A/N: GROAN. HEADDESK. My weeks of exams and deadlines are slowly coming to and end. Hopefully, I'll soon be able to have more time for writing on more than one or two of my stories. I really need to update many of them haha XD

ANYWAY. I shall bow my head low and give you all a humble thank you for all the sweet, sweet reviews and uplifting compliments about my story! Also, a lot of thanks to you who have favorites or put it on an alert, even if you didn't review, it shows you like it somewhat at least! :D And that makes me a happy author :)

But due to the overwhelming amount of reviews and favorites and alerts and what-not, I am more than nervous about psoting another chapter. I am very, very afraid to let any of you down; I am hard pressed to deliver something that would "live up" to the previous chapter and well...it's pretty nerve-wrecking haha XD

That's the reason why I'm currently rambling in an A/N very few people will read. Gah.

Moving on....I really hope you'll like this chapter and continue to review! :D

(Please excuse any typos and grammar errors, I have yet to summon any kind of energy to re-read my own work. I'm just lazy like that. Opps.)

oOo

o-oOo-o

S.W.A.K

o-oOo-o

oOo

Although she didn't quite believe the given explanation to the situation (her dragon was not a gorgeous human with red hair and golden eyes; the colors were mere coincidences), she had eagerly agreed that there had to be some kind of magic at work. The daze she had been in as the bastard of a man kissed her senseless could not be natural, she reasoned, because what sane, self-respecting woman would let a burglar – with severe mental issues (he thinks he's a dragon) – ravish her without complaint?

When her muddled mind had some to this conclusion, her body acted on impulse and somehow caught the man off guard (she suspected it had something to do with how much he was enjoying the indecent groping). Bringing her knee up as she'd previously done, she aimed for his groin even as she bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood and elbowed the junction of his shoulder and neck. His grunt of either pain or impatience followed by the loosening of his grip had been all she needed to get away from his proximity, but as soon as she escaped, she knew he had let her go on purpose. There was no way a man – who could move from behind her to the nearest exit several feet away within the blink of an eye – would let himself be outdone so easily.

Thus, she found herself huddling against the wall, slowly inching towards the shoji doors leading outside in hopes of at least putting more distance between herself and the strange man, as well as stalling as much time as possible. Sano might have forgotten something and Yahiko might decide he wasn't needed at the Akabeko….and the sky will start falling down. Right. But, she would not let herself give up. Meeting amused, golden eyes she bristled; cheeks heating once she caught sight of his vicious tongue swiping his lips in a slow motion of appreciation. She briefly wondered what kind of dish she resembled in look and taste, but quickly dismissed such silly thoughts – it was impossible for him to devour her, despite what his kisses had illustrated.

Afraid to look away and be caught unawares by sudden movement, Kaoru eyed the red-head warily as she made her way towards freedom. She was so close now; she could almost feel the wind from outside sneaking through the thin walls.

Then, he moved.

Pushed roughly against the wall, she gasped more in surprise than pain, and stared wide-eyed at the increasingly frightening man who continued to show such inhuman speed. It was unsettling and further proved there was some kind of supernatural powers at work. He smirked beneath her gaze, and she hissed in anger as she started to struggle against his grip. "Let me go!" she shouted, pulling against his restraint while trying to suppress the growing panic chilling her stomach. She absently wondered how she could've ever thought her walls were dull; she would give anything to sink through them and escape this – whatever this was. It certainly didn't seem like robbery, and she didn't like to think of the alternatives that his previous activities had hinted at.

"Kaoru," the man called, voice hard but not harsh, causing her to still her futile attempts at gaining freedom. Grinning in approval, the red-head loosened his grip slightly and moved away a few inches, much to her relief. She took a deep breath, surprised at how easily her heart slowed from such an intense race. "That's a good girl. Now, I'd like to make something clear and I need you to listen carefully. Understood?"

His voice broke no argument, so she nodded, at a loss of what else to do. Screaming hadn't worked, neither had fighting or running. She needed time to think of another way to escape, so she decided to humor him, despite her previous experience telling her this was a bad idea. He seemed to have a habit of saying the craziest things, leaving her in an even more confused state of mind than before.

