Author's Notes: From now on, I'll make this part a sort of teaser for the chapter. ^^ I hope it gets you interested in reading and reviewing. Megumi's side is explained and Kenshin and Kaoru have their first day in class... together. Time for some real interaction!

Night Sky
by: Ezra
Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 4: A New Beginning


"Are you sure? You've got class tomorrow..."

"Not until noon. Go on, talk. I'll listen," Misao whispered.

***

Classes started early for Kaoru the next day. Aoshi woke up early to drive her, but they were both silent the whole trip. After a soft 'thank you', Kaoru went inside the building, fished her schedule, and tried to remember where room 209 was. First up was Mathematics. Kaoru frowned. Aside from the fact that she couldn't remember where she was supposed to go, her first class had to be Math, of all subjects! Fortunately there was a kindred spirit who showed her the way, and she reached class just in time for the bell.

Clutching the bag slung on her shoulder, she quickly scanned the room for a vacant seat. Fortunately there were two of them next to each other, and she sat down on one. Everyone was waiting for the teacher, and maybe even for the remaining student who had not arrived just yet. Suddenly the door opened and in walked the very person she had been wanting not to see. Kenshin.

Just as she had done, he quickly scanned the room for an available seat. He froze momentarily when he realized that the only vacant chair was beside hers, but he didn't have a choice anyway. He calmly walked towards the chair and sat down, setting his things on the floor. In walked a tall, middle-aged woman, with long black hair that fell beautifully up to her shoulders. She had pleasant features and a slim figure that earned her smiles from her male students.

Kaoru admired the beauty of her new teacher, silently wishing that she also had been fortunate enough to inherit some good looks.

"Kenshin and Kaoru had a beautiful friendship. She was very lucky to have a friend like him, and he vice versa. Kenshin was a very good-looking guy who easily caught attention with his violet eyes and red hair. Kaoru's also a beautiful girl, only that she doesn't fix herself too much. If she did, I can imagine a horde of men falling at her feet."

Their teacher frowned and ordered the class to organize. She checked attendance through a roll call, and then in neat, elegant characters, wrote her name on the chalkboard.

"I am Amemiya Uno, your Mathematics teacher," she spoke in a firm voice. "You may call me Amemiya-sensei. A little something about myself. I have been teaching in this university for five years now, and am fortunate enough not to encounter disrespectful students. Lazy ones I have, but disrespectful, none. I do hope that you will not be the first ones on my list."

Some of the boys frowned. She would prove to be a very strict teacher one day.

"I guess you can say that I was envious of their friendship. Although I personally knew them both and was in very good terms with them, I still envied Kaoru's intimacy with Kenshin, especially since at that time I had a crush on him. As the song goes, 'It's just a little crush, some little thing, every time we touch', except that I didn't think of it to be that way back then..."

"You are university students, and therefore I expect a lot of things. Work hard and you will pass; slack off and you will fail. Mathematics is not an easy subject I daresay, but if you have the perseverance and patience, I'm sure you will all pass. Of course I will be here, should you need further guidance," Amemiya-sensei continued. "We wouldn't be having any hard lessons today, but instead I'll conduct a review. We must freshen up on high school math, and I trust that it will be easy for you. Please bring out your pens."

Amemiya-sensei began passing out exercise sheets to each of her twenty students. Some of them scratched their heads as they tried to remember how to solve hyperbolas and functions, while others just answered at normal speed. However, two of Amemiya-sensei's students were working faster than everyone else. Their pens were moving quicker, and in fifteen minutes they had all numbers done from front to back. Amemiya-sensei was pleased.

"At first I tried the conventional methods of getting people's attention. I began to get conscious of my appearance and the latest fashion. I dressed up and fixed myself up, just so that Kenshin would take notice of me. Everyone said I looked beautiful, so I flaunted it. He did notice, but not in the way I wanted. He still was inseparable with Kaoru."

Minutes later, Amemiya-sensei asked them to put their pens down. They were to check the papers. She made them exchange with the person next to them, and for Kaoru's case it was Kenshin. It was the same situation for Kenshin, and they awkwardly exchanged papers. In the end, they both got a perfect score, and the papers were passed forward.

"Good score," Kaoru said, turning to look at him.

"Thanks," was the only reply.

They didn't talk much to each other, and Amemiya-sensei noticed this. She frowned a little, but then dismissed any thought of conflict between the two. It was after all, their first day together, and it was natural for students not to talk to one another during their first day. Or that's what she thought.

"I felt insecure. Here was Kaoru, none too good-looking than I was, getting most of Kenshin's time and attention. Back then, I thought that if anyone deserved Kenshin's attention, it was me, and not some sweaty tomboy like Kaoru. I suddenly became a bitch and decided to play dirty..."

Amemiya-sensei then decided to dismiss class early, which was around 9:30 AM. Kaoru had a full hour before her next class and decided to go to the central garden by herself.

