Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Benefits ❯ Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

 

Warning: This work contains references to adult material.

 

Author's Note: I received a couple questions regarding using Nuvaring to suppress periods, so let me explain. With hormonal birth control methods (the pill, Nuvaring, or the patch), while certain hormone levels in your body are high enough (due to the medication) you don't get a period. When you stop taking it, the levels drop and you start to bleed and get what most people think of as a period. However this bleeding is actually artificially induced by the withdrawal of the hormones in the medication. Most birth control pill packs have three weeks of `active' pills and then a week of `fake' pills to give you a `period'. There are now birth control pills on the market that will just let you skip some of these `periods'.

 

For Nuvaring, I don't think it's officially approved to completely suppress periods, however doctors do prescribe it that way. The way Nuvaring normally works is that you put in the ring, wear it for three weeks, remove the ring for a week (which gives a `period'), then put in a new one. If instead of removing it for a week, you immediately replace the old ring with a new ring, you generally won't get a period. A doctor can help determine how long you can wear the old ring before switching to the new ring—that is you wear the old one a little longer than 3 weeks before switching to the new one. If you wear the old one too long, it runs low on hormones and you will get a `period'. The reason to wear the old ring longer than 3 weeks is mostly a financial reason - Buying a new ring every 3 weeks instead of every 4 can get expensive and some insurances only cover a certain number of rings a year.

 

There are many reasons why someone might want to skip these `periods'. Suppression of menstruation is one way to treat medical problems like endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and menstrual disorders. In this story I don't really say why Kaoru is skipping them, since medical issues aren't really the point of the story. If you need a reason, assume she has very heavy periods.

 

Please note that I am not a doctor, so this explanation is based on my own understanding and experience. Your doctor can most likely explain this process better and you should contact him/her about it if you want more information.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Kaoru was cold. And wet. And muddy.

 

They day had started out normal enough. They had sex and breakfast. Read the paper and planned out the day. Kenshin had suggested a jog through the park, since their trip to the gym last night had been abandoned due to a severe thunderstorm. Kaoru readily agreed, wanting both to get out of the house and to take advantage of the nice fall day.

 

Well, it had started out as a nice day, if a bit nippy. But jogging soon warmed her up, so she didn't really notice the sky becoming overcast and the temperature cooling a bit. She did notice the wind picking up, however. She enjoyed watching it toss around the fallen leaves until they wound up in some of the big puddles remaining from last night's downpour.

 

On the cool down walk home she really noticed just how cold it had gotten. Kenshin too, had commented on the change of weather. She could tell he was feeling it as well, since when she stopped to retie her shoe, he walked on a few paces before turning and shifting in place to keep warm while waiting for her.

 

It was then that the semi barreled down the street. She understood that the furniture store down the block did need deliveries, and no doubt the large semi was required for those things. But did it really need to splash the entire puddle of muddy water all over her?

 

Shocked and wet, Kaoru froze for a moment. Which of course was long enough for an SUV to spray up the remaining dirt, leaves, and runoff that the semi had failed to dump on her.

 

Kenshin, of course, had miraculously avoided getting wet, with just a few stray droplets visible on his magenta sweatshirt. She, however, was filthy and soaking wet. And getting quite cold, since the now waterlogged shirt she had been wearing seemed to encourage the wind to blow through it.

 

By the time they reached her apartment, Kaoru's teeth were chattering and she was definitely moody and snappish. As soon as they entered Kenshin shoved her toward the bathroom, saying “Go take a nice hot bath. Use some bubble bath and soak as long as you want. I'll have a hot lunch ready for us when you get out.”

 

An hour or so later, completely clean and finally warm, Kaoru decided it was time to get out of the tub. She was tempted to stay a bit longer, but she had heard the oven timer beep and thought she smelled biscuits. Fresh, hot, biscuits with butter sounded divine, and the growling of her stomach no doubt indicated agreement.

 

Slipping into her bedroom, she turned to stare at her bed in shock. It was stripped completely bare, no sheet or pillowcase insight.

 

“Kenshin!”

 

He was at the door in no time.

 

“What happened to my bed?”

 

“I threw the bedding into the wash,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

 

“You washed my sheets?” Kaoru asked, befuddled. “Why would you wash my sheets?”

 

“Well, they were in dire need of cleaning, especially after last nights activities, not to mention this morning…” He leered. “They're in the dryer now.”

 

Kaoru blushed. “Well, yes, I understand that, but, still, you really didn't need to do laundry for me.”

 

Kenshin smiled easily. “Don't worry about it. I find doing laundry relaxing. Besides I planned on getting them dirty later tonight. Now get dressed, there's homemade soup and buttermilk biscuits waiting for you in the kitchen.”

 

`I have buttermilk?' she thought…

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

 

Kaoru found time with Kenshin rather enjoyable. She had no qualms about arguing politics with him, dressing casually for their outings, or even telling him to go home because she wanted time to herself. The fact that he was a benefit and not a boyfriend freed her (at least in her mind) to speak her mind and be herself without having to worry about possible relationship repercussions. And since they were already sleeping together, it didn't feel like the sex question was hanging over their activities.

 

Tonight they had gone to the planetarium. Kenshin had received complimentary tickets from a patron at the bistro. While Kaoru had enjoyed looking at the stars, all the sitting had made her a bit restless, which was why they were currently walking along the boulevard in the cold night air.

