Chapter 6

"I've only been your teacher for a few months, but I am all so very proud of you for graduating today." Kaoru announced to the class and together the class cheered. Today was graduation for the third years at the middle school and it was also Kaoru's last day as their teacher. "Congratulations!" She said in English and applauded them. These were the kind of moments that reminded her why she chose to be a teacher.

"Kaoru." Yahiko and Tsubame approached her and stood side by side. Kaoru put her hands on their shoulders and sniffled loudly.

"I'm so proud of you twooo~!" She wailed. Of course Yahiko rolled his eyes while the sweet Tsubame told Kaoru not to cry.

"Kaoru, you'll come to the Akabeko tonight, right?" Tsubame asked.

"Of course I will be there!" She said. She wasn't going to miss it for the world.

Tsubame smiled broadly. "Yahiko said he will be there too!" She said and smiled at Yahiko, who blushed and pretended to be more annoyed than he really was. Kaoru smirked at him and he gave her a warning glare to not say anything. They were having a joint celebration at the Akabeko that night. They were celebrating their graduation and Kaoru's employment with the high school. After some thinking, Kaoru decided she would take the job as the high school English teacher.

Saito, who she found out was the vice-principal of the high school, asked her to stop by so she could sign the correct paperwork and make her employment official. She had the pleasure of meeting the teacher whose position she was taking over. He sat down with her and explained what she should expect being a teacher. He was extremely supportive and gave her some much needed advice. Having a long history as a teacher, he told her that teaching in high school was much different from teaching middle school. Kaoru appreciated this advice because she only had experience working with younger students.

There wasn't much time left before the school year was over. The school liked to have new incoming teachers spend the last two weeks of the school year, assisting a veteran teacher. This was so that they could become familiar with the layout of the building and the academic curriculum, but also have the teacher supervise their performance.

This was not the high school she attended as a student, but Kaoru was pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces. Some old school mates of hers became teachers themselves. She was walking past the nurse's office when she did a double take and paused in the doorway.

"Megumi?" Kaoru called out when she recognized the face of the school nurse.

"Oh!" The woman blinked and then stood from her desk. "Kaoru? Are you the new English teacher?" She smiled brightly and welcomed her friend.

Megumi was a grade above Kaoru when they were in high school. Her father was also the Kamiya's family doctor. Kaoru was not too surprised Megumi became a school nurse since she came from a family of respected doctors. She and Megumi never became close, but they were still friendly. Maybe this experience would help them become closer.

Kaoru told her she was happy she knew someone in the school. That's when Megumi brought her to the science lab and introduced her to the science teacher.

"Hey, Aoshi~" Megumi called as she slid open the door. Kaoru lifted her brows when she heard the name.

"Shinomori-senpai?" Kaoru exclaimed. A handsome man in a crisp lab coat pulled off his safety goggles and passed her that cold gaze that she was all too familiar with.

"Ah, Kamiya. It's good to see you again." His reaction was less than excited, but she knew it wasn't on purpose. It was just how Aoshi always was.

Aoshi was two years above her when they were in high school. He was the kind of guy who appeared cold, but she soon learned he was just quiet. Once she got to know him, she found that he was very kind and had a strong sense of loyalty to friends and family. Kaoru could admit that she might have had a slight crush on him when she was a first year, but they became better friends when she assisted him in running the school kendo club. Aoshi took her to the break room where the three of them drank some instant coffee and caught up, reminiscing of earlier days.

The Akabeko closed early that night because Tae couldn't bother with customers when they were having a celebration of their own. Tonight's celebration was extra special, so instead of hot pot, they were having grilled meat. Tae put together a couple long tables since they needed enough space to fit all the food and all the guests. Everyone and anyone were there, including parents and family members of students. On one end of the restaurant sat the parents and on the other sat Tsubame and Yahiko, and their fellow classmates.

"Are you going to drink tonight?" Tae asked Kaoru as she set down some drinks. She watched curiously as Kaoru piled five pieces of grilled meat on her plate.

