Kaoru looked at her long list of things to steal for the month. Her work sometimes gave her a headache. She would have to go undercover to get the items on the list, but it all paid off well at the end. She sighed. It was lonely doing this… the work that she used to have a partner do for her. Nevertheless, she hated the guts of that single person: her adopted sister and ex-best friend. She sighed again, and looked out the window in the hotel room she rented. No view, only a large street with cars on it and a few retail shops on the edges.
In a town and a half away, a festival was going to be held. It was the yearly festival in celebration of the fine harvests in that year, it would be held under the harvest moon. Kaoru loved all moons; she favored to original moon more so than the others.
During that time, she would need to take pictures of a judge and his mistresses. Kaoru's source had discovered the women, and wanted evidence to black mail the judge for his client's trial. He had five mistresses and each knew about the other. It was disgusting and she was pleased to have blessed with opportunity to get him back for his sins. After that task was accomplished, she would get paid two hundred dollars for each photo. Then Kaoru would have a week off, until she had a chance to complete the next tasks.
She packed five digital cameras and extra batteries in a non-identifiable backpack. This would be an easy kill. Long distance photos and short photos. She slipped on the bland outfit she had previously picked out. She wanted to blend in as much as possible; not to be individually identified. Jeans, sweatshirt, running shoes, sunglasses and a hat. She sat down and stared out the window, watching the sun set. Patience now.
Kaoru slid the screen on her helmet down, and started the engine to motorcycle. The harvest moon was almost perfect in the night sky. She would have to camouflage the flashes from the camera some how. Oh, well, then… as long as I get what I came for. She drove forward, skipped through five green lights. Almost there.
Standing in bushes, her back to a food stand, she positioned the camera. "Flash on," she muttered under her breath, turned the camera side ways and waited for the man in her way to move. A thin, muscular man in a black suit had two women with short red dresses on, on either side of his body. Uck. The man in the brown suit in front of the judge moved and left from her sight. She pressed several buttons on the camera. "Zoom in." She flashed five pictures, then ducked into the bushes. Moving the lollipop in her mouth to the side.
The tree she was under, moved as the wind blew. She crouched and hid herself under the bush completely, pulling her backpack next to her. Nice hot shower, nice hot shower after this. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Nonexistent bugs crawling up her pants. She twitched and crossed her legs oddly.
The other three mistresses came into her sight. She smiled, easy cash. She took fifty shots of them together with the judge and twenty individual shots. Kaoru switched cameras. Give me the dirty now.
Another hour passed before something worth taking a picture of happened. Finally! Unknown to people who were not sure what they were looking for, she could easily tell that one of his many mistresses was digging her perfectly and cheaply manicured hand into his pants. Money signs shot up in Kaoru's eyes. She laughed, darkly, and shot thirty pictures of it. Too easy. She crawled out of the bush and slid her cameras into her bag again. She shook herself as if overly shivering, and put on her backpack.
Kaoru pulled out her wallet intending to buy some food before heading back. She walked to the front of it and stood behind three other people. She studied the menu up above. Chinese food stand? What should I get? Pork over rice? Beef over rice? Chicken over rice? Pork over noodles and rice?
"Pork over rice, please," said the man in front of her, she looked at his back. Mind reader.
"Miss?" asked the woman at the cash register. Kaoru blinked with surprise.
"Pork over noodles, please," she said, paying and standing behind the man again, waiting for the food. A rock? She leaned back, stretching casually. A rock flew past her, barely missing her body, and almost hit the man on the head. He had leaned forward, yawning. What in the world? Did he… no. He stood back up and accepted his food. What was he wearing?
This stranger in front of her was wearing a male kimono, a rare sight in this city. Though it was not surprising to find women wearing beautiful kimonos during the festival. The wind blew suddenly and blew her brown ponytail towards the stand. Something flew out of his shirt.
"Thank you," he said, harshly, and passed by her quickly. She caught his eye and noticed a spark. She narrowed her eyes and turned her body to the counter. He had long black hair and killer's eyes. She had those too. They were not easy to acquire; most had to kill to get them. She received hers by what she saw: the shameful killings of mortals who didn't deserve death, and those that did. The one death that meant everything was the death of her sister's real mother. Her father was a low life and was in jail for a long time for killing someone else's child.
