Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Cold Fire ❯ Cold Fire ( One-Shot )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: In no way do I own RK or any of its characters. I am writing this purely for fiendish kicks. Don't sue, please!

Rating: NC-17

~~ denotes shifts in time/character perspective, ** denotes character's thoughts


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"...Your cold fire..."

"...my insatiable desire..."



~*~*Cold Fire*~*~



"Will you be coming with me to the train station, Aoshi-sama?"

Pale blue eyes drifted open slowly, peering up at the dark-haired ninja girl without the slightest flicker of emotion. "Aa."

"I will be leaving shortly," Misao informed him, nervously toying with the end of her long, thick braid.

The older ninja inclined his head slightly.

Sighing inwardly, Misao turned away from him and exited the temple with quick steps.

Could any one man be more distant, more untouchable than he? His eyes could contain the warmth of the skies, instead they were like chips of blue ice.

She had loved him all her life. Her first word had been his name. She had nearly lost him once, to his desire to be the strongest, to prove his worth to the world. Himura had saved him, his conflicted soul, and brought him back as he promised he would. Everything had changed, and yet everything remained painfully the same.

How hard it was to love someone who refused to see you as anything more than the child he once knew. The tiny girl with chubby hands that trailed after him like a lovesick puppy.

**I am no longer that child. My love for you, Aoshi-sama, is depthless as the sea. It is the passionate feeling a woman has for a man, not the hopeless adoration of a little girl.**

The difficult thing was conveying this to him. She had tried to temper her impatience, to meditate with him and clear her thoughts, but her restless energy had been overwhelming. In the end, she could not sit still for more than a few moments before the urge to move overcame her desire to impress. She had changed her style of dress in a desperate attempt to be more feminine. She had done everything but fling herself at his feet and beg him to at least acknowledge her feelings. What more could she possibly do?

**Perhaps Kaoru-san will be able to help me. She is married to Himura now. I remember how he was towards her, the way he held himself back with careful distance. How was she able to get passed that wall? Maybe she will have my answer...**



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Aoshi," the diminutive red-haired swordsman said with a cheerful smile, bowing his head fractionally.

"Himura," the tall ninja greeted coolly.

"I see that you have not changed, de gozaru," Kenshin murmured with a tiny smile. "Still as pensive as ever."

He turned clear, violet eyes to the trio of women that were walking along beside Sanosuke, his smile widening into a full-fledged grin at Misao's animated gestures as she spoke to Kaoru in rapid sentences that almost seemed to trip over themselves.

The young ninja had foregone her normal apparel, instead dressing in a pale green kimono patterned with intricately embroidered dragons. Her usual long, dark braid had been exchanged for a high ponytail, secured with a deep emerald ribbon.

She had changed so much since their first meeting. She had grown in both height and maturity, but she had not lost the spark that made her who she was. Her familiar smile still graced her delicate features and her jade green eyes continued to display her every emotion, no matter how fleeting.

In those eyes he could still see her sadness, her barely concealed despair. The cause walked next to him, tall and silent. What a pair they would make. Their personalities were so completely opposite that they actually seemed to compliment each other rather well.

Aoshi needed someone like Misao. Someone to bring out the part of himself he had hidden away. Kenshin did not doubt that the ninja loved the girl with the same depth of feeling she possessed for him. To him it was obvious. In many ways, he had seen Aoshi's soul, what drove the ninja to commit the acts he had done, the acts he would do.

Misao, the self-proclaimed okashira could not see what he saw, of course. She had yet to pierce the barriers Aoshi had constructed. Those walls were nearly insurmountable, but for the life of him, Kenshin could not come up with a reason as to why the ninja would not at least confess to the woman he loved. Was it pride? Was it a sense of unworthiness, as it had been for him and Kaoru?

"Aoshi," Kenshin said softly, halting mid-step and waiting for the taller man to glance in his direction. "I would like to speak to you in private. Will you walk with me?"

