I'm so happy to be able to give you all this chapter after a turn around of only threeish weeks! Writing has been a source of escape from what's happening beyond my home and the stress of being an essential worker still for portions of my job. Hopefully, y'all will enjoy this final chapter of the Kyoto arc of CHTY. Author's notes at the end of the chapter.

One of you was wondering what the nugget from the last chapter was. Take a look at where Kenshin and Kaoru's carriage disappeared off to! It's a fun and relevant RuroKen mention so let me know if you get it!

Clarifications on text is as follows:

"Conversation"

'Thoughts'

Emphasized text

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

Coming Home to You

Chapter 6: Kyoto, Part 4

"It seems we do have some more things to discuss tonight after all."

Kaoru's eyes widened immediately, sputtering as she inched closer to the redhead. "That was unfair. Oh my Kami-sama, Kenshin, that was so unfair. I'm so, so sorry."

Eyes hidden behind his bangs, Kenshin remained quiet for an uncomfortably long moment. Mentally sorting through the thoughts in his head that were begging him to tell the bluenette how much he wanted to stay with her in Tokyo where he'd been happy for the first while in quite a while- but didn't. His hands clenched. "But it's not untrue."

Kaoru looked away in shame before glancing at him again, struggling for words. 'He tried to help me, and I'm just making him feel worse.' A gentle finger hooked under his chin, lifting his head and forcing him to make eye contact with her. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean you get to be my punching bag."

Sensing her sincerity, he decided to lighten the mood. "Only the one you throw things at." His left palm settled on her shoulder

The corner of her mouth lifted into a smile, grateful for his forgiveness and patience with her. "It's not at you, you just end up in the way sometimes."

Both laughed- Kaoru's laughter, loud at first, quietly dissolved into tears. Hiccuping through her chest. Each shudder that racked her body rocked his resolve. His arm relaxed gently, falling forgotten to the curve of her waist "Are those good tears?"

"Kind of." She sniffled. "I really am sorry, Kenshin, for what I said. And actually I really could use your help." He began to pull away; her hands clasped at the cusp of his gi, keeping him anchored where he was. His left arm stilled in its place, thrown gently over the curve of her waist. The realization brought a fluttering to his chest "Can you hold me like this for a little while..?" The words came out quietly as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder in embarrassment.

Hesitation flashed across his face, finding a temporary home there. It echoed through his silence

"Please." the sound was choked. Desperate and ashamed. "I just…" her mouth gaped, lips quivering as she fought for the right words. Torment pierced through his chest painfully. "Your being near just brings me so much peace, I-" she continued the struggle for words. He ground his teeth together in the same instance he moved. Gently, he tucked his injured right arm into his chest as his left slipped under her right arm, reaching around to guide her head to his chest as they rested together on the futon.

She was hurting; he couldn't help but do something. 'She could ask for the moon, and I know I can't reach it but I would try endlessly for her.' He breathed shakily as the gravity of his thoughts settled in his chest. "Is this okay, Kaoru-dono?"

She nodded gently against his chest, body quivering with held in emotion. "Yes." A moment passed. "I'm sorry again, really, I… I'm sorry." She paused again. "And thank you. Really, I mean it, Kenshin. Thank you." He'd never heard his name spoken in such a cherished manner. He rested his chin in her hair, eyes slipping closed as he breathed in jasmine.

They fell asleep that way. Him holding her to his chest. Her clutching his yukata tightly, a death grip they'd never mention after this. Teeming beneath the surface of their skin was guilt that they both tried to keep down. Him for how his actions continue to hurt her. And her for snapping at him, trying to hurt him the way he'd once hurt her. Blanketed in warmth, her eyes slipped closed.

"I'm sorry about last night." It seemed she knew he was awake too. He kept his eyes on the ceiling just as she did. Somewhere outside their room birds chirped busily through the morning. 'We've shifted in our sleep,' he noticed absentmindedly before responding. Though no longer facing each other, Kaoru' was still close enough to rest her head on his shoulder gently. The tingling feeling in his left arm signaled the limb had fallen asleep a while ago.

