AN: Thank you for all the reviews! It's great to be back
This fic is rated M – standard warnings apply if you don't like lime, swearing, fighting, blood, gore ect (ok maybe not all is in this chapter but it will appear in future chapters so you are warned)! Don't read.
Enjoy everyone!
000
Truth, Kenshin took to the plane better than he had the car. Kaoru gave him the window-seat and he stared out at the clouds with an expression of longing, shoulders twitching as if he'd rather be flying using his wings rather than sitting there trapped in a plane.
There were only five other people on the plane. Kaoru had managed to get a hold of the only Japan-bound plane for the next six months. As it was, the other passengers in the plane were comprised of journalists and video-tech-type people, who were there to cover some big event that Kaoru hadn't known about. Then again she hadn't really been reading the newspaper much in the past couple of months.
Kaoru talked to keep Kenshin's mind off the fact that he was flying a thousand feet in the air on something other than his own power. She told him of her life and her friends, telling him of their quirks and antics. Misao's obsession with caffeine, Megumi's fondness for sharp scalpels and Sano's goal in life to never have to pay for his own meals; as well as bringing him up to date on some of the more modern marvels like computers and a dishwasher.
The flight took nearly sixteen hours from where they had left in order to reach Tokyo. Kaoru had called Misao's phone number several hours before and informed her of the time they were expecting to land in Tokyo (saying as little about Kenshin as she could).
Kaoru napped during the hours between calling Misao and flying over the ocean to Japan. She awoke to feel Kenshin running his fingers through her hair. A quick glance at her wristwatch told here they'd be in Tokyo in an hour or so.
She smiled at him, "we'll be there soon."
Kenshin's eyes brightened at her but he remained silent. He ran his fingers through her ponytail once more and then resumed staring out the window. Demon sprawled in the empty seat beside her, snoring.
Exactly an hour and a half later, they arrived in Tokyo.
Kenshin clung to her like a shadow, looking around with interest-mingled fear. They had just cleared customs (Kaoru had described what her passport looked like and Kenshin had managed to replicate a perfect copy – only with his 'information' and picture – how she managed she didn't really know – some hidden Angel-talent that he had, she supposed).
Next thing Kaoru knew she heard a high pitch squeal of "There's Kaoru!" and she caught sight of Misao jumping up and down – a human pogo stick – as she attempted to see over the heads of the taller people standing between her and Kaoru. Behind her were Aoshi, Megumi and Sano.
"There they are," Kaoru touched Kenshin's arm and they threaded their way through the crowd to meet the Kaoru-gumi.
"Misao! Megumi! Sano!" She threw herself in each of their arms. A year without seeing them or really talking to them except for the odd telephone call had felt like torture.
Sano whooped and spun her around and she giggled.
"We missed you!" Misao squealed, bouncing.
Kaoru yelped as she was suddenly tugged away from Sano and Kenshin wrapped his arms around her growling softly. She looked up to see Kenshin, tense as a strung bow, his amber eyes flashing and glaring at Sano and Aoshi.
Sano was returning the glare in full and Aoshi was settling for a slightly colder version of his usual glare.
Perched on Kenshin's shoulder, Demon hissed at them.
"Kenshin…" Kaoru murmured softly. "It's ok… they're my friends. I told you about them."
His grip around her didn't and neither did he stop growling. His shoulders were twitching as he fought back calling his wings and flying away with her. Every line of his body screamed a possessive, "mine!" And Aoshi and Sano were reacting to it, not liking it being directed toward a girl they considered a friend and sister.
'Like they were any better about Misao and Megumi,' Kaoru thought sourly. They were just more subtle about it.
Both Misao and Megumi were staring at Kenshin with wide-eyes but thankfully weren't saying anything.
"Kenshin, let go please," Kaoru said softly.
He let go of her but wrapped an arm around her wait, ducking his head to hide his flashing amber eyes. Demon jumped from his shoulder to Kaoru's arms and purred softly.
Megumi arched an eyebrow but Misao stepped toward him with a smile on her face that made Kaoru want to run away. Fast. Very fast. Very, very, very fast.
"So you're Kaoru's new boyfriend," she looked up at him batting her eyelashes in a sinister manner. "You break her heart, maker her cry, or hurt her in any way and we will cut your balls off and feed them to you. Megumi's a surgeon so keep that in mind if you have any desire to become a eunuch."
