Catharsis

relations
.:chapter sixteen:.

Tsubame's fingers lingered on the teacup as she worked up the courage to speak her mind. "Well," she began, giving Yahiko a shy glance. "Maybe... he really... likes her..."

Her suggestion made him choke. "Hell" cough "no!!"

The young waitress flinched at his outburst and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. A blush brightened her features when she noticed some of the customers looking at their table. The daily lunch-time frenzy was over and Yahiko's shift was at an end. As was his habit, he capitalized on the lull to partake in some of the leftovers before returning home. It was a fringe benefit of being busboy.

"Tsubame," Yahiko said, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand. "You don't know him like I do. He's an obsessive-psycho-freak. He doesn't like her. He's just using her."

"Yes, but... you said that Kaoru trusts him," Tsubame said quietly. "He can't be that bad."

Yahiko rolled his eyes.

"You said he was helping her out around the dojo, paying rent—"

"He's only doing that so Buso becomes dependant on him."

Tsubame frowned and eyed her teacup.

"You think I'm wrong," Yahiko said.

She glanced at him and shifted in her seat.

"You do, don't you?"

"...No, I—"

"Yes, you do," he insisted.

Tsubame bit her lip. "I just... well... don't you think Kaoru knows what she's doing?"

Yahiko snorted.

"I mean," she rotated the teacup with her fingers and watched the liquid swirl. "What if she's right about him? What if he is trying to change?"

"He isn't. He's just conning her."

Tsubame reflected for a moment as Yahiko ate.

"I don't know..." she said slowly. "Maybe he's being sincere."

Yahiko gave her a doubtful look.

"It's possible, isn't it?" she continued. "Kenshin changed, didn't he..?"

"I don't think Kenshin was ever psychotic," came the grumbled reply.

Both fell silent as the sounds of the restaurant lapped against them. Yahiko grumpily chewed his food as Tsubame stared into space.

"What's he doing that's so bad?" she asked quietly after a long moment.

"Nothing... yet." He shoved some rice in his mouth and spoke around his food, "What's with you women and your sympathy anyway? Just because he hasn't done anything yet doesn't mean he won't. He can't be trusted."

"He let her go," Tsubame said. "He didn't hurt her..."

"No," Yahiko glared, voice low. "He only made everyone believe he killed her so he could use her as bait for Kenshin."

She recoiled at the tone of his voice, "I-I'm sorry."

Her defeated countenance to his scold sent a pang of regret through his belly. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh.

"Look, Tsubame," he said, trying to reassure her. "You don't see him all the time like I do. He gives me the creeps. He's always around her and stuff. It's like he's stalking her or something. Every time I turn around he's either talkin' to her or lookin' at her."

Tsubame offered a sympathetic smile, "It's okay, I understand. You're just worried about Kaoru."

He scoffed. "I wouldn't need to worry about her if she didn't act all weird and cutesy around him and stuff."

"Cutesy?"

"Yeah, cutesy!" Yahiko batted his eyes and clasped his hands together. "Oh, Enishi!" he mimicked Kaoru's voice using a sickeningly sweet tone, "Thanks so much for all your help!" He batted his eyes once more for good measure before letting his expression dissolve into disgust.

His impromptu dramatization made Tsubame giggle. Her amusement lifted Yahiko's lips into a smile and he laughed with her.

When the levity faded, Tsubame asked, "You don't think... she has a crush on him do you?"

"A crush—?"

"Tsubame," a voice called from the kitchen. "I need you in here!"

The girl quickly rose from her seat. "Yes, ma'am!" she called back. Quickly tightening her apron and smoothing her hair, she smiled at Yahiko.

"I have to get back to work," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

A nod. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."

Alone at the table, Yahiko quickly finished his meal and tried not to think of what Tsubame said. Sure Sano accused her of having a thing for the freak, but Yahiko didn't really believe it. He didn't want to believe it. It was just... wrong. On every level.

But if Tsubame suspected it, how could he continue to deny it?

It was one thing for Kaoru to want to help the psycho-freak-bastard and something entirely disturbing and wrong for her to have a real honest-to-goodness 'crush' on him. How was he supposed to drive the jerk away now?

"Yahiko?"

The boy jumped at the sound of his name.

Tae smiled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay." He sat up a little straighter, "Do you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to give you this," she held up a large take-out box. "The cook made one too many portions and I don't want to throw out good food. I thought Kaoru would like some. Could you take it to her, please?"

"Sure." Yahiko took the box from her hands, "Thanks."

"Tell her I said 'hello,'" Tae said with a grin before returning to her duties.

Yahiko left the restaurant in a funk. His annoyance with Enishi had been immediately replaced with a sense of dread regarding Kaoru.

'What am I supposed to do now?'

