D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…and it just hurts to say it!

Hi! I'm back! Thanks for the reviews! (Bows deeply to the nice reviewers). And now, I'm gonna stop talking because I know no one will be reading this note since they'll be wanting to know who Kaoru picks. Regardless, enjoy!

Chapter 21: Choices

Kaoru stood between the Himura twins, feeling utterly confused. So she finds out that Kenshin really was here in Japan, but yet, the idea doesn't give her much comfort, because she knows she has to choose between them…and if she chose the wrong guy, goodness knows they'll be doomed.

'Kaoru, look at me, I'm Kenshin,' the second Himura told her. 'Don't make the mistake of choosing him.'

'Shut up, you jerk! All your life you've been living under my name, and you've resented it,' the other one hissed. 'And now you actually want to be the owner of the name?'

'Your name? Excuse me, but I strongly believe it was my name the last time I checked,' the second Himura shot back.

The first Himura looked at her. 'C'mon, Kaoru, you don't believe him, do you?' he said. 'You know I'm Kenshin, right?'

'No, I don't, now shut up, both of you!' she cried, feeling extremely frustrated and agitated. They both fell silent. Kaoru looked intently from one to the other. They both looked extremely identical; how was she going to tell them apart? Even the realization of the fact that she was, hopefully, the only one holding a gun between them didn't make the situation any better. What should she do?

Suddenly, she remembered something. It hadn't seemed so important back then; in fact, she had only asked Kenshin the question then to avoid an awkward moment, but now…it seemed to be the solution to her problem.

'My scar is real, Shinta's is fake'

One of them had a fake scar…

'Shinta doesn't have a scar…he has one plastered on his cheek, it's not real'

Kaoru suddenly felt like such an idiot. What was the matter with her? She had been living around Shinta for two days now, and he was always scar-less, why didn't she remember that earlier? One of the Himuras didn't have a scar. She only had to walk up to each one and touch his scar. Even though it sounded easy, Kaoru knew it wasn't. Of course, both the twins would agree to her examining their scars…but, what if she examined Shinta first? She'd, of course, find that his scar was fake, but would she be quick enough to escape him before he grabs her?

She gritted her teeth. This was the only thing left for her to do; she had no other way to tell the twins apart. She had to do it. 'I want you two to stand next to each other,' she instructed them. They both opened their mouths to speak. 'Just do as I say! No arguments and no questions!'

She could feel the tension and the hatred hover in the air between the two brothers as they both approached each other. If it were possible, Kaoru thought they'd be shooting daggers at each other wit their eyes.

'Not too close…' she said quietly.

They both stood before her, with a distance of nearly four feet between each other. From a different person's point of view, it would look like Kaoru was examining them both for some kind of competition…like the best breed, or best hair or something…but this was really no joking matter.

Kaoru approached them slowly, gun still raised before her. 'If any one of you makes a move, I'm gonna shoot him instantly, understand?' she said sharply.

They both nodded simultaneously. Kaoru felt herself shaking literally, and the gun she was holding shook in her hand as well. She was feeling really nervous about this…one wrong move, and…God knows what would happen to her. She had to be extremely careful.

Fingers quivering, she raised her hand to touch the scar of the first Himura. She touched it, and drew in a sharp breath. It was him; this was Kenshin. She could feel the scar, and it was real. It was just the same as the time where she touched it in the park. She tried to scrap it away with her nails, but it was unmovable. This was the real Kenshin. Kaoru smiled at him, hand still on his scar, and he smiled back. Shinta's eyes widened; Kaoru had found out who the real Kenshin is. That was bad.

'No!' he cried.

Kaoru was too caught up in the moment, she momentarily forgot about Shinta, and was a bit too late to react when Shinta attacked. His hands shot outwards to grab her. He was fast; she knew she couldn't raise her gun in time…that is, if she still had the gun.

She felt the gun being slipped out of her hands, and a shadow fell before her. For the first moment, her impression was of Shinta, somehow, taking the gun from her and was now going to shoot her dead. But she couldn't have been more wrong.

-

'You won't touch her while I'm around, Shinta,' Kenshin hissed. He had gone and stood between Kaoru and his brother, and was now holding Shinta at gunpoint. 'Just dare and make one move, and you won't like what'll happen to you.'

Shinta smirked. He appeared quite calm, as if having the nuzzle of a gun pressed to his forehead was the simplest thing in the world. 'So, you're finally standing up to me, huh, Ken?' he said.

'I'm just doing what I should've done ages ago,' Kenshin snapped.