Kenshin blinked at her and Demon made a sound in Kaoru's arms that might have been called a laugh. Kenshin gave Kaoru a questioning look which she answered with a slight nod.
"I have no intention of hurting Kaoru," he said softly.
Misao smiled sweetly and patted his cheek. "Smart boy."
Kenshin's mouth twitched and Kaoru saw he was trying to keep back a smile. Misao didn't like to be laughed at our thought of as cute. She was vicious when riled and despite her small size she could do a lot of damage.
Apparently Aoshi and Sano were satisfied because their glares lessened in venom and some of the tenseness in the air dissipated.
'Gah!' Kaoru thought in disgust. 'Too much testosterone here.'
The next thing Kaoru knew she felt a shifting movement ripple through her. The room spun and she closed her eyes. When she opened them she gave a start. The hallway had dimmed, the people's features were blurred and indistinct. They were frozen in time as if someone had it a pause button.
Kenshin sighed and buried his face in her hair. Out of the corners of her eyes she caught a glimpse of his black wings.
"Kenshin what did you just do?" She asked staring out through the veil that separated them from the frozen people outside.
"Took us out of the stream of time, Kaoru."
Kaoru closed her eyes and barely repressed a shudder as he said her name. 'He does it on purpose,' she thought in annoyance. "Stop trying to distract me," she muttered.
She yelped as she felt his hand slip underneath her shirt and at the touch of hand resting against her side, made her thoughts scatter wildly.
Kaoru found herself spun around and his mouth came down upon hers. Her mouth opened automatically and his tongue slipped inside to twine with hers. She whimpered, feeling her knees weaken and he chuckled lowly. Kaoru grabbed at his shoulders to steady herself and felt bare skin and silky feathers against her fingertips (where had his shirt gotten to?).
Kenshin purred against her mouth and Kaoru's bones turned to liquid. His fingers skimmed her sides, cupping her breasts, thumbs rubbing back and forth against the peaks pressing against the satin of her bra.
His fingers worked at the bra strap and there was the sound of it tearing and it jerked her out of the haze of lust he had submerged her in.
Kaoru placed her hands against his chest and withdrew a bit reluctantly from his mouth.
"Kenshin. Stop. We are not having sex in the middle of an airport."
Kenshin stilled and she felt him sigh, "then where would you prefer we have sex… hmm…?" He lowered his head to nibble at the conjunction between her neck and shoulder and she drew on all the self-control she had to step away from him. Thankfully he let her go, it would have been so much harder had he not. Like if he hadn't she could easily see the two of them on the floor…. She shoved that thought from her mind.
"Preferably in a bed in a bedroom," she said matter of factly.
"Then tell me how to get to your home and I will take you there." Kenshin cocked his head at her, eyes heated and dark.
"Nuh-uh, "Kaoru said firmly, taking a precautionary step away from him. "And what about my friends huh? Leave them here frozen?"
Kenshin sighed, before Kaoru could blink she was back in his arms, a kiss pressed against her forehead.
"As you wish," he murmured against her temple.
There was that shifting sensation and Kaoru found herself back in the airport. Her hands flew to her hair and she found it it was just fine. None seemed to notice that they had disappeared.
She saw Kenshin smile at her discomfort and she shot him a glare – which only made him smile wider.
"Just wait until we get in a car," she mouthed to him. The look on his face made it worth it.
"…. So Kaoru," Megumi was saying. "Shall we get your luggage?"
"Huh?" Kaoru blinked. "Oh luggage… right… lets go get it."
All the men – Kenshin included – were recruited to carry the luggage. Kaoru had managed to accumulate several new things during her travels; mostly books and knickknacks she knew her friends would like. The majority of them she had, had forwarded to her apartment and would be arriving in the next couple of weeks. But there was still a lot to carry and Kenshin, Aoshi and Sano split it between themselves and in the end it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.
It was too late for heavy traffic so it was only a twenty minute journey from the from the airport to Kaoru's apartment.
Misao had darted in front of Kenshin so she ended up sitting next to Kaoru and cuddling, a very happy Demon in her lap.
