Hi! This is my new fic.

It's going to be short maybe only 15 chapters.

I rushed a little into publishing it without a scrutinizing revise, but please, be patient with me.

Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1 – Powerless

Kaoru sighed. It had been a nice morning. Kenshin had decided they should take a walk together, and they spent all morning talking as they walked around town.

Kaoru had a feeling that he decided to invite her because he had something he wanted to tell her, but as for now, Kenshin didn't say a word about it.

These last days had been peaceful as never before and Kaoru felt glad. Enough of those stupid enemies along with their stupid revenges… Kenshin needed to rest and enjoy a normal life like he never did before, and she was happy that he was succeeding.

As they passed the river, a memory filled her mind. The moment they came back to the dojo, after Shishio's fight, in that same spot she told him that for her he was a part of her family, and the dojo was his house. I am home. – she remembered his response with a smile.

Apparently he was remembering the same moment, because he stop walking and turned to her.

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Kenshin thoughts

I don't know how I can thank her for all the things she did for me…. I am a brand new person at her side. Kaoru made me believe that I can leave my past behind and move on with my life… Her determination, strength and care, made me love her in such a way… I had never felt this for anyone else… Sometimes I find myself thinking how amazing it could have been… if I just met her before… before of all the blood spilling and killing… She would probably change all my life… and then, I wouldn't have anything to feel regretful for… I need to tell her… Kaoru-dono needs to know how I feel about her… she deserves to know…

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"I just wished this peace to stay…" – she said out of the blue – "Our family seems to be so happy… Yahiko is growing strong, Sanosuke seems to be finding his own way in this new job, and as for you Kenshin…I think that no one else his coming for revenge anymore Kenshin…" – she smiled at the idea.

Kenshin came close to her: "I am getting used to this piece."

She nod: "Things will stay the same, you will see." – Kaoru bent and picked up a small flower from between the grass… "Finally my family is together forever…"

"It won't be like this forever Kaoru-dono." – he said hating himself for destroying the happiness on her face.

Her smile vanished: "What do you mean?"

He lowered his head: "Eventually people will move on with their lives, and maybe they will disappear from yours. They will always be your family. But they won't be here forever. At first it will hurt you, but that's the course of live, and there is nothing you can do to change it."

Her eyes were distant for a while. She knew he was saying the truth. It had already happened with Megumi, when she moved to other city. It maybe it was just a question of time until the other inhabitants of the dojo followed her example. But… was Kenshin talking about others or was he reffering at himself too? "I just wanted to be… be your side forever."- she said almost as a whisper. Her words would go unnoticed at anyone's ears but not to his. Noticing that she blushed: "I am sorry, but…" – she rushed beside him: "We have to get back to the dojo." – But Kenshin's hand holding her arm stopped her. His hand lowered to her wrist and then to her hand, but Kaoru didn't turned her face to him, she was too embarrassed. "I will never leave you alone." If he was asking for a moment to say his feelings out loud, this was it, her small indiscretion was everything he needed to tell her how much he cared. His left hand reached her faced and Kaoru turned slowly following his hand. "You are my only family Kaoru." – It was the first time he didn't used the honorific to refer to her. Kenshin used both of his hands to hold her face: "Even if everyone else goes away … making their own paths." – his eyes focused on her deep blue ones: "I'll stay by your side because you are my path."

Kaoru couldn't believe on what she was hearing. She longed to hear this words for so many years… "Kenshin…" – her voice faltered with emotion. This seemed a dream: "Do you promise to stay forever?"

He nod. "I do." – he placed a strand of her hair behind her ear: "I love you Kaoru." – he ahd imagined that conversation on his mind over and over again, but when words became real, everything seemed different.

Her eyes filled with tears of joy: "Do you?" – it was everything so good that Kaoru was doubting that it could be real.

He smiled: "Yes Kaoru… I love you." – his face got close to hers: "Like I never loved anyone else before." – he said before kissing her tenderly.

Kissing her lips had a surprising effect on him. That touch was so unique so divine that he just didn't wanted to stop. He wanted to kiss those lips eternally. Only when Kaoru stepped back gasping for air he noticed how long that kiss was. "I am sorry."

She took a while to get her together: "No…" – her hand touched his chest: "I am the one who asks for sorry… " – and then she blushed even more (if that was possible) "It's lack of practice, I think."

Kenshin laughed soundly but he didn't wanted her to think he was playing with her innocence. So, he grabbed her by the waist and embrace her tightly. "I think I can take care of that." – he said, kissing her again. Kaoru's hands were around his neck enjoying this new "intimacy" between them. This was a dream…No, this was way better than any dream she had ever had.

