Ep.2: Kainan High and It's gods
***
The assembly had just broken up and the classes were beginning to file out of the auditorium. Kenshin looked at the people still stunned at the turn of events. From his class embarrassing him in front of the whole school to the welcoming address of Principal Saito to the realization that that girl was actually student council president. It was all a blur.
"Mr. Himura?" she asked coming close to him, he just looked at her. "You can go now."
"Oh yeah thank you…this is the second time I have been in your debt Miss…?" he jumped blushing a little realizing he was the only one left on stage.
"Just call me Tomoe sir." She smiled she turned around and went down the stage. His eyes followed her as she greeted Aoshi who was evidently waiting for her.
"Why were you late?" he asked walking beside her.
"I woke up late and Enishi left me behind."
"Next time I'll pick you up." He said.
"Enishi just wanted to come to school with Kaoru that's all. I told him to go without me."
"Hmmm, you're brother should take better care of you."
"He does."
***
Kenshin sat in his desk feeling drained. It was Friday and the school day was over and he thanked god he got through the week. His class was tiring at best and migraine material at worst. It seems there are more worst days then best days.
He stood up and decided to walk around the deserted campus reminiscing about his high school years. He walked around the classrooms smiling as he recognized the carvings he made in his seat four years ago. He passed by his old locker and entered the gym.
The basketball team was training that afternoon and he decided to watch.
"Kenshin Himura!" he heard the voice and looked at a handsome man in a sweatshirt come close to him.
"Shishio Makoto?" he asked. "I didn't know you coached the team."
"Yeah I was offered the job when we graduated, I've been coaching ever since."
"Oh I see. So this is the team huh? Brings back memories." He looked at the players in the court and he smiled, three of his students were there. Tanada and Sagara were fooling around irritating the other players, Yukishiro was on the court.
"Three of my students are in the Varsity." He smiled.
"You got Sagara's class?"
"Yeah."
"I pity you then. I handle them two hours a week and it's enough to give me a headache, you must go nuts having to put up with them everyday day." Kenshin just smiled at his former teammate.
"You think we got a chance to win the championship?"
"We came close last year but Shinomori busted his knee so he couldn't play. But now he's alright and put in Yukishiro for offense and Sagara for defense and our team is invincible."
"That's great."
"Hey Himura lets have a game for old time's sake?"
"Uhm I'm not dressed." He looked at his leather shoes and rolled up sleeves.
"Oh come on!"
"Ok Makoto but don't cry if I beat you." he joked.
"Team I would like you to meet Kenshin Himura. We were teammates, this guy is the best forward I have ever seen." He said as the team gathered around him.
"Me and Himura here will show you babies how the game is really played."
***
Kenshin smiled, his white shirt was soaked but he didn't care, he missed the court. Since he started college he barely had time for playing. He sent the ball sailing and it slipped between Shishio's hands and entered the basket…ringless.
"Whoooo! Way to go Mr. Himura!" Shiro called.
"Twenty one! And that Mr. Makoto is game." He said smugly.
"You won by one point don't be so ecstatic."
"I won it in my leather teaching shoes." He winked.
"Fine, fine!" he smiled. "Ok boys I think that's enough for today, go hit the showers."
***
"Damn! Did you see that play he did when he sidestepped the coach and slammed the ball right in the basket? Right in Coach's face!" Shiro demonstrated shooting his towel into his locker.
"Man who would have thought a skinny guy like that…"
"I've seen better." They looked at Enishi as he shouldered his gym bag and left the lockers.
***
"Hey Sano haul your ass!" Kamatari called from the yellow Honda civic.
"Geez I'm coming! Hey Mr. Himura." He called as he saw him leave the school building.
"Oh hey Sagara."
"Nice game."
"Thanks."
"Hi cutie!" both of them froze, Kamatari got out of the car and looked at the red-head with predatory eyes.
"Umm Hello." He smiled.
"Lets go." Sano said dumping his bag on his younger brother seated in the back.
"Hey!" Yahiko shouted.
"Wait why are you in such a rush?" Kamatari said and gave him one of his looks.
"Hey Mr….?"
