A/N

Chapter eleven is here! Heh … I included a part about our dear 'captain' which I hope to develop later on … and would really like your opinion on whether I should develop it or not.

I would like to say a BIG thank you to ALL of you that have reviewed this story! A 101 reviews … I didn't think I'd get this far. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Kitsune Kenshin: Heh … it started working? Thanks anyway for the review and the mail! Hmm … I wouldn't say this is longer … then again, I included a few 'serious' parts here (involving Sano, Yahiko and … you'll see) I kind of wanted to develop the characters a bit more here … hmm … I hope this is okay. Thanks once more, and I hope you like this!

Jade eyed neko: Yes, I agree … Kaoru should take up match-making … but someone else should do that first and get her and Kenshin together, don't you think? Heheh … And about Sano and Megumi – there's a bit of character development in this one! Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you like this! (oh, and remember your requests? There is Tokio in this! And – wait, I shouldn't tell you …)

Oniwabanshu: You do? Thank you! (heh, I guess my hoping did come true then!) Heh, and poor Soujirou's gone and got himself all confused! Then again, hanging out with a group of people like Misao, Yahiko, Kaoru and Sano – I guess that can do that to a person. (heh, excuse me while I avoid all the kunai, bamboo swords/reversed edged swords and punches being thrown at me!) Hmm … you have a feeling about the outcome? Is there any chance you'll tell me? Heh … we shall have to see, won't we? Thanks once again … and enjoy!

Leila Jenkens: Thanks! I hope you like this one, and I will keep on updating like this!

Kakashi fan: Thank you! I hope you like this too!

HitokikiSky: Hehehe … I know, I am raging war with myself, saying I shouldn't make them so mean, but … I had to. Oh well … thanks for the review … and enjoy this too – hopefully!

Here it is, Chapter eleven! Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Return

She laughed as her friend imitated their History teacher, and the way he had gotten angry when the projects he had asked for hadn't been given in on time. Her friend really was good at imitating people.

"Ano … Fujita san?" She looked around at once, and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Himura kun," she said. "Ohayo." He smiled back at her.

"Ohayo," he said. "Er … Fujita san, I would like to ask you something – if you are not busy or anything …" Fujita Tokio shook her head, curiously.

"Iie … I'm not busy," she said. Kenshin smiled in relief.

"The Inter-School Athletics tournament is coming up – you know that don't you?" he asked. Tokio nodded. "Well … see – we really want to win this tournament this time," continued Kenshin. "And … yeah … to do that, we need to have a really good athletics team …"

"H … Hai …" said Tokio, having a feeling she knew where this was going.

"We do have a really good athletics team," said Kenshin. "It's just … for the Girls' team, we're lacking two runners …" Tokio smiled. "And … I was wondering if you'd like to take part for the Under 19 girls' category …" finished Kenshin in a rush, bowing his head slightly. Tokio stared at him for a second. He wanted her to … join the team …

She didn't have anything against sports – no, she had been in the basketball team for the past two years, before stopping. She wouldn't mind doing a sport again … plus, the way Himura asked her … how could she refuse?

" … Just for the tournament?" she asked. Kenshin nodded.

"Hai," he said, looking somewhat anxiously at her.

"For what events?"

"Oh, the 100 meter, 2 into 100 meter and 4 into 100 meter races … and the mixed relays – and probably the hurdles …" Kenshin stopped. It was no use. How was he supposed to expect people to agree to join the team a few weeks before the tournament?

" … Okay, I'll do it," she said. Kenshin stared at her for a few minutes, before a huge smile formed on his face.

"Really?" he asked. Tokio nodded, amused at the 'glee' on his face. "Arigato, Fujita san!" said Kenshin, looking as though he could hug her. Tokio shook her head smiling.

"What time are the practices?" she asked.

"1:40 to 4:30," said Kenshin. "Although we sometimes go on for longer if we feel like it – if all of us feel like it, that is."

"Hmm … I won't be able to come today though," said Tokio.

"Oh …"

"I have a music class … can I start from tomorrow?" she asked. Kenshin nodded hurriedly.

"Of course! Thanks again Fujita san … you're a life saver," he said. Tokio smiled. "Well, I'll see you around. Thanks again!" Beaming at her, he walked away.

"Oy, oy … are you sure about that?" asked her friend, who had listened to the whole thing.

"Yeah … I mean nothing bad can possibly happen right?" asked Tokio. Yukiko stared at her for a moment.

