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The sun burns hot in a cloudless sky. Thousands of cicadas are chirping. Warm wind blows across the dusty courtyard and tugs at the pieces of laundry on the wooden drying rack.
A summer’s day to write a haiku on – if you had the time and leisure.
Time and leisure is what he is clearly lacking. Murky brown water is sloshing in the wooden trough, when Himura Kenshin takes up another fearless battle again stains and odours.
Hunkering over his work, he only lifts his head when a grotesque shadow, looking much like a rooster’s comb, appears against the low-hanging sun on the heated soil.
"Sano!"
"Yo, Kenshin!" drawls Sanosuke, being the prowler and dawdler he is.
He would never even think about wasting such a fine day with household chores. Somehow he got his grubby hands on a chilled melon, which he cuts open with a sharp little knife. Sticky melon juice drips down on his dusty shoes.
"Melon?"
Peacefully chewing on the fruit and otherwise in silence, the comrades lounge in the shade. The cicadas are chirping like there is no tomorrow (which, for them, might be the case). Somewhere in the neighborhood, children are playing and cheering. The leaky waterpump next to the side entrance adds a light, monotonous dropping to the background noise.
„Damn fuckin’ peaceful“ Sanosuke grumbles, just like that’s annoying him.
„Hm“. Kenshin vaguely confirms and looks down on his hands, soaked and grooved in the water. Hard callouses, testimonial to his constant use of a sword, stand out somewhat lighter against his tanned skin.
„Where’s Jo-chan?“
„Teaching.“
„Yahiko?“
„Went with her.“
„Megumi?“
„House calls.“
„And what the hell are you doing here all this time?“
Kenshin shoots him a glare that makes Sanosuke choke on a melon kernel, and leaves him coughing for several minutes.
„What??“ he finally grinds out. „Something I said?“
Kenshin stares into spaces and finally shrugs.
„Kaoru-dono was right.“
Sanosuke cocks his eyebrow and makes a puzzled face. „Yeah? What is it this time?“
„I destroyed her favorite kimono.“
„Eh?“
„Do you remember when we recently met those black knights?“
„Sure do. We kicked their a…“
„When we fled the burning valley after the fight with Melders...somehow, Kaoru-dono’s favorite kimono got some blood stains. And of course, it terribly reeks of smoke and sweat.“
Kenshin drops his head on his folded hands and somberly gazes into the sky. „She was terribly upset.“
Sanosuke snorts. „With you around, Jo-chan’s rags will never be safe, Kenshin.“
„I tried,“ Kenshin recaps, „simply everything. I laundered the kimono at least ten times, flushed it with rose water, blanched and aired it. It has a nice smell now and is almost clean – except this one big stain on the shoulder.“
Sanosuke honestly tries to look like he gives a shit. The summer heat is like lead weights on his eyelids, and the melon in his belly speaks to him in a sweet, seductive voice of a nap. It takes great effort to supress a yawn.
Kenshin frowns as if he is in deep trouble – which might be the case.
„This kimono was a gift from Kaoro-dono’s late father. She will never forgive me if I cannot remove that stain.“
Sanosuke thinks to himself, that Jo-chan is so smitten with the rurouni that she might actually clip and frame the blood stain, but he does not voice any of that. Instead he scratches his head and gazes at the kimono in question, innocently flapping in the breeze some steps away.
„I might have an idea, Kenshin…“ he murmurs.
-----------------
When Kamiya Kaoru returns from her duty as supply teacher in another dojo, it is late in the evening. She is sweaty, thirsty, and cranky.
On top of her own gear she carries Yahiko’s, who suddenly remembered on the way home that he urgently needs to stop by the Akabeko.
Her fuse is, metaphorically speaking, about as short as the life span of hot food in Sanosuke’s range, which is not a lot.
Sullenly she deposits her burden on the porch and goes to the water pump for some refreshment.
After she shakes the water drops from her face and hair, her gaze falls upon the bamboo drying rack back in the yard.
She kind of expected to see, on top of the usual laundry, her favorite kimono – that Kenshin had faithfully promised to clean for her.
What she finds instead is a bit different.
Her mood does not improve in the slightest when she enters the house and meets Sanosuke, who claimed her favorite spot, enjoying a cup of tea. Clearly he believes himself indispensable.
„Yo, Jo-chan. How was work?“
„Where’s Kenshin?“ Kaoru demands, furrows her brow and throws her unbidden guest a killing glance.
„Had stuff to do. Oi, you want tea? I made some…“
„You?“ Kaoru does not want to think about the result of Sano laying his hands on her precious tea. She might not be a great cook herself, but that’s a whole different topic.
„Did he say when he’s coming back?“
„Nah.“
„Where did he go then?“
It figures, Sanosuke thinks, that Jo-chan gets into a flap whenever Kenshin is out of sight for half an hour. On the other hand, he cannot even hold it against her, given that oftentimes that guy will return in terrible shape after having disappeared once more.
„Kaoru-dono? I’m back.“
Kenshin walks across the room, carrying a big, tight bundle under his arm.
„Your kimono“ he softly explains when he meets Kaoru’s baffled look. „I promised I would sort it out.“
Sanosuke is, once again, unable to wrap his head around the fact that his buddy, the formidable ex-assassin, turns into a total wuss as soon as this ill-tempered, pig-headed broad comes into play.
Sipping his tea, he observes as Kaoru opens the bundle with trembling fingers, appraising the kimono.
„It’s actually clean“ she states. „Looks like… wait! What’s that?!“
Kenshin flinches almost invisibly when Kaoru examines the ornate application covering the kimono’s shoulders as if it belongs there.
On the right-hand side, a big red circle symbolizes the sun, multicolored clouds and blossoms floating around it.
„It’s so beautiful!“ Kaoru breathes and glances at Kenshin with misty eyes. „Why..?“
„He could not remove all the blood stains.“ Sanosuke interjects, because he hates sappy moments and also because he believes that Jo-chan deserves the truth.
„What? I cannot believe it!“
Kenshin retreats, suddenly sweating profusely. „Kaoru-dono, please do not get upset…!“
The glare that falls upon Sanosuke, however, promises him a very slow and painful death – unless he saves the day now, and quickly.
„Eh, Jo-chan, basically it was my idea…“ Sanosuke gives in, mainly because blows with a wooden sword are less painful than blows with a sakabatou.
„I knew it! Just you wait!“
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„Such a pretty kimono, Kaoru-chan!“, Tae-san compliments her some days later during dinner at the Akabeko.
„It’s just outstanding, with the sun and clouds embellishment, and the colour reminds me somehow of your nice old kimono. It was just a bit threadbare, you’re lucky to have such a beautiful new piece now.“
Kaoru immediately chokes on a piece of beef and keeps coughing with a red face, until Kenshin takes pity on her and thumps on her back.
Sanosuke smirks, sporting a number of plasters that cover semi-healed bruises on his head.
„Thank you, Tae-san“ Kaoru finally manages and gives Kenshin a radiant smile. „I really love this… crimson sun.“
„Womenfolk!“ Sanosuke groans. He really wants a cup of sake now.