Disclaimer: I regret to inform all of you that I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters, although I do own any created characters that my imagination comes up with.

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Chapter 4 – A Small Preview

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Author's Notes: This chapter will be in Kaoru's point of view.

Once again, Sano was trying to impress Megumi and me with one of his corny jokes. And once again, I wasn't really paying attention. And can you blame me? How could I with what I saw yesterday.

To put it simply – I saw Kenshin.

I'm not totally sure if he saw me or not, but I was completely mesmerized with what he was actually doing. When I saw him yesterday in school, he seemed to set of an aura of fear into other people, including me. Actually, I'm not exactly sure if it was fear that I felt or not when I bumped into him, but who knows. It could have been passed for nervousness. But, that's not the point.

As I said, Kenshin seemed emit fear through people, according to Megumi and Sano. But when I saw him yesterday, I could not believe what my friends had said.

There was Kenshin, playing with both Ayami and Suzumi, two little girls that I baby-sit every now and then for Dr. Genzai, the local doctor. Normally, I would have gone up to the girls and said "hi" or something, but when they were playing with Kenshin, the picture seemed too good to be true.

There was the redhead, on the grass, wrestling with the little girls as they poked him here and there. And to top things of, Kenshin was laughing! Truth be told, he has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Even though he was laughing, I could tell his voice was beautiful. Just call it intuition.

Kenshin was soooo cute playing with them, and then when the girls left, he was just staring out into the small pond, with a relaxed smile upon his face. I would have done anything just to know what he was thinking about at that exact moment. But as usual with my life, good things come to an end as Megumi pulled me roughly to go with her to do some quick shopping. In other words – a two hour shopping spree. However, I was lucky enough to get out of there within the first hour.

I rushed back to see if Kenshin was still there, but found the spot he was standing in, empty. 'Go figure…' I had thought.

As quickly as that thought came, another thought entered my mind just as fast. 'Why do I want to see Kenshin so badly?'

Before I had any more time to delve into an answer, Megumi was once again pulling me along, but this time to do one of my favorite pass times of all time – sit in front of the park pond and relax. Ohhh, how I just love looking out in the crystal clear water and let my thoughts run wild. It truly is relaxing to both mind and body.

"Brrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggg!!!!!"

"Huh, what in the world was that?"

"The school bell, jou-chan! Now if you don't hurry up, we'll be late for Hajime-sensei's class."

I sighed and quickly followed Sano into school. Time sure flies when you're lost in your own thoughts. Anyway, I finally entered my classroom and bid farewell to Sano for the time being as he took his seat up front. Taking my respective seat in the back corner of the room, I noticed Misao already there, ready to take notes. I smiled at her as she waved to me. Like Misao, I quickly took out my materials for the class. However, when I looked up, something was missing. It took me awhile to actually realize what exactly it was…………Kenshin!

Again, my curiosity was getting the better of me. "Hey Misao, is your brother sick today or something?" I whispered over to her.

For some reason, she gave me a funny smile. I don't know how to explain it exactly, but I found her snickering for a moment before she replied.

"Don't worry Kaoru. He has a tendency of being late sometimes. He'll be here. Hasn't missed a day of school yet." I nodded at Misao's comment, but to my surprise, she kept on going. "But my question Kaoru is why you are so worried about him. It's only the second day of school."

I opened my mouth to reply, but couldn't bring myself to say anything. So I did the only thing I could do, make up the most unbelievable excuse my mind could think of that exact second. "Mou Misao! I just wanted him to be absent so I would have a better view of the board. His wild hair obstructs my view!"

I thought I answered correctly, but Misao just chuckled. I was about to say something else when Saitoh entered the room. And like usual, he got right down to business.

"Alright class. Open your books to page two hundred and we'll begin where we left of yesterday. To begin with, I want all of you to write…………"

And then came in Kenshin Himura…………late! And if I knew Saitoh (which I think I do very well), he does not tolerate tardiness one bit. I remember the last kid who was late to his class. Let's just say I never saw him after school for a whole month. Heard the kid had to stay after to clean up Saitoh's classroom every day.

"Himura!"

"Yes, Saitoh." was Kenshin's ever-so casual and apathetic reply.

"Care to explain why you are late?!"

