Kenshin had been sitting beside Sanosuke for hours and it was well into the wee hours before dawn before he even felt like sleep. He had sent Megumi to bed a few hours ago, and the dojo was silent. He sighed and looked over at the half-opened window. Sano had fainted from blood loss they had found out and he really had been very close to death, though he had not died thank Kami-sama. He felt himself drifting off into light slumber and gave himself a mental slap to keep awake. He couldn't sleep, not right now. Perhaps later in the day when everyone was running their errands in town. He stood and paced trying to wake himself up a bit more. He stuck his head out the window and felt the cool air on his face. He took a deep breath and let it out, and then retreated back into the room.

"Kenshin?" He turned to the sleeping Sano almost reflexively and then realized it had been Kaoru's voice he had heard. His eyes shifted over to the shoji screen and found Kaoru's slight form occupying the doorway.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, going over to the doorway and standing there with her. She shook her head and looked over at Sano with sad eyes.

"Kenshin...I've been thinking and," she bit her lip, looking unsure "I know you probably don't want to talk about it but...what happened when you-you know um..." For what he could see she was blushing furiously, but he understood the question. She was right, he was reluctant about the details.

"Kaoru...I have done many horrible things in my life. The truth is no one is really safe with me, and that's why I think that I should-" She put a finger to his lips to silence him. She had predicted what he was going to say. She moved in closer and kissed him. His eyes widened in surprise for a few moments, but then he relaxed and kissed her back. The kiss seemed to last forever and he was reluctant to let go for air. Slight chuckling from the other side of the room made them jump apart. Looking over, Kenshin saw that Sanosuke was awake and looking at them with mirth. He felt himself turn red and he moved a few more paces away from Kaoru. Sano laughed again.

"Don't worry, I was wondering when you two would quit beating around the bush." He said, a large smile plastered on his face. Kenshin wished, shamelessly, that he could wipe it off. He shook his head. What was he thinking? He was still too close to Battosai for his own comfort and so he tried to push his mentality further away from his other form. He smiled back and sat next to the man, he moved around like nothing was happening and prepared new bandages to re-dress the wound. He tied them tightly and his big friend winced but did little complaining. He could feel Kaoru's eyes on his back.

"You should go back to sleep, that you should." He told Sano.

"Aww, I can't sleep anymore! I'm all slept out." He complained, pushing himself into a sitting position. Kenshin rolled his eyes.

"This one does not wish to force you, but will if necessary." He warned. Sano shrugged.

"What could you possibly do to me?" Kenshin raised an eyebrow and before anyone could react had found the pressure point on Sano's neck and caused him to pass out. Kenshin caught him as he fell forward and gently laid him back down in the futon. He patted the man's shoulder and stood.

"He will be out for a good few hours, that he will." He told Kaoru who still stood in the doorway. She giggled slightly.

"Did you really have to do that Kenshin?" She asked, a little concern in her voice.

"Of course not, this one is just in a bad mood." He told her simply. He moved passed her and into the hall, heading toward his own room. He stopped short when she grabbed his arm and turned to face her,

"Kenshin...do you really love me or...were you just trying to please?" She asked, her eyes speaking desperation. He pulled her gently toward him and hugged her, breathing in her light scent.

"Are you wearing perfume?" He asked into her midnight hair. He felt her head move up and down in a nod and smiled.

"It smells nice." He told her.

"Thank you Kenshin." She said. Her voice was muffled because her face was buried in his gi.

Kaoru didn't dare let go of him now, not when she had confessed to him. She wanted so very badly to stay in his arms forever and never let him go. Never let him wander from her ever again. She wanted to be his refuge and that was what she intended to be, a refuge for his ever-aching soul. She felt his hands move gently down her spine and she stiffened for a moment, causing him to stiffen also. She thought the better of it suddenly and relaxed again. He tried to pull away but she held fast, not letting go. Would it really be so bad if he made her his? She decided it wouldn't be. If she were to spend the rest of her days with him, she would be happy. She lifted her head to look at the man she was currently attached to by the neck and pecked his soft cheek once more. His face never felt as though there was facial hair there, and she wondered at it. He had a baby's soft skin. That made her smile in affection, he was so cute the way he was, and she loved his lack of manly facial hair. Besides, the sinewy muscles that were concealed by his over large gi made up for what he lacked in facial hair. However, if one hugged him, they would feel the smooth ripple of well-built muscle upon his seemingly small frame. He buried his face in her neck and her spine crawled at his warm breath on her exposed skin. She couldn't take it anymore, it tickled and she couldn't stop herself from giggling uncontrollably. Even Kenshin was laughing, though at her inability to withstand the ticklish sensation and not at being tickled. She pulled his face from her neck and kissed his lips, caring little who saw, whether it was Yahiko, Megumi, or Sanosuke she didn't care. Let them watch, and they would see how much she loved Kenshin. Yes let them watch, let the whole world watch. He broke for air but then came back for more.