"Aa."



~~~~~~~~~~



"So, I see the icicle has yet to defrost," Sano drawled around the fishbone clenched between even, white teeth. "What's the matter, itachi musume? Still can't get him to see you as a woman?"

Misao's eyes narrowed slightly, but instead of displaying a usual burst of temper, said lightly, "And I see you also have not changed at all, tori- atama. I suppose it will take you a life time to learn some tact."

Megumi giggled at the smaller girl's comment. "Ah, yes, my dear tori-chan! I sometimes wonder why I married him. Perhaps I find his manner endearing?"

"You would have to," Kaoru said with a smile. "Although I can't see what is so attractive about a jobless, free-loader..."

Megumi laughed once more as her husband's cheeks were stained with a dark flush. "I suppose he has some...good points..."

Sanosuke grinned at her lasciviously. "You know that I have some VERY good points, kitsune!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes as Megumi giggled once more.

"Oi!" Sano said suddenly, chocolate eyes widening in his tanned face. "Where did Kenshin disappear to?"

Turning to glance behind them, the women discovered that Kenshin and Aoshi had, in fact, vanished.

"Hmmm..." Megumi murmured thoughtfully. "Well, I don't think we have to worry about their safety. We will see them later at the Aoiya."

Kaoru nodded her agreement. "Maybe they wanted to talk."

Misao remained silent, eyes darkening to the color of pine needles. **Aoshi- sama...**

The pressure of slender fingers squeezing her own snapped her out of her thoughts. Kaoru gazed down at her with sympathetic sapphire eyes. "Daijoubu?"

The ninja girl forced a smile to her lips. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"Mind if I ask what about?"

"I'm sure you can guess."

Kaoru's face was filled with understanding. "Hai. We will talk later, ne?"

"Sure..."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Aoshi," Kenshin said softly, eyes sweeping over their surroundings before he seated himself on the grass, glancing out at the lake. "We have known each other for quite some time now, ne?"

"Aa."

"I consider you to be one of my friends and I am proud to do so," Kenshin continued in a low tone. "I also think of Misao-dono as a friend. She is very dear to me, in fact."

Aoshi remained silent, ice blue eyes trained on the water in the distance.

"I know that she is dear to you, too," the redhead went on, glancing sideways at the taller man. "Is she not?"

"...Aa..."

"As her friend, I would do everything in my power to protect her. To see her suffering is akin to feeling my own grief..."

"..."

"Do you know why she suffers?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

Kenshin smiled briefly. "Do you know what caused me to deny my feelings for Kaoru?" Pausing, he waited for a response and, upon receiving none, continued, "It was my own feelings of unworthiness. I felt that I could not filthy her with these hands that have been stained with so much blood. I felt that allowing myself to be with her would tarnish her purity, her innocence, all of the things that I loved about her the most.

"It seems that almost overnight, I came to the realization that I was hurting her by keeping my distance and doing so also caused me emotional pain. Letting go of my hesitations was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I have not regretted it since, nor will I ever.

"My purpose for telling you this is to try to help you. I know that you love Misao-dono. Not the way you would like to pretend, but as a man loves a woman. Being apart from you causes her pain. Knowing this, how could you continue to do so without at least offering her some sort of explanation?"

"Matters between Misao and I are different from your own, Himura," Aoshi replied quietly, eyes steadily forward. "When she was born, I made a vow to always protect her. I could not keep that vow. I could not protect her from myself and I nearly destroyed her in the process. After all that I have done, how can I even contemplate what you would have me do? It is better for things to remain as they are..."

"Better for who?"

Aoshi came to his feet abruptly. "Shall we head back?"

"You haven't answered my question..."

"I owe you no answers or explanations for my actions."

"I brought you back to Misao-dono," Kenshin stated softly as he rose from the grass, brushing dirt from the back of his hakama. "I kept my promise to her, but I did not do that so you could cause her more pain."

"Stay out of my affairs, Himura. You know nothing of our relationship. Don't presume to think you know everything about me."

The shorter man bowed his head slowly. "Very well."

The walk back to the restaurant was spent in silence. Before the doors, Kenshin hesitated, speaking quietly, "There was a time that you stepped back from your situation and saw the errors in your decisions. I hope that now you will do the same and follow the urgings of your heart."

He slipped into the restaurant before the taller man could reply, leaving the ninja alone on the crowded street, lost in his thoughts.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Oi, kitsune," Sano rumbled sleepily, peering up at his wife through the dimness of their shared room as she shrugged on her yukata. "It's late. Where are you going?"

Megumi glanced down at him, tossing her ebony hair over her shoulder and giving him a wicked grin. "Earlier Kaoru and I had a talk with Misao-chan. That infuriating man has made no move towards the poor girl."

"So?"

"So I am going to help her, as I helped Ken-san and Kaoru."

Sanosuke quirked an eyebrow, bringing his arms back to rest behind his head. "Just how do you intend to do it this time?"

"Oh, I have my ways..."



