I received a request for a lemon, and I could say that I did this piece especially for that request, but I think I'd be lying, because whether or not I got that request, there would be a lemon anyway! The fact is, I am a great fan of "Heart's Ease" and "Kimi Wa Dare Wo Mamotte Iru", and if I can make a lemon as wonderful as those, I'd die a happy woman. Of course, I won't be so stupid as to suppose that I could match it, but consider this an honest attempt. So here it is.

I would also like to apologize for any mistakes in the geography. I have no idea how they get from the Kamiya Dojo to the Akebeko, therefore I will invoke Creative License again. A coward's defense, yes, but if I was better at this writing deal, I might have been able to create RK, ne? Oi! Stranger things have happened!

Standard disclaimers apply. "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony. I do not own RK, pray as I might, every night, it just wouldn't happen that way. No matter how many candles I light, no matter how many chickens I decapitate…

"Good morning, Kenshin!" Came a bright voice from the entrance of the kitchen. "Good morning, Yahiko! Good morning, Sano!"

All three men turned to stare at Kaoru who was smiling from ear to ear, looking prettier than ever in a blue and purple kimono. She had done her hair up differently, the loose strands perfectly made up in a half ponytail framing her glowing face. Her obi was knotted differently too. She looked adorable, and her graceful step made her all the more endearing.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked uncertainly.

"What's for breakfast?" she asked cheerfully as she peered into the pots.

"Jou-chan, are you alright?" Sano asked in concern, delicately touching her forehead for a temperature.

Kaoru stared at them, returning their curious gazes. It was then she realized her mistake. She should have been a bit more discreet. A little subdued. Less blithe. How was she going to explain this to them? She blushed, pulling away from Sano's hand. "I'm alright," she said, less eagerly. "I -- I'm just…I don't want you guys to see me sad."

The faces around her relaxed. They had been ready to pack her off to bed and report to Megumi that she was going delirious, or something like that.

"For a moment there I thought you'd gone crazy," Yahiko said, sighing in relief.

"Love, you don't have to pretend for us," Kenshin said gently, caressing her cheek lovingly with his thumb.

"Really, Jou-chan," Sano said with uncharacteristic delicacy. He had been acting the same way since Kenshin brought her back, and it was getting a bit unnerving. "We can handle it. Don’t worry about us."

Kaoru's eyes misted over for the love she felt from everyone. They were all so wonderful! How could she have been so thoughtless? Consuming herself in her grief, wallowing in self-pity…she didn't even consider how they would feel, how they would worry about her. "S-Sorry…I didn't think…"

"Kaoru," Kenshin said to stay any more words from her. He wiped the tears that had begun to cascade down her cheeks with his sleeve. "Let's just have breakfast, alright?"

Kaoru gave him a beautiful smile and nodded.

Kenshin's breath caught, and he watched her in awe as she grabbed the cups and plates to fill it with rice and viands.

"That medicine Megumi gave her must have worked really well," Yahiko muttered to Sano.

Sano nodded. "I guess so."

Kenshin was not listening to them. He was too preoccupied watching Kaoru with a besotted gaze as she bustled about, setting the bowls on trays. Her smile had completely taken him.

"Everyone," Kaoru said after she finished setting the trays. "I'm thinking that maybe we should have dinner tonight at the Akabeko. My treat."

"Oro?" Kenshin reacted.

"Sure Ugly. Whatever." Yahiko said absentmindedly.

Kaoru bonked him on the head with her fist. "I ought to wash your filthy mouth!" She said, frowning.

"Ouch!" Yahiko complained.

"Dinner sounds good, Kaoru," Kenshin said.

"Well, you certainly know how I feel about free chow," Sano said, grinning.

"Then it's settled," Kaoru declared.

Yahiko rubbed his head and sat up. "What's up anyway ug -- Kaoru?" he asked.

Kaoru didn’t know how to tell them that she had just wanted to celebrate the fact that the truth had been revealed, but that would make no sense to them, so she merely shrugged and said, "I just thought we all could use a break, that's all."

