AN: . I don't speak Japanese, yet I've done my best to research the words I've used, and to use them properly, or as they are used in the anime-manga. If I've used anything incorrectly please let me know. I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think of this story. Feedback always makes me write faster.

This fic is rated M for mature themes, and will probably end up with some lemon stuff. 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.

Chapter five – Akumu (Nightmare)

"Konnichi-wa." Kenshin called as they pulled open the front door of the house an hour or so later.

"Ken-san." Megumi called out as she rushed out of the kitchen. "Oh, Kaoru-san, thank the gods you're alright." She rushed to Kaoru and threw her arms around her, pulling back quickly when Kaoru let out a little squeak and went ramrod stiff. "Are you injured? What's wrong?" Megumi continued quickly, not noticing Kenshin standing behind Kaoru and shaking his head at her.

"Nothing." Kaoru said slowly. "I'm just tired." Even as she said it, she realized that she had to tell at least one person what had happened. She had to tell a doctor, because she still hurt and needed to make sure she didn't need medicine or something.

"It's more." Megumi said. "What happened to you?"

Kaoru ignored her for a moment, turning to Kenshin. "I'm going to go sleep more. Can you tell Megumi-san what happened? All of it, please. Then I need her to speak with me."

"You're sure, Kaoru-san?" Kenshin asked, barely restraining himself from reaching out to touch her.

"I'm sure." Kaoru said gently. "I need to speak with both a woman and a doctor, this way I only have to talk about it once." Without waiting for an answer, she turned, went into her bedroom, and slid the door shut behind her.

She pulled out her futon and lay down on it without bothering with undressing or getting out the rest of the bedding. Unable to sleep, as she'd known she'd be, she cast her eyes around the room until they came to rest on the one wall hanging in her room. She stared at the picture of cranes flying over the sea until Megumi knocked on her door.

"Kaoru-chan?" Megumi called gently.

"Come in." Kaoru said simply as she rolled over and faced the door.

Megumi entered immediately, rushing over to the futon and kneeling next to Kaoru. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, musume."

"I don't want anyone else to know." Kaoru said instantly.

"I will not speak of it." Megumi said as she stroked the girl's hair. "You have my word on that. Now, do you still hurt?"

OrOOrOOrO

Sano and Yahiko were there when Kaoru finally came out of her room for dinner, but they said nothing of what had happened. In fact, they acted as if it hadn't happened. Kenshin must have told them not to mention it, but she knew him well enough to not worry that he'd told them the truth.

Megumi got into an animated discussion with the two of them, distracting them from the fact that neither Kenshin nor Kaoru were really saying anything.

Kaoru passed through the meal in a daze, barely aware of those around her or of what she was eating. She was exhausted, and had spent the entire day trying to sleep, but it had eluded her like a most skillful prey. As soon as dinner was over, Kaoru excused herself and went back to her room, tossing and turning until her mind finally gave into the demands of her body and she fell into a restless sleep.

Hours later, Kenshin woke up suddenly. He stretched out with his senses, as he always did when awakening suddenly. Because whatever had woken him up was usually something bad.

Then he heard the sobbing from the next room. Rising quickly and pulling the ties of his yukata tighter around him, he rushed out of his room and into the hall. He hurried to her room and entered, remembering to close the door behind him because he didn't want to awaken Yahiko.

"Kaoru-koishii, it's me." Kenshin knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. Instead of being comforted like she had the night before, she jerked awake with a small scream, pulling away and curling up into a ball. "Kaoru-koishii, you're safe. He can't hurt you anymore, I'm here." Before she'd left Megumi had told Kenshin quietly that Kaoru would likely have nightmares for weeks, and that it was normal. She'd also told him the best ways to care for her, and that number one was to make sure she knew he was there, and that he'd never let the other man near her.

"Kenshin…" She rolled towards him, pillowing her head in his lap. Apparently she had no problems touching him, she just didn't like being touched when she didn't know it was coming.

"Are dreams haunting you?" He whispered as he stroked her hair.

"I tried to sleep all day but I couldn't." She confessed. "I finally fell asleep after dinner, but I feel like I haven't gotten any rest at all. I'm so afraid he'll come back. And I can't get what happened out of my head."

Kenshin couldn't get it out of his either, but in his case the feeling was a white-hot rage that felt like his soul was on fire. It was taking all the self-control he'd carefully built up to not go kill the man who had left her like this. But he knew that wouldn't make things better or right, and she needed him with her. His arm coming up around her back, he began to rub soothing circles.

She stopped crying after only a moment, and her arms came around her waist. She then moved up, sliding until her head rested on his chest, where she could listen to his heartbeat. Going through one of the first breathing kata she had ever learned, she matched her breathing and heartbeat to his until she felt calm again.

