Do You Believe In Me?
22-year-old Takani Megumi begins her teaching career with high hopes, ready to step out into the world. Little does she know the world plans to sweep her off her feet, in the form of her slipshod 19-year old student, Sagara Sanosuke! Having a tough home life, and failing nearly every one of his classes, without any reliable friends or family; Sanosuke finds himself hopelessly infatuated with Megumi, his new biology teacher. When Megumi offers to personally tutor him, Sano's life is turned upside down in the hands of the foxy lady!
Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, Sanosuke would have NOT went to China; and instead would have confessed his undying love for Takani Megumi, swept her off her feet, moved to some neat pad by the sea, and as a married couple had two children named Hisoki and Seiko and lived happily ever after. So, I WISH I owned Rurouni Kenshin. I don't own any of the songs in this fic, either!
Chapter One: The Turn of My Tide
I can't believe I'm finally doing this, she thought, studying the building she was approaching anxiously. According to her watch, it was 6:32 AM. Megumi was required to be at the school by at least seven to prepare for class.
Excitement bubbled up inside her stomach as Megumi fidgeted nervously, gazing at the school in apprehension. She had to be calm for her first day; she wouldn't allow the potential beasts at the boy's high school to take advantage of her nerves. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, cocking her head slightly so that her thick, shimmering locks of raven slunk to one side.
I hope it's as nice as it looks, Megumi thought, smiling a little. Teaching a bunch of teenaged boys biology sounded rather frightening at first thought; but then again, challenges and meeting them were what life was about.
Glancing at her watch once more, Megumi decided she'd better get inside. Standing around and gawking at the school wouldn't get her inside… Smiling and securing her bag over her shoulder, Megumi took a deep breath and began the short walk from the sidewalk to the academy.
-
"C'mon, Sanosuke! I'm getting picked up by Misao today, and Dad said if you skip another day of school he's gonna get you a truancy officer!"
With an uncaring yawn, the dozing boy entangled in worn blankets rolled over, completely unaware of the younger boy shouting at him from his bedside. The younger brother glowered at his sleeping elder, wondering just what would wake this nincompoop from his stubborn slumber.
"I warn you! Get up, you fag!" Didn't work. Sanosuke simply let out a soft snore in reply to the lame insult.
Poor Sagara Yahiko grit his teeth. He was afraid to touch his brother in fear of being punched, elbowed, bitten, or thrown into a wall; all of which had occurred before when Yahiko had attempted to physically rouse his elder brother from sleep.
On the verge of giving up, Yahiko picked up a CD he had borrowed from his friend Misao and placed it in a nearby CD player, cranking up the volume high enough for it to soundly pass through even a deceased bat's ears. Skipping tracks until it reached the seventh, Yahiko waited patiently for a few seconds, awaiting the song to begin.
Maia hii! Maia huu!
Maia haa! Maia ha ha!
Sanosuke twitched, drawing up the covers over his head to block out the agitating noise, to no avail. Yahiko waited, his arms folded, as the chorus repeated itself a few times before a deeper voice took over.
Alo, Salut sunt eu un haiduc
Si tea rog iubiera mea primeste fericirea
Alo, Alo, sunt eu Picasso
Tiam dat beep, su sunt vionic dar sa stii nu ti cer nimic
Sanosuke growled in warning. Cheerful, Romanian men singing about Picasso and cell phones weren't too welcome at 6:32 in the morning. Yahiko, meanwhile, passed the time by sorting through Sanosuke's own CDs and putting a few in his jacket to listen to later on his own accord. He comically tapped his shoe against the floor as the chorus began, knowing what agitation it brought to his sibling.
Vrei sa pleci dar numa numa iei!
Numa numa iei! Numa numa numa iei!
Chipul tau se dragostea din tei mi amintesc de ochii tei.
Yahiko's serene appearance was ruined when, quite suddenly, he was pounded in the face by a Dragon Ball Z pillow, the attack someplace between a punch and a slap.
Vrei sa pleci dar numa numa iei!
Numa numa iei! Numa numa numa iei!
