the 'IT' girl

bynyllemnev

Disclaimer: They are not mine… That's enough, isn't it? ;p

Chapter 6: Phase One: Action!

Kamiya Kaoru was sitting all alone by the shades of a huge tree near the school's soccer field when Kenshin finally found her.

"This is it…" he muttered under his breath before taking some steps towards her. "Er… Kaoru-dono…" he spoke when he was finally standing near enough for her to hear him.

"What?" she said, her eyes boring on him. Kenshin took a deep breath and sat on the space beside her. "What are you doing?" she asked with a frown.

"Er…" Kenshin turned to give her the sweetest smile that he could muster. Sano told him that: no girl in her right mind would say 'no' to you after that. "Hi!" he added.

Kaoru continued to frown at him and Kenshin was starting to feel nervous. I knew this wasn't a very good idea. I shouldn't have agreed to Sano about this.

"Hi yourself!" she said coldly before standing up and walking away. Kenshin had to jog to catch up with her.

"I'm sorry about last Saturday." Kenshin said as he followed her. "I didn't mean to…"

"Is that all?" Kaoru turned to him, there was something shining in her eyes that Kenshin could not read.

"Er…"

In an instant her eyes shone with an undeniable annoyance. "Fine!" Kaoru turned her back to him, ""You said it now… leave me alone!"

"Why do you have to be so cold?" Kenshin said and now that the words had came out of his mouth, he wished he never said it. He looked up and saw Kaoru staring at him with the same unreadable expression in her eyes.

"Not that you care, shrimp boy." she said unblinkingly. "Not that you care." she repeated before walking away.

Kenshin watch her go with a frown. He will never understand this girl. Things I do to get Misao's attention… he sighed as he tried to follow her.

XXX

Kenshin spent the whole morning trying to initiate some conversation with a very not-so-cooperative Kaoru. By late afternoon, the redhead was feeling the last of his temper as Kaoru brushed him off again, rather rudely, after he tried to help her carry her things.

"How's it going?" Sano asked and Kenshin threw him a look that told him to 'shut up'. The taller man seemed to have gotten the point easily.

"What's up?" Megumi and Misao had joined Sano and Kenshin as they walked out of their classroom for the cafeteria. Sano shrugged while Kenshin remained silent.

"Did that girl do something again?" he could hear Megumi whisper to Sano.

"Something wrong, Kenshin?" Misao asked and Kenshin shook his head mutely as he scanned the whole cafeteria for any signs of Kaoru. "Huh?" the girl blinked in shock. Kenshin never ignored her like that before.

"Something wrong about him?" she turned instead to Megumi who shrugged.

"Must be something he ate." the taller girl only said. Sano remained silent, afraid that he might slip.

Where is she? Kenshin frowned, searching every corner of the cafeteria. Why is it that she never turns out when you're looking for her?

"I can't believe the whole lot of works their giving us today!" Sano started his usual homework complaints.

"You're just too lazy, rooster baby!" Megumi replied in her usual calm voice.

"Don't call me that!"

"Sorry… but don't you like it?" Megumi smiled. "Misao thought it's kind of cute, ne?"

"Er… right…" Misao blinked before smiling at them.

"I hate that nickname, foxy!"

"Mou! I hate that nickname too!"

"Here they go again…" Misao sighed. She turned and found Kenshin searching for something in the cafeteria. "Is there something that you're looking for?"

"Kaoru." Kenshin said flatly and Misao frowned. Megumi and Sano were far too busy at the moment to even care.

"Kamiya?" Misao repeated questioningly and Kenshin blinked, finally turning to her.

"Oro?" Kenshin felt himself blushing at his slip.

"You're looking for Kamiya?"

Kenshin lets a nervous laugh, "Er… I have to… er… give her… uhm… her book report!" he laughed again. "She left it outside earlier. I just want to give it to her."

"Oh…" Misao nodded her head but she continued to look at Kenshin skeptically.

"Yeah!" Kenshin stood up, surprising even Sano and Megumi. "So… I'll better go and look for her, okay?" and he left.

"What was that for?" Megumi turned to Misao who shrugged.

XXX

"That was close." Kenshin sighed as he finally stepped out of the cafeteria. "Now where can she be?" he turned to look around. Outside the window, he could see Kaoru walking there.

"Don't let her out of your sight now, Kenshin." the redhead said to himself as he went out to follow her.

Kenshin found Kaoru seated by the shadows of the same tree. She seemed to be reading something that she never noticed him approaching. "Er…" he feigned a cough and she looked up to him in annoyance.

"Kaoru-dono… I was just wondering if I can join you…"

"No." she answered flatly and Kenshin had to sigh.

"Why?"

"Because I say so."

Using her usual answer to him, Kenshin spoke, "But this is a free country, huh? I can sit wherever I want to." he added innocently. Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you trying to mock me?" she said in that same cold voice. Kenshin shrugged and sat down beside her. For some time they sat in silence before Kaoru spoke again, "I have the feeling you need something from me. Just spill it out and leave me alone."

