Here is part two. Authors note's at the end.

"You know I'm pretty sure that this is what got me into this mess."

Misao wagged a finger in her direction without taking her eyes off the card game Sano was losing miserably at. "Pfff, shenanigans. What got you in this mess was my belief that you could make it from a cab to your hotel room safe and sound. And let's not forget all the magical interference. Or your husband's level of hotness. Don't blame the casino!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and shifted her weight, scanning the room for a glimpse of red. The first time she'd realized she was looking for her husband, she'd quietly panicked. Then Misao had shoved a drink at her, shoved Sano at a card table and gleefully rooted him on.

"Also, your gloomy face is making me sad."

Kaoru blinked. "My face isn't gloomy. And you're watching Sano lose, not looking at my face."

Misao finally looked away from the card table, eyes wide at the edges. "Have you ever seen someone so awful? It's like a train wreck. I'd go save him, but it's really entertaining the way it just keeps getting worse. His poker face is worse than yours!"

"Hey!" Kaoru protested. "My poker face is fine."

Misao sighed heavily. "Your eyes give you away every time. Every. Single. Time."

"Is that why you started insisting I wear sunglasses to those ridiculous card games of yours?"

"Don't give me that face. See? This is why I didn't tell you. That face right there. It's all judge-y. I can't handle your judge-y face." Misao threw up her hands. "It's not your fault that you're the brawn in this relationship. I adore that you're the brawn. It's okay that your eyes give you away when you're hitting someone with something heavy."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic."

"You've also stopped checking the room for Kenshin."

Kaoru folded her arms across her chest. "I hate you."

"You love me beyond words." Misao retorted. "And oh sweet earth and stars, let's go save Sano before he loses his clothes to that shark."

Laughing at the way her pint sized friend darted forward on her ridiculous heels, Kaoru started after her and barely avoided crashing into the large body that cut her off. Looking up, she blinked at a familiar face that was to close for comfort.

"Hiruma." Kaoru pressed her lips together and took a step back, unwilling to let her skirt brush him. "Go away."

Lips pulling into what might have been a smile on anyone else, he reached for her hand. Kaoru avoided it.

"Kaoru, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

"We're not friends."

Gohei frowned at her. "Your father's poison has come between us long enough. Denying our compatibility does not make it go away."

"We're not compatible. Which both my father and I previously made clear. Your brother's death was unfortunate, but Judgment was made in my favor. And regardless of your personal opinion, I'm heart-bonded."

"That's impossible." Gohei countered. "Even Judgment acknowledged there was compatibility between us."

And hadn't that been a kick in the teeth. One that had left her disgusted and heart sick for weeks. Until Misao had shown up, leaving her year of globetrotting to pull her out of her funk.

"Judgment acknowledged the potential for compatibility, as I was only sixteen; it never said I was yours. Go away Gohei, and I won't have to embarrass you publicly for the third time."

She shifted her weight, prepared to kick off her heels as he pulled himself up in an attempt to loom over her. She could fight in heels, but she preferred not to. And she'd told Misao the truth, she knew how to deal with Gohei. What happened with Kihei, Gohei's heavy handed attempt to coerce and her father forced to call Judgment on his only child had taught her how to set her feet and stand. She'd learned to hold her ground.

A flicker of movement told her Misao was standing in Gohei's blind spot. Misao's fingers were curled in a familiar pose which meant it would take only a flick of her friend's wrist for Kaoru's bokken to appear. She didn't doubt Sano was somewhere close behind.

As a half-Fae, Gohei might've had more magic than her, but Kaoru had Misao. And starting a fight in the middle of the casino was beyond stupid. Without Kihei to support him, Gohei was little more than a large, irritating bully who fought stupid.

Warm, calloused fingers slid along her hips and chapped lips brushed her ear. "You're making security nervous, darling."

Kaoru felt her shoulders relax, never taking her eyes off Gohei. He was glaring at Kenshin and her eyes narrowed just a little. Did he really think to start something here?

"Gohei was just leaving."

