A/N: Horray! An update! I just wanted to let you all know that even though it took me a couple of months to update this chapter, I've been working on other parts of this story in detail so that they'll be ready down the road. But until then, enjoy this! (^_^)

Flip-Flop

Chapter 2

"The Reality"

By JazzQuirk

Though Kaoru felt exhausted from stress, mental activity that was uncommon to her, and the physical act of just moving in, she lay wide awake at four-thirty in the morning, after getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep. Early mornings were not new to her, nor altogether unwelcomed, but she deeply wished for the benefits of a good rest before she officially started the new and hard life guaranteed to her here, and after yesterday, she was going to need to be on her game. But sleep escaped her as thoughts plagued every second ticking by.

Yesterday had been…well…

...blurred.

Or maybe chopped up. Yes, that was probably a better way of describing it – chopped. There weren't really moments that melted into others, or parts of the day that had been glossed over in her mind's memory. No, it had appeared more fragmented, like she had visited different checkpoints throughout the day and performed the duty required of her there, everything laying between those moments being used for travelling only, and completely unnoticed.

Whatever good vibes Kaoru had been feeling after Kenshin's friend Sano left the room that afternoon slowly gave way to insecurities as more people arrived on the second year floor, and the noise level increased with friends anxiously greeting those they hadn't seen over the summer holiday. Actually, if she really thought about the first meeting with her roommate and his friend, those hadn't been good vibes either. They were merely subtle butterflies that she had convinced herself of otherwise in her delusion. And as the day went on, those butterflies switched from being a small little bundle of nerves settling in her stomach to a large swarm of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her entire body.

After Sagara Sanosuke had departed for the time being, Kenshin and Kaoru lapsed into a comfortable silence while they finished unpacking. Kenshin initiated a little idle talk here and there, and Kaoru was torn between staying busy by chatting with the guy or keeping her silence to prevent any accidental slip-ups of her true identity. Neither helped to make her feel more comfortable with the situation, and it wasn't until Kenshin left the room to go visit some of his own arriving friends that Kaoru realized how tense she'd been.

The one thing Kaoru had always hated about real life (and science class) was that plans often worked better in theory than in action. Standing alone in that dorm room attempting to hide her tampons definitely made her think she'd been mistaken in thinking she could pull this off. How long could she avoid the large mass of boys standing right outside her door? And even if she could do that for awhile, how long could she fool Kenshin before he picked up on those little idiosyncrasies that were impossible to hide as a member of the opposite sex? Would he confront her about it? Would he hurt her? How much trouble would she really get in?

What made her believe that this plan could ever actually work?!

Kenshin arrived back in the room a few minutes after she'd tucked away what few feminine products she'd brought in a bag under her bed. Her heart had given a little leap when he didn't knock upon entering and interrupted her thoughts. She caught herself just in time when her hand came up in a nervous gesture to brush hair behind her ear and she managed to turn it into a comb of the fingers through her entire hair – a move she'd watched plenty of guys do before.

Feeling on edge, the beginnings of trepidation setting in, she followed Kenshin down to the cafeteria for dinner when he offered to show her the ropes. They joined another pair of guys on their way down to dinner, and together they took the elevator to the first floor.

By that time, Kaoru was talking herself into just making it through the first night and then she would go back upstairs, call Megumi, and get the hell out. Even if she had to cry, whine, and beg her cousin to forgive her for her idiocy, she'd do it.

One look into the crowded dining area seemed to confirm her worst fears, and Kaoru hastily decided to grab a microwaveable bento and go back to the room in lieu of joining Kenshin and his friends for dinner. He must have figured she was nervous or homesick because he gave an understanding nod and didn't say anything else as she left in the opposite direction.

The small minimart was empty except for her and the cashier, and back up on the fifth floor she met the same scenario, say for a few stragglers who lazily made their way down to dinner. Once inside the room, Kaoru threw the bento into the microwave, though she had no real intention of eating it. She relocked the door on her way to her bed and pulled out her cell phone.

She pushed number two for Megumi's speed dial and the number flashed onto the screen.

