Disclaimer:
Kaoru's not mine
And neither is Kenshin
So all I can do
Is write up some tension
"Patrol?" he nodded,
"Yes Kaoru-mine, patrol. Once every decade I have to travel around to the minor shadow states. It takes an entire year, two months to get between each state and a month visit at the capital with the residing lord or lady." Kaoru nodded and glanced up at the star studded sky,
"When do you leave?" Kenshin smirked,
"WE leave next week."
"MIIIIISAAAAAO, have you seen that purple bag? The one with the embroidery---" her words were cut off as said bag slammed into her face, "THANK YOU!" Another bag came sailing through the open door and landed with a thump on the ground, accompanied by Misao's exuberant form.
"I can't believe you get to travel around here! It looks so cooooool" Kaoru stared at her, expressionless until the energetic woman calmed,
"Cool? Hmmm, lemme think…" Kaoru pressed a questioning fingertip against her lips, "Uuuuuuuh, no." The vampiress roughly shoved both bags into the small leather pouch at her hip that lead to her dimensional pocket before continuing, "especially since you aren't coming. I mean, having to stay here with all the vamps? You'll have way more fun than I will…" Misao coughed lightly,
"Ummm, actually Kao…there's been a slight change of plans…" Kaoru glanced over in askance, "I'm…I'm not staying. In this realm, I mean. They're sending me back to our apartment right before you two leave…" Glancing hesitantly upwards, Misao gave a shaky smile when Kaoru's tense form met her gaze.
"What?" The taller girl's voice was soft and angry, the single syllable vibrating in the air. A rich baritone broke the terse silence,
"Kitten, we're going. Are you ready?"
The door opened an inch before it was viciously slammed against the wall behind it. Mildly startled, Kenshin's eyebrow rose and he looked at the growling vampire in front of him in confusion,
"You're sending her back there!?" A shrug was his reply and her mouth snapped open in anger, "SHE CAN'T GO BACK THERE! SHE WAS KIDNAPPED BATTOUSAI! K-I-D-N-A-P-P-E-D. KIDNAPPED!" A passing maid shot a curious look towards the arguing couple and quickly darted off, a hand pressed to her mouth at the thought of the mating going badly. Kenshin, watching the maid run away, quickly pushed Kaoru into the room, Misao managing to slip out seconds before the door slammed shut and a golden barrier lit up the walls, sealing the noise inside.
"You want to send Misao, MY BEST FRIEND, back to an obviously UNPROTECTED location ALONE!? You're obviously going SENILE Battousai!" Kenshin snarled and shoved her against the wall, his voice coming out as a low hiss,
"My name is Kenshin"Kaoru sneered and shoved back, ineffectively trying to force him off of her,
"You're an idiot, Battousai" Kenshin growled angrily, eyes alighting with red sparks as Kaoru's fingers tightened their grip on the front of his shirt. Silver clashed with Gold seconds before their lips met in a rough, bruising kiss, fangs extending to scrape against tongues and lips. Kaoru gasped, her eyes rolling back as a sudden wave of feeling ripped through her before Kenshin tilted her face up for another lip-bruising kiss. Kenshin pulled back for air and went for her neck, running his rough tongue along her collarbone before sinking his fangs onto his previous marks.
At the sharp pain that lanced through her neck, Kaoru was startled back to reality and she growled angrily, pulling at the crimson locks in her grip (how it got there was lost in the passion-filled haze that had consumed her moments ago) until Kenshin retracted his fangs. With a final swipe of his tongue against the bright red marks, the vampire lord straightened and met Kaoru's furious gaze.
"What was THAT!?" Kenshin shrugged lightly and licked his lips, revelling in the lingering taste of what could only be Kaoru in his mouth. Rolling her eyes exasperated, the raven-haired vampire ducked under the muscled arm pining her against the wall and spun to sit on the bed, always facing the smirking vampire.
"I'm not letting you return Misao unless she is being properly protected by someone I trust is strong enough to stop anymore wanna-be blackmailers." Kenshin nodded and flung himself down into a leather chair with a casual elegance that made Kaoru want to stab him with something very sharp.
"Fine, let's make a deal Kitten." At the encouraging curiosity he saw in her aura, he continued, "If I assign a bodyguard to your little mortal, you will cease these rather annoying protests against…urges." Kaoru snorted,
"What urges? The one to kill you? 'cause I can murder you anytime you want me to!" Kenshin just stared at her silently until the mocking smile disappeared, "No, Battousai, I-I-I won't. I-I'm not agreeing to that." Silence "I'm not your little, your little whore." Silence
"Very well, what do you suggest?"
"Send someone with Misao and I will stay with you the entire year, without protest. If she is hurt, the deal is off." Kenshin was quiet for a moment before nodding,
"Agreed, however, one condition. Call me Kenshin." Rolling her eyes again, Kaoru nodded sharply.
