Whee! Another oneshot from Shiin

Once again: This is rated M! You are warned. Thank you and have a nice day!

Enjoy!

Shiin

"Is everything ready?" The voice asked.

The other nodded his eyes on the girl who was fast asleep. "The spells have been put into place and the serum given. It'll take affect once she's awake."

"Will this really work?" The first asked hopefully.

"It should. The spells we've woven will attract him and snare him. Then all we have to do is kill her and he'll die as well and we'll be free of him once and for all."

"To be finally free of that demon," the first breathed. "Pity we have to kill her to go about doing it."

The second snorted," She has no one and nothing. She will not be missed. It's for the good of the village."

000

The world spun crazily as she opened her eyes.

What… where was she? Her thoughts felt slow and sluggish and she blinked several times in order to pull everything into focus. She became aware of a burning ache that seemed to be curling in the center of her and twisting. She doubled over and whimpered.

It didn't hurt not exactly…

She pushed herself to her feet and felt it recede somewhat as she moved.

'Keep moving then,' she thought. 'Keep moving and don't stop moving.'

She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

What had she been told? Her mind didn't seem to want to focus.

"Find the demon with red hair and gold eyes," the village elders words echoed in her mind. "Find him and then everything will fall into place."

"Find him," she murmured. Her body clenched and she bit back a moan. "Find him and…" she couldn't think anymore after that. The world began to spin once more and she fell to her knees as blackness overwhelmed her vision.

There was something cold against her forehead.

Kaoru opened her eyes and was glad to find that the world was no longer spinning. She found herself lying on a soft leather pallet with a blanket tossed over and tucked under her chin. There was a flicker of movement at the edge of her vision and she found herself staring into a concerned pair of violet eyes.

"You're awake," the voice was soft but distinctly male. Kaoru felt her body tighten. He had red hair she noted… the right shade but his eyes… they were not correct. The demon had golden eyes and the man before her was human.

Kaoru bit back a whimper.

The drug they had given her was demanding she pounce him and let him ravish her silly. It didn't care that he wasn't the one she was looking for. All it knew was that he was male and it wanted her to respond accordingly.

"Are you all right?" He reached to touch her and she jerked back. Can't touch… don't touch… I was taking all of her control not to jump him. She balled her hands into fists and dug her nails into the skin of her palms.

"I've got to go…" She took the cooling cloth off of her forehead noticing that her hands were shaking slightly. She pushed back the blanket and got to her feet ignoring the offer of a hand.

"You shouldn't getting up. You look really sick." He murmured.

"I'm fine," Kaoru shook her head. And she would be fine once she got out of his proximity.

"It's getting dark. What are you doing out in the woods at this time?" He asked softly.

Kaoru bit her tongue in an effort to focus. "I… have to meet someone. Thank you for helping me but I must go." She turned and fled before he could say anything else.

Kenshin watched her go his brow furrowed.

What was a young girl doing out at this time in her condition? She had been dosed with an aphrodisiac so potent that any male in a ten mile radius would be zoning in on the pheromones she was emitting.

He'd heard of villages doing something like that to any woman they caught living as a prostitute or committing adultery. They'd dose her with an aphrodisiac and then take turns raping her to teach her a lesson.

No, he shook his head. This wasn't the case. The girl's aura was untouched.

She said she was meeting someone… a lover? Perhaps she'd taken something in an effort to make their lovemaking more intense and inadvertently overdosed herself.

A flicker of gold shone in his eyes.

This was his forest and he couldn't just allow her to run around in the state she was in. She'd end up getting herself in a very precarious situation and the consequences would not be to her liking if she continued to stumble around as she was.

"I'll just keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble until she finds whoever she's looking for." He murmured and took off in the direction she'd left following her scent trail easily.

000

Kaoru's lip was bleeding but the pain kept the haze of lust at bay.

"Find him," the old bastards had said. "He'll come to you."

