Flip-Flops
Chapter 1
"The Plan"
By JazzQuirk
"Kaoru, are you absolutely positive you want to go through with this?"
Kaoru dropped the last of her bags onto the sidewalk with the rest and slammed the trunk of the taxi shut. Then she turned to her cousin and gave her a familiar, exasperated look.
"Yes, Megumi, I'm sure. More than ever now that I'm actually here," she emphasized this by waving her hand towards the gate and the building that lay beyond. Megumi's elegant and done-up face contorted into a scowl unbefitting of her image, and Kaoru knew what was coming before she could start.
"This is ridiculous! There's no way you're coming out of this unscathed, and if you're parents knew what you were up to they'd smack you!"
Kaoru finished putting on her backpack while Megumi fumed about, what Kaoru could tell, were things she'd been dying to say.
"I can't believe you're going through with the half-brained plan, and all for an unsuccessful dojo and stupid, intimidating man!" her cousin growled. "How could you let that piece of scum talk you into risking your reputation like this?"
"First of all," Kaoru gripped the straps of her backpack to resist the urge of putting her hands on her hips in a signature move of the female, "don't call my father's dojo unsuccessful. Secondly," she said quickly to cut off her cousin's retort, "I know that man is stupid and I am not intimidated by him!"
"Then you're scared!" Megumi accused.
"I am not scared and you know it!"
The two girls stared at each other, unrelenting in their stances. This was an argument they had had plenty of times before, and neither was willing to back down – stubbornness was one of the very few traits passed down to them both from their grandparents. It wasn't until a young man carrying his own luggage, along with his parents, walked by that Kaoru finally pulled back.
She fought back the hurt building in her chest from Megumi's lack of support, and directed her gaze off to the side, "That man has power that I can't compete with, Megumi, and this may be the only chance I have to save what's mine. And don't try and tell me the dojo isn't important, because it is!" Kaoru snapped when Megumi opened her mouth for the second time.
Her older cousin must have finally conceded to the fact that she was going to go through with this because she bit back whatever snappy thing she was going to say next and closed her eyes in concentration. When she opened them again, her face was in a frown. "You're right, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know that dojo means more to you than you're life."
Kaoru craned her head back up to look into her cousin's eyes.
"And I know you're not scared, at least not of him, anyway."
Another small group of people passed by, making their way to the iron gates.
"But if anything were to happen to you…" This time it was Megumi who looked away, and she could not hold back what Kaoru had been able to.
Kaoru understood what Megumi could not finish and stepped in to hug her cousin with all her might. Megumi hugged back and let a lone tear drop onto Kaoru's ear. "I know Megumi, I know," Kaoru said, breaking away, still clutching her arms, "but I promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to me."
Megumi dabbed away the unshed tears still lingering in her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve.
"We're all we've got, and that's why it's more important than ever for me to fight for my home. I know you're doing the same for the clinic," Kaoru said.
"You can hardly say that my rigorous push through college is the same as you sneaking into an all-boy high school to learn kendo!" Megumi whispered fiercely.
Kaoru smiled lightly at the irony of their situations and Megumi seemed to lighten up a little at the idea, too. But Kaoru remained unyielding in her resolve to go through with this plan.
"Megumi, this is the best school in the country for kendo, and if I can study here, I have every shot of beating that guy in a match, winning that money and keeping the dojo."
"But–"
"And I know you can't understand why it has to be that way, but it just does. It's the fighter in me that makes it so."
Megumi gave her a skeptical look, and Kaoru couldn't help but laugh a little at her cousin's indignation with the idea.
Kaoru gave her a jolly pat on the shoulder and bent down to strap another bag over her shoulder, "It's okay, Megumi. You may never understand the ways of the warrior, but I'll never understand the ways of the intellectual, so we're even." Her cousin gave a small, understanding smile at this truth, and Kaoru flashed her prize winning grin.
