Catharsis
providence
.:chapter eight:.
The girl barely noticed as Enishi pulled her closer to him. He felt a grimace ripple through her body when Heishin's bloodied lips parted to show a pair of broken teeth. The smile trembled angrily when he pulled the girl behind him, shielding her completely.
"One shot, Heishin," Enishi warned, the muscles lining his jaw twitched irritably. "You have only one shot."
Heishin grinned. Then, without a word, he squeezed the trigger. Enishi reacted with the sound of the gun and the sting in his chest. Shoving Kaoru to the ground, he pounced, sword poised to kill. One swipe and Enishi cleanly decapitated Heishin, the disembodied head landing with a dull thud on the sandy earth. The tangy scent of blood filled the air as arteries still being powered by a beating heart stained the ground red. Heishin's body twitched, his back arching unnaturally as his legs shuddered, kicking sand.
It was done, and Enishi was glad to be rid of him. Standing over his kill, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes seeking Kamiya automatically. For the first time since he'd known her, he saw fear in her countenance. Face pale, lips parted, Kaoru's blue eyes were wide with fright and the sight of blood. He hated seeing that look and he turned to face her fully, though he had no idea what to say or do.
Then she moved, backwards, away from him and toward her friends. The realization sent a pang of jealous rage through is mind. She was to stay with him.
"You," Enishi pointed his sword at the leader of the Oniwabanshu, anger revitalizing him. "For interfering with my Jinchuu, you're next."
• • •
She'd seen men cut down by the sword before. She knew what men looked like after losing a sword fight, but never had she witnessed a decapitation before. She knew it happened sometimes. Everyone knew that. But to see it... the overwhelming amount of blood, the body twitching uncontrollably, the disembodied head still moving for several seconds afterward...
'Oh, Kami...'
Heart pounding hard in her chest as she watched Heishin's limbs spasm, his hands blindly clenching at sand... and she felt bile begin to rise in the back of her throat. All she knew at that moment was that she wanted to put as much distance between the corpse and herself as possible. She moved without thinking, inching away from the nightmarish sight as though distance would make it somehow less real, less horrible to look at.
"You," she heard Enishi say, his voice filled with hate and anger. "For interfering with my Jinchuu, you're next."
It wasn't his words that caught her attention, but his tone. He was deadly serious. Dragging her gaze from the corpse, she peered at Enishi and saw rage consuming his features. As impossible as it seemed, he appeared even more hostile than when he was fighting Saitou. Things were beginning to spiral out of control and if Kaoru didn't do something, anything, she was certain he'd kill again. Taking a deep, shaking breath, she willed herself to calm down, to ignore the growing pool of blood not far from where Enishi stood and the decapitated head that seemed to be looking right at her.
Pushing herself to her feet, she yelled, "No, Enishi! Stop! This does not concern any of them!"
"Jinchuu remains in effect," he replied vitriolically. He spoke without looking at her, his eyes fixed on the leader of the Oniwabanshu.
Enishi's words from the day before roared to the forefront of her mind. 'Jinchuu would not exist were it not for that murderer! If you wish to blame someone for the welfare of your friends, blame Battousai! He is the beginning and end of your misery and mine!'
Kaoru suddenly understood why he locked her in her room. If he meant to kill everyone then Saitou would have been dead already. It wasn't his intention to kill her friends. His intention was to send another message of guilt to Kenshin. Instead of killing, he would maim the ones he believed that Kenshin had sent in his stead. He wanted them to go home and show Kenshin their horrible wounds while also telling him that Kaoru was no where to be seen. That was why he locked her away. Enishi had already planted the idea of her death in all of their minds. They all believed him capable of murdering her and if she had remained hidden, they would have all feared the worst... and Kenshin's guilt would grow all the more.
But that plan had fallen apart. Kaoru had gotten out of her room, Saitou had purposefully provoked Enishi into a rage, Heishin had interfered and now Aoshi was preparing himself to fight... She didn't know what Enishi planned to do next, but she was certain that if things continued, someone else would die. She knew then that the only way to truly protect her friends was to stay with him. Let Saitou be the message of guilt and no other. She would remain and wait... and hope...
'The diary!'
Bottom lip caught between teeth, Kaoru spotted Misao kneeling next to Saitou. The ninja girl was busy tearing her obi into thin strips as she prepared a tourniquet for his leg. The diary was laying on the sand beside her, near an ever growing pool of blood. Kaoru stole one more glance at Enishi before moving toward the girl.
