Heart and Soul
Chapter One: Sakura
He was sick of it all. Tired of mourning, of feeling guilt-ridden. It has been four months since the Battousai had defeated him and returned to Tokyo with Kamiya in his possession. Once again, he was robbed of his peace of mind thanks to Himura. Now, he had stolen two women from his life.
There was no word in any native tongue that could do Enishi's rage justice. After learning that his sister had actually loved the man whom had been the same one to murder her, Enishi saw that killing Battousai wasn't what Tomoe had wanted. He realized that his sister never rewarded him with her sweet smile because she didn't want to see Himura's blood spilled. She didn't wish for her little brother to be overwhelmed by the homicidal urge to kill the assassin that she had loved so much.
Enishi wasn't sure WHAT Tomoe wanted from him anymore.
After spending endless hours drowning in his guilt, he decided that enough was enough. Mourning was never going to bring Tomoe back, neither will it do him any good. He will still always miss his older sister, but he remembered that he was a warrior of pride. Wasting away and feeling sorry for himself was no way to seek redemption and forgiveness from his sister.
Problem was that he didn't know how to start living again.
He had always lived for the purpose of murdering Battousai. There wasn't a day that passed by that he didn't think of feeling the blade of his sword piercing the pale skin of Himura, bathing in the blood that would seep out from the opened wounds. Oh, how he dreamed of it with childish delight as if he were a young boy again and waiting out the days of anticipation until a summer festival would take place. He planned on living in peace after "avenging" his sister. But now that he knew that killing Battousai wouldn't make his sister happy, Enishi wasn't sure what to do with his life. All he knew was that he was lost, frustrated, and most of all, lonely.
A pair of vivacious sapphire blue eyes and a lively smile crossed vividly in his mind. He clenched his fist at the memory, but he didn't force it back into the recesses of his mind. As much as Kamiya had irritated him, she had given him a sense of comfort that no one else save his late sister could provide him with. Her cooking was horrendous, her manners quite atrocious, but Enishi couldn't lie to himself that he held a place in his heart for her.
His mind wandered to his island fortress, where the storm was the fiercest one that particular day. He had kissed Kaoru in the rain, his lips savoring hers as she was stunned in his arms. He didn't know what had come over him then. He just felt the need to show her that Himura could never love her the way he did, even if Enishi was reluctant to show it. That kiss was his way of communicating how he felt about her. He wanted her to know that she was much more to him than a living embodiment of his deceased sister. If anything, Kaoru was nothing like Tomoe. However, that didn't change the fact that his soul ached for her, yearning for her to soothe his fears as she had done when she was on his island.
Enishi wondered many a night if the kiss had meant anything to Kaoru. He was disappointed that afterwards she muttered an apology and retreated to her room. Before Battousai finally came to rescue her, Kaoru didn't return his affection for her. She didn't say or do anything that indicated the slightest possibility that she had even liked him more than an acquaintance. Enishi was left to think that she still had feelings for Battousai, and that was enough to reconsider whether or not he should have disembowel the ruroni with his own hands.
Every day that he wallowed in loneliness, the thought of killing Himura grew more pleasing to him.
But that wasn't his escape from his own personal hell. If he ever did change his mind and did indeed murder Battousai, Enishi was certain that his sister, bless her soul, would condemn him for this eternity and the next. And then there was Kaoru. She would certainly not even look at him again if Enishi had slain the redheaded fool. Her girlish infatuation with Battousai was proof of that. He wasn't on speaking terms with Kamiya now...but the thought of the pretty tomboy never speaking to him tied his heart in knots of discomfort.
"...Kaoru..." he whispered her name like a gentle prayer, her name disappearing softly into the spring breeze that wafted through his ivory hair.
He had missed those petty arguments that he had enjoyed with her. They were much like duelists, assaulting each other with words, which served as weapons for them. He would never admit that he was wrong or inferior, and Kaoru wouldn't give him the pleasure of proving her wrong. Her pride wouldn't allow it. He liked how flushed her cheeks would get and how her blue eyes were afire with life. Enishi always mused to himself how cute she was when she was angry.
