Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Back Home To You ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 4 )

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.

IMPORTANT READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO ON WITH THE FIC: As I stated on the A/N at the bottom of chapter one, this story is based on a one of my favorite stories. If you were wondering what it is, it's The Wedding by Julie Garwood. I love her books very much. I actually read that book a few years ago when I was in the seventh grade, my friend gave it to me and I've been her fan ever since. I loved the premise and I thought the plot was good and wondered how Battousai/Kenshin/Kaoru would be able to function in that scenario. I'm really sorry if I offended some people and think I'm plagiarizing Julie Garwood's work. I do apologize, I didn't mean to. This story will actually deviate from the book and won't follow its plot entirely. It was just that I loved the thought of Kaoru and Kenshin meeting that way so…sorry /bows down in apology/ I hope I didn't make anyone mad and I really do apologize. If you guys have any more complaints about it please don't hesitate to tell me. If you think I should take any of the chapters down and revise it, I will, if you want me to revise everything, I will. I don't want anyone mad at me. :P Thank you.

Chapter Three:

"It's time for the wedding night."

Kaoru felt her body freeze at the look in his eyes.

He can't mean to…

Not right now…

Oh God, she wasn't prepared for this!

Her eyes darted around as her mind whirred frantically searching for a way out…an excuse…something that would delay him. Her eyes landed on the two men seated a several feet away from them. "What about Sano and Aoshi?" she chocked out.

"They will make themselves scarce." Battousai said as his fingers traces her hand lazily. He felt her shiver against him and smiled.

His head dipped down to press kisses along her jaw line.

"Please…don't," she whispered as his tongue traced the curve of her ear, making her shiver with pleasure and fear.

"Why?" he asked, his breath warm on her skin. "You're my wife…I'm your husband…there's no reason not to, Kaoru…"

Kaoru closed her eyes. She knew what to expect of course. There would be blood and pain. Ever since her uncle had taken over the household…she had seen several serving girls after they had been raped when she'd had to help Megumi patch them up.

She could still remember the bruises and the blood.

She could still hear their screams.

She whimpered.

"Relax," he whispered as he lifted a hand to touch the skin of her cheek, his fingers gently grazing her smooth skin. Dimly, he was aware of Sano and Aoshi getting up and leaving. He smiled when he saw her eyelids flutter shut and a small shiver of pleasure escape her against her will.

She was so responsive.

She was also trying to fight her natural responses.

He bent his head and captured her lips with his, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth and tasting her.

Kaoru's eyes flew open in shock as she felt his tongue inside her mouth, lapping over hers and touching all those places that…she moaned, her body sagging as her body surrendered to the electric jolts of pleasure zinging along her system. Her hand automatically went up to clasp his hair, pulling him closer, wanting him to go in deeper.

In the back of her mind, she knew she should be afraid but Kaoru couldn't seem to form any coherent thoughts with his mouth over hers and his tongue inside her, moving in a rhythm she didn't quite understand but instinctively responded to.

She felt his hand on her breast and froze.

She pushed with all her might to get away from him, terror overriding everything else. She shook her head and inched away, "No…don't…"

Battousai could feel the terror emanating from her. The smell of her fear was so strong…he wondered what was causing it.

Could she be that afraid of him?

"What's the matter with you?" he asked eyeing her.

Kaoru swallowed and dropped her gaze. What had Megumi said?

A man seems to want to do it. It's a wife's duty to let him…

Kaoru could still clearly see the bodies covered in blood.

The bruises.

She could still hear their cries of pain echoing through the castle walls.

Her heart was pounding in fear as she stared at him.

It was no longer him she was seeing but those women.

Their eyes

The screams.

The blood.

OOOOO

What was wrong with her?

This was the first time he'd seen actual terror in her eyes as she looked at him.

He stood up slowly and crouched down beside her. "What's wrong with you?" he asked as he stared into her eyes.

She was staring transfixed as if she was no longer there.

He grabbed her shoulders and she let out a scream.

"No! Don't Uncle please!"

Battousai's eyebrows rose in surprise as she tried to get away from him. He stilled her struggles and gathered her against him. "I'm not your Uncle, stop it. Kaoru, stop it!"

"Let go of me!" she screamed trying to kick at him.

Battousai crushed her more securely against his body.

Sano and Aoshi burst through the clearing, ready for a battle. When they saw Kenshin holding on to a hysterical Kaoru, they froze.

"Kenshin! What's going on?" Sano asked, taking a step forward.

Battousai turned to glare at him. "Go, now," he barked out.

Sano and Aoshi backed away.

Kaoru was shivering and crying and he stared down at her as she was tormented with demons only she could see.

God, how he understood how that felt.

