A/N: '' Are being used to indicate thoughts. Please be aware other wise there are things that won't make sense and you will get confused.

Ive Payne Campus, Eastside

Friday, October 2001

11:37 pm

"Come on, Kaoru. We are already late. If we don't hurry, they will leave without us so hurry up will ya." The impatient voice of her younger brother floated back through the dark and grated on Kaoru's ears causing her to grit her teeth. 'Why did he have to be so darn irritating all of the time? Why couldn't he be more like... like... like a sister?'

"I am coming, Yahiko. Don't get your shorts twisted up in a knot. They are not going to leave without us. We are probably not the only ones still on their way... and we are not THAT late, for heaven's sake."

"How would YOU know? You never look at your watch... You never think about time or how long it takes to get someplace... If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't make it to school in the mornings."

"Shut-up, that's not true."

"Is so."

"It is not."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is, cause you sleep through your alarm all the time.'

"How would you know, you little squid?"

"Because I'm the one who turns it off for you, Stupid, and then I wake you up."

"Oh..."

"Told you so. So don't talk to me about us not being late or them not leaving us behind because you don't know anything about nothing."

"God... will you shut-up... you are not even making sense anymore."

"Whatever..."

"So, where is everybody, Sagara? You said you had a whole bunch of people who agreed to go with us, but I sure don't see anybody except you, me, Quii, Aoshi and Tomoe." The snide sneering voice of Ruakii Saitou could be heard easily as it ricocheted off the huge bolders that lined the small stream.

"Hey, will you keep it down, Ruakii. You want to bring Security down on us and get us all caught?"

"OOOOOOO... Is poor little Sanosuke Sagara scared of getting caughtby the nasty old Security Guards and put in detention? Ahhh, poor baby."

"Shut-up, you stupid jerk. If you want to get caught, go ahead, but you leave the rest of us out of it. All right?"

"Ewwwww, is that a threat, Sagara?"

"No, it's not a threat... Geez, what is it with you, Man? Are you trying to start a fight, or are you just..." Sano was interrupted by a husky feminine voice before he could finish what he was about to say.

"He has a defective socialization gene on his DNA helix." The smooth silky voice of Megumi Takani floated out of the darkness only moments before she and Misao Machimaki appeared. "You see, He was born an asshole, and there isn't anything he can do about it, is there, Precious?" Most everyone in the small circle knew that Ruakii and Megumi used to be a couple, but not everyone knew WHY they had broken up. THAT had remained a very closely guarded secret dispite the level of gossip that flew through the school. The only ones privey to that top secret information were the couple themselves, and Misao. No one else knew a thing.

"Oh, Megumi Dearest. How LOVELY it is to see you. I haven't seen you at the feeding trough lately, Darling. What dung heap have you been hiding yourself under these days?"

"Obviously not the same one as you, Darling." She blew him a kiss and then stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm sorry to say I haven't missed you since you've been gone. Hmmm, I wonder why?"

Ruakii glared at her, but said nothing. His younger sister, Quii, looked between the two older teens and walked away shaking her head in disgust. She stopped next to Tomoe Yukishiro and her boyfriend, Aoshi Shinomori, folded her arms across her chest, and looked at her brother in irritation.

"What?" He asked in frustration shrugging his shoulders. Quii just shook her head and rolled her eyes and then refused to look at him anymore. An angry frown creased Ruakii's young lean face as he felt both his sisters reproach of his actions and dismissal of his person. He hated it when she did this to him. I always made him feel like the biggest jerk in the world, and he could never figure out how she did that. Even their parents could not make him feel that rotten. Only Quii possessed that unique gift, and it drove him crazy that she had that much power over him. "Fine," He grumbled and walked over to stand alone by the stream. "Whatever."

Megumi watched him leave and a sad introspective look passed over her fine boned features as she dropped her eyes and became lost in her thoughts about Ruakii. Everything had ended so badly between them, but that did not make being intentionally cruel to him acceptable. She did not like the person she became when he was around.