"Yeah well I've been wandering around for several hours already and I haven't found Battousai yet." She muttered under her breath. And once she did find him… well she didn't want to think about that. Bedding murderous demons was not high on her lists of "things she liked." That was when the old bastards had gotten the oh-so-smart idea of drugging her.

Thus Kaoru that was how Kaoru found herself stumbling around in the forest in the middle of the night looking for blood thirsty demons with the intent of (more or less willingly thanks to the damned drug) seducing them.

Oh yeah and once that was accomplished return to the village to be a sacrifice because the fun little spells they had woven into her would bind whoever she had sex with first and her death would cause his death.

Kaoru's life seriously sucked.

Had sucked since her father had died three years before leaving her an orphan.

No one who cared for her and nothing to bind her to the village. Which made her the perfect sacrifice because no one would mourn her death. If anything they'd rejoice because her death would cause Battousai's death and the forest would be safe once more.

Because demons that prowled around killing hapless villagers were a big no-no.

Kaoru choked back a cry as another wave of lust coursed through her.

'Dammit where are you.' She hissed. She wasn't looking forward to meeting and the things that would occur afterward but at least she wouldn't be throwing herself at poor hapless guys – like she had almost done when she'd encountered violet-eyes. What was his name?

She couldn't remember.

She didn't even know if she'd asked.

There was a snap ahead of her on the path and she looked up to see a rather big hulking demon standing in front of her.

Demon?

Check.

Red hair and golden eyes?

No check.

Not Battousai.

Oh hells, she thought. What do I need to do? Walk around waving a sign that says 'Looking for Battousai!'

The demon sniffed the air and smirked.

Kaoru felt the urge to turn tail and run. 'Stupid village-elders didn't even give me a dagger. Probably thought Battousai will kill me and oops kill himself in the process.' She grumbled.

"Sorry buster, you're not the demon I'm looking for." She began to back away slowly. No sudden moves and he hopefully won't feel the need to run after me or rape me though the pheromones I'm giving off are probably screaming 'Do me now!'

She was so going to have a nice long chat about the drugs those village bastards decided to put her on. She found herself taking a step forward and cursed. 'No dammit other way! The OTHER way!'

'Male!' Her hormones wailed. 'Lust! Male! Male! Luuust!' They insisted strongly.

'Wrong male!' She screeched back.

The demon stepped toward her and a whimper that had nothing to do with fear and a lot to do with lust worked its way up Kaoru's throat.

'Male…' Her hormones purred.

There was another snap of a twig behind her and Kaoru whirled around to see another demon leering at her.

She started to curse and gave her hormones a mental slap when they started to ponder what could be done with two that couldn't be done with one.

'Traitor!' She hissed at them.

'They're actually kind of cute in the hulking muscle-bound way.' They insisted.

Okay… Kaoru did some quick calculations.

How many demons could there possibly be in the forest? Sooner or later – sooner she hoped – Battousai would have to turn up. She continued to back away as the two demons advanced on her. Soon would be good! Soon would be very, very good!

The demons suddenly paused and cocked their heads in unison. Kaoru was having doubts about the brainpower they possessed. Her doubts were confirmed – they were a bunch of morons – when she caught a flicker of red out of the corner of her eye.

Battousai.

Oh she was never so happy to see a murdering bloodthirsty demon in her life.

It was Battousai wasn't it… red hair… gold eyes… short?

The elders had said nothing about him being short.

Kaoru giggled slightly hysterically.

Battousai – big (ok not so big), bad, terrorizing the village and causing the elders to tear their hair out in frustration – was short.

He tilted his head in her direction eyes narrowing as he caught her scent and the giggles disappeared.

'Yes I'm reeking of lust…' She grumbled. 'Which is entirely your fault… and that gi is really, really revealing….' She bit back a moan as another wave of lust crashed through her.

'Yes we've found him!" She snapped at her hormones. 'Now if he can get with disposing the other demons before I pounce him it'd be good since I am not an exhibitionist no matter how much drugs they've pumped into me!'

