Author's note: Hello to my dear patient readers. I'm very sorry this took so long to come out and it's not as long as some of my previous chapters, I'm disappointed in myself. Anyway, my exams are over now (hurrah!) so the chapters should be flowing more regularly and, hopefully, more quickly. This chapter starts off pretty angsty I'm afraid, but I put in some happy, fluffy stuff at the end to balance it out. I hope it worked. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far, especially my regulars who make the effort to review each chapter. It makes me very happy to receive your comments, so keep them coming. I'm up to over 50 reviews now! And my hits are at over 6000! You guys have no idea how incredibly good that makes me feel. I love you all! Anyway, sorry for getting mushy, and here it is, folks, Chapter eight. I cross my fingers that you enjoy it. Read and Review!
Chapter Eight
Megumi was trying very hard to retract her claws, but the waitress was making it incredibly difficult. She was blonde, perky and voluptuous and if she tried to press her admittedly large breasts any further into Sano's line of sight she would be motor-boating him.
In a way she couldn't blame the other woman, or other women in general since the waitress was not the only one trying to catch his notice. Her companion was dressed in a well-tailored black suit that defined his broad shoulders and handsome face to perfection. He had discarded the head-band in favour of slicking his hair back, a few wayward strands falling charmingly into his face in a way that made every woman in the room want to brush them out of his dark, twinkling eyes.
To her surprise, however, despite their concerted flirtatious efforts, those eyes did not stray from her and neither did his attention. It had been this way ever since he'd finally managed to persuade her into having dinner with him a week and a half ago. Since then every chance he got he waited to ask her for dinner outside the head quarter's clinic and had succeeded, she was embarrassed to concede, more often than not.
Tonight he had taken her to one of the best restaurants in the city. How he had got a reservation was beyond her since people booked months in advance. She couldn't help but feel not only impressed but also flattered. Yet, at the same time the sensible little voice at the back of her head, the one that she let govern her in everything, wouldn't allow her to become too caught up. Just because she was the object of his interest for the moment, just because he enjoyed the thrill of the chase, did not guarantee he would not get bored later. She would not allow herself to fall for this man. Sadly, the same little voice whispered, that resolution might have been made somewhat too late.
'You know if you think any harder you'll wrinkle that pretty forehead of yours,' Sano said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at the way she blinked back to reality.
'Don't patronise me, Sanosuke,' she growled, taking out a little of her sudden pang of pain on him.
Frowning, he leaned across the table and grasped her hand.
'Hey, what's up?'
She jerked away, slipping them beneath the table to rest on her lap. She couldn't bear how his touch sent her pulse skittering in such an alarming way. Why was she doing this to herself? Allowing him in would only cause heartache later and as a viciously independent woman, self-sufficient in every way, the thought of Sanosuke Sagara having so much power over her made her pride hurt.
Getting up abruptly, she smoothed her dress as she spoke to hide the way her hands shook.
'This was a mistake, Sanosuke. I think I will leave now.'
Turning away from his shocked expression, she glided out of the restaurant, reinforcing layer upon layer of the icy, superior façade he had so easily chipped away. He called after her heedless of the stares his shouts drew to their table, but she did not stop.
She had hoped that in the time it would take him to get and pay the bill she would be long gone in a taxi. Fate was not on her side, however, as there were none in sight. She started down the street as fast as her high heels and her dignity would allow, but he was faster, exiting after her within minutes and catching up.
'What the hell was that?' He demanded, grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him.
Tottering in her shoes, she was forced to steady herself on his arm, but she recovered rapidly, snatching it away and puffing herself up to her full haughty height.
'It was me informing you that this game we are playing is over. I'm personally a little bored of it, aren't you, Sanosuke? I mean how much longer could you resist looking at that woman's breasts? I was saving you the torment and me the time.'
Sano dropped her arm to run his hand through his hair and when he found it gelled back he cursed angrily. Infuriatingly, she immediately missed his touch, raising her arms to rub along each other to dispel the feeling.
'What game, Megumi? I'm not playing a goddamn game and whose breasts are you talking about anyway 'cause yours are the only ones I noticed?'
Megumi snorted in a somewhat unladylike fashion, knowing all the while deep down that she was being ridiculous, jealous and stupid. The man just made her crazy, irrational, and it scared the living daylights out of her.
'Classy as always, Tori-Atama,' she sneered, rolling her eyes as she lashed out. 'Perhaps, I need to spell it out in a way your little brain can understand. I'm not interested. You don't do it for me.'
