Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters. I've gathered Vampire facts around the web so therefore I take no credit on that part, but I do own the plot.

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Chapter Seven

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She was in a happy mood, a very happy mood. Nothing was going to ruin her cheerful mood, not even the darkest Vampire in the world, who was presently walking beside her. There were many reasons why she should be in a bad mood, why she should be sulking instead of practically skipping down the halls beside her husband, but those reasons haven't really registered in her overenthusiastic mind yet. She was just too absorbed in the fact that she wasn't going to be forced to do something she didn't want to, and that in itself was enough to make her forget how Battousai had literally stared when she came out of the shower–-a device that she could really get use to–-with nothing on but a second skin of water droplets.

Despite her jolly mood, Kaoru couldn't help but blush when she remembered the way amber eyes had dragged over her body in approval, leaving burning trails as they worked their way downward. She had blushed like crazy as he examined her, but she had promptly refused to hide herself from him and forced herself to remain still and not give into impulse and cover herself. There was nothing to be ashamed of, they were married after all, and he had the right to stare if he so chose to, it was just slightly unnerving. Then again, she had unabashedly stared when he came out of the bathroom with nothing on but a towel around his waist. She had literally dropped her towel, which she had been using to dry her hair after getting herself into a new figure-hugging dress, when she noticed the muscle and perfection of the Vampire's upper body. It was another thing she could get use to.

Moving her hands to her burning cheeks, the Queen of the World shook her head to fight back the images that were currently going through her mind.

'Bad, Kaoru, bad!' Kaoru scolded herself, doing her best to forget about earlier this morning, or rather evening.

"You really need to learn to keep your thoughts to yourself, koishii," grinned Battousai as he looked in her direction once they turned a corner.

Whipping her head toward her husband, Kaoru silently fumed at the thought of the Vampire once again reading her thoughts for his own entertainment.

In a terribly sweet voice, Kaoru answered, "You really need to work on respecting others' privacy, anata."

Kaoru fought the urge to pull away when Battousai wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to his body so they were eye level. She sucked in a gulp of air at how easily she could feel the heat of his body through the silk that made up her black, long-flowing dress. She was certain that she might have been burned if not for the thick, red and black material he adorned.

"Your privacy is my privacy, kitten," said Battousai when their noses touched.

The new bride frowned and pulled her head back slightly so she could see his entire face, raising a questioning brow at her husband.

"Kitten?" asked Kaoru, confused by the new nickname.

Battousai chuckled as he pulled her closer to him, whispering his reply in her ear, "You purr in your sleep, kitten."

Blushing at the comment, Kaoru tried to pull away, but found herself unable to with iron-like hands firmly holding her in place.

"You wanted something else, anata?" asked Kaoru with venomous sugariness as she played along, snaking her arms up and around his neck and moving her face closer to his.

Kaoru's fingers were only a hair's breadth away from capturing Battousai's ponytail and yanking on it when a familiar deep voice cut through the atmosphere.

"Holy shit!"

Literally jumping two inches off of the floor, Kaoru would have turned around in surprise and embarrassment at the General of the Crimson Guards, but Battousai's hold on her waist wouldn't allow her the privilege. His grip on her middle tightened protectively when the sound of multiple gasps reached their ears from behind them.

"Your Royal Majesties," spoke up the calm voice of the Captain when silence filled the corridor for a good 30 seconds.

"Your Royal Majesties," chorused multiple voices from all around them.

Feeling absolutely mortified at the thought of being caught "seducing" the King of Earth, Kaoru buried her face in her husband's shoulder, willing the flaming of her cheeks to cool down.

xXx

Turning the corner, Sanosuke's jaw dropped and Enishi's eyes nearly smashed through his glasses at the scene before them. Never in a thousand years had they ever thought the scene before them was capable of happening. Yes, Lord Battousai was married now, but still! The thought of the Vampire actually having a physical relationship with anyone, much less a human, was too shocking to take in.