Misao bounced into their space, her smile in place even if her eyes weren't happy. "It's about time you got here, Kenshin. Our first dinner reservations were an hour ago and I'm hungry."

Thumb sliding along her hip, Kenshin answered Misao without moving his gaze. "First?"

"I like back up plans. And this place is Kaoru's favorite so we should head that direction."

"Our conversation isn't over, Kaoru." Gohei growled. The rhythm of his heart against hers and the sudden magic between them told Kaoru how Kenshin felt about Gohei's words. She curled her fingers against the hand at her hip.

"It really, really is." Kaoru replied before angling her body towards Misao. "After you."

She waited for Kenshin to shift, letting his body soften enough that when she stepped forward, he stepped with her. But he stayed close to her, the heat of him a warm shield down her spine. She wondered if it was trust in her that let him turn his back to Gohei or if the assassin in him was confident in his ability to react. She didn't know which she wanted it to be. It wasn't until they cleared the loud, clanging sounds of the slots that Kenshin spoke.

"So," Kenshin asked. "How often do you two run into trouble?"

Kaoru tilted her head as he stepped to her side, arched a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

Lips lifting at the corners, he waved a hand between her and Misao. "Your weight shifted to make it easier to move and Misao flanked him."

Kaoru blinked at him, searching his expression. His eyes were flecked with gold and she suddenly realized exactly how much restraint he'd used in approaching her instead of dealing with Gohei. Her breath hitched in her throat. He'd read the situation as hostile and made the decision to back her up.

"I think he's trying to give us judge-y face." Misao commented. She squinted at Kenshin, lips pursed and then waved a hand in dismissal. "Yours is still better, Kaoru."

Sano snorted. "That's not his judge-y face. There's isn't enough disappointment."

"Oh he's one of those." Misao said with a sigh. "I already have one of those in my life. I may have to rethink my approval. I've been given that flat, judgmental stare my entire life. Kaoru is the Olympic Gold medalist to your tee-ball performance."

Kaoru rolled her eyes and sighed. "Misao, we are not starting this argument a second time tonight."

She stuck out her tongue and sauntered off on her heels. "Hurry up people. I'm hungry."

"I wanted to ask earlier…are those heels magicked somehow? How's she walking like that? How's she walking at all?" Sano asked, fingers lifting to tangle in his spiky hair.

Kaoru snorted out a laugh before she could stop it. "That's just Misao."

Sano tilted his head and watched her disappear. "Suddenly, how she caught Aoshi is becoming clearer. I better go make sure she doesn't harm someone in those things."

Kaoru felt a smile curl her lips at Sano's understanding of her friend's character, his easy acceptance of Misao's special brand of lunacy. Glancing up at Kenshin, she went to ask if his tall friend was always so easily accepting, but she paused at the expression on his face. Kaoru hesitated and then linked her fingers with his, tugging lightly to pull his gaze to hers. His fingers curled almost too tight, even as eyes gone pale with surprise jumped to hers. She wondered if anyone had held his hand before.

"Gohei can't hurt me." Not anymore. Not how Kenshin's eyes told her he was considering. She was strong enough to deal with Gohei.

Those pale eyes narrowed, lashes shading his expression. "You sound very sure."

"I am." She took a bracing breath, let him in. Just a little. "Maybe later I'll tell you about the time I humiliated him. In public. Twice."

Misao spun on her heels, barely missing slamming into Sano at her abrupt stop. Lifting one finger, she arched one dark brow in irritation. "We. We humiliated him in public. And it was beautiful. I'll always treasure our time together Kaoru, but that memory makes my heart sing."

Kaoru rolled her eyes as she pulled Kenshin behind her. "You threw your shoes at him."

"A larger sign of my love for you has yet to be expressed." Misao waved both her hands as she finally flounced ahead of them. "Not even that time I responded to your S.O.S and left that really hot guy naked in his bed in Europe. My shoes, Kaoru!"

