Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Back Home To You ❯ chater two ( Chapter 3 )

Title: Back Home To You

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all its characters do not belong to me. I am just borrowing them for a little while.

A/N: I was going to do an Aoshi/Kaoru fic but I wanted Battousai. I am currently writing three fan-fictions for RK, one's already posted, it's `Belonging' and my Aoshi/Kaoru `Perfect Fit' will hopefully be out soon.

Premise: Kaoru asked Kenshin to marry her when she was three? And now the Battousai has come back, fifteen years later to claim his bride.

P.S: I just read somewhere that Kenshin is only 5'2, is that true? /5'6 me cries/ Awww…anyway since this is AU let's just pretend he's a little taller, okay? ^_^

Chapter Two:

Oh for goodness sake!

Kaoru lost her temper and she snapped. Without her bokken to hit him over the head with, she raised one foot and kicked him in the shin as hard as she could.

He blinked.

She doubled over in pain, crying out for her injured toes. She had to grab the thing nearest to her to keep her balance and she ended up clutching the sleeve of his gi as she lifted her foot and massaged her toes waiting for the throbbing to ebb.

She heard Sanosuke chuckling in the background and decided she hated him.

Finally she was able to put her foot down again and stand on her own. "Listen to me, my uncle betrothed me to Shishio Makoto. You should know him. You guys live in the same kingdom! He's a dangerous man and if you take me then you might be in danger too!"

"Aren't you afraid of how he'll treat you once you've married him?" he asked. He didn't seem the slightest bit concerned about her, just moderately curious. Kaoru blinked surprised at the sound of his voice. She hadn't expected him to speak. "Well…yes I am but at least I'll be the only one responsible. If you take me, Shishio might kill my uncle's men for failing to protect me. He might even go after my uncle himself…or…or Megumi."

He gave her a shrug that seemed to say, `So?'

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. He apparently didn't care about her relatives. "Shishio might come after you and kill you and your friends as well," she pointed out.

There was an odd light in his eyes when he said, "I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be! He's the Shadow Hitokiri! Or at least I've heard that he was…anyway, if he comes after you, you won't have a chance! Not that I'm putting you down or anything but I heard some of the nobles in my kingdom talk and they say that probably the only one person who can defeat Shishio is that other legendary Slasher Hitokiri Battousai…"

Golden eyes gleamed. "I am Battousai."

Kaoru blinked.

She was so stunned that she let him drag her towards the horses.

Oh my god, he was Battousai!

Kaoru could not believe that she was twice engaged in the span of twenty-four hours and both to legendary killers!

"What do we do with the soldiers?" Sano called out.

"Kill them."

Kaoru was snapped out her stupor by his words. "Don't!" she told him, narrowing her eyes just enough for him to know that she meant business but not enough that he'd lop her head off…she hoped.

"No?" Battousai asked surprised. In his opinion it was nothing less than what they deserved for being sniveling cowards.

Kaoru shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

Why not? Because it's not the right thing to do! You weren't just supposed to kill people! Okay, Battousai is a swordsman, right? Her father had always said that a true swordsman would never harm one who does not pose a threat and is unable to defend him self. That ruled must also apply to Battousai, right?

"Well..." Kaoru began, "they don't have weapons. I'm sure you won't demean your honor by harming someone who can't defend themselves."

"I didn't take their weapons. They threw them away when Sanosuke smashed a boulder."

From the corner of her eye Kaoru saw Sano give a satisfied smirk and gaze at his knuckles appreciatively.

"Well…so what?" Kaoru rebutted for lack of anything else to say.

His eyes narrowed and they gleamed as he stared down at her. "Their duty is to protect you and they didn't even do that. That little maid of yours was braver than all these so-called soldiers combined."

He was talking about Tsubame! Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "If you touch one head of hair on that little girl's head I swear I'll…"

He cocked an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "Or you'll what?" he prompted after a full thirty seconds.

