Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Catalyst ❯ The Catalyst: Part II ( Chapter 2 )

The Catalyst: Part II

By Jade Lightning_Wolf

 

Disclaimer: Kenshin stands threateningly over author, who is trying to remember if he ever took a `no dismemberment' vow

 

Kenshin: Say it!

 

Authoress: The Kenshin-gumi aren't mine, nor is Kenshin…you fox, you.

 

Kenshin: Arggh!

 

Authoress: smugly Your turn.

 

Kenshin: sighs and sheathes sword This chapter is rated PG-13 for some mild innuendo…I hate you, did you know that?

 

Authoress: I take it that means you won't go on a date with me.

 

Kenshin: Somebody shoot me now.

 

 

Kenshin was in a foul mood. He'd gone to bed very late. Even now, he still lay on his futon, wide awake. Sighing, he sat up, turning to look towards his door. Youkai was still sitting there, watching him with something akin to accusation.

 

After he'd finished his nightly rounds of checking the gate locks, prowling the courtyard for enemies, and checking to ensure Kaoru was asleep, Kenshin had gone to his room in relative peace. However, his peace was shattered as he slid his shoji shut behind him, turned, and saw Youkai glaring at him from atop his bedding.

 

He'd first scratched his head, wondering how the hell the cat had managed to get in his room, which was always closed. Then, he'd moved to shoo Youkai away. He ignored his hand gestures steadfastly. When Kenshin tried to pick him up, he immediately flattened his ears and swiped at the rurouni. Kenshin had jumped away, his temper rising an increment.

 

Slowly, he'd circled around the futon. Youkai swiveled his head to follow Kenshin's movements with eyes that were assuredly dark amber. Once he was behind, the rurouni had crouched, waiting to see if the cat would move. When he did not, Kenshin stood.

 

He'd moved casually, dressing in his yukata and acting as though he intended to go to bed, regardless of the unwelcome guess on his futon. The moment he'd finished dressing, he'd rushed the bedding, gripping one edge in each hand. The cat had screeched, completely startled by his actions. Utilizing the best aspects of his speed, Kenshin had whipped the bedding into the air, trying to shake Youkai away. Unfortunately, he'd caught on and was clinging to the cotton by his razor sharp claws.

 

The rurouni had continued to shake his blankets as the cat hissed and meowed at him in what, he was sure, were the most foul swear words of the cat language. Unfortunately for Youkai, gravity always wins. With a resounding rip, the cloth gave way under the brutal claws and the cat slid to the floor.

 

He quickly righted himself and dashed out of grabbing distance of Kenshin. The redhead stared at him a moment, wondering if there was any possible way to get him out of the room without killing him. After a moment Kenshin shook his head. Getting his bed back had been hard enough. The rurouni had spread out the futon and lay down, gathering the shredded blankets around him as best he could.

 

He had tried to sleep after that, but his instincts had screamed at him Enemy! Enemy, you moron! And sure enough, Youkai was sitting at his door, staring at him with eyes that so closely mirrored his own. Aside from the creepy feeling the cat gave, Kenshin could not help but sneeze every ten seconds or so. The only thing that had ever made him sneeze like this had been a flower that grew outside of his shishou's home.

 

Kenshin sighed. Slowly he sat up and faced the cat. The beast switched his tail and licked a paw. He had all the time in the world. It was Kenshin who would become impatient first.

 

“What do you want from us?” he asked quietly.

 

Youkai blinked at him and began running a paw over his face. Kenshin fell back against his pillows. He would never sleep this way. After a moment, he flung his covers away and stood. The cat stopped watching, one paw hanging in the air. He could see the sinewy body as Youkai prepared to move if he attacked.

 

Quietly, he moved to his sword rack and lifted his sakabatou. The weight was comforting in his hands. With one eye on the cat, he moved to the back of his room and pressed his back to the wall so that he faced the beast. In a practiced and graceful movement, he sank to the ground, his knees folding as he went so that they pressed against his chest. He tucked one leg underneath him and rested his sakabatou against his shoulder.

 

The cat studied him, trying to understand his motives as well as wondering if he could safely reclaim the bed. After a moment, he stood and stretched slowly, back arching and tail standing straight in the air. With a practiced saunter, Youkai paced across the room, pausing once to sniff the tatami. His eyes never left Kenshin's. When he was right in the middle of the crumpled bedding, he sat down and cocked his head to one side, studying the rurouni.

