Sanosuke was
nuzzling a very warm ninja in his arms when his eyes caught the sheaf of small
folded papers partially hidden to the side of Misao’s futon. Taking advantage of her closed eyes, he
lurched over her, extending his reach to nab the papers before he
unceremoniously dropped her onto the futon and sat up to read the small cryptic
documents.
“What have we here,
Okashira? Trying to keep secrets from
your Chief of Security? Not likely, you
know. Especially while we’re sharing a
room.” He briefly leafed through the
documents, noticing the finely wrought kanji and the similar pattern of words
as well as their placement on the pages.
There was no doubt in his mind that these were the haiku the birders had
used to communicate the news of their Okashira’s relationship with him to the
other Oniwabanshuu.
“I told you I was
collecting those, Sano. If you hadn’t
been so interested in flirting with a certain scantily clad doctor when you
returned from Aizu, I would have shown them to you right after you came
home.” Misao stuck out her tongue at
Sanosuke and “harrumphed” her way deeper into the futon, covering her head with
the blanket.
“Don’t get your
yukata in a twist, Misao. I think you
should get your cute little ninja butt out here and read these ‘love letters’
to me. Don’t you?”
“Dream on, bad
boy. You should be declaring your
undying love to me for putting up with you.”
“I thought I just
did. You know actions speak louder than
words where we strong silent fighter type guys are concerned.”
Sano moved to sit
down next to the futon, pulling the folded papers out of Misao’s obi folds and
giving her a broad smirk.
“So you did have them in your obi!
I knew we should have played hide and seek.”
“We’ve played enough games.
Maybe next time. Read me the
messages, Sano and I’ll tell you which birder wrote them, since you’ve not met
all of them yet.”
Sano unfolded the first paper carefully, the
small scrap dwarfed by the size of his large hands.
“It’s finally done
Our weasel plucked the chicken
He's done in for sure.”
“No kidding. Misao, is this from Amon?
I met him in Yokohama the first day I was back in Japan.”
“No, that’s from the Aoiya. I haven’t found out which one of them wrote
it yet, but when I do they are so dead.”
“Aw, don’t be so hard on ‘em, I think it’s
cute.” Sano paused and opened the next
small message. He had to be extra
careful not to tear the delicate paper.
“Night falls on Kyoto,
Icy cold breeze flirts with grace,
Gone in the
morning.
“I don’t get this
one, Misao. You must be the cold breeze
and I’m the grace – but nobody’s going anywhere in the morning. Who’s this one from?”
“Don’t be dense,
Sano. I think that one’s from Hokkaido and they’re talking about
Shinomori. They’ve probably been
spending too much time with Saitou.
Which one is next?”
“Enlightenment is
the path to tranquility,
pure hearts see its truth
“Wow. That’s deep. Who’s that one from?”
“That’s the one from Amon. He’s got the soul of a poet, that one.” Misao sighed and stuck her head out of the
covers. She liked being here with Sano
like this, having him read her haiku about them from her clan members. It just seemed so natural, so right.
Sano continued,
“Our Okashira
makes music with Sagarathat is sweet, if loud.
“That one’s great Misao! Who sent it?” “You don’t know him yet, Sano. He’s in Osaka. I’ll introduce you to him the next time we are in Kyoto. Speaking of which, aren’t we overdue to go back to Kyoto? The Crane is fully operational and a great success. I’m sure we could leave it in Akoto and Makiko’s capable hands.” “Let’s stay in Tokyo for now, you don’t mind do you?” “No, I think I could live here or in Kyoto.” Sano gave her a broad smile, delighted that she understood that he really wanted to live in Tokyo, not Kyoto. Then he remembered that he was supposed to be reading haiku. “Don’t distract me, woman! ” Sano pointedly scowled at her, his eyes still smiling, and carefully unfolded the last of the messages. “Two birds in the bed,The Rooster crows not alone.The Crane does not sleep.