But she didn't get the chance to push the SEND button as Misao's name lighted up the phone.

"Misao?" Kaoru answered tentatively, eager and desperate to hear the voice of a close friend. They had agreed to not call each other too often so people wouldn't be suspicious of her talking to a girl all the time.

"Kaoru! Oh my god, Kaoru, is that you?! Are you okay? Is everything working–"

"Yes, yes, it's me. I'm fin–"

"out? Are you settled in yet? Were there any problems? Who's your roommate! What's-he-like? Did-he-say-anything? Is-he-suspicious? Have-you-met-any–"

Kaoru had held the phone a good distance away from her at this point and let Misao finish her rampant questioning uninterrupted. Everything the vocally-hyped girl said could still be made out quite clearly as Kaoru settled her head into her hand, elbows settling onto her knees. She hoped that Kenshin didn't decide to return soon as Misao's questions began to range from loud, aggressive shouts to conspiratorial whispers, as if someone might be around and could over hear them.

Thankfully, Misao ran out of breath fairly quickly.

Kaoru put the phone back to her ear. "Are you finished yet?

Only labored breathing came through for a moment, and then a soft, "…yeah."

Kaoru smiled gently, comforted by the familiarity of a habit that usually annoyed her. She tried to start up a normal conversation before Misao could get worked up again, "Now what was your first question?"

"Are…are you…" Misao took in a large gulp of air on the other side of the line and exhaled, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Misao."

"Fine? Only fine? I'd've thought you'd be jumping off the walls with glee after having sacrificed your whole summer to plan for this thing!"

"Oh, well…"

"What? Did something happen? Is something wrong?"

Kaoru could feel the nerves in her stomach again. "No, it's just that…" the words stuck in her throat, but Misao waited quietly until she could finish, "…I'm not sure I can do this."

Kami, she was such a coward.

"WHAT!? What do you mean you can't do this? Of course you can, you've been planning this for months! You were so confident when you left this morning. What made you change your mind?"

"I…I don't know," Kaoru replied honestly, not really sure anymore as to what had caused the insecurities. "I guess it," she fought for the right words to explain what she was feeling, "just feels like everyone can see right through me – not through me like I'm invisible or anything, but through my disguise. It's as if knowing I'll only ever be surrounded by boys at any given moment has made me feel more girly than I've ever been in my whole life!"

Kaoru thought she might have heard a snicker on the other end, but if she did, then it was convincingly turned into a cough.

"Kaoru, we've had this talk before!" Misao's remark may have sounded a little exclamatory, but Kaoru could already feel the amount of support her best friend was about to pour into her next words. "You have spent your entire life in that dojo surrounded by boys, and you've shown each and every one of them whose boss. You said it yourself that going to an all-boys school to practice kendo would feel just like home!"

Kaoru thought back to all the wonderful memories of training and teaching at their dojo in Tokyo, and tried to compare those experiences to the ones she was having in Kyoto. She couldn't come up with anything considering she had avoided any unnecessary contact with the teenage boys around her.

"I know what I said, Misao, but this is different. I'm not just training with these guys, I'm coexisting."

"Oh my god, it's your roommate, isn't it?"

"What? No, my roommate has nothing to do with this."

"Did he say something? Like about you being too pretty? Did the clothes we buy not work very well?"

"No, no, Misao, he didn't say anything. In fact, he was really nice and–"

"Is he hot?"

A moment's delay. "Eh–"

"He is, isn't he!"

Kaoru could feel a blush working its way up onto her cheeks and thanked the heavens no one had been around to see it. She figured it to be a too late to try and deny Misao's accurate guess and covered her eyes with her free hand as if that might make it easier to admit. "He's pretty good-looking…"

There was a scream on the other end.

"I knew it! I knew it! I was afraid this was going to happen! Now you can't concentrate because you have the hots for your sexy roommate and that's why you've lost your nerve!"

"Misao! My roommate has nothing to do with me wanting to go home!" Kaoru tried to keep the conversation light-hearted, but Misao's arbitrary reasoning was starting to get on her nerves. Her words didn't seem to have any effect though.

