High School Crushes are for Wimps

Aoshi leaned up from his desk as he had been slightly hunched over scribbling down the notes Himura-sensei had written on the board. He had a pen stuck between his lips and one behind his ear as he quickly read over his notes to make sure he got everything down. Finally he yawned, a soft clunk coming from the pen as it dropped to his desk. Who would have thought that high school was still this boring?

His hidden eyes scanned the class noticing ever student was writing down the notes, a couple of girls passing each other letters here and there but still occasionally writing. That's when Aoshi turned to his left to gaze over at Misao. There was only two seats left in the classroom and that was either beside her or in front of her. It seemed no student wanted to be in close range of one Makimachi Misao. Aoshi opted to sit beside her for unknown reasons, but now his attention was on her as she gazed out the window not even scribbling down any notes like her fellow classmates.

"Shinomori is there some sort of problem you are having with Makimachi?" Himura spoke as he noticed the mature teenager looking at her a few times. He watched as some of his male students turned to look back at Aoshi as did most of the girls, but his expression was calm as he replied with a straight answer of,

"No…"

"Then I suggest you keep writing down your notes." Himura commented in his soft but firm voice.

"I've already finished writing them down."

"Oro, I mean perhaps it is wise for you to read over them to see if there is anything you don't understand." Himura corrected himself as he stood to the side of the classroom so he wasn't in the way of the board.

"I completed this topic a couple of years ago and it has not changed since then, so I am comfortable with what I know sensei." Aoshi replied in his deadpan voice and glanced to his right noticing a few girls whisper amongst themselves about his 'a couple of years ago' remark.

"All right then, as long as you are comfortable." Kenshin responded and sat back in a chair and continued to read his book while the rest of his students continued to write down his notes from the board.

The classroom was dead quiet as Aoshi sat boredly in his chair pondering over why in seven hells he decided to go back to school. His mind brought up an image of two smiling girls and his mouth twitched lightly as though wanting to break into a smile…but he didn't. Finally Aoshi leaned forward, his tall frame crippling over the desk as he placed his forehead on the table, creating a small amount of noise, but no one seemed to have noticed…and if they did, he didn't care.

One person however, was actually paying attention to him. Misao was quick at taking notes and always finished before the others and then proceeded to gaze out the window as though daydreaming about being in a better place. Her sensei knew she took quick accurate notes and although she held an icy exterior sometimes laced with pure laziness Misao was actually one of the top students in the school. It had surprised her that someone else had taken notes nearly as quick as she had and so she turned to glance at her classmate sitting beside her and wondered what his spaced out look was for. She watched as his usual scowl broke slightly, the twitching of his lips occurring and then he smacked his head on his desk as though breaking out of his thoughts…or snapping back into his scowl she really couldn't decide. Misao had thought all of her classmates were weird, but Shinomori Aoshi…had just one first prize in being the strangest student she had come across.

It was uncanny that he could be cold, like he was to her earlier on and then the twitching of his lips seemed to give away that his scowl was all some sort of act. Just what was up with this Shinomori Aoshi anyway?

"Makimachi do you have a problem with Shinomori now?" Their teacher spoke and then the snickering began. Misao gazed her eyes over at Aoshi, who was not paying any attention and then they found her teachers as she parted her lips ready to voice no, but instead she though otherwise.

"Actually yes, why has he not been treated like we were when we first got to this high school?"

"How do you mean?" Himura questioned his student and watched as she rolled her eyes and replied back, her hand moving as though gesturing to Aoshi and then to the entire class.

"When we were newcomers like him we had to talk about ourselves and yet all that has been stated about him is the fact that his name is Shinomori Aoshi." Aoshi sat up having heard his name twice and turned to look at Misao for a moment and then sat straight looking at the back of the male student sitting in front of him.

"Are you saying you wish to get to know Shinomori better?" Kenshin voiced aloud and watched as his students blue eyes narrowed at his question and then she answered for everyone.

"No…but I'm the only one who would actually have the guts to openly ask you to make him stand up in front of the class and talk about himself like we had to in the 10th grade." Before Kenshin could even reply to Misao's remark he heard the scrapping of a chair and watched as Aoshi moved to the front of the classroom and leaned against his desk, his arms folded over his chest.

"What do you want to know?" He spoke dryly and the classroom went dead. He could hear some murmuring, but still no one voiced what had been rolling around in his or her minds. Kenshin could feel the tension rise and cleared his throat as he decided to ask the first question.

"Shinomori were you born in Kyoto?" His student turned to look at him and answered in one word,

"Yes…"

"How old are you?" Kenshin's question seemed to break the ice as one of his female students asked Aoshi her own question.

"18…" Aoshi replied in sheer boredom and then the murmurs began.

"Why are you in our grade? Shouldn't you have finished school by now?" A boy with spiky brown hair questioned, his pen sticking out of his mouth in doing so. Aoshi watched as a dark haired girl leaned over and smacked him over the head.

"Baka that is not your business!" She sneered at him and then flicked her hair sitting up straight once more.

"I was here a couple of years ago, but left to take care of some personal problems, which is not your business. Is that all? Shouldn't you get back to teaching Himura-sensei?"

"Quite right." Himura spoke while standing up and waved Aoshi to sit back down. He did so and turned to look at Misao, but she was again staring out the window.

* * * *

Lunchtime had come around quickly and Aoshi headed out into the courtyard and noticed the spiky haired male student in his class was waving him over. Aoshi fastened his bag over his shoulder and trudged over to his fellow classmate.