"Himura I am Sanosuke's teacher."
"Mr. Himura want a ride?"
"Tari!"
"Shut up Sano!"
"No it's ok I have my own car."
"Does that car also come with a girlfriend?" he winked.
"He doesn't have one, he announced it to the entire school remember?" Yahiko called from the back Kenshin felt his face display its own sunset.
"Oh yeah! So you want a ride?"
"He isn't interested Tari now lets go!"
"We waited two hours for your ass so shut up!"
"So Mr. Himura if you want to go out sometime…"
"Its school policy that a teacher can't go out with students Ms. Sagara." He smiled. The two others began to laugh.
"Clam up or you two are walking home!"
"It's a shame. I won't be a student for long though." He smiled getting into the driver's seat.
"See you around Mr. Himura."
"Yes. See you tomorrow then Sanosuke, it was nice meeting your sister." He waved.
"He's my brother!" Sano called from the moving car.
Kenshin's hand stopped in midair as a cold shiver ran down his spine.
***
"EEEEEEE! It's Sagara and Tanada!" the girls in the corner squealed announcing the arrival of the basketball team in the cafeteria. Sano threw them a smile while Shiro rolled his eyes.
"You could at least pretend to be straight." Sano said turning to him.
"What?! You're crazy! Besides you're only getting their hopes up, sorry man but I am not as cruel as you." he said sitting across from his best friend.
"Hey Sano?" A girl came blushing up to him.
"Yeah Keiko?"
"It's Reiko."
"Oh yeah sorry."
"Listen me and the girls are going out for some pizza later, I was wondering if…"
"Yeah sure I'll come with you." he smiled. The girl brightened up immediately.
"Oh and Tanada-kun, if you wouldn't mind…"
"You're wasting your time, he's gay." Sano said not looking up, Shiro's head suddenly jerked up.
"Fuck you man!"
"We would love it if you joined us as well." The girl continued as if she didn't hear what Sano had just said.
"Listen…" Shiro began.
"It would mean a lot to Minako and Ana…please Tanada-kun?"
"It's just that I have a lot to do and…" he said looking exasperated.
"Please? Sano-kun please make him go?"
"He's going don't worry about it." the girl left literally bouncing with excitement.
"Why'd you do that for?" Shiro said whacking Sano on the head.
"She would never leave if I didn't."
"And I was really looking forward to doing something else tonight." He huffed.
"Oh quit whining and humor your public you ungrateful louse." He said through a mouthful of potatoes.
Shiro sighed. It was only Monday and from the looks of it he knew it was going to be a long week.
***
"Aoshi! It's Aoshi!"
Tomoe looked at the direction of the girls pushing each other to get a look at her friend. They all began crowding around him, trying to get a conversation going with him. She edged slowly away and headed toward the snack bar, buying a Crunch bar. She looked back at Aoshi, still surrounded by his sea of fans and smiled. Everyday it was the same.
"I have to eat now, sorry." He said extricating himself from their clutches. He looked over to where Tomoe was eating her candy and walked briskly in her direction, praying his hoard of female followers wouldn't give chase.
"You could have at least saved me." he muttered.
"And miss the fun?" she smiled. They both watched as Enishi and Kaoru entered, being left alone and arrive at their table unharmed.
"Maybe I should get a girlfriend?" Aoshi said quietly.
"Heya sweethearts!" Kamatari chirped coming in between the two.
"Hello Tari." Tomoe smiled.
"Hey why are you with MY Aoshi?" he said turning to her.
"He's all yours." She said moving away.
"Tomoe?" Tomoe turned and saw Soujiro walk toward her.
"Hey Soujiro." She said waving to him.
"Is that all you're eating again?" He said pointing to the candy bar.
"I'm not hungry."
"You can't survive on these things alone." He scolded.
"I am just not hungry." She smiled at him.
"Come on lets share my lunch."
"I'm…"
"You will eat half or else I'm going to confiscate this." He said taking the candy bar away from her.
"Ok…ok" she said walking with him.
