Sorry, life kinda attacked me last month. It just happens. Takes a while to get back into the writing groove, in a way. I have many ideas and little inspiration. (More like little energy.) I feel bad for those of you actually reading this tripe. XD

Aaaaand, this gets one chapter closer to the end. Don't you hate it when you get to crunch time? When you have everything in your head and you've gone over the plot a million times and all that's left is to actually write the sucker?

I know where it's going. Maybe one chapter or two after this. That's all. Then this travesty of a fairy tale shall reach its intended conclusion.

Oh man, I need to finish this project. . . This chapter is a bit short, but I thought you'd appreciate maybe some update rather than nothing while I languished in real life for another week. So here it is in all of its truncated glory.

Now where is all of that Enishi/Kaoru? Anyone? Anyone? The C2 needs to be fed! Bwaaaar, it's hungry!

Disclaimer: I am certifiably crazy. Uh. Oh. I mean I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters.

Chapter 6

It would have helped, Enishi reflected to himself approximately one day before his life exploded into even more drama than it already had, if he weren't so damn good at everything he did. The shed was taking hardly any time at all, nearly done after his two solid weeks of work. It wasn't big, and it wasn't fancy, but it he had drug out the construction of it as long as he could. Anything to keep him outdoors and out of the house which had become infused with everything he wanted but couldn't have. . .

More accurately the house contained a very specific person he wanted and couldn't have. But he wasn't sure exactly why he couldn't have her. The idea of it seemed to be grand, and the execution of it would be easy, considering how open and understanding she was, but as soon as he got up the nerve to make a move something seemed to nail him in the gut and his tongue would twist. Could someone punch with their eyes? She seemed to every time she caught him in her watery blues. And here he had used his fists all those years.

Two weeks of this was getting a little old. They had only reached the halfway point. If things were going to get exponentially worse, as they had seemed to each day, he would be dead by the middle of next week. It was more than just those eyes of hers, it was the way he couldn't stop staring at her mouth when she spoke, or the way her fingers moved as she sewed, the fabric of her dress stretching over her back as she cooked. . . . Naturally, as soon as she saw him looking at her she would color around the face, often blotchy red and slightly unattractive like when she got angry, and then try to start up a conversation. Embarrassed, he would make some biting remark intended to upset her. She would get upset. One or the other of them would leave the room, and then Enishi would sigh with relief or slap himself on the forehead depending on how cruel his last comment had been.

It was amazing how easily this chit had turned a former crime lord into a childish teen with his first crush. He knew he was better than this, more suave and deliberate. He knew that what he needed were sweet words and sentimental drivel to win her, but such things grated against him. Enishi would rather she hate him than for him to change himself so drastically to fit whatever it was that she wanted. Then again, he would have killed to know just exactly what it was that she did want. The paradoxical wants and needs were driving him crazy, so he took a hammer and pounded some nails in to make himself feel better. Thus, the shed project went fast despite his purposeful delays.

Tonight would be the night. There would be no fighting, he had decided on it, and he knew he could call together enough of his former calm and presence of mind to accomplish this feat. He had patience for the things he wanted, but what with the stagnation of their relations there was no more time for dancing around. No matter how painful, tonight they were going to get some things straight.

Maybe he had been stamping down on her feelings a little too much, Enishi reflected, because she looked decidedly pinched when she greeted him for supper. The state of her displeasure was confirmed when dinner turned out to be gruel. It was some sort of grain based soup, she said, but she had measured the grains out wrong it was a little too thick. Of course, this had overpowered the flavoring she had added hence. . . rice and vegetable soup had become gruel with chunks. He swallowed down a bowl of it with a tight throat as she did the same. To her credit, at least there was no choking as there had been the night before with her rabbit stir fry that had been so overcooked you couldn't really chew through the meat.

"More?" She held out a bowl of the stuff, looking more solid than food had a right to be.

"No." Enishi said flatly.

"Ah."

It was the most successful conversation they had had in days. It hadn't ended with anything remotely like a nasty word.