He eased both of them down on the ground, softly murmuring for her to calm down. He stroked her hair gently even as a part of him questioned why he was doing this. He just couldn't let her go. He couldn't bring himself to turn away from her and let her suffer her demons alone.

She's mine and no one hurts what is mine.

Not even her old nightmares.

"Kaoru, listen to me…" he said as he took her face between his hands. "Look at me Kaoru," he commanded implacably. "It's me, Battousai…"

"Please don't…" Kaoru repeated over and over as she wept and struggled.

"Kaoru its Kenshin. It's only me…" he whispered as he slowly rocked her like a child.

For several minutes they stayed that way in the silence of the forest with only the occasional sound from Kaoru's cries punctuating the stillness.

Finally, Kaoru blinked as if waking up from a stupor. Her crying had ebbed somewhat but there was still fear in her eyes. "K-Kenshin…"

"Yes."

She burrowed her head against his neck.

"It's okay," he whispered against her hair. Sometime in the middle of everything, his need to possess her had shifted into his need to protect what was his. A part of him knew that there was a story behind her breakdown and when he found out what her uncle had done to her…he would kill everyone and everything that stood in the path of his vengeance,

OOOOO

Kaoru could feel him holding her and a part of her was actually astonished that she was holding on to him for comfort.

And yet he was still her Kenshin.

The nice man she wanted to marry all those years ago.

She remembered him now.

And she remembered his eyes.

She pulled back slightly and looked up into Battousai's eyes. They were still gold…but they weren't cold any longer. They looked at her with an intensity that made her breathless.

He wanted her.

She knew that.

So was it that he wasn't forcing himself on her?

"Because it would be better for both of us if you would let me…" he said.

Kaoru blinked. Oh…did I just say that aloud?

He lifted an eyebrow at her and seemed amused. "Don't worry, you will enjoy it. I will see to it."

Kaoru's face flamed at the tone of his voice and yet she could never let herself be lulled by the seductive glint in his eyes. He confused her, this man she had married. Why was he so hot and cold? "I know what to expect and I know it will hurt," she said. "I know about the blood…"

"Once and only briefly. After that there is nothing more than pleasure," he whispered in her ear.

Kaoru closed her eyes at the sound of his voice. He was like a cat! Her fingers itched with the need to feel his hair between her fingers. She'd felt how soft and silky it was when she'd run her hand through it earlier.

Battousai saw her expression and interpreted it correctly. He smiled at her. She was like a stubborn kitten.

Kaoru glanced at him and saw the smile and she was startled. "I don't understand you."

"What don't you understand?"

"Everything," Kaoru said as she reached a hand and traced the scar on his cheek. "Why are your eyes different Kenshin?"

"Different?"

"Aren't they supposed to be violet?"

"Does it matter?"

"No." Kaoru shook her head. "I suppose it doesn't. I hate you one minute but I forget that I do the next. What is it about you that affects me this way?"

"You're forward aren't you?"

"No. I just want to tell you how I feel." Kaoru said honestly. "I don't understand you at all and trying to second guess you would just be too tiring."

"Do you think it's good to tell someone you hate them?" he asked, feeling like he was talking to a child. In a way, he supposed he actually was. She was only what? Seventeen? Eighteen?

"Sometimes. It's better than pretending to feel something that you don't."

"So honesty is important to you, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Why were you crying Kaoru? Why were you so scared? What did your uncle do to you? Tell me."

OOOOO

He had only wanted to ask her.

It came out sounding like a threat.

He felt her stiffen against him before she averted her gaze.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm sorry…I know what is expected of me…if you would just give me time…"

"Don't look away from me," he commanded her even as he forced her to look at him. "Where is the fierce brave girl this morning? Was she a lie as well?" he asked.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed in anger but she held her tongue and ignored him.

Battousai was a great Hitokiri not only because of his great skill but also because of his great mind. He knew that he might never get the whole truth from her if he forced her to admit it and so he chose another means of attack. His voice lowered and his hold on her gentled. "Kaoru, look at me."

Kaoru raised her head and turned, surprised at the pleasant sound of his voice. She was floored when she saw the intensity of his gaze. It was like he wanted to look into her soul and discovered everything that she was.

"Kaoru, you and I are married now. You are the other half of me. I want to know what is bothering you. I want to know everything about my wife. It is the same in this kingdom as it is in yours. Marriage makes us one and it is only natural that I want to know the other part of myself."

Kaoru stared at him unsure of what to do. What he said made sense but a part of her recoiled from ever discussing everything she had heard and seen and gone through.

"Kaoru…" he coaxed as he pulled her in his arms. He turned her so her back was against his front and she was seated on his lap. He took both her hands in his and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Tell me," he whispered in her ear as she gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Kaoru had never had anyone hold her so close like this before: his voice, his touch, his warmth…it all worked together to lull her senses and she found herself speaking, although haltingly.