"Ugh! I wish I could be there with you right now! I remember when we went to visit Kyoto to stake out the school and there were so many hot guys there. I have to admit, for a little while there, I was sooo totally jealous that you were going there, –"

"Misao," Kaoru could feel the urge to smash her head on the wall beginning to emerge.

" –until, you know, I considered the circumstances, but now I'm still wishing I could have snuck in there with you and found that tall, dark, and handsome piece of ass we saw th–"

"MISAO!"

Misao stopped.

"You are not helping!"

A few seconds passed with no response, until Misao could conjure up a feeble apology.

Whatever pep talk Kaoru had been looking for apparently wouldn't come from Misao. "If you aren't going to help, then I'm going to hang up before my roommate comes back and asks why I'm talking to an overly-excited, little girl about hot roommates."

"Well what do you want me to say? This whole thing was your idea in the first place and Megumi tried to talk you out of it all summer!"

"Just convince me everything's going to be okay!"

"BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT!"

They said nothing, and Kaoru was sure she'd never felt lower in her life.

"Kaoru…?"

Water started to gather in her eyes, but she wiped them away angrily.

"Kaoru?"

"What?" The word sounded bitter, and she hated it.

"Listen to me, Kaoru," Misao paused, to think or to give Kaoru time to refuse, she didn't know, "you're in a serious situation."

Another pause.

"After everything that's happened – your father, the dojo, that man – I can't say that everything's going to be alright. Fate has already proven me wrong on that twice."

Kaoru nodded, forgetting that Misao couldn't see her. A hot tear trickled down to her cheek, despite her fierce attempts to hold them back. She wiped it away on her sleeve and sniffled loudly.

"The time ahead of you, it's not going to be easy, you made sure of that. But if you give up now, you're going to regret it the rest of your life."

She let the words sink in, but a small part of her resisted, "May-maybe I could–"

"No! You can't! There's nothing else you can do, and you made me realize that! Kaoru, you're good, but you're not that good, and with your father gone you need the best teacher you can get. This is your best chance of getting the training you need and nothings going to stop you from getting it!"

The tears let up, and Kaoru could feel the fire coming back to life. "You're right," she said more weakly than she intended, the sobs she'd choked back clogging up her throat.

"Of course I'm right! I'm right because it's the truth, and if you forget why you're there then you'll never make it in that school!"

Yes, she had forgotten why she'd come here, ever after putting up a defiant front for her cousin just this morning. But all the reasons were starting to flood back to her now.

"You need to kick whatever stupid thoughts you're having out of your head right now. You're just being paranoid! You're there for a reason more important than anyone else's who goes to that school and you give hell to anyone who makes you feel otherwise. Use that neat pinch move I've seen you do, that's always been effective."

Kaoru laughed softly, and it was a feeling so good she wanted to hurry up and do it again.

"Okay, Kaoru?"

A relaxation began to settle in the back of her shoulders where stress was beginning to make knots, and she started nodding again, "Okay."

"There, was that helpful?"

Kaoru laughed again, and this time it was much more hearty and genuine. "Yes, very."

"Good."

"Thanks, Misao."

"No problem."

"I really needed that," Kaoru admitted, the last of her tears getting soaked into her shirt sleeve.

"Yeah, well, I figured you'd be needing one at some point, I just wasn't counting on it being so soon."

"Me neither."

"Just take some photos of your roommate naked for me and we'll call it even."

"Okay, sounds like a deal, but I think I better go and wash my face before anyone sees me."

"Alright, but keep me updated! I'll be worried about you now."

Kaoru wanted to reach through the phone and hug the girl, "Okay, talk to you later."

"Bye. Sleep tight!"

Kaoru doubted that would be the case on this particular night (and she'd been right seeing as she was laying awake at four-thirty in the morning thinking about yesterday).

After that phone call, Kaoru's spirits felt higher, and she forced herself to think about everything that had transpired in the last six months. An older man's smiling face came to focus in her mind – dark haired; the tops of his broad, square shoulders; a stern face but with a loving smile known only to her; and brown eyes that showed a spirit like no other.

