Chapter 13: Bandages

It wasn't something that made sense to him. There was no rationality.

What was it?

He knew better than anyone how weak human flesh was. He knew what cold steel could do to the body of any person. He knew what it was to kill with weapons of iron and he knew how quickly a life could end with the swipe of a sword or a blast of a pistol.

He knew this, but he still urged his feet to pound the ground under to propel him forward. His blood surged in his ears and energy pulsed through his limbs, making the "frenzied nerves" emerge for the second time in months.

He knew how this encounter would end: with metal pressed against skin and blood smeared on the body.

But it wouldn't be her body.

As he lunged forward, he pushed her out of the way. His body was moving with such superhuman speed that the attacker barely had time to register the oncoming human bullet. It was too late to reconsider his assault, and his two swords drove on as if on a personal mission of their own.

Enishi knew what the outcome would be. His skin seared as if the sword that drove through him was coated in acid; he could feel the spray of dust caused in the mayhem pelt his face and he could count the changing wrinkles on the other man's face as they shifted into a look of shock.

Their eyes met in a brief moment. The assassin's stunned expression was met by one of Enishi's fierce glares. An instant later Enishi's fist had met with the man's face, launching him backwards with a stream of blood gushing out behind him, leaving an arc in the air that would fall and splatter the ground.

Enishi's own blood mixed with his attacker's on the ground as it gushed out from around the sword lodged in his side. He grimaced, looking down at his wound disdainfully. With the slightest flicker of a wince, he pulled the sword out and threw it to the ground unceremoniously.

"Wh-what…?" the assassin gasped, getting up from the ground as the blood of his face crusted with dust. He was looking at Enishi incredulously, but such a look of surprise quickly gave way to one of fury.

It was nothing compared to the seething anger on Enishi's own face.

"Bastard," Enishi growled, striding over to the assassin, who was desperately trying to locate one of his nearby swords. Enishi only stomped on one of his outstretched hands, however, digging his heel in as the man let out a howl of pain. Enishi then picked him up by the front of his shirt and punched him brutally, causing more blood and pieces of the man's teeth to fly onto the ground. "You're going to regret the day you laid a hand on her."

He lifted his hand once more, ready to deal another cruel blow to the struggling man when he heard a strained voice call out to him.

"E-enishi…" Mei-mei flinched, her voice shaking. "P-please… stop…" Enishi's hand was still hovering in the air, poised to inflict some serious damage as he looked at Mei-mei's pleading face from the corner of his eye.

He looked back to the barely conscious man hanging in his grip, then slowly lowered his fist. He shoved the assassin backwards, causing him to fall into a dejected heap at his feet.

Enishi knelt down, grabbing a fistful of the man's hair, and pulled up his face so they could see eye-to-eye.

"I don't plan on killing you," he hissed, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "But if you ever come near Mei-mei or me ever again, I swear I will make you wish you had never lived your pitiful life just so I could tear you limb from limb."

The assassin's usually narrow and cattish eyes were wide with horror, blood still running down his face messily as he coughed and spat it up. Enishi pushed him back roughly, causing him to fall on his back painfully as the white-haired man stood up, a menacing stare still on his face.

Finally, Enishi turned away, walking to where Mei-mei was still lying after she had been pushed away by him. He knelt down, ignoring the steady trickle of blood from his side as he watched hers stain the dirt around her body.

He felt panic well within him, his eyes darting to the injuries around her body as his nerves shrunk back to their normal size. She watched him quietly for a moment, as if withholding judgment, until his gaze finally rested on her own. They stared at each other, his eyes frantic and afraid as her gaze remained cool and steady.

She smiled, letting out a shaky chuckle as she gave in to her exhaustion, her heavy eyelids finally dropping.

He shouted her name, but she didn't open her eyes.

Past

It was a miracle anyone even spoke to Enishi in the following months. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that such communication was necessary to run such a large organization, no sane person would have even dared to cross his path.

All his subordinates tiptoed around him, as if playing a dangerous game with a sleeping tiger that would have no second thoughts about sinking his teeth into their necks if they had the slightest of mishaps.

It was a drastic change from the relatively peaceful and calmer boss they had enjoyed for the past few months now. His usual steely demeanor was now replaced with a constant air of unpredictable fury.

No one knew for whom the intense anger was truly meant for.

Present

"Hey, hey, come on!" Yutarou exclaimed, waving his hand for emphasis, "You gotta put in more effort if you want to get better! I've seen old farts swing their canes with more exertion than you!"

