Chapter 10

Revelations

The land of Makineb faced the sun once more. Her inhabitants woke up to a hot and sunny morning. Their ruler woke up to the heat of the sun.

Shishio rose and left his sleeping concubine sprawled lazily on the bed. She was a fetching sight but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Ever since Enishi walked on his land, he had a feeling something was about to happen.

He stood before a large map showing the lands surrounding Makineb. Some of the smaller ones were already in his rule but he could not touch the lands around Khaheleb. They were under the protection of Khaheleb. It made him frown but at the same time, Shishio acknowledged his restlessness. He wanted a war with Khaheleb. He desired it. Rumors wagged about the skills of the future ruler and Shishio wanted nothing more than to prove he was better.

As he stared at the map, his mind wondered towards Enishi and the woman he wanted for himself. It was interesting to note that the young Yukishiro lord had wanted one specific woman for himself. He had wondered about that. Wondered who that woman was.

Would she be as pleasing as Yumi?

He smirked. Yukishiro was young. That woman would be younger or only slightly older. Of that he had no doubt. Yukishiro looked like the type to dominate and he would not find joy in dominating much older women.

Those two interests were enough to stir Shishio away from his slumber and into a deep thinking mode.

First of all, he had to look about the castle. He had a feeling that someone had been watching the castle for awhile now but he had yet to prove his instincts were right. It irritated him. That small flaw...

The door behind him opened and he heard gentle feet glide towards him.

Soft slender arms circled his waist and longer graceful fingers locked in front of him. Lush, full breasts pressed against his back. Warm, wet tongue licked his bound neck.

"Fascinated, my Lord?"

Shishio indulged his woman. The feel of her warm body against his was wonderful.

"I was thinking how wonderful victory would taste after we conquer Khaheleb."

Yumi's hands played with Shishio's front, rising high up and then travelling low down. "It would be marvelous."

Shishio smirked. "I know."

"What do you have in mind?"

Shishio shrugged, his attention once again was focused on the map.

"I have to find out if one of my men is a rat first. Then, I will think of an unbeatable strategy. I would need energy, of course."

Yumi smirked behind his back. Her hand reached down to expertly grasp him. "Of course."

Shishio said nothing when she slid away from him and glided out of the room. His mind was back on his plans. His curiosity was back on the woman.

It was truly an interesting combination.

XXX

SLAP!

Kenshin's face turned at the force of Kaoru's hand on his cheek. Shock was written all over his face. He had expected her to scream, to beg, to cry…he had not expected her to retaliate.

His hand reached up to cover the burning mark and his eyes sought hers.

They were brimming with unshed tears.

Just like that, he felt his anger fade but he forced himself to remain emotionless. It would not do to show her how shaken he was.

"Of all the men Dioni had chosen for me," Kaoru said in a cold voice, "Dioni had to choose you."

The disgust in each word was so apparent that he said nothing at all. He wanted to yell at her. He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to drag her away and show her exactly who she belonged to.

Yet the ice in Aoshi's eyes and the heat in Kaoru's silenced him. Instead, he wrapped his fingers tightly around her arm and dragged her towards the house. Kaoru screamed and started to instinctively fight him, but Kenshin silenced her with one cold look before he continued to drag her.

Instinctively, Aoshi took a step forward to stop him before realizing his place. He looked up and saw Sano shaking his head furiously, begging him not to follow the two of them. Aoshi knew his place and knew his position. He knew he should not get into Kenshin's affairs but the thought of Kaoru being alone and vulnerable with the redhead angered and frightened him. She was so vulnerable now. Kenshin could hurt her with just words! However if he interfered now he could not be of any help to Kaoru in the future. He did not want Kenshin to dismiss him or duel with him. Any of those actions will keep him from protecting her. Biting his tongue, Aoshi stilled himself.

