The Devil's Workshop
MysticShadowWanderer
Disclaimer: I'm thinking... no.
*****
Chapter Ten: Sunlight
Warmth flooded into Battousai's body as he slowly returned to the realm of consciousness and contemplation. A slightly puzzled but decidedly happy smile etched itself on his face as he looked down at Kaoru, who had moved to lie on his chest while she slept. Lifting his hand to run his fingers through her hair that spilled itself across him in a silk waterfall, he let himself be immersed in thoughts of the previous night. How this delicate yet fiery woman had captured his heart, he was unsure. Though he'd been emboldened before, and let himself reveal some of his secrets, he felt his old fears come rushing back with the rising of the sun.
He squinted as light filtered into the room; he'd long been a creature of the night, rarely being caught in the sun for extended lengths of time. In addition to this, his kind were prone to light sensitivity, thus he much preferred moonlight to the harsh rays of the daystar. Turning his head, he hid his face in Kaoru's hair and attempted in vain to reclaim the vestibule of sleep. He heard Kaoru sigh and felt her stir in awakening.
'Damn. Now she's going to want to talk... to know about my past.'
Still unaware of her surroundings as she woke, Kaoru turned her head and was surprised to find herself nose-to-nose with Battousai.
"Sleep well?" He didn't sound overly pleased.
"Yes," she yawned. 'What could be bothering him?' "Is something wrong?"
"Just like a woman," Battousai snorted, even though he'd never been with another woman long enough to be able to compare the two. "Perhaps I should have stuck with the whores in Kyoto. They never asked questions."
Kaoru looked hurt, and she didn't even try to hide it in the least. But her hurt never stayed long, she wasn't that type of woman. Anger quickly replaced the pain she was feeling.
"Excuse me for caring about you," she snapped. Sitting up, she jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. "If you've ever wondered why you're always alone and are so broken, I believe you've just found the answer to your question."
Brushing away heated tears, Kaoru stood, grabbed her things, and made for the door. Before she'd taken two steps, Battousai leapt to his feet and grabbed her by the waist, spinning her and pulling her to him. She dropped her bag in surprise and soon found herself tangled in a kiss that was half rough, as if he were trying to be tender, but had never learned how. She found her anger dispersing as she felt the urgent need to teach him to love.
'Damn. How does he do that to me?'
With a deep sigh that was half content and half regret, Battousai pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. "You know I didn't mean that the way it came out, love. Besides, you seem to have forgotten that you're my woman. Mine," he growled this into her ear. "And I won't have anyone seeing my woman naked as you are." His eyes raked appreciatively down her body; in her anger she'd, somehow, forgotten to don any clothing before she'd tried to storm out of the room.
Kaoru took her turn to sigh. "Then I'm sorry as well. I didn't mean the things I said, they were cruel."
"No. They were true. Just because I'm a heartless bastard doesn't mean that you are a liar."
Kaoru removed herself from his arms with some difficulty. "You may be a bastard, but I wouldn't say that you're entirely heartless." She stepped back to him and reached up to stroke the hair behind his ear. "You've never learned how to be any other way. Let me teach you. Let me love you."
"Fine," he replied. "Love me all you want." He carefully avoided telling her that she had gained his love, but he wondered if somehow she already knew. "You can feel however you want towards me if you'll continue you treating me like you did last night." The familiar smirk was on his face again.
At that point, Kaoru normally would have reddened, but deep in her heart she knew of his love, instinctively, and that coupled with how sorrowful she knew him to be was enough to steal most of her reserve. Instead of blushing, she smiled seductively, which startled Battousai, though he didn't show.
"So you enjoyed that, did you?" she asked softly.
"More than you could imagine," Battousai breathed across the skin of her neck, which he'd slowly started kissing. Kaoru whimpered as he applied his tongue fleetingly. "We could repeat that," he suggested. "We have plenty of time to spare, we're not leaving until nightfall."
"Mmm," Kaoru considered for just a second before he dragged his tongue up her neck and began biting softly at her ear. "Ohh, you bastard. This isn't fair..." her complaints trailed off as he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the futon.
***
Kaoru couldn't remember walking so much or being so tired in all her life. Battousai refused to stop several times and was now following behind her with a hand on her back, practically shoving her forward. Sometimes she just felt like screaming obscenities at him, but somehow she figured that it would have little to no effect on him, save perhaps to bring him amusement. She settled for an attempt at civilized conversation.
"Where are we going anyhow?" She was unable to recognize roads and routes, never having had time to travel often.
"Kyoto," came the abrupt answer.
"Why?"
"I have business there," he said evasively.
"What kind? With who?" She was absolutely relentless.
"I'm a hitokiri," he said simply. "I doubt you'd be interested or trusted."
"You don't trust me?"
"Did I say that?"
"In a roundabout way, yes, I think so."
"So be it, then."
"Bastard."
He sighed, this was becoming irritating. 'If she wasn't so good in bed, I'd tie her up and leave her.' But he knew he was lying to himself. "If you must know, I'm going to speak to some of the members of the Oniwabanshuu. Heard of them?"
Kaoru nodded. "I've heard some..."
"Yes, well, there's a girl with them that's not much younger than you, perhaps you can befriend her."
"Wait. You actually care about me?"
Battousai stopped and grabbed her by the elbow, drawing her roughly to his chest. "Never ask that again," he growled, his mouth merely inches from hers. "You are the most important thing to me. If I haven't made that clear, I'm saying it plainly now, so listen. You are my sanity."
Kaoru couldn't stop a few tears from escaping her eyes; Battousai kissed them away. Something inside him had snapped, he was finally spilling his heart to her.
