A/N: Here is the romantic scene that all of you have been asking for. I don't have to tell you twice that it's quasi-mild. You, as the readers, know what you're getting yourselves into. I just hope you enjoy it and take into consideration that THIS ISN'T THE LAST CHAPTER! Yay? Mfft, anyway, hope you like the sappy romance! Wahoo! And plus, this chapter is longer than most XD

DAY SEVEN (continued)

Kenshin waited patiently outside Kaoru's room, crossing his arms over his chest. A part of him had wanted to take her to watch the fireflies. He knew it to be romantic and he had wanted so badly to show her that he loved her in every possible way. But then there was a side to him where he knew that he would have to romance her. He hadn't wanted to rush through things. But it was true that he loved Kaoru deeply, cherishing everything that she was as a human being. His eyes trailed down to the floor and he awkwardly looked at his feet. He had been standing in front of her door for about twenty minutes, waiting ever dutifully for her to change her kimono. It mattered not to him what she wore. He thought her to be beautiful all the same.

"Ano…Miss-Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin inquired, softly knocking upon her shoji. "Are you ready to go?"

He picked up the sound of faint shuffling with his keen sense of hearing. "I'm sorry Kenshin, here I am!" Kaoru announced, a resounding squeak in her voice. Sliding her door open, her eyes immediately averted from Kenshin's, her hands nervously clenching onto her elaborate kimono fabric. Kenshin's expression enveloped with a sudden shock.

She wore a kimono of brilliant red and black hues, gold thread carefully lacing elegant patterns amongst her outfit. Kenshin could hardly believe how beautiful she looked in her seemingly brand new garb. "M-Miss Kaoru… you look…wonderful," he breathed, swallowing hard and feeling a familiar fire creep to his cheeks. Kaoru too, felt the heat. "Is your kimono…new?"

"Yes, Kenshin," Kaoru whispered in a small voice. "Um…shall we get going?"

"Yes, I do believe so," Kenshin replied in a gentlemanly tone of voice. "It is just about to get dark so this is perfect timing, that it is…"


Kaoru felt her lips curl downward, straightening out her posture as she watched the green specks of light interchange. She always loved the fireflies. But she had wondered why Kenshin had brought her to see them. She straightened out her back even further as if Kenshin were watching her every move. And in fact, he was. He stood behind her, wishing that he could speak. But the silence was overbearing and he could not bring himself to do it. "I don't suppose you've wondered before… how insects can be so beautiful…" Kaoru muttered, holding her hands nervously behind her back.

"No I don't suppose so," Kenshin admitted, his focus turning to said fireflies.

"You know, I love this spot… it's held a lot of memories for me. Some good, some bad." Kenshin nodded pensively. "And I am sure that whatever you have to tell me will add to those memories. Will you tell me what it is that you have to say?" Kaoru turned to face him, finding that she was smiling. He smiled in return, slightly looking down to meet her gaze.

"Um…well…" Kenshin stammered, feeling as though he were making a fool of himself in front of his beloved. "I wanted…to talk to about something that has been on my mind for a very long time. Now, I don't think that there is any easy way to break this news to you but surely I can try." Kaoru nodded sternly, aware that Kenshin would have a difficult time saying whatever needed to be said. "Miss Kaoru… when I first met you, I didn't know what I was getting myself into… I simply thought that I would spend a week at this doujo at most. But now look. I now call this my home. And I have Yahiko, and Megumi, and Doctor Gensai, and Sanosuke, little Ayame and Suzume…and you…as people who care about me. I never would have known or guessed that my staying here for as long as I did, would give me this sort of outcome. I'm grateful."

"I'm glad, Kenshin. You are a part of this family now."

He nodded. "And Miss Kaoru…there's something else that I never expected to happen, either…" His eyes suddenly shone, the green shimmer of the fireflies illuminated in his deep mauve colored eyes. His lips tugged upward as he slowly walked toward Kaoru… until they were inches apart. Kenshin was very hesitant in continuing but couldn't bear to break it off now. Not when he had come so far in confessing his love for her. His breathing raspy, he tensed up his shoulders and said…

"I love you."

Kaoru was stunned. No, stunned was most definitely an understatement. "W-what was that? I'm sorry…" Kaoru muttered, looking up at him. He was still smiling.

"Miss Kaoru, I've fallen in love with you, that I have."

