"Calm down, I won't force you into anything," he said calmly, radiating serenity and peace.
"But your damned ability will! I don't want to be one of those obedient bitches wagging their tails at a single glance from you!" Noriko exclaimed angrily. She was bursting with rage, and the thought of becoming someone's "slave" didn't fit in her head. It went against all her beliefs and was rejected by her strong-willed nature.
"It's not that bad. You'll still keep your personality and freedom of action. Only a forgotten feeling of love will awaken in you, and perhaps maternal instinct."
"Maternal instinct?! I'm a warrior, not a woman!" she growled, feeling extreme dissatisfaction and deep insult from this impudent man's proposals.
"No one will take away your right to be a warrior; moreover, I'll restore your health, give you a purpose in life, and help you get revenge."
For several minutes, absolute silence hung in the room. Noriko snorted discontentedly and breathed heavily, repeatedly pondering the prospects. All her nature was against it, but after prolonged reflection, an idea flashed in her single eye.
"You said no one can resist your ability? What if I can?!" she asked, staring at his emotionless face.
"That's unlikely... You're strong, but I doubt even Tsunade Senju could resist this ability," he said, shaking his head. And though he could deceive her a hundred times, such a method of interacting with his future wife was repugnant to him. That she would become one of his wives – he had no doubt, intending sooner or later to find the key to her heart and make her his own.
"And still?! If after your ability's influence, I keep my convictions and decide to leave, promise you'll fulfill your part of the deal and restore my health!"
Kenshin was a bit surprised by her incredibly tempting proposal but didn't want to deceive her, and said:
"If after signing the contract and becoming my wife, you still want to leave – so be it. I won't stop you. But with your health, it's more complicated. If this procedure doesn't return your body to perfect condition, you'll have to wait until I have access to a Medical Ninjutsu master at Tsunade's level."
"What kind of contract do I have to sign?" Noriko asked. She didn't want to dive into an unknown adventure and tried to learn as many details as possible.
"It's not exactly an ordinary contract..." he began, and in a few minutes explained all the nuances to her. For another fifteen minutes or so, they discussed various details with Noriko, and to reduce the pressure, Kenshin decided to meet her halfway.
"I don't want to force you into anything, so I suggest postponing this issue for two weeks. And though all this time you'll be under my ability's influence, it will help determine how much you can resist," Kenshin said measuredly.
"Are you so eager to marry an ugly cripple? Looks like I have no choice. Fine, I'll observe you for two weeks, then give my final answer. If after that time I want to leave and you don't let me – you'll regret bringing a fox into the henhouse!" Noriko declared threateningly. Her tone scared Kenshin a little, even though he knew she couldn't break the cuffs or cause much trouble in a castle filled with numerous chakra-suppressing formations at range. They weren't too strong, but they reduced "chakra quality" by at least one level.
"Fine, but I have a counter-condition. For the next two weeks, you must try to control yourself and not quarrel with my family members. You also must socialize and attend all events, whether a family picnic or games," Kenshin said calmly, staring unblinkingly into her single eye.
"What an idiotic condition? How do you suggest I tolerate your ditzy wives?!" she replied discontentedly, crossing her arms over her practically nonexistent chest.
"You'd better stop insulting those dear to me," Kenshin said with a sigh. He tried not to notice her wild temper, but some things he simply couldn't ignore.
"Yeah, yeah, you plainlanders are all big softies who get offended by simple words. I'll try not to offend your little hens, but I promise nothing. If the black-eyed one tries to get touchy-feely with me – she'll get it in the eye. Tell her that!" she snorted discontentedly, scratching her itching stump.
Kenshin just grimaced discontentedly but stayed silent. The conversation had been surprisingly productive, so he decided not to spoil the slightly improved mood with pointless arguments.
"By the way, about family events. In half an hour, we're all going to the sauna. Don't grimace; you'll definitely like it. It'll be very beneficial for your battered body. Hitomi will help you pick a swimsuit," Kenshin said, and quickly left her room to avoid hearing loud protests.
After leaving Noriko's room, Kenshin invited his wives to the sauna. They had the right to refuse, but none wanted to miss such an important event. Noriko, Meyumi, and Makoto had no right to refuse, so Kenshin asked Hitomi, Natsumi, and Kasumi to help them choose swimsuits and explain what a sauna was.
The next forty minutes made the Nakayama Family home much more lively than any event in the past month. Makoto and Meyumi got insanely excited when they learned they were going to the hot springs with Kenshin, so they tried to pick the most beautiful swimsuits possible.
And though Noriko couldn't care less about all the fuss, Hitomi practically forced her to put on a one-piece swimsuit and removed all hair from her body. She did it so quickly that Noriko didn't have time to react.
"Y-you! What did you do?! Do I look like some prostitute to you?!" Noriko shouted in rage and swung her fist at her.
"Calm down. It's just hygiene. Besides, hair sticking out from under the swimsuit looks disgusting!" Hitomi declared, easily intercepting her blow and throwing the furious Noriko onto the bed.
"Who needs your damned hygiene?! A warrior should smell of battle and enemies' blood, and you've made me look like a whore! Take off these cursed bracers, and let's see you dishonor me again!" Noriko said, blazing with anger.
"I'm not against beating the arrogance out of you, but Kenshin won't like it, so shut up and put on the suit," Hitomi said calmly, and left her room.
Noriko growled for a few more minutes but, cooling a bit, put on the swimsuit and slowly headed to the recreation room.