A Note From Sedjet: Grr. I was just perusing the Inuyasha section and I came across a Rent crossover fic. It pisses me off more than a little bit. I know that everyone is entitled to write what they feel like writing. I just feel incredibly cheated. And here, I thought I was being original. Suddenly, I'm not. Grr. That and the majority of the story is completely plagiarized. The writer hasn't even given Jonathon Larson credit for the lyrics that are the dialogue of this person's story. I think that is what gets me the most. So, c'mon people. Be original. Yeah, yeah. Call me a hypocrite, but I haven't stolen Jonathon's lyrics as my own, and my story isn't Rent re-told with RK characters. It actually has its own storyline based around Rent rather that stealing from Rent word for fuckin' word. sigh Ok. That's my rant. On with the show…

Rent

Chapter Seven:

Getting to Know You

Kenshin followed Kaoru into her first floor apartment and kicked the door shut with his foot. He wasn't sure what he was doing there. All he knew was that he was drawn to this girl for some reason. He needed to be near her. He needed to know her. He needed her to know him. She was the single-most idealistic person he had ever met, and it both annoyed and intrigued him.

She looked back at him and smiled as she led him through the living room to a storage room of sorts that was home to all manner of costumes and...equipment. Kenshin raised an eyebrow.

"The more I know about you, the more it scares me."

Kaoru laughed out loud. She gestured to a low shelf with two levels. "Just put the stereo on the shelf." The bottom was full of every genre of music imaginable, so Kenshin assumed she wanted it on the top level. He straightened and came face to…face…with a pair of fur-lined handcuffs. A chill ran down his spine as he imagined how much fun they could have with those handcuffs. He turned to see Kaoru staring at him with her hands on her hips, her head cocked to the side. She was obviously checking him out.

"I don't think it scares you." She stalked him slowly. She backed him against the wall, pressing her small hands against his chest and leaning in to him. She pressed herself flush against him, nestling her face in the crook of his neck. "I think you are imagining the fun we can have with those handcuffs."

The sensation of her breath and lips moving against his skin was almost too much for Kenshin. He felt his treacherous body responding to her pull and cursed his lack of self control. His arms itched to hold her flush against him and give as good as he got, but his mind told him that he was betraying Tomoe's memory. The conflicting emotions nearly did him in, and he could feel the pricking of tears behind his eyelids and he stood stock still.

Kaoru heard the hitch in his breath, and her arms came up behind his back to hold him loosely. "It's ok," she murmured softly. "You can grieve, and you can cry. I promise I won't think any less of you." She stroked a gentle hand over his hair, and that was the breaking point. He sagged against her, and she felt wetness on her shoulder. He had been so angry for so long that he hadn't given himself a chance to grieve properly. It broke Kaoru's heart as she stood there, holding him and weeping with him.

Kenshin clutched at her, holding her tightly as if she were a lifeline, and they slid to the floor. He hated that he was crying in front of a girl who was practically a stranger. He hated that he needed this and he needed her at this moment. He was thankful, however, that it was her instead of Sano or Sou. That would have been humiliating. He never would have heard the end of it if he had broken down and cried like a girl in front of those two.

This girl, a girl that cried for a man beyond help…she was certainly something. Yes, at this moment, he was thankful for her presence.

She began to hum to him a tuneless melody as she rocked him back and forth. Her voice was raw and untrained, but had a husky quality that sent shivers down his spine to a primal place down, deep in his abdomen. He whimpered against her shoulder, and she cooed to him, murmuring soothing nothings into his crimson hair. She shifted from her kneeling position to a sitting position in order to maneuver him to a more comfortable position between her legs. He immediately melted against her, sliding down so his head was pillowed on her breasts.

Kaoru leaned back, stroking a hand through the ample length of his brilliant hair. "Are you finished?"

"Mm," was his half-conscious reply.

"Are you going to be alright?" she murmured.

"Someday," he murmured.

"That's progress, at least," and there was laughter in it. Her voice was rich and soft and like velvet against his ears. He could feel the vibrations of her voice resonating deep in her chest and knew that it could lull him to sleep.

"Thank you, Kaoru," he murmured very, very softly.

An oh-so-sweet pain nudged at her heart. She was moved beyond words at that one, simple utterance and, after a silence, she said, "You're welcome, Kenshin." They sat in silence for a long moment, so long that Kaoru thought Kenshin had to be asleep. She craned her head to try to see his face, but her view was obscured by his ridiculously long but sexy bangs.

"Kenshin?"

"Mm?"

"We should probably get off of the floor of the closet, don't you think?"

"Mmpf."

"I'll take that as a no, but I'm going to have a crick in my neck if we don't move soon." She began an attempt to extract herself from his embrace only to have it tighten around her. "Kenshin, really. C'mon," she grinned. "Do you really want to sleep on the floor of an S&M stripper's closet?"

