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 web page, Shattered Theories.

Chapter Seven: Revelation

The carriage ride was shorter than Kaoru expected it to be. Or maybe it was just her nerves that made time go faster. Kaoru would have thought that time might have slowed down, but in fact it seemed like they pulled up in front of the Embassy before she had time to blink.

Kaoru hadn't laid eyes on the English Embassy since her father had walked her past it once when she was six. Her memory had not done it justice, especially with the way it was lit as bright as noon and glowed in the night like a beacon through a hundred windows.

Aoshi disembarked first and handed Kaoru down. She clutched her little lute like it was a life-line as he led her up the gravel walk. The faint strains of an orchestra drifted through the air to Kaoru's ears. Misao's lessons came back in force and she tentatively laid a hand on Aoshi's elbow as they ascended the steps up to the front doors. A butler in a smart black and white suit met them at the door and accepted Aoshi's counterfeit invitations. From there it was a straight shot into the Ballroom.

Light and color crashed over Kaoru like a wave and Aoshi had to pull her along for a few steps as she fought not to gape at the swirling people. There were costumes of every conceivable color, shade, and texture. Most of the floor was taken up by dancers while a sumptuous side board had been laid out with finger foods of all shapes and kinds.

"Do you see him?" Aoshi's cool voice jarred Kaoru back into reality and reminded her that tonight wasn't a pleasure jaunt.

Kaoru pursed her lips and scanned their immediate vicinity for any glimpse of a long mane of red hair and a devil-may-care grin. All she saw were swishing skirts in bright jewel tones and laughing faces. "No." she reported in frustration.

She was too short. That was the problem. She wouldn't be able to see him until he was right in front of her and in this room that might never happen. "You're taller than me. Can you see him?" Kaoru asked Aoshi who nodded curtly and looked over the heads of the assembled crowds.

"He's there in the shadows by the gardens." Aoshi gestured towards the back of the room. "Go to him. I will take care of my own duties."

"But…!" Kaoru turned to protest, but the man had already vanished into the crowd. "Mou! I'm going to get you for that, Shinomori! Abandon me will you?" Kaoru gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down. Losing her temper would only get her into trouble so she took deep calming breaths until the last vestiges of red left her vision.

Careful to avoid the dancers, Kaoru circled around the dance floor and passed behind the wall of human bodies by the sideboard. She was tempted to stop and take a closer look, maybe even a taste of the delicacies there, but she didn't have the time nor did she know what half of them were. Kaoru had heard plenty of tales about the strange things foreigners considered food and she didn't want explore their cuisine without a guide.

There was no telling where Yumi was, but Kaoru had a hunch that when she found Kenshin she'd find Yumi as well. Through the crowd she could just barely glimpse a series of glass doors, which she assumed led to the garden. Unfortunately the dance floor was between her and that side of the room. The orchestra was set up so that she couldn't circle around that way.

Kaoru stamped a foot in frustration as she glared at the dancers. She was going to have to find a way to cross without drawing attention to herself and damned if she could see a way…

"Well hello there…"

A gloved hand encircled Kaoru wrist. She found herself turned around to face a tall man with spiky brown hair. He was dressed in a loose set of white monk robes and smiled at her with warm brown eyes. "Looking for a way across?" He guessed.

Kaoru gave a curt nod. "Do you know a way?"

The man grinned. "Indeed I do. I'll show you for a dance." He wiggled his brows invitingly. "My name is Sagara Sanosuke and you, my lovely lady?"

"I'm not your lovely anything." Kaoru replied pertly. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru. Get me to the garden doors and you can have your dance." 'And you'll regret it every time I step on your toes' she vowed silently.

"Ouch, it bites!" Sanosuke's brows rose in surprise. "Did you just say your name was Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru?"

It was level of shock in his voice that was annoying her, Kaoru decided. "Do I want to know how you know my name?" she snapped irritably. "Because the time I'm wasting with you could be put to far better uses like circling around the building to get to the gardens."

"No doubt about it, you're the one." Sanosuke chuckled. "Kenshin's been climbing the walls because of you, I hope you know. Come on, let's find him. He's definitely going to want to know you're here!"

