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The Otherworld

Chapter 10 – Caedes

Kaoru sighed rubbing her tired eyes repeatedly hoping her vision would clear. She had retreated to her and Cho's office in the hopes of getting some work done. She could still hear the distant sounds of music being played for those still enjoying the party. Studying her guide notes on the last peace party sent into Tomoe's Kingdom, Caedes Kaoru searched for a clue, anything really. In order to reach Caedes the two soldiers would have had to travel either through, or follow the path along the border of the Arables. The second option meant that they would have been sighted in two other kingdoms Valde Scentia and Ne Multus in that order. A thorough recovery report had been made displaying that several villagers had claimed to have seen the men pass through their respective countries. Cho's assertion had therefore been correct; both soldiers had been either killed or taken prisoner in Tomoe's kingdom. Strange that a woman of such brilliance and strategy would think that she could deny having seen these men and expect to get away with it.

Looking at the map of all the territories she wondered what had happened to their alliances. What had happened to friendly collaboration in the hope for a greater future for all their kingdoms? Leaning over her oak table she flattened the map to reveal a small island empire at the edge of their lands. Vetus Villa. She never remembered any kingdom of theirs having relations with this island. She would have to ask Cho about what role it played in the past, and what it would be able to do for the future of Dimidius.

Kaoru strolled to the window and gazed out at the moon which hung like a red halo in a web of darkness. She had never seen it with such colour. Was it a sign of the times soon to befall the innocent inhabitants of Dimidius? She sighed inwardly knowing that nothing could be done until she had talked to Cho. Moreover a discussion with Kenshin was also needed before anything else.

Exiting her office Kaoru headed towards her room in the hopes of having a talk with her beloved, only to be met by Yumi.

"Oh Kaoru! I though you would have already retired to your room?"

"I had a few things to look over, but I am returning to my rooms now. I trust that you are enjoying your evening?" she enquired politely.

"Oh absolutely!" exclaimed Yumi sweetly. "Incidentally, I had a request to make of you" she trailed off uncertainly. Kaoru retained her polite expression of interest, urging Yumi to continue.

"Some officials have come to stay and they are in the capacity of ranked officers, but we have no suitable rooms available for their use. I was wondering if you could perhaps vacate your rooms for the duration of their stay so we could allow them usage of your room instead?"

"I will endeavour to clear my room before the night is over."

"Oh Thank You! I'll have other rooms prepared for you!" and with a perfunctory nod Yumi turned and headed back the way she had came. Kaoru wondered whether the woman was telling the truth, but in all honesty she had slept in worse conditions so downgrading wouldn't be an issue. Kaoru admired Yumi's manners and general social etiquette. She was polite, nice and inserted the relevant appreciative comments whenever they were needed - impeccable. That's was probably why Soujirou was marrying her: because she had all the right qualities a future queen should have, thought Kaoru cynically before mentally berating herself. She hoped Soujirou had made the right choice.

Gathering her things wasn't difficult. Her possessions were not exactly great in number making it an easy job to pack everything she owned into one medium sized sack. A solid series of raps on her door indicated that an usher had come to show her to her new room. Guiding her quickly through the maze of hallways they finally arrived at what looked to be a very old worn out door. Having completed his task the usher bowed to her before walking away quickly.

Pushing open her door, Kaoru rolled her eyes in realisation that her prior suspicions had now been confirmed. Yumi was going to make her life difficult. So far it was nothing she couldn't handle.

The room was like a box. A very small and poorly ventilated box. The window, if one could call it that, was two metres above her head meaning the sunlight would never reach her unless she was the tallest woman in the universe. The bed had been wedged into a little alcove where a tiny dresser had been stood at the foot. It was a room distinctly befitting someone well below her rank, but if she complained Yumi would probably claim that some mistake had been made. Testing out the bed she sat on it and bounced around a little and was thankful. It was comfy enough, which was fine with her. She wondered what Kenshin would think if he saw her living in such a dumpy place.

"You've certainly moved up in the world my love" came soft statement from the darkened corner of her room. Kaoru watched as Kenshin emerged from shadow.

"Is that how you travel? Through shadow?"

His lips curled at the edge. Taking her hand he kissed it softly.

