A/N
Well . . . chapter five! Actually, I had included all this in chapter four, but it turned out being TOO long, so I decided to make it chapter five (not that this isn't too long either!) Hope you like it!
Oh, and about the issue of Aoshi's school, I'd just like to tell you that he won't be staying in the same school as Misao and the others for long . . . so don't worry about things being too 'easy' for them (Aoshi/Misao)
The next update might get delayed coz school started and we've been given these computer projects to do, plus math assignments . . . and chemistry, and physics and French and history AND I'm moving house tomorrow so stuff will be a little hectic. I'll most probably update again in about three weeks . . . so please, please, please bear with me! Please! ^_^
Thank you!
Chapter Five: Athletics Team
Recap from previous chapter:
"Gomen, minna," said Kenshin's soft voice from behind them. "I had to help someone around the school . . ." Kaoru turned around at once. Standing behind Kenshin was a tall figure -
~~~~
" - Aoshi san!" she exclaimed, having forgotten to tell her friends that he was joining school that day. "Ah . . . gomen . . . I was supposed to tell Kenshin about you - "
" . . . Iie . . ." said Aoshi, quietly. "It's okay . . ." Kenshin smiled his usual smile at Kaoru, even though he wanted to know how she knew him already. He decided that they were most probably relatives - cousins . . . after all, they did look somewhat alike.
"Well, you already seem to know each other," he said. "Let's introduce the others th - Sano?" Sano had fallen face down on the table and was content with snoring softly. Megumi tore her eyes away from the person behind Kenshin.
"They're all the same," she said, nodding at Misao and Yahiko. "It's that stupid wolf's backside!" Aoshi raised an eyebrow. Right . . .
"Oro?" asked Kenshin, sweat-dropping.
"She means Saito san," explained Kaoru, smiling warmly at Kenshin. If Aoshi wasn't . . . well, if he wasn't Aoshi, he'd have dropped the tray he was holding. Saito? Wolf's backside? He was willing to bet that it was his cousin they were referring to - his aunt had said something about transferring Saito's schools . . .
"Do you know Saito, Aoshi san?" asked Kenshin, noticing his amused silence.
" . . . Yes." Boy did he know Saito Hajime. Kenshin and Kaoru exchanged quick glances. Was there anything that he said in full sentences?
Soujirou glanced at the newcomer, smiling - as usual. There was a secretive air around him . . . something that told him that he didn't like being around others very much . . .
"Well . . . let's introduce our friends," said Kenshin, smiling at Aoshi. "That's Seta Soujirou . . . and that's Takani Megumi . . ." Soujirou smiled innocently at Aoshi, whilst Megumi smiled one of her 'captive' smiles. Kaoru rolled her eyes as she saw the look Megumi was giving Aoshi. Poor guy . . . she had to warn him about her when they got home . . .
Then again, if Megumi fell in love with Aoshi san . . . she'd leave Kenshin alone . . . hmm . . . should she leave Aoshi san to his torture then?
Aoshi nodded curtly at them, a warning bell ringing in his mind as he saw the 'look' Takani san was giving him.
"That's Sagara Sanosuke - "
"WHAT??!" yelled Sano, glaring around the table.
"Sano?" asked Kenshin, surprised. It turned out that Megumi had nudged him hard.
"Oh . . . nothing . . . kitsune over here . . . ouch." Another whack on the head shut him up. "Women . . . "
" - That's Yahiko Myoujin," said Kenshin sweat-dropping. Yahiko had enough grace to nod at Aoshi, even though his eyes were half closed.
"Nice to - me - meet y - you . . ." he yawned. Aoshi merely nodded again.
"And that's Makimachi Misao," said Kenshin, at last, smiling in the sleeping Misao's direction. There was something familiar about the girl's name . . . he couldn't quite place it. Oh well, it didn't matter. "Minna, this is Shinomori Aoshi." There was a chorus of 'nice to meet you', to which Aoshi just nodded.
"Doesn't he do anything else apart from NOD?" wondered Kaoru, frowning slightly.
"Sit down, Aoshi san," said Kenshin, taking his seat opposite Kaoru. Aoshi looked over the table. The two benches on either side were full; except for a small space on the other side of - er - Makimachi Misao.
"Oh, hang on," said Kaoru, realizing what had to be done. "Move up! You great big oaf . . . get up and move up!" She pulled Misao towards her, giving Aoshi enough space to sit down.
" . . . Thanks . . ." Again, there was no sincerity in his voice. Kaoru mentally shook her head. What was it with this guy?
"Hnn . . . leave me . . . alone . . ." mumbled Misao, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"A bit difficult when you were taking all the bench space," said Kaoru.