"You need to realize that I know you, Kamiya Kaoru," he mumbled against her skin, having drawn closer to nuzzle her neck. She stiffened at the show of affection – or, rather, violation! Her breath hitched. "I know your beliefs of a sword meant for protecting and not killing runs as deep as the very blood in your veins, I know your favorite kimono is the one you never wear, because it was your mother's." She gaped, glancing down at the mass of red hair obscuring his face and wide smirk. "I know your hair is the only thing you consider…feminine about you, although I am eager to disagree." The seemingly constant blush on her face grew hotter, darker, as he pressed himself closer to her person and slowly lifted his head to rest his mouth inches from her ear. "I know your favorite anything, from color to food to season to sound and smell. I know your temper is easily riled, I know your intentions are always good, I know your heart is pure…" She swallowed, shivering against the hot, damp breath that seemed to hold warmth beyond normal; just as his body. Crazy, she was going crazy, wasn't she? There was just no way…yet, he knew all these things…but…no. He couldn't be?

"Anyone could know those things, surely. I yell at Yahiko and Sano all the time," she whispered, voice weak and her eyes wide. Her fear dripped thickly from her words, tainting the atmosphere with the denial filling her very core. He chuckled against her ear, his chest moving deliciously against hers. It made her sick; the weakness, the helplessness he made her feel.

"Oh, Kaoru," he sighed, nudging her cheek with his nose and placing a feather-like kiss on her jaw. "You cannot escape me. You surround yourself with people, you believe the best of them and give your trust easily, because everyone deserves a second chance, isn't that what you said? But I know, despite the friends you have gained, the love you have created, your fear is just as strong as it was years ago, is it not? Somehow, someway, someone will leave you. Sometime, you will be left alone. Loneliness, your greatest fear, isn't it, Kaoru?"

She hated how his words rang true in her mind, her heart. She hated how he knew things no one but her Dragon should know. She hated how easily it would be to believe him, how easily it would be to want to. Then his hot breath blew across her lips and her thoughts abruptly stopped to simply focus on his glowing, golden eyes that were so much like his it had to be the same.

"But I will make sure you forget such fears, little one. I will never leave your side, because I protect what is mine, Kamiya Kaoru."

And she absolutely hated the fact that she knew she had already lost the moment she looked on an empty wall and missed its occupant with an intensity of having lost a living, breathing friend to the vicious hands of death. It didn't help that his presence was so soothing that she forgot to act on the blinding rage his word should've teased to surface, and she simply accepted.

oOo

Kaoru sat by the dinner table in somewhat of a daze, trying to make sense of her situation. Her wary, blue eyes followed the smooth, easy movements of the red-headed maniac with a slight pang of jealousy (how could anyone be blessed with such grace?). The discovery that he easily found his way around her kitchen without her help had finally settled in, but it was just one of the many things waiting in line.

A few hours had passed since he had cornered her in her bedroom, and declared himself loopy (she was stubborn in the way that she refused to admit she already had accepted the fact he was, with little doubt, her lost Dragon). They had passed with an awkwardness she was utterly new to, because it wasn't every day she was subjected to being observed in silence and then followed around as she'd tried to find things to keep her busy. Firing questions which answers would be too cryptic to be considered enlightenments, she soon gave up and just continued cleaning her room messy after her attempted escapes.

She'd had to threaten him with her bokken until he at least turned around to let her change, with an annoying grin on his face that set her teeth on edge and had been followed by nervous pacing and a few outbursts of her violent temper. Long, elegant fingers had buried themselves in her thick hair and delivered a soothing massage whenever she got close enough to jam her finger in his chest, hissing curses in his face, and she had promptly abandoned to visualize her contempt concerning her situation since it only seemed to amuse him. She had quickly learned that amusement on his part didn't equal good, as the opposite equaled bad (whatever temper he had shown so far told her of something deeper that she would be wise to not bring to the surface).