"No way, I learned my lesson from last time. Not only that, I have to be a good role model for those guys." Kaoru nodded toward the youngsters and Tae smiled a secret smile as if she knew something Kaoru did not. Tae kept glancing at the door over Kaoru's shoulder, as if she was expecting someone. Kaoru blew on a slice of meat to cool it before she lifted it to her mouth and chewed. She let out puffs of air to cool the food in her mouth.

"Well, it's a good thing you won't make the same mistake as last time because he's here."

"Who is here?" Kaoru mumbled as she chewed and shoved another piece of meat in her mouth.

"Kenshin-san!" Tsubame exclaimed beside her and Kaoru violently choked, falling into a coughing fit.

"Him." Tae said, casually.

"Kaoru…are you okay?" Her father asked and Kaoru desperately put a finger to her lips to silence him. She was hoping Kenshin wouldn't notice that she was basically dying on the spot.

Kenshin was not the only person who showed up to celebrate. Tsubame also invited Sanosuke to the gathering. Tsubame bounded over to them and Sanosuke patted her on the head.

"Hey, little missy." Sanosuke smirked and congratulated her. She thanked them for coming to her celebration.

"Thank you for inviting us." Kenshin replied and Yahiko huffed when Kenshin also congratulated Tsubame and she blushed in response. Kenshin and Sanosuke politely greeted the other guests before Tae asked them to sit. Kaoru was still coughing slightly when he and Sanosuke took their place at the table. She was gulping down some water as Kenshin sat beside her and he looked at her. Tears streamed down her face as she faced him.

"Hello." He said.

Kaoru coughed once and smiled a watery smile. "Hi." Her throat was raspy.

"Oh, hey…it's you." Sano said, already chewing on some meat. "Nice to see you again. It's been awhile, eh?" Kaoru lifted a hand to greet him since speaking hurt her throat. Kaoru and Tae exchanged a look and Kaoru gave her a look of desperation. Tae could only shrug in response. Tsubame was the one who invited him.

"We're also celebrating for Kaoru!" Tsubame clapped once and Sano turned his attention to her.

"Oh, yeah? What are we celebrating?" He smiled and he also congratulated Kaoru when Tae told him the good news. Kenshin turned to her and Kaoru could see the secret amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Congratulations, sensei." He mocked and an eyebrow arched.

"Yes! Thank you." Kaoru quickly said and offered him some meat. "Please eat!" She said, piling the food on his plate and hoping that eating would shut him up.

"It's alright, sensei." He said and turned his gold eyes to meet hers. "I've been eating properly and I don't walk around with wet hair." He said. Tae looked at her in question and Kaoru chuckled through gritted teeth. When Kaoru was sure no one was looking, she slapped Kenshin's knee under the table.

"Sanosuke is your name? Correct?" Kaoru cleared her throat as she smiled at Sano. He nodded once.

"Yeah, that's right."

And Kaoru also offered him meat on his plate. "Please eat a lot!" She laughed a little too loudly, as if to drown out Kenshin's words.

The restaurant quickly grew rowdy with drunken cheers of joy and loud laughter. The celebration carried on well into the night and it seemed that everyone was having a good time. Kaoru waited until the guests were either too drunk or too distracted to notice before she scooted closer to Kenshin and whispered.

"Hey…" She began, but did not look at him. Kenshin also kept his attention on his meal. "The school uniform you wore when we first met…what school is that from?" She asked. One of the things that Kaoru was afraid of was that Kenshin would be a student of hers. Kaoru believed that any kind of relationship between a high school student and teacher, no matter how platonic, could cause a lot of trouble and misunderstanding. Especially with her being so much younger, it would look particularly bad for her. If her school found out that she went to a student's apartment alone, she might get into a lot of trouble and she did not want to jeopardize her job.

