Title: The Geas

Author: Dragon's Daughter

Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit by writing this fan fiction. It is intended for recreation purposes only.

Pairing: K/K A/M

Rating: R / NC-17

Summary: Life hasn't been good for Kaoru since the day her father died and her evil witch of a stepmother turned her into a literal slave. A spell binds her every movement and hides her from the sight of the world until she happens across the path of Kenshin, a veteran of the Revolution who can not only see her, but is instantly smitten with her!

Archiving: Shattered Theories, Adult The unedited version of this fic will be available at Adult and at my personal webpage, Shattered Theories.

Chapter Six: Preparation

Kenshin glared at the gilt edged invitation that his butler had delivered into his study.

He didn't want to attend Yamagata's stinking Embassy Ball. He was tired of being paraded around in front of ignorant foreigners like an over-bred lap dog. Still, he owed everything he had to his corrupt government dogs.

The armchair groaned in protest as he threw his weight back on it and glared at the innocent bit of paper. At least the stupid charade was on a Wednesday if anything interfered with his Saturday then blood going flow in rivers. This was the last weekend that he was going to sit around on his hands.

If he concentrated then he could still taste Kaoru's arousal on his lips. She'd been so sweet and innocent… and so very hunted.

His eyes narrowed and shaded to gold as he contemplated for the thousandth time the bruising on his beloved's ribs and back. She'd been beaten within an inch of her life and given no medical care save that which Shinomori snuck her on the sly. Kaoru couldn't be allowed to stay where she was. Her life was in danger and… and… and he could do nothing!

Kenshin slumped forward into his seat and buried his face in his hands. This impotence was something new and terribly unwelcome. All his life he'd always been able to eliminate the problems in his life and those around him, now this sweet girl needed him more than ever before and he was USELESS!

He wanted to kill something… no, no make that someone. He wanted to kill the mage who had his filthy claws in Kaoru and he wanted to kill the bastard who'd raised his hand to her.

…but he couldn't.

Because he didn't know where they WERE!

A glass shattered against the hearth and the fire roared as the alcohol it had contained fed the flame. Kenshin blinked as he realized that he'd thrown the glass. With a snarl, he tore himself away from the hearth and returned to prowling his study, seething with fruitless anger.

Shinomori's Gods had best have mercy on him and make sure he was ready to break the spell before Saturday because Kenshin was at the end of his line. He wasn't letting her go again. It wasn't going to happen. No.

Kenshin contemplated another glass of brandy, but reluctantly admitted that getting drunk wasn't going to help him. He already knew what he was going to do. He was going to tell his butler to brush down his dress-suit. He'd be a good boy and go to the stupid Embassy Ball and leave the magic to the experts. He'd trust Shinomori to keep Kaoru safe and bring her to him.

Just getting her was only half the work. When he had her safe with him then his part would begin. He'd gained Kaoru's interest, but her trust was something so fragile and tenuous that Kenshin didn't dare breathe on it for fear it would shatter beyond repair. Building upon that weak link between them was going to take all his time and energy. If he was smart then he'd be taking advantage of his alone time to prepare for that.

"Unfortunately I was never known for my brains." Kenshin sighed.

Misao and Aoshi took the news as best as could be expected.

They'd known something was wrong the second they crept in the back gate, following Yumi's ominous departure to find Kaoru kneeling on the ground, stubbornly defying the geas with such an expression of frustration, anger, and agony that Aoshi didn't even wait for Yahiko to ask him to lift the spell on her tongue.

Kaoru told her story with the comforting presence of Misao on one side, Yahiko on the other, and Shinomori's hands enveloping hers to physically transfer his spell. She told them everything starting with the first time she'd met Kenshin in Market to Yumi's declaration of intent. She wisely omitted the little interlude that had followed his inspection of her wounds, but otherwise her story was unabridged.

"So you're saying this rich and powerful guy wants to marry you and is willing to go toe-to-toe with Yumi to get you?" Naturally Misao latched onto the part of least importance in the entire tale. She bounced on her toes with a dazzling grin. "That's wonderful Kaoru-nee!"

"That's not important, Misao, she's planning to kill him!" Kaoru cried. "She's going to use Shura to ensnare him into some kind of spell like the one she's got on me!"

"No, she will not." Shinomori corrected quietly from behind. "He will have forewarning now. Please calm yourself, Kaoru-san. Himura would be the first to tell you that he wouldn't want you to worry over him. Now we must plan to find a way to foil Komagata-san's plot. Panicking will help no one."