"I heard that the captain is a pretty nasty guy …" she said. Tokio laughed.

"Any person is nasty for you, Yukiko – especially if you think they're not good-looking," she said. Yukiko shook her head.

"No, seriously, he's supposed to be really mean – getting people into trouble purposely and stuff," she said.

"Oh come on Yu, no one can be that bad," said Tokio, shaking her head. Yukiko said nothing.

Meanwhile:

Yahiko nudged Soujirou as they walked into their class, and nodded at something in the class. Soujirou smiled as he saw Kaoru seated at her desk. She was back.

"Kaoru sa – " he stopped when he saw her face. He now understood why Yahiko had nudged him. Kaoru's usually calm and somewhat serious face … was now … stretched into a wide grin. And when he meant wide, he meant wide. It resembled the 'grins' that were usually found on the faces of 'bad guys' plotting to get people into trouble.

If he hadn't known her better, he would have thought that she had been spending too much time with Saito. He shook his head. She didn't even talk to him in the first place.

He and Yahiko walked up to their desks, putting their bags down, before turning around to face Kaoru.

"Er … Kaoru?" There was no answer.

"Kaoru?" Still no answer. Yahiko grinned. He knew what to do. "KENSHIN!!!" Kaoru jumped, slightly startled, and looked up hurriedly. She was sure someone had shouted 'Kenshin.' But he wasn't there …

Hearing snorting, her eyes narrowed as she saw Yahiko shaking his head, amused. She glared at him. "Very funny Yahiko … very funny …" she grumbled.

"Why weren't you in school?" asked Yahiko.

"Oh … I – I was sick," said Kaoru, grinning again. Soujirou stared at her, slightly confused. Why was everyone he knew acting rather strange these days? No, not strange … they were acting … out of character. First it was Kenshin – he had noticed the cold aura that surrounded him when he spoke to Saito yesterday during practice. Then it was Misao – last night, when Aoshi had appeared … and now it was Kaoru, looking as though her worst enemy died, and she was glad about it.

He shook his head. Either it was them … or it was him.

"What are you grinning like that for?" asked Yahiko, directly. Soujirou nodded; he wanted to know that too. Kaoru's grin widened – if it was possible – as she set her gaze on Soujirou.

"A – Ano … Kaoru?" stammered Soujirou, slightly unnerved by her gaze.

"Heh …" laughed Kaoru, remembering what she had been asked at dinner last night. About Misao and Soujirou. By Aoshi. She sighed in contentment. She had never thought, in her wildest dreams, that Aoshi would have asked her something like that.

What had he asked her? Oh, it was quite simple. He had asked her if Misao and Soujirou were going out or something. She had choked on her food and gulped down what seemed like a gallon of water before answering him; 'No, they are not going out. They're just really good friends.' He had looked like he hadn't believed her.

And when she had asked him why he had asked her that, he had shrugged and averted his gaze … before saying that Soujirou had been at her house.

She remembered thinking that Soujirou would be the key in getting Aoshi and Misao together; by first making Aoshi jealous … and then … She closed her eyes, conjuring up an image of Misao and Aoshi holding hands in her mind. Ahh … if only that would happen soon.

"Forget it, she's lost it," said Yahiko, shaking his head. Soujirou nodded.

"I guess she has … " he said.

Kashiwazaki Residence:

Misao looked anxiously at the doctor … waiting to hear his 'report' on her leg. Dr. Kobayashi smiled as he finished looking at her ankle and caught sight of the expression on her face. He turned to her mother.

"Well … I must say I am pleased with the knee …" he said. Mrs. Makimachi nodded, seeing her daughter's eyes widen in hope. "Her knee is still fractured, and she still needs to rest …" he continued, looking at Misao in time to see her shoulders slump. "But I think it's time to get her to walk around a little …"

"YES!" exclaimed Misao. Her mother shook her head at her enthusiasm.

"BUT, young lady, when I said 'walk' I mean walk slowly, with someone else's help," said the doctor, warningly. "Your knee needs to heal, but so does your ankle. If you keep on lying in bed all day, because of your knee, your ankle won't get better," he stopped. "And once your knee gets better, your ankle will take sometime to heal."

"Eh?" asked Misao, not really understanding what he was saying. Dr. Kobayashi smiled.

