ON TO THE STORY!!!!!
Chapter One
Kaoru bolted awake quickly. Slamming her hand down on her alarm clock's snooze button, she whined, "Ugh, I don't want to go to school..." She laid her head back down and pulled the covers up over her face. She always dreaded going to school. The only thing that made her happy was english class. She loved to read. But finding the motivation to get up and dress for school was becoming a tedious task. She did not look forward to going to school, when she was just made fun of for her faith.
Kaoru was in the 11th grade at Tokyo High. And in her time there, she had become to be known as the Jesus freak. No one liked her, and they constantly teased her. Sometimes it was so hard and all she wanted to do was give up and find some way to fit in with the crowd. But if she did, she knew she'd be going against everything she knew was right. So day after day, she got up and dressed herself for school. She grabbed all of her books and placed them in her backpack. Then she'd grab her bible and walk the short distance to school....where she'd be teased relentlessly for her faith.
Kaoru again slammed her hand down on the snooze button and decided she couldn't afford another delay, or she'd be late. She dragged her butt out of bed and started her daily routine. As she was getting ready for school, her mom started screaming up the stairs to hurry. Kaoru quickly threw all her books in her backpack and grabbed the bible laying beside her bed. Rushing down the stairs she called a quick goodbye to her mom and flew out the door.
Kaoru ran as fast as she could for a whole block. Wheezing she came to a stop so she could catch her breath. She glanced at her watch. She only had five minutes left before school started. She started walking briskly knowing she'd make it on time. Kaoru always tried to time herself so she wouldn't have a lot of time to get to class. She didn't want to risk having to see her classmates for any longer than she needed too...or they'd just find ways to make her day seem longer.
"Well, here goes one more day," Kaoru sighed dejectedly as she stepped through the doors to the school. There were only a few people milling about since the bell was about to ring. Kaoru slid right into her math class just as the bell rang. She took a deep breath and made her way to her seat.
"You cut it close today, Miss Kamiya. Please do try to make it to class with more time to spare," her teacher spoke sternly.
"Yes Seijuro-sensei. I'm sorry," Kaoru said sliding into her desk. Seijuro Hiko nodded his head and turned to the rest of the class.
"Class, please take out your textbooks and turn to page 378. We're going to be looking at the functions of log today," Hiko said.
~*~*~
Kaoru had been drifting away from the lesson, when the door opened. In stepped the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen. He had long red hair that was tied up high on his head. She immediately noticed a cross shaped scar on his cheek. He also held an air of mystery about him...as his long red bangs hid his eyes from sight. As he looked up and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, Kaoru let out a soft gasp. His eyes were of the most astounding amber color she had ever seen. They seemed to just be glowing. He looked to be a little bit taller than herself, but he was short for a guy. He was wearing a dark blue button up shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. He had a knapsack slung over his shoulder and seemed to look very bored and uninterested in being there. She smiled and blushed slightly embarassed that she was staring at him.
"Don't even think about it freak, that guy's mine," the girl to her left said. "Plus, why would he want a shallow little church girl like you." The girl tossed her raven black hair over her shoulder, lifting her nose up at Kaoru.
"I'm sorry Megumi, I don't know what you're talking about. You have nothing to worry about," Kaoru said.
"Duh, Kaoru, you aren't even competition, I'm just warning you though...stay away from him," Megumi snarled.
Kaoru smiled at the girl while inwardly rolling her eyes. She glanced again at the young man before her. He's so cute! I wonder who he is. He seems to be new here...maybe he'll be different. If not, just one more person I have to bite my tongue with. It's so hard to love someone who hates you. But I know that God wants me to love these people, no matter what they say about me. Kaoru dared to hope that he would be someone who wouldn't resort to such teasing. Maybe he even had the same faith as herself. She doubted it, but it wouldn't hurt to hope, would it?
"You're late Himura," Hiko said.
"Yeah, so what Uncle Hiko. Big deal, I didn't want to come to this school anyway," the boy spoke icily.