"I didn't send you an S.O.S!" Kaoru countered, but her lips were curving at the edges and Kenshin realized this was a long standing argument. Tilting his head in greeting at Aoshi who was waiting for them at the entrance to the restaurant, he watched the rapidly changing profile of his wife in fascination

"Did you see what you were wearing? It wasn't just a cry for help, you were screaming it to the universe in a pair of sweatpants and ratty t-shirt."

Aoshi ignored the bickering between the women as he helped usher the group to a semi-private table. Kenshin reluctantly released Kaoru's hand to settle her and bit down on his smile at the way she watched him from the corner of her eyes as he sat.

Sano looked back and forth between the girls, brows scrunched together. "How long have you two known each other?"

Misao blinked at him, tapping her nails on her menu. "Pre-school."

Kaoru shook her head. "And I can say that Misao has always had this much energy."

Misao fluttered her lashes at Aoshi. "Oh, I don't know about that..."

Sano choked.

Misao continued, ignoring Sano. "Kaoru broke a container of crayons over the head of someone who made me cry. Since I'm smart, I decided to keep her. We've been friends ever since."

Kaoru put her water glass down and sighed. "I wish I could deny that, but she really does latch on like some sort of strange symbiotic relationship. Aoshi, you might take this under advisement if she decides to keep you."

Misao blew Kaoru a kiss. "I'm happy to be the bioluminescent to your anglerfish, darling."

Sano blinked. "Huh?"

"Anglerfish and bioluminescent… just Wikipedia it." Misao grumped.

Grinning to herself and closing her menu, she glanced at Kenshin and blinked at his expression. It was a mixture of disbelief and consideration that she didn't know how to translate. Not really.

"What?"

He tapped his thumb against his water glass, eyes thoughtful as he watched her from under his lashes. "You apparently use crayons as dangerous weapons, you've fought and humiliated someone nearly three times your size more than once by your own admission – possibly using nothing more than shoes… clearly I'm going to have to keep both eyes on you."

If it wasn't for the sparkle behind his eyes, she'd have been offended. As it was, the lingering warmth had her fighting a blush. Swallowing a little, she shook her head. "I thought we've been over this. Misao and I can take care of ourselves."

Head tilting so that his bangs brushed across his eyes, his lips simply curved at the corners. To her continued displeasure, his smile only widened when she narrowed her eyes in warning. At some point they were going to have to discuss why he seemed so pleased every time she was grumpy with him. She was pretty sure that wasn't the usual reaction to someone's temper.

"So what are your recommendations?"

Kaoru blinked. "Regarding?"

That smile tucked into the corners of his mouth refused to fade and she wondered if it was supposed to catch somewhere in the echo in her chest like that. "Dinner. I have it under authority that this is one of your favorite places."

She was in so much trouble.

X

Kaoru slid past the line at the woman's restroom and stood on her tiptoes to see around the press of bodies. She hadn't been surprised to find herself shoved into a cab and Misao barking orders like a drill sergeant to the driver – Aoshi had tipped him well, thankfully – but she had been a little amused that Kenshin had let himself be swept along as well. Kaoru was well aware of how much protesting it would have taken to get out of this little adventure, and truth was, she didn't mind avoiding being alone with Kenshin. Not yet.

Some time interacting with a group, watching him with others was calming. It didn't hurt that it was fascinating to watch him, the way he moved half a second behind everyone else deliberately, letting Misao's boisterous personality camouflage his tempered wariness. She pursed her lips a little and admitted that she found the way he moved – all quiet confidence and easy grace – sexy as hell. She was a little bit thankfully she didn't remember last night. She just knew knowing what it was like to have all that focus and intensity directed solely at her would have destroyed what composure she had maintained so far.

Misao was right. Kenshin was hot.

Hesitating, she lowered to her heels and took a step back into the crowded corner and just, gave herself a moment. Other than her nap and shower, she hadn't really given herself a moment to just absorb. Granted, she was in a crowded bar packed with people and stupid, loud music but for just a moment she was anonymous.