Kenshin thought it very heart-wrenching. Kaoru was obviously being cheerful for them. It would be just like her to dump her own feelings of sorrow to rid the rest of them of anxiety. But it wouldn't do. It really wouldn't. Not so soon. In time, the way wounds are supposed to heal. Not now, where it would be just like picking at a newly formed scab.

He would have to talk to her. Maybe later, after they got back from the Akabeko.

He remembered his dream from last night, that horridly vivid dream with images that struck his very soul. If he were to ponder it, turn it in his mind every which way he can, he couldn't stand to believe that half of it had actually happened to her. If it had been anything like that…Bushio Desuke had sealed his place in hell.

He turned back to the stove to put out the flames, its orange glow mingling with the amber specks in his eyes.

"What's up?" Janek asked Ludlow who had walked in with a very troubled look on his face. He noted with grim amusement that the same face was almost becoming a permanent fixture. The lad needs to lighten up a bit. "How did the operation with Kaoru go?"

"Perfectly, of course," Ludlow replied, but his anxious face remained.

Janek contained a sigh. "Then what's the problem?"

"Yasanari did a Dream Weave on Himura," Ludlow reported.

"Was it a legal one?"

"Yes, but that's not what troubles me," Ludlow said, taking a seat. "She showed him what happened in the shanty, every gory detail. Of course, there was no rape, but what Himura saw was enough to get him really, really pissed. Yasanari can still draw out the dragon."

Janek shook his head sadly. "It's out of our hands now, Ludlow. We'll just have to count on Kaoru to finish this well."

Kaoru stepped out of her room wearing an attractive red kimono. She let her hair fall freely down her back, held only by a hair band to keep it from falling unwontedly to her face. She was stunning.

"Hey! You almost look un-ugly," Yahiko said, grinning.

Before Kaoru could react, Sano swiped Yahiko's bamboo sword from the child's back and slammed it on Yahiko's butt painfully.

"Ouch!" Yahiko cried, rubbing his ass. "That really hurt rooster-head!"

"That'll teach you for biting the hand that feeds you," Sano said, shoving the shinai back into the boy's hands.

Kaoru grinned at him. "Thank you very much, Sanosuke. He deserved that."

"You are beautiful, my love," Kenshin whispered huskily in her ear.

Kaoru blushed and took his hand gratefully. "Thank you very much, Kenshin, beloved," she whispered back.

Beloved! It was music to his ears. "You deserved it," he said in a low voice, staring intently at her face, savoring the blue sapphires that were her eyes. He had longed for the sight of them for days, but now that he saw them, he could not get enough.

Sanosuke grinned. "Maybe Yahiko and I ought to skip this invitation," he said mischievously, giving Kenshin a wink he did not bother to hide from Kaoru.

Kaoru blushed even deeper and proceeded to pull Kenshin towards the gate. "Don't be silly, Sano. You've all been so good to me that I want to return the favor."

"Oh, Kaoru…" Kenshin said, compassion filling his voice. Did she not know that they did it because they loved her? That no payback was necessary?

Kaoru hugged his arm as they walked, understanding Kenshin's gentle protest. "Hush, Kenshin. I know none of you are asking for this, that I don't have to, but…please, let me?"

Seeing her with such a good semblance of happiness, her pleading eyes drowning him, he could deny her nothing tonight. "Of course," he simply said.

"Everyone, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to take the river route tonight," Kaoru said to them with a cute smile.

"But that's --" Yahiko began to protest but was cut short by Sano and Kenshin's stern looks. "A great idea," he finished, muttering.

The river route was longer, hence Yahiko's objections, but it was scenic, with a small bridge arching over the running water.

It was quite a busy route, but the hum of the river and the hushed tone of its visitors made it pleasant and intimate.

When they arrived at the river, Kaoru drank in the scene.

"Isn't it pretty?" Kaoru said as she stared at the water breathlessly.

Kenshin looked at her and nodded. "Yes," he replied, not meaning the river.

"Yeah, peachy," Yahiko muttered beside Sanosuke.

Sano chuckled. "Some day kid…"

They walked a bit more before finally reaching the bridge connecting the diversion to town.

"We're almost in town, Yahiko, so brighten up," Kaoru said over her shoulder with a grin.

"Yeah, feed the mutt and he'll stop barking," Sano said, ruffling Yahiko's hair.

