Okay first of all I apologize for the shorter chapter. I normally try to give you all 15 or so word typed chapters and this one only hits 13, but I have a good excuse.

The computer ate my entire chapter.

That is right, this is a freaking re-type. So that means I had to go back and rewrite all the information in a completely new way because I HATE rewriting. Several of the scenes and quite moments in retrospect to that did not get rewritten. I had a nice pool scene worked in here, some water games, and all of that got canned. So I am not really happy with this chapter, so please be nice.

I did however manage to work in some Kenshin Karou Lime (I promise to get Aoshi and Misao SOON that to was in the parts that got erased by my dumb computer) and some the first stage to the Vampire.... You will just have to read.

For those of you who don't like a little blood...why are you reading a vampire fic?

Once again remember I own the Kenshin-gumi and please forgive me for any mistakes grammatical wise or if anyone seems out of character. After rewriting 13 and some pages after writing 16 the first time...I really couldn't make myself change too much.

Ravyn

Once again thank you SO much for the reviews!

Kaoru was really beginning to hate weekends.

The last three days had been filled with what Kaoru could only call Chaos of the worst kind. On average she was firm believer in forgiveness but there really was a point of no return.

It had started out in a pretty decent manner, Megumi waking Misao and Kaoru up for a day of shopping while the men got in a little reflex training. She had handed Kaoru a pair of crutches before she tossed the women some clothing to change into.

Now the shorts had been obviously made for a taller woman, but it was the shirts that did it, and she honestly now knew that her build was so drastically different from Megumi's that no she could not wear anything that was her size or style.

And then it was off for the shopping trip from hell.

Crutches could be extremely painful, pressing against as they did ribs and leaving bruises, and completely frustrating because once they started hurting they never stopped.

Of course, Misao and Kaoru where the type of woman to by practical clothing and not splurge on anything remotely figure hugging, preferring loose fitting clothing in cotton, jeans that were more modest than cut to emphasize waist lines or backsides. Unfortunately Megumi was having none of that; and they were forced to buy clothing that they where not only uncomfortable with, but it fit like a glove to.

And attempting to buy a bathing suit for the pool--because Rei had requested with wide eyes for them to teach her--was even worse. That was hell itself! Fortunately they had reached a compromise of boy cut shorts with modest bikini tops, and even more fortunately Misao was an even better whiner than Kaoru was.

That had been two days ago…

After spending the day at the various malls, which she had been unwillingly dragged to, Kaoru had found it simply easier to stay stationary until Megumi needed her to start walking around. The estate, it was the only word that applied to the massive home, had a huge library, and although Kaoru was a vivid reader, her backside could only handle so much reading before it began to protest abuse.

And then Kenshin had decided to complicate things by being his normal touchy feely self.

Kaoru sighed as she stretched her legs in an attempt to get feeling back into her calves. Running a hand through her bangs Kaoru marked the page she had been working on.

"How is your ankle, Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice had questioned softly as he entered the room. Kaoru herself was sprawled out on a couch with the window open and an easy afternoon breeze ruffling her dark bangs.

"It's doing much better. Megumi said I probably only need another nights sleep before I can start walking around again." Kaoru answered easily, more than happy to tell Kenshin he would no longer have to tote her around.

Kenshin nodded his head in acknowledgement of her statement. "That is good, that it is. Would you mind if I took a look at it?"

Kaoru blinked at him for a moment, curious as to what he was up to. He had a particular glint in his eyes, one that said he was planning something, but she hesitantly nodded anyway.

Careful fingers pried away the ace bandage and Kaoru wrinkled her nose at the now familiar sight. It was no longer quite as swollen but the ankle was still covered in multiple brushings and in some places it was dark green, in others a purplish blue.

"How about I kiss this and make it better?" Kenshin crooned, looking up at her startled face with eyes tainted with amber, a particularly smug grin pulling at his lips.

Kaoru sucked in a deep breath when soft lips caressed the dark bruising, his mouth started an upward path, teeth lightly nipping at her anklebone, his hands cradling her foot delicately. His kissing continued moving up; following the smooth lines of her calve, his kissing turning into delicate bites once he reached her knee. Placing one lingering kiss right above where thigh turned to bone, he set back on his haunches and proceeded to rewrap her tingling ankle.

