From the author's desk: Wow! This one turned out much longer than I expected! Fourteen pages! Eep! Anyway, I just wanted to thank all of you who reviewed. It means a lot to me to know what you guys think of my work. I'm glad you all are enjoying these 'snapshots' of mine. There are still more of these to come, don't worry! So without further ado, here's another one to add to this collection. I hope all enjoy it as much as you did the last three!

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and his associates. Plus, if I owned this series, that would mean that I wrote the series, which means I would have made Kenshin and Kaoru finally smooch in the last volume of the manga. Alas, I didn't write the wonderful series, and so they don't smooch in the last volume as I would have liked. Plus, I'd be rolling in dough instead of being a flat broke first-year college student! So there you have it. I don't own the series (except on DVDs), so you can't sue me!

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An Album of Memories
captured by IceAngelKaoru

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Snapshot: Four
Label: Birthday Surprise
Note: Kenshin is left wondering what his wife is up to in the week preceding his thirtieth birthday.

Kaoru lay awake in bed late one night, her mind devoid of good ideas for a gift.

Kenshin's birthday was only a week away, and she didn't have the slightest idea what to get her husband.

Someone like him deserved something truly special. Nothing mediocre or simple would do.

She turned over on her side, coming face to face with the sleeping redhead, and couldn't help but smile.

He looked like a little boy when he slept, sometimes. It was strange, but he had a tendency to slightly curl himself up on his side, so that he wasn't exactly a tight ball, nor was he completely straight.

He was adorable when he was sleeping.

She smoothed some of his soft scarlet hair away from his face, running her fingers through the thick strands as he slept soundly, admiring his near-feminine features relaxed in sleep.

Kaoru sighed quietly, trying not to wake him, and her eyes caught the moon shining through the window, the rays sending a glowing trail of light over her kimono and his worn gi and hakama hanging on the clothing rack in the corner.

And like a bolt of lightning, an idea struck her fancy, an idea so brilliant that she felt a weight lift from her mind, allowing her to finally relax for the rest of the night.

Feeling drowsy, she snuggled closer to her husband, the warm heat of his body and his deep, even breaths ghosting softly over her bangs and forehead lulling her off to the land of dreams.

000

Kenshin awoke to an empty futon, with Kaoru's side of it untouched. That was strange to him, considering Kaoru liked to sleep, and a bit disappointing as well.

Since he normally woke up before her, it had become a daily ritual for him to watch her as she slept, to smile as her sleepy blue eyes opened to greet the new day while still slightly lost in whatever happy visions had been running through her imagination just moments before.

In fact, her behavior the last three days was beginning to worry him. It wasn't that she was acting differently; no, Kaoru was still her temperamental self, swinging from cheerful to angry and back again with a single sweep of her bokken. In that sense, Kaoru was very much normal.

However, he couldn't help but feel that she was hiding something from him. First, she had come home from the market with two paper-wrapped packages, and some needles and thread, and so he assumed that she had bought herself something nice, and had decided she needed some new needles and thread for the mending of older clothes.

But then, starting the same night that she came home from the market, she holed herself up in one of the back rooms of the dojo with a lantern, the door closed to the rest of the world. When he asked if she was all right, she replied that she was fine and that she didn't need any help. She wouldn't say what she was doing though.

The smell of food wafting through the hallways of the dojo caught the attention of his still-hazy mind, and he shook his head. Untangling himself from the warm blankets, he stretched his arms to the ceiling and rolled his neck, popping the joints that had stiffened during the night.

And then he chuckled to himself as he realized that some of Kaoru's morning habits were rubbing off on him.

As he dressed and prepared for the day, his eye caught the calendar hanging innocently in the corner and he smiled contemplatively.

In another few days, he would be thirty years old. And in another couple of months, he and Kaoru would be celebrating their first anniversary.

It was strange how quickly time had passed.

With a slight smile on his face, he folded the futon, making a note to himself to ask Kaoru why she never came to bed the night before. Finished with tidying up their bedroom, he left to join his wife in the kitchen.

Kaoru was setting bowls of rice and hot miso soup on the low table when he came in.

"Good morning!" she chirped at him, and the smile on his face grew in size at the sight of her. She was dressed in her kimono from the evening before, the soft red color accenting her glowing peaches-and-crème skin. He was surprised as well; he could see slight fatigue in her eyes, and yet she seemed quite energetic.

