Summary: Drabbles from the Love, Lies n Empire universe. All characters. Situations and events referred to in the main story. Read n Review.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro. I borrow the gang for my fics.

Rating: T

Drabble 4: Enishi can't wait to grow up…. really.

Annals of Empire

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Drabble 4: Who the hell are you?

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Kutoe

A little boy ran fervently through the palace corridors. He was richly attired and the ease with which he made his way through the palace signified his status as a member of the noble elite. He soon arrived at a large wooden door. There was a small latch door on one side of it. The sentry let him past quickly.

Once inside, he seemed a little less sure of where to go. He stopped at corners and thought long and hard about the way forward. He was tired. The sword strapped at his hip was heavy. He sat down, panting heavily. He was completely out of breath. Looking around once more, he recognized a corridor and smiled. His hair was sticking up in all directions but he didn't seem to mind. He jumped up and happily walked down the corridor. His little feet soon brought him to a dojo. He snuck up to the door and shyly peered inside.

Two boys stood facing each other. They were both older than him and were about to spar. The taller one had ebony black hair and crystalline blue eyes. Silence hung around him like a well-worn cloak and his eyes gleamed with confidence. His face betrayed no emotion however. He was watching his opponent keenly. The boy facing him had dark red hair that was tied in a ponytail. His eyes gleamed brightly; they were violet in color.

Both bent forward, their bodies as taut as a drawn bowstring. The sharp racks of swords echoed through the dojo. Enishi watched spellbound. The dark haired boy landed a resounding crack on his opponent's back, who immediately whirled around and struck his knee. As he buckled and bent his knee, his swung his sword up to defend himself. Two strokes later, the taller boy lay sprawled on his back, blinking furiously.

The red haired boy stepped back. As the taller boy stood up and th two stood talking in muted tones, Enishi ran forward.

"Hey! That was amazing Kenshin!"

The red haired boy turned to face him. He quirked an eyebrow up. "What are you doing here, Enishi? The babies are playing in the garden downstairs. Did you lose your way?"

"Noooooo. I came to learn how to fight. With you." His eyes were shining with anticipation. The older boys exchanged a glance.

Aoshi looked at him and spoke gently. "But Enishi, you are too young for weapons training."

"But I want to learn!"

"Yes but you can't. Not yet. Why don't you wait till you're older and you know what you're doing." Kenshin said dismissively. He closely inspected his sword. The match had been a close one. Aoshi always made himfight with everything he had.

"But…"

"You can't train with us. You're not even strong enough to hold up a sword. For now," Kenshin rummaged inside a box sitting on the floor, "here, till you grow up. Play with this." He handed him a wooden rattle.

Laughing, they both left, leaving Enishi looking dejected and forlorn. He glared angrily at the rattle and threw it across the dojo. Screaming in rage, he broke down and sobbed.

"I will beat you one day. I will break your sword and your pride Kenshin. I promise I will."

Author Notes

Read and review please!!! I hope you liked this.