Sanosuke had watched the exchange between the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend with some little enjoyment until he had seen the look that came over Megumi's face. His heart sank as he watched the sadness and guilt color her pretty face, and he could not help but feel like maybe she was still hung up on the guy.

Off to one side, Misao had been watching the little scene between Megumi and Ruakii unfold with a bitter taste in her mouth, but once Ruakii had walked away, she had noticed something else very intriguing. It appeared she was not the only one who was so interested in the exchange. The Rooster was standing there with a big grin on his face, that was until Megumi let her conscience get the better of her. She was not a mean spirited person by nature, and the attack on Ruakii had been an unnatural thing for her to do, but when she and Misao had found Ruakii snarling in the Rooster's face, Megumi had lost it.

As Misao watched the Rooster watching Megumi, she saw his face fall and he started to turn away from her. 'Whoa, big fella,' Misao thought as she darted through the semi-darkness. 'Don't you go off and leave her like that. She did that crap because of you, and you looked like you were really enjoying it... hmmmm'. She covered the ground between them quickly and reached out to grab a handful of his jacket sleeve.

"Hey, wait a minute," She whispered fiercely. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Weasel-girl? I'm trying to walk here, what does it look like I'm doing?""

"I didn't say 'doing' you bozo, I said 'going'... Geez, what a dork. Listen to me, Stupid... Megumi did all that chewing up on Ruakii for YOU, or didn't you notice that?"

"She did?" His face lit up like a big spot light, and Misao could not help but giggle a little bit. He really was just a big goof.

"Yes, she did. Now she feels bad 'cause she's not that kind of person. She doesn't go around being mean and nasty like that to people, she's just not like that."

"I know she's not."

"You do? How would you know what kind of person she is? You haven't so much as looked at her in two years."

"That is not true!" He exclaimed in shocked outrage. "I've have my eye on the Kitsune for a long time, but I... I never knew what to say to her." He finished lamely and looked away from Misao's surprised face.

"All you had to do was say 'Hello' you stupid goof."

"That's all? You have got to be kidding. She deserves a lot more than that... she deserves poetry and fancy talk... I'm just a dumb kid from the country... and I talk like one too."

"So what? She doesn't care..."

"She doesn't?" Big brown eyes searched Misao's animated features hopefully.

"No, she doesn't. So why don't you go over there and say something to her."

"Like what?" He looked horrified by the prospect.

"How should I know... Just say something." She gave him a rough shove in Megumi's direction, and watched him stumbled several steps before regaining his balance. He shot her an embarrassed glare, and then straightened his clothes. She saw him take a deep breath, put his hand over his heart for a second, and then he walked over to Megumi.

"You go, Rooster-boy. She's been waiting for you for a long time." Then Misao's bright blue-green eyes narrowed dangerously as she watched him nervouly start digging a hole in the grass with the toe of his overly big sneaker. "You better not hurt her, Rooster-head, or else you'll be dealing with me, and trust me, you don't want that to happen."

"Do you always stick your nose into other people business, Machimaki?"

Misao squeaked in surprise as she spun around and met the amused eyes of Kenshin Himura. A puff of pale smoke appeared around his face as he blew out the drag he had just taken off his cigarette, and then he stepped closer to her and she could see he was wearing a bland half smile on his handsome face. She had always had half a crush on the mysterious aloof red head ever since she had first laid eyes on him two years ago when she had enrolled in Ive Payne. He just had that ultra mega sex appeal magnetic draw for her that all the really bad-ass types did. She did not know what it was about his type, but the colder and more unobtainable they were, the more attracted she was. Of course, it did not help that he was gorgeous to boot and sexy as hell just to look at. Almost every girl in the school had fantasities about Kenshin Himura, but none of them had the guts to go for him, because of his past and the reason he was here in the first place. Nobody wanted to date a guy that had shot and killed some poor old man just so he could rob him. That was the story anyway, and the thought that he could have done that made her blood run cold. But it did not do a thing to stop her from having her odd nasty fantasy or two about him. After all, there was not another guy in the entire school that could even come close to his incredible looks. The guy was practically perfect, and Misao knew if he was not such a dangerous kid, she would have jumped his bones a long time ago.

