THREE

Chapter One

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DISCLAIMER: If I were Nobuhiro Watsuki, I wouldn't be writing hentai stories and posting them here, now, would I?

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Kaoru slowly rubbed the towel over her hips, down one leg, then the other. Her muscles felt loose and her skin, still damp and pink from the bath, was so sensitive that the roughness of the cloth tickled wherever it touched her. Teaching and training all morning and afternoon, then an hour spent soaking in water as hot as she could stand it. It had been a perfect day.

And now that Sano was off to the gambling hall and Yahiko had left for the Akabeko to see Tsubame... All she needed to make this a perfect evening was Kenshin.

Kenshin. She sighed happily. Even now, five months after he'd confessed his feelings for her, she still blushed when she thought about the things he'd done to her. The things he made her want to do.

Where is Kenshin, anyway? She hadn't seen or heard him since he'd heated the bath for her. Usually she'd hear him lugging the laundry tub around, or he'd stop under the bathing room window to ask if she wanted him to add another log to the fire.

Wrapping herself in a light yukata -- pale lavender, a color she'd taken to wearing ever since Kenshin had mentioned it was his favorite -- Kaoru began to search.

He wasn't in the dojo, although the floor was immaculate: he'd finished cleaning. The laundry was still hanging out to dry, which meant he probably hadn't gone out. He wasn't in the kitchen either, but he'd thoughtfully left a small tray of food for her -- rice balls, radish, pickled ginger. Kaoru smiled at the offering. Kenshin knew I'd be hungry after teaching all day.

But where had he gone?  The only place she hadn't checked was her room.  Our room, she corrected herself. But it's pretty early for Kenshin to be in bed. She giggled as the thought struck her: maybe he's waiting for me to get out of the bath and join him.

Tiptoeing down the hall, Kaoru made her way to the door of her bedroom. It was closed. She adjusted her yukata so that it bloused a little more loosely over her breasts -- a modest show of cleavage -- then flung the door aside. "Surprise, Kensh-"

The room was empty, their futon still folded neatly and pushed against the far wall.

Where could he have gone? Without telling her? A quick flare of panic spread out through her chest. The last time he'd gone wandering, he'd come to her first, to say goodbye...

A soft sound caught her attention -- coming from Yahiko's room? Kaoru sighed, smiled at herself for panicking so easily. Of course he'd tell her before he went anywhere. He's probably just straightening up.

Biting back another giggle, she crept down the hallway, as quietly as she could. He probably knows I'm coming, but knowing Kenshin, he'll pretend to be surprised to humor me. He's so sweet.

As she reached the door to Yahiko's room, Kaoru heard the noise again, a little louder. It sounded like a moan. Maybe he's napping? Lately, Kenshin had been dreaming almost every night, dreams of the Bakumatsu, of the men he'd killed and the people he hadn't been able to save. She'd lie next to him in the early hours of the morning, sometimes stroking his head until he quieted, other times waking him up from the nightmares of his past.

Poor Kenshin. Someday I'll find a way to save you from these awful dreams.

She slid the door open gently, and there he was... He was...

Kaoru couldn't breathe. She willed her lungs to expand but they remained frozen in mid-exhale.

Kenshin was standing in the middle of the room, naked from the waist up, with his back to the door. His dark red hair was unbound, and it fell to his waist, the ends brushing the waistband of his white hakama. He was breathing heavily, and as he turned his head to look at her, she noticed that his lips, slightly parted, seemed swollen.

Standing next to him, one hand still resting possessively on Kenshin's waist, stood the person that Kenshin had been kissing when she'd opened the door.

Run. Oh God. Her feet wouldn't move either. She felt as if she'd been standing here for her entire life, staring at the two of them through a burning haze of tears.

How can this be happening?

Kenshin, his face roiling with indecision and guilt, took a step toward her. "Kaoru-dono."

Breathe. Breathe breathe breathe. Kaoru swayed as the dizziness washed over her. I'm the one who's stuck in a bad dream.

Kenshin's mouth moved again, but he made no sound. He was clearly at a loss for words.

Kenshin's nearly-naked lover, on the other hand, suffered no such difficulty.

"Hello, Tanuki Girl." Saitou Hajime retrieved his uniform shirt from the pile of clothing on the floor and fished a cigarette out of the chest pocket. "Have a nice bath?"

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Author's Note:

I read a Kenshin-Saitou fic and for some reason the image of a threesome popped into my head -- I'm writing this story to get that picture out of my head! :) So if you're the kind of person who might be scarred for life after imagining Kaoru in bed with Kenshin and Saitou, STOP READING NOW.

Having said this, once I decided to write this one, I wanted to see if I could do it and keep all three of them in character for the entire story. Might be impossible, but bear with me, ok? I'll do my best.

I know this is a silly fic, but it's still practice for me -- so if you do have suggestions for improving my writing (pointing out cliches, awkward phrases, stilted dialogue, etc.) I would love the critique.

And sorry, I know it's evil of me to stop there, but my fanfic writing time is my daily commute on the bus, so if I can't write it in a 45 minute sprint, it has to wait until the next day. More coming soon!

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