Disclaimer: meri-san's lawyer says: Meri-san denies all allegations that she has stolen any part of Rurouni Kenshin. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Alert! Alert! This chapter may contain certain material that is not fit for reading for people who are under-aged or are easily offended! People who fall under this criteria, stay away! Away! Note: This chapter is needed for the plot. (prepares for one or two hours of stoning in front of the computer and pulling out my hair for what to write in this chapter. I'll try to make it as short as possible, as I don't really feel comfortable about writing such scenes.) "Suggestive" sentences marked with a 1. Oh, and this chapter is, say, back to the present time. As in Kenshin and Kaoru STANDING OUTSIDE SANOSUKE'S APARTMENT AND TALKING.

Timeless Love

Chapter Six: Embraced Again

Kenshin couldn't believe his ears. He –actually- had a son named Kenji… whom he hadn't even known about until today.

"Gomen nasai…" he whispered as he drew her close to him. Kaoru said nothing; just held on to his warm embrace as her tears, which were subdued by now, flowed silently down her cheeks.

She shouldn't be crying, not her. Her face is too lovely for tears. Her soul is too pure for grief. Kenshin thought to himself.

How touching, It was the Battousai. She hates you for five years of her life, and suddenly she's allowing you to grope her all over. I wonder though, why are all those bruises there?

Kenshin froze. –What are you talking about?- He struggled to keep his temper.

Just imagine what goes on behind closed doors, or…

"Kenshin?"

Kaoru looked up at the man she loved. He seemed to be fighting with some inner demon of his once more.

1. He was, because he was struggling with the truth- the fact that what was his was his alone, and no one else's.

Without warning, he reached out for her hand and pulled back the kimono sleeve, noting the bruises that dotted her pale arm.

"Kaoru…" The rurouni's eyes traveled up and down her bruised arms. Anger at Gohei and regret for leaving her to fend for herself flashed in his gaze.

She had to tell him. It wasn't fair to hide the truth from him and make him suffer. Not when he had seen and learnt everything about her years ago.

"He hit me, Kenshin," said Kaoru.

Kenshin ran his hands gently over Kaoru's arms, as if to heal them.

"Over the slightest thing…"

Visions of Gohei raising his hand and bringing it down sharply on his beloved Kaoru crossed his mind. He couldn't get past the vision without feeling immense pain for her… all that she suffered…

Kenshin stopped when his hands gripped Kaoru's elbows tightly. "Kaoru… he didn't…"

"Didn't what?"

The rurouni was too ashamed to say it. He couldn't even think of asking her.

But I have to know that what is mine, stays mine.

"He didn't touch you did he?"

Kaoru stared at him, eyes wide in surprise for his question. "No, I wouldn't let him, even if he tried to…"

1. Suddenly, just looking into her bright blue eyes made him want to hold her tightly and make her his again, forever.

"Besides, I…already belong to you."

That did it. Kenshin couldn't hold himself back any longer. He –needed- this. There was no waiting any longer than five years than when he missed her warmth, her tender love so badly…

Kenshin kissed Kaoru fiercely. Kaoru returned his kiss, nearing to his chest.

1.When their lips broke, Kenshin looked into Kaoru's lovely sapphire eyes. "Kenshin… Kenshin…" she whispered, "Please… give me what you did five years back…"

Kenshin nodded. He didn't think he could control himself any longer. He could only thank luck that they were just outside Sanosuke's apartment.

Holding Kaoru close to him he opened the back door and placed her gently on the futon (which he had forgotten to roll up that morning). Then, closing the door he turned around…

1.Only to have Kaoru kissing him even more intensely now, her slender hands cupping his scarred face, one palm gently covering his cross-scar.

He grinned. Surely she can't wait. She's grown more impatient over the past years…

1. Kenshin let his hands slowly move up and down Kaoru's spine, then stopped at the knotted bow which tied her kimono together. Un-tying it, he released the fabric and let it pool on the floor. Kaoru blushed furiously. She still wasn't used to this, even though the same thing had happened years ago.

1.She released her hands from his face and reached into his gi, hands gently caressing all the spots where she remembered had drawn out a groan from him each time her fingers brushed past them.

1. "Kaoru…" Kaoru looked into Kenshin's eyes. They were a mixture of intense amethyst and dark amber.

1. Kenshin's eyes widened in shock when he realized that Kaoru had undone his gi and let it drop onto the floor next to her kimono. "Patience, koishii…don't rush," he whispered in her ear as she giggled, face resting against his throat.