"Too exhausted to move," he complained.

"You could make an effort, you know."

"Am."

"Oh? By just laying there?" Her amusement was evident by the color in her voice.

He tilted his head, peering up at her with those incredible eyes through that incredible hair that would make any woman mad with envy. "Maybe I like it here."

Kaoru almost forgot to breathe. That one phrase, said in that husky voice, with that heavy-lidded gaze made heat pool between her legs. When her brain finally decided to work again, she pushed him away, very gently. "C'mon, Kenshin. You should probably go now."

The man in question pushed himself to a seated position with his legs tucked under his butt, "Could I stay?"

Kaoru tried to ignore the tear-stained cheeks, the mussed hair, and the pleading and slightly hungry gaze, but it was the note of desperation in his voice that made her cave. "You could, but you might regret it tomorrow."

"I might regret it tomorrow if I didn't stay."

"It's up to you, but you need sleep. I'm not so sure you'll get any if you stay."

Kenshin's lips formed the ghost of a smile, "I'll be good if you will."

Kaoru chuckled softly, "Alright, I'll be good."

"Can I hold you?"

"Kenshin, I would let you do a lot of things if I thought you wouldn't hate me in the morning," she said, and he noted the hint of sadness in her expression and her voice.

Kenshin nodded and turned to exit the closet, but turned back to her, "I don't think I would regret it, but I think it is too soon. But I don't want to be alone tonight."

Kaoru smiled softly, "I'm glad that you want to not be alone with me." She giggled, and he smiled. "C'mon, I'll get you some sleep pants. I hope you don't mind Hello Kitty."

Once Kenshin had changed into the borrowed sleep pants (which she had not been kidding about…they were Hello Kitty), he padded out of the bathroom to find Kaoru wriggling out of her yoga pants. He couldn't help but stare at the shapely legs and perfectly rounded behind. He felt himself tighten at the sight of her. Her skimpy thong left nothing to the imagination. He could see everything down to how she trimmed herself. His mouth went as dry as the Sahara, and he made a small noise, which caused her to look his way.

"Pervert," she smirked. "Like the view?" He could only nod, "Good," she said, the smirk still firmly in place. "You might want to take a picture, though. It'll last longer." She shimmied out of her thong only to swap it for low-rise briefs, and he couldn't look away. He knew he should for the sake of propriety, but he couldn't.

When she turned around to find him still gaping at her, she rolled her eyes. "I'm a stripper, Kenshin. What did you expect?"

"…"

She rolled her eyes once more, throwing her hands in the air, "Great, he's broken."

In barely a moment, she found herself staring up into those intense, golden pools of light that were his eyes. She felt a shiver quiver through her entire body with just that look. When he reached out to touch her face, she closed her eyes. It had been so long since she had been touched by a man who wasn't copping a quick feel. He caressed her cheek and ran his hand down her neck, over her chest and to her hip, his eyes following the path of his hand. Kaoru shuddered in earnest at his possessive caress, and he looked back up at her. Those fiery, golden eyes told her that he knew what he was making her feel. She felt her knees begin to weaken, and he pulled her firmly to him. He pressed against her lower back, making sure she could feel exactly what kind of effect she had on him. He struck, then, his mouth swooping down to claim hers in a fierce, possessive kiss. One of her hands moved up to press against the flat, hard plane of his chest, while the other rested at the curve of his slim hip. Kenshin coaxed her lips open and caressed her tongue with his, taking her lower lip between his teeth and pulling gently. Kaoru moaned, bringing her arms up to loop around his neck. He took her cue and cupped her behind in his hands, lifting her against him only to have her wrap her legs around his waist. It was his turn to moan when she settled against his raging hard on, and he maneuvered them toward the bed. He sank to the mattress, and flipped them so that he was on top. He kissed her deeply, thrusting against her like a pre-pubescent twit, but he couldn't help it. He needed to be inside her, needed this physical contact that his body had been craving for so long.

Kaoru broke contact with his lips and pressed a hand against his chest when he tried to close the distance between them. "Kenshin, you need to get a grip," she smiled gently to soften the blow. "If we go any further than this, you are going to hate me in the morning." She looked into his eyes, willing him to understand. "Believe me, I would love to fuck your brains out, but I don't want you to rush into something that you aren't ready for." She paused, waiting for an answer. What she got was his forehead thunking against her sternum. "Is that ok, Kenshin?" He whimpered, but nodded against her sternum. She smiled at him, rubbing her cheek against his silken, blood red hair. "C'mon, beautiful, let's go to bed."

Author's Note: There it is! I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry. My humble apologies. I also apologize for the teaser. I wanted a sweet, waking up together scene, but my hands were determined to write their own story, so I had to reign it back in a bit. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it. I LOVE YOU ALL!