For those who unfortunately read a mangled version of this, I've re-
uploaded this chapter. The computer in the school library that I used to
upload this doesn't have Word, so it reformatted the whole document and
ruined the quotes and the dashes and the periods. ARGH, and this chapter
has a lot of dialogue!!
Wow, thanks for all the support! I'm still OK in med school, don't worry. But I will finish this story. It's something different to think about every once in a while.
People from White and Black, your time has come. ^^ For those of you who are new, understand that this pairing is no longer negotiable, I'm sorry. I will restate the essential parts eventually. CMSakura, sorry, I have to torture you again. ^^
.........
I know that you have a right and a reason to fear me.
But I will make you understand.
There is nothing to fear.
..........
"Uncle Eni-chan mad at Kenji?" Kenji sniffed, as he sat beside his big friend and uncle on the porch. "That's why Eni-chan leaving?"
"Not at all, my little friend, not at all," Enishi answered, as he finished a paper crane. "Uncle Eni-chan is not mad at anybody right now. But he has to go and find out some things in Kyoto."
"When will you be back?"
"I don't know, Kenji. But I promise, I'll come back, and we can play ball again." He gave the boy the crane.
Kenji's mother eventually arrived and handed him a lunch bundle. "Take care of yourself, Enishi." He nodded.
"Take care of yourself, Eni-chan!" Kenji parroted.
Enishi could not help but laugh at the boy's earnest face. "Take care of yourself as well, Kenji-kun," he said as he rumpled his red hair. To his mother, he said, "I've forgotten how it is to be a child, how to look at life without suspicion. Kenji has reminded me. Always be a good mother to that boy. And, tell your husband to be a FATHER!"
"Sure, I'll tell him," Kaoru smiled.
"He's not seeing me off?"
"He has to go to work. And he still feels responsible for your outburst."
"I see." He stood and took up his portmanteau. "I have to go now; Seta is probably waiting already at the station."
"Give my regards to Misao when you get to Kyoto," Kaoru said.
He was too resolute on leaving, that he promised to give her regards, without exactly catching who to give them to.
"Shouldn't you have dyed your hair, Yukishiro-san?" Soujirou asked at the station. "As a precaution?"
Enishi ran his hand through his snow-white locks, tucked them inside a large cap, and chuckled. "I'll get some in Kyoto, if it worries you so much," he answered.
The train ride was uneventful. Seta Soujirou was indeed ready to provide Enishi with any information he needed, but Enishi did not ask for any. He did not know what information to ask the young man, in any case. When he went to Kyoto over the past week, it was to find information about the distant past. He searched for information about the infamous Hitokiri Battousai, and he got it, only to find out that everything he had known had been wrong, all suddenly refuted by a young man's well-chosen words.
Somewhere between stops, he also wondered what his sister meant by going back to a certain woman. So far the only women he could recall with certainty were his sister, Himura Kaoru, and one or two nurses from the hospital who had been extra nice. Vaguely, though, in the cobwebs of his memory, he made out a pretty young lady, who gave him a bright and happy smile.
"Friends?" she asked, as she thrust out her hand.
"Friends," he had taken it in a formal handshake.
WHAT was the name of this friend of his, again?
It was she he was musing about, as the train ground to a halt at the Kyoto station.
Unfortunately, he had lost Seta in the bustle of passengers in and out of the trains. Seta had told him where they were going from the station, but he had not been told on which side of the station that would be. He therefore walked the length of the station, and tried to find his blue-costumed companion.
He still did not find Seta. He therefore decided to take a stroll around the town, hoping he might run into him in the process. Roughly an hour passed, though, and he had no such luck.
But only five minutes of that hour had elapsed, when he noticed a young woman walking behind him, trying to get a good look at his face. From slight glances at her, he saw that she was of short but lithe build. She fumbled at a blue kimono, with obi slightly askew. Her long hair was braided behind her. Her eyes had a determined look to them that he could not ignore. She trailed him with a tenacity that surprised him.
He finally decided to face the woman head on, and find out what she wanted. If it was money, he had some to give. If it was information, he would be of no help but he would say it nicely.
"How may I help you, mademoiselle?" he asked.
She just stood there, and gaped at him.
She did not understand him? But she looked like a native. Strange. Still, he tried to ask the same question in Chinese, French, and English, just to be sure.