Sensing what she was doing, Kenshin remained silent, focusing on being a calm center for her. When she was again calm, he resumed brushing a hand through her hair and said tenderly, "Do you want me to sit with you until you fall asleep?"

"No." She whispered, tilting her head up to look at him. Since he'd looked down to ask his question, this put their lips inches apart. "I want you to hold me like you did last night." She leaned up hesitantly and brushed her lips to his.

Kenshin's heart soared that she would make the first move, and his arms tightened around her as she allowed him to deepen the kiss. When he felt her hand hesitantly slid into his yukata and come to rest over his heart, he slid both his hands up to cup her cheeks and slowly pulled away from her, brushing a thumb over her swollen lips.

She took one of his hands as she slid to the other side of the futon, letting him slid in next to her. He slid in, but his eyes remained cautiously on hers. "Are you sure this is…"

"I know I'll be able to sleep if you're here." She said as she cuddled in, resting her head again over his heart. He slipped his arms around her, beginning to trace circles over her back. "Dai suki desu."

She cuddled in more as he said it back, and again slid a hand under his yukata to rest on his warm skin. His hands on her, around her, didn't inspire fear, only warmth and comfort. She tilted her head in and placed a kiss on his chest. His hands tensed, and she tilted her head up to find him looking down at her with eyes that showed unfathomable love. She leaned up and kissed him again.

Kenshin responded to the kiss, his hands fisting in her yukata before he consciously relaxed them and slid one up her back to the nape of her neck, running his fingers over the smooth skin. She sighed into his mouth, her fingers slowly tracing over his chest.

When her fingers brushed over his nipple, he inhaled sharply, his hand on her neck squeezing gently.

She pulled back instantly, worry coming over her face. "What did I do?"

He chuckled in a very masculine way. "Something that felt good."

She brushed a hand over his nipple again and watched his eyes cloud. She wanted to ask him to touch her the same way, but couldn't imagine giving voice to something like that. Instead she closed her eyes and rested her head back on his chest.

He sensed something was wrong. "What is it?"

"This is all so new to me." She said after a moment, unable to think of anything else to say. He didn't respond other than to begin running a hand over her hair again. Encouraged by his obvious attention, she dared to say more. "I feel like my entire life is different." She said softly, listening to his heartbeat, which was slowly returning to normal. "Before, it was such a thrill just to touch you. I dreamed of you kissing me, but it was hard to dream when I didn't even know what a kiss felt like. I never dreamed of anything beyond that."

"Kaoru…"

"But every time you touch me, it sends this amazing feeling through my body. Every time you touch me, I feel cleaner, as if what happened is washing away." Still not looking at him, she finished, "And everything I feel makes me wonder how much more wonderful it could be, how much more I could feel."

"There's so much more, koishii," Kenshin whispered as he tilted her head up so that he could see her eyes. "But this is not the time for it. Not so soon after…"

"But you make me forget." She sobbed.

His eyes slid shut, as against his will his feelings of unworthiness flooded back up. Although the last thing she needed right now was his problems, he couldn't help it. "And is that the only reason you want this now?"

"Kenshin…" She ran a hand over his cheek, over the scar. "The first time I stood at your side as a friend, I wanted to hold your hand. Every time I held you hand I wanted to cling to you. The one time you hugged me, I wanted you to kiss me as well. Doesn't it make sense that now that you've kissed me I want more? Maybe part of it is that you make me forget. Maybe part of it is that I only knew pain from something that is supposed to be wonderful, and I want to feel the good parts. But in the end, it's just that I love you and want to know what it feels like to be loved."

Her simple words shattered him. "And I would show you." A tear slid down his cheek at her trust in him. "But not here, not now. I honor you too much for that."

"Honor…"

"Only after we've stood before the shrine." Kenshin gripped her to him. "Let us do this properly, and let the first time we are together be as it should be, when we lay in our room as husband and wife."

Kaoru could only stare at him. She'd dreamed of him saying something like this to her, but it had been so far out of the realm of the possible that she'd truly believed it would not ever happen.

"If you'll agree, that is." Kenshin said, slightly worried when she didn't respond. "Kaoru, will you go to the shrine with me? Will you marry me?"

"Hai." She responded finally, arms tight around him. "Oh yes, yes, Kenshin, yes." She raised her face to accept his kiss.

At least one more part, maybe more…

Glossary…

Dai suki desu – literally "I like you a lot," often used in place of "I love you," in Japanese culture. See, they believe in showing love rather than talking about it, so they don't say "I love you" nearly as much as Americans do. This is a phrase that is used more often.

Musume – daughter, or girl. In Japanese culture, it is common to call a younger girl this if you are close to her, especially if you are acting in a motherly fashion towards her. (at least that's what my research says)

Yukata – sleeping kimono (made of cotton)