I wasn't really planning on posting this so soon because I'm writing way ahead from what I'm posting, and I usually post an edited chapter after I've finished something substantial in my draft. But this is especially for fairyfemme and all those who wanted more "together time" lol. This, though short, is one of my favorite parts among what I've written.


Chapter 9

Kaoru looked at the display of sweets and felt her mouth water. Shanghai was a melting pot of different cultures, with heavy western influence. It was the first time she had seen chocolates, and when Enishi obliged her by buying a few pieces for her to try, she had decided that she liked the unusual dessert.

She straightened up, realizing that Enishi had disappeared from her side. Where did he go off to? she thought irritably. I thought he said he was going to look after me.

After his solemn narration of the beginnings of his jinchuu earlier, they had stayed in each other's company for a few minutes, and when she was afraid he was not going to snap out of his melancholic mood, she suggested that they do something fun. He almost immediately took her up on her suggestion, and that was how they ended up going into town.

She turned around, looking for his white hair in the crowd. She remembered stroking his head earlier, the feel of his hair between her fingers. His hair was different from the rest of him. Enishi's body was all hard muscle, his eyes and his face also resolute, but his hair was actually soft. She smiled at the thought.

He reappeared at her elbow after a few minutes, "Where were you?" she asked curiously.

"I was looking at something else at another shop," he said. "Have you eaten all of those chocolates?"

"Yes," she said, daring him to tease her about it.

He smirked as he took hold of her elbow. "Then you're not going to have much of an appetite for dinner," he said, leading her down a street.

"Dinner?" she repeated, looking up at the darkening sky. She realized, since they had both skipped lunch due to their late breakfast, that she was famished.

"There is a restaurant that is located on an old ship, it's one of the attractions of the city," he said, his eyes bright in the light of the setting sun.

He led her to the place he was talking about, and Kaoru could see that it was one of the more expensive places in town. The ship was anchored by the end of one dock, and the plank leading up to it was covered with plush carpet. There was a man standing by the top of the plank, receiving the diners, and Enishi gave him a few short words in Chinese before the man expressly led them to a table by the end of the deck. The man pulled out a chair for Kaoru as Enishi took the seat across from her.

Kaoru looked around, noting that more than half of the guests were foreigners. "Not many Chinese here," she said to him.

"No, this is one of the more high end places in Shanghai," he said.

"You come here often?" she asked, wondering if he had dined with other people here before. More specifically, if he had taken other women here before, for the way he was looking at her with his full attention made her feel oddly special, and she wanted to feel that way even for just a while.

"Yes. I like western food, and this is the best place to have it," he said.

"Did you go out a lot, when you were here in Shanghai?"

"Mostly just for business meetings. I come to this restaurant once a week, though, by myself. Sometimes members of the organization join me."

A server came up to take their orders, and Enishi took the liberty of ordering for both of them. Kaoru didn't mind, since she couldn't understand the menu, which was in English, and she wasn't the one paying for dinner anyway. As Enishi gave their orders, Kaoru gazed out into the night, welcoming the cool sea breeze caressing her cheeks.

When they were left alone again, she turned her attention back to her companion. "You live so extravagantly here," she said, thinking about her own simple life back in Japan.

He tipped his head to one side, thoughtful. "Yes. Considering that I came to Shanghai with nothing."

She considered how far he had come, knowing that he did many terrible things to get to where he was now. "What happened when you first got to Shanghai?"

Their food arrived, and Enishi gave a tight smile. "I did a lot of things that would quell your appetite if I were to tell you about it now. It's not pleasant. I'd rather we talk about you tonight."

She could feel herself blush. "Me? I think you already know a lot about me, Enishi. You did your research well."

"I know only what other people see," he said. "But it is the way you think that intrigues me."

"I can't see what would be so interesting about that," she said, starting to cut into her meat. She was already comfortable with the knife and fork. "I'm a pretty simple person."

"How could you invite someone like Battousai to live in your home?"

She carefully chewed her food before swallowing it, thinking about how to answer him. She knew from past experiences that whenever Kenshin came up, Enishi would come close to losing his temper. However, when she looked at him, sitting across the table from her, she could only see plain curiosity in his eyes with none of the underlying anger she knew he harbored for the other man.

"When I invited him to stay with me, I knew he was a hitokiri," she admitted. "However, the way he acted, the way he treated me, I saw none of that in him. All I saw was a wanderer who was trying to help people when he can. I suppose it's because I trusted him right away."

"Yes, I noticed you're quick to trust people," he said wryly.

She smiled, knowing he was thinking of how she had said she trusted him as well. "I think it's because the people I've been with have treated me well. I was orphaned at a young age, I was raised by my godfather. I suppose, compared to other people, I had an easier time."

He looked down at this, and she regretted her words, remembering how difficult his childhood had been. She leaned forward, intent on making amends. "I got lucky," she said. "I admit it's dangerous to trust people too quickly, but it's the way I was brought up. I was taught to see the good in people, and though at times it's not easy, in the end it somehow rewards me when I do."

