AN: This is a yaoi fic, so if you are offended by this kind of material, please leave. All I ask when you read this story is an open mind, and respect the people who likes yaoi and yuri. This is my first RK fic, and first yaoi too ^_^

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

In the Arms of the Enemy

The first rays of dawn had yet to pierce through the cloak of darkness when a lithe figure slipped out from under the heavy covers. The winter air attacked the newly revealed flesh, but the young man didn't flinch as he quickly and soundlessly picked up his clothes from the icy floor, where they were carelessly thrown the night before.

"You are leaving already?"

A quiet voice still husky from sleep asked from the futon, even though the speaker remained still, not bothering to stop his lover from slipping away into the winter night.

"You know I have to, before the others wake," strands of silky hair glowed fiery red, under the caress of the pale moon. It would be dangerous if he was caught, not only to himself, but also to his lover. It would be best to leave under the protection of the night, no matter how tempting it was to return to his lover's embrace.

"We still have time, Okita is a heavy sleeper. Everyone will want to stay in bed on a day like this…" strong hands slyly pulled away the shirt, as the red head tried to get dressed. "Let's just be like everyone else… just a pair of lovers, on a winter night… Kenshin…"

"But…" the rest of his words were bitten back as the skilful hands of his lover slipped under his loose shirt. Hands that were rough from welding a katana gently glided over his chest, playfully teasing one nipple. The young man moaned quietly, throwing back his head and arching his back in the arms of his experienced lover. Hair the colour of molten flame covered their bodies. Even in his passion numbed mind, the young assassin was aware of the ever present danger, as he muffled his cries against his lover's neck.

"Saito…" the younger man whispered as he was pressed back into the bed that he quitted moments before.

The older man smiled as he heard his name being whispered in such need. The look in those wide violet eyes, eyes that were blink as the Battousai slashed through his enemies, were filled with emotion. The emotion that both of them didn't dare to say out loud. They were in the middle of a civil war, fighting for different beliefs, who knows when they might die? It could be today, tomorrow, the day after… It was not impossible that they die at each other's swords either…

The dark haired man quickly stopped his train of thoughts by diving down and claiming a kiss from his red haired lover, who laid panting beneath him. The picture of the young beauty, practically glowing with innocent seductiveness, made Saito growl deeply in his throat, before lowering his head to plant his lips against the smooth skin at Kenshin's neck, biting the soft flesh until drops of ruby blood seeped onto his tongue. He gently kissed the wound as his younger lover whimpered softly in pain.

"That's the tenth mark already Saito," Kenshin said, caressing the new love bite his lover gave him.

"A wolf always mark his territory before going to battle," the dark haired man chuckled, before kissing away the pout on his lover's face.

~*~*~*~

"Saito-san! Ohayo!" Okita called out as the captain of the third division of Shinsengumi walked down to the dinning room. But technically, it should be afternoon than morning, since the sun was already directly over head.

"Ohayo Okita," the taller man answered, but he couldn't stop the yawn that followed. Last night, after their second round of love making, he had stayed up the whole night to think.

"What's wrong Saito-san?" another member of Shinsengumi asked slyly as everyone sat down for lunch. "Did you have too much fun last night? I thought I heard some noise from your room last night."

"Oh? Who is it Saito-san?" around the room, everyone started to listen, what kind of woman could grab the attention of the infamous Wolf of Mibu? "Could it be Sakura-chan from Flower Garden? I saw the way she looked at you the last time." A young man winked at the dark haired man.

"Minna calm down!" a blushing Okita said, as his friend made no comment. "My room is next to Saito-san's and I didn't hear anything."

"Everyone knows that you sleep like a log Okita-san," the same young man said jokingly, and everyone laughed as the polite captain of the first division turned even redder.

"I'm going for a walk," Saito's quiet voice cut through the laugher like a sword. The room was immediately silent. It was known that whenever Saito used that tone, he was extremely pissed off, and a poor fool would be at the mercy of his katana, should anyone tried to stop him.

