Chapter 9: A Climax
"Come on, wake up," she scowled as she shook him gently. He groaned and turned over, causing her to increase the force of her prodding. "You sleep all day! Surely you can wake up early one morning!"

"What the hell…?" he muttered as he finally opened his eyes, looking at Mei-Mei with indignation. "What do you want?"

"We're going to the bath house, get up," shereplied as she sat back.

"Hell no," he snapped immediately. He wasn't leaving Rakuninmura. Not yet.

"Hell yes!" she exclaimed. "Have you seen yourself? Have you smelt yourself?" she hissed. "A pig is cleaner than you are!"

"Then go bother a pig and leave me alone," he muttered, turning over.

"Enishi…" she growled, her voice hard as she gazed at his back with enough intensity to make him uncomfortable.

He turned slightly so he could see her, glaring back with his own trademark look of death.

"I'm not going."

-

"Damn that woman," he muttered as he scrubbed his hair. He couldn't help grimacing, however, when his fingers would get caught in chunks of God-knows-what. He rinsed his head and watched as what felt like a lifetime of filth flowed off him.

After ten minutes he was finally able to run his hand through his hair without feeling any obstruction.

Another ten minutes later he deemed himself clean enough to get into the bath without polluting the water.

He carefully lowered himself into the hot water, wincing as his semi-healed wounds touched the scalding water. After he had settled in, however, his body became accustomed to it and he was able to relax.

He noticed several men staring at him, and he glared back.

What? Hadn't they ever seen a six-foot tall white-haired man with several largescars across his body bathe before?

As he rethought this, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir," one of the employees said, "The young lady you came with asked that I give you this." Enishi glanced at the package the man was holding. "I'll just leave it with your other…things…" He trailed off as he looked at the rags that were lying in the bucket. They were caked in blood and dirt and were hardly clothes anymore. Only his sister's diary was a discernable object, sitting among the ratty fabric.

The man placed the paper-wrapped parcel on top of the diary, then left the bath.

Enishi turned back and stared at the rippling water. He let out a long sigh and sank deeper into the bath. He recalled the luxurious baths he would take in his mansion in Shanghai. Besides Watoujutsu, it was the one way he could relax.

Maybe this wasn't so bad…

-

She let out a long sigh as she slipped into the hot water, her hair swimming eerily around her in thick black tendrils. She watched it absentmindedly as she ran her fingers over her white skin.

It pleased her to find that it was still soft to the touch, even after such a long time of sleeping outdoors. She pulled her arm out of the water, the sound of falling water rippling off the walls.

She pulled her hair off of it, exposing the especially pale underside of her forearm.

She traced her finger along a jagged hot-white scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow, her eyes glazing in a faraway expression. She frowned to herself, then let herself fall all the way into the bath, watching bubbles travel through the forest of hair as they reached the surface.

Past

They hadn't spoken to each other in days, but it felt like years. Even the Watoujutsu lessons had been put on hold.

Mei-Mei had said nothing about what happened that night, but Enishi could tell there was something wrong, something horribly amiss.

He was hardly around anymore. He would leave before she was awake and come back too late at night for her to even consider confronting him about anything. They wouldn't look at each other and wouldn't stay in the same room.

Even Lindo understood the gravity of the situation. She would cautiously suggest Mei-Mei apologize about "whatever happened" at the banquet, but each timeMei-Mei refused.

She had nothing to apologize for.

Mei-Mei submerged herself in her books once again, quicklyreading the few she hadn't already. After reading several stories over again, she vaguely considered asking Enishi for more.

But then she would remember the awkward and tense atmosphere that would envelop a room when they were both in it.

She couldn't evenlook at him—how could she expect to ask him for something?

She was sitting outside on a small couch, reading a particular novel she was fond of for the third time, when she glanced up and noticed the armory. She grimaced and kept on reading, but her thoughts strayed back to the horde of weapons hidden in that room.

She was stronger than she had ever been in her life now. She was still nowhere near as strong as Enishi, but she knew she could kill him if she wanted to.

It would just take a bit of planning.

And, if she did, she would have a future all set for her, as the wife of a wealthy Eastern man…

But she didn't want to get married. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted.

She just wanted to kill Enishi.

