Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or it's characters and I probably never will (sighs)

A/N: This is my first "published" fan fiction so don't be too harsh please! There is mild OOC but that will be explained at the end, so please give me a chance and enjoy: Runaway Stars!

Prologue:

"A toast, to the future queen of Azuna!" the king bellowed across the table of nobility.

The men in their best garbs, still excited from the latest dragon hunt, finally hushed down while the women ceased their gossiping. They all turned towards the princess who was sitting to the left of her father. "To the future queen of Azuna!" they cried back.

By that time the princess was as red as a pomegranate seed. She hated it when toasts like this were dedicated to her. Not that she was shy, because she was far the opposite. She was loud, bold, and loved to share her opinion on the current politics. She hated toasts such as this because people would expect her to follow through on the task that the toast held. She above all other means did not want to marry some arrogant pig headed jerk that only saw her as an item. She was given to the prince since birth to insure peace between the prince's country and her own, the fair Icico.

All the princes that she had ever known had just been lazy stuck-up little rich boys who could only talk about the latest baby dragon that they had killed or how much land they owned. None of them ever talked about anything worth while. For example: the good things they were doing for the country or how they were helping the poor get fed every night. She would not accept it. She would not become an egotistical prince's little bride! 'I will not!' her mind screamed 'or my name isn't Kaoru Kamiya!' She was so ticked off that the glass that she was clutching shattered under the pressure.

"Dearest, what's wrong?" Kaoru's mother questioned with a look of concern. Her mother had Kaoru's hair which was an ebony as dark as the cloak of night. However unlike Kaoru, her eyes were a tender emerald. Kaoru had gotten her eyes from her father. From a young age everyone knew that she wasn't going to be a quiet queen. Her eyes were a sapphire color that always had a hurricane of emotions in them.

At the moment the princess was the center of attention as blood trickled down her pale palm. She started to sob, got up, and leaped into her mother's arms.

The king stood up in the room that was barren of sound except for his daughter's weeping. He was a gentle king who had never engaged any country in a war. In fact he studied in a long line of swordsmanship, the Kamiya Kasshin Style. It believed that you only used a sword to protect and not take the life of another human. That was the reason that he wanted his daughter to marry the prince of Azuna, to insure peace between the lands.

He knelt before his daughter and whispered in her ear, "What are you crying about my little princess?"

"I – I don't want to g-get married," she sniffled into her mother's sleeve.

"I'm sorry, but you have to, dear."

"B-but…"

"I have an idea," the queen quietly interjected. "The girl is only fourteen, so maybe we can put the marriage on hold for a few years."

The king sighed, but nodded his head. "I guess that makes sense. Is that okay with you my little princess?"

"I-I guess."

Relieved but still upset at the whole concept of marriage, Kaoru stood up but didn't bother to smooth out her dress. The rest of the meal went by in peace. Meanwhile there were two people who were having a conversation on the same topic at the royal palace in the land of Azuna…


"What do you mean I have to get married to some bratty little princess I don't even know!" a youth of seventeen with long red hair and flaming amber eyes barked at his father, who was not the least bit impressed with the young prince's attitude.

"You should be grateful that you're even part of the royal family, Shinta! Your mother felt sorry for you and picked you up off the streets! How dare you act like this! Foolish boy! You are going to be king of Azuna and hopefully Icico too! I even changed your name from a girly one like Shinta to a more respectable one like Kenshin!"

"I never asked you to change my name or take me from the streets! It's not my fault that my birth mother abandoned me as a child!"

"I even teach you the secret techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu and this how you repay me!"

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up and tell me why you don't want to marry the princess?"

"I can't shut up and tell you something at the same time," Kenshin mocked.

"That's enough! Just tell me why!"

"Fine," the prince replied in a defiant voice, "All of the princesses that I've ever met have all been vain and conceited! They'll never do anything of use to the country, because all they do is sit on the throne and think about themselves. I bet there isn't one girl in the whole world that has royal blood and cares the least about the people in the land or how the underprivileged are getting abused every night!"

"What makes you think that this onewon't hold up to your standards?"

"I just know."

"Now who's acting all high and mighty?"

"Well let's just say that I've never met anyone of nobility to have a heart!"