And yet she was helpless, although she didn't want anyone to see it. Kaoru was skilled for a female warrior, but she couldn't hold her own against his skill or that of Battousai's. The problem with her was that she was only taught how to defend herself and other people. Her fighting style was much too idealistic. It preached about protecting life, and never fighting to do anything else. He doubted that Kaoru had ever had her hands soaked in another's blood: her discipline and her morality refused to. It was that particular factor that was her greatest flaw. She might know how to fight, but it was her tender heart that hindered her greatly.
'But I can protect her,' the thought rang with the clarity of a silver bell in his mind. Kaoru would never have the courage to kill someone if her life was in danger, but Enishi did. Battousai nearly died trying to take her back to Tokyo from him when they battled on his island. Had it not been for the memory of his sister, Enishi would have gladly severed the former hitokiri's head and keep Kaoru all to himself.
"I...I love him, and I always will..."
Jealous rage and abhorrence pierced his calm thoughts from recalling Kamiya's words. It had eaten him inside to keep remembering them. What really killed Enishi was that Kaoru was barely seventeen or eighteen years of age, and already she was certain that she loved Battousai. Barely an adult, if anything, she was still a foolish girl to Enishi.
'Sister, what should I do?'
He conjured the stoic image of Tomoe in his mind. For several months after the whole incident on his island, he didn't see his sister smile. She was always just staring at him with her mahogany eyes, an expression of sorrow painted on her porcelain face.
But now, that was different.
She didn't look like what one would call 'happy' or 'ecstatic', but she wasn't frowning. Instead, Enishi could've sworn that her lips were drawn into a ghost of a thin-lipped smile. It wasn't a truly joyous smile like the one he had wanted to see, but it was a smile nonetheless.
It was then that Enishi's mind was made up. He stood onto his feet and gazed meditatively at the blue, cloudless sky.
He decided that he was going to turn his back on Japan and return to Shanghai.
With Kamiya Kaoru.
* * * *
"I'm going!"
"Yahiko, wait!" A vexed Kaoru called out to her younger student.
"I can't, ugly! I'm gonna be late!" The boy yelled impatiently, but stopped when he saw his sensei running up to him with something in her hands.
"A few seconds won't hurt," Kaoru growled and immediately presented him with a package tied neatly in yellow cloth. "Here. It's your lunch."
He looked in astonishment at the package, and smirked widely. "Yeah right, Kaoru. If I want to be poisoned, I would drink snake venom-"
A swift strike with his sensei's fist had instantly interrupted him. Yahiko immediately nursed the pulsing bump on his head while muttering curses under his breath.
"What the hell did you do that for?!?" He screamed, his hands rubbing his head.
"You little brat! I cook for you thinking that you might want something to eat at work and this is how you repay me!" A fuming Kaoru snarled. "You're so ungrateful!"
"Fine, I'll take the damn food!" He said, snatching the package away from her delicate hands.
"Stop that!" His sensei scolded, her blue eyes glaring accusingly at the younger boy. "You shouldn't swear in front of a woman."
A look of menace crossed Yakiho's features. "Is that so? I could've sworn that you were a man in a kimono."
Her face completely turned red as her hands clenched into tight fists.
"You're way too ugly to be a lady!"
Yahiko immediately turned around and sprinted forward with all the speed his adolescent body could muster. He laughed tauntingly at a furious Kaoru, whose tight kimono did little to keep up with him. By the time she reached the entrance, the little bastard was already gone, a trail of dust following after him.
"I hope you choke on your lunch, Yahiko!!!" she screamed, her voice embodying all the fury that had sent her into a murderous rage.
She turned away from the entrance and stomped angrily to the steps of her house, grumbling and pouting as she did. The soft breeze did little to calm her nerves as she sat on one of the steps. She took a deep breath and exhaled in an attempt to regain her composure. She inhaled the clean air that was perfumed lightly with the scent of newly bloomed cherry blossoms, closing her eyes as her ears took in the melodic chirping of nearby sparrows.
