Author's note: So yeah, another filler chapter. Damn those people at Apple. You know what, while I'm at it, damn Apple and all it's products! I wish I had a PC… Also, this chapter may have some… implications. Remember, this is a T story, so I'm going by what I see in PG-13 movies and T games.
Disclaimer: You know the drill. See previous chapters.
Chapter 12: Shattering.
Kenshin sat in the dojo, watching the woman of his dreams training her quickly learning student. It was something he'd done several countless times before, but this time it was different. He felt no guilt in watching her body move, swaying in such away that made his body cry out for hers. No, this time, he felt perfectly fine in doing so.
For this time, she was his wife.
It was the first time since their wedding that she had returned to training Yahiko. Their wedding had been a magnificent one. They'd only planned to have just the two of them, Yahiko, Tsubame, the doctor, Tae, and the man performing the ceremony to be there. But as they began, they heard a large banging at the gate. With great sighs, they had opened the gate to see… nearly all of Tokyo standing outside, smiling, each holding a gift of some sort.
"We'd heard you two were getting married," one of them had said, "Can we come and see, please?" The couple was silenced for a moment, but then nodded their heads. An outbreak of cheers arose as the crowd had slowly gathered inside the gate, anticipating the event. "Why have so many people come?" Kaoru has asked Tae. "Are you kidding? No one in their right mind would miss the wedding of the two greatest people in the city!"
Truly, it had been a wonderful day. Kenshin was the happiest man alive. He was married to the most beautiful, most wonderful woman alive. Yet even though they were legally together, she and he had not yet been… intimate. As in, they had not been the most intimate a couple can be. Kenshin wanted it very badly. He longed for it, dreamed about it in his sleep. But he found he couldn't do it. It wasn't just because he felt undeserving of her, oh no. It was because in all his life, he had never once been that close to any woman… the closest he came was kissing Tomoe's tear-stained cheeks on that last, snowy night. And so, the invincible warrior's nerves had failed him time after time.
He was afraid.
The fear was comprised of many things. Among them was his inexperience, yes that was definitely in there. But it wasn't his greatest fear. He was afraid that he would hurt her. For fifteen years, he had contained every urge his body had through the training of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. But those urges hadn't left him… no, they merely remained bottled up within him, piling on each time he had any sort of sexual thought. And he was about to burst. Kenshin feared that if he let every year he'd spent pent up with it on Kaoru, he would surely frighten her immensely. He couldn't let that happen to her… she didn't deserve his inner beast. And so, day after day, his pain would increase, hoping that some day he would be content in his current status. He sighed as Kaoru had finished her training and went to take her bath.
Unbeknownst to him, however, she had been having thoughts of the same topic.
With a relaxed sigh, Kaoru lowered herself into the warmth of the bath. The steam seemed to reveal all her worries and troubles… all of them, that is, except one. "What's wrong with Kenshin?" She'd been very happy with him, and their marriage had only improved things, but it seemed that all they did was kiss. Kissing was well and all, and it did succeed in setting her heart ablaze each time… yet that blaze seemed to die down after her anticipation in what was to come was unrewarded. It was always kiss, smooch, etc. for a while, then off to bed. Nothing more, nothing less. Why not? Was it something she did?
"Am I not attractive enough…?" he'd always said she was beautiful… but does that mean she could attract him? Tae was certainly beautiful, but Kenshin wasn't drooling over her… Kaoru recalled a conversation she'd had with her dear friend.
Kaoru and Tae were having tea and chatting, like they did normally. A second after they had been laughing over some occurrence, Tae noticed Kaoru's face was unusually glum.
"What's the matter, Kaoru-chan?"she asked, concerned.
"Well… it's about Kenshin…"
"Oh, poor baby, is the marriage not working out?"
"No, no! I'm perfectly happy with him." She declared, "but…"
"But?"
"It's just that, I don't think he wants me as a woman…?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, he loves me and all, I can tell that, but I don't think he can ever do anything... beyond…"
For a moment, Tae's face contorted in puzzlement. Then, it reverted to its cheery form, as she comprehended. "Oh, you mean he won't get physical with you, is that it?"
