Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ 'Do You Want to Live Forever?' ❯ Alone ( Chapter 6 )

A/N: I really don't know what the problem was, but this chapter really gave me a hard time... I just couldn't get it right. I still don't like it, but I've rewritten it like 4 times, and I'm tired of it... so, here it is. I didn't want to leave you guys with such a bad cliffy on the other chapter, and I did promise you Kenshin and Kaoru... so I had to write this one and post it too. And the other chappie ...well, it had to be what it had to be... so, there you have it. Hope you enjoy.

Glossary: Lubit=Beloved/Precious/Darling, Cat=What?, Simpatie=Love, Indragostit=Lover,

Stapan=King/Lord/Husband

Chapter Six

Alone

New York/Kenshin's Apartment

April 2004, The Weekend

Sunday Night, Somewhere around 10:00p.m.

Characters:

Kenshin Himura

Kaoru Kamiya

There was so much blood on his clothes... her blood. He was afraid he had arrived too late when he saw her collapse over the man she had just killed. The rage that had filled him at that moment had surged through his blood like a burning fire, and the fangs and talons that had appeared in the next instant had astonished and stunned him, but he had not stopped long enough to ponder the transformation that had come upon him. Instead, his instincts had taken hold and he had reached out with his new found power and snapped the neck of the officer who was about to shoot her as if it were not more than a twig between his fingers, and then turning towards to the two sniveling cowards shivering on the ground, he had hissed his challenge and found them to be nothing more than rabbits to his greatness. He had passed over them without a second thought.

She was all he wanted... all he cared about... and the pain of her wounded body cried out to him even as her heart cried in exhaustion and shame. He had knelt before her in humility and touched her fact asking with his fingers for her to look at him... asking if she knew him... if she needed him, and he had been rewarded with the most beautiful and dazzling blue eyes he had ever beheld. They reached out to him and touched his heart, cried out in longing to his soul, and blinked in astonished recognition as she leaned into the warmth of his palm.

"You..." She whispered and the greatest joy he had ever known rushed through him and he had lifted her damaged body tenderly into his embrace and departed that place of death and fear.

"You are safe now, my Lubit..." He breathed gently into the mass of her hair as he leapt from one rooftop to another taking her across a pathway of safety where none would dare to follow or think to look. The 60 foot leap up the ally wall had been simple, he had not even strained to accomplish it and he would have her home with him soon... much sooner this way that trying to navigate the streets.

"How..." Her voice was raspy with pain and fatigue, but she desperately needed to ask him something and she tried to pull away from his chest far enough to look into his face. Feeling her struggle, he stopped and gently loosened his grip allowing her some freedom of movement, and as he pushed herself up off his shoulder to look at him, she gasped and pulled away slightly.

"What?" He asked gently when he saw her confusion, and carefully lowered her feet so that she could stand though he kept an arm wrapped possessively around her waist to prevent her from falling. "What do you see, Little one?" His hand tenderly cupped her face and then the long black talons gently tucked some of the stray strands of her black hair behind her ear. "What do you see?"

"I..." Both of her hands were trembling as she lifted them to frame his face and her eyes grew

wide with wonder as she gazed upon him. "I see... you are beautiful." She spoke reverently as she reached up and tentatively stroked the wild silken mane of his flowing red hair where it had come loose from its tie and hung over his shoulder, and then she touched his lips which parted beneath her gentle caress revealing the deadly milk white daggers which had receded back to a more manageable size so as not to damage his own mouth.

"Lubit..." He spoke gently as he reached up and captured her wandering hands, "you are injured and bleeding. We must get you home where I can take care of you... after that, you may explore to your hearts content."

"I may? You... YOU would let me?" She sounded almost flabbergasted by his open invitation. "YOU??" Rich warm laughter rumbled in his chest as he raised his taloned hand once more and tenderly stroked her cheek.

"Desigur, lubit... 'I' would let 'you', now be silent so we can be back on our way before you pass out from loss of blood and I beat my head into this roof because I didn't reach you sooner."

"Yes, My Lord..." Kaoru bowed her head and allowed him to sweep her off her feet once more gasping at the strength that flowed through his amazing body as she felt the steel cords of his muscles flexing beneath her hands.

"Why did you call me that?" He asked her in a soft almost confused voice as he made to leap across the gap to the next roof.

"Because... you are 'Him'... aren't you?" They landed soundlessly and he swiftly covered the distance across the building and climbed up onto the heavy cement border.

"Yes... I suppose I am, but... you need not address me with such a formality, my lubit... after all, you are my Mat, are you not?"

"I'm your WHAT?" She squeaked in shock and disbelief. "What did you call me?"

"My 'Mat'..." He replied in an amused voice as he leapt to the next rooftop. "Or perhaps you are not familiar with the old tongue."

"I am an ancient," She sputtered in outrage at his playful barb. "I was born to the old tongue, unlike you, you... you... you twenty-first century..." Suddenly she stopped and clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized just exactly who she was about to insult. Her action was greeted with another bout of deep rolling laughter as he snuggled her closer to his chest.

