DISCLAIMER - i do not own Rurouni Kenshin
"Kaoru, do you have your lunch money?" Megumi called from the living room. Kaoru pulled her dark blue jacket over her school uniform and buttoned it, turning back towards the living room,
"Yes! Have a good day at the hospital!" she called as she pulled her black over the knee socks up and slipped into her black shoes. She checked herself in the mirror quickly seeing a seventeen-year-old girl with dark blue eyes and long black hair looking back at her. She quickly pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and looked at her watch, shoot! I'm going to be late! She thought as she hefted her bag,
"Misao called from her friends house, she'll meet you at the gate if you're on time." Megumi said as she entered the hall and watched Kaoru grab her bag. The twenty two year old stepped over to the younger girl and ran her fingers through her thick black bangs, "Don't rush so much, your hair is all out of place." She said as she pulled at the two long locks that fell to her breasts. "Alright, have a good day sis." She added as Kaoru opened the door.
"Thanks, good bye!" she called as she ran down the stairs of the large apartment. Megumi sighed as she closed the door and flicked her waist length hair over her shoulder,
"Yahiko!" she shouted, her blue eyes fixing on the closed door beside the mirror. She threw the door open and walked into the room, seeing the young boy still sleeping, "I told you to get up! You're going to be late! Do you want to be put into care?" she demanded as she pulled the cover away from him. At that moment Yahiko sat bolt upright, his brown-red eyes looking around in fear and confusion,
"Oh no! I fell asleep again! AHH!" he exclaimed as he rolled out of bed and crawled to his draws,
"You use the bathroom, I'll get your uniform ready, go on, hurry up!" she ordered as she pulled him up and pushed him to the door,
"Thanks sis, I owe you!" he replied as he ran into the living room towards the bathroom. Megumi sighed and opened his draws, pulling out clothes for him before she went into the kitchen, which was on the other side of the living room. She put some bread in the toaster, hearing Yahiko stumble to his room as she buttered it and added some strawberry jam.
"Here, eat this on the way and be careful! I know Kaoru is teaching you her family's ancient sword style and you're very good at it, but I still worry okay? And stay out of trouble today! Honestly if I hear once more that you and Yutaro are fighting I think I'll scream!" she added as he slipped his shoes on, pulled his jacket over his white shirt and grabbed his bag with the toast clenched in his jaws.
"I will, have a good day!" he added as he ran out of the house, his black hair sticking up in all directions as usual. She smiled and shook her head as she closed the door, pulling her long black leather coat over her black trousers and white shirt before grabbing her handbag and leaving the house.
Damn! I'm going to be late again! Kaoru thought as she ran down the street, barging through the crowds earning many shouted threats and complaints while constantly shouting apologies over her shoulder as she went. She turned the corner passing hundreds of shops, not really looking where she was going and she ran straight into a young looking man carrying a pile of files. They collided with a loud thump and both fell to the ground,
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she cried as she helped him to gather the fallen files, which had stayed shut luckily. She gathered half the files and reached for the last one, meeting the man's hand as he reached for it too, which made her look up into the most beautiful violet eyes she had ever seen. The man smiled at her, his thick red bangs framing his face while the rest was kept in a long pony tail that went down to the centre of his back.
"Thank you for your help young lady, I apologise, I was in such a hurry to get to my office that I didn't see you." He said. Kaoru froze, thinking her heart might stop if he said another word with his light kind voice,
"Oh no, I should be apologising to you, I was running to get to school and I wasn't looking where I was going." She replied, looking down at the files in her hands as she got to her feet, allowing the young man to take the last file. As he stood up she noticed the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek, "Wow, what is that? Oh! I'm sorry, it's absolutely none of my business!" she apologised quickly, turning slightly red.
"No, don't apologise, I get that a lot. It's actually a birth mark, a strange one granted, but I've had it all my life." He replied brightly,
"Well, I'll be late for school…wait a minute, you should be in school too, you're eighteen right?" she asked, feeling slightly confused as she looked at the young man's angelic face feeling her heart beat quicken.
