An Evening With

Kenshin and Kaoru

Disclaimers: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Chapter 1: Couch Wars

"Ah! No you don't! Haha! Take that, Kenshin!!" Kaoru laughed as she wrestled Kenshin off the couch. A loud *thmp!* ensued. "Oro...Kaoru, I -will- get that couch, that I will." Kenshin glanced at Kaoru, who was currently sitting cross-legged on the couch in question. He smiled as an evil thought entered his mind. He stood, looked into Kaoru's eyes, which were shinning with laughter and also a question of curiosity, and proceeded to sit on top of her. "Hey, Kaoru-dono, you're pretty comfortable, that you are." Kaoru snorted. "Thanks, Kenshin-sama. But you know this means war, right?" With that, she began her attack. Kenshin's face began to turn red; Kaoru was being ruthless. Laughter broke forth from his throat, and his entire body wracked with it. "Ha, I've got you n- Gah! Kenshin! Stop!" Kaoru shrieked as Kenshin turned the tables on her. "Oh, so you're ticklish? Let's see, are you ticklish -there-?" He mocked playfully as he attacked her sides. "Aah! I'm -very- ticklish! Kenshin!!" Kaoru's shrieks subsided into laughter, her's mingling with his, creating a beautiful, joyous sound. Two souls that belonged together, but never had enough time together, were once again bound as one. Kenshin continued his attack; then in one swift movement, Kaoru once again managed to turn the tables to her advantage. "Ha! How about you, Kenshin? Are -you- very ticklish?"

Kaoru was having the time of her life; the man she loved more than anything was with her.  Things just couldn't get better. Well, unless Kenshin told her -he- loved her, not as a sister, but as something more.

Another loud *thmp!* broke her from her thoughts; Kenshin had fallen off the couch again. She looked down on him from her position on the couch. "You like to do that, don't you?" She grinned as he rolled his eyes at her. "Oh well. I'll just have to come down there!!" She jumped off the couch and straddled Kenshin, tickling him mercilessly once again. "Oro! Kaoru! Haha, stop! Alright, you asked for it, that you did!!" He reached up and attacked her sides again, causing her to shriek with laughter , and their voices became one once more. They continued their tickle-war for another hour or two, with Kaoru coming out as the victor.

Chapter 2: Those Ice-Blue Eyes

"Oro... Man, you wore me out, that you did. I'm too tired to train. Yare yare." Kenshin sighed as he threw a few weak punches to the punching bag on the porch. "Heheh. Yeah, I know." Kaoru said, with her hand behind her head and a small grin on her lips. Kenshin smirked, and shook his head. "You are too much, that you are." He laughed.  "I think  I'll go see if our program is on." Kaoru said, getting up from the chair she had been sitting on. "I'll be in in a minute, OK?" Kenshin nodded, agreeing. "All right." Kaoru went inside, sitting down on the couch once again, and flipped to the channel the program would be on. As she settled back,  Kenshin came in. He sat down in front of her, and leaned his head back on her lap. Absently, she intertwined her fingers in his hair. She smiled. His hair was soft. -Very- soft. I'll never get tired of how his hair feels, she thought. It's the softest thing I've ever felt. She glanced down at Kenshin, only to see he had been starring at her, and their eyes locked. What's this? Do I see what I think I see in his eyes?, she thought, completely astonished. Yes, there it was. Something she thought she'd never see; -love-.

And not -sibling- love...no, this was something else. This love shinning is his eyes was the love a person has for their  -soulmate-. Slowly, she realized she was drowning in his beautiful, bright eyes. Oh, how she wished she could lean down and kiss him...

But she was afraid to. Afraid that if she did, she would loose him, and every memory she ever had of  him, good or bad. No, she would wait untill -he- made the first move, then respond with all of  her heart and soul. Kenshin was a rurouni, a wanderer, though. Well, if he does decide to wander off again, I will just have to chase him down, and then drag him back, kicking and yelling, if I have to!! she thought. "Kaoru....." Kenshin said her name so softly, she almost didn't hear it. "Hm?" She had a feeling he wanted to tell her something...

"I...need to stop hiding this from you. I can't do it any more." Now Kaoru knew something was up. Kenshin never really did show his true emotions. Like herself, he wore a carefully constructed mask. But now, it seemed that mask was beginning to shatter. "Kenshin...?" She could feel the nervousness building inside her heart and soul, but over all, she could feel the trust she had in him. "Kaoru....I-I love you. I know I am unworthy of you, but I can not fight my heart any longer. I love you, and I need you. You showed me the joy that life can bring, and you also showed me that, even if life isn't going my way at the moment, it won't stay like that forever. You also gave me a home, and unconditional friendship and a sense of belonging. Arigato, koishii."

