Chapter 13

Breathless

AN: Warning! This chapter is short but very sweet! )

---- KAORU'S POV-----

She sat there perfectly still and feeling completely drained in the car seat. The world whizzed by her in a blur as the red head drove on. It was a perfectly sunny and beautiful, crisp, early autumn day. She had intended on dragging herself to school that day and was dreading on seeing the very person she was now sitting next to. She didn't know what to make of what just happened between them.

Had they really held each other like that? Was she so bold as to embrace him first? She had felt his lips brush the side of her forehead and it sent shivers down her spine. His scent was intoxicating and those eyes, "His eyes were glowing", she thought.

"I wonder if he really meant everything he said." Those sweet words that he'd whispered to her moments ago kept reverberating through her head. "…you're like no one else I've ever met…" His eyes amethyst eyes had seemed to glow as he'd spoken to her. He'd grasped her face with such tenderness and his voice exuded passion and pain at the same time. "…beauty…strength…courage…"

She had hung on every word that passed his lips. She'd thought that he would close the minute gap between them and seal their lips together, but he didn't. He'd simply continued to speak to her like no one else ever did. "…it's not your fault…the drinking…the hospital…it's not your fault".

Her thoughts went to her family once more. "Mom, I'm so sorry I can't be stronger. I'm so sorry that you have live like this. Working and toiling away and then have to deal with his shit." The very thought of her father left her reeling with anger and pain. "How can you do this to us dad? Why? Why do we have to deal with us?"

She remembered her father's words of warning about "dishonoring the family". A battle ensued inside of her between the undeniable feelings that she had for Kenshin, and the need to remain a "good daughter" for her parents. "Haven't I been obedient enough? Haven't I ALWAYS been the one to listen and do as they've wanted? And so what if Kenshin and I want to date? I mean…I…I do like him and what would be the harm in that?"

She waited for a response and continued to reason with herself. "What do you MEAN what be the harm in that? You know very well! If dad ever finds out that you're with some guy, he'll…he'll murder you! Are you so sure that Kenshin is prepared to go through that with you?"

"So what? How can't he say ANYTHING now? He doesn't work, he doesn't spend time with us, and he doesn't do anything for us! How can he be the judge of who I want to be with? I am so sick and tired of his shit! Kenshin…he's been so sweet to me through this. I…I practically told him off in the park but he still came for me."

The battle continued on like that as they drove through the city. She didn't even notice that soon the hustle of the city had given way to sprawling estates and mansions. They stopped at a light, and Kaoru snapped out of her thoughts to take in the sights around her.

She grew amazed to see beautiful, large homes. The gardens were exquisitely manicured and maintained. The streets were lined with rows upon rows of beautiful lush greenery. Even though some had changing leaves because of the season, the ever-greens still held their rich green color. There was no garbage littered about as she was accustomed to seeing on her daily walks about her neighborhood, and every one seemed to be driving an expensive vehicle.

In complete shock, she looked back over to Kenshin. "Kenshin! Where are we? Where are we going?"

As if she needed to ask where they were. She knew perfectly well, this was the wealthiest neighborhood around, but what were they doing there?

He looked back over at her, with a smile on his face, "you'll see".

Usually she would've insisted he tell her at once where they were headed. But just the way he'd smiled was enough to put her at ease. There was no need to question him right now. She'd told him to take her anywhere but home, and he was doing exactly that.

"Still though, I wonder where we're going" she thought.

Kaoru let her daydreams cloud her mind once more as she thought about her father, mother, and brother. But it was the thought of Kenshin that kept reoccurring. His touch had been so gentle, and yet he'd held her with such passion. For a moment she'd been lost in his eyes and what surprised her more was her willingness of letting herself go. She felt safe and secure in his firm grasp, and wanted to loose herself completely to him. "What am I thinking?" she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of air. "I need to stop thinking like this."

Without warning, she felt the car jerk to a stop. Unlike before, when they stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, this time Kenshin shut off the engine. Kaoru looked up at him, snapping out of her daydreams. He looked at her for a moment and without a word exited the car.

"What? Where are we?" she thought as she spun around in the seat to look out the window.