"Hold your tongue Kenshin, or you'll regret it later. And you'll refer to me as Seijuro-sensei while at school," Hiko said, his voice filled with authority.
Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders and went to find a seat. He saw a young girl about his age with the deepest sapphire eyes he'd seen. His eyes filled with amusement at the way she was just staring at him. She was dressed very modestly, with just a pair of dark blue jeans and a black square-cut, 3/4 length shirt on. He smiled inwardly at this. He glanced at the girl to her left who batted her eyes at him. He rolled his eyes in reply. Well, at least she's not a hoochie like all the other girls at this school. There was an empty desk behind her, so he made his way there. As he walked by her, he saw a small black bible sitting upon her desk. "Ah, so you're a church girl huh? Why is it that there are so many weaklings today who feel they need to believe in something. Pity, what a waste of time," Kenshin said.
Megumi snickered. "Yeah, her name's Kaoru, though freak works well enough. She's way too obsessed. She carries that stupid bible everywhere she goes. What a loser, huh Kenshin?" Megumi asked. When Kenshin made no reply, she fumed and made up in her mind that she'd get his attention one way or another.
Kaoru sunk low into her chair. Well, guess that means I won't be able to look forward to having someone on my side. Kaoru turned her attention back to the teacher and tried to forget about the guy behind her.
~*~*~
Kaoru sighed in relief as lunch time came. The entire day, that mysterious red-head had appeared in each of her classes. And everytime he walked by, he made some smart remark about how God wasn't real and she was an idiot for having faith in something people had made up to make themselves feel better about death. Well, at least now I can have some peace. No one ever talks to me at lunch, I can finally just be by myself. Kaoru grabbed some money from her backpack and set her bookbag in her locker. She grabbed her bible and made her way to one of the many vending machines on campus. She wasn't really a big eater so she always just bought a package of wheat crackers with cheese and a soda and spent her time poring over her bible. She was so glad she was finally a junior and had the option to eat out doors instead of in the stuffy cafeteria. She made her way outside to one of the picnic benches. She had claimed one under a tall oak tree and had been eating there daily since the start of school. She quickly ate her crackers and then opened her bible up to the book of Romans and began to read.
~*~*~
Kenshin sauntered outside. He didn't feel like being around people, especially that Megumi chick. He hated people, they just annoyed him. He especially hated Christians. That Kamiya girl, ugh, why is there another stupid person on the planet. Not only do they make up tales of a loving God to make themselves feel better, but then they try and push it off on everyone else too. As Kenshin was thinking, he spot Kaoru sitting at a picnic table and decided to go annoy her. As he walked up, he found her poring over her bible and immediately grabbed it from the table, slamming it shut.
Kaoru glanced up into the face of Kenshin. Ahh, the nerve of that guy! Be calm Kaoru, what would Jesus do? Show the love of God...don't get angry. "Hi, my name is Kaoru. Can I help you with something?" Kaoru asked calmly.
Kenshin just stared at her. He couldn't believe she didn't get upset with him. He ignored her question and sat down at the opposite end of the table.
"Your name is Kenshin, right? If there's nothing I can do for you, can I please have my bible back?" Kaoru asked.
"Why do you bother reading such junk?" Kenshin asked in a bored manner.
"Because I don't consider the word of God junk. Also, because I want to learn everything I can about my saviour and how I might glorify God. I take it you're not a child of God," Kaoru stated more than asked.
"Child of God? Hah! God isn't real, there's no such thing. God is just a fairy tale you christians thought up to make yourselves feel better about death. I don't fear death, so I have no need for a crutch such as this 'God' you speak of," Kenshin said sarcastically.
Kaoru studied the man before her. "How can you think that? God loves you so much. How can you not believe that He's real? Take a look around you. How did all of this come into existence if there is no such thing as God? And please don't tell me you believe we all evolved from a single cell...because I can guaruntee you right now, that we could not have possibly evolved," Kaoru said.
"Why not?" Kenshin asked in mock curiousity.
