Disclaimer: Own Rurouni Kenshin? Naaaah...
Theme 030: Hello
The sun had nearly fully set when Kenshin stepped out of the taxi cab, taking a look around his home town for the first time in five years. Not much had changed, at least on the surface. It was still the same small town he had grown up in.
Kenshin smiled lightly at the memories – the good and the bad. It seemed like such a long time ago that he had constantly fought with Hiko, or had occasionally picked the spring flowers with Kaoru...
Kaoru.
Kenshin swallowed thickly, clutching his suitcase tightly in his hand. It was now or never, and Kenshin had never really been a fan at the thought of never.
Kenshin quickly got back into the taxi, telling the driver in as casual a voice as he could muster, "1086 Sakura Lane, please."
The cab driver gave a sage nod as the car sped off to its next destination.
Kenshin sighed, watching as the buildings and trees passed quickly through the window of the cab. It had been so long... would she even remember him?
Kenshin jerked himself out of that mindset. Of course she would. They had been best friends. He still considered her his best friend. She couldn't have forgotten him, it was impossible.
"Sir?" Kenshin blinked, turning his head towards the driver, "Sir, we're here."
Kenshin nodded at him, opening the door of the cab and stepping out, handing the man his pay, "Thanks for the ride." The driver gave his sage nod again before speeding off around the corner.
And now all that was left was Kaoru. Kenshin took in the old house that had been so familiar to him during his youth. Would she even still live there?
"Well," Kenshin muttered to himself, "there's only one way to find out." He left his suitcase on the sidewalk, approaching the front door slowly, tentatively. It was as if he was afraid the door might bite if he approached it too fast.
It seemed like it took forever, to gather up the courage to knock, but it happened. They were soft, hesitant, and he almost believed they hadn't been loud enough to hear. He was reaching to try again when the front door swung open, the voice he had missed the most in the five years reaching his ears.
"Look, Soujiro, if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times, I'm not—"
She cut herself off, her eyes widening in shock and her face going pale. She looked almost the same – older, more mature, but still the same fun-loving, tomboy-ish, beautiful Kaoru Kamiya he had once known.
His heart soared, coming truly alive in his chest for the first time since he had left. Kenshin smiled softly at her, tucking a loose strand of his red hair behind his ear self-consciously as he spoke, "Hel-"
He didn't get a chance to finish as Kaoru threw herself at him, kissing him almost desperately and causing them both fall sideways onto the ground with a thud.
Kaoru pulled away almost as quickly as she had sprung on him, and Kenshin blinked a few times in disorientation, "-lo."
Kaoru's radiant face slowly dissolved into a look of terror as a blush creeped over her face, "I'm sorry, I – you're back and – I didn't think about... oh God." She pressed her face into her chest, trying and failing to hide the heat on her face.
"Kaoru?"
She raised her head slightly at her name as he propped himself up to a sitting position, not even wanting to ask her to get off him. She gulped, managing to squeak out a soft, "Yes?"
Kenshin grinned at her, tilting her head up towards him with one hand as he clutched one of her own hands in the other.
"Hello."
Then he kissed her again.
Besides the fact that I already planned on this, over half of my reviewers from the last chapter asked me to put a part two to the last one – so here it is:D
Still working on that long one. xx It'll be out eventually, I promise!
Reviews, whether general comments or constructive criticism, are very much appreciated!
Also, I'm gonna promote chickentyrant5's spin-off of the first one-shot I did (Dare You To Move) because it's just that awesome. It's called Wish I Had Moved, go read it. You won't be disappointed.
Ja ne!
-WS