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 Thirteen

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Kenshin glared at everything. The sun was too bright and traffic wasn't moving. Everywhere he looked there were too many cars or too many people. Worse of it all was they wouldn't shut the hell up. He banged the stirring wheel of his car in anger. Friday traffic was going to kill him.

It wasn't just traffic that had him all riled up though. His fight with that asshole from yesterday had begun to grate on his nerves then today they call him and tell him if he doesn't come to them by twelve- thirty they'll haul in.

He'd had a lot to say to them when he'd seen them. Fucking wolf-eyed freak, it wasn't even S-9 that wanted to see him. Though why S-6 had offered him a job he still didn't know. It didn't matter though it's not like they couldn't make him do anything he didn't want to do. Bastards.

The cars ahead off him moved but the light stopped him at the intersection. He sighed in frustration, thinking a second before he muttered under his breath. 'Fuck it,' and turned right. He almost ran a cyclist that was moving along too slow from his point of view. He honked his horn and gesture for the idiot to get off his car. He was in a fowl mood and he knew it.

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

Kaoru padded down the hall, a little surprised that her take out had come so quickly. She secured her bathrobe before she opened the door. Smiling largely at the delivery boy, she handed him the money. She could smell the aroma of Hawaiian chicken with yummy rice. It made her mouth water. She was putting the food down on the table when the door bell rang again. She walked back to the door and opened it.

"Kenshin?" She was surprised to see him on a non-date day but worse then that he looked like he'd been in a fight. "What happened?" She said taking him by the arm and pulling him into her house. "Are you all right?"

She smelled like jasmine. Her skin glowed, her hair was damp and she was still in her bathrobe. Kenshin felt better already. She led him into the living room and sat him on the couch. She sat on the coffee table peering at him with concern "Tell me."

"Just a fight with some guy I know."

"Kenshin." She warned.

"We got into it yesterday."

"Does he at least look worse than you do today?" She said touching the stitches over his left brow then trailing her fingertips to the side of his mouth. Gingerly touching the cut on his lip before tracing the swollen flesh around it.

"If your asking me if I won," He said in all seriousness noting the curiosity in her sapphire eyes. "Then yes I did."

Kaoru smiled. "Good." She said getting up. "I was just going to have dinner. "Do you want a lot or a little?" She said already moving into the kitchen.

"A lot I guess." He said following her.

She took a set of plates and forks then handed them to him. She made a grab for a couple of soda cans and then the take out bag before she walked back out to the room. She sat down on the couch next to him and began opening the bag. "So was it an eye for an eye kinda fight?"

"Aa." he admitted.

"Well give me a play by play. It's not everyday you get into a fight."

Kenshin didn't comment too much on that particular statement. "He came into my office."

"What?" Kaoru was surprised, "At your workplace, what nerve." She said as she continued to serve his plate.

Kenshin smiled grimly. "There's a lot of bad blood between us so when he came into my office my temper just got the better off me." he took his plate from her and began to eat.

Kaoru turned and looked at him. "So tell me how did it end?"

Kenshin finished chewing his food. Thinking if he was being wise in telling her. "The police broke it up." He said after a moment. He could see her out of the side of his eyes. Her expression made him turn towards her.

"There was police involved?" Her voice held incredulity and her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

His mouth quirked into a grin. "Someone walking by the office heard things breaking. They called security and they called the police."

"Wow." Kaoru's was impressed. "Did the other guy go to jail?"

"No." Kenshin's frown returned. "He would have gotten out in less than an hour, there was no point." He kept the rest of details to himself. Like the fact that Fujita was S-6. Or that he was being offered a job out of the country. There was a lot he couldn't tell her and it bothered him that he couldn't share that with her. Though he didn't know why. It was odd but he didn't want to worry her.

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

"It's late and I should." He insisted rising from the couch.

"You don't have to though," she said grasping his hand.

Kenshin looked at her closely. She was calm and friendly, hospitable he would say. He didn't want her to feel obligated to put him up for the night though. It's not that he didn't want to stay here with her. He just wanted to be asked to stay for the right reasons and not the wrong ones. Besides she seemed a little indifferent despite her cheery face and dazzling smile. "It's all right." His expression softened when he turned to look at her. "I'll go home."

She gripped his hand a little tighter, stopping him where he stood. She had worked up the nerve to ask him to stay and stay he would. She had to get through this part. The bind on her feelings would only last so long, the intensity of what she would feel . . . . she had to do this already. "Stay." She commanded and pulled on his arm.

Kenshin felt more than knew, something was wrong. Though he'd been a long time in waiting now he felt like they might be rushing things. He didn't want her to get angry which is why he hadn't pulled his hand away. Maybe he could just ask for a guest room. Though he had a feeling that would upset her. Maybe they could share the same bed then he didn't need to touch her. Really, he had a lot of self control. Not too easily broken. He frowned. Was that really the truth? Cause at his office he'd seemed more than happy to have tossed it away.

Kaoru opened the door to the guestroom. Her heart was beating wildly and she began to panic. Wasn't the bind supposed to hold back all feelings? She moved aside and let him come into the room. What had Wei said to her?

The potion works different on everyone, some peoples feeling are so strong they seep through the spell. Feeling a fraction of what they normally would.

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin who seemed to be regarding her with deep pools of amethyst. Her heart skipped a beat and she realized her throat was dry. It dawned on her that she might be one of those people. Her emotions for this man were by far the strongest. Stronger than death.

"I can sleep on the couch." He offered, his voice was deep sending goose bumps all over her skin.

She broke the gaze and looked at the floor. "No you don't have to." She mumbled as she moved over to the bed and began moving pillows and drawing the covers back.

He watched her movements with a curiosity. Retaining himself from licking his lips in neither hope nor expectancy. He noted the flowers he'd bought where on her dresser. Did that mean something?

Kaoru looked at him, tilting her head to the side. She wondered why he was just standing there. "Are you going to sleep in your suit?" She said breaking him out of his reverie. He swallowed the knot in his throat and turned his back to her. Slowly he began to unbutton his shirt. Kaoru took the opportunity to change while his back was to her. She slid open a drawer and slipped a short night gown on. She let the bathrobe fall noisily around her feet, knowing just how sensitive his hearing was.

He slipped his shirt off and she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips at seeing his bare back. He was bruised all over. He turned, feeling the hairs on his arms standing on end as a cold shiver ran over him. She'd walked over to him wanting to inspect him closer. Her hand's were warm when she touched him. Trailing the recent cuts and bruises. "Did he break you ribs?"

"Two." he admitted as she rubbed her hands over the bandaged area.

She touched the large bruise around his left arm, the color seemed to darken the closer she came to it. She pressed it tentatively. "What happened here?" She breathed against his chest. "Dislocated my arm?" He said as he threaded his fingers into her damp hair.

She touched another bruise around his waste. "And here?"

"Slammed into the edge of a table." He lowered his mouth and kissed her but she turned her face away. "Does it hurt?" She said pressing her thumb into it. "Not really." he murmured against her skin. He mouthed soft kisses around her cheek and jaw while her hand trailed back to his ribs, "here?" She said pressing hard. He gritted his teeth. "Some." he admitted. Kaoru nuzzled him, rubbing her face against the firmness of his chest. He swallowed and closed his eyes enjoying the teasing of her skin against his own.

His scent was different in this life though not so much she couldn't recognize it. She laid a small kiss on his chest, right over his heart. She felt his arm snaking around her waist rubbing the material of her night gown.

She smiled against him and laid an open mouth kiss over his nipple. Teasing it with her mouth, licking and biting, circling the erect bud with her tongue. She licked his chest lewdly, biting on his pec and leaving the small bite mark. She turned her face upwards meeting his hungry gaze for a faction of a sec before he kissed and crushed her to the bed.

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

Kenshin opened his eyes, adjusting his eyes to the low light. He was sure it was sometime before sunrise, it couldn't be any later than that. His body felt heavy, as if he were inebriated or in a state of fancy, like a dream. A dream that held all he'd ever wanted and all he'd ever yearn for, so full of hope and warmth. Like strings of sliver and moonbeams, they shimmer and pull, tugging on his heart.

He hadn't known how overwhelming physical desire could be, not till he met her. Sometimes when he looked at her he felt as if he were drowning in something he didn't understand. Helpless against the pull, he had all but thrown himself at her. He dipped his head closer into her hair, smelling the strong jasmine scent.

His arms had slipped around her waist in sleep and pulled her close to him. He pressed closer and kissed her shoulder. Her skin was warm under his lips. The feel of skin lured him. Slowly his right hand caressed her hip, moving upwards from the smoothness of her stomach to her ribs settling on her bosom. She was too beautiful.

He'd always thought that once they'd slept together his feelings would wane but that had not been the case if anything at all. It seemed that this had only strengthen them. Almost like she'd sealed his fate. He smiled and nuzzled her neck. An odd affinity that had lured him like a moth to the flame. Since before they'd actually met, he'd felt something for her and now . . . . . His breath hitched in his throat as he realized that it wasn't mere affinity or concupiscence he felt. The growing embers in his eyes flared, melting into gold.

He loved her.

This chapter is much larger than this but FF.net won't let me put up anything over PG-13 but if you want to read the original chapter then go to my website.

Small Notes: All of you pretty much caught the hint. Minbu no Ookami is Fujita Goro. Saitou changed his name after the Bakumatsu.

Kaoru and Kenshin have finally moved to the next step in their relationship. Despite her constant struggle and conflicting feelings, Kaoru finally gave into battoussai. Kenshin for his part, concluded that what he felt wasn't mere affinity At last he realized he loved her.