These Changing Times

This fanfic series takes place two years after the Revenge Arc ends, in an alternate RuroKen universe. (Only because I started it well before the manga ended ^_^;;) Eighteen-year-old Makimachi Misao comes to Tokyo to stay with Kenshin and Kaoru... and to put her own troubles behind her. A newly attentive Sagara Sanosuke is more than willing to distract her. Then a certain Oniwabanshuu onmitsu turns up in Tokyo to help investigate a wave of vicious armed robberies sweeping the city...

Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. But be warned: this fic meddles with what seem to be considered the tried-and-true romantic pairings in RuroKen (in case I didn't already make that clear). So if you read further, please be kind and keep an open mind! ^^;;

Note: for those who are new to the language, go to http://home.netcom.com/~sakka/times/glossary.htm to get information on the Japanese terms and expressions used in this chapter.

WARNING! This chapter is rated NC-17 for graphic sexual content. If you are under 17, or are offended by this sort of thing, please skip to the next chapter. Arigatou!

Chapter 23.5 -- Morning Breaks

Sano stirred at the sound of someone tossing wash-water into the street. His eyes opened halfway as he tried to orient himself in the faint early morning light... and widened fully as they fell upon the most precious thing he'd ever seen.

Misao was curled against his side, sleeping deeply, her mouth slightly open. A tendril of her tousled hair rested against her lips, fluttering with each breath she took. One hand rested against his chest, while the other was nestled between her bare breasts, clutching a slender piece of red fabric.

My headband...

He found the sight profoundly moving... not to mention arousing, considering the position of the cloth. Sano smiled in satisfaction as he remembered his lips tracing the same path now marked by the crimson bandana. More memories of the night's events floated through his consciousness, widening his smile and sending prickles of desire through his body Being with Misao had been more splendid than he could ever have dreamed... their love heightening the pleasure of the primal sex act in ways he'd never experienced before. They had joined in spirit as well as body... and the aftermath brought him a sense of completion and peace he'd never thought it possible for a restless heart like his to feel.

Misao shifted in her sleep, smiling as she rolled over onto her back, throwing her arms wide open and fully exposing her upper body, the covers pooling just above her hips. Sano grinned wickedly.

How can I resist such an open invitation?

He carefully bent over her and blew in her ear. Misao sighed, turning her head away from him. Sano kissed her shoulder, nipping it lightly with his teeth, then nibbled a path across her collarbone to the soft hollow at the base of her throat. She murmured wordlessly as he kissed her there, then nipped her gently again. He smiled as she tried to roll away from him, her murmur this time containing a note of protest. He prevented her escape by gracefully swinging one leg over her, kneeling astride her as he bent over to whisper in her ear --

"Wake up, kirei."

"Mmph," Misao replied in a sleepy, petulant tone, eyes still shut. Sano chuckled, his brain clicking through a host of ways in which he could persuade her to rejoin him in the waking world.

"Misao..." he whispered, exhaling in her ear, then tracing its recesses with the tip of his tongue. The sound she made this time was equal parts objection and encouragement. Sano switched to her opposite ear, giving it the same treatment, smiling as Misao sighed softly.

"Wake up," he urged again, slowly running his hands down the sides of her breasts. Her nipples tightened instantly, and Sano growled low in his throat, his body stiffening at the sight of her swift reaction to his touch. So... she's not as deeply asleep as she'd like me to think... the little weasel...

Thoughts of waking her slowly vanished in the face of his sudden, overpowering lust for her. He lowered his mouth to one breast, engulfing it, his tongue swirling wildly around its engorged peak. Misao gasped, her eyes snapping open as she raised herself up slightly to look at him. Sano's eyes darted upward to meet hers. Wordlessly, he held her with his narrowed, heated gaze as he continued to ravish her.

"Ahh," she cried, bucking as his teeth closed around her breast. She grabbed his head, and Sano waited for her to yank him off her... probably even yell at him for being too rough. Instead, her fingers sank deeply into his hair, pushing his head against her chest as she ordered him breathlessly --

"Sano... harder..."

Sano sucked deeply on her breast in reply, eliciting a guttural moan from Misao. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her other breast, her fingers entwined with his as they caressed her together. She then guided his hand slowly down her torso and into the tangled curls that sheltered her womanhood. Sano tore himself away from Misao's breast, watching her face as she helped him stroke her. Her eyes were hot with unrestrained hunger... and she bared her teeth slightly as their fingers squeezed against her pleasure spot.

"Yes," she hissed as her hips jerked. "Right there."

