Author's Note: This is a little something I wrote a long time ago. For some reason, I never posted it. I found it on my computer a while ago and have been slowly but surely revamping it. Here is the result. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I'm just borrowing the setting and characters for my own evil intentions. *Cue evil laugh*

"That was a wonderful dinner, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin smiled at the raven haired girl sitting across from him.

The girl smiled proudly in return, but her smile was short lived. The young boy beside her cried out in protest. "What are you talking about, Kenshin! Have you lost your taste buds or something?" He stared in disbelief at Kenshin's empty bowl.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at the boy and bopped him over the head with a deceptively strong arm. "Don't be stupid, Yahiko! Kenshin just knows how to appreciate good cooking!"

"I don't think so, missy." The man sitting across from Yahiko looked down at the food in his bowl with disgust. He poked at it with one chopstick cautiously as if it would suddenly jump out and attack him. "I'm not even sure this is edible."

"Well, Sano, why don't you go earn your own money," Kaoru screamed, glaring at the former hit-man for hire, "and buy your own food, you freeloader!"

Kenshin just sat back and listened to the usual dinner conversation. He couldn't help being amused. It was always the same, and Kenshin wouldn't have it any other way. Not wishing to interrupt, the former hitokiri battosai quietly gathered up the bowls and chopsticks. He took them to the kitchen, chuckling under his breath as Kaoru gave Yahiko another well-deserved wallop over the head.

With dinner over and the table cleared, Kaoru went outside and sat on the front steps of the dojo to watch the sun set. The sky was a painter's pallet, washed with yellows, oranges, and reds. Streaks of purple were brushed lightly over the melody of warm colors. As she watched, the color scheme slowly swirled and shifted, illuminating the heavens in a glorious display.

A rustle from behind caught her attention. "Thank you for helping clear the table and washing the dishes, Kenshin," she said without turning away from the wonderful view.

"Well, if I didn't do anything in return for your wonderful meals, I might just be considered a freeloader, that I might," the wanderer said in a singsong tone. He sat down beside Kaoru and turned toward her with his usual closed-eyed smile.

Kaoru tore her eyes from the sunset and turned to him. She loved it when he smiled. His smile was so genuine, so unlike the forced smiles of others who'd been through incredible hardships. A lock of flame red hair fell into his face, across the X-shaped scar on his cheek. Without thinking, Kaoru reached up and pushed his hair back behind his ear, letting her hand linger there for a moment. When she finally realized what she was doing, she pulled her hand away from him as if his skin burned her. She let her hand drop into her lap and stared down at it, her cheeks flaring a bright crimson.

Kenshin opened his eyes wide, and the smile vanished from his face. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the lovely young woman beside him, the woman who'd accepted him despite his gruesome past. Without warning, a thousand butterflies seemed to have found their way into his stomach. As they fluttered about in an intricate dance, Kenshin's mind went blank. The only thought remaining was that he wanted to feel her touch again.

Tentatively, he touched her cheek and turned her face toward him. Startled, Kaoru met Kenshin's amethyst eyes. He simply met her gaze and held it, letting his thumb trace gentle circles along her cheekbone. Her cheeks warmed beneath his touch. Lifting her hand from her lap, she reached her hand out toward him.

"Kenshin!"

A voice from within the dojo halted her action, and the two jumped apart like two startled birds. Yahiko rounded the corner suddenly, completely oblivious to the scene he'd just interrupted.

"There you are, Kenshin!" the boy exclaimed, grinning in excitement. "I've been looking for you. Have you seen my lamp? I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Oh, I forgot to put it back, that I did!" Kenshin recalled. "I'm sorry. I was refilling it earlier today. It should still be in the storage room."

"OK! Thanks, Kenshin!" and the boy disappeared back into the dojo.

Kenshin shook his head slowly at the boy's enthusiasm. Sheepishly, he glanced over at Kaoru. The moment they'd just shared was long gone. Silence wrapped around the porch like a thick blanket. The sun had disappeared below the horizon, leaving behind a lazy trail of color. Stars began to spot the night sky, and a warm breeze swept across the two onlookers.

"I-I think I'll go for a walk," Kaoru broke the silence. She stood, attempting to hide just how flustered she was. "I'll... be back in a bit."

Kenshin could only nod his head and watch as she walked down the path towards the sleepy village that lay outside the walls of the Kamiya dojo. He wanted to call out to her, to apologize for making her feel uncomfortable. The words stuck in his throat, unable to make their way to his lips. He simply kept watching, dumbly, even after she vanished from his sight.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned his head back against the railing and closed his eyes. His thoughts strayed back to his days as a wanderer. If he didn't apologize properly, would he have to return to that life? Letting out another sigh, he began to prepare an apology.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice when sleep overtook him.

Ending Notes: Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you liked it. Second chapter should be up in a couple of days. That's when the real story begins. *grin*