Yahiko tried to swing a fist at the street fighter. "Hey! Who you callin' a mutt?"

Sano held him at arm's length while the boy vainly made punches and kicks. It was hopeless. The ex-gangster was just too long and the boy was too short.

Kaoru giggled at the comic sight.

Kenshin thought her so adorable that he nuzzled his nose on her temple, thoroughly endeared by the delight in her eyes. He did not care if he was publicly displaying his affections. She was too sweet to resist.

Her giggles dissipated as a tingle coursed through her body at his touch. Naughty thoughts began to run inside her mind. How long has it been since they last…? Two weeks, maybe more. The engagement got them busy, then there was the incident…Dread came over her as a new thought processed itself. What if he didn't want to because he thinks she had been…used?

"Kaoru, red really suits you," Kenshin said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it tenderly.

Kaoru gave a faint gasp, beginning to feel guilty that she had even thought him capable of such coldness. No. He loves her, and later after dinner, she would help him prove it. "Is that so?" She asked with innocence befitting a temptress.

It seemed her eyes showed her intentions, because it began to appear on his face as plain as kanji.

"Without a doubt," he rumbled, pulling her close to kiss her eyelids.

"Hey! There you go again! Forgetting that you're not the only two people in this world!" Sano scolded them, laughing.

Kaoru pulled away, red faced. Kenshin merely smiled. It was rather discomfiting to see that Kenshin did not embarrass as easily about these things as she did.

They walked all the way to the restaurant and arrived there in higher spirits.

Dinner out was exactly what everyone needed. They laughed and joked about the silliest things, and Yahiko even tried to start a fight over the table, just to get more into the mood, but Kaoru refused to make a scene.

The whole time, Sano observed Kenshin staring at Kaoru with ardent longing. The brief touches and brushes the rurouni would give Jou-chan could have caused sparks to fly.

"Getting a little humid here, don't you think?" Sano asked Kenshin casually.

"Is that so? Maybe you should ask for a glass of cold water, if you'll allow me to suggest," Kenshin replied, completely missing the point.

Sano chuckled. "I see a monsoon coming."

Kenshin had no idea what Sano was talking about and decided not to delve on it. He had other things to worry about, like Kaoru…and how he thought she was particularly…delectable tonight.

After dinner, it was time to go home.

Going with his instinct, Sano invited Yahiko to accompany him to one of his gambling sprees.

Of course, Kaoru had a lot to say. "What? Oh no you don't Sano. I will not let you expose him to gambling at such a young age! I won't allow it!"

Somehow, Sano got his way in the end, and he dragged Yahiko with him before Kaoru could start throwing things in his direction.

Huffing away, Kaoru provided enough amusement of her consternation to Kenshin, who walked with her, chuckling inwardly.

The dojo was quiet, lulling in the absence of the constantly animated presence of Yahiko. But for the first time since the kidnapping incident, it was welcome, soothing at its wake.

Kaoru looked at Kenshin as they entered the house, a blush creeping up her cheeks, part embarrassment, and part heat. She wanted to tell him that she did not want to be alone that night, but she was not even certain whether he would welcome her invitation.

"Kenshin…" She began in a soft voice.

"Yes?" He responded, tracing her face with the tip of his fingers from beside her. His heart was drumming in his chest, her closeness, their isolation from the world and people outside, never felt so perfect.

Carefully, he took her in his arms and kissed her.

His kiss was gentle, lips touching lips as an assurance of love too powerful to unleash in one fell swoop. In fact, it was too careful, seeking for something more but burdened with worry.

Kenshin could hardly bear it, but it had to be born, for her sake. Would she? Would she allow him? He wanted her, but he was afraid to take what he wanted, afraid that the touch of a man, even his own, would not be permitted. What she had gone through, he could not hope to understand, but he needed her, perhaps too much, and driven as he was by his desires for the feel of her body, he hadn't the slightest idea whether it would be welcomed as an expression of love, or a violation of her heart.

Their lips pulled apart, and Kenshin stared into sky-tinged eyes, darker than day, but brighter than night, pools of sapphire that can bring him to his knees with a single look. He was hers, she set the limit, and no matter how steep those limits were, he would abide by them.