Kaoru could feel the tears fall, but did not reach up to wipe them away. He loves me. How long have I been waiting for this moment? she thought, breathlessly. "Kenshin....How can you say you're unworthy of my love? You are truly pure of heart, and I told you when I first met you I care nothing of your past. I love -you-, the rurouni, and even though I don't know much about him, I love the Battousai also." Her tears fell to Kenshin's face, and mixed with his own. As he slowly sat up and faced her, all the weight of the pain for not knowing lifted off of her shoulders, and she felt as if she were soaring high above the clouds. She looked deep into his eyes, no longer an ice-cold purple, but a gentle flame of lavender. He leaned forward, and touched his lips to her gently. But the kiss soon turned more passionate as every ounce of their emotions flowed into that one, single kiss.

All too soon though, they had to pull away for breath, but never took their eyes off one another. "Kenshin...Promise me you'll never wander again? You hold all of us; Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Megumi, together. If you go...If you go...Then the gumi will fall apart. I'll fall apart. You're the only thing keeping me alive, Kenshin. If you go........" Kaoru could not finish her sentence, for sobs had begun to wrack through her body. Kenshin wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Shh, Kaoru. I'll never leave. So do not worry, that you should not." He reassured her. "But...What about what you said a few days ago? That you planed to go wandering in two years?" She asked timidly. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle. "Kaoru, I said that because I thought you'd turn me down when I told you how I felt, that I did. But I suppose you have proven me wrong, ne?"

"Kenshin, no baka. How would you ever be unworthy? How could I ever turn you down? I love everything about you, including the Hitokiri Battousai." She repremanded, laughing a little at his adorable grin. "Hai. I know that now. I know for sure my place is beside you, helping you keep the others together." He said. He glanced down at her, and smiled evily, as a thought crossed his mind. "Hm...Kaoru, I think we might be able to make them even more happy." "Oh?" "Mmhm. I've noticed...Sano seems to be quite attracted to Megumi-dono. And Yahiko to Tsubamae-chan. What do you think? Want to play match-maker?" Kaoru burst out laughing; never, in all of her life, did she picture Kenshin to do that. "Oro?" Kenshin looked down, puzzeled, at the girl laughing hysterically in his arms. What did I say? he thought.

"Ah..Gomen nasai, Kenshin. It's just that, I've never pictured you as one to suggest that. And your face! It was just priceless!!" She chuckled again. "Yare yare. At least I know you're back to your old self, ne?" Kenshin sighed. One of the things he loved to see Kaoru do the most was smile or laugh. And right now, he lived to give that to her. He lived to keep her smiling and laughing; to keep her happy. "So what do you say? Want to play match-makers?" He asked. "Ano...Kenshin, how exactly do you propose we do that without them suspecting?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin laughed. "Don't worry. I have a plan. But, lets wait untll tomorrow to set it into action, ne? I think we should get some rest right now. It has been a very eventfull day, that it has." Kenshin said, holding her closer to his body, needing to feel more of her warmth.

"Hai. It definitley has. Ano..Kenshin...Do you mind...If I slept with you?" Kaoru asked, blushing deeply. Kenshin looked at her, startled, and then smiled. He knew why she had asked. A loud rumbling and crashing was heard, and he felt Kaoru suddenly tighten her hold and burry her face into his chest. She's afraid of the thunder! Ha, whoever sent this thunder-storm, arigato! he thought. "Sure, Kaoru. Come on." He picked her up, and cuddled her to his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, so strong and true, through his gi that he wore. It comforted her to know that she would always hear that beautiful sound. And that she'd always feel those strong arms wrapped around her. As Kenshin carried her to his room, he thought about how this one day had finally changed his life. He was no longer the Hitokiri Battousai, and he never would return to being one. He would always remain.

"Aishiteru, Kaoru." Kenshin said, as they lay together on his futon. "Aishiteru, Kenshin."

And they begun their new lives together.

~Owari~

Alright, this is my second fic to debut on FF.net, so obviously, keep your eyes open for more. For those of you who have read 'I Don't Wanna Cry' for Inuyasha, also by me, I have another one planned and hopefully it will be done soon. But of course, now that I'm in high school, I have Finals coming up really soon *grumbles* so I don't exactly have any free-time. But I'll do my best, and as always, reviews are welcome!!

~Akimura