"It's a deal…Kenshin."
"Aoshi. You will be accompanying the mortal. If she comes to harm, I will kill you. Understood?" Aoshi nodded ignoring the breathless sigh of desperation that came from the small woman behind him.
"What!?" Kaoru pulled Misao to the side so they could whisper quietly for a moment before returning to the men. The pout that made Aoshi's breath catch in his throat was gracing her lips and her arms were crossed stubbornly over her chest, her fierce glare focused on his unmoving form.
Breaking the silence, Misao huffed in disgust and threw her hands up to the ceiling, stomping angrily over to the sigil on the floor.
"Let's go and get this over with. See you in a year Kao!" Aoshi joined her on the seal and they disappeared in a blaze of golden light.
"Well, that was certainly anti-climactic…" At Kenshin's amused words, Kaoru spun and shoved him with a hand, the other propped on her hip.
"Shut up! I can't believe you sent Aoshi!" The infuriating shrug followed by the familiar smirk and an arm snaked its way over her shoulder, pulling her tight against his frame.
"Why not? I've gotten my woman, why shouldn't he get his?" Rage blossomed in her aura and she kneed him furiously in the groin, hissing
"God! Get a sense of decency, you prick!" before storming out of the room towards the horses prepared for them.
The next two weeks were tense but silent.
Kaoru had nary spoken a word and her silent anger had Kenshin's hackles rising in irritation. The out-spoken, violent, vampiress had disappeared behind a mask of forced courtesy, replaced by a silent, polite young slave.
Kaoru, for her own part, was happily revelling in the unspoken resentment that practically radiated off the vampire Lord. If he wanted unprotesting obedience, he was going to get unprotesting obedience. A calloused hand landed on her shoulder and she turned, keeping her eyes downcast, staring at his thigh. A growl vibrated in the air and the hand moved to her chin, jerking her head up to meet his amber gaze.
"You're trying my patience Kitten." Kaoru shrugged, eyes glancing to the side. Furious, he dismounted and dragged her off her horse, ignoring the servant's that quickly flocked to set up camp.
"You WILL listen to me Kaoru-mine, but you WILL talk." He tore himself away from her and began pacing the clearing, hands buried in his hair as he ranted to the air, "You aren't eating, you aren't talking, you aren't SLEEPING! All you do is SIT THERE!" From her perch on a moss covered stone, Kaoru rolled her eyes and promptly ignored him.
Glancing around at the site he had dragged them to, she swallowed heavily, the hairs on the back of her neck rising as her fangs extended instinctively. Eyes darting around as the air deepened, she carefully crouched down in front of the stone.
Something was coming.
A cool finger traced a line against the back of her neck and she swirled, throwing herself away from her rock. Kenshin glanced down at her and frowned,
"Kitten, what are y--" his unfinished question hung heavily in the air as the fog curled up around their ankles.
"Kenshin" The amber gaze sharpened and his pupils shrank into tiny pin-points, lost in the golden fire of his eyes. Kaoru swallowed and immediately regretted it as her mouth became dry. Carefully, silently, she sank down into a crouch, hair swirling out behind her as it clung to the thickening fog.
"Kenshin…" Silver eyes wide, Kaoru slowly returned to the protection of the rock, eyes still darting around to try catch a glance of the haunting voice.
"KENSHIN!" The unearthly roar ripped through the air, stirring the fog into a frenzied swirl. Cursing, Battousai dropped to a crouch, hands going to the sheath at his side as he watched the tornado pull in and focus on…
"KAORU!" Another scream erupted into the air and Battousai growled when he recognized Kaoru's agonized cry. The fog had condensed into a swirling grey mass that completely obscured the young vampire from view.
Suddenly, it was silent.
The wind was gone, the fog seemingly torn to shreds that lazily drifted away and Kaoru's shriek had been violently stopped.
"Kenshin" Swallowing, Kenshin rose to his feet, staring in disbelief at both Kaoru's limp form and the transparent image of the man standing in front of him.
"Master…"
Floating.
Kaoru had the strangest sensation that she was floating.
Puzzled, she tore her eyes opened and froze, a gasp ripping from her throat before her hands managed to stifle the noise.
It was Battousai. She paused and frowned, taking a closer look at the young boy in front of her. No. This wasn't the Battousai she knew, he seemed almost…impatient?
He was practically bouncing where he stood, glancing up at a small window every few seconds. The impatient snarl that tore from his throat was almost petulant and he quickly shook his head in frustration before pressing his hand to the door.
Kaoru frowned and tried to hover further back. There was something that was niggling at the back of her mind…Kenshin's disappearance through the door tore her attention away and she found herself unwillingly dragged along. When her translucent form was completely through the metal door, she froze.
It was her house.
