Disclaimer: I own no rights to Watsuki-sensei's work, or anything ever done by CLAMP they are gods I am just a worshiper.

A/N: Kami help us this chapter has fluff! I have to say I am not the best fluff writer, but I seriously did try. (I am better at mystery) I hope you like it...

I think I only went over this like twice, but I am editing all of my work and will be resubmitting chapters soon.

I am sorry for the overdue update... if you read Demon then you know that I was exiled from my computer for a while, (not to mention a whole other gob of things) but here is the second to last installment of Hitzusen!

"I know you're here come out of hiding!" She demanded, waiting in her defensive stance for the intruder's presence.

"Kaoru-dono."

The voice made her heart drop 'No...' She did not turn around to look at the man she knew was standing to her left, if she did she knew it was all over. She dropped her bokken on the ground and slowly she backed towards her house wanting to run away. Before she knew what was happening she had started to run towards her house and was on the engawa when she felt a tight grip around her wrist.

"Sessha is not going to let you go."

"No," Kaoru said helplessly not daring to look at him. "Please don't..."

"I won't let you leave again," Kenshin said pulling her to him, and embracing her.

"B-but you don't understand... Kenshin please..." she tried to free herself from his grip but she knew it was pointless. Tears of frustration slipped down her cheek, it was over, she had failed.

"Sessha understands better than you think," He hooked a finger under her jaw so that her eyes met his. "Kaoru-dono, Sessha knows what you did for him, and cannot fathom why?"

Her Azure eye's overflowed with so many emotions, anger, sorrow, disappointment (mostly in herself), but most of all love. "You should know why Kenshin, and stop calling yourself 'Sessha' before I knock you senseless."

"Oro?"

Kaoru smiled inwardly at the red heads little quirky sayings, but on the outside she looked at him gravely. "You can't be here Kenshin."

"It doesn't matter anymore, se-I had a wish to find you," Kaoru tensed for just a second when he said this, "But you should know that I deserve this guilt Kaoru, I deserve it for all the pain I have caused others. I have shed so much blood that no matter what I do my soul will never be clean."

"Kenshin-"

"Kaoru-dono, I can never deserve your love, your hands are so clean... I am afraid that these hands." He held his up between them, "That these hands will sully yours; I could never live with myself, never."

"Kenshin no baka!" Kaoru's mind was overwhelmed so many emotions and thoughts at that moment that all she could do was cry. She leaned against him her body racked with sobs. It took her a moment before she could collect herself. "You are not the one who decides who is or is not worthy of my love, and that includes yourself." She pounded a fist into his chest for emphases, "If anything I would think that you believe I am unworthy of you."

Shock plastered the man's face. He tried to say something but Kaoru would not let him.

"You have hidden yourself from me Kenshin, you said you care, and yet you cannot even trust me." Her words hit like a ton of bricks, "How do I know things aren't going to go back like they were before? I can't live watching you waste away, nor can I watch you live your life always acting as if you are not worthy of anything!" Her tears seemed to never stop, she wanted to hit him again, shake him, do something to make him understand that she needed him, all of him, and that meant his pain as well.

"Kaoru-dono..."

"No, don't Kaoru-dono me... It's Kaoru... I said don't treat yourself as being unworthy and I meant it-"

"Kaoru." Kenshin's voice had dropping it's light tone, it was enough to make the girl stop talking. "I know, I've been selfish, all of my life. And for some kami-forsaken reason people still find me noble and self-sacrificing." Kaoru opened her mouth to protest but Kenshin stopped her. "I wanted to keep you from my past. I thought if I shared it with you, with anyone. It would come back to haunt me... again."

"Like with Jinchuu," That is where all of this started to deteriorate. Kaoru wanted to reach out to him, but couldn't help but feel that it would be improper.

His eyes looked beyond the present as Kenshin's hand caressed her cheek, the one that on her doll had held his scar. "Hai."

"Kenshin I-" She never got to finish her sentence, as she was swept up in a kiss. This was unlike the simple peck she had received before she left, this one held everything that they were feeling in that moment, as impassioned as it was it was still soft and sweet. Kaoru felt a tremor shake even at her core.

"I don't want to hide anymore." He whispered lowly, if he wasn't centimeters from her face she would have missed it.

"You never had to in the first place," Kaoru reassured as she reached to continue what he had started only seconds before...

"Ew! I do not need to see Busu and Kenshin sucking face!" Yahiko screeched seeing his sensei and his hero oh so close together.

"YAHIKO-CHAN!" Kaoru growled turning abruptly towards the child, she would kill the brat, he had just disturbed the start of something that could have been very good.

"Don't call me chan, busu!"

"Don't call me busu!"

Kenshin groaned inwardly, no matter how happy they were to see each other they still found the power to argue like brother and sister.

"A fight so early in the evening?" Misao asked, she had been standing there the whole time, but no one seemed to notice. "Himura, next time you plan on leaving by yourself maybe you should consider covering your tracks better."

"Oro!"

