Alas, I still don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I also do not own the Twilight series, or any other vampire stories that this may make one think of.
Pursuing his Mate
By: Shiara-dono
Chapter 7
Kaoru sighed, resting her head in her hands. It had taken her a long time after Kenshin had left before she was able to fall asleep again. It wasn't due to anxiety, she knew, but longing, much as she hated to admit it. Her body wanted him, wanted to feel him against her. But she was fearful of him. No, that's not right. I'm not afraid of him. I should be, but I'm not. She recalled looking into a mirror this morning. On her neck were two puncture marks, where his fangs had pierced her skin. The bite wasn't deep, and only a little bruised, but it told Kaoru what exactly Kenshin was.
At first, her mind had rebelled, pulling up images of the man in Tokyo, the… vampire, that had hurt her, but she pushed them away again. Kenshin wasn't like him at all. She sighed. I overreacted. I really should go apologize to him.
Kaoru couldn't understand why she wasn't frightened of him. Instead, she felt an odd pull toward him, a desire to be with him. It was very confusing to her. She walked the few feet to Kenshin's office and hesitantly knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she slid the door open a crack and peered into the darkness. "Kenshin?"
"He's not here."
Kaoru jumped and spun. She paled when she saw who it was. "Pre… Pre… Pre… Hi…" And then her mind processed what he had said. "Not here? Where is he?"
Hiko smirked. "He's just feeling a little ill today, so I told him to stay home."
Vampires get sick? "I was under the impression that Kenshin doesn't get sick."
Her stray thought made its way easily into his mind, startling him, but he hid his surprise well. When did she find out? Heh heh… we'll see how baka deshi deals with this. "First time for every thing. Don't worry; he'll be back tomorrow."
Kaoru glared at him. "Who says I'm worried?" She walked back to her office and shut the door behind her, leaving Hiko laughing in the hallway.
By the next day, Kenshin was mostly back to normal. He did his best to stay away from Kaoru in the morning, just in case, which wasn't easy. He finally gave in, and knocked on Kaoru's door just after lunch.
"It's open!" Kaoru called out. She looked up from behind a mound of paperwork as the office door opened. "Oh, Kenshin! Sorry I didn't come looking for you earlier. As you can see, I'm behind on my paperwork. How are you feeling?"
Kenshin smiled at her. "Just fine, thank you. I apologize if you were worried."
Kaoru blushed. "I… I wasn't worried."
"Really? Shishou said you were."
"He talks too much." Kaoru growled.
Kenshin laughed. "Can't argue there. Um… I… I wanted to apologize. For the other night."
Kaoru shook her head. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I freaked out for no reason."
You had reason. … could it be that she hasn't yet realized what I am? "It seems we both feel bad. So, what would you say to trying it over? A movie night at my house, tonight? Shishou will be gone, so you won't have to worry about him making comments."
"That sounds fine."
"Great! Then how about you ride home with me? I can bring you back to your car later."
"Okay."
"So, what movie are we watching?" Kaoru asked a while later, after Kenshin had driven them to his house.
Kenshin shrugged. "I thought I'd leave that up to you." He led her to a room and opened the door for her. "Pick whatever you like."
Kaoru let out a low whistle. It was like walking into a movie rental store, only better. Floor to ceiling was lined with shelves of movies. "These are all yours?!"
"Mm-hm. Shishou has a hobby of collecting movies, books, music. Personally, some of the older ones are a little dry."
Kaoru was too overwhelmed, so she picked one she was already familiar with. It allowed her time to sit on the couch and rest, without being too involved in the movie. She felt comfortable in Kenshin's presence, calmer, somehow. I wonder why that is?
About halfway through the movie, Kenshin paused it and turned to Kaoru. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"
"Actually, some water would be nice."
"Okay. I'll be right back." He walked toward the direction of the kitchen.
Only a minute or two passed before there was a whisper in her mind. "Kaoru…"
"Kenshin?" It… sounded like him.
"Kaoru… come outside… I want to show you something…"
Kaoru stood hesitantly, walking toward the front door. She opened it, letting her eyes adjust to the dying sunlight, and walked outside. "What is it, Kenshin? Where are you?"
"Over here… come see…"
She walked toward the gardens, where his voice seemed to be coming from, uneasy now. Something wasn't right. "Kenshin?"
"Hello, Kaoru."
Kaoru spun, eyes going wide. The color drained from her face. "No… not you."
The blond vampire smirked, stepping closer. "I told you I would come for you."
"Kenshin? Where's Kenshin?" She winced at the panicky edge her voice held.
"He's still inside. No, don't call him, Kaoru. He won't come. You know I'll kill him if he does."
Kaoru shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears. Tears fell silently down her face. "No… I won't listen. Go away… you can't hurt me… you won't!"
"Oh, but I can hurt you. Pain for you, pleasure for me, right? Come, let me demonstrate."
Kaoru jerked away from his touch, but couldn't fully escape. Long nails cut her arms as fangs tore at her throat. She screamed.
In the house, Kenshin downed a glass of chilled blood to keep him sane before returning to the front room. He was surprised that Kaoru wasn't waiting for him on the couch. He hadn't thought he'd been gone that long. "Kaoru?" She could be using the restroom, I guess. Despite that thought, a wave of uneasiness ran through him. He was turning toward the direction of the bathroom, when he heard the last sound he ever wanted to hear, a bone-wrenching scream from the side garden. The glass of water fell from his hand as he raced outside.
Ahh, don't kill me! I know it's a bad place to stop, but if I hadn't, this chapter would have been forever long! Sessha apologizes! Now, before you all flame me, Kaoru IS NOT dead! Why would I kill on of my favourite characters? I'll try to get the next chapter posted soon, but it depends on my strength, which is sadly really low right now, due to the cursed coughing cold I'm recovering from. Thanks to everyone who continues to read this. Ja ne!
Glossary:
baka deshi: what Hiko calls Kenshin. It means 'idiot apprentice'
shishou: master
