Konnichiwa, minna!!! Finally, the last chapter is here! I'm almost finished with the epilogue too, and then this story will be put to rest. I'll be writing an Inuyasha fic next, and perhaps a G Gundam one at the same time, but I might write it after I finish the Inuyasha one...not sure...tell me what you guys think.

---Aoiya Kitchen---

"Kaoru-dono?" Kaoru turned around at the sound of her name. "Yes?"

"Could sessha talk to you for a moment in his room?"

"Sure."

Kenshin led Kaoru to his room and they stepped inside, closing the shoji behind him. He turned around to face Kaoru's curious visage. "Sessha wanted to ask you something..."

Kaoru felt her blood boil for a moment. Why does he always call himself sessha?!?!?! This is getting really annoying... "Why did you feel you had to take a husband?"

She flushed a light pink for a moment before answering. "It's unorthodox for a woman to practice or teach swordsmanship. It's also extremely unusual for a woman my age to remain unmarried. My parents have always dreamed of seeing me married, and for the sake of their memories and their last wish, I decided to take a husband. Besides, if I don't find someone soon, I may never find one at all..."

Kenshin looked down for a moment. "You're looking too far..." he whispered, but Kaoru heard. Her eyes widened. "What if you hadn't loved the man you took?"

She smiled slightly, "I would eventually begin to love him over time."

"And if you hated that man when you found out what he was really like?"

"Then I would just have to learn to love him."

Kenshin smiled a true and happy smile. "You would stand to live with him, even if you hated him with your entire being?"

"Yes, as long as he didn't harm me."

Kenshin smiled some more. Maybe I have a chance...What I'm doing is probably one of the worst things I could ever do...demo I have to take a chance. It was then that Kaoru noticed he was holding something behind his back. She leaned her head sideways curiously, attempting to peer around him. He noticed this and smiled. "Kaoru-dono, I have a gift for you." Her features lit up as if by a candle. He pulled his fist out from behind his body. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand." She obeyed and he opened his fist to reveal a beautiful ring. Its band was gold, shining softly in the light from the shoji and outside. There was a small crystal on top that sparkled majestically. He slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly. "Open your eyes." Kaoru opened her eyes to find spots of faded rainbow light decorate the walls around her. She found the source on her finger, admiring the way the light bounced off it so gracefully. She gasped at it sheer magnificence. It perched on her finger, giving it a feminine touch that her muscles and training yukata tended to take away. Kenshin smiled, "It matches your beauty."

Kaoru looked up at him in wonder, "Kenshin..." she breathed, "How did you ever afford this? Why...?"

He smiled slightly, visage no longer revealing what he was thinking, "Sessha worked for a while, doing odd jobs for a man. That's where sessha has been the past few afternoons. As for why...that was the other thing sessha wanted to ask Kaoru-dono." She stared at him, not breaking eye contact with his purple eyes. For some reason, her heart was beating louder and faster. She wondered if he could hear it, he had to, it was almost deafening. "Kaoru-dono...you said even if you hated the man you married, as long as they didn't harm you, you would learn to love them, ne?" She nodded. "In the West they have a custom where the man places a ring on a woman's finger as a way of asking her to marry him." Her eyes widened. "Sessha...Sessha loves you Kaoru-dono, more than anything in the entire world. Sessha has loved you from the moment he first saw you brandishing that wooden sword in his face and called him 'Battousai'." She blushed and her eyes widened, but she didn't look away.

As she processed what he had just said, she interrupted him, crying angrily, "Shut up, Kenshin! Shut up!" He stopped, startled and shocked. Fear flickered across his eyes. The dream came rushing back to him... My heart belongs to...to Saitou Hajime. He shut his eyes tightly for a moment. "I'm sick and tired of hearing you, Kenshin! All I ever hear is sessha this, sessha that. I don't give a damn what sessha thinks, I want to know what Kenshin thinks. I don't care if sessha loves me; I don't love sessha anyway. I want to know if Kenshin loves me."

Kenshin was silent for a moment. "You don't love sessha?"

"Iie."

"Do..." he swallowed, "Do you love...me?"

She blushed, "If you mean Kenshin, then hai."

He looked like the world had just turned into laundry. A grin spread itself across his face, splitting it. "You...love me?" She blushed again. Kami, how I love seeing her blush...

"Hai, aishiteru, Kenshin."

"Kaoru-dono, I may not be the best husband, and I'm certainly not a good man at all..."

"Nani? Baka! You are a good man, and I don't want to hear you say otherwise! And someday you'll be a great husband," but she said the last statement with a considerate amount of sadness, and although she attempted to mask it, he heard it.

He avoided her eyes for a moment, "I don't deserve you..."

"And why not?"

"I've killed so many men in my life...as the Hitokiri Battousai."

Kaoru whacked him with a bokken that seemed to appear out of thin air. "Baka, the Hitokiri Battousai doesn't deserve me if it makes you feel better, demo Kenshin the rurouni, whom I've fallen in love with, deserves not just me, demo much much better."

"Oro? Better?"

"Hai, someone that can cook, and clean, and do the laundry, and be a proper housewife. Not some tomboy who only knows swordsmanship." Her tone betrayed the sadness in her heart and tears that threatened to trickle down her cheeks.

