Chapter Seven

"The mind is a very strange thing, isn’t it?"

"Yes, quite."

Two men sat around the fire, talking in the wee hours of the morning, while the rest of Japan slept. In their hands, they held wine glasses, filled with some sort of liquid, too thick to be a type of alcoholic beverage. It was odd, to have two men sipping from wine glasses, crystal wine glasses, in the middle of a dense wild forest. The flames cast shadows over the two men’s faces, dancing in the reflection of the crystal. They had been up since midnight, used to being nocturnal.

"Locked within are powers, unimaginable to human kind. Yet, they lay there, dormant, waiting to be released."

The other man looked at his partner. He ran his free hand through his long black hair. "But if the powers are released, they may create havoc to the brain," he answered, "driving a person to insanity."

"A broken man, is one who cannot live for long," the first man replied, he took a sip from his wineglass. "Taki."

"Hai Ryo?" Taki whispered, turning his head to look at the man.

"Kawaii…" Ryo murmured, reaching to stroke the delicate skin of his cheek.

Taki just simply closed his eyes. The other man leaned closer and brushed a soft kiss against his mouth.

A coughing noise was heard in the background, forcing Ryo to raise his head, irritation shown clearly on his face. "Yes?" he asked.

"I’m so sorry to disturb you sir, except…"

"Make it quick," the man sighed, brushing a piece of his silky hair away from his eyes, "I’m busy at the moment."

The messenger took a quick glance at Taki, who sat with his eyes intently watching the fire. His cheeks were slightly flushed. "We have ten critically injured at one of our tea houses."

"How did they find us," the man muttered to himself as he looked at his partner. Taki only glanced at him before staring back into the flames again.

"I would not underestimate them. They have possibly one of the three top warriors in Japan."

Ryo narrowed his eyes at the messenger. "I think you forgot who we are, and what strength we possess."

"Sumimasen," the messenger apologized and bowed.

The man with the shorter black hair took a letter out of his kimono and handed it to the messenger. "Send this to Kazuma and his men."

"Hai." The messenger bowed again and quickly left.

Somewhere else in Tokyo, a man set down a letter and picked up his katana. Fingering the blade he looked at his men. "Apparently we’re going to have some fun tomorrow night boys."

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"I want a hundred more swings before you finish today," Kaoru said eyeing Yahiko as he practiced.

"WHAT?" the boy exclaimed. "Oi busu, I just did five hundred!"

"What did you just call me?" the kenjutsu master asked spinning around quickly, her blue eyes now blazing.

"What’s it to you busu?"

She glared at the boy. "Five hundred more strokes Yahiko-chan, and then you are done for today."

Yahiko’s eyes went wide as he managed to sputter, "F-five hundred more?"

"Uh huh…Yahiko-CHAN!" Kaoru taunted with a smirk.

"No way!"

"That’s what you get for calling your own master ‘busu’!"

"BUSU!"

Kenshin watched the two silently from the doorway at the back of the training hall, arms crossed, his usual sakabatou by his side. The bantering of "busu" and "Yahiko-CHAN", were a ritual between the student and the beautiful master. He winced inwardly as he remembered what he had to endure to learn Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. He had hands-on learning every since the beginning, which was always quite painful, especially when one had a Shishou like Hiko Seijiro. Kenshin always had to watch his back every minute, so not to get his ass kicked by his master.

From the corner of his eye, the ex-hitokiri watched his friend, Aoshi, moving silently next to him.

"He’s a quick learner," Aoshi murmured softly.

"Aa." After watching a few more seconds of the bantering between Kaoru and Yahiko, he finally decided to cut in. "Just do the swings Yahiko, it will do you good."

The two looked up to see Kenshin watching by the doorway. "Hai," Yahiko answered as he picked up his wooden sword and began swinging again. Kaoru picked up her towel and walked out of the training room, with Kenshin watching, the young boy would, of course, do his swings.

When Yahiko was done, the two men entered the training hall. "When was the last time you trained?" the raven-haired man asked.

A rare grin appeared on Kenshin’s face. "Let’s go."

Aoshi unsheathed his twin kodachi, while Kenshin slid into a battou-jutsu stance. They eyed each other calmly for a few seconds before suddenly attacking. They met in the middle of the training hall, one blade against two. The two men pushed back and attacked again without a pause. At such a high speed, to an untrained eye watching from the sidelines, it would only appear to be two blurs of figures coming together and breaking apart very quickly.

The ex-hitokiri jumped as Aoshi swept one kodachi in a low arc, and then did a flip to avoid being hit by the other blade. The two paused for a moment.

"Baka deshi, you just relied on your speed there. You would have lost a limb if you weren’t quick enough," a voice spoke up.

Kenshin nearly fell over when he heard the voice. The raven-haired man just smirked and kept in his laughter. There was only one person who could get through the red-haired man’s cool exterior, and that one person was his master.

"I wonder to Kami-sama sometimes how I could end up with such a baka for a student. Of all people to inherit Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, it would be you," the older man sighed. "Pick up that sword, your battou-jutsu is getting a bit rough."

