Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Time Changes All ❯ Lunch and Basketball ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I have a long list of stuff I don't own, Rurouni Kenshin happens to be one of the many on that list ;-;

". . ." dialogue

`. . .' Kaoru's thoughts

(. . .) authors useless commentary

Lunch and Basketball (I know my titles aren't very creative)

By Hoshi-ni-Onegai

The rest of their tour around the school ended without anything else happening and nothing being said between the two of them except for Kaoru's explanations of the different parts of the school. When they got back to class the students were waiting for the math teacher to arrive and Saitoh Sensei had already left. As Kaoru went back to her seat she noticed that Misao had a million and one questions to ask but suddenly the classroom door slid open and the math teacher came in.

"Hello~! Class I hope you did your homework~!" A cheerful woman came in with a smile spreading across her face. "I hear we have a new student in the class. . ." She glanced across the room until she spotted the fiery red hair. "Oh, you must be Himura Kenshin~! The whole faculty is talking about you~! You're famous around here with you grades and every thing~! I am your math teacher, everyone calls me Tae so you can too!"

Kenshin sweat dropped and responded with, "O-okay, ummm. . . Tae. . . san?"

Kaoru looked blankly at her desk, `Ken-chan is smart? I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. . . I knew him only until I was seven, 1st grade isn't exactly a tough course or anything. . . He's changed so much. . . I might as well not know him at all. . .'

After math, language, and history class was over it was time for lunch. (In Japan the students eat lunch in the classrooms or somewhere around the school, there is no cafeteria). As usual Sano, Misao, and Kaoru bunched their desks together so they could face each other when eating. Sano noticed that Kenshin was taking out his lunch, "Hey Kenshin! Are you eating with someone?"

A bit startled Kenshin responded, "N-no."

"Come over here then come eat lunch with us!. . . Kaoru make space!. . . Go ahead Kenshin squeeze your desk next to Kaoru!" Sano gestured Kenshin to come as Misao and Kaoru moved their desks so Kenshin could move his in.

`Thank you Sano! I can try to find out if he remembers me. . . what happens if he doesn't?'

Hesitantly Kenshin moved his desk next to Kaoru and sat down with his lunch. Smiling he looked up at Sano and politely said, "Thank you for inviting me to sit with you, Sagara-san. That was very kind of you."

"Yeah sure! Anytime! And you don't have to use keigo (formal Japanese) with me! Also don't call me `Sagara-san,' I find it annoying. You can call me Sano!"

"Oh! And you can call me Misao or Misao-chan! Any variation will do, except for anything with `san' I hate formalities."

Kenshin smiled at this said, "Okay Sano, Misao, and. . . Kamiya-san. . ."

Until that moment Kaoru had been a bit zoned out and staring out into space, but the space she just happened to be staring out was Kenshin's face. After noticing that Kenshin was looking at her, she said, "W-what? Oh, you can call me what you usually call me. . ." Kaoru's face blushed after figuring out what she had just said. Noticing what she had just said Sano and Misao looked at each other and grinned.

"Hey, Jou-chan you know Kenshin~? Are you guys a former couple or something~?"

Kaoru face started burning red, and decided to answer Sano's second question first. "We are not a former couple!"

"Yeah Kaoru~! What does he usually call you?"

"Shut up!" She starting to get pissed off at those two, but of course (since this a fanfic and all) Kenshin took this Kaoru not wanting people to know about their past.

Kenshin interrupted gently smiling at three, "Kamiya-san probably miss worded her statement, she probably meant to say `you can call me HOW you usually call OTHER PEOPLE.' I assure you this is the first day we have ever met. . . Kamiya-san how would you want me to call you?"

`Ken-chan. . . so you don't remember' ". . . yeah, my mistake. . . You can call me Kaoru, that's if I can call you Ken-ch. . . I mean Kenshin." She replied forcing a smile on her face.

"Then Kaoru it is. . . Oh, I am a bit curious on what Saitoh Sensei was saying to you before when we left. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble on my behalf."

"Huh? Oh! You mean his `punishment,' that no biggy. That just means that I'd have to spar with him during kendo this afternoon."

"No biggy! What are you talking about Jou-chan?! Saitoh is gonna spar until we are inches from death!"

"I can feel my life ended soon~! Hold me Kaoru~! I see my life flashing before me~!" Misao jokingly fainted into Kaoru's arms.

As she caught Misao in her arms she smiled and patted her on the head. "Don't make stuff up! Saitoh Sensei isn't going to kill us, I've been through sparing with him before. I got home breathing!"

"Jou-chan, you stayed home for the next two days after that. . ."

"I'm not sure if I can help you or Misao out, but perhaps I can explain things to Saitoh Sensei to get Kaoru out of this mess." Kenshin said looking a bit worried.

"You don't have to do anything like that Kenshin. I was home for the next two days because I got a fever from sparing so much when I hadn't already felt well. I sick to begin with, it wasn't because of Saitoh Sensei. The rest of the school thinks I got major injuries from sparing, so now everyone is afraid of sparing with him. It just all derived from one big rumor!"

Kenshin's face relaxed, at that moment Sano butt in. "Hey Kenshin, are you gonna join the kendo team with us?"

`Huh? What is Sano talking about Ken-chan would never do kendo. He's always hated fighting and violence. He was against me the fact that I learned kendo but let it slide because I was learning my family style, the Kamiya Kashun Ryu. A style that believes in the sword that protects. . .'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kenshin replied Sano, "Yes, I plan to join the team. How did you know I learned kendo?"

"What?! Since when do you do kendo?!" Kaoru exclaimed not thinking or choosing her words wisely.

"Jou-chan, what do you mean `since when?' Can't a guy just know kendo without you knowing about it? Are you hiding something? Do you really know him or something?"

