Disclaimer: I don't own it, I don't wanna own it. It would be bad for me to own it, cause I'd have let NW choose the meaner ending and keep focus instead of losing it just to make a happy boy's comic ending.

Kenshin watched as Kaoru stared at the blood, uncertainty in her every movement. He'd gone a little too far, perhaps. I think this is better than the anger. Putting her far enough off-balance might allow her to struggle her way back to her normal self.

She was fidgeting, her eyes darting to his face and rapidly away again. Her hands had balled up in her blankets. She was starting to shake, ever so slightly. Kenshin smiled slightly. A release of tears would be good for her. It certainly wasn't healthy for her to internalize the pain.

Kenshin inched forward, letting his blood hold her attention. When he was close enough that he could put his arms around her, he stopped moving and put his thumb to her lips. "Is this what you want, Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru stared at him, trembling. Then her eyes narrowed. Damnit. He'd wrongly estimated how far to push her. Kenshin braced himself for the punch she was about to deliver. His own eyes widened as she took his thumb in her mouth.

She met his eyes, and he could see the anger she was trying to hide under a half-lidded mask of lust. She started moving her tongue around his thumb, taking the blood off. She leaned into him, moving her hand towards his crotch. He caught her wrist. With such a look in her eyes, he wasn't about to let her hands go anywhere near there.

"What are you doing, Kaoru-dono?"

She let his thumb out of her mouth to answer. "Aren't we playing, Kenshin? You play with my feelings, and I play with yours. You offer me your blood, but you don't mean anything by it. All just in the hopes that I'll tell you I'm sorry, so we can go back to where we were." She put her other arm around his shoulder, wincing slightly. "Or would you rather go forward?"

He shook his head uncertainly. What is she trying to say? I'm not playing with her feelings, and I'm not trying to make her "go back to where we were," I'm just trying to help her be well. "Kaoru-dono..."

"Shh." She pushed the blankets aside with her legs, then curled her entire body around him. "I get to talk right now." Kenshin took a breath, then nodded slowly. He pulled the blankets up around her shoulders. If she was going to behave erratically, at least she should be warm.

"Talk then, Kaoru-dono," he whispered back to her.

She pulled her wrist out of his grasp and it joined the other around his neck. "Maybe I don't want to talk." She pulled herself even closer. Her lips touched his and parted slightly to let her tongue poke at him. Her eyes closed and she pressed her face to his, opening his mouth with hers.

Kenshin followed her lead. This is a very awkward position. If I push her away, she'll say I don't want her and become upset. If I respond in kind, she'll see me as just like the men who hurt her. He didn't know what to do about this. He hadn't really anticipated her crawling all over him, kissing him like this, so soon after what had happened. She wasn't healed yet. This couldn't be good for her.

"Do you like me, Kenshin?" Kenshin nodded. "Then put your arms around me." Kenshin did as she said. She nuzzled his face, her cheek to his scar. Her short, nearly-dry hair smelled sweeter than he would have thought. "Tell me you love me, Kenshin." A request? No, Ôtwas a demand. He swallowed.

"I love you, Kaoru-dono."

"Prove it." She pulled back, her eyes still closed. "Kiss me."

This wasn't right. Kenshin could feel something wrong with the whole situation, but he felt powerless in it. How could he respond without hurting her? He leaned forward, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"No, Kenshin, not like that. Take their taste away, Kenshin."

Wouldn't water do the same job, Kaoru? He leaned towards her again, his mouth brushing hers. He opened their mouths together, gently pushing his tongue into her mouth. She accepted it and teased it further in. He closed his eyes as their tongues played in her mouth.

When her teeth suddenly clamped down, it came as far too much of a shock. Kenshin's eyes opened to Kaoru's angry glare. He tried to pull away, but she just held onto him, her reaction to let her good hand harden. Her nails almost pierced his gi.

He pushed the pain out of his mind and he drew her closer. He was a bit relieved as her fingers relaxed along with her teeth. He withdrew himself from her mouth, but she followed into his. He allowed her to do as she wished. Pushing her away might hurt her, and she had certainly been hurt enough recently. His pain would fade, unless he pushed her away and hurt her.

After almost a minute of this, she finally pulled away. Kenshin could see tears pooling in her eyes. "Don't you play games with me, Kenshin. Don't offer me your blood unless you're willing to give me all of it, however I want it. Don't tell me that you love me when you can't stand the sight of me."

