of her usual vibrant and rebellious energy gave Tae cause to worry. Something had happened. Something that no one else had seen. Something a little more potent than traded words.
For that entire day Kenshin had refused to leave his quarters and only once was he even seen. Shortly after noon his tsumado had opened, and out of its dark interior several boxes of kimono were dropped. The top few slid off the stack onto the open veranda, the lids jarring just enough to spill the contents across the wood. It didn't seem to matter to their lord, however, as he just as smartly shut the doors on the mess he had made. A few of the servants helping Kaoru with the northern pavilion had witnessed the scene, but everyone was too afraid to do anything with the boxes for fear of their master's temper.
Even Kaoru had done nothing, and Misao had reported the difference in her attitude with a level of perplexity that said she was more than just worried. It was obvious to the weasel just what the fight must have been about, as she had explained the nature of their lord's distress at finding them inside the inner rooms of his mother's old house. Kaoru had taken the kimono to his rooms after learning of his relationship with the late lady, and afterwards had returned angry and shaken.
From the way it sounded, Tae wanted to throw it off on her lord's bad temper and sharp tongue, but she knew from experience that Kaoru did not take well to being yelled at. She always gave back just as much as she got. Which meant there was another reason their strong-willed mistress was acting like a scolded child. It still, she was sure, had to do with the kimono, though. Especially with the way he had treated them, and the fact that they were still lying there the next day.
They were both sitting at the table this morning, and Tae wondered if the only reason Kenshin was even there was because he was hungry. He had refused to eat anything the entire day before, after all. Carefully carrying in the first tray of food for him, she had all the time in the world to look him over as his eyes would not leave the woman adjacent to him at the table. Their amber gleam was more than just challenging, and as light slipped through the rice paper panels and illuminated his face through threads of red hair, Tae was surprised to see hurt.
Switching brown eyes to the girl, she sighed unhappily. Kaoru would not meet his gaze, not with her shoulders hunched and head ducked. One fleeting dart of her own eyes showed she was aware of the lord's glare, but instead of confronting him she turned her head completely away, her lips jerking downward. The action suggested she was hurt as well.
Whatever they did they hurt each other. This will be more than just difficult to reconcile. One of them is going to have to recognize the other's hurt before either will apologize. Glancing back at her master, she shook her head. Lord Kenshin will never see past his own selfish pride to understand her turmoil. At least, not now as he is. He hasn't had enough time with her to change. It will have to be Kaoru, this time.
Kaoru thanked Tae softly after her food was served, but kept her chin dejectedly downcast to hide from those heated golden irises. He was angry with her, and Kaoru knew he was offended over her rejection of his gift, but… lips twitching ever so slightly, she frowned at herself. Pain trembled in her stomach and she forced it down by clenching her teeth together and closing her eyes. She didn't understand why she was so horribly upset, only knew that she had not liked the aloof way he had cast aside his mother's kimono on her. She hadn't liked it one bit.
Those kimono were meant to be special, were meant to be given to someone special, not carelessly donated to just some nobody. It didn't even matter that her clothing was unfit for a guest of his, because they were her clothes and there was no one there that was going to be offended besides him. It wasn't like he was expecting some courtier or other noble to stop by and pay their respects. It wasn't like some passerby was going to peek through the gates and notice this tomboyish woman parading around in men's training clothes and spread rumors about the undignified state of affairs at Lord Kenshin's palace. What difference did it make if she, Kamiya Kaoru, wore a twenty some layered kimono versus a pair of hakama? She wasn't special. Not special at all.
Lip trembling harder, she reached for her chopsticks and pretended to eat.
It took little time for Kenshin to finish his meal, and with one last departing glower at the back of Kaoru's neck, he stood and left the dining hall. He didn't understand and his ignorance annoyed him. Did the kimono displease her? Were they not pretty enough? Kami knew he was unfit to judge what was or was not pretty, but there had been plenty of times his ears had heard how lovely his mother's kimono were. As was everything else she owned. Was that not why his father's other wives had hated her so much? Was that not why no one had mourned her death? No one but him…
Kaoru herself had expressed a joy of pretty things as she had childishly demanded years before that he make her necklace something attractive and pleasing to the eye. He had only thought… to give her something pretty, and if it in turn made it so her appearance wasn't so unsuitable then the action was doubly justified.
