Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. This first chapter and likely a few subsequent chapters will follow along the Jinchu arc of the manga.
A/N I am not sure where I will take this fanfic, but this started as basically word vomit. It is not dialogue heavy so it might seem long-winding and boring. I am trying to explore a little bit more into Kaoru and Enishi and their time spent together. It will probably end up being a love triangle type thing among Kaoru, Enishi, and Kenshin (which I think is quite common in many RK fanfiction stories.)
Chapter 1: Making Peace with the Enemy
A young woman walked down a bright hallway filled with windows decorated with gauzy curtains that were of the same shade as the woman's long white dress. One of the windows was propped open and this brought in a breeze that twirled through the woman's long dark locks which flowed freely down her shoulders. She was barefoot, making no sound as she absentmindedly tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear. Only the occasional clinking of the china against the tray that she balanced on one hand betrayed her presence.
Once at the end of the hallway, the woman shifted the tray on to the other hand and seemed to finally realize the view outside. The sun was about to set and outside was awash in the golden rays of the late afternoon. She stared outside and took in the view of the beautiful ocean that glimmered and sparkled with the shifting waves.
From the distance, it was apparent that the hallway overlooking the view was situated high up on the cliffs; the crashing waves were muted to a soft ebb and flow of noise. After a few long moments, the dark haired woman sighed and slid her feet across the wood floorboards and turned back to the door that was now in front of her.
She knocked first and, without waiting for a reply, opened the door to step onto a balcony overlooking the same view as the hallway. From the outside, the breathtaking scenery was broken by a lone figure of a man sitting in a chair turned away from the door. The man made no movement nor sound to acknowledge the woman, but she did not take notice and walked towards the figure to set the tray in her hand onto a nearby table.
The man turned his head slightly at the noise to stare at the woman. His shockingly pale hair and turquoise colored eyes contrasted with his tanned skin. His glasses laid next to the tray on the same table and the woman noted that it was the first time she could see his eyes clearly. In a way, it made her more at ease.
Sensing that the man was waiting for an explanation of why she disturbed him, the woman lifted the cover on the tray to reveal the contents.
"I thought you might want something to eat, Enishi," the woman said quietly. There was a very long pause and the woman continued hastily, "I did not add in poison if that is what you are thinking."
The man turned his eyes to the food and contemplated the very simple meal laid out in front of him. It was just soup with some tofu and a bowl of rice. The smell seemed a little off and the woman, as if sensing what he wanted to say, added, "I may not be an accomplished cook, but I assure you this is edible and that I have tried it myself."
Not getting much of a response from the man named Enishi, the woman turned and was just about to turn away when she heard her name.
"Thank you, Kaoru," Enishi said quietly. Satisfied with the reply, Kaoru walked back into the hallway. Just before she shut the door, she heard the sound of utensils being picked up. Looking back out through the windows, Kaoru realized that in the short time out on the balcony, the sun had already met the ocean and the golden light that had bathed the waters and leaves in its warm light had turned into a rich fiery red. The light turned her normally blue eyes into an icy indistinguishable color and the hallway looked to be glowing a pale orange shade. The beauty of the skies reminded the young woman of the person she was waiting for. And with each passing day, she was more and more convinced that that person would not come.
Once more heaving a sigh, Kaoru left the hallway and walked downstairs towards the kitchen to go clean up the mess she made. She passed through threadbare hallways and empty rooms. By the time she got to her destination, she was wondering who maintained the place; there was no dust and everything looked new. She dismissed the thought and got to work scrubbing the burned bits of food off the pots. Still, curiosity got to her and the young woman started thinking about the young man sitting on the balcony.
He must have been lonely, with nobody to talk to and no family to care for him. What was strange was that there were no servants around either. Kaoru wondered how he took care of himself. Even with her limited culinary skills, she could tell that the food in the kitchen was rather lacking; what was in the kitchen was all untouched and sealed. It had taken Kaoru the better part of the morning trying to figure out what each jar and sack contained. Blue eyes narrowed as she realized that she was losing light and again she lost her trail of thought to cleaning.
Kaoru was working on the last pot when she heard a clatter. She faced the direction of the sound and saw Enishi's retreating back along with the tray of now empty bowls perched on a table near the kitchen entrance. She grabbed the tray and washed the bowls, disregarding the lack of conversation between her and the white haired young man.
Once she was done, she headed back to her room with all intents of ignoring the other living being that was in the mansion with her. After stumbling around the darkened halls in the weak light of dusk, Kaoru managed to walk into her room without making too much noise. She was surprised to discover that her room was lit by a bright fire crackling in the fireplace. The adjourning bathroom was also lit with lights and she was happy to find the tub had running hot water when just yesterday she had to take her bath in lukewarm water.
She prepared a nice hot bath and stripped off the white dress and under clothes. She sat at the edge of the tub and took note of the room in which she never paid much attention to. The bathroom was decorated just like the rest of the house in a very plain western style. Scoffing to herself, Kaoru did not know how it was possible for western opulence to be so restrained in this house; everything in the house seemed utilitarian.
