Lessons: Prologue

Kaoru watched Yahiko and Tsubame-chan talk, noting when he reached to tenderly brush a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, how closely together they sat.  Things were progressing between the two of them, their sweet childhood romance slowly beginning to blossom into something more.

Which was fine.  More than fine.  The problem was that someone needed to talk to Yahiko about . . . well . . . things.  Kaoru mentally shook her head at her choice of words.  After almost three years of marriage, you'd think I could at least think the word sex without having to prompt myself.  Although they were as close as siblings after the years he'd spent at the dojo, she didn't think Yahiko would be comfortable talking about . . . things . . . with her.  In fact, they'd probably both be more uncomfortable because they were so close.  Which left Megumi, Sanosuke, or Kenshin.

Remembering her own talk with Megumi, Kaoru immediately struck the doctor from the list.  She probably wouldn't be inclined to tease the boy the way she had Kaoru, but Kaoru wasn't willing to chance it.  I'm not going to have Yahiko shocking Tsubame-chan!  Not after I've finally managed to instill some confidence in the shy little thing.

Now, Sanosuke would seem to know his way around the subject.  After all, he'd been married to Megumi for a little over a year, and Kaoru had always suspected that the former gangster knew his way around women long before she and the others had met him.  Still, she thought Sanosuke lacked the finesse to explain things to Yahiko in a way that wouldn't embarrass, shock, or otherwise anger the young man.

Which left Kenshin.

Determined to see Yahiko educated -- as any good sensei would be -- Kaoru went in search of her husband.  She found the unsuspecting rurouni behind the house, cheerfully hanging the day's laundry to dry.  Adopting her most winsome expression, she called his name.

At the sound of her voice, Kenshin turned to find his wife watching him with innocent, hopeful eyes, and a faintly pleading expression.  Ororo . . .  She always used that look on him when she wanted something -- especially something she didn't think he was going to like.

"Kaoru?  Is there something wrong?"

"Ieie," she answered, shaking her head slightly, "demo . . . I need you to do something for me."  Much to Kenshin's surprise, she appeared to be blushing faintly.

"Oro?"

Kaoru looked down at her feet, the fingers of her right hand playing nervously with those of her left.  "Hai.  I need you to talk to Yahiko.  I think . . . I think it's time he learned about . . . things."

"Things?"  he echoed, wondering why she was acting so nervous.  What could she possibly want him to talk to Yahiko about that would make her this uncomfortable?

"Yes.  Adult things."  Kenshin continued to look at her with an adorably baffled expression.  "You know . . . sort of a father-son conversation?"

"Oro?!" Kenshin blinked, his confusion increasing the more she sought to explain.  "A father-son conversation?"

"Yes.  I'm worried about him and Tsubame-chan.  Someone needs to talk to him before, well . . . before they get . . . carried away."  Feeling her blush spread over her cheeks and down her throat, Kaoru wondered briefly if she was going to turn a color as brilliant as his hair before she managed to make him understand.  He was being aggravatingly dense.  As he opened his mouth to parrot her words back to her again, she closed her eyes and blurted, "Carried away!  Excited!  Zealous!  Like someone else was last night!"

Kenshin stopped mid-question to stare at his red-faced and embarrassed wife.  Does she want me to talk to Yahiko about that?  He cleared his throat.  "Ano . . . Kaoru . . . do you mean . . ."

"Sex!" she exclaimed in exasperation, "I want you to explain to him about sex!"

"Oi, Kenshin," a new voice interrupted, "sounds like you musta done somethin' wrong last night, the way Jou-chan's yelling."  Kaoru instantly went pale, her husband flushing an equally rapid red.  Chagrined, the pair turned to find Sanosuke slouched against the gate post, watching them with a slight smirk on his face.

"Sanosuke!!"  Wishing alternately that the ground would open up and swallow her, or that her idiot husband had been a little quicker on the uptake, Kaoru glared at the ex-gangster.  "Baka!  Kenshin didn't do anything!"

"Oh?" Sano's expression didn't appear to change at all, but somehow conveyed that he was even more amused by this bit of information.  "That must be the problem, then."

This time she fairly shrieked his name, Kenshin's hand on her arm the only thing restraining her from doing the spiky-haired annoyance bodily harm.

Enjoying himself immensely, Sanosuke opened his mouth to tease her again, when Kenshin's quiet voice stopped him.  "Sano," was all the rurouni said, but the warning was clear: That's enough.

"Are you finished now?"  Kaoru asked after a moment of awkward silence, the acid edge to her voice indicating that the answer had better be yes.

