I'm glad everyone is still liking this story. I'm having so much fun with it, and I really love how sweet I get to make everyone, with my side dash of dangerous under the surface. I had the best compliment over this story, and you don't know how happy it made me. I love Beauty and the Beast, and just knowing that someone actually watched the movie and was disappointed because it wasn't like mine… oh sweet ecstasy, lol. Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I'm not particularly good at sewing, but I can crochet, and I love ice cream.

Chapter 17: Sewing and Ice Cream

A twinge of pain shot up Kenshin's leg and he shifted his weight to try and relieve it. Sighing, he frowned, leaned onto the table and shot a brief look at the empty cushion next to him. Kaoru was late for breakfast. It was a strange occurrence, because Kaoru loved breakfast, and he would have already gone to check on her if she hadn't sent someone to apologize for her tardiness. That was another strange occurrence on its own. Kaoru never used the servants in ways they were meant to be used, she did most of everything herself.

Rolling his shoulders, he twisted his neck, trying to relieve some of the soreness sleep always brought. This morning, however, was just a few aches worse for the blanket he had draped over his shoulders as she had asked. It had been nice being warmer, but the weight pulled at his joints and he was suffering from a major sore neck. Of course, he didn't think she understood that sleeping for him was not an easy matter, more because he couldn't lie down. Not comfortably, anyway. After waking a few times with his wings bent in awkward positions, and feeling as if he had broken them, he had stopped sleeping on a futon.

Rubbing at his back with one hand, his thoughts returned to the night before. Kaoru had been to the shrine. There was no way of knowing what that witch had said to her, but she did apparently know about the curse. From the way Kaoru had spoken of it, however, she knew little. In a way it grated on him that she would go against his request to stay away from the shrine, but a part of him had known it was only a matter of time. The witch herself had said he could not keep Kaoru away forever, and that her eventual presence there was inevitable. His only consolation for this venture was that Kaoru acted no differently toward him afterward than she had before. Which made him wonder if anything had been said at all.

For surely Kaoru would despise him if she knew half of what his past entailed. With her gentle heart and kind nature, there was every guarantee that she would turn away from him. Even if, during that time, he had thought his actions justified and required, in hindsight, with her sight, he could clearly see every wrong action he had ever committed in the name of his father. Just the very reason for the curse itself would be enough to horrify her. He never wished more than at that moment that he had been killed as punishment and not made to be here.

An easy way out… and I would not have met her. Of course, if I were dead now, I would not regret what I never knew… and she would have a normal life, with a normal family, in a normal village.

The shoji slid open and he turned automatically to greet her.

But you would have never seen this.

The sudden flush of color against the snow backdrop was startling, causing him to blink as he tried to focus on the woman standing in the doorway. The multiple layers of clothing contrasted in that perfection all ladies of court strove towards; starting at white by the throat, and building in compliment to the season outside. The outer layer of the kimono was white as well, a scattering of plum blossoms decorating the silk, and different designs, patterns, and shades of red, purple, and white constituted the many inner kimono all the way down to the large red hakama that was worn underneath to cover her feet.

When his eyes finally looked up to meet hers he found her blushing, her features pulled into an expression of wry embarrassment. Nothing came to his mind to say, and he merely watched as she took a step forward, overbalanced, and had to grab the door jam to keep from falling.

"Well I don't know how anyone was expected to move in these things!" Straightening herself, her mood turned petulant as her embarrassment heightened.

Rubbing at his face to hide his laughter, he stood to lend her a hand. "I'm sure it took a lot of practice, Kaoru-dono."

Huffing, she wrapped two hands around his forearm, and let him lead her to her cushion. "Or shorter strides, which I don't do." Left hand sliding down to clutch around his fingers for support, she carefully tried to situate herself into a kneeling position. When she looked up with a smile and a thanks, she blushed at realizing they were holding hands.

Warmth was now present in his dark golden eyes, and the curl of his own fingers was gentle. "I am partial to your hair in this way."

Blushing harder, she self-consciously smoothed the loose strands. "I get all dressed up and you compliment me on my hair?"

Chuckling, his hand released hers and he seated himself at the head of the table. "Of course you look beautiful in the kimono, Kaoru-dono. The court ladies of the emperor himself would be jealous for weeks that you naturally pull off a look they strive hours to achieve." Lifting one arm in a courtly fashion, he bowed his head, and she did not miss the slight smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Huh…" Disbelieving, Kaoru lifted an eyebrow. "if you're going to be an ass about it, you just see if I ever do this again."

