Okay, first of all I'd like to apologize profusely to those who have read this story over time, I'm sooo sorry. I just can't say that enough. I kind of got out of the writing swing for a while (okay, a really long time!) But I'm on Christmas break, and I'm just so bored I need something to do. So here it is, the next chapter, and I'll try harder to work on this story for you guys. As some of you may know, I go to a boarding school, and this year they think we're in college or something, so I'm always busy, even on home leaves and breaks and stuff. So I'm really sorry, and I know it's no excuse for not writing. I hope my apology is accepted, and we shall move on with the story. Hope you guys are satisfied with this chapter, I'm trying, really! -'

"Kaoru!" A most unwelcome voice floated above the hustle and bustle of students in the hallway.

Kaoru shut her locker and turned to it's owner, forcing herself to smile. "Megumi."

"I hear there are two new transfer students. They're suppose to be showing up sometime today." Megumi said, smiling mischievously.

"And your point is?" Kaoru asked impatiently.

"One of them is a guy in our grade, and from what I hear, he's a real looker." Megumi said, winking at her.

Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"What does that have to do with me?" She questioned.

"Well I just figured it was about time for you to get a guy. And since you have so much trouble getting guys of any type to pay attention to you, I appointed myself the position of match maker! OH HO HO HO!" Megumi laughed her signature laugh.

"Excuse me Megumi, but I do NOT have trouble getting guys to notice me, I just don't care about them. I don't need a guy." Kaoru snapped, getting more and more irritated by the minute.

"Poor girl, you're in denial! Don't worry, I'll take care of things for you." There was a moment's pause. "Unless this new guy happens to be my type. Then you're on your own, and you'll be up against me." She winked once again and strode away with her nose in the air.

Kaoru growled.

"I told you I don't care!" She yelled after her.

Kaoru sighed and shook her head, heading for her next class.

"Hey wait up!" Misao called to her.

By the time she caught up, she was huffing and puffing.

"We always walk to class together!" She said, a bit hurt.

"Sorry Misao, I just have a lot on my mind. Megumi is being herself again."

"It's ok, just don't let it happen again." Misao grinned.

"Deal."

Kaoru stifled a yawn as she glanced around, observing the classroom. The desks were neatly paired off in twos, and then arranged in column and row format. She looked at the desk beside hers, which was empty. But that was probably a good thing, she noted as a big, husky boy in the next column over aggressively stuck his pinky in his nose.

"Gross…"

"Miss Kamiya!"

Kaoru was shaken out of her thoughts by the voice of Mr. Makoto.

"Please pay attention in class." He said sternly, his eyes warning her of a detention.

"Yes, Mr. Makoto." She mumbled, pretending to look at him until he turned to the board again.

She stuck her tongue out and proceeded to make fun of him. "Mi mi mi, moo moo moo…" She mimicked, rolling her eyes.

Misao giggled, which caused the frazzled man to turn around again.

"Is there something funny, Makamachi?" He asked, glaring at her.

Just then the door to the classroom opened, and in came a white haired fellow, followed by a petite black-haired girl. The white haired guy flashed Kaoru a smile, which earned him a blush.

"Okay class, these are our new transfer students, Enishi and Tomoe Yukishiro. Please make them feel welcome." He glared at a few students that were snickering. "Enishi, why don't you take a seat by Kaoru, she's the one sitting at that middle desk right there, and Tomoe, please sit in between Kenshin and Soujiro, the red headed boy and the other boy two seats away from him." He continued while they were making their way to their seats. "Now that that's settled, please say hello to your neighbor nearest to you." Every one looked to see who was closest to them. "This will be your new lab partner for this semester. You may not switch. Now as I was saying..."

Kaoru zoned the teacher's voice out of her mind, rolling her eyes. She already knew all of the material he was going over, why listen? Her gaze drifted to her right, at her lab partner. One hand was propping up his head lazily, and the other was fiddling with a pencil. He stifled a yawn and, setting down his pencil, combed his fingers through his snowy white hair. Looking somewhat unimpressed, he too decided against listening to the teacher, and he turned his head slowly to look at Kaoru. Kaoru blushed and quickly looked away. She hadn't realized that she had been staring. She watched Mr. Makoto, pretending to listen so as not to make Enishi suspicious.