Rounding a corner of the veranda he stared at the pile of boxes and scattered kimono next to his pavilion and his frown deepened. It did not matter anymore. She had rejected his offer and retreated from his presence as if the very thought of accepting such a gift from someone that looked like him was appalling. No matter how much of the pity he killed within her eyes, nothing would change the fact that he still appeared to be a monster. Eyes closing softly, his head tilted, bangs sliding forward to curtain his face. But I am a monster. Is that not the very reason I was condemned to live like this?
What experience did he have in presenting a gift anyway? Many, many years before he had watched others trade small tokens to one another; watched the way they were received with surprise and delight. As a child he had even witnessed a moment inside the courtship of his eldest brother and the woman that was chosen to be his wife. The way her eyes had looked at him had suggested more affection than a simple arranged marriage warranted.
"Shinta… Father said you are going to marry that woman. Why do you buy her gifts if your marriage is already decided?"
"I hope, little brother, that someday you will understand." There was laughter in his voice, and his hand ruffled Kenshin's red hair.
"But Tenshi says it is a waste of time and effort. Why go through so much trouble when there is nothing to win over anymore?"
"Tenshi is a poor ignorant fool who is going to make his chosen wife miserable. Listen to me, Kenshin, there is more to win from a woman than just a wedding. You will be spending the rest of your life with this woman, whomever she may be, and you will be happier yourself if she is happy with you. The effort is not wasted, even if the gesture is small."
"But what if you're like Father and have five wives? You would spend your fortune just keeping them happy."
Delighted laughter rippled out of his older brother's throat, his head thrown back as his shoulders shook. "Let's hope that none of us have to deal with that. It definitely sounds like a lot of effort, ne?"
Making a face, Kenshin crossed his arms. "It all sounds like too much effort. I don't think I'll ever be married."
Amused, Shinta grinned. "And just what do you plan on doing with yourself, little brother?"
"I'm the youngest, so I'll just stay here with you. Father says that after my training I'm going to be your personal protector. When Father's gone and you're the new master, you'll need someone to make sure you're safe."
"Then I shall count myself lucky that I have such a trustworthy guardian." Chuckling, he wrapped an arm around his little brother's neck and led his struggling form down the veranda.
Pressing his knuckles into the bridge of his nose, Kenshin let out a long breath. He hated dredging up old memories. It reminded him too much of the life he had lost and the moments of hatred involved with it.
Regardless of what had happened in his past, his brother had seemed to be correct about his advice. Shinta's own wife had been pleased with him, because he had taken the effort to win her over with gifts. Over the past few weeks his fights with Kaoru had become worse and worse, and he had been pleasantly relieved that the opportunity to give her something had come about. Surely giving her something as valuable and desirable as his own mother's kimono would make her happy. Surely she would calm down and no longer be so miserable in his presence. After all, wasn't that all his brother had done to make a woman happy?
Apparently Kaoru was not a woman to be so easily won. That she was not one of the noble women from a thousand years ago was obvious. If she was, this would have been so much easier to keep her quiet and content. But no, even the sacrifice he had made by giving her the kimono did not move her. He knew she understood how much it cost him to let those go, but he had also trusted her to take care of them. They were merely going to waste in that stuffy pavilion, boxed up and left for decay. With a new owner to wear them, they would once again see the sunshine; once again honor all that they stood for. That was not possible now, for she had thrown the gift straight back in his face.
Tenshi was more right than you, brother. Why waste the effort if there is nothing to win?
Passing by the discarded kimono fluttering in the breeze, he entered through the tsumado and left them to the elements. They were no longer of any use to anyone if he had no one special to give them to.
X
"Lady Kaoru, would you be so kind as to join me for a short walk?"
Looking up from the view of the courtyard, Kaoru blinked at Tae, momentarily lost in thought until her brain processed what she had been asked. "Of course, Tae-san." Standing on stiff legs, she stretched out her toes and thought absently about how long it had been since she had last trained. With all of the cleaning she had been doing on the palace, there had been no time to think about training.