Kaoru blushed furiously as she said quietly, "Y-yes…"
"Well Kaoru-chan, don't worry! He's probably just shy! After all, Kenshin-san has had a bad life, and not many opportunities for love, undoubtedly! All you have to do is… tempt him a little," she said with a sly grin on her face.
"Wh-what do you mean, 'tempt'?" Kaoru asked nervously.
"I mean, throw him a piece of meat; do something that'll make him come to you, not the other way around. Contrary to what they think, women have the greatest power over men, Kaoru-chan," she added in a voice that didn't sound like Tae.
Kaoru stood up out of the bath, donning her towel. "Well, Kenshin," she thought, determined "If it's a piece of meat you need, it's a piece of meat you're going to get." She walked out of the bath house and into the dojo, calling, "Kenshin?"
In an instant, he was there, beaming at her. "Yes, Koishii?"
She smiled at him. "Kenshin, Tsubame invited Yahiko over to her house for the night…"
"Yes, this one knows. He just left for the Sanjo household."
"Well, how about we go have ourselves some dinner at a nice place?"
Kenshin smiled, replying "that sounds good, Kaoru. When should we go?"
"Oh, an hour or two should be fine. Is that okay with you?"
"Of course, Kaoru."
"Good, good," she stroked her finger across his chin, "if you're patient, you might get a treat." At this, Kenshin's surprised eyes flared gold for a second. Her eyes widened, and Kenshin could see his own eyes amidst the azure. Quickly, he calmed himself, reverting his eyes back to violet. She gave him a quick kiss, and walked off to finish dressing.
Kenshin sat down with another sigh. He knew that everyone who'd ever met him would know about his eyes. Whenever he was calm, sorrowful, or regularly happy, they would be a soft purple. But when his emotions rose to fever pitch, in cases of anger or lust, bright amber would show through.
He wasn't born like this. His eyes used to be only violet when he was a little child. But then, an incident changed them…
"Oh, little Shinta, you should go to sleep. It's getting late." Said his mother as she picked him up.
Shinta let out a yawn, and said, "Okay, mommy. Can daddy tuck me in too?" he asked, as she carried him toward his room.
"Of course he can, sweetie," she gave him a weak smile as she laid him down on the futon. With a fit of coughing, she fetched the boy's father, who ambled in unstably, his bright red mane swaying with his movements.
"I'm here, shinta." He said, stroking the boy's forehead, "You need to get lots and lost of rest, so you can be strong and be a warrior of justice, right?" he told his son, raising a fist.
Shinta mimicked him, and said, "yeah! I'm gonna be big and strong and fight for the good people!"
"That's my boy," said his father.
His parents each gave him a kiss on the cheek, telling him, "We love you, Shinta. Always."
"I…love…you…too…" he said, slipping into an unconscious state.
As they watched him fall asleep, their faces turned worried. His mother turned to her husband and asked, "What did the doctor say?"
He looked miserable, and said, "He… he told me there's no treatment we can get… it's hopeless…"
She burst into tears and embraced him. He wished he could console her, but he too knew there was no hope. "What about Shinta?" she sobbed, "What about him? He's just a farmer's son, he'll be all alone!"
"I… I know…"
"We can't leave him, our little baby boy!"
"There's nothing we can do… maybe he can go to the village…"
She wept even harder until both of them, accepting their fates, went into their bed.
That night was a very stormy night. Thunder crashed loudly, shaking the windows. Shinta was woken by the noise. He was frightened, and went to see if his mommy and daddy could comfort him. But when he arrived in their room… he smelled something strange. It was a small that all humans know deep within their minds, instinctively.
Death.
His heart pounding and his breathing quick, Shinta climbed up onto the bed, to find his parents coughing and wheezing, their eyes losing their color rapidly. His father and mother took his hand in theirs.
"Shinta…"his father said, a weak smile on his face, "We love you…"
"Never…" his mother choked out, drops spilling down her cheeks, past her own smile, "forget…"
And then, their hands' grips loosened, falling to the bed. "Mommy… daddy…" Shinta's eyes filled with tears. "Mommy, daddy!" Tears started spilling out, flowing like an uncontrollable river. He let out a loud, resonating cry, screaming and pounding his fists for hours on end, until the sheer exhaustion tired him out. But even when he woke, and saw their bodies, he cried some more, alone. But then, in the midst of his tears, he heard someone behind his back.