She did not answer…and Kenshin's smile soon faded.

He had expected to hear some sort of response. But the silence had somehow given him a bad feeling. He longed for Kaoru's voice to break the serene setting that he was reluctant to set in the first place. It was all because of a simple 'I love you.' No, it had been much more complex than a mere three words. Kenshin forced himself to wait fourteen months before saying those exact three words in the same sentence. And to have the outcome be nothing but silence was very upsetting. Not to mention that Kenshin found the quietness to be very irritating.

The swordsman did not know what to do. Kaoru hadn't looked up at him since he told her how he felt. "Miss…Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked softly, hoping that he would strike her attention with his voice. She locked eyes with the redhead, blue eyes dancing in the moonlight. He couldn't help but smile at her…and his heart started to beat painfully within his chest. "Ano…I've said what was needed to be said… for a very long time, I waited to get that off my chest and reveal to you the truth. My truth. …And…I hope that…. you are not upset with me…" Kenshin ended his last sentence with a small breath, feeling as though his declaration was a mistake.

Kaoru had felt a lump in her throat form. She wanted to tell Kenshin that she felt the same way but something in her wouldn't let her utter a single word, let alone an 'I love you' in return. "…Aah, umm…" Kaoru muttered, trying her hardest to look Kenshin in the eyes and speak. She suddenly noticed his smile fade.

"This was a mistake, that it was," the swordsman muttered as he turned around, ready to walk away when he suddenly felt something brush upon his back. Kaoru. "…M-Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin inquired, spinning around, locking eyes with a pair of sad blue ones. "Ano…is there something wrong? You look very upset…" Kaoru clenched onto his magenta gi even harder than before. He could see that her breathing became quite irregular.

"Kenshin…don't go yet," she muttered, looking down at her feet. "Please don't go…"

The fireflies danced all around the pair, Kaoru anxious to do what her heart was telling her to do at that moment. "You better not leave me…ever… Kenshin, I know… that this was the place where you said goodbye to me and I know… that this is where I welcomed you home after we came back from Kyoto." Kenshin smiled forlornly at his beloved. "So when you wanted me to come here again, I was afraid… that you would leave me… I didn't imagine that you would tell me that you loved me…"

"Miss Kaoru…"

"But I'm happy, Kenshin… I wanted you to tell me that…I was hoping that you would because you're…the man I wanted to be with. Well, you are the one." She moved closer to him, taking a firm hold of his gi again and resting her head upon his chest. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and she found it difficult to stand up straight while inhaling his scent. "And…Kenshin…"

"What is it, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin whispered, gently and slowly wrapping his arms around her.

Her face inched closer to his and her eyes brightened as she looked into him. The uneasiness and pounding in his chest shortly returned as he studied her beautiful facial features. He was too caught up in looking at her that he didn't even realize that she was centimeters away from meeting his lips. "…Are you…sure?" Kenshin asked, reluctantly cupping her face with his coarse fingers, expression filling with a certain worry that Kaoru was all too good at recognizing by that point.

She hadn't bothered answering him. She found it a sheer waste of her time and energy. Her lips were already grinding against his, not even in a steady rhythm, but in a fervent motion that made it seem as if Kaoru could no longer wait. Kenshin stepped back, losing balance as Kaoru persistently came onto him, holding his waist in place so that he could not leave her. "Kiss me back…" Kaoru panted as she briefly parted lips with the rurouni, glancing at him with flaring eyes of determination and immense willpower. Never had Kenshin seen the side of Kaoru that she was exposing to him at that very second. And she did not care. All she wanted was to give herself to Kenshin. It was the thing that she wanted most.

Her lips brushed up against his, intently feeling each groove on his lower lip. Kenshin felt his heart pound harder than ever before, his hands getting clammy while Kaoru gently nibbled on him. There was a force inside him that wanted him to scream out in pleasure, to take hold of her shoulders and give her his everything…mind, body, and soul. It was simply her presence that contorted his insides. And it was her touch that made him go wild. "Miss Kaoru… forgive me…" Kenshin muttered, suddenly pulling her dangerously close, delivering an open-mouthed kiss on her full lips, moaning as he did so. He knew that Kaoru was taken aback by his abrupt action but he couldn't help himself. The sheer sensation of being aroused by the love of his life was something that even his rurouni side could not seem to ignore.

