Kaoru had to admit it. Lord Hiko had arranged everything perfectly. Not only did he give Kaoru and Kenshin a carriage, with swift horses, and servants for their journey back to Edo, he gave them legitimate passports with their true identities. Kaoru could move about freely as herself, an honored lady of a distinguished samurai clan, for the first time in half a year. She didn't have to keep her head down, pretending to be a ronīn's woman or a farmer's wife.
When they passed through the checkpoint at Hakone, about a three and half day's journey from Edo, the official bowed to Kaoru and greeted her as "your ladyship."
She and Kenshin were given the best room at the best hot spring inn with a view of both Mount Hakone and Lake Ashi in the distance.
"How beautiful," said Kaoru, sticking her head out the window. "We can even see Mount Fuji from here."
Otou-San always told Kaoru and her brothers that as long as they could see Mount Fuji, home wasn't far away.
Kenshin scolded her for hanging out of a window on such a chilly day. "Kaoru-Dono will catch a cold, that she will."
Kaoru closed the shutters. It was just her luck to be married to such a mother hen. She yawned and stretched out her arms. Her whole body ached from having been jumbled out in the carriage all day and a good, long soak in the hot spring would be just what she needed.
Apparently, the inn's management were thrilled to host two aristocratic newly weds and news of their arrival had spread to the rest of the guests. When Kaoru walked into the women's bath, all the lady patrons appeared to have been talking about her.
"So that's the famous Lady Kamiya?" A merchant's wife whispered to her friend.
"Poor thing," her friend, a tiny woman whose face was partially obscured by a head towel, replied. "To have gone through what she did but everything did turn out well in the end."
Kaoru smiled at the two women, who bowed their heads to her. The story that Lord Hiko, who never could resist an opportunity for self aggrandizement, put about was that he'd negotiated with the Choshu clan for Kaoru's release as a favor to his old friend and sparring partner, Lord Kamiya. This was plausible because both the Shogunate and the Royalists respected him. He then married off Kaoru to his heir to salvage her reputation. All-in-all, the union of two great families and kendo dynasties was considered a most appropriate match.
"Good evening, ladies," Kaoru said to the merchant's wife and the woman with the head towel, who were taken aback at being directly addressed by someone of Kaoru's status and must have assumed she hadn't heard them. Kaoru plunged into the water, leaned back and luxuriated in its warmth. Life didn't get any better than this.
A gentle snowfall dusted the inn and the surrounding woods and mountains but melted on the surface of the hot spring.
The forests of Hakone were home to a village of monkeys who loved the hot springs as much as their human neighbors. They were endearing creatures with fluffy, brownish-gray coats and adorable rosy faces. Three monkeys, two males and a female, approached the edge of the pool.
Kaoru laughed and waved to the sweet newcomers.
The first male was a large, bulky fellow who shielded his eyes with his paw: see-no-evil. Sanosuke, the dense rooster-head who often missed the obvious. The second male, a gangly juvenile, little more than a baby, covered his ears: hear-no-evil. Yahiko, who had a bad habit of listening in on other people's conversations and believed everything he heard. The female was graceful and beautiful, probably the Benten of monkeys, but shrieked at the two males, explaining why one covered his eyes and the other covered his ears: speak-no-evil. Megumi, who was feared for her sharp-tongued scolding.
"Monkeys are a good omen." Kaoru turned around. The woman with the head towel floated over to her and bowed. "Forgive me for being so bold, Your Ladyship, but you are traveling to Edo, are you not?"
"Yes," said Kaoru. Most travelers passing through Hakone were on their way to or from Edo, so this question wasn't much of a stretch.
"So you'll be traveling southwest, a lucky direction, especially for a new bride. Might I ask when Your Ladyship was born?"
Kaoru blinked at her. This woman was probably a traveling fortune-teller fishing for a customer. Why not? She had no objection to having her fortune told. "I was born the same year as Princess Kazu."
Both Kaoru and Princess Kazu, the Shogun's wife and the Emperor's younger half-sister, were born the twenty-ninth year of Ninkō.
"So, the year of the Fire Horse." The fortune-teller shook her towel-wrapped head. "Oh dear, your husband better watch out. A man marries a Fire Mare at his peril."
Women born the year of the Fire House were believed to be dangerous, especially to the men unfortunate enough to become their husbands. This was why their birthdates were often changed in official records. Kaoru had celebrated her eighteenth birthday back in Kyoto but according to the family registry, she'd turned nineteen. She and Misao had attended a production of The Scarlet Princess of Edo. Misao teased Kaoru by calling her Princess Sakura after the play's heroine, the titular Scarlet Princess because Kaoru was a princess from Edo and wore a scarlet kimono that evening. Princess Sakura causes the downfall of the two men who desire her and Misao quipped that she must have been a Fire Mare like Kaoru.
Kaoru splashed the fortune teller. How dare this commoner speak to a noble that way. But the fortune teller just laughed and removed her head towel. A long, slender braid tumbled down her back. "Good to see you too," said Misao.
"Misao-Chan." Kaoru hugged the little kunoichi. "What are you doing here?"
Misao beamed. "I'm on my way to Edo as well, to visit Aoshi-Sama's family." It was common for a bride to go live with her future in-laws prior to the wedding, especially if she was going to marry the eldest son and heir, so she could learn her household duties. It would be curious to see how Misao held her own against Megumi and Aunt Tokio.