Now, as dinner time had arrived, he had dragged her off into the kitchen, shoved her down kneeling on the floor and started cooking – was that miso soup with actual spices she smelled? – which in itself was utterly absurd. She honestly did not know how to react, but she seemed to be the only one concerned about her lack of response to the strange events taking place. Clearing her throat, she tried as she had many times during the awkward silence that had followed them around all day to start a conversation. Preferably without breaking out into another fit of hysterical anger that only seemed to serve as a shield against the confused mix of feelings simmering underneath her skin.

"Um, hey, you," she called, wringing her hands in her lap nervously. He looked over his shoulder, one dark brow raised in question. Whatever she had planned to say was momentarily forgotten as she took in the purple and golden swirl of his eyes. Instead, she found herself unable to resist satisfying her curiosity. "What's up with your eyes?"

Turning to face her completely, she watched with a frown as the purple slowly left his eyes completely, seemingly replaced by a lopsided smirk and gold, gold, gold.

"I think, Kaoru, that you'll have enough time to figure it out on your own. Now, I believe the food is ready; miso soup with fried tofu, your favorite."

She was tempted to say miso soup wasn't her favorite, although with fried tofu it was indeed very appealing. The first taste, however, left her to wonder what real miso soup with fried tofu tasted like. There was no way it was this delicious, right?

oOo

It was time for bed and she was ready to strangle something – anything. Poised with her bokken on one side of her bedroom, she growled.

"You are NOT sleeping here, damnit!" she shouted for what felt like the hundredth time. Unfazed, the red-head continued to move her futon over to one side of the room before comfortably settling down beside it. Leaning his back against the wall, which had once held his painting, he rested his elbow on her improvised vanity beside him and shot her an amused glance.

"Until your friends return, I will sleep here without restrictions," he stated calmly. "When they come back, I shall occupy a more…discreet location, until you welcome me willingly."

She didn't know what was the most disturbing – that she was no longer fighting the fact that he was staying in her home or that his tone made it clear he thought she would welcome him to sleep in her room willingly, and soon.

"If that's the case I won't sleep until they're back, and once they return, we'll kick your ass to the other side of Japan!" she growled, a mental imagine of her and Yahiko's swinging bokkens combined with Sano's powerful punch making true to that statement. His snort coupled with his raised brows only served to strengthen her resolve and she'd be damned if she let him win this fight!

"Would you really turn your back on a helpless, wandering rurouni seeking shelter from the harsh winds and chilly bite of night?" he asked, voice and expression suddenly so sincere she would've believed him had she not known it was a lie. Besides, the twinkle in his eyes was a dead give-away. She didn't waste much thought on how she could so easily read his eyes, when supposedly, she still doubted any previous acquaintance with the man. The man – she still didn't know his name, did she?

"Since I will not be seeing you again after tomorrow," she began, ignoring his mockery, "I would like to know the name of the man I'll be sending the police after as soon as I'm able."

She had expected more amused, twinkling eyes, chuckles or even that annoying smirk that seemed to imply he knew something she didn't. The serious, slightly hooded look he sent her made her freeze because, really, why was this any different from any of the other times she had loudly proclaimed her wish to see him gone? Was it the mention of the police? But she'd already used that threat… Before she could continue, he interrupted her thoughts with that deep, smooth voice of his that sent shivers down her back – despite her best efforts.

"For you to know my name, you must know who I am, what I am," he said, pausing to eye her from naked feet to flushed face, golden orbs gleaming dangerously. "Accept me with mind, heart, body and soul and you shall know."

With a gulp, she decided she was just not that desperate. Red-head, man, you, lunatic and whatever other words she could think of would have to do.

For now, a thought whispered across her mind and she startled, staring wide eyed and the man smiling mischievously.

Wait, he was smiling? Truthfully, it unnerved her more than all the smirks combined.

oOo

She woke up knowing she had fallen asleep – as opposed to her usual disorientated state of mind when reaching consciousness – despite her best efforts of staying awake. It made her will to open her eyes and face the consequences of such a failure dwindle and die. But the feeling of fingers running through her hair, gently scraping her scalp with sharp nails, made her realize waking completely would save her from whatever threat he proposed with her eyes closed and body heavy with sleep. But it was extremely comfortable…nuzzling closer to her pillow that she was hugging close to her chest she sighed (mm, smells like ginger…).

