Lunar Sun
By Aka Ketsueki
Mandatory Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin ©.
OxXxOxXxOxXxOxXxO
Chapter Four: Encounters
OxXxOxXxOxXxOxXxO
If breathing were a necessary vampiric trait, Kaoru was certain that she would have suffocated from having stilled herself, inside and out, as she stared into amused honey depths.
For a few seconds, Kaoru's ancient mind was unable to comprehend the fact that the very creature that had plagued her dreams endlessly for the past 175 years was standing right in front of her, looking for all the world as if he belonged in a civilized society that didn't drink blood to survive. Had he come to get her so soon?
"Koishii," drawled the Vampire, his lips forming a smirk worthy of Lucifer himself.
An unwanted, unstoppable shiver went down her spine and Kaoru couldn't help but close her eyes. It was then that she was acutely aware that there were no other customers inside the Akabeko. The only noise that reached her keen hearing came from within the room she had left only moments before and the kitchen.
Eyes snapping open, Kaoru took an unconscious step back when she realized she was now nose to nose with the Blood Realm's current ruler.
"You seem surprised to see me, koi," said the undeniably virile male, taking his time in stalking his prey as he took a step forward.
Kaoru growled.
"Don't you, 'koi' me, Battousai!" hissed Kaoru, her hands clenching on their own accord at her sides as anger soared through her body in waves.
"As temperamental as always, Kaoru," mused Battousai as he stood at his full height, his hands casually hidden within his pant's pockets.
Gritting her teeth at how familiarly he had used her name, Kaoru forced herself not to scream profanities or kill herself just to see the smug look on his face vanish.
Scowling as she remembered exactly who it was she was dealing with, Kaoru took another step back. The day Battousai let what was his go was the day Hell froze over and Satan chose to repent for his sins by exchanging his horns for feathered wings and a halo.
"Shouldn't you be in the Blood Realm and scheming with the rest of your almighty Vampires on how to enslave the human race, Kenshin?" bit out Kaoru darkly.
Battousai simply smirked at her sarcasm.
"Why waste my time planning when I can actually be going through with your suggestion?" asked Battousai, enjoying the suspicious and confused look that crossed his lover's face. "It's amazing what humans will do for a chance at power or money."
Kaoru's eyes widened at the double meaning of the Vampire's words.
"You...you bribed the customers to leave?" demanded Kaoru through narrowed eyes despite the obvious answer.
"I have no real use for mortal money," stated Battousai as a smirk once again graced his lips, "and they were more than willing to leave with my offer."
Kaoru gritted her teeth. How could she have forgotten how 'persuasive' her creator was when it came to getting his way?
Hearing footsteps, which no doubt belonged to the cross-dresser serving her old friends, Kaoru grabbed onto Battousai's left arm and practically dragged him out of sight and around another corner. She wasn't as paranoid with the Setas seeing her as Misao catching her talking to the "hunk of handsome." The nosy Itachi Musume wasn't going to let the subject drop, and Kaoru was more than certain Megumi would get involved, which meant another week or so without proper sleep. And dammit, she needed her sleep! So if it meant being completely alone with the arrogant Battousai, then so be it.
Letting go of Battousai's arm once they were far from prying eyes and ears, Kaoru turned and glared up into twinkling balls of fire.
Averting her gaze, Kaoru closed her eyes as ghost-like fingers caressed her cheek, trailing a heated path down her jaw and to her throat. Her eyes fluttered open as the familiar feel of the metallic edge of her blade slid against her neck.
"I thought you might want this back," whispered Battousai, his fangs brushing against her earlobe as the red weapon was dropped into her awaiting hands. His hypnotic eyes stared deep into her own, lighting a fire deep within her soul. Lightly brushing his lips against hers, Battousai answered her question from the night before, "I accept your challenge, koishii."
Between one blink and the next, any evidence that Battousai had ever been before her vanished.
Slightly dazed, Kaoru stared at the unsheathed dagger in her hand, her grip slowly tightening around its hilt until her knuckles turned pure white.
"I'll be waiting, Battousai."
xOxXxOx
Completely dehydrated and in a mood far beyond pissed, Kaoru slammed her lifeless body on top of her bed, burying herself in the closest pillow within reach. Today was just not her day, and it wasn't even over yet!
