Chapter 25

Hiko was renting a small house on the outskirts of Tokyo. He wanted to stay near to Battousai, in case it turned out that he needed to fulfil his promise to kill him, but he hadn't wanted to stay in that building with him and that girl and all her friends. He was too much of a misanthropist. He had hoped to be left alone in his run down cabin, so he was surprised when there was a knock on his door early one night. But he was even more surprised to find Battousai's woman standing on his front step. She looked nervous, but with a superficial confidence that said she wasn't going to take any of his arrogant jibes. He waited for her to speak first, which she only did after a long, awkward silence.

"May I come in?" she said. Hiko was curious, so he stood back and allowed her entrance. His first thought was that Battousai must have somehow broken free from her restrictions and had begun his slaughtering of innocents, but that didn't explain how she was apparently unharmed. Maybe he was saving her for last?

Kaoru waited while Hiko lit candles for her, having previously been sitting in the dark since he had perfect night-vision anyway. He then gestured for her to sit down opposite him at a low table, which she did.

"I need your advice," she said once they were both settled. "About Battousai."

"You need me to kill him after all," said Hiko, more as a statement than a question, already reaching for his katana. But Kaoru's eyes flashed up at him in dismay and her hand shot out to stop him, but stopped halfway as she decided not to touch him.

"No! No, that's not what I mean," she sighed and withdrew her hand back out of sight. "You know we've been living together for a while now, and things with the Rurouni are going great, but..."

"But what?" Hiko prompted, not really enjoying wasting his time talking to his ex-apprentice's human girlfriend, especially about her relationship.

"But Battousai still treats me like the enemy! There's something between us, I can feel it, but all Battousai does is growl and snap at me," said Kaoru. Hiko thought the poor girl was delirious if she thought there was anything between her and the hitokiri.

"Why are you here, Miss Kamiya?" he said, growing more impatient.

"I told you, I need your advice!"

"On what?" replied Hiko.

"On how to get Battousai to like me!" she burst out. Hiko was so startled by her ridiculous notion that such a thing was possible, and the sheer high school drama in her voice that he burst out laughing in her face, and kept it up for quite a while as the comedy of Battousai in love played out in his mind's eye. The girl however just looked annoyed, if not surprised, and waited for him to get a grip on himself.

"Forgive me, I can see that you are quite serious about this, so I shall... try to be serious myself," he said, his lips twitching as he tried to get his chuckling under control. Suddenly, he didn't mind the girl so much, he hadn't laughed like that in an age, maybe not since he had been raising Kenshin. That boy got himself into the most hilarious of slap-stick situations when he was young.

"Thank you," Kaoru answered him sarcastically.

"Surely you must understand that Battousai will not thank you for what you've done to him. You've taken away his pride, his freedom, and his reason to be,"

"But I didn't want to! And it's not like I can just let him run wild, murdering half of Tokyo! But everything I try to do to help just seems to make things worse," Kaoru whined.

"Obviously he doesn't want you being nice to him, you stupid girl! That's just going to make it hurt more than if you abused him cruelly. He's a hitokiri, kindness is the worst form of taunting and disrespect to him. You have to treat him like a threat, a powerful force to be feared! You said he treats you like an enemy, well that's how he wants to be treated himself." Hiko found himself smiling as he talked, though he couldn't put his finger on why exactly.

"But... I don't think I can be cruel to him," said Kaoru in a small voice, afraid of that being the only option.

"I'm not saying you have to be cruel, just don't try to be kind,"

"So what should I do then?"

"You must try to understand something. Battousai is a man, a hitokiri and a vampire. It does not appear that he lusts for you body," Kaoru blushed violently as he spoke. "And you have denied him violence. Blood is the only thing left that he needs, wants or enjoys. It would be the same for any vampire. It is the only thing you can give him that he would be interested in. And the best part is, it's free," said Hiko, grinning at his own joke, showing thick fangs.

"You're telling me I have to let him feed off me for him to ever like me?!" cried Kaoru in dismay. That seemed like a lot to ask. In theory, he wouldn't be able to kill her, but it was still opening a vein, allowing the most hostile person she'd ever come across to sink fangs into her neck and suck her blood.

"And he may not like you even then!" Hiko laughed again at the situation the girl had got herself in. Hiko had had his share of female company in his four hundred odd years of life, but he had never felt the need for a long-term relationship, and he always enjoyed the heartache of anyone foolish enough to enter into the marsh called love.

"Well, alright, if I were to do it, I couldn't just walk up to him and say 'Bon appetite!' How do I get him interested at all?" asked Kaoru, her blood heating up at Hiko's lack of compassion.

"Well, I suggest taking a shower beforehand, to heat your skin and bring the blood to the surface. Tie up your hair. And if you really want to force intimacy with him, touch his sword. A hitokiri's sword is a very personal item, he will be very protective of it. This will also allow you to test how willing he is to receive your advances. I wish you luck," said Hiko.

"Oh, thanks, why am I not infused with confidence? And what am I supposed to do if he doesn't go for it?" asked Kaoru.

"Starve him and try again," replied Hiko calmly. Kaoru stared at him, but he was evidently serious.

"So that's it. I'm just supposed to offer him my blood?"

"That's my advice, yes," said Hiko, crossing his arms.

Kaoru balked at the idea of seducing Battousai's appetite. The past few weeks had been very tense, Battousai had been particularly volatile since Christmas when they began to suspect that the binding between them created a physical attraction. Kaoru knew Battousai felt it, and she also knew that that was what was making him hate her so much, because he was fighting it so hard.

Hiko seemed to be inviting her leave, so she thanked him and got to her feet. The drive home gave her a lot to think about. She had forbidden him to kill anyone, which would include her, so theoretically, if she did this, it wouldn't cost her her life. But it still required an immense amount of trust in Battousai, trust she wasn't sure she had. She would be entirely at his mercy, he may not be able to kill her, but there would be nothing stopping him from leaving her horrendously scarred for life. And if she tried to order him to behave, she sincerely doubted he'd want to go along with it at all. Not to mention the possible side affects it would have on the magic between them. No one had any way to predict it, and so far it seemed that everything she did made things worse between them.

On top of all this, Kaoru was nervous for another reason. She knew vampire bites injected endorphins into the victim. However, Kaoru had never experienced this herself. What if she enjoyed it more than she should? She could develop a taste for it, and the last thing she wanted was to become addicted to Battousai. She could seriously embarrass herself. What if being bitten was the equivalent of vampire sex? Maybe Hiko was setting her up, maybe Battousai would laugh in her face just like Hiko did. Or worse, he might not see the funny side. And what would Kenshin think? Would it count as cheating? Would he still love her after she'd been food for the hitokiri he despised? Who knew, maybe she wouldn't even get the chance. Battousai's resistance to her might run so deep, or she might just be so inept at seducing him, that Hiko's suggestion might be ruled out already.

Kaoru didn't have to worry about hiding her distress from Kenshin when she got home because she knew he would be out hunting. But which man would return was unknown, Battousai was often more interested in being the dominant power during their hunting excursions, and many times Kaoru had bid goodbye to Kenshin and welcomed back Battousai. So as she unlocked her front door she realised she had one simple decision to make. Just how important was Battousai to her? Was she ready to risk all the things she stood to lose if things went badly? Could she stand to let things go on as they were? Maybe Battousai would just get used to her, surely he couldn't keep this level of abhorrence up. So was inviting him to bite her worth it?

ooo

She couldn't stand the hate in his eyes.

She'd made her decision. Whenever he looked at her as if she was the most vilely unjust and loathsome creature on the planet, she felt her guts knot up and she almost believed she was. Such beautiful amber eyes should never look so twisted. She couldn't stand it, so she decided she had to take the only action apparent to her.

It had been a few days since she'd gone to see Hiko. She'd tried to gage Kenshin's view on the subject as subtly as she could, but she'd just confused him, and she'd had to drop the subject before he figured it out. But as far as she could tell, the Rurouni had come to some sort of agreement with the Hitokiri that whatever made Kaoru happy, Kenshin didn't have a problem with. He knew he was not the right person to judge the Hitokiri.

If a psychiatrist ever got their hands on him, they'd have a field day.

