Kokoro Kara
By Lady Callista
AN: See full notes at the beginning of the first chapter.
This fic is rated M, cause I know it's gonna have K&K lime and lemon goodness. If you are underage please go enjoy some of the other wonderful stories on this site.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin, or anything relating to it, and have the utmost respect for all the people who created these wonderful characters. The quotes at the beginning and end of each part were all found on the Internet, mostly listed as anonymous. The ones that are by famous people I've said who they're by.
(It's a little hard to tell in the manga how much time passes between Kenshin waiting all night for Saito, and Misao, Aoshi, and Megumi's departure, but as Megumi had said she was leaving in a week, I'm going to assume that was accurate, and the gap between the end of Act 252 and the start of 253 is a week. This chapter is set during the middle of that week, a few days before Aoshi tells everyone he's leaving and a few days after the end of my previous chapter.)
LIME WARNING!
Yes, there is more lime, although there is plot in this part as well. (Depending on how you define plot…) Sorry this part took so long, and I hope it's worth it…
Chapter 8: Akai
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"Red, I feel my soul on fire. Black, my world if she's not there. Red, the color of desire. Black, the color of despair." -Les Miserables, the musical
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"Tadaima." Kaoru called out as she entered the house. A few days had passed since her and Kenshin's sparing match, and make-out session, she thought with a blush, and they hadn't had a single minute alone. Megumi was at the house all the time, checking up on the guy's injuries. Yahiko was always underfoot, and Sano seemed to be hanging around more than ever. And with Misao and Aoshi living there temporarily…
"Hello?" She called out after a moment had passed with no one coming into the room or calling out a welcome.
"Okaerinasai." Kenshin called out as he came out of the kitchen.
"Kenshin, where is everyone?" Kaoru questioned, rotating her neck to ease some of the tension in it. She'd started teaching at the neighboring dojo again, and had gotten quite a work out.
"Megumi-dono invited everyone to dinner at her house." Kenshin smiled at her as he approached her.
Kaoru cocked her head curiously. "And you waited for me to get back to leave?"
"Iie." Kenshin's smile grew as he came within touching distance of her. "Sessha said he had much to do here, and was sure you would be too tired when you got back from teaching."
"Demo…"
"I did promise to take a bath with you as soon as we had the chance to be alone." Kenshin's voice had dropped several octaves, and his hand slid over her cheek as he spoke.
Kaoru's eyes grew huge, and her breathing hitched. "Demo…"
"Unless that is no longer desired." Kenshin said gently.
"I…I don't know." Kaoru whispered. "I've never…"
"Wakarimasu." Kenshin replied. "Yet it was your idea."
"I…" Kaoru's emotions were in chaos. Although she had been the one to suggest it, it had been in the heat of the moment, when he'd made her feel so amazing that her body was floating and she just wanted it to keep doing so. Having had a few days to realize how inappropriate it was, and to be afraid as every innocent was…
Kenshin sensed her turbulent emotions and took his hand off of her. "Nothing need happen. You know I would never want you do to something you do not want to do."
Kaoru shuddered, for his voice was still husky, and although he'd stopped touching her his voice seemed to be caressing every part of her. "Does it sound silly if I say I'm not sure what I want?"
"Not at all." Kenshin smiled. "But may sessha have a kiss before I heat the bath up for you?"
Kaoru smiled back at him. "You can kiss me whenever you want."
Kenshin closed the distance between them, both his hands coming up to cup her cheeks. He leaned in slowly, enjoying watching her eyes widen before they slid shut. Kenshin kissed her gently, sliding his lips over hers and pulling back before anything else could happen. He held in a chuckle when she only swayed afterwards, eyes still closed, and he gave in and kissed her again before pulling back.
"Let me draw that bath for you."