Unable to keep himself from laughing, his amusement rose when she jerked her head to the side and stuck her nose in the air, clearly not pleased. "Do not pout, Kaoru-dono, I meant what I said. You have a natural beauty that needs no makeup to enhance, and I find it very refreshing to see a lady that has not shaved her eyebrows or blackened her teeth to follow a fashion of beauty someone else has set."

"What?" Completely distracted from her irritation, Kaoru's face contorted into disgust as she looked at him for clarity. "All the ladies blackened their teeth? That's gross!"

Nodding, his smile became less of an insinuation that he was laughing at her, and more as if he were laughing with her. "I had always thought the same way. Even my mother did, though only if she were required to greet guests and be in the company of someone outside of our family."

"I don't think I could have done that. They would have had to throw me out of the court circles for being disobedient or something, 'cause that's just nasty. Shave my eyebrows? Maybe. Blacken my teeth? Never."

"I do not think you would have had to worry too much, Kaoru-dono. You would have been a part of the warrior class. They were given more allowances when it came to appearance than others. Not many, but a few."

"Such as?" Interested now, Kaoru didn't even pay attention to the servers as their meal was set out, remembering the beginning of a conversation they had started the night before.

"Well, unless you were trying to blend in with the court ladies, or were expected at the emperor's court, I'm sure you wouldn't have been required to wear something as confining as the juni-hitoe. Wearing your face bare would have been scandalous, but as a warrior maiden, everyone would have been too scared to say anything against you. Your rank would have demanded a respect that was above such appearances."

"Have you ever met a lady warrior?"

"I have seen a few in court." Shrugging, he picked up his chopsticks. "I must admit, they were very manly, and more often than not, it was hard to pick out that they were in fact women at all. Most mistook them for men, since they dressed as the men did."

A piece of fish slipped from her chopsticks and she stared at him in abrupt dismay. "Do I look like a man when I wear my training clothes? Is that why you do not like that I wear them?"

Blinking, his features curled in confusion. "What gave you such an idea?"

Becoming angry that he did not immediately understand, she waved her chopsticks at him. "You just said that all the lady warriors you have met looked like men because they wore men's clothes. I wear men's clothes and I practice swordsmanship, so…"

"You have misunderstood." Catching up quickly, he spoke over her to keep the situation from blowing out of proportion. "Their clothing is not what made them look like men, though it did not help them either. You are the first woman I have met that wields a sword and still retains a…" Cutting off abruptly as he realized how inappropriate this conversation was turning out to be, he jerked his head down to concentrate on his food. "If I do not like you wearing your training clothes for anything other than training, Kaoru-dono, it is because I find them improper." Nervously squeaking his chopsticks together, he avoided the interest in her gaze. "A lady's kimono covers a lady as she needs to be."

Covers a… oh. Looking down at her chest, she blinked and then looked back up to the wall across from her. Clearly she could remember his reaction to her men's clothes the first day she had worn them, the way his eyes had frowned in disapproval. I guess they do show a large portion of my breast bindings. Blushing, she chewed her lip and unconsciously mimicked his own habit of hiding behind her unbound hair. I've never had to worry about how suggestive it must look. Getting older really has its downsides. "Right. I'll… keep that in mind." He sighed, shoulders slumping in relief, and she wondered just how uncomfortable that little detail had made him the past couple months.

The end of breakfast came slowly, and Kaoru found herself on the verge of overheating. She wasn't used to wearing so many layers of clothing, and since Misao had explained that this set was a winter juni-hitoe, it had more layers than a summer. Kaoru was feeling every one of them, and with her long hair laying against her neck and back, there was no part of her body that was uncovered enough to cool her down. Standing unsteadily to her feet, she blinked at the worried look Kenshin gave her, and waved her hand demandingly for help.

"Is everything alright, my lady?" On his feet quickly, his hands engulfed her one, his claws tickling her wrist. Feeling just a touch lightheaded, she giggled.

"I'm fine, it's just really hot in here Kenshin." Heading for the door, she dragged him along behind her. "Let's take a short walk. I need to cool off." Out the door, she turned towards the south, her mind focused on the large courtyard and now frozen pond. The open pavilion would be a perfect place to catch a breeze, and it was always nice getting to stare out over the distant ocean.

