Home Improvements

Summary: Kenshin leaves Tokyo to continue his atonement, leaving behind Kaoru and their infant son. As there hasn't been word from her absentee husband for months, Kaoru falls into a depression. Yahiko and Kenji are the only reason she doesn't give up. After spying Kaoru visiting Tomoe's grave, Enishi follows her home and decides to stick around to help with some home improvements.

Takes place after Act 255 in the manga and taking into account the depressing OVA that had Kenshin abandoning his family for years. (Though I'm making Kenji younger for sake of the story.)

Part I:

Kaoru stared at the memorial stone in front of her. Tomoe Himura. Her son, Kenji, was antsy and wanted to return to the Aoiya to play with Misao. Both Misao and Aoshi had offered to accompany them to the grave, but she declined. This was a promise that she and Kenshin had made to Tomoe.

"Happy birthday, Tomoe. Kenshin and I promised to visit you at least once a year," Kaoru said quietly. She held Kenji in her arms, hugged close to her chest, lest he try to run throughout the cemetery as fast as his short little legs would take him. "Aoshi and Misao were kind enough to offer us a place to stay while we visit," she continued. "This is Kenji."

"Kenji, say hi to Tomoe," Kaoru asked her son.

He glared at her, obviously displeased to be restrained by his mother's unbreakable hold. He relaxed and turned his amethyst eyes towards the memorial stone. "Hi Tomoe," he mumbled.

Kaoru smiled. Kenji's vocabulary consisted of two word sentences, so she was quite pleased by his efforts. "Will you give Tomoe the flower?" She kept on arm banded around Kenji's squirming frame and picked up the long white lily she'd picked up from the flower vendor.

Kenji took the flower and tossed it onto the grave. He giggled as he watched the flower fall against the tall stone memorial and slide to the ground. "I'm sorry Kenshin couldn't be here. He's atoning for his sin, like you asked him to. Hopefully, you're okay with just me and Kenji. I'm sure Enishi is doing better," she added. "Your brother was very hurt by your loss. Please, be patient and smile for him."

Kaoru reached out and touched her palm against the kanji for Tomoe's name on the stone. She picked up Kenji and started out of the cemetery.

"Where going?" Kenji asked, twirling a lock of his mother's long hair around his finger.

"To visit Aunt Misao," Kaoru said, kissing her son on the top of his crown of red hair.

OoO

The long-stemmed white rose that Enishi held fell to the ground from his limp fingers. He'd come to Kyoto to pay his respects to his beloved sister. What he didn't expect was to see the Battousai's new wife and little runt at Tomoe's memorial.

He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but couldn't help himself. He ducked behind a nearby memorial and listened as Kaoru carried on a conversation with his sister. He had wondered who it was that had cleared away the weeds that had grown over the memorial while he'd been recovering his senses.

He'd spent well over a year in the slums of Tokyo regaining his will to live. He'd returned to his home in Shanghai, only to find life there was empty and devoid of Tomoe's smile. So, he'd sold his substantial possessions and wandered back to Japan.

Kaoru had been gone for some time before he kneeled before Tomoe's memorial. He laid his white rose next to the lily that Kaoru and her son had left. "What would you have me do, sister?" Enishi asked quietly. He needed guidance, like never before. His quest for revenge had ended. His rise to the top of the crime syndicate was an empty achievement that he had abandoned to be an unknown vagabond. Even his white hair had been dyed so that he would blend in on the crowded streets of Kyoto.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed at the cemetery, but he must have fallen asleep. His back was stiff from sleeping in an awkward position on the cold stone. Though, he had a dream and in it Tomoe smiled. She told him to check on Kenshin's young wife. Make sure that she and the child were safe.

With a new mission, Enishi touched up his hair dye and booked passage on the ship that Kaoru would be using to travel back to Tokyo. He could hardly recognize the solemn woman that the fiery, determined woman he knew on his island, had become. He rented a hotel room for a couple of weeks in Tokyo, not far from the Kamiya Dojo. He would learn Kaoru's routine and then approach her only if it appeared that she was unsafe.