Closing her eyes, she let everything wash over her and just breathed. In the span of forty-eight hours she'd celebrated her best friend's birthday, been spell drugged, had gotten hitched, had discovered that he was basically the antithesis of everything her dad had ever taught her… and she trusted him. It was baffling and right and insane. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking of what Misao had told her.

He was steel and old betrayals – he'd hinted to her about those. But it was the other part… that he'd wrapped himself tightly around what she'd given into his keeping. She felt that. She knew it. And she thought that given time her dad would have understood it too. He might have grumped about it for years, his daughter bringing home a pure blooded Fae assassin of all things… but standing in that crowded bar, his heart a steady beat against hers she felt safe. She could take care of herself, would do so as often as necessary. But the hairs on the back of her neck that had never quiet settled since she was sixteen years old relaxed.

Wasn't that something?

Feeling surprisingly content, she started moving in the direction she thought she'd seen a flash of bright red. Huffing at her lack of size, she yelped when she was suddenly pulled into a side room. Twisting around, she blinked in shock at the sight of Gohei glaring down at her. Her eyes quickly scanned the clusters of people around him and she was satisfied that if she screamed help would be close.

And the sudden change in the rhythm of the heart against hers told her Kenshin wasn't far behind her. She tugged her arm, determined to deal with this before her husband showed up and let Gohei see the violence Kenshin guarded so carefully.

"Get your hand off of me." Kaoru said firmly.

Gohei bared his teeth. "I told you, you belong to me. Your fake heart-bond isn't going to change that."

Her temper snapped even as her spine straightened and her hand grabbed his. There were pressure points to numb his arm, joints to damage – even sturdy Fae bones broke with the correct pressure and angle. But before she could get a grip on his arm to do any of what was scrolling through her mind, Gohei pulled up his left hand.

And several things happened at once.

Kenshin appeared out of the corner of her eye and his face was terrifying. Eyes nearly glowing in the dim light, his rage-pale skin brought his faded scar into relief as magic snapped and bit against her. Then something exploded from Gohei's left hand in a wave of harsh, suffocating magic that pushed and pulled until the earth disappeared from under her feet in sharp, jagged lines of pain.

For a moment she felt like she was being swallowed. The magic tugged, twisting what little she could grasp in every and any direction. She had no idea how long she kicked and struggled before the familiar drumbeat in her ears pounded within her screaming mind. Two beats – one just a touch behind the other, a familiar echo – tugged her out the confusion and hurt.

Then…

The world was too hot.

Kaoru realized she was pressed heavily into sheets; her body burning, skin too tight. The unexpected slide of teeth against her chest left her gasping and the sudden movement showed her how tightly she was pressed against bare skin. Eyes opening wide, she had a moment to take in the red hair fisted between her knuckles; the long naked expense of his back and the way she'd wrapped her legs around his hips

Gasping his name, she stared at the face that lifted from her breasts. The ring of gold around his dilated pupils was white-hot, his hair was tangled around his face and the smile that was curling along his mouth was...

"Hello."

He breathed the word before leaning up and taking her mouth in a kiss that made her insides ignite. Tightening her grip on his body, she moaned low as his hips shifted against hers. A tease her body was too hyper sensitive to appreciate. A slow, playful bite against her bottom lip and then he pulled back to watch her face. Her name, hot against her lips before his weight shifted, body pressing into hers. Too much. Nails digging into his shoulders, she gasped brokenly. Lips danced across her jaw and then he was moving... and she was lost. Broken into light and fire inside her own skin.

When came slowly back down, she became aware of hot, wet kisses against her shoulder. Blinking open dazed eyes, she stared up at the ceiling. Kenshin. She was in bed with Kenshin and they'd…

"Kenshin

"Hmmm." The rasp of his tongue against her throat. Shuddering, her eyes widened when she realized how... her muscles tightened in a surprised reflex and he groaned into her neck.

"But... I..."

Another one of those careful bites and heat washed through her.

"Darling. We've just started."

X

Kaoru accepted the mug of coffee he handed her. "We seem to be repeating this."