Kaoru returned his gaze, questioning, curious. What was it that she saw in his eyes right now? The amethyst glow, normally bereft of anything but rurouni innocence or the coldness of Battousai, were smoldering and hungry, yet filled with restraint. Why was he holding back? Did he…not want her anymore? Did he think her used? Soiled? He used to have such passion for her, but now…now he was hesitating.

Her tears spilled involuntarily, and she tried to look away, pull away, so she can be alone in her anguish, but he took hold of her by the waist, anxiety etching his features.

"My love…is there something wrong?" he asked in a soft voice, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, wiping away the wet trails with the cuff of his sleeve.

Shaking her head slightly, she made a feeble attempt to be released from the fold of his arm. "N-Nothing's wrong. If you don't…it's alright. Goodni--"

He refused to let her go so ridden with misery. "Kaoru," he murmured, cutting her off before she can complete what she was saying. "Your tears always have meaning. Your sadness, especially this past few days…it hurts me that I don’t know what to do to make you feel better. Please, dearest…make me understand."

Her heart wrenched, and a bit of bitterness churned within her. She wanted to tell him that she longed for him, yearned for the touch he had taught her to miss, but she could not speak, she could not demand. What was one to do when the other half of the whole no longer sought the intimacy she so needed? It was almost anger that drove her to do what she did next. What she cannot say in words, she hoped to convey by action.

She grabbed him by the nape, pulling him down so her lips could take his. She meant for it to be quick, to make it seem like a mockery of her own desire, but before she can pull away, before she could even dare him to take a woman whom she though he considered to be used and stained, his hands were cupping her jaws, and his tongue was searching for the caress of hers.

Kenshin could not believe how quickly he had reacted, how bereft of reason his actions were, but it had been too much for him to resist. To be kissed by her in that manner freed him from every shred of control had been struggling to maintain. That single kiss snapped his restraint, and he had to have her, now.

Pulling her against him, he used his other hand to undo the band binding her hair. Silken ebony strands laced through his fingers and he clutched her by the back of her head while the jasmine scented locks emitted a perfume that heightened his senses.

Kaoru gave a moan, happiness mingling with relief. She had not expected this. It felt like begging for a morsel, then receiving a banquet in its stead. His mouth, melding with hers in such untamed wanting dispelled all her doubts of the past few days.

Their passion soared, the night growing warmer by the second, and it engulfed them in whole.

"Kaoru…" he sighed, half groan, half whimper. "I've wanted this…" he continued, planting heated kisses on her throat as he pulled the knot of her obi free. "But I was afraid you didn't…" He took deep draughts of air through his mouth, rasping his teeth against the soft skin of her neck.

She wanted to reproach him for being too considerate, to let loose a few mild expletives just to express how ridiculously wrong he had been, but passion was fast clouding cognitive thought, and all she could do was glide her hands through his hair and claim his lips again.

Her obi slid from her in a soft rustle, dropping to the floor at her feet, and as his hands slid beneath the fabric to loosen the embrace of her kimono, he lowered his lips to taste the hollows of her shoulder.

Gentle still, she thought, marveling at how he insisted on being the obliging lover in spite of the savageness she knew was aching to break through. It always had to be a delicately slow build up, going only as far as playing to coax her to her pinnacle, and she liked that, without a doubt. He had endeavored to do it so perfectly that perhaps he had convinced her that it was the only way to push her to the edge, but this time it was different. She had felt something more primitive in the kiss that began their love making tonight, and she wanted to unleash it.

She shrugged out of her kimono, leaving herself in her undergarment while Kenshin closed the distance between their lips yet again. She led them to her room, keeping their lips and tongues locked in unyielding fervor.

Once inside, Kaoru undertook to undo the ties that still bound his desires.

Kissing him deeply, she pulled him to her until her back was to the wall. He responded by pressing himself against her, trying to slip his hands beneath her silken undergarment, running his fingertips on the skin over her pelvic bone. She shuddered, but she was determined to set the pace. She knew he would go slow if she let him, but perhaps if she turned the tables, got him to want her unbearably enough to let blinding passion, instead of tender consideration, take over, she could show him she welcomed the wildness he craved.

