Thanksgiving turkey, and mashed potatoes, and yummy gravy and cherry pie, yum… I can't wait. How about you? This year will be fun since I'm making the pie. Of course, I can bake a whole lot better than I can cook.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything… but I owe quite a bit of money.
Chapter 20: A Need To Protect
A soft knock echoed against the wooden walls of Tae's room, her eyes parting reluctantly as sleep left her. A pout threatened to pull on her lips as she briefly mourned the sweet dream she had been having. A dream in which everyone was happy, everyone was human, and her beloved had finally worked up the courage to speak with her about their future; together.
The knock sounded again, and she glanced at the other two residents of the room, one of her kitchen aides rolling over with a mumble. Sighing, she tossed aside the bedclothes and gained her feet, opening the door quietly to see what was needed at such a late hour. Darkness, thick and concealing, barely made room for the waning moon as it dimly illuminated the veranda, and Tae had to squint just to make out the shadowy form standing before her.
"Katsu? What are you doing here so late?" Glancing behind her, she lowered her voice so as not to wake the others. "Has something happened? Are you alright?" Silence greeted her questioning, the outline of his head shifting as he dropped his chin, and her concern increased to a mild form of alarm.
"I am… as well as I can be. You should not worry." The rest of his exhaled breath was shaky, and she lifted a hand to touch the fur on his arm.
"Then… is there something that you wanted, Katsu?" The missing use of a title still felt strange on her tongue, but her sister had insisted she try and be more intimate, to encourage the shy lemur into confessing his feelings. Saying his name so familiarly was a large enough step for her. For now.
"Yes." Shaking himself as if returning from a trance, he bowed his head with a little more respect. "I apologize for the hour, but may I please speak with you outside, Miss Tae?"
"Of course." Widening the door to step out onto the veranda with him, he stopped her hurriedly.
"I need you to… bring the painting that I gave to you… please."
"Has something happened?" Repeating her earlier question, the soft pinch of alarm tightening, Tae thought of the repercussions of their master finding out about his disobedience.
"Please, Miss Tae… I need you to bring the painting." Voice strained, he turned away from her.
"Alright." Disappearing back into the inky blackness of her room, she reappeared not moments later with the scroll in her hands, pressed close to her body as she peeked once more over her shoulder. Making sure the others were still unaware of the waking world, she closed the door and followed Katsu to a far corner of the walkway.
In the soft ray of unobstructed moonlight Tae could see the symptoms of exhaustion and anxiety around his eyes that were only moments ago hidden by the gloom. Something was weighing heavily on her lemur's mind, and it saddened her that he was still trying to deal with his problems alone. Did he not think to let her help him? Did he not know that she would gladly shoulder his burdens in order to relieve him of his sorrow?
"Katsu, won't you tell me what is wrong?"
The dark ebony eyes that she found to be as mysterious and deep as an artist's should be clenched shut. When they opened they were no more decided than they had been before. "I can't let you keep the painting." Rushed, slightly fearful, his words tripped upon one another like children running from punishment. "I need it back."
"Have you gotten in trouble?" Startled by his outburst, although a part of her had expected such an outcome, she went on quickly to understand. "I haven't shown it to anyone, and I'm sure no one has seen that I have it." Unwilling to give it up if she didn't have to, Tae pressed it closer into the hollow of her body.
"No one has seen it." Impatient and edgy, his voice a harsh snap, his hand outstretched and twitched for her to hand it over. "I just must have it back."
His raised voice made her feel strangely small, and she gave up the painting reluctantly. "Will you… let me have it back later?"
The slightly vulnerable, needful, tone of her pleading blinded him with panic, and all he could see were the many faces of those lost in their longing those many centuries back. He could not allow that to happen to her. "No." Sharp and insensitive, hasty with denial, he hid the scroll behind his back as if keeping it from sight would quell her desire to have it. "You can never have it back. I don't want you to have it anymore. It was a mistake to give it to you." Rambling half to himself, he fought the tremble in his weary muscles, his heavy lashes blurring the vision of hurt that briefly curled her brow.
"You… don't want me to have it anymore?" A mistake? The sour ache of rejection curled in her stomach.
Thoughts following a different path, he tried to spare her the details of his torture. "It was foolish of me to give it to you in the first place. I don't know… what I was thinking."
"I see." The hurt was churning with pride now, and she swallowed hard. "Yes, you're quite right. How foolish of both of us." Black eyes jerked abruptly up towards hers, and she straightened her spine out of sheer force of will. "If that was all you required, Katsuhiro-san, then I will be going back to bed. Work in the kitchens start early."