"What I am trying to say, Misao, is that you need to use your ankle as well, because your ankles hold all your body weight when you walk. You can stay in bed all the time – for your knee to heal – but even when that happens, you'll have to wait for longer until your ankle gets used to carrying your body weight again," he said. "That is why it is better to move around little by little for now, and then rest as well, so that when your knee heals, you will be ready to walk without having to wait …"

"She won't stop at walking though," said Mrs. Makimachi. "She'll move straight to running, and then try walking without getting anyone's help." Misao glared at her mother.

"No Misao, if you try running, it will take longer to heal," said the doctor. "And you don't want to be stuck in bed for longer than you have to, do you?" Misao shook her head hurriedly. "Good … I'll give you some more painkillers … and don't try getting off the bed like the day before yesterday." Misao glared at her mother again. "Yes, your mother told me what you attempted," said the doctor. "And I don't want anymore of that, okay?" Misao nodded meekly.

"Hai …" she said.

"Good," said Dr. Kobayashi. "I don't think she'll need crutches yet …" he said, to her mother. "I don't want her to use them – she'll start depending on them for one thing." He smiled again. "And will probably kill people with them for another thing." Misao grinned. He knew her too well.

"Is there any other medicine that she needs to take?" asked Mrs. Makimachi. He shook his head, standing up.

"Well … I'll come by next week," he said. "I'll see you then." Smiling at Misao, he walked out of the room, with Mrs. Makimachi following him. Misao grinned. She could walk … she could finally walk around a little! She knew it would hurt like hell … but at least it was something!

And maybe next week she could go back to school. She really missed that place – although she hadn't touched the bag Soujirou had brought with him yesterday. She couldn't even remember Soujirou leaving last night … she just remembered waking up this morning, to find him gone. Her mother said that he had waited until she had fallen asleep and had then gone home.

And then … Misao shivered slightly. And then there was Aoshi … She groaned as she remembered how she had gotten all flustered when she had asked him to stay for dinner. She couldn't believe she had actually asked him that.

And of course, there was Kaoru and her stupid 'lit book.' She grinned. Kaoru would need that book for literature today … and she didn't have it with her. That was her punishment for doing something as stupid as asking Aoshi to come over and give it to her. Not that she minded Aoshi coming over, of course. And she was obviously going to kill Kaoru for doing that in the first place.

Mitsurugi High School:

When the bell signaling the morning break had rung, Aoshi had packed his things into his bag, and stood up, ready to find a more peaceful place to have his food. He had made it to the classroom door, when Kenshin had stopped him and had managed to get him to join him for break. When Kenshin had meant 'join me' Aoshi guessed he should have known that he had also meant 'and my friends.'

But no, he hadn't thought of that, and had followed Kenshin to the hall … when he realized his mistake. By then, it was too late to do anything. He was caught – nicely at that too – and found himself seated next to Kaoru, staring angrily at Sano and Yahiko who were seated opposite him, and coldly at Soujirou.

That was another reason why he was angry with himself – which he found he was doing quite often. He didn't know why but he was … acting cold towards Soujirou. After the first five minutes of the break had passed, he dismissed the idea. He was 'cold' to everyone. That was normal for him.

Until he had realized that he talked 'quite well' to Kaoru when she asked him something and equally well to Sano and Yahiko … and Kenshin (although he replied rather distantly to Megumi, not liking the looks she was sending his way) … But whenever Soujirou asked him something, he took a long time to answer him, and when he did, it was a rather abrupt and cold answer.

The inquiring glance Kaoru kept on giving him every now and then did nothing to help him. Neither did the thought that he had thought that Makimachi Misao was intriguing. He hadn't managed to get any sleep last night, wondering why he had thought she was intriguing and why he was wondering why he had thought that way.

" – my homework again!" He tuned in on the conversation going on around the table, and focused enough to see Sano staring pleadingly at Megumi.

"Aw … come on Kitsune, you know – " He stopped when he was whacked on the head yet again. " – that I really depend on your homework! Please? Pretty please????"

"No," said Megumi, stonily. "No, no, no, no, no!" Megumi, it appeared, wasn't about to give in.

"Please???? I'll do anything you ask me to! I'll clean your desk … I'll carry your bag for you … please????" And Sano, it appeared, wasn't about to give up. Kenshin shook his head as he saw people turn around to stare at their table. Yahiko, Soujirou and Kaoru were looking pretty embarrassed.

"Oy! Go somewhere else and do this you two," hissed Yahiko. "You're embarrassing us!"