"Yes, I suppose you got lucky," he admitted. "And how has your trusting me got you so far? Do you feel rewarded as well?"

She could see the humor in his eyes now, and she decided to answer in kind. "It hasn't been unpleasant," she said. "I actually got rewarded with a bag of chocolates today."

Her remark earned her an impish grin from him, though he said nothing. Kaoru matched his smile as she continued to eat. Though her answer was made in jest, it was still true. For several days now, she had been having a pleasant time. The only regret she had at the moment was that she was far from her friends, that they were most likely troubled by her long absence.

"I thought it was the least I could do to thank you for not making this more difficult for me," he said.

"I had no choice," she said. "My well-being here is dependent on yours. If I were to cause problems for you, then things would be more of a mess than they already are."

"True," he said. "But I did tell you the other day, though, that I already told Lei to take you back to Tokyo if something were to happen to me."

"I know, but if things were to come to a head here in Shanghai, I think you have a better chance of surviving than Lei," she confessed.

He looked proud. "That is also true, though Lei is a decent fighter himself."

"If he is, then why isn't he an enforcer like you? Why can't he do the job that you do?" she pointed out.

"Because he is nice," he explained. "His skill level matches Soong An's, but between the two of them Soong An is the one who has the audacity to keep people in line. She doesn't feel bad when she has to punish people. In fact, I think she takes pleasure in it."

"Like you?"

He shook his head. "I don't take pleasure in such things. I see them as a necessity, and in doing so, I feel no guilt either. Remember, everything I have here in Shanghai is just a means for me to arrange jinchuu. Jinchuu is the one that will give me pleasure."

She sat back, having finished her meal. The way Enishi's mind worked was complicated, but not hard to understand. He was certainly driven, and this same determination that had shaped him to be one of the most powerful men in the Chinese underground also caused him to doubt himself when things did not go according to plan, an insecurity that he expertly hid from everyone else. Since he was the best enforcer in the organization, exuding strength and power in everything that he did, nobody ever thought he had a weakness, but he was still human.

Tomoe is his strength, and also his weakness, she thought. She feared what would happen to him if, in the end, jinchuu would crumble down around him. She knew Enishi was strong, an even match for Kenshin, but the rurouni was far more settled having found his peace and he also had the support of numerous friends. All Enishi had was Tomoe.

"I hope, Enishi, that you will find other things to take pleasure in other than jinchuu," Kaoru said, keeping her smile neutral. "I'm not telling you to abandon jinchuu… it's too important to you, but I hope you will find other things to appreciate as well."

An odd look crossed his face as he looked at her, and she wondered if she had overstepped a line. However, he merely put aside his own knife and fork, pushing his plate away from him. "I'll think about that when jinchuu is finished," he said. "What do you do for your own pleasure?"

She was thrown off balance by his question. She had always looked after others, and that alone made her happy, knowing that she was needed by others. There was little that she did for herself. "I practice kendo," she said. "I enjoy going town and looking at the things in the market there."

"Doesn't seem like much," he said.

"It doesn't," she agreed. "What gives me most happiness is just being with my friends."

Their conversation ran into another hitch. He had taken her away from her friends and forced her to endure his sole company for so long. She wondered if Enishi was capable of feeling at least a little bit guilty, though she hadn't meant to take a dig at him with her last remark. We really can't talk to each other without being reminded of the unusual situation we are in, she thought.

He gave a weary sigh as he turned his head to look at the darkness over the water. "I am sorry for taking you away from your home."

Kaoru was taken aback. It was the first time he had truly apologized to her, after more than a month of being in each other's company. He had changed, subtly, since their first day together. "I know it's only temporary," she said. "It I were another person, I'd probably be mad at you. But for some reason, I can't be angry with you. Maybe it's because I understand your reasons, maybe it's because I sympathize with you, but… I don't know, Enishi."

Kaoru thought she must have sounded like a complete idiot, so she tried again. "You did terrible things to me and my friends, but the truth is, it is not my wish to see you suffer. I do not wish for Kami-sama to kill you on the spot or to have you punished. Instead, I pray that you would find your own peace. I believe that anyone, no matter how horrendous his past deeds have been, deserves a chance at peace. It's only a matter of him wanting to take that chance."

"And that way of thinking is how you ended up with Battousai," he finished for her.

"And Megumi, Yahiko, Sano, and Aoshi," she added. "And you. I do consider you a friend, Enishi." It was a bold statement. Up until recently, she had only considered him as someone who was not her enemy, but after sharing much with him, she knew she had already crossed the boundaries into the realm of friendship. She didn't care if he felt the same way or not.

He raised both eyebrows at this, and she saw a glimmer of pleasure in his eyes. "Do you," he chuckled. "In that case, Kaoru, you'd be my first."

End of Chapter.