Enishi, Enishi… what will we ever do with you? XP I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter, and now that we know there is some danger looming in the background, let's continue to cheer on our stubborn and clumsy couple. Wohoo!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned many things. Spring would be one of them, and I'd make it a year round thing.

Chapter 31: A Gentle Spring Breeze

The hollow thud of something knocking on wood jerked Kenshin out of his slumber, his heavy eyelids lifting reluctantly even as the rest of his body pushed him a few spaces off the bedding. Senses swimming and sluggish, he blinked in an incomprehensive daze at the mattress below him, wondering, briefly, just where he was. As silence resumed and his muscles relaxed from the initial shock, he recalled the warmth and comfort of sleep and thought of how wonderful it would be just to fall swiftly back into it. Did it really matter where he was?

Another knock and his brain decided to recognize the sound. Someone was at his door. Surely it was too early for anyone to need his attention or assistance. If he was still in bed then he doubted the sun was even up. Muttering, he knew he needed to answer, in case there was some kind of emergency, but the hazy film that divided him from the real world refused to lift. A part of him was happy to let it stay.

Adrift in his fuzzy world of muffled sounds and lazy sensations, he heard laughter; light, amused, and carefree. Lips twitching in answer, he curled himself a little further together, one wing draping over his face and arm, pocketing him inside that world he was enjoying. Sinking, forgetting or, more likely, ignoring the presence of someone outside, he was too secure to appreciate his vulnerability. His father would have been disappointed.

The passing thought only pleased him, and his half-born grin grew into a smirk. Much too content to burrow back into his bedclothes now, the small spark of rebellion perhaps ten centuries too late, he didn't even hear the person enter until soft breath ghosted over his wing. Even then he only twitched in mild irritation.

"Kenshin."

The voice, her voice, called to him through the barrier that separated them, coaxing him closer to wakefulness than the polite knock had. Kaoru… She giggled, and though her laughter was closer it was muted, as if purposefully restrained. A niggling sense in the back of his mind warned of suspicious activity, but there was no tinge of danger to accompany it, so he felt no worry.

"Keen-shiin."

Drawn out and singsong, she urged him to wake up, clearly amused, her muffled giggles much like the last half of a happy purr. There was still no real incentive for him to come into consciousness, however, and he instead smiled lazily and ducked further under the wing hiding him. The nagging of caution in his mind continued.

"Come on, Kenshin, you need to wake up." Mumbling a disjointed refusal, he pressed his nose into the futon. Light, but insistent, her touch curled around the edge of his wing and drew it carefully downward. A deep breath pulled into her lungs, and then urgency and shock suddenly entered her voice, breaking sharply through his stupor. "Kenshin! What are you doing in my room?"

Golden eyes snapped open and his equilibrium flipped, dumping him fully into reality. Confused and partially frightened by the accusation, Kenshin jerked himself up quickly, his eyes darting back and forth to solidify the truth of her claim. Apprehension quickened his heart, his actions slightly frantic, and it took him a few seconds longer than needed to realize that he was in his own room and not hers. Breath huffing in exasperated relief, he fixed his eyes on her and frowned as she giggled in delight. Mischief was dancing in her sapphire irises and she seemed to be having too much fun at his expense.

"Sorry." She didn't look to be the least bit sincere. "But you were being stubborn about waking up." Deep eyes looking him up and down, her grin turned affectionate and she laughed softer. "You were really sleeping hard, weren't you?" Lifting a hand, she finger-combed his bangs, wincing with him as she snagged a few knots. "You've got the most wonderful case of bed-head."

Trying to duck her helping hand, he shielded his head with his own fingers and scooted back a little further. "I won't have any hair at all if you don't leave it alone." Scratching at the spot she had pulled, his eyes fell half-closed as the burst of adrenaline her wake-up call had induced wore off. His sleep must have definitely been deep, the pain in his left ear and the heaviness in his limbs were telling signs. Briefly he glanced over the open futon he was now sitting on, wondering how in the world he had gotten into the thing. He never slept lying down anymore.