Kaoru was wracking her mind frantically for a grave enough threat. Her father had always said that you could only threaten a man with something of the utmost importance to him. Anything less would be useless. Right now the only thing she knew that was very important to him was marrying her. "Or I won't marry you…"

"Yes you will," he said matter-of-factly. He turned to Sanosuke to tell him to let the soldiers go, not because of Kaoru's threat but because it seemed a small enough compensation to make her co-operate. He opened his mouth but her voice interrupted him.

"Don't!" Kaoru said, clutching his sleeve. "It important for you to marry me, right?" she asked him. Her temper flared when he gave a disinterested shrug but she reminded herself that it wasn't really important. "Would you tell me why it's important that you marry me?"

"I need not explain myself to you."

Oh for the love of! "When you say marry, it would be an official marriage, yes? With a wedding and everything so that it would stand up at any court even if Shishio does contest it."

He gave her a look she chose to interpret as a yes.

She smiled at him triumphantly. "You can drag me to a church and stand me in front of a priest, vicar or what have you…but how do you intend to make me say `yes'?"

His eyes narrowed. "You will."

His voice and his eyes frightened her and she took a step back before she remembered to be brave and stand her ground. Maybe just a little tiny half step backwards wouldn't hurt…

And maybe another tiny one again…

She reminded herself that he couldn't really kill her if he wanted to marry her. "I don't think so," she told him. You couldn't marry a corpse. At least that was how it was back in her home but this was a foreign land and who knew what was acceptable and not for them?

She took another sep back in case.

And another one just to be on the safe side

Kaoru was going to take another tiny step back when she saw him blur and the next thing she knew, he was in front of her and holding her wrists. He jerked her to him, hard. Kaoru nearly toppled with the force and she let out an `Oomph' when her body collided with his. She peered up at him through her bangs, her blue eyes wide.

He was a manslayer.

"I've tried to be as patient with you as I can but it's better you learn this lesson now. NEVER, taunt me or threaten me. Do you understand?"

Kaoru nodded her tongue darting out to lick her suddenly dry lips.

His eyes followed the movement hungrily. He leaned closer to her not caring if Aoshi or Sano saw. "You will say `yes' when I drag you to our wedding. Do you want to know why Kaoru?" he said, his voice low, calm and cold.

She shook her head.

He smiled at her. "If you don't do as I say, I'll force you. No one's here to help you little girl. I can take you and rape you right here, right now and I can drag you to our wedding, naked with my smell still on every single part of you and you'll have no choice but to marry me if you want to preserve your dignity. Do you understand?"

Kaoru swallowed feeling hatred for him bloom in her chest. She saw something in his eyes that scared her. It was hunger. She'd seen it often enough in the eyes of her uncle's perverted friends when she'd turned fourteen and had had to learn to fight them off to keep herself pure.

So this was what she'd fought so hard to save herself for?

What had she ever done to deserve this?

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked into his merciless gold ones.

Battousai's eyes followed the trail of the single tear that escaped her thick eyelashes. He bent his head and licked her skin tasting the salty tang of her tears. He remembered the little girl she had been and he to his surprise, he heard the long since dead voice of his conscience reawaken.

She's just a child you monster! You don't need to be cruel to get your point across!

Better she understand what her place is now before she gets ideas into her head… "Don't worry, as long as you understand who I am and what your place is, being married to me would not be so difficult as you might think."

Kaoru had always wanted a family like the one she'd grown up with; a strong smiling father, a happy contented mother and children who were disciplined not because they were scared of punishment but because they loved their parents too much to want to disappoint them.

It seemed she would never have that.

"Please don't kill my uncle's soldiers," she whispered in entreaty, keeping her eyes down and her voice low.

Something flashed within Battousai's gold eyes and for a moment, his expression softened without him even realizing it. Kaoru didn't see but Sano and Aoshi certainly did. They had been watching the scene unfold with avid interest.

