Author's Notes: Ok. I hope you like this chap. Kenshin appears for the first time and he and Kaoru finally meet. This is a Kenshin and Kaoru fic. I really really want to make this dark, but I'm not sure if I'm succeeding. Oh well, got time for more darkness in the future.

Thank you so much to all the reviewers. I'm so sorry to say that this does not have an update schedule. I do want to add new chapters as soon as possible, but I'm very busy with school, so there's no definite update pattern. Gomen ne. Please R&R coz I live for your reviews.

Unfortunately, I do not own RK..WAAH!

The Agony and the Ecstasy

Chapter 2: Dark Advent

She found herself looking outside her window yet again. This time instead of the flurry of people present before, stars adorned the velvet sky. Their brightness practically burned her eyes. Each mesmerized her. Each held the promise of a brighter tomorrow. So beautiful.

"There you go again," a gentle voice behind her said.

She smiled as she recognized the owner. "How long have you been there?"

"You know how long. Why do you need to ask?" She heard amusement in that easy voice and she smiled again.

"Merely checking. I fear I haven't been myself lately."

"How come?" Soujirou was now beside her, also looking outside.

"Because of everything."

"We already talked about this," he stated.

"I know," she began, "but-"

"No buts," he interrupted. She looked at him.

She nodded. "Alright, no buts."

They just stood there for a while. Each waiting for the other to speak.

"Soujirou, have you ever felt out of place?"

He turned towards her and looked at her with worry. "I have. But what makes you think you're out of place?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I just do. It's actually very strange. I know I should belong here since it's the only place I could ever think of calling home… but, sometimes, I think I don't know what home is…sometimes, I don't even know if I have one." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, wondering if she should continue. She took a deep breath. "It's like this constant ringing inside of me and I can usually ignore it, but I can never forget it."

Saying this made her feel worse and better all at the same time. If it weren't for the fact that he was Soujirou, she would never have opened this up. But they had known each other for years now and he had never disappointed her. Not even once. And she knew he wouldn't start now. All throughout her speech, he just listened with an odd expression on his face. For a minute, she wondered if she had been right to tell him this. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke at last.

"I'll tell you what," he said, moving so close to her that she could actually feel the warmth underneath his clothes, "You can lend me yourself for a while and, when you finally find your home, you can take yourself from me." He stopped, making sure she was paying attention. "I'll be your temporary keeper," he concluded.

She was dumbfounded.

"My temporary keeper?"

He grinned. "That is correct, Highness. And I promise you that, no matter how much I'll grow to adore you, I'll give you back when you ask me to." She began laughing.

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

He looked at her hurt. "I was serious," he said childishly.

She stopped laughing, but was still smiling. "And so was I."

Their eyes met. Without thinking, she gave in to weakness, leaned forward and kissed him, trying to show him how much she appreciated his efforts to make her feel better. She pulled away after a second and pressed her forehead against his. She could feel her heart beating faster in anticipation, not used to making the first move. His eyes had clouded over and he was looking at her in surprise. Soujirou's lips broke into a grin.

A second hadn't even passed when he placed his left hand on the back of her head and the other on her waist and pulled her in for another kiss. Even as she tried to contain herself, she knew it was no use. The kiss was hot and sweet and both were aware of only the friction between their lips and the feel of each other's skin. His right hand pressed her closer and moved slowly up and down her spine, making her shiver in excitement. She felt her entire body tingle and the stars and troubles outside were forgotten. Already, she could feel the oxygen in her lungs running out, but she refused to break away, willing time to adjust so that they could have this moment prolonged. It was not long however, before they had to pull apart, both out of breath. She was still holding on to his arms.

When they were finally able to collect themselves, they regarded in amusement the flushed condition of both their faces.

"Your Highness, I just love it when you take matters into your own hands," he said sheepishly, smirking.

She pretended to look appalled and playfully swatted him. "Address me like that again, Knight, and the next one won't be so weak."

They stared at each other and then suddenly burst out laughing. That was when her aunt entered her room and their heads turned immediately. When she saw her mother's sister, she was filled with a tidal wave of relief.

"Auntie, you've returned," she said, running to her with open arms. Kasumi had been a second mother to her and Tomoe when they were younger and she still was to her up to now. Kasumi had been away on a diplomatic trip and, now that her aunt was back, she knew that things were bound to get better.

"How's my little ruler?" she said, embracing her niece.