Finding nothing to distract her gaze in the stark white room, Kaoru settled with just simply staring into the water. The steam curled up from the water like smoke. Her hands gripped the edges of the tub and she breathed in the steam.
Soon, her thoughts were elsewhere. The past few days had been hard. She had been stolen from her home and family by the person she had just cooked a meal for. But for some strange reason, she no longer felt any true animosity to the man. True, this young man hated the man she loved; Enishi wanted him dead, but Kaoru could feel a certain connection to him for being left alone in the world as a young child. In his mind, his sister had been stolen from him. He was left alone in a war torn country with no guidance. Kaoru thanked the heavens that she was allowed to have her family for the time that she did.
The first day when she woke up on the island and was told that she was not going to be saved anytime soon had sent her into a depressed mood. She spent two days crying into the bed and waiting to be killed by the lunatic that she thought Enishi was. She still thought he was crazy, but that madness did not seem to be directed at her. It had taken her a few days to realize that she should not be wallowing in self-pity whilst waiting to be rescued. Her captor avoided her and had not tried to do anything to her. In that sense, she counted herself lucky.
Counting what had happened in the afternoon, Kaoru had only talked to Enishi three times since arriving on the island. The first was when she first woke up and he had told her coldly that she was to stay put and that there was no escape. The second time was on the second night when he dropped off some food and told her that he did not appreciate her attempt to starve herself to death and that if she wanted more food, she could go to the kitchen herself to make it. She was startled by that second encounter because she had not thought he cared whether she lived or died. She was not planning on starving, she simply had no appetite those first few days due to her self-induced depression.
Yesterday was the first day she ventured out of her bed and actually took in her surroundings. She knew Enishi had taken her to an island, but she was stunned by the rugged beauty of the area. The land was wild and the calm bay waters that the mansion overlooked had Kaoru standing stunned by the window of her room.
Kaoru felt that she had made even better progress today by leaving her room and preparing a meal to take to her captor. She felt that they had somehow made peace because he had also eaten the food she made or he made the effort to look like he ate it.
Kaoru was pulled out of the steam induced thoughts by the water lapping against her fingertips. She reacted quickly by turning off the water. She slipped slowly into the water and sighed in relief that the water level did not go above the edge of the tub. Draining a little bit of the water so that the water would not splash out, Kaoru settled against the tub and again stared into the steam.
The curling tendrils of water vapor mesmerized her and she soon found herself giving in to the heaviness settling over her body.
Kaoru was woken by the cooling water. She did not know how long she had been asleep, but decided to finish with her bath and head to bed. As she was slipping on a robe and extinguishing the lights, she heard a rumble outside.
Thunder.
The young woman froze. A split second after, she dropped to the ground and scooted to the nearest wall. She had not seen any storm clouds forming during the day so she was not mentally prepared for it. She was scared of thunder. It was an irrational fear that had never left her even as she grew out of childhood. When Kaoru was at home, she did not feel as vulnerable. In this strange location, she no longer had the comforting presence of her friends and the warmth of her room. She clamped her hands over her ears and prayed that the thunder would be moving away from the island.
Her prayers went unanswered. The rumble of thunder grew louder with each successive lightning strike until a sound akin to a cannon firing left the windows rattling. The darkness of the bathroom was lit up by white light.
Kaoru screamed.
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Enishi had finished up his exercises when he sensed the approaching storm. He walked back towards the mansion with the intent to sit in his room with some wine to view the rain and wind. He had picked the island not only for the remoteness and the security, but also for the beautiful storms that passed by and ravaged the landscape. It brought him comfort to know that he could be shielded from the outside world by the forces of nature. All he wanted was the memory of his sister by his side.
Passing Kaoru's room, the young man could hear the water running and guessed that Kaoru was preparing her bath. He was not curious about what she did. He just wanted to be alone.
Enishi settled into the plush chair with an empty glass and a bottle of wine. He looked out towards the approaching clouds far in the distance and a woman with cinnamon eyes and long raven hair appeared in his mind's eye. He welcomed the memory. Yukishiro Tomoe had been a beautiful woman. Despite it being over a ten years since her death, the memory of his sister that appeared in front of him was preserved in timeless beauty; her face was clear as day.
As he grew closer in age to the woman in front of him, he had realized just how young his sister had been. She had not gone past her second decade of life before she was violently taken from this world and he, as her younger brother, had already passed twenty years of age.
Enishi was unsure of whether the Tomoe he could see so clearly by his side was a ghost or a memory. He wished that she was a ghost, but he also did not want his sister to be wandering the Earth seeing what he had to go through to get to where he was now.
Tomoe had appeared to him when he had gone to China. He was on the boat dealing with a mix of sickness and starvation. Just when he felt he was about to lose consciousness, his sister had stepped out from the haze with tears flowing down her face. Enishi was so concerned by that image that he pulled himself together and made sure to stay alive to keep his sister happy.
Ever since then, his sister has responded to his emotions by smiling down upon him. Even in death, his sister saved her smiles for him. So Enishi guarded that close to his heart. He survived with that image, trying to make sure that his sister stayed smiling.
