"No, I'm straight." Kenshin smiled darkly as he paid her for the food, "I
could show you if you want." It was more of payback than an offer, but
quick reddening of her face and the way her hands nervously folded and
refolded the bills before turning and walking down the hall in silence was
reward enough. Silence, he would have never thought such a girl was capable
of such a thing.
There, that's better. *Growls* Was a little rushed with the last paragraph, and now. on with the inanity. I hate the little paperclip guy on MS Word, he keeps messing with my stuff. ggrrr. Oh, and this chapter was brought to you by Static X's song 'Cold' *loves her heather-cat* ~thoughts~
AngelsExist- will try to figure out how to fix that, this site and I have a daily battle of wills it seems. Moon- some of my best friends are aspiring stalkers. Jason- Kenshin has a little more stress in his life than 'just' Kaoru, she just tends to be the trigger. Chibi- Aoshi is, haven't gotten into Kenshin's involvement yet.
Touched
Kaoru rolled over, the sunlight and the thick scent of vanilla persistently infiltrating her dreams. With a stretch and a groan she carefully opened her eyes, to see. . . some one else's room? ". . .Wha. . .Kenshin?" She began slowly, his name coming unbidden to her lips, as sleep fought to keep hold of her aching body. ~Where am I?~ her tired mind struggled for memory as she looked around the room. Her fingers clenched rigidly at the black satin as the memories of the past day emerged. "Damn it all," she hissed uncharacteristically. Kaoru rarely tolerated such language in her presence, let alone use it. But stress and fatigue had made her appreciate such expletives this morning. Blinking quickly she fought back the tears that threatened to free themselves from her eyes. ~I won't cry.~ Her mind raged, ~It's already happened, and crying will do nothing to change it.~ Kaoru slid from the bed, the morning air cold against her bare skin. ~A product of circumstance, and only that.~ Her mind told her, making it easy to rationalize her current lack of clothing. But as usual her anger won out over her logic. In a fury she grabbed the black velvet robe hung on the bedroom door and stormed out still tying its sash shut.
Kenshin looked up, his amber eyes shocked at the forceful opening of the door to his room. Kaoru stormed out of the room, her long black hair still tussled from sleep hung messily around her face. Her blue eyes molten with fury seemed to spark as they settled on him. The image would have been funny if it weren't for bruises on her jaw, and the fact that her anger was obviously directed at him.
His voice was soft, almost cheerful as he spoke to her. "Good morning, Kaoru. The bath room's to your left if you'd like to-" He began cheerfully, hoping to distract her, but was cut off as the wave broke around him.
"How dare you good morning me after you, you. . .I" She sputtered at him, not being able to get the words out, "MOU!" She screamed in frustration. "Where's my clothing?"
Kenshin just blinked at her, trying not to laugh at the rather childish display. "Your clothing was ruined, but you can barrow some of mine until you get home." He answered calmly, as he flipped the folders shut.
"But you!" She began again, "You. . ." Once again the words wouldn't come to her.
"Would it make you feel better if you saw me naked?" Kenshin asked, an evil glint showing in his amber eyes.
"What makes you think I would want to see you naked!" She yelled, before stomping into the bathroom, her face turning a bright shade of scarlet.
Kenshin laughed softly, wincing as the door slammed. ~She's quite the violent one.~ He thought, still smiling. Well at least he wouldn't need coffee this morning, not after that. Still chuckling, Kenshin turned his attention to the bag sitting on his small table.
"Do you need anything thing?" He asked, his back to the slowly opening bathroom door.
"Oh, I. . .How come you're not wearing any makeup?" Kaoru asked hesitantly, as she peered around the frame, the sound of running water relaxing her strained emotions.
"I don't sleep with it on. . .you don't like it?" He replied, still not turning to face her as he busied himself with unpacking breakfast. "I ordered food for us from the café."
