Disclaimer: Hey, hey, if I owned Kenshin or Battousai, do you think I'd be writing fics about them? XD There's better stuff to be done with them *snicker*
A/N: Ooh, ^^ glad to see that there actually are people reading my newest effort ^^ hehen~ Oh, btw, just in advance for the rest of this story, I'll tell you now. FYI, in this story there will be:
a) SMUT! Don't say that I didn't warn you! ;p don't read if you're not of age! Lol.
b) There are very possibly gonna be quite a few dark parts in this fic, so once again, you've been warned.
c) OOCness; this is an AU after all, and there will therefore be some differences as to how the characters may act, but essentially, they will be as they always have been.
d) AR – tis an Alternate Reality, it *does* follow some of the original RK line, but only to a certain extent.
e) I can't stress this point enough: Battousai and Kenshin are two different people! What am I talking about? Oh, you'll see.
f) Tons of supernatural powers exist in this fic.
g) Pairings: BattousaixKaoru, KenshinxKaoru, side AoshixMisao, SanoxMegumi.
Well, having said that, I hope you enjoy this chapter! LIME alert! XD Guess who's watching Kaoru in the shower?
Reviewers' Space!
Alex – Yup, that I will! Here's the next chapter and thanks for R&Ring!
Amanda – You really do? ^^ That rocks! Thanks for R&Ring and here's the next chapter!
MP1 - ^^ Glad that you like it! And ah Clones Clones Clones hee. The truth will all come out as the story progresses. Happy to hear that you like the concept too, and yep, I'll continue! :p Can't wait to see an update on your fic 'Faithfully' too! ^^ Thanks for R&Ring!
Sapphire-StarLight – I certainly hope so! Yesh, I shall update as much as I can; thanks for R&Ring!
Schmidie-lee83 – XD It gets better! ^^ Lol, hope you enjoy this chapter too! Thanks for R&Ring!
Holly (e-mail) – Once again, thanks so much for reviewing! ^^
PsychoSushi – Interesting nickname you've got there I've gotta say ^^ sorry, don't mind me. Anyhow, glad that you're enjoying it so far, and well, ;) what can I say? You've got to keep reading to find out whether the Clone version will turn out, ne? XD I'm so evil. All I will say is that they are two different people and yet are not two different people. Confused? All will come clear as the story progresses. Thanks for R&Ring, and hopefully I'll see you 'round in the chapters to come!
Inu22 - ^^;; Really? Well, hope you keep reading then! Thanks for R&Ring!
Anime – Glad that you find it interesting so far! Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you 'round in the updates to come!
Rekka's Angel – Lol, yesh, another story that I just *had* to start _ It's probably kinda suicidal though, dealing with two fics at one time. But well, I'll live ;) Have I really got you hooked onto this as well? Lol, that rocks then! ^^; thanks for R&Ring and see you around in the next chapter then!
Cait – Thanks, I'm really glad that you like it! ^^ This story is probably gonna take a while, so hopefully you'll keep reading! Thanks for R&Ring and here's the next chapter!
Kaoru23 – Lol, hey there girl! Yesh, you are indeed the greatest ^^ *hugs* Thanks so much for R&Ring both fics at once, and I'm really glad that you love it! *gives you some cookies* Thanks once again for R&Ring, and ;) I'm definitely gonna see you again in the chapters to come! XD Mwahah~
Leigh4 - ^^;;; I feel as if I've made him into some kind of sex god or something in this! *chuckle* XD but that's a good thing, right? Anyway, I'm glad that you like him the way he is right now, but ooh, there's more to come ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the next chapter!
The Girl Who Cried Oro – Heeeey! XD A reviewer from NTK too! Lol, thanks so much for reading this new fic of mine, and thanks for thinking that I can write! I'll update as soon as I can, and thanks for R&Ring both fics! XD
Kerrie - ^^; ehen~ Thanks! I'll update it as soon as I've finished writing a chapter, so never fear! More will be coming soon! Thanks for R&Ring!