"Hey, do you always sneak up on people, Himura?" She was not sure if the tremor in her voice was because he had startled her, or if it was because she had never actually been this close to him before.

"Depends," He shrugged noncomittally and took another drag off his slim cigarette without really looking at her.

"Depends?" She turned to face him in angry confusion. "Depends on WHAT? Whether or not you feel like just being a jerk, or if you are in real asshole mode?" 'Oh my God, did I just say that to HIM? I did! I really did! What the hell am I doing? I can't believe he's even talking to me.' Misao's confusion was quickly turning to panicked incredulty as the reality of having an actual conversation with the ever elusive Kenshin Himura dawned on her as well as the fact that she was being an absolute bitch to him.

"Whoa... calm down, girly." She watched him drop the cigarette butt to the ground and grind it out with his toe. "Are you always this fucking suspicious, or do you just save it all up for the special people?"

"Depends," She sneered trying to maintain her composure, and he started to laugh. Misao shivered beneath the black leather jacket she ware. 'God, that's a sexy sound.' She thought as gooseflesh raced across her skin.

"Ok, fair enough." He retorted in a deeply toned mocking voice. "I guess that one makes us even."

"Gee, I didn't know we were keeping score."

"Damn... Pull your claws back in, Kitty. I really don't feel like having a verbal war with you, Ok." Violet eyes narrowed as they raked her pale face angrily. "And just to set the record straight, Machimaki, I wasn't sneaking up on you. You were just to busy mooning over the Kitsune and the Rooster to even notice me. Not a very good habit to get into if you ask me." He snorted and spit on the grass then turned to walk away from her, but Misao was not quite finished, and, much to her own surprise, reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his black jacket stopping him.

"What? Mooning over them? What would you know about it, Himura. She's my BEST friend, and I don't want to see her get hurt again."

"That is NOT what I meant." He snapped irritably into her fuming face as he turned back to meet her glittering blue-green gaze furiously.

"Then WHAT DID YOU MEAN, EXACTLY?" She snarled not backing down from his violet amber glare. 'God but he's goreous.'

"What I MEANT,EXACTLY, MISS 'DO YOU ALWAYS JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS THAT FUCKING FAST' was, that it's not such a good habit to let yourself fall into allowing all of your senses to be completely occupied by one single thing at any given time. You can get yourself into trouble that way, so your should really try to be more careful and stay better attuned to your surroundings. Your a very pretty girl, so I SHOULD THINK it would be IN YOUR BEST INTEREST. I was NOT insinuating anything else, OK?."

Misao's mouth had dropped open and was now almost hanging to the ground in her state of shock. "Wha... What did you say? Did you sa.. say I was pretty?"

"Good Lord! Is THAT all you heard me say?" Kenshin looked into the now glassy blue-green crytals of Misao's eyes and swore in frustration. "No wonder you don't have a boyfriend, Machimaki... Yes. I did say you were pretty, but don't let it go to your head, Girly. You aren't my type." As a dark blush rose to stain her pale cheeks, and she clamped her mouth shut in obvious embarrassment, he favored her with a wan indulgent smile that had her going weak in the knees. Then with a sideways tilt of his head, and a wicked gleam in his eyes Kenshin continued in a mocking voice. "But, I am sure you are someones, Makimachi, so you really should be more careful about watching your back... especially when it gets dark out. Just a word of advice... take it or leave it."

"Ummm, Thanks," She looked away feeling the stinging heat of the blush burning her cheeks and was thankful for the darkness. "I'll try and remember that." 'I am the stupidest girl in the whole school...'