"Boy, are you still hung over by that Tomoe woman?"

Kenshin was soundless and turned his face away from his adoptive father. He lowered his head and whispered in a cracking voice "I thought she was different."

The two then sat in silence for the duration of the meal.


Over the years Kaoru grew both emotionally and physically. Her mother had died of an incurable disease when she was fifteen. Her father had taught her the many secrets of the Kamiya Kasshin Style since she was small, for after the queen died she was the only thing that he had left. He knew that when the two kingdoms were to be joined his daughter would be taken care of; he had always been protective of his little girl. But alas he himself was growing weak; he knew that within a few years he himself would be dead. The illness which his wife was taken with had somehow contracted in him. It seemed that there was some kind of curse on the family because of it. He gave Kaoru secret training. For he knew the court would think it disgraceful to find out that their king was teaching his daughter the art of war, which only the boys and men in the kingdom were supposed to know.

Every night closer to the wedding Kaoru would start to hate the marriage even more. She would stand by the windows watching the fireflies twinkle in the late-summer breeze. One night the princess felt her eyes water up with tears as she thought about someone having complete control over her for rest of her life. She had always had an adventurous spirit since she was born. The idea of calming down and being a wife to some guy she had never met would be a nightmare. In one year she would "belong" to him.

Tae, her dedicated servant, came in the room only to see the girl crouched over, sobbing on the cherry satin pillows on the window seat.

Tae had an accent that came from only the southern end of the kingdom. It always seemed to cheer everyone up on any bad day so she decided to see if her charm worked on a certain young princess.

"Sweetie, whatever is the matter?" the maid sweetly whispered into Kaoru's ear.

"Oh Tae, I-I just…. I know this is really pathetic, but I don't know if I'm ready to settle down and get married. I mean, I haven't even been off the palace grounds and I don't want the big trip of my life being spent travelingto Azuna tojoin the two countries."

"Honey-lamb, I know what you mean, but you have to accept this change whether you like it or not. You can't run away from this."

Suddenly Kaoru's eyes perked up. She sat up, wiped away her tears, and had a huge smile on her face. However it wasn't the smile of someone who was relieved of something in their future; it was the smile of someone planning something.

Tae noticed the mischievous smile but naturally thought that Kaoru was too smart to do anything too dumb. Little did she know that the words that she had the told the princess would change the course of Kaoru's life and the whole future of the country.


On that same night the prince whom they were talking about was also gazing up at the dark night sky. He was also thinking on the same matter. But he himself despised showing his emotions. If only there were another heir to the throne; then he would be free.

He sighed, knowing that it was impossible. He brushed his shaggy fire-colored bangs out of his face and glared into space. In the past two years he hadn't come any closer to accepting the matter.

He glanced up to the heavens and saw a star flashing past him. A 'Runaway Star' is what the queen, his adoptive mother, called it. She would cuddle him in her arms when he was little, and would tell him stories of heroes going on quests to find adventure. They would fight dragons, engage in legendary sword fights, save the people of the land, and of course meet a maiden in which the hero would fall in love with. But now his mother was dead and dreams of escaping this life, were only a faint delusion.

He shivered, not from the cold chill that came through the breeze, but of the memory of his mother's funeral. Her once colorful smiling face was pale and had a blank expression in the casket. She had died of a disease that was incurable and known to come at any time.

His thoughts wandered back to the star. Then again, maybe he could run away from it all.

Just blow it all off, without ever coming back. He scoffed at his own thoughts and knew that it would be nearly impossible toget away from this life.

But then again nearly impossible, wasn't impossible…

The prince then walked back in the castle with a smirk on his face.

A/N: Okay so that's it for the prologue and I hoped you enjoyed it! If you feel the need to review, please do and I do except constructive criticism! But please, unless I really deserve it, please don't flame me or I might cry. If you don't care about me, care about my family who will have to put up with it (which, might I tell you, isn't easy)!

Oh! I almost forgot! I have to explain the slight OOC

Kaoru may seem a little wimpy but consider her condition! She's a princess and guaranteed to be a little spoiled. She does start off slightly emotional and, depending one who you are; she may even seem like a little brat. But don't worry the later the story goes the more I'll turn her into the Kaoru we all know and love!

Much love!

-rm/bo