"No, I just look young for my age. I'm actually twenty eight." He replied. Kaoru's mouth fell open before she could stop it. Twenty-eight? Twenty-eight? He can't be! She thought as she looked at his well-built body, his black suit not hiding the lightly toned muscles that lay beneath.
"W-well, you look great!" she replied,
"Why thank you. So do you." He replied.
"Oh, I'm Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru." She said as she held her hand out to him. The young man smiled and took her hand, bringing it up to his lips and gently kissing the knuckles, making Kaoru blush furiously,
"I'm Kenshin. Himura Kenshin. It was very nice meeting you. I'd love to talk longer, but we'll both be late." He replied, still holding her hand gently. "Maybe…no, it's a foolish idea." He began as he released her hand,
"What?" she asked encouragingly,
"Well…I was going to ask if you would consider meeting me sometime for dinner, but you probably wouldn't be interested, please forget I said anything," he began,
"Okay, what time?" Kaoru asked, receiving a wide-eyed look of shock from Kenshin,
"What? You mean, you want to?" he asked in disbelief,
"Yeah, you're a nice guy, why wouldn't I want to?" she replied brightly,
"Well, I'm free at seven O'clock tonight, why don't I pick you up?" he suggested.
"Sure, I live in block fifty in room eight C on Meiji Avenue." She replied, watching as he made a mental note of it, "Do you think you'll be able to find it okay?" she asked,
"Of course, I live quite close to you in fact. I'm in the next block down from you." He replied.
"Really? I've never seen you before!" she exclaimed, and I know I'd remember that face! She thought as she looked at him.
"Well, I've been away for a while travelling. I only got back two days ago." He replied,
"Oh, me and my adopted brother and sisters only moved there a few months ago when my father passed away, now my older adopted sister is looking after us." She added.
"I'm very sorry to hear that Kaoru-dono." He said sadly,
"Oh, don't be, I miss him of course, but I don't feel so sad because everyone in our little family has lived through the same thing. Megumi's parents died of a mysterious disease when she was very young. They were travelling around Africa to help the sick when they caught it, so my father adopted her because he had been friends with her parents and now Megumi's a doctor, trying to be just like them and then there was Misao. She's only a year younger than I am and her parents were viciously murdered one night when they were out and Yahiko, his parents died in a fire. The firemen only had time to rescue Yahiko before the whole building collapsed and my mother died at birth, so for years it was just the five of us, but then my father was killed. He used to teach a sword skill that has been passed through our family for generations, but one night he was jumped from behind and never came home, so we moved here." She explained brightly, "But I shouldn't be telling you this, it must bore you." She said apologetically,
"Oh no, I think it shows great strength for you to be able to talk about something as painful as that Kaoru-dono." He replied quickly,
"Oh please, just call me Kaoru! There's no need for an honorific, especially one as respectful as 'dono' I'm not worthy of it." She said awkwardly,
"Very well then…Kaoru." He replied with a bright smile, which made her heart melt. "Uh-oh, we're both late!" he said quickly. Kaoru looked down at her watch and let out a high pitched shriek,
"Oh no, I'm dead! Sorry Kenshin, I'll see you tonight at seven!" she called as she ran towards the school, knowing that she had already missed half of her first class. It was history too! Damn! She thought as she reached the gate, panting for breath.
"Kamiya! You're late again!" a harsh voice called as an old man hobbled down the steps. Kaoru put a hand to her chest as she straightened and walked to meet him. She did a low bow when she reached the short man, who had a long beard and moustache that reached his chest,
"I'm sorry Genzai-sensei, I was on my way but I ran into this guy and knocked his files out of him hands and then I picked them up we ended up talking, I am so very sorry!" she apologised profusely. The old man gave her a stern look as she straightened and then broke into a warm smile.
"I know you're telling the truth. You've never missed a history lesson the whole time you've been here and I got a call from a young man just moments before you arrived explaining the situation." He replied as they walked up the front steps.
"Thank you for being so understanding, I really didn't mean to be late, I was running, thinking I might just make it before the bell, but I ran into that guy…it was nice of him to call, I'll have to thank him, and I'll have to apologise to Hajime-sensei, I've never missed one of his classes!" she said as they walked towards Genzai's office, which had 'Principal: Dr. M. Genzai.' Carved into golden plaque on the door below a small frosted glass window.
