Thanks to skenshingumi, Aolun and Guest (whoever you may be) for your comments, advices and kind words.
Fortunately, my health has been improving. I am under a new treatment that seems to pay better results. And let's hope everything is uphill from now on.
"Coming of Age"
Akai Castle was in chaos...
Controlled chaos itself.
When the goddess decided to bless Himura Kaoru with the gift of blood - just eight months after her arrival in the North, to her new nation of Akai - it had been a quiet day and the event had passed without any major drama. Submerged in her evening bath, Kaoru had been surprised to see the red color of her blood slide into the water like ink, just before completely leaving the tub. Needless to say, she stayed a while longer after this.
Shura, who had already gone through the same thing three months ago, soon went to help her lady in the company of the other maids. The news, as expected, traveled quickly to Okami's ears; who was in charge of guiding and sheltering her in this new stage that the minor was beginning.
Kaoru strangely felt calm. Perhaps it had been the experience of the teachings in the courtesans' house, the books she had read regarding the subject, and the conversations with her sister through letters - although Megumi had not wanted to be so explicit, she ended up giving more information due to her nature as a healer - but except for the presence of blood there was no change.
"You were lucky," Shura told her.
Kaoru blinked in confusion, sitting on her bed where she had been ordered to rest after her shower and the talk with Okami, she wondered what luck had to do with all this.
Shura laughed before answering the obvious question in her partner and friend's expression.
"Most maidens suffer a lot from menstrual pains," she explained. "But it seems that is not your case, and you don't look like you are going to have an emotional breakdown either."
"That happens?" She questioned fearfully.
Shura shook her shoulders.
"Do you remember how temperamental I was when it happened to me?"
Kaoru felt chills. The castle had suffered from sudden fountains and waterfalls whenever her companion had a change of mood.
"When you put it like that, I think I was indeed lucky." Kaoru acknowledged.
Shura smiled.
"Maybe it's also due to your power. After all, the heat helps relieve pain; maybe you are using it without realizing it."
The brunette thought about it for a moment.
"I don't feel like anything is happening," she replied, confused.
Shura laughed again, she had just finished peeling the fruit from the basket.
"Perhaps you are so used to it that you don't realize it now" Shura pointed out. "After all, every time you are with the Duke your light diminishes. But seriously, the heat even helps blood flow better. Do you remember when, at the courtesans' house, they told us about ways to reduce the bleeding time?"
Kaoru nodded, taking the plate of fruit that Shura offered her.
"I remember. Cold to cut it off, heat to make it flow. Does that mean my bleeding will last less?"
Shura blinked in confusion.
"Who knows! You would have to try it to see if it works, but I don't recommend it; it's just your first day and you don't know if you really won't have any pain or if it will come later. Better wait to see how you react."
Kaoru smiled when she heard her, she felt warmth in her chest.
"You sounded just like my sister." She told her animatedly.
"Oh! It's true!"
And both young girls burst into laughter.
...
Soon night followed dusk and the day ended without much problem. Kenshin had been out on a visit to the nearby delegations; a key checkup to ensure the prosperity of his young nation, and he would not return until after noon the next day.
The problem had been precisely that loneliness after experiencing such an overwhelming event; one that had not presented itself as such until Kaoru had found herself alone. Doubts filled her head and she soon ended up awake reviewing books and texts on female bleeding. That had been a big mistake since anxiety began to eat her alive after reading about disorders and health problems related to it.
Her feeling was so serious that she ended up wishing her bleeding would end soon.
"What if I cut it?" She had wondered, back in bed unable to sleep. "No. It's my first bleed and maybe I shouldn't" She refuted herself.
But later, thinking about the possible pain after feeling a spasm in her belly filled her with renewed concern.
"Maybe, if I use heat..." She thought.
She naively thought that if she overheated her belly with the power of her light, perhaps the process would speed up enough to finish bleeding even before Kenshin returned. Why did she suddenly want to hide it from him? She didn't know. But at that moment, insecure and afraid as she was, she made a decision.
...One that almost costed her life.
...
The next morning, when Shura entered the room to wake up her lady and friend, her heart sank and her scream ended up waking up the entire castle.
"AAAHHH!" She shouted loudly. "KAORU! KAORU!"
The young duchess was unconscious at the edge of her bed with her nightgown and sheets splattered with blood.
...
Throughout the morning the members of the castle were running from one place to another. Carrying messages to both the duchy's doctor and healers; and a letter to the Duke's entourage, waiting for him to hurry on his way back.
As soon as Kenshin received the letter, he vanished in his power of darkness until he materialized in the castle in a matter of minutes. Consequences be damned.
...
That had been several hours ago... Around noon Kaoru had regained consciousness, and after a long check-up by the doctor and his healers - as well as an exhaustive interrogation of the minor - it was determined that she was out of danger and in good condition; perhaps weak due to blood loss but nothing else that could be serious.
Needless to say, how tense the atmosphere was and the silence that fell over the room as soon as Kenshin ordered them to be left alone could be palpable. Nobody refuted.
Kaoru gripped the fabric of the sheets tightly and swallowed with difficulty.
Kenshin took a deep breath and let it out in a forced sigh, he seemed to be holding back. He advanced to the chair at the side of his young wife's bed and sat down on it. He rested his arms on his legs and took a moment before deciding to look at her.
"How do you feel?" He asked her.
Kaoru hesitated for a second.
"My belly still hurts, but otherwise I'm fine." She answered. Unlike Kenshin, her gaze was fixed on her own hands as she sat on her bed supported by piles of fluffy pillows.