The storm was just about starting with the distant rumble of thunder. Taking the bottle and pouring the last bit of wine into his glass, Enishi relished in the alcohol affecting his body. He was never inebriated, but the wine brought some warmth to him and took the edge off the madness that consumed his thoughts. Lightning flashed high up in the clouds and the ocean gleamed with the energy and brightness. In that moment he saw how the winds were twisting the trees and debris and how the rain was just approaching the beach like a dark shroud. The sight was breathtaking and put his raging thoughts at ease.
A loud crackle of thunder shook the entire building as a streak of lightning came down upon a tree near the top of a cliff far from the mansion. Sparks flew and the display looked like fireworks from a distance. A piercing scream echoed through the hallways.
Out of the corner of his eye, Enishi saw Tomoe's expression.
She was looking at him intently.
She no longer smiled.
He bolted towards Kaoru's room.
The door to Kaoru's room was closed, but Enishi charged in to the room anyway. The room was dark with only embers glowing in the fireplace. Enishi could hear whimpers through the door of the bathroom. Without thinking, he opened the bathroom door and saw Kaoru huddled in the corner. The window had been unlatched by the forceful winds and the air, sweeping bits of leaves around the bathroom floor, was swirling angrily in the room.
Kaoru looked like a child. She was so small and her wet hair had soaked the robe she wore. Her knees were drawn to her chest. Her hands were over her ears and her elbows were tucked in.
Enishi could not see her face. Kaoru's dark locks had plastered to her arms and the rest of her hair hung limply in dark cords. This reminded Enishi of an old memory of when he had been caught outside in a storm. Tomoe had gone out looking for him without an umbrella. By the time she reached him, her hair looked exactly as Kaoru's did.
He stared down at the sobbing girl. She had chosen the same man that stole his sister's happiness. But Enishi could not leave her like that. Tomoe's unsmiling face prevented him from turning away.
He crouched down.
"Kaoru," he gently said her name.
She did not seem to know he was there.
"Kaoru," Enishi repeated.
Thunder boomed overhead.
A shriek.
The girl curled further into herself.
Deciding that words would not get to her, Enishi pulled her hands away from her ears and tilted her chin up. Shimmering sapphire eyes stared through him. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her face was blotchy from crying. Slowly her irises focused on him.
"Kaoru," he tried again.
She sniffled.
"Are you alright?" Enishi asked.
She nodded and gave him a watery smile and said quietly, "I know I am being irrational, but I fear thunder like no other." Her voice shook.
He knew she must have been embarrassed, but the sound of thunder rolled around again and the lightning left the air feeling charged.
Enishi got up to shut the window before the coming rain could get in to make a bigger mess. He turned to Kaoru and saw that she had curled up again with her hands covering her ears.
He walked back to her, bent down, and scooped her up. She gave a noise of protest, but Enishi did not let go.
He took her out of her room and into his study. The walls there were thicker and the windows were more shielded from the winds. He dropped Kaoru down on a leather armchair near the large fireplace and worked on starting a fire.
Once the fire was large enough so that the warmth spread throughout the room, Enishi looked at Kaoru. The thunder still occasionally boomed overhead, but the sound was muted. She still flinched every time.
Meeting his eye, Kaoru gave a small smile. "Thank you, Enishi," her voice was thick from sobbing and sniffling.
He stiffened and stared at the woman for a while before replying, "Tomoe was worried about you."
Blue eyes widened slightly before relaxing. "Then I give my thanks to Tomoe, too," Kaoru said gently.
After a few awkward moments spent staring at the roaring fire, Kaoru spoke up again.
"May I stay the night in your study? I do not think the storm will let up anytime soon," Kaoru looked hopefully at Enishi.
Enishi nodded and was about to leave the room when the thunder came again and the glass panes rattled. The winds howled and the rain hit the windows like pellets. Kaoru gave another whimper and curled into the chair.
She reminded him of when Tomoe had learned of Akira's death. His sister had broken down completely when she was finally left alone. Since they were never married the people who bore the news had told her she should be thankful that she was not a new widow. Enishi was the only one who could see through his sister's mask. She had been in pain.
Kaoru looked just like how Tomoe had when he peeked into Tomoe's room after she retreated to deal with the loss of her fiancé. Both looked so painfully broken whilst trying to hold onto a semblance of strength. He was powerless against his sister's pain, but Kaoru's fears could be alleviated.
Enishi sat down in a matching leather armchair next to Kaoru. She looked startled at his actions.
"I will wait out the storm with you," explained the white haired man.
Kaoru, letting the warmth of the fire seep through her robe, smiled and leaned into her chair. The sounds of the rain soon lulled her to sleep.
Enishi observed the woman next to him. When her breathing evened out, Enishi also felt the heaviness in his eyelids. The mix of warmth from the fire and the bottle of wine in his system finally took its toll and the young man soon found himself slipping into slumber. Just before he truly slipped away, he saw Tomoe beaming at him. If he had not been so close to sleep, he would have realized that even in life Tomoe had never smiled so brightly.
End chapter
A/N: I may just end this as a oneshot if I get mostly negative reviews or if I find it to be a snooze fest to read. Constructive criticism is more helpful than negative or positive reviews, but any type of feedback is welcome. Thanks.