Saitou was barely hanging on to consciousness as he focused his hatred. The massive loss of blood prevented him from resisting the girl's efforts to help, but that didn't stop him from making the task extremely difficult. It was sheer stubbornness that kept his eyes open and directed toward Enishi. Despite Misao's attempt to stop the bleeding, the liquid continued to seep, further weakening the warrior. He didn't flinch or look her way when Kaoru scooped up the diary without a word. The sudden motion gave Misao a start.
"Kaoru!" she gasped. "Help me tie this." She nodded toward the make-shift bandages.
Depositing the diary in the inner folds of her robe, Kaoru knelt down beside her. Both girls winced at the sound of blade against blade. She had to stop him before he hurt Aoshi, too. Knot tied, Kaoru stood once more.
"Wait!" the ninja girl protested, "I still need to—"
"I'm going to stop him," she said in a low voice.
Misao eyed the battle and swallowed hard, but said nothing.
Kaoru gathered her courage and strode forward, a forced look of confidence keeping her chin high. Misao's mouth fell open as the kendo instructor steadily moved toward the battle and then proceeded to put herself between the two men.
Enraged, Enishi glared at the girl.
"Move, Kamiya," he growled, eyes practically glowing with venom. "Now!"
She turned to face him fully. "Let them go, Enishi."
He ground his teeth as he scowled at her.
"You made your point through Saitou," she continued. "For the sake of your Jinchuu, I'll stay here with you."
The sudden stillness that followed her words wrapped itself around her and threatened to choke her resolve. She kept her eyes on Enishi, not only to watch his reaction, but to cement her sincerity in his mind. She meant what she said and she wanted him to see that.
Kaoru felt Enishi's turquoise eyes stare into her, heavy with disbelief. He said nothing, but she saw his thoughts clearly. Determined, she repeated herself and forced the subject home.
"I'll stay. Willingly."
• • •
Mouth agape and eyes wide, Yahiko stared at Kaoru as though she just sprouted a second head. He had to have heard her wrong. There was no way buso was that dumb! She could act like a total idiot sometimes, but she wasn't stupid. She was just... weird. All tomboys like her were weird.
'Maybe it's an act,' Yahiko thought desperately, eyeing the strange couple before him. Enishi seemed to let down his guard with Kaoru, even in his agitated state. Perhaps buso was planning to use that to their advantage somehow. Distract him, maybe? He doubted she had a weapon on her...
'That doesn't sound like Kaoru,' Yahiko thought, 'that sounds like something Megumi would do and Kaoru—'
"I'll stay," his sensei repeated, voice even stronger than before. "Willingly."
Exasperated, all Yahiko could think to do was yell. "Buuuusooooo!"
Fortunately for him, Sano was a bit more eloquent. "What the fuck are you talking about!?" he demanded, closing the distance between himself and Kaoru.
The hate in Enishi's eyes as he watched the street fighter approach the girl worried Yahiko. Sanosuke might have actually known what he was talking about when he said it would be best if everyone maintained their distance from Kaoru. The white-haired psycho suddenly seemed more than a little fixated on his sensei.
"You heard me," Kaoru said, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin as she regarded the street fighter. "I'm staying."
Yahiko felt his ears grow hot as he choked the hilt of his shinai in a death grip. How could she possibly say something like that? Sano didn't seem to be faring the news any better. Disgust and anger clouded the street fighter's face as he looked from Kaoru to Enishi and back again.
"Hell no!" Sano spat, hands clenched into tight fists, "We're not leaving you here. I don't know what that bastard said or did to you to make you think that you want to stay, but it's not happening!"
Yahiko quickly glanced in Enishi's direction. Jaw clenched and muscles still, he scrutinized Sano with a predatory gaze. The kendo instructor's lips tightened into a thin line, but she remained mute. Her refusal to speak only aggravated the rooster head further. Lips curled back in repugnance, he swore under his breath.
"What about Kenshin?" Yahiko asked suddenly, "He needs you."
"Megumi is taking care of him," she said automatically. "He'll be fine."
"So you're ditching him?" Sano asked.
Her visage wavered, just a little, before stubbornness schooled her expression back in place. "I'm helping him more by staying here."
"That's bullshit!" the street fighter yelled.
"That's truth!"
Sano snorted and gave Enishi a hard look. Expression dark, he shifted his eyes back to Kaoru. "You have a thing for Psycho there, don't you?" he asked sarcastically.
Kaoru visibly stiffened. "Enishi is Kenshin's enemy," she said in measured tones, "not ours."
"You mean, 'not mine.'" Sano muttered, his disgust obvious.
Hearing enough, Kaoru slapped Sano soundly across the face.
The two stared at each other for a long moment. Then Sano whispered, eyes cold, "Did you hit me because I said something untrue, or because the truth hurts?"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Sanosuke," Kaoru said, sotto voce, "He'll maim you all just to torture Kenshin, but he will probably kill you if you keep insisting that I return with you. I'm perfectly safe here. Enishi won't hurt me."