The atmosphere was tense. One could actually feel it just by being there. It seemed as if there was some electricity running between Saitoh and Kenshin because they were just staring each other down like rival samurais would have done during the revolution.

I took this time to check out Kenshin, and well, quickly gasped. His whole body seemed to be giving off a totally different aura than yesterday. Yesterday, Kenshin seemed to be a caring, lovable and compassionate person. But today, right now, Megumi's and Sano's definition was right. He seemed to be emitting fear and hatred. I swiftly glanced over to Misao to see her reaction to the situation, and found her rolling her eyes and giving out an exasperated sigh. It was like to her, this whole situation was a common day experience.

Both Kenshin and Saitoh stood there for a full minute – a minute of suspense that would have been enough for my entire life, when Kenshin finally answered.

"No reason, Saitoh."

Saitoh just continued to glare at Kenshin with his menacing eyes. "I see. Then I guess I'll have to think up a punishment for you."

"Fine." was Kenshin's curt reply.

For some reason, Saitoh seemed to be taken aback, because I saw his eyes widen slightly before he regained his regular stature.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted, I want all of you to write a quick summary of exactly why the British lost the American Revolution. It should be no more than one page in length. It will be collected and graded. You'll have fifteen minutes to complete it." Saitoh then took another glance towards Kenshin, who was still standing in the front of the class. "You may take your seat Himura."

I soon found my view once again obstructed by the redhead who continued to amaze me every time I set my eyes upon him. I just don't know what exactly to think about him. Should I be afraid of him; should I get to know him? Questions keep on coming that I don't know the answer to.

I was brought back to reality by a cough from Misao who pointed to her piece of paper. 'Oh yeah, the assignment.' Mentally slapping myself for forgetting something that would affect my grade, I quickly went to work on the summary. This was going to be a piece of cake.

Barely five minutes had passed when Kenshin stood up and handed Saitoh his paper. I didn't know what to think. In class, Kenshin doesn't copy down any of the notes Saitoh gives us, and here he is, the first one finished, and in record time. I swear I thought I heard the whole class gasp at the same time. Well, maybe with the exception for Aoshi. Who knows what's going through his mind.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't see Saitoh's reaction because I was too busy on my own paper. But I could only imagine what it could have been – surprise most likely.

Well anyway, I finished my paper, ironically, at the same time Misao did and we both handed it together. And slowly, the rest of the class handed theirs in eventually. And before long, Saitoh was once again relaying notes to us. And once again, Kenshin made no effort to copy anything down; however, Misao was diligently doing her work.

Our morning classes came and went rapidly. Nothing new happened. Kind of made me wonder how exactly Kenshin would amaze me next. I shrug the thought out of my mind as I finally join Sano and Megumi at our regular lunch table.

"What's up guys?" I casually ask as I take out an apple and start to eat it.

Both Sano and Megumi look at me in the weird way before they speak. 'What was that for?'

"Did you see what Kenshin did today?" Sano whispered out.

I look at him with what I thought as a confused look. "Huh? What did he do?"

"With Hajime-sensei!"

'Ohhhhhhh.' "Yeah, so, what about it?" I try to ask while hiding my curiosity.

"The way he stood up to Hajime-sensei! It's unbelievable. Any other kid would have cracked down instantly. But him, all I can say is………DAMN!"

And of course, Megumi had something else to add also. "And plus how fast he handed in that paper. If he doesn't take notes at all, how in the world did he finish that fast? My guess is that he probably did even write anything worth reading."

I shrug in response to both statements. "Who knows guys? He is just one mysterious book waiting to be opened."

"Yeah, one evil book if you ask me. I still say he's evil in his own peculiar way. One glance at this stare and boom! Your scared shitless! I would just hate to see the boy who takes out his sister. You know, she doesn't look half bad."

I give out an exasperated sigh at Sano's try to humor things up, but Megumi jabbed Sano in the ribs. Seriously, I do believe them two have something going on with on another. "C'mon guys. He can't be that bad."

"Then you haven't seen his eyes, Kaoru." Megumi says between mouthfuls.

Now that I think about it, what Megumi said is true. I still haven't seen Kenshin's face clearly. Even yesterday, it was at a distance. But if Ayami and Suzumi could play with him, then he is definitely not evil. He just can't be.