Vampire Lord Battousai was known for his distaste of the opposite sex throwing themselves at him, heck, he was known to kill servants that actually brushed against his clothing!

For centuries, the Elders had feared Battousai would never mate, and they had a good reason: the Vampire had completely shut himself up in his training and duties after taking over the world more than 400 years ago. It was as if whatever had happened in the Castle 444 years ago had completely consumed him and left him with no desire to seek the comfort from the other sex whatsoever. If Battousai didn't radiate absolute male power, some would have guessed him to be homosexual.

Therefore, it was a completely normal reaction on the General and Captain's part. The entirety of the situation was well beyond mind boggling.

Gapping at the desire they saw in their master's eyes, the two stared when Battousai allowed his wife to move her hands up his arms and around his neck. Their shock finally fully registered when they noticed that their king didn't push their queen away when she made to touch his hair. No one touched the hair! Hell, no one touched Battousai, period.

Unable to contain his surprise, Sano blurted out, "Holy shit!"

A dreadful silence filled the corridor when it became a known fact that the couple was not alone.

Gathering himself, Enishi sent the General of the Crimson Guards a glare for the Vampire's stupidity, and winced when he noticed Battousai's own death glare directed at them. His eyes widened slightly when gasps reached his ears from behind his king and queen. This was just great, now they were all going to get punished. He felt slightly sorry for Shinomori. The Vampire was going to have to go searching for not only new servants for their king and queen, but a new general and captain too.

Not wishing to get anyone else into any more trouble, or get beheaded himself, Enishi immediately bowed to his waist and addressed his superiors, "Your Royal Majesties."

The others quickly caught on and mimicked him.

All around the corridor, the same three words echoed off of the stone walls. "Your Royal Majesties."

Countless seconds ticked by before they were finally able to stand up straight from their bows.

"At ease," commanded Battousai with a wave of his hand, his other hand still protectively placed around his wife's waist.

"Our apologies, Your Majesties," said Enishi, the official spokesperson for the group of unfortunate Vampires.

Battousai was about to respond when another gasp from further up in the North Wing caught the attention of those in the passageway.

"Your Royal Majesty, please forgive the new servants, it was not their fault!" excused the oldest maid in a rush as she raced in front of the five youngest Vampires and bowed to the King. "I was showing them around the Castle and had gone off ahead, it's my fault that they're here. Please, if you are to punish anybody, then punish me for being so careless, Your Majesty."

"These are my new servants?" questioned Battousai as he turned his amber gaze on the five Vampires, who all bowed their heads when his eyes swept their forms, each one knowing better than to meet his gaze right on.

"Yes, Milord," confirmed Shura, remaining in her bowed position so as not to further insult the Vampire.

"Why then are they in graduating robes?" demanded Battousai, his hold on his wife never wavering.

Sanosuke, wishing to prove himself from his previous outburst, answered, "They have only been legal Vampires since yesterday, Your Majesty. They're the five that Commander Shinomori suggested from the University of Aka Ketsueki."

"Did Grand Commander Hajime approve?" inquired Battousai as he turned his attention to his general and captain.

"Yes, Sire," replied Enishi.

Battousai's eyes scanned the younger Vampires once more before he nodded. He then looked down at his mate, a smile tugging at his lips when he noticed that she still refused to face the ones that had interrupted them.

"My Queen, do you not wish to see the faces of your new servants?" asked Battousai as he moved a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a gentleness that even his general and captain hadn't known he possessed.

Kaoru was about to shake her head when she realized how weak she was appearing before the others. She was their queen. She wasn't supposed to go running behind her husband at every discomfort! Okay, so maybe many queens before her have done just that, but Kaoru refused to be a pampered princess! She was going to try and live as much in the same fashion as she had lived before she was given the title of Queen of Earth.

Looking up at her lord, Kaoru frowned and shook her head.

"I really do not see the use of servants, My Liege," said Kaoru, hoping that her husband would allow the five Vampires to leave and live more proper lives. She did not wish to be the reason for the discomfort of others.