He couldn't understand how she wasn't falling asleep on her feet.

"Good morning," he replied back, his smile becoming a bit strained. He was worried; what could she be doing that it would keep her awake all night?

He had to know, and he decided that he would ask her during breakfast as he watched her bring the tea to the table.

They sat down across from each other, blessed the meal, and began to eat. The rice had only the slightest hint of a burnt flavor, and the soup had just the tiniest hint of too much pepper.

Kenshin had to agree that Kaoru's cooking had very much improved in their time together. He knew better than anyone that her cooking was beyond horrible when they first met; of course, there was no way he was ever going to say that to her face, especially if he didn't want to sleep alone in the hall for the night…

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and looked at his wife, who had a look of concentration on her face as if she were deep in thought.

"Kaoru?"

She blinked, coming out of her reverie after hearing his voice. "Hmm? What is it?"

"Are you all right?"

She blinked again, confused. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Um…well, it's just that…you never came to bed last night."

She blushed. "Oh. Hehe…no, nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep. Don't worry about it." She waved her hand dismissively for emphasis and went back to eating her breakfast.

Of course, Kenshin still didn't believe her. Kaoru couldn't lie to save her life. He decided to just let her come to him when she was ready, as that normally worked out for the best. In the meantime, he would do his best to try not to dwell on what could be causing her odd behavior.

The rest of their meal continued in a peaceable silence, both enjoying their meals and the quiet morning.

Once finished with breakfast, the two went their separate ways for the day -- Kaoru to instruct the morning classes with Yahiko (when he finally bothered to show up), and Kenshin to complete his daily routine of chores.

The day passed like any other day, save for Kaoru deciding on taking a short nap before dinner. Kenshin wasn't surprised; she had to finally get some sleep eventually.

By the time dinner rolled around, however, Kaoru was wide awake, with no traces of fatigue in her eyes.

Dinner was noisier than breakfast, what with Kaoru and Yahiko bickering with each other, and Kenshin playing the peacekeeper (not that he minded; fighting with Kaoru seemed like a very bad idea).

Once they were all finished and the kitchen was cleaned, however, Kaoru was off to the back room again humming happily and muttering quietly to herself.

Kenshin was going to follow her when Yahiko spoke up.

"Busu told me to tell you not to go back there."

He blinked. "Oro? Why would she do that?"

He shrugged. "Said she needed peace and quiet for something."

Kenshin eyed the twelve-year-old. There was a smile tugging at his mouth.

He narrowed his eyes in frustration.

"Yahiko, what aren't you telling me?"

The boy grinned. "Nothing, I swear. She just told me to tell you to not go back there." The boy paused, and added as an afterthought, "And she said to be patient, too."

Kenshin groaned inwardly. He'd been patient for the past four days, which included today. How much longer would he have to wait for her to tell him what was going on?

He knew that he was patient by most standards, but even he had his limits. And his wife hiding a secret from him only brought him that much closer to said limit.

He sighed and shook his head. He would have to give Kaoru her space; he just hoped that she would tell him what she was hiding sooner rather than later.

The next few days went by in very much the same fashion, except that Kaoru never again made the mistake of not coming to bed. No matter how late at night it became, she always came to bed, though that only gave Kenshin a smidgen of relief.

The evening before his birthday, however, brought Kenshin a welcome surprise, which was just enough for him to forget about Kaoru's recent secretive behavior for a little while.

A little bit before sunset, there came a knock at the gate of the dojo. Kenshin stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his worn, white hakama, and opened said gate, only to be tackled by a short and hyper young woman, knocking both of them to the ground.

"Himura!"

"Orooooo… Misao-dono? What are you doing here?"

"It's not just me, Himura! Look who else is here!" Misao chirped as she got up off of him.

Kenshin gathered himself together, and with a little help from Misao, stood up to see who else was at the gate.

There were three other people besides the hyperactive ninja girl, two men and a woman. One man was very tall and dressed in his standard white trench coat, his raven bangs falling into his narrow ice-colored eyes.

Kenshin felt a smile tug at his lips, and he bowed. "Hello, Aoshi. It's good to see you."

