Constellation

MysticShadowWanderer

Disclaimer: The Cure rocks the socks that I refuse to wear.

Chapter Eleven: Sincerely

It was calming to Battousai to watch Kaoru sleep. The way her chest rose evenly with every deep breath made him think of what this woman had done for him, how she had changed him, and, most of all, made him feel all the more protective of her. He carefully and slowly crawled under the covers, scooping her body up next to his, needing her warmth to preserve his sanity. A soft sigh passed her lips, and he smiled at how content she seemed. The smile faded away after a moment when he realized that she still wore the clothes that she'd arrived in. He'd been away for several hours, buying necessities and working out business deals. With a sigh that was much less contented than hers, he reluctantly slipped out of bed to rummage through the bags he'd dropped by the door.

Finding a large shirt that he deemed appropriate, he yanked the tags out and tossed it on the bed. Chewing his lip thoughtfully, he debated on whether to wake Kaoru or not, finally deciding not to disturb the sleep that she needed after such a trying few days. Taking great care to move her as little as possible, he removed her clothes and slipped her into the oversized shirt, smiling gently as she opened her eyes a bit and then stretched a hand up to stroke his cheek, letting it fall as sleep rose up to reclaim her.

She was the light to his dark, he'd realized long ago. But there was something about her that screamed, calling out to him, cried of misuse and distrust, and he knew that she was not entirely innocent as he'd made her out to be at first. Without darkness there could be no light.

"Battousai," she murmured as he eased himself back into bed, drawing the thick blankets more closely around them. "Hold me," she whispered huskily.

"Mm," he assented wordlessly in a way that spoke more words than any sound she'd ever heard.

His body was firm but soft and she felt safe in his steady and gentle hold as his fingers stroked lightly at the skin of her cheek. Turning to place a kiss in his palm, she closed her eyes and relinquished the wavering grip that she had on reality, no longer able to keep up her semblance of alert when surrounded by his warm, comforting scent. Battousai felt her body grow heavy with sleep and still the motion of his fingers, tucking his face gently into the crook of her neck and allowing himself to let down just enough of his guard to join her in a light sleep.

Yawning and stretching, Kaoru blinked her eyes open until she adjusted to the light in the room. Battousai didn't move where he lay next to her, but she knew that he was quite awake. She nudged him gently with her elbow and when he refused to stir she put a bit more force behind the movement. A low growl in her ear told her that he'd felt the last one, when she emphatically jabbed her elbow into the area of his ribs that she knew was still tender from his accident. Chuckling quietly, she rolled over to face him, and he nipped at the end of her nose.

"Sleep well?" he asked, his voice holding no trace of the hoarseness that it would have possessed had he just woken. He'd been up for a while, she thought, and all he'd done was hold her. It was a nice feeling.

"Yes," she responded. "Very well. This is a very nice place."

Battousai nodded at her, brushing his fingers through her hair only to stop as she winced when they caught on a tangle.

"Go take a shower," he suggested. "You need to wash this." He tugged tenderly on a lock of her hair for emphasis.

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Kaoru stretched once more and climbed out of bed, glancing briefly at the clock. It was a bit past twelve in the afternoon, but it wasn't as if she were on some sort of a schedule anyhow. Digging through the bags that Battousai still hadn't moved from their place by the door, she found some clothes that looked suitable enough, and headed off into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a click.

Battousai leaned back against the thick pillows that were scattered in the general vicinity of the headboard of the bed, and watched the closed door. Now that he'd finally gotten what he wanted, that being Kaoru, he wasn't sure exactly what to think. He thought that perhaps he should feel guilty. After all, he'd been the one to offer the apple to the timid one, who'd convinced her that it was alright. And then he'd ruined her. He'd killed for her. But she had that kind of an affect on him, and he wasn't sure he quite understood. Though he couldn't quite comprehend the feeling, he was certain that he'd fallen in love with this fiery beauty, this sarcastically wonderful little sprite that seemed so doll-like yet so powerful. Was that love, when you would kill for someone, even if you had to kill yourself? He didn't know, but if it wasn't, he didn't want to love her. If love was not so complete as the way he felt for her, he didn't want to feel it.