Kenshin looked white faced and attempted to pull himself in a tiny ball in his section of the seat. At her friends curious and concerned looks Kaoru had made the excuse of – "he gets carsick." She wiggled her way over Misao and sat next to him, letting him run his fingers through her hair, which appeared to help him a little.
Kaoru went ahead as they arrived at her apartment complex to open the doors. As they reached her floor level – the penthouse – she raced down the hall to her door and opened it wide, turning on the lights as she entered and holding the door open as they filed in balancing her luggage.
Misao had wondered why Kenshin didn't seem to have any luggage and Kaoru said something to the affect of – "his luggage got lost in Calcutta." Which they thankfully seemed to accept.
Kaoru directed the placing of luggage – "that has things for you – place it on the couch. That can go into the extra room – I'll unpack it later and so on."
The apartment was devoid of dust and bugs and smelled strongly of lemons. Megumi had apparently hired someone to clean it. A peek into her fridge showed that it was stocked with food, Misao's welcome home present.
They ordered from Satoshi's a restaurant that was known for good American-style pizza (something Kaoru had come to love when touring in New York and Chicago) and settled on the couch to watch a movie.
Megumi was snuggling with Sano – discreetly of course – Demon now occupying her lap. Kaoru hid an amused smile – Megumi professed to dislike all animals (the exception sometimes being "that Rooster-headed Idiot Sano" on a good day). Guess she liked demons or just Demon in particular.
The food arrived a few moments later and they all dug in. Kaoru set most of her portion aside for Kenshin who was making soft purring contented noises as he ate. Kaoru. After they finished Kaoru went into the kitchen to make tea – 'real Japanese tea!' She sighed happily.
When she came back she discovered Kenshin had disappeared.
She found him prowling around her library, trailing a finger along the leather spines and eyes narrowed as he mentally translated the titles.
"You ok?" She asked quietly.
Kenshin turned as she entered and walked over to where she was, dropping his head to rest against her shoulder. Kaoru wrapped her arm around his waist and felt him lean into her. She couldn't begrudge him – fifteen hundred years of only his and Demon's company and she herself would have gone mad from lack of contact.
"I'll be ok Kaoru," she shivered when he said her name even though he wasn't meaning to be seductive this time. He wrapped his arms around her and the tension drained out of his body.
"Kaoru," Megumi's voice said.
Kaoru's eyes flew open and Kenshin's arms tightened about her, annoyed at the intrusion.
Kaoru peered around Kenshin's shoulder to find Megumi standing in the doorway with a look on her face that Kaoru couldn't decipher.
"We're going to be leaving now since it's so late. I'll call you in the next day or so once you get over your jet lag." She moved to duck back into the hallway.
"I'll see you out," Kaoru said. She touched Kenshin's arm lightly and he released "Be right back," she mouthed.
Megumi waited for and together they went into the kitchenette. Everyone was seated around her table, holding empty cups of tea in their hands. Except Sano who had his head buried in his arms and appeared to be sleeping.
"Come on Rooster-head," Megumi poked a dozing Sanosuke. "I have the dawn-shift at the hospital, so I need my sleep. You don't have an excuse."
Kaoru glanced at her clock and saw it was nearly three in the morning.
Sanosuke rolled his eyes at Megumi and winked at Kaoru. Smothering a yawn he got to his feet. "See you later Missy," he gave her a hug before Megumi grabbed his ear and dragged him out of the apartment with a quick wave to Kaoru, Aoshi and Misao.
Misao snickered, "we better leave to. C'mon Aoshi. I want to stop off at that new café – you know the one that's selling the extra-caffeinated hot chocolate?" She blew a kiss toward Kaoru, "tell Kenshin we said goodbye."
Aoshi rose to his feet and twitched slightly at the words 'Misao' and 'Caffeine' uttered in the same sentence. Kaoru gave him a sympathetic look.
"See you," she called after them as they left her apartment.
Demon padded across the floor to her and rubbed his head against her calf.
"What do you think of all of this?" Kaoru scooped him back up into her arms.
Demon meowed softly and gave her a satisfied look. Noticing how full his stomach felt she looked over at the carton of pizza that had been left on the floor. She was sure there had been three pieces left in it last time she looked. It was empty now. Three guesses who ate it and the first two don't count.
Kenshin appeared from through the doorway, looking around cautiously "They left?" He inquired softly.
"Yep," Kaoru replied. "Do you want something else to eat?" She asked.
