Chapter 3: Sublime (Written to MeteoraI really should expand my musical horizons. As soon as I expand my financial ones I guess)
(Gee, inspired chapter title, huh? Due to MORE feedback (I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!), I may just be updating daily! I promise nothing, however, I refuse to invest any real talent in a highschool fic. Sumimasen, it's just not right. To those who didn't like Sano and Kenshin, read past the first part of this chapter, to those who DID like Aoshi and Misao, don't give up hope, his headphones aren't off quite yetEnjoy!)
(Sano and Kenshin, lucking horribly embarrassed, pluck at a banjo and rub a washboard as t3h jack sings:
Oh I don't own Inuyasha,
And I don't own RK
And no matter what some people say
I really am not gay
I swear I'm not a hentai
Though there's sex in all my fics
Accuse me of any of these
And I'll cut off-well you see where this is going.
HEY!
Thank you.)
Poke.
Poke.
A thin crescent of reality appeared to Sano as a third poke grazed his forehead. The slice included Kenshin, so Sano decided he liked what he saw and tried for a little bit bigger of an opening.
"Nugh?" He asked intelligently.
"Ungh." Replied Kenshin, giggling. "Umm, Sanosuke? Hate to wake you up, but can I have my feet back?"
Sano slowly gripped the situation. "Oh. I dunno, I kinda like them where they are." He tried for a wink, but his eyes weren't open enough yet for much effect.
"Me too, sexy, but something tells me your parents might not enjoy the position we're in as much as we do."
THAT woke Sano up.
*
Morning. Time to jog back home for Kenshin, and, as Sano so vehemently emphasized, READ.
"SoI'm gonna be seein more of ya, right shorty?"
Kenshin grinned widely. "I believe solet's keep it quiet, huh? I already get called fag enough, I don't want you getting that kind of trouble."
"They can bring it ON," Said Sano, expression darkening and fingers cracking. "I wanna snog my boy toy wherever we may go, and there's no way they're getting in the way"
"Trust me babe, just for now let's keep it between us." Seeing Sano's pouting and stubborn expression, he sighed and smiled. "Come on, I can beat you at HALO, and you don't want to see what happens if you get me mad in real life, too."
"WHAT!? You, beat me!? I demand another game!"
"WellI need to go home, you knowjust one. And only if I can sit on your lap again."
Sano smirked, and dragged the diminutive redhead back towards the waiting game. "Like I'd let you play any other way"
*
Misao hadn't slept. At all. Instead she had spent her time procuring a copy of 'Lucky You' and figuring out how to set the infinite repeat function on her CD player.
So turn it to '1' mode, and THEN put it on repeat. Cool!
The Aoshi fan club had congratulated her, most of them having long ago surrendered to the reality that if anyone was gonna get to him it was Misao, although many of them were also surreptitiously downloading 'Lucky You', and using their imaginations
And so when the morning came, it was a very excited and proud-of-herself Misao that entered-
To meet the exact same Aoshi sitting in the window seat.
Somehow overnight he had become a romantic prince, and in her dreams (Not actual dreams, as she hadn't really slept, but day-err, night-dreams) she had always been greeted with a massive embrace, maybe even a kiss
But her habits of Aoshi-defrosting were well-ingrained, so she sat, and prepared the morning session of questioning.
"Good morning, Aoshi!" She said with unusual (even for her!) perkiness, and inhaled deeply to begin the preliminary pestering.
"Good morning, Misao."
WHOOSH. Misao lost the breath she was holding out of surprise. Her eyes got all big and watery out of the sheer emotion generated by the small nicety Aoshi had bestowed upon her. She wanted to sing, to dance, those three words would echo in her head for hours just as his 'good afternoon' had
"You know it only feels that way because he never says anything, right?"
Misao spun angrily. "Since when do the dead wake this early, Jack?"
The slight boy who sat behind her slid his eyes open a tad. "Simple. I found some coke in the fridge. Musta jump-started me."
"Not enough to lecture me about-" Her voice lowered as she glanced to the left "relationships."
Jack snorted lightly and re-closed his eyes. "Hell, I could have told you Aoshi uses long spaces of silence to add emphasis to the few words he gives us voluntarily while I was asleep ALL the way. It's not obvious to you because you're locked in some romantic fantasy, but so far he's said 'what?', 'good morning', and 'good afternoon' to you, not 'Oh Misao I love you so, please let me ravish you with my massive-'.
Jack's seatmate, Omasu, smacked him cruelly. "You're nicer asleep, bro. And I'm sure that even if he refuses to speak, he has deep feelings for Misao. So shut up. Meanie."
Jack didn't have to be told twice.
Aoshi was vaguely amused by the girls' frantic denials of Jack's insight. He has an enviable grasp of the obvious that escapes most people
But if only to make Misao happy, he chose this juncture to offer her a headphone, and they were lost in the strains of Sublime until the bus rumbled and grumbled it's way into the converted loading dock.