The young boy he was addressing gulped, nodding in response as he repositioned himself. He swung his shinai down once more with enough force to make the wind whistle around the bamboo sword. As he reached the end of the swing, however, the shinai flew out of his grip, shooting straight to where Yahiko was standing as he observed a couple other students.

With a yelp of surprise Yahiko jumped away just in time, the training sword clattering to the ground loudly.

"What kind of swordsman loses the grip of his sword in the middle of a swing?" Yahiko yelled as he regained his footing. The boy blanched, hanging his head in embarrassment as Yahiko turned to Yutarou, "And aren't you supposed to be helping him instead of counting your toes, idiot?"

"Hey!" Yutarou stood up defensively, "It's not as if I…"

"Yahiko-san, Yutarou-san!" a student yelled out, running through the open door to the two boys. "Th-there's a man here! And—and he's carrying a girl…!"

"Eh?" Yahiko and Yutarou both said, cocking their eyebrows questioningly at the wide-eyed pupil.

"There's so much blood!" the boy exclaimed frantically, as if that would clarify everything. Yutarou and Yahiko instantly got up and ran outside, calling for Kaoru and Kenshin as they did so.

Screeching to a halt in front of the gate, both their jaws dropped in horror as they took in the appearance of the people in front of them.

"Wha…?" was all Yutarou was able to mutter as he stared at the white-haired man with the haggard expression. He was carrying Mei-mei, her head resting at the crook of his neck with a pained expression on her face. His arms were covered in what Yutarou guessed was her blood, seeing as her clothes were torn and stained with the gashes around her body. Mei-mei's eyes were closed, and judging by how limp she was Yutarou guessed she was unconscious.

"What did you do to her?" Yutarou cried before he could stop himself. He instantly regretted it as the man winced with something akin to shame. Yutarou hadn't meant to insinuate that he had done anything to hurt Mei-mei; it was really just more of an emotional outburst.

"Enishi!" a voice behind them gasped. Kaoru was running towards the scene, her eyes wide with horror and Kenshin following closely behind, a serious expression on his usually cheerful face. "What happened?"

"Can you help her?" was all Enishi said, his messy white bangs hanging over his eyes.

"Yahiko, run to the clinic and get Megumi!" Kaoru ordered, running to Enishi to inspect the girl in his arms. "Hurry!" Yahiko nodded and bolted out of the dojo, a plume of dust left hovering in the air where he had been standing.

"Kenshin, get a futon ready," Kaoru said, her eyebrows knit with worry. Kenshin nodded and disappeared as well. She turned to Yutarou, "Boil some water and rags, quickly!"

"Will she be okay?" Yutarou asked hesitantly.

"She will be if you hurry!" Kaoru snapped impatiently. Yutarou only nodded as he ran to the kitchen, his mind still on the trails of Mei-mei's blood on Enishi's arms.

-

Enishi was sitting outside on the walkway, his head buried in his arms with his legs drawn up to his chest. He was breathing heavily, as if trying to contain his emotions was physically draining. Kenshin was seated across from him, his back resting on a post with his sakabatou leaning against his shoulder.

The screen opened and Megumi walked out holding a bin of steaming water and a pack of bandages, closing the shoji briskly behind her. Enishi stood up immediately, towering over the doctor with a grim expression.

"Is she alright?" he asked, his voice almost a growl.

Megumi refused to feel threatened, however, as she brushed a stray lock from her face, "We're trying our best. Kaoru's wrapping her wounds now and we've managed to stop the bleeding."

"Then she'll live, right?" Enishi said, leaning towards the doctor menacingly. "You're going to make sure she lives, because if you don't, I swear I'll…" His fists were clenched and his teeth bared, but Megumi only frowned at him irritably.

Before he was able to articulate his threat, Megumi slapped him across the face with her free hand. His eyes were almost round with shock, his cheek taking on a red tint as he touched it gingerly with the tips of his fingers.

"Stop acting like a petulant child," Megumi replied briskly, "I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. I'm doing all I can." Enishi turned away as he lowered his head and grit his teeth with frustration.

Megumi's expression softened at his obvious concern, "She's lost a lot of blood, but she seems to be doing fine now. All she needs is rest and medicine to provide her with some essential nutrients." Enishi didn't reply, his fists shaking as his nails dug into the palms of his skin. Megumi sighed, then said, "I came to check on you. You're also wounded and have probably lost substantial amounts of blood as well."

"I'm fine," Enishi hissed, his back still turned to her. "Will you just go take care of her?"

"I already told you, stop acting like a child," Megumi snapped. "If she wakes up and finds you've died because you refused treatment because of her, how do you think she'll feel? Now sit down, I'm going to check your wounds." Enishi didn't respond for a minute, his entire body tense as Megumi stared at his back expectantly. Finally, he plopped down, crossing his legs and setting his palms on his knees.

