AN: This story continues the FTM verse I started in chapter 4, "It was dark and stormy night" of my "Thousand Words" drabble collection. The first part written from Kenshin's pov is also a drabble "Haunted by her smile" that I originally intended to publish along the rest of them. However, I was caught up by an idea and decided to explore the scene further, and so I ended up extending it to this one-shot.

Please be aware that this story has M-rated sexual content. It is very soft-core lemon, but there are certain acts described that do not suit the younger audience.

Also, I'd like to thank the wonderful and exceedingly kind BelovedStranger for beta-reading this story.

Hundred and one kisses

…I don't understand this at all, Kenshin! You are a woman? Does Missy know?! Sighing deeply, Kenshin recalled Sano's frustrated tirade back in Kyoto. After his friend had finally learned the truth during their battle with Shishio, understandably, he hadn't quite known how to react.

But then again, who would? When faced with such twisted lies?

Staring down at his chest in the faint light of the bath house, Kenshin frowned. Truth be told, he didn't understand Miss Kaoru's stalwart admiration either.

Because just as he had explained to Sano… Miss Kaoru knew.

Better than anyone alive, she knew his scars, his guilt, his lies… and still, she had followed him all the way to Kyoto, had stood proudly against Shishio's madness, and at the end of the day, she still had heart and strength to keep watch at his sick bed.

It wasn't that he didn't know why - only love would drive anyone to such lengths. But…

…what is it about this one that she loves so much? He frowned in thought.

There wasn't anything he could give to her in return, not a single thing. He was just as poor now as he had been since he left the Ishin Shishi. His skills weren't good for any profession he could stand to do in this new and strange era of peace; he had no family or a good name… No, worse, it was the opposite – his was the worst sort of a name to give to a family.

…and family. That is the most impossible thing for this unworthy one to give her. Wrapping his arms to cover his chest, Kenshin huffed against the weight of his inadequacies. Even though he couldn't imagine a world without her, without seeing her smiles, cherishing her happiness… what did that desperate emotion amount to in reality?

Nothing - and that is the truth, so it is. He buried his face in his hands.

After a while, he exhaled. Resolutely rising to his feet, he retied his yukata as he had for the most of his life - low to his hip. The thin fabric didn't exactly hide his cursed breasts, but the skin from Shishio's burns was still too sore for him to bind his chest in the privacy of home. Besides, what use would it be today, when the only other occupant at the dojo was her?

They had come back to Tokyo the day before and everyone had returned to their homes. Well, except Yahiko, who had been called to help overnight at the Akabeko with a large wedding reception the restaurant had been reserved for.

Stepping outside to the shadowed courtyard, Kenshin couldn't help noticing that the dojo was almost like a haunted house. Well, almost - but not at all. Because everywhere he looked, he would see her.

There, her sea-blue eyes had sparked in temper from Yahiko's ill-advised taunt; there, she had danced through the intricate steps of her sword style's more difficult forms; there, she had frowned in annoyance at Megumi's flirting; there, she had grumbled at Sano's complaints… Kenshin frowned fondly, a smile rising to tug at his lips.

And what had she said, only yesterday?

"Welcome home…" He mouthed the words, the tip of his fingers tingling at the memory of her touch. And somehow, there was this feeling rooting in his heart that whatever she wanted, whatever would bring that smile to her lips… she should have it.

Miss Kamiya Kaoru had the will to move mountains, and his fears and doubts had never been strong enough to withstand her smile. If she wanted this broken mockery of a man, who was he to deny her?

A fool, that's what, he finally acknowledged, nodding once. Even if he couldn't understand why, what did it matter?

Making his way into the house, he padded through the silent corridors until stopping in front of her door. Breath hitching in hesitation, he swallowed and raised his hand for a faint knock. "Miss Kaoru?"

"Kenshin?" her surprised voice answered, carrying easily through the thin walls.

"Might this one come in?" he inquired softly.

"I… yes, of course."

Hesitation? Maybe this is a mistake, Kenshin wavered. But shaking his head, he held onto the vanishing dregs of his courage and stepped inside.

She was stroking her hair behind her ear, a slight blush on her cheeks. Even in the faint candlelight, it was obvious she had been sewing… Sewing, she?

Why? He gaped, only to finally notice the pink, worn fabric in her hands. "Oro?"

"I just… I know I'm not good at this, but I had to try to repair it," she explained, looking aside and blushing brighter.