~~~~~~~~~~~



Misao made her way to the kitchen slowly, sighing softly into the night as thunder sounded in the distance.

After her talk with Kaoru and Megumi, she had found herself feeling fitful and unable to sleep. She had wandered the halls of the establishment, pausing before Aoshi's shoji, her fingers trailing longingly over the thin, rice paper walls.

Without truly thinking, she had slid the panel aside and peeked into the room, only to find it suspiciously empty. It was meticulously neat, the futon still rolled tightly in the corner.

He was, as she suspected, meditating in the temple. The inside was lit brightly by a variety of candles and through the rain she could see that his eyes were closed, his face smooth and relaxed.

At first she had been tempted to return to her bedroom, but upon further contemplation she saw the opportunity for what it was. The times she spent alone with him were few and far between. The situation she was being presented with might not repeat itself for a long while.

**I will take him some tea and an umbrella...and maybe we can talk...**

She set about making the tea, humming to herself under her breath.

A soft sound from behind her alerted her to someone's presence and she spun around, eyes widening upon seeing Megumi entering the kitchen wearing nothing but a white, sleeping yukata.

"Misao-chan," the older woman said with a small smile. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Iie," Misao replied, turning back to the cups of steaming water. "You?"

"The rain is keeping me awake," Megumi murmured, rounding the counter to stare down at the younger girl. "What are you doing?"

"Preparing some tea for Aoshi-sama," Misao replied with a blush. "He is in the temple."

"Ah," Megumi said, smiling more broadly. "How predictable."

The ninja girl laughed softly. "Yes..."

"Why not take him some food, too?" Megumi suggested kindly. "I don't recall seeing him eat today..."

"You're right," Misao said, turning away from the woman to set some rice balls onto a small dish.

When she faced the doctor once more, Misao's jade eyes widened upon seeing her holding out a tiny sac.

"What is that?"

"This is medicinal tea," Megumi answered, drawing the small sac open and sprinkling a generous portion into each cup. "It is meant to help you relax, to allow sleep to come easier. Do you mind?"

Misao shook her head slowly. "I usually take him green tea. I suppose I could use the medicinal one, but I don't think Aoshi-sama--"

"He also needs his rest," the older woman interrupted quietly. "Trust me. This mixture of herbs might make him loosen up, possibly make him easier to...talk to, as well..."

