A/N: Inspired by listening to the song Georgia Rain by Trisha Yearwood.

Shower

It had taken twelve hours from her home just outside New York City to arrive in the small southern town. Her truck rumbled tiredly. It was old and in need of repair, but that was money that she wasn't willing to dole out until it was completely necessary. Kaoru Kamiya had come down when she received a letter from a friend she knew a decade ago.

It read:

Dear Kaoru,

Dad's passed away. The obituary is in the envelope. I thought you should know

Kenshin

It wasn't a lot of words, but it was enough to tug at her heart. She'd lived in that small town for so long that she couldn't help but remember Kenshin Himura and his obnoxious father, Hiko Seijuuro. Not that Kaoru didn't get along with Hiko; or Kenshin for that matter. The tides had just taken them in different directions. Kaoru had been accepted to a prestigious art school and Kenshin, well, Kenshin was just too fond of his home to let it go.

One time, Kaoru thought fondly, she and Kenshin were inseparable. It was hard to think that she hadn't seen or heard from him in ten years.

The raven haired girl parked in front of the old inn that was still running. When she was little the kids would bet on when it would go out of business. It was such a small place they were all surprised that anyone stayed there in the first place. She checked in and put her stuff in one of the nice rooms before heading out.

She could smell rain heavy in the air. Her feet padded along the paved road thinking about how it use to be unpaved and that she would be u to her ankles in mud by now. She missed that feeling. It was probably what kept her feet so nice because she knew that she hadn't been nice to them over the years.

Kaoru passed a few places that she remembered fondly on her way to the large house at the end of town. She passed the little diner that she and Kenshin would share dinner in, and then stay until the place closed at eleven. She passed the old laundry mat that she had been dared to climb into the dryer at. Finally, at the end of the road was the Victorian styled home that once belong to Hiko, and now belonged to Kenshin. She took a heavy breath, forcing herself to keep stepping forward. The door of the home opened.

There he stood, and he hadn't aged a day since she had left for New York. His hair was still long, his face was still soft and his eyes were still sparkling. He had a canister in his hands ready to water the plants on the porch that hadn't gotten any rain. She knew that he saw her; it was Kenshin though. He was waiting for the opportune time to acknowledge her.

"You came?" he finally said, as she stood at the foot of the steps.

"How could I not?"

Kenshin shrugged setting the canister down. "I'm glad you did." He sat down on the glider settled on the porch. Kaoru remembered their first kiss on that glider. Hiko had been watching from the living room window. He hadn't told them until a month later.

"You wanna sit?" he asked. Kaoru couldn't say no. She sat down, a large gap between the two of them. There was tension in the air.

"What happened?" Kaoru finally asked, wondering about Hiko.

"He got real sick. And he was too stubborn for his own good."

Kaoru laughed. "Sounds like him."

She was waiting for him to come out and say: 'I missed you' and sweep her off her feet. She knew that Kenshin wouldn't do that though. He wasn't that kind of guy. He liked to do things real subtly. His hand rested in the space between them.

"I told Sano and Misao too, but I don't think they'll come in."

"Oh?"

"This place brings back too many sour memories for them. We have to admit, it was kinda sucky here."

"I liked it here."

"Which is why you moved?" he asked coyly. Kaoru blushed.

"Not exactly."

"You don't have to be like that. I understand. "

Kaoru took a large whiff of the air. It was thickest around where Kenshin lived. "I'm having the service be held in the field," Kenshin said. "I know that he'd want to be buried there."

"Why did you ask me to come?" Kaoru asked swiftly. "I mean, after all that happened."

"Because you were one of the few people that got along with Dad."

Kaoru felt proud of herself. That was a title that not even Kenshin could hold. But then again, what child got along with their parent?

After all this time, all the thinking that Kaoru had done over the years, she still couldn't bring herself to say anything. She hugged tight to her purse in her lap, wanting so badly to tell him that she was sorry for everything, but the words were stuck in her throat. She only let out an awkward sigh, sniffing more of the air.

"I think I should go," Kaoru said. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

"See you later."

