Summary: AU KK King Sagara of the Kasshin Kingdom assembled together a meeting of princes around the country to find a suitable husband for his sister. However, he hadn't expected her to fall in love with a mere soldier... or so they thought. AoMi SaMeg
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine… yet. I'm nearing my birthday, by the way! It's on the 30th of January! Maybe... (gasps) maybe Watsuki-sama will give it to me! c;
Chapter 2: Kiss
"Our king."
The Kasshin monarch froze. "The king?" His eyes narrowed. "From what kingdom are you, anyway?"
"The Kingdom of Hiten Mitsurugi, Your Highness."
Oh damn. "Hiten Mitsurugi? You mean, you're from the samurai clan?" Sano asked disbelievingly. Kingdom Hiten was the most powerful kingdom in all Japan. All the best samurais from the war came from that land, especially the infamous Battousai- the legendary assassin.
Kaoru frowned. "Samurai? It's the first time I've ever heard of a samurai clan."
Misao glanced fleetingly at Kenshin, noticing he was also a samurai. "I've heard that the Battousai came from your clan..."
Kenshin nodded, his face an unreadable mask. "Hai."
"Our king, Seijuro Hiko, is the most powerful samurai. He was famed as the sensei of the legendary manslayer." Aoshi said.
"He's the one I'm supposed to marry?" Kaoru asked incredulously. "Isn't he old already?"
Kenshin smirked. "Yes, he is old, Your Highness. But no, he's not the one you're to marry."
"But he's the king!"
"I've heard rumors that King Hiko has already crowned his son, the prince, as king of the kingdom." Sano interrupted.
Aoshi nodded. "The young prince is the one you're to marry."
Misao knitted her eyebrows. "But, aren't you the prince, Aoshi-san?"
"I have a brother."
Misao's lips formed an 'O', and a mysterious smile adorned her lips. "Sou ka..."
"Oh. So when am I supposed to meet this prince?" Kaoru asked nervously, licking her lips. She seemed to notice that her seatmate had watched the movement hungrily, the distance between them disappearing. Her mouth quickly clamped shut. Fortunately, Misao and Sano were too busy looking at Aoshi and waiting for his answer to notice.
Molten amber eyes raked her form, and a hand crept to her waist, pulling her closer.
She swallowed, fixing her gaze on her brother, then shifted it to the man beside her. Closing her eyes when his face neared hers, his lips captured hers in a neat open-mouthed kiss.
A moan erupted from her throat.
Their simple kiss quickly escalated into a frenzied passionate one. Her hands desperately grabbed hold of his hair, while his own fisted on her raven tresses, drawing her near until the distance between them was impossible.
"Damn." a hoarse voice croaked.
"Oh. My. Gosh." another voice squealed.
A raised eyebrow.
Gasping for breath, she yanked herself from Kenshin's strong arms, turning to face her shocked family. "O-oniisan! M-misao!"
The redhead's breathing was ragged, his eyes glowing an unholy amber. After a few seconds, he got his bearings, and swept into a polite bow. "Forgive me, Your Highness." he said in a low voice, though a slight smirk graced his countenance.
A deep blush tinted her cheeks.
Sano gaped for one moment, then burst out laughing. "Never thought I'd see you kissing someone, Kaoru! Pretty hot and heavy now, aren't we?"
Misao stared at her pointedly, her eyes clearly conveying the message, "We'll talk... later."
Kenshin merely grinned rakishly.
"Who are you anyway?" Sano asked curiously.
The redhead bowed again. "Kenshin Himura, Your Highness. Commander-in-chief of the Hiten guards."
"Kenshin, huh? Oh well, as my sister asked, when can she meet this king?"
"We will schedule a meeting for them, and we shall return as soon as possible." Aoshi said.
Kaoru's throat constricted at the thought of Kenshin leaving. She smacked herself inwardly. How can she get attached to a man in a span of less than an hour? "Oh."
Aoshi bowed, bidding them farewell. Kenshin, on the other hand, took Kaoru's hand again and gave it a not-so-chaste kiss. She shuddered, feeling the faintest prick of his teeth on her flesh, his tongue tracing secret patterns on it.
"Farewell, Your Highness."
She could do nothing but nod weakly, her hand still in his.
Amber eyes gleamed softly. "I will come back for you, Kaoru..." he murmured so only she could hear.
Yanking her hand back, she put it above her pounding heart. He didn't call her princess. "O-of course..."
He smirked, gave another graceful bow that she'd come to love, then left.
Her eyes followed his form until the large palace doors closed. She failed to notice the identical evil grins sprouting on Sanosuke and Misao's faces.
"Soooooo..." Misao started, rubbing her palms together gleefully.
"When should I set the wedding date?" Sano asked, grinning ear to ear.
Kaoru gasped in surprise. "Oniisan! Misao!" She blushed as the full implication of her brother's words sank in. "W-what are y-you talking about?"
