Kaoru stared at herself in the mirror. Her package had arrived, and within it had been a beautiful evening gown. Kaoru rarely ever wore dressed, let alone evening gowns. They made her feel vulnerable, weak. She hated dresses, she hated feeling weak. But she couldn't help but feel a little excited, despite her deep sense of dread. She had wanted so much to decline politely, come up with some sort of excuse so she couldn't attend. But none came to mind, and she knew Himura would be able to see through her excuse as well as she could. Now she could only wait; wait for the dreaded man to come pick her up, wait for the horribly evening to end. What in the world were they going to talk about? Pacing her apartment, Kaoru pondered whether he would come up and get her, or call her down. A buzz on her intercom interrupted her thoughts.
"Hello?" Kaoru asked timidly.
"Miss Kamiya?" A man's voice rang through. "You're ride has arrived if you would be so kind to come down."
'That answers my question,' Kaoru thought glumly.
"Yes," Kaoru started to nod before she realized the man could not see her. "I'll be right down."
"Thank you Miss," the man replied before he cut out. Kaoru took a deep breath and glanced once more at the mirror. The plunging neckline on the dress made her want to bury herself in the blankets on her bed; and the straps were so tiny on the blasted dress, if any guy wanted to rape her tonight they would have no problem ripping them out of their way. Grabbing a coat, Kaoru exited the apartment.
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"You got a limo?" Kaoru asked dryly in the car. Not only had he gotten a limo, but the driver was so polite he refused to let her open and close her own door.
"Nothing to good for you," Kenshin grinned at her.
"Shut up," Kaoru clamped her eyes shut and took breaths.
"What's wrong?" Kenshin asked; his voice was filled with amusement. "Are you afraid of limos?"
"No!" Kaoru snapped at him.
"Than what's the problem?" Kenshin suddenly grinned. "I know."
"What?" Kaoru asked crossly. "How could you possibly know?"
"You're shy," Kenshin offered.
"No," Kaoru leaned back in her seat. Even she had to admit it was pretty comfortable. "I haven't been out for a while."
"What?" Kenshin was clearly baffled. "You mean on a date?"
"Do you truly consider this a date?" Kaoru asked.
"Yes," Kenshin replied.
"So if this doesn't go according to your plan," Kaoru's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke. "You're going to fire me, aren't you?"
"What?" Kenshin offered Kaoru a soft smile. "No, I wouldn't fire you. Besides, it's against the law to do that."
"That's comforting," Kaoru replied sarcastically.
"We're here," Kenshin held his hand out to Kaoru. "Are you ready?" Gritting her teeth ever so slightly, Kaoru took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the car. Kaoru gasped slightly when they exited the limo. It was indeed a nice restaurant, and it must have been popular for a large crowd of people were swarmed outside.
"Follow me," Kenshin tugged Kaoru's hand and led her through the crowd.
"Aren't we budging?" Kaoru asked.
"No," Kenshin replied without looking back at her. "We have reservations." Kaoru clutched her jacket closer around her body and followed Himura into the restaurant. Feeling small and insignificant, Kaoru sat down at the table she and Kenshin had been directed to. She had never, in all her life, been to such a nice place.
"All the food here is German," Kenshin spoke as he thumbed his way through the menu. "So it might be hard to find something you like." Kaoru didn't respond, she just pulled the jacket tighter and ordered the cheapest thing she could find on the menu.
"Why don't you take your coat off?" Kenshin asked after a few moments of silence.
"I don't want to," Kaoru replied stiffly.
"Is it to cold?" Kenshin asked, clearly concerned. "I could ask the waitress to turn the heat up."
"No," Kaoru was actually sweating a little bit. "It's fine."
"It obviously isn't if you won't take your coat off," Kenshin began to call the waitress over. "I left my coat at the door."
"Kenshin there is no need for you to call the waitress!" Kaoru hissed, but Kenshin continued to keep his hand slightly raised.
"Is there a problem sir?" The waitress asked, she was a small woman, still in college most likely.
"Yes," Kenshin nodded. "My friend is cold so could you,"
"Here," Kaoru took her jacket off gruffly. "Take my stupid coat. Are you happy now?" The waitress was clearly taken aback, but she accepted Kaoru's coat and left without another word. Crossing her arms angrily over her chest, Kaoru glared at Himura. He clearly didn't care.
"There" Kenshin smiled. "You look beautiful."
"Great," Kaoru grumbled. "That's just what I wanted."
"There's nothing wrong with looking nice," Kenshin reasoned.
"I suppose since you're a big strong man," Kaoru's voice was dripping with mockery. "You don't ever have to be worried about getting raped in an alley."
"Is that what you're afraid of?" Kenshin's face fell slightly. "There's no way I would let anything like that happen."
"What if you did it yourself?" Kaoru asked so softly Kenshin didn't hear her.
"Honestly Kaoru," Kenshin reached across the table and took her hand in his own, squeezing it softly. "Believe me when I tell you nothing bad will ever happen to you when you're with me." Somehow, deep inside her, Kaoru believed him. Or at least, in a way, she wanted to.
