**Discalimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I would never be able to come up with those remarkably romantic/angsty tales that I have fallen in love with.
*Note: I wrote this fic for another reason other than just K/K fluff. I did it after learning the situation of someone I know and after remembering an insecure friend I once had. Flames are accepted, I don't care if you hate it. I just want you to read this and get my message. An also, this is based on manga timeline, not anime timeline like pretty much all of my other RK fics.
"what little speech there is will be surrounded in double quotes"
the few thoughts there are and anything written will be in italics
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Dedicated to two people who… just need to find themselves right now. To one, I hope you know who you are and I hope you settle your situation and get on with you life. To the other, if you ever stumble onto this site and happen to find this fic, I hope you understand.
Also dedicated to anyone out there who no longer find the joy in life.
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"So… you figure it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at you pity party? It takes a really big man to sit around and cry… you brat! YOU BIG BABY!!"
-Naruto
"What's the point in living if you never really live?"
-Alaine Zermeno
"The will to live is strong, stronger than anything…"
-Kenshin Himura
Live Life
Kaoru had gone to the nearby dojo to teach, bringing Yahiko with her. They had been gone for about half an hour now. Kenshin, finished with the laundry, began to clean individual rooms. He finished his own room quickly, everything was neat as always. Yahiko's room was more of a challenge. His futon and blankets were in disarray and his few other belongings were strewn around the room. After organizing what was there and folding the futon, he moved on to the training hall. The rurouni absorbed himself in the monotonous back and forth movement as he ran across the floor with a wet rag in front of his hands. By that time, the dojo grounds were neat and tidy, except for one room. Kaoru.
He slowly walked to her room, trying to convince himself that it was only to clean her room and nothing else. His hand slowly pushed the shoji open and he nervously stepped inside. I'm here to clean her room and nothing more. But why am I so uneasy about this? Her room was actually very neat. Nothing much needed to be done. But just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye. The corner of a piece of paper peaked out from under her folded futon. Curiosity overcame what was proper, which was to leave it alone and forget about it. He knelt down and carefully slid it out. It was a poem.
You have so much
Yet you heart finds no piece
You deprive yourself of joy
Atonement seems to be
The only answer
When you can do more
Let go of your pain, your guilt
Live life
He read the lines again and again, soaking every word. The message was clear. There was no doubt who wrote it now; the kanji for 'tanuki' was written in the bottom corner. He was going to replace it under the futon, when he saw something written on the back.
To my rurouni
He didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him, or the suppressed gasp when he had been seen with that little piece of paper that meant so much. She knelt down to him.
"Gomen nasai, I-I didn't mean to leave it out," she stammered. She leaned her head on his back and rested her hand on his shoulder.
"Wakatta de gozaru, Kaoru." He took her hand in his.
Kenjutsu instructor and former rurouni sat beside each other, and read that small piece of paper one last time.
**A/N: well this was much much shorter than what I had expected. The poem was pretty lame too. I wrote it to apply to the people mentioned in the dedication, but when I tried to Kenshin-ize it, it ruined the message I was trying to get across. I still hope you get what I wanted you to get out of it, even though it was short and pointless. The poem will also be posted under My RK Poetry. Plot probably from a fic where Kenshin is cleaning Kaoru's room and finds her teddy bear (check it out on TFME) Next updates: The True Emperor, Chapter 2 and *new* Stars in the Night Sky. Arigatou to SamuraiX Koneko for beta-reading and to you all for reading.
gomen nasai- I'm very sorry
wakatta de gozaru- kenshin's way of saying "I understand"
kenjutsu- swordsmanship
rurouni- wanderer, but you knew that