Hello! Well, what can I say… I'm happy a lot of people reviewed… Please enjoy this chapter and review at the end if you have the time.

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Kaoru was a mess by the time she arrived at her house. She berated herself over and over for her actions. This was why she didn't contact Kenshin after all this time. She was afraid of old feelings coming back when she was trying her hardest to move on.

All doubts she had buried in the deepest recesses of her mind burst forth and attacked her with a vengeance.

Tears pooled into her eyes without warning, her resolve breaking with every tear that fell.

She hadn't moved on. She was kidding herself if she thought she did.

She just shut out every painful memory, hoping it would disappear and forced herself to believe everything was going to be better.

She was still in love with him; there was no denying it now. All her efforts to forget had been pushed off the cliff the moment she agreed to talk to him.

Every emotion she thought she had pushed down came back full force, like it was all brand new.

There was no escaping it. Not even the illusion of safety she had cowered under for so long could help her.

She fell to the floor in tears, crying out the pain that she had ignored for so long.

She curled herself in a fetal position, burying her head in her knees.

Everything was ruined.

An insistent knocking was heard throughout the house, but all Kaoru heard was her fears that threatened to consume her.

"Kaoru!!!" a voice called out urgently.

"Sou-soujiro…" she wanted to call out his name, plead with him to help her. No, she had tricked him as well. After everything he had done for her. She was in love with another. Why was fate so cruel?

"Kaoru!" the voice seemed shocked at her state; the person who was calling her was very near now.

Kaoru raised her head slowly, meeting the concerned blue eyes of her fiancé. "Soujiro…" she called out pathetically.

She felt herself being lifted up and buried her tear-stained face in Soujiro's warm chest.

"What's wrong, Kaoru?" Soujiro asked as he looked at her still form in his arms.

When Kaoru didn't react, he asked her again, pleading with her to confide in him.

Kaoru raised red-rimmed eyes to his, opening her mouth to speak.

"Everything's wrong…" she whispered achingly, her voice hoarse from crying, tears slipping from her pain filled eyes.

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"Kaoru…" Soujiro called to her, the underlying sound of desperation and pain was so clear that it hurt her more.

"I'm sorry… I'm… so sorry…" she whimpered as she buried her face into his jacket.

Soujiro patted her back, lifting her head to look into those eyes he had come to love. "Tell me what's wrong…" he begged, anything to stop the helplessness he felt. If he knew what was wrong then he could help her…

"I'm… I'm not fit to be your wife… I don't deserve you!" she cried out, pulling away from him.

Her words combined with her withdrawal pierced him to the core. Anger filled him, not at her… but at the reason this was happening.

"Kaoru, don't say that. You're more worthy than you think." Soujiro whispered in a comforting tone, pulling her close once again, ignoring her protests. "I love you." He kissed her forehead. "I always will."

Kaoru's tears stopped and her hiccups died down, all was left was the emptiness inside of her… and the pain that will never disappear. "Soujiro…"

Soujiro cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen earlier. "You still love him don't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Kaoru's mouth fell open but nothing came out, tears sprang into her eyes once again, and all she could do was bob her head wordlessly. She knew she would lose him after his, but she didn't want to lie… She couldn't lie… Not to him… He deserved the truth.

To her surprise, he didn't pull away but hug her tighter. "I don't care that you're still in love with him. I love you. Even if you turn me down a million times I would still love you. But, I also want you to be happy, Kaoru. That's all that matters to me. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Just know that… I'll always be here for you." His voice was strong, but it didn't hide the underlying pain in his tone.

He loved her. He really did… Why was it that she couldn't love him back? He was the man of her dreams… Why was it that she was hurting the most important person in her life? She had hurt him… she was sure of it. But instead of throwing her away and spiting her in her most vulnerable state he had comforted her…

"Everything will be alright…" he smiled at her.

She raised pain-filled eyes and met his loving ones. "I never meant to hurt you…" she sobbed, begging him to understand. She couldn't bear losing him…

"I know." He smiled understandingly, still cradling her in his arms. He closed his eyes, smiling sadly. Like he had said, he wouldn't force her to marry him. Having her as a friend, just being around her and seeing her smiling face was enough. The fact that he could still comfort her like this made him content… It was the least he could do for the one he loves…

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The next chapter is seen as the pre-marriage period of Kenshin and Kaoru. We'll be seeing why things ended up as they did for those two… Well, until next time! (,) Please review!