His Royal Geek-ness
By: BrokenSonnet32
Disclaimer: They are not mine.
Chapter 1: The Geek
Himura Kenshin felt some random object made a rather painful connection with his mass of red head. He looked down and realized that the random object was a small rubber ball. The redhead shook his head and picked the ball up.
"Hey! Hurry up!"
He looked out at his opened window and smiled at his childhood friend and neighbor – whose opened window was right across his own one. He mouthed that 'he'll be ready in a minute' and made to grab his bag, put his glasses back on and was soon out of his room and out of his house to meet with her.
"Mou! We're gonna be late if you keep going like that!" the raven-haired girl said, her hands crossed on her chest and her ocean blue eyes squinted.
"Sorry, 'bout that, Kaoru!" Kenshin sheepishly smiled, throwing the small rubber ball that she had thrown back at her. The girl – his childhood friend and neighbor, Kamiya Kaoru – caught it with ease and was soon walking beside him.
"Mou! Do I always have to throw this thing at you every morning?" Kaoru was saying as the two friends walk, "Honestly, what'll happen to you if I just suddenly disappear one day!"
Kenshin turned at her in shock, "But of course, you will not leave me, eh?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes and smacked him hard on the back of his head with her duffel bag, "Idiot! Why would I leave my bestfriend?!"
"I was just teasing you, hehe…" the redhead said, rubbing the sore spot on his head – already feeling a bump starting to grow at an alarming rate. He sighed.
Kaoru rolled her eyes again and soon grew silent. They stopped by a small clinic for a minute to wait for their other friend.
"Good morning, Kao-chan, Kenshin-kun…" the kind doctor, Takani Seiji, smiled and gestured for the two teenagers to take a seat. "Meg-chan is just finishing up. She's helping your sister in the kitchen."
"Oh… about my sister." Kaoru quickly said, worry apparent on her face. "I heard she got sick yesterday. Is she alright? Why is she already up and working in the kitchen?" she gave a sharp look at the doctor at her last question.
"Easy, Kao-chan…" Takani-sensei lifted two hands in defense, "She's alright, I tell you."
"That's good." Kaoru said with a sigh of relief, "'Coz if I hear that you're doing something bad to her, I'll pound you!" she said the threat good-humoredly, though Kenshin was quite sure that his best friend meant every word – she can be really overprotective when it comes to those she cares for.
"Easy, Kaoru… you're scaring Takani-sensei, that you are." Kenshin placed a hand on his best friend's arm and gave her a smile. The girl only rolled her eyes at him but he could've sworn that he caught a little pink tint on her cheeks.
"I mean your sister being sick is quite normal, I mean…" Takani-sensei said in a calm voice, making Kaoru's brows rise in confusion.
"We are quite lost. I'm sorry, doctor." Kenshin voiced the question on Kaoru's eyes and stared at the doctor's smiling face.
"Ooh! Baby sister!" a very beautiful woman with her long hair as black as Kaoru's and eyes of the same blue color, entered the room with Megumi in tow. Kenshin caught his friend scowling at her sister's chosen nickname.
"Mou! I'm not a baby anymore!" Kaoru pouted as she gave her sister a quick hug, "Don't call me that!"
"Isn't she a baby, Kenshin-kun?" the woman turned her ocean blue eyes to Kenshin in mirth.
"Well, she has some childish traits, I admit." the redhead answered making the woman jump with glee. Kaoru glared at him and mouthed 'traitor'. He only chuckled.
"Good morning, Ken-san." Megumi smiled at him as she soon stood by his side. "She's quite energetic today, don't you think? Did you give her some candy or something sweet?"
"Must be the breakfast." Kenshin shrugged, watching Kaoru talk animatedly with her sister.
"Ne, ne… Doctor, what do you mean my sister 'being sick is quite normal'?" Kaoru turned her head back to the quiet doctor.
"You still hasn't told my baby sister, dear?" Kaoru's sister turned to the doctor, her pout almost identical to that of her sister's.