When their lips split from each other, Kenshin caressed her face and asked: "Lets go home, and tell our friends the news."

Kaoru's eyebrow lifted: "The news?" – she wasn't going to tell Sano and Yahiko that they kissed, that was private… not something to be shared.

"Oh… I forgot." – his hand flew to his head. How could I forgot this? How could I forgt the ring at home? "I… I have something for you at home. Which I was suppose to bring with me today, but I forgot." – Kaoru blinked. He was acting weird. Kenshin looked around and then he kneeled and plucked a small red flower from the grass. Then he walked back to her: "I will have to improvise."

Kaoru blinked again as Kenshin looked at the flower and then to her again: "Kamyia Kaoru, do you accept to marry this humble wanderer?"

Kaoru petrified. Marry? She had to pinch herself to prove her ears weren't fooling her. This was being so good…They just kissed for the first time, and now he was proposing to her?

Facing her silence Kenshin wandered if he had rushed things: "Kaoru… I am sorry… Do you think I am acting too forward?" – he asked afraid of the answer.

She blinked lots of times before answering: "Soon?" – she took the flower from his hands and shook her head: "No…. I mean… Yes." – she was still in shock with all this news.

Kenshin tried to hide the pain of rejection: "You're right… This was too much for one day."

She lifted her eyebrow and both her hands flew to her hips in a defiant position: "You ask me to marry and now your saying it is too soon?"

Kenshin swallowed hard: "No… You said that not me." He said confused.

"No! You got it all wrong! I said: No It wasn't soon! And I also said: Yes! I accept to marry you!"

"Really?" – her answer made his eyes glint with hope. She approached him and placed her arms around his neck again: "I love you Kenshin."

As he holds her close, Kenshin inhaled the sweet scent of jasmine that her hair had. Finally he was going to know how it felt to leave in piece…

Kaoru, with her head against his chest, could hear his heart beat. He was calm. But… was he smilling? Doubt filled her heart. Of course Kenshin smiled like any other people, it was just, when he did it, there was always a shadow behind that smile. A shadow that showed that he had never forget the misery his past caused him. Was she able to make him smile genuinely?

This was fascinating. For years Kenshin hide his feelings for her just for her protection. He watched cook, train, sleep… and there were times when he just desired to grab her, kiss her, lay her on the floor, take her clothes and…And All stopped there, because that was the moment he walked away before the thoughts would led him to act. But now, that they were so close like this, his thoughts gained strength and he was afraid he didn't had enough power to resist anymore. "We have to set a date for the wedding." – he said kissing her head.

She looked up: "Yes. Do you have any specific date in mind? You know it takes a while to organize everything for the ceremony… Do you plan to marry how long after Misao and Aoshi?"

"But it's still a month for their wedding!" – Kenshin's tone showed discontentment thinking about the waiting. Kaoru stepped back: "You want to marry before them?" – she asked suspiciously. Kenshin sighed and his hands rubbed her arms: "I am tired of waiting." – he answered.

"Waiting?" – Kaoru was now more suspicious than ever – "What do you mean?"

He bit his lip, his words would reveal more than what he wanted: "I am sorry, you're right… Less than a month it's a small period of time to organize the wedding the invitations… And the wedding dress… I am anxious to see you in your wedding dress."

"Kenshin what did you mean when you said that you were tired of waiting?" – she insisted knowing he trying to avoid the subject.

He sighed in exasperation: "If I tell you, You will think bad things about me."

"If you're going to be my husband, you have to tell me everything." – Kaoru shook her head: "And, Kenshin, I know you! You're the kindest person in the world… Why would I think badly of you?"

Kenshin knew her, and she was stubborn enough not to walk home, if he dind't tell her what she wanted to hear: "During all this time… sometimes, it was difficult to me to behave when I was by your side."

"Behave? I am not understanding."

He sighed in desperation trying to find a "decent" way to put things: "For example…" – he started: "Sometimes when I saw you after your bath, when you are wearing that white robe… and you know… it gets a little transparent when you dress it when your body is still wet."

Kaoru blushed and Kenshin added as fast as he could: "Don't think bad of me!"

"I never noticed it gets transparent…"- she said embarrassed.

Mainly when the water drops from your hair wet the chest area…"Or when you were treating some of my wounds… the touch of your hands on my body… It made me want more…"

Kaoru wasn't getting the point: "More?"

"Yes, I wanted your touch, I longed for it, so much that it was difficult for me to control this impulses…"Kenshin felt awkward explaining this to her, but, she was innocent in what comes to this subjects and he knew she was still far from the truth yet: "Kaoru, sometimes I wanted to treat you like my wife, ok? I desire you!"