'Why am I so desperate to convince myself that Kenshin is not evil?'

The sudden thought catches me completely off guard. Now that I truly do think about it, I don't have any logical answer to that question.

Despite myself, I find myself sneaking a peek at where Kenshin's sits with his sister in the back of the lunch room. Once again, the front bangs of his hair disrupt me from getting a clear vision of his eyes. Misao is once again chattering like there is no tomorrow while Kenshin is quietly sipping his soup. 'Didn't he have the same thing yesterday for lunch?'

"Brrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggg!!!!!"

"What!? The end of lunch already!" I couldn't believe it. "I barely got to eat my food."

At this, Sano snickered for some reason. "Well jou-chan. Maybe if you didn't spend half your time looking at Kenshin, then perhaps you would have finished."

'What!? I can't believe he saw me!' Of course, I couldn't think of a smart comeback at the time, so I did the only thing that came to mind, "So? At least I don't get beaten up by people half my size!"

Bingo, it worked. The minute I mentioned him getting beaten up by his brother, he completely collapsed to the ground.

I saw Megumi smirk. "What? The great Sanosuke Sagara, beaten up by an eleven-year old? I can't believe it!"

"It was only once, Megumi! Plus, I let him."

"Yeah, yeah Sano. Say what you want to say." I got up and congratulated myself for a job well done. I had class to get to.

Yesterday, our physical education teacher was absent, so we had a free study period. Even though I love doing my homework in school, I love gym even more. Usually we get to spar with one another with kendo sticks. Although they're not the same as the wooden swords we use for swordfighting, I still have fun with it.

So here I am, in my gym clothes – traditional training clothes I wear for whenever I'm training. To tell you guys the truth, I love wearing this thing. For some reason, it makes me feel like I'm a female samurai back during the revolution.

"Ok, line up……………NOW!" an arrogant voice spoke from nowhere.

I stick my tongue out towards Toma-sensei while his back was turned. He might be the coach for our Swordfight Team, but he's arrogant as hell, always thinking he's the best at everything and his way is the right way. Besides that factor, he's an alright teacher, despite the fact he has never coached a win for our team in his three years here. I doubt this year will be any different. I usually win my matches, but in order for the team to take the victory, we must win three out of the five matches.

I line up anyway and find out that Misao is next to me. She smiles at me and I give her one in return. She is wearing a navy-blue ninja uniform. 'Strange…'

"Ok………you bunch of kids! Today, I have rented out the kendo sticks for us today, so we'll spend this time sparring. I know you weaklings play around and all, but I want you to take this seriously especially the ones who are thinking of trying out for the Swordfight Team this year, although I'm not coaching it.

"Your not!?" I asked, completely surprised.

Toma-sensei gave me this apologetic look. "No, not this year."

I expected him to say more as to why exactly he was not coaching. He didn't.

"Ok! Enough of that. Let's get down to sparring. First match will be between…………"

I prayed silently to pick me. I desperately wanted to see if my training over the summer paid off."

"Sanosuke Sagara and Kenshin Himura! You two are up!"

I frowned when my name was mentioned but it quickly turned into curiosity. Kenshin versus Sano. This ought to be interesting.

Sano was the first one to enter the mat. You may think that because Sano is more of a martial-artist type of fighter, he's not that great with a sword. But believe me, he's got some moves that would surprise you. Truthfully, he's actually considered a top five contender in TMH. 'Yeah, right…'

The class then looked over towards Kenshin, who was not in line first of all. Secondly, he was leaning against the wall, with his head down. Toma-sensei is not going to like this one bit.

"Kenshin Himura! Why are you not participating!?" Toma-sensei's voice clearly sent out signs of anger and annoyance.

A cold, steel-like, apathetic voice answered his question. "I don't use Kendo sticks."

Oh, was Kenshin asking for it. The Kendo sticks were hard to get for gym class. Having them was like a specialty.

You could actually see the steam coming for Toma-sensei. He was pissed. "Care…to…tell…me…why…not?"

Before Kenshin even had the chance to reply, Misao surprisingly came to his defense. "I'm sorry Toma-sensei, but my brother recently had a hand injury that he's still recovering from."

"Then why didn't he just say so." was the teacher's curt reply.