Chipul tau se dragostea din tei mi amintesc de ochii tei.
"Turn. It. Off." came the deadly request, as a mass of ruffled, spiky brunette hair and a pair of completely fuming chocolate eyes appeared from beneath the rumpled blankets.
Insolently Yahiko smirked, deciding not to wage war against his brother for the pillow blow; for instead, he started singing along. "Numa numa iei! Numa numa iei!"
"Damnit! Get out, and take your gay music with you!" Sanosuke yowled, threatening to get out of bed, but instead falling out and taking all of his bed sheets with him. He ended up as a tangled mess of arms, legs, pillows, sheets, blankets, and wild hair upon the floor, cussing angrily.
"At least you're up," Yahiko remarked dryly, removing the beastly CD from the player. Spinning it around on his pointer finger, Yahiko left the room, chuckling and mumbling, "Heh, heh…I'll have to thank Misao for this CD later…"
-
Grumbling and growling to himself, Sanosuke took a sip of coffee as he grudgingly as he stepped off the bullet train, dragging himself to school. Being an eighteen-year-old delinquent was not as easy and as carefree as most people would think. Not two years ago, Sanosuke's parents had agreed to divorce; but before the papers could even be officially signed, his mother had gotten into a car accident, and died in the hospital due to critical wounds.
That was when Yahiko, Sanosuke's younger brother, had begun acting eccentric and snotty; as though in order to maintain his sanity he had to stand out and make himself known. Whatever wrong Yahiko made, it was Sanosuke who had to take responsibility. Yahiko got a bad grade? It was Sanosuke's fault for not helping him with his homework, even though Sanosuke barely could do his own. Yahiko got a detention? It was Sanosuke's fault for not setting a better example. Yahiko broke a vase? It was Sanosuke's fault because he was supposed to watch Yahiko every minute to make sure he was behaving correctly like a dominatrix with Obsessive-Compulsive disorder.
On top of that unfair treatment that many can attest to, the teachers at his high school despised him. Hated him. They purposely humiliated him in class, gave him detention for every little thing, spoke rudely to him, and assigned him extra assignments every once in a while in place for a detention, and then gave him one anyways when Sanosuke couldn't turn it in complete on time due to the overload of homework.
Sanosuke had developed a bad temper due to his home life, and his patience had thinned to such an extent that he'd get fresh with any adult who made light of him. This got him into trouble at school, too; and of course Sanosuke's father didn't take too much of a liking to that.
He had been a good kid. Sanosuke used to get good grades, and was a normal boy as far as behavior went; a detention everyone once in a while was never festered by his parents, who had seemed to be living happily together before Sanosuke's senior year. Then the fights began, money became tight, and every mistake or careless remark made by Sanosuke or Yahiko would be magnified into something worse than what had really been said or done.
It was confusing. Why couldn't his instructors just accept that he was a young man with some stress on his hands; and instead of being horrible to him, maybe take an easy on him? Just a little? Heck, even the counselor that Sanosuke had tried out treated him like a two-year old with some sort of mental deformity.
So, Sanosuke had decided; if the world wanted to put him in Hell, he'd put Hell into the world.
With a miserable sigh, Sanosuke frowned in frustration as he downed the last of his bitter drink. Half manually, and half by kicking it, Sanosuke opened the door to his school, disappearing into the building; masking his tired, drained life with a mischievous grin.
-
He was blushing. Feeling that fiery, crimson feeling flare over his face like some sort of burning skin disease—yes, Sanosuke knew it. He was blushing, but he ignored the fact as he grinned roguishly at the newly hired biology teacher quietly writing something down on a stack of papers upon her desk.
She was…was…Sanosuke couldn't feel right calling her hot; her shocking elegance and loveliness were beyond that. She was beautiful! Her long, shiny raven hair was tied back loosely, a few sleek strands sliding down her face. Her reddish-brown eyes flickered behind her long, black eyelashes, and her perfectly painted lips twisted every few moments in concentration. Her long neck, perfectly shaped shoulders, tiny frame, and reasonable height glared out like headlights in Sanosuke's eyes, and absentmindedly he found himself mimicking the movements the lady made with her mouth, biting her bottom lip and then rubbing both the tip and bottom together once or twice, only to resume to a focused line.