Kenshin gave her another side look as she flapped her hand at her face, her bangs ruffling in the false breeze she created. Her cheeks were red, and she was leaning quite a bit of her weight against his arm for support. She must have twenty layers on, though, and I doubt it makes it easy to maneuver.

"You know, even though it's all one color… the snow makes everything so pretty." Trading off his arm for the waist high railing around the open pavilion, Kaoru leaned forward to stare back across the courtyard. All of the small trees and bushes and rocks were covered in a soft film of snow, glistening in the early morning sunshine.

"Yes it does." Standing behind her, he nearly felt normal again, staring at the formal dress of a court lady. Suddenly frowning, he looked away. That normalcy did not make him as happy as he had originally thought it would.

"Too bad it has to be so cold." Throwing a look over her shoulder, Kaoru grinned, and Kenshin felt suddenly wary. "You know… I thought about it for a long time last night and I have a few ideas that could help you out."

"Help me with what, Kaoru-dono?"

"Your clothes, idiot. It's obvious you can't wear anything besides your hakama because of your wings, right? Well… it would mean cutting some holes in your clothes, but you aren't doing anything with them anyway, right?"

"Cutting holes? Just what exactly do you have planned, Kaoru-dono?"

"Oh come on, I did what you wanted, didn't I?" Gesturing down at herself, Kaoru cocked an eyebrow. "Now it's your turn. You may not think it's enough trouble to make sure you don't freeze just 'cause you can't get sick, but I don't agree. You're too cold and I don't like it. I don't like it one bit." Pouting, she dropped her eyes to the floor between them.

"Alright, my lady. You do not need to get upset. You may do as you wish." Not sure if he was even more worried about her attitude, or amused that she was getting so worked up over something so small, he smiled. That smile was short lived.

"And I win."

"What?"

"You thought you had won last night, but it is clear now in the morning hours just who the victor really is, and that's me." Looking very pleased with herself, Kaoru leaned her hip into one of the posts and grinned like the imp she was.

"But…"

"Ah-ah, no buts. Now, do you have a seamstress under your employ? I will need help with the sewing since that is another feminine trait I failed to agree with."

X

Sae was a cute little grey squirrel, and had a chipper attitude to match. It came as a surprise to learn that she was actually Tae's sister, but Sae had laughed that off like she did most everything else.

"My sweet little sister, Tae, she's the most adorable little thing."

After everything came to light, it seemed Sae could sew as well as Tae could cook. Which was saying a lot, and Kaoru was excited to have someone on board with skill enough to hopefully pull off what she had in mind. Now sitting in the middle of Kenshin's pavilion with a pile of clothes in front of them and the frowning lord watching from a corner, they chatted happily away about the plan's positive and negative aspects.

"It shouldn't be too hard, milady, but I'm seeing a problem that will need to be taken care of first."

"Oh? What's that?" Holding up a shorter man's kimono that would be worn as an undergarment called a kosode, Kaoru peeked around the sleeve.

"Well, correct me if I am wrong, my lord, but you moved into the master's pavilion after…" Pausing nervously, she darted a side look at Kaoru and continued only when Kenshin waved a hand to proceed. "the old master died. Are these not… your father's clothes?" Blinking, Kaoru froze and then dropped the top she was holding as if it had burnt her fingers.

"That is right. If you are going to be cutting on anyone's clothing, I would prefer they not be my own."

"But, my lord…"

"That's a strange thing to say, Kenshin. Wouldn't you rather we not cut on your father's clothes because they used to belong to him?"

"They no longer belong to him, they belong to me, and I will do whatever I wish with them." The conversation was making him angry, so Kaoru dropped it.

Clearing her throat, Sae once again tried to explain what it was she had noticed. "Very well, my lord, but… your father was taller than you." If Kenshin could have blushed, Kaoru was sure he would have at that very moment.

"I am well aware of that."

Hating the way he was fighting off the embarrassment and distress of the situation, Kaoru wanted to ease his discomfort. "Well, I'm sure he couldn't have been that much taller. He was his father, after all. My father's not that much taller than me."

"No, Lord Kenshin took after his mother. His father was much taller than he is. In fact, out of all five of Master Izo's children, he was the shortest. Even Lady Yumi was taller than him." Excited to share, and smiling as she did it, Sae giggled. The mortification of seconds before turned quickly to annoyance on Kenshin's face.

