Wavering Trust

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Chapter 3

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By Yurameki

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Running a hand through his unruly hair he sneered at the sight before him; a pile of pots, dishes and various other materials lay soaking in water. He clenched his teeth remembering her words:

"Will you washes the dishes? I need to go run a quick errand. There aren't that many anyway," she flashed him her best smile causing that unfamiliar feeling to weld up again. Before he could protest she was gone.

Enishi felt his face grow warm thinking back to the smile she had given him. What the hell was wrong with him? With narrowed eyes he rolled up his sleeves and dove into the mess, all the while wondering why he was even bothering with such a task.

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Karou sighed in relief as she returned from the market. She barely had enough money to by groceries today. Biting her lip she wondered how she would manage next time. She bowed her head and continued home. Things were becoming increasingly difficult for the young girl. However, she always managed to pull through. With hardened eyes she felt herself become determined to go forward. If not for her but for her parents. She smiled fondly remembering that she had a new housemate, at least for the time being. In her heart she secretly wished he would stay with her however he had his own family to go to. For now she would relish the company. Nothing would get her down.

As she neared her home she spotted two men standing before the entrance. One was a large heavy set man while the other was tall and thin with wispy hair. Both had bokkens in their hands. "Excuse me?" She inquired with a small voice.

Both men turned to look at her with a surprised expression. "Hey, you're that Kamiya brat," the heavy man laughed.

"This will be easier than we thought."

Kaoru's expression turned into one of anger at their comments. "What do you want?"

The thin man walked up to her and leaned down to her face. "Heard your old man got knocked off."

She could hear his companion laugh. "Yeah, thought you wouldn't be need'in this here place with just you and your dying mom 'round."

A look of rage passed through her eyes. "My otousan is not dead," she sneered.

"So says you."

Dropping her belongings she lunged at him with an enraged cry not caring that both armed men were three times bigger than her and she was helpless. Her attack was futile when she felt one of the men push her aside and knock her to the ground.

"Feisty little brat, ain't ya?" She heard one laugh.

She could see something large and wooden being raise above one of their heads. "Guess we'll just have to teach you a lesson."

Kaoru closed her eyes waiting for the force of the impact to come. Instead her blue eyes snapped open at the sound of a piercing scream.

"Get off of me!!"

The young girl's eyes widened seeing an infuriated Enishi, his teeth clamped onto the arm of her attacker. The man he was latched onto desperately tried to shake him off but to no avail. The second man approached him readying his weapon to strike.

She gritted her teeth as she sprinted from the ground a grabbed the fallen bokken the screaming man had dropped. She would not allow them to harm her savior. With the skill she had inherited from her father Kaoru struck the man that was about to attack her companion causing him to drop his weapon. She was ready to fight.

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"You're bleeding!" She cried as they entered the house.

The boy looked at her with disinterest from out of the corner of his eye and mumbled, "it's not my blood."

She stiffened at his emotionless comment. She didn't know what to think of his violent behavior but knew had he not been there she would not have been safe. However, the image of him biting into the man's arm so viciously haunted her. Shaking her head she set the bags down in the kitchen.

"Are you hurt?" The question sounded impassive but she knew he was worried.

Blinking she looked at him and shook her head. "No." she smiled brightly at him again and laughed. Taking a cloth and soaking it she turned to face him. "Sit," she commanded gently.

Uncharacteristically he obeyed. Once again he felt the unfamiliar heat on his face as she whipped at the blood on his face. If she was disgusted she didn't show it. Growing up in a dojo she was accustomed to seeing blood on a normal basis, it was nothing out of the ordinary to see injuries of all sorts.

Kaoru looked at him with a confused expression as he looked away. "Thank you, for saving me," she whispered shyly.

Enishi raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "We're even."

She flashed him her smiled again and nodded. "Un!"

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He was leaning against the wall as she exited the room. He didn't need to see the look on her face when she stepped out that she was on the verge of tears. "Are you ok?" His voice startled her and she gave a quiet yelp.

"Don't scare me like that!" She scolded grabbing her chest as if to keep her heart from jumping out.

He gave her a small smirk then walked away.

The young girl stared at him with a blank look then shook her head. It was night time already but she couldn't sleep not after seeing her mother. She walked outside in a zombie-like state and sat on the cool grass. Winter was almost approaching but she ignored the cold and stared at the sky.

So many things were going on through the young girl's mind. She was only eight yet it seemed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Bringing legs to her chest she buried her head on her knees. Life was becoming too difficult to handle for the young soul. Silently she wept alone under the stars hoping that one day things would be better.

Enishi was but a few feet away from her as he stared at her shaking shoulders unsure of what to do. With a small sigh he gave in and sat down next to her. He stared at her from the corner of his eye noticing that she didn't seem to know that he was there.

"Is it hard?" Came her muffled voice.

He turned his head towards her noticing that she still had her head buried in her arms. "Is what hard?"

"To be alone?"

The black haired boy remained silent as he looked at the sky above. "Sometimes."

"How do you do it?"

He leaned back to lay on the grass. Placing his arms behind his head he thought about her question. "I remember that I have my neesan."

That's right, she had forgotten that he wasn't completely alone. He had his sister to watch over. But she had no one but her parents and even then it seemed like she would loose them.

"Even though I can't be with her all the time I have her," he continued. "She will always be with me, no matter what."

Kaoru lifted her head up to look at him. Drying her tears she took in the impact of his words. Yes, although it seemed like she would be alone her parents would always be with her. In her heart she would keep them alive and live for them. No matter what happened she had them.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Enish-kun."

He nodded as they both continued to stare at the night sky.

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