Groaning at how weak she felt, Kaoru kicked off her shoes and wrapped herself into a nice warm ball. The thought of having to feed once again because of a stupid Itachi Musume, who just had to make her go out during daylight hours, left her completely drained and tired enough to sleep knowing that her room was unlocked.
Mumbling about stupid weasels and conceited bastards, Kaoru felt her body prepare to shut off until sunset.
"Still talking in your sleep, koi?" asked an all too familiar voice.
Bolting up from her fetal position, Kaoru instinctively threw her pillow at her intruder. When no sound of contact returned to her blurred senses, Kaoru scowled and threw another. The sound of chuckling did nothing to slow her pace of throwing the contents of her bed at what should have been a shadow of her past.
Growling when she ran out of pillows, Kaoru buried herself deep into her comforters, shutting her eyes as if by doing so, the shadow would leave her alone. Clearly, the shadow hadn't been her imagination, because the next thing she knew, a bottle of wine was shoved next to her face.
Swapping the item away, Kaoru resolved to further hiding herself underneath her blankets. It wasn't until the indistinct smell of blood wafted into her nostrils that every single one of her senses cleared.
Grabbing at the bottle almost desperately, Kaoru sat up straight when she was allowed to take the precious and much needed contents from the bottle in large gulps, terribly glad that Vampires didn't need to stop and breathe.
Once the bottle was empty, Kaoru licked her lips, catching the last drops that escaped her mouth. It only took a few seconds before her body adjusted to the new life force and alerted her of her surroundings, especially of the auburn-haired Vampire seated on the edge of her bed.
Irked at the way he was simply staring at her as if she were the most fascinating thing in the world, Kaoru cautiously leaned over and placed the drained bottle on her night stand.
"Thank you," said Kaoru, gritting her teeth at the way amber eyes sparkled.
"You shouldn't have gone out into the sun if you knew you'd become this weak," reprimanded Battousai as he stretched out his right hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear almost adoringly.
Kaoru bared her fangs at him until his hand was safely back in his lap again.
"I would have been perfectly capable of feeding on my own after a few hours of rest," said Kaoru haughtily.
Battousai only smirked at her knowingly.
Fuming, Kaoru turned her attention to her blue comforter, wringing the material in her hands; careful not to rip it with her sharp claws.
"I would have thought that 175 years on your own would have improved your skills and childish behavior," said Battousai as his fingers wrapped around her wrists, "but I guess I was wrong."
When pulling her wrists out of his grasp proved futile, Kaoru settled for simply glaring at the other Vampire for his remark.
"I am not a child that needs protection!" snapped Kaoru, her temper beginning to get the better of her. "I don't need you to babysit me anymore!"
"Really now?" asked Battousai, pulling her to his chest in one fluid motion. "I would have thought otherwise from the way you're taking care of yourself."
Struggling to no avail to get out of his hold, Kaoru snarled, "I managed to last this long without you, didn't I?"
Battousai raised a brow. "Living in an apartment with a human roommate and depending on humans to give you your pay and prey is considered living successfully without me?"
"You know I never liked living the luxurious life," stated Kaoru, avoiding his disappointed gaze. Why was it that even now, after so many years, his opinion still mattered so much to her?
Shaking his head, Battousai released his apprentice's wrists as he got off of the bed.
"Take a bath," ordered Battousai, "you reek of humans."
Anger suddenly flaring, Kaoru scrambled off of the bed after him, turning the Vampire around to give him a piece of her mind.
"How dare you come into my room uninvited and order me–" started Kaoru, but was cut off when she found herself thrown back onto her bed and her lips crushed in a demanding kiss that threw all sense of reason out of her mind.
Her body betrayed her as it acted on its own accord, responding to every caress and heated kiss from the creature on top of her. Hands placed firmly on Battousai's shoulder, Kaoru couldn't help the moan of pure delight that escaped her lips as his fangs penetrated the skin at her neck. Slender fingers slid into his mass of blood silken hair, trembling as he suckled. The shudders that racked her body ceased only when he released her. Her eyes nearly rolled back into the crevasse of her mind when he soothed her wound with his warm and gentle tongue.
After giving up on the males of her race when she realized that none could possibly ever satisfy her burning desires, Kaoru had almost forgotten the sheer intensity and arousal that came with the sharing of blood.
What in the world had ever possessed her to forget the sensations he could give her with the simplest of ministrations?
