Aneka watched a series of expressions play across Sanosuke’s face as they headed back to his place. She smiled. He was a good friend to worry about their wellbeing so much. Meddlesome yes, but still it was a small price to pay.

She sighed. The situation was an odd one, now that she’d pried more information out of Sanosuke. Apparently there was a history between Enishi and Kenshin. Enishi… the name fit him well. Aneka tried to throw the image of him aside as it kept popping up in her mind.

After having met all the characters in the play (or at least knowing of all of them anyway) she was kind of nervous about her own performance. She felt a little guilty about trying to take someone away from Enishi and pairing them up with someone else. If kenshin wasn’t such a nice guy she’d probably feel even worse about it.

Of course if she was a different kind of person she’d have used the opportunity to steal Enishi for herself. Aneka frowned. As if anyone would choose her over someone as pretty as Kaoru. Aneka stared at the ground in front of her feet as she continued walking. No matter, If this plan worked, it would only be because they would have gotten together eventually anyway.

Jealousy only works if you want what the other person has. Aneka smiled wryly, yes, she knew that well. Despite her hate of the petty emotion it did pop up where it wasn’t wanted every so often.

She’d have to see how the triangle of new people interacted with each other first though, before she could get anywhere. If only she could become a shadow for a day.

“I want to learn more about Enishi” she said to Sanosuke suddenly, before she even realized what she was about to say.  Sano looked at  her startled, and the very faintest beginnings of suspicion in his eyes. Aneka quickly spoke up to wipe that away. “It’ll help, to know more about the people involved.” She smiled weakly. Her only hope was that Sanosuke would have no reason to suspect her attraction to his enemy.

Sano’s expression relaxed. He really had the most expressive eyes, Aneka thought as she tilted her head slightly sideways looking at him.

“Ah, Enishi is the younger brother of Kenshin’s wife.” He said, looking ahead. Aneka stopped suddenly.

“Kenshin is married?!” she asked “Then how coul-”

“She died” Sano interrupted abruptly. Aneka closed her mouth with a snap and looked at the ground. “Anyway” Sano continued gruffly “due to certain circumstances, Enishi blamed Kenshin for his sisters death and tried to kill him, very nearly succeeding.” Aneka looked up at Sanosuke, surprised.

“You say it  like it’s a normal occurrence!” she exclaimed. Sano winced.

“It is” he said a little painfully mumbling something afterwards and trailing off. Aneka blinked and waited for him to repeat it. He didn’t.

“What was that?” she asked curiously. Sano looked at her a little bitterly before he looked away again. Aneka felt her stomach fall at his expression. She had a feeling that she’d hate to have him mad at her… although she wasn’t sure why, as she didn’t think he’d ever hurt her.

“I said” he restated quietly “At one time even I tried to kill him.”

“A misunderstanding right?” Aneka asked, hiding her surprise. What kind of people were they, that surrounded Kenshin? Sanosuke nodded.

“You could say that.” He smiled fondly afterwards “He’s an extraordinary person.”

“So what Enishi did was  a misunderstanding too. Like you?” Aneka prodded inquisitively.

“NO!” Sanosuke replied, a little more vehemently than he’d intended “It’s not at all the same” he said softly afterwards. Aneka suspected it was, and he just didn’t see it.

“I see…” she said, perhaps seeing too much. “Did Kaoru try to kill him once too?” Aneka said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.  It worked. Sano grinned lopsidedly.

“Matter o fact, she did” Sano said humorously, launching enthusiastically into the story of how Kaoru and Kenshin met.  Aneka smiled at the energetic gleam in his eyes. She wished she had a friend like Kenshin had in Sano.

                                                *            *            *            *         

Kaoru sat in the dojo after Sano and the girl left, puzzling over something that was bothering her. She didn’t doubt that Sanosuke’s story was true… but there was something more that he wasn’t telling her. She winced, or maybe he had told her, she thought, remembering that she’d ignored him for a good portion of the time.

She groaned, knowing the wondering was going to bother her a great deal before she figured out whatever it was that she hadn’t heard. The main problem was weather or not she’d ever figure it out. There was a good chance she wouldn’t.

A movement from the doorway startled her and her heartbeat leaped from her chest to her throat until she looked up, finding Enishi staring down at her with an amused look on his face.

