Shrine Maiden

by ShetlandPony12

Kaoru is a shrine maiden working in Kyoto when she finds a man on the brink of death. Little does Kaoru know that she has taken a demon into her care.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the associated characters. This is my first fanfiction. I like the idea of combining mythology, sci-fi, etc, to the story. Hope you enjoy.

Red..

All he could see was red as he stumbled forward holding his side.

The sun was setting in Kyoto, casting a long shadow over the struggling figure of a man who was trying to walk away from battle. A small trail of blood followed him, and large dark splotches stained his gi.

..Damn..I need to find a place to hide..

As he trudged on, he noticed large red gates with a foreboding archway come into view. The majestic gates were surrounded by large thick trees. As the man approached, he saw a carefully placed wall of ancient sake casks near the right entrance of the gates. Behind the gates, a large shrine loomed in the background.

..The Heian Shrine….that'll have to do.

With renewed vigor the redhead forced himself to keep going. Blood and sweat was oozing out of him, zapping his energy. The sun was setting faster now, surrounding him in darkness. Still, he managed to get through the front gates, and stumble into the courtyard before collapsing in a broken heap.

..Fuck..I can't move..

With that last thought, the man's tired heavy eye shut, and his head became heavy against the ground.

As the sun set, Kaoru counted the ticket and charm sales for the day at her desk in the administration office. counter whistling as she did so. She loved working at the Heian Jinguu. Happiness and contentment seemed to emanate from her being.

Long blue-black locks cascaded from a high ponytail with bangs to frame her delicate face. Large blue lapis lazuli eyes focused on the task at hand carefully counting and documenting every detail. Her athletic yet curvy build donned in the traditional gear of a shrine maiden. The red and white outfit was a perfect contrast against her striking hair and eyes.

Kaoru had been born into the family running the Heian Shrine, and while it had given her a simpler life, she wouldn't have traded it for the world. She didn't see the appeal in the high-tech materialistic world that modern Japan had become.

"There! I'm done, thank god." She sighed, closing up the drawer and turning off the lights. As she left the ticket stand, she ran to grab a large straw broom and dustpan. Sweeping the front courtyard during sunset was one of her favorite parts of the day. She loved watching the sunset and the beautiful vision it created over the main gates.

Also, during the night she would walk around and feed the cats that stopped by the shrine as she patrolled the grounds.

As Kaoru approached the courtyard, she noticed a lump of red and blue off to the side of the main entrance.

What the…is that a man? Kaoru hurried her step to get closer.

As she neared, she broke out into a run. As the lump became the crumpled figure of a man in a puddle of blood the closer she got.

"Oh my god, it is a person!" Kaoru began to panic. She carefully knelt down next to the man and placed her fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse.

Is he dead? No..there is a pulse, but its very faint.

Kaoru let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Kaoru tried to gently move him. By placing her hands and his shoulders in an attempt to roll him over.

"oompf..he is heavy."

Kaoru strained to lift his torso and the man moaned in pain. She noticed the puddle of blood beneath him began to get thicker and she screamed for help as she placed the man's head in her lap. His breathing was scarily shallow. He wouldn't last.

"GRAMPS…MISAO HELLP! SOMEONE IS HURT, PLEASE COME QUICKLY."

Kaoru reached into her pocket and grabbed her cellphone dialing the only doctor she knew close by.

After a few rings a soft yet stern female voice answered.

'Hello?'

'MEGUMI! You have to get down to the shrine now, there's a man…he's hurt.. he's bleeding everywhere.."

'Kaoru what the fuck?! Calm down, call an ambulance!'

The man began to stir and moan in Kaoru's lap at those words.

"..No…h-hospitals…please….please" His words were so weak they were barely a whisper in Kaoru's lap. Sending a shiver through her. His voice was deep yet soft. He sounded so broken, Kaoru's heart ached for him.

"Megumi Please! I can't move him; I don't think they will make it in time to save him!"

"Shit Shit Shit Kaoru!….okay…shit give me two minutes; I'll be right there." With that she hung up.

As Kaoru ended the conversation, she heard yelling across the courtyard, two figures appeared running forward. A young woman with a blue braid in a shrine maiden outfit, and a older tall man with white hair in traditional priest robes.

"Kaoru what is going on?!' Misao yelled, bursting with energy and vigor. She ran up to Kaoru and looked at the man to see his face.

"We have to call the police, and an ambulance, this man is in dire need of medical help." Okina said as a he knelt down with Kaoru and Misao to get a better look at the man.

"I called Megumi, I don't think they will make it in time, he's lost so much blood…" Kaoru trailed off, the man's skin was ghostly pale and his breathing had stilled.

"WHAT? He could be a fugitive; I don't want to be responsible for him!" Okina yelled beginning to back up.

"We can call the police later if we have to, right now we have to help him Gramps." Kaoru reasoned.

"Ya Gramps! Calm down, he won't put up much of a fight right now anyway."

"We will do what we can for now, but I am stilling calling the police or an ambulance if Megumi can't help him." Okina reasoned. Kaoru nodded, knowing that protesting was futile with the stern old man.

Kneeling to help Kaoru and Misao lift the body. Okina grabbed the shoulders of the man and draped them over his own while Misao and Kaoru lifted the legs.

Together they carried the man as quickly as they could into one of the back-staff shrine houses and set him down on the tatami. Luckily as they were doing this Kaoru directed Megumi into the house and she began to get to work.

Over the next several hours, Kaoru watched the man's face contort in pain as Megumi worked to bring him back to life. However, he never cried out. As tired as she was, she couldn't bring herself to leave him. She felt…a connection to him?

No, that wasn't it. She was worried about his safety. And the curiosity was killing her. She had never seen a man like this before, who was this strange red head. Was his hair natural?

Also, what was up with his state of dress? She wore traditional garb because she worked at a shrine, but this guy, showed up with like a warrior straight out of the revolution with his old clothes.

Hours before, when Megumi worked to undress the man and assess his wounds, they had found a broken sword in a black sheath that the man carried.

Of course, this discovery only served to fuel the fire in convincing Okina that this man was a fugitive or involved in some sort of criminal activity. Thankfully he was shooed by Megumi during her work and forced to fume elsewhere.

But if he had a traditional Japanese sword, there was no way he was a foreigner, right? This whole situation was so confusing. Kaoru put her hands on her temples and began to massage.

"There! That's as good as I can do for now." Megumi sighed. Sitting back and straightening up. slowly she began to put her blood-soaked tools back in her bag and clean up.

Megumi was a miracle worker; she was able to secure two iv's on her own. One with type O blood, and one with fluids and vitamins to keep him hydrated. She had even cauterized the wounds with a hot knife. All those years of working in overseas in an African jungle had taught this woman how to handle an sort of medical emergency with limited tools. She was a beast.

"Thank you, Megumi, will he make it?" Kaoru asked. Coming to stand over him and peer down at his sleeping face.

"I think so. His body is badly wounded, but he is a fighter. He seems to be relatively healthy otherwise." Megumi glanced down at the man's torso. He was covered in scars. Sadly, this was not his first fight. She sighed, wondering what kind of life this man lived.

Despite that, anyone who see that he was strong, his physique was like a finely chiseled statue of a Greek god. Yet, he was shorter than most men she knew.

"Kaoru, you need to be careful. This man, whatever he is involved in, it's dangerous." Megumi warned.

Kaoru slowly nodded. She too saw the scars, and old wounds. He was a warrior of some kind. They would all need to be careful.

"Megumi, please stay tonight. You've done so much; I want to treat you to dinner, and you need to rest."

"Of course, and I don't want you to be sleeping alone in the room next to him. He might need more help in the middle of the night."

Both women came to an agreement and quietly shut off the light and left the room. Closing the shoji screen behind them.

….that scent its gone..

Bloodshot amber eyes opened, and then slowly closed again.

the young man breathed; he was safe.

But for how long? What would these kind people do if they knew they were harboring an ancient demon and skilled assassin?

He would have to leave as soon as he could stand. He couldn't put them all in danger. They couldn't get involved.

The battousai's mind wandered back to that girl. He didn't know what she looked like, but her scent had instantly brought him peace. It was reminiscent of jasmine and lavender; he had never smelt a scent so pure.

He found himself wanting to smell it again. In his state of delirium, he hoped he meet her again soon.

With that he drifted off in dead sleep. Exhaustion taking over.

After dinner and a bath, Kaoru and Megumi both retired to their futons in the next room over from the sleeping redhead.

Megumi passed out right away, and Kaoru listened to her soft snores from the other side of the room.

Kaoru slowly closed her eyes and drifted off.

However, sleep it seems was evasive.

She tossed and turned for hours, somehow unable to find the right position or get her mind off the red head in the next room.

The curiosity was killing her.

What if he bled out in his sleep?

What if he was thirsty?

Who would take care of him?

She needed to check on him, otherwise she would spend the whole night worrying about him.

Strengthening her resolve Kaoru got up in her white sleeping yukata and went to check on him.

Slowly she slid open the shoji screen, gently closing it behind her and made her way over to him.

Kaoru could barely see him at first in the dark, but slowly her eye adjusted to the low light in the room. Thankfully moonlight spilled in from a far window on a wall illuminating the small corner where he lay.

Kaoru slowly sat down beside him, looking for fresh blood stains on his bandages.

There were none. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked over his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful and serene.

Kaoru raised a delicate hand and moved his bangs out of his face. Noticing an old cross shaped scar. What was that scar from? Stuck in her musings, she didn't notice the change in the redhead's breathing.

The scent of jasmine and lavender flooded the battousai's senses. It calmed him yet excited him at the same time.

…She's here….

Still she can't be trusted. It was time to test her intentions. A battousai can never let their guard down, even in rest.

One second, Kaoru was watching his delicate sleeping face, and then suddenly his eyes snapped open revealing angry amber orbs.

Before she could blink Kaoru found herself pressed up against the back wall near the window. Nose to nose with the now wide-awake red head. In the process he had ripped out his IVs which lay dangling from the stand next to his futon.

His amber eyes stared her frightened blue ones. His powerful arms held her up by the collar of her yukata, her feet dangling slightly off the ground.

"Who are you?" He ground out. Golden eyes boring into her soul.

Kaoru froze, the man that she had been helping was now trying to intimidate her. Fear was quickly replaced by anger, and she began to struggle against him grabbing his forearms with her hands and kicking her legs.

"Who am I? Who the fuck are you? You show up here half dead, and IM the one being questioned?" Kaoru raised her voice with the last sentence, growing more and more pissed by the second.

Her quick shift in emotion and the force of her ki sent a thrill through him. The battousai decided that he liked her when she was angry. Still, he could not have her waking the whole house up. He needed answers.

Swiftly he lowered her down and pressed her to the wall covering her mouth at the same time with one of his hands. He used the opposite forearm to press down on her chest and moved one of his legs between hers to press her harder against the wall stopping her struggling.

"I will be the one to ask the questions, that I will." He smirked at her as she attempted to yell at him through his hand.

"You can decide to answer or suffer the consequences." His eyes and the harsh tone of her voice told her that he was serious. Kaoru tried her best not to panic. Would he hurt her?

And yet, the gravity of the situation set in. His hot breath on her face, the way his forearm pressed against her chest through the thin yukata, and their lower abdomens connecting…

Kaoru had never been in such an intimate position with a man before, or such a handsome man at that. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to calm herself.

