A/N: Hey everyone! I am so, so sorry about the long, unnecessary time since my last update. Honestly, I had no idea as to where I wanted this story to go, and also, it kind of slipped my mind for a bit with my classes. But now I know how I want this to end, and I think that there will only be two more chapters left, possibly three if I decide to put an epilogue in. Once again, I am very sorry and it should not take me this long to update again. So, with that said, here is the new chapter. Enjoy!
The Price of Blood
Chapter 17: Reveal and Assist
The silence was deafening for the stagnant pair. It roared so loud between them that the girl's ragged breathing was overpowered and not heard by either. Their eyes were trained to separate points, each waiting for the other to speak, but neither willing to mutter a word. They were both overcome and the absence of words only broke them more. Kaoru and Kenshin sat, both destroyed in different aspects, unsure as to what to do next.
Kenshin remained unmoved since he spoke his last words. Fingers were still clenched tightly into fists with his nails beginning to form red indentations into his palm from the constant force. His long, vibrant hair hung about him, acting as a barrier to keep from seeing Kaoru's face. He was sure that it was sunken and wrenched in pain by now. He knew that he was the one to cause that reaction. But he did not know that she would take it quite this hard. 'I still should have known. I betrayed her, just as her father did. Hiko was right by calling me an idiot,' he thought. Kenshin did not even dare to look at her now.
Kaoru, on the other hand, was deceiving in her appearance. Her body was relaxed, her muscles loose despite what had just occurred. Only the broken cup in front of her and her slightly elevated breathing gave the news that her body was not calm but instead weakened and in shock. Her normally bright blue orbs were listless, staring at the shattered pieces before her. Inside, her emotions were in turmoil. She hurt and was confused. 'I thought he cared,' she said to herself, 'but I guess I was wrong. I mean nothing to him at all.'
"Do you remember the last time that I dropped the dishes?" she asked softly, brokenly.
Kenshin did not answer. He did not even move an inch. Instead, he merely listened.
"I will remember it forever. The last time, they were broken because I did not know when to keep my mouth shut. I was angry and resentful towards you, insulting you where I was sure that it would hurt. And I guess it did. We fought, and if I had hurt you mentally, I also hurt you physically." She paused for a moment, taking in a ragged breath before continuing sorrowfully.
"When I was being treated by Megumi, after you saved me, I thought that those dishes were symbolic; a breaking of a barrier. I wasn't prepared for such a reaction from you-I was shocked. I felt that you had more feelings than I thought that perhaps there was more to you than just the reputation you were stuck with. It was then that I knew that I should be kinder to you. My anger gave me no right to say such things, even though I thought it did. After all, you did not have to come after me, even if it was just to make a point that I wasn't getting rid of you so easily."
Kenshin's eyes squeezed tightly, hardly as his body twitched slightly. The pain in her voice was almost unbearable. And now here she was, telling him how she felt that he deserved kindness. He deserved whatever cruel comments she could think up of now.
"And now, there are more broken dishes only this time I am the one that is hurt. I guess this is symbolic too, another broken barrier of sorts. But what I want to know is if this is revenge for what I did to you." Her voice dropped even more, barely loud enough to be heard, but her hurt was unforgettable. "Is there going to be more pain, Kenshin? Will it be more emotional or physical?"
Instantaneously, his eyes snapped back open, golden and wild. Although his head tilted slightly, his face still could not be seen through the thick mass of his hair. His mind raced from her words, reeling at the truths that she had spoken. But still, he was frozen. No words would come from his mouth and he could not will himself to go to her.
Slowly, Kaoru shook her head, following the action with a painful sigh. She shut her eyes briefly before opening them. Kaoru rose from her spot, looking like the walking dead. Without a word, she turned from him, walking with heavy steps towards the shoji door.
Following her actions with his flashing eyes, Kenshin's breath hitched as she neared the shoji. It was just as before. She was walking out on him, leaving him once more. He did not know if she knew that she was using the door that would lead her outside, but he did not care. Kaoru was running again. He would not let her. "Where are you going," his voice bit out. Kenshin finally raised his head to hear, revealing his face from red locks.
She paused, one of her slender, pale hands resting on the thin screen. She did not turn towards him and did not immediately respond to his question. It was only after a lengthy pause that she answered. "I need to think," she said calmly.
"Then you can think here," he snapped back. His tone was harsh, more so than he wanted it to be, but he did not want her to step out of the door. "You do not need to go anywhere."
"I can't do that here. I can't think while…." She stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. She was shaking now. "I need to be alone," she finished, beginning to open the door.
In a moment, Kenshin was up and hovering beside her. "Damnit, Kaoru," he hissed. "Why do you always run away? What are you so afraid of?"
