Wow. So… after one emergency visit to the urgent care, two doctor visits, one hundred dollar prescription, a lot of pain, a lot of tears, my laptop charger frying, and little sleep later… I finally finished a chapter. Yay! Hopefully this will never happen again, and yes… I suppose I'm feeling better, though it's still pending. We'll see. Anyway… READ ON!
Disclaimer: I've neglected this story for three weeks now. I hope my price isn't steep.
Chapter 22: The Price of Negligence
Kenshin could feel the end of his patience building like a summer storm on the ocean horizon. Soon its destructive flashes of light and warning rumbles of thunder would blacken the serenity he was desperately trying to imitate and destroy the image of the calm master Kaoru wanted him to be. Anxiety was quickening its coming, fear that he would make the wrong choice, and as he sat and stared at their smiling, yet hopeful, host he was having a hard time catching his breath. This was not seemly for a master. It was not allowed.
How many times in the past five weeks had he felt this way? How many times was he left feeling lost in a sea of indecision as he listened to the problems his people dealt with from day to day? Problems they were needing help with. Problems he was supposed to be solving. Kenshin didn't know the first thing he needed to do to help them, every decision that came to mind would only harm another, creating a new problem for him to unravel. His only certainty was that he was never meant to be their master. They deserved someone better. Someone like his brother.
Even Kaoru would be better than I.
Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she meticulously recorded everything that was said, everything that she learned. Upon questioning why, she had smiled and explained that his physician, Megumi he thought was her name, did this with her patients so that she could remember at the end of the day just what was wrong with each. "Just like anybody needing a doctor to cure them of their sickness, we should be ready to help your people with their problems. If I write everything down, we won't have to worry about forgetting who had which issue and so on." This had helped in a large way, as Kenshin, though the master and over a thousand years old now, did not have a ready knowledge of everyone who lived there. Sometimes he recalled vague memories of certain people they visited, but most of them, he was surprised to discover, he knew nothing of.
At the end of the day they looked over her documentation and then discussed what should be done. Sometimes a decision was reached immediately, sometimes before they even left the person's house, but there were quite a few that were left for further consideration. It embarrassed him to not have the answer, but Kaoru never seemed disappointed. It didn't matter, because he could feel it. Every single time he could not reach down into the depths of his experience and pull out the answer they needed he could see clearly the disappointment crowding in around him from all sides. It was enough to make him claustrophobic; enough to make him want to run. Punishment always followed in the footsteps of disapproval. If he was not able to respond, and respond correctly, then punishment would be his teacher.
It was almost upon him now, he could feel the promising wind at his back. For Kaoru's sake he had tried to hold it in, but fighting its coming only seemed to feed it strength. Shifting his weight on the cushion he sat upon, Kenshin begged for the audience to be over with. Eyes closing, he tried to fake a few more seconds of composure, his fists clenching at his sides, hidden by the voluminous sleeves of his kimono. The room was unnaturally quiet, and yet in his head he heard the phantom growls of chaotic thunder. The sound was in his ears now, the lightning directly behind his eyes, and in the distance there was something new, something like the whistling of wind. It was torrential, overpowering, but most of all destructive. Everything in its path would be wiped clean by its fury.
Something light touched his hand and he jerked, his eyes snapping open to study the intention of the culprit. Kaoru's blue eyes were worried, questioning, her long fingers, calloused from swordplay and stained with ink, curling slowly around his. "Kenshin?" He blinked, reading his name on her lips but unable to hear her for the roaring in his ears. "Do you have any input on the matter?" Her speech was still unable to reach him, her hand tugging on his a bit harder. "Kenshin, are you alright?" Golden eyes stared, his eyelashes widening as the imaginary storm struck hard enough to shake the foundation of his control.
