Please insert standard disclaimer here. You know, the one that says I own nothing.

This idea had been floating about in my head for awhile and it demanded that I let it out. Now I need to get my laundry out and hang it. Please tell me what you think. OH! This has nothing to do with the previous shorts. This is it's own mini short, or will be.

"So, you're the fresh meat."

Tokio stopped organizing her desk to look at the man who had just plopped down into the seat next to her. The first word that came to her mind was handsome, and the second, was jerk. The man seemed to know exactly what Tokio was thinking because he gave her a charming smile despite her flat and unimpressed look.

"If you mean that I am the new the teacher, then yes. I am," Tokio said a little dryly.

The man's smile widened, crossed his legs, leaned back, and snapped open his fan. Tokio could smell his cologne each time he fanned himself. He laughed, "You're going to be fun."

Tokio couldn't believe this guy; she narrowed her eyes, "And, you are?"

"Ah! Where are my manners?"

"I've been wondering that since you opened your mouth." Tokio placed her elbow on her desk and her chin in her hand and raised an eyebrow at the man. She hadn't even been in the building for more than a few hours, and already she could tell that this school was going to be unlike all others she had worked at.

He, however, was completely unfazed by his new colleague's attitude.

"We all wonder that," this from a completely different voice, a long-suffering voice. "His name's Okita Souji."

Tokio turned in her chair to watch the red-headed man, with a large cross on cheek, place his backpack on the desk behind her. "Is he always like this?"

"No, he's usually worse." He turned and gave Tokio a bow, "Himura Kenshin, I am the home room teacher for class 5. It's nice to meet you."

Tokio returned the bow and smiled her first genuine smile, "Takagi Tokio. It's nice to meet you."

"Mah mah! You just had to come and run all the fun. You're almost as bad as him." Okita pouted.

"I don't think he and I have anything in common. Thankfully."

Okita watched Kenshin start to unpack his bag, but eventually turned back to Tokio, "It's nice to meet you. I am the homeroom teacher for class 1."

Tokio gave a short nod to demonstrate that she understood, and then rolled her shoulders. "Please tell me everyone's not like you."

Okita blinked, and then laughed, "I am sorry. I am actually a really great guy." Kenshin snorted, causing Okita to throw him a nasty look. "Hush you! You're scaring her."

"We might as well prepare her. I don't know why Aoshi thought it was a good idea to place her between you and Saitou."

"Speaking of tall, dark and scary. Where is he? He's usually here way before us."

"I saw him with the Kendo club as I walked into school."

"Typical! Classes haven't even started and he has the kendo club meeting already."

"You're a fine one to talk. You're just as devoted."

"Hey! We are going to make it to nationals this year! Just wait and see."

Tokio looked from one man to the next as they talked, but finally curiosity got the best of her, "Tall, dark and scary?" It was an odd way to describe someone.

Okita turned to look at the pretty woman again, and he grinned a little conspiratorially. "The homeroom teacher for class 3." He winked. "He's going to be sitting on your right. He just got divorced, you know?"

"Okita, you shouldn't give out that kind of information," Kenshin's voice was full of warning.

Okita, completely ignored the other man. "Yaso-chan was nice, but they were all wrong for each other."

"Okita."

"It was a really ugly divorce. Things got really nasty in the end, and Saitou ended up giving her the house."

". . . Okita."

"Kenshin, will you shut up? I am trying to warn our new –" Okita, stopped talking when a wooden bokken came down upon his shoulder. Well, it stopped before making contact, but that did not stop Okita from shrieking. He spun around in his chair so that he was facing his attacker.

"I tried to warn you."

"Idiots," growled the new comer.

Tokio looked up, he was indeed very tall, and gulped. Hopefully no one noticed. The man wasn't obviously handsome in the way that Okita was, but there was something there, something that made her sit up straighter.

"Hajime! I was only trying to prepare Tokio-chan here."

This time, the man swung the bokken but let it stop so that the end of the wooden sword was touching the other man's nose. Okita pushed his chair back with so much force he sent himself flying into the back bookcase, causing the books to fall about him.

Kenshin shook his head, "Takagi-san, this is Saitou Hajime." With that he sat down at his desk, turned his back to the others, and placed his headphones in.

Saitou looked at the woman who had been placed between him and Okita, and raised an eyebrow before he too, took his seat placing the sword against his desk. "I wouldn't listen to him. He'll rot your brain."

It was in that moment that Tokio realized that it was going to be an interesting few years. "Well, I can tell this is going to be interesting."

Saitou smirked, "You have no idea."

TBC

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