"The…the…doujo…" Kenshin panted, entangling his hands in Kaoru's raven-colored hair. He felt Kaoru nod vigorously against his chest. And then he took a firm hold of her hand and began to sprint for his room. "Miss Kaoru… I have to…do this…" He said in a low tone. Kaoru was sure that she hadn't heard him speak like that unless he was entering a fierce battle.

"I…trust you, Kenshin…"


He fell on top of her, careful not to crush her. She unconsciously moved her head to the side to allow Kenshin's lips to fall onto her neck. "Kenshin you know… I didn't tell you before…" He snapped up in realization that she was speaking and released his lips from her hot neck, interested in what she had to say. "I didn't say it completely… as you did. I love you too Kenshin… I really do…"

With a smile of his did Kaoru feel at such peace. "Miss Kaoru…would you then allow this…?"

"Kenshin listen to me…" Kaoru wrapped her fingers around the nape of his neck, watching as he let off a slight shiver in reaction to her touch. "You are the only man… the only one…who I'd want to do this with. I know that there are 'fish in the sea' but… you're it."

"As you are for me… Miss Kaoru, no one has ever been as kind as you. No one has ever…welcomed a man like me home. You…are all that I want. The only thing that I want. I don't need anything else in order to be happy. And I want you to know that. Miss Kaoru, when I told you that I was in love with you, it was incredibly sincere. You are home to me and-"

"Just…show me then…" Kaoru breathed as she pressed her lips against his once more. He dared not argue, as he knew that all he ever really wanted was sprawled out underneath him, ready and waiting for him to claim her. Kenshin slowly inserted his hot tongue in between the rift that Kaoru made with her supple lips. She shivered violently. It felt as though there was a puddle of Kenshin goo inside her mouth. And she liked it a lot. "Mmm, Kenshin," Kaoru moaned, her whole body paralyzed and aroused by Kenshin's nimble and professional touch. As if that weren't enough, she felt his fingers work their way down to her waist, beginning to untie her obi.

She let her body fall limp under his touch, wishing that he would hurry with the removal of her kimono so that she could do the same for him. It was true that she had seen him completely naked before…not only a few days ago but also a number of times prior. Kaoru felt that this time would be different from all the rest. "Kenshin, please…hurry," she whispered hotly, feeling the fabric of her clothes tickle her skin as they were tugged off her body. He let out a small moan that Kaoru could faintly hear as her kimono was cast aside. Amethyst eyes looked down upon her, wandering up and down her figure as if they were taunting her. His bangs tickled her as Kenshin lowered his face to plant kisses all over her chest. He felt her tense up as soon as he came into contact with her and noticed that her toes began to curl.

"Miss Kaoru…I'm sorry," he muttered apologetically, about to get up when he suddenly felt Kaoru's hands tug at his gi.

"No…" she replied, azure eyes narrowing at him. "No, Kenshin…" She anxiously pulled on his gi, watching as it fell to the floor. Her eyes immediately zipped back up to his chest, also taking into consideration that he was smiling widely. "You're not leaving me now, Kenshin…" Her heart was pounding at an incredibly rapid rate, her hands now poised to remove his hakama.

"Leave it to me…" He grinned, doing her the favor himself. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of what she had let her eyes wander to. It was automatic. Her beet red face was as well. "We can stop if you'd want to…" Kaoru shook her head. Once, twice, a thousand times to get her point across that she would never want to stop. It relieved Kenshin. So much so that he brushed his lips up against hers once more as if the action were already second nature. He let his hands trail down her sides, feeling as his hands curved against her figure. The coarseness of his touch made Kaoru squirm. And as much as she tried to relax, she couldn't fight the feeling of completely being with him. As a whole.

"Are you sure…you're all right…?" Kenshin inquired, kissing her passionately while lovingly at the same time. She wrapped her arms around his bare waist, no longer worrying about his weight on top of her. His back was smooth, that much she knew. But out of growing curiosity, she slowly allowed her fingertips to trail downward. It was Kenshin's turn to tense up, feeling the palms of her hands stop upon his back thighs. He moaned eloquently, rapidly kissing her and following up with Kaoru's own dismissal. Instead of simply stopping on thighs, he roughly trailed her legs and momentarily paused on her waist, hoisting his body up and looking down at her in satisfaction. The look in her eyes seemed almost apologetic and he knew that she was trying her best to love him. Kenshin, on the other hand, was in no way disappointed with the way that things were going. He did not mind that they were not going very fast-paced at all. As far as he was concerned, he had all night.