A wave of tenderness surged, and at that moment, he couldn't stop himself from walking to her and kneeling before her. She gasped, surprised: "…Kenshin, what…?"

"Thank you," he whispered with a smile and leaned forward to kiss her softly. It was a fumbling kiss, nothing more than a brush of his lips against hers.

Nevertheless, it made his heart race.

Her eyes were stunned, and he hesitated, leaning back…

And suddenly, she rushed to grab his head and kissed him fiercely, slipping her tongue past his lips and pouring all her frustrations into that one single act. For a second, Kenshin was sure he would drown in the tsunami of her passion, but then something in him broke - the last of the resistant fear that it had all been one terrible mistake, that she could never have such feelings for a half-man like him - and he wrapped his arms around her, and stroking her tongue with his, finally met her on an even ground.

She had known what she wanted nearly from the beginning. He had always known but hadn't been able to believe… but now that he could finally see, he paused for a breath, tears gathering in his eyes. He reached to stroke her cheek and said, "I love you."

"I love you."

Those three simple words rang in the air like a confession, and for a second Kaoru couldn't believe she had heard him right. But Kenshin was on his knees before her, his beautiful violet eyes were misted, and he looked at her with such tenderness that her heart ached.

She slipped her fingers from his soft mane, stroking his scarred cheek and whispered, "I know. Kenshin, surely you know that I feel the same for you?"

He tilted his head to cherish her touch, his eyes falling shut.

For a moment, that was all.

It was like the shadows in her bedroom had casted them in place. Neither of them dared to move, for this closeness felt much too fragile, like a flower petal fallen to a hand. Just a wisp of a wind or a sudden action, and it would fall and be broken.

The candle flickered, and he sighed deeply.

Then, he raised his gaze to meet hers, took a breath and slowly turned around. His red hair was loose, still damp from his bath, and for a moment, Kaoru was befuddled what he was intending – until he reached low to his hip and untied the sash holding his yukata in place. Glancing over his shoulder, he shrugged and let the light fabric of his sleeping robe fall from his shoulders.

The surprised gasp escaping from her lips was an unwitting mistake she regretted on the spot, especially after such a leap of faith he had taken - but the damage was already done and he flinched.

However, it wasn't like she could help it – while she had known of them, she hadn't ever fully seen the scars, both old and new, crossing the beautifully sculpted muscles of his back. No matter where she looked, his pale skin was painted with the marks of a Swordsman's hard life, and seeing it - it felt like a dagger was twisting in her heart.

Crawling closer, she swallowed and traced one of the older wounds with her fingers, the three raised lines aligned to alike a claw mark. In place of nothing better to say, she finally remarked, "All this pain you have suffered, I can't help but hurt for you."

He inhaled sharply and turned to glance at her, his eyes wide in bewilderment, "Miss Kaoru..."

She smiled and reached to kiss him again, to wipe the surprise from his lips.

He held his arms in front of him, covering his chest with the loose fabric of his yukata and stared at her like she had lost her mind, utterly at a loss on how to react.

However, his lips were soft and he wasn't upset, just confused – and Kaoru decided she could keep kissing him until the end of time. She placed one butterfly kiss after another on his lips, moving to the corner of his mouth, tracing a line to his cheek...

Perhaps I have gone mad. She smiled as a wave of courage surged in her.

True, she didn't know much of the acts between lovers, she was young, had no experience in these sort of things at all… but a man or woman, the person she was kissing was Kenshin. Wherever this heat throbbing in her veins would lead to, she knew with a bone deep certainty that he could never harm her in any way.

She leaned closer and kissed him deeply on the mouth, lavishing his lips with her tongue. Finally, he shuddered and spurred into action, wrapping her in his embrace and began kissing her back.

His tongue dancing with hers; they drank each other's breath and kissed, time and time again.

Somehow, they drifted to sit side by side on the tatami matting, and in his embrace, the fervent heat kept burning hotter, and the sweat was rising to her skin. His wiry arms were solid around her, and she had never felt a better place to be.

The perspiration was beading on her forehead, and she paused briefly to pant for breath. Glancing at his naked shoulders, she couldn't help but to feel annoyed that he didn't have to suffer from this heat.

"Please, a moment." She sat up straighter, and reached her arms behind her to untie the knot tying her obi.

Across from her, he too was breathing deeply, but he wasn't focused on her – no, he was blushing and looking aside, again covering his chest with his arms.

For a second, Kaoru frowned at his unease, but then she managed to tug her sash loose and it was her turn to bite her lip in hesitation.

