After they had traveled a couple hundred feet into the forest, Kenshin led them into a clearing, where he took off his pack and relieved Kaoru of hers, opening them to begin digging through both for some form of bedding.
After setting up a makeshift camp, Kenshin motioned for Yahiko to set Tsubame down. "Kaoru, come with me." With a look to the others, Kenshin turned and started in the direction of the river.
Glancing helplessly at the others, Kaoru ran after Kenshin, unsure of what was happening. "Kenshin!" Nearly tripping, she called out again, "Kenshin, wait!" He slowed, but didn't stop entirely.
"Come, Kaoru. We need water." Finally catching up with him, Kaoru slowed to catch her breath, massaging her sides as she did.
Suddenly, Kenshin stopped short, grabbing Kaoru by the waist to stop her as well. "Ken..." Turning her head to face him, Kaoru felt her cheeks turn pink. The last time he had held her... The memory flashed bright in the back of her mind, warming her from the inside as his loose embrace warmed her from without.
Staring down at her face, Kenshin found himself in awe at the look of complete trust she had in him. His original intention had not been to embrace her, but rather to keep her from falling into the covered pit that was within inches of their feet. But now, now it was something he hadn't expected.
Abruptly coming to his senses, he released her and stepped back, pain emanating through his body at the hurt look she gave him. "Kaoru-dono, I... there is no excusing my actions, that there is not. I am sorry. I only wanted to keep you from harm." He gestured to the covered pit. "You would have fallen."
"Baka rurouni!" She cried. "Don't you know? Don't you think?" Her eyes, glistening at the edges, glared perfect blue, and she turned to run back to the camp, despite the pain still in her sides, but before she could move, Kenshin grabbed her again.
"I apologize in advance... Kaoru-dono." Violet eyes focused on her, he pulled her to him. "Kaoru-dono." Looking up at him, she watched amber swirl through his eyes not taking hold, but present all the same, and wondered what he really thought of her. There was no time, she supposed, like the present to ask.
"What am I to you, Kenshin?" Had she been smart should would have stopped there. Unfortunately, she didn't. "If I'm just another one of your innocent, weak people to save, leave me be. Don't lead me on out of some false sense of chivalry, Kens-" How many more questions she would have asked she didn't know, because just then, his lips pressed softly to hers, more questioning than answer.
After a moment, he raised his head to stare down at her, uncertainty that she had never before seen in him present, his eyes searched her, and she could feel that same uncertainty in his chi, and wondered if he could feel the answer in hers.
"I apologize again. I should not have taken liberties..." Trailing off, he once more let go of her, again placing distance between them.
"You apologize, you dense man? You APOLOGIZE? What in the name of heaven do you mean by apologizing to me?"
"I know my apologies could never atone-"
This time it was her turn to cut him off. "That is the exact reason that I said you are dense! I don't want your apologies!" She wondered for an instant if they could hear her yelling back at the camp. Then decided she didn't care. "What I want, you baka rurouni, is for you to kiss me again." Despite the fervent declaration, she stated this quietly.
Eyes widened, Kenshin stood completely still, appearing to not even breathe. After a time, he audibly swallowed, and shifted his eyes away from her for a moment to catch his bearings.
Stepping forward, up to Kenshin, Kaoru threw her arms around him, staring up at him again, hoping he didn't reject her once more: she wasn't sure her pride would survive.
Reaching an arm around her waist, he lifted his hand up and touched her hair, then gave a light yank to the ribbon binding it, loosing the hair down her back. "Beautiful..." He whispered, staring at her. "You're beautiful."
Her pride was what she was worried about? Now she was embarrassed, having never had a single person tell her she was beautiful. Other than her father. But he didn't count to her way of thinking.
She shook her head, unsure if she was denying the truth of what he said, or trying to shake the embarrassment away.
"You don't believe, me, Kaoru-dono?"
