Left Behind

Disclaimer! Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me, but to Nobuhiro Watsuki. Darn, maybe some day ^_^x

Left Behind, Chapter 1: Away to Kyoto

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The day that Kenshin told me he was moving away from Tokyo broke my heart. And I can tell you that as an old woman now, it certainly was one of the worst days of my life. Could you imagine your best friend leaving you forever?

I had known Kenshin since we were toddlers. Oh, the things I could tell you about him! I remember when we were at the little age of seven we were walking in the marketplace and an older boy-his name escapes me, would yoo really expect an old woman like me to remember?-told me that I was fat and ugly. Well, you can bet your life, I bawled my eyes out right then and there. The next thing I knew, Kenshin was holding me and telling me, "It's alright, Kaoru-dono. He's gone now." and imagine! my koshii calling my 'Kaoru-dono' at such a soung age. Then he told me something that I would have wished he told me when I was seventeen.

"Kaoru-dono, I think you are very beautiful, no matter waht anyone says." To this day, I still do'nt know if he was telling the truth or if he was saying that just to make me feel better, but I hope it was the first. That little comment made me feel so good inside, I immediately dried my tears, kissed him on the cheek and hugged him really hard. He gave one of his famous 'oro!'s and we walked back to the dojo.

Shortly after he started his training. During his five years of intense training, we hardly saw each other outside of school. I swear Kenshin was like my best friend, but unfortunately that faltered while he was gone. True, I knew he would return to bein gmy best friend when training was over, but I never knew what was to happen if he moved away for real. So, this is where I start, the day my life as a lovesick seventeen-year-old went downhill

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"Kaoru-dono? I'm moving away-"

At that very moment, me heart was ripped right out of my chest.

"-to Kyoto"

And trampled on. Metophorically of course. Fortunately nothing close has literally happened to me but I can assure you, the pain was real, much more so that if my heart really did stop.

"What?" At that point, I was in total disbelief. Never would I imagine that my koshii would move away, leaving me behind.

"Sessha is very sorry, de gozaru yo, but Master is moving and so must I.

'Don't leave me!' In my mind, I was crying out to him, but I could very well say that. "Are you sure you have to move. I could ask Otousan if you can live with us. We have plenty of extra room in the dojo!"

"I wish I could, but I can't. Maybe some other time, if I visit." If he visits!? IF HE VISITS!?!?!? He hell better visit! I had gotton so mad, but I didn't want to show it.

"When will you be leaving?" I asked, hoping it was in a year.

"In a week." Originally, I was going to try and seduce him, but a week was simply not enough! So I decided that I would give him my love and not want anything in return.

That night, I cried myself to sleep. What else could I have done? i had a serious delimma, I no longer want to keep my feelings to myself, but could I take the consequences. I had two choices. I could either 1)tell him my feeling and tak ethe risk of being rejected and lose him forever or 2)not tell him, continue to be his best friend and keep him in my life.

They say you can tell when a woman loves a man becuase she will do anything to make him happy. And I was truly in love, it wasn't an infatuation anymore. And I couldn't exactly say that kenshin would have been happy with my, so I did the latter. to this day, I son't know if I regret doing this choice, but I have wondered what would have happened i I did make a different decision. but, anyway, now's not the time to talk about my doubts.

The morning after, I woke up earlu. I looked to my side. Great. 6:00 AM. At first, I had wished it was Saturday, but I quickly retracted that idea. Saturday = Kenshin moving away the next day. and I could wait a lifetime for that.

An hour passed and all that was left to do was leave. The doorbell rang and I had wondered who was there. When I opened the door, bam! there he was. Kenshin, the person I had wanted to see.

"Ehh...Kaoru-dono...I was thinking, since sessha is leacing so soon, perhaps you would give sessha the honor of walking you to and from school."

I smiled. My koshii is always so kind to me! "Of course." I gathered by things and we walked out the door, hand in hand.

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He came every morning that week and walked me to school. And after school, he waited for me, no matter how long. We usually didn't talk. What was there to talk about? And really what would you say to your best friend in the world who was moving away? There were countless times I convinced myself that I would see him soon, within a year or two, but deep down in my heart, I knew this was not true. And I even had the feeling he would get married soon after he graduated high school.

I thoroughly enjoyed my last week with him. Kenshin did all these things for me. Carrying my books, making me feel better, rescuing me from various things. Maybe he was trying to compensate for the years we would not spend together. The week flew by and it was Sunday.

At first I wasn't going to say goodbye, becuase I told myself 'He's not really moving away. Kenshin would never leave me'. I told my self so many times, I started to believe it. And then the time came. He was about to leave. I watched him from my bedroom window, watching him walk up to my door and knock. I didn't answer it, after ten times of this, he turned to leave.

I couldn't let him leave without saying goodbye. I bolted down the stairs and ran to him. "Kenshin!!"

Kaoru-dono? I though you were mad at me."

"I could never be mad at you." and I hugged him. "You'd better write to me once a week."

"As long as I can grip a pencil, I'll never stop writing to you."

He embraced me tighter. "Goodbye, Kaoru-dono." He turned around and left.

Not one look back.

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A/N: I know it's not very angsty, but the next chapter will have some more in it. I tired to shape it like the Kyoto arc when he left. I actually don't plan for this fic to be very long. no more than ten chapters I'd say, but I do have some great ideas for it!

Next chapter coming soon! PLEASE REVIEW!!