Summary: When two warring kingdoms clash, it is up to the heirs, Kenshin and Kaoru to bring peace to a devastated land, but can they set aside their own differences or will the desire to defeat each other spur the war on. KK, AM, SM

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are the creative work of Watsuki Nobuhiro. It does not belong to me in any form.

Rating: T

Hello everybody!

Spare me a few lines to wallow in misery. Somehow, everything I write that is non-Ruroken is utter, complete garbage. Is it a sign? Am I just a one fandom wonder? Will my fledgling idea of a Zutara fic be slaughtered on the altar of my incompetence…..sighs

Yes, I know. I am a drama queen.

And I want to give aClockworkCat a huge, giant huggle for being a sweetheart and proofreading this chapter and offering some wonderful, awesome, make-you-squeee suggestions and… (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there's more) …and doing all of the above within a day. Cat – you totally rock and I am so lucky to have you as a beta.


Love, Lies and Empire

Chapter 29: Hide and Seek


Recap

Kaoru walked out of the maze. She looked around. The late afternoon sun was all but touching the horizon, and in the pale light of the sun, everything seemed bathed in a soft, golden glow. But she didn't see Kenshin anywhere. She walked down a small path, curving towards another section of the garden. She had all but given up and was about to head back, when cold fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her inside a curtain of weeping willow.

She cried out in surprise only to narrow her eyes at the man who stood before her, smiling. "What did you do that for?"

"Were you scared?"

"No." He looked at her pointedly. She sighed. "Okay, maybe a little." She noticed how close they stood to one another. She looked up at him and very slowly, took a step back, pulling her hand away from his. She noticed how his eyes followed her fingers till they came to rest by her side.

"What did you want to speak to me about?"

End of Recap

Kenshin blinked slowly, momentarily taken aback by the light in her eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice died in his throat as he watched her. Her eyes shone and she looked around with nervous anticipation, waiting for him to say something.

But it was perhaps better to remain silent than to make a bumbling attempt at articulation, because he was certain that anything he said right this moment would be nonsense. He knew that he was probably looking like an imbecile, mouth open and staring at her like a dunce, but he couldn't help it. She looked so alive; finally he could see a glimpse of the girl she had been when he'd first laid eyes on her. Finally, that uninhibited spark, that almost childish delight in the world around her was visible once again. He could not even imagine being so carefree. Perhaps it was this, among other things, which drew him to her like a moth to a flame.

His response to little things she did surprised him; he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so affected by a woman. It was not customary for him to give so freely of himself and his time. He had never waited for anyone before, yet here he was, standing in the cover of the trees waiting for a girl he'd known for less than a month. Even now, he felt as though everything was moving very slowly; tiny leaves twirled lazily upon the evening breeze as they floated to the ground, a leaf brushed past Kaoru's nose and she smiled at it absently, looking around, her skin seeming to glisten in the soft pink light of the sunset. His chest tightened painfully, waiting for her had become so torturous in the past week...first he would wait, and then become annoyed that she could reduce him to some sort of lovesick buffoon who sat around and sighed till she deigned to appear. He would inwardly scoff, refuse to be treated so cruelly and then, sat down and stared at the place she was supposed to have arrived at minutes ago. He felt a searing heat course over his body and rush through his blood, as he bit the inside of his cheek, desperately trying to regain control over his traitorous heart.

Suddenly, his heart began to race, as Kaoru was moved closer. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him warily. She was saying something…. "Kenshin? Are you alright?"

He blinked. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Kaoru looked uncertain. "You looked a little lost..."

"I was thinking." He answered quickly, hoping it would convince her. He really didn't want to go into the reasons for his state of distraction.

She laughed softly. "About what?" She raised her eyebrows playfully at him, her eyes gleaming as though they were sharing in some established secret routine between them.

Kenshin let out a nervous laugh before looking into her eyes again. He dragged his teeth over his lower lip. She was standing two, maybe three steps away from him, all he had to do was close that distance, lean in and touch her lips with his. What would she do? She would be shocked. She would push him away, glare at him, maybe even lift her hand and strike him hard across the face before launching into a tirade about how he was a depraved, lecherous bastard who deserved to rot in the lowest circle of hell. Then she would spin on her heel and stomp all the way back to Grandma.

Yes, that's what she would do…or would she? Maybe, just maybe, she might not be so averse to the idea of him kissing her. Maybe, when he leaned in to capture her lips with his own, she would not run away, but maybe she might tilt her head towards his. Perhaps she would moan, maybe gasp, close her eyes and let him hold her. He looked down, suddenly afraid that she might realize the direction his thoughts were taking through his eyes.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru held a hand in front of his face and waved it gently in front of his eyes. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" He shook his head and focused on her.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I just…" he waved his hand in the air, "I was thinking about something complicated and… never mind."

