A/N: I've been busy….and lazy. -_- I broke my longest record for not updating for so long. SORRY!
This chap might be a bit boring,…I think. But I need this for the progress of the plot, so I'll be more than grateful if anyone would appreciate it. Oh, and I'm currently working on a new story. I'm still choosing whether I would make it a Kenshin and Kaoru pairing,.. what do you think? Should it be a BxK? Please help me decide! I NEED your votes. And I also have to look for another beta-reader to help me with my new baby. Please feel free to send me a message if you know someone who would be more than willing to edit my new story. I'll have you know that English is NOT my first language. I'll tell him/her more about the details later. But I have one teaser though. IT WOULD BE A VAMPIRE FIC. (yeah, yeah, I'm being influenced by vampire fics lately! but it's going to be quite different from other dark vampire fics that I have read) So far, I have read others vamp fics and they really are great. But I respect them enough not to plagiarize any ideas from their stories. I'm taking up a communication course so I follow ethics.
And ONE MORE THING: I forgot to mention (stupid me) that the revision of the summary of this story is done by my remarkable beta JLucPitard….and so as the editing of this chap.
And IM NOT DEAD.
DISCLAIMER: T-T
The Freezing Fire and the Warm Ice
~Tiger-Lily~
CHAPTER 3 – The Game of Trust
She stood there, watching the figure of the man who washed vegetables at her sink. Muscles flexed beneath his toned arms as he went through his job, cooking for lunch. He moved with grace, as if he really belonged there. The girl, standing behind the wooden door, hoped he wouldn't know she was peeping.
'Can you really trust that man, Kaoru?'her rational mind battled out against her, unaware that the one she was watching had already noticed her disturbed aura.
His last words rang through her mind, "I'm going to fix the tofu you messed up, angel."
This morning came to her like a flash; her mind didn't even have the time to process everything. She was just cooking when this FREAK barged in! The next second, she was pinned to the wall and being assaulted by the idiot which she naively considered as her patient. And now, she had just let him prepare their food, HER FOOD!
'Fix?'…' Messed?' She wanted to explode right back at him but was too stunned to do anything so foolish. He hadn't only insulted her skills in the kitchen, but he'd also infuriated her.
And what the hell does he really mean by 'angel' she wondered.
She silently watched him move through her kitchen. The young woman's eyes were fastened on his figure, marveling at the way he managed to go here and there, while keeping his hands busy with the chopping and simmering of vegetables and dropping them on the boiling pot. Her kitchen wasn't like this when she was the one cooking. For her, the food would burn, she'd cut herself or slip over something. It was as if her kitchen was some sort of a living trap. She was great at handling a sword but clumsiness was her middle name in terms of chores. She studied him warily, feeling a bit- just a little bit- of admiration for the red haired guy.
Wait a minute, why was she standing there gawking at him at the first place? Silently denying the truth, she ended up with the lamest excuse she could come up with.
'Don't think I'm attracted to him,' she snorted at her alter-ego.
'Oh really?'
'I'm just keeping an eye on him, to see if he's trying anything tricky,' she spoke to the voice inside her head
She turned her eye to the kitchen again, unable to resist looking at his handsome form. This was not the lifeless and pale figure that was lying helplessly on the futon, days ago. Every fiber of his being swirled in colors: his hair, which was illuminated by the light streaming from outside, gave him an illusion of fire, blazing over his shoulders; his lightly tanned skin was moistened by sweat and steam from the kitchen, and his eyes.. She remembered catching them in a relaxing lavender hue, but now it was they were amber- a perfect complement to his red hair.
Then, her eyes fell on the opening of his yukata, which gapped slightly, revealing a finely sculpted chest.
Why hadn't she notice it when she dressed him on the first morning? Maybe because her mind didn't hold lecherous thoughts then? She was still an innocent, after all.
As if on cue, he pushed his hair to one side of his shoulders with a hiss.
'Stop it Kamiya Kaoru!' her mind screamed at her. 'You're not here to let your guard down! That conceited man might just drop something poisonous in that steamy pot of some unknown concoction!'
She seemed to be incited by this.
'That's what he wanted to do all along! He already distracted you with his words earlier to have you at his mercy! Don't tell me you're actually falling for that stranger?'
