A Wolf's Embrace

‘thoughts’

“dialogue”

I don’t own Rurouni Kenshin and I in no way profit from the writing of this story.

A Wolf’s Embrace
Chapter 3

Later that evening Kaoru sat in the furo. Trying to relax, she kept trying to clear her mind and instead found it full of the day’s events. She thought about her new houseguest and the strange reaction she’d had to him being so close this morning. Closing her eyes, she brought her left arm up and gently traced the place where Saitou’s arm had brushed hers, remembering the feel of his touch. Electricity rushed through Kaoru’s body, igniting a fire deep within. Heat pooled in her belly and her nipples tightened.

Kaoru pulled her hand away in shock. She’d never had a reaction like that to touching herself. Curious, she again closed her eyes and thought of Kenshin doing the same thing. No sparks, no electricity…just the feel of her fingertips on her skin. Puzzled, Kaoru again thought of Saitou’s touch. The intense feelings returned. An insistent pressure began to build at the apex of her thighs. The sensations were so strong, so pleasurable that Kaoru ran her hand up her arm and along her collarbone, dipping down to the tight peaks of her nipples.

Slowly circling the hard flesh, Kaoru’s breathing deepened. The entire time she kept envisioning it being Saitou’s hand stroking her. Tweaking the nipple caused a flood of head to engulf her. Kaoru ignored the pesky thoughts that questioned what she was doing. For the first time in so long, she felt good and she felt alive.

Continuing her investigation, she slowly trailed her hand down her abdomen, past her navel and into the dark curls that lied there. Taking her forefinger she slowly traced the slit that ran under the curls. Adding a bit more pressure increased the pleasurable feelings. As her finger sunk in between the velvet folds, she brushed something that caused the electricity within to arc and her back to arch. Moaning slightly, Kaoru investigated with light and deeper touches this magical place. Her breathing increased its pace. Dipping her finger down slightly she encountered her opening. When her finger slipped into the warmth there, the sensations increased. Creating a rhythm Kaoru dragged her finger between her button and her entrance. As Kaoru sped up, the feelings she’d discovered intensified and her ears became deaf to the sounds of the water lapping the sides of the furo. As she frantically rubbed something deep inside tightened to an incredible level. All at once the pressure broke as her velvet walls began to rhythmically flutter. Kaoru sobbed brokenly as breath returned to her. Panting, Kaoru felt the final vestiges of her orgasm work themselves out. Rubbing her face, she felt a sense of tiredness wash over her. She rose and proceeded to dry herself, never once noticing the burning gold eyes outside the window.
Saitou had been sitting on the porch when the sound of the water lapping in the furo had reached his ears. Concerned, he’d strode up to the window resolved to only take a peek and determine that the tanuki was safe. The sight that had greeted him however had him riveted in place. Her limbs were spread wide, her head thrown back and her tight dark pink nipples had risen above the water line. Her right arm was frantically moving below the water line and thanks to the clear water, Saitou could see exactly what she was doing. His manhood had reacted immediately to the erotic event in front of him. When Kaoru’s orgasm hit, Saitou found himself rubbing his erection in time to Kaoru’s movements. Stilling his movements when he saw her rise, he’d watched as she dried her flushed skin. Seeing that she would emerge soon, Saitou returned to the porch, aching deep inside with each step.

As Kaoru came out of the bathhouse and passed Saitou, he’d grinned slyly. “Sweet dreams tanuki,” he said, grinning even harder at her flushed look before disappearing into her bedroom. Rising he entered the bathhouse and closed the door. Removing his uniform jacket, he then pulled up on his tight, black undershirt. Bronze skin was revealed inch by inch. Small white lines crisscrossed the hard lines of Saitou’s chest. Reminders of battles fought would always be with him. The chocolate brown of his nipples were already hard. Undoing his pants, Saitou let them pool at his ankles, freeing his hard member. Taking off his fundoshi, Saitou put his clothing on the bench. Moving over to the soap, he scrubbed quickly and rinsed. Sliding open the door to the furo, Saito felt his manhood tighten.

This was where Kaoru had been pleasuring herself only minutes before. Sinking into the deliciously warm water, Saitou mentally replayed the sights he’d seen. Closing his eyes, his right hand sunk below the water. Gripping his hard length, he gently pulled his hand back to the base. The heat coming off his rod was intense and each ridge from base to tip was large and well-defined. Languidly stroking his member from base to tip, Saitou imagined it was Kaoru’s smaller hand and not his own doing the touching. His erection jumped at this change of thought. Pulling back toward the base, Saitou thrust his hips forward. The warm water caressed him and increased the sensation. Saitou groaned at the feelings welling up within. Speeding up his movements, Saitou felt his erection bob and swell. Pumping madly now, he felt the familiar tightening in his sac. His entire body went rigid as pleasure washed over him. His manhood bucked as it expelled his seed into the waiting water.