'What are you going to do now, Ken?' Shinta asked softly. 'Are you going to kill me? Your own brother?'

'Some brother you are, you bastard!' Kaoru spat at him, glaring at him over Kenshin's shoulder. 'Kenshin shouldn't even admit to you being his brother! If I had a brother like you, I'd kill him right on the spot!'

'Tsk, tsk…manners, Kaoru, I keep telling you to mind your manners,' he said, smiling unpleasantly.

'How dare you lecture me…?' Kaoru started, but Kenshin raised a hand to silence her.

'It's okay, Kaoru, I'll deal with him,' he said softly, without looking at her. 'You don't have to worry about it.'

'You'll deal with me how exactly, Ken?' Shinta asked, still smirking. 'You've failed to deal with me ever since we were kids.'

Kenshin's grip around the gun tightened and he glared at his brother. He really didn't know what to do; should he kill his brother or not? Should he let him get away with it? Heck, no! Of course he couldn't let him get away with it! So what should he do? He couldn't kill him; Shinta once saved his life, and it would be really ungrateful to go and kill him now. And after all, Shinta was right; he was still his brother.

'Tic toc, c'mon, Kenny, I'm waiting,' he said, faking a yawn. He was boiling on the inside. It all came down to this; Kaoru still chose Kenshin over him, after all what he'd done to try and win her love, she still loved Kenshin. He was sick of this, and wanted the whole thing to end. Maybe it wasn't going to end in a way that he liked, but it was still going to end…and then he wouldn't have to feel hurt about Kaoru ditching him. 'I don't have all day, y'know.'

'Shut up! Just shut up, alright?' Kenshin exploded. 'Can't you be serious once in your life? We're facing a stern situation here, so why don't you try and co-operate?'

'What do you mean, co-operate?' Shinta said angrily. 'Do you want me to stand still while you blast my head off or call the cops? Because I really don't think you are allowed to co-operate in such situations! Come on, Ken! Kill me and let's get this over with! Kill me!'

Kenshin placed his finger on the trigger, and he swallowed. Kaoru, who was standing behind him, felt how tense he was. She placed a hand on his shoulder. 'It's gonna be okay, Kenshin, you can do it,' she said softly.

'Kenshin! What are you doing? Kill him!'

Kaoru looked past Shinta, and saw Sano and Enishi standing together, staring at them with the look of utmost astonishment on their faces.

'Sano!' she cried happily.

-

Shinta seized this moment of distraction and tried to slip out of Kenshin's aim. Kenshin, cursing under his breath for allowing himself to be distracted, fired at Shinta as he ran, but missed.

But Shinta felt himself trapped. Enishi and Sano were blocking one end of the alley, and Kaoru and Kenshin were down at the other. He couldn't run in Kenshin's direction; his brother had a gun, and he, in his hurry to find Kaoru, had forgotten to get a gun. Should he make and attempt to slip between Sano and Enishi? Would he be fast enough to slip between them?

He didn't get the chance to test out his plan, as one of Kenshin's bullets finally found their target. Shinta grimaced as the speeding bullet sank into his leg, and stumbled down to the rough ground.

He hit the ground with a dull thud. He lay still for a moment, and then he banged on the ground with his fist. He felt the blood leaking out of the wound. 'Damn it!' he snapped. 'I hate getting shot!'

He had only said that to cover the feelings which were whirling inside him. He felt ashamed, betrayed…and distressed. Ashamed at himself; he, the legendary Battousai, now lying weak and helpless on the ground. Betrayed by his brother; who apparently cared nothing for him now and was glad to sell him away. Distressed and sad at his fate; not only he had lost Kaoru, but now he was going to die in front of her too…and she was going to be happy to see him die. And to think that all this mess he'd gotten himself into was her fault. If he hadn't cared for her and brought her here, he wouldn't have had to be in this situation right now. That's why he had tried not to ever fall in love; love made him weak. But he just couldn't help it with Kaoru.

He felt two pairs of hands, each gripping one of his arms, hoist him up to his feet. He took a quick glanced at the owners of the hands; Enishi and Sano. He couldn't tell which face showed more hatred. These were the most dangerous types of people, he admitted it himself. The people who went after revenge were really dangerous, and he could understand that those two didn't want anything other than to rip him limb from limb. He had killed Sano's guardian and shot his girl, and had killed Tomoe, Enishi's sister.

'Do it now, Kenshin,' Sano said hoarsely. 'Kill him now.'