'And where did you get that thought?' she fumed back.
'Now, don't go about falling into his trap- dancing over his palms like that!'
"Yes of course," she whispered to herself. But she couldn't deny her attraction toward this man. No, attraction was an understatement. She was entranced by him. Not only his looks, could she tell that now; it was his touch. It was the way he looked at her with smoldering eyes and she couldn't even fathom what emotions he held that time he'd stared at her. Was it desire?
The way his body seemed to hold her captive sent butterflies fluttering inside her stomach. It was the first time she'd allowed herself to be under someone's mercy, a MAN's mercy!
Brows furrowed at the mere thought of her pride as a warrior being trampled on. She might let anyone kick over her pride as a woman but not as a warrior! Assistant Master Kaoru Kamiya was more than that! Being a female didn't mean that she would go among the ranks of those who called themselves women, but who couldn't lift their feminine arms over their heavy kimonos to defend themselves. She buried femininity alongside the grave of her father and made a vow to herself that the remaining Kamiya heir would not be moved by any man, that she would not be weak.
So why had she allowed herself be overpowered and harassed for that short period of time?
'Yes! Harassed! What else would you think it is? Did you honestly think that I liked being pushed to the wall by that man?' she screamed at the back of her mind.
But deep inside, she was actually smitten by the feel of his steely seizure at her petite body. Feeling helpless against this man excited her. She just had no choice but to push him away because she could have fainted from lack of air.
But fainting in the arms of that handsome red-head wasn't a bad idea as well….
'It's not rape if I enjoyed it, right?'
Just then, her fleeting thoughts were interrupted when a familiar smell wafted under her nostrils.
'Miso soup…' her mind acknowledged and she was drooling at the tempting aroma.
Kaoru couldn't remember the last time she'd had good food cooked under her roof. Sometimes she went for the next best thing by eating beef stew at the Akabeko, one of her favorite restaurants in town. As much as she hated to admit it, her body seemed to have fallen for his bait. This stranger sure had the upper hand now. When she saw him take the lid off, she was sorely tempted to walk inside and down the soup.
"He knows how to play this game very well" she mused to herself. But her body had already gone against her. Just then, as much as she loathed it, her stomach let out an awful sound. So loud that she was afraid he'd heard it, too.
Beet red, she'd decided to walk away from the kitchen before she lost her control but was stopped dead in her tracks when the voice inside the kitchen spoke,
"Impatient, aren't we?"
OoOoO
He was aware of her presence, warily observing him behind the door. In the last few minutes, she seemed to be holding back something. He could feel it in the shift of her ki.
"Do you really think that I can't feel you, angel?"He thought as he felt her observing him.
Actually, he'd known she'd be there after what had happened earlier. He knew the girl wouldn't have trusted him further. 'But what exactly does she think I am up to?' He wondered. 'It's not like I'd poison her.'
Of course he wasn't stupid enough to do that. Hitokiri Battousai was more than that, especially to someone he now understood had helped him.
"I don't owe anyone anything!" the Hitokiri in him broke in.
But how could he have let his guard down so easily? Had he gotten weaker? He'd just let this girl drag him here and now he was working in her kitchen? For a swordsman's pride, he should've chosen death in that storm rather than survive and suffer in shame by dropping to the ranks of a servant. But still, would he really prefer death over cooking?
Not wanting to be bothered by the frustrating thoughts, he dropped the vegetables into the boiling soup and concentrated on the girl who had just surprised him.
How he loved the way she'd squirmed beneath his body! But never in his wildest dreams did he expect to feel intimidated by a woman's glare. It was shocking how she stood up to him. If there was ever a female hitokiri, she would be perfect- except for her naïve beliefs. One glare from her would've melted the some of his strongest enemies from the past and he found that alluring about her.
The assassin had met his match.
His freezing soul was lost the moment she flaunted her fiery spirit.
It was trapped in a trance when he saw emotions flare through her icy glares.
Blue eyes that could burn someone's soul. Yet, could be as subtle as a hearth's warmth.
He needed something as consuming as those to burn the frost inside him.
Since when did he prefer a fiery girl over a calm woman?