That was why she learned Watoujutsu. That was why she had stopped trying to run away. That was why she would watch him practice, so she could see if he would show a weakness… That was the only reason she ever indulged him. She had no interest in the man.

She recalled the weight of his arm on her shoulder, and her heart skipped a beat.

Present

"Where did you get this thing?" he asked flatly. She shrugged; even though he couldn't see her, she knew he was studying her as well as if he was facing her. "It feels cheap."

She pulled tightly on a bandage, causing him to flinch in surprise.

"Well, excuse me, Master," she scowled, "but I wasn't aware you were only capable of wearing silk." He didn't answer, settling forsnorting in an exasperated matter instead.

She continued dressing his wounds. Even though they were all closed, she didn't want to risk infection in any way. Besides, she had plenty of bandages.

Yutarou had been a big help to her, getting her more bandages and even some clothes. She would repay him for his kindness soon, then she and Enishi would…

Actually, she had no idea what was going to happen to them. Would Enishi want to go back to China, or would he prefer Japan? In fact, would he even want her to stay with him?

Would she want to stay with him?

"You're cutting off my circulation."

Mei-Mei snapped out of her reverie and notice that she had wrapped Enishi's arm several times over now. He was looking at her with an arched eyebrow, his blue eyes scrutinizing her critically.

She quickly tied off the bandage then said, "What is that book you carry around all the time? You're hardly ever without it."

Enishi shifted the dirty diary in his hands slightly, but didn't answer.

She noticed his quiet brooding, but frowned in irritation as he attempted to ignore her question. "Who did it belong to?"

He still didn't answer. His eyes had taken a faraway look, now clearly visible since his glasses were missing.

"Enishi?" she whispered softly.

"Are you done yet?" he answered stoically. She looked down at his scarred back, the top half of his kimono lying on the ground around him.

"Yes," she replied, masking the emotion in her voice.

Past

A hill perfectly white. Untouched snow all around him as even more fell in gentle wisps. He let out baited breath, watching it escape from his body in a soft cloud before him.

'I've got to go,' he couldn't help thinking. 'Where is she?'

He plodded along, his feet sinking into the white ground and leaving an obvious trail. It didn't matter. No one was looking for him.

He was in a thick forest, black trunks looming around him. They all looked exactly the same as the one before it.

Still, he knew where he was going.

'I'm going to find her.'

He quickened his pace, the sound of his breathing in his ears loud in comparison to the silence of the forest.

'She's around here somewhere.'

He began running, trees flying past him in dark blurs as he gained momentum. His footsteps were thunderous, destroying the untouched perfection of the snow.

Finally he emerged from the forest. He didn't notice it falling away behind him.

All he saw was a figure dressed in white standing with their back towards him, pitch black hair gathered with a pink tie.

"Nee-san!" he exclaimed, a large grin on his face. Tomoe didn't answer, however, remaining with her back to Enishi.

She hadn't heard him, that's all.

"Nee-san!" he exclaimed again, walking forward. She still didn't turn to face her little brother. "Nee-san!" He began running toward her, feeling frustration and confusion mount within him. Why wasn't she answering him?

"Tomoe-nee-san, I found you," he smiled as he was finally reaching her. He didn't want to stop, he just wanted to run forward and let her hold him just as she had when he was ten.

He was but a foot away when she finally turned to face him.

The snow that had lain perfectly around them was stained once again with blood. He looked around in confusion, wondering where the dark fluid had come from.

"M-master…"

He looked at Tomoe in shock, realizing that it was not his older sister.

"Mei-Mei," he gasped, his aquamarine eyes widening as she looked up at him with a woeful expression.

A tear fell from her eye as she reached up and gently placed her palm on his cheek.

"Enishi…" she sighed, as a trickle of blood came from the corner of her mouth.

She was hurt, but he didn't understand why. Was the blood around them hers? Where did it come from?

He looked down, then felt as if a heavy stone had been flung into his chest, knocking everything out of him.

His hands were still grasped tightly around the hilt of the sword, even as the blood ran down and stained the white kimono.

"She's dead," a voice said, as her hand fell from his cheek and her body collapsed onto the ground. Her dark hair fell around her, framing her pale face as dark red life leaked out and bloomed on the snow white kimono.

