Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to its rightful license corporation and its mangaka, whose name had sadly, eluded from my memory at the moment. I only own the concept and the process of writing this story.

RK fanfiction: AU, K/K, K/E, A/M, slight M/S

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BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE Chapter 2: The grip of a lion

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"You're three days late."

Kaoru didn't dare breathe a word.

Enishi continued to pour more wine into his glass. The white Chardonnay shook slightly inside the tall crystal glass, its light a mysterious flicker on the man's handsome face.

"You didn't eliminate those low lives like I ordered you to. And you stayed one extra day in Kyoto. Did I get that right?"

Kaoru nodded and a strand of her dark, shining hair flung down, framing her oval face. Calm down, she instructed herself silently. Enishi hated those who beg or attempt to cover up what he or she has done. This man had every single way possible to unearth all of his agents' itineraries, in every corner of the world.

Suddenly the man turned around and bent down in front of her. "Answer me. Did. I. Get. That. Right?" His words were threatening, and he bared his flawlessly white teeth as he spoke. Echoing the eerie white halo of his hair, Kaoru thought her leader looked like a menacing beast that was ready, at any moment, to pin down his prey - which was she.

"Yes, Sir, You are right."

"Good. Now, did you have fun sight seeing?"

"Sir, I have some...personal business to take care of in Kyoto."

All the while that she was talking to him, Kaoru bent her head low and her eyes were fixated to the ground. She dared not lift up her eyes; if she did, and he found the act offensive - or not- he could very well order his man to take out her eyes. Just like that.

Then she felt his hand on her face, as his strong fingers grabbed the end of her chin, forcing her to tilt up his head. Kaoru had no choice but to look him in the eye.

"Of all people, Agent Kamiya, I expect you to know better," he whispered, a noiseless hiss under his tone. At his words, Kaoru started to tremble, and she could feel the first drops of perspiration forming on the corner of her forehead. What he would do to punish her, she could only imagine, knowing well that it would be a horrid, dreadful ordeal that no one, not even Kamiya the great swordswoman, would want to go through.

Detecting the fear in her, Enishi smirked.

"But I'll let it go this time."

Kaoru could not believe her ears. Was he letting her go?

Enishi continued to talk without releasing his fingers on her chin. "There are of course, concessions on your behalf, since you violated my orders. You will give up half the profit that you have earned in the past three projects. And, for the future two, you will lose half of your share as well. Moreover, for the future two...projects that we speak of, you will lose the power to command your own team. You will go under the command of Agent Akira for the duration of those two projects."

Upon hearing his words, Kaoru released a relieved sigh, once again lowering her gaze to the ground before her knees. True, she would lose a considerable sum of her fortune; but as long as she did not have to go through the physical and mental punishments, she would have lots more opportunities in the future to accumulate more. But she's not entirely lucky; she would have to go under the wing of Akira for god knows how long.

And Kaoru knew full well of the bartender's enmity for her, and him for hers. They detested each other immediately, during the first time they met. He hated her with a misogynistic attitude that forever perplexes her. She hated him for his cocky remarks, his ever doubting eyes and over- bearing questions.

As if he could read her mind, Enishi spoke. "I know you and Agent Akira are not the best of comrades," he emptied the last few droplets in his wineglass. "But even you will have to acknowledge his expertise at army formations, once you have worked with him. Even I might have to hand over that part of the job to that man someday. You will learn great things from this agent, Kaoru-san."

Kaoru shuddered slightly at his intimate tone and his calling of her first name. Only Enishi had the power over her to be able to call her whatever names he wanted, whenever he desired to do so. Although she admired his skills, for this domination he had over her... she hated him.

She was also well aware of his fingers that were still around her chin. And she couldn't help but remarked to herself how long and slender his fingers were.

What the hell is wrong with you, Kamiya?

Enishi started to lose his death grip on her chin, observing the red mark that he had left on her alabaster skin. "That's not all, agent."

Huh?

Then, to Kaoru's utter shock, he leaned closer to her and caressed the mark, his callused fingers rubbing it in a loving fashion.

Despite herself, Kaoru felt a silent flush creeping up from nowhere to deep down under her skin. Where his fingers wandered on her visage, it burned and singed her. His fingers were ice cold, and smelled of the finest Chardonnay; yet his touch was like fire, leaving miles and miles of invisible scorched marks on her mind. She exhaled silently.

Enishi seemed to know this effect he had on her. What started as a seemingly harmless, an almost childish action turned into full force. With two hands, he touched her brows, her eyelids, and the bridge of her nose. He trailed his thumb down to the two delicate corners of her lush lips, fingering it along the edge. Without hesitation, he closed in on the petite woman before him and touched her fine-lined petals with his own.