Once Sanosuke realized what he was doing, he stopped suddenly and hid his embarrassment by fretting inside, his brown eyes flicking everywhere to check to see if anyone had seen.
Trying to maintain his mask, trying to maintain his carefree attitude, Sanosuke reclined in his desk, balancing his pencil on his nose and concentrating on making it stand upright. He felt weird. What the Hell, he thought, scowling inside. I have a crappy morning, as usual, and then all of a damned sudden a knockout becomes my biology teacher? I'll be lucky if I get through class without making a pass at her, or something.
Letting his eyes glide over to focus on the oblivious instructor's face, Sanosuke thought, Wonder how old she is. She can't be THAT old, she ain't got no wrinkles or anything like that…then what's she doing, being a teacher and all? Aren't teachers supposed to be old angsty people who preach about wearing matching socks and taking your vitamin C?
The bell rang, and Sanosuke jumped, causing the pencil to topple from his nose and to the floor. Leaning over to pick it up with agitation, he glanced over to hear someone nearby snickering.
"Jumpy today, are we?" teased the boy sitting behind Sanosuke. He was skinny and obnoxious-looking, and had a funny accent that put a sadistic grin on Sanosuke's lips. The kid's wild blonde hair jutted up nice and broom-like, and Sanosuke felt the urge to stand the prick on his head and literally sweep the floor with him.
"I got reason to, Chou, with a creep like you sittin' behind me." Sanosuke growled, turning about in his seat to sit lazily at his desk, awaiting the teacher to begin.
The lovely woman stood, revealing her elegance concerning movement as well. Sanosuke didn't know what was wrong with him—he had never gone after the pretty, princess-ish types with the looks of a goddess. But something about her—maybe it was the dangerous glint in her eyes—made Sanosuke wonder. But who in the heck seriously accepted the idea of a student falling for his teacher, and on the very first day? This was insane.
It wasn't only her face and torso that made Sanosuke stare. Her long legs, covered in loose, slinky black slacks were decent and teacher-like, but they seemed perfectly stimulating on this lady. The teacher smiled at the now quiet classroom, an expression that was perfectly friendly. That made Sanosuke wonder if she was really that nice on the inside, too.
"You've already been informed that I would be coming here to teach," she said, and Sanosuke almost wanted to laugh aloud at the irony—she had a great voice, too! The world and its surprises were beginning to scare him.
Leaning back to whisper to Chou, Sanosuke asked, "We have?"
"Yah, you moron," the latter hissed, "you fell asleep in class when we were told."
Ah. Figures, Sanosuke thought, straightening up to some extent to listen to what the woman was saying now.
"My name is Takani Megumi, but you can call me Takani-sensei, or Miss Takani," continued she. Hah! Though Sanosuke, grinning. She's even got a prissy name. What's wrong with me? On top of being a teacher, she's MY teacher, and no doubt she was a nerd in school…maybe even a geek…kinda pretty t'be a geek, though… yeah, she was a nerd.
"Sagara Sanosuke."
He blinked—that woman had just called his name! Oh God, what did I do? I'm breathing! What's wrong with that! "Satan made me do it," Sanosuke growled, giving the woman a seamless devil-may-care sneer.
To his surprise, she laughed. And then it hit Sanosuke, by the way she held a clipboard and a pen, that Miss Takani was actually taking role and had simply called out his name. Checking his name off to signify his presence, Megumi said, "I can guess what kind of kid you are…"
A pretty weird one, to be attracted to you, Sanosuke thought snidely, gritting his teeth. While Miss Takani finished taking role, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of gum, pulling out a piece and placing it in his mouth with expertise stealth.
"Hey," whispered Chou, poking him in the back. "Can I have some?"
"Hope ya choke on it," muttered Sanosuke, but handed the blonde a stick of the chewing gum. Sanosuke turned his eyes back to the teacher, watching in fascination of how she handled the class so easily on her first day. Somehow, he'd have to disrupt that confidence; he wouldn't have anyone thinking he was under their control. Sanosuke was already under the prison of his family's talons, and he didn't need some teacher to play with him like a dog.