Shortening her step for Tae's hopping gait, Kaoru followed her lead down the long walkway to the small, completely open pavilion at the end. The covered walk had waist high railings on either side and spanned one side of the large courtyard at the southern side of the master's quarters. The pavilion at the end jutted out over one end of the small pond lining the south side of that courtyard. Standing next to the railings, Kaoru could see the other, larger open pavilion on the other side of the pond, its own covered walkway leading back to the western guest quarters.
"It's starting to get chiller, milady."
"I suppose." Staring down into the water, Kaoru watched a lazy koi fish swim deep below the surface. Soon the pond would ice over. She wondered what the fish did then.
"Perhaps you should think about wearing warmer clothing so that you do not catch a cold."
Fingers fisting, Kaoru scowled down at the unknowing fish. "Perhaps I'll wear whatever I please and not what everyone else thinks I should."
Tae didn't even try to hide her smile. "This is good. I was afraid something had happened to your stubbornness."
Looking over her shoulder, briefly startled, Kaoru sighed and turned around to lean her back into the railing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be hateful. It's just…" Trailing off, she looked out over the top of the outer wall, staring at the nearly leafless trees. It had gotten colder.
"Does this have anything to do with the pile of kimono sitting outside of Lord Kenshin's rooms?"
Wincing, Kaoru twisted her fingers together. "I guess it's pretty obvious, huh?" Grinning weakly, she met Tae's gaze with her own. "This whole servant business means you guys get to see and hear a lot, don't you?"
"It is our job, my lady." Sketching a mock bow, she smiled when Kaoru giggled. After a moment her smile turned sad. "Those were… the late lady's kimono."
"Yes… he… tried to give them to me, but…" Dropping her eyes once again, she frowned sadly. "I couldn't accept them." She paused. "He's angry that I didn't."
"I must say, Kaoru-san, that it pleases me the young lord would be willing to part with something so precious to him. He has always been rather selfish. It must have been hard for him to give them up."
Kaoru's chest twisted, the same as it had the day before. "I know, but… I couldn't accept them. It would have been disrespectful."
Surprised, Tae's brown eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"They belonged to his mother. They are meant to be given to someone of her family. Since Kenshin-sama is her son, then he should save them for… for someone he intends to marry. He can't just give them away to some guest staying in his palace. Not when his only reason is because that guest doesn't have any clothing he finds appropriate." Pulling in a shaky breath, Kaoru calmed herself and continued. "I told him he should give them to someone special and without another thought he tells me to take them so I'll have something decent to wear. He wasn't even listening to me at all."
Tae's features relaxed. Oh, it sounds as if he understood more than you think. Studying the light tremor in Kaoru's arms and lips, Tae smiled softly. But I understand now how he hurt you. The men of this house are not so delicate in these matters. Especially the young lord, who is completely inexperienced.
"Well, Lady Kaoru, I do believe you are wrong in this, to an extent." Holding up a hand when sapphire eyes flew back to her, her lips parting angrily, Tae begged for patience. "You told him to give them to someone special, ne? You have been asked to live here, which means you are not a guest. Nor, I suppose, are you family, but friend I think is an appropriate term. As a friend of the family you are certainly special in your own right. Wearing the lady's kimono would not be disrespectful."
Sulking stubbornly, Kaoru crossed her arms. "It would still feel that way to me."
Sighing in partial frustration, Tae fisted her hands on her small hips and met her head on. "Then you should listen here. Those kimono no longer belong to Lord Kenshin's mother. They belong to him and he will do as he pleases with them. If he decides he wants to give them to you, then you are disrespecting them and him by denying the gesture."
"So what happens if he finds someone who is special that he wants to give them to? He'll just take them away, so why should I bother accepting them to begin with?"
Nearly laughing, Tae waved a hand at their surroundings. "My naïve girl, who else do you see around here besides yourself?"
"So it's just me by default?" Becoming angry, feeling as if she were being set up to play a role she had neither asked for nor wanted, Kaoru stood straight, ignoring the volume of her voice. "I wouldn't wear those kimono if I had nothing left but my underclothes!" Stomping away down the walk, her feet dully echoing back at her, she sniffed once against the cold, then lifted a stunned hand to her chin. Catching a stray drop of moisture on her fingers, she stared at it in confusion, unsure where it had come from. She wasn't crying… she couldn't be crying. Lifting her fingers carefully to her eyes, she found them dry, and relaxed with relief.
