CHEMISTRY?

CHAPTER ONE

"It's all done, Professor Takani."

Kaoru Kamiya put the last of the flasks into the cabinet, and pulled off her goggles and lab coat. "The lab today was a success, we finally got the proper controls to recreate Millikan's experiment. Now we can finally demonstrate it to first years in chem101, I'm excited to show them!"

Megumi Takani smiled. "Thank you so much, Kaoru. In all my years of teaching, I have never encountered a student with as much knowledge, enthusiasm, and creativity for the subject."

Kaoru laughed as she retrieved her backpack from the locker. "Well, I've always had an interest. Watch out, Professor, someday I might take your place here at the university!"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Megumi said while glancing at her watch. "Kaoru, it's almost nine, and you've been here since the morning without leaving. Would you like to go out for some udon?"

"Nah, it's okay," Kaoru smiled. "I still have some reading to complete before biology tomorrow, I'll grab something back at the dorm. See you tomorrow!"

Megumi smiled as Kaoru bounded out of the lab. "I wouldn't be surprised if that girl went great lengths someday."

Kaoru bounded across the campus of Tokyo Institute of Technology, where she was triple majoring in chemistry, biology, and quantum physics. Regarded by many of her professors as the brightest student to attend since the institute was established 140 years ago, she had already been offered positions for after her graduation two years later at MIT, Princeton, and Cornell. Though technically only a junior undergraduate in age, she had surpassed all her peers and was already working on her doctorate degrees.

Despite this, her intellect had made her an outsider. Throughout high school, she had been shunned for her high grades and outstanding test scores. In the halls, jealous peers cruelly sneered at her for her accomplishments, and were often jeered when she competed in her school's kendo competitions. Even when she gave her valedictorian speech at her high school graduation, her peers still held the grudge: though the audience clapped, the entire student body booed her as she walked off.

There was only one person in the world who understood her: Misao Makimachi, her childhood friend, fellow chemistry enthusiast, and roommate.

"KAORUUU…" Misao glanced up from her textbook, sitting cross-legged on her bed, eyebrows furrowed. "Did you get too carried away at the lab again? You know I promised Gramps I wouldn't let you get too carried away!"

Kaoru laughed, putting away her things. "Sorry. Gosh it's late, I'm hungry, I'm going to go out for a bite to eat."

"No need." Misao pointed to a little pink bento on Kaoru's desk. "I stopped by Quickly and got you some dinner."

"Wow, pepper chicken, my favorite!" Kaoru gleefully separated her chopsticks and dug in. "Mmm, I haven't had this in ages. I love you so much, have I told you?"

Misao laughed heartily. "Only every other day. Hey have I told you about that teacher's aid of professor Saitou?"

"Yeah, only every time I see you. Aoshi-sama, was he? Hottest piece of man in a lab coat you've ever seen, eh? Oh and that if you were in a room with him you would first stroke his hair and then bite his ear and then…"

A pillow struck Kaoru on the head. "Shut up, I get it! But seriously, Aoshi is so cool. He's like this ice block that just melts my heart!"

"Eww, that's really cheesy."

"Yeah I know. Hey Kaoru…"

Kaoru looked up from her chicken. "Let me guess: Aoshi is so smart, he graduated three years early? Or is it that Aoshi is so talented, he is an expert swordsman?"

"None of that!" Misao protested, flustered, "although it is true. I wanted to ask you… why don't you ever get out? I mean, you're already working on your doctorate."

"I happen to like this, Misao. I find the sciences exciting."

"But Kaoru, you've never been to a party, you've never been to a club, you've never even spent more than an hour at the mall. You don't go to hair salons or get manicures with the girls, you never dress up prettily, nor do you read magazines or watch television shows."

"I don't need those petty things to amuse me."

"But…"

Kaoru stopped Misao. "Misao, you've known me for so long, you know I don't enjoy things like those; they just bore me. No more arguing! I've got to finish fifty more pages of text before the bio lecture tomorrow."

Misao grinned in defeat. "Fine, fine, I won't press it. Just know that one of these days I will bring you over to the dark side! … oh and before you start reading, can you help me with these organics?"

Megumi Takani sipped her tea in her realm, the laboratory. Bright sunshine flew in the windows, illuminating the shiny black tables and shimmering glass flasks. It seemed unusually quiet today; she glanced at the clock. Ah, the peace is to end…

A fireball of energy suddenly burst in. "Professor Takani, I'm so sorry for being tardy," Kaoru said as she blasted through the chemistry laboratory door. "I was held late because the lecture was extra long." She donned her well-worn lab coat and goggles. "So should we set up for the oil drop experiment for your next lecture? Or have you done that already, I could probably work on the large-size scale of the cathode ray tube, I think if we supercharge the magnet maybe we could – "

Megumi Takani smiled. "Kaoru, slow down. I actually have a few things I need to talk to you about."

Kaoru blinked, then sat on a lab stool. "Professor?"

"Firstly, I'd actually rather you just call me Megumi, as that you're more of my peer than my student," she said smiling. "I haven't actually had you in my class, since you transferred out of my Chem101 class half an hour into the first lesson."