 

Kenshin smiled slightly and closed his eyes. If he could not outwait the cat, he could most certainly outwit it. As he tipped his head forward in a practiced motion, the old saying ran through his brain. Curiosity killed the cat.

 

Kenshin remained perfectly still, evening his breathing into a pattern that sounded deceptively like sleeping. After what seemed like an eternity, the cat crept forward. With all his senses attuned, he could hear the gentle swish of paws against the tatami.

 

Youkai walked a half-circle around him several times. He was gauging if the redhead was really sleeping or not. Kenshin seemed to pass the test. The tiny aura of life the cat exuded came closer still. He was within reaching distance, but Kenshin did not move. The cold press of a nose against his wrist nearly made him jump. Only years of training stopped him.

 

The cat whuffled gently, taking in his scent. Its nose left his skin, but the feeling of cold lingered like the scent Kaoru left in a room after she'd exited. The cat moved in front of him and he felt a tentative paw touch his knee. Still he did not move. Emboldened, Youkai reared on his hind legs, supporting himself against the knee. Kenshin could feel a slight weight lean towards him until tiny breaths were ghosting across his face. He could smell the fish Youkai had eaten for dinner.

 

At long last, Kenshin moved. His god-like speed caught the cat off guard. The front paws and shoulders were captured in his hands before the feline had a chance to escape. Slowly the rurouni opened his eyes, giving the gaze of a predator. Amber met amber, and Youkai flinched.

 

Kenshin studied the cat. It looked bigger than its previous kitten size. Its ears had little tufts on them that were black as pitch, the only part of it that was not soft gray. Passing his eyes over the triangular face, Kenshin noticed a small glitter in the mouth. It just barely poked out through little cat lips.

 

Kenshin transferred Youkai's paws into one hand and took a good grip, squeezing tightly enough to keep him from slipping away. He brought his other knee up to hold her body still. The kitten seemed to realize he'd seen whatever it was guarding and began fighting his grip.

 

The rurouni frowned. Youkai was stronger than he had a right to be. His grip against her tightened even more. Carefully, he reached towards Youkai's mouth. The cat held his head away from Kenshin, twisting to one side so that he looked over he shoulder. In turn, Kenshin's hand darted forward like a viper, and he had the cat's chin in a grip so quickly that the object in its mouth flew into his lap.

 

“Why thank you,” he said dryly, releasing his jaw. Youkai hissed and growled deep in his belly. Kenshin picked up the object. It was a little, blue glass bottle. The stopper was also glass, though melted rubber had been smeared at the top to seal it. The stopper extended like a needle into the liquid in the bottle.

 

Kenshin held his prize up to the scant light, studying the liquid to try and see what it was. It was syrupy, dark, but not necessarily opaque. His still-golden eyes narrowed as something on the bottle caught the light. He turned it carefully, running his thumb over the smooth surface. As he'd suspected, a character was stamped into the glass.

 

He closed his eyes, still running his thumb over the surface. In this light, he'd much rather trust touch over sight. Carefully, he traced each stroke until he understood the word. When it's meaning came into his head, his eyes popped open, and he was so dumbstruck that Youkai managed to wriggle free.

 

The feline jumped away from him, glaring angrily as he met the other's glowing gaze with equal emotion.

 

“Lust?” he questioned quietly. “Bottled lust?”

 

The cat shook its head vehemently. He was disinclined to trust it. “What the hell are you and why are you here?”

 

He stood as spoke, his voice deadly quiet. The cat backed away slowly, making for the shoji. Kenshin was not surprised when the door slid open of its own accord. Youkai bolted out the door. He followed on the beast's heels, intent on an answer.

 

He stopped as he slid out onto the deck. The cat had disappeared. Kenshin moved cautiously forward, drawing his sakabatou as he went. His emotions went beyond anger. That someone, anyone, would try to take advantage of Kaoru in that way (for who else would he be attracted to but her) brought the heat of rage to his blood so quickly that white flashed before his eyes.

 

Even with his senses bent on his surroundings, Kenshin was still taken by surprise when the cat darted out of a hallway at him. He stopped moving, but the fuzzball did not. Youkai head-butted him with the force of a small ram, and he was so startled that his center of gravity shifted. That was all Youkai needed. He circled around the backs of the rurouni's legs and pushed with all his might.