"Now Shishou?" the ex-hitokiri sighed.

Hiko hit him over the head with the hilt of his nihontou. "Of course now, you baka! You don’t have anything else to do, do you?"

"I’ll leave you to your training," Aoshi said as he made his way out quickly.

Kenshin muttered some curses underneath his breath as he picked up his sakabatou. This was going to be a long and painful afternoon.

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Aoshi sat at a table in his room, sipping on some green tea calmly. His bath after his battle with Kenshin was refreshing. He wondered where Misao was today. He hadn’t seen her since the morning. Aoshi’s mind continued to wander until it hit the Underground. They were an odd group, quite nocturnal, and always had bizarre rituals.

"Oi, Ice Man, thinking again are you?" a rough voice asked.

"Yes, and you’re breaking my train of thought," Aoshi shot back with a half-smile.

Sanosuke leaned against the wall, his arms folded, as he chewed on yet another fishbone. "Have you seen Kenshin around? It seems everyone has disappeared."

"He’s with his Shishou."

"…you mean he’s getting t-…"

"Yes."

The two men grinned at each other before Sanosuke burst out laughing. "Hahaha, that guy is going to be in so much pain. I feel for him, and you know, the old man still has so much energy left in him…hahahahaha…"

"Better not let him hear you say that," the other man replied as he smiled. "Have you seem Misao today? I haven’t seen her since breakfast."

Sano scratched his head as he thought. "Mmmm…last time I saw her she was talking with Jou-chan."

"Aa."

"So, do you have anything to do?"

"There are always things to do. Even you have things to do."

The spiky-haired man snorted. "Like I want to write up business reports and deal with that gaijin company from England. They’re a bunch of bakas. Any ways," Sano held up a deck of cards. "You up for a game of cards?"

"You want to lose again?" Aoshi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sano grinned, "Give it your best shot Ice Man."

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The day had been long and weary for Kaoru. Making sure the shojo door was shut, she began to remove her kimono. She had taken her bath earlier, and was now ready for a nice night of rest. Pouting inwardly she realized she hadn’t seen Kenshin for the whole day. She saw him once during breakfast and briefly during dinner.

Just as she slipped off her underclothes she noticed a presence in the room. Turning her head slightly she muffled a slight shriek as she realized that Kenshin was in the room. She clutched her yukata to her bare upper body as she stared at him.

"How long have you been watching?" she asked.

"From the beginning…" he smirked as he set down his sakabatou. He had seen her closing the shojo door from down the hall as he was walking closer to the room. For the past few months he had kept himself in check. Not allowing his passion to override any of his actions during any of their intimate moments. But watching her slowly remove her kimono…it was enticing in an innocent manner because she was so oblivious of being watched. It was something that tested his will. "You’ve been here for a few months already Kaoru, and you’re still trying to be modest?"

"I…"

Kenshin blinked once slowly. When he opened his eyes, a sultry smile tugged across his face. "Do you know how helpless you look right now?"

Kaoru stared at him with widened eyes. The fabric of the yukata she clutched to herself barely covered anything. His eyes were now a burning amber colour. She could sense the lust and want behind his intense gaze as he let himself take in the curves of her body. Those eyes, the way he was watching her sent delicious shivers down her spine.

"Never been seen by a man before?" he asked, his question almost like a tease, his voice husky.

"Iie," she whispered.

"I’m surprised."

"Do not think because of where I come from, I have been exposed," she murmured.

"Yuna-san only said you were a virgin. She gave me no other details."

The girl averted her eyes and stared at the oil lamp on the table. She soon felt a pair of strong hands at her waist. "Goddess, you’re quite the innocent tease." Kenshin nuzzled her neck and breathed in her sweet scent. His tongue flicked out and tasted the sweet flesh beneath his mouth.

She turned around and faced him, tilting her head slightly at an angle. He smiled and lowered his head to capture her lips with his in a searing kiss. As he continued to ravage her mouth his hands idly found their way to hers, forcing her to released the yukata. Kaoru lost herself in the passion as she wrapped both arms around his neck tightly, pressing her slender body closer to his, completely unaware that she was fully bared to him, while he was still dressed.

A soft moan escaped her lips as his mouth traced a wet path down her lips. The sound brought a surge of masculine satisfaction to the ex-hitokiri as he picked her up and laid her down on the futon. He nuzzled the valley between her breasts before taking a peak into his mouth to suckle. His hands traced the contours of the body, loving the feel of her smooth skin.

Kaoru opened her eyes and whined in frustration when she noticed his lips and hands had left her skin. Kenshin just smirked at her from above, loving the dominance he held over her. She just pouted sensually, as one of her small hands crept up and began playing with the knot of his obi. "Kenshin…" she purred.

"Are you sure you want this now?" he asked softly.