"You were hurting, and I could tell that you felt bad. You'd apologized enough. I wasn't going to make you feel worse in that moment."

"Can that be our new normal. For when we fight, I mean?" She sighed softly as she considered her next words. The sound felt weighted. Heavy. "We've disagreed about things before. It's normal, and I get it. But I don't want it to be about lashing out at each other. From you or from me." They both reminisced briefly to Kenshin's outburst at her from two nights previous.

Kenshin smiled gently, a twinkle in his eye at the notion. "I wouldn't mind that, I suppose."

Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip shyly. "I want to be as good to you as you are to me."

'Does she not realize how good to me she's been?' Kenshin turned his head. He studied her a moment before his next words, shifting the topic completely. "Still feel anxious about sharing a futon?"

She laughed, turning on her side to face him as well. She burrowed her head into the pillow before relaxing her body. Her eyes shone shly as they found his. "No. I like sleeping next to you actually."

His eyebrows raised, paired with a smile. "Is that so?"

"Ah. You bring me peace. I meant that when I said it before."

He smiled at her lightly. "You keep my night terrors at bay."

Kaoru shot up, blanket pooling at her waist as she turned, looking down at him in shock. "You get them too!?"

He nodded, tugging her back down to the futon sleepily. 'I'm not ready to get up just yet.' Absentmindedly, he cleared the bangs away from her forehead, trying to see her eyes better. "Mmm. Moreso negative thoughts that keep me from sleeping. Sleep comes easier with you though." Bashful, she peered at him through the pieces of her bangs that fell back in her eyes again. "No night terrors for you then?" she questioned shyly.

He shook his head, blinking with the movement. "No night terrors." He chose not to say "yet" out loud, even if he was thinking it. 'No need to worry her now.' "I assume last night then was a rough nightmare for you then."

"I'm sorry again about waking you last night and, well… all of it really.. I… wasn't completely honest with you before."

Kenshin, nodded, adjusting his injured arm in front of his person as he waited for her to continue. The room felt small, and she swallowed thickly before continuing. "So my dream…"

Making their train in the morning was probably the easiest part of the trip. Kenshin and kaoru shared the morning amongst Okina and the Oniwabanshu, laughing with each other over tea and some cakes. Though a small meal it was comfortable and one the two were happy to share with friends before boarding the train.

The Kenshin-gumi welcomed her home carefully avoiding areas where volunteers from the neighborhoods were helping to repair the damage done to the dojo. The bluenette was amazed to hear how many of her neighbors volunteered to help when they heard she was alive and well.

Now, Misao bounded around the group as Megumi stayed near the fire, scooping rice into bowls for her friends. Sano assumed his typical position lazing on the engawa, chewing on a fish bone as he kept an eye on the freshly cooking food.

Keeping an eye on their friends, Kenshin turned to her, sharing a smile she'd only seen Kenshin wear once as she'd welcomed him home from Kyoto. 'He seems truly at peace now.' He had been pressured into showing off for the Dr. Gensai's grandchildren, balancing his sword on his nose gently as Ayame and Suzanne clapped enthusiastically. The moment was short-lived, and the two began to boo as Megumi snatched the sakabato away, berating the swordsman to focus on his health.

She giggled at the sight as a shadow cast over Kenshin caught her eye. She would never forget that look on his face. Wind blowing gently through the scraggly ends of his red hair, Kenshin's head quirked adorably to the side just as his own eyes widened drastically in realization. Just as hers did.

And.

Just as a sword pierced easily through the left side of his back and out through his stomach. held none other than Enishi Yukishiro.

In a brief moment of silence, Kaoru ran to him. Enishi twisted the sword as he withdrew, leaving a gaping hole in Kenshin's abdomen. Dr. Gensai ushered the two little girls into the dojo, their high-pitched cries piercing the air.

The young man laughed maniacally, watching as the redhead's blood dripped down his sword slowly.