But as much as she tried, the grinning, rebellious boy appeared in her thoughts, promptly sticking his tongue out at her and laughing boastfully.
She felt her fist clenching. 'Ugh, that snot-nosed little monster! Just wait until he comes back from work!'
Kaoru stood up and tilted her chin skywards. Her sapphire eyes mirrored the endless blue abyss of the sky above her. Her anger slowly drained out of her as she was calmed by the beauty of the vast sky that seemed to quell her irritation.
"It's no use being angry over that brat," she spoke to herself as she rose from the steps of her dojo. The beauty of the spring day was just too tempting. Deciding that it wasn't worth wasting such a pleasant day by pondering the mischievous actions of a foolish boy, Kaoru decided to take a walk along the dirt road to clear her thoughts.
Her sandals padded softly along the dirt as she left the dojo. The breeze continued to tease her as it ran its fingers through the long strands of her raven hair. The nearby stream gleamed with a brilliant luster as if it were a sheet of glass underneath the late morning sun. A thin veil of mist hung about her surroundings as Kaoru walked further, her thoughts engulfing her with their intensity. The breeze, as if unsatisfied with her depressed state, wafted through the branches of the cherry trees. In an instant, light scarlet petals were loosened from their branches and descended with the grace of feathers. The blossoms soundlessly drifted onto the air, showering onto the young lady.
However, Kaoru's eyes did not light up with childish delight as they had often done. Instead, seeing the pink flowers had only awakened memories of unpredictable, yet happier, days.
She saw herself walking beside the ruroni as they passed by the blossom-laden trees. The petals floated gently in the wind as they were engaged in conversation. Kaoru remembered that she did her best to keep Kenshin's attention on what they were talking about. She knew that the ghosts of his past had haunted him to no end, so she tried to stray him away from those horrifying memories. With girlish infatuation and a cheerfulness that was so characteristic of her nature, she would walk side- by-side with him, commenting on how perfect the weather was or how beautiful the cherry blossoms were.
But as much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't quite get through to Kenshin. He would smile politely and agree with her statements, but he was always so distant. The crimson-haired ruroni wasn't at her side, but he was mercilessly ripping through hordes of soldiers in the time of a darker era. He was so overwhelmed by how many lives that he had taken that he could never forget about the past.
Which was exactly why Kenshin had left the Kamiya dojo.
She stopped in her tracks, her head bent low as her small shoulders slumped over. It was here where they had said good-bye. Where Kenshin had wished her for a happy future as the silent trees had stood witness. The moon had illuminated the purple eyes and the endless crimson hair that she had found so attractive. A sad smile was painted on his youthful features as his solemn eyes held hers that night.
Kenshin had left because of his guilt. He told her that he had hated himself for allowing Kaoru to be kidnapped, even though he was the same one to rescue her. He had left with the intention of keeping Kaoru and the others safe by leaving them.
"Kenshin..." she involuntarily spoke his name, sorrow tingeing her voice.
There was no doubt that Kaoru had fallen in love with Himura Kenshin. She had always looked up to him as a compassionate person who always put the needs of others before his own. It was his willingness to sacrifice himself that had infuriated her as well. He was so caught up with his guilt and willingness to sacrifice his own happiness that he had neglected her. Kaoru didn't hold a grudge against the ruroni, but it had hurt her to see him so ridden with sin.
And that was why she had to let him go on his way. Kaoru knew she had no right over other people's choices, and Kenshin was of no exception. Still, the pain had stung like a freshly inflicted wound. The ache of having your heart broken from someone you deeply cared about was a new experience to Kaoru. She had spent several days in her room shedding tears, but she soon came to the realization that her father didn't raise her to cry over someone who couldn't return her affection.