Kaoru's head turned to him. He felt momentary relief as he saw a spark flash through her cerulean eyes. "I am not running away," she said.
"Yes, you are," Kenshin replied heatedly, moving closer to her.
"You don't know anything," she growled back, shaking more. 'Why is he doing this to me?'
"That's what you are doing right now. You are leaving instead of facing your problems. You can't run from them forever. Eventually, you will have to face them. I'm here; I'm your problem. Face me and face this. Do not run. I did not think that you were a coward," Kenshin responded, his eyes staring directly into hers. She did not notice him inch closer to her body.
"I am not running, damnit!" Kaoru yelled back, snapping her head back to the door and beginning to tear it open. "I need just need to think. Why can't you let me do that? Am I ruining your plan? You couldn't hurt me if I wasn't here, is that it?"
"Stop it, Kaoru," Kenshin warned, moving a hand to grasp her elbow.
"Don't touch me," she hissed, wrenching violently from his touch. "You're just going to hurt me!"
Instead of meeting the afternoon sky from the shoji she was about to open, Kaoru found herself once again staring into amber eyes. Her back was forced into the nearest wall, sliding up so that her feet no longer touched the floor. Kenshin slithered in between her legs, holding her up with his body and his hands. He pressed up close against her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She could feel his body shaking.
"That is not it," he whispered fiercely in her ear. "I will not hurt you. There is no pain to come from me. Damnit, Kaoru. You don't understand at all. Do you really think that I would allow for anyone to harm you? Do you think that I would let anyone to take you, to touch you in any way?"
Kaoru's eyes widened. Although she was surprised by his actions, it was nothing compared to his voice. It was harsh but raspy, filled with emotions that she could not even name. She was right. Kenshin did feel – and apparently, he felt a lot, more strongly than even she would have imagined. And here was the proof. His voice was laced with pain. She had once again harmed him, led him to pain. "Kenshin…" she muttered.
"Quiet. I'm not done," he muttered against her skin, pulling his arms tighter, but moving them to wrap around them as much as possible. Slowly, he began to lower himself, moving so that he was sitting against the floor with Kaoru sitting on his lap, her back against the wall, and a former manslayer wrapped tightly to her front. "I understand that you do not like having yourself risked as the conditions to a bet. As long as I live, I do not even want that wolf to lay eyes upon you. He will never be allowed to have you. You should know that I would not back down. Do you think I would break my agreement with him? Do you think I would cast you out like that? You are hurt, I know, but I am also hurt. You claimed that you would be kinder to me, but you will not give me your trust. Do you have no faith in me, Kaoru?"
Kaoru's eyes widen as she sucked in a sharp breath. "Kenshin," she whispered, letting her eyes soften and fill with emotions. Slowly, her arms shifted, come to wind around his strong chest, helping him keep her close. Also, her legs moved to wrap themselves around his waist, securing her spot. "No, that's not it," she said gently. "I do trust you, I do have faith… I know that I am doing a bad job of showing it, but I do have faith in you." She paused, lowering her head so that it dove close to his skin. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his warmth. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. And now here you are, holding me when you should be furious with me." Kaoru placed a soft kiss to his neck. "I couldn't help it. When you said those words, I stung. Pain filled me. I just kept thinking that you didn't care and that you wanted me gone. I was disposable to you, that what…we shared was worthless. I didn't know what to do. I've already been lied to so much…"
"I know," Kenshin muttered. He moved his head and nudged her head up with his nose. When she faced him, he placed a passionate to her lips. "No one will ever have you or lay a hand on you. What we did was far from worthless. I do have, I mean I…I will not hurt you. Have faith in me," Kenshin said huskily and deeply. He kept her shocked gaze locked with his large, amber orbs, capturing her into focusing only upon him.
"Kenshin," she sighed. It was his eyes that convinced her. They were shimmering, the gold shifting as if it were melted by fire…his fire. She knew that she could never deny what he wanted if he looked at her with his eyes. They were just too strong and hypnotizing to allow her to pull away. Leaning forward, she placed a soft kiss to his scarred cheek. "I want to have faith in you. Show me that you can," she voiced against his skin softly. Pulling backwards, she smiled weakly at him. "And just so you know," she started, her eyes sparking with defiance, "Don't think I am going to always melt when you mess up just because you hold me. You better have good explanations to go with it."
Kenshin chuckled softly. It seemed that Kaoru was acting like herself once again. But he made a mental note of her words. Sometimes, he reminded himself, I will have to share my feelings instead of relying upon Kaoru to interpret them. He could not help himself as his lips twitched up into a small smile as he gazed at her.