"Five children? Did you have brothers and sisters, Kenshin?"

"Three brothers and one sister to be exact." Answering merrily for him, Sae continued without hesitation. "All older and taller than him. They all shared that pretty red hair too."

His red hair is natural. Neat. "What happened to them?"

"Obviously they are dead." Biting into the conversation, Kenshin glared at the seamstress. "That is enough from you. Do what you came here to do and be gone."

"Y-yes, my lord." Mood plummeting, Sae bowed her head in quick submission and apology. Kaoru opened her mouth to argue with Kenshin over his tone, but there was a sensitive look in his eyes that suggested the topic was as off limits as the curse was. "Here, my lady." A bundle of string was handed to her from out of a bag. "I will need to hem the clothing as well as make the adjustments you want, so I will need measurements. I will tell you what to do and catalogue the numbers."

"Oh, alright."

"M-my lord." Anxious now, Sae waved her front paw to the middle of the room. "Will you please stand here and let the lady take some measurements for me?" He didn't seem to be in a good mood anymore, but he still did as he was asked.

At first Kaoru wasn't sure how this was going to work, but after unrolling a good length of the string she discovered dark spots on its white surface in regular patterns. By counting these she could give Sae surprisingly accurate readings of Kenshin's size just about anywhere they needed. It was fun, to begin with, posing his arms out like a doll, but then she had to wrap the string around his chest and then from his shoulder to his hip; his hip to his feet. This is more inappropriate than when I had to bandage his wounds!

It only became fun again when it came to his wings. Seated on the floor, their leathery lengths spread to either side, she knelt behind him and carefully measured how big around the base of his wings were. After calling out her findings to Sae, she loosened the string and let it drop, then followed the temptation to stare. The thick skin stretched tightly between the boney structure, and was webbed with veins on closer inspection. It gave the red surface a patterned purple appearance that could only be seen at a short distance. Chewing on her lip, she lifted a hand to touch when Sae called out her next assignment.

"Now I need the distance between the base of his wings to his shoulders."

Jerking her hand back, she nodded. "Alright." Unfortunately, all of his unbound hair was in the way of that, so she sat a little straighter, paused, and gathered it all to release over the front of his shoulder. Only his tail twitched in reaction, catching her attention briefly to stare at the tuft of hair at its tip as it brushed his crossed legs, before she returned her gaze to his now bare back.

Except it still wasn't very bare, even besides the scales covering nearly every inch of his skin. Smiling, her eyes traveled down the ridge of his spine, or where it should have been. It couldn't be seen underneath the row of flattened hair that covered it all the way down to where it disappeared underneath his hakama. Surprised and somehow delighted, Kaoru fluffed a portion between his wings, the length slipping from her fingers quickly. It was short, like a Mohawk, and it reminded her of some of the interpretive paintings she had seen of dragons.

"I am well aware of its presence, my lady."

"Uh…" Taking her hand away, Kaoru shot her eyes to the back of his head.

"I apologize if you find it… disturbing."

"Disturbing?"

"Though I suppose most of my appearance could be found disturbing."

Frowning, she threw a side glance at Sae to see if she would be of any help, and her frown deepened when the squirrel ducked her head. Huffing out a breath, she smacked her palm flat into the back of his skull. "Don't be such an idiot. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, and I'm not going to deal with you feeling sorry for yourself. I mean, having wings is obviously a pain, since you haven't been able to wear proper clothes, but you can fly with them, right? And your claws make it difficult to do some things, but they helped us out on the cliff. Your scales helped too. Without them you'd have much worse looking wounds on your arm and leg. Everybody has things they do and don't like about themselves, but that's just life. Like I'm sure this itches, doesn't it?" Indicating the line of hair, Kaoru rubbed her nails lightly between his shoulder blades.

"Hmm." Finding himself relaxing with her words, and the soft scrape of her nails, he grudgingly had to agree with what she said. Shrugging, he lifted a hand to the horns on his head. "Actually, these itch more than anything."

"Oh?" Adjusting her weight to her knees, she reached for both of the small golden horns, scratching her nails around the base of their hard surface. Moving around as if she were scratching the ears of a cat, she jumped when the wings on either side of her twitched. First one, then the other. Smiling, she dug her nails in just a little harder and watched both wings tremble and then flop to the floor with a thump. Giggling, she scratched for a few more moments before sitting back. "That was fun."

