Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Back Home To You ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 5 )

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. The premise for this story is from the book The Wedding by Julie Garwood.

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' is already out.

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.

Chapter Four:

Battousai frowned as he laid her down on her sleeping pallet.

"I assume you heard everything Sano."

Sanosuke moved from beyond the trees and shrugged. "Yeah. You want me to go and kill her uncle?"

"No. That pleasure will be mine to take."

Sano sat down and rested his back against a tree. "Aoshi already went to find the girl."

"I know."

"Do you like your bride Battousai?" Sano asked as he watched his lord assume a position similar to his.

Battousai was quiet as he watched a sleeping Kaoru through the fall of his bangs.

"Because if you don't…I don't mind taking her," Sano prodded.

Golden eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at Sano.

It took all of Sanosuke's will power not to stiffen at the feel of those hard gold eyes trained at him. He tried to act nonchalant but his voice ended up sounding a little strained. "I mean…it would still serve the purpose of our revenge you know…"

"She's mine."

"I'm just saying…" Sano said with a feigned casual shrug. He glanced over at the sleeping girl before turning back to Battousai. It had been a long time since his friend had exhibited a kind of passion. Battousai had been cold and ruthless, this side of him, although terrifying as well…it was closer to human than he had been in ages.

Perhaps there was hope after all.

Kaoru woke up, alone.

She really had no recollection of falling asleep.

She was lying on a soft pelt made from the fur of Arctic foxes and served as a sort of sleeping bag. She realized one of them had unpacked it from her luggage and laid her down and covered her with a blanket.

She was surprised at the gesture.

She sat up drowsily and looked around. It was still evening but nearing dawn and she looked up at the sky. It was such a beautiful color, a lightening. This was an incandescent time of day when the darkness of night was slowly fading into the light glow of early morning.

She hugged herself.

"Cold?"

Kaoru was surprised and she turned to look at the direction of the voice. It was Kenshin and he was seated up, with his back against the tree, holding his sword against his body. She couldn't see his eyes because his bangs obscured them but somehow she knew, he could see her.

She could feel his gaze.

She didn't know how to react to him. He was the Hitokiri Battousai, the man who'd kidnapped her and forced her to marry him with the threat of raping her and murdering a priest.

He was also Kenshin, her husband. He was the man who had wanted her but had not forced his lust upon her. He was the man who had held her as she faced the memories of her past.

Who was he?

Kenshin?

Battousai?

Kaoru pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest. She propped her chin on her knees and looked at him, "Didn't you sleep?"

"I sleep this way."

"Because we're outside?"

"All the time."

Kaoru blinked. Why was it that there were times that he seemed unable or unwilling to string words together to form a coherent sentence? "You mean, you sleep this way all the time?"

"Yes."

"Don't you ever get tired?"

"I'm used to it," he said.

She realized she was seeing an aspect of Hitokiri Battousai. Always alert, never letting his guard down even in sleep. How tiring such an existence could be. Kaoru had already decided to make the most of her circumstances with him. Whether she marries Shishio or Kenshin, it was all the same.

She was trapped in this circumstance now and she just had to make the best of it.

Besides, she was married to Kenshin now and as his wife, it was her duty to help make his life easier.

She remembered how her mother had said that it brought her joy to see her husband happy.

She would make it a point to make him happy.

He hadn't been truly cruel to her.

Well, maybe a little bit but she'd never really been one to hold grudges.

Besides, he'd even shared in her fears and comforted her.

He didn't seem so bad.

She smiled at him and stood up, walking over to sit beside him.

They sat like that for a few minutes, Kaoru beside Kenshin but their shoulders were not touching.

After a few moments Kaoru inched closer to him until his shoulder was right next to hers.

Battousai glanced down at the top of her head and wondered what was going on in that brain of hers. She was a weird one, his wife. She didn't seem like any other female he'd ever known.

The truth was that there were times she acted more like a young boy than a lady.

And her hair always seemed to be messed up and hanging around her face so she was constantly pushing the dark raven tresses out of the way.

He decided to wait and see what she would do next.

After a few seconds, Kaoru rested her head on his shoulder and sighed softly, wrapping her arms around herself and drawing her knees closer to her body as she leaned against him.

Kenshin lifted his arm automatically and wrapped it around her so that she was snuggled against him at the crook of his arm. "I thought you said you weren't cold?" he asked. She smelled like jasmine.