Of course, being the stupid idiot like he is most of the time, Sano couldn't keep his big mouth shut. "Oh, come on sensei. You aren't actually going to believe her! Kenshin is just afraid to fight me cuz he knows he'll lose within the first minute. He's a wuss."

Instantly, murmurs started to rise about Kenshin and within seconds, laughter could be heard, no doubt on Kenshin's expense.

Kenshin………a wuss? That was definitely a new thought to think about. Somehow, Kenshin's cold exterior did not match with the word wuss.

Kenshin still seemed as calm as ever, as if he never heard the comment to begin with. Misao on the other hand, she was a totally different matter.

"Sensei……is it okay if I take on this rooster-headed jerk?" she asked. It didn't take much to deduce that Misao was barely able to hold her anger.

Now this raised a few eyebrows – mainly with the girls and surprisingly, Aoshi as well, who chose to stay in the back. Girls sparring with guys usually did not happen, if at all. And this is also Sano we're talking about.

I studied Toma-sensei's expression carefully as I saw him arguing with himself. His many facial expressions easily gave it away.

"I suppose I can let this pass. Ok Miss Himura, you wanted it, you got it."

Misao beamed brightly as she grabbed a kendo stick from the wrack and jumped onto the mat facing Sanosuke. Sanosuke's face was priceless.

"Wha?! Whoa! Sensei – you've got to be kidding! You really can't expect me to fight her! It's no contest."

OOOOhhhhhhhh………I wish I could have punched that rooster-headed idiot right there and then. And the look on Megumi's face also told me she had the same idea. Then again, every girl there had the same expression.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a girl?" Misao started teasing Sano. "I guess we all know who the real wuss here is, don't we girls?"

Oh, that was a good one. I couldn't help but laugh heartily along with every other girl there. This was too good to be true.

I expected Sano to be taken aback by what she said, but he just cocked an eyebrow and then smiled. "Nah, that ain't it. I just don't want to get blamed for ruining your makeup!"

This elicited a laugh from the boys, save for Aoshi and Kenshin, who remained as stoic as they always have been. Well, at least Aoshi was watching the fight. Kenshin however, just had his stare towards the floor, and yes, his bangs were once again hiding his legendary eyes from me.

And then it happened- chanting.

"Go Misao."

"Go Sano."

"Kick her/his ass!"

Toma-sensei tried to calm things down, "Hey! Watch your language!" But it was a no go. The class was way too interested in this, not to mention psyched up as well.

Toma-sensei just shrugged as a grin appeared on his face. "Ok class. First one to three points will be the winner. Ready………………GO!"

I watched, totally engrossed into the battle. Misao instantly got into position. Her kendo stick was in a sheathed position behind her as one of her hands was hovering over the handle. Sano took a more direct approach as he held his sword in front of him with both hands.

"You're going to regret this, missy!"

Sano then charged up to a motionless Misao, who still hadn't made a move besides getting into position. Sano was cutting the distance when he leaped into the air and came charging down, swinging his sword, aimed at Misao's shoulder.

The next move caught everybody with surprise; well……save for Kenshin that is. Misao had somehow dodged Sano's attack and now was in the air above Sano. One second later, she came crashing down onto a stupefied Sano, who still was looking for Misao's whereabouts.

Sano was on the ground while Misao reentered her position she was in the beginning.

Everybody was dead silent, including me. That attack wasn't an everyday attack. No, it was more than that. And, well, damn, it was impressive. I could have sworn my jaw was on the floor. Then Toma-sensei's voice came out of nowhere.

"Misao – 1. Sano – 0."

Suddenly there was an uproar of cheers from the girls, who at the same time congratulated Misao and taunted Sano. I had to admit, I was impressed by Misao's abilities. But it wasn't something I couldn't have done myself. I was able to follow Misao's moves right from the start, so that fact alone showed Misao was just as good as me, and maybe even lacking some points here and there.

I watched as Misao completely overwhelmed a dazed Sano two more times to secure victory. In the end, let's just say I now have something else to tease Sano about when he gets on my case. And oh boy, did I have something to tell Yahiko, hehehehehe.

After the "fight," the day went by pretty quickly, which the fight being the topic of discussion in every conversation. I even heard Aoshi talk about it with his friends. Now when he talks about it, it's gotta be either impressive or surprising. Misao certainly didn't let it get to her head as she just waved it off as something that needed to be done. Sano on the other hand was getting tortured by his friends.