Not in the least offended by his grumpy declaration, Kaoru just smiled and shrugged. Blinking, catching his bearings, and still trying to wake up, Kenshin yawned and sat up a little straighter. "What are you doing in here anyway, Kaoru-dono? Don't you think it's a bit early?" An affectionate voice in his mind whispered of her childlike eagerness. We are to walk through the gardens today. She must have been so excited she couldn't wait. Heart warmed, and more than amused, his lips pulled upward on a smile.

"Early?" Laughing again, Kaoru shifted her weight forward onto her knees and rolled smoothly to her feet. "Kenshin, Tae-san served breakfast over an hour ago."

Kenshin watched in astonishment as she stepped down into the hallway and bent to pick up a tray of food. When understanding finally dawned on him, it was slow and incredulous. "I slept in?"

"Yep." Grinning, she settled the tray in front of him. "Everyone was debating on whether to wake you earlier, but since you're spending the whole day with me, I told them to let you sleep." Untangling the blanket twisted around his feet, she stood to neatly fold it and place it in the corner. "You must have really needed the extra sleep, and anyway, I don't want you exhausted before we've even gone anywhere today."

A bit surprised that he even could sleep in, and that he had done it while lying down, Kenshin picked up the chopsticks laying on the tray. He was still confused on how he had ended up in the futon, a startled part of his mind hoping Kaoru had nothing to do with it, but was distracted from his unease when she started digging through his belongings and came up with the brush. Again.

Glaring, he instantly protested. "Haven't you done enough damage to my hair already?"

"Oh, don't be such a grouch. I'm just going to braid it for you real quick while you eat."

Giving in reluctantly, Kenshin tried to ignore her as he ate, but as with every other time, the rhythmic pull of the brush loosened every muscle in his body. Too soon the light chopsticks in his hand were heavy and the effort it took to chew his food arduous. As his eyelids fluttered he experienced a vague notion of déjà vu. This same thing had happened the night before, and he had fallen completely asleep with her in the room.

The brushing stopped and he fought his way out of the lethargy to continue eating before she noticed. Only force of habit and the discipline of a thousand years helped him to pull off his indifference. Even then he found himself curious of the hand that stroked down his back and lingeringly twirled a lock around her fingers. A quick glance caught a strange look on her face, not exactly sad, not exactly thoughtful, but preoccupied and not in the present. It briefly worried him.

"Kaoru-dono?" Slowly her eyes met his, her hand still tangled in his hair. "Is everything alright?"

Like the sun breaking through the clouds, a smile lit her face. "Of course, silly." Sitting up straighter, she signaled for him to turn his head and carefully parted his hair to braid. "I suppose I'm just jealous." Sighing in overexaggerated despondency, she deftly wove the strands together.

"Of what?" Confused all over again, Kenshin was successfully sidetracked. A talent Kaoru was becoming quite adept at.

"Your hair, of course. It's not fair for a man to have such pretty hair. And in such a vibrant color, too. I bet Kamatari's always been green with envy."

Rolling his eyes, Kenshin grumbled. "That peacock likes anything flashy."

Kaoru giggled, winding the tie around the end of his braid. "Did Kamatari like your brothers too, you know, because of their red hair?"

"How would I know?"

Shrugging, Kaoru let the braid drop. "I just thought he might have had a little romance going on with that one brother of yours. You know, the one that preferred men."

Shocked, he inhaled sharply and gagged on whatever was in his mouth, chocking harshly to dislodge the small piece of food from his wind pipe. Kaoru's voice sounded worried as she pounded him on the back, but even after the larger piece finally disappeared something tickled his throat and kept him coughing. Reaching blindly for his teacup, he gulped down a large swallow and tried not to hack it back up.

Attempting to catch his breath, he looked over at Kaoru as she scooted beside him, his golden eyes scandalized. "Where did you hear something like that?"

Puzzled, Kaoru blinked and tilted her head. "Megumi-sensei told me. Is it not true?"

Frowning, he pushed the tray away from him and stood. "It's true. I just don't think it very appropriate for her to be telling you such things."

"Why not?" Shrugging, Kaoru watched him from the floor. "I don't see how it's much different than knowing Sanosuke likes women." Unsure how to react, Kenshin retreated through the divider door to his second room and disappeared inside, one hand flat over his face. "I was just curious anyway. Since it's not as typical, I bet it's hard to find someone else you really like that feels the same way." Sighing as she heard the truth of her own words, she looked blindly at the screen paintings next to her. "Of course… I guess that's true with everybody."