"No, I mean yes. . .I, it's just different. " Kaoru said, blushing. ~His eyes are softer with out the cosmetics, more accepting.~ With a shrug and a sigh she lowered herself into the bath tub, the steaming water making her skin turn a bright pink.
Kenshin sighed as he turned on the stereo and hit play, then turned to busy himself with cleaning up his earlier disaster in the kitchen as the Lyrics of Vast's 'Temptation' rose around him. After several songs, he began to worry about Kaoru. Kenshin wiped his hands on a towel and went to knock on the bathroom door.
No answer.
"Kaoru, are you alright?"
Still no answer.
"I'm, coming in."
~Aoshi was right, maybe I should start smoking again, would be much less stressful than this woman.~ With those thoughts, and the lyrics to 'Pretty When You Cry' suddenly heavy around him, Kenshin turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Steam assaulted him, thick and wet as it filtered through the thin sweater. Kaoru was standing before the mirror, her fingers fussing uselessly with the ends of her wet bangs, trying to cover her bruised forehead. Startled she looked up at him, her blue eyes wider than usual. She was still in shock from her attack.
"It just won't work. . ." She began in a whisper, then stopped, as the tears finally won against her will and slid silently down her cheeks.
Kenshin smiled sadly, cursing the world from behind his amber eyes as he brushed her hair back from her face. "How about you let me do your make up?" Kenshin hesitated, trying to figure the best way of wording things. "It would make me very happy." He brushed a finger down her cheek, and then picked up a small black bag from beside the sink.
Kaoru nodded numbly, allowing him to lead her out of the bathroom and over to the table.
"But first, I think some food would make you feel better." Kenshin sat down across from her, placing the bag beside him.
They ate in silence, Kaoru not feeling able to talk and Kenshin at peace with the music that rose around them.
Kenshin finished first, pushing his dish to the side then carefully unzipping the black bag. From it he withdrew a slim compact, a black pencil, and a small tube of vanilla flavored gloss. As though recreating a practiced ritual, Kenshin set each item in front of him, and flipped open the compact. Looking into the mirror he smoothed the white powder over his pale skin, then traced careful lines around his eyes, brushing lightly at their edges to accent the slight tilt of his eyes. With each practiced movement his manner began to change. His movements, which had started slow, became a dance or controlled violence over his face. Amber eyes darkened, losing their gleam of compassion and taking on their intense chill. Lips, which had seemed soft, curled into a feral grin as the black pencil passed over their full surface. Then the gloss was applied, giving their black hue a hint of invitation in it's wet shine. When the ritual was completed the intense eyes or Kaoru's broken angel met her own blue eyes.
She had been watching the entire time, shivering at the change that passed over his eyes and body. Her seemed to be two people to her, one soft and understanding, the other beautifully dangerous. Her thoughts were interrupted by
"Come." The word was a simple command; it's demand making her shiver. Tones rich and thick like honey, with the smooth assurance of satin. It was the voice of god, and the sweet touch of the devil. Kaoru stood, unable to resist its tones even if she had wanted to, and slid her chair over to sit beside him, intentionally avoiding his eyes for fear or loosing herself in them.
"Look at me," It was a whisper now, yet somehow made no less powerful by the softness of it's sound.
Kaoru looked up, heat rising in her cheeks as their eyes met. She watched those eyes as Kenshin smoothed a white concealer, which had come from the depths of that small black bag, over her bruises. For a moment she wondered what else he kept in the bag, but the thought was forgotten as his fingers touched her skin, leaving trails of fire with their practical caresses, making her wonder with those hands would feel like against her skin. Her eyes traveled to his lips, the inky gloss placed perfectly over their full surface. The rich scent of vanilla reached her when she breathed. ~I wonder if he tastes like vanilla. . .~ The thought brought another blush to her cheeks, thankful for the pale cosmetics, Kaoru cursed her modesty.
"Kaoru."