Megumi stared at her younger cousin, and conflicting feelings flashed openly on her face. Finally, she gave the sigh of defeat, and began the habit of picking invisible lint off herself when she knew there was no point continuing, "Well, when you're right, you're right, I suppose." She cast another uncertain look onto the school before setting her stern eyes back onto Kaoru. "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle this?"
"Positive, as long as I have your trust and support."
Another long sigh and then Kaoru found herself in another suffocating hug. "Always," she heard her cousin say, and then she pulled away and got back into the cab. Kaoru could tell she was preparing to make a speedy get away, less she suddenly have a change of heart. The two girls looked at each other for the final time through the open window of the backseat of the cab.
"You call me immediately if anything happens, alright?" Megumi said sternly, her tough character falling back into place.
"Of course," Kaoru replied, knowing she would resort to that only in a dire emergency.
"And if any of those boys find out who you are or do anything they shouldn't, you have my permission to cause permanent damage."
"Couldn't stop me if they tried."
Kaoru picked up the rest of her luggage and gave a fleeting look to the last of her family. "'Bye, and tell Misao to behave herself."
She turned around after a nod and farewell from her cousin and headed toward the high, iron gates, listening momentarily to the sound of the cab driving away. She felt a large wave of relief wash over her at the knowledge that she could still depend on her cousin for support, even if Megumi whole-heartedly disagreed with her actions. But Kaoru had resolved to follow through with this whatever the cost, and there were many, she knew.
Marching through the gates, she took one last steady breath on her way to the front doors.
---
Once inside, Kaoru went straight to the front desk. She filled out the small amount of paper work waiting for her there, then grabbed her key and headed right for her dorm room. While she didn't want to appear unfriendly, she knew her first priorities were to get safely settled in and acquainted with her new surroundings.
She crammed into an elevator with handsome young guy and his father, who gave polite nods of greeting to her as she got in, and she returned the action. She set down one of her overstuffed duffle bags and hit the button for the fifth floor, her company headed for the fourth. Kaoru noticed the elevator was quite small and figured it was due the smallness of the school itself. It probably worked for the three-hundred some students on a regular basis, but it made move-in day a pain, for sure.
The student and his father got off on the fourth floor, and Kaoru soon departed onto the fifth. The hallway was long and doors lined both walls, before it turned left, continuing the corridor. Kaoru looked at the numbers placarded on the first door she came to, reading "501". Her room was 524, so she headed down for the end of the hall.
Kaoru noticed that her floor seemed to be less hectic than the fourth, but she thought that might just be due to the fact that first years were scheduled before the seconds, which was her grade level. As she passed other doors, though, she noticed that a few of them were open and she could hear (sometimes glimpse) people moving inside them. She skirted pass one door in particular that was just beginning to play loud music in celebration of the move-in.
As she reached the end of the hall, her large duffle bags weighing heavily on her arms, Kaoru spotted 524 on the door of the corner room – the one that faced opposite the elevator.
And it was open.
Kaoru had always known that the required dorm policy was going to be the toughest of all her challenges here at this school, but she had been hoping to at least get there first and hide some of her belongings. Her heart had sped up from nerves, the truth of what Megumi had been trying to say all this summer finally catching up with her, but she couldn't turn back now. She took another deep breath and put her shoulder to the door, hoping her roommate was a nice guy.
The door swung open with ease and Kaoru hobbled inside, laden with all her luggage. She spotted the made bed and the one beside it with folded blankets still on top and set her things down next to that one.
"Hi."
Kaoru paused in the middle of taking off the bag slung around her neck and looked to the corner from where the voice had spoken, her eyes landing immediately on bright, vibrant, red hair. She quickly moved to the smiling face beneath it and took in the first look of her new roommate.
"Hi," Kaoru said, flinching internally at the highness of her voice. She quietly tried to clear it a little.
The guy stepped forward towards her and Kaoru couldn't help but notice how good looking he was. He stuck out a hand to her as she dropped the bag to the floor.
