Thanks to the nifty peeps behind the webpages…..I can now track how many of you guys visit my chapters (because I bet not nearly half of you actually read) versus how many of you actually review. And I am not happy with these numbers. But to all you who do review, THANK YOU so much because I love you all so very much!

Well, enjoy this chapter and PLEASE leave a review, even if it is to tell me that I'm a flaming idiot with no skills as a writer. Although I would appreciate it if you weren't so cruel…but you catch my drift…

Disclaimer: No rights

Contract Terminated

Kaoru stood at the gate, waving off the tall man whom had only been there just seconds before. She sighed as the breeze picked up and turned to head back into the dojo. Sitting in the kitchen, she closed her eyes tiredly. "What do you think of your father's choice?" Megumi asked quietly and set a cup of steaming tea in front of her.

"Kodu…" she murmured. "It would not be wise for me to form an opinion about him," Kaoru said dismally.

Megumi sat next to the girl and put a warm, comforting hand atop her own. "It sounds as though you already have, Kaoru-chan."

"Well, it doesn't matter!" she replied bitterly. "I will HAVE to marry him in four days, anyway." Bitter tears rolled down her cheeks and she hastened to wipe them off

"Kaoru-dono, will you please come with me?" Kenshin stuck his head into the room with pleading violet eyes. Kaoru nodded and set her tea on the table, then stood and followed him into the darkness of his room.

Kenshin had his back to her as she entered his room behind her. They stood in perfect silence for a few moments before he spoke. "I have something very important to discuss with you."

Kaoru knew from his tone what he was speaking of. "Kodu..."

Kenshin nodded. Finally he turned, and golden eyes gazed at her lovingly. He approached her slowly and wrapped her in a tight hug as her shoulders began to shake with sobs. "Don't cry...please don't cry." he whispered into her hair. After a few moments, she pulled away and gazed into his golden eyes. There was too much love in his gaze for her to fear him.

He sensed her bravery and leaned in, holding her entrancing gaze.

Kaoru watched Kenshin's slow dissension with growing anticipation and interest. His golden orbs sparked slightly and when their lips touched, Kaoru immediately moaned at the sensation. His lips were soft and gentle, caressing hers lovingly as they relished in their first kiss together. He was patient as his mouth molded with hers; it amazed her that he was so gentle yet so passionate and loving. Her lips parted slowly, and Kenshin's tongue entered her mouth, stroking hers and beckoning it into a fiery duel as their kiss grew more heated by the second. Kaoru moaned at the feeling, pulling him closer all the while. But Kenshin pulled back, causing Kaoru to whimper slightly at the loss of warmth.

He walked past her; Kaoru's eyes clouded over and misted up, thinking he was about to leave after sharing such a sweet kiss. Instead, Kenshin shut her shoji with a snap, locked it and was in front of her once more in an instant. "You're not going to leave me?"

Kenshin chuckled as his golden eyes darkened slowly to the color of honey. "I love you too much to leave you,"

Kaoru's breath caught when he caught her lips in another kiss, this one more demanding, lustful and arousing. She responded ardently and allowed his tongue to dart into the moist cavern that was her mouth, their tongues dueling in a much more passionate, erotic dance.

Kenshin's hands were poised at her nape, hovering there before they began to wander. Ever so softly, his fingers brushed across her collarbone, pushing aside the collar of her sleeping yukata slightly. Kaoru broke the kiss because of the need for air; Kenshin's lips wandered to her ear, where his tongue traced the shell.

The feeling of his hands on her collarbone and the warmth of his breath on the side of her face was sending Kaoru's senses into overdrive. His teeth nipped her earlobe gently before he took it into his mouth and began to lave it with his tongue gently. Kaoru let out a small purr and Kenshin smirked. "You like that, koneko…?"

Shallow, labored breathing was his only response. Kenshin enjoyed what he was doing to her; her pleasure gave him pleasure and he could tease his love all night long. However, Kenshin had other things in mind for that particular evening. Kenshin began to move his hands downwards onto her shoulders as his mouth found the place his hands had previously been. "Your taste intoxicates me…" he murmured against her neck. Kaoru moaned helplessly at the torture he was causing to her senses.

Kenshin's hands were on the move again, adjusting the yukata lower even more to reveal the slight curvature of her breasts. Her shoulders were exposed and the strong breeze whipped into the room, but Kaoru's skin was inflamed at she seemed to be getting hotter by the second. He could feel the heat of her flesh as his lips trailed even lower, following the trail of the collar of her yukata. "Kenshin!" she gasped as his lips caressed her sensitive skin.

His hands held her shoulders firmly and he began to massage them there to relax her muscles. His plan worked magnificently as he felt all the tension suddenly seep out of her body, leaving a limp woman, begging to be taken. Kenshin gently guided her to his futon and lay her down , all the while trailing kisses back up to her mouth. He kissed her once more before taking her lower lip between his and nibbling lightly.

Kaoru gasped slightly and arched into his body, further into his grasp as he tightened his hold on her waist. "Kaoru," he whispered roughly and kissed her eyelids, his hands roaming lower all over her body…

Kaoru sat on the porch staring up into the cloudy sky and deep in thought. "Kaoru-chan? We must go attend to some business this morning." She looked down at Kodu and then at his outstretched hand.

"No."

Kodu seemed confused and taken aback. "What do you mean 'no'? Our business must be taken care of to finalize the our marriage and consolidate all of our belongings."

Kaoru rose to her feet this time and looked down upon him as if she were a god looking down on him from heaven. "I mean no, I am not marrying you."

Kodu's eyebrows rose. "What the hell are you talking about? Your father guaranteed that you would be mine after your twentieth birthday. Our contract was binding." He replied angrily.

"My father is no longer here, and the closest to break the contract would be ME." She replied defiantly, unwilling to back down. "You are free to marry whomever you wish." She waved him off, but that only served to anger him.

"You can't do this! You should know your place, woman! I will have you!"

Kaoru's eyes and voice remained cold. "I just did. Contract terminated."

Kodu breathed heavily as he struggled to control his temper. "No matter. You aren't worth anything. You are nothing but a forgotten samurai's cheap whore-" Kaoru turned quickly and smashed him with her bokken, sending him several feet away and unconscious.

"Now that is where you are wrong," she replied and wiped the imaginary dirt from her hands. "I am worth more than you'll ever be able to afford. I have a man who loves me and will forever and always."

Is there something about the human psyche that doesn't allow people to be satisfied with anything they ever do…or is it just me? Anywayz, it doesn't matter what I think of this, you guys are the reviewers! There may seem to be some missing spots, but if you have questions, leave them in a review and I'll answer them when I get a chance to.