"I'm not," Kaoru said with a small smile as she stifled a yawn. He felt warm and solid against her. "Where is Aoshi?" she asked him when she noticed Sano still sleeping.

"He went to find your maid."

"Tsubame."

"…?"

"Her name is Tsubame."

Battousai didn't really care but she seemed to expect some sort of response from him so he said, "Aa…"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For telling him to find her."

"I didn't."

Kaoru lifted her head from his shoulder and turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

Kenshin guided her head back to his shoulder. "He heard you talking to me last night," he said. He felt her stiffen against him and so he gently touched her arms, moving his hand and caressing her skin to soothe her. "It's alright. No one else will know."

Kaoru made a disgruntled noise but didn't say anything else. She liked what his hands were doing. Her eyelids started to droop as drowsiness came over her like a gossamer shawl. "Mou…Kenshin…"

"Nanda?" he said lazily as his hand continued to paint patterns against her skin.

Kaoru snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes. "How old were you when you met me the first time?"

"Fourteen."

"You're eleven years older than me."

"Does it bother you?"

"No." Kaoru said. "A friend of mine, she was thirteen when she got married. Do you know how old her husband was?"

Obviously not, Battousai thought. "No."

"He was forty-five I think. That makes him 32 years older than her. He was old enough to be her father but unfortunately, thirteen is the marriageable age in my country."

"Kaoru, you have no country."

She glanced up at him warily. "I don't?"

"No."

"Then what does that make me?"

"Mine."

Of all the egotistical, convoluted, arrogant, presumptuous…Kaoru sighed. She knew she should be irritated with him talking like she was nothing but his property, but she was too comfortable to argue. "Well anyway, what I was trying to say was that sort of thing happened in my former country all the time. Are wondering why I was able to reach the ripe old age of seventeen?"

Not really. "Aren't you supposed to be eighteen now?" he asked.

"Turning eighteen. I haven't had my birthday yet," Kaoru said turning to him with a smile. "It's still a few months away." She yawned and rested her head against him once more. "Anyway, do you know that I am considered an oddity in my country? I've bested a lot of noblemen in kenjutsu. I'm actually the heir to Kamiya Kashin Ryu which is the swords style my father passed on to me."

"Are you always so talkative in the morning?" he asked suddenly.

Kaoru blinked, her face reddening. She turned and frowned at him to let him know he'd displeased her.

He didn't seem to get the message.

She opened her mouth to tell him but he put a finger to her lips.

"You don't have to fill the silence with words. I'm perfectly comfortable holding you as we are, in quiet."

She blinked at him and wondered if it would be a good idea to bite his finger…. probably not. "I just wanted to tell you about myself. I wanted you to know who I am."

"I don't really need to."

Well of all the rude…"But you said…last night…" she sputtered indignantly.

"I already know who you are Kaoru," he said quietly as he looked into her eyes, his voice lowering in cadence.

"Who am I?" Kaoru asked as she licked her dry lips. How could his eyes say so much? They were smoldering as they looked at her, liked banked coals in a fire whose heat could be released by a single gentle blow. He was making her nervous when he got like that. Why was it that she always felt this heat when he looked at her? His eyes burned into her as if he was mentally taking her clothes off!

"You're my wife," he said as he bent down and kissed her slightly open lips. He let himself enjoy her taste for a few heartbeats before he pulled back and tucked her head back to the crook of his shoulder. "Now be a good girl and go to sleep."

"I'm not a baby," Kaoru protested.

"No, you're not," he agreed.

"Mou Kenshin…"

"Nanda?"

"You smell nice," she whispered as she burrowed her face closer to his neck.

She fell asleep with her mouth open on his skin.

Battousai sighed. It was odd hearing someone say his given name. She seemed to be enjoying pronouncing it. She snuggled even closer to him as she slept and his golden eyes alighted with amusement. She was a very tactile and responsive person. She seemed to enjoy touching and being touched.

He would enjoy fanning the fires inside her.

He would drive her insane until she begged for it.

"Geeze! What's got him in such a bad mood?" Sano muttered to Kaoru as the two of them followed behind Kenshin.

"How should I know?" Kaoru muttered back. She'd awakened alone once more and lying on her fur pelt. Was the notion of being beside her so repulsive he found the need to move her away constantly?

