Disclaimer I do not own Rurouni Kenshin in any way. I am merely using its characters for a few chapters.
A Dragon's Love
By BattousaisGrrl
Chapter TwoKaoru couldn't help but stare as the blood shaded dragon locked gazes with her, stopping her from moving away from his sun colored eyes. Frozen in fear of fascination, Kaoru couldn't tell.
Looking at the dragon, Kaoru was reminded of the dragon one read about in fairytales about how the knight would have to slay the deadly winged-beast to rescue the princess in the tower beyond it.
But as she stared at the dragon, she saw not an ounce of ugliness to the creature's appearance.
The blazing lights in the room did nothing to help her find repulsion against the creature. All it did was make the dragon seem even more beautiful, but it was the dangerous aura it emitted that truly intrigued her.
Hearing the dragon's low growls, Kaoru turned all of her attention towards the dragon's face and couldn't help but find herself lost in its flame filled eyes. The glistening of its scales, the sharpness of its black claws, the flare of its nostrils, and the sparkle of its teeth seemed like nothing compared to the dragon's soul-gazing eyes. They held her stare and it seemed as if the dragon could stop her very heartbeat if she stared at it any longer.
Forcing her gaze to look upon the rest of the dragon, Kaoru felt her breath catch as she finally realized just how tall and intimidating the creature was. She was certain that if the winged-creature wasn't crouched down in a defensive position, its golden horns would have barely grazed the tall vaulted ceiling of the Treasure Room.
So captivated was she that the thought of the dragon possibly being the one that might eat her never reached her common sense.
The shaking of the ground as the scarlet dragon took a step forward made Kaoru take a step back despite herself. She could feel her heart threatening to burst in her ribcage as its thundering pounding in her ears left her deaf when she felt her back pressed against the door.
Fear finally etching into her mind, the virgin offering began to tremble. However her actions ceased when she realized that with each step the dragon took, it began to sway dangerously from left to right. It wasn't until Kaoru noticed the dragon's glazing eyes that she knew something was horribly wrong.
Her eyes widened in terror as the red dragon suddenly collapsed onto its right side on a pile of golden coins, gems, and anything and everything that was worth any value.
Kaoru watched in horror as the added weight of the dragon caused the large pile to avalanche down, bringing the moaning creature down with it to the Treasure Room's floor. She didn't even bother to think twice about whether or not to help the dragon as she pushed aside her earlier fears and made a beeline to the fallen creature. Even the sight of hundreds of other stacks of gold around the dragon didn't change her mind.
Carefully making her way over to the golden-bellied dragon, Kaoru paused when she realized that the now blazing eyes of the dragon were watching her every move as she tried to get closer. She held her ground as the dragon tried to move and could only give it a sympathetic look when it fell back on its right side, only able to move its head slightly to stare at her in its condition.
Moving her hands over her clothing to prove to the creature that she was unarmed, Kaoru cautiously walked on the golden coins to get closer to the crimson dragon. Her eyes quickly moved over the dragon's body to find the source of the creature's pain and grimaced as she saw a katana sticking out of the beast's left shoulder, which was left exposed to the air.
When she moved to try and get it out, she stopped herself from screaming when the dragon began beating its wings against the ground, warning her to stay away. Her sapphire eyes pleaded with the dragon's golden ones to trust her before frowning at the dragon's scowl.
Gaining the trust of an injured animal never was easy.
Knowing better than to try and press her luck, Kaoru took a step back and raised her hands in a surrendering motion to prove that she meant no harm.
"I'm not going to hurt you," whispered Kaoru as she tried to soothe the dragon into letting her see its bleeding wound.
Without a warning, the dragon's claw came straight at her, making Kaoru take a leap back to avoid being slashed to death. Unable to keep her balance from her sudden movement, Kaoru ended up falling on her bottom against the cold golden coins on the ground.