“Did I startle you?” He said, the deep voice disturbing her more that his sudden appearance had. He rarely talked to her, or anyone for that matter. It was interesting that he would do so now. She looked at him quizzically as she answered.

“I suppose you did” she said looking up at him. He sat down next to her in one smooth motion, staring out in the direction she’d been looking, as he rested one arm over an upraised knee. Kaoru found herself staring at that arm. It was no more than a few inches from her shoulder, and his nearness almost sent a shudder through her, but she caught it.

Even relaxed, she noticed, his muscles in his arm were well defined, and the tendons were there, just barely beneath the surface of his skin it seemed. She could just imagine the way they moved with the rest of him, and she almost went cross-eyed considering  how those hands would feel on her skin.

Warm, not quite rough but well seasoned hands. His hands were large, but not beefy or thick, they were well sculpted. She imagined that just the slightest touch from him would spread like wildfire through the rest of her body. She felt her face go red and was glad he wasn’t looking at her.

“Ahh” she started, clearing her throat “How are things going with Jin” she said, more to fill the too-comfortable silence then out of actual curiosity. Enishi smiled, Kaoru more felt it than saw it out of the corner of her eye, though she didn’t  understand how that could be the case.

“He’s an interesting boy” Enishi said with an amused tone. Contrary to Kaoru’s belief, he had seen her blushing, which was the cause of his amusement rather than the subject at hand. He would have wondered what she was thinking about, but he was already pretty sure he knew.

The tension in the room was easily readable, for anyone who made a practice of reading other people’s thoughts by noting their behavior. If Kenshin had been in the room, he would have been able to tell as well. That caused a wider grin to stretch across Enishi’s face. Now that would be an interesting situation. He almost wished his rival, although not much of one, would walk in right now.

But that would cause Kaoru to be uncomfortable in a way that wouldn’t benefit him or her, so it was just as well his red-haired brother in law wouldn’t.

Kaoru of course, automatically thought the grin on Enishi’s face was a result of her question.

“Interesting?” she asked, fishing for more details. Enishi nodded, then paused as if pondering something.

“Well, maybe not so much right now, but he will be long before I’m done with him.” He said in the way of an explanation. Kaoru tilted her head to the side in askance. She got no response. She sighed and looked once more ahead of her, that damned companionable silence overtaking the space between once more. She fought back another shudder. There was, after all, such a thing as being too comfortable.

                                                *            *            *            *

The peculiar air circulating between Enishi and Kaoru didn’t go entirely unnoticed by a third party… but it just so happened that it was Yahiko that stumbled upon it. He almost shook with rage, he’d noticed similar feelings between Kenshin and Kaoru before, but never this intense. The air was almost stuffy with it, and he wasn’t even in the same room.

He had the urge to jump in the room and gnaw on Enishi’s skull, but he was quite certain that the bastard could easily deflect such a simple attack. Sometimes he wondered at the fact that Sanosuke didn’t seem to be able to. Perhaps he just didn’t see the point in bothering.

Yahiko clenched his teeth as he sat there watching them peacefully sit together, wondering what he could do about it. Nothing really, as far as he could tell. The only other person who really had any say in it was Kenshin. Damn. Kenshin was far to passive, he’d probably just sit and watch while Enishi took off with his girl.

Footsteps plodded muted on the gravel-like dirt behind him. Without looking to see who it was, Yahiko yanked the approacher down with him before attention could be drawn to him.

“Arhphh” came a muffled cry from the ambushed Jin as Yahiko covered his mouth with a hand.

“Quiet!” Yahiko hissed to the older boy. Jin blinked at Yahiko and then glanced over at the couple.

“Why” he whispered back

“I’m trying to think” Yahiko answered distractedly.

“Ah… well I’m sure for you that requires a lot of silence and concentration, but I need to ask Enishi something before I leave.” Jin stated sarcastically as he started to rise and go on his way. Yahiko practically mowed him into the ground

“Don-!” he started to yell before correcting himself and whispering harshly “Stay here! You’ll ruin everything”

“What, are you waiting for Enishi and his lover to get it on? You pervert” Yahiko glared sharply at Jin.

“She’s not” he said biting out each word separately “his lover” Jin blinked in response, glancing from Yahiko to Enishi, to Kaoru and back again.