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Chapter 34
Aoshi panicked. Misao was nowhere to be found, and none of the others knew where she went. They weren't worried, being used to her running off, but she'd never run off while he was there. Expecially without trying to bring him along.
It could only mean one thing. She'd either found out that Kaoru and Yahiko were missing, or she'd found out that Aoshi was hiding something from her. Either way it meant she had gone off to the Dojo. He cursed that he'd given her the chance to slip away when he was taking care of some old business last night.
He'd made it known that he didn't want her following him, He should have suspected something when she didn't complain. He donned his traveling garb, sheathing his two kodachi blades, and sliding a few knifes in his boots for good measure, ignoring the questioning looks from the others of the former oniwabanshu. He took off quickly out of the city to the long trek toThe Kamia dojo
Kaoru sighed as she laid back in the bed. She'd been stuck there for days now, and frankly, she was getting tired of it. She had passed the time sleeping, only because it made time pass faster. But one could only sleep so much, and it was little help other than to keep her up nights instead of during the day.
Enishi had brought her a few books to read, and that had helped until she started reading them... Even though she was pretty well read herself, she didn't understand a lot of the Kanji. They were really Archaic, and Kaoru wondered if they weren't antiques.
Among them, there was a small but substantial book of poetry, but poems weren't exactly the kind of thing you read strait through, so she could only spend a few minutes at a time musing over them.
She opened the book again, leafing through it, when she noticed in the back there were some handwritten, rather than meticulously printed poems. She noticed further that the handwriting was similar to Enishi's calligraphy, yet not quite as neat.
They were dated, If they were indeed Enishi's, they were written when he was around the same age as she was now (it had taken a while for her to get Enishi's age from him, but apparently he's near five years older than her)
The poems, were delicate. Or at least that was the first word that came to mind when she read them. They weren't the typical Haiku, and didn't seem to have any other sense of rythem, but the still sounded poetic to her ears.
Some of them were simple, describing the path of a firefly over the night sky, or the fall of rain on a dying fire. It seemed odd that Enishi would have a hobby of writing poetry, and she wondered if he'd even remembered that he'd written in the back pages of this book.
She turned to the last page to find an uncompleted poem that stuck in her mind for as long as she could remember afterwards. It was written neatly, and the ink still shone as if it hadn't dried more than a few hours ago.
Gently falling softly, softly
Fell the snow on frozen lips
As I watched you crying softly
Blood had soaked thyne fingertips
I did not know what words to speak
So silently I stood still
Would you have belived me had I said
All faults aside, my love is real
So slowly, slowly I crept backwards
Running through the trees and hills
To be denied I was afraid
For I as well, blood had spilled...
It ended there, although it seemed to trail off, waiting for the next verse. Kaoru felt almost drawn, as she picked up a calligraphy brush that had waited there from her earlier attempts to do some calligraphy without moving wrong. She had before found it difficult to do without sitting up. But now she was writing in a book. She only hopped the ink wouldn't drip.
There I fell into the snow
Staring at my own bloodstained hands
Oblivious, I did not know
Behind me you did softly stand
You took my tears and wiped them dry
And all my fears were washed away
For although I too was stained in blood,
In your gentle eyes I drift away
You took my face into your hands
And leaving behind a reddish tint,
You kissed me, making no demands
As warmth once more touched my frozen lips.
Kaoru stopped, adding a small flourish to the last word, and quickly setting the book down, face up on the table before the ink started to run. She sighed, still not knowing why she had finished it, and wondering if she should have written in somebody else's book.
Then she wondered what it would be like to be kissed by Enishi. She shook her head as if to shake off the thought, feeling her face turn red. She realized, for the first time in years that she'd thought about it, she'd never really been kissed.
That boy that kissed her when she was seven didn't count at all. She chuckled to herself, remembering that they'd both wondered what it would be like, and then after doing it, wondered why anyone even bothered. She sighed, staring off at the wall for a while.
Enishi had undoubtedly undressed her more than once, so she was sure he'd seen her naked, and of course at the castle... she trailed off, not even wanting to think about that. At least she hoped it had been Enishi that had undressed her rather than some stranger. She scowled at the wall. If it had been alive it likely would have run away.