This effort went in vain, as heat pooled between her legs and a dark flush settled over her cheeks. She was breathing heavily behind his hand.

What is wrong with my body?! This guy is clearly insane!

Kaoru found that reasoning with her body wasn't going to work. She had noticed her attraction for him hours ago while Megumi was working on him. She was mentally kicking herself now for her curiosity.

The scent of her arousal flooded the battousai's senses, and his eyes widened into shock before narrowing slowly studying her.

This little fool, she is innocent, naïve, ripe for the picking. She has never been touched by a man; he could tell that no one had claimed her. Her scent revealed everything. He could take her now if he really wanted to.

He felt his resolve breaking, he too noticed the intimate position. And he didn't like the power it had over him. Her scent was calling to him. But still he needed to find out where he was and if these humans were a threat to him.

However, that didn't mean he couldn't have any fun.

"What's wrong little blue bird? You seem worked up, could it be that you have never been this close to a man before?" He teased, that smirk on his face becoming one of arrogance.

That was the last straw for Kaoru. Not only had she helped his man, allowed him to stay in her home, now he was threatening her and making fun of her lack of experience with men? Oh HELL no.

Behind his hand Kaoru openly growled at him. The battousai arched a delicate eyebrow, and then noticed an open palm coming towards his face.

With as much effort as she could muster from her current position, Kaoru brought her right hand down slapping him across the face whipping his head to the side. The force caused him to loosen his grip on her face and she finally spoke.

"WHAT the ACTUAL FUCK is wrong with you? I'm trying to help you, asshole!" She was openly yelling at him now. In her frustration and desperation to get out of his grip she kneed him hard in the chest.

As her knee struck him, she opened one of his wounds and he groaned in pain before sinking to the floor. A small blood stain began to form on his bandages.

Kaoru realizing what she had done, tried to catch him as he fell.

"I'm sorry, oh shit, I am so sorry!"

Just then Megumi burst through the door and flipped on the light.

"Kaoru! What the HELL is going on, what is all the ruckus?"

Seeing the redhead on the ground in Kaoru's arms and the fresh blood on her yukata, Megumi rushed over to help Kaoru get the man back into bed.

"Megumi! He tried to get up and move around, I came in here to check on him!

Why was she lying for him? He was trying to interrogate her. He was acting like a jerk!

Kaoru gasped when she looked down at the man. His once golden eyes were now a dull half-lidded purple. They slowly lowered him to the futon and settled him back into a comfortable position.

His eyes, they changed. What is going on?

"Kaoru, I need to get more bandages, don't let him move around anymore. I'll be right back."

Megumi left the room and Kaoru once again settled next to him. She spoke as soon as his exhausted violet eyes settled on her.

"Hey, I'm sorry for overreacting. My name is Kamiya Kaoru, I've been working and living at the Heian Shrine since I was old enough to walk."

"Kaoru…?" He rasped. It was becoming harder for him to keep his eyes open. All that activity had zapped his remaining strength.

"Yes! What's your name?" Kaoru grabbed his hand and leaned in her head over his mouth to hear him better.

"…..K-Kenshin."

Then the world once again went black for him. His eyes closed and he passed out on the futon.

Megumi returned, pushing Kaoru out of the way, and got back to work resealing Kenshin's wounds and reinserting his IV.

"Kaoru, what was all of that about? I heard yelling, are you okay?"

"I guess he didn't remember coming here. When he woke up, he seemed confused. I tried to calm him down."

"Did he hurt you Kaoru?"

Megumi halted her actions and looked over at the younger woman. She was so innocent and naïve sometimes; Kaoru could have brought death himself into their shrine without even realizing it.

"Um..no. He settled down when you left. He said his name is Kenshin."

Megumi wasn't entirely convinced by Kaoru's answer. She seemed flustered, upset. But she would drop it for now and ask more questions later.

But first, a minor precaution was needed to make sure this man didn't wake back up. She couldn't have him further injuring himself. Megumi readied a sedative and added it to the IV with water.

Okina rose early the next day. As he folded up his futon, he thought about the next plan of action to take.

Who was this man? Why didn't he want medical attention?

Being a priest, he should be more inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to someone in need. However, Okina was not just any priest. He was the former leader of the Oniwabanshuu, and he was not so easily fooled. Priesthood and shrine management was simply another way to enjoy a steady income while appearing retired.

Okina had left the Aoi-ya to be led by Aoshi and the four other remaining members of the Oniwabanshuu. He was still in the same city, therefore if he ever missed them, it was a 15-20-minute drive.

Okina walked down the hall to the guest room and slide open the shoji screen just enough to peek his head in at the sleeping man.

"He should still be down." Okina jumped slightly. He hadn't expected her to be up yet.

"Ah! Megumi, he seems to be sleeping peacefully, how are his wounds?"

"The only reason he is down now is because I put a sedative in his IV. he caused some problems last night."

Okina turned towards Megumi with concern. She looked tired, her skin was pale, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"What happened?" He tried to keep his voice down so as not to wake their 'guest.'

"He woke up in the middle of the night when Kaoru went to check on him. He ripped out his IV and reopened his wounds."

"Hmm. From what I remember, his injuries yesterday seemed fatal. How is it he was able to get up so quickly."

"Not sure. He lost a lot of blood; any normal person would have died. But he seems to have a strong will to survive."

"I thought for sure we were going to have to call the police today and report a dead body."

Okina paused for a moment and looked over at the redhead. The man, though asleep, his aura was strong. Subdued, but strong. It had been a while since Okina had seen an aura such at this, it radiated off of the man, illuminating him in a bright blood-orange color. He better prepare to meet this man the moment he woke up.

"Megumi, how long does that sedative last?"

"Typically, 24-48 hours. It could hold down a horse, why?"

"Could you do me a favor and give him just a little more? I want to question him, without him getting up and running away. In case we do need to involve the authorities."

Megumi turned to Okina in wonder. Give him more?

She wasn't trying to stop his heart. This was just to tie him over. How would it look if they called the polices and they drugged the poor guy?

"Okina, with all due respect, I think what I gave him is more than enough."

"Perhaps for the average person. But I have my suspicions about this one. Just humor me please."

"You can't be serious. I will give him a little bit more. But that is it. I don't want to be held responsible if this goes south."

With that she turned and walked away leaving Okina to his thoughts. Okina slid open the door more, as quietly as he could. He made his way over to the man's things. There was no I.D., no wallet, no phone. Only a sheath, a broken sword, bloody clothes, and wooden sandals. He carefully sifted through them one by one.

As Okina was looking over the items he noticed something shining on the sheath. He stepped over into the light to get a closer look. It was an ancient seal written in old style calligraphy. Okina froze. He knew this phrase.

Wanting to see is weakness.

Why would a regular human have this in their possession?

Okina decided to look at the broken sword. This appeared to be a broken katana, but the shape of the weapon was strange, the blade was in the back instead of the front. It was a reverse blade sword. Okina was no stranger to Japanese swords, so he looked for the artist's signature on the tang of the sword.

The tang is covered by the handle of the sword, which is normally secured to the tang via the use of one or two wooden pegs. Okina removed the pegs off the handle to reveal the signature.

Arai Shakkū…

It's a sakabato shinuchi….

How can this be?! If this is an Arai Shakku sword, it would have had to have been made in 1868….

Okina felt his hands begin to shake. Arai Shakku was an ancient demon who specialized in crafting demon swords. However, he hadn't gone by his original name for over 100 years. He had to stop and steady himself before carefully placing the sword back in its sheath. He glanced over at the sleeping man who seemed to lie still like a corpse.

Still asleep..

There were too many peculiarities with this man to rule this out. His aura, his strange strength and stamina, his oddly colored eyes, hair. The only explanation is that they were not dealing with a human at all.

Wanting to see is weakness..

It was a metaphor to outsiders, but to those that knew of the existence of demons; it was magic spell. Each demon has a unique phrase of their own. There is only one demon he knew of that would carry an ancient weapon with that phrase around proudly on his sheath. A shapeshifter.

Okina felt his pulse pounding. He felt adrenaline, flow through him. There were all in trouble if this was the man in their keep. While he hadn't encountered a demon for quite some time, he knew that they still existed in modern day Japan.

They were behind some of the most powerful economic, and government corporations. They could hide their powers, dull their appearances, and walk among men so well, that people no longer believed they existed. They had become fairytales to anyone who didn't know better.

Demon slayers, hunters, and clans still existed to try to control their counterparts. But slowly over time their numbers had dwindled. Whereas demons could live for hundreds of years. Some demons could even walk between dimensions, realms of the living and the dead. If they had the power.

Okina felt himself break out into a cold sweat. While on holy ground, he could seal the demon's power. But not for long. As soon as the demon regained his strength, he could wreak havoc. he must reason with the demon and get him to leave so that they would be spared.

The fact that no other demons had followed him here could probably mean that they couldn't detect his aura due to his injury. Or the powerful holy aura of the sacred ground they were on masked it from them. However, once he was back to normal his aura would be a beacon in the area to other powerful demons who might be looking for him.

Okina realized he must hurry. He tried to put everything back as he found it and quickly made his way out of the room. He needed to prepare the seals at once. There was no telling how long a sedative would really last on a demon of this caliber.

When Kaoru woke up, everyone was gone. The mid-morning sun was shining through her window and the house was quiet. Not a sound could be heard. As she sat up and started to put away her futon, she realized that today was a sacred holiday.

That's right! Everyone has the day off so they must be out.

Still, they had a wounded man in the other room that they would have to deal with today. Kaoru wondered apprehensively how their next interaction would go. She would come with a peace offering. Yes! Then she could send him on his way or call a family member to come get him.

Maybe someone he knew could take him to the hospital. Feeling more confident, Kaoru got dressed and made her way to the kitchen to prepare some food for the man. Hopefully 'Kenshin' liked tea, rice balls and miso soup. She wasn't much of a cook, but Kaoru could make the essentials when necessary.

Violet eyes slowly opened and looked at the white ceiling above him. Kenshin's body felt like lead. He couldn't remember a time when he felt this weak. Slowly from his spot on the futon, he looked around the room and surveyed his surroundings.

He was in a shrine. The Heian shrine. And the owners were taking care of him. They must have decided to take him in when they found him.

There was a girl….Kamiya Kaoru..

She had come to check on him last night. Kenshin grimaced. He had been out of control. The battousai had taken over and scared her. Great. But he was still here? She hadn't called the police. From what he remembered she had a strong right hand.

Kenshin looked to his right arm, there were two IV's attached that slowly trickled liquids down into his arm. Without trying to strain too hard, he opened his borrowed robe to see a mass of bandages covering his wounds. A female doctor had been here. Megumi.. was her name? She had stopped the bleeding.

Kenshin sighed and laid back down. It took so much effort just to try and remember any of this. It was almost as if the walls of the shrine were pressing down on him too. Adding to the exhaustion he already felt.

Kenshin's mind wondered back to the past 48 hours. He had been locked in a death match with Shishio and left for dead. Somehow, he had made it all the way here. He should have never gone alone on that mission. It had to have been a set up.

His sword had been shattered…Fuck.

He was going to have to go through so much trouble to get a new one. The original sword smith had given him that to him before the Meji Era. There was no telling where that demon could be now. Eventually he would have to return to Hiko and report what had happened. However, at the current time he had zero motivation to do that.