Wishing to say more, torn between fear, panic, and relief, he calmed himself and spoke what was needed. "That was all… Miss Tae."
She stood there for a half second longer, her breath threatening to heave, with a sense of disappointment weighing on her navel. That's it? After a thousand years of waiting through silent longing and stolen glances and that's it? Wanting there to be something more, she lingered expectantly, needing him to say something to make everything better… but nothing came from his lips and she was forced to walk away.
Please understand, my love, I want only to protect you.
X
Kaoru blinked down at the young mountain lion, still confused as to why he was asking such a favor from her. Everyone acknowledged her as "The Lady" sure, but it was an empty title considering she was not a noble, and she was not married to "The Lord," either. So what did she know about anything that pertained to making decisions around a palace or for its dependants?
"Uh, Yutarou, was it?" Nodding eagerly, his pleading eyes became slightly hopeful. "Why aren't you talking to Kenshin about this?"
The hope died and he ducked his head. "The lord doesn't like to bothered. Everyone knows that. If I came to him with such a request… he'd just get angry with me." Meeting her eyes fervently, he went on to explain. "But if you were to ask him, milady, I know he would willingly listen."
Her eyebrow lifted. "What makes you think it'll make any difference if I ask him instead of you doing it yourself? I'm sure the answer, whatever it may be, would be the same."
Shaking his head quickly, Yutarou disagreed. "Everyone knows by now, milady, that the lord likes keeping you happy. Won't you please put in a good word for me?"
I do not like where this is going. Alarmed, Kaoru couldn't decide whether to frown or stare in shock as his words sunk in. Such a rumor made it sound as if Kaoru got away with whatever she wanted because she had their lord wrapped around her finger like some kind of pet. Independent I may be, but there is a line that even I won't cross, and making Kenshin look like less of an authoritative figure is something I would never do.
Fighting for the right words, Kaoru bent at the waist. "Look, Yutarou-san, all I can promise you is that I will mention to the lord that you wish to speak with him. I absolutely will not try to sway his decision, whatever that decision may be, because he is your master and he knows what is best, not I. "
"But…"
"And I want to make myself clear when I say that I do not show favoritism, either, especially with such a request. Not to mention, I am not really qualified to make a decision either way on whether or not you are suitable to be part of the palace guard." Head hanging, he sighed dejectedly. "May I ask you a question, though, Yutarou-san?"
"Yeah… what is it?"
"Are you only wishing to be a part of the guard to compete with Yahiko-kun?"
His neck and shoulders tensed. "That lowly servant? Why would I want to compete with him? He isn't even on the same level as I am."
The telltale tone of his voice tugged a smile on her lips and she lifted a hand to hide it from view. "That's good then, because if you were I'm sure the lord would not take your request seriously. I would think such a position would require a great deal of commitment to protecting the palace residents from any and all harm, something that cannot be done if someone is too worried about outdoing another."
"Well of course, I know that." His words made her smile widen. "I will… await my summons, then. Thank you for your time, Lady Kaoru." Bowing his head in a perfectly dignified motion, the tan puma turned to head back down the veranda.
Sighing, Kaoru watched him go, just slightly bewildered by the information he had given to her. "Well, that was interesting." Mumbling to herself, she yelped when another voice piped in.
"Certainly was."
A small fox nose peeked around the corner, and Kaoru relaxed as the doctor appeared fully out in the open. "Don't do that, Megumi-sensei. You frightened me."
Mock bowing, she giggled wickedly. "My apologies, milady. Please, don't tell Lord Kenshin on me. I wouldn't want him to punish me just for being a sneaky fox and scaring his little lady." Playful and teasing, she flapped her lashes rapidly, suggestively mimicking the puma's reference to her influence on Kenshin.
Groaning, Kaoru dropped her head back and leaned against the outer wall she was standing near. "Wasn't that the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard? What's worse, if everyone actually thinks like that, there are going to be some problems."
"Unfortunately, it's probably not going to be the last time someone comes to you for such a favor or even guidance. The rumor that kid was talking about suggests more than just your familiarity with the lord. Apparently you're developing quite the reputation as a problem solver, and since Lord Kenshin doesn't like to be bothered with day-to-day stuff, having another high-ranking, permanent resident around is going to attract the people that need help."
Frowning, Kaoru dug out the root of the issue without batting a lash. "Why doesn't Kenshin like to be bothered with it? If he's the master, it's his responsibility to."
Megumi sighed and sat down. "Well that would be because he was never taught how to deal with anything. He was the youngest child of five, he was never meant to be the master."
