Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I make any profit from this story. The owner of these characters is solely Nobuhiro Watsuki. This story is AU so as such; I have taken several liberties with the timeline of the original story which is parallel to my story, just like an alternate universe. With my own original characters added in as well.

Warnings: violence, abuse, yaoi, adult themes, swearing, non-consent

Italics indicate character thinking to themselves.

Underlined subtitles such as this: Kenshin indicate a change in the point of view to either a character or third person.

Ashitaka

Sanosuke

I was just closing the wardrobe when I could hear Megumi's musical laughter mingling with Misao's as they walked past our room to their room beside ours causing me to lift the corners of my lips into a small smile. They sounded completely relaxed and happy. I was feeling so guilty for them being along on our run like they were. Yes, logically Misao had her fiancee in Kyoto, and Megumi wanted to look for her family, but they both went on the run with us suddenly without the chance to wrap up their lives in Edo. I will always feel bad for tearing them from the life I think as I turn to look at Kenshin sitting by the window at the table nibbling on some of the food that the kind innkeeper's wife sent up to us on our arrival.

I wish this was all real. I shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts. I have no claim on Kenshin, he was a free man. That was the whole point of this, to give him his freedom back. But I still couldn't help the small twinge I could feel in my heart as I wished that we were really married, which logically I know couldn't happen as he is a man, but it was the claim on him that marriage carried I wished that I had. I was not blind. He really was a beautiful man with that long red hair, his fair skin, big bright violet eyes, and how dainty he was. Thinking back when I last held him in my arms, and that kiss we shared, only seemed to cement to my heart how perfect he felt in my arms, and how easily I could love him. I can't go there.

"I suppose we better go check out the bath since it sounds like the girls have returned." I reopened the wardrobe and grabbed out our personal care items out before turning back to Kenshin and held my hand out to him in invitation. He blushed as he rose from his seat and reached out, taking my hand in his as he stepped closer to me.

"Yes, this one would like that." He murmured softly, looking downwards.

"You know little one, that we really need to work on how you refer to yourself." I smiled at him as I led him out of the room down the hallway to the private bath.

It was a lovely bath as it turned out to be a private outdoor one, fed by a natural hot spring with a high privacy fence surrounding it. The inn keepers designed a small garden like space with lots of greenery around the bath itself with a trellis style roof over the bath itself completely covered in green ivy. There was a small dressing room that one needed to go through to reach the bath, and the only way in or out of the space.

I smiled as we stepped into the room and removed our clothes, folding them neatly and setting them aside after we wrapped luxurious soft towels around our waists. I caught Kenshins eye to see that he was undressed and ready for the bath as well. Nodding to him, I lead the way outside to the bath.

Dropping my towel onto a bench that was conveniently placed along side the bath, I lowered by body into the bath, sighing contently. Looking up, I noticed Kenshin standing awkwardly wrapping his arms around his chest as he blushed and steadily stared at the ground at his feet.

"Come here little one." I stretched my hand out for him to take as I watch him fidget with the edge of the towel before removing it and dropping it onto the bench as well. I watched as his blushing moved down his face to his neck and upper chest, in a colour like his hair. "Come here little one and relax." I smiled gently to him. Nodding, he reached out, with a slightly trembling hand and took mine as he lightly stepping into the steaming water. He allowed me to pull him closer to me before I let him sit down.

"This one shouldn't bother you and take up space in this bath." He muttered under his breath softly.

"Kenshin look at me." I frown at him as he refuses to do so, stubbornly keeping his gazed locked down at his hands just below the surface of the water. I reach out and grasp his chin in my hand, turning his face towards mine gently. "Why do you think you shouldn't be here with me? I want you here with me."

"I'm a lowly slave whose ruined your life. I ruined everything for you in Edo. You should've left me for the Hajime-sama to use. Then you would've been free." He murmured with his eyes lowered.

"What the hell does that mean?!" I exploded in frustration, tightening my grip on his face as his eyes widened in shock. "You know that I care about you! Hell, I've already told you I loved you before the Kamiya yakuza stole you away from me! I told you then all that I wanted was for you to stay by my side and you agreed! Why would you think that I wouldn't want to share a bath with you or that I think any less of you?! Why Kenshin, why?!" My voice deepened in my anger and frustration as I pulled his face even closer to mine as I wrapped my free arm around his waist plastering him to my side tightly.