Suddenly, there was a light pressure on the back of his head, as something wet and sticky was pressed into his hair. Eyes wide with horror and rage, Sanosuke reached back frantically to find that Chou had in fact stuck his gum in his hair!
Furiously ripping out the piece of chewing gum, Sanosuke turned violently around in his seat—attracting the class's attention quite easily—snarling, "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DAMNED PROBLEM?"
Silence. Sweet, shocked silence. Even after a year of Sanosuke's unpredictable temper, his classmates had never quite gotten used to his outbursts; nor had it occurred to them that they'd have to face his wrath if they ticked him off. Blinking slowly, making sure the traumatized Chou saw felt every entwined fiber of rage reflecting in his narrowed chocolate eyes, Sanosuke then twisted around in his seat when he heard soft footsteps approaching from behind.
Miss Takani stood there, her arms folded, a sleek eyebrow raised at him in disapproval. Sanosuke glared up at her with a bold look in his eye, daring her to challenge him. No teacher could ever win a verbal sparring mach with Sagara; his arguments always resulted in abrupt detention or some such thing.
"Do you—" Pointing at him firmly, she continued in a stern tone, "—have a problem?"
Smirking gleefully, Sanosuke replied, "Why, yes, I do—in fact I have many problems, but I ain't about to share 'em with you."
"Then why don't you keep your problems out of everyone else's business, and try to act like a real human being, instead of shrieking like a monkey with a brain fracture?"
The class smirked, and Sanosuke blinked in shock at the pretty teacher glaring down at him. Not only did she look out of place, she acted out of place—since when were teachers actually witty, equipped with sufficient sarcasm?
"Well, Miss Takani," Sanosuke said with a laid-back smile, "I'd rather act like a monkey than look like one; unfortunately, a lot of people around here chose differently." Let's see what she says to that.
A smiled quirked her scarlet lips. The room was quiet; everyone awaited the teacher's reaction. "Well, considering the options, I'd rather look like a monkey than what appears to be a piteous rooster sitting before me."
His jaw dropped—rooster? Good grief, where did she—oh. His hair. Amid the laughter in the class, Sanosuke rolled his eyes and snorted insolently. He was stuck; what to say? Folding his arms crossly, he reclined and refused to look at the triumphant woman, who turned on her heel back to her desk.
"Oh, and by the way," Miss Takani turned to give Sanosuke a pointed look, "that'll be a detention for chewing gum in class, too."
Sanosuke fumed in his seat, grudgingly watching as Miss Takani began class and requested that each person opened up to page two-hundred sixty four in their textbooks. I don't care if she's hot or not, he thought with agitation, I'm gonna show her that she can't play around with me like that.
He just wished his heart would stop pounding so loudly.
End of Chapter One.
MadiSano: Minna, moshi-moshi! (Hello, everyone!) :P I was viciously bitten by a plot bunny, which led me to write this story so the bite would stop itching. (scratches bunny teeth-marks) Special thanks to MissTeak, who helped me out on modern Japanese details and schools, not to mention to be the first person to know about and encourage me on this fiction! Thank you, MissTeak! Anyways, how am I doing so far? Not much has happened yet; but I'm afraid there's some angsty stuff in upcoming chapters, due to Sanosuke's home life. Here's a preview:
"What?" was his gruff reply, jamming his hands into his pockets.
"Sanosuke… I've checked up on your records, and I've noticed you're not doing so well concerning your grades." Megumi chose her words carefully, but nevertheless a hot blush spread across Sanosuke's face.
Great, she thinks I'm stupid, he worried. Why does she want to talk to me about that?
"And I was wondering, since you're obviously having a bit of trouble concentrating on your schoolwork," Megumi continued, "if you'd like me to personally tutor you on Fridays after school, every week."
End preview. :D I hope you've enjoyed this fic so far; I know it's a little sad...PLEASE review, it means a lot to me!