"Good. Oh, by the way," He leaned over closer to her so that his mouth was almost right next to her ear. "I do know a few things about looking out for your friends and not wanting them to get hurt, and I think the Kitsune is lucky to have you on her side. God only knows what you would do if somebody actually pissed you off. I'd hate to be the one who did it... I don't think I would be hanging around to find out what happened afterwards either. That I would not." A soft husky laugh wafted across the cool skin of her cheek, and Misao shivered at the sensation it and his proximity were causing inside her stomach.

"That is funny, Himura. I never would have pegged you for a chicken." Her voice was a little shakey, but Misao managed to pull off the jibe without too much trouble.

"Me?" He leaned back and placed both hands on his chest in mock self consideration. "Me a chicken?" Another deep laugh escaped him as he dropped his hands and shook his head in amusement. "It's not the fear of seeing you pissed off at me that would drive me away, Girly."

"NO... Then what would it be?" Misao assumed her best haughty girl pose and regarded him with an icy blue-green stare.

"I would not want to see you humiliate yourself when your pitiful act of seeming fierce retribution against me failed so miserably."

"God, you really are an arrogant asshole, aren't you?" 'But what a gorgeous asshole you are. Get a grip, Misoa. Get a grip!'

"Quite possibly." He mused in her incredulous face. "But you know I'm right. There is absolute nothing you could do to me that could in anyway be construed as viable retribution."

"And why not? You are just as human as the next guy... Aren't you?" Misao inflected just enough doubt into her voice to make the question sound almost honest, but the gleaming humor in her eyes gave her away easily.

"Me? Human? The jury is still out on that one; however, back to the original subject," His violet eyes filled with malicious amusement as he took a step closer to her. "Why could nothing you did to me be considered viable retribution? Because you are simply not smart enough, quick witted enough, or fast enough to keep up with me in any catagory and you know it... but you are welcome to try anytime."

"Why you... you.... your a... you... " Misao was so dumbfounded by his audacity that she found herself completely speechless, and that was a very foriegn feeling to her. She could not remember the last time she had found herself with nothing to say. It just did not ever happen. She always had something to say, especially when it came to a sarcastic or rude retort, but this gorgeous, infuriating, frustrating, arrogant... He had beaten her at her own game.

"Cat got your tongue, Misao?" A smug look of satisfaction curled his well shaped mouth and Misao felt her knee start to tremble. "I do not think I have ever seen you with out something to say before... My, my, my... Did I do that?" He took another step towards her and he was standing right next to her. Her heart began beating a frantic tune inside her chest as he leaned close enough to her for his breath to fan her pale cheek, and when he spoke to her, the words he said both shocked and confused her. For if she had believed him to be a frustrating puzzle of contradictions and questions before, he became even more so after he finished speaking.

"Never give up the fighting spirit in your soul, Misao." He whispered. "Never lose that fierceness that burns deep within your heart and mind. It will help keep you alive in this Godforsaken world for a long, long time. So, never give up the fight, not as long as you live, and you can do more than just survive from one day to the next. You can reach for anything you want... you can even reach for heaven if you want to, and you can have it too if you want it bad enough. You just have to hang on to the fight inside of your soul. Never give it up, Misao, and never, never give in." Then he pressed a very brief feather soft kiss against her cheek and walked away from her to lean up against one of the near by trees. Misao was frozen to the spot where he had left her, and could nothing but stare after his retreating form in total confusion. 'What the Hell?'

Just when she thought she had the stand-offish red-headed Senior figured out, he goes and does something that completely throws her off and she does not have a clue what to think about him now. Unpredictable. Out of character. Wierd.

"Ok, what is the big hold-up? Why aren't we going already?" Ruakii's voice was impatient and tinged with something else that made it sound slightly higher pitched than usual. "It's almost 11:45 already... Let's get going moving."

