16 reviews on the previous chapter...o_O Thank you for the positive
responses. It means a lot to me, especially since this is my first fic.
From now on, I think I'll just respond to some of the reviews, especially
those involving questions, they just take up too many spaces :p
Mara Roberts – This is my first attempt, sorry for all those grammar mistakes. I'm working on those fragmented sentences. I know about the repetition - it's a hard-to-kick habit. :p Literature is starting to bug me lol. Thank you so much for the constructive criticism...I'll try my best to improve :)
Azura Dea – Still working to make the chapters longer...but always failed miserably *Sigh*
Inuyashachic515 – It's a picture of Kenshin on manga volume 15. Sorry if you don't have the manga and you don't know what I'm referring to...
evil chibi chibi – chan – Almost cant recognize you until the I saw the last few words...:P And here's the new chapter, sorry it took so long to update!
Fawnlander Amethyst – Shuting! I can't believe you reviewed this fic! And I haven't submitted any for you...*guilty look* Is the fic really that great? I thought yours is better :p Thnx a lot for the review! And here's the new chapter, so stop bugging me :p
Jyx – It is original? LOL...don't think so. There are always those solitude characters in many fics, mine is one of them. I'm not discontinuing this fic, but I have a MAJOR writer's block, hence the long update.
I'm very sorry for the long update...*counting fingers* It's been about like 4 months since I posted the last chapter. I suddenly lost inspiration for my fic and had a HUGE writer's block. Top it up with school...*sigh*
Fawnlander Amethyst is now my beta-reader. Thank you so much for volunteering to be one! :D Read her fics...they are great. :)
Discaimer: Stated in the previous chapters – I do not own it.
Chapter 12 – Getting Back To The Old Days
The guys approached the girls and to their seats. Aoshi sat opposite of Misao and to his right was Soujiro and his left, Sano. Shishio took his seat beside Yumi while Kenshin sat opposite of Kaoru. Both were looking down and trying their best to avoid eye contact with each other. Others' attentions were entirely focused on them. It suddenly came to a stand still. Kaoru began fidgeting nervously.
"Okay guys, let's just eat," Sano said, breaking the silence. Kaoru was thankful for the intervention. All began eating silently. Neither spoke for quite some time.
"Hmmm, the rumour was true?" Soujiro asked mildly, his trademark smile still plastered on his face. He did not seem to be affected much by the rumour. Others looked intently at Kaoru and Kenshin, eagerness written on their faces, hoping for an answer. Kaoru gulped.
"Partly true, but it was exaggerated," Kenshin answered. Others beside Kaoru gasped while she herself was trying her best to appear invisible.
"Well done Jou-chan, you didn't disappoint us!" Sano smacked Kaoru's back. Hard. It made Kaoru sick and she almost threw up.
"Sano! I just ate my food!" Kaoru scolded him.
"He he, sorry Jou-chan, almost forgot," Sano grinned. He didn't make the wrong choice of counting on Kaoru. He knew she could do it and she did.
All in all, it was an awkward situation. Kenshin smiled. "Guys, you're making her uncomfortable here."
Sano, Misao and Megumi grinned. It was good to have Kenshin back. Things were progressing smoothly with Kaoru. She was an extraordinary girl indeed. Just for being in this school for a month, she had already made such a drastic impact, especially to a certain someone. Speaking of him, he seemed undisturbed by the whole situation. He was taking this rather well. Kaoru, on the other hand, was blushing furiously, earning herself more laughter from the gang.
"Kaoru-san, you look so cute!" Soujiro teased her endlessly. The laughter became louder and louder. Kenshin was holding a hand over his mouth. He was trying his best to restrain his giggling, but Kaoru's reddened face was an amusing sight to him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and joined the laughter. It earned him some staring from the canteen population. Even his friends still found it weird. It was just hard accepting such a drastic change.