"Oh!" – her hand flew to her mouth in realization. She wanted to laugh at the explanations he had to gave her… "I am sorry, I wasn't understanding."

Kenshin laughed too leaving feelings like embarrassment behind: "I has been a hard fight." – then he punched his chest proudly: "But until now, I was well succeeded." – he looked at her intently: "But now, it's going to become more and more difficult, and I would never forgive myself If I did something disrespectful to you."

Kaoru felt flattered with his words. It was good to know she wasn't the only one with that kind of thoughs on her mind. Yes, she did think of him that way too, but Kenshin was always so straitlaced that she never realized he could felt the same way around her. "Do you think you can wait two weeks?"

He nod: "Yes… Is it enough time for you to arrange things?"

"Just need to tell Megumi and Misao because they have to make arrangements for the ride." – she said.

"Are you sure you don't mind that everything is happening so fast?" – he insisted knowing that as a woman some details would be important to her.

Kaoru took a deep breath and then she looked at him in the eye: "Good things are always welcome… The faster they come… The better."

Once again he grabbed on his arms and kissed her lips slowly. Two weeks from now, she was going to become Miss Himura Kaoru. The dojo would throw a party like never before. As soon as his lips split he leaned his head on hers and said: "This are going to be the two longest weeks of my life, Kaoru."

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Two people stopped in front of the dojo's gates. For one of them that place was familiar. He had been there before. But for the other it was the first time there.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" – he asked the woman on his side. Time had passed and she was older, but not less beautiful. To him, she would always be the most beautifull woman in the world.

Her small lips opened to answer: "I need to."

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Whoever watched pass by, him with his arm around her shoulders, laughing with contentment would immediately notice the feelings that surrounded them.

"I don't believe that you used to tell that to your father!" – he said

"I just wanted to piss him off." She confessed – "I knew he always wanted to have another child. A boy. He was worried about the future of the dojo. And for him, the only way to assure that, was to marry me with someone that would take care of the Kamyia style and maintain the school working. But, as I didn't wanted anyone to take care of me, I used to say I would never marry anyone and I would never ever have kids!"

Kenshin tried to picture a small version of Kaoru arguing with her father. But then a doubt came to his mind: "Do you still think that way?"

Kaoru stopped walking: "No Kenshin." – she shook her head and smiled – "I would love to have a child with you."

The samurai felt invaded by an enormous happiness hearing her sincere answer. A child, a mix of both of them…. He never thought of that before because life never gave him that opportunity… but now… Everything seemed different.

"Sorry!" – a young man wearing strange glasses approached: "Do you mind If I take a picture of you two?"

"Picture?" – Kaoru remembered the only picture she had of her and her friends. It was taken after their first trip on a train. "But… we don't have money."

The young man smiled: "I didn't asked for money." – he showed the machine on his hand: "You see… I am learning to work with this new machines, so I ask people to be my "guinea pigs"… The pictures are for free of course."

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin: "If that's so, go ahead!" – He end up saying.

He asked them to hold hands and smile, and after a few seconds… voilá! At first Kaoru thought it was a joke. No picture could be that fast. Only when the photographer handed her the photo she believed. "It's awesome." – she said.

"Thanks." – he scratch the back of his head – "It's far from being professional… but I am still learning."

"I think you'll have a great future as a photographer." – Kenshin conclude staring at the picture on Kaoru's hands.

"The models helped."- he said. Then, he picked up all the equipment and told them where they could find him if they wanted more photos. Kenshin and Kaoru thanked and start walking to the dojo again.

"It was a Nice boy…" – she said looking again at the picture.

"Humm..Humm." – Kenshin answered.

"Kenshin, What do you have for me at home?" – she asked reminding the conversation they were having before his proposal.

He made a mysterious look: "It's a Surprise."

She tried to make him talk, but, as they were already on the dojo, and Yahiko was outside she decided it was better to behave.

As soon as her student saw them he started running towards them.

"What's happening?" – Kenshin noticed immediately, by the look on Yahiko's eyes, that something was wrong.

He stared at Kenshin and then to Kaoru. He wanted to say something, but at the same time he knew if did it so, he would destroy Kaoru's happiness. "There's a person on the dojo."

"Let's go." – Kenshin assumed it was another enemy and rushed to the dojo.

Seems like we assume that peace had come, just a little to soon.

As soon as he walked inside the dojo he petrified. I couldn't be. Was he having a vision? It was impossible. The woman in front of him smiled. What was that? Some kind of sick joke?

Still unsure if it was a hallucination or reality, Kenshin opened his mouth to pronounce the name of the person he was seeing. The woman he thought dead ten years ago:

"Tomoe?!"

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So, what do you think?

Hope to hear it from you!

Till next chapter!

Kisses