OO

Chapter 7

Kenshin hid in the overgrown shrubbery around Kaoru's house. He felt like a stalker, well, technically he was a stalker, but now he really felt like a creep. He leaned against the wall; his impatience and paranoia growing by the minute.

"Four hours and not home yet? Fuck." Kenshin muttered.

His ears only picked up the noisiness of the brat inside. He had been camping out her house since school ended and his encounter with Soujirou, yet there had been no sign of her. He had been angry and extremely annoyed that he had to babysit some broad.

Suddenly he heard someone approaching. His whole body tensed and he braced one hand against the wall.

The familiar scent of Kaoru wafted by, along with something odd. Kenshin listened intently for a second set of footsteps, knowing that Soujirou could be lurking around.

"YAAAAHIIIKOOO!" Kaoru bellowed. "OPEN THE DOOR YOU BRAT!" Pounding ensued.

"I'm coming I'm coming you hag!"

Kenshin spied a sliver of light as the door opened.

"What's wrong with you oldie?" Yahiko sounded puzzled.

"Whatever, just help me inside."

"Watch out Kaoru!"

Kenshin heard someone stumble, followed by giggling.

"I'm OH KAY. Okay?" Followed by more giggling.

Kenshin pressed along the wall and crept over to Kaoru's window. Centuries of willpower stopped him from peeking over the window sill.

"Hey, HEY! Just lay down and get some rest. Where were you all night anyways?" Yahiko's annoyance showed.

"I was… I was…" Kaoru drifted off.

Yahiko sighed. "Whatever, don't expect me to wake you up in the morning."

After he heard the door close, it was silent.

"So that Soujirou didn't decide to make his move today after all." Kenshin mused. He was annoyed and relieved.

Kenshin prepared to leave before he felt cold water dumped over his head.

"AAAH!" Kenshin gasped.

He looked up at a giggling Kaoru leaned too far over the window sill.

"Heeey you. What are you doing here? Whoa." She wobbled as she lost her balance and her head dipped.

Kenshin acted fast, putting his hand over her mouth and a finger to his lips.

"Shh, shh." Flustered, Kenshin worried about Yahiko sleeping in the next room. "What are you doing pouring water out of your window!?"

Kaoru just looked at him, her eyes clouded with sleep. She seemed pacified. He slowly took her hand off her mouth and prepared to disappear.

"Just go to sleep, ok?"

"Oh I know what you're doing!" She exclaimed happily. "A stalker! Kenshin's a stalker! Stalker! STALKER. YOU STALKER. STALKER."

Kenshin clapped his hand over her mouth again. "Jesus, you're going to wake up everybody. "

She yawned and he eyed her warily before he let go of her mouth.

"I'm watering the plants, watering the plants!" She suddenly burst sing song as she started to fling the water in her cup in her hand everywhere.

"Ok, ok." Kenshin quieted Kaoru yet again. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she stood mid-fling.

He sighed exasperated. "Ok, we're going to go back to bed now. Be a good girl." Kenshin felt like he was talking to a four year old, first he had to wait four hours now he had to tuck her into bed. His annoyance was growing.

Keeping his hand on her mouth he climbed over the window sill and landed softly in her room. He coaxed her into bed and she compliantly lay down and allowed the blanket to be placed on her shoulders.

"Are you going to sleep now? Close your eyes now. That's it." Kenshin said through clenched teeth.

"I think… I think… You have…" Kaoru trailed.

"Yea that's all fine and dandy. Just go to sleep now."

"Pretty … eyes…" She finished before her eyes closed.

"Jesus." Kenshin whispered. She was sleeping now, at least lightly.

From his position crouched beside the bed he looked around. The room reeked of her sweet scent. A bureau lined one wall and a closet another, her room was bare except for those items and a futon. Glancing at the sheets he saw that they were Winnie the Pooh.

"How childish." He snorted, amused.

Suddenly he heard her murmur something. He put his ear down close to her lips.

"…Stalker... you're…"

Kenshin felt slightly insulted. He looked down at her sleeping face. "If someone wasn't stalking you, you would have been lunch." He retorted, noting the irony in his words after.

Suddenly, being so close to her, her smell was even more strong and intoxicating.

He groaned and cursed to himself.

"There you go, blindly getting yourself into trouble again." Kenshin whispered as he ran a nail along the delicate skin of her neck. "Oh god," He moaned.

"I didn't watch you all night just so someone could take your blood." He said, still an inch away from her face.

Finally, he turned away.

"…Kenshin…" She murmured.

"Fucking great for my willpower, you just moaned my name." Kenshin groaned. His hands stayed planted on either side of her. He strained for any sound of Yahiko stirring. "Just one little bite couldn't hurt…" He murmured to himself as he lowered his head.

Kenshin placed his thumb on her cheek and cupped the side of her jaw, his forefinger gently stroking her cheekbone. He pressed his face close to her neck and drank the scent of her, and he smelt the warmth of the blood, feel the heat of her skin under his fingertips. He pulled her to a sitting position. She was semi-awake now.

He licked her naturally salty-sweet neck and stilled, enjoying the succulent moment before piercing the skin easily with his fangs. His hand was trembling on her cheek as he watched the life pour out of her neck; he restrained himself from pulling her head to the side and locking his lips to her neck. Instead, he lapped and sucked the blood. With each moment passing he felt less and less of the world. He felt only her body and the blood burning his throat as he swallowed greedily.

He was crushing her body to him, vaguely aware that he was gripping her waist and cheek so tightly that he may be bruising her. Finally, when he heard her heartbeat slow to a crawl in the back of his mind, he pulled himself from her and felt dizzy, his throat stinging on loss of contact. He was immobile; her blood was wine, affecting his senses, his thoughts. He watched with child-like rapture as well as hunger as the blood ran slowly from her neck to her shoulder. He felt like ripping her kimono open and licking every drop.

Kenshin felt unnaturally dizzy, laying on the floor next to the futon. He felt genuinely stunned. "Shit," He panted. "Maybe there really was wine. At least, alcohol." That explained a lot of things. He rolled over lazily and looked at Kaoru.

She was frowning; her Kimono in disarray and she had bitten her lip during the process. Kenshin was still breathing hard, from the recent feed and the alcohol now coursing through his body. He had both hands bracing himself up beside Kaoru's head and his auburn hair nearly touched her lips.

"You still felt most of that, I should have hypnotized you more. I was in such a rush" He said, feeling like a fool for talking to someone he knew full well wasn't listening. "I haven't had… alcohol in a very… very long time." He nearly slurred.

"You look veryyy pale in moonlight." He noted. Then he chuckled, "Probably because I sapped your blood too."

Kenshin was hypnotized by the blood on her lips from when she had bitten them. "Hell, why not?" He dipped his head and began to suck on her lower lip lightly. Unable to resist he began to kiss her. Her lips were soft, and he hadn't kissed felt another's lips in decades. Kaoru's breath warmed his icy lips and he went back to hers again and again.

Suddenly, he heard a gasp. He opened his eyes to a wide eyed Kaoru.

In a split second he bolted, then ran until he was dizzy. Collapsing in the shadow of a tree he cursed. "Shit! Shit! Fuck!" Kenshin ripped at the grass in frustration, "Why the fuck did I do that, why'd I kiss her?!" His mind raced over his options, "She fucking saw me. I need to go back there and kill her." He told himself. Yet his legs didn't move. He cursed himself again. "Hands down the weakest, most idiotic thing I've ever done. Why did I kiss a girl like her."