"Nani?" grumbled Sano and Megumi at the same time.

"We're embarrassing you?" asked Sano, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean you're embarrassing us?" queried Megumi.

"Exactly," said Sano. "Please, Kitsune? We even agree on something! PLEASE????" Megumi sighed. When he looked at her with those 'puppy dog' eyes … and looked so innocent … how could anyone human refuse?

"Fine," she said. "But this is the last time!" Sano grinned. He had known she wouldn't refuse for long.

"Heh! As you wish!" he said, thinking it was wise to make a 'wise-ass' comment after she gave him her exercise book. Aoshi shook his head. He was asking himself – for the millionth time – why he had transferred here.

Ah yes … because his father was dead and there was no one to look after him.

"Ano …" Kaoru looked up and saw the rather tall, slender, brown haired girl stand by their table. Kenshin smiled at her.

"Fujita san – is something wrong?" he asked. Tokio shook her head, smiling.

"Iie … Nakamura sensei just wants to see Sanosuke and Yahiko," she said. The two boys looked up at once.

"W – What?" asked Yahiko.

"Why?" asked Sano. Tokio smiled wryly.

"I would have told you – but I don't know why," she said. The two friends exchanged glances. They were quite sure they hadn't –

"Saito." Tokio glanced at Yahiko, who was glowering at his sandwich.

"Hn?"

"Isn't it obvious? He has something to do with this," he said. Kenshin said nothing. He was quite sure that Yahiko was right … but didn't want to jump to conclusions. Sano shrugged, standing up.

"We might as well go and find out …" he said, turning to Yahiko. "Come on." Yahiko followed him out of the hall. Kaoru stared after them, somewhat worried. She had a bad feeling about this …

Aoshi, on the other hand, was putting two and two together. He knew that Nakamura sensei was the Head of the Sports department. He also knew that Saito had something to do with it … and his mind chose that moment to replay what Saito had asked Kenshin during practice yesterday – about where the 'chicken brain' and 'brat' were … and why they hadn't come for practice.

He had a feeling he knew what had happened and what was going to happen … but didn't say anything to anyone.

Nakamura sensei looked up as he saw the two boys approach him. His usually pleasant face was somewhat harsh. The two boys stood in front of him, bowing slightly.

"Let's get straight to business," he said, staring at them. "Do you know why I called you here?"

"No, sir …" said Yahiko. Sano shook his head as well.

"Fine, let me tell you – or rather, ask you," said Nakamura sensei. "Why weren't you at athletics practice yesterday?" Sano and Yahiko looked surprised at the question and didn't answer for a few minutes. "Well?"

"Because … we were told not to come …" said Yahiko, honestly. Nakamura sensei raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? And who told you not to come?" he asked.

" … Saito … san," said Yahiko, adding the 'san' to the captain's name out of instinct. Nakamura sensei fixed him with a piercing gaze before turning to Sano.

"And you?" he asked.

"He asked me not to come for a week either," said Sano. "So I didn't go yesterday."

"Are you trying to tell me that … a captain asks two of his good runners not to come for practice?" asked Nakamura sensei. Yahiko and Sano exchanged glances again.

"Well … he told me not to come for practice at all," said Yahiko. "But told Sano to take a week off." Nakamura sensei glared at them.

"When Saito told me about this, I didn't believe him," he said. "But now …" He took a deep breath. "I am thoroughly disappointed in you two boys … I thought you were better than this."

"W – what do you mean?" asked Sano, not liking what was going on.

"What do I mean? You don't turn up for practice, with the biggest tournament for the athletics team coming up, and blame it on an innocent captain who's trying his best to ensure that you win?!" asked Nakamura sensei.

"Innocent captain?" snorted Sano. "I think you've got the vice-captain and the captain mixed up sensei."

"No, Sagara, I haven't. And I was also told how you tried to start a fight the other day … with your captain …" Yahiko's mouth dropped open. There was only one person that could have told him that …

"Sano had every right to do that sensei," he said. "Saito said stuff about Soujirou's parents." Nakamura sensei turned to glare at him.

"You're joining this too, Myoujin?" he asked. He sighed. "I never thought that the athletics team would start giving us problems …" He shook his head. "No matter, you two have a detention this week – tomorrow, I believe … and I expect you to turn up for it."

"Detention?!" exclaimed Sano. "Whatever for?!"