Megumi knelt down without a word as he pulled his arms out of the sleeves of his cotton kimono. She grimaced at the hole in his side, the quickly began to clean it with a rag and water.

A few minutes later she got up and stepped back inside. Enishi did nothing, his cut bandaged and cleaned as he sat silently. Kenshin was watching him mutedly, noticing how his shoulders shook slightly in the failing light of the late afternoon.

"How did this happen?" Kenshin finally asked quietly. Enishi said nothing, his shoulders still shaking as the shadows inched further and minutes passed. Kenshin waited, sitting calmly on the walkway with the quiet hum of the ending day.

"It was because of me," Enishi finally stated in a hoarse voice.

Kenshin nodded slightly, then said, "Don't blame yourself."

"Who else is there to blame?" he snapped.

Kenshin didn't reply, his soft gaze on the young man who was burying his face in his hands seated before him.

"Nee-san…"

The former-rurouni felt his heart ache as Enishi continued to suffer quietly, lost in the fear of losing the woman he loved. Kenshin frowned, feeling anxiety itch at his chest. Enishi had already lost something precious, something he couldn't protect…

He prayed such a thing wouldn't happen again.

Past

The young woman worked quietly and diligently, performing the simple duties she was hired to do without a word of protest.

The other women tended to avoid her as the quiet impression of the girl was rather unnerving. Still, no one had any real complaints about her. She was pleasant enough to talk to when necessary, but still remained distant so as not to be a bother.

There was only a slight ripple of disturbance when she disappeared one morning, weeks after she had first arrived.

The curiosity surrounding the peculiar girl's sudden disappearance from the small town smoothed over in just a matter of days, and soon she managed to slip out of people's minds entirely.

Present

She wondered if this is what it would feel like to have lead pumping through your veins. Her arms felt like bricks and even her thoughts were muddy and slow. Her chest was heavy and it was hard to breathe, and it took too much energy to open her eyes…

Maybe she had died? She had never felt like this before, and she had been on the brink of death many times before…

"Mei-mei?" a muffled voice queried. She titled her head to the side, towards where she thought the voice was, but suddenly felt as if her head had done a summersault and was now rolling in a sickening manner. She felt herself pale and she resisted the urge to throw up.

"Mei-mei! Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

She didn't try moving her head again, this time cracking her eyes open slightly. Everything was blurry and dark for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the light. Suddenly it was as if the sun had leaped into her vision, and she winced and shut her eyes once more.

"Ah, sorry!" she heard Yutarou blow out the candle as she lifted her heavy eyelids. He was looking down at her with a grin, almost goofy, clearly relieved that she was awake.

"Wh-where…?" she croaked, feeling as if her throat was as thin as a reed. She coughed, making her head pound, as she tried to clear it.

"You're at the dojo," Yutarou replied, not waiting for her to finish. "Megumi-sensei's fixed your wounds and you seem to be doing a lot better. You've been asleep for almost a day and a half now."

She blinked blearily at him in reply, then mumbled, "Enishi…?"

His face fell slightly, but he quickly covered it up with a calm smile, "He's sleeping right now. But he's fine, don't worry." She looked up at him thankfully, her face tired as she felt herself drifting back to sleep.

"It's okay," he said as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open. "Just rest, you'll be better soon."

Her mind blurred as she slipped back into the comfortable darkness where she could escape her heavy limbs and sore mind, resting peacefully.

-

"How are you feeling?" Kaoru asked, a worried frown on her face. He didn't reply, sitting cross-legged on the back walkway with a dark expression. Kaoru sighed, feeling as if she hadn't seen him move in all the time he had been staying at the dojo.

"She's been awake since noon, you know that, right?" Kaoru asked, her tone becoming sharper as her frown deepened. He still didn't reply. "Well?" Kaoru snorted, feeling her anger mount at the unresponsive man. "Aren't you going to go see her?"

"Shut up," Enishi snapped, not looking at her. He stood up and jumped off the walkway, beginning to walk away as Kaoru kept herself from tackling him down.

He was injured. She couldn't tackle an injured person.

Still…

"Enishi," she heard someone say before she could come up with a clear resolution. Kenshin was standing in front of Enishi, blocking his way. He had a stern look in his face.

"We need to talk," he told the younger man. Enishi almost visibly growled as he glared at the swordsman. Kenshin met his gaze evenly, a similarly fierce expression on his face. "This one is not letting you leave until you listen to him. Come."

