Before I start, I would just like to say that I've been dying to write a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic. I've known this show ever since I was a little kid, and it recently appeared back into my life after the event of the live-action movie and the premiere of Kyoto-Taika Hen . I'm not new to this series, but I'm currently trying to re-watch the entire thing to regain my former knowledge, so I'll apologize in advance if some of the canon evidence is wrong.

Don't fret though, I'm doing the best I can to correct my any errors.

By the way, I don't use honorifics in my stories, but I'll make an exception, just this once, because this is Rurouni Kenshin, and honorifics are everything in this series. However, I don't mix my English with Japanese, like using "arigatō" or "konichiwa" in mid-sentence. I use direct translations. For example: when Kenshin says a sentence with "de gozaru", I don't use "de gozaru", I use the English translation: "that it is" or "that I am". I also make him use the words "this one" to refer to himself and not "sessha". I do, though, make an effort to use accents like ū, ō, and ī in my stories. Laziness is bad.

This prologue is short. Really short, no joke. But it's just a prologue, relax. This story isn't finished yet (how is it when it just started?). However, the other chapters will be long, so just hold on to your hats or horses or whatever. I'm pretty sure the next chapter will definitely be longer. Also, expect a late update, since I have tons of stories I'm working on. But don't worry! I like this story, and I'm pretty sure I'll finish this one.

Whelp, on with it!

Disclaimer: All rights of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki. I own nothing.


The moderate night rain drizzled over the city, obscuring stars and the moon from view and chilling the night air ice-cold. Kenshin sat on the veranda of his room, the dim light from it illuminating the small garden outside, the light outlining leaves and pebbles. He breathed a sigh of relief he never knew he held and retied his scruffy red hair in a loose ponytail, then closed his eyes and started to meditate to the sound of the precipitation landing on the roof and on the soil. It wasn't long before he was interrupted by a knock at his door with a familiar voice calling his name.

"Kenshin?"

He spun around to see Kaoru letting herself in, closing the shōji door behind her. She walked towards him quietly and sat down at his side, looking at her wanderer with a concerned expression on her face.

"Kenshin, it's late," she said softly. "You should sleep."

He shook his head. "It's no good. This one tried and couldn't."

"Kenshin, please," Kaoru urged. "You haven't been sleeping for weeks. I know that a lot was going on back then, but—"

"It's not about that, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin cut off. "It's just that there have been,"—a brief moment of hesitation—"second thoughts and unanswered questions. Mysteries that this one alone has to solve. It's been plaguing my mind and waking me up every night, and it seems like those thoughts aren't going to leave anytime soon."

"Kenshin, what do you mean?" She gasped as tears sprung in her eyes. "Are you running away?!"

The rurouni said nothing.

"Kenshin!"

"Kaoru-dono, this one cannot promise anything," Kenshin retorted, looking at her with his eyes narrowed. He sighed, bowed his head and stared at the rain. "Please try to understand. This one wants to stay, you know that; you know that better than anyone. But you must know that day will come, the day this one will wander again, and when it comes, be prepared. Promise you will not grieve. This one doesn't want to see Kaoru-dono sad."

Kaoru started to sniffle and she burst into tears. Kenshin tried his best to comfort her by holding her face and wiping his tears with his hand, and at this, she stopped. She looked into his hypnotic violet eyes that lay inches away from hers and used her fingers to trace his jaw. Kaoru knew that life was cruel and could take away whatever it wanted at anytime it wanted. She feared for the day her beloved wanderer would vanish from her life. She knew that day would come soon, and every night she prayed and hoped to herself that he wouldn't leave the next day or that his room wouldn't be empty when she came to wake him up for breakfast. She loved him, she knew, but she was always too afraid to admit it.

She needed him to stay.

"Kenshin…" she murmured, her voice cracking with sorrow. "Don't leave me, please don't leave me."

Kenshin smiled softly and pressed his forehead to hers. "This one cannot promise such a thing, for he fears he might break it, and, in doing so, break Kaoru-dono's heart. However, this one will promise that he will always remember Kaoru-dono, for the rest of his life and until what will come after."

Kaoru gave a small smile. "Kenshin…"

Kenshin tilted his head to the side and landed his lips on hers ever softy. Kaoru's eyes widened and her face flushed pure red, but she gave in, using her hands to hold his face close. With swift movement, Kenshin untied the blue ribbon holding her hair and let the black waves cascade down her shoulder. After they broke apart, she rested her head against his chest while he used his slender fingers to comb her hair, pressing his lips against long raven-black locks.

The sound of the rain seemed to fade away.