Her head fell onto his shoulder. "I won't let you hurt me. I won't let you." He rubbed her back, his own eyes filling with tears.

She thought he would hurt her? She thinks I lied to her. Kenshin pushed the tears away. It was for her to let the pain come out, not for him to wallow in self-inflicted sadness. "This lowly one did not lie to you, Kaoru-dono. But he is afraid for you."

Her shoulders were shaking, but it was from laughter, not tears. "Afraid for me? Maybe you should be afraid of me instead."

"Because you will hurt me, Kaoru-dono?" She nodded, her face still on his shoulder, looking away. "Do not worry about hurting me. You must care for yourself." And while you do that, I hope you will not be biting me.

Kaoru mumbled something before her breathing began to steady. He waited motionless as it slowed, until she was peacefully asleep, then carefully laid her down onto her futon.

He leaned back against the wall and tried to ignore the throbbing in his mouth. It was his own fault anyways.

***

Sleep hadn't improved Kaoru's disposition. She slept the rest of the day as well as all through the night, but the next morning found her just as surly and unreasonable as the day before. She was only barely speaking with him the next day: only if she wanted something from him would she say a word.

He'd given her Megumi's teas in the morning. He'd cooked breakfast for her, helped her with a morning bath, and cleaned the dojo while she'd watched. He'd done the laundry, and even allowed her to help him with lunch. For her part, Kaoru had demanded everything from him. First, she'd wanted a sponge cake, next it was chocolate, then she was asking for mochi. The requests had continued throughout the day.

By the time late afternoon came, Kenshin was dead tired of having to say "no" to every little whim she dreamed up. She wasn't fit to go outside right now, and he sure as hell wasn't going to leave her alone so that some sick bastard could take her again and do what they'd done to her. Not for some damned dessert at any rate.

"I want a coffee, Kenshin!"

"This lowly one already told you no, Kaoru-dono. Please stop asking him, because he really needs to make your dinner."

"I don't want dinner, I want coffee with sugar and cream. If you don't go get it for me, I'll go get it myself!"

Get it herself? Well that's a new tactic, but she is not leaving this house. "You are not going anywhere if this lowly one does not accompany you, and this lowly one is far too busy to take you."

She turned and walked away from him, stamping her feet on the wooden flooring. When he heard the sound of her shoes on the path to the gate, he stopped his chopping abruptly, put the knife down and used his speed to intercept her. "This lowly one told you, you are not going out!"

"Some lowly man told me something, but I just realized that I don't have to listen to a word he says, since he isn't my keeper, so I am going to go right now to get a coffee from the Akabeko. Maybe I'll stay there for dinner, too."

"Kaoru-dono is unwell, Kaoru-dono is not going anywhere, and this lowly one will not allow her to ignore him!" He'd had enough. No more of this. Just because she was injured does not give her the right to do this to me. Or to herself. She has no right to endanger herself, nor to hurt herself.

"I said I'm going!" She tried to push past him, but in her current physical state that was an impossibility.

"And I said that you are not." Kenshin put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around forcibly. Kaoru yelped and he removed his hands as though he'd been burned. "I haven't hurt you, have I?" he asked in alarm. Kaoru's breathing grew heavier as she stood unmoving. "Kaoru-dono?"

"I? Oh, so now you come. Now, when it's too late."

Author's Notes

Well, it wasn't going to keep going, but it was too short. So this is kinda like two chapters in one. Kinda. Hope you all liked it... ff.net's been a bit weird to me lately though, not letting me reload and so on.

Lebleuphenix: Another review that wasn't sent to me... Wonder why? Anyhow... Yep, Kenshin is wonderful, isn't he?

Jin: Well, I haven't done extensive plotting, so the characters will pretty much be free to choose whatever they want. That's why, "as far as I know." The dang speeches? Well... I think those are used a bit too much. I'm trying NOT to be too cliche. Glad Megumi was IC, I'm not too sure about her.

Fabi-chan: Yeah, isn't he? Gag! Good thing I'm not diabetic! ;)

Camila: Um... well, while it had vampire potential, that's not really where I'm going. The blood was really supposed to be sort of symbolic, like "I'll give anything for you, even my blood and my life, if it'll make you happier." (Hmph, he just won't go back on his vow.)

Kind of Dark: As I said above, not going to go vampire... Still, it should be a recurring theme...

Remember everyone, obligations are good! (even when ff.net won't let me on for a whole day)