Granted, she was aware of why she shouldn't be asleep but her mind was slow and it didn't help that the red-head – who else? – was working wonders with his fingers. Frowning in confusion, she realized he had stopped. And wasn't her pillow awfully stiff and unnaturally warm? Blinking her eyes open, she stared at the white fabric of hakama inches from her eyes before shrieking and starting to desperately scramble as far away from the man serving as her pillow as she could.

"Oh, what you do to me, Kaoru," his voice whispered against her ear, making her choke on another scream. He had moved with that inhuman speed again, catching her in her flight and securing her close against his chest. Mortified, she struggled against him but froze when sharp teeth nipped her earlobe in warning.

"Let. Me. Go," she growled, stiff in his embrace. The warmth seeping through her skin made her muscles relax and it was an effort to keep her back straight and head high. She was blushing furiously, because really, she had just spent God knows how many hours asleep in the lap of a potential nutcase; hugging his leg and, and snuggling against his…his…crotch!

As soon as the thought passed through her mind she let out another shriek of mortification, renewing her struggles and absently wondering if her face was one fire.

"You're awfully energetic this morning; I don't remember you being this…feisty at such an hour," he remarked with obvious amusement, making his way to stand and drawing her with him. "Mm but I do believe it's time for breakfast, little one."

Panting due to her panicked bursts of movements, she let herself be steered out of her room (only because I'm too tired to fight and breakfast doesn't sound all that bad…), secured in his grip and wishing it was harsher, so she might accuse him of violent handling. Then again, she mused, she didn't really need more to add on his growing list of violation upon her mind and body and life. Really.

Later she realized that if it weren't for the fact that he was bad news, she might have agreed to willingly let him stay only because of his ridiculously good cooking skills.

Taking another bite of the tastiest riceball she had ever had the pleasure of eating, she pointedly ignored the smug smirk adoring the unlikely chef's lips. His onigiris were delicious – but he didn't need to know that – and what had he done to make the tea taste so good?

oOo

If she had somehow believed that the recent events of the past two days would've made it impossible to encounter any more confusing and outright befuddling incidents then she had been sourly mistaken. Her glorified, satisfying and mentally imagined moment of ridding herself of the intruder of her home and personal space with bokkens and punches and kicks and triumphant shouts of joy never happened and she couldn't help to feel betrayed.

Sanosuke had arrived shortly after breakfast, which turned out to be a very late one, and she had been eager to show him the monster of a man who had trapped her in her own house. However, when she had turned to flash a defiant smirk his way, the space he had occupied opposite of her by the dinner table had been completely and utterly empty. She blinked, unable to understand why the air was devoid of his being until Sanosuke strolled into the kitchen with a loud greeting, making her realize the coward had run away.

"Yo missy! Missed me?" Sano called, plopping down in the space the red-head had occupied mere moments ago. She felt strangely miffed that it could be filled so easily again, and that despite Sano's obvious advantage in height and built, his presence was nowhere near as imposing and intimidating as the previous occupant's. Snapping out of her daze, she remembered she should already be telling him about her unfortunate fate since he had been gone.

"Sano you IDIOT!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" she shouted, standing up in a blur of dark hair and flushed skin. He blinked in surprise, leaning back in hopes of escaping the blunt blow of her apparent distress.

"What?! I told you I was gonna be out missy!" he defended, frowning when he noticed she was shaking. "Hey, are you alright?"

"A man broke into my house yesterday and refused to leave up until now, OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!!" she snapped, wishing she had her bokken with her to release the tension that her continuous outbursts since yesterday had not yet been able to fully rid her off. Sano froze, startled for a while, before rage swept over him like a tidal wave. Who had dared to harm missy?!

"Where is he?!" he growled, standing up and clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Tell me where he went and I'll fucking look him up and beat the shit out of him and whatever pile of bones and torn flesh that is left I'll leave for you to finish off because I'm just that gracious!"

