Kaoru sat on the steps lost in thought. The wind whistled quietly rustling the leaves in the yard and pulling strands of her hair into a languid dance. It was a relatively warm autumn evening as the sun was still making its progress into slumber.

The day had been uneventful, thankfully. She was too tired today to deal with anything exciting. It was wonderful to just sit down and not worry for a moment. To just sit and dream and let go… how did it feel to be like one of the leaves? To allow yourself to be swept up and out of your everyday responsibilities and to just dance with the wind, to follow your desires? Kaoru closed her eyes. She could never just let go. She wasn't raised that way, but she could wish for the experience.

Slowly the shadows stretched reaching across the yard. Time passed carelessly exchanging the sun for a creeping chill that tugged on Kaoru. She refused to let it bother her. She didn't want to have to summon the energy to go to the bath house. It was such a rare quiet with Yahiko and Sanosuke out to town. Kenshin was somewhere in the dojo probably cleaning something that didn't need any further attention. That man was awfully frustrating.

It didn't make sense how he could dedicate so much time and attention to all the details of the dojo and leave her so wanting. It's not that he didn't take care of her. He provided everything she should need, but she wished that he'd provide a bit more attention to her than the afternoon laundry. Admittedly he washed the laundry like no else, but this was irrelevant. Every girl dreamed of that special someone and he was everything she wanted. The question was how could she ever make him consider her as something more?

Was it his past that kept him away? The age difference? Kaoru could understand that he needed to atone for his role in the Bakumatsu, although with how Kenshin was leading his life she couldn't imagine that he needed anymore brownie points. The man was a role model for any and all. Was there any way to break through past his Sesha front, or was his past too strong an obstacle? It was hard to imagine anything being too strong for Kenshin, but he did keep a tight grip on his other side…on Battousai. It didn't make sense that Kenshin almost treated him as another person. They were one and the same. No man could live without passions and that is exactly who Battousai was in Kenshin: the hidden passion.

What would it have been like to meet Kenshin before he locked himself away? Could she have captured his heart then, when it was unguarded? Kaoru knew she was no Tomoe and she was a complicated aspect that Kaoru didn't want to think about. The point was that Kaoru wished she could have had the chance to unlock Kenshin. Perhaps even just meet him and lay the seed for her future self to cultivate! Oh but that would have been a wonderful fairy godmother trick to play. Too bad some dreams were just too wild to become an opportunity…but it would have been so special.

Kaoru wished for the opportunity to meet with a young Kenshin, one her age. One without all those brick walls mortared and guarded every day. To help Kenshin embrace all his aspects, because she wanted him all not just the polite mask.

With a sigh Kaoru opened her eyes. The dojo was gone. The evening sky had a cast of red from the last kisses of the sun. The skyline was Kyoto.

Sometimes a wish was a dangerous thing.

A/N: Well what do you think? Should I continue?

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine.