author's notes: konnichiwa minna-san! haha yeah. i haven't been here for a while. here is a story. i've been very bad about my first story.. i've been completely side-tracked -.- i promise to work on it later! anyhow.. i came up with a new story that was nagging at me.. so here it is. enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They are not mine. I am simply borrowing them for the sake of my story.

Ch.1: Introductions

Kenshin swiftly leaned to the left. A fist flew by his face so fast that his bangs flew up.

"Not bad," he smiled.

"Bastard!" The man growled, swinging his muscular arms at the short, red-haired man grinning cockily up at him. Kenshin smirked as the hairy knuckles made contact with more air.

"I think you should find a new hobby than picking on guys smaller than you."

"Now, why would I do that when they're so much easier to squash?"

Kenshin shrugged.

"Because one day you might find one that's not so easy to shove around."

Growling, the man swung again. He was three feet taller and much heavier than the arrogant squirt staring up at him. This brat was grating on his nerves.

"I doubt it will be today," the man smirked.

"I'll take that as a challenge. Don't tell me I didn't warn you." Kenshin threw the huge man a small smile, his violet eyes flashing amber. His hands reached for the long staff like object which had been protruding from his backpack.

"I see. Need a weapon? I guess that's only fair, but it won't work against me." The large man's eyes narrowed as he watched the red-head go into a fighting stance. There was something about him that sent chills down the spine. He reached for his gun.

"What was that about fair?" Kenshin asked. His voice sounded innocent, but his eyes told another story.

"Shall we?"

The man gulped. Somehow, he felt like it was his unlucky day.

----

Kaoru yawned. Standing up, she stretched her arms. A good night's rest always felt good. Throwing on a robe over her tank and shorts, she slipped on a pair of slippers that looked like a pair of weasels, given to her as a present from none other than Misao. Still a little out of it, she trudged to retrieve her morning paper from her front yard, then settled down in the kitchen for some coffee.

Rubbing her eyes, she peered down at the headlines. Shaking her head, as if in disappointment with the whole world, she read about the increase in violence, more demand for plastic surgery, and the undeniable pain and suffering of the poor and the sick.

'Why do I even bother?' she asked herself, throwing the paper onto the table. Sipping her coffee, she heard the door open and close.

"Hey Misao," she greeted the cheerful girl bouncing into the kitchen.

"It would be nice if you actually bothered to look at me when you said it," Misao told her, pouting a little. Kaoru flashed her a smile.

"Sorry. The world's depressing me."

"Again? Kaoru! I told you to stop reading the newspaper if you're going to act like this!" Misao scolded her.

"And live in complete and total oblivion of all that happens in the world, like you?" Kaoru raised her eyebrows in amusement. Misao shrugged and beamed a smile.

"It doesn't hurt. Now hurry up or we're going to be late!"

Kaoru chugged the rest of her coffee, almost scalding her tongue in the process. She dashed upstairs to take a quick shower and change her clothes. Luckily she didn't wear a lot of makeup.

Misao hummed to herself as waited for her best friend to come back down. Spying the newspaper tossed haphazardly across the table, Misao leaned forward.

'It wouldn't hurt to check up the self-destructive world every now and again either,' she thought.

Her eyes quickly scanned the pages until it settled onto a particular headline.

Late Night Delivery! Wanted Murderer Found Beaten!

The man wanted for the murder of two women and one man in the past two months was found at the entrance of the police station at 2 am last night. He was discovered face down, with his hands and feet bound by rope. The police have confirmed that they had nothing to do with the incident…

Misao scanned to the end of the article.

There are no leads to whoever the late night deliverer may be as of the moment, except for a small cross cut into the arm of the murderer. While the police expresses their relief that a murderer is now off the streets, their attention now turns to the mysterious man.

"There are other means to catch men like this. We fear that a man more dangerous may be out there now if he so easily defeated a man of this stamina and strength," an officer commented. When asked to further comment on the incident, the Captain, himself, gave a simple "Ahou."

While the police may be wary of the unknown deliverer, the families of those murdered are grateful.

"Whoever he is, I'd like to thank him for allowing us to feel some peace. Hopefully, justice will prevail," said the mother of one of the women killed.

Misao sighed and shook her head.

"I thought you didn't read those things," Kaoru teased as she bounded down the stairs, pulling her long hair in a high ponytail.

"I don't. But you took so loooong! What else was I supposed to do!" Misao indignantly shot back. Kaoru shot her a look as they both headed out the door.

"I didn't take that long. Anyways, you looked like you were really into it. What were you reading about?"

Misao grinned.

"Oh, just about the ironies of life. You know that murderer they've been trying to catch for like the past two months or so?"

"Only about every time I turn on the news," Kaoru groaned.

"Well, they caught him! Or more correctly, he was delivered!"

Kaoru raised her eyebrow at her friend again.

"Like through the mail or something?"

Misao laughed.

"Like someone beat the dude up and gave him over to the police. Only they don't know who."

"So what then," Kaoru frowned. "He was just beat up by a bigger, stronger guy. Doesn't that mean that there's someone even more dangerous out there then?"