Above her something soft began a stilted rhythm on the roof, pattering away in happy harmony. It was then that she realized the liquid on her finger was cold. Very cold. It was beginning to rain, the cold icy rain of late fall. Without another thought she took off running down the veranda.
Sliding around the corner of the central pavilion, Kaoru caught herself on the outer post and dropped to her knees. Hurriedly gathering up the uncovered kimono, she stuffed them carelessly back inside their boxes, making sure only that the lids were firmly closed and that not one flap of material was showing. Her actions were clumsy, noisy as she slapped the lids on and banged their weight against the planking. Shortly after arriving, the rain asserted itself with a forceful gust, blowing the fat drops across parts of the veranda. Yelping, she pushed the boxes in closer to the pavilion walls, trying to shield them from any type of moisture.
Finally able to stack them atop one another, her back to the smaller courtyard, she pursed her lips at how many of them there were. They made a tall load and she knew she would have a hard time seeing over them. Unfortunately she couldn't just leave any of them there, for fear of what would happen to them if she did. Stubbornly setting her jaw, she hefted them all into her arms and nearly jumped out of her skin when the tsumado next to her opened outward with a loud bang.
Glad for her training, she slid smoothly back to avoid getting hit and balanced her precarious cargo with a couple quick shifts of her weight. Facing the building once more, she was able to look at the culprit from around the side of the boxes, her eyes glaring as he stared back.
The lord said nothing, his eyes looking first at the packages she was holding, briefly to her, and then past her at the iced rain. Feeling she needed to justify her actions after the last twenty-four hours, Kaoru lifted her chin challengingly
"I figured someone needed to take care of them since you weren't."
Face tilting slightly away from her, he answered back in a condescending tone that matched her own. "They are no longer my responsibility. I thought I made that clear when I gave them to you." Amber eyes meeting hers again, the look more than meaningful and stern, he held her gaze long enough to make her blink and look down before reaching for the wooden doors and shutting them tight. Left out on the veranda, once again alone, she bit her lip and turned toward the northern pavilion to return the kimono to their rightful place.
X
Sano stretched and yawned as the rain finally stopped mid-afternoon. The yard was now littered with bright speckles of slush and puddles, the rain dripping from the eaves with soft splats and plops. The wind was chillier than that morning, and his fur bristled out in reaction to retain his body heat. The only good thing he had to say about being an animal was he didn't have to worry about washing any clothes. He wore his fur all the time.
Though the fox liked to badger him about bathing. Grumbling low in his throat, he lazily meandered around the veranda of one of the far removed western pavilions. That fox liked to badger him about everything. When they'd been human it had been his hair, or his clothes, or the way he drank too much, or how he was always in debt with someone because of his gambling habit. Never once did she compliment him on anything. Of course, he wasn't really surprised. What did he have to be complimented on in the first place? Being a dog should have been much simpler, except he was still attracted to a female he couldn't have.
It was crazy how that woman could make herself seem so superior even as a small, fur-covered vixen. Crazy and maddening and completely desirable. Katsu told him he was nuts for even looking at that fox. He claimed there were better, safer, and quieter woman about the palace, but Sano was about as interested in them as he was the weasel. Not to mention Aoshi scared the hell out of him, even as a raven. He would rather handle Saitou any day of the week over that cold, calculating, death machine the master had bought as a child. With the way he had reacted so blindly to their old master's orders, it surprised Sano that Aoshi hadn't been turned into the dog.
Shaking his head, he hopped down off the walk and onto the wet dirt below, aiming straight for the single male serving quarters. Most of them shared a larger room, and it didn't leave much chance for privacy, but Katsu was the palace artist, so he was just important enough to have walls. Trotting his way up the steps, tracking mud as he went, Sano nudged at the shoji with his nose until the opening was wide enough for him to enter.
Katsu was standing in the middle of the room, staring down at several different sketches he himself had done. The long, ringed tail of his curled up around his neck, absently fluffing his own furry ear. It was a curious sight, but a habit he had retained from his human days, though it used to be a hand curling the black hair hanging down around his ears and not a tail. Sano figured it was easier to accomplish now that he had an extra appendage to pull it off and keep him hands free.