Sano watched as his best friend dragged his fiancée into the house. No one said a word. No one stopped them. It was between the future ruler and his fiancée. No one else had any right to interfere. Sano ran over to Aoshi and stood before him. Even as Aoshi took a tentative step towards the house, he gripped Aoshi's arm tightly and with a hint of warning.

"Do not interfere, Shinomori. You'll make things worse!"

"She is in there because of me!"

"Damn it, Shinomori! Kenshin is hunting for a reason to kill you! Do not give him one!"

Aoshi's cold blue eyes pierced Sano, as sharp as a dagger. "If he hurts her, I will kill him."

That quiet testimony convinced Sano that Aoshi truly meant it. The extend that Aoshi would go for her frightened the brown haired man.

"I know you and jou-chan there had a relationship. But she belongs to Kenshin now…"

Aoshi waved a hand impatiently, his ki searched and found Kaoru's, distressed but not in pain.

"There is nothing between us. We are…for the lack of a better word…friends."

Sano's eyes widened and he nodded, wondering if he could accept Aoshi's explanation or not. Feeling awkward, he dropped his hand, turned and watched the house.

"I hope Kenshin realizes that Jou-chan had been crying," Sano said after a while.

Aoshi remained silent. Inside, he hoped his future ruler was not too blinded by jealousy to notice it as well.

Kenshin dragged Kaoru roughly across the yard and into the house and her room. None of the servants came in. They all remained hidden, as they should. They knew the master was home and angry and they were all happy that Kaoru was going to be punished for something. All except Tsubame. The gentle child watched with horror as her mistress was dragged up the stairs, her feet caught twice and she almost stumbled, and into the room. The loud and angry slam of the door made her wince.

Kenshin dragged Kaoru across the room and threw her roughly on the bed. Instead of her tear stained face, he focused on the scene he walked into. His fingers deftly unbuttoned his top and he threw it on the floor.

Kaoru paled.

Whatever color she had as she screamed and yelled on the way to the room disappeared. One hand curled between her breasts and another pushed her further from him and slightly towards the edge of the bed.

Dressed in only his light inner wear, Kenshin stood before her. He was not as tall as Aoshi or Sano but his anger made her feel as though he was as tall as them.

"If you try to leave that bed, I will hurt you in ways you can never imagine, Kaoru."

She felt like laughing as she heard his words. Could he really? By the time she was alive for ten years, she had already tasted and felt the vilest acts that could be done to her. How much more can her fiancé surprise her?

He did however surprise her.

Instead of forcing himself on her or anything remotely vile, he simple made himself comfortable and sat down on the bed and studied her. The moment the blood had drained from her face, Kenshin had known something was terribly wrong. Part of him felt disgusted with himself for frightening her. Another part of him reveled in it. She deserved it, the darker side of him whispered sadistically. She deserved it for fooling around with Shinomori.

His eyes took in her tear streaked face but he gave no indication on how he felt about it. His face remained impassive, a blank canvass to his emotions.

He studied her as she tried to move even more surreptitiously away from him.

She was afraid of him…

More, she was afraid of what he would do to her…

Kenshin wondered on how he was going to tackle the problem before him. In his current state, he would probably tell Kaoru off in the worse possible manner and hurt her feelings deeply. Yet a part of him did not care. Even her tear streaked face did not soften his feelings for her.

When she moved back another inch, he growled warningly. "If you dare to move another inch, daughter of Kamiya, I will pull you over here and chain you at my feet!"

Kaoru stopped at stared at the man before her. How could she have thought of him at the riverside? What madness claimed her when her heartbeat increased at his mere presence? The man before her was no more a stranger to her than the man her mother married for the second time.

Kaoru could only hope that Aoshi was right about Kenshin. She was staking her life and her mother's on Aoshi's promise that Kenshin will never hurt her mother to get to her.

Kenshin continued to stare at the woman he was about to marry. Doubts rained in his head ever since he saw her with Aoshi. He wanted to ask her about him. He wanted to demand her to tell him everything about her and Aoshi. He wanted to force her to promise him that there would be no one but him in her life.