Sano scoffed and looked past Kaoru to eye Enishi. "So you're trading yourself for us. Is that it?"
"If Megumi is taking care of Kenshin," the girl repeated carefully, trying to maintain control over her voice, "then I'm sure he'll recover and be able to confront Enishi himself in another couple weeks. I'll be okay."
"Riiiiight," Sano drawled with a sneer. "So you'll just stay here in the meantime and hope that Psycho over there won't decide to kill you after Kenshin dies, right? 'Cause he's such a trustworthy guy and everything."
Kaoru bristled.
"Well, you might not have long to wait, Jou-chan," Sano continued, unfazed. "Kenshin could be dead already. Last time I saw him he didn't even have the strength to stand, but I guess that's to be expected since he hasn't eaten anything since you were buried."
Tears slipping down her cheeks unchecked, Kaoru whispered, "You... don't..."
Sano clenched his jaw as he watched her struggle. "You still want to stay?"
Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut and gave a jerky nod.
"Fine," was the gruff reply and Sano turned away from her and headed toward the shore.
Yahiko watched the street fighter walk away before he confronted Kaoru. Eyes swirling with emotion, he asked, "You... you're really serious?"
"Yes," was the simple reply.
"Buso, you idiot!"
Kaoru glowered, lips curling into an angry retort when she saw the genuine hurt and confusion that clouded Yahiko's eyes. Features instantly soft, she lowered her voice for only him to hear. "I know you came here to take me home, but you have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."
• • •
"You honestly believe that you can help Battousai by staying, don't you?" Enishi asked, his back to the girl as he stepped into the house. She followed close behind, but she still refused to speak. She had barely spoken once her friends left. He had been fine with her silence at first, his anger had been so consuming up until the moment she declared that she would stay that he needed the quiet to help refocus his thoughts.
But he was still annoyed with her. The foolish girl interrupted his fight not once, but twice! And then her decision to stay, as though she was suddenly a willing participant in his Jinchuu, roused his suspicion in a way he did not like. On top of that, the pain from his wounds and her attitude since her friends decided to leave only irritated him further. Worse, she was moping. It was aggravating.
Without the ability to vent his anger through battle, he found himself trying to provoke Kamiya into an argument. He wanted her to be angry at him, to be the wary of him. More than that, he wanted the truth from her because there was just no way that she honestly wanted to stay with him unless she had ulterior motives. Pushing the question again, he asked, "Don't you?"
"I... I don't know for sure," the girl admitted finally, voice small.
Her refusal to answer him outright left him incensed. Why deny the obvious? She had no other reason to remain with him other than to interfere with Jinchuu. Gritting his teeth, Enishi tried to swallow the surge of anger from her evasiveness.
"Don't be coy," he said, trying to provoke the truth from her once more. "You said it yourself. You really think you can protect him by staying here."
"No," Kamiya said, "I did it to protect my friends."
Enishi faced her fully, openly scoffing. "Is that right?" he asked, voice heavy with sarcastic doubt.
Kamiya met his eyes, "I'm not in any danger here, but they are." Clearly reading the disbelief in his expression, her cheeks flushed with anger and she bit out, "What is so difficult to believe? You wanted to hurt them. You wanted them to really think I was dead! It's Kenshin you're after, right? Not them!"
He gave her a hard stare as he studied her, noting the way she refused to look away from him and the challenging angle of her chin. She was either telling the truth, an incredible liar or tragically naive.
Enishi wasn't sure anymore.
All he knew to do at that moment was to cling to his original assessment of her based on the information his spies had supplied him in the months leading up to kidnapping her. Kamiya Kaoru was a lovesick teenager who was disgustingly loyal to Battousai and would do anything for him — even at the risk of her own life.
Pathetic.
"Aren't you the martyr," he said finally. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but Enishi quickly cut her off. Expression dark, he continued, "Not to mention a liar. I won't let you interfere with my Jinchuu. You're bait, nothing more. You didn't save anyone — least of all yourself." Lips pulled back into a cold smile, "You should have listened to that Sagara bastard. As soon as my sister smiles for me again, I'll have no reason to keep you alive."
• • •
She was too angry with him to make lunch for him, so she didn't. She considered skipping dinner, too, but guilt and concern had a way of overriding pride and anger. It was a trait she sometimes wished she didn't possess. Pride swallowing could be a very bitter affair and Kaoru preferred not to endure it. Even so, she did have a purpose in staying. Enishi had been right about that. Protecting her friends was only part of it, but delivering Tomoe's diary into Enishi's hands was her primary goal.