Shinta looked slowly up at his brother. Kenshin's expression was unreadable, and his violet eyes were shadowed by his bangs of crimson hair, so he couldn't see what he was thinking. Kaoru stood be his side, holding his hand, and whispering into his ear. And that made his insides squirm.

'Himura, he killed your wife…my sister,' Enishi rasped, gripping Shinta's arm so tightly it was becoming numb. 'I don't think you should ponder over whether to kill him or not. It should be done without any hesitation. Kill him. Do it…do it for Tomoe.'

Kenshin looked up at his brother with an expression of pure hatred. He held out his gun. Shinta gritted his teeth. This was it; he was going to die now. There was no changing that fact. He waited for the shot to come, but it didn't. Kenshin just continued to aim the gun at him. Shinta looked questioningly at his brother.

'C'mon, Kenshin! Shoot him, for God's sake!' Sano bellowed, looking positively beside himself with anger. 'What are you waiting for? Kill him now!'

And then, to his immense surprise, Kenshin dropped the gun to the ground. 'No,' he said quietly.

No? Shinta stared at his brother; Kenshin was refusing to kill him?

'Just what the hell are you doing, Himura?' Enishi said angrily. 'Pick up your damn gun and shoot him!'

'No,' Kenshin repeated.

'Ken…' Shinta croaked in disbelief.

'Shut up,' Kenshin snapped at him. He took in a deep breath. 'I've saved your life just now; do you know what that means? I'm no longer in your debt, Shinta; you've saved my life, and I saved yours…we're equal now.'

Shinta didn't say anything, and Kaoru touched Kenshin's shoulder. He looked around at her, and saw that she was watching him anxiously. 'Kenshin, are you sure? Are you absolutely sure you don't want to kill him?' she whispered. 'You're going to let him get away with everything he did?'

'Yes, Kaoru, I'm…' Kenshin started.

'I don't give a damn about your ethics, Kenshin!' Sano interrupted him. 'If you're not going to kill him then I will!'

Shinta felt the cool metal of the nuzzle of Sano's gun being pressed against his temple. I could break free! Why am I letting them treat me like this?

Because you can't run away or do anything; you're shot, his rationale mind intercepted.

Damn…

'Sano, Enishi…I understand what you two must be going through, but think about it,' Kenshin said quietly. 'If you kill him down, he'll just have a clean and simple death, he won't suffer the way you've suffered, he won't have to endure any of the pain and grief you went through…you'll be helping him, not punishing him.'

Sano's brow furrowed, and Enishi looked like he was thinking things over in his mind. After a moment, Sano lowered his gun and Enishi pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He punched in a number. 'Hello, I'm calling to tell you that we've caught Battousai, the man slayer,' he said, quite expressionlessly. 'No, I'm not joking, he's right here by my side…come and see for yourself.'

It was all over…

Shinta looked up and saw Kaoru hugging Kenshin, and felt his insides boil with anger. After all what had happened between them, she goes and treats him like dirt? He had half a mind to go and tell Kenshin that he had gone and screwed his girlfriend, but he knew that his brother probably won't believe him. Besides, wouldn't it sound like he was saying that out of spite? No, Shinta wouldn't sink to that level.

Then again, maybe it's not over…

-

Kenshin watched silently as the police car bearing his brother drove away, followed by three other police cars. When the officers had first approached, they had made a move to grab him instead of Shinta. But then, they spotted Shinta and stood staring in confusion at the two before grabbing Shinta. Of course, it took them a while to actually believe that Battousai was two people; one under the name of Kenshin, and the other under the name of Shinta, and that Shinta was the bad guy. They still wanted him to come to the station to testify. Sano and Enishi offered to go instead, and when they started to protest, Sano held up his FBI ID; just like Misao said; it did come in handy. So, Sano and Enishi left, and Kenshin and Kaoru were left behind. Kenshin was grateful he didn't have to go; he wanted his peace and quiet for the moment.

He sighed and turned around to look at Kaoru, who was standing silently beside him. 'Hey,' he said softly. 'Are you okay?'

Kaoru smiled at him. 'Yes, I'm fine,' she assured him. 'Are you okay?'

He nodded. 'Listen, Kaoru, I'm really sorry…' he started.

'Don't,' she interrupted him.

He ignored her. '…you went through a lot because of me,' he continued. 'I just can't bear to think of what would've happened if…'

'Kenshin, it's okay, please, you can stop,' she told him. 'Don't apologize, okay? I'm not worth it.'