"Hey, kid."
It was a strange man he didn't know. Shinta didn't care that he was there. He just wanted to be with his parents. But then, the man took his arm roughly. "Kid, you belong to us now."
"No!" Shinta cried out, trying to wrench his arm away. He felt a sharp jab in his head, and cried even harder. The man had just struck him.
"Listen to me, you little shit," said the man, "What we say goes, and you're coming with us." He pulled Shinta off the bed, and dragged him toward their wagon. Not with the slightest care, he threw him there. Other men restrained him, as he tried to leap off, to return towards his home as it faded away.
Hours later, the tears had stopped, but his sobs had not. "Hey, kid," said one of the men, "Here's something to wet your lips," as he handed Shinta a pail filled with water. All the crying had made his throat dry. "Drink up," he said. The boy went to drink, but when he looked into his reflection in the water, he saw something odd.
His eyes were bright gold. Last time he'd seen them, they were purple, like his mother's… at this thought, his tears returned. But now, they were different… and something grew within him. His father said he would be a powerful warrior… and he intended to see it through. A scowl appeared on his face. He didn't know what these men had in store for him… but he was ready…
"And from then until Tomoe's death, my eyes were gold." Kenshin thought, "This one was never happy then… well, around Tomoe, he was… but even then, the chaos of the bakumatsu did not allow for any true happiness… always loomed the threat of death so closely…" he then recalled one more time his eyes had reverted, "When Hiko-sensei found me…"
It had been many months since that day. Shinta didn't bother to count. Every day felt like work, rest for a few hours, and then eat a small meal with the other slaves. Because they were bigger than him, Shinta had to fight hard to get just a morsel of food. But it seemed the masters were taking a likening to him."Oi, Shinta, get over here." Called the head of the trader, Kinoru.
"What is it, master?" said Shinta, swiftly running over.
"Here, take this." He tossed the boy something wrapped in a cloth… something warm. "Unwrap it."
Shinta did so, and upon removing the last bit of cloth, found… "A whole loaf of bread?" he whispered. "Kinoru-sama, what do you want me to do with it?"
"Eat it, of course."
Shinta's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his ears. "… You're giving this to us slaves?"
"No, it's only for you."
"But why, master?"
"Well, Shinta, in this day and age, you never know what's going to happen to you. Now, I might not be running this bit for long, so I need an heir. And I've chosen you." He pointed a thin finger at the child.
"Me, Kinoru-sama? Why?"
"I've seen you working. You're not like the rest, boy. You don't complain, your work is fast an efficient, even faster than some of the adults!"
"But why not one of your men, like Shikure-sama or Kabero-sama?" Shinta had begun eating his bread, filling his very empty stomach.
"Those guys couldn't run this setup for their life. That is, without a guy like me. So, I think you'll be a good trader, if you're trained right. And, you'll get good treats. You like that bread?" Shinta nodded. It was as if there was nothing more delicious in the world. "Well, there's that and more where it came from, if you agree."
"Oh, th-thank you, Kinoru-sama. Your kindness is great."
"Hey, you're a special kid, Shinta. Too good to be a slave."
Shinta worked happily the rest of the day. Soon, there was to be no more of this, and he would lead a comfortable life. "I'm sorry father…" he said to himself, "I can't be a proud warrior like you wanted… it wasn't meant for me… the most I can do is this…" he was a bit ashamed that he would be enslaving people instead of saving them… but what else could he do? It wasn't as if a sword master was going to walk in the clearing the next day and teach him.
"Oi, Kinoru-san, check this out!" said the fat Shikure, bringing behind him some beautiful young women, clad in very nice-looking kimono, "I got the three best broads in the brothel, for a third of a price each!"
"Well done, Shikure-kun." He looked at the girls, "Hello. You'll be just fine tonight." He said with a sinister grin on his face. Then, looking at his watch, he said, "Oh my, how rude, I must leave you three lovely ladies for a moment to run a few… errands…" he looked over at the boy, "Shinta, come here and entertain our guests, will you?"