"Let the soldiers go," Battousai said.

OOOOO

Why did these barbarians like walking so much?

Well at least Sanosuke and Aoshi, as she'd come to learn, had taken her luggage and brought it with them. Kaoru was grateful for that much; they could have asked her to carry her own luggage after all. She'd even thanked them. Sanosuke had given her a smile and Aoshi just inclined his head slightly. Still, her gratitude over that small matter was starting to dissipate with every throb and pain shooting up from the soles of her feet to her ankles and calves. Kaoru sighed. "Don't you have horses in this country?" she asked Sano who seemed the only one likely to respond if she talked to him. She had already decided to forgive him for laughing at her earlier.

"Of course we do, Jou-chan."

"Then why in heaven's name are we walking?" Kaoru asked irritably. They'd been walking for hours and her feet were killing her. She wasn't exactly dressed for long travel after all and the soft soles of her shoes weren't helping any.

"Because that's the way we normally travel. Relax and enjoy the countryside. It's a beautiful time of year."

Kaoru rolled her eyes but kept silent. Her feet were killing her but she'll be damned if she let them see her as weak.

I can take you and rape you right here, right now and I can drag you to our wedding naked with my smell still on every single part of you…

Great. What a lovely romantic story to tell her grandchildren one day.

How did you and grandpa get married?

Oh, well you see I was on my way to marry another man when he ambushed me. He threatened to rape me and drag me naked to our wedding so I had no choice but to say yes. There you go my precious grandkids; that is the romantic story of how I met your grandfather.

Oh yes, a sweet moment to cherish all her life.

Sano noted the sour look in Kaoru's face and asked what she was thinking.

"I was just thinking what a perfect start this is for what would surely be the most perfect part of my life…" Kaoru replied politely.

Yup

PERFECT.

Perfectly HORRIBLE

"Maybe we should rest…" Aoshi suggested when he noticed the woman lagging behind. She seemed to be dragging her feet as well. She was a noble after all and probably unused to trekking long distances on foot.

Kaoru's perked up and she smiled at him deciding he wasn't so bad like she'd first thought.

"No," Battousai said.

"Why not?" Kaoru demanded in outrage. "Obviously, your friend is tired and even though I am still perfectly capable of walking for three more days straight, I don't want to cause anyone weaker than I am to have a hard time!" she lied.

Her feet were killing her.

Battousai slanted her a sideways glance. "Are you tired Aoshi?" he asked, never taking his eyes away from her face.

"No."

"He is not tired. He wants to stop because of you. However, it seems you are perfectly capable of walking for three more days without out rest so I see no reason for us not to continue."

Kaoru gaped at him.

"Or did you just exaggerate the truth a little?"

Kaoru's eyes narrowed at his tone. Was he doing it deliberately? Was he trying to break her down? Oh she knew about the cruelties of men. Her uncle had indulged in it one more than one occasion when he raped and tortured a serving girl.

Her eyes narrowed. "Bastard…"

In a flash, he was in front of her and the look on his face made her breath catch in her throat. He loomed over her, his eyes burning with fire. "You haven't even been walking for a full day. Other women have been forced to endure much more hardship. Either you stop pretending and admit your weakness or don't complain!"

Kaoru wondered why he seemed to hate her so much. She couldn't reconcile this man with the one who'd held her when she'd been a girl. Tears spilled from her eyes but she kept silent. After a few heartbeats, he finally left her and started walking again.

Sano walked up to his friend. He couldn't understand why Kenshin was treating the poor girl this way. He was being needlessly cruel to her and she'd done nothing to deserve it. "Maybe I should carry her," he suggested mildly.

Battousai turned to Sanosuke. "No one touches her but me."

The taller man was surprised at the possessiveness in Battousai's tone. His eyebrows rose and his temper got the better of him. "Then let her have some rest for goodness sake! Look at her! She can barely walk anymore."