*****
MysticShadowWanderer
Disclaimer: I'm thinking... no.
*****
Chapter Ten: Sunlight
Warmth flooded into Battousai's body as he slowly returned to the realm of consciousness and contemplation. A slightly puzzled but decidedly happy smile etched itself on his face as he looked down at Kaoru, who had moved to lie on his chest while she slept. Lifting his hand to run his fingers through her hair that spilled itself across him in a silk waterfall, he let himself be immersed in thoughts of the previous night. How this delicate yet fiery woman had captured his heart, he was unsure. Though he'd been emboldened before, and let himself reveal some of his secrets, he felt his old fears come rushing back with the rising of the sun.
He squinted as light filtered into the room; he'd long been a creature of the night, rarely being caught in the sun for extended lengths of time. In addition to this, his kind were prone to light sensitivity, thus he much preferred moonlight to the harsh rays of the daystar. Turning his head, he hid his face in Kaoru's hair and attempted in vain to reclaim the vestibule of sleep. He heard Kaoru sigh and felt her stir in awakening.
'Damn. Now she's going to want to talk... to know about my past.'
Still unaware of her surroundings as she woke, Kaoru turned her head and was surprised to find herself nose-to-nose with Battousai.
"Sleep well?" He didn't sound overly pleased.
"Yes," she yawned. 'What could be bothering him?' "Is something wrong?"
"Just like a woman," Battousai snorted, even though he'd never been with another woman long enough to be able to compare the two. "Perhaps I should have stuck with the whores in Kyoto. They never asked questions."
Kaoru looked hurt, and she didn't even try to hide it in the least. But her hurt never stayed long, she wasn't that type of woman. Anger quickly replaced the pain she was feeling.
"Excuse me for caring about you," she snapped. Sitting up, she jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. "If you've ever wondered why you're always alone and are so broken, I believe you've just found the answer to your question."
Brushing away heated tears, Kaoru stood, grabbed her things, and made for the door. Before she'd taken two steps, Battousai leapt to his feet and grabbed her by the waist, spinning her and pulling her to him. She dropped her bag in surprise and soon found herself tangled in a kiss that was half rough, as if he were trying to be tender, but had never learned how. She found her anger dispersing as she felt the urgent need to teach him to love.
'Damn. How does he do that to me?'
With a deep sigh that was half content and half regret, Battousai pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. "You know I didn't mean that the way it came out, love. Besides, you seem to have forgotten that you're my woman. Mine," he growled this into her ear. "And I won't have anyone seeing my woman naked as you are." His eyes raked appreciatively down her body; in her anger she'd, somehow, forgotten to don any clothing before she'd tried to storm out of the room.
Kaoru took her turn to sigh. "Then I'm sorry as well. I didn't mean the things I said, they were cruel."
"No. They were true. Just because I'm a heartless bastard doesn't mean that you are a liar."
Kaoru removed herself from his arms with some difficulty. "You may be a bastard, but I wouldn't say that you're entirely heartless." She stepped back to him and reached up to stroke the hair behind his ear. "You've never learned how to be any other way. Let me teach you. Let me love you."
"Fine," he replied. "Love me all you want." He carefully avoided telling her that she had gained his love, but he wondered if somehow she already knew. "You can feel however you want towards me if you'll continue you treating me like you did last night." The familiar smirk was on his face again.
At that point, Kaoru normally would have reddened, but deep in her heart she knew of his love, instinctively, and that coupled with how sorrowful she knew him to be was enough to steal most of her reserve. Instead of blushing, she smiled seductively, which startled Battousai, though he didn't show.
"So you enjoyed that, did you?" she asked softly.
"More than you could imagine," Battousai breathed across the skin of her neck, which he'd slowly started kissing. Kaoru whimpered as he applied his tongue fleetingly. "We could repeat that," he suggested. "We have plenty of time to spare, we're not leaving until nightfall."
"Mmm," Kaoru considered for just a second before he dragged his tongue up her neck and began biting softly at her ear. "Ohh, you bastard. This isn't fair..." her complaints trailed off as he gathered her into his arms and carried her to the futon.
***
Kaoru couldn't remember walking so much or being so tired in all her life. Battousai refused to stop several times and was now following behind her with a hand on her back, practically shoving her forward. Sometimes she just felt like screaming obscenities at him, but somehow she figured that it would have little to no effect on him, save perhaps to bring him amusement. She settled for an attempt at civilized conversation.
"Where are we going anyhow?" She was unable to recognize roads and routes, never having had time to travel often.
"Kyoto," came the abrupt answer.
"Why?"
"I have business there," he said evasively.
"What kind? With who?" She was absolutely relentless.
"I'm a hitokiri," he said simply. "I doubt you'd be interested or trusted."
"You don't trust me?"
"Did I say that?"
"In a roundabout way, yes, I think so."
"So be it, then."
"Bastard."
He sighed, this was becoming irritating. 'If she wasn't so good in bed, I'd tie her up and leave her.' But he knew he was lying to himself. "If you must know, I'm going to speak to some of the members of the Oniwabanshuu. Heard of them?"
Kaoru nodded. "I've heard some..."
"Yes, well, there's a girl with them that's not much younger than you, perhaps you can befriend her."
"Wait. You actually care about me?"
Battousai stopped and grabbed her by the elbow, drawing her roughly to his chest. "Never ask that again," he growled, his mouth merely inches from hers. "You are the most important thing to me. If I haven't made that clear, I'm saying it plainly now, so listen. You are my sanity."
Kaoru couldn't stop a few tears from escaping her eyes; Battousai kissed them away. Something inside him had snapped, he was finally spilling his heart to her.
*****