Chapter31

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Enishi looked down at her, not with pity but with some other unreadable expression that Kaoru couldn't quite understand. It wasn't what she wanted, she could tell that much. She had a sinking feeling that she was going to be left alone with her nightmares, but Enishi lifted her up and quickly wrapped her in a cloak like a child, carrying her cradled in his arms out of the room.

All the tension and fear fell from her body as she sunk into him and quietly cried with her cheek resting against his chest. They seemed to walk through the tunnels for hours, and she could feel a growing frustration rising from Enishi as he turned around another corner. He set her down against the wall and started to walk away. She was about to panic and call out to him when he stopped in front of a section of wall.

He tapped a bit on the wall checking the sound and then paused for a minute as something occurred to him. Finally he rose a foot and kicked down slightly diagonally with one quick thrust, breaking the floor below them leaving a gaping hole. He picked her up again after peering through it, and carried her over to the new opening, hoping down through it to land on his feet heavily, almost twenty feet below.

Kaoru wouldn't imagine his body could hold up so much, but she was somehow afraid to say anything, his stony expression calling for silence. Kaoru observed the room they were in, which was mostly barren and clean, other than a bloody mess smeared all across one wall. Her eyes widened as she also saw great scratches across the wall as if a beast had been there. As they left the room she almost missed the glint of a single earring on the floor lying in stark contrast in black and white, to the dulled brownish red smear across the wall.

Enishi considered her request as he carried her out of the building. He knew exactly what she had been asking, but it would be better if he feigned ignorance. The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of the situation that was his fault in the first place. She didn't really want him, he reasoned as well, He didn't want to be a mistake.

Kaoru peered up at him, and she could tell he was deep in thought. She grimaced at the thought that she could very likely be the cause of all those injuries inflicted on him. She wanted to trace her hands down those angry red marks covering his face, chest and back... and likely places she couldn't see beneath the pants he wore. All of the welts stopped just barely before the point of breaking skin.

Someone had taken great care to abuse him to the point of collapse without doing any permanent damage. She cursed the hand that did this, as she had the urge strong to take care of him, but doubted very much that he would let her.

When they got out of the building, Mao had Fangs personal carriage ready for the bunch and they all piled in, the driver happy to help them with no complaints as he would be allowed his freedom after this one last job.

Kaoru found herself falling asleep to the rocking of the carriage, and throughout the week long journey no meaningful words were exchanged, although Kaoru was dying to say something. There wasn't the opportunity with Mao around.

They arrived at a hotel finally, and Kaoru was glad to have a chance to sleep on a real bed. It briefly occurred to her that she hadn't slept on a futon bed in a long time. She shook the thought off before it brought more memories back than she could handle. For now she was just tired and she preferred it to stay that way.

Kaoru flumped onto the bed, worn despite the fact... or rather because she had been sitting in a carriage all week, non-stop. She hoped tomorrow that she could have a chance to speak to Enishi alone. She didn't know quite what she wanted to say. She wanted too tell him how she felt... She had lost the last person she'd loved because she hadn't said anything.

But how, how could she say anything at all when.... She'd like to be able to brush off the events in the castle like so much dust; they'd both gone through something similar, so it wasn't like he wouldn't understand.

She sighed and shivered as she thought of what had been done to her. Now that she thought about it, Enishi had only really sent her into the pit because he knew she'd be safe with everything he'd taught her. She smiled a little at the thought and remembered the brief look in his eyes when she had said she would go. With that in mind, she drifted slowly off to sleep, dreaming of having Enishi's arms around her.

Deep into the night, a shadow crept into her room. Kaoru stirred uncomfortably, likely the force of the concealed presence disrupting her dreams. But the shadow stopped, and Kaoru slowly stilled once more sleeping peacefully. The face on the shadow smiled ferally, his amber eyes slitted as they watched carefully his current prey.

Enishi hauled Saitoh out of the room violently, looking over his shoulder to see if he had woken Kaoru. She was still asleep. He smiled as he walked out of the room, Saitoh in tow and threw the cop against the wall. Saitoh lifted himself up and leaned against the wall, a smirk still plastered across his face.

"What do you want" Enishi said, narrowing his eyes. "You purposely alerted me to your presence. I don't imagine you came here just for me to beat the living shit out of you." Saitoh lit up a cigarette and lit it.

"No I trust you're quite right about that." He said placing the cigarette in his mouth. "I am currently involved in a cat and mouse game" Saitoh said with a smile "Unfortunately the mouse thinks he's a Cat and I need to borrow another mouse in order to remind him." Enishi frowned as he realized what the man meant.

"Kaoru" he said simply. He paused as Saitoh nodded. "Why come to me then, you could very well have just taken her without my knowing" Enishi said a slight twitch developing in his left cheek as he thought of the implications of his words. The man really could have snuck in and done something to Kaoru before he noticed.

"Ah yes very true." Saitoh responded looking strait at Enishi as he spoke. "But even a wolf knows not to steal from a Tiger." Enishi raised his eyebrow. Saitoh continued the explanation "Had I just taken her, you would have tracked me down and ripped me apart. You're stronger than the battousai, who at his full potential is my equal. I know my limits." Enishi nodded accepting the explanation albeit grudgingly.