He let the stained sword fall to the ground, shaking with despair and shock as he stared at her still form.

"You see what you've done?"

He turned around to face the speaker. A man was staring at him, grinning maliciously.

A man with vibrant red hair that was gathered in a high ponytail.

"You've killed her, hitokiri

He was just as he remembered, except…

There was no scar on his cheek.

Instead, blood was running down from where Mei-Mei had touched him. He reached up and placed his palm on his face, then looked down at it.

A bloody imprint of an 'X' was visible on his hand.

Present

What was it? Who did it belong to? Enishi was never partial to books, and she hardly ever saw him reading.

Yet he carried this ragged old thing with him wherever he went.

Even now while he slept it was lying on his chest, the tips of his fingers resting lightly on it.

The short trip to the bathhouse had exhausted him, and he was sleeping rather peacefully now in his clean dark-blue kimono.

Just why was this book so important to him?

After debating with herself for an extended period of time, Mei-Mei finally made up her mind.

She braced herself and calmly reached for the ragged thing.

Holding it by the very edges, she began to slip it out of his grip…

Past

She sat in her bed, staring at the strange shadows the moonlight cast on the wall. Her slate eyes were wide and awake, torrents of emotions gliding through them as she fought with herself.

She could hear him in the next room. He had arrived a few hours earlier, that she knew. But now…

He was shifting in his sleep, the sounds of the heavy silk covers echoing into her ears along with the indistinct sounds of his mutters.

She was gripping it tightly in her hands, her knuckles white as she breathed through her nose calmly.

She looked down at it, watching the moonlight glint off the blade.

She finally took the dagger and stood up, making her way to his room.

-

"Nee-san…," he muttered, sweat forming on his forehead as he shifted constantly in his sleep. "Nee-san…"

It had been so long, but she still remembered.

"Otou-san, okaa-san, onii-san, onee-san…"

The Japanese boy that had taken care of her and taught her remedial Japanese. She still remembered 'father,' 'mother,' 'brother,' 'sister.' The boy that had given her her name.

"Nee-san…"

Why was he calling for his sister? Wasn't she dead?

She frowned, tightening the grip on the dagger. It didn't matter.

He was going to die tonight.

Right now.

He turned once again, and she clearly saw the look of anguish in his face. This was so different from the man she remembered. The cool composed Enishi she recalled was gone.

Instead was this Enishi, crying for his sister in a nightmare.

But that didn't matter. He killed the one family she had.

The family that could've been hers.

Their slain bodies were vivid in her mind, blood pooled around them as the boy with white hair stood with the stained sword in his grip.

The manic smile on his face.

He was a monster. A terror to hundreds as the leader of a syndicate. He was an arms dealer, selling weapons of death so that more people like her could come into existence.

But…

He was a man who had sworn not to sleep with her, for whatever reasons, and had actually gone to great lengths to keep her happy.

The chest full of silk dresses.

The room full of endless books.

The reading lessons from Lindo.

The way he had protected her from the intentions of a bastard by simply placing his arm on her shoulder.

She recalled the warmth of his body as he intentionally sat closer to her, making it clear that no one would be having her.

The way her pulse had quickened and her face had reddened…

No. No, no, no no nonononono…

She'd sworn her life to tracking him down and killing him. Sold her soul in a brothel time and time again to men who treated her as indifferently as they did stray dogs.

But he…

He argued with her, he got frustrated and annoyed with her.

He even taught her how to defend herself.

Her pulse was thumping in her ears, the hilt of the dagger becoming slick as her palms sweated.

Could she kill him?

Could she end a life just as he had?

Would she be happy after this…?

"No…" he whispered, and she realized he was now shaking, his fists tight as he curled into a ball. "Don't…"

She felt every ounce of hate for him gather within her, then dissipate almost instantly as if it had flowed out of her feet.

She didn't want to kill him…not Enishi…

The dagger fell to the floor with a loud clatter just as he shot up in bed, waking up as he yelled out her name.

He was staring at her, his blue eyes wide and full of fear as the sound of her name continued to echo around her. He was breathing heavily, panting as sweat ran down his face and his eyes came into focus.

He realized she was there, standing before him with her eyes glossy and brimming with all the hurt she had towards him.

"M-mei-mei?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes and staring at her once again. She was standing by his bed, crying.

