Timeless Tale Scene 2

Disclaimer: I don't own RK! Or it's characters! But I DO get to use them for this story! Yee haw!

A/N: Thank you to people who reviewed! You encouraged me to upload this chapter! (I have another one in storage too!) Also, someone reviewed that Kenshin was an econ teacher, it's actually a HOME economics (aka home-ec) teacher! Just to clarify! Well... enjoy:smile:

ACTION!

Kaoru woke up in the morning with butterflies in her stomach! It was finally here! The day for the auditions! She quickly washed up and began to work in the kitchen. She had woken up a little earlier so that she could bake what would hopefully turn out as cookies for Himura-san. She had to thank him in SOME way! Yahiko came into the kitchen rubbing his eyes.

"Oi busu. What's with all this racket so early in the morning?"

"I'm baking cookies"

"WHAT! Are you sick or something? What makes you think you can actually bake something edible?"

A pan was hurled at him and made lovely contact with his face! "Get out you brat!"

An hour later Kaoru was on her way to school with a bag of, um, "cookies". She met up with Sano on the way.

"Ohayo Sanosuke!"

"Ohayo jou-chan!"

"Are you going to try out for a part in the school play?"

"HECK YEA! That role of the bad ass punk with the bandanna! Think about it! I can wear a bandanna in front of everyone and not get in trouble by that damn cop!"

Kaoru laughed. Even before he said it she knew he would want that role. It just seemed to fit him perfectly. "How about you jou chan?"

"Oh..the female lead.."

"WHOOOA! That's totally awesome! You go jou chan! I know you can do it!"

"Thank you! Same to you!"

They finally arrived at school and then headed straight to the auditorium. I hope you believed it when I said the school play is the biggest event of the whole year! The entired student body and even faculty have to participate by performing or the making of it. Also, audition day meant that there was no classes, only auditions!

Everyone filed into the assembly hall and sat down waiting for instructions. When everyone had finally arrived Principal Tae went up the microphone. "Hello everyone. Welcome to this year's audition for the school play, 'The Legendary Hitokiri'" She waited while everyone whooped and cheered. "Now everyone please look around you at the signs. These signs have the names of all of the roles in the play. Please go stand by the sign of the role you would like to try out for."

There was a melee as people tried to step on each other to get to their desired line.

Kaoru slowly made her way to the sign that read "Female Lead". She felt her heart rise in her throat as she saw who else was in the line. No one. She was flabbergasted. How could no one else in the entire student body not want to try out for the lead? As she was pondering this she saw that the line for the lead male was having the same problem. Except that not even one person had lined up. Principal Tae immediately noticed the paucity of people in both of the lines for the most crucial roles in the play. She sat down trying to think of how she could change it. She looked around the auditorium and checked to see where everyone else was. She spotted one of the prissiest girls in school standing in the line marked "Warriors". That's interesting... When she saw swarms of the kinds of girls who won't even wear gym clothes let alone loads of rusty armor she became very suspicious. Until she saw a flash of red hair. Then she knew why.

The girls hadn't even been paying attention to the line all they did was follow Himura-sensei as he was making sure the line was under control.

Principal Tae called Kenshin away from the drooling girls. As expected they followed him dreamily as he made his way to the stage. She whispered something in his ear.

His face went white as he pointed at himself. Tae merely nodded and smiled. Wordlessly and reluctantly Kenshin stood in the line marked "Lead male". Immediately the flock of girls ran to the line where Kaoru had previously been standing alone. Kaoru couldn't believe what was happening.

"LET THE AUDITIONS BEGIN!"

"Okay, let's start with the female lead since there is an overwhelming number of hopefuls."

Kaoru felt sick. What made her think she could possibly be the lead in a school play? All her other years of high school she had volunteered to be lighting coordinator or whatnot. But this was different. This was her last year, and this was her last chance to play a part on the actual stage. And now... she looked across the auditorium at Kenshin while he tugged at his shirt.

The auditions for the female lead consisted of doing a reading of a scene and then showing some moves with a sword. Experience was not required, it was just to show how far one had to go in order to reach reasonable qualification.

Each and every girl (except Kaoru) picked the scene where the female lead got to hold the hitokiri in her arms. The scene had the two characters in the position where his head was in her lap, since he was wounded after a battle.

Kenshin gulped as he was called on stage time and time again for each girl to act out this scene. Some girls shoved their chests at his face, some just giggled the whole time, and most did both. Kaoru chose to do the soliloquy when the girl waits for the hitokiri.