The other demons snarled and Kaoru found her attention pulled back to them – not for long though. 'Hmm… Battousai…muscle-bound meathead demons… Battousai… yep Battousai…" Her hormones decided.

'So glad we're in agreement,' Kaoru griped.

She was really, really hating been stared at like she was a piece of meat.

"Hello," she hissed at Battousai. "A little help here?"

Battousai arched an eyebrow, "you're asking for my help?"

"Yes." She snarled.

"Well that's a first for a human." He remarked.

"Oh good, I feel special." Kaoru dug her nails the palms of her hands fighting the urge to go up to him and… she slapped her hormones again.

'You know…' Her hormones pondered. 'He's really not that bad looking for a demon. If it wasn't for the whole killing thing… yeah we're doing him regardless…'

'SHUT UP!' Kaoru snapped. 'That is NOT getting me out of the current situation!'

'Well we have two options,' her hormones said sounding annoyingly reasonable. 'We can pounce him now. Or pounce him now. Heck we'll just pounce him now…' She was moving toward him without even realizing it.

One of the demons made a hissing sound as she moved away from him and the next thing Kaoru knew she was grabbed and held solidly against one of the idiot-demons chests.

Normally Kaoru would have screamed or kicked or hit.

Instead she found herself purring.

'Male…' her hormones cheered. 'Not Battousai, no but he's a male nonetheless.'

'No! Wrong male! WRONG MALE!' She screamed. Lust swamped her and she melted as the demon holding her nipped at the skin of her throat.

'You know,' she thought dimly. 'This is a really, really bad situation. He could be ripping my throat out right now but I can't do anything about it except go Yay he's male and he's touching me….'

The demon chuckled breath washing across her skin and she mewled faintly.

Kaoru could here Battousai growling faintly and she had the irrational urge – caused by the lust running through her veins at the moment – to stick her tongue out at him. You didn't react fast enough, too bad you lose.

The other demon snarled at the one holding her and she eyed him. You weren't fast enough either. Go bug off. You lose too.

Nyah.

Demon #2 advanced growling on the one holding her. The one holding her hissed showing off an impressive set of fangs.

Kaoru was set down none-too-gently on the ground as the demon holding her pulled out a sword – from where she really didn't want to know – and charged at Demon #2.

'You know any other situation it could almost be considered romantic. Two guys… demons fighting over her. The fact was that she would probably end up being raped later Yeah that puts a whole damper on the romance of the situation.'

She eyed the two demons appreciatively. Mmm… leather and muscles…

'Stop it!' She wailed. 'I feel dirty!' She whimpered. 'Once this damn drug wears off I am taking a LONG bath, preferably a cold one.'

'Oh look!' Her hormones perked up again. 'There's Battousai.'

'Lovely…' Kaoru replied absentmindedly still glancing at the two battling demons.

'Battousai….' Hormones drawled.

'Where?' Kaoru asked absentmindedly.

She suddenly found herself picked up. 'Oh there.' She purred.

"Hi," Kaoru beamed up at him. "Coming to help me now?"

Battousai grunted softly and she found herself being carried away from the two demons dealing death at one another.

She shook head trying to battle her way out of the lust-fog shrouding her mind. She tried to at least but failed miserably….

"Stop that," Battousai hissed as her hand slipped under his gi.

"Hmm… what?" Kaoru asked eyeing his throat.

"Stop it or I'm putting you down right now."

"Promise?" She asked brightly.

He glared at her.

She merely smiled.

"Mmm…" Kaoru buried her face in the crook of his neck. "You smell good."

Battousai dropped her and she yelped.

"What was that for?" She hissed.

He glared and hissed back at her.

Kaoru took a deep breath and tried to regain some control of herself.

"I'm not usually like this." She muttered.

"Oh," Battousai's eyebrows raised. "You don't go around running through forests and emitting pheromones so potent you're lucky you don't have a bull troll coming after you?"

"No!" Kaoru snapped. "I did something and this is my punishment for it."

"You're the town slut?" Battousai asked.

Kaoru snarled at him the urge to knock some teeth down his throat and pouncing him and kissing him silly.