Kaoru smiled sheepishly. "Eh, sorry about that… Professor… Megumi?"

Megumi laughed. "We'll work on that. Anyways, to the real matter… I see that at the rate you're going, your doctorate will be complete in about a year and a half, two years maybe?"

"Yes, I've been completing all the courses Principal Hiko maintained that I take, and I've been brainstorming ideas for my research."

"Wow, you sound quite busy these days."

"Not really, all my courses are extremely simple, and I have a lot of time left for my project. What's on your mind, Professor Takani… er, Megumi?"

"Well, you see, I was wondering if you could help out with this undergrad I have…"

"No problem! Does she need tutoring? I'm free many days."

"No, it's not that… this student, what he needs is more of… oh, I don't know, an inspiration."

"Inspiration?' Kaoru grinned. "I've never heard that out of a subject like chemistry. Go on?"

"His name is Kenshin Himura. He's a freshman undergrad, but he's actually about a year older than you, since he took off for a trip to Europe after he graduated high school."

"Sounds like an interesting character," Kaoru smiled. "But what about this inspiration?"

"Himura was a science prodigy in his youth. He had finished first year college level courses by the age of twelve, and when he was fifteen he successfully created Californium."

"FIFTEEN? Then…"

"For some mysterious reason, though, after the tragic death of his parents, he seemed to relate it to the sciences and shunned it ever since. In Europe, he studied languages; I believe he now fluently speaks French, Spanish, Italian, German, as well as immaculate English. But now he's enrolled at Tokyo Tech, majoring in chemistry, and despite this major he is failing my Chem101 class. He just doesn't seem to try."

"So… where do I come in?"

"Remember your first day in my class, when I pulled you out after you started making references to experiments and theories even I had trouble with?"

Kaoru grinned sheepishly. "Right."

"I know genius when I see one, and this Himura kid is one. I thought that perhaps associating with a peer like yourself, he would once again find his interest in the subject."

Kaoru grinned. "Of course! I'd do anything to help, and you know how much I love doing this."

"That's great!" Megumi smiled. "When are you free? Is 4 pm tomorrow at the school library okay?"

"Sure, tell Kenshin Himura I will meet him near the physics section, I needed to do some research there anyways." Kaoru smiled. "Don't worry, if there's even a bit of interest in this subject I'll draw it out of him."

Kaoru was deeply engrossed in her readings of time dilation when she felt a small tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me, are you Kaoru Kamiya?"

Kaoru turned her head quickly to the right; unfortunately, her long, thick ponytail flew like a whip and hit the speaker square in the face.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, you surprised me, I am so so sorry…"

The young man who spoke to her began to laugh. "I never expected to get slapped by a girl so soon into the relationship!"

Kaoru blushed four shades of red. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…"

He smiled kindly, and Kaoru felt herself burn even redder as he matched his large violet eyes to hers. "It's alright, it was just an accident of course. Anyways, are you Kaoru Kamiya?"

"Yes, I am. And you are…"

"My name is Kenshin, Kenshin Himura."

Kaoru recalled the name with a jolt. "Ooohhh, I remember!" She took a careful look at him: he was short, though taller than her; lean, dressed in baggy jeans and a loose black sweatshirt; he had a head of shockingly red hair, which he grew long and tied back loosely in a ponytail. He looked like one of the many boys on the campus who liked to have fun, play video games, and slack off while smoking marijuana next to the local 7-11.

Somehow, she just couldn't see the prodigy.

"Well," she said, her enthusiasm stifled a bit, "it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

The two stared at each other awkwardly in silence, before Kaoru broke it with a cough. "Well, Kenshin, is there anything you'd like to do or something… review your chemistry homework?"

At the word chemistry itself, though, he stiffened. His easygoing manner disappeared, and his smiling violet eyes became hard and a shade of goldenrod. "I don't do the homework."

"But…" Kaoru took one look at his angry eyes and decided not to press the matter of homework. "Would you like for me to explain concepts to you?"

"You underestimate me, Miss Kamiya," he said, voice dangerously slow now.

What had happened to the nice, warm man she had met only seconds before? She wanted to run out of the library and have nothing more to do with him, but forced herself to smile instead. Professor is counting on me. Don't give up. Don't give up. "Well," she quickly went on, masking her discomfort with a cheery smile, "why don't we go to the lab, I have a really great experiment to show you, and then maybe we can do something else, yeah?"

"Sure, whatever." Kenshin strode away coldly, going towards the exit without another look at Kaoru.

Kaoru followed closely. "My god," she whispered to herself, "what have I gotten myself into?"

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I do realize I use some chemistry jargon. I have no idea if I use them in the right context; hopefully I do, haha.

Also, I could probably break out in faux-Japanese. "Konnichiwa, Takani-sensei, I'd love to go out for some unagi and sashimi … ara! Watashi wa pan o tabemasu!" … but I won't. XD So all names are spoken in the English way., and the events are western, etcetc, k: