Disclaimer: Still don't own Kenshin. Drat. Guess I'll have to do with all the stupid merchandise I own. Such is the life of a fangirl, I guess. Used without permission, not for profit, etc.

Runaway
by misaoshiru

Funny...it was funny, really. One of the first lessons learned during his years as a rurouni was that running for long periods of time was a waste of the body's resources. Sure, there were times when it was a necessity, but whenever possible, it was more efficient for him to walk a more leisurely pace. So, it was funny to think that since that fateful day when he arrived in Tokyo, he had been running away nonstop.

Not always physically, either. More like...he was running away from friendships, relationships. Emotional intimacy. And the more he thought about it, the more it occurred to him that it was something he had always done. In the old days, it had been something of a survival mechanism. But now, he had no real reason for it. Well. Did he?

When he left for Kyoto, it had been easier to justify. Shishio Makoto was a danger to Japan and everyone in it, and the last thing he wanted was to put his friends in danger. Of course, on another level, he knew, he had never intended to come back – things had gone too far as it was. To be associated with the likes of himself was dangerous, but it was also dangerous, in his mind, for him to be associated with anyone else. Outside of battle, his only protection was the rurouni mask, and more and more, that was starting to crack amidst his circle of friends. Leaving him vulnerable.

And even now...even now, when he had no excuse, he still ran. He supposed it was because he did not want to admit to himself, one way or another, how he felt about a certain Kamiya Kaoru. He cared for her deeply, of that he was certain, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her, nor to let anything hurt her. But beyond that...

Kenshin was no stranger to love, even if it had only come at great cost. But this was different. Not so different as to not be classified as love, perhaps, but...different. And the problem may have been that it was love. If it was, how could he admit it, to himself? To her?

"Kenshin!"

But whatever it was...

"I've finally found you."

...whatever it was, there was no more running away.

"Kaoru-dono."

Author's notes:

Hardly my best work, I'm afraid, but I still did my best. Just an idea that's been bouncing around in my head lately, inspired by a couple old favorite songs of mine that I rediscovered. ("Eric's Song" by 12 Stones and "Running Away" by Seventh Day Slumber, for the curious.)

...yes, I wrote KxK. It happens occasionally. Stop acting so surprised.

Dedicated to SuperSheba and torikkusuta, since both of them like KxK and both of their birthdays are coming up. (Man, both of you are going to be twenty, and I'll be nineteen in only a few months...and Jupe-san will be eighteen in June, and P-chan seventeen in October...man. Scary.)

The dialogue at the end is from the Viz translation of volume 21...more specifically, Act 182. Yes, I cut out some ellipses and reordered two of the lines to make the fic flow better. Deal with it.