Kaoru smiled as she placed a tray of food before Enishi once again. She’d been coming back for a month now, and Enishi had finally stopped crying when he ate her food. She didn’t know weather he’d just gotten used to it or she’d actually gotten better at cooking, Kaoru joked sardonically to herself. She knew full well that her cooking wasn’t the best stuff on earth, but it wouldn’t kill Sano and Yahiko to refrain from mentioning it. She frowned. At least Enishi didn’t complain. She laughed. He likely would if he wasn’t sitting there frozen in whatever time he happened to be.

Over the time she’d spent with him, no more than three hours a day, she had slowly pieced together that he was reliving the events of his sisters death, and that somehow he thought she was laughing at him. She smiled painfully, that must be a hard thing to deal with. She’d never had siblings and could only imagine what it would be like, but that was bad enough on it own. She sighed and scooted over next to him, leaning against the wall and stretching her legs out.

She hadn’t really found whatever it was that she was looking for but she had a feeling Enishi had it. She leaned against his shoulder. Taking liberties from a mentally disturbed person, Kaoru chuckled to herself, now that’s not really fair. She sighed, if only Kenshin would allow her such liberties.. sometimes she just needed a shoulder to lean on, or hell even a hug every once and a while.

            But Kenshin kept everything to himself. She stared off into space, almost imitating Enishi, but without the empty look. The last time she’d really gotten anything from him was when he was leaving for Kyoto. It had felt really good to be surrounded by his arms.. but given the situation she hadn’t a chance to enjoy it. She frowned. Did Kenshin really… she didn’t finish the sentence, not wanting to know the answer. He had told her on Enishi’s Island that he was coming to meet her.. she had thought it meant so much more, but it seemed to be nothing more than.. well nothing.

            She fell over onto Enishi’s lap and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him. Even though she didn’t seem to be making any progress, Enishi’s presence was comforting when her thoughts were troubling her, and he made an excellent pillow, she smiled as she dozed off. Just for a little while, she thought to herself, fading into an oblivious dream.

            Enishi had been slowly realizing what was going on merely three days after Kaoru had first come. It had taken a week before he was fully conscious, and he had been watching her whenever she wasn’t looking, afraid to say anything because he wasn’t sure of her motives. Maybe she was here to laugh at him too.

            But his hope slowly grew as she kept coming back day after day, but now he had a new reason to keep silent. He didn’t want her to leave.  He’d never known anyone to care so much about him, and although he thought his sister had, in the end she threw him out carelessly for Kenshin. He winced. Kaoru was likely in love with Kenshin too. He didn’t want to loose anything to Kenshin again.. So he kept silent, enjoying the moments as they came.

            He never dreamed she would get so close to him. After the first two weeks she had started sitting by him, leaning up against the wall as she stared off into the afternoon air. Her company was a comfort in a vast lonely despair that threatened to consume him. Whenever she left in the evening he would stare after her, glad that she had shown him her loneliness too. Granted it was almost as if he wasn’t there, but he liked to think that she might do the same thing if he was “well” again.

            When she had first rested her head on his shoulder, he almost jumped. He had restrained himself only twitching slightly. Luckily she hadn’t noticed. It was almost torture to have her there and not do anything, feeling her soft hair against his neck, and smelling her innocent unique scent. She smelled of cherry blossoms and a faint hint of sweat, but it wasn’t overwhelming any kind of added to her presence.

            Then she laid down across his lap, today, it had almost been a month since she had started coming. That was more than he could bear, but he held out surprisingly well… at least until she had fallen asleep. Then he couldn’t help himself.

            As soon as she had settled into a peaceful sleep he pulled on the end of her ribbon an freed her hair, running a hand through it and bringing a bit to his face, breathing in the sweet scent of cherry blossoms and soap. He sighed and let the hair filter through his fingers to fall across her face. He brushed the hair aside and left his hand there.

            At least for a little while, he told himself. Smiling down at her in her sleep

            Kaoru woke up suddenly. It was dark. She bolted out of Enishi’s lap and looked about guiltily. She hoped the others hadn’t come looking for her. She turned red as she looked over at Enishi. There was no change. She sighed, not that she expected any change. Then she spotted her ribbon lying across his lap where she had lain. She reached a hand up to her hair. She hadn’t realized it was undone. It must have fallen out while she was asleep.

            She got up and stretched. Even though she hadn’t meant to sleep so long, she had to admit that it was the best she’d ever slept. Kaoru was usually restless in sleep and would often get up in the middle of the night. She smiled, like the time she had decided to go to Rakuminmora. She still didn’t know what she was looking for, but for this moment, it didn’t seem so important.

            She packed up her bento box and turned to leave. But before she had taken a step she paused a moment, turning around finally to crouch on her knees in front of Enishi. She reached out with two hands and removed his glasses, placing them atop her head as she looked at his face.  She smiled, his eyes were closed and his mouth relaxed into a slightly curved line. It was closer to a frown but it was closer to a smile than she ever remembered seeing him, other than when he was laughing insanely. She winced.

            She turned his head up in her hands, not willing to go yet for some reason. She stared at his face for almost five minutes before coming to a conclusion.

            “You’re really very cute… Without your glasses” she said finally and then gasped, as she hadn’t meant that to come out. She squinted her eyes and thrust the glasses back on his face as her own turned a bright shade of red. She fell backwards, flailing and shot onto her feet, running out. 

She missed seeing Enishi’s eyes shoot open and stare at her in shock, the instant she had said those words. As she left his mouth twitched into a smile, finally expanding into a grin and followed by full laughter, that echoed into the night.