Disclaimer: Neither Rurouni Kenshin nor its characters belongs to me. Sigh.

Notes:
- I think Aoshi and Kaoru deserve a break, right? And Karuizawa is a terrific spot for a little R&R.
- I didn't do any research into old hot spring decorum – I'm going strictly off of more recent bath house experiences. I didn't even consider the differences until I was ready to post the chapter, and I'm too time-deprived to do the research. Sorry!
- Thoughts are in italics. Sometimes some things are emphasized with italics, too.

Terms:
Waki-honjin – lodging for second-ranking travelers (highest ranking stayed at the honjin.)

AN: I'm so sorry for the super-delay. I've had sick aunts, (one had a heart attack, the other a stroke,) my father underwent gall stone surgery, I have a crazy work schedule AND I had what was probably swine flu. Boo for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I'll try to have the next one out sooner, but I can't make any promises. If only I didn't have to work full time... - Neomiko

Chapter 6

Kaoru awoke bright and early…relatively speaking. Slowly stepping out of her room, she wasn't surprised to see that Aoshi was already up and waiting for her. The night before the two had agreed to meet for breakfast. Hopefully, Aoshi hadn't been waiting for too long, but Kaoru's futon had just been so snuggly and comfortable! It had been very difficult for Kaoru to drag her body from her warm cocoon and get ready for the day. Upon rising, Kaoru discovered that she felt pain in muscles she hadn't realized she'd been using. Slowly donning a pale yellow yukata and cinching it as tightly as she could without arousing suspicion (hopefully,) she exited her room. Aoshi, in dark colored clothes as always, stood waiting for her.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long," Kaoru said.

"Not at all. I spent time in a nearby shrine, meditating. I knew you would not be up until later since you are not used to traveling as I am." Aoshi replied.

A slight blush stained Kaoru's cheeks. As much as she wanted to argue with Aoshi, to tell him that she was perfectly all right and could have been awoken earlier, she did, in fact, enjoy sleeping in. Her body was sorer from the horseback riding the previous day than she had anticipated it would be, so the extra few hours of sleep were all the more precious to her. Besides, it wasn't as if they were in a hurry to get to Kyoto, anyway. At least, she hoped they weren't, because at the rate her body was feeling, they wouldn't be getting there until next year.

Together they walked to the waki-honjin's dining area to have breakfast. Over a simple meal, Kaoru and Aoshi discussed the day's plans…or rather, Aoshi informed Kaoru of their agenda.

"I thought you might enjoy some sight-seeing. Since you seemed to like the red blooms of Ageo so much two days ago, you may appreciate the azaleas blossoming in this area now. We're surrounded by a magnificent forest here on the low part of the mountain, complete with flowing rivers and waterfalls. Also, Karuizawa is renowned for their natural hot springs. In fact, a Scottish missionary has been proclaiming the wonders of this place to all the foreigners. I've heard that he is building something for Westerners to enjoy here."

"Well," Kaoru started, "That certainly seems like it will keep us busy all day." Kaoru thought for a moment. "Is it all right that we're taking a break like this on our trip? Is Misao expecting us by a certain date?"

"Do not worry so much, Kamiya. This trip is for your benefit, so you should get to enjoy as much of it as you want." Aoshi answered. "Misao will not mind."

"Oh! Well then, I'm really looking forward to today!" Kaoru smiled, relieved.

Aoshi leveled an assessing gaze on Kaoru. "Perhaps we should visit the hot springs first?"

Mortified, Kaoru's blush returned full force. Obviously, the ninja could tell that Kaoru's gait and posture were stiff, even though she tried to hide it by wrapping her kimono more tightly and blaming her slower movements on the restriction.

"Um…that sounds great." Kaoru fiddled with her sleeves.

"I'll have a carriage brought to the front. Although there is a hot spring nearby, it would not be fair to make you walk that distance. If you're feeling better after a nice soak, we can walk back."

Kaoru was fairly certain that if it were possible to die of embarrassment, she would be the first person in history to do so. She couldn't even muster up a response to Aoshi's words. She simply nodded and agreed to meet him in front of the waki-honjin in ten minutes.

--

--

It was a short ride to the nearest hot springs with a modern (relatively speaking) facility built around it, just to the north of their lodgings. Kaoru was immensely thankful for the short trip; although she was not walking, which was most certainly a bonus, the occasional bump in the road had her mentally wincing in pain as her poor backside bore the brunt of each impact. To distract herself, she admired the picturesque mountainside from the side window. She just couldn't get over the trees! The forest surrounding them was huge and old, the expanse of deep and varying shades of green rippled across the mountains and valleys like waves. Once again, Kaoru was glad to be on this trip. She was glad to be seeing more of the beautiful country in which she was born and lived in. Stealing a glance at Aoshi, she was especially glad to have such a knowledgeable escort. And it certainly didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes. Oh, who was she kidding? He was gorgeous. Heat colored her cheeks and she turned a little further towards the window in the hopes that Aoshi would not see the evidence of her wayward thoughts. No, it didn't hurt at all…

"A yen for your thoughts." Aoshi's deep voice interrupted Kaoru's internal rambling.