"This…this one is sorry Sanosuke san!" He trembled frightenedly in my grasp causing me to release his chin and pull him onto my lap. He squealed in surprise in the change in position, blushing once more.

"Oh, I'm sorry little one. I didn't mean to frighten you. "I placed only of my hands along his cheek, my thumb gently rubbing along his cheek below his eye as my other hand grasped onto this hip holding him on my lap. "I shouldn't have raised my voice like that. But I am hurt you still think of me as nothing more then your owner. I love you. I really do. I want you by my side, as my equal and nothing else. Can't you understand that little one?"

I lowered my face to his, capturing his lips with mine softly kissing him. After a few moments, I pulled back to breath, looking him in the eye as a smiled gently at him as he raised one of his hands up to rest softly on my cheek, mimicking my earlier motions.

"Its okay. Over these past few weeks, this one has also been feeling a love for you grow in my heart as well. This one knows that they wouldn't been here if not for you Sanosuke san." He smiled up at me, love shining in his eyes. "I… I will try to be better for you Sanosuke." He said softly, blushing in his embarrassment.

"Little one… you… you actually referred to yourself as I!" My eyes widened in realization. Maybe this is the first step in learning he is my equal, learning to refer to himself with such pronouns! "Little one, I love you." I smiled happily down at him.

"I… I am happy in the first time since I can remember. This must be this what being in love feels like, this lightness and happiness I feel here." He drew my hand to his bare chest, laying it against it as I could feel that steady beat it produced.

"Yes, little one. That is what being in love feels like." He leaned up and softly kissed me, hesitating only a moment until I responded to it. I changed the angle a bit to deepen the kiss and ran my tongue along his plump bottom lip to beg entrance. He opened his mouth to me, letting me explore it with my tongue as it twisted and swirled around his, raining dominant in the kiss. He moaned in the back of his throat softly, encouraging me to kiss him even as I ran my hands up to his hair, releasing the long locks from the ribbon holding it back. As his hair fell around him, I pulled back smiling as he gasped for breath. I tossed the hair ribbon over to the bench holding our towels before I grasped his hips to raise him up off my lap, turning him to settle down with his knees on either side of my thighs into my lap once more. The position allowing me to see him better and give me a better chance to explore the expanse of fair skin before me.

Kenshin gasped, startled at my movement, before squirming in my lap to get comfortable after I repositioned him. He blushed looking at me with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I wanted to see you better love." I smiled at him as he nodded. He raised his hands up to cradle my face gently before he tentatively started a kiss, deepening it on his own. My hands raised up to tangle in the gorgeous mess of hair, as I took over the kiss until he moaned and raised up on his knees slightly so as he was now kissing down on me. I groaned deeply at his movement, moving my hands to trail out of his hair and run softly down his back to grasp his hips, pulling him closer. Our kiss became more frantic, breathless, and lusty as we both were moaning in our throats.

My hands slid from his hips to grasp and lightly squeeze his bottom. He broke from the kiss, and lowered himself back to my lap, almost pushing his bottom into my hands more so.

"You are so beautiful little one. You really are. I'm so lucky to have you." I murmured as I was getting turned on by the petite body in my lap. I could see he was as well from the squirming and blushing he had been doing so far. I ran the fingers of one of my hands closer to his crack, running my fingers lightly there, down and over his hole as he raised himself up on his knees once more. "We won't be going all the way today I'm afraid love. I want to ease you into it, to show you how good it can feel." I whispered huskily into his ear as he held his face alongside the side of mine making him moan. "I want to take my time warming you up the first time we go that far love. But today, today it my treat to you for how far you've come love. Let me treat you." I continued to whisper to him as my fingers continued to lightly run around his hole.

"Please. Sanosuke. Sano please." He breathlessly muttered in my ear, as I started to lightly rub the rim more. "Touch me Sanosuke. Show me it won't hurt." He pulled his face back and looked at me nervously showing his hesitation that stemmed from his time with Hajime.

"I promise you I would never hurt you like that little one." I looked him in the eye saying it, as my free hand rose to cup his soft cheek, running my thumb over his plump, swollen bottom lip. "But you will tell me if it does hurt. If its too much, we can stop. I will stop if you tell me to." He nodded at me as he pushed back against my finger that was still rubbing him, letting the rubbing and the warm water help soften him. He placed his hands on my chest, the small hands smoothing their way down, stopping to lightly pinch my nipples causing me to groan and come down for another kiss, my free hand moving to tightly grasp his hip to keep him still.

