Meanwhile, Kenshin stripped naked and sat on the cot, surrendering to the experienced hands of his beloved wife. Hitomi wouldn't hear his objections that everything was fine and practically forced him to come to the infirmary.
"Why are half the ligaments in your body stretched or torn?! What happened to you?" she asked, displeased that her husband had risked his life again.
"I fought and won. That's all that matters," Kenshin replied calmly. He wasn't in the mood to discuss his safety for the hundredth time, so he just gently stroked her big belly.
"You know there's nothing more precious to us than your life?" Hitomi asked with a sigh, not wanting to give up.
"I understand perfectly. And do you understand that as a man and father, I can't just stand by while my children are slaughtered like cattle?" he asked authoritatively, looking into her snow-white eyes.
"Then all your plans and dreams are impossible. What will you do when you have hundreds of children? Or thousands? Some of them will inevitably die. Just capture one, and you'll be forced to act!"
Kenshin had nothing to reply, as he understood his position perfectly and was systematically trying to distance himself from his sons to feel less attached. However, neither ordinal numbers instead of names nor dividing the house into two parts had helped him grow callous enough not to see their loss as a tragedy.
"Sorry..." she whispered and hugged him from behind, pressing her belly to his broad back.
"It's fine. You're a very smart woman, Hitomi, and I immensely value your much richer life experience," he replied tenderly and kissed her gentle hands.
After several minutes of tenderness and caresses, Hitomi set aside all emotions and began treating his internal organs. The more thoroughly she examined his body, the more she frowned. A huge number of vessels were overstressed, and the caring wife spent over an hour meticulously healing each one.
Having expended all her chakra, she decided not to waste time and pulled Kenshin to the shower, where she showed all her tenderness and care, washing his weakened body with special trepidation. Intimacy was out of the question, but that didn't stop them from showing their love.
After the shower, Kenshin decided to have dinner and asked Makoto to invite Keiko and Karin. He wanted the two girls to become friends and not feel lonely in this huge mansion.
Hearing a knock at the door, Keiko was a bit surprised but approached without delay and opened it.
"Hello, Keiko-san, hi Karin," Makoto greeted politely and continued: "Kenshin asked me to invite you to dinner."
Keiko was pleasantly surprised by the respectful address from this well-mannered girl and bloomed into a smile.
"Of course, Makoto-chan. Thank you for the invitation," she replied, letting the teenage girl into the room. She was delighted by the girl's upbringing and glad that she and Karin could become friends.
"You're very beautiful, Keiko-san. Kenshin will definitely be glad to see you," Makoto said softly, appraising the maximally simple but incredibly stylish outfit.
Keiko would have been glad to wear a dress or sundress, but due to multiple scars on her arms, painfully pale skin, and thinness, she couldn't wear revealing clothes, so she chose a tight black sweater and stylish black pants. Karin, in turn, was a younger copy of her mother.
Noticing Keiko dressed all in black, Makoto mistakenly thought she was mourning Eighth along with everyone and observing the period of mourning.
"I'm glad such a good woman has come to our home. Unlike some, you don't need hints that the mourning isn't over..." she said with a sigh, remembering her quarrel with Meyumi, who seemed not to grieve for Eighth at all and was telling other girls funny life stories barely two hours later.
"Mourning?" Keiko asked in surprise.
"That's what they say when someone feels great pain from losing a loved one. Like Kenshin and Aya, who lost one of their older sons..." Makoto explained with a sigh, defining "mourning" for the woman from other lands.
"Oh! How awful..." Keiko exclaimed, feeling strong compassion for the person who lost a child. For her, losing Karin was the most terrible nightmare tormenting her last months. She dreaded imagining losing her child.
Before leaving the room, Makoto smoothed her unruly hair, adjusted her sweater, and headed out. Keiko took Karin's hand and followed the young girl.
Everyone except Aya and Kenshin, who had gone to her room a while ago to bring his grief-stricken wife to the table, was already gathered.
"Sit wherever you like," Kasumi said, preempting Meyumi who wanted to assign the newcomers their places again.
"Thank you," Keiko replied softly and elegantly took one of the free seats. Karin didn't quite understand what was happening and just copied her mother.
Only after ten minutes did Kenshin finally persuade Aya to come down, and the teary-eyed, hastily washed pregnant girl took her usual seat without much enthusiasm.
Kenshin couldn't help noticing the dazzling Meyumi. She was the only one dressed as if for a ball and had applied a huge amount of makeup, literally flaunting her beauty. He couldn't help frowning at such tactlessness but decided to stay silent, as grief and mourning should come from the pure heart, and he had no right to force sympathy.
Kenshin himself was dressed in the simplest uniform like those used by masters of eastern martial arts in his world, namely Chinese wushu. Seeing among the system-offered clothes a uniform called "ifu," he found it incredibly practical, non-restrictive, and very light. That's why he'd almost completely abandoned typical student clothing elements. The exceptions were underwear, simple T-shirts, and occasionally elastic leggings.
"Keiko, Karin, you look wonderful," he said softly as a routine compliment and continued: "Don't be scared by what you see now."
As soon as he finished, a huge variety of dishes appeared on the table, and even Keiko, prepared for surprises, flinched and widened her eyes.
To Kenshin's surprise, Karin took it much more calmly than her mother and immediately reached for a baked chicken leg, at which Keiko shushed her and gave her daughter a displeased look.
"No need. Let the girl eat," Kenshin said softly, feeling lightness in his soul from watching the child. He'd seen plenty of the boys' antics, but a little girl evoked nothing but a smile.
Keiko smiled softly, and Karin instantly grabbed the aromatic chicken leg. Her fidgety, childish behavior amused everyone and somewhat dispelled the gloom hanging over the room.
And if Karin delighted everyone with her childlike impulsiveness, her mother surprised all with her poise. Refinement showed in every action, and Kenshin enjoyed watching it.
He couldn't help but notice Meyumi's gaze burning with displeasure directed at Keiko. She was literally furious, unhappy that Kenshin was paying more attention to the "stray cat" than to the well-groomed and beautiful girl.
"Stay after dinner," Kenshin said to her mentally, and Meyumi literally blossomed before his eyes. Her anger instantly evaporated, and the young beauty was overjoyed at the prospect of being alone with her lord.