"Oh!" Startled, Kaoru floundered for something to say other than I was thinking about how handsome you are. "I…uh…just can't wait to see what this hot spring will be like."

"I see. Well, we'll be there momentarily." If Aoshi noticed her stuttering, he chose to say nothing about it. Kaoru was a little relieved about that.

Soon enough, their destination became clear through the trees. It was a large wooden structure and looked like an inn. The front had a typical welcoming gate, and from there, two hallways led in opposite directions. Since the halls seemed rather long, Kaoru guessed that the actual springs themselves were probably in the middle of the building, partitioned into men's and women's sides. At any hot springs or bath house, one must always wash thoroughly before entering the communal water.

Aoshi and Kaoru entered the lobby-like front area. Aoshi paid for two baths and soaks. Receiving two sets of towels and bathing necessities, Aoshi handed one set to Kaoru and nodded a farewell, heading down the hallway indicated for men. Kaoru smiled back and headed down the women's hallway. As she walked, she noticed that along the front side of the building were doors. So, this place also has lodgings. Oh, maybe next time I'll plan a hot springs vacation!

At the end of the hallway was a large dressing room. Setting her belongings in a provided basket, she undressed slowly and stored her clothes on one of the many shelves along one wall. Taking her bathing supplies, she wandered into the washroom first. There were rows of buckets, stools and heated water pumped through elevated troughs. Kaoru sat down on a stool gingerly and proceeded to slowly, thoroughly scrub herself with a washcloth, spending extra time washing her hair. No Yahiko screaming at me to hurry up, she smiled to herself. No Kenshin checking on me every two minutes about the water tempera… Kaoru stopped her thoughts abruptly. Kenshin. To her surprise, Kaoru realized it had been a few days since she had last thought of the rurouni. She was even more surprised to find that the sharp pain in her chest that would steal her breath whenever she thought of him was gone. In its place was a slow, dull ache. Still painful, but not quite as biting. I suppose even emotional wounds scab over somehow.

Satisfied with her freshly scrubbed skin, Kaoru wrapped herself in one of the towels – a rather large one – provided by the house and picked up her bathing basket. She walked down the indicated path to the hot spring. As she had guessed, it was closer to the middle of the building, but instead of being inside, it was outside. And instead of being partitioned by gender, it was simply one huge pool with various nooks and crannies to its edges. While the men seemed to gravitate towards one side and the women the other, it was undeniably very open between them. Kaoru's first thought was, Oh , now I know why the towels are so large. Kaoru stared with embarrassed fascination. Kaoru's second thought was, Oh god, is Shinomori already in here? Tempted by the steaming spring but unnerved by the presence of the opposite sex, Kaoru stood indecisively on the path.

Some men and women were obviously very comfortable with their own bodies, electing to remove their towels when entering the hot spring. Others kept their towels on, and some women only had towels covering their lower region. Kaoru clutched her towel to her chest more tightly. There's no way I'm taking this off in front of strangers! She took a step back. No way…! She took another step back, crashing into a solid, warm wall behind her. She gulped, just knowing who it was. Oh please…

"What's the matter, Kamiya? Were you…" Aoshi took in the tense line of her neck and hunched shoulders. Humor was his best bet here. Amusement leaked into his voice. "…waiting for me?"

She gasped, dropping her shoulders and whirling around. "I was not…!"

The denial died in her throat as she got an eyeful – no, two eyefuls – of Aoshi's bare chest gleaming wetly right in front of her nose. Her wide eyes traced the scars that crisscrossed his pale skin, leaving lighter-colored streaks like lightning. Broad, strong shoulders, a tapering waistline and long, lean muscles everywhere had Kaoru's face glowing red. She had never been so close to an almost-naked man before. Her eyes trailed downward, following the line of his muscles; Aoshi only wore one towel slung low on his hips. Considering that he had no visible body fat, that was quite low indeed. Realizing that she was staring, she forced her eyes up to his face. His hair was mostly slicked back with water, but a few strands still fell forward to frame his eyes and face. Kaoru closed her eyes, willing her face to stop flaming. This man is too attractive by half. This is SO unfair.

Aoshi took advantage of Kaoru's closed eyes to study her. Contrary to what he knew she believed, her flushed face was appealingly innocent. Her skin was so fair and fresh; he could see her blush went beyond her cheeks, reaching down her neck to her clavicle and shoulders, and a little lower… right to where her hand was clutching her towel like a lifeline. Aoshi snapped his eyes back up. What am I doing?

