a/n: It's really late and I realize that and I apologize. Things have been kind of busy lately, so we'll make Wednesday update day...

Disclaimer: One can only wish they had Kenshin living in their bed...

Exchange
Chapter 10: Lies

Kaoru looked in the mirror. One thing she had failed to approach in the privacy of her mind, was Enishi. He was going to be a problem if she didn't talk to him. He was operating under the assumption that Kenshin had brutally murdered his sister with no remorse and she had to correct him, although she doubted he would listen. His mind was so twisted she'd be lucky if he even considered her explanation.

She hadn't told Kenshin much about Enishi, either. She hadn't even intentionally given him his name. In fact, she didn't even confirm his suspicions. She could tell that he wanted to know more, but had kept quiet, respecting her wish not to speak about it. She was thankful for that; she didn't really want to tell him that Tomoe's crazed demon brother was after him for her murder. Besides, while she may realize that Kenshin had figured out her connection to Hiko, he had no idea that she knew anything about Tomoe. And she wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible.

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Kenshin was getting restless. Someone was after him. A demon someone and all Kaoru had done was confirm that he was a demon, if not to his face, and give him a whispered name. Enishi. He couldn't recall anyone by that name holding a grudge against him.

It was more than obvious that Kaoru knew him because he was a demon. He had kept his questions to himself, hoping that she would open up to him, but apparently, his hopes were in vain for she never came to him with explanations. He sighed; maybe it was time to ask questions. He wanted to know what she knew.

She was sitting in the window seat with a faraway look on her face. He tapped her shoulder and she looked towards him, her eyes asking him what he wanted for her.

"I… I was wondering if you would answering some questions," he requested as nicely as he could with his temper mounting in frustration.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "This is about Enishi, isn't it?"

"Aa."

"I will take care of him. I am just not sure how, yet," she told him. "He has always caused trouble for me."

"Is he your lover?"

"I beg your pardon?" she hissed, annoyed by the unethical question.

"I, uh-"

"No."

"No?"

"No, he is not my lover. He is a nuisance who was left in my care after his sister died," she said calmly.

"Is there a particular reason that he is after me?"

"The same reason all my kind don't like you; you have ruined our population. Mixed our races when they were not meant to be mixed," she told him fiercely. "Or do you not understand the severity of your actions?"

"I-"

"You don't understand! This isn't a game. We are becoming a dead race thanks to you and your antics. You led your people to think that it was okay to continue stealing us. We can't live on your surface!" she spat, her eyes flashing.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I… It was stupid. I know that now."

"Are you really? Or are merely telling me this to make me believe you meant your exchange?"

"I did mean-"

"Of course. Just like every other human," she answered. "Kenshin, I will take care of Enishi. You need not worry about him."

He nodded, not wishing to aggravate her any more. He let the subject drop.

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Kaoru slammed the bathroom door. It wasn't going to work. How could she pretend to love this man when he drove her so crazy?

"Kaoru," Megumi assured her once she connected, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Enishi… He had been acting weird, but Aoshi made it clear that no one was to leave."

"Then that's two orders he's disobeyed," Kaoru muttered harshly.

"It's not like he even knew that Tomoe was dead…"

"I made sure he didn't know."

"For obvious reasons," Misao muttered beside Megumi.

"Misao!" Megumi exclaimed. "How long have you been there?"

"Only the whole time," she chirped and Kaoru shook her head fondly.

"If he returns, make sure he is restrained and have Hiko contact me. I want to talk to him if I can. I'd rather settle this peacefully," she said. "I don't particularly want to shed Enishi's blood if I don't have to."

They nodded their agreement and took their orders in stead; well, Misao saluted and Megumi did the nodding. Kaoru bid them good-bye and turned her back to the tub. A heavy sigh escaped her parted lips as she wondered how she was going to deal with Enishi. She had been doing a good job at avoiding it, but it wouldn't be avoidable forever.

Enishi was probably doing his own research and from the way he introduced himself to Kenshin, it was good research. If he didn't return to the underworld long enough for her to make contact, she was going to have to confront him face to face. She didn't really want to do that. She had a hard enough time telling him what to do when she had legal rule over him. Most demons would still recognize her authority, but she doubted Enishi would do more than brush off her orders.

She brushed off her pants as she stood with a firm resolve. It was time to do some of her own research.

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Kaoru was still in the bathroom when Kenshin glanced at the clock on the mantle. The water hadn't run, so he assumed that she wasn't showering. Curious, he stood up and walked towards the door. He pressed his ear to the door and heard voices.

"Then that's two orders he's disobeyed," came Kaoru's angered voice.

"It's not like he even knew that Tomoe was dead…" another voice that didn't sound familiar said.

"For obvious reasons," yet another female voice added.

"Misao!" The first woman's voice sounded alarmed. "How long have you been there?"

"Only the whole time," she answered.

"If he returns, make sure he is restrained and have Hiko contact me. I want to talk to him if I can. I'd rather settle this peacefully," he heard Kaoru. "I don't particularly want to shed Enishi's blood if I don't have to."

Kenshin backed away from the door, unable to believe what he'd heard. She knew. Kaoru knew about Tomoe. His mind was racing. Kaoru didn't come out of the door quite yet, but he didn't want to hear anything more. She had lied. Well, she hadn't told him the whole truth, his mind corrected; but he didn't care. She had kept things from him and he wasn't happy about it.

He understood that there were things she'd rather keep to herself, so he'd respected her wishes and given her her space. He didn't think that she would've kept to herself if she had known about Tomoe. He thought she would've come forward and done… something. Anything. Instead she'd locked the information away and didn't even bother to ask him about it.

He would've told her if she asked. She'd gone to someone else and asked. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was that had told her what she wanted to know. Everything that hadn't made sense before was starting to click into place.

"Another one?" she asked him.

"I have a better idea. I'll do this for you if you give me information," she said. "I want to know what happened, Hiko. I want the whole story."

He hadn't understood what her words had meant at the time, but now he understood perfectly;

She had traded his shishou business for information.

He stormed through the hallway, pausing only to grab his keys that rested on the counter in the kitchen.

He wanted answers.

a/n: reviews are always nice...