There was silence for long moments. Sano looked as though he'd been hit in the face and then he turned away.
'Very well, Megumi. If that's the way you feel.'
He hailed the taxi that was finally making its way down the street and then stalked away without a backward glance.
As she climbed into the musty smelling backseat, she felt the supercilious shell she created over so many years shatter into tiny pieces.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000
It wasn't so bad during the day. The sunlight filtered through the windows and the occasional guard passed by, diminishing the sense of claustrophobia and isolation that ate at her when the last rays of the sun were strangled by the blackness of night.
She spent the day fighting the fear of the silence that came with dusk, forcing herself into a strenuous fitness regime that lasted most of the morning and left her body shaking with the exertion. She told herself it was to undo the damage of weeks of immobility, but deep down she knew it was doing her more harm than good. She was pushing her body to collapse, yet she couldn't bring herself to care.
The afternoon was filled with the study of historic texts in an effort to stave off the tiredness that tried to pull her under into the bliss of oblivion. She would not waste her time of relative peace on sleep. Hell came when the darkness fell and she could not bear to lose her only time of sanity.
Night was a double-edged blade, the darkness closed in on her, making her suffocate under its weight and with it came an unearthly hush that petrified her even more. She didn't sleep. It wasn't that she didn't want to, Kami how she wanted to, but her body refused to let her. It was like it was conspiring with the shadows and the silence to slowly, torturously kill her.
The horrors of being in solitary confinement were worse now than before, alone in her safe room. She had been given what she craved, like a starving man allowed to gorge himself on food, only to have it torn away again. She had been reminded of what it felt like to have conversation, companionship and it made the loss of it all the worse.
She hardly ate, even though Battousai had purposely left her easy to prepare food like cereal and microwave dinners. Her stomach was too full of anxiety.
So Kaoru's life continued, grappling to maintain some semblance of rationality in a world that had suddenly skewed into a blur of terror and peace. One moment she had calm, almost happiness in her reading and training, but the second the sunlight was drowned out by shadows, her mind fell into turmoil and the contrast was tearing at her.
It had been a week since Battousai's departure even though he had said it would only be a few days and she feared that if she didn't get some respite from this mental anguish he would come back to find only a shell of her former self.
Kaoru sat hunched in the corner of her room, unable to stand the openness of her bed. She knew that she must look insane, her hair wild from where she had run her hands through it repeatedly and her eyes almost feral with her panic. She clutched reflexively at the bokken which leaned against her shoulder, taking comfort from the slight pain as her tight grip caused the wood to dig into her hand. It gave her something to focus on, something other than the creeping shadows that brought the silence that ate at her soul.
The first night she had saved herself with the stacks of films that Sano kept in order of preference, but her ill fortune had stolen this comfort from her when it broke suddenly and seemingly irreparably. After that she had tried staying up at night in the library to read, and even tried meditating in the ballroom where she had always felt most comfortable and safe, but it didn't help. She would still be tormented by the silence and the shadows. In the end she could no longer bear the open space of the ballroom where the darkness could close in on her or the library where the blackness was made even starker by the faint light of her lamp and the shadows thrown by the bookcases. Even when she turned on all the lights at once, she could find no peace. She had made the dreadful discovery that when the fear of darkness was put to rest, a greater terror reared its head. Silence. With that realization, she had come to find some sick kind of solace in the obscurity of the night, letting it surround her and bring a different milder form of fear to her weakening mind.
'Kenshin, where are you?' she whispered brokenly, pulling her bokken more tightly to her body in an attempt to fend off the eerily shadowed hush stealing upon her, as the faint light of the moon was doused by the ebony of clouded night.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000
Battousai was antsy. A stranger would not have noticed anything other than a slight tension in his stance and even then only if they were very observant, but Sano could tell in the way his finger tapped the steering wheel as he drove and the nervous energy that fairly sparked from his eyes.
'Relax man, we're nearly there.'
Sano reached over to pat Battousai's shoulder in reassurance, but thought better of it when intense amber turned the full force of its frustration on him.
'Kenshin, calm down,' Sano used his rare serious tone.
Battousai glared and he held his breath for a moment, waiting for some kind of painful retribution for the sudden domineering attitude. There was none. Battousai deflated, sighing heavily and lifting a hand from the wheel to push his bangs from his eyes.