Why am I stopping now?

Mou! This isn't how I imagined this to be! She huffed, annoyed at herself and shook her head, steeling her nerves. "Kenshin..."

His eyes sought hers, but not a second later his breath hitched, his eyes dilated and wandered lower.

If she ever had feared that he didn't find her attractive, the last dregs of that doubt disappeared on the spot.

Oh, he does like what he sees.

There was power in that knowledge, and Kaoru smiled, daring to trace her hand down her neck, slipping lower to caress her unbound and full breast. The way his eyes followed her fingers, how he swallowed dazedly… all the signs of his appreciation just urged her to continue, to see what other reactions she could prompt from him.

The candle didn't bring much light to her bedroom, but even if she couldn't see properly… she had this strange curiosity to try and see if she could coax him to forget his own state of undress, to get past this unease of his body. She knew what he was hiding, he knew that she knew…but there was a definitive difference in just knowing and being able to see properly, to cherish, to pay attention.

Now, Kaoru had never been a particularly shy girl regarding her own body. She was modest and proper, true, just as a daughter of a former samurai clan ought to be. However, her body had always been just flesh and skin to her, and not anything remarkable at that. Her looks were homey, not worth much attention, or so she had come to learn while listening to the boys who had trained at her father's dojo during her youth.

In Kenshin's eyes, however, it was like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Kaoru grinned, circling her right nipple with her fingers. The flesh there was taut and playing with it…

"Mmmmm…." she let out a low moan.

He inhaled sharply, and whispered, "Kaoru…"

There was less than a feet separating them, and finally he shook his head and moved closer, lifting his hand to slowly trace the same breast she had been teasing. Softly, he whispered, "How can you be so fearless?"

She leaned forward to caress his hair, and smiled. "What do I have to fear from you? You are my Kenshin, and this... This is just us. It can be whatever we make of it."

He huffed, and at first she didn't know what to make of the strange sound that followed, but not a second later she realized he was laughing.

"...wha -" she started, but before she could continue, he leaned closer and kissed her on the lips, softly, slowly, dragging out the sensation. Then he pulled back and smiled. "Yes. Of course that's so, Miss Kaoru."

"Mou, do you have to use such formalities even at a time like this?" she grumbled, a smile tugging at her lips, too.

"But Miss Kaoru, you are a Lady compared to this unworthy Wanderer, that you are." His expression was perfectly straight, but at the corner of his eye, a glint of mischief was sparking.

"You…" She gaped, and then laughed, too, and slipped both of her hands into his hair and kissed him fiercely, shutting his clever mouth with her tongue. All this kissing had made her lips sore and dry, and when they paused for a breath, she licked them wet and smirked. "You better be more than talk, Mr. Wanderer."

His eyes widened in surprise, but then a slow smile rose to his lips and eyes hooded, he glanced at her futon spread out for the night. "Far be it from this unworthy one to let his Lady go displeased. Perhaps we should retire, that we should."

The blush rising to her cheeks was perhaps unavoidable, and Kaoru swallowed. "...yes."

They clambered to stand, but in the process, her loose obi fell to the ground, and Kaoru glanced at him, not quite knowing what to do with her sleeping robe. Kenshin, too, seemed to have similar problems… but he used the chance to pull the cloth to cover himself again.

Somehow, it made her feel better, to see him fumbling like this – it meant that she wasn't alone in her hesitations.

Pulling back the covers, she settled to sit at the center of the futon. A tender smile rising to her lips, she patted the thick bedding invitingly. Glancing at her eyes, he, too, smiled and sat down at her side, raising his hand and caressed her chin and placed a small butterfly kiss at the side of her lips.

"You are very beautiful, that you are, Miss Kaoru."

Letting out a small laugh, she blushed and confessed, "I don't like this uncertainty."

He exhaled softly, and in place of an answer, he gently stroked her breast through the light fabric of her yukata. Then, keeping his eyes on hers - waiting for her nod, and gaining it - he pulled back on the cloth to reveal her naked skin and leaned forward to kiss her collarbone.

She couldn't help the gasp escaping her lips, surprised by both of the wetness and the feeling of cold draft in her room hitting her skin. He smiled, and continued to trail kisses lower, moving between her breasts and continued to the soft underside of the one on the right. His eyes sought hers, and then, finally, he licked her nipple.

"Uhnnh," she moaned, and right after, gasped in surprise at her own reaction.

