Chapter 3
By Crystal
*Screw the disclaimers ^^;; Mina and Ryosuke belong to XenoMark*
The third block for the day was history for them. Kenshin sat at the back of the class, playing with his pen while listening to the teacher and jotting down notes once in a while. Today's topic was the Bakumatsu and it was going to be the main topic for a few weeks, maybe even months. Kenshin didn't mind it much, really, he didn't. He rather liked it, he knew everything about the Bakumatsu and it came as natural. If anyone would ask him any question about the Bakumatsu, he would just have to say the answer in his head and he would most likely get it right.
His eyes rested at the raven haired girl in front of him who was paying a lot of attention in class and taking notes endlessly, then there was the girl beside her that wore her hair up in a braid and lastly, the girl that laughed like a fox. For the guys, the boy with hair like a rooster, then a tall guy as emotional as an icicle and lastly, a boy that smiled the whole time. Kenshin wondered how Soujiro could smile without worrying about aching jaws. He snapped out of his thoughts and frowned as the teacher passed out papers. "What are we doing?" He whispered to Kaoru.
"We're doing a quiz on the Bakumatsu, didn't you hear?" Kaoru asked, and turned her head slightly. He shook his head, "Well, we're doing a quiz and no notes allowed. The teacher says she thinks we weren't listening in class, but we were. But don't worry about it, the teacher's always like that. I bet she wants all of us to fail... She doesn't like Aoshi, but it's so hard to fail him, that's why the teacher gives out tests almost everyday. Impossible to actually fail Aoshi, he doesn't talk and he aces all his tests." She turned around as she heard the teacher come close.
Kenshin shrugged, it didn't matter anyhow, he always aced history ever since he was a kid. It shouldn't be a problem now. As the teacher gave him his quiz, which was actually a test with forty questions, he started doing it.
Name: Himura Kenshin
Who were the revolutionists during the Bakumatsu? The Ishin shishi
What year did the Bakumatsu end? 1868
What was the saying for the Shinsengumi? Aku. Soku. Zan.
Who was known as the most powerful during the revolution (His name)? Himura Kenshin
Who was he? Hitokiri Battousai
What was his style of fighting? Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu
Who was his master? Hiko Seijuro
What did he do after the revolution? He became a rurouni and protected people's lives.
And the test went on like this... When he had first learned that Hitokiri Battousai's name was indeed Himura Kenshin, the name he thought it was, it surprised him. It had also surprised him that he was so identical to him. He wouldn't be surprised if he learned that he was Hitokiri Battousai's reincarnation. He handed the test and sat back in his chair and looked at the window outside and sighed quietly. The first day of school and he was already getting bored of it, he couldn't wait until school was over. Then he'd probably have to go out and kill again... He really didn't like killing, but if it was for the sake of innocent people, he'd do it. Damned gangs thought they were best and killed innocent humans.
It's been a while since he actually went to school... Probably more than half an year, thanks to all those assassinations Katsura-san sends him to. Kenshin couldn't help but feel sorry for Mina sometimes. She was dragged into the whole assassination thing and it was all his fault. He taught her the style, he saved her that rainy night...
A woman lying dead on the floor in a pool of crimson liquid, cut down by a katana, a fourteen year old girl with her back against the wall in blood near the corpse and a man in front of him. Kenshin remembered how innocent she had looked at first, helpless and screaming at the man. Without second thought, he slew the man near her and brought her back to the Chosuke hideout. Kenshin taught Mina Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu and trained her for the past two years, his dear sister...
He looked up at the six people surrounding him. So deep in thought that he wasn't even aware that they had been standing there for a minute, looking as his eyes changed colours... From golden amber to violet. He looked down at his test... Or where his test was suppose to be and frowned. It was no where to be found.
"The teacher collected it already." Kaoru replied, seeing the frown on his face.
"Oh."
Kaoru gave Kenshin a small smile, "You were the first one to finish the test, so she collected it, you were thinking for more than ten minutes, Kenshin."
"Sou ka... What are we doing now?" He asked, and looked around the room, seeing the other student like them, standing around one's desk and the teacher was up at the front sitting at her desk, writing something.
"You even listen less than rooster head here." Megumi pointed to Sano and received a scowl.
Kenshin smiled, amused at the nickname. "Sorry, I was just deep in thoughts. So answer my question?"
"At least the brother's nicer than the sister..." Misao said. Mina was definitely not one of her top favorite people on her list.
"Ah... I'm sorry, Mina's had... a rough life. She's always been like that. I hope you don't mind." Kenshin said politely. He himself had no idea why he was so polite. Perhaps, for once in his life, he was having a normal day... Even if he hated school.