"So? No one else's gonna come and sit down, are they?" asked Misao, staring in disgust at her sandwiches. She didn't have an appetite.
"Misao - that's Shinomori Aoshi," said Kaoru, nudging Misao and nodding to Misao's other side. Misao tried to clear her brain of its drowsiness.
Now why does that name sound familiar . . .?
"Ouch!" Kaoru had nudged Misao particularly hard in the ribs. "What?"
"Say 'hi'!" said Kaoru. Misao turned to Aoshi, clumsily.
"Hi - " her voice trailed off. She stared at him rather stupidly.
Oh . . . my . . . god . . .
He was in the act of removing the plastic covering over his tray of food when he turned to face her. His eyes glinted in recognition. She had come over during the weekend to get a textbook or something . . .
Kaoru watched in silence as they stared at each other, unaware of the fact that Kenshin was also doing the same.
A blush formed unconsciously on Misao's cheeks as Aoshi turned to look at her. Ice blue eyes caught deep blue and held them for a fraction of a second . . .
"Y - you!" was all Misao was able to say. Kaoru looked questioningly at her.
"Misao? Are you okay?" she asked, wondering what was going on with her.
"Have you two met before?" asked Kenshin, looking curiously at them. Aoshi turned his head slightly to look at Kenshin.
" . . . She came over to get a textbook . . ." Glancing again at Misao, he turned back to his tray. Misao, however, didn't turn away. She didn't know how long she had stayed like that . . . until Yahiko's deliberate 'cough' bought her back to her senses.
"Er - hi . . ." she said, quickly looking at her sandwiches. Kenshin stared at her, somewhat puzzled. Why did she go to Aoshi's house to get a textbook? Was there something going on between them that he didn't know about?
Kaoru, looking from Aoshi to Misao was putting two and two together. Misao had met Aoshi before . . . when she went to get her history textbook from her room. Aoshi must have been at her house then . . .
Then why didn't she tell me about it? Unless . . .
"Ano . . . Misao chan, why didn't you tell me you had met Aoshi san before?" she asked, looking hard at her. Misao swore to herself. "Misao?"
"I - er . . . I forgot . . ." she said. "I thought he was just a friend or something of your dad's . . ."
Aoshi shook his head. Him, a friend of Mr. Kamiya? That would be the day.
"But you didn't say anything when I told you that we were having a guest at home," said Kaoru. Misao turned red. How was she supposed to answer that?
"Uhh . . . lack of memory . . ." she mumbled.
"What's going on here? Who's the guest at your place and what does he have to do with - with him and with Misao?" asked Sano, wide-awake.
"He's staying at my place," said Kaoru. Silence fell over the people sitting at the table. Everyone was looking at Aoshi and Kaoru.
" . . . Oro?" asked Kenshin, cluelessly.
"Daijobu, Ken san . . . Kaoru's just got a new boyfriend, that's all . . ." said Megumi, smiling at Kenshin. Kaoru's eyes popped out of her head, where as Aoshi choked on his water. Misao, in the process of munching a bite of her sandwich, swallowed it the wrong way and started coughing.
"G - ack! I - " she coughed, clutching her throat.
"Misao!" wailed Kaoru.
"Kuso . . . I just finished my water, idiot," said Sano, worried as her face turned pale blue. A bottle of water was shoved in front of Misao's face. Without hesitating to see who it was from, she grabbed it and started drinking . . . and drinking . . . and drinking . . . She stopped when she had finished all the water.
"Than - " She groaned inwardly. Aoshi was staring at her, his eyes moving from the empty bottle in her hands to her face. "Go - men . . . I didn't mean to finish it . . ."
" . . . Iie . . ." he said, shaking his head. He was definitely not going to sit with them for another meal. Never. Not as long he wanted his calm and peaceful life to continue.
"Megumi, you'd want to watch what you're saying," said Kaoru, glaring at Megumi. "I'm not the one that was drooling over Aoshi san just now." Megumi turned red as Soujirou, Yahiko, Sano and even Misao laughed.
"Good one Kaoru!" said Sano, grinning at her. He, unfortunately, got whacked again on the head.
Five minutes of raucous, uncivilized behaviour, and Aoshi had had enough. His head was pounding in pain and was screaming 'GET OUT OF HERE!' He stood up abruptly.
"Ara - Aoshi san - " started Kenshin.
"I need to get some books . . ." said Aoshi, nodding at him and walking away rather hurriedly with his tray. Kaoru stared after him in exasperation.
"What is wrong with him?" she muttered.
"Yeah . . ." said Misao. Kaoru turned on Misao.