"Look," Kaoru said, obviously trying to yet again broach some topic, but Enishi cut her off.

"I've been. . . temperamental. . . recently." Enishi locked eyes with her, felt the slam in his gut, and continued on anyway knowing nothing could hurt him with all that gruel taking the brunt of the blast.

Kaoru drew her mouth into a line, letting one corner tilt up as if she were entering into a small mental joke. "You mean, you've been nasty and argumentative?"

"Whatever you wish to call it, but the underlying problem here is. . ."

". . . that you don't like me." She looked down wearily. "I thought at the beginning, maybe, that there was some possibility that I could use this time to prove to you that I'm not as bad of a person as you seem to think." Picking up the bowl of gruel she walked over to scrape it into the bin of compost that would need to be emptied after supper. It fell in as a single glob, nearly taking the spoon she was using with it. "But clearly you don't want to give me a chance so I'll just—"

Enishi snapped at her out of habit. "I wasn't done." She turned to her to catch him out of the corner of her eye. In profile, a little sad, she reminded him again how achingly beautiful she could be even now. His tongue tried to knot, but an act of will on his part kept him going. "I do think you're lying, still, but I no longer care. You're more of a danger to yourself than other people."

"Um." She clearly wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult, since it was the closest thing to kindness he had offered her so far. She set the bowl in the sink and came over to sit back down across from him. Enishi seemed to be struggling to plan his words as he ran a hand through his hair. This was as hard as he had thought it would be, only confirming his suspicions about what the state of his feelings for her were. It displeased him to know something like that this early in the conversation.

"What I mean, in so many words, not that I'm admitting there weren't reasons for the things I said, but, you see. . ." His face suffused with color. "Maybe the reasons weren't as well planned out as they could have been, compared to previous incidents."

There was a brief pause while Kaoru worked this out in her head, and then she smiled radiantly. "You're saying you were wrong, aren't you? This is as close as you can get to apologizing, isn't it?"

"I'm not apologizing. I'm explaining the situation since perhaps some elements of it were mistaken on one or both of our parts."

"You're worse than a politician." Kaoru sighed. "But you might as well cave in and admit it. Say I'm sorry, and I'll forgive you, but you have to say it."

Enishi would rather have stabbed himself than say those words. Saying those words would be admitting that he had been wrong. He wasn't wrong, he was simply not completely in a logical frame of mind when he had been engaged in conversation with her recently. Kaoru got up and circled over to him, bouncing a little as she walked, and in general being absolutely smug now that she thought she had him trapped. If she wanted an apology, that wasn't going to get it from him. What it was inspiring, as she neared him emanating the scent of dried flowers and vegetables, a combination of her soap and dinner, was far more physical than mere words. And still involving the use of his mouth.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them a little. If she was sensitive enough to how charged the situation had suddenly become, then she would notice how his muscles were locked tight. But, much to Enishi's dismay, she was still clueless as she bent over to smile next to his face cajolingly. He remembered, faintly, how she had done this once to Yahiko when he had had an argument with Aoshi about his girlfriend in town and the nature of responsibility in general. Yahiko had crossed his arms and she had shaken him around from behind until the boy loosened up a little and then they talked things over.

Enishi was not Yahiko. She began to rock him gently as if she could make the words fall from his lips. He showed her what a mistake in judgment she had made when he turned his head quickly and pressed a hand to her cheek to steady her as he furiously claimed what he had been thinking about for what seemed like ages. Their kiss started out awkward, with Kaoru stunned and unresponsive. When they parted, Enishi decided that that wouldn't do and stood up so that they could get a better angle on things and this time kissed her properly. It took a while for her to figure out that this wasn't a fluke, and he wasn't going to give up until she did something, so she finally closed her eyes. . .

And that's when the real kiss happened. It wasn't real, it wasn't something they would have needed to worry about or think on again, if she had never participated in it. That's what he had told himself, so that there was really nothing to lose if she had rejected him. Once her mouth softened against his and she pressed forward with an earnest and unexpected surge of passion, Enishi knew he was lost.