"Usui Senior High School." He said and Kaoru breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." She said to herself. It wasn't the same school. Kaoru scooted away from him and continued to eat in a happier mood.
"Are you relieved?" He asked, quietly and Kaoru set her cup down.

"Of course! How would I look if word got out that I went to your apartment and you live alone?" She lowered her voice considerably.

"Do you really think I would spread rumors and brag about a strange woman who likes to barge into my home?" Kenshin said and Kaoru frantically waved a hand in front of his face to stop him.

She glanced around. "I can't say! I barely know you! Who knows what you would say or do?" She said.

"Do you think I would stoop so low?" And Kaoru shrugged again and released a tired sigh.

"Like I said, who knows what you could do?" She repeated and lowered her voice again. "Anyway, whether you would say anything or not, I can't take any chances." She shook her head to clear any thought of what could happen to her job. She took a sip of water, but then set it down and looked at him again. "Ah…but it doesn't matter because the uniform you were wearing is not from my school." She smiled again. Kenshin felt slightly annoyed because she thought so little of him. It just made him want to cause her more trouble.

Kaoru glanced at him. "Hey…you still have seven favors left…or wishes…whatever you want to call them." She crossed her arms. "Did you forget?"

"I haven't forgotten." He said and looked at her.

"You really don't have anything you need me to do?" She tilted her head. "I'll clean your apartment...wash your dishes or even do your laundry. Anything will do." She said. Kenshin rested an arm on his bent knee and leaned back on the other.

"Anything will not do." He said, blowing his bangs from his eyes.

Kaoru sighed. "Don't go overboard. I know I said I'll grant any favor, but it has to be realistic. You can't save it for something ridiculous. Don't ask me to buy you a pet dinosaur or something." She said. Kenshin put a hand to his face to hide a chuckle and Kaoru blushed upon seeing him laugh.

She suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach, so she tightly hugged her knees to her chest to suppress them. She and Kenshin awkwardly sat together in silence again. The loud voices and laughter in the background were drowned out by the pounding of her heart in her ears.

"Well! We better get going!" A voice called out that broke Kaoru out of her trance. Both she and Kenshin immediately stood to bid the guests goodbye as they slowly began to leave one by one.

"Yahiko." Kaoru said, firmly and Yahiko approached her.

"Yeah?"

She put an arm over his shoulder and lowered her voice. "Walk Tsubame home and you make sure you and your mother are careful on the way back too."

Yahiko gave her a confident smirk. "No problem." Kaoru smiled at him and rubbed his spiky head. Her father came stumbling over and he collapsed on her.

"Let's go home, Kaoruuuu~" His breath smelled like a brewery.

"Dad! How much did you drink?" She pinched her nose. Mr. Sekihara came over and took her father off her.

"Forgive him this time, Kaoru. He is just happy for you so he couldn't stop drinking." He said and Kaoru sighed. Mrs. Sekihara put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about him. We'll take him home for you." Kaoru thanked them and stayed behind so she could help Tae clean up. Sanosuke suddenly came behind Kenshin and threw an arm over his friend's shoulder.

"Should we go too?" He asked.

"No." Kenshin said. "We should help clean up." But Kaoru stopped him.

"That's okay! I can do it." She said, but Sanosuke scratched his messy head and looked around.

"You're right. How rude of me."

Kenshin looked at Kaoru again. "It's fine. We'll help clean up."

"Then you guys clean the tables!" Tae called out as she carried empty bottles of sake in her arms. Kenshin and Sano took care of the tables and chairs while Kaoru washed the dishes and Tae wiped down the restaurant. With everyone's cooperation, they finished in 20 minutes.

"Thanks so much!" Tae said as she closed and locked the restaurant door. "I think that was the fastest I've ever closed!" Her voice echoed through the neighborhood. The streets were empty and quiet. Kaoru tightly wound her scarf around her neck and stuffed her hands in her coat pockets.

"Get home safely, okay?" Kaoru said and bid then goodnight before she began to walk up the hill towards her house. Sanosuke called out after her.