"Misao . . . why didn't you tell me that you met Aoshi?" she asked. Misao pushed her sandwiches away from her.
"I just bumped into him when I was getting my textbook from your place, okay? I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but what with working at the Aoiya, I forgot." That part was true - she had forgotten about him . . . until Kaoru had reminded her of him.
"Then why didn't you say anything when I told you about him?" asked Kaoru. To that, Misao had no answer.
"I - er . . . well - you were - erm - "
"Hang on . . . you did say something . . ." said Kaoru, suddenly. "You said something, and when I asked you what you said you said 'nothing'! You DID say something! Now, what did you say?" Misao cursed Kaoru's uncanny memory.
Six pairs of eyes were on her, making her feel rather uncomfortable. Think Misao. Think!
"I didn't say anything," she said. "Nothing at all."
"Then why didn't you tell me about him?" Misao frowned.
"I thought he was a stupid burglar or something when I bumped into him at your place, okay? You don't generally introduce yourself and exchange greetings with people who you think are burglars, do you?!" she asked, her head aching. She immediately wished she had never said that.
Kaoru, it turned out, was MUCH clever than she looked.
"Good-looking . . . burglar . . . Kachan . . . AHA!!" she yelled, looking triumphantly at Misao. Misao's head drooped.
"Will someone please explain what's going on here?!" asked Sano and Yahiko, impatiently.
"And how come Aoshi is staying at your place?" asked Megumi, somewhat harshly.
"Oro?" Kaoru sighed.
"Ok . . . Aoshi san is the son of Kachan's best friend, and he'll be staying with us for sometime - at my place," she said. "And Misao chan over here apparently met him but never told me about it!"
"Why does she have to tell you about it?" asked Yahiko. "I mean . . . is there a law or something that says so?" Kaoru glared at him.
"No, but there is a law - amongst friends - that says 'your best friend should know when you've fallen in love with someone!'" Misao glared at Kaoru. She wasn't in love with him! Everyone turned to stare at Misao, amazed.
"Oro . . ."
"You - you're in LOVE WITH SHINOMORI??!!!" yelled Sano, his eyes as wide as saucers. Misao turned bright red as all conversation in the cafeteria stopped.
"NO I AM NOT!!! SHUT UP, BAKA ROOSTER HEAD!" she yelled, hating everyone seated around her.
"DON'T CALL ME ROOSTER HEAD, WEASEL!"
"THEN DON'T CALL ME WEASEL AND SPREAD FALSE RUMOURS, ROOSTER HEAD!"
"Misao - Sano - " started Kenshin, only to be interrupted by the bell.
"Che . . . that sure was an eventful break," muttered Yahiko, getting up to join the queue of students that was going out of the cafeteria.
Meanwhile:
Aoshi sat down on the steps that led to the small cabin like thing in which the school kept their sports equipment. He breathed in relief. Peace and quiet . . . at last . . . He left his tray where it was, not really feeling like eating. He knew one thing for sure though - he was never going to eat with Himura san and his friends. Leaning back so that he could see the sky, he sighed. It was a perfect day - in terms of weather . . .
Then why did he feel so unsettled? Ah, yes . . . the task of finding out if the 'wolf's backside' Takani san had been talking about was Saito Hajime. Then again . . . the two words 'wolf's backside' were enough to prove to him that the 'Saito' was indeed his cousin.
"What are you doing here?" asked an annoyed voice, snapping him out of his thoughts. Snapping his head back down, he saw someone standing in front of him. Raising his eyes, he caught sight of gold eyes and sleek black hair.
" . . . Saito Hajime . . ." he said, coldly.
"Glad to see you managed to remember my name," said Saito, sarcastically. "What are you doing here?" Aoshi didn't answer for a while.
" . . . Attending school . . ."
"Ever the smart-ass, aren't we?" asked Saito. "The last time I checked, you were in Eigamura."
"The last time you checked, Otosan was alive," said Aoshi, meeting Saito's challenging gaze with his own emotionless one. Something flickered in Saito's eyes. He sighed heavily.
" . . . It's not my fault you're too dumb to understand what I meant," he said. Aoshi raised his eyebrows. That was Saito's definition of an 'apology.' Wouldn't it have been easier to just say 'sorry'?
" . . . . . ."
"Who're you staying with? I must admit, I was surprised when Otosan and Okasan turned up without you," said Saito, folding his arms across his chest.
" . . . Do you really care?" asked Aoshi, closing his half-opened tray.
" . . . Not really, but when Mr. Colder-than-ice happens to be my only cousin, I don't really have a choice . . . do I?" asked Saito, rummaging through his trouser pockets. To that, Aoshi had no answer. He watched as Saito pulled something out of his pocket, and frowned as he saw what it was.