'BAD HORMONES!'

'Can we get to the pouncing now…. Please?' They begged.

'You try convincing him.' She snapped.

'Okay… you start cooperating.' They replied.

'I am cooperating,' she insisted.

'Then why is there no pouncing going on?' They retorted.

Kaoru made a wordless noise of frustration.

Battousai was still eyeing her contemplatively.

'No I am not crazy. I'm just driven out of my mind with lust… Which you know if you were a good demon you'd help me out of this situation… since you're the reason I'm in it!'

"Stupid drugs," she snarled.

"Drugs?"

"Yes drugs," she snapped. "I don't go around pouncing every male in a twenty mile radius normally."

"You don't?" He asked dryly.

"No!" She snapped. "Stupid elders and their stupid plan."

"Plan?" Battousai cocked his head, looking suddenly interested.

Kaoru bit her tongue, "not saying anything."

"Oh really?" He murmured.

"Really. Most definitely." Kaoru nodded frantically.

The way he was looking at her would have made her run in the other direction had she not been drugged to the gills. As it were her hormones were now cheering the fact that he looked interested in her.

'He being interested in me will probably end up getting me killed before I get laid.'

Kaoru choked back a whimper as her body tightened.

It was getting worse. The drugs swimming in her bloodstream seemed to be getting stronger instead of lessening as time went on.

"Please," she murmured closing her eyes.

Her feet moved before she thought and she stepped toward him.

Battousai didn't move and his eyes looked wary.

'He doesn't get many human women throwing themselves at him.' Kaoru thought a bit hysterically. 'They're probably all running in the opposite direction screaming.'

Another wave of lust edged with pain, stronger than before crashed through her and her knees buckled.

She felt hands catch her and looked up to find Battousai looking down at her.

Her breath caught in her throat and she forcibly restrained herself from pouncing him.

"This… is… really… not fun…" She gritted out.

"No," Battousai said softly. "It doesn't appear to be."

Kaoru whimpered again and her body began to spasm.

"I feel like I'm coming apart," her voice was hoarse.

"Please…" Her body spasmed again and Kaoru tasted blood where she bit her lip.

Battousai hissed softly and Kaoru jerked again.

"Please… I wouldn't… ask…"

"I know you wouldn't." Battousai said. "But do you want this?"

Kaoru gave a hollow laugh, "I don't think I have a choice in the matter."

"You do. I'm not touching you without you saying that you want me to and not the drugs."

"Then…" Kaoru nodded. "Yes."

"As you wish," Battousai murmured.

He pulled her into his lap and Kaoru straddled him, the feel of his skin against hers, pushing some of the pain back and the shaking subsiding a tiny bit. Grasping her chin gently he brushed his mouth over hers. Kaoru made a faint hungry sound and nipped at his mouth.

She pushed his gi away from his chest and sighed softly as more skin was bared against her touch. Pulling her mouth away she nuzzled at the v-shaped hollow at the base of his throat.

Skin seemed to be the answer that and touch. The wave of lust receded and she could think somewhat clearly. Battousai's hand slipped underneath the hem of her shirt and she arched into him as his fingers ghosted along her side.

He undid the clasps holding her shirt closed and pulled it off of her. He cupped her breast gently and she sighed. The lust pulled back some more.

'Stupid thing,' she grumbled. 'You'd think it'd be getting worse but no it's getting better.'

Battousai nipped at her neck and she sighed for the first time in the entire day with no trace of lust evident. 'I can't do this to him. I mean yeah he's a murder and a demon but oh hells he did save my life and I can't just let him die with me. I can't kill him… indirectly yes, but I would be killing him.'

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled away.

"Stop… I can't do this." She twisted out of his grasp and put distance between the two of them, ignoring the lust that roared at her as she lost contact with Battousai.

'Shut up!' She snarled at it.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this…" She shook her head, not looking at him. The tremors started again and she grit her teeth as her body began to seize again. She snarled at Battousai as he pulled her back toward him and plopped her back into his lap. Touching him was making the spasms lessen and the lust to recede.