"Aa," Sano grunted, his fingers tightening around hers, pressing them against her warm, wet flesh. His eyes remained locked on hers as he guided her fingers against her own body, slowly releasing the pressure of his own until she was stroking herself. He then took his hand away completely. Misao stopped touching herself, disappointment and uncertainty clouding her expression. Sano smiled and replaced her hand, kissing her deeply before murmuring --

"Keep going, love. There's a reason..."

Misao's eyes darkened with passion as she nodded, opening her legs wide as she ran her fingers over her intimate parts. Sano felt his mouth go dry and his body swell as he observed the way her sex glistened with arousal. She moaned as she found that secret place again, her head tossing back and forth as she lost herself in the rush of sensation. Before she was too far gone, Sano lowered himself onto Misao, grabbing her shoulders and rolling with her until she was on top of him. Misao raised her head to meet Sano's eyes, comprehension finally dawning as he pressed their hips together, dipping his tongue inside her mouth as he did so.

Misao felt her blood race as Sano showed her with tongue and hands what he wanted from her. She rose to her knees, straddling Sano's hips, her lips curved into a sly smile as she took his length in her hand, squeezing it gently. Sano groaned, his eyelids flickering closed as she fondled him with feather-light fingers. Trembling, she guided his erection between her legs, lifting her hips slightly and gritting her teeth --

Gods, I hope it doesn't hurt this time...

She took him inside her slowly, sucking in a sharp, disappointed breath as her own sex burned with discomfort. Sano arched his back with an ardent moan, and Misao bit her lip to stifle her own less-than-enthused cry. Sano's eyes snapped open, and he immediately grabbed Misao's waist.

"Hurts?" he whispered.

Misao nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

"We'll stop," Sano said gently, taking her hips in his hands as if to lift her off him.

"No!" Misao shook her head vigorously, her voice small and anxious. "I mean... am I doing something wrong?"

"We both are if it's not good for you," Sano said, caressing her hips before taking her hands in his. "Misao... you don't need to prove anything to me," he continued, kissing her fingertips as he spoke. "We're going to be married... we'll have lots of time to become familiar with one another."

"But... I want you now," Misao pouted. "At least... I thought I did... but..."

Ignoring his body's clamor for release, Sano paused and considered what to do next. Despite his fair amount of experience, he had never bedded a virgin before, though his first lover had told him in detail what to expect if he ever should. She had said the first few times any woman had intercourse were only mildly enjoyable at best... and that they were far more likely to be painful and frustrating. Last night, Sano had accepted Misao's gift of herself, knowing that her first time with him was bound to be uncomfortable. But this time, he silently vowed he would do everything in his power to make sure Misao gained at least as much pleasure as he did from their joining.

Misao opened her mouth to speak, but Sano cut her off --

"Shh," he ordered softly, pressing Misao's hands to his mouth and running the tip of his tongue over and between each of her fingers. Misao watched, feeling desire stir within her once more as Sano nibbled her palms, his warm eyes caressing hers. When his teeth grazed the soft skin of her wrists, it sent a jolt of fire through her arms and down into her belly. Misao moaned, leaning forward slightly as Sano trailed soft kisses up the inside of her arm. His hands clasped her waist, coaxing her torso toward his chest until she was almost lying on top of him. Misao instinctively shifted her legs to accommodate the motion, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"How does that feel?" Sano murmured, running a finger over Misao's slightly parted lips.

"Oh," she breathed, shifting slightly. "It's... better."

Sano smiled, pleased and relieved that they had eased her discomfort so easily. He hummed low in his throat as he ran his hands over the smooth skin covering her back, raising himself up slightly to give Misao a languid, voluptuous kiss.

"You like that?" Sano murmured, his breath hot against Misao's lips.

"Yes," Misao sighed, shifting her hips again. Something had dissolved within her... where there had been searing pain only moments before there was now only the sensation of Sano's body filling her own... and a ferocious need to bring them both to the heights they'd reached separately the night before. She rocked against him, slowly at first, a small voice in the corner of her mind whispering to be careful. But thoughts of caution fled as Sano lifted his hips against her at an angle that pressed the center of her sex firmly against the bone just above his penis, leaving her gaping with pleasure.

"There?" Sano inquired silkily, stroking Misao's buttocks.

"Gods, yes," she practically sobbed. "Ohh... Sano... don't stop... never stop..."

"Never," he agreed hoarsely. "Never, my Misao..."

As one, they increased their pace, pushing harder and faster, all thought lost in the pounding of blood and sweat and sensation. Misao's hands clenched the rumpled futon beneath their writhing bodies, and Sano covered them with his own, lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing them in rhythm with their lovemaking. Misao glanced at his face, and found herself mesmerized by his dark eyes, which held his soul in their depths. Resisting the urge to look away and hide herself, Misao returned his unguarded gaze even as their bodies continued their primitive dance.

Sano's breath caught as Misao's eyes held his in an embrace more intimate than any physical contact they had shared. Never had he looked at his partner's face during sex -- it had always seemed... inappropriate. But now... watching the face of the woman he loved in the throes of passion... he found it almost unbearably intimate. He swallowed back a shiver of inexplicable fear, reaching up to touch the shining face hovering above him.

"I love you, Misao," he whispered, tears suddenly springing to his eyes as he approached his peak.

Misao's own eyes welled at the raw emotion in Sano's voice. She opened her mouth to profess her own love... and found herself screaming instead --

"Ah... aah! Sanosuke... beloved... it's happening again..."

Misao threw her head back, her body shaking with the force of her climax. The look of fierce joy on her face was all Sano needed to throw him over the top, his groan of satisfaction mingling with Misao's shout of ecstasy. Sano could feel Misao's body convulsing around his, prolonging his own release. For endless moments they trembled and moaned together, exchanging kisses and murmured endearments. Finally, Misao collapsed onto Sano's chest, breathing hard. Sano held her tightly, feeling satisfied and more than a bit smug.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, my beauty?" he teased, nibbling her earlobe.

Misao laughed shakily. "I... never knew..." she faltered. After a moment's silence, Sano lifted her chin.

"Knew what?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

Misao flushed. "I never knew... it could happen more than once..." she murmured, her eyes skipping away from his.

"Nani?" Sano frowned in puzzlement. "You mean, sex?"

"No, silly," Misao giggled, giving him a little shove. "I mean... you know..."

Sano blinked... then let loose a self-satisfied chuckle as Misao's meaning became clear. He had always suspected she would be a delightful lover... a soul as fiery and uninhibited as hers would be bound to bring the same qualities to the bedroom. But even so... she still surprises me.

"I'm glad," he said, returning Misao's shy, sidelong glance with a cocky grin. "We'll have to try that again sometime."

"How about tonight?" Misao purred, kneading his chest with a sly smile.

"Yare, yare," he laughed. "I'm a working man, remember? When am I supposed to get any rest?"

Misao pinched Sano's chest, making him jump. "What's the matter, tori-chan... can't keep up with my youthful energy?" she said with a wink.

"Youthful...? I'll show you energy," Sano growled, rolling Misao on her back and pretending to ravish her as she shrieked with laughter. He then lay his head on Misao's chest, listening to her heart beat beneath his ear as she stroked his hair.

"This is what it will be like when we're married," Misao said dreamily.

"Aa," Sano said, beaming as he planted a kiss against the side of Misao's breast.

"When?"

Sano raised his head to meet Misao's eyes. "Today?" he suggested hopefully.

Misao giggled. "Much as I'd like to... no," she said. "Jiya would kill us both... and Aoshi-sama --"

She gasped, pushing Sano away and jumping to her feet. "Chikusho!" she swore, fumbling through the mass of discarded clothing on the floor by the futon. "I completely forgot! I promised Aoshi-sama I'd pack some food for him to take on his trip back to Kyoto!"

Sano grimaced as Misao hastily donned her uniform. "Do you have to go now?" he asked.

Misao tied her sash in a clumsy bow and scrambled around on the floor. "Dammit, where's my other tabi?" she muttered. "Sano, I have to. Aoshi-sama told me he would meet me shortly after dawn... if he gets there and finds me gone, he'll start looking for me." She flashed Sano a meaningful look, to which he responded with a scowl.

"So what if he comes here?" he said, throwing the covers aside and grabbing his pants. "Let him. We've done nothing to be ashamed of, Misao."

"I know," Misao said, smiling as she held up the missing tabi. She assumed a more serious expression as she pulled on her tabi and stood up. "Datte... he probably won't see it that way," she said, pushing her tousled hair out of her face. "I'd rather not press the issue."

Sano knotted his belt and rose to his feet. "Fine," he grumbled. "Lemme at least walk you home."

Misao bit back a giggle at Sano's sulky expression. He looks like a little boy who's been denied a treat, she thought, blushing as she imagined that look on a little boy with Sano's brown eyes and wild hair. The idea made her feel absurdly happy.

Sano shrugged into his jacket and handed Misao her cloak. She draped it over her shoulders and raised the hood to cover her unbound hair. Should braid it, but there's no time...

Sano opened the door and stood aside for Misao to exit first. She stopped short of the opening and turned to face Sano.

"I'll stay next time," she said softly. "That's a promise."

Sano touched Misao's cheek. "How about I visit you next time instead?" he said with a sly smile.

Misao returned his smile, then sighed. "We'd better go before..." she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hai, hai," Sano muttered, ducking out the door behind Misao.

-- End of Chapter 23.5 --