OoO

Kaoru gripped the edge of the laundry basin, took a deep breath, and counted to ten quietly in her head. She sighed with relief when she could hear Yahiko singing a lullaby to Kenji, soothing the baby back to sleep. It had been ten months since Kenshin left her and Kenji so that he could continue to atone for his sins in the Revolution.

At first, she had supported his crusade knowing that his conscience was never truly at ease, haunted by the ghosts of his past during the war. What she didn't expect was that during his absence, that there would only be one letter in all that time. Their son was eighteen months old now. Kenshin missed his son's first words and his first steps.

Kaoru continued to scrub the soiled clothing in the laundry basin, her fingers red and raw from the hot water. She wrung out the clean garments and strung them on the clothesline outside the back porch to dry. She was just hanging the last shirt when she could hear Yahiko approach.

"I can stay later if you need, Kaoru," Yahiko said quietly. He was the acting instructor at the dojo and while they had a half dozen students, today was one of his days off. He also had a part time job at the Akabeko restaurant. Money was extra tight for a single mother and Yahiko did everything he could to help. He even moved back into the dojo, abandoning Sanosuke's old boathouse.

"No, it's fine," Kaoru assured him, flashing him a quick and grateful smile.

"Are you sure?" Yahiko asked. He eyed the weeds that had begun to overrun the garden and the shingles that needed replacing on the roof. He'd purchased the necessarily shingles and nails a few days ago. "We should really replace that section of the roof. It's drafty inside the house and when it rains we've got a significant leak. You're going to become sick."

A couple of years ago, she could have counted on Kenshin or even Sanosuke to help her with that task, but now only her apprentice was present. "If I don't get it done today, I'll let you help me in the morning."

"Don't think I won't hold you to that," Yahiko warned. "I'm okay with you tackling the garden, but wait for me and we can fix the roof together. It's safer that way." He chewed his lip and stared at Kaoru with obvious worry in his dark eyes. "If you need anything, you send Ayame or Suzume to fetch me from the Akabeko, okay?"

Kaoru sat on the front porch, listening to the wind chimes in the wind. She kept her ear attuned for the sound of Kenji awakening from his nap. Given how exhausted her son was, he should sleep for at least another hour. She should work on the weeds, but all she could do was stare at the road and hope a messenger came by with a letter from her long-absent husband.

OoO

From his booth in the back of the Akabeko, Enishi waited patiently for his bill. He silently congratulated himself when Yahiko Myojin hurried inside the restaurant right on time. The acting sword instructor at the Kamiya Dojo would be away for at least seven hours, giving Enishi enough time to follow through with his plan.

Two years had passed since he'd abducted Kaoru Kamiya with the intention of using her as bait as he enacted Jinchu upon Kenshin Himura. He'd gone into that fight with a strong offense and no defense. There had been nothing he'd wanted to protect, until Kaoru stepped in front of that bastard, Wu Heishin, and his gun.

Enishi had wanted to protect her. He'd lost Tomoe's smile, but he couldn't let Kaoru die. She'd shown him kindness in the short while that he knew her. It had been even more devastating to learn that she was the one that Himura had wanted to save the most. How did that runt attain the love of two such wonderful women?

The waitress returned to his table and Enishi paid his bill with a generous tip. As he left the restaurant, he caught at glimpse of his reflection in the window. He hardly recognized himself without his stark white hair. He'd dyed it black, hoping to remain inconspicuous. He'd lost a great deal of muscle mass in the last couple of years, but he was still lean and solid. He pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses and slipped them on and started towards the outskirts of town in the direction of the Kamiya Dojo.

He'd plotted out his meeting with Kaoru a hundred times in his mind. He'd been watching her from the shadows for weeks. Her son was the spitting image of Himura, yet the father was no where to be seen.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Enishi glanced up to see a messenger man on a horse had called out to him. "Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to know how to find the Kamiya Dojo would you?" the messenger asked. The uniformed man scratched his forearm nervously. "It's my first day delivering in this district and I'm a little lost."

"I know exactly where the Kamiya Dojo is," Enishi answered. He moved closer to the horsed man. "I'm on my way there now to pay a visit with an old friend."

"I probably shouldn't do this," the messenger hedged. He reached into his horse's saddle bag and pulled out an envelop. "I'm really running behind. Could you deliver this to Kaoru Himura for me?"