"Why do you want to be always alone?" Kenshin asked, he was really curious.

"Simple…" Kaoru said coolly, her blue eyes on him, "I-WANT-IT! Got it?"

"But why?"

"You don't care, that's why!" Kaoru glared at him. "Now if you're finished you can leave me in alone!" she turned back to her book.

Kenshin watch her silently as she read, or pretend to read. He could notice her throwing quick glances at him whenever she thought he was not looking and from the looks of it – she was nervous. He had never seen her nervous before. Kamiya Kaoru is nothing but a nervous person!

"You seemed to love reading very much." Kenshin noted.

"You seemed to love nosing about other people's life that much." Kaoru said without looking.

Look who's talking. Kenshin chuckled aloud and Kaoru frowned at him before speaking, "What's so funny? Care to tell me?"

"Nothing." Kenshin shrugged.

"Oh brother!" Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Fine! You sit there in silence and let me do my reading in peace!" she turned back to her book.

"Okay, fair enough…" Kenshin shrugged. They sat in silence until the school bell rang. Kaoru gathered her things as she stood up and walked towards the school building without uttering a single word to Kenshin. The redhead hurriedly followed her and offered to carry her things but she completely ignored him. He sighed as he just watched her disappear through the crowd.

"She's one tough kid, isn't she?" he sighed as he went to his classroom.

XXX

Time flies fast and before Kenshin knew it another school day had ended. He was hurriedly putting his things on his bag when somebody tapped him on his shoulder.

"Hey." Misao smiled at him. "Where were you at lunch? We didn't see you anywhere."

"Er…" Kenshin smiled back. "Out."

"Where?"

"Near the soccerfield… er… I watched them practice… hehe…" he lets a nervous chuckle. He couldn't tell her that he's with Kaoru, could he?

"I never thought they had practice today."

"They have!" Kenshin said quickly and Misao only nodded at him and gave him an odd look.

"Whatever you say Kenshin." she only shook her head. "Come on."

"Yeah." Kenshin nodded and followed her. He was by the doorway when someone pushed him out again. Kenshin looked up to see Kaoru standing by the doorway with a very cold look on her face.

"You're blocking MY way, Himura!" she said, eyeing him with her icy blue eyes.

"There's a tragedy!" Megumi said sarcastically from behind and Kaoru turned. "You don't own the DOORWAY, do you?"

"Sorry princess!" Kaoru made a mocked bow before storming away. Kenshin could've sworn he saw her glare at him.

"Beh!" Megumi made something very uncharacteristically her and stuck her tongue out at Kaoru. Sano chuckled at her loudly, which earned him a bump on his head (courtesy of the fox lady).

"Hey!" Sano grumbled as he followed Megumi.

"I'll never understand Kamiya." Misao sighed beside Kenshin. "I don't know why she has it hard for you."

"Me too." Kenshin nodded as he watched Kaoru go. He turned to Misao quickly and said in an urgent, "I have something to do. I'll just see you later." and he rushed passed the bickering Megumi and Sano to follow a certain girl.

"What was that for?" Megumi asked a very shocked Misao.

"I don't know… I really don't."

'If you only knew.' Sano thought, knowing all too well what Kenshin was up to.

XXX

Kenshin found Kaoru walking up ahead, her shoulders unusually slumped. He jogged as he tried to catch up with her. "Kaoru-dono!" he called but she didn't even stop to look at him. She continued walking.

"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin walked in front of her, blocking her way. She gave him the death glare of the century as she waited for him to explain. "Er… can I walk with you?"

"The road's not mine, anyway." Kaoru rolled her eyes, "The princess having just informed me."

"I'm sorry for Megumi-dono." Kenshin sighed as he walked beside her.

"Don't be." Kaoru said in a monotone. "I don't need it."

Kenshin watch her walk silently beside him. She looked unusually down today, he noticed – which is very unlike her. "Er… is there something wrong? You seemed to be… er…"

"What do you care, anyway?" she turned to him and he was surprise to find a glint of sadness in her eyes. "Nobody cares!"

Kenshin stood staring at her wordlessly. He had never seen her like this before – never seen her close to…

"Go home, Himura! That's your stop!" she sighed and walked ahead of him. True to her words, he was in front of his house.

He watched her go uneasily. Kenshin couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. She's just a girl… after all… just a girl…

To be continued…

A/N: Hello, I'm here again:) I hope you like this chapter (please tell me through your reviews.) Til then:)

A/N2: My story 'Picture Perfect' has been nominated in the Rurouni Kenshin Reader's Choice Awards (RKRC). Vote for me… ;p hehe ;p… the link is rkrc meijitales com, then go to the voting section, choose one-shot category, then my story – 'Picture Perfect'. Thank you:)