There was a slightly resigned note in her voice, interwoven with a touch of longing he was accustomed to hearing, just not from her. Brow wrinkling, he peeked around the edge of the open shoji, studying the features now turned away from him. For a moment, she looked troubled, her thoughts much too old for her young frame. He did not like it. Wishing to distract her, he grudgingly continued their conversation. "Kamatari did not like Isamu."

Attention brought back to the present, Kaoru stood as well, but frowned. "Isamu was your brother, right?" He nodded and disappeared again, the door sliding closed between them as he changed. "Well, why not?" Bending, Kaoru moved the tray so she could put away the futon.

"First of all, Isamu kept his head shaved, so the only way you could tell he even had red hair like the rest of us was because of his facial hair."

Catching on, Kaoru grinned. "And I'm betting Kamatari does not like facial hair."

Growling under his breath, Kenshin jerked on his kimono a little too roughly. "How would I know?"

Sadistically pleased that she could get him so worked up, Kaoru smothered a giggle. "Alright, and secondly?"

Hesitating, Kenshin knotted the tie of his hakama. "Isamu's temperament… was not kind."

Kaoru unconsciously pouted. "You mean… he wasn't gentle."

A muscle twitched on Kenshin's face, slightly disturbed with the conversation and displeased that it was taking place at all. "No, he wasn't." Many of Isamu's personal servants were always bruised and marked. The sight had always turned over something foul in his stomach.

Picking at her necklace, Kaoru bit her lip, saddened. However, a sudden, passing thought twitched her mouth into a smile. "Gentle hands mean a gentle heart." Kenshin is gentle… that is why you like him, right Kamatari?

Sliding the shoji open, Kenshin watched Kaoru look up with a smile, her necklace dropping to her chest. Unwillingly, he smiled back, glad that she no longer wore that look of despondency from before. "So Kamatari liked you instead." The smile dropped and he ground his teeth, his eyes narrowing.

"He only likes to annoy me."

"But he wouldn't take the time to annoy you if he didn't like you." Teasing, she sidled up behind him and worked at the ties of his layered kimono, securing the open flap between his wings. Still curious, her mind trying to image a time long before her own, she became somber again. "Your brother never… hurt Kamatari, did he?"

She's so persistent. "He tried."

"But didn't succeed? That's strange, considering he was a noble."

"I suppose Kamatari was fortunate enough in the process of his flight to run across the only person living at the palace stronger than Isamu, and who could not stand his senseless abuse of the servants."

Fingers slipping from the final knot, Kaoru let his words sink in, and her emotions once again tangled. He was such a good person. And he told me himself this time!

Just as startled as he was the last time, Kenshin tensed as her arms wrapped tightly around his middle from behind. She squeezed, her face pressing into his spine and the nape of his neck, and then she let go and grabbed his hand. "Come on. We've wasted enough time. You promised to escort me through the gardens today."

X

Kenshin's hand tightened briefly around the one slipped through his for what was not the first, nor would it probably be the last, time. The action was unconscious, reassuring, and searching. It startled him every time to find her hand there, and he knew it was because he was waiting expectantly for it to disappear. Waiting for that inevitable moment that would take away what he enjoyed, what he cared for. Nothing lasted forever, not, he realized, even him.

The pleasure of her light touch was shadowed by thoughts of her past actions, reminding him of the tentative steps they were taking towards change. It was slow change, innocent change, but change none-the-less, and it hovered on the edge of joy and despair. Sometimes it frustrated him that he was so inexperienced; with relationships, with friendships… with women in general. His past had left little room for anything but his father's wishes, and his father had not wished for his social upbringing. He never had friends growing up, he never had playmates, no interests in women, no envies for poems and fans and worldly pleasures. All he ever had was his mother and his oldest brother.