The day was full and bright with promise, and she heard the breeze just outside. Kenshin had parked the car on a grassy area and she could see the clear blue sky all around. The scene invited her and she slowly stepped out of the car to join Kenshin.

As soon as she pulled herself out of the car, a pleasant, cool breeze greeted her. Ebony locks flew every which way around in the wind and she felt it go through her clothing and touch every part of her. It smelled of salt and was undeniably fresh and invigorating as she breathed in deeply. She turned her head around in every direction to take in the scene. The sky was a crystal blue and a few puffy white clouds hanging from it.

Kaoru walked up in front of the car to join Kenshin. He was standing there, looking straight ahead with his hands crossed across his chest. His beautiful amber locks swayed about him as they too danced furiously in the wind.

She walked up to join him, and looked ahead to see what had caught his attention. The sight before her left her utterly speechless. Her mouth hung open in awe and she looked on standing next to him.

The grassy knoll where they had parked lent itself perfectly as a perch to a view of the ocean. A few feet below them she saw a sparkling beach, completely free of liter and of visitors. But the crushing waves were what caught her attention. The blue waters crashed over and over again in rhythmic motions and sounds. Smells of wild flowers growing around them filled her nose, and she slowly sank to sit on the hood of the car.

"My God…it's beautiful" she breathed. Her voice was caught in her throat and she knew why. The beautiful day, the careless breeze, the aroma of fresh flowers and grass, the salt sea air, and soothing sounds of the crushing waves completely took her breath away.

"It's…it's so…" she tried to get the words out, but failed.

"Perfect" Kenshin finished for her. He looked over at her sitting on the car and took a few steps to join to her. She felt his warm presence next to her once more as he sat down. He looked at her with a smile gracing his face and she found herself falling into amethyst eyes once more.

He was sitting so close to her that she could feel his warm breath and the breeze carried his unmistakable scent through her nostrils. She found herself speechless once more, but not because of the perfect scene before them. It was the way he looked her, the way he sat so near her, his smell, his warmth.

"Kenshin…I…I don't know what to say." How could she thank him? The words wouldn't form in her mind and she desperately tried to form a coherent thought. "Th-Thank you" she weakly murmured.

His smile only widened at her whisper, although he didn't reply immediately. Instead he looked ahead once more and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She instantly felt warmth radiating from his body and sunk into his side. Her head fell on his shoulder and she could feel the side of his neck and jaw brush against her forehead. He continued to hold her like that, and she didn't want him to ever let go.

"It's for you Kaoru" he replied.

She closed her eyes as she heard those words. "Perfect, he's right. It's perfect and I never want it to end. I never want the sun to set on this day. I don't want to move out of his arms, I never want him to stop holding me. All I ever want to hear are the sounds of the ocean, the wind, and his voice."

They sat there in silence watching the ocean for what seemed like eternity. Usually her mind would've been flooded with bits and pieces of various thoughts, but for now she was content on focusing only on the here and now. Although they were quiet, they didn't need words to express how each other felt. His arm was wrapped protectively around her, and the feeling of leaning on someone didn't seem so bad to her now.

"Kaoru?" he asked softly.

"Hmmm?" she lazily replied still relishing the sound of his voice.

"Tell me about your family."

Her serene thoughts were shattered momentarily at his request. "Why does he want to know about…where do I start?" she thought. "He deserves an explanation…" she wanted to desperately share the burden on her heart with him. He didn't make her feel weak or shamed because of her family's problems. She'd kept those emotions in her heart and had built up a stonewall to protect them. He'd begun to break through brick by brick and now wanted to gaze at her raw wounds.

With her head still resting on his shoulder, she began. "I can remember him doing this as long as I've known him. I mean that sounds so stupid to say, but you know...as young as about 7 or 8. Isn't that when you really sort of figure out what's going on around you? Well I don't…don't really remember when it started. But I can remember him always drinking. When we owned the dojo it was different though. He'd drink but be okay. He'd go to work, spend time with us, and just wasn't affected by it. But then for some reason he just started drinking more and more. It sort of…consumed him I guess you could say. I've never been able to figure out why. He drinks day and night…he hardly eats, and…and constantly bothers us for more money. I can't begin to describe what it's like to have someone waste away in front of you like that. We couldn't ever understand why, no one could. We lost touch with all our family and friends. No one ever comes over to the house…how can they? You saw the living room! That whole first floor is pretty much off limits except the kitchen. I…I just don't know why he does this."