Looking up at her impishly from behind bangs as dark as blood, he offered her a laughing smile. "All better."

Kaoru slumped down and covered her burning face with the current book of her choice. Her ankle still tingled if she thought to hard about his lips gliding up her leg, the fact that he had stopped just after reaching her thigh was enough to make her want to squirm in anticipation.

Kaoru rolled to her feet and strolled out of the Library. She needed something to get her mind off a certain red headed man with the tendency's to tease and quickly located Misao's Ki. She blinked when she realized she was on the third floor.

Moving up the first two flights of stairs Kaoru stopped with wide eyes.

Rei was stumbling down the hallway her tiny frame so covered in bedding and blankets that Kaoru couldn't see Misao from behind the mass colors.

"What exactly are you two doing?"

She had thought Misao and Rei's streak for excitement had ended the day before when they where swimming. They had worn each other out and slept hard that night.

Apparently there taste for fun had just been fueled.

"Misao what are you doing?" Kaoru questioned softly, her expression perplexed.

Misao shifted her face forward and grinned so wide Kaoru thought it was going to split her face. "Kaoru, have you noticed how wide the dinning table is?"

Kaoru slowly nodded her head. "Yes."

Misao gave Kaoru a hard look. "Kaoru please tell me you played forts as a child."

Kaoru blinked. "What?"

Misao raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Forts… you take a group of couches, chairs, and really long tables and make a fort out of blankets and other such equipment, layer it with pillows, and then play all types of games."

Rei bobbed her head up and down. "Rei wants to build fort!"

Kaoru shook her head and scooped up the walking bundle of blankets. "Well if we are going to do this, we are going to do this well." Kaoru looked at the clock. "We have roughly four hours before dinner, so if we hurry we can get that sucker up and running." She offered the beaming girls a smile. "I will see if we can have a cold dinner of sandwiches so we may eat in there as well."

Rei squealed and Kaoru and Misao bounded down the stairs, Misao's insane laughter catching almost immediately.

Roughly an hour later the entire room was a war fair of pillow, sheets, comforters, and loud cackles. Hiko had strolled in and been hit with a barrage of pillows, tackled about the knees by a laughing child, and had promptly turned and strolled out.

Being cooped up indoors for the past three days had started to take its toll on all the occupants. Kaoru and Misao where both used to working hard day in and out, spending time in the gym and being beat up by Soujiro in the Dojo the company owned.

Lying around was simply not in their character traits, and waiting for the men to decide when it was okay to leave was starting a slow grate. This fort was a perfect way to dissolve tension and allow some fun in the process.

Right then Kaoru was reading to Rei and Misao, a plate of half eaten sandwiches between them, there eyes wide as they listened to the story of Beauty and the Beast, Misao and Rei's favorite.

Misao however, enjoyed the rescue in the story so much she decided it would be wonderful to reenact it. Kaoru barely had time to blink before a pillow was smacked into her face.

Kaoru raised her eyes to see Misao stick a dramatic pose and hold her pillow to the side. Her eyes where twinkling with mischief as she belted out a challenge. Kaoru eyed the half-eaten sandwiches from close to an hour earlier and she grasped the plate and held a sandwich as she would a Kunai.

"May I suggest you filthy pirate," Kaoru drawled, "That you stand down and release the hostage before this has to get ugly."

Misao growled and stepped in front of Rei who was giggling uncontrollably. "I shall not release fair lady back into the hands of a beast such as your self. Rei and I shall sail the seven seas and take the treasure of land dwellers."

Kaoru launched a ham sandwich, which slammed into Misao face and rolled down. A tomato rolled into her shirt and Misao glared at Kaoru.

Kaoru smirked. "A direct hit, you mad man! Accept your defeat and die!"

Misao grasped Rei and tossed her over a shoulder. "We shall flee! Those who run away live to fight another day!"

Kaoru dropped the plate and grabbed a pillow. "Come back here you dastardly fend!"

Both women where forced to drop to crawls, Rei being switched to a horse style ride, as they crawled under the sheets. Misao was shouting threats punctured with 'me hearties' and 'yo ho's'.