She watched the focus of her attention move before she heard his voice. "Hmmm. . .?" Blinking rapidly, she looked up to meet his eyes, fighting back another blush.
Kenshin laughed, the tones rolled like the purr of a very large and self- assured cat rumbled from deep in his throat. When their eyes met, Kaoru had betrayed her thoughts to him. Unlike most women, she had yet to learn the art of hiding her thoughts behind quick glances.
"Your eyes betray you. . ." He whispered, the sound was thick as the oppressive calm before a storm, as his right hand slid behind her head. Slowly he leaned towards her, the flutter of her quick breaths loud in his ears. Tentatively his lips brushed hers, fluttering over their surface, then gone as he pulled back to watch her.
Kaoru's eyes her closed, lips parted slightly to allow a disappointed sigh to filter between them. Kenshin smiled, his eyes watching as she unconsciously licked her lower lip. That one movement was enough encouragement, enough to make his control slip ever so slightly. This time there was nothing tentative about the kiss. A press of lips, his tongue brushing her lips in a demand for entrance. Slowly her lips parted, yielding her mouth to him. Them reluctantly he pulled away, teeth grazing her bottom lip as he released her.
Kaoru's eyes opened slowly to meet his, and once more she forgot how to breathe. The sheer power of unspoken demand in their depths made her feel claustrophobic, making her want to push him away and clutch him closer all at once. Then the moment broke, shattering around them with the electronic ring of his phone.
With an almost sorrowful look Kenshin slipped from the chair, fingers brushing carefully at his lips to repair the black paint. "Hello?" His voice was thick, huskier than usual, it's tones tainted with repressed desire agitation.
The conversation was short and Kaoru paid little attention to its contents as she mused over the details of her first kiss. The only thought in her mind was that he tasted like vanilla.
"I understand." With that Kenshin hung up, turning to the girl at his table. "I should take you home now." His voice was controlled again, as cold and distant as his eyes had become.
Static X "Cold"
We kiss
The Stars
We writhe
We are
Your name
Desire
Your flesh
We are
Cold
We're so cold
We are so
Cold
We're so cold
Your mouth
This words
Silence
It turns
Humming
We laugh
My head
Falls back
There, that's better. *Growls* Was a little rushed with the last paragraph, and now. on with the inanity. I hate the little paperclip guy on MS Word, he keeps messing with my stuff. ggrrr. Oh, and this chapter was brought to you by Static X's song 'Cold' *loves her heather-cat* ~thoughts~
AngelsExist- will try to figure out how to fix that, this site and I have a daily battle of wills it seems. Moon- some of my best friends are aspiring stalkers. Jason- Kenshin has a little more stress in his life than 'just' Kaoru, she just tends to be the trigger. Chibi- Aoshi is, haven't gotten into Kenshin's involvement yet.
Touched
Kaoru rolled over, the sunlight and the thick scent of vanilla persistently infiltrating her dreams. With a stretch and a groan she carefully opened her eyes, to see. . . some one else's room? ". . .Wha. . .Kenshin?" She began slowly, his name coming unbidden to her lips, as sleep fought to keep hold of her aching body. ~Where am I?~ her tired mind struggled for memory as she looked around the room. Her fingers clenched rigidly at the black satin as the memories of the past day emerged. "Damn it all," she hissed uncharacteristically. Kaoru rarely tolerated such language in her presence, let alone use it. But stress and fatigue had made her appreciate such expletives this morning. Blinking quickly she fought back the tears that threatened to free themselves from her eyes. ~I won't cry.~ Her mind raged, ~It's already happened, and crying will do nothing to change it.~ Kaoru slid from the bed, the morning air cold against her bare skin. ~A product of circumstance, and only that.~ Her mind told her, making it easy to rationalize her current lack of clothing. But as usual her anger won out over her logic. In a fury she grabbed the black velvet robe hung on the bedroom door and stormed out still tying its sash shut.