Love babe,
It's what I got
*
The geek fringe, as they had been long ago labeled, stalked the early-morning halls, in search of an un-attended teacher's lounge to hit up for coke.
The problem with going to the geek program, reflected Jack, as he slid silently along the corridor, warily eyeing the shadows for satanic vice-principals is that I'm just not a geek.
The student body at Rickards was a fairly interesting mix, a testament to the planning skills of the local school board. 'Let's put the geek program at the loser school!' Jack could hear them shout, spilling their vodka (spiked with prescription pills) on their charts. Half-dork, half-screw-up, the unholy fusion that was his highschool threatened to consume all who entered. One way or another.
So three schools formed within. There were the true geeks, the true losers, and the half-breeds. Like Jack, who continually set records for passing with the lowest possible grades. Rounded up
Or Sano, who was on his third shot at intensive reading, but whose artwork was occasionally actually sold to galleries. Or Misao, whose growing obsession with Aoshi had dragged down her grades. Or Omasu, by far the smartest member of the fringe, the top of the bottom half of the school's students.
And of course they dragged with them their crushes, their siblings, their undeclared boyfriends
Which is why Kenshin was watching Jack's back as he prowled with deliberate stealth through darkened doorways to the bright glow of the shiny red vending machine.
How again did I let that maniac talk me into it? Sano, yawning and begging for anything with stimulants, crossed his mind. Oh. Right.
Kenshin was a straight A student, a teacher's pet in every way, who never made a single enemy that was paid by the school. He was to unfailingly polite to ever get angry at, really. But he was willing to risk his untarnished reputation to sneak into a forbidden-to-students area with a man known for sleeping through three periods straight, solely to fetch the boyfriend he was to afraid to tell anyone about a drink.
It's worth it.
"Why again are you attempting to be a ninja? I haven't seen you this active since the last time you actually managed to GET coke." Godamn sugar-addict!
"Well, it's the only thing besides the drink itself that wakes me up." An eerie, sharp canine-d grin. "Stalking it
"Sorta like you and Sano."
Kenshin nearly gave himself whiplash as he spun around. "WH-what!?" He barely remembered to lower his voice in the hallowed halls of teachers.
"Oh come on. It's pretty obvious. Especially if one happens by a certain mostly-disused bathroom a few times every day, and sneaks a peak through a broken window when he hears strange noises issuing from within."
Kenshin's face matched his hair. "Don't worry, shorty, I won't tell anyone. If anything, I'm impressed at your self-control. 'Never seem to see you doing anything 'sides kiss-"
For the second time that day Jack got smacked against the wall.
*
"I come bearing cokes, thanks to my mad stealth-ninja skillz, and a new bruise, thanks to my naughty mind and touchy companion."
"Aww, hittin on Kenshin again?" Taunted Misao, who had yet to forgive him for the Aoshi comments.
Sano, it should be mentioned, colored nicely, but stayed quiet.
Jack winked, and smirked evilly. "You know it girl. Just for that, I claim your coke!"
'DAMN YOUR EYES! I mean, please, take pity on me! I didn't sleep last night at all! Umm, I'll make Omasu stop smacking you!"
"Yeah right," Chorused Jack and Omasu simultaneously.
*
"Hey fag."
Don't pay attention.
"Yeah, YOU! Fag! Come on, get back, FAG!"
Words can't hurt you, words can't hurt
"Come on, get the FAG!"
No
*
When Jack rounded the corner to find his favorite redhead crumpled against the wall with a streaming nose, he knew what was happening.
"Tell me the names, I'll go get Sano."
"NO! No Sanosuke." Kenshin was very sure on this point.
"You think I'm gonna let you take this? From THEM? You think Sano's gonna let this slide?"
"PleaseI don't want to get Sano in trouble. I can stand getting punched. I CAN'T stand him being arrested when those kids go to Saitouyou know he'll do all he can to get Sanosuke out of here."
Jack pondered. True, that bastard wouldand he's the NICE assistant principal!
But seeing Kenshin hurt like this
"For now. But next timenext time, I'M taking care of it. And Saitou can kiss my ass."
(Btw, for the reviews I revieved between writing the opening and closing notes, I LOVE YOU!! You guys are nicewhich is why I'm sorry that I'm so naughty. The PG crowd is apparently gentler than my usual gang (You know who you are!), but I have to append a 13, I'll remain below the dreaded R if people have a problem with it though. Because I love you. Of course this assumes anyone still likes this story after I insert myself. And a friend. And my school. And my habit of sneaking to teacher's lounges for coke. If anyone is really bothered by my blatant Mary Suing, but otherwise likes the story just tell me, although if you hate me casting myself AND the rest of the fic then don't bother, unless there's some real readers out there this is just me having fun. L8r all, I love you Koishii!)
(P.S. Word to Patrice, or should I say Omasu. Yes, she's real, yes, she calls me bro, and yes I get smacked whenever I sit next to her and make stupid jokes about-*smack!* itai!)