Battousai looked at his wife oddly before turning to face a pale Shura. "Kill them."

"What?" asked Kaoru in shock, not really believing what Battousai had just ordered. He had spoken them so calmly that she might have mistaken them for words about the weather if she hadn't been paying attention to what he was actually saying.

Facing his queen once again, Battousai said simply, "If you do not wish them as your servants, then they are of no use to us."

Kaoru gaped at the Vampire incredulously, her hands sliding from his neck to his chest when she realized she had just sealed the fate of five innocent–-she decided to overlook the fact that they were Vampires-–creatures.

Shura glanced at the head-bowed Vampires behind her and gave them all a sympathetic glance before she bowed to the King. In a slightly quivering voice of regret, Shura said in resignation, "As you--"

"No," cut off Kaoru as she glared at her husband, who was looking at her in beguilement.

"No?" questioned Battousai.

"I won't allow you to kill them," said Kaoru defiantly as she took a step away from him, surprising everyone else in the room.

"Really now?" asked Battousai curiously, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Kaoru took a few seconds to think before she grinned, jutting out her chin and squaring her shoulders as she stated, "They are my servants. You yourself said that they are my new servants, therefore, their lives are in my hands, and I want them alive."

An undeniably long silence went on before the Vampire Lord made his decision.

"Indeed I have," said Battousai, waving off his previous orders.

"Really?" asked Kaoru amazed, stunned that Battousai had actually given in so easily. She had thought that he would have been more stubborn. Obviously, Battousai was a man of his word.

"Really," confirmed Battousai with a nod of his head.

Acting purely out of childish instinct, Kaoru threw her arms around Battousai's neck and hugged him, repeating the words "Thank You" again and again.

The General and Captain of the Crimson Guards openly stared at their queen, completely awestruck by the Queen's ability to do such humane things to the King and not be decapitated. Both men turned to each other and grinned before they looked back over to the couple and toward a sighing Shura and five thankful Vampires.

Finally realizing that her behavior wasn't proper for a person of her position, Kaoru blushed and pulled back, her cheeks burning uncontrollably when she noticed her husband's slightly widened eyes. She tried her best to hold in a giggle when she noticed the change in his expression. He was blinking at her as if he had never been hugged before in his long life, which was probably quite possible with the Vampire's reputation.

Kaoru was tempted to hug him again just to see what the Vampire would do, but decided against it when she noticed the blushes from her new servants.

Recovering, Battousai sent his grinning men a glare, which had them straightening up and controlling their expressions immediately.

"Are they familiar with the Castle yet?" asked Battousai as he once again looked at the Head Castle-Maid.

"They only have the North Wing to see, My Lord King," answered Shura with a bow.

"Show them the North Wing then," ordered Battousai. "Have them cleaned up and presentable within the Crimson Room in an hour."

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty," said Shura with a grateful bow.

The five Vampires, who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, all bowed as well before quickly following after their mentor.

Once they rounded a corner, Kaoru moved back to her spot at her husband's left while Battousai glared at his nervous men.

"Earl of Tsuchi," addressed Battousai as he looked at Sanosuke, "Baron of Mizu," he glanced at Enishi, "what are two doing here? Did I not assign you a mission yesterday? Or have you already finished last night's issues?"

Gulping, Sano and Enishi exchanged nervous glances before facing their king and shaking their heads.

"We were hoping to feed before we got back to work, My Lord. We truly had no intentions on interrupting you, Your Majesties," apologized Enishi as the two men bowed.

"You truly are a remarkable being, My Liege," complimented Sanosuke sincerely, "you manage to accomplish four times more issues on your own every night than the both of us could do in the span of two. I applaud you, My Lord."

"Words of honey will not excuse you, Earl Sagara," said Battousai darkly.

"Not words of honey, Your Majesty," grinned Sano, "but words of truth."

Kaoru fought the urge to giggle while Battousai forced himself not to roll his eyes.

