Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and Sony Entertainment, respectively. FF is non-profit, meant for entertainment only. FF can be archived anywhere, just let me know where. Please send no flames, I'm sensitive. For all other comments 0_o you may contact me at kaoru_koishii@yahoo.com

Chapter Nine

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Five weeks and ten dates later. Kaoru was backed against the wall of her front porch. Her arms were around his shoulders, holding him close to her as they kissed goodnight. Her rage had simply seeped away, stolen by his kiss.

He pressed closer, crushing her to the wall as he devoured her lips. He liked the feel of her body. He wanted nothing more than to taste and to touch the skin underneath but there were strong restraints on his lust. Restraints that kept him from ravishing her. Still he relished in the closeness they now shared. The way their bodies touched in all the right places.

Her hands fisted themselves in the material of his jacket, crumpling the suit as she tried to push away. She gasped for breath when he released her lips. Leaving her panting as he moved his mouth along side her jaw and to her neck. He nuzzled her neck before his tongue darted out creating a moist trail to her earlobe.

Kaoru blinked desperately trying to regain focus. She bit her lip hard when she felt him sucking on the sensitive lobe.

"Kenshin." She rasped. "I- I have to go."

It took a couple of seconds to understand what she was saying. His ability to think had been temporarily hindered by a dark almost primal concupiscence. He pulled back to see her face. It made him glad to see she was flushed. Her eyes were dark and dazed but not glazed as he'd expected them to be. Her lips were stained a cherry color, bruised from the their kissing and his biting.

"My dad's calling me to night." She said in a clearer voice.

He sighed inwardly, then nodded. Why couldn't his presence affect her the way it did other woman? His arms were still on her waist holding her still.

"Saturday, you can come over." She said watching his eyes carefully. They hadn't changed from their blue-violet hue. Why hadn't they changed? "We can spend the day in, watching movies and eating take out." She hated that his face was blank. She licked her lips drawing his attention. He leaned in and kissed her. A gentle brushing of the lips until he tipped her head back and deepened it.

She allowed the kiss hoping it was enough to get him to agree. When they pulled apart she ducked her head. Placing it against his chest, she could hear the beating of his heart. "Saturday." She reminded him.

"Aa." He agreed resting his chin on her head. No woman had ever made him wait; usually they just tossed themselves at him. Sleeping with him right away. He still remembered the one who'd snuck into his car.

She pulled her head up, smiling brightly at his acceptance. "I'll see you then." She said, pulling her arms back from around his neck. His hands dropped to his sides, letting her escape. He nodded watching as she moved away from him.

Kaoru walked away deep in thought. She opened her door quickly. Closing it in the same fashion, she took her shoes off and headed towards the bathroom. She walked to the sink and turned the faucet water on. She ran it until the water was warm. Nights were getting longer as the weather began to change. She could no longer avoid inviting him into her home. This Saturday would be the first time he set foot into her house. Troubling, as the thought was she knew it was inevitable. Sooner or later this relationship would have to be moved to the next step. A phase in the game she wasn't sure she was ready to meet head on. Not just yet anyways.

The water was lukewarm and it helped as she scrubbed her skin with the washcloth. She had to get clean. She needed to be clean. Her hands worked vigorously over her arms, face and neck. She stopped when her skin was red and raw. Every where they'd touched, it was clean now. She washed her face and her teeth and headed off to her bedroom.

She blocked out her thoughts as best she could. She striped out of her dress and began getting ready for bed. This part of the evening ranged from, crying to vomiting, from drinking to washing or having a fit. Fits of rage where a rarity amongst her moods though probably because the only two times she'd done them she'd ended up hurting herself not purposely of course. She meant no harm to herself only to Kenshin.

Today however she was just going to lay down. Exhausted as she was, she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep without a little help. Too much to deal with. It would keep her up. So she took two sleeping pills and washed them down with a bit of water. Anything for sleep.

She was tired. Pretending was draining not just physically but emotionally as well. Still it was necessary and she knew it, which is why she did it. She had a lot to do before he came over Saturday so that only gave her two days to do it in.

She had to fix the guestroom to look like her new bedroom, which meant she had to go shopping. She had to get everything from new drapes to a new bed. Plus she had to go back to the shop. There was something she needed to see. All in all, she had her work cut out for her.

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Kaoru walked into the store and all she could see as far as the eye could reach were rows and rows of beds. All along the walls and in the middle of the room, nothing but beds. She'd never been to this kind of store since she'd never had to buy a bed before.

