Chapter Twenty

Yutaro came through fast on his promise to locate a few appropriate apartments, and after some discussion, Kenshin even thought he might be able to afford the asking prices. Better than the prices he had found at the real estate agent, anyway, and the apartments Yutaro had found were closer to where he wanted, as well. Feeling a bit more optimistic about his chances, an appointment with Yutaro's acquaintance had been set for that Thursday when he had the afternoon off.

Kaoru had been pretty chill about the entire process, even though she still pouted slightly when he had to leave for work. She never complained, though, just like she never complained about anything. She even made a point to encourage him. Still, he could tell she was lonely. It showed clearly in the sad tilt of her blue eyes when she thought he wasn't looking.

As soon as I get everything settled, I'll start taking her out for a change of pace.

Apparently, Tomoe and Enishi had come to the same conclusion. When he had mentioned the summer festival to them, they had shared their own in-progress plans, which included taking Kaoru to the beach to hunt for seashells and swim. Their family owned a small beach house for just such outings, and they had already obtained their father's approval to open it up for an afternoon. While he certainly wasn't excited about the water part, he had agreed it was a good idea for her to have as many opportunities as possible. It was too bad it could not be a longer outing for her, but they had all decided that she might be overly stimulated by an overnight trip.

Standing behind her as she worked diligently away at her newest drawing, he realized she had almost used up the entire notebook he had originally bought for her. I'll get her a new one while I'm out. Tapping her on the shoulder, he explained where he was going, and she smiled at him with a nod of understanding. A quick shake denied she needed anything, followed by another nod when he asked if she was going to be alright while he was gone. Frowning despite her reassurances, he nodded his own head and turned for the door.

Tomoe was working away at one of the free desks in the main room of the lab, and she too smiled at him as he paused in the doorway. It was a brief acknowledgement, though, as she returned her attention to the multiple sets of example seals and runes displayed upon her computer screen almost immediately. They were still having trouble identifying the combination Sojiro had used on Kaoru, but Megumi was meeting the challenge with the same determined excitement she had shown while experimenting on him. Which was worrying, but also encouraging as it meant she would not stop until she figured them out.

It hit him in that moment, that Kaoru had been so patient with the lot of them. Whether it was waiting on him to return from that mountain, or waiting on Megumi to remove the metal pin in her mouth, she had done so in good-nature. She waited on Tomoe to bring her meals each day, and Enishi for sparring when he could. Now she was waiting to spend time with him while he figured out his life, while also waiting on Megumi to remove the seal that was keeping her from speaking. Keeping her from singing. All while smiling, or playfully teasing, and hiding the sadness from her forced isolation. Certainly, they could claim it was for her own safety, and say it was enough to spend time with her when it suited them. It did not change the fact that her life had been left to the whims of others.

Again, he remembered how her soft flame irises had glanced up at him just before he had turned to leave, as if wistful and dejected at the same time.

Slightly angry with himself, Kenshin grabbed the trim around the doorway and leaned his shoulders back into the rec room.

"Would you like to come with me today, Miss Kaoru?"

The short length of her ponytail whipped to one side as her head jerked towards him, and the look of unadulterated excitement that lit her face was well worth any risk the outing might involve.

"Although, you may be bored."

She scrambled out of her seat and rushed the door with such enthusiasm that her socks slid on the floor and she had to make a grab for the door jam to stop herself. Instead of him, though, her gaze looked eagerly for Tomoe. The coal demon actually laughed in delight.

"You certainly don't need my permission." One elegant hand waved. "Go clean up your desk and grab your shoes." Before she could even finish the sentence, Kaoru was doing just that. Kenshin decided he'd better elaborate.

"Make sure they're comfortable shoes. We'll be walking."

From the desk, Kaoru gave a thumbs up over her stooped head and then continued to rush through organizing her mess.

When Kenshin turned back towards Tomoe, lingering satisfaction brightened his features, but it dampened slightly when his gaze landed on her. Though Tomoe continued to smile, it was a bit sad.

"Are you alright, Tomoe-san?" As always, his voice softened when speaking with her. Dark eyes closed, and she turned her face away. There was a long pause before she took a deep breath.

"I know I should not worry, since she'll be with you, but I fear I cannot help it." Briefly her eyes glanced at him. "You'll keep her safe, won't you?"