Enishi was proud of himself for not reacting to the surname. "Not a problem," he said with a genial smile. He held out his hand and accepted the letter. He noticed it was from Aizu. Perhaps it was from the female doctor?

"I really appreciate you! I better hurry, thanks a bunch!" The messenger angled his horse around and started in the opposite direction.

Enishi closed his eyes and grounded himself. There was no turning back. Now he had no choice, but to visit Kaoru. He'd seen her in Kyoto while she visited Tomoe's grave. She had set fresh flowers at his sister's memorial with her son, but without Kenshin. He had decided then, that he would come to see her in Tokyo and make sure she was safe. Tomoe had requested it of him. He'd rehearsed the conversation he planned to have with Kaoru countless times. He still had money, a great amount of it. No crime lord worth his salt wouldn't have a contingency plan and a secret stash.

His resolve weakened when he saw her sitting on the porch in front of her house, her head was leaning against one of the posts wearily, and her eyes shut. She wore a simple training gii and was barefooted. He scanned the residence and noted the warped boards of the house as well as the weed-infested garden. The roof looked old and worn as well.

Kaoru shifted, her bright blue eyes snapped open and seemed to peer directly at him. Enishi held up the letter and continued to approach. Her eyes traced over him from the tip of his hair, to the toes of his booted feet, and then back up, finally settling upon his face.

"Enishi?"

He ran his free hand through his dark hair. "I guess you saw past my disguise," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Of course, I'd recognize you. As if I could ever forget you," Kaoru said, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. "How are you feeling? I heard you escaped from the boat."

"I wouldn't have been able to read the diary in a prison cell," Enishi answered. He'd spent the better part of a year and a half living in a prison of his own making — inside his mind. A happenstance encounter brought him into proximity with his long, lost father. He'd been aimlessly wandering for months until he'd seen Kaoru at Tomoe's grave.

"Did you come all this way to deliver a letter for me?" Kaoru teased with a soft smile. She patted the spot next to her on the porch. "Why don't you join me?"

Enishi worried about how many others Kaoru might invite into her home. How safe was she out in this rural section of town? Why wasn't her husband around to keep her safe? "It's from Aizu." He handed her the envelope.

Kaoru visibly deflated, disappointment evident by her tight expression. "Must be from Megumi," she said with a forced smile as she ripped open the envelope. Her face grew more pale as she read the contents of the letter.

"What's wrong?"

Kaoru folded the letter up into thirds and placed it back inside the envelope. "What's wrong is that I haven't seen my husband in ten months and have only received one letter from him." She closed her eyes and a single tear fell from one of her eyes unnoticed.

Enishi took the envelope and removed the letter. 'Ohayo, Kaoru! You can thank me now for sending your husband back to you. He saw me two months ago and I treated some serious wounds. I'm the one that advised him to return home to you and your son. You can thank me by making me the godmother of your next little one. How about that? Also, here's a simple recipe that even you can't mess up….'

Enishi set the letter aside. Obviously, Himura didn't return home after his run in with the doctor. "Why is your garden in such terrible disarray?" he asked, determined to change the topic. His carefully rehearsed speech seemed terribly inappropriate now.

"My garden?" Kaoru stared at him blankly and then she turned towards the direction of the overgrown garden. "Oh. I think I must have gotten distracted when I tried to weed it." She pushed off the porch and started for the garden. She picked up a pair of gloves that rested on top of a wheel barrel. A hoe was balanced against the wheel barrel.

This meeting wasn't going as Enishi had planned. He glanced around the porch and found Kaoru's forgotten shoes. He grabbed them and then silently, he joined Kaoru at the garden. He set the shoes next to her feet. He then picked up the hoe and started to break up the roots of a particularly thick set of weeds.

"I'm so absent minded lately," she said, slipping on her shoes. "You need gloves," Kaoru murmured. "You'll get blisters." She stared at his hands and then her own and sighed. "I don't have any gloves big enough."

Enishi shrugged and continued to work the soil. It had been a long time since he'd allowed his body to feel pain. "If I get blisters, they will heal."

Kaoru crouched in the garden and began to pull out clumps of weeds and tossed them into the wheel barrel. "Why are you here, Enishi?"