Kaoru gasped. 'His smile,' she thought. It was so different from the last time she had witnessed it. Before the smile was cold and harsh, twisting his face into hard and grotesque angles, unnatural and frightening. But perhaps that was what he wanted. After all, he saw nothing but death in his life. Now, though, now the smile was softer, kinder. The hard edges were gone, allowing his lips to turn smoothly and magnifying his appealing features. It was a sight to behold, truly beautiful. Her own smile widened. 'I'll have to make him smile more,' she thought.
"And one more thing, Mr. I-always-have-to-do-things-alone," she began. Taking a hand, she smacked him playfully in the shoulder, but used just enough force to underlie her message. "Don't you ever use as part of a bet again or that wolf will be the last of your worries."
Kenshin's eyes slide into a possessive glance as he smirked at Kaoru. "You are mine. No one will ever take you," he told her, his voice laced with fervor. He then leaned into her, taking her mouth with his strongly, enforcing his words.
Kaoru moaned into Kenshin's mouth as he kissed her passionately. He wasted no time in tasting her mouth with his tongue. The appendage ran over the various surfaces, enticing moans and arches from her. Kenshin's hands began to wander from their tight position on her back, taking time to caress the soft curves of her sides and thighs. He could feel his hardness growing as she squirmed under his advances. But this time it was Kaoru that broke from his kiss, moving her mouth to tease the flesh of his neck. He could not help but shudder with pleasure.
"Kenshin?" she called softly as she widened the gap of his gi and nipped at the skin of his collarbone.
One hand moved to her breast, playing with the mound through the fabric of her clothes. His other hand ghosted over her stomach, beginning to undo the tie of her kimono. He was pleased when she arched her back and placed her hands into his gi and touched his bare chest. "Yes?" he answered heavily, panting slightly.
"Am I really yours?" she asked, sliding her hands to his back and raking her nails gently down.
Kenshin groaned and grinded against her, letting her feel his arousal. "Yes, you are, Koshii," he responded heatedly. The tie on her kimono finally unraveled and he ripped it open, exposing her body to his eyes. They flashed with want. "You will always be mine. You will only be touched by Kenshin Himura," he added fiercely. Then his hands dove into her skin, touching, grabbing, and caressing every inch that was available.
Kaoru shook and cried out at his sudden onslaught, panting into his neck as he pushed fabric from her shoulders and moved his hand to tease her womanhood. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she weakly pushed herself upright, pushing down against his lap as she did so. With trembling fingers, she tugged his gi from his chest. Kaoru's hands dove into his soft hair when he hit a particular sensitive spot. Moaning, she pulled his hair free, pulling his head to her breast as she whispered, "And I don't want anyone touching you but me."
Pulling his head from her ample chest, Kenshin took Kaoru's pink lips in another quick, yet deep, kiss before looking in her azure eyes. "Kaoru," he panted, "can I?" He thrust up against her core, asking for permission.
Breathing raggedly, Kaoru nodded her head, her eyes glazed over with desire. Quickly, Kenshin lifted Kaoru up slightly, and pulled his pants down with a swift tug. Once freed, he positioned himself before lowering Kaoru onto him, slipping into her as their arms wrapped about each other and their mouths met.
"Akito!" Saitou called out harshly as he strode into the police station with a scowl on his face. He narrowed his eyes as he waited. "Damn boy," he muttered. Fishing out a cigarette, he lit it before walking onwards to his office. "Akito!" he called again.
"Yes, Sir?" the boy answered, panting a bit. 'He must have ran,' Saitou thought. 'He should run faster next time.'
"I need you to contact people for me," he said dryly, moving to sit behind his desk. "I want that damn rooster and the walking ice-block. Tell them they have just three days to arrive. I will not tolerate tardiness. Oh, and tell Rooster to bring his fox… but tell Ice-block to leave his weasel at home."
"Rooster and Ice-block, Sir?" Akito asked, confused.
Saitou sighed heavily, closing his eyes briefly. "Sano and Aoshi. Do you understand now?"
Akito nodded his head, but remained waiting in Saitou's office. Saito glared at the boy, taking a long drag off of his cigarette. "What are you waiting for, boy? I want this done immediately. Go before I decide to mount your head on my wall," he finished bitterly.
"Y-y-yes, Sir!" Akito answered in a shaking voice, turning and fleeing the office to go and deliver the messages.
Turning in his chair, Saitou stared out of the window as he stubbed out his cigarette and immediately lit another one. "One of them should have the information I need," he muttered to himself. "If not, it seems that I will get to have a rematch with the Battousai… or have one displeased wife."
TBC….