"I can see things are going to be... interesting between us, very interesting." Then, without warning, he stepped off the edge of the building and sent the two of them careening into empty air. A terrified scream rose up in Kaoru's throat as she felt the world coming up very quickly beneath them and her mind was envisioning all sorts of horrors that had the two of them showing up as greasy red splatters on the pavement below, but that was not what he had in mind. With a swiftness that only reassured in her mind who he had to be, he reached out with one of his taloned hands and suddenly grabbed onto one of the balcony railings that were whizzing by and nimbly flipped them over the edge landing effortlessly on his feet. "You can look now." He said in a voice full of laughter as he noticed how tightly her arms were wrapped around his neck and closely she had pressed her nose and face against his chest. "We are all safe and sound."

"You swear?"

"I swear."

"No more jumping off buildings?"

"Not tonight, lubit." He laughed as he opened the sliding glass doors, crossed the darkened room and, gently set her down on the couch. "Would you like me to turn on the light? Or can you see all right??

"I can see fine... can you?" Kaoru inwardly chided herself for the arrogance that crept into her voice. 'What is the matter with me? I mean... he's... he's... he's infuriating... but...'

"I see very well in the dark, Little one... but, perhaps a little light on the subject would not be such a bad idea. It would give me a better view of your wound."

"I suppose." She agreed reluctantly. "Turn it on then."

"Cover your eyes until you get used to it." The warning was well heeded as she pressed the palms of her hands over her delicate eyes just before he turned the table lamp on illuminating the couch area with bright yellow light. "Well, well... but you are a mess, Lubit..." The statement made her wince inwardly as he looked at the blood covering the tight leather vest she wore as well as streaking along her arms, hands, and face. The bullet holes themselves were clean and small; one on the front and the exit hole on the back.

"Thanks." The sarcasm in her voice brought a smile twitching to his lips as he walked back to the sliding glass door and closed it pulling the heavy curtain over it as well. Looking down at his once white shirt, he found it covered with blood, mud, dirt and God knew what else so he simply tore it off and tossed it across the room.

"Be still," He ordered the woman in a flat tone that made her flinch slightly. "I will be back in a moment and then we will dress your wounds." She heard him walk away and then down what must have been a hallway. The sounds of cupboards being opened and rummaged through floated out to her sensitive ears and slowly she began to ease her hands away for her eyes. The light was not as bad as she thought it was going to be and her eyes adjusted quickly allowing her to look around the room he had left her in. It was not what she expected.

It was clean for one thing. Perhaps spotless was a better word. Every single item in it appeared to have its own place and it looked to have occupied it for a very long time.

One entire wall was made of floor to ceiling shelves with cross-hatched glass doors and shiny brass hinges and nobs. Each shelf was filled with books and a multitude of antiques and other artifacts which quickly caught her attention, and easing herself carefully up off the overstuffed black leather couch, Kaoru walked over to the mini museum and began examining the treasures behind the glass.

An 1800's periscope lay on its side surrounded on one side by a walrus tooth scrimshaw and a ring of brass and silver skeleton keys on the other. Then there was an astrolabe that had to be at least 300 years old carefully perched in a cedar wood pedestal that kept it from touching anything as well as displaying it in all of its glory for anyone lucky enough to see it. But her eyes were totally captivated by the ancient telescope of polished crystals that had been specifically shaped and then aligned in their designated order inside of a leather tube which lay open revealing its hidden treasures. The small concave crystal that served as the eye piece was firmly positioned in the smaller end of the apparatus while a large almost perfectly round one was set at the larger. In between the other oddly shaped crystals would bend and magnify the image until the individual looking through the eye piece was allowed a superficial but breathtaking look into the stars.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The sound of the deep voice beside her made Kaoru jump slightly, but she managed to nod her head in agreement as she gazed in wonder upon the amazing work of minds so old yet so intelligent. "How brilliant and gifted they were... the Theologian's. Centuries before their time, they were."

"Yes," She agreed breathlessly as the scent of his naked flesh reached out and touched her senses making her dizzy. His arms quickly caught her as she swayed and he swept her up once more and carried her back across the room to the couch.

"I thought I told you to stay put.... Hummmm?" Golden crystals looked down into her flushed face with more than a little disapproval as he lay her down and then set next to her. "Perhaps, in the future, you will be more inclined to listen to me... you think?" A nervous giggle erupted from her and he turned a raised eyebrow in her direction. "I do hope that you aren't planning on giving me any more difficulties tonight, lubit... I think we both deserve a bit of a rest after the goings on tonight... nu?"

"Yes, we do, but..." Kaoru bit her lip as she pondered upon just how she should approach asking him what she wanted to know.

"What?" He lifted a graceful eyebrow at her again as he began removing her leather top so he could get a better look at her side wound. "You are dying to say something... what is it?"

"I... I don't know how to say it... I mean... You're 'Him' for Gods sake... It's like trying to talk to a Legend or a ghost or... or a God."

"I'm not a God," He said as he opened the front of the tight fitting garment causing her to gasp in pain. "And I'm not a ghost... not yet anyway." His brow furrowed as his examined the damage done to her soft tissue, and then reached down on the floor and rummaged through the supplies he had brought up from the closet. After opening several packages of gauze pads, he soaked them with saline from a bottle he kept on hand, and then carefully began to clean the wounds. "As for the Legend part... well, there isn't a whole hell of a lot I can do about that, now is there."