Kenshin shook his head, "thank you but no. I am fine for the moment."
"Mmm," Kaoru murmured. She walked over to the couch and laid down on it. Demon snuggled into her chest, purring once more. Kenshin curled up next to her, picking up a stand of hair and playing with it.
She had fallen into a light doze when he felt Kenshin pick her up as if she weighed nothing.
Kaoru mumbled a sleep protest – what she said exactly she wasn't sure but she felt Kenshin's chest vibrate with silent laughter at whatever it was that she had just said.
"I am not an oversexed pervert. If anything given the amount of times I've had sex in the past fifteen hundred years would make me an undersexed pervert. Also, I have no intention of molesting you in your sleep so your virtue is for tonight – what's left of it anyway – is safe from me."
Kaoru murmured something again and fell asleep the second he laid her down in bed.
'Oh it felt so good to be sleeping once more in my own bed,' was Kaoru's first thought as she awoke.
Something was tickling her cheek and she half-opened her eyes to find a single black feather tucked under her cheek.
"Good morning," Kenshin's breath ghosted across her skin. She was suddenly aware of him stretched out alongside her, his arm thrown casually over her waist.
"What time is it?" Kaoru craned her neck upward to see her clock. Why did she put it in such an annoying and hard to reach place? Oh yeah… so she'd actually have to work to get at it and in the meanwhile wake up rather than just slapping it into silence and going back to sleep.
"It says 'twelve'," Kenshin informed her.
"Noon then," Kaoru yawned. "Might as well get up."
"Or we could just stay in bed?" Kenshin offered.
"Nu-uh," Kaoru wiggled out of his grasp or to be more accurate he allowed her to. "We have things to do to today," she told him. "Like eating breakfast… lunch…. Brunch… whatever it's now called. Take a shower and get you some clothes."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow," or we could just stay in bed all day." Sometime during the night he had changed back into the clothes (or lack of them) that he had been wearing when she had first stumbled across him.
Kaoru's hormones were happily and eagerly supplying the pros and cons of staying in bed all day. With Kenshin. Or to be more accurate the pros, they couldn't really think of a single con. She told them firmly to shut up.
There was a flicker of movement and Kaoru felt Kenshin's arms wrap around her.
"Kenshin don-mph!"
'That's one way to get me to shut up,' she thought.
Kenshin nipped at her bottom lip and she whimpered. She was lifted up and placed back onto the bed. Kenshin made a soft purring sound as he settled himself on top of her. His hand slid under her shirt managing to undo her bra strap and cupped her breasts. The feel of his calloused fingers rubbing back and forth across her nipples made her moan.
Kenshin nipped her bottom lip again and trailed kisses along her jaw line, teeth closing lightly over her pulse point. Kaoru's eyes closed as she felt a languid sort of warmth roll through her body.
Suddenly there was a thumping sound right next to her head and something was rubbing insistently against the side of her face. Kaoru's eyes flew open to find Demon looking down at them with an annoyed expression on his face.
Kenshin stopped what he was doing and was giving the demon-cat a look that had it been able to kill would have had Demon; dead, buried and six feet under in the span of a second with Kenshin dancing merrily upon his grave.
'I'm hungry,' Demon whined. 'And the two of you woke me up. So that means you have to feed me.'
Kenshin made a strangled growling sound and Kaoru it her tongue to keep from laughing. She didn't know whether to hug Demon or give him a kick. Her hormones were insisting on the later.
"Go catch some rats," Kenshin growled.
Demon wrinkled his nose and narrowed his eyes, 'the rats here are too skinny.'
"Kenshin you can't make Demon go catch rats for his breakfast," Kaoru said in a chiding sound.
'Yes Kenshin,' Demon chimed in. 'You can't make me.'
"I can make you into a throw rug," Kenshin offered with a not-too-nice glint in his eye.
Kaoru shook her head and sighed. "Come on Demon let's get you some fish from the fridge."
"He can get it himself," Kenshin muttered darkly, rolling himself reluctantly off of Kaoru.
"How?" Kaoru wanted to know. "He can't open the door. He doesn't have opposable thumbs."
"You chose a cat over me," Kenshin sounded offended.
"True," Kaoru dropped a kiss on his cheek as she got off the bed. "But at least you don't shed."