Aryana1 – Yup, will update ASAP. XD Hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Thanks for R&Ring!
LilAzNStar – Thanks for R&Ring, and that I will!
Aglaia102 – Glad that you're enjoying it so far ^^ Thanks for R&Ring, and here's the next chapter!
On to the fic!
Chapter 2: Tales of Seduction
Thoughts are in ' '
Speech is in " "
His amber eyes devoured the sight of her body hungrily, watching each drop of water slide down her body with fascination, wishing that those drops of water were his own hands that were travelling the length of her body instead. His clothes had changed again; this time he was no longer wearing one of the customary black suits that he often wore, but was clothed in form-fitting black leather pants and a navy blue sleeveless vest that showed off his lithe but muscular body perfectly. The leather pants suddenly felt too tight, and he knew very well that it had nothing at all to do with the heat that came from the hot steam of Kaoru's shower, but stemmed rather, from the very delectable sight of Kaoru herself.
Battousai stood by the mirror in the 'invisible' form that Watchers always took when they decided to walk in the human worlds, reflection in the mirror unseen, and even if Kaoru turned around now, she would have seen nothing unless he Materialized in front of her. Few humans had ever seen Watchers with the naked eye, but some who had spiritual powers very well could, but dismissed them as the other hovering spirits who walked the Earth also unseen. However, Battousai didn't want to Materialize before Kaoru's eyes yet. He would wait for her to get used to his unseen presence in the apartment first before actually Materializing for her to see. A dark smirk curved his lips.
Just because he wasn't going to Materialize didn't mean that he couldn't claim her yet by fleeting touches or kisses that she would only think were imaginary or just her mind playing tricks on her. His mind made up, he moved towards the shower cubicle in which Kaoru was in, reaching inside without even having to open the door. One of the advantages of being a Watcher was that the rules of physics could be bent to your will too, and so it was that Battousai's arms passed through the glass doors as easily as if they were passing through water. Stepping completely through the glass door and into the hot shower, he allowed his eyes to travel the length of Kaoru's body, eyes taking in every silky curve of her skin.
She was like one of those 'nymphs' found in Faerie stories; long ebony tresses that flowed down her back, sticking to her body like a second skin; exquisite blue eyes that were squeezed shut now against the cascading jet of water from the shower head. The steam from the hot water created an even more ethereal quality to her, adding to the unearthly beauty that she seemed to possess as the light danced off the shimmering surface of her skin. Her arms were outstretched to the stream of water that gushed like rain from the shower, the nipples of her full breasts erect from being exposed to the air, her cheeks a rosy red from the heat. It took all his willpower to stop from Materializing in the shower right then and there with her and claiming her as his, mind, body and soul.
Still, he had waited more than a hundred years after all, so what did a few more days or even months mean to him? He could be patient if he wanted to be. Amber eyes blazed with passion as he reached out to caress the skin of her hips. So he wouldn't 'Mate' with her right now…but as for touching her…that was an entirely different thing.
He would touch her, and he would touch her now.
His fingers barely touched her skin, naught but a fleeting touch, yet he could already hear the small gasp that escaped from her lips unbidden. Flicking his tongue out to taste the skin of her neck he groaned softly at the taste of water mingled with her scent, but was unheard by her. Battousai was standing directly behind her now, one hand reaching across her body to flutter butterfly touches over her abdomen, while the other hand was reaching down, down towards the secret spot between her legs. One finger stroked the line of her sex lingeringly, and he watched in mild amusement through narrowed eyes as her eyes flew open, wide with surprise, the shape of her lips forming a perfect 'o'.
Unwillingly pulling away from her…for the time being, he returned to his dark realm, only to watch her from there, but not before leaving an Illusion spell. What was the point of not letting her see just who had claimed her? The Illusion spell wouldn't show any signs of his presence there, and the Elders wouldn't be able to argue with that. The temptation to push his fingers inside of her and to hear her screams of ecstasy had been far too close for his liking; that would have to be done another time.