Said man nodded and bowed politely, saying nothing.

The person next to Aoshi was the woman, who was also tall, and was very beautiful. Before Kenshin could say anything, however, she had already stepped forward to give him a hug.

"Oh, Ken-san! It's so wonderful to see you again!"

Kenshin was blushing profusely. Due to his height, he was rather short compared to the woman, and so his face was…well…pillowed in a rather uncomfortable place. He could only pray that Kaoru didn't catch him.

"Hey! Get your hands off of my husband, you vixen!"

Too late.

He sighed when Megumi let go of him finally to go and give Kaoru a hug as well. At least he could breathe again.

"Oi! Don't tell me you all forgot about me already! I've only been gone for a week and a half!"

Kenshin blinked.

"Sanosuke?"

The third person at the gate stepped into the dojo courtyard. He hadn't changed much, except for the fact that he had longer hair, and there was some stubble on his chin. He was still the tall, lanky, and seemingly insensitive rooster-head that they all knew and mostly loved.

"Che! Who else would it be?"

And then Kenshin found himself being slapped on the back, the force almost knocking him over again.

Kenshin blinked again, and opened his mouth to greet his friend, only to be interrupted by Kaoru.

"What do you mean 'a week and a half'? You've been gone for a year and a half, you idiot!"

Kenshin watched as she smacked Sanosuke over the head, and then hugged him. "Welcome back," he heard her say.

The dojo was full and lively that night. Apparently, they had all planned amongst themselves to come and visit on Kenshin's thirtieth birthday. The evening was spent with Sano, Misao, and Yahiko squabbling, Megumi and Kaoru mock-fighting with one another, and Aoshi and himself simply enjoying a few quiet games of shogi.

Eventually, the boys and Misao migrated over to the corner where Kenshin and Aoshi were playing to watch and make bets with each other while Megumi read quietly in a corner.

Kenshin was so lost in his game with Aoshi that he didn't even notice that Kaoru was no longer with them.

In fact, it was Megumi who pointed out Kaoru's absence with a simple, "How long does it take go to the outhouse and back?"

Kenshin looked up, confused. "Oro? What do you mean, Megumi-dono?"

"Well, Kaoru-chan excused herself a little while ago, saying she had something to take care of. I assumed she was going to use the outhouse."

Before Kenshin could say anything, Yahiko spoke up. "She's probably off in the back room again."

"Eh? Why would jou-chan hole herself up in there when we're all out here?" Sano asked, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

Yahiko grinned. "I have no idea."

Kenshin looked at the preteen skeptically, and looked at his ki. If he doubted that Yahiko knew something before, there was no doubt now.

Yahiko definitely knew something that they all didn't.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Kenshin stood from the unfinished game of shogi and began making his way toward the hall before Yahiko stopped him.

"Hold it, Kenshin!"

He stopped, and turned to the boy as everyone else looked on in silence.

"Kaoru said to be patient, remember?"

The redhead scowled uncharacteristically. "One. Week," he growled out.

"Huh?"

"I have been patient for one entire week, through which I have endured my wife's rather odd and secretive behavior while hoping that she will come and tell me what it is she is hiding from me. Tell me, Yahiko, what do you know that I don't? Do you know why Kaoru has been coming to bed late at night, and why she hadn't slept at all the other night?"

Yahiko met Kenshin's narrowed gaze squarely…and smirked.

"Yup."

Kenshin was thoroughly confused and taken aback by Yahiko's impudence. The boy had always shown him the utmost respect.

What was going on?

"Look, I don't know exactly what she's doing in there. She wouldn't give me the details. But I know that she's doing something important, and that she doesn't want to be disturbed. Plus, she's really excited about doing whatever it is that she does in there, so it can't be bad, right?"

Sanosuke spoke up then. "But you never cared before if she was disturbed or not while she was doing something important. So why are you caring now?"

Yahiko gulped. "Umm…"

"Oooh, did Kaoru-san blackmail ickle Yahiko into doing what she wanted him to do?" Misao crooned teasingly.

The preteen blushed, crossed his arms over his chest, 'hmph'-ed, and turned his head.

Everyone, save Aoshi and Kenshin, laughed as Misao screeched gleefully, "She did! She did!"