He turned his eye to her. Body shifting, he stalked towards her predatorily. The Kenshin-gumi begged her to run and find a safer place to hide. She couldn't hear anything besides ringing in her ears at that moment. It all felt familiar. Well, that and-

"Did you really think I would let you come home so he would get to be happy with you?"

Her mouth sputtered. Her chest was burning, and air felt hard to come by. A cough below her caught her attention and she returned her gaze to the man that she never got to tell how she truly felt about him. Tears gathered in her eyes. "I'm sorry I keep leaving you, Kaoru. Though this one feels a bit more permanent than the rest."

She choked back a sob, caressing his scar delicately. "No, no, no, no, no. Don't you dare say that. We're gonna get you fixed up, and we're gonna laugh about how invincible you are, and things will be fine so don't you dare give up on me now. Himura Kenshin. Megumi!? Megumi come here! Please!"

He coughed again. The sound was wet. As Kenshin opened his mouth again, she could see blood swishing against his teeth. It became harder to breathe. "I don't think I can promise you that, Kaoru." He stroked her hand gently. 'Weakly,' she realized. Her heart fractured.

A sob overcame her and her shoulders heaved. Grasping at his hand, she brought his limb to her face, unable to keep herself from weeping. She felt Megumi's body approach, bumping the smaller woman as she checked Kenshin's vitals.

As Kaoru lifted her head, Megumi paused briefly, before repeating the process. After what felt like minutes. She turned to Kaoru, eyes distant.

"Kenshin was responding really well as I began checking his vitals. As I got closer to the wound, I realized I was losing pulse. I repeated the process, but-"

"Megumi-"

"-Kenshin's body was tired. Between two extremely exhausting battles so close after the fight with Shishio-

"What are you saying?" Nothing. Kaoru felt nauseous.

"MEGUMI, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?"

"He's gone Kaoru. Kenshin is gone." She saw red.

Sobbing tears of anger, the bluenette launched herself at the white-haired man, only to find Aoshi's back in front of her. Sano and Misao jumped at the distraction, holding her back even as she clawed at them, desperately trying to reach Enishi. Yahiko scrambled towards Megumi and the redhead, searching for a pulse that could prove Kenshin had miraculously survived.

Enishi stared at the scene, eyes vacant. Removed. His lip curled then, as his hand clenched, punched one of the posts on the engawa to his left. "She's still not smiling." He punched the wood again this time harder. "My sister's still not smiling!"

"Misao and Yahiko." Aoshi's eyes never left Enishi's form as he spoke. "Please go to the police chief and let him know what happened here today."

Misao tugged on Yahiko's gi. The boy held a vice grip on the bloody magenta gi, tears in his eyes. Looking closer she realized he was applying pressure to his would. "Wake up, Kenshin." Her vision wavered.

"Yahiko, we've gotta go."

"I won't leave him."

"Yahiko!" Louder this time. More broken this time.

"He needs me here with him! I'm NOT leaving him!" The small boy clung to the unmoving man desperately.

Misao locked eyes with Aoshi, who nodded shortly. She took off running towards the gate. Aoshi's eyes dared Enishi to stop her, watching carefully as the man's chest heaved with unbridled, defeated rage.

Misao wiped at her tears as she hopped to the rooftops of the city. Her footsteps were echoed by the broken wails of Myojin Yahiko and Kamiya Kaoru as well as the choked tears of the Kenshin-gumi.

Enishi let himself be lead away that day by the police. The Kenshin-gumi didn't hear from him after that. Not after Megumi sealed up Kenshin's wounds. Not after he was dressed in white. Not after the funeral session or after he was laid to rest in the ground. The nausea had stayed.

The funeral was a big event.

Kaoru hated that fact. That the government had decided to honor Kenshin for his hand in shaping this new Japan. Nothing that would incriminate him, of course. But medals of honor.. 'Kenshin would have hated this. The grand speeches. The glorification of his violence.' She would have voiced the thought but Hiko did a damn good job of cussing out every man in an official uniform, blaming them for the death of his son.