Kaoru's dark eyebrows curled together, a frown pulling on a mouth that was almost always smiling, and then she was turning away. The smile reappeared for their host, a male badger he couldn't remember the name of, and she waved a hand with a small laugh. Though he could not register what it was she spoke, the jealousy over her actions heated the tempest in his mind, the mixture of cold and hot swirling around in dangerous harmony. With such disorder happening already within his thoughts, why would she add such a sickening feeling by directing that smile at anyone other than him?
A leaden gaze snapped to the other male in the room, and the happy nodding and smiling the badger was responding with died in abrupt alarm. Kaoru was collecting her things and did not notice. The storm eased off.
"Thank you for your time, Sotaro-san. I'm sorry that you won't be receiving an answer immediately, but everything will be taken care of before long." Kenshin nearly sighed as the reassuring tone of her voice washed over him. They were leaving. At that same moment, her hand reached for his again, a signal she was ready to stand. Ignoring their host, he stood, one hand touching lightly at her back, the other catching her weight at her forearm as she rose from the cushion.
Outside there was still snow on the ground, but the days were filled with more sunshine than clouds as spring reluctantly approached their mountain palace. As the days became more manageable the streets were cleared, making it easier to traverse the city. It also gave a wonderfully straight view back down the mountain to his palace and the safety of his rooms. It was still early afternoon, however, and they had many more homes to visit. Suddenly the storm was threatening again.
They were barely into the street when she touched a hand to his shoulder, her eyes peering up into his curiously; anxiously. "You blanked out on me again, Kenshin. What happened?"
Denial was his primary protection from her curiosity. "I am fine, Kaoru-dono." Diversion was his secondary when her features showed clear disbelief. "Perhaps a bit weary. Let us return to the palace and rest for the remainder of the week. You are beginning to look weary yourself, and I will not have you sick again."
Kaoru was full on frowning now. "You said the same thing to me last week, Kenshin. This isn't something you can keep doing."
"Doing, my lady?" Turning away from her, his eyes avoided her own.
"Don't act ignorant, Kenshin, because that is one thing you aren't."
Irritation itched at his shoulder blades, and he growled softly. "You don't think so?"
"How could I?" Huffing and shaking her head in disbelief, Kaoru's frown deepened. "I've never met anyone less ignorant."
Suddenly the glance of his amber eyes was full of pity. "You clearly do not yet see, Kaoru-dono, just how ignorant I truly am. These problems we have listened to day after day, they are minor issues. My brother was handling them on his own at the age of nine. I am struggling just to understand the questions. How, do you suppose, am I to give the answers?"
"Nobody's asking you to come up with something right away. That's why we're writing everything down. All anyone is asking is that you try."
"I've been trying! It has changed nothing!"
"You don't know that!" Trying to catch his hand, she was vaguely aware of their voices rising. "You've barely given it enough time!" His arm jerked out of her reach.
"Enough time? What does a child like you know of time?"
Hand dropping to clench by her side, Kaoru felt her temper surge to the surface. Spoiled, selfish brat! "Enough to know you wasted all of yours in hiding! You left your people to fend for themselves while you sulked and bemoaned your fate and thought nothing of theirs!"
They were glowering at one another, a dark shadow marring the bright rays of sunshine, and the street was deathly quiet. "Don't pretend you understand anything about what happened to me or my people, little girl."
Grinding her teeth, she bit back. "Of course not, old man. Unlike you, I'm not that arrogant. But I know cowardice when I see it, and for a noble, a samurai, a man to be so quick to run away, it is simply disgraceful."
Disgust was blatantly evident on her features now, mixing with anger, frustration, and finally the disappointment he had always imagined. Drowning and desperate, the storm a raging tempest in his mind, he made one last attempt to make her realize the hopelessness of his plight; letting go of the façade he had put up for her. "I am not the master you think I am. I am a substitute for those who could not be here. A pale replacement for my betters. My brother spent his entire life learning how to rule and protect the lands he would inherit. I spent my entire life learning how to protect him. I was never interested in the complications of being the head of our family. It is a position I neither asked for nor wanted."