Most of her anger seemed to leave her then, when she remembered the power that had seeped through the red-head's skin and tainted his aura heavy with something she hadn't been able to recognize. Sanosuke, for all his strength and big brotherly protection would not be able to deal with the speed she had seen him use. Besides, had she not already accepted there was something…supernatural…about the whole thing? What if Sano would not be able to stand his ground against this man?

"It's no use, Sano," she sighed. "He's already gone, hopefully for good. He left as soon as he sensed you coming; you probably scared him off."

The look he gave her suggested she cut the crap and get to the case. Biting her lip, she lowered her gaze. "I don't know which way he went, Sano. He just…he just disappeared. Literally. Into thin air, no kidding."

"Okay," he drawled, voice skeptic and she knew he hadn't believed her. Sitting down again, he spoke in an all too calm manner that made her look up in suspicion. "I need you to tell me what happened; when did he come, what did he do, what did he look like, did he tell you something and if so, had it something to do with that painting of yours?"

Slightly taken aback by the questioning, it took her a few moments for them to sink in. Frowning, she crossed her arms to keep her hands from fidgeting nervously in her lap. He didn't know, did he? No, Sanosuke would never believe something like that, right?

"What about the painting?"

He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "I found out some stuff about it on the black market yesterday. Apparently it's some kind of mythical artifact from way back. Old magic and legends and all, you know? Would fetch quite the price on the market, and apparently it's sought for in many of those creepy sects and cults and stuff. I'm thinking that guy might have something to do with it, you see? Man, I was afraid this would happen when I found out, you're such a magnet for trouble missy."

Snorting, she tried to cover up her illogical relief that he hadn't suggested what she'd thought (it was enough to deal with that she herself acknowledged the fact that the man might be her Dragon, if someone else did as well, it would become…too real).

"Well, excuse me for attracting trouble instead of causing it!" she huffed, angered further by the roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Sorry!" he sighed, not sounding sorry at all. "So, did he say something about the painting? And, more importantly, did he hurt you?"

Chewing on her lip, Kaoru fell silent. What should she tell him? The man had practically molested her upon sight, but the undeniable enjoyment and pleasure it had caused her still make her cheeks flush in shame. No way was she telling Sano that!

The man had, however, mentioned the painting – had pretty much claimed to be it – although she couldn't really tell him that either. But, she had never liked lying. In fact, she was horrible at it. Sano would see through any lie she attempted to throw his way. Deciding to try and ease him into the idea of a painting coming to life, Kaoru opted for omission.

"No, he didn't hurt me. But he did say that the painting was his," she began, resisting the urge to laugh at the irony of the statement. "So, yes, he mentioned the painting."

"Good, if he'd hurt you I'd make him wish he was never born. I'll do that anyway, but that's beside the point," he remarked, clenching his fists before relaxing slightly. "Anyway, he obviously wants the painting. Maybe he's part of one of those sects? Since it's gone though, I guess he shouldn't come back. What bothers me though, is the fact that he stuck around for such a long time. I need to know what the guy looked like. So, start talking."

Blushing, Kaoru cleared her throat and tried to think of a good way to describe what she could almost say was indescribable. How could she portray the power hidden in his being, or the fire in his eyes? Mentally slapping some sense into herself, she sternly told herself the latter was not necessary.

"Well," she began, uncomfortable yet again now that anger had left her. She guessed only the physical description would do for now. "He had red hair. Really, really red hair. It was long, below his hips, and pulled up in a ponytail. Um, he was very short, just a little taller than me, and his eyes were like…like gold. Oh! And he had this weird scar on his left cheek; it was shaped exactly like an X."

Blinking, Sano leaned back a bit where he sat. "Wow, they sure didn't pick a discreet person to find that fucking painting, now did they?"

Kaoru nodded, a slight grin tugging at her lips as she saw the humor in it. He would be recognizable, and she didn't doubt Sano's tracking skills. She just hoped he wouldn't be as powerful as she feared him to be; maybe her fright had blown it out of proportion?

"Ah! Didn't know there was anything left of Tae-san's onigiris, I was sure Yahiko ate them all, that mutt!" Sanosuke's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Before she could explain he had already taken a bite and from the shocked look on his face she had her suspicions confirmed; those riceballs weren't normal. They were too good.