"Ah… sorry, Kasumi-dear, I forgot." the doctor said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Ah…" Kasumi, Kaoru's sister, turned to Megumi instead, "Megumi-dear, can you tell my baby sister the good news instead. You're brother is kind of annoying at times, you know…" she said the last part with a playful smile at her husband's direction.
Megumi only shook her head and turned to Kaoru's curious face, "Well, it looks like the two of us is going to have a niece or nephew in the future." she said in a nonchalant tone. In her head, she counted from ten-to-one and smiled at Kaoru's outburst of glee.
"Really?! Really?! I'm going to be an auntie? Really?!" the raven-haired teenager turned from her sister to the doctor then back to her sister and started to jump around the place with glee. Kasumi giggled at Kaoru's antics while Kenshin and Seiji tried all their might to keep the clinic still intact with Kaoru's overexcited dance of happiness.
XXX
"Can you believe that?" Kaoru was saying over and over again to both Kenshin and Megumi. "I'm going to be an auntie!"
"For the hundredth time, please calm down." Megumi said, rubbing her throbbing temple as she watched the girl turn to Kenshin instead.
"Mou! Kenshin! Aren't you excited? My sister's going to have a baby!" Kaoru was practically hopping beside Kenshin. The redhead sweatdropped.
"Why everyone so excited?" someone said behind the three. Kenshin and Megumi turned to find their other friend, Sagara Sanosuke, walking not too far behind – eyeing Kaoru with his brows raised.
"What's up with her?" he asked, jerking his head at Kaoru's direction.
"You're not going to believe it! I'm going to be an auntie!" Kaoru jumped in front of Sano, much to the taller man's surprise. Kenshin and Megumi exchanged knowing looks before finally reaching to a mutual agreement to leave the excited girl to the unknowing Sano.
XXX
"Man! This is the hundredth time! And it's just for ten minutes now!" Kenshin heard Sano complain aloud not too far behind him – and he could almost see the taller man sending death glares at him.
"You think we should help him?" Kenshin turned to Megumi who only gave him a shrug.
"Nah… the rooster can handle it." Megumi said with a huge smile on her face, a pair of foxy ears popping out of her head. Kenshin only made a nervous chuckle.
"Man!" Sano finally caught up with the two and to Kenshin's surprise, Kaoru was still on about the 'soon-to-come baby'. The redhead fought the urge to laugh out loud as he saw the frantic look on his friend's usually cool ones.
"You have to help me with this!" Sano said, grabbing the shorter man by the arm. "She's driving me nuts."
"Oro?" Kenshin only blinked adding to his friend's mounting discomfort.
"Ohohoho… the rooster's scared of his little missy…" Megumi laughed, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. Sano gave her a glare.
"Mou! How dare you make fun of me!" Kaoru seems to have caught on the bits of their conversation and was already fuming, on her hand was a bokken she had whipped magically from out of nowhere.
"Mou! How dare you!" Kaoru made a swung her bokken at Sano's direction but the taller man easily avoided it by using Kenshin as an effective shield.
"Mou! You're hurting him!" Kaoru yelled, as her bokken collided with Kenshin's head – sending the redhead falling swirly-eyed on the ground.
"It's 'you' who've swung a bokken on him!" Sano retorted.
"You used him as a shield!" Kaoru retorted back, her face beet red.
Meanwhile, the fallen redhead was starting to regain consciousness. He pushed himself up from the ground and rubbed his head – feeling another bump forming. He shook his head as he watched his two friends arguing about whose fault was this and that.
"Good morning, Himura-san." the soft voice of someone said. Kenshin turned and suddenly lost his tongue.
"G-G-G-Good m-m-morning, Y-Yukishiro-d-dono…" Kenshin managed to stammer, mentally kicking himself for his inborne ability to embarrass himself at times like these.
"Did you manage to finish it?" the girl whose long dark hair danced with her every movement, smiled sweetly as the redhead dug through his schoolbag in search of one notebook.