Kenshin was frightened over the extent of his possessiveness over her more than he could ever imagine. Sitting there before her, watching her dark hair curtain her face and her bright blue eyes warily watching him, Kenshin had the undeniable urge to touch her and claim her and mark her. According to the tradition of the land, he was not even supposed to see her much less touch her before their bonding ceremony!

Kaoru had curled up but she made no more movements to back away. The silence between them was heavy with tension but neither spoke to break it.

Finally Kenshin turned and faced her properly. She braced herself.

The action made him frown but he said nothing.

"I have no desire to know what you were doing in Shinomori's arms, daughter of Kamiya."

'Hmph! That would be a wonderful statement if that was remotely true!' a nagging voice in his head replied. Kenshin ignored it.

"However I am the future ruler of this land and as the future ruler, I require an heir."

Kaoru visibly flinched. Kenshin ignored her reaction. His eyes, a dark gold stared mercilessly at her. "I require an heir…more than that, it has to be a son. If our fist child is a daughter, you will be needed in my bed to create a son."

"That seems rather cold, my Lord even for you."

Kenshin smirked. "I know it is cold but it is practical. You will be in my bed for as long as it is needed for me to get a son, an heir and a strong one at that. Until then, if I ever catch you in the bed of another man, I will ensure each day you spend will be a taste of hell."

Her eyes flashed.

"I have told you, my Lord," Kaoru said very quietly and very coldly. "I have told you by my actions that I am not a whore. I have told you before this unbelievable mess that I am not a whore! Get it into your thick skull that I am not some loose woman who spreads her legs as long as a man asks her too!"

She had, by the end of her speech, been standing by the bed, towering over him, her eyes flashing a brilliant blue. Kenshin did not move and neither did he give any indication that he heard her. He simply stared at her until the dark hair woman broke their eye contact and walked over to the window, her petite body trembling with fury and helplessness.

What kind of marriage begins with such demands? What kind of marriage begins with such mistrust?

Is she the only one who faces these kinds of problems?

By sheer force of will Kaoru kept her back to her future ruler and betrothed. She remained silent.

"As I was saying before you interrupted me," Kenshin said coolly, "You will not sleep with anyone else until you have provided me with a strong male heir. Then you are free."

He said it so casually that Kaoru thought she misheard him. She spun around quickly, her eyes meeting his golden ones without flinching.

"I can leave after I provide you with an heir?" Kaoru asked once more to confirm his words.

Kenshin shook his head. "You may not leave. That would not be acceptable. But you may take in lovers. That will be your choice."

Kaoru shook her head and sighed. "What impression do you have regarding me, my Lord that you keep thinking I take in stray men into my bed? If it is regarding me and Aoshi-san…"

Kenshin held up a hand and Kaoru stopped talking. "You will not say a word about him."

"We have done nothing wrong!" Kaoru cried out in dismay but Kenshin remained still and silent, the decision clear in his eyes. "You are wrong about us. He was simply providing me comfort after a hard day!"

Kenshin's eyes flashed dangerously. He did not make an attempt approach her but the distance did not protect Kaoru from the extent of Kenshin's anger.

"You will not say his name in front of me!"

"I will if I want to," Kaoru replied stubbornly, keeping her shaking fingers out of his view. How long has it been since she fought with someone this way? How long has it been since she was allowed to talk back without wondering if someone was going to lay a hand on her?

Too long….It has been too long already. The child she had been with her father and mother had disappeared. If not for her stubborn streak and Aoshi's constant encouragement, she would have had her spirit broken years ago.

Would he break her?

She did not dare to entertain that thought for long.

"Aoshi-san has been a friend to me today. He has supported me when I was feeling very down. For you to suspect us is an insult," Kaoru said quietly, making her point without raising her voice.

Kenshin's fingers tightened into a fist. The way Kaoru spoke of Aoshi infuriated him. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at her, to make her understand that if anyone was going to give her comfort it should be him!