'Just wait until he starts to molt,' Demon quipped.
Kaoru chocked back a look and Demon leapt nimbly off the bed, easily avoiding Kenshin's swat.
'Foot now?' Demon inquired hopefully, winding his way through her legs in a figure-8 loop-de-loop.
"Sure," Kaoru picked up and they left the room, leaving a very disgruntled Kenshin behind in the bedroom.
"Fish for you. A cold shower for me (and Kenshin but not together) – and I'll order some… food from a restaurant nearby."
In the fridge Kaoru found a can of tuna. She dumped it onto a plate and set it on the floor for Demon alongside a bowl of water.
Demon purred happily as he gulped down the fish.
Kaoru went over to the drawer next to the fridge and pulled out a stack of menus. She plopped them onto the table and then went to the linen closet and grabbed a towel and robe. Kenshin still hadn't made an appearance from the bedroom and so she dashed into the shower.
Once more remembering why she was so happy to be home, Kaoru took her time in the shower. Slipping into her robe, she toweled off her hair as she walked back into the bedroom, to find Kenshin still curled up in bed looking like a disgruntled puppy.
"Go take a shower," Kaoru made shooing motions with her hands at him. "It's the second door down the hallway. The first door is a linen closet so you can grab towels and a spare robe from it. Turn the knob right for hot water, left for cold and the shampoo is the clear bottle and the conditioner is the green one."
Kenshin sighed, eyeing her hopefully. Kaoru placed her hands on her hips and gave him a no nonsense look. "Get clean and then we'll eat and go shopping for some new clothes for you."
Kenshin's face brightened at the prospect of food. He cast one more look in her direction before slipping out of the room. A moment later Kaoru heard the shower turn on and the water running.
Kaoru selected a tank-top and jeans from her closet. Her hair she put into a high ponytail. For Kenshin she found a pair of jeans that were big on her (hopefully they would fit him) and an oversized t-shirt. Not really wanting to think of Kenshin without underwear she grabbed the biggest pair of boxers she had and tossed it onto the pile on the bed.
She gave it a considering look, nodded in satisfaction and went back into the kitchenette to browse through menus. She heard the shower shut off and a moment later Kenshin appeared. He had changed into the clothes she had set out – but had ignored the t-shirt.
Kaoru took one look at him, hair wet and curling around his face, chest bare and started wondering if it wasn't already too late to kick Demon. Heck, she'd settle for tossing him out the window. And then letting Kenshin drag her back into the bedroom… Kaoru slammed a door on that line of thought.
To hide her blush, she ducked her head and slid a menu over to him as he sat down.
"Go ahead and decide on what you want to eat," she told him.
Kenshin picked up the menu and flipped through it thoughtfully. "I think I'll have udon with miso." He decided at last.
Kaoru nodded, "I think I'll have the same and order some sashimi for Demon." 'And try not to accidentally spill hot sauce on it,' she thought, with another look at Kenshin.
She went to the phone and placed the order for delivery. It arrived twenty minutes later. Demon took one look at the sashimi and proceeded to wind about Kaoru's legs, purring until Kenshin told him to shut up and eat.
Kenshin ate with his usual enthusiastic I-haven't-eaten-in-fifteen-hundred-years gusto and Kaoru watched him as she ate.
'What am I going to do with him? – Shut up hormones! He's stuck with me; obviously I have to help him….' She sighed. 'Couldn't even give him away if I tried. Fallen Angel free to a good home! No, that wouldn't work…'
Kenshin paused in his eating to give her a look, "is there anything wrong? You have a look on your face."
"Huh?" Kaoru startled. "No… just thinking that's all."
Kenshin gave her a doubting look but let the subject drop.
"Done?" She asked to change the subjection, jerking her in the direction of his take-out carton.
At his murmured 'yes,' she rose to her feet and began clearing away the cartons from the table and tossing them into the garbage.
"Go put a shirt on please? I'm not taking you out in public without a shirt – and shoes," she added. If he didn't she'd have to bring along her bokken and use it to beat off half the female population in Tokyo.
Kenshin nodded silently and got up from the chair, "if you say so." He pushed the chair in and disappeared presumably back to the bedroom to steal a shirt that would fit him.
Kaoru glanced down at Demon who was eating his sashimi slowly, obviously saving it.