"Hai, Kinoru-sama," he nodded, scampering to them as Kinoru walked off. "Hi…" he said nervously, "My name is Shinta… it's a pleasure to meet you."
The girls, whose faces had been frightened frowns, lit up with warm smiles. One of them kneeled down to him looked at him with her dark blue eyes, and said, "Hello, Shinta. I'm Akane, and these two are Kasumi and Sakura." She gestured toward the other two.
"Hey there!" said Kasumi, waving.
"Hello," said Sakura.
"I hope you enjoy your time here…" said Shinta, "Kinoru-sama is a very kind man."
"Is he now…" said Akane, a look of disbelief on her face.
"Yes… he lets me eat full meals sometimes!" said the boy excitedly.
"Only sometimes? Don't you get fed normally?" asked Kasumi.
"Oh, no, that would never happen. I'm only a slave, after all."
Looks of sorrow and pity fell on their faces. "I'm sorry, Shinta." Said Sakura, "You see, we're slaves too."
"You are?" Shinta asked, eyes wide, "But, you're so clean and pretty!"
"Thank you, but we're a different kind of slave than you are…" she said, her facing baring a sad smile, "instead of hard labor, we do an even harder task."
"What is it?"
"Oh, it's something that you'll learn of when you get older."
"Hey, Shinta… you're hair is awfully long… haven't you been able to get it cut?" asked Kasumi.
"No, the master doesn't allow us to get ourselves clean very often."
"Well, it has to get in the way sometimes, right?"
"Yes… it does…"
"Well, let me fix it up for you," said Akane, tearing a small bit of cloth off of her kimono. She reached toward the back of his head, took a handful of hair and tied it with the cloth strip, making a small ponytail. "There," she leaned back, admiring her work, "Now it won't bother you as much."
Shinta shook his head, feeling the small strand of hair move back and forth with each of his motions. He smiled brightly, "Thank you very much, Akane-san!" he to each one, saying, "You three are very nice people!"
"Well, you're a very nice boy!" said Sakura.
"Thank you…" said Shinta, hugging the woman's legs.
"Aww…" said Akane and Kasumi, going down to return the embrace.
"Oh-ho!" said Kinoru, returning from wherever he had been, "I see you're quite the ladies' man!" he winked to the child. "Well, ladies, it is time, if you please."
He motioned and they followed him, giving a wave to the boy as they passed, sorrowful looks on their faces. "Goodbye, Shinta," Sakura said, as she disappeared, following her friends into the hut.
………
The next day, Shinta awoke to the sound of swords clashing, voices screaming, and flesh being cut. The scent of death once again reached Shinta's nose for the first time in months. Blood now accompanied the smell. He raced outside as fast as his feet could take him, encountering a gruesome scene.
There were men with blades that Shinta didn't know. They had crazed, hungry looks on their faces. Several of his fellow slaves were dead. Kinoru and Shikure were dead, and Shinta was able to see Kabero being struck down. Shinta was frozen in his place as the men carried off their wealth, continuing their slaughter. Then, he spotted Akane, Kasumi and Sakura huddled together, as one of them began stepping towards them. Suddenly, his body began moving, before he knew what had happened. He only understood one thing.
He needed to save them.
He couldn't allow them to die… they had been so kind… he needed to save the kind people. Finally, he was between the men and the women. "Shinta!" they each cried out, "get away! Run! Get out of here!" He ignored them.
Arms stretched wide, he looked at the men and yelled, "Don't come any closer!"
At this, they looked surprised, then laughed. "Get this, you guys! Th' little punk thinks he can protect these bitches!" said one of them. They laughed harder. He turned to Shinta, saying, "Listen, kid, we'd love to get you out of the picture, but those three gotta be dead. They've got nice ribbons and jewelry."
Shinta remained firm. "No! Take me instead!"
The man shrugged, drawing his blade while he stepped forward, "Well kid, if you really want to…" he lunged at Shinta.
In a split second, the girls' eyes all met. They seemed to reach an agreement and shoved Shinta out of the way. The man's charge ripped through all three of them.