Kenshin looked at her. Kaoru resisted returning his gaze.
Kenshin sharpened his gaze, hands in fists.
"What you did was dangerous and stupid!" He scolded her. The young woman shrank when she heard him. "I hope you have thought about it and don't do it again."
Silence, and then...
"You have no reason to be upset." Kaoru muttered under her breath, almost like a growl.
Kenshin got mad.
"Of course I have it!" He refuted, raising his voice an octave. "You put your life at risk! And considering I'm-"
"You have no idea what it's like!" She cut him off, with her eyes closed and shedding tears.
"Kaoru!"
"I was terrified!" She confessed, finally looking at him.
With a face full of tears and the clearest and most honest expression Kenshin had ever seen, Kaoru had managed to render him speechless for the first time in his life. The power of both seemed to shy away from an internal point of their owners. The young woman, motivated by the silence and attention of her partner, was encouraged to confess through tears.
"Apart from Shura, there is no one else, no one else with whom I feel the confidence to take refuge in them. You're a man, you wouldn't understand..." She pointed out with her voice trembling, her face once again avoiding his gaze. "If only Megumi were here..."
Suddenly the previous tension ended up fading into the atmosphere until it disappeared, and in its place was a cold and suffocating silence.
Kenshin's power seemed to suddenly detach itself, manifesting itself as an entity of its own that enveloped him until it rose to his chest, and then anchored itself strongly as if it were pressing him to respond; to move towards her partner until she reassembled the pieces that made her up.
The redhead sighed.
"Would you like me to call her?" He said finally.
"Eh?" Kaoru jumped and looked at him dumbfounded.
Her companion's smile greeted her.
"You're right... About everything you said, Kaoru." He accepted, taking away with those words the feeling that was overwhelming her. "I wish you could take refuge in me, but I understand that I haven't made things easy for you, especially on such a delicate topic..." His voice trailed off for a moment as if he was debating what he should say, how he should say it. In the end, he chose to put his hand on hers. "The only thing I can do is support you. If bringing your sister will make you feel better, then I will make arrangements. But please, try to understand me." He asked, his voice seemed to tremble. "I was scared too."
Her eyes widened in astonishment because the truth had been that she had not considered Kenshin's feelings or how he might have felt upon finding out what had happened. If she had been in his place, she would surely have also been angry at the fear she must have felt.
"Would you consider my feelings the next time you feel like doing something that could hurt you? -He asked her. -I don't like to see the people I love suffer. Much less feel that I can lose them at any moment, without being able to do anything to avoid it."
Kaoru felt like there was a lump in her throat. The tears slid down her cheeks again, this time silently.
"Kenshin..." She sobbed. "I'm sorry..."
With his heart relieved from that shock, Kenshin got up from his seat to sit on the bed with Kaoru, and wrapped her in his arms, reaffirming to himself that she was safe and sound, here and now, and that everything would be okay soon. She took refuge in him, feeling that something had finally changed in their relationship although she was not yet sure what.
Light and Darkness regained their balance.
That had been almost two weeks ago, eleven days to be exact, and the castle was once again in frenetic movement.
"Will we have any visitors today?" Asked Kaoru, who couldn't help but look confused at so much movement. "I don't remember that there was anything planned for these dates, although it is true that Kenshin has not resumed the inspections."
Shura, for her part, seemed satisfied with herself. She had a wide smug smile on her face as they both walked down the hallway, towards the dining room.
"The only visit that will occur today will be at night," she reported smiling.
Kaoru stopped suddenly and so did her maids. The duchess looked at her lady-in-waiting.
"Will we have a banquet?" She questioned worriedly, after all organizing an event on that scale would indeed require time, effort, and supplies; and even more so if she did not know the status of the possible guest.
Shura, however, kept the smile, taking her mistress's hands she told her in a dreamy tone.
"That's what most servants expect, for the good of the North if you know what I mean," she answered coyly.
Kaoru blinked even more confused.
"What are you talking about?"
"Kaoru," Shura scolded, still smiling, "It's the night of the conjugal visit."
The brunette looked at her for a moment, then another, and then burst into laughter.
"Why are you laughing?" Sura complained, hands on her waist; the rest of the maids looked just as worried.
"Oh come on, Shura!" Kaoru refuted, wiping away a tear "There's still time left for such an event. Just because I have received the blood does not mean that I'm old enough. And Kenshin agreed to follow the law."
Now the concern of her maids could be felt in the air, and suddenly the young duchess no longer looked so confident.
"What are you talking about, Kaoru?" Sura refuted her. "You already are of age."
A heartbeat.
"You reached the official age in June or have you truly forgotten how old you are? If we waited until the gift of blood arrived, it was precisely to grant you more time at the request of Duke Himura."
Her eyes widened in surprise, her heart seemed to beat irregularly. The world suddenly seemed too bright, so bright that she could barely see what was in front of her, because yes! Her mind remembered.
"Kaoru, you're already 13. -Shura declared. -And according to the law of the empire, you are a full-fledged bride. The wedding night will be celebrated today as arranged per custom. And from now on, even if you decide to stay in separate rooms, once a month you will share a bed in the hopes of an heir."
Kaoru's eyes were distracted by the blue of the sky outside the window.
At least that was the last thing she remembered seeing before she passed out.
...
Akai Castle was in chaos...
A controlled chaos in itself...
But chaos nonetheless.
A/N: Should we make another timeless leap? Or maybe send Kenshin away? muahahahaha