"H-Here…" the redhead finally drew out a pink notebook from his bag and handed it to the girl with trembling hands.
"Thank you!" the girl smiled again, making breathing harder for Kenshin. He heard the girl excuse herself and watched dumbly as she walked away to join back her group of friends.
"Earth to Kenshin!"
The redhead blinked in surprise as Sano waved a hand in front of his face. Kenshin turned to find that Sano giving him one meaningful smile while Megumi frowned at him in the background.
"Oro?" Kenshin said, almost automatically.
"Man… you're spacing out!" Sano grinned at him, "Did you finally managed to ask her out?"
At the question the redhead turned beet red. He rubbed the back of his head nervously and started to sheepishly say, "Oro? What are you saying?"
"We're late!" Kaoru suddenly said, saving Kenshin from further interrogation from Sano. He mentally thanked her and sighed in relief as she led her way to their school building. Sano and Megumi only exchanged a shrug and followed suit.
XXX
At lunch break, one can always find Kenshin outside with what everyone would call as the 'loser's table', where the nerds seems to have the silent agreement to hang out everyday. Kenshin eyed the only vacant table – the one nearest the dumpster, with a sigh.
"Mou!" Kaoru frowned as she watched her bestfriend walked towards the last vacant spot in surprise. "You're not eating there!" she quickly said, stopping the redhead by grabbing onto the sleeves of his uniform.
"It's the only vacant table." Kenshin said, giving his friend a smile.
"Man… we can eat inside." Sano rolled his eyes.
"Well, I'm a nerd, remember?" Kenshin only shrugged and made his way towards the table. Kaoru, Sano and Megumi all shook their heads but soon followed.
"You don't have to eat with me, you know guys?" Kenshin said as he watched his friends placed their trays on the table. "I mean, you can always—"
"And leave you?" Kaoru rolled her eyes, "No way!"
"Besides, I don't like in there!" Sano jerked his thumb to where the 'popular kids' hang out. "There people kept ogling at you."
"Not at me, no." Kenshin shrugged.
"Mou! You think so lowly of yourself!" Kaoru pouted at him, "It's just so ridiculous sometimes!"
"Yes." Megumi nodded. "And besides, it's a free country, you go where you want to."
"Well… I'm—"
"Who died and made those morons the king of the universe?!" Kaoru rolled her eyes, "They kept calling us a bunch of 'losers' when they're the ones who should be called that way! I mean, what's so amazing about wearing skirts that shows your undies with every move?! Might as well take it off and walk around the place with nothing on!"
Megumi giggled at Kaoru's statement while Sano whistled. Kenshin only sighed.
"Uhm… excuse me…" somebody said and Kenshin need not look up to figure out whom the sweet voice belonged to.
Kaoru rolled her eyes and said before Kenshin could even form the perfect dialogue in his head, "What brings her might princess at this humble place?" the sarcastic hint on her voice never left Kenshin's keen ears. The redhead gave his best friend a frown.
"No one asked you, Kamiya-loser!" one of Yukishiro Tomoe's friends – the newcomers – said.
"Well, I'm not talking to you, stick-girl!" Kaoru replied mimicking her. The girl's face turned bright with anger.
Tomoe only stopped her friends with a look before turning back at Kenshin, "Anou, Himura-san, can I ask you for another favor? That is if you don't mind…"
Kenshin smiled dazedly as he watched her, "S-Sure… e-everything…" he said absentmindedly.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru said in frustration.
"I'm just really busy…" Tomoe said, handing a piece of paper at Kenshin, "We have cheering practice, you know? I really can't do it."
"Yeah… no problem." Kenshin nodded his head and watched as the girls walked away, laughing merrily.
"Mou! This is nuts!" Kaoru said aloud, snapping Kenshin back to reality. "You're so dumb!"
Kenshin blinked at his best friend, "Oro? What are you saying?"
Kaoru made a wild gesture with her hands and roughly pushed her half-eaten meal away, "I lost my appetite!" she said before walking off.
