Here And Now

by: MrFoshizzlePro

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki's wonderful mind. I do not own anything except for the idea that shaped this story.

Kaoru raced excitedly back to the Kamiya dojo as fast as her legs were able to carry her. She was exploding with more delight than she thought possible, and the wide smile and shining dark blue eyes showed the tremendous ecstasy within on the verge of bursting.

I can't believe it! She thought. The Kamiya dojo will be back on its feet in no time at all!

Upon opening the gate, Kaoru saw Kenshin gathering planks of wood and various tools into slim arms. He hadn't seemed to notice her, for he was prepared to walk away until he overheard her asking, "Huh? What are you doing with those?"

The red head turned to face her, his violet irises wide but his smile genuine as he recognized the speaker almost instantaneously. "Oh. Hello, Kaoru-dono! You appear to be awfully happy about something, that you do. Did something exciting happen on your way to town?"

The young kenjutsu instructor forgot her question for the time being, squealing in response and wrapping her arms tightly around Kenshin's neck, ignoring the bulge of his eyes and the exclaimed, "Oro!" that was forced from his windpipes.

"I can finally get this place up and running again!" Kaoru chirped. "Soon, the false Battousai fiasco will be put to an end, and the Kamiya dojo's reputation will be saved! My students will be able to come back!"

"That's... very good news... Kaoru-dono..." He managed to choke out before her arms constricted his throat again in another joyful hug.

"I've never felt happier in all my life," she murmured into his ear, resting her chin on his shoulder. "And it's all thanks to you, Kenshin."

Kenshin cocked his head in an attempt to see her face, failing to do so but breathing a sigh through upturned lips. "This unworthy one is glad that he has helped the Kamiya School regain its honor, that I am."

He didn't need to look at her face to know he had made her smile; the thought alone was all he needed to move along with his day.

As Kaoru hurried inside the house to cook a celebratory meal (she had decided it was an event worth celebrating), the red head went in the opposite direction toward the training hall, adjusting the wood and tools in a more comfortable position to make them easier to carry.

"I suppose I should be putting myself to use," he said to himself. "After all, with Kaoru-dono so happy, I don't believe dealing with such a chore as this will lighten her mood."

"Kenshin, lunch is ready!" Kaoru looked around expectantly for the rurouni to appear, but after a moment longer of standing and waiting she began to wonder. She had called out to him more than once and received no word back in return. Her hands squeezed together above her chest as she bit her lip contemplatively.

Where is he?

Then, as if on cue, Kaoru recalled seeing Kenshin carrying a bundle of wood and tools prior to her burst through the gate. In her haste to explain her good news to him, she had forgotten to question him about the objects in his possession. Quickly, she made a run for the training hall, calling his name all the while.

"Kenshin!"

"Oro?"

Rising into a sitting position, Kenshin gazed out behind himself to see what all the commotion was about. He wiped away any signs of sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his gi, craning his neck to get a better view of the courtyard. Kaoru came into his line of sight almost immediately. She was racing toward the training hall and shouting his name whenever she gained enough air in her lungs to do so.

Kenshin turned and stood to face her nearing figure. Suddenly, Kaoru was running faster than he'd ever seen her run before. He sweat dropped, squeaking, "Kaoru-dono?"

"Kenshin, there you are!" She exclaimed upon her hasty entry. "I was looking all over for you. Lunch is ready..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the floor. Kenshin, peering over his shoulder, smiled and said, "Ah, so it seems you've noticed what this unworthy one has been up to all morning, that you have."

Kaoru stared back at the red head in awkward silence, astounded. "You did all this by yourself?"

He nodded sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it's not finished yet," he replied. "There's still a lot that needs to be done before the floor is completely fixed. I'm still not even halfway through. Gohei's body combined with my Hiten Mitsurugi seems to have damaged the floor more than I originally thought."

Kaoru carefully moved toward the gaping hole, kneeling down by the edge to get a better look. A few planks of wood covered a small section of the cavity, but a large portion of it had not yet been dealt with. A hammer and stray nails lay to the farther side of the wreckage well within reach in case they were needed. Picking up the hammer, she twisted around to flash Kenshin a brief smile and asked, "After lunch is over, how about we work on finishing this together?"

A fleeting bout of hesitation passed over his face before vanishing in the wake of his smile. "Alright," he agreed, placing a hand over her shoulder. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a little help. Two heads are better than one, after all."

Author's Note: Whew. This took a lot of time to type out considering I'm not generally a fast typer like MrFoshizzlePro. Sorry. I probably should introduce myself to avoid confusion. I'm a friend of MrFoshizzlePro's merely here to upload this fanfic to his account as he instructed me to. He hasn't had the strength lately to type so he gave me a notebook filled with rough sketches of what he'd like to type out and asked me to do it for him. So, here I am only performing a small task for my best friend. I'd suspect he'd like to hear your thoughts on the story, so don't be shy! He'd really appreciate reading through them once he's fully recovered. Thanks for sparing some time to look into it! I don't know whether or not this should be continued or not, but I think he's leaving it up to you guys to decide.