And then another man appeared in her mind, also smiling…

…but far from lovingly.

The two men's images swapped back and forth in her mind's eye, each change bringing back a shred of the determination she'd had this summer – and, which, had unfortunately disappeared thus far.

Kaoru got up and checked the bento in the microwave. Her hunger had come back with a vengeance, and the bell had gone off unheeded during her phone call with Misao. She timed in another minute to warm it back up.

Then she sank onto the floor next to her bed and pulled a bag out from underneath it.

She hadn't wanted to unpacked the item in front of Kenshin, but she wasn't sure if the item was allowed anyway. The school may be highly unique in the types of clubs it offered, but that still didn't mean weapons were allowed inside the dorms.

Kaoru pulled the item out and unwrapped the cushioning cloth around it.

She balanced the bokken perfectly between her spaced hands and handled it with all the care in the world. The words inscribed along the base were enough to bring fresh tears to her eyes, but she refrained.

To my beloved daughter. May she succeed in all she fights for.

…what was she doing?

The image of her father standing in the doorway of their dojo ran through her mind like a wildfire. His hakama and gi shown with a glow unbefitting their use, and his high ponytail blew in a wind she couldn't feel. A bokken stood like a staff in front, the tip pointed into the deck beneath his feet and his hands folded on top of each other over the hilt. His body spoke with presence, but his smile was gentle and comforting.

What was she doing?

Her trembling hands enclosed in a tight grip around the sword, the feel of the word permeating strength into her arms. It resembled the same strength she'd felt upon receiving the sword as a gift from her father for finally reaching the level of adjutant master at the dojo.

WHAT WAS SHE DOING!?

Her father had been right when choosing to put those words on the wood. He knew – as did she, though in her stubbornness she'd forgotten – that the only things worth having were those worth fighting for. How could she give up before she'd even started? What had all that planning been for? And what the hell was she thinking by calling Megumi of all people!?

No, she came here with goal, a purpose. A purpose that meant more than life to her. A goal that she'd do anything to reach, even if it was dangerous or stupid.

The microwave bell went off. Kaoru hurriedly wrapped the sword back in its cloth and hid it back in the bag underneath the bed. A warm, microwavable dinner was bound to make her feel better. In fact, it felt just like home.

Yes, yesterday had been her first big breakdown since this whole situation started, but she felt better after having it. The fear and anxiety had slowly ebbed away from her mind last night as she lay in bed thinking about all that had transpired in the last six months to drive her to this point and those thoughts drove her resolve to the max. She felt more determined than ever to see this thing through.

There was only one tiny other problem to deal with.

Kenshin…

…and his hotness.

Or actually, just his hotness. Kenshin, himself, seemed to be a pretty easy going guy.

But kami – the sight of his half-naked body last night as he changed into his pajamas was almost enough to revert her back into female mode and send her on the prowl.

Kaoru turned to look at the young man destined to be her roommate for the whole school year and wondered if she shouldn't take up Sano's offer to exchange roommates before it was too late. But without knowing too much about either Kenshin or Sano, she might just end up moving into a real problem. Especially after Sano painted such a favorable image of her roommate and…less of his (you know, with this Kamawatari's or whoever's possible "interest" in her and all). Plus, it would be just down right rude to Kenshin, who hadn't really done anything to her yet and who most obviously didn't want Sano as a roommate.

Well, she was most certainly going to have to do something. Maybe she could convince Kenshin to grow some grotesque body hair and say it would make him manlier. That would definitely put her off, but she doubted such a gorgeous body could grow hair that repulsive – or any at all for that matter.

No, she didn't think there was anything she could get Kenshin to do or wear that would hide those smooth and attractive features, and nothing less than twenty pounds was going to make that sexy butt of his go away. She would have to do something to herself, some sort of mental block that wouldn't allow her to view Kenshin as boyfriend (or boy-toy) material.

But no mental block was coming to her this morning and she wasn't falling anymore asleep, so she might as well get up and do something progressive. She hadn't gotten the chance to explore the bath and shower situation yet, so she grabbed her uniform and tooth brush and headed there first, careful not to wake her roommate on the way out.