"For missing practice … and for trying to start fighting," said Nakamura sensei. "I can make it two detentions each if you'd like …" Yahiko stomped on Sano's foot as he started opening his mouth – no doubt to say something. Nakamura sensei nodded approvingly at Yahiko. "It seems like you've got yourself a sensible friend, Sagara …" He glanced at his wristwatch, seeing that it was close to the end of break. "I expect you two to be at practice today … and be warned; Saito is your captain, so you have to listen to him. Now go to your classes."

Sano didn't budge. Yahiko, on the other hand, bowed slightly to Nakamura sensei before turning around and dragging Sano with him, just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the break.

Not SO far away:

"Uncle! Uncle! Over here!" cried the six year old brown haired girl, tugging at the hand of the tall man she was holding on to.

"Iie! Over here!" cried her sister, a four year old brown haired girl, tugging at the other hand of the tall man.

"Now, now girls … why don't we just calm down a little?" asked the man, refusing to budge. The two girls tugged hard at his hands, trying to pull him in two different directions. He stood where he was, well aware that people all around them were giving him strange looks. He growled inwardly. Of all the things to happen to him … it had to be … them. He glowered at the two girls who were still, innocently trying to make him move.

Of all the people to pass away … it had to be his cousin … and of all the things she could have asked him to do, it had to be to look after her children; Gensai Suzume and Ayame.

"No! It's this way, neechan!" exclaimed the four year old brown haired girl.

"No, no, no! It's this way!" exclaimed her sister. The man resisted the urge to let out a big, loud roar of exhaustion mixed together with frustration. Why was he exhausted? Traveling for a day with two children – as hyperactive as these two were – was quite enough to make him exhausted. That and the job he had refused to take at Eigamura High school. Honestly, had they really thought that he'd leave a decent school like Mitsurugi – where he had studied, and where his ancestors had studied – just for some stupid position?

The girls' cries grew louder, making him decide, with gritted teeth, that he had to do something about them … and soon. He crouched down on his heels so that he was almost level with the children's heads. They stared at him, not with fear as normal children stared at him, but with childish happiness.

"I … need to go somewhere … soon …" he said, unable to think of anything 'else' to say. Well, it was true. He had to go and see his athletics team – god only knew what they had been doing all this time without him. " … And I can't take you to – that shop … or that shop …" He mentally made note that they were both toy shops.

The children's brown eyes widened, making his brain speak out an instant warning; 'Red Alert: Crying is about to ensue …' It was the older sister that saved him.

"Ne, Suzume … Uncle Sei is right," she said, turning to her sister. The man raised his eyebrows. Uncle … Sei? What were these brats thinking? Didn't they know who he was? "We shouldn't disturb him …" continued Ayame, smiling at her sister. She looked back at her Uncle. "We're sorry, Uncle Sei … we won't trouble you again."

And it was there that 'Uncle Sei' was struck. And hard at that. These two children – who weren't even ten yet … were apologizing to him. These two children, who weren't even ten yet, who had lost their mother a few days ago, were apologizing to him. They should be – god forbid them from doing it now – but they should be crying, and wailing for their mother by now … instead of apologizing for troubling him.

Then again, they hadn't been with their mother for two months … Why? The doctor had said that the children should be kept away from his cousin incase they caught the disease as well. Granted, they had seen their mother's dead body … and they had cried a little, although Suzume, the younger sister, had merely thought that 'Okasan had fallen asleep.'

He sighed. That was why he hated kids … they somehow managed to make him feel guilty. He looked at them again, to see them looking at the ground, rather guiltily.

" … Are you girls hungry?" They looked up at him, their faces brightening.

"Hai!" they said in unison. He stood up, looking around. Where could he take them – ah … Makimachi's family's restaurant wasn't far from here … the Aoiya. It was a really good restaurant – and the service there was great.

"Then let's go and get something to eat …" he said, walking forward and hoping that when he did get to school, the athletics team would still be standing.

Soujirou, glancing sideways at Yahiko, saw the intense glare he was giving the whiteboard – where their math teacher was working something out – and frowned slightly.

What had happened during his meeting with Nakamura sensei? He could tell that it wasn't anything good.

"Psst …" He turned around slightly, to see Kaoru looking at him. "What do you think happened?" Soujirou shrugged casually, as their teacher turned around to face the class.

"I don't k – " He stopped when the teacher glanced in his direction.