Kaoru nodded slowly. "Alright. What did you want to speak to me about?"

A mischievous smile spread across his features. "You know Kaoru, I was thinking that you've been in Kutou for almost three weeks now, and you've hardly seen any of it. I mean, the palaces are all fine but, they aren't exactly lively. So, how would you like to look at Yantai without the rules of the palace?"

She tilted her head to one side, watching him carefully. "What do you mean?"

Kenshin chuckled and stepped closer, picking out a stray leaf from her hair with his fingers. He realized that he probably should not have done that as she stiffened immediately. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at him warily. "I mean, we can leave the palace and go to the city. There is a festival tonight; there will be dancers and performers all over the city! I promise you've never seen anything like this before."

"I remember seeing something like that when we first reached Kutou…when you sent me away with Omasu remember?"

He scoffed. "That is normal. You can't even begin to compare that to what you'll see tonight."

"Really?" Excitement sparkled in her eyes and she moistened her lips with a quick flick of her tongue. The manoeuvre sent a shiver racing down his spine and he suppressed the urge to reach out and touch her.

"Yes." He bit his lip and looked at her thoughtfully. "So, would you like to go?"

Kaoru smiled widely and vigorously nodded her head. "I would love to go! Oh I can't tell you how long I've wanted to go out into the city and now we can finally do that and oh." Her face dropped and she looked dejectedly at the ground.

Kenshin frowned. "What is it Kaoru?"

She bit her lip. "When you asked me to go, did you mean just me?"

Kenshin looked around. "I don't see anybody else here."

"Oh…oh no. That's bad."

"Why?" He asked in confusion, shaking his head slightly. Kaoru's mood swings had the ability to give him whiplash sometimes.

"Why? Because, I can't just get up and go somewhere with you. It's not done... at all."

He rolled his eyes. "Who told you that?"

Kaoru pursed her lips. "Lots of people… including my Da, my uncle, Tae, Lady Maira and I'm pretty sure Grandma will agree with me. I've never been anywhere alone. I mean, I had my lessons with Soujirou and Taro would accompany me if I had to go into the city, and…and Yantai is like ten times the size of Kansan….and I don't know anybody here, and…" the rest of what she had to say just died away as she noticed the smirk on Kenshin's face.

"So, you're saying you can't go?" Kenshin raised an eyebrow. He didn't know whether to be angry or amused.

"I really want to Kenshin but…."

"But you're scared." He replied in a frigid tone.

"Of course not! It's just…." Kaoru bit her lip then brightened once more and smiled, albeit a bit shakily. "Nothing. We can go. Let me just go get Lady Maira."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed almost into slits. "What for?"

"To accompany us?" Kaoru replied sheepishly, hoping that he would agree to it. She turned her big blue eyes towards him and he almost let his irritation melt away. Almost.

Kenshin snorted. "You think we need a chaperone?" He stared at her intensely. "Interesting. Just what do you think will happen?"

"Nothing like that, I just think she will enjoy it too... And what's the harm really?"

"Oh, nothing…no harm at all, except, I will probably be tempted to slice my ears off to spare my sanity in exactly three minutes." He hissed back at her.

Kaoru let her lip curl in a pout. "There's really no need to act so grumpy Kenshin. And she isn't that bad, she's just a little….exuberant."

"Exuberant? Is that your excuse?" He shook his head with finality. "No. If we're going, we're going alone…or we're not going at all." He crossed his arms over his chest as his unrelenting, unyielding stubborn streak surfaced again.

She pouted. "That's not fair. I can't do that and you know it." Kaoru held her arms rigidly at her sight, her fingers clenched into fists.

"What's stopping you?" He arched an eyebrow as he turned to look at her in challenge.

"Kenshin…" She groaned and folded her arms across her chest. She turned away deliberately, her disappointment obvious. The self-satisfied smirk that has graced his features faded away as he realized that instead of rousing Kaoru to action, it had chiselled away at the happiness present in her eyes just moments ago.

He stepped closer to her and gently touched her elbow with his fingers. She stiffened but did not pull away. "Kaoru…life is too short to keep worrying about propriety. Grandma is not going to judge you for indulging yourself just this once. You're not doing anything wrong, I wouldn't ask you to do anything that could hurt you." He leaned forward and very slowly, tentatively his hand crept up to cup her cheek. He saw her eyes dart from his face to his hand and back. "Perhaps I am deluding myself when I think I mean something to you." Kaoru looked up to find his turbulent eyes fixed upon her. The amber hue of his eyes was coloured with barely veiled desire.