He had caught the glances aimed at Kaoru by a few interested men in the spring. From some reason it had bothered him, and he had immediately stepped up behind her, a looming presence to deter their attention. He had also noticed he had gotten quite a few stares from various women, but he ignored them. When Kaoru unknowingly backed into his towering form and he did nothing to move her, the other women assumed he was a lost cause and stopped looking. This pleased him more than he thought it should. Shaking his head a bit, he put a large hand on Kaoru's bare shoulder. Surprisingly, it felt like an electric shock went straight to his gut. He inhaled sharply. Was it because he was touching her bare flesh? Gently, he turned her around quickly so that she would not be able to see the slight frown tugging at his mouth.

"Come, Kamiya, we'll simply sit in a more secluded area, away from prying eyes. Perhaps you'll feel more comfortable then." He steered her in front of him, towards a little sheltered nook. "After all, you are supposed to be here to relax."

From the moment Aoshi put his hand on her shoulder, Kaoru wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to relax. His hand was so heavy and warm, all her attention suddenly focused on it. She felt like her shoulder was burning, and not necessarily in a bad way. The feel of his calloused hand on her bare flesh caused a weird, fluttering tingling to run through her chest and stomach, and she wasn't sure if she was going to start hyperventilating or stop breathing altogether. She was glad he spun her around so that he couldn't see her blush darken. Oh, who am I kidding? He can probably FEEL it in his fingertips. Holding her towel in a death grip, Kaoru allowed Aoshi to lead her to a slightly secluded area. Feelings rioted through her chest, things she couldn't, or as yet wouldn't, quite name. Why am I feeling both giddy and petrified?

They reached the water's edge and placed their baskets down. Still leading her forward, with one hand, Aoshi brought his other hand round to take Kaoru's now free hand (the one not clenched white, holding her towel in place) to help her down into the warm water. He released her, and she scooted onto the ledge carved out as a bench in the rock to sit on while in the water. He held his towel in place and silently slid into the water, barely making a ripple.

I am sitting in a hot spring with Aoshi Shinomori. I am sitting in a hot spring practically alone with Aoshi Shinomori. An almost naked Aoshi Shinomori. A sinfully handsome Aoshi Shinomori who is staring at me. Kaoru was having difficulty breathing. Why is he staring at me?

Aoshi studied Kaoru's flushed face, trying to determine if it was the heat from the spring or her own modesty causing the color to rise in her face. Her skin soon took on a dewy glow, a direct effect of the hot spring. She looked so lovely and innocent, her body toned and graceful from years of swordsmanship, and here she was, barely clothed and in front of him. Almost grimly, Aoshi admitted to himself that he was viewing Kaoru as a young, beautiful, desirable, available woman. He could feel his own face heating up from the direction of his thoughts, but he was fairly certain it only looked as though his skin was warming from the water, a fact he was immensely glad for. He knew he had been looking at her for what could be considering longer than proper, but she had started staring back at him, and they seemed to be at an impasse. He spoke her name softly, but she didn't seem to hear him.

"Kamiya." No response.

"Kamiya." She continued to stare at him.

He lifted a wet hand and wiped his face, then ran his fingers through his hair. He could hear Kaoru's sharp intake of breath. He looked at her. Were her pupils dilating…?

"Kaoru," he said. Was his voice always this low? Kaoru wondered. And then she realized he had said her name.

"Er…yes?"

Aoshi gazed at her a moment. "Is it all right if I call you Kaoru?"

"Wha…what? Oh! Yes, of course." Kaoru was having a really hard time not staring at Aoshi's upper body. He was so tall that a good portion of his chest was still above the water unless he wanted to slouch down.

"Then please call me Aoshi." Kaoru nodded. "Now Kaoru, just relax. No men can stare at you here. You should be perfectly comfortable."

No men but you, actually. Kaoru thought. How can I be comfortable with you right there? Still, she tried to relax. She leaned back against the rocky edge of the spring, reveling in the heat suffusing her body. Just don't think about it. She closed her eyes, trying to think about anything other than the gorgeous male sitting nearby.

It wasn't working too well, but she was giving it her best shot.

Suddenly, she felt something brush the side of her face. Startled, she opened her eyes to see Aoshi tenderly brushing some tendrils of hair away from her face and forehead. She looked at him questioningly.

"Here, I thought this might help." He took a smaller, folded towel, dunking it in the hot water and placing it on her forehead while he held her bangs back with his other hand. "Just let the heat relax you."

Aoshi continued to absently stroke her hair, his fingers sometimes scratching her scalp pleasantly. Kaoru opened her mouth to tell him that was unnecessary, but a blissful sigh is all that came out. Her eyes closed again and she could feel the tension slowly slipping out of her body, sore muscles slowly loosening up, and her thought process going a little hazy and slow. She almost felt as if she were floating. A small smile curved her mouth. Unbeknownst to her, Aoshi mirrored her smile with a small one of his own.

To Be Continued…