Sakura Maiden

a Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction by Haruka

A gentle breeze stirred the long grass by the riverside. It lifted
a long tendril of Kaoru's midnight-blue hair and blew it across the
bridge of her nose, tickling her. She yanked it off in annoyance. Most
tragic heroines would have their hair blow into their eyes, so they
could delicately brush it aside in a ladylike gesture. Was _that_ the
reason? she wondered. Could my lack of femininity be why he wasn't
interested?

Of course, she thought wryly, that would hardly explain who
he _did_ end up with.

Self-pity was unproductive, she knew that. So why couldn't
she do something other than sit by the water and feel sorry for herself? 
Idly, she picked up a fallen sakura petal and proceeded to tear it to tiny
bits.



That's pathetic, thought Megumi as she watched Kaoru from a
distance. It had been almost a week since Kenshin confessed his love
for another--the other being Sanosuke--and Kaoru was still moping
around. Yes, it had been a shock to them all, but there was such a
thing as getting on with one's life. Megumi headed toward the
younger girl determinedly.



Kaoru didn't notice Megumi's presence until the shadow fell
across the ruined sakura petal in her hand. She looked up into the
Face of Doom.

"What do you think you're doing, sitting here like the world
has come to an end? Do you think that will make him change his
mind?"

"He's made his choice," Kaoru snapped. "I can live with it."

"Do you call this living? I don't." Megumi knelt beside her.
"Ken-san wouldn't want you to pine away like this."

"I just don't understand _why_!" Kaoru declared. "Maybe I'm
not feminine and have a bad temper, but the same could be said for
Sanosuke! At least _I'm_ female! What is Kenshin thinking of?!"

"Probably what any of us think of in relationships," Megumi
fingered a blade of grass. "Love. Trust. Companionship. I don't see
where gender should make a difference where those things are
concerned."

"I could have given him those things," Kaoru grumbled.

Megumi smiled at her patiently. "Ken-san will always be your
friend, Kaoru. But he obviously needed a different sort of lover."

"So where does that leave me?" Kaoru pouted. "The only
other eligible man around here is Yahiko, and I don't think I'm that
desperate yet."

"Maybe you should think about expanding your horizons a
bit," Megumi suggested.

"You mean go _abroad_ to hunt down a husband? Who would
look after the dojo?"

Megumi laughed gently. "Actually, I was thinking something
else entirely."

Kaoru turned to ask her what she meant, but never got the
chance. Megumi's lips had pressed against her own in a soft, warm
kiss.

It was several long moments after Megumi sat back before
Kaoru could stop blinking in stunned silence.

"W...What was ?"

"That was a kiss, dear," Megumi answered promptly.

"B-But you ... and me ...."

"We're both women, yes."

Feeling more frustrated than shocked now, Kaoru tried one last
time, "Megumi! You can't just "

"I'm sorry for not asking permission first, my dear, but I
needed to wake you up." Megumi looked straight into Kaoru's blue
eyes. "You're a beautiful young woman with a lot to offer the right
person. Don't limit yourself to one gender, or you may miss out on
that special someone." She leaned forward and kissed Kaoru again.

Kaoru's first instinct was to shove Megumi away, but she
didn't. The kiss was ... nice. Soft and gentle, like the hand that
caressed her shoulder 

Huh?

"Don't be afraid," Megumi whispered in her ear, "I promise I
won't hurt you."

_Should_ she be afraid? Kaoru didn't know. There was
obviously very little that she _did_ know about stuff like this, or it
wouldn't have surprised her so much. Or maybe it would have, since
this was Megumi, after all. Megumi, the one who teased her for her
youth and inexperience in front of the boys, the one who scolded her
for not having enough guts, the one Sano called a sly fox.

Sano. The one who was welcome in Kenshin's bed.

Oh, that felt good. Megumi was kissing her neck.

"Kaoru," she murmured, "do you trust me?"

Did she? In the past, not always, but things had been good
between them for a while now. Megumi was like a big sister to her,
and even if this wasn't exactly sisterly behavior, Kaoru sensed she had
her best interests at heart.

"Yes," she answered firmly.

Megumi's hand slipped inside her kimono.

Kaoru drew a sharp breath. Never had another's hand touched
her breasts before, and even though it was over the cloth bindings, the
erotic sensation sent prickles over her skin. Megumi continued to kiss
her softly, encircling her with one arm while her other hand loosened
the bindings. Should I stop her? Kaoru wondered. Or should I help
her?

In the end, she did neither, but Megumi managed to remove the
cloth barrier without any assistance. She placed her hands on Kaoru's
shoulders and eased her kimono off to uncover them. Startled by her
sudden exposure, Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest. Megumi
smiled and gently pulled them away.

"You have no reason to hide yourself, love. You have a
beautiful body."

"Maybe so, but I don't want to show it off to the entire world!"
Kaoru argued.

Megumi looked around. "There's no one here, nor is anyone
likely to come by." She eyed Kaoru seriously. "Or do you just want
me to stop? Because I will if you tell me to."