'I'm sorry, Sano,' he said tiredly. 'I just have a bad feeling that something's gone wrong. This was all a waste of time again and we still haven't found even a shred of evidence that he even exists and yet he is there, putting her in danger, and I can't seem to do anything about it.'
He slammed his fist against the wheel and snarled quietly.
'What was the point of returning to this hell if I can't protect her, damn it.'
Sano placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder now that he had calmed down somewhat.
'We have time, man. Jou-chan is safe at the house and there's no way even they can get in that place and get out alive again.'
At that moment they rounded a bend and the house, which had been shielded by the towering trees, came into view. The wrought iron, barb wire tipped gates opened for the inconspicuous black car to pass through and then clanged shut behind it with an air of finality that reassured the occupants of the vehicle.
Everything was perfectly normal, the moonlight outlining the guards patrolling the grounds with submachine guns slung over their shoulders and sniffer dogs at their sides. The tension seemed to drain from Battousai's frame in a way no amount of reassuring words or friendly banter could achieve.
'What did I tell you, man, nothing to worry about?'
Sano slapped his shoulder genially, though even a distraught Battousai noticed the hollowness his actions had taken on of late, and started the arduous task of opening the many locks on the front door.
'I'm gonna go take a long shower and get a good night's sleep.'
Battousai waited patiently a short distance behind him, eyes roaming the grounds. He could sense something different tonight, he just wasn't sure what. Then it hit him. Where was the little hyperactive Itachi? She had been in one of the trees on the west side since Kaoru's arrival, waiting in frustration for a chance to strike and unable to find one. Perhaps Aoshi had heeded his warning and forced her return to headquarters. No, that seemed unlikely, she was as stubborn as his Koneko and this facet of her disposition would no doubt only have increased with the belief that her friend was in danger, trapped with a psychopath. She must have gone for backup. He would tell the guards to increase the security detail and make some rounds himself to make sure they were undisturbed.
Finally the last lock slid back and the door swung open, allowing the two exhausted and grateful men to make their way inside. Instantly Battousai froze in place, his senses tingling and telling him something was very wrong.
Sano was still perfecting his plan of action, mumbling about getting a large amount of food and sake before bed and how good his shower was going to feel.
'Kaoru!' Battousai was a blur of motion, up at the top of the flight of stairs before Sano had even registered that he had moved.
'Kenshin, what's going on? Man?'
'Check the perimeter,' Battousai shouted over his shoulder.
Sano didn't get a chance to respond as Battousai was already gone, corridors away and out of earshot. His heart and mind were filled with one thing and one thing only, Kaoru. Was she all right? Her ki was so volatile and troubled. It roiled and wavered in a way that screamed her fear to the world. Kaoru was scared, no terrified, and Kami help whoever was causing his precious Koneko this pain.
His thoughts raced as fast as his feet. Could it be that Misao had gotten into the mansion after all? No, Kaoru wouldn't be scared of Misao. He slammed open her bedroom door, hand on the hilt of his katana, ready to tear the mysterious person to shreds.
The sight that met his eyes nearly brought him to his knees. Kaoru was in the far corner of the room, cowering like a trapped animal, her eyes flashing wildly in the sudden light from the door.
The scene was painfully reminiscent of his own paranoid assassin days. He used to sleep with his back against the wall rather than in a bed. It was too open, left too much possibility for attack. His katana would rest against his shoulder, just as she held her bokken now, so that he could draw it from the sheath at a moment's notice, and he didn't doubt that, if he had been woken by a threat, he would have had the same animalistic quality as his Koneko.
'Kaoru?' he breathed, moving forward after a scan of the room revealed that there was no threat to be dealt with. 'Kaoru, what's wrong?'
Kaoru stared up at him fearfully for a long moment without seeming to recognise who he was and he realised that with the light behind him, his face must be completely shadowed from her view.
'Koneko?'
He crouched down in front of her to be at the same height, reaching out to gently touch her face as though the mere contact might shatter her in her fragility. She seemed to come back from some far off place at the feel of his hand cupping her cheek, her eyes focusing away from the terror that resided there.
A sob wrenched itself from her throat and suddenly she was in his arms, her body trembling gently as she clutched desperately at his clothes. He held her for long moments until she quieted, rocking her softly back and forth.
Only once her tears had ebbed into silence did he lift her into his arms, just as he had when she had burnt her feet. This time she curled into him, wrapping herself around him as though her life depended on the contact.
