**This is just a little piece I wrote. It's not really going anywhere, just a bit of reflection. And, of course, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
Koishii
I lay still holding Kaoru close to me as I stared up at the ceiling. We had finished making love not long ago. It was our first time together so it was indeed very special. I'm still overwhelmed by the passionate love I feel for this woman.
"Kami-sama," I thought, "please don't take this away from me."
I lost my parents and caretakers as a child. I lost my innocence as an assassin. I lost Tomoe, my first love. I just can't loose this. I felt Kaoru burry her face into the crook of my neck, interrupting my silent pleas. She was so close, but her body didn't deem itself close enough. I had to admit that I was the same. I could never be close enough to her. Kaoru. She moved again as if hearing me call her name in my thoughts. I continued to hold her and she smiled, content, in her sleep. She is always the most beautiful when she smiles and I try my best to make her smile as often as I can.
I didn't expect to find a new life when I came to Tokyo. I was intent, instead, on finding a man who was killing innocent people. I heard that he was in this city causing trouble and he was calling himself by a name that I had been trying to shed in recent years, Battousai. Hurting and killing in my name. I had to stop it. Then I would be on my way to wander once more. That was what I thought at least. I didn't realize that meeting a fiery, spirited, young woman in the streets would change the course of my life. Kaoru. From the moment I met her I felt drawn to her. I had no clear answer as to why.
Kaoru had given me a place I could call home. When she asked me to stay at the dojo, I turned her down, thinking it would be best not to bring anymore unwanted attention to her, but when I turned back and saw the loneliness in her eyes, it made me realize just how lonely I was. So I stayed. She gave me the chance to form new friendships and live a normal life. While living at the dojo, I never experienced such happy times. With people like Yahiko and Sano around you have to expect a good laugh every once and a while. There was always something to smile about, whether it was Kaoru and Yahiko fighting or the simple pleasure of playing ball with the doctor's little grand daughters. Had I not become an assassin, I would have been content to live a life like this from the start. What would my life be like now had I insisted on leaving the dojo from the very beginning? If I just turned my back on Kaoru and walked away after the fake Battousai incident. I'm sure it would have been very lonely.
Over time it dawned on me that I was falling in love. I was in love only once before. Tomoe had been very quiet, graceful, and refined. She was taught to be an ideal, well-rounded woman. She was the picture of what a woman should have been in an era gone by. Kaoru didn't have such refinement. She was far different from Tomoe, but I liked that because I was now a different man. Her personality was unlike any that I had encountered in a woman. She was feisty and never allowed anyone to push her around. At times she was a tomboy, but she could also be very feminine in her brightly colored kimonos. She had a delicate beauty with her pale skin, long black tresses, and beautiful blue eyes. Maybe she was wasn't a great cook, but her warm heart and smile made up for any deficiencies. I knew I had again found a partner. She became someone to confide in, someone to laugh and cry with, but most importantly someone for me to love and protect.
"Arigatou koishii," I whispered leaning down to kiss the top of her head.