“That is so funny, Misao! I love it! It’s got to be Akoto, right?” “Right, Sano. And forget what I just said about him being competent. I’m gonna demote him to dishwasher for writing that about me! Give it here!” Misao reached out to try to grab the last message out of Sano’s hand, but Sano was too quick for her. He scattered the papers behind him as he grabbed for her hand and dragged her out of her hiding place and into his lap. When he had her completely trapped and surrounded, he gave her a quick kiss and spoke again. “No way. I like it, besides it’s good for our clan to have something fun to talk about once in a while, don’t you think?” “Our clan?” “I thought I’d keep on wearing your colors, Okashira, is that all right with you?” “Oh, Sano!” Misao was overcome with happiness at the thought that Sano would become Oniwabanshuu. She was instantly kissing him and crying all at the same time – not a pretty picture. When her tears had subsided and she had calmed a little, Sano took a brief moment between kisses to ask her a simple question.
“Well, that was fun, woman. What do you suppose they’ll say about our
wedding night?”
The ceremony in
Aizu had been well planned, but brief.
Aoshi had arranged for an exceedingly small group of Oniwabanshuu
members and a couple of Megumi’s friends to attend. The front parlor of the Koi was used for the simple, traditional,
yet formal occasion. Megumi looked stunning
in her white bridal kimono, if a bit tense.
The handsome face of the tall Omitsu was as unreadable as ever. Yet they each played their part in the
ceremony with grace and care. They
understood the commitment they were making to each other and what it had cost
each of them to reach this happy day.
The Koi provided a
small but elegant dinner for the couple and their guests in the Oniwabanshuu
dinning room. It was decorated for the
occasion with the end of summer’s most beautiful blossoms artfully arranged by
the bride. The groom’s customary
austere manner lent a rather somber note to what might have been a more festive
meal. As the bridegroom did not indulge, there was a shocking lack of sake. If the distracted bride noticed, she did not
seem to object. Megumi was
uncharacteristically quiet on this sobering occasion.
After an excellent
meal, Goro and the other Oniwabanshuu retired, leaving the dinning room to the
newlyweds. They would be spending their
wedding night in their new quarters at the Koi. The ante building at the rear of the property had been
refurbished for their use as a home. It
gave Megumi the autonomy she desperately desired, as well as a place to call
her own. Aoshi, glancing briefly at his
new bride, felt astonished at his good fortune. He had no doubt that he was extremely lucky to find the love of
this very good woman. His fondest wish
was only to make her happy.
Aoshi smiled at his
new wife, thinking a bit about another swordsman who had also found a younger,
beautiful bride to brighten his life.
At this moment he was very thankful that Kenshin had met his Kaoru and
not fallen for the other woman who had loved him.
Gently, he took her
chin in his hand and raised it to look into her eyes. He could feel her nerves and anxiety. It had been clear to him all day, but that was to be expected,
especially of a woman who had suffered at the hands of men in the past. He was determined that she would not regret
her reluctant decision to marry him. He
had coaxed her relentlessly in his own, quiet but insistent way and she had
seemed to agree, finally, if only to find a way to make living with him
easier.
He’d also pushed
her to wed as soon as possible, wishing to silence any remaining gossip in the
community about her abuse by Kunisawa.
As his spouse and the resident local physician, coupled with her own
family’s excellent reputation as healers, he believed her place in the small
town’s society would be secure. His
position as the apparent owner of the Koi should assure it.
Megumi followed her
new husband to their new quarters. She
was a complete bundle of nerves, wondering what in the world she had been
thinking to agree to a wedding so soon.
She had been disappointed that Kaoru and Kenshin could not attend. She wasn’t surprised, however. Kaoru was pregnant and they were not willing
to travel during her confinement.
Her thoughts
traveled back to the matters at hand as she watched her new husband walk before
her through her own transplanted garden.
He moved with remarkable grace and elegance. It perfectly matched his outrageous looks. Megumi was not at all lacking in confidence
about her own beauty, but sometimes when she looked at Aoshi she found herself
wondering if he was more beautiful than she was. Their children would be magnificent.
She nearly tripped
and fell on the walkway. Where had that
thought come from? Was she so anxious
to conceive with a man she hadn’t even slept with yet? Safe from her spouse’s scrutiny, Takani
Megumi allowed herself a contented smile as her nervousness eased and she
realized with pleasure that the beautiful man in front of her was now her
husband.
In her reverie, she
had forgotten that her husband could feel her.