"Seta – is Myoujin even trying to listen to what I'm saying?" he asked. Startled, Soujirou turned to Yahiko, to find him still staring at the whiteboard, the expression on his face clearly telling anyone that he wasn't paying any attention to what was going on in class.

"Er – " he stopped. What was he supposed to say anyway? "I … er … maybe he's sick …" The teacher raised his eyebrows, skeptically.

" … Right …" he said, not believing him at all. "Forget him, in any case. Here's your next exercise. There are 12 questions on this and I expect …" Soujirou tuned out the teacher's voice as he glanced once again at Yahiko. Something was wrong … and he had to find out what it was.

Megumi glanced out of the window her desk was next to. The sun was lazily beaming down on the world … and a refreshing breeze was blowing in through the opened window. She smiled in satisfaction as the breeze ruffled her hair slightly. What with the rather humid atmosphere in the classroom, a gale would have been welcomed by the students seated inside the room.

Speaking of the students inside the room … she turned her head to her right, and glanced at the person seated on the desk two desks away from her. She immediately frowned. His chin was resting on the palm of his right hand, which he had propped up on the desk, and his eyes were almost slits in his face.

Granted, she didn't know everything about Sagara Sanosuke … but she knew enough about him to know that he didn't usually look like he wanted to kill the first person that dared speaking to him. True, he was rather violent, but not in this way. He looked like he was going to explode …

Her mind went back to the beginning of the lesson, when Sano had walked into the class after his meeting with Nakamura sensei. Since he had been called for the meeting, he hadn't been able to copy her history homework down. Being the thoughtful person she was, she had drawn the brief sketch of the timeline they were meant to do, making it as untidy and 'Sano-like' as she could. Walking into the class when the bell rang, she had placed the book on Sano's empty desk, seeing it empty.

When he had entered the class, three minutes after the bell had rung; she had immediately called out his name, seeing the expression of resentment mixed with fury on his face. He hadn't looked up, and had merely gone to his desk. After sitting down even, he hadn't turned to acknowledge her – or even thank her for the homework.

She wouldn't have usually thought about going up to him, but his awful mood made her decide otherwise. She had been about to go to him, when their History teacher had entered the class and handed them a 'surprise fun quiz' which wasn't 'surprising' – apart from the fact they hadn't known they were going to get it – or 'fun' in any aspect.

She sighed as she heard their teacher raise his voice. It was no point thinking about it now. She'd have to wait until the lesson ended – providing that Sano wouldn't try to bite her head off when she approached him.

She smiled dangerously. If he did do that … she'd show him she wasn't called a 'kitsune' for nothing …

Fujita Tokio walked down the corridor hurriedly, trying to pack her books and pencil case into her bag at the same time. She had been at the library, trying to finish her music homework during her free period when she glanced at her wristwatch and saw that it was 12:40 p.m. She had positively squealed in horror and had jumped up from her seat, startling everyone next to her, and had dashed out of the library, grabbed her bag and hurried down the corridor, trying to get everything in her hands into her bag whilst thinking of a suitable excuse to give her geography teacher for being ten minutes late for class.

Dashing out of the library had ruffled her wavy brown hair that reached her shoulder blades and so she was trying to get her books inside her bag and run her fingers through her hair whilst walking quickly. Glancing at her wristwatch, she realized that she was really going to be dead meat. Forgetting about walking 'gracefully' and 'quickly' she ran down the corridor.

… And wasn't able to stop herself from crashing straight into a tall, lean student. She yelped as her books and bag slipped from her hands, and as she lurched forward, on to the person she had crashed into.

She closed her eyes, expecting both of them to crash onto the ground, when she felt two strong arms grab her and steady her. She opened one eye first, and was met with the sight of an opened collar, revealing a white shirt underneath – part of the boys' school uniform. Opening her other eye and looking up a little, she was met with a pair of tawny eyes that looked somewhat surprised as they looked into her dark eyes.

She could have stared at the pair of eyes for ever … but the thought 'YOU'RE ALREADY LATE' screamed in her head, making her step away from him hurriedly.

"I – I'm sorry …" she stammered, apologetically, as she knelt down on the ground and began picking her pencil case, books and papers up, trying to stuff them into her bag. "I – I didn't mean to – " She stopped, looking for her small notebook, when it was shoved in front of her face. She looked up and saw him properly for the first time. He was tall … and had rather sharp features – of which his eyes were definitely a part of. Three thin strands of hair fell across his eyes, giving him a slightly … unusual appearance.