Red brows creased, and he automatically bent his upper body forward. "Nothing will hurt her. I promise." When he was once more upright, he swallowed awkwardly. She was back to staring at the desk, and he was suddenly overcome by guilt. "I put a lot on you this last year, Tomoe-san. I'm sorry… and thank you."

Small hands twisted together in her lap, and when she looked at him again, the smile on her face was a bit pained but rueful.

"You certainly have, Himura-san." The response held a tone of unexpected rebuke, and Kenshin blinked. "Honestly, you've become a bit too reliant on others. While I don't necessarily think reliance is a bad thing, I do believe you should work on being more independent." The smile softened. "Especially if you want someone to rely on you before anyone else."

Kaoru's shoes dropped next to him, and he jumped as she shoved her feet into them. Once the task was successfully complete, she graced him with an expectant grin. Tomoe's claim certainly held some truth. It had slightly irked him that Kaoru would go to Tomoe for permission as if his word held less authority.

"Stay close to Himura-san, and be sure to do as he says." Kaoru's head nodded, and Tomoe's expression was full of fondness. "Have fun, blue-eyed one."

Another nod, and Kaoru waited on twitchy feet for him to lead the way. Before they could make the second door, however, Tomoe called after them like a concerned mother.

"Wait." A purse was pulled out from under her desk, and she dug into the depths of it to withdraw a pair of sunglasses. "Put these on when you get to the lobby." They were pressed into Kaoru's hands, and then Tomoe's worried eyes looked past her to Kenshin. "The sun is so harsh in the summertime, and she's not used to natural light."

Kenshin bowed his head. "Thanks again, Tomoe-san."

It wasn't until the elevator dinged for the ground floor that Kaoru appeared to second guess her decision. Once in the foreign environment of the lobby, her breathless excitement turned to hesitant apprehension, and she half-hid herself behind his shoulder as they walked towards the front doors. The way the receptionist stared helped little. Urging her to don the sunglasses, Kenshin collected the hand nearest to him in his, and pushed open the glass entrance doors to powerful sunshine. She flinched slightly, even with the darkened lenses to protect her delicate eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Slowly, her neck twisted to look around.

"I promise you're safe with me."

From behind the dark glasses, he watched the outline of her lashes twitch up to settle on him. Then blink. Finally, she smiled, and cradled his one hand between both of her own.

Everything was absorbed with a mixture of animation and wonder. As if she had never been outside in her life. It was a marked contrast to the dirty, frightened being she had been when he had happened upon her by chance a year prior. At that time, she had been simply trying to survive, but now she was able to fully appreciate her surroundings without that shadow of fear trailing behind her. That, at least, reassured him that they had done something right by her.

Yutaro's connection met them outside of a large, fairly new apartment complex. He was an aosagibi, and had no qualms in revealing his true demon nature to anyone. Light blue feathers sprouting from his head glowed minimally, even in the bright light of day, and long thin legs ending in three large toes and sharp talons made him quite a bit taller than both of them. When he bowed to them in greeting, his beak scrapped the pavement at their feet, and his large wings spread slightly to balance his weight. Briefly, Kenshin wondered how a koi fish had made friends with a heron.

"Takimi Shigure at your service." His voice was softer than expected from such a large demon. "Himura Kenshin, I presume?"

Kenshin bowed in turn. "Thank you for meeting on such short notice."

"Not at all. Any friend of Yutaro-kun's is a friend of mine." One large yellow eye turned toward Kaoru. "Unfortunately, Yutaro-kun mistakenly informed me that you were searching for an apartment for a single occupant. Your lovely companion might be a bit put out by the selection I've made ready for your viewing."

Pink immediately tinged Kaoru's cheek at the compliment, and she shyly shot her sapphire irises over to him as if unsure how to react. Kenshin, however, was briefly confused by the statement, and it showed in the crease of his brows. Those red brows raised a moment later, and he glanced at the hand still held comfortably in his. "Ah, well… you were told correctly. Miss Kaoru is… lending support for the day."

"I see." There was quite a bit of amusement in the short reply. "Shall we?"