"That prompted more drastic measures from me," Megumi continued over breakfast, 9:30 AM. "I seized the opportunity when Kenshin started hanging out with the older students like Omiya and Tetsuya, since I knew them. Remember me back in high school. I was... popular, and I used every inch of it to my advantage. I admit, I was a bitch."

Misao blinked at the admission, but still kept quiet.

"I encouraged Kenshin's friendship with them, saying that they were pretty cool guys. When they went out, they brought Kenshin along, and oftentimes we met at the mall. Soon, Omiya and Tetsuya introduced us to this cool guy named Katsura Kogoro... Kenshin and I didn't get to know him well though. But at that time, he was already developing a taste for the pretty. You know what I mean."

"Yup, I do," Misao replied.

Suddenly Megumi paused. She took a sip of her orange juice while looking at Misao's face.

"What?!" the other girl frowned.

"You know you've changed," Megumi said pointedly. "You're not the uber-genki Makimachi Misao I've known."

"Well owing to past events I believe I have few reason to be uber-genki..." Misao trailed off.

Megumi noted the sarcasm in the tone and decided to continue with her story.

"Okay. Going back, I used my charms to the full advantage. All I know is that Omiya, Tetsuya and their group did a lot to influence Kenshin, although they were acquainted with Kaoru at that time. They got along, but admitted that at times, she did get rough. Omiya and Tetsuya started introducing Kenshin to some older girls, who, I must admit, were into drugs at that time. Stupid me encouraged it. Then a week later we hitched."

Misao choked on her bread, but not because of the last statement.

"Don't tell me that he was actually hospitalized for drug overdose!" she exclaimed.

Megumi nodded, confirming her worst fears.

"What the heck?!"

"Good thing he didn't get addicted to them. I guess his system couldn't take it, and he survived."

"What time's your class?" Misao asked.

"Not 'till three."

"Good. Mine's at noon. Continue."

"His hospitalization struck me, and that's when I realized what I was doing was wrong... That was after the incident at his garden where Kaoru walked out on all of us. He was so bothered by that incident that he didn't realize he was already taking drugs... That was enough to hit me hard on the head and make me wake up. When he woke up at the hospital, the first thing I told him was that he was not allowed to see Omiya, Tetsuya or any of the girls ever again. I was close to tears at that time, and he smiled at me."

A light blush tinted her cheeks.

"But it was a sad smile. Maybe he was half-expecting that it would be Kaoru at his side when he woke up. But she was there... Except that he didn't wake up when she was there."

Kaoru strolled quietly at the central garden, admiring how everything was a beautiful shade of green. The school was probably paying the gardeners well. She smiled, remembering how her late mother loved gardening. She continued walking a bit more and was about to sit down on a stone bench when she saw Kenshin. He was looking at some jasmine flowers, her favorite.

She was about to turn back when she heard him speak.

"You can stay here if you like. I'm about to leave anyway," he said, still looking at the flowers.

"You don't have to leave," Kaoru replied. "I mean, I don't want to disturb you..."

"Jasmines are your favorite, right?" he asked.

"Yes..."

Kenshin then bent down on his knees and began picking a few of them from their branches. Solemnly, he stood back up and gave them to her.

"Here. I got a lot of sins to pay for, and I guess giving you this is a start."

However stunned she was, Kaoru accepted the flowers with a soft thank you. Kenshin gave a small grin and walked off.

"What's your next class?" Kaoru called at his back.

He stopped, looked at his schedule and responded, "I only have Math today."

"Oh, okay."

And with that, he left.

Kaoru sighed, pressed the flowers inside her notebook and turned around. She was surprised to find a group of girls whispering to themselves a little too loudly with angry looks on their faces. One of them, Kaoru noticed, was holding a candid photo of Kenshin, while another held pen and paper. Untidily scribbled on the paper was a schedule for that day, which Kaoru recognized to be Kenshin's. Realization dawned on her and she doubled up with laughter. The girls regarded her strangely as she opened her notebook and took out the flowers.

"Here," she said, handing one of them the jasmines. "For your collection."

Casually she walked away, still giggling.

Boy do I have a lot to tell Shura tonight!

End of Chapter 4. To be continued!

Author's Notes:
In case someone was confused, the italicized parts of the story were Megumi's narration. Then, people, I need help. I am totally at loss about how college works, since I am just a poor high school student who loves writing fanfiction. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I was so busy with school. Hopefully the next chapter would come more quickly. I recently suffered from writer's block. :(

I feel like adding a little humor here and there, and taking advantage of the boys' good looks. Kenshin, Aoshi and Sano (ranked according to hotness ^^) are very cool guys, and I know if they were really alive, they'd have a trail of girls swooning after them. :D This fic is getting too serious and I need a little comic relief here! Anyone has suggestions? My brain needs a little more squeezing... :D

Review!!!!!