'Such a lovesick fool,' she thought cynically to herself. She gasped when she had heard her own thoughts. She had recognized those same words somewhere in the remnants of her memories...
Yukishiro Enishi had told her the same thing.
Her cheeks immediately turned scarlet after remembering the intimate kiss he had shared with her on his island. It was all so sudden and unexpected that she still couldn't get over it. Out of all the men in her life, she wasn't counting on receiving a kiss from the one who had kidnapped her in order to fulfill his Jinchuu.
Shaking her head, she attempted once more to free herself from her deep thoughts. Kaoru remembered that she took this walk to get away from drowning in nostalgia and frustration, not to return to them again. Her blue eyes caught a branch that was adorned generously with the full, blushing faces of newly born blossoms. Kaoru felt an urge to steal one from its parent tree. Feeling like a little girl again, she drew near the tree and tried to snatch the branch with her hands. Much to her displeasure, she was only grasping air. Biting her lip with determination, Kaoru stood on her toes and attempted again to snap the branch, but to no avail.
"Oh, come on!" she cried agitatedly, feeling as if the beautiful flowers were taunting her.
Out of nowhere, a masculine hand had reached for the branch and, with one swift motion, snapped it and held it in its grasp. Kaoru let out a small gasp and her eyes traveled to the owner of the hand. Sapphire eyes widened as her mouth hung open in surprise when she met the familiar, stoic face of the man who was once her captor.
"...Enishi...?"
His turquoise eyes glimmered with amusement, but as always the dark shades of his glasses had hidden them from the shocked girl. "Lovely day, isn't it, Kamiya?"
She didn't even nod: her disbelief had her dumbstruck. Enishi felt a smirk tugging the corner of his mouth. His hand went out to her, presenting the captured flowers before the astonished girl.
"Here. I believe you wanted these."
Kaoru's eyes darted away from his face and to the cherry blossoms that she had just attempted to get in vain. Her hands slowly took the flowers from Enishi's surprisingly gentle grip, a red blush warming her cheeks.
"D-domo arigato..."
Chapter One: Sakura
He was sick of it all. Tired of mourning, of feeling guilt-ridden. It has been four months since the Battousai had defeated him and returned to Tokyo with Kamiya in his possession. Once again, he was robbed of his peace of mind thanks to Himura. Now, he had stolen two women from his life.
There was no word in any native tongue that could do Enishi's rage justice. After learning that his sister had actually loved the man whom had been the same one to murder her, Enishi saw that killing Battousai wasn't what Tomoe had wanted. He realized that his sister never rewarded him with her sweet smile because she didn't want to see Himura's blood spilled. She didn't wish for her little brother to be overwhelmed by the homicidal urge to kill the assassin that she had loved so much.
Enishi wasn't sure WHAT Tomoe wanted from him anymore.
After spending endless hours drowning in his guilt, he decided that enough was enough. Mourning was never going to bring Tomoe back, neither will it do him any good. He will still always miss his older sister, but he remembered that he was a warrior of pride. Wasting away and feeling sorry for himself was no way to seek redemption and forgiveness from his sister.
Problem was that he didn't know how to start living again.
He had always lived for the purpose of murdering Battousai. There wasn't a day that passed by that he didn't think of feeling the blade of his sword piercing the pale skin of Himura, bathing in the blood that would seep out from the opened wounds. Oh, how he dreamed of it with childish delight as if he were a young boy again and waiting out the days of anticipation until a summer festival would take place. He planned on living in peace after "avenging" his sister. But now that he knew that killing Battousai wouldn't make his sister happy, Enishi wasn't sure what to do with his life. All he knew was that he was lost, frustrated, and most of all, lonely.
A pair of vivacious sapphire blue eyes and a lively smile crossed vividly in his mind. He clenched his fist at the memory, but he didn't force it back into the recesses of his mind. As much as Kamiya had irritated him, she had given him a sense of comfort that no one else save his late sister could provide him with. Her cooking was horrendous, her manners quite atrocious, but Enishi couldn't lie to himself that he held a place in his heart for her.