Although the apartment complex was fairly tall compared to the surrounding buildings, most of the apartments within his budget were on the lower floors. They were all clean, with simple layouts, but ranged in sizes to allow not only for a multitude of incomes but also the many sizes of potential residents. Due to the wide-range of demons living in the city, landlords were expected to accommodate the needs of many different beings. It was an obvious challenge, but made their trip an interesting one. Especially for his blue-eyed companion.

Kaoru was enjoying herself without reserve. Once it was apparent that their heron guide was not just well-mannered but good-natured as well, she had fully relaxed into her regular goofy self. Her antics were not just amusing, but tended to point out things that might make staying in some of the apartments uncomfortable. At their first stop, she entertained herself with touching both walls with her barely outstretched hands. At their second, she could do the same with the ceiling, which also meant Shigure had to duck fairly low just to come into the room. Sometimes she unwittingly demonstrated how unfortunate the placement of the kitchen area was, simply by wanting by. Other times she was just bored. It was those few apartments that seemed to be Kenshin's best bet.

Still, with Kaoru there, he couldn't help but think about something he had never considered before about an apartment. Company. Which then led him down other avenues of deliberation. As a fire demon, he had no need for a bathroom, just a toilet. While this made his decision easier and cheaper, it was a bit of a hindrance for company. While he had no plans to take in anyone else, the absence of a bathroom for Kaoru had meant his eviction from his own apartment while Tomoe had spot clean Kaoru with a cloth out of a sink. Not a pleasant experience all around. Additionally, if he had company over, he might want to cook for them, and having a larger kitchen area would allow him to really show off his abilities and impress said company. Both options unfortunately meant more money.

"You seem a bit undecided on what you want, Himura-san."

The observation startled Kenshin out of his thoughts, and he offered the blue heron an apologetic smile. "Forgive me, Takimi-san. I don't mean to waste your time."

"If you like, I can show you a few of my other open apartments. They are more expensive, but have more options. They might give you a better idea of what you are looking for, which will help me identify a better apartment to show you. I have other buildings, if we discover this one does not accommodate you."

A quick bow conveyed gratitude and apology. "Thank you."

The larger apartments were higher up, and had multiple rooms instead of just the one. The most expensive one they viewed had a separate room just for the kitchen, in addition to a living space, bedroom, a bathroom, toilet room, and an area for a full washing machine. It also had its own balcony with a breathtaking view. While Kaoru entertained herself at the balcony, Kenshin had time to critique the layout. It was obviously much too big, but at least he was a bit surer about what he might want and what he would settle for. After relaying his thoughts to Shigure, the heron absorbed the knowledge with a slow nod of his head, and confirmed that he had a few apartments in mind that might fit his preferences. However, they were in a different building and a little further away.

With a tilt of his large beak, the heron turned his attention to Kaoru at the balcony. "I've noticed she loves windows the most. If you don't mind, I think she might enjoy one of the apartments here. It also has a different layout that you might find you like."

Smiling at her brightened features, Kenshin was glad he had decided to bring her along. She was loving the freedom, and no doubt seeing something new was invigorating compared to the stale view of the lab. If he had to equate their afternoon to anything, it would be like watching a flower blossom under the sun. Calling for her, his smile warmed when she half-skipped over to slip her hand in his, but closed his eyes to hide the expression when he turned to the heron. "Lead the way."

The final apartment of their afternoon was on a mid-to-upper floor. The entranceway was a little dark from a lack of natural lighting, but was lit by two small overhead lights for a more calming ambience. A cabinet for shoes and coats was built into the wall, and was also lit by small lights that were activated by the door opening and closing. A short hallway led first to a separate toilet room, and then a compact but comfortable bathing area comprised of first a room with a sink, mirror, and washing machine, and then a room with a bathtub and detachable shower head on the wall beside it.

When they finally came all the way into the apartment, Kenshin understood why Shigure had claimed Kaoru would enjoy it. The entire far wall from floor to high ceiling was glass. They were separated windows for stability against the high winds brought by typhoons, but it still provided an amazing view. Especially since the ceiling in the main room was much higher than a normal apartment might be. The tall windows on the lower level of the glass wall were all the same height as the glass door on the far-right side, which opened onto a balcony wide enough to sit in a chair on. The second level of windows were much taller.

