A/N: I was inspired by…please don't shoot me…the TV show Pretty Little Liars _ *Puts on goalie equipment to block chucked objects* I know, it's horrible. But it happened twice in one episode, and it got me thinking…

Standard disclaimers apply.


039: Taste

Ever since they were six-years-old, Kenshin and Kaoru have always shared drinks. At first it was an accident: Kenshin unintentionally took Kaoru's milk carton by accident during lunch in kindergarten, and they just haven't stopped since.

Many thought it was cute – she would get one drink, and he would get a different one, and they would always take turns drinking each other's.

Others…not so much.

"What's up, Enishi?" Kaoru inquires, having grabbed Kenshin's drink from across the table, taking a sip. Enishi is glaring into the distance refusing to answer Kaoru; he seems to be trying to contain himself.

Kaoru glances down at Kenshin, who looks up from his book at just the right moment. She looks to Enishi and back to Kenshin, who peeks at Enishi before shrugging at Kaoru.

Enishi slams his fist on the table, making Kaoru jump in surprise and a tinge of fear. Kenshin's gripping his book tightly; his body is tense as he eyes Enishi.

Enishi laughs exasperatingly. "Really, Kaoru? How do you not get it?"

She flinches at his angry tone. "Not get what?"

He gestures to the space between her and Kenshin. "That. What you two do."

She narrows her eyes in confusion for a moment. "Enishi, we've done this since we were six. We've been over this a million times. It's nothing."

"Oh, yeah? If it's really nothing, then why can't you guys go one day without doing it? Kaoru, he's always here."

"That's not true! We're alone all the time. This is the only time where I can see Kenshin! Do I complain when you hang out with your lacrosse friends?"

"No, but that's because I separate my friends from you, because, you know, you're my girlfriend. You, however, are incapable of doing that."

Kenshin begins to stand up to leave the couple alone.

"Oh no you don't, Himura. Sit your ass back down, because you need to hear this."

Kenshin glances at Kaoru, who looks desperate. Sighing, he sits back down.

Enishi takes a deep breath, staring at Kenshin and Kaoru. "I give up," he states, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. "I stupidly thought that you guys were just friends, but really, I was dead wrong."

"That's not true," Kaoru answers softly.

"You're telling me you feel nothing for him?" Then Enishi looks to Kenshin. "And don't you dare try to deny anything on your part. I have eyes, you know," he tells Kenshin, who clenches his jaw and looks away.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru asks, surprise evident on her face.

Enishi rolls his eyes. "Oh, just got at it, then!"

She turns her attention back to Enishi. "What?"

"Kiss the son of a bitch!"

She winces. "But I'm with you."

He shakes his head. "Not anymore. We're done."

She turns her head to Kenshin for a moment before turning back to Enishi. "I don't get it. Why are you doing this?"

"To show how much you guys are idiots. If you guys are really besties, then a simple kiss wouldn't matter, right?"

"Kaoru, you don't have to prove anything to him," Kenshin says, his intense eyes focusing on hers. "He's being an asshole."

"But I'm being a bitch," she says, shaking her head. "I never thought about how our closeness would affect him."

"What? If he actually cared about you, then he wouldn't be doing this!"

"Don't assume I don't care, Himura. Just because I didn't know her since kindergarten doesn't make me insignificant in her life. Now shut the fuck up," Enishi states angrily.

"Hey, I wanted to leave, remember? You told me to stay. For what? To listen to you harass Kaoru? Maybe it's good that this relationship is ending, because you don't deserve her."

"And you do?" Enishi laughs. "Look at you! You're barely considered socially acceptable – you're just lucky you're leading scorer for soccer. You have no friends, besides Kaoru, and –"

"I'm not insinuating that I do," Kenshin interrupts Enishi. "But I do think that you're not right for her. What's the point of this? You're only upsetting her," he continues in a soft voice.

Enishi looks to Kaoru, who's looking down at her hands in guilt. He smiles sadly. "Kaoru, do you hear that?"

She doesn't clarify what he means.

He gestures to Kenshin. "Go."

Kenshin looks to Enishi with an incredulous expression. "Honestly? You're trying to get Kaoru to kiss me to prove your point that we can't be –"

He couldn't finish his sentence because Kaoru had made her way around the lunch table to kiss him.

After a moment of Kenshin being unresponsive, Kaoru pulls away to look at Kenshin. Lowering her eyes in embarrassment, she's about to leave when he snakes a hand behind her neck and kisses her with more passion than she thought possible. He's capable of that?

She can vaguely hear Enishi exclaiming, "Told ya!" but she's too busy tasting her lemonade in Kenshin's mouth.

This time he pulls away, and he's laughing.

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing…it's just…technically, we've been exchanging saliva since we were six."

She pushes him away. "Agh! Gross!"

He laughs again, his eyes bright. He looks past Kaoru to find Enishi, but he's already across the cafeteria with the rest of his lacrosse friends, laughing about something or other. But Enishi glances back, and the two lock eyes. Enishi clenches his jaw and nods at Kenshin, who nods in return.

Kaoru follows Kenshin gaze and sighs. "I feel terrible. That was really inappropriate to do. Especially in public."

Kenshin cranes his head to inspect the cafeteria. "Nobody batted an eye at us. Remarkable," he comments, noting that everyone in the area is busy eating, or talking to other people.

"I still feel uncomfortable."

He shrugs. "Want to go outside and continue there?"

She laughs, rolling her eyes. "Sure. But first…" She takes back her lemonade and finishes the bottle. "Okay, let's go!" she says, tossing the bottle into the recycling bin and practically skipping toward the exit.

He's quickly on her heels. "I wanted some, you know. Your drink today was better than mine."

"I know, but you'll have a taste soon enough, no?"

He gives her a mischievous grin as he grabs her hand and leads her outside.


A/N: Clearly, I'm back from my vacation. I had a lovely time, in case you were wondering, and I got a fabulous tan :) But now I have my laptop, and I'm ready to keep writing!

Please review!

MissGoalie