"Misao-chan!" Kaoru stopped chasing Yahiko around the bath-house, "Shinimori-san, what are you doing here?" Suddenly she glowered at them like a mother would her mud sodden children, "You helped them didn't you? You promised me that-"

"We didn't Kaoru-san! I promise," Misao replied automatically. "We just followed them right Aoshi-sama?"

Aoshi grunted in agreement.

"And why did you follow them? So you could hint out directions?" Kaoru asked with a scrutinizing glimmer.

"Kaoru, your leaving was very suspicious! I wanted to make sure with my own two eyes that you were okay." Misao replied sagely.

"Kamiya-san, it's not every day that you leave your dojo saying sayonara of all things; that is usually Battousai's job."

Kenshin coughed loudly, "I'm standing right here." He growled dangerously.

"Well..." Aoshi caught on to Kenshin's annoyance, it was obvious that they were not wanted there. "It looks like we found you so, Misao and I will take kid and go shopping." Aoshi offered as he ushered the two off.

Yahiko nearly protested but Misao shouted at him, "Hey kid if you hurry up I'll buy you some mochi!"

"Don't call me a kid, genki, I am nearly taller than you are." Shouted Yahiko's retreating back.

Kenshin went over to Kaoru and wrapped his arms around her, "Where were we?" He leaned down towards her but was stopped by two fingers.

"I still have some questions that needed to be answered." Kaoru stepped out of his grip and pulling him to sit on the engawa. "Kenshin, how did you know where I was? And how did you-"

"I already told you, I had a wish, but it seems that I had to pay a price to have it granted."

"Hitzusen," Kaoru muttered under her breath.

"Something like that," Kenshin pulled her to him and entwined his fingers into a strand of her silken hair, "Kaoru, promise me that you will never leave me again."

"Only if you promise me the same." She whispered grabbing the hand tangled in her hair.

"I promise," his other hand cupped her cheek, and touched his nose to hers.

"Good." She said softly before closing the gap between them. It had been so long since she had tasted him on her lips, it felt so right she almost wondered why she had left it.

Kenshin's hand slipped to the nape of her neck pulling her closer, why had he denied himself from this for so long? Never before had he felt so complete.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered half lidded as he pulled away.

"I love you Kaoru, and I am sorry." He wasn't quite sure why he was apologizing, there were so many reasons he didn't want to think of them all.

"I love you Kenshin." She responded, it was so easy for her to say it, her heart had been longing to say it like this.

"I'm afraid." He whispered as he hugged her to him and buried his face in her ebony tresses. The

"Of what?" Here we go again.

"Of losing you again," He answered. "I nearly lost you to my past twice, I can't let it happen again."

"You will never lose me," Kaoru pulled away from him so she could look him in the eye, "As long as I am here." She held her hand to his heart. "But I can't truly be there if you don't let me in, completely."

Closing his eyes Kenshin nodded, finally agreeing to let himself go.

"It looks like you found your way to her eh Himura-san?" Kenshin snapped his eyes open seeing Yuko entering from the forest. "It looks like his will to be with you was stronger than his own peace Kaoru-chan."

"It was never a question for me." Kenshin said looking down at the azure eyed girl in his arms.

"Mou!" Kaoru protested half heartedly, "You knew this would happen didn't you Yuko-san? Then why did you do this in the first place?"

"Because if I hadn't you guys would have never realized what hopelessly love struck fools you are. And Himura-san would still be in the corner of his room sulking over a past he can't change." Yuko sighed, they were pathetic, but that was why she helped them after all. "My work here is done, I just came to remind you about the extent of you payment Himura."

"Hai, I know." He had every intention of seeing it through.

With that Yuko smiled and disappeared leaving them to sit in silence for a while. Again Kenshin closed his eyes and fell into silent contemplation as he held Kaoru's warm form to him.

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin, he looked so peaceful, she looked over where Yuko was once standing and smiled. Kaoru shifted in Kenshin's arms and kissed his left cheek and whispered into his ear, "Look at the fireflies." She stood up and went to be amongst them.

"Beautiful..." Was all he could say, but he was not looking at the insects but the girl dancing with them. Standing up he joined her letting his arms fall loosely around her waist. "Can we stay like this forever?"

"If you wish it to be, then yes, forever." Kaoru wanted so much for time to stop in that moment.

"Kaoru, I made a promise to be completely truthful with you tonight."

"Aa" Kaoru responded resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. "What is it you want to ask me?"

"Kamiya Kaoru," Kenshin hesitated, was this fear? "Will you marry me?" He almost regretted his words when he saw her eyes water and she chocked out a sob. "Kaoru?" his voice was shaky, what had he done? "Kaoru are you alright? I'm sorry please forgive Sessha-"

"Iie" She whispered smiling into his gi as she clung to him, "I am just so happy... I never thought that-"

"Is that a yes?" He asked, some of his tension shaking off.

"Yes," Kaoru nodded fervently "It's a very definite yes."

To be continued...

A/N: Epilogue to come next!