Kaoru's eyes slowly fluttered open as he began to pull back from her, and her hands came up to grip his forearms as she nibbled on her lower lip for a moment, not knowing that doing so made him want to do the same. "Join me. I can't promise…"
"Shhh." He whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "You don't have to promise anything. I've missed spending time with you over the past few days, and am just happy to be with you." He made sure their eyes were locked. "You are in charge here, Kaoru-san. If I ever cause you pain…"
Her eyes closed briefly. "Onegai, just say my name. I love hearing it from your lips."
"Kaoru." Kenshin whispered, brushing a kiss over her cheek. "Kaoru-koishii."
Kaoru smiled at him and whispered, "Join me for that bath."
Kenshin shuddered even as he put a hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the bathhouse. He was probably as nervous as she was, all be it for different reasons. She was nervous because she'd never been this close to someone, and he was nervous because he had been.
Kenshin expected her to go directly into the bathhouse, yet she stayed with him as he bent to build up the fire. When he had it going well, he fed it ever more and banked it, then rose again and offered her a hand up. "Are you sure?" He whispered.
"Aishiteru." She whispered, which was both an answer and a non-answer, yet Kenshin kept her hand in his and followed her into the bathhouse.
Kaoru led as far as the outer room, and then stopped. She looked at her familiar bathhouse nervously. The yukata's already hanging on the wall, the buckets ready to be filled with hot water from the tub, the soaps on the shelf… She turned to face Kenshin, only to find him looking at her with a completely neutral face. "Kenshin?"
He let his voice go husky, having realized she seemed to like that. "Tell me what you want me to do."
A thousand things flashed through her mind, but she couldn't find the voice to say any of them. Finally, only one thing came to mind, something she'd always wanted to do but never been able to. "Let me brush your hair."
Kenshin's eyes widened, off all the things she might have said he had never thought of this one. "If you like."
Kaoru smiled as she led him over to the stool and sat him down, reaching up to the shelf to take her brush. Using one hand to untie the band in his hair, she ran that hand through his crimson locks as she slowly ran the brush through his hair. She felt the tension slowly leaving her as she rhythmically brushed, and gloried that she could touch him like this.
Kenshin melted under her touch. Although he'd never thought she'd want to do this, it was something he'd dreamed of her doing. Of her fingers touching him in such an innocent way, yet in a way that was so intimate at the same time. Somewhere along the line she set the brush down, and began to gently massage his scalp with her fingers. He relaxed even more, sliding back to rest his head on her chest.
Kaoru almost lost her nerve as his head fell back to rest on her breasts, yet she was enjoying touching him so much that she let her fingers fall to his shoulders and continued to massage. She'd loved the feel of his muscles under her hands the other day, and found that caressing from this angle, where she could play with his back as well, made it even better. Yet she was still slightly nervous, and wasn't sure how to move beyond this point.
After minutes of delicious torture, of her hands running all over him, Kenshin said softly, "May I return the favor?"
Kaoru froze, then said slowly, "If you like."
Kenshin rose from the stool, turning to face her and kissing her gently, wanting her to get used to touching him as much as possible. He placed her gently on the stool, picked up her brush, and began brushing her hair out. Although he hated caring for his own hair, and left it long mostly because he couldn't be bothered to cut it, he found himself enjoying playing with hers. Much as she had done, he let his hands fall to her shoulders and massaged her gently.
"Wouldn't that be easier without my gi?"
Kenshin's hands froze, and he had to close his eyes for a moment and remind himself to breath. "That is up to you."
Kaoru slowly moved her hands to the ties of her gi, only to stop when his warm hands covered hers.
"Would you allow me?" Kenshin whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder.
Kaoru decided that this was the moment, and knew that whatever she said now would set the course for the rest of the night. "Only if I may help you out of yours."
Kenshin had to again remember to breath, and drew her to her feet to face him. Nodding his agreement, he slowly untied her gi, slid it out of her hakama, and drew it gently down her shoulders. Her breast bindings still covered her completely, yet the image was stunning. Unable to help himself, he ran his hands down her bare arms and felt gooseflesh form. "Are you cold?"