"So tell me more about your family," Kenshin began to rub Kaoru's hand with his thumb, running it back and forth across the smooth skin on the back of her hand. "After all the time we have spent together you've mentioned nothing about them. I had to simply assume you had no boyfriend." The question caught Kaoru completely off guard, and her mouth fell slightly open. She hated to think about the past, but she could never avoid the questions completely.
"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked. "Is something wrong?"
"My mom died when I was young," Kaoru lowered her eyes to the table. "My father was a drunk and abusive. Is that all you need to know?" They couple sat in silence, only the sounds from the other tables could be heard.
"Kaoru," Kenshin finally broke the silence. His voice was soft and gentle. "I'm sorry; I didn't know it was such a personal question."
"It's okay," Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut, trying to lock out all the painful memories that came flooding back. "You didn't know; no one ever does." Kenshin didn't respond to her, he merely reached his other hand across the table and took her chin in his hand. Kaoru looked up at him, and was shocked. His amber eyes were swirled with emotions, causing a storm of colors to clash within their fiery depths. Somehow, his eyes offered comfort to her, an escape from the terrible memories that tormented her every time the thought of her father was brought up. His hand was soft against her face, and he titled his hand so he could cup her cheek gently. Rubbing his thumb across the smooth skin, Kenshin offered her a comforting smile. Kaoru found the strength to smile back within his eyes.
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Kenshin didn't let go of Kaoru's hand through the entire night, offering whatever strength he could give to her through the simple touch of his hand on hers. Strangely enough, Kaoru was grateful. He gently steered the conversation away from family and kept it strictly on world events, which Kaoru enjoyed to talk about. Through out the meal Kenshin spoke gently to her, and kept her hand tightly clasped in his own underneath the small table. The same vehicle that brought them to the restaurant brought them to Kaoru's apartment, and Kenshin still held Kaoru's hand within his own.
"You didn't have to walk me up to my apartment," Kaoru said, uncertainty flooded her voice.
"I kinda wanted to see the inside," Kenshin hinted in a soft tone.
"It's really messy," Kaoru stammered out quickly. "Really messy."
"I see," Kenshin smiled. "Well, since I don't get to see your apartment, there is one other thing I wanted to do." Kenshin took a step closer to Kaoru; his breath was hot on her cheek. Holding her breath ever so slightly; Kaoru felt her eyes widen like that of a scared cat caught in the headlights of a car. For a moment, Kenshin stood still; allowing Kaoru to take in the fact that he was so close. Then, in one fell swoop, Kenshin lowered his lips to hers and caught them. Unlike the last kiss they had shared in his office, there was passion behind it. Kenshin gently bit at her lips, inviting her to open her mouth. Scarping his teeth across her bottom lip, Kenshin gently nipped at the sensitive skin there. Kaoru gasped slightly as one of his teeth pinched her lip; allowing him to deepen the kiss. On of his hands snaked up her back and rested there, supporting her weight as her legs collapsed beneath her. His other hand buried themselves deep within her midnight tresses; his fingers burned ever so slightly against her scalp. A hidden fire began to burn within Kaoru and she felt herself fall into his embrace, just like she fell into his eyes. Leaning in deeper, Kaoru relished the fact that his tongue was moving so freely within her mouth, brushing against areas that had never been touched by any other human being. Her fingers began to itch; his long red hair looked so soft. Before she could stop herself, Kaoru suddenly found that her hands were already knuckle deep. Pressing her up against the wall, Kenshin dipped Kaoru's head a bit lower before breaking off. Gently kissing her face, Kenshin moved both his hands to support the base of Kaoru's neck, which had suddenly fallen limp. Kenshin immediately lowered his lips to Kaoru's exposed neck, grazing over the skin softly with his teeth and tongue. Groaning slightly, Kaoru let her eyelids drop, falling into the moment. Everything was perfect until she felt Kenshin lightly bite the base of her neck. Kaoru's eyes snapped open and fear filled her being from head to toe.
"Stop!" Kaoru pulled back abruptly. "Please stop!" Her voice was soft, yet pleading and she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. So many memories were flooding back to her, all because of one simple bite; so many memories that she had tried so hard to forget.
"Kaoru," Kenshin sounded concerned, but at the moment Kaoru didn't care.
"What's wrong?" Kenshin tried to take her hand within his own, but Kaoru jerked it away.
"Thanks for dinner," Kaoru clamped her eyes shut and tried to back away from Kenshin before realizing she was up against the wall. Ducking under Kenshin's arm, Kaoru quickly opened the door to her apartment.
"I had a great time, see you at work!" Kaoru slammed the door, blocking Kenshin from view. Then, without warning, a wave of sorrow over took her, and Kaoru crumpled up on the floor. With her back braced against the door and her face buried in her hands. Kaoru began to sob uncontrollably.
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Thanks for waiting guys, and once again thanks for reviewing. I tried sending out emails, but not all of them worked. For those of you who are reviewing, thank you so much for taking the time to do so; it really means a lot. For those of you who aren't, I understand because I have a hard time reviewing for others. I don't know why but I'm always scared to do so. I'm trying though, I really am.