"It's been a while a ghrá."his lips were soft on her skin. That voice had not altered at all in her absence; smooth and lyrical it shivered across her skin like a soft caress. She thought that perhaps her conversations with him had tempered some of her desire, but it had not. Lust hit her leaving her feeling dizzy and breathless. Kenshin crushed her lithe frame to his own, capturing her lips with singular possessiveness. Kaoru whimpered in surprise and pleasure at his actions. He wanted her just as much she wanted him.

His lips trailed a series of hot kisses down her neck to the neckline of her dress. Growling in annoyance at the dress impeding his path and with no concern at all for Kamatari's work of beauty he ripped the dress away from her body with impatience.

"Kamatari is going to be upset about that" she whispered hoarsely.

"Just tell him I did it" he asserted before cupping her breast and kissing her until she was dizzy with need. He removed his left arm which had curled around her back with support, letting her fall limply onto the bed. Kenshin watched her breasts rise and fall as if she had just run marathon. Leaning forward with every intention of ravishing her senseless, Kaoru's hand on his chest stopped his progress. He eyed her hand with displeasure. Looking at her face his eyes glowed with amber fire silently questioning her action.

"Take off your shirt – and your pants." she instructed.

He made quick work of her suggestion proceeding to lean over prone form like a predator hunting its prey. This time he forced himself to slowly pull her dress away from her body while her hands touched his face with pleasure and happiness. Kissing her hands and arms he directed his mouth to her breasts, lavishing them with the attention he had been longing to. He bit her breasts softly, feeling her hands tighten in his hair before she let out a moan of pleasure.

Unlatching her right hand from his hair he clasped it in his own above her head and Kaoru thought she would die from the pleasure he was inciting within her. Her left hand still clutched his hair in a fierce grip in anticipation as his other hand slid slowly down her stomach with purpose. His touch wove a magic over her senses, Kaoru didn't bother rallying against it as his hand stroked her relentlessly.

His hardness lay against her thigh like heated silk, it was difficult to ignore. She wanted to suspend the pleasure but she wanted everything now at exactly the same time. Kaoru gasped, arching her back with pleasure as he kissed, nipped and sucked his way down her torso and over her stomach. Her hands now tangled in his hair suddenly gripped the strands with surprise. His mouth was pleasuring her in a place she had not anticipated. Do all lovers make love this way? She thought dizzily as he continued his ministrations until her mind was about to explode before he stopped and whispered in her ear.

"Too close a ghrá." his voice soft and husky.

Kaoru swallowed and waited until his hand moved of its own accord and again she fell into the downward spiral of delight at his knowing touch. As she reached the heights of ecstasy again, Kenshin removed his hand and plunged deep into her, holding himself for a moment inside her after each thrust. He stroked into her relentlessly, strong and hard; with each push he brought her closer to the edge. Kaoru raked her hands desperately down Kenshin's back until she felt a sudden release; she had fallen over the brink she had so desperately desired from the start. Her sated body lay limply on the bed; Kenshin rested his head on her breast and listened to her erratic heartbeat. Kaoru stroked his hair gently; his skin felt warm and smooth against her own. She felt at ease and most of she felt happy.

Kenshin kissed her bare shoulder again, his lips leaving a hot imprint on her skin.

"So fill me in on the castle news" he murmured while playing with her hair. She shifted until she was facing him.

"Well as you know, Soujirou is getting married – her name is Yumi. There's something about her that I just don't trust" she trailed off in thought.

"Do you think that perhaps your perspective is marred due to your feelings prior to our marriage?" he asked quietly. Kaoru watched him quietly before replying.

"I don't think so. I know I never told you about how I felt about Soujirou before, but to be honest, I really didn't think that it would matter. Especially since we got married" she pointed out. "Yumi is hiding something. I can feel it. It's as if she's not quite there, but she can say all the right things when she has to" she explained thoughtfully.

"So you think that she is a pawn in someone else's game?"

Kaoru nodded in response.

"I spoke with Cho about dissenting forces and he appears to be worried about Queen Tomoe" she revealed.

"Mmm she has been gathering certain armoury and forces which do not place her in a favourable light. I had suspected as much, and your advisor has now confirmed what I had originally thought."

"But I had a look at her forces and they really aren't enough to take on our allied kingdoms Kenshin. I just don't think she's the only one…"

Following a long talk and very little sleep Kenshin had then left, after which Kaoru stumbled out if her tiny cupboard room, happiness leaking from every one of her pores.