"I can't do this." She said softly.

"Can't or won't?" He murmured.

"Won't. Lust aside I do want you, which is really not a good thing for me since you're a demon and but hey you are really, really cute…" Kaoru 'slapped her hormones again and concentrated on being able to speak reasonably. "But I can't do it. I just can't."

"And the reason for that is?" Battousai arched an eyebrow and waited patiently.

"Theyputadeathspellonmeandifwehavesexyou'lldie.' Kaoru mumbled.

"Pardon?" Battousai asked.

Kaoru glared at him. "They. Put. A. Death. Spell. On. Me. And. If. We. Have. Sex. You'll. Die." She bit out.

Battousai's lips twitched as he suppressed a smile and she fought the urge to hit him.

"Don't you dare laugh! It's true." She seethed.

"Oh I believe you," Battousai though he still looked like he was going to laugh.

"They put a death-spell on me." Kaoru said softly.

"Mmm…" Battousai nuzzled at her neck and she squeaked. "I was wondering how you picked up that nasty little spell lurking in your aura."

Kaoru's eyes widened, "you knew?"

"They were about as unsubtle as could be. The spell is powerful though, I must admit."

"So you knew the whole entire time?" Kaoru asked.

"It was pretty obvious, if you looked." Battousai snorted.

"So I've failed I guess," Kaoru sighed.

"Why are you walking around with a death-spell triggered to me anyway?" Battousai cocked his head to the side.

"The elders want you dead obviously." Kaoru muttered.

. "Obviously," Battousai agreed. "But why?"

"Does terrorizing the village, killing people and in general causing complete and utter havoc to our and the villages around here ring a bell?" Kaoru asked.

"They better start treating the forest better," Battousai muttered.

"Pardon?" Kaoru asked blankly.

"Do you think I do all of that for fun – ok it is fun but I'm not doing it all for the entertainment factor." Battousai shook his head. "I have reasons behind what I do."

"Such as?" Kaoru asked.

"The hunters killing twelve deer and taking only some of the meat and leaving the rest to rot… Setting fire to trees because it amuses them… Not giving thanks to the gods for giving them what they need?"

"Oh…" Kaoru murmured.

It sounded reasonable enough for her.

"Plus I've always been fair. I've only killed the ones that desecrated the forest. I've never touched the women or the children and I've only burned down the villages in the summer or spring months and I've never touched the crops you grow."

Kaoru bit her lip, he was being reasonable. She felt some of the hate that had been molded into her slipping away as she recognized the truth of his words.

"But that still doesn't get rid of that death-spell you have on you." Battousai said.

Kaoru shook her head, "you can't get rid of it; and I'm not afraid to die."

"Do you want to die?" Battousai asked his voice low.

Kaoru shook her head, "I don't. But there's nothing left for me. My parents are dead. I have no one that cares for me. The only thing I have of value is my parent's house and the few acres of land it's on. I refuse to marry some man and bear his children so that they can take possession of what is my family's." She snorted sounding bitter. "Turning down my third 'suitor' in the past four months was what got me into this mess."

"Why don't you just leave?" Battousai murmured.

"I… I can't. I'm the ninth generation Kamiya living in the village. My family and ancestors are all buried here… I couldn't do it."

"You'd stay here and die, rather than leave and have a chance at living." The tone of his voice made Kaoru flinch.

"It sounds stupid I know," she said softly.

"I'll agree with you on that one," Battousai said dryly. Kaoru elbowed him in the stomach and he made a satisfying yelping noise.

"Besides… " she continued. "My going away from the village wouldn't lessen the death-spell. They'd just set it off once it became apparent I wasn't coming back and I'd be dead anyway."

Battousai growled softly. "I am going to have so much fun killing them. Painfully and slowly."

Kaoru blinked at him and found that oddly enough she wasn't scared of the bloodlust in his eyes. Perhaps it was because it wasn't directed at her. "And how are you going to do that when I can't move ten feet away from you at the present moment and they will just see me and set it off?"