"I... gasp I guess not... you can't gasp ohhh you can't help who you are." He looked at her worriedly and waited for her to nod indicating he could continue before he started cleaning again.

"All right then, lets just assume I'm joe-blow off the street... Ok... I'm nobody, and you can ask me anything you want."

"Right..." She laughed through the pain her blue eyes sparkling as she reached up and stroked his face. "With those amazing eyes, those fangs, and claws... you're nobody... do I look stupid?"

"Do you really want me to answer that, lubit?" He cocked an eyebrow at her as a half smile curved his mouth.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Her voice was as indignant sounding as she could get it considering how much pain she was in.

"Well... let's see, it was quite foolish for you to allow yourself to be cornered in a dead end ally by eight policemen... not two, but eight. And you with nothing but your fangs and fists to protect yourself." There was the touch of a teasing quality to his voice, but beneath it there was also a steely edge that cowed her down and made her lower her eyes before his golden gaze. "Why don't you carry a gun, or even a blade... it would behoove you to start, for emergencies sake. You are not invincible, lubit... none of us are... we can all die no matter how strong we think we may be."

"I know that." Her voice held the tone of an indignant child who was not used to being spoken to in such a manner, and one of his finely arched brows rose as he noted the behavior.

"Then I trust you will not be quite so foolish in the future... will you?" He was pressing the issue with her, and he knew it, but he wanted to know just how far he could go with this little wild cat before she started pushing back.

"You are a good one to talk..." She snapped back suddenly becoming the accuser in the conversation. "...jumping between buildings... off buildings... what the hell was up with that? Did someone tell you you could fly? Do you think your 'Superman' or something?"

He leaned back and seemed to ponder her question for a moment while he obtained a few more sponges for cleaning. "Hmmm, 'Batman' maybe," He said in a thoughtful voice. "But not 'Superman'... no, definitely not 'Superman'..."

"Oh, that is just great." The moan that extracted itself from her slender form was nothing short of pained as she fisted her hands into her eyes. "'The Almighty One' finally shows up after 600 years of waiting and praying, and he turns out to be a wise ass... that is just perfect... juuuust perfect."

"It could be worse, lubit." He said as he dropped the last of the bloody sponges into the plastic bag he had brought with him for that purpose and wiped his hands off on a towel.

"Really? I can't imagine how." She favored him with an 'I don't believe you' look from behind her hands as he began patting her wound dry with some dry pads.

"I could have been someone else completely and we could be oil-slicks on the pavement right now."

"Oh shit..." Kaoru threw her right arm over her eyes in exasperation as he started to chuckle softly. "You still didn't answer my question, fly-boy. How did you do that anyway? I have never seen anyone do anything like that... not even a 'Made', and they are the 'wall-crawlers' in the family."

"Do what? Jump the buildings and all?"

"Well duh? What else do you think I was talking about? I thought you were supposed to be

really smart if you were 'The One' and all... how did you do it?"

"Actually... I don't know." At that simply spoken blank sounding answer Kaoru sat straight up

nearly bumping heads with Kenshin in her haste and shock.

"What?? What do you mean 'You don't know?'?" She shrieked. "You were the one doing it?"

"Yes, lubit... I realize this... I was there, but that does not necessarily mean I know how or even why I was doing it... I...just did it."

"You just did it?" Her deep blue eyes shone with alarm and confusion as he gently pressed her back down into the soft cushions of the couch. "How can you just 'do' something and not know why or how your doing it?"

"Instincts... I suppose that would be the best answer. Going up over the ally wall and across the tops of the buildings 'seemed' the easiest pathway to take at the time not to mention to quickest... and, it also stood to reason no one would look for either of us up there so... I went that way." His golden eyes turned from her and looked off into space blankly as he considered the oddness of his own statement. "I am unable to deny any longer what is inherently part of my true nature... I am Vampire though I would give almost anything not to be."

"You... you don't want to be what you are?" Her voice filled with incredulity as she realized the magnitude of that revelation. "Why not? You... you are 'The One'... You're HIM. You are supposed to rise up to hold the greatest honors to ever be bestowed upon one of our kind."

"Yes... I realize that, and with that realization comes many things, lubit... the least of which is not the knowledge that I have an enormous responsibility to a people I do not know or understand nor have I met, and I have been ushered into a way of life I would have never chosen for myself to live, but it has been forced upon me irregardless... and because of all of this, the entire fabric of my existence has been changed inside of one day."

"One day?" Kaoru looked horrified. "I... I didn't know..."

"Desigur... this morning I was a human Homicide Detective looking for... well, I was looking for YOU... the 'Broadway Pimp Killer', and tonight... tonight I am 'Cel'... I am 'The One' upon whose shoulders rest all the hopes and faith of an entire species future." Slowly his eyes turned back to her and he gazed sadly into her beautiful face. "I am told I must lead these people... my people into one of the bloodiest wars this world will ever see in order to rid it of the parasite called 'Gustav Uriel', and those who would call themselves his 'people'."

"The Made."

"Desigur, the 'Made'. I am to be responsible for the annihilation of another species in order to keep them from destroying mine."

"But... that is your destiny... the prophecy says it is."

"The prophecy may say it is, but my heart... my soul does not wish it to be so... I would not chose this destiny as my own... do you understand? I do not want 'this' life... I do not want to be Vampire. I want to be myself again... I want to turn back Time and just be myself again."