He snorted. "Che! You're practically ogling at the man... and I thought you were impotent..."
"Sano!"
"Come on, Kao. The air between the two of you was practically sizzling with... something..." Misao piped in.
"Sao!"
"The only problem is... his lord wants to marry you." he said thoughtfully. "... and I'm sure this Himura wants to marry you too..."
"Oniisan! How could you say such a thing? We just met!"
"Yeah. How could you kiss him like that? You just met!" he retorted dryly, amused.
Misao shook her head. "It's either you'll marry the guard, or the king. Personally, I'd prefer Kenshin for you, Kao-chan."
"Whoever said I will marry one of them?"
The younger princess waved her hand dismissively. "We KNOW you, Kao-chan. You don't need to say something for us to know. Anyway..."
"So what do we do, itachi-musume?"
"I think we should..."
Sano nodded in agreement. "I know. But it will be..."
Misao frowned, her eyebrows knitting. "We just can't stand here, Sano. We have to..."
Something in Kaoru snapped. "What on earth are you two talking about? You're not even finishing your sentences!"
"It's mental telepathy." Misao commented.
"Yeah, it's mental... something." Sano added. "Don't mind us, jou-chan. Just think of something to get the Himura guy marry you..."
Kaoru groaned exasperatedly, even stomping her feet on the ground in annoyance. "I just KNEW I shouldn't have kissed him in front of you... mou..."
Aoshi raised an eyebrow, staring pointedly at his so-called bodyguard. "Himura."
Kenshin tossed him a smirk, his vision of a beautiful blue-eyed princess vanishing and being replaced by Aoshi's inquisitive gaze. "Don't mind me, Your Highness. I was merely... thinking..."
The prince decided not to reply. After a moment of silence, he spoke again in his usual cold manner. "When I said no, I meant don't stand still."
The handsome guard chuckled. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but I do not understand your mood swings..."
"Perhaps." was the cool reply.
Aoshi swiftly mounted his gallant steed, a snow-colored one with the most beautiful mane. Kenshin's stallion, on the other hand, was the color of sable- proud and sleek, tossing its magnificent head back and forth.
"Where shall we go, Your Highness?"
Aoshi fleetingly glanced back at the Kasshin castle, then at the sun setting in the distant horizon. "Dusk."
Kenshin nodded, smiling slightly. It seems his attention was not the only one caught by a princess. "To the castle it is then..."
Aoshi glared darkly at the man. "And you don't understand my mood swings..."
The redhead shrugged. With that, the two rode back towards the castle.
Palace Garden...
Kaoru fumed, resisting the desire to just... wring... somebody's neck- particularly a spiky-haired somebody and a ninja princess somebody. How could they! "Me? Marrying somebody! I just look at a guy for a few seconds and the next thing I knew, they're hiring a priest!"
She viciously crunched a poor unsuspecting stone with the heel of her shoe. Ok, so maybe he's a very handsome guy...
"Argh! This is totally not the point!" she shrieked in frustration. She kicked the stone far away from her as possible, as if the poor thing was the cause of her worries. She kicked it with enough strength to send it rocketing towards the sky. She expected it to hurt some bird or something. Poor bird…
She didn't expect it to actually hurt somebody- namely, Kenshin Himura.
She was horrified to see him catch the stone in his hand. "H-himura-san!"
Kenshin blinked at her, staring mildly at his closed fist. Opening it, he found the stone rather digging into his palm. A few drops of blood dropped into the ground. "K-kaoru?"
She rushed to him, nodding slightly to the ever-composed Aoshi who was apparently standing behind the redhead. Kenshin was more important. I don't care if I lose my composure in front of a prince... She winced as Kenshin casually plucked the stone as if he was just picking a flower from the ground.
"You can kick quite nicely, Princess..."
"I'm sorry!" she squeaked in embarrassment, gingerly holding his injured hand. "Does it hurt much?"
Kenshin smiled sofly at her. "Not anymore."
Aoshi coughed, and Kaoru whipped her head to see him staring at her with something akin to amusement. "I shall be going to see King Sagara, Your Highness."
She nodded, slightly confused. "O-of course... it's nice to see you again, Shinomori-san." Her attention was diverted again, however, when the redhead tugged on her hand.
"Kaoru."
"H-himura-san! Gomen!" Blushing and stuttering, she dragged him inside the castle, intent on bringing him to the clinic.
He had other plans.
Once they were inside, he hauled her against him, entering the nearest empty room. "This will do..." he muttered.
She wriggled in his arms, flushing crimson. "H-himura-san!"
Grinning roguishly, he once again captured her lips in a searing kiss.
She moaned in his mouth, her hands burying themselves in his hair as he pressed her closer.
"Kaoru..." he growled, when he pulled away. She panted for breath, clenching her fists.
"H-himura-s-"
"Kenshin." he murmured in her ear. "Call me Kenshin."
