Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness!

By Sora Himura

Disclaimer: You know the drill… I don’t own Kenshin or anybody but Sora and Rikkuse, for now…

Chapter 4: Kenshin’s Past and Kaoru’s Troubles

It was 5:30 P.M. Sanosuke, Rikkuse, Soujiro, Aoshi and Kenshin were in the boy’s locker room in the gym, getting ready for soccer practice. As they were putting on their gear, Sano started a conversation.

“So, Kenshin. I heard you sparred Kaoru Kamiya.”

“Yeah, and he creamed her.” Added Soujiro.

“Well, I had to beat her. After all, you guys know that I get seriously ticked off when somebody calls me a novice.”

“But you INTENTIONALLY didn’t finish her off quickly, right?” Said Sano with his regular smirk. Kenshin just shook his head.

“I just didn’t want to embarrass her too much.”

“Why, Kenshin?” asked Rikkuse.

“Don’t be a baka, Rikkuse. You can tell as plain as day that Kenshin likes the Raccoon Girl as much as you like the Dragon Girl.” Said Aoshi, once again surprising everybody by taking part in the conversation.

(A/n: Sora is the Dragon Girl.)

“Hehe, really, Kenshin? Isn’t it a bit early, I mean, you just met today and all.” laughed Soujiro.

“Hey, how come we call the girls like that… you know, Megumi Fox, Misao Weasel, Sora Dragon, Kaoru Raccoon…” said Rikkuse, trying to think of a reason.

“You really are a baka. We call them that because that’s what they look like. They have the personality of those creatures.” Said Sano, thumping his younger brother on the head.

“Oh, so if I was to call you like that, I would call you rooster?” he said grinning, and then ran outside to the soccer field before Sano hit him again.

“That…little… I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, RIKKUSE!!!” he yelled at his brother, as his friends snickered. As much as Sano wanted to hit his brother, he didn’t follow him. He wanted to talk to Kenshin.

“Aoshi, what creature are you like?” asked an innocent-looking Soujiro, and Aoshi just stood there thinking.

“I don’t know. Maybe I would be… forget it.” He said, getting up from the spot where he was sitting.

“YOU, the only thing YOU’RE like is an ICE CUBE!” exclaimed Sano, making motions as if cold.

“I think he should be a kodachi-wielding penguin!” said Soujiro smiling.

“Guys, we can talk about this after soccer practice. Okay?” Begged Kenshin. The guys nodded and headed for the soccer field. All except Sano.

“Kenshin, you’re trying not to fall in love with her, aren’t you?” He asked Kenshin. Sano was Kenshin’s absolute best friend and knew him best. He was like the brother Kenshin never had.

“Yes.”

“It’s because you think she would be in danger near you, considering your dark past, and your dangerous present, right?”

“Yeah. If she were near me, she would be in danger of the people who are looking for me. You know dangerous criminals are the ones looking for the Hitokiri Battousai.” He said darkly. “And Shishio and his men are looking for me, and they’ll hurt anyone who’s near me.”

“Explain to me again. How did you, of all people, become the dreaded assassin that was feared by every living thing in Japan three years ago but who later changed his ways to atone for his bloody past, using his name ‘Battousai’ ?”

“It all started with the death of my parents, when I was 14. I was in bed, trying to go to sleep, when I heard my mother scream. I came down as quickly as I could. I saw how a masked assassin ran his sword through my father. Then he did the same to my mother. All I could do was stand there, paralyzed by what happened. Then the man moved to me. I snapped out of it and grabbed my father’s sword that was hanging from the wall. I fought that man, and he made one of the marks in my cheek. I was beating him, but somebody knocked me out from behind. And that’s when they grabbed me. Shishio had heard of me, and thought that my Hiten Mitsorugi Ryu was a perfect technique for his assassinations. I was captured and was forced to become an assassin. A top assassin at that. I know I killed many important government officials. But I managed to escape, and my aunt Hikari and Sora took me in. They don’t know that I was that assassin in the shadows or that I’m the Hitokiri Battousai. You and I are the only ones that know that the unknown manslayer, Kenshin Himura and Hitokiri Battousai are the same person, except Shishio and his men and… Never mind. Nobody else can know, Sano. I am seeking atonement for my bloody past.”

“Well, don’t worry. I’ll always be there for you if you need me, buddy.”

“Thanks, Sano. Now let’s get going. Instructor Yuregi will be really mad at us, that he will.” Kenshin said heading out the door.

