Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers Apply

Author: Shika

Blessing in Disguise

Chapter One

Shishio's Game

Kaoru was taken to her new room where she refused to leave, even for dinner. The red-haired man decided he needed to do something and sure enough, he found himself outside of her bedroom with a tray full of biscuits and cookies. It wasn't much but it was all that could be scraped from the table.

He knocked tentatively and when there was no reply, he opened the door a crack. There she lay; sound asleep on her bead, small tear stains left on her ivory cheeks. He figured she shouldn't be woken up because she must have been tired, lost and scared all in one. However, she needed to eat so he decided that she should wake her up.

He tried giving her a slight push but she only sniffed and curled up into a small ball and she didn't even flinch when he poked her.

"Miss Kaoru?"

No reply.

"Miss Kaoru, you need to get up."

Still no response.

He rolled up the sleeves of his gi and grit his teeth. From there, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly. She woke up and screamed.

This startled him so he took a few steps back and held his hands up in defense.

"I mean no harm that I don't!"

"Who are you and what do you want!" she demanded, frightened by waking up to a man practically in her bed. This place was shifty to begin with.

Brushing his bangs out of his face and making sure none of the food was harmed he grinned. "My name is Kenshin. Himura Kenshin."

Kaoru scowled. "What are you so happy about?"

"There isn't much to be happy about," he told her truthfully, "But I try my best to keep everyone cheerful." 

"What do you want?"

Kenshin laughed sheepishly and held out the tray. "You missed dinner so I assumed you would be hungry by now. I brought you whatever I could scrounge from the table. It's not much but it should hold you over for a few hours at least."

"Why?"

He looked puzzled. "Do I need a reason Miss Kaoru?"

Kaoru froze and narrowed her eyes. "How do you know my name?"

Kenshin dropped his voice to a whisper. "Everyone knows your name here...."

Kaoru slumped back onto the pillows.

"How about these biscuits?"

"You didn't poison them did you?"

"Ah Miss Kaoru, there is much I have to tell you. It may lower your suspicions."

Kenshin grabbed a chair from the vanity and sat next to her bed where he lay the tray of food. They both reached for a frosted cookie as Kaoru bombarded him with questions, each one asked in a nervous tone. She ate slowly, still not trusting his generous actions.

"First off, why…why is Enishi acting this way?"

He sighed, not knowing how she would take the truth. "Enishi…has undoubtedly been brainwashed by Shishio."

"But how! He isn't gullible at all! He's not the type of man who will take anyone's word without proof!"

"Ah, this is true, but every human being on this planet has a weakness, am I correct?"

"Y-yes…"

"Enishi's just so happens to be his sister…"

"Lady Tomoe."

Kaoru was almost certain she saw Kenshin's eyes glow amber for a second before returning to their norm; light violet with a tinge of blue.

"Yes. Lady Tomoe."

Kaoru just about jumped up. "Did you know Lady Tomoe?"

There was a far away look in Kenshin's eyes as he nodded. "Yes. I knew her very well."

"What was she to you?"

He took a deep breath and smiled. "Let that be for later discussion."

Kaoru looked slightly downcast. "She was like a big sister to me…more like a mother actually. Just like she was to Enishi; until that bastard Battousai ruined everything!"

Kenshin grimaced and lowered his head. "Battousai tends to ruin everything doesn't he?"

Kaoru noted the iciness of his voice and shrunk back. "I didn't mean to offend you…you know, if he was a brother or something."  

"No Miss Kaoru. You have no reason to be sorry. Battousai was without a doubt, an evil man. However, time changes and so do people."

"But Battousai is dead isn't he?"

"The Battousai inside the man, yes, but not the man himself. Anyway, back to your questions."

"Will Enishi ever be…be…back?"

He swallowed hard. "No."

Kaoru closed her eyes, trying to keep her tears in check.

"It's alright Miss Kaoru. You can cry."

She shook her head. "No…"

"I see. You don't trust me enough to cry in front of me. In that case, I'll leave you alone," he told her as he got up to leave.

She didn't respond but turned her head to the window and looked out at two girls strolling in the gardens.

A few hours later, her door burst open and a young woman, about her age bounced in. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid and her jade eyes shone with mischief.

"So…he finally got you," she said, taking a seat on Kaoru's bed and snatching an apple from a nearby table.

"Who are you?"

"Shinomori Misao. Shishio got me too. A few years ago," she began as she munched on the apple. "I don't really mind it though. He doesn't want me. He wants Aoshi-sama, but it would be kinda weird for a guy to kidnap a guy don't ya think? So I'm stuck here but that's okay because I know that Aoshi-sama will come and save me."

Kaoru's head was spinning. "Who's this Aoshi-sama?"

Misao spit out a seed. "Gee, for a princess you don't get around much do you? Aoshi-sama or Shinomori Aoshi is my big brother and the heir to our father's throne."

"Oh."

"So yeah, Shishio decided that he was going to take me hostage instead of Aoshi-sama because hey, no one can beat Aoshi anyway. I've been here for a few years because Aoshi-sama joined the resistance and is now fighting against Shishio to get all of us out of here."

"There's a resistance? I want to join!"