~*~*~*~

The fresh snow crunched softly under his feet as the Wolf of Mibu wondered aimlessly around the streets of Kyoto. People quickly scrambled away as he passed. In this time, whenever a samurai passed, it meant trouble, especially when it was a member of the Shinsengumi. But Saito didn't seem to care.

The snow around him reminded him of something else. Unconsciously, his wanderings brought him out of the city, into a small bamboo forest.

It was here last year, under these same trees, where he found the snow stained with little specks of blood. If he just walked a little deeper into the forest, he would find the place where he first met his red haired lover…

~*~*~*~

That night was imprinted in his memory forever. It was a full moon, the winter winds biting through even the thickest wool. But for some reason, he couldn't stay in his room. Something was calling out to him. Maybe it was the wild spirit of his namesake, that guided him to the spot, where he found a young man covered in blood… a fresh wound in the shape of a cross on his cheek… a fallen angel.

Why he saved the red head was still a mystery to him. But maybe it was because of the his youth, the young man, no, he was only a child at that time, evoked a protectiveness in his heart that he didn't know existed. He could never forget the look of those empty violet eyes that stared unseeingly at him, when he picked up the shivering fragile body, and carried the youth back to his own lodgings.

He spent the whole night watching over the red haired beauty, bandaging the wounds, changing the cold cloth on the feverish forehead, listening to the boy's delusional cries about a woman named "Tomoe". Okita had teased him, saying that the fierce Wolf had mellowed into a mother hen.

It had taken him one week to nurse the young man back to unconscious, and another two weeks to make the boy loose his lost look. The red head barely talked, which was fine with Saito, but every so often, the boy would caress the cross scar on his cheek with a wistful expression on his face.

Even though the red head didn't talk, and Saito didn't care, the Shinsengumi captain still learnt quite a lot of the other's past. It wasn't difficult, considering the boy had on average, one nightmare per night.

It was on one of those nights, when the youth woke crying from another one of his nightmares, that Saito took him into is arms. It was the first time that he got a glimpse into the violet depth without the usual mask. It was also the first time that he kissed those trembling pink lips, and claimed the supple body for his own.

"Kenshin," the red haired youth whispered, as both lovers laid in the after glow of their passion.

He would have missed the whisper if it weren't for his training. "Is that your name?"

The red head nodded. "They call me Himura Kenshin."

"You can call me Saito."

When he woke up again, the dark haired man found that he was alone in his bed. There was no sign of his red haired lover. He wasn't sad or even hurt, after all, they were practically strangers. But somewhere inside, he was disappointed, that he wasn't able to spend a little more time with his fiery little angel.

A week after his new lover left him, rumours of a new assassin flowed from the mouths of the inhabitants of Kyoto. Hitokiri Battousai, he was called. No one ever survived to tell after an encounter with the Battousai. But it was said that he had hair like the fire of Hell, and a scar the shape of a cross on his left cheek.

Curiosity pricked at him. Could this Battousai and his young lover be the same person? Okita was the one who gave an answer to the question. The captain of the first division of Shinsengumi was attacked on his night duty by a superb swordsman. Even though there was no moon, Okita was able to faintly distinguished red hair and scar as the youth who Saito took in.

For some reason, he was not surprised by the news. For even though his beautiful lover was almost as slender as a woman, hidden beneath his small, compact muscles, were strength that almost equalled to his own. And as an assassin himself, Saito could never miss the scent of blood that faintly followed his red head lover.

Therefore, he wasn't surprised that a week after knowing the true identity of Kenshin, the young assassin paid him a midnight visit.

The night was dark, no moon. The shadows danced against the walls, and the howling of the wind masked all other sounds. Saito was already in bed when the window in his room was soundlessly opened, and a shadow slipped in. There was no doubt to the wolf who the person was. The intruder carried with him, the scent of blood. Despite the danger his keen sense detected, Saito made no movement to reach for the dagger beneath his pillow.

The figure stopped next to Saito's bed, for a wile, the Battousai did nothing but to look down at the man who took care of him after Tomoe died. Slowly, the sound of his katana leaving its scabbard echoed in the room. The long blade gleamed above the Shinsengumi's heart. Saito tensed, but he still made no movement to betray that he was awake.