Kenshin's train of thought was broken by the sweet smell of lavender and jasmine coming closer. He heard the shoji screen slide open behind him and footsteps drawing nearer. Alas, he was too tired to sit up and turn around. Red and white came into view as Kaoru came to his side dressed in her shrine maiden outfit. He watched her set down a small tray of food and tea next to him.

"Ah, you're awake. I brought you some food."

Kaoru sat down next to him and stared at his face staring back at her. They both seemed to take each other in for a moment.

His eyes! They are purple again. I saw the gold right? I'm not crazy?

His raspy strained voice brought her back to reality.

"Thank you, Miss Kaoru."

Miss Kaoru? He seems so different from last night.

There was a new awkward silence between them. Kaoru had so many questions to ask him. So, she decided to start with the basics.

"What happened to you? When we found you yesterday, you were bleeding so much, I thought you were going to die."

Her answer was met with silence from him. He started to move as if to prop himself up. Kaoru moved to help him. She grabbed a few pillows and reached behind him to prop him up.

"Here, let me place some pillows under your shoulders."

Kenshin closed his eyes at the close contact between the two of him. Kaoru saw him visibly tense up and set his lips into a fine line. She started to move away.

"I'm sorry am I hurting you?"

Hurting? Not at all. Tempting..yes.

"No."

Kaoru sighed. She decided to try again with the answers. Once she had his attention again, she went for it. From her place beside him, she sat with her legs folded under her.

"So, do you have any family or friends who are looking for you? Someone that can take you to a hospital to get professional care?"

Kenshin sighed then realizing that he would have to give her something if he wanted to continue to hide here.

"I was in a fight; I am lucky to be alive right now that I am. As for family, I am an orphan. I would prefer not to go to a hospital."

Kaoru just stared blankly back at him. Of course, he was in a fucking fight. Geez this guy wasn't much for details, was he?

He looked at her disbelieving face quizzically, waiting for her next question. When there was more silence between them, he picked up a rice ball and started to chew. Kaoru tried a different approach.

"Look Kenshin, you gotta work with me here. You must know how bad this looks, a stranger shows up bleeding out at our shrine and doesn't want to get medical help? That's suspicious and—"

"Miss Kaoru, did you make these yourself? They are delicious!"

Kaoru visibly bristled. He was BRUSHING her off! She felt herself begin to get angry again at this frustrating man. She put her hands on her hips and prepared to yell at him.

Kenshin sensed the change in her emotions and a small smile lifted the corner of his lips. This woman was easy to rattle. She was quite pretty when she was angry.

"You will tell me something! How do I know you won't try to hurt anyone here? You are acting all polite now, but last night! You were a psycho with golden eyes! Tell me why I shouldn't call the police right now!"

Towards the end of her rant Kaoru started rise to one knee. She was going to get up and do just that. This guy was turning out to be more trouble than he was worth. As she crouched to get up, a hand on her wrist stopped her. Kaoru gasped and turned back to Kenshin; she hadn't even seen him move. He was fast.

His gaze was intense, as if he was boring right into her soul. His hand was calloused but soft on her forearm. Not as tight or as bruising as a grip as last night. He leaned in closer to her and spoke softly.

"Miss Kaoru hold on a moment. I am sorry about last night that I am. I didn't remember where I was when I woke up. I would never harm you."

Kenshin seemed so sincere that Kaoru felt herself soften and relax her shoulders at his words. She settled herself back down by his side. She felt a blush creep up her neck to her cheeks. She let the breath out she didn't know she had been holding.

"Okay, so what do we do? Everyone here fears you. Gramps won't just take simple responses like this; he will want real answers."

She was going to help this man. She barely knew him. Geez I'm so easy.

"I am afraid that If I go to a hospital that the man who did this to me will return to finish the job. I don't want to be found right now."

There were people after this guy? What the heck was he wrapped up in? Kaoru couldn't wrap her head around this situation. They were from very different worlds.

"How do we know that man won't find you here?"

"I know this man very well he would never think to look here. I can't tell you everything, and that will keep you from being put in any danger."

That wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't 100% a lie either.

He would be harder to locate for now to any demons that were searching for him. If he could only rest a little bit longer, then he would have a better chance of making it back to his master's headquarters alive.

A dark voice spoke in his mind reminding him of the real reason he was there.

Stop lying to yourself. You want to play with this little blue bird.

No. She is too young, and innocent to the world.

Naïve you mean. She could be ours. We could make her understand.

Stop it! I wouldn't be able to protect her. She would become a target.

You couldn't. You are weak and that is why we are here. But I can. I want her.

No. I won't let you. I have control.

With that last thought Kenshin squeezed his eye shut and clamped down on the demon in his mind. He felt the internal growl of his demon die down. He would have to leave as soon as he was able. He couldn't put Kaoru in danger of meeting his beast again.

Kaoru openly gawked at Kenshin, What is going on? One minute they are talking and the next minute he is disassociating from the world and unreachable. Is he mentally ill?

"Umm..Helllo? Kenshin?"

"Oro?"

"Where did you go? I've been trying to talk to you?"

"I am sorry Miss Kaoru. May I please stay here a little longer? If I am not better by tomorrow, I will call someone to come get me."

His violet eyes pleaded with her. He grabbed her hand in reassurance and wrapped it in both of his.

"I promise."

How could she say no to that? This man had her under a spell or something. Kaoru sighed and looked up at Kenshin through her lashes.

"Okay, but you have to talk to gramps. It is not up to me. I will speak on your behalf though."

Kenshin squeezed her hand in response and smiled at her. This sent a shiver up Kaoru's arm. She felt herself beginning to heat up again. He seemed so kind and gentle now.

"Thank you, Miss Kaoru, that's all I could ask for."

"I need to go run some errands; will you be alright by yourself?"

"Yes, I think I shall try to rest more."

He was exhausted again. This exchange and trying to control his demon had taken a lot out of him.

"Okay, I will come check on you later."

With that, Kaoru got up and walked out of the room. If she wasn't careful, she would develop an obsession for this man. He was getting under her skin. She needed to spend some time away from him.

Kenshin watched her leave and heard the door shut behind him. He finished his food and settled himself back down to rest.

Okina watched Kaoru leave and made his move. Carrying the sutra scrolls in his robes, he made his way back to the guest room.

On the outside of the door, he pressed a sutra to the door and pasted it down. Closing his eyes, he began to chant softly. Once he had finished that side, he went to the shared wall between the guest room and Kaoru's room and repeated the process. Lastly, he went outside and pressed a sutra underneath the window and chanted softly once more. With the last sutra, he began to chant to seal the spell. Reaching into the other pocket of his robe he pulled out some sake pour over the ground to complete the seal. The sutras began to glow and then faded a few moments after the seal had been completed.

Once he was finished, he peaked through the window. Okina stumbled back in horror. The demon was sitting up staring at him through the window with amused golden eyes.

As they made eye contact the demon slowly smiled. His aura was surrounding him in red haze, making his already red hair seem like it was on fire.

"Won't you come in and sit with me? It has been a long time since a priest attempted to place a seal on me."

Okina knew he had no choice. He had to try to reason with the demon. Otherwise, he could kill them all. Every demon had a weakness, but he would be no match for this one on his own. Maybe they could make truce or strike a deal.

Okina nodded back at him and slowly made his way into the house. Before he entered the room, he slid a small katana into the sleeve of his robe. Okina brought in a tray of sake and two small glasses as an attempt at a peace offering.

As Okina set the tray down, he bowed slightly and introduced himself to the demon.

"I am Kashiwazaki Nenji, the former leader of the oniwanbanshu, but please call me Okina."

With that, he sat cross legged facing the demon and pouring them both a glass of sake.

The demon smirked back at him. He seemed relaxed despite the circumstances, sitting cross legged and resting one hand under his chin.

"Ah, so you guys are still around? This is my first time of having the pleasure of dealing with you. I am the Hitokiri Battousai, but you may call me Kenshin."

"H-hitokiri Battousai?!" Okina gasped. This was worse than he thought. Why would such a powerful demon come here? It was too late to call for back up.

No. He must be strong for Kaoru and Misao. He would have to at least try to talk it out with him. If he died, he would die protecting them.

"What do you want demon?"

Silence. With a shrug the golden eyed demon raised a glass of sake to his lips and slowly sipped it. After basking in it's after taste he set it back down and spoke.

"I need a place to hide for a little while longer before making my next move."

Okina read in between the lines. He was still injured. He needed a safe haven.

"And what will you do when you are ready to move on?" Okina said this hesitantly, eyes glancing quickly over to the broken sword. The meaning was not lost on the battousai.

"Don't worry, I don't waste my time needlessly killing humans. And I don't like the taste of them either."

"Why should I believe you? The word of a demon holds little value to me."

The demon threw his head back and laughed. Okina felt a drop of sweat run down his temple.

"What choice do either of us have? Idiot, you sealed my power meaning I am stuck in this shrine for now."

Okina wasn't buying it. Once the demon was back to full power, he could break the seal easily. He wanted something else.

"What do you want battousai?"

"I need to rest and then find a demon swordsmith. There is one hiding in Kyoto."

"If I help you find him, will you leave us in peace?"

"Harm you? No. Leave you in peace? Maybe. I may stop by again. You have something that piques my interest. Something unexpected."

Kaoru! NO. She is just a child.

"You can't have her demon. She is only 20 years old. She doesn't need to get wrapped up with the likes of you."

"If you want to negotiate your safety, you will not tell me what I can and cannot have."

"I will let you stay here, and I will help you find your swordsmith, but Kaoru knows little of the outside world. Please don't force this on her."

"You have yourself a deal. It will be her choice. If she chooses not to accept, then I will leave her alone."

Both man and demon raised their glasses to toast and then shook on it.

Okina quietly bowed and excused himself from the room. He had work to do. He also needed to warn Misao and Kaoru.

The battousai sat silently after Okina left sipping his sake. That stupid old man. Did he really think a simple seal could subdue a demon like him? Perhaps not. Any experienced priest would have acted differently.

Pathetic.

In fact, the seal had only served to irritate his demon side and bring him to the surface faster.

In addition, another thing Okina did not know is that he had never had to force a woman before. They had all come to him willingly, some even throwing themselves at him. Kaoru would be the same. She may put up a fight initially, but eventually she would give in.

And when she did, he would be ready.

Ah yes, the vision of her laid out before me…pale skin illuminated by the moonlight. Blue-black hair flowing wild and free all over the futon. It would be an experience he would relish in. Virgins were rare in this day and age.

The battousai patted his side gently, the wound was almost healed. He should be able to move around soon… He felt the edges of his mind fading, and the walls in front of him begin to blur. He was losing control of his senses again.

Ugh….god damn it. this fucking other side of mine. Always trying to take over!

The empty glass of sake slipped out of the battousai's hand and rolled away from him. One of his hands raised up..as though it was being controlled by another force. With a closed fist, it punched forward and hit the battousai in between the eyes.

After the blow, the man paused, hunched over holding his face. For long moment he sat, before peering out over his hand with violet eyes.

It worked… Thank the Kamis.

Meanwhile at the market, Kaoru and Misao were catching up and shopping. Whenever the two of them hung out, they brought out the best and worst in their personalities. They were truly the best of friends.

'So Kaoru, what happened next with that Kenshin guy? Is he still at the shrine?"

"Well, so after Megumi patched him up, she went back to work the next day and he's been with us ever since."

Kaoru decided not to tell Misao what Kenshin had revealed to her. She hated keeping secrets from her friends, but she felt like she was telling on him.

