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 10

Kenshin led the way up another set of stairs, ones that Kaoru hadn't noticed before. He pushed open a door at the top of the stairs and motioned her inside.

Kaoru's jaw dropped. It was a dojo, spreading across the entire top floor of the house. The floor was made of dark wood that shone from recent cleaning. The walls were decorated with all kinds of weapons imaginable. She turned to Kenshin, speechless.

"Do… do you like it?"

Kaoru nodded. "I love it!" She gazed wistfully at the rack of shinai and bokken on the far wall. Then she frowned. "You use wooden weapons?"

Kenshin ducked his head, favoring her with a sheepish grin. "No. I added them… after I learned that you use them. I… was… hoping, that you'd come over more often, if they were here."

She sighed, and glared at her hands. "Well, I would, if I could hold a shinai."

"I'll give you a key." He promised. "You can come over anytime."

"Th… thank you." Kaoru blushed. Steeling her emotions, she hesitantly stepped toward him.

Kenshin's mind went blank and his eyes widened as Kaoru closed the distance between them and placed her hand on his forehead, pushing his bangs up gently.

"Did you know your eyes have changed color?" Kaoru asked quietly.

"My… my eyes?"

"Mm-hm. They've gone red, around the edges."

Damn. I should have known. It's from her blood, but how can I tell her that? "Does that scare you?" He asked in a low, throaty voice.

My blood? Why would it be the cause of his eyes changing color? "No, it doesn't."

"Good." He pressed his lips against hers in a gentle, yet searing, kiss.

Kaoru drew in a sharp breath, and Kenshin gasped, forcing himself to take a step back. "F… forgive me, Kaoru! I shouldn't have!"

"It's okay-" Kaoru began breathlessly.

"No, it's not! You had your mind violated just last night! I shouldn't… I can't…"

Kaoru sighed again, and looked around the room. "Which weapon do you use?" She asked, trying to distract him.

"What? Oh, um, it's not in here. I'll go get it." He disappeared through a side door, returning seconds later. "This is what I use."

Kaoru removed the sword from its sheath, examining it. It was long and thin, but heavy to her, with the blade on the reversed side. "A … sakabattou?"

"You recognize it." Kenshin's eyes gleamed with appreciation. He took the sword back, giving it a few experimental slashed. "I still want to spar with you, you know."

She glared down at her hands again. "When I have healed-?"

He smiled. "Not a minute after."

It took Kaoru's hands three weeks to heal. True to his word, Kenshin sparred with her the following day. She lost, barely, but had a suspicion that he had more strength than he let on.

She was also becoming increasingly aware of his thoughts, hearing them almost as much as his spoken words. As a result, she heard conversations not meant for her to hear.

She was standing outside Kenshin's office door. She had watched Hiko enter the office, and curiosity got the better of her, so she had crept to the door to listen.

"Baka deshi." She heard Hiko say in a quiet, exasperated voice. "You're starting to show the strain again. Why haven't you done the ritual with her yet?"

Kaoru could hear Kenshin's wince as he responded. "Privately please, Shishou? I don't want to be the center of more jokes than I already am."

Hiko laughed, but the sudden silence of his words meant he had complied. It also meant she could only hear Kenshin's side of the conversation.

I won't force her, Shishou. You know that. There was a pause, then Kenshin sighed. Yes, I know I'll need to eventually. But I'll hold off as long as I can. Another pause. Yes, it's killing me. But… I love her. And she's mortal. I could kill her so easily if I'm not careful. Kenshin paused, listening to Hiko's response. He growled suddenly, scaring Kaoru. Dammit, Shishou. I WILL NOT FORCE HER! A chair crashed against the wall. I'm going for a walk." Kenshin muttered out loud.

Kaoru froze. She wasn't going to be able to leave undetected, so she did the only thing she could think of and raised her hand like she was going to knock on the door.

Kenshin threw the door open, missing Kaoru by an inch. His eyes widened. "Kaoru! I'm sorry! Did you… did you need something?"

Kaoru eyed him. Hiko's right. You do look bad.

Kenshin winced. He'd heard her thought. Had he been thinking straight, it would have told him exactly how long she'd been outside his door. Good thing the rest of that conversation was thought- spoke.

"I was just wondering if you would mind me coming over after work to practice. And maybe we could spar again?"

"That's fine. If you'll excuse me for a moment; I need to clear my head." He walked away quickly.

Kaoru sighed, turning to face Hiko, who was sitting in the unbroken office chair. "That wasn't smart. Now you have a wall and a chair to repair."

Hiko laughed. "Why don't you tell him you know already? It'd make things easier."

"Because he'll tell me when he's ready. Right now, the surprise might kill him."

Hiko laughed again. "We aren't easy to kill, human."

"I know." Kaoru responded drily. She looked at the damage. "I had a feeling he was going easy on me in our sparring match. Can't you be nice to him."

He stared at her in surprise. "That would make him wonder."

"I guess that's true."

"I'm ordering you to take today off." Kenshin said calmly early one morning.

Kaoru stared at him. "Take it off?"

Kenshin nodded. "I've never had someone so dedicated working for me. You even come in on your scheduled days off. So, this is an order as your boss; go home. Get some rest, do housework, whatever you want."

"Are you… you aren't displeased with me, are you?" She couldn't believe how much it hurt to choke out those words.

"Hardly." Kenshin smiled, lightly running the back of his hand down Kaoru's cheek. His smile widened as he felt the electrical surge pulse through him. "I'm just afraid you're going to wear yourself out."

"But… but I-"

Kenshin sighed, reading in thoughts what she couldn't put into words. Fighting to keep control of himself, he leaned closer, brushing his lips softly against hers. He spoke whispered words across her mouth. "Kaoru. I'll be here. If you need me, call, and I'll come."

"… okay…" Kaoru mumbled. She took a half- step forward, pressing her lips more firmly against his.

Kenshin pushed her away, laughing shakily. "You overestimate my self- control, Kaoru."

She started to protest, but he silenced her with another soft kiss. "Go home now." He told her huskily. "I'll see you tonight."

I apologize to everyone for this chapter being updated so late. A lot has happened since the last chapter. Currently, we're being forced out of our house, so we have to find someplace new to live. So, yeah, I'll update when I can, between packing. Anyway, next chapter starts the violence, meaning the bad vamp shows up. Any guesses yet on who he is? See you all in the next chapter. Ja ne!

Glossary:

shinai: bamboo sword

bokken: wooden sword

sakabattou: reverse blade sword

baka deshi: what Hiko calls Kenshin. It means 'idiot apprentice'

shishou: master