He made a noise low in his throat. Settling next to her, he sighed as she leaned against his side. "Kaoru, you naked in my bed is something I refuse to regret, but I think next time we should avoid either of us being spell-drugged."

Snorting, she cradled her coffee between her hands. "What happened?"

The lines of his muscles tightened. Looking up, she met those sparks of gold. "He hurt you."

"Bruises." The magic hadn't left a lingering affect other than memory, and that too would fade.

His warm palm lifted to cradle the line of her jaw. "I haven't confirmed yet with Aoshi, but I'm fairly certain we found one of Magdalia's buyers."

"The spell?" Kaoru leaned into his palm, frowning. "But we're heart-bonded. I don't understand."

"Yes. I believe that was clarified last night." The faintest hint of satisfaction in his tone lit her cheeks on fire. His thumb traced her hot skin and he smiled. "Kaoru."

Swallowing at the sparks flickering in his gaze, she pulled back just a hair. She'd spent two nights with this man – even if she just remembered last night – very naked. If she wanted to blush then she was going to do so. "So Gohei attacked the bond, using the same spell Magdalia had tried before?"

His thumb continued to stroke against her skin. "Yes. I'd apologize for tumbling you back into bed, but it was the quickest way to counter the spell. Well," His voice went deep and soft, hitting her low in her gut. "The first time was. The rest of the night was pure selfishness on my part."

Kaoru choked a little. Her memories from the night before said that selfish wasn't the word she'd use to describe him. At all. Swallowing hard, she tried to focus on the important part of his sentence.

"Is this how you will respond to someone challenging our bond in the future?" Wrap her in magic and sex and him until she could only breathe it in. Until she was sated and cocooned, their bond a drum beating in her chest instead of the steady pace of his heart against hers.

"No. The bond will continue to settle and I doubt anyone will have the audacity to challenge me the way Gohei did last night." A flicker of something behind his eyes she couldn't read, but his heart was steady against hers. "It's more likely I'll be tempted to cause more… permanent harm to those who try to harm you. Gohei is fortunate that you're my priority."

And wasn't that both worrying and flattering… she was starting to see, to understand that this man's capacity for violence was nearly endless in the correct circumstances. The expression he'd worn last night before the world had disappeared in sparks and pain… only the furious beat in her chest, the instinctive trust of the bond between them had kept her from flinching back. But sitting next to him in the early grey hours of dawn, he was careful of her. He opened himself up to her questions and her concerns, and she could see the weight of his expectations behind his eyes. She wondered what life had dealt to this man to give him both his capacity for violence and the understanding that he must temper it.

What had the universe, had magic seen in her that gave her the strength to match him?

"As long as you realize I can take care myself." Kaoru said firmly, setting her coffee down so that she could reach up and tug his hand away from her face, linking their fingers together instead.

"Realizing that you can doesn't mean I won't try to stop you from having to."

Kaoru arched a brow. "I refuse to make this into some sort of competition. It's important to me that you understand that I can take care of myself. I won't be wrapped and put into a box."

But she remembered that when given the option of stepping in or backing her up... he'd already chosen to let her handle it.

Steady violet eyes watched her, but she just lifted her chin and waited. Finally he sighed and pushed a strand of hair away from her face with his free hand. "I have no intention of stifling you, Kaoru. But I can't promise that I won't try to fight your battles, that I won't work to keep the worst of what all the worlds have to offer from touching you. But your independence is important to you; so, it is important to me. But when you are my age and fate gives you something precious… I'll not always react well to other threatening it."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. "This age difference is something we are going to need to discuss."

He hummed an agreement as he sipped his coffee. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight."

He choked. Kaoru blinked at the strangled noise and bit down on her lip hard to keep from laughing at the slightly pained look on his face. His eyes squeezed shut and the fingers laced within hers tightened.

"I'm only a quarter Fae. The expectation was a human lifespan. Obviously that changed. Your turn."

Slowly, he shook his head, eyes opening. "Take pity on me, Kaoru. Let's save that discussion for another day."

She winced. "Seriously, that old?"

