Howdy! After falling for this wonderful Anime and reading so many fanfics, I decided to give it a try myself. I haven't written fan fiction in quite some time, so I'm looking forward to it! Since this is my first RuroKen fic, I'm sure there will be some clinkers, but please enjoy anyway! And don't hesitate to critique!

(If you figure errors in the timeline, do ignore them. I know it's not the most accurate piece of fan fiction ever, but hey.)

~Hippie Pippi, who has an Artzysoul

*~~~(^_^)~~~*

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It would be great if I did, but alas, I do not. *sniffles*

Between Youth and Age

            Grass was everywhere. It covered the earth, scented the air, colored the children's clothing, and clung to their hair. The children romped around in the Japanese sun, fully enjoying the freedom of youth. It did not occur to them that their mothers would scold them afterward for dirtying their kimonos. Childhood poses no worries.

            There were roughly half a dozen little ones running down the dirt path by the river. It was the little freckled boy who suggested a game not unlike hide-and-seek, and the others happily agreed. He was volunteered to be the one to sit and wait behind while the remaining children ran off in search of places to hide.

            Kamiya Kaoru, thinking herself to be very clever, dashed off toward the river. She ran up the grassy slope and scanned the area for a good place to hide. Located down the other side of the hill was a large bolder suitable for a small child to conceal herself behind. She beamed at her discovery and took off toward it.

            She had not gotten very far when something pulled her back. Kaoru looked down only to see part of her kimono caught in the crack of a log resting on the hill. She frowned, grabbed a fistful of fabric and yanked. The log resisted. Kaoru continued to tug on her kimono, growing frantic. She needed to get to her hiding place before they came looking for her! Deciding to use all the strength her four-year-old body could give, she gave one last heave.

            The bark of the log snapped, and the force of Kaoru's tug caused her to lose her balance and tumble down the hill. She let out a cry as she rolled, growing dizzy. When she came to rest at the base of the incline, Kaoru slowly sat up.

She carefully lifted her kimono to examine the sting in her knee. Her eyes widened when she saw a large scrape. Horrified, she touched it with her index finger. It was bleeding. She began to cry.

Kaoru stiffened when she felt someone kneel down next to her. "Are you all right?" a voice asked. She rubbed her eyes, and looked up to see violet ones gazing into her own. Beside her was a boy, maybe fifteen years or so, with long red hair pulled back in a high ponytail and a horizontal scar on his cheek. He seemed very intimidating to the young Kaoru, who remained silent.

"You're bleeding…" the boy said. He reached into his gi and pulled out a handkerchief. He reached for her knee, but Kaoru pulled away.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, grabbing her ankle. Kaoru stared in amazement as he dabbed at her knee, soaking up the blood into the handkerchief. She cringed at the stinging sensation his movements created and squeezed her eyelids closed.

After a moment, Kaoru heard the mysterious boy say, "There, all done." She opened her eyes to see the handkerchief wrapped around her knee, acting as a bandage. She smiled at the realization that her knee no longer hurt. The boy stood up and offered his hand to her. She cautiously took it, and he pulled her to her feet with ease.

"Try to be more careful in the future, all right?" he said, giving her a warm smile. Kaoru smiled back. Even though he towered over her small form, he no longer seemed as intimidating as he had earlier.

"I found her! I found her!" a voice called. The boy turned his head up to see the other little children running down the hill. Kaoru did the same. "She's down here!" the child called again.

Kaoru turned back to the stranger, but he was already walking away. She noticed the sword that hung on his waist. A wave of fear washed over her. He must be a man if he has a sword she figured to herself. She turned around to the freckled child behind her, who pushed her down.

"Found you!" he cheered. Kaoru turned back to look at the swordsman, but he was gone.

Kaoru opened her eyes. The morning sun was shining through the window of her room, creating a block of light to warm her legs. She realized that during the night she became tangled in her blankets. Absently she wondered if she had another nightmare. Then she remembered her dream.

She remembered his hair, the scar, the sword. She remembered gazing into those deep, violet eyes. She remembered his warm smile. He definitely was Kenshin she thought to herself. Kaoru sighed. She had a dream similar to this last night, except that Kenshin appeared to her as she knew him to be now. Either way, the dreams only reinforced the insecurity that Kaoru had been feeling for a while now: the age difference between herself and the rurouni.

Kaoru could no longer deny the fact that she had fallen hard for Kenshin. She followed him to Kyoto when he sought out Shishio, stayed by him when he returned from battle barely clinging to his life, and spent every day after watching him and every night dreaming of him. Deep inside she always had longed for the day when Kenshin would return her love. But no matter her feelings for her redheaded rurouni, she knew that it was impossible.

The decade between them never bothered Kaoru until she began to have the dreams. Then the difference hit her like a brick wall. After all, Kenshin was already training under the Hiten Mitsurugi style when Kaoru was only being born. She figured that when the young Kaoru of her dream slipped down the hill and scrapped her knee, Kenshin was already Hitokiri Battousai, deadliest manslayer in all of Japan. He must be a man if he has a sword… Kaoru snorted. Yahiko was closer to her age than Kenshin was.

Kaoru let out a sigh and rolled over. Suddenly a thought struck her. She sat up abruptly and began to count dates on her fingers. One, two, three…one month plus six days… Her eyes brightened. "My birthday is in one week!" she exclaimed. I'll be eighteen years old! And being eighteen is more of an adult than being seventeen is!  Kaoru stopped. Her heart began to ache. But…even if I am eighteen years old, I'm still a child compared to Kenshin. Only a child… A tear escaped from her eyes and gently fell down her cheek. This birthday doesn't mean a thing.

Kaoru pulled her blankets back up to her face and dug her nose into her futon. What will they think when I tell them my birthday is approaching? What will Kenshin think? Will he see me as a woman now instead of a girl? Or…will bringing up my age only reinforce any reservations he has? Do I really want to remind him that I am so much younger than he is?

Kaoru wiped her wet cheeks with the heel of her palm. The last thing she wanted to do was to draw any attention to the age difference between herself and Kenshin. She knew that if no one thought about it, it would not be a problem. Even though she doubted that her dreams of Kenshin's love would ever come true, she had no desire to create any more issues than there already were. She sighed once more.

"I won't tell anyone about my birthday," she decided with a sniffle. "I don't really want anyone to remember how young I am…" She rolled over and tried to return to sleep, failing miserably.

To Be Continued