„Kenshin, you shouldn't let her sleep with you! You're not children anymore!" Seijuuro Mizuho warned her son, stepping in his room. it was early morning and she hadn't been surprised when she'd not found her second child in the room.

Another head popped up from behind the boy, confirming her belief.

"It's okay, mom, at least I know that Kaoru is safe." the still sleepy teenager boy smiled at his bedmate who returned it with a grin. Mizuho let it go.

"Get dressed or you'll be late!"

Kaoru climbed out of her brother's bed and made her way out with a last glance at Kenshin. Both of them appeared downstairs fifteen minutes later, prepared for school.

"Take care!" Seijuuro Hiko murmured after them, making his wife chuckle. He was not really parental material but every once in a while he surprised his family.

"Have I heard that right?" Kenshin turned to his sister in utter disbelief.

"Seems like that." She nodded.

"I guess miracles can happen!" Kenshin shrugged it off and led her towards their school.

Kaoru's face darkened with each step as they were nearing the dreadful building. Soon she'd have to part from her brother and deal with her classmates.

"We're almost there…" Kenshin sighed. He got along well with others but his friends didn't like Kaoru very much. They saw her as a princess who thought them unworthy to her attention. The only one whom she worshipped was her brother. She skipped classes whenever she pleased and didn't get any detention. All in all, she was an outcast, a mysterious one.

As soon as the siblings passed the gates, whispers hit their ears.

"…Ice-princess… she's crazy…lucky to have such a kind bother… best avoiding her…"

Kaoru only held her chin high and followed her brother. Kenshin heard the rumors and squeezing the girl's hand, he tried to comfort her.

"That's ok." She told him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yo, Kenshin! " One of the boy's classmates jumped beside the siblings. He didn't even greet the Princess.

"Sano…" the brother tried to warn his friend of his obvious rudeness but failed because Sano cut him off.

"What's with you, you didn't come yesterday!"

"I was busy." He had stayed with his sister instead but the others didn't need to know that. before Sano could've asked more, the boy turned to Kaoru. "I'll walk you to class!"



When people looked at the siblings, at first they thought them as a couple. The two didn't have any similar features and their behaviors were different as well. Kaoru looked like a normal Japanese girl with long black hair and short built. The Ice-princess nickname came from her color of her eyes. Instead of brown, she had dark blue orbs. On the other hand, Kenshin was more like a foreign guy. His locks were blood red and he kept it long, the end almost reached his butt. Just like his sister had her privileges at school, his was the ponytail. All of the male students had to keep their hair short. Strangely, they didn't have hard thoughts because of that and that was thanks to Kenshin' s kindness.

They were like fire and ice. And the reason for that was that they were not blood related. The children were both five years old when Hiko and Mizuho had married. Kenshin's mother had died in childbirth and Kaoru had lost her father in a car-accident.

Mizuho and Kaoru had taken up Seijuuro' s name after the marriage and ever since then, the younglings had cared for each other deeply. Surprisingly deeply.

The class was silent while the teacher was explaining some math to them. most of them kept up a good facade, as if paying attention but not Kaoru. There were some guys playing basketball at the ground and she recognized Kenshin among them. She watched him, not noticing that the teacher called her name.

" Seijuuro!" Finally she looked away from the window, ready to answer whatever was questioned but from the corner of her eyes she saw that the redhead was hit by the ball. Without a word she stood up, her chair fell backwards, and rushed out of the class.

" Seijuuro!" The teacher called again but she ignored the shout. Running down the stairs she pushed some freshmen from the way and headed for the ground. A few people were gathering around her brother but that didn't stop her.

"Don't touch him!" She cried at one girl and crouched down next to Kenshin. "Are you all right?"

The boy's eyes widened when he sensed her. "What are you doing here? You have class!"

"You are hurt." Was all she said and touched his fore head. A small bruise was forming next to his temple, nothing serious. Kaoru knew it.

"Seijuuro! "They heard a sharp voice and everybody turned their head towards it. Kaoru's teacher stood not too far from the group, fuming. Kenshin turned to his sister, a remorseful expression on his face." I'll go with you."

He let her help him up and the two followed the math teacher. At his questioning gaze, the red haired student grabbed Kaoru's hand. " I won't leave her alone."

Poor man left them alone, not liking the glare he had gotten. The boy seemed determined to go with his sister and it seemed that he couldn't do anything against him in this matter.