He sensed Sano's imminent and rapid arrival. It wasn't a big surprise even if he had told him to stay down below to check the perimeter. It was clear that Sano had grown attached to Kaoru and was worried something might have happened. He also knew that Kaoru wouldn't want him to see her like this. He stepped to the open door, pushing it almost closed with his foot.
'Everything's alright Sano. Go back downstairs,' he ordered loudly through the crack in the door.
'What's going on, Kenshin? Is Kaoru okay?'
The door began to open and Battousai blocked it firmly with his foot.
Sighing heavily he did the only thing he could think of.
'We're busy, Sano, go away.'
There was a short pause and then an audible snort.
'Sure you are. I'm not as stupid as everyone seems to think I am,' he heard his friend mutter. 'You can explain what's going on later.'
The fading sounds of retreating footsteps met his ears and then silence.
Sano's certainty that they weren't doing anything, while right, still stung a little, but he brushed it off, focusing instead on the now dozing woman in his arms. He made his way to the bed, disentangling himself from her form, before laying her down and pulling the covers over her. He started to move away, but Kaoru was instantly alert and grasping his sleeve in an iron grip.
'Don't leave me,' she choked out, her eyes pleading and panicked.
Battousai smiled tenderly, turning to brush some strands of hair that had fallen across her face.
'You still don't understand, Koneko.' He sat on the edge of the bed, before leaning down to remove his shoes. 'I will never leave you, I'm just not strong enough to let you go.'
He gave Kaoru a gentle push so that she leaned back against the pillows and climbed in next to her, pulling her still shaking form against his body.
'What happened?' he asked softly, stroking her hair lightly as he propped himself up on his elbow to look down at her.
She closed her eyes, savouring the touch and breathing deeply, freely, for the first time in a week.
'It's hard to explain,' she whispered so quietly he had to strain to hear. 'It's like…every time I'm alone in the dark I can't breathe anymore, can't think past the weight of the silence. It's like…like having something heavy surrounding me, pushing inwards and forcing the air from my lungs until I can hardly breathe, hardly think past the need for sound, light. The fear eats away at me.'
The thought of it seemed to make everything worse, her words increasing in speed and her inhalations coming short and shallow.
'Kaoru.' Battousai held her impossibly closer, lowering his head to nuzzle at her neck, trying to distract her. 'Kaoru. Breathe, Koneko.'
She let out a small sob and leaned further back against his warmth, almost seeming to want to burrow into him. She calmed slowly as he murmured incoherent things in her ear in that deep, soothing voice.
'Kaoru, when did this start?'
He had to ask, had to know whether it was his fault. He realised suddenly how terrifying it must have been, believing that a sociopath was stalking her, having to give up everything she loved to run away from him. He had been so raveled up in simply protecting her that he hadn't thought about anything else, but now he saw with his own eyes the damage it might have caused. Kami, he hoped this wasn't because of him.
She sighed softly and was silent so long he didn't think she was going to respond.
'It started after Misao nearly died.'
Battousai jerked slightly in shock and she nodded, her hair tickling his chin where he rested it on her head.
'Afterwards she was sure it was you who'd attacked her, but I knew better, if it had been you she would have been dead.'
Battousai felt an ache in his chest at her conviction that he would kill so easily even after what he had told her, but he fought it back.
'It was made to look like me?' he asked evenly, trying to hide the interest he felt.
He had not been told about this.
'Yes, he was short like you.'
Battousai snorted in protest at this description of him and she couldn't help but laugh.
'In the dark he looked a lot like you, his hair the same colour and tied in the same way, but I knew it just wasn't you.'
He nodded carefully.
'We are getting off topic. What does Misao's attack have to do with your…'
He couldn't think of a word that wouldn't sound like he was saying she was sick or insane.
'Well, after the attack, Aoshi decided it was too dangerous for anyone but him to be around me. He was really shaken I think, and was desperate to protect Misao at all costs. So no one came to see me, even Misao couldn't find where I was in the safe houses. It got to the point where I didn't think about anything but the time, watching the clock and waiting for Aoshi to come with my food just to get some kind of interaction with someone.'
She laughed a little bitterly.
'Not that Aoshi was much company. He can't even hold an expression on his face, let alone keep up a conversation.'
Battousai had tensed behind her and she turned to look into his face in the faint moonlight now shining through the nearest window.
'So this is Shinomori's fault?' He hissed from between clenched teeth and she raised an eyebrow.