"That's it, I'm making him get us more of these!" he exclaimed, and Kaoru groaned. As he happily stuffed himself, she decided it would be for the best if he remained blissfully ignorant of the real person behind the small onigiri miracle.

She had a feeling he would definitely underestimate an enemy who could cook better than the chef of his favorite restaurant.

oOo

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Yahiko came back by dinner, bringing some leftovers from Akabeko kudos to Tae, and was quickly filled in on the recent development in Kamiya Kaoru's life. Despite her protests that it wasn't necessary, both Sanosuke and Yahiko had agreed to make sure they never left her alone simultaneously from now on.

After dinner, Sano had gone to notify his friends that there was "a cockroach roaming the streets" as he put it, which left her with Yahiko. Skittish and paranoid now that she realized he might be back (his promise of "never leaving her side" should've given her a clue earlier, but she blamed it on stress), Kaoru suggested a spar with her youngest student since he had missed out his training session. Besides, classes would begin tomorrow again and she needed to be in shape and with a clear mind after everything that's happened. The meditating would help too.

Though, as it turned out, beating Yahiko repeatedly on the head for his bratty comments proved to be even more therapeutic.

oOo

Going to sleep that night had been nothing short of a challenge. The shadows seemed to take a suspicious shape of a man she would rather forget, and disturbingly, the walls gave off the impression of actually closing in on her whenever her gaze lingered on the dark corners around the room for too long. Unsettled by the eerie atmosphere enhanced by the blue light of a moon during a perfectly starry night – for she had stayed up in order to stay in her boys' presences as long as possible – she had quickly buried herself in her soft sheets until only the top of her head and eyes peeked forth. Curled up as a ball, she had stayed completely still and kept her breathing as silent as possible in order to make out any kind of noise that might be out of place. It proceeded for an hour or two, before she admitted she was acting like a pathetic little girl.

Huffing, she kicked off her sheets and sat up – sending a burning glare around the room – before finally grabbing her bokken (conveniently placed beside her futon). She flexed her grip of the wooden sword until she was satisfied it was solid and stood with a clumsy motion that she blamed on fried nerves.

(Although she was quite aware of how much of a klutz she could be, she tried not to remind herself of this – self-esteem issues were something she couldn't afford when her position as a female kendo teacher housing two stray males demanded full belief in her abilities).

"I swear, if you're in here somewhere…" she mumbled, eyeing a particularly suspicious looking shadow with tensed annoyance and slight anticipation. Her grip tightened on her bokken as she neared it, but relaxed once she noticed there was nothing there but a few stubborn dust bunnies and spider's webs that her frantic cleaning that morning had done nothing to kill. She never was very skilled with work in the household.

"Missed me?" a voice whispered in her ear and she would've let out a high-pitched, embarrassing scream had not a warm hand been placed firmly against her mouth. By reflex, she hastily bit down on the soft flesh when she realized screaming wasn't an option. When no reaction came to her rather violent move, enough time had passed for her brain to start functioning past the shock and for her heart to start beating again.

Groaning, she lowered her bokken and fought the urge to simply face-palm.

It was him again.

oOo

She no longer felt a need to deny the fact that there was something magical about her newest nuisance, her new thorn-in-the-side – her Dragon. Maybe magical was too beautiful of a word, but at the moment she could not think of anything more suitable for the situation.

(It might have something to do with how her vocabulary seemed to be reduced to a more Sanosuke-influenced one whenever she reached this level of agitation).

Glaring into a pair of ever-amused golden eyes, she hoped the message came across. Namely the stop whatever the hell you're doing NOW.

"Such a temper, little one," he began, pausing to run a hand through her locks. His humor was clear in his smooth voice and she would've gritted her teeth – had she been able to move even an inch. "It is merely for your own good that I have rendered you motionless."