'No, Kaoru, don't be stupid. I have to say this, alright?' Kenshin insisted. He grabbed both her shoulders and turned her around so she'd face him. 'You could've died; Shinta could've killed you, just like he killed Tomoe…I don't know if you know her, she was…'

'No, I know her,' Kaoru said. 'Enishi told me about her…she's your wife, right?'

Kenshin nodded. 'Point is; I wasn't careful, I went and repeated my same old mistake,' he went on. 'I shouldn't have dragged you into this, but I did. I wanted someone I could talk to…I was really selfish, and my selfishness nearly killed you.'

'Kenshin, you weren't selfish, everyone needs a friend,' Kaoru soothed him. She faltered for a bit, but then she managed a smile at him. 'I don't blame you for anything, none of this was your fault…and I really don't have any regrets for meeting you.'

'Kaoru…' he whispered.

Kaoru held a finger to his lips. 'Shhh…' she said. 'It's okay; it's over now, stop thinking about it…we're all fine, aren't we?'

'Yes, but…' he started to protest.

'It's okay, honest,' Kaoru interrupted him. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. 'It's okay.'

-

'So, that's it? Case closed?'

Kaoru leaned back against Kenshin's chest, and sighed heavily. 'I sure hope it is, Misao,' she said wearily.

Misao pouted, and smacked her fist against the open palm of her other hand. 'Damn! I missed all the action!' she mumbled, and Kaoru laughed. Misao grinned happily. 'Still, I'm glad it's all over now!'

'Yeah,' Kaoru murmured. 'Me too.'

She wanted to think that all this was over, but her mind kept drifting back to Shinta's room, and the moments they had shared together...and that's when the guilt started to consume her again. Just looking at Kenshin pained her now; she couldn't even kiss him without being weighed down by her guilt. And the worst part was that she couldn't tell him; she knew that if she told him, Kenshin would definitely hate her. And no matter how much she longed for Shinta, she just couldn't stand Kenshin hating her. In fact, she had secretly wished that Kenshin would shoot his brother so that she could feel that all this was really over. She was also glad that Shinta hadn't mentioned anything about what had happened between them.

'So, what happens now?' Saitoh asked quietly. 'Where does Himura go?'

'You mean Battousai, Saitou,' Kaoru corrected him, smiling. 'And he's gonna be taken to a high security prison and placed in a high security vault.'

When the other members of the Save-Kaoru-and-Catch-Battousai team, at least, that's what she called it, caught up with them, Shinta had already been driven away in a police car, heavily cuffed and restrained. It was an awkward moment, Kaoru didn't know whether she could trust Misao and Aoshi, and when it came to Saitou, he just gave her a brief hug, murmured about how glad she was okay, and continued to cast furtive glances at her and Kenshin for the rest of the time, and even now when they were grouped around comfortably in the apartment Katsu had rented for them, he continued to watch them.

Enishi and Aoshi were sitting quietly in a corner, but they were listening to every word being said. They hadn't said much since they came back to the apartment; Aoshi was known to be the loner type, and Enishi looked deep in thought and didn't seem like he wanted to be disturbed.

'Where's that prison, exactly?' Saitou asked.

'It's on some island,' Kaoru replied, trying to recall exactly what they'd been told at the police station. 'Nobody knows the exact location except for its supervisors…that's why it's so difficult to break out of it.'

Saitou nodded silently. He took out his packet of cigarettes, started to pull one out, but saw Kaoru watching him warily. He smiled and put the cigarette back its place. 'Smoking's bad for your health?' he said quietly.

'Exactly,' Kaoru said, grinning. She looked up at Kenshin; he had been silent ever since Shinta was taken away. For a while, she had actually thought that Kenshin knew something about her and Shinta, before realizing that wasn't even remotely possible. 'Kenshin, are you okay?'

Kenshin smiled and kissed the top of her head, and that made her sink in her guilt all over again. 'Yes, Kaoru, I'm fine,' he said softly.

Kaoru tried to get herself together and she smiled reassuringly at him. 'You don't have to feel bad about turning Shinta in, you know,' she said softly. It was true that she had wanted Shinta dead, but the other decision seemed to make Kenshin feel better. 'I assure you, you did the right thing.'

'I know, and I wouldn't have done it without you, Kaoru,' he said, still smiling. 'Thanks.'

'You're more than welcome,' she replied. 'But I still want to know why you're so tense!'

'I'm not tense! How do you know I'm tense?' he demanded.

Kaoru had thought that she was the only tense one around, but it seemed as if Kenshin was feeling the same way, too. 'I'm sitting next to you! I can feel it from my position!' she explained. 'So, why are you tense?'