"Keep your pants on, Saitou." The slow almost monotone voice of Aoshi Shinomori was heard off to everyones left, and then he and Tomoe emerged from the darker shadows where they had obviously been making out. "It is not like we are on any sort of a time schedule or anything. So calm down. We are still waiting for the two new kids to show. Hey, Sagara?" He called softly in Sano's direction. "What are their names anyway?"

Sano looked totally confused as he turned in response to Aoshi's voice, and he just stood there with his mouth hanging open not making a sound. He had so much of his attention fixated on Megumi that he had all but forgotten about everyone else and the whole reason they were there.

"Uuuuu..."

"Their names are Kaoru and Yahiko." Strangely it was Kenshin who supplied the information.

"Oh yeah, I did not know you knew them, Himura." Aoshi raised a thin black eyebrow in Kenshin's direction as the two met eyes across the darkened space.

"I don't."

"But, you just..."

"I know their names, Shinomori. I never said I knew THEM."

"Ahhh, I get it now, sorry. All right, well we are still waiting for them to show, aren't we?"

"Yes. I am sure they will be here. Sano said the brother is quite a bragger about school."

"Oh really? About what?"

"Most everything it would appear, but most recently about not being afraid of anything." Kenshin shared a sardonic smile with Aoshi as they considered the stupidity of the 13 year old mind. "SO, I am fairly certain they WILL be here."

"Most definitely. We will wait." Aoshi shot a meaningful glance at the smoldering Ruakii as he drapped an arm around the ever quiet Tomoe's shoulders.

"Great. Just great. God must hate me." Ruakii muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes in irritation. "How in the hell did I get stuck with the worlds biggest jack-ass and it's two biggest asshole phylosophers all in the same night?"

"Like you said, Ruakii. God hates you." Kenshin's voice was full of mocking amusement and Aoshi could be heard chuckling softely in appreciation.

"Fuck-you, Himura." Ruakii growled in response as he glared in Kenshin's direction.

"Sorry, Ruakii, but your not my type. I like girls." Sano burst into howling raucous guffaws that had to be smothered behind his and Megumi's hands before they threatened to expose everyone to Security.

"It's going to be a long night..." Megumi mumbled under her breath as Misao came to stand next to her. She was quickly followed by Quii, who seemed to be wearing a permanent look of scathing disapproval meant just for her brother.

"He's such a prick."

"Quii!" Misao chided her fiercely. "He's your brother. Your supposed to stand-up for him."

"Oh please. Give me a break. If he was your brother, would you?"

"Ummm, well... Ok, so you've got a point, but you need to watch your language anyway. You should not say shit like that. It's not lady-like."

"Coming from you, that's a REAL piece of advice, Misao."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I wonder?" Quii rolled her eyes and Megumi tried to hide a giggle behind the back of her hand.

"Megumi?" Misao squealed in protest. "Not you too."

"Sorry, but she's right, Misao. You know how much you swear."

"Awwww, shut-up both of ya." She folded her arms across her chest and proceeded to scowl darkly into the shadows.

"By the way, Misao... What were you and Himura so 'involved' in over there anyway? I have never seen the red-headed mummer talk to anybody for THAT long? What were you guys talking about anyway?" Megumi tried to get her friends attention by waving her hand in front her her angry face, but Misao just ignored her and mumbled something about watching your back after it got dark.

"What? What are you talking about? Misao??" But Megumi was not going to get anymore information out of the angry girl because at that precise moment she was interrupted by the over exuberant voice of and over excited 13 year old.

"Hey! Are we late? We aren't too late are we? My sister is a real drag, you know. I can't get her anywhere on time, so if we are late, it's all her fault."

"Yahiko!" Kaoru smacked him sharply in the back of the head sending him stumbling two or three steps which he tried to make look like he done on purpose. Then he shot a brief angry look over his shoulder and hissed at his blushing sister.

"Cool it, sis. Geez, can't you take a joke?"