Opening his eyes, Saitou panted as he came down from his orgasm. Recovering from his body’s exertions, his mind drifted to the person he’d imagined was stroking him. He’d come with thoughts that the tanuki was the one pleasuring him. It was an interesting thought. For a moment, Saitou thought of her fiery outbursts. Would she be a minx in bed? Saitou smirked. She just might. The thought led to another line of thinking. Perhaps he should find out what the tanuki was like. Saitou’s eyes flashed with intensity. The wolf was on the hunt.

Rising from the water, Saitou dried himself and dressed quickly. Letting the drain out of the furo, he resolved to clean it tomorrow. Exiting the bathhouse, Saitou stopped in his tracks. There was something amiss. Moving with a quiet practiced for years during the Revolution, Saitou drew his sword and approached Kaoru’s room. The light was extinguished and Saitou could hear her gentle breathing in sleep. Carefully opening the door, he stepped into the room and grinned. Dropping into a stance, Saitou lunged across Kaoru’s bedroom.

Kaoru was dreaming of warm arms wrapped around her and golden eyes when a scream from somewhere nearby woke her. Sitting up in bed, she saw two dim figures in the corner. One was down and the moonlight glinted off the cold steel of a drawn sword. Before Kaoru could utter one word, the moonlight was blocked. Spinning her head to the door, she saw the outline of a man standing there. In a heartbeat, the figure from the corner sprung at the man and the two rolled across the porch and onto the ground. Kaoru scrambled from her futon to the doorway. Moonlight bathed the yard and lit the figures of two men. One lay sprawled on the ground, the other stood with a drawn sword and his back to Kaoru. Kaoru gasped at the sight and a dark pool began to form around the man on the ground. The man who was standing turned toward her and golden eyes met Kaoru’s shocked gaze.

“Are you unharmed?” Saitou asked as he flicked the blood from his sword. Kaoru tried to answer him but found her mouth did not want to work and she could not pull her attention from the grisly scene in front of her.

“Did you hear me tanuki?” Saitou demanded. Kaoru’s eyes flicked toward his own. She nodded. Saitou returned his attention to the figure on the ground. “Go into the kitchen and make some tea. I’ll dispose of this trash,” he said.

Kaoru blinked. She turned her attention to Saitou. “H-How…did you know?” she questioned, her voice trembling.

Saitou snorted. “They wouldn’t have survived a minute during the Revolution. I sensed them when they neared the house. They were pathetic whomever they were.”

Kaoru was quiet for a moment. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll make us some tea,” she said, walking toward the kitchen. Saitou stood still for a moment, waiting for Kaoru to leave before he began the gruesome task of clean-up.

Kaoru sat in the kitchen, an untouched cup of tea before her. Hearing Saitou enter, she looked up. Saitou stood for a moment before sitting across from Kaoru. Picking up the tea laid out for him, he took a tentative sip.

“Not bad. At least you can make tea,” he said. Kaoru did not respond. She continued to stare off into space. Saitou was about to speak when Kaoru’s voice filled the kitchen.

“Why are they doing this? Don’t they understand they’ll gain nothing by taking me? Kenshin isn’t even here and even if he was…it still wouldn’t matter.”
Saitou put his cup down. Detecting something in Kaoru’s tone, Saitou stared at her face. “They won’t try when the Battousai is here, because they know they can’t succeed. Whoever is behind this doesn’t have the manpower necessary to defeat the Battousai, so they’re trying to attack his weak point-you.”

Kaoru shook her head. “It’s no good. I’m not Battousai’s woman, I’m nothing special to him.”

Saitou snorted. “You deny that you have feelings for the Battousai?”

“I never said that,” Kaoru said, her voice becoming soft. “I said I’m not his woman. They’ll gain nothing by taking me.”

Saitou examined Kaoru for a moment. “So the fool has kept up with his unworthy approach has he? I’m afraid it will do you no good. To the rest of the world, you appear to be his woman. You’re a target whether he wants you to be or not. I’m surprised he’d be so stupid as to leave you unguarded.”

Kaoru’s eyes flashed. “I can take care of myself!”

“Sure tanuki,” Saitou said, digging in his pocket for his ever-present cigarettes. “That’s why I just had to dispatch two ninja who were targeting you in your sleep. You were doing a great job of protecting yourself. I wonder if you would have woken up before they took you or after.”

Kaoru stood, shaking with rage. “I didn’t ask for your help! I don’t need you here. Why don’t you just leave?”

Saitou lit his cigarette. Taking a puff, he met Kaoru’s fierce gaze with one of his own. “I won’t leave. Aku Soku Zan. Slay evil immediately. You’re an innocent and you’re being targeted. If I were to walk away, you’d be caught up in something dangerous. It’s my duty to protect you. I may not like it, but it’s there. You may not like me being here, but until the threat is eliminated, I’m staying here whether you like it or not.”