The ninja girl worried her lower lip with her teeth for a moment, then nodded. "Okay..."



~~~~~~~~~~



"Aoshi-sama?"

Aoshi stiffened slightly at the sound of her voice. She need not have spoken. He had smelled her the moment she walked in, the sweet perfume she had recently taken to wearing heightened by the dampness on her skin. It mingled with the incense, creating a heady mixture.

"I brought you some tea," she said softly, stopping beside him and placing the tray on the floor. "And some food, in case you are hungry..."

"Arigatou, Misao," he murmured, inhaling deeply, "but I have already eaten."

"Oh." The faint rustle of clothing sounded as she shifted slightly. "Will you at least drink the tea?"

"Aa."

He allowed his eyes to open as she handed him the cup with quivering fingers. Her bangs were dripping, clinging wetly to her forehead. Her ivory skin was shining, dewy and enticing.

"It is a special blend of tea," she explained, gesturing the cup in his palm. "Megumi-san recommended it."

"Sou ka," Aoshi said quietly, lifting the cup to his lips and breathing in its tangy aroma.

Misao waited for him to drink most of the contents of his cup before she started sipping at her own. The liquid was sweet, slightly spicy. It soothed its way down her throat and into her belly, leaving her with an instantaneous feeling of calm.

"Aoshi-sama," she whispered after a moment. "I wanted to talk to you...about...about my feelings..."

The older ninja exhaled softly, setting down his empty cup. He was silent for a long moment and Misao found herself gulping down the tea hurriedly, hoping for the effects Megumi had claimed it would have.

"Misao--"

"Please, let me have my say," Misao interrupted, cradling her cup in nervous fingers. "I think you already know that...that I love you, Aoshi- sama..."

Aoshi tried once more to stop her. "Mis--"

"But not the way you think," she cut in, biting her lower lip as he looked away from her. "I am not some foolish child who is merely infatuated with you, Aoshi-sama. I love you. In the deepest, truest meaning of the word."

Aoshi was quiet for a long time.

Misao watched him in agonized stillness, eyes running over his powerful shoulders, noting the way his bangs partially obscured his face, the strength of his jaw. **Say something...please...just say something...**

Waiting for his words, she felt exhaustion come upon her. It started as a vague sensation, but her eyelids grew steadily heavier by the moment. She blinked and shook her head, trying to fight it away.

"Misao," Aoshi started finally, glancing at her with no change in his usual stoic façade.

"So cold," she said drowsily, swaying slightly. "How can you be...so...?"

Before she could finish her question, she slumped forward, eyes fluttering shut. "...tired..."

Aoshi caught the girl in the crook of his arm as she collapsed. For a moment, he felt alarmed, but upon leaning closer, he discovered that her breathing was slow and even.

"She's asleep," he murmured aloud, gazing down at her face.

In sleep, she was nearly angelic. Her long eyelashes cast tiny shadows on her flushed cheeks. Her nose was dainty, her lips full and inviting. They parted slightly and she whispered his name before muttering something indistinct.

Unbidden, his fingers came up, tracing over the lower one before softly caressing her cheek. "Misao...I don't know if I...can give you what you need..."

Inhaling deeply, Aoshi drew the small girl into his arms and rose to his feet. She fit perfectly against his chest. Instinctively, she snuggled closer, fingers curling into the material of his yukata.

He spotted the umbrella she had left near the doorway and lifted it, holding it over them protectively as he stepped out into the pouring rain.

He wove his way easily through the darkened halls of the Aoiya and slid aside the shoji that led to her bedroom, absently shutting it behind him before moving forward to gently lay Misao on the unfolded futon.

When he set her down, she whimpered, fingers tightening on his yukata.

Her voice sounded near his ear and his icy gaze moved to her face.

She was staring at him with wide, green eyes. He noticed then that she was trembling. Not violently, but with fine tremors that made her lips quiver.

"Aoshi-sama," she whispered, tugging him closer. "I feel so hot...feverish..."

He placed his palm to her forehead in concern. Her skin was hot to touch and he realized for the first time that even though his yukata was cold and slightly damp, his own body also felt inflamed.

Ignoring his own discomfort, he peered closely at the girl, noting the fact that her pupils had dilated. Only a thin ring of jade remained around the dark inner circles. "Do you feel ill, Misao?"

"No...yes...I don't know...I feel so...achy..."

"Achy?" Aoshi repeated, eyebrows arching. "Perhaps you are getting sick. I should go get you some more tea."

"Iie!" she protested as he began to stand. "Don't leave me...I want...I want..."

"Misao?"

"Help me, Aoshi-sama...I...it hurts..."

"What hurts? Show me where."

She shook her head quickly. "I...can't...I just feel so hot...do you feel hot, Aoshi-sama?"