One arm uncrossed from Kaoru's chest to extend her hand as she talked, her palm upraised. "That doesn't make any sense, if they were constantly in the middle of fighting wouldn't Kenshin's father want to make sure every one of his son's were prepared to take over just incase they were killed in battle? Obviously that's exactly what happened, right?" Well, except for one of them, I suppose. Thinking of Tenshi and what Saitou had told her the week before, Kaoru shook her head to refocus her train of thought.
"Obviously, but Master Izo was a very cunning and… manipulative man, not to mention there were… occurrences that changed much of the line of heritage. After Master Shinta and Lord Tenshi died things were left for Lord Isamu, but while Master Izo had no problem leaving everything to his third son, it was widely known that Lord Isamu would never produce an heir to follow him."
Unable to think of a reason why not, Kaoru's brow curled in thought. "Why wouldn't he? Was he… sterile or something?"
Openly laughing, Megumi's eyes looked her over in amusement. "No, well, I don't suppose he was. Lord Isamu just… didn't fancy women."
Shocked, Kaoru's eyes went wide. "You mean he…?" Shrugging, Megumi acted like it was old news. Though I suppose it is. Really old news.
"Lord Isamu adamantly refused to take a wife, and since he was third in line, Master Izo must have thought it was too much trouble to make him. So by the time his oldest two sons were gone, it seemed a little late to be reconsidering."
"Well, why wouldn't there have already been children? I mean, how old was everyone when all of this started happening?"
"Hmm, I'll have to think about that one… let's see, I think Master Shinta was twenty-seven when he died, which would have made Lord Kenshin seventeen, since they were ten years apart. Lord Tenshi was three years younger than Master Shinta, so he was twenty-four, and Lord Isamu would have been twenty-two. Lady Yumi would have been twenty-one, but she was already married off at fifteen to Master Shishio, the neighboring lord to the North. Her mother, Lady Miaka, went with her because she was too attached to her daughter to let her go alone. Since Master Izo had four other wives I don't think he cared, as long as her family still honored their ties.
"To answer your question, though, Master Shinta and his wife had a hard time conceiving a child and she was actually pregnant with their first when they both died. Lord Tenshi did have a wife, too, but I don't think he was ever with her enough to get her pregnant. He was far too busy with his bed warmers, and once he died she went with his mother, Lady Kira, back to her family. The only one of Master Izo's children that had kids was Lady Yumi, and after Lord Isamu became the new heir, Master Izo officially decided that if anything were to happen to him and his third son… everything would go to her and her husband, not Lord Kenshin."
"But why?" Such a thing was nearly unheard of, even for her, a daughter of a dojo master that had been named his successor. Everyone she had ever met thought it disgraceful to name a woman an heir, even if she was an only child. In Kenshin's situation, having his sister, even an older sister, inherit their father's lands before him was not done.
"Master Izo never wanted Lord Kenshin to be in a position where he would have to think past the orders he was given by his superiors. If he were to be expected to rule, then he would have to understand more than Master Izo wanted him to. Lord Kenshin was raised solely for battle, milady."
"How awful. It doesn't even sound like he was ever given a choice."
"No, milady, as I said, Master Izo never wanted him to even know he had a choice. He was to follow orders without question and without hesitation." Kaoru looked amazingly sad, and Megumi felt an uncharacteristic stab of regret for telling her. The new lady had only been there a few months, and while everyone had been afraid to tell her anything about their old lives before, since the lord was now speaking freely to her about whatever she asked, no one questioned his reasoning. Everyone was more relaxed now, knowing that they were allowed to say what they wanted, and in some ways felt encouraged to talk to her. She was a sensitive child, though, and her heart showed every twinge of sympathy she felt directly in her dark blue eyes.
"I have heard, though, milady, that Lady Kinuko would not allow her son to be uneducated in manners, and during her instruction she quietly made sure he would also be intelligent in his own right. So he is not as bad off as Master Izo would have liked him to be, but he was never given a chance to utilize that intelligence. Even when he was landed with the title of master, he has lived under the thumb of his father for so long, he is, I would nearly say, too frightened to think outside the small world of life and death he was caged within."
Kaoru stood for awhile, absorbing the information, before a wry smile tugged at her mouth. "Those are quite the in-depth assumptions, Megumi-sensei. Are you sure you're not a counselor as well as a doctor?"
"Well," Preening herself, she sat a little straighter. "I have read some books. Really, milady, what else do you think there has been to do around this place for the last thousand years?"
Laughing as she was supposed to, Kaoru rolled her shoulders as they began to cramp. "So what happened to his sister, Lady Yumi? If she was supposed to inherit the palace before him, then where is she? She didn't get killed, too, did she?" Almost unwilling to ask, she looked away out over the yard.