The vibrancy of her ki was enhanced when her nervousness eased. It was the first time that Megumi had felt a
measure of comfort within his sphere since she had fled to Tokyo months
ago. Aoshi delighted at the feel of her
ki, anticipating the matching feel of her beautiful skin.
Aoshi surprised
Megumi by escorting her to their new home and then leaving her briefly to check
on some matters back at the Inn. It was
clearly a ruse to allow her to change out of her elaborate and constricting
bridal kimono into her white sleeping yukata.
Aoshi had not allowed her into the new space, so she investigated her
new rooms with great pleasure. His
taste was exquisite and a match for hers.
He had brought many of her treasured possessions to use in their
quarters, foregoing his usual severe lack of ornamentation. Only his kodachi’s prominently placed on
their stand reminded her of his past, his talents, his experience, and his
failures.
She approved of her
new surroundings. It felt like a place
of her own, not a temporary room at a commercial establishment. She could do her own cooking if she wished,
or they could eat at the family dining room across the garden. She had ample space for her few cherished
belongings, and it was very convenient to her new clinic. With the addition of her garden out front,
it was nearly perfect.
It wouldn’t feel
like home until she had lived there for a while, she thought absently. Her
nervousness began to return as she went into her bedroom and saw that two new
white sleeping yukatas were laid out beside new matching futons in the sleeping
quarters. She struggled to untie her
elaborate obi in the very constricting white kimono. Once the obi was removed and carefully wound for storage, she
removed the elaborate wedding kimono and folded it. Next she stripped off the bindings, padding, and ties that led to
her under kimono. Then she removed the
under kimono and her chemise and underskirt.
She shrugged into the smaller of the two yukatas, cinching it tightly at
her waist. She removed her tabi and the
traditional white makeup with bright touches of red at her lips and murky blue
at her eyes. Then she began to undo her
long black hair. It had been
elaborately piled and stacked on top of her head, bound with hidden pins and
decorative needles. Once these were all
removed she began to brush out her hair with long smooth strokes.
She did not remove
her jewelry. She was not a wealthy
woman, but she had managed to save one of her mother’s rings. She wore this only on very special
occasions, leaving it on now. In
addition, she used her hand mirror to admire her wedding gift from Aoshi.
Early that morning, before she had begun the
long and elaborate preparations for the wedding. He had come to see her in her room after she had returned her
breakfast tray. She had eaten little
and he could only imagine her nervousness.
As he had wished for her to wear his gift at their wedding, he was
forced to confront her with his presence.
He hoped that seeing her early in the day, as was their habit, might
settle her nerves a bit.
That proved to be a
false hope. He knocked quietly on her
door, awaiting her response. When she
saw just who was calling, the panic in her eyes was disconcerting. He wondered if she would bolt rather than
keep her promise to marry him this day.
Still, he requested
a brief private audience, and she invited him into her room. She had just begun to assemble her bathing
articles. She clearly intended to
attempt to soak her nerves away. She
was too disconcerted to even ask him to be comfortable. When she quietly knelt beside her futon, he
walked up close to her and knelt next to her, almost but not quite touching her
knees with his.
“I have a gift for
my bride,” he said, extending a small elaborately wrapped box.
“It would please me
if you would wear these to our wedding.”
Megumi tentatively
reached out to take the box with her right hand, jumping slightly at the
electricity that jolted between them when her fingers brushed up against his.
She took the box in
her hands and looked to Aoshi for some indication that she should open it in
his presence. He nodded almost
imperceptively.
She silently
admired the outer cloth wrapping. It
had a lovely blue background with embroidered Koi as the pattern. She turned it over in her hands to take in
the full beauty of the knotting, the carefully arranged and folded edges. Aoshi had taken a great deal of care to
prepare whatever was inside.
Untying the
wrapping, she in turn admired the smooth finish of the uncarved mahogany
wood. The box containing her gift would
have made quite a gift by itself, yet she had no doubt that the contents were
even more valuable.
Slowly, she raised
the lid of the small box, rubbing her fingertips along the smoothed edge of the
wood in a motion that was almost a caress.
Within was a small velvet purse. It was tied closed with a silken cord. The cord itself could be worn as a decoration. The silk and golden threads intertwining
within it to make an elaborate and glittering pattern of red, white and gold
were exquisite.