He reached over and handed back her coffee. "Thank you."

She huffed a little, but released his hand to accept the still warm mug, drinking it slowly. He left the silence between them and she finally sighed. Rolling the warm ceramic between her palms she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"How badly do you want an explanation about Gohei?"

Those fine, gold tipped lashes fluttered down hiding his eyes. He took another long, slow sip of his coffee and when he finally looked at her, his eyes were gold. "Aoshi is dealing with the situation. My understanding is Misao is… creative."

Kaoru hummed in agreement and considered. Whoever Aoshi was he carried enough weight to keep control of a suspect that had violated several dozen Fae laws in front of witnesses. And he was smart enough not to fight Misao on being involved. And no one ever really saw Misao coming, and if Aoshi had given her free reign – Misao would never accept anything less – in how to deal with Gohei… but more importantly, Kenshin had given her an out. Offered to let her leave it, the way they'd left the discussion about his age for another time. She didn't doubt bits and pieces would come out over the next few days, that'd the intelligent mind she'd seen behind his eyes would put it together.

But she thought she prefer to tell him herself. Putting her mug down, she pulled her knees to her chest and angled away from him just a little. He had gone perfectly still beside her, the lines of his body smoothing into something she couldn't read.

"It was just me and my dad, growing up. Dad and I... he..." She laced her fingers together and looked at them. She sighed and shook her head. How did you boil down sixteen years of love, of disagreements, of hugs in the middle of the night, late night kendo after a useless boyfriend left her in tears and the shock to that bond of having Judgment called by the one person who you loved best in the world?

"When I was sixteen he called Judgment. On me."

The echo against her heart skipped.

"I'd been out with some friends. I was late. I knew dad would be waiting up – he was always waiting up – so I cut through some back roads." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and licked her lips, looked away. "And I ran into something I shouldn't have. Gohei had a brother, Kihei. At the time, he was running a smuggling operation between layers. Misao dug around a few years later, found a few of local police had helped hide the evidence."

She shrugged a little and pressed her fingers into her shins. "It was just Kihei at the time. I was lucky. Kihei is smart, but Gohei is the one between them with the magic. In the scuffle, I hit him with something on the ground. I can't remember what it was, just the weight of it in my hand. I didn't know it until later, but the blow killed him. By the time I made it home, I was in shock. I still don't know what I babbled out to dad, but he tucked me into the couch and sat there with me, waiting."

"Kaoru." His voice was soft and low, but he quieted when she shook her head.

"Gohei came to the dojo hours later and demanded reparations."

There was no way for her to tell him the shock of being sixteen and learning that you'd killed someone. At the time it hadn't mattered that it had been in self-defense, because Kihei would have done worse to her. The bone deep hurt when her father had just studied Gohei with a tight lipped expression heavy with decision. It had taken time, Misao and forgiving herself to understand what her father had put together in those silent hours she'd huddled against him in her worn blanket. It wasn't until after his death two years later that she really grasped what had kept her dad in silence that night.

Gohei had Kihei had been running an illegal smuggling operation with near immunity. That meant backers with deep pockets. What chance did a half-blood and his near-human daughter have against them? How did you protect what you cared most about from the long reach of tomorrow when you didn't know what to protect her from?

"Gohei asked a life for a life. If dad agreed to a heart-bond, used family blood to bind it – then he'd let the transgression pass." Kaoru blew out a breath and finally turned and faced this new husband of hers. His eyes were so dark they looked nearly blue

"So my dad called Judgment. He let magic decide my fate. And it ruled in my favor." She grimaced, shoving her bangs out of her eyes. And once magic decided, not even the long reach of whoever Kihei had owed favors dared interfere in her life. But sometimes, before her dad's death she'd caught him staring out a widow, his expression pensive. "But it also left open the possibility of compatibility between Gohei and me. Which is what he is clinging to more than a decade later."

Kenshin finally moved, and his hand reached for hers. Carefully, eyes holding hers, he lifted her wrist to his mouth, lips ghosting across soft skin. "Kaoru."

