Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Let's Just Pretend ❯ Tumbling ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all other associated characters are owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

 

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Kaoru stormed up the stairs of the so-called “Men's Dorm,” muttering curses under her breath and completely ignoring the surprised eyes of the freshmen she passed. They acted like they'd never seen a female before when she knew for a fact that most of them pushed their girlfriends out the fire escape on surprise RA visits. She snorted. Cowards.

 

She finally reached his floor—why his lazy ass picked the sixth floor to live on, she'd never know—and was forced to a stop by one of those annoying rule-following freshmen. She turned her patented death-glare-that-never-failed-to-terrify-her-students-into-submission on the freshman. He flinched but didn't back away. The fool. Her glare intensified and she grit her teeth, reminding herself that killing freshmen was illegal. She smirked inwardly when he paled. She had to give him points for bravery even if he was being stupid. “Girls aren't supposed to be in here—”

 

Kaoru's glare narrowed dangerously. “Move.”

 

A few of the other guys stopped to watch the scene play out and she could hear the hissed advice for the freshman to surrender. For a brief moment, Kaoru thought he'd remain where he was but his self-preservation instincts finally kicked in and he stepped to the side. Wise move. She glared at him one last time as she swept past, ignoring the confiding whisper of his friend. “Hell hath no fury...”

 

She stalked to the end of the hall and stopped before a closed door. Taking a deep breath, she threw open the door so hard it bounced. The jerk had taken all her food money! “Sano!”

 

Anger vanished in an instant at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. The door bounced off the wall with a thud and her shout had just left her mouth when she noticed two things. One, Sano was most definitely not in the room and, two; a short, red-haired man was in the process of taking off his pants when she burst in. A startled sound escaped him and he lost his balance, feet getting twisted in the clothing. He landed in an unclothed heap on the floor with a pained grunt. Her eyes widened in shock before she shrieked and clamped a hand over her eyes, fumbling for the door and failing to find it. Retreat! Retreat! What was a naked man doing in Sano's room?!

 

A hand slapping over her mouth cut off her shriek suddenly and she was jerked into the room. The door slammed shut and she panicked. The naked man was holding her! She fought against him and—in a move she'd only seen in those old kung-fu movies that come on late at night—she was pinned to the floor with a panting man on top of her. Wide, violet eyes blinked down at her and, in her surprise, she stopped her struggles. While she would never admit defeat to anyone, she knew when she was beat. Besides, the guys in the kung-fu movies that refused to surrender usually died before the end... Long, red hair fell over a bare shoulder, the ends tickling her throat as he leaned over her. His knees pinned her arms to her sides and one of his hands supported her head while the other remained firmly over her mouth. Her mind blanked, lost in the sensation of his body pressing down on her. He sighed, his voice soft in her ears. “If I let you go, will you scream?”

 

She blinked stupidly at him and he seemed to take her lack of reaction as reassurance enough. He released her, watching her warily as he straightened. As he moved she got an up-close-and-personal view of his body. Lean and muscular. Yummy. She blushed at her thoughts. Shame, Kaoru! Bad! Are those puppies? He cleared his throat and Kaoru's eyes shot back to his face, her blush darkening when she saw him watching her. She valiantly tried to hide her embarrassment by glaring. “Do you mind getting your naked self off of me?”

 

Eyebrows rose over those uniquely colored eyes. Was it bad if she was envious of his coloring? How come he had such perfect hair when she fought with hers every morning and it still sucked? His head tilted slightly as he gazed down at her. “I believe I'm still clothed.”

 

If she could have, she would've folded her arms. “Put some pants on at least. Besides, the complaint was to get off of me.”

 

A light pink blush spread across his cheeks and he immediately scrambled off of her. Kaoru watched as he struggled to pull on the pants he'd just taken off before she shook herself, lowering her eyes to her lap. Her face heated again. She'd just spent the past few minutes ogling a strange man. She rose to her feet, straightening her own clothing. By the time she looked up again he'd pulled on a button-up shirt and was now watching her curiously. He smiled when he caught her eyes. “I believe you were quite mad when you entered, that you were. Was there a problem?”

 

She scowled at the reminder, starting toward the door. “Just tell that rooster-head that next time he steals my money I'll deck him.”

 

Kaoru was looking forward to hiding out in her room for the next few days. Anything to get away from the extreme embarrassment she was experiencing at the moment.

 

“Wait!”

 

She paused, turning to look back at him curiously. Didn't he want to get rid of her as well? “What?”

 

“You never told me your name?”

 

She stared at him a moment, taking in his hopeful smile before she responded. “Kaoru.”

 

He grinned at her, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking on his heels. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kaoru. I'm Kenshin.”

 

Her mouth went dry. He had practically purred her name. Is he actually flirting? She nodded once in acknowledgment and fled the room. Make the few days hiding in her room a whole week instead. If she ever saw him again, she'd die.