The first word that came into her mind as she observed him was 'wolf.'

" … Is there something wrong with my face?" he asked, amused as he watched her eyes scan his face. She came back into the 'real world' flushing as she realized she had been staring.

"Er – no …" she said, taking the book and smiling her thanks. Standing up, she bowed slightly to him. "Sorry about that once again!" And with that, she ran down the corridor as fast as she could.

He watched her go, her brown hair flying behind her, the amused look still on his face, before he turned around and headed towards the library.

He growled again as he watched a trail of soup dribble down the side of Suzume's mouth, remembering the other reason as to why he hated kids – they were messy!!!

Grabbing a paper napkin off the table, he moved forward to wipe it for her, when her sister beat him to it, and gently cleaned the soup off her face. She smiled guiltily at him. "Gomen Uncle Sei … I'll make sure she doesn't do it again …" said Ayame, sheepishly. He shook his head, running a hand through his black hair. There she went again, apologizing.

"Iie …" he said, turning to his own soup. An old man came up to their table at that moment and he looked up at him.

"Excuse me Sir, is there anything else that I can get you?" he asked, politely, his gaze going over to the two little girls. The tall man nodded.

"A bottle of sake would be lovely," he said. The old man nodded, turning towards the children.

"And the children?" he asked, smiling as the smaller girl spilt soup on her clothes. The other man growled. Great – just great! "How about we do this …" said the old man, taking two serviettes and placing one of them on the girl's lap, and attaching the other one onto the top of her small t-shirt, so that, even if she did spill anything, it would fall on the serviettes.

"Thank you …" said the man, gratefully. The older man shook his head.

"Iie … they remind me of Misao when she was little – my granddaughter …" he said, smiling. That caught the man's attention.

"Misao – Makimachi Misao?" he asked. The older man turned toward him, surprised. How did this … man know his granddaughter? If Omasu and Ochika were to find that out, they'd kill Misao – as they found him quite appealing.

"You … know Misao?" he asked. The man nodded.

"Yes … I'm her athletics coach – Hiko Seijiro," he said. The old man's eyes widened.

"Kashiwazaki Nenji – just call me Okina," he said, bowing slightly to him. Hiko Seijiro bowed back. It looked like he was finally going to get some information about how his students had been faring.

"Er … Kashiwazaki san, how is Makimac – er, Misao doing these days?" he asked. Okina sighed.

"Ah … she's really grouchy … not being able to move off the bed," he said. "The slightest movement hurts her knee, but she doesn't complain at all …"

"Knee?" echoed Hiko Seijiro, not caring that Suzume had spilled her whole soup on herself and was now whimpering in pain as the hot soup burnt her. "What happened to it?" Okina looked surprised again.

"You – you don't know?" he asked. Hiko shook his head.

"I wasn't here – I was out of town for a while," he said.

"Oh … well she had an accident during athletics practice … and she sprained her right ankle, and has fractured her knee in two places," said Okina.

"She WHAT???!!!" Okina winced at the loud exclamation. "S- Sorry about that … but – how? Is she going to be alright? How did she do that to herself?"

"Apparently it was when she was jumping the hurdles," he said. Hiko Seijiro's eyes widened.

"But – Makimachi's good at the hurdles … she's not the type to make a mistake with them …" he said. Okina shrugged.

"I don't know about that," he said. "All I know is that she's been staying at home and is very grumpy about it all." He smiled. "You must be knowing how impatient she can get." The coach nodded slowly. This was not his good day – or rather, couple of days. First his cousin and then her children … and now … the only good runner they had for the Girls' … was injured and probably wouldn't make it to the upcoming tournament.

He resisted the urge to slam his head against a wall – or table, or anything hard. If Misao was like that … he hated to think of what the rest of the team would be like. He conjured up the image of Kenshin, Yahiko, Sano and Soujirou looking at him; Kenshin in a wheelchair, Soujirou in crutches, Sano with his left leg in a cast, and Yahiko with his right ankle in a cast, telling him that they would definitely win the tournament this year.

He wondered what else would happen to make this day get better …

Kashiwazaki Residence:

Mrs. Makimachi ran to answer the door as the doorbell rang. Wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing, she unlocked the door and opened it, smiling.

"Kashiwazaki Resid – " Her voice died down in her throat as she stared at the man standing on her doorstep, with two children on either side of him. He was tall – quite tall – and had black hair. He was rather powerfully built … and didn't look very old …

"Er … Makimachi san?" She snapped out of her reverie.

