Hey everybody here I am, one year later. I have, with encouragement from "lossehelin" re-edited this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to lossehelin. Thanks for the suggestion! Hope everyone enjoys the story! :D

*Rurouni Kenshin and the movie that I am basing this story off of does NOT in any way shape or form belong to me*

~Loving Sacrifice~

– Chapter 1 - Who I Am –

"Kaoru, wake up! It's time for you to be leaving!"

Kaoru sat up straight in bed and looked around. She blinked and tiredly rubbed her eyes. Casting a glance towards her window she noticed that the sunbeams shone through. Smiling as she stretched, she slowly got up to get dressed for her big day. The MatchMaker… oh how fun… Kaoru thought sarcastically. The appointment had been scheduled almost a year ago, yet the women had constantly been changing the day because of "personal issues", something having to do with her younger brother and a war that she believed to be brewing.

Rolling her eyes at the memory of meeting the woman once, Kaoru was not keen on seeing her again. Ms. Tomoe was her name, wasn't it? Kaoru thought to herself… Well, I did enjoy her younger sister to entertain me while I waited. Maybe I'll see her again… Hope filled Kaoru as she looked around her closet for something suitable to wear.

Father, what time is it?" Kaoru called out, her voice slightly cracked from sleep.

"It's time for you to get up and outta bed! Come on, you're going to be late!" he called out but then started to cough furiously.

After living in the heart of Japan for all of her life, Kaoru and her family moved to the country that boarded Japan, called Pacem, because they believed it would benefit her father's health more than staying in the city.

The actual switch of places was an easier than Kaoru would have imagined. Kaoru figured that leaving had its perks as well as its downs. For starters, she missed her friends dearly back in Japan, but she also had some issues concerning her piers that was best left alone, such as being bullied because she never truly fit in with the girls.

Pacem was located on the outskirts of Japan, and was actually the city that maintained the peace throughout all of Japan. However, aside the fact that it was still in Japan, Kaoru found that the people did not have the same culture as Kaoru did, or at least used to. Now that she had adapted to the place, she found that the customs there were much more lenient that in Japan. No one questioned her of swordplay, but no one encouraged it either. Kaoru also found that she favored horseback riding and became quite good at it in a hurry. For her eighteenth birthday her father officially gave her the family's horse, Blaze. Even though the family had already considered him hers, after signing the papers, there was no doubt that the horse belonged to Kaoru.

"Are you alright?" Kaoru called out as she jumped out of bed and ran to her door, not opening it because of her clothing or lack of at the moment, to check on her father.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." He replied in a strained voice.

Kaoru's father had been sick for as long as Kaoru could remember, but his sickness has been steadily growing worse over the past few years. Kaoru's father rarely spoke of his reasons of the illness, but Kaoru believed it had something to do with when he fought in the war for Japan long before she was born.

"Kaoru, sweetie, it's time for you to go!" a womanly voice called out, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Alright mother, I'm coming." Kaoru called out as moved away from the door, towards her closet, where she finally found the beautiful dress she was looking for and quickly changed into it.

Once Kaoru was finished changing, she silently stepped out of her room, only to come face to face with her mother and father, arm in arm, quietly waiting for Kaoru.

"Oh honey, you look beautiful!" her mother softly said and her father nodded silently in agreement, appreciating her beauty and elegance in the dress.

The dress was made of silk with an emerald-green color and a dark set of beads that framed the neckline. The neckline itself dipped beautifully down, showing just the right amount of cleavage to look both stunning yet modest. The dress flowed and stopped just above her kneecaps, having the full effect of a wave-like pattern within the cloth itself. All in all, any boy would have been a fool not to fall head over heels for her the moment they laid eyes on her.

"As much as I would like to stare at you, you really must be going or you shall be late." Kaoru's mother commented kindly.

"Yes ma'am." Kaoru said as she made a small bow and gracefully started to walk to where the royal carriage waited for her. Having her father serve in the previous war and come back a war hero was a great honor and the government awarded him for his services. After receiving a more than generous sum of money, her family used some of it and moved to Pacem to start a new life together.

Kaoru's favorite horse, Blaze, was going to be her escort to her destination, along with the carriage driver.

"My lady," the man said," you look positively lovely today and I wish you only the best of luck."