And how did you breathe past this kind of knot in your throat, when a near-stranger looks at you like that? With admiration, understanding and that warmth that might have been affection? Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced down and back up. "So that's what happened with Gohei."

Lashes narrowing, he slowly arched a red brow. "And if Judgment decided in your favor, how exactly did Misao end up throwing her shoes?"

Kaoru bit her lip, suddenly fighting a smile. Swallowing the laugh that shouldn't be bubbling in her throat after that gut wrenching storytelling, she tapped her fingers against her knee. "Oh, that. Well, like I said. Gohei has magic, but he's stupid. He'd shown up once or twice, demanding that I allow him to bond with me. It took me a while, to find my feet after that night, but I manage it. And… well," she cut her eyes to Kenshin. "It might've been mentioned once or twice that I have a short fuse for my surface temper. So we might have emphasized my rejections using a teeny, tiny bit violence. Possibly with shoes."

Which she would have done last night. Not with the shoes, but with a great deal more emphasis.

The other brow arched. "Are their details with this story?"

"Maybe we should save those for another time." Kaoru said carefully, looking away from that intent face. "Misao likes to reenact it, after all."

A low noise that might have been a laugh was choked off from the back of his throat. She let herself lean back into his side, sighing. She glanced towards the kitchenette, wondering how much of the coffee pot was left.

"I think that's something else we're going to have to talk about." She murmured.

"Hmm?"

Pushing her elbow into his side just enough that he could feel it, she scowled into her empty cup. "Every time I get irritated at you or near you, you think it's amusing."

Kenshin cleared his throat, lips compressing for a moment before he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Do I?"

"Oh don't even try it." She warned. "You get this tiny little smirk, right at the corner of your mouth."

Both brows arched then, and he blinked once before shrugging a little while leaning back into the couch. "Its… you reach for me."

"I don't understand."

"My history is… bloody." He paused and then sighed. "The life of an assassin could be little else, but I was very good at it. Sometimes, I enjoyed it – keeping those I cared for safe, regardless of the methods. Other times… carrying the death of others is a weight."

Kaoru thought of the feel of that nameless weapon in her hand. "Yes."

"But even knowing that, you trust me enough to react – to reach for me with your aura or your hands." His eyes caught hers and the weight there made it difficult to breath. "There are no words for that kind of trust."

She shook her head just a little. "Your heart beats alongside mine. What else could I have done?"

His eyes bled from violet to gold, hot with emotion. "You were in a blue dress."

"What?"

"Your hair was down, and I remember how it caught the light. But it was you – light and sweetness against me that I wanted to feel again. There was steel there too, and I was curious."

She blinked at him, opening her mouth and closing it. She had to swallow before she could speak. "You're starting to remember."

He nodded. "Last night… helped."

And would she ever stop blushing around this man? Clearing her throat and trying to ignore the way his eyes roamed her flushed face, she swiped at her bangs. "So what does this mean?"

"I wanted to introduce myself two days ago, ask you if you'd like a drink." His eyes danced suddenly. "Although clearly I'd have had more luck asking you out for coffee."

"I am not so easily coerced," she responded, unable to hide her amused smile. His eyes crinkled at the edges and there was that skip of her heartbeat again. The amusement died away and he sighed.

"I couldn't introduce myself. Not in a hunt with Magdalia clinging to my arm. In all the years I've hunted, I'd never been so close to ignoring what needed to be done. I am a lot of things, Kaoru – difficult being one of the more prominent. But when given a target I do not wavier. And yet, the light against your hair and the steel in your aura had me moving three steps in your direction before I'd caught myself."

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe and speak through the weight of his words. "I'm on to you. You say these things on purpose, to see just how hard I'm going to blush."

The side of his mouth curled. "I speak only the truth."

And yet he wasn't denying it. She made a mental note that behind that careful temperance and focus the man was evil. Positively evil.

"Do you remember what you told me, standing in front of your hotel, magic a living thing between us?"

"No." She shrugged a little self-conscious. "I don't remember anything from that night."