Kenshin sighed wearily. 'I'm just thinking about…something,' he admitted.

'And I assume that something's Shinta, right?' she asked tentatively. He sighed and nodded. 'Forget about him! He's gone now! We're safe now; there's nothing to worry about now that he's gone!' Kenshin opened his mouth to say something, but Sano, just then, decided to come into the room, dragging his suitcase behind him. Kaoru frowned at him. 'Sano, why are you dragging your suitcase behind you?' she asked curiously.

'That's what you do when you go to the airport, silly,' he told her, grinning.

Kaoru gasped and jumped up to her feet. 'You're leaving?' she cried.

'Well, yeah,' Sano said, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I'm going back to the States.'

'Why? Why are you going back to the States? Why don't you stay here for a while?' she asked, tugging at his sleeve.

'Well, you know, um…someone must take care of things in the Agency,' he said hastily.

Kaoru threw up her arms. 'Oh, for goodness sake, Sano! The Agency can survive without you! You don't have to go!' she said, exasperated. 'Stay here and enjoy your time with us…consider it a vacation!'

'Ah, let him go,' Saitou said from behind them. They both turned around and stared at him in disbelief; Saitou was actually siding with Sano? He smirked. 'He wants to go back to his girl. Isn't that right, Sagara?'

Kaoru blinked. 'Girl?' she repeated, while Sano threw rude hand gestures at Saitou. Comprehension dawned upon her and she looked back slowly at Sano. 'It's Megumi, right? Did you and Megumi hook up? How come you never told me before?'

Sano shrugged and grinned. 'Well, you were sorta running around with a mad assassin, Kaoru, so I really didn't get the chance to tell you, I'm really sorry,' he said solemnly, and Kaoru smacked his arm.

'Congratulations!' Kaoru said happily. 'I always thought you two were perfect for each other!'

'Thanks,' Sano said, grinning. He gave her a brief hug before turning around and looking at Saitou. 'You coming back with me, Hajime?'

'Nah, I'm staying here,' Saitou replied. He grabbed the newspaper lying on the table and started flipping through it. A small smile touched his thin lips. 'I like it. I think I might have my department transfer me to Japan.'

'Good, we'll be well-rid of you, then,' Sano said sarcastically.

'Baka ka,' Saitou muttered from behind his paper.

Sano faltered and the grin slipped off his face. He pointed an accusing finger in the direction of Saitou. 'There you go with that word again, Hajime! What does it mean?' Sano demanded angrily, while Misao laughed.

'It means, get gone,' Saitou said calmly.

'Didn't it mean let's go the last time?' Sano said, fuming. 'I'm not stupid, Hajime!'

'Ah, well, you see, the meaning changes from situation to another,' Saitou said calmly.

'Hajime!' Sano exploded.

-

Kenshin bowed his head to Aoshi as the latter, sensing that Kenshin wanted privacy, got up from his chair and crossed the room to Misao. Kenshin sat down next to Enishi. 'Everything turned out well in the end, huh?' he said quietly. Enishi nodded silently. Kenshin smiled shortly at Enishi. 'You still think it was my fault Tomoe died, don't you?'

Enishi didn't meet his eye. 'If she didn't meet you, then she'd never have met Shinta,' he said coldly. 'So, yes, Himura, I do think it's your fault she died…it's true that you didn't kill her, but you still got her killed.'

'I know, I admit it was my fault,' Kenshin said quietly. 'I should've never gotten myself involved with Tomoe…but I loved her, Enishi, you must understand that.'

'Same way you love Kaoru?' Enishi asked.

Kenshin looked around at Kaoru, who was still arguing with Sano. 'No, Kaoru's different,' he whispered.

'Different?' Enishi repeated. Kenshin nodded. 'I love Kaoru too, you know,' Kenshin stared at him. 'But I stayed away from her…if you really love her; you'd never have approached her too…you could've gotten her killed.'

Kenshin smiled. 'I'm absolutely aware of that, Enishi,' he admitted. 'I used to think along your lines before, I was afraid to love some one after Tomoe died…but I'm really glad I met Kaoru.'

Enishi nodded, but didn't say anything.

Kenshin saw that he was watching Kaoru. 'You still haven't forgiven me, have you?' he asked. In reply, Enishi stood up from his chair and left the room. Moments later, Kenshin heard the door being slammed shut. 'Guess not.'