" . . . I don't think you should be having that . . ." he said, coldly, staring at the cigarette in his cousin's hand. Saito smirked at him.
"And I'd like to see you stop me, ahou," he said.
" . . . Fine." In one swift move, Aoshi raised his hand and pulled the cigarette away from Saito's hand. Clasping it in his hand, he set it down next to his foot and stomped on it with his shoe. A vein popped out on Saito's head.
"Heh . . . not bad, Shinomori. Reflexes have improved . . ." he said, pulling out another cigarette from his pocket. "But I've got more of them." Aoshi didn't know if he meant the cigarettes or the reflexes. Probably both . . .
" . . . . . ." A short silence fell over the two relatives, until the ringing of the bell broke it. Aoshi stood up, taking his tray with him. He had to return it to the cafeteria. He was about to walk past Saito when he stopped him.
"Athletics practice is from 1:40 to 5:00," he said, casually. Aoshi stopped. Athletics . . . yes . . . he had almost forgotten his strange love for the sport.
" . . . Why are you telling me this?"
"Just to see if I can waste my breath," said Saito, sarcastically.
" . . . Allow me to tell you that you can . . ." said Aoshi, continuing to walk away. He was almost out of earshot when Saito spoke again.
"Just so you should know . . . I'm the Captain." Again, if Aoshi wasn't Aoshi, he'd have dropped the tray. Saito? Saito Hajime . . . captain? What was the world coming to? Didn't the school have any other people to choose - better people? Shrugging, he continued walking.
After school:
"Well . . . here we go again . . . another glorious practice, with a fabulous captain," said Yahiko, as he and Soujirou walked out of the changing rooms.
"I do think you should lower your voice, Yahiko, you never know who might hear you," warned Soujirou, looking a little serious.
"Yeah - little Misao Monster might hear ya," said Misao, walking out of the girl's changing room. Yahiko shook his head.
"Oohh . . . she heard me . . . what should I do?" he asked, pretending to shiver.
"Oh shut up," said Misao, slapping him on the back playfully.
"Shall we get going? We're kinda late . . ." said Soujirou. That caught their attention. They ran out of the changing room area and towards the racecourse. Sano, Kenshin and the others were already there. So was Saito. Kaoru and Megumi had gone home. Seijiro sensei was no where to be seen. Everyone else had already been put into groups of four to practice.
Saito turned around as he heard people running towards the course. His eyes narrowed as he saw who they were. The weasel girl, brat and Seta kid.
"You're late," he said, his voice hard. They gulped.
"So - sorry . . . we didn't realize . . ." started Misao.
"It's quite obvious that you didn't, weasel girl," snapped Saito. Misao clenched her hands into fists, trying to control her temper. "Since you think you're so good that you can get late for practice, you three will be doing hurdles today." Yahiko grimaced.
"But Saito how can we - "
"What did you call me?' asked Saito, looking dangerously at Yahiko.
"Er - Saito SAN," said Yahiko, sarcastically. "How can we do hurdles here? The space is too small!"
"Yeah - there won't be enough space in between the hurdles," said Misao, agreeing with him.
"Are you saying that I don't know what I'm doing? Perhaps a few hours of jumping hurdles placed so close together will teach you NOT to get late in the future," said Saito. "And take this timer with you." He threw a timer to Soujirou, who was the only one that was still smiling.
"Hai, Saito san," he said, dragging a fuming Yahiko and an equally fuming Misao over to the space reserved on the course for hurdles.
~
"Oooh . . . that HORRIBLE SLIMY GIT!!" cursed Misao, watching as Soujirou moved a few hurdles that were out of line. "I'd give anything - ANYTHING - to give him a good kick up his - "
"You wouldn't be the only one," mumbled Yahiko, his hands shaking. "Do you know what he plans on doing? Three hours and twenty minutes of jumping hurdles - that'll kill us . . . all of us!"
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, is there?" asked Soujirou, finishing his task and turning to face them with a smile on his face. "Who wants to go first?" As he expected, no one volunteered. Yahiko and Misao were too busy wishing Saito would drop dead. "Okay . . . I'll go first then," he said, smiling. He took his place at the start of the course and took a deep breath.
Usually, the people he was training with would start a countdown, but they were too preoccupied with murderous thoughts to do that today and with fumbling with the stopwatch.
"Okay, Soujirou. One . . . two . . . three!" he said to himself, running towards the first hurdle. Misao pressed the 'start' button on the stopwatch. At first, Soujirou's speed was slow . . . until he gradually picked up speed, ending up in a blur of blue as he reached the first hurdle and jumped over it. Yahiko and Misao were right, he realized, as the second hurdle came within jumping distance all too soon. There was not enough space in between the hurdles - especially for long distance runners like the three of them.
