Disclaimer: i do not own kenshin or any of the characters!
Chapter Five:
Mariko sighed looking out of her west facing window and watched the setting sun. This was getting a little too much to deal with. She had bargained for a nice quick kill, if not a good manipulative masquerade as a restaurant owner to bring out the Battousai in Kenshin and kill him or die.
Sanosuke had messed up everything it seemed. She grimaced at the darkening evening sky…Sanosuke was nothing at all…she was a trained ninja not some silly school girl who fell in love with all the wrong people. She would try her best to avoid him from now own she decided…and ignored the pain that felt like it was going to tear her heart apart.
"Akiko!" she waited for the made to run up and open the door. "Get me some of the best and strongest sake we own. And I will not be coming down today…make sure nothing goes wrong."
She sat down on her futon and filled a cup of sake for herself and downed it quickly. Maybe getting drunk for once wouldn't be so bad. She wondered what Sanosuke would do if he had been the assassin and she his object of affection? She smiled at the thought.
----------------------------------------
Kenshin walked down to the restaurant that evening, knowing fully well that he should just be staying with Kaoru, but he wanted to see Mariko-san tonight. It was like an addiction, he wanted to see her smell that haunting Tomoe perfume again.
He sat down at his usual table…she would be down any minute. At the back of these crazy thoughts about Mariko, he was angry at himself for hurting Kaoru this way, he'd never been like this before! He ordered some food and waited. Two hours passed he finished all his food, but she was nowhere to be seen. He took this as a sign, he was supposed to go straight back to Kaoru.
He decided to take the short cut. He turned into the alley next to the shop and started walking down when he caught sight of her…leaning against the wall, a dark red kimono setting of her dark beauty. She was swaying slightly.
"Mariko-san?" Kenshin looked at her in concern. She turned and her eyes widened when she saw him, a desperate look creeping into her eyes. She looked about her like a trapped animal, before trying to leave. She stumbled a few steps before her legs gave way. Kenshin ran up and caught just as she almost hit the ground.
"Mariko-san, daijobu desu ka?" (Are you alright?) Kenshin stared down at her. Her kimono had come slightly loose, and he could see the beautiful white skin of her neck, his gaze moving down in a V towards a bit of cleavage which also showed.
She pushed herself up. "You…" she whispered. "Go away. Leave me alone…go away. Don't come near me, it's not safe." He helped her up, still keeping a hold of her shoulders, he was almost holding her up, and she felt like a rag doll.
"Go away, Himura-san. Please…Onegai Shimasu." She pushed away from him and started to take a step towards the back door. She suddenly met his eyes…
Kenshin didn't know how it happened but he suddenly kissed her hard. His mind screamed that what he was doing was wrong…but it felt right. He lifted her up slightly before almost slamming her into the restaurant's wall, kissing her harder, and his fingers moving down the soft skin of her neck…
She pushed him away with all the strength she could muster in her present condition. "Please stop, Himura-san." Tears were streaming down her face, and her hair was coming undone, beautiful long tresses like midnight flowing down to her waist and her hair ornament (the stick like one…I've forgotten what it's called!) fell to the ground. His eyes widened slightly when he saw he had scraped a hand a little when he had shoved her against the wall.
She tottered to the door, grabbing it when she felt like falling. "Please Himura-san…go home. Away from me…before it rains blood." She disappeared into the doorway.
Kenshin stared after her…rain blood? She had used the exact words Tomoe had used when he had first met her…who was this woman so like Tomoe at the same time so unlike her. He touched his lips to find a little bit of lipstick smudged there…it felt so right…but was she really in love with Sanosuke?
He bent down and picked up her hair ornament. It was pretty and long stick with a hawk perched on top. He suddenly realized the hawk's left leg was subtly tied to its perch…a trapped hawk?
------------------------------
Mariko stumbled to her bedroom and slide the door shut. She made it as far as her futon before fainting onto it. Outside a man made a sound of distaste.
"I'd say she's very distracted…and drunk. Are you sure she will go through with it?" it was a gruff raspy voice.
"She will. She's my best ninja. She's had a horrible past which won't let her relax, and she's ruthless. But if she goes any further I will have to speak with her." The other man replied as he stared into the window of the dark room.
--------------------------------
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Don't ask me why I made Kenshin kiss her…it was wrong but it felt right. I know Kenshin's not like that but I needed him to be like that. It's ok. Alls well the ends well.
Taka.