His mind wandered to his island fortress, where the storm was the fiercest one that particular day. He had kissed Kaoru in the rain, his lips savoring hers as she was stunned in his arms. He didn't know what had come over him then. He just felt the need to show her that Himura could never love her the way he did, even if Enishi was reluctant to show it. That kiss was his way of communicating how he felt about her. He wanted her to know that she was much more to him than a living embodiment of his deceased sister. If anything, Kaoru was nothing like Tomoe. However, that didn't change the fact that his soul ached for her, yearning for her to soothe his fears as she had done when she was on his island.
Enishi wondered many a night if the kiss had meant anything to Kaoru. He was disappointed that afterwards she muttered an apology and retreated to her room. Before Battousai finally came to rescue her, Kaoru didn't return his affection for her. She didn't say or do anything that indicated the slightest possibility that she had even liked him more than an acquaintance. Enishi was left to think that she still had feelings for Battousai, and that was enough to reconsider whether or not he should have disembowel the ruroni with his own hands.
Every day that he wallowed in loneliness, the thought of killing Himura grew more pleasing to him.
But that wasn't his escape from his own personal hell. If he ever did change his mind and did indeed murder Battousai, Enishi was certain that his sister, bless her soul, would condemn him for this eternity and the next. And then there was Kaoru. She would certainly not even look at him again if Enishi had slain the redheaded fool. Her girlish infatuation with Battousai was proof of that. He wasn't on speaking terms with Kamiya now...but the thought of the pretty tomboy never speaking to him tied his heart in knots of discomfort.
"...Kaoru..." he whispered her name like a gentle prayer, her name disappearing softly into the spring breeze that wafted through his ivory hair.
He had missed those petty arguments that he had enjoyed with her. They were much like duelists, assaulting each other with words, which served as weapons for them. He would never admit that he was wrong or inferior, and Kaoru wouldn't give him the pleasure of proving her wrong. Her pride wouldn't allow it. He liked how flushed her cheeks would get and how her blue eyes were afire with life. Enishi always mused to himself how cute she was when she was angry.
And yet she was helpless, although she didn't want anyone to see it. Kaoru was skilled for a female warrior, but she couldn't hold her own against his skill or that of Battousai's. The problem with her was that she was only taught how to defend herself and other people. Her fighting style was much too idealistic. It preached about protecting life, and never fighting to do anything else. He doubted that Kaoru had ever had her hands soaked in another's blood: her discipline and her morality refused to. It was that particular factor that was her greatest flaw. She might know how to fight, but it was her tender heart that hindered her greatly.
'But I can protect her,' the thought rang with the clarity of a silver bell in his mind. Kaoru would never have the courage to kill someone if her life was in danger, but Enishi did. Battousai nearly died trying to take her back to Tokyo from him when they battled on his island. Had it not been for the memory of his sister, Enishi would have gladly severed the former hitokiri's head and keep Kaoru all to himself.
"I...I love him, and I always will..."
Jealous rage and abhorrence pierced his calm thoughts from recalling Kamiya's words. It had eaten him inside to keep remembering them. What really killed Enishi was that Kaoru was barely seventeen or eighteen years of age, and already she was certain that she loved Battousai. Barely an adult, if anything, she was still a foolish girl to Enishi.
'Sister, what should I do?'
He conjured the stoic image of Tomoe in his mind. For several months after the whole incident on his island, he didn't see his sister smile. She was always just staring at him with her mahogany eyes, an expression of sorrow painted on her porcelain face.
But now, that was different.
She didn't look like what one would call 'happy' or 'ecstatic', but she wasn't frowning. Instead, Enishi could've sworn that her lips were drawn into a ghost of a thin-lipped smile. It wasn't a truly joyous smile like the one he had wanted to see, but it was a smile nonetheless.
It was then that Enishi's mind was made up. He stood onto his feet and gazed meditatively at the blue, cloudless sky.