 

Kenshin toppled forward, hands moving to take the blow before he'd even registered that he was falling. The cat was at his head as he hit the wood. Before he could recover to get away, the beast breathed on him. Sparkles like lightning bugs filled the air between them, and Kenshin blinked at them. His head slowly went woozy, as though he'd had too much sake. He started to lose focus of the scene before him.

 

Youkai moved into his field of vision. The bottled lust was in his mouth. Sluggishly, Kenshin shook his head, trying to push him away. The cat growled and spat the bottle away. The redhead stopped struggling. Black flowers were blooming in front of his eyes. Again the cat leaned forward. Its breath ghosted across his face and tiny sparkles joined the growing blackness. As he went under, Kenshin had a sinking feeling that in the morning, all this would be a vague dream.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Kenshin was unusually slow in waking the next morning. His senses felt dulled and he was disoriented for a moment by a sound he couldn't quite place. Slowly, he came into a fully waking state and was immediately sorry he hadn't remained asleep. He sat up and bit his lip to withhold a groan. He felt as though he'd been pounded with the blunt edge of a sword, several times.

 

Almost fearfully, he looked around the room. Blinking and rubbing his eyes did not change what he saw, and the pain in his head told him he was not dreaming. Kenshin was indeed in Kaoru's room. The unfamiliar sound had been Kaoru's semi-snoring. He'd never been aware of the sound before, but perhaps he'd never been close enough to hear it.

 

The next revelation for Kenshin was the fact that he was not asleep against the wall, where he usually rested when he snuck into Kaoru's room to listen to her breathing. He was, in fact, lying right next to Kaoru. His loose hair brushed his own skin, bringing his attention to the fact that he'd slid his yukata from his shoulders. The action had probably been done in his sleep to relieve the heat of summer, but he felt embarrassed none the less.

 

Kenshin scrubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm as he tried to recall the previous night. The pounding in his head worsened when he tried to stand, so he remained sitting for a moment. The rurouni frowned slightly. Try as he might, he could not remember the night before.

 

His body was exhibiting the definite signs of a hangover, but Kenshin knew for a fact that he had had nothing alcoholic to drink since he left his shishou after learning the succession technique. He feared the loss of control sake might bring about in him, inadvertently releasing his bloodlust.

 

Kenshin looked down at the sleeping girl next to him. Clearly his bloodlust hadn't been unleashed, but what had? His blush returned ten-fold when he realized one of Kaoru's legs was entangled with his. I didn't…I couldn't have…

 

Trying to clear his head slightly, Kenshin extricated his leg and pulled his yukata back up around his shoulders. Kaoru mumbled something and he froze, fearing that she was waking. But she only turned towards him and flung out an arm, which unfortunately landed in his lap. He backed away across the floor as though he'd been burned.

 

His eyes searched the room for his sakabatou and saw that it was not there. Quietly, Kenshin stood, gazing down at the girl. If I did… he could not bring himself to think the thought. It seemed unlikely. They'd both still been clothed after all, but still… For just a moment, he allowed himself to study her.

 

In sleep, she was even more open than when waking. Her fine features were slack and her mouth hung open slightly. Her lips did look slightly fuller and redder than usual, as though they'd been thoroughly kissed. Kenshin was positive his face was now the same shade as his hair. Only once did his eyes drop to the tantalizing hint of cleavage that showed through her sleeping garment. He shook his head rapidly and looked back to her neck. It still held a fascination for him and he had, for a moment, the strongest impulse to go and kiss the juncture of her shoulder and throat, if only to see if it tasted as good as her lips.

 

Kaoru stirred again and Kenshin immediately snapped out of his reverie. Even as she started stretching, he was rushing out and sliding the shoji shut as quietly as possible. Hopefully, she would never know he'd been there. Right, he thought sarcastically to himself, and Sano will stop freeloading and get a job. I don't know how, but with my luck, she will find out. He gave a soft sigh and went to seek out what had become of his gi, hakama, and sakabatou.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Kaoru thoroughly enjoyed her stretch and opened her eyes with a look of contentment. She frowned. Had the shoji just been closing? She studied the door for a moment, as though looking at it would answer her question. Shaking her head, she stood and stretched again. Warm sunlight streamed through the paper screens and called her name. She smiled, but the expression dropped as she caught something glinting on the cream sleeve of her yukata.