She gathered into his arms so easily, all softness and innocence but at the same time determined and oh so erotic for all of this and more. The way the heels of her hands were pressed against his hips felt like she was going to push him away, but then she allowed her fingers to press down and he assumed it was just the last vestige of modesty keeping her hesitant. There was nothing to fear they were alone for miles.

At that thought his mind too a distinctly more perverse turn than it had been going to regarding tonight's sleeping arrangements.

"Kaoru," His said, low so that his voice would rumble a little in his chest as he said it. The thrumming murmur of her response was lost to a wordless trill as he moved down to her neck with his mouth. It was just the work of a moment to mark that perfect flesh of hers. With a powerful surge of possessiveness he admired his work and then crushed her to him in a tight hug.

"I could never hate you. Which is why I disliked you so much." He said, and finally noticed her flailing around a bit. Oh, yes. He let her up for air and she gasped a little before she laughed faintly.

Enishi was bending down for another kiss and she was closing her eyes, a smile curling up her lush lips when the front door slammed open. There was a blur of movement and Kaoru noticed that while it was an impressive throw, to grab the kitchen knife a couple feet away and toss it with such accuracy given its poor balance, it was even more impressive that Aoshi caught it out of the air. Damn but he was good.

"You'll unhand her and back away, Yukishiro."

"Tut tut," Enishi said, poison dripping from his words. "That's no way to speak to your brother."

Aoshi set the knife down on a chair as he approached the two of them. "There's no more need for these lies. It's over. We've found the princess and we're making our bid against Shishio as soon as Goro can get everyone informed and organized."

Even Kaoru noticed the way Enishi's eyes tracked to her, or so he assumed because she was staring at him too. They couldn't just drop a bombshell like this and leave Kaoru in the woods alone.

"I insist she come with us. She's no danger. And even if she's a spy, I'll take full responsibility for. . ."

"That's not necessary, Yukishiro." Aoshi looked perturbed. Enishi wondered if he'd ever seen him like that before, even when they fought.

Enishi crossed his arms. "Well as long as Kaoru can—"

"She's not the one who's staying, you are. Or, if you decide to come, you'll keep your distance from her."

"I don't think you're in any position to dictate my personal interactions."

Aoshi was not amused. "Maybe not, but I certainly have a vested interest in the safety of my monarch, and you certainly have always been a concern in that area."

Enishi was quicker on the uptake than Kaoru seemed to be at the moment, and he clutched at the counter behind him, unwilling to look at her any longer. Lying was not something Aoshi did. He worked in information as well as trained for combat. While Enishi didn't trust Aoshi cutting short his work to either inform him of the upcoming battle or to interfere with his love life, that Aoshi would come here to fetch away the Princess was entirely plausible. Bitter truths to swallow so quickly after having just obtained what he was being informed that could no longer have.

It was only after a moment of silence so thick you'd need two hands to tear it when Kaoru finally emerged from her daze and picked up on the conversation. "How did you find out?"

Enishi, despite himself, groaned at this. There had been hope so long as she denied it. The woman couldn't lie to save her life. . . and yet she had fooled the very people who desperately wanted to find her for months! The irony would have been funny if this situation could end with her still in his arms at the end of the day.

"It doesn't matter, Your Royal Highness. What matters is that we've found you and that we take you someplace safe while your men prepare for battle." Aoshi bowed, not deeply but courteously.

For a moment, just a split second of calculated evil, Enishi considered killing Aoshi and then making a run for it with Kaoru. It was idle fancy, he knew, since murdering Shishio for interfering in his revenge was still his top priority. That the thought had even occurred worried him a bit. The girl, no, Kaoru. . . no. . . the Princess. . . was an involving side note but the possibility that she would be something to threaten his life's ambition was slightly shocking. He wanted to push her away as well as chain her to him simultaneously and his conflicting emotions made him weak in this argument.

"Pack some food for the trip, Your Highness. I'll ready the horses."

"Horses? On the mountain? But they could break a leg so easily and how did you find the money for. . ."

