Kaoru leaned into the hot spring, sighing in a blissful manner at the relaxing effect the warm water had on her. She'd already scrubbed Gohei's blood off her with much disgust on her part. She would've liked nothing more than to torture the perverse and sinful man for a few days.
Her upper lip curled back in a snarl-like way and blue eyes flashing green for a brief moment at the evil deed he thought he could've pulled off had she not been trained in the art of the sword. "Rat bastard!" Kaoru slapped the water, the image of Gohei's face rippling on the surface.
Battousai looked up at the sound of an expletive but leaned back after a moment of silence. This Noroi was certainly an enigma and he still had difficulties believing that he'd found someone so slike to him. It was the last thing he'd been expecting but hell, he wasn't going to complain.
Another skeptical thought emerged --why was Katsura pairing them together as partners? Had he lost his mind? Battousai pondered this in the quiet forest where an owl absently hooted.
Rubbing some jasmine scented oil into her hair, Kaoru could only sulk at her misfortune. Her village--torn apart with the people in it, her father--gone from this hellish place called Earth along with her mother and now…this. She was fated to be Battousai's partner, male speak for slave or servant. 'They're one and the same really,' Noroi piped up.
Kaoru smothered that thought by concentrating on the fragrant oil in her hair. Rinsing, she dried herself off and dressed with the Yucatan Tae had brought.
As depressing as things were, she couldn't dwell on the past. Neither her mind or sanity would allow it, for those memories would be replaying over and over, driving her to the brink of madness. Kaoru shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts into something positive. Vainly hoping, Kaoru waited for something optimistic to pop in her mind but nothing. Clutching the bottle containing the scented fragrance and putting on the geta she concentrated on finding anything somewhat positive in her rather, she considered, "different" situation. Kaoru growled in frustration as her head remained blank. Deciding to leave the hot springs in semi-better spirits, Kaoru walked around the large boulder keeping Battousai from peeking. "I'm ready!" she announced, already picking out the Battousai from the greenery who was leaning against a tree casually.
"Let's go then." he replied.
Nodding, Kaoru trailed behind him, attempting to find one upside of the godforsaken destiny she was to have. Nothing was said until Battousai shattered the silence, "What're you thinking?"
Not hearing him, Kaoru continued to walk, eyes on the ground, still puzzling her mind with the discovery of a silver lining to her dark, cloudy aspect on life.
"Kaoru?"
Too wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't acknowledge him at all. Kaoru unbecomingly mumbled, "…positive thoughts…anything positive if even possible…"
While doing this she walked right strode right by the hitokiri, who had stopped his light pace and waited for an answer.
"Positive…c'mon…be optimistic!" Kaoru berated herself. A hand grabbed at her arm, pulling her out of her thoughts and into a pair of glowing golden eyes.
"What're you doing!" She screeched at him. Battousai only stared at her for a few minutes until he answered, "You're alive."
Kaoru was about to ask what the hell he meant until it clicked. That was the answer to all this mind-boggling thinking. She was alive. So many people wished to be alive, for different reasons, but alive one way or another. Even though Battousai had let go of her arm, Kaoru was still standing where he had halted her.
She was alive! Such a thing was not to be taken lightly! Life was being stolen every day--she should know considering her first-hand experience with it. After all, didn't she want her father back? 'Yes,' she realized, 'being alive was quite a positive thought.' It felt as if an enormous weight had been removed from her shoulders. Kaoru stood up straight and found Battousai's eyes studying her.
Without warning, she hugged him.
Battousai couldn't even comprehend what his prisoner was thinking as she embraced him.
Kaoru noticed he was stiff under arms but she didn't care. He smelled like sandalwood and something described as entirely male. As much bad as he may have caused in peoples' lives, he also managed to bring a bit of good, at least in hers anyway.
Bringing her hand to the back of his neck, she bent it forward a little and reached up on the tip of her toes, "Thank you."
At this, he seemed to relax a bit and just as she was about to let go of him, he returned the hug. But not before letting her see the different eye color that dominated it. A light shade of violet ringed around a bit darker shade of blue. The two colors complimented one another and surprisingly, it reminded Kaoru of twilight when many colors similar to this one showed.
Kaoru felt like she was dreaming--she was so close to the Battousai and felt no threat or fear wanting to overwhelm her. Did he feel the same way she did?
All of a sudden, the sound of leaves being crunched upon startled Kaoru making her jump up involuntarily. Looking over her shoulder, she saw nothing. 'Make no mistake Kaoru, someone lurks just in the distance. ' Noroi hissed.
Making eye contact with Battousai again, he simply kissed her palm, closed his eyes and opened them again, revealing a pair of golden orbs. Leaning closer to Kaoru, his lips at her ear, he whispered, "Noroi, get up here and play along.'
Noroi inwardly smirked and asked Kaoru for permission, 'That alright with you sweetie?'
Kaoru grinned in turn, 'You up for some extra fun this evening Noroi-chan?'
Noroi laughed at this point, 'Sure…bring it on!'
Battousai had to hide his smile at the now green-eyed girl in his arms or else whomever was watching them would know that their presence was known. Apparently, Noroi know the same thing but gave an impish smile anyway
They appeared to be an ordinary couple being intimate on a cool evening. But as that old and often overused cliché claims, looks can be deceiving.
Noroi wrapped her arms around Battousai's torso, lightly fingering the wakizashi hanging off his hip. Battousai felt Noroi rest her head on his chest and ran his fingers through her hair to keep up appearances. Battousai and Noroi's strangely colored eyes pierced the darkness, searching for a tell-tale sign of the trespasser.
Waiting for what seemed entirely too long, Noroi broke the embrace, "C'mon, now we're just wasting time."
Battousai nodded and wordlessly draped his arm along her waist, propelling her back to the HQ of where the Choshu laid at rest.
YESSSS! An update! Of 3 pages no less! I know it seems like a little but seeing as how I haven't written in so long….yeaaaah.
Aside from that stupid and pointless babble, many thanks for leaving the reviews! I really appreciate it. I REALLY do. Oo So please leave more. Thanks again!
Tomboi-chic