He hissed as he brushed his hair aside. Kuso! Is it just her or is it the steam? Just the mere thought of her sent liquid heat through his spine. And with all this heat, his unbound hair did not help at all. But he preferred the sensation from the usual chill he felt.
From the way it smelled, he could tell that the soup was ready. Just when he was about to taste the soup, he heard a faint growling sound.
Kenshin almost sneered when he realized what it was. It was his time to break the silence when he felt her ki retreating.
Just as he let the words tumble off his lips, her footsteps came to a halt.
Oh, how fun it was to play with the girl's temper, even Battousai enjoyed playing with her fire!
OoOoO
"I can tell you haven't eaten anything since this morning."
Her hunger was suddenly forgotten as she whipped her head back to him.
"Why would an idiot like you care anyway?" It was all she could do to keep herself from charging back at him.
He didn't take his gaze away from her and marveled at the effect of his mockery. She was flushed. The color rose up heavily from the recesses of the collar of her kimono. He smirked.
How she hated his devilishly sexy charms!
She fought another wave of blush starting to crawl up her face. Wanting to give him the impression that her blush was not of embarrassment but of anger, she opt for a hasty tactic and came out with the silliest thing: "Don't you dare think I want to eat your food, or whatever you call that boiling thingy!" she bawled at him.
She ignored her internal monologue's 'you could do better than that!' to listen to his answer.
"Oh, of course not. You wouldn't. But your stomach says otherwise," he teased her.
She heaved another sigh. Kaoru had to bite her lips to hold back the rage she'd been saving for him. Damn! He'd heard it! Oh sure, heavoided her questions earlier, but now he was all talkative!
There's more than meets the eye with this stranger, she thought, he's just full of surprises. And she didn't expect them to all to be good surprises, either!
OoOoO
Kaoru couldn't help but feel awkward in front of the pestering man. She'd stood still as he prepared lunch and put the last cup down the low table, then grimaced as she noted how comfortable he sat, like he was at home. She didn't notice when the stranger looked at her and shook his head.
"Quit sulking over there and sit down to eat," he commanded.
When she didn't move an inch, he began serving himself and spooned rice into his empty ceramic cup. Then, much to her consternation, he picked up another cup and started to serve his companion. Swayed, she made her way- painstakingly slowly- to the table and sat idly, facing him. After a few seconds, he began helping himself, but Kaoru's food remained untouched.
Oh, that's why, he thought as he remembered her anxiety in the kitchen earlier. He let out a sigh of exasperation.
"It's not poisoned."
"Of course it isn't," she said. "Because if it was, you might as well be dead by now!"
She'd forgotten the poisoning issue earlier. Yet, if she couldn't do any better, how would she know?
"Do you really think I'd poison you, Angel?" Raising an eyebrow, he paused to wait for her reaction. "Well, suit yourself."
She flinched when she heard the annoying nickname again. Trying to regain her dignity, she violently snatched up the pair of chopsticks from the table and held her cup in her hand. Then she cast a gruesome look over the person opposite her. He didn't seem to notice because he continued enjoying the first food he'd had since his health was restored.
From his peripheral vision, he watched her take her first bite.
He smiled inwardly.
OoOoO
I wouldn't be convinced if he hadn't taken a bite, she reasoned to herself. He wouldn't eat if it was poisoned!
Not only did she not end up dying, but she had to admit the painful truth, that she'd REALLY enjoyed the food. The miso was incredibly delicious! Or maybe that was an understatement. The food was exquisite! The burnt tofu that he re-did didn't even taste like it had been tainted by Kaoru's clumsiness.
Is he really a swordsman? He's more like a cook.
It was very confusing, but her feelings of trust toward the man were growing, even though he'd already proved that he could be as dangerous as a killing machine.
The kendo instructor knew that if she brought up the topic of his identity again, he'd avoid her, or worse, he could resort to violence again. It unnerved her. He'd angered her countless times this day, but offered to cook her food.
And he'd spared her.
Maybe annoying her was just his way of telling her to bug off, to save him the argument. And maybe that made them even.
Didn't she have the right to know the name of the stranger she'd been harboring under her roof?
The whole day went quite normally for the dojo, though. He'd managed to stay out of her sight all day. She was even amazed at how he could avoid her, in such a small compound!