Getting off of her and the bed almost reluctantly, Battousai ordered, "Bath. Now."
Knowing better than to argue, Kaoru complied with a wrinkle of her nose.
Collecting her clothes and a towel unthinkingly, Kaoru went to the bathroom she shared with her roommate, leaving the Vampire to his own devices within her room.
xOxXxOx
Kaoru sighed contentedly as she walked out of the steaming bathroom, combing the tangles out of her ebony locks as she made her way toward her room. She hated to admit it, but Battousai had been right; she really had needed a bath. The soap bubbles and warm water had done wonders on her tense muscles and she could only wonder how people had ever lived without shampoo and soap, or rather how she had once survived without such devices..
Turning the doorknob to her room, Kaoru sighed in relief when she realized that Battousai had left the apartment. However, the scene that greeted her not only caused her to drop her brush, but took her breath away as well.
Kaoru's eyes dilated at the sight of her once blue bed replaced by red sheets and blankets. The fact that her pillows were also gone, and in their place various black and scarlet pillows covered in rose petals, did nothing to ease her astonishment.
Walking around the room to see if anything else had been changed, Kaoru stopped before her desk. Miraculously, her desk was uncluttered, but what really astonished her was the brand new black laptop placed in the center of the table with a crimson ribbon and note attached to it. Next to the portable computer were the dozen red checks she had receive over the past month, each one opened and laid neatly on top of one another.
Opening the envelope on top of her new computer and taking out the black card inside, Kaoru read the red cursive writing text out loud:
Koishii,
Anything and everything within the room is yours to keep, including the little surprises lying around your apartment complex. I expect you to be able to figure out on your own the reason why no one else has claimed your checks.
Himura Battousai
P.S. Don't forget to keep up with the latest trends.
Rolling her eyes at the last sentence on the card, Kaoru placed the note on top of her checks before going back to the entrance of her room to pick up her brush.
Turning around to face her room again, Kaoru raised a brow when she noticed her Guess purse placed innocently on the center of her bed. Unsure if the purse had been there when she first entered the room, Kaoru sat down on her bed and opened it with one hand, her other brushing her hair. For the second time that hour, she dropped her brush. Instead of being filled with her usual feminine necessities, it was stuffed with Hershey's Kisses, her favorite.
Emptying her purse of its contents, Kaoru's eyes widened when a black velvet box and a fist-sized bag poured out of the purse along with the chocolate. Her hand immediately went toward the box, her fingers trembling as she opened it.
"Oh my," gasped Kaoru as she found herself staring at a pure white gold-diamond necklace, a pendent in the shape of a teardrop attached to it. Her eyes further widened as she realized that the tip of the crimson teardrop could be opened, that the pendant wasn't a stone, but instead a diamond vial containing blood-Battousai's blood. It wasn't enough to fill even the smallest of cups, but the essence and power that it gave off would more than sustain her for months on end.
Quickly placing the necklace on, Kaoru popped one of the Kisses into her mouth before dangling the red bag from her fingers.
She was still idly staring at them when Megumi burst into her unlocked room, squealing as if Brad Pitt was currently stripping in their living room.
"Kaoru! You've got to come here and look at this," gasped Megumi as she grabbed Kaoru's arm and led her to the window, temporarily ignoring the new decorations.
Following along with the bag still in her hands, Kaoru looked out her window, narrowing her eyes from the light outside. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the luminosity, but when her vision finally sharpened enough to realize what it was Megumi was pointing to, Kaoru's jaw dropped.
In front of their apartment building was the shiniest car Kaoru had ever seen, a large red bow wrapped around the silver car as if it were some sort of gift or prize.
"Can you believe it? It's a 2005 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren and no one has claimed it yet!" informed Megumi, sighing enviously at whoever owned her dream car.
Looking at the bag in her hand, Kaoru opened it and wouldn't have been shocked if her eyes fell out of their sockets.
Tipping the bag over to pour its contents out, Kaoru held onto the silver key and remote control with the undeniable Mercedes' logo on them in disbelief.
'Little surprises, my ass, Battousai,' thought Kaoru as she remembered what he had wrote on his card.
"I wonder who is lucky enough to..." started Megumi, but stared wide eyed at what Kaoru held in her hand.
Grinning, Kaoru raced out of the room, a speechless Megumi trailing after her.
Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that Battousai was back.
xOxXxOx