A/N: Okay this idea just popped in my head out of nowhere, and I thought of giving it a try. Depending on the amount of readers I might continue it.

Disclaimer: Hm…none of the characters are mine

A Bet Gone Wrong: Chapter One

'His beautiful red hair…gorgeous amethyst eyes' Kaoru scribbled on the corner of her notebook. She ignored the lecture of the sensei. ..Something about the Meiji era…Kaoru didn't really know and didn't really care. Instead her whole observation was on a boy sitting a few seats in front of her and rows away. His hair reminded Kaoru of fire in a candle that glows in the dark. 'Long passed his shoulders….' Kaoru's pencil trailed down the paper, the lines on her notebook took form of hair.

"Kamiya…"

'Oh…if only I could run my fingers-'

"KAMIYA-SAN!"

"Y-YES!" Kaoru jumped from her seat. Her knees bumped onto the edge of her desk causing the notebook to tumble off her desk. The notebook landed with a loud thud.

Kaoru gasped. She was shocked as the notebook landed with her drawing of him obvious to everyone in the room. The whole class burst into laughter, one of the male students reached over and took a hold of the notebook before Kaoru even had the chance to pick it up.

"Look! She drew a picture of Kenshin!" He tantalized.

"Sanosuke! Give it back!" Kaoru reached for her notebook, her face becoming red with embarrassment. Meanwhile, the other students continued to laugh and taunt her. She did her best to ignore them as she grabbed her book from the tall brunette.

"Alright, hold your laughter until later," The sensei named Hoji clapped his hands together to grab the students' attention.

The class fell quiet, though some continued to giggle.

"Now, Kamiya-san, please answer. When did the Meiji era first began?"

Kaoru chewed on her lip, she thought of the answer; at the same time she placed her notebook on the desk on a blank page. 'Meiji era…' Kaoru tried to remember. Hoji was waiting for the answer and all eyes were on her.

"Um…1872?" Kaoru answered unsure.

"Maybe you should spend less time daydreaming about Himura-san and more time on your history," Hoji scolded. Another burst of giggles spread through the crowd, Kaoru's face once again turned red. "The Meiji era began in the year 1868-"and the lecture continued.

Kaoru frowned. 'How embarrassing...and in front of Kenshin...'

OroOro

Kenshin glanced at Kaoru's direction for one quick second. He hadn't laughed when the others teased Kaoru about her crush on him. He already knew-the whole school knew -that the girl next door had her eyes on him. He didn't approve of others teasing the girl, but he also couldn't bring himself to say anything or get near her. She was odd…weird…some even said she was crazy, so he kept his distance, kept quiet.

The bell for lunch rang. Sanosuke, with his hands in his pocket, approached Kenshin's desk. "Yo, let's go," Sanosuke pointed to the door with his thumb.

Kenshin grabbed his bento. He and Sanosuke left the classroom, followed by a few female and male students. One of the females was a beautiful tall girl, taller than Kenshin. Her name was Megumi, Sanosuke's girlfriend. Other male students could only admire Megumi from a distance. Next to her was another beauty with dark brown hair that sometimes appeared purple when the light hit it. Her name was Yumi, although many were fond of Yumi, she was dating Shishio -another friend of Kenshin's. Then there was the student President Shinomori Aoshi. Aoshi, Sanosuke, and Kenshin were ranked one of the top ten male students in the school, nicknamed Princes by the girls. The girls idealized about dating at least one of them. Shishio, due to some burnt scars on his face, barely managed to score with the second beauty Yumi.

The whole group set on the roof in a circle near the edge. There was a fence built around to prevent any students from doing anything crazy.

"Man," Sanosuke chuckled. One of his hands rested on his knee cap and his other waved chopsticks into the air. "That Kamiya is still crushing on you."

Shishio and Yumi joined in the laugh.

"Sano, please," Kenshin groaned. "Let's not talk about her."

"I can't help it- r-remember-"Sanosuke burst into more laughter. He couldn't hold it back. "-When she asked you out in front of everyone?"

"I try to forget, that I do" Kenshin placed his hand under his chin.

"She is an idiot," Yumi said. She leaned against Shishio. "She should have known that Himura would not date a lunatic like her."

How could Kenshin forget?

.Flashback.

Middle school: It happened during free period. Kenshin had been preparing for one of his class projects, along with Sanosuke and the gang. There were other students, either talking or doing nothing, or like him working. He had been so busy trying to finish one part of the project that he had not noticed the odd girl that approached the group table.

"Um…Kenshin-sama"

Kenshin peeked up from his project. "Yes?"

"Um…I…I REALLY LIKE YOU, PLEASE DATE ME!" She said all at once.

The whole room fell silent.

Cicadas could be heard singing from a distance.

Kenshin tilted his head to one side. Who was this girl that suddenly asked him out? He eyed her up and down. She wasn't his type. Her hair was pulled into a braid; she wore glasses. Her sailor skirt was way too long and her blouse looked way too big to fit her small frame. She was fiddling with her fingers and her face was almost as red as her bow tie. Plus…

"I-I don't know you," Kenshin said instantly without a second thought.

.End of flashback.

Maybe he shouldn't have judged her by her appearance.

Kenshin sighed, she had improved slightly. Her glasses were long gone. She wore a more decent uniform, but ever since that outburst he couldn't come to terms with her. She was crazy. Of course he was used to countless girls asking him on a date, but it was dumb to ask him just on a whim. Besides he wasn't really fond of fangirls, they clung to him like glue and could be heck of annoying.

"Yo, Kenshin," Sanosuke waved his hand in front of Kenshin.

Kenshin blinked. "Oro?"

"What do you mean, 'oro'? Were you listening?"

"Y-yeah," Kenshin lied.

Sanosuke didn't believe it. "I'll pretend you did. Let's make a bet."

"A bet?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah, I dare you to date that crazy Kamiya for a few months."

"What?" Kenshin asked in disbelief. "S-sano, you aren't telling me to-to date her, are you?"

"No, I want to bet on it," Sanosuke answered. He crossed his arms to his chest and pointed a finger at Kenshin. "I bet you can't last a three months dating that girl."

"I'd give it less than a week, "Shishio said.

"Where did this come from?" Kenshin asked the two.

"Oh come on, I'm a bit bored. What do you say, ask that crazy Kamiya out," Sanosuke encouraged. "And if you last a few months I'll pay you back the money I owe."

"W-W-wai-"Kenshin tried to object.

"I'd give it less than a month," Shishio smirked.

"Y-you think I can't date someone like her?" Kenshin asked Shishio. "For even a month?"

"No, you like the silent type," Shishio smirked. He took a sip of the juice Yumi gave him. "Remember Tom-"

"Don't mention her," Kenshin placed his hand over his ears.

"A few months, Kenshin, a few months…if you lose I keep the money I owe you," Sanosuke dared.

Kenshin thought about the bet, though to make a bet on that Kamiya? He felt goosebumps form on his skin.

"Oh come now, Ken-san is not like you Rooster head," Megumi brushed a hair behind her ear. "Besides, what happens once the bet is over? The one who will end up hurt is Kamiya. She may be crazy-"

"Oh I would love to see that," Yumi interrupted. "Someone needs to place that girl in her place, don't you think, Himura-kun."

"Oro," Was all Kenshin managed to say.

"Oh come on, Kenshin," Sanosuke almost begged.

"Well Sano, how will I be certain you'll pay me back?" Kenshin asked, trying to find a loop hole out of this bet. Yes, he did think Kaoru was crazy, but he wasn't really fond of messing with a girl's emotions.

"I got a job, I will save up and pay you back," Sanosuke said reassuringly. "But only if you last at least three months dating crazy-Kamiya."

"All 50,000 yen?" Kenshin asked doubtingly.

"Yeah,"

Shishio smirked. "I will give you 10,000 yen if you even last a month."

There was a long pause. The others were waiting for Kenshin's answer. Kenshin sighed, it was only for three months. He could perhaps find a way to get crazy-Kamiya to not like him...hopefully.

"Fine," Kenshin agreed after a long pause.

OroOro

-to be continued

A/N: It has been almost a year since I last wrote any fanfiction. Truth be told my mind went blank and I didn't know what to write and I've been thinking for a while about my previous fanfictions. I am tempted to edit The Journey to A New Beginning. Yes, I did rush when writing that fanfiction and skipped a lot of parts. That was because... well... I was struggling with what to write, so consider the first one like a rough draft. I will fill in the holes, especially for Misao and Aoshi's relationship. There will be another fanfiction coming out when I figure out how to start it. For now this fanfiction is like a warm-up to refreshing my mind. It has a plot and everything and might actually be a short fanfiction. I apologize if my grammar is bad. English is a topic I struggle with. I'll be taking grammar class during the spring so hopefully I will improve. Mmm. I apologize if the characters are ooc.