"Hey, man, what's up?"
Katsu blinked, his eyes looking up hazily as his concentration burst. Black rings circled his eyes and mouth, the rest of his face white, giving him an eerie resemblance to an empty skull. But then his eyes widened and the slightly morbid image turned into something more comedic.
"Dammit, Sanosuke! Get your filthy paws off my sketches!" Dropping quickly down on all fours, Katsu rushed over to snatch at the delicate papers, his tail snapping up to whip Sano in the face. Jumping back, Sano hit the still partially shut shoji and was forced to sit down with a flop.
"Sorry, I didn't see 'em."
"I had planned on presenting these to the new mistress! Now look what you've done! They're ruined!" Trying to dab at the wet paw prints peppering the pages, Katsu huffed angrily. "Ah, I can't show them to her now! What kind of impression would that give to the lady, showing her dirty sketches? It's unprofessional."
"Dirty sketches, huh? Sounds like something you used to do when we were teenagers." Scratching persistently at his ear, Sano grinned. "You don't still have some of those hanging around, do ya?"
Katsu looked rather lofty for a moment, which always irritated Sano, because it made him feel as if he had said or done something the other was above. "Now what kind of impression would that give any young woman I might bring back to my room?"
Snorting, Sano shifted his weight to the side and laid down in front of the door. "What young women, idiot? I haven't seen any of those in… oh a thousand years or so."
"Then you obviously aren't looking hard enough."
Rolling his mahogany irises, Sano snorted again, casting his gaze around the interior of his friend's room. Ink drawings and rough graphite sketches littered the floor and walls, covering almost every inch of the inside. Much of them were of scenic views; drafts for the screen paintings he had done around the entire palace. The rest were a mixture of portraits and calligraphy that captured their every day life.
Since it had been over a thousand years since any of them had been human themselves, it was almost natural now to see the portraits depicting all animal forms. From wolves to elephants, cheetahs, hyena, chameleons, even vultures, the portraits were all very nature oriented. As he absently studied each of them, giving Katsu only half an ear as he continued to rant about the mess he'd made, Sano frowned at one corner… noticing it was full of nothing but the small, sleek form of a spider monkey.
"Sanosuke!"
"Huh?" Tearing his eyes away from the miniature shrine, Sano was forced to give the other his full attention.
"I said I'm leaving, so you need to exit my room." A large bundle of rolled up scrolls and papers were tucked in his arms, and he looked more than just annoyed.
"What do you got to do that's so important?"
"I had planned on meeting with the new lady this afternoon. Miss Tae has promised to finally introduce me." One small hand came up to brush at the fur on his chest, and Sano thought the gesture was just slightly nervous. "We are going to decide what themes she would like the palace screens to be painted in."
"Repainting the screens, huh? You know, I've got to admit, ever since this woman showed up the palace has started to look a lot better. Lord Kenshin should think about keeping a hold of her for awhile." Walking back out the door, Katsu at his side, Sano decided to tag along.
"I've heard they fight relentlessly."
"Yeah, she doesn't take any of his crap." Chuckling softly, Sano shook his head. "It downright pisses the young lord off, having a woman talk back to him, but…"
"But?"
"You know, I don't think he really minds. Not as much as he lets on, anyway." Frowning in thought, he stared down at the walk, trying to figure out what was teasing the back of his brain.
"What makes you think that?"
"Well… for one thing, he hasn't done anything about her talking back, has he? For another… it's just something that weasel keeps saying."
"Listening to the weasel these days? What's wrong with you, Sano?"
Laughing, Sano agreed. "Hey, she's got this little wager going on. Wanna get in on it?"
"No thank you. I don't gamble."
"Ah, come on, you haven't even heard what the wager is."
"I'm not interested."
"Eh, it's probably a good thing you don't, since it's about the lord. We'd all get into some serious trouble if he knew we were betting on his love life."
"Love life?" Shocked, Katsu tossed Sano a look of disbelief.
"Yeah, you know, about him and the new little missy. Misao's already making moving arrangements to put her in the northern pavilion, but nobody else is buying it. I mean seriously, he couldn't possibly be interested in the same little girl that came to the palace thirteen years ago. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it."