"And that's all? He's awfully handsome."

"Misao! What are you implying? I barely know the guy!"

"AHA! So, you have thought about it.

Kaoru laughed; she knew she was trapped. Well, I guess it's alright if I tell her about my crush.

Kaoru sighed and the grocery basket she had in her hands sagged with her as she looked down.

"He's the most handsome man I've ever seen. I do care about him. But he seems to have this strange other side."

"What? Another side?" This caught Misao's attention. Maybe there was more to this guy than they thought.

"Ya, when I went to go check on him the other night, I must have scared him because he lashed out and got in my face."

"WHAT? did he try to attack you or something? I'll kill him!" Misao started to get worked up. She dropped her basket and rolled up her sleeve. Kaoru set her basket down and grabbed Misao.

"Wait, Misao! He calmed down and apologized to me. It was just so strange because it seems like his earlier actions were out of nowhere compared to how gentle he is now."

"Okayyyy..so does he have multiple personality disorder or something?" Misao was starting to lose excitement for this guy. He didn't sound right for Kaoru. She felt protective of her friend.

"I haven't thought of that, but it could be a possibility."

"Pshh, sounds like a real catch."

Kaoru and Misao went to stand in the checkout line. After that they prepared to part ways. Misao had plans to stop by the A-oya and visit her friends. Kaoru knew it was secretly so Misao should see Aoshi.

"So, when will I see you again?"

"Probably in a few days! But if anything, else happens let me know and I'll be down there immediately!"

They hugged and Kaoru made her way back to the shrine, carefully holding her groceries in bags on her arms.

When she arrived at the shrine Okina was sitting on the front porch with his legs crossed. He seemed to be deep in thought. As soon as he saw her, he waved her over.

"Kaoru! I've been waiting for you."

"For me?! Is everything okay?"

"Yes of course, I was just hoping to have a word with you. Here let me help you with those."

Okina took some of the weight of Kaoru's bags, and they walked into the main hall and headed towards the kitchen together. They chatted as they put the groceries away and Okina placed a few teacups on the table. One for him and one for Kaoru.

"Kaoru, please sit with me for minute."

Kaoru sat opposite of Okina and waited patiently for him to talk. He seemed pensive, tense. Kaoru was curious to see what he had to say."

"Kaoru, I have always been honest with you, and today will be no different."

"Okay? What's up?"

"I don't want you to get attached to Kenshin. I had the pleasure of speaking with him today, and the sooner he leaves this shrine the better."

"You spoke with him?! What did he say?" Kaoru felt fear constrict her chest. She knew Kenshin was in trouble. Could it be worse than she thought? Her heart ached for him.

Okina studied her reaction. It seemed she was already attached to him. The fear and concern in her face told him everything he needed to know.

Damn that monster.

"Kaoru, the people that are after him, will not stop until he is dead. I am going to assist him in securing his next place to go, and then we will all cut ties. We can't get dragged into the crossfire."

Huh? She already knew all of this. There must be something else he isn't telling me.

"Okina, I already know all of this, is there something else that he told you that has you worried?"

She's smart. But telling her that demons exist? That's going to be a hard pill to swallow.

"Kaoru, I need you to trust me. Promise me you won't do anything rash because of that man."

Okina held her hands in his, Kaoru sighed. If everyone is this worried about this guy, then she better acknowledge all the red flags.

"Okay, I promise. Please don't keep things from me, I don't like being in the dark."

"Of course, Kaoru, I will tell you if the time comes."

With that Okina, let go of her hands and got up. He busied himself with cleaning up their tea pot and other dishes while Kaoru got up to prep some food for dinner.

For dinner Kaoru made some teriyaki chicken, white rice, miso soup, and seaweed salad. After she finished eating with Okina, she created a small tray to take to Kenshin's room.

It had been quiet from his side of the house; Kaoru was sure he was still resting. However, she felt a little more hesitant this time, approaching his room. Everyone's warnings had her a little spooked about the guy. And now her fascination with him was starting to turn into dread.

Sliding the shoji screen open, Kaoru carefully entered his room, careful not to shake the tray and spill any of the contents on the tray. She set the tray down on a side table and carefully turned on a small lamp on the table.

Turning on the small light, she saw Kenshin still asleep on his futon. He seemed to be in a deep sleep. Even in sleep, his striking good looks made him stand out from other men she'd known.

Good, I am glad he is resting. That will make this less awkward.

Kaoru tip toed over to Kenshin and set the tray down next to him.

Should I just leave it there?

Kaoru bit her lip. She couldn't deny that she felt disappointed. She had wanted to talk to him.

Maybe if I wait here a bit he will wake up?

Kaoru decided to straighten up the room a little bit. She also remembered that Kenshin's clothes needed to be washed. She gathered his laundry, placed in close to the door of the room.

She looked over at him, still asleep. The poor guy must really be tired.

Kaoru went slowly back over to him, collected the old dishes, and rearranged the tray closer to him. She sighed again while looking at him. Come to think of it, she had been sighing a lot lately.

If only they met under more normal circumstances. Maybe things could have been different. If only he wasn't a fighter/warrior, or whatever. Maybe they could have courted, dated, or at least have become friends.

An urge Kaoru hadn't felt before compelled her to move closer to Kenshin and gently brush her lips over his. She leaned back slowly and looked at him. He hadn't moved or changed his breathing at all. Kaoru leaned in again and kissed him once more.

This time he did shift slightly, and Kaoru panicked and backed up mortified.

What the hell is wrong with me? Am I some kind of night stalker now? who goes around kissing sleeping men?!

Kaoru's heart began to pound. She needed to get out of there. This man led her to do stupid things. Like some crazed teenager. She stood up and tried to tip toe/run out of the room as quickly as she could. Her socks and kimono made little noise against the tatami, but her panicked breathing sounded loud in the quiet room.

As she left the room, a small smile turned up the corners of Kenshin's lips.

The next day was busy for Kaoru. She woke up early, made breakfast, quickly dropped off a tray of food to Kenshin. The shrine would be open and running at full capacity today. When Kaoru headed out to open the shrine and prepare for visitors, she realized she was thankful for the distraction.

It would be nice to get back to work and do what she loved, helping people. Still, that wouldn't keep her from thinking about Kenshin all day.

When Kaoru did return back to the main house, the sun was setting.

Two figures stood outside of the shrine house talking off to the side.

As she got closer, she realized it was Kenshin and Okina.

Kaoru halted, and felt anxiety settle in the pit of her stomach. Was he leaving?

Wait a minute, how is he even standing right now? This can't be the same guy she had picked up three days ago.

Kaoru slowly headed over to them until she was practically in the middle of their conversation.

Both of them stopped what they were saying and looked over at her.

"Y-you're okay?! How are you out of bed right now? Are you crazy?!"

She saw both men visibly tense and Kenshin slowly turned towards her and smiled softly.

"Hello Miss Kaoru, yes, I am feeling a lot better, that I am. I have someone who is coming to get me don't worry."

"You needn't worry Kaoru, he will be fine. Don't forget Megumi is not an ordinary doctor."

Are they both gaslighting me? This feels wrong.

"That still doesn't explain how you are able to move around right now, what did Megumi do? Pump you full of drugs? You can't blame me for being concerned."

Kaoru crossed her hands over her chest and frowned at them. She wasn't going to budge on this. How could they both just be so nonchalant, and why was gramps going along with this?

He just wants to get rid of Kenshin, maybe he is trying to push him out.

Kenshin backed up and put his hands up in a display of peace.

"Miss Kaoru, I'm okay I swear. Megumi did give me some medication, maybe that is what it is."

Okina broke through their side conversation and deliberately cut Kaoru off.

"Kenshin, as I was saying please use the back exit to leave. It would be less obvious for you to leave that way."

"Alright, I will exit through the back, that I will. Thank you for your hospitality. I appreciate you letting me stay here."

"You are more than welcome. If we ever meet again, I hope it is under different circumstances."

The two men locked eyes for a moment in understanding. The hidden meaning of Okina's words was not lost on Kenshin. He gave a small nod and then turned to Kaoru.

"Miss Kaoru, would you do me the honor of showing me to the back exit please?"

Kaoru stood there in a daze with her mouth open. Was this an episode of the twilight zone? I guess we really are going to send him on his way.

"Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin questioned again.

"Uh, Ya! Sure, I guess I can do that. This way please."

As they turned and left, Okina watched with a stern look. He would wait right there until Kaoru came back. He knew the demon would try to proposition her. Hopefully she would choose wisely.

Kaoru turned and began walking towards the path that would lead them both to the exit. Though she did decide to take the scenic route to make it last a little longer.

This path was beautiful and cut through the garden part of the shrine. Tall trees, Koi ponds, stone statues, and wildflowers were all a part of this trail.

As they walked along Kenshin commented on the beauty and the details of the shrine here and there. Kaoru fed him little bits of information about the shrine's history as they continued.

As their path went through the trees, and when Kaoru was sure that Okina was more than out of ear shot she turned to Kenshin.

"Kenshin, did Gramps say something to you? If you aren't feeling up to it, you can stay longer. I won't let him bully you or push you out."

Kenshin looked at Kaoru, his serene smiling faltered when he saw her concerned eyes. He would have to reassure her.

"Miss Kaoru, I appreciate you taking care of me. That I do. He didn't push me out, but I do need to depart though for the safety of us both."

Kaoru growled. She was tired of hearing that.

Okay okay, I get it already. Enough with the safety. He's a hunted man blah blah blah.

"Look Kenshin, I am just worried about you is all. It's not every day that seriously wounded people show up. Clearly I haven't seen a lot of that in this occupation."

Kenshin stepped towards her and clasped her hands in his. He smiled warmly down at her.

"Miss Kaoru, you have shown me kindness, and nothing you have done in these past few days has gone unnoticed. I have not had a lot of kind people in my life, and I will not soon forget this."

Nothing I've done in the past few days has gone unnoticed? Eeeppp the kiss!

Kaoru's face grew hot as he talked to her. His hands were soft but firm around her hands and his reassuring squeezes were not helping. Neither was his intense eye contact. Kaoru gulped.

"-And if thing were different Miss Kaoru, I would have actually liked to get to know you, you seem like a lovely person."

He's so sweet. Ugh. And he's leaving damnit.

Kaoru cursed the irony of her current situation. Finally, a guy was being nice to her, and he was on his way out of her life. Kaoru would take a risk and tell him how she felt. And if it ends bad, then god help me.

"Kenshin, I have come to care about you. And I wish I could get to know you as well. Please know that I won't treat you like a stranger once you walk out of these gates. You will always be welcome by me."

Towards the end of her sentence Kaoru pulled Kenshin into a light hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She made sure that she was holding him gently and not applying a lot of pressure on his chest.

Kenshin tensed up, unsure of what to do. And then relaxed and smiled as he felt her feather light lips on the scar on his cheek. She made him feel loved. Their closeness allowed him to enjoy her floral scent. He breathed in deep and tightened the hug slightly.

"Thank you, Miss Kaoru, it means a lot to hear you say that." He spoke quietly into her shoulder.

He would indulge himself just this once. Just. this. once. Based on her actions last night, He was confident that she would allow him.

Kenshin slowly turned his cheek in towards Kaoru's face, tilted his head, and pressed his lips against hers.