"I think… I better follow her." Megumi said quickly, "Just in case." with that, she soon disappeared with the ponytailed girl.
Kenshin turned his eyes instead to Sano who raised a hand and quickly said, "Don't ask me… I'm quite lost myself…"
XXX
Kaoru never talked to him the whole day after that. And when the school bell rang, she was one of those who had first left the classroom after their teacher. Kenshin sighed as he placed his things on his bag, still confused as to his best friend's sudden change of mood – just earlier in the morning she was overexcited over her sister's baby and now…
"I can't understand her." he spoke out loud without thinking as he, Megumi and Sano stopped by their lockers. "We're friend since forever but I still can't understand her." the redhead added, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
"Well… if you just tell Yukishiro off having you do her homework for her, Kaoru wouldn't be like that." Megumi said, surprising both Sano and Kenshin.
"Huh? She's letting you do her homework?!" Sano rounded on the redhead. Megumi nodded at him and crossed her arms.
"Well, she's busy!" Kenshin quickly defended.
"But you never do my homework when I have basketball practice! What kind of friend are you? Ouch!" Sano winced as Megumi smacked the back of his head with her hard-bound book.
"Why'd do that for!" Sano glared at Megumi.
"Idiot!" Megumi glared back at him and then turned to Kenshin, "Kaoru thinks that Yukishiro is just using you, don't you get it?"
"Of course not." Kenshin said in an affronted voice, "Yukishiro-dono will never do something like that. She's very busy because of all those cheerleading stuff and all. She can't do it, that's why I have to help her."
"I always have basketball practice but I never let the foxy do my homework!" Sano said proudly.
"Because you know I'll never do it, idiot!" Megumi said in a nonchalant voice. Sano gave her a sharp look.
"You think so lowly of me!"
"I do, thank you!"
"Well, thank you!" Sano glared at her and then turned to look away.
"The thing is Yukishiro-dono is not capable of doing that. I know she's a nice girl. She's not the type to use anyone for any purpose." Kenshin said firmly, though he wasn't really convinced with his statement himself.
"Hell yeah!" Megumi only rolled her eyes, "Fine… whatever."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Let's just go. I'm starving." Sano quickly interjected, "Why I'm hungry!" he said after seeing the disgusted look on Megumi's face.
"Let's eat… I'm kinda hungry as well." Kenshin said and the three made their way to the nearest restaurant.
XXX
"Good afternoon." the kind owner of 'The Akabeko' greeted as she led Kenshin and his friends to a vacant table. "Can I get your orders?"
"I'll have yakisoba!" Sano quickly said without even stopping to pick the menu. Megumi and Kenshin decided to just have the same. The owner, Sekihara Tae, called for a waiter and gave him their orders.
"I don't see Kaoru-chan around, where is she?" Tae asked. Megumi and Sano both turned to look at Kenshin.
"Oro? Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked quickly. Tae dismissed it with a knowing smile and excused herself from the group.
"It's not my fault." Kenshin said defensively.
"Whatever you say…" Megumi shrugged. Kenshin only shook his head.
"Oi… Oi… what do we have here?" a group of students from the other school said as they walked past Kenshin's table. The three frowned at them.
"Isn't it the great Sagara of Furinkan with his loser friends!" one of them said with a smirk. Kenshin recognized based from the uniform that the boys were from a rival school.
"Shut up!" Sano rolled his eyes, "Or are you just so upset that we beat you in the last practice game, huh?"
"We'll see about that, Sagara!" the same one said with a glare, "We'll beat you in the tournament!"
"Show it in the basketball court!" Sano smirked, "We'll see who has the last laugh."
"Loser!" the boys from Kainan left and Sano watched them with a huge smile.
"Losers…" the roosterhead shook his head and placed a toothpick on his mouth.
"Eew! That's so gross!" Megumi screwed her face at Sano's behavior and shook her head, "Cut it out!" she added, throwing a tissue paper at him.