Sighing and shaking his head, Katsu stopped in front of a set of tsumado and turned to look at his oldest friend. Which was saying a lot since they were all over a thousand years old. "After all these centuries and you still haven't grown up. Really Sanosuke, why the hell do you think the master wanted the girl here to begin with?"
"I don't know." Shrugging, Sano sat down on his hind legs. "She was nice to him when she was little and he missed it?"
"If that was all then why didn't he go and collect her each year like her father had promised? It wouldn't have been that hard to demand his due when it became clear her father didn't want to let her go."
"And?"
"And what? Man, you really are dense if you haven't figured this out yet. It only took me the course of our conversation. No wonder you're still having problems with that foxy doctor."
"Shut up. You know what? I've got better things to do than stick around and deal with your abuse. I'll see you later. Have fun with your girl talk." Stalking off and muttering, Sano hopped off the walkway back into the mud. Rolling his eyes, Katsu wondered how long it would take before that mutt got in trouble for tracking paw prints all over the newly cleaned palace.
Dismissing him from his thoughts, he nervously tried to straighten his fur again before lifting one small hand to pull at the tsumado. Tae had asked him to come to the northern pavilion where they were still cleaning up. It would be the perfect place to start, if everything he had deduced from Sano was correct. Restyling the lady's quarters would be a great foundation for the rest of the palace to go off of.
No one was inside the hallway surrounding the inner rooms, so Katsu trudged his way to one of the shoji. Normally it would have been completely inappropriate for him to enter the lady's quarters, but unlike some of the others Katsu didn't have a problem changing with the times. Besides, there hadn't been a real lady residing in the palace in over a thousand years. Not until now, and I'm interested to see what this Kaoru is like since I didn't get the chance to meet her when she visited before as a child.
He knew she didn't remember anything that had happened when she was four. The entire palace knew that. All he knew of her was what he had heard: that she had been a happy little child, with no fear of the daunting appearance of their lord, and no problem talking to animals. He'd even heard a rumor about her demanding a flight out of the lord. which he had promptly given to her without argument. It was easy to understand why their lord had wished her to visit, and now to stay, but things changed over the years. Things always changed. Everything, except for them.
The inner shoji were partially shut when he approached them, and a quiet shuffle from inside warned that there was already someone there. Thinking it to be Tae, his features brightening, Katsu opened the doors wider and climbed up onto the tatami mats.
The noise he made alerted the other to his presence and Katsu was surprised to find himself facing the new lady, her taller form forcing his neck back as he looked up at her. She was just herself straightening from a bowed position, the multiple boxes at her feet suggesting the reason, and her own look of shock widened her eyes. It was a guilty expression, and Katsu frowned slightly when one of her hands jerked across her cheek.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know there was anybody else in here." Kaoru smiled weakly, the action just forced enough to cause Katsu worry, and she bowed in a more than respectful gesture. "I don't believe we have met yet. I mean…" She blushed and knelt on the mats so they were closer in height. "I'm still having a hard time telling everyone apart, but I don't think I remember meeting you yet."
Pulling his thoughts away from his contemplations, Katsu shook his head and bowed even lower than she had. It was only respectful, after all, for a servant to bow lower than those of superior standing. "No, my lady, we have not. I am Katsu, the palace artist. We were supposed to meet today and go over some sketches I have prepared."
"Oh!" A little bit of light returned to her blue irises and she scooted closer eagerly. "Tae's told me all about you. She says you are a wonderful painter, and very kind. Did you do the screens for the late lady?"
Pride puffed his chest out, and Katsu practically beamed at the compliments. "As a matter of fact, yes I did, my lady. She was very pleased with the results. I hope that you yourself will be pleased as well."
Kaoru grinned at the cute sight, wondering what kind of monkey he was. He wasn't close to any kind she had ever head of. "I doubt I won't be, Katsu-san." Hesitantly she paused, biting her lip and trying to hold back her curiosity. Shyness had never solved anything for, however, and she leaned forward, her words coming out in a rush. "I don't mean to be rude, but I've never seen or heard of a monkey quite like you. Not with ears like that and your coloring."
Blinking, Katsu was momentarily bewildered, then started laughing at the flash of innocence on her face. "That's because I'm not a monkey, my lady. I'm a lemur."