Kaoru blinked in shock and seized up. Then, she took a breath through her nose and relaxed into the kiss wrapping one of her arms around his shoulders and pressing herself closer to him. She followed up his kiss with a few light kisses of her own. Bravely, Kaoru gently ran her tongue against Kenshin's bottom lip.

His tongue slowly came to meet hers and they deepened the kiss. Kenshin slid one of his hands up the back of her neck and through her hair, pressing her face closer to his. He relished in the feel of her soft lips against his, and her gentle surrender.

Kaoru felt a shift in Kenshin's ki and he became more assertive. His lips moved against hers feverishly. Somehow, he had slowly backed her up against a tree. Kaoru found that she didn't mind. She returned his kisses eagerly. The feel of the firm tree against her back gave her reminder that this was real and not a dream from overactive imagination. His other arm reached down, and he used his hand to trace the outline of her hip and round behind.

Kaoru moaned softly into the kiss and unconsciously arched her back in an effort to bring him closer. Kenshin used his arm to pull her right hip up to wrap it her leg around his waist. Pressing himself in between her legs.

Kaoru felt heat pooling in her center as Kenshin's body settled against hers. She felt a pressure between her legs. It was consuming her and clouding her thoughts. Thankfully the loose fabric of her priestess robes was flexible. Kaoru used the closeness of their hips to softly grind her core against Kenshin. She wanted no needed to feel some relief from the intense sensations she was feeling.

She felt a growl against her lips. A growl? Something hard pressed against her hip and her eyes flew open. Is that….what I think it is?

She broke the kiss to get some air and Kenshin used the opportunity to dip his head down and cover her neck in kisses. Kaoru let out a breathy moan as his lips graced over a particular sensitive spot on her neck. He used his teeth to gently bite her neck giving her goosebumps.

"Ah..Kenshinn.." She turned face to look at him and he lifted his head to look at her sensually with amber eyes.

Kaoru Gasped. His eyes! They are that strange color again!

"Y-your eyes! They've changed.."

The battousai chuckled softly. But he didn't break their position or back away.

"Did you miss me little blue bird?" He said peering down into her flushed face and swollen lips. She looked delicious.

"It's you! You're the one from the other night." Kaoru accused.

"Him and I are one in the same. We share the same body."

"What? How is that possible?"

"How to explain it in human terms. Hmm, maybe an alter ego?"

Human terms? Wtf?

He was mocking her. She hated his smirk and his matter-of-fact tone of voice. Whatever this weird personality was, she wanted the other one back.

Kaoru tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Her leg was still wrapped around his, and he secured it with an arm. His other hand was pushing against the tree at the base of her other neck effectively boxing her in.

"Your struggles are not unpleasant for this one, little blue bird."

Kaoru glared at him. Her warm fuzzy feelings were gone, replaced by anger.

"What do you mean human terms? And don't get used to it, pervert!"

The battousai was not deterred by her insult at all. He shrugged his shoulders in their position and lazily smiled back at her. He chose to ignore her first question.

"Were you not just enjoying yourself a moment ago? Am I the only pervert here?"

Kaoru felt her face grow hot. She refused to feel shame though, this was his fault! That jerk.

"YOU-You..are the one who started this—"

The battousai watched her argue with him in admiration. Ah yes, his favorite part of her personality. Her feisty side, it made playing little games with her fun.

"You think you can just do whatever—"

His demon fed on her humiliation and anger; it enjoyed the tense conflictual atmosphere. The battousai decided to end her rant. He covered her mouth in another bruising kiss while slipped his left palm down to the valley between her thighs to cup her womanhood firmly.

Kaoru forgot to breathe. Her body was overwhelmed by the feeling of his strong hand against her most intimate place. His middle finger found the small bead under her folds and was softly stroking it. Fire coursed through her veins, and she found that she could barely kiss him back.

Her mind went blank as she focused on the new feeling, and she felt the need to argue die. One moment she was yelling at him, the next she was losing control of her body over his touches.

The battousai basked in triumph, his ability to cutoff her temper with a single touch. This creature fascinated him. How far could he push her before she broke? He continued his ministrations, enjoying the way her body responded to his. He could feel the moisture from between her legs against his fingertips soaking through the fabric of her pants.

His middle finger began a slow rhythm against her bead, moving slowly back and forth. He kept his kisses slow and gentle. He loved teasing her. After a minute or two of this new movement, Kaoru's breathing began to change. Her breath came out in pants, and he felt a small tremble in her legs. However instead of stopping, he continued a consistent pace with his finger until her thighs began to shake around his hand. Kaoru held onto his shoulders now. Afraid that if she let go, she would fall into a useless heap onto the ground.

Kaoru was lost in sea of lust, the sensations he was creating with his hand was completely new to her. It was as if she didn't know her own body. She felt a pulsing heat from her core taking over her being. Something was throbbing, building with an intensity that made her legs shake. He must have sensed her urgency for completion because he sped up the movement of his finger against her. It was as if he could read her thoughts.

Suddenly, Kaoru felt her body seize up. She broke the kiss and buried her face in his shoulder as she cried out. A feeling of floating consumed her as her muscles spasmed against his hand. Then she felt her body completely relax against his.

Dazed, Kaoru felt him lower her down to the ground into a sitting position. He knelt with her peering into her face and cupping it with his right hand. His golden gaze was gentle, but there was still an intensity behind his eyes. As if he was peering into her soul.

"Come with me Kaoru."

Kaoru glanced back at him with half-lidded eyes. She was in a trance. Her mind felt like mush trying to process everything that had just happened.

"W-what?"

After a moment, he repeated himself.

"Kaoru come; I want to show you a life outside of this shrine."

Kaoru couldn't wrap her head around the meaning of his words. Come with him? What like run away? He sounded like a fairytale.

Before he could ask again, a loud call interrupted their meeting.

"Kaoru! Kaoru where are you?!

Kenshin's hand left her face. She saw him move to stand.

It was Okina. That's right. Kaoru was just supposed to show Kenshin the exit. How long had they been gone? She snapped back to reality as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water onto her.

She turned around to look for Okina, he was headed in her direction. He would find her soon.

Kaoru turned back to talk to Kenshin, only to find him gone. GONE?

How was that possible? How could he have left so quickly? So many questions filled her mind.

"Kaoru! There you are! Are you alright?"

Okina found Kaoru hunched against the base of a tree looking lost. She was disheveled, and her clothes were wrinkled, and her hair was in tangles. Okina panicked.

"What happened to you? Did he hurt you? Kaoru! Kaoru?"

Okina was kneeling beside her now with worried eyes.

Kaoru realized she was supposed to respond. She must not look good.

"N-no. No, I'm fine. He is gone."

Gone. Her heart clenched in her chest. Kaoru felt tears building behind her eyes.

Okina saw the change in her face and decided to hurry her back to the main house.

That god damn demon.

He had placed some sort of spell on Kaoru. She seemed bewitched.

Okina was relieved to see that she didn't have any observable injuries, but he suspected something had gone down before the demon left.

Kaoru, let Okina lift her to her feet and grabbed his side as they walked back the way she had come. Tears streamed down her face as they walked, and she let them fall.

Violet eyes with flecks of gold watched them from afar, high up in the branches of a nearby tree. He had seen everything. Kenshin watched her lust turn into confusion as she looked around for him. When the old man found her, she grew upset. Kenshin could smell the salt of her tears and feel her anguish from his post.

His demon was no longer in full control. But Kenshin couldn't bring himself to leave just yet. He felt, guilty leaving her like this. He longed to feel her in his arms again. How could such a strong attachment to the girl have formed in a few days?

This couldn't all be from his demon lusting after her. Part of it was his desire as well. There was something about her, something so precious and pure, that he needed in his life.

He brought his fingers to his lips and licked them. He had allowed himself many selfish pleasures today. He closed his eyes and moaned softly. Her essence was sweet, like spring water. It was almost enough to make him leave his tree and rip her away from the old man. Almost.

He couldn't stay away from reality much longer though. Soon his enemy would figure out his location and come for him. It would be foolish to remain unarmed. Okina had given him some clues around the location of the demon swordsmith, and he needed to head out.

Still, he would miss her.

I will come back to see you again Kaoru. Please don't cry for me.

Focusing his energy, he decided on a form and began to transform. His bones crunched and cracked as they shrunk and shifted into a new shape. Within a few moments, his body twisted into the lean form of a harris hawk. With poise and control Kenshin took off into the setting sun, his wings carrying him away until the shrine became a small shape in the distance.

Numb.

Kaoru felt numb, and empty. She laid on her futon on her side staring out the window. Kaoru watched the wind through the trees and the way it made the leaves dance.

Kenshin was gone.

He didn't give her a chance to say goodbye, or a way to contact him. Kaoru felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. They slowly began to slide down her cheeks, following the same path that they had the past few days.

She had spent three days in her room, crying and shut off from the world. Kaoru couldn't bring herself to function. Kaoru was grieving the loss of Kenshin. How had she come to care for him so much in just a few days?

This was crazy to her. He wasn't her boyfriend; he was just some guy that had dropped in on them and turned their world upside down. And yet, she missed him dearly.

She thought back to the other day. When Okina had brought her back to the house she was inconsolable. He had given up on trying to question her and told her just to relax and take it easy for a few days.

And here she was.. destitute, sad, and isolating herself.

Kaoru heard footsteps approaching, and a female voice in the hallway. It was loud and shrill, and the footsteps sounded like an army of elephants. Which could only mean one thing; Misao was back.

Kaoru groaned and pulled the covers up to her face as she heard her door slide open.

"Kaoru? I heard what happened. I am here to check on you!"

Misao glanced down at Kaoru and paused. Her friend looked like shit.

Kaoru's once shiny blue hair was dull and lifeless, she had bags under her beautiful blue eyes, and the life in her eyes was gone.

Gramps had told Misao everything, and unlike Kaoru, she knew all about the wonderful world of demons. Kaoru seemed to have fallen prey to one of the worst ones.

As a Okina's biological granddaughter, she was also member of the Oniwanbanshu. Misao had been educated and trained as a demon slayer from a young age. Still, despite having to grow up faster than most children, her boisterous personality kept her emotionally immature.

"I thought I told you to tell me when something happened!"

Misao plopped herself down to Kaoru, who was now rolled on her side facing away from her.

Kaoru remained silent but Misao wasn't one to give up easily.

"Come on Kaoru, it's time to spill the beans. What happened?"

Kaoru let out a heavy sigh before softly speaking.

"He's gone Misao, and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye." Her voice sounded hoarse, and her words cracked towards the end of the sentence.

"But didn't you walk him out to the back gate? Gramps said that's where he found you."

"Yeah, but, well. Something else happened before that." Kaoru didn't know how to tell Misao about what happened. To say such a thing outloud…what if Misao judged her.

"Well, what happened? Spit it out!"

"He kissed me, and then things got pretty intense. Kaoru's words faded into a whisper.

Misao's eyes widened as she looked at Kaoru. This was her best friend's first kiss.

"So, how was it?"

"Wonderful, my body felt like it was on fire." Kaoru breathed.

Misao wanted to be happy for her friend, except for the fact that her friend had kissed a dangerous demon. And now her friend was suffering because said demon had hurt her feelings.

"Did anything else happen?"

"After we finished uh-kissing he asked me if I wanted to come with him. But Gramps came looking for me because I guess we had been gone for a while." Kaoru blushed remembering the feel of his hand.

