Every year on this very same day, he faced the same thing at sunrise. Barely six o' clock, but the bright blue eyes gazing raptly into his own held no evidence of sleepiness or the remaining fog of slumber.
"Up! Up! 'Tou-chan, it's Christmas, get up!"
Kenshin yawned sleepily and stretched, making a show of taking a rather long time. "Maa, Misao-dono..." he protested faintly. "It's still dark outside de gozaru na... can't you wait a few more-"
"Bakadeshi, the sun rose five minutes ago. You two are the only ones still in bed. Get up now or I will be forced to dunk you in cold water."
Kenshin jumped at the cool voice, having forgotten in the haze of his lost sleep to expect it. His Shishou stood in the doorway, fully dressed and sipping absently at one of Yahiko's juice boxes, which he had deemed an appropriate replacement for his sake until Kenshin broke down and bought him some. It didn't seem to matter how many times he told the man that he didn't allow alcohol in the house. He had been demanding it ever since he had set foot on Kenshin's doorstep three days ago.
Shishou hadn't bothered to explain why he had come. He had merely arranged his glorious self in front of the television and demanded sake and beer nuts. Needless to say, he and Sano had gotten on quite well.
The older man's presence had evoked just as much worry for Kenshin as it had frustration. It wasn't that he minded his company... he liked his Shishou very much, no matter his tendency to tell embarrassing stories about Kenshin's college days. It was only... He never deigned to lend a direct hand unless he felt things would fall apart without him.
It had never occurred to Kenshin to wonder why Shishou always knew all his troubles, even the ones he didn't tell. He just did, and it wasn't to be questioned.
But, nevertheless... it was Christmas, and such worries could wait.
"Hai, Shishou," he murmured obediently, struggling up and yawning profusely.
"Score, ya stinky old boozehound!" Misao-dono cheered, jumping up and down on the old floorboards and clapping the tall man on the shoulder. "I've never gotten him up that fast!"
"Word to the Master, annoying weasel girl," Shishou intoned.
Kenshin eyed them both suspiciously, then leaned over to shake the snoring lump that was his young lover. "Sano..." he called patiently. "Sano... time to get up."
The response was nothing but an incoherent groan smothered into a pillow and mess of sheets. Kenshin sighed and shook him harder. Still nothing.
There was a quiet cough from the doorway, and he blinked up to behold a now-familiar figure lounging against the wall. "Allow me, Ken-san," Meg-dono said dryly, then took on a purposeful air and slinked over to Sano's side of the bed.
He quirked a feathery eyebrow and watched. No matter how many times he saw her, there was still something about her that escaped him, some intangible quality that made it fascinating to watch her. Something that spoke of things that remained hidden, no matter how well you knew her... something mysterious... And sometimes... there was a darkness that was barely visible behind those coal-black eyes, a sadness, a wistfulness, furtive enough to make him wonder if he had ever seen it at all...
Meg-dono leaned down and whispered something in Sano's sleeping ear, her eyes twinkling in obvious delight. Kenshin couldn't even begin to fathom how she thought this would help to wake him, unless-
"HOLY- Get AWAY FROM ME YOU SOULLESS KITSUNE!!!-" The mattress creaked in protest as Sano sprang to sudden life, the strength that lay in his arms propelling him over the double bed, where he promptly buried his face in Kenshin's leg and began to whimper.
There was a brief silence.
"It's Christmas, Sano," Kenshin offered hopefully, patting his unruly hair in reassurance.
Large brown eyes met his, and he smiled.
Sano whooped and catapulted off the bed, catching Kenshin up in his grip and bolting into the living room.
"ORO-"
"Sanosuke, would you quit manhandling my father?"
"Sorry, 'jou-chan." Kenshin found himself unceremoniously plunked on the couch next to a yawning Kaoru-dono, who scooted close to him and laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh. He patted her hair fondly. Kaoru-dono had never been much of a morning person either... Sano sat on his other side; Shishou had already taken the chair, which left Yahiko and Misao-dono on the floor. Meg-dono had already seated herself on the arm of the couch next to Kaoru-dono... which had been greeted by an unprecedented flinch.
There was no time to ponder that, however, as Misao-dono practically flung herself into the embrace of her unsuspecting tree, digging out the first present from its proverbial evergreen bowels... or boughs, as the case may be...
It was far too early if he was giggling at silly puns.
"Okay, okay..." Misao-dono squinted at the label, brushing her tangled hair from her face. "It's to... It's to Yahiko-kun, from me! Wow!" She thrust the haphazardly wrapped box into the dark-haired boy's face.