"But you can't. No one can change the past, no one can alter the path of Time...no one can change their Fate." Her hand touched the warm flesh of his shoulder and gently rubbed it in small comforting circles. "You are what you are."

"Desigur, and I will follow what it is in my nature to do... now that it has been awoken... I will have no choice. I can never go back to what I was."

"Nu. You cannot go back."

"Then I am 'Cel'... I am 'The One'... I am 'The Almighty Fang' and I am meant to lead and rule The Pure Blood's... so," Kaoru watched as his eyes flashed with a burst of emotion and suddenly he was all but growling in her face. "From now on, my foolish lubit, I want you to carry a gun with you when you go out prowling the streets or whatever it is you do. I do not want you to get caught unarmed and out-classed again like you did tonight, understood?"

"Slayers don't pack iron, Fly-boy!" She bit back mutinously meeting his angry glare with snapping blue eyes. "It just gets in the way."

"You will do as I say in this, my Mat..." He snarled angrily baring his fangs in the face of her stubbornness as his patience finally slipped. "In this and all things I deem of importance... And you will not defy me, 'nor' will you put yourself into that kind of danger again, I will not allow it! You belong to me, and I will not lose you... not now, not ever! Do you understand?" Blue eyes, gone wide at first with anger, then shock, now looked at him in confusion and frustration.

"How... what...why do you keep saying THAT?" She shouted at him as she tried to raise up off the couch but wincing in pain, she fell back gasping for breath. "How do you know I'm your Mat? Why do you keep calling me your 'Beloved'? I don't even know your fucking name!" Angry tears filled her eyes as she stared into his stunned features, and then in exasperation she looked away shutting him out and ending the conversation.

"You are right..." His voice was soft... quiet like a gentle breeze as his hands finished their work of patting the wound dry and then packing it. Tenderly he lifted her up into his arms and rested her against his chest and shoulder as he wrapped a heavy bandage around her waist to hold the packing tightly in place and prevent any more bleeding. "I haven't told you my name... I must admit, it never even occurred to me to tell you. I... I was so worried for you... All I could hear was your soul and your blood screaming in my head, and then we have been talking here and..."

"You... you heard me?" She interrupted him as she rubbed her cheek against the smooth skin of his shoulder where her tears had started to make a puddle beneath it there. "You heard my blood?"

"Desigur... the voice of your blood pulled me all the way back here from Manhattan Island to save you... I could taste your fear and your despair... and that was all I could think of... I had to reach you before they killed you... before... before I lost you forever." A quiet sob wrenched its way free from her throat and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck once more holding on as if she would never let go. "I was so afraid I would be too late..."

"But you weren't."

"I thank God for that... all would have been lost if I had lost you... my life, my world... our people... everything. The Universe would have crumbled around us all." He shuddered against her and buried his face in the creamy softness of her throat. "I would not have been able to live without you."

"Please... tell me your name?" She asked as she pulled back from him, and as he raised his head and gazed deeply into her emotional filled eyes, he smiled tenderly and laughed, a soft ironic sound that made her giggle.

"Kenshin, my brave lubit... my name is Kenshin." Her hand caressed his face as she leaned into him resting her forehead against his. In turn, he pushed his face against her palm increasing the pressure of her touch and closing his eyes in contented pleasure, he felt her other hand come to rest against his chest.

"Kenshin," She tested the name on her tongue and decided she liked it so she said it again. "Kenshin..." A rumbling purr of sorts vibrated deep within his chest and his arms gently tightened around her pulling her close to him. When she did not resist, he slowly opened his shining golden orbs and looked directly into her eyes communicating quite effectively what was on his mind. A soft breath of anticipation escaped her lips just before he inclined his head to the left and dipped down low to press a tender yet suggestive kiss into her parted lips.

"Now, my sweet Mat," He breathed against her mouth. "It is your turn."

"My t-turn?" Looking at him dumbly, all Kaoru could do was blink her eyes in confusion. "My turn for what?" Kenshin let his thumb trace the line of her lower lip and watched with satisfaction as her eyes darkened to a deep midnight blue, but before he kissed her again there was something he wanted to know.

"Tell me your name, lubit." He murmured as he slid his lips into the smooth hollow of her throat and shoulder sending a current of violent trembling through her body as he did. "You know mine... now, tell me yours."

"K-kao..ru," Her voice all but failed her as she felt the tip of his tongue stroking along her pulse point and her hands rose of their own will fisting into the thick flaming mane of his hair. "My name is... Kaoru."

"Kaoru," His hand was gently cupping the back of her head, the talons curling through the thick ebony tresses as he eased her back exposing her throat to his lips and tongue. The breath caught raggedly in her throat as he placed open-mouthed kisses over her heated flesh and began nipping lightly with his teeth sending little shivers of delight and desire through her. But when the needle sharp points of his fangs grazed across her carotid artery, Kaoru froze in his arms her eyes rolling back in her head as she waited for the inevitable.

