Disclaimer - I do not own Kenshin whatsoever. I do own this story idea (unless someone else also has this story idea. In that case, I partly own this story idea).

Anyways, for any of my previous reviewers, this is not part of my series. This is an AU fic (my first one) and it is also an alternate pairing. It's an Aoshi X Kaoru fic, one of my favorite pairings! Other pairings might appear, but I haven't planned it out yet, so that's a surprise for both you and me!

Alright, you read the summary, you know the gist, so I'm going to shut up and let you read the prologue!

HOW IS THIS LOVE?

Prologue

Kaoru POV

When I was seven, my parents once told me that I could reach for the stars if I believed in myself. They told me that I could obtain happiness by trying to see the positive qualities in people rather than focus on the negative aspects of their demeanor. They told me that trust, friendship, and love were three of the most important bonds in the world – bonds that would determine your life and happiness.

They died only a year later in a tragic car crash. I still miss them terribly, and I still do cry when thinking about them, but I feel no betrayal. I know that their love can reach me, even from the heavens, and I don't think that anyone can prove to me that their love is nonexistent.

After all, that's what love is. Love is the wind in the air that caresses my cheeks. Love is the beautiful spring flowers, waiting to bloom. Love is that bond that is not only created by the tangible aspects of human beings, but of the intangible emotions that we express.

Not only that, but love is friendship. No one can ever love another person until they become friends. Love is trust, for there is no friendship without trust. Love is the emotion that brings life to happy couples, brings joy to a couple's lives, eliminates the sorrows from a depressed person. How can anyone hate an emotion so pure and beautiful?

Love is a life-sustaining emotion…

Aoshi POV

I remember during my high school days that my annoying teacher…what was his name? Oh, that's right – Himura sensei! Himura sensei once asked us to write a paper in English class. His topic? What is love?

Obviously, his engagement with the Math teacher Yukishiro-sensei suddenly caused him to spout off about love and create a whole English unit dedicated to love.

What is love? Love's betrayal, pure and simple. I remember smirking as my friends got dumped by their numerous girlfriends, and how those girls would go around dating any guy until the most popular guys came into their grasp. The moment they saw the opportunity to raise their status, it was "Goodbye old boyfriend!" and "Hello status-raising boyfriend!" It was almost laughable to see my friends make the same mistakes over and over again.

Oh sure, I've had my occasional flings. I would be a nerd if I hadn't at least made out with some girl. But love? Love is a lie, and I'm not a liar, so of course I won't love anybody.

What good has ever come out of love anyways? Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves, Oedipus goes crazy and gouges his eyes out, and all those other Greek and Shakespearean tragedies. The only good aspect of love is reproduction, and thanks to the sharp increase in the world population, that advantage is diminishing.

Love is nothing but a pack of lies and falseness…

Do you like it so far? Please review, and if you want to make any suggestions for the future, please do so? However, I am sorry in advance if I do not use your suggestions, but that doesn't mean I hate you!

So please review, and Ja ne for now!

(Also, if you have the time, could you read and review my other stories? That would be so wonderful, but if you don't want to, then you don't have to)