"K-kenshin..." she breathed. Unfortunately, she missed the way his eyes glinted when she said his name like that.
He leaned back to look at her, something warm in his gaze. "You are so beautiful, princess..."
She swallowed nervously. Was he going to kiss her again? Not that I don't like his kiss, but... "A-arigato..."
He sighed, closing his eyes. When he opened them, they were of a pale amber color. "Come..." And he led her back outside to the hall.
She glanced at him, and a giggle almost rose from her throat. He looked so disheveled that it was obvious he was doing something... naughty... beforehand.
He smiled wryly at her, as though he had read her mind. "You don't look any better, Kaoru..."
She laughed. "Really?"
He chuckled, then, surprising her by carrying her, bridal-style. "You, princess... are very, very bad..."
A peal of laughter again erupted from her throat. Rubbing her nose affectionately with his, she smiled softly. "You are worse, Kenshin..." He was about to retort, when he stiffened.
"So... what do we have here?"
"The Prince of Hiten Mitsurugi."
Misao started. She glanced at Sanosuke questioningly. "Didn't he just leave?"
Sano shrugged.
Aoshi entered in his usual cool manner, bowing politely to the astonished pair. "I was wondering if Himura and I could stay the night."
Misao gaped.
Sano gaped.
"Uh... sure." he said finally, offering Aoshi a seat.
"Where's Kenshin?" she asked curiously.
Aoshi shrugged. "I left him with Princess Kaoru."
A slow grin creeped into Misao's features, imagining the events occuring with the pair. Hmm… Leaning closer to Aoshi, she stared at him suspiciously. "You know Himura likes Kao-chan, don't you?"
Sano blinked. "Misao, what are you talking about? Of course he doesn't. He's planning to wed her to his brother."
Aoshi ALMOST smirked. "Of course I do. That's why I left him with her." he replied coolly, glancing at Misao.
A giggle rose from her throat. Clapping her hands gleefully like a child, she then patted his shoulder lightly. "I knew it! I KNEW IT!" Smiling a little bit wickedly, she took Aoshi into her confidence and told him their plans.
Sano's jaw dropped when he saw the Hiten prince listening intently. I think I am about to lose two princesses at once... he thought ruefully.
Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "Let Himura stay here? I think that would cause a problem..."
Misao gasped. "A problem!" She clutched Aoshi's arm tightly, as if the problem would cause everything to crumble. "Tell me!"
Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Misao, you're exaggerating..." Stupid weasel... just want to touch iceman...
Aoshi blinked when she touched him. "If Himura stays here, I need to stay here too. He is my bodyguard after all."
"Oh well... that's no problem for us, icebl- I mean, Aoshi-san!" Sano amended hastily. "You're free to-"
He was interrupted when Misao gasped again, this time in delight. "That's perfect! You are most definitely free to stay here in the palace whenever you want!"
Aoshi nodded slightly.
Sano glared at her. "Last time I checked, itachi, this is MY kingdom, not yours."
She glared back at him. "Hmph! Whatever, rooster. And Aoshi-san's not an iceblock!"
"NANI! Who are you calling rooster, itachi-musume!" Sano yelled, forgetting that he was king, and he had a royal visitor, and he stood up on the couch, cracking his fists.
"ITACHI! Why you-" Misao growled, producing a handful of kunai, ready to throw at the king.
Unfortunately, they didn't see the smile that flitted across Aoshi's face. Leaning back on his chair, he watched the two dignitaries try and hit each other.
Life in the Kasshin Palace was indeed never boring.
a/n: yey! i finally finished it! i'm sorry it took so long! i was actually reading it over and over again and making some changes! hehe... anyway, thanks to all those that reviewed for my first chappie! arigato gozaimasu! pls continue reviewing to my story! c;
Ivy Tearen: Ahh! Thank you for reviewing!
MadiSano: Yeah, i was also thinking 'bout Sano being the king but, hey! he's the only one i've got to be kao's nii-san! thank you for the review!
Kaoru's sister: thanks! c;
tkdl: hai! i will! thank you very much!
antica: hai, hai! arigato gozaimasu! c:
Cheetara: oro... well, that's for ME to know and for YOU to find out! hehe... really, it's not like that. thanks, by the way!
Silent Midnight Rose: why does everyyone on earth think like that? of course, this is a KK fic but... hehe... thanks!
Reignashii: hai! (smiles cheerfully) i KNOW i'm evil! the king? he'll appear sometime in the next chappies... sorry for you people waiting! thanks for reviewing!
Rikka-chan: yup! thanks!
Sunnykh: c;
my-reflection: hehe... sorry for making you wait! here it is! thanks for the review!
abubi-chan: nope! hehe... hiko WAS the king, you know? just read on and find out! arigato! c;
evilalternateendingstorywriter: oro... you have a weird name... anyway, as it's pretty obvious, this isn't a one shot and i've finally updated! thank you for the review and pls update Robin Hood: RK Style soon! ja! c;