Yahiko blinked at it owlishly for a moment, then shrugged and worked studiously at unwrapping it, which took a good minute, considering it was held together with copious amounts of tape. It was a rather large package, too... and rather strangely shaped...
Finally, Yahiko managed to pull a book out of the mess of shredded paper. He cocked his head, reading the title, then turned an incredulous face to Misao-dono.
"Midget Pimping for Fun and Profit?" he asked dubiously.
"Yeah! I even gotcha a pimp hat, look!" Misao-dono dug into the package and removed a large, purple felt hat with a bright red feather sticking out from the top, a leopard-print pattern covering the brim. She shoved it onto Yahiko's small head, fairly bursting with pride.
"I didn't know there was a market for midget pimps," Sano observed mirthfully, breaking the astonished silence. "Where in the name of God did you get that, Misao?"
"A commercial during Springer!" Misao-dono dove for the tree again.
"Where else?" Kaoru-dono observed from Kenshin's shoulder.
Kenshin sighed, then leaned over a little to Sano. "It's Misao-dono's greatest ambition to be on the Jerry Springer show de gozaru," he confided. "She refuses to rest until she has a reason to call them."
"Oh, I've got reasons!" Misao-dono contested from the depths of the tree. "I've got reasons, baby!"
"I would say you do," Shishou observed into his Juicy Juice, then fell silent again, looking obscenely satisfied with himself.
The process continued like this for some time, the pile of presents beneath the tree much larger than anyone there was used to. It had always been one present from each person to everyone else, so each of them would get two... But with that same rule, everyone got... everyone got six presents this year, counting the guests. Nearly a half hour later, Yahiko had gotten all of his presents. After the questionable book and hat from Misao-dono, he had unwrapped the complete set of Harry Potter books from Sano; a crisp new textbook on the history of Japan from Kaoru-dono; the latest shooting game from Meg-dono, for the old Playstation; and finally, an electronics kit from Kenshin himself, who had noticed the boy was enamoured of such things. The dark-haired boy sat amongst the shredded wrapping paper, small hands wandering over his new possessions, eyes alit with a quiet happiness.
Misao-dono was next. Yahiko had bought her a rather plump stuffed elephant, and remarked rather caustically that they looked enough alike to be twins; she gave him a sharp look and lunged, but the attack turned into an enthusiastic hug at the last moment. Kaoru-dono had managed to find a rather rare Fushigi Yuugi artbook for her, to which the younger girl seemed permanently attached, moaning blissfully about her Hotohori-sama, whom she loved just a smidge less than her Aoshi-sama, it appeared. Meg-dono had bought a hairpiece for her, one that appeared to be reminiscent of a bridesmaid at a medieval wedding; it consisted of a silver headband that pleasantly contrasted her dark skin, with trailing ribbons of a sky-blue fabric, to be braided into her long hair. In an insight Kenshin found as surprising as it was endearing, Sano proudly presented his messily-wrapped gift- a CD of songs by a Japanese group named Weiss. She cuddled that as fondly as she did the absurdly large stuffed bear Kenshin had bought in a fit of weakness.
Kaoru-dono crawled down from the couch for her turn, yawning sleepily but fighting but a smile of anticipation all the same. Yahiko had bought her a calculus workbook large enough to make Kenshin's head ache, but she received it with an eager glint in her eye and a grateful smile to the young boy. Misao-dono, in her infinite wisdom, presented a copy of Final Fantasy VII; explaining, as though everyone should see the logic inherent in her purchase, "It's got a girl with big tracts 'a land and a moderate amount of crossdressing. Great for you." Kaoru-dono held Sano's present in her hands for a moment, as though pondering it, before she ripped the paper open. To her obvious delight, it was another CD, as he had given Misao-dono. Hers, however, was the greatest hits compilation of a group called the Barenaked Ladies, which made both Meg-dono and Misao-dono chuckle for reasons unknown. Kenshin's own present, a heavy winter jacket he'd bought some weeks ago, seemed almost to bring tears to her sleepy eyes. But she had saved Meg-dono's gift for last, and opened it carefully with hands that seemed to shake. It was a lovely blouse of a pure white silk, with clinging sleeves and an ornamented collar. Kaoru-dono stared at it for a long time, cheeks coloring, then murmured a "thank you" and clambered back onto the couch with Kenshin.