Misao slid out from under the sheet and careened right into a set of ankles. Looking up she met a pair of ice blue eyes that where perplexed and amused. Misao shifted and dove behind Aoshi's legs.

"Me first mate will have you swabbing the deck if you dare to approach you foul land dweller." Misao crowed from behind Aoshi.

Kaoru came out next, the pillow clutched firmly in her hand, her face flushed with laughter. Standing to her feet she glowered at the smaller woman. "You dare hide behind someone else, you dog?"

Misao sniffed haughtily. "If you have it, hide behind it."

Kaoru sighed. "I am terribly sorry for this, Aoshi, but oh well." Reaching down Kaoru grasped a completely different pillow, and once she was straightened again slammed one into Aoshi's face and smack Misao with the other.

Both blinked rapidly as Kaoru grasped Rei by the hand and dove back into folds of comforters. "Catch me if you can you demon dog!" Kaoru crowed.

A low chuckle came from behind Aoshi and the man turned and glared at a laughing Kenshin.

"You find this amusing?" Aoshi asked.

Kenshin smiled innocently, a trick he had learned as the Rurouni, "most definitely."

Aoshi crossed his arms and smirked. "Then I suggest you go and help you land dweller because it is now war."

Kenshin narrowed his gaze. "Is it now?"

Aoshi just smirked. "I will give you twenty five seconds as a favor to your age."

Kenshin smirked as he entered the fort and practically flew after Kaoru. "Don't do me any favor Aoshi." He warned playfully.

Misao blinked rapidly. "So your going to be me first mate, are yea?" Misao questioned playfully, her pirate brogue still firmly in place.

Aoshi leaned close enough to bump her nose with his. "If it pleases me lady."

Misao's eyes widen in a playful manner. "Then we best go in with cannon's blazing."

"Aye."

Misao grinned and then slipped into the opening. "Are you going to come quietly, you mangy land lubbers or are you going to make it noisy?"

A low laugh, curtsey of Kenshin, sent shivers down Misao's spine. "You can try but we will never give in alive."

Misao cackled in return. "I shall slice you to pieces you insolent pup!"

Aoshi was enjoying the view of Misao's backside in front of him and almost missed the flash of red from a connecting tunnel.

"They head portside Captain."

Misao switched directions and just as they launched a series of pillows at the retreating figures, an earth shattering roar and two bodies tearing through the pillows caused an avalanche.

"Earthquake." Misao cried rolling sideways, which placed her tiny form under Aoshi, protection from the falling 'rocks'. Hysterical giggles punctured such a call and Misao delighted in the strong-arms that wrapped around her.

"YAHIKO!" Kaoru bellowed, her voice amused yet irritated, the woman having placed the voices before Misao had. "There is a plate of uneaten sandwiches that is screaming for your face!"

Sano leaned against the door jam and shook his head. Aoshi was the first to appear, his arms cradling Misao, his normal Ice man appearance ruffled. Misao for her part was being her normal dramatic self and had struck a pose and was speaking in a breathy voice.

"Mah savior."

Shaking his head he looked at the collapsed pile of blankets and wondered where Kenshin and Kaoru where at that particular moment. Rei was crawling out from one set; her face flushed with laughter, so he could only imagine what Kenshin was up to.

Kaoru found herself completely pinned by Kenshin's slight frame, his head buried in her neck as he shook with slight laughter. "Where did you and Misao come up with this?"

Kaoru shook her head and replied in the stage whisper Kenshin had started the conversation with. "Do you think you really want to know?"

Kenshin smiled and dropped a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "True."

Kaoru shook her head, attempting to ignore the kiss, and offered him a smile. "I think we should get out of here before Misao thinks we died."

Kenshin sighed softly but agreed.

A moment later he had pushed the layers off them and they where standing, Misao who once again believed in playing it up, launched her self at Kaoru and knocked them both into the pile of pillows. "I though I had lost you!"

Kaoru groaned and shoved her off. "Get off you nit!"

Misao pouted. "Yahiko ruined our game!"

Yahiko blinked, "Your point?"

Misao cocked her head at him and offered him a smile that was beyond evil. "I say we play another game!"

Kaoru groaned. "Not again Misao! We have been at this all day! Some of us would like to relax!"