If she had wanted to be cruel she could have pointed out that the entire problem could be traced back to the fact that he had forced her to take refuge with the Oniwabanshu in the first place. She couldn't bring herself to say it though, to hurt him like that. Not any more.
She yawned visibly, her body calming now that her explanations were done. Battousai forcefully relaxed his body so that she would be as comfortable as possible.
'Don't kill Aoshi, Kenshin,' she mumbled, the sweet dreams that had evaded her for so long finally tugging at the corners of her mind.
She felt the vibrations of Battousai's chuckle against her back and smiled.
'Sleep, Koneko. I will stay with you.'
Kaoru didn't reply. She was already slumbering peacefully.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000
Misao stood at the entrance to the office, waiting to be invited in and fidgeting from one foot to the other. She had been waiting for the past hour just to get this far and now it was taking a long time for anyone to respond to her polite knock. When they finally did, she was nearly bouncing off the walls. Misao was not a patient person.
'Well, are you coming in, Itachi, or are you just going to stand outside and vibrate all day?'
The sarcastic voice made her want to hit something, but she refrained, reminding herself that Kaoru needed her to get his help. She opened the door and was immediately greeted by a face full of acrid smoke.
She coughed violently and a biting laugh rang around the room. Misao scowled, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the air, but it did no good. The room was so filled with it that she had to squint to even see a step ahead of her.
'Close the door.'
She complied grudgingly to the command, bidding goodbye to her clean smelling hair and clothes.
She fumbled her way to a seat, before peering through the smog in the already dimly lit room to try and make out the man behind the desk. Her attempts failed, however, and she gave up, contenting herself with only being able to see the pair of luminous yellow eyes that seemed to flash as they caught the light and the glowing red tip of a cigarette as he took a drag.
'So, to what do I owe the honour of a visit from Shinomori's pet itachi?'
Misao clenched her fists under the table to keep from trying to beat him to a pulp. "Try" was the operative word here, since there was no way in hell that she would ever actually manage to get even close to hitting this man.
'I'm not here on business for Aoshi-sama,' she said, feigning calm.
She got the impression that he was raising an eyebrow, but she couldn't be sure with the damn smoke obscuring everything. Perhaps, that was why he had it, so that people would be left at a disadvantage, unable to read his body language or expression.
'Spit it out, Itachi,' he said, dragging her from these interesting musings.
'I have a deal for you, Saitou.'
She watched the dancing patterns of smoke where she assumed his face was, trying to discern his response.
'Oh really? What makes you think that I would make a deal with a hyperactive itachi like you?' He sounded amused, but slightly bored. It was time to bring out the secret weapon.
'Because it involves the Battousai.'
There was a flare of light as he lit another cigarette and a long pause followed during which he inhaled deeply, creating an even greater shield of fumes.
'Explain.'
She smiled. Hook, line and sinker.
'The Battousai has kidnapped my best friend. He has her trapped in a Fort Knox style prison in the middle of nowhere with an army of security to protect it. I need you to help me to get in and get her out.'
Her excitement bubbled over into her speech, making it come out in one long stream at an incredible speed. She was practically hopping in her seat, a huge grin spreading across her face.
'Get out.'
It was said perfectly calmly, as though he were asking her if she wanted tea or coffee. Her mouth fell open.
'What?'
'I will not lower myself to sneaking into the Battousai's home and stealing his new pet from him while he isn't looking. If I face him, it will be in an honourable fight with no deception. Now leave.'
Disappointment made her stomach drop away. Misao recognised defeat when it stared her in the face. She had apparently managed to insult the Mibu Wolf's pride and had, therefore, lost his interest. There was no point in staying.
She stood and left, only allowing herself to slump in despair after she had left the underground headquarters of the Shinsengumi and mingled once again with the crowds of people walking down the street. Another waste of time and on top of that she now stank of smoke.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000
Megumi had not heard from or seen Sano in a week. The day after their fight at the restaurant she had left her office in the medical wing and found the corridor outside empty. Normally he was leaning against the opposite wall, one foot bent and propped against it and arms folded over his chest, his habitually cocky grin plastered across his face. She had been shaken by the sudden spasm of pain his absence had caused her, only then becoming aware of how much she had anticipated these meetings. They had taken the edge off her sometimes horrific days as a medic, a light at the end of the often gory tunnel. More than that though, she had loved the banter and that damn infuriatingly infectious smile of his.