The laughter died down long enough for Sanosuke to ask, "So what did she blackmail you with? Was she gonna tell Tsubame-chan about the time that you--"

The boy howled indignantly and attacked the rooster-head while everyone excluding Kenshin and Aoshi burst out laughing again.

Kenshin's shoulders slumped in defeat. It would be another night of being kept in the dark; he didn't want to risk Yahiko's pride in front of the one most important to him.

He sighed heavily, and admitted that he would simply have to wait for Kaoru to come clean to him when she was ready. Pointing the time out to everyone, he suggested that they call it a night.

He led everyone to the spare bedrooms and bid them all a good night, making his way to the room he shared with Kaoru. As it had been for the past several nights whenever he entered, the room was empty, the lantern in the corner glowing brightly and stretching dark shadows on the wall. He changed into his sleeping robe quickly, neatly hanging his clothes on the rack, and deftly unfolded the futon and blankets. He looked at the closed shoji door that was the entrance to their room, and sighed heavily once more.

The best thing he could do was to simply go to bed. Kaoru would come when she was ready. He got under the covers, lay down, and faced the window.

He never realized when he fell asleep.

The next morning, Kenshin woke to the wonderful feeling of warm sunlight on his back and someone running gentle fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes slowly, coming face to face with glowing blue jewels and a warm smile.

"Good morning," she murmured softly to him, and gently kissed him. He responded automatically, pulling her closer to him. She pulled back slowly, and settled herself so that her head was tucked in the crook of his shoulder.

He breathed a sigh of contentment, and held her close to him. "Good morning to you as well."

"Did you sleep well?"

He frowned and sighed. "Not really."

"I'm sorry. It's my fault isn't it?"

He didn't say anything.

Kaoru smiled at him guiltily and cupped his scarred left cheek. "I know you don't want to hear this anymore, but please be patient with me for just a little bit longer. Please?"

He looked at her. There was a good intention behind all of this, he could see it in her eyes and read it in her ki. Unable to do much else, he simply nodded in acceptance and rested his chin on top of her head, pulling her just a little bit closer as she relaxed in his embrace; they were both asleep in minutes.

They were roused from their early-morning nap when Misao came noisily knocking on their door, telling them to hurry and come out to breakfast before it was all gone. Husband and wife stood from the warm next of blankets, dressed and freshened quickly, and went to breakfast hand-in-hand.

As soon as they entered the dining room, a loud cheer of "Happy Birthday, Kenshin!" rang out around the room, and Kenshin couldn't help but smile at his friends as he and Kaoru took their seats at the table for a breakfast of hot miso soup, rice, and pickled radishes.

Once breakfast was finished and cleared away, everyone gathered in the large sitting room of the living quarters.

Kaoru pushed Kenshin down on a cushion, while everyone else sat in a circle around him.

In the middle of the ring, there lay a medium-sized pile of packages.

One by one, Kaoru handed a package to Kenshin, who carefully opened each one. He couldn't remember a time that he had ever received so many gifts.

The first was, according to Sano, a "men's wallet" that he had picked up while in Europe. "I figured something like that wouldn't be able to fall through a hole in your sleeve like that time in Hakone." Kenshin secretly agreed; this "men's wallet" was much larger than the small coin-purse he normally used, though he wasn't sure how often he was going to use this "men's wallet". He thanked Sanosuke nonetheless.

Megumi's gift to him was a book on some simple herbal remedies that could give temporary relief in the event that a doctor couldn't make it in time to help a patient. Kenshin felt that it was definitely a good resource to have with a (hopefully) growing family like his. Megumi also gave him another batch of medicines that would help ease the pain that came with the gradual weakening of his physical state. Kenshin couldn't help but thank the lady doctor.

Aoshi and Misao's gift to Kenshin was a simple package of homemade sweets and a journal. Though a bit surprised at receiving a blank journal, he thanked them heartily.

The two ninja had also brought a gift for Kenshin from Hiko. It was a simple set of teacups, painted with delicate birds and cherry blossoms. Kenshin made a mental note to write a thank you letter to the man he considered his father.

The last gift was from Yahiko, and was a drawing of Katsura Kogoro, the man Kenshin worked for during the Bakumatsu. Kenshin had always respected him, even though it was Katsura who made him a hitokiri. It was also because of Katsura that Kenshin had those six months of peace with Tomoe in Otsu before he brought her to her unfortunate end, and Katsura had been remorseful when he found out. He couldn't hate the man because of that. Kenshin reminded himself to go and pay his respects at Katsura's resting place while thanking Yahiko.

