Tomoe's coal-black eyes were filled with surprise when she heard Enishi's words. The ones who sent Enishi to Otsu were the same ones she was working for. Now that she looked back to the time before she went looking for Kenshin and Miryu, she remembered that they would send "somebody familiar" to her. Never in her wildest dreams that Enishi would be that person, that boy did not know what he put himself into.
Enishi then said, "Let's go, Tomoe!" His voice was filled with determination. No one could ever talk him into leaving the place without his sister; he was so sure of it. But Tomoe remained silent, deep in thought. She did not know what to say to her brother, for she did not know what she wanted in the first place. A year ago, she went to Kyoto for vengeance, but she found herself growing emotionally closer to Kenshin and Miryu in separate ways. She did not want to endanger their lives any further, but she wanted to go home to her father… "We're done here!"
Outside, Miryu slid the shoji door open so that Tomoe could see her sapphire eyes from where she was without Enishi noticing. Heaven knows what this boy is capable of, she thought to herself. When Tomoe was about to speak, she shook her head. Tomoe knew too much about the Choushu clan, about herself and Kenshin. Allowing her to return to Edo with her brother would mean their suicide and the destruction of Choushu, and she could not take that risk. She had fought too long and hard to come to nothingness. I do not want to have the same end as oka-sama!
Tomoe nodded her head, and said to Enishi, "Go home… Go back to Edo" Her voice was cold, like her eyes. And for a moment, Enishi backed away from her out of disbelief. He looked at her ruefully, but she would not back down. "You are the eldest and only son of the Yukishiro family; I cannot allow you to dirty your hands like this" She was right. What she was doing was in the lowest form of betrayal and deception in her own view, and to save the family honor, she must remove Enishi from it before they were found out, or Miryu exposed them (not that the young hitokiri would do so).
A moment of pause came, and then Enishi asked, "What's the matter? Something must have happened to you!" Tomoe did not answer, and Miryu set her eyes upon the child. Yet again, she found confusion and anger in Enishi, yet again intrigue wore its ugly head into her mind. There was no way that Enishi could know of their location. Unless… No, Tomoe one-san will never betray us! Miryu scolded herself, refusing to even think about the possibility of Tomoe being the traitor. "Why are you protecting them? Aren't they your enemies?"
Silence came yet again, from Tomoe. Then, Miryu slid the shoji door close and left the room, for she had a feeling that the boy would storm out of the room. At all costs, Enishi was a danger to her and Kenshin, and caution must be the top priority when dealing with him. "They stole your happiness, didn't they?" Once again, his voice rung in the room and Miryu quickly hid herself when he slammed the door open and stomped out.
Outside, where the sun was setting in brilliant rays of pink, purple and orange, the other children said their good-byes of the day to Kenshin and returned to their respective homes. By sheer misfortune or by chance, he bumped into Enishi, who glared daggers at him. At the sight of his sort-of brother-in-law's angered eyes of coal Kenshin immediately understood why Miryu felt intimidated by the child. "Where are you going?" He managed to ask the boy. "Dinner's almost ready"
Just then, Miryu emerged from behind Enishi. He then looked at the both of them and said, "If only you hadn't been there…" His words took them aback, but he did not give them any time to react. In a huff, he had already disappeared into the forest path.
Before Kenshin could catch her troubled expression, Miryu said, "I wonder what is with this boy", her voice sounding as it usually does. The days are getting darker, she thought to herself. I fear we will not be safe from internal strife, even in our little pretend family... Turning to Kenshin, she said, "Kenshin, let's get inside"
Kenshin nodded and went with her. Only then did she loosen the grip on her mother's katana. Once they entered the house, Tomoe slammed her diary shut with a startling and rare violence. "What is it?" he asked the beauty with coal-black eyes and hair, concern flowing in his violet eyes.
"My brother is going back to Edo", she replied. Then, after hesitating awhile, she sighed, and said, "All this while, I've never told you both…" She was wise to add the word "both" in that sentence, and Miryu was grateful for that one word for years to come, "…about my past. I thought I could hide everything from you, but maybe this is a chance," Her eyes pierced theirs earnestly for the first time. "To tell you everything…"