His hips began to move steadily in a back and forth sort of motion, where Kaoru could feel him pressing roughly against her lower region. Kenshin watched her as her breathing began to increase in speed, her eyes suddenly clenching shut. Her legs instantaneously opened wider, her hands clutching the sheets of Kenshin's futon. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Kenshin…" Kaoru repeated, eyes still tightly closed. Kenshin immediately stopped, crawling over her and intently looking into her eyes.

"Why…why are you sorry?" He carefully brushed the bangs out of her eyes, and resting his hand on her left cheek.

"I wanted this to be so perfect…and I'm making it seem as though I'm being tortured by you… Kenshin, that's not how I want it to look."

"You're making it perfect…" He smiled jovially and delivered a reassuring kiss. "You do what comes naturally…" She nodded and Kenshin gradually got back into his position, prior to comforting Kaoru. "I love you…Kaoru…" Kaoru then realized…that she had become more than just intimate with Kenshin. She knew that he was forever going to play a special role in her heart. Even his speech had shown familiarity. It was then that she no longer feared. With a second wind and a wave of relief crashing into her, she had finally let her body relax as Kenshin's hips continued to rock back and forth, her pulse beginning to rise again.

Kaoru had suddenly sat herself up and ran her hands down his bare chest, pressing herself against him. It took a great deal of his strength just to sit up straight. And even he hadn't seen her forceful approach coming. But he was ready, allowing his tongue to seep through her lips as he took hold of her legs. Bringing them closer to his waist, Kaoru was dragged along with him. She then unexpectedly whispered in Kenshin's ear: "I need to be with you now…" She could feel his manhood poised for entry, and she herself knew that she would not deny him said entry. Kaoru was sure that he was the one for her.

His hands caressed her lower back once more, lips still pressed onto hers. But as he added onto the kiss, a steady rhythm formed, his head nodding up and down each time that he opened his mouth for more, his hands slowly gripping her waistline harder and harder, closing the little distance between them even further. Kaoru moaned feverishly, her chest chafing against his as Kenshin proceeded to quicken his pace, his violent motions proceeding as he pressed open-mouthed kisses on her collarbone. Kaoru let her head fall back, completely dazed as to what Kenshin was doing to her. But it was the feeling of being pushed toward his pelvis that she felt the most. It was a most unusual pain. And it wasn't only pain that swirled around in her mind. Pleasure was also one of the major fueling factors that made her wonder just what he had done to her.

"K-Kenshin…what happened to me? Why do I feel…" Looking down, she realized just why it was all so different. He had already entered her, their hips were a minute distance away from each other. "Ohh… oh my… Kami-sama…" she muttered, an uneasy tingling feeling surging and coursing through her entire body. She let out a gasp as Kenshin continued on, his arms firmly wrapped around her lower back, pushing her closer to him until their thighs came into contact. Trying to suppress a loud scream so that Yahiko wouldn't hear, Kaoru buried her face in Kenshin's damp chest, her forehead resting comfortably against his sternum.

"Go to sleep, Kaoru…" Kenshin whispered lovingly as he suddenly released, Kaoru falling backward. She immediately felt her eyelids close as soon as her head hit the pillow and the last recollection of that night was a blurry image of the redhead whom she loved so dearly. Kenshin, too, cuddled next to her, wrapping the futon sheet around them and gently holding her waist with his right arm.

It was at that moment that he realized that he had just won the bet. There would be no more pressure from Sanosuke. And Kenshin let out a heavy sigh. "I won…and I was able to show Kaoru how much I loved her… so why don't you put that in your pipe and smoke it, Sano?" A smug grin made its way to Kenshin's face before he rested his head on the same pillow as Kaoru and let himself drift off to sleep.

A/N: I kept this to be a mild chapter. Well, you all knew that romance was inevitable anyway, ne? Anyway, Kenshin had his egotistical, triumphant moment at the end, wahoo! But this is NOT the end of the story! One more chapter after this! Please review! Thanks so much, minna! I'm so glad that I'm getting such wonderful feedback! Kinda shocking, really... O.O

Son Christine