Since then she had tried vainly to keep him from her mind, pouring everything she had into her work. The assassins of the Ishin Shishi were very good, in fact she believed them to be the best in the world, but even they returned with bloody wounds, broken bones and on occasion actual life threatening injuries. Yet, more often than not, she was left with paperwork or check-ups, activities which neither stimulated nor consumed her thoughts, allowing her attention to wander to, and poke at, her own raw mental wounds.
She had tried to remain angry, clutching at her fury as a lifeline saving her from being driven insane by her heartache, but it hadn't lasted long and she couldn't help the feeling that she had made a huge mistake.
Sitting in the cafeteria, she ignored the clatter and chatter at the other tables around her empty one, prodding the salad in front of her without much interest. It was not that it wasn't good. The food here was far better than the traditional fare in other company cafeterias since they needed their employees both happy and at the peak of health, but she simply could not bring herself to eat anything.
Crossly she stabbed a piece and made herself put it in her mouth, chewing vigorously. It was enough with the pity party. She did not need or want a man to make her happy. She could manage that perfectly well herself. She had never needed anyone in her life before, she had few friends and no family, and she was not going to start now.
A chair scraped out across from her and she turned the full force of her glare from her plate to its occupant. Who the hell decided to give themselves permission to join her? Her eyes widened and her heart gave an involuntary skip when she found Sano slouching nonchalantly in the seat, legs apart and one arm thrown over its back.
'Megumi,' he intoned without expression.
Reigning herself in, she raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow and returned his gaze. She would have spoken, but, exasperatingly, she actually feared her voice might tremble. What was he doing here? Had he not given up? She furiously quashed the little bubble of hope floating to the surface, reminding herself that she did not want him anyway.
'We need your advice. Something is wrong with Kaoru.'
Finding her voice, she let it drip with ice, hating all the while how jealous she couldn't help sounding.
'Of course, there is. The precious Tanuki can't seem to go a day without getting hurt somehow. I suppose you rushed straight here for your dear little damsel in distress. As head medic I have better things to be doing, but I'll give you some free advice, Tori-Atama, you'd better be careful or Battousai will gut you like a fish for trying to steal his woman.'
Standing, she lifted her tray and was about to turn away when Sano reached across the table and yanked her forward, knocking it from her grip. It fell to the floor with a deafening crash, lettuce leaves and tomato flying everywhere.
The entire cafeteria fell silent as they turned to find the source of the noise, but Sano was oblivious to the lot of them, once again his attention only for the woman in front of him. His face was contorted with a mixture of desperation and fury.
'What is it I need to do to prove it to you, Megumi? What can I do to show you that you are the only one I want?'
She struggled to break his hold, embarrassed and trying to maintain her composure. He released her suddenly and she stumbled a couple of steps backwards, watching in shock as he jumped up onto the table she had just vacated and faced the rest of the people in the room.
'All right, folks, I have an announcement for you,' he shouted through the hush.
When someone chuckled, thinking perhaps he was going to make one of his comic speeches, Sano turned blazing eyes in their direction, silencing them instantly.
'I am in love with Megumi Takani, head of the medical team. I have loved her since the moment she stabbed me with a needle for staring at her breasts during my first medical check-up. I don't want any other woman and I will never want any other woman ever again. Sorry about that ladies, but that's the way it is. I'm whipped and she holds the lash.'
Stepping down from his perch, he grabbed the gob smacked woman around the waist, dragged her to him and kissed her to the hoots and catcalls of the crowd.
'Is that good enough?'
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000
Sano was supposed to be back by now. He'd called earlier, sounding a little too cheerful for the topic, with Megumi's diagnosis and her recommendation for treatment. The doctor herself had not apparently been able to return with him as she had meetings to attend, but she had said that by the sounds of it Kaoru had acquired a form of autophobia, the fear of isolation, which was manifesting as a terror of silence. While she made it clear that Kaoru would need counseling to work through these issues, she understood that that was impossible at the moment so she had suggested a satisfactory temporary solution for the problem.
Sighing, Battousai looked again at the clock, before turning his attention to the woman he was force-feeding.
'Kenshin, I can't eat any more, I'll explode,' she whined pitifully holding her stomach and groaning for good measure.
He grinned boyishly, a new expression that made Kaoru's heart flip flop.
'Eat, Koneko, you haven't been feeding yourself properly while I've been gone.'