"Not at all." She whispered as his hands continued to caress over her arms and shoulders. She raised her hands to the ties of his gi, and hesitantly untied it. Kenshin let his hands drop to his sides as she slid the old gi off his shoulders and let it hit the floor, keeping his eyes locked on hers as her hands copied the movements he'd made on her.
"Remember, if you want this to stop, it does." Kenshin whispered as his hands slid down her sides, fingering the ties of her bindings.
"It's not fair to say that when you're touching me." Kaoru murmured, keeping her eyes on his as she led his hand to the ties of her bindings.
Kenshin smiled, and leaned in to kiss her even as he began to untie the cloth. When he had her fully unwrapped, he pulled her against his chest and held her to him.
Kaoru gasped as their naked flesh came into contact, and wrapped her arms tightly around him in return, resting her head on his shoulder. "I always feel safe in yours arms."
"Safe?" Kenshin murmured, drawing back and placing his hands on her shoulders. "And is that all you feel?" Keeping his eyes on her face, although the temptation to lower them was great, he ran his hands slowly down her front side, thumbs lightly brushing her nipples before his hands came to rest on her waist.
Her eyes slid shut as she moaned at even that light contact, then fluttered open to look at him again. "Can we get into the bath? Can you just hold me for now?" The uncertainly mixed with lust that he saw in her eyes made him want to protect her and ravish her all at once.
Kenshin pushed all that aside. "Let me go make sure the fire is warm enough while you wash, and then I will join you in the tub."
Kaoru sighed with relief. She didn't want this to end, yet at the same time wasn't ready to fully undress in front of him. He left to check the fire, and she filled the water buckets quickly, then undressed and washed herself before hopping into the tub.
"Kaoru?" He called out from the window a few minutes later.
"It's okay." She replied, "You can come in."
She heard him moving in the outer room a moment later, and sunk up to her chin in the water. Realizing he would be walking in naked, she shut her eyes hurriedly, and as a result was shocked at a sudden touch on her shoulder. Although she normally sensed him, she hadn't this time. He said nothing, and made no further move, and she realized quickly that Kenshin being Kenshin he was going to give her every opportunity to back out of this.
"Hold me." She whispered, scooting forward and pulling her knees up to rest her head on them. She felt the water move first, then felt him slid into the tub behind her, arms coming carefully around her.
She slowly relaxed against him, letting her back rest on his chest as her head slid back to rest on his shoulder. Her cheeks burned red with the knowledge that he could see all of her, but somehow keeping her eyes closed made her feel better about it.
And left her completely unprepared when his hands slid up to gently cup her breasts. "You are beautiful, koishii." Kenshin whispered in her ear.
"Arigato." She replied after a moment, unable to think of anything else to say. She settled more fully against him, questioning what was poking at her back but too shy to say anything "Is this okay? Just holding me?" She asked nervously as she rested her arms on his legs, which had come up on either side of her body.
"I've wanted to hold you forever." He whispered gently, dropping a kiss onto the side of her neck. "I would be willing to hold you forever."
"You make me feel like the most important woman in the world." Kaoru whispered drowsily, letting her eyes slid shut again as she kissed his shoulder lightly. "Like I'm living in a castle on a cloud, where nothing bad can ever happen to me."
"You are the most important person in the world." Kenshin whispered back, smiling into her hair as he felt her body relax against him. "Are you tired?"
"A little. It's been a long day." Kaoru said in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Kenshin chuckled. "Go to sleep, koishii. Dream about that castle."
Surrounded by his warmth and love, Kaoru drifted gently to sleep.
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"Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."
-Robert Heinlein
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TBC…
Japanese/English Glossary (in order of appearance; if it's in the glossary of a previous part it will not be in here, as I trust my readers to have a good memory.)
Akai: Red
Demo: But…
Wakarimasu: I know, or I understand. Which one it means depends on the context, and in this case it works either way.
Yukata: sleeping kimono, similar to an American robe except that it doubles as pajamas.
Gi: The top half of a martial arts uniform.