"Alright, alright, enough playing." Clearly amused, and no longer upset, Sae shook her head. "I need the rest of those measurements so I can get to work. I'm sure the lord would appreciate his new clothes before the end of winter."

"Yes, ma'am." Still laughing, Kaoru pulled the string tight and placed the end at his shoulder. A quick look showed a pleased smile on his face, and she bit her lip to quiet her laughter at his closed eyes.

Finished with the string, Kaoru rewound it into a ball and stuffed it back into the bag. "By the way, Sae-san, do you know what Tae's special dessert is? She promised to make it sometime this past week and I haven't heard anything about it yet."

"Oh sure, it's ice cream."

"Really?" Excited, Kaoru leaned forward. "I think I've heard of ice cream before. How does she make it?"

"She uses the snow." Suddenly secretive, Sae looked around as if there was someone else listening besides just the lord. Scampering up to the side of Kaoru's layered kimono, Sae stood on her hind legs. "She actually already has quite a bit ready, but she's waiting until she has enough made to give to everyone, plus…" Giggling, Sae ducked her head briefly. "she's waiting for the end of this week."

"What's at the end of this week?"

"Someone's birthday, and she's planning a surprise party for him."

Gasping, Kaoru leaned down, her hand covering her mouth. "Is it for Katsu?"

Gasping back, Sae placed both hands over her mouth. "How did you know?"

"Why would my cook be planning a surprise party for the court painter?" At a loss, Kenshin tilted his head with a confused frown.

"Oh really, Kenshin, don't you pay attention to anything around here? Tae and Katsu are sweet on each other." The confusion left his face, and he sighed instead, completely uninterested.

"Well, they're trying to be sweet on each other anyway." Sighing despondently, Sae shook her head. "My little sister is such a traditional idiot. She keeps insisting on waiting for him to make all the moves, and that spineless lemur is a wreck every time he gets around her. It's no wonder they've been like this for a thousand years. Neither of them have the guts to go through with anything. I'm surprised my little sister is even throwing this party at all."

"Well I think it's wonderful. Come on, let's get these clothes done before then. I want Kenshin fully dressed for the party. I think it'll be a nice touch." Reaching for the clothes again, she felt her body sway. She was still wearing the multiple layered kimono, and even after cooling off outside she was still feeling really hot.

"My lady? Are you alright? My lady?" Trying to nod her head, Kaoru steadied then shook herself to banish the blurring of her vision. "My lord, her cheeks are flushed." Kenshin was next to her, and she smiled widely at the worry on his face. He frowned back. Pouting, she waved a hand at him.

"I thought we were past the frowns, Kenshin? I don't like them." Punctuating the last four words with pats on his cheek, she giggled, overbalanced, and leaned against him.

Forehead twitching, Kenshin fought against wanting to do as she asked and concern. "I apologize, Kaoru-dono, but I do not think you are well." Touching his hand lightly to her skin, the frown won. "She is burning up. Go call the physician." Sae nodded and took off out the door. Sighing, Kenshin smoothed the hair off her face, angry with himself for not noticing that the strands were sticky with sweat. "Idiot woman. How long have you had a fever?"

"I woke up this morning a little warm, but… I thought it was because I was still in bed. Beds are always nice and warm when you have to get out of them." Voice slightly sleepy, Kaoru yawned and tried to sit up. "It's probably just a small fever, Kenshin. Nothing to worry about. I don't ever stay sick long."

"It had better be a small fever. If you catch something worse because of your stupid adventures through the snow in your socks, I will not be happy."

Grinning, Kaoru giggled. "Yes, my lord."

X

A/N: I didn't plan on making Kaoru get sick, but she was running around in the snow in her socks, and it seemed a bit inevitable. It's not a big thing, though. Anyway, seems Kaoru is getting Kenshin into some clothes, and she's learned a bit about his family. I've been trying to decide how best to introduce the full extent of his background, and I hope it is coming off ok. I'm starting to feel as if their relationship is taking a bit too much precedence, even though it needs to, that's why I'm trying to fill in with some of the other characters a bit more until I can advance them along enough to get to the parts I have planned for them. Yipee! Ok, so leave a review, and next chapter, Kenshin gets dressed, we have a party, and then a sad revelation.

Oh, and Yumi was Kenshin's older sister! Ah! Does anyone know what that means?