She walked around nervously she knew why she was buying a bed. Yet she couldn't bring herself to think about it right now. Her eyes settled on a simple dark cheery stained sled bed and since she didn't want to be here more than was really necessary she decided that she'd found her bed. She walked over to the salesman and asked to have the bed delivered to her home. Queen size just like the floor model.

Having paid for the bed she was now free to go and look for other furniture. For that though she'd go to the department store. She'd save time by going there. She needed a comforter and blankets. Drapes, blinds, frames and pillows. She also needed several new outfits. She sighed as she crossed the street. She'd gone out of the way to avoid seeing him, traveling all the way to Yokohama. She'd be taking a taxi home as well since she couldn't walk around with all her purchases.

Today had been deigned a shopping day, that's what she'd do all morning. Later her things would be delivered and she'd have to be home so she could redecorate. The guest room would really have to look like her room plus she still had to strip her own room bare. He couldn't suspect anything.

Was she really buying all this to throw away?

Yes, there was no way she would actually take him to her real bed. New blankets because she wouldn't be able to wash them afterwards she expected to be emotionally unavailable after they'd . . . . they'd been together.

The thought made a knot in her stomach. It would be best not to think about it. She could already feel the vile taste in the back of her throat as her breakfast threatened to come back up. She swallowed and turned her thoughts away. She would only think about her purchases while she was out. She'd save the heaving till she got home. With that running thought in her mind she walked into the mall. The cool air of the air conditioners greeted her as she opened the door and stepped through.

*************

It was midnight and she was only now getting the furniture into their proper places. She never knew redecorating would be so hard. She rubbed the back of her arm over her forehead clearing off the perspiration that'd build up. You think she would be tired.

She walked over to one of the new nightstands, deep cherry colored just like the bed; she smiled and reached for a slice of pizza. She munched on it happily as she examined the room. Blinds and drapes check. Furniture, check. What else did she need?

Hmm.

Nick, nacks and her clothes. The dressier stuff like all her going out clothes would come to this closet while the other stuff stayed in the other. All the lingerie she'd bought would be placed into these dressers. She took up another piece of pizza and walked out of the guestroom and back into her own.

Everything from on top of the bookshelves, dressers, nightstands and desk would all be moved to the guestroom. That was a lot of work, at least two more hours worth. She sighed sadly and cleaned her hands on the back of her pants.

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No one could say she wasn't dedicated. Her hair swung out as she ran down the stairs, attempting to catch the train that would take her to the shop. She reached the bottom of the stairs glad to seen the train coming to a stop. She rushed on, breathing in relief only once she was inside. She slumped into one of the seats and closed her eyes. A large yawn escaped her as she relaxed. She'd gone to sleep at two something and she'd woken up only twenty minutes ago.

She yawned again. It was seven ten or something close to that, she was sure it would be a while before she got to the shop and she still had stuff to do. She had to rent the movies they would watch and she had to move her clothes over to the guestroom. The image of him crying over her is what kept her going. It drove her on, willing her past the squeamishness and self-doubt. A slight rephrasing of an old saying popped into her head. Do onto others, as you want done onto you. Well he'd already had his shot at obliterating her heart so this lifetime was her turn.

*************

Kaoru sat on the dark cushion, her hands bleeding into the bowl. Her eyes were glazed over as she concentrated on a specific moment in time. Not to her past life but the one before that. Where she'd been an empress and rurouni had been nothing more than a slave. Born to protect and to follow her every whim. A different time and place. Impious they'd called her. That was just another word for wicked. A nice word for evil maybe. And so she had been . . . . .

She stood with the whip in her hands. Her eyes, intent on the red welts on his back. She'd hit him hard enough to hurt but not to break the skin. Though he wouldn't be able to sleep on his back for a week or so.

She waved off the other guards that had chained him. She moved to the front of him and lifted his head by the hair. Deep pools of amethyst absorbed her piercing gaze, glittering rebelliously.

"It hurt me to do that to you." She said softly, though whether she meant it or not, she wasn't sure yet.

He however didn't respond. His face was a complete mask. Only his eyes burned, which meant he was very angry. She smiled at him. "Now you will do as I say." She leaned in to kiss him but he jerked his head away.

Anger bubbled into her blood and she drew back, her whip ripped into the air the same as it did into his flesh. She was very skilled with it and knew what kind of pressure would do either the most or least amount of damage.

She'd caught the left corner of both bottom and top lip. Blood dripped from the gash. Though he'd been startled she was sure, the feeling didn't show on his face. She stepped back to him, watching the blood dripping onto his chest before she grabbed him by the hair again. "Do as I say." She felt him struggling against his bonds but he didn't jerk his face away. She pressed her lips against his slowly and frowned when he didn't respond. She stepped away from him and he spat out to the side.

