Guess what? This is THE LAST CHAPTER. I'm serious, this time. Really. *sniffles* I'll miss you all...until I update again on Friday, with chapter one of the sequel. If all goes well, that is.

Sano: Uh, Author-chan?

Yes, Sano-kun?

Sano: I think I see a problem with this script you gave me...

What kind of problem? With what?

Sano: The title-A Stork For Sanosuke. Are you implying something?

Koonotori: Possibly. Muahahaaaaa.

*

EPILOGUE-TYPE-THINGIE...THREE MONTHS LATER

*

Summer bloomed like an exotic flower-warmth drenched Tokyo, and life was finally able to get back into its natural swing.

Hiko-sama went back to his mountain abode, muttering promises of visits. Saitou went..well, Saitou just kinda went away, and nobody really minded that the Wolf had slunk back to his own wife and two sons. Kaoru was loathe to leave her still-healing husband and newborn son, but, after the first two months, went back to her normal regiment of teaching. Sano hung about the dojo like the friendly stray that he was, helping Kenshin in any way possible, though there was little he could do for the independent little redhead, in all actuality.

Yes, things glided into more of a 'normal' track for the most part. Kenshin was up and walking far sooner than he should have been (Megumi had sighed and allowed it; he was truly a damned stubborn man, and to protest would have been for naught), and it was not at all unusual to be greeted at the dojo gate by the smiling Rurouni, hanging up laundry, his infant son gurgling idly from the sling across his back.

That was how Kaoru *usually* found him.

But not today. Today he wasn't there...the dark-haired woman felt a sharp pang of worry-her husband was still so aching in his movements (having one's belly fully sliced open does tend to do that), and what if he had fallen somewhere in the dojo, hurting, and unable to get up by his own?

Dread pounding at her temples, Kaoru quickly did a search of Kenshin's usual haunts: the dojo itself, the kitchen, the yard...no, no, and no again! Oh god, oh god, where *were they*?

"Kenshin? Kenshin, where are you?"

Worry making her reckless, Kaoru tore open the shoji that led to her and her husband's room-and stilled immeadiately, lest she wake the two little redheads asleep on the futon.

Kaoru couldn't help but smile; they were simply too precious. Kenshin was sleeping soundly, a new thing for him, so incredibly deeply that even his ever-attentive self had not heard his wife's approach. Kenji lay curled on his father's abdomen, held in place by two very gentle hands, his chubby baby-face resting on otousan's bandaged belly.

More likely than not, this was how little Kenji had slept while in the womb...and seeing the two so cute and unguarded just emphasized the cherished nature of the scene.

Tiptoeing, Kaoru snuck up on the two, snuggling up to her husband and baby on the futon. Kenshin awoke lightly, violet eyes content and amused, and snaked a free arm around her waist, drawing her close to the warmth.

This fragile, warm, breakable thing that was a family gave a collective sigh of satisfaction before falling back into the comforting hands of slumber.

For once in his life, Himura Kenshin felt utterly full and complete.

*

"Now then, class," Koonotori said as this tender scene drew to a close. She stopped the film projector and turned to face her 'class'. Two pairs of bright eyes trained eagerly on their teacher, keen to hear more. "This is an example of a *happy*, *functional* relationship."

The class-in reality, Koonotori's two nieces, Egret and Crane-nodded emphatically.

"What," the fey continued. "Are some of the things that constitute for a happy relationship?"

"Mutual trust," Crane said slowly. Her sister quickly raised her hand.

"Oh! Love!"

"Sensitivity!"

"And self-control!"

Koonotori smiled, saying yes, yes, yes to all that.

"You forgot 'good sex', but that is beyond the point. The point being that many factors go into the creation of a good, stable relationship. And what happens when these factors are not found...?"

"A bad relationship!" the fairy girls chimed cheerfully.

"Brilliant!" Koonotori cheered, quickly drawing several stick figures on the chalkboard. The first two-both having ponytails-she labeled Mr. & Mrs. Himura, and circled the two with a big heart. The second two-one with fox ears and the other with ridiculously spiky hair-she labeled Ms. Takani and Mr. Sagara, and drew a massive X through the two of them.

"You've already seen how Mr. and Mrs. Himura were able to happily care for their baby, due to their stable relationship. Mr. Sagara and Ms. Takani, on the other hand, hardly have a good relationship in the works. But-but what's the Stork saying, girls?"

"'Babies bring people together!'" Crane shouted, her wings fluttering.

"Or is it 'people together bring babies'?" said Egret dubiously. Koonotori shrugged, smirking.

"Either way, class is dismissed-oh, now stop whining! I've got to go to work!"

"Oh, oh, oh, can we come?" Crane asked excitedly, jumping up in down so that various anatomy bounced. Her sister followed suite, and poor Koonotori was faced by two terribly wound up nieces, their wings fluttering and their begging drowning out any sort of train of thought the Stork might have been able to carry. So she sighed in defeat, holding up her hands in defense.

"All right, all right," she said in a grumpy tone, although she was clearly smiling. "You two can come and watch a master at work."

This being said, a certain Rooster's scream at finding three pixies perched by him, giving a joint cry of "Hallooooo, Mr. Sagara!" was loud enough to wake the Himuras at their dojo.

Kenshin just stifled a smile, kissed his wife, and went back to sleep.

OWARI

*AND NOW, A SNIPPET FROM A STORK FOR SANOSUKE*

Sano took a deep, calming breath.

It did absolutely nothing, so he opted to take another. There. Better.

I can do this, Sano thought, forceful in his own stubborn mindset. I *must* do this! Sano quietly snuck through the darkened room, wincing at every squeak, groan, and crack the wood cried at his shifting weight-good God, how *could* Megumi sleep through all that racket?

It took a little less than four minutes to locate the book, sitting innocuously among the bandages, but for the poor gangster's stressed mind, it was no less than a small eternity. His wild imagination made every sigh of the room to be Megumi coming in, shocked that he was, literally, breaking-and-entering, and stealing on top of that.

Well, not really *stealing*. He was just *borrowing*.

Sano tucked this troublesome book under one arm, intent on sneaking away, when a very familiar shadow passed over him.

A candle was lit, illuminating the surprised face of one Himura Kenshin.

"Sano?" Kenshin whispered, holding up the candle so as to shed light on his guilty friend. His eye caught the book, and its title. "Sano, what are you doing stealing a book on human reproduction, de gozaru yo?"

*THE EXCITING CONCLUSION IN: A STORK FOR SANOSUKE!*

COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER SCREEN NEAR YOU!

*

A/N: Who would believe me if I said this is the first fanfic I've ever finished? Pretty dismal, huh? It's just that I get so *attached* to the fics after a while, and I don't want to see them end. So I'm justifying it all by writing a sequel and allowing the madness to blindly continue. Kami preserve us all.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! YOU MADE THIS SUCH AN AMUSING, ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME-THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

AND I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL THE LITTLE PEOPLE I STEPPED ON TO GET HERE...OR NOT. ANYWAYS, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

~Imbri