"Me too, but Aoshi-sama made this dumb rule about 'no women allowed'."

Kaoru scowled. "Friggen men. They think they can do everything by themselves!" she cried, all her sorrow forgotten.

"Yeah!"

She stood up. "I'm going out there to give them a piece of my mind!"

"Yeah!"

"Are you coming with me?"

"Yeah- NO!!!"

Kaoru stopped. "Why not?"

"Shishio's game."

She sat back down. "Shishio's game?"

Misao's face had suddenly taken on a darker expression. "When he takes in another princess, she has two options: To join him or to play his game. Should she chose to join him; she will be spared and most likely spoiled rotten. However, if she picks the game, her chances of death are much higher considering he refuses to tell the rules."

"And what did you pick?"

"The game."

"Do you know the rules?"

"I've learned most of them over time. I should tell you, since he most likely assumed you would play. The rules are simple. If he sees you, he kills you. Of course, that excludes if he calls upon you. Avoiding him isn't as hard as it seems. He keeps himself busy and he does play fair. He never hunted any of us out."

"There are others?"

"Were. Most of them decided that a game would be 'fun' and just got themselves killed. I'm still alive though and so is Magdaria."

There was another knock at the door and Misao opened it cautiously. "Oh! It's only Sano!" She threw the door open and let him in.

A tall man walked in, sporting rooster-like hair, a white jacket and white pants which he had his hands stuffed into the pockets. His chocolate brown eyes surveyed her critically as he chewed casually on the fishbone in his mouth.

"So you're the new one huh?" He glanced over to the tray of half eaten food. "I'll bet Kenshin was already here." He extended his hand to her. "I'm Sano."

Kaoru looked at his large hand and blinked. "That's nice."

"Sano, I think she's still skittish."

Sano sighed. "Listen Jou-chan. I'm not gonna hurt you and neither is Kenshin or Misao. The only one that would is either Shishio or Enishi. If even they do, you have to tell me and trust me; I'll beat 'em to a pulp."

Kaoru whispered; "Why?"

 "Game or Shishio?" he asked.

"Game," Misao stated firmly.

Sano smiled. "Good. The reason is, because believe it or not, Kenshin and I are part of the Resistance."

"How can I trust you?"

"You don't have to, but you will in time when we keep saving your butt."

Kaoru glanced around the room. First she was betrayed and kidnapped; now she was standing in a gorgeously decorated room in captivity with two people who claimed to be trying to help her. "Are you a prisoner?" she asked.

"A spy."

"He and Kenshin are pretty good ones too Kaoru. Trust us. Now, I want to tell you a little bit about everyone here so you know what to expect."

Sano made his way over to the door. "I'm going to see what Kenshin's up to. I'll see you girls later."

"Bye," Misao bid.

"Bye," Kaoru repeated.

Sano saluted and left.

"Alright Kaoru, First we have Shishio. He is the maniac behind all of this. As you probably know, he wants total control of everything. Aside from the game, he only has one rule: Don't get pregnant."

Kaoru blinked. "That's a dumb rule."

Misao shrugged. "I guess, but he has his reasons. He also has reasons for us being here but I'll explain later.

"Then there's Yumi, Shishio's wife and whore. She doesn't bother anyone and trails him around like a puppy dog. There's Kamatari, a transvestite who is trying to win Shishio's attention and heart. Although he's really weird, he can be funny sometimes and I guess he's an okay guy. Houji is just annoying. There are a few more of Shishio's minions that don't do anything so don't worry about them.

"Megumi is a problem. When she first came here, she decided to join up with Shishio and she can't decide whether she wants him or Kenshin. I swear she's more of a whore than Yumi is. Megumi is a rat and that's all there is to it. She may seem nice at first but then she'll trick you into running into Shishio and 'boom' you're doomed.

"Kenshin and Sano are brothers although they look nothing alike and they're really nice. Sano likes to joke around and beat on people sometimes so he's a lot of fun to be around. Kenshin has a laundry fetish so be careful of what you leave lying around on the floor. He has a heart of gold but be careful what you talk about because sometimes his past comes to haunt him."

"What past?" Kaoru wondered out loud.

"The Battousai within."

Kaoru gasped. "H-he was B-Battousai?"

Misao flinched. "Later…later discussion…Anyway, then there's Magdaria. I love Magdaria. She is so nice. She plays the game just like you and me and she always puts others before herself. I have a feeling there's something going on between her and Sano even though they laugh everything off.

"And lastly," Kaoru though she saw a tinge of pink appear on Misao's cheeks, "There's Soujiro. S-Soujiro is hard to describe. He's always smiling and it seems as if he is flawless. He is flawless. Perfect."

"Misao," Kaoru pried, "I am beginning to think you have a love affair with this Soujiro you mention."

Misao lowered her eyes. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"He's Shishio's right hand man."

To Be Continued…

Authors Notes: A bit shorter than the prologue but I don't think it came out too bad. To answer questions in advance: Yes there will be Soujiro/Misao, yes there will be Sano/Magdaria and there will be no Sano/Megumi. Of course, this being mainly a Kenshin/Kaoru ficcy, there will be plenty of that too.