So here she was. She was standing looking at the couch where Battousai sat tending to his sakabatou with the kit she had bought Kenshin for Christmas. She was flushed and soft from the shower, her hair was tied up in a shaggy bun, exposing her neck, and she was wearing just her dressing gown with her underwear on underneath. The dressing gown made her think of the night that seemed so long ago, the first time she and Kenshin had kissed, the night he'd been starving to death. She had serious butterflies as she contemplated Battousai's fiery ponytail, but she had already made up her mind to do this. Battousai was wearing a dark blue gi and black hakama. He hadn't worn the gi Kaoru had given him since Christmas night, and he didn't like the modern clothes Kenshin had accepted. It was easy enough to generate in herself the lust that she would depend on for courage, especially now that she knew the intimate touch of that body. It was strange, she found it hard to even consider the body to be the same. Everything changed when the soul inside did.

It was very convenient that Battousai was already busy with his sword. It made it much more casual to ask to touch it. It was like a set-up by the gods. Kaoru rounded the couch nervously and sat down close to Battousai, who flashed a glare in her direction, but otherwise ignored her. The sharp smell of the polish tingled in her nose.

"May I hold it?" she asked after a minute or two of watching him work, her voice catching with trepidation. Battousai paused in his ministrations, then held the handle out to her contemptuously.

"It's useless trash," he said as her fingers wrapped around the hilt. "A ridiculous joke. I should get myself a real katana." He folded his arms and leant back as if disowning it.

So much for it being a "very personal item" thought Kaoru, but she supposed it was still a good sign that he was letting her hold it. Furthermore, Kaoru was too caught up with the sword to feel discouraged. It was heavy, heavier than Kenshin made it look, but incredibly well balanced and easy to hold. The handle was worn smooth, and the blade, newly polished, caught the light and shone in front of her like forgotten magic. She held it upright inches from her face and stared up at it. Then she moved it to her right hand and tipped it horizontally to examine the blade itself. For the very first time, its reversed edge struck her as quirky, and she ran her finger along what should have been the cutting edge without drawing blood. Then she pressed her thumb against the pointed tip and pressed. It was still incredibly sharp.

Kaoru had seen and used swords before in her life, but this one was different. It felt more like the first sword her father had ever let her hold. It had moment, gravity, the calm of age and the threat of experience. It was mind boggling to think of all the battles this sword had seen. She stared at it for a moment longer, realising she was smiling, and exhaled in awe. Then she turned to hand it back to Battousai, and found that he had been watching her. His face gave nothing away, and she could only guess at what he was thinking.

"Thank you. It's amazing," she said earnestly. Battousai took hold of the sakabatou and placed it on the coffee table.

"You think so?" he asked, his voice sheltered.

"Of course. I've never seen anything like it," she answered, her purpose for being there coming back to her. He didn't reply and Kaoru realised she had no next step. But she was consoled by the thought that even the most experienced of seductresses would probably have trouble with Hitokiri Battousai.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, fishing for a way to breach the subject with him. But she saw his eyes narrow and prepared herself with a heavy heart for the fire of his resentment to rear its ugly head.

"And if I was? Would you enforce you will on me again?" he spat venomously, refusing to look at her.

"No, if you were, I would have offered to... feed you myself," Kaoru said, freezing in position as she waited for his reaction. He was definitely startled. His eyebrows rose sharply then lowered again in a scowl as he tried to see the ulterior motive. For a long time he didn't say anything, but then he pulled his eyes up to meet hers.

"Why?" he said slowly.

"I want to do something nice for you. I can't stand having you hate me as much as you do. I want us to be friends," Kaoru replied. There was another long pause as Battousai processed what was either a trick, or insanity.

"Friends? You hope to curry my favour by offering me your blood?" He obviously thought it was as ridiculous an idea as Hiko had thought the idea of Battousai ever liking her was. Kaoru was getting sick of it really.

"Yes, actually. I mean, don't you want to?" she said hotly, hoping he would simply say no and that that would be the end of this ordeal. But Battousai was thinking.

Something like this had never happened to him before. He'd had people offer him other people's blood as payment, but those people were sacrifices, they were never expected to come back alive. Kaoru presumably did. Battousai certainly recognised the trust that she must have in him for her to do this. Unless of course, it was a trap of some sort, which Battousai could understand a lot more easily than the notion of Kaoru wanting to be his friend. Hitokiri's did not have friends. Battousai liked it that way.

But he'd had no idea that he was hurting her when he rejected her kindnesses. They'd offended him at the time, they repulsed him like sickly sweet slime that he didn't want to tarnish himself with. But the stupid thing was that now she'd put the idea in his head, he suddenly felt that he was quite hungry, and that his captor would make for something of a delicacy. But it was surely a trick, feeding from her would surely have an effect on the infernal bond between them. She was probably planning to bind him even tighter, make him nothing more than her slave.