They were making their way slowly backward down the hall and they had come to the shoji screen that separated Kenshin's room from the rest of the hall. She heard Kenshin fumbling with it as he juggled her in his other hand, his mouth and eyes busy elsewhere then the door. Finally he got it opened and they slid through and into the dark room. He shut the door as they made their way in and they collapsed on the already rolled out futon.

"Strange." Kenshin commented between kisses.

"What?" She asked breathlessly, also between kiss after kiss.

"I...didn't...unroll.....futon." He told her.

"Something to ponder...for another...day." She told him. He said no more.

Kaoru woke softly from a deep sleep, an annoying light in her tired eyes. She opened them slowly as they adjusted to the new brightness that had set upon them like wolves upon their newly taken down feast. She groaned and rolled over, her arm finding something warm laying against it. It was breathing. Her eyes flew open in sudden panic and she found the soundly sleeping form of Kenshin beside her. She calmed herself and settled back against his warm chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall and letting it help her drift sleepily as she lay there. She remembered in utmost detail the previous night and she smiled sleepily to herself a slight blush creeping its way onto her pale cheeks. He moved closer to her in his sleep and dragged her body, holding her with a content look on his face. She stroked his flaming hair lovingly and peered out the window to look at the sky. It must've been around twelve. Then she jumped, startling Kenshin out of his sleep. He saw her, and then he too jumped. He was wide-awake now. She almost envied his ready alertness. If she had been less hazy before she would have noticed the position of the sun.

"Kenshin, it's noon!" She cried. He too realized what that meant. He jumped from the futon and she got to see the grace of his athletic body. She blushed again, this time more deeply, though she didn't know why. He was already done with his gi and was hurriedly pulling on his hakama. She snapped out of her daze and scrambled to get her kimono. She pulled the inner one on first and then went quickly to the outer, aligning it as best as she could in her hurried state and then started the process of tying her obi. She cursed the complexity of the damned things, and tied it off funny, not taking the time that was needed to make it perfect. She stumbled from the room and into the hall running down it to the kitchen where she knew someone would be waiting for food. She hurried in and found Megumi standing at the stove cooking her famous Ohagi. The older woman turned around and smiled impishly at her. Her eyes widened. Megumi definitely knew.

"Ah, k-konnichiwa." She stammered, out of breath.

"Konnichiwa Kaoru." She answered back. Her voice had that tone to it. Oh she knew, and she was gonna press about it.

"Um, well I'm off to the market, we need some things for the dojo!" She said hurriedly and in a higher voice than usual. She went to grab her change purse in hopes of being able to escape her 'captor'.

"I already sent Yahiko, why don't you have a seat Kaoru, we could talk woman to woman. She said. Kaoru sat with a dejected sort of daze. Would the doctor chastise her or commend her? She really didn't want to stick around to find out. She looked over as Kenshin came in to the room and almost sighed her relief. Saved by the Rurouni once again.

"Oh Ken-san. Sano's back on his feet and wants you to join him at the Akabeko." She told him. Kaoru flinched, foiled by the fox yet again. Kenshin looked down at Kaoru and touched the top of her head affectionately before leaving the room. Megumi waited until he was well out of the dojo before speaking again.

"So, Ken-san made you a woman finally did he?" She asked finally, putting out the ohagi and kneeling across the table from her. Kaoru blushed and filled her mouth so that she didn't have to answer.

"So, how is he as a lover?" Kaoru almost choked on the ohagi.

"I'm not telling you that!" She cried.

"Oh come on...I'll tell you what Sanosuke's like." She offered. Kaoru narrowed her eyes.

"Well, it's not like I'll ever get a chance to find out for myself...unless you wanna swap partners for a day?" She said, almost hopefully. Kaoru made a face and continued stuffing her hole. Megumi grunted.

"I thought not. So how is he?"

"He's..." Kaoru tried searching for a word, "good?" She suggested. Megumi snorted at her in a very un-lady like manner and took a bite of her own ohagi that sat on her plate cooling.

"Well, it's not like it's proper to talk about these things with other people than the one that you've given yourself to." Kaoru complained.

"Oh how old of you." She said with an over dramatic sarcasm.

"Come on, it's healthy to talk about it." She prodded. From that point in she decided that she was going to keep her mouth clamped shut. There was no way she was going to let the fox lady know what Kenshin was like in the sack, she would just have to guess for a while. She may never tell her anyway.

"For me to know and you to find out." Kaoru taunted, though she would never find out first hand if Kaoru had anything to do with it. She started not feeling that well all of a sudden and then she stopped eating, the sensation washing over her like a wave from the ocean. Had it been something she ate? It couldn't have been, she never got sick when she ate Megumi's food.