At breakfast he had studied her, not looking away even as he ate his own meal. Kaoru hadn't been able to enjoy the food as much as she had wanted because his stare unnerved her.

And then when they'd set off, he just started walking. He didn't even ask her how she was or hold her hand so they could walk side by side.

Okay so maybe that was a far-fetched idea…he was still Battousai after all.

Still…she felt frustrated at the redhead and wanted nothing more than to throw a rock at his head and shake some sense into him.

He was always hot and cold by turns and she didn't know what to expect of him.

Well at least with him walking ahead of her, she didn't have to contend with his looks that always seemed to burn her skin wherever they landed.

Kaoru didn't know how she knew but she could practically feel him planning something!

It made her nervous just thinking about it, which made her even more irritated.

Sano had also noticed the strange shift in Battousai. "Did you do something to him or what?" Sano asked as he peered at Kaoru's face. "Or maybe it's something that you didn't do that's got him so wired."

Kaoru wanted to kick him but she'd probably end up hurting herself more so she contended herself with a glare. "Shouldn't we wait for Aoshi?" Kaoru asked, completely ignoring his last statement.

"He knows the way home, Jou-chan." Sano assured her as he ushered her forward.

"But…"

"You shouldn't concern you self with Aoshi's business Kaoru," Battousai said from ahead of them.

Kaoru's brows rose in surprise at his acute hearing.

He turned and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Your every waking though should only be of me," he told her before he resumed walking.

Kaoru's face reddened. "What am I, a drone?" she muttered as she scowled down at the dirt road. She glanced back at the clearing they had vacated. It was fading from view. "I'm just concerned about Tsubame, that's all."

"Don't worry Jou-chan, Aoshi will find the girl and he will keep her safe," Sano assured her. "He will catch up with us at the village ahead. It's only a couple of hours from here. Maybe you can have a bath then."

Kaoru's eyes lit up the prospect of a bath. And then it narrowed as she wondered if Sanosuke was implying that she was starting to smell.

Was that why Kenshin had moved her away from him when she fell asleep?

Her brows knitted as she considered the horrendous possibility.

"Kaoru, come over here and walk in front of me so I can have my eye on you," Battousai suddenly said.

Kaoru blinked as Sano nudged her forward. "You mean keep an eye on me," she corrected the redhead as she passed him.

Battousai shrugged, "That too."

Kaoru wasn't sure, she didn't turn around to check, but she thought she heard him chuckle.

It sounded diabolical to her ears.

He had kept his distance from her as he contemplated his plan of action.

Oh he knew he was going to have her.

But he wanted her not only willing but eager and begging for it.

He knew she was tactile and responsive. There was an innocent sensuality about her, and even though she certainly was not the most refined of women, the very artlessness of her movements was what made her so appealing.

Every gesture, every sound, every reaction she had, was instinctive and natural.

She was so tempting and she didn't even know it.

She was also afraid.

That stupid uncle of her was going to pay.

Kaoru turned to look at him and frowned before continuing to walk.

He knew he was making her very uncomfortable with his stares, which was exactly how he wanted her to be.

Off-balance.

He made up his mind to seduce her, but he knew smoldering looks, innuendoes and fleetingly erotic touches would only get him so far. There would always be her underlying fear of pain waiting to spring up at the most inopportune of moments.

Like in the middle of making love for example.

He had to make her realize first that there was nothing to fear.

He had to make her realize the corporeal pleasures of touching.

He had to get her used to the idea of his body and hers.

It seemed like a lot but he knew he was up to the challenge.

There was more than one way to slash an enemy after all.

"We are nearing the village, aren't we?" Kaoru said as she noticed the farmlands dotting the landscape. The houses were still a bit few and far between but at least there were people. She had opted to walk beside him and not ahead of him.

The first ten minutes she had walked ahead had been the most uncomfortable ten minutes of her life.

Kaoru had no idea she could be so aware of her body and the way she walked. She had the sneaking suspicion that Kenshin had kept his eyes trained on her `derriere' the entire time! Whenever she looked back, his face would always be unreadable. She felt like a mouse that a cat would play with just before dinner was served.

Finally getting fed up, she scooted backwards and walked by his side instead, matching her pace with his.

"Sano why don't you go on ahead and commission rooms for us. Have a bath prepared as well."

