A/N: Okay, this chapter is...yeah. I pretty much screwed up everyone's
character, so don't expect everyone to be exactly like what you've seen on
TV.
Hey, I'm trying here!
---
Yusuke braced himself, his arms protecting his face, as if it would save him. He saw flashes of memories. Of his mother, Kuwabara, Botan....and Keiko. His whole life, snuffed out in an instant.
But the impact never came. The driver had hit the brakes as hard as he could and veered to the left just in time. Yusuke let out a heavy sigh of relief. He was still alive.
Kenshin stepped out of the SUV, rushing up to the dark-haired boy. "Are you alright?"
Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was real close though."
Kaoru peeked outside the car door Kenshin had left ajar. "Is...he alright?"
"Who's that, your girlfriend?" Yusuke asked, trying hard to keep the bitterness in his voice subtle.
Kaoru overhead Yusuke's question and blushed 14 different shades of red. "No! Of course not!" She blurted out automatically.
"Miss Kamiya is my neighbor. She cannot afford a car of her own, so I help her out by driving her where ever she needs to go." Kenshin explained calmly, though he was quite flustered himself.
"Go figure." Yusuke muttered, then began to walk away. "Well good luck with tha--"
Yusuke was greeted with a burning pain across his cheek. "What the heck was that for?"
"Oh Yusuke, you almost got yourself killed AGAIN?" A girl about Yusuke's age stood before him, blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, her expression a mix of concern, fear, and anger.
"Well, you didn't have to SLAP me for it!" Yusuke retorted with annoyance.
Kaoru slowly leaned over to Kenshin and whispered, "Maybe we should go now."
Botan looked up, embarrassed, as she noticed Kaoru and Kenshin for the first time. "Wait! Um...sorry about that." She tried to think of something to say after that, but the only thing that came to mind was introductions. "My name is Botan. And this," Botan nudged Yusuke lightly with her elbow. "is Yusuke."
Kaoru looked at Yusuke and half-smiled, half-smirked. "Is that YOUR girlfriend?"
Yusuke stared at Kaoru, with a twitching eyebrow. "WHAT THE HECK? NO! Botan is my TUTOR."
Kaoru blinked. "Um...oh."
There was a long, akward silence, then Botan turned to Yusuke. "We really need to get to the library now. You've got a lot to catch up on."
Yusuke moaned. "Do we HAVE to?"
"YES!"
"Maybe we'll see you around sometime, Yusuke and Botan." Kenshin said with a smile.
"Yeah." Botan and Yusuke said together, then traipsed to the library, Yusuke reluctant, Botan not.
Hey, I'm trying here!
---
Yusuke braced himself, his arms protecting his face, as if it would save him. He saw flashes of memories. Of his mother, Kuwabara, Botan....and Keiko. His whole life, snuffed out in an instant.
But the impact never came. The driver had hit the brakes as hard as he could and veered to the left just in time. Yusuke let out a heavy sigh of relief. He was still alive.
Kenshin stepped out of the SUV, rushing up to the dark-haired boy. "Are you alright?"
Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was real close though."
Kaoru peeked outside the car door Kenshin had left ajar. "Is...he alright?"
"Who's that, your girlfriend?" Yusuke asked, trying hard to keep the bitterness in his voice subtle.
Kaoru overhead Yusuke's question and blushed 14 different shades of red. "No! Of course not!" She blurted out automatically.
"Miss Kamiya is my neighbor. She cannot afford a car of her own, so I help her out by driving her where ever she needs to go." Kenshin explained calmly, though he was quite flustered himself.
"Go figure." Yusuke muttered, then began to walk away. "Well good luck with tha--"
Yusuke was greeted with a burning pain across his cheek. "What the heck was that for?"
"Oh Yusuke, you almost got yourself killed AGAIN?" A girl about Yusuke's age stood before him, blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, her expression a mix of concern, fear, and anger.
"Well, you didn't have to SLAP me for it!" Yusuke retorted with annoyance.
Kaoru slowly leaned over to Kenshin and whispered, "Maybe we should go now."
Botan looked up, embarrassed, as she noticed Kaoru and Kenshin for the first time. "Wait! Um...sorry about that." She tried to think of something to say after that, but the only thing that came to mind was introductions. "My name is Botan. And this," Botan nudged Yusuke lightly with her elbow. "is Yusuke."
Kaoru looked at Yusuke and half-smiled, half-smirked. "Is that YOUR girlfriend?"
Yusuke stared at Kaoru, with a twitching eyebrow. "WHAT THE HECK? NO! Botan is my TUTOR."
Kaoru blinked. "Um...oh."
There was a long, akward silence, then Botan turned to Yusuke. "We really need to get to the library now. You've got a lot to catch up on."
Yusuke moaned. "Do we HAVE to?"
"YES!"
"Maybe we'll see you around sometime, Yusuke and Botan." Kenshin said with a smile.
"Yeah." Botan and Yusuke said together, then traipsed to the library, Yusuke reluctant, Botan not.