She had never been bitten in her life, but had heard stories about it... about the ecstasy of the blood... of the bonding... but she never dreamed she might actually come to know it herself because none of the males she knew had ever been interested in mating with her, and she had grown lonely and convinced she would die alone. But now, here she was, on the brink of that ecstasy... on the brink of bonding with 'The One'... 'Oh My God!' She cried out inside her mind. 'That means I'm 'The Source'!' Her eyes flew open in astonished disbelief at the sudden realization, and at the same moment, Kenshin sank his fangs deeply into her throat puncturing the main artery in one clean bite that left her gasping for air.

It was starting again, the intoxicating whirlwind of golden ecstasy that came with the blood, only this time... this time it was different... it was more. It was like being bathed in liquid light and the womb of the Mother all at the same time, and Kenshin felt his soul surging upward toward a heaven only the blood knew or could bring.

In the golden glow of the light of his life's energy, Kenshin saw the mystery of The Pure Blood's evolution as the blood flowed into his soul and brought with it the essence that was 'Kaoru'. She was glorious in her spiritual form as her wispy silver body floated into his mind and reached out to enfold him in tender arms of infinite love and eternal knowledge.

He could feel her... smooth skin, soft breasts, full sweet lips parted and moist beneath his as he massaged them with his own. Her body melted into his and he felt them joining together. Thrusting up against her, he buried himself deep inside feeling the world that was her close tightly around him holding him... cradling him... loving him...

He could smell her... jasmine and honeysuckle... he inhaled deeply and a vision of psychedelic colors and rainbows exploded before his eyes. He felt dizzy and light headed.

He could taste her... sweet and tart... fresh and musky... intoxicating...nothing had ever tasted so wondrous to him, and he did not think he would ever get enough of her. He wanted more, much more.

He could hear her... the steady beat of her heart echoed in his mind until it became the sound of a hundred thundering drums inside of his skull forcing his own heart to match cadence and bring the chaos under control. The whisper of her breath was like a gentle sea breeze blowing through his hair and lifting all of his cares and worries away from his human choked soul freeing him so that he felt light as a feather, and suddenly he was flying upward... skyward... floating toward the stars.

As the ground fell away and the sky around him grew dark, Kenshin could feel himself drifting... drifting into a place where time became insignificant, and where the world looked smaller than a spec of dust in the wind. He was growing, growing... expanding and becoming... suddenly he could see the entire Universe within the eye of his mind, and he knew he could go there if he wished to, and he knew... everything... he knew the answers to every question he had ever wanted to ask, to every mystery he had never understood... and he could see the beginning and the end of the world and what would happen to her people if he failed in his task.

There would be sickness, plague, hunger, and every sort of misery imaginable should the 'Made' conquer and take control of the human population for themselves. The world would decay and soon disintegrate into nothingness leaving behind only death and the smell of stinking rotting flesh where once there had been life and promises for the future.

He saw his army standing strong, steadfast 500,000 or more ready to charge forward at his order to do battle and fight to the death in an effort to save the life of the living world... but were they enough? Was he enough? Was he Great enough to lead them to a Victory over a screaming Horde of two-hundred million?

He pulled away from Kaoru so suddenly that he nearly dropped her, and looking down into her pale serene face, Kenshin suddenly became afraid. Had he taken too much?

"Kaoru?" He lifted her head and cradled it against his shoulder where it lolled limply back and forth. "Kaoru?!" The note of desperation in his voice caught on a sob of terror as she remained unresponsive. "Noooo... Nooo... Noooo..." He cried and pulled her up close to his throat where he could feel his own pulse throbbing in fear. Swiftly and without thinking, Kenshin slashed open his own throat, and as the blood began to boil up out of the gapping wound, he pushed Kaoru's lax mouth over it trying to force her to drink from him. "Drink, Kaoru..." He whispered in agony as he cradled her limp body against his thundering heart. "Please... drink... don't leave me... not now... not like this... Oh God... Please, drink."

As despair began to seep into his bones, and thoughts of ripping out his own heart started to feel appealing Kenshin felt the woman in his arms stir ever so slightly. With a renewed vigor and blazing hope in his heart he once more pressed her mouth against the bleeding wound in his neck and this time, was rewarded when he felt her weakly latch onto his flesh.

"Yes, Lubit..." He whispered into her shoulder as he held her shivering body against his. "Stay with me, Kaoru... drink and stay with me." As the seconds passed, Kenshin felt the warmth seeping back into her body and the muscles beneath her skin were coming back to life. Strength from him flowed through her, and he gasped in shock when her hands rose to grip his shoulders giving her more leverage and allowing her to sink her fangs even deeper into the open vessel that poured such sweetness over her senses. A great moaning tore itself from his chest and he pulled them both onto the floor holding her above him and glorying in the life he felt coming back to her body.

To Kaoru she was sliding through a world of purest sensation feeling nothing but the man who held her so close. The beat of his heart was like the roaring of a great ocean in her ears, and the singing of his blood as it joined with hers was a melody of angels voices mixed with the crooning lullaby's of every mother who had ever held a babe to their breast. His blood was the Earth, the Heaven's, the Ocean, and the burning Volcano of passion which rose up to both consume and set her free. He was the beginning and the end... her soul... her life... He was her heart, and as his spiritual form drifted into her mind, Kaoru reached out with the arms of her soul and welcomed the magnificent shimmering golden creature that came and enfolded her into an embrace of everlasting love and devotion.

She could feel him... his skin, his touch, his lips... his body pressing into hers as if they were already joined in the lovers embrace.

