NOT MINE! *huff*
None.
None.
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Kendo no Go
In the Language of Kendo:
A Fanfic in 100 Chapters


by Akai Kitsune

81: Honey

 

~*~

Kenji had a growing affection for sticky things, Kaoru learned as he grew older. As a toddler he loved to crawl through the mud, coating his clothes in the dirt - something she did not appreciate, despite the fact that it was Kenshin who usually did the laundry - and when he learned to walk, the habit became even more difficult to break.

It didn't take Kenji long to discover the wonders of honey. Somehow the very idea that something could be so amazingly sticky and edible fascinated him. This amused Kenshin, and he found himself shopping for the sweet syrup more often as time passed. He discovered it to be surprisingly good as well - surprising, because of his usual avoidance of sugary foods. Never mind how Kaoru felt about it.

Kaoru showed him something to do with honey which won him over in the end: by adding a generous spoonful to a cup of cool green tea in summertime, the flavour developed into something not too sweet, nor bitter; with the right amount - something he experimented with - it could become quite a treat.

At first, however, the honey would not blend properly with the tea, he noticed; it collected at the bottom of the lukewarm cup, rebelling against his intent to mix the two. Only by several attempts at stirring the stubborn syrup would the tea and honey blend together.

Kaoru watched him mix it one day, smiling when the honey disappeared as though he had conquered a great foe. He stared down at the cup, as if suddenly realizing some great thought.

"Kenshin?" she blinked, puzzled by his expression.

"It's like you," he murmured, then clamped his jaw shut, unwilling - or unable - to explain his enigmatic remark.

"You are too sweet for me..."

She didn't ask him to elaborate, curious as she was; she knew his stubbornness like she knew her own, recognizing them both as a match for one another. She also knew - all too well - that firm expression on his face, fixed to his silence like giant boulders are to the shore. Only by slowly picking away at it could one break through the walls of refusal.

Truthfully, he didn't know how to explain his spontaneous observation - it had been sudden, not really considered fully until later, and unraveling the mystery even as he told her would only confuse them both. Eventually he pieced his thoughts together, but by then she had forgotten it, so there was no point in bringing it up, besides in his own mind.

It was the tea, not the honey, which reminded him of his wife; she was pure and untarnished, a light, comforting warmth to a weary traveler at the end of a long day's journey.

No, the intrusion to such purity was not Kaoru, but himself. Entering her life not by his own bidding but by the wind's calling, he was consumed by her warmth, her compassion, and he was defenseless against her pleas to stay. He tried - sometimes without sincere effort, but oh, he tried - to flee from her, but everywhere he went, she was there, right behind him, her welcome and her glowing smile drawing him back home again.

It took her several attempts to keep him with her - endless attempts to truly make it permanent - but the reward of their joining was well worth the effort. It was a constant trial, determining exactly how much of each would make the perfect blend, but the challenge was never beyond their abilities.

'Sometimes beyond our patience,' he admitted with a wry smile, 'But we never give up, do we?'

'... maybe you'd understand, koishii...'

~*~

This chapter was a royal pain in the behind, but I'm glad the idea finally came to me. This version is much different than my original plans, but the first outline didn't work well...

I've tried the combination of chilled green tea and honey, and it was wonderful. ^_^ I highly recommend it... oh-so-good. For some reason it tastes better cool than hot. I have no idea why, but I experimented with both, and the flavour was nicer without heat. Though I agree with Kenshin's thoughts; the right combination of the two is what makes it good. It depends on personal preference, though.

The original title of this chapter was "Butter".
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