"Thank you, Timothy." Kaoru said with a smile that could take almost any man's breath away."

"Please my lady, call me Tim." He said in a playful banter as they always did.

"Only if you call me Kaoru." She said with a grin, waiting for Tim to finish the ending they unspoken-ly agreed on.

"It shall be done." Tim said and Kaoru giggled, her spirits lifted even more.

She and Tim had been friends since Kaoru was born. Tim was a dear friend of the family, despite him being one of the servants. When Kaoru was born, Tim took care of her with some help from another one of Kaoru's wonderful servants and cook, Tae. When Tim first began working for the Kamiya family, he had immediately paired up with Tae. They had met when Tim was trying to be helpful in the kitchen and ended up making a mess of things, leaving Tae to come and clean it up.

Kaoru chuckled under her breath but walked into the carriage. As the carriage took off, Kaoru wondered how she would do with the "interview". She nervously twilled her thumbs and shut her eyes. Knowing that it would be difficult to find a husband for her to marry, she understood that she just was not like other girls. She did not wear make-up -well she was forced to wear it for particular occasions- she hated to shop, and most of all, she did like to train with her father… or at least used to train with her father, when he was in better health. Ever since last year, his health was steadily declining, but that would not stop him from doing what he darn well pleased; even when the doctor had urged him just to lie in bed and hope that his illness would not get worse.

The carriage suddenly jerked and she knew that they had arrived. Tim had come around and opened the door for Kaoru. As Kaoru passed him, she gave a quiet thank you and walked up the steps to the MatchMaker's abode.

Before Kaoru could step inside, Tim called out. Thankful for postponing her going in, even for a few tiny seconds, she gracefully turned around. Tim held out his hand. Kaoru reached for it and took what was lying in Tim's palm. It was a beautiful comb that was meant to be put in her hair. On top of it held a flower that could only be found once a year. It was called a Lunar Blossom. The flower was said to have magical capabilities such as good luck as well as allowing a person to see another person's heart. Normally, these were only gifts the truly rich people would bestow upon someone they deeply cared about. Kaoru smiled and put the comb in place atop her head and felt more at peace. Taking a nice, long, deep breath she knocked on the door that was going to decide her fate.

"Come in." a voice called out.

Kaoru took another deep breath and walked inside.

"Ah, so you must be Kamiya Kaoru. My how you've grown…"

"Yes ma'am." Kaoru said, not sure what else to say.

"If you don't remember me, I am Yukishiro, Tomoe." She said gently, "Now, let's begin."

~*Loving Sacrifice*~

An hour and a half later, Kaoru immerged from the house, looking distraught and royally pissed.

"M-my lady?" Tim squeaked out.

"Home, NOW!" Kaoru commanded and stormed into the carriage.

Tim shook his head but made a wise choice of obeying without questions. The trip home was silent aside from the sound of crying coming from within the carriage.

Once they arrived at the Kamiya household, Kaoru let herself out and hit the ground running.

Kaoru barely heard Tim call for her father.

"Mr. Koshijiro!"

~*Loving Sacrifice*~

"Kaoru… K-Kaoru!" Her father called out, coughing harshly.

"I'm in here Father." Kaoru called out from the barn where Blaze was kept.

As Kaoru's father stepped in the barn, his heart almost broke in two. Blaze was lying down and Kaoru had thrown herself on top of him, crying her eyes out. Her normally beautiful deep blue eyes now held sadness and … fear?

"Kaoru, please tell me what happened."

"I… I will never be a good wife. I can't cook, I can't eat in a lady-like fashion, and… and … I can't even serve tea without messing up!"

"Oh, Kaoru, it's okay. We love you for who you are."

"B-but…"

"Don't worry about it, Kaoru."

"But… a-aren't you ashamed of me, Father?"

"… Never. I told you, your mother and I love you for who you are."

"… T-thank you… Daddy." Kaoru said.

"I love you." He whispered gently on top of her head.

"I love you too."

Hope you guys enjoyed this so far! Please tell me whatcha think by your wonderful reviews! Let me reassure my readers that this story will be along the same story line as the movie, but MANY things will also be different as the story progresses. (=^^=) hope to hear from everyone! TTFN! Bu-bye!

(Re-edited: 12/04/11)