The ugly emotions from seconds before melted sadly off her face, and for a moment he could see the soothing sympathy and understanding he wanted in her sapphire eyes. The mood broke as her eyes dropped, however, and she swallowed, her jaw firming, and when she looked at him again it was with determination. Kenshin could almost feel her heart hardening against him. "That may be, Kenshin, but whether you want it or not, you have been the master for the last thousand years. I think it's about time you man-up and accept that. Your people deserve to have a master they can count on."
Once again his anger snapped and he was yelling across the distance that was widening between them. "They deserve my brother!"
"And he's dead!" Pain jerked at his features and she slouched, but continued. "You're all they have left. It's not fair to abandon them completely." He was turning away, and she frantically tried to think of something, anything, to get him to stay and continue on the path she was pushing him down. "Do you think that is what your brother would have wanted?"
He paused mid-stride, his hair brushing his kimono as he tilted one ear in her direction. "What does it matter? He's dead."
X
"Milady? Milady?"
Kaoru jerked her head up, blinking at the bright pink flamingo fluttering its soft feathers down the arm of her kimono. Sighing, Kaoru shook her head and conjured up a smile. "Forgive me, Sanae-san. I lost my train of thought. What was it you were saying?"
The flamingo's dark eyes crinkled, speaking of her amusement as she couldn't smile with her hard beak. "There is no need to apologize, Lady Kaoru. We are very much aware that you have had your hands full these last few weeks." Behind the female flamingo, her husband, a great stag with the most impressive pair of antlers she had ever seen, nodded his head.
"Thank you for being understanding, but it does not excuse me from being rude. Whatever you have to say is no less important to me, or Lord Kenshin, than what everyone else has had to say. I should not let my thoughts distract me." Glancing down at the nearly full scroll in front of her, she quickly scanned what she had recorded from the visit. I think that is all that was said. I'm sure the last thing they were speaking of was simple preparations for the coming spring. Not an issue Kenshin will need to review.
Thoughts straying once again, she frowned, sorrow tugging at her heart. The argument that had happened two days before had not gone well, and in hindsight Kaoru knew she could have handled it better. Instead, her temper had taken care of everything, and the harsh words that had sprung from her mouth had only pushed him away instead of showing him what was needed. Who was she kidding? She wasn't the right person to help him. He needed someone with more patience. I bet his mother never yelled. She probably knew the right answer for everything.
"It's the young lord that is troubling you, isn't it, milady?" Kaoru glanced up, startled. Sadness filled the flamingo's eyes. "Everyone knows what it is you are trying to do, milady, and we are all extremely grateful for your concern…"
"But?" Afraid of what she was going to hear next, Kaoru's features fought the twitch of distress.
"The young lord is not interested in our problems. He has made this clear to us from the very beginning." Sanae spoke over her as Kaoru made a noise to interrupt. "Please, milady, we know that in his own way he does care for us, and he has always helped us when we were in dire need, but we also know that being our master was never what he wanted. We have accepted this, and after a thousand years, we have learned how to live without the guiding hand of a lord. Yes, we have many problems that are left unattended, problems that would have never arose were there an authoritative head to answer to. But we endure, and besides, there are so many things that are merely habitual now that were once necessity."
"Such as the food rations." The stag spoke up, and Kaoru averted her attention to him. Koki, she remembered was his name, and throughout the entire audience he had spoken rarely. His voice was deep and soothing to listen to. "We also heard of your urging in this matter, milady, and we thank you for opening the young lord's eyes, but eating for us has become a comfort. Even without food, we can no longer die of starvation. It is only an uncomfortable inconvenience to us."
"So you see, milady, there is no need for you to push yourself. Not for our sakes. The young lord will be as he always has been, and you should not feel discouraged that you cannot change him. You should also feel no fear that we will shun you if you fail. You are a very sweet and sensitive child. How could any of us blame you when you have tried so hard to help?"
They sat in silence for a few moments, Kaoru's head bowed. "Does everyone feel this way about Kenshin?"
"I'm afraid… no one has enough hope left to believe his interest will last, Lady Kaoru. We know… he is only trying for you."
