Summary: Darkfic. Kaoru feels an inexplicable dread and nervousness whenever she meets her best friend's fiancée. She warns Tomoe about him only to get caught in his sinister game of lust and desire. The stage is set and the game begins. BK.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. It is the creation of Watsuki Nobuhiro.

Rating: M. Rated for adult situations

Warning: MATURE. This is a MATURE story; it has adult themes running through the course of it. If your parents would not approve of you reading something like this, don't read it.

Special Thanks to all my reviewers!!

A Game of Chess

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Chapter 4: Play

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Recap

"What about you, how many feet had I crossed, before you decided to quit?" The cold fury in his voice ate away at her courage. She swallowed.

"This isn't about me, Kenshin."

"Wrong! This is about you. It's always about you dammit, everything related to me is about you! " He hissed. He had crossed the distance between them so slyly, that she didn't even notice until she felt the warmth of his knee touching her own.

Kaoru leaned away from him. She stared into her drink.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied softly.

"Why did you leave?" The question bore into her like a nail driven in by a hammer.

"I don't have to answer that."

"You will."

Kaoru snapped her head up and glared at him. Her eyes were burning with fire.

"What is your problem Kenshin? Can't you just forget it? It was three years ago. Forget about it!"

"Have you forgotten about it?"

"Of course I have."

"Don't lie to me! Kaoru, don't lie."

She smirked. "I don't know what you're getting so worked up about. It was just sex Kenshin. Nothing more, nothing less."

End of Recap

For a second, he turned into stone. Kenshin felt as though his heart had been ripped out from his chest and slammed down hard on ice. The shock at hearing Kaoru reduce their relationship to just sex reverberated throughout his body. Every fiber of his being, every cell in his body was telling him that she lied. He wanted to deny her words so desperately that he didn't know where to begin. The blind rage, the uncontrolled fury he felt was nothing to the pain that was boiling in his veins. He wanted to scream, to shout, to cry, to hold her by the shoulders and shake her till she told him that she was lying. His fingers curled dangerously and formed a fist.

Kaoru shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened. As though she were completely unaware of the fact that she had, once again, broken his heart into tiny, miniscule pieces. She dipped one manicured finger into her drink and twirled it around absently before pulling it out and softly kissing the tip of the liqueur covered digit with her lips. Kenshin winced. The sight of her like this, in front of him yet so far away twisted an icy knife in his heart. He turned to go but stopped as he saw the bartender stare at her with undisguised admiration and lust. His chest tightened.

He felt the adrenaline rush to his head. Both his hands coiled into fists. He shook with silent indignation and jealousy. It was incomprehensible and in the light of his relationship with Tomoe, completely inappropriate for him to be feeling like this but right now, in this moment, all he could think about was taking the bartender apart limb by limb, slowly, very slowly, so that by the time he was finished, he would remember the pain long after. He stood there silently, imagining the different ways in which he could break this man so he would never dare to raise his eyes to Kaoru again, let alone Kaoru, he'd be surprised if he ever gathered to courage to look at any girl after this.

He couldn't leave, not yet. Kenshin slid back into the stool. Kaoru stiffened. She turned towards him slowly and was taken aback by the smile on his face. She leaned away from him and frowned in bewilderment She could not fathom his sudden cheerfulness. By all counts, right now, he should be furious and well on his way back to Tomoe but he was still sitting here, beside her, and ….. smiling.

Kenshin's smile widened. He glanced towards the bartender, sending him a cold message through his eyes. He was an intelligent one, since he moved away immediately. Kenshin moved in closer to Kaoru, till his nose was merely millimeters away from her face. Kaoru began to drum her fingers nervously on the bar. He stole a glance towards her fingers and moved closer. The drumming became more frantic, until it stopped completely, after which Kaoru started twirling the empty flute that had held her drink between her fingers. However, she did not dare face him even once during all of this. Kenshin smiled.

He gently blew against her ear. Kaoru snapped her head and turned her face towards him, her eyes wide and confused. She looked at him searchingly.