 

Bringing the sleeve closer for inspection, Kaoru searched for what had caught her eye. She nearly gasped when she found it. Pinching her fingers against the fabric, she pulled a long hair from it. In the first light of morning, the hair shone coppery red.

 

OoOoOoO

 

“KEEEENSHIIIIIIN!”

 

The rurouni visibly cringed as his name was roared out from the house. He had been hoping to get a kata in before Kaoru emerged from her room, but it was too late now. He'd have to sneak off later today, if he wasn't chained to the laundry tub and being threatened with a bokken. His headache now had no chance of improving.

 

Kaoru came storming out of the house, still in her yukata and brandishing a bokken. Yahiko followed behind her, dressed similarly and still rubbing sleep from his eyes. Kenshin vaguely wondered if he might escape before it was too late, but the thought of how angry she'd be when he returned was even worse than this.

 

Instead he decided to go for naivety. “Kaoru-dono, what is it?”

 

“YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT IT IS! Her volume was double anything he'd ever heard before.

 

“Sessha is afraid…”

 

“DON'T YOU PLAY INNOCENT WITH ME!”

 

She was now within hitting distance. Kenshin started edging away. Kaoru's hitting hurt bad enough when she was at a normal level of anger. With all this rage, he was likely to be out from a week.

 

Unfortunately for Kenshin, she noticed his movements.

 

“YOU ROTTEN HENTAI!!!” Before she finished the sentence, he was being pounded into the ground so hard it was leaving an impression.

 

“Oi, busu! What'd he do?”

 

Kaoru stopped hitting Kenshin long enough to give Yahiko the death glare from hell.

 

“Ok,” he said, backing away slowly, “I'll ask later.” With that, he turned and ran into the house before he too was forced to eat dirt for breakfast.

 

By the time Kaoru finished venting her rage, there was a Kenshin-shaped crater in the yard. Kenshin was starry-eyed and on the point of blacking out, and she felt much better for the beating. Slowly, the rurouni sat up from his hole in the ground.

 

When she heard him move, Kaoru turned one glaring eye back. “Go make breakfast!” she said, pointing imperiously towards the kitchen.

 

Kenshin nodded and stumbled off without a word. He feared if he even muttered an “oro” he'd be back on the ground and adding another crater to the yard. Kaoru watched him go, trying to figure out a punishment even as she wondered at his strange behavior.

 

Absently, she reached down to scratch Youkai under the chin. The little kitten had come out to watch the action and now mewled at her in the most adorable fashion. She gave the cat one last scratch before she turned to change into her training clothes.

 

However, a chill on her back made her turn around at the last second. Kaoru blinked and rubbed her eyes. For a moment, she could have sworn Youkai was fixing her with a predatory gaze that was startlingly familiar in that it was brilliant amber. But when she looked again, the cat's eyes were sky blue as always. She shook her head and went to her room.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Kenshin had been on edge all day, and not just from the potential of a beating around every corner. His senses rankled him and he did not know why. Every time he looked up from the laundry to study the yard, nothing was out of the ordinary. Yahiko was polishing the floor at break-neck speed, Kaoru was barely visible in the training hall, and Youkai curled up in a patch of sun in one of the few tuffets of grass left after drought.

 

Quite suddenly, memory flashed through Kenshin of the brief storm yesterday. Part of him found it hard to believe that he could forget the cat's role in getting him into a room with Kaoru with his senses off kilter. The other part was happily rejoicing that Kaoru, though she had beaten him thoroughly this morning, didn't seem to have minded the kiss.

 

Kenshin eyed the cat from beneath his bangs. It opened one sky blue eye lazily, sensing his studious glance, before standing and stretching. Kenshin stiffened, but the cat only walked away into the house, presumably to find more of Kaoru's linens to rip to shreds. He glared at the creature's back, even as the back of his mind shouted a thank you.

 

He turned from the cat when he heard a foot tapping not to far from him. He was positive that he'd been aware of Kaoru's approach, so how had he failed to notice her proximity—well within hitting range.

 

Kaoru watched Kenshin as he visibly tensed and turned towards her, the perfect picture of penance and regret. She was still confused as to what to think of his actions early this morning. At first, she'd been disinclined to believe Kenshin of capable of such a thing, but the red hair and the fact that he hadn't exactly denied her accusations told her enough to change her mind.