"Sorry about the remark in class Shinomori-kun, the names Sagara Sanosuke, but you can call me Sano." He spoke while placing his hand out and shaking Aoshi's. Aoshi did nothing but eye him silently and then observed as the dark haired girl that had smacked him earlier was now standing beside him, a warm smile on her ruby lips.

"Takani Megumi, since this tori atama has no sense in manners and decided not to introduce me." She replied while placing her hand over her mouth and began laughing as Sano fumed beside her.

"Yeah…well…you're just a sly fox! HA!" He snickered back, which now got Megumi into fuming mode.

"Do not worry about those two Shinomori-kun they usually forgive each other in about ten minutes." Aoshi turned to look down at a short boy who wasn't in his class.

"Oh, forgive my bad manners, I am Seta Soujiro but am actually in the other grade 11 class." Aoshi nodded his head in recognition and stood beside his newfound friends', as they seemed to be waiting for other people. Aoshi was soon introduced to a Yukishiro Tomoe and Enishi and a girl who just went by the name Yume as they too were in Soujiro's class. Since the so-called 'group' had now been formed, Aoshi silently followed the six students as they made there way towards a large tree and sat underneath it getting out of the warm afternoon sun.

"So how are you finding the school Shinomori-kun? Are you finding your way around easily?" Yume questioned as she bit into her sandwich and waited for his reply. Aoshi was shuffling through his bag, not really wanting to answer questions but knew it was pointless to avoid.

"I've been here before, so I pretty much know my way around. This place hasn't changed much, but the teachers have changed though. Himura-sensei is pretty strange."

"See kitsune, I knew I wasn't the only one that thought our teacher was a wacko!" Sano blurted out and received a smack over the head yet again.

"He isn't a wacko roosterhead. How can you judge him when you don't even bother to talk to him?" Megumi spoke and received affirmative nods from Yume and Tomoe.

"Well excuse me for not finding him a total dreamboat!" Sano replied sarcastically, which got a laugh/cough from Enishi and Soujiro as they received glares from their female friends.

"You're being ridiculous Sano-kun." Tomoe spoke in a soft voice, but she watched as Sano sat up on his news, his hands clasped together at his heart and in a squeaky voice, trying to imitate the girls in his grade he began to speak.

"Oh Himura-sensei is so dreamy. Look at his long flowing red hair, I want to touch it! Oh and what about his violet eyes too, so gentle and yet mysterious. It's such a shame he has to be our teacher. I so wish I was older and out of school so I could date him…or wouldn't it be cool if he was a student in our grade!"

"Ah, Sano?" Aoshi tried interrupting but Sano waved him off as he voiced his opinions about their teacher once more.

"Trust me kitsune that all that is said about the freaky guy. You can see the hearts in every schoolgirl's eyes when he glances their way. He's so feminine looking its bloody scary!"

"Good afternoon students, how are you enjoying your lunch break?" A voice broke into Sano's comments and his face fell as he sat back on his heels and turned his head to look into violet eyes.

"Err, it's a lovely warm day today Himura-sensei so we thought it would be nice to have lunch in the courtyard. What about yourself?" Megumi spoke and gave off a nervous laugh.

"Aa, it is a beautiful day is it not? I have already eaten my lunch and am on yard duty for the moment so I best keep going. Don't be late in heading back to class when the bell rings."

"Hai sensei!" The girls voiced together and watched as their short teacher headed off, their eyes frowning as Tomoe voiced their thoughts allowed.

"The poor man, I wonder if what Sano-kun said hurt his feelings. You can be such an idiot at times Sano-kun."

"What do you mean at times? He's a baka every single second!" Megumi spoke and smacked Sano on the head before getting up and jogging after her teacher. Yume and Tomoe weren't too far behind either.

"Why didn't you guys agree with me huh?" Sano narrowed his chocolate brown eyes at his supposed mates but listened to his Aoshi's answer.

"Well, I think there is something strange about him, but I wasn't one to agree with you since I saw him coming our way." Enishi and Soujiro nodded in unison at Aoshi's remark.

"And why wasn't I told about him approaching?"

"I tried, but you kept on with your rant anyway." Aoshi was instant in his reply and brought out his water bottle taking a drink. Sano fumed to himself and began eating his sandwich in a not so pleasant way as he took vigorous bites of the poor scrunched up bread.

There was an air of silence floating around the four students, but Enishi and Soujiro chatting occasionally interrupted it. Aoshi wasn't really one for chatting much and instead could sit silently and just listen to the others do all the talking. A breeze swept through the yard and the bouncing of a ball soon got Aoshi's attention as he turned his head to gaze at the lone figure playing on the basketball court.

"So what's her story?" Aoshi questioned and received confused gazes from the other three guys. He jerked his head in the direction of the basketball court and watched as Sano waved his arms around.

"That is one scary chick you don't wanna mess with Shinomori-kun. You even think about talking to her you're likely to get burned."

"Or frozen…" Enishi added in.

"She's just…different that's all." Soujiro spoke up, a small smile making its way to his lips. Aoshi turned to look at him, but not before noticing the rolling eyes of Enishi and Sano.

"There are many rumours about Makimachi and whether you believe them or not is up to you. I don't really know any myself, but I used to be in junior high with her. She's been this way ever since I can remember, but maybe she just hasn't figured out who she really is on the inside…and so perhaps she portrays herself as cold and aloof until she knows what her true identity really is." Aoshi raised an eyebrow at Soujiro's explanation and turned back to look at Misao, watching as she threw the basketball towards the hoop but it ended up rebounding and rolling away from her.

"True identity huh?" Aoshi muttered to himself, not noticing the strange looks he was receiving from his new friends and went back to eating while his eyes watched Misao's every move.

* * * *

To be continued…

* * * *