She found, however, that the skin crawling sensation of eyes watching her was coming over her. She glanced in Enishi's direction. Sure enough, he was sitting there studying her features with a curious expression. Their eyes met and Kaoru looked away, blushing wildly. This was going to be an interesting semester...

Kenshin watched all of this from across the room, a firm scowl set upon his features. He had better warn that white haired guy about Kaoru, she was no good.

He sighed and slouched down in his seat, shaking his head a little. He glanced at the new girl sitting next to him, his eyes roaming over her delicate features. Her pencil was poised over paper, ready to note any important things the teacher was saying. She tucked a few strands of her raven black hair behind her ear, tilting her head as she listened to the lecture. One eyebrow arched, she looked over at Kenshin. Kenshin mustered up a small smile, which she returned in full. She then turned her focus back to Mr. Makoto. Kenshin grinned. He felt confident he could win this cutie over. It would be a piece of cake.

"Hold on!"

Kaoru turned to see Enishi running towards her. Classes were out for the day, and she had just been about to leave for home. She waited patiently for him to catch up, checking her watch unconsciously.

"So we're lab partners, huh?" Enishi said, grinning.

"Yeah." Kaoru replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.

She let her eyes wander over him, taking in features she had not noticed upon their first meeting in the mall. He was tall and thin, but his tank top revealed very muscular arms and a well-chiseled chest. His legs, taut and buff, looked as if he had been on a track team for a few years. He smiled when he noticed her observing him.

"Allow me to walk you home." He said, offering her a hand, his icy eyes sparkling with mystery.

She hesitated, looking around for Misao. She would have a fit if she saw this! However, there was no Misao to be seen. This made Kaoru slightly curious - after all, they always walked home together.

"Do you know where my friend Misao is?" She asked Enishi, ignoring his arm for the moment.

"You mean that girl that was with you at the mall, right? I saw her walk off with some other kid. She was talking about some kind of try-outs or something." He replied.

"Oh yeah!" Kaoru slapped her forehead. "She's trying out for the gymnastics team. I should have remembered." Kaoru smiled and took his arm, much to his relief; it was tiring holding it out so long.

"So what are your hobbies?" He asked as they began walking.

"Well, I'm really into kendo. My father teaches me for a few hours every night."

"And you still have time for homework?"

"Yeah, homework isn't hard for me."

"Same here."

There was a gap of silence. Enishi looked down at the girl next to him, his eyes softening as he took note of her rose colored lips. They looked so soft…

"You are very beautiful, Kaoru." He said, his eyes shining with admiration.

Kaoru looked up at him.

"You really think so?" She asked, amused.

"Of course, I really mean it." He said.

"Wow..." Kaoru was quiet for a minute. "Thank you Enishi."

Enishi glanced at her.

"For?"

"Saying that. It really helped me."

"What, guys don't ever tell you that?" He asked, eyes wide as if he expected it to be common knowledge that she was pretty.

"Well, not really. There's this one kid that-... err… never mind."

"That what?"

"Well, he always tells me I'm ugly. It gets kind of depressing sometimes." She said sadly, a melancholy expression briefly passing over her exquisite features.

Enishi tilted his head to one side, looking at her.

"He must be one stupid kid." He said, closing his eyes in annoyance.

Kaoru smiled. She liked Enishi. He was so sincere, and so kind.

"Enishi, I think this is the beginning of a great friendship." She said, smiling softly as she looked into his cheery face.

Enishi kept his smile in check, but winced immediately when she looked away. Friendship? Is this all she wanted? Could she not see there was something more, something much deeper that was blossoming deep within him? No, he couldn't let her know yet. She would think he was some kind of a stalker or something. For now, it was just friendship. But the day she showed any signs of interest in him, he would claim her as his. There was something so irresistible about her. She was so innocent and pure, young and full of hope and vitality. He wouldn't let any one else have her. One day, she would be his.