Because the school was so small and unpopulated, they could afford to be a little more luxurious and spacious with all their amenities. Kaoru passed the study lounge on their floor and saw comfortable chairs and a nice size TV, along with tables of various shapes and sizes. She continued down the middle hallway and found the bathroom entrance between the two staircases (which were still a couple doors down on either side) almost right across from the lounge.

She made a quick check for people down the hallway. With nobody in sight, she pushed the door to the bathroom open tentatively and listened for any signs of life. Hearing none, she let herself in.

Class didn't start until 8:45, and Kaoru was glad to hear no 5:30 early birds like herself (though, by preference, she really wasn't either) awaiting her inside the bathroom. Immediately after entering the bathroom a wall appeared, leading to an opening on either side of it. There were turns down both ways that blocked her from seeing which way led to what. She decided to take the right first and, after turning again, saw the room open up into a rectangular space with sinks and toilets – and the unnecessary urinals. Going back the other way revealed a room of the same shape, but with showers and mirrors; and, upon further inspection, Kaoru was delighted to find the showers to be private! There were three stalls raised up on a two-step platform, sort of hidden behind another tiled wall with a large gap in the middle. All of the showers had log curtains that brushed the floor and tall divisions between them. On the opposite wall were full and half length body mirrors, some with ledges protruding out beneath them and two electric air dryers on the small back wall.

If Kaoru were at an all-girl school and discovered that this was the bathroom in her dorm, she'd be ecstatic. But knowing that this was a boy dorm, and that boys generally (in her experience) didn't care too much about their hygiene, she found it amazing that the facilities were so nice. Not to mention the full length mirrors a little out of place.

Though, when she thought about it, there were a lot of good looking guys here.

Regardless, the private showers took a bit of pressure off of her and Kaoru contemplated taking one right now. But she didn't bring her stuff and didn't feel like starting her day off paranoid that someone would walk in on her. Instead, she went back to the other side and began brushing her teeth, checking out her new image in the mirror.

Kaoru had waited until the day before she left Tokyo to get her hair cut and the process had been emotionally trying. Ten years of long hair had been gone in an instant, and she couldn't stop from crying, try as she might. The light weight was still new to the muscles in her neck, which were used to compensating for a heavier load. Even her fingers hadn't adjusted to the boyish-bob, the sensation of running her fingers through her hair always seeming to end abruptly and without warning. But Megumi said that the mushroom cut would be the most convincing aspect of her disguise and Kaoru had to agree.

Her hair no longer had any layers or cute styling abilities, and the buzzed section in the back made her neck cold, but she did get to keep some bangs. Being able to have some length made her feel less exposed. Her hair had always been a sort of security blanket, an everlasting testimony to her femininity, which was always thrown into question by the lifestyle she and her father lead. But now even that was gone, and all she had left was her will to continue without material things.

Although…she did notice that Kenshin had long hair and Kaoru would be lying if she didn't admit that she was a little jealous of that fact, even if it did look good with his physique.

Finished brushing her teeth, Kaoru changed into her uniform, checking to make sure her breast bindings were securely in place. She went back to the shower side and gave herself the once over in the full-length mirrors, wondering if anyone would be able to tell the difference in her body shape. Megumi and she had decided to order the small size, ready to make alterations if anything was too tight, but even that size was a bit baggy on Kaoru's lithe frame, much to her and her cousin's pleasure. The extra material seemed to do a good job of swallowing up any identifiable features of Kaoru's body and Megumi had only had to alter the lengths.

The colors of the school were reflected in the uniforms. Kaoru was wearing the "summer" version right now (if you could really call it that) with navy blue slacks; a thin, white, cotton, button-up shirt; a matching navy blue tie; and a pale yellow sweater vest with the school crest over the left breast. The crest was an overly elegant "S" with a detailed design of curvy lines around it, outlined in blue. The sweater vest was an excellent addition to hiding her breasts, and would be optimal to wear when summer really did arrive – even though during the hotter months it was optional.