Sano jogged on ahead.

Kaoru smiled thinking how sweet her husband was to think of her.

She frowned.

Did she really smell?

Finally unable to take the uncertainty, she decided to just go on and ask him. If she had sprouted wings and floated up to the sky, she could not have surprised him more. He looked at her and blinked. "What?"

"I asked if I smell."

"Smell?"

"Yes."

He shrugged and nodded.

Kaoru's eyes widened in horror, "Really?" she choked out, horrified. "It is really bad?" she hedged wincing.

"Not really. Just like jasmine."

Kaoru gaped at him before sagging in relief. "Oh…" she grinned. "Is the village a part of your land?"

"No," he said thinking about how odd she was.

"Are we near you land then?"

"It's still a few days away."

"Do the people in your country know who Battousai is?"

A disinterested shrug

"Will the people in the village recognize you?"

"I don't know Kaoru, I don't read minds."

"Hmmm…" Kaoru was thinking about her appearance. The people in the village might recognize Kenshin as one of the lords of their country. The priest had said that he was one of the nobility after all. He was lord Kenshin Himura, which meant he was the holder of some sort of title or other. She didn't want to make a bad impression on the people. She wanted them to think Kenshin chose his bride well. She started to fuss with her hair and kimono, trying to make it as presentable as possible.

"What are you doing?" Battousai snapped in irritation before he could remember that he was on a campaign of seduction.

"I was just tidying up." Kaoru said as she tried to arrange her bangs into some semblance of order.

Battousai closed his eyes and counted to ten. Even during the wars, the men he'd fought hadn't aggravated him like this.

Then again they had always been dead within the first few seconds after they met him.

"Come on hurry, there's a bath waiting in that inn and it has my name on it!" Kaoru called on ahead.

The `village' turned out to be a rather large town bustling with people. Kaoru was surprised to see such a crowd and she found herself looking around in fascination at the sights and sounds. She felt Kenshin's hand encircle her wrist and tug her after him to make sure she didn't get lost in the crowd milling about. "Do you know where we're going?" she asked.

"Yes."

"How?"

"I've been here before."

Kaoru let him lead her to a rather large inn with the sign on the top that announced it to be Vega and there was a depiction of a night sky filled with stars with one rather large and bright star glowing in the middle. "How pretty. What an interesting name though."

"The town is called Ban. It translates to Night, in your language."

"The town is called Night? Why?"

"Because it is livelier at night," he said with an amused smirk as he grasped her elbow ushered her forward.

"Lord Himura!" a rather portly woman greeted them with a bow. "We've prepared your room. It has just come to our ears that you have taken a bride, we would like to extend our felicitations."

Kaoru realized that Kenshin had every intention of ignoring the woman so she stepped in and smiled. "We thank you for your well wishes."

The woman glanced up at Kaoru, startled and she gave a small curtsy. "Our pleasure my lady, Aya will show you to your room. Shall we prepare food for the two of you? Sagara-san is currently enjoying a meal at the dining hall."

"That would be lovely, thank you," Kaoru said with a strained smile as Kenshin proceeded to drag her forward. "Do you even know where our rooms are?" she hissed at him, wanting to jerk her elbow from his grip but knowing she couldn't in front of all these people.

"Is."

"What?"

"It's not `where our rooms are'. It's `Where are room is.'. We're married remember? We share one room." He turned to give her a smoldering look. He touched her face with one hand slowly letting it trail down her cheek to rest at the slight bow in the middle of Kaoru's bottom lip. "That means we share one bed."

Kaoru blinked.

"Come on," he tugged at her hand. "I already know which room is ours."

The room was quite beautiful. It was probably one of the best ones, if not the best one, in the inn.

A flower arrangement was placed rather prominently on the corner and beside it was a tray of sweets Kaoru couldn't help but sample.

Kenshin had shown her inside the room and left her.

A couple of minutes later several footmen came in carrying heated bathwater, presumably for her bath.

Kaoru was sucking on a candy waiting for the bathwater to cool a bit when Kenshin entered the room. She gave him a small smile as she rolled the small ball of sweet inside her mouth, enjoying the flavor of cherries and sugar.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Enjoying yourself?"

How peculiar. Kaoru shrugged and nodded. "Yes."

