May 14th - Eleventh Year of the Meiji (Patreon)

I haven’t don’t much fanart for Rurouni Kenshin but I absolutely love this story. For those who’ve watched/read it, you might remember this date... as it’s when Kenshin decides to become a rurouni again so he can help defeat Shishio, thus starting the Kyoto Arc (my favorite).

It’s just filled with dread and angst as Kenshin feels it’s his obligation to leave so he can get some type of redemption and avoid getting Kaoru and the rest in more trouble. But it is also filled with gratitude for Kaoru, because it’s because of her that he regained some sense of self and stopped wandering around aimlessly. Ahhhh this scene breaks my heart!! He waits (in the manga) to be alone with Kaoru to thank her and say goodbye giving her a hug and leaving her completely devastated. I loved how they did it in both the manga and the anime 🥺

Manga chapter 57 and anime episode 31