 

Once she truly believed he had in fact been in her room while she was sleeping, her thoughts turned to turmoil. Kenshin was an honorable man—too honorable if she had much to say about it. What had ever brought him into the room of an unmarried woman who was just barely eighteen? However, secretly, she was delighted. The small show of something inside the rurouni, even if it was only an over-protective nature, was more than she could have possibly hoped for out of the man. Any time he would drop his smiling mask to show the fire and wildness within was a time that Kaoru cherished beyond any other. And one little part of her mind could not help but hope he'd been in her room for reasons other than protecting her.

 

She tapped her foot more loudly and pointed at the furo, which looked lonely and desolate. His eyes widened with surprise and then shame. Immediately, he stood.

 

“Forgive sessha, Kaoru-dono. Sessha was unaware of the time. Sessha will prepare the bath immediately.”

 

He bowed and backed hastily out of range of her bokken. She let him, instead turning towards the laundry. It looked as though he'd been almost finished, but she wasn't about to help him with his chores now. She gave a surreptitious glance over her shoulder at his retreating back.

 

Kenshin had said absolutely nothing of their kiss the day before—of course she wasn't giving him much of a chance to speak at all. But still…unconsciously Kaoru's hand raised to her lips. Did it even mean anything to him? Or was he just being…something…

 

“Kaoru-dono,” Kenshin called from across the yard. Kaoru quickly dropped her hand and turned towards him. “Your bath is ready.” She must have been thinking for longer than she'd expected if he'd readied it already.

 

Putting on her best I'm-still-really-pissed-at-you face, Kaoru stalked past him into the bath house without a second thought. He watched her go, silently appreciating the view before mentally smacking himself. Baka! Being a hentai is what got me in this mess in the first place…at least…I think it is…

 

OoOoOoO

 

Kenshin fed another log to the fire. Knowing Kaoru, she would be staying in the furo a very long time today, and if he let the bath get cool, there would be hell to pay when she emerged.

 

“Hey Kenshin!”

 

The rurouni turned to look over his shoulder at a rapidly approaching Yahiko, who was rubbing his hair dry with a towel. He spread a wide grin for the boy and said, “What is it Yahiko?”

 

“Where's busu?”

 

“I heard that,” came a muffled voice from inside the bathhouse.

 

Yahiko shrugged and came closer. “Just thought I'd let you know that there were no towels left in the furo before Kaoru went in there, but it looks like I'm a little too late.”

 

Kenshin frowned slightly. Hadn't he just put a fresh supply in there that morning? No matter, he thought to himself. I'll just get some more.

 

“If you'll excuse me, Yahiko. Thank you for telling me.”

 

The boy shrugged and walked off towards his room. If he was lucky, he could hurry over to the Akabeko and make some money before the day was through. As bad a mood as Kaoru had been in all day, he'd much rather deal with semi-drunk customers.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Kenshin managed to locate some clean towels in the room he'd hung laundry in during the storm yesterday. He gathered several and made his way to the bathhouse. If he was very quiet, Kaoru might never even know he'd been in the entrance room.

 

Kenshin slid the outer door open slowly and made a point to walk on the balls of his feet, making his footsteps completely silent. He set the towels a few feet from Kaoru's clothes, not close enough to make her suspicious but not far enough to escape her notice.

 

He turned to leave, but froze when he heard the sliding of the door. Gulping, Kenshin turned, expecting full well to be hit before he saw anything that would warrant the blow. However, there was no one there. The door seemed to have slid open a few feet of its own accord. Kenshin frowned and stepped closer.

 

His senses had already overloaded into high alert, and the back of his mind prickled with something almost like a memory. If not for his complete attention to his surroundings, he might have missed Youkai, standing directly in the path of his feet and looking up expectantly. He could have sworn the cat frowned when he met those sky blue eyes.

 

Kenshin muttered a word that may very well have been purely the influence of Sano before stepping over the cat towards the door. Stupid beast has already learned how to open the shoji screens. No wonder Kaoru's sheets keep getting ripped to shreds. I'll just bet…

 

Kenshin was not permitted to continue the thought. Just at his point of weakest balance while stepping over the cat, it darted forward, bumping his grounded leg and effectively placing itself in the spot where his other foot would have come down. The rurouni felt ground rushing at him and was acutely aware of the tiny body he would crush if he came down full force. And so, he took his only choice.