Kaoru didn't bother going to the market to buy dinner; she helped herself to the leftover tofu from the morning. Judging from the remaining amount of food left that evening, she could tell that he'd already eaten his supper. Besides, it was too delicious to be wasted.
As she ate alone, she counted the days she'd missed teaching lessons. The dojo had been closed temporarily since she took him in and now that he'd regained consciousness- andalready had the strength to attack a person- she had expected him to leave, but he hadn't stepped a foot outside.
"First he was anxious to get out of here, like his pants were on fire, and now he's acting like I want him to 'feel at home'" she grunted.
Why wouldn't he say ANYTHING about himself? She wasn't pushing for much, his name at most. His stubbornness wasn't helping either one of them, especially without any sign of him wanting to leave.
"Why would he want to stay? Am I right about him being a criminal, wanted by the police?" she trembled.
Absentmindedly, her feet carried her toward his room. Kaoru's thoughts faltered as she reached his door.
Being the shihandai she was, she knew he must be resting now, by the stagnancy of his ki. She peeked in to make sure. The stranger she'd expected to storm out of the dojo after freeloading was there, comfortably sitting with his back to the wall.
She muffled the sound of the shoji and quietly tiptoed in to take a closer look at the man. Indeed, he was attractive.
Her gentle side asked, 'How could I be so stupid as to think that anyone could be after this gentle-looking guy?'
He'd hurt her, yes, but he'd assured her that he was harmless.
"Of course, anyone would've done the same thing, out of surprise, right?" she thought as her eyes scanned his relaxed features. She smiled. He looked vulnerable, like he had on their first meeting. She couldn't help but admire how his bangs framed his handsome face. When she caught herself staring for long she blushed at her impudence.
Before she could turn her back, his shoulders quivered. He must be cold.
She wanted to drag him to his unrolled futon but he looked too peaceful to be disturbed from his slumber. So instead, she went to the mattress and pulled out a blanket.
Her arms opened to him, like the welcome of an embrace, as she draped it carefully around his body, resting either end above his shoulder. He stirred slightly and snuggled to the warmth like a kitten. She smiled and quietly stood up, heading out so as not to wake him.
OoOoO
Deep in the night Kaoru had trouble falling to sleep. She had tried but whenever she was on the brink of slumber, her mind kicked her awake.
She didn't know why but her thoughts raced, unsettling her mind. She reminded herself of everything she'd been neglecting since she brought the man to her home.
There is so much that she'd missed; she had lost track of time, forgetting about the coming winter; how she would be spending a season alone now that Dr. Genzai's family wasn't able to keep her company, and- most importantly- she missed teaching. True, she didn't have that many students, due to rumors about the manslayer who disappeared after the war, but she couldn't risk losing the remaining five.
When her students had started to quit, one by one, telling her that their parents forbid it, her heart clenched. With the fallout of the war in Kyoto, they insisted that the sword only caused death and suffering.
Still, no matter how hard she tried to clarify her dojo's ideals, she ended up having to give sword lessons at more prominent dojos to augment her meager earnings from the small number of students she had.
A lone tear silently made its way from the corner of her eye down her temple. Although she'd promised herself not to cry, her emotions betrayed her. She was still a girl, after all. But her tears weren't caused by her financial instability- heck, she'd teach for free!
The truth was, only three of her students paid for their lessons. She taught the other two for free, but kept that a secret. Kaoru perferred more students over more money. No, her heart was broken because her father's ideals- the one thing she protected the most- was being trampled on by others.
She had promised that she would continue her father's teachings and vowed to give everything to preserve this, even if it meant giving up her life. It's not the time to give up now.
Her mind wandered back to her current problem: Sleep. Yes, she could think of better plans if she cleared her mind. There would be more hopes. Tomorrow.
Desperately wanting some rest, she settled on the classic way of getting to sleep, counting imaginary sheep.
One, two… Three…
Her mind was slowly slipping to the sweet world of unconsciousness. She was almost to fifteen when she felt rest claiming her.
Fourteen… mmm... Fift –
She was dazed to hear a sheep crying out in her thoughts. Her eyes snapped open.
"What the hell was that just now?" her mind screamed. She heard the sound again.
Sitting up, Kaoru held her breath to listen carefully. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but it came for the third time.