When Kenshin glanced at Kaoru, he chuckled to find her mouth open, and he urged her forward so that she could stare as much as she wanted. The view itself was beautiful in the afternoon sun. Since they were on the South-facing wall of the building, the apartment was awarded all of the benefits of natural light without having to suffer from direct light at any time during the day. The building was tall as well, with no other buildings to block the view, and no need to worry about someone peeking into the apartment from across the street.

The main room wasn't very large in and of itself, but when Kenshin turned he found the reason for the high ceiling. The apartment had a loft area, but instead of it being open to the main room, it too was separated by another wall of windows. This allowed some additional privacy, but also helped with heating and cooling. When Shigure urged him up the steep set of steps, Kenshin found that he could actually stand up comfortably in the loft area, which was not common. It was also spacious enough for more than just a bed, as it was the same size as the apartment below minus the main room.

Back on the main floor of the apartment, Shigure made sure Kenshin got a good look at the kitchen area as well. While not large, it was separated from the main room by a half wall, and had a sink, a three-burner stove top in the shape of an oval, a small fish oven, a refrigerator, cabinets, and a small amount of countertop space. It was also off to one side of the entrance to the main room, thereby making sure there would be no disturbances for the cook.

The whole apartment was… kind of ideal.

There was a bathroom if company needed one. There was a separate space he could keep anything private, such as his clothes and bed. There was a nice kitchen space. Best of all, there was a view for Kaoru to enjoy.

"What do you think?" The heron was talking to Kaoru, who had opened the balcony door and was leaning further out against the railing than Kenshin liked. Instantly, Kaoru whipped around and the grin on her face looked like it hurt. A few hand signs formed and twitched out her fingers, and Kenshin laughed.

"I'm still learning, but I'm pretty sure this means 'beautiful'." His hands formed the sign as he spoke it, because Enishi had told him that forming the sign while speaking it aloud would help him learn. Kaoru nodded happily to confirm. "I must admit, I like it, too. How much would something like this cost me?"

"It will be more than the single-room apartments downstairs, but I could give you the same discount Yutaro and I discussed for those."

Unfortunately, it was still well above his budget. Thinking over his options, Kenshin contemplated other ways he could work around it.

"What kind of heating system do you use for the building?"

A brand-new discussion revealed Shigure's surprise that it was even an option for Kenshin to assist with heating the entire building, and he was all too happy to discount the monthly rent further.

But it's still too high.

"Thanks for your help, Takimi-san. I'll have to pass on it." An embarrassed chuckle closed his eyes as he scratched the back of his head. "I should really stick to my budget."

"Of course, Himura-san. Let's schedule another day, and we can review the apartments in my other building."

When his eyes reopened, Kenshin noticed the delight on Kaoru's face had melted off, and her bottom lip worried between her teeth. One last, long glance over the balcony drank in the view, and then she closed the door and joined them by the kitchen. Her hand slipped into his, and she offered the blue heron a smaller, more composed smile. The heron bowed his head graciously.

"You, my good gentleman, have found yourself a keeper." Red lashes blinked in surprise as Kaoru once again blushed pink. "Many couples fight over such things, or try to whine to get their way, but you understand something truly important. Relationships are not about always getting your way, but enjoying what you have together just the same. Yes?"

The question was aimed at Kaoru, who nodded her head vigorously in agreement. Kenshin wondered if she understood what he was actually saying. Either way, he was grateful for Kaoru's instant acceptance, but was saddened by it as well. If she had acted upset, it would have been distressing, but the fact that she had learned to hide her disappointments was also worrisome. In a way, he really just wanted to spoil her.

"I have some applications already on file for this apartment, but I find I like you, so I'll hold them for another week. Just in case your situation changes." Amusement once more thickened his voice, and as the heron led them from the apartment, he offered some additional wisdom. "After all, wanting to give what we cannot is another form of love. It pushes us to be better versions of ourselves."

Kenshin cleared his throat and turned his head away, because it felt a little like the aosagibi had read his mind.

X

A/N: Wow, I was hoping to get some more into this chapter, but it filled out quickly! I suppose it's just so much easier for me to write them into situations together. Ah well, that just means some more fluff in the next chapter. Actually, for a few chapters? Ugh, I'll have to break this up somehow, lol. I love writing the sappy stuff, but I don't want you to get bored! Sigh.

Not much story progression, but relationship progression instead. Let me know how you feel about this mushy stuff. Next chapter, Kenshin might appreciate his fire demon origins a bit more?