A/N: Finally have another chapter up! Thank you to the two guest reviewers and Pinay Tiger!

Chapter 4: Of Cooling Cloths and Bitter Broths

Dreams played through Kaoru's mind like a continuous stream of water. One minute she was eating sweet snacks on the porch with her mother and father. The next minute she was standing beside Kenshin watching Yahiko practice. And moments later she watched Yahiko take lessons from her father. How was that possible? Or had that happened before and she had forgotten about it. Dreams were funny things.

Kaoru dreamt of hands upon her forehead. She dreamt of her mother sitting by her bedside. She dreamt of cooling cloths and bitter broths and of soothing poultices for a pain that felt far away. She hid within herself, comfortably cocooned by dreams. And she stayed there for as long as she could until the sensations overtook her fantasy world and the hazy sounds around her became clearer and clearer. Her hold upon delirium became tenuous. Reality beckoned to her and Kaoru had no other choice but to accept it.

Somebody stood next to her. A gentle dab of a wet cloth upon parched lips that only now she felt painfully aware of. Kaoru parted her mouth in hopes of getting more moisture—she felt like she had walked through a desert—but the cloth was lifted.

She groaned.

"Awake?" A soft voice asked.

Strange. It wasn't the voice of anybody Kaoru knew. But she was too weak to give more than another groan. Her eyes were glued shut and Kaoru had to put all of her strength into lifting her lids. Light pierced her vision and she grimaced.

The voice came back. "Too bright? I'll close the curtains." A few rustling noises and the assault upon her vision lessened.

She opened her eyes a bit more. The ceiling slowly came into focus. Where was she again? Enishi's mansion. And who did the voice belong to?

Kaoru felt the creaking of her neck as she turned to the window to see who was there. The person faced away from her, but she could guess from the petite form that it was a woman.

"Who are you?" Kaoru's parched throat forced her to speak in a whisper.

The woman turned around. Short hair framed a small pointed face. Kaoru couldn't guess her age. She looked to be anywhere from twenty to thirty-five—with youthful skin but carrying a mature confidence that Kaoru herself lacked. Dark eyes peered defiantly back at Kaoru's questioning gaze. The woman was dressed in Chinese clothing. Which did not surprise Kaoru considering Enishi's ties to the country, but what was strange was that it was men's clothing. Long dark pants with a matching tunic. Simple clothes. Easy to move in. Kaoru wondered if this woman knew how to fight.

"I'm Mei," she spoke with a slight accent. "Master Yukishiro entrusted me to care for you while he is away."

"Away, where?" Enishi was off the island? When had that happened?

"He has business to attend to. I know no further information." Mei picked up a jug of water and poured it into a cup. "Can you sit? Do you need help?"

Kaoru shook her head. She struggled for a good minute before Mei lost her patience and pulled Kaoru up by the shoulders. The cup was placed in Kaoru's hands and Kaoru drank from it greedily.

With her thirst slaked, Kaoru could finally talk. "Was I really sick?"

"You weren't ill." Mei took the cup from her and filled it with a dark liquid. "Drink."

Kaoru drank it obediently. It was bitter with a hint of sweetness. "Then what happened to me?"

"Poison."

Kaoru nearly spat everything out. "How? Wait, what?"

"Poisonous plants grow on this island. I heard from Master Yukishiro that you were unconscious when he brought you back. You must not remember much."

"Oh." Kaoru thought back to the field she had slept in. The fatigue. The weakness. The weird dreams. It all made sense. A sense of relief washed over her. She wasn't as weak as she had thought she was. It had been the poisonous plants. "How long have I been out?"

"About a week. Not too long. You're lucky." Mei whisked away the empty cup. "Food will be ready soon. Get ready to eat." She left without another word.

Kaoru wondered if Mei was the one who took care of the estate. If that was so, then she would be a formidable person. Especially since she was under the employ of a person like Yukishiro Enishi.

Kaoru spent the next few days trying to get as much information as she could out of Mei, but the woman spoke as little as possible to Kaoru. It was Kaoru doing all of the talking, but it was hard to hold a conversation with somebody who replied with one worded answers. She would have had better luck talking to the walls. One thing that Kaoru did learn about Mei was that she was the caretaker of the estate. The older—Kaoru had found out that she was twenty-seven—woman was often outside tending to the plants. Kaoru had also found out during her first meal that Mei was an excellent cook which came as a source of immense relief to her. Even Kaoru herself couldn't stand her own cooking and ingesting any more of it was tantamount to torture. But beyond meals and scheduled times to drink medicine, Kaoru spent most of the days alone. By the third night, Kaoru was even beginning to miss Enishi. Just a little bit. And she went to sleep praying that the man would soon be back.

It was on the fifth night that Kaoru's prayers were answered. Only she didn't know it because she was fast asleep.