Misao shook her head. "It's an easy one and we even play in teams!" Her eyes danced with laughter and the all-consuming mischief. "Hide and go seek!"

Everyone blinked at her. Hiko had chosen that moment to walk in and Rei bounded over to him. "Be Rei's partner Hiko-san!"

Hiko blinked again.

"Hide and Go Seek?" Yahiko repeated.

Misao nodded. "This house is HUGE and if everyone promises not to use Ki sensing it should be lots of fun!"

Aoshi cocked his and then smiled. "May I be your partner Misao?"

Misao gaped at him for a moment; Aoshi being the last person she expected to agree to the game, much less be her partner, before nodding.

"Aoshi?" Sano questioned.

"We have to get back to work tomorrow so we might as well enjoy our last night together." Aoshi said with a faint smile.

Kenshin blinked at then smiled. "Of course," turning he bowed at Kaoru, "Kaoru will you care to by my partner?" The slight spark in his eyes showed the double meaning, but Kaoru chose to play it off as the game.

"Of course Kenshin."

After that it was a quick division of teams and mass chaos erupted. Hiko even agreed to join Rei, and consequently Hiko was never 'it'. Kaoru had never quite had so much fun being chased down dark hallways, normally there involved a series of gunfire and cursing. In Yahiko and Sano's case there were still mass amounts of cursing but at least she never found herself dodging bullets.

~*~

Kaoru sighed contently as she wrapped a towel around her hair and adjusted the strap on the tank top she had chosen to wear to bed. Grabbing a brush Kaoru moved out of the steam filled bathroom and sighed in relief.

Tossing her hair over her head Karou proceeded to towel dry her hair to the best of her capability since all blow drying did was give her split ends and cause her to sweat.

Tossing the now tangled strands over her shoulders Kaoru reached for the brush and then yelped.

"Kenshin Himura, how long have you been in here?" Karou hissed, her chest heaving from the shock of seeing him recline on one of the cushions on the floor.

"Not to long… actually since about halfway through your shower." Kenshin amiably responded.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. "Are you planning on making this a habit?"

Kenshin just smiled in his most innocent manner, which caused Kaoru to immediately be set on edge.

Deciding to ignore him for the time being Kaoru sat on the edge of her futon and began the long attempt of untangling her hair. She got through maybe a fourth of it when slender fingers plucked the brush from her hand and a warm weight settled behind her.

Karou was quite, so far in her time knowing Kenshin arguing with always seemed to require vast amounts of thinking and energy. After a full day of dealing with Misao crazed plans and practically dealing with two four year olds, she didn't have the energy required.

There was also nothing more relaxing then having your hair brushed, the gentle motions working wonders to ease the tense muscles in her shoulders. But when he put the brush down and started to ease his fingers along the lines of her shoulder blades and the muscles there, her head lolled forward and she sighed in relief and satisfaction.

Gentle fingers turned her round to face him, and his warm callused fingers rose to cup her face, before he kissed her bottom lip, his touch the softest that Kaoru could remember ever having bestowed upon her.

Kenshin was apparently content to keep his touch light, and even when he deepened it, it was soothing and gentle. Kaoru was reminded of warm chocolate in the simple way he coated her mouth and in the sluggish way her blood moved in her veins.

He slid his lips down the column of her throat, gently nipping at her collarbone before sliding back up to where he started, gently tugging at her bottom lip once more with his teeth.

"Karou." Kenshin breathed, his lips trailing to her ear. For the life of her Karou couldn't bring forth the energy answer, or argue about his touch, much less the breathy way he was breathing her name, "Koishii."

Kaoru felt her eyes flutter shut when he pulled lightly at the ridge of her ear, lightly kissing his way back down her jaw. "Koishii let me love you. Let me mark your wrist and court you in the way of my people." He brushed his lips across her closed lashes. "Please Koishii let me show you my world."

Karou found her brain once again locked into a sluggish swirl, a warm flutter whispering its way from her stomach to her muscles, with every touch of his lips. She was finding it harder to fight the slow warm tide; much less the aching need that always appeared when Kenshin was involved.

Reaching up he kissed her mouth softly again and then nibbled at the underside of her jaw. "Please Koishii; let me show my world that for now, you're mine."

