Author's note: Uuuuuuuggghhhhh it took me way too long to get this out. My apologies if anyone got tired of waiting. But, well, this is the last chapter and I struggled a bit with how to bring everything together without making it seem patchwork. I think the narrative travels through this well enough. Maybe. ugh. Anyway, hope you enjoy the ending!

For King and Country

The battle had taken place close by a merchants' road, spreading across the road and its surrounding fields. Blood had flowed like rivers down the slope of the hill that rose like an ancient burial mound from the middle of the largest field. Men had died by the hundreds, their bodies strew across the ground. Kenshin and Shishio had clashed upon the hill, a battle great and terrible. But even as Kenshin's sword had nestled in between Shishio's ribs, he had felt the Necromancer's magic burn against him, within him, like an ember from a fire had landed on his chest and burned through his clothes, his skin, his flesh.

He hadn't the time or the breath to scream and, after, he hadn't the inclination.

He'd stayed bound to the hill, cursed to kill whatever luckless souls wandered onto its slopes. He had been very busy at first, as the King's men had tried to gather and bury the dead. Eventually, they had abandoned the attempt. And, after a while, the road was abandoned to the cursed battlefield and its unpurified dead. Bones and wind were his only companions for long years.

He woke occasionally, called by the conditions of the geas to slay a lost traveler or incautious merchant. He felt his heart beat, thrumming through the hill, but could not touch it. He watched time slip away like sand through his fingers.

Then came the night when he found a woman with blue eyes huddled on his hill. That day, he watched the sun rise for the first time in hundreds of years, and nothing was ever the same again.

Chapter Eighteen

The King's Army marched back to Kyoto and Crescent Moon Castle, the seat of the Kingdom as White Cloud Castle in Tokyo was cleared of the death and destruction wrought upon it by Shishio. Kaoru stayed in her father's dojo with the King's permission, needing to be close to her childhood home in the wake of losing the last member of her family. It was the first time she was really able to mourn properly her sister's death, and she found that she wanted to lose herself in the memories of her family and the time before the war.

Because the dojo was technically owned by the King, she was not alone. He also boarded a squad of the Guard there, and sent Yahiko to her for training. With the end of the war, she had more free time to devote to her student. Yahiko was clever, and talented, but he had some troubles with the philosophies of katsujin-ken. He was impatient, and sometimes his purpose faltered. But at his core, he had a good heart. Kaoru knew he would one day be a master of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu.

She just needed to pound the teachings into his thick skull. Kaoru smiled. Yahiko complained bitterly about her merciless drills, but she noticed that he completed them, and made sure to do so correctly.

In a way, teaching the basics of her style, and the philosophies, was like meditating. Describing and explaining the principles was like chanting mantra. The familiarity of it all sank a calm warmth into her bones.

Akira had also sent Soujiro and Enishi to her, for her to teach them the responsibilities of the Messengers. They were studious, and Kaoru enjoyed teaching them and was glad to see new recruits in the Messenger service, but their time under the yoke of Shishio's magic had not left them unchanged. There was a sort of other-worldliness to them, a sense of oddness that couldn't quite be described, a remnant of death that clung to them from their time lingering as unbound spirits. Hiko had assured her that they were safe, fully alive once more, and carried no taint from Shishio's powers. She trusted him, and so merely accepted the two young men as they were. Their eager attentiveness and deep gratitude to Kaoru made them good students, in any case.

The last of the dojo's tenants was Kenshin, whose presence Kaoru wasn't sure how to take. He hadn't made any sort of indication as to what his intentions were, whether he wanted to become a soldier for the King once more, or join the Messengers, or to pursue a different path. He seemed content to spend his days in solemn contemplation of the calligraphy hung in the training hall, or quietly helping Kaoru with the household chores. She was grateful for his assistance, as there was a lot to do with over a dozen people living there. The guards Akira had sent there took care of some of their own necessities, but they had their own obligations and duties and simply couldn't cook and clean all day.