He heard Kaoru laughing from behind him, and he looked around at her. She was sitting with Misao and the rest, and she was talking and laughing happily, and a small smile touched his lips. Enishi may be right about the point where he said that he should stay away from Kaoru...but he was wrong about the other point; Kenshin would never allow Kaoru to be killed. He wasn't going to repeat his past mistake. Never.

-

After thirteen hours of traveling, he was finally here. Sano stood before the door to Megumi's apartment. He raised his fist to knock on the door, and hesitated. What would he tell Megumi? How would he act when she came to the door? Phone calls were a hell lot easier than face-to-face confrontations. He took in a deep breath, and knocked on the door. He dropped his hand back to his side, and waited nervously for Megumi to open the door. A few moments passed, and then he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock on the other side of the door. He gulped.

The door opened and Megumi stood in the doorway, wearing a skirt that reached up to her knee and a long sleeved t-shirt. Her mouth fell open slightly and she stared at him. 'Sanosuke…' she croaked. 'You're back.'

Sano grinned at her, and then he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, and buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair. He felt her arms encircle his neck. 'Yes, I'm back,' he replied, softly. 'And it feels really good to be back.'

Megumi pulled her head back and looked up at him. 'When did you come back?' she asked.

'An hour ago,' he replied. 'And that hour was spent in the airport, mind you.'

Megumi smiled. 'You came to my house straight from the airport,' she said. 'I'm touched.'

'You should be,' he murmured. And without any warning, he bent his head down and kissed her. Megumi was taken by surprise, but yet, she returned the kiss. After a few moments, they pulled apart, and Sano smiled down at her. 'I love you, Megumi.'

Megumi's heart fluttered. She could still feel the kiss he had given her on her lips...and it was the best feeling she'd ever had in a long while. She looked up into his deep brown eyes. 'I love you, too, Sanosuke,' she whispered.

They kissed again...and this time they clung on to each other tightly, as if they feared that if they let go, the other might disappear. It was long before they broke apart, and that's only when they realized they were still standing outside the apartment.

Megumi was feeling rather breathless. She nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at him. She swallowed. 'Would you like to come inside?' she murmured. 'I was just having breakfast…maybe you'd like to join me?'

Sano grinned cheerfully. 'Breakfast sounds great!' he exclaimed.

Megumi smiled and kissed him again. Then she slipped out of his arms, and pulled him by the hand into her apartment. 'Breakfast at my place is rather special,' she said casually, and Sano frowned, confused. 'Usually, I prefer to have breakfast in bed...especially when I'm having it with a gorgeous hunk.'

Comprehension dawned upon Sano, and his jaw dropped open. Megumi giggled as she closed the door, shutting the whole world away from them.

-

'So…you're finally going out with the real Kenshin,' Misao stated, as she pulled a comb through Kaoru's hair.

Kaoru smiled, and she could see herself blushing in the mirror. 'Yeah, I am,' she murmured. '…finally.'

Three days had passed since the night when Shinta was caught. Kenshin's name was finally cleared, and it was announced in all forms of media. The hitokori Battousai was caught, and his twin brother, Kenshin, was innocent. Kaoru didn't think she ever saw Kenshin this happy.

'When did he ask you out?' Misao asked.

'Today, after Kenshin had given a full testimony in the police station,' Kaoru replied. 'We were just going down the steps, and he grabbed my shoulder and turned me around so I would face him…and then he asked me.'

Kaoru had actually been thinking of leaving Kenshin, because she didn't want to feel like she's gone and cheated on him, but Kenshin had been so sweet and earnest with her...she just couldn't help but say yes when he had asked her out. She was determined to turn a new leaf and start over with Kenshin...and all thoughts about Shinta were definitely to be put behind her. Her main focus was Kenshin.

'That's so romantic,' Misao gushed, and then she pouted. 'I wish Aoshi could be half as romantic as Kenshin.'

Kaoru smiled. 'Don't worry, he'll ask you out someday…you have to be a bit patient with a guy like him,' she assured her, while dabbing a bit of powder on her face. She looked at Misao in the mirror. 'Where did Aoshi go, anyway?'

Misao finished combing Kaoru's hair and set the comb aside, and then she grabbed a few hairpins from the bureau, and started styling her hair. 'He went back to the Oniwubanshu headquarters,' she answered. 'He wanted to check on how things were going.'

Kaoru applied some lip gloss to her lips. 'Where is this headquarters, anyway?' she asked casually.

'Well, I would tell you,' Misao replied. She grinned and mimed slicing her throat. 'But then I'd have to kill you.'

'Ouch!' Kaoru said, grimacing. 'No, thank you. I'll think I'd rather keep my life.'