*
"Oh man . . . those three are so going to be dead when they finish," said Sano, turning his attention away from Kenshin, who he was supposed to be timing.
"Hurdles . . . doesn't he know that'll kill them?" asked Kenshin, walking up to him, a frown on his usual pleasant face.
"You want to know what I think? I think he knows it'll kill them and that's why he's doing it," said Sano. His eyes widened as he realized whom he was talking to. "ARGH! KENSHIN! Why didn't you tell me when you finished?!"
"Oro? You saw me finish . . ." said Kenshin. "Please tell me you stopped the timer . . ." Sano's horrified face was his answer. He sat on the ground, shaking his head.
"Kenshin, I'm so sorry! I was checking to see if those three were doing okay and I sort of forgot about timing you - do you - I'm so sorry - " started Sano.
"Iie . . . it's okay," said Kenshin, cutting him off. "I'll just write my old timing for the race."
"But you've improved! It's gotta be better than that!" exclaimed Sano.
"Iie . . . I don't think so," said Kenshin, smiling at his friend. "Kyoko san, you and Shihiro san go ahead." Kamei Kyoko and Arizuka Shihiro took their places on the track, Kyoko holding the other timer whilst Shihiro prepared himself.
"Gomen . . ." said Sano, feeling really wretched. Kenshin shook his head.
"Iie. I'm going to talk to Saito for a second. Cover those two," he said, walking away from his group.
"Sure thing, but he's not gonna listen to you," called Sano, as he walked further away.
"Oh yes he will . . ." said Kenshin, deciding that Saito had gone far enough.
*
Saito watched Soujirou go over the hurdles, no insult popping into his head. Seijiro sensei was right . . . he was a fast runner. Hearing footsteps from behind him, he spun around. Standing behind him, dressed in black shorts that came up to the middle of his knee, and a sleeveless white t-shirt, was his cousin. He smirked.
"You finally decided to show up . . ." he said, smirking. "Even though you're - what - 15 minutes late." Aoshi didn't say anything. He was too busy looking around the course and seeing what everyone was doing.
" . . . Groups of four . . ." he muttered to himself. His eyes fell on the two people next to the hurdles. His eyes narrowed. " . . . That's dangerous . . ."
" . . . Excuse me?" asked Saito. Aoshi nodded at the hurdles, where he could make out a blue blur near the last few hurdles.
" . . . There's not enough space to maneuver between the hurdles . . ." Saito's smirk widened.
"I know . . . it's their punishment - for getting late," he said. Aoshi shook his head, once again wondering whether the selectors had been that desperate to choose his cousin as the captain.
"Saito." They both turned around.
"Himura," said Saito. "What do you want?" Kenshin glared at him.
"Aoshi san . . . you've come to join the team?" he asked, smiling at Aoshi.
" . . . Just to see . . ." said Aoshi, noticing the tension between Saito and Kenshin.
"You know him?" asked Saito, looking at Aoshi. He nodded.
" . . . My class mate . . ."
"Poor you," said Saito, smirking.
"Saito, you know as well as I do that those hurdles aren't fit for long distance runners like Misao, Soujirou and Yahiko," said Kenshin, a hard edge in his voice.
"They'll have to learn to cope. In the middle of the Inter-School tournament, they can't exactly say 'these hurdles aren't fit for long distance runners like us,' can they?" asked Saito. Kenshin narrowed his eyes.
"They were only five minutes late for practice, Saito," he said.
"Seven minutes," corrected Saito, knowing it would incense the red haired vice-captain.
"We all want to win this tournament, Saito, but we're not going anywhere if we try to kill off some of our best runners," said Kenshin, ignoring Saito's obvious taunt.
"As far as I'm concerned, our only good runners consist of you, me and Seta Soujirou," said Saito. "The others don't matter."
"They do matter! It's their contributions that will up the score for us every now and then!" said Kenshin. "And you have much better runners than myself and yourself - Sano, Yahiko . . . even Misao."
"Whatever," shrugged Saito. "Is that all you came to say? In that case, I suggest you go back to your group before that chicken brain kills himself of curiosity." Aoshi raised an eyebrow. What was it with these people and names? Wolf's backside . . . chicken brain . . . what ever would they be calling each other next?