He'd been emotional too. Despite never seeing him with his usual flask, the man reaked of alcohol everywhere he went, teetering around the premises under the influence. It didn't help with the nausea. She'd felt nauseous since he died.

The bluenette almost felt like she could confide in Hiko. Ever since his death- Kenshin's death- no one had heard her speak. She would gesture, fix food, practice her katas in the dojo. But none of the Kenshin-gumi had heard her say a word since the day Kenshin had choked on his own blood in her arms.

Kaoru took a swig of the flask, feeling calm as the cold water hit the back of her throat. The flask shook in her hands. "That was the dream." She said quietly. The candlelight flickered across her face, receding as if injured.

"When I woke up on that island, Enishi never told me what happened to you. He basically just… he told me that he was waiting for you to die. And that I could only go home once you did," she started shakily.

Kenshin's teeth grit.

"I tried everything. Escaping, fighting my way out, being nice." She scoffed under her breath. "Being nice didn't get me anywhere except hurt."

"Your neck." He eyed the bruising carefully. It was almost gone. 'She must be using Megumi's ointment still.' He tried to ignore the darker thoughts swirling through his mind that told him she wouldn't have those bruises if he had never come back to Tokyo after Shishio.

"Yeah. Well, I walked in on him talking to himself, whispering to someone. And then out of nowhere, he just looked at me and said I had to die for Jinchuu to be complete. And so he-" she hesitated, words struggling to choke their way out. "Well, he…" She reached for her own neck slowly, wrapping around herself as she curled closer into Kenshin side. He welcomed her, arm drawing her insta his side.

"He hurt you." Kenshin whispered painfully.

"Yeah… He tried to kill me actually. But he couldn't do it. That's why I think Tomoe was protecting me on the island." She looked up at him with a smile. "From then, I knew I'd be fine since he couldn't hurt me. But I was so worried about you. That's when I started to have the nightmares of Enishi's Jinchuu being successful and… losing you. I must have dreamed of every way that I could have lost you those weeks on the island, Kenshin." She clasped the side of his gi tightly.

He blinked. He'd realized he'd been struggling to hold onto the idea that Kaoru was alive. He hadn't realized she'd been struggling with the same deep-seated worry for his well-being too. 'It's been a long time since someone has cared about my well-being like this.' The redhead's train of thoughts were interrupted by a small "Kenshin?" and he realized Kaoru was waiting on a response.

He pressed lips to where her bangs met her forehead, inhaling the smell of jasmine as he recentered his emotions once more. "I'm so sorry, Kaoru. I'm sorry Inlet you be taken and I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. I'm also grateful you returned to us alive and relatively safe." He inhaled and exhaled gathering strength before he asked his next question. "Did he hurt you in any other ways, Kaoru-dono?" The question came out quieter. Meek. It took the bluenette a second to understand what he was asking.

Jerking backwards to look him in the eye, she shook her head, furiously. "No, nothing like that! He might be a psychopath, but he couldn't hurt me. Not in that way... I was just worried I'd lost you because I wasn't strong enough." 'Is that what Kenshin thought? What everyone thought? That I'd been..?' She couldn't even bring herself to think of the word. She shut her eyes looking away from the redhead in front of her.

Heaving a sigh of relief, he pulled her close once more.

"Look at me, Kaoru."

She faced him reluctantly, still in his arms. Conscious of his injured arm nestled in between their bodies, Kenshin placed his forehead on hers.

"I'm right here with you. And you're beautifully strong. I told you before, Kaoru, the dojo is home for me. As long as I'm welcome, no battle will stop me from coming home."

Kaoru was quiet for a moment, contemplative before she spoke again. "So promise me, that the next time the world is ending it feels like the world is ending and someone needs you, you won't leave me again? At least, not like Kyoto?" Her voice came out small, smaller than she wanted it to. Her eyes- afraid- searched his own, even as they watered ever so slightly.

