Disclaimer: don't own anything but the plot so don't sue, for the love of god shrivels

"KAO-CHAN!" Kaoru heard a voice yell at the top of the person's lungs and turned. It was amazing how her Sou-chan could be waving manically, running through the halls, dodging numerous children, yelling, and still be smiling wider than anyone Kaoru had ever met. Odd.

Kaoru slowed down and permitted Seta Soujirou to catch up with her more easily.

"How was Physics?" Kaoru asked as they started walking again.

"Terrible!" Seta laughed with Kaoru.

"Oh well, you get used to it. Next class?" Kaoru replied. Seta fished around in his pockets for a piece of paper and pulled out his schedule. He squinted and brought the paper so close to his face that his nose was almost touching it.

"Um..Sou-chan?" Kaoru asked tentatively. Seta looked up immediately.

"Yes?" He asked sweetly.

"Why are you putting your face so close to the paper? Do you have bad eyes? Why don't you have glasses?"

"Ah..It's nothing. Please don't worry about it." Seta smiled at her and Kaoru smiled uncertainly back. She wasn't sure what that meant…could he not afford them? Kaoru shrugged and shooed her long hair out of her face. If he had wanted to tell her, he would've.

"Well…it seems I have English."

"Ah! Yay!" Kaoru linked arms with Soujirou and together they walked into the classroom. A pair of violet orbs glinted at them all the way.

"Ken…Shin?" Kenshin turned and looked at the girl who had her hand on his shoulder and was now looking at him with a pout. "Why were you staring at her? Didn't you dump her already?"

"It's nothing," Kenshin said. "Do not concern yourself with my matters."

The girl pouted and whined a bit longer but eventually gave up and walked away.

"Sou…chan? What an odd name." Kenshin thought. Maybe there was something between the two of them. Kaoru could get quite jealous and fiery. Maybe this was an elaborate ploy.

But that didn't make sense! They were still together. They were still in love…were they not? Kenshin wasn't sure anymore but he was not about to let a creep break the two of them up. His smile was probably hiding something.

And how right Kenshin was...But also how wrong.

Finally, Kaoru and Seta got seats next to each other.

"It's amazing that I have two classes with you already! I don't think I have any of my other friends in any other classes!" Kaoru told him excitedly.

"Well…now you have one." He replied with a smile. But then again, he was always smiling but not this warmly. Kaoru giggled happily but was then interrupted by the teacher who strode into the classroom and quickly proceeded to attempt to teach her unwilling students lessons about great literature.

Kaoru poked Seta quite a few times in attempt to start a whisper conversation, however Seta seemed content in learning about great writers of the past. His eyes roved all over the blackboard and he seemed to almost be drinking in everything the teacher was saying. Eventually Kaoru gave up and spent the rest of class learning about great writers of whom she had already learned about.

(A/N: I want to end it here but I'll be nice P)

After class, Kaoru herded Seta into the lunchroom and introduced him to her friends.

"Misao..You might've already met her, I'm not sure." Seta shook his head and waved cheerfully, with the smile plastered on her face. Misao responded with an equally energetic and welcoming greeting by hugging him til he turned blue and then slapping him on the back as a way of welcome. Her smile was plastered on too.

"Sagara Sanosuke, he's nice once you get to know him." Sano grinned cheesily and held up two fingers as a way of greeting. "Peace," was all he said to Seta Soujirou. Soujirou nodded at him.

"Aoshi is right…" Kaoru pointed at an empty space and frowned. "Well, he usually sits right there." She looked around. "He's probably off somewhere…I'll tell you about it later," she added in an undertone. Misao suddenly collapsed into tears and promptly flew to the nearest girl's bathroom.

"Oh dear," Kaoru said sadly. "I think that I'd better go calm her down. Sit down and get acquainted with…er..Sano here." She sped away quickly, leaving Sou-chan on his own with the school's toughest bully.