"So am I." Battousai said as he eyed her. She'd changed out of her kimono and into a yukata and her long hair was piled high atop her head in preparation for her bath. "Bath?"

She nodded and stood up, walking over to the bathing area in the large room.

Battousai followed her.

When Kaoru realized that he was right behind her, her cheeks flamed and she started to sputter. "You can't mean to…I mean…I…"

Battousai raised an eyebrow. "What? I asked you if I could have a bath…" he said innocently. Inside, he was smirking.

"Oh…" Kaoru said. When he'd said `bath?' she thought he'd been asking her if she was going to take one!

"If you would rather bathe first, it's fine with me."

Keiko Kamiya's pearls of Wisdom on how to be a good wife: Rule one: be gracious, always cater to your husband's needs.

"Oh no, its fine Kenshin, you can take a bath first…" Kaoru gritted her teeth and forced a smile. She had really had wanted to take a bath.

He wondered if she knew how easily it was to read her thoughts. He reached up and pulled the band that held his hair tied together. The heavy red mass rippled down, hanging to the middle of his back.

Kaoru could only stare in fascination as her fingers itched to burry themselves amidst the fiery locks. It seemed unfair that he had hair that was prettier than hers.

"You can join me if you want," he invited as he slipped off his gi.

Kaoru got a glimpse of finely toned torso before she averted her eyes modestly, her cheeks flaming. And then she realized she was still standing there with him while he stripped! Oh for goodness sake Kaoru! Stop being a pervert and leave!

Battousai smirked under the cover of his hair. His wife was modest it seemed. He would soon disabuse of her of that notion. He wanted her to know no shame when it came to the sharing of their bodies.

No shame.

No fear.

Only pleasure.

"Do you mind helping me wash?" he asked lazily when she made a move to go. He immersed himself inside the tub, enjoying the warm water engulfing his body. He studied Kaoru. Her face was red and she seemed to be warring with her need to be a good wife and her fear of being alone with a man.

With a stubborn lift of her chin, she nodded and walked over to the tub.

He was so beautiful. His hair was darker where it was wet and she watched as some strands floated above the water like fiery ribbons. He was looking at her lazily with his golden eyes hooded as he waited for her to begin.

Kaoru suddenly had the urge to jump into the tub with him and feel him against her. She wanted to pull him so close that she wouldn't know where his body ended and where hers began. She scowled at her thoughts. No matter how much she wanted to be near him, the end result would always be the same.

Pain and blood

"Don't know where to begin?" he inquired with a lift of one eyebrow.

Kaoru frowned at him. "Of course I know how to bathe! I do it all the time."

"I bet you've only bathed yourself…and always with a maid to assist you," he teased.

Kaoru's head dipped and her bangs hid her face from him. "You're wrong about that. Those women Megumi and I found…we had to clean them first before we could treat their wounds…"

Damn it! Her stupid uncle was going to pay! Battousai thought heatedly. "Kaoru…"

Kaoru brushed her hair away from her face and smiled at him determinedly. "The bath water is scented with jasmine, you're probably going to end up smelling like me."

"That's not such a bad notion," he practically purred. "There is another way I could end up smelling like you all over…and I think I'd like that way best…"

"I don't know what you mean," Kaoru said distractedly as she tried to push his hair out of the way.

"I know you don't. But you will…and soon."

"Hn." She pulled a chair over and sat down so that she was behind Kenshin. She'd already arranged her bathing accoutrements near the tub so she picked up the vial containing the herbs she used to clean her hair. She poured a lavish amount on her palm and applied it to Kenshin's hair working it in deeply. His hair felt smooth and silken and Kaoru found herself playing with it, running her hands the entire length of his hair and sliding it over and about his back. She felt his muscles tense and she became aware that this was not a doll she was washing but a man. "Sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked wondering if she'd been scrubbing his head too hard. She checked her fingers. No blood. Good sign.

"No," Battousai said trying to control the urge to pull her inside the tub with him. He submerged himself fully under the tub to try and gain some restraint. He batted Kaoru's hands away as she tried to pull him up. "What are you doing?" he growled out finally emerging and throwing her a glare.

"Well for goodness sake I thought you might drown!" she growled back looking more irate than him. "Give me some warning before you do that, okay?"