It was at this moment Kenshin realized how much hurt Kaoru had been carrying from that night he'd left for Kyoto. How much he'd hurt her thinking leaving her behind would keep her safe, when he'd already started to consider the dojo as home. His mind lurched as he remembered hearing her voice through Shishio's labrinth giving him purpose. He'd never told her. They'd never had time, he'd never made the time to say so or apologize for leaving her that way.

"Kaoru, fighting Shishio, you gave me a reason to keep fighting…to keep living. It taught me that I can't walk away from you again so easily, not so callously." He paused, frustrated with his tendency to speak around what he wanted to say. "I've told you before in a roundabout way, but you are a home for me."

The bluenette felt air rush into her lungs once more, hardly noticing she'd been holding it waiting for his response. She nodded enthusiastically, hurriedly wiping away the tears on her yukata before cupping his face with care. She stroked the scar on his cheek gently; he leaned into the touch. "Thank you for being there for me. Just like you always are."

Kaoru curled into his chest. Hands slipping from his face, dragging down his neck, and clutching at his yukata. The action left fire in its wake. The redhead exhaled through his nostrils, calming himself. He wished she had kissed him instead. 'This is not the time to be thinking such things, baka.' The birds outside were centering, chirping away, oblivious to the events inside their room at The Aoiya.

After a long moment, she sighed, rubbing at her eyes and face as she pulled away. "Now that I've thoroughly soaked your yukata with my tears, I should go change." She stood from the futon slowly, aware of his eyes on her. Flushing lightly, she pulled the obi of her yukata tighter in a subconscious response.

"Let me know if you need any help with anything!" Still caught in his thoughts, he tossed out the words absentmindedly, watching her as she adjusted her yukata. Her loosened braid swung over her shoulder as she glanced back at him in surprise.

"With changing?"

Kenshin's brow furrowed before his eyes widened. Jaw dropping, he sputtered, "That's not what I meant!" His frantic words accompanied by his left hand waving in front of his torso, both cut short by her laughter.

"I'm kidding, Kenshin." She made to take a step before turning back towards the redhead. "Though you should be careful with your offers. Someone might take you up on them." Voice twinkling in amusement, she winked saucily to Kenshin's utmost surprise. "I'll be back!" she called as she turned for the door once more.

"Oro?" 'My offer?' Kenshin continued staring, brows furrowed at the door Kaoru exited through. Pink flooded his cheeks all at once as realization set almost immediately.

"Kamiya Kaoru, I told you that is not what I meant!"

A certain tanuki could be heard snickering as she made her way to the bathhouse.

'Just one more tug on this ribbon, then the train station.'

Kaoru stood in front of the large mirror in the room, mouth twisted as she adjusted the new ribbon that held her hair in her usual high ponytail. 'It feels good to be getting back to normal.' Glancing at her face she noticed some puffiness around her eyes. 'That's what you get for crying all night.' In the reflection, she caught the shoji sliding open.

Her eyes, narrowed before, flashed in recognition as her heart warmed at the sight of Kenshin. He said nothing, rather continued to watch her adjust her ribbon, leaning on the door frame.

"What is it?" She pulled on both ends of the ribbon sharply to ensure her hair would stay put. 'Did I just make it more uneven?' Her eyebrow ticked, and she reached for the ribbon, the redhead's hand beating her to the shorter side.

"I'm glad it's not covered in blood like the last one," She threw a grin over her shoulder, maintaining eye contact as she turned to face him and take him in completely. 'He smells like himself again. Sandalwood and laundry.' She giggled, wondering where on the premises Okina let him do their small amount of laundry.

"Ah, and here I'd thought that I'd learned so much since I'd faced off against Jineh." At her arched brow, he sighed, almost dramatically.

"Well, I'd hoped with the last few months at the dojo, I'd learned one lesson at least." Shifting his eye contact, his hand abandoned the ribbon, dragging it down her ponytail pulling it over her right shoulder as he did so. His fingers lingered as they caught the ends of midnight blue strands. He'd always had a fascination with her hair. She forced her shoulders to relax, surprised to find them tense in the first place.