'He was laughing!' Kaoru was fuming inside. 'He started all this confusion and now he had the nerve to laugh at me!' She gave him a death glare. Kenshin noticed it and restrain his laughter, though he was still laughing inside. Kaoru just looked so cute! He had never seen her so embarrassed before.
Kaoru's violent tendency was growing inside her. She did not why, but seeing Kenshin laughing at her was infuriating her. He was supposed to help her and not put her into a worse situation like this. Finally, Kaoru couldn't take it anymore and leaned orward to smack him on the forehead.
'Oro?' Kenshin's confused reply came out automatically. The gang froze and stared at them for a while, before erupting into another gale of laughter. The exchange was just so hilarious. Luckily for Kaoru, it was the normal Kenshin. You could never mess with a 'battousai' Kenshin, least of all smacked him.
"You jerk! This happened because of you and now you're laughing at me!" Kaoru continued to whack Kenshin's head with her spoon while Kenshin shielded himself helplessly. The bell apparently saved him from further beating and the crowd began to disperse slowly from the canteen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kenshin chose a seat at the corner of the classroom, trying his best to avoid Kaoru. Kaoru was still fuming and she sent him an occasional you- better-watch-out glare every time the teacher turned his back from the class. Kenshin gulped. Kaoru frightened him to his death, even worse than his shishou. Nobody ever got mad at him like that. He made a resolution to avoid her after school, at least for today. She would need a day to calm her temper down.
Unfortunately, that couldn't happen. There was kendo practice today and even though Kenshin was injured, he still had to attend to supervise the practice as he was the kendo captain. He was feeling glad for his injury for this moment. Kaoru was attacking Sano furiously, directing her temper at him. Kenshin shuddered. He had the skills to avoid Kaoru's attacks, but the sight of an angry Kaoru just made him nervous. If it had been him, he was not sure of the outcome. Poor Sano was retreating continuously, apparently afraid of facing Kaoru as well.
'Women, they were so unpredictable.' Kenshin mused to himself.
The practice ended and Sano was so relieved to see Kaoru lowering her bokken. She was smiling and Kenshin was glad to see it. It seems that her temper was gone and she was back to her cheerful state. Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano, Megumi and Misao agreed to walk home together. Halfway, Megumi parted with them to go to her clinic while Sano accompanied her. Kenshin also went separate way, leaving Kaoru and Misao alone.
"So Kaoru, how come you never let your prince charming accompany you towards your house?" Misao asked slyly.
"Misao," Kaoru growled threateningly.
"Just joking, Kaoru. Geez, take that easy, you've been grumpy the whole day! You freaked me out during your spar with Sano!"
"Well, you guys just bullied me in the canteen!"
"You just looked so cute with your face red!" Misao teased playfully.
"One more word Misao..." Kaoru hinted dangerously.
"Alright, alright, I will drop the subject. Opss, we're reaching my house. See ya later Kaoru!" Misao waved to her and ran towards her house. Kaoru waved back and headed towards her home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Give my homework back Yahiko!" Kaoru screamed at the top of her lungs, which an be heard throughout the entire house. Her uncle winced at the scream.
"No way, tell me what happened during kendo practice today!" Yahiko shouted back while trying to doge Kaoru's grasps.
"That was none of your business! Give it to me back now before I strangle you to death!" Kaoru glowered at him.
"Ha! I would like to see you do that, busu!" Yahiko retorted.
"Why, you spoiled brat!"
"Busu!"
"Brat!"
"Ugly old hag!"
"Kiddo!"
The name-calling degenerated for some time and both of them sat on the floor, tired of shouting.
"You brat, now look at what you have done! You have wasted me an hour of doing homework!" Kaoru chided him.
"It's your fault for not telling me anything!" Yahiko hollered back.
"What's there to tell? Kenshin's injured, he can't play, you dolt! I was sparring with Sano and gained the upper-hand!"
"Liar, Sano could never lose to an ugly hag like you!"