Kenshin's eyes glinted, and he continued to nibble her breast, playing with the nipple with his teeth.

It was blatantly unfair, but this silly way he teased her, it kept dragging these embarrassing moans out of her. Worse, the fevered heat was rising under her skin again, and she cursed – what the hell should I do with my hands?

Then he raised the stakes and suckled on her breast, stroking the other with his hand – and what was left of her patience broke. She buried her hands in his thick mane of hair and panted. "Kenshin..!"

The wetness gathering between her legs and the accompanied throbbing was annoyingly distracting, and Kaoru gasped for breath, seeking his eyes. "Kenshin… go lower."

He raised his brow, and paused. "Are you sure?"

"Don't be stupid and do something!" she huffed, thoroughly tired with this pussy footing around the issue.

He shook his head at her temper, laughing softly.

In place of an answer, he trailed his fingers down her stomach, to her hip - and she held her breath in anticipation. But for a moment, he did nothing more than stroke the mound between her legs gently through the white cotton of her undergarments.

It was absolutely maddening; his hand was so close - but not close enough.

She bit her lip and reached to untie the ties of her underskirt behind her back.

He glanced up... and then, together, they tugged the cloth away.

Then with a sigh, he ceased his teasing and reached to kiss her neck, slowly slipping his fingers between her folds to caress the slippery skin.

Her breath hitched, and he moved to lie on his side, placing kisses to her chest, between her breasts, to her abs, going lower even still. His finger circled maddeningly at her entrance, then pushed in… and he carefully pumped them in an out, then curled to stroke at the cluster of nerves inside her.

Keeping up with the motion, he leaned down to lick the hollow just near her hip bone - and right then, Kaoru couldn't say which was more distracting, that clever tongue teasing a spot she hadn't known even existed or his goddam fingers in her pussy.

"Nnghth." she groaned, moaning at the sensations he teased out of her. How hadn't she known he could be this cruel? The throbbing between her legs was impossible and she panted, "More! Kenshin, please!"

His eyes, those damnable, beautiful violet eyes were hooded and despite the flickering light, she had a rising suspicion he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Whining, she spread her legs, and moaned, kicked, trashed - and even though she must have seemed like a madwoman, it didn't matter because this fire in her veins was burning hot, and she didn't know how she could stand it much longer.

"Please, stay still," he murmured, laying his hand on her thigh. The touch felt both strong and gentle, and Kaoru stopped to stare at him, her eyes wide. He met her gaze and smiled, before crawling to lie between her legs. "Kenshin, wha -" she started, but her befuddled inquiry died on her lips as he leaned forward, spread the folds of her pussy and kissed her right in the middle of that throbbing wetness.

A high-pitched whine rose deep from her chest and she panted, her eyes wide as saucers. He glanced up, and smiled, before lavishing a long steady lick at her most sensitive skin.

The sensation, it was impossible to explain, and Kaoru fell to her back, gasping for air.

The shadows danced on the ceiling as she buried her fingers into his thick mane, panting, moaning, groaning and trying desperately to ride this wave of pleasure he so skillfully stroked out of her.

She hadn't ever thought of doing something like this, but between her legs, he kept licking, suckling, nibbling, while his fingers returned to pumping at her core, and everything he did just added to the fevered heat plaguing her.

It was like she was an instrument he was carefully playing, coaxing these noises out of her, and Kaoru didn't know whether to laugh or cry, to bless or curse him, because it was all too much. She had never felt anything like this, and oh god, it was all too much, because he was there, he was there for her, he had said he loved her, and he kept performing this wicked magic with his fingers and tongue and oh god - " Kenshiiiiiin!"

She sobbed, whine and gasped all at once, and the single thread of sanity she had been clinging to finally snapped.

And then, the tide was over, the tension draining away, and she was left with this tranquil numbness. With a rustle of fabric, he rose and climbed to sit next to her, and caressed her hair gently. There were no words, just this comfort in the simple touch that felt like the most familiar feeling in the world.

Finally, blinking the tears from her eyes, she asked, "Is it always like that?"

"Oro?"

"That intense, I mean."

"It depends," he remarked thoughtfully. "At least, she said so... "

"She...?" Kaoru blinked, still out of it. He smiled, and caressed her cheek. "This unworthy one will tell you about it some other time, that he will. But, you enjoyed yourself, that you did?"

Scoffing at his familiar stalling tactic, Kaoru shook her head and smiled. "If it wasn't blatantly obvious, then yes, I did."