1. He curved his hands around her abdomen and lowered her gently onto the futon, pressing himself over her. Gently he ran his tongue up and down her throat, drawing sounds of pleasure from her as he did so. When he was done not a single bruise on her arms hadn't been kissed by his lips.

1.Kaoru's breath came in short gasps as Kenshin undid the ribbon tying up her hair, letting the dark silky strands pool around her pearly features. His face dipped in nearer as he planted kisses from her throat all the way down…

1."Kenshin… Kenshin…" Kaoru buried all ten fingers in his amber-dyed hair. Her fingernails dug deep into his scalp as her person shivered with the sensations his touches left her.

1. Kenshin looked up at Kaoru through amethyst-amber orbs. His hands made their way up to hers and gripped them tightly, bringing them to his lips with tender affection.

1. They continued to explored each other at their own pace, taking their own time. Neither wished to rush each other. Time seemed to stand still, allowing them to make up for the five years they lost.

1.Finally…

…

"Aah! I think I'm scarred for life!" cried Yahiko who had found them hugging. The two adults had held his mouth shut to let Kenshin and Kaoru have some privacy, but now that they had both disappeared behind closed doors, his big mouth couldn't be shut any longer.

"Well, how do you think your parents made you?" Sanosuke retorted, a little annoyed that five years of growing up hadn't made his thinking mature at all.

Megumi glared at him. Five years or more, no matter how much time you give a man, he never matures. Never.

"Well what do we do now?" Yahiko asked. Kenshin and Kaoru had disappeared into Sanosuke's apartment and it didn't look like they was going to come out for a very long time.

"Well, since they're both gonna be stuck there until the cows come home, I say we go look for Kenji." Sanosuke suggested.

"What? Go baby-sit that kid?"

Sanosuke delivered another one of his well-prized Futae no Kiwami- style punches to the fifteen year old.

Megumi slapped her hand across Sanosuke's head. "That's no way to treat a child, baka rooster head!"

"I'm not a kid!"

"I'm no chicken! Do I look like I have feathers?"

"No, but you have a bird- brain, bird- brain!"

"Shut up, punk!"

"You two!" Megumi shouted to make herself heard above the din. "Fighting won't solve the situation. You see, Kaoru's certain to tell Ken-san about Kenji this time, and don't you think Ken-san would want to see his offspring when… when…"

"When?"

"When they're done in there," said Megumi quickly. So much for maturity and open-mindedness.

"And your point is…?"

"Well, you two have to go in there and get him out. What if Ken-san runs into that fiend of a Gohei and whips him to death when he learns what happened to his own son?"

"You think too much, kitsune…"

Megumi pulled Sanosuke's ear hard. "Just do as I say." She ordered.

"All right, all right!" Sanosuke grumbled. He wasn't surprised he was going to resemble a Buddha in the long run… a Buddha with terrific long ears. "All right, Yahiko-chan we got ourselves an ass to bash up!"

"I didn't say to bash him up!" cried Megumi in protest as the two disappeared toward the Kamiya Dojo.

Sanosuke and Yahiko ignored the lady doctor. Instead, they pressed on towards the Kamiya Dojo.

"And here we are." Said Sanosuke. Without warning, he kicked open the gate.

"Can't it wait? I'm tired." Yahiko panted.

"No time to rest, now!" replied Sanosuke, grabbing him and swinging him toward the two surprised guards.

Or at least he tried to. He only managed to grab Yahiko's gi and pull him forward, causing him to fall flat on his face.

"Oww! Why did you have to pull me for! I can walk you know!" cried Yahiko, rubbing his sore face. Great, now he probably couldn't face Tsubame for a week with all those ghastly bruises.

"Because, you're too heavy for me to throw at them!" Sanosuke argued back. "Why do you have to be so fat? I should put you on Jou-chan's diet and slim you down!"

Yahiko was about to reply, but the two guards came running toward them and he couldn't find a smart enough answer to his remark anyway.

Together, they knocked out all the men in the Dojo. All except their leader, who was Gohei's assistant. He squatted in front of the, cowering in a corner.

"Go get that little kid." Said Sanosuke, never taking his glare off him. "I'll take care of this load of lard."

"No! Please don't take the child! Don't hit me! He'll be mad, please!"

"Is that so?" Sanosuke grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. "You can't have both options, my friend."

With one swing of his hard fist, the former Zanza knocked him out and send him flying to a corner.

"Jeez, sorry for the mess, Jou-chan," he muttered, surveying his surrounindgs of bloodied and knocked-out men in the training hall where Kaoru had given her many "supposedly non-violent lessons".

Yahiko came with Kenji tagging along behind him. "What's going on?" the child asked, a little blur at what was going on.

