A/N: Not quite the largest turnout, but hey, I'm happy. This will be the end of my best tale it seems, but it allows me to move onto others. Well, enjoy the final scenes.

Epilogue

Six months later...

"Finally! You're home," Koaru lulled her head around to look at Kenshin coming in her front door. She was full of sweat from her last practice with the boys who were waiting around very anxiously along with familiar faces like those of Sanosuke and Aoshi, who were both acquitted of their crimes after new trial. There was also Sojiro standing around to film the wild scene, and Kamatari dressed flamboyantly as usual.

"Gomen, gomen...I had to finish up things for Tae."

"Yeah yeah. Get dressed and get in stance."

"Right!" he saluted her as he rushed over to the dojo to get in a uniform. For the past week she had been diligently painting a scene that she was taking the absolute care in. It was a war scene from the Genji period, in the midst of the Bakumatsu. Kenshin came out in his "bloodstained" kimono and had out the dulled swords ready for his stance. His main opponent was Aoshi, and the rest were in subsequent fights throughout the rest of the scene. Kaoru even made place for the two absent: Seijuuro Hiko and Komagata Yumi.

The look of her character brought a pain in Kaoru's chest. The days that she attended Kenshin's trial were the nights that she spent next to Yumi praying that the woman would make it out of the coma. But she fell too far and was unable to be saved. Kaoru brought her hand up to her cheek a moment as she finished a few more of Yumi's features and then moved onto Kenshin.

"Kenshin! That's not right!" she screeched. "Remember, you and Aoshi are about to hit each other. You look like you're backing away in fear!"

"This is the right stance Kaoru-dono!"

"No it's not!" she yelled. Kenshin fell out of stance and tried again. "IIE!"

"Oro..."Kenshin's head spun. "You're worse than father, that you are."

Kaoru chuckled and waved it off. Kenshin was close enough. She took in a deep breath and started painting gently. She moved over to Hiko's figure that she had like a spy on the dojo roof. He was drinking his sake' and acting like there was nothing wrong with the situation.

Sejiuuro Hiko. He was long gone she surmised. Well, she knew really due to recent e-mails. He was in the US, a place he'd fled for his own solitude. After what he said at the trial, he didn't feel safe. And as he said, he no longer wanted to be involved. She didn't blame him one bit.

"Kamatari! Raise your scythe up!"

"It's getting heavy darling! And I have to go soon!"

"I know, just let me get in a few more things."

Your Dreams Inc., went out of business, and the men were either sent back to jail, or somehow found acquitted if they were already intimate with women. The best thing that came out of the situation was the chips that could control the men's behavior, and not only that, let the government keep an eye on its inmates. Kaoru smiled. Kenshin hadn't made a move yet like Aoshi or Sanosuke had, but she knew Kenshin was just biding his time.

"ACHOO!" Sanosuke fell over.

"Sano!"

"Yeah yeah. I'm getting in position. Quit gripin'..."

"Kaoru-san, must this go on much longer?" Aoshi asked. He was the best at staying in position and she had no need to tell him a word, but it seemed he was getting tired in the heat.

"When Kamatari leaves we can quit. But because of Kenshinwe'll have to be here tomorrow too." There was a moan among the group. Sanosuke started to harp at the red head who merely fell over. Somehow he got all the blame, and he was nearly the only one with a job.

"Kenshin!"

"ORO!"

Later on that day everyone packed up and left leaving Kenshin and Kaoru on their own. They didn't dwell much on the previous events, not that Kenshin didn't have his moments were he demanded silence and Kaoru was more than happy to give it to him. She also allowed him to have her shoulder to cry on, much like after the trial where he couldn't decide if he wanted to be joyous or afraid of the new world that somehow excepted him.

Kaoru rushed to her computer at the sound of something calling to her. Kenshin followed loosely behind, as did Sojiro. Kaoru fixed her webcam and microphone. Someone was waving to her on the screen. "Is anyone there?"she heard a voice call. She smiled.

"We're all here Seijuuro-san."

"Ah, took you long enough."

Kenshin ducked down in the view of Hiko. "And how is my baka deshi?"

"Fine dad."

"Sojiro, good to see you ago."

"Same here Hiko-san."

"How's the filming going kid?"

"Very nicely Hiko-san, I've found someone to work with."

"You'll do a good job. Tell me when a movie comes out or something will ya?"

"I'll try," Sojiro backed away from the scene leaving it just Kenshin and Kaoru to Hiko.

"How are things in L.A. Dad?"

"It's the vacation I've earned. And I've started up my own business. I'm a P.I. now."

Kenshin laughed. He looked around the little screen to see the person moving in the background. Kenshin pretended not to note the large bust and the blond hair rolling down her back, but it seemed very inevitable. "How's that going?"

"Very well. And in this town I'm making a killing. These people can afford anything."