"Because, look at a human being. We are so intricately made. Take our DNA for instance. It is so complex that there is not one person on the entire planet with our same DNA. God made us unique that way. The same with our finger prints. If we all evolved from one cell, how is it that we each have our very own complex finger print that will never match someone elses? Not even identical twins share the same finger print or DNA," Kaoru spoke confidently.
"Okay, well maybe not. But how can you just believe that there is such a thing as God?" Kenshin asked.
"How can you not?" Kaoru answered with a question of her own.
Kenshin smirked inwardly. This girl amused him. Her eyes were so full of innocence and confidence. She really believed what her faith was about.
"Prove to me that God exists," Kenshin challenged.
"Prove to me that wind exists," Kaoru threw a similar challenge back.
"Look around you, you can see the effects of the wind as it blows a leaf. You can feel it as it brushes the hair off your face," Kenshin spoke, answering her challenge.
"Can you see it?" Kaoru asked.
"No," Kenshin answered, "But as I said, I can see the effects of it...and I can feel it."
"Then you know why I believe. I may not be able to see God, but I know He's here," Kaoru said, placing a hand over her heart. "I can see the effects of His work in my life. And, I can feel His presence all around me. I see His wonders and glory all around me. Just as you cannot see the wind...you know it's real. But why do you believe it is? Because you have faith in it's existence. Your faith in the wind came from the things you said, from being able to feel it, and seeing it's effects in the world around you. That is why I have faith in God," Kaoru shrugged. She reached over and grasped her bible. Standing up she began to walk back towards the school. She turned and looked over her shoulder, "Come on, class is about to start."
Kenshin stared after her. Her long black hair blew over her shoulder as a gust of wind went by. For a moment Kenshin thought about what she said. She made sense, but there are still so many questions. Until she answers all of them, I will refuse to believe... He stood up from the table and walked after her. She was interesting, no doubt about that...but how could she live each day with such passion, especially when people hated her for it? He shrugged his shoulders and walked to his next class.
~*~*~
Kaoru laid in her bed that night, staring at the ceiling. She was having a hard time sleeping. For some reason, something about Kenshin drew her to him. "God, why do I feel so drawn to this guy? I don't understand it...he's not a Christian and he wants nothing to do with You...so why is it that I think so much about him? God, please just break his heart and draw him to you. He needs to know You...he needs to know how much You love him. Help me to be a witness..." Kaoru spoke earnestly. Then she fell into a deep sleep.
~*~*~
The next morning Kaoru's alarm clock woke her with a start. This time, she jumped out of bed immediately and began to ready herself for school. For some reason, today felt different...she was actually kind of looking forward to school. When she had finished getting ready, she still had 10 minutes before she would need to leave for school, so she opened up her bible and had a quiet time with the Lord. She ended her time by praying, asking for encouragement and strength to face another day of ridicule and pessimism of her faith. Feeling refreshed and energetic, she left the house and began her slow treck to school.
As she walked, she thought about Kenshin. I wonder if he has any friends here yet. It's doubtful, since he's so new. Maybe I can try to become his friend. That would open a window of opportunity for me to share my faith. Maybe today, I'll seek him out at lunch... As Kaoru reached the school, she took a deep breath and walked in. She went to her first class with Seijuro-sensei and took her seat. Surprisingly, Kenshin was already there and seated behind her.
"Hello Kenshin," Kaoru said turning to face him. She gave a slight smile. Kenshin remained indifferent but gave a slight nod in acknowledgement. As the bell rang, Kaoru faced the board ready to start the lesson.
"Nice to see you're already seated before the bell has rung, Miss Kamiya. That is definitely a first," Hiko said sarcastically. Then he addressed the class to open their textbooks and begin their lesson.