Sucking in a slow breath, Kaoru reached for the stopper to her bottle of ink. "That is really too bad, because I don't believe that at all. He wants you to have a good master. He knows you deserve to have a good master. All I have been doing is trying to show him that he is that master." But he has no confidence in himself. He is too stuck on his inadequacies. Too stuck on the past and his brother, the master they should have had. Blinking, Kaoru looked between the couple and then at the floor. Shinta-sama trained his entire life to be the new master, and Kenshin trained to protect him. Surely he has had the best example to follow, after shadowing his older brother around for so long. So what is holding him back? "Kenshin was never supposed to be the master. In fact… his father discouraged his education. All he has is his experience and what he has learned from his brother." Letting out a breath of amazement, Kaoru shook her head. "It's his brother. He wants so much to be like his brother he has lost confidence in himself and his own decisions. He's afraid he won't be able to live up to his memory."
Sanae traded a look with her husband, but neither could understand her mumbling. "Milady?"
Kaoru looked up with a smile, happiness deep within her irises. "I understand it must be hard for you to hope after so many centuries. I can't even imagine what you have had to endure, but please… as a favor to me… do not give up on Kenshin. He has the potential. He just needs the right amount of encouragement."
X
Once again they were at odds with one another. Once again he was left feeling as if something important, something precious had been ripped from him. Once again it was his own fault. Not that she appeared outwardly to be treating him any differently than she had before. In fact, she was making a point to talk to him, non-stop, for as long as she was in his presence. Her chatter always varied; from the weather, to a childhood memory, to something the servants had done, and then just as he was relaxing, she would recite one of the issues he was supposed to be working out for his people. Every single muscle in his neck would tighten with panic and the strain would seal his mouth shut. She never pushed him on the subject, though, her words always thoughtful instead of questioning. It made him wonder just what she was doing.
Kaoru was still attending their schedule of audiences without him, leaving after breakfast and returning just before supper. Exhaustion was showing itself in her eyes, but she never stopped going, staying up well into the night cataloguing and filing everything she had recorded that day into the appropriate piles in their make-do office. She was trying to prove a point, he just couldn't see what it was.
She wasn't handling any of the problems, because the stack of papers just kept getting taller and taller, while the ones that had already been solved seemed to be getting shorter and shorter by contrast. The way it was going, she was acting as his personal assistant or some such nonsense, just waiting for him to finish up the mountain of paperwork so she could have it handled and then cleared away. Why didn't she just go ahead and fix the problems, too? He was sure she could. She seemed almost capable of anything.
Perhaps she's still stubbornly set on me doing it. Grumbling, Kenshin hunched a little further in on himself, his wings draping around him to cocoon in his body heat. It was nearing spring, but the evenings were still cold. When will she understand that I am not able to handle the dealings of this palace and city? I cannot be their master in such a way. I don't know how. Not like Shinta-sama.
He would have been the perfect master. He cared for everyone's wellbeing. He listened to what everyone had to say before making or amending his decisions. He trained hard to learn how to protect everyone. He wanted nothing more than what was best. Kaoru was right… he would have never abandoned his people. Never would have wanted them to be abandoned. He also would have never wanted them to suffer the rule of a bad master. Good intentions do not mean they will end in good decisions. What kind of harm could I possibly inflict by trying like Kaoru wants? Surely it would be better just to leave everything as it is. We have all survived for the last thousand years. What difference would a change make now?
"Kenshin. Who do you think is more important in our country? The emperor, or his subject?"
Kenshin blinked across at his mother, curious of the small tilt of amusement on her lips. Was it a trick question? Chewing on his lip he answered cautiously. "Is his subject someone specific, or is it all of them?"
Her smile widened. "Do you think it will make a difference?"
Kenshin shrugged his young shoulders. "Perhaps, though I doubt it."
"And why is that?"
"If the country were to be attacked, then the emperor would need to be protected at all costs."