She could smell him... ginger spice and male musk, and as she inhaled the scent that was him, she felt it descend and cover her like a blanket as he marked her as his own. Always would those scents bring him to her mind, and the smallest hint of each would follow her wherever she went speaking to all to whom she belonged.

She could taste him... salty... earthy... the taste of him made her tremble with need, and at long last, Kaoru knew what it meant to lust.

She could hear him... his heart beat matching cadence with hers... his breathing like a rushing wind in her head roaring his passion, his need, his desire... his love, and his voice. She could hear his voice, and it was beautiful like the song of a dove as it swirled around her heart and soul speaking to her of love and joy... of eternity and fate... of bonding.

Kaoru pulled back with a great sobbing cry and found herself lying on top of Kenshin's chest where the strength of his arms held her firm. The look on his face was pure ecstasy... pure pleasure... pure contentment, and when he opened his golden eyes and looked up at her, the smile that curved his beautiful mouth was the most glorious thing she had ever seen.

"We are not alone any more..." The voice that spoke to her no longer sounded the same as the voice she had heard coming from him before. This voice... this incredible voice was filled with the fullness and richness of the World, The Universe, and The Knowledge... It was the voice of 'The One' and Kaoru looked down at him in awe as a drop of his blood fell from her lip and splattered softly onto his naked chest. "We are together... always together."

"I can hear you," She breathed in astonishment as she gazed into his beautiful face. "I can hear you in my mind... can you hear me?"

"Of course, Little one... can you doubt that?" A nervous laugh escaped her and then she was squealing in surprise as he rolled her beneath and pinned her to the floor. Watching her closely, he waited for any sign of hesitation or discomfort, and when neither came, he moved down her body and gently lifted the bandage he had so recently placed over the gunshot wound in her right side. To his happy surprise, he found the wound was completely gone without even a blemish to mark its passing.

"You heal well, little Mat." His smile turned decidedly rakish as he noticed where his face was, and with a feral sounding growl he buried his face between the firm rounded mounds of her breasts. The sound of his fangs snapping sharply together was heard and when he raised up, the skimpy piece of silk and lace that had been covering that soft tantalizing flesh broke in half and fell away spilling her breasts out before his heated gaze. "Beautiful." The moist heat of his husky voice raised gooseflesh on her tender skin, and Kaoru could hardly protest before his mouth closed over one of the pink-tipped spheres.

Gasping deeply, Kaoru arched her back and pushed her breasts up into her mate's eager embrace, and with a grateful growl, Kenshin released one nipple and moved over to the opposite and began tracing lazy circles around it with the tip of his tongue. Firm yet gentle hands gripped her leather clad hips as he pushed her thighs apart with one insistent knee, and then he settled himself intimately against her wringing a soft cry of passion from her trembling lips as the rigid length of his desire pressed into her softness.

"Ken...."

"Hmmmm..."

"Are... Are we..."

"Only if you want to..." His mouth trailed up over her collarbone and then the rounded curve of her shoulder as his hands slipped beneath her upper body and lifted her up to him. "I just want to feel you, Lubit... and taste you... we don't have to do anything else... unless you want to."

"D-do you... want to, I mean?"

"Of course... I'd be insane if I didn't." Rising up from her body, he looked down into her flushed face and smiled wickedly. "What man alive wouldn't want to make-love to a woman who looked like you, Kaoru?" Kenshin leaned down and tenderly traced her bottom lip with his tongue making her shiver. "I'd have to be dead or blind not to want you... and now that we are bonded... well, that just makes it all that much more interesting because I already sort of know how it will feel."

"I know..." She favored him with a shy and embarrassed look. "That was sort of... strange, wasn't it?"

"Nah... I liked it." He grinned and kissed her fully on the mouth making her smile and giggle beneath his lips.

"You would, you pervert... just like a guy to get off on the obvious."

"Right... and you didn't?" Just to prove his point Kenshin deftly maneuvered both of his legs between her thighs and then ground his hard-on up against her heat. The resulting gasp brought a knowing chuckle out of him as he buried his face in her throat and began to nibble gently around the recent puncture wounds he had made. "Just what I thought... didn't affect you at all... right." Her hand rose and smacked him hard in the back of the head and he began to laugh out right. "Hey, what was that for?"

"For being such a... such a... such a wise-ass." She finally got out after several attempts and then burst into laughter at the blase' look on his face. "Well, you are you know."

"Of course I am... it's one of my best qualities, honey."

"Oh that's just great... I can't wait to find out the rest of them..."

"Trust me," He gave her another wicked smile. "You'll love them."

"Sure I will... sure I will.... shit!" And then with a shock screech, Kaoru found herself the victim of another one of Kenshin's impromptu romantic splurges... he depantsed her.

"Geez... how in the hell do you get in OR out of these damn things?" He asked in mock frustration as he finally succeeded in pealing the skin tight leather pants off her flailing legs and throwing them across the room. "Do you paint them on or what?"

"You RAT!!" She screamed as she aimed a right hook at his vulnerable nose. "I can't believe you just did that!" The right hook missed as Kenshin easily dodged it with his new found speed and reflexes.

"Hey... maybe I could get used to this after all." He laughed as he caught the flying blur of her fist in the palm of his hand. "I even saw that coming."