The last bell had finally rang after an hour of lecturing from our science teacher, Hennya-sensei.

I quickly ran to my locker in hope to dodge the rush of students that would inevitably ensue when I suddenly spotted Misao by her locker, alone. 'Finally, a chance to talk.'

"Hey Misao. You've probably heard this like a million times, but great fight."

She waved her hand nonchalantly as she smiled brightly. "Hey, it's about time somebody taught that rooster-head a lesson, right?" I smiled and nodded, laughing along with Misao.

"So Misao, are you thinking about joining the Swordfight Team?" It was a question bugging me ever since the match.

It took her awhile to answer. "Probably not Kaoru. I'm more of a martial-artist fighter rather than kenjutsu. I just happened to watch my brother train every now and then and I picked up on some moves here and there."

I stood there, once again shocked. If Misao was this good, and she just watched her brother, then what did that make Kenshin? And if he supposedly was so good, why did he back out? Ahhh, more mysterious about the redhead.

I nodded again. "Well, you should come to tomorrow clubfest anyway."

She looked expectantly at me. "Clubfest? What's that?"

'Oh right. She doesn't know.' "Well basically, on the third day of school every year, the school holds something called clubfest after school. It's where all the clubs and school teams gather and explain themselves to curious students. It's really fun, and you never know, you just might find something to suit your style."

Misao's eyes suddenly took on an abnormal shine. "Wow! Count me in Kaoru. You'll see me there tomorrow." I smiled at her enthusiasm. She was certainly a very active girl.

I thought she was going to leave, but then she winked at me. "And don't worry. I'll bring Kenshin also."

Wha?! Kenshin!? What about Kenshin!? Ahhh, I could feel myself blushing red. Probably a very, very deep shade as well.

Luckily for me, Misao was about to add something to her comment when Sano popped from nowhere. I never have been so glad in my life to see Sano.

"Hey Sano, what's up?" I asked quickly, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Huh? Oh, hey jou-chan, Misao."

I quickly dropped my façade. Whatever Sano had to say was pretty important. He wasn't chewing on a fishbone!

"I, uh, just came here to apologize. You know, about what I said about earlier. Especially to you Misao."

I smiled warmly and saw Misao answer in the same way. "Don't worry 'bout it Sano. Just next time, I don't want you holding back on me. I could tell you weren't at your best."

Misao was right. Now that I think about it, Sano did go down pretty easily.

"Heh, yeah, whatever you say. Well, I'm outta here." And yes, almost like magic, Sano started to chew on his trademark fishbone that he kept in his pocket. "Later jou-chan, weasel girl."

I rolled my eyes at Sano's creative nicknames. Misao on the other hand, looked like she was about to blow.

"He didn't………just call me………weasel girl……did he?"

I sweat dropped. Do I answer her question, or not?

"Hey Misao. Let's go."

I quickly whipped my head from where I heard the voice. Yes, my intuition was right. It was Kenshin.

"Coming Kenshin!" his sister yelled back. "Well Kaoru, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"

She then skipped over to her brother as they started walking home, and once again, Misao chatting happily while Kenshin looking as stoic as ever.

I didn't even know I was smiling until Megumi had suddenly come and asked me what I was smiling about. Not even knowing the answer to the question myself, I just shrugged as we walked home.

Once again, today was full of surprises.

Author's Notes: Hey, Misao had to learn something watching Kenshin after so many years, right? After all, in the show, Yahiko almost got the Ryu Sou Sen down only watching Kenshin perform it for some months.

Anyway, so there is chapter four. Again, it was a small preview of what the "Himuras" are bringing into the lives of Aoshi, Kaoru, Sano and Megumi.

I got a couple of people saying they wanted Tsubame in as well. Don't worry, I have plans for her (and Yahiko as well) later in my story.

People also wanted more Soujiro. And relax about that because Soujiro will appear, but probably not until towards the end of my story (and I don't know when that will be so don't bother asking).

Again, I love the reviews that are coming in. More reviews is a good thing! Longer chapters might just come your way.

So I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as my previous three and as always, leave a REVIEW! Thanx!!!!!

Till next chapter,
vindemon64