"I'm Himura Kenshin," he said, in a confident, manly voice.
Kaoru quickly slid her backpack off and let it drop next to the other stuff on the floor, taking the outstretched hand in a firm grip. His surprisingly handsome face (and body, now that she took a moment to look) had thrown her off for a moment, but the sound of his deep voice had brought her back to the seriousness and reality of her situation. It was important for her to make a good – and convincing – first impression.
"Kamiya Kaoru, nice to meet you." Her voice was a lot better this time, though it could still only pass in the tenor range.
"Likewise," his smile widened, and she hoped it meant that he was pleased with her as a roommate.
They separated and Kenshin returned to the corner where a desk was placed against the wall. To its left was a tall, but slim, bookshelf, and another desk to the left of that, completely bare. Kaoru went to work on making her bed while Kenshin went back to setting up his computer.
"Are you new to Suzukawa this year?"
Kaoru looked up to where Kenshin stood in the corner but continued to tuck the corners of her bed sheet around the mattress. He was half facing her, back to the wall with the door, untangling some wires and looking at her expectantly.
"Yep," she replied, hoping light conversation wouldn't lead to unwanted questions. "You?"
"Been here the whole time," he said. "What school did you go to before this?"
"Omori. It's a public school," she explained when he didn't show signs of recognition.
"Ah, and how was that?" he asked, not looking at her anymore as he tried to work out a particularly messy knot.
"It was alright. Pretty much just like junior high, except with more work and bigger drama," Kaoru joked.
He didn't laugh. "Is public school anything like private school?"
Kaoru began unfolding the upper bed sheet, her heart beating less than calmly, "Dunno, never been to a private school before. Do you think it's different?"
"Can't say. Never been to a public school before," Kenshin said, finally getting all his wires free and setting them apart.
"You've been in private schools your whole life?" Kaoru said incredulously, caution and curiousness edging its way into her consciousness, putting her on alert as to who exactly her roommate was.
He laughed a little at this and she relaxed a tiny bit. "No. Actually, I was homeschooled."
Kaoru stopped what she was doing. "Really?"
He nodded, still smiling.
She began on the comforter, "Wow, I didn't think people did that anymore." The statement was half for herself, half for him. But Kaoru couldn't help thinking the idea that this little tidbit about her roommate might be beneficial when explaining some of her reflexive habits.
"So what made you transfer?" Kenshin continued, keeping the conversation going.
"Family issues," Kaoru replied, thinking that was the most honest response she could give to a question like that without getting more questions.
He seemed to understand because he didn't press the issue. Instead, he followed with, "Well, I hope you like it here. I know I'm glad to finally be b–"
Bang!
Kaoru jumped in shock as the door to the room flew open, and she thought she saw, out of the corner of her eye, that Kenshin jumped a little, too.
"Kenshin!"
Kaoru watched the man now standing in the doorway, body on the alert and ready to act if he made any more sudden movements, as he addressed her roommate with a knowing demeanor.
"How's it goin', man!" The tall brute strode into the room without waiting for invitation and went straight for Kenshin, smacking him on the back. The shorter man seemed to be used to the treatment and caught himself gracefully as he was thrown forward from the blow.
"It's goin' good, Sano, how about you?" Kenshin said back to, what Kaoru had deduced was, a well-known friend. His voice was still calm and she was glad that he hadn't risen to energy level of this new guy.
"Great! Can't say I'm happy about school startin' again already, but it's good to see everyone. Hey! You'll never guess who my roommate is," at this last remark, Sano's face took on a less than joyous look. Kenshin had barely raised his eyebrows in question before Sano answered, "Kamatari!"
At this, Kenshin promptly burst into laughter and Kaoru decided to leave the two to their inside joke and commence unpacking, settling herself on the floor in front of her first duffle bag.
"Stop laughing!" Sano bellowed.
