Acceptance

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Disclaimer: I don't, under any circumstances, own Rurouni Kenshin.

Please forgive any mistakes you can find—it's un-beta-ed.

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"Kaoru-dono... will you watch it over with me?"

He didn't know what compelled him to say that to her, this slip of a girl—no, a woman, he corrected himself—who had genuinely accepted him as he was, providing a home to a wanderer and former man slayer, and gave her mere fallen leaf instead of a bouquet of flowers. Well, probably he did. He had, for the very first time after a long, gruesome past he'd been through, finally able to see the sky, the sun, and the rainbow after the storm after he chose to stay at the Kamiya dojo. Living with Tomoe, regardless of his own reluctance to compare his former wife to Kaoru, had promised him of something normal, a time when he could breath a bit easier with someone to come home to—albeit he had known in the very back of his mind, that Tomoe's appearance at that fateful night was no coincidence. Call it a warrior's instinct; he had been aware that Tomoe would bring him trouble in the future. It was thanks to his lessons under Shishou's training: Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer that made him bring her with him to the inn.

Tomoe was once his enemy, too. He watched her when she slept, not because she was beautiful, but rather because he didn't trust her. He waited for the attack that was sure to come—but after months living together, along with her careful, gentle approach, he had let himself relaxed. He opened up to her, learned to care for her, and eventually, they fell in love with each other.

It was the start of his downfall—

Or, he smiled inwardly, the thawing of his frozen heart.

She died in his arms, by his own hands and sword. Her smile as she looked up at him and reached out to slash his cheek with her tanto. Her farewell, muffled by the blood in her mouth. Her confession of love to him. And snow... so much snow, tainted by the blood of his enemies and hers.

"Huh?"

Kaoru's confused voice shook him out of his wandering mind. He stared at her face: perplexed—a great deal of it—and, dare he say, a slight longing in her eyes. Kenshin bit back a chuckle. She is still very young, that she is, the redhead realized belatedly. He should have had a bit of restraint on the first place. Still, he couldn't very well take his words back... no, not after he had almost lost her to death right before his eyes.

He was serious about his feelings. He loved her, and he had a slight suspicion that it was way deeper than love. He had loved Tomoe, but this love of his for Kaoru was different. Before, it was a soft thrumming of his heart and a foreign yet comfortable warmth when Tomoe gave him her rare smile, born in the midst of chaos and blood. Yet, now... it was raw, it was selfish, it was so fast—faster than his and Soujiro's speed combined—to develop, and more importantly, it gave him life; never he'd experienced so many feelings at once. She had made him truly alive. She had no idea how hard it had been for him to say goodbye, to profess his love for her in a roundabout way, and refrained from kissing her, begging her to stop him thus he wouldn't leave and stay with her. His sense of responsibility stopped him, however, and he walked away with a heavy heart.

Kaoru stared at him, unmoving. He could see her mind tried to grasp what he wanted to say to her. But, as he was raised by a man of action like Hiko Seijuuro,it was only normal if Kenshin had an affinity to do the very same thing as he grew up to the man he was now. All he could do was wait (no matter how long it'd take), and act accordingly to her answer.

Her students chose that time to come out of the dojo, yet the two ignored them. One was too busy to understand him, the other one was full of hope, longing, and a promise of the future for them both.

A gust of autumn wind breezed by, ruffling his bangs and hers. Momiji leaves fluttered down to the ground between them. They stood still; Kenshin smiling his soft, small smile and she, with a blank expression. Even when her students bid their farewell, Kaoru didn't move to acknowledge them. Not even when Yahiko left to take his bath.

The moment was broken when Kaoru's gaze strayed upon the leaf in her hand. She rubbed it with her thumb and forefinger gently, not paying him a bit of her attention.

Her soft giggle surprised him in a very pleasant way. She finally looked at him, eyes sparkling, and said, "Silly Kenshin. Of course I'll do it—I will never leave you fighting alone, ever." She smiled at him beatifically—and in that moment he was tempted to grab her and kiss her senseless.

Not now, his conscience reminded fiercely, She's too young to accept all of my—

She raised the orange-red leaf to her supple lips and kissed it, eyes bashful, still setting her gaze upon him.

—or perhaps not, Kenshin's hazy mind retorted. He walked calmly towards her—how he had managed it with the sudden surge of desire within was beyond him—and slowly, very slowly, lifted his hand and tucked the stray strands of ebony hair behind her ear. His smile widened as he saw the tips of her ears pinked prettily.

"Kenshin?" she asked softly, nervous at his close proximity.

He chuckled quietly, leaning away slightly to give her space. "This one should start cooking lunch." When she nodded, he then added, "Will you help him?" I want to spend more time with you, Kenshin wanted to say.

She bit her lip. "Are you sure? You know I can't cook to save my life. I'll only ruin your cooking," she said sulkily.

He smiled, and offered her his hand. Peering at him under her thick eyelashes, she slowly nodded and placed her hand on his: her second acceptance of his affection.

"This one will teach you," he offered. And many things to come, he promised inwardly.

She gave him a shy smile as she squeezed his hand gently. "Okay."

You don't have a destination in mind, ne, Rurouni?

No, this one already has it—you. Always you, Kaoru-dono.

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Because the movies are awesome and I'll watch it again and again and Kenshin and Kaoru have this silent communication with their eyes I can't even—my feels, my fangirl heart, be still. THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO MAKES RUROUNI KENSHIN HAPPEN AND PRETTY PLEASE MAKE DADDY KENSHIN REAL TOO! (Oh, and keep the hair long too when you go with it, okay?)

Thanks for reading, by the way!—dee