A/N: Originally posted on my LJ October 29th 2009. It was written for Ravyn, as a drabble request. I have 9 drabbles left to write for the "Free Drabble Requests" things I did on LJ. Hopefully I'll get around doing that soon; I really miss writing!

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, favs and alerts! It means a lot! :)


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Temptess

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She heard the sound of soft, tempting music; slowly drifting to full awareness with an annoyed frown tugging at her full lips. It was early, not yet dawn, and as she opened her sapphire eyes she could hardly see more than a few meters ahead. The mist of the early hours of the day lay thick this deep in the forest; grass, leaves, bark and stones equally damp as a result. She shifted where she lay, her skin cooled by the wet moss underneath her weight. She didn't doubt she'd leave behind an impressive imprint of her body, but suspected it would soon fade. The moss was thick and sponge-like she noted as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the chilly sky, observing the icy-blue merging with the warmer colors of impending sunrise. The treetops were high in the air, the forest being of old, aging pine, and she'd chosen a rather sparse area of trees to spend her short time of rest.

She regretted it now, as the tunes of a violin floated through with ease and echoed; wrapping around her like a teasing embrace. It was too early for this, she mused with a huff of annoyance, and made to stand with a graceful roll of limbs. Resolving to have a word with the musician clearly lacking in manners, she stretched like a cat rising from its nap in the afternoon sun and moaned delightfully at the popping of her spine. Even if the moss had been soft like a little bird's down, it had still been cold, and she was forced to admit summer was slowly coming to an end. Soon she'd have to seek out warmer places; she'll miss sleeping underneath naked skies.

"Oh where could you be, violin?" she cooed, following the sweet sound of teasing music; light on her bare feet as she moved between trees and caressed their barks lovingly with smooth fingers. It was an unnecessary question, as she knew exactly where the music came from, but her annoyance was swiftly changing into amusement. This particular song had a habit of affecting her so, with its merry tune and mischievous taunting. There was no better way to call her, and once this thought crossed her mind she allowed herself another huff of indignation. She couldn't arrive fast enough.

Once she broke free of the endless space of trees, she found herself facing the lively waters of a particularly ruthlessly playful stream dividing the forest into two very different areas. Hers, the old, where the air was thick with nature, and theirs where the trees were planted by their own hands yet feared, as if they would unleash something dark upon them.

Sneering, she looked away from the opposite side she faced, momentarily scanning the wild water with its rough stones and stray debris of nature. It didn't take long for her to locate the source of her frustrations and lingering amusement, and she took her time to observe before she slowly made her way upstream along the uneven bank.

He was sitting on his favorite stone, placed conveniently in the middle of the stream. His one foot was submerged in the water, the other folded neatly under his opposite thigh in a lazy position of relaxation, with his back curved softly while he handled his violin with almost tender grace. The long, fiery locks of his silky, ruby hair was notably dampened by the wild water surrounding him, and tangled accordingly around his completely naked, lean frame from the excess winds caused by the stream in its relentless rush downwards. The green leaves and occasional flower or petal in his messy hair caused her to grin wickedly from where she stood, leaning comfortably against a nearby tree.

His eyes were closed as he continued to play, but the twitch of his thin lips told her he was well aware of her presence. The added twirl to his melody was further proof, and whatever scorn she'd felt towards his untimely decision to lure himself a morning snack was melting away, much to her chagrin. Deciding to break the spell, in hopes to at least give him a heartfelt chastening for interrupting her rest, she called out to him. He was new to these parts of the forest, and should respect his seniors, damnit!

"It's too early for any of the villagers to be awake."

He stopped playing, his thick eyelashes fluttering against his smooth cheeks before revealing a pair of eyes the color of golden wheat during harvest time. She met his blazing stare, titling her chin up in challenge instinctively. At his teasing smirk, she raised a brow; watching as he carefully placed his treasured violin in his lap. Defiantly, she refrained from eying that particular area of his anatomy. The corner of his eyes crinkled in enjoyment.