She scooted forward and took her food order, opening the small box and digging her chopsticks into the pork. She spat out her lollipop stick into a trashcan. She, slowly, walked down the hill and towards the parking lot. She had taken off her sunglasses and hat, and had stuffed them into her bag. She sighed and swallowed the noodle on her chopstick. She was almost to the parking lot.
Kaoru stood behind four boys, chopsticks held securely in her hands. They were smoking cigarettes around her bike, trying to look cool. She flexed in annoyance and whacked one of the boys on his head with a hard fist. He yelled out in pain and jumped forward, crashing into her motorcycle. The boys turned around, cigarettes drooping in their mouths.
"Boo," she said, calmly, eye twitching in annoyance. "Get the hell away from my bike."
The one whom she had pushed, stood up, his filled with embarrassment.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked, motioning for his companions to move back with him. They shut their mouths, spit out their cigarettes, and stomped on them. One of them, all dressed in black, put up his fists.
"My bike, not yours," she said, taking steps forward and physically threatening them. "Now leave or else."
"Really?" another said, dressed all in blue, taking a knife out of his back pocket. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. She, then, lifted her face to them, glaring and showing a killer's face.
Two of them ran off, yelling for the others to follow. The one dressed in black swiped the blue dressed boy's knife. She picked up the bike and positioned it to lean on its stand. Then she walked on the other side, smirking.
"What a threat," she said, grabbed the boy's wrist and lifted him in the air. The blue boy ran off. Kaoru tightened her hold, and her smirk grew.
"Let go," he whimpered, looking at her with pleading eyes.
"You first," she whispered, meaning let go of the knife. He widened his eyes. What was he thinking? That I was some pervert? "I mean, let go of the knife now." He nodded frantically and opened his hand. She grabbed the knife and shoved him to the ground. "Get!" He ran off, a clear-frightened expression on his face. She observed the knife and tightened her smirk. Then, she threw it and it stabbed into a tree.
She sighed, narrowing her eyes at the full moon, and started up her bike.
Stupid boys.
Kaoru appeared back at the hotel in a matter of minutes and began to pack up her belongings. She would leave in the morning. She stopped, suddenly, and looked up at the ceiling. She collapsed onto her knees, her body feeling numb. "You got me," she whispered, falling forward and hitting her head on the table.
The men in the room leaned forward to make sure she was unconscious.
"Get her belongings and I'll check her out of here," said Sanosuke, picking the unconscious woman up and putting her on his back. She pulled her arms around his neck as if she were piggyback riding him while sleeping.
"What about her motorcycle, Sano?" asked the man, lifting his gaze to Sano's eyes. Sano raised an eyebrow.
"She has a motorcycle now?" He looked out the window in thought. "Wonder what happened to her convertible." He shrugged. "I'll tell Kuno to put it in the plane." Aoshi nodded, slamming the suitcase shut.
Sanosuke headed down stairs with Kaoru on his back.
"How did she expect to put this on her bike?" he muttered to himself, and carried everything down stairs. A slip of paper was tucked into his shirt.
He dumped everything in the trunk of a pick-up truck and slid in the front seat of the car. Kuno, after placing the bike in the trunk, jumped beside the bike and hid under a sheet.
"Here, hold her," said Sano, giving Kaoru to Aoshi. He looked up at Sano a bored, emotionless expression on his face.
"Fine." He pulled her into the middle seat and buckled her up.
"She mustn't wake up, she has to be up in the sky before that happens," said Kuno, through the small window in the back. Aoshi looked out the window, watching lights pass, but all of his concentration was on the feeling of Kaoru's warm head in the crook of his neck and her breath mingling against his skin, making goose-bumps appear. He closed his eyes half way.
"Sweet," whispered Sanosuke, turning the truck into the private jet landing area but the plane wouldn't be there, it was farther back. Aoshi looked up at him; he almost gave away the emotion of shock, when he caught Sano looking at him from the corner of his eye.
"What was that, Sanosuke?" asked Kuno, shifting slightly under the sheet. He could almost see his breath in front of him. It was a cold night, oh, yes, it was.
