Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Taboo ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Thanks also for your patience. I have midterms coming up so I’m trying to balance writing and studying. A few words to my reviewers:

This chapter is boring (took me forever to write), but a lot of important characters are being introduced, so please bear with me (and my story!). I understand 500% if I don’t get any comments for this chapter. Well, here it is!

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Kaor u was floored. Sitting before her was Kenshin in a white dress shirt and tie with black dress pants and black shoes. He almost looked like a different man in that outfit. She numbly took a seat towards the back of the class. Kenshin’s eyes followed her and met her sapphire stare of disbelief. She looked down.

Kenshin snapped out of it and said, “Good morning, class. I’m Himura-sensei and I’ll be your History AP teacher.” He stood up and began to hand out some papers. “This is the semester’s syllabus. It’s pretty straight forward, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I’m sure you’ve all heard rumors about my class and my grading system. Yes, I am difficult but I would like to think that I am also fair. Remember that this is a college prepatory course. I expect only your best work and your best behavior. Even though your best is a C, that’s okay as long as it is your best. I do not tolerate immaturity or irresponsibility from an AP class.” He smiled to soften his words. “There will be three major exams this semester, with assignments and quizzes in between. I do not offer extra credit.”

“No . . .” a boy whined.

“I do not assign group projects.”

“Yes!” a girl cheered.

“Instead you will be writing research papers.”

The entire class groaned.

“For this class you are not required to know specific dates because I believe that it is more important to know what happened, than when it happened. Please feel free talk to me before or after class if you need any help. You can also email me. My email is on the syllabus. Any questions?”

A boy with long bangs raised his hand. “So we don’t have to know any dates?”

“Only the major ones. For example, the Bakumatsu. Does anyone know when that was?”

“A long time ago,” a student said.

Kenshin smiled. “We’ll be going over that subject later on in the semester. Any other questions?”

Nobody said anything.

“Good. I’ll take role then.”

Wait, I have a question, Kaoru thought as he began to call the names of students. Are you really Kenshin? The man who’s been coming to Cafe Tae almost every day for the past month? The man I’ve flirted shamelessly with and who finally asked me out? The man I’ve dreamt about every night since I met him? You’re my History teacher?

“Kamiya Kaoru?”

She looked up. His eyes were on her, waiting for her to acknowledge him. “Here,” she said, barely above a whisper. He continued down the list. She couldn’t believe how . . . normal he was acting. He didn’t look a bit disturbed or shocked, except when she first walked in the room. It seemed like he was treating this like it was no big deal. She shook her head. It wasn’t a big deal. They barely knew each other. She hadn’t even known his last name. Kaoru sat straighter in her chair. Well, if Kenshin didn’t care about what had happened, then neither would she.

But he did care. He was shaken to the core. It took every ounce of discipline he could conjure up from his mind and body to follow the day’s lesson plan as if nothing had happened. He couldn’t believe he fell for a high school student. His student. And he had fallen pretty damned hard. Kenshin stole a glance towards the back of the class. Kaoru was looking straight at him. She was trying to be nonchalant, but her eyes couldn’t fool him. She was angry . . . and hurt. He needed to talk to her.

“Hanai Manami,” he continued down the role sheet.

“Here,” a familiar green-eyed girl said coolly.

Kaoru looked closely at her. Hey, that’s the girl who slapped the boy in the stairwell. Misao’s words echoed through her mind. ‘They’ll eat you alive . . . They are the richest, meanest, most popular girls in school.’ Popular people annoyed her. She didn't think that they would actually be like the stereotypes on TV, but she assumed that stereotypes had to have come from somewhere. She inwardly groaned. Why does she have to be in my class? This was going to be a long year.

The bell finally rang, indicating that first period was over. Kaoru regretted sitting in the back because the people in front of her took their sweet time leaving. All she wanted to do was get out of the classroom as fast as her legs could carry her. “Excuse me,” she said as she squeezed past others blocking her aisle. She headed straight for the door without even the slightest glance at her teacher.

Several students came up to Kenshin asking some questions, caging him to his desk. He saw Kaoru worming her way to the door out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to stop her without gathering any attention, but by the time he could look to the door, he only saw her ponytail swaying down the hallway.

Kaoru walked to her next class on the third floor. She was still a little shocked her previous discovery. Based on her previous encounters with Kenshin, she never would have guessed that he was a teacher. Maybe a model. She shook her head. The scar on his cheek took away the pretty-boy look. Instead, it made him look devilishly rugged and rough. He would have made a good pirate; but perhaps he was too kind to be a pirate. Stop thinking about him!

Kaoru found her class and walked in. Half of the seats were already taken. Deciding to sit in the middle section of the class, she took a seat beside a boy with a mushroom cut. He smiled at her. “Hi. Are you new?”

Kaoru smiled back. “Yes, I am. How does everyone know that?”

He scratched the back of his head. “I’m our class president, so I practically know every face in our grade. I’m Seta Soujiro, by the way.”

“Kamiya Kaoru.”

“So how do you like the school so far?”

“Hey Sou!”

“Hey Souji!”

