High School Crushes are for Wimps

Aoshi groaned lightly as he was beginning to awaken from his spell of unconsciousness. As Kenshin leaned over him, since he stayed to make sure Aoshi was okay in the end and noticed that he began to rapidly blink trying to focus his eyes and brought his arms up as though protecting his face for unknown reasons.

"Shinomori, why do you that?" Kenshin spoke as he waved Nurse Okon out of the room for the moment. Aoshi's ears noted that familiar voice…and finally worked out he had been sick, fell asleep in the bathrooms and was found by his teacher! He slowly brought his arms down and sat up as he turned his head away from his teacher and muttered out a quick reply.

"The lights are too bright…and how would you like it if you had some unfamiliar face loom over you so suddenly?"

"Tell me something Shinomori, does this happen a lot?" Kenshin glanced his calm eyes into Aoshi's.

"Does what happen a lot?" Aoshi questioned his teacher and crossed his arms over his chest in doing so.

"I was merely wondering why your black eye is swollen a lot more then yesterday afternoon. Not to mention the fact that your cut looks like its been reopened and I doubt your vomiting episode was the result of that either." Aoshi scowled lightly at his observant teacher and finally spoke in a confident tone of voice hoping his teacher would back off.

"I must have fallen asleep on that side and my pillow could have possibly irritated it and as for my sickness what of the tablets I'm taking? There could be side effects for all I know…"

"Shinomori-kun is right Kenshin-san, I've had other students come in here saying that they've been sick on the tablets, but it should pass in a day or two." Aoshi began thanking all the gods when Nurse Okon walked in and voiced those wonderful words. He felt relief flood his body when he observed as Kenshin stood up from his seated position and moved towards the door to leave him be.

"Oh, I noticed your name on my martial arts list Shinomori, so I shall see you this afternoon if you are feeling better."

"I cannot make the lesson this afternoon Himura-sensei, I have work after school, but I'll change my schedule when I see my boss so that I can fit it in." Aoshi replied instantly and watched Kenshin turn around, his face a little shocked at hearing Aoshi voice he had a part time job.

"You work Shinomori? Shouldn't your parents…I mean shouldn't your father be more concerned with you finishing off your education rather then having a part time job?"

"What does it matter anyway, this money is for me and I choose to work because it is my decision to make."

"But Shino-"

"Look Himura-sensei, just educate me and don't ask questions. My life is my own and I shall do whatever I wish with it. Leave your questions for other students who actually don't mind their teachers meddling in their private lives." Kenshin sighed at his words and couldn't help but voice what he had been thinking ever since Aoshi had come back to school.

"You and Makimachi think the same thoughts…" There was a thick silence in the room and Kenshin opened the door to head outside but was stopped…and quite shocked at Aoshi's straightforward question.

"Just what is it with you and Makimachi anyway?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" Kenshin couldn't believe this one question made him stutter so. He gulped down the lump in his throat and stiffly turned around to face Aoshi who was now getting out of the bed.

"In truth nobody seems to like her…but you. She doesn't speak with anyone, even ignoring you at times and obviously she has no friends. I'm sure you've heard the term 'Ice Queen' right? Why is it that you seem to be the only person wishing to speak with her as though you care for her well being? I'd like to know why you seem to worry over her so much?"

"…"

"Yo Shinomori-kun you're up!" Sano's voice bellowed loudly as he broke the thick silence and tension between curious student and surprised teacher. Aoshi gazed his eyes over into warm cinnamon ones, they flickering with slight concern for him and then back to their teachers.

"Come on Sano, let's get out of here." Aoshi muttered knowing he'd never get an answer from Kenshin now. The two students left the room with Kenshin observing Sano place his hand on Aoshi's shoulder silently asking him whether he was okay. Kenshin's head had tilted in thought as he stewed over Aoshi for a moment. He was smart…extremely smart and he knew that his observant student wouldn't stop until he found answers to his questions.

"Kenshin-san are you alright?" Okon spoke as she walked up to her workmate. He seemed to snap out of his thoughts and nod his head while letting off a small chuckle. She watched him leave the clinic and shook her head to remake the bed Aoshi had been lying in.

"What a strange secretive man…"

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(7pm - A Residential Street)

Kenshin was walking home having finished his classes with his students. Some had progressed nicely over the break while others had slackened off and he "punished" them when he found out that they had not gone to any of the classes his own mentor taught. Punished meant another half-hour of vigorous workouts in which it ended up making a couple of his students collapse to the gym floor. They now knew that slackness in Himura-sensei's classes was not on.

Kenshin had helped them stretch out their tired muscles and packed up all the equipment. That is why he was a little later then usual. He always said he'd be home at 6:15 to 6:30 since his apartment wasn't far from the school, but as he looked down at his watch when he unlocked the front door he could instantly feel the impatient and worrying aura that belonged to,

"Mou Kenshin! What took you so long? I had dinner cooked and everything, but now it's all ruined because of you!" He walked into the kitchen to see his beautiful partner throwing out the dinner she made.

"Gomen ne Kaoru, let me make something for us." Kenshin spoke as he placed his bag near the wall and headed over towards the kitchen and sat down on the stool near the preparation bench. Her hair was placed up in a high ponytail and held together with a light blue ribbon. She was wearing a yellow long summer dress and her bare small feet peaked out from under the dress when she stepped up on tiptoes while voicing her new dinner plans.