Kaoru was about to reply when Kenshin spoke up, "She is probably miss wording her sentences again, but I am surprised on how shocked you are about me taking kendo."

"Oh, yeah I'm miss wording it again. . . I think I'm becoming dyslexic. . . I meant that. . . s-since you look like such a. . . a peaceful person. . . that's it peaceful! That I thought maybe you don't enjoy fighting. . ." `Did they buy it? Please don't ask me about it anymore! If Ken-chan doesn't remember I don't want to look like an idiot who hung onto the past and a childhood promise. . . please just let the probing end and let me start fresh with Ken-chan, let me start a new friendship. . .'

"Peaceful! He looks nowhere near peaceful except for his violet eyes. Come on! Just look at him! He has red hair and a scar on his cheek! No offence or anything, Kenshin." Misao proclaimed.

Kenshin just smiled. `Violet eyes? Huh?. . . Oh my God they are violet. . . then why were they amber before? Does he have color changing eyes? I think I would have remembered something like that. . . and his scar, I can't believe it's still so visible after all these years. . .'

***************************** Flashback ******************************

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry Ken-chan!" a seven-year-old-Kaoru exclaimed with tears pouring down her eyes.

A seven-year-old-Kenshin looked up from the ground painfully and reached out to wipe away the tears from Kaoru's face. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I shouldn't have tried to step in when I knew you could take care of yourself."

"No! It's my fault Ken-chan! This happened because of me! I don't blame you if you hate me now!" continued to look down at him, unable to see him due to the tears blurring her vision.

Kenshin replied cheerfully and smiled, sitting up now. "I could never hate you. . . koishii."

At that Kenshin fainted and fell into Kaoru's arms stained in his own blood and staining her as well.

**************************Flashback Ends**************************

For the rest of lunch Kaoru was lost in her thoughts as her mind went back to that day ten years ago. Occasionally Sano, Misao, or Kenshin would say something to her but she would not reply. All of them assumed she was just daydreaming and off in fantasy land so they would shrug and talk amongst themselves.

After lunch they had science and English (as a foreign language class for them), which Kaoru spent still lost in her thoughts. Then came gym, the girls and boys were separated much like any other class and dressed in their gym cloths. When they were at the gymnasium a teacher started to explain what they would do in class that day, "Okay class! Since the girls' gym teacher, Kamatari Sensei, is absent today and unable to get a substitute I have decided to combine the boys class and the girls class. We will play a coed basketball game, and no it will not be boys against girls. . . Umm. . . Kamiya! You're going to be one of the team captains. . . Sagara! You're the other one!. . . Oh and you'll have Himura on your team because I still don't know how well he plays. . . so Kamiya you get first pick! And you have to pick an even number of boys and girls!"

At hearing her name Kaoru snapped back into reality and started to plan out her tactics to win against Sano. `Hmm. . . if I get Cho he'll hog the ball the whole class and a team strategy wouldn't work. . . Anji isn't aggressive enough. . . Tsubame might make a good defense but I'll worry about that later. . . I know!' Grinning she exclaimed, "My first pick shall be Sou-chan!"

A smiling Soujiro made his way through the crowd and passed by a glaring Kenshin and a worried Sano (he's worried about losing) when he reached Kaoru. "Thank you my dear Kao-chan, I was worried that I might get picked last."

"Sure thing Sou-chan! Not that you would ever get picked last."

"Shit! How am I supposed to beat them now?!. . . okay, I need to pick my players very well. . . umm. . . forget strategy! Misao! You're on my team!"

A jumping Misao also made it through the crowd, "Hey Sano! We're gonna beat the `Dynamic Duo' aren't we! Go team Sano!"

"'Dynamic Duo?' Why call them that?" Kenshin asked while Koaru picked her next team member, his eyes never leaving Soujiro.

"Oh that's because they are the perfect fit! They complement each other extremely well! From 2nd grade to high school they have been in the same class, they're really good friends. But ever since high school started they haven't had any classes together except for gym. Both are in the same clubs and in the student council, they kinda famous here and became to be know the `Dynamic Duo' also know as `Double D' (please don't think of the bra size ^-^;)." Misao explained cheerfully.

Under his breath Kenshin said, "So you found a replacement for me. . ."

"What are you mumbling about Kenshin? Don't worry we're gonna whip Jou-chan's team!"

Sano and Kaoru continued to pick their teams and so the game began. The information that Misao gave was soon justified as Kaoru and Soujiro ripped the court. They passed the ball to each other and supported each other, but never failing to include the whole team. Every single person on the team at least tried to shoot for two baskets, some made it some didn't, but all of Kaoru's and Soujiro's swished in effortlessly.

Kaoru was completely free in the game, she ran with all her might and never held back, and neither did Soujiro. At one point she was 15 ft from the basket dribbling the ball and Kenshin in front of her. She smirked at him and easily and quickly drove past Kenshin to dunk the ball into the basket. Kenshin was shocked that she could jump so high (very few women can dunk, girls out there please don't be offended by this comment. . . I myself being a girl has faced this fact. . . we're usually not tall enough to dunk or unable to jump that high. . . sad, but true ;-;). Sano, Misao, and Kenshin are really good basketball players but they were nothing compared to Kaoru and Soujiro. And so the game ended with Kaoru's team winning by 8 points.

"Sou-chan we won!" Kaoru jumped into hug Soujiro.

"Yes Kao-chan, we have won. But it is not very nice to brag." Soujiro replied smiling and returning her hug.

"What are you talking about?! We beat Sano and Misao, AGAIN! These are the times when we need to put them in their place~!" Kaoru looked up at him all the while oblivious that a pair of amber eyes was looking at her.