A couple of girls interrupted their conversation.

“Hey!” he greeted back and accepted the hugs they gave him.

Blue eyes watched Soujiro. He seemed like he was popular too, but he wasn’t mean. At least he didn't seem to be. Perhaps he was rich, but that didn’t matter to her. All she knew was that she liked his smile and was grateful for his company.

“I’m sorry,” he turned his attention to her, “you were saying?”

“Oh . . . I like it.” She didn’t want to say anything about Kenshin.

“It’s tricky trying to find all your classes, isn’t?”

“Yeah, it is. I didn’t expect the school to be so big.”

“What school did you come from?”

“Oh, I was home schooled.”

“Really? Wow. What was that like?”

“A lot different than this. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both, though.”

“Must have been tough to make friends.”

“Not really. I played with kids in my neighborhood. It’s not as lonely or boring as everyone thinks.”

“So what made you switch from home school to public school?”

The bell rang.

“Good morning, Azusa High!”

Everyone looked at the TV at the front of the room.

“This is Makimachi Misao with your daily bulletin! For lunch, our cafeteria will be serving spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread – ”

Soujiro leaned towards Kaoru. “That means over cooked noodles in a red sauce that rats fell in, with old, sour butter on hotdog buns.”

She stifled a laugh.

“ – and don’t forget to mark your calendars for Club Day this Friday. Freshmen! Remind your homeroom teachers – which is the teacher you have now – to give you our school-welcoming packet. And try not to get lost too much. That’s all the announcements for today. Have a great first day everybody!”

The teacher turned the TV off. “Good morning, students. This is Statistics AP and I am Sasaki-sensei. Second period, as you all know, is your homeroom; so if there is ever an emergency or a drill, always look for your homeroom classmates or me. Why don’t we go over the safety procedures first?”

Misao then walked into the classroom. Soujiro waved her over. She smiled widely and sat behind Kaoru.

“Hey! I know you!” she whispered enthusiastically. “Hey Sou! Did you meet Kaoru?”

“Yeah, I did. When did you two meet?” He directed his question to Kaoru.

“Misao helped me find my class this morning,” she answered.

“Oh my god, Sou, you should have been there. That Manami bitch slapped a freshmen in the stairwell today, and Kaoru was going to beat her ass.”

Kaoru had a wary expression. “Ano, Misao, don’t you think you’re exagger– ”

“I stopped her in time,” the smaller girl said excitedly. “Can you imagine what would have happened?”

“Misao-dono,” the teacher suddenly called.

She immediately quieted.

“Do you have any more announcements you would like to make?”

“No,” she squeaked.

“Then let’s cut the noise, shall we?”

“Hai.”

“Now,” Sasaki-sensei continued, “I assume everyone has picked up their textbooks?”

Half the class responded.

“Well I suggest for those of you who haven’t picked up your books yet hurry over to the library during your break to get one.” She picked up some chalk and began writing on the board. “Let me begin by going over what Statistics is and how much we’ll be covering.”

After class finished, the bell rang, now indicating a ten-minute break. Kaoru stood to leave.

“Where’s your next class?” Soujiro asked.

Kaoru pulled out her schedule. “I have English.”

“AP?”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Don’t tell me you know that because you’re the class president.”

Soujiro laughed. “No. In most cases, if you’re in one AP class, you’re in all AP classes. Which room are you in?”

“Three-o-nine.”

“Me too!”

“Really?!”

“Let me see your schedule,” Misao interjected. Kaoru gave her the paper. “Hey! We have fourth period Physics AP together!”

“Oh, I'm so glad I'll know people in my next two classes!”

Misao beamed. “We’re going to be great friends! I can tell.”

Kaoru laughed. Her heart felt so light. She didn’t think she could make friends so quickly.

“Come on, guys,” Soujiro said. “Let’s go to our lockers and switch our books.”

She noticed that Soujiro and Misao were more popular than she expected. Students male and female approached them to talk or just to say hi. Third period went by quickly for Kaoru. Fourth period was a little awkward for her because there wasn't enough seats in the class. After everyone sat down, a skinny boy with large glasses and severe acne was the only one without a desk. Kaoru offered him to take her seat beside Misao (much to her friend’s dismay) and said she wouldn’t mind standing until the teacher’s aid brought in another desk. She had to stand for over half of the period when the aid finally came. Afterwards she got an earful from Misao about the boy, Shota Hirano. She thought he was weird, creepy, and smelly. Kaoru only felt sorry for him.

Soon the lunch bell rang and the two girls went to meet Soujiro outside of the school. He was with two other seniors when they found him. After introducing Kaoru to them, the group walked to a pizza parlor across the street. They ate, talked, laughed, and gave Kaoru a tour of the school. Then they all went to their fifth period classes.

It was finally sixth period. Kaoru was an office aid. The school secretary told Kaoru her responsibilities, such as putting notices in teachers’ mailboxes, making photocopies, or other errands that needed to be carried out. However, because it was the first day of school, there wasn’t much to do. The secretary said she could work on homework, but there was no homework to be done. So, Kaoru wandered around the office premises, waiting for the bell’s dismissal.