"Wait a minute. Don't you have a gift for Himura, Kaoru-san? He is your husband, after all," Misao piped up while Kenshin was tucking the drawing away in his gi.

Everyone, Kenshin included, turned to look at Kaoru, who sat with a secretive little smile on her face. "Of course I do."

"Well, where is it?" Sanosuke said, looking around the room, hoping to spot a hidden package in one of the far corners.

Kaoru looked at the clock instead, completely bypassing Sanosuke's question. "How does a late lunch at the Akabeko sound to everyone?"

The mention of food caught everyone but Kenshin's attention, and the group came to a consensus that it would leave in about four hours for lunch.

"Everyone remember to dress up. Today's a special occasion," Kaoru reminded them all as they dispersed from the sitting room.

However, Kenshin remained seated right where he was, boring holes into his wife's back.

Once everyone was gone, Kaoru turned to the redhead on the floor and smiled broadly.

"I think you've been patient long enough," she whispered. Taking his hand, she pulled the now-thirty-year-old man to his feet, and quietly led him to the back room of the dojo.

He stared at the door in front of him. Finally, he would find out what had occupied his wife for the past several nights, what exactly had been keeping her away from him.

He watched as she slid the door open, only to reveal a room with a chest with a full-length mirror standing next to it in one corner, and an unfolded changing screen in the other.

Kaoru walked over to the chest and kneeled in front of it, while telling him over her shoulder to come inside and close the door. He did as she asked, and watched as she removed two cloth-wrapped bundles, and a strip of spare cloth. She came up to him, set the bundles by her feet, and began wrapping the cloth around his eyes.

"This is so you don't peek," she assured him, gently tweaking his nose. A bit baffled by the need of the blindfold, he allowed her to lead him behind what he realized was the changing screen.

"Uh oh…" He could hear the apprehension in her voice.

"What is it, Kaoru?"

"Umm…I just realized that you're going to need my help…"

"Oro?" Why would he need her help…? And then suddenly, like a flash, it all made sense. The changing screen, the chest, the mirror…

Kaoru had made him something to wear, but she didn't want him to see it until he was wearing it, so she had blindfolded him.

And she was nervous, because that meant that she would have to change him.

"Well," he heard himself say, "it's not like you haven't seen me in less before."

He heard an embarrassed squeak escape her, and he smirked as he imagined the blush that was most likely staining her cheeks a rosy shade of pink. Then she sighed, as if in defeat, and he felt her presence enter the little area behind the screen.

"There's no avoiding it, though…"

And then he felt her tentative fingers tugging at his worn magenta gi, pulling gently so as not to rip the already fragile fabric. He helped her as well as he could, trying to ease some of her apparent discomfort.

"You know," he whispered teasingly in her ear, "this could be easier if you just took off my blindfold."

"No way!" she emphatically muttered back at him as she finally got the last of his clothes, save his undergarments, off of him. "I'm not letting you see this until you're wearing it! Now turn around."

He grinned, and did as she asked.

"Lift your arms just a little bit…there, that's fine…" she murmured, as he felt soft, smooth fabric slide up his arms and settle onto his shoulders. "Turn around."

He turned, and helped her slide what he correctly guessed to be a pair of hakama up his legs. She held the hakama untied at his hips, waiting for him as he folded the right side of the new gi across his person and overlapped it with the left. He then felt her deftly tie the sash at his waist, and then take his hand to lead him out from behind the screen.

He allowed her to position him in specific spot, and felt her pull on the tie of the blindfold slightly before it fell away from his eyes.

The image that greeted him left him speechless. His reflection was dressed smartly in a crisp new pair of bright white hakama, and deep purple gi with a white-and-purple geometric border on the sleeves. He watched as his reflection's hand reached up to stroke the soft material of the gi, only to realize that it was really his hand, and that in reality it was he who was dressed so sharply.

