January Lunch
Author's Notes: Thanks to all those great reviews!
Elm: It's kind of like a Cinderella story ya know? Like it doesn't make sense now, but it will? Have faith in me.
YukiCodeLyoko: Thanks for your great review! I hope you like the rest of the story too!
Zelda-lover: Hey you! Kaoru isn't an idiot! Anyway, what would have happened? "It's me!" "I love you!" The End? A TWO CHAPTER STORY! THAT'S GREAT! I bash you with a pillo polo stick! Lol J/K C-man. DON'T LISTEN TO BONNASSI!
ME: It will be a good idea! HAVE FAITH! MWAHAHAHAHA! Okay...that's enough..
Lady Battousai: WOO HOO! Go Kenshin! I plan to have more butt-kicking action in the future! Thanks again!
Ndigochipmunk: Thanks for your great review!
Allin656: Sorry, can't do that. Would ruin the story. Thanks for your review!
Sagitarious Devil: Thanks! I reviewed! Yes, die HYPOCRITES!
Brittanie Love: Thanks for your great review! I'll do my best!
I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story! 11 chapters to go! Hope you enjoy this next one!
Afraid that she would be awkward around Kenshin, Kaoru hadn't invited him to Christmas or her New Year's party.
But Sanosuke had...
Although her friends had promised to honor her wishes of her identity as "Jacket Girl," remaining anonymous, that didn't mean they weren't trying to get them together. Ever since Megumi and Sano had met Kenshin the two were trying to get the two together. For example, they "conveniently," pushed the two under the mistletoe. Kenshin and Kaoru had stayed under the mistletoe, staring at each other for about an hour before Megumi and Sano finally gave up.
Also, at midnight on New Year's Ever, Megumi and Sano must have turned out the lights for twenty five minutes waiting for the two to kiss. Kenshin had wondered aloud why the lights weren't working.
Every romantic plan Sano and Megumi came up with fell flat, but the duo continued to try their hardest.
Speaking of trying their hardest, Kenshin was trying HIS hardest to become friends with Kaoru. Kaoru had been trying to avoid him with all her might, afraid that she might seem stupid or blurt out her secret. Kenshin must have noticed this, as he was now trying his best to get on her good side.
"Would you like me to carry your books Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked her innocently on a passing in a hall.
"No thanks Kenshin," Kaoru said quickly and started to walk faster. Kenshin caught up with her quickly.
"Want me to walk you to your next class?" Kenshin smiled.
"No thanks." She started to walk/run.
"Would you like me to do anything at all that you might need?!" Kenshin asked desperately.
"No Kenshin!" she said and started to run down the hall, Kenshin at her heels.
"Come back! Let me do something for you!"
"NO THAT'S REALLY OKAY!" Kaoru sprinted with all her might.
"C'MON!" Kenshin stopped at a corner that Kaoru rounded and noticed she was gone. He looked around then sighed at the fact that he had lost her. As he walked away, Kaoru very carefully got out of the trashcan that she had been hiding in.
Kaoru had successfully avoided Kenshin for three whole days now. Misao insisted that Kaoru was nuts, but Kaoru was determined to keep any awkward moments as far away as possible.
That night, Kaoru slept bad, tossing and turning, thinking about Kenshin. She had a dream about him...
"Kaoru-dono," he said to her, holding out a hand, "I love you."
"Ken...shin..." she gasped.
"Kaoru-dono..." he pulled her in for a kiss.
"Kenshin..."
"Kaoru-dono..." his lips were almost on his!
"Kenshin..."
"Kaoru-dono..."
BAM! Kaoru awoke with a start to hear a rock hear the plexi-glass window. She ran over to the window and opened it to find Kenshin down on the lawn.
"Kenshin!" she scowled, "What are you doing here?!"
"Making sure you were all right," he laughed.
"YOU WEIRDO, OF COURSE I'M ALL RIGHT!" she screamed down to him, and he couldn't help but sweatdrop. "I'm going back to sleep!" she started to close the window.
"No wait!" Kaoru stopped mid-way to hear Kenshin's voice. "Don't go! I have to ask you something!"
"What?" she asked impatiently.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Kaoru froze. So he had noticed, "It's like you don't want to be around me."
"It's not that..." Kaoru mumbled, tears forming in her eyes.
"Did I do something to make you hate me?" he asked.
'YES!' she wanted to scream, 'YOU MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU!', but what came out was, "No...of course not...what a silly thing to say."
"But you're crying," Kenshin said and Kaoru noticed fresh tears were falling down her face.
Violently, she tried to wipe them away, and screamed down to him, "You wouldn't understand!" With that she slammed the window shut, jumped into bed, and cried her eyes out.
The next four days, Kaoru saw neither hide nor hair of Kenshin. "He probably hates me now," she sighed, depressed, as she walked into Wakamaru's class.
The entire class, all Kaoru could think about was Kenshin. Why did she yell at him? He was just worried about her. What an idiot she had been! He probably now had forgotten about her, and she couldn't blame him very much. She loved him so much that she was embarrassed around him. Afraid that he would find out her secret.