"Hai …" she said. "Do I … know you?"

"Not really. I'm Hiko Seijiro, Mi – "

" – sao's coach," finished Mrs. Makimachi, her eyes widening slightly. "S – Sorry … come inside …" She stepped aside. The coach walked inside, bringing the two girls with him. He saw Mrs. Makimachi's eyes travel to Suzume's dirty clothes, and growled again.

"She – had an accident with some soup at the Aoiya …" he said,

"The … Aoiya?" asked Mrs. Makimachi. He nodded.

"Yes … I was out of town for a while, and I took them – my nieces – to the Aoiya for some food," he said. "And Misao's grandfather told me what happened to her …"

"Ah, Otosan …" said Mrs. Makimachi, nodding. "I'm sorry, but would you like some tea? Or some lunch?" Hiko Seijiro shook his head.

"I already had lunch," he said. "Can I – see Misao – if it's possible?" Mrs. Makimachi nodded, confused.

" … This way …" she said, taking the lead and walking towards the stairs. With Suzume and Ayame looking around them in confusion, he followed her.

Misao opened her eyes as her mother walked into the room. She sat up after some struggling. "Kachan! I have nothing to do!" she said, in a slightly high-pitched voice. "I'm bored and there's no one for me to talk to! Can't you ask Soujirou or Kaoru to spend the nig – SENSEI!!!"

Hiko Seijiro winced as he heard Misao exclaim. Her mother motioned for him to step inside the room. He did so. Misao grinned at him. "It's okay sensei … I'm going to make it to the tournament …" Mrs. Makimachi started, sighing.

"How are you feeling?" asked the coach, taking in the cast on her leg, and the bandage on her ankle.

"Bored to death," was Misao's immediate reply. Her coach shook his head.

"I meant – "

"Sensei – are they – your children?" Hiko Seijiro glanced at the two girls, and then glared at Misao.

"No, Makimachi, they're my nieces," he said. Misao grinned at them, looking curiously at her.

"Aww … they're cute!" she said. "What're their names?" The man was about to say it didn't matter about their names, when the two children took charge.

"I'm Gensai Ayame."

"And I'm Gen-sai Suzume …" Misao smiled.

"Makimachi Misao!" she said. Mrs. Makimachi smiled as Misao pointed at her. "And that's my Kachan …" Ayame's face fell at once. Everyone – except for Suzume – saw it. Hiko frowned. "I – I'm sorry – did I – " Misao stopped when Ayame took her hand off her Uncle's and stared at the floor.

"Ayame – "

"Uncle Sei … can I go outside? I … I won't touch anything …"

"No Aya – "

"Oh it's alright," said Mrs. Makimachi, smiling at the girl. "You can go outside if you want to – but be careful, you might fall." Ayame walked out of the room.

"Sensei – did I say – "

"Their mother … died …" said Hiko Seijiro, softly. Misao's eyes widened, mirroring her mother.

"I didn't – oh god – I didn't think – " The coach shook his head. She hadn't known anyway. Suzume looked at her uncle.

"I want to go out to, Uncle Sei …" she said, tiredly. He shook his head.

"No you can't Suzume," he said.

"But I want to go with neechan!" wailed Suzume. Her uncle winced. He was going to lose it one day – soon too. Mrs. Makimachi intervened, taking the little girl's hand in her own.

"I'll take her downstairs …" she said, looking at Misao's coach for approval. "If it's okay with you … for I'm sure you have a lot of things to ask Misao about – the team for example …" Hiko nodded, smiling slightly.

"If it isn't asking too much …" he said. Shaking her head, Mrs. Makimachi walked out, taking Suzume with her. There was a short silence in the room, before Hiko glanced at Misao. "Misao … what happened?" Misao grinned.

"I had a feeling that was coming …" she said.

"And?" She sighed.

"You won't believe this … but it's true … you can ask Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko or Soujirou," she said, taking a deep breath. "You see, Saito … … …"

A/N

Argh … I seriously ran out of ideas for that one, and thought I'd include Ayame and Suzume. I'm sorry it wasn't a sensible choice … Heh, and another idea popped into my head; about Hiko Seijiro. Can you guess what it is? It involves someone else too …

Heh and what will Hiko Seijiro do to Saito? Will Misao tell him everything Saito's been doing?

We'll find out soon!

See ya soon! And smile!!!

Siriusgirl1