9
Love In the Way of Dragons

Kaoru sat beneath a shady tree, smiling as she watched a small bird dust its feathers. Early that morning, Kenshin had left the canyon to go hunting again. In his absence, and this time making very, truly sure that he really was absent, she bathed in the pool, washed her hair and then, feeling lazy and content, had settled beneath the gnarled old tree to enjoy the beauty of her surroundings.

And to think about the future.

It had been two days since Kenshin had accidentally walked up on her by the pool. He had seemed preoccupied since then. Often she caught him staring at her, an odd look on his face.

But they were friends again, at least. The uneasiness that had sprung between them that night had disappeared, and she could sometimes pretend she had just imagined it. Never had she been happier than she was now, living with Kenshin. He was sweet and kind and wonderful, and she felt completely safe, even here in the wilderness.

She wondered if her aunt and uncle missed her at all. Probably her uncle would be more upset to discover his father's sword was missing, and his two best horses had been taken. And Aunt Urei would miss her only because she would have to do her own chores from now on.

She shook her head. It was too nice a day to think unpleasant thoughts. Better to think of Kenshin, who was a very pleasant thought instead. She felt that odd little shiver in the pit of her stomach as she summoned his image to mind. She never tired of looking at him, never grew weary of hearing his voice. She hadn't known many men in her life, only a handful who lived and worked on the nearby farms. There had been just few boys her age in town, but her aunt had never let her associate with them except under strict supervision. And then there had been Kamishi…

She grimaced at the thought of him, remembering how he had tried to kiss her and how repulsive it had been.

Kenshin put them all to shame. Old or young, none of the men she had ever met could compare to her Wild Boy…her Wild Boy. She liked the sound of that. Hers.

She recalled the nights she'd left her room and made her way to the loft. There, in Kenshin's arms, she had found solace for her troubles. On the days when everything went wrong, when her aunt upbraided every minor fault, when her uncle had been brusque and impatient, Kaoru had looked forward to the few hours she could spend with Kenshin. She could hide in his arms, shed her tears freely, tell him how miserable she was, how awful it was to be unloved. And he had understood. Even when he said nothing, she had seen the sympathy in his eyes, felt it in the way his arms tightened around her, in the soft stroke of his hand on her hair.

This special feeling of closeness, was it love, or merely the ability to empathize with another human being? Why didn't Aunt Urei feel the same toward Uncle Shiji?

She heard the sound of hoof beats echoing between the high canyon walls. Kenshin was back! She jumped to her feet, eager to see him, then froze, a hard knot of fear congealing in her belly as she stared at the riders coming toward her. No, it was not Kenshin at all.

The four men exchanged grins as they reined their horses to a halt a short distance from where Kaoru was standing alone under the tree. The leader, a barrel-chested man with a bristly black heard and greasy black hair, learned forward on his horse.

His close-set brown eyes swept over her and then perused the camp, noting there was only one horse grazing nearby. "You all alone, Miss?"

Kaoru shook her head mutely.

"She's alone," another said confidently. "Let's take her and go before her man returns."

The leader nodded. "Takuho, get her."

Kaoru backed away as an incredibly tall man slid from the back of his horse and walked purposefully toward her. "Come on, Girly," he called as Kaoru backpedaled. "You might as well come along peaceful-like. There's no place for you to go."

Hoping by some miracle that Kenshin might be in hearing distance, Kaoru shouted out as the man's huge hand closed on her forearm. He didn't even flinch, easily tossing her over his shoulder, mounting his horse, and dropping her, none too gently, in front of him. She squirmed as his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Nijiya," the leader called. "Get her horse."

This was a bad dream. She had fallen asleep, napping in the sun, and she was now having a nightmare. Then she felt her captor's hand caress her upper arm, felt his beard-roughened jaw against her cheek, and she knew that it was real.

They rode out of the canyon, with Takuho and Kaoru bringing up the rear. One of the four men stayed behind.

"To take care of your man," Takuho informed her.

"No," Kaoru gritted, struggling all the harder as she pictured Kenshin riding into the canyon unawares, being shot down in cold blood.

Takuho laughed softly. "We don't want him to come looking for you and spoil our fun, now do we?"

"What do you mean?"

"We try all the girls before we sell them off."

"S-sell--?"

"Yeah. They pay big money for nice, fresh girls, and they don't mind if they're a little used, if you know what I mean."

Kenshin paused at the canyon entrance. Something was amiss.

His eyes swept the canyon floor, immediately picking up fresh tracks. Four horses had entered the canyon. Four horses had left. But not the same four horses. One had been Kaoru's big roan.

Kenshin dismounted to get a better look at the tracks, and then he heard the sound of a gunshot echoing off the canyon walls.

He dropped to his knees, swung toward the sound of the report. A man was bearing down on him, a rifle in his hands, a shrill war cry on his lips.