Rubbing her sore end, Kaoru sent the recoiled dragon a glare as she slowly got back on her feet and dusted herself off.
Honestly, she had no idea why she was even bothering to try and help the ungrateful creature.
Seeing the dragon close its eyes and moan in pain quickly reminded her of why she was so willing to assist it.
No creature, despite its deeds, deserves to suffer.
Kaoru sighed as her honorable father's words rang through her ears. Allowing another creature to suffer is just as bad a crime as murder.
Warily, Kaoru once again made small and deliberate steps towards the creature, so if need be she could jump back to safety should the dragon decide to lash out at her a second time.
Kaoru stilled in her trek towards the dragon when she saw a ruby beside the dragon's left claw. It was then that she remembered Sano's earlier words on how to escape the Ryuuguu. She stopped herself from reaching out to take it when she realized that the dragon's eyes were once again on her. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that the dragon was just waiting for her to take the ruby and abandon it for the door in the back of the room.
Determined to show the dragon she was above such things as escaping her fears, even if it meant her own life, Kaoru took the last few steps towards the dragon and felt her heart calm when the creature didn't move to strike her. Slowly and slightly trembling, Kaoru reached both hands out towards katana and wrapped her hands firmly around the hilt of the weapon. She took one last glance at the dragon and felt her face soften at the sight of the dragon shutting its eyes tightly for the pain that would surely accompany her act of kindness.
Tightening her grip on the katana, Kaoru pulled vertically upward to make sure that she didn't further damage any muscles or tendons the sword might have already pierced. Past experience had taught her that even the slightest alteration of a weapon's path in the skin could resort in death for the victim.
With great effort and a set mind, the virgin placed her feet securely on the ground before once again pulling directly up. The easy release of the weapon from the dragon's shoulder sent Kaoru landing on her bottom once more with a yelp and sent the dragon's eyes open as it went into a fit of growling as blood began to further spew out from the opening the detached sword left.
Knowing that there was no way to effectively cover a wound that large with anything inside the Treasure Room, Kaoru once again looked towards the dragon's eyes for trust.
The dragon stared into her eyes for a long time before it closed its golden eyes and nodded.
Kaoru beamed as she realized she had actually gained the creature's trust and watched on in awe as the dragon began to get smaller and smaller until in its place among the gold lays a red-haired man.
Her breath caught when she was finally able to see all of the blood flowing against the man's blood drenched gi, which had been invisible to her against the man's previously possessed maroon colored scales.
Racing over to the man's left shoulder with the katana still in hand, Kaoru knelt down beside the wounded dragon and helped him to sit up when she saw him struggle to get up on his own.
It was only when she had pressed him to lean himself against her shoulder for support that she noticed just how handsome the dragon looked in its human form. The cross-shaped scars on his left cheek proved that he had had his fair share in battle and Kaoru could faintly make out the scars beneath his wet gi as well as his finely chiseled features. If his eyes were open, she was certain that they'd be just as bone melting as when he was a dragon.
Shaking any further thoughts about her patient away, Kaoru shifted his position on her so that she could easily have access to his wound. Placing the katana on the ground, she pulled the left side of the gi away from the injured area and frowned as she saw that the wound was still pulsing out blood.
From the quickened and rigid breathing patterns of the dragon, she was certain that the sword had been embedded into his shoulder for quite some time.
"It's going to be all right," soothed Kaoru as she used her sleeve to wipe off the perspiration from the man's forehead.
Looking down at her white kimono, Kaoru smiled as an idea came to mind.
Grabbing the katana she had discarded earlier, Kaoru used the sharpness of the blade to tear the bottom of her kimono all around until she was left with a long piece of white cloth.
"It's not as good as bandages, but it'll have to do until we get you out of here," said Kaoru as she wrapped the make-shift bandage over the wound after putting the katana down again. She tightened it only until she saw the dragon's face twist in further pain before she tied it.