"Your class is almost finished. Stay here for a few minutes and then go up and get the notes from Hajime-san." He said as he sat behind his desk and motioned for Kaoru to do the same. "So, this young man, what was he like? His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it." He added,
"Oh, his name was Himura Kenshin. He was so kind, and he looked so young too! I couldn't believe it when he said he was twenty-eight!" she replied enthusiastically,
"Of course! I remember him now! He was a student here, let's see, that would have to be…ten years now! He was an excellent student, but he was always getting in fights with Hajime-san, they had some serious ups and downs, though I think that all stopped a couple of years ago when Hajime-san married." He said reminiscently, "The amount of times I had to pull them off each other when they were in this office! Both so strong willed and strong minded. They were the best of friends at times, but the worst enemies at others." He continued, happily strolling down memory lane.
Kaoru knocked on the history room door as the last person exited the room. Saito looked up from his desk, where he was standing over some papers and Kaoru walked forward at his beckon, looking up at the tall slender man she had come to admire, not only for his extensive historical knowledge, but for his combat skills as well. He had often helped her to hone her sword skills, though he didn't much like the peaceful meaning behind her style, Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, based on the philosophy 'Swords that give life.' Meaning that the style was made to beat off opponents, not to kill them. His sharp brown eyes looked down at her, his short dark brown hair slicked back apart from a few sharp strands that fell over his face.
"Hajime–sensei, I apologise for missing your lesson, it won't happen again." She said as she bowed low. Saito looked down at her, noting the way her dark blue pleated skirt rose up her legs when she bowed. He sat on the edge of his desk as she straightened and folded his arms,
"And what could have caused you to miss my lesson Kamiya-san?" he questioned, his eyes piercing hers to catch any hint of a lie,
"I ran into an old friend of yours actually. I knew I was going to be late, so I was running, but I didn't look where I was going and I knocked this young man over. After I helped him to gather the files we got talking, I'm so sorry! I really didn't want to miss your lesson!" she apologised, seeing his eyebrow rise as she mentioned an old friend.
"And who was this friend?" he asked suspiciously,
"Oh, Kenshin, Himura Kenshin." She replied, seeing the predatory look that entered his gaze and the smirk that flickered across his features. "Uh, Hajime-sensei? Would it be possible for me to borrow your notes from the class to catch up?" she asked, pulling him out of his reverie.
"Of course Kamiya-san. Your home work assignment is in there too." He added as he passed her a file. She opened it and looked at the first page.
"We started on the Meiji Revolution today? No way!" she complained as she looked at the page with a sulky expression,
"Well, if you had been here on time instead of swooning over Himura you would have heard my lecture." He retorted, receiving a look that told him, though she was sorry, she didn't really regret being late, "Now go on, before you miss something else." He said as he stood up, looking at the large group of boys standing outside his room, all of them looking at Kaoru's long slender legs,
"Oh no, I'm late for maths class! Thank you Hajime-sensei!" she thanked again as she bowed, the back of her skirt rising up her thighs and a couple of the boys at the door leaned down to catch a glimpse of her black lace underwear. Kaoru straightened and turned to the boys in the doorway, who seemed determined to block her way, until Saito appeared at her side with a deadly glare, causing them to shrink back away from the door,
"Hurry to your lesson Kamiya-san." He said as he ushered her out of the door. She smiled and held a hand up in farewell as she ran down the hall towards the stairs, "No running in the corridors!" he added as she turned the corner. Sighing he turned back to the large group of boys and the few girls that stood waiting outside his door.
Hmm…I know it's around here somewhere! Misao thought as she scanned the tall bookshelf reading the numbers on the side of the books quickly. Oh, no way! She cried inwardly as she looked up to the top shelf, which was well out of her reach. It was lunchtime and she needed to get an English Language book from the top shelf.