And both of them lost their resolve.

To both of their surprise, she was the first one to pull away. In the dim white light of the lair, Enishi thought she looked magnificent. Like an artist observing his masterpiece, he gazed at the female agent hungrily, his sight never leaving her ravaged lips. Even in the dark of the room her face was clearly a fiery red; her lips were pink and slightly parted. She seemed to be out of breath from his actions, and one smooth finger of hers was positioned right on her chin, which only accentuated the elegant shape of her mouth.

Just one little kiss, and already Enishi was aroused to the height of his emotions.

Disciplined and well trained as he was, Enishi's a young man whose primal urges seemed to be taking over his usual deep, quiet self. His ears rang and he was beginning to feel a growing burn in his lower abdomen.

His eyes roamed her face. Although Kaoru never gave her real age away, Enishi figured that she was in her late teens or early twenties. But, with her translucent skin and her coal black eyes, she could well fake doe eyes and a soft smile that's innocent enough to make her pass for the age of sixteen. Judging her endearing resume, he thought that she must have had more than enough of "experience". But even him, the leader of the entire group, find her always holding her guard and acting cold and unapproachable to her other comrades. And she doesn't look like the type to be engaged in a secret, passionate affair. So could she be...pure amongst all the things that were going on around her?

He decided to test her limits.

With his kiss.

Kaoru had yet to recover from her shock as the tall man lunged towards her and once again closed the last few separating inches between them with his lips. He crushed her lips mercilessly, tasting and figuring out the lines to her mouth. In one swift movement he pulled her closer to his muscular body, and kissed her deeper, tasting the sweetness of her mouth and nibbling her.

A small moan escaped from Kaoru's lips as she felt his hands slid down. One hand was pressed on the small of her back, and the other roamed all over her body liberally. His touch felt good, an icy trail on her warm skin. Without her knowing, his one hand had already sneaked beneath her garment, and was ready to torn it apart.

Kaoru's head snapped up.

Her anger flared. Here she was, one of the most powerful agents in his group, completely losing her sense of logic under his spell. How did this man manage to have this effect on her?

Kaoru was so taken aback by her conflicting emotions that she performed an act she thought she'd never do, at least not to Enishi in her lifetime.

She slapped him and walked quickly of the room, her face still flushed, her clothes a dishevelled mess from his hands that had took the liberty of feeling every single curve of her body.

Enishi, on the other end of the room, merely stared at the door that flung back at him, at the silence of the room. With her absence, he could almost feel the rapid decrease to the temperature of his room.

It seems that he had underestimated her. He knew that it was a matter of time when she would pull away from him, like everyone else would eventually. What was unexpected to Enishi was the fact that she had dared to slap him, and leave behind the chance to a sensuous, soul lifting experience that he was sure no woman can refuse.

She must be much, much more delicious than those kisses. And Enishi couldn't help but wonder just how delectable her luscious flesh would feel beneath his.

"Let's find out," he whispered to himself.

And with those words, Enishi did something that he'd rarely did, even when she was still alive.

He laughed.

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On the other side of the city, a man was walking towards a small, dark building that looked highly unfashionable against the other ones on the street. Beside him was a short boy, whose eyes had not missed a chance to wander the streets for potential danger - and ladies.

"Keep your eyes to the road, Yahiko," the taller man growled.

"Whatever," the other one grunted in reply. He obliged to his senior's order, only to do the same again in a matter of seconds. The taller - and older - man sighed.

"Now we'll never get to the Doctor on time."

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Thank you, to those who reviewed, and anyone who had stopped by and gave this story a chance. I hope that I had done a satisfactory job, and I am ever soooo sorry for the delay. School and other things got in the way.

Who is Yahiko with? Since you, my lovely readers, are such intelligent people, I am sure that you have a good idea of who that is. I do hope that the little cliffhanger will keep you "entranced"....

Blue jeans: Thanks, I will be more careful with grammar and spelling next time. Sometimes it can be quite a pain, I know...

Dragowolf: There will be both K/K and A/M coming up soon.

Saki: This would be a love triangle kinda story. I don't know yet. Let's see how it will turn out and what YOU think! Thanks for your support!

l3al3yanime: Yes Kaoru has a hidden past, quite a painful one in fact. Kenshin and Kaoru will definitely meet up later on...

And thank you to anyone who gave this story a try! Please Review...please?!!

Contact Cha at: panpan2spcs@yahoo.com