Of course, he also realized that no past experience would have prepared him for Kaoru, because she was not from the same time as he. Everything had changed since then; customs, integration of other cultures, rights, the government. She was unlike any woman he had ever met, and just as her nature was so foreign, so too were the feelings she stirred inside him. He didn't know what to make of them, how to respond, how to act, but could only puzzle over their appearance and acknowledge that in some way they were tied to the lady walking beside him. A lady tugging on his hand as she smiled and pointed at the blooming wisteria.

Their trip through the many gardens was slow, enjoyable, and almost lazy, or would be if she were not quite so excitable. Kaoru loved beautiful things, especially if they were natural, and every plant and tree they came across that she was not familiar with brought a look of wonder to her face. It was during that first moment when she had discovered something fascinating that her hand had slipped into his, pulling him closer, demanding that he look. After that it had stayed, and though she acted as if she did not notice, the purposeful way she ignored their connection told him she was all too aware. It was those little details that whispered for him to pay attention, to accept something he didn't understand yet. Just like the quick embrace in his room, or the way she had tackled him outside his office, or the grip of her fingers in his kimono and the look in her eyes that spoke of reluctance to let him go. All were hints that he recognized as clues, he just could not find the answer to the puzzle.

Perhaps it had a lot to do with his own indecision on what he wanted. Oh he knew what little things he had decided that he wanted, such as her attention, or her hand held in his. What that all meant when combined into a whole he did not know. Did that only mean friendship? If so, was that all he wanted? And if he wanted more, what did that mean, anyway? With his own eyes he had seen many different relationships; friendships, rivalry, marriage, affairs, family, courtship, and more. Even still, he knew not what emotions would accompany many of them, or what was said and done to define each. It left him with little to compare his attachment to Kaoru to, and his ignorance made him fear the mistakes he might stumble into because of a wrong assumption.

Sometimes he thought that perhaps their kind of relationship had not yet been defined, and so there would be nothing to compare it to. It seemed a bit arrogant to think so, but it comforted him when he floundered with what to do or say. To create such a new relationship would mean nothing he did or said would be wrong, and to not be wrong meant that his actions were right. This, he admitted with a sinking feeling, was not true, because if his actions were right, she would not carry that brooding look she sometimes wore. He would not feel as if he were missing something. He would not feel so unsatisfied.

Blinking, he frowned. Unsatisfied? Why should I feel unsatisfied? I have had no one to laugh with me like this for my entire lifetime. She has given me more than any other. So why should I not be content? Why can I not be content?

Whatever it was that he wanted, he did not now have it. Maybe it was simple greed, a want to have and experience everything there was. Maybe it was even Kaoru's influence that had triggered the insatiable desire. To be sure he had never felt such yearning for things he did not have before Kaoru. Awakening his emotions seemed to have a light and dark side. A sad part of him had hoped his life had held enough of the dark. With Kaoru, he wanted only the light.

A vision of life without her suddenly furrowed his brow and he saw only the darkness. A painful darkness that clawed at his chest. It hurt, but it was unlike any pain he had ever known. It stole his breath, covered his sight, numbed his world, until the ground beneath him seemed to drop away. He was floating, in a world where nothing existed but painful illusions to remind him of why his life was so much better when she was there. How was he to survive without her? How was he to go on when he did not have her strength to support him?

Light cut through the shadows and he blinked, his open eyes focusing on the glowing necklace resting against her chest. It was bright, beautiful, and warm, like her, and it eased the air in his lungs. A hand was touching his cheek, and when her voice called his name he looked up to find her standing in front of him, worry in her sapphire eyes. "Kenshin?"

Smiling, he tried desperately to shake the eerie delusion in his mind and the tendrils of fear it left snaking around his heart. It was hard, because the realization of what it meant only served to confuse him further. "I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono, did you say something?"

Unsure for a moment if she should question him or let it go, she wavered between a smile and a frown. The smile ultimately won and she was once again tugging him forward by the hand to share what she had found. "Look, Kenshin! It's amazing!"

Spread out below them was the entire expanse of the city and palace, the blooming trees and budding plants a magnificent display of color and texture. The late afternoon sunlight glanced off the roofs and greenery, warming and shadowing the scenery into pockets of purity and mystery. It was calming and exhilarating, simple yet elegant, a perfect blend of old buildings and new life. Kenshin had seen it many times, and the wonder had worn off long ago for him, but to see it through Kaoru's eyes, it was like the fresh new beginning of spring had finally found him and accepted his being as a part of its nature as well.