Kaoru's eyes flew open with the sensation of phantom fingers touching her right there and what felt like an open-mouthed kiss pressed upon her neck. She flushed a bright red, berating herself for having such fanciful thoughts, trying to alleviate the heat that seemed to be building from between her legs and the dizzy desire that almost always came with it. If she hadn't known better, she could have sworn that there had been someone in the shower with her, but only the misty steam surrounded her making the light bend and refract, so it could be nothing more than her tired mind acting up again. Lathering the soap over her body quickly and ignoring the lingering desire, she finished her shower quickly.
She shivered at the cooler air as she stepped out of the shower cubicle, quickly towelling herself dry, and pulling the T-shirt she had nabbed from her room earlier over her head quickly, then proceeding to pull her panties up her legs. With one towel slung over her shoulder, Kaoru plugged a hair dryer into a nearby socket, weaving her hands through her damp her as she blew it dry. Movement in the corner of her eye made her look at the mirror, and her eyes widened in shock and trepidation at the reflection there.
There was someone else in her apartment!
She stared, dumbfounded at the man who was reflected in her bathroom mirror, entranced by the feral beauty that seemed to surround him. Crimson hair flowed over his shoulders and down his back, and she gulped slightly as her eyes trailed his body from top to toe; he was nothing short of magnificent and her breath caught in her throat as the corners of his lips turned themselves upwards into an arrogant smirk and his eyes – were they amber? – flashed at her. Kaoru blinked once, and he was gone.
Whirling around to look at the wall behind her, she found nothing there, but her heartbeat was still racing, the pulse throbbing in her chest, her mouth dry. She shook her head vigorously as she rubbed her eyes hard before looking at the wall once again. What did she expect to find? A gorgeous specimen of the male gender who was making her pulse race and giving her mind perverted thoughts?
Nothing. Only the evaporating mist from the shower lingered there, and there was no sign of a gorgeous man with crimson hair and passionate amber eyes. Kaoru's mind was awhirl with confusion; it had seemed so real! But her eyes didn't deceive her, for there was no one standing there at all. Her feet shifted slowly on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, and she shivered slightly at the sudden coolness beneath her feet as her fingers touched the wall where her illusionary man had stood. Although the eye contact couldn't have been more than five seconds long, the look of desire and barely veiled passion behind his hooded eyes was already imprinted into her memory. She shivered again; the way he had looked at her! 'Gods!'
"I can't believe my brain is actually fried enough to think up stuff like that." Kaoru muttered to herself as she slipped her feet into the straw slippers that she wore around the house, flicking the light switch off and turning the exhaust fan on. It was a lost cause, for surely there was no man on earth who could be that gorgeous and still have a perfectly masculine feel about him. She rolled her eyes at herself as she entered her bedroom, sinking her weight slowly onto the bed as she swung her legs up and onto the bed, pulling the blankets around her body. It was still the lingering winter of March, but the new spring of April would be here soon; she enjoyed wearing just an oversized t-shirt and panties to sleep even though it was cold, loving the comfort and sense of home that it gave her.
Kaoru sighed contentedly as she sank into the soft pillows, the fatigue catching up to her even after a refreshing shower. As her mind drifted off towards sleep, the image of the red-haired man returned and she mumbled a name under her breath that she had not uttered ever since her existence in another timeline.
"Kenshin…"
~*~
Battousai's lips curved into an upward smile; he had watched her reaction to the Illusion image he had left behind with interest. From the way she had shivered after his image had disappeared and she had touched the wall, he could tell that he wasn't the only one who was feeling an unmistakable attraction; apparently he had had that effect on her too. 'Even if she doesn't recognize it, what I feel for her goes beyond just a mere Addiction. But soon enough,'
'She will come to know of it.'
He continued to Watch, like he always did, watching her pull her clothes on and exiting the bathroom only to enter her room to sink into the comfort of the inviting bed. Yet another one of the human things that he didn't understand much about; Watchers never felt the need to 'sleep', for they never felt tired, and there never was a need to. The gentle rise and fall of her breathing indicated that she was asleep, and he realized that the temptation touch her, feel her, seduce her, had never been greater than it was now.
The slivers of moonlight through the window illuminated her flawless alabaster skin, making her look like nothing less than a sleeping goddess to his eyes. She moved slightly, turning in her sleep, pushing the blanket away from her, and the large t-shirt that she wore slid across her skin as well, baring a naked shoulder to him, as if in silent invitation.
Battousai's eyes flared a darker gold, lust coming to surface. His fingers gripped hard into the armrest of the conjured chair he was sitting in, knuckles stark white under his skin. He licked his lips, swallowed hard; even in her sleep she had such a hold over him, the innocent sleeping seductress, so unaware of what she was doing to him.
"Damnit." He cursed softly to himself.
Bright light flared once and he was gone again.
~*~
The air next to Kaoru's bed shimmered, like a mirage in a desert, and then Battousai Materialized in her room, this time dressed in a casual gray sweater and slacks. His bare feet made no sound as they touched the floor as he descended from air, and he approached her sleeping form on the mattress, amber eyes glowing in the dark, light dying his crimson hair black. For a moment he just stood there, hands in his pockets, just taking in the sight of her, drinking in her beauty. He knew, knew that he shouldn't have Materialized so fast; the Elders would probably get wind of his presence in the timeline soon enough, but he longed to touch her skin again, feel the whisper of her voice, the soft intake of her breath. The mischief of just touching and leaving that he had felt earlier was gone, replaced by a heavier seriousness.
A heavier need. A need to love. And to be loved in return.
He hadn't meant to fall in love with her, a mere mortal, but Fate had its way of twisting things around, and this one but one of the fatal results. It was at times like this that he felt as vulnerable as any human would be; the one thing that had given him some semblance of 'life' could also be easily taken away from him. It was ironic, really, the way he would still be alive hundreds, even thousands of years after she died, alone in his dark cold world of nothingness, while she burned bright, all but living a flicker of candlelight, so easily snuffed out.
Ironic that she knew him, yet knew him not at all.
Not for the first time since his existence as a Watcher, he wished that he was but one of the mere mortals in one of the many timelines, just living out a simple mortal life, with the ones that he loved. A life filled with warmth and happiness, not eternal darkness and everlasting loneliness.
Most of all, human life was filled with people, from so many different walks of the world, so many diversities, so very human.
He sighed, fingering a strand of her midnight black hair that was splayed across her pillow. Now here he was again, wanting something that he could never have; how he wished he could trade places with his Clone, what he would give to touch 'real' things, not just conjured fancies that were cheap imitations of the human world. But the thing that would always be the most 'real' to him would be this mortal girl.
This Kamiya Kaoru.
He knelt by her bed, one hand braced on the mattress, while his other hand smoothed the locks back from her face, long fingers touching her cheek. She murmured softly in her sleep, face tilting up slightly into the palm of his hand. Battousai smiled slightly at her unconscious reaction to him, thumb ghosting over the closed eyelids, high cheekbones, then the soft lips, a soft light in his amber eyes. Hesitating but for a second, he eased himself onto the bed, lying on his side, propping his head up by one hand. Her bed was large, a queen-sized one, enough for two people to be on it at the same time comfortably.
His eyes were half-lidded as his finger ran over her lips, parting them slightly, before travelling down her neck, trailing between the valley of her breasts through the shirt and then splaying his hand upon her flat stomach that moved softly as she breathed. He let it lie there for a while, enjoying the sound of her breathing, a calming effect to him, before moving it to her right hip, stroking the skin there softly; her shirt had ridden up when she twisted in her sleep. His fingers slid across the silky skin of her thigh, caressing it.
She sighed sleepily, unconsciously parting her legs wider. Battousai's eyes glowed dark gold momentarily before lightening again to the usual amber. He whispered a soft growl to her as his hand moved to the inside of her thigh, "Even in your sleep you tease me. I, who should be the one doing the seducing." Chuckling lightly as he moved the hand up to the line of her panties, he continued.