"Listen to me Saito!" said Kenshin, his eyes becoming slits in his face. One look at his face told Aoshi that if they had been in the Tokugawa Era - where swords were the preferred weapons - Saito would be dead. (^_^)
Leaving them to argue, he wondered around the racecourse, ignoring the stares he was getting from the females. His eyes wondered again to the people standing next to the hurdles. A figure dressed in baggy blue shorts and a light blue t-shirt was panting, surrounded by two others - all of whom he recognized as being Himura san's friends. He didn't know what made him do it, but he walked up to them.
*
"Finally . . ." said Soujirou, panting. Misao handed him a towel that he took gratefully and started wiping his face and neck.
"Three minutes and 07 seconds!" said Misao. "That means you can manage three minutes!"
"You did well," said Yahiko. "I'm not sure if I can do so well . . ."
"You can," said Misao. "Trust me." Yahiko shook his head.
"Baka, you don't understand. The two of us are practically asleep on our feet . . . Sou wasn't - and anyway, he's brilliant in hurdles and races," he said. "We're half asleep Misao . . . what chances do you think we have of completing this without endangering ourselves?"
"I don't know," said Misao. "But I'm not going to give that - that nightmare another chance to punish us."
"Daijobu, Misao chan, Yahiko chan," said Soujirou, smiling as usual.
"Say that again and you'll get it from me," muttered Yahiko, half-heartedly.
"As I was saying, there's nothing to worry about - really. You two will do fine," said Soujirou. "Although the hurdles are dangerously close to each other, it just depends on timing. QUICK timing."
Yahiko and Misao didn't say anything for a little while. They glanced rather uncertainly at each other.
"I'll go," said Yahiko, setting his jaw. Misao nodded.
"Okay," she said, not wanting to admit that she was scared of jumping the hurdles at such a close range. They watched as Yahiko walked towards the starting line. Misao cleared Soujirou's timing off the stopwatch, after telling Soujirou to remember his time when they had to write it in the record book.
"One, two . . . three!" counted Soujirou. Yahiko started running towards the hurdles as Misao started the stopwatch. His pace was medium - not too fast or too slow. When he approached the first hurdle, however, his pace slowed down a little.
"DON'T STOP NOW, YAHIKO!" yelled Misao, knowing that he was wondering if he could complete his task. He picked up his speed and jumped over the first hurdle. He wasn't prepared for the next hurdle being so close to the first. It seemed to him that the moment his feet touched the ground, he had to raise them again for the next hurdle. That wasn't supposed to happen in hurdles - at all.
~
Aoshi walked up behind the two figures, as the boy whom he vaguely remembered as Myoujin san started running towards the hurdles. He saw him slow down as he approached the first hurdle, and knew that he was somewhat hesitant about jumping. He heard the girl shout at him not to stop. She was right. If he stopped now - changed his pace even a little - he would risk a dangerous fall on top of the hurdle whilst he was in mid-jump. And that was something that would be very painful for him . . .
He watched in dry amusement as Myoujin san did some hilarious moves as he tried to jump - somewhat unsuccessfully over the second hurdle. He had been right. The gaps in between the hurdles were too small. It was dangerous for anyone to be jumping them. There wasn't enough space to space out the hurdles a little more, because if they moved the hurdles, one of the 100-meter tracks would be blocked. If they moved them the other way, the other 100-meter track would be blocked. They couldn't move the hurdles without blocking one of the four tracks, which were all being used.
Myoujin san may have taken a long time to jump the 23 hurdles, but he completed them nonetheless, which was pretty impressive.
~
"Seven minutes and 33 seconds, Yahiko!" called Misao, as he jogged slowly up to them.
"Told you I couldn't do it," he said, grinning at her.
"That was good - trust me," she said, hoping to encourage him.
"Sou did it in - what? 3 minutes?" he asked, looking downcast.
"And 07 seconds," chirped Soujirou, trying in vain to put himself down.
"That's almost three minutes," said Yahiko. "But I guess that was expected - Sou's much better than the rest of us." Misao nodded in agreement as Soujirou scratched his head, looking at his feet.
Aoshi was very impressed. Three minutes and seven seconds? That had to be some record for hurdles being placed so close. If the rest of the school's athletics team were anything like Seta san, the inter-school athletics cup would be theirs in a flash.
"Well . . . Misao chan, you better go," said Soujirou, taking the stopwatch gently from her hands. Misao's face had gone white.
"Don't worry. If I could do it, you sure as hell can," said Yahiko, hoping to reassure her. She smiled weakly at him.
"I hop - "
"I don't remember asking you to chit chat," said a hard voice from behind Aoshi. Surprise, surprise, it was none other than Saito Hajime. Looking at the frown on his face, Aoshi knew immediately that Saito was looking for a way to let some steam off . . . and he was sorry to say that he had chosen Myoujin san, Seta san and Makimachi san to do so.