Karou found herself nodding, her bangs falling around her eyes, which he immediately shifted back with gentle fingers as kisses dropped on both temples. He slid down the side of her face, trailing back down her arms to her wrist. He placed several kisses down around her wrist, his tongue tracing the veins in her wrist.

Kaoru sucked in a breath when his teeth sank into the vein of her wrist, and closed her eyes in rapture when he began to gently suck. A warm honeyed feeling sluggishly moved through her blood, she could feel her Ki rolling around the wound and mingling with his, his tongue tracing the edges of the puncture marks. He dragged the length of his tongue over it gently before he raised his head from the mark.

Kaoru opened her eyes when he raised her hand and kissed the back of her hand, gently scrapping his teeth along the back of her knuckles, his amber tainted eyes glowing brightly.

"KAORU!" Misao wailed bursting in, and stopping dead when she saw the position Kenshin and Kaoru where in. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Kenshin bit down on a growl, Kaoru's slender fingers covering his mouth, her eyes amused. "It's alright Misao. Did you need something?"

Misao fidgeted. "Its nothing, I can talk to you later."

Kaoru shook her head. "If it's important, we can talk now." Turning slightly dazed eyes to Kenshin she gave him a look. "Can't we?"

Kenshin sighed against the smooth skin of her wrist. "This is not over Koishii." Kenshin warned dropping on last kiss on the broken skin, and stood.

Misao watched him leave and turned with rather wide eyes to Karou. "Opps?"

Karou shook her head, a faint blush infusing her cheeks. "It's alright," she ran a finger down the markings on her right wrist and blushed harder. "I think it's rather a good thing you interrupted when you did." I really don't think I am quite ready to meet that look in his eyes just yet.

Misao decided to take the situation at face value and not make a comment, but froze when she saw the dark puncture marks on her wrist. "Karou?"

Kaoru flushed darkly again before ducking her head and speaking so quickly that Misao had to ask her to repeat it, twice, and when she finally did understand she was so quite that Kaoru was worried that something had happened.

"Misao?" A pink tinged Kaoru questioned.

"Oh, I was just wondering how to get my Aoshi to decide to court me." Misao admitted. "After today I am pretty sure he likes me, he did volunteer to be my partner in our games, so..." The pretty woman shrugged.

Karou shook her head. "I am sure that Aoshi is just..." Karou chewed on her bottom lip and shook her head. "I don't think he is any less interested in you than Kenshin is in me Misao."

Misao sighed. "How can I be sure?"

Kaoru raised her wide blue gaze to Misao's. "When your around him, does it feel as if some part of you that was missing seems to find its way back to you, do you feel like everything has a strange sense of having been done before?" Kaoru questioned. "Does something inside of your bones seem to want to reach and grab him and for some reason that you can't figure out never let go?"

Misao stared at Kaoru with wide eyes. "You believe this stuff about past lives don't you?"

Karou shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

Misao sighed. "Well since that one night I have yet to have some weird third person dream."

Karou smiled brightly. "There is that."

Misao picked herself off the futon and stretched. "I think I am going to hit the futon. I am tired and Aoshi and Kenshin have been muttering something about the Aoiya, so were probably moving out tomorrow."

Karou nodded as she crawled under the covers of the Futon and buried her head in her pillow. She was just to tiring to thing of anything else but sleep. She would have plenty of time to think about what happened tonight later.

~*~

Kenshin ran his fingers through his still damp hair as laid his Futon out. Standing up he moved towards his door, remembering to grab a shirt at the last second and finding no need to button it once it was on.

Lazily he moved towards Hiko's room to discuss the events of tomorrow and the move back to the Aoiya. It was more dangerous there, but at least they where in contact with the outside world. It was time that they started to buckle down on Enishi and his forces.

He had it on good word from Soujiro that Karou and Misao not only had contacts in Kyoto, but they were more than capable of taking care of themselves. There ability to handle what was thrown at them was not what worried him; it was the growing power behind the blood moon. It was the beginning of the moon cycle and with each phase he knew that many would feel the strengthening of power.