Although this seemed like the most rational reason for her doing this, Battousai realized he had no grounds to suspect her. Even if all her previous simpering behaviour had been to lead him into a false sense of security, that would not explain her devotion to the Rurouni. She had practically begged him into her bed, a memory that Battousai shared, infuriatingly, as it didn't help him to resist the pull of her body. Could it be then that she sincerely desired his approval, and would go to such lengths to get it? He couldn't deny he wanted her, the damn bond made sure of that. How he wished he could tear that golden light from her with bloody fingers.

But was it worth the risk? The likelihood was that she meant what she said, but what if she was deceiving him? Was her blood worth it? Was giving in to the cursed craving for her that had been plaguing him prize enough? She was only offering herself to him in exchange for his congeniality, would he be able to give her that? Should he? He could just feed from her and continue on as before. The Mibu Wolf had said that to kill her was the only way to free himself from her, but ever since she had forbidden him to kill anyone, he had no way out.

It would give him power over her to reject her. He had something she wanted now, and blood offered once will be offered again. If he didn't accept now, that didn't mean he would never taste her. But if he was planning on having her anyway, what point was there in waiting? To make this decision, he needed more information, and to get it he just had to remain silent.

"Well? I was planning on seducing you, but I didn't know how, so I'm just asking you, do you want to drink my blood or not?" said Kaoru after Battousai's prolonged silence. He thought she looked so infuriatingly delicious as she pouted at him and did her best to look angry that before he even knew himself what he was doing, his lips were on hers.

Kaoru was so startled when he kissed her that she let out a little squeak and only managed to get her hands between them. She wasn't pushing him away with much conviction. The feel of his chest under her hands was different to that of the Rurouni's, she felt privileged yet threatened, like admiring the beauty of the tiger before it springs at you. He kissed differently from the Rurouni too, he moved less but was somehow more insistent. His hand was at the back of her head, holding her in place. His other hand grabbed her knee, and pulled her leg across him so that she was straddling him. Kaoru's eyes were still wide in shock, and when he pulled away, having kept the kiss relatively brief, his eyes bored into hers like drills.

"You wish for me to bite you?" he asked in a tone more like a command. The amber in his eyes seemed to swirl impossibly in the light, like vats of molten gold. He was angry at himself for wanting her, and for giving in to her. He had decided to do as she asked and slake his thirst with her blood. Kaoru felt like his eyes tortured the answer from her, like the threat of red hot pokers, only that she found herself desiring the touch of their heat as well as fearing it.

"Yes," she choked. Battousai pressed his face to her neck, and Kaoru thought she caught a glimpse of his fangs out of the corner of her eye.

"Then ask me," he said, and, oh Lord, his voice sounded even more sinful than usual so close to her ear, out of sight, with his body holding her legs open. Kaoru knew she could command him and he would have to do it, but she was careful not to do that, because she also knew that that wasn't what he wanted.

"Please, Battousai, please bite me," she said, her voice soft and feminine compared to his. Battousai allowed himself a murmuring laugh in victory, he had never had a victim beg for anything but their life before, and he loved this new game.

"Again," he said, trailing his nose down her neck and positioning his mouth over the frantically beating pulse in her neck, kissing it ever so lightly. He could hear her heartbeat speed up as adrenaline flooded her system. He was scaring her, but they both knew it was more than that. Whether it was the magic of the binding between them that sparked this desire or not, Kaoru was painfully aware of his body, she longed for the touch of his fangs. But it was a double-edged sword, and only many years of controlling his thirst kept him from surrendering himself and drinking her in.

"Please," Kaoru said again.

She felt his lips withdraw and the cool tickle of his breath on her neck, then a harsh stab of pain as he buried his fangs into her skin. It was followed quickly by such a rush of pleasure that she gasped loudly. His endorphins raced through her body straight to her brain, tingling and warming her. Her mind became clouded, laced with golden light. She wasn't sure if her eyes were open or closed. Her hands fisted into his gi and she pressed herself hard against him.