Sanosuke swept Kaoru onto the dance floor. Kaoru scowled and hurriedly matched his steps. "How do you know him?" she demanded. "And he's by the gardens. I need to talk to him immediately."

"Kenshin and I go way back. He gave me the opportunity to get where I am today and introduced me to my lovely fiancée. If you look towards the punch bowl you'll see her glaring daggers at me." Sanosuke drawled as her spun Kaoru across the dance floor.

Kaoru snuck a glance in the direction he'd indicated and saw a woman dressed as a miko with long dark hair glaring at the man leading her across the floor. A slender young man approached her from one side and a single word from that darksome beauty was enough to send him scuttling for cover. Ah, a kindred spirit.

Mercifully the tall man didn't make Kaoru share the entire dance. He got her across the floor and guided her towards the giant glass doors with a hand in the small of her back. When her eyes caught a glimpse of red hair, Kaoru's heart leapt as she spotted Kenshin cornered by Shura near a potted tree. He had a confused expression on his face and kept looking over Shura's shoulder for rescue.

Kenshin was turned out as Susanowa, the god of Storms. Kaoru had to cock a brow considering Susanowa was supposed to be the personification of evil although he was considered a brave if lawless warrior. It was ironic however that they were both dressed as water deities though. Kaoru renewed her resolution to both find Aoshi and then kick him the shin. He was behind that no doubt.

Sanosuke caught Kenshin's attention and those violet eyes lightened with relieve. He pushed past Shura to approach them with wide arms. "Sano! I didn't know you'd be here." The smallest hint of strainechoed in his voice and those expressive eyes flicked towards a fuming Shura. 'Help!' he mouthed.

The was Kaoru's cue. She stepped forward and slipped her arms around Kenshin's elbow. "You owe me, Himura." She whispered into his ear. He started gratifyingly under her hands and turned to face her.

"Do I… do I know you?" he asked slowly with the strangest expression on his face. Amber light flickered behind his dark blue mask.

Kaoru grinned. "After the way we parted last Saturday one would think you'd remember me a little better." She teased lightly. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Something flashed in Kenshin's eyes and suddenly her mask was gone. Kaoru was vaguely aware of Shura's gasp of shock before Kenshin's mouth crashed down on hers. Kaoru whimpered as coherent thought fled her mind and Kenshin's hand cupped the back of her neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" A decidedly chill baritone sounded from somewhere behind Kaoru. Kenshin reluctantly released her mouth and let his gloved hands rest possessively on her arms as she fumbled her mask back on.

"Yamagata-san." Kenshin acknowledged in a chilly tone Kaoru had never heard from him before. She risked a glance over her shoulder and found a tall man in full military dress sporting a magnificent handlebar mustache standing a short distance away. His mouth was pulled in a line of disapproval, but when her eyes met his they twinkled with suppressed amusement.

"May I speak with you for a moment, Himura?" Yamagata asked politely. "If your young lady does not mind."

"I don't mind." Kaoru said quickly earning a glare from Kenshin.

"Make it quick." He growled at Yamagata who nodded and led him off at a distance.

Sanosuke patted Kaoru's shoulder comfortingly. "He'll be right back, Missy. Here, I'll wait with you."

Kaoru didn't want to say, but Sanosuke's presence, while unfamiliar was still comforting. With a sickening stomach, Kaoru watched Shura scurry across the floor to where her mother waited in the shadows by the Orchestra. Yumi's venomous glare pierced her all the way across the floor, but whatever she tried Aoshi's spell must have warded off.

Dancers swirled between them and when the view cleared once more, Yumi and her daughter were gone. Kaoru couldn't feel reassured. Now they knew where she was and sooner or later she was going to have to go home.

Yumi would be waiting.

Kenshin reappeared at Kaoru's elbow an indeterminate amount of time later. Sanosuke had long since drifted off in the direction of the punch bowl to make amends with his fiancée. He nudged her towards the doors and Kaoru gratefully followed him out of the overheated Ballroom and into the cold gardens.