"Do you live in that direction? Where do you live? Do you want me to walk you home?" He said and Tae suddenly gripped his upper arm, pulling him back.

"Don't you live closer to me? I think you should walk me home and Kenshin can walk Kaoru home." Tae smiled up at Sano. Kaoru stiffened and glanced at Kenshin's back.

Sano scratched his head. "Really? I live closer that way-" And Tae slapped Sano's arm as inconspicuously as she could and silently motioned towards Kenshin and Kaoru with her eyes. Since Sano didn't get it, Tae pulled him away by force.

"See you later, Kaoru. Kenshin." She nodded towards him then waved and pulled Sano in the opposite direction. Kaoru, still standing on the hill, simply watched in quiet confusion while she waved goodbye.

Tae kept pulling Sano until they rounded a corner and they were out of Kaoru's sight. Tae then stopped and waited. Sano lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't get it." He said and Tae sighed.

"I'm trying to give them alone time, Sano." She said, like it was obvious. "Just wait a couple minutes and then you can go home." She said and patted him on the back. Sano looked around the corner and then looked at Tae.

"Do those two like each other?" He asked. Tae shrugged a shoulder.

"I don't know about Kenshin, but Kaoru does. She doesn't know it yet, but I know she does." She nodded to herself. "That girl's head is as thick as a board sometimes."

"Why don't you go home? You live in the opposite direction anyway." He said and Tae shivered.

"I feel bad that you have to wait. So I'll keep you company." She said. "After a couple minutes, we'll both leave at the same time." Tae began to bounce up and down to stay warm.

Sano silently nodded his head and then looked around the corner again. "You know, if you try to set Kenshin up with Kaoru, it's not going to work." He said and Tae frowned.

"Why not?"

Sano nodded his head in Kenshin's direction. "He already has a girl. He's been in love with her for years."

Tae looked disappointed and she stopped bouncing for a moment. "Really? Damn...I thought they could work as a couple." She tsked and Sano smiled.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home."

Kaoru turned her attention to Kenshin who stood at the bottom of the hill. His hands were in the pockets of his pants and he still watched Tae and Sano until they were down the street. When he could no longer see them, he turned and silently looked at Kaoru. She still waited at the top so he made his way up to her. She patiently waited until he came to stand before her.

"It's dangerous for a student to-" Kaoru began, but Kenshin reached out and pulled her scarf over her mouth. "Mm!" She blinked.

"It's also dangerous for a female to walk alone at night." He said. "I'll walk you home." A demand. And he lowered his hand. He walked past her and Kaoru pulled the scarf back down. She was about to argue when he cut her off. "You don't have to repay me with another favor." He said.

Kaoru pursed her lips and grumbled behind his back. "...you know I can't do that..." She quickened her pace so she walked beside him. Kaoru kept stealing glances at him while they walked in silence. She knew she had to say something. They couldn't keep doing this every time.

"Do you know the game 'black and white'?" She asked and glanced up at him. When he remained quiet, she continued. "Which do you like more? Black or white?"

"Black." He said. "White." She said, simultaneously.

"Sea or mountains?"

"Mountains." He said. "Sea." She said.

"Vanilla or chocolate?"

"Vanilla." He said. "Chocolate!" She said.

Kaoru wrinkled her nose. "Vanilla? Really?"

"Rice or noodles?"

"Rice." He said. "Noodles!" She said. Kenshin and Kaoru locked gazes.

"Autumn or Spring?"

"Autumn." "Spring."

"Mangoes or peaches?"

"Mangoes." "Peaches."

"Sleep or eat?"

"Sleep." "Eat."

"Rain or shine."

"Rain." "Shine."

Kaoru stopped walking and eyed him carefully. Kenshin also paused and looked at her. She sucked in a breath between her teeth as she tilted her head.

"How can we clash so much?" She asked, but it was more of a rhetorical question. She continued walking and Kenshin smirked to himself.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Tea." "Coffee."