His hands also moved down my chest further as we kissed, moaning as I deepened it. He slid his hands down reaching for my hardness that was now achingly hard up against my stomach and his own as he lightly ran his fingers over it. I moaned, pulling away from the kiss.

"Little one, you can't play with me much or this will be over too soon." I breathlessly stated as I pushed the tip of my finger against his hole. "Do you want me to?" I left the question open, letting his decide what I meant by that. He responded by pushing back against the finger, letting me push it slowly into him as he stilled his movements. "Breath for me baby. You need to breath." I murmured to him as I stilled my movements, with half my finger buried into his hot body. It was so warm, squeezing me tightly as he muttered a soft yes to me and slowly pushed back against me, taking my finger in fully.

"Sanosuke... it feels so strange." He gasped out as his hands reached out to grasp my shoulders, squeezing them and laying his forehead against mine. "Does it always feel like this?" His wide, innocent gaze meeting my own gaze.

"Oh, little one, it does get better I promise love." I slowly started to pull my finger out, before slowly pushing it back in, listening to the soft moan it drew out of him. I thrust my finger in him a few more times before I added another finger into him. He shuddered as I thrust my fingers into him, curling them until I pressed up against something that had him drop his head onto my shoulder and moan deeply.

"Does that feel good baby?" He moaned even deeper, pushing back against my fingers.

"Sanosuke… Sano… more! More please!" Listening to him beg to me in such a desperate tone, I took my hand off his hip to wrap around his straining cock, slowly pumping it to match the thrusts I made into his tight hole. He moaned even more so before he wrapped his hands into my hair and kissing me with such desperation. I let him deepen and dominant the kiss while I added a third finger, ensuring to pressing against that spot with every thrust.

"Sano… Sano… "He broke the kiss to moan my name into my ear lustily before he came hard before he dropped against my chest with his arse still up with my fingers buried into it. I pulled them out gently before I helped to settle him down into my lap, laying against my chest. I held him in my arms against my chest and in my lap as his harsh panting breaths fell against one of my nipples hardening it, causing me to moan softly.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, moving as though to sit up. I tightened my hold on him, raising one of my hands to lay alongside his head, pushing it back down to rest above my heart. "You didn't get any release Sanosuke."

"Ah that's fine little one. This was about you, about your pleasure. It'll go away." I kissed the top of his head lightly as I stroked his hair.

"Oh. Okay. Are you sure I can't help you out?" He tilted his head to look up at me. I just shook my head.

"No little one. You look like you're going to fall asleep and we need to get out of the bath before you do." I smiled down at the sleepy man in my lap. "Let's get this hair of yours washed." I grabbed the shampoo, pouring some into my hand as he dunked his head to wet his hair. I turned him around, so his back was towards me, as I lathered the shampoo into his hair, feeling his body relax against my own. After we rinsed his hair out, I quickly washed my own before we both washed our bodies and got out of the bath.

"I'm really going to miss such luxury when we are back on the road." I smiled down at Kenshin as we towelled off.

"Yes, I think that I will as well." He smiled back at me as he wrapped his hair into a spare towel to dry and pulled on a light yukata to sleep in. I couldn't help but smile broadly at the smaller man, who seemed to have had the world taken off his shoulders since we got out of the bath.

"Well it was quite the bath." I laughed, grabbing our belongings we headed back to our room. I put things away into the wardrobe while Kenshin sat at the window drying his long locks of hair. I walked over to him, taking the towel I laid it over the back of the other chair. I picked up a hair brush and slowly tamed his hair, before I swiftly braided it and tied it off with his hair ribbon.

"There. All done, and not too bad if I do say so myself." I grinned at him as he returned my smile.

"Thank you Sanosuke." He smiled softly as he moved over to our double futon, pulling back the blankets and crawled in before he patted the empty space beside him. "Come to bed. We need to get all the sleep we can in a soft, warm bed before we are sleeping outside again." He grinned up at me as I crawled under the blankets beside him as he turned over, laying with his back towards me. I spooned up behind him, wrapping my arms around his petite body.

"Good night little one." I murmured sleepily into his ear.