'Sorry, but we're just too secretive about our whereabouts, y'know?' Misao said, smiling apologetically.

'Tell me about it, you're so good about being secretive too!' Kaoru exclaimed, rounding on her. She pointed an accusing finger at the girl. 'When you were staying with me, I never suspected you in the least! You're so good!'

'Really? Thanks!' Misao said happily. 'Because Aoshi kept ranting about how I don't know how to do my job!'

'No, no, you did well,' Kaoru insisted. She paused for moment as she tried to remember something. Her eyes widened when she did. 'Oh my God! Kenny! I just remembered him!! Oh, God! I left him in the apartment all by himself!!'

Misao laughed. 'Oh, don't worry about Kenny,' she soothed her. 'I already took care of him. I asked your neighbor, Ms. Parker, to take care of him while you were away. You know what a cat-lover she is, she'll take good care of Kenny.'

Kaoru sighed in relief. 'Oh, thank you so much, Misao,' she murmured, plopping down on the chair she was sitting on.

'No problem, I'm glad I could help,' Misao replied. She added the final touch to Kaoru's hair. 'There you go, nice and simple, just like you wanted.'

Kaoru turned her head slightly so she could see her hair. She smiled. 'Thanks, Misao,' she said softly.

'You look awesome!' Misao told her. 'Kenshin will be really pleased!'

Just then, they heard a soft knock on the door. 'Kaoru, are you ready?' came Kenshin's voice through the door.

Kaoru exchanged a quick look with Misao, and the other girl nodded encouragingly. 'Yes, Kenshin, I'm ready,' she called back.

-

'You look beautiful,'

Kaoru smiled and blushed. 'Kenshin, you've said the same thing at least a hundred times till now,' she told him. 'You can stop now, it's okay, I don't mind.'

Kenshin shook his head and fixed her in a serious gaze which made her skin prickle. 'I don't want to stop,' he replied. 'I want to continue to say that to remind myself of what I almost lost because I was such a wimp.'

Kaoru touched his shoulder. 'No, Kenshin, don't say that,' she said softly. 'You're not a wimp, you're one of the bravest people I've ever known…if I had to live with a brother such as Shinta, I would've gone insane.'

'But I never tried to stop him; I let him do whatever he wanted…' Kenshin started to protest.

'Kenshin, stop,' Kaoru said sharply; she couldn't have Kenshin apologize to her, when she was the one who should be apologizing over and over again. 'I've lived with Shinta for just two days, and I know what you were going through…Shinta kept threatening to kill people if I didn't obey him, and I didn't want anyone to die because of me…I'm sure that's what happened with you as well…but you stopped him now, and that's what counts.'

'I only got lucky,' Kenshin murmured, sounding sheepish. 'If Shinta had a weapon, none of us would've gotten away safely.'

'From my point of view, I say that it's the better brother who won,' she replied. 'So stop trying to come up with excuses for yourself.'

Kenshin smiled. 'Thank you, Kaoru,' he said softly

'You're welcome,' she replied. She picked up her menu. 'Okay, so let's order…and it'd better be something nice, we're celebrating your freedom here.'

Kenshin nodded as he picked up his menu. They took their pick of the meals available, and the waiter came to take their orders. He told them the meal will be ready in a few minutes. Kenshin noticed that the waiter kept shooting furtive glances at him, and so were the other diners in the restaurant. He sighed wearily. Kaoru reached across the table and held his hand.

'It's okay,' she whispered. 'They're still not used to you; it'll take time for them to adjust to the fact that you're not Battousai.'

'I wish all the people were like you, Kaoru, and then I wouldn't be in this situation,' he said, sounding disgruntled. 'You accepted me fairly quickly, remember?'

It pained her to smile at him. No, Kenshin; you mustn't wish for that. I'm horrible...I really am. I'm just not worth it. 'If they came and looked into your eyes the way I did, then they'd believe you immediately,' she said softly.

'Great,' Kenshin mumbled. 'So all I have to do now is put myself on display and ask people to come and gawk into my eyes.'

'Kenshin, I'm serious!' she protested.

Kenshin smiled. 'I know, I'm sorry,' he apologized, reaching out and stroking her face. 'I really hope it's over soon.' He looked around and saw the waiter approaching them. 'Look, here comes our meal…20 dollars the waiter put poison in the Miso soup!'

'Kenshin! That's not funny!' Kaoru scolded him.