"Are you sad that we're leaving?" Changing the subject. He let her.

His head tilted to the side minutely, still holding the ends of her hair in his fingertips. "Mmm. A bit. Kyoto has a bit of a different energy than I remember."

"I'll miss this Kyoto." 'Our Kyoto.' Her eyes caught part of his gi folded awkwardly and moved to fix it absentmindedly. "We made a lot of good memories here over the last two days." She hoped it would help him think happier thoughts of the city. Even if just a little.

"Ah. It's easier to be here with you, with nothing to do except focus on healing." He would say that phrase again and again if it meant he could see her face light up so beautifully once more. She seemed so bright in the darker room. 'When did we get so close?' he pondered.

"I'm glad. Plus, now I have so many funny stories to share with everyone. Stories with laughing mushrooms and a small, drunk Kenshin…"

"Mmmm, is that so." He stepped closer, and she shrieked in laughter as she moved closer to the wall behind her. He followed her as if entranced, drawn to the light that she was in his life. She reopened her eyes, finding his to be so full of warmth, focused solely on her. She didn't realize that her laughter had quieted down. Her hands clenched the front of his gi, daring not even a breath to interrupt the moment.

Wrapping his left arm gently around her waist, he rested his forehead on hers. Neither of them moved. Eyes slipped closed. A simple hug from him- that's all it was really. No one said anything. Content. A truly perfect moment.

When they talked about it later, each would argue the other moved first.

Truth was, it was Kenshin. But even with his eyes closed, he felt her energy shift just before he did. Just before she felt the press of his lips on hers.

Their first kiss was gentle. The act prompted her to crack her eyes open, partially in surprise, partially because her urge to capture the moment had kicked in just before her urge to enjoy it. Just as her eyes closed again, he pulled away. His vision tunneled, privy to her lashes batting against flushed cheeks before they opened once more. Ocean blue eyes dazed. Shyness and happiness in her eyes. He wanted more of that. Apparently, so did she. Searching his eyes a moment longer before glancing quickly down at his lips and back, the hand fisted in his gi tightened as they pulled back towards each other.

Their second kiss was firmer, more insistent, yearning for something Kaoru didn't understand how to articulate with her lips. Left hand leaving her waist, he tucked a stray hair behind her ear before settling his hand at the base of her skull, guiding Kaoru's head upward and to the right as she leaned into his palm. Yearning. 'Much better,' she thought.

They broke away again, the shihondai flustered at the intimacy of their kiss. 'Not just one, but two kisses, Kaoru. TWO.'

His eyes caught hers and her jaw dropped at the sheer intensity running through his eyes, amethyst on fire with specks of gold. For her. Finding a singular ounce of self-control, Kenshin began to step back, searching for air. A tug on his gi stopped him.

"One more.

"Hm?"

One more kiss. For good luck." she whispered against his mouth, pulling him off balance and flush against her person.

His mind shut down as his hard body pressed against her softer one and he stumbled forward, his left hand barely catching the wall behind her as the two almost fell. The pain filtering through his recovering body was overshadowed by the taste of her lips. 'Did she have to taste so sweet?' He groaned internally.

Lips still connected, his face felt warm as her hands cupping his face slid down his neck to his shoulders, locking together behind his neck. Holding him close and forcing him to take another step towards her. Closing the space between them. The new angle invigorated sparks in his lower stomach, and mouth parting, his teeth scraped her bottom lip. Asking for entry. Kaoru whimpered into the kiss, arching firmly into him completely. A surrender of sorts. His eyes shot open at the sound at the same time he ripped himself away. The room felt too hot. His body felt too hot. 'Too much, baka.'

"...Kenshin?" She locked gazes with him, eyes holding a question at his sudden break away.

Slowly, he leaned his forehead against the wall behind her, panting fiercely . "One second please," he murmured lowly. He could feel his heart racing through his ears. Her smell filled his nostrils as he searched for breath. Licking his lips, he realized he could still taste her. 'She must have had a peach with her breakfast.' The redhead would never think of that fruit the same way. He tried desperately to think of anything else.