"What….what do you want?" She asked irritably. Her frown deepened and she cast glances back towards the couch where they had been sitting with Tomoe some time back.

"I think we have plenty of time to discuss what I want, kitten. But…there's something I've realized." He replied smoothly.

"What?" Kaoru was not feeling as certain about Kenshin's reaction to her lie as she had been. She had thought that she would toss him the line about their involvement being no more than just a pleasure trip and he would buy it and leave her. But what she hadn't counted upon was Kenshin seeing through her lie and coming back to ask her more questions. She waited anxiously.

He smirked. "You're a terrible liar, kitten. Even worse than you were back then."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "God, are you delusional or something? Haven't I already told you to forget about it?"

"Yeah, you told me to forget about it, but here's the thing. If you can convince yourself about forgetting me, then I'll do the same."

"Convince myself? I don't need to convince myself. I've moved on Kenshin, so should you. Whatever we had, is over and gone. Accept it." She stood and turned to go.

Kenshin grabbed her wrist and forced her back on the stool. "Kitten, you're being rude. I'm not done talking to you."

"Who cares? I'm through talking to you." She moved to stand again but was held down by him once more.

Kaoru pulled at her hand. "What the hell Kenshin! Will you let go? This is embarrassing."

"This is embarrassing? Honey, you don't have the faintest idea about embarrassing. Embarrassing is waking up alone in a cold bed and finding your girlfriend gone. Embarrassing is calling her number again and again and getting no answer. Embarrassing is waiting out side her door for days on end and not seeing her even once. Having your hand held lovingly by your lover is hardly what I call embarrassing."

Kaoru looked around quickly, checking for Tomoe. ""You're not my lover."

"You never ended it. Far as I'm concerned, we're still together."

Kaoru laughed bitterly. "Yeah? And what about Tomoe, huh?"

"What about her? You want me to go tell her? I will. I have no problem doing that. "

"No way. You…you wouldn't dare."

"Do you want me to show you just how much I dare?"

They stared at each other intently. Kenshin's eyes seemed to be drilling holes into her. Kaoru snatched her hand away from him. He didn't protest, only raised his eyebrow and smiled. The game had turned. He wasn't trying to run from the blows she rained down on him, instead he was taking whatever she threw at him, head-on.

Kaoru leaned against the bar and looked out at the dance floor. People were swaying to the rhythm of the music, lost in the beat and madness of the dance and the warmth of the body held in their arms. She bit her lip. She could not believe this was happening. She had never thought that she'd ever meet Kenshin again, like this, in this place of all places. She had never imagined that her past would catch up to her like this.

Her heart had leapt inside her chest when she laid her eyes on him. It had been so unexpected. Time had collapsed. Three years had disappeared in a second. He was here. He was real. He was standing in front of her, just as breathtaking, just as devastating as he had been then. His eyes, his face, the way he moved as though the particles of air adjusted themselves around his frame, the smile that melted her knees, and the slight tilt of his lips that made her want to push him down on the couch and kiss him till he begged her to stop. And his voice, like melted honey on a summer day, that drove her insane as it whispered softly in her ear. She shivered.

She hadn't forgotten anything. She remembered everything about him, everything from the way his jaw would tighten when he was thinking, to the way his eyes would mist over in lust, and the way he would stroke his lip with his finger as he read, the way he ran his fingers through his hair just before tying it up, the way he rolled his shoulders back and forth as soon as he got out of bed, the way he kneaded his fingers against the palms of her hands, working up from her wrists, across the mounds of flesh up to her fingers, gently working away at the tensed muscles, forcing her to relax. She remembered how he used to hum when he cooked, how he would beam with joy when doing the laundry. She even remembered the silly dance he would do, each time his football team scored a goal. She smiled. No, she hadn't forgotten a single thing about him.

But….she had to. She had to forget everything about him. She knew it could never work. She could not bear it still. He had loved her too much, and she couldn't take it. She was terrified of something happening to him, or to her. Something that would leave them so lonely, that they would die. Love could make a person sick when it was taken away. That's why it wasn't right to love someone so much. That was why she had left, so that she didn't go crazy. So that they could go on living happy, safe and normal lives. He would find someone who made him happy, and she would do the same. They could live with the memories of their insane love and in time, forget it. Because when you loved something too much, the universe conspired against you and took it away.