"Oooooooh, shut-up already." She fumed and started fighting trying to find a way to get up but found herself effectively pinned to the floor by his superior weight. "Will you let me up already."

"Nope." The smile on his face turned decidedly predatory and Kaoru felt the chill of being hunted slithered up her spine.

"Why not?"

"Because, little lubit... I've got other plans in mind for you, and letting you up is not among them." His voice dropped an octave and as he lowered his head toward her mouth, Kaoru felt gooseflesh pop out all over her entire body. "I have a taste for something special just now... can you guess what it is?"

"I... ahh..." Suddenly she was stuttering and unsure of herself, and her usual never-fail bravado had deserted her. She was lying on the floor all but naked beneath the most handsome and desirable man she had ever seen in her life, and as it turned out, he was none other than 'Cel' and she was his 'Mate'. Could life get any stranger? "I don't know..." She finally managed to squeeze out of her suddenly dry throat.

"Oh, I think you do, Kaoru... Isn't it customary to offer a virgin to the new Ruling Faction as a show of good faith... or something like that?" He asked in a half amused voice while the other half was full of hunger and passion.

"Is... is it?"

"Um-hum... it is."

"Oh..." Her hands had started to caress the smooth flesh of his back even as her eyes deepened to a dark midnight blue. "I guess if that's what we have to do..."

"I hoped you would see it that way." Kenshin's voice was a hoarse growl as his mouth closed over hers and his tongue easily pushed its way past her teeth to claim the interior of her mouth as its prize. The ragged moan that rose muffled in her throat brought an answering shudder in his powerful body and his right hand slid down her side and lifted her knee up. Shifting his weight, he did the same with his left hand and her other knee so that he was now being cradled deeply between her thighs and the only things between their joining were his jeans and shorts, and her very flimsy panties.

"You're still wearing too many clothes, fly-boy." She murmured against his mouth as her hands found their way down to the waistband of his jeans and began tugging at it.

"Then do something about it, Kaoru..." His voice was deeper than she had ever heard it, and as he raised himself up on his elbows, she found she could easily unfasten the button and slip the zipper to his fly undone. "Don't stop there." The raspy plea was muttered against her throat as his lips stroked along the sensitive flesh, and in response, she hooked both thumbs beneath his garments and shoved them down over his narrow hips until she could push them no farther. His wriggling and kicking legs did the rest, and in only a brief moment he was very warm and very naked within the deep cradle of her trembling thighs.

"Ken... Oh God..." She shuddered violently beneath him and an instant later one of his deadly sharp talons had purposefully shredded her lacy panties, and she was just as naked as he was. After that it was a simple thing for him to raise one of her legs up over his shoulder, thus putting her in a position of complete vulnerability allowing him to slide two long slender fingers slowly inside of her warmth. A long low moaning of pleasure and passion oozed from her throat as she arched her back and pushed herself even deeper onto his impaling hand, and her fingers splayed outward across the taut muscles of his shoulders as they slid up the silky flesh of his back, and pulled him down to her so she could ravish the wonder of his mouth with her hungry tongue.

A hoarse gasp escaped Kenshin as Kaoru thrust her strong pink tongue between his teeth and began doing battle with his inside the heated cavity of his mouth, and as his surprise registered over her forcefulness and hunger for him, he raised his thigh and shoved it up against the hand that was buried inside of her grinding it hard against her pelvis, and wrung a ragged whimper of pleasure from her for his effort.

"Dear God, Kaoru..." He grated out against her mouth as his fangs nipped at the fragile flesh of her lips and drawing the smallest taste of her blood onto his tongue. "I want... I... I can't

stop... Oh Baby, I... I... I need...." The heavy weight of his heated erection nudged against her belly as he strained in need over her, and as he raised his body above hers, Kenshin's golden crystal's gazed with pure molten heat into Kaoru's smoldering sapphires. In them he saw reflected his own raw hunger and the answer to the question both his heart and body were asking. 'Can I...'

'Yes... I need too... Kenshin... I need you so much...' The voice of her mind inside his head was breathless... timid, yet eager... frightened, yet excited.... he could almost taste her hunger for him, and that was the last barrier between them to be lowered... now their bonding could be completed. So with infinite gentleness, Kenshin slowly guided his ridged heat inside of her untried body, and when he encountered her maidenhead, he stopped.

'You know...'

'...it will hurt...'

'...just for a moment...'

'...do it quickly...'

'...and it will pass faster.' Kenshin gathered Kaoru up into the strength of his arms and took her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss that soon had her moaning and moving beneath him, and as her hips began urging themselves into his, he felt the heat and wetness of her increase. It was time, he knew he could take her now and the pain would not matter.

With one swift thrust he was buried inside of her and her gasp of pain was swallowed by the ravishing confines of his lips. The leg draped over his shoulder flexed tightly and Kenshin winced and marveled at the amazing strength that was harbored inside her lithe, and yet petite frame. At that point, he began to move within her body, and as he slowly increased the pace, he let her leg fall to his waistline so he could brace himself upon his elbows so as not to totally crush her beneath his weight. He could feel her hands gripping the taut flexed muscles of his buttocks as she surged upward into his downward motions, and the sound of her breathing was short and raspy in his ear as he buried his face into her neck.