~*~*~
When lunch time came, Kaoru prepared herself to eat quickly so she could go find Kenshin. She sat at her usual table shaded by the giant oak tree and ate her crackers and drank her soda. She heard footsteps coming up behind her and smiled slightly, hoping it was Kenshin. Instead she was surprised as a hand slapped her face and she was pushed to the ground. Kaoru was fuming, she closed her eyes and grinded her teeth together trying to gain control of her temper. Calm down Kaoru...remember, kindness turns away wrath. What would Jesus do? Kaoru opened her eyes and stood up to face a smirking Megumi.
"Hello Megumi. How are you doing?" Kaoru said in a low voice.
Megumi raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What was that freak? Still trying to portray the sweet little church girl...is that it?" Megumi taunted.
"No, Megumi. I was just curious to know how you were doing. You seem a little bit upset. Have I done anything to offend you?" Kaoru asked seriously. She had no clue why Megumi had just slapped her out of no where.
"I warned you Kamiya, to stay away from Kenshin!" Megumi said fuming.
"I don't understand Megumi. What did I do?" Kaoru asked.
"Don't play innocent with me. I know that deep down you're just an ugly little slut! I saw the way you and Kenshin were talking all day at lunch yesterday. You stay away from him! Kenshin is mine!" Megumi said, her eyes flashing in anger.
"If I'm correct, which I know I am, you have no claim to me," Kenshin said icily. He had seen the whole confrontation. Again, Kaoru had impressed him with her ability to force down her anger and remain calm. "You have no right to say any of those things you said to her," Kenshin said.
"Oh, hey Kenshin! I was thinking, do you want to eat lunch together?" Megumi asked flirtatiously.
"Why would I want to associate with a whore like you when I can be around an ugly slut like the Jesus freak?" Kenshin said sarcastically.
Kaoru bristled inside after being referred to as a slut for the second time that day. Maybe it would be better if I didn't hang around him. Is he hurting my testimony? Now all of a sudden people think I'm a slut? Kaoru began to walk away when Kenshin stopped her. "Sit down, I want to talk to you," he said coldly.
Kaoru was about to ignore him, but his eyes looked sincere, even if his voice was cold. So she sat obediantly.
"Hey Megumi," a guy said strolling up to the group. He was taller than Kenshin with dark brown hair and chocolate eyes. He smiled at Megumi, "I was thinking maybe you'd want to eat lunch with me."
"Get lost Sano," Megumi said in an irritated voice.
"Take your own advice wench," Kenshin said icily with warning.
Megumi glared at Kaoru and turned to leave, Sano following her.
Kaoru looked up as Kenshin sat beside her. "I'm not a slut you know. I really wish you wouldn't call me such things. I'm in fact, saving myself for my future husband," Kaoru said quietly.
Kenshin just shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well." He then started to ignore her and opened up a thick book and began reading.
Kaoru was hurt at what he said but refused to let it show. "I thought you said you needed to talk to me, what is that you're reading by the way?" Kaoru said.
"It's a programming book. I'm trying to learn C++," he answered without looking up.
"Oh. What did you want to talk to me about?" Kaoru asked.
"I want your phone number," Kenshin replied.
"Why?" Kaoru asked.
"Because, I said so." he replied, looking up from his book and into her eyes.
Kaoru looked at him uncertainly. Why does he want my number? Maybe this could be an opportunity for us to become friends... "Um, okay. It's 1-256-810-1564" she replied slowly.
Kenshin nodded and continued reading.
"Aren't you going to write it down?" Kaoru asked.
"No, I have a good memory," Kenshin replied.
"So you're really smart then, huh?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin just nodded.
"Is Seijuro-sensei really your uncle?" Kaoru asked, trying to draw him into a conversation. Kenshin again nodded.
"Are you going to talk to me?" Kaoru asked calmly, though getting slightly annoyed.
Kenshin stood up from the table closing his book. "Tonight." That having been said, he turned and walked away, leaving Kaoru in confusion. Kaoru sighed and got up to walk to her next class. She had english, and she dreaded going inside. She knew she'd end up having to see Megumi.
~*~*~
Kaoru walked into her class with Saitoh-sensei. She could feel Megumi glaring at her all the way to her desk.