"We have to reach the priest I've commissioned to marry us. The sooner we get it over it the better it is for everyone involved."

"Well then you carry her if you don't want anyone else to touch her! Her feet are probably bleeding inside those slippers of hers," Sano muttered. For a moment he thought maybe he saw a flash f violet in his friend's eyes but it was gone so quickly he thought maybe it was just wishful thinking.

"Fine," Battousai snapped irritably. He stopped and waited for Kaoru to catch up with him before he swept her up in his arms, one hand supporting her back and the other at the back of her knees.

"What are you doing?" Kaoru demanded when he picked her up.

"What does it look like?"

"I can walk fine on my own!" she said, trying to push away from him. She was angry with him and she didn't want him near her or touching any part of her body. She felt so tired and frustrated and just plain awful.

/You're so gentle Kenshin…sometimes I find it hard to believe that you're a warrior at all…/

Battousai blinked at the stray memory fleeting through his mind. He felt the girl trying to squirm away from him but his hold on her was firm.

"Let go!" Kaoru said finally bursting into tears. She didn't want him to see her crying so she hid her face at the crook of his neck and clutched at his gi. She didn't mean to cry; it was just that it felt so damned good not to be on her feet anymore that she couldn't help it. "Let go," she sobbed softly.

He ignored her wishes and started to walk.

OOOOO

Sano sighed and glanced over to where Kenshin sat with Kaoru in his arms. The girl was still sleeping. Must've exhausted her self from all that crying.

"Well, he's finally married…" he muttered to Aoshi who was a little bit beside him.

"Hn…"

"You know Kenshin's my friend and all but don't you think he was a little harsh on Jou-chan today?"

"It wasn't Kenshin. It was Battousai."

"He's been Battousai for years! It's hard to even remember who Kenshin was…is…whatever…"

"It's because of that girl."

"Kaoru?"

"No. The other one…the reason why he hates Shishio so much."

"Oh…" Sano said, nodding in understanding. "her…"

"Yes."

Sano sighed. No one ever mention that girl's name. Ever. The last time Kenshin had heard it mentioned, he'd gone on Hitokiri mode, becoming Battousai and going on a killing rampage that had shocked and horrified a lot of people. That had been years ago and he still hadn't gone back to being Kenshin. Not until revenge was complete.

Fat chance of that ever happening with the new treaty in place

Seijuuro Hiko would never allow Kenshin to kill Shishio while there was still peace and endanger the lives of many innocent bystanders.

"Well maybe Jou-chan can help him forget…" Sano muttered.

"I doubt it. Right now all he sees her as is a means of getting revenge and maybe begetting heirs. Nothing more."

OOOOO

His eyes were hooded as he looked down at her sleeping form.

She was beautiful in the firelight, her skin glowed and her hair illuminated by the orange-red embers.

She belonged to him now and no one was ever going to lay a hand on her and touch her except him.

She was his.

Body and Soul

He touched her long hair, marveling at the softness of the thick, silken mass. He liked it better like it was now, down around her shoulders and falling freely. She shifted in her sleep, her face burrowing closer against his chest as though seeking warmth.

He cuddled her closer.

He was surprising himself with the intensity of his need to posses all of her and to dominate her, to own her completely.

The collar of her kimono had loosened exposing the smooth white flesh of her throat and chest. He could see the gentle swell of her breasts behind the fabric and he longed to insert one hand between the cloth and her skin.

Visions of her arched naked above him, below him…it filled his head and incited his need.

What was it about this girl that evoked suck passion in him?

His eyes narrowed and his golden eyes burned with inner fire.

He'd gotten so used to everyone fearing the mere mention of his name. This girl on the other hand had on more than one occasion, tried to defy him. Perhaps he found her independence entertaining. She was certainly not stupid. She knew he could kill her easily, the fear he saw in her eyes confirmed it…and yet she had a temper in her that defied her own logic and caution.