Battousai grinned, "fighting with you attached to my hip would be interesting I must admit. But still that is a problem."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Kaoru asked.

Battousai eyed his gaze heated and hungry.

Kaoru blinked, 'oh shit did I just make an unintentional innuendo?'

"We…" he purred. "Are definitely going to do something about it."

Kaoru yelped and tried to scramble off of his lap but found his arms around her, pinning her against him.

"Did you not hear the part about having sex with me equals death to you?" She snapped.

"Oh I heard it," he grinned wolfishly. "But I am a demon and a bit harder to kill than you would think."

"A death-spell is a death spell," she argued.

"Mmm… true," he conceded lowering his head to place soft kisses along her neck and jaw line.

The lust that had been stewing quietly under wraps exploded at the touch of his mouth and Kaoru moaned, arching against him. She felt him smile and he captured her mouth tongue slipping between her lips to tangle with hers, kissing her breathless.

He shifted his grip on her, pulling her more firmly against his chest and Kaoru whimpered as the increased touch of skin against skin ignited the lust even more instead of sating it as it had previously done. He pulled his mouth away and lowered it to one of her breasts, nuzzling the soft skin and then taking the nipple into his mouth and teasing it into a peak. He did the same with the other one and then pulled her mouth down to his to kiss her again.

Kaoru writhed in his lap, electricity sizzling along her nerves darting under the skin wherever he touched her. It wasn't enough; she wanted more.

She pulled away from him and growled softly. "More," her voice was breathy.

Battousai raised an eyebrow, "what happened to the dying after sex part?"

"I'll die happy," she snapped.

His chuckle was low and masculine, sending shivers up her spine. "Then I intend to make you very happy."

Kaoru kissed him soundly, "you're talking too much." She muttered against his mouth.

He wanted to point out that he wasn't the one talking at the moment but decided against it.

He lowered her gently to the ground, hands roving over every inch of skin he could touch. Kaoru whimpered and he delighted in the little gasps and mewls she made just from him touching her. He undid the laces on her pants and she helpfully lifted her hips so he could slide them off of her.

"Clothes," she grumbled at him.

He looked at her.

"Not me! You!"

She sighed happily when he did get rid of the offending clothes. Battousai kissed her again and resumed where they had left off. His fingers trailed feather-light along her thigh and slipped into her. All it took was a few strokes and she came, screaming.

Kaoru was too sensitive from holding back the lust. Another time he would take it slow and gentle but not this time. And death-spell aside, he promised himself, he would have another time with her.

Another time.

"This is going to hurt you." He said softly.

Kaoru shook her head, "please…"

He kissed her, swallowing the cry of pain as he entered her. He wanted to wait for the pain to lessen but she moaned against him, lust goading her. Murmuring a soft apology he let the lust burning in her sweep over him and moments later they came together cries mingling.

He felt the spell set and spring at him and threw a ball of magic at it, trapping it effectively. Giving a short controlled blast he destroyed it.

There it couldn't harm him now.

But it was still attached to Kaoru's aura.

"Go to sleep," he murmured pressing a kiss against her forehead.

Kaoru gave a soft mumble of assent, snuggling against half-asleep; worn out from fighting and the previous activities.

He curled up around her and set to work removing the death-spell from her aura.

000

Kaoru came awake with a start. Her initial thoughts of fleeing vanished as she realized her current situation. Battousai had his arm thrown snugly around her waist and was holding her against him. The fact that he was using her shoulder as a pillow wasn't helping either.

Darn it, and here she'd been all set and ready to wake up and sneak away so she wouldn't have to face him in the morning. It'd be a lot easier if she left without having to face him and without having to imagine him (more than she already was) dead.

Instead she found herself being used as a pillow.

Somewhere the gods were laughing at her, she just knew it.

"Hells," she attempted to wiggle away and found his grip tightening on her and the next thing she knew she was hauled flush against him.

Kaoru eyed his neck and contemplated biting him.