"Right, we're doing a project, three to four people in a group. Since we have seven, we can have a group of three and the other, a group of four. What do you say?" Kaoru asked.
Kenshin nodded, "I think that's a good id-"
He was interrupted by the teacher, "Himura, you have terrible writing, maybe you should practice your writing more." Then returned to correcting the test papers.
Kenshin frowned and narrowed his eyes a bit and said something with 'Shisho said...' and 'doesn't need to know how to write...'. And looked back up at the six, "Right, I was going to say that it's a good idea."
Soujiro smiled, "All right, the guys can be a group and the girls can be a group." Everything was good, except the fact that the guys would have to do Sano's share of work too. Not that they minded, no. They had been doing his share of work ever since they've known him.
Around twenty minutes later, the teacher handed out the test papers. Or what the teacher called, a quiz. Aoshi and Megumi, being the smartest in school completely aced the test, Soujiro had gotten one mistake, Kaoru had three mistakes and Misao had two. Sano had barely passed the test and not surprisingly, Kenshin got full marks.
"Aw man, even the new student beat me." Kaoru whined.
Kenshin smiled slightly at her cute face while she whined, "Kaoru, I'm only good at history, especially around the time before and during the Meiji Era."
"Mou! I'm not good at any subjects!" Kaoru replied.
Megumi frowned, "Well, you're certainly better than rooster head here. At least you got three mistakes unlike some rooster head." She looked at her boyfriend with the corner of her eyes. Just then, the bell rang and Megumi took off to her next class.
"Meg! You know I'm not good with school work!" Sano shouted after her, while taking all his stuff and followed after her.
Kenshin grinned, "Are they always like this?" They all nodded. Just then, his eyes widened. How many times had he smiled today? And it wasn't in front of Mina... Usually, the smiles were only in front of Mina... But today... He was becoming soft... "Are all of you having physics next class?" He asked and was replied with three heads nodding up and down, Aoshi's head staying in the same position. "Okay, good, same here. I don't know where the class is... So..."
Kaoru cut in, "Kenshin, can I see your scheduel? We all have the same classes. We did that purposely, except Megumi doesn't have Kenjitsuu with us, she has another science class instead." She took his schduel and her smiled brightened almost immediately. "You have the same classes as us!"
Kenshin nodded and stopped the smile that was almost showing on his lips. Kaoru had once again brightened his day, "Let's go before we're late for class." They walked out the class with Misao and Kaoru in the front chatting and the three boys at the rear silently following them. They reached the physics class and Kenshin was about to sit down when he was interrupted by the phone in the class.
The teacher picked it up and after nodding a few times, hanged up the phone and looked around for the new student. She walked over to him, "Himura Kenshin, I assume?" Kenshin nodded, "The principal wants to speak with you and your sister. Please go to your sister's class and pick her up, then go to the office. Your sister's in room 213, it's just below here. Do you know where the office is?" Kenshin shook his head, "Then bring someone and get him or her to bring you there." Kenshin thanked the teacher and walked back to the desk.
"What'd the teacher say?" Sanosuke asked curiously.
"The principal wants to see me and my sister." Kenshin replied and looked at Kaoru, "Kaoru, do you mind if you can bring me to room 213 and then to the office?"
Kaoru shook her head, "Of course not. Let's go." She stood up and walked out and waved one last time before she hopped down the stairs like a kindergarten. Kenshin chuckled and Kaoru stuck out her tongue at him. Just then, Mina walked out of her classroom and waved at Kenshin. She was not exactly pleased to see Kaoru and Kenshin so close to each other. Kaoru lead the both of them to the office and then returned back to her class. Kenshin knocked on the door and Tokio answered.
"Kenshin-kun, Mina-chan." Tokio greeted.
"Tokio-san..." The both of them greeted back, "Why are you here?" Kenshin asked.
Tokio smiled, "Well, I only teach one class, and it's Kenjitsuu, so for the rest of the day, I stay here with Hajime. Okita-kun is also your teacher in math, he's here at the moment though, he doesn't teach any class in this block." Kenshin nodded and followed her in the office.
There was two couches in there, and one desk. Saitoh was sitting at the desk, Okita was sitting on one of the couches. Kenshin bowed slightly and Mina followed, "Saitoh, Okita." The both of them greeted.
"Himura-san, Mina-san." Okita greeted politely.
Kenshin and Mina sat down on the couch, having a clear idea of what the subject was going to be about. They just needed someone to confirm it. "Battousai, Kensai." Saitoh greeted. There, the confirmation... The nickname for the both of them was able to confirm their guess. They were going to talk about assassinating people... In a highschool. What a joke.
omochi – Arigatou!
XenoMark – Thanks for the support! Ryosuke still isn't in this chapter... Hopefully, next chapter!