a/n: Well, updates may be a while after this... my life has gotten more hectic than I originally thought possible so updates will be coming, but they'll be sparodic... but don't forget to review! they inspire me

disclaimer: oro?

Exchange
Chapter 15: Psychology

"Enishi," Kaoru said softly as she stood up. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to let you carry out your plan."

"Sit down," he ordered.

She laughed. "Really, Enishi," she started again. "It's all so silly. This talk of revenge." She cracked her knuckles and then stretched carefully. "Don't you think?"

"Kaoru, Tomoe's revenge is my mission. I will complete my mission."

"Of course," she whispered, advancing on him slowly. She circled him and he kept his eyes trained on her figure. "We all have a mission to carry out, don't we?"

"I don't know about-"

She laughed again. "I have a mission, too. Do you know what it is?" She stood in front of him and placed her hands on his chest.

"N-No."

She leaned in close to his face before quietly saying, "I have to destroy you."

He pushed her away quickly. "I don't need your bullshit, Kamiya!"

With a smile playing on her lips she approached him again. "I don't need your bullshit, either," she told him. "Kenshin did not set out with the intention to kill your sister and your ranting is only adding my headache."

"Fuck off!"

Her hands maneuvered to the front of his shirt again. "I don't like traitors," she murmured. "And I like assholes even less. You can guess what I'm going to do next."

Enishi was breathing heavily now, her psychology aggravating his nerves. She knew what buttons to press and exactly how she should press them. She knew what she had to do. He backed away, considering shimmering again. He decided against it though; she'd already called him a coward once.

"Do you know what a soul trap is?" she asked softly.

His eyes widened and his face paled. She couldn't mean… "Y-Ye-Yes…"

She smiled again. "Then you know how painful it is to have your soul removed from the inside out. First you force control of the human/demon you plan to torture. Then you begin the slow process of suction. It's not a pretty sight," she commented.

"You can't-"

"I can't? Enishi, I can do whatever I like. Are you afraid of me?"

"No!"

Her hands wrapped around his neck carefully. "It would be so easy… But I'd rather do this slowly."

Enishi raised his hand to slap her and she caught his wrist in her hand. She glared at him before touching her fingers to his forehead.

"Say good-night, Enishi," she said.

He tried to jerk away from her touch, but her fingers stayed connected. She chuckled softly. It was no use. She had control of him now. He wasn't going anywhere. His eyes glazed over and she smiled wickedly. It was going to be a wonderful show from here on out.

She pulled her fingers back and watched him fall to the ground pathetically. His revenge skit wasn't going anywhere. Not that she had expected it too. She would give him props for kidnapping her. Few had managed it during her lifespan.

And she doubted many more would dare attempt it.

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Kenshin stared at the door. It hadn't taken him long to figure out where Enishi had taken her. He obviously hadn't tried to hide it too well. He kicked the door in and scanned the apartment carefully. There was no one. He walked towards the back of the apartment, keeping an eye out for either Enishi or Kaoru.

He heard a laugh to his left and took off in that direction. What he found made his head spin. Kaoru was sitting on the bed, laughing to herself while Enishi laid of the floor, his eyes glazed over.

"Kaoru?"

"Took you long enough," she muttered. "But as you can see, I've taken care of the problem."

"Kaoru… Kaoru you killed him," he observed. "But how…?"

She grinned. "Soul trap. It's a beautiful thing."

"How did you ever subdue him?" he asked skeptically.

"I used his insanity against him," she answered easily, waving her hand around. "His mind couldn't possibly comprehend what I was telling him."

Her eyes met his suddenly and within them he saw loyalty, though to who, he wasn't sure. He saw restrained passion. And he saw acceptance. His eyes dropped to her neck, unable to stand the intensity of her eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed something that was off about her neck…

"Kaoru," he said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Is… Is that a hickey on your neck?"

Her hands flew to her neck. "No," she denied. "Nothing of the sort."

It was his turn to grin. "Kaoru, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were embarrassed."

"I am not. Now, let's get out of here. I'd rather not stick around to watch when his body starts to manifest itself into dust," she said, changing the subject quickly.

He let her, but made note of the mark in his mind. He would never let her forget it…

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The first thing she did when they got back to his apartment was take some aspirin for her throbbing head. She moaned for the frustration that the pounding was causing. Kenshin had wisely laid off both the topics of Enishi and her hickey for the time being, but she had no doubts that he would ask later when she was feeling better.

