It was three weeks ago when Kaoru had arrived at her destination; a large estate in the northern mountains. Following the attendants from the car, she looked towards the vast apple orchards and surrounding garden landscaping. “Tsukayama-san owns this entire place… Wow…it’s like a castle…”

“Kamiya-san, this way.” an attendant said, leading her inside. Kaoru bent down to take off her shoes, but the attendant simply stopped her. “There’s no need.”

She was frantic. “But the white carpet!”

“We have it cleaned daily. It’s really all right.” he replied, taking her coat and suitcase. “Tsukayama-sama is waiting for you beyond those doors. I’ll take this to your room.”

“But…!” Kaoru really didn’t want to be left alone but the attendant had left already. ‘Okay, don’t be nervous! This is a good opportunity. Here goes…’ She slowly walked towards the tall double doors up ahead and knocked. “Shitsureishimasu…”

“Kaoru-san,” Tsukayama said, getting up from his seat, “Thank you for coming all this way.” She nodded slowly; the train ride was long and she had fallen asleep on the way. It had been about five hours since she left Kyoto. Outside, it was dusk. She felt tired even but managed to move still. She hadn’t heard all the details yet. “Ano… Tsukayama-san, about the job…”

“The truth is that I want you to teach my son Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.” he replied. She suddenly went blank - this was the job? Tsukayama paced around the room, still talking, “If you do take it, you’d of course have to follow where ever we go and personally teach Yutaro every day. You will be allowed to make your schedules and take whatever breaks you wish. I’ll make sure we’ll take good care of you. Anything you ask, we’ll give it. Just say ‘yes’ so you can get started right away.”

“Eto…” Kaoru was lost for words. This was the perfect opportunity no less. But this would mean she would have to live in this luxurious environment with servants and everything. Not to mention, she would be paid an enormous salary just to teach one student. It was all too good to be true. She turned towards Tsukayama and said, “H-Hai, I accept!”

“Wonderful! I’m so glad you accepted. Please go ahead to the room we’ve prepared for you and make yourself at home. You will be able to meet Yutaro and start teaching tomorrow.”

* * *
Kaoru had taken a long nap on the king sized bed in her room. It was strange not sleeping on a futon, but she really liked it. There was so much room, she was able to stretch out all her limbs, staring up at the white ceiling, ‘I must be in heaven!’ Her joy faded as images of her ‘family’ back home filled her mind, ‘Minna… you’re so far away…’ She hugged her pillow tightly, ‘Kenshin…’

An attendant had come by and knocked on the door, telling her it was dinnertime. She followed the attendant down the staircase to the dining hall. She saw the long table set with foods of all kinds on it. She went to sit down, and quickly put her napkin on her lap. Tsukayama was sitting on the end and there was a boy across from her. He was looking directly at her with slant eyes.

“You must be Yutaro.”

“This girl is supposed to be my new instructor?” he said, as if ignoring her, “Really, Father, is this the best you could find?”

Tsukayama replied, “Now, Yutaro, don’t be rude. Kaoru-san is very skilled. She comes from a very good lineage. I’m sure she will do a fine job teaching you. Now, please introduce yourself to her properly.”

“Yes, Otou-sama.” he said, turning his head towards Kaoru. “My name is Tsukayama Yutaro. Pleased to make you acquaintance Kamiya-sensei.”

Kaoru waved her hands. “No, you don’t have to call me that. Kaoru’s fine.”

Yutaro relaxed a bit. “All right… Kaoru-san. You will teach me kenjutsu?” With a smile she nodded. At last she had student for her teachings.

* * *
The next morning, Kaoru woke by constant knocking on her door. “Hmm?” she muttered into her pillow, “Who the heck?” She tiredly rubbed her eyes and rolled out of bed. The clock on the dresser read 5:30 AM. That was earlier than she ever had to get up for any of her other jobs. Sighing, she put on her robe and opened the door.

“Ohayou gozaimasu, Kaoru-san.” Yutaro said, wearing a traditional training hakama. “I’d like to begin right away if you don’t mind.”