"I'm s-sorry, Sano," Kenshin stammered out in an obvious attempt to quell his laughter, "it's just that Kamatari being your roommate is like putting a bar of soap in a puddle of mud." There was another bout of laughter and, this time, Sano joined in.
"Yeah, well, Kamatari hasn't even unpacked his bags yet in hopes that someone will change with him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."
Another round of chuckles ensued as Kaoru began putting clothes away in the empty dresser right next to her bed.
"By the way, where's your roommate?"
Though Kaoru had been trying to stay out of their reunion, she couldn't help poking her head up at the mention of the roommate. She decided she'd better get on her roomate's friend's good side instead of giving him the cold shoulder.
"Hello," she said, popping her head up from behind her bed, "I'm Kamiya Kaoru."
She watched with a small amount of apprehension as Sano came over to shake hands. She didn't bother applying a firm grip as he practically crushed hers in his, him apparently unawares.
"What's up? Sagara Sanosuke, at your service!"
Now that Kaoru was actually forced to look at him, she had the chance to take in his appearance in its entirety. He was tall, looming over her and Kenshin (who happened to be similar in height) by almost a whole foot, his long, spiky hair only added to the affect. His face had a charming sort of toughness to it, along with a healthy tan, and the button down shirt he wore had been left open so Kaoru could clearly see the rippling muscles of his abdomen. Even in his lean, lankiness, she knew instantly that this was a guy whose bad side she'd never want to be on.
She also felt a tiny prick of anxiousness at the thought that all the boys at Suzukawa High were good-looking.
"Hey, I've never seen you before, you new?"
"Uh, yeah," Kaoru answered uncertainly, hoping she wasn't about to become fresh meat.
"Then how about swapping rooms with me, eh?"
Kaoru's face dropped.
Sano seemed to pick up on her unease and sought to take advantage of it, "I'm mean, you've got no idea what kind of roommate Kenshin's going to be, but me? I can keep him in his place."
Kaoru highly doubted that last statement.
"Don't listen to him, Kaoru, he's just trying to worm his way out of being roommates with Kamatari," Kenshin piped in, pulling more things out of bag on his bed.
"Aww, come on, Kenshin. A pretty boy like Kamiya here would make a great roommate for Kamatari!"
Pretty boy?
"What makes you think I'd want to be roommates with you anyways?"
"Why not?" Sano looked offended.
Kenshin gave him a sympathetic smile, "Sano, you may be my best friend, but you're still a slob."
"Yeah, but at least you'd be understanding!"
"I doubt that."
Sano turned back to Kaoru, who had attempted to loose his attention by resuming unpacking.
"How about it, Kamiya, you feel like switchin'?"
Kaoru looked up into those hopeful eyes before turning to her own roommate for help. She was glad to see that he was shaking his head ardently and mouthing the word "no".
She turned back to Sano and stood up, smacking him on the shoulder, reminding herself to be callous and not sympathetic. "Sorry, but I think I'd rather see you suffer."
The mischievous smile Sano wore suddenly fell into a stupefied look, and Kaoru couldn't help but grin back at him. She heard Kenshin laughing behind him, and she headed over to her desk to begin setting up her own computer instead of waiting for a reply.
"Guess that's that, Sano," Kenshin said, still sniggering. "Better luck next time."
Sano scowled, but didn't have time to press the issue as a loud voice boomed in the hallway. "SANO! YOU GET BACK HERE AND TURN DOWN THIS PIECE OF SHIT STUFF YOU CALL MUSIC!"
Kaoru and Kenshin watched as Sano bolted out of the room shouting back, "Keep your panties on!" and telling Kenshin he'd see him at dinner, shutting the door behind him. The two looked from the door to each other, and burst into another fit of laughter.
With what Kaoru felt was her first real test over, Kaoru let out a deep sigh of relaxation. Her paranoia hadn't been put to rest yet, but after two successful introductions and a feeling of good vibes coursing through the room, Kaoru definitely felt a boost in her confidence. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard after all.