Like Enishi and Soujiro, Kenshin was changed from his interactions with Shishio. It had made him cold and stern, and now after Shishio's death, Kaoru worried for him. He wasn't either of those things now; he was quiet and solemn and Kaoru wasn't sure if this was a softening of the hurt he'd carried with him all this time or if it was surrender. What if, his purpose complete, Kenshin was simply… letting himself fade. What if the reason why he hadn't said anything about what he wanted to do now was because he didn't want to do anything?

Kaoru tried to engage him as often as she could, while still respecting his privacy and allowing him time to himself; she didn't want to drive him away. Maybe half of the time she would join him as he meditated, and they would sit in silent contemplation. Sometimes, they would talk.

"What will you do now?" he asked her in one of those moments. Kaoru shrugged slightly.

"I suppose…" she started slowly, "…I'll stay here. Since I'm the last Messenger, I guess that makes me the new Captain. Kiyosato-sama sent Enishi and Soujirou to me for me to train them, and I'll need to train any other new recruits. Maybe… maybe I'll re-open my father's dojo, train them all here."

Kenshin nodded. "Train them all in the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu?"

"Yes," she replied firmly. "If a recruit is not suited to my style, then they are not suited to Messenger service. We are not soldiers, we defend we do not attack; katsujin-ken is the perfect complement to our purpose."

Kenshin nodded again, inspecting his palms. "It is well suited to you. Teaching, I mean."

Kaoru hadn't known he watched her with Enishi, Yahiko, and Soujirou. Uncertain, she said: "Thank you?"

And Kenshin nodded a third time, and fell silent.

"Do you think it is possible to atone for wrong-doings?" Kenshin asked her at another time. Kaoru had been deeply meditating, and now opened her eyes and looked at him, a little surprised by the question. Kaoru wasn't foolish enough to think the interest purely philosophical.

She looked down at her hands in her lap, thinking how to best describe what he felt, what she believed. She took a breath. "I think… what a person has done in the past is not as important as what they do with their future."

His eyes were distant when she turned back to face him again. He said nothing to this, merely nodded. Kaoru wasn't sure what else she could say, and anxiously, awkwardly, hoped what she had said was enough.

But when she woke up the next day, Kenshin was gone.

Kaoru stood framed in the doorway, staring with blank hurt into his abandoned room. The futon was folded neatly in the corner, and there was no sign of his—admittedly few—possessions. She slowly pulled the door shut, and stood with her nose nearly touching the paper for a long moment.

She wondered if she'd said the wrong thing, if she had somehow made the impression that he should—had to—leave. If she hadn't said enough. Had there even been anything should could have said to make him stay?

Should she go after him? She didn't know where he would go. Would he even want to stay, if she told him he could?

The others would be waiting for breakfast. In her distracted state, the rice turned out undercooked and the soup too salty, the tofu in it disintegrated to mush.

The state of the food was unremarked upon, however, as Kenshin's absence was noted first. Yahiko looked at the empty space where the redhead usually sat and said: "Hey, where's Kenshin?"

"Kenshin's gone," Kaoru said.

"Where did he go?" Soujirou asked politely.

"I don't know." Her lips felt numb.

Her three students hesitated, catching something from the tone of her voice. Finally Yahiko asked: "Is he… coming back?"

"I don't know," Kaoru repeated. Enishi, Yahiko, and Soujirou traded uncertain glances before wordlessly eating their food.

If Kaoru's teaching was unusually absent-minded and unfocused, her students refrained from commenting on it. Rather, they sent worried looks at each other and at the dojo's entrance, hoping for Kenshin to come striding through it. Kaoru sent her own worried glances toward the gate, wondering if she should go to see Hiko, ask him what she should do. Surely he would have some idea what his deshi would do in this situation, where he would go. If he needed her help or presence.

But Hiko had been seen in a dozen different places since the Necromancer's fall, doubtless pursuing his task of healing all the damage Shishio had wrought on the land. She wasn't sure how to find him or contact him. Gnawing her lip, Kaoru considered what she could do. There weren't many choices. She could have Akira post notices, asking for information or sightings of Kenshin. But that was almost treating the redhead like a criminal. She could go out a search for him herself. But she had duties here that she couldn't abandon. And she wouldn't even know where to start looking.