"Thanks for walking me home, Enishi!" Kaoru called from the front door of her home, waving an energetic goodbye.

He smiled back at her as he continued on his way. "It was my pleasure."

Kaoru giggled and closed the door. "He's so charming…"

"Who's charming?" asked a voice from the kitchen.

"Papa? You shouldn't be out of bed!!!" Kaoru scolded, ushering the older man back into his bedroom.

"Sorry Kaoru, I just wanted to get the paper. Didn't mean to alarm you." He said, smiling at the antics of his only daughter.

She fluffed his pillow and gently helped him lay down.

"I wish you were well, papa." She said, her eyes downcast.

He took her chin in his hand and lifted it, so that their eyes met.

"Kaoru my dear, I believe my time on this Earth is not for much longer. You must carry on in life. If I am to pass on-"

"Papa I wish you wouldn't say such morbid things!" Kaoru protested, tears coming to her eyes.

"Oh Kao-chan… What I would not give to be healthy again. But there are things that you must know; we need to talk seriously for a while."

Kaoru sighed and nodded.

"Okay Papa. Let's talk."

"Kaoru, you know we've never had much money at all, and we've lived a rather meager life thus far." He paused, waiting for acknowledgement.

Kaoru nodded.

"You know that your mother died from an illness that the doctors could not find until it was too late, and you know we had no money for medicine or operations."

Kaoru shifted feet uncomfortably, sitting on the bed beside her father.

"But what you don't know, is that you have a rich uncle. You've never seen him or heard of him. He's rather unattached to the family, and has been ever since him and my father had a disagreement. But… when you were born, he agreed that if something should happen to both your mother and I, he would take full responsibility for you."

"Papa!" Kaoru cried.

"Kaoru, please! I've notified him of my receding health, and he is aware that the time may soon come when he is to claim responsibility of you. It's been awhile since I've really communicated with him, so I no longer know him personally. But he was always very responsible from childhood, and I'm sure he'll take good care of you. So if I should pass away, my lawyers will contact him."

They sat in silence for a moment.

Kaoru bit her lip. "I understand Papa." She said, tears filling her crystalline eyes.

"Please don't cry Kaoru, it will be alright. I shall be reunited with your mother, and we will look down upon you from heaven." He said this with a bittersweet expression, and kissed her forehead. "Be strong my Kao-chan. And always remember that I love you, and I have faith in you. No matter how hard life gets, never give up! Never surrender. Your mother never did, and I have since then tried to follow her example." Here he paused while he gazed at her face. "You look so much like her Kao-chan. In every way, you are like her."

Kaoru hugged him gently. "I love you Papa, and I will listen to your advice. Thank you." She said, smiling sorrowfully.

He nodded and laid his head back on the pillow, fluffed ever so lovingly by his cherished daughter. "I am afraid I'm rather worn out. Good night, my dear Kao-chan." And with that, he was asleep.

She smiled and kissed his forehead. "Good night Papa, and I hope you feel better in the morning." She whispered quietly.

She closed the door behind her as she made her way to her room. Everything they had discussed was filling her mind, and all of her thoughts were jumbled as if a tornado had gotten hold of them.

'You have a rich uncle.'

She wondered about this uncle. What made him despise the family so? Obviously he didn't hold anything against her father if he agreed to take care of her.

She entered the comfortable confines of her own room and immediately went to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a small, black, leather bound book. She leafed through it's pages, stopping at one containing her mother's picture. "I miss you so much Mother…" She said, almost inaudibly. "What's going to happen to me if father does die? No… That will not happen." She decided. Her father would remain alive. He just had to.

Okay, so in this chapter we found out a little of her past, not much, but a little. How was it? I'm trying to improve my writing. Does it seem better than the last chapter? Oh, I dunno… Anyway… I'll start on the next chapter now.

Seien