Kaoru groaned slightly as the hot water hit her aching body, the sensation glorious and just what she needed after all that had happened in the last few days. Her thoughts lingered for a moment on how good it felt to rinse all the dirt, imagined and not, away, but soon enough she was thinking about Battousai. He'd killed for her. Yet no matter how hard she tried not to, how much she knew she shouldn't, she loved him. She needed every bit of him, the blood and the pain, the warmth and the love. She needed his sweet insanity and the way his body trembled as he held her. No matter how much she knew she should shy away from him, run away as a terrified little child would, she could not. And she didn't want to.

Her fingers worked the shampoo through her long hair with delicate precision and for a few moments she struggled with a large knot that was proving quite difficult to remove. After a couple minutes of frustration, she felt her hands being eased away, and she spun, startled. The quick movement caused her to slip, and she gasped when she realized that she was going to crash to the tiled floor of the shower. But she never hit the ground, and was caught by strong arms that refused to let her endure such injury. She opened eyes that had reflexively squeezed shut when she knew she was going to fall, and was met by an unwavering amber gaze. As if by their own will, her fingers stretched up to run through Battousai's now-dripping crimson hair, and he smiled at her.

"You don't mind if I join you?"

She could almost have laughed at his mundane statement, but didn't. Something in his stare wouldn't let her laugh, the heat behind the smile made it impossible. Her fingers slid down his arms and she stopped with a gasp.

"Your cast!" she exclaimed. "You can't-"

"Hush, love," he quieted her. "Leave it be, I'll be fine."

There was no use in arguing with him. Especially not when his convincing argument had turned to passionate kisses that he was lavishing upon her neck and shoulders. Tracing his scar with her fingertips, she grinned when he turned to nip at her fingers. In some ways, it was soothing to know that he was here with her, that he wanted her so much. Since her father's death, she had needed someone to keep her from feeling all the loneliness that she was building up inside. How ironic it was that she'd set out to kill this man not so long ago, and now she was here being loved by him. She blinked out of her trance to find him staring at her, his head tilted slightly as water continually plastered his thick bangs to his forehead. Reaching up, she pushed them aside with a smile.

"What are you thinking, sweetheart?" he murmured as he dipped his head to rest it on her shoulder.

"Nothing," she whispered, gathering him into her arms to clutch at him almost as desperately as he was holding her. She gasped when she felt a quick, slightly painful bite at her shoulder.

"That's not true," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Battousai," she replied in earnest. "Nothing's wrong..."

"What then?" He dragged his tongue across the juncture of her neck and shoulder, causing her to shiver.

"I just..." she didn't know how to put into words what she felt, "I love you, is all."

His grip tightened, the cast on his arm digging in to her back almost painfully. It was a welcome pain, though, and she reveled in the feeling of his skin against hers and in the feeling of complete protection. It was alright that he didn't respond to her confession, she understood. Even though he didn't know how to say it for himself, she knew what he felt. And it was alright.

Kaoru laughed happily as she strolled down the street, arm-in-arm with Battousai. The air was chill, but her warm coat kept the bite of the air away from her skin, and the sun was shining. They had just been out to lunch, and she couldn't help but feel just a bit withdrawn from the real world. Though she knew she would have to come back down to earth, Battousai's smiles and sometimes sultry looks told her that right now she could indulge herself in her fantasy. For a while everything could be perfect.

And how could it not be right here in this moment? She held onto the arm of the man she loved, she was in a foreign country that she'd never seen before, and she'd just eaten a wonderful meal. There was nothing wrong with pretending like nothing could go wrong, was there?