Aoshi looked crossly at her. "There are paths. And there are no time for such questions."

Kaoru crossed her arms, no longer passively watching the two men posture. Enishi knew that look better than Aoshi did. And the tall dark haired man was going to get some of Kaoru's patented sass.

"I don't appreciate you dictating to me what you're going to do. Just because you know who I am doesn't exactly make me want to jump into your crusade. There's been enough bloodshed. What if I'm happy here? What if I don't want what you're offering me." Enishi was slightly amused that she was trying, but knew that it was probably hopeless.

"Don't be selfish." Aoshi snapped. "There will be war either way, unless you've forgotten Shishio's tactics. He's been training an army to spread across all the neighboring kingdoms to build himself an empire. We stop him here, or he will become a menace. And we can't assure any moral superiority or even a future for the kingdom without a legitimate heir to put on the throne once Shishio is deposed." Aoshi's voice was like a whip through the air and Kaoru cringed even if he didn't speak loudly. "You are a symbol, a bargaining chip, and a leader all at once. But as our princess, you should understand why we need you, Your Highness." The honorific sounded hollow compared to his scolding words.

Enishi saw the way Kaoru's eyes flashed and her lips pressed into a line and knew Aoshi had gone too far. She was going to refuse him just to be difficult. He wanted her to refuse him. To put her in danger alarmed him, further messing up his feelings towards her in a mass of complications that drove him to be silent as he watched them face off. Everyone waited for what would no doubt be an outburst of temper on her part. They had seen it enough times to know the warning signs.

"I'll pack a few things. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes." The words were soft, monotone. She turned on her heel and marched upstairs with heavy steps. Most of her personal items had been moved upstairs recently since the shed was basically completed. The sudden agreement and the fast retreat caused both men to look at one another in an empathetic moment of confusion.

Aoshi recovered first. "I saw the mark on her neck. Men have been executed for less."

Enishi resisted the urge to call him outside for another fight. Their last one had been entirely unsatisfying. Entirely not enough blood. "You only brought two horses, didn't you?" Aoshi didn't respond, but he knew the answer was yes. "And you don't plan to let me within a speaking distance ever again, either, now that you know she isn't some country girl." Statement, not question.

"You're a security concern. It's best that you give up on her now. There are other women."

For that Enishi moved like lightening, landing a furious punch on Aoshi's cheek only to jump back to avoid the brunt of the kick that was Shinomori's automatic response. He would be rewarded with a bruised rib instead of a broken one because of his fast reflexes.

"Not like her, Shinomori, and you know it."

Enishi hadn't been there when Kaoru had gotten back downstairs. And Aoshi had had a rather red mark on his cheek. She thought she guessed what happened, but didn't ask questions that she knew she wouldn't get an answer for.

Their ride down the mountain had been without incident, even if it took nearly as long as if they had walked due to the winding trails the horses were forced to travel on. Half a day away from the closest town Aoshi gave her a hooded cloak and she didn't need to be threatened to put it on.

Some of her reasoning lay in the vague obligation she had always felt as a princess of the realm, but the main reason that she had agreed was because the odds that they would just let her go about the life she wanted were slim to none. Rather than leading her forces as a prisoner, she would keep her dignity and do it right. She knew very well she wouldn't be planning attacks, or even wielding a sword. She would look pretty and regal and be what she had been to her father and her step-mother since before she could remember.

An ornament again. Not really wanted and yet not able to be discarded. Maybe, just maybe, this way she could prevent more bloodshed. It was a better than running and hiding, only to be dragged back.

The familiar feelings of worthlessness tried to crush her and she fought them back with anger. Mostly at Enishi. Why had he left so suddenly? He wasn't the sort of person who would be easily intimidated by such a thing as her being a princess, and this was his war too. To abandon his fellow fighters seemed dirty to her, and she didn't think he would do something like that either. So if he was still part of the counterrevolution and she wasn't seeing him, then she figured he was avoiding her. The mark on her neck hadn't even faded and already he had proved an inconsistent suitor.