"So…" Sano punched his fist into an open palm. "What are your plans with Kaoru?"

"I wish to be friends with her of course. And maybe we can be even more." By that perplexing statement, Seta Soujirou had meant that he wished to be close friends with Kaoru. However, Sanosuke could not be the brightest and the toughest boy in school. Fate had decided for him to have physical strength, instead of mental. So, of course, Sano would take Soujirou's added comment the wrong way.

"Wanna be more than friends with her, huh?" He said quietly, his dark eyes roving over Soujirou's somehow friendly yet closed off face. Soujirou nodded, still smiling.

"Oi."

"Yes?"

"Doesn't your face hurt by now?"

"Misao?" Kaoru called out for her friend once she had ducked into the ladies room. There was no answer, only a sniffle and the sound of a nose being blown.

"Misao? Which stall are you in?" Kaoru asked. In a voice thick with anguish and a stuffed up nose, Misao replied.

"I'm over here," She warbled. "Over here" apparently meant the very last stall. Kaoru went over and knocked softly on the door.

"Can I come in?"

"No," Misao gulped for air and blew her nose once more. "If I see anyone I think I'm going to cry even more."

"This breakup with Aoshi is really hard, huh?" Kaoru murmured so that Misao could hear.

"Hard? No! It's..it's like a tragedy. If he had never loved me, he could've broken it off himself and maybe walked away with some decency. But..now he's like this awful, awful person." On the other side of the stall door, Misao twisted her hands and tried to keep herself from sobbing to the point where Kaoru would not be able to understand her.

"B-but it's not just that I loved him! Ever since we were children I admired him. He was so different I thought. I wanted the calmness he had around him, the way he just exuded respect. I want to be him sometimes."

"Oh Misao…" Kaoru did not know what to say. "Maybe, this isn't how it looks. Maybe there's something else going on."

"We already know that something else is going on! He's decided that he's better off with some slut."

Kaoru frowned.

"By the way, who is the person he's cheating on?" Kaoru questioned Misao. Misao shrugged but of course, Kaoru could not see.

"I don't know," She admitted thickly. "But he said it himself!"

"Hmm…" Kaoru thought furiously. Why might Aoshi claim he was cheating on Misao? It just wasn't like him to actually do that but to claim it? That was very Aoshi. "Maybe..there's a bigger reason to this. Maybe Aoshi's protecting you for something."

"I don't really want to hear about Aoshi's good points right now, Kaoru." Misao snapped then sighed deeply.

"Right. Of course." Kaoru said quickly.

"He was always so cold but so good. And now it turns out he wasn't so good. It's like…everything I ever envied died today." And it was then that Misao finally unlocked the door and stepped out.

"Oh Misao," Kaoru was unable to speak. Misao was disheveled and her hair was mussed up and her nose and eyes red from all the crying. But she was still smiling bravely and trying to keep her head up. Kaoru thought Misao looked like someone who deserved to be loved.

Kaoru engulfed her best friend in a hug and they stood there for a long time until Misao stepped back.

"Thank you," She murmured quietly. "I don't think I would've ever come out if it weren't for you."

Kaoru laughed softly. "Wash your face and come out, I might be able to eat a sandwich or two if we hurry."

"Kaoru, you're getting as bad as Sanosuke!"

"Is that even possible?"

Misao washed her face until she looked halfway decent then they walked into the hallway.

"Misao, maybe this could be the start of something better for you. And maybe Aoshi will come to his senses." Kaoru told her. Misao stopped. Kaoru did as well, looking at her in a puzzled way.

"Misao?" Kaoru asked uncertainly. Misao looked Kaoru in the eye.

"Kaoru?"

"Yes?"

"You deserve a beginning too."

Kaoru hugged her friend again.

"I already have had one."

"Another one. With someone better than Kenshin."

"I.." Kaoru's voice faltered. She smiled. "I really don't know."

"I do though."