And here it is! The final chapter of A Chance Meeting in the Rain

Enjoy! :D

Chapter 13: A Chance Beginning, Together

"Hey…"

Soifon jumped somewhat but let out a sigh as she looked up to see Kenshin walk into the room. He closed the door behind him then moved to where she was sitting and flopped down, his back to her. "Lady Yoruichi said you were going to play nurse."

She nodded idly while soaking a rag and began to carefully work to scrub the dry blood from around the cuts and stabs she had made with her Suzumebachi. "I'm sorry… Kenshin-kun…"

He really hated these kinds of talks. It felt odd hearing this woman sound so…weak. He had seen her in a weaken state before and had comforted her, as best he could, the couple of times she had cried about Yoruichi's departure from the Soul Society. He knew she was very much a woman, but he mostly had known her as his mentor and his commander-in-chief.

With a sigh he reached up and stopped her hand on his left shoulder, taking it in his for a moment and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's fine, Soifon. I know why you did it and I can't blame you for it."

"It doesn't excuse my actions."

"Maybe, but I forgive your actions."

The two sat in an awkward silence with Soifon finishing cleaning up the wounds she had inflicted on the man who had been her personal guard and only friend for decades. She still felt such guilt for the things she said, things that really could never be taken back; but, she was doing what she could to apologize by treating the wounds she had inflicted.

"So why won't you tell her?"

"W-what?"

Kenshin closed his eyes and let out a grunt. "You lost her for a century and now that you have her back you're choosing to hide your feelings and deny the truth you so desperately want to tell her."

"I…can't."

"So you'd rather hurt inside and watch from afar then just swallow your pride and take a chance?"

Soifon knew he was right. He had learned more from Yoruichi then she had and just like the woman she longed for, Kenshin was insightful when he spoke. He always had been the quiet type, but when he spoke he often provided an entire explanation or story with just a few words.

"Kenshin-kun…"

"I think you owe it to yourself and more so to me after trying to kill me." He glanced back with a smirk. "Or are you still that kid I remember who couldn't form a sentence when Lady Yoruichi asked you something?"

She growled as she finished applying the bandages. She wanted to strike him for his smart ass remark, but she really couldn't do that after having tried to kill him an hour ago. "And if I refuse?"

"I tell her myself."

"W-what?"

He shrugged with a sly grin. "I'll just tell her myself; although," he moved to his feet, stretching a bit to loosen up, "I'll be sure to tell her in the manner in which you told me. Every…last…detail."

"No!"

Kenshin glanced back vacantly at Soifon who turned red. She looked away and rubbed at her arm, grumbling some. "I'll be asking her tomorrow what happened between you two, Lady Soifon." He waved over his shoulder while stepping out. "Goodnight."

"Night Kenshin-kun…" She waited until he was out of earshot and grumbled to herself, "idiot…"

Kenshin went back downstairs to fetch his zanpakutö before heading up to Yoruichi's room where Tatsuki was sitting in. He peaked in slowly and found her staring at his haori and the division number he commanded on the back.

What did they talk about? What had been asked and what had been told? Kenshin felt ashamed of himself for not having been honest with Tatsuki and told her just who he was. He had his reasons, but they were poorly constructed ones.

"So…" He stated with a minor cough.

She glanced up at him and offered a weak smile before moving to her feet. She stopped in front of him and looked down at the haori again before offering it to him. "So…you're a captain huh?"

Seems like Yoruichi told her a lot, possibly everything. Reluctantly he took the haori and unfolded it. Hooking a finger in the collar, he tossed it over his shoulder. "Yeah…Fifth Division."

She rocked a bit on her feet while shifting her gaze off to a corner. She felt happy to know that Kenshin and his mentor, Yoruichi, weren't a couple or anything. It had felt like someone had pulled a weight off of her shoulders when the beautiful, older woman told her that with a smile and sparkle in her golden eyes.

"I won't lie, I love Kenshin, and I've loved him for a long time. Have I ever mused over such thoughts as dating him or bedding with him? Of course, it's just natural when you're around someone for so long without anything to restrain you, but I know it would never happen. I love Kenshin the way two close friends love one another and I would do anything to protect him just as I know he would for me."

What was bugging Tatsuki was that Kenshin hadn't bothered to be honest with her about his memories having returned as suddenly as they did. Was he afraid to tell her, or ashamed? Maybe what Yoruichi had talked with her about was true…

"I don't get why he lied to me about his amnesia…"

Yoruichi placed a hand gently on the younger girl's shoulder with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "It wasn't lying so much as…fear."

"Fear?"

"He was afraid you'd kick him out. He had come to enjoy being around you and didn't want to just give it up."

Tatsuki felt a smile take over her lips but at the same time she wasn't sure those words were true. "That's…just silly…"

"Let me ask you something. He smiles around you, doesn't he?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"Kenshin didn't smile around me until after a decade of having to deal with me as his commander. Even then it was the briefest of things and I never saw him smile again until a century later. You have to understand that he doesn't smile regularly until he truly feels comfortable around someone. If he did it around you in only days, then it means he likes you, a lot."

"W-what?" Tatsuki blushed.

"Even more so since he never did look on humans too kindly. If he felt comfortable around you enough to smile so quickly, then he likes you. He's just too stubborn a man to outright say it."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that but…was it true? "So…may I walk you home?"

