Rain
by Kard of Dark
Standard disclaimers apply.
Okay, this chapter holds some male machoism and superiority. Now, it made me feel off when I wrote it, as I would rather believe that world is "equal" though it never is and I just thought it would fit his personality. And, this is completely off topic, but Tetsu cannot sing! No wonder the poor guy was fired, but he still has to shine cause he was the original vocalist of Malice Mizer--he did help in starting the band.
And, on another small side note, I doubt that this fic will include anything remotely lemon, lime yes, go on ahead with the lime, but no full out lemon. Also, Kaoru is turning OOC as noted from the last chapter, and will remain like that till the end of the fic, with some parts where she is in character. Kenshin's thoughts are also fragmented, and out there, but its important to the plot and will be explained later.
The first waking sensations he had was the feeling of one's tongue licking his face and hair, cleaning him of something sticky. What had happened just a few hours before came to mind and he noted that the substance was blood and Kaoru was currently washing him clean.
It felt rather wonderful. The way she used her tongue, the fire it spread through his body. People proclaimed vampires as lifeless creatures who were dead bodies without a soul, but his clan was different. He was different. With his blood, his clan was "alive" and thriving in the sun and night. This was how he became very aware of her, of her movements. How he wanted her once more.
It had been twenty years since he had last had her. Since he took her back at the village she once called home. Kaoru would have to learn to call this castle home, as he planned on never letting her get away ever again. Kenshin was possessive, and who wouldn't be with this woman?
She was special, a temptress when she wanted to be, and could just as easily act as if she was an innocent virgin waiting to be taken for the first time. He, of course, knew that she was no virgin, he had taken it from her and would still kill any one who had tried doing so before himself.
Kenshin knew he cared for her in some way, what "way" that was, though, he did not know. He just wanted to possess her, heart, body, and soul. And he did not care about what she wanted, not at the least. The world was a man's world, and he, being a man, had it upon himself to be the one in charge of her, the one to control her. A woman could not make it out in the world on her own; the idea that she was surviving for twenty years already was simply amazing, but he knew she wouldn't have survived much longer.
The only way she would survive now was with him by her side.
"There, all clean now," Kaoru whispered in his ear before she sat back, watching the red head with alert eyes as she did so.
Kenshin turned onto his back and looked at her, his eyes a hazy violet. She had only seen his eyes like that once, and it was at that time she truly felt loved, really cared for. His eyes had reflected it, just as they did now. It was at that time she first thought she loved him, after he had taken her in a night of sweet passion, full of unspoken promises that were better left never thought of.
"Why do you love me?" Kaoru asked, her voice still, a monotone. It hurt Kenshin to hear it. How could his sweet angel be so demonic?
He thought, nonetheless, about her question, knowing that it was important to her in some way of which he couldn't imagine. She was always attractive to him. This bright and pretty blue eyed angel that lived among the other boring and bleak villagers who didn't deserve her. She was too precious, too wise and understanding for their minds to comprehend. Only he could understand that beautiful mind, only he could possess it. That, unfortunately, would not be an executable answer.
"Because you seemed to understand me and accept me for whatever I was," he answered carefully, watching her closely, trying to guess her reaction to his words as he said them. Sure, he had always been able to read people, but she was one he just could not. She was a complete mystery and that only made him want her more.
Kaoru seemed to accept it as she sat back against the headboard of the bed, wrapping her arms around her knees and she folded them to her chest. Temptress one moment, innocent the next. She was always changing, and you never knew what to expect from one moment to the next. And from her performance earlier, the one that forced him unconscious, he anticipated for more of what she could really do.
Was it wrong to want to fight with your mate to the verge of death, just reaching to that thin line that lead to the point of no return, but never actually falling over it? The thrill this could actually be the end of you both running through your veins, setting you on fire as it did so.
He licked his lips, wanting her with all his being. After twenty years he had finally gotten her into his hands, into his hold, and she was neither willing nor unwilling. She was stuck in-between, at a place she couldn't decide what she really wanted. However, he knew what he wanted and Kenshin felt no regret it forcing her to follow his desire and want.
Sitting up quickly, he had her pinned beneath him in a matter of seconds. "Don't think you can get away without something in return."
Leaning forward, he kissed her roughly, not paying attention to how her body went still and lax. If it weren't for the soft return to his kiss, she would have been inert. Kenshin did not care, though, and continued to kiss her, his mouth hot against her skin as he moved to suck on her ear.
Blocking all thoughts from mind, Kenshin continued on, taking himself to a sweet bliss, one he had not felt in twenty years. It was so wonderful to feel himself inside her once more, to have her once again. Maybe in the next few days he would have her more then once, maybe on the full moon when they would drink blood. Have her all night and day long after the ceremony when his body was high with the power that blood often brought.
Stepping out of bed, he pulled on the clothing he had taken off and left the room without looking back. Why would he really want to look back? She was being a complete pain in everything she was doing that day. No, for the past week when she was turning away from him. And he would just have to get her to believe in him again. How he would go about doing that was the trouble.
For centuries now he was the one in charge, the one on top who had everyone around him simply fall into his waiting grasp. He was not compassionate enough to get her to want him again just from sweet words and gestures; such things were useless to a vampire unless they were on a hunt. This, however, was a different kind of hunt and he refused to allow himself stoop to that level.