Mei had known about Enishi's arrival but she had neglected to tell her ward about it. There was no need as Enishi preferred coming and going in the dead of night. Tonight was no different. The white-haired man landed ashore with only a sack in his hands and a sword looped at his waist. The boatmen departed immediately lest they incurred the wrath of their master for dallying too much at his private residence.

Upon the inky sky hung the moon, a pale white disc scattering its colorless light upon the earth. Enishi strode through the moonlit beach with no particular thought to the landscape. This was his home, the only place where he did not have to listen for assassins or scan for traps. He could walk recklessly. But this time was a different walk. His pace was quicker and he didn't take the usual meandering road back up to his home. He took the little dirt path. The one that he had, just over a week ago, scrambled through in his desperate search for a particular raven-haired girl. Once again, he took the path up for her but this time it was because he knew exactly where she was and, he could lie to himself no longer, he felt the urge to be there.

He was in front of Kaoru's room before the waves had even washed away all traces of his tracks along the shore. He placed his hand on the door and pushed it ajar. He was met with the sound of quiet breathing. Kaoru was backlit by the moonlight and the steady rise and fall of her small form felt like a balm to the worry that had nagged at the edge of Enishi's consciousness.

While Kaoru had been going through the throes of the poison, Enishi had planned to care for her by himself. But unrest was spreading throughout his organization and he had to personally go settle matters on the mainland. Mei was the only person he trusted with the task of caring for the girl and so she replaced him. But even with Mei's presence, Enishi couldn't quell the unrest within him. He had come to realize how much he cared for the girl held captive by his own construct. Every moment away was spent wanting to rush back to the island.

But now that he stood at her door, he wondered if his presence was welcomed. Perhaps Kaoru preferred female company over his. His presence only served as a reminder of her further imprisonment. Enishi pulled the door shut. Maybe Mei would have the answers that he sought.

"How is she now?" He asked into the air around him.

Mei stepped out from the shadows. They spoke in her native tongue. "Nothing that I haven't already informed you of." She leaned against the wall. "But you must do something about her. She cannot stay much longer."

"I know." Enishi's hand still touched the door. "I can bring her with me."

"To Shanghai?" Mei's eyes flashed in cold laughter. "Your enemies would tear her apart just for her association with you."

"She cannot go back to him."

"And she cannot stay with you," countered Mei. "What will you do with her? She is too softhearted to survive in our line of work. She will only become—"

"A burden. I'm aware. Do you think I haven't thought about it?"

"—resentful. She will only become resentful. She is already a burden." Mei was unsympathetic.

Enishi could only glare. She spoke the truth.

Mei continued. "The girl. She isn't somebody that needs saving. She's different from people like us… people like me. You took me out of that wretched house and gave me a new purpose to work for. I had nothing before that. But her, she has everything and each day that she is with you, she loses a piece of it."

Her words were a slap to the face. Ordinarily, Enishi felt no remorse for the lives he ruined in his quest for revenge, everybody else was collateral damage as long as he could destroy Himura Kenshin. But Kaoru stood out to him. She was too bright, too pure to be caught within the folds of his grudge. By taking down the Hitokiri Battousai, Enishi had dragged Kaoru down in the process.

"I'll think about this," Enishi pushed himself away from Kaoru's room. "Tell her to meet me for breakfast in the morning."

The two left in separate directions not knowing that the subject of their conversation had woken in the middle of it all and had been straining her ears to catch slivers of their exchange. Unfortunately for said girl, her language abilities were limited to one and the exchange between master and servant stayed a mystery to her.

Realizing that the conversation had ended, Kaoru did not go back to sleep. At least, she didn't think she had gone back to sleep. Tossing and turning the rest of the night away, Kaoru had a million thoughts racing through her mind. Enishi was back. Kaoru recognized his voice. He had been talking to Mei. She hadn't understood a word, but it had sounded like they were arguing. About what? Me? Possibly. Her name had not come up, Kaoru would have known if it did, but they were conversing in front of her room.

The morning brought dark circles and a puffy face. Kaoru felt like a mess. She rubbed her eyes and half walked and half crawled to the bathroom. She ran the tap and splashed cool water onto her face. The liquid dribbled down her arms and dripped from her elbows. Not feeling awake enough, she dunked her head straight under the running water. It was a shock to the senses that chased out all of the thoughts from the night before.

Feeling much better, Kaoru stepped back into her bedroom and changed into a light yukata. It was still early in the day but Kaoru wanted to see if she could catch Enishi before his morning training. Before she could leave, a knock came from her door.

Kaoru almost asked who it was until she remembered that she shouldn't know that Enishi had returned.

"Mei?" She called out.

"Yes, miss. May I come in?" Mei's voice was muffled by the door.

"Of course."

The older woman walked in with a jug. "I brought you water. Master Yukishiro came back last night. You will have breakfast with him. Be ready soon." She was as curt as always.

Kaoru nodded dumbly as Mei placed the water jug on a dresser and exited her room.