Kenshin looked up, his amber eyes shocked at the forceful opening of the door to his room. Kaoru stormed out of the room, her long black hair still tussled from sleep hung messily around her face. Her blue eyes molten with fury seemed to spark as they settled on him. The image would have been funny if it weren't for bruises on her jaw, and the fact that her anger was obviously directed at him.
His voice was soft, almost cheerful as he spoke to her. "Good morning, Kaoru. The bath room's to your left if you'd like to-" He began cheerfully, hoping to distract her, but was cut off as the wave broke around him.
"How dare you good morning me after you, you. . .I" She sputtered at him, not being able to get the words out, "MOU!" She screamed in frustration. "Where's my clothing?"
Kenshin just blinked at her, trying not to laugh at the rather childish display. "Your clothing was ruined, but you can barrow some of mine until you get home." He answered calmly, as he flipped the folders shut.
"But you!" She began again, "You. . ." Once again the words wouldn't come to her.
"Would it make you feel better if you saw me naked?" Kenshin asked, an evil glint showing in his amber eyes.
"What makes you think I would want to see you naked!" She yelled, before stomping into the bathroom, her face turning a bright shade of scarlet.
Kenshin laughed softly, wincing as the door slammed. ~She's quite the violent one.~ He thought, still smiling. Well at least he wouldn't need coffee this morning, not after that. Still chuckling, Kenshin turned his attention to the bag sitting on his small table.
"Do you need anything thing?" He asked, his back to the slowly opening bathroom door.
"Oh, I. . .How come you're not wearing any makeup?" Kaoru asked hesitantly, as she peered around the frame, the sound of running water relaxing her strained emotions.
"I don't sleep with it on. . .you don't like it?" He replied, still not turning to face her as he busied himself with unpacking breakfast. "I ordered food for us from the café."
"No, I mean yes. . .I, it's just different. " Kaoru said, blushing. ~His eyes are softer with out the cosmetics, more accepting.~ With a shrug and a sigh she lowered herself into the bath tub, the steaming water making her skin turn a bright pink.
Kenshin sighed as he turned on the stereo and hit play, then turned to busy himself with cleaning up his earlier disaster in the kitchen as the Lyrics of Vast's 'Temptation' rose around him. After several songs, he began to worry about Kaoru. Kenshin wiped his hands on a towel and went to knock on the bathroom door.
No answer.
"Kaoru, are you alright?"
Still no answer.
"I'm, coming in."
~Aoshi was right, maybe I should start smoking again, would be much less stressful than this woman.~ With those thoughts, and the lyrics to 'Pretty When You Cry' suddenly heavy around him, Kenshin turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Steam assaulted him, thick and wet as it filtered through the thin sweater. Kaoru was standing before the mirror, her fingers fussing uselessly with the ends of her wet bangs, trying to cover her bruised forehead. Startled she looked up at him, her blue eyes wider than usual. She was still in shock from her attack.
"It just won't work. . ." She began in a whisper, then stopped, as the tears finally won against her will and slid silently down her cheeks.
Kenshin smiled sadly, cursing the world from behind his amber eyes as he brushed her hair back from her face. "How about you let me do your make up?" Kenshin hesitated, trying to figure the best way of wording things. "It would make me very happy." He brushed a finger down her cheek, and then picked up a small black bag from beside the sink.
Kaoru nodded numbly, allowing him to lead her out of the bathroom and over to the table.
"But first, I think some food would make you feel better." Kenshin sat down across from her, placing the bag beside him.
They ate in silence, Kaoru not feeling able to talk and Kenshin at peace with the music that rose around them.
