Kendo no Go
In the Language of Kendo:
A Fanfic in 100 Chapters
by Akai Kitsune
05: Otoko
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man, otoko n. 1. a human being, specif., a)
a primate (Homo sapiens) characterized by an
erect stance, an opposable thumb, the ability to make and use
specialized tools, articulate speech, and a well-developed brain
capable of abstract thought, b) a member of
any extinct species of this family [Neanderthal man].
2. mankind; the human race. 3. an adult male person. 4. a)
a male servant, subordinate, or employee, b)
a member of the military, esp. a rank-and-file soldier or sailor.
5. a) a husband, b) a
lover or suitor. 6. a person possessing qualities generally
regarded as manly, such as strength, courage, etc. See also MAN
ABOUT TOWN, MAN-EATER, MANHUNT, MAN-OF-WAR, MANSLAYER.
"Kenshin no baka!"
"Oro!"
After she thought about it, Kaoru resented Yahiko's remark
even more than she initially had. Certainly it carried a slight
amount of truth, but it was no reason for him to be rude - or so
blunt.
Busu! You're more manly than Kenshin is!"
Her dignity - and her pride, as a woman and as a wife whose
husband had just been insulted - stinging, she had comforted
herself by giving Yahiko severe lessons for the day and,
naturally, Kenshin's chores to follow up with. Her husband,
having nothing to do and feeling quite lost about it, was sent
out of the dojo, subtlely warned that he had better find
something manly to do, if he knew what was good for him.
'Well, what's wrong with being stronger than the
average housewife?' she had fumed to herself. Somewhat
similarly, as he was dragged reluctantly off by Sanosuke - during
one of his impromptu return visits to Japan - to enjoy a man's
night out - Kenshin was wondering what was wrong with doing
laundry and cooking meals for his family. They certainly
complained loudly enough when he wasn't cooking. But, as
usual, there was no arguing with Kaoru; she ran the household
like a sheepdog ordering around a flock, which only further
proved Yahiko's theory.
'Although I can't exactly tell her that,' he
thought with a wince, favouring his sore head and quietly
climbing out of the hole in the shoji she had flung him through,
as punishment for his latest act of domestic helpfulness. 'I
suppose I ought to find a job or something... maybe that would
make her happier...'
So, after gathering his courage - not because he was afraid,
or anything; it was simply what heroes do before they face a
particularly difficult task - he made his way down to the police
headquarters to contact the chief. He made himself available to
favours, missions, and requests that the government was too lazy
to deal with - but in much more eloquently chosen words; he had
spent four years of his life around negotiators, after all - and
found that there was a lot more the government didn't want to
deal with than they let on. He took all sorts of missions, some
with a certain lanky, bamboo-screen headed policeman, some where
he worked on his own, and sometimes with people he didn't know.
Most of them were far away from home, and now that he actually had
a home, he found that leaving it to travel was much harder than
it used to be.
Kaoru didn't like these missions much either, and while the
money was nice - they did have a growing boy waiting at home - it
would have been much nicer, in her opinion, to have a father
around to teach the boy things, like cooking meals for his
pretty, hardworking mother and doing her laundry so she could
wear her silk kimono to the sweets stand with her friends. At
least, that would have been nice if the child was able to do anything
with his father other than wail and pull on his hair. 'No
wonder Kenshin cut it short,' she thought ruefully at times.
So Kenshin worked, and Kaoru moped, and Kenji wailed, and in
the end, they weren't much happier. But none of them mentioned
anything, so the others thought everything was all right. Maybe
it was.
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