After completing what she could to help the dragon, Kaoru leaned back on the palms of her hands satisfied.
She couldn't help but smile at feeling the dragon slowly relax against her. The feel of his crimson locks caressing her neck was like silk and if she hadn't kept her mouth close, Kaoru highly doubted she wouldn't have gasped or made some other incoherent noise.
Trying to ignore the feel of the man against her, Kaoru allowed her eyes to wander and stared in admiration at the treasure filled room. She knew for a fact that there was enough gold, gems, and gold covered items here to feed everyone in her village for five life times and more.
Her eyes widened further when her gaze rested on the ruby that lay within arm's reach to her right. If she hadn't seen the ruby again, she would have never remembered the reason why she was here in the first place.
Fear replacing contempt, Kaoru stretched her right hand out, trying desperately to reach the ruby. The dragon and herself were sure to become the Ryuujin's dinner if they didn't get out of the Ryuuguu soon.
When her hand finally wrapped its way around the jewel, Kaoru slowly moved to her feet, helping the redhead to stand at the same time. She wasn't at all surprised to find that the dragon could stand on his feet firmly on his own; dragons healed a lot quicker than humans.
"We've got to get going. The Ryuujin won't be happy to find out that you're in his Treasure Room. He'll probably kill you before he decides he wants to eat me ahead of schedule," said Kaoru as she grabbed his right hand with her left and tried her best to get him to follow her.
When he didn't budge, Kaoru turned and stared at him hopelessly. Even as sapphire met amber again, the glowing embers refused to be burned out by the water.
"Please," begged Kaoru, "I don't want to see you killed."
Kaoru felt the blood from her face drain as the sound of large footsteps from behind the door to the Treasure Room was finally heard. With each passing second the sound grew louder.
Looking at the ruby in her right palm, Kaoru placed it into the stranger's hands before cupping her hands over his calloused ones.
"You've got to go. There's a door in the back of the room and if you stick this into the slot, the door will open. There's a probably a rope ladder there and I know that it'll lead you down to Earth," said Kaoru, urging the dragon to leave as soon as possible while the footsteps of the dragon outside slightly shook the gold coins on the ground. "You've got to go before Lord Battousai finds you here and does something far worse than sticking a sword in your shoulder," pleaded Kaoru.
As a last resort, she walked behind him and tried to push him to the back of the room, but to no avail.
Not even feeling her attempts, the dragon turned around to face her and said in the richest and knee wobbling voice Kaoru had ever heard and said, "Kenshin. My name is Himura Kenshin."
Shaking her head to stop herself from becoming lost in his gaze once again, Kaoru said, "I'm Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru. Now please, go!"
The rumbling of the ground beneath her feet caused Kaoru to panic, not for her own life, but instead for the life of the dragon in front of her.
Seeing his golden eyes set on the door that would soon be opening, Kaoru knew that he wasn't going to leave, knew that he would rather die fighting than flee like a coward.
Eyes scanning the room, Kaoru felt relief rush over her for a second when they landed on a smaller pile of gold right behind the dragon. Her eyes danced when she noticed the wall on the other side of it.
Doing the first thing that came to mind, Kaoru wrapped her arms around Kenshin's neck and firmly pressed her lips to his. At the dragon's shock, Kaoru pushed her entire weight against his own until they went tumbling over the pile of gold.
Breathless from her heroic act, Kaoru quickly pulled back to suck in a hiss of air upon feeling the wall against her right side.
Eyes darting to the person below her, Kaoru removed her hands from around Kenshin's neck when she noticed that her right arm was brushing down against his wound. But what made her blush was the stunned expression on the dragon's face. She had no doubt that if she hadn't done what she did, she would have never had been able to catch him off guard long enough to make him lose his balance and fall over like he did.
Her triumph didn't last long, because the squeak of the large door opening made her heart beat faster than ever.
Instinctively, Kaoru whipped her head in the direction of the other dragon as she heard its angry growl at not finding its appetizer.