"Feh," Kenshin murmured, standing, his sword sliding free from the sheath almost lazily. "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu…Doryusen--"

The massive airways of the attack scoured the ground, and the Enemy fell under a mighty barrage of rocks and earth.

Not pausing to look over the body, Kenshin jerked the deer carcass from across his buckskin's withers and vaulted back onto the horse's back. He galloped back to his camp, a deathly grimace across his features. Kaoru! She'd better be all right. If they'd harmed her--

The signs of the intruders were easy to read. Four men came in and three had left, taking Kaoru with them and leading her horse. The fourth man had been left behind for him.

Kenshin reigned the buckskin in a tight, rearing turn and thundered back the way he had come, his narrowed eyes fixed on the ground. These men had ridden into his camp and laid hands on his woman, and for that they would die.

Kaoru was numb from riding by the time her abductors stopped for the night. The sun was setting, and she shivered as a cold northeasterly wind blew across the land, chasing away the sun's warmth.

She looked over her shoulder repeatedly as they rode away from the canyon, hoping every time to see Kenshin riding toward them.

"You're wasting your time," the man called Takuho had told her more than once. "He's dead by now."

Takuho lifted her from his horse, trussed her hands and feet together. His fingers drifted to places they shouldn't have as he stopped to whisper in her ear, assuring her he would be gentle when his time came.

Kaoru glared at him. It wasn't going to happen. Kenshin was not dead. He was coming after her, and then these men would be sorry.

Around her, the three of them laughed and joked as they set their horses out to graze, built a fire, threw bits of meat into a cooking pot.

The man called Nijiya strolled toward her some time later, offering her something to eat, but Kaoru only glowered at him, baring teeth, the only defense she had left to her, when his hand strayed too close to her hair. He raised his eyebrows, but understood the message and backed off for now.

But it was only a temporary respite. The leader of the men sauntered over shortly after Nijiya moved away from her. He gestured at the food that had been left for her. "Better eat," he advised. You'll need your strength."

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"Why?" The man looked at her as if she were slightly addled. "For the money, of course. Pretty little one like you is worth a fair amount in coin or trade. Then, too, it's a good way for me and my boys to sample a wide variety of goods without having to pay for it."

Minutes passed, and Kaoru watched the crude, vulgar men sitting around their fire, wolfing down their meat.

Were these the kinds of men that Kenshin had been used to fighting? Men who cared nothing for the ones that they hurt, only focused on their own gain and pleasure? Were these the kinds of men that harmed Kenshin's sister, that still continued to hunt down the drake people and looked down on the Wild People of Kenshin's kind?

If so, then perhaps they did deserve anything they got from the dragons that fought them at every turn.

A loud, joyful cry came from the group, and Kaoru jerked her head around as Takuho leaped to his feet. He was grinning from ear to ear as he gestured at a pair of dice on the ground.

"I wouldn't have minded going last," he drawled to his companions. "But first is going to be a hell of a lot better."

Her bravado was draining away fast as he towered over her, his huge hands fumbling with the ties of his belt, eyes glazed over with lust. As he bent toward her, Kaoru bit down on the scream rising in her throat, lashing out with her bound feet at his shins.

He swore violently as her foot struck his knee. He retaliated swiftly, open palm striking her cheek so hard it made her eyes water and her ears ring.

Still she continued to struggle against the ropes that held her, gasped when Takuho grabbed hold of the hem of her kimono, beginning to tug it up around her hips, not even bothering with the obi. She clenched her teeth together, hearing the other two men egg him on, and she felt an overwhelming sense of defeat…when this one was finished with her, there would be two more to take his place.

He made a mistake when he tried to kiss her. She gagged when she felt his tongue trying to invade her mouth, and unmindful of the consequences, she bit down on him. There was only a moment to feel victory when he yelped and drew away. Calling her a foul name, he slapped her again, much harder than the first time.

From far away, she heard the sound of ribald laughter, heard the other two men exchange amused remarks about the fact that one little girl was giving a man as large as Takuho so much trouble.

Kaoru closed her eyes again as he reached for her.

Nijiya shouted something. She heard the crackle of flames as more wood was tossed on the fire. Then she heard three gunshots, the second and third coming hard on the heels of the first, so that the shots all blended into one long, rolling explosion. There was a strong wind and a loud groan near her ear, something warm and sticky splattered over her face and neck. Then were was only silence, louder than the sound of gunfire, and a great heaviness across her lower body.

Her heart was pounding when she finally dared open her eyes. In terror, she saw Takuho sprawled across her thighs. Frozen, she could only stare at the blood that soaked the ground and stained her legs. The blood of a dead man. And he was very, very dead. His eyes were wide and staring, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

And now another man stood before her, a shadowy man with eyes filled with smoldering rage. There was no recognition when she looked at him, only gut-wrenching fear.