She took a fist full of the fabric of his gi and yanked it out of the confines of his hakama. Sliding her hands against his muscled chest, then his arms, she pushed off his gi and sent it to the floor. Ever so delicately, she pushed him away, her eyes inviting yet commanding him to be patient.

Let's see if you can stand this sweet torture, Kenshin, she thought with an impish smile.

He kissed her again, trying to regain dominance over the situation, but cupping his jaw in her hand, she coaxed him away from her. He groaned, turning his attentions to the hand that was holding him at bay, kissing it heatedly and rasping his teeth against the heel of her palm. She let that same hand glide down his chest to his sash.

"My love…don't tease…" he pleaded, attempting to get closer to her.

"Hush," was all she said, taking hold of the hilt of his sakabatou and its scabbard.

Surprised, he kept still, breathing and waiting with silent anticipation at what she was going to do.

Carefully, she twisted the sword and scabbard so that its sharp edge would nestle against his sash, then slowly, she pulled the sakabatou partway from its sheath, slicing the ties of his hakama as she did so.

His hakama pooled at his feet, and his breath caught as she slammed the sakabatou back into its case. The catch made a metallic click, and Kenshin thought that was the end of it, but with a grace he had always known she possessed, she slid the clothed weapon to his shoulder. Reaching around him with her other hand, she took hold of the hilt, caging his neck in her arms. She stepped closer to him in the process, and tilting her head up, she caught his earlobe between her lips and sucked.

He closed his eyes at the pleasant sensations her ministrations were causing him to endure, and his body was screaming for him to take her.

Kenshin heard the rasp of metal against leather, and in a split heartbeat, his hair sprung loose from its bindings, sending his red locks in a cascade at his back. He felt her tongue on his neck as the sword was re-sheathed, then she pulled away again. She breathed sensuously through her parted lips as she held his gaze, hugging the sword to her chest and cleaving the fabric of her undergarment between her breasts.

How he wanted to sample her skin that very moment.

Kaoru turned to her dressing table, laying down the sakabatou with infinite care, aware that he was watching her with intense longing. Any second now…

She felt arms enfolding her body from behind her, and she sighed contentedly as she felt his hungry lips on her shoulder. She encouraged him, tilting her head to the side and sliding her hands along his arms. She breathed his name with yearning.

Something short of a growl rumbled in his throat and he pulled her undergarment from her urgently. She raised her arms in response to ease the passage of the clothing and then craned her neck to take a kiss from his lips. His kiss drank of her while his hands took to grasping her breasts.

Needing him to possess her with unfettered desire, she clasped one of his wrists in her hand and led it lower on her body.

Knowing what she wanted, his desire to give the only thing overcoming his urges to take, he stroked her core, his fingers untangling the threads that coiled around that moment of insanity he needed her to release.

She whimpered and fell against him, supported only by his arm around her waist. She closed her eyes and arched her neck, relishing his touch with her quickening breath.

Kenshin was breathing raggedly. He wanted to feel her around him so badly, and he did not know how long he could hold out. Her impassioned cries did nothing to ease his desire, and he found himself almost pleading for her gratification, so that he might share it with her sooner than he was wont to expect.

Her wail of fulfillment blanketed his senses, and he could only bring her to completion. When finally she had fully crested her peak, he immediately picked her up and laid her down on the futon, kissing her, needing her more intensely than he ever did before.

Kaoru moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and coaxing him on top of her. He settled himself on her, her breasts molding to his chest enticingly as she bent her legs to his sides. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered her desires. Glorifying the way he moved, recounting the awesome effects of him being inside her, pushing him to let go of the savageness, telling him how sometimes, she wanted him so badly that she would touch…

Kenshin succumbed to the madness. With her name on his lips, he entered her, and they both moaned at the pleasure of it.

He moved with fast and hard strokes, noting with satisfaction her cries of assent. He would only go as far as she let him, but this time, the limits he thought he knew so well were unfathomable. He closed his mouth over hers, their tongues battling furiously to match the torridness of their cadence.

She wrapped her legs around him, the shift causing an exquisite sensation to course through his body anew. He grit his teeth against his impending release, ordering himself to wait for her.

"My love…" he practically begged. "Give in to me."