Looking back down at an almost amused Kenshin, Kaoru frowned. Didn't he know the danger they were in?
Shaking her head, Kaoru placed an index finger to his lips to keep him from speaking or better yet, from laughing. For some odd reason, he seemed as if he were about to chuckle at her attempts to try and save him again. The dragon was becoming more confusing by the minute and she had to wonder if he was bipolar. One moment he was dangerous, the next shocked, although that was partially her fault, and now amused. The dragon seriously needed to work on his mood swings, he was much worse than she ever was during one of her "time of the month" phases.
Seeing the dragon focus his attention on something behind her, Kaoru twisted her head back and barely managed to stop her self from screaming at seeing a brown-scaled tail swaying a hairbreadth away from her face. As if closing her eyes would make the other dragon vanish, Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut and moved her head as deep into the crook of Kenshin's neck and as far away from the other dragon as possible, her hands instinctively clutching the remaining pieces of the dragon's gi for reassurance.
Her eyes refused to open until she felt Kenshin's hand lift her chin so that their eyes met.
She felt her breath catch at the undeniable hunger she saw in his gaze. She seriously had no idea what went on in the dragon's brain.
Suddenly, all sense of reason, all knowledge of fear and anxiety left her as she felt his warm lips on her own again, except this time instead of a hidden agenda, she felt nothing except for the contact of their lips.
Kaoru felt her stomach tighten and warmth spread through her body as he moved her head with his right hand so that he could deepen their kiss.
Her eyes fluttered closed as she allowed the sensation to wash over and through her.
Reflexively she moved her arms around the dragon's neck once again, trying desperately to somehow make them get closer.
As if someone finally turned on her conscience, Kaoru snapped open her eyes when she realized where her thoughts and their actions were leading to. Slightly reluctantly, Kaoru forced herself to break off their contact, her hands planted firmly on Kenshin's chest to stop him from continuing his assault on her lips.
Kaoru shook her head, pleading with her eyes for him to understand. She had to remain a virgin and fulfill her destiny, lest she bring forth destruction to her village and those she cared about. If she were to lose it now, it would not only enrage the Battousai, but it would also mean death to both her and the dragon below her. She was not about to allow such an act of self pleasure to be the cause of death for so many.
Hearing another growl from somewhere within the Treasure Room, Kaoru got to her knees and moved to stand to reveal herself. She was just about to get to her feet when she felt a pair of powerful hands wrap around her wrists and pulled her back down to her knees.
Kaoru stared helplessly into Kenshin's eyes as he too sat up and stared at her in a battle of wills.
Mouthing the words "I have to", Kaoru slipped her thin wrists out of the dragon's hold and got to her feet, refusing to register the look of hurt and disappointment in the dragon's eyes.
Standing at her full height, Kaoru looked around the entire Treasure Room and easily spotted the chocolate colored dragon in the center of the room, digging lazily in the piles of gold for his entrée before dinner.
Crawling over the gold pile that had kept herself and the red dragon concealed, Kaoru raised her voice when she was at least a few meters away from the stranger she had given her first kiss to. "I'm over here, Ryuujin."
Ears twitching at hearing something, the larger dragon raised its head until its horns brushed against the ceiling. Its dark brown eyes scanning the room until it spotted its prey.
"My apologies for making you search for me, milord," said Kaoru with a bow, keeping an eye on the pile of gold behind her for any sign of movement. She could only pray that the dragon behind it would get enough sense to take the ruby and escape.
Deliberately making as much noise as possible with each step he took, the brown dragon took his time walking over to her. For some reason, Kaoru had a feeling that he was simply stalling and just waiting for something to happen..
As if on cue, a growl emitted from behind her, causing her eyes to widen in fright as a certain blood colored dragon jumped over her and aimed its teeth for the brown dragon's neck, which had risen to its hind legs in defense.