"Remember class," Wakamaru said, making Kaoru come out of her daydream, "Your next exam is two days from now, and with the grades in this class, I hope you all study."
Kaoru sat up. She had forgotten to study and she only had two days! She didn't get this stuff, there was no way that she could pass the test, and her grade was already in trouble! She'd just have to buckle down.
Buckling down was harder then Kaoru had imagined. She didn't get calculus at all, and the fact that Misao constantly ranted about Aoshi during her study sessions didn't help either. Finally, tired of Misao, Kaoru retreated to the lunch tables to study.
It was around noon and Kaoru was simultaneously eating some rice balls and studying. She had deduced that from a full 3 hours of studying, she had learned squat.
"ARRRGGH! THIS IS HARD!" she screamed and chucked a rice ball over her shoulder at a tree.
"ORO!?"
Splat.
Kaoru turned around to see Kenshin, face covered with rice. Her face was covered with red and she got up to leave. Kenshin wiped the rice off his face and pulled her arm. "Wait."
"What?" Kaoru asked quietly. 'Great,' she thought, 'Now he's going to ask me why I'm upset. Why I hate him. Why I ran away from him.'
"You forgot you book."
WHAM! Kaoru fell over with embarrassment. Kenshin flipped through the pages. "Calculus huh?" he sighed, "I had to take that too. For my Medical Major." He noticed scribbling all over the paper next to the book. "Looks like you could use a little help..."
"I'm fine," Kaoru started to gather the book and walk away.
"I can tutor you!" she stopped and turned around at Kenshin, who looked really desperate. "I got an A in that course! I can help! I'll do it for free too!"
Kaoru sighed. "You are so pathetic..." she mumbled to herself, then turned around to face him. "Okay," she said. "Why not?
"First of all," Kenshin said between rice ball bites. He and Kaoru were sharing lunch, "You're doing this equation wrong. It's not even the right formula."
Kaoru blushed as Kenshin wrote down the correct way to solve the problem on her paper, "There, you try."
Kaoru tried, but it didn't come easily, "No," Kenshin said, being patient with her, "This number goes here." Kaoru tried but still, nothing.
"Jeez," he said, "You must really hate math. This is a simple equation."
"I despise it," Kaoru sighed, "That's why I'm majoring in Art History. But I needed some math credit too."
"Well," Kenshin laughed, "You can't be good at something if you hate it. So," he winked, "We need to find something about calculus that you like."
"Good luck," Kaoru laughed and Kenshin laughed too.
All that afternoon, and night, they stayed at that lunch table, studying. Kenshin was a great tutor, and after a while, Kaoru found herself getting calculus. She could master any problem he threw at her, but Kenshin decided they should meet next lunchtime for some more review.
The next day, Kenshin was there already when Kaoru came to the table. He had some sushi and commented that he had made lunch that day.
They reviewed all that day and Kaoru found that she could do everything perfectly. Kenshin threw problems that he had trouble with and Kaoru solved them with the greatest of ease.
"Well that settles it," he sat up, "The student has surpassed the master."
Kaoru started to gather her books.
"Now for my pay."
"I thought you said you would do it for free?" Kaoru raised her eyebrows.
"No money," Kenshin smiled, "Just your friendship." He held out his hand, and Kaoru looked at it for the longest time.
"Kenshin...I...I..." she sighed, "I can't!"
With that she ran off into the college, and Kenshin didn't follow her.
"I'm done grading your exams," Prof. Wakamaru announced and Kaoru bit her pencil with tension.
It had been a week since Kenshin's tutoring and ever since, Kaoru hadn't seen him. She knew she had officially blown her chances at being friends with him, but deep down, she hoped he would forgive her.
"Kaoru?" Kaoru stood up and ran down to Wakamaru's desk.
"Congratulations," he smiled and Kaoru beamed at the bright red A on her test. She punched her fist into the air and gave Misao a thumbs up. But then she froze...her thumb still in the air...she saw Kenshin standing in the door.
"I have those papers you wanted Professor Wakamaru," Kenshin went down next to Kaoru and handed Wakamaru the papers.
"Thank you Himura-san. I'm surprised no one was in the copy room."
"No problem."
He looked at Kaoru and she gulped. He mouthed, 'Meet me outside after class.' And she nodded.
"Celebrating without me huh?" Kenshin smiled at the blushing Kaoru. "Congrats."
"I...I couldn't have done it without you!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah," Kenshin said, sounding slightly depressed. "Well I guess I'll be going." As Kenshin started to walk away, Kaoru caught her breath and sprinted forward, grabbing his coat.
"Wait!" she screamed and Kenshin turned around. "I found something I like about calculus!"
"Really?" he laughed, "What's that?"
"Is that I got to be tutored by a great person like you!" Kaoru smiled and Kenshin looked taken aback, "Sorry I was awful to you Kenshin. I hope we can still be friends!"
Kenshin nodded, almost lost for words, "Of course!"
"That's great!" Kaoru grabbed his hand, "By the way...I have this History test coming up and..."
"Kaoru!"
"Just kidding!" she laughed as the two walked off together, hand in hand.
The end! P Short chapter, sorry! Hope you all like it!