He began walking away, and after a moment Enishi followed him, much to Kaoru's surprise. She sighed heavily as they both turned around a corner, feeling weighed down by the thick atmosphere surrounding the dojo. She was frustrated, but she knew Kenshin could handle Enishi better.

She sighed once more, turning and walking the opposite way.

-

"What do you want, Battousai?" Enishi scowled, sitting across from Kenshin in the sitting room. Kenshin only picked up his cup of steaming tea and sipped calmly from it, causing a tick of impatience to rise in Enishi.

Finally, he set down the cup, resting it in his palm, "Enishi, you need to stop punishing yourself."

Enishi chewed on the inside of his cheek furiously, his fist clenched defensively, "Don't tell me what to do."

Kenshin nodded, "This one understands that, Enishi, but this one also doesn't think he can sit here and watch you do this to yourself."

"I don't need your pity, Battousai," Enishi hissed. "And I don't need you to appease your guilt by trying to help me."

Kenshin looked back at Enishi evenly, "This one is trying to help you as a man who also hurt someone he loved, who lost someone he loved." Enishi tensed as he warily studied the older man before him. "But you haven't lost her yet, Enishi, she's still there for you."

Enishi grimaced, looking away, "I already told you, you don't need you to tell me such things." Enishi glanced at Kenshin, only to look away again, adding, "I've already put her in this situation too many times before. It's enough."

"Enishi," Kenshin said, his voice soft, "I know I'm probably not the person you'd like to be with right now, but I am willing to listen if you are willing to talk."

Enishi didn't reply, and minutes crawled by in silence. Kenshin sat with the cooling cup of tea in his hands as Enishi remained frigid and motionless. There was the steady tick of the clock as random sounds from outside filtered in occasionally.

"I never asked her to help me," Enishi muttered after what felt like an eternity. Kenshin looked up at the young man to see that he was covering his eyes with one hand, his other clenched tightly in a shaking fist. "But she did. And every time she did, it seems I only managed to hurt her more. God dammit…"

-

The night was soft, a clear sky holding a bald moon that lit the crisp world below. The shadows played off each other and made the room, the walls, the shouji, everything, look surreal and imagined. But he knew he would never have imagined such a predicament. This was real.

He was sitting beside her, watching her sleep. She was heavily bandaged, and he winced every time he thought about each new scar that would be imbedded into her skin.

All because of him.

"You have to forgive yourself, Enishi."

He just spent two-and-a-half hours talking to his sister's killer. He just stripped himself and his past with Mei-mei to a man whom he hardly knew. To a man he hated.

He hated…

He couldn't hate Himura Kenshin, not anymore. The battle with him was enough to break his resolve, but, even more so, he could understand what had driven his sister to die for such a man. He had felt it as he had charged in front of Mei-mei, regardless of what could've happened to him.

He felt a shoot of pain go through his chest. He knew what it was…

He remembered the diary that was now sitting in the room Kaoru had let him stay in. He felt a lump clog up his throat.

He didn't want to read it. He didn't want to realize that his sister really had fallen in love with Battousai.

He clenched his fists. Sister…

Back in Rakuninmura, he had nothing left, nothing to live for. The only thing he was holding on for was his sister.

Tomoe would not want him to die. Not before it was his time.

His body lived almost by sheer will for months. He couldn't remember how he got to Rakuninmura, or how he got food, or how he had survived the winter, but he knew he managed to keep living just to appease his sister. There was no other reason.

Then Mei-mei found him.

He ate for her. He bathed for her. He rested for her. And when he thought she had left, he just wanted to die all over again.

But she was still here.

He reached down and stroked her hand tentatively, and when she just kept sleeping he slipped it into his own. It felt like decades had passed before he had felt the warmth of her skin against his. Had that really been only ten years ago?

"Why haven't you come to see me sooner?" she whispered softly. He looked at her face to see that her eyes were open, gazing at him sadly.

"I…" he began, but his voice died in his throat. He looked away and made to pull his hand away from hers, but she held onto it tightly.

"You saved my life," she mumbled. He glanced at her just as she turned away. "Thank you." She let go of his hand, pulling hers out of his and letting it fall to her side.

He hung his head, feeling frustrated, "How can you say that to me after what happened? If it weren't for me, you never even would have…" He shook his head at himself, "I nearly got you killed." Those words were painful, almost as if they had scraped along the lining of his throat on their way out of his chest. She stared at him, then slowly pushed herself up with her elbow, wincing with the pain of sitting. She ignored the protests from her body, now looking at him evenly from the same height.

"Don't take all the credit," she said sternly, her eyes locked on his. "I'm the one stubborn enough to chase after a man long after he's gone. If I had any common sense I would've stayed in China."