"Oh." Chewing on her lip harder, she looked over the white fur covering his belly, the shade darkening to a soft grey on his back. He had the cutest ears and the funniest fluffy tail she had ever seen, with rings of black and white lining its entire length. "Do you think it would be alright if I touched your ears?" He blinked rapidly again and she sat back, slightly horrified with herself for making such a bold suggestion. "I'm sorry, that was impolite." Abruptly she giggled. "I've been learning a lot about what is or is not polite these days. Lord Kenshin is such a stickler for it."
"Then I promise I won't tell him, my lady." Smiling he leaned his head forward, tilting it to the side to angle one ear in her direction. Without waiting another moment her fingers reached out and gently rubbed the thickness of skin, cartilage, and fur between thumb and forefinger. She giggled again.
"I'm sorry I'm late to introduce you, but it seems you are getting along fine."
Both of them jerked their head around to the door, watching as Tae's small brown form jumped up onto the mats. Kaoru's generous smile of before softened into a smaller, slightly regretful one, but the look was soon lost when the lemur standing in front of her dropped every one of the scrolls he was holding. They scattered to every corner of the room, bumping into boxes and unrolling themselves across the floor. Stuttering, Katsu scrambled around, trying to gather them all back up.
Tae giggled, the sound feminine and unguarded. It was a pretty noise that captured Kaoru's attention, having never seen this side of the knowledgeable cook. She watched as the small spider monkey began helping to clean up the mess the lemur had made, her tiny, skillful hands delicate as she rolled the scrolls back up.
Running around and apologizing, Katsu was being less organized and sensitive with his papers as he crushed them back into his arms and tripped over the ends as they trailed along behind him. With the other two helping everything was collected quickly, but as Katsu and Tae met close to the shoji he found her staring at one of the unraveled scrolls with shocked and startled eyes. Hurriedly sitting everything he had gathered down, he snapped up the scroll she was staring at and efficiently rolled it back closed.
"Katsu-san… how did you…?" Shifting her attention from the closed scroll to him, Tae sucked in a shaky breath and her features transitioned to something closer to dismay. "Paintings such as those have been strictly forbidden by the young lord. You will get into trouble again." Her voice whispered so that Kaoru could not hear them from across the room.
Holding the scroll close to his chest, he frowned and ducked his head, but the look was not ashamed, but defiant. "I had not planned to show it to anyone. He would never find out… unless you plan on showing him the evidence yourself." Soft tan eyes looked away.
"Why did you bring it here, if you had not planned to show it off?"
"I thought to present it… as a gift."
"To the new mistress? What would she do with such a painting?"
Laughing softly at the nearly scoffing tone in Tae's normally sweet voice, Katsu held it back out to her in offering. "No, to the lady who has always been kind to me. To remind her, that no matter how many years it has been, I do not forget."
"I… I can't, Katsu… there is nowhere for me to display it. Not without another seeing it. I don't wish to get you in trouble."
"Then hide it, if need be. I am not so prideful that you must display it in plain view." Whisper turning vehement, he shoved the painting into her hands. "It is meant for you and you alone. To look at when there is no one else around."
As his own hands withdrew she was left with the painting clutched in her fingers, her movements uncertain as she brought it in close to her small body. Trying to breath, trying to smile, she nodded her head in acceptance. "Thank you."
"Is that all of them?" Walking over with a few scrolls in her grip, Kaoru smiled down on them, looking back and forth between the two when they didn't immediately respond.
"Yes, yes I think so, my lady." Taking them from her, Katsu smiled back. "Thank you. I must apologize for my clumsiness. I'm sure you must think me quite the pain to deal with."
"Not at all. I can sympathize. Now, why don't you show me your ideas, Katsu-san. I'm really eager to see what you have in mind for the screens."
X
It was several hours later before Katsu began to collect his papers and ready himself to leave. They had decided on a few, but since the palace was such a large place, it would take several more sessions before they were completely sure on everything they wished. Yawning, Kaoru stretched her arms over her head, trying to work the kinks out of her back, and she dropped a hand ruefully on the kimono boxes stacked up behind her.