He was silent for a few seconds and began to rub her shoulder with his palm. "Tell me about your mom" he replied.

"Mom…" Kaoru thought of the woman. "She's the strongest person I've ever known, man or woman. She deals with his shit, but never lets it get to us. Or at least she tries not to let that happen. All she ever taught us was to be strong willed and to be ourselves. My dad was always about physical power and strength, but when I think about it, she's a hundred times stronger than he ever was. After we lost the dojo, she started working longer hours and overnights at the restaurant. They love her there though. I think the place would fall apart without her. She eventually became manager, which meant more work though. You have to meet her Kenshin, she's…the nicest and most gentle person. But she's gone through so much crap with him I worry about her. Even today when she came home from work. I mean…I just stood there like an idiot, and thank God she came home and handled everything. I don't know where this family would be without her."

"She sounds exceptional" Kenshin whispered.

"Wait…Kenshin? Tell me about yours" she asked inquisitively. He'd found out so much about her, even the things that she didn't want Misao and Sano to know. Yet his family and life was completely a mystery to her.

"Well Kaoru, I know what it feels like to see someone you love waste away. I told you before that my mom had ovarian cancer. Actually, your mom reminds me a lot of her. Before she got sick, she ran a school of arts for special needs children. The funding and everything she raised herself from benefits and other stuff she organized. She smiled to the bitter end, even when she was in pain. I remember the one time that I'd allowed myself to cry in front of her, she told me to be strong for her. She never complained…not once."

He stopped there and didn't continue. Kaoru felt his body stiffen around her at the memory of his mother.

"I'm sorry Kenshin. What about your dad?" she asked.

"My dad...what to say about him?" a cynical tone coated his words.

"What's he like? You guys close?"

A let out a chuckle and continued, "No, we're not close at all. I mean he gives me whatever I want, literally, but…"

"But what?" she asked.

"But I can't forgive him for the misery he put my mother through. The whole time she was sick, he was busy flying cross-country on his precious business trips. Bullshit! She needed him by her side, and all he could think of were his meetings and deadlines. We argued a lot over it before and every time he'd just throw the cost of her treatment in my face. Like money was all that mattered to him, it's the only thing that's ever mattered most to him. The woman dedicated her life to serving him. He would always say how important it was to remain professional and dedicated to the firm. It was all a load of horseshit as far as I was concerned. I was by her side when she died…he…wasn't."

She couldn't believe the degree of pain and anger in his voice. The way he'd spoken of his father, his mother's pain, and his helplessness. She remained silent not knowing what to say to him.

"So you see Kaoru, we're more alike than you think. That day in the park when you were yelling at me, all I could think of was how much I'd changed since my mom passed away. I mean it didn't matter to me what anyone else felt, I just stopped caring. But what you said to me, and when I found out all the stuff you're dealing with, I just knew that you were different."

She felt so stupid for saying everything she'd said to him that day in the park. "I…I'm really sorry for everything that I said. I guess I didn't realize that you had problems like that to deal with too."

"You don't have to apologize. Just as long as you hear me out and understand where I'm coming from."

She did. She'd seen another side of him that day. At first he was just a guy who happened to be handsome, rich, and very sweet around women. But now he was so much more. He was endearing, nurturing, protective, and put her at ease. He'd opened up to her instead of pitying her for everything she experienced at home, and she was grateful for that.

"Thank you" she gently said to him.

"For what?" he seemed surprised.

"For this. For listening."

The two sat up again and he removed his arm from around her shoulders. In stead, he caressed her face gently and looked deep into her eyes. She felt flushed under his touch and tried to break the silence with someone to say, "Something not stupid…but what? Ah, why is he looking at me like that?"

He continued to look at her and she felt mesmerized by the warm glow of his eyes. Just as before, a golden sparkle seemed to radiate from just below the beautiful amethyst color.

Her heart raced faster beneath her chest and she prayed that her nervousness wasn't too obvious to him. His faced leaned down towards hers and she took in a short breath just before she finally felt the warmth of his lips.