Kenshin shook his head and stared at the TV screen as he waited for Sano and Megumi to stop their bickering. On air was one of those lovey-dovey soap operas that he and Sano had caught Kaoru watching with her sister when they dropped by the kind doctor's clinic one time. He smiled at the thought – Kaoru never stopped until he finally believed her that it was her sister that made her watch those 'dumb sappy drama shows… so gross!'.
"We interrupt this program for this breaking news…" the face of a famous news anchor suddenly appeared on-screen, making some customers groan in frustration. Even Megumi and Sano stopped fighting to see what the commotion is on about.
"Prince Hideki of Nakamura died of heart attack this afternoon." a picture of a man with auburn hair slightly faded, his face almost flawless if not for some few lines evidencing his age.
"Prince Hideki, age forty, was a bachelor and the last heir to the throne of Edo. Edo people of course are now worried for the fate of their empire – the big question is now, who's going to take the throne and lead the people of—"
"Wow… you mean no descendants?" Megumi blinked, "Isn't that a bit unfortunate?"
"Who knows…" Sano shrugged, "Maybe he has some illegitimate children or whatever. Those aristocrats always has this thing about—"
"You have such a perverted mind!" Megumi growled at Sano who only frowned at her.
"I'm not perverted!"
"Must be lucky…" Kenshin said to no one in particular. "You know… the one who's next in line… all of the sudden he's just there, prince of the whole empire or whatever… you can get everything you want," he shrugged as he faced Sano and Megumi, "…must be nice to be treated like a prince once in a while, don't you think?"
Sano only smiled – who knew where his imagination would take him; while Megumi only shrugged.
XXX
"Your girlfriend dropped by," his uncle said as Kenshin took his shoes off. The redhead frowned at his uncle's reference to his best friend as his girlfriend but pushed it off as he turned to his uncle dozing comfortably on the couch.
"Why?" he asked, wondering if she's still mad at him.
"How the heck would I know?" was the abrupt reply. "Just asked if you're already there and then left when I told her that you still hasn't come home from school." his uncle, Hiko Seijurou, turned to him, "Come to think of it, you two are almost inseparable. Something the matter?"
Kenshin quickly shook his head and made his way to his room.
"Why? Lover's Quarrel?" he heard his uncle chuckle from downstairs. Kenshin rolled his eyes and shut the door to his room close.
He turned to stare out of his window and noted that Kaoru's was covered in curtains, but he knew that she was still awake because her lights were still on. Placing his bag silently on his desk, he picked his walkie-talkie up and started to talk.
"Hey… I know you're still awake." he said, watching her window for any sign of movements. "I don't know if you're still mad at me." he stopped for a while and waited for a response, and he need not wait for too long as he saw her slim silhouette push her curtains open, and then her windows.
"Of course, I'm not mad at you." she said, her hands on her hips, "Why would I be?"
"Well, you're avoiding me the whole day. And you just left school without even waiting for me." Kenshin replied, pulling a chair near his window to sit.
"I just needed to see my sister, you know." Kaoru shrugged. "But anyway… I really don't have a reason to stay mad at you. I mean… you can do whatever you want, anyway. I'm just worried, that's all."
"So you were mad!" Kenshin said faking a hurt tone on his voice. He watched as Kaoru's face turn from embarrass to annoyed to confused to angry and a whole lot more before turning to frown at him.
"Mou!" she only said but smiled at him.
"You're smiling again. That means you're not mad anymore!" Kenshin smiled back.
"Baka! You're my best friend!" Kaoru said, and the redhead suddenly felt warm all over, "I can't stay mad at you for a long time and you seem to abuse that fact!" she playfully added.
"Of course not!" Kenshin chuckled. Kaoru giggled at him. The friends talked the whole night, while of course trying to finish their homework – and on Kenshin's part, Tomoe and her friend's homework – just like they do almost every night. If not for Kenshin's uncle and Kaoru's mother, the two wouldn't have noticed how late the night has been.
"Good night!" Kenshin said after being told off by his uncle.
"Well… sweet dreams…" Kaoru smiled at him, trying to stifle a yawn.
To be continued…