"I suppose I really need to figure out what I'm going to do with these now. They need to be aired out, but I don't feel comfortable leaving them outside, what with the weather acting the way it is." Another bout of rain had struck late in the afternoon, and now the courtyards and grounds were looking pretty sad and muddy.
"Then have you decided to accept them, milady?" Hopeful, Tae watched her reaction, and was not surprised when Kaoru gave a noise of disbelief.
"Not a chance, I just want to make sure they are shown the respect they deserve, and they don't deserve to be left in these stuffy boxes. They need to be aired out." Tae traded an amused look with Katsu.
"Then you'll need somewhere large and open if you're wishing to air them out inside." Shrugging his shoulders as he stood, Katsu jerked his head towards the western side of the palace. "What about the training hall? I'm sure it would be big enough."
"Training hall? Why haven't I got to see that yet?" Indignant and excited all at the same time, Kaoru threw her hands on her hips.
Smiling, glad that she and Kaoru were no longer feeling uncomfortable with each other after their small argument that morning, Tae waved a hand. "That's because the western quarters were where the boys stayed, and that's the side the other group of cleaners was assigned. You were given all the lady's quarters on the eastern side of the house, and the training hall would have been considered inappropriate for them."
"Inappropriate my foot. They just wanted to keep their women under their thumb." Standing Kaoru made for the door without waiting for either of them to lead the way. "I'm going to go check this training hall out. It was nice to meet you, Katsu-san. I'll see you in awhile at dinner, Tae-san."
Left alone inside the pavilion, Katsu shifted his weight uncomfortably before bowing his head and turning himself towards the door. "As always, I have enjoyed your company, and I hope you will be happy with my gift, small as it is."
Thanking him again softly, Tae watched him leave and waited until she heard the outer tsumado close. Looking back down at the scroll she held, she darted a glance behind her to make sure she was indeed alone, before unrolling it back out on the floor.
It was a beautiful, simple painting of a woman standing by a tree. Leaves, red and vivid were scattered about her feet, reflecting onto the white silk of her simple kimono. A golden obi tied around her waist, contrasting the red leaves with more warmth, and the slender figure was half turned with her back towards the viewer. One slim hand rested against the tree, the other lifting out to play with a stray leaf as it drifted in the wind, her long kimono sleeve trailing to the ground. Dark brown hair wisped around her shoulders and face, partially hiding her features and fanning out in the same wind that teased the leaves. Her eyes were a soft tan, her face round and cute, and for a moment… Tae barely recognized herself.
It had been over a thousand years since she'd been human, after all. Who could blame her for forgetting her true appearance. Katsu had not forgotten, though. Katsu had remembered everything.
Rolling the scroll back up and holding it to her chest, Tae closed her eyes and thanked him another time. It was the greatest gift anyone could have ever given her. Now, she had to find a place to safely hide it. If the lord were to see it… he would take it away and burn it. Just like he had every other painting of their former selves he'd found.
X
A/N: Whew! This chapter was longer than I thought it was going to be! Oh well, it was lots of fun. I got to reveal a lot of stuff, and I like getting to do that. First thing I would like to talk about is Kenshin's brothers. The two I mentioned, anyway, lol. Shinta's name is obvious. I gave the oldest this name for many reasons, one being that he is the most like Kenshin, but a much softer version. Thus, Shinta was Kenshin's name before Hiko taught him the sword in the original. Tenshi is Kenshin's other brother, and tenshi actually just means angel… but I thought it kind of a funny irony that Tenshi is such an asshole. So I gave him that name for a laugh.
After mentioning that the palace artist would be repainting the screens I thought and thought about who I was going to make him be, and then I was like… well, duh. Katsu was obvious. I made him be a lemur because I wanted an animal with hand-like paws, but I didn't want to overuse the monkey thing. When I did some research on animals to give myself variety, I found lemurs and instantly fell in love. They're sooo cute! I recommend looking them up. I know I never really mentioned what kind of a monkey Tae was until now, so I apologize if I was a little misleading, but spider monkeys, the small brown ones that aren't scary looking, are adorable. So, Tae gets to be a spider monkey.
Alright, I think that's all for now. Hope that you liked it, and please leave a review to tell me what you thought. Next up, Kaoru finds the training hall! You know what that means!