A/N: Wow! I'm very honored that people took the time to review this! It actually took a lot of guts for me to post it – I haven't posted any fanfiction of my own in over a year so it felt good to get some nice encouragement. I definitely love that buzz you get when someone sends you a compliment

This chapter is for you reviewers!

Disclaimer: Sigh I wish Kenshin was mine…but he's not.

Chapter Two

Let's just say that Kaoru was definitely not having a good start this summer. She tossed and turned for a few hours before falling into an uneasy sleep at three in the morning. Also, she ruined her breakfast and was left with no choice but to eat marmalade on burnt toast.

So when it came close to six o'clock, she regretted having walked into the Akabeko the day before.

"Urgh, couldn't she have made me start next week?" Kaoru mumbled out loud as she braided her hair into two plaits. She looked down at her clothes in disgust: for her uniform she had to wear a bohemian, black skirt and a clean, white shirt.

Kaoru tried spicing up her uniform by putting neon blue ribbons and a bow clip in her hair. Not being satisfied, she put on many mismatched bracelets on both her wrists and put on her oldest pair of black Converse.

Okay, I'm ready…

Not being able to find a parking spot also added to her list of "Things That Went Wrong Today". Growling and swearing under her breath, she slammed her car door shut and walked into the diner.

"Ah! Good timing, Kaoru. We just got a large wave of people and we need all hands on deck!" Tae said as soon as Kaoru walked through the door. Kaoru sighed when she saw the large number of people at the booths and stools.

"Oh! You need to meet your partner for your shift. Kenshin! Over here please!" Tae yelled across the restaurant. Kaoru face blanched at the sound of that name.

No…it can't be that Kenshin…can it?

Kaoru inwardly groaned when she saw a familiar redhead quickly walk up to Tae and herself. To Kaoru, it wasn't fair that she had to work with a mindless preppy jock. However, she couldn't deny that he was an extremely good-looking person.

That doesn't stop him from being a senseless popular jerk.

"Kaoru, this is Kenshin Himura. Kenshin, this is Kaoru Kamiya."

His bright amethyst orbs widened slightly in recognition and he merely pursed his lips. Kaoru tried not to glare at him and just nodded at him curtly. Tae looked between the two in confusion.

"Um…this might sound crazy, but do you know each other?"

What am I supposed to say? 'Yeah, we're of completely different crowds and mine has sworn to hate his for all of eternity?'

"Yeah, we go to the same school." Kenshin replied calmly, not revealing his feeling of reproach of her. He did a very good job hiding it because Tae's face lit up.

"That's great! So you'll be able to work more efficiently. Kenshin, just help Kaoru out tonight. Good luck!" She said to Kenshin before saying her last comment to Kaoru. When Tae left, she left Kenshin and Kaoru in an extremely awkward silence.

Kaoru shrugged her shoulders and said, "So, what should I do first?"

Kenshin gave Kaoru her assigned tables for the evening, and told her how long the cycle of going from table to table should be. However, while listening to him, she criticized every part of him.

She hated the white polo shirt that fit him snugly; which had their school name and "Varsity Soccer" on the left side. She also hated his black, most likely designer jeans. It was then she caught sight of them:

His shoes, which also happened to be hers as well: Converse.

As Kaoru was giving table six their meals, she continued to gape at his feet from across the diner.

I can't believe him!

"Enjoy your meals!" Kaoru said cheerfully before turning on her heal and sending a quick glare in Kenshin's direction.

"Is everything okay?" She asked one couple sitting in a secluded booth. They both nodded and smiled at her. Kaoru smiled in return and was about to head back into the kitchen until she heard a man speak out loudly.

"Hey! Waiter! Could I have some water?! I've been waiting for nearly ten minutes!" Kaoru craned her head and saw another jock from her school: Chou Sawagejou.

She stalked over to him and retorted, "Do you have any manners?" Chou chuckled under his breath which annoyed Kaoru.

"Well, I have been waiting."

"Oh, poor baby. Haven't you thought of waiting for your own waiter? Now, if you'll excuse me I have more important people to attend to." Kaoru spat. Chou, however, grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"Now, now, that's not very good service! I think I might just complain to the manager! That wouldn't look good – getting fired on the first night." Kaoru growled and ripped out of his grip.

"Chou, leave her alone. You're not the only person here." Kenshin said from behind Kaoru, scaring her. Chou leaned back in his chair.