Kaoru looked away, as the back of his fingers curled against and stroked her jaw. Panic rose like a tidal wave inside her head and she shivered. "Kenshin…don't."

"I have been very cautious this past week Kaoru." He continued to speak, as though he hadn't heard her desperate plea to retreat to the familiar and safe territory of harmless banter. "I have tried to be patient, to move almost like a snail because I do not wish to alarm you. But, it is something strange to me... Caution is strange to me."

"Why are you telling me this?" Forcing herself to look into the swirling pools that were his eyes, she suppressed a gasp that threatened to tear from her mouth. Something deliciously warm and heady sparked in her veins and she barely managed to whisper.

He glanced at her. "Because, you have been troubling me... And I think I ought to return the favour."

"What?" Her mind went blank. She struggled to understand what she could have possibly done to offend him or irritate him enough to warrant being called troublesome.

"You distract me." His breath floated across the sensitive skin of her ear, his voice rumbling deep in his throat, making the skin at the back of her neck tingle.

"Kenshin…I think I should go. You don't seem to be… you seem different..." She took a step back, flinching as he followed her. Her eyes grew wide, recognising finally that the hunt was on and she had frozen in her spot.

"But you remain the same, still running." He enunciated the last word like it was exasperating.

She stopped and glared back at him, a spark of anger flashing through her eyes. "I am not running."

Kenshin snorted. "Yes, you are. It's what you do: the minute things become…intense, the moment you feel your ironclad control slip…you panic and run, as if you can't trust yourself." He laughed softly. "Am I becoming so hard to push away?"

"You're being insolent and vulgar." Her fists shook and she pursed her lips, angry that he could read her so well and terrified that he would call her on it, and she would have no more space to run.

"At least I'm not being obtuse." He replied flatly, telling her exactly what he thought of her carefully built façade of denial.

Her lower lip trembled and she turned on her heel, desperate to leave before anything else happened. "I'm leaving."

His lips curled in an infuriating smirk. "If I let you."

"What?" Kaoru spun around to face him once more, indignation plastered over her face. "I don't need your permission to leave Kenshin! I came here because I wanted to see you and if I don't feel like looking at your face anymore then I will leave, whether or not you want me to!"

His eyes burned and the corner of his mouth lifted up in triumph. "At least you admit you wanted to see me."

"That was before you started acting like a jerk." She growled back at him waspishly.

He glanced at her. Her eyes were glued to the ground, defeat and discontent spiralled off her frame in waves. Kenshin winced. When had this turned into fight for domination? He sighed. He wanted Kaoru to feel secure in admitting her feelings; he didn't want to force an admission out of her. Forcing her, pushing her into something defeated the purpose of the exercise completely. He took a step back and whispered softly in her direction, letting her know how much her answer meant to him. "If I behave, will you stay?"

She stopped. Blinking at the ground, she berated herself for what she was about to do. This was probably the stupidest thing she had done in her eighteen years. She bit her lip. This is stupid…no, it's beyond stupid! I can't believe I'm doing this! Clenching her fingers together for strength, she turned to face him. If she didn't stay now, she'd spend the entire night wondering what would have happened had she stayed and she was tired of lying to herself, pretending that this man standing before her wasn't responsible for her sleepless nights, that he wasn't the reason she rushed out of bed each morning to start a new day, that he wasn't what she had been thinking of incessantly, that he wasn't responsible for the quickening of her breath, the fluttering of her heartbeat or flush that spread over her features as she sat and daydreamed.

"Tell me something," a dangerous gleam lit up Kenshin's eyes. "What has that man done to warrant such unshakeable loyalty Kaoru?"

Kaoru felt as though her limbs had frozen. She searched for the words that would explain her predicament to him. Opening and shutting her mouth in tandem, she felt her nerves shake as she wordlessly tried to explain the ties that bound her to Okita even now. Thoughts swirled in her mind, thoughts about her father, her uncle, Soujirou – each of them had accepted Okita and her rejection of him would somehow be her rejection of them…and she was not sure she had the courage to do that. So she remained silent.

His fingers clenched around the katana tied to his hip. "You would turn your back on whatever we have between us because of some misguided sense of loyalty." Kaoru shut her eyes, so she wouldn't have to see the pain she could hear in his voice reflected in his eyes. She could withstand the lure of his voice, but the intoxicating amber depth of his eyes never failed to suck her in, steal her breath and claim her soul.