The principal wasn't surprised at the siblings' sight and motioned to the teacher to leave them alone. She was quite familiar with them and knew whom she was dealing with.



"I'm afraid, I have to call your parents this time. It's not the first time that something like this happened." She reached for the phone but Kenshin stopped her.

"I am responsible. Please don't tell them, it's not their fault and you know it!"

"I know that but Kaoru can't be handled and it's a huge problem. The other students complain a lot and sooner or later it would get out of hand." The woman explained it, looking at Kaoru. "I believe that you wouldn't want your sister to be beaten."

" I don't. They won't touch her." Kenshin sounded sure of that and the principal knew that it meant the end of the conversation. Again she looked at the girl.

"Please, in the future, refrain from running out on your teachers. You may leave, I won't tell your parents."

The Seijuuros walked out of the office and Kenshin led her to a silent corner of the school-ground."You have to stop, Kaoru. She was telling the truth, the others are getting madder at you day after day, even my friends. I can't stop them if they decide that they want revenge on you… think about that."

"I haven't done anything wrong. You're hurt and I was worried…" Kaoru was in tears and first, the boy wanted to comfort her but knew otherwise.

" Stop pretending, Kaoru…" He left her, not looking back. Had he done that, he would have rushed back to hug her, although he knew that the tears weren't real.

Later Kenshin was watering flowers in the school's garden, that day it was his task. Deep in thought, he didn't notice another person's approach and the next minute he was completely wet. Looking up, Yukishiro Tomoe stood in front of him, chuckling slightly at her own joke.

"You were daydreaming." She told him and dropped the tube. Stepping closer, she began unbuttoning the boy's shirt, all the way looking in his eyes.

Kenshin had a crush on Tomoe since months and the attraction seemed mutual so hesitantly he bent his head and brushed his mouth against hers. The girl responded and they quickly forgot where they were. When they parted, Tomoe chuckled and grabbed the panting redhead's hand.

"Come on, let's get you dried up!" She pulled him with her, and Kenshin followed, dumbfounded.

I had a nightmare. Usually I go to Kenshin after one so I do that now too. He is facing the door, sound asleep but that isn't what stops me. The expression on his face is one that I have never seen. A slight smile that he doesn't show me but for another person. Tomoe.

I hate when he talks to other people than me. He is mine and mine alone, I don't care what our classmates think about me. If he's with me, than nothing else matters but somehow I feel like we're 

drifting apart. I will lose him to Tomoe and it's creeping me out, makes me more insecure. Maybe I am really a psycho but he made me like that, it is his fault. When we were younger, he was the one who didn't let me out of his sight, I couldn't be friends with other children, couldn't sleep over because he would throw a tantrum. So is it wrong if I depend on him? Do what he has taught me to do? I don't know…

Tonight I won't sleep with him. Not because I don't want to but because I don't want to think that while he holds me, he is dreaming of another girl… I'll have my revenge. I will do what pains him most when he is miserable, even if I, myself, would be just as hurt from it. Sleep now brother…

The following morning, Kaoru was waiting for Kenshin but he was just sitting at the table in the kitchen, deep in thought.

"Kenshin, we should go…" She warned him and went to pull him up but he shrugged her hand off.

"Tomoe is coming with us, I'm waiting for her. You can go, we'll catch up." He suggested. Kaoru froze on the spot, looking in disbelief. Now she knew why that dreamy expression had been on his face yesterday. There was no way that she'd leave alone those two.

"I'm staying."

Just then the doorbell rang and Kenshin jumped up, a little too eagerly. "She's here. Let's go!"

The blue eyed girl didn't even greet the one standing at the doorway. She pushed past her and headed for the high school.

"She seems upset." Tomoe noted but there was no concern in her voice.

"She'll be fine. It's just one of her moody days. "Kenshin shrugged.

He had waited for Kaoru the night but she hadn't come. Now, it was her punishment and later there was coming more. That night he didn't plan sleeping at home, he'd already told his parents about it. Kaoru would just have to find it out later.

Reaching the gate, Kenshin quickly looked around for his sister but didn't see her so he guessed she had already gone to class. That left an opportunity and he turned to the girl standing next to him.

"I'll walk you to class."

"Thank you."

Now that was a strange sight. Seijuuro Kenshin always walked his sister to class and no other girl had that privilege besides her. It looked like, time's changed. And of course, new rumors were spread around quickly. Eventually, they reached the third person involved.