Peering inward, Yahiko made his way down the street on automatic. Horse-drawn carriages prevented him from crossing where he wanted, so he cut a corner and made a bee-line toward the road he needed to get to the bridge. Half-way across the street he caught a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He turned to get a better look, but a group of women chit-chatting blocked his view.

Then the figure stepped into his direct line of sight once more and Yahiko nearly dropped the warm box of food.

"K-kenshin!?"

• • •

It had only been a few months, but Kenshin was certain Yahiko had grown. He smiled warmly when he saw the boy hurrying toward him. Kenshin barely got out a word of greeting before Yahiko overwhelmed him with demands. Hands gesticulating wildly and words tumbling out of his mouth at an unintelligible rate, the rurouni was forced to cut in.

"Calm down, Yahiko," Kenshin said. "Where is Kaoru-dono again?"

"Not where, who!"

"Oro?"

"Weren'tyoulisteningtome!?"

"Yahiko, you're talking so fast I can barely understand you—"

"Enishiisstayingatthedojo!!"

Kenshin's heart skipped a beat.

'Enishi..?!'

Kenshin frowned. There had to be a mistake. Perhaps he misunderstood the boy. Certainly Yahiko didn't say what he thought he said.

"Come on," Yahiko grabbed the rurouni by the wrist and started pulling him down the street. "Let's go!"

"Wait," the rurouni pulled back on the boy, forcing him to stop. "What did you say?"

He huffed, "I said, Enishi is staying at the dojo!"

Dread twisted Kenshin's stomach into knots. Enishi's grudge was against him, not Kaoru. A major reason why he left was in order to protect her and Yahiko from those seeking revenge against him.

The boy tugged on his sleeve, "Come on!"

Kenshin resisted Yahiko's urgings. If Enishi still wanted revenge then more information was needed. Especially if Kaoru's life was in danger.

"Yahiko," Kenshin said in an authoritative voice. "Explain to me what's going on. Tell me everything."

The boy blinked at the rurouni's suddenly bossy, almost militant, tone.

"And don't rush," he added.

Yahiko glared. "I already told you," he said evenly. "Enishi is staying at the dojo."

Kenshin waited for more, but the boy didn't offer up any additional information.

"Continue," Kenshin prompted.

"Continue!?" Yahiko snapped, "What do you mean, 'continue'?! Isn't that enough?"

"What is the situation?" Kenshin asked, clarifying his point. "Why is Enishi at the dojo? Is he alone?"

The boy regained some of his composure when he realized what Kenshin wanted. Taking a deep breath, he started again. "Yeah, he's alone. And I don't know why he came, but he's been there for weeks."

Kenshin narrowed his eyes, "Has he hurt anyone?"

"No..."

Relief washed over him, but Kenshin maintained his insistent demeanor. "Has he made any threats?"

"No..."

Kenshin's brows creased. Something wasn't adding up right. "And he never said why he came?"

"No..."

"Yahiko, what is it you're not telling me?"

The boy clenched his jaw. "I told you everything! Why are you just standing there?!" Kenshin opened his mouth to say something, but Yahiko cut him off, "Are you going to help me get rid of him or not?!"

The rurouni studied Yahiko for several seconds. Kenshin's calm exterior and refusal to answer only aggravated the boy more. It was clear he expected Kenshin to rush into action, but nothing Yahiko said made sense. If Kaoru was in danger, why didn't he come right out and say it? It would be easier to pull teeth out of Saitou's head than it was trying to get information out of Yahiko.

"Did Kaoru-dono tell him to leave?" Kenshin asked at last.

The change in the boy's expression was answer enough. His words only confirmed the obvious.

"Look, the guy is psycho!" Yahiko pointed in the direction of the dojo, "I can't make him go, so you have to get rid of him."

Kenshin pressed his lips into a fine line, "You didn't answer my question."

Jaw clenched and eyes bright with anger, Yahiko blinked back tears of frustration.

"Yahiko—"

"Just forget it!" He turned on his heel and began to walk away.

Kenshin collared him back, "Enishi hasn't done anything to hurt you or Kaoru-dono, correct?"

"Let me go," the boy pulled against him.

"YAHIKO!"

The boy froze in his struggles. Kenshin was through with playing games.

"Has he hurt you or Kaoru-dono?!"

Yahiko gazed up at the man he once wanted to emulate with a look of submission, "N-no..."

Sighing, Kenshin closed his eyes and bowed his head, "But you feel he is a threat?"

"...Yes."

"Very well," Kenshin released the boy and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "If you feel he is a threat then I will trust your judgment."

• • •

The walk back to the dojo was done in silence. Kenshin used the time to prepare himself for the possible battle that lay ahead. If Enishi had come to the dojo so he could complete his jinchuu, there was little chance that he could avoid a fight. If Kenshin had to fight, he would fight. However, the first order of business was to reassure himself that Kaoru and Yahiko weren't in any danger. Everything else was secondary.

