Verse Two
Hajime mo owari mo iranakatta kimi no me ga tsubuyaita
Donna kioku wo sagashitara mune no fukami he todoku no darou
Nagasugita, kimi no iu hibi wa hitoyo no yume no you de
Owaru kotoba shinjirarenai mezame no toki wa mada tooi
Sunlight...
There was light underneath Kaoru's eyelids. She groaned; she felt sluggish, sleepy. For some strange reason, this thing she was sleeping in did not feel like her futon – nor did it feel like anything she had ever slept in before. It was softer, thicker; she could not feel the floor on her back. And this thing that was covering her body – it did not feel like anything she had ever worn to bed.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
A painted-purple ceiling and what looked like a lamp loomed into view. With a start, Kaoru sat up, the memories of what had happened last night flooding back.
She had run away from the dojo, run into that secluded garden where the fireflies lived - she had been crying – she had heard footsteps behind her and had turned to see a white-haired man with hate in his eyes towering above her. Then she had tried to run once more, but the man had caught her, pressed a cloth with a sickly smell on it to her mouth and nose – and then she had lost consciousness.
Surprise washed over her as she looked down at herself, examining her limbs and taking in the room she was in. She was wearing a bathrobe of sorts, and was sitting on a large bed like nothing she had ever slept on before – but there were no injuries. I'm alive, she thought in wonder. But why?
She staggered to the window and pushed it open, gazing at the incredible sight that greeted her. It looked to her like she was on the second floor of a house – a large beautiful house with green banisters and a large balcony with shining white tiles underfoot.
Her head was beginning to hurt with such an overflow of memories and thoughts – and whatever her attacker had used on her last night had not completely worn off either. Stumbling and swaying slightly, Kaoru made her way across the balcony and over to the green banister, taking in yet another surprise. The house was situated on what looked like the isolated shore of a beach, a beautiful sandy cove with green-blue waters that was blocked almost completely by cliffs, save for one small entrance that was too small for most ships to fit through. Where am I? she thought, completely at a loss.
"You can't escape, you know."
She jumped and turned around quickly. Sitting there, at a table on the other side of the balcony, and taking sips from a crystal glass of some dark-red liquid, was the man who had attacked her last night – attacked her and brought her here. He was looking at her with strange interest, an almost appraising look on his face. As they stared at each other the man spoke again.
"This place is a natural fortress that no one can access or get out of, so don't even think about it, Kaoru."
Kaoru turned to fully face him, anger and frustration suddenly welling up inside her. "Why do you do this?" she demanded. "Answer me! Why don't you just kill me now?"
The white-haired man was silent for a moment, his eyes leaving hers and instead looking out towards the sea. "I may just do that," he replied finally. "But I'm not sure your life has much value to him. He killed my sister. He murdered my sister Tomoe with his own hands."
With a jolt of shock and sudden fear, Kaoru realized who this man might be – Enishi Yukishiro, Tomoe's younger brother, who had seen his sister murdered before his eyes. And that meant he could only be talking about one person...
"For all I know you could mean nothing to him as well," Enishi continued, still not meeting her eyes. "But I expect we'll both know shortly. And until we know, I'll let you live." He took a sip of the dark-red liquid at the bottom of his glass, then added, "You're probably the one he holds most sacred in his life right now – if he is capable of holding anything as such."
Enishi suddenly turned back to face her, and Kaoru stepped back in surprise. His eyes were narrowed now, burning with passionate hate. There was an insane glee in his eyes, a look that told Kaoru he knew exactly what he was doing and why.
"So I've brought you here to see just what sort of man he is. If you are sacred to him, he will come to find you. And then I will kill you in front of him, so he will know how I feel. He will know of the living hell I face day after day."
He stood up suddenly, striding towards the house; Kaoru stepped back so far that her back hit the banisters.
"If he doesn't come to rescue you I don't care what becomes of you. I'll let you go home alive. Just wait it out. You may get your freedom."
He disappeared into the house, shutting the door behind him with a sharp snap. Kaoru let out a long breath, feeling calmer now without the presence of her cold-eyed captor. She remained outside for a long time, her mind feeling as though it were sagging under her thoughts; then she retreated to the bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed, trying to find ways out of this situation.
She could think only of Kenshin. I know he cares, she thought desperately, but can I be sure he will come for me? Could he care for me as he did Tomoe?
She sat there on her bed, staring out of her window until after the moon rose, thinking of what Kenshin had told her only a day before.