She began to scream hysterically as he rolled the dead man off her, then knelt beside her and gathered her into his arms.

"No! No!" Her bound hands clenched into fists and she pummeled at his solid chest, her eyes filling with tears, her voice growing hoarse as she screamed for him to leave her alone.

Gently, yet firmly, her flailing fists were grasped in one of his hands. Sitting back on his heels, he drew her into his lap, cut the ropes that bound her hands and feet with his sword.

"Please be still, Kaoru-dono," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "I am here now. No one will hurt you."

The sound of his voice calmed her and she stared at him, still not comprehending.

"Don't cry, Kaoru-dono." His hand stroked her hair in that warm, familiar way. "It's all right. The men who took you from me are dead. They will not hurt you again."

"Kenshin?" She blinked at him through her tears, the terror that had gripped her slipped away as the sound of his voice penetrated the stark horror.

"Yes. I'm here."

"Oh, Kenshin," she sobbed, burying her face against his shoulder. "Kenshin, I…I…"

She felt him nod. "I know, Kaoru-dono. I know."

Her arms crept around his wait, clinging to him with all her strength. Kenshin murmured to her softly, his hands stroking her back, until she fell asleep in his arms.

Kenshin carefully lifted Kaoru and carried her away from the Enemies' camp. His horse was tethered several yards away in a grove of trees, and he left her there, sleeping on the soft grass.

He went back to the camp and went though the gear he found there. Since it would no longer be of use to the dead men, he took their foodstuff, blankets, and cooking utensils. He found a lot of coin on them as well. He examined the bits of metal for a moment before shrugging and dropping the purses of it into his war bags. He wouldn't have much use for the coins, but he knew the New People thought a lot of them, traded them for food and other things. There might be a time when they would come in handy.

When he had gathered everything he considered useful, he tossed the war bags and blankets over his shoulder and made his way back to Kaoru. It didn't cross his mind to bury the dead men. The wolves and the scavengers would be along soon to see to that in their own way. Carrion didn't last long in the wilderness.

Kaoru was still asleep. Gently, he washed the blood from her face, neck, and legs, drew her kimono down and straightened it carefully, then covered her with one of the heavy wool blankets.

He hunkered down on his heels beside her. The image of the Enemy bending over her flashed through his mind, grimacing as he killed the man over again in his mind. He had cut them all down, the way he would have killed marauding animals. That's what they were, animals, not men.

Resting his sword on his shoulder, he rested his back against a tree, turning his eyes up to look at the stars.

He hadn't been there to save his sister from men like that, but he would be there to protect Kaoru.

Birdsong woke her from her sleep.

She blinked at the sun shining overhead, then quickly sat up as she recalled the night before. Kenshin…he had come for her. Where was he now?

Scrambling to her feet, she opened her mouth to call his name, but then she saw him. He was standing several feet away, his back toward her, his face lifted toward the rising sun.

He stood there for a long time, and Kaoru wondered what he was doing.

Abruptly, he turned and saw her. Then he was striding toward her, and she felt again that peculiar catch in her heart, that odd stirring in the pit of her stomach.

He was smiling, his eyes more gentle that she had ever seen them before. "Kaoru-dono. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you." She glanced around, but there was no sign of the dead men. She realized Kenshin had carried her away from their camp so she wouldn't have to see the bodies. She smiled at him, grateful for his thoughtfulness. "What were you doing over there?"

"I was talking to my sister."

"Oh," she said softly.

He looked at her a moment, his eyes a little wider, a little softer. "I…almost lost you to them the same way I lost her," he said, almost inaudibly.

"But you didn't," she said quickly, hurting for the emotion she saw lurking in the backs of his eyes. I'm all right, Kenshin. You saved me. I'm here, see?"

She held out a hand and he took it, tracing patterns on her palm with his thumb. "Yes, I see. You are very real."

"Wild Boy," Kaoru murmured breathlessly. "You make me feel so strange."

A slow smile crept over his face. "Do I, Love?"

Sweetness as she had never known flowed through her views, filling her heart. She thought it might burst before it could contain the joy.

She swayed toward him, her cheek resting on his chest, her body pressing against his, delighting in the solidness and subtle strength of him, in the sound of his heart beating near her ear. His hands slid down her arms and his mouth was pressed to the top of he head.

"Kaoru." His voice was husky, and she felt his hands tremble as they came to rest on her shoulders.

She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. It was suddenly hard to breathe. Her lips parted, tongue darting out to lick away the dryness.

Kenshin let out a long breath and then, as if surrendering to an urge he could no longer deny, he kissed her.