Intuition told her the journal was the only truly effective weapon and treatment to use on Enishi. He needed the truth and the only person who could give it to him was the same person he trusted completely. Tomoe's own words would slay his heart. In spite of herself, she worried about the effect the truth would have on him. Would he crumble and lose his mind completely? Or would his heart finally begin to heal after 15 years of pain?
'Maybe Enishi's right,' Kaoru thought as she tucked the diary under her arm, 'I should have listened to Sano. I might not be safe here after all.'
Dinner tray in hand, Kaoru took a deep breath headed toward Enishi's room. She relied on her earlier anger to fuel her confidence as she approached his room. She was pleased to see that the door was cracked open. Hands too full to knock, she pushed the door open and strode inside.
Enishi watched her silently when she entered the room, an unreadable expression shining in his eyes. She considered the fact that he didn't immediately chase her from his room as a sign that he was somewhat back to his normal self, but he still seemed annoyed with her. Even so, she took in his appearance as she made her way to the table on the other side of the room. Freshly bathed and hair still wet, Enishi stood shirtless as he wrapped gauze around his chest. Kaoru's eyes were drawn to the stain of blood seeping through the bandage, just under his right pectoral muscle.
Kaoru didn't recognize the wound. When did he get it? How?
Turquoise eyes glared and Kaoru quickly averted her attention to the table beside him. "Dinner," she said, setting the tray down. She met his eyes then and saw an up-close view of the purple bruises along his cheekbone. Still glaring at her, Kaoru broke eye contact and looked at his bare torso.
"How did you injure your chest?" she asked, focusing on the small blood stain. "I didn't see a blade touch you."
He wrapped another layer of gauze around him. "Heishin."
Kaoru blinked, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Then, "You got shot?!" she said in a rush as she two steps toward him. Reaching for the bandage to get a look at the wound, the diary fell to the floor. Neither of them seemed to notice as she tried to pull at the gauze. Enishi tried to push her hands away, but she made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat before slapping his hand away. "Why didn't you say anything?! You need a doctor!"
She pulled back the dressing and paused. It was already clean and partially stitched. "You... you didn't remove the bullet yourself... did you?"
He pulled back from her and readjusted the gauze without a word. Kaoru watched him begin wrapping again and suppressed a shiver. Not only did he dig the thing out himself, but he sewed the wound. It looked painful.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Then Kaoru asked, "Are you really... okay?"
Enishi gave an annoyed sigh and explained the situation. "The bullet didn't cause much damage. When I use the gift that my sister gave me it hardens my musculature as well as my nerves."
"Oh..."
"In addition to his piss poor aim," Enishi continued, "I suspect the idiot didn't load the gun properly." As he was speaking, Kaoru had stepped forward and offered her assistance. He glared at her for only a moment before grudgingly accepting her help. 'He's being cooperative awfully fast,' she thought as she pulled the bandages from his grasp and began to secure them into place. 'He must be more exhausted than he lets on.'
"I know you're tired," she said. "Do you need anything? I can—"
"I'm fine," Enishi interrupted curtly.
The awkward silence returned. Kaoru hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do.
"Did you came here to check on me?" he asked, voice hard and impatient. "Well, you've checked on me. I'm fine. I don't need you or your help. You can leave now."
Kaoru frowned at him, then bent down to retrieve the diary at her feet. Now was as good a time as any.
"No," she said, pushing an errant lock out of her face with one hand while hugging the diary to her chest with the other. "I also have something for you. I wanted to have it for you the night you fought Kenshin, but Misao was delayed. She had it with her today."
Enishi raised a brow quizzically.
"This is Tomoe-san's diary," she said, showing him the book before placing it on the table.
The transformation of his expression was immediate. Where once there was anger and hardness, there was now open disbelief. She pushed it toward him as he slowly lowered himself into a chair.
"H-how?" he asked, his fingers barely skimming the cover.
"Kenshin left it at a shrine in Kyoto after her death."
Enishi picked up his sister's journal with childlike awe. After several seconds of simply staring into the depths of the plain grayish-green cover, he carefully opened the diary. Pages slowly flipped past his thumb as he examined the handwriting within.
"It belongs to you," she said, seeing the recognition in his eyes. "I'm sorry it took so long for you to get it."
He did not acknowledge her. Already absorbed with the treasure in his hands, Kaoru saw her opportunity to leave. Slipping quietly from the room, she left him alone with the private thoughts of his sister.
AN: I'm assuming Misao had the diary on her with her when she went to Enishi's island. The reason I think this is because as soon as they returned to Japan, Kaoru took the diary from Misao and promptly gave it to Enishi. That scene occurred as soon as they disembarked from the ship, so Misao obviously had the diary with her the entire time.