"Himura… Aoshi-sama, isn't that the name of the man you said hired you?" Misao asked suddenly. "You work for him?"

Shinomori nodded. "Normally I arrange for his protection. However I have –personal interest in his upcoming nuptials."

"Who is he marrying?" Kaoru frowned at the annoyance in her tone, but didn't apologize. Instead she looked away when confronted by three slightly exasperated but expectant looks. "I said he proposed. I didn't say I agreed."

"We'll discuss that later." Shinomori's voice quelled the broiling argument, but promised that it would be revived at a later date. "Now we need to find a way to get you to that Ball."

Kaoru blinked. "Can't one of you just go and tell him what's going to happen?" she cocked her head and looked at Misao and Yahiko. "I'm bound to this place, but none of you are. I don't see why Yahiko can't take a letter to Himura and let him know what will happen. All the man has to do is avoid the Ball."

"No, I'm afraid that isn't acceptable." Shinomori released his counterspell and circled around to face Kaoru. "Himura has responsibilities to the current government. Yumi's plotting is not an acceptable or believable excuse for him to miss it. He will have to attend to participate in Japan's show of strength to the Western Nations. Also, Yumi has given us an opportunity we'd be fools to waste."

Misao's blue-green eyes sharpened as she cottoned on to his meaning, but Kaoru was lost.

"What do you mean?" she pressed. "What opportunity?"

"She'll be away from the node." Misao prodded Kaoru's shoulder with a finger. "Most of the time she's here on her home turf where she's got the advantage of terrain and a handy power source. Forewarned is forearmed. We know where she's going to be and what she's going to try. We can trap her!"

"Furthermore we will have her at our advantage." Shinomori extrapolated. "Yumi has always operated from the shadows, keeping a safe distance between herself and her victims. She chooses her own time and place. In the Ball there will be no shadows and she in unaccustomed to hiding in plain sight. When we foul her plan to trap Himura she will be off-balance and off-guard." He paused and gave a rare yet chilling smile. "My Oniwabanshuu are well accustomed to working in plain sight."

Kaoru pondered that. "So, why do I have to attend this ball?"

"It's in the nature of the spell she is intending to use." Misao volunteered. "You've proved that Himura has the hots for you. Attraction spells of any kind work by simulating the external symptoms of attraction: speeding up the pulse, raising body temperature, causing butterflies in the stomach, etc. Usually someone feeling these sorts of things automatically assume they're attracted to the person who is present when they occur." She winked. "However, if they're already attracted to someone else the victim of the spell invariably resists. If that person is present then the attraction spell never works because it can't force the emotional aspect of attraction."

"Also, if you're there you can get Himura out of the line of fire." Shinomori knelt before Kaoru and looked her in the eyes. "I think you know what kind of man he is. If he knows that she is after him then he will go and face her alone, which is exactly what she wants. My fighters and I can handle Yumi without help, but we cannot have Himura underfoot. That is why we need you to both neutralize the spell and keep him out of harm's way. Do you understand?"

"Isn't there any other way?" Kaoru asked weakly. There was absolutely no way she could fake being some kind of…lady. "I don't think I can do it… I mean, I'm a maid! A housekeeper if you're feeling generous. I don't know anything about Balls…"

"You will come Wednesday." Shinomori promised in a dark tone.

Kaoru didn't realize it at the time, but Aoshi was dead serious about getting her to that Ball. He'd lied when he told her that there was no other way to handle the situation. If Kaoru hadn't been involved then he would have quietly removed Yumi from the Ballroom, slit her throat, and dumped her in the canal minus her jewelry to fake a robbery. However the situation was ripe with opportunity for Himura to finally woo and win the stubborn chit.

Misao had picked up on his plan immediately, a fact which he found inordinately pleasing. She was a magnificent partner in crime. When he couldn't be at the Dojo, Misao was chasing Kaoru around with a measuring tape and covertly taking her proportions. What he didn't know about a Lady's Art she'd had hammered into her by her mother and forced Kaoru to learn.

By the time Monday rolled around Kaoru's gown was on order with the seamstress and Kaoru could waltz, make credible small talk, and flirt with that ridiculous little fan that western women affected. She did it under protest and with deliberately clumsy movements, but rather than appear sullen she came off as artless. Practicing Kenjutsu had given Kaoru the natural grace and poise that she needed and no amount of blunt comments or dropped fans could cover it up.