"Come on, let's get out of here before that giant brute comes back!" said Sanosuke. They exited the Dojo without another word.

…

Kaoru lay under the blanket with Kenahin, blissfully unaware of the time that had passed during their encounter. Her hair clung to her person as beads of sweat from their –actions- dripped downwards.

Kenshin hadn't said a word except for calling out her name. For him, he had finally experienced the human touch- the warmth that only Kaoru could give him, the very thing that was missing in his past five years as a rurouni.

She stole at Kenshin, who appeared to be sleeping. He looked so peaceful and oblvious to what had separated them only days ago. His flaming red hair half-covered his eyes which were closed in sleep.

As if he knew she was watching him, Kenshin opened his eyes and Kaoru was again trapped by his soothing lavender orbs that gave no hint of his past as a hitokiri.

Kenshin smiled and reached out to stroke Kaoru's cheek, making her tremble at his touch. "Kaoru…" he whispered softly.

The rurouni reached out and pulled the aven-haired beauty toward him. "Kireri…" he breathed, looking down at her. Kaoru blushed and snuggled closer to him.

"Aishteru, koishii," said Kenshin. Kaoru's heart melted completely; to her, his words were more beautiful that the world's brightest gems. "Aishteru, Kenshin," she responded.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by voices from outside. "Jeez, I wonder where they ran off."

Kaoru pressed closer to the man lying next to her. "They're coming, Kenshin." She mummured, not wanting to imagine what would happen.

"I know," he replied. "Just pretend to be asleep. They'll understand, trust me." Kaoru nodded, wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes. Kenshin pulled up the blanket around of them and shut his eyes.

The door opened and Megumi was the first to enter. "Maybe they-" spoke the lady doctor. "Umm, Sanosuke, maybe we should try the Akabeko again."

"But they're not there-" Sanosuke too stopped short when he spotted the pair "sleeping". "Uh, good idea, let's go." Behind them, Yahiko was struggling to get a glimpse of what had made the two adults go quiet.

"Hey why are you blocking me?" cried Yahiko, jumping up and down. Megumi, who decided that the scene was "unsuitable" for Yahiko's viewing, tried to prevent him from entering the room.

"Umm, Yahko, why don't you head back to the Akabeko and see how Kenji's doing?"

"What?" protested the teenager. "And waste my time getting that kid down from the roof?"

Sanosuke closed the door as quietly as he could so as not to "wake" the couple. "Let's leave these lovebirds to themselves." He muttered under his breath.

Soon, the room was quiet again. Kaoru opened her eyes and giggled softly at Kenshin, who grinned at her. "It worked," she said. Kenshin half-smirked and replied, "Told you." For a while the room was shrouded in a peaceful silence, then Kenhin spoke, "Prmise me, koishii…"

"Anything." Said Kaoru. "Don't leave me again."

There she goes again. Said the Battousai sacarstcially. You and your rurouni ways have certainly done a lot of good.

Kenshin pulled Kaoru even closer until her breath blew acorss his chest. "I won't if you don't run away from me."

"I promise."

Good.

…

They finished tidying up Sanosuke's sleeping area, trying to make it look as if it hadn't been used at all, but both doubted he would ever believe that…

Kenshin tied his flaming red hair in a low knot, then helped Kaoru tie her raven hair together in a high ponytail.

"Kaoru, what was Yahiko talking about when he said, bring Kenji down from the roof?"

Kaoru nearly laughed out loud at his question. "It's his old habit," she replied. "He just loves climbing. Scared me senseless the first time he did; I thought he was a goner for sure."

"Funny, that was my old childhood habit." Kenshin remarked. "I used to climb the trees just to hide from Hiko-san when I accidentally spilled one of his bottles of sake and didn't want him to find me."

Kaoru laughed, a tinkling sound that escaped her lips.

"Kaoru, what do you think Kenji will think of me? Kenshin asked, a little worried about meeting his son.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "Kenji won't panic and climb onto the roof."

…

Author's Note: Hoho. There goes my innocence right out the window. I never intended the 1. part to be that long and detailed, I don't know. I guess my fingers got carried away…

Moving on… arigatos lots to ofphenwa for helping me with certain parts! Thank you for letting me borrow a few phrases of yours! I owe you big-time for this! Go check out her fic!

Meri-san feels kinda guilty about holding this up for a couple of weeks… just didn't know how to get around this chapter. Anyway, it's done now, so there!

Until the next chapter! Arigato to my faithful readers! Thank you for waiting! Timeless Love should be smooth-sailing for now… about half of it's down on paper already.