She stared out a window from the empty teacher's lounge and thought of her previous class. It was Music. She didn’t really want to take it, but she needed a Fine Arts credit in order to graduate. It was her worst class. When she walked in the room, she heard a guy say, “Check out the new babe.” She hated being talked about, and she hated being called a babe. Also, the students in that class seemed rowdier and strange. She thought it was because it wasn’t an AP class. And then, Hanai Manami was in her class again. Her mind reflected back to her lunch conversation when the group was giving her a tour and tips.

“Number one,” Shogo, a tall jock-looking guy, said emphatically, “if you want to live past forty, don’t eat the cafeteria food. Ever.”

“Number two,” a girl named Reika said, “don’t go behind the A-wing after school. That’s where all the druggies go.”

“Number three,” Soujiro said with his smile, “if the principal ever talks to you, don’t breathe. His breath is known to make sulfur smell like roses.”

“What if I breathe through my mouth?” Kaoru asked.

“Don't,” Misao interjected. “You’ll be able to taste his breath, and that is debatably worse.”

“What about Manami?”

Shogo sneered. “What about her?”

“What would she have done to me if I stood up to her in the stairwell?”

“She probably would have expelled you,” Reika said.

Kaoru eyes widened. “She can do that? Why would she do that?”

“Cause she can,” Misao shrugged.

“How?”

“That’s what we can’t find out,” Shogo said. "When she doesn't like a student, she frames the student for doing something they didn't do and is then expelled. When she doesn't like a teacher, she gets them fired the same way. Last year she didn't like her math teacher, so she reported to the school board that he sexually harassed her, but everyone knew that he didn't."

"Why can't you stop her?"

"Manami makes evidence if she is accusing. She leaves no evidence if she is being accused. We don't know how she does it. She's crazy. But smart. I'm part of the journalism team. I'm going to find out how she does what she does and print it all over the school newspaper." He looked at Kaoru. "It would be best if you kept your distance from her. She can't bother you if she doesn't know you exist."

Kaoru groaned. "She's in my History class."

"Don't worry about it. You'll be okay," Reika commented. "So who do you have for History?"

Kaoru paused for a second. "Himura-sensei."

"Oh my god, you do? You're so lucky you got him! Isn't he hot? I never had him before, but whenever I see him walk by I want to faint." She fanned her face.

"I talked to Himura once when I was a junior," Misao said excitedly. "It rained that day and I slipped on the floor and fell. I thought I was alone in the hall, but he was suddenly there and caught me before I hit the ground. He asked me if I was okay and told me to be more careful. He's so awesome! I wish he was my teacher!"

Kaoru had felt uneasy during that part of the conversation. She had been a little jealous at how the girls easily talked about him, yet she could barely utter his name. She needed to talk to him. She would tell him that they should forget everything that happened between them and move on as student and teacher. After all, it was an innocent error on both their parts. Even if she did like him afterwards, it was only a crush, and there was nothing wrong with having a crush on a teacher, right? Besides, crushes went away and she would find a normal high school boyfriend. Kaoru felt much better after her train of thought. She decided that she would either talk to him after class tomorrow, at the cafe (if he ever dropped by), or if he ever called. Yes, it was a good, logical plan.

"Kaoru-dono?"

She spun around. Kenshin was standing several feet behind her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Kaoru had forgotten how handsome he looked in his shirt and tie. She cleared her throat. "I'm an office aid. What are you doing here?"

"I don't teach during sixth period so I'm going to grab my things and go." He walked towards her, forcing her to back up into the corner of the room away from the door and window. He leaned his hand on the wall beside her head, bringing their bodies close. Kaoru nervously stared at her shoes. Her heart was beating fast. After a moment Kenshin said, "We need to talk."

She nodded.

"I . . . I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono."

She looked up. His violet eyes were filled with sadness. "Oh no, Ke-" She stopped herself. "Himura-sensei. Please don't think it' your fault. It's neither of our fault. I mean, we didn't know each other well enough to know who each other was. It was all an innocent mistake."

He wished she would scream furiously, throw a tantrum and cry wildly, anything that would remind him that she was a high school student and he was a teacher. Yet here she was, reasoning with their situation and trying to comfort him. He wanted her even more.

"I thought you were twenty-three." His voice was low.

"I thought you were twenty."

"I'm twenty-eight."

"I'm seventeen."

Kenshin closed his eyes and sighed. He wished he could touch her face, smell her hair, feel her body pressed against his. He wished he could kiss her lips to see if they tasted like the peach drink he had shared with her. "Kaoru, yesterday was a different world. You and I were different people. But now it's today. You and I need to live as today calls us to. We must forget yesterday."

"I know," she said quietly.

Before he could stop himself, he looked in her eyes and said, "I liked you a lot."

Tears filled her eyes. "Me too." She paused. "But I still like you." Kaoru moved away from Kenshin. She walked out of the room and closed the door.

Kenshin watched her leave and whispered, "Me too."

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Th is chapter will most likely be revised. Thanks for reading.

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