Kaoru laid back on the pillow with a soft thud, as she'd barely been sitting up herself, the wound not allowing for it. They'd told her she was very lucky it hadn't hit anything vital, although it had been very close to her kidney. Although she wasn't sure what a kidney was, she was sure if it was inside her she didn't want it cut open. No telling what kind of trouble that could cause.
She briefly wondered why everything that had happened in the last few days wasn't bothering her, but the answer quickly came to mind. She'd seen worse. Not a phrase she was used to hearing. Usually everything that happened was worse.
But after a while, nothing worse can happen can it? She shook her head, knowing that wasn't true. Not only had she seen worse, She could imagine multiple cases in which it could be worse.
Disturbingly, one of the worst things that came to mind was being without Enishi. When Exactly had she become so attached to him. She shrugged mentally. All that mattered was that she had, and she didn't mind in the least bit.
Kaoru yawned as she finally felt sleep overtaking her. She soon drifted off into the silence of dreams, unaware of Enishi quietly walking in to check on her, and then reading what she had written.
She did, although, feel him brush his thumb across her lips, and also the sensation of something softer, but she thought it all a dream, and drifted even more readily into darkness.
He found her sitting on the wooden floor of the Dojo, idly flicking her braid to and fro with her hand. But he knew better than to take it as a sign of boredom. She was very upset. Not angry, not sad, but upset. An emotion between the two, when one was not sure what to do.
In such times, Misao often seemed bored. But he knew her mind was just stewing at whatever bugged her. In this case, as in many, he already knew what it was before she said anything. And unfortunately she knew that he knew...
"Kaoru went after Kenshin, he's in China." Misao said curtly "But you already knew that didn't you" she finished. See? Aoshi told himself. She knew. He nodded
"Aa" He replied, not one to act guilty or even slightly ashamed even if he was. He'd never been a child, he'd never learned to act like one. Misao glared at him as if he was mocking her. He knew better than to think her mad at him. She never got mad at him, did she? He held back a wince, hoping it was the situation she was mad at and not him.
She usually understood his reasoning, even if she didn't like it.
That was the way of people who thought they were head over heels in love. But Aoshi knew better It was just an infatuation of what she thought him to be, his image, He didn't believe much in love. Not the kind Misao claimed to have for him anyhow, though she'd never said it, he could tell what she would say.
Kaoru woke up refreshed. Today she should be able to move around a bit, as long as she didn't overdo it, the doctor had said. Kaoru chuckled at the fact that the doctor had done next to nothing, Mao had told her that it had been Enishi who had sewn her up and bandaged her, although he admitted that he had concocted the herbal mix that was used.
Mao told her he knew all sorts of silly witchcrafts, grinning as he related some pretty normal everyday things. The only difference is he had learned it all from a little old sinister looking lady, Mao had joked. Kaoru remembered asking about How Enishi learned how to sew, but she couldn't quite remember how Mao had changed the subject.
Kaoru smiled, she enjoyed Mao's company because he didn't hesitate to talk. Kaoru was rather curious why there was such a change from his personality now, and the one he'd had in the pit. Mao had mumbled something about being a veggitarian and left it at that, gaining a giggle out of Kaoru. She didn't believe for once that was the whole reason, but she was content to leave it at that. Mao was a man of many masks, lifelike, unlike the cold silence Enishi often wore. They both undoubtedly had excellent reasons for it. Kaoru herself was developing a sort of mask. She was unused to hiding her emotions, but in some cases in seemed necessary.
Kaoru rose gently from the bed, with the help of a chair that was placed next to it, and kind of limped downstairs, leaning over her stomach a bit because it hurt to much to stand up strait. Kaoru rose a hand to her cheek as she felt a slight twinge from the scar there. That part of her face still went numb sometimes, causing her eye to twitch. She grinned goofily, what a sight that must be.
She sighed. Two scars now, her vanity had taken quite a toll in the last year. And now she was an invalid too... for the time being anyhow. Kaoru looked up as she felt someone watching her. Enishi seemed to tower above her slouching form. He seemed to be calculation something, but she figured he'd likely decided on it already as out of nowhere she found herself carried in his arms towards the restraunt portion of the inn.