"Aw, I was just teasing her. So, you wanna hang out after your shift's done?" Chou asked, completely ignoring Kaoru.

"Nah, I'm totally wiped from soccer. Speaking of which, you skipped practice."

"Yeah, well I had – do you mind Kamiya?" Chou said, giving her a pointed look. Kaoru's face flushed a bit before she gave him a glare.

"Of course, broom head." Kaoru said sweetly before turning on her heal. She could've sworn she heard Kenshin laugh as she turned her attention to a family of five that recently came in.

Kaoru continued to take orders, hand out food, and clear plates for over three hours. Feeling extremely exhausted she collapsed onto one of the stools at the bar area.

"Ah, I remember my first day being a waitress. Don't worry, it'll get easier." Tsubame said from behind the counter. Kaoru looked at her and smiled.

"I hope so – maybe I should wear my less worn-out shoes tomorrow." Kaoru replied, looking down at her shoes. Tsubame laughed.

"Yeah, definitely having shoes with support helps. So, do you like working here?"

"Yeah, I only went to this diner a few times in the past, but I always liked it."

"Erm, excuse me? Could we have refills of our Cokes?" Kaoru heard someone from table three ask. She sighed as she got up from the stool.

"Of course," Kaoru took the empty glasses and went behind the counter that Tsubame left unoccupied. However, Kaoru wasn't alone for long because Kenshin soon joined her to refill his own set of glasses.

"Are you doing Coke, too?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru nodded, pushing the button and watching the Coke fill the glass. As she filled the glasses, she looked down at his shoes every once in a while. Kenshin looked at her with a puzzled look before following where her eyes were traveling. He soon realized that she was looking at his shoes. He also noticed that they were wearing the same color of the same shoes.

"Ah, I get it." Kenshin said, taking the spout from Kaoru's hands. Kaoru looked down at the glass and saw that it was about to overflow.

"Get what? That we're the same species? Or that you're a –"

"You don't like that I'm wearing Converse." Kaoru felt her face heat up when he actually said her thought out loud. It suddenly seemed very childish.

"You should give the customers their drinks before they get flat." Kenshin said, referring to the sodas. Kaoru wordlessly left the counter with the now-full glasses.

For the rest of the hour she mindlessly checked on the decreasing number of customers until there were only a few scattered people. She closed her eyes as she laid her back against the counter once more.

"Why?" Kenshin's voice interrupted her resting time. Kaoru looked straight into his eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"I mean…why does it piss you off that I'm wearing them?" Kaoru sighed as she thought for a moment.

"Because Converse used to be an expression of individuality, but now it's painfully obvous that they are now an overused fad." Kaoru stated, mindlessly passing the salt shaker in between her hands. Kenshin watched as the salt shaker went left to right against her hands.

"I'm wearing them because I actually like them, not just because everyone here has a pair and I want to be just like them." Kaoru snorted.

Yeah, right.

"I'm sure." Kaoru didn't look up as she eyed the shaker. Kenshin took off his apron and hung it on a hook.

"Our shift is over. You can go home now." He merely said before walking out the front door. Kaoru made a face at his back before following him.

When Kaoru and Kenshin's cars pulled out at the same time, she glared at him as if daring him to go first. Kenshin gave an amused smile before pulling back into his spot.

Feeling triumphant Kaoru sped out of the parking lot and drove down the main road. What she was not expecting, however, was Kenshin to be behind her. It didn't bother her for a while since she assumed that they merely live in the same section of town.

She did get confused when she took a left down her street with Kenshin still behind her. Kaoru looked into her mirror and saw Kenshin look back at her in the same confused expression.

When Kaoru pulled into her driveway, she expected Kenshin to keep driving past. That was not the case, however. He pulled into the driveway of the house across the street from her. Kaoru gaped as she slammed the front door shut.

"YOU LIVE HERE?!"

A/N: …how many of you saw that coming? I think this is a tad bit longe, but I thought this would be a decent place to end. So did anyone notice Kenshin's one-second appearance in the first chapter?

Thinking that it would be the perfect opportunity to stay out of the house for most of the day, Kaoru crossed the street and entered the diner just as a redhead exited.

I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, I just thought I was rather clever haha.

I don't think I will be posting chapter three until after Thanksgiving (just as a little warning).

Please review! It makes me very happy!!

MissGoalie