But he refrained from touching her. Kenshin knew if he touched her now, he would hurt her as he had hurt her when he dragged her into the room.

"I do not care what you think of him. You are my betrothed and my future lady. You will refrain from having a damn relationship with him. You belong to me, Kaoru."

Kaoru tilted her chin up and stared at him. "I belong to no one."

He smirked, a cold cruel smile on the face she had once thought was beautiful.

"Think again."

The hesitant knock on the door drew their attention away from each other.

"What do you want, Sano?"

Outside, Sano sighed. "Kenshin, Hiko is here and he demands you leave with him now."

Kenshin cursed and looked away from Kaoru. What was Hiko doing here? The only possible explanation could be him. His father must have realized something amiss and asked Hiko to fetch him.

With a growl, Kenshin slipped his clothes back on. His back might be facing her but Kaoru felt each tense moment with a clarity she would have rather avoided.

"I am reassigning your guard. From now on, Sano will be here with you."

Kaoru sighed but said nothing.

Kenshin strode over to the door but his hand paused at the handle.

"When I left here before, I gave you clear instructions not to leave the house. You disobeyed me. Now I am going to say it for one last time. Do not leave the house. Do not leave your room. That is an order. If you disobey me once more, I will punish you after we are married. That, Kaoru, is a promise."

She opened her mouth but no words came out so she remained silent.

He hesitated then decided to finish what he started to say.

"Lady Tomoe would have known her place. You might not have been educated in the arts of being a Lady but from now on you will learn."

It stung, Kaoru realized. She might not like her betrothed's highhanded manner. She might not like his temper. She might not like the way he treats her like an object. But she had never expected it to hurt when he compared her to Tomoe.

She was not Tomoe.

And as she watched Kenshin leave the room and shut the door behind him, she could only hope he realized it too.

XXX

Hiko watched the topmost window in the manor quietly. He had been watching the window for almost six hours now and throughout his watch, the young woman had not left her place by the window. She gazed soullessly outside, her dark hair draped on one shoulder, flowing down smoothly till her waist. Once in awhile, her hand would reach up and touch the window, her eyes would look wistfully at the sky and then she would drop her hand and her head and look at the ground.

Those eyes held the same look Hana held – hopelessness.

Hiko sighed.

When he had offered to keep an eye on his student's betrothed, his intention was to watch her and see what type of woman had she grown up to be. Wild rumors had spread around the village and he wanted to judge her himself. She was nothing like he expected.

At her age, Lady Hana had been a proud woman, who kept her chin up and looked at people in the eye. She demanded and commanded obedience. People had a very healthy respect for her. Her husband's students both loved and feared her.

Yet Kaoru was so different. It was as though she was lost. Part of her looked so broken as though begging someone to put the pieces back together again. She still had fire in her eyes though but it looked as though many a times that fire was forcefully extinguished.

Hiko knew that young Tsubame was quite taken up by Kaoru and that only showed him another aspect of her. She inspired loyalty in others. It was not difficult to see. Sano, who was assigned as her new guard, had taken up talking to her and more often than not, Hiko had seen him by the window, making her laugh. From his visit to the prison, he knew the guard truly liked young Kaoru.

The older man sighed. Everything happened for a reason and he had a feeling that the truth behind Heishin's murder was the answer. Since he could not convince the mother to say anything anymore, he would have to rely on Kaoru. But part of Hiko was afraid of what would happen once Kenshin finds out that Kaoru was not what he expected her to be.

He moved quietly into the house and walked steadily towards her room. Sano raised an eyebrow at the sight of Kenshin's master but said nothing as the older man opened the door after a quick knock and slip silently inside. He himself retired to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Kaoru turned to look at the older man standing before her. She had never met him before and had no idea who he was. He nodded at her and she nodded calmly back. If Sano had allowed this man in, he was not dangerous.

"Child."

Kaoru raised her eyebrows when she heard what he called her. A child? She wanted to laugh but kept silent. She had not been a child in years.