"And what of his people? Would you sacrifice all of their lives just to save his?"
A small frown pulled at his child's face, a pout pushing out his bottom lip. "That doesn't sound right at all."
Her head nodded in approval. "Explain."
"Well… who would he rule over if there wasn't anyone alive?"
"A very astute observation, Kenshin. How would you, then, answer my question now? Is the emperor more important, or is it his subject?"
"His subject?" Uncertain, he answered slowly.
"Ah, you sound unsure. Why don't you try explaining why you have chosen this answer?"
"We already said, Kaasan."
"Try thinking of some other reasons. Do you think a subject is only good for ruling over? What do they do that the emperor does not?"
"Clean. Cook. Dress themselves. Dress us. Feed the horses and tend the gardens and wash the clothes." Ticking off a list on his fingers, he took a breath and let it out in a huff when it became too long for him to keep track. "Kaasan, I think they do everything."
Laughing, Kinuko pulled her son into her lap and hugged him tight. "Yes, baby, they do a lot of things that we will never have to do for our entire lives. But it is only because they are here, taking care of us. In turn, we are left free to focus on other things they cannot. We must not allow ourselves to be lazy simply because we have servants. We must return their hard work by working hard for them. They must be taken care of as well, and that is why the emperor's position is important too."
"So they're both important? But who's the most important?"
Kinuko smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Let's rephrase the question. If you were the emperor, who would be more important to you? Yourself or your people?"
"My people."
"Because?"
"Because it would be my job to take care of them."
"Very good, baby."
But I don't know how, Mother. I don't know anything useful outside of battle.
"It was an easy mistake, little brother. You shouldn't let it discourage you."
At eleven years old Kenshin was barely tall enough to see over the rest of the people in his father's court while they were seated. Now outside in the hot summer air, he was trying to escape his oldest brother.
"Yeah, why don't you do that again next time?" Pushing by them with a slap on the back of Kenshin's head, Tenshi grinned. "That vein on Father's forehead might pop, just like your arm if he gets a hold of you." Laughing cynically, he waved a salute as he disappeared into the maze of pavilions.
Shinta sighed. "Though I hate to admit it, Tenshi's right about Father's patience. The next time you have an idea, come to me with it. I would greatly value your views, little brother."
"No. I shouldn't have said anything. Father was right. It wasn't my place."
"It would be if I decided I wanted you to be an advisor instead of my guardian." Winking, Shinta smiled, the look dying as Kenshin did not respond.
"I don't want to be your advisor, Shinta-sama. I… I don't want to do that ever again." A vulnerable look crossed his maturing features. "Father said… I was to be punished."
"You know… you don't have to be right all the time."
"You do in battle."
"Only if you are fighting alone, little brother."
I am fighting alone! Standing, Kenshin paced to the door, needing to get out of the room and find something, anything to distract him from his thoughts. It was already dark outside, and without willing them, his feet took him to a pavilion adjacent to Kaoru's. It was here she was keeping all of her paperwork, and where she spent all of her extra time when she wasn't out visiting or eating. Though his presence would undoubtedly mislead her into thinking he was going to start helping her again, he wanted to talk to her. She made him feel like he was needed, like he was worth something after all these years, and even if what she expected of him was beyond possibility, he liked knowing that there was still one person who believed in him.
The building was dark, and as he peeked into the inner rooms, he sighed in disappointment at finding her already gone. It was getting late, but it was relatively early for her to be going to bed. She has seemed extremely tired, lately. Perhaps it is good that she has decided to try and sleep longer. Not cheered in the least, he stepped up into the room, careful of the neatly ordered documents, and found the lamp she used for light.
The unresolved stack was ridiculously large, and he found upon glancing over the room that she had changed the system to accommodate. Now instead of just one pile for answered and one for unanswered they each had a different half of the room. The finished pile really only had a corner at this point, but there was a large blank spot spreading across the front of one wall that suggested it was ready for more papers. In between there was two cushions; one for him and one for her, though his was not quite as flat. There were also more scrolls and documents for referencing, all carefully labeled depending on the subject. The multiple piles of pending issues were also smartly divided into specific columns to make it easier to research an answer.