She forgot he was Battousai.

He was only Kenshin now.

And he was her husband.

The other part of himself…

"Tell me…"

OOOOO

Kaoru sighed and leaned against him. Had it really only been a day? It seemed like so much had happened since she'd woken up hours ago.

"Megumi is my cousin. She's tall with long black hair. She's a few years older than me and I've known her since we were children. I think she's the beautiful one but I never tell her because she's too full of herself as it is. Anyway, I loved her despite her faults and she's lived with us since she was nine when her parents died. My parents died in an accident when I was eleven so I thought it would only be Megumi and I. I didn't know that we had an uncle. His name was Takeda Kanryuu. As our only living relative, Megumi and I were put under his care."

"Go on," Battousai prompted when she stopped.

"Well my uncle, being a distant relative and all…he wasn't really a noble. Megumi said he grew up poor and that he established businesses all over so he could support himself. He was very well acquainted with a lot of nasty people. He was very starved for power and I think he was jealous of Megumi and I because we were born into the nobility…and he wasn't." Kaoru said as she tried to remember her uncle's actions. She'd spent so much time trying to repress her memories of him that it was actually hard to try and talk about them. "A few months after he moved in, several of his `friends' arrived. He also invited a few of the nasty noblemen in my country to visit and he would put up games and parties. That was when I first heard the screams coming from the behind the doors. I didn't understand it when I was younger but in time, I realized that they were raping those women." Kaoru closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Nothing like that had ever happened before my uncle came…the servants were people too. They were our friends and Megumi and I tried to make him stop…but he wouldn't."

"When you said you knew what to expect. The blood…did he ever touch you?" Battousai asked softly, glad that Kaoru's back was to him. If she could see him now, she would be terrified of the animalistic rage in his eyes.

"No…but he and the others tried. Megumi and I always helped each other so they never got to touch us." Kaoru let out a laugh. "My father trained me in his sword style so I would know how to protect myself. I suppose he never expected I would use it to protect my virtue from my own uncle."

"It's not funny Kaoru."

"I know…but it's the only way I know how to deal with it without breaking down," she told him.

"Go on."

"Serving maids and village girls were often dragged to the estate and brutalized. A lot of them died because they were left to die. Megumi and I learned how to heal them and take care of their wounds…" Kaoru stopped because she couldn't force the words out of her constricted throat. A chocked sob escaped her as her shoulders started to shake at the memory. "I wasn't very good at it but I was strong and I could carry them…and I would drag them out of the room when the men were finished and Megumi and I would clean them up and dress their wounds."

"How old were you?"

"Twelve…up until I came here, it happened." Kaoru suddenly stiffened. "Oh no! Tsubame!" she twisted her body so she could look at Kenshin, "Please, you have to go find Tsubame! She might go back to the estate! I won't be there to protect her…"

Ah, so that was the reason for the loyalty. "She's a small child. She won't get far. I'll have Sano or Aoshi go and look for her tomorrow. It's too dark to head out tonight."

"But-"

"She will be found."

He seemed awfully sure so Kaoru decided to trust him.

"Kaoru…"

"Yes?"

"What happened to those women…it won't happen to you."

Kaoru licked her dry lips and made up her mind. "It's okay…I'm your wife and I know my duty. Besides, I'd like to have children someday."

"Your uncle is an animal and he will pay for what he's put you through." Battousai swore to her.

Kaoru was surprised at the depth of his anger. He was angry for her. The thought warmed her considerably. "You can do that to me anytime you want…I'll bear it for you and I'll never turn you away," she promised him, looking into his eyes.

He smiled at her and his eyes gleamed. "Kaoru, when I get done with you, you'll not only bear it, you will beg for it."

Her eyes widened.

He bent and kissed her. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day for us."

OOOOO

"I'll got get the girl."

Sano turned to see Aoshi in the shadows. "So you heard it too huh?"

A curt nod

Sano smiled slightly, "Maybe she can change him."

Aoshi shrugged and turned to leave.

Sano turned back to the couple sitting in the clearing. The fire basked their countenance in a warm glow and he let himself imagine what could be.

Maybe this time Battousai could finally let go of his past and move on.

Maybe this time, Kenshin will come back.

"Good luck Jou-chan," he whispered softly. "You sure as hell are going to need it."

OOOOO

A/N: Do you guys still remember who Takeda is? He's that guy who was using Megumi to make opium. The one with the glasses who Aoshi worked for when he first met Battousai in the anime? I thought he would be a fitting `power hungry' uncle. Isn't Kenshin nice? You have to remember that even though Battousai is still some type of SOB, he has Kenshin inside of him too! Please tell me what you think of this chapter. Thank you! ^_^