"Japanese, Chinese, French, English," the young woman continued to gape. "It IS you."
"I am sorry, but I don't understand-------"
The woman suddenly leapt and embraced him from the neck. "Enishi- san!" she greeted happily.
In his confusion, he did not return her embrace. He tried to place where he had met this woman before, but failed. He knit his brows, desperately trying to remember.
Evidently the woman misinterpreted it as a sign of annoyance. "You're not happy to see me?" she pouted.
"No, I mean, yes, I mean.....I AM happy to see you." Although, he did not know why he should indeed be happy to see her. It just sounded like the proper thing to say at the time.
"Is that any way to greet your fiancee?" she kept her pouting lips with mischievous eyes.
He jumped back and released her. "Your FIANCEE!"
"Please don't tell me you've forgotten your promise!"
"Promise?" He looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow.
"To come back for me, and marry me."
WHAT, in the name of all things good, was this woman saying?! Marry her?! He only met her today, and she was talking of marriage?!? He scratched his snowy head. What in the heavens had he promised her a year ago? And WHO was this woman?!
She suddenly gave him a sly look.
"You're right, we shouldn't be recognized together, Enishi-san," she happily said. "There might be spies around."
"Mademoiselle, what are you talking about?!" It would have been easier to understand if the woman spoke German!
She pulled him into a deserted alley. And pecked him on the cheek.
"You have no IDEA how much I've missed you, Enishi-san! When did you come back?"
He scratched his head. "Um, um, to Kyoto, just today, but I was here last week......come back to Tokyo, since two or three months ago, I think"
"That long? Why didn't you visit, silly boy?" she beamed as she teased.
"Visit? Who?"
"Why, us, of course! And Jiya, and Aoshi-sama, and Okon, and Omasu. Oibore is somewhere around here, too....."
But who were all these people she was talking about?
"Come, you have to come back to the Aoiya with me today! You have to talk to Aoshi-sama again!"
"Aoshi-----sama?"
"Did someone hit you on the head or something, Enishi-san, and you forgot everything?!"
"Well, to tell you honestly, mademoiselle, I----------"
Suddenly the young lady wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head over his silk shirt. He felt a few teardrops through the shirt.
"Last year, while you were away, life has not been the same. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. I had no idea if you were lonely or happy. And now, you're back, you're finally back. I've missed you so much, Enishi."
In spite of himself, in spite of not knowing who she was, he placed his arms over her shoulders, and stroked her braided hair. It was a warm sensation, soothing, and loving. A sensation.....rather familiar to him. But why, he could not recall.
His head had no time to ache before this bundle of youthful energy and love. Something about her interested him. Maybe it was how much she believed in him, that he would do....whatever it was again he had promised. Maybe it was the cheerful and uninhibited way she had welcomed him. Maybe, it was simply her happy smile.
Well, while things did not make sense, and this woman did not give him time to explain, it was best to play along. She could provide a lot of important information, fill in many of the gaps. He could explain himself later, when the young lady was a little, no, a LOT, calmer.
"Tell me about life here, while I was......away," he smiled innocently at the young lady.
She was more than ready to oblige. She took his left hand, and yanked him through the busy Kyoto streets.
.........
Sorry. This chapter refused to be long. I had nothing more to say. If any of you are dreadfully confused from this chapter, be assured that I will fill you in on what you don't understand over the coming chapters. If you don't want to wait, there's White and Black. ^^
In order to be a powerful mafia boss in Shanghai at that time, Enishi must have had command of the major world business languages. At the minimum, he would have known Japanese, several Chinese dialects, French, and English. ^^
::JML:: Yes, it will be, interesting. ^^ ::Firuze-nee-san:: Thanks for the support. Your guesses are correct so far, so any suggestions will be very helpful. ::CMS:: It won't be entirely mushiness; I don't like too much mush either. ^^ ::Cat H:: Enishi would show his brilliance some other way if he had a normal childhood. ::Sabbie:: I can't even believe how people can dare write for RK without seeing everything yet! Better than Meg? We'll see. ::Yuki Natsumi and Maeko Nohara:: Thanks much! Yes, I'll write more. He's not insane as he guards my microwave, either. I put an Enishi poster over my kitchen things, you see. ^^ ::Mary-Anne:: Thanks. I don't think he'll make the same mistakes. ::Mi:: You creep me out, but thanks for the compliments! ::BittersweetKandy:: You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it!