Somehow, knowing she had gone through so much trouble just to make it as undemanding as possible for him, made him feel worthless. He wanted so much to please her, to make her happy and to have her look at him with respect and admiration. He had tried, and he had failed. It wasn't that he didn't want to be the master she wanted, either, but because he knew he wasn't that master. Shinta was that master, and no matter what he did, he could never be his brother.
Sitting on his cushion, he leaned his chin on one upraised knee, absently fingering the pile of papers directly in front of him. The light from the lamp flickered, stretching and pulling the shadows, briefly darkening the symbols on the page. As the light settled and his eyes scanned the information, he frowned. Instead of a random problem, he had stumbled upon a list of names.
Some of them he recognized; Kamatari, Saitou, Kogorou, Toki, Gentatsu, Megumi. Others he did not; Koki, Tomoki, Yuya, Ran, Shun, Shinobu, Norio, Hania, Sachi, Shigure. Underneath each name was a description of what they did. Reading further showed any who answered to them. Kamatari knew everything there was to know about the distribution and handling of their food. That meant people like Tae, since she headed the cooking for the entire palace, answered to him. Saitou and Kogorou each handled a separate division of protection. Saitou for the palace city, and Kogorou for the palace itself. Cho and Okita answered to Saitou, and Aoshi and Soujirou answered to Kogorou. Then there was Toki and Gentatsu. They were brother and sister and each were the superiors over the servants of their respective sexes. Toki over all of the women, Gentatsu over all of the men. Megumi was the noble family's personal physician, and so all of those in the medical field, down to the herb pickers, answered to her.
All of these he knew because he had regular interaction with them at the palace, or because their personalities were so strong it was hard to forget a single encounter. The others, however, interested him, and as he read up on the information Kaoru had collected, he was beginning to develop an interest in the list. Koki was apparently very knowledgeable about everything that had to do with farming; the rice, the hay, down to anything you would ever want to know about planting, harvesting, and preserving vegetables. Tomoki was the exact same way with the orchards and fruits. Yuya knew the mines by heart. Ran was an excellent blacksmith. On second thought, I remember him. He was the apprentice to the man who made my katana. Shun was obsessive about the livestock. Everyone sought out Shinobu's advise about construction. Norio was their best hunter. Sae swore on Hania's tailoring capabilities. Sachi loved volunteering to teach basic skills to those who wished to learn. Finally, Shigure was almost always found in the gardens, pampering the plants and tending to the flowers.
As the detailed register of specific skills burned itself onto his brain, his mind cataloging every inch of data like his mother had taught him, his brother's voice overlapped his own inner monologue. "I would greatly value your views, little brother."
But why? You were to be the master.
"If all opinions, information, and views come from the same source my decisions will become stale and my people will suffer for it. I must see myself and my lands through many different eyes in order to be the best leader that I can. I value your eyes, little brother. They have seen everything, have endured everything, in forced silence. I do not think Father understands the true extent of the education he has unwittingly given to you. You have watched silently as we have ruled and discussed and made our right and wrong decisions. As a spectator, you have seen what we have not, and your eyes are always learning. That is why no one can defeat you in one on one combat, little brother. In fact, you have even begun to frighten Father with your skill."
But you are smarter than I, than Father… than any man I have ever met. What would you need of advisors?
"Little brother… do you know the greatest mistake Father made in raising us? He pitted us against one another. He thought it would make us stronger if we did not rely on anyone other than ourselves, but he was wrong. Together, we would have been unstoppable. Think about it, Kenshin. If your eyes are looking forward, and mine looking back, then no one can sneak up on us. If Tenshi were to look left, and Isamu to look right, than no one can come at our side. There would be no blind spot, no weakness. Life is full of mistakes, but they are only ever fatal if you are fighting them alone."
