A/n Ahh the much awaited last chapter. Ok.. this is how it works… I have two endings for this… the original ending… and an alternative. This is the original ending I had planed for this story all along. In a week I will post the alternative ending for any who will want to read it. It had been a very long journey my friends. I can't even begin to tell you. I am still going to write…. So keep an eye out for my new stories. And as always thanks you, all my reviewers … you know who you are.

Disclaimer: After over a year of work… I still don't own Kenshin.

Devotion

By

Melissa. x

"Tanako!.. Tanako please." Toshiki begged as he held the small woman in his arms. She was leaving him, already her breathing was shallow, with an almost gurgle sound. Her wounded lung was filling with blood, soon it would spill over to her other lung and she would drown. The chocolate haired man clutched Tanako to him, he refused to let her go, refused to let her die. He wasn't even aware of the three new friends standing feet from him.

Kenshin leaned heavily on Sano, with Karou's arms wrapped around him. Karou was weeping silently, tears tore through the filth on her face, leaving behind clean streaks. Sano stood tall, holding on to Kenshin firmly with one arm. His brown eyes were down cast, mouth set in a thin line, free hand clenched in a fist.

"If we wish Tanako any way to survive…" Kenshin's weak voice stated. "We must get her to a doctor."

"The village doctor fled long ago." Toshiki struggled to say. His voice cracked and ended in an almost forced whisper. He knew the doctor didn't want to be around when a battle such as this was to happen.

"Then we must take her home! Megumi or Dr, Gensi will help her!" Sano glared at the body of the dead leader not five feet from them. Tanako gave another cough that turned their attention back to her

"No Sano." She reached out with her hand and Toshiki promptly took it in his own. "No, it is not necessary." Her green eyes tried to focus on her friends but it was useless. So she instead focused on her Love. "Toshiki, please don't beg for what you know will not happen." She whispered through blood tainted lips.

"W-what do you mean Tanako, Love?"

"You want me to live."

"Of course I want you to live!" Toshiki shouted, his grip growing stronger on her. "I want to take you away from all this." His voice started to crack despite his struggles to stay calm. "I want us to get married, to start a family….To.. to live in peace." Tears finally broke free, flowing down his cheeks to land on his love. She slowly reached up with one hand to wipe them away. Her action seemed to take all her energy from her. Her hand came crashing back down to her and she grew very, deathly pale.

"I wanted those things too my Love… I've loved you for so long. Even as a child." Her eyes closed for a heart stopping moment before opening again, her eyes now very unfocused. "I'm at peace now, truly… I feel no more pain." Toshiki sobbed freely as he held Tanako tightly to him. Karou cried softly on Kenshin's shoulder, as he held her tightly with his free had. Sano, hands shoved deep in his pockets, struggled to keep his face stone hard.

Tanako gave a half attempt at a cough before whispering out to Toshiki, her eyes still rooted to him, even though her vision had long blinked out. "I love you…. And, I… Always will. Thank you,…. Thank you for giving me the chance to run away and… find peace, even if it was for a short week." She wheezed loudly, her mouth coated in blood and made it very hard for her to speak. " It.. was the best,… week I ever had… and the three days tied up…. With you…. By my side… where the best three days…. of, my… life." She gave a soft sigh, Her mouth forming her last silent words for only her love to see before her body relaxed and her green eyes half closed.

"Tanako?" Toshiki cried out as the life flickered away. His body racked with sobs. Karou gave a heart wrenching wordless cry before collapsing to wrap her arms around Kenshin's strong legs.

Kenshin trembled, reaching out to grasp Sano's arm to keep steady. He never though he would have to see the life leave another person in his life, much less a woman… a friend. His heart ripped every time Karou sobbed against him. He wanted to reach down and gather her in his arms and shush her and tell her everything was going to be alright. But he wasn't sure he could, for once in a very long time, he wasn't sure he could be strong for Kaoru.. but he had to, he had to and he would be.

Sano's face was a solid rock hard mask. Unlike Kenshin, he had no hair to hide behind. His fists were clenched, nails digging into his palms. This wasn't how it was suppose to be…She didn't deserve this kind of death Sano's eyes twitched. Then the corner of his mouth, but no matter what, he was keeping his stone face.