"Night or day?"

"Night." "Day." Kaoru sighed heavily.

Kaoru stuffed her hands in her pockets and sniffed. "Cats or dogs?"

"Both." They said in unison. Kaoru paused midstride and looked at him in slight bewilderment.

"Wh-why would you say both?" She asked as a blush slowly made its way across her cheeks.

"Why would you say both?" He asked in return.

Kaoru looked down the street and then turned to him. "My house is just right there. I can go on from here." She said, breathlessly "Thanks for…walking me home." She said, glancing at her house again. "Get back safely." She said, lifting a nervous hand. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye…or see you soon?" He asked and Kaoru blinked, letting her hand slowly drop back to her side. Was he asking her which she preferred?

"I guess…goodbye is always kind of sad…" She replied. Kenshin reached out and fixed the scarf around Kaoru's neck with a smirk.

"Then…" He said. "…see you soon."

Don't be nervous. Don't be nervous. She said to herself as she stared into the vast ocean of student faces in the school gymnasium. Kaoru had a great smile on her face, but she was a bundle of nerves. I should have gone to the bathroom! She grimaced slightly and touched her stomach. Her nerves were really getting to her.

The day finally arrived. It was the school's opening ceremony and Kaoru was moments away from introducing herself to the school.

"After the principal gives his speech to welcome the students, he will call up the new teachers to introduce themselves." Saito told her earlier that morning. "Just give a little introduction and whatever message you want to say to the students."

Kaoru was the next teacher to stand up and introduce herself. She was trying to remember what it was she planned to say. My name is Kamiya Kaoru…I am the new third year English teacher…

"Aggghhh…" She held her head in her hands. Megumi, who sat behind Kaoru, nudged her shoulder.

"Kaoru? What are you doing…? It's your turn!" She hissed.

"Wha-? Oh!" She abruptly stood from her seat and hurried to the podium. She cleared her throat and adjusted the microphone. She stared at the faces that looked at her. My name is Kamiya Kaoru…

"Good morning!" She began and flinched when she spoke too loudly. "…uh…welcome back new students and old. My name is Kamiya Kaoru and I am the third year English teacher." She glanced around. "I'll speak honestly...it wasn't too long ago that I was also a student like all of you. Thinking back to it, studying was difficult, especially when the subject was boring or confusing. Therefore, I promise as your teacher that I will be patient and I will never make the lessons boring." She smiled. "Whether you choose to become a doctor, a school teacher, or a beggar…studying what you're passionate about is important. So let's find what you're passionate about together!" She threw a fist in the air and she expected applause, but instead she was met with silence, all for Megumi's snickering behind her. Kaoru blushed brightly and immediately put her fist down. The principal approached the podium and she returned to her seat in a hurry.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Thank you, Kamiya-sensei…for that…inspirational speech." He said and Kaoru sunk lower in her chair.

"You're still as embarrassingly passionate as ever." Aoshi said as he walked beside her on the left.

Megumi laughed and smacked Kaoru on the back. "Who gives such a cheesy speech on their first day as a teacher?" She walked on Kaoru's right. Kaoru, in the middle, walked down the hall with her head hung low.

"I couldn't stop myself." She sighed, heavily. "I always speak before thinking." She punched the side of her own head. "My mouth is always what gets me into trouble!" The three of them stopped at the stairwell. Kaoru gripped Megumi and Aoshi's arms. "What do I do? I'm so embarrassed…" She groaned. "Don't leave me!" She begged.

"Not my problem!" Megumi snickered and gave her friend another pat on the back. "I've got to head back to the office. You would be surprised how many students try to get out of the first day of class by faking an illness." She said and walked down the hall, leaving Kaoru and Aoshi behind.

Kaoru looked Aoshi in desperation. "Senpai…" Aoshi put a hand on her head.

"It might have been embarrassing, but you showed the students that you're honest and care about their education. They appreciate it more than you think." He said to comfort her.

