Chapter 2:

The Rendez-Vouz

Ring it was the last bell of the day.

"Come on Sou-chan! Time for kendo!"

Kaoru and Soujiro walked to the gym side by side, laughing at every other sentence. In few minutes he managed to make her laugh so hard she was almost crying, with tears out of her tightly shut eyes, she almost walked into a ladder. She felt a pair of arms surrounding her waist and she looked at him confusingly. He laughed and noted that she was about to crash into the ladder. When they looked up they saw a carpenter fixing the ceiling, but not just any carpenter, her best friend's boy friend.

Kaoru walked up to him. "What are you doing Aoshi? And why do you have a wound on your arm?"

"Just fixing the ceiling boards. Misao almost got smashed and cut up by it yesterday. I happened to be there, that's why I ended up being cut when I pushed her over. You two better get to class now."

Ever since his parents died, he had to work for his tuition, and this was his way. He's so sweet, not like Kaoru's attracted to him, but she wished a guy would save her one day.

"You know, you shouldn't work when you're injured. If you keep working I'll tell Misao, and she'll jump on you again."

"Ok, fine I'll work on this tomorrow. Let's all go to class then, shall we?"

"Oh, by the way, this is Seta Soujiro. A new student at this school, Sou-chan, this is Aoshi, don't make him mad, he'll cut you up." She said with a smile.

Then they all went along together in the hall, but no one talked. It seems Soujiro and Aoshi had staring contest, his consistent smile against HIS ice cold eyes, it went on until they reached a corner and Aoshi finally split up from Kaoru and Soujiro to go to math.

The two of them also had to split up not long afterwards to get changed for kendo.

(In the practice hall)

Kenshin sat down on the mat and waited for Kaoru and Soujiro to both come out. Yahiko sat down next to him while Sanosuke had another class to go to. Well let' just say Sanosuke probably didn't go to another class, rather to ditch and visit the student aid, Aoshi's sister, Megumi.

"So you gonna kick the crap outta the new guy Kenshin?" Yahiko asked, he always loved to see Kenshin fight."

"Yeah. That'll teach him to mess with me." He said, being fired up.

He scratched his head. "Dude, I don't get it. The only thing he did was sit next to Kaoru. So why you tripping for? You in love with her or something?"

Kenshin glared at him, feeling his eyes slowly turning amber with each passing second of waiting. "H no! I don't like her. I just don't want anyone messing with my stuff alright?

"Okay okay. Chill. Hey here they come."

Soujiro found a place to sit on the mat while Kaoru sat next to him.

A guy from their kendo class named Akira shouted out, "Hey Kaoru! You dump Kenshin for the new guy?"

She yelled back, "Shut up baka yaro!"

Everyone in class, including Soujiro and Kenshin stared at her. Kaoru just looked away and pretended not to notice. Then she leaned over and whispered in Soujiro's ear.

"Kick Kenshin's butt hard."

Kenshin looked at Kaoru leaning near her new friend, 'Damn you Kaoru. Is it so terrible to be known as my girlfriend?' he thought fuming. 'You're going down pretty boy, smiling always like a girl.' He glared at Soujiro who was smiling at him in return.

The whistle blew and class began. Sensei Saitou called roll and made everyone sat down.

"Alright now you spineless wimps. Let's see what you've learned these past few weeks. Class will begin with a match. Who are my volunteers?"

Kenshin raised his hand. "I will Sensei."

"Ah…Kenshin, my number one student. Who else? Hmm…how about Kaoru?"
She shook her head so hard that her hair fell out of her ponytail. Kenshin sneered and rolled his eyes. "Not today Sensei. How about Soujiro?"

"Soujiro?"

Sensei Saitou looked at Soujiro. "Are you the new boy Seta Soujiro?"

"Yes Sensei," he answered.

Sensei Saitou rubbed his chin. "Hmm…I don't know Kenshin. It might not be fair for Soujiro to fight against an advanced student like you."

Soujiro stood up. "It's okay. I learned kendo back at my old school too."

"Really?" asked Sensei Saitou. "Then this should be a good match.

Alright everybody. In your places."

Kenshin and Soujiro got in their fighting stances. 'I'm going to wipe that smile off your pretty face,' thought Soujiro.

'You're going down girly face,' Kenshin thought back.

"Fight!"

Kenshin moved forward. 'I'm going to hit him so hard—' but before he knew it, he had fallen down on his back. He was surprised. "How? What?" Soujiro had sweep kicked him and made Kenshin fall. Everyone was shocked, they didn't even see Soujiro move, it was like he was there one moment, and the next he was few meters away from the dumbfounded Kenshin.

'Damn, so much for swords, isn't he suppose to fight me? Not trip me, idiot, coward...' Kenshin thought of all the insults he can throw at him.

"Winner Seta Soujiro!"

"Yay!" shouted Kaoru. She ran up and hugged Soujiro. "You were great! You took him down in less than a second!"

"Wait a second!" yelled Kenshin, "There are three rounds in a match. It isn't over yet!"

"Oh yeah," said the Sensei.

"Hold on everyone. We have two more rounds left."