"She smells sweet, doesn't she, Aoshi?" asked Sano, the edges of his lips lifting. Aoshi did not answer and grunted in response. Sano looked back at the road. There was a long stretch of road before the plane came into view.
"Kenshin doesn't deserve sweet Kaoru," said Kuno, although it sounded like he was only saying it to himself.
"Kenshin?" asked Aoshi, looking blankly down at Kaoru. He felt a spark and quickly looked at Sano, he was staring at Aoshi again.
"You know Kenshin, because Kenshin is Battousai," muttered Sanosuke, rubbing a finger on Kaoru's face. She moaned and swatted away Sano's finger, keeping her eyes shut. She turned into Aoshi's arms and snuggled into his chest. The hot breath on his chest sent shivers up his spine, but he hid it well, twitching every few minutes.
"I see," said Aoshi, turning to look out the window again. The plane was in view. He felt a blush creep onto his face, he placed his hand on his cheek and sighed. The blush disappeared quickly. He scowled, feeling sudden hate and jealousy build in him. "They are lovers?" he asked, nearly barking, he knew that Battousai had slept with two other women in all the time he was here.
"Yeah," said Kuno, his eyes turned to study Aoshi. "You could say that."
"Then you are right, he doesn't deserve her," Aoshi said, briskly, the car came to a sudden halt in the middle of the road. Kuno and Aoshi turned their heads to see Sano's angry expression.
"Sanosuke?" asked Kuno, half-heartedly, afraid of his silence. Sano backhanded Aoshi across the face.
"Don't ever," he started, breathing heavily as if the atmosphere was almost gone. Aoshi had his face turned to the floor as if he were shamed. "Don't ever say that near him… not near Battousai or Kenshin. They-He will kill you, or beat you until you wished that you never even existed. Battousai has no fear, but his strongest emotion is for Kaoru!"
"He slept with two other woman while I was here," he muttered, sort of asking, trying to lift his gaze to meet Sano's glare, but it faltered, he did not like to be glared at.
"No," said Kuno, calmly, turning his face back. "Those two were Kaoru… though…" He looked down.
"What is it?" said Sanosuke, driving forward slowly again.
"He did sleep with one other person, but she became pregnant and he killed her when she threatened to tell Kaoru."
"Yeah, I remember her," said Sano, softly, stopping the car and unlocking the doors. "She was Battousai's drunken rape victim, but it turned out that she wasn't drunk at all. She was hired to frame Battousai and kill his reputation and relationship with Kaoru and others. The pregnancy was planned." Kuno had a disgusted look on his face and Aoshi nodded.
"I see," he said, unbuckling his and Kaoru's seatbelt. He picked her up and carried her in his arms toward the plane. Three other men ran past him and grabbed the luggage out of the trunk. Kuno jumped down, pulling the motorcycle with him. Sanosuke sighed and left the engine running in the car. He followed Aoshi into the mini-plane.
"Load it quickly, the stuff is going to wear off in three hours!" order Sano, walking up the ramp. He glared at the five men running down the ramp.
"HURRY UP!" someone barked, it sent shivers up Kunos' spine. Sano sighed again and sat beside the sleeping Kenshin. Aoshi was sitting in a chair with his feet up on a cushion. Kaoru had her head on his lap and was holding his waist. He looked away in annoyance and embarrassment, then he fell asleep.
Kenshin woke up an hour later, and stretched with a silent yawn. A woman's kimono was on his lap and he nodded, standing up and looking around for Kaoru. Everyone was asleep in this compartment and he walked through silently. Aoshi was falling in and out of sleep, but kept his eyes closed. He felt Kaoru's warmth leave his lap. He kept his eyes closed and sensed the presence of the Battousai in front of him. He opened one eye a little, breathing in slower, because of what he saw. Kenshin was changing Kaoru's clothing.
Battousai flashed in his eyes and he smirked. She wore a black lace bra for him, he thought, rubbing his hand on her stomach. She moaned, taking in air, and shivering. He shook his head and slipped the kimono on her, quickly. He tied the obi, then placed her back on Aoshi's lap, not noticing Aoshi's half-open eye.
