"Surrender"

Author's Notes: Nope, Don't own nuttin. So this is the steamy final chapter. Hope you guys enjoy.

Rating: R. Yeah. S'a Lemon!

Synopsis: uh… Sex? Bout time, eh?

Is this real enough for you
You were so confused
Now that you've decided to stay
We'll remain together

The atmosphere in the courtyard was quickly changing and Aoshi coughed politely and ushered everyone inside to give Kenshin and Kaoru a little privacy.

Kenshin took Kaoru by the hand and lead her back into the Dojo and to her room. "Come, its time you got some real rest." He led her to her bed and lay her down gently.

"Don't go." She whispered, shaking. "I don't want to be alone anymore." Kaoru was so afraid of feeling that cold stone again she couldn't breathe.

Kenshin looked down at her helplessly. What could he do but crawl in bed with her? He caressed her face and brushed a strand of hair away, he smiled. "Of course. I'll stay by your side all night long, Kaoru." He said.

Kaoru, encouraging him to rest as well, moved over to allow him room. "Please, I know you're as tired as me." She offered and he stared at her.

'She doesn't know what she's asking.' He thought and meant to shake his head no, but found instead that he was sliding in beside her. She curled her head into his chest and remained that way for a long time.

Finally, why she felt she was ready, she loosened her body, and pulled away from him to look him in the eyes. "Kenshin?" she asked, quietly.

"Yes, Kaoru?" he replied, but his voice was strained.

Kaoru reached a hand to his face and his eyes opened to her. Again she saw the amber smoldering beneath the glassy surface, and she gasped. "Kenshin, I—" but he cut her off.

Kenshin kissed her tenderly, seeing in her eyes that she wanted it, but did not know how to ask. He did not pull her closer, though he wanted to, only held her as she was, his hand moved to trace the outline of her face, and when he broke away, she was gasping for breath. She didn't know what exactly he had awakened inside her, but she had a desperate need to explore it.

You can't abandon me
You belong to me

Their kiss turned hungry when Kaoru's hands found Kenshin's hair and embedded themselves in it. With a growl, he pulled her closer to him, one arm around her waist, the other snaking its way up and down her back. They needed to touch, to feel, to need each other. Theirs was a hunger left too long unquenched. What once was smoldering just beneath the surface now came out in fiery torrents hot enough to blister the skin.

Kenshin gently pushed her back onto her futon and found her own hair with his right hand. Yanking the tie from it, he loosed it, and ran his fingers through her long, loose locks. Kaoru had soaked in the tub that afternoon at the demand of Megumi, and had taken the time to wash her hair—now she was thankful it was clean. Her hands found the crease where his gi separated, and she slid her hands inside. His flesh was surprisingly smooth, if somewhat scar-riddled.

Kenshin pulled at the tie holding her uniform closed and she finally stopped what she was doing to take it off. No sooner had she found herself lying naked in her room, than Kenshin had abandoned the area just above her. He tilted himself back on his heels, breathing heavily, just gazing at her.

"Kenshin?" she asked, looking over her body, realizing that the scars and bruises were probably too horrific a scene for anyone to make love to. She began to reach for her clothes, but Kenshin grabbed her wrist.

"Don't you dare." He smiled at her face. "You're beautiful."

She'd never heard that before. She certainly wasn't expecting it now, not from him. This dance she was doing, she realized it had become a habit, and when he pulled away, he had thrown off the rhythm, and it made her uncomfortable.

He was determined not to let her fall into an old habit, and end up hating herself of letting him take advantage of her. He was going to be absolutely sure that what they were doing was her decision.

Breathe in and take my life in you
No longer myself only you
There's no escaping me, my love
Surrender

She began to get nervous. When he pulled away, she realized that this wasn't like it had always been. She wasn't going to be able to just go somewhere else in her head. This was real. This was with someone she cared about. This was going to happen and she was going to decide so.

Fidgeting on the bed she pleaded with him to join her. Finally, Kenshin pulled himself close to her again, touching her face, kissing her softly, and telling her that he loved her.

Kaoru couldn't believe that he wasn't calling her a whore. She couldn't believe that he wasn't hitting her, beating her; she couldn't believe that he was taking the time to admire her body—even after what she'd been through. Tears rolled down her face, and it wasn't until Kenshin began to kiss them away that she even realized that she had been crying.