Kaoru walked away, her legs carrying her as fast as they could without making her look like she wanted to get out of there.

That night Kaoru dreamt about the night that changed things. The night that she let herself go to Kenshin in the bed of his pick up truck. They had a blanket covering them. The only thing that kept them separated from the cool spring air. It was two months until they graduated, and Kaoru had planned to go to school in the next town. It was a reasonable enough college and she could stay close to Kenshin. But that night, she let herself be devoured in passion. Kenshin lay on top of her, smothering her skin in kisses. She knew that she would regret these actions, but at that time it felt so right. She had never felt her heart pound so fast in her life.

Kaoru heard a gunshot, and it forced both of them up. She knew who it was the moment she heard the shot. She was supposed to have been home three hours ago. This was the only thing that she could think possible.

"Get in the car," Kenshin urged. Kaoru shook her head. "C'mon, just get in the car. I'll get you into my place and pretend you feel asleep on the couch." Kaoru knew she could trust those words. Hiko may have been annoying, but he knew when it was right to lie to somebody. He always seemed to help them out.

Another gunshot. Lightning flared across the night sky. "Kenshin I…"

"C'mon," he nearly pushed her off the tailgate. "Get in the car, I'll drive."

Kaoru had to give into the man. She got in on the passenger side of the truck, watching as Kenshin got in and started it up. Neither of them wanted to be caught by her father.

The car started up with a shaky chug, but then sped down the street. There was rain pounding on the rooftop. Kaoru glanced back at the field they had left, some of the tall grasses pushed down by tire tracks. Kenshin's home was not far from the cotton field, but they had to go on a few winding roads to get there. Before she knew it, the car had swerved, like it had a mind of its own, and Kenshin was trying to fight it. They rammed hard into the side of a wall just before a tunnel, the driver's side taking the hardest hit. Kaoru was shaken, but she knew she was alright. She couldn't say the same for Kenshin, whose face was bloodied by the broken glass on the window. He wasn't conscious either. She shook him, praying that he would wake up.

"Kaoru!" her father yelled. He was on the passenger side. "Kaoru! Are you alright?"

Kaoru woke up, her body shaky and sweating. She hadn't dreamt about that night for a long time. She gripped the sheets. It was daylight, and it was time for her to get up and get ready.

The precession went through the town, and stopped in the cotton field where there was a priest there to say a few choice words selected by Kenshin. Kaoru stood next to the red head, glancing at him occasionally, and to the scar that marred his left cheek. Kaoru sighed to herself. That night was horrible for her. She was afraid that she had essentially killed the only man that ever really loved her. He had to stay in the hospital up until graduation; the accident had put him into a coma. Kaoru couldn't help but run away. She had gotten the scholarship to the art school, why not take it? She received word from Hiko a few weeks later, and a picture of Kenshin who looked like he was doing alright despite his wounded figure.

She regretted it all, of course. That didn't mean she was going to abandon everything and come back. She was too guilty in the matter. How could she face Kenshin like that?

As the ceremony ended, they each went around putting flowers on the grave. Everyone seemed to dissipate afterwards. And Kenshin was right, neither Sano nor Misao had shown their faces. She wasn't too surprised.

It had started to sprinkle as they laid the casket in the ground. Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and led her out into the field. "Kenshin I…" he put a figure over her lips. She buried her head in his shirt. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I'm sorry," she balled, her fists at his breast. He hugged her tightly and coaxed her to stop crying. After a while they had sprinkles on their shoulders, and the rain had picked up. Kenshin looked back at the grave, and thought about it as more than just burying the dead.

"Don't worry about it," he said, pressing her tight against his chest. His lips touched hers. "We'll just…pick everything back up again."

Kaoru nodded her head lightly. That sounded like it would work.

She kicked off her shoes. The mud oozed between her toes. She missed it. She missed the town, and the people. She glanced at the grave. She missed Hiko too. And she hadn't been able to admit any of that because of her guilt. Her head nestled into Kenshin's breast.

"That sounds good." She said, silently thanking Hiko. He always seemed to help them out.

A/n: I hope you liked…