“But Kenshin, are you gonna go for Kaoru?”

“I like her, Sano. She hates me. I don’t think I even stand a chance.”

Sano followed Kenshin to the field, feeling sorry for his friend. It wasn’t fair to Kenshin that the only girl he’s ever liked hates him for almost no reason at all. But maybe she really doesn’t hate Kenshin. What if she was pretending? What if she LIKED Kenshin? He grinned to himself. His girlfriend’s trusty best friend could get him all the answers he wanted. After all, she had also become best friends with Kaoru.

“Misao, get ready for some mayor undercover agent action.”

Meanwhile, Kaoru had just gotten home from school and was welcomed by Yahiko and Sayo.

“Welcome home, Kaoru. How was your day?” asked Sayo with a smile on her face.

“Not bad, but… I’VE NEVER BEEN SO EMBARRASSED IN MY WHOLE LIFE! I CAN’T BELIEVE I LOST TO HIM, OF ALL PEOPLE! Oh, Sayo, kendo was just awful.”

“Bet the good part of her day was when she ran into that guy this morning! Hehe!” Yahiko teased with a smirk.

“Yahiko! Weren’t you supposed to be on your way to school?”

“I have to pass your school on my way, and I saw everything. How you crashed, made introductions, and you WALKED with him to school! And you were blushing a lot! Ha ha!”

“Oh, really, Kaoru?” asked Sayo, joining Yahiko in his teasing.

“Ah, hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” snapped Kaoru at her cousin.

“Anyway, what happened in kendo? You couldn’t have sucked. You’re my SENSEI, for crying out loud!” yelled Yahiko. “Would you mind filling me in?”

“Yes, do tell.” Inquired Sayo.

“It was that guy! He made fun of me in kendo! He made a fool out of me, beating me in a match, and I couldn’t even touch him. AND he’s going to represent our school in the Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament.” Kaoru said, crossing her arms angrily.

“Wowee. That guy must be something. He beat Kaoru like she was nothing, AND he’s considered one of the best fighters in Japan too?” said Yahiko crossing his arms behind his head.

“Oooh, I HATE HIM!”

“You say he beat you, you didn’t touch him, and he’s participating in the Neo-Japan Kendo Tournament… Kaoru, can you describe him for me?” said Sayo, with her hand on her chin.

“Well, he has wild red hair tied in a low ponytail, these weird violet eyes, and an ‘X marks the spot’ scar on his left cheek.”

“You’re not talking about Kenshin Himura!”

“The very same!”

“Oh, Kaoru! That’s the guy I’ve been telling you about all winter!”

“Y...you mean Kenshin’s the guy you liked?!”

“Absolutely! He’s a total SWEETIE, Kaoru! He’s very kind, and the gentleman type too!”

“But it can’t be! Kenshin Himura and the guy you’re talking about can’t be the same person!” Kaoru insisted.

“But he is. Kaoru, please don’t hate him just because he beat you. I’m sure you’ll like him a whole lot once you get to know him better!” Sayo insisted.

“Never! He’s a jerk and I’ll never be in friendly terms with him. Never.”

“But Kaoru, be reasonable…”

“You know what I’ve been through, Sayo. You know what Sosuke did to me. I’m afraid…Kenshin would do the same to me.”

“Oh, Kaoru. Kenshin would never hurt anyone, unless he necessarily has to.”

“I’ll think about that.”

Kaoru went up to her room, where the morning newspaper was lying. Kaoru smiled. Yahiko knew how much the ritual of reading the newspaper when she got home from school meant to her. She used to read it with her father every day after school. He would sit on his favorite chair, and she would sit next to him. Then they would read together. Those memories with her parents… But they had been murdered. By Ji-nei Gudo, also known as Kurogasa.

She sighed. How much she hated that guy. As much as she hated Kenshin. She sat on her bed and looked at the newspaper’s headline: “Kurogasa strikes again.” When will this guy stop killing? She sighed again. Kenshin and Kurogasa were alike in some ways… both their names started with ‘K’, both were skilled with a sword, and right now she hated them both. She sighed once more. She didn’t feel like reading anymore. She needed something to get her mind off Kenshin and Kurogasa. She looked at her Raccoon Clock. It was 6:30! She was going to miss her favorite anime program! She eagerly went down and sat in front of the T.V., to watch “Rurouni Shinta: Wandering Samurai”. (Sound familiar?) After watching the program, she fell deeply asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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