 

With what little leverage he had left, Kenshin pushed against the ground with his other foot and propelled himself forward. He rotated in the air so that his shoulder was flying to take the shock the shoji door was going to give him. He caught a satisfied amber gaze just before impact.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Kaoru froze when she heard a sudden thump on the other side of the room, her eyes locking on the partially open door. She frowned, fully remembering that she had ensured that the door was shut before settling down to a bath. Not a moment later, there was an almighty crash as paper and wood gave way under force. Kaoru stared dumbfounded as a dust-covered head of red hair came into view and emitted a half-hearted “oro.” Kenshin hit the floor hard on his side and for a moment felt black spots dance on the edge of his awareness. Should have jumped the other way, he thought foggily.

 

“Kenshin?”

 

He froze at the inquiring voice behind him. Ten seconds tops…she will explode before ten seconds are up.

 

“Are…are you ok?”

 

He could hear the struggle in her voice, torn between ranting out loud and expressing concern for what was obviously a painful fall. Slowly, keeping his back to her, he stood, unconsciously rubbing his shoulder. That will be a lovely bruise in the morning.

 

“Sessha is fine, Kaoru-dono. Please forgive sessha. Sessha was placing some towels down for you and was unaware Youkai was in the room. Sessha tripped over him.” His hand went to his head, fingers burying themselves in his long red hair as he rubbed his scalp in embarrassment.

 

Kaoru had to shake her head heavily to ignore the motion. “And I'm supposed to believe this because…?”

 

Kenshin gulped. How could he prove anything? There were no witnesses, save a cat who seemed hell bent on making his life as miserable as humanly…or perhaps felinely, possible. He certainly couldn't convey honesty in his eyes because that would require eye contact, something Kenshin was unsure of. Given his luck for the past few days, he'd most likely accidentally glance down for just a second too long. Then, he'd have yet another lump on his head and a still-very-pissed Kaoru on his hands.

 

So he settled for blatant honesty and prayed Kaoru was in a forgiving, or at least pitying, mood.

 

“Sessha has no way to prove this to you, Kaoru-dono. Nothing…nothing I say will change that.”

 

Kaoru blinked. Had sheer humiliation really made him drop the damned “sessha?” A slow smile spread on her face. Maybe she could use this to her advantage.

 

“Come here, Kenshin,” she said softly. His back stiffened, and he actually dared to glance over his shoulder. Kaoru was pressed against the side of the tub, head resting on her arms. Absolutely nothing was visible. He stoically ignored the part of him that was sorry about that.

 

After a moment's consideration, he walked backwards across the room, stepping on tiptoe to avoid splintered pieces of wood.

 

“Sit down.” Kaoru's voice was a low purr, but he could still feel the dangerous edge under it. If not for that hidden threat, he might have thought Kaoru was flirting with him…blatantly flirting. He gulped as he followed her instructions.

 

“Now Kenshin,” she spoke very close to his ear, so that her breath drifted across his neck. Goosebumps danced on his flesh. Baka! The moment you let your guard down, a very pissed Kaoru is going to make you ground meat! This thought alone was all that kept him from leaning towards her voice, her lips.

 

“I'm going to make you a deal that I think is probably in the best interest of your health.”

 

The impulse to lean closer was now diminishing as quickly as Sano's money when there was a gambling ring nearby.

 

“You can either go outside and wait for me to come beat the snot out of you. I promise broken bones this time. Or…”

 

She drew out the word and he was suddenly afraid.

 

“I will pretend this never happened.”

 

He nearly sighed with relief, but she interrupted fast enough to make his stomach sink like a rock.

 

“If you drop the `sessha' and start calling me Kaoru. I don't want to hear another `sessha' or `dono' as long as I live. That's my offer. You pick.”

 

He felt her draw away slightly, but not much. “You have ten seconds to decide.”

 

Kenshin's mind raced forward. Broken bones, or leaving behind a title he deserved and an honorific that ensured some distance to Kaoru--distance he desperately needed to maintain in light of recent events.

 

Why is it always me? he thought to himself as Kaoru slowly counted down behind him.

 

OoOoOoO

 

That went quite well, Kaoru thought to herself as she gently toweled her hair dry. Kenshin had of course, agreed to her terms. He would not call himself sessha anymore, or call her Kaoru-dono. What were two stupid words compared to a couple broken bones?

 

As for his crashing in on her in the first place…well, to be perfectly honest, Kaoru didn't mind. The only negative feeling she'd had towards the whole situation was that he hadn't come to see her of his own volition. However, Kaoru was starting to think that maybe Youkai was worth all the sheets he kept tearing to shreds.