After a few minutes Kaoru sat up, wrapping the sheet around her naked body, went back to sit by the fire, picking up the book he had brought along the way. She would read it; there was nothing else to do in the dark room. The door was hidden from her sight and she could not leave it, nor did anyone aside from Kenshin and Kurama ever visit her. She was lonely when there was no one beside herself in the large dark and cold room. It needed someone to bring it some light, a window maybe--Kaoru snorted at the thought as she opened the book.
A window? She was turning sentimental again, just as she felt when she lived with Tomoe in their house in the city. At least that place was warm and welcoming, unlike the place she currently occupied.
"Why didn't I run when I had the chance?" She whispered the fire, softly, looking at the flames as if she was in a trance. The bright colors, vibrant heat, and the smell of burning wood. It brought back so many memories, the burning of her home. The memory would not leave her alone, it stayed with her, haunting her. "I should've died in those flames along with the rest of my family; instead, I was with him."
She sat there in silence, the book resting on her lap, gazing at the flames with hazy eyes. Kaoru was there, but she wasn't really there. Once more, she was reminiscing of the days long past, of when she was a human and not a vampire. Of the days she could run out in the sun freely without the fear of being burned to death by the light and warmth it brought.
"Are you all right?" The small silver fox spoke softly, afraid of startling her, the only vampire he really connected with. They were both chained creatures, both under the control of Kenshin for the rest of their lives. He had been "collared" as a young kit, and from that point on he was "man's best friend" to the red head vampire, and could never speak against him, even if Kurama already thought about the vampire in the most vile of ways. Kaoru was also chained to him, even if she did not wear a collar to show it.
"I am fine, Ku-chan," Kaoru replied, raising a hand and running through the fox's soft fur. The nickname was in place, then everything was fine. Kurama doubted that she would've said his nickname if she were hurt, as Kenshin most likely would have told her to not call him with such a sweet "endearment." "But, I was thinking... if I could continue where I left off?"
It took Kurama a moment to process what she was talking about and when it registered, he curled in front of the fire, his gold eyes gazing at her, a silent "yes, go on ahead."
She smiled, the light reaching her eyes for a moment as she thought about where she left off. "Now, " she began slowly, "my Grandmother told me that Kenshin loved me, but I would not truly love him in return. At the time I thought she was mad, how could I fall in love with a stranger? Even if he was beautiful?"
She gave a laugh. "And he was beautiful, on the inside and out. A caring person who wanted nothing more then to help his friend get settled in comfortably. All the girls loved him, and his friend, though Kenshin was the one every teenage girl old enough to marry--and those who weren't and even younger--was thinking of. Everyone wanted to marry, and I was also one of them, however, I only cared for his good nature, the one that seemed to constantly surround him. It was exotic to me, I had never seen a man take so many things into consideration as the men of our village just threw what he took into thought away without a second glance. He cared for so many things and it drew me in.
"He was everything I wanted in a husband, one I could certainly enjoy falling in love with over time. My mother and father had gone through the same thing, as an arranged marriage will often do. So I was left with that same dream of happiness. Then, he started to get closer to me, and it left the other girls jealous as well, but he paid them no mind at the time. My Grandmother kept an eye on us, however, so he could never take me away to some strange place and 'have his way with me,' as she put it. She was an unconventional woman, and I loved her for it. Kenshin, though, did not enjoy her meddling.
"She was the first to die." Kaoru paused there, closing her eyes and she fought tears. This was the first time she talked about her past to anyone, and it hurt to get everything out. She thought, at first, that she would be relieved to get everything off of her chest, but now she just didn't know.
"The doctor called it a heart attack and everyone believed him, but no one noticed the twin marks on her neck, just under her hair. All of her blood had been drained. He had killed her. My Grandmother was the only one to die like this, the two others died in different ways, and Kenshin had been the fault of all three. No one knew this, however. He was discreet, and I did not know until he told me the night my village went up in flames.
"My family grieved as the funeral pyre burnt her body to ashes, which was set free to the wind and everything went on as normal, however, Kenshin was paying less attention to me then when my Grandmother was alive. Somehow I was grateful for this, as I did not enjoy the way everyone was glaring at me as if I was a traitor. Such ideas were floating through my head and I just couldn't stand them. I was no traitor to my home and family. I would die before that would ever happen--no pun intended.
"As it turned out, he was looking through the other women trying to get me jealous, as he continued to talk about me now and then with the group that was always around him. One of the girls came up to me, and slapped me across the face, demanding the reason as to why their red head was so mesmerized by my ugliness. Needless to say, I was very angry and displeased at both the girl and Kenshin's actions. And so I went to him and demanded to know the reason as to why I had been scolded.
"That was the first time he bit me and drank my blood," she said, raising a hand to her neck, rubbing the spot where his teeth had sunk in as if the scar was still there to be seen, was new enough still to remember the way the bite marks felt. "When I came to I was in my bed at home, dressed in my sleeping clothes and the girl who had yelled at me was found drowned on the river shore."
I think I will end it there. Obviously, Kenshin isn't exactly what he seems, and I enjoy that factor very much. Its a nice twist. Two dead and one to go, then the whole village flows. . Sorry, couldn't help myself there. . Its was too much fun. And thank you MoMo-ChAn for proofreading this for me, you are a lot of help.
Also, thank you to Kairi, for telling me to continue with this fic. You've been a great help.