"He asked you to come with him?" Misao was concerned. An invitation from a demon was no lighthearted matter. This demon wanted much more from her friend than some tail.

"Yeah. But I don't think I could go and just leave everyone; I barely know Kenshin. But now I miss him."

"It sounds like you have a major crush on this guy. As your best friend, I wish it was anyone but him. He sounds like he's got some issues."

Kaoru huffed. Leave it to Misao to be brutally honest and not cut and corners.

"Yeah. I just wish things could be different I guess."

Perched on a small branch Kenshin, waited in a tree on a moonlit street of Kyoto.

He had been waiting here for almost three days at the suspected entrance to the swordsmith's lair. However, he had discovered that the only way to gain entrance to the infamous shop of Arai Shakku. Which was to be let in, or find a way in. The caveat was, that humans could come and go as they pleased, because Arai had a regular sword shop as well that was open to the public on the street.

Shit. What was he going to do? It had already been three days. This was not going smoothly at all.

Kenshin realized he needed to get help from his master, Hiko. However, how to contact Hiko was another issue. The enemy was still at large and Kenshin wasn't sure if they truly believed he was dead or if they were out looking for him.

Where else would the enemy most expect him to return to other than headquarters? And by headquarters, he meant Itochu, the most powerful trading company in Japan. If Ordinary humans knew Itochu was run by powerful demons, and all of the methods they used to buy and sell traded goods, it would create mass chaos for the country. Specifically, the killing, underground drug smuggling, maintaining boundaries between the realms of heaven and hell, would cause the most problems.

Within Itochu, there were also internal conflicts that created problems among employees. The demons in the organization were assigned to their jobs based on their rank, skill set, and abilities. Therefore, it became a system of hierarchy with older more powerful demons. However, that didn't mean everyone agreed with this established order. There were individual alliances among the demons to serve different departments and this frequently created conflict. Which resulted in frequent opportunities for backstabbing, revenge, or 'accidental' deaths.

Kenshin had fallen into one of those situations. A colleague, Soujiro had sent him on a suicide mission, and he had almost been killed by Shishio. If Soujiro was still there, then returning to headquarters would be a bad idea. Soujiro had wanted him dead for a reason. Kenshin couldn't take him on unarmed.

Kenshin decided he would try to return to Hiko tomorrow morning. As long as he stayed in animal form, his aura was impossible to detect. A few days ago, he had been too injured to transform. This had to be one of the fundamental reasons he had survived for so long. That, and the fact that his master had trained him in one of the most unbeatable combat styles in the world. Oh ya, and he had a diabolical demon side with dark magic. That certainly helped things.

His thoughts wandered to Kaoru. He wondered what she was doing right now. It had been three days since he had seen her. Those had been the longest three days he remembered in a while.

Before he could rationalize it, Kenshin spread his wings and took off in the direction of the shrine. In this form he could easily check up on her without her noticing. That way, he could remain neutral and avoid causing her any more problems.

We all lie to ourselves.

Not you again. You've done enough damage this week.

I didn't hear you complaining while I made Kaoru cum for me.

Kaoru doesn't need to be manipulated to choose us. Your 'methods' were too forceful.

Here I thought I was being a gentleman by opting not to fuck her against that tree.

You will not touch her again. She needs to make the choice of her own will. That was the deal.

We'll see.

Ending the internal dialogue with his demon, Kenshin swiftly landed on a juniper tree outside of Kaoru's window. As a bird of prey, he had perfect night vision to see and hear Kaoru through the glass. She was talking to another young girl on her futon. About him.

"Yeah, I just wish things could be different I guess."

Kenshin eyed her from his perch. He felt his heart strings pull a little bit at her words. She looked drained, tired, and her eyes were red from crying. He didn't realize how much their parting would negatively affect her.

"I understand. Say, let's get out of the house tomorrow and go do something fun. Come on, what do you say?"

"Like what? I don't feel like doing anything crazy."

"Let's go to Nishiki Market! I could go for some Takoyaki."

"Oh alright. Thanks, Misao. You always know what to say to cheer me up."

"That's what I am here for."

Misao got up to open the window to let some of the stuffiness out of the room. Then she opted to go brush her teeth in the other room. On her way back she handed Kaoru a hairbrush.

"What's that for?"

"Uh, have you seen yourself? Girl you need a beauty routine bad!"

Kaoru laughed. Misao was right. She hadn't done anything for three days. Not even a bath.

Kaoru got up and started brushing her hair while pacing back and forth.

She paused and glanced out the window at the moon. It was full tonight, and it towered over her in all of it's glory.

So beautiful…

Unbeknownst to Kaoru, a pair of golden eyes watched her thinking the same thing.

Kenshin watched her go about her nighttime routine until both women settled down. As soon as he knew that they were asleep, he tucked his head under his wing and did the same.

Hiko stared out his penthouse office window on the 35th floor of Itochu. His idiot apprentice and adopted son had been missing for almost a week now.

From his view, he could see the city of Osaka with its many skyscrapers and highways. His mahogany desk and leather chair were close to the window for this reason. Staring off into the distance he debated what he should do.

With each passing day the demons under him were growing more and more restless. With the removal of a key figure such as Kenshin, a power struggle was sure to occur. Kenshin held one of the most desirable positions in the company. As a part time assassin and consultant, he had many freedoms to come and go as he pleased. Still, Hiko knew that if Kenshin was truly dead, he would have felt it. He had been Intune with Kenshin for so long that his passing would alert his demonic senses.

As a fallen angel and shadow demon, he could easily see the passage of souls from the world of the living and the dead. A soul as large and as old as Kenshin's was sure to cause a ripple effect felt by every powerful demon.

Hiko wasn't limited in his powers the way Kenshin was. His demon side and his human side were merged, giving him free access to his powers at any time. A long time ago it had been necessary to split Kenshin's sides to protect his life. But that was a story to reminisce on later.

A tap on his window alerted Hiko's attention. He noticed a rather large harris hawk with familiar golden eyes staring right at him.

Watching the hawk, he noticed it's lack of hawk-like behavior. It tapped on the window with its beak and then stared at him expectantly. After a few more moments of awkward eye contact it would repeat the process.

Hiko chuckled and opened his window. This hawk was not a hawk at all. It was his son coming back to report to him.

"Come in, it took you long enough to return...Idiot."

The hawk flew in and landed on the back of the guest chair facing Hiko's desk. It seemed to glare at him.

"Don't be stupid and transform into a human here. You'll be discovered instantly."

The hawk tilted its head to the side and questioned him.

"Oh come on, figure it out. Transform into something that can talk. Get creative."

Before his eyes, the hawk shifted into the shape of a beautiful red and blue macaw. Upon seeing Hiko's nod of approval, it squawked at him.

"Much better. Now, tell me what happened." Hiko sat down and leaned forward in his chair.

Kenshin from his parrot form realized that full sentences were not within his range of capabilities. Broken sentences would have to do. Here goes nothing.

"Shishio. Ambush. Squawk." Hiko chuckled at his apprentice's difficulty with speech.

"No shit there was an ambush, what else?"

"Shishio is alive."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Sword is broken."

"What?! You broke the sakabato shinuchi? You really are an idiot!"

"Shishio broke it. Shishio broke it. Squawk!"

"Even so, you are defenseless without it. Have you tried going to Arai Shakku?"

"Can't Enter. Secret Entrance."

Hiko put his forehead in his hands and glared at the parrot from his side of the desk.

"You always seem to come to me with complicated problems. In that case, I will find a way to contact him."

"Can't enter door. Can't get sword. Squawk!"

"I heard you the first time. We can figure that part out later. We may have to employ a human if you can't go pick it up."

Hiko picked up a carafe of sake and poured himself a glass. He knew having parrot Kenshin in here much longer was a risk. He would need to send him off soon.

"So where are you staying? You can't return to our lair just yet. We aren't sure who we can trust right now."

"Big red shrine. Kyoto."

Hiko spit out the sake in his mouth hitting bird Kenshin in the face. The parrot flapped his wings in response and squawked again in disapproval.

"You?! At a shrine? The irony. HAHAHA." Hiko's dark laugh filled the room, and his large frame shook with the force of his laughter.

"No choice. Mask Aura."

"Ah yes. Now I see. Well, you better get back to that shrine. I will summon you when it is time to pick up your sword."

"Squawk! Then what."

"Then we will get you back into headquarters and restore order among the cretins here. We can't send you after Shishio right away. That would be foolish."

The parrot simply nodded at him before transforming himself back into a harris hawk.

Hiko opened the window and swept his arm out motioning the bird to leave.

"See ya later bird brain!"

The hawk took off and Hiko watched his form fade into the distance.

After closing the window Hiko groaned. Getting ahold of the ancient swordsmith was going to be a pain the ass. That guy was old fashioned and virtually cut off from the modern world.

As Kenshin flew back to the shrine thoughts of his next plan filled his mind. He needed to hide at least until Hiko contacted him about the new sword. As much as he wanted to see Kaoru, he didn't want to upset her further. In the back of his mind, he feared that their connection would get her killed. A past love of his had been killed because of him. He couldn't let that happened again. That was the main reason standing in the way of him pursuing her.

He needed to protect her without her knowing that he was protecting her.

As Kenshin flew over the land, he noticed an old man walking his dog. The dog waited patiently for the old man as he hobbled along.

Man's best friend. That's it!

He would disguise himself as a dog and somehow convince Kaoru to take him in. He would remain incognito that way. He could stay close to Kaoru and enjoy her company without the nuisance of his demonic side trying to take over and claim her. It was harder for him to control his demon when he was in human form.

A wave of relief went through him, and he quickened his pace to the shrine. He remembered Kaoru saying that she would go to Nishiki market with her friend at some point today. He would meet them there.

Back at the shrine Kaoru and Misao got ready to depart. Kaoru donned a light blue kimono with simple white and purple flowers on the sleeves. A light pink obi with a magenta obi tie secured it in place. She pulled back her with a clip to keep it out of her face. Misao wore a light pink kimono with a purple obi. She preferred jeans and a t-shirt, but in Kyoto it was normal for Japanese citizens to dress more traditionally.

"Kaoru, are you ready?"

"Yes, let go ahead and go!"

Leaving the entrance of the shrine together, they made their way over to the nearest subway station. They would first take the train to Kyoto station, and then take the karasuma line to shijio station. The whole trip was around 18 minutes.

Mid-day the train was not as packed. They both found a place to sit and both women chatted happily. Once the train had reached their stop, they left the subway station and headed out to the market.

Nishiki Market was a glorious site to behold, stretching on for over 100 stands. Anything a cook, housewife, farmer, needed; could be found here. Fine meats, fresh vegetables, delicacies, fast food, sweets, gifts, the market had it all. Each item was always labeled with a time stamp to guarantee how fresh it was.

After wandering through a few stands Kaoru and Misao found the Takoyaki stand. Chefs busily stood behind the stand, pouring the batter, and turning the Takoyaki into balls with two metal chopsticks.

"Wow, that smells so good, I think I want two orders!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Haha, go for it! You have barely eaten in 3 days!" Misao pushed her way to the back of the line, and they stood there patiently waiting for their food and checking their phones.

Aerially, Kenshin watched them in his hawk form. He was looking for the right opportunity to present himself as a dog to Kaoru. How would he get her to take him home? He didn't even know if she liked dogs.