"Does that taste good? Watch out for the green stuff – it's called wasabi – unless you want to burn your tongue out of your mouth." She said sweetly.
Demon paused in eating and sniffed the lump of wasabi experimentally. 'Thank for the warning.'
Kenshin appeared once more wearing one of Sano's old shirts that she he hadn't worn since Freshman year and that she had stolen one day after a incident involving lots of water, soy sauce and a very over-caffeinated Misao.
It fit Kenshin decently enough – a bit long in the hem but otherwise fine. He was wearing the sneakers she had bought for him before leaving for Tokyo.
"Ready?" Kaoru asked. At Kenshin's soft, "yes," she grabbed her purse from its place on the counter leaning against the fridge. Pausing to turn on the TV – to keep Demon occupied while they were gone – Kaoru dragged Kenshin out of the apartment, her mind already centered on one thing: shopping.
Now to be truthful: Kaoru didn't like to shop – for herself that is. Unless the items she was buying consisted of books, CDs and DVDs. Going clothes shopping with Kaoru – with the intent of making her actually buy clothes that were meant for her – would consist of Misao recruiting Megumi and them laying in wait at the front of the door, with Kaoru barricading herself in her room under or in her bed until Misao finally picked the lock in desperation and they dragged her out of the apartment by her ears and frog-marched her into the nearest available car. They usually made sure to buy her lots of chocolate and caffeine-containing beverages as consolation but when Kaoru came home after a day of shopping with them she'd get herself quietly drunk in order to obliterate the memory.
But shopping for someone other than herself was another matter entirely.
To steel herself for the next few hours of clothes shopping, Kaoru made a bee-line for the nearest book store – once again she thanked her real estate agent for finding her an apartment so close to good stores – she dreaded the thought of bringing Kenshin on Tokyo's notoriously crowded trains and walking a very long distance didn't appeal to her.
Dragging Kenshin inside she darted inside and began buying books at a rate of six a minute. Manga, romance, anything that caught her fancy. After a few moments she noticed she had lost Kenshin.
She found him in the history section of the library – the least crowded part of it – looking at books. He'd obviously given up on keeping up with Hurricane Kaoru and simply waited for her to exhaust her book-buying glee.
"Want me to buy something for you?" She asked, noticing the book he held in his hands; "Middle Eastern History of the Past Two Thousand Years," the title red.
"If you would please," Kenshin murmured handing her the book which she placed into her basket.
"Of course," Kaoru said. She selected a general world's history book to add to it and then went up to the counter to pay for all her purchases.
Now came the main part of the shopping expedition.
The Clothes.
Kaoru eyed Kenshin as she mentally prepared a battle plan. Something casual maybe? He didn't seem the type to wear Goth or punk clothes. Her mind made up she dragged him back outside and into a men's clothing store.
The store was almost empty; Kaoru wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not as they were quickly intercepted by a sharp girl even before they had made it five feet into the store.
Kaoru narrowed her eyes. Apparently 'men's casual-ware uniform' for its female employees was 'Sex Kitten-Corporate.' She was wearing a grey pinstripe suit with a tasteful light pink blouse underneath. The bottom half was left unbuttoned to show off her flat stomach. The first two buttons were undone showing off ample cleavage. Her black hair was fashionably bobbed, her makeup light and elegant and her pouty mouth lip sticked to show it off to its best. She had a vapid expression on her face that turned predatory when she caught sight of Kenshin.
"How may I help you?" She crooned her eyes on Kenshin and ignoring Kaoru completely.
Kaoru decided to answer for him because he was looking Shop-Slut with a baffled expression on his face. "We're," emphasis on the 'we', "are looking for some clothes. Preferably casual. 'Why?' Kaoru thought, 'do they have female employees in a mens clothing store?' Her mind came up with several reasons and she shuddered.
"Oh," Shop-Slut sounded miffed. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"No," Kaoru said.
To which Kenshin replied, "Yes."
Shop-Slut raised her eyebrows at Kaoru saw that her tag read Ayumi.
"Well then," she smiled up at Kenshin in a manner that made Kaoru grind her teeth. "We will have to find something for you to wear." She linked her arm though his and proceeded to drag him away.