"Say that again, you kiddo!" Kaoru spent the whole evening chasing him around the house. By the time she got it back and finished her homework, it was already 12 midnight. Kaoru yawned and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The week went smoothly for Kaoru. She found things have turned out much better, now that the 'old Kenshin' had returned. It was like reverting back to the old days for her friends. Now they always joked during lunch and Kenshin laughed together with them. It was good to hear him laughing. It was a pleasant sound and it brought joy to Kaoru. The new side of him intrigued her. It was like the exact opposite of the Kenshin she knew on her first day. He was smiling almost all the time, which automatically reminded her of Soujiro and he was extremely polite. That gave him a problem though. The female classmates took advantage of this and started pushing him around. In the past, they avoided him, now they openly chased him. Kenshin was having a real hard time dealing with them.
Kaoru's heart twanged with jealousy. Wait, jealousy? She was not at all! She was supposed to act like a friend! Well, she admitted she liked him, but she had to control this emotion. She was not really ready to face this feeling; this new personality of Kenshin that she had witnessed was still keeping her off balance. Outside, he was polite and friendly, but he was still unpredictable as always. Kaoru could never understand him completely. Somehow, there was still that barrier placed deep inside his heart. Kaoru had not managed to break it through completely. Kaoru sighed. It was not going to be as easy as she thought. This proved to be a formidable task.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Outside, it was raining heavily. Upon seeing it, Kenshin mood darkened. He hated rain; it always reminded him of that incident. It still flashed vividly inside his mind.
*Flashback*
"Tomoe! Please, no, don't leave me!"
"I'm sorry Kenshin, it was the best for both of us!"
"Tomoe!"
He tried to shrug off those bad memories from his head and stared at the ceiling longingly. He sighed. It was going to be a long night for him; he would not be able to sleep at all.
To be continued
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The flashback scene was very clichéd isn't it? Rain and all the usual morbid stuffs blah blah blah... Sorry for my limited creativity. The next update may come in about 2 weeks, since I would be having a one week holiday for my term break starting from next Saturday. Reviewers are always welcomed! ^_^
Mara Roberts – This is my first attempt, sorry for all those grammar mistakes. I'm working on those fragmented sentences. I know about the repetition - it's a hard-to-kick habit. :p Literature is starting to bug me lol. Thank you so much for the constructive criticism...I'll try my best to improve :)
Azura Dea – Still working to make the chapters longer...but always failed miserably *Sigh*
Inuyashachic515 – It's a picture of Kenshin on manga volume 15. Sorry if you don't have the manga and you don't know what I'm referring to...
evil chibi chibi – chan – Almost cant recognize you until the I saw the last few words...:P And here's the new chapter, sorry it took so long to update!
Fawnlander Amethyst – Shuting! I can't believe you reviewed this fic! And I haven't submitted any for you...*guilty look* Is the fic really that great? I thought yours is better :p Thnx a lot for the review! And here's the new chapter, so stop bugging me :p
Jyx – It is original? LOL...don't think so. There are always those solitude characters in many fics, mine is one of them. I'm not discontinuing this fic, but I have a MAJOR writer's block, hence the long update.
I'm very sorry for the long update...*counting fingers* It's been about like 4 months since I posted the last chapter. I suddenly lost inspiration for my fic and had a HUGE writer's block. Top it up with school...*sigh*
Fawnlander Amethyst is now my beta-reader. Thank you so much for volunteering to be one! :D Read her fics...they are great. :)
Discaimer: Stated in the previous chapters – I do not own it.
Chapter 12 – Getting Back To The Old Days
The guys approached the girls and to their seats. Aoshi sat opposite of Misao and to his right was Soujiro and his left, Sano. Shishio took his seat beside Yumi while Kenshin sat opposite of Kaoru. Both were looking down and trying their best to avoid eye contact with each other. Others' attentions were entirely focused on them. It suddenly came to a stand still. Kaoru began fidgeting nervously.