Aoshi nodded slowly. Yes, he felt hot. Almost overwhelmingly so...but not the way she meant. His was not the heat of a fever, but the warm pulse of desire. It was snaking through his body, awakening feelings he had long tried to suppress.

She shifted slightly and her green yukata slid partially open, revealing a tantalizing portion of her alabaster skin.

He found his gaze lingering there as she continued to pull on his robe.

"Aoshi-sama?"

"Aa?"

"My skin feels like it's burning...can you feel it?"

"Yes..."

"I think it's you that is making me feel this way," Misao stated in a whisper.

Aoshi blinked. "Nani?"

"The fact that you're so near...your smell...it engulfs me..."

"Misao," Aoshi murmured, jerking slightly in surprise when she laid her palm flat against his chest.

"I've always wondered," she went on, running soothing fingertips over the scarred muscle, "how you can be so cold and yet make me feel...so warm...it's like you scald me...with even the slightest touch..." She allowed her eyes to drift shut, running her palms over the hard muscles of his abdomen. "I have often thought about this...Okon and Omasu have told me things...I have imagined how it would feel...to have you take me..."

Aoshi breathed hard through his nostrils, fighting the feelings both her words and light caresses were stirring within him. It was wrong. This was Misao, the child he had once sworn to protect.

**Child?** he thought wryly, mouth twisting. **If only that were true...if only I could ignore her curves...the way her thighs flex in the sunlight when she practices in the mornings, wearing nothing but those thin scraps of clothing...the graceful arch of her neck...the image of her emerging from her bath, water dripping off of ivory skin, her hair plastered wetly to her breasts, her light pink nipples pebbling as a cool breeze blew passed...**

He had stumbled upon her quite accidentally. One day he had varied the usual path of his morning walk, instead choosing to pass by the quiet spring, where he would sometimes go in the evenings to meditate and reflect.

What he saw when he reached its bank had brought him to a complete and utter halt.

Misao was stepping out of the water, completely nude, every inch of her silky skin revealed to his stunned gaze.

He watched in fascination as she wrung out her hair, arms lifting, placing her small, perfectly rounded breasts on full display.

His eyes had disobeyed his command to look away. Instead, they took in their fill, dropping to the apex of her thighs and continuing their downward journey until they reached her slim calves.

She was, in a word, perfection. The picture of a nymph rising from the sea.

In that moment, his world had come crashing down around him. The image he had been trying to maintain in his mind, that of the young child he had known, was cast aside and replaced by that glorious portrait of beauty.

He had shut his eyes, clenching his fists and whispering a prayer. Desire had surged up inside him, nearly consuming any rational thoughts. He had wanted to stalk forward, toss her onto the grass, and ravish her, leave her sore, sweaty, and panting his name.

Instead, he had turned away, melting into the shadows of the trees, his arousal so potent it almost brought him to his knees.

Now here she was, practically writhing on the futon, voicing her fantasies as she touched him. It should have been easy to pull away, to step back, but his blood was boiling, pounding in his temples.

"Have you thought about this, Aoshi-sama?" she asked, opening her eyes to peer up at him.

He seemed to be frozen in place, his expression full of surprise and something she could not name. His mouth was tense, a muscle ticking steadily in his jaw.

"I want to touch you...feel you...everywhere..." Her hands moved slowly to the tie holding his yukata closed. "Let me...onegai..."

Her actions seemed to spur him into movement and Aoshi stilled her hands, shaking his head. "Misao...this isn't...we can't--"

"Why not?" she interrupted, her lower lip trembling, eyes filling with tears. "Why can't we? I love you...Aoshi-sama...Aoshi...love me...please love me, too...I can't stand it..."

Shutting her eyes tightly, she leaned forward, kissing him full on the mouth, shaking almost violently. "Love me..."

With a muffled groan, Aoshi returned her kiss, cradling the back of her head and slanting his mouth across hers, sliding his tongue past her parted lips, touching it to hers gently.

He kissed her for an eternity, plundering her mouth, hands running over her back. She was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. Her flavor was intoxicating, inescapable, maddeningly overpowering.

When the demands of his lungs finally ended the kiss, he pressed his lips to her warm forehead, breathing unevenly.

"I already do, Misao," he whispered against her heated skin. "I do love you..."

"Then take me," she said in reply, sliding her arms around his waist and laying her cheek against the exposed skin of his chest. "Show me...make me yours...now and forever..."