Tomoe...the heart of Kenshin's cross-shaped scar, and the heart of Enishi's hate. She had died for Kenshin, had died a terrible death that she didn't deserve...and yet...and yet...
Kaoru fell onto the pillows. I envy her, she thought, and it was not a jealous or hateful thought, but more detached – as though her mind did not belong to her anymore. Tomoe's death had formed a bond between her and Kenshin that Kaoru knew she could never fill – a bond marked by the scar she had made on Kenshin's cheek.
Could I die for you, Kenshin? If I gave myself up for you – would you remember me the way you have always remembered Tomoe? Or will I become as faceless as the many people you killed under the name Hitokiri Battousai?
Detached, thinking only of Kenshin, Kaoru fell into a restless sleep as the moon loomed over her window and the waves lapped gently at the sand outside.
Your eyes whispered, "We don't need beginnings or endings."
What kind of memories do I have to search for that will reach deep into my heart?
The days that you said were too long seemed like a dream that lasted just one night.
I can't believe that it is coming to an end, it is too early to wake up.
**************************
Sen no yoru wo kesenai de mada koko wo tatenai
Kaoru awoke early the next morning, despite having gone to sleep so late the night before. She had awoken feeling no better and no worse about the situation, but rather with a sort of determined calm; sooner or later, Enishi or Kenshin would take action, and then she would know of her fate. It was no use fretting and sweating over whether she would live or die; what would happen would happen, and she would have to face it head-on, like her father had always wanted her to.
She had just tied her hair back, high up on the back of her head, when she heard a noise from outside. She turned and went down the stairs, emerging onto the lower porch of the house, and stopped short.
Enishi Yukishiro was standing in front of a tree near the house, his back turned to her. He had his sword clenched in his hand. As Kaoru watched, he placed a foot on the tree and stabbed the sword into the tree-trunk, jerking the sword almost effortlessly upwards; the trunk cracked and splintered easily, falling to the ground.
Kaoru felt her insides grow cold – if that was what he was capable of doing to Kenshin –
At that moment Enishi turned. His blue eyes narrowed for a moment; his features tightened into a sneer. Kaoru knew that he was enjoying the look on her face.
"Yes," he said, his teeth bared in an insane grin, "I swore long ago that he who killed would be punished. I know his Hiten Mitsurugi technique and its secrets very well. I don't need any help from you. Kenshin will pay for his crimes. I will exact this revenge with my own hands, the way he killed my sister."
He strode into the house again, his sword braced on one shoulder, leaving Kaoru standing on the porch and staring at the remains of the tree he had just uprooted.
Back in her room, Kaoru felt panic wash over her again. She could not stop imagining it: Kenshin, his head bowed, his whole self defeated – Enishi, the vengeful man with the cold blue-green eyes and the hair white as snow, capable of a change at winning against Kenshin – Enishi, with his long sword, slicing through Kenshin – Enishi, stabbing Kenshin through the heart – Enishi, cutting off Kenshin's head – causing Kenshin's blood to spill as Tomoe's had – Enishi, Enishi Yukishiro –
So much guilt on one side and hate on the other, Kaoru thought frantically, feeling her whole body shaking. Kenshin cannot possibly match Enishi's strength – can't possibly match the power of one who is so determined to punish him for past crimes...
She made up her mind in a couple of hours' time. Quickly, silently, she snuck toward Enishi's room, a broom handle held tightly in her hands. She paused outside the door of his room, listening intently.
She did not have to wait long. Enishi emerged almost immediately, dressed once again in his bathrobe, rubbing at his hair with a towel. She stood by the door and watched him as he sat down in the chair by his window, waiting for the opportunity – any opportunity – to rush in and attack him, put an end to it –
"Sister..."
Kaoru froze. Enishi was sitting with his head bowed, his shoulders slumped. His voice was soft, sad – taking on the same tone Kenshin's did at the worst of times.
"Sister...sister...why did you have to leave me? Why did you have to die like that? It makes no sense...I want to understand it...but I can't..."
He was quite defenseless, lost in thoughts about his sister. It would have been the perfect time to attack...
...but Kaoru had quite forgotten about attacking him. She stood outside his door, the broom-handle still in her hands, but not intended as a weapon any more. She was thinking about what she had just heard – what she had just seen -
He is also a man living with his sadness. I am sure he has lived alone with only his hatred for company.
Dejected, she made her way back to her room, discarding the broom handle in the corner before collapsing onto her bed.
Don't make the thousand nights disappear. I can't leave here just yet.