She began to peel away his layers, and soon she found him as naked as herself. When her hands stilled on his sides, he kissed her again, and then pulled away again. Kaoru closed her eyes tight.

"Look at me Kaoru. I want you see me. I want you to see that I'm not going to hurt you." Kenshin's voice was patient, quiet and calm. He knelt still, looking at her, gazing lovingly over her, willing her to look up and see him as not only a man, but as a man who would protect and care for her until the day he died. He had a need for her to see that he wasn't one of those men who'd attacked the dojo that night.

Darling, there's no sense in running
You know I will find you
Everything is perfect now
We can live forever

Kaoru hesitantly opened one eye, and then another, first only focusing on the part of him she identified as a man. And then, she traveled up his stomach, across his shoulders, over his face, and when she met his eyes, her breath caught in her throat.

There he was, kneeling, his arms hanging by his side rigidly, staring down at her with every ounce of love a man can possess. She had to believe it would be different with him. She had to believe that it wouldn't hurt with him. Slowly, she reached out, and touched him. He jerked in response, but then reclaimed his stance, encouraging her exploration.

Finally, she reached his face, where a finger traced his scar, and then his lips, and her lips followed suit. His arms came to surround her, to pull her close, to claim her. "I will not hurt you." He murmured. "I love you Kaoru."

She wasn't afraid anymore, there were no defenses anymore, no more walls to put up, no reason to guard herself. This was what she was looking for. This is what would heal her—He was what she needed. The Battousai. The manslayer would bring this woman back to life.

You can't abandon me
You belong to me

They fell back onto the futon with a flourish. His hands moved slowly over her body, he lavished her mouth with his own, he reveled in every curve, ever crevice, and every sound she made he marked into his memory.

She was unsure at first what to do with her hands. She was used to being chained up or tied down. Her hands weaved in and out of his hair, down his back up his sides, over his chest, she found places that he particularly seemed to like and she lingered there, memorizing his body like a map. His mouth traveled down her neck to her collarbone and down the valley between her breasts to her navel. She jerked his head back up by the hair—Kenshin growling in reply—for another heated kiss.

This dance couldn't last long and Kenshin knew it. They both needed something more, and thought Kaoru might have her reservations, Kenshin intended to show her exactly what love felt like.

Sliding a knee between her thighs, he saw the recognition in her face. "Kaoru." He said her name and she looked away from the ceiling, and into his eyes. Suddenly, she remembered where she was.

"Kenshin." She said back, gasping for breath, "make me yours."

It was a simple request, but it was one that Kenshin did not need to have explained to him. Slowly, he found her, and slowly he entered her and slowly he stilled himself to watch her reaction.

Breathe in and take my life in you
No longer myself only you
There's no escaping me, my love
Surrender

Kaoru gasped and laughed at the same time, gripping hard at Kenshin's sides. "It doesn't hurt anymore Kenshin! It doesn't hurt!" she curled her head into his neck and cried for joy, wrapping her legs tightly around his hips, she drew him further in, encouraging him to continue. "Please, don't ever stop."

Kenshin kissed her fully on the mouth, tears welling up in his own amber eyes, thanking every god that had ever been worshiped that his Kaoru was his at last.

His pace quickened to a blinding speed, and Kaoru gasped as the tides of pleasure grew and grew. When her head fell back onto the pillow and she gasped out loud for breath, he whispered into her hear, "Give up, my love, surrender, I'll be here when you fall." And Kaoru plunged over the edge of oblivion, vaguely recalling Kenshin himself calling her name.

When she next opened her eyes, she lay beside him, curled around him, in his arms. It was morning. "We have a mess to clean up." She mumbled into his shoulder, grinning, knowing that the men from the night before were probably still lying about her courtyard.

"Let Aoshi and Sano handle it. Today is our day." Kenshin said, pulling her to himself.

"We can't spend all day in this room, Kenshin." She scolded, looking up into his beautiful violet eyes.

"Who said anything about staying here? We have the bath house and the kitchen and…" he grinned and she cuffed him.

"Just like old times." She mused.

"Is it?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Well, better." She said, and kissed him deeply.

Breathe in and take my life in you
No longer myself only you
There's no escaping me, my love
Surrender

The end!

I hope you liked it!

© June 14, 2005

The Fairy Tale Mistress