"Akane-san, Kasumi-san, Sakura-san!" Shinta cried out, trying to reach out his hand to them.
"Well well, what a shame" said the murderer with a sick grin on his face, "don't be glum, boy, you'll be joining them next." He raised his hand to kill Shinta… but then, his hand wasn't there anymore. In its place was a bleeding stump, clutched by the man as he howled in pain.
A man stood, his back turned to the group, a bloodied, wooden-handle sword in his grip. His figure was tall, muscular, but slim. The hair on his head was long and black, reaching down past his waist. Atop his shoulders, he wore a large white cloak. "You bastard!" the man's victim called, enraged. He looked at his stunned men, "Don't just stand there! Kill him!" They hesitated for a moment, then all charge.
"You all? Kill me?" said the longhaired man, sheathing his sword instantly. "That's hilarious." Several men stepped towards him, and then were suddenly in two, just as the leader's hand had been removed. Where the man in the cloak had been was now a dust cloud, for he had lunged in an instant and delivered his strike.
Shinta could only watch in amazement as this hero mauled more of them. As this transpired, Akane, whom he had thought dead, spoke to him. "Sh-Shinta…" she said, stroking his cheek with her blood covered hand, "You're free now, no more a slave… run free, live the life you wanted… please…" her hand fell from his face and her eyes lost their light. Her breathing stopped, and she was no more. The boy was paralyzed. No tears fell, but he felt something in his eyes change, as if they were transforming
As one more fell, a comrade of his cried, "Wh… What… are you!"
In a cold, yet heroic voice, he answered him, "There is no point in naming myself to those who are about to die." He quickly demolished the rest of them. The man turned to Shinta, huddled over the bodies of the women he had made swift friends with. Words came out of his mouth, directed at the boy, but he did not listen. At this moment, his mind was blank. All he heard was that he could not be sorrowful or hateful. He said a few more things, and then left, leaving Shinta alone at the scene of the massacre.
After what seemed like ages, Shinta's mind began functioning again. He rose from the pile of bodies, his fists clenched in determination. "Their bodies must not be left to rot…" he thought, "They must have safe travel to the afterlife… and I must do it, for my failure to protect them…" He began to dig holes, each big enough for a body. His body never tired as he built innumerable graves, his hands raw and bleeding from the strain. He did not just do it for the women, but for his fellow slaves, his masters, and even the bandits.
His mind wasn't registering his fatigue, just the will to work and give them proper burials. After he'd dug the resting places, he needed markers for their graves.
He searched the ruined hut, finding an axe. Lifting it with all his might, he ran to the surrounding trees and began swinging. It took hours to take down one tree. But he worked tirelessly, for days and nights on end, never ceasing except for nourishment, until he had enough material. He covered all the bodies in the graves, and built their markers… all except three.
Shinta looked around the wasteland he was in, trying to find something suitable to use for the three wonderful women's markers… he searched all around the area, but found nothing. All he could find were three white boulders. With what little strength was left in him, he pushed the boulders to the graves. He stood back, looking at the fruits of his labor, the fatigue finally hitting him. But he did not want to sleep. He did not want any peace, just to stand there, until death took him. But just then…
The towering swordsman returned.
They talked about the graves, and he gave the women's graves a dose of his sake, claiming it was good. Then, he took Shinta with him, telling he would give him his, "precious knowledge." Little did he know, that his dream of becoming a great warrior would begin its path of becoming true.
"And then this one became the battosai…" Kenshin didn't feel like recalling those painful memories anymore than he did in his dreams. But his eyes did not change only in great periods of emotional change now… instead, they fluctuated with his mind's slightest difference. Kenshin had deduced where it had come from. When he had fought the Yaminobu, and the man named Sumita had blinded him temporarily, it did something permanent to his eyes. It triggered some link between his mind and his retina to react whenever he would feel a different emotion. This effectively finished the separation between they hitokiri and the rurouni. Respectively, the differences lay in anger and lust, and calmness, contented, and sorrow.
If he were to become lustful with Kaoru, would his eyes strike fear in her eyes? There were only two instances in which he'd seen her cry. One was when he'd said goodbye to her for Kyoto, and the other… was when he had lost control as the hitokiri in the battles with Jin-eh and Saito. Being the wonderful woman she was, she'd denied that he was the hitokiri any longer. But still, it was within him. The Amakakeru-Ryuno Hirameki had been able to suppress the battle-hungry battosai… but what of the Kaoru-hungry one? Kenshin doubted any technique or teaching could satisfy the longing.
"This one had better change into his clothes for tonight…" he muttered to himself, getting up. Kenshin fetched his good gi and hakama. A short while after he had donned them, Kaoru-appeared in his line of sight from the hall, looking stunning as usual.
But something was different. Had she applied… makeup? She was definitely wearing lipstick, and there was a beautiful tint of color under her eyes… these additions made Kenshin feel his control slipping as he said in an unusually deep voice, "Kaoru… you look incredible…" but he soon regained himself as his voice stretched to his higher, rurouni octave. "Shall we go?"
Kaoru hadn't missed the shift in his tone. She thought she had also seen a few flecks of gold mixing with the violet. This meant only one thing: Her plan was working. "Yes, Kenshin, let's," she said simply, a satisfied grin on her face. She grasped his hand and led them out the dojo gate.
The restaurant they went was crowded. It seemed that there were nearly no tables open, save a few. Kenshin and Kaoru walked toward the maitre d' who quickly said, "I'm sorry, sir and madam, but we are nearly fi- wait a second," he focused on their faces, "Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san! It's so nice to see you! Come, come in, I can get a table for you." As he led them toward their table, Kaoru remembered what Tae had said about them on their wedding day.
"The two greatest people, huh?" thought Kaoru, "I don't know about that… but I'm glad at least people like us enough."
"I'll get you two a waiter soon, but would you like anything to drink?" the man asked eagerly.
"Some chilled sake, please." Said Kaoru. Hearing these words, Kenshin's mind suddenly felt a surge. Around him, the world had seemed to go black. The memories in his mind were searched, as he found the one he'd been looking for. It was the same drink Tomoe had ordered on the night she and he had met.
The night he'd made blood rain.
"And for you, sir?" asked the Maitre d'. "Sir?"
"Kenshin?" asked Kaoru worriedly.
Her soft voice snapped him out of his daze. "This one apologizes, what was the question?"
"What would you prefer for a drink, sir?"
"Ah… the same as hers, thank you,"
"They'll be here within a moment. Thank you very much!" he left the two alone.
After she'd made sure he was out of earshot, Kaoru whispered to Kenshin, "What was that about?"
Kenshin feigned confusion, "Oro? What was what about?"
"You know what, that stunned look you got on your face and everything!"
"Oh, that…" he put on his false smile, "This one just got distracted by something, is all."
Kaoru pouted, looking hurt, "Kenshin, I've seen that smile before… you're hiding something. You said you'd tell me everything… and I'm your wife now… doesn't that count for anything?" she asked as though he had wounded her.
"Why does she have to be so adorable when she pouts?" Kenshin thought, his heart filling with guilt. His eyes turned soft as the smile faded. "Kaoru…" he said gently, "You're right. This one… should be able to tell you everything… this one is sorry and will tell you the truth. You see, on the night when this one met Tomoe, she had been getting drunk out of sorrow… and the drink she'd ordered was the same one you had ordered… and well, it triggered a memory…" he trailed off.
"Kenshin, I'm so sorry! You should have told me!" now she felt a bit of guilt.
"No, it's alright, the past is done with… this one is here now," he put one palm gently on her cheek, "With the woman he loves more than anything else." He laid a small kiss on her lips, giving her a true smile. "Now, let's enjoy this dinner, shall we?" At her nod and beaming face, he said, "Ah, there's the smile that I love…" and brushed lips with her once more.
Soon, their drinks arrived. Kenshin raised his cup in the air, in between them, proclaiming, "To us."
Following suit, Kaoru lightly tapped her cup against his, agreeing, "To us!" They lifted their glasses toward the others' mouth and tilted for a moment, allowing the liquid to flow.
For the entire dinner, even as they spoke, Kenshin battled his urges and desires. "She's so beautiful with that kimono on… though I bet she'd be even more beautiful without it… No! Stop those thoughts this instant! Bad thoughts lead to bad actions… just be glad with what you have… but remember what happened last time you wanted to be happy with what you had? You nearly killed a man, and nearly died yourself. Keeping your feelings at bay is not, from experience, a good idea. But… this one doesn't want to harm her… what a dilemma."
As they finished their meal and began walking from the restaurant, a crack of thunder flared through the sky. Kaoru leapt onto Kenshin's arm, shivering in fear, but after realizing what she'd done, felt silly and let go, blushing. "Kaoru… are you afraid of thunder and lightning?" Kenshin asked.
A very soft "yes" and a small nod was all the response she gave him.
"Well, that's alright," Kenshin said with a smile, "but it's only noise, nothing more."
"But it's so loud and sudden, and it sounds so terrible, like the air being ripped apart! How can you not hate it?" she asked indignantly.
"When this one was young, he was very afraid of the noises as well… but throughout this one's life, he realized…" his look grew darker, "there are many more things to be afraid of." They were both silent for a moment, until they heard the plip, plop, sounds of rain. Soon, it became a downpour, drenching everything, people running for cover. "We'd best get out of this rain," Kenshin said, taking an arm firmly around Kaoru, "Let's go."
Kaoru nodded, beginning to walk forward, "Ri-iiiight!" but she was quickly lifted off her feet. The world around her became a blurred swirl; it was as if time itself had slowed and she was floating through the world. After a second, she realized she wasn't floating at all, but that Kenshin was carrying her, and had gone into Shinsoku "god speed." "So this is what it's like…" she thought. Many times she had seen Kenshin dart around at top speed and wondered what it would be like to go that fast, to be the dancer of heaven. It was an incredible feeling, and although they were traveling at very unsafe velocity, the warm hands carrying her assured Kaoru that she was completely safe in his arms.
Within minutes, they had reached the Kamiya dojo entrance, skipped opening the gate and simply leaping over it, and landed through the doorway into a dry zone. Despite Kenshin's swift pace, they had both managed to become extremely drenched. He set down Kaoru, taking a gaze at her. Once again, the proper side and the lustful side of his mind battled. The wetness had only made her more tempting, but Kenshin fought hard to keep his will steady.
"Kenshin…" she said in a soothing voice, "Let's dry off and slip into some more… comfortable clothes, hm?"
"Huh?" Kenshin was brought out of the hypnotism, "Oh, s-sure, Kaoru, yes, that's a good idea, indeed…" he babbled aimlessly.
"Alright then, see you in a bit." She walked off to change. Kenshin quickly fetched his old, worn out gi and hakama put them on himself. Oh yes, they were much more comfortable. Kaoru soon stepped out in her usual training uniform… Kenshin supposed it was the most comfortable thing she owned.
But something was different about her… and as Kenshin looked her up and down, his stomach gave a leap as he realized what it was… "Oh, kami-sama… no… bandages…" even his thoughts were slowed by the sight. Luckily, his face had been to slow to change from his smile to a dumbstruck state. Kaoru walked toward Kenshin very slowly, each step giving his heart a missed beat and a compensating thump. After what seemed like ages to him, she'd finally reached him, placing her arms around his neck and leaning in for a kiss.
It felt like he was on fire. He'd enjoyed their kisses enormously, more than anything in the world… and yet now… now… it was as if the simple contact of her skin would set ablaze every nerve in his body in a bolt of pure bliss.
They parted, and Kaoru, her arms still hanging off of the back of his neck, said, "Thanks for taking me out tonight, Kenshin… I had a wonderful time…" she looked deep into his eyes.
"S-so did I-this one…" Kenshin caught himself barely. He was slipping, ever so steadily, into the pit of desire.
Kaoru could see gold starting to blend into his purple orbs. "This had better work, Tae," she thought, "Or else there's going to be quite a ruckus at the Akabeko tomorrow." "Kenshin…" she said sultrily, "I think I hurt my back today training. Could you give me…" she leaned in further, whispering in his ear, "a massage?"