"No, Lady Yumi lived to old age, I suppose; her and her husband and her children, for all I know. Everything happened very quickly after Master Izo and Lord Isamu died in battle. You see… it wasn't long after their deaths that we were all turned into animals and Lord Kenshin was changed into his current form. By that time, there was no one left in the palace but the three men. Lady Kinuko was already long past three years prior, two of Master Izo's wives had left, and the other two he had sent himself to their families to demand more backing. So when the master and his heir both died, Lord Kenshin was the only master left to us, and since we were made into as we are… we really had no choice but to look to him for protection and leadership."
"Do you mean, no one really wanted Kenshin to be their master? They only followed him because they had no other choice?"
Sighing, Megumi flipped her tail to the other side. "You must understand, Lady Kaoru, it was a very confusing time. No one really knew what was going to happen next after Master Shinta was killed, and then to be transformed into animals for reasons we were not even aware of… Most of us had been servants since birth, and to be without a lord was panic inducing. Lord Kenshin was not who we had expected, and he was still quite young as well, but he was still the son of our master, and if he did not take over rule of the palace, then who would? Lady Yumi? Once she saw a palace full of talking animals, she would have had all of us killed."
"I don't understand. You make it sound like Kenshin would have been the worst possible choice for a leader, obviously not because of any fault of his own, but still… how is it that he has earned such respect now, even when he refuses to deal with the problems a leader must?"
Megumi finally smiled, a fox smile that showed the razor sharp teeth of her small muzzle in a flash of white. "I knew you would see that, milady. You have a strange ability to dig up the good. While Lord Kenshin may not have the confidence to deal with his people under normal circumstances, he has unknowingly developed a characteristic that even his father was unaware of, or never recognized. Good thing, too, because he would have wasted no time in snuffing it out."
The fox paused and Kaoru shook her hand, eagerly impatient. "Well, what is it?"
"An inherent need to protect. Any time our palace was ever threatened with a crisis, he has stepped up as the master we all needed. One such example… when Master Shishio came to the palace to claim what belonged to him through Lady Yumi. I think it was about three months after we were transformed, and the lord was never seen leaving his old rooms during that time. No one knew how we were going to survive, what we needed to do, and everyone feared the outside world's discovery of our weakness. Master Izo had made many enemies, and without an army to protect our lands, we were vulnerable to attack. Lord Kenshin didn't seem to care what we did. He didn't seem to care for anything, and when Master Shishio came through the front gate demanding Lord Kenshin relinquish his rights to the palace, Lord Kenshin did not even stir to respond."
"My lord! My lord, please! Master Shishio from the north is here, demanding to see you!"
"The palace guard was still active, however, and luckily many of them were turned into predatory animals. It was decided that since Lord Kenshin was not going to make an appearance that something else needed to be done. If Master Shishio were to take over the palace then we would have no where to live. He would either drive us all out and assume the servants who were supposed to be there had simply abandoned the place, or had us all killed, or perhaps a little of both. So the guard attacked. Master Shishio's small entourage was surprised at first, but they had actual weapons and a few of our guards were wounded… a couple were killed."
Panicked screams filled the air; the mighty roar of a lion; the injured screeched of an elephant.
"My lord… please… your people need you."
"We lost one innocent." The fox's cinnamon eyes looked down, remembering a day far removed from Kaoru's peaceful life. "She was a sweet, naïve maid who worked with the laundry crew. She tried to plead with Master Shishio to stop hurting the palace men, but she never thought of the consequences such an action would create. As soon as she spoke the look on his face changed. I remember him dismounting from his horse, and walking calmly toward her…" Eyes clenching shut as if to block the mental image, Megumi gasped in a breath as a soft hand touched her back. "It was her scream I think that did it, because the next moment defined the outcome of Master Shishio's visit."
Shishio's dark eyes widened, his feet staggering back as a monster as red as blood stepped off the palace walkway. Deep crimson hair was pulled into a high ponytail, golden horns shone on his head, leather wings twitched at his back, and an angry snarl jerked at his lip. The creature was unlike anything he had ever seen, and for a brief moment Shishio wondered if it wasn't death in physical form come to reap vengeance upon a house that had taken his job for their own.
Tripping back, he was vaguely aware of the startled shouts of his men, the frightened whines of the horses, but could not look away as the beast angled its steps straight for him.
In one quick motion its clawed fingers were wrapped around his throat, a reflexive gag choking his windpipe, and then his feet were leaving the ground. With inhuman strength, he was held high over its head where it frowned in terrible fury.