That really only left… waiting. Trusting that Kenshin hadn't left due to some feeling of helplessness or depression. Hoping that he'd come back, or at least let her know he was alright, wherever he was.

Kaoru wasn't good a waiting. After a couple of days of worry, her concern became annoyance and she was sure that if—when—Kenshin showed up, she would yell until she was blue in the face. She threw herself into her obligations, running Yahiko and Enishi and Soujirou ragged. They grew by leaps and bounds, and Kaoru herself honed her own practice of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu into a bright and sharp skill. Determined training and hard work left her too tired most days to dwell on Kenshin's continued absence.

And then, one day three weeks after the redhead's departure, another change came into her life.

Yahiko came to breakfast late, which was notable in itself. He was also unusually subdued, head down, shoulders hunched, quiet. Kaoru tried needling him into some more lively reaction, but he didn't rise to any of her bait. Finally, she gripped his shoulder and asked: "Alright, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, shoulder's hunching even more. He didn't look at her. A suspicion grew in Kaoru's gut. Gently, she cupped Yahiko's chin in her hand and lifted his face to hers.

Bright yellow eyes stared back from Yahiko's frightened face, the polished gold glint of the Apprentice's Power gleaming at her. Yahiko's entire frame tensed up, as Kaoru's heart gave a lurching thud. Almost on cue, the bell attached to the front gate rang.

Kaoru released Yahiko's chin and grabbed his shoulder again, giving it a reassuring squeeze before using the grip to steer him toward the gate along with her. She had a feeling she knew who was on the other side of the heavy wooden door, and when it swung wide, she was proven right.

Hiko loomed large in the gateway, face solemn. He took in Yahiko's bowed head and Kaoru's carefully composed expression and inclined his head. "Put some water on to boil. You'll want tea."

His large hand reached out to claim Yahiko from her, and Kaoru obediently went to start a pot of tea. The Wizard steered an unresisting Yahiko into one of the more private rooms and sat the boy down.

It was fortunate that tea didn't take long to brew, since now that Hiko was here Kaoru was filled with sharp impatience. She hurried to the room where they were, considerately, waiting for her, cups rattling on the tray she carried. Once the tea was poured, Hiko took a breath.

"Yahiko," he said, voice the rumble of distant thunder. There was power in it. Yahiko's gaze lifted to the Master's. "You have been chosen by the Power. You are the new Apprentice."

Yahiko swallowed. His eyes flicked from side to side, like he felt trapped. "But…"

His voice was a croak. He stopped, licked his lips, hesitated. Hiko prompted: "But?"

"What about Kaoru? What about my training?" Yahiko whispered. Kaoru opened her mouth, but Hiko made a small gesture and she subsided, letting him answer.

"The Kamiya Kasshin-ryu," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The sword that gives life… I believe it will serve you well. You will continue your training with Kamiya while you learn to wield your Power with me."

Something in Yahiko's face relaxed.

"But," Hiko said, voice a warning, "there are things you need to know about the Power, and what it means to hold it."

Yahiko gulped, and nodded.

"Good," Hiko grumbled. "Now listen up…"

)0(

"You'll see me every day," Kaoru told Yahiko as the boy fidgeted with his bundled possessions and pouted. "You have practice here; I'm not going to come up to Hiko's mountain every time."

"Yeah," Yahiko mumbled.

"And don't think for a second I'm going to let you slack off. You might be the Apprentice, but you're my student!" Kaoru said firmly, wagging a finger under Yahiko's nose. In a reassuring show of his usual temper, he swiped at her.

"Yeah, whatever, Ugly. Maybe I'll turn you into a toad, so your looks finally match the rest of you!"

She bopped him on the head. "Respect your sensei!"

Cradling his head in his hands theatrically—she hadn't hit him that hard—he made a face at her. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Brat."

"Ugly!"