Meg-dono was apparently next, sliding gracefully down to the floor as though observing time-honored tradition. Misao-dono presented her gift proudly, which turned out to be a copy of a computer game called "The Sims"; she explained quite knowledgably that it enabled the player to create simulated people and control every step of their lives. It struck Kenshin as quite appropriate for Meg-dono, for reasons he wasn't quite sure of. Yahiko had bought the dark-haired girl a CD, a compilation of "Disney Pop Hits", as the label read. She cooed thanks at him, embarrassing the poor boy completely. Sano's present was next, in an old battered gift bag instead of a box. To the surprise of no one, it was a stuffed fox. Meg-dono simply quirked an eyebrow at Sano, who grumbled something incomprehensible and looked away. But as Kenshin peered up at him, he could see a tiny smile trying to force his way through... But his attention was soon drawn elsewhere, as Meg-dono had reached happily for his own present, which was a long black raincoat styled to look like a forbidding trenchcoat. This aspect delighted her, but there was something else in that smile... something wistful, something that made his heart swell as she glanced up at him with eyes alight. That light didn't abate in the slightest as she opened her final gift beneath the tree- Kaoru-dono's, one the poor girl had agonized over ever since inviting Meg-dono to Christmas with them. It was a pair of earrings, a very simple half-moon design done in silver metal, a small star dangling from each on a short linked chain. It was plain enough in design and yet seemed so elaborate in thought... somehow like the girl herself.
For some reason, everyone in the room expected Kenshin to open his gifts last, so by default, it was Sano's turn. His Shishou had come too late, and without any notice, so no one had time to buy him presents. He had dismissed this, of course, claiming that seeing his bakadeshi as a housewife was gift enough for him. He had brought a rather large bag with him, though... He'd said quite abruptly last night that he would give his presents out at dinnertime, and not one of them should bother him before that. No one had as of yet, but that would change as soon as Misao-dono remembered, he suspected.
Sano flumped onto the carpet with typical grace, leaning forward and pawing at the first package, from Yahiko. It turned out to be a pair of pink, lacy panties, which Sano stared at for a moment, then chortled and put them on his head like a frightening little hat. It was hard to disturb the boy anymore... The second present was from Misao-dono, a thick book called Chicken Soup for the Father's Soul. Sano stared at that as well, then his dark eyes teared and he mussed up Misao-dono's hair. Kenshin managed only a smile... the way those girls were looking at him... his girls... Their girls... If they had accepted him as their father, then who was he to nitpick...? Kaoru-dono's present was next, and Sano ripped open the careful wrapping to reveal the complete set of James Bond movies on video. The absolute glee that sparkled in his eyes was truly something to see, and didn't even flag when Meg-dono slyly queried if he had similar luck in relationships. It was possible Sano didn't understand the implied insult, and it was true that only Shishou snorted, but one preferred to think he was still reveling in the glory of his box set. He soon set into the next, which Meg-dono had bought for him. It was a rather official-looking book until one read the title- The Idiot's Guide to Human Sexuality. At this, Sano turned rather red and put it aside, to the girl's jubilant chortles. His own gift was last, and Kenshin found himself twining his hands together in his lap. He'd thought long and hard about his gift for Sano... it had been a difficult choice... And after all his struggle, this had simply cried out to him, and he'd bought it, almost as a reserve in case he couldn't find anything that seemed more grand...
But in the end, this was it, and still it filled him with a strangely warm feeling... as though it was right...
Sano's hands framed the snowglobe, chocolate eyes peering into its depths. Beneath the softly falling snow was a little tiny house, lights glowing from the windows as though a welcoming fire burned within. And written along the base was the lone, simple word... "Home".
"D-do you like it de gozaru ka?" Kenshin prodded anxiously, uncertain how to read his dark, pondering face, leaning forward on the couch. Had it been too simple of a gift after all? He had no idea what Sano had gotten him... and he didn't want-
"Are you kidding? I love it!" Sano continued peering into the depths, voice husky, almost choked. "This is perfect..."
Kenshin smiled, relieved beyond all measure, then patted the top of his head fondly. "I'm very glad de gozaru na," he returned with a light sigh. "Now, I suppose it's my turn de gozaru ka?"
At that, Misao-dono sprang up, digging behind the tree so aggressively that the branches wobbled more than a bit, ornaments jangling. Kenshin slid to the floor, eyes wide, watching the tree tip dangerously, hover there... and then return to its original position, thankfully. His youngest reappeared in a few moments, clutching a bulky package to her thin bosom and beaming.