"Go feed then," said Battousai with a dismissive gesture of his hand, "I'll finish the rest on my own."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," bowed both men before they quickly went on their way to the Sakura once more.

Battousai shook his head as he led his wife toward his working room, a headache already forming at the thought of all of the work he would have to do tonight to make up for last night.

"You know, anata," spoke up Kaoru after a few minutes of silent walking, "how am I supposed to effectively order about my servants when I'm to be with you at all times? It'll be a bit awkward, for both my servants and myself."

"If you're trying to get out of following our third rule, then it's not working, kitten," said Battousai pointedly as he sent Kaoru a knowing look.

Kaoru sighed. At least she tried. She should have known that her luck wouldn't last this long.

Upon entering an open area, where multiple servants were cleaning the black marble tiles, statues, paintings, and various decorations in absolute silence, Kaoru watched bemused as Battousai snapped his fingers.

A servant quickly raced over to them with a quick bow, keeping a step behind them as they continued their way through the open, domed-ceilinged area.

"Have my usual sent to my working room immediately," ordered Battousai.

The servant bowed once more before quickly vanishing to do his bidding.

"Is that how I'm supposed to order about my servants?" asked Kaoru once they had entered yet another large and long hallway. Kaoru was beginning to wonder how anyone ever managed to remember his or her way around the Castle without occasionally getting lost.

For a long while, the only sounds that responded to her question were the clicking of her high heels–-which had taken her almost half an hour to get use to walking in--and Battousai's polished shoes on the tile beneath their feet. She was just about to give up hope when her husband decided to answer.

"You may do with them as you wish--your wish is their command," said Battousai.

Kaoru frowned. Such a simple answer shouldn't have taken that long to come up with.

"Is there something bothering you, My Lord?" asked Kaoru, making sure to address the Ruler of Earth accordingly just in case someone was listening in on their conversation.

"Nothing is bothering me," snapped Battousai. He whirled around so fast in front of her that Kaoru nearly ran into him.

Steadying herself, Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"Right," said Kaoru sarcastically, "and I'm the--" Kaoru stopped when she realized what it was she was just about to say.

At that very moment, everything that had happened in the last 24 hours dawned on her and finally, thoroughly sunk in. It had all seemed like a dream up until now, and the reality of it rocked her to the very core. She was the Queen of the World. Her, ordinary, tomboyish, easily tempered, and unintellectual Kaoru was married to the King of the World!

Kaoru swayed and would have crumpled to the ground in repudiation if Battousai hadn't gotten a hold of her elbows and steadied her. She moved her fingers to her temples and groaned when Battousai moved a hand to her waist and the other to the elbow closes to him to support her. If she wasn't feeling like she wanted to faint, Kaoru would have taken notice of how Battousai's previous scowl had vanished and was replaced by concern.

The last thing she recalled before her mind completely shut down was someone murmuring her name.

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"That was a close one," sighed Shiro in relief once their group rounded the corner and was out of ear shot of the King and Queen. He raced cold, sweaty, and trembling fingers through his spiked hair before falling in place beside Kuro, who nodded in agreement.

"Her Majesty really is something," commented Okon admiringly, "she not only managed to marry the King, but she was actually able to get her way too!"

Omasu smiled, "Our Lady Queen truly is kindhearted."

Misao grinned in adoration at the Queen's fire and willingness to stand up for others. She wasn't at all like all of those other queens you hear about in stories and history.

"Lady Kaoru is not officially our queen yet," said Shura once they arrived at a circular intersection with various doors and other hallways.

"What do you mean, Dame Shura?" asked Omasu in confusion.

Sighing, Shura asked quietly, "Did you five not realize that Her Excellency is still a virgin?"

The girls gasped while the boys stared when they realized what their noses have been silently trying to tell them ever since they entered the corridor.

"Until Lord Battousai and Lady Kaoru's marriage is consummated, we have only half a queen," said Shura.

"Surely there's a reason why their marriage is only half complete," protested Shiro, "or did none of you notice how fond Our Lord King is of Our Lady Queen?"

