A/N This is part 1 of a 2 part prequel to The Legend of the Pretty Ronin.

Any girl who'd received two marriage proposals in one day would consider herself spoiled for choice. But those other girls were welcome to such suitors as Kaoru had. She would have none of them.

Kaoru slid open the shoji door and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, thank the merciful Buddha, they were gone. She stepped down from the porch and into her estate's sprawling, shambling grounds.

First, there was Takeda Kanryu.

Takeda-San's calling at Kaoru's home hadn't strictly come as a surprise. He'd been sniffing around Kaoru's land for months and dropped by every few weeks with some new ploy to get her to sell it, never taking the hint that Kaoru had no intention of doing so. But his latest tactic hit Kaoru like a punch in the gut.

"How is the luckiest girl in Tokyo?" he said when Kaoru reluctantly invited him in, hoping she could make this visit as short as possible without seeming rude. Kaoru wasn't exactly known for her feminine delicacy, but offending such a powerful man would be dangerous.

"Luckiest?" Kaoru said. She cocked an eyebrow.

Takeda approached her. "Because you get to be the future Mrs. Takeda Kanryu…" he started to wax poetical about all the perks that position came with. "… You'll pour my saké every evening from the finest porcelain."

Kaoru slowly backed away. "I'm terrible at pouring saké." This man's presumptuousness was absurd. Most men asked when they proposed rather than assumed.

"You must think I have it all, but there's one thing I'm missing…."

My land. It took all of Kaoru's willpower not to roll her eyes. It was the grounds of the Kamiya estate he wanted. Having Kaoru on his arm was a nice bonus.

Kaoru's back hit the wall. Takeda tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "You're the most beautiful girl in town," he said. Kaoru chuckled. Megumi and Yahiko would die of laughter if they'd heard him say this. "And that makes you the best. I don't accept anything less than the best." His breath was hot on her neck. "I'm even willing to overlook any indiscretions with that Rurouni of yours. Innocent maidens don't do anything for me."

This was what finally made Kaoru ask him to leave. Questioning her honor and insinuating that Kenshin had behaved dishonorably was a step too far.

Seta Soujiro was the next to come calling.

Soujiro-Kun was an acquaintance of Kaoru from Kyoto. When she heard he was in Tokyo, politeness dictated that Kaoru invite him to drop by sometime.

Kenshin had taken Ayame and Suzume to gather wildflowers in a nearby field that morning while Takeda-San was paying court to Kaoru.

"Let me get a vase for those," Kaoru said when they returned with a massive bouquet.

Kenshin lowered his head. "Kaoru-Dono will arrange them well," he said. "That she will. But wildflowers never look right in a vase."

He was right. No matter how Kaoru arranged the violets and primroses, they still looked limp and lifeless. Being an educated woman who understood the language of hanakotoba, Kaoru couldn't help but read meanings into these flowers. Violets met "sincerity," and primroses meant "long-lasting love."

But how often had Kaoru broken her heart by reading more into Kenshin's kind gestures than was intended?

Soujiro-Kun was standing before her when she looked up from arranging the flowers.

"Soujiro-Kun," Kaoru said. She'd almost knocked over the vase and destroyed all her hard work. "I wasn't expecting you." Kaoru bit her lip. He should have at least let her know if he must visit.

The boy produced a withered primrose from his sleeve and placed it in front of Kaoru.

"I'm sure you could guess my reason for coming to Tokyo," Soujiro-Kun said. A familiar feeling of dread overcame Kaoru. She placed a hand on the table to keep from fainting. "The moment I first saw you in Kyoto, I knew you were the woman for me."

Kaoru folded her hands in her lap and lowered her eyes. Soujiro-Kun was a beautiful boy, but something about him always unsettled her. He continued about how marriage would contribute significantly to his happiness and how he'd been encouraged to take a wife by his esteemed patroness, Lady Makoto Yumi, widow of the late Lord Makoto Shishio, who would undoubtedly approve of Kaoru's modest and refined temperament.

Kaoru snorted. She'd been called many things in her life but never modest and refined. Finally, when she could listen no more, Kaoru rose from her seating cushion. "I'm sorry but I can't accept you."

As she fled the room, Soujiro-Kun reminded her of his connection to the noble Makoto clan. "And despite your many charms, Miss Kaoru, who can say you'll have any other prospects."

And after Kaoru had refused two men in one day, perhaps he had a point.