"Iie, I'll just make us up some instant noodles ne?" She turned to give him a heart-stopping smile while dumping the rest of the dinner in the garbage bin. She was on her tiptoes to reach the flavoured noodles sitting in the cupboard and flicked on the kettle to boil the water.

Silence broke through their apartment and Kaoru glanced behind her wondering what was up with Kenshin since usually he talked about his day at work and came over to kiss, but not in that order of course. He had done neither, which meant something was up. She may only just have finished high school over a year ago, making her inexperienced in a lot of things, but she knew Kenshin's faces and the one he wore now was of deep thought…and slight sadness. She knew now wasn't the time to ask him any questions when he was like this and went back to lifting the disposable lids off the instant noodles and began pouring the hot water into the cups. As she brought the first one over to the counter Kenshin began to speak in a soft voice…he having begun to open up to her without her even pestering him to do so.

"I care for all my students and yet there are two I can never reach. Actually I never really reach many of them, but these two are pent up on unknown emotions and I just feel like helping them. I know what its like to be lost…not sure of yourself, but these two are stuck in their own stubborn ways." Kaoru placed down the noodle bowl and patted Kenshin's hand that rested on the bench lightly. His soft violet eyes gazed into her blue ones as she held a small smile…an encouraging smile.

"One day she'll come around Kenshin, you just have to keep being persistent. Right now it might be futile, but I know in the end Misao-chan will be the same genki girl she once was as you say she was. Patience is needed…and your very good at being patient Kenshin. Misao-chan will always be apart of your life…and one day maybe you should tell her the truth about just how much she really means to you." Kaoru heard Kenshin sigh lightly as he was stewing on more thoughts then just Misao. She leaned over placing a kiss on his cheek and then headed over to the stove to pick up the other noodle cup.

"Her and Shinomori Aoshi are so alike…" Kenshin muttered but his head snapped up when he heard the sound of noodles and water hitting the tiled kitchen floor. Kaoru's back was to him and he stood up moving around the counter to place his hands on her shoulders. He swiftly made her turn to face him, but her head was bowed and her hands clasped at her heart. Kenshin placed his right hand lifting up Kaoru's chin to see her eyes had welled up with tears.

"S-Say that name again…?" She spoke in a soft voice in which Kenshin muttered Aoshi's name abiding to her request.

"I…I have not heard that name in so long." Kenshin's eyebrows creased hearing Kaoru's confession and he moved her out of the kitchen, forgetting the noodles for now and walked her to sit down in the lounge room. He sat quietly besides her, watching as Kaoru swiftly brushed her tears away.

"We sort of grew up together…and well I…I had this crush on him all the way through primary school and junior high, but he flatly told me no when I finally got the courage to ask him out. He told me crushes were for wimps and I cried my eyes out while I ran home that afternoon. I used to even bring him lunch, which he always said he wasn't hungry and I watched him walk away from me everyday. He was so mean…but I…I still loved him."

"I didn't know the two of you knew each other Kaoru." Kenshin replied as he heard Kaoru laugh lightly as though thinking of something and then she turned to face him gazing into his eyes.

"Of course you didn't, we had to be so secretive when we were together that for hours on end we'd just end up sitting together in silence not bothering to voice anything. I hardly know a thing about you…and you of me and yet we seem to still be okay with it all. Because of me you had to leave remember…and…and well we kind of waited for over three years to pass before really seeing each other."

"Do you know Shinomori well?" Kenshin questioned bringing the conversation back to his male student.

"Nobody really knows him, but I guess when you have a crush on him you try and find out as much about him as possible. You know his mother died right Kenshin? They would place that in his student records right?" Kaoru spoke and watched as Kenshin nodded his head affirmatively.

"He was just a young boy too and that's when he really began to change…the bruises began to show and the beatings had only just began."

"Beatings…?" Kenshin muttered lightly and his eyes widened as his mind flashed back to Aoshi's swollen face and his hand constantly rubbing his stomach.

"Kaoru, tell me everything you know of Shinomori Aoshi." Kaoru looked up at Kenshin's serious face, his hands cupping her shoulders determinedly. She now knew she had let slip something that he…or many others for that matter knew nothing about and there was no turning back when his face expression was of one determined 'ex-rebellious and troubled child'. Everything she knew of one Shinomori Aoshi would be known to him…to do as he pleased…

* * * *

To be continued…

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Authors Notes: There is so much I could right "in-between" the actual story, but the way its panning in my head is going faster then I can actually write/type it out. Yeah that's a pain and if I place in pointless matter I know I'll begin to bore people to death, cause if I find it boring then it is not good. I sort of wanted Aoshi and Misao to step slowly into a "friendship" but I think it'll be thrust upon them thanks to Kenshin…and well Tsubame has to come in as the "little annoying girl" that won't leave 'Makimachi-sempai' alone.

I was thinking, I'll draw it out, but then thought 'no' because it's not the way it was thought out in my head originally. Sure its in school, but I think most of it will be out of school type stuff…err…if that actually makes any sort of sense.

Anywho I've got a headache so I'll leave all of you with this small snippet. Ja ne! (^_^)