“The sun isn’t up yet…” she yawned, “People shouldn’t either. Just go back to sleep…”

He showed a sudden look of eagerness. “But I want to learn!”

She hesitated. “Oh all right… just give me a few minutes to get ready.” He suddenly held up a traditional hakama in her size. Her eyes popped open, “YOU’RE KIDDING!?” He shook his head. Sighing, she accepted the hakama and closed the door to change.

Afterwards, the two went outside. They walked off the grounds of the mansion and into the apple orchard. Kaoru was beginning to wake up as the sun was rising.

“Ne, Yutaro-kun, aren’t you hungry?” she muttered.

He stopped and stared at her, just as a loud noise erupted from her stomach. “You obviously are the one hungry, Kaoru-san.”

“Mou… you can’t train without something in your system!” With that, she climbed up one of the tree, grabbing hold of two apples, “Saa! Catch, Yutaro-kun!”

Yutaru held out his hands as the red apple landed. Staring down at it, he smiled slightly, “Arigatou…” They ate the apples as they continued their walk. Finally, they arrived at a long staircase. “Let’s go.” he said, leading the way.

“Masaka…” she gasped, “All the way up there?”

By the time they reached the top, Kaoru was panting. She hadn’t climbed so many stairs in all her life. She saw that even Yutaro was exhausted. It was then that she saw the traditional dojo in front of her. It was so huge and empty. “This is your own personal training hall? I’ve never worked in a place this big before… amazing!” she uttered, walking inside.

Yutaro took a shinai from the wall and walked over to her. “It is my place, but I haven’t used it much. You’re going to have to teach me to like kendo. Personally, I think it’s a bit boring...wooden swords stuff that is. When do you think I could use a real sword?”

“Hold on.” she replied, picking the shinai right out of his hands. “Wooden swords are fine for a boy your age, and also there’s nothing boring about learning how to protect people.”

“Protect people?” he echoed, “Why would I want to learn that? I want to learn how to be strong!”

Kaoru smiled. ‘He reminds me of someone I know… I can sense this kid also has great potential.’ she thought. “Yutaro-kun, protecting people is harder than being tough. When you protect others and yourself, you show a greater control of strength than some demon out for blood.”

“Really? Is that was your style is?” he asked. She didn’t seem to hear him. She held the shinai in her hands and concentrated. She then let out a mighty swing, the force surprising Yutaro. “Wow…” he uttered.

Kaoru turned to him. ”The way of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu is the ‘life that protects life.’ Yutaro-kun, are you prepared to train hard to learn how to protect yourself and others?” Speechless, he nodded. “Then, let’s begin.”

* * *
Four days had passed. Yutaro was still training in the basics. Kaoru hadn’t let him touch a bokken not once. She made him busy cleaning the dojo, like wiping the floors with a cloth 200 times or running up and down the stairs. She of course joined him in the events, she needed to be in shape for kenjutsu again. On one of those days, a man had climbed up the stairs and peered inside from the doorway.

Kaoru and Yutaro was running up and down the floor with wash-clothes. “Nee, Sensei, you’re slowing down…”

”Mou, how many time did I tell you… don’t call me ‘sensei’. Kaoru is fi--!” She suddenly caught sight of the man watching her from the doorway. But it was too late, she ended up crashing into the wall. “Itai…”

“Sensei, er, I mean – Kaoru-san!” Yutaro rushed to check on her, “Daijoubu ka? What happened… oh!” He saw the man walking over, “It’s you…”

Kaoru got up to see a man with spiky white hair, although he didn’t look like he was a day over 25. She stood still as the man examined her. A peculiar expression appeared on his face. “So you must be Yutaro’s new kendo instructor. Although, I find it very odd that you’re making a CEO’s son do tedious chores…”

”Those are part of his training.” she said defiantly, “It’s the best way he can learn some discipline. Plus, he needs to get the muscles in his arms and legs ready before he can even think about picking up a sword.”

