Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Scratching the Itch ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

 

 

Kaoru opened her eyes slowly, enjoying the pleasant weight of good sleep. She rolled over onto her back, only half-aware of her naked state. Blinking, she drowsily scanned her surroundings.

 

He wasn't there.

 

Somehow, this thought didn't engender unease. It seemed she trusted him.

 

However she was a little disappointed. She rolled over to his side of the futon and slowly inhaled his musky scent. It was subtle, but incredibly evocative. Stretching her arms cat-like overhead, she relaxed with a sigh and thought of the night before.

 

How he'd undressed her so slowly, kissing every exposed length of skin, setting her clothes aside with care. His own clothes were not so well treated, tossed aside in his haste to feel her hot touches on bare skin.

 

How he had brought her to peak after shuddering peak with his fingers, lips and tongue before settling into her dripping warmth with a groan.

 

How he came with a possessive growl when his name fell from her lips in a passionate sigh.

 

And how much later, sometime after the rain had stopped, he woke her with gentle caresses, stroking and teasing her within his embrace until she writhed from the intensity of his attentions. The heat of him sliding home from behind was unbearable, and his gentle strokes brought a sweet climax for them both.

 

Kaoru sighed contentedly. Last night was so good.

 

So what now?

 

She ignored the doubting voice inside for the time being. She'd deal with things as they happened, one at a time.

 

She didn't need a confession to know that he loved her.

 

Eventually the desire to move overrode the lazy comfort of the futon. Kaoru slipped on her short, thin under-kimono for modesty. The thought of wandering around his house naked sent an illicit thrill through her, but reason won out.

 

The double shoji had been closed at some point, most likely whenever Saito left. The common room was in a similar state of sparse disarray as the night before, the only difference being the absence of his coat and shoes.

 

"So he's really gone out," she murmured to herself. 'He does have responsibilities.'

 

Nonplussed, she turned towards the hallway that ran deeper into the house along the bedroom. The first door revealed a bare room, similar to the sleeping room, but smaller. Kaoru noticed the barest hint of perfume.

 

The next door led to a storage room, and the door at the end of the hall opened to a modest kitchen and a small back yard. She gratefully noted the facilities and took care of her morning needs.

 

A quick browsing of the kitchen proved there to be little food on hand, none of it suitable for breakfast. Her stomach grumbled in complaint. She'd need to go out, perhaps without seeing him.

 

That bothered her a little. The tenderness of last night implied a budding permanence, but there were many unanswered questions.

 

By the time she got back to the bedroom and was using his comb to detangle her raven locks, she decided not to worry about it. Much. Worrying and wishing herself into the perfect relationship didn't turn out so well before, so maybe taking things as they came was the better route.

 

Kaoru re-wrapped herself into her kimono, quite happy at the lack of too many wrinkles. She would look presentable on the way home. It would have been embarrassing to walk back disheveled. The thought struck her a bit funny when she considered her love of their more risqué encounters.

 

As she went to slip on her shoes, she noticed a folded slip of paper laying on top of them. She smiled. He knew that she'd need to stop there. The note was short and to the point:

 

'Duty calls. I will find you.'

 

Looking around, she spotted a stick of graphite and wrote a response on the back.

 

'I'll be there.'

 

She scanned the room for the best place to leave it. He was beyond perceptive, but she wanted to be sure he noticed. After a moment, she pulled the amber ribbon from her hair and placed it folded on the step near where her shoes had been. She put the note on top after adding a brief postscript.

 

'I want this back.'

 

...................................

 

The walk home was almost surreal. It was fairly early, not yet mid-morning, and people were already at their work of the day. Kaoru walked serenely, feeling apart and connected all at once. It was as if she was settling into a new set of skin. She was herself, but she was someone different too.

 

The air was sweet, the rain from the night before having chased away the heavy humidity, at least for the moment. Kaoru inhaled deeply, feeling cleansed.

 

Things became real again as she crossed the last bridge before home. She took another breath to shore herself up against the small current of unease that circled in her gut. There was no reason to feel nervous going back to her own home, but emotion made its own logic.

 

The gates were not locked, for which she was grateful. She hadn't thought to bring much of anything with her last night. So either Kenshin unlocked it this morning, or he was already gone. Her hand rested on the worn planes of the door for a moment.

 

She hoped to be able to say goodbye. She deserved that much from him.

 

The door closed softly behind her as she stepped into the yard. Her breath caught a little.

 

Kenshin sat on the engawa outside his room. His sakabato rested in its customary position against his shoulder, a small bag to his side. He looked up at her approach.

 

Kaoru held his lavender gaze, full of many emotions. Longing, friendship, and a strong current of regret. There was a little sadness in both of their hearts it seemed.

 

He stood gracefully, looking as if he was only waiting for moments instead of the hours it must have been. She stopped just a foot away. A pregnant moment passed between them as they stood facing each other. She spoke first.

 

"Thank you for waiting."

 

A soft smile graced his face. His hand moved as if to touch her, clenching and halting just before her hand.

 

"You have done many things for me that I will never forget. Please be safe and be well."

 

His eyes widened a little when her small hand rested lightly on his closed one. She gave him a bittersweet smile.

 

"You too."

 

Kenshin shouldered his bag and slid his sword into his belt. He walked with his unremarkable rurouni gait towards the gate, transforming more into the wanderer with each step.

 

Kaoru called out to him as he opened the doors.

 

"You were my first real love."

 

His soft smile reached his eyes.

 

"For that I will forever be honored."

 

Then he was gone.

 

Kaoru allowed herself a few tears to mourn the end of him in her life.

 

...................................

 

Kenshin walked out of town, memories threading through him. Despite all his troubles, Tokyo had been good to him. She had been good to him.

 

It was too bad he couldn't come back.

 

The wisdom and appeal of his master's solitary lifestyle was growing on him with each step. After a year or so, he would find a quiet refuge.

 

A figure leaning in the shade of a tree caught his eye as he neared a bend in the sparsely traveled road. The glow of a cigarette sparked angrily as he approached. Kenshin stopped just before the tree and bent to tighten his sandal.

 

"You're leaving."

 

"That I am."

 

"You're not coming back."

 

Kenshin straightened.

 

"No."

 

A pause.

 

"Loose ends?"

 

Kenshin met Saito's hard amber glare with cool eyes.

 

"None."

 

Saito pushed away from the tree and ground his cigarette under his heel.

 

"Good." Saito regarded Kenshin for a moment longer, leashed anger evident in his eyes.

 

"If you ever come back, Battosai, we will settle our score in blood."

 

Kenshin did not reply, instead walking past the policeman, back to his chosen path.