With the weight of the smaller dragon suddenly thrust on him, the larger of the two lost its balance and toppled over and fell down against the treasure, which sprinkled all around the two beasts in a gold waterfall.
Not able to get in a bite from the struggling of the larger beast and the flailing of its large claws, Kenshin jumped back and bared his fangs instead.
Kaoru stared speechless as she watched the two encircle each other. Even if Kenshin seemed insignificant towards the other enormous dragon, the dark aura and hidden strength in each of his movements more than made up for his size.
Remembering that Kenshin was already injured, Kaoru felt a pang of panic etch into her heart when she witnessed the larger of the two dragons charge at the one she suddenly found she deeply cared for.
Before the coffee colored dragon could ram against the shorter one, Kaoru did the first thing that came to mind and flung herself between the two dragons with her arms outspread.
Her sapphire eyes unflinchingly met startled brown ones as the dragon skidded to a halt, using its claws to dig into the gold to slow his worked up momentum. His left front claw was barely a human step away from her by the time he managed to come to a complete stop.
At seeing the dragon's behavior, Kaoru couldn't help but cock her head to the side in confusion. She had heard plenty of stories about Hitokiri Battousai, the slayer of a million men, and not one of them ever mentioned him stopping a duel just for the sake of a woman's life, yet here he was making a fool out of himself for a woman and human one at that.
Noticing that the dragon was refusing to look into her eyes, Kaoru continued her analysis of the dragon suspiciously.
It wasn't until she finally realized why the dark shade of brown looked so familiar that she felt her anger flare.
"Sanosuke, how dare you play such a nasty trick!?" demanded Kaoru as she planted her hands firmly on her hips, glaring at the undeniably taller and stronger creature in front of her as if it were nothing more than a child that needed scolding.
Apparently uncomfortable, the brown dragon began to shrink smaller and smaller until a certain spiky-haired man appeared smiling sheepishly at her with a hand rubbing the back of his head nervously.
Fuming, Kaoru forced herself to stop from hitting the man upside the head for nearly scaring the living daylights out of her.
"I thought you said that Lord Battousai would be here to greet me in an hour or less, yet here you are trying to scare me to death before he even gets a chance to see me," chided Kaoru.
Visibly distressed, Sano laughed uneasily before protesting, "But Missy…Lord Battousai did see you."
Completely puzzled, Kaoru questioned, "What? What are you talking about? Lord Battousai hasn't seen me…unless he saw me on our way here."
Shaking his head no, the virgin stared into his eyes, silently asking him to explain himself yet again.
"Then when did he see me? Where is the Ryuujin now?" asked Kaoru instead as she felt dread rise in the pit of her stomach, her heart refusing to accept the only possible answer.
Closing her eyes shut, Kaoru felt as her heart being squeezed painfully when she heard a reply from behind her, "I'm right behind you."
No matter how much she tried to deny it, the recognition of the deep and sinfully addictive voice wouldn't allow her to reject the thought from her mind.
Opening her eyes, Kaoru ignored the taller man who was looking at the floor shamefully and turned around, her eyes watering at the very sight of the dragon she had kissed only heartbeats before. Her eyes moved to his earlier wounded shoulder and bit back a sob as she noted that it had completely healed as if it never existed.
Kaoru shook her head in denial as she took a step back from the red-haired Ryuujin she had been taught to respect and hate since as far back as she could remember. The very thought of actually feeling something other hatred for the dragon shattered all that was left of her dignity.
The fact that she had actually enjoyed her experience with the murderer of million men caused her to sway, her legs threatening to give way.
At seeing him reach out a hand to try and catch her, Kaoru took a step to the side and out of his reach, shaking her head as a silent gesture for space.
Finally gathering what was left of her pride, Kaoru looked from one dragon to the other before demanding angrily, "Was this some type of sick joke?"