"Careful Dad, you'll get mixed up into some crazy things there," Kenshin said.

"You're telling me to be careful?" Hiko chuckled. He started to key in something on the computer. "Watch your back."

"Shishio's on death row now," Kaoru reminded, "there's no need to worry. Cho's not a problem, Kamatari well you know about him."

"Yeah yeah. Hey, I want you guys to meet someone," he looked at Kenshin real incredulously as to say 'not a word out of you'. Kenshin tried not to shudder at the look that his father was giving him. No matter how many times he received it, there was no getting over the creepy feeling that he had to endure.

A woman sat in Hiko's lap and she smiled in the camera. She was typical of the area. Busty, blond, long legged. She had a tan that anyone could tell was fake. Hiko was murmuring to her in English and she giggled. "Hi...I'm Linda," she said in very poor Japanese as Hiko had instructed her to speak. After that, she floated away as though nothing had occurred. Kenshin could merely shake his head, and he still go tthe awkward stare from Hiko.

"She's my new assistant. She's a good girl."

"In bed I bet..." Kenshin whispered. He knew his father's antics. Sojiro came up to the camera quickly.

"You replaced me with her Hiko-san!" he yelled. "How could you!"

"You're halfways across the world Sojiro, what did you want me to do? Send you a ticket?"

"Hai!"

Hiko put his cheek in his hand. "I'll think about it."

"Hiko-san!"

Hiko chuckled. Kaoru pushed Sojiro out of the way. She hit Kenshin in inspiration and asked him to go get the painting. Hiko raised a brow at this.

"Is it almost finished?"

"Yeah. I have you in it too, and I wanted to show you."

"Oh this'll be interesting."

They waited quietly as Kenshin worked his hardest not to hit the corners of the painting on the home. He temporarily stopped to look at the painting of Kaoru's friends on the wall, and continued on. Kaoru pried it from his hands and showed Hiko where he was perched in the corner.

"You're being modest, but it looks nice."

"That's what you look like Seijuuro-san," Kaoru growled. "And I think I'll be selling this painting soon."

"Really?" Kenshin inquired.

"Yeah, my paintings have been picking up and mostly in the US, right Hiko-san?" Kaoru asked with a wicked eye.

"I know some good people over here; your art is in good hands."

"The money is in my hands," Kaoru laughed.

"Don't get greedy now Kaoru-dono."

"Kenshin...stop calling me that. You stopped a while ago then you started again," Kenshin shrugged. "That's your answer to everything isn't it?"

"Oro?"

They all shared a laugh, and Hiko bid them farewell promising Kaoru that he'd find decent buyers. Left alone, Kaoru set the painting down and looked at her sketches on the wall. Ones she'd made of Kenshin in the hospital. She smiled at his weakness because he looked so childish and in need of protection.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked when hearing Sojiro leave.

"Yeah?"

"Tonight. Do you wanna try to go to that club again?"

"Sure," the corners of her mouth twitched. "You'll be okay?"

"I don't have the chip."

"I know."

Kaoru made Kenshin leave the room as she worked, and her work meant going through Hiko's documentation of the events that occurred that day at the embassy, as well as their encounters afterwards. She looked at them long and hard. It was like the hard evidence that showed the past. She bit her lip and came into the living room. She held the things tightly in her hands. All the compiled evidence that Hiko had. All the things that tied to the horrible times in Kenshin's life, and the memories of her lost father. All of it was there. She sat it in the next to her fireplace and lit a fire and one by one threw in papers and pictures. She looked at the tapes and the recorder carefully and she started to pull all of the tape out of the cassettes. She threw the tape into the fire as well and put the empty shells into the bag. The fire crackled a little.

"Kaoru?"

"Hm?"

"Its all gone now isn't it?"

"Yep."

Kenshin knelt down next to Kaoru and leaned on her. His hands were around her waist. "Kaoru?"

"Hm?"

They looked each other in the eye and gently pecked a kiss. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know."

"You never know."

Kenshin sank down onto Kaoru's lap to watch the fire eat at the paper that was nearly gone now. The tapes were taking their time.

"When will you say it?"

"Say what?"

"Never mind. It'll come to you," Kaoru got up.

"Oro?"

"Let's go dancing 'kay? Dinner too?"

"Sounds great."

As Kaoru disappeared into her room, Kenshin sat on the couch a moment and folded his hands together. The fire still burned heavily. His hand touched the scar on his cheek, then went down to the bullet holes in his hip. He lulled his head to the side a minute, closed his eyes, then smiled.

"Kaoru?"

"Yes."

"Can I come in?"

"I'm not dressed yet."

"You don't need to be," he said. "I want to ask you something."

A/N: heehee...i hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I did. I had fun, and this has been one of my best to date. I really hope that you will continue to read my stories, because there is more where this came from, I promise you.

What do you think that he was asking her? Its not that hard.

KenSan out!