It wasn't that she was in love with him. Nothing so silly. Of course not. That had just been an infatuation. They had been living close to one another and she was a pretty girl while he was a handsome man.

The fact that she had never felt anything like that for anyone else, no matter how handsome, didn't worry her. Not one bit. She had only started biting her nails again because she was nervous about returning to fight Shishio. Sure.

Aoshi didn't speak to her and Kaoru didn't try to talk to him as they made their way as fast as the horses could go without collapsing. At one point someone met them at a wayside with fresh horses and they picked up even more speed. Eventually they found themselves in front of a small house with a sign out front that declared that dancing lessons could be found inside if they inquired within.

"Go in." He said shortly to her once she had dismounted. "I'll take the horses."

Kaoru, after days of being under such tight watch that she was afraid that he had even spied on her while she was going to the bathroom, didn't trust that he would leave her to her own devices without a second thought. He watched her, waiting for her to go into the house. Head held high despite the grime of the road weighing her down along with her apprehensions, Kaoru tried to look noble as she entered the nicely kept house.

Strains of music were in the background while Kaoru looked around. Bravado in front of Aoshi, just to spite him, had been easy. Now she was wandering through unknown territory and a grimace pinched her mouth. There was a reception area, a little foyer, and then a long hall that seemed to lead to several rooms with sliding doors. A gaggle of women passed by shortly after the music stopped, laughing and fingering their traditional robes. Some were fiddling with their hair. A few glanced her way, but most were content to continue forward and speak with their friends. Eventually a short woman with a fat braid emerged and rushed forward to grab Kaoru's hands.

"Whatever happened to you Eri! Looks like you got lost again! You're going to be late for your lesson, come on!" The familiarity with which the girl addressed her seemed to put the women at ease who had been giving her strange looks. Now she had become entirely invisible to them with just a few words from this bouncing woman.

Kaoru was dragged in to one of the studios where a woman was putting away a peculiar looking stringed instrument that Kaoru vaguely remembered as one of the older versions of ones popular today. This woman was older, sharp looking but not unkind. Her salt and pepper hair was tied into a tight bun, revealing her squared and stubborn jawline and beautiful tilted eyes. It would have been awkward looking on someone with less dignity or authority, but this woman carried herself lightly and confidently.

"Eri came this time, Tokio! See? I told you she would this week!" The braided girl practically yelled it out as the woman glanced their way.

"Enough Misao. You need to learn a little subtlety." The lady came over and bowed deeply to Kaoru. "Forgive me, my lady, but Misao gets a little enthusiastic. Rest assured you're perfectly safe here. There's no need to keep that hood on."

It wasn't so much that she trusted these people as that she knew Aoshi would never take her to a place that would put her in danger. So Kaoru took her hood off and tried to prepare herself for the gasps of shock, or whatever it is they would do when they saw her in the state she was in after several days of rough travel. Misao sort of gaped at her, while Tokio shook her head.

"Is it that bad?"

Misao vigorously indicated a negative. "I would kill to look like that on a bad day."

"Princess, I just want you to know I never lost hope that you were alive. When Goro wanted to find a look alike I told him that we'd never find someone to come even halfway to resembling you."

"You also threw him out of the—ow!" Tokio had kicked out her foot to catch Misao in the shin so fast that Kaoru only knew by the settling of her robe what had happened.

Tokio stepped forward, her joy pouring out of her in a way that was so unlike how anyone had ever treated Kaoru before. "It was like losing a child two years ago. At the palace I watched over you since you were a baby. I posted guards around you at all times. My forces, or what was left of us, were ordered never to interfere, simply to keep you from danger. . . . you look so much like your mother."

"You knew my mother?" Kaoru was instantly more interested and entirely distracted from why she was here.

"We can discuss things another time. Let's clean you up and get you to Goro. While I don't approve of the haste in which things have been done recently, I can't deny that action must come before reflection in presenting you to the troops."

Half the kingdom away, in a cold stone room, Yumi screamed and screamed.