"How long can I wait before I die from anticipation? My heart stops if you're not by my side... I would wait for an eternity just to see you again. I know I never said this to you, but it's true. I love-" Kaoru was about to move on to the next part of the play when she realized the entire auditorium was dead silent. Her face felt hot. Oh! Why did I opt to go without a script!

No! Kaoru was resolute! She had practiced for hours on end, she knew the script, she knew the part, it was hers. Her own personality meshed with character as she moved on to the last words of the scene.

"No! What am I saying? He is the legendary Hitokiri Battousai! My love is useless for a man who can kill so indifferently... Yet, he swore he would protect me... could a man who murders protect? Could a man-slayer fall in love? Could he...?"

The audience was still in silence as Kaoru showed which techniques she could do. Which were all of them. (Der! She's the master of a dojo!)

Kaoru smiled at Tae to indicate it was over. She was surprised at the uproar throughout the room. "THAT WAS FANTASTIC!" "SHE IS IT! SHE IS IT!" "KAORU! KAORU KAORU!"

She blushed happily as she skipped off the stage. On her way back to her seat she saw Kenshin clapping for her behind the curtain. He mouthed "Good job".

The auditions rolled on through. Sanosuke fit perfectly for his role and was literally picked on the spot. Some people didn't even know he was reading from the script, it was very natural!

"Okay! Time to vote! We don't have time to dawdle!"

Auditions and casting happened on the same day in order to move things along quicker. In the end the results were posted on an overhead. There were groans and squeals everywhere.

Lead Male: Himura Kenshin (home-ec sensei)

Lead Female: Kamiya Kaoru (senior)

Bandanna Gangster: Sagara Sanosuke (senior, again)

Evil Couple Trying to Capture Battousai:

Man: ShishiO Makoto (janitor)

Woman: Yumi (cafeteria lady)

Girl who Guides Travelers: Makimachi Misao (junior)

Potion Maker: Takani Megumi (Assnt. School Doctor)

etc. etc.

The rehearsals were to begin the following Monday!

As everyone was dismissed Kaoru saw Misao, literally, step on people to get out the door. Kaoru spotted Aoshi walking across the street. I guess we won't be talking in the tree today. She laughed to herself. She knew she would be seeing Misao the next day anyways. Tomorrow would be Saturday and that is when they would have their weekly "homework" sessions filled with gossiping and have Jiya come in and distract them. She loved those get togethers. They were exactly what she needed after a tough morning. Saturday was also the day she went to the cemetery.

She reached into her bag to get her house keys when she felt the rustle of tissue paper.

OH NO! I FORGOT TO GIVE HIMURA-SAN THE COOKIES! She vowed to make another, unburned, batch for him on Monday.

Yahiko woke up again on Saturday to a noisy kitchen. He still had a swollen face from the day before and decided to stay in bed and be quiet until he healed. Besides, he knew better than to upset her on Saturday morning.

Kaoru hummed happily as she took the cookies out of the oven. They were perfect! Unburned, plump and lovely! She couldn't believe it! She had done it! FINALLY! She wrapped them in lavender sack of tissue paper and carefully tied it with a ribbon. People really do, do their best when they're happy!

Kaoru skipped off to the cemetery. She couldn't wait to give her father her first good batch of cookies and tell him about the school play. She made her way over to the cemetery by Kyoto Avenue.

Kaoru liked having her time with her father as private as possible. She was a little disappointed to see someone kneeling beside a grave by the entrance. She was about to pass by without another glance when she recognized it as Himura-san. "Himura-san?"

"Ah.. Kaoru-dono! Nice to see you here..." he trailed off as he realized what he was saying. They both laughed nervously. It was so not comfortable meeting your teacher on a weekend, especially at a cemetery!

Kaoru noticed the fresh flowers by the grave he had been kneeling at. She realized she interrupted his time with the person there. She began to leave, when Kenshin stood up. "Well I guess I will be going now. Congratulations on your role. I am so happy for you, Kaoru-dono."

Kaoru could only smile. He began to leave. She held up her hand to wave when she saw the lavender tissue paper. "Oh! Himura-san!"

"Yes?"

"These cookies! Please take them!"

"Oro?"

"It's the least I could do since you DID save my life, but these cookies are for you. Please accept them."

He looked apprehensive. The memories of all the times she had burned things in his class flooded back to him. But it was the meaning, not the condition of the questionable food. He accepted graciously and after thanking her, left.

Kaoru went to her father's grave and told her about her week. She explained she had given Himura the cookies because she knew her father would have wanted her to. Because he had protected her and saved her life, and isn't that something any father would be grateful for?

CUT!

Please keep reviewing! I'll upload the next one soon! (Yes, that's right, I have it done already! Wanna read it?) Bons baisers!