"Okay guys, let's just eat," Sano said, breaking the silence. Kaoru was thankful for the intervention. All began eating silently. Neither spoke for quite some time.
"Hmmm, the rumour was true?" Soujiro asked mildly, his trademark smile still plastered on his face. He did not seem to be affected much by the rumour. Others looked intently at Kaoru and Kenshin, eagerness written on their faces, hoping for an answer. Kaoru gulped.
"Partly true, but it was exaggerated," Kenshin answered. Others beside Kaoru gasped while she herself was trying her best to appear invisible.
"Well done Jou-chan, you didn't disappoint us!" Sano smacked Kaoru's back. Hard. It made Kaoru sick and she almost threw up.
"Sano! I just ate my food!" Kaoru scolded him.
"He he, sorry Jou-chan, almost forgot," Sano grinned. He didn't make the wrong choice of counting on Kaoru. He knew she could do it and she did.
All in all, it was an awkward situation. Kenshin smiled. "Guys, you're making her uncomfortable here."
Sano, Misao and Megumi grinned. It was good to have Kenshin back. Things were progressing smoothly with Kaoru. She was an extraordinary girl indeed. Just for being in this school for a month, she had already made such a drastic impact, especially to a certain someone. Speaking of him, he seemed undisturbed by the whole situation. He was taking this rather well. Kaoru, on the other hand, was blushing furiously, earning herself more laughter from the gang.
"Kaoru-san, you look so cute!" Soujiro teased her endlessly. The laughter became louder and louder. Kenshin was holding a hand over his mouth. He was trying his best to restrain his giggling, but Kaoru's reddened face was an amusing sight to him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and joined the laughter. It earned him some staring from the canteen population. Even his friends still found it weird. It was just hard accepting such a drastic change.
'He was laughing!' Kaoru was fuming inside. 'He started all this confusion and now he had the nerve to laugh at me!' She gave him a death glare. Kenshin noticed it and restrain his laughter, though he was still laughing inside. Kaoru just looked so cute! He had never seen her so embarrassed before.
Kaoru's violent tendency was growing inside her. She did not why, but seeing Kenshin laughing at her was infuriating her. He was supposed to help her and not put her into a worse situation like this. Finally, Kaoru couldn't take it anymore and leaned orward to smack him on the forehead.
'Oro?' Kenshin's confused reply came out automatically. The gang froze and stared at them for a while, before erupting into another gale of laughter. The exchange was just so hilarious. Luckily for Kaoru, it was the normal Kenshin. You could never mess with a 'battousai' Kenshin, least of all smacked him.
"You jerk! This happened because of you and now you're laughing at me!" Kaoru continued to whack Kenshin's head with her spoon while Kenshin shielded himself helplessly. The bell apparently saved him from further beating and the crowd began to disperse slowly from the canteen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kenshin chose a seat at the corner of the classroom, trying his best to avoid Kaoru. Kaoru was still fuming and she sent him an occasional you- better-watch-out glare every time the teacher turned his back from the class. Kenshin gulped. Kaoru frightened him to his death, even worse than his shishou. Nobody ever got mad at him like that. He made a resolution to avoid her after school, at least for today. She would need a day to calm her temper down.
Unfortunately, that couldn't happen. There was kendo practice today and even though Kenshin was injured, he still had to attend to supervise the practice as he was the kendo captain. He was feeling glad for his injury for this moment. Kaoru was attacking Sano furiously, directing her temper at him. Kenshin shuddered. He had the skills to avoid Kaoru's attacks, but the sight of an angry Kaoru just made him nervous. If it had been him, he was not sure of the outcome. Poor Sano was retreating continuously, apparently afraid of facing Kaoru as well.
'Women, they were so unpredictable.' Kenshin mused to himself.