"A little better. Were you informed of what happened?"

Her aunt's face suddenly became very dark. "Yes, I was and it's simply horrible. I'm terribly sorry."

At the sound of her aunt's voice, she was again confronted with sadness and desperation.

"I know you are," she said softly, "I only hope we can rise above this."

Kasumi looked at her worriedly. "We will sweetheart. We will." She looked away from her niece and saw Soujirou.

"Good evening, Soujirou."

"Good evening, milady," he said respectfully.

"I trust that you've been taking care of my niece for me."

"I've been trying to. She's a very stubborn woman."

Kasumi smiled, "How true."

"Excuse me! I resent that," she exclaimed, pretending to glare at them, "I happen to be very well-mannered."

"Well, then you can show us just how well-mannered you are by entertaining our guests."

She was startled. "Guests?"

"Yes, my dear, advisers of the kingdom of Stalia. They've come to offer their help."

She stood frozen for a minute, not sure if she heard correctly, then her face broke into a huge grin.

"That's wonderful news!" In a burst of emotion, she embraced Kasumi once again. Everything's going to go back to normal. Everything's going to be fine.

"Soujirou and I will go before you so you can take the time to think about how you are going to deal with our guests. We'll be awaiting you inside the blue antechamber."

She gave her niece one last affectionate squeeze and went outside with Soujirou following her.

"Don't take too long," he said, winking.

Then the door was shut and she was left all alone to think about the glorious news. There's still hope.

"There's still hope," she repeated, this time aloud.

For the first time in a long while, she finally felt it. She had never lost hope, but it had hid itself until now. Taking a deep breath, she quickly went outside. She didn't need to think about what she was going to say, she already knew.

From the moment she walked into the hall, she knew something was wrong. The hallway outside was dark and freezing, which was weird considering the fact that she always preferred the castle to be bright. But she ignored that and continued to walk. After a minute, she began wondering why she had never noticed just how frightening the palace was at night. The pathway was very long and nothing but large windows surrounded her, each capable of presenting horror. Try as she might, every noise and every movement seemed to have lives of their own. With every passing second, she grew increasingly aware of the shadows around her as they grew bigger and bigger with each movement. Don't let your imagination get the best of you.

Every step seemed to cause the floor to scream. Her heart started to race. Don't be afraid. Don't think. Just walk. Walk. Strangely enough, the faster she moved and the closer she got, the worse she felt. Her head and heart were on fire, but her body was shivering. It was as if a twisted force was calling to her, pulling her away from consciousness, and she couldn't handle it. Any moment now. Just go on. As she took her next step, she felt her senses go wild and her back arched backward.

YOU ARE MINE!

Her unconscious form met the cold ground and nothing came after that.

Noooooo!

The red-haired man looked up. His skillful eyes searched the surroundings, positive he'd heard a woman scream. Much to his confusion, the hallway was as silent as it used to be.

Her world was spinning around her and all she could see were multicolored stars that swirled on and on and on. Her body was cold, but her head was strangely warm and it was leaning against something soft. When she refocused, she found herself staring into disturbing amber eyes.

I've found you.

The sudden thought made her frown and she shook her head violently, making her headache worse. Struggling for a hold on reality, she once again concentrated on those eyes. They were very weird eyes. The face of the owner soon followed and she saw that her companion had the most dangerously handsome face she had ever seen. She just looked at him silently, still very dazed and disoriented.

"Are you alright?" he asked. His voice was deep and indifferent and she felt it go through her faster than lightning.

"I'm fine," she tried to assure him.

She attempted to rise but she did so so quickly that her head started spinning again and she found herself falling once more. With unbelievably smooth reflexes, he caught her head without even blinking.

"Maybe you should lie down for a while." That voice again.

"I'm fine," she repeated, not comfortable with lying against him, a complete stranger.

Ignoring his warning, she tried standing once more; this time, more cautiously and with him supporting her. She stood still for a while, waiting for her posture to become steady again. She was still a little bruised, but at least she was conscious. When she was sure that she could walk normally again, she faced her rescuer and gave him a warm smile though she was still shaking inside. When her gaze landed on him for the second time, her eyes started to sting. Something about him unnerved her. What made it worse was that she didn't know why.

"Thank you," she said, trying to take in as much of him as she could without seeming rude. "I don't know what happened. One moment, I was walking. The next, I'm down on the floor. I really do apologize for the inconvenience."