The gardens had to be gorgeous in the summer when the rose bushes were in bloom and the trees were modestly cloaked in their green leaves. In the winter however, skeletal bushed clawed their way out of the dirt and the bare trees rakes the sky with spindly fingers. Kaoru suppressed a shiver that had little to do with the temperature and Kenshin led her into the dark confines of a hedge maze.

The maze was one of the few things that were still green so late in the year. Kenshin navigated the shadowy twists and bends with the air of one on his home turf. Soon they came to a little grotto in the center that had been lit with torches. Kaoru realized with some surprise that Kenshin had taken advantage of his time away. A thick blanket had been spread on the ground and a covered basket lay nearby.

When she turned to speak to him, Kenshin stopped her mouth with a finger over her lips. "Wait a moment, Koishii. I'm going to make sure we aren't disturbed. Stay here, you'll like this…"

He crossed over to gap in the hedges they'd just passed through. Placing both hands on the edges of the hedge he intoned a Word like the one Aoshi had used to seal the Circle of Protection that sealed Kaoru in from the Geas. Kenshin's word didn't have the power or depth of Aoshi's, but there was an echo that built up from the ground and rippled through the plant maze. The Word woke something deep in the maze and Kaoru gasped as she saw the passage between Kenshin's hands shimmer and vanish to be replaced with a blank wall of vegetation.

Kenshin grinned as he turned back to her. "That's the thing most people forget about mazes. They're meant to hide things and confuse those trying to find them. A little magic and neither spell nor search party can penetrate this place." He approached Kaoru with a predatory expression. "We won't be disturbed here. Now… what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Kaoru took a step back and eyed him warily. "My stepmother is trying to kill you." Kenshin's steps falter and he frowned. Sensing that she had his attention, Kaoru pressed on. "That woman who had you cornered is my stepsister, Shura. Yumi, that's my stepmother's name, she was using Shura to cast a compulsion on you…"

A frown pulled at the edges of Kenshin mouth and he came to stand directly in front of Kaoru. "This Yumi, is she the one who made you into a spell-slave?" he asked quietly.

"That doesn't matter," Kaoru snapped. "The point is that your life is in danger…" She didn't get much further as her erstwhile lover decided he'd had enough conversation for the moment. It wasn't that she didn't like the kiss. Oh no, it was one of the best she'd had so far; slow, hot, and thorough. Still, she was being diverted and knew it.

"Himura!" She growled angrily against his mouth making him chuckle. "I'm being serious you big oaf! I took a huge risk coming here tonight! At least try to take this seriously?"

"I am taking this seriously, Koishii." Kenshin corrected. "However, we are completely sealed off at the moment. Nothing is getting through that maze. Especially not some third rate witch trying to use an attraction charm to snare me." He chuckled at the expression on Kaoru's face. "She was hardly being subtle about it, my love." He brushed another kiss across her mouth, pausing to nibble on her lower lip. "I'll assume your stepsister was behind that clumsy spell. Your stepmother is responsible for the geas on you?"

He wasn't going to drop the subject. "Yes." Kaoru sighed and dropped her head onto Kenshin's shoulder as the combined stress of the day and evening's events came over her. "Aoshi-san is taking care of Yumi in the Ballroom. My job was to keep you out of trouble." Suddenly she had the insane urge to hold him.

Kenshin made a highly gratifying noise as Kaoru pressed herself into his arms and held him tight. "I was worried about you, you fool." She sighed with pleasure as Kenshin's arms encircled her to hold her just a tightly as she was holding him. "Are you always going to be this much trouble?"

"I try not to be, but you've worried me every bit as much." Kenshin mumbled into her hair. "It's over now, Koi, I can protect you from now on." Kaoru winced at the blatant un-truth, but didn't correct him. Yumi had years of experience with vanishing into the darkness. Aoshi wasn't going to stop her no matter what he thought. Death awaited her at midnight, but Kaoru was going to snatch what few moments with Kenshin that she could.

He took a step back and Kaoru blushed as he raked her body with his hot eyes. "I do like that dress, Kaoru." He purred as her circled around her to examine her from every angle. "I didn't think it was possibly for you to get any lovelier." He stopped back in front of her and stood intimately close. "You're beautiful."

Kaoru swallowed hard as he took her back into his arms. It defied all logic and reason, the things he could do to her and all of a sudden she wanted to explore the limits of what they had. This time he wasn't the one to initiate the kiss. Kaoru went up on her toes and caught his mouth with hers. His hair felt like blood-warm silk as she plunger her hands into it and pulled out the tie. His response was instant. Kenshin crushed her to his chest and cupped her bottom in one hand. The combs holding her hair in its elaborate coif came tumbling out as he fisted his other hand in her hair trapping her in a soul searing battle of tongues and bodies.

He felt so good in her arms, so right. The lean hard line of his torso might as well have been custom fitted to her. Kaoru let her hands roam in the way she'd only dreamed about since their last encounter. This time however she wasn't going to let him stop.

"Make love to me." She whispered when they finally surfaced for air.

Kenshin's eyes were exactly the same shade as molten gold. He wanted to. She could see it in the way his adams apple bobbed and in the leap of his pulse. "We aren't wed, Koishii." He croaked hoarsely. "I want you. I want you so badly you can't even begin to understand, but I… I want it to be real between us. I want you to trust me and I want to be worthy of that trust. After our vows, love, let me do that for you."

His words made something in Kaoru's chest hurt. 'Where were you eight years ago?' she wanted to ask. 'Where were you when I still believed in Prince Charming and Happily Ever After?' She didn't question herself when she pulled some of the ribbons out of the sleeve of her dress. This is what she wanted, even if she wasn't counting the rest of her life in hours. This is what she wanted for always.

Kenshin was so very still as she took his hand in hers and wrapped the blue and white ribbons around their joined arms. He gulped when she tied them off in a loose marriage knot. "I belong to you now." She whispered. "Forever until death divides us, I'll love you and keep you. You say you want my trust then accept it now, here where there are no witnesses but ourselves. Make your vows and keep them and you'll have me for as long as I live."

"I…" For the first time since she'd met him, Kenshin was speechless. His eyes flickered between amber and violet so quickly that she couldn't tell which color they were. "I love you, Kaoru. I will always love you and… if this is what you want then I will love you until the day I die." He drew her close and caught her mouth in an achingly sweet kiss. "I belong to you as well. From now into eternity I will belong to you and no other. Everything I have and everything I am is yours to do with as you will."

… and the most frightening thing was that he meant every word of it. Kaoru couldn't say how she knew, but his words echoed inside her like the Word he used to seal the Maze.

Kenshin fumbled with the buttons on the back of her gown, but Kaoru paid it little mind. She was more concerned with the knots in his belt. The first few layers of his costume were easily pushed aside. The closer she got to skin however the more stubborn the fastenings proved.

Poor Kenshin, by the time Kaoru had him bared to the waist he had undone maybe half of the tiny pearl buttons. He was snarling with frustration and Kaoru was amazing that he hadn't just torn the delicate fabric instead.

Of course, Kaoru didn't make things easy on him. While his hands were occupied she made a leisurely exploration of his chest and stomach. She'd seen plenty of shirtless men in her time, but none had his fighter's physique even after ten years of retirement. He felt hard, smooth, and very male. A fine shiver chased across his skin as she brushed her lips over his nipple.

Kenshin growled in aggravation as he struggled with the buttons. Kaoru had turned her attentions to a wonderfully sensitive spot in the hollow of his throat. The last button came free and her gown was instantly around her ankles. Kaoru sighed with pleasure as her love lifted her out of the pool of ruffles and lace. Her cradled her against his chest and carried her to the blanket where he laid her down with all the care due the Crown Jewels.

The chemise followed her gown and Kaoru was bare to the elements for about as long as it took Kenshin to kick off his hakama and cover her with his body. Kaoru melted underneath him.

Short panting moans forked their way out of Kaoru's throat as fingers probed her core so much faster and more forcefully than before. This time he did something different. As Kenshin worked her insides with his index finger he brought his thumb around to rub circles around her clitoris. Kaoru's eyes snapped open and she cried out when the first shock echoed through her body.

"Like that, did you?" Kaoru glared at Kenshin's smug expression, but lost it when he kept up the massage.