Wow, thanks for all the support! I'm still OK in med school, don't worry. But I will finish this story. It's something different to think about every once in a while.
People from White and Black, your time has come. ^^ For those of you who are new, understand that this pairing is no longer negotiable, I'm sorry. I will restate the essential parts eventually. CMSakura, sorry, I have to torture you again. ^^
.........
I know that you have a right and a reason to fear me.
But I will make you understand.
There is nothing to fear.
..........
"Uncle Eni-chan mad at Kenji?" Kenji sniffed, as he sat beside his big friend and uncle on the porch. "That's why Eni-chan leaving?"
"Not at all, my little friend, not at all," Enishi answered, as he finished a paper crane. "Uncle Eni-chan is not mad at anybody right now. But he has to go and find out some things in Kyoto."
"When will you be back?"
"I don't know, Kenji. But I promise, I'll come back, and we can play ball again." He gave the boy the crane.
Kenji's mother eventually arrived and handed him a lunch bundle. "Take care of yourself, Enishi." He nodded.
"Take care of yourself, Eni-chan!" Kenji parroted.
Enishi could not help but laugh at the boy's earnest face. "Take care of yourself as well, Kenji-kun," he said as he rumpled his red hair. To his mother, he said, "I've forgotten how it is to be a child, how to look at life without suspicion. Kenji has reminded me. Always be a good mother to that boy. And, tell your husband to be a FATHER!"
"Sure, I'll tell him," Kaoru smiled.
"He's not seeing me off?"
"He has to go to work. And he still feels responsible for your outburst."
"I see." He stood and took up his portmanteau. "I have to go now; Seta is probably waiting already at the station."
"Give my regards to Misao when you get to Kyoto," Kaoru said.
He was too resolute on leaving, that he promised to give her regards, without exactly catching who to give them to.
"Shouldn't you have dyed your hair, Yukishiro-san?" Soujirou asked at the station. "As a precaution?"
Enishi ran his hand through his snow-white locks, tucked them inside a large cap, and chuckled. "I'll get some in Kyoto, if it worries you so much," he answered.
The train ride was uneventful. Seta Soujirou was indeed ready to provide Enishi with any information he needed, but Enishi did not ask for any. He did not know what information to ask the young man, in any case. When he went to Kyoto over the past week, it was to find information about the distant past. He searched for information about the infamous Hitokiri Battousai, and he got it, only to find out that everything he had known had been wrong, all suddenly refuted by a young man's well-chosen words.
Somewhere between stops, he also wondered what his sister meant by going back to a certain woman. So far the only women he could recall with certainty were his sister, Himura Kaoru, and one or two nurses from the hospital who had been extra nice. Vaguely, though, in the cobwebs of his memory, he made out a pretty young lady, who gave him a bright and happy smile.
"Friends?" she asked, as she thrust out her hand.
"Friends," he had taken it in a formal handshake.
WHAT was the name of this friend of his, again?
It was she he was musing about, as the train ground to a halt at the Kyoto station.
Unfortunately, he had lost Seta in the bustle of passengers in and out of the trains. Seta had told him where they were going from the station, but he had not been told on which side of the station that would be. He therefore walked the length of the station, and tried to find his blue-costumed companion.
He still did not find Seta. He therefore decided to take a stroll around the town, hoping he might run into him in the process. Roughly an hour passed, though, and he had no such luck.
But only five minutes of that hour had elapsed, when he noticed a young woman walking behind him, trying to get a good look at his face. From slight glances at her, he saw that she was of short but lithe build. She fumbled at a blue kimono, with obi slightly askew. Her long hair was braided behind her. Her eyes had a determined look to them that he could not ignore. She trailed him with a tenacity that surprised him.
He finally decided to face the woman head on, and find out what she wanted. If it was money, he had some to give. If it was information, he would be of no help but he would say it nicely.
"How may I help you, mademoiselle?" he asked.
She just stood there, and gaped at him.
She did not understand him? But she looked like a native. Strange. Still, he tried to ask the same question in Chinese, French, and English, just to be sure.
"Japanese, Chinese, French, English," the young woman continued to gape. "It IS you."