Why was she crying?

"What…?" he couldn't formulate words, couldn't understand what was happening.

Hadn't he just killed her?
"Enishi…" she said in a quiet gasp, "I can't…I…."

She slumped down, resting her head on the edge of his bed as she sat on the floor, crying into his sheets. He watched as her shoulders shook and listened to her ragged breath.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows. This unnerved him more than she realized. He didn't want to see her cry, not after he had just killed her…

Actually, he just didn't want to see her cry. He never wanted to see her cry.

She looked up at him, face tear streaked. He could see her anxiety, the confusion he had mirrored in her eyes.

He shifted to the side of the bed and pulled her up gently by her shoulders as she stared at him. She was at eye level with him, and they gazed at each other, noting how lost they both felt.

He leaned in and kissed her, his lips touching hers awkwardly at first, but then forming to fit hers as she kissed back. He felt her surprise, almost as tangibly as his.

They pulled apart and stared at each other, eyes wide in disbelief.

He held her head in his hands, just realizing this as she let out a shaky breath. The touch of her skin on the tips of his fingers was so real, more real than anything he had felt since his sister was alive.

He loved his sister, but Mei-Mei…

He wanted her in a different way, not as a mother or guardian, but as…

He leaned in and kissed her again, and this time she responded more eagerly. She reached up and stroked the side of his face with her fingers as she pulled herself closer to him.

They broke apart and hovered inches in front of each other, breathing each other's breath as their noses brushed against each other.

Her eyes were closed, as if believing this was a dream but willing to suspend her disbelief. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek, then again, and again, and again…

He couldn't help smiling as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as they both fell on the bed.

He hovered above her, unsure of what to do as a fresh tear trailed its way down her face. He wiped it away with his thumb, waiting for a response from her.

He had promised not to lie with her, and he would keep that promise if she wished it.

He looked steadily into her eyes as she gazed back.

The harsh gaze he remembered was gone, replaced by a soft expression that was unfamiliar to him as she stared back up at him.

He leaned in and kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around him…

Present

She opened the ragged book, flipping to the first page eagerly. To her disappointment, however, it was written in Japanese, and she could read Japanese just as well as she could read English.

She frowned, but continued to flip through the small book, indifferent to the fact that she couldn't comprehend a thing that was writing within it.

She stopped at one page, her eyes widening slightly as she touched a tiny pressed petal. It was small and tear shaped, a soft pink even though it was completely dried out, and she wondered what flower it had come from.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice growled. A spark of fear ran through her body, from the tips of her toes up to the back of her neck where her hair was standing on end. She turned her head to see that Enishi was awake, his usually stoic blue eyes livid with anger.

"GIVE ME THAT!" he roared as he lunged for the book. She didn't resist and let him have it, falling back. "Never," he hissed, "touch this again, or I'll kill you."

She stared at him, her face completely different from the placid and indifferent one she usually wore as she let out a shaky breath.

She had never been so scared of him before…

She knew he would honor his promise if she ever did take the book again, she could see that in the way he glared at her as he sat back with the notebook clutched tightly close to his chest.

She knew it was something of incomprehensible value to him, either good or bad, and it was able to disturb him so greatly that he was capable of killing over it.

She stood up and ran away, feeling desperation over not knowing what had happened to him…

Note: Y'know, I would've updated sooner, but I was on a quest for world peace and eternal love, so my time was in high demand…

Okay, so I haven't exactly been on a life changing journey, and I know I haven't updated since…December, apparently.

I'M SO SORRY!

I'm gonna avoid the usual excuses, however, and will simply promise that I will try harder. I wanna finish this fic, if anything, along with my other Sano/OC fic. If I don't, well….

I try not to think about that.

I WILL FINISH THIS FIC! COUNT ON IT!

Anyways, who has been looking forward to something like this happening? I've been leading up to a mushy moment like this for forever! It makes me happy that I finally got here. :D

Thank you for sticking with me so far. I appreciate it so much, you have no idea! I like this story, I really do, and I only hope people will be around to read it, because then it'll make it that much more rewarding to spend time and write it down!

And to Fairy Mage, thank you, you've done so much for me.

Please review and make me feel special, because we all need that sometimes…

Free peeps for all of you! XD