 

Glancing around, Kaoru spotted a coffee shop still open and went in. Kenshin followed along contently. Before Kenshin could order, Kaoru spoke, “Two regular cocoas please, with extra whip cream on mine.”

 

She looked at Kenshin. He quirked his brow and then spoke up, “Skim milk in mine, please.”

 

He reached for his wallet, but Kaoru simply grinned and handed the cashier a ten. He looked for a minute that he was going to argue, but reluctantly let her pay. When the barista finished their order, Kaoru took their drinks to a secluded table.

 

They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments. Then Kenshin spoke up. “What did you want to know?” he asked, faint lines surrounding his eyes and mouth.

 

“Nothing major,” Kaoru replied and Kenshin relaxed slightly.

 

She bit her lip. “I've just been wondering…” She took a drink. “Why do we always end up at my place? I mean, is there a reason we never go to your apartment?”

 

Kenshin's shoulders rolled back and he smiled. “I just assumed you'd be more comfortable at your place. However, to show you that I don't have any skeletons at my place, let me take you there now. I'd be happy to have you spend the night.” His eyes took on a laughing quality. “I even washed the sheets today, so you shouldn't have any complaints.”

 

“Mou,” Kaoru pouted.

 

Kenshin's apartment was fairly nice. Kaoru reluctantly admitted to herself that it was slightly cleaner and better decorated than hers. The living room was much smaller, no doubt making up for the overly large kitchen, in her opinion. But she figured that being a chef gave Kenshin an excuse to have an excessive kitchen.

 

Kenshin's tour of the bedroom also included a demonstration of the bed. His sheets were indeed freshly washed, Kaoru noted, and satin as well. She was surprised at what a sensuous touch that added. By the time he had finished his… demonstration … the sheets were no longer clean and she was quite worn out. Curling herself around him she drifted off to sleep.

 

When morning came, Kaoru awoke disoriented, then confused, and finally panicked, before she remembered that it was Saturday morning and she was at Kenshin's place. Even still she felt awkward about it. Kenshin was clearly up, and from the sound of things, cooking breakfast. Kaoru bit her lip, somewhat unsure of what to do. Should she ask to use his shower? Maybe she should just go home, after all she need to brush her teeth and would like to have clean underwear…

 

As she went through the bedroom collecting her clothes from the myriad of places they ended up in, Kenshin knocked on the door.

 

“Morning. Breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes. Feel free to take a shower. I set out a pair of my boxers, sweatpants, and a tee-shirt if you would like clean clothes. There's a toothbrush in the bathroom, if you want it.”

 

“Ah, thanks.” Kaoru replied, slightly overwhelmed. Spotting the clothes he had mentioned, she scooped them up and made a beeline for the bathroom. She saw a toothbrush sitting on the counter, still wrapped in its box. As she got ready for the day, she dwelt on the fact that Kenshin always seemed to bring this sort of stuff with him. It must be a bit of a hassle for him.

 

She certainly wasn't willing to give him closet space. After all, she had had boyfriends whom she hadn't given that privilege. Still something should be done. As she entered the kitchen, she spoke up.

 

“I prefer my place, I think. But I've decided you can have a shelf in the medicine cabinet if you'd like.” She bit her lip and blushed, suddenly realizing just how abrupt that sounded.

 

Kenshin simply smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

 

“Breakfast,” he added, gesturing to the table. Kaoru glanced at the table and grinned.

 

“Belgium Waffles! Yum. You so know how to feed a girl.” She said, diving in.

 

 

&&&&&&&&&

 

 

 

Kaoru pushed back from the computer and stretched. She had just finished chatting with Misao, one of their first real conversations in ages. She felt somewhat guilty that she still hadn't told Misao about her arrangement with Kenshin. At first she wasn't sure if it would work out, then she didn't want to be teased. But by now, she really just didn't know how to mention that she had been sleeping with Kenshin for the past couple months. She figured that Kenshin would end it before Misao returned, so it wasn't something they needed to discuss.

 

Thankfully Misao didn't ask much about her love life, so there hadn't been any uncomfortable questions. Misao apparently was in a phase where she wasn't getting any sex, so she simply assumed Kaoru hadn't any opportunities either. While in Spain, she had met a tall, silent man named Aoshi. He was traveling around, visiting famous cathedrals, temples, ruins, and other areas to meditate in. Misao had decided to accompany him. Kaoru didn't know if he invited her along, or simply hadn't told her no, which Misao took as an invitation. Kaoru wasn't quite sure what the attraction was for Misao, but once Misao fixated on someone, it was very difficult to discourage her. Kaoru wondered if the man was gay, since according to Misao's rants, they had been traveling together for weeks and he hadn't made any sorts of move, nor even seemed to notice her advances.

 

After trying to encourage and support Misao in her endeavors, Kaoru updated her on their friends. Sano had finished the Poker Tour. He apparently made a bit of money off it, but it wasn't in evidence. Rumor had it that he lost most of at the roulette wheel. He did however, convince Megumi to date him, which personally Kaoru found astounding. Megumi had started pharmacy school and seemed to be enjoying it. Kaoru had managed not to say much about Kenshin, and Misao's time at an internet café ran out before she could ask. It had been great to chat with her, even if the time difference meant that she'd be short on sleep for work tomorrow.