"We decided to theme your presents this year, 'tou-chan," she explained with a proud grin. "So this big one's from everybody, 'kay? It's got lots 'a little parts, but it's mostly one present." That speech accomplished, she plopped the gift in his lap, which looked as though Sano had wrapped it with his eyes closed. Kenshin took a deep breath, then proceeded to unwrap the mess they had lovingly prepared for him.
The first thing he managed to pull free was a CD... or rather, a two CD set, titled "Ultimate Broadway". He blinked at it, then flipped it over to examine the back. "Oklahoma... My Fair Lady..." he read aloud. "Carousel... oh, my..." It was difficult to contain a fair amount of excitement. He had always loved musicals, as long as he could remember! And to have his favorites all together on two CDs! Songs he knew all the words to, songs he could hum, songs he had never heard! And all the best love songs!
"'Tou-san, there's more," Kaoru-dono reminded, gently taking the CDs from his hands. "Keep looking!"
And there was more! Kenshin practically squirmed with excitement, nimble fingers pulling the paper aside. A book...? "The Phantom of Manhattan?" he read aloud, then peered about hopefully for an explanation.
"It's a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. I know you hated the ending, so..." Kaoru-dono smiled and tapped the cover. "I think you'll like it..."
Kenshin smiled brightly at his oldest, then opened the hardback book and flipped quickly to the last page.
"Ohhhhh! Dame-!" Kaoru-dono smacked his hand and snatched the book away. "You have to read the whole thing first!"
"De gozaru," Kenshin conceded with a disappointed sigh, then dug blissfully into the mass of wrapping paper again. Next... next were more CDs! He pulled them out in quick succession. Highlights from Jesus Christ Superstar! Both soundtracks to Moulin Rouge! Michael Crawford singing Andrew Lloyd Webber! Wonders beyond wonders!
And finally... He pulled forth a thick book, a large book as well, titled "Great Songs Of Broadway". Vaguely puzzled as to how one could write such a large book on the subject, Kenshin flicked it open, and then realized with possibly the silliest big smile ever that... it was sheet music, it was all sheet music, and he knew how to read sheet music, and he could sing from sheet music, and play it on the piano if they ever got one-
"Thank you all so much de gozaru yo!" he blurted, and promptly threw his arms around the closest person, who happened to be Shishou, or rather, his legs.
"Oh, get off, you fruit. I had nothing to do with it. Haven't I told you not to hug me?" Kenshin merely pouted at him and moved onto Kaoru-dono. After he had hugged all the air out of her lungs, he proceeded to do the same to Misao-dono, Yahiko, and Meg-dono, respectively. Misao-dono hugged him happily, Yahiko somewhat gingerly, and Meg-dono rather enthusiastically. After he had managed to extricate himself from her embrace, he cuddled into Sano and was blissfully silent, running his fingertips over the covers of all his CDs and books.
There was a content silence for some time, each occupant of the tiny living room rummaging through their gifts, flipping pages, hugging toys, trying on hats. Misao-dono snatched his Broadway CD set and put the first in her Playstation so they could listen, setting it on shuffle. A familiar jaunty tune from "The Music Man" filled the small living room, and Kenshin sang along under his breath as he flipped through his sheet music.
It was because of the bright trumpets that no one but Meg-dono heard the knock at their front door. She rose gracefully to her socked feet and made her way to answer it before anyone could be a good host and do it for her. Only three in the room knew of the Christmas tradition, so the three others sat in confusion as Kenshin winked at his girls.
"You have mail," informed a cool voice.
"Aoshi-sama!!!" Misao-dono squealed, tearing over the carpet to the door, leaving the rug bunched up beneath her feet. There was a brief scuffle at the door, as she no doubt flung herself into his arms... or rather, his chest.
After Misao-dono had been pulled off the poor man and everyone had reassembled in the little dining room behind the couch, Shinimori-dono fixed his ice-blue eyes on Kenshin and handed him a bulging black garbage bag, blank face simply daring him to thank him for the gifts hidden within. Once his arms were free, he set a few packages on the table that actually seemed to have come from the post office, and turned his back to go.
Kenshin coughed, hesitant as always to break the silence. Shinimori-dono was a very good and kind man, but there was something in those cool eyes sometimes, something almost like... animosity...? Bitterness? Something that made him quail under his gaze, even though he had no idea why.
But Misao-dono would never forgive him if he kept silent.
"Would you like to come for dinner de gozaru ka?" he asked bravely. "We have several guests, as you can see, and we would all be grateful if you would join us."