Toshiki wept as he rocked back and forth with Tanako pressed against his chest. A slow anguished filled cry started to form, and he let his head fall back to scream out his pain. The cry echoed over the now dead and silent forest. It carried far before dying away to a eternal sound of loss.

5 months later.

Karou sat back against one of the wooden posts of the dojo porch. The sight before her brought a soft smile to her still haunted face. Kenshin had both Ayame and Suzume oh his back and he was running about the yard with them. Their screams and fits of giggles filled the air. Her sapphire eyes then turned to Sano, who was sitting against a pole on her left. He had a fish bone in his mouth, and he was worrying it within a inch of it's existence. He had his hands behind his head and was relaxing. He caught her gaze and smiled softly at her as Yahiko came darting past to join Kenshin. Seemed the boy finished his chores.

The Dojo was returned to just that… a dojo. After the earthquake and it's temporary transformation to a hospital, the dojo had finally returned to normal. The last family had left by the time they had returned from…… from the forest. Megumi had stuck around to tend the wounds she knew they would have. Kenshin was covered in small cuts and bruises but not much else. The lady doctor was happy to see that Sir Ken hadn't pushed himself so hard this time. The bit of damage the dojo had sustained was fixed in no time. And all around them, the homes where returning from the ground. Karou smiled, she was glad to see the spirit of the people had not crumbled along with their homes.

Then, her eyes swung over to a not so normal sight. There, under the shade of a tree, was a form in a dark blue gi and white hakama pants sitting with his back to her. A braid of chocolate hair ran to almost touch the ground. Broad shoulders where square in deep thought. Toshiki had returned with them to the dojo after they buried Tanako in the forest. They buried her in a place that only Tanako knew the significance. He only said that it was the spot her first offered her, her freedom. No one asked questions.

The man hardly spoke a whole sentence in the months he had been here, answering with one or two words at a time. Karou stood and carefully walked over to the man and kneeled down next to him. His icy blue eyes where open but he wasn't seeing anything other than his own thoughts. Kaoru slowly raised her hand and set it on his shoulder.

"Toshiki-san?" her eyes full of friendly concern. She had learned weeks before that he didn't want pity.

"Yes?" Came his deep voiced reply. He sounded as if he just woke from a deep sleep. He cleared his throat a little and waited.

"How are you doing? You are, rather…. quiet." She sighed. This was just horrible. She dropped her hand and returned it to her lap. "Sorry if I'm bothering you." Her eyes fell to gaze at her hand.

"I'm fine." Was all he said. Silence fell over them again. Then, almost as if a afterthought, He reached over and placed his hand over hers on her lap. "Thank you for asking."

Four words! She had gotten him to speak four words at once. Only Kenshin had gotten more from him. She patted his hand with her free hand. "You're welcome Toshiki-san." She gazed down at his much larger hand over hers. It was larger than Kenshin's, but still held the same nimble power. Her hands,….Karou sighed as she looked at her hands. They were stained… covered in blood. No matter who many times she had washed them, the blood was still there. She couldn't count the times Kenshin had found her in tears, trying to scrub the blood from her hands. He even had to walk in on her when she was in the bath to stop her breakdown.

She was slowly recovering from memory of the murder she committed. The nightmares where not so common, she no longer saw blood on her hands all day everyday. Only in flashes did she see the sticky red fluid on her hands. Still her soul was hunted, just as Kenshin had talked about. He comforted her as best he could, sometimes staying up with her all night. And to that she was eternally grateful, she didn't think she would even get better without him by her side.

"There,….there is something I wanted to say to you Karou-Dono." The man beside her whispered in his deep almost emotionless voice. Karou's eyes went wide and her mouth almost dropped open. She had never heard him speak so many words to her at once. "I wanted to thank you."

"Oh Toshiki-san, you already thanked us." Many times in fact, for taking him in and helping him though his grief. But he shook his head and for the first time in Five months he turned his eyes and focused them right on her.

"No, I want to thank you ….. for giving….for giving her the life she never had."