She had passion.

It would be interesting to try and break her…to teach her to use her passion not in defying him but in pleasing him.

In bed…and anywhere else he wanted her.

He felt her shift again and sensed the change in her body from sleep to wakefulness. He felt her hands flatten on his chest as she pushed away from him and looked about her cataloguing the fire, the trees surrounding the small clearing and Aoshi and Sanosuke several feet away from them.

She blinked, sleep making her look drowsy and clouding her eyes. "Where are we?" she asked him softly as she ran her tongue over her lips and pushed the wayward strands of her hair away from her face.

"We've stopped to camp for the night."

OOOOO

Kaoru blinked and remembered everything that had happened. She realized she was practically on top of him and tried to move off but he held her firmly against him so she settled down instead. It was no use any way, he was far stronger than she could ever hope to be.

Besides, he was her husband.

She dropped her head, using her hair to shield her from his gaze.

He was looking at her the way some of the other nobles had back home.

Lustfully.

Unlike all those other nobles though, he had the right to actually act on his impulses and…and…and do that to her.

She was married to him now.

He was her husband.

The wedding had been awful and she'd barely managed to get through it without throwing up.

Before the ceremony had started, Kaoru had vaguely considered telling the priest her story and asking him to help her. Battousai must have sensed her intentions because he'd effectively put a stop to her half-formed plans of escape.

/Flashback/

"I already let your uncle's soldiers go…I held up my end of the bargain, you should too…besides Kaoru, if you tell the priest and he refuses to marry us, I'll have to kill him…" he had whispered to her when the priest had gone out to make preparations for the wedding.

"You wouldn't dare!" Kaoru had chocked out, appalled.

He smiled at her. "You have no idea how much I would dare to do."

"If you kill him then no one will be here to marry us."

"I can always find another priest somewhere else."

"How can you speak of doing something so horrible? How can you treat people's lives so casually? You're a monster!"

"If you think I'm a monster now, just wait until I show you my bad side. Now it's your decision Jou-chan," he mocked, "What will it be? Will you be responsible for the priest's death? I assure you if you tell him, you'll have to watch him die and you'll know you could have done something to prevent it…it will be your fault if he dies tonight…"

Kaoru swallowed feeling bile rise up her throat at what an unfeeling monster he was.

He brushed his lips against her neck and then went up to capture and nibble on her earlobe like she was some kind of morsel he wanted to taste. "You decide…Kaoru," he whispered in her ear.

/End Flashback/

The priest had gone on with the wedding, blissfully unaware of how close he'd come to dying. She'd felt so drained afterwards. All she could remember was sitting down in the chapel to wait for her husband while he finished talking with the priest.

The next thing she knew she was waking up in Battousai's arms.

No.

Not Battousai.

Kenshin Himura.

Lord Kenshin Himura, if the priest had been right.

Yes…Kaoru remembered Kenshin. She remembered that he had violet eyes and that he'd kept her promise to her all those years ago when he said he wouldn't tell anyone about the pig. She still couldn't, for the life of her, remember Sanosuke or Aoshi being present that day though...

"What time is it?" she asked her head still down as she gazed at the hand he hand on her thigh.

The hand lifted and touched her chin, turning her head upwards and to the side so she was looking at him. Her breath caught at the golden embers burning in his eyes.

He gave her a low, lazy smile as he gazed at her with half-lidded eyes. "It's time for the wedding night," he said in a low voice that made her shiver.

OOOO

A/N: Sorry if Kenshin is an SOB and OOC! It was needed to make the revelations in the next chapters more angst filled. Tell me what you think of this chapter. I like reading reviews because they help me to know if someone actually does enjoy my fics. If you enjoyed it or not, please tell me! For all those who reviewed my fic, thank you so much! This chapter is for you guys! /dispenses hugs/

Next Chapter would probably be up soon so look out for that too. ^_^