For a moment, he closed his eyes, holding her tight against him, inhaling her scent, savoring the warmth of her skin. If she had asked him to tear down the skies for her, he would have, but this...it could not happen...

Aoshi began to tell her, removing his hands from around her waist, but she tightened her arms around him, lifting her head, trailing her tongue over her lips as her eyes begged for another kiss.

Those succulent lips, that pleading expression, the feel of her breasts crushed against his chest...he was lost.

With a soft sigh, he succumbed, bowing his head and kissing her once more.

This time, his hands strayed from her back. As his tongue swept continually into her mouth, he raised his fingers to cup her breasts, sliding easily inside the flaps of the yukata.

Her skin was so smooth, so warm. He suddenly knew what she had meant by her previous statement, how a mere touch could scald to the very bone.

She whimpered into the kiss as he squeezed her breasts lightly, tweaking her nipples.

"Aoshi," she breathed when he pulled away from her mouth, burying his lips in her ivory throat. He tongued the hollow, raked his teeth over the frantic pulse.

He could feel her heart beating in time with his own. His desire was urging him to rush, to hurry and bury himself to the hilt, to lose himself in her wet warmth, but he calmed his raging emotions, pressing feather soft kisses over the skin of her chest, flicking his tongue over her tiny nipple.

He heard her cry out, felt her fingernails dig into his skin.

"Your taste," he murmured, nipping gently with his teeth and relishing her shocked gasp. "It is so sweet...indescribable...I could sit here and drink from you forever..."

"Aoshi..."

As bold as she had been before with her words and actions, he almost expected her to be shy, to fear touching him intimately, to remain nearly passive beneath his ministrations. He proved to be incorrect, however, as he felt Misao's nimble fingers untying his robe and reaching out to stroke the throbbing column of flesh between his muscled thighs.

Aoshi groaned against her breast, stiffening as she wrapped her hand around him carefully, stroking slowly.

"S-So hard," she whispered as he laved at her nipple, running his fingers over her concave stomach, petting the coarse hair between her legs. "And yet...it feels...so soft...like silk..."

He parted her folds gently. Her flesh was already moist, glistening. He trailed his slender fingers over her before sliding one inside carefully.

She arched against his hand, her palm tightening around him, eliciting a low moan from his throat.

"Kami-sama," he murmured, dropping a kiss onto one of her prominent hip bones. "You're already prepared for me..."

Misao whined as he began to move his finger with torturous slowness. Her entire body felt as if it was on fire. He was so hot in her hand, so hard and thick. She almost doubted he would fit inside, but she trusted him. She knew that he would not hurt her physically, as much as he had harmed her emotionally in the past.

"Kiss me," she demanded softly.

He did, not stopping the motion of his finger. As he ran his tongue over the seam of her lips, he reached out to still her hand. "Stop, Misao..."

"D-Did I do something wrong?" she stammered, eyes wide.

Smiling slightly, he kissed her. "Iie. All too right, I'm afraid..."

A deep pink blush stained her cheeks at his words. She returned his kiss, her lips innocent and unknowledgeable, but what she lacked in experience, she made up for with enthusiasm, with the way her fingers buried themselves in his dark hair and tugged lightly, with the way her pelvis moved steadily beneath his hand.

He would have loved to continue, stroking her, molding her mouth to his own, taking her at his leisure, but her fingers suddenly pulled painfully at his hair and she bit his lip none-too-gently.

"Take me now," she whispered against his cheek. "I want to feel you, all of you...inside me..."

His manhood jerked at her words. What she said was what he wanted, to be inside her, to claim her, possess her fully.

Aoshi took precious few moments to strip them both, tossing his own yukata aside, sitting back, pulling her up against him.

Misao straddled his thighs, peering into his eyes in question, her moist cleft brushing against him. "Aoshi?"

"This might be the best way for now," he murmured in reply, running his hands over her firm bottom and settling them on the small of her back. "You are so small...I don't want to hurt you..."

"What--what should I do?" she asked, her voice nervous, face flaming bright red.

In answer, he grasped her hips, lifting her slightly and positioning her entrance above his straining member.

"Sink onto me," he said tightly, resisting the urge to buck up into her wet heat. "I'll show you the rest..."

Nodding, Misao followed his instructions, biting her lip to prevent her whimper from escaping as she felt him fill her.

When he reached the barrier of her virginity, he paused, breathing deeply. "Relax your muscles, little one...this may hurt for a moment...but I promise...I'll make it up to you..."