"So you want to ask me if you can borrow her..." Enishi asked incredulously. Saitoh shook her head.

"No I'm pretty sure you wouldn't go for that. I just thought I'd remind you not to let her forget about her revenge." Enishi looked up at Saitoh sharply, wondering just how the hell the man knew that. "Kousetsu." Saitoh said briefly in explaination "He'd been following the Roosterhead and Battousai around for weeks, did you think someone wouldn't notice?" He eyed Enishi sidelong as he blew out a puff of smoke. "You're lucky it was me and not one of the others." Enishi didn't respond.

"Although I didn't contact him until I had information leading me to believe you were back in the area."

"Rest assured" Enishi started, drawling slowly "I prefer not to leave loose ends untied. Kaoru will see Kenshin." Saitoh smiled at that and faded into the shadows, leaving Enishi brooding.

Kaoru awoke refreshed. Something she hadn't done in quite some time. She hopped out of bed, only to find a new set of clothes laid out for her, just like the ones Enishi had given her before. She smiled warmly and quickly dressed herself, Afterwards heading out of her room downstairs to the lobby.

As she reached the lobby, an attendant recognized her and directed her to the restaurant where the rest of her party was waiting. Mao for once was fully dressed, only hints of his tattoo showing near his neck. He in fact looked like a young lord, despite the two scars under his eyes. His outfit a vest with shoulders that extended beyond his own, and underneath a sleeved shirt that his arms seemed to drown in.

Kaoru only briefly glanced at him, her gaze switching almost instinctively over to Enishi. He was a sight she was now very fond of, even though she had once been frightened of him. He was also dressed in an unusual manner, wearing a simple thin silk shirt, that fastened up to his neck in the Chinese style, but hung past his hips, secured in place at his waist by a sash.

Enishi scooted over on the table, allowing for Kaoru to have a seat. Kaoru noticed that something was likely bothering Enishi, as he had a dullness to his eyes that she had only seen when that was the case. She opened her mouth to ask him, but thought better of it, remembering that the easiest way to get answers from him was to say nothing.

Sure enough, halfway into the meal, Enishi spoke up. Although what he said was the furthest thing from Kaoru's mind.

"I don't know if you noticed" he started "But this is the same inn that we had stayed at when you decided on revenge against Kenshin." Kaoru paled considerably, the whole thought having been one she's forgotten, since all she'd been thinking about was confessing her feelings to Enishi. Enishi noted her expression. "You haven't changed your mind, have you?" he said curiously... with a note of, something else behind it. Kaoru shook her head.

"Although revenge has lost it's importance now, I know I still have to see him again," she said looking off into her soup "This is something I can't leave unfinished." Enishi nodded.

"Before we go, There are some things that you ought to know so you won't be caught surprised." Kaoru tilted her head to the side in curiosity as she looked at him.

"Kenshin has Amnesia." Kaoru's eyes widened as Enishi continued "The woman with him was not his, and the baby she carried belonged to Sanosuke" Kaoru almost choked on her food at the thought of Sanosuke as a father. "He didn't even see who it was that he struck out at when he hit you, because afterwards he was distracted by the woman, Wei Li's water breaking." Kaoru sat in contemplation of his words. She looked at him again, waiting for him to say something more. Enishi caught what she was asking, although he looked a little hurt.

"No I did not know this until just recently. Kousetsu, the boy who you spied me with in the cabin on the ship, was watching them while we were away" Kaoru nodded, relieved.

"Sorry if I doubted you... I just had to know for sure" She smiled lopsidedly. Mao chuckled from across the table and they both looked at him. He looked like he was about to say something but it was silenced by a glare from Enishi.

"Ah, either way it's too late" Kaoru spoke "Although I still care for Kenshin," Enishi flinched almost imperceptibly, but it was there "I've lost any thought of being together with him now" She smiled at Enishi. He looked away.

"I couldn't see him the same way I used to" she said looking down at the table again, feeling rejected by Enishi. She'd have to explain to him later, that it's because she loved Enishi more than she'd ever liked kenshin, that she couldn't see ever... she trailed off in her thoughts.

"Besides, I'm not the Kaoru he used to know. This meeting, in more than just his amnesia, will be like meeting for the first time"

Enishi looked back up at Kaoru, but she couldn't read anything in his gaze. She only hoped that by so few words, she hadn't ruined any chance she had. She smiled at him, knowing better. By what she'd seen the year she was with Enishi, He wouldn't judge someone by such a little thing. She looked over at Mao, who although he wore a mostly blank expression, she could tell he was rather amused. Enishi Stood up, Drawing Kaoru's gaze once more to him.

"Well then" he spoke, throwing on a cloak over his shoulders. "We may as well get it over with now" he said a little sharply as he handed Kaoru her sword. Kaoru's eyes widened as she clasped it to her, she had thought it was lost in the castle.

She and Mao both stood after Enishi and followed him out of the inn towards the impending meeting, which the outcome was unpredictable... except maybe by Mao, who smiled lightly the whole way...