In the excitement, her haphazardly tied hair had tumbled down in a riot over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were flashing blue diamonds as she glared down at him and her lips were slightly parted and moist. Her yukata was gaping open revealing the inner swell of her breasts. The rest of the fabric had gotten wet in some places and clung to her skin.

Kaoru saw his gaze turn from irritation to frank male appreciation and desire. She looked down at herself and let out a squeak as she realized what he found so fascinating around her chest area. She stepped back and pulled the collar of her yukata closed, giving him a glare for being a pervert.

He was sitting up, one leg drawn up over the water and an elbow hooked over the rim. He cocked his head to the side and studied her, his hair falling over his shoulder in a burning mass of rich red-gold. He looked perfectly comfortable with himself. He reminded her of one of those large cats she saw in a circus ones, like a panther or a tiger. He looked sleek and beautiful and sensual. He was also predatory and he was looking at her like she was lunch. "Scared?" he drawled out softly, his gaze never leaving hers.

Of course she was! "No," she lied.

He sighed and tilted his head back, as if praying for patience. Kaoru's eyes were drawn to the smooth, strong column of his neck. She wondered what it would feel like to kiss it and press her mouth just at the hollow of his collarbone…?

"I told you Kaoru…I won't take you until you tell me."

Kaoru blinked. "What?"

"We had this discussion before remember? What happened to those women won't happen to you."

Kaoru stared at him and watched in fascination as his golden eyes gleamed with a queer combination of arrogance, hunger and amusement.

"Remember what I said Kaoru?"

"Kaoru, when I get done with you, you'll not only bear it, you will beg for it."

Battousai watched her blush deepen in comprehension. "I see you remember. Now come and finish my bath. The water gets cold and there is still the rest of me that needs washing."

Kaoru cheeks flamed as she moved the chair beside the tub and leaned over to run the washcloth over her husband's body. She tried to make it as impersonal as possible, hurrying every motion along and pretending he was just another wounded woman who needed help.

It would have worked if his damned golden eyes didn't gleam at her the entire time.

Every few minutes Kaoru checked her yukata to see if it had slipped open while she was not looking.

In her haste, her hand slipped from the washcloth every so often and she found her bare skin in contact with his. She only felt him react once, the first time it happened. He had stiffened and Kaoru froze wondering if he would ravish her now.

He didn't. He'd just asked her to get on with it.

Kaoru had to admit she rather liked the feel of his body. His skin was smooth and his muscles were lean and hard. He felt like satin covered steel and she had to admit she sometimes let the washcloth slip intentionally. She enjoyed touching him, she realized with surprise. She found herself recalling how her parents had been with each other. Always touching, smiling and kissing.

Surely if every encounter between a man and a woman ended with blood and pain, her mother would not have sought her father's attention or his touch. Perhaps her husband was right…he said that the pain would come only once and briefly.

"Once and only briefly. After that there is nothing more than pleasure,"

"Don't worry, you will enjoy it. I will see to it."

"Kaoru, when I get done with you, you'll not only bear it, you will beg for it."

"I very much hope that you are thinking of me…" Battousai murmured when he noticed Kaoru's half-lidded eyes and the shiver of anticipation go through her.

"Oh…uh…yes," she said blinking out of her stupor. She glanced down at him and his exposed body and blushed, dropping the washcloth.

The two of them followed its path with their eyes as the cloth slid down his chest, taut abdomen and disappeared down the bath between his legs.

"Uh…the washcloth…" Kaoru stammered.

He waited

"Could you hand it…over…?"

"You do it," he said studying her face.

His eyes were gleaming again, damn him! Kaoru thought to herself as she ignored the heat on her cheeks. She was probably as bright as a ripe red tomato right now. She opened her mouth to protest but he shooed her words away with a gesture.

"Never mind. I like it better when you touch me anyway."

A/N: Diabolical Battousai! He's OOC, isn't he? Anyway, I didn't think that bluster and grunt would be able to get Kaoru so I made Battousai a little sneakier. After all, there is more than one way to skin a cat or as Battousai says, `There's more than one way to slash an enemy…'. I hope you guys like this chapter and please, please review! I want to know what you think! And yup, I'll probably moving the ratings higher up. Oh and nope, Sano doesn't really like Jou-chan that way. He was just testing the waters… ^_^

By the Way, the next chapter of Belonging will be out tomorrow or the next day at the latest…uhm should I put this in the R rating now?