"No." She hissed back into his irritated brown eyes. "And if you do it again, I'll put poison ivy in your under shorts drawer." His eyes grew round with disbelief until he got a good look at the fury on her face.

"Ok, ok... chill. Damn."

"Don't swear." She smacked him again.

"Kaoru!"

"Shut-up! You are embarrassing me... again." Kaoru sighed heavily and wished for the millionth time that Yahiko had been born a girl instead of a boy. Sisters were so much easier to deal with than little brothers who were really monsters in disguise. It was a poor disguise.

"Well, well, well, its about time the two of you got here. We were getting ready to go without you." It did not matter the situation or circumstance, Ruakii could never pass up the opportunity to be a jerk, and this was the perfect opportunity.

"You were?" Yahiko's face reflected his extreme worry and fear of just that thing, and he turned on his sister in a 13 year-olds righteous outrage. "See, what did I tell you?? I told you we were late. I told you, but did you listen? Nooo, you have to be all Miss High and Mighty and say it was no big deal... WE ALMOST GOT LEFT BEHIND BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Yahiko, I swear..." Before Kaoru could finish her clenched jaw threat, a firm hand descended onto her brothers tense shoulder and squeezed just hard enough to make him wince really good.

"Hey, bud," The voice was smooth and low, but the tone of threat was still more than apparent. "How about you give your sister a break and quit being such a disrespectful little pain in the ass? I am sure she would appreciate it, and I know I WOULD. So, what do you say? Do you think you can find a tone of voice inside your little asshole brain that sounds just a little bit less like your trying to tell her 'to go to hell'?"

"I... I uhhh... well..." Yahiko was stuttering and his face was a mask of terror as he tried to find something intelligent to say to his unseen oppressor, but he just could not seem to find a single thing to say.

"Just nod or shake your head... it's up to you which you decide on. It's all the same to me... pretty much, except one is going to get the shit beat out of you, and the other one isn't. So you pick, what's it going to be... nod or shake?"

Yahiko started to furiously nod his head up and down, and found himself immediately released from that painful grip and dropping to the ground. He had not realized his feet had even been above the ground until they touched it again. He coughed nervously and reached up to rub the stinging ache in the curve of his shoulder, and then turned around to face the source of that threatening voice.

The sound of him sucking in a deep shocked breath could be heard by everyone in the group as he looked into the snapping amber eyes of the scariest kid in the whole school. Kenshin Himura. Yahiko's heart began beating wildly inside his thin chest as he realized he was lucky to be alive if everything he had heard about this guy was true, and from the looks of him, it must be. He swallowed hard and took a step back inadvertantly bumping into his sister.

"I... uhhh, I'll t-try to d-do better." He stuttered in a small voice as he stared through fearful eyes at the taller red-haired boy. "I p-promise, ok? S-so please, d-don't k-kill me. M-mr. Himura. O-ok?"

One of Kenshin's dark eyebrows lifted sardonically as he watched the rude mouthed little brat who was looking at him like he was the incarnation of the devil or something, and he felt most of his anger dwindle away. Sure, he had wanted to throttle the kid when he heard how he was talking to his sister, but maybe a good old fashioned scare was just as good. Kenshin was not even sure why he had gotten himself involved in the family squabble in the first place. It was not any of his business, and he had never done anything like this before. But as he had stood there listening to the little prick talking shit to his sister like that, it had just really pissed him off, and the next thing he knew he had the kid in a vice-grip telling he better shape up or else. So, what the hell, he may as well follow through with this thing, who knew, maybe it would work out to his benefit in the end anyway.

"All right, Kid. But you better start respecting your sister from now on, or else you and me are going to finish this... Got me?"

"Y-yes sir."

"You are sure about that?" He leaned over far enough to look the younger boy directly in the eyes, and glared fiercly into his pale face.

"Yes s-sir, I s-swear it." He was shaking he was so scared, so Kenshin figured he had learned his lesson for now and he let up on him.