Kaoru's eyelids fluttered down as his mouth closed over hers. His hands circled her waist possessively, protectively. His kiss deepened. Kaoru gave herself over to the sheer pleasure of it, all her senses reeling as sensation after sensation flooded her. Her legs went weak, and she might have fallen but for his arms tightly holding her to him. Her heart was pounding wildly, so loud in her ears she could hear nothing else. The tip of his tongue teased the sensitive skin on the inside of her lower lip and she shuddered with delight. Oh, Kenshin, you make me feel so strange.

Kenshin closed his eyes as he tasted the sweetness of her. His blood was singing, and he was filled with the scent of her. Never had he wanted woman more, and yet, despite her fullness and soft curves, she was still untouched, innocent.

"Kaoru," he said thickly. "You must tell me to stop before it's too late."

She didn't understand. He read the confusion in her eyes, knew she yearned for him to give her that which she desired but, didn't fully understand.

Clenching his jaw, he put his hands on her shoulders and held her way from him. If only she were not a maiden. If only she were not so young. If only he didn't want her so desperately…

"Kenshin?"

He let out a long, shuttering sigh. "I…I think we should prepare the morning meal," he rasped, though food was the last thing he wanted. "I'll get your horse."

Kaoru stared after him as he turned and walked quickly away. In wonder, she lifted her fingertips to her lips, a little awed by the powerful emotions his kiss had aroused in her. Was…was she bad, to feel this way? Surely her aunt would think so. Why, then, did she feel such elation?

Thirty minutes later, they were riding toward the canyon. Kenshin was mounted on one of the dead mens' horses, a big black gelding with a blaze face and a spotted rump. It was a beautiful animal, and Kaoru thought it suited him perfectly.

When they reached the canyon, Kenshin retrieved the deer he'd killed. Scavengers and gnawed on the carcass, but there was plenty of meat left, and after he cut away the portion where the animals had eaten, he sliced the meat into long strips and hung it from a tree to dry.

He spent several days tanning the hide, curing it until it was soft and pliable. Kaoru watched, amazed, as the rough hide was transformed into a piece of material that felt like velvet.

Their comfort improved considerably with the addition of the food and utensils Kenshin had collected. They had enough blankets to make two comfortable beds (even if Kenshin only slept lying down once in a while) and even a few spices for their meals.

Kenshin hadn't touched her since that one soul-stirring kiss. He was careful to stay away from the pool when he knew she was there, careful to keep his distance inside the shelter at night.

They had been back in the canyon just over a week when one night Kaoru woke screaming from a nightmare. Kenshin was instantly by her side, his voice reaching out to her in the darkness as his arms drew her close.

"I'm here, Kaoru-dono," he crooned, rocking her in his arms as if she were a small child. "I am here."

"Those men were chasing me!" she babbled into his shirt. "They were chasing me, and no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't get away! Kenshin, they caught me, and I…I cried for you, but you never came. You never came."

"I will always come for you," Kenshin promised fiercely. His lips brushed her hair, her forehead, the gentle curve of her tear-stained cheek. "Don't think of it any more. It was only a bad dream."

She sniffed, her eyes wide and intent on his face as she shyly placed her hand on his cheek, let her fingers trace the outline of his cheekbone and the curve of his jaw.

Her touch raced through him like a grassland fire. With a low groan he grasped her shoulders, drew her against him, and he kissed her again, his mouth fierce and possessive.

His kiss was long, filled with all the wanting, all the need he had been holding in check, and she surrendered to him. Or was it that she joined him, melded into him? Or was he surrendering to her, joining her?

What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing? What I'm doing…I'm loving her. I want her. Right or wrong, I want her.

One of them was trembling, but he wasn't sure which. Perhaps both of them as he lifted himself away from her. Giving her one last chance to change her mind, he said, "Are you sure, Kaoru? Are you really, truly sure? If I take you now, you'll be my woman according to the laws of my people. You'll be my wife, and I will never let you go."

He waited for he answer, for the words that would either send him to heaven or plunge him straight to hell. He needed her light now, her sweetness, the softness and gentle words and touches that he hadn't known in so long. He needed the way she washed the blood from his mind, made the fighting seem far away and unimportant. He wanted to lie in her arms, listen to her voice, wake up with her every morning, fall asleep with her every night. If she said no…oh, God, if she said no…

She smiled up at him. Her hands moved up his arms, across his shoulders, and locking them behind his neck she drew his mouth to hers.

"Are you sure?" he asked again when they parted to breathe, needing to hear the words as well. "I am a brother of dragons, Kaoru-dono. There is so much you don't know--"

"Then I'll learn it," she said, putting a finger over his lips to silence him. "Kenshin, I am sure."

The shadows swayed again and again. The night's music was sweeter somehow, but also more hushed at the same time.

This night, a man who hadn't known happiness in years opened his heart and let in all he would ever need. This night, he took a wife.