The practice ended and Sano was so relieved to see Kaoru lowering her bokken. She was smiling and Kenshin was glad to see it. It seems that her temper was gone and she was back to her cheerful state. Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano, Megumi and Misao agreed to walk home together. Halfway, Megumi parted with them to go to her clinic while Sano accompanied her. Kenshin also went separate way, leaving Kaoru and Misao alone.
"So Kaoru, how come you never let your prince charming accompany you towards your house?" Misao asked slyly.
"Misao," Kaoru growled threateningly.
"Just joking, Kaoru. Geez, take that easy, you've been grumpy the whole day! You freaked me out during your spar with Sano!"
"Well, you guys just bullied me in the canteen!"
"You just looked so cute with your face red!" Misao teased playfully.
"One more word Misao..." Kaoru hinted dangerously.
"Alright, alright, I will drop the subject. Opss, we're reaching my house. See ya later Kaoru!" Misao waved to her and ran towards her house. Kaoru waved back and headed towards her home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Give my homework back Yahiko!" Kaoru screamed at the top of her lungs, which an be heard throughout the entire house. Her uncle winced at the scream.
"No way, tell me what happened during kendo practice today!" Yahiko shouted back while trying to doge Kaoru's grasps.
"That was none of your business! Give it to me back now before I strangle you to death!" Kaoru glowered at him.
"Ha! I would like to see you do that, busu!" Yahiko retorted.
"Why, you spoiled brat!"
"Busu!"
"Brat!"
"Ugly old hag!"
"Kiddo!"
The name-calling degenerated for some time and both of them sat on the floor, tired of shouting.
"You brat, now look at what you have done! You have wasted me an hour of doing homework!" Kaoru chided him.
"It's your fault for not telling me anything!" Yahiko hollered back.
"What's there to tell? Kenshin's injured, he can't play, you dolt! I was sparring with Sano and gained the upper-hand!"
"Liar, Sano could never lose to an ugly hag like you!"
"Say that again, you kiddo!" Kaoru spent the whole evening chasing him around the house. By the time she got it back and finished her homework, it was already 12 midnight. Kaoru yawned and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The week went smoothly for Kaoru. She found things have turned out much better, now that the 'old Kenshin' had returned. It was like reverting back to the old days for her friends. Now they always joked during lunch and Kenshin laughed together with them. It was good to hear him laughing. It was a pleasant sound and it brought joy to Kaoru. The new side of him intrigued her. It was like the exact opposite of the Kenshin she knew on her first day. He was smiling almost all the time, which automatically reminded her of Soujiro and he was extremely polite. That gave him a problem though. The female classmates took advantage of this and started pushing him around. In the past, they avoided him, now they openly chased him. Kenshin was having a real hard time dealing with them.
Kaoru's heart twanged with jealousy. Wait, jealousy? She was not at all! She was supposed to act like a friend! Well, she admitted she liked him, but she had to control this emotion. She was not really ready to face this feeling; this new personality of Kenshin that she had witnessed was still keeping her off balance. Outside, he was polite and friendly, but he was still unpredictable as always. Kaoru could never understand him completely. Somehow, there was still that barrier placed deep inside his heart. Kaoru had not managed to break it through completely. Kaoru sighed. It was not going to be as easy as she thought. This proved to be a formidable task.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Outside, it was raining heavily. Upon seeing it, Kenshin mood darkened. He hated rain; it always reminded him of that incident. It still flashed vividly inside his mind.
*Flashback*
"Tomoe! Please, no, don't leave me!"
"I'm sorry Kenshin, it was the best for both of us!"
"Tomoe!"
He tried to shrug off those bad memories from his head and stared at the ceiling longingly. He sighed. It was going to be a long night for him; he would not be able to sleep at all.
To be continued
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The flashback scene was very clichéd isn't it? Rain and all the usual morbid stuffs blah blah blah... Sorry for my limited creativity. The next update may come in about 2 weeks, since I would be having a one week holiday for my term break starting from next Saturday. Reviewers are always welcomed! ^_^