"That's good, so it is."

Sitting up, and propping herself on her elbow, she frowned. "What about you?"

"...oro?" He gulped, his brows rising in stunned surprise. "Err, what about this one?"

"You just spent god knows how long teasing out the most amazing sensations from me and you expect me to just take it?" she countered, her annoyance sparking.

"Errr... yes?" He hesitated, shying back slightly.

"What if I want to see you like that, too?"

"Ah, that's..."

"Kenshin, I have eyes and I saw your reactions earlier when we kissed - you can enjoy these things, too!"

"I... This one, that is..." He hesitated. But she leaned forward to look into his eyes. "Kenshin... What if I want to see to your happiness as well? Is it too much to ask?"

"Well, no...but," he looked aside, swallowing, "it's just... this one can't ever be fully a man, that is the reality, but at the same time..."

His eyes, the way he closed them, shying away from her... It was like he had confessed something shameful and wrong, guilt of some terrible sin. But all she could feel was this overpowering tenderness crashing over her, and she lifted her finger to his lips, to stop the flow of those terribly sad words.

"Shhh, I know." She smiled softly, and blinked to clear the mist from her eyes. "Please, let me try. Just, tell me, but stop me if something doesn't feel right."

He didn't answer her with words, just closed his eyes and nodded once, and even so, the motion seemed to be very difficult for him.

She smiled softly and traced her fingers to his jaw, to his neck and then pulled him closer. This time, the kiss was slow, long and wet - and his lips tasted odd.

Leaning back, she couldn't help but to wrinkle her brow. "...how you could lick me down there like you were eating sweets, I can't understand."

"It isn't bad," he scoffed, a rueful smile rising to his lips, "it's just an acquired taste, that it is. Besides, you liked it, didn't you?"

Despite his easy counter, he wasn't meeting her eyes, and there was noticeable redness tinting his cheeks, spreading all the way to his neck.

Embarrassed, now? Kaoru laughed softly, before placing another kiss to his lips. "Of course I did."

He glanced up, and Kaoru inched closer, pecking the side of mouth, and tracing her hand lower, from his neck, to his shoulder, avoiding the tender scars and healing bruises she knew he had gained in Kyoto.

Glancing down, she pursed her lips thoughtfully.

The loose yukata he was wearing fell to cover his chest, but it wasn't tied. It wouldn't take much to satisfy her curiosity, and he, too, had to be able to feel how good the teasing on the breasts felt. On the other hand, even if he hadn't ever said anything.. she had noticed how he always tended to cover them, not exactly shy, more like an avoidance of the matter.

...I can damn well wait as long as he needs, Kaoru decided. And then, she nodded to herself as a plan formed in her mind and she settled to lie down on her side. "Please, join me."

He frowned, but then gingerly lowered himself to her side, facing her - and slowly, caressed her cheek. There was this sudden hesitance to his motions that she didn't like at all, and she slipped her fingers to comb his hair gently. Then, keeping her eyes on his, she resolutely inched closer, and closer, until she could feel his warmth through the thin yukata.

His eyes widened and his breath hitched, but true to his promise, he didn't shy away.

Reaching to kiss his red and swollen lips, first long and deep, she then felt encouraged and placed smaller, teasing pecks at the corners of his lips.

It was playful and sweet, and finally, he, too, smiled and joined in the effort, kissing her back tenderly.

Her lips were sore, just like his had to be by this point, but this was familiar, this was nice, this was relaxing and that was the point. His mouth, his clever tongue - they were her territory, and she stroked and sucked, enjoying his returning boldness.

After a while, she became more flirtatious with her kisses, and rose to sit up slightly and leaned over him to caress his skin, to trail her free hand down his neck, following the lines of wiry muscles on his arm and finally slipping her hand underneath his yukata - and then, she pulled him closer.

He didn't seem to notice, for he, too, was lost in the kisses that had become their lifeline.

It was easy, it was perfect to get lost in them - and Kaoru grinned in victory, attacking his abused lips once again, cherishing how his breath grew deeper, how the sweat was beading on his skin. He was solid in her tight embrace, their chests skin to skin, the soft and sensitive mounds pressed against each other and it felt good.

"..ah." A faint gasp escaped, and in that pleasant haze, for a second, Kaoru wasn't sure where it had come from. But then her eyes flew open in stunned shock and she glanced at him - and sure it was, his eyes were squeezed tight and he was silently panting.

