Fate Beckons

Chapter 9: Back to Training--Kenshin the Coach?!

Disclaimers apply (now I'm really, really sick of this!)

Some craziness...Hiko, Sano, Megumi, Yahiko and Kenshin cameo!

" Eh, Chio Bu [pretty girl], wait for me later can?" Sanosuke grinned, towering over Misao who was warming up by the bleachers.

The pool was welcoming and clear, although the ground was still wet from the morning rain. Misao just wanted to dive in--and escape from the irritating Sano. He was new to the club--but he had been bugging her to go out with him for the past six months. So far, she had turned him down. True, he was cute, and other girls would die to be in her position--especially her friend Megumi who happened to be glaring at him at that moment.

She grinned to herself. As the rest had said, Sano and Hui quarreled 'like husband and wife'. She knew Megumi was interested but Sano...Guess I'll just have to play matchmaker.

"Actually, I have something on after training, so I have to rush home. Maybe Megumi will go with you instead." She barely caught the grateful look Megumi shot her.

Sano turned his pleading eyes to Megumi. "Please leh."

Megumi rolled her eyes. "With this slacker? Fat hope." But the smile on her face was obvious.

"Hey, what do you mean by slacker, Hu Li Jing? [Fox spirit, kitsune...]" Sano sputtered. Megumi stared daggers at him, but her smile grew wider--with one difference. Now it looked dangerous.

"Will the two of you please stop quarrelling?" An unfamiliar, sort of high male voice asked. The three of them turned round. Standing behind them was a rather short man with long, bright red hair. There was a cross shaped scar on his left cheek. He wore a pink T-shirt and white shorts.

"I," the new-comer stated, "am your new coach. Please call me Kenshin."

Misao choked. Megumi's eyes grew wide open.

"You? What happened to Uncle Hiko?" Sano (referring to their usual coach) wheezed, trying not to burst out laughing. Megumi and Misao sweatdropped. [Usually, we swimmers here call our coaches "Uncle".]

As if in answer to his question, the coach walked up to them.

"Kenshin here has decided to retire after a short stint as an NCO in the army. It is your blessing that he has decided to become your coach. After all, he was my um....best student." He grinned. Kenshin winced slightly.

"I'll leave you to him now. Don't slack!" Somehow, Misao did not like the sound of that.

"Okay." Kenshin cleared his throat. The three of them looked up in sudden attention. "For warmups, I would like you to run ten rounds around this compound."

"What!!" Sano sputtered again. "Are you trying to kill us? Hiko usually makes us do only five!"

"If you complain any more, I'm going to make you do double of that. Running helps you to swim faster. Now go!"

"Anything you say, Kenshin. Hohoho," Megumi giggled, beginning to jog. Misao almost thought she saw fox ears pop up on her head. She blinked. The ears had disappeared. Maybe it was an illusion after all. Sighing, she began jogging.

She was panting after five rounds. The seventh round, she wanted to faint. On the ninth round, she started to imagine Aoshi in front of her, urging her on, just like she always did whenever she was on the urge of giving up. She forced herself through the last round and promptly collapsed onto the floor, gasping.

Good work, Mi-chan. The words echoed in her mind. Aoshi always told her that whenever she accomplished something. And she would always grin and hug him, so innocently.

"Hey guys, what's up? Why are you all on the floor like that?" Misao opened her eyes barely enough to make out the spiky head of the youngest swimmer in the group: Mingshen Yahiko [fusion name!] who happened to be her friend Kaoru 's younger brother.

Megumi moaned. "Kenshin..." It sounded more like an agonized grunt.

"Huh? What? Genting?" Yahiko strained his ears to hear better.

"You better stop talking or I'll kick you to Genting." Yahiko turned slowly, afraid to find out who (or what) was behind him.

"Aaargh!" He yelled when Kenshin pulled his ears.

"Why are you late? To make up for the--" Kenshin looked at his watch, " 1800 seconds you just wasted, I want you to do 1800m of butterfly later. Now, down 100!"

"What the he--"

"Little boys should be seen and not heard."

"I. AM. NOT. A. LIT. TLE. BOY!" Yahiko shouted as he started doing the push ups (involuntarily because Sano was pushing him down, much like dribbling a basketball!).

Kenshin turned back. "This is to prepare you for NS as well." Yahiko fumed.

Needless to say, training that day was more strenuous than ever! Sano, Yahiko and Misao glared at and shook fists at Kenshin behind his back, while Megumi just looked smitten, trying to suck up to him (much to Sano's annoyance). It did not help that Kenshin seemed to have a split personality--one minute, he was extremely polite, another minute he was a tough drill sergeant, yelling out more torturous orders.

Misao did not know how she managed to drag herself home. She thanked her teachers for not giving out homework that day...she was just dead tired.

To think I have to be stuck with him as a coach! And with Megumi acting like that, it's not going to help me match make her and Sano. Aoshi, if only you were here to advise me!

tbc

LOL...the Kenshin Gumi are in now--wait till you find out how Kenshin and Aoshi knew each other.(but then, you've probably guessed already). Kind of based Kenshin the NCO-coach and Yahiko on my own coach and this club team mate who always gets on his nerves...

Rather OOC esp for A&M and Kenshin, I know. And of course there's a bit of K&K and S&M in this fic too (just wait and see minna san!) {Evil laugh}

English teacher: "I told you to use proper English and cut down on the conversations!

Celste(Evon) meekly: Sumimasen Tan sensei atashi wa shitakunakatta dakara! (Sorry Miss Tan, I don't want to do it!

English teacher: WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?

Class behind bursts into laughter. Celste blushes.