He decided that he was going to turn his back on Japan and return to Shanghai.
With Kamiya Kaoru.
* * * *
"I'm going!"
"Yahiko, wait!" A vexed Kaoru called out to her younger student.
"I can't, ugly! I'm gonna be late!" The boy yelled impatiently, but stopped when he saw his sensei running up to him with something in her hands.
"A few seconds won't hurt," Kaoru growled and immediately presented him with a package tied neatly in yellow cloth. "Here. It's your lunch."
He looked in astonishment at the package, and smirked widely. "Yeah right, Kaoru. If I want to be poisoned, I would drink snake venom-"
A swift strike with his sensei's fist had instantly interrupted him. Yahiko immediately nursed the pulsing bump on his head while muttering curses under his breath.
"What the hell did you do that for?!?" He screamed, his hands rubbing his head.
"You little brat! I cook for you thinking that you might want something to eat at work and this is how you repay me!" A fuming Kaoru snarled. "You're so ungrateful!"
"Fine, I'll take the damn food!" He said, snatching the package away from her delicate hands.
"Stop that!" His sensei scolded, her blue eyes glaring accusingly at the younger boy. "You shouldn't swear in front of a woman."
A look of menace crossed Yakiho's features. "Is that so? I could've sworn that you were a man in a kimono."
Her face completely turned red as her hands clenched into tight fists.
"You're way too ugly to be a lady!"
Yahiko immediately turned around and sprinted forward with all the speed his adolescent body could muster. He laughed tauntingly at a furious Kaoru, whose tight kimono did little to keep up with him. By the time she reached the entrance, the little bastard was already gone, a trail of dust following after him.
"I hope you choke on your lunch, Yahiko!!!" she screamed, her voice embodying all the fury that had sent her into a murderous rage.
She turned away from the entrance and stomped angrily to the steps of her house, grumbling and pouting as she did. The soft breeze did little to calm her nerves as she sat on one of the steps. She took a deep breath and exhaled in an attempt to regain her composure. She inhaled the clean air that was perfumed lightly with the scent of newly bloomed cherry blossoms, closing her eyes as her ears took in the melodic chirping of nearby sparrows.
But as much as she tried, the grinning, rebellious boy appeared in her thoughts, promptly sticking his tongue out at her and laughing boastfully.
She felt her fist clenching. 'Ugh, that snot-nosed little monster! Just wait until he comes back from work!'
Kaoru stood up and tilted her chin skywards. Her sapphire eyes mirrored the endless blue abyss of the sky above her. Her anger slowly drained out of her as she was calmed by the beauty of the vast sky that seemed to quell her irritation.
"It's no use being angry over that brat," she spoke to herself as she rose from the steps of her dojo. The beauty of the spring day was just too tempting. Deciding that it wasn't worth wasting such a pleasant day by pondering the mischievous actions of a foolish boy, Kaoru decided to take a walk along the dirt road to clear her thoughts.
Her sandals padded softly along the dirt as she left the dojo. The breeze continued to tease her as it ran its fingers through the long strands of her raven hair. The nearby stream gleamed with a brilliant luster as if it were a sheet of glass underneath the late morning sun. A thin veil of mist hung about her surroundings as Kaoru walked further, her thoughts engulfing her with their intensity. The breeze, as if unsatisfied with her depressed state, wafted through the branches of the cherry trees. In an instant, light scarlet petals were loosened from their branches and descended with the grace of feathers. The blossoms soundlessly drifted onto the air, showering onto the young lady.
However, Kaoru's eyes did not light up with childish delight as they had often done. Instead, seeing the pink flowers had only awakened memories of unpredictable, yet happier, days.
She saw herself walking beside the ruroni as they passed by the blossom-laden trees. The petals floated gently in the wind as they were engaged in conversation. Kaoru remembered that she did her best to keep Kenshin's attention on what they were talking about. She knew that the ghosts of his past had haunted him to no end, so she tried to stray him away from those horrifying memories. With girlish infatuation and a cheerfulness that was so characteristic of her nature, she would walk side- by-side with him, commenting on how perfect the weather was or how beautiful the cherry blossoms were.