"It must be wonderful."

Tearing his eyes away from the view, he turned to her, baffled but amused to find her features completely open with unadulterated longing and envy. "What must be wonderful, my lady?"

"To be able to fly." The statement sounded so similar to what she had said to him once before as a child, that he couldn't help but laugh. Pouting, she glared up at him. "It's easy for you to laugh. You've got wings. I bet you don't even think about how amazing the view is from up there." Vaguely waving her hand upwards towards the sky, she scowled and ducked her head, feeling humiliated.

Chuckles dying off, Kenshin tightened his hand just incase she was tempted to pull away, and faced her fully, putting his back to the edge of the cliff they were standing by. "If you must know the truth, my lady, I think the view would be better if I had someone to share it with."

Petulantly her mouth opened, then closed, her eyes looking slowly up into his. Hesitant hope curved her lips, a bit unsure of the serious way he was staring at her, and she was almost glad of the excuse to look away when his hand tugged on her arm. Lifting their joined hands to his shoulder, his free hand found her other and encouraged her to wrap her arms around his neck. Forced close together as his arms encircled her back, bracing a hand between her shoulder blades and around her waist, she breathlessly realized this was the first time their embrace had ever been mutual. The feelings of comfort, trust, and safety from the night before solidified and she felt abruptly whole; she never wanted to let go.

Swallowing thickly, Kenshin pressed the pads of his fingers harder into the silk of her kimono, then had to consciously make an effort to relax, cursing his claws. It felt as if she couldn't be close enough. A restless sensation stirred deep in his chest, his steady breathing deepened, and he wanted nothing more than to curl himself fully around her light and warmth until he no longer felt fear that it would suddenly disappear. I want this. Another random conclusion that still shed no light on what the complete picture was, but at that moment it didn't matter. She was in his arms, and he wanted to keep her there.

"Hold on tight." Whispering the words into her hair, he felt her nod in reply and her grip adjust in preparation, but shamelessly stole a few more seconds before readying himself. Wings spreading wide, he bent his knees just slightly, felt her tense, then grinned and threw them both backwards over the cliff.

The sharp squeak in his ear revealed her surprise, her arms like a vice around his neck, and he felt suddenly quite playful as he twisted them into a spinning dive. At the last moment his wings snapped open, swooping them close over the trees below and the momentum of their fall helped them to climb high up above the city. Wind whistled around them, buffeting their clothes and whipping her hair about. Adrenaline quickened his heart, his wings shifting and playing with the gentle breeze, then working hard to bring them higher, and for the first time he was the eager one, thrilled with the chance to share.

Her face was still buried in the crook of his neck when he finally found a decent updraft to keep them aloft without effort. Circling back to keep the city in sight below, he felt her stir, apparently reassured that he wouldn't be pulling any more crazy stunts. Holding her firmly but letting her shift, he smiled when she gasped, her delight so very easy to read.

"Wow!" As if trying to take in everything at once, her eyes roved from side to side, her head twisting this way and that to catch it all, afraid of missing something. Indulging her, he waited patiently for her curiosity to be sated, banking in a wide circular pattern upward with the draft. Slowly her compulsive movements lessened until she was simply staring down below them, the side of her forehead pressed into his temple, her eyes glazed and dreamy. "I don't think there are words to describe this."

"Not many." Wanting her to see more, to share more, he slipped off the side of the updraft and followed the slope of the mountain down. Before them, the ocean stretched on for miles, glittering in the sunlight, smooth like glass in the midst of a perfect spring day. Far below, the village sat on its coast, busy and unaware of the spectators flying high above it in the sky.

"You can see forever up here!" Giggling, one arm loosened around his neck, trusting him to hold her as she brushed her bangs out of her face. "And look, there's my house!" Pointing, her smile widened. "It looks so small."

Tilting, her arm came back up around his neck, and he angled them sideways to turn back around, the trees a green blur of shapes below. A sudden gust of wind knocked them to one side, and Kaoru yelped as he easily flipped them over, cart wheeling to accommodate for the push. Laughing at her reaction, feeling mischievous, a wicked, boyish urge wished for him to use his advantage to tease her some more. Beating his wings to quicken their lazy pace, they shot abruptly forward, his wings pulling in as he dove around the large branches of a tree.

