Disclaimer: I don't own anything. You know that.

A/N: Remember, this is my first fanfic, and I am really not as good or had as much practice as a lot of other writers out there, so please be patient! I'm going to alternate between revealing Kaoru's thoughts, then Enishi's. If you don't like anything, please leave a review and tell me what you think! The first few chapters might be a bit short, and it might go a bit slow for a while, but I'll work it out as I go. So…here goes.

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She knew those eyes. They were just like her own, but even she could see the pain and sadness behind the calm blue surface that was melting away his spirit, leaving him void of emotions. They were nothing like Kenshin's kind amethyst pupils, or Sano's warm chocolate brown ones. But they were not as distant as those of Aoshi, as though there was still some life left that flickered and glimmered through the windows of his soul. She knew perfectly well who it was, yet as she gaped, wide-eyed, at Kenshin's would-be slaughterer, her fierce kidnapper, and her mortal enemy, the only thing she could manage to get out of her mouth was a one-word whisper.

"Enishi."

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She hates me. I know it. Looking into her beautiful eyes and seeing nothing but pure disbelief, I know that as soon as she recovers, she'll scream at me until I'm on the other side of town. So why am I still standing here? Can she tell how nervous I am? Enishi held his breath hesitantly. Feh. It doesn't matter. To hear her saying his name alone was enough. Intoxicated by her voice, he tried to regain a calm disposition and waited patiently for some sort of violent reaction. To his astonishment, it didn't come. Instead, Kaoru took a step back and gestured timidly with her arm.

"Come in."

~~~

Her shock registered off the charts. This was so unexpected. She had let him in. She had let a six-foot madman into the Kamiya dojo. Why? It had been such a long time since the Jinchuu incident…And as he followed her through the door, she remembered the way he had looked when they were alone in his mansion: sometimes livid when consumed by anger, but most often depressed as he thought about his nee-san, who had died in Kenshin's bloody arms more than a decade ago. She had never known Yukishiro Tomoe, but from what people had told her, Tomoe had been a beautiful, elegant young woman, unbelievably beautiful. And I'm such a clumsy, crude, blatant, bokken-weilding tomboy. I can't expect much more from someone like me. Unwillingly, she sighed audibly, and wondered how the presence of just one person could bring about so many unwelcome thoughts and memories.

Kaoru led him through the front yard, where little Ayame and Suzume stood waiting, with innocent, curious smiles upon their faces.

"Who's that?" Ayame had the courage to prod.

"Ermm…This is Mr. Enishi. He...came by to visit today," replied Kaoru, unsure of how to respond. Enishi remained his usual silent self.

"Hello, Enishi-san!"

"Yorushiku (A/N: Is that spelled right?), Enishi-san!" They waved cheerfully and went on playing.

Enishi smiled inwardly at the children's foolishness – or was it because they were so cute? He didn't know - and followed Kaoru into the house. There was a short but awkward quiet between them, and then the young woman broke the silence with her voice.

"So…What reason brings you here, Enishi?"

In truth, he didn't really know why he was here. Some odd, impulsive feeling had made him knock on her door minutes after he had woken up. And he was just beginning to regret not thinking twice. Although he had to admit it was nice to see her again, to hear her sweet voice. It was in quiet moments like these, when Kaoru's fervent fighting spirit was calm, that she reminded him undeniably of Tomoe, his long-gone ne-san. "I've been traveling a lot lately, by foot, and I need a place to stay. Do you think you could help me?" Somewhere in his eyes there was an almost pleading hope, but Kaoru failed to notice it.

I can refuse his request, she thought. I could kick him out of this house right now, and tell him to never come back. After all, he is Kenshin's enemy. What would Kenshin think if he finds out I'm letting him stay here? But there were some "but on the other hand"s, and an odd little voice in Kaoru's head asked her what harm could he possibly do? Her sympathy for him during the Jinchuu incident returned.

Enishi found interest in looking at his surroundings while Kaoru contemplated her answer. It had been such a long time since he'd last seen this place, and he had never really taken a close look at it. The Kamiya residence was huge. It was hard to imagine this girl owning such a large, beautiful, and old, yet clean house, while she was barely managing to get through life in her poor financial state. Why didn't she just sell the dojo? She would undoubtedly get filthy rich if she did. What Enishi didn't know was how many valuable memories were buried within the great wooden frame – some still lived vividly in Kaoru's mind.

"Okay."

"Hmm?" Enishi's mind jumped back out of his thoughts and into reality.

"I'll let you settle here for a little while, as long as you stay sane and don't try any murder attempts on anyone, okay?" It sounded silly, but she was dead serious. Enishi chuckled at her words with his smooth, deep voice, making Kaoru even more nervous than she already was.

"Thank you, Kaoru," he replied, sincerely grateful for the hospitality. Imagine! No more cold nights spent outside in the wintry weather! "What can I do to make up for your generosity?"

"You can start by helping out with the chores," said a flat and unexpected voice from the doorway. Surprised, both Enishi and Kaoru turned to see a certain slightly unhappy-looking red-haired rurouni standing nearby.

"O-Okaeri nasai, Kenshin," stammered an utterly shocked Kaoru. She had no idea what a huge impact this decision would have on her life.

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A/N: So…leave reviews for my crappy story, will ya?