It had been years since he had clothes as new as these. In his many years of wandering, he had only had one extra change of clothes, which consisted of an equally worn deep navy gi and a pair of dark gray hakama. And on his wedding day, it was true that he had worn very nice clothes, but they were not his to keep; in fact, they were Kaoru's father's old clothes, which had simply been altered to fit him. Kaoru herself had worn her mother's wedding kimono, but that was because it had rightfully been passed down to her…

"Do you like them, Kenshin?" he heard her ask through the haze of thoughts in his mind, and he could only nod wordlessly, an amazed look still on his face as he continued to stare at his reflection.

He vaguely registered a smile on her reflection's face. "I'm glad. Now let me put the blindfold on you one more time; I have one more set for you to try."

He let her blindfold him once more, and the process of changing him began once more. This time, however, Kaoru was more comfortable…and a bit more playful as well. She kept tickling some of the more sensitive spots on his skin like his sides and his spine, which made him flinch and, much to his chagrin, squeak girlishly. That, of course, only gave Kaoru more of an incentive to snicker at him.

By the time she was done dressing him in his new kimono, complete with kaku-obi and haori, his cheeks were bright red from embarrassment and he was uncharacteristically pouting like a little boy.

Kaoru only laughed harder at this as she led him out from behind the screen.

"Well…why don't you consider it payback for that little crack at me earlier and we'll call it even?" she compromised with him as she positioned him in the same place as before.

"Deal," he muttered, and felt the blindfold fall away from his eyes for a second time.

As he stared at his image in the mirror, he was left silent once more. The entire kimono ensemble was magnificent: the kimono itself was a deep navy embroidered with majestic silver dragons; the black kaku-obi was interwoven with silver threads, giving off a shaded impression; the haori was black as well, a silver dragon circling the end of each sleeve as a border.

He had to admit to himself that the stitching for both outfits was superb, and they were by far the best gifts he had received.

Suddenly feeling strangely emotional at the thought that he was dressed in new clothes, he was startled to see Kaoru in front of him and feel her gentle fingers cupping his face as she carefully thumbed away unshed tears from his eyes.

"Silly man," she grinned at him. "Why would you cry about something like this?"

He swallowed, and gave her a quivering smile. "I-I haven't had new clothes that were mine for about twelve years."

She smiled and stroked his cheek. "And now you do."

He smiled, and pulled her towards him in a firm embrace, one arm snaking around her small waist, the hand of the other digging into her thick black hair while her own small hands fisted into the fabric of his new kimono. He kissed her soundly, and her lips parted just enough for him to enter. She tasted like honey and berries, and the sweet floral scent that belonged uniquely to Kaoru permeated his nostrils, the combination of scent and taste and touch filling Kenshin's head with a dizzying euphoria.

They finally parted for air, and while he rested his forehead against her own, Kenshin came to the strange realization that they had backed up all the way to the wall. An idea popped into his head, and he glanced out the window, studying the shadows.

Kaoru looked at him, her lips lightly swollen from his kiss, her happy blue eyes shadowed with light confusion.

"What are you thinking about, Kenshin?"

"Just wondering how much time we have before we have to go to lunch."

Kaoru laughed and brought her hands up to lace them around the back of his neck.

"I can tell you that we definitely don't have enough time to do what I'm quite sure you're thinking of…but there's always tonight…" she whispered mischievously in his ear.

"But what about the others?"

"We can always lock the gate."

"Mm."

He hugged her close for a few minutes longer, simply enjoying the silence, before a thought popped into his head.

"Where did you learn to sew like this?"

"My mother taught me. It was the one thing I could do right when it came to acting like a girl, so I stuck with it. Plus I liked embroidery; it's like art on fabric. That makes it all the more interesting."

He nodded. "I see. I'm amazed that you managed to make all of these in a week."

She grinned. "When you're only honing one feminine skill, it doesn't become hard to gain speed in what you do."

He nodded, and leaned in to kiss her once more when he heard Yahiko's voice calling for the two of them so they could go to lunch.

He groaned inwardly and pouted uncharacteristically once more.

Kaoru laughed. "It looks like some of my habits are rubbing off on you."

He chuckled along with her and nodded. Then he took her hand, and led her out of the room and toward the rest of their friends.

"Oh, Kenshin?"

"Yes?" He looked at her as they walked, and she smiled brightly at him.

"Happy Birthday."

He smiled and squeezed her hand as they continued walking down the hall.