"Hai, hai," Sano responded easily, his smirk still firmly in place.  Both husband and wife relaxed slightly.

Satisfied though not appeased, Kaoru turned back to Kenshin.  "I mean it.  I think you should talk to Yahiko."

"Kaoru . . . he's only thirteen!"

"He'll be fourteen in a few months, that's old enough.  You couldn't have been much older when it was explained to you.  Please?"

Kenshin couldn't argue with her there, so he dropped the age issue and tried another tactic: "Why me?"

"Because I don't think Yahiko will be comfortable talking about it with me.  I don't trust Megumi-san . . . you should remember what happened the last time she explained things to someone," she paused to give Kenshin a pointed look, "and Sanosuke will be completely tactless, even if he gets all of the details right."

"Hey!"

She has a point, Kenshin silently admitted  . . . if someone is going to talk to Yahiko, it will have to be me.  He tried once more to dissuade her.  "Kaoru, I don't think you need to worry about Yahiko and Tsubame-dono.  I don't think they're ready . . ."

"Then you haven't been paying attention.  They've become very close.  Please?"  she wheedled, turning those innocent, beseeching eyes on him again, "Please?" As his shoulders sagged in resignation, Kaoru resisted the urge to shout aloud in triumph.  "Arigatou, Kenshin," she said instead, squeezing his arm lightly in appreciation as she headed back toward the house.  "Tsubame-chan should have already left for the Akabeko.  Now is probably the perfect time for you to talk to him." Pausing in the open doorway, she smiled brightly at him one more time.  "Just tell him what Hiko-san told you," she suggested encouragingly.

Kaoru had already disappeared inside before her last bit of advice fully registered on her husband.  Sano was therefore the only one to witness the rurouni's poleaxed expression, and to hear his agonized murmur, "Shishou . . ."  He waited to see if Kenshin would snap out of his horrified stupor, then decided to prod him when he didn't.

"Ne, Kenshin . . . I think I've got a pretty good idea, but what is it that Jou-chan wants you to explain to Yahiko?"

"Nani?  Oh . . . um . . . Kaoru-dono thinks he needs to have the facts of life explained to him.  The birds and the bees."

Sano smiled broadly at his friend's use of "dono", a clear sign that Kaoru was making him do something he'd really rather not.  This promised to be interesting.  "What's so bad about that?" he asked, trailing behind the rurouni as he went looking for Yahiko, "Like she said, just tell him what Hiko Seijuurou told you." Kenshin flinched in reaction and Sano thought he heard a faint "Ororoooo." Oh, yes, this was definitely going to be fun.

"Oi, Kenshin!  Sano!" Yahiko called in greeting as they rounded the side of the house to find him practicing in the dojo yard.

"Aaa . . ." Kenshin returned in a dejected-sounding voice.

Yahiko looked at the morose, faintly pink rurouni, then turned to Sano for an explanation.  "What's wrong with him?"

Sano's smile widened.  "Jou-chan told him he had to explain the facts of life to you.  You'd think he didn't know what they were, ne?"

"SANO!" Kenshin's embarrassed, spluttering protest only amused the ex-gangster more.  Especially considering that Yahiko had turned red too -- even his ears appeared flushed.  Boy and rurouni exchanged long-suffering looks.

A few moments later found the three of them seated on the dojo porch, Sano waiting with anticipation for Kenshin to begin his explanation, Yahiko waiting with curiosity and trepidation.  For once the boy was glad of Kaoru's interference.  He did have some questions . . .

The seconds ticked by and Kenshin remained silent, face twisted in thought.  Tired of waiting, Sano finally prompted, "Kenshin?  Sometime today?"

"Oro?  Oh!  Um . . . well, you see, Yahiko . . ."  Kenshin began, fumbling for the right words, trailing off into silence when Sano burst out laughing at his stuttering explanation.

"I really think you had better just tell him what Hiko told you," Sano said for the second time, enjoying how this prompted Kenshin's face to once again rival his hair.  "You know, you have the most interesting reaction whenever anyone suggests that," he commented nonchalantly, "Just what did he tell you?"

Kenshin sighed.  As embarrassing as the memory was, perhaps the best way to explain things to Yahiko would be to recount what had happened back when he had received this education.  At least Yahiko would get the whole story.  Nobody could say that Hiko Seijuurou ever stinted on a lesson.  And from the look in Sano's eyes, Kenshin wasn't going to know a moment's peace until he'd told the story, anyway.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and began.

On to Lesson 1: Flirting