Life was not always fair and definitely never fair when it came to love.

"Contemplating much, kitten?" Kenshin sat with his chin propped up in his hand, looking at her.

Kaoru turned to face him. "Yes. You have to stop this. I've moved on. You have to do the same."

"Why? Are we clones? Must I echo every inane stupidity you choose to be a part of?"

Kaoru clicked her tongue against her teeth in annoyance. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"I would, if you had left me alone. But you haven't, so I see no need to return a favor I haven't received."

"What are you talking about? I left three years ago Kenshin."

"Physically, you left. But, you never left me. You were always there, Kaoru. In the face of every girl I met, every woman I slept with, every happiness, every sorrow was you. Nobody else."

Kaoru looked away. "Don't do this. It's not worth it."

"Why not?"

"Because I wasn't lying when I said I've moved on. I have other people in my life."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Kaoru prayed for Tomoe to arrive and get Kenshin off her hands. She couldn't keep this charade up for long. It was too harrowing. Besides, the close proximity to him was helping nothing. She was getting aroused, just by feeling his breath on her neck. If only there was some guy she could just grab and head out to the dance floor she would show him just how much she had moved on. She would make him go back to Tomoe and not think about her at all. She had to. It was her only chance to make Kenshin believe that she was gone, for real, for good.

Neither of them noticed the young man who silently made his way towards them. They were both lost in their own thoughts to become aware of him. It was only when he stood directly behind Kaoru that Kenshin became aware of his presence. He frowned and looked at him questioningly. The man smiled and slowly slid his hand down Kaoru's back. Kenshin rose to his feet aggressively.

Kaoru turned in surprise and let out a cry of joy when she saw the newcomer. She threw her arms around him and pushed her body against his, enveloping him in a tight hug. Kenshin frowned. Anger flooded his face as he watched the man flinch once in surprise, then return the embrace enthusiastically.

They finally broke apart. After a flurried set of greetings and when-did-you-get-heres, the man looked up at Kenshin and asked Kaoru to introduce him.

Kaoru smiled mischievously. "Are you telling me that Tomoe kept you in the dark as well?"

The man shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What does my sister have to do with this gentleman here?"

Kaoru stepped beside him, and linked her arm with his. "Well, in all honesty, Tomoe should be the one to tell you, but since she's not here, I'm sure she won't mind if I tell you first. This is Kenshin, Tomoe's boyfriend. And Kenshin, this…..is Enishi, Tomoe's younger brother. He's been abroad studying to become a doctor."

Kenshin held out his hand. "So you're Enishi. Tomoe talks about you all the time."

Enishi smiled. "I could say the same about you. It's nice to finally meet the guy who finally made a dent in my sister's social armor."

"I don't have social armor, as if there's such a thing anyway." Tomoe's indignant voice called out. She made her way up the bar, putting her arms around Kenshin casually. Kaoru looked away and tugged on Enishi's arm.

"You owe me a dance from last time mister. Let's go." She pulled him away from the bar and out on the dance floor. Threading her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer and rested her cheek against his. Enishi ran his hands slowly up and down her back, caressing and stroking the soft skin. As the music played on, his hesitation evaporated. His subtle exploration of Kaoru's body became bolder and more impatient as he pulled her towards his body with every beat. The lights grew slightly dimmer. The music slowed down.

"Kaoru?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you…..I mean, is everything okay?"

"Sure honey, everything is fine. Why?"

"Well, I…you seem a bit different tonight. Generally, you're not this….happy to see me. So, you okay?" Enishi voiced his concern.

"Oh baby, don't worry. I'm not drunk, if that's what you're worried about."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I was a little worried about that. So, you're not drunk….and you're dancing with me…and everything is fine, right?"