She curled up on the couch like she had been before she was taken and drifted off to sleep with Kenshin watching her.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" he asked himself.

He had never dealt with someone that he cared for that could protect themselves so perfectly. She had known that she was in danger before he could lift a finger and then she eliminated the threat without his help. It was so new to him.

His fingers brushed her bangs away from her closed eyes and he sighed. She was so perfect in every way. If only he could make her see that… He shook his head and moved away from her to sit in the chair.

He liked watching her sleep. She was unguarded when she slept, making it easy to read her. One would never guess that she could be so deadly when they watched her sleep so soundly. She was peaceful, innocent, defenseless. Even though she was so open, he still didn't know what she felt.

And it was driving him crazy. He had admitted to himself that he was attracted to her. That there was something more than physical attraction was something he was toying with. He wasn't liking what he was finding, either. The last time he'd been emotionally attached it had ripped his heart out and stomped on it repetitively.

He didn't think he could take that again.

And rejection… That was something he didn't even want to think about. It was apparent that she didn't really care for him and then… Then there were the times after he physically showed his affection. She seemed more… He shook his head. It was just too much. He couldn't think about it.

The phone rang loudly, interrupting his thoughts. He cursed quietly; the phone was sure to wake Kaoru up. He ripped the phone off the cradle to stop it's racket.

"Hello?"

"Ah, baka deshi. Can I speak to Kaoru?"

Kenshin sighed. "She's sleeping. What do you want with her?"

"I just want to talk to her about Enishi," he answered. "He's dead."

"I know. She killed him."

"Of course she did." Hiko laughed. "You don't think she was going to let you do it, did you?"

"No… But she was gone and-"

"He kidnapped her?"

"Yes-"

Hiko laughed loudly, causing Kenshin to scowl. "Oh, she'll never live that one down."

"Shishou, I have to go," he lied. "Bye."

Not bothering to wait for a response, he hung up, making a mental note to tell Kaoru that Hiko had called for her. Not that he wanted her talking with him anymore. He just made things more complicated.

With a sigh, Kenshin opened the fridge with the intent to start dinner so Kaoru could eat something when she woke up.

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Kaoru shifted and sighed softly before stretching her arms above her head. She could smell something cooking merrily in the kitchen and she assumed it was Kenshin. With a smile she sat up from her position on the couch. Her eyes roved around until they landed in the kitchen where Kenshin was, predictably, stationed over something cooking on the stove.

"Ah, you're awake," Kenshin said, glancing up. "Hiko called a while ago. He wanted to talk to you."

She groaned. "He's gonna make fun of me."

"He indicated something about that, yes," he confirmed.

She frowned. He wasn't acting normal. She gazed at him while his eyes stayed glued to the chicken in the pan. He usually tried to meet her eyes when he talked. Weird…

"Kenshin?" she asked, leaning forward on the back of the couch. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he answered.

She sighed once more and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Dinner will be ready shortly," he reminded her gently.

She made an affirmative noise in the back of her throat before disappearing down the hallway. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She bit her lip. What was wrong with him?

She stared guiltily at the bathtub. It had been a long time since she'd even attempted to talk to Megumi or the others. She decided that her people came first; Kenshin and his problems would have to wait.

"Kaoru," Megumi said happily once she connected through. "We were so worried! You haven't contacted us in so long…"

"A lots happened," she confessed. "I'm sorry."

"So what's been going on?"

"Enishi is dead," she said, skipping straight to the point. "I killed him."

Megumi nodded, not surprised by the news. "How about your personal mission…?"

"My personal mission…?" Oh yes… She'd forgotten. She was supposed to love Kenshin… Or pretend to anyway.

Megumi laughed. "I assume it's going well then?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Hey, Megumi!!"

"Misao-chan," she said with a sigh. "It seems as if there's a problem to take care of."

"I'll let you take care of it then," Kaoru said, smiling. "I'll talk to you as soon as I can."

"Will do. Good luck!"

And with that she was gone, leaving Kaoru to ponder her mission. She'd been so wrapped up in the whole Enishi thing that she'd nearly forgotten about her affections. Although the mark on her neck certainly wasn't letting her forget.

Grumbling in remembrance she unconsciously rubbed her neck. Not only was Hiko going to make fun of her for getting kidnapped, he was going to make some sarcastic remarks about her sex life. Remarks that probably will include Kenshin.

She stripped her clothes as she figured the best way to forget for the time being was a hot shower and a home cooked meal.