"I saw you in Kyoto," he blurted. "You and the boy. Where's your husband?"

"Atoning for his sins as the Battousai," she answered quietly.

Tomoe wouldn't have wanted Kenshin to abandon his family. He refrained from saying so aloud, not wanting to upset Kaoru even more.

There was a shrill cry from the house. Kaoru was immediately alert. "Go on, I'll take care of this," Enishi said. He focused on the garden. In spite of the weeds, the vegetables were healthy and most were ripe for picking.

He looked up a few minutes later to see Kaoru approach with a small red-haired boy in her arms. She set the child down and he ran towards Enishi. The boy paused right in front of Enishi, reached a grubby hand for his hair, and tugged on it gently.

"Kenji, meet mommy's friend, Enishi," Kaoru introduced the two. "Dark hair seems so strange on you."

"White hair was too distinct," Enishi said. "The dye doesn't last very long." He had to reapply every week. He'd considered shaving his hair, but he was too vain for that. "We need to harvest some of these cucumbers. They're ripe." He crouched to inspect the carrots. "These too."

"I'll get a bucket," Kaoru murmured. She picked up Kenji and balanced him on her hip.

Enishi should have been disgusted at the sight of her with Kenshin's child, but mostly he felt sad. Kaoru had opened her heart to the worst of them and her repayment was to be abandoned. He'd stick around for a few days and make sure the house was in good shape and that she had food for the approaching winter. His original plan was crumbling at the sight of how broken she appeared.

OoO

Enishi had finished weeding the garden while Kaoru picked all the ripe vegetables and had brought them inside. She'd start the preservation process that evening using the techniques that Megumi had taught her years ago. She hurried back outside to see Enishi and Kenji in the garden. Her son was having a good time building a mound of mud. The garden looked great, but she was already exhausted just thinking about the bath her little boy would need.

"Your hands," Kaoru gasped as she drew near her gardening teammate.

Enishi glanced down, a thin line of blood had gathered in his palms. Blisters had formed at the base of his fingers.

"How long has it been since you held a sword?" she asked. She took his hands and peered closely at the shallow cuts. He had at least two splinters that she could see and three blisters. "Come with me back to the porch. I'll clean this up. I don't want this getting infected."

Enishi followed her to the porch, Kenji latched onto the hem of Kaoru's shirt. "And you, young man, will certainly be having a bath tonight."

Kenji's face crumpled, his nose grew red, and the water works started.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?" Enishi asked in a panic.

Kaoru fought a laugh. "He's just of that age," she reassured him. She lifted Kenji to her hip, ignoring the muddy smudges he made to her previously white practice gii. "If I could have you two gentlemen have a seat on the porch. I'll be back with the medical kit in just a moment."

She took a moment to strip Kenji of his muddy clothes, leaving him in a relatively clean cloth diaper. Enishi stared at the boy in puzzlement, unsure of what to do. "Just don't let him wander off," she requested.

The medical kit was in her bedroom. She opened various drawers and pulled out a pair of tweezers, bandages, and an antiseptic salve. She also grabbed a small bucket from the kitchen and a few spare wash rags.

"Why don't you take care of him first?" Enishi suggested. "He's not too dirty. I think a washup would suffice rather than a whole bath."

"What's this? Are you men ganging up on me?" Kaoru asked with a smile. Her cheeks ached with the action. How long had it been since she smiled? Kaoru focused on cleaning her son first. He didn't mind the washup and was surprisingly well behaved and still during the process.

"See? I told you it would be easier," Enishi said in a conspirator whisper in Kenji's ear. Her little boy giggled. Kaoru stared at her son in shock for a moment. Kenji hated all men, except Yahiko. How was it that he was so docile around Enishi? Could it be that the former crime lord was good with children?

"Okay, it's your turn now," Kaoru advised. She took a clean cloth and began to squeeze it over Enishi's wounds. The warm water washed away the blood. She took the tweezers and plucked out the splinters while Enishi remained immobile. The callouses she remembered on his hands were gone. They weren't exactly soft hands, but they weren't the worn hands of a swordsman.

Enishi cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "It's been two years since I held a sword."

Kaoru dried his hands and then applied the salve. She said nothing as she bandaged his palms as securely as she could.