Fuck it. If she didn't like dogs, he would turn himself into a stray cat. He chuckled to himself. Either way, he was getting her to take him home tonight. Kenshin liked the idea of a challenge. He hadn't been this interested in a female in over a century. It was refreshing.

He eyed the strip that they were on carefully while plotting to himself. There wasn't much room to entice a human. The place had become too crowded. This wasn't going to work. How would he get her attention with all of these people around? Especially her nosy best friend?

Kenshin thought back to all those sad adopt-a-dog commercials he had seen. Dogs wandering the streets alone, dirty, and hungry. Aha! He would be a dumpster diving dog that looked pathetic. Trying to appeal to a person's emotional side and sense of empathy might work better than surprising them at a market.

Come to think of it, the shrine had some trash cans in the back, and Kaoru walked the grounds every night before bed. Kenshin waited until he saw Kaoru and Misao get onto the train, and then flew back to the shrine.

Once he landed by trash cans, he decided on a dog form and began to transform. His wings and talons grew and expanded into four legs, his feathers were replaced by bright orange fur, pointed furry ears sprouted from his head. Kenshin chose to become an orange Shiba Inu with a white chest.

Kenshin paced around a few times to get used to his new form. He couldn't recall the last time he was in canine form. It was an easy form to maneuver. Now to get to work. The women should have returned by now.

Kenshin reversed a few yards back to put some distance between him and the trash cans. With a sprint he charged into them headfirst like a battering ram. The metal cans crashed to the ground with a loud booming noise.

That is sure to get their attention.

After Kaoru and Misao got back from the market fat from Takoyaki, they prepared to do their nightly shrine duties. Misao would walk the south side of the shrine, its gardens, public bathroom, and pond. Kaoru would check the west side by the administration office, the water lily garden, and back exit. Both girls were equipped with walkie-talkies, and cell phones in case they needed anything. Okina normally looked over the books, managed the ground staff, planned events, and hired contractors when there was structural problem, or plumbing problem. At night he would relax and allow the girls to cover the grounds, unless they needed him.

Kaoru began her nightly walk. She had on a pair of jeans, a long sleeve, with a windbreaker to keep her warm. It got chilly at night. She left the guest house and made her way down to the administration building. Everything looks fine. So far so good.

After that, she crossed the bridge by the hashidono. She made her way up the trail on the west side of the shrine. This wasn't the trail she had taken Kenshin on, but it was beautiful none the less. This trail was covered with gorgeous old trees. Kaoru liked to admire them.

The trees themselves felt like her old ancestors. They had decades of wisdom and had seen many things that Kaoru hadn't. She was thankful to be see them every day.

As she headed towards the back loop of the trail by the toilets, a loud crash interrupted her thoughts.

"What was that?!"

Kaoru had heard noises and seen animals of course, but they didn't make noises like this. Kaoru halted her steps. What should she do? Better tell Misao. The noises continued. It was like someone was banging pots and pans together.

"Misao come in-over."

Static.

"What's up Kaoru? Over."

"There's something weird going on over by the toilets on the hashidono trail. In the northwest corner. I hear banging. I'm afraid to go over there. Over."

"Okay, I'll head over and meet you by the steppingstones, and then we can go check it out together Over."

"Roger that. Over."

While she waited, curiosity started to get the better of her. The banging and rustling continued. For a moment the noise went silent. Kaoru decided to get closer. In the distance she heard rustling and growling.

This was beginning to feel like a cliché' horror movie. Kaoru gulped; she was in front of the outhouse with the toilets. It was too late to turn back now.

"Hello?" Kaoru called. The growling ceased. Kaoru shined her lights in the bathroom and flicked on the light.

Nothing seemed out of ordinary.

Suddenly there were footsteps behind Kaoru. She turned around and bumped into something hard.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh!" She screamed.

Misao jumped back holding up her hands.

"Kaoru it's me! Calm down!"

"What the hell? You should know better than to sneak up on someone!"

"Sorry! Did you hear that growling?"

"Y-ya! What do you think it is?"

Misao turned on her flashlight and left the bathroom. She headed towards the trashcans behind the toilet.

"Well, I guess we will find out!"

"Wait, I'll go with you!"

The two women crept around the back of the restrooms and peered around the corner. There was a small shape moving back and forth in the darkness. Misao shined her flashlight on the shape. Both women froze.

There was a furry orange-something-sticking out of one of the trash cans. Two hind legs could be seen from their view.

"What is it?" Kaoru asked from behind her.

"I think it is stuck in there." Misao made her way over to the trashcan ready to free the creature.

Suddenly the creature freed itself from the trashcan and stared at them with black beady eyes.

"Aww! It's a doggy!" The dog stared at them and whined softly. It was covered in garbage.

Forgetting her all her fear and prior hesitations, Kaoru walked over to him and knelt down. She slowly stuck her hand out in front of her.

"It's alright come little one," The dog sat in place and stared at her.

"Kaoru be careful!" Misao called. She slowly made her way over them.

The dog slowly made its way over to her and sniffed her hand. After a moment of analyzing her, it licked her palm.

"It's friendly!" The dog moved closer to Kaoru and used its muzzle to sniff her. Its curly tail began wagging.

Misao knelt down beside Kaoru and put her hand out as well. The dog sniffed her hand quickly and then went back to sniffing Kaoru. It stood up on its hind legs and began to bathe Kaoru's face in kisses.

"ha-ha! He likes you!" Kaoru gently lowered the dog back down on all legs and looked over at Misao.

"What should we do? We can't take him to the pound tonight, everything is closed."

"Yeah, we can figure it out in the morning. Let's get back to the main house and bring him with us."

"We need a leash or something-"

"Already one it!" Misao disconnected one of the ropes holding the trashcan to the restroom wall and fashioned it a lease using an old fisherman knot. She placed it around the dog's neck, and he let her. The dog didn't put up a fight. He sat there patiently while Misao worked.

"Hmm He must be tame, look at how calm he is."

"Ya, he's not putting up a fight at all."

Tugging gently on his new lease, Misao and Kaoru coaxed the dog to walk with them.

"Come on little guy."

Without a fuss, the dog followed eagerly, wagging his tail.

"Yeah, he's well behaved. He must be trained."

"Darn it, that means he has owners we need to return him to."

"Kaoru, you want to keep him?"

"Well, ya! It would be nice to have a dog around."

"Don't get your hopes up just yet."

As the two girls chatted, the dog pranced behind them listening to their dialogue. Internally, Kenshin smiled. Kaoru wanted to keep him. So, she is a dog person. Little did she know, no owners would come searching for him. He looked forward to their time together.

The girls headed into the main house with the dog in tow. They needed to notify Okina that they had animal on the shrine grounds. Misao opened the main door and called down the hall.

"Gramps! Kaoru found a lost dog at the shrine."

"What? Kaoru! A mongrel? Here?"

"He's sweet, look at him!"

Okina looked down at the bright orange dog and into his black beady eyes. Looks like a mutt to me. He had never had a soft spot for animals.

"Is he a Shiba Inu?"

"Yes! Isn't he cute?!"

"Well, I suppose a dog is better than the last thing you dragged in here."

Kaoru crossed her arms defensively and stood opposing him. She knew Okina was referring to Kenshin.

"Hey! That's not nice!"

"He will need to be trained Kaoru. We can't have a dog peeing in the house."

"So does that mean we can keep him?!"

"We should still put-up signs in case his owner is missing him. If no one comes to retrieve him, then sure."

"Really?!" The girls exclaimed.

"I see no harm in having a dog around the shrine. However, you two are responsible for him."

Okina looked at the girls showering the dog with attention. He let a small grin grace his features. He hadn't seen Kaoru this happy in a long time. If it distracts her from missing that bandit piece of shit demon, she can have all the dogs she wants.

"What should we name him?!"

"How about Kenzo?"

The dog, seeming to understand their words barked in response and showered Kaoru's face with sloppy kisses before turning and jumping on Misao. Kaoru happily accepted his affections, while Misao seemed grossed out.

"Haha, I think he approves!"

"Eww..I am going to be covered in dog slobber!"

"We should first give him a bath; he smells like garbage!"

"Good Idea, let's get him out to the bath house."

The girls gathered up their bathing supplies and headed to the bath house. Kaoru wasn't sure what sort of shampoo would work on a dog, but she chose one for sensitive skin with few chemicals.

Using the same leash that Misao made, they led Kenzo to the bathhouse.

Kenshin let the girls lead him out to the bath house. There they filled a tub and took turns washing him.

They did a good job keeping the soap out of his ears, and for that he was thankful.

When the girls were done with him, they wrapped him up in a towel and tied his lease to a free peg on the bath house wall.

One thing he hadn't anticipated was the fact that they would also be taking a bath.

Kenshin froze from his spot across the room tied by a lease. Kaoru was taking off her robe. Inch by inch of smooth porcelain skin was being revealed to him. He felt like he was watching this in slow motion.

Though she was young, she had a rounded backside and full breasts which were further accentuated by her slim waist. Her body was toned in all of the right places. He paused; she was so fit. All from running around a shrine. Her long blue-black hair flowed down her back as she loosened her ribbon and let it free. He admired her from his position against the wall. She was simply urethral.

She's perfect. Oh gods..

Just then, Kenshin remembered that he was supposed to be acting like an uninterested dog and snapped himself out of it. He couldn't be caught acting un-dog like. It didn't want to arouse any suspicions. As Misao began undressing he laid down and faced the other way. The only indicator that they had his attention was the swivel of his furry ears responding to their sounds behind him.

This was going to be tougher than he thought. He hadn't thought about what he would do if he encountered full frontal nudity. He heard the low growling of his demon within his mind. Whispering dirty thoughts to him. Thankfully, as a dog his primal urges were more dulled. He was humbled by this, because if he was in human form his demonic side would try to claim her. The goal was to hold off on that as long as possible. Kenshin wasn't stupid though. His demon was very demanding, and it was only a matter of time before it would get what it wanted.

"Should we make him sleep outside?"

"No, I wanna cuddle with him!"

"With a dog? That seems unsanitary."

"We just bathed him!"

"Suit yourself Kaoru, just keep him off my futon."

As the girls argued, Kenzo sat between them staring at them. He enjoyed the banter. Out of the two, he was hoping Kaoru would take the initiative in directing him more. It looked like everything was going to work out. Kaoru motioned for him to come lay down with her.

"Come here Kenzo, you can sleep next to me."

Kenzo approach Kaoru and laid down by her side. Once Kaoru began to pet him he rolled over onto his back and looked at her with his tongue hanging out. Kaoru giggled. He's so cute. She began to rub his belly and he kicked his little legs in the air like he was riding a bicycle. Misao glared at them from across the room in disgust.

"Barf. You guys make me sick."

"Aw come on Misao, I can't help it. He's adorable."

"Yeah, you say that now, wait till you get fleas. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Misao! Goodnight Kenzo."

Misao shut off the light and rolled over with a groan. Kaoru lay there quietly stroking Kenzo's fur. Her thoughts drifted to Kenshin. Even though she was still hurting, she felt content with Kenzo in her arms. Slowly she drifted off to sleep.

Kenshin laid in Kaoru's arms and stared up at her as she slept. She looked so peaceful. He was happy that he could be the source of her ease. As Kaoru snored softly, he listened to her breathing like a lullaby. Kenshin felt himself growing sleepy. He drifted off soon after Kaoru.

Three months later…

Kaoru laid down on her futon and Kenzo followed her, tail wagging. He waited for her to get settled before curling up next to her. Kaoru smiled at him reaching down to stroke his ears and the back of his head.