"Right." She smiled at him. Enishi's face lit up. Kaoru felt a twinge of guilt at using him so ruthlessly to throw Kenshin off, but she had decided on this the minute she saw Enishi. Kenshin wouldn't dare to lay a finger on him while Tomoe was around. So even if he grew insanely jealous, he'd just have to accept it. There was nothing he could do about it now.

She cautiously sneaked a glance at the bar where he sat talking to Tomoe. Or rather, Tomoe was talking and he was pretending to listen, while he kept one eye glued to her and Enishi. Kaoru smiled wickedly. Keeping her eyes fixed on Kenshin, she grazed her lips against Enishi's neck. Enishi gasped and pulled her tighter still. Kenshin's eyes grew wide as did her smile. Feeling courageous, she gently began to trace circles on Enishi's neck with the tip of her tongue.

"Kaoru…." Enishi moaned softly.

She stopped. "You don't like it?" She asked innocently. Enishi looked down at her with a plead in his eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Don't stop."

She smiled back at him and went back to teasing him mercilessly with the playful strokes of her tongue. She caressed his back with her fingers and slowly slid her leg up along his. As she felt his hand slide down her hip to hold her buttock, she turned to glance at Kenshin once more. He turned away. The disgust in his eyes was obvious. It was working.

Her breath caught in her throat as she asked Enishi to take her home. "Enishi, I…I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Oh? Don't worry; we'll take a break for some time."

"No, I really think I need to go home."

"Kaoru, just sit for a while. I'm sure you'll feel better. Come on. " he led her away from the dance floor back to the bar.

Tomoe greeted them happily. "Hey! You two were great there on the dance floor and you looked amazing together! Didn't they Kenshin?"

Kenshin gave a curt nod and turned away.

Kaoru nodded feebly. "I had a great time dancing with you Enishi, but I think it's about time I leave. I still have class tomorrow and no amount of complaining will convince Professor Takahashi to give me extra time to finish my assignment."

Enishi looked at her with concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Then come on, I'll take you home." He held his hand out. Kaoru smiled at him and graciously accepted the offer. He left to get her coat, telling her to meet him outside near his car. Kaoru turned to Tomoe.

"I'm really happy for you. It was great meeting your lovely boyfriend but I really have to go now."

"I'm happy you came, and speaking of lovely boyfriends, you never told me that you and Enishi were….that close. I mean, you were practically glued to him tonight Kaoru."

"Yeah well, your brother's a hottie." Kaoru winked. She hugged Tomoe and studiously avoided Kenshin's eye. Smiling once more at her friend, she turned to find Enishi. Locating Enishi was easy; he drove a very small, very racy sports car that one could spot a mile off. Kaoru nimbly got into the car and in Enishi's arms. She snuggled against him as he swerved the car out onto the main road, taking the road leading to her house.

Fifteen minutes later, they were parked in front of her house, yet neither seemed in a hurry to get out. Enishi pulled her towards him and crushed her mouth with his. She didn't protest. He tugged at the zipper of her dress, plying it open, allowing his hands easier access to her breasts. Hooking one arm under her leg, he hoisted her up into his lap.

His lips were soon everywhere, kissing her neck, her lips, her face and her eyes. His kisses were frenzied, and haphazard, like the movement of a man who has been tied up too long.

Kaoru held her neck up, allowing him to kiss her freely, without impediment. There was no trace of the hesitation he had shown at the club. She guided his hands to the clasp of her bra, and looking out of the window, found what she was looking for.

A pair of amethyst eyes staring at her accusingly from across the street.

Author's Notes

Do you all love me or do you love me?

Yayyyyy. Another chapter of A Game of Chess!! I was waiting to find enough time to finish this chapter and today I finally found it.

I hope it lives up to the expectations you all had of me. If it doesn't……I'm so sorry, I will try harder next time. Well, I'm really hoping it clears up some questions like

Who left whom?

Why Kaoru left? (to some degree at any rate)

What Kenshin's gameplan is?

What Kaoru's game plan is?

Why do I like writing in bullets? (No, I'm not doing this, Windows is. I have nothing to do with this. Honest.)

Awright ye sea rats!!! Get ye going to the review page. Watcha waiting for?