"I've never seen bandages quite like these," Enishi said. His dark eyes were focused on his hands.

Kaoru felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I normally use these kinds of bandages to bind my chest," she answered. She snuck a peek at his face to see that his cheeks were slightly pink. "Don't worry, they aren't used!"

Enishi chuckled. "That's not what I was thinking about, Kaoru." His gaze drifted out to the horizon. "I should probably go."

"No!"

Kaoru and Enishi both stared at Kenji, surprised by the boy's outburst.

"Yahiko won't like me here," Enishi explained.

"At least stay for dinner," Kaoru pleaded. "It's the least I can do. You did help me with the garden. It only makes sense that you'd enjoy some of the spoils of our conquest."

"You didn't send me away immediately. Just by speaking with me was more than I could have expected, Kaoru," Enishi said quietly. He ruffled Kenji's hair playfully. "I'll stay for a bit longer."

A short while later, Kaoru prepared rice, cucumbers, carrots, and fried fish. She glanced across the kitchen to where Enishi and Kenji played. It was so strange. She had often fantasized about spending a simple afternoon with Kenshin and Kenji. In her fantasy, Kenji would play with his father while she prepared dinner. Kenji seemed to really like Enishi. The boy was bubbling with laughter. And the strangest part, Enishi was actually smiling.

They'd worked together, weeded the garden, and harvested a good portion of the supplies.

"I'll work on the roof after dinner," Enishi stated.

"Oh, you don't need to do that. Yahiko and I will take care of it in the morning," Kaoru protested. In spite of her protest, she was pleased that he wanted to stay. She turned away from the grill for a moment to meet Enishi's dark gaze. "You've done enough."

"I've done nothing yet," Enishi argued.

"But, your hands," Kaoru said. She gestured with her spatula at his bandaged hands.

Enishi rolled his eyes. "As if a little blister is enough to get in the way." He tickled Kenji and sent the boy into peals of laughter. "It's going to rain tomorrow. As it stands, your roof will leak. Though, I can understand you not wanting me here when Yahiko returns. He won't be pleased."

"Oh, he won't be back until nearly ten this evening," Kaoru answered offhandedly. "He has a date," she said with an affectionate smile. The smile faded as she worried that he might cancel his date with Tsubame again. "I don't know what I'd do with out him," she said quietly.

"Kaoru, it shouldn't be like this," Enishi said. "Your husband should be here with you. He should be providing for you and your son."

Kaoru stirred the meal once more and then ladled servings into wooden bowls. She carried the bowls to the kitchen table. "I chose this life, Enishi. I chose to support him."

Enishi's lips thinned, but he stayed silent. He ate the meal without complaint and then he climbed onto the roof and replaced her broken shingles. He'd even watched Kenji while she took a cold bath. She was too tired to start the warming fire, but it didn't matter.

She entered the house shivering and Enishi's dark eyes shown with concern as he handed a half-asleep Kenji to her.

"Good night, Kaoru. Please, take care of yourself." Enishi ruffled Kenji's soft hair again. Then he laid his hand on Kaoru's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately.

"Are you leaving?" Kaoru asked. She hadn't meant to sound panicked, but she couldn't help it. She'd been so lonely for so long. Even with their turbulent history together, the visit with Enishi had been a welcome respite.

He opened his mouth and then shut it, as if unsure of how to respond. His hand slipped from her shoulder and down to his side. "I cannot linger, Kaoru. You might have forgiven me for my past, but the law hasn't."

"Oh," Kaoru sighed in disappointment.

"I'll be back," Enishi promised. "In six months. I'd like to join you for the journey to visit Tomoe's grave. I assume you visit on her birthday and the anniversary of her death."

"Kenshin should be back by then." Kaoru rubbed her hand over Kenji's back in soothing circles.

"I hope so, Kaoru." Enishi reached out for her again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that had escaped her messy ponytail.

He was gone by the time Yahiko returned home. Her assistant had countless questions about the garden and the roof. Kaoru had merely answered that a friend had unexpectedly dropped by and paid her a visit.

A/N: So, it seems a couple of us EK fans are feeling nostalgic. So, here's my contribution to the beauty of Enishi x Kaoru. There will be more chapters!