The air felt bittersweet as he approached the gates to the Kamiya property. In a way, he felt like he was coming home. But it wasn't his home, it belonged to Kaoru. He chose to leave it behind when he decided to become rurouni again. Nagging regrets were quickly consumed by guilt. The dishonor he felt because he abandoned Kaoru for Rakinumura when she needed him the most would be with him always. Just as the grief he felt for Tomoe would be with him, always.

Kenshin felt the antagonism the moment the gate closed behind them. Sure enough, his brother-in-law stood near the entrance of the dojo. Back ramrod straight, Enishi's eyes were narrowed into thin slits as he regarded him.

Time seemed to stop as the two men stared at each other. Only a scant few yards separated them, but they may as well have been standing on two different planets. The aura the younger man emanated would have unnerved most men, but the rurouni stood his ground.

Kenshin was not welcome. He understood the sentiment as clearly as he felt the earth underfoot.

"Enishi?" Kaoru called from inside the dojo.

The sound of her voice only seemed to aggravate the situation further. Enishi's shoulders bunched and his hand curled into a tight fist. It was a warning meant to intimidate. The battousai in him yearned to wrap his fingers around the hilt of his sakabatou, but the rurouni remained stock-still. Enishi had yet to indicate any intention of wanting to fight. All Kenshin could sense from the man was a deep animosity, not murderous intent.

Besides, Enishi was unarmed.

"Hey," Kaoru called again. "Are you out there?"

Footsteps moved toward the entrance of the dojo. Enishi spared a quick glance over his shoulder, then turned his attention back to the rurouni.

"Enishi?" Kaoru finally stepped into view. Hands on her hips and head tilted to the side, she gave the illusion of being annoyed. The expression would have worked had her lips not given her away. She was smirking almost playfully. "What are you doing—"

• • •

Her voice caught when she saw him. The sudden stillness was heavy with tension. Enishi could feel her staring at him, eyes wide, mouth agape. He didn't need to look at her to know how she was reacting. He could feel it like a cold wind that cut through his flesh.

Jealousy ground his teeth together and set his nerves on fire.

"Kenshin!"

The pleased tone of her voice made his jaw muscle jump angrily.

"Hello, Kaoru-dono."

The silence that followed was the worst. Enishi didn't dare take his eyes away from Battousai, no matter how much he wanted to see the look on Kamiya's face. Instead he watched his nemesis for an indication to her reaction. When his lips parted into a kind smile, Enishi wanted to knock out his teeth with his fist.

"You look well," she said, voice terribly polite.

"As do you."

The camaraderie between them, though reserved, was irritating to listen to.

"I didn't hear you arrive," she said. "Have you been here long?"

"No, I just got here." Battousai regarded his brother-in-law, "I haven't even had a chance to say hello to Enishi."

Jaw tight and muscles tense, he pushed down the urge to strike the redheaded bastard.

"There's no need for such polite sentiments between the two of us," Enishi said, voice cold. "Is there?"

Battousai held his gaze, "No, perhaps not."

Movement sounded behind him. Kamiya was leaving her perch, most likely to go to her rurouni. The thought of her going to him threatened to topple Enishi's control. This meeting was not turning out the way he anticipated. The goal to kill Battousai in Kamiya's heart had yet to come into fruition. The murderous bastard had returned far too soon. Kamiya still resisted Enishi's flirtatious coaxing and attempts at seduction. She was warming up to him, but Battousai's presence would undermine that.

'She's mine.' A tremor moved up his spine. 'Battousai left her. He belongs to nee-san... he can't have both..!'

Just when the jealousy and anger threatened to boil over, he felt the sleeve of her kimono brush against his arm. The contact caused his emotions to stutter. Her knuckles grazed his with a delicate, but intentional touch.

"Yahiko," she said, still standing beside Enishi. "Go get changed and warmed up for today's lesson."

The boy stared, mouth opening and closing silently.

"Go on," she insisted, gesturing with her hand. "I'll join you as soon as I can... but you may have to do some exercises without me."

Stubbornness kept the boy in place a moment longer, then he grudgingly turned away and headed for the house. Enishi felt her shift beside him, but still she remained. Her presence was instantly soothing. Taking a deep breath, he tried to soak in the halcyon her nearness gave him. He needed to control his emotions if he was to continue this meeting without shedding Battousai's blood.

Voice pitched for his ears alone, Kamiya asked, "Do you still want jinchuu, Enishi?"

"If I did," Enishi whispered back, his eyes still focused on Battousai. "Would you try to stop me?"

She turned her face to look at him fully.

"You know I would," was her susurrus response.

Enishi resisted the urge to meet Kamiya's gaze. The expression Battousai wore was too interesting to dismiss. Thinly veiled puzzlement and suspicion reflected in his watchful eyes. Enishi doubted the former hitokiri could hear their conversation, but the fact that they were whispering to each other seemed to disturb him.