She waited for him to say something, but he just looked at her. As if he was the one waiting for her to talk. As the silence become more and more oppressive, she struggled to come up with something to say.

"I haven't seen you around here," she started shyly, "You must be a visitor." She stopped, her eyes trying to urge him to reply. Nothing. "Well, not to worry because I know this castle from top to bottom and if you need anything, anything at all, I'll be happy to assist you."

She looked at him with an expression she hoped was friendly and tried to appear unaffected by him and his lack of words. Once again, dead air. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. She almost jumped when he spoke.

"Thank you, but I think I'll manage just fine. I hope you don't mind, but I have matters to attend to."

He gave her a small bow, turned around and walked swiftly out of her sight. As she watched his shoulders saunter away, her cheeks flared a deep crimson.

"Hummph…be that way," she said to no one in particular, sticking her tongue out at the long gone man.

For Kami's sake, you're a ruler now. Stopbehaving so childishly. She quickly stopped herself from doing something even more embarrassing and proceeded to her original destination with thoughts of the incident still on her mind. His presence had overshadowed her collapse, but now that he was gone, she was finally able to remember it. What happened? And who was he?

When she entered the chamber, all her subjects stood up. She was still wrapped in a world of her own, a world where the mysterious man was the main character. The colorful lights did little to rouse her from her daydream. I must stop thinking about what happened. I have enough to worry about as it is. Despite her self-lectures, she felt herself going back to her fantasies. Stop thinking! She walked all the way across the red carpet, mindlessly nodding to anybody. When she reached her throne, she soundlessly sat down and wanted to present a semblance of stability so she scanned the crowd for the new arrivals. Even he could not make her forget her kingdom's situation. She saw Soujirou among her knights and he smiled at her encouragingly. She found herself inexplicably relaxing and leaned a little on the back of her chair. She looked at her aunt who was sitting beside her.

"Are they here, auntie?"

"Yes, dear, in fact, I think you're about to be introduced."

She heard a trumpet blaring and two names were called out. "Presenting Sir Himura Kenshin and Lady Susuki Sayami," the page announced.

When she turned her head towards her guests. They were already kneeling before her. Her gaze zeroed in on a familiar shade of red hair. It's him! Her eyes widened a little as a jolt of recognition shot through her and, before she could school her features into one of neutrality, he looked up and saw her staring at him. His eyes caught hers for a moment and then immediately looked away as if nothing had happened. Kenshin.

The woman beside him did the speaking. As she looked at her, the corner of her eye still on Kenshin, she noticed that the girl was actually very pretty. Just like him, her head had been down a minute ago. But when she started speaking, she brought her face up and gave the ruler an amiable smile.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Your Highness," she said, her voice cheerful yet serious.

With the discipline she had acquired over the years, she forced herself to forget this momentary revelation and responded to the Sayami's words.

"On the contrary, it is we who should be thanking you." She gave her a sincere smile and continued, "Our people cannot even begin to express how grateful we are to Stalia for willingly helping us even when your kingdom has no need to do so."

Sayami lowered her eyes and dropped her voice respectfully, "We have heard so much about your benevolence that our conscience compelled us to help a monarch as giving as yourself."

She beamed at this, but her eyes darkened the second after. "You have no idea how happy we are to hear that and I am most embarrassed to say that your aid is needed immediately."

"Are you referring to the vampires taking your women?" the dark voice beside Sayami asked.

His voice momentarily struck her unsure, but only for a fraction of a second. Even while he looked at her, she already felt that unfamiliar humming inside her. She didn't like it. She didn't like that his eyes were now upon her. She didn't like the fact that it actually bothered her.

"Yes, I'm referring to that. Though I know it seems extremely abrupt, we have no choice in the matter. We wish to rescue them as soon as possible." She was extremely thankful that her voice did not come out shaky.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but how do you know that they have not yet been disposed of." He looked her straight in the eye.

Despite herself, she felt the familiar signs of anger and tried to control herself immediately.

When she spoke again, she sounded sterner. "I understand if you have hesitations. But we will rescue our women whether they are dead or alive."

His features changed somehow and he finally backed down with a nod. "We don't mean to anger you. We only want to proceed with caution and certainty."

She felt herself smile, "As do we all, but, considering the situation, we have no other options."

It was Sayami who spoke again. "You have our full support."

"Thank you," she whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

Both did not miss her tone of gratitude. She and Kenshin caught each other's eye once more and, this time, it was she who looked away. His gaze did not waver.