Kenshin, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Aoshi all kept carefully away from that growing power source, knowing what it could and would cause them to do. But many of the weaker Vampires would not have the strength of will to avoid its draw, but for those who had seen to much blood shed and had tasted the revolting power behind it, there was nothing more dangerous than this.

In more peaceful times Vampires could get lost in there mates, for Aoshi and Kenshin, the time would have been spent securing the binding with their mates. But because of the threats rising from all directions they found themselves being forced to make ties in places and situations they where not all to sure about.

Kenshin stood next to his Shishou's door for a moment, remembering the taste of her blood filling his mouth and the blood lust that once so nearly drove him insane, residing with that taste. Kaoru unknowingly having satisfied it with a mere taste…

One of the many reasons mates' where so important to their male counterparts was because of their ability to calm the strong need to feed on blood and the desire to dominant those weaker than themselves. The fact that both sides of Kenshin, the echo of the Battousai, and the Rurouni, both having conformed into Kenshin so many years ago, felt the threat was more than enough to tell Kenshin how much danger he was playing with.

Rapping gently he moved into his Shishou's room and waited for Hiko to make an appearance.

"So you have decided to start the motions that will bind the Kamiya girl to you." Hiko said as he walked into the room, his cape, for once, missing.

"Yes Shishou." Kenshin responded with a touch of asperity.

"Good. For once Baka Deshi you have made the right decision. I must also say that your choice to go back into Kyoto is also stupid but an understandable choice." Hiko turned then, his arms crossed, a scowl upon his features. "You may not take the child with you, however."

Kenshin bowed his head, effectively hiding his amusement. His Shishou was attached to the child even if he would not admit it himself. "Of course Shishou, you can protect her far better than I can."

"Of course, skilled you may be, but you have nothing on me, my Baka Deshi." Hiko chastised, as if Kenshin would ever think himself greater than the 13th Master.

"Go and sleep now, you must leave early." Hiko warned, turning in a move that was a clear dismissal.

Kenshin bowed before he turned and quietly left, heading for the stairs that would take him to Karou.

Karou awoke to the feeling of gently being lifted out of the cocoon of sheets and blankets, while her sleep fuzzed brain attempted to make out exactly what was going on, more importantly why she was suddenly cold. And come to think of it, why was there warm skin under her cheek?

"Himura Kenshin," Karou questioned in a tired manner, "is there a reason for this, or am I just simply going to have to hurt you? I was asleep!"

Kenshin ducked his head and smiled into her hair. "You sleep with me now Koishii."

"I do WHAT?" Kaoru questioned managing to jerk herself awake rather suddenly.

"Sleep with me." Kenshin responded patiently. "We had a small Ki transfer, koibito, and in order to keep our Ki inter-twined in the sign of courting we have to maintain a certain amount of physical contact."

Karou groaned in disbelief.

"It's simply easier to do this if we sleep together, since I doubt you want to hold my hand all day." Kenshin teased lightly. "I promise, Koishii, not to move past any walls you wish to keep up." In more than one way, Kenshin thought in amusement, which Kaoru must have sensed since her fist tapped him 'lightly' in the ribs.

"Hentai," Kaoru hissed, her face flaming.

"So if you can stand some light cuddling during the night," Kenshin went on as if she had not spoken, "Then this should work out just fine."

Karou really just wanted to go back to sleep, never mind where, and was willing to let this slid tonight, but tomorrow he was getting it.

Kenshin easily settled her on the futon, his gaze glowing pale amber and filled with tenderness as he watched her crawl under the covers and sink her dark head into one of his pillows, her breathing almost immediately deepening with sleep.

Kenshin tossed his shirt over the back of a nearby cushion before sliding into the sheets next to her, shifting her head to his arm and in return finding himself wrapped in a half hug as she, in her sleep, attempted to get comfortable.

"Oh Koishii," Kenshin breathed closing his eyes in savored bliss, having her in his arms after so long was like water to a starving man.

Tucking her under his chin Kenshin allowed himself to find sleep, his body and mind both relaxed for the first time since the start of the ordeal that had started so long ago on this same mountain.

Well I hope you enjoyed that. Once again no cliff hanger (eyes twinkle) but I can't promise that for the next chapter...in other words...enjoy your freedom while it lasts.