Almost lazily, the two of them tried to catch their breath. Puffs of breath against her neck were doing strange things to her insides. 'I felt like this on the ship too, sharing the bed with Kenshin.' She recalled the way she felt hearing how his voice was in the morning- and this one too- the tone still husky with sleep. After a long moment, it became too much. She pressed her palm flat against his abdomen.

"We should-" Hesitation. Kenshin swallowed thickly, able to respond more quickly this time.

"Right." Heavy breathing. "Right. Right."

"Ready in five?" A pause. More breathing.

"Of course, Kaoru-dono."

Her mouth twisted at this.

She pressed against his stomach once again, firmer this time. "Kaoru."

"Oro?" He blinked, pulling away to look her in the eye. The Rurouni was back.

Smiling, she pinched his nose affectionately in return. "Call me, Kaoru, Kenshin. You don't get to kiss me like that and then call me, Kaoru-dono. Not when we're alone like this. Not when it's just the two of us."

For a moment, she thought he might kiss her again. He stared at her, in awe of this woman who had his stomach twisting in ways both old and familiar yet new.

"Okay. Okay." He gazed at her in adoration. "Kaoru." Each syllable rested purposefully on his tongue. Her stomach clenched. "I'll call you Kaoru." He rested his forehead on hers once more, eyes still gazing into her own.

"Oh, no you don't!" She pushed his chest away from her lightly, mindful of his injuries. "Don't do that forehead thing! That's how we got here in the first place, baka!"

He laughed, full bodied and whole. It irritated his wounds, but he couldn't help it. This little woman in his arms was an enigma.

Stepping away from the wall, he guided her to their belongings near the door. He glanced back at her as she fumbled with the locks on the doors of Megumi's medicine cabinet. At his pause, she turned to look at him, head tilted to the side adorably. He smiled in return.

"Let's go home, Kaoru."

A/N: I've been waiting to share this chapter with y'all since I started this story. I think quite a few of you all have been waiting on some KenKao fluff. It's been mentioned through reviews multiple times that you all have appreciated the peaks into Kenshin's inner thoughts and I'm glad to hear! While on one hand, I was thinking that Kensin and Kaoru's emotions and interactions with each other might feel rushed, I'm trying to account for the trauma that these two have gone through and how that can undoubtedly bring people closer together, especially since they already have feelings for each other. Hopefully, that translated well, and I didn't completely botch it up.

I hope Kenshin and Kaoru's flirtiness, which poked through, makes sense, and doesn't feel OOC. I imagine Kaoru being a big shit talker and maybe walking herself into situations she doesn't expect or different than what her likely limited knowledge about what it means to be intimate with another person. Kenshin on the other hand, has a teeeeeeny bit more knowledge and experience than Kaoru does. His simultaneously trying to become more comfortable with Kaoru, while also not overwhelming her are some of my initial thoughts in this part of their relationship, but who knows. I like hearing all of your thoughts since they help expand the vision of the characters and plot line.

This chapter personally feels like a mini arc ending. Soon we'll get to see our lovebirds back in Tokyo, where it won't just be the two of them anymore. I'm sure Kenshin will be curious to ask the rest of the Kenshin-gumi why Kaoru feels the need to be perfect to him. And Kaoru still has to resettle with the rest of her friends. There's still plenty of healing and loose ends that the manga left so plenty more to write. Of this next arc, I've got an established outline with some things I'd like to create and draw attention to. So about maybe five to seven more chapters til a possible ending. I'd be curious where you all would be interested in seeing this particular story conclude, though I've got ideas.

Thank you again to everyone who's reviewed, whether it's once or every chapter. I'm happy to hear your thoughts and helpful critiques, and I'm always grateful to hear how you're doing. Leave reviews, alerts, and follows as always! Please share with any RK lovers and stay healthy!

-BABN