But as much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't quite get through to Kenshin. He would smile politely and agree with her statements, but he was always so distant. The crimson-haired ruroni wasn't at her side, but he was mercilessly ripping through hordes of soldiers in the time of a darker era. He was so overwhelmed by how many lives that he had taken that he could never forget about the past.
Which was exactly why Kenshin had left the Kamiya dojo.
She stopped in her tracks, her head bent low as her small shoulders slumped over. It was here where they had said good-bye. Where Kenshin had wished her for a happy future as the silent trees had stood witness. The moon had illuminated the purple eyes and the endless crimson hair that she had found so attractive. A sad smile was painted on his youthful features as his solemn eyes held hers that night.
Kenshin had left because of his guilt. He told her that he had hated himself for allowing Kaoru to be kidnapped, even though he was the same one to rescue her. He had left with the intention of keeping Kaoru and the others safe by leaving them.
"Kenshin..." she involuntarily spoke his name, sorrow tingeing her voice.
There was no doubt that Kaoru had fallen in love with Himura Kenshin. She had always looked up to him as a compassionate person who always put the needs of others before his own. It was his willingness to sacrifice himself that had infuriated her as well. He was so caught up with his guilt and willingness to sacrifice his own happiness that he had neglected her. Kaoru didn't hold a grudge against the ruroni, but it had hurt her to see him so ridden with sin.
And that was why she had to let him go on his way. Kaoru knew she had no right over other people's choices, and Kenshin was of no exception. Still, the pain had stung like a freshly inflicted wound. The ache of having your heart broken from someone you deeply cared about was a new experience to Kaoru. She had spent several days in her room shedding tears, but she soon came to the realization that her father didn't raise her to cry over someone who couldn't return her affection.
'Such a lovesick fool,' she thought cynically to herself. She gasped when she had heard her own thoughts. She had recognized those same words somewhere in the remnants of her memories...
Yukishiro Enishi had told her the same thing.
Her cheeks immediately turned scarlet after remembering the intimate kiss he had shared with her on his island. It was all so sudden and unexpected that she still couldn't get over it. Out of all the men in her life, she wasn't counting on receiving a kiss from the one who had kidnapped her in order to fulfill his Jinchuu.
Shaking her head, she attempted once more to free herself from her deep thoughts. Kaoru remembered that she took this walk to get away from drowning in nostalgia and frustration, not to return to them again. Her blue eyes caught a branch that was adorned generously with the full, blushing faces of newly born blossoms. Kaoru felt an urge to steal one from its parent tree. Feeling like a little girl again, she drew near the tree and tried to snatch the branch with her hands. Much to her displeasure, she was only grasping air. Biting her lip with determination, Kaoru stood on her toes and attempted again to snap the branch, but to no avail.
"Oh, come on!" she cried agitatedly, feeling as if the beautiful flowers were taunting her.
Out of nowhere, a masculine hand had reached for the branch and, with one swift motion, snapped it and held it in its grasp. Kaoru let out a small gasp and her eyes traveled to the owner of the hand. Sapphire eyes widened as her mouth hung open in surprise when she met the familiar, stoic face of the man who was once her captor.
"...Enishi...?"
His turquoise eyes glimmered with amusement, but as always the dark shades of his glasses had hidden them from the shocked girl. "Lovely day, isn't it, Kamiya?"
She didn't even nod: her disbelief had her dumbstruck. Enishi felt a smirk tugging the corner of his mouth. His hand went out to her, presenting the captured flowers before the astonished girl.
"Here. I believe you wanted these."
Kaoru's eyes darted away from his face and to the cherry blossoms that she had just attempted to get in vain. Her hands slowly took the flowers from Enishi's surprisingly gentle grip, a red blush warming her cheeks.
"D-domo arigato..."