"You told me that yesterday didn't matter as much as what I did today and tomorrow." He angled his eyes to match hers, gaze unwavering. "You asked me to stay."

Oh. That sounded exactly like something she'd say.

"So I married you." He sighed, the sound a mix of exasperation and relief. "Even spell-drugged I knew better than to let you go."

Kaoru swallowed several times. "How does... you could have married anyone."

"I should have bonded Magdalia." His voice was flat. "That cocktail of spells should've overridden every defense I had and stripped me bare."

"Then why..."

"You." He shrugged, the move somehow self-depreciating. "Somehow in the madness, I refused her and found you. And I pulled you into the spell."

Kaoru winced. "And neither of us had the control to say no."

"I like to think we'd have gotten here." He said gently. "Eventually, I'd have gotten you to agree to a date. I'm stubborn."

Her lips twitched and she met that stare. "So am I."

"Then it would have just been a matter of adoring you to my point of view."

Her heart hammered in her throat. "You... Kenshin, you've known me less than twenty-four hours. Adore is a strong word."

He laughed low in the back of his throat, sweeping both of their empty coffee mugs to the table in front of them before reaching to cup her face in his palms. Leaning forward, he brushed his thumbs along the slope of her cheekbones, eyes slowly roaming her face.

"I assure you, Kaoru, that I've admired you since you stood behind a chair and demanded I explain myself. I was smitten over a plate of French toast and I've adored you since you punched Sano in the gut and then demanded an apology from him. I've wanted you since you refused to open a bathroom door until I offered you a robe and you tried to call Misao forty-seven times."

She licked her lip, forcing herself not to notice how he followed the motion. "You thought I was insane."

"I thought you were brave," he corrected. "Opening that door wrapped in nothing but a sheet, wedding rings you didn't remember buying and a new heart beating against yours – that was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

"If you put me on a pedestal, it's going to hurt when I land on my ass." She warned him. "I can't cook – don't smile at me, I really can't cook – I have a terrible temper and my friends are insane. I've never been in a relationship that's last longer than a couple of months and I have no idea what to do with you. Running to the bathroom in a panic is likely to be the calmest reaction I have as we figure this out."

"And yet – you held my hand." He leaned back, giving her just enough space that she didn't feel like bolting. "You have a house?"

"And the dojo…" she scowled at him, leaning out of his hold to toss her hands into the air. "We don't even know ere we are going to live."

"My apartment has no sentimental value," Kenshin said, a smile growing behind his eyes. "How big is your water tank? I've been accused of using all the hot water before and you seem the type willing to assault a man with a shampoo bottle."

She pointed at him, eyes narrowing. "I see what you did there."

"I thought you might." His eyes were dancing now.

"Is this what I have to look forward to?" She asked. "You jumping from topic to topic, just to see how I respond? Don't think I don't see you laughing at me."

He laced their fingers together, his smile so content she felt something ease in her chest she hadn't known was knotted. They still had a lot of talk about – her dad, his life before he ended up here, why he felt people should fear him, his freaking age – but in that moment she realized it was going to work. It wasn't going to be easy, because nothing worth keeping ever was, but sitting on the couch with Kenshin she felt safe. Content. And the bone-deep trust, the warm spark of her own admiration that could grow into something more… was there.

Kissing the back of her hand, he pressed it against the faded scar on his cheek.

"Every day. For as long as we both shall live."

She thought she might be okay with that.

End

Please Comment.

So I hope you enjoyed this little two part story. I am very aware that there a lot of things I just hinted at, and that some things probably could have used more detailed information. But this story was meant to show the start of a relationship, how two adults would work to take responsibility for their situation, even if all the parameters were outside of their control. I hope I managed it.

I also wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I'm usually pretty terrible at responding on an individual reviews. But I read and consider each and every one. No review goes unappreciated. I had several reviewers who mentioned how long they had been reading and enjoying my stories, and I'm just as surprised as them at how long I've been writing. Thank you so much for sticking with me.

As always, thank you so much for reading.