 

Speak of the…well…the Youkai, she thought as the cat rubbed against her bare legs. She leaned down and gave a loving scratch to its chin. The cat's eyes closed in bliss and he pressed his nose into Kaoru's palm.

 

Kaoru sighed, sitting heavily on the small bench in the entrance chamber. “You know, Youkai, I love Kenshin. I really do. But that man can be the densest, most impossible person on the planet sometimes. I should be thanking you. I never thought I'd get him to stop calling me Kaoru-dono. As if I'm some honorable lady.” She snorted and leaned onto her hand. Youkai leapt up next to her and began rubbing against her arm.

 

“It's wonderful that he's such an honorable man. But sometimes, he oversteps it. I know he thinks he's unworthy, but for kami's sake…`sessha.'” Youkai purred loudly and put two forepaws on Kaoru's thigh, moving to rub against her neck. She petted the demanding kitten absently.

 

“I'm glad he finally worked up the nerve to kiss me though. I was starting to wonder if he even liked me as much as I love him.”

 

She turned to the cat, who opened his little sky blue eyes and gave a questioning meow.

 

“What's wrong with me? I'm confessing to a cat. I may have finally gone off the deep end.”

 

Kaoru stood, lightly pushing the cat off her. She gathered her clothing and changed, humming a soft tune. The shihandai left the furo in a considerably good mood.

 

Youkai wandered out behind her, eyes following her back predatorily. When Kaoru had disappeared into the house, the cat looked towards the corner knowingly. He was rewarded when Kenshin emerged silently a moment later. The rurouni didn't even glance towards the kitten in the doorway. Instead, he stalked off to his own room.

 

Youkai smirked, strange little lips pulling distinctly into a smile. Kenshin's eyes had been brilliant amber.

 

OoOoOoO

 

Japanese glossary:

 

Youkai: demon…in other words Devil for those of you who didn't get the joke. You know: demon/devil and tom*to/tom*to…never mind

 

yukata: light kimono often used to sleep in

 

tatami: grass mats used as flooring in traditional Japanese homes

 

shishou: Master (Kenshin is referring specifically Hiko Seijiro)

 

gi: traditional shortened kimono that Kenshin typically wears (bright magenta snicker)

 

hakama: loose fitting traditional pants that can either be a skirt for a kimono or a split-pant for a gi

 

sakabatou: reverse-blade sword

 

kata: a set of movements used to hone skills in martial arts

 

bokken: wodden sword

 

busu: ugly or hag

 

sessha: this unworthy one

 

furo: bathhouse

 

baka: idiot

 

hentai: pervert

 

oro: No English translation, but it's what Kenshin says to express surprise, embarrassment, pretty much anything that he doesn't have words to describe.

 

 

A/N: I'm sure I forgot something in the translations, but oh well.

 

Kenshin: Why do you torture me?”

 

Authoress: Were you ever gonna get around to this without help?

 

Kenshin:…

 

Authoress: That's what I thought. Now, what say you to pizza and a movie?”

 

Kenshin: runs screaming in the other direction

 

Authoress: raises eyebrow In other news, I know I sessha'd Kenshin to death in this chapter, but he was trying to be penitent and I was trying to make a point of how sick Kaoru would get of hearing him beleaguer himself every day.

 

 

Reviewer Response: Woot! I have three, count `em three, reviewers and they're all gonna get responses because I love people considerate enough to click the little button at the bottom of the page.

 

Triste 1: So incredibly glad you're enjoying the fic thus far. What do you mean supernatural? Youkai is just an ordinary cat. innocent authorial whistle It's also great to know someone appreciate the glossary. At least I'm not typing it for no apparent reason.

 

Gypsy-chan: Great to know you liked the story so far. I like anytime Kenshin manages to kiss Kaoru, so I try and fit them in as often as possible, though he doesn't this chapter. I added Youkai to chapter 1's dictionary and am so embarrassed I forgot it in the first place. It is also part of this chapter's dictionary. I have now enabled anonymous reviews (didn't realize the default was off) and hopefully will get more from all the lazy people who don't log in.

 

Stella-neko: Youkai is a perfectly normal cat whose eyes happen to change color…stop looking at me like that; I'm telling the truth. My scene change lines aren't showing up? ! ! I must look into this immediately and correct it. I would like to take this time to officially apologize to all readers who got confused by that.