Battousai had only a fraction of his sense left to enjoy the way she gasped and clung desperately to him now. The dominance her need gave him over her was delicious, but her blood was more so, and he soon found himself unable to think of anything else. Her blood was thick and warm, it filled his mouth and flowed down his throat almost eagerly, and he swallowed in an attempt to keep up with her pulse. He could still smell her skin under his nose outside the seal of his lips and it mixed with the taste of her in his mind to create a unique sensory memory that meant Kaoru.

But they soon became aware of each other in a way that had nothing to do with lust. The bond between them was reacting to the forced intimacy of Battousai feeding from her, and Kaoru could feel everything he was feeling as if it was happening to her. Her mind was opened to his, as his was to hers. Kaoru could taste her blood on his tongue, feel the predatory lust that came with the scent of her skin, feel her weight in his lap. Battousai likewise was sharing her experiences. He was enjoying the effect of vampire endorphins just as she was, something he had known only once in his life, and that was now only a blurred memory. He felt the sharp pain in her neck as he sucked his bite, and he also felt her complete surrender to him.

Kaoru moaned as Battousai continued to feed hungrily from her, her eyelids fluttering slowly closed. She felt everything. She was enjoying the warm press of her body against his just as he was, she could follow her blood through his veins and it chased the cold away. Her breath came quicker as the blood loss began to affect her brain. She was now more aware of his sensations than she was of her own. She felt her flesh dimple under his fingers as he supported her more or more, his thirst increasing and driving him on more and more every moment. He needed her more than anyone ever before, she was feeding a thirst he hadn't known he had, her blood flowed into a bottomless pit that echoed desperately for more. Kaoru moaned again.

Something else was building between them. A force was pushing them apart. Battousai felt the repulsion, whereas Kaoru felt as if she was doing the repelling. It was the magic that kept Battousai from killing. If he fed from Kaoru for much longer, she would not survive it. But neither of them wanted to separate. The euphoria they were both feeling, one from the satisfaction of blood lust and the other from the delicious venom in her brain, fed off each other and grew to such a point that to end it seemed as death. They were loath to even consider the idea of separating, and so the pressure grew, trying harder to drive them apart.

Battousai bit her again, burying his fangs deeper into her neck, as if trying to hook onto her. It would surely leave a painful wound but Kaoru didn't care. She cried out as she felt it, and the velvet rush of more endorphins snaked through her anew, drawing a growl from Battousai as he shared the sensation. Kaoru tried to hold him to her with her legs, digging her knees into his waist, edging closer to him and pressing her crotch against his. This only spawned a new, physical desire in him, and so in her, that made things worse. Battousai slid his arms under hers to hold her shoulders, forcing her down roughly as he took a more dominant position.

But the magic would not be denied, and the pressure built only to mix with their pleasure. They began to rock as they each tried to close the gap that was not there. Battousai grunted as he dug his fangs in deeper still, Kaoru only feeling immensely grateful and delighting in his strength that kept them together. The desperation to fight the power wedged between them joined the heavy wave of forces and together they crescendoed, finally succeeding in blasting the vampire off Kaoru in an explosion that turned all her muscles to water and her bones to jelly.

The suddenness of it stunned Kaoru, as did finding herself alone again in her mind, and the next thing she was aware of was opening her eyes, her head resting on Battousai's shoulder. She could see his face very close above hers, his head collapsed against the back of the couch. His eyes were closed but his mouth was open and stained with blood, and she could see his dainty fangs poking out further than his other teeth. He was incredibly still, entirely motionless, he wasn't breathing and not even his eyelids flickered. Kaoru curled more into him and closed her eyes again until her breathing had returned to normal, taking advantage of his low body temperature to cool her flushed skin.

"Is it always like that?" she gasped eventually, her voice rough. She opened her eyes again to watch him, but she didn't move. After a moment, he slowly turned his head a fraction away from her and back, a negative reply.

"Is this the first time it's happened to you?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet. This time a slow nod was her answer, followed by a long silence. Kaoru began to feel awkward, and moved to get off him, but his hand spasmed suddenly where it held her thigh so she stayed where she was. He opened his eyes drowsily and focused them on the ceiling.

"You do realise," he said, his voice low and a little hoarse, "That you are only alive now because it is impossible for me to kill you?" He rolled his head to the side and fixed his smoldering eyes on her, stealing any words she might have had in reply.