"Oro" he said almost silently. Kenshin felt as though he were a bottle being filled to its top, ready to burst… it seemed as though the heavens parted and angels were singing his praises… but then again, it was also as if hell had cracked open, and demons were taunting him. Kenshin's mind was heavily conflicted, and the arousal he was feeling didn't exactly help. "A massage, Kaoru…? This one… do you think he would be good enough to…?" his hands were itching with anticipation.
"Well, you used to be the doctor in that village during the bakumatsu… they would see you for any ailment right?"
"Yes, that is true," she did have a point, his mind believed.
"And you've got the fastest most skilled hands in the world…"
"Well, maybe not the most in the world, but yes, very skilled," her offer sounded more and more reasonable.
"And being an expert swordsman, you know of every pressure point in the body, right?"
"Yes…" it was true. Hiko-sensei spent a month having him memorize them all and how to trigger them.
"So then, what do you say?"
As his mind suffered (or gained) from the state she was putting him in, he softly agreed, "Okay… this one will do it."
"Good!" she said cheerfully, setting herself facedown on the floor. Kenshin knelt down beside her.
"Where did you say you hurt?"
"Oh… all over…" sure, it was a lie. But in the end, hopefully, it would have good effects.
"Right then…" he began softly kneading the spots in her back he noticed was tense… admiring her wonderful bone structure, her muscular, slender form. He sighed. Heaven could not possibly be as good as this. Without him noticing, his own hands had gone underneath the cloth, onto the soft skin he adored. What alerted him of this was the small gasp she had let out at the contact. But the pleased "mm" sound she gave after was reason enough for him not to extricate his hands.
"So soft…" he mused, rubbing gently, "Softer than any silk, that's for sure…" he continued, now focusing on the lower back, right above her waist, where previously bandages had restricted him… "This must be the softest texture in all the world and the heavens."
Kaoru decided to tease him a little by moaning whenever he hit certain spots on her back. The heat of his hands increased, telling her the effects. However, what she did not know was that the final part of his control had shattered.
After a particularly loud moan, she added, "Oh, Kenshin, you have no idea what you do… hm?" his hand had stopped.
"No," said a deep, growling voice, "You have no idea what you've done." Kaoru felt herself rising, until she was leaning back, cradled by Kenshin's arms.
She stared into his eyes with a somewhat nervous look on her face. The sight she viewed, reflected in her own blue spheres made them widen.
Pure gold was staring her right back.
"Koishii…" he said, his voice still low and powerful, "You can lead along a dog, or even a wolf along with just a piece of meat, having them do all sorts of tricks for you. But a dragon is a different story, you see, because once a dragon has caught the scent of its prey, it chases it until caught. And let me tell you, koishii…" he leaned towards her face, so close their mouths were barely a hair's width apart, "Jasmine is a very distinct scent." He closed what little gap their was, prying her surprised lips open with his tongue, greedily taking in whatever taste he could with a ferocity Kaoru had never seen before.
She certainly wasn't going to just be hunted. Kaoru struck back with her own tongue, engaging in a duel fiercer than that of Shishio or Enishi. "Mm…" he growled, parting for a second, "I love it when prey fights back." He dove down, returning to his work.
Kenshin's hands ran along her slender form, where he had previously massaged, caressing every bit of smoothness he could reach. Kaoru was stunned by this, and didn't notice her body moving from the dojo floor into their room and onto their futon. He parted their lips once more, declaring, "Every inch, every bit of this wonderful flesh… I want to… I need to… I must know it!" he looked into her dilated globes, seeing his own amber mirrored in them, "May I, Kaoru, my one and eternal love?"
Her breathing tense, the pleasure in her heart, she answered, "Y-yes!" That was all he needed.
And the shoji door slammed shut, not to be opened until late next morning.
…
And that's done with! Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking… I likes my flashbacks… my two part flashbacks… they're nice tools, and these are chronicles, right?
Tell me, was it too… you know, M-rated? Quickly, tell me so that I can either change the rating or change the chapter… I tried to keep it as T as possible…
Please, your reviews are evermore essential now. They are what stand between deletion and sustaining of this fic!