“Kaoru-san…” Yutaro uttered, walking between them. He felt some ill-feelings in the air, “As a master of Kasshin Ryu, I know whatever you teach will help me achieve my goal!”

The man chuckled, “Kasshin Ryu, eh? It’s a shame, Kamiya-sama didn’t have any sons.”

At this, she was outraged, “W-what’s that supposed to mean?!”

* * *
Eventually Kaoru found out who that man was. While picking apples in the orchard, Yutaro explained it to her, “His name is Enishi. He’s one of my father’s personal bodyguards. He’s a great swordsman and undefeatable.”

Kaoru could see him talking to some of the servants at a distance. His face seemed so familiar, but she was sure that she had never met him before. “Undefeated, is that so? Then why doesn’t he teach you?”

“I don’t know. He’s much too busy, I guess.” Yutaro noted. He paused to frown, “He also kind of doesn’t really care for a kid like me.”

“Oh?” she uttered as Enishi started to walk over. “Nee, Enishi! Maybe we could have a match or something. Come on, let’s show Yutaro-kun how a real battle is.”

He simply replied, “I don’t fight girls.”

She exploded. “HEY! I’m just as good as some other guys!”

“I’m sure you are.” he said. “But I wouldn’t want to fight you.”

Kaoru glared at him with slant eyes. Yutaro pulled at her sleeve. “It’s better not to get in an argument with him. You could never win. He has a one track mind.”

“I’ll say!” she muttered, cracking her knuckles, “You’re lucky that I’m too tired to pick a fight with you.” Enishi glanced over at her then started to walk off. “What is with that guy?!” she sneered, hurling an apple at the back of his head. Enishi stumbled a bit, but still continued on his way. “MOU!!!”

“K-Kaoru-san…?”

* * *
In the tea garden, Tsukayama was waiting on a picnic blanket. There were a variety of bentos. “So, Yutaro, how’s your training with Kaoru-san?” he asked as they took off their shoes and joined him.

Yutaro blushed. “Kaoru-san taught me the basics so far. I think I’m starting to like Kasshin Ryu!”

“I’m glad.” Tsukayama replied. He took out a pamphlet and handed it over to Yutaro, “Then you might find this interesting. I had been asked if we could host this martial arts tournament here on the estate. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch?”

“Watch? No, I’d rather enter!” Yutaro said enthusiastically. Everyone stared at him. “What is it?”

Kaoru rubbed her head. “Yutaro-kun, according to this pamphlet, the tournament will be next month. Are you sure you’ll be ready by then to enter a tournament?”

He cried, “I’m sure I will if I train hard! Don’t you think I could do it, Kaoru-san?”

“Ano… I…” she stammered. She suddenly got a hold of her words. “Yutaro-kun, I think you can do anything that you put your mind to. I’ll be more than happy to help you prepare for this if it means you bring out your full potential and Kamiya Kasshin Ryu gains a name in the martial arts world.”

Yutaro seemed very happy by her words. Even Tsukayama gave his approval. “Train hard, Son. I would love to watch you more than anything.” he said warmly. Yutaro’s face was filled with even more happiness.

Kaoru felt good about what she said. It seemed to please everyone. However, after lunch, Enishi pulled her aside. “What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped, “What’s going to happen when Yutaro finds that he’s outclassed, that he’s no match for fighters who’s trained all their lives.”

“Hey! There’s more to life than just winning, you know! If he loses, it’s something he could learn from. There’s no regret in a genuine battle fought for honor! Besides, you’re the one who don’t seems to believe in him!”

“That’s not it. I just don’t want to deal with his disappointment.” Enishi argued, “There’s nothing more traumatizing than putting your full heart into something, then it doesn’t turn out right… His father not being for instance.”

“Why wouldn’t Tsukayama-san be there?”

“Although it doesn’t seem so, Tsukayama is a very busy business man. He has meetings and trips to make every once in a while. Something always pops up. I’ve seen Yutaro before… heartbroken and disappointed. Regardless of how well he does, I know this tournament would definitely hurt Yutaro, if Tsukayama can’t make it.”