It seemed as if she could deceive herself for just a while longer when Battousai froze, jerking her accidentally to a halt. Her eyes were wide with question, but she was silent at the stony look on his face. Without a word, he steered her back the other direction, back toward the hotel. His black trenchcoat swirled around his legs as he swiftly cut through the crowd, Kaoru following on his heels so that she could move in the path that cleared for him. Even in a country where he was not known, people stepped aside for the small man with the fiery hair and hellish eyes. It was awe-inspiring and frightening.

"What-"

"Don't ask questions just yet, love," he interrupted. "Not yet," he murmured."

She nodded, sitting on the bed with a bewildered expression. What went on in his head was a mystery as always, but she could tell that he thought there was some sort of a threat to them, because his fingers were running up and down the hilt of his katana that was strapped to his side as usual. It was strange how something so conspicuous could all but disappear when he was carrying it. She hadn't yet learned the art of deception that he practiced when he walked on the streets, but somehow he seemed to fade away into the background, despite his countenance and carriage, which both suggested that he would easily stand out in a crowd. She shook her head, her hair falling over her shoulder, and wondered again about the man that was nearly silently pacing the wall.

Gradually the tension flowed out of his body and his hand fell again to his side; Kaoru sighed in relief, finally relaxing and allowing herself to fall back on the bed, her arms above her head and crossed at the wrists. He turned to look at her, studying her as if he'd never seen her before. With a shake of his head he collected himself and began removing weaponry and whatever clothing was unnecessary in the warmth of the room. Kaoru suddenly remembered that she was still wearing her coat and shoes, and quickly shed the unwanted articles. She always felt so much freer when she had no shoes on, more like herself.

Battousai sat down next to her and just looked down on her, not saying a word.

"What was that?" she asked finally.

"'That' was Shinomori Aoshi," he answered without hesitation. Clearly the danger, imagined or not, had passed.

"Who?" The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"He would be the one that's here to kill me, and then do only God knows what with you." The response was dry, as if he were talking about someone else entirely. The emotionlessness of his tone sent shivers down her spine.

"How did he wind up here?"

"He's the leader of the Oniwabanshu, a group of ninja that are currently in alliance with Katsura. The group is highly trained, highly skilled, and highly dangerous. My insubordination has likely pushed Katsura to his limits, and now he's sent Shinomori to retrieve me. Of course, Shinomori hates me because... well... let's just say we don't stand eye to eye on certain matters involving the death of one of his close friends. Rather than bring me back, I'm sure he plans to kill me."

"What are you going to do?"

"Kill him first."

A/N: Fluff! Whee! When all else fails, turn to fluff, because you can't go wrong with that. Seriously. Who doesn't like it? Anyhow, school is killing my ability to write daily, what with homework and trying to actually get some decent sleep once in a while. (Didn't happen last night, by the way. I had the STRANGEST dream about a Jamaican ghost. Weird.) Anyhow, just be patient, I'm trying as hard as I can. It goes slowly, but at least it goes, ne? I would love to say the same as Bando-chan, who mentioned Labor Day (is that supposed to be capitalized or not?) and getting a lot of work done then. No dice. I have a four-day horse show this weekend, and while I might get some stuff done while I'm in the RV on my breaks, I doubt I'll get any serious writing in. The only time I've ever gotten anything done at this show was last year when I had a nasty cold the last day and sat around the entire time in the RV playing FFX and at the ringside with a cup of green tea in my hands, watching my friends show. It was raining too. :bleh: Anyhow, enough rambling. I know this chapter was a BIT short, but it was longer than last time, and I HOPE it was a little bit better. God, the last chapter sucked. I may have to go back and change that if I get the time... Anyhow, it's bedtie for poor Shadow, who is about to pass out from exhaustion.

Oh, by the way... I've also been writing less because I've obtained a copy of Interview with the Vampire, and have been avidly reading that. And my friend loaned me books 3 and 4 of Fruits Basket, so... well... I've been busy. (So many pretty men! I want to squeeze the life out of all of them! Sadly, that wouldn't work very well... [Fans of Fruits Basket know what I'm talking about.]) Anyhow, this time I really am shutting up. Gah! I MUST go to bed...

Quote of the day!
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean