Chapter 4: Traveling in the Caravan of the Devil edited

Rating: M for strong language, violence, and adult situations…

Summary: After receiving a new serving wench, Battousai embarks on a quest to find a worthy foe! But will Kamiya Kaoru sneak her way into the hunter's heart?

Disclaimer: I wanna own Ken! Oro? But no, I don't... Blah…

((A/N)) YAY! This is the last chapter that I have to edit before I can start writing again! I sorta still like this story, as it is my first ever brain-child…

RR!

Kaoru was awakened in the morning by a persistant thudding sound. She rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut. The warm blanket she had cocooned herself in was to great to leave. The thudding was getting closer to her head. She felt someone tap her side with a foot and ignored it. In the next instant she was freezing, she looked up into now familiar amber eyes. She sat upright and quickly covered her chest.

She was well aware that he was glaring at her. Battousai loomed over her holding her blanket. He threw it on the boards of the small servant's room and growled at her, "What in the hell do you think you're doing!"

"I… I…" She wasn't sure who exactly he was or why he was yelling at her. And then it hit Kaoru like the Oriental Express.

We're leaving tomorrow… You and I…

Her rage surfaced, "Hey pal, I've got chores to do, and I'm not going anywhere!"

The man grabbed her roughly by her elbow and put his face really close to hers. So close he could smell the noodles she had last night. "I thought I told you to take that shit off your face…" He said coldly.

"Who do you think you…" He let go of her and threw a crumpled piece of paper at her.

"Read it and you'll understand…" He turned away and began to roll up her sleeping blankets and pack her clothes.

She turned her eyes to the paper and read… and reread it… and reread it again…

"How could… Why would… What am I..?"

"You are to listen to me and me alone. You belong to me now…"

He was looking at her from the corner of his eyes. "Do you understand?" After a long silence he asked her again. She merely nodded her head and dejectedly padded towards the kitchen.

The Battousai grunted at the small bit of pity at the back of his mind.

In the kitchen, Kaoru greeted Tae and Yutaro for the last time. She told them of her predicament and to take care of themselves. Yahiko was nowhere to be found, as usual. She walked out of the building, her eyes gleaming with hardly suppressed tears. She was glad that she had received her paycheck already this week so that she would not have to face that horrible man, Takeda. She cursed his name silently and vowed revenge on him one day for his negligence.

"Are you prepared to leave, girl?" She jumped and turned around to face his voice. Kaoru knew exactly who it was and stubbornly decided not to open her mouth and acknowledge him with words ever again. She nodded to him and looked up. He was perched menacingly atop a huge black gelding that carried their small bags on either side of its haunches.

Her new master offered her his hand. When she ignored it and stuck her nose up in the air, he snorted and gave a sly grin.

"Walk then…" He prodded the horse into a fast walking pace. Already she was almost skipping to keep up with them. Almost two hours into their journey, she kicked herself mentally and called to him, "Wait, please… I… I can't walk anymore." He did not acknowledge her with words, but simply brought the horse to a stop and waited for her to catch up. He again offered his hand to her and she took it. She stuck one foot in the stirrup ((A/N: Did they have saddles back then?? I know that saddles were invented by nomads near China so I'll guess that they were traded to Japan early on somehow.)) and with a strong yank from him she was sitting on the back of the saddle. She blinked at his strength. He was stronger than her and almost shorter. She would be learning some interesting things this trip.

Quite a few hours later, after stopping in a little town for noodles on the go, Battousai decided to stop and make camp. Kaoru was now conked out and leaning her head against his back. He had a distinct feeling that if she were conscious she'd keep as far away from him as she could. He gave a maniacal grin that would have scared anyone. Time for some fun. He dismounted and got her down from the saddle without waking her up. With one hand behind her shoulders and the other under her knees he carried her to the secret brook that ran through the back of this campsite.

He had been here a couple of times before and had used the brook to wash in. There was a small waterfall at the mouth and the water itself was about shoulder-deep. The area was covered by trees and remained spy-proof. He smirked and studied her sleeping face before he threw her in the water.

Kaoru awoke sputtering and fighting for breath. Water. Everywhere. Wasn't she just on a horse? Oh…

The amber eyes and their embodiment stood on the bank of the little river she was sprawled in. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking from the cold of the water. He stood there smirking at her.

Battousai looked at her. Shivering, weak little bitch. The white paint and other colors had begun to run off of her face and the smirk melted off his smug face. Purple, black, and other sickly colors arched from her temple to underneath her eye. Her neck had a yellow, almost invisible handprint on it. His eyes momentarily widened as he took her in. She had begun to wade to the shore, her hands clenched in fists at her sides, choice words right on the tip of her tongue. Her serving robe was soaked through and showed every defined line of her body. Her strong thighs made from years of service. The straight back that defied those same years. The rosy, virgin peaks of her nipples beneath the weak barrier of cloth. And, there, just below her belly button was faint evidence of her pubic triangle. Soap and lavender… Her hair flowed like a waterfall down her back and between the valley of her average breasts.

Quickly he looked away and said, "Everything's in the pack." And left.

As soon as he was clear of the trees Battousai sighed. His excitement had grown in an instant and it was evident because of his hardness. He was beginning to grow angry with himself. He'd raped and killed women in the past, this one would be no different. And yet she was.

He dropped the matter for later and went to prepare dinner for the two of them.

She listened and made sure she was gone before she brought her whole body above the water. Kaoru walked over through the pack and dug through it, finding her bathing accessories, a towel, and a robe for sleeping. She stripped down and swam over to the water fall with her soap and cloth. After examining her previously acquired bruises she found a new one flourishing on her arm from where he had grabbed her earlier. She sighed, "Oh well, my body is far from perfect now anyways, what's it gonna hurt?"

After she had washed herself and rinsed all the soap off she got out of the brook and dried herself, she tied her hair up and put the robe on. It fell down slightly above her knees and was the color of Sakura blossoms. She adored this robe and felt it was the most expensive thing she owned. A woman who had stayed at Mr. Takeda's inn had taken pity on her and had given her a robe she said she ' had no need of anyway.'

She clutched the pack to her and returned to camp.

((A/N)) As always, I love to read your reviews and reply and makes changes as per requests. I would also love some plot suggestions so I wouldn't just be coming up with all of this crazy stuff right off the top of my head.

Love to you all!

-Lex

A/N ALL DONE WITH EDITING! I got some steamy ideas for the next chapters, so you can expect some lemon soon… Mmmm.. Citrusy goodness… ;;;