Kaoru gave herself one more look over and then exited the bathroom. She stood alone in the hallway for a minute, thinking about what to do next. Returning to her room seemed less than beneficial right now, but there was nothing left for her to see down this hallway. Then she remembered the stairs.

With nothing better to do and no over daunting group of boys to scare her away, Kaoru bound for the stairs and headed to the floors below. She knew the fourth floor belonged to the first years, and she'd heard yesterday that the third floor housed staff and faculty that stayed on campus. The first floor was obviously the lobby and cafeteria, which left only the second floor for exploration.

The stairs didn't have doors between them and the floors, so when Kaoru reached the second level landing she could instantly see what the space was for. A small placard next the entryway read 2ND FLOOR: RECREATION.

If Kaoru thought the bathroom was nice, then this room really put the icing on the cake.

Stepping into the main area, Kaoru scanned the floor, hardly believing that a place like this could be part of a high school, private or not. Right in the middle of the open area were games and other leisure activities scattered about: pool tables, foosball, air hockey, a big screen TV, ping pong, a stereo system, and card tables. Her mouth really dropped open when she read the placard on the door to her right that read BATH, and went inside to find a fully decked out public bath and shower area.

She quickly moved back into the main area to check out the other walled off areas. To the left of the entrance were two rooms with no doors that Kaoru could clearly make out as a kitchen and laundry area. There was also another area opposite all the games and entrance that, when Kaoru got close enough to look inside, revealed a fully equipped weight room.

This school was nothing like any of the others she'd attended in her lifetime and it seemed ridiculous that a school this size could afford so much. It made her sick to think how much of her tuition went to all of this.

Then a noise came out from the kitchen and sent her heart racing.

Kaoru quickly closed the door to the weight room and looked around for a place to hide. Frenzied, she quietly made her way back to the entrance thinking to escape before she was found, but stopped short of the staircase.

What exactly was she running away from again?

Kaoru smacked herself in the forehead for her own stupidity and cowardice. How absolutely ridiculous that she thought to run away, as if someone seeing her now could get her in trouble. Wasn't she in disguise? Isn't this why she got her haircut? And obviously they wouldn't think it weird that she was up this early in the morning if they were here as well.

She took a deep breath to calm herself and shook her head to recollect her composer.

You're a boy now, Kaoru, so act like one.

Kaoru turned back around and headed towards the kitchen, determined to treat this as a test of her new self.

Be a boy, act normal. Be a boy, act normal.

She came to a stop at the entrance of the kitchen.

A tall, young man looked up from his cup of tea.

"Good morning," Kaoru greeted before she could loose her nerve, projecting the best tenor voice she could muster.

The man said nothing, continuing to sip his tea while looking at her. Kaoru felt her butterflies flutter in the wrong direction, and held her breath unintentionally.

The ceramic cup lowered from his lips, and he inhaled briefly.

"Good morning."

Feeling as if she'd just been let out of the tightest death grip Kaoru had ever had the pleasure of being in, she exhaled.

She was in the clear.

Kaoru realized that she really hadn't planned past that particular moment and searched her mind hurriedly for something normal to talk about, "Are you a new student?"

He made a pointed look at her and took a few seconds to respond again. "No."

"Oh…" Stupid question. She threw a hand up behind her head to try and play it off, grinning sheepishly. "I thought maybe you might be because you're up so early. You know, anxious with class starting today and all, like me."

"Mm."

She looked back to the room filled with games and then to the student. "Quite an impressive recreation room we've got here."

Another sip. "Aah."

Kaoru started to wonder if this guy was simply cranky in the mornings or if it was his personality. Perhaps it'd be better if she left him alone.

She made a look towards the staircase and decided that'd probably be the best choice right now and turned to say her goodbyes, "Well, I thin–"

"Whose your roommate?" the teen asked unexpectedly.

Kaoru's mind went blank. "Eh?"

"Whose your roommate?"

"Um," Crap, what was his name again? Hiroshi, Hiroma, Hiruma – oh yeah! Himura!

"It's Himura. Himura Kenshin, I believe."