Kaoru grabbed him and hugged him fiercely. He made a token protest, struggled weakly, then gave in and hugged back. "I'm going to miss having you around all the time, even if you do insult my cooking."

"Can you even call it cooking?" was Yahiko's rejoinder, muffled and snuffly from the tears he was trying to hide in her shoulder. Kaoru's arms tightened.

"I never saw you making breakfast," she said.

"I was probably too busy doing all the other chores you foisted off on me!"

"Tending the dojo is part of a student's training!"

Yahiko mumbled within her embrace, but didn't make an audible retort. Kaoru eased up and let him out to arms-length. Hands on his shoulders, she smiled through the tears streaking her own face. "I'm really proud of you, Yahiko."

"Enough with the weeping," Hiko said from where he waited beside the dojo's gate. "You'll see each other tomorrow."

Kaoru sent the Wizard a glare, which he completely ignored, taking a swig from his sake jug. Yahiko stepped back from under her hands. He grinned. "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow, Kaoru!"

"Don't annoy Hiko-san too much," Kaoru said. "He might really know how to turn someone into a toad."

She stood in the gateway and waved until they disappeared down the road.

)0(

The dojo was a lot more sedate with Yahiko gone most of the time, and Kaoru missed his energy and teasing insults at meals more than she thought she would. Her days were filled with the work of maintaining the dojo, cooking meals, and training the boys but she still found herself feeling listless. Her thoughts began to dwell once again on Kenshin, wondering what more she could have done for him. She wished he had stayed; he seemed drawn to the principles of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, and she thought that living here might have helped him with the guilt and everything he'd been shouldering all this time.

She wondered where he was, what he was doing. She hoped he was alright.

Kaoru heaved a sigh.

The King didn't know the answers, either. After being informed that Kenshin had gone missing, he'd ordered the patrols who had been tasked with making the kingdom's roads safe once more to keep an ear and an eye out. Every report Akira received was regretfully passed on to Kaoru at their meetings, week after week. "We have heard no news of a redheaded swordsman."

Trudging home after one such meeting, Kaoru thought sorrowfully that she might never see Kenshin again. After everything they had gone through together, he might really be gone. At least her last words to him had been, she thought, encouraging. Hopefully he at least thought that he could atone for his mistakes.

"Kaoru-san!" Tsubame greeted her when she returned to the dojo. Akira had sent the young maid down to his Messenger after learning that two of Kaoru's biggest helpers—Yahiko and Kenshin—had left. She did help alleviate some of the burden of cleaning and cooking, and she was sweet-natured and soothing to be around. Kaoru was grateful for her presence. But Tsubame's smile was a little wider and brighter than usual today. Kaoru blinked at her. "You have a visitor, Kaoru-san! He's in the training hall waiting for you."

Kaoru's heart gave a little shudder inside her, hope rising even before her mind caught up. She ran to the engawa, kicked off her sandals, and skidded across the polished wood floors toward the training hall.

She paused outside the door, trying to master herself, trying not to hope too hard just in case she was wrong, just in case she was hoping for too much.

She slid the door open and saw red hair draped down the back of the figure kneeling in front of the kamidana. Frozen for a moment, she took a breath, held it, and stepped forward.

Kneeling beside him, the first thing she noticed was the relaxed set of his face. She knew without looking that his eyes would be a beautiful violet. She let out her breath in a soft sigh.

Kenshin turned first his head, then the rest of his body around to face her fully. "Kaoru-dono."

He lifted the sword that had been set beside him, and held it out to her. Curious, Kaoru took it, quickly realizing that this was not the blade he had carried with him during their battle against Shishio. She weighed it in her palms, curled a hand around the hilt, and pulled a handspan of steel.

She caught her breath again, and drew it a little further to be sure.

The cutting edge was on the wrong side.

Kaoru stared at the gleaming blade, heart beating hard. There was a message in this sword.

She reverently slid the sword back into its sheath and smiled at Kenshin.

"Welcome home," she whispered.

"I'm home, that I am," he said, and smiled back.