Kenshin looked over at where Kaoru was sitting. She was giggling while he looked at her with a confused face. He opened his mouth in shock, his blood boiling as his eyes went past amber, golden from first sight but truly red, fire red. 'That traitor!' he thought to himself. 'She's on the enemy's side!' His images of choking Kaoru were interrupted by Yahiko calling him.

"Hey Kenshin."

"What is it Yahiko?" He asked through his gritted teeth.

"The new guy is pretty good but by the way he fights, I know you can beat him. Just don't underestimate him and don't let your guard down. All he has is speed, you have your Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. You can win."

Kenshin slapped him on the back. "Thanks. I was kind of spacing out there." Yahiko nodded and understood. 'You'll see that I'm the better guy Kaoru,' Kenshin mentally tried to tell her.

"You were great Sou-chan!" Kaoru said excitedly.

"Thanks. Umm…Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"You sure Kenshin is the best fighter here? He didn't seem to last very long."

Kaoru nodded her head. "He is the best fighter here. I think he didn't last long because you're so much better than him."

"Maybe," he said with doubt.

"Okay Round Two!" yelled Sensei Saitou, as he pulled his arm down. "Fight!"

Soujiro lunged at him with his two steps before Shukuchi but Kenshin side stepped it and whispered, "You stay away from my Kaoru."

His eyes widen in shock as he slowed down, just enough to match Kenshin's speed as he slammed the shinai into his sides as he collapsed to the floor.

"Winner Himura Kenshin!" yelled Sensei Saitou.

Kaoru opened her mouth in shock. 'That bastard Kenshin won!' She began to tear away at her gi with her teeth. Kenshin saw her looking at him. He smirked at her. 'That jerk is so immature!'

"Wait Sensei!" she yelled. "Three rounds remember? One more to go!"

Saitou called for attention. "Okay you losers watching on the sidelines. We have one more round."

Kenshin walked up to Kaoru. "Don't worry about it. Get ready to kiss my feet when I win Kaoru-chan."

" Get bent and die baka Kenshin."

Kenshin flashed her one of his trademark smiles and went back to take his place. Then he heard Kaoru yell out,

"You can do it Sou-chan!"

'Wow' thought Soujiro. 'Kenshin is good. Hmm…I wonder if he'll be my friend if he does end up beating me. He doesn't hate Kaoru. I think he might even be in love with her! Heh heh…well well... Battousai must be thinking about ways to get her to him. Besides, I haven't met a good match like this in a long time.'

"Round Three. Fight!"

Soujiro walked away calmly while Kenshin and everyone else was bewildered, was he running away from his fight. Suddenly, after walking 10 meters away from his opponent, he snapped around.

"Are you ready."

"Any time you are." His fire red eyes shined with anger.

"One step before Shukuchi" He muttered as he raced forward. Everyone who was watching, yes including Saitou, stared in shock and couldn't help stopping a gasp. Kenshin himself was nervous, where did he go?

With just a blink of an eye, Soujiro slashed down his shinai down on Kenshin's back and took a few steeps afterwards to slow down. Before he stopped something hit the back of his knee as he was forced, unexpectly, to fall down. Kenshin wasn't in any better shape, he managed to throw his shinai at Soujiro's unguarded knee just barelyseconds after he was hit. He fell right after Soujiro's pair of knees touched the ground.

Kaoru and the others stood up and stared at match, Soujiro had fallen to the ground, (or you can say tripped), and Kenshin fell just seconds after him.

"Winner is Himura Kenshin!" yelled Sensei Saitou. "Soujiro, you were excellent, but always keep your guard until you are the last one standing." he said as he went over to Kenshin to help him up.

Soujiro got up and also went over to Kenshin and smiled. "You were great. You should show me your moves and practice together sometimes."

Kenshin looked at him, surprised. He didn't expect Soujiro to say that, first, he hated him, second, he didn't even show any moves before he was hit. Soujiro extended out his hand.

"Truce? Except don't pick on Kaoru anymore, she's my newly adopted little sister."

'Little sister?' thought Kenshin. 'That means there's nothing going on between them. I guess this Soujiro guy isn't so bad after all.' He shook Soujiro's hand.

"Truce."

Kaoru couldn't believe her eyes. Both of them are shaking hands and acting like each other's buddy! She ran up to Soujiro's side. "Why are you being friends with this baka?" he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Kaoru. Let's all be friends."

Then Yahiko had to add his two cents in. "Yeah. Isn't that why you came up here Kaoru? To give Kenshin his victory kiss?"

She looked over at Kenshin who was giving her this stupid smile and his constant cocky smile. She brushed off Soujiro's hand.

"No! And I hate you too Soujiro!" Then she stomped off.

"Oro?" Kenshin's eyes returned to soft amethyst.

It was just too much in one day, another friend on Kenshin's side again. 'What does he have against me?'

A/N: sorry, next chapter or maybe the next next I'll make Enishi appear. In Fact, I'll let him appear in a very, hm, different way. This will be fun. Please review. Do you like short chappies and update more often, or longer ones and not update as often? well either way, if i get 15 reviews i'll update right away, but if not i'll still update, but since i suppose it's not really that interesting, i promise to update every week to every other week.

here's a deal. the fast the reviews come, the faster i'll update.