"Can I help you? This is a high school library, what are you doing here and why aren't you in school?" a cold voice asked in confusion. Misao jumped and turned to see a tall handsome man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He would intimidate anyone, but Misao was not going to let that insult go,
"Excuse me? Did you not take a look at my uniform? I happen to be sixteen! Don't assume I'm in junior high just because I look young, got it?" she snapped as she turned her back on him and looked up at the book she needed. Before he could reply she reached up and jumped, trying to get the book, but it was still out of reach. "Damn! Why couldn't I be normal and grow with everyone else?" she cursed aloud as she tried again to reach the book.
"Here, let me get it." The man said as he reached over her head and plucked the book easily from the shelf. He held it out to her and she took it, blushing brightly,
"Thank you." She said quietly as she looked down at the book,
"Not a problem. It's what I'm here for." He added, somehow unable to tear his eyes away from the young blue-eyed girl in front of him. Her hair was in a plait that reached her thighs and would have been a lot longer if it had been loose and her face was framed by thick black bangs. She looked young, and was obviously full of energy, but from certain angles she looked so much older and more mature. It was an interesting mixture of innocence and experience that he found exotic and attractive.
"So, why are you here? You're not wearing a uniform and you look a lot older than most of the guys here." She asked as she looked up at him, blushing slightly as she met his eyes,
"I'm the new assistant librarian, Shinomori Aoshi." He replied. Misao looked up at him and smiled innocently, her youth over shadowing her more mature elements, but as she looked at Aoshi with his tight fitting black trousers and white shirt that almost allowed her to see his muscles there was a flicker of want that was unbefitting of her childish demeanour and Aoshi found himself charmed by it.
"Oh, I'm Makimachi Misao. I just started here a few months ago; I guess you started pretty recently. I'm in here almost every lunchtime and today's the first time I've seen you here." She replied as she walked to the table closest to them and sat down, leaving the chair closest to Aoshi free as a silent invitation. Aoshi leaned on the table beside her and looked down as she flicked the book open.
"I started today in fact. I just got my masters in English." He added as he looked down at her.
"I'm kind of useless at English, I don't know why I took it, I just can't get the hang of it…if you've got a masters, why are you just an assistant librarian? You could become a teacher!" she added as she looked up at the young man beside her.
"I already am a teacher. I teach martial arts and sword skills at the local Dojo and I do tutoring as well." He replied. "This is just something for during the day when my students are busy in school." He added.
"I, uh, don't suppose you'd take on an extra English student would you?" she asked shyly, innocence written all over her.
"Of course. I can teach you after school and, if you're here as often as you say you are, I could sneak in a few extra classes at lunchtimes." He replied as he looked down at the grateful and enthusiastic girl. Misao looked up at Aoshi and pushed the book towards him, watching as he leaned down to her level, leaning on his folded arms. His expression had never changed the whole time they had been speaking. He seemed so cold and yet she was sure that beneath the surface she could see a warm person waiting to be found.
"I don't understand these phrases, they use the same word, but the punctuation makes it mean so many different things, I keep choosing the wrong one every time!" she said as he looked down.
"Alright, well, 'its' without punctuation means basically 'it belongs to' while 'it's' means 'it is' let's also look at country. 'Country' is just what it is, a country, and 'country's' means 'belongs to that country' but then we get more complicated. 'Countries' means more than one country and 'countries's' or more commonly 'countries'' means 'it belongs to that group of countries', do you follow?" Aoshi asked as he explained. Misao looked at him and nodded, "English grammar is often the most difficult to grasp." He said as the bell rang.
"Shall we sort out a time to meet again tomorrow?" she asked as she took the book to the checkout counter and Aoshi checked it out for her.
"Well, you could come over to mine tonight. I'm at the Dojo from five until seven, maybe you'd like to come along and put some of that energy to good use." He replied as she put the book in her bag.
"Oh, I'd love to! I used to fight and I still practice, but I didn't know anywhere that taught it around here until a few weeks ago. Do you mean the Dojo in the high street?" she asked quickly.
"Yes, hall three." He added as she swung her bag on to her shoulder, flicking her plait out behind her,
"It's a date." She replied as she hurried to the door and disappeared into the bustling crowd of students.