Like a cat with a bowl of cream, she grinned, loving even this small sound of his enjoyment.

Whatever he was, whatever she was, whatever they made of their time together - it all came down to these little things, she decided and reached to kiss his jaw again, placing butterfly kiss after another, and then moved to nibble his earlobe. All the while her mouth kept him distracted, her free hand was stroking his muscular back firmly, these long and steady strokes to bring comfort, to bring them closer together.

They were so close, that she felt heat building up, his pulse racing, his breath hitching, and finally another low moan rising from his chest. Nibbling lower, she moved to tease his neck, circling around the new scars, but not giving the healthy skin any mercy.

Even the first teasing bite dragged the most delicious groan from him. "Nnh."

Oh, yes… this is it. Kaoru grinned, and pulled the skin with her teeth and suckled softly, then lavished tender care with her tongue afterwards. Instantly, he gasped and shuddered, then wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face to her hair.

He was so close that she could hear every nuance of his breath, and no matter that he was trying to stay silent, to keep the unwitting reactions to himself, it didn't matter any because she cherished every single sound. Licking her way lower, she kissed his collarbone, the dip between the clavicle - dragging another low groan from him. Her hand, likewise, moved lower to trace the planes of his back, the root of his spine, his shapely buttocks.

Lying there, they were like two sides of one coin. He panting desperately, trying to keep still, to ride the wave, and facing him, she teased, prodded, tested, stroked to find better places to bring him to whole new heights. The sweat was plastering his hair to his neck and forehead; his skin was feverish and glistening, and she was sure he was so very close to the edge, but at the same time, she was at a loss about how to bring him over and spring loose all that corded tension.

Earlier, he had coaxed the most amazing sensations out of her just by licking and stroking her pussy. And though she knew their bodies had to be similar... he was so careful of his chest, so how could she even try to touch him down there?

I can't. There is no way. Kaoru bit her lip and frowned. I want to share this moment with him; I want to see him lost in that sensation… He is so close to the edge, but…

Caressing his hip hesitantly, she leaned down to kiss him on his cheek, and paused for a moment. "Kenshin, I don't know how to..."

He blearily opened his eyes to meet her gaze and he exhaled. Then he slowly slipped his hand from her waist, reached to hers lying on his hip and grabbed it. Bringing their linked hands up, his eyes were hooded as he kissed her fingers, one by one.

"...but, wha-" she started, at loss for words, but then her surprise turned to shock as he guided their hands down his chest, across his stomach and slipped them underneath the waist tie of his fundoshi. The white cotton didn't stretch, but tugged looser, and Kaoru gasped, feeling their entwined fingers stroke the faint fuzz of hair and then, the slippery wetness between folds of skin.

"Haaah," he panted, eyes closed and drew his hand back to her waist, wrapping her closer and buried his face against her chest.

Kaoru couldn't help but to gape in amazement, dazed by his show of trust.

She swallowed and then nodded to herself; even if she couldn't see, she knew enough of her own body to know where and how to touch. Softly, she stroked between the folds covered in arousal, trying to find the peak of nerves and - "Ughhhn."

Ah, yes, there it is, she smiled.

Petting and teasing, alternating the tempo, she caressed him, and finally getting the hang of it, she reached to kiss him at the same time. His lips were messy and wet, and by god it was the best sort of kissing there was.

She had never seen anything as beautiful as him right then, because his lips were swollen, his eyes dazed and his skin was glowing - the gasps escaping him were the music her fingers set the rhythm to.

Soon, his arms were gripping her like she was the only thing grounding him to reality, and he moaned and writhed, tensing like a cord stretched too tight. Kaoru didn't give him mercy, just stroked slow, fast, soft, harder - teasing the tender flesh and cluster of nerves. The edge was there, almost at her fingertips, and he was so close, and then, she pressed at the peak of nerves, tweaked the flesh between her fingers just right - and the tension snapped.

"Aaaaahhhhh, Kaoruuuu!"

His scream was loud, it was primal and desperate and she had never heard such a magnificence praise sung to her name.

When she looked at his shuddering form, there was a feeling rising to her chest that she was at the top of the world. And at that moment, Kaoru realized that there was nothing, no time, place, thing or person she would rather want.

Because he was there and he was hers.

Stroking his hair softly, watching the aftershocks pass, she reached to kiss his sweaty forehead. "Kenshin..."

Utterly spent, he blinked blearily and finally his beautiful eyes focused on her. "...mmh?"

"Let's get married."