The invitation wasn't hard to obtain either. Aoshi had Hanya swipe Kenshin's and had it forged within half an hour. Misao once again proved her worth by using her contacts to arrange for a carriage to arrive at the Dojo after Yumi left and a room for the gown and accessories to be stored until Wednesday.

Tuesday was lost to Yumi and Shura's preparations. Kaoru's time was consumed by setting curls, mending corsets, and taking over the final alterations necessary for their costumes.

Shura was attending the Masquerade as Diana from Greek legend. Her dress was a soft confection of dove-gray silk limned in silver braid. She carried a small ornamental bow and her mask was made up to resemble a full moon. Yumi on the other hand chose to drawn on Japanese myth and dressed as Izanami, the Shinto Ruler of the Underworld. Kaoru felt that to be rather appropriate since in her less savory aspect the former Creator-Goddess was Queen of Worms and the Dead. To this end Yumi comissioned a full set of ornate white kimono with six layers of overgowns that shaded from velevety black to pale purple. She wore a plain half mask of molded leather which she'd had dyed black and studded with garnets.

Wednesday dawned pale and cold. Kaoru tried hard not to think about the night to come as she ran back and forth fetching and carrying whatever Yumi needed or thought she needed. The two women went through a ridiculous amount of bath water, powders, cream, and lotions for one short event. The day seemed to melt through her fingers and as the sun began to set she found herself pulling corset strings with a winch and arranging layers like they were about to be presented to the Emporer.

Kaoru and Yahiko were half-dead on their feet and pathetically releived to see the carriage arrive to carry off their erstwhile mistresses.

The respite was short lived however. No sooner did the carriage vanish into the distance, but then Shinomori appeared through the back door to cast his counterspell and usher Kaoru down the street to his little room where Misao had just finished chalking a convoluted cirle filled with arcane designs onto the floor.

Kaoru balked at the sight of it. "What is that?" she asked knowing that she wasn't going to like the answer.

"The spell I've been using before now requires physical contact for me to maintain it. I will hardly be able to hold your hand all the way to the Ball, all while you're there, and all the way back. That design is a Greater Circle of Protection. It will be able to negate the Geas's demands on you for a few hours. This one will last until the twelfth stroke of midnight. Now," he guided a reluctant Kaoru over the design and released her into the center.

Immediately the compulsion clamped down on her and propelled her in the direction of the door, but Aoshi spoke a Word that rolled and echoed like thunder through the small room. The white marks on the floor blazed to life with dazzling brilliance. Kaoru felt herself engulfed by the spell and it burned through the oily film of Yumi's will leaving her free to draw the first clean breath she'd taken in years.

"You may leave the Circle now, Kaoru-san." Aoshi said with a touch of weariness in his voice. Misao was there instantly with a discreet hand at his elbow and steered him towards the chair by his table.

"I'll take it from here, Aoshi-sama. You get get yourself ready, I'll have Kaoru in the carriage when it arrives." She told him quietly. "Catch your breath. Hanya said he'll come for you when it's time."

Aoshi cocked an eyebrow at her, obviously wondering when she'd gotten so chummy with his men. Misao grinned and winked. Kaoru watched them both and wondered when they'd gotten so close.

When Misao hauled Kaoru back down the street to the Dojo she asked her younger sister about it. Misao immediately blushed and began to stammer.

"Well… he and I, we… geez, Kaoru-nee, do I have to spell it out?" She pressed her cool fingers to her cheeks to banish the heat from her face. Kaoru only laughed.

"As long as he plans to make an honest woman of my little sister then you two have my blessings." She chuckled at the expression on Misao's face. "Oh come now, Misao, don't tell me marrying Aoshi-san would be that horrible of a fate?"

Misao's blush returned in full force. "It's not that I wouldn't mind… it's just that I got a mental image of the way he'd probably propose. He lets things build up inside a lot and then just cuts loose when they get to be too much. I think I'd find myself snatched off the street, stuffed into a wedding kimono, and saying my vows before I even knew what happened."

"I understand." Kaoru sighed. "You have no idea how much I understand."

They arrived back at the Dojo then and Kaoru could see the steam billowing out of the bath house. Yahiko knelt at the back, building up the fire for the bath. She sighed as he looked up and wiped his brow with a sleeve. "Time to get started!" Yahiko sneered.

Once again Kaoru found herself tossed headfirst into a whirlwind of preparations only this time she was the object of attention. The bath had been liberally scented with jasmine bath salts and fragrant oils, none of which Kaoru recognized as coming from Yumi or Shura's toiletries… meaning someone went out and bought them special. Misao dunked her in the bath and cheerfully scrubbed her raw despite Kaoru's strident protests.