"Really?" She was a little more hopeful.

"Maybe." He said and Kaoru's hope burst like a balloon. He left to go to his own classroom and Kaoru was on her own.

She walked down the hall and stood outside the door of the classroom that would become her homeroom class. She could hear the students rustling about and talking inside. Laughter echoed into the hallway and Kaoru sucked in a deep breath. She opened the door and the room immediately quieted down. Looking at the faces of her new students made her miss her old middle school students. Somehow high school students were intimidating.

Kaoru walked to the front of the class with all eyes on her and she gave them a shaky smile. She was relieved to find that most of them were giving her an excited expression. Maybe things wouldn't be too bad.

"G-good morning!" She started. "Are you excited you all made it to your third year?" A couple nods here and there. The atmosphere was a little awkward. "Well, I'll try to make your last year a fun one!" She said. A student in the back raised her hand.
"Sensei! Your speech was pretty amazing!" Kaoru blushed because she couldn't tell if the student was being serious or sarcastic.

"Sorry…I didn't know I would start off with something so tacky." Kaoru gave a sheepish grin.

"That's okay, sensei. I'll forgive you because you're so cute." A male student winked and a female student beside him punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! Misao…" He rubbed the sore spot.

"Don't listen to him, sensei!" The energetic female student said and Kaoru blushed.

"You can't say that to a teacher!" Kaoru scolded and then cleared her throat. "…but I'll say thanks just this once." She said, which gained a few chuckles and the male student winked again. Kaoru pulled a strand of hair behind her ear and looked around. "Is this everyone? I guess we should start by taking attendance."

"Sensei! Does it matter where we sit?" A student asked and Kaoru swatted a hand as she looked over the student names.

"I never cared about that! Just sit where you want to!" She said and she received a couple cheers. The students switched seats to be closer with their friends. "But!" She yelled loudly over the noise. "…you better make sure you pay attention or I'll move you to sit next to me." She warned.

"I wouldn't mind that!" A student called out and Kaoru didn't know who it came from so she just scowled.

"Didn't I say not to say that to a teacher? You guys are already going to cause trouble and it's only the first day of class!" She pretended to be annoyed, but Kaoru was anything but. The students seemed to have good attitudes and were accepting her as their teacher. She wanted to release a loud sigh of relief, but decided to wait until class was over and she was alone.

Once the class resettled, Kaoru cleared her throat again. "I'll take attendance first and then we'll go around the room and introduce ourselves. Okay?" And the class agreed in unison. Kaoru began and went down the list. She called out the name of students and checked them off.

"Makimachi Misao?"

"Here!" The energetic girl from earlier raised her arm high in the air. Kaoru smiled at her and then continued down the list.

"Seta Sojiro?" A male student, who could have passed for a pretty female, waved his hand. Kaoru made a mental note to ask him later how he got his eyelashes to curl so nicely.

"Here." He said, cheerfully.

"Shishio Makoto?" Sitting beside Sojiro was a student who looked absolutely devilish. A female student clung onto him as if she was drowning.

"Here." He said.

"Komagata Yumi." Sure enough, the female student hanging on the arm of Shishio Makoto raised her hand. Kaoru brought her attention back to the list.

"...Himura Kenshi-HIMURA KENSHIN?" She shrieked, which earned her many confused stares. "Ke-ke-ken...?" She stammered.

"Battousai is late again, eh?" Shishio chuckled. "Even on the first day."

"And Zanza...it's always those two."

"Sagara is probably just at the nurse's office again." Yumi smirked.

"B-battousai!?" Kaoru stammered again and Misao looked at her.

"Sensei...do you stutter?" She asked and suddenly the classroom's back door violently slid open causing every head, all except Kaoru's, to turn towards it. Instead, Kaoru tried to hide her face with her notebook. She didn't look because she knew...she knew fate was so very, very cruel to her.

"Forgive me for being late...sensei."