Kenshin finished first, pushing his dish to the side then carefully unzipping the black bag. From it he withdrew a slim compact, a black pencil, and a small tube of vanilla flavored gloss. As though recreating a practiced ritual, Kenshin set each item in front of him, and flipped open the compact. Looking into the mirror he smoothed the white powder over his pale skin, then traced careful lines around his eyes, brushing lightly at their edges to accent the slight tilt of his eyes. With each practiced movement his manner began to change. His movements, which had started slow, became a dance or controlled violence over his face. Amber eyes darkened, losing their gleam of compassion and taking on their intense chill. Lips, which had seemed soft, curled into a feral grin as the black pencil passed over their full surface. Then the gloss was applied, giving their black hue a hint of invitation in it's wet shine. When the ritual was completed the intense eyes or Kaoru's broken angel met her own blue eyes.
She had been watching the entire time, shivering at the change that passed over his eyes and body. Her seemed to be two people to her, one soft and understanding, the other beautifully dangerous. Her thoughts were interrupted by
"Come." The word was a simple command; it's demand making her shiver. Tones rich and thick like honey, with the smooth assurance of satin. It was the voice of god, and the sweet touch of the devil. Kaoru stood, unable to resist its tones even if she had wanted to, and slid her chair over to sit beside him, intentionally avoiding his eyes for fear or loosing herself in them.
"Look at me," It was a whisper now, yet somehow made no less powerful by the softness of it's sound.
Kaoru looked up, heat rising in her cheeks as their eyes met. She watched those eyes as Kenshin smoothed a white concealer, which had come from the depths of that small black bag, over her bruises. For a moment she wondered what else he kept in the bag, but the thought was forgotten as his fingers touched her skin, leaving trails of fire with their practical caresses, making her wonder with those hands would feel like against her skin. Her eyes traveled to his lips, the inky gloss placed perfectly over their full surface. The rich scent of vanilla reached her when she breathed. ~I wonder if he tastes like vanilla. . .~ The thought brought another blush to her cheeks, thankful for the pale cosmetics, Kaoru cursed her modesty.
"Kaoru."
She watched the focus of her attention move before she heard his voice. "Hmmm. . .?" Blinking rapidly, she looked up to meet his eyes, fighting back another blush.
Kenshin laughed, the tones rolled like the purr of a very large and self- assured cat rumbled from deep in his throat. When their eyes met, Kaoru had betrayed her thoughts to him. Unlike most women, she had yet to learn the art of hiding her thoughts behind quick glances.
"Your eyes betray you. . ." He whispered, the sound was thick as the oppressive calm before a storm, as his right hand slid behind her head. Slowly he leaned towards her, the flutter of her quick breaths loud in his ears. Tentatively his lips brushed hers, fluttering over their surface, then gone as he pulled back to watch her.
Kaoru's eyes her closed, lips parted slightly to allow a disappointed sigh to filter between them. Kenshin smiled, his eyes watching as she unconsciously licked her lower lip. That one movement was enough encouragement, enough to make his control slip ever so slightly. This time there was nothing tentative about the kiss. A press of lips, his tongue brushing her lips in a demand for entrance. Slowly her lips parted, yielding her mouth to him. Them reluctantly he pulled away, teeth grazing her bottom lip as he released her.
Kaoru's eyes opened slowly to meet his, and once more she forgot how to breathe. The sheer power of unspoken demand in their depths made her feel claustrophobic, making her want to push him away and clutch him closer all at once. Then the moment broke, shattering around them with the electronic ring of his phone.
With an almost sorrowful look Kenshin slipped from the chair, fingers brushing carefully at his lips to repair the black paint. "Hello?" His voice was thick, huskier than usual, it's tones tainted with repressed desire agitation.
The conversation was short and Kaoru paid little attention to its contents as she mused over the details of her first kiss. The only thought in her mind was that he tasted like vanilla.
"I understand." With that Kenshin hung up, turning to the girl at his table. "I should take you home now." His voice was controlled again, as cold and distant as his eyes had become.
Static X "Cold"
We kiss
The Stars
We writhe
We are
Your name
Desire
Your flesh
We are
Cold
We're so cold
We are so
Cold
We're so cold
Your mouth
This words
Silence
It turns
Humming
We laugh
My head
Falls back