She was quaking in his arms when something wonderfully more substantial that fingers pressed up against her opening. Kaoru whimpered and arched up against him wordlessly begging for it. Kenshin sank into her with a blissful groan. The sensation wasn't nearly what she expected.

"Shh… I know it hurts, sweetheart, wait with me for a moment. It'll fade and then you'll feel good." Kenshin pressed kisses all over Kaoru's face and mouth. She clung to his as she adjusted to the girth of him inside her. It wasn't painful per-se, but being filled so quickly had been a shock.

Eventually her insides stretched to accommodate him and some of that desire trickled back into her veins. Kaoru pressed up against him once more in a little experiment to see if moving would bring more pain. It didn't, instead a warm sort of pleasure rippled through her belly and Kenshin made a strangled sound.

"K-koi!" He panted. "Hold still, darling, I-I can't control myself if you keep moving like… oh gods…"

"Who asked you to?" Kaoru nipped his earlobe and crossed her calves comfortably across his firm round buttocks and squeezed to push him deeper inside her body. She let her head fall back and sighed in satisfaction as that warm sensation intensified.

A tremor shook Kenshin's entire body and Kaoru felt one of his hands close around the back of her neck and she found her face lifted so that she could see his blazing golden eyes. "Tell me you want it." He commanded. "Tell me what you want me to do to you."

"I want it." Kaoru replied faithfully. "I want you do to everything to me. Show me how."

For the third time that night Kenshin claimed her mouth, but this time he claimed the rest of her along with it. She found her hands pinned between their bodies and the hand Kenshin wasn't using to support his weight tangled back into Kaoru's hair so that even when the kiss ended she could retreat more than a few inches from his mouth. He plunged into her, sheathing and re-sheathing his member in her slick passage. That warmth Kaoru had felt with the first penetration intensified until she felt like an exploding star had taken up residence in her womb.

Kaoru whimpered and begged incoherently as Kenshin gave her exactly what she'd asked for. She was vaguely aware of his grunts and sighs as he fought to remain in control. As for Kaoru, she willingly surrendered herself to madness and writhed in ecstasy beneath his weight.

Something wonderful was brewing in the core of her stomach. Kaoru cried out as heat pooled in her center and exploded in a burst of white light behind her eyelids. A second later Kenshin stiffened in her arms and a second rush of heat passed through her as he found his own climax.

Kenshin collapsed beside her with an exhausted grunt and pulled her into his arms. Kaoru murmured in sleepy contentment as he hauled the quilt up to cover them and seal in the heat generated by their lovemaking.

Kaoru settled into her beloved arms and let her head rest on his chest. "So that's what it's all about." She giggled. "I think I could get used to that."

"You'd better get used to it, my beautiful wife." Kenshin grinned and reached down to cup her bottom again. "If you think I'm going to settle for having you just that once you've got another thing coming." He snuck a kiss before Kaoru could protest. "I know, Love. You're sore right now. No more tonight, but you're coming home with me." His grin turned wistful. "I want to show you my… our home. I have a small town house and an estate outside the city."

Kaoru felt something clench in her chest and she hid her face against his chest so that he wouldn't see the tears prickling her eyes. "Tell me about our home, Kenshin. Tell me everything…" She licked her lips and held onto him a bit tighter. This was as close as she was ever going to get to a fairy-tale ending.

"Well, mostly I stay in town. The staff in the townhouse is more accustomed to me, but it's small there. Only two bedrooms, one on each floor, I'd hardly want to try and raise any children there when the time comes. The estate is closed up right now, but if we decide to move out there I think we could hire on a new staff for the town house or maybe just a housekeeper and move the current staff with us…" Kenshin's voice formed a soothing cocoon around Kaoru and she basked in his arms listening to him speak of a brilliant future that she'd have given anything to be a part of.

"What about your family?" The question surprised her. Kaoru had almost dozed off listening to the comforting drone of Kenshin's voice echoing through his chest. "You said that bitch… pardon my language, was your stepmother. Don't you have any other family?"