"I could do all that for you! You wouldn't have to do anything."

"Demo, what kind of housewife would I be?"

"A very bad one, demo if a man married you just to have you as a housewife, then he isn't the right man for you, de gozaru yo."

"Hai...I understand."

Kenshin took a deep breath and began again. "Ano...aishiteru, more than anything, so...will you marry me, Kaoru?"

Kaoru's eyes widened and as the tears that threatened to make their way down her face began to fall, she flung herself into his arms, sobbing lightly. "Oh Kenshin, I thought you'd never ask! Of course! Demo, I want you to say my name again..."

"Kaoru-dono...?"

"Iie, the way you did just now."

"Kaoru." She loved the way it rolled off his tongue.

"Say it again."

"Kaoru. As beautiful as your name is, especially without the –dono, you surpass it easily."

"I want you to say my name like that from now on. I was getting so sick of hearing you call me 'Kaoru-dono', it was driving me insane!"

He bowed his head, "Gomen." He bent his head over hers and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. Finally, after a few minutes, they broke apart, panting.

Kenshin drew away from her and she curiously pulled closer. "Kenshin, what's the matter?"

"We can't do this..."

Well, at least he's not calling himself sessha anymore...she thought dryly. "Why not?"

"I'll taint you...I shouldn't have asked you to marry me...I'll taint you and harm you and ruin your life and your innocence and purity."

"Oh, so now that you've made the better choice, you're going to back out," she accused shrilly, "It's either you could have let me know you love me and 'taint' me and at least know I agreed to it and welcomed all the pain with open arms, or you could have not told me anything at all and leave me to slowly die of heartache and pain, especially married to another man I barely know, just to get the feeling of being loved, however false it may be."

"Kaoru...I..."

"Don't 'Kaoru...I...' me! Either way, from how you look at it, I'd have been hurt. Demo from my point of view, I'd only have been hurt from one choice, and that's the second one, the one you think is correct and just didn't take. If you want to take it all back, feel free to. I don't want to marry a man who doesn't truly love me! I'd rather marry one who isn't afraid of me, and who I can learn to love!"

Kenshin bowed his head lower and lower with every statement until his eyes were hidden by his long red bangs. "Kaoru, gomen...I...I just didn't want to hurt you..."

"Well, I would have been hurt, so you can get that idea out of your head! And it's your fault! You're trying to protect me and not taint me, and in the mean time, I'm dying slowly! Maybe you should have left me with Akira..." That was the last straw.

"Kaoru! I love you more than anything, and I'm just afraid I'm going to lose you..."

"Your sensei's right, you're too selfish. You don't want me to be tainted for your own reasons. Did you ever stop to think that if the only way to be with you is to be tainted, then maybe I want to be tainted?" He bowed his head lower.

"Gomen, de gozaru yo...demo if this is how you want it to be, I'll sacrifice your innocence and purity for your happiness..."

"Hai, Kenshin, this is what I've been wanting ever since I met you."

"Kaoru..." he breathed.

"Kenshin, aishiteru, onegai don't leave me..."

"I'll never leave you...I couldn't, especially now...When I had to leave for Kyoto, it took so much energy for every step away from you, and when I stepped back toward you for a moment, it seemed easier." Her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed quietly into his gi, clutching it tightly, seeking comfort. Kenshin wrapped his arms around her lean form and pulled her closer, holding her close to him as if he'd never let go. He kissed her hair, and as she lifted her face up, kissed her lips passionately, as if he never wanted to let her go.

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KK, not much to say, though I hav to say I'm pretty happy with this.

Story Suggestions: These Foolish Games :::—::: artemis1082 G Gundam : PG-13

When You Aren't Enough :::—::: Lina5 G Gundam : PG-13

Loves Innocent Beginning :::—::: The Notorious Cat : PG-13

All 3 of these are truly amazing, but the best is Loves Innocent Beginning, followed vey very closely by When You Aren't Enough/These Foolish Games If you're into G Gundam, these are musts. Theyre AU, but they are undoubtedly the best AU stories I've ever read!!

--Personal Reviews--

TaintedInuShemeeko – Wow, I'm honored that you think it's perfect!! Hehe, we can be honored together, ne? I agree, it is about time. And you're welcome.

Deadly Diva – Yea, it is. The settings supposed to kind of represent Aoshi. Hehe thanks. Oh good, because I wass worried it would be a little trite or clownish/awkward as you called it. I agree, especially when the story is so good and they ruin the story. I'm so relieved you like it! Yeah, that was the other thing, I thought Aoshi was a bit OOC, but if you don't think so, I'm happy. Thank you bows It makes me so happy to hear that! When my reviewers say they'll stay til the end, I feel so loved! Thanks for the lovely review!

WhiteRabbit5 – Hehe, yes, I love Misao/Aoshi fluff too! Glad you liked it! yea, it was doing that to me while I was posting it lol Yea, everyones getting necklaces!! Hehe the two of us should go out and buy one each hehe Actually here hands pretty necklace there you go!

HieiLovesBotan – I know!! Finally, theyre together!! Thanks blushes

DBZGoddess – That's ok, I don't mind! But wow I'm flattered at how eager you are to read my story!! Thanks!! It's ok, because I know you'll review itin the end, so ill wait forever for your review hehe what does your mother do?