“Enishi…” Kaoru uttered, very surprised by his words. ‘He does care for Yutaro,’ she thought. Blinking her eyes, she realized that she was walking straight into a wall. “Ow…” she uttered, crashing over.

“Didn’t see where you’re going?” he asked, looking her over. She shook her head wearily. “Well, that’s all I had to say… excuse me.” he said, walking back off, leaving her in a pile.

Kaoru was very pissed off. “He didn’t even try to help me… what a rude guy!!!”

* * *
And so the training began. Yutaro improved greatly over this short time. Kaoru had him doing 100 swings with his shinai a day. When she felt he was ready, she practiced with him from morning into evening; they of them missing lunch completely until Tsukayama decided to have it delivered to them. Both of them were tired by the time they returned to the mansion; but in sense that being tired felt good.

“I can’t believe it’s been almost been a month.” Kaoru said, leaning her head against the window in the study.

Tsukayama had given her a day off, as he thought that Yutaro needed a break also. He and his son had gone into town for a day of visiting museums. Kaoru preferred to stay behind. She took a long bubble bath and was letting her hair down to air dry. Outside it was raining. This time, she didn’t watch with tears, but with appreciation.

‘I was able to overcome it… I know the rain will go away… but it’s there to remind me…’

She didn’t notice when Enishi had entered the study. He stood, staring at her reflection in the glass. There was a slight smile curled on her face, her hands tucked away in the pockets of her sweatshirt. “What are you doing here? Wasting time?”

Kaoru’s eyes narrowed at this comment. Without turning around, she muttered, “Go bother someone else. I want to enjoy my day-off if you don’t mind.”

“Just wanted to let you know I had your package delivered. Just what exactly was it in?”

“None of you business!” she snapped, “Why are you being so nosy anyway?!” He said nothing and turned to leave. “Ano… Enishi… gomen. I’m being rude again.”

“I’ll say. You sound like someone straight from the country. I’m afraid Yutaro will pick up your habits soon.”

”MOU! I was trying to apologize and you ruined it!!” she exclaimed, fists in the air. Enishi stumbled backwards, alarmed by the outburst. Now that she had gotten his attention, she spoke more calmly. “I was wondering if we could friends. This place… I don’t know many people… and it’ll be nice to talk to someone ever once in a while.”

Sighing, he gave in and walked over to her, sitting on the other side of the window. “Fine, since you’re so insistent. But if you make me bored, I swear I’ll leave.” he muttered. She just responded with a smile. “Hm? What’s that for?”

“No… it’s just… arigatou.”

Enishi turned away, muttering, “You’re nothing like my Nee-san, what was ‘he’ thinking…”

“Eh? Your Nee-san? You have a sister, Enishi?” she asked, “What’s she like? I’ve always wanted a sister…”

He crossed his arms and gazed out the window also, watching the raindrops roll down the glass. “Well… she’s nothing like you.” At this, Kaoru gave him with an annoyed look. Before retaliation could take place, he recovered by saying, “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

“Huh?” Kaoru stared at him as he was watching the raindrops. She too turned towards the window, frowning a little, “It’s raining a lot isn’t it…”

* * *
Downstairs, there was a commotion. The servants were saying that Master Yutaro had ditched his father and came home early. Enishi and Kaoru both went to go check it out. Yutaro was sitting on the stairs crying. “He’s… he’s not coming… there’s no way I’ll miss it…” From what they gathered, Tsukiyama was going to America for a business deal, taking Yutaro with them, three days prior to the tournament. Yutaro sobbed, caught from either missing the tournament or not having his father there. “He doesn’t care… he doesn’t…!!”

“Yutaro-kun…” Kaoru went to go sit with him as Enishi remained at the top of the stairs. “Your father does care about you. Why do you think he insists on bringing you where ever he goes on business trips. So he’s not separated from you, that’s why.”