"I am sorry, but I don't understand-------"
The woman suddenly leapt and embraced him from the neck. "Enishi- san!" she greeted happily.
In his confusion, he did not return her embrace. He tried to place where he had met this woman before, but failed. He knit his brows, desperately trying to remember.
Evidently the woman misinterpreted it as a sign of annoyance. "You're not happy to see me?" she pouted.
"No, I mean, yes, I mean.....I AM happy to see you." Although, he did not know why he should indeed be happy to see her. It just sounded like the proper thing to say at the time.
"Is that any way to greet your fiancee?" she kept her pouting lips with mischievous eyes.
He jumped back and released her. "Your FIANCEE!"
"Please don't tell me you've forgotten your promise!"
"Promise?" He looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow.
"To come back for me, and marry me."
WHAT, in the name of all things good, was this woman saying?! Marry her?! He only met her today, and she was talking of marriage?!? He scratched his snowy head. What in the heavens had he promised her a year ago? And WHO was this woman?!
She suddenly gave him a sly look.
"You're right, we shouldn't be recognized together, Enishi-san," she happily said. "There might be spies around."
"Mademoiselle, what are you talking about?!" It would have been easier to understand if the woman spoke German!
She pulled him into a deserted alley. And pecked him on the cheek.
"You have no IDEA how much I've missed you, Enishi-san! When did you come back?"
He scratched his head. "Um, um, to Kyoto, just today, but I was here last week......come back to Tokyo, since two or three months ago, I think"
"That long? Why didn't you visit, silly boy?" she beamed as she teased.
"Visit? Who?"
"Why, us, of course! And Jiya, and Aoshi-sama, and Okon, and Omasu. Oibore is somewhere around here, too....."
But who were all these people she was talking about?
"Come, you have to come back to the Aoiya with me today! You have to talk to Aoshi-sama again!"
"Aoshi-----sama?"
"Did someone hit you on the head or something, Enishi-san, and you forgot everything?!"
"Well, to tell you honestly, mademoiselle, I----------"
Suddenly the young lady wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head over his silk shirt. He felt a few teardrops through the shirt.
"Last year, while you were away, life has not been the same. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. I had no idea if you were lonely or happy. And now, you're back, you're finally back. I've missed you so much, Enishi."
In spite of himself, in spite of not knowing who she was, he placed his arms over her shoulders, and stroked her braided hair. It was a warm sensation, soothing, and loving. A sensation.....rather familiar to him. But why, he could not recall.
His head had no time to ache before this bundle of youthful energy and love. Something about her interested him. Maybe it was how much she believed in him, that he would do....whatever it was again he had promised. Maybe it was the cheerful and uninhibited way she had welcomed him. Maybe, it was simply her happy smile.
Well, while things did not make sense, and this woman did not give him time to explain, it was best to play along. She could provide a lot of important information, fill in many of the gaps. He could explain himself later, when the young lady was a little, no, a LOT, calmer.
"Tell me about life here, while I was......away," he smiled innocently at the young lady.
She was more than ready to oblige. She took his left hand, and yanked him through the busy Kyoto streets.
.........
Sorry. This chapter refused to be long. I had nothing more to say. If any of you are dreadfully confused from this chapter, be assured that I will fill you in on what you don't understand over the coming chapters. If you don't want to wait, there's White and Black. ^^
In order to be a powerful mafia boss in Shanghai at that time, Enishi must have had command of the major world business languages. At the minimum, he would have known Japanese, several Chinese dialects, French, and English. ^^
::JML:: Yes, it will be, interesting. ^^ ::Firuze-nee-san:: Thanks for the support. Your guesses are correct so far, so any suggestions will be very helpful. ::CMS:: It won't be entirely mushiness; I don't like too much mush either. ^^ ::Cat H:: Enishi would show his brilliance some other way if he had a normal childhood. ::Sabbie:: I can't even believe how people can dare write for RK without seeing everything yet! Better than Meg? We'll see. ::Yuki Natsumi and Maeko Nohara:: Thanks much! Yes, I'll write more. He's not insane as he guards my microwave, either. I put an Enishi poster over my kitchen things, you see. ^^ ::Mary-Anne:: Thanks. I don't think he'll make the same mistakes. ::Mi:: You creep me out, but thanks for the compliments! ::BittersweetKandy:: You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it!