"Why didn't you?" Enishi asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at her.

The contrast of the shadows on her face as she shifted from a frown to a smile was amazing. "It's alright if you really don't know. Don't worry, I'll be going back soon anyway. And then you can…" Her smile faltered and she turned away again, a bittersweet expression still on her face.

Enishi watched her silently, fighting the desire to bolt out of the room and out the gate, anywhere away from this woman who could make him suffer just by changing her expression.

"You should've been gone a long time ago," he muttered. "It would've been better if I had just let you run away that first night."

"Do you really think that?" He looked back at her with surprise, but she just sighed. "Do you really wish none of this would have happened?"

He was quiet, his mind mulling over the clashing responses in his head. He knit his eyebrows, "You're hurt."

She smiled once more, "Of course. I've been hurt for a long time, Enishi."

He turned away, "I haven't forgotten what I did to you fifteen years ago. I took that family. I remember."

Her face fell as she recalled the Japanese family in Shanghai from so long ago.

"Why didn't you kill me?" he asked earnestly, his eyes flickering to her face.

She almost snorted quietly, "I wanted to, believe me."

"Then why…?"

"Things don't always go to plan," she cut in. "You know that." He bit his lip. He did know that. There were too many failed plots in his past.

"I didn't want to get attached to you, Enishi," she whispered, her eyes gazing into his. "But I couldn't help it. Can you understand that?"

"I…" he trailed off, feeling as if his head was suddenly buzzing painfully. He frowned, pushing his palm against his temple in frustration.

"You look angry," she said.

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because you're a fool." There was a moment of silence, but then he heard her begin to laugh quietly.

"I know," she chuckled, "I know that better than you can imagine."

"Stop it," he growled back at her mocking words.

"No," she stated simply. He glared at her, but she kept her gaze steady, a flicker of amusement apparent in her eyes. She sighed, "Don't mope, Enishi."

"I'm not moping," he snapped back. Her smile widened. She lifted her hand and reached up, stroking his cheek with her finger tips tenderly. His eyes were wide with shock, but she only continued stroking his face, running her fingers through his hair as well.

He felt the fear of losing her rise back up in him, the guilt of having pushed her away, almost as if he was back in that split moment where he thought she was really going to die.

"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely. She brushed the tear from his face, ignoring the ones that were welling in her own eyes.

She laughed shakily, but couldn't respond otherwise. She felt her mouth refuse to remain as the smile it was, and she could feel her chest clench with the effort of keeping in her sobs. The hand by his face was shaking, but he took it in his own and pressed it against his face.

She blinked, clearing her vision of the watery tears as they dripped down her face. He leaned closer to her, still holding her hand as he lowered it. Now he cupped her face in his free hand as she continued to shake with her muffled sobs.

Their faces met with wet cheeks brushing against each other. Their kiss was laced with the taste of salt. He wrapped his arms gently around her waist, but when she winced he flinched in surprise as well, breaking their kiss.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled abashedly. He only looked back at her before he pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touching as he closed his eyes. They breathed in at the same time as they got as close as their injuries would allow.

"I'm the one that's apologizing," he muttered. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel her lips smiling.

"Really?" she whispered with amusement.

"Yes," he replied seriously. They opened their eyes to gaze at each other, "I swear I'll never let you get hurt again."

"How noble," she chuckled. He wasn't sure if he was hearing sarcasm or not, but when more tears fell down her face as she closed her eyes blissfully he felt his heart warm, knowing hearing him say that had made her happy. They both smiled as she leaned in, pressing her lips against his affectionately.

They lay down facing each other, wishing they could be closer but unable to forget the bandages wrapped around their bodies. He reached for her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She smiled joyfully, amazed at the level of ecstasy she had reached. A flutter of fear that comes from being desperately happy passed through her, but his reassuring gaze let it die down to a harmless murmur.

They lay like that for several serene and quiet minutes. She felt herself begin to slip away, her eyes closing of their own accord. She didn't fight it. She knew he would be there when she woke up the next morning.

Just before she fell completely into her dreams, she heard him whisper:

"I love you."

She grinned blearily, squeezing his hand, "Me too…"

They fell asleep smiling.

Notes: So, yeah… IT HASN'T BEEN FIVE MILLION YEARS!

Isn't that wonderful? I think it's wonderful. I'm posting this chapter relatively guilt free (yay!).

There's a few loose ends to tie up, but we're almost to the end. Can you believe it's been two years since I first posted this? Jesus, time goes waaaay too fast. Fun times, tho'.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please keep reviewing! PLEASE!!

thanks, guys :)