“That’s true but… I’ll miss the tournament!”

“Some things can’t be helped… but…” She stared at her hands. Slowly she lifted them to dry his eyes. “Tell you what… I’ll stay behind with you for the tournament. I might not be good enough to replace your father, but I’ll be there to cheer you on. Enishi too.” Enishi blinked. How did he get into the conversation. Kaoru continued to wipe away his tears. “As your friends, we’ll be here for you…”

“Friends? I’ve never had any before…” Yutaro uttered, “Kaoru-san, will you be my friend always? Never leave my side?” Kaoru blinked. “Please promise! I…I don’t want to be left alone!”

Kaoru lowered her head. “I can’t promise you that I’ll always be with you, however I’ll do my best. I’ll stay with you as long as you need me.” she said with a smile. Happy with her words, Yutaro hugged her. From over his shoulder, Kaoru looked up to the top of the stairs towards Enishi. The expression on his face was unusual, she didn’t understand it. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

* * *
Late in the evening, Enishi was sitting in the kitchen, sipping his sake. He lifted his head as a certain girl in her pajamas walked past him to the fridge, taking out a whole bunch of food. “What are you doing?”

Kaoru didn’t bother to look at him, tossing her braid over her shoulder as she started chopping some vegetables. “I felt hungry… so I decided to fix myself a snack.”

”You can ask one of the cooks to do it for you.”

”At this late of hour I won’t bother them.” she said, taking ingredients with her to the stove.

Enishi shook his head at her. “You have all these servants for reason and I still see you cooking and doing your own laundry, not to mention mopping up the entire west wing…”

She blushed at the floor. “I… spilled something…IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!”

”There you go again. You’re really an emotional person. I wonder where all these weird mood swings come from. I’ve never had to deal with someone this… unusual.”

Kaoru was mixing in the cut vegatables with the boiling water. “So now you’re saying I’m ‘unusual’? What about you, Mr. Sister Complex.”

His eyes twitched. “What did you say…?”

“You heard me. While we in the study, all you could talk about was your Nee-san. I think it’s obsession. It’s what they call a ‘sister complex’.”

”I do not have…” he started to say, anger burning in his voice, but Kaoru placed a bowl of the soup in front of him, “Huh? What’s this for?”

She took the stool next to him, pulling her own bowl over, “It takes as much effort to make enough food for two than to make it for one. Eat it before it gets cold.”

Enishi sighed and tasted the strange looking soup. Gulping down a spoonful, he glared at her. “It’s horrible. What in the hell is in this?! I rest my case… not only are you less beautiful than my sister, but you are also a terrible cook!” She slammed her fist down on the table. “With a terrible temper!” he added.

“Oh!? Like I care what you say anyway!!” she sneered, “I don’t see why you’re comparing me to your sister, but you better stop it before I pour this scorching hot soup on you!” He suddenly lifted his hand, to firmly take hold of her chin. “W-what are you doing?!?!”

“Despite all those things… downstairs when you were talking to Yutaro… you reminded me of her. Of her when I was little. Before she changed.” he uttered, staring into her face, “But there was something… something different. I don’t know what it is, but the way you were, those words you said…”

”Enishi…?” she stammered as he started moving towards her. “Uh...ano… DAME!” She pushed him away, stumbling out of the stool, “Gomendesai. I can’t do anything like this…”

Enishi’s eyes flashed. “It’s because of him, isn’t it?” She blinked at him, wondering what he meant. “Because of Battousai…” he said quietly. Kaoru’s eyes widen at those words. 'Because of Battousai.' Enishi got up from the table, walking about of the room, anger boiling within him.

Kaoru stood in the dark kitchen alone, her heart beating fast. Everything had happened so quickly. But when he had took hold of her and was moving to kiss her, all she could think about was Kenshin. How she only wanted to be held by him, and someday kissed by him. She couldn’t bear to think of anyone else. ‘Kenshin… if only… you were here with me now…demo…’

Outside, it was only a matter of time before the rain stopped.