"Sai - Saito san," said Yahiko, cursing their captains' bad timing.
"No, Santa Claus," said Saito. "Timings?"
"Seven minutes and 33 seconds," said Yahiko, sighing inwardly.
"Tut, tut. That won't do at all, brat," said Saito, looking down at Yahiko. He bristled. Aoshi mentally shook his head. The kid had done his best. "And you?"
"Ano . . . three minutes and 07 seconds," said Soujirou, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. How he wished that his timing had been worse than Yahiko's so that he'd get the same treatment Yahiko was getting.
"That's . . . not bad," said Saito, his mind not allowing him to say anything else. He quickly turned to Misao. "Weasel?" Aoshi shook his head visibly. That made it three - wolf's backside, chicken brain . . . and now weasel. Was this some sort of a zoo or something?
"I didn't go yet," said Misao, clenching her fists.
"What are you waiting for then, Weasel? Stop chatting around and go," said Saito, smirking as he saw her clenched fists.
" - Hai," said Misao. Soujirou and Yahiko both gave her encouraging smiles. Aoshi noticed that she barely looked at him. She walked rather hurriedly toward the starting point.
Yahiko and Soujirou slowly glanced at each other, eyebrows furrowed. Misao was unsure of the hurdles already, and Saito's presence just made things worse for her. Noticing their glances, Aoshi waited patiently. He had some foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach . . . a feeling that told him something wasn't right . . .
~
Okay . . . calm down Misao chan. You can do this. You can do this
She stood at the starting point; her eyes fixed on the first hurdle. She was uncomfortable enough already . . . but what with Saito's presence - not to mention Shinomori Aoshi's . . . She took a deep breath. She could do this. All that she needed to do was to be fast enough, and to keep up her timing.
"Let's go closer," said Saito, walking closer towards the hurdles. Exchanging dark looks again, Yahiko and Soujirou followed him. Aoshi followed them, wondering why Saito was so intent on picking on these three people - especially the girl.
Soujirou gave her a few minutes to collect her thoughts.
"Misao chan! Are you ready?" he called to her. She nodded slowly. " . . . One . . . two . . . three . . ."
She started running. Like Soujirou, she started off fairly slowly, picking up speed earlier than Soujirou. It all depended on timing and jumping ability. She seemed to be doing okay. She passed them in a flash, gaining on the first hurdle.
"Misao chan . . . " whispered Yahiko, his fingers crossed. Saito merely smirked.
She was gaining on the first hurdle. It was getting nearer and nearer . . . She took a deep breath.
Okay Misao chan . . . this is it. JUMP!
She raised her left leg in a bent position and stretched it as far as she could over the hurdle. Raising her right leg behind her, she put more energy into the jump and landed on her left foot - over the hurdle. Her heart leaped in joy as she brought her right leg down as well. She did it!
"You did it, Misao!" yelled Yahiko, grinning. Soujirou frowned slightly. It was the second hurdle that worried him - she wouldn't be prepared for its closeness towards the first one.
Her joy was short lived as she saw the second hurdle a step in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock. It was way too close! She raised her left foot, panic starting to settle in, knowing that her timing was way off. Her knee grazed the top of the hurdle slightly, but she ignored the searing pain. She jumped the second one as well, her heart pounding in alarm.
"Something's wrong . . ." said Soujirou, frowning as he watched her knee hitting the hurdle.
" . . . It's her timing . . ." said Aoshi, quietly. "Is she a long distance runner?" Yahiko nodded.
"Yeah, we all are!" he said. "She can't do this . . ."
" . . . Not . . . if she regains her timing," said Soujirou. Saito said nothing.
Miraculously, she got over the third, fourth, fifth and sixth hurdles, her timing slowing down after each one. She knew, even though she tried to deny it, that she would completely fail after jumping another few hurdles. Her timing wasn't right, and she wasn't prepared at all. As she jumped the seventh hurdle, she felt cold air on her left foot. Looking down, she saw to her horror that her shoe was loose. Her shoelace had come out and her shoe was loose.
Aoshi frowned as he saw her glance at her foot while in mid-jump. Something was wrong. It was obvious. No one else seemed to have noticed it - except Saito, and he was looking bored.
She didn't know how she did it, but she landed on her feet over the seventh hurdle. Her mind was whirling. If she jumped again, her shoe was definitely going to come off with the impact of air against it. In half a second, she came to the eight hurdle. She was really starting to panic. Without realizing what she was doing, she raised her right leg, attempting to jump over the hurdle with her right leg first.
She knew almost immediately that that was the worst thing she could have done. She was supposed to jump with her left leg. She could only stare in horror as her left leg moved up as well, seconds too soon after her right leg. She was going to crash in to the hurdle!