"Misao… she's my other stepsister, but she was never like Shura." Kaoru admitted slowly, reluctant to share. However she didn't want to hide anything from him, it was just that she'd never had anyone to tell before. "She was too young to interest Yumi when she came to live with us so I ended up raising her. She's sixteen now and just starting to build a life for herself," Kaoru paused to laugh "A life that seems to include your Aoshi-san."

"Aoshi?" Kenshin blinked. "Aoshi involved with someone? Well, the world is ending. All the great bachelors are falling. Next thing I know, Saitou will be at the altar." he laid back and looked up at the sky. "Well, it was going to happen eventually. I can only hope the next generation of bachelors will do as well as we did."

Kaoru pursed her lips. Now was just as good a time as any. He obviously wasn't going to confess. "Is that so, Battousai?" she murmured sarcastically.

Kenshin stiffened beneath her. "Who told you?" his voice was curiously flat.

"You didn't think Komagata Yumi, my evil mage of a step mother was planning to kill you just because you happened to be handy did you?" Kaoru propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at his studiously blank expression. "I especially liked the part where she described you as an 'Ishin Shishi' milksop."

"You..." Kenshin stalled as he searched for his voice. "You don't seem bothered by the fact that I was one of the most deadly assassins known to history thus far. We'll discuss that milksop comment later, but aren't you being awfully calm?"

Kaoru sighed. "I just married you, twit, and I've had a while to think this over. You had your reasons and this country would be a very different place if it hadn't been for you and people like you. I like Japan, but I know the price our comfort came at. You're still the insufferable idiot who knocked me down in the market and then proceeded to stalk me all over Tokyo. That I'm more annoyed about. Why are staring at me?"

"I'm trying to decide if you're real or if I just hit my head when I fell on you and this has all been some kind of hallucination." A hesitant smile touched his mouth and he pulled her up his chest for a hungry kiss. "I love you."

No, he just couldn't make it easy... Kaoru murmured something appropriate against his mouth and did her best to be appreciative. As her husband occupied himself by nibbling on her collarbone, Kaoru's stomach chose that moment to remind her that she hadn't eaten at all that day.

"Hungry, Koi?" Kenshin's eyes danced with merriment as he reached for the basket that had been left with the blanket.

"It's been a busy day..." Kaoru demurred. What with running after Shura and Yumi, then with her own preparations and mounting nervousness... well, food hadn't really been her top priority. Perhaps she should have snuck something while Aoshi had the geas off her...

"Then it's a good thing I planned ahead." Kenshin's grin took a turn for the wicked. "Actually, there has been something I've been meaning to ask you, but every time I see you we get... distracted." He rummaged about in the basket and came up with an orange. Kaoru accepted the fruit cautiously. Something in his eyes made her wary of his next question.

"Those oranges... you remember the ones I got to replace the ones that got smashed? Tell me, were they any good?" his voice was deliberately nonchalant.

"Hmm?" Kaoru shrugged. "I wouldn't know. They weren't for me. Yumi's geas keeps me from eating anything that isn't turnips, radishes, and rice." It had always been difficult to sneak back her 'after supper treat' into the dish when Yahiko had gone to so much trouble to steal it.

A muscle leapt in Kenshin's cheek, but he visibly schooled his face into a pleasant mask. "Well, go ahead and eat. I think there are some sandwiches in here too." He poked at the contents of the basket. "Ah… smoked salmon!"

Kaoru chuckled ruefully as Kenshin… her husband produced some odd little European concoctions and began pointing out their contents. She smiled as he caught her staring and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "We're going to do this right later on." He promised her quietly. "Friends, family, and every social butterfly for miles around; I want the whole world to know you're mine."

"You know who I belong to and that's all that matters." Kaoru said softly, unwilling to contemplate a future that would never come.

This was as much happiness as she could safely contemplate.

Too bad it had to end…

End Chapter Six

Seiyuu: All right! All right! I know! Don't say it, I already know. It's been a while. Don't attack me! In fact everyone go worship and Ravyn and JaneDrew's feet this instant. After the Fatal Error to end all Fatal Errors, they managed to patch The Geas back together from their back up copies. Worship with me, now!

… and don't kill me. More chapters on the way! Promise!