"Cruel, it is then."

The sound of her voice broke the silence before the sound of her whip filled the air. Her whip tore through the flesh of his chest until her hand hurt. She felt a stinging sensation behind her lids and she fought against the urge to break down. She was his mistress and he was the slave. He lived to serve. He lived for her. She gripped the whip tight in her hand; her face was pale and tight with anger.

His eyes were like liquid metal when she approached. She jerked his head up hard no longer caring whether she hurt him. "Wretched slave," she hissed and licked his face lewdly, causing flecks of gold to appear in his beautiful eyes. As if to make up for the insult she kissed him gently, coaxingly. She sucked on his lower lip willing him to admit her entrance though when he didn't she bit his injured lip causing him to snarl. Just the opening she needed to delve into the hot carven of his mouth.

She blinked, bringing herself out of the world she'd fallen into. Kaoru's gaze refocused on the familiar walls of the room. She needed better practice at this. While she'd been able to go back to the right lifetime, she hadn't been able to go back to the right moment.

This time things had been different. She'd felt it. The same feelings, like she'd synchronized with her former self.

"Did you see what you needed?"

"Hm," Kaoru shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "What?"

"Did you see what you needed to see?"

"No," Kaoru sighed. "Do you think I can go again right now?"

The older woman shook her head. "I'm afraid not. We used a lot of blood to jump two lifetimes even now you run the risk of fainting."

Kaoru looked pensive for a moment, cleaning the spots of blood off her face with the warm wash cloth that had been set out ahead of time. "I think I need practice." Kaoru stated after a moment. "I'll come back." She said watching the clear water swirling in the silver bowl without any help. "I need to see a specific event."

The older woman nodded as she began to bandage Kaoru's cuts. Kaoru watched as the woman applied the ointment and then the band-aids. They'd made the cuts smaller at her request. She was glad she'd thought ahead. This way the wounds wouldn't attract Kenshin attention.

When they were done Kaoru paid the older woman. "I'll see you Monday." She said bowing to the older woman. The other woman nodded and returned the bow.

She left the shop deep in thought. The nice October air played with the hem of her skirt as she walked down the street. Her thoughts lingered on the short glimpse of the past. Their relationship had been . . . . turbulent. There really was no other way of saying it.

She'd been an observer. She seen, heard, smelled and touched. Experiencing it all first hand. She'd felt an overwhelming surge of emotion, such intensity. She'd wanted him and had whipped him when he'd refused her. For trying to deprive her of what she'd wanted, a kiss.

A kiss that wasn't so simple, it represented his submission. If only she'd held on to the moment a little longer she'd have been able to see, to feel what it was like. To feel him respond when she'd wanted him. Because she had, so much that she still felt the after effects.

When she kissed the Kenshin of this life she did it because she had to. He kissed well she wouldn't deny him that but it was all different. She didn't want him. Though she couldn't stand anyone else to have him either. Still when they kissed it was nothing more than that. Just a kiss.

Unlike her past self.

When the empress had tasted the unwilling lips of her slave, she'd felt a sense of euphoria. Such an unquenchable hunger. Desire had flared like she'd never felt before except maybe in her dreams. She felt a tingling down her spine. An aching for a man long past.

She pushed the feelings of yearning away chucking it up to nothing more than nostalgia. She crossed the street and headed down the stairs to the platform. She didn't have to wait more than a minute before the car made its stop. She boarded glad she was on her way back. She still had a lot to do today. She took her seat and clasped her hands in her lap. When she did though she realized she didn't have her charm bracelet. Hm, she'd taken it off when the spell repressing memory had been lifted.

Oh no.

Wei, the old woman hadn't replaced the spell. She bit her lip in concern. She was without spell and charm. Today was Friday surely she could be without until she went back on Monday. She hadn't dreamt at all since the spell had originally been put on her but now without it . . . . would she dream?

Would he haunt her nights again?

Well there you go. Another chapter completed. I hope you guys like it. Sorry it took so long but I have two other stories and I alternate between which I write and on what day.

Small notes: Kaoru and Kenshin have been dating for five weeks, now. Their relationships is moving along slowly. She can't yet bring herself to do anything more than kiss him which is fine, he's not pushing. She's coping with her deceit as best she can, often drinking herself to sleep.

Kenshin for his part has yet to see through the veil of lies, she's created.

This chapter contained an excerpt from The Impious Empress. I will admit that is one of my favorite scenes.