Kaoru’s eyes blazed with rage. “You’re a bastard to tell me what to do in my own home! You’ve just killed two men in my home, in my bedroom and you tell me I have no choice in what you’re doing?”

Saitou stood. “May I remind you tanuki that if I hadn’t killed those men you could be reliving a scene from the shrine or something far worse by now. Or perhaps you’re missing what could have happened?”

The sound of skin hitting skin reverberated through the kitchen. Saitou brought his hand up and rubbed the spot Kaoru’s hand had just come in contact with. “Never say that to me again, wolf. The rest of us have blood that flow in our veins, not the iron you’re filled with. I never wanted to be a target and no woman wants to be raped. Stay away from me,” Kaoru said, rushing out of the room.

Saitou watched her go. Sinking down to the cushion, he thought over his words. Why couldn’t she understand he was just doing his duty. He didn’t particularly relish in the killing of another, but it was a price to be paid for keeping Aku Soku Zan. Mercy has never prevented crime and some crimes are so heinous that death seems kind. Certainly the men Saitou had dispatched at the shrine deserved more pain than what they received. Saitou had seen the faces of women who’d had their dignity ripped from them by a lustful man. The scars never healed. He’d spared her that, why couldn’t she understand? His inner voice reminded him, because she’s Battousai’s woman. She’s innocent to the way the world is and was during the Revolution. Saitou’s eyes narrowed. There was only one way to fix this.

The next day dawned bright and clear, but Kaoru felt anything but happy. All night she’d been reliving the scenes she saw. Saitou so calmly killing that man, the blood pooling…all of it had rehashed itself when she tried to sleep. Dressing in a plain kimono, Kaoru made her way to the kitchen. As she approached, the smells of cooking food greeted her. Entering the kitchen, her eyes widened at the sight before her. Saitou stood over the cook fire, stirring a pot of something that smelled wonderful.

“You just going to stand there, or are you going to be useful?” Saitou said, never looking at Kaoru.

“What do you want me to do?” Kaoru asked.

“Pull the rice off the stove and put it in the dining room,” Saitou instructed. Kaoru did as she was told. Returning to the kitchen, she saw Saitou take the pot off the stove. “Go sit, I’ll bring this in,” Saitou said. Kaoru nodded and left for the dining room.

Sitting and waiting Kaoru felt her nerves begin to fray. Saitou was being…nice. He’d made breakfast. Perhaps he was going to apologize to her! Kaoru’s mood lifted. Saitou entered the dining room with a pot of something that appeared to be stew.

Kaoru watched as he spooned some out into a bowl. Smiling she waited for him to hand it to her. Instead he picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to take a bite. Kaoru’s temper flared, but before she could say anything, Saitou spoke.

“Help yourself,” he said, taking another bite. Kaoru growled and picking up a bowl proceeded to fill it. Grabbing her chopsticks, Kaoru took a portion and stuffed it in her mouth. As the food hit her tongue, her brow furrowed and she slammed her bowl down. Across from her Saitou cocked an eyebrow.

“I really hate that your cooking is better than mine!” Kaoru yelled. “What did they do, send everyone who fought in the Revolution to cooking school?”

Saitou set his bowl down and leveled his eyes at Kaoru. “No, I received my cooking instruction from my swordmaster. It was part of our training. We all had given up our homes in order to study with him and were each responsible for a different task. If you couldn’t cook, you soon learned as master would let you know with his sword what he thought of your cooking. If my cooking bothers you, learn to cook.”

Kaoru stewed at Saitou’s words. “So are you going to apologize or what?” she demanded.

Saitou lowered his bowl. “Apologize for what?” he asked.

“You said some pretty lousy things last night,” Kaoru said.

“As did you,” Saitou pointed out.

“You owe me an apology,” Kaoru said, standing firm.

“We’ll see,” Saitou said.

“What?” Kaoru said, her anger escalating.

“I said we’ll see tanuki. We’re going to visit a friend of mine. After that visit we can determine if I owe you an apology or not,” Saitou said, picking up his bowl and resuming eating. Pausing, he looked at Kaoru. “I’d eat if I were you, we’ll be traveling a bit.”

Kaoru’s brow furrowed, but she picked up her bowl and began to eat. She was unsure if she wanted to go see this ‘friend’ of Saitou’s or not. Somehow she had a feeling-she was going to go whether she wanted to or not.

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Japanese Words Used:

Furo : Bathtub

Tanuki : Raccoon

This will be the last update for a bit as I have to take my computer apart now. I’m moving from California to Minnesota and I leave Tuesday. I’ll update as soon as I can once I get there. I’d like to thank my reviewers so far for their support and suggestions. I’ve taken your advice under consideration and I’m adjusting what I had written so far to make it work. Please let me know what you think!