There was a long silence, Shinimori-dono turning back to scrutinize his face, a flicker of surprise so brief he doubted its existence passing through his eyes. Kenshin blinked up at him hopefully.
And then Shinimori-dono's eyes moved to Kenshin's side, to the bright blue eyes that implored him with all their bargaining power, the full lips that quivered in genuine wishfulness.
"I suppose so," he said abruptly, and then was gone down the hallway and through the door. It creaked shut after him.
Misao-dono nearly shrieked with excitement, throwing her spindly arms tight around Kenshin's shoulders. "Aoshi-sama is coming for dinner!" she cheered directly into his ear.
"Oro." Kenshin attempted to pry her off, then sighed and patted his youngest on the head. "Hai, hai. Do you want your presents de gozaru ka?"
"PRESENTS!"
It took some time to convince Misao-dono to calm down and sit around the table so that the presents could be passed out in a civilized fashion. Shinimori-dono always brought his Christmas presents in such a fashion, as though he was ashamed of having a soft spot in his heart for them.
Especially for Misao-dono.
There were more presents this year, even one for each of the guests. There was a box of strawberry Pocky for Meg-dono and an engraved sake chawan for Shishou. Sano and Yahiko had been added to the renewal of their membership to the dojo, and each had also been given a year of free lessons, which was an extravagant gesture for the recalcitrant man. Kaoru-dono's present was a pristine white gi, which was all the more appreciated considering how old and ratty the one she used was. His own gift was a shiny new spatula. One could never have too many spatulas.
Misao-dono's present was last. The girl lifted a black box out of the nearly-empty bag. It appeared to be a jewelry box, about as long as her hand. Her eyes sparkled with nervous excitement, her fingers shaking as she pried it open.
She lifted out a long necklace, the silver chain glinting in the lamplight. Against her arm bumped a stone set in the same silver, a dark blue jewel that echoed the shade of her eyes nearly exactly. Misao-dono draped it over her thin breast, lips parted and yet silent. It was evident she saw it just as beautiful as Kenshin did, if not more.
And how expensive it must have been...
The long, wondering silence was broken by a quiet cough. Everyone started and looked obediently up at Shishou, who waited expectantly.
"Are you going to open the other packages or not?" he snapped impatiently.
"Oh, of course!" Kenshin jumped, feeling his cheeks heat. He had been so caught up in Misao-dono's stunning gift that he had forgotten the two mailed packages. He picked up the larger of the two and peered at the careful lettering on the front.
"Himura Kenshin and Sagara Sanosuke...?" he read out, puzzled. The return address was one he didn't recognize, the handwriting neat and prettily slanted.
"Well, open it!" Sano leaned over his shoulder and tore into the wrapping without a second thought. Kenshin 'oro'ed, but curious himself, opened the top of the box once it was visible.
"SCORE! Cookies!"
The wrapped platter of what appeared to be recently baked chocolate cookies was snatched out of the box before he could prevent it, Sano whooping in triumph and sniffing at the plastic cover, as though he wasn't quite sure how to get it off. Before he could figure it out, however, Kaoru-dono managed to wrestle it from his grasping hands and escorted it to the kitchen with a huffing sigh.
"Mou," Sano complained, and flumped into a chair.
Kenshin smiled at him fondly and unfolded the letter that had been underneath the plate of cookies. The writing seemed in the same as on the package, only instead of in English, it was written in Japanese characters. More curious than ever, he sat down as well to read it.
"Himura-san and Sagara-san," he said aloud. "I hope this letter finds you happy on Christmas Day. I know we have never met face to face, but I know you two quite well. Two men who have known each other as long as my husband and Himura-san could only be the best of friends or the worst of enemies, and it's truly a shame that it had to be the latter. According to him, anyway. Hajime truly isn't as bad as he would want you both to think. Why, just yesterday he helped two little girls cross the street in front of the post office. But that isn't the point. I figured that since he has been such a thorn in both of your sides, you at least deserved some cookies. So here they are, with my sincere apologies for his behavior. With sentiments of holiday affection, Saitou Tokio."
The silence was deafening.
"He's MARRIED?!" Sano sniggered, burying his face in the tablecloth. "And she sends us COOKIES?!"
"Tokio-dono must be like Buddha to handle him every day de gozaru na..." Kenshin observed soberly, holding the letter like a holy artifact. "Truly a woman to be admired."
'I've grown accustomed to her face', observed the music.