Turning sharply, he zigzagged in and out of the trees, giving her only enough leeway to keep her feeling secure yet off-balance. He didn't want to frighten her, it simply pleased him in a way he could not explain to hear her respond with surprise, and even a touch of agitation. Breaking from the forest, they sped low over the rice fields, and she squirmed in his arms. Lifting one wing to let the wind current alter their course, they paralleled a cliff then shot straight into a small ravine that led a trail up the mountain. Over the loud whistling of air, his name could be heard reverberating off the rocks, his laughter echoing with it. Slipping through the small enclosure, the wind took them up and out the top, Kenshin's wings curling around them as the space became narrow, then spreading wide to catch them as they popped out into the open.

"Kenshin!" Smiling as he purposefully ignored her, he flipped over backwards and headed a diagonal route back towards his palace.

Squirming again, Kaoru turned her head just enough to glare at the crazy redhead. What the hell he thought he was doing trying to give her heart attack with his mad tricks she didn't know, but she was going to give him a piece of her mind if he didn't slow down enough to give her time to breathe. Opening her mouth to chew his ear off, the thrashing wind current battering their hair around threw his bangs back and revealed his face. He was grinning like a boy, impishly satisfied with himself for getting away with his mischief. Although, to Kaoru, he looked more like a boy knowing he had done wrong and laughing as he ran away from punishment. Whatever the emotion driving him, he was having fun… and it drowned every ounce of the irritation curling in her gut.

Yelping involuntarily as he swung them upside down again, then dove straight down into one of the gardens, she could tell he was trying to worry her as it appeared he would not pull up in time. The arms wrapped around her though had tightened, keeping her safe, and she knew he wouldn't intentionally let her get hurt. Trust remembered, she loosened her own deathlike grip, wrapped a hand around the length of his braid, and yanked hard at the last second.

Caught off guard, his wings snapped open and pulled them up short, his head jerking back with the force of her wrenching motion. Scrambling in midair to regain his control, he fumbled for a moment with the obstacles around them, kicking at a tree branch they came a little too close to. Finally in the clear with enough space between them and the ground, he allowed the wind to carry them. Blinking in surprise at the turn in his game, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, only to find her nose scrunched and her tongue sticking out. And then she laughed and threw both arms out straight to either side, forcing him to clutch her tighter. "Now you may continue!"

Grinning, he spun onto his back so that she was right-side up, the long sleeves of her kimono streaming out beside them like wings of her own. Now that the teasing and pranks were finished, as it was apparent she was going to be fooled no longer, it was even more enjoyable knowing that they were having fun together.

Arching his back as gravity started to drag them straight down, he curled, twisted and banked, swinging smoothly over the rooftops of the city. Here they could get as close as they wanted without fear of what anyone would see, unlike with her own home and the village, and the residents that noticed their presence all stopped to stare or point. Arms still outstretched, Kaoru giggled, waving back at a large bird wading out into the middle of one of the garden ponds, quite sure that it was Shigure.

"Hold onto me."

Warning her, her arms wrapped quickly back around his neck just before he threw them into a spin. Their laughter mingled, a sweet harmony of sound mixing her tinkling soprano with his deeper baritone. He found it to be agreeable, slightly gratifying, so much so that he used every trick he had discovered flying just to create a chance moment for an encore.

"Would you like to see the other side of the mountain?" Eager now to please, he swiftly altered their course to head back up the mountainside when she nodded enthusiastically. Gaining altitude, the air becoming thinner, cooler, they broke through the misty confines of a cloud to find themselves in a completely new world. The clouds were now below them, the sky stretching above endlessly, and the peak of the mountain was their only companion besides the sun. Hovering for a moment, suspended in the air, he savored the feeling of isolation, his fingers unconsciously tightening against her, before reluctantly diving back down towards the acme of rock.