Gingerly, she
loosened the cord to open the black velvet purse. She could feel two heavier objects within, so she extended her
hand, palm up, and emptied the contents of the small purse onto it.
Two earrings fell
into her hand, of such a weight that she thought they could not be made of
precious jewels, the cost would be too dear.
She turned them over in her hand with her fingernail, examining the
finely wrought golden fastener that would hold the dangling diamonds to her
earlobes. They were western styled,
with a backing that turned and twisted to press a small metal disk as tightly
as she wished to hold them fast to her ears.
Upon closer
examination, she saw that once in place, the front of the earring covering her
earlobe was a small round diamond. It
was only small, however, when compared to the teardrop shaped dangling diamond
that hung beneath it. This larger
diamond was a fine gemstone indeed, larger than most of the jewelry Megumi had
ever seen.
There were, of
course, two earrings. She was stymied
to consider what the four diamonds she held in her hand must have cost. She looked up at her husband-to-be in total
shock. She wanted to ask him if the
stones were real, but she was too tongue-tied to do so and couldn’t imagine
that Shinomori Aoshi was even capable of presenting his bride with glass
earrings to wear at their wedding.
Aoshi saw her
confusion, and attempted to diffuse it immediately.
“Are they not to
your taste?”
Quickly, the foxy
doctor recovered her voice enough to assure him that they were exactly to her
taste.
“Of course. They are quite beautiful and most unusual in
their….” Her sentence trailed off as
she searched her paralyzed brain for a way to refer to their size without
sounding both crass and disbelieving.
Finally she settled for being magnanimous. “…brilliance.”
She paused and then
continued. “If it pleases my new
husband, I will be pleased to wear them this afternoon. Holding one up to the side of her head, she
said, “They will look lovely on my ears, won’t they?”
Aoshi did not
respond right away. His eyes wandered
over her face, resting on the side where she held the earring placed next to
her hair and cheek. Tilting his head
slightly, he responded. “Yes, to start
with.”
Megumi inhaled
sharply, the implications of his remark dawning on her gradually as she slowly
lowered both hands into her lap. She
was amazed to realize she was blushing.
Before she could come up with a suitably sophisticated retort, Aoshi was
on his feet and out of her room. He
stopped only to murmur his pleasure at the thought of meeting her later that
day for their wedding.
Now, as the
familiar strokes of her brush and comb against her scalp and shoulders were
bringing her some comfort in her new surroundings, she was careful not to brush
over the precious dangling ornaments.
Brushing her hair was a nightly ritual that helped her to tame her
beautiful mane and gave her a calm moment of reflection before retiring for the
day. Unfortunately, on this night the
ritual brought her no calm. Instead the
weight of her earrings matched the press of the anxiety rising in her chest.
Unbeknownst to her,
her bridegroom was watching her brush out her hair from the porch closest to
their sleeping room. He had a glimpse
of her through the slightly open window and stopped to admire her from
afar. He appreciated her beauty and her
bright spirit, but was concerned that the nervousness he’d hoped had vanished
had now returned.
Aoshi moved to the
front door, entering their house through the front door, just as he had left it
to keep from startling her. He came to
the door of their bedroom and paused in the doorway. Megumi had just finished brushing her hair. She then knelt, serenely, at the foot of her
futon awaiting his arrival.
She noticed his
imposing entrance at once, schooling her features into a slightly forced smile
of welcome. Then she began to execute
an extremely formal bow. It was
customary, and also her wifely duty.
She was greatly
surprised when she felt Aoshi’s hands rest on her shoulders, stopping her
movements before she could complete her obeisance.
Her questioning gaze rose to meet his intense eyes. The fire behind the icy blue color ignited a light into her soul.
“We will always have respect and honor in our home, Megumi, but this chamber is solely for my wife’s pleasure.”
December 23, 2003
Author’s Note:
Haiku credits: The first haiku is from Eternitys End. The second is from Kyris. The
third is from Lizzie. The fourth
and fifth ones are from Gochan.
Daiji graciously shared a haiku written for
school, it was excellent!
Many thanks to
everyone who sent me haiku! It was lots
of fun to get them and I hope you enjoyed writing them, too. (I know I did!)
Thanks for
reading my alternative pairing ficcy.
Now go on and read the Epilogue – you know you want to.