Kaoru stared after her for a moment in shock. 'What the?' Then her anger kicked in. Slut! Not Ayumi! Slut! 'And I'm going to kill her for pawing at him - not because I'm jealous - which I'm not, but because she's a slut!' Growling under her breath Kaoru stomped off in the direction they had disappeared to.
Shop-Slut-Ayumi had already shoved Kenshin into a changing room with an armful of clothes to try on. Kaoru plopped down on the chair opposite of her glaring viciously as she waited for Kenshin to appear. Least the slut hadn't attempted to go into the changing room with him in the pretense of helping him change - Kaoru would probably have killed her for that. No the bitch probably expected to ask him for his phone number - not that he had one at the moment.
A moment later Kenshin appeared and Kaoru did a double-take. Shop-Slut-Ayumi had outfitted him in a black tank-top that showed off his wing tattoos and (her hormones perked up) tight leather pants...
Kenshin must have seen the expression on her face because he grinned at her. Kaoru quickly schooled it back into a scowl and his grin only widened.
"Ooh," Shop-Slut-Ayumi crooned. "Very nice... turn around so I can see how it all fits you..."
Kenshin obliged her and Kaoru nearly jumped over the space between them to snap her neck at the way she was looking at his butt - 'not like you aren't!' Her hormones reminded but she gave them a vicious slap and they settled down. 'Stop looking at him like that!' Kaoru snarled mentally at Shop-Slut-Ayumi. 'And Dammit Kenshin stop smirking at me!'
"Thank you Ayumi," Kaoru forced a pleasant tone through clenched teeth. "You may leave now. We no longer require your assistance."
Ayumi's eyes darted over to Kenshin.
"Thank you," unlike Kaoru his voice actually sounded sincerely pleasant. "You were most helpful."
Ayumi's lips drew into an even poutier pout, "well then... I'll just go see if there's anything else I can find for you." She gave Kenshin a brilliant smile that nearly made Kaoru gag.
"So how do I look?" Kenshin asked as Shop-Slut-Ayumi left.
"You look nice," Kaoru said stiffly.
"Is that all?" Kenshin said mildly raising an eyebrow.
Kaoru glared.
"Jealous?" He asked.
"No!" She snapped.
"Hmm...," Kenshin murmured musingly, stepping toward her.
"Kenshin back up," Kaoru growled. "You're too clo-mph!" She yipped as he kissed her and picked her up in one fluid motion.
Kaoru pounded at his back with her fists for a few moments and he chuckled against her mouth. Sighing in defeat she melted against him and he purred nuzzling against her neck.
"Mine," he breathed. "You are mine. To protect and serve and take care of."
Kaoru chocked back a snarl. She wasn't something fragile. She could take care of herself. Maybe the women in Kenshin's day had been fainting and trembling little flowers but get a bokken in her hands and she'd show him how much she needed to be protected!
Kenshin kissed his way to her temple and rested his forehead against hers breathing quickly. "I cannot leave. Will never leave you. You're stuck with me."
Kaoru closed her eyes. Too fast. Too, too, too fast! Shoutarou had said the same (well nearly the same) things and look where that had gotten her. An empty bank-account and an empty apartment with her clutching the shards of her broken heart in her hands.
"I don't know..." She felt tears in her eyes. "I can't..."
Kenshin touched her face, forcing her to look at him. The pendant around her neck felt hot. "I am bound to you," he murmured so low she nearly didn't hear him. He kissed again, softly a brief brush of his lips against hers.
There was a soft gasp and they both looked to see Shop-Slut-Ayumi staring at them. Her face reddened and she fled.
"Well that's one way to get rid of her," Kenshin sounded pleased.
Kaoru snorted, "And here I was ready to yell at you for being nice to her."
Kenshin chuckled softly, "let's get out of here before she comes back."
Kenshin wore his new clothes out and Kaoru purchased the others that Shop-Slut-Ayumi had selected. As much as she despised her even she had to admit that she had good taste... Mmm... she purred to herself watching Kenshin walk in front of her. Yes very good taste.
They shopped a few more places buying some more clothes. Kaoru let Kenshin pick pretty much whatever suited his fancy - putting her foot down once when he wanted to buy a purple silk shirt.
"Yes I know that purple meant something different when you were last walking around - royalty and status - but I am not letting you go around wearing purple. It's bad enough with just women I don't want to start dealing with gays following us."
