The Unspoken

Kaoru walked briskly to the training room from the kitchen, trying to ignore the rain. She was almost to the steps when she slipped on the wet ground - but her fall was somehow cushioned by a hand under her back!

...who was that?

She opened her eyes to see Sanosuke's lean arm around her, stopping her from toppling into the wooden steps of the dojo.

"Missy," he smirked, "you oughta be more careful. Wouldn't be too nice if the Missy got hurt on something like her own stupidity."

Kaoru lunged off of his protective arm and gave him a hard whack across the head. "Knock it off! I was just - the ground is wet, you jerk!" Her hands flew at him, threatening to strangle him should they get close enough.

He leaned against the supporting beam and caught her hands, a sly smile still on his face. "Woah, Missy, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again," he stated, toying with her again.

"Excuse me!?" she huffed, trying to jab his chest with her fist. This was not accomplished, however, as he had a firm hold on her hands. "Are you asking for a fight?" she challenged, taking a step towards him. She stood on her tiptoes to try to match his height. Even leaning against the beam he must have been a half a foot or so taller, so this was rather difficult.

His beautiful brown eyes met hers. "What would you do if I did?"

She tried to cross her arms, but it was rather futile as he didn't let go, his grip still stronger than her struggles to pull away. She realized that it would be impossible for her to match the strength of this man, this man who had mastered the Futae No Kiwami.

Kaoru felt she couldn't breathe, but she couldn't let Sano see her emotions - she blurted out, "You aren't much stronger than me, Sano! Maybe I couldn't win, but I have tricks up my sleeves you don't know about!" She had to hold in those three special words - why was she even thinking them? She didn't feel that way for Sano... Kenshin was the one she liked...wasn't he?

Sano never showed interest in her; he was always flirting with Megumi! It would just be a mess if he knew she liked him - but I don't! she reprimanded herself.

But her heart kept asking her, If you really don't, why are you so close to him?

Her eyes widened as she realized he was still gazing at her. He must have...drawn her closer when she wasn't paying attention...they were much closer than they had been a moment ago. He seemed to have grown taller, too, or was he slouching less?

His voice lowered and his eyebrows flashed upwards for a moment as he asked coyly, "What tricks?" When she couldn't answer, he pulled her closer using her hands and leaned close to her face, whispering, "Missie, you can't do a thing against a hot Fighter for Hire like..." He drew his head slowly back to rest on the beam, but she couldn't resist following his lead and leaning closer to him. "...me..." his breath rippled down her neck, his chocolate brown eyes drawing her in.

She almost gave in and felt his lips against her own, but she stopped herself. He just said I can't do something. I have to prove that I can. She pulled away from his grasp, enjoying the utterly surprised look on his face. Freeing her hands of his, she stomped into the dojo, pretending to be angry.

But she wasn't at all angry. She was a whir of emotions: fear of the power he held over her, shock from how close she'd allowed herself to get to him, but another feeling still tugged at her, a feeling she tried to suppress.

She glanced back to where he had been standing just outside the door, but he wasn't there.

...Sanosuke's point of view...

The Missy toppled onto his arm just as he planned, but he wasn't sure what to do next as her stunning blue eyes stared up at him. Something stirred within him that he couldn't stop, so he just tried to put on his usual laid-back face - it might have been more of a confident smirk - and told her, "Missy, you oughta be more careful. Wouldn't be too nice if the Missy got hurt on something like her own stupidity."

"Knock it off! I was just - the ground is wet, you jerk!" she yelped, pushing herself off his arm. She turned around and clutched at his neck, but he wasn't too worried.

A sudden desire to play with her head led him to grab her strangling hands and hold them tightly. A small voice at the back of his head warned, Don't grip her too tightly - I couldn't bear it if I was the one to hurt the Missy! She's just a... his mind wandered as his gaze returned to her gorgeous eyes. Still trying to put on a facade, he smirked, "Woah, Missy, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again."

"Excuse me!?" she shrieked, and her face took on that cute look of annoyance. He felt her smooth hands struggling under his grasp. "Are you asking for a fight?"

He couldn't breathe as she stepped towards him and as the gap between them narrowed. And was she trying to stand on her tip toes to gain the same eye level?

...amazing.

He suddenly remembered that she had...was she challenging him with that statement? The desire grew stronger than ever, throbbing in his chest. But he had to think - he had to come up with a clever come-back: "What would you do if I did?" Smooth, Sagara.

Her arms moved, like she was trying to cross her arms, but he didn't let go of her hands to allow this. Can't have the Missy with such a cross look, he smirked to himself, but he didn't have a chance to say it as she growled, "You aren't much stronger than me, Sano! Maybe I couldn't win, but I have tricks up my sleeves you don't know about!"

The challenge sent the desire pulsing through his veins.

"What tricks?" he murmured, a smile growing across his lips.

She didn't say a word.

He used his hold on her hands to pull her closer and arched his head nearer to her face. The closeness of their faces sent his mind reeling, and he began saying things he thought he never would have said in a million years, things he hoped would entice her: "Missie, you can't do a thing against a hot Fighter for Hire like..." He wasn't sure of this whole plan; Kaoru was so smart she'd probably dash away the moment his hands loosed their grip. But he couldn't force her to do anything, so...

He remembered something he'd heard from one of his friends at the gambling place: If you really want the girl to like you, let her chase you. That sounded intriguing, but how was he going to do that? He realized that his head was a few inches away from the beam. He slowly set his head back to rest on the beam, and watched with star-crossed eyes as she followed him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and whispered, "...me..."

Her shimmering eyes seemed to called to him; it took all of his strength, strength he so prided himself on, to stop his impetuous feelings from taking over his shaking body and forgetting all constraints of gentlemanliness. But he couldn't do that to her; he felt the exact opposite of one in control. He felt as though she had him under a spell, able to contort and play with his emotions as she pleased.

Her eyelids were half-closed as she stared at him with that irresistable gaze, and her lips drew to a bare inch from his own. But they never touched. With a single and cruel motion, she wrenched herself free of his loosened hold and, with a last triumphant smirk, bolted into the dojo.

For a moment, he felt an onslaught of betrayal and rejection, but he could not let that be the end. He would not let the chase be given up so easily.