"You don't understand..." She mumbled, not wanting to think about it, because it hurt too much. Either way, she was a traitor. A traitor to her blood and her country if she chose Kenshin and a traitor to her heart if she didn't.

"No I don't." He replied cruelly, making her cringe. "Make me understand if you can, if there really is something that can be understood from it."

She took a deep breath and stepped away from the edge of the precipice she'd been dancing on all day. "Firstly, there is nothing between us." She winced inwardly at the ease with which the lie sprang from her lips. Kenshin scoffed and shook his head and she simply ignored him. "And secondly, my loyalty remains with Okita because it doesn't matter how good or how thrilling you seem to me, I can't just turn my back on what I had with him, because it was a good thing, which deserves respect and has to be honoured." Her bravado faded as she spoke those words to herself just as much as to Kenshin.

His jaw tightened and he closed the distance between them, tightening his fingers around her arms and pulling her forward, until there was barely an inch between them. He hissed. "Dragons above! He abandoned you, Kaoru! He left you to be taken care of by somebody else when the city was burning, when you needed him the most, he left you. Don't you see? He doesn't deserve it, your loyalty, your patience, your love… he doesn't deserve it!" He bit the words out, anger surging through his veins at her stubbornness, her blindness.

"And you do?" She asked disdainfully, her loyalty to her betrothed winning once more.

His fingers clenched tightly around her arms. He bent his head and whispered, "I wouldn't have left you, Kaoru."

His heated whisper floated over her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. She shivered and felt her insides turn into liquid. "Even if there were people who needed you? People who were counting on you to save them?"

"What use do I have for all the people in the world if saving them meant being separated from you? What use are honour and the adulation of strangers, when all I want is you?" His hands slipped up her arms to cup her face. Rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs, his breath caught in his throat as he watched her watching him. He swallowed thickly. "What do I have to do to make you understand what you mean to me?"

She was almost scared to believe it. It felt too good to be true. People waited their entire lives for elusive love and she had received it twice in her life. And now, she had to decide what to do. A grim thought twisted in her consciousness - fortune favours the brave. This time, she needed to be brave, not for anybody else, but for herself….just for herself.

"Y-you don't….have to do anything….I know." She closed her eyes and rested her hands on his wrists, the tightly wound knot in her chest dissolving into nothingness. The weight she'd carried around for days suddenly disappeared with her whispered admission. She felt his body shudder and his fingers tremble against her face, but she didn't have the courage to look him in the eye, not just yet.

He pulled one hand away from her face and gently ran his fingers along her hair to the base of her neck, pulled her towards him and bent his head. Just as his lips brushed hers, Kaoru panicked and turned her face away.

"Kenshin…I can't…" She looked up at him, imploring him not to misunderstand her. "Give me some time..." He pursed his lips and began to pull away, but she stopped him, tugging at his hand. "No Kenshin, it's not because of him. I …"

He sighed. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She replied without a moment's hesitation.

He smiled. "Then it's alright." He slowly pulled away from her.

Kaoru watched him carefully. "You're …not angry?"

He lifted the corner of his mouth in a crooked smile that turned her knees into jelly. "I got more than I expected, why on earth would I be angry?"

"But, I thought you would be offended..." She frowned slightly, confusion swimming in her eyes.

His eyes widened in understanding. "...Because you didn't kiss me back?" He asked softly.

"Well, yes." She shrugged a shoulder and stared at the ground, slightly embarrassed at having this conversation.

He laughed softly. "I am disappointed. But, now I have something definite to look forward to. And anticipation only makes the prize sweeter." His voice dropped an octane lower as he whispered in her ear. He seemed to revel in the way she squirmed, still a little uneasy with the open admission of the effect they seemed to have upon each other. He pulled his lower lip under his teeth, watching her repeat the action unknowingly.

She blinked and narrowed her eyes. "You did not just call me a prize." His chuckle earned him a baleful glare.

His eyebrows shot up. "Well, I was happy with just a kiss but if you're willing to…."

Kaoru's mouth fell open and she blinked incredulously at him. She quickly recovered and punched his arm. "Oh you jerk!"

The sound of his laughter carried on the wind and floated beyond the willow tree, reaching the unwanted attention of Shogou, who stood outside the maze, watching the two figures under the canopy of the willow tree. His eyes narrowed as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, a plan forming steadily in his head. His lips curled in a vile smile. He turned to leave, shaking his head at the ease of it all.

X

The fiery orange light of the flame flared as Tomoe struck a match and lit a candle resting on her bedside table. She lifted the match up and away from the candle and held it over her eyes, watching the molten blue core of the flame dance wildly. The flame inched closer and closer to the skin of her fingertips. Searing heat curled around her skin and died away as the tiny matchstick dissolved into ash, sending sooty black powder to her cheek. She sighed and picked up another and lit it, watching as it burned out. She repeated this process slowly and painfully until all the matches were extinguished and her fingertips burnt raw. But she didn't even utter a cry of protest or pain. Not while her body felt this numb and her heart so cold. She turned in her bed, her mind a million miles away.

She groaned as she heard the faint sound of her mother's voice in the hall, calling her name. "Tomoe! Tomoe! Where are you?"

Go away... please go away... She pleaded in her mind, as she buried her head deeper into the bedclothes, while the soft shuffle of her mother's footsteps stopped outside her door. A thin shaft of light pierced the darkness of the room Followed by more footsteps. The wick of the lamp hissed as it was lit and a startled cry echoed in the room as Lady Yukishiro took in her daughter's appearance. "Tomoe!"

She set the lamp upon a table and rushed to the bed. Pulling the leaden mass of her daughter from the bed, she gasped, "Tomoe, what have you done to yourself?" Her panic-filled voiced throbbed with urgency as she held Tomoe tightly in her embrace.

It was only then that it became obvious how unnecessary and useless it was to keep up the pretence of serenity and strength. Only then that Tomoe allowed herself to crumble. She wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and, for the first time since she had been a child, burst into tears.

Lady Yukishiro stroked Tomoe's hair and understanding her predicament as only a mother can, remained silent and let the tears fall. "Tomoe…."

"I t-tried Mother, I-I tried s-s-so hard not to love him but …" she choked on a sob and sniffled as her tears ran down her face, "I do. I don't even remember when it changed, when I started needing him more than he needed me. I don't know when it happened. But… I love him… and he doesn't care. He just doesn't care." Her voice stuck. She choked on her words and pressed her hand against her eyes. Resigning herself to a fresh onslaught of tears, she drew her knees up to her chest and screwed her eyes shut.

Lady Yukishiro continued to stroke her hair and rub her back intermittently. "Hush dear, it will be alright."

"No, it won't! He doesn't want me anymore, Mother."

"Okay, okay, it doesn't matter. If he can forget you, then you can too."

"But I don't want to forget him! He's the only one I want. I don't want anybody else." Tomoe replied with a desperation that made it obvious that this was not a tantrum, nor posturing of any sort. She was truly devastated.

Lady Yukishiro took a deep breath. She had always known that this day would come. But knowing about it, didn't prepare her any better. Mending a broken heart took more than just time and patience, and she prayed with all her heart that Tomoe would be willing to let her help.

"Tomoe..." Tomoe looked up, her eyes red, as Lady Yukishiro placed a hand on her head. "It is best if you forget him."

Tomoe gasped and was about to reply when her mother covered her mouth gently with her fingers. "Why chase after someone who does not want you? There are other men. Men who will love you till their last breath. Don't shut away happiness because it is not in the form you want it to be. Destiny works in strange ways and perhaps this is what was intended for you." She pulled her into her arms and held her. Tomoe didn't say anything. Lady Yukishiro patted her back and leaned back.

"Let me get you something to drink. You'll feel better."

Tomoe nodded quietly and waited until she could no longer hear her mother's footsteps. She shook her head and sank back into the bed, deciding to wait until her brother was home. Only Enishi would help her now.

X

As night approached, the office block of the palace wore a deserted look save for the sentries and guards pacing about well lit corridors. Raising their hands in a formal salute the night watchmen tipped the point of their spears as an officer briskly strode by. He turned a corner and swiftly descended a series of staircases that led to a street connecting the palace to the public courtyard used for ceremonial purposes and gatherings. As he exited the gate, a man followed on his tail.

The man slipped a card to the officer and disappeared before he could be apprehended. The officer whirled about, looking around carefully before opening the card. It was blank. The officer frowned and ran a hand through his silvery-white hair. At a loss, he threw the card and began to walk away when the sight of two men standing at the very edge of the square caught his eye.

Pivoting, he strode towards them. One of them was leaning against the wall while the other stood straight, waiting for him.

He stopped in front of them. "What's the meaning of this?"

Shogou smiled. "It's an invitation."

Enishi glanced at him shrewdly. "To what?"

"Kenshin's ruin."

X

Please comment.