"Sir. How may I help you?" she asked softly and surprised Hiko with a voice as calm and strong as Hana's.

"I am Kenshin's master and I want to talk to you."

Kaoru blinked but nodded. "Would you please have a seat? Can I get you anything?"

Hiko shook his head as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Kaoru remained by the window, a look of pure curiosity dancing in her eyes.

They remained silent until Hiko decided to break it.

"How would you wish for me to address you?"

"Kaoru would be fine, sir," Kaoru replied, startled. She made herself more comfortable by the window as she kept her eyes on him. She wanted to ask him who he was but something stopped her. Instead, she decided to ask the reason of his visit. If Kenshin had decided to add another person to guard her, she was going to lose her mind! "Why do you want to talk to me?"

"Curiosity."

Kaoru nodded slowly. "I understand that. If you are planning on asking me how I managed to trick everyone and get engaged to your student, I would suggest you ask whoever it was that planned this whole charade."

Hiko said nothing as he studied her. "And who would that be?"

"Who knows. Whoever they are, they don't seem to be coming forward with the information."

"As interesting as it will be to find out who did all these, I am more interested in knowing about you."

Kaoru sighed.

"What exactly do you want to know about me, sir?"

"Why haven't you asked who I am?" Hiko said instead. Kaoru's eyes widened when he changed the topic and for awhile she said nothing. Then, as though the whole ordeal tire her, she slid to the floor and made herself comfortable.

"Is it important for you to tell me who you are?"

"Should it not be important to you? After all, you are marrying my student."

"I am simply a matter of inconvenience to him. As I do not matter to him, I have resolved to let nothing of his matter to me."

Hiko nodded thoughtfully. "I see the two of you have had a…misunderstanding."

Kaoru's eyes glowed in fury as she thought of how Kenshin had treated her and Aoshi. "He is an irresponsible, big headed, arrogant man who thinks he is right and refuse to admit he might be wrong!"

The outburst stunned Hiko before making him laugh out loud. This woman! This young child was openly berating his idiot of a student and Hiko actually agreed with her!

"Why do you think of him as so, child?"

'How else would I think of a man who confines me in a ROOM and refused to allow me to visit my own mother? A prison is a prison, sir, whether it is made from cold floor and bars or a warm bed and window."

Hiko studied the woman before him silently. She was truly beautiful. He knew that much. Before, her eyes had stared vacantly outside, like a bird whose wings have been tied. Now, she was looking at him with blazing eyes and a healthy flush to her cheeks, making her look like the beautiful woman she should look like. Hiko could easily see what would attract men like Aoshi to her and he could easily imagine his student falling for her.

"So he has made you a prisoner."

"It is rather obvious, I would say…considering the fact I did NOTHING wrong and I refuse to plead guilty just to make him happy."

"You are not what I imagined, Kaoru."

Kaoru blinked and looked at the tall, imposing man sitting on her bed. "What did you imagine?"

"A conniving witch, to be honest and I had rather hoped of one."

Kaoru snorted.

"Yes, I can imagine you would rather hope for one. Everyone else has already decided I was one after all…"

"I came into some information. They are rather personal and I need you to verify them for me."

Immediately Kaoru became alert.

"What kind of information?"

Hiko looked at the strong silent woman before him and mentally compared her to the laughing, bubbly child he once knew. He wondered if he should remain silent but realized that he was not helping either of them by his silence.

"Were you raped by Heishin?"

XXX

Author's note:

I'm SO SORRY! I know this is a really late update and it is not my usual length. I wish I could write more but if I do, I will not be posting this up for a long time. College life is stressful and I recently lost a family. I could not even think of writing for a long time. Thank you, all of you, for your reviews and encouragement to continue this story. I know I am very slow at updating but I will continue this story until I complete it. It is after all one of my favorites.

Thank you for your reviews. Thank you for being patient with me. I hope you enjoyed reading this new chapter and have a really nice day!