Misao wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in this throat as she murmured her consent and strived to calm her muscles. Upon the first twinge of pain, she had tensed in reflex, effectively tightening her inner walls and making his entrance that much more difficult.

As the tension flowed from her body, she felt him slip deeper. He clasped her waist firmly and, with no warning, plunged upwards in one hard, smooth thrust.

She cried out loudly when he was seated to the hilt.

His hands came up to remove her arms from around his neck. He laid back against the futon, gazing up at her as she remained upright astride his hips.

"Are you okay?" he asked, holding himself still inside of her. The impulse to thrust was maddening, but he pushed it away, more concerned with her comfort.

She nodded quickly, laying her hands on his chest as he lifted her until only the tip of his manhood remained inside, then brought her back down with painstaking slowness.

"You're so deep," she whispered as he repeated the motion. "I love the way you feel...it's as if you have touched my heart..."

Aoshi groaned at her words, keeping one hand on her slim hips as the other moved up her body to toy with her breasts. He maintained the slow, gentle pace, rocking up into her, watching her face. Her mouth was swollen, her cheeks flushed, her eyes staring down intently into his.

As he slid steadily in and out, he brought his fingers up to trace her lips. Keeping her jade orbs locked onto his, she parted them, nipping at his finger before drawing it inside her mouth and sucking hard. "Faster..."

Aoshi obeyed her command as she continued to suck on his finger, twirling her tongue around it, biting it gently.

"More," Misao whispered, releasing his finger and leaning down to press a slow kiss to his lips. "Harder."

With a groan, he latched both hands onto her hips, plunging up into her with hard, firm thrusts.

"You feel so hot," he murmured against her mouth before kissing her passionately.

As the kiss deepened, his movements grew more frenzied. Her hands gripped the sheets on either side of his shoulders and she moaned continuously, the sound captured by his lips. He felt his climax rapidly approaching, but it would not do this way. She wasn't ready. It would have to be together.

His mind concentrating on that thought, on the pleasure flowing between them, the feel of her tight, slick muscles around him, he brought his hand between their bodies, searching for the place that would easily bring her to an incredible orgasm.

Aoshi knew he had found it when she pulled her mouth away from his abruptly, screaming with delight before stammering his name.

He continued to stroke her there, never once ceasing with his pounding thrusts, his fervid kisses. It was so addictive, the feel of her body, the mewling sounds she made in the back of her throat.

In moments, she was trembling fiercely, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. With one last, deep thrust, he felt her inner muscles clench around him almost painfully. Her release, her agonized moan, was enough to send him over the edge.

Aoshi shouted her name, closing his eyes, helpless to the waves of sensation washing over him. It was magnificent, like the sun, like heaven, like every moment of pure, undiluted joy. He shattered, fragmenting into a million tiny pieces. It was like dying and being reborn. In those seconds of endless bliss, he found his clarity, his true happiness.

It rested in her, the girl, the woman, he loved and adored. No matter what the consequences, no matter what had happened in his past, he knew in that very instant, that he would gladly spend the rest of his life trying to show her even a fraction of the paradise, the euphoria she had just shown him.

He said the words again as he ran his hands over the slick flesh of her back. This time they flowed more freely with no hesitation or doubt. "I love you..."



~~~~~~~~~~~~



The next morning, Misao found Megumi in the gardens.

The older woman peered up at her over her cup of tea, eyes knowingly sweeping over the happy glow that shone on her face.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Megumi asked sweetly, setting her cup aside.

The ninja girl smiled down at her before sinking into a sitting position. "VERY well."

"I figured as much," Megumi said confidently. "My tea works wonders."

"It certainly does," Misao whispered, a huge grin washing over her pretty features. "What exactly is in that tea?"

The doctor released a fiendish giggle, eyes sparkling. "I'm afraid that's a trade secret..."

"Fair enough," the younger girl said, laughing along with her. "How can I get some more then?"

"Well, how much do you think you'll be needing?"

"Not too much. Just a small supply. You know, for the occasional, rainy day."

Megumi tossed her hair over her shoulder with a smile. "Oh, I DO know..."

"Think you can spare me a few bags?"

With a slow nod and a chuckle, Megumi rose to her feet. "I think I can manage that."



~*OWARI*~

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Please drop me a review if you can! Thanks for reading!

~Midori^_~