No, he'd wake up and probably be amused by it and that would lead to other things she didn't want to think about….

"Gah," she grumbled. "Let go of me you oaf."

His response was to hold her tighter and snuggle against her once more.

Kaoru glared at him, "stop that! I refuse to believe you are still asleep."

A very convincing soft snore was his reply.

Kaoru glared and muttered some more.

"Bloody hell," she started looking around for a stick to smack him with.

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your perspective there were none to be found.

So Kaoru did the next best thing – she jabbed her elbow into his sternum.

He came awake with a satisfying 'oof' sound.

"Great you're awake," Kaoru said cheerily. "Now let go of me please!"

Battousai blinked at her sleepily and then released her. Kaoru scooted away from him and grabbed her clothes that she found flung here and there. She found his pants and threw them at him and turned around to dress.

He was looking at her with an amused expression when she turned back around but thankfully he was clothed at least. She glared at him and pulled her hair tie – which she had surprisingly not managed to lose – out of her hair and ran her fingers through her hair removing most of the twigs and leaves that had ended up tangled in there.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Battousai asked.

Kaoru glared at him, "not what you're thinking. Option A – is a definite no. Option B – running away is not valid either because I have no wish to suddenly drop dead out of the blue. So that leaves Option C – confronting them."

"That's an option," Battousai nodded.

Kaoru sighed, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

Battousai shook his head, "don't be."

Kaoru closed her eyes and cursed. "This would have been so much better if you were the evil murdering demon they made you out to be you know that?"

"Sorry to disappoint," his voice was almost too cheerful and she opened her eyes a little to give him a dark look.

"Shall we get going?" He asked.

"Sure, fine, go happily to your death," Kaoru muttered. "I think you have a screw loose."

His merely grinned in reply eyes glittering.

Kaoru shook her head, 'yup,' she confirmed mentally. 'stark raving mad. It's probably a good thing he is going to end up dead. Put him out of his misery.'

Raising her chin and squaring her shoulders she turned in the direction of the village, pointedly ignoring Battousai who was trailing behind her.

It took a good hour and a half to get back to the village. How long had she run the day before? Kaoru found she couldn't remember. Everything was a lost in a haze of lust-tainted memories and she found herself snarling. Oh she was going to make sure to slap the Head Elder for that little trick. That was the last time she let anyone near her with a syringe containing Insta-Lust. She kept ignoring Battousai operating under the – if 'I don't look or talk to him, he's not there,' mentality.

The village had been alerted that she was on her way back, presumably by scouts and when they arrived she found everyone had turned out to stare err… greet the two of them.

There was a murmur and several people stepped back as they recognized Battousai.

'Of course it's him.' Kaoru growled mentally. 'What did you think I'd just do the first demon that stumbled my way?'

'You almost did,' a little voice at the back of her mind said.

'Shut up,' Kaoru snapped at it.

Kaoru could see several of the white haired elders making their way through the crowd toward them. Battousai was regarding them with a bored expression on his face and Kaoru felt something in her stomach twist.

"So you did what we told you to," the oldest of the elders turned beady eyes on her and the way he looked at her made her feel dirty.

"I did what you told me to," she replied calmly.

"You did well," the elder's face split into a smile showing yellow stained teeth.

Kaoru closed her eyes. 'Just kill me and get it over with.' She thought. Opening her eyes she tried to smile at Battousai. "I'm sorry." She murmured.

Battousai shrugged nonchalantly. "I've lived a long life."

"And now you will live no more," the elder hissed. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Nothing happened.

Eyes widening he snapped them again.

And again.

"It's not working," Battousai sounded bored.

"I've activated it!" The elder screeched. "Why isn't it working?"

Battousai shrugged.

The elder gestured toward one of the villagers. "Kill him."

The villager he had selected paled but pulled a large knife from his belt. Squaring his shoulders he strode up to Battousai who was watching himi with disinterest and plunged the knife into his stomach.

Battousai barely blinked.

The man made a soft gasping sound and pulled the knife free.