She recovered and poured herself a glass to drink. She hadn't thought that Enishi would be the one to seek her out. After so long without companionship—Mei could hardly count—Kaoru was excited for somebody whom she could have a proper conversation with. Not that Enishi would be much better, but at least he stayed in the same room as her. She took a look at her yukata. Should she change into something nicer? She paused. Why should she? She didn't need to impress anybody. It was just breakfast.

But she still fussed with her hair for the remainder of the time. By the time Mei had come back to fetch her, Kaoru had already worn her hair up and then down and then up and then braided and then—she forgot how many other ways she did her hair. Ultimately, she settled with keeping her hair up.

Kaoru followed Mei to the balcony that Enishi often sat at. A table was laid out in what Kaoru could only assume to be a very traditional western style. White tablecloth, silver utensils and porcelain plates. There was also a bowl of fruits, a half-empty bottle of wine and a wine-filled glass. Enishi already sat at the table wearing a pair of darkened glasses that Kaoru had seen when she had first met him. He picked up the wineglass, swirled it once and drank the remainder of the dark red liquid.

He was reading from a book and looked completely engrossed with the words on the pages. He only looked up when Kaoru sat down at the table.

"Good morning." He poured himself another glass of wine.

"Morning," Kaoru replied nervously. "Thank you for saving me." Her hands picked at the edged of the tablecloth.

He gave her a grunt in acknowledgment and turned his attention back to his book.

They sat without speaking until Mei came back with their breakfast. There was a pot of plain porridge and a few side dishes were laid on the table. Kaoru recognized quite a few as the food that Mei had normally brought to her in the past few days. There were a few others that Kaoru had never tried. Maybe it was because Enishi was here that Mei included the side dishes. They certainly looked expensive. One of them even had cuts of what looked to be beef in it. It was luxurious for a breakfast.

Mei ladled the porridge into two bowls and placed them in front of Enishi and Kaoru. She then left without a word leaving Kaoru alone with Enishi. He kept ignoring her and steadily drank the wine. Kaoru stared pointedly at him. It was only until he had downed the whole bottle of wine—at this point, there wasn't much left—that Enishi closed his book and returned Kaoru's stare.

He gestured to the food. "Eat. The food is getting cold."

Kaoru scooped up a bit of porridge with a dainty silver spoon and shoved it into her mouth. She was so nervous that she simply swallowed without chewing. She picked up a pair of chopsticks and tried a few of the side dishes. As Kaoru had come to expect of Mei's cooking, each bite was delicious.

The sounds of her eating were only accompanied by the wind rustling through the trees and the distant sound of the waves. She was eating alone.

Kaoru looked up and was startled when her eyes met with Enishi's. He had taken off his glasses and they rested on top of the book which was in turn on the table. Had he been staring at her the whole time? The worst part for Kaoru was that he didn't try to look away. He simply held his gaze. His face was expressionless and Kaoru began to feel self-conscious.

Eons passed before Enishi finally spoke. "Do you remember how I found you near the field?"

Kaoru thought back to that day and shook her head. "I don't remember anything beyond falling asleep there."

Enishi stayed quiet at her response and continued to stare at her. Kaoru looked back down to her food and tried to eat the rest of it. She nearly dropped her spoon when he spoke again.

"Try to stay away from the grass." Did she detect a hint of mirth? "I'm glad you're fine now."

His words caught her off guard. It made him seem like he cared more than he should.

"You should eat, too," Kaoru mumbled under her breath. She desperately hoped that the heat in her face was not translating into redness upon her skin. She kept her head down as she ate the rest of her meal in case he kept staring even though she could hear his movements as he finished his breakfast.

Mei came promptly to clear the plates and they were left with a regular uncovered table and Enishi was back to reading his book. Kaoru was itching to do something. She felt envious of the man. He seemed to be at ease while she was fidgeting in her seat with nothing to keep her occupied. In order to not feel so awkward, she began rambling to fill the silence. She talked about how Mei was such a good cook and how the older woman seemed to be able to know everything that happened inside of the mansion. Kaoru then went on to talk about how it was amazing that the whole estate was taken care of by one person and that if she had to do it herself, the place would be run into ruins. She then mentioned the gardens.

"It's such a nice day. I think I'll go sit there for awhile and enjoy the sun." Hearing no response from Enishi, Kaoru pushed herself away from the table and made the move to leave. She found that she couldn't.

Enishi's hand gripped her wrist and Kaoru turned back to him. He had reached across the table and his face was now uncomfortably close to hers.

"Don't leave." His eyes almost pleaded with her. "The weather will change quickly. You should stay inside. I have other books that you can read if you want."

Kaoru wasn't much of a reader but, unable to refuse his request, she followed him.

End Chapter

A/N: This chapter was a bit of a tough one to write and turned out to be quite long for basically nothing happening which is why the end pretty much cut off… I kind of lost steam. Actually, from the way I have this story planned out (which will probably be 14 chapters in total) this whole story will be pretty slow. There will be lots of chapters of basically no action. Just lots of slice of life… I think that's the genre… Either way, thanks for reading!