Once more he felt the fangs inside of his mouth stretch and lengthen as his lips brushed across the fresh puncture wounds over her carotid artery, and without even a second thought, Kenshin slipped the needle sharp points back into the same wounds and felt the warmth of his mates blood coating his tongue again.

'Wondrous...' His mind spun wildly even as his body began to pump into her faster and harder with each drop of blood that assaulted his new Vampire senses, and to his everlasting astonishment, Kenshin felt Kaoru's fangs pierce his throat in the same place as she had before as well as her passion led her to do the same thing he had... feed again... join hearts and souls again... share their spirits again. Mate. Bond. Fuse. And as their minds began to swirl within each others heads, they started sharing their thoughts as if they were talking out loud.

'Astonishing... beautiful... magnificent... Kaoru... you are my Simpatie... my Indragostit... my Mat... I love you, Kaoru... I will love you always, my Lubit... alwaaaaays...'

'My Simpatie... My Mat... My Stapan... I will be yours forever... I will stay by your side always... I will love you always, My Stapan... My life is yous, always... alwaaays, Kenshiin...'

The Blood knew what the Fate's had set aside for the future, and The Wheel of Time had rolled relentlessly along its pathway until the day of Destiny presented itself, and now as 'The One' and 'The Source' mated hearts, souls, and bodies, and bonded spirits, minds, and blood, The

Prophecy was irrevocably set into motion.

The Fang of Pythagoras had risen and taken his mate, and as their blood, sex, and seed mingled, the vibrations of His enormous power emanated outward from him like massive rings in a pond of still water reaching far and wide and causing both blind panic and ecstatic joy as it touched the hearts, minds, and souls of those Vampires open to receive its transmission.

Far across the Atlantic Ocean high in an old granite tower located in the Moors of old England stood a tall thin man facing the east window of a tall turret. His lithe form was outlined by the shine of a near full moon and it was noted that he stood with both hands clasped behind his back; each wearing its own white cotton glove. The man, himself, was wearing black. Black slacks, black shoes, a black silk collarless shirt buttoned to the neck, and a long dress jacket with satin lapels. It was also black. Iron gray hair was combed back neatly except for four strands that refused to be tamed and they hung attractively over his forehead and into his eyes.

His face was lean and sharp, like a wolf... a hungry wolf, and the skin was a pasty, chalky white that showed the small intricacy of the tiny blue veins that networked just beneath the surface, and his mouth was thin lipped, yet handsomely curved. But his eyes were those of the inhuman and perhaps something unnatural for they glittered and shone with iridescent light despite the darkness. No one who knew him was able to meet the glaring yellow gaze for more than a few seconds at a time, and it was rumored among his business associates that he could read your mind if you let him look into your eyes for more than a minute.

He was not to be trusted.

He always got what he wanted... no matter who he had to go through, over, or under to get it.

He never took 'no' for an answer.

It was better to be his partner than his competition... or enemy. His competition frequently ended up dead... or just disappeared.

He rewarded his faithful well... and meted out justice and punishment without mercy, and frequently performed the task himself... personally.

He was ruthless... detestable... powerful and power hungry... domineering and dominating...

He was a murdering... he was a criminal... a drug dealer... the mafia and syndicate leader of one of the largest organizations in the World...

He was a businessman.

He was Vampire. He was an Ancient.

At one time he had been known as Gustav Uriel but that had been centuries ago when he had been a lowly soldier, a common thief, an useless assassin, and he had left that name behind long ago. Now he was a man of great importance. A man other men came to for assistance, or ran from in fear, and he owned almost half of Eruo-Aisa and those dumb-ass people didn't even know it. ...

Who was he now? He was Hajime Saitou, The Black Diamond... and inside of his ancient Vampire soul he could feel the thunderous energy surge rushing through the cosmos and exploding in the center of the Universe as 'Cel' was 'set free' from his human bonds and introduced to his awesome well of incredible powers as 'The One'.

"Fuck you..." Saitou muttered under his breath as he reached inside of his coats breast pocket and extracted a silver cigarette case. After selecting one cigarette and lighting it, he replaced the expensive case back inside of his coat and then took a deep drag off the smoke. "May your fucking soul rot in hell, Almighty Fang." He sneered as he rubbed a shaky thumb against his throbbing temple. "And may I be the one to send you there... en' garde' My Lord. May our swords soon cross and taste flesh and blood, and may I sever your head just as I did your pitiful King's 600 years ago." A cruel laugh crackled from between his thin lips as he pulled another deep drag off the cigarette and walked closer to the window so he could look out at the shining moon. "I will take your head, Great Fang, and I will mount it on a pike at Ellis Island for the Old Man and his whelp Prince to see... then they will truly know, I am the rightful Leader, and I will become... KING."

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Hope Ya'll enjoyed... It was a beast to write. >< Please click the little link below and review.

Thanks to you in advance... God Bless everybody. Ciao.... ******************poof knt

Update August 11, 2004: Gomen nasi for the previous posting of this chapter. The formating went totally bat-ape shit when I downloaded it. I had to go through and completely reformat the entire text by hand. I offer my appologies to anyone who was unfortunate enough to try and read it before I fixed it. It was a mess. Once more... Gomen. Kanzen ne Tuski