It was true. Looking at her then, he wanted more of her, every last drop. He wanted desperately to recapture the ecstasy she had supplied. But he reasoned that perhaps it was better this way, as he had a lasting supply, whereas if he killed her he could only enjoy her once, never mind that he believed her death would be the sweetest delicacy of all. But she was in no immediate danger. His body seemed infused with lead, a heavy languor similar to the afterglow of sex. He was so sated he could hardly move.

Kaoru swallowed, "Yes," she said, wondering what he was getting at. But Battousai did not elaborate, he only studied her face, thinking things Kaoru dared not ask about.

"Have you ever been bitten by another vampire?" he asked, which struck Kaoru as an odd question, but she answered it anyway.

"No," Only Kenshin had ever drunk her blood before, and Battousai already knew about that. And technically, he hadn't actually punctured her skin himself with his fangs.

"Good, don't be," said Battousai, facing ahead of him again, and suddenly Kaoru realised he was jealous. He'd been making sure she'd been untouched for him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, but it was so in character for him that she wasn't surprised. She just didn't want to start thinking about the implications.

Kaoru realised she felt well enough to support her own weight, so she sat up away from him, though she kept her legs around him to appease the hand that still rested on her thigh, and which gave a little jump at her movement. Now though, she noticed a thin trail of blood running down her chest until it hit the edge of the cup of her bra where it was creating a little stain. It was only visible because at some point her dressing gown had come loose and was now gaping widely around her breasts.

"Oh," she said absent-mindedly, unsure what to do. Her exclamation brought Battousai's attention and she blushed as his eyes found the blood. Then his eyes met hers and for a long time they just considered each other. She could see the want in his eyes, and the conflict of not wanting to ask her. Eventually however, she just shrugged and said;

"Waste not want not, I guess."

She tried to giggle, but really she was nervous again. Battousai held her gaze as she felt his arm at her back. Then he was bending towards her breast and she was holding her breath. She was surprised by how warm he was now. While not quite normal body temperature, he was very close, and she noticed his lips were flushed a violent, cherry red, which looked very strange on him in combination with his hair. His mouth was gentle against he cleaned up the blood. She tried to ignore the hardening of her nipples as he worked his way upwards. She realised also that he was trying to mask his licks with kisses, and thought it was odd that he should be modest in this way, trying to pretend that he was not crazed with blood-lust when only moments ago he had been locked firmly onto her neck.

When he reached the wound he had fed from, he licked that too, drawing his tongue across it slowly, the slight pressure causing twinges of pain. He kept doing this, and eventually Kaoru was forced to ask, embarrassed;

"Um, what are you doing?" Battousai paused only long enough to answer her.

"It helps the healing and prevents infection. It will also prevent a scar from forming. Be still." And he continued licking his bite tenderly, like a cat liking its kitten. After a moment more of this, Kaoru noticed that the pain had disappeared, so she made a mental note to inform Megumi on the medicinal properties of vampire saliva. Once Battousai was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped, he drew back again.

"You will probably need a transfusion of blood. I suggest you visit the doctor tonight," he said. Kaoru sighed. She didn't like that idea, though she knew it was for the best. She was feeling a bit light-headed. But she really didn't want to walk in there and ask for some blood with Battousai's fang marks fresh on her neck. And it wasn't like she could just wear a scarf, Megumi would want to know why before she handed over any plasma. Kaoru hadn't considered how her friends would react to her getting Battousai to bite her. It would probably set Sano's unstable friendship with Kenshin back a few steps. She knew they really wouldn't like the idea of her feeding Battousai, they'd probably see it as her prostituting herself, or him taking advantage. And she'd thought all the drama with getting her friends to accept the vampire was over.

Kaoru rested her head on Battousai's shoulder again, suddenly feeling the need for closeness. Remembering what it had felt like made her unashamed, but that was easy when they were alone in her apartment. Thinking about the consequences made her remember why she'd done it in the first place.

"So what do you say, Battousai? Do you still hate my guts?" she asked. Battousai narrowed his eyes, not hostilely, just wary of her making demands of him.

"I will be civil," he said guardedly. His tone suggested the condition of further payments of blood, but that was okay. From the moment he had pulled her against him, Kaoru had accepted that it wouldn't be a one-shot thing. She wondered about the implications of that, but her head started to hurt so she stopped.

"Thank you, that's all I ask," she replied, her eyelids drooping closed. But she knew it was only a half-truth. She wanted more from him than civility, just like he already possessed more of her, but she was as of yet still unsure whether she would be asking him for it.