Should she? A good girl would, Kaoru thought. A ladylike
creature such as her mother had been would never allow anyone much
less another woman to do such things to her.

But then, no one had ever accused her of being much like her
mother.

Megumi took Kaoru's averted gaze and slight shake of the
head as the consent it was.

Cool hands roamed over her breasts slowly, deliberately. They
squeezed gently as her mouth enjoyed another tender kiss. Megumi's
lips traveled over jawline to her throat, then down to mark the spot
between her soft mounds. She felt her own arms slip around Megumi
as the other woman kissed her right breast.

Realizing that Kaoru now wanted to do more than remain
motionless, Megumi reached a hand inside her own kimono and untied
the wrapping that bound her breasts. She took Kaoru's hand and drew
it against her bare flesh. The younger girl met her gaze in surprise.

"Feels differently when it's someone else, doesn't it?" Megumi
said with a smile. She trailed a fingertip around Kaoru's nipple. 
"Your skin is so soft. Like a sakura petal."

"You're warm ...." Kaoru murmured, her inexperienced fingers
tentatively moving against Megumi's left breast. It was probably a
stupid thing to say, she realized, not exactly complimentary or
encouraging ....

Megumi didn't seem to mind. She just kissed her again and
then resumed concentration on Kaoru's breasts.

Is it because she's a woman too that she knows what feels
good? Kaoru wondered. Megumi's full lips had begun kissing at the
base of her left breast, moving around it in a closing circle until all
that remained untouched was her nipple. Then Megumi's mouth
closed over that sensitive peak and Kaoru arched her back
involuntarily.

Megumi smiled inwardly at Kaoru's reaction. How sad that
this lovely girl with such obvious internal passion has been left
untended for so long! She spent several minutes working on Kaoru's
left nipple; suckling, licking, even nipping it lightly, before moving
over to tease the other one. Kaoru was breathing faster, one hand
pressed to her forehead while her other arm stayed firmly around
Megumi. Was she afraid the older girl would give up and leave? 
Don't worry, my sakura maiden, Megumi thought warmly. I'm not
going anywhere. She shed the remainder of her clothing and removed
what was left of Kaoru's before resuming the tending of her breasts.

Kaoru barely noticed and didn't much care that she was now
laying nude by the riverside. She'd never imagined such delight could
be found in the embrace of another person. She was glad she'd
allowed Megumi to continue her ministrations, whether rightly or
wrongly. Why shouldn't she enjoy life, maybe even love? Was it so
bad to _want_ to be loved?

Megumi placed a hand on Kaoru's right thigh, keeping it still
until she had time to get used to the sensation. As she began kissing
down from Kaoru's breasts to her stomach, her hand started gliding
upwards. Her other hand she used to stroke the left hip, a feeling
Kaoru obviously enjoyed from the pleasure-filled sigh she released.

Kaoru almost laughed out loud when Megumi teased her navel
with her tongue, but the touch of hands smoothing up and over her
thighs, then gently urging them apart stopped her. This was not a time
to giggle like a child. This was a time to savor with every nerve of her
love-starved body.

Megumi was still nuzzling her stomach when she felt gentle
fingers brush between her legs. They lingered for a moment over her
mound with its soft curls of midnight-blue hair, causing her to shiver
in anticipation. The left labia was taken carefully between two fingers
and rubbed in such a way that made Kaoru squirm. She could feel an
involuntary release of fluid that had to be coating Megumi's fingers
and she flushed with embarrassment. However, Megumi didn't seem
to mind at all. In fact, she lifted her moistened fingers to her lips and
delicately licked them, meeting Kaoru's wide eyes mischievously.

"You taste sweet, darling," she murmured. "But I want more."

Kaoru watched Megumi lower her head between her legs and
what she felt next made her gasp out loud. Megumi was lapping at her
vagina with her tongue. Tentatively at first, then with more
determination. She thoroughly cleaned the outer labia, then used her
fingertips to part them, gaining access to the vagina's depths.

Kaoru's hands dug furrows in the grass on either side of her
and she arched her hips as Megumi's tongue tickled her clitoris. How
cruel to be teased this way! Just when she was about to scream at
Megumi to hurry up, the older girl took the clit between her lips and
suckled it. Kaoru's mind went from total clarity to utter oblivion. She
couldn't form a coherent thought if she tried she couldn't even
remember _how_ to try. And as Megumi began delving her tongue
deep inside of her, Kaoru's only desire was that it would never end.

Megumi could tell that Kaoru was getting close by the way she
was writhing under her. She continued to lap inside of Kaoru as
deeply as she could reach, savoring her partner's first time as much as
she was. When Kaoru finally cried out, shuddering, Megumi ceased
what she was doing and moved up to where she could gather the
trembling girl into her arms.

"You did splendidly, love," she crooned softly into Kaoru's
ear, giving her a tender kiss on the lobe. "I hope now you can see that
there are others who can love you as well as or better than Kenshin
ever could."

Kaoru slowly raised her perspiring face. She leaned forward
and kissed Megumi, big blue eyes meeting hers with a twinkle.

"Kenshin who?"

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