She was shocked initially, remained frozen and awkward. The kiss was soft, warm, and gentle, but it was all new to her. She clumsily tried to keep up with his lips as they suckled hers, but was afraid to ruin the moment. His hand never left the side of her face, and he used it to instruct her on which way to lean her head. He seemed to neatly knead his lips with hers and patiently allowed her to become comfortable.

His other arm went around her back and pulled her closer to him. She reeled in his arms and her thoughts raced as they continued to kiss. "I'm kissing him. We're kissing? This…this feels so right. God his lips are so soft! He smells so good!"

She didn't want the kiss to end, but eventually the need for air forced the two to part. Although she didn't need to exactly pant for air, the kiss had left her feeling as if every bone had melted in her body. Kenshin's strong embrace was all she needed to lean on and she wanted him to always keep her in those strong arms. He looked at her, still holding her in his arms and let out a chuckle.

"What?" she asked irritated by his laughing. "Is this the part where he tells me how horribly I kiss?"

He looked at her sweetly, "I can see that this was your first real kiss."

She was shocked and hurt by his admission. Even though it was true, it didn't mean he had to hold it against her. She was furious at him, but more hurt that he hadn't enjoyed it as much as she did.

"Well I'm SORRY that I don't have more experience unlike your other girlfriends" she huffed.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at her sudden toxic remark. Another chuckle and he tried to save face. "No, no! That's not what I meant. I mean I'm grateful that I am the first person you shared this with. It means a lot to me and…you know, it was very sweet."

She instantly felt relieved at his comment, but blushed furiously over her sudden outburst. "Oh" she mumbled, "sorry bout that".

He laughed it off and she couldn't help but join in with him. "Don't worry, you'll learn because I'll teach you" he remarked while grinning evilly towards her.

She rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his arm, "KENSHIN! You perv, what makes you think THAT?" she giggled.

"You'll see. But for now I think I better get you home. It's nearly two" he looked at his watch, "we've been here for a while now".

Kaoru was shocked to hear the time. "TWO ALREADY! Damn I need to be home. My mother's gonna wonder where the hell I went all morning."

The two broke away and walked back to car doors.

The perfect moments that she shared with Kenshin were over now. "It's time to get back to reality Kaoru. You didn't actually think that you could sit here in his arms just staring at the ocean forever did you?"

She let out a sigh before opening the car door to enter. There was a need for her to take in the smells of the serene ocean one last time. "When will we do this again? Will we ever do this again?" The moments had been too good to be true, too perfect, and now she knew why. "The good times never last long."

The silver Z3 pulled out and headed down towards the city once more. The two sat in silence but it wasn't awkward as before. Without warning Kenshin had reached over and grasped her hand and held it while driving. He kept holding on even while driving as if to reassure her that everything that had just happened was true. She couldn't help but smile to herself and think, "We're together I guess….it feels…weird but good."

Not knowing what to expect upon arriving home, Kaoru had the urge to remain with Kenshin longer. She fought the need to have him take her somewhere else. Her heart raced at the thought of her family.

"What's in store for us now?" she wondered as they neared the familiar streets of her neighborhood. "I don't want to go back…"

END CHAPTER 13

Hey all. Thanks for all the feedback and positive reviews. I will definitely continue on with the story as I've planned. In this chappy our favorite couple finally got a chance to get together.

I loved the idea of having them go to the beach together for the first time together. Hope guys thought it was good as well. Let me know. I purposely made Kaoru's thoughts flip flop between her parents, the situation at home and of course the cutey-pie Kenshin. Like I said before, some parts are 'borrowed' from experience. I hope you guys got the feeling and need of being free that Kaoru had. I mean imagine being stuck in her life and family situation and then this amazing guy comes along. He wants to listen and help you…awww…so sweet. I wasn't able to resist either!

Anyway, the kiss was awkward, but remember Kenshin has experience but poor Kaoru doesn't. Couldn't make her kiss him back perfectly! LOL

Well now comes the whole crap about her parents and how Kenshin and Kaoru will handle that! We also had a chance to figure out what makes Kenshin tick regarding his folks. Let me know what you thought about that as well.

Thanks to all of you for reviewing once more! Onhiro…LOL…no worries. I had a feeling you meant something else but typed something else. Hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

Next chappy coming soon!

-Arrigato!