Returning to a lazy glide to rest his wings, they plummeted back through the clouds, coming out below on the eastern side of the mountain range. Instead of an ocean stretching out before them, they were met with a forest, thousands of trees covering all they could see all the way to the horizon. More mountains were barely visible in the distance; the dark glowing shimmer of a lake; the smell of smoke from a fire. As they looped widely, a large grouping of cherry trees caught Kaoru's eye far off the base of the mountain, and she strained her neck to look over his shoulder at it. Instantly she knew what it was, and she smiled at the home that had birthed her mother. An excited part of her wanted to point it out, to share with Kenshin, but a wiser voice in her head restrained her. It would not be a happy place for him.

Resting her chin against his shoulder, she frowned in mild irritation at the crick in her neck, the muscles strained from trying to keep it upright. The arms wrapped around her tightened as she shifted, and she took a deep breath, wondering at how easy it was to become used to his embrace. It felt so natural, and she was going to be sad when they had to land.

Passing back through the clouds for the third time, Kaoru shivered, the moisture cold and clammy against her skin. Trying to steal Kenshin's warmth, she buried her nose into the side of his neck, and felt him laugh.

"Are you cold, my lady?"

"No." Denial muffled, she pouted when he laughed again.

"Don't worry, I think our flight is over."

"I'm fine. Really, Kenshin. I don't want to go back yet."

"I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono, but my wings are tired."

"Oh." Chagrined, she berated herself for not thinking about his comfort.

Nose pressing against her hair, he whispered teasingly. "And you are cold."

"Hmph. I am not." As if to prove it, she shivered violently, and he laughed harder.

Silence pressed down upon them and it suddenly became very peaceful, just the two of them, somewhere no one else could reach. Uninterested in looking down anymore, Kaoru stared upwards at the darkening sky, studying seriously the hues of orange and yellow and red. Lifting a hand, she played with the force of wind their passage created, smiling as it tickled her skin.

"Will you promise to take me again?" Words quiet, hopeful yet tentative, she blinked at his wings, memorizing the slight way they fluttered to keep level.

"As often as you wish."

Eyes clenching shut, she dug her fingers into the shoulder of his kimono, hugging him tighter to convey her gratitude. "Thank you."

They landed just inside the gate to the palace, Kenshin's feet touching down before her own, his red wings fluffing out once more before folding neatly at his back. Neither of them seemed in a hurry to break apart, a hint of wrongness tainting the mere thought, but with a sigh Kaoru let her arms slip from his neck to brace instead against his chest. They couldn't stay there forever.

It was her intention to step back, but with all the weight abruptly back on her legs, they buckled, pitching her forward instead. Startled, Kenshin caught her, the arms that had not quite released her yet convulsing. A quick, hitching breath burst from her mouth, her chin smashing into his sternum, and he feared for a moment that she might be hurt. Slowly her eyes flickered open, and with barely any space between them he could see every fleck of sky blue buried deep within her sapphire irises. The worry he felt subsided, the atmosphere became heavy, and it seemed only natural to let his suddenly leaden eyelids close and lower his mouth on top of hers.

With the motion almost complete, his mouth a bare space from hers, he wondered just what the hell he was doing, and his golden eyes snapped open to stare into the wide pools of her own. Panicked, he pulled back, releasing her to place distance between them, watching as she stumbled forward without his support. Grasping desperately for the decorum and protocol he was used to, he quickly, clumsily, rebuilt his walls and turned away. "Forgive me… that was… uncalled for." Frustrated once again with his awkwardness, he could think of nothing else to say or do and decided to flee. Behind him, Kaoru watched without moving, blinking in confusion, a hand covering her lips.

X

A/N: Yay! Well, kinda yay. So this was just a bunch of mushy nonsense, but we need that every once in awhile, and especially with these two. So, I hope that you enjoyed. The beginning part ended up being longer than I had anticipated, but that's ok because the last half ended up being shorter. XD What I find funny is I said something about a walk, and I never really described much of that. Instead we got a flight. More fun, I think, though Kaoru got both, so it's alright. I wanted to make sure I got more of Kenshin at some point, because we pretty much can see what's going on with Kaoru. So I hope this was sufficient, and now that some progress has occurred, we get to really test the limits of their friendship.

Next chapter, Kaoru asks for some advice, and gets it from a source she would have never dreamed possible. Please leave a review, and I'll see you soon.