Chapter Thirteen
Kaoru hummed softly as she stepped outside into the fresh air. All the snow had melted, and the air was already feeling warmer. Birds chirped around her, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. What a wonderful day. The day before, Sano and Kenshin had rushed home, laughing as they came. They told her the humorous story of how Yahiko had chased them into the marketplace, which was after they spied him receiving the gift of a bright red coat from Tsubame. The three of them had laughed together, joking about how easily Yahiko had fallen for Tsubame.
After this accounting, the three had eaten dinner, and Kaoru had had to wrestle the plate containing the last remainder of fish from Sano. He had enjoyed the food so much that he was unwilling to give it up.
Now, all of her friends were home. Kenshin was in the house, cleaning, Sano was taking a nap, and Yahiko was sword practicing not too far away, Megumi having said he had fully recovered and could return home. He had looked ridiculous in that red cloak, so much so that Kaoru had fallen over, helplessly shaking with laughter. That didn't make him remove it, though. Even now as he practiced, he still wore it.
Kaoru smiled. Everything was perfect. Kenshin was home, Yahiko was fine, and the weather was finally starting to change for the better. Kaoru never wanted to leave. This place was home.
Forever.
The End
Authoress Note 10/28/09:
This was a really short chapter to end with. I thought about just combining it with the twelfth chapter, but decided against it because I would've had to slightly change the flow of the story, likely inserting a "Later…" there which I didn't feel like doing.
Hope you enjoyed it!