"You shouldn't walk so much all in the first day" he said in explaination. Kaoru mumbled that she had been doing fine. "Well then let me carry you anyways, if just to humor me" He replied. Kaoru looked up at him to find him looking at her with an amused shine to his eyes. Kaoru smiled and nodded, not being able to deny him that much.
"I suppose if that's what it takes to make you happy" Kaoru said with a mock sigh of defeat.
"That's what it takes" Enishi finished with a slight smile.
"You see girls, that's his poor invalid little sister he takes care of" Mao could be heard whispering not at all quietly to a gaggle of girls that surrounded him, listening intently. "And he only has eyes for her... It's a most incestuous relationship." Mao finished off as if it was the greatest secret in existance. The girls gasped in surprise and he sent them off as Enishi placed Kaoru down on the round booth seat.
"You're having entirely too much fun with those girls" Enishi said with a raised eyebrow. Mao grinned
"But they're so gulible." He snickered "I told them that I was the prince of Egypt and they believed me"
"Mao... I doubt they know what Egypt is, or that with your coloring, it would be nigh impossible for you to have been born there, much less rule." Mao shrugged at Enishi's response as if to say 'so what'
"It's still pretty fun, and they've no use otherwise" Enishi smirked wickedly at that, taking the opportunity to get back at Mao for the teasing from yesterday
"Oh?" he querried impetuously "That's not what you told me yesterday" Kaoru laughed.
"You guys... are no different from schoolboys!" she said having trouble choking out the words between laughter. Mao glowered at Enishi, and then turned to Kaoru with a grin. Enishi just sat there with the same halfsmile throughout the rest of the meal.
It was three more weeks before Kaoru fully recovered. She was pleased to discover that the scar seemed to be fading already. Mao told her it was due to that oily mix in the concoction he gave her to use on it, while he said that Enishi likely thought it was his small stitches that had done it.
Kaoru had laughed good naturedly and said it was likely both. Those two were constantly bickering... although Enishi always used subtle comments. Mao definatly held nothing back, acting all of the 16 years he looked, despite his actual age.
Kaoru wandered around the inn, trying to locate Enishi, when she finally found him in his room... the first place she'd looked. She briefly wondered how she'd missed him, when she noticed he was packing and felt a sense of panic overtake her.
"Ah.." she started, causing him to glance around at her "Are you leaving soon?" she asked. Enishi nodded, brushing a hand through his hair. (though it all just fell back exactly where it had been before)
"Tomorrow morning" he said, leaning against the table, waiting for her to speak her mind.
"...Where are you going to" she said hesitantly
"You remember the place a few days south of here." he stated with a gentle smile as he indicated the direction with his hand.
"Is Mao going too?" she querried. Enishi nodded.
"Mao is going too."
"Am I going too?" she whispered, her hands unconsciously clasped nervously. Enishi's eyes widened slightly as he realised what was bothering her. He grinned widely as he motioned for her to come over to him. Kaoru hesitantly walked over, and stopped two feet in front of him.
Enishi grasped her chin in one hand and leaned over and lightly kissed her, gaining an amusingly startled expression from her.
"I wouldn't have it any other way" Enishi said still smiling at her. Kaoru smiled back as she couldn't help the tears that threatened to peek from her eyes.
"Do that again" she said. And Enishi pulled her into his arms and kissed her harder.
"You go too" he mumbled against her mouth, gaining a laugh from her. He pulled away, eyed her a little funny and then went in for another kiss, this time opening his mouth to hers as he nibbled on her lower lip until he coaxed her to open her mouth in return.
What seemed like minutes later, they drew apart breathing heavily, although Enishi you could only tell by the rise and fall of his chest, while Kaoru made it quite known that she was out of breath. Enishi smiled at her as he still held her in his arms against him.
"Mao said things like this can be great fun" he chuckled "Now I think I tend to agree with him" Enishi said with a grin. Kaoru's eyes widened as she realized that meant he'd never... that..
She laughed wholeheartedly as he pulled her to the bed with him to start a night that would mark the beginning of the rest of their future together. Kaoru smiled happily, now that she could finally get her hands on Enishi... and also because she knew that no matter what happened, it couldn't possibly pull them apart. It couldn't be worse, because the worst would never happen now.
Blood And Snow