"Aa…" she answered as she untied the obi and let it loose. She sat up and placed both hands on the opening of his gi. With one swift movement she had Kenshin completely bared and his clothes thrown to the other side of the room. Taking one hand she pushed him down on to the futon so she straddled his body. "You call me a tease…" she accused, "when you’re just as bad. You are quite skilled with your mouth and hands. Constantly bringing me almost to the peak, but never allowing me to actually reach it and go over."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. Now this was a side of her he had never seen. Kaoru reached up and untied her hair, letting the long ebony strands fall over her back and spilling over her breasts. "I don’t think I can take any more of this frustration," she murmured looking at him evenly. "No, let me rephrase myself, I don’t want to take any more of this frustration."

"What a demanding woman, I wish I had done this earlier," Kenshin thought to himself as he watched her sit on his stomach in her fully beauty. "You don’t want to take any more of this frustration?" he teased as he quickly flipped her over so he was on top. Bringing his lips to her ear he breathed, "I can take care of that for you…" before licking the rim of her ear, "and by the end of tonight, you’ll know what it means…to be the Battousai’s woman."

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The doctor sighed as she continued to grind some herbs. It was getting quite late, but Megumi needed to finish this. She cursed Sanosuke under her breath. If he handed been so…distracting earlier this evening, then she would have been in bed, safe and warm, tucked in his arms.

"Oi…kitsune, it’s getting late, why don’t you finish up tomorrow?" a deep voice asked.

Megumi turned her head, "I would have been done if you didn’t distract me earlier!" she snapped back at him.

"I honestly did not know you had so much to do. Besides, it looked like you needed a break," Sano replied as a wicked grin appeared on his face. But then he was serious again. "Megumi, do you need any help? I don’t want you sleeping so late and then getting up at the crack of dawn."

The eldest woman of the house softened. Sanosuke rarely ever used her real name. But when he did, it showed that he was sincere with the words he had just said. "Finish grinding this for me," she said, "I need to go out to the storage room to bring some other herbs."

"Put something on, you’ll catch a cold," the spiky-haired man said as he handed her a shawl.

"I know, I’m a doctor after all ne?"

"Just worried about you, that’s all," Sano replied as he gently kissed her.

"Arigatou…"

"Anytime."

She walked out of her office and let herself out into the frigid air to get to the storeroom. Taking the herbs she needed, she made her way quickly back to the house. However, as she past the stables where the horses and their carriages were kept, she noticed the lights were off in the little house that Daisuke, their driver, lived. That was odd because Daisuke always had the habit of keeping the lantern on in front of his house. Megumi could not remember a single time when she saw the light off at night.

The young doctor walked closer and thought she saw a figure sitting outside. "Daisuke-san?" she murmured. There was no answer, so she walked closer. Yes, the figure sitting outside at this late hour was Daisuke. But it appeared to be that he was sleeping. There was something completely wrong with this scene, and Megumi had a dreaded feeling that she knew exactly what it was. Bringing two fingers up to the man’s neck, she tried looking for a pulse, but gave up when she realized her two fingers were covered in a liquid.

She quickly turned around and ran back to the house. Within minutes the whole household was awake and outside.

"They’ve come and made their mark," Hiko murmured as they watched people remove the body. They had found a note on it with nothing more than the symbol of the Underground. "I want maximum security now. I will contact the Oniwanbanshu tomorrow…"

"Hai," Aoshi replied.

"Go back to bed you all of you, I don’t want any of you catching a cold," the man said, "tomorrow morning I want to see you three boys at my office first thing after breakfast."

"Hai," the three answered.

Back in their room, Kaoru watched Kenshin look through their closet until he took out another sword. The ex-hitokiri slid it out of its sheath. Kaoru realized that this was an actual katana. The blade glinted as the light of the oil lamp hit it.

"Do you have to…"

"There is no other way to deal with these people," Kenshin replied, his voice sounding strangely heavy.

"Are their going to be guards at the house now?"

"No." There was a puzzled look on his lover’s face. "When Shishou meant maximum security, he means us," the red-head explained. "I don’t like to brag about this, but it is the true. There is nothing better than us three keeping our eyes open."

It was true. Kenshin, Aoshi and Sanosuke were impressive warriors. And there was always Hiko Seijiro. After all, he was the Battousai’s master. No guard would have faster reflexes or the strength that rivalled theirs.

A.N: whew…finally finished another chapter. Sooo sorry for the delay. And to all you KxK fans, I am sorry this is not a lemon. *looks around sheepishly* I don’t have the guts to actually write one yet. But I did listen to Luna Sea’s ‘Desire’ and ‘Slave’ when I was writing this limish part…helped quite a bit. Especially with Ryuichi’s voice…*swoons* Umm…in case any of you are wondering why I’m letting Kenshin use a katana. I find his whole ‘rurouni’ personality completely due to his ten years of wandering. Without this part added on to his life, I do think he will remain more like the Battousai than his other softer side. So in short yes, he will use a katana. Anyhoo…thank you all who have reviewed and sent me e-mails! I truly appreciate the encouragement.