Raising a spoon filled with miso soup to her pouting lips, he waited patiently until she opened her mouth. He repeated the action and she had just reached for a handily placed spatula to beat him with, when the door burst open and a self-satisfied looking Sano swaggered in.
'Mission accomplished,' he crowed. 'It's in the office. Ah miso, I'm starved!'
He abandoned his strut and dived for the soup pan. Battousai laughed, ignoring Kaoru's questioning look as he left the room.
'What was the mission, Sano?'
He looked up from devouring a huge hunk of bread dipped in miso and the wickedest smirk she had ever seen passed across his face. It made him look much like a kid who was in on a great secret. It changed almost immediately into a wide-eyed innocence that did not fool her one bit.
'I don't know what you're talking about, Jou-chan.'
She gripped the spatula, itching to hit him. Kaoru was not one to resist her violent impulses and Sano found himself sporting a spatula shaped red patch on his forehead.
'Koneko.'
She turned from gloating and waving her spatula at a distinctly disgruntled Sano to find a large box with a red bow on the table. Battousai leaned against the counter beside it. She instantly forgot her victory, making her way towards it warily. It had strange holes all over the lid and she frowned at it suspiciously.
'It's for you. Open it,' Battousai said, waving his hand at it impatiently.
She regarded him for a moment, before cautiously undoing the bow and lifting the lid. A small head popped out as soon as it was open, big burnished gold eyes staring up at her reprovingly as if to say it was not at all amused at being shoved in a box and carted around.
'A kitten?' She gasped happily, lifting it out to cradle in her arms.
It wriggled wildly for a moment, unhappy about being dangled over such a high drop for such a small body, before finally deciding it was safe and settling down.
'I went all the way to the city to get that for you, you know, Jou-chan,' Sano said sulkily.
Overflowing with goodwill, Kaoru immediately felt guilty for hitting him with the spatula.
'Sorry Sano,' she said sheepishly.
Rubbing his poor abused face, his face split into an evil grin that made Kaoru suddenly wary again.
'It hurts, Jou-chan, will you kiss it better?' He whined, pouting childishly.
Before she could formulate a snarky response, a low growl reached Kaoru's ears and she blinked, looking down to see what had distressed her new kitten so much. However, the said kitten was busy trying to burrow its way beneath her armpit and didn't seem at all upset. So where had the noise come from?
She looked around in confusion, her eyes coming to a stop on Battousai, who was looking away, his bangs shadowing his eyes and his teeth clenched hard. When she turned back to Sano he had turned a shade paler. She frowned and Battousai hurriedly began to talk.
'The kitten is to keep you company if we have to go out,' Battousai said, reaching over to stroke its chin and making it purr loudly. 'It'll make all the noise you need.'
Sano forgot about his newest bruise and his near death experience, jumping up to come and rub its head.
'I call her Kenshin,' he quipped merrily.
He laughed loudly at Battousai's indignant expression.
'You call her Kenshin?'
Kaoru couldn't help but giggle too. It was true that the kitten had deep red fur almost identical in shade to Battousai's hair and the eyes, now that she looked, had the same copper tone.
'That's perfect! Kenshin it is.'
She kissed it on the tip of its nose and smiled so happily that Battousai stifled the protest he wanted to make. Instead, he retaliated by smirking seductively, leaning forward until their foreheads nearly touched.
'Don't I get a kiss as well? My name is Kenshin too,' he murmured, his breath fanning out over her cheek making her shiver deliciously.
Kaoru felt herself begin to blush but quashed it immediately. She was not a schoolgirl with a crush, damn it. She had a sneaking suspicion Battousai's possessive side had just made a reappearance and, while she wouldn't tolerate it constantly, this was the perfect opportunity to reassure him of exactly where her feelings were beginning to lead her and it definitely wasn't towards Sano.
Closing the distance between their faces, she kissed the corner of his mouth ever so softly, before quickly sashaying away towards the door, kitten still in her arms. Looking coyly over her shoulder, she rejoiced inwardly at the way Battousai was frozen in place, a look of surprise on his face. He hadn't been expecting her to follow up on his flirting and that amused her to no end. Never underestimate Kamiya Kaoru. She felt like punching the air in triumph but held herself back until she was out of sight.
'We'll be in the library, boys.'
She pushed open the swing door and just as she was leaving couldn't help but call back, a mischievous smile playing at her lips.
'I hope you liked your thank you, Kenshin.'
Author's note: The little bar with submit review written on it is there for a reason y'all, use it and make an author's year.