Karou knew who "her" was. There was no need to speak her name if it harmed the poor man. Karou's eyes grew soft again and she nodded with a slight smile. "She was very happy, but, all she really needed, was you."

"I have no doubt about that Karou-dono." His voice my be even, he face a stone mask. But Karou could see the emotion in his eyes. They shimmered not with tears, but with happiness. A emotion she had never seen from him before. He dropped his eyes and continued. "And I thank you for putting up with me these past months. I know I have not been the easiest person to deal with."

"That's not true!" Karou thumbed over her shoulder at the three men of various ages behind her. "Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko are much worse than you, by far." Her spirit lifted when she heard a soft chuckle rumble from him.

"Yes but I am a guest, and a guest should be courteous." He protested. He was shushed by a hard but not unkind look from Karou's blue eyes.

"Think nothing of it Toshiki-san… you…you are entitled to be as difficult as you want." She knew she would be if Kenshin had been the one to die. She couldn't imagine how her life would be if she was in Toshiki's place.

"Still, I feel my time here is up," He held up a hand to silence any protest. "I feel I must be moving on. She wouldn't be happy seeing me sitting the rest of my life away. She would want me to start a new life, a life away from the sorrow. Tanako would have wanted me too." He only smiled softly as he spoke her name.

"She would be happy to hear you talking again, that she would." Kenshin said softly from behind them. Karou looked back to see the red-head standing a few feet from them; the girls now playing with Yahiko. "You have been silent for far too long. She would miss the sound of your voice." He added as Toshiki stood, Karou following.

"Kenshin, I must thank you as well. I know you tried your hardest to give her the life I couldn't. I was very jealous of you for awhile, even after you brought me home with you." The young man hung his head. "I wanted to be the man to give her all she wanted and needed."

"You were Toshiki-san." Kenshin said softly, his purple eyes showing truth. "All she wanted was love. And that was something I couldn't give her." He reached out and drew Karou close to him. His heart hurt at the sight of her dark eyes, but her smile reassured him that she was doing well. "She wanted your love, that she did."

"And she had my love, even if it was just for a few days." He said more to himself than for anyone.

"I'm sure she was happy for those few days, that they were enough for her." Karou offered. She was taken back at the angry flash in the young man's ice blue eyes.

"But it was not enough for me!" He said though gritted teeth. Kenshin and Karou fell silent, Understanding just how he felt. Toshiki sighed and let his eyes fall back downcast. "Anyway, I wish to thank you two for the friendship that you have given me, but I feel it is time I was on my way."

"What?" The two of them asked in unison. Karou spoke up. "Why do you want to go Toshiki-san? This is your home now."

"I can not stay here with Tanako's spirit all around this place. She wants me to move on." He said simply, standing to tower over the pair.

"So that's the reason your pack is over there." Kenshin pointed with his eyes to the traveling pack that rested in the corner of the yard. "You planed on leaving today for awhile haven't you?" He asked softly. With a soft nod, from the young man, Kenshin added. "I understand you better than you know." The pair followed Toshiki as he retrieved his pack and shouldered it. They also silently followed him out the front gate, away from everyone else in the back.

"I'll be back again, for visits." Toshiki reassured them as he saw the sorrow in Karou's eyes. " And you'll never be rid of her memory." He thanked them one last time before turning and starting on his long journey to where ever his feet would carry him. He had his sword, but it was no longer strapped to his side, but instead, poked harmlessly from his pack.

"Where do you think he will go Kenshin?" Karou asked once the ex-gang member was out of ear shot.

"I don't know Karou, that I do not. He has become a wanderer it seems. Just like I did. I can only hope that he will find away to repent and be at peace with himself and his memories. I also hope that he will find someone, some reason to settle down again." Kenshin wrapped his arm around her and drew her close to him, He dipped his head to set a soft warm kiss on her lips. "Just as I did." Karou sighed softly and smiled up at him before both turned to watch the young man fade from sight.

A/N Ok… no one is allowed to freak out on me I do had another ending in the works, so don't go all Battousai and me eh? Anyway, please review on what you thought of this ending. dashes off to finish the alternate ending