"I do not believe even the village girls are eager enough to be up and see if you really exist at this time," she continued, when he made no indication of answering her statement. At this, however, his smirk widened as he flicked a strand of stray hair behind his ear.

"Whoever said I was luring a human?" came his silken voice, penetrating the rush of water with such ease it made her shift slightly where she stood. Frowning, she crossed her arms across her bare chest and watched with slight amusement as he eyed her shamelessly.

"Your music holds no power over me, I do not get lured," she countered, sneering distastefully as she finished. No male would tempt her, when she was temptation in the flesh herself.

"And yet you came."

She wanted to leap across the violent stream of water to remove the smug grin adoring his face at his statement, but refrained from doing so with the knowledge that it would not serve to her advantage, and settled for growling softly in mounting annoyance instead.

"I only came to vent my frustration at being awoken at this hour. You delude yourself in hope your desires would come true," she drawled, fighting the urge to tilt her nose in the air and huff. She had no wish to bring him further amusement, but as she watched his broad shoulders shake in delight, the husky sound of his laughter melding with the sounds of the stream, she realized with a sigh it was downright impossible. During the short time he'd been here, she'd noticed that whatever she did concerning him, it somehow ended unexpected and mostly not at all how she'd desired. Be it his twisted humor or unrelenting interest, she always found herself the center of his attention. He was the only male who had directed such focused, merciless lust towards her without prompting that it made her extremely wary.

She tended to avoid him ever since his arrival, keeping to her own element among the rough bark of trees and soft grass of the meadows deep within the forest. Being bound to water, it was rare for him to successfully seek her out unless she made herself available, but it did little to sooth her worries. Mainly because she found herself willingly seeking his presence anyway, answering his calls with her own. Much like today, she mused as she eyed him with a helpless sort of interest. He was made to lure females, young or old, with the beauty of his music and the breathtaking appeal of his body. A nymph in every fiber of his being, the crooked smile of dark intent was nothing short of charming, despite her knowledge of what it meant.

Slipping off the stone he'd preoccupied, he moved with liquid grace through the strong stream of lethal water, making his way towards her. She heaved another sigh, leaving the trunk of the young pine tree she'd rested against to meet him by the edge. Titling her head, she gazed down upon him for a moment, meeting his scorching gaze with a teasing smile.

"Careful, or you'll get eaten," he drawled as she lowered herself to the ground and dipped her feet into the water, sitting comfortably before him as he placed his violin and its bow by her side. His hand then quickly returned to the water, gripping her ankle where it brushed against his bare hip underneath the surface, and her eyes twinkled with mischief. He might be insufferable, he might scare her like the shadows of the darkest hours of the night when creatures were hungry for the flesh of temptation, but sometimes, she figured she could play along for the sake of her own enjoyment.

"Depends," she replied, hooking her free leg around his waist to bring him closer. "If I like my first bite, you might have to be careful yourself."

She didn't know who was seducing who, or what tempted the other, but his darkened gaze and heated hands promised a good meal to satisfy a hunger she'd felt gripping her since his first caress when she'd first bathed in the nearby waterfall, unsuspecting then of the trouble he'd bring.

Maybe it'd be worth it, in the end. Because he tasted like sweet honey and dark berries, and smelled like wet grass and damp moss.

He felt like home.


A/N: Alright, so if anyone of you've guessed that they're both nymphs in this, you've guessed correctly. It's entirely based on Swedish folklore (or Scandinavian, I'm not sure if it's like this in my neighbouring countries) where Kenshin is a male nymph called "Näcken", who plays the violin and lures females with his music to drown in the streams he occupy in the woods. Kaoru is also a nymph, called "Huldra/Skogsrå/Skogsfru", who lures men in the forest. She's naked and stunningly beautiful, but her back is like the hollow of a tree trunk and she's got a foxtail (yeah, pretty disturbing with the hollow tree trunk back huh? lol totally emitted that from description XD).

I just really wanted to have Kenshin as Näcken. Really. Google it. lol.