She spent more and more time with Cho, analysing and re-analysing all border kingdoms, including their allies. They both engineered war probabilities with each, and possible solutions as well as back up plans. She also spent time scouting, or completing infilis which meant debriefing of agents they sent to other kingdoms for information. It was timely and nothing could be considered unimportant – everything was included.

She often found herself watching the new recruits being trained by Sano from the hall window just outside her office. They were getting better, but still not reaching the standard expected from them in battle.

"So we're keeping tabs on Tomoe?" asked Kaoru from her place near the window,

"Yes. But this time we go silent. We can't afford another open gesture of peace to go 'awry'." he grimaced.

"Mmm, who are we sending in then?"

"Someone who can meld in well, and has the skill set to find out all the information we need." Explained Cho thoughtfully, as he rubbed his face. "So we can't send our best – they would stand out too much and are probably already well known."

"Why not send someone who we know is good, but who pretends to be average?" she reasoned.

"No, I've got something better." he wiggled his fingers in delight at his own genius.

"What?" she enquired suspiciously.

"You." He iterated simply.

Kaoru was dumbfounded. She blinked.

"I can't."

"Oh now now Kaoru you've always been one for adventures – take your recent behaviour for example: you disappeared for a few months and returned healthy as a horse." He grinned.

"I was in a safe place." Her teeth gritted together in effort to remain civil.

"Well I know you have the skill to extract yourself from a dangerous situation Kaoru. I also know that you wouldn't do anything entirely stupid to place yourself in said situation. You're good, and most think you're a try hard male with no female attributes whatsoever. I happen to know better." He huffed "You're going and that's final." He stated shortly. "I'll have the relevant documents forwarded to you immediately – please prepare for your departure." With that short dismissal he turned and walked swiftly away from Kaoru who still stood next to the window reeling from her sudden change in circumstances

"It's unfortunate that Cho wishes to send you love, but it could actually work out better this way." Kenshin tried to sooth his wife's fraying nerves.

"I cannot do this Kenshin. That's like willingly entering the lion's cage."

"If you go to Tomoe's kingdom the likelihood of finding out what her plans in order to stop them will be much easier. We'll find out earlier and this may mean fewer resources will be needed to end this silent confrontation."

"You knew that they were going to send me there didn't you?"

"I have to admit that I did suspect that they might send you."

"I hope they don't tell Yumi about me going."

"They won't – the king will not be informed of your whereabouts either. They have a cover story at their disposal."

"Which is?"

"That you have gone to help with administration to train soldiers in mountain combat, uninformed warfare and camouflage."

"Administration? I'll administrate them alright." snickered Kaoru.

"I'm only allowing this course of action because I know that you can extract yourself. You must always remember who you are – your powers and mine. What we have is something that cannot be broken." His voice held so much love and power "Do not forget." He reminded her.

"I could not, even if I tried." Kaoru felt her heart warm at his acceptance of her abilities and his place in her heart. "Will you still visit me – in Caedes?"

"Of course."

Those words held the weight of his desire making her smile.

"With regard to your mission – you will most likely be a maid or placed in a role similar to that. Make sure that you are forgettable. People must like you the minute they see you and forget about you the next. Be as ordinary as possible, but not entirely mundane. It is important that acceptance of you in your role is validated. It will be difficult otherwise for you to obtain information."

"I guess I'll be using a lot of magic then." She mused. That aversion magic she had used the first time she had returned to the village would come in handy.

"You will realise soon enough which spells will be most useful. If you practice, the magic will transpire without actual incantation."

"Really?"

"Yes. In fact there are some realms which increase magical abilities to the point where future thoughts occur magically – but that's a whole different issue."

"Uh huh." She nodded as her husband corrected himself.

"I believe you will be fine."

"Are you saying that because you believe it or because you're trying to convince yourself?"

"A bit of both." He confessed in a low tone. "Make no mistake Kaoru - it is not because I do not trust your abilities. It is because I could not imagine my life without you."

"You won't have to. I wouldn't want to live my life without you – under any circumstances." She paused before continuing "After I get there, I'll contact you once it's safe okay?"

"As you wish.

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Iuvenalis