"How can I Kenshin? How long as it been? How many times before could you have told me how you feel? Why now?" Shaking her head, she stared up at him, searching his face.
"I..." Sighing, he collected his thoughts. "You are so young, Kaoru, so much younger than I."
"I'm not that young!" She interjected angrily.
"Kaoru, I'm ten years older than you! And that's not even the beginning of it! I don't deserve-" He stopped short, noting the redness of her face, knowing that the volcano would erupt soon. "After everything I've done, I've never felt that I'm good enough for you. I've always felt you needed someone without blood on his hands."
"Don't you think that should be my choice?" Crystal clear eyes seemed to penetrate his soul. It was uncanny how she made him feel as if she could see all of his secrets, as if she could look into the darkest corners of his deepest depths. He wished she couldn't see them, he wished he could protect her from everything she had suffered because of him. This was his next point.
"You've never been safe with me! There's always someone who wants to beat the Battousai, to hurt anyone close to me!"
"But you're always there, Kenshin. No matter what happened, you always fixed it. You have always made it right." Inclining his head, and pressing his forehead to hers, he was beginning to realize his arguments were futile. But it wouldn't stop him from trying.
"There's no guarantee that that you'll be safe with me, Kaoru."
"Life has no guarantees, Kenshin. Life is only what you make of it, of hope, and love, and laughter, sadness, family, light and loss." Closing her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts, she opened her eyes to look into his again. "Life is perfect in its own way. But you have to accept who you are and what you've done Kenshin. You have to accept that you can't control everything, you can't protect everyone."
He lifted his head, only to see her tongue dart out to wet her lips. With a tightening in his chest, he once again lowered his head to kiss her, only this time, rather than keeping the kiss light and non-threatening, he delved in, pulling her mouth open by lightly pressing on her chin with his thumb, and invading her mouth bit by bit. He could feel Kaoru press to him, feel her body shiver ever so slightly, could feel his own body respond to hers.
He pulled his mouth away from hers, and wound his hand through her hair again, and pulled her back to him once more, ignoring the thought in the back of his head, the one telling him to stop.
Kaoru, for the life of her, could not fathom what he was doing to her. She knew he was kissing her, yes, but the rest of her; she tingled in places he hadn't even touched, her body was warmed just by being in contact with him. He was doing things with his lips and tongue that she had never experienced; that she had no idea would happen before. She wanted... she didn't know what she wanted. More, she knew that, but more what?
Instinctually, she pressed her hips into his, a soft moan breaking into his kiss. He pulled his mouth away and stared at her in awe. Never had he had a woman respond the way Kaoru was now. With Tomoe it was so matter of fact, so cold. She hadn't even wanted him to kiss her. And here was Kaoru, passionately kissing him back, her body responding in ways her mind couldn't yet comprehend.
Kenshin could feel her hips rubbing against his, and he had to suppress his groan. "Kaoru, stop. Oh God, Kaoru." Oddly to him, his legs felt like rubber. Swallowing hard, he stared at her face, and had to forcibly control himself to keep from panting.
"I'm sorry Kenshin. I didn't mean to hurt you." She thought she'd hurt him? Shaking his head in bemusement he stared at her.
"You daft woman. You didn't hurt me. Just the opposite." Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, he suddenly realized how far they had come in just a few minutes. "But we need to stop Kaoru. Before we go farther than we want to."
Wide blue eyes regarded him. "Who are you to decide how far I want to go?" Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she gathered her strength. "I want you, Kenshin. All of you."
"I just don't think-"
"You think too much, Kenshin. Maybe it's time to stop thinking." Shaking his head, he moved to put a little space between them.
"No. It's too soon. I want.. I want to do this right for you, Kaoru-dono." Staring at her face, taking in her porcelain skin and pink lips, those cerulean eyes, he continued, "This is the right time. We have too much going on to fully appreciate it." Holding his hand out to her, he turned to lead her to the river.