Suddenly the tables felt turned. Kamiya was speaking to him, in a gentle tone meant for privacy. And she was the one who initiated the conversation. The interaction was testimony to how the situation had changed. Battousai didn't have her like he used to. Not anymore.

Still, doubt lingered. He had to know. Was she asking about jinchuu out of worry for Battousai? Or something else..?

Turning his attention away from Battousai, Enishi gazed into Kamiya's eyes. Then he leaned his face toward hers. To the casual observer, it appeared he was moving toward her for a kiss. Even Kamiya's eyes widened a fraction.

"Why would you try to stop me?" he asked sotto voce, his nose nearly touching hers. "Do you still love Battousai?"

She swallowed nervously, "I—"

"Excuse me, Kaoru-dono," Battousai interrupted, his tone friendly but entwined with impatience. Enishi glared at him for disrupting their private conversation, but the bastard didn't seem to notice. Instead he maintained a visage of calm. "We should talk, don't you think?"

• • •

Kaoru didn't seem afraid of him at all. She stood beside him as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Regardless of the fact that Enishi kidnapped her and held her against her will. It was clear that she trusted him. There was a bond, a friendship, that linked the two.

And when she spoke to him... so comfortable and relaxed. If Kenshin hadn't seen the exchange with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.

Even more curious was the way Enishi was affected by her. The instant she stood by his side his entire body seemed to relax. The rage he projected still remained, but it felt controlled. It was at that moment that Kenshin knew for certain that he wouldn't have to fight his brother-in-law. Kaoru's presence beside him made a difference like night and day.

Still, the closeness between them... the intimacy...

Kenshin didn't know what to think of it, but his gut reaction was disturbed shock.

To ease his mind about Kaoru's safety, Kenshin asked her to take a walk with him. Alone. She agreed with a smile, but Enishi clearly didn't want to let her go. The anxiety between them suddenly doubled, but Kaoru reined it in with a few words and a meaningful look. After several strained moments, Enishi gave the rurouni a dark glare before striding away and into the dojo.

"Let's walk by the river," Kaoru suggested.

Kenshin agreed. As they made their way toward the front gate, it didn't escape Kenshin's notice that Enishi had moved to sit on the steps leading into the dojo. His wrapped sword by his side.

The wildflowers that grew along the edge of the water were just entering the peak of their blooming season. A duck fed close to shore as his mate sunbathed in the grass.

Their conversation began with Kaoru asking questions about Kenshin's travels. He told her a little about what he saw and where he went, but it wasn't the topic he wanted to discuss. After a few minutes of silence, Kaoru addressed the subject both knew needed to be explained.

"He didn't come here looking for you," she said. "Jinchuu is over. He told me so himself."

Kenshin watched the duck waddle into the water and swim to her mate. If Enishi didn't come to the dojo looking for him, then he must have come for Kaoru specifically.

'Did he tell her that..?' Kenshin wondered.

"I'm glad to hear that he's given up his jinchuu," he said. "But did he tell you why he came Tokyo?"

"No, not really." Kaoru plucked a red-petalled wildflower and twirled it between her thumb and forefinger, "But I think he came because I'm the closest thing he has to a friend." She paused and considered, "You know, I invited him to come back to Tokyo with me when he let me leave the island. I was afraid he would return to Shanghai."

'Afraid..?' Kenshin studied her profile. 'You care about him that much..?'

"Did he?" he asked.

"No," Kaoru said. "He said he stayed on the island until he left to go to Kyoto. Then he came here."

Kenshin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The way she spoke seemed to indicate that she underestimated her importance. Didn't she see how she influenced him?

"Yahiko wants me to force him to leave."

"Yahiko thinks he still wants revenge," she sighed and tossed her flower into the river. "He doesn't think Enishi is capable of change."

The rurouni paused, forcing Kaoru to stop. He scrutinized her intently, his expression leaving no doubt as to the seriousness of his next question.

"You trust him, don't you?"

She didn't flinch under his piercing gaze. Nor did she hesitate in her answer.

"If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't try to help him."

AN: People have asked if Sano is going to come back. While this fic certainly qualifies as an AU because I changed a major event in the RK universe, I'd like to reiterate that I am using the manga storyline as cannon. Meaning: Megumi went to Aizu in my fic because she really does go there (according to the manga). And Sano really did leave Japan and eventually go to America in my fic because he really does go there (according to the manga).

So, to put it bluntly: No, Sano will not be making a reappearance. The reason is because he didn't make a reappearance at the very end of the RK manga (save for a quick flashback brought about by a letter he wrote to Kaoru and Kenshin). Sorry to disappoint you guys, but thems the breaks! :p

...though the tension between Sano and Enishi would probably be fun to write...