"This palace is now mine. No one of this world can claim it from me."
Nodding hurriedly, Shishio agreed. "Of course, I meant no disrespect."
"You killed one of my servants. I feel disrespected." Growling, his grip tightened.
"Forgive me, my lord. I was not awar…" Choking as he was cut off, Shishio struggled against his assailant, both hands circling his one wrist.
"I will take one of yours." Looking around the suspended lord, his hair twitched, and the lion vaulted across one of the horses to latch onto its rider. Dragging his screaming form to the ground, he ripped out his throat for a quick death. "Be glad that I did not require your life." Sitting him down roughly, the palace lord shoved him back into the dirt. "Be gone from here, before I change my mind."
Rubbing his throat, Shishio crab-walked backwards, his eyes never leaving the strange golden ones of the beast. "What… have you done with the people who were living here?"
Sharply its attention returned, its vertical pupils looking him over as it paused before giving a reply. "I have drained all the human blood from this palace." The northern master's face went pale, his throat working to swallow down a surge of bile. A wicked smile pulled at the creature's lips, a look caught halfway between disgust and amusement. "My appetite has been well sated… for now. I cannot vouch for the next twenty-four hours, however. Tonight, I think, I will have to search for something nearby to appease my hunger."
"Kenshin said that?" Blinking wide eyes, Kaoru let out a breath. "I bet that freaked him out."
"I've never seen anyone leave so fast. It was like watching that mutt disappear when his debts are called in." Rubbing one paw over her ear, Megumi forced out a single cheerless laugh. "We never saw him again, or anyone else for that matter. It was quick thinking on the lord's part, and it only solidifies the fact that he can be as intelligent as he needs to be for any given situation. Spreading such an idea through the mind's of those outside our world was more potent than anything he could have tried physically. Unfortunately he has never developed that intelligence outside of life or death circumstances."
"It kind of amazes me, though. To think Kenshin was responsible for his own false rumor. His words are the direct cause of all the stories I have heard growing up."
"Yes." Mood turning amused, Megumi shook her head with a grin. "Though I haven't quite figured out when they started claiming he only ate children. They're so small, what good would they do anyone to eat?"
Both women burst into laughter, the happy sounds echoing down the covered walks, and it wasn't long before an answering cadence of footfalls followed. Smiling as she recognized Kenshin, Kaoru glanced behind her.
"Well, it seems Lord Kenshin has come looking for his lady. Our conversation has come to its conclusion." Turning to trot off in the opposite direction, Megumi paused when Kaoru called after her.
"Wait, Megumi-sensei…" Hand outstretched, she shot another look over her shoulder before lowering her voice. "I want to help Kenshin. Can you… help me do that?" Dropping her arm and blushing, she shrugged helplessly. "I don't know anything about what it takes to run a palace."
"Don't be silly, milady. You are well liked here at the palace. There is not one of us under the lord's rule who would not provide the assistance you need. Besides, we will be in your debt if you succeed in teaching him. And when you're finished," Heading around the corner, she sarcastically threw out a quip to lighten the mood. "maybe you can beat some sense into that mutt."
Grinning, Kaoru looked up at Kenshin as he stopped beside her. "Who were you talking to, Kaoru-dono?"
"Megumi-sensei, she was just… giving me some advice. Where have you been?" Slipping an arm through his, she angled him back down the veranda to stroll towards the dining hall.
"I was introducing Yahiko-kun to his new superiors." Following without hesitation, he explained in an offhand manner. "His leg is still sore, but it will not stop him from learning other things."
"A warrior must be intelligent." Nodding knowingly, Kaoru peeked at him from out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes, my lady, a warrior must."
"And a master must be even more so. Which reminds me," Smiling over the frown that briefly tugged his lips, she squeezed his arm. "Yutarou-san wishes for an audience with you…"
X
A/N: There wasn't much Kenshin in this chapter. How sad. Ah well, it was needed. Now that I've got his family history out of the way, I can start actually getting into the curse. Yipee! Plus this was a major setup for the next needed chapter, and… poor Tae. Her man's not much better than Kenshin in the brains department, although he does have reason to be afraid, since all of his paintings have only ever brought despair. Taking it back was one thing, though, not arguing with her when she took it the wrong way is another. Here we go again with this undeserving male stuff. Oh, and I left Yumi and Shishio alive, so in some far off place, Kenshin may have far removed nieces and nephews. What a fun thought. Well, not much else I need to say. Thanks for the reviews, and all the speculation is great. I'm glad I've got a few of you thinking. Please leave a review for me here, and thanks again. See you in the next chapter.