Kenshin hummed to himself during the instrumental presently playing from the living room, carefully settling the turkey into the stove. It took some delicate maneuvering to keep it flat enough so that the stuffing didn't spill out of the turkey and onto the floor. But he loved the work. It was what made cooking fun.
"Ken-san?"
He jumped, then blinked up into Meg-dono's coal-black eyes. She was leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed over her substantial bosom. There was a brazen questioning in her features, one that stabbed him to the core and forced him to pay attention.
"What can I help you with de gozaru ka?" he asked politely.
"Would you like me to help you for a while?" she queried, sashaying forward to lean on the counter.
"If you would like to," he said cheerily, offering her a cutting board and a clean knife. "I'm making a fruit salad, if you would cut the cantaloupe for me."
She went to it carefully, and soon showed skill he wasn't surprised to see in her. The feminine proficiencies were obvious in her. She was beautiful, smart, rather domestic, and quite wily in her own way.
They worked in silence for some time, then Meg coughed a little. "Ken-san?" she inquired. "I've wondered for a while now... is the 'de gozaru' speech pattern common? I've never read about it or heard about it in my classes."
Kenshin paused, peering down at the watermelon he had been cutting into small chunks. "I... I don't think it's common de gozaru..." he said quietly, hands stilled. "I... I learned to speak this way when I was very young."
"Oh. I see."
He blinked, not comprehending the strange look in her dark eyes, but shrugged it off and continued chopping. He really didn't know where the speech pattern had come from. He only had vague memories of the time before he had come to America, as he had been very young then, only just forming as a consciousness. All he knew was that it had seemed right to him... it had seemed to be right for him to speak that way, even when no one else did.
Of course, things that seemed to be right to him rarely were right to anyone else.
They kept working in silence, strangely comfortable silence, until the stove began beeping for him to take the turkey out. Kenshin jumped, smiled sheepishly at Meg-dono, then knelt to remove the main dish from the oven.
And then it was time for Christmas dinner!

She held the box tightly in both hands.
The elegant wrapping that had covered the present lay in shreds over her lap, the lid open to reveal a single piece of paper inside. She was trembling still, the impact of that simple slip of paper still rocking her to the core.
"For one free photography sitting at Tsukioka's Portrait and Photo Studio. Copies will be kept by the recipient and sent to the undersigned, originals kept by the studio."
It was signed 'Eric Snow'.
Tsukioka's was run by the mother of Sanosuke's friend Katsuhiro... he was always complaining about how capitalistic the whole place was. It was incredibly expensive to get even one copy of a picture there, let alone have multiple copies sent to two people. Why would he pay that much money for a girl he had met once at a Christmas tree farm? Why would he want pictures of her, all dressed up...?
"Hey, 'jou-chan?"
She jumped, closing the box with a compulsive jerk of her arm. Sanosuke stood in her doorway, hands behind his back and a vaguely apprehensive look on his face.
"What is it?" she asked calmly, putting the box to the side like it was nothing at all.
"I got somethin' for ya," he explained, almost a little bashfully. "I already gave Misao hers, but I couldn't find you."
"O-okay..." Kaoru sat back, eyebrows raised.
He sat down beside her on her bed, the springs creaking a little under his weight. With a quick grin, he pressed a tiny little box into her hand. Kaoru blinked at him, then pried it open, puzzled.
It was a tiny little ring, two little silver bands entwined to hold a crimson stone. It glittered in the palm of her hand, the jewel so dark as to seem a faceted drop of blood. She lifted her eyes to Sanosuke, unsure what to say, feeling something warm inside her chest. It was beautiful... and she knew there had to be a reason he would buy such extravagant gifts for her and her sister. And she wanted to know what it was.
"I figured... I dunno. I wasn't here for your sixteenth birthdays, and I know that's a big deal for girls, usually, and I felt a little bad for not being around, and-"
"Sanosuke," she interrupted, as touched as she was bewildered. "It's not like we're your illegimate children you've been hiding from all your life. You've only known us for a while. There's no reason to feel guilty for not having known us before."
"I know." He smiled a little. "I know, 'jou-chan, I do. But I feel a little guilty anyway, an' there's no fixing that. So I wanted to do somethin' about it now."
Kaoru returned the smile, then slipped the ring onto her finger, surprised at how well it fit. She felt Sanosuke's eyes on her, and she turned to him, hugging onto his broad shoulders, a peculiar sensation of completion filling her until it felt almost choking.
"Daisuki," she managed into his shirt. "...'Tou-san."
And he pulled her close.