It sounded like muffled whimpers and it sounded desperate. There could be no other place it could have come from.
She immediately threw her blanket aside and rushed out. As she neared the room of the stranger, she could make out soft sobs and several thudding sounds on the floor.
When she reached the door, she nervously peeked through a small slit and froze at what she saw.
Curled up tightly on the floor and thrashing violently, like a fish out of water, was the red-haired man. His eyes were completely closed so she figured it was nightmares. Again.
But this was different- he looked as if he was freezing to death. His legs made awful jerking attempts to curl against his chest. The blanket, which she'd put on him earlier, was discarded a meter away from him. Maybe, from the kicking and thrashing?
Without hesitation, she slammed the shoji open and quickly knelt by his side. Her hands grabbed his sides and she tried to shake him, but he did not even stir.
He was completely lost! In a panic, she called out to him loudly, uncaring if he would wake up in a shocked state just like he did this morning. It didn't matter that he might assault her again.
"Mister! Please wake up!" she pleaded. She had to get him back to his senses before anything serious could happen.
She hadn't told him about the nights she'd rushed to his side, crooning to him, to ease his nightmares. Now that he wasn't feverish, she hadn't expected them to be worse.
"Please, mister, it's me!" She shook his shoulders. Still no response; he still shivered uncontrollably.
It was the start of winter but there was no way anyone would shiver this badly. There wasn't even snow yet. Unless, the cold was inside him?
Screaming didn't work! As much as it embarrassed her to do it, she couldn't think of a better way to stop his shivering.
She hauled him up to her smaller frame and forgot every fiber of shame as she tore the upper part of her yukata open. She threw her arms around him. The best way to generate heat must be with the warmth of another person's body, she thought.
Like a lost child who'd found his parent, he wrapped one arm around her neck in return and snuggled, hugging her to him. Even more surprising was the feel of hot tears rolling down her skin and the fluttering of lashes against her nape- he was crying.
She couldn't clearly make out the words he was mumbling as he sobbed, only 'fire' and 'cold' were audible. Puzzled, she finally took the chance to hold his face between her hands and look directly at him, for the second time that day. Before she could even ask him what the matter is, she forgot to breathe.
Kaoru was trapped between confusion and shock.
Shimmering with tears, pure vulnerability reflected in his eyes. They were completely violet now, the same hue she'd seen the day she saved him at the dock. The color she knew they must've been before.
TBC
..I have known that nightmares could be detrimental and can even cause death.
To all the reviewers:
actually, I planned on not putting review responses in this chap. but I have to make this announcement before I make amendments. This might be the last chappy that has review responses at the end coz I prefer PM-ing you all, because I wanted my readers to enjoy the PURE GOODNESS of the story. Tell me what you think. Should I continue responding at the end of every chaps?
ILoveSarahSophia -Thanks. You make me feel like I'm not a bummer. haha. I would like everyone to know that I'm not THAT good in my grammar. That's why I really, REALLY appreciated everyone's support. Thanks. And I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Ari Goddess of Night -Yes, of course I would. Thanks for the review!
kokoronagomu- lol. Thanks. I made Battousai sound like a complete freak here. I followed your devART and I really liked your works... it brings out the DARK side of me..haha. But I'm not a stalker, I tell you...*O*
nma5-Oh, yes, I did. Hmmm… lemon?... Why would I rate it M at the first place? Thanks. I hope you enjoyed it. No spoilers yet… but I did say this is an M rated fic right. ;-)
guii-I see you have two reviews there! Thanks for the support. XOXO
Saki-Hime- thanks. I hope I did well for you this chap hime-san!
pterion-sorry for making you wait... this is just the beginning buddy...just the beginning..(smiles evilly)
Chibi-Tanuki-Your name is cute... and so as your review...^-^ Thanks for liking the last line (which I considered lame) but all of you made me feel like I really did it well. Of course, as a writer, I really loved the last line, but I don't know how it sounded when Kenshin delivered it.
katwalkchan-I think so, too... but the difference is that she's too forward with her attraction toward him in this story...
…and to all who've read and added this story to your alerts list,... THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. I hope it's all worth the wait,..see ya!
P.S.
Reviews are fine. Even flames will do.