Whatever he saw in her eyes must've translated correctly, the how is this good for me? glare she sent his way received with a low rumble of amusement she had come to recognize as a weird sort of purring laugh that occasionally slipped through his lips. She knew there had been something off with his chuckles in the past, now she had it confirmed as it vibrated against her slender frame cradled against his almost tenderly. Leaning down, he breathed across her cheek and nosed the skin below her ear delicately, making her shiver despite the frozen state of her body. Goosebumps spread along her arms and she prayed he wouldn't notice – if only to avoid giving him more reasons to believe she enjoyed his attentions. As if the numerous times she had responded to his touch wasn't enough – but she tried to tell herself it was the magic. It wasn't normal to feel like you were physically pulled towards him, right?

"Kaoru," he mumbled, reminding her he was still talking to her, not just making pleasant noises (she blushed at the thought, quickly dismissing the memory of his chuckles, growls and strange purrs). "If I had allowed you to continue squirming in my lap so deliciously, I would not have been held responsible for my actions."

She stared at him wide-eyed, a weak thought reminding her she shouldn't have been surprised, as her blush darkened. A warm tingle of energy caressed her jaw and she found she could move it again, although her arms and legs remained slack and unresponsive as bags of rice. Spluttering in indignation, she tried to find something remotely intelligent to scold him with but merely ended up uttering a few words. "Y-you, you! You!" Taking a deep breath, she ignored the tell-tale rumbling from his chest and glared. "If you'd just let me go this would not be necessary damnit!"

He was nuzzling her neck again, and she couldn't help but growl in frustration at the warmth he somehow spread inside, where his physical, abnormal heat should not be able to reach. She didn't even know the name of this man, didn't even really know exactly who he was despite her recent acceptance of his connection to her beautiful painting. Ah, but beautiful, he was. She would've shook her head at the thought, but had to settle with nibbling her lower lip. Somehow she knew his fierce eyes were observing her bad habit, and not inspecting the few freckles adoring her nose. She wasn't sure what she'd prefer, or if she should be preferring anything at all.

"Oh but I like holding you close, my sweet," he purred, something she hadn't heard him do other than when he made that deep noise of amusement. It sounded strange – inhuman – but she couldn't bring herself to dislike it. It was dripping with simple, warm contentment. He paused to kiss the corner of her mouth, drawing a strangled noise from her as she shyly looked away. She could still feel his smirk against her skin. "I have been denied many things during my lifetime, and as such, I have made it a habit of never denying myself anything should I have the chance," he spoke again, this time with his usual smooth voice, as if explaining his actions. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the arrogance she could easily read behind his perfectly sculptured image but settled with a snort.

(She wasn't sure when she had realized there was so much more to this man, or, well, dragon, but found herself wondering how she could've ever missed it instead of second-guessing her abrupt conclusion.)

"How am I going to get rid of you?" she sighed as she tried to stifle a yawn (it was tiring to swing between so many emotions and moods while struggling with the many thoughts shouting loudly to be heard in her head), only realizing she had spoke out loud when he delivered a sharp bite at her jaw in retribution that made her flinch ever so slightly. His reply was simple, and it made her close her eyes and will herself to sleep regardless of her position in his lap where she had ended up when she had tried, once again, to flee his presence earlier. Really, sleep would be so much better than dealing with the infuriating man invading her senses and twisting her reality into something she was afraid to explore.

"You can't get rid of me, Kaoru."

A feather-like kiss fell on her closed eyelids and she found herself drifting off into a warm, comfortable sleep devoid of any dreams (with the exception of red and gold, accompanied by the pleasant smell of ginger and fire).

"You are mine."

oOo

o-oOo-o

oOo

A/N: AAAHH I AM SO NERVOUS. What do you think? Like? Hate? Personally I'm not that pleased with it, but I never am. I seriosuly think I over-did a few things in this.

Anyway, good news is, that if you still like the story, I have a few ideas to throw in the story. Like, background stories and explanations of our dear little Dragon!Kenshin. From the beginning I didn't have any, but after getting so many nice reviews, my brain started working things out and I think I'm pleased with what I have in mind so far.

BUT, it depends on how you like the story now that I've decided to continue it. If too many liked it better as a oneshot, I'll stop. I have too many stories to update to have one story that few people like. So, yeah.

Thanks for reading anyway! :D Love you all! -bows-