"Sleep flower," Kenshin whispered to her, kissing her on her forehead, and putting a blindfold on her eyes. His eyes full of emotion for this woman. However, as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared and he became Battousai. Selfish and cruel. Aoshi closed his eyes fully, happy to have Kaoru on his lap, again.
Battousai sat back down and fell asleep. It would be another hour or two before she woke up. Aoshi took the paper out of his shirt and slid it under Kaoru's bra strap. Sleep now, he told himself.
Where am I? Kaoru opened her eyes, seeing only the black cloth over her eyes. She sighed, sat up and untied the cloth from her face. She was actually somewhat surprised that no one had stopped her from doing this. She looked at the white ceiling, her eardrums ached, and she felt like she was going to have a bloody nose or throw up. She breathed in deeply and then out, quickly. I hate planes sometimes.
She was sitting alone in a compartment sealed off by a curtain, she looked around, briefly. The window shades were pulled down to keep light from entering the area. She threw the blindfold against the other wall that had various chairs and small puffed with soft down, white tables. She looked at the invisible watch on her wrist.
"I don't own a watch," she whispered, putting her arm down and looking at her clothing. They had dressed her again; she hated it when they dressed her. It annoyed the crap out of her, and she never knew who did it. "Argh!" She stood up and walked in a circle, looking at the ground. Then, she looked at the curtain again and narrowed her eyes. At least it is a nice looking kimono. Always is though, is it not?
The kimono was black with gray and blue flowers, crawling up the bottom like vines. The last one was pink, made her look really frilly and girly.
Someone walked through the curtains. "Kaoru," said the voice, smiling and walking closer so she could see him better.
"Sanosuke!" said Kaoru, excited. She jumped up and hugged him. He hugged back, and slowly pulled away to get a better look at her as if studying her. He stared blankly at her, she narrowed her eyes. They began to water, and slowly she blinked them away.
He started to laugh.
"Sano!" she exclaimed, and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Give up Kaoru!" he said, patting her on the shoulder. "You'll never beat me in a staring contest!"
She twisted her nose and growled. "SHUT UP SANO!" She started to laugh and another voice interrupted them.
"Hey, Kaoru," said Saitou, opening a window shade. Kaoru walked to stand right next to him.
"I have what you want, but I need to get somewhere so I could print them out for you," she whispered, looking at Sanosuke and another man. The man looked familiar. Saitou nodded.
"It is an honor to be the first on your list Kaoru," whispered Saitou, opening the rest of the shades. She smiled.
"I don't think I can find what I need in Japan, Saitou." He nodded, again, patted her on the shoulder, and turned with her to see the open curtain.
"Kaoru," said Kenshin, softly, he moved to stand right in front of her.
"Kenshin," she whispered, tilting her head to the side, and narrowing her eyes, seductively.
"Battousai," he said, meaning 'call me Battousai now'.
"No, Kenshin," she said, meaning 'I'm calling you Kenshin, now live with it or else'.
"Battousai."
"Kenshin."
"Battousai."
"Kenshin." Saitou sighed and left, closing the curtain.
"Battousai."
"Kenshin." Aoshi, the one who had been there since the beginning, followed Saitou.
"Battousai."
"Kenshin."
"Battousai."
"Battousai," she whispered against his lips, and licked her own. She blew air against his lips, making them drier. She looked at Sano, he nodded and left quickly.
Kenshin held Kaoru's head and smashed their lips together. "Battousai."
"I wouldn't go in there," said Sano to the gathering men, near the curtain.
"Why not?" asked Kuno, about reach the curtain. Sano grabbed his wrist.
"SANO!" shouted Battousai, and suddenly his head appeared on the other side of the curtain. His eyes flashed yellow with anger. "If anyone peeks, touches, or does anything that I or Miss Kaoru doesn't like, they will have their eyes cut out!" All the men nodded and pulled on another curtain, it fell on Battousai's face. "That's better," they heard Battousai mutter.
"How many hours until we get there?" asked Aoshi, looking out the window.
"Five hours," said Saitou, sitting down, beside a large suitcase.
"Yippee," said Kuno, crashing next to Aoshi. "Wish I could have some of that." Sano smacked him on the back of his head.
"Have some respect," ordered Sano, looking at the curtain again. He sighed.
Finished with chapter one. There are notes in chapter two. An adviced read.