Seconds turned into minutes and the sword began to quiver in the Battousai's hand. Cursing at himself, the young assassin shield his katana, and stared down at the sleeping face of the man he came to kill. Unconsciously, his hand released his katana and softly caressed the older man's face. Why couldn't he do it? After Tomoe died, he shouldn't have any emotions left right? He should be able to drive the cold steel of his katana into Saito's chest without hesitation right? So why couldn't he do it?

The Battousai was still lost in his questions that he didn't notice the wolf open his eyes. One large hand moved to hold his own, which was still against Saito's cheek.

"Why didn't you do it?" the older man asked, as Kenshin gasped in shock.

"You were awake the whole time?" the red head avoided the question by asking one of his own. "Why didn't you stop me then? I could've killed you."

"I see that it's true then. You are Hitokiri Battousai."

Kenshin shook his hand free and moved to leave, but an iron grip pulled him back on to the futon, and strong arms wrapped around his slender body, preventing him from escaping.

"Who sent you to kill me?" warm breath tickled the soft hair at the base of his neck, and the young assassin gasped in surprise as he felt a warm tongue licking his sensitive skin.

"No one sent me, I came here on my own will," the red head managed to keep his voice calm, even through his breathing became more laboured under the sensual attacks.

"Why? Is this the way you repay someone who saved you from freezing to death?" Saito asked softly, his hands reached up to nimbly remove the tie that held together the blood red silk, that he just wanted to run his hands through. Kenshin made a small protest deep in his throat, but made no move to stop the older man as his hair spilt over Saito's hands.

"Because… you are my enemy."

"You know, you can't leave tonight," Saito kissed away the small cry of protest from his young lover's tempting lips. "No one leaves a wolf's den without the my permission first…"

The sound of the katana dropping to the floor, echoed in the dark room, followed by the soft whispering of discarded clothes…

~*~*~*~

After that night, the Battousai made nightly visits to Saito's room. He would always kneel by the futon, katana drawn out, before a shaking hand would hid the blade away again. It became a habit, before Saito would pull his fallen angel back into his arms.

No one knew about their little nightly rendezvous. Okita and Katsura might know about it, but neither ever mentioned it, except by dropping little hints here and there. In a time of war, to continue fighting, one had to seek comfort somewhere, even if it was in the arms of an enemy.

~*~*~*~

The cry of the crows brought Saito's wandering mind back to the present.

Looking up, a group of the black birds were circling above a place not far from where he was. A bitter smile appeared on his face. There could be only person who could kill without giving his victim time to cry out.

It still sickened him every time when he thought about how perfect his young lover's skills were. He shouldn't be using his sword this way, his angel should be living at home, studying the ancient art of literature like every other boy his age. But this time of change had forced Kenshin to mature before his age, and the marks would never heal.

"Saito-san!" the taller man turned around to see Okita running up to him.

"Okita, what happened?"

"A member of the royal family was assassinated, and…"

"And it was Battousai. Am I right?" A detached smirk tugged at his lips.

"That's not all. We just found out some of the rebel's plans. Saito-san! They are planning to burn Kyoto to the ground!"

"We better talk about this at the lodgings."

The end of the war was approaching, one of them must die…

~*~*~*~

"Kaoru-dono?" the rurouni smiled gently as he tried to remember what the girl said.

"Kenshin! What's wrong with you? You have been acting so weird!" Yahiko observed.

Why was he thinking of the past again? The sakura petals reminded him of the snow flakes during the Kyoto winters.

"Uh… Kenshin?" Kaoru stopped in her tracks and tugged at the rurouni's sleeve.

With surprise, Kenshin blinked as he realized that they have already arrived at the Kamiya dojo… And a tall figure was waiting for them under the shadows.

The red head frowned as he stared at the stranger. Something about the tall man in the officer's uniform screamed out at him. There was only one person who had that kind of animalistic grace.

"Saito…"

The gentle wind carried the name across the short distance separating the two men. Kaoru and Yahiko blinked, and stared at the stranger as the man walked out of the shadows.

"Kenshin." A wolf always find his way back to his territory.

La fin