"All right, but don't you ever let me hear you talk to her like that again. Ok?" Yahiko was nodding frantically and mumbling 'Yes sir' all the while. "Good, because you have a very special and pretty sister, and it is your responsibility to protect her... not give her shit and attitude. Ok? Especially since your parents are gone now. You are like the Man of YOUR family, and your old enough to start acting like one." 'Shit! Where did all of THAT come from? What am I saying? Get a grip Himura.'

"Ok."

"Ok. Shake," Kenshin offered his hand to the boy and waited. The boy just stood for a long moment staring at the hand as if he had never seen one before, and then he looked up into Kenshin's face in confusion. 'Come on, stupid, it's just a hand.'

"What do ya wanna shake for?"

"Because we are friends now, aren't we? We made a guy's agreement of honor didn't we?" 'It's time to grow up a little... maybe for both of us... so come on, take my hand, kid.'

"I-I guess so."

"All right then, where I come from, that means we are friends now, so I am offering you my hand, Yahiko. Would you like to be my friend?" 'Shit, I can't believe I am really doing this. I must be going insane. What in the hell am I going to do with a 13 year old hanging on my ass?'

"Wow..." Yahiko slowly reached out and tentatively grasped Kenshin's outstretched hand. In return, Kenshin closed his larger one around it and gave it a firm squeeze and a gentlemanly shake.

"There, now it is official. We are friends. Do you know what that means?" 'I'm not sure I know what it means. What in the bloody hell am I doing?'

"I... no."

"It means you can trust me and I can trust you... It means we never lie to each other, or take advantage of each other, or keep important things from each other. And it means we try and keep each other out of trouble too. So it sort of makes us like brothers... If that is alright with you?" 'OH MY GOD!!! DID I JUST SAY THAT?? PLEASE TELL ME I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!! PLEASE, SOMEBODY TELL ME... HOLY SHIT! I'VE LOST MY FUCKING MIND!'

"Yeah? You'd do that for me? Be my friend? Somebody like you?"

Kenshin smiled and nodded his head. "Sure, kid. When I was your age, I wish I would have had somebody like me offer to be my friend. I could have used one." 'Well... I guess that is true enough... Maybe I would not be in this fucking mess if somebody like me had come along and pulled me under his wing... Ahh Fuck it.' Then he reached out and mussed up the boys thick black hair playfully and said. "Come on, Brat. I hear you aren't afraid of anything. I guess we will see about that, won't we?"

"You mean you are coming with us??" Yahiko's voice was sharp with astonishment.

"Well, duh?? What else am I doing here, duffus, if I'm not going with you guys? Hanging around waiting for the night owls to shit on my shoes? I don't think so. Come on..." And he gave Yahiko a half of a shove towards Sano, Megumi, Misao, and Quii. "Let's get moving before Ruakii either loses his never or has a major siezure."

"Fuck you Himura."

"I told you, Ruakii... You are just not my type, Man, and I really do prefer girls."

"Yeah, well you sure wouldn't know it. I don't think I have ever seen you with a single girl the whole time you have been at this school. So that does lead one to wonder... Are you really into girls, Himura, or are you still hiding in the closet?" Ruakii burst into ugly laughter at his own jibing inuendo directed towards Kenshin's sexual preferences, but the cold red-head was nonplused by the insult.

"No closet secrets here, my crass and disgusting friend. The only reason you have never seen me with a girl on Campus is because..." And Kenshin paused for several long seconds making certain he had everyone's attention before he continued. "Is because, I have never found the right girl." With that startling statement, he turned a halfway shy look in Kaoru's direction and then walked over by the stream. "Hey Sano," He called softly. "Where is that damned footpath you said was supposed to be over here?"

"Hang on," Sano looked down into Megumi's bright blue eyes and then reached out and took her hand into his. "Let's all go together so nobody get's lost or left behind, Ok?"