Kaoru squeezed her friend and soon-to-be kinswoman's hand. "I believe congratulations are in order, Cousin," she said. "You have to tell me how it happened."
Tomoe's story about Master Okina catching Misao and Aoshi in bed together might have been just disapproving gossip and Kaoru wanted to hear the truth from Misao herself.
"Aoshi-Sama has always been a perfect gentleman." Misao blushed. "And his intentions were always honorable... I tried to tell Gramps that I was the one who came onto him. Aoshi-Sama's a man after all and I'm so beautiful and pure (or at least, I was pure). How could he have resisted?"
Kaoru gave a most unladylike snort. So the gossip was true? And they used to tease Aoshi about being a monk. . "How could he indeed?" she said. Misao was a lovely girl. Not a conventional beauty like Tomoe or Megumi, but bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, and vivacious. She was a breath of fresh air and a force of nature and no wonder Aoshi fell in love with her.
"But Gramps wouldn't listen to me. He ran at Aoshi-Sama with his sword and threatened to cut off his head." Misao adopted a perfect imitation of her grandfather. "You will pay for despoiling my granddaughter, you bastard. Gramps is still one tough old geezer but even though he was more than a match for Aoshi-Sama in his prime, he's no match for him now. The last thing poor Aoshi-Sama wanted was to have a fight with his future grandfather-in-law and possibly kill him, so he announced our betrothal to get Gramps to calm down. And of course Gramps is ecstatic that I'm going to be a daimyo's lady...but enough about me. Ikumatsu-San, she performed at the Aoiya's tea house a few nights before I left, sends her love. She told me that if I saw you, to give you and Himura her best wishes."
Kaoru smiled. She'd missed the sweet geisha who'd somehow become her friend while she was in Kyoto and hoped she and Katsura-Sama, a good man, though he was on the wrong side of this war, were well. While she and Himura were in hiding in Otsu, they weren't able to write to anyone or risk being discovered and now she would probably never see or hear from them again in this lifetime, being enemies after all.
But this was too happy a moment for such sad thoughts. Kaoru squeezed Misao's hand. "Come with Himura and I to Edo," she said. "And stay at my father's house for a few days before you go on to Mibu." She would write to Otou-San and tell him to make sure the head steward stocked up on umeshu wine.
Otou-San's Edo mansion was in the Toshima District, where all the Daimyo had their residences, within sight of Edo Castle. But once Kaoru passed through the front gate, she could almost forget she was in the middle of Japan busiest city.
A vast walled garden canopied by pine and maple trees kept the city at bay. Kaoru surveyed the property with a turn of her head as she walked down the flagstone path to the main house, arm-in-arm with Kenshin. How dead the garden looked. The maple trees were bare and a slimy carpet of their fallen leaves smothered the barren flower beds. The pond in the center of the garden was frozen over and the giant silver carp who lived there, said be over two hundred years old and a gift from Tokugawa Ieyasu to one of Kaoru's ancestors, must have been in hibernation.
Misao, tottering on platform getas a few steps ahead of Kaoru and Kenshin, also took everything in. "Some place you've got here," she said.
"You should see my uncle's place two streets over," said Kaoru. "The great hall has painted screens by Sōtatsu."
Misao blinked at Kaoru, not knowing what the hell she was talking about.
When they reached the front of the main house, Yukimura-San, the head steward, came to greet them. "I will tell Lady Megumi you've arrived," he said.
During his visit, Yahiko had told Kaoru that Megumi and Sanosuke wanted their child to be born in Edo and Megumi would go stay in the Kamiya mansion for her confinement. Judging by the way Megumi waddled into the front hall like a fat old duck and the swollen belly that strained her obi to its limits, she would give birth any day now. Megumi's lovely face was pale and drawn and Kaoru couldn't help but giggle into her sleeve to see her usually poised and immaculate sister-in-law looking so haggard.
But Megumi was still Megumi and she pretended not to recognized Kaoru. "You've been tricked Yukimura-San," she said, turning up her nose. "This can't be my sister-in-law, Lady Kaoru."
"And why not?" said Kaoru, putting her hand on her hip.
Megumi gave one of her signature haughty, barking laughs. "My sister-in-law is beautiful."
Kaoru shook her head. Megumi was the same mean old fox she'd always been. "Megumi," Kaoru said. "This is Miss Makimachi Misao, Aoshi's betrothed."
Misao, clearly in awe of the taller, more sophisticated woman, who no doubt made her feel like a scruffy duckling next to an elegant swan, bowed to Megumi.
Megumi sensed Misao's discomfort and gave her a kind smile.
"And this is my husband..." Kaoru gestured to Kenshin. "Sir Himura Kenshin."
Kenshin saluted Megumi with a nod. "This unworthy one is pleased to meet Megumi-Dono," he said.
Megumi lowered her eyes coquettishly. "Kaoru-Chan neglected to tell me her new husband was so handsome." Such a compliment from a woman as stunning as Megumi made Kenshin blush.
Kaoru scoffed. Being happily married to Sanosuke didn't stop Megumi from being a flirt. Megumi laughed at Kaoru, pulled her into a hug, and whispered "welcome home, Tanuki."