His words, so poignant in its intentions, were enough to drive her to the momentary loss of lucidity they so wanted. Fires danced in her mind, binding her, almost burning her skin. Her senses shot up, cresting in an unbelievable arc. She screamed his name, feeling her ecstasy exploding through her entire body.

His eyes flashed, and he felt, rather than knew, that he wanted to give her more. His will, more powerful now than he could ever have imagined, fueled his capability to go on, relentless in the pursuit to please her, serve her.

Serve her…his eyes glinted amber, and there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to hear her again. To see her rise, and fall, within the power of his longing.

He pushed her up the futon, then lifted her until her back was to the wall.

Bereft of purchase, lost in the pleasure he so demandingly gave, she cried out for him to go on, to show her how far he was willing to go. And then it happened, inside her, within her, she felt and almost heard something so spellbinding that it raced through her veins with a roar.

Golden, blazing and soaring, bringing her to a world of fires…untamed spirits…and the dragon within him. Swirling around her, forcing her surrender, giving her no choice but to be prey to it.

It was blinding and wonderful.

His tongue sought her throat, his groans searing her senses as his thrusts pushed her over the chasm of bliss. She shrieked, welcoming the raging dementia of that glorified moment. Fire igniting in her very soul.

Her apparent gratification, coupled with the spasm of her core around him finally sent him spinning out of control. He filled her, feeling the full measure of his blessed madness as he called to her huskily through his haze, his shout of rapture echoing in its intensity.

Loved, wanted, cherished. That was what she felt, and it was all she needed to feel to soothe the battered emotions that had plagued her these days past. Legs entangled beneath the sheets, the closeness meant more to her than it ever did. She reprehended herself for her lack of trust. How can she even think he was capable of turning her away?

Kenshin looked at Kaoru's flushed face and they smiled at each other in tender satisfaction. He pulled her to him, running his hand against her moist back.

"Kenshin, you were wonderful," Kaoru said, tracing her finger against the scar of his cheek.

"You made it wonderful, Kaoru," he replied, caressing her hips and closing the distance of their lips.

When they parted, he stared lovingly into her blue pools.

"I missed those eyes, Kaoru," he whispered in a heartfelt tone.

"I'm sorry, Kenshin," she said guiltily. "I was being selfish. I should have trusted you."

He smiled gently. "Not selfish, my love, afraid, but yes, you should have trusted me. However, it is evident I have forgiven you, haven't I?"

She chuckled. "Yes Kenshin, and I will never doubt you again. In the morning, I have something to tell you."

Kenshin grinned mischievously and pulled her to him by draping her thigh over his hip. "Oh?" He drawled, catching her earlobe in his lips. "Why not tell me now, hmm?"

"Because…" she gasped, trying to gather her senses. "It's a little too complicated and it wouldn't do when we're having so much fun."

Kenshin began to lick her shoulder and run his hand against her thigh. "Fun…yes, loads of fun…"

Kaoru closed her eyes and smiled dreamily. "But…not that I'm complaining…but don't you need to recover first?"

He pushed his hips against her, her softness touching the evidence of his arousal. "Does it feel like I need to recover?" he rumbled against her throat.

"Oh Kenshin…" she breathed, rocking her hips slowly against his. "How do you…?"

"I love you, Kaoru," he murmured, already awash in heat. "I desire you. I could only hope to make you understand…"

He gazed briefly into her eyes, reading her own desires. Those pools of blue, shining, with reflections…merely reflections really…of amber…

She brought her head forward for a deep kiss, and they continued their love making through the night.

To be continued…

Author's Note: What did you think? I hope you thought that was nice. Did you understand how significant this love scene was? Well, if you didn't, that's okay. You'll know what I mean in the next chapter. The next one will be where the action, the final showdown, will be.

Japanese terms (Left out some of those already encountered before):

1. Oro - Kenshin's favorite expression of surprise, mild or otherwise. He only uses it in non-serious situations.
2. Gi - Samurai upper garment. Those things that look like robes and gives us a perfect view of Kenshin's sexy chest.
3. Hakama - Samurai pants. These things don't give us a perfect view of Kenshin's thighs because his gi gets in the way of the slits at the sides, but it does leave much to the imagination.