Tatsuki looked up and smiled as she nodded. "Didn't want to stay over?"

Kenshin was caught off-guard by the question and found himself trying to scramble for a reply. "Well…ugh…yeah, I mean if you want me to still do so."

She simply chuckled and walked past him, hooking a finger into his kosode and tugged him along. "Hopefully you're division doesn't have to deal with you stuttering like that."

The walk back and been quiet for the two with little to no words exchanged. They each were lost in their own thoughts that unbeknownst to the other were about them.

Tatsuki would occasionally catch the man she now knew as a captain watching her from the corner of his eye, but each time she caught him he'd immediately look away; although, she swore she caught some color in his cheeks.

Once home Tatsuki took the time to deliver an excuse to her parents about an emergency involving a friend while Kenshin walked past, unseen, to her bedroom. As usual he propped his zanpakutö against the wall and removed his kosode and shitagi, folding them up and setting them at the end of the bed. He was glad his haori hadn't gotten too dirty. A minor wash and it'd be fine; he could get the tear taken care of later.

The door opened and he glanced over from the desk chair and smiled, seeing Tatsuki walk in. She closed the door behind her and moved up in front of the shinigami, staring down at him with a smile of her own. "So…"

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling much of the same awkward tension in the air between them. "So…"

She rubbed at her arm and glanced away, her cheeks reddening with a blush of embarrassment. Why couldn't she just stop being herself for a moment and be who she was inside? She liked this guy; she knew it now more then ever after her talk with Yoruichi.

"But he's a shinigami and I'm human...even if he does like me, we can't actually date-"

"Why not?" Yoruichi asked while furrowing her brows. "Tatsuki, love transcends the boundaries of worlds. It's a universal feeling that is the same whether it is here in the world of the living or the spirit world. I know you're feeling confused right now, but you need to ask yourself one thing: what does your heart want?"

She wanted him…He was the first guy that made her feel this way, that made her feel like a woman. He didn't just treat her like a girl though; he recognized and had shown his admiration and respect for her. He was just…perfect.

She stirred from her thoughts when Kenshin stood up. The two lingered for a moment, lost in the gaze of the other like a pair of school kids. As they stared at the other, lost in their thoughts and the eyes of each other Tatsuki reached out with her right hand, brushing it against Kenshin's left. Catching the hint, the captain took hold of her hand and let their fingers lace together. His right found its place around to the small of Tatsuki's back while her left slid up his chest.

Unbeknownst to Kenshin, this was the first kiss Tatsuki had ever experienced, so all the guidance was left on him. They started out subtly, brushing their lips together lightly; but as they felt more comfortable and brave with it, they each pressed more securely to the other.

She couldn't believe she was actually pushing up onto her toes. It was such a cliché thing from chick flicks, but it felt so right. The sensation that ran from her lips throughout her body was warm and felt like jolts of lightning were tingling from his lips and his hands. She pressed closer to him, her hand loosening from his own but finding a new place with her other hand around his neck and into his hair.

He didn't protest the slightest as his hands secured themselves around her slender waist, keeping her held to him. To think he truly could fall for a human, but…it hardly mattered anymore to him. This girl made him feel complete; and he had already learned once that love doesn't see what people are, just who they are on the inside.

After what seemed like countless minutes, the two broke the kiss with a soft gasp. Tatsuki couldn't stop smiling as she buried her face against Kenshin's chest, enjoying the warmth she felt by being in his arms. "I do have class in the morning…"

He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah…and I need to check on reports with my vice-captain in the morning…"

The two broke from their embrace and Kenshin stepped out of the bedroom to let Tatsuki change. Once done she pulled him back in and slipped him a kiss before moving to her bed and snuggled in under the covers.

Kenshin flopped into the chair and did what he could to get comfortable, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Despite his body still feeling like it had gone through the ringer, despite the fact he knew he'd have a headache to deal with in getting the bit of damage he and Soifon caused to the neighborhood from their fight; everything was perfect for once in his life.

Tatsuki watched quietly in the dark as the man she gave her first kiss to settle as best he could into the chair. The sound of the falling rain outside drew her gaze toward the window and the faint moonlight shining through it. "Funny…I never really liked rainy days but now I have a reason."

Groaned lightly at the sound of Tatsuki's voice penetrating the haze threatening to drag him to his sleep, Kenshin opened an eye and glanced toward the bed. "Why's that?"

"Because I found you on a rainy day…" She blushed as she closed her eyes.

A faint smile played over the gruff looking captain's face, his eye drifting back shut to once again let sleep grab at him. "I can't say the same about getting injured and having temporary amnesia."

She chuckled, and as she closed her eyes with sleep starting to take hold of her, she whispered softly, "A chance meeting in the rain that turned into the greatest thing to happen to me…"

She had fallen for a guy, and it felt great.

And there it is! The end of my first complete story! I thank all who favorited this, alerted this, and just flat-out read it. Every single person that took the time to read this gave me reason to keep this going.

To think this started as just a drabble of 3 chapters that got a major overhaul and turned into ten chapters overnight (and then further expanded into a full 13 chapters after I did some touch-ups and rewrites).

Again, thank you

And remember, the Fox is always Grinning

-Grinning Fox