Note: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin characters!! Please read & review! )
Chapter One: Toy Cars & Lollipops
It was a soft, autumn evening with the sun just beginning to dip in the sky, revealing a graceful scarlet hue mixed with smooth orange and dots of yellow. As the sun set down on a playground in Tokyo, two children became visible. One was with her mother, happily licking on a lollipop with her black pigtails bouncing high upon her head. The other was in the sandbox, trying to make the perfect sandcastle with his small hands and bright red bucket, which mixed in with his short red hair.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew the little girl's lollipop out of her hand, onto the cement ground. The little girl's bright brown eyes began to swell up with tears and her small mouth beginning to quiver, right before she let out a loud cry. Her mother tried to calm her down, but the little girl began to throw a tantrum.
"NO!" She cried. "I WANT THAT LOLLIPOP! I DIDN'T EVEN FINISH IT YET! MOMMY MOMMY –"
SLAP!
The little boy had heard the cry, and it had caused him to knock over the sandcastle. In revenge, he ran over to the little girl and slapped her across the face. "BAKA! What was that for!? You stupid crybaby! It's only a lollipop!" The little girl looked at him hard, and proceeded to slap him right back.
SLAP!
"Shut up!" She yelled at him. "It was a present from Uncle Saito! And now it's all dirty!"
The little boy's purple eyes were flitting with annoyance, and told her harshly, "You stupid idiot! Your uncle gave it to you, and you couldn't take care of it! It's your own fault! SO DON'T GO CRYING AS IF YOU WERE THE ONE WHO FELL ON THE GROUND AND GOT DIRTY. PICK IT UP AND THROW IT AWAY!"
The little girl stood astonished and confused. Her tears were long dry, and her anger was replaced by confusion and slight humiliation. "Sh-shut up!" She proceeded to pick up her lollipop and toss it into a nearby trash bin. "There! HAPPY?" The little boy shook his head.
"You messed up my sandcastle!" He said, angrily. The little girl lifted an eyebrow.
"No, I didn't," she said. "It's your own fault that you heard me and knocked it over yourself."
"It was you who started screaming that made me knock it over!"
"But it was YOU who knocked it over!"
"But it was YOU who started screaming!"
"But YOU knocked it over!"
"But YOU screamed!"
"Now now," said the little girl's mother, laughing lightly. "Stop arguing; it's not worth it. Now, Kaoru-chan, go help this little boy fix his sandcastle." The little girl looked at her mother in shock.
"But mommy! It was his - "
"No excuses. You started crying, remember?"
"Yes mommy." The girl looked defeated as she walked with the little boy to the sandcastle.
"Kaoru.."
The girl looked up. "Nani?" The little boy put his hand into his pocket and took out a small blue toy car and asked her to hold out her hand. He promptly put the toy car into her hand.
"It's to make up for the lollipop," he said, curtly, averting his eyes. "My Uncle Hiko gave it to me."
Kaoru looked dissatisfied. "I don't even like toy cars." The little boy was offended and aimed to grab back the toy car.
"Then why're you still holding on to it!" He cried. "Give it back! It's important to me!"
Kaoru refused to let go. "But you gave it to me. So it's mine now."
The little boy's face went white. "So what're you going to do to it……..?"
Kaoru smiled, showing her two front teeth. "Keep it safe, of course. If I let this fall, then it'll be all my fault and you'll slap me again. So I'll just keep it safe."
The little boy looked at her. Then, he smiled, and then started to laugh. "You're so weird," he said.
Kaoru responded, "You're weirder to like toy cars. Candy is much better." She stuck her tongue out at him.
The little boy shrugged. "Candy gives you cavities."
"Kenshin! Over here! We have to go!" The little boy's ears perked up at the sound and looked at Kaoru once more and told her:
"I have to go now. You better keep my toy car safe." He threatened her.
Kaoru said, "Don't worry. I've learned my lesson once, and there's no way I'll let you slap me again."
Kenshin laughed. "Sorry about that."
Kaoru smiled, "No problem. Come back tomorrow and we can play in the sandbox!"
Kenshin's eyes widened and then he smiled, "O-Okay!" He ran off with his bright red bucket, smiling all the way; he had made his first friend.
Kenshin's parents drove him in front of the airport. "Neh otousan," Kenshin said, "how long are we going to be in Kyoto? Can we make it back in time so that I can come to the park again tomorrow?" Kenshin's father laughed.
"No, Kenshin," he said. "We're going to be there for a while."
"How long's a while?" Kenshin asked.
"We're moving there, Kenshin."
"What's moving, otousan?"
"We're not coming back."
"W-what?" Kenshin's eyes widened, gradually learning the fact that he would never be able to keep his promise to Kaoru. "W-what do you mean, we're not coming back? Not even a little bit?"
"No, sorry Kenshin."
"NO!! I never said goodbye to Kaoru! It's impolite, otousan! Remember?" Kenshin was getting desperate.
"I'm sorry Kenshin. But we really can't stop now. Our flight is in a few minutes."
Kenshin was on the brink of crying. "BUT KAORU HAS MY TOY CAR!"
"Kenshin."
Kenshin threw a tantrum, kicking the back of his mother's carseat. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!" But he didn't cry. Because he had told Kaoru that he would be back. It was his fault. Instead, he fell asleep in the car, whimpering slightly about the toy car he had left in his very first friend's hand. "Will she . . really keep it safe?" He pleaded.
It was that time of day again, when the sun set its beautiful hue of the first three colors of the rainbow. Kaoru was in the sandbox, picking into the sand and wondering where Kenshin was. "Where is he?" She wondered. Kaoru really wanted to see Kenshin again since he was her first friend.
After two hours or so, Kaoru's mother told her that it was time to leave. It was dark, the sky pitch black except for the guiding bright stars. The lampposts surrounding the playground had been lit for an hour, and Kenshin had never come. Kaoru bit back tears and muttered quietly to herself, "I hate him. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!" In her hands she gripped the toy car roughly and then threw her arm back in preparation to throw it away. "I HATE YOU KENSHIN!" But as she was about to, she realized that she couldn't throw it. But if she did, he would come back to her, even if it were to slap her. Quickly, she buried the toy car into the sandbox, hoping that he would come back since it was all dirty now. "KENSHIN!! YOUR CAR IS DIRTY!" She cried. "YOU KNOW! THE ONE YOU REALLY LIKE!" But he never came. She slumped down defeated, but she never let a tear drop fall. It was her own fault for believing that he would come back. Instead, she ran to her mom and clutched her leg, forgetting the toy car she had left in the sandbox.