She sighed happily. This had become their little nightly routine, her and Kenzo would fall asleep curled up. And in the morning, he would rise with her, and follow her around the shrine all day during work. The guests at the shrine had come to love him. One of the most frequent guests had made Kenzo a little blue bandana to wear around his neck.

Even though Kaoru still missed Kenshin, she couldn't deny that having a cute Shiba Inu around was helping her loneliness. Dogs really were healing. Is this why so many people had them?

Sometimes at night, when Kaoru thought about Kenshin, she would begin to cry. Kenzo would be there by her face, whining, and licking her face as if to say. I'm here.

Or he would come lay down next to her and put his head on her stomach while she cried. She hoped an owner never came looking for him. The thought of giving him back would send her over the edge. She had been through so much already in recently. So far no one had responded to their signs or showed up.

Kaoru sighed and looked down into Kenzo's black beady eyes.

"You are so good. I hope I get to keep you forever."

Kenzo growled softly in agreement and Kaoru giggled. She reached over to turn the lights off and closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly. Once Kenzo was sure Kaoru was asleep he got up and settled himself closer to the open window. He wanted to stay next to her, but all of this fur was making him burn up. One pitfall of being a dog. He too closed his eyes and drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

A few hours later Kaoru began to toss and turn. Beads of sweat appeared across her forehead and she began to make small noises of protest. Kenshin raised his head and looked over at her. He sniffed the air and realized she was still asleep. Rolling up onto his paws, he padded over softly to her and observed her movements. Kaoru furrowed her brows and her lips parted and moved to imitate speech.

She's dreaming. Perhaps a nightmare?

Kaoru let out a soft moan and turned her neck to the side. Kenshin noticed a scent change in the air. Kaoru was turned on. The scent of her arousal was like a sweet perfume to him permeating the room.

Oh…it's one of those dreams.

Kenshin felt a new sense of curiosity settle over him. He wondered who she was dreaming about. He also felt excitement and jealously from his demonic counterpart. Hewanted to be the one in her dreams. Stimulating her, caressing her.

"K-kenshin.."

His questions were answered. Kenshin felt a swell of pride in his chest. If he had a human face right now, he would be beaming. He was pulled from his musings as the object of his attention sat up suddenly, blue eyes flying open. It seemed to take her a moment to register that what had occurred was just a dream. Her blue eyes focused on him.

"Kenzo? Oh-no, did I wake you?"

That signature charming flush covered her face and she buried it in her hands as she leaned forward. With his sharped dog senses, he could hear her mumbling through her hands.

"Mmph..not another one. Can't take handle many more of these."

Another one? So, this was a regular occurrence.

"I need a shower."

Kaoru rose slowly and grabbed her bathing yukata.

She headed towards the bathroom. When she realized Kenzo was following her. She turned to him softly and ordered him to stay.

"It's okay, you can stay here, I'll be fine."

Kenzo cocked his head to the side looking at her quizzically.

"Aw, you're so freaking cute. But stay! Stay, okay?"

Stay was not an order one tells a demon. As soon as Kaoru had closed the bathroom door Kenzo sat outside the door on his haunches. He was quite the guard dog.

Behind the door he could hear running water and Kaoru's clothes falling to the floor. He heard her step into the water and let out a soft sigh.

Kaoru closed her eyes and let the hot water run over her body. Her mind was still in a fog over her dream and her body still felt on high alert.

Lately her dreams were becoming so vivid. At first, she had dreamt of sweet reunions with Kenshin. But now, her dreams had become much more sexual. Every night she felt his hands roam her body. They performed sensuous acts that she had never imagined before.

Kaoru had never watch pornography or delved much into the acts of lovemaking beyond the basics. So, where these new ideas were coming from was baffling to her. Sometimes the dreams felt so real that she could swear it was actually happening.

While in her thoughts, Kaoru reached for some soap and lathered the suds all over her body. The fresh scent of lavender soothed her frazzled nerves. Detaching the shower head, she began to use it to rinse her upper body, and back. Slowly she made her way down her body with the shower head and began to wash her lower regions.

Gasping as it ran over her most intimate part, Kaoru hesitated. It reminded her of something Kenshin had been doing to her in her latest dream.

Maybe I can imitate that feeling using this?

Carefully, Kaoru knelt in the shower and crouched over the shower head. Immediately her most sensitive spot was overcome with warmth and familiar pressure.

"Ohh..!"

Shit, I better be quiet. Everyone is asleep.

Covering one hand over her mouth, Kaoru leaned back and propped her legs up for better access. This position was much better. She closed her eyes and began to recreate her most recent dream in her mind.

She held the shower head and adjusted the setting for a strong stream of water. Mimicking Kenshin's hand with the water stream, she massaged her bead. Back and forth. Back and forth.

As the familiar building sensation began to take over Kaoru's breathing came out again in pants.

So close…

She moved the stream back and forth faster until finally her orgasm cascading through her in waves.

"Ah..mmm." She tried to stifle her cry as best as she could.

Kaoru sat back and let the shower head drop from her hands. She had just brought herself to completion while thinking of Kenshin. Was it wrong? Did other women her age do things like this?

What has gotten into me lately…I've never wanted to do these things before.

Outside the door Kenshin had his dog ear pressed up to the door. Yes, he had figured out what was going on. He listened to the whole thing play out like a soft porn. Upon her sweet release he had returned to his senses to realize he was drooling all over the floor. Another downside of existing in a dog form.

Listening to the woman he adored pleasuring herself to the thought of him had woken his demon up.

Go to her.

That's impossible to do without waking everyone up and scaring Kaoru.

She seems to have been enjoying the dreams I've been sending her.

What did I tell you about manipulating her? Leave her alone!

Don't think you have control just because you are a mutt. I will still find ways to have my fun.

Well then, I shall remove us from the situation that I will.

Kenshin turned on his paws and dashed through the house and out the back door. He let himself out into the night. He ran as fast as his K-9 legs would allow him. He had to put some distance in between her and his demon. Kenshin's four legs brought him to the large pond on the other side of the shrine. He sat in front of the pond and panted from his brisk run.

He hadn't realized his demon had been preying on her in his sleep. His demon had the ability to move between realms of the living and the dead, the awake and the asleep with ease. It was one of the many tactics they could use to target their prey and fulfil their darkest desires. How stupid he was!

How can I expect to protect her if I can't even protect her from myself?

Cursing his fate. Kenshin wished he had more control over his other side. He couldn't live like this constantly. To be between two parts constantly was maddening. Still, his sides had been separated for a reason. His thuds were rudely interrupted by an obnoxious bubbling at the pond's surface.

Kenshin peered over the edge of the pond an looked down into the water. The bubbling formed a small circle and created a mirror in its center. Hiko's face appeared in the center and replaced Kenshin's dog face. Hiko had an update for him. He had perfect timing. Hiko laughed when he was met with a furry face. Through opening a communication portal, he hadn't expected a dog form this time.

"Hello Mutt, I've got an update for you."

Kenshin growled at Hiko in response.

"Your sword is ready. Arai finally finished it. You will need a human to go pick it up for you."

Tired of being a dog, Kenshin transformed himself back into a his human form. He would just have to make this quick.

"Hiko, there is someone who can help me here. I don't need you to find a human."

There was no telling how Hiko would get a human to do a task for him. He wasn't as kind to humans as Kenshin was. Hiko's eyes narrowed at Kenshin's words.

"You have a human? Explain, now."

"There is a maiden who works at the shrine that I could convince to help me."

Kenshin could see the wheels turning in Hiko's head. He had now figured out how Kenshin was able to survive such an injury. He had human help. This would change everything. Kenshin realized his mistake.

"How many of these shrine humans have helped you? This was left out of our last meeting."

"There is a priestess Kaoru, a Doctor Megumi, a young girl Misao, and an old man, Okina. They nursed me back to health when they found me dying in the courtyard here. Without them I would have died."

Hiko listened to Kenshin's words, but he paused to massage his forehead and open up another bottle of sake. This fucking idiot apprentice of his. They would need to figure out how to navigate this situation.

"How many of them know about you?" What Hiko really meant was about Kenshin's demon side.

"Only the old man. He is Kashiwazaki Nenji, the former leader of the oniwanbanshu. He now owns this shrine."

Hiko's face twisted into rage. He shouted his next response.

"The oniwanbanshu know?! Fucking brilliant! You got wrapped up with the last formidable tribe of demon slayers."

"I had no idea that they would be tied to a shrine that I did not. I parted with Okina on good terms before I left the first time."

"Learn to use your brain. Don't let them figure out you are a dog."

"That has been my plan."

Hiko sensed something else. There was another sort of tension in the air. He didn't want to miss out on anything else. He couldn't allow Kenshin to fuck up anymore than he already had. Hiko decided to cover all his bases.

"What is your relationship with the shrine maiden? Did you fuck her?"

Kenshin choked on air and began to cough. "W-what? No—"

"No more bullshit Kenshin. Your face says it all."

Kenshin sighed. He needed to be straightforward. He wouldn't let any harm come to Kaoru, even if it meant going against Hiko's wishes. She didn't ask to get caught up in this.

"My demon has chosen her."

Surprisingly Hiko's next response seemed rather calm. He had his fair share of lovers over the years. He was an infamous womanizer at one point. Now he was more of a recluse. Inwardly he was slightly amused that Kenshin would find a woman now of all times.

"You have not claimed her, or you have?"

"No, I haven't allowed him to claim her." Kenshin's face tensed. It had been a struggle.

Never missing a beat Hiko continued his questioning.

"Does she know what you are?"

"No. She doesn't seem to be associated with the oniwanbanshu. I think Okina adopted her."

"Interesting. If she is going to help you, she will find out. You have put me in a difficult place Kenshin."

"I know. But I won't allow you to hurt her." Kenshin's hand clenched into a fist by his side and the whites of his eye bled red. No one would touch Kaoru. He felt his demon roaring inside his head with possessiveness.

Hiko paused, observing his son's state. So it is true. His demon chose a human mate. Interesting. He wouldn't kill the girl, but he saw no need to spare her friends or the putrid oniwanbanshu.

"I won't harm her Kenshin. I can't say the same for her friends. We will deal with them later."

"Fine." Kenshin would be civil for now, but he had made a deal with Okina. He wouldn't allow any harm to come to Kaoru's friends either. He willed himself to calm down.

"You will get the sword and come back to headquarters. Bring the girl with you if you must. It will be your responsibility to protect her and explain to our clan why a human is in their lair."

"Understood."

With that Hiko's face in the pond vanished and Kenshin reverted back into his dog form. He used his senses to scan the area. He couldn't feel the presence of any other powerful demons, but that didn't mean that they weren't waiting in various parts of the city for him to make an appearance. There was no telling what the enemy would do when they found him. Now to figure out how to tell Kaoru. Kenshin mentally groaned. He prayed it would go well.

He made his way back to the guest house. As he got closer, he Kaoru with wet hair standing on the porch in her sleeping yukata. She had her hands on her hips. She was looking for him. When she saw him come into view, a smile replaced her stern look.

"There you are Kenzo! I didn't know you let yourself out!"

Kenzo approached Kaoru and licked her hand, wagging his tail.

"Come on, let's go back to sleep."

Kenzo followed Kaoru and settled back in with her for the night trying to forget what he had just learned from Hiko.