Aoshi didn't realize why no one else recognized the mistake that she had just made. It was dangerous - very dangerous. Before he knew what he was doing, he was moving towards the eighth hurdle. A gasp and the sound of footsteps behind him told him that Myoujin san and Seta san had figured out that something was wrong.
Misao didn't crash into the hurdle as she thought it would - well, she did - in a different way. Her right leg banged against the hurdle as it went up, toppling it. She lost her balance as her right leg was bent at the knee. That was how she fell onto the hurdle - with her right knee bent. She thought she heard a sharp 'crack' but didn't know if it was her leg or the hurdle. She was sure of the indescribable pain that seared through her right knee.
Aoshi reached her seconds after she fell down. He grimaced as he saw the position she had fallen in. He knelt down beside her, Soujirou and Yahiko behind him. Her eyes were closed. He shook her shoulder slightly.
" . . . Makimachi san?" She stirred, opening her eyes gingerly.
"It - it hurts . . ." she moaned, closing her eyes in pain. Aoshi nodded. It had to hurt. Taking her shoulders, he gently moved her to her side so that her knee was off the hurdle. She clenched her hands in pain.
"Misao chan - are you okay?" asked Soujirou, worried. She didn't answer - she couldn't.
" . . . Myoujin san, can you help me turn her over?" asked Aoshi, without looking at him. Yahiko nodded.
"Hai." Together, they turned her gently - very gently - until she was on her back. Her hands were around her right knee, clutching it. There were many footsteps behind them.
"Misao! Weasel!" yelled Sano, his face white.
"Misao?" asked Kenshin, slipping in between Aoshi and Soujirou. He winced as he realized what had happened. Aoshi pried her hands away from her knee.
"No . . . it hurts . . . " mumbled Misao, her eyes tearing. It couldn't be helped. Soujirou held one of Misao's hands tightly.
"It'll be okay . . . don't worry . . ." he said, squeezing it. Aoshi glanced at her knee. He was no expert in medicine, but he could see that she had done something to her knee. There was a lump forming in the middle of it, and the area surrounding it was swelling and turning bright red.
"Can you stand Misao?" asked Yahiko, worried. She didn't reply.
" . . . I can't bend it . . ." she whispered.
"Aoshi san . . . maybe if you massaged it . . ." suggested Kenshin, having had enough experiences with injuries to know what to do. Aoshi sighed inwardly. He didn't really want to do this, but . . .
He gently put his hands on her knee, feeling her tense up. He moved his right hand around the large bump, stopping occasionally when he heard a gasp of pain escape her lips. His left hand was massaging the bump. That was too much for her. She usually never showed any pain, but this was not a 'usual' circumstance. She squeezed Soujirou's hand tightly.
Soujirou knew she had to be in great pain to make her show it by squeezing his hand. He didn't say anything.
"I'm gonna KILL that moron!" shouted Sano, turning away from them his eyes scanning the crowd for Saito. What he saw made his blood boil. Saito was standing where he had been standing before, a bored expression on his face. "Why that bast - " He walked up to Saito, furiously.
"It's all your fault, you idiot!" he yelled, standing in front of Saito. He raised an eyebrow.
"That the weasel messed up? I don't think so," he said.
"Why you - "
"If you don't have anything intelligent to say, chicken brain, don't say anything," said Saito. "And I don't remember telling anyone to stop their practicing."
"She's INJURED for gods sake and ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS THIS STUPID PRACTICE?!!" yelled Sano, losing it.
"I'm not deaf, chicken brain," said Saito. "And the next time you talk to me like that, I'll suspend you off the team." Sano was on the verge of snapping.
"I. Don't. Care. What. You. Do," he said. "You're just a heartless, ruthless fool." Saito said nothing, merely looking bored, while Sano tried to stop himself from murdering the guy.
~
The pain eased for a few seconds as he massaged her knee. She stopped squeezing Soujirou's hand. Even though pain was searing through her, she was able noticed the person who was massaging her knee. Her face turned red.
Kami sama . . . do you hate me so much?
She had made a fool of herself in front of hi - no, in front of everyone. She watched as his hand gently massaged the bump on her knee and bit her lip as pain seared through her again. His expression was one of concentration, as he did his best not to hurt her too much. She bit her lip as his hand went over her knee, gently. Something squirmed in her . . .
What was going on with her?
A/N
^_^ Hope the length of the chapter was worth it! I won't be updating for a while, coz school's just started and I've got these computer projects to do - which takes quite a while.
Please review and let me know if you were satisfied with this chappie!
Till next time ^_^
Siriusgirl