Disclaimer: I wish I was a genius at animation, but I'm not, and therefore, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai X, or any of the characters.
A/N: So, yeah…I wrote this chapter instead of doing the enormous pile of summer homework I'm supposed to finish before going to Japan. shrugs Oh well…I had more fun writing than I would have had reading Grapes of Wrath. Anyway, I've been so random with when and where I write, that I'm gonna stop saying stuff like "this might be my last chapter before I leave" and "I can't believe I got another chapter done before my trip" because at this point, I don't have a clue what's going on. All I know is, I write when I feel like it, and I don't write when I don't feel like it. Makes sense, right?
Chapter 9—Exposed Emotions
"Kaoru, we need to talk," Megumi said hurriedly as she lightly took the young woman's elbow and nudged her toward the door. As soon as they were out of Enishi's hearing range, she spoke again. "What's going on here, and where's Kenshin?" she practically blurted out.
Kaoru was rather shocked by Megumi's abruptness. "What do you mean?" she responded timidly, avoiding Megumi's eyes. She wasn't really sure that she was ready to explain the happenings to anyone yet. She hadn't even told Yahiko and Sanosuke; though she was grateful that they hadn't been around for the past few days.
"Who is that man, and what is your relationship with him?" Megumi had so many questions to ask, but she tried to curb her desire to ask them all at once.
Again, Kaoru avoided Megumi's eyes. "His name is Enishi Yukishiro."
The name sounded familiar, but Megumi couldn't place it. "And your relationship?" Where is Kenshin? Megumi still wondered. And why isn't she with him
"I-I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Kaoru pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and worried it gently, though not hard enough to pierce the delicate skin. "I think I'm in love with him," she finally stated, staring at the ground.
And then it hit Megumi—she recognized the name. Enishi Yukishiro was the brother of Kenshin's first wife, Tomoe Yukishiro. He was the one who had kidnapped Kaoru only months earlier, and he was the man who had desired Kenshin's death so fiercely. "How can you be in love with that monster?"
Megumi's cheek turned a bright shade of red as Kaoru's hand left a stinging sensation. She couldn't believe that the younger woman would slap her, but she had.
Tears welling in her eyes, Kaoru turned and ran off in the opposite direction. And though Enishi couldn't hear what had progressed between the two women, he had seen it.
When Megumi approached Enishi, intending to change his bandages, he refused to let her touch him. "I'm going to have to ask you to stop moving around. I need to check the stitches." But still, Enishi wouldn't allow it. Sighing, Megumi fought hard to curb her anger. "What's wrong?"
At her words, Enishi turned cold, turquoise eyes to stare at Megumi. And that was when Megumi knew—Kaoru's love for the cold-hearted killer wasn't one-sided; he was in love with her, too. As she realized it, Enishi seemed to become aware that she knew, and his gaze softened slightly, and he allowed the lady doctor to examine her needlework.