Feeling terribly guilty, Sano took a small step to her and shook his head. "It wasn't a joke, Missy. It was a test. But guess what? You passed!" smiled Sano meekly, desperately trying to lighten the mood.
"Test? What in the world are you talking about?" asked Kaoru confused, this time looking towards the red dragon for a response.
"Every virgin brought to me is given a chance to survive based on her actions. You're the first one to pass all of the requirements," said Kenshin calmly, his eyes remaining on her structure after seeing her body tremble so badly that it seemed as if she'd collapse at any given moment.
Wanting to further explain, Sanosuke added quickly, "And every year I'm to make the girl feel comfortable on our way here and then act as if I really like her and then tell her how to 'escape'. They end up following my directions and each one has taken more than just the ruby with them. Before they reach the door, they're already dragon chow. But don't get me wrong, Missy. I honestly wanted you to live, really I did!"
Kaoru closed her eyes and shook her head. How could he expect her to trust him after what he had just said? He had been playing with her! All along he had had no intention of actually trying to help her. How could she trust a creature that lied to her without a second thought?
Her eyes opened when she felt her chin being lifted up by the familiar fingers of the Battousai and felt somehow comforted at seeing his golden gaze staring into her blue ones, but in the back of her mind she knew she should have been repulsed and offended.
Despite what her mind was screaming at her, Kaoru could still feel the warmth that radiated about him and the fire he created within her veins with just a simple touch of his fingers. The idea of him being the Hitokiri Battousai did nothing to deplete the invisible fascination he had on her.
Her eyes threatened to close as she heard his breathtaking voice and with all her might she tried desperately to focus on his words before she once again found herself lost in the lulling of his voice and his molten gaze.
The dazed woman barely managed to catch his words as she felt his thumb caress her lower lip while he talked.
"Greed is the cause of the loss of pure innocence," started Battousai slowly, allowing his words to sink in before he continued. "However, my sweet virgin, you've shown no such sign of greed except for in all the…exceptional categories."
When her mind finally processed the dragon's words, Kaoru felt her face heat with blood as she recognized what it was that he was referring to. She had a feeling that at the moment her face resembled a ripe tomato when she became aware of the lust in Battousai's burning stare.
Hearing a cough from the brown dragon, Kaoru moved her chin out of Battousai's hold and took a step back before turning to face the other dragon, inwardly thankful for having an excuse to avert from Battousai's attention.
Shuffling nervously from foot to foot, Sano cleared his throat for the second time. "Forgive me, Missy?" pleaded the dragon. Seeing Kaoru frown, Sano said hastily, "Like you said Missy, it's our actions that determine our future."
At hearing her own words repeated, Kaoru nodded as she finally understood why the dragon did what he did.
"After all, I was only doing what I needed to do to survive," added Sano almost jokingly as he nudge his head in the red dragon's direction with a wink. "So what do you say? Forgive old Sanosuke for being a dolt and trying to play you for a fool?"
Rolling her eyes, Kaoru gave him a smirk before nodding her head yes. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him grin from ear to ear.
However, her smile turned into a small frown as something dawned on her.
Turning her head back towards the Ryuujin sadly, Kaoru felt her eyes begin to glaze over with water again.
At the scarlet dragon's raised brow, Kaoru shook her head and asked softly, "Aren't you going to ea--…" But before she could finish her question, she froze when Battousai's index finger pressed itself softly against her lips to stop her from continuing.
"I told you before, you're the first and only one to pass my survival test," said Kenshin seriously before adding with a grin, "And if that doesn't explain things, then maybe this will."
Before Kaoru could question his reply, Kaoru felt the air in her lungs escape her as the feel of his gentle yet hungry lips replaced his index finger. Slowly, Kaoru felt her eyes drift close and head grow dizzy as he tried to devour her with a kiss, his lips refusing to part to allow her access to oxygen.
Content, yet still slightly questioning, Kaoru allowed herself to fall into the void of unconsciousness, knowing full well that she was wanted and protected.