"It seems to me as if the roles of seduction have been reversed, my sweet." Yet another innocent night time observing routine turned into another tale of seduction.
A middle finger rubbed softly against the fabric of her underwear, back and forth as he watched her face. Her lips parted as her tongue flicked out to moisten them, teeth sinking into the flesh softly as she bit her lip lightly. Her back arched slightly as her hips thrust upwards to meet his touch. A positively wicked smile stretched his lips as he felt the slight wetness through her panties. He replaced the middle finger with his thumb, rubbing the nub of flesh between her legs. Her knees drew up of their own accord, giving him better access and as he rolled his finger across her clitoris through the fabric, he allowed his thumb to press down slightly into her folds.
His eyes flickered back to her face as he heard her gasp, running her tongue over her teeth at the pleasure; he wondered if she was dreaming now, some abstract hot dream where an unknown lover pleasured her. Battousai growled softly, moving his thumb faster in circles around the nub as her panties grew damper, her gasps turning into soft moans. The hardness that he felt in his own pants made him rub her harder as he tried to suppress his own desire. Her sharp intake of breath and the increasing wetness of the fabric told him that her pleasure had been fulfilled, and he withdrew his hand from between her legs, pulling her shirt gently downwards before bringing the blankets up over her.
He froze suddenly as he saw her eyelids flutter open almost sleepily; she was awake! Half-asleep, yes, but still half awake. Pulling up from his spot on the bed, he pressed a kiss to her lips before nipping slightly at her neck. Kaoru's eyes fluttered close again and he breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close for his liking. He had to leave now before she actually woke up and found him there; it would be yet too soon to let her fully know of his presence yet. 'More time,' he thought to himself, 'more time.'
Battousai bent down to whisper into her ear once more before he returned to his realm again.
"Sweet dreams, Kaoru."
He glowed once, then disappeared.
~*~
Flame from a lighter illuminated the dark, before disappearing again in the flick of a finger. Embers of a cigarette glowed as he blew on it. Dark golden eyes fastened upon the image of the one in the shadows as he came into the light, dark blue eyes almost black.
"He went to see her, didn't he." It wasn't a question.
"Aa." The other replied, blowing of a puff of smoke.
"So soon?"
"Seems that way. You know how he's always been." He dragged on the cigarette again.
"We've got to cover it up before the Elders notice." He was always serious.
"Already done." He flicked his wrist once, the ash falling to the obsidian ground. "But you know they won't be fooled for long. He's only got that much of a time limit before his ass gets burned."
"Indeed." One word answers were his kind of thing.
"We'll just have to keep covering for him until then. After that, it's up to him." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I have to say that this Addiction is really getting to him though. At least last time it wasn't so bad, but this time…"
"He can't go back?"
"Aa."
Pale smoke exhaled again. "It's his funeral."
"He won't thank us for this, you know." Blue eyes narrowed in the darkness.
"As if he ever did." The cigarette smoked out, he let it descend to the floor before crushing it under his foot. "I'm going." The other disappeared back into the shadows from which he had appeared.
He remained, feral smile on his features. "It's your choice, Battousai."
Notes:
Materializing – Tadah! Yet another one of those fantastic Watcher abilities. They can exist in the human world without showing their physical form to anyone. Materializing means voluntarily allowing a human to see you.
Mate - :p one word for you people: Sex. Yesh, Watchers can 'Mate' with humans as well, ie. Have sex, but as to whether their powers can be transferred *shrug* still working on it.
Illusion spell – And yes, Watchers have magic powers too. An Illusion spell can be used to do almost anything, and does its job according to its name: creates an illusion!
A/N: Woo! Finally done. XD Lol, some lime action there, but don't worry, this ain't all just about sex ne? More of the storyline will come soon, and already you can see that Kaoru is becoming aware of her life in a past timeline. XD Mwahaha~ what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks to everyone who R&Red for the last chapter, and to everyone who has read this chapter, do R&R please!