Chapter 1

"Hey! Shiina! Yumi! Asami! What's up!" Rika Jukay called to her three best friends, Shiina Noabe, Yumi Mareanay and Asami Hanuna. She ran over to them. They greeted her as they had the past sixteen years. They'd been friends for life. And would remain that way.

"We're up to nothing. Can you talk around cute guys yet? Or can it still be only Kizar? By the way, Eric Blackdeath is behind you," Yumi said. Rika froze. Whenever a guy she thought was cute was near her she couldn't speak. She did sign language. Yumi knew her answer. Yumi was the only one other than Rika that knew sign language in that entire school. She knew the only guy at that school she liked that heard her voice was Kizar. And she was his girlfriend.

"Well. Eric. You may want to leave so she'll speak," Shiina said. He glared at her. Then he left. Rika began to speak again.

"Well. Answer your question. I'll never be able to. Ever" she told them. They agreed. Everyone agreed with her. They never disagreed. They were too sweet.

"Well what now?" Yumi asked. The others gave her a blank look. Then there was an announcement from the teacher. There was going to be a new student in a week. Everyone acted excited. Though no one really was.

They found out his name was Kenshin Himura. Rika and her friends already liked his name. Rika found out more about him.

"He's seventeen, he has red hair, he's good with a sword, he's five foot three inches, he has blue eyes, his hair is long, and on the left side of his face he has a scar that looks like an X," her teacher told her. She then told her friends about him. They knew what would happen. He would never hear Rika's voice.

Just as three guys she liked walked behind her she told Shiina and Yumi to shut up and stop making fun of her.

"Oops. How many cute guys behind me this time?" she asked. Then she covered her mouth. Shiina told her three. Rika fainted and was caught by Kizar.

"What happened to her?" he asked the other three. They began to laugh. They explained. In the next class Shiina, Yumi and Asami were separated from Rika, and Rika was with Kizar. They sat next to each other. That's how he heard her voice and how they met. Kizar liked her and she liked him. Kizar was seventeen. Like Kenshin. The student coming in a week.

"Oh my god what is Kizar doing now?" Shiina asked Yumi. Asami and Rika were at Rika's house and Shiina and Yumi were on there way. They had a video camera. Kizar was chatting with Dosana Homona, a seventeen year old girl at their school. They slipped in a tape and ran behind a bush near where the two were talking. "Do you hear them? Or do we need to get closer?" Shiina whispered to Yumi. Yumi responded it was fine.

"Rika, you have to watch this film. It will explain what we're trying to tell you. Ok?" Yumi told Rika. Rika disagreed. Yumi put the tape in anyway and pressed play. What you could hear and see was:

"Kizar, how, why, would you like Rika?" Dosana asked Kizar bowed his head and in response said

"I don't know. But I like you more than her now."

This caught Rika's attention. She looked at the screen and saw Kizar kiss Dosana. Rika's eyes blazed.

How could he lie to me? He said he hated Dosana. And he always would. Five minutes ago, she thought. She stopped the tape and ran out of the house, with the tape and the VCR in a million pieces. Can you guess what she did? Yumi, Asami and Shiina stared in amazement. Never before had Rika been so angry. Yumi followed her.

"Kizar! YOU ARE A MORON!" Rika screamed at Kizar (as you most likely know) right before she punched him, making him loose three teeth. She threw the tape at him and told him to watch it. Then she kicked him, square in the nuts. Then she left.

"He's a jerk. And a nimrod, moron, idiot, dimwit and he's self- centered," Rika told herself, unaware of Yumi's presence. She eventually found out she was there. "Let's go back to my house with the others. And forget that idiot," Rika said. She smiled at her. For the first time since after she had punched Kizar's teeth out. Even then she didn't really smile. It was more of a smirk. So they went back to her house and did what they were planning to. Film a music video.

"Hello. Are you Kenshin Himura?" Rika's math teacher asked a new student. He nodded. She had him introduce himself. He did as he was told. He said the same things about himself as Rika had learned. Then her teacher pointed to a seat. "Next to Rika," she said. Rika's eyes widened. She had that "WHAT?" look on her face. The teacher nodded. She said, "The girl in the black t-shirt. And the high heeled black leather boots that reach to her knees. In the jean skirt. With the black hair and blue green eyes."

Rika was then thinking just tell the world who I am. She sunk down in her seat. She didn't want him to sit next to her! What if he said something to her? She couldn't talk to him!

"Hey Rika. Why so afraid?" A girl asked from behind Rika. Rika spun around. It was her arch-enemy, Melissa Watts. She hated that girl for one reason. She was a brat, a stuck up brat.

Why me? Rika thought.

"Yeah. And he sits next to me in math! What if he needs help or something?" Rika asked Yumi as she got into her car to go home.

"Just help him," she responded. Rika shook her head.

"I'm still not sure I can speak to him," Rika said. Yumi explained she had to get over that and speak to him. Rika waved goodbye and went home.

"So what? He still sits there. I can't make him move," Rika screamed at her little brother. His name was Naku, and his hair was red, like their mother's. His eyes were they same color as Rika's. Then she heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" cried Naku. He ran to the door. He opened. Guess who it was...Kenshin! He found her address in the phonebook, and came over to her house. She ran upstairs. "She's just in her room, the second floor, third door to the left on your right," Naku explained. Kenshin thanked him and followed his directions.

"Hello," he said when he entered. Rika was on her bed, brushing her calico cat. It was named Abigail. She looked over to the doorway. She grabbed her notebook.

"Hello" she wrote in big letters.

"I brought this over. You left it at school and you may need it," Kenshin said, handing her math book.

"Thank You" she wrote in big letters on the next page of her notebook.

"You're welcome" Kenshin said as he left her room.

I have to know one thing, she thought to herself.

"Wait," she called. Kenshin came back. "Uh...I forgot what page to do," she said.

What am I doing? I wasn't supposed to talk to him. I didn't want to, she thought.

"You're supposed to do page 345," he answered. Rika nodded.

"Thanks," she said. Kenshin nodded. She motioned for him to follow her out to her living room. He followed.

"I have to go. The movie was...interesting. Thanks," he said, right before he woke up from dreaming because his mother said

"Time to get up for school."