It was now several hours after the meeting and she was in her room with Soujirou, talking about everything that had happened.

"You were right, everything is going to be alright," he said, smiling.

"Yes, it is." She tried to return the smile, but found that her lips wouldn't permit her.

His eyes immediately grew concerned. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just anxious about tomorrow."

"I thought we've decided that everything's going to be fine?"

"We have," she said, looking at him from across the room. She shook her head, placing the palm of her hand on her forehead. "I don't what's wrong with me."

"Do you have any worries regarding our new allies?" Soujirou probed.

"No, of course not," she replied, "What's to worry about?"

"Exactly. They appear to be genuine. Lady Sayami is very approachable and Sir Himura seems gentlemanly enough." He raised his eyebrow meaningfully when he mentioned Kenshin's name and she was momentarily taken aback. She felt her heart drop.

"What are you trying to imply?"

Soujirou chuckled. "Nothing, Empress. Nothing." He wasn't angry. Why should he be? She felt her chest relax.

"Why Soujirou, don't tell me you're jealous?" she responded, placing her hand on her hip.

Smiling, he crossed the short distance between them and swooped down to plant a quick kiss on her lips. She heard herself sigh.

"I'm not," he assured her. His expression was so serious that she felt herself tense.

Then his face broke into a grin. "Besides, I happen to know that I am the only one you have eyes for." He bent quickly to avoid her punch.

"You are so arrogant," she said, pretending to be outraged.

"Well this arrogant knight is telling you to sleep,"

"Must you go so soon?"

"I'm afraid I have to. The soldiers need me with them when they organize themselves for the rescue mission."

A dark shadow descended upon her face again. "I'm coming with you."

"You can't," he responded immediately.

"And why is that? I know how to fight. I'm quite capable of defending myself. I want to be there with the rest of you."

"Maybe so, but you are not going to engage in any wars while I am still here to engage in them for you. Besides, the kingdom needs you right now."

As much as she hated it, she couldn't help but admit that he was right.

"Okay," she grudgingly submitted.

"Now go to sleep. I want you to let me handle this."

She nodded her approval. "But I'm going to see you off."

"I already knew you would." He kissed her briefly once more and turned to leave.

"Soujirou." He turned.

"Be careful."

He grinned. "I will. I'll see you in a few hours."

"In a few hours," she agreed. She strained to take in every part of his face. From the way his lips were always curled up to how his lashes fell across his eyes when he blinked.

"Sweet dreams, Empress." She was gripped with a sudden ominous sensation. It seemed so final.

When he left the room, she stood staring at the door. Why is it that I feel so uneasy? Shaking the thought away, she quickly prepared for bed. She knew she should have told him about her collapse, but she didn't want him to worry. And she didn't want herself to worry. It was nothing. I was just tired. After a few minutes, she was finally ready. As she sank into her soft bed, she felt fatigue take her over and she found herself slowly pulled into oblivion.

Himura Kenshin sat rigidly on the chair beside his bed. He had no intention of sleeping tonight. There were things to be done. Things that did not include sleep. Sayami walked towards him, her stride as graceful and swift as that of a panther.

"What are you thinking of," she asked softly.

"Things," he replied automatically. He stood and walked away, moving towards the door.

"Where are you going?" He could hear her voice fill with confusion.

"Outside." He looked at her as if daring her to object.

"Okay," she relented, sensing his irritation.

She threw her hair back and Kenshin watched it slide smoothly down her shoulders. Suddenly, brown hair turned to black and his eyes crinkled in alarm. A second later, it was brown again. Noticing the break in his normally stony face, she looked at him in concern. But then it was gone. He turned his back, about to leave the room.

"Don't forget," she said hurriedly, "It must happen tonight."

"I know."

In her chamber, the queen was not having a peaceful sleep. She had been tossing and turning all night. Her face twisted in agony as dreams savagely overwhelmed her. They tore into her over and over again and all she could do was to surrender to them.

"Mother…"

She was running. Running across a vast room with nothing surrounding her but the pressing cold walls. Terror pounded inside her. She was looking for something. Searching. The darkness would not leave her. Water suddenly flooded the room. The raging current strove to drown her. It was fast. Deadly. Seductive. Then she saw herself. But it was not her. It was her mother.

