the 'IT' girl

bynyllemnev

Disclaimer: They are not mine… The story is, so please don't steal... hehe...;p

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

Sano gave his friend a regretful look after hearing how Kenshin's date turned out to be. He patted his shoulder awkwardly making Kenshin turn to look at him oddly.

"This is what they do when somebody's not feeling okay, isn't it?" the spiky haired man said almost skeptically.

Kenshin only sighed at his friend's feeble attempt to cheer him up. "Nah… I'm alright…" he sighed again.

"Come on… Let's go play some basketball!" Sano said with a smirk. "That's what I always do whenever I'm feeling bad or whatever."

Kenshin agreed. He doesn't have anything to do, anyway – he had already finished his book report and come on, it's Sunday! At least have some fun. So, the two friends went to a basketball court near their place.

"So how're things going between you and Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asked as he passed the ball to Sano.

"What?" Sano turned to the redhead after making a lay-up. "Why do you keep asking me about her! There's nothing going on between the two of us!"

Kenshin laughed. Sano definitely was as terrible as himself when it comes to lying. "Fine!" he said as the redhead caught the ball and made a shot – a miss. "Whatever you say Sano, whatever you say…"

"Man… I'll never understand you…" Sano shook his head as he passed the ball back to Kenshin. The redhead made another shot – miss again!

A feminine laugh sounded from the sidelines. Kenshin and Sano turned to look – to gape at no other than Kamiya Kaoru standing there. The redhead gulped – seeing her now, he just remembered that he had left her all alone in that restaurant last night. I'm so DEAD!

"Nice try, Himura!" Kaoru walked towards them, a very cold smile on her face. "So, you really play basketball then. What a very good player you are." she bit the last sentence out sarcastically.

"Boys only, Kamiya!" Sano said, rolling his eyes. Kaoru turned to him, the cold smile disappearing from her face.

"This is a free country, Sagara." she said coolly. "I can do whatever I want. And if I want to play, you can't make me leave."

"You can't play in that!" Sano pointed at Kaoru's pale blue dress. She's even wearing high-heeled shoes, Kenshin only noticed.

"So?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow after looking down at herself.

"Er… you don't want to ruin that dress, Kaoru-dono?"

"I did not ask for YOUR opinion, shrimphead!" Kaoru turned to him, the same cold look was back on her face. She must be angry about last night—Who wouldn't?

"Fine!" Sano waved a hand in defeat. "Be it! But I'm not playing with an amateur!"

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at Sano but she said nothing. She watched as Sano went to sit by the sideline lazily with her icy blue eyes. "So… let's play!" she turned to Kenshin coldly (again). She made a move to take her shoes off.

"Oro?" Kenshin blinked as he watch her walk to place her shoes by the sidelines. "Me? Play?"

"Got it, geek boy!" Kaoru turned to him. "So, got the ball… let's play!"

Kenshin opened his mouth to reason out with her but before he could utter a single word, she had stolen the ball from him. He blinked, as he watched her shoot the ball – ringless!

"Man!" Sano yelled in annoyance. "Don't let her steal that ball from you, Kenshin!"

Kenshin turned back to Kaoru in time to realize that she had thrown the ball back at him but too late to, "Ouch!" he rubbed his nose, to make sure that it was not bleeding. The ball just smacked him right on his face. Sano was at his side in an instant.

"That's a foul!" the spiky-haired man glared at Kaoru.

"Not my fault he wasn't looking!" Kaoru said coolly.

"You alright?" Sano helped Kenshin back on his feet. The redhead frowned at the girl smirking behind Sano.

"Stop whining, Himura, and stand up!" Kaoru said loudly. Kenshin gave her another frown.

"Don't go easy on her, pal." Sano said before going back to the sidelines.

For hours Kenshin felt almost all kinds of body pain! Kaoru kept throwing the ball roughly at him every single chance she got, elbowing him hard on his stomach, or even pulling his long ponytail from behind. This is the worst basketball game, EVER!

It doesn't help that Sano kept yelling by the sidelines and Kaoru laughing everytime she got him off-guard to cool Kenshin's temper as it began to boil.

"THAT'S IT!" Kenshin snapped as Kaoru pulled his hair again. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"WANT?" Kaoru turned to him, her eyes blazing with an unmistakable anger. "I WANT SOME PAYBACK!"

"Huh?" Sano has gone to Kenshin's side after the redhead had snapped. "What?"

"HOW DARE YOU?" Kaoru said, she was actually shaking. "I really REALLY really HATE you!" she pointed at Kenshin before running to get her shoes, "I HATE everything about YOU!" she said without turning to him before run away.

Kenshin frowned. He knew it perfectly that she hated him – made it obvious everyday in school – but he had never ever seen her like that. It's as if she's… she's…

"Don't mind her." Sano said beside him. "Some basketball game, huh?"

'She must be really angry about last night…' he couldn't help but feel bad. "Maybe I should just go and apologize to her." Kenshin voiced his thoughts out absentmindedly.

"What?" Sano gave him a frown. "It's her fault. You don't need to always apologize to her about nothing!"

Kenshin heaved a small sigh before making a move to follow Kaoru, completely ignoring Sano.

