"Kaoru, watch where you're-" Yahiko sighed. "Going."
Kaoru shook her head, trying to get rid of the spinning stars in her brain. "What happened, Yahiko?" she asked.
"You walked right into the middle of the road, Kaoru," he said, leaning on his bamboo stick. "It definitely wasn't one of your brighter moments."
"Oh, be quiet," Kaoru shot back, trying to get to her feet. Her knees were smarting and there was a terrible tear in her kimono. She felt a gentle hand on her arm.
"Are you hurt, darling?" a young woman asked in English.
"I'm all right," Kaoru responded. Lucky she had still kept up with her English studies after her father's death.
The pretty girl simpered. She was obviously one of the foreigners. "I'm so glad," she said. She held out one delicate gloved hand. "My name is Cosette St. Claire."
Kaoru took the hand gingerly, aware of the calluses dotting her own palm. "Kamiya Kaoru," she answered.
Cosette St. Claire tilted her head to one side, staring out of wide brown eyes. "Why don't you come home with me?" she suggested. "I'm sure my sister and I can fix you up. You're so very pretty, you know."
Kaoru blushed. Beside her, Yahiko snorted. She pinched his arm. "Ow!" he yelped. Cosette ignored him, waiting for Kaoru's answer.
"I can't," she said. "I have to go home."
Cosette pouted. "Oh, dear," she said. "Well, then come and visit whenever you wish." She handed Kaoru a little card, then ascended into her carriage. "Au revoir!" she called as her coach rolled away.
"What does 'oh-vwah' mean?" Yahiko asked.
"It's French, I think," Kaoru said, staring at the card. It still carried the delicate scent of Cosette's perfume.
Yahiko rolled his eyes and grabbed Kaoru's wrist. "C'mon," he said. "Kenshin's probably started dinner by now, and I'm hungry!"

*****

"Isn't that done yet, Kenshin?" Sano complained. Kenshin placidly ignored him. Sano stood up. "Looks like Kaoru and Yahiko are back."
"Is dinner ready?" Yahiko asked.
"Not yet," Kenshin said.
Sano did a double take. "You okay, missie?" He pointed to the bloodstains on her kimono.
"Oh!" Kaoru said. "I think I'm all right."
Kenshin looked up. His brow furrowed. "That doesn't look good at all, that it doesn't," he remarked. "I'm sure Miss Megumi or Dr. Gensai could take care of it."
"You worry too much," she said. "I'll be fine." She limped into the house.
"What happened to her?" Sano asked.
"Oh, she just walked into a carriage," Yahiko said. "It wasn't going too fast. It belonged to some girl with a funny name who asked Kaoru to come home with her!"
"What was her name?" Kenshin wanted to know.
Yahiko shrugged. "Oh, something like Cassandra , that was it. Cosette St. Claire."
"St. Claire!" Kenshin said. "That's the name of the English ambassador, isn't it?"
"I think so," Sano said. "Yeah, he lives up at the embassy with his two daughters. Heard they're both real pretty girls, but not all that bright."
"How do you know, Sanosuke? You don't have too much of a brain yourself!" Kaoru retorted.
Yahiko whistled. "That was pretty low, Kaoru," he said.
"Well, he deserved it!" Kaoru sniffed, her nose in the air. She sailed into the dojo, slamming the door behind her.
"What's her problem?" Sano asked, scratching his head.
Yahiko shrugged. "Maybe she's thinking about taking that Cosette girl up on her offer."
"What offer?" Kenshin asked.
"Oh, she said something about how pretty Kaoru is and how she could fix her up. Girl stuff like that," Yahiko answered with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Well, Kaoru is a pretty girl," Sano agreed. "Don't you think so, Kenshin?"
Kenshin had a slightly dreamy look in his eyes. "Mm-hm," he nodded.
"Oh, boy," Yahiko sighed.

*****

Kaoru frowned as she untied her hair ribbon. Was she really pretty, or was Cosette just being nice? Her long blue-black hair made a soft swishing noise as she brushed it. I'm just a little peasant girl, she thought miserably. Visions of Cosette and her perfect curls and fancy dress danced in her brain. I wish I was pretty, she said to herself. Maybe Cosette could make me look pretty like her.

*****

"Katsu?" Sano called. "C'mon, I know you're in there."
Katsu materialized from the back of the apartment, inkstains on his fingers and a dazed expression on his face. "Oh, it's you, Sano," he said.
"WHo else would it be?" Sanosuke snorted.
Katsu ignored him. "Come here. I want you to see this," he said." He thrust a drawing in Sano's face. Sano studied it. It was a sketch of a young woman with hair the color of a living flame falling in careless strands around her face. She was dressed in the strangest clothes he had ever seen, with a long, broad-bladed sword in her hand.
"What is this, Katsu?" Sano asked, confused.
"They call her Lady Flame-Hair," Katsu said mysteriously. "She and her men appear in the middle of the night and steal everyting they can get their hands on. All that's left is the scorch-mark from a flame."
"Don't think I've ever heard of anyone like that,," Sano said. "Can I take this with me, Katsu?"
"Hm? Oh, sure," Katsu mumbled, going to work on his newest drawing.
"Lady Flame Hair," Sano mused. "Flame Hair."

*****

Kaoru shifted from one foot to another. She didn't need telepathy to know what the doorman was thinking. What is a little peasant brat doing here? She didn't quite know herself.
"You say you are here to see Miss Cosette?" the doorman asked in awkward Japanese.
"Yes-s-s," Kaoru stammered. She showed him the little card. "She gave me this."
The doorman sniffed, but took the card and disappeared within the massive house. He returned several agonizing eternities later. "Miss Cosette will see you now." he said.
Kaoru slid one of her sandals off, then noticing the doorman was staring in distate. Reluctantly she slipped her foot back in and followed the doorman. For the first time in her life she was wearing her shoes inside a house. And an English house, at that!
"What a perfectly lovely girl!" an cultured English voice gushed.
"Isn't she?" Cosette simpered. She held out her soft white hands. "It's so wonderful you could , wasn't it?"
"Kaoru?" Cosette's beautiful companion raised an elegantly arched eyebrow. "That's provincial. You need a more elegant name, child."
"I like my name," Kaoru objected softly.
"Oh, of course, darling," Cosette soothed her. "What Fantine means is that 'Kaoru' is .Japanese."
"But I am Japanese," Kaoru said.
Fantine patted Kaoru's cheek. "Not any more, darling. Your name will be Caralina now. It's ever so much more elegant," she said. "Turn around, Caralina." She tapped a slim finger against her lip. "Blue is most definitely your color, dear. I'm sure we can find something in one of our trunks you can wear, instead of that horrid kimono. And we'll fix your hair- perhaps we'll cut it."