"Hmmm aren't they rather chummy?" Kamatari muttered letting go of Aoshi and pouting. Aoshi followed the two with his eyes until they were seated before buying his own lunch.
***
"You know I hate it when girls give me that DIE-YOU-EVIL-BITCH look." Kaoru whined. "Couldn't you just quit the team?" Enishi gave him a quizzical look.
"Ok, I know! It's Tomoe, the team and then me." his girlfriend pouted.
"You say that as if it's so wrong."
"It's just that sometimes it feels like I mean nothing to you."
"You're cute."
"You're not listening."
"If that is what you think you are to me, then you don't know me at all." Enishi smiled at her and Kaoru's heart melted. Falling into her boyfriends' arms and kissing him softly. A collective groan rose up from the people in their table.
"Could you like not do that while we're eating?" Shiro said throwing his fork away.
"Hey gay man, we don't complain when you are drooling over Kamatari." Enishi said.
"I am not gay!" he shouted.
Enishi looked around the table. Sano and Shiro were being their idiotic selves once again. He smiled they had been together since junior high and although he would not admit it, these two were his best friends. He remembered when they were still teasing Kaoru and the other girls in the seventh grade, trying to look up their teacher's skirts and trying to maim each other in the basketball court. It was funny to think that next year they were going to be seniors and then after that college. He was missing them already.
"Shut up you two." He ordered whacking both on the head.
***
Aoshi stared at his desk littered with little pink envelopes. He sighed and looked over at Chou's table. His teammate was sitting in Kamatari's chair writing something in his notebook while Kamatari was reading the love notes littering Chou's desk laughing at what it said.
"Hey Chou listen to this, 'I love it when you put the ball into the ring with both of your hands, you look so strong!' hahaha! Man this is funny, it's called a dunk bimbo!"
"Aw just leave the letters alone." He said returning to his writing.
"Hey Soujiro maybe you can use this as material for your next play." He said throwing it to him. Soujiro looked at the letter quizzically before sniffing it.
"Hey it's even scented!" he smiled giving it back.
"Yeah and it's the cheap imitation kind too." Kamatari said crumpling it.
Aoshi picked up the whole lot of his own letters and threw them in the trash.
"Hey won't you even read some of them?" Kamatari asked opening another one of Chou's.
"No." Aoshi said sitting beside Tomoe and opening his book.
***
"Sano-kun!" He opened his eyes and saw the girl waving to him from the doorway. He got up lazily and scratched the back of his head as he leaned against the doorframe of his classroom.
"Hey Tsubame-chan. What're ya doing here?" he smiled seeing the blush forming on her face. "Where's Yahiko?"
"Uhm, he didn't wanna come."
"So what's up?"
"Uh well, you see…" she was fiddling the bag in her hands nervously.
"Did you smuggle me cookies again?" he smiled eyeing the little pink bundle. The younger girl nodded her head vigorously and beamed at him. "Well let me have 'em before you crush them into birdfeed."
She gave him her little gift and turned around triumphantly. Smiling to her classmates that were watching her from the stairs.
"Hey Tsubame-chan!" Sano called making her turn around again. "Thanks sweetie." He winked at her and chuckled at the interesting shade of red she turned. He smiled to the girls waiting for her, "Ladies."
He turned around amid the squeals of delight of the freshmen girls. He laughed popping three cookies in his mouth, it was cute at times, making them blush like that. You would think that this would flatter him, but for Sanosuke Sagara this was an everyday occurrence and sometimes it was down right annoying.
"Geez man lay off the kids!" Shiro said stealing some cookies.
"They come to me, for your information." He said swatting his hand away.
"Greedy jerk!"
"You don't have the charm, you don't get the munchies." He laughed downing the last of the cookies.
"What a pig!" Misao whispered.
"What you say?" he said hitting her on the head with the crumpled wrapper.
"I said you are a pig and I don't know why those girls even bother!"
"Oh sure Makimachi, if I didn't know any better I'd say you'd want to join them! You have the look for it anyway." Shiro chuckled imagining their class president squealing with the younger girls as Sano passed by. He was brought out of his little daydream as the blackboard's eraser hit him squarely in the face.
"Freak!"