The wound simply closed over as if it had never been there to begin with.

"Ouch," Battousai commented softly.

"Why aren't you DYING!" The elder's voice rose in pitch.

"Maybe because I destroyed your little death spell?" Battousai asked.

The elder blanched.

"It was actually quite amusing. You came up with a decent plan - for once. Had the spell just been directed at me I would probably let you live because amusements are few and far between for my kind." His eyes flashed looking at Kaoru and she met his gaze hating the blush on her face.

"However you decided to involve an innocent girl and that is unacceptable. So..." A cruel smile touched his mouth. "You are all going to die now."

The elder made a soft squeaking noise and tried to back away.

Too late.

Battousai was there and the smell of blood filled the air as the elder fell to the ground in pieces.

Screams cut through the air as the people attempted to flee.

Kaoru stood rooted to the spot her eyes on Battousai. There was no enjoyment in his face, no love of the killing he was doing. She noted that the only ones that fell to his claws were the men that had helped orchestrate the plan. The woman and children were untouched and the houses were left standing.

Finished, he turned away from them and strode back to Kaoru.

She watched him approach her emotions tangled. Anger at the villagers for what they had done; sorrow for the death. A sour note or pleasure that they were gone and could no longer hurt anyone. And something else... she couldn't put her finger on it but she knew it had a lot to do with the demon standing before her.

"Get your things," he murmured softly.

"I have nothing left." She replied.

"Then we will leave now." He said.

"I…" She bit her lip.

"They would kill you if you stayed here." His voice was soft. "Do you wish to die? They will kill you if I leave."

"No!" Kaoru shook her head. "It's just… it's my home."

"I know," he said simply.

She cast another look at the village around, "everything that has ever mattered to me is here. My parents are buried here."

"Come," Battousai voice was low and he made it soothing. "You will not be alone."

Kaoru shook her head, her eyes sparking. "Why me? Why do you want me? You don't even know me!"

"And I won't be able to unless you give me the chance," he countered smoothly. "As for why…" He stepped closer to her and Kaoru balled her fists refusing to move away.

"Because your intentions were good," his mouth quirked. "Saving your village from an evil demon… Because you were willing to sacrifice yourself for people who cared nothing for you with no malice in your heart, and because when you were confronted with truth you recognized it for what it was."

He dipped his head, mouth brushing against her neck. "And perhaps it's the ways your eyes spark when you're angry and the way you growl and make hissing noises when you're upset."

Kaoru jerked away glaring.

He laughed softly, "and those glares of yours are particularly endearing."

Kaoru stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed some more.

"Come," he repeated.

Kaoru took a deep breath. Come with him and live or stay here and die. The choice was an easy one but it was hard to make. Closing her eyes she let out the breath she'd been holding and nodded.

Battousai smiled and pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek. "We'll leave now then and make a good start before nightfall."

Kaoru nodded and disappeared into her house to come back with a small leather sack containing clothes and a few other mementos. Battousai had meanwhile been raiding the storage for foodstuffs to take with them.

"We'll leave and visit some friends of mine," Battousai was particularly interested in what Kaoru would make of a little sprite by the name of Misao. If he knew Misao – which he did – the two of them would hit it off instantly.

"Friends?" Kaoru asked.

"Mmm… other demons like me." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye judging her reaction.

"As long as they are like you and not the other demons I've met." Kaoru shuddered remembering the two hulking ones who had been intent on raping her.

"They are," Battousai assured her.

They walked until the sun came down and Battousai built a fire. Kaoru was pleasantly surprised to find he was a good cook.

He was good at other things too he proved later.

Very good, Kaoru amended as she twisted a lock of his hair between her fingers listening to him sleep alongside her. 'So this was her new life,' she mused. 'Traveling with a demon and among other things involving him.'

Well at least she could no longer say that her life was boring.

'But the next time someone comes near me with a syringe of Insta-Lust I'm running twenty miles and not stopping.' She thought.

By all appearances that would never happen. Kaoru closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Battousai dreaming of the future.