"Yo, Kaoru," Sano said coming up to her. Kaoru looked at him in surprise. First off, he never talked to her. Secondly, he didn't insult her. Granted, Sano never really had said anything mean to her, it's just that he never really spoke to her before, and never stopped those who had been cruel to her in his presence.
"Yes, Sanosuke?" Kaoru asked tenatively.
"What's up with you and that Himura fellow?" he asked casually.
Kaoru glanced at Megumi and could see her watching them very carefully. Ahh, I get it. Megumi asked him to come over and spy for her. Why doesn't she understand that nothing is going on! Then again, he did ask for my phone number... Kaoru glanced at Sano curiously. "Who wants to know? I'm assuming Megumi since she is watching you like a hawk. Please inform Megumi, that nothing is going on. We've only really spoken once. Today, he didn't even really talk to me. We aren't even really what you could consider friends at the moment," Kaoru answered quietly.
"Nah, it's not like that Kaoru. Megumi wasn't curious. I was. I was actually kind of hoping something was going on," Sano said softly.
"Why's that Sanosuke?" Kaoru asked.
"Please, call me Sano," Sano said winking. "Well, Jou-chan, it's like this. I sort of have a thing for Megumi. Have for some time now, but she's been all gah-gah eyed over that Himura dude. I just figured, you know, if you were with him...that would give me an opportunity to try and get Megumi to realize my feelings for her." Kaoru stared at Sano in shock. Not because of his admission of feelings for Megumi, but because of the nick name he had given her.
"Sano...do you realize what you just called me?" Kaoru asked cautiously.
"Yeah, I called you Jou-chan. I'm sorry, I mean if you want me to call you Kaoru that's fine. I just thought it kind of fit ya, ya know?" Sano said quickly.
"No, I mean, I don't mind. It's just that, if people aren't calling me Kaoru...it's usually freak, or church girl, or some other derogatory remark. Jou-chan, it's nice," Kaoru said, her eyes misting. She couldn't believe how kind Sano was being to her.
"Okay, Jou-chan it is then. Well, I should get to my seat since the bell is about to ring. But maybe we could chill sometime. Oh, and I'm really sorry for being such a jerk for the past couple years. I should have stuck up for you. Later, kiddo," Sano said as he walked towards his seat.
~*~*~
Kaoru sat at home thinking about the day. It had been so strange, first Megumi smacking her across the face, then Kenshin asking for her phone number, and now, she seemed to be making friends with one of the most popular guys at school. It was too much to handle for her. It was almost as if things were beginning to change. Kaoru jumped as the phone rang, startling her. I wonder if it's Kenshin... Her heart pounded as she went to grab the receiver.
"Kamiya residence," Kaoru said.
"Hey," a man replied.
"Um, hello. Can I ask who is calling," Kaoru asked uncertainly.
"It's me you, I told you I'd talk to you tonight...you should have expected it," Kenshin said.
"Oh, hello Kenshin. How are you?" Kaoru asked, her heart fluttering a beat.
"Same as always," was his curt reply.
"So..." Kaoru said lamely, not sure of what to talk about.
"I have a question for you. If this God of yours really does exist, why is there so much pain in the world? Why would such a loving God allow things such as sickness and death. Tell me this Kaoru, why would He allow my parents to be murdered right before my eyes, when they had such a deep strong faith in Him? Tell me that Kaoru, how is that Him showing how much He supposedly loves me?" Kenshin said icily, his voice full of bitterness and anger.
Kaoru's opened her mouth to reply and didn't know what to say. Lord, give me the words...I need You...
Well? How was it? Is it worth continuing? I'm anxious to see what you guys think. So please, if you have read this at all, please review and tell me honestly what your thoughts are. Thanks everyone for reading, and hopefully I'll get some good reviews so I can continue writing!!!
videl621
P.S. I will shortly be changing my pen name to gniyrclegna, but I'm going to update my other story one more time first so that I can give them a warning so they will know how to find my stories if they forget the title and aren't logged in reviewers. Well cya'll later!