Kenshin snorted softly but put the purple shirt away and chose the same kind in gold.
As they were heading home they passed a pet shop. Kaoru darted inside to buy something for Demon and Kenshin followed her in. She bought catnip and a scratching post and a bed - so he wouldn't have to use hers err... theirs - and a collar, a big spiked collar the kind guard dogs would wear.
Kenshin saw the collar and selected one of his own for the demon-cat - a lacy monstrosity that reminded Kaoru badly of being three years old at a Christmas party... The poor thing looked like it had gone and died somewhere. She only imagined Demon's reaction if Kenshin attempted to put it on him.
They made it back to the apartment in one piece. Once they were inside Kenshin quick as a flash scooped up an unsuspecting Demon and slipped the lace-collar-from-hell around his neck.
Demon froze for a second in surprise then hissed and spat, swiping at Kenshin and raced away to hide somewhere yowling.
"You know he's going to think of something evil to get back at you," Kaoru murmured.
Kenshin nodded a bit ruefully, "still he deserved it."
Demon appeared glaring at them balefully devoid of the lace collar.
Kaoru bent down and scooped him up. "Here Demon I bought you another collar - you'll like this one better." Indeed Demon eyed the black leather and spikes appreciatively.
Kaoru unpacked Demon's new bed and scratching post and catnip to which he took to immediately and curled up in.
Kenshin snorted but went into the kitchenette to grab a take-out menu for dinner.
Kaoru carried the bags into the bedroom and put the books on her already overflowing shelf and Kenshin's new clothes in her decidedly less crowded closet.
Coming back out Kaoru sat down at the table and picked up the menu Kenshin had left out. They ordered Thai for dinner and it came only a few minutes later.
They were enjoying some green tea - the one thing Kaoru couldn't really do badly since she never left the teabag in the water for more than a minute - when Kaoru remembered something.
"Come on," she touched Kenshin's arm. "I want to show you something."
She dragged him out of the kitchenette into the hallway and stopped halfway down it. "Can you grab that?" She pointed to a short cord hanging from the ceiling. "And be careful it doesn't fall on top of you!" She warned as she backed up a safe distance.
Kenshin reached up - his reach was much longer than hers for all of them being near the same size - and pulled. There was a groaning noise and the door slid back and a flight of stairs descended to touch the floor.
Kaoru went first, feeling her way upward and turning on the light.
"What is this?" Kenshin asked as he came up behind and found them standing in a small room with a door.
"You'll see," Kaoru opened the door and motioned him to follow.
"Ahh," she sighed stretching.
This was why she had the top floor of the apartment. Below and around them the lights of the city sparkled. Darkness had decended and if Kaoru squinted a certain way she could make out a constellation or two in the sky.
"This is what I wanted to show you," she turned to see Kenshin staring.
"It's the roof of the building," she explained. You can come up and here fly - we're too high up for anyone to see."
"You're letting me fly?" He sounded shocked.
"Of course," Kaoru smiled. "Why wouldn't you."
"Thank you," he murmured. He peeled off his tank top and there was a flash of light and his wings appeared. They nearly blended into the night, catching the lights and sparkling silver along the edges.
Kaoru smiled, "go ahead and take a short flight if you want."
Kenshin shook his head, "will you come with me?"
Kaoru blinked, "um..."
"Please," he said softly and stretched out a hand toward her.
"I'm... I'm not so good with heights," Kaoru murmured.
"Your apartment is on the top floor of a building and you fly on a plane with no problem." Kenshin said in disbelief.
"That's a plane!" Kaoru protested.
"Are you afraid I'm going to drop you?" Kenshin asked sounding amused.
Kaoru merely glared in reply.
Kenshin snorted softly, "foolish girl." Before she could react he had picked her up in his arms. "You can wrap your arms around my neck if you want something to hold onto."
Kaoru did as he said and squeezed her eyes shut and she felt him walk to the edge of the roof... and jump…
She screamed and felt him laugh. His wings caught an updraft and he gave a flap and the next thing she knew they were flying.
Really flying.
"I am going to kill you for that little stunt," Kaoru growled.
Kenshin merely smiled in response to her threats.
Kaoru closed her eyes again and rested her head against his shoulder as he flew. Cradled like that she didn't know how she managed considering where they were (she blamed it on jet-lag) but she fell asleep.