"By all means," Aoshi slipped Tomoe's hand into his and pulled her over next to Sano and Megumi. "We do not want to lose anyone. Who is going to be responsible for the youngster?"

"Hey! I am NOT a youngster!" Yahiko protested angrily but found himself completely ignored by the older kids as his 'partnership' was discussed over his head.

"I will." Kenshin's voice floated back to the group from where he was standing beside the stream.

"But he is MY little brother," Kaoru protested. "He's supposed to be my responsibility."

"Fine," Kenshin's voice floated back again. "Then you can both come with me... If you want too."

Kaoru stepped away from the group far enough to look at the faint sillouette of the red-headed Senior's back, and wondered if it was such a good idea to be in such close proximities to him for such a long period of time. It had not taken long for her to hear all of the stories about him, and she found them very disturbing, but he had taken Yahiko on as a 'friend', and he had been able to get the little urchin to behave. Maybe...

"All right," She called back in a soft voice. "I guess it's Ok if we both go with you... that is if you are sure it's really all right with you?"

"I am sure."

"Ok." Kaoru swallowed hard and pulled the front of her pale pink jacked a little closer around her as a shiver ran up her spine. "Come on, Yahiko." She said as she reached out and grabbed a handfull of his brown coat and pulled him after her. "It looks like we are going with your new friend..." 'God help us.'

"Cool... This is really going to be fun." Yahiko bounded out of her reach and ran up next to Kenshin. "I promise I won't give you any trouble Mr. Himura. I swear I won't."

"All right, Kid. You better not." Kenshin looked back over his shoulder and noticed the pensive look on Kaoru's pretty face, and he felt the muscles in his stomach tighten up in apprehension. "Hey, it'll be Ok." He said to her as he tried to smile. "I promise I don't bite."

"That is reassuring." She returned his weak smile with a weak one of her own, and then found herself looking down at the water flowing closely to her feet. "Have... have you ever been out to the Lighthouse before?" She asked nervously.

"No." His answer was short and sharper than he intended.

"Never?" She sounded surprised. "I thought you had been in school here for a long time?" Kaoru looked at the silouette of his profile in the dark.

"I have, but I have never had the inclination to go out there."

"Why not?"

"I do not really know. I suppose it just never crossed my mind."

"Oh." She looked back down at the water and listened to everyone gathering in behind them as they prepared to leave. "Do you think it's really haunted? The Lighthouse I mean? Do you believe it's haunted like everyone says?"

"I don't know. I guess anything is possible."

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? People usually either believe in ghosts or they don't... Why do you say you don't know?"

Kenshin shrugged nonchalantly. "I have just never really thought about anything like that before."

"Why not?"

"It has never been something that interested me."

"Then why are you going?"

He paused and drew in a deep breath. That was a very interesting question. Why was he going? Did he really even know? Kenshin pondered the thought for several moments before he turned and looked into the dark shape he knew was Kaoru's face. "You know, I really don't know why I am going. I could get myself into a lot of trouble by sneaking off Campus... I could even be jeopordizing my chance to graduate... so, come to think of it, I really do not have a single good reason for going."

"Then why go?" She wondered what kind of trouble he was talking about.

"I don't know." He shrugged again. "Why not?"

"Are you always this... strange?"

"Yes. I guess I am." Kenshin turned away and looked off into space wondering what her definition of 'strange' was. "Do I make you nervous... Kaoru?" He asked, taking the unasked for liberty of calling her by her first name. "Is that why you are asking me all these off the wall questions?"

"Yes." She looked away and felt a huge knot of tension tie itself up inside of her stomach making her feel queasy.

"Well... at least you are honest." After that, Kenshin became totally closed off to her. She could feel it just as tangibly as if he had slammed a door in her face, and for some reason she could not immediately identify, Kaoru felt very sad about that. Very sad indeed.

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Thank's for dropping by. Please Review.

ttfn

Tsuki-san. :)