A/N: Hello readers! I know it's been a century and a half since I have written anything, but I plan to actually follow through with this story! It's based off of the novel Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. All you literary junkies should definitely check it out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.

Far From Home

The sound of a horse's clopping was always a soothing sound to Kaoru. She had never quite known why, but something about the rhythm was melodious and the steady beat was entrancing as it perfectly matched the way she gently bounced up and down on her white-gray colored horses bare back. Her feet gently squeezed its sides so she did not risk the injury of falling off while spacing out to the view of the large amount of countryside in front of her. The endless rolling hills and blue sky were enough to make her ride all the way out to the countryside to practice in the perfect spot.

It did not take too long to get where she was going. Her faithful stallion had taken her here many times for as long as she could ride him freely. The horse stopped by habit at the small creek, where she left him every time she came here. There was a nice patch of grass that he would munch on while she quickly hopped on the stepping stones and down a short, dirt path to a place that was all her own. Or so she had thought.

As soon as the light gray beast had stopped, she slid off silently and the creature began happily munching on grass. The partnership was beneficial; she got to practice in secret, and he got to mow a large patch of the nearby field every other day.

Carefully, Kaoru picked her way down to the bank of the creek and lightly hopped onto the first smooth stone. She landed softly with one foot, which she leveraged to immediately jump to the next stone. Repeating this for two more stones, she then nimbly leapt to the other side of the creek's bank.

"Hah!"

She paused. A noise of exertion was coming from nearby.

"Ka!"

She heard it again. Her senses were on alert as she slid her sandals off in order to make her footsteps quieter in the lush grass. Down the path, she crept silently through the brush nearby as the sounds got louder.

"Tah! Kai-ha!"

She stopped suddenly, seeing a flash of crimson through the trees. Her eyes rounded as the color made one thought race through her mind. 'Blood!' The red moved again, so fast she could barely even follow it. Sometimes, it was so fast, she could not see it until it reappeared on the other side of the clearing.

At a sloth's pace, she moved her hand as quietly as possible toward her bokken, her eyes leaving the clearing and the rapid flashes of red only momentarily. When she was sure that her hand was on her bokken, she closed her eyes and prepared to dash out into the clearing to strike the invader of her personal spot.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Her heart stopped and her eyes snapped open as a low, masculine voice softly whispered the warning her into her ear.

Out of pure reflex, she gasped and clumsily spun around, swinging her bokken wildly as she did so. She felt the wood connect hard with the intruder and a small "oro!" sound. "Who are you?" she demanded loudly, unable to hide the fear that still had her heart racing two times as fast as normal. Her bokken was in the attack position, pointed down at his head, and ready to strike.

"I'm sorry," the intruder squeaked. She looked down and saw a man with red hair kneeling in front of her, rubbing his head. His long, blood red hair was tied loosely at the nape of his neck and moved up and down subtly as his hand massaged the lump that was now evident she had given him. He looked up at her, and her breath caught at the sight of purple eyes mixed with swirls of gold that slowly faded away with each second. What caught her attention the most, however, was a deep scar etched into his right cheek. An "X" that looked as if it were many years old.

When she continued to do nothing but stare in curiosity, he stood. This caused her to reflexively jump back a step and ready her stance once more, a fire coursing through her at the opportunity of her first fight outside of a dojo.

The man instantly put his hands up. "I mean no harm!" he exclaimed. As if to prove it, he took his sword from his belt and slowly put it on the ground between them.

She relaxed, lowering her bokken a little, but not sheathing it in her practice hamaka. It was then she noticed his small stature. He was barely taller than she was and had feminine features. Again, her eyes flicked back to the scar on his cheek. "Who are you?" she growled.

He continued to hold his hands up in surrender. "I'm nothing but a wanderer, that I am."

Kaoru growled in frustration and thrust her bokken at him slightly, causing him to take a step back and squeak once more in surprise. "I want a name! Who are you and why are you intruding on my practice space?"

"I'm Himura!" he exclaimed, flustered. Then, more calmly, he added, "I didn't know this was your practice space."

Kaoru once again lowered her bokken, letting it rest on the woodland ground. "So you're a bum?" she asked densely, cocking her head and giving him a slight look of disapproval.

The amount of hurt those words had caused his ego was palpable. "No, that I am not. Why, do I look like one?"

She gave his appearance a once over. His clothes were tattered, his hair was long, one of his sandals was broken, and the only possession he was carrying with him was a sword. "Yes," she concluded.

He hung his head in shame. "I suppose I could use a bath…" he admitted in defeat.

With a huge sigh, Kaoru picked up his sword, causing Himura to look up in surprise. "Come on, freeloader," she called as she walked past him. She collected her sandals when she approached the bank and turned to see he had not moved, but was simply staring at her in astonishment. She raised a brow. "Hurry up or I'm leaving you behind."

"Y-yes ma'am!" he stammered, clumsily following after her as she agilely skipped the smooth stones of the creek.

A/N: I know it's short...bear with me! But I just want to test the waters and see what you guys think before I continue writing. Plus it's way past my bedtime and I have an essay due tomorrow. I just couldn't help starting this after reading my book for english. So many fun ideas! Peace out Girl Scouts!