The waiter quickly placed the plates and dishes before them, and walked away immediately without asking them if they require anything else. Kaoru saw Kenshin reaching for his chopsticks, and she halted him. 'Let's propose a toast first,' she told him, picking up her glass of wine. Kenshin nodded and picked up his glass. 'To Kenshin, the kindest swordsman to tread the surface of the Earth.'

They clinked glasses together.

Kenshin smiled. 'My turn,' he said, and raised his glass again. 'To Kaoru, the most beautiful girl I have ever set eyes upon.'

Kaoru blushed as they clinked their glasses. For the hundredth time that night, she felt the guilt eating at her, and she had to fight the tears which were threatening to leak from her eyes. 'Thank you, Kenshin,' she said softly. She put her glass down. 'Alright, then, shall we eat?'

She had a difficult time eating, though. She had never used chopsticks before in her life, and Shinta had taken her to a restaurant which actually had spoons, so she didn't have to deal with this problem. Huffing angrily, she tried to pick up a piece of meat with her sticks, but failed as the meat kept slipping from between her sticks.

'Kaoru,' Kenshin said in a choked tone; he was obviously trying hard not to laugh.

'What?' she said, snappishly.

'Here, let me help you,' he offered. He reached forward, took the chopsticks out of her hand, caught that particular piece of meat quickly, and held it up for her. 'Here you go.'

Kaoru blushed, and opened her mouth as Kenshin reached out to feed her himself. He placed the piece of meat in her mouth, and sat back on his chair. 'Thanks,' she said, after she had swallowed. 'But wouldn't it be easier if you asked the waiter for a fork?'

'Yeah, good point,' he agreed. He summoned the waiter, and said something to him in Japanese. The waiter nodded, and came back moments later with a spoon, a fork and a knife.

'Arigatou,' Kaoru said, accepting them from him. The waiter nodded and walked away. Grinning happily, Kaoru set about to eating her meal. She looked up at Kenshin and saw that he was watching her. 'Er…is something wrong? Do I have noodle sauce on my face or something?'

'No, you're perfect,' he replied, smiling.

'Erm...thanks,' Kaoru retorted, wiping her mouth on her napkin just the same. 'Why aren't you touching your plate, then?'

'I'm just taking a break,' he replied, and she nodded. 'Hey, Kaoru?'

'Yes?' she said, looking up again.

'Do you love me?' he asked.

Kaoru stared at him. Then she slowly put down her fork, and put her hands in her lap. 'Of course I do, Kenshin,' she said softly, and it was the truth; no matter how much she had been attracted to Shinta, the one she truly loved was Kenshin. 'I love you.'

'Will you do a favor for me, then?' he asked.

'Sure, anything,' she agreed.

'Will you marry me?' he asked.

Kaoru stared at him again, and then her eyes welled with tears as she looked upon the diamond ring Kenshin was now holding for her. She couldn't help it; she started crying. She couldn't do this to Kenshin...she couldn't just say yes to him when she'd just gone and cheated on him. Yet...she found herself raising a trembling hand, and shuddered as Kenshin slowly slipped the ring into her finger. He smiled at her, and then leaned forward over the table and cupped her face between his hands.

He wiped her tears away with his thumb. 'You're an angel, ever told you that before?' he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.

She felt that this was the right thing to do; she just couldn't imagine her life without Kenshin...she just couldn't, at least, that was what she was trying to convince herself. 'Yeah, you did,' she said softly, remembering the time when he first asked her out. 'Once.'

Kenshin leaned in closer; there was now only an inch between the two of them. 'Good, because you are,' he whispered. His lips found hers and he locked them in a deep and gentle kiss. He pulled away for a moment, and smiled at her. 'I love you, Kaoru.'

'I love you, too, Kenshin,' she replied, before leaning forward for another kiss.

Not Shinta...Kenshin. My loyalty remains with Kenshin.

-

A/N: There! I'm done! And we have a happy ending! Yay! I hope you all liked the ending; I tried to do my best in this chapter since it was the one which kinda decides everything. Hey, Shirou Shinjin, I liked your version of the ending, so, tell me, did you like mine?

I took the dialogue where Kenshin was asking Kaoru to marry him from a movie; I hope it's legal. If it's not, please tell me, okay?

Oh, and by the way, this isn't the end. I still have an EPILOGUE! Yes! You still get one more chappie! Aren't you happy? Not just that; you're even getting a SEQUEL! (Note to self: Stop acting like such a cheesy commercial). Anyway, if you've read this chapter and you're thinking of closing it without sending a review, then think again! I want you all to review or I'm sending my Death Eaters after you! (I've been reading too much Harry Potter!)

- S. N. B.