Shura looked back at the servants and smiled before nodding in agreement, despite the fact that her pupils hadn't realized the significance of their queen still being human.

"Yes, they probably just haven't had the time, after all, their vows were made only a short while before sunrise," agreed Shura.

The others returned the smile. They really didn't want to think about what would happen if they were to have another queen to work for. This one seemed too good to be true and they wanted more than anything to keep her. Lady Kaoru's stay would benefit not only them, but their king as well.

"All right, let's finish this tour and get you five ready to work," said Shura as she walked over to the closest door, her students happily following.

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"Surely you jest!" said Yumi in disbelief as she stared at the two Vampires before her.

Sipping his red drink from a wineglass, Enishi shook his head, his white bangs tumbling over his black glasses.

"Nope, we saw it with our own eyes," gloated Sanosuke after he downed his own shot of alcohol-mixed blood.

Yumi pouted as she poured another glass for the General.

"Outdone by a simple peasant girl," frowned Yumi with a dramatic sigh. "All my efforts pushed down the drain and worth absolutely nothing! I still can't believe that a mere human was capable of doing everything I couldn't do in centuries, in the span of 24 hours. It's not fair!"

The two men openly laughed.

"We should all just be grateful," said Enishi before he grinned at Sano, "at least now we'll be able to get married and legally mated."

Sanosuke smirked. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for Lord Battousai to get chained! I can actually start courting again! I still don't see why the Elders made that stupid rule for. Why does one's king have to marry before his top men can?"

"To assure an heir, of course," answered Yumi as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They were hoping that you idiots would understand that you were all remaining sexless until you could get Lord Battousai hitched. It was a scam to get you guys to help them get His Majesty married and with an heir."

The General of the Crimson Guards scowled. "What is it with old people wanting children from others?"

"Lord Battousai will not live forever, Sano, none of us will," reminded Enishi. "With His Majesty's previous reactions to the opposite sex, you have to understand their concern. And no matter how powerful and influential the Elders are, they cannot possibly force Our Lord King to do something he does not want to. Why else do you think they were so happy when Lord Battousai announced his search for a queen?"

"Yeah, well, they're not going to get that heir soon," muttered Sano as he gulped down his thick beverage.

"What do you mean, Earl Sagara?" asked Yumi curiously.

Sano rolled his eyes and snorted. "Do drop the formalities, Dame Komagata."

"Do you mind explaining, Enishi?" asked Yumi, ignoring the aggravating general.

Swirling his drink in his glass, the Captain of the Crimson Guards frowned thoughtfully, "His Royal Majesty and Her Majesty haven't been able to complete their marriage yet. There wasn't enough time between their oaths of Eternal Loyalty and sunrise for them to consummate the ritual."

"Why didn't they finish it earlier this evening?" asked Yumi.

"And further fall behind in the issues of the world? You know how Lord Battousai is about being ahead and prepared," said Sano.

"I don't see why you two are worrying though," said Yumi as she smoothed out her kimono from her kneeling position across from the two men, "they've already made their vows. There's no way that either of them can get out of their marriage now, not even Lord Battousai can break a blood contract. You two really should learn to be more patient. They'll obtain an heir sooner or later."

The Earl of Tsuchi and the Baron of Mizu exchanged glances.

"There's just one problem," started Sano a bit awkwardly.

Yumi raised a questioning brow, urging him with her eyes to continue.

"Our Lord King has already drunk from Our Lady Queen," said Enishi slowly, remembering how different Battousai's blood scent and aura were.

"So?" asked Yumi.

"Our Lady Queen is still human," finished Sano.

Both Vampires sighed when Yumi's eyes rolled into her head and she fainted, collapsing onto the floor in shock.

"Shall we?" asked Enishi as he got up from his cushion and moved to Yumi's side.

"Might as well," shrugged Sano as he too got up and helped his friend try and revive the owner of the infamous Sakura.

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Note: All previous chapters have been revised! I hope they're easier to read now.