She was choking. Her hands tore at the surface. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Underwater, she could see something moving towards her. She tried to run. Tried to fight the effect the water was having on her. But it was holding her still. Refusing to let her go. The thing was beside her. And she felt it press against her and envelop her lips. She struggled against it. Struggled with the ferocity of a beast. She knew she was going to die. She knew she would feel the cold seep into her skin any minute now. But even as everything left her, all she was aware of was passion. And heat. Let me go!

In an instant, she was no longer in her bed. It was empty with nothing but the crumbled sheets to indicate the turmoil that had gone on seconds ago. The clocked ticked, the windows rattled, and the rain poured down the entire kingdom as if trying to wash away all the sins and grief. But there was no sign of the queen. She was gone. Only her scent remained.

Kenshin traveled through the same hallway he had hours ago. But he knew he was far deeper into the castle. He knew because now all he heard was rain. Rain that beat incessantly. Outside and within. It was all that he was aware of and it was the mystic music that guided him through the blackness. His steps were light and every part of his being felt awake.

The night had come. The night that always shadowed him. Protected him. Became him. His movement unexpectedly stopped. A few yards away, the lithe form of a woman was exposed to him. He could see her as clearly as he could feel the wind flirt with his bare skin. He stood and watched her, amber eyes glinting.

She opened her eyes and was frozen. She felt her nightgown being blown away from her body. Her hair was flying in haphazard directions. But she was like a statue, staring at a vision. A vision of a yesterday that continued to haunt her. A vision of her dream. In front of her was a portrait of beautiful woman, smiling radiantly, as if all of the sun resided in her. She was not yet fully awake and, when she reached out to touch it, she was in a daze. She obediently closed her eyes when she felt spirit-like fingers caress her cheeks and unconsciously leaned towards the painting.

"Good evening."

The illusion shattered into a million pieces around her, and she recoiled in shock. With wide eyes, and her left hand on her chest, she turned to face her intruder. And she ceased to breathe.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, Your Majesty."

She continued to stare at him. Embarrassment and disbelief mingling into one. Embarrassment because of being caught in such a situation. Disbelief because he was the one who caught her. He was exactly as she remembered him, but something was different. Something seemed to hang over him while he stood there in the shadows, his face partially hidden, a mixture of shades and beams.

"Did I frighten you," he asked, still without a hint of emotion.

She quickly regained herself and tried to arrange her features into something more appropriate. "No, you didn't. I'm afraid I'm feeling a little strange right now."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, coming closer.

She forced herself to stay still even when he was right beside her, looking at the portrait. For once, she didn't mind being silent. It seemed to her that this man wouldn't mind either. Both of their eyes were fixed upon the woman. The whole castle seemed to dissolve and all that existed was that tiny space they were standing on. Everything about this night drew her.

She was surprised to hear his voice so soon. "The famous Empress Kamiya."

She looked at him in mild surprise. "You knew her?"

"Everyone knew her."

"Oh," she exclaimed, feeling stupid. "She was my mother," she whispered, "She died and I was born on an evening exactly like this one."

His body shifted and she felt herself stiffen.

"Your Highness…"

"My name's Kaoru."

"Kaoru." Absolute stillness.

He was still looking at the portrait. She was still looking at it.

Kaoru felt a presence approach them and they both turned automatically. Slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness.

"Lady Sayami," she uttered.

But Sayami had changed. In fact, she had turned into a completely different person. It was the same face. The same eyes. And yet they were obscured. Twisted. Her senses went into overdrive.

"It is time," the girl murmured.

And before Kaoru could move, before she could think, something hit the back of her neck. And, for the second time that day, she slid to the ground.

Author's Notes:

Yes, this is not the first time Soujirou and Kaoru have made out, considering the fact that they've been lovers for some time now. Their relationship is very much on the romantic side. But underneath that is a friendship that is much stronger. You might find it strange that Kaoru is so weird around Kenshin when she seems so in love with Soujirou. Well, for now, Kaoru is convinced that what she is feeling towards Kenshin is just some sort of unknown connection and she does not recognize or acknowledge it as anything beyond that, so, technically, she thinks her heart still belongs to Soujirou. I had a very difficult time writing how she would react to Kenshin. I actually had to revise it several times. This is because I didn't want to give the impression that they immediately fall in love or that Kaoru is immediately surrendering to Kenshin. I just wanted to establish a certain connection between them and there is a reason behind this connection. I hope the outcome isn't too bad. Don't forget to review.hehe