"Fine! I never exist!" Sano said aloud as he watched Kenshin go with a frown.

XXX

She can surely run so fast, can't she? Kenshin looked around for any sign of a ponytail or a pale blue dress. For a girl wearing high heels, she sure is fast!

He sighed, walking to a nearby bench. He had been running for almost half an hour now but he failed to find her. At least I tried, eh?

"Oi… Kenshin…" Sano seemed to follow him. "There, you are." he panted as he joined Kenshin in the bench.

"Hey." Kenshin turned to his friend. "You followed, huh? I thought you don't want me apologizing to her."

"Well, you might need back up… if you know what I mean…"

Kenshin laughed at that. Sano continued, "Did you find her?"

"Nah…" Kenshin shook his head. "She's a fast-runner."

Sano snorted, "Yeah… she is."

"You know, I've met up with her yesterday in the library." Kenshin said, watching the people walked past them. "When I finished my book report, I looked around the place and I saw her there."

"Then she went to you and harassed you again?"

"No… actually she doesn't seem to notice that I was there." Kenshin shook his head a little. "I was curious what could she be up to or whatever… so I followed her when she went out of the library."

"You followed her?" Sano's eyes almost went out of its sockets. He turned to him and an obvious hint of amusement was shining in his eyes. "That's very DARING of you, man."

"Yeah." Kenshin laughed. "She seemed to finally become aware of me following her later on."

"What did she do?"

"Nothing, the usual stuff… but no body pain." Kenshin added and Sano laughed. "Then we went to this restaurant – or rather, she made me go with her. Then, we ordered some food and she went to the ladies room…" he sighed, "That's when Misao came…"

"So… you're saying… you…"

"I left with Misao, obviously." Kenshin sighed. "That must be why she seemed to be very angry at me – angrier than usual, that is."

"Now I understand…" Sano nodded.

"Now that I think of it, my date (if you can call that a date, that is) with Misao doesn't seem to went on pretty well and I felt bad for leaving Kaoru just like that. I should've just left a note or something." Kenshin looked down, "Or maybe I shouldn't have just left her at all."

"But you really wanted to go with…"

"But she never really wanted to go with me, ne?" Kenshin said glumly. "She only wanted to see Aoshi-sama, isn't she?"

"Man…" Sano said, he seemed to be loss for words.

"I mean, what is it about him?" Kenshin sighed turned to Sano.

"I don't know." Sano said quickly. "How the heck can I know what's going on that 'weasel's' head."

"Don't call her a 'weasel'."

"Fine!" Sano sighed. "What do wanna do about it?"

"I don't know." Kenshin shook his head. "I wish I know if she liked me too. What she thought about me or something."

"But she liked the…"

"…but the Iceman never liked her." or does he?

"Who knows what going on his head? Maybe he's just hiding what he really felt for her." Sano shrugged. Kenshin narrowed his eyes on him. He hated it when Sano got a point. The taller man continued, "Just suggesting! Don't need to feel bad about it."

"She's just too blinded with her childish crush on him, that's why she'll never see anyone—"

"Yourself, you mean?"

"Yeah!"

"What do you want to do?" Sano frowned. "Make her jealous or something?"

Kenshin turned to him with a frown, then after sometime, he said, "Sano… you're a genius!"

Sano blinked at him. "I am?"

"Yeah!" Kenshin nodded. "That's what we're going to do—"

"Wait… wait… wait!" Sano said, frowning, "Have I just heard you say 'we'?"

"Yes?"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Fine!" Kenshin said, "I'll tell Megumi-dono…" he started but Sano clasped a hand on Kenshin's mouth to stop him from saying any further.

"Blackmail, huh?" the taller man raised an eyebrow.

"That's what friends are for, eh?" Kenshin said suggestively.

"So what are we going to do?" Sano rolled his eyes.

"I guess we'll find a girl." Kenshin shrugged.

"A girl who wouldn't end up falling for you and you won't end up falling for." Sano added and the redhead nodded. "But who?"

"Er…" now's for the difficult part… "How 'bout Megumi-dono?"

"Do you want this?" Sano raised a fist.

"Just kidding." Kenshin laughed. "Yumi-dono?"

"Too matured." Sano said. "You think or someone our age or better in our class."

"Er… Sakura-dono?"

"She's got a crush on you, buddy!"

"She has?"

"Gah! Everyone knew it!" Sano rolled his eyes. "How 'bout Makoto?"

"Sano! She's a head taller than me!" Kenshin frowned. "I'll be dead meat before Misao can even notice me!"

"It's difficult to think of someone!" Sano glared at Kenshin. "Someone pretty, smart and popular…"

"I guess that's just right."

"Hmm…" Sano thought for a moment and Kenshin watch him with a hint of amusement in his amethyst eyes. (It's not everyday you see Sano think that hard, he mused). Then as if a light bulb came lighting on top of his head, Sano clapped his hand.

"I know the perfect person…" he smirked and Kenshin waited for him to continue, "Someone who's pretty, smart, popular and won't fall for you and you won't end up falling for…"

"Who?"

Sano turned to Kenshin with a wicked grin on his face.

"The 'it' girl…"

To be continued…