"Kaoru?" The doctor asked, her face speaking sudden concern.

"I'm fine Megumi, it's nothing." She said weakly. Trying to force a reassuring smile to her lips.

"It doesn't look like nothing, you've gone white as a sheet." She told her.

"Have I?" She asked. She couldn't take it any more, she was going to throw up. She hurried to her feet and ran outside to the side of the dojo where no one would see and let go. When she was finished Megumi was there with a damp rag and some water in a teacup to wash her mouth out with. The woman was laughing slightly and Kaoru wondered what was so funny.

"Oh dear Kaoru, if what I think is happening is happening, then Kenshin is more of a stud than I thought he was." She said. Kaoru looked at her in confusion.

"Of course the only way we'll know for sure is when your moontide comes around." She said. Kaoru pondered what she could mean and then it came to her, hitting her in the face like the force of a bokken being split in two in her hands. She could be...

"I'm pregnant?" She squealed.

"Hypothetically yes." The other woman told her. Kaoru was in a daze, she had just found out...what? She nearly fell over, and the doctor caught her on her way to the ground.

"Well, don't tell Ken-san yet, we don't know and it could very well be a cold and a coincidence that you should catch it right after being with him." Kaoru nodded and allowed the woman to help her up.

"Come on, we'll go inside and I'll make you some tea."

Kenshin trudged down the street like a man who had just had one of the worst nights of his life instead of like one who had just proved his worth to a woman he was in love with. He should ask her to marry him. He wanted to, and at the same time a huge resounding no. What if she didn't want him in that way? That was a stupid question, of course she did but...still. He turned and ran into someone. His first reaction was one that had happened many times.

"Oro?" He said. Looking slightly down he found himself face to face with Yahiko. The kid's first reaction was to say his name in surprise.

"Kenshin!"

"Oh, Konnichiwa Yahiko." He said, smiling. The boy smiled back and then his expression changed and he blushed furiously. Kenshin looked at him in surprise and then stepped to the side as he barreled passed him.

"Got to go Kenshin! Kaoru will be really mad if I don't get this stuff home soon!" He announced over his shoulder as he zipped away down the street, his awkward teenage limbs going him little justice in the grace department. What had that been all about? He shrugged it off and headed at renewed speed toward the Akabeko. Perhaps Sano would have some advice about his dilemma.

He stepped into the thresh hold and looked around the room. His violet gaze centered out his big friend and he did a beeline to the table he was situated at, sitting down across from him.

"Hey Kenshin." He greeted, a fish bone sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Kenshin nodded at the man across the table and sat silently for a few moments.

"Sano...do you...do you think I should ask Kaoru to marry me?" He blurted finally. The big man's eyes widened and he sat forward, slamming his hands down on the table. Kenshin didn't flinch.

"Of course I think so! Jou-chan would be pleased, I would be pleased, heck Megumi would be pleased!" He cried.

"Especially after that incident last night." He said, taking his tone down a notch or two. Kenshin blushed. So they did know. It wasn't a surprise.

"So, do you have a ring?" He asked. Kenshin nodded, pulling the small box from inside his gi. He opened it up to show the man. The small purple gem gleamed in the dim light of the Akabeko.

"Wow...you been planning this for a long time?" He asked. Kenshin shook his head and snapped the box shut.

"No...then-"

"This ring was originally meant to be for Tomoe...she never received it." He said, his eyes speaking unquenchable guilt and sadness.

"So she's the one that Sakaki was going on about?" Kenshin nodded, slipping the box back into his gi and looking back up at the man that sat before him.

"That's a really special ring then." Kenshin nodded again. "I wish I could offer such a thing to Megumi." He said.

"No, this one does not think so." He said. "You would not want to bear what this one has to be able to offer such a ring." He said.

"We both go to our loved ones with different offerings in our hearts. Megumi-dono needs you because you do not have so heavy a past as she, though it has its own fair share of sorrows and hardships. To her, you are a freshness that her soul needs to survive. Kaoru is like that to me...but she is fresh in soul. She has seen so much less than the rest of us. My soul needs to leave the past behind...that is why this one gives up this ring for Kaoru in place of she whom the Battosai lost. There is none so ultimate a surpassing of a stage in ones life as this, to move on to another in place of one who was loved and lost." He told him, and as he did he felt the lifting of a terrible burden. This was his revelation, and in moving on to Kaoru, he was going to start a new chapter in his life and it would, perhaps, be much better than the last.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Characters residing within this fic save Sakaki and the assassin, if you wish to use them please ask my permission. All rights resevered to Nobuhiro Watsuki and Jump comics.

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