Although the allure of the experience was somewhat mitigated by Misao's participation, the bath revived Kaoru's spirits considerably. She emerged feeling cleaner, softer, and more aromatic than she had in years. It almost made the upcoming event worth it all.

From there Kaoru was ushered into Misao's bedroom where she was stuffed into a set of European underwear and sat down in front of a mirror while Misao fussed with her hair.

Kaoru shivered in her chemise as her younger sister combed, pinned, and knotted her shiny black locks into an elaborate coif. There weren't any curls, there was no time to heat the irons and slick down her hair with pomade. Instead Misao opted for an older, more elegant style that emphasized the healthy sheen in Kaoru's blue-black hair. Make-up followed and once again Misao used a sparing hand, using only enough power and rough to emphasize Kaoru's natural looks rather than creating a painted mask.

When she was finally allowed to look, Kaoru hardly recognized the woman in the mirror. Certainly that refined and confident person couldn't be Yumi's overworked and unpaid servant. Kaoru's lips weren't that full and her eyes, they looked huge in the mirror. Misao had used a bit of kohl around the edges of her eyelids to make her lashes look full and thick. The woman Kaoru saw in the mirror was without a doubt breath-taking.

"That's not me…" Kaoru breathed. "It can't be."

"You'd better believe that's you, Kaoru-nee." Misao grinned and patted a last few stray hair back into place. "Himura is going to drop dead from shock when he sees you."

"I don't think he'll recognize me." Kaoru sat up as she heard footsteps on the veranda. A soft knock at the door announced the arrival of once of Aoshi's ninjas.

"That'll be Hanya with your costume. Wait here. He won't come in while you're undressed." Misao hopped to her feet and left the room. She re-entered a few seconds later with a huge cloth garment bag. "He helped me pick it out. You're going as Benten!"

Kaoru blinked. "As in the eight armed goddess of water? The one who slew that dragon?"

Misao blushed. "Well, we took some liberties with the design, but the party is full of gaijin anyway. They won't recognize her anyway."

Out of the bag the dress resembled nothing so much as a giant ball of fluffy ruffles. Kaoru didn't get long to look however since Misao had the thing over her head and was wrestling her arms and head into the proper areas. Once on it buttoned neatly up the back without the irritation of lacing up a corset.

Indeed, Misao had taken a great many liberties with the design, but the end result was lovely. The gown was deepest blue with a white dragon wrapped around her body with the tail somewhere near her ankles and the head resting on her shoulder. The texture of the skirt suggested waves and a series of tiny silver mirrors had been stitched along the spine of the dragon. The costume was completed by a white mask edged in chips of mirrors and a little lute she could carry in her arms.

The neckline of the dress bothered Kaoru a little. She was sure it was modest by western standards, but she was used to being covered from the neck down. The cut of the gown revealed the first gentle swell of her breasts and the unfamiliar feeling of air on her chest made Kaoru shiver.

Misao quickly repaired the damage to Kaoru's hair and make-up and then ushered her out the door. They paused at the front door to get Kaoru into a dainty set of silver buckled shoes and then Misao whisked her out to the awaiting carriage.

Aoshi waited there and the sight of him stopped both women dead in their tracks. He was decked out full military uniform with braid and medals dripping from his chest and shoulders. Moreover he wore those tailored pants well. Kaoru noted the high color on her sister's cheeks and deliberately turned away to give them a moment alone.

She was handed into the coach by a ninja who had more muscles per square inch of his than most people had in their entire bodies. She sat down and by the time she'd settled her skirts Aoshi was boarding beside her. When Kaoru took a quick peek out the window to wave good-bye to Misao, she saw her little sister standing in the street with a dazed expression and kiss-swollen lips.

Kaoru glanced at Aoshi, who had a suspiciously neutral expression on his face. "You do realize that if you break her heart that I will be forced to compensate by breaking every bone in your body." she said softly.

"That depends entirely upon whether or not my Oniwabanshuu get to me first." For the first time Kaoru detected a not of exasperation in Aoshi's usually dead pan voice. "Not even a week they've worked together and already she has them wrapped around her littlest finger."

Kaoru chuckled. "She's always been like that, but you're the first boy… er, well, man she's ever been involved with. Be gentle or die."

Aoshi's only reply was a nod.

End Chapter Six

Seiyuu