The dark-haired student suddenly gave an all too knowing smirk. "Aah…"

Kaoru made a note to figure out what was so special about her roommate. This guy was already the second person to have a good correlation with the redhead.

"Stay close to him - he'll take care of you."

Huh?

"Oh, okay. Thanks." She said, definitely intent on getting back to the room now. "It was nice meeting you…" she trailed off, hoping he would fill in the part with his name.

"Shinomori." Then he gave a questioning look, apparently waiting for her name.

"Kamiya," she said, deciding to abide by his last name only rule.

He gave a nod of acknowledgement.

She returned it and then turned to leave. "Have a nice day," she called as she headed for the stairs.

Kaoru had made a speedy return to her room, but had the unfortunate surprise of turning around after closing the door at the exact moment that Kenshin was getting up.

And receiving more than an eyeful.

"Ack!" Kaoru jumped back only to slam into the door. She saw Kenshin flinch at her outburst and stare at her in wonder.

"What?" he asked, thinking something had happened that he hadn't noticed upon waking. He looked around the room, checking to see if he'd missed something.

But he wasn't going to see what startled Kaoru unless he took a look at his own body – his shirtless body, and sexy disheveled hair, and…and…oh god, was that a tent in his pants?

Kaoru could feel her cheeks flame and forced her eyeballs back into her sockets. Was she witnessing her roommate with a morning wood?!

Must make a speedy getaway!

Quick enough to hurt her neck, Kaoru whipped her head to focus her eyes on her dresser and away from Kenshin. "It's nothing," she said. "You surprised me, that's all."

"Oh," Kenshin relaxed and scratched an itch in his side, smiling a little at his quirky roommate, but Kaoru wasn't looking at him to see it.

Still embarrassed and shocked, Kaoru dived onto her bead and buried her head into her pillows, determined not to look at Kenshin or let him see her. She listened silently as he moved about the room, presumably getting ready for day.

"You're up early," he commented.

"I couldn't sleep," Kaoru replied, glad for anything to distract from the mental images now burned into her brain.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little," she admitted.

The sound of clothes rustling reached her ears, sending a fresh wave of mental images her way.

"Don't worry, this is a great school. The teachers are great and the guys are pretty good for the most part. I can show you around if you'd like."

Stay close to him – he'll take care of you.

Yeah, he was "taking care of her" alright…

But maybe she could handle herself better once he'd put some real clothes on.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Kaoru lied.

She reached to check the clock on her phone. It was still only 6:30 A.M.

Kaoru must have fallen asleep shortly after that because she awoke to the feeling of someone jostling her shoulder gently sometime later.

"-oru? Kaoru? Wake up."

Her eyes blinked open blurrily, and something red came into focus.

"Do you want to go to breakfast?"

The sound of Kenshin's voice brought her back to reality and she shot up in her bead, now fully awake.

"What time is it?" Kaoru asked, looking for her phone bewilderedly.

"About quarter to eight," Kenshin said, handing her phone to her from its place on the nightstand.

Kaoru took it from him, trying to shake away the last of the grogginess, "Thanks."

"Do you want come down for breakfast, or do you feel like skipping again?"

She looked at him questioningly, thinking he was making fun of her, but saw that his request was genuine. If she wanted to integrate into the student body, she should probably take the opportunity.

"No, I'll go today."

He gave her a friendly smile. "Great. Grab your stuff and we'll head down."

Kaoru watched as he moved away from her bed to get his own stuff. Her heart was pounding from the surprise of being woken up, and she took a moment to rub her eyes and take a few deep breaths. Hopefully she'd get used to waking up in this place, because she didn't think she'd survive long being this fidgety all the time.

No wonder squirrels weren't nice.

Glancing again at Kenshin, she saw he was almost ready to go. Hopping out of bed, she went over to her own desk and started putting in the few items she'd need for today into her mandatory book case. Then she gave her hair a quick comb through with her hands, grabbed her blazer for the opening ceremony later, keys, and book case, and followed Kenshin out the door.

Be a boy, act normal. Be a boy, act normal.