The pages blurred and then steadied, and Kenshin let out a breath. A small, missing piece of his life seemed to click back into place, rebuilding a section of his confidence. I think you are right, brother. I don't know if Kaoru-dono knew what she was doing when she compiled this list, but I shall have to thank her later. Perhaps… she heard you better than I. Deciding to give it one more try, he reached for one of the stacks and slid it closer.
Twenty minutes later and he was reorganizing her system into one of his own, his uncertainty and anxiety melting into eagerness. If the simple knowledge of Kaoru's belief in his usefulness was fulfilling, actually putting that usefulness to the test was even better. For now it was limited to a small trial, but just knowing he had some sort of plan in mind made his fear of failure seem like less and less of a problem.
Without willing it, he yawned, and he was dimly surprised to find he was disappointed by his fatigue. Reluctant to lose his new found enthusiasm, he stood with every intention of heading for the kitchens. Cleaning up the kitchens was a big job, and he doubted they were finished just yet. A pot of jasmine tea and some leftover snacks would be a good way to grind out a few more hours of energy. The smell of the tea alone would do him wonders.
Sliding open the door to the kitchens showed him nothing but an empty room. Noise was drifting through the doorway to the wash room, however, so he marched his way across the still halfway dirty kitchen and into the neighboring space. Instead of the cook and her two helpers, however, he was met by only one of the aides, her long arms buried shoulder deep in a basin of sudsy water. A second scan showed that she was indeed by herself. Frowning, he shrugged. Perhaps the other two were retrieving some clean water from the well.
"You." A high yelp and quick turn snapped her attention on him. "I need a fresh pot of tea brought to the pavilion the lady and I have been working out of."
Momentarily speechless, the young snow monkey worked her jaw nervously. "Y-yes, milord." Looking uncomfortably undecided, she grabbed at a towel after a few seconds and began drying her arms off as she walked towards the open divider door. About to turn and leave himself, Kenshin paused, thinking something was not quite right.
"Is there no one else here to help you?"
Again she froze, her eyes widening. "Well, I-I…" Ducking her head, she hunched her shoulders. "I uh… I think… Tae-san and Suzume-chan said they were… er… really worn out and so they…"
"They left you with this mess?" Golden eyes flickered around the interior a third time, really taking in the amount of dishes, pots, and pans they went through. The floors were dirty and in need of being cleaned, and there was still food on the stove. Suddenly feeling the role of his position, he grunted angrily. "That will not be allowed. If they wished for time off I do not care, but it will not happen at the same time. This is too big of a job to handle alone. Go fetch them both and bring them here. I will talk to them."
For the third time she hesitated, and it was trying his patience. "Listen, what was your name?"
"Ayame, sir."
"Alright, Ayame-chan, no one is going to be punished, but I will not let this go unnoticed. Bring them here. I promise I simply wish to speak with them."
Light brown eyes darted to and fro, her breathing coming in small gasps as she nodded her head. Halfway turned and headed toward the outer door, her movements jerky and suspicious, she spun at the last second and hit the floor hard with her forehead.
"Forgive me, my lord, but I can't do as you ask."
The frown on his face darkened, wondering if his lack of leadership had really lost him so much respect from his servants and people. I really must try harder from now on. "And why not?"
"Because… because Tae-san is missing."
X
A/N: Oh, so mean. lol Well, there we have it. I hope it's not too choppy, and I promise, this is (well, almost) the last time we have a fight between Kaoru and Kenshin. It's kind of felt like one of those pop rides at the amusement parks, where you strap yourself into a seat, and then they shoot you up into the air before dropping you from a hundred feet. Over and over and over again until you just want to get off and be safe on the ground. Or let them throw you through the air or something. As long as they make up their mind which way they want you to go. XD
Anyway, I hope everyone liked it, and please ask away if you have any questions… besides the obvious "where did Tae go?" lol That you will have to wait to find out. Hope to see you soon in the next one, and thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Please give me some new ones for encouragement. Ta-ta.