Eyes wide, she tried desperately to grab onto the walls, digging her nails into the plaster to no avail.
She didn't want to see this!
She didn't want to see him kill her family!
Whimpering, she pressed her eyes shut but she could still see the events occurring on the backs of her eyelids. Sobbing, she reopened them and allowed herself to be dragged into the kitchen where her family would be eating dinner. Her mother, oh god! Her mother had brought her dinner earlier and cute little Ayame had given her back the tiny black stuffed kitten to make her feel better.
Biting her lip, Kaoru prepared herself to watch the massacre and tensed as he carefully slid the kitchen door open.
Time stopped and her world seemingly began to spin backwards.
They were dead…
But!
She swirled frantically around, trying to process this influx of information. Kenshin had --- he had killed them! He MUST have! She-She-She SAW HIM!!!
Panicking, she drifted down into a tiny corner of the room, eyes wide and blue as she watched him try and piece her family back together. The grunt he let out as her father's dead weight fell on him sounded as loud as a trumpet in the dead silence.
However, if that grunt had been a trumpet, Past-Kaoru's scream must have been an entire marching band.
"Y-Y-You KILLED them! I had trusted you!"
Screaming. Her voice scratching like fingernails on a blackboard as it rose in pitch.
"GET OUT!"
She watched dispassionately as the swirls of silver power began dancing around her. She still remembered that power, the all consuming flood of magic filling her veins. Past-Kenshin was flung against the wall but while Past-Kaoru couldn't tear her eyes off the dead corpses, Kaoru couldn't pry hers away from the younger form of the man she hated.
"GET OUT"
"GET OUT" "GET OUT!!"
The house rose up and destroyed itself, all the scanners and specially made metal-alloy flying through the air as the magic turned against magic and hatred warred with trust. The wall ripped apart and as if some unseen hand had simply plucked him out of the sky, Kenshin was tossed like a ragdoll into the air, disappearing into…
She frowned, head tilting to the side…
…a silver star, hanging in the middle of the sky.
…before she was heaved into the air and thrown through the same portal. Lightly drifting down to the ground, she hovered over Kenshin's collapsed form, staring at him in a new light. A smirk graced his features but she could practically feel the heartbreak rippling off him, the mournful pleading of his soul tugging at hers ineffectively.
As he eyes began to close, the world began to tilt and she spun, eyes wide as the buildings and cobblestone roads were slowly engulfed in a dark shadow.
"KEN---"
"---SHIN!" Her eyes snapped open and she caught a quick glance of crimson and gold before muscled arms enveloped her in a tight embrace, red hair creating a scarlet web over her vision. The grip was loosened for a brief second as his lips fastened to hers, pressing tightly against hers as she was going to leave him forever. The passion-filled haze from the bedroom encounter (as Kaoru had taken to calling it in her head) returned and she returned the kiss with equal vigour, hands running over his shirt to drape behind his head. It was her, this time, who pulled back, her head falling heavily against his shoulder.
Kenshin whimpered, an amazingly cute sound for the feared vampire lord, and buried his face in her neck, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist as he nuzzled against her neck.
"Don't ever leave me again Kaoru!" Blinking Kaoru stuttered for a response and finally settled on silence, simply moving one of her hands up to press against the back of his head, the other still resting against his shoulder blade. A mocking laugh broke the silence,
"My idiot of a student, are you done yet?" Startled Kaoru's head spun to look at the man, no, giant, standing in the entryway of the tent. Kenshin sighed against her neck and broke from her embrace.
"What? I thought you could only stay in the living realm for a short time!" The giant guffawed again,
"You've gotten a backbone you moron, good for you."
"Master…what do you want?" The ghost smirked this time, one transparent hand playing with the sword at his waist,
"You've got trouble" Just as the last word rang out, screams began echoing through the air, panicked roars of shape shifters and the startling shrieks of the wraiths. Kenshin swore and darted through the rapidly disappearing ghost, Kaoru close on his heels as she chased him out of the tent…
"He failed"
"Miserably"
"…"
"He deserved it! That vile mortal worm…hmph, he isn't significant enough to lick my boot!.."
"Calm yourself, we shall see how this next one fares…"
"…And so self-absorbed! Master indeed! It was only because of your mercy that he lived… "
"He is a thing of the past. Focus. "
"…You are the true master."
…and disappeared into the fog.
I HAVE A LIVEJOURNAL NOW!!! REJOICE!!! All my reviewer responses are going to be up there, as well as any explanations I make about stuff in the story.
SO GO THERE!!!
Also up there are some more drabble-esque and just some random fanfiction (shorter and usually more abstract :P) focusing more on other series like…hmm…POTC and HP instead of RK.
The address is http:// arcane-fortunes. (take away the space) The link is also in my profile.
Thank you all for everything. All the reviews and all the stuff you guys said. YOU ROCK!