"That's what the police are afraid of," Misao breathed, as the two quickened their pace. "But I figure the guy got what he deserved, even if he did get beaten to a pulp by another potential killer."

Kaoru glanced at her friend and nodded in silent agreement.

"Enough. This is making me depressed again. You're supposed to cheer me up, not bring me down weasel!" Kaoru grinned, nudging Misao.

"I AM NOT A WEASEL!" Misao defiantly yelled. "If anything, you look more like a raccoon than I look like a weasel!" she shot back at her raven-haired friend.

"MOU!" Kaoru threw an evil look at her best friend. After glaring at each other for mere minute or so, the two burst out laughing. Hooking her arm with Misao's, Kaoru smiled and started to run.

"Hurry up or we're going to be late! And it'll be all YOUR fault!"

"NOT MY FAULT!" Misao yelled back, clutching her book bag tighter as the two fell into a mad dash. Kaoru smiled happily. The whole world could be falling down, but she and Misao, well, they would survive no matter what. That's how tight their friendship was.

Breathing hard, the two girls slipped into the school grounds just as the gates were closing, trapping out the students who would be scolded for their tardiness. They had made it just in time.

Kaoru waved goodbye as she and Misao went their separate ways to their first class. They wouldn't see each other again until lunch. As she sat down at her desk, Kaoru sighed, not looking forward to another lecture on chemical bonding. The bell rang, and the rest of her classmates shuffled in, taking their assigned seats.

"Kamiya." A voice interrupted her daze.

"Soujirou! How've you been? Are you feeling better?" Kaoru asked in genuine concern. An old childhood friend, Soujirou meant a great deal to her. He had been out with a very bad cold and consequently had left her to tackle both chemistry and math alone.

Soujirou smiled, as usual.

"I'm fine. Good to see you again though," he said softly. Kaoru grinned back at him.

"I'm glad. You can help me understand this nonsense now!" She whispered back as the teacher entered the classroom. Soujirou just smiled as he sat down in the seat in front of her. Their attention turned to the front of the classroom as the professor began to speak.

"Class, I'd like you to welcome some new students who will be joining us. They're Japanese but lived in America for the majority of their childhood. They just transferred back to Japan." The professor gestured towards the door, signaling for them to enter.

Kaoru bit back a yawn as two boys entered the classroom and bowed. Sighing deeply, she turned to look out the windows.

"I'm Kenshin Himura. Nice to meet you" The red-head bowed slightly to the class, his eyes taking a quick scan of his soon to be classmates. His eyes paused only for a few seconds on the raven-haired girl daydreaming near the back of the classroom. Maybe this school wouldn't be so bad.

"Sanosuke Sagara. But you can just call me Sano," the other boy said, bowing sheepishly, his hand scratching his head all the while.

"You guys are from the U.S? Can you speak Japanese ok? Much less understand it?" a pug-faced boy sneered from the back of the classroom. The teacher smiled.

"I can assure you, they speak quite fluently. Maybe even better than you Shitaro." The boy reddened.

Kaoru rolled her eyes. Boys could be so immature.

The teacher motioned towards the empty seats scattered throughout the room, telling them they could sit anywhere they liked. Kenshin already knew where he wanted to sit. Swiftly he walked to the back of the room, ignoring the longing looks of other girls in the classroom. Kaoru was jolted out of her reverie as a boy with hair the deepest shade of red pulled the chair out from the empty desk next to her. In shock, she stared up at the boy's face, indigo clashing with violet.

"Is it ok if I sit here?" Kenshin smiled warmly. No girl could resist him.

Kaoru gaped back in silence. Taking that as a yes, Kenshin nodded and moved to sit. Before his butt hit the seat, however, Kaoru yanked the chair back towards her.

"Sorry," she told him, a slightly puzzled look on her face, "This seat's taken." She threw him a slightly apologetic look and shoved the chair back under the table.

"Oh?" Kenshin didn't like being disappointed, but bit back his tongue. "By who?"

Kaoru looked at him, a bit too indifferently for his liking.

"By my boyfriend." She told him matter-of-factly. And as if on cue, the door opened, and a tall boy entered the classroom.

"Sorry I'm late, sensei!" He smiled innocently at the professor. "Car troubles," he explained. His smile hardened a little as his gaze fell on Kaoru and a boy he did not recognize.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking at his girlfriend over a pair of icy-blue glasses. Kaoru threw him a big smile. Kenshin felt a pang in his chest when he saw that.

"You're late Enishi!" she pouted. He just shrugged, running his fingers through his silvery, white hair.

"You new?" he asked Kenshin, staring down at the smaller man. Kenshin nodded stiffly.

"He thought it was an empty desk since you were so late!" Kaoru berated her boyfriend, her eyes sparkling. "You only have yourself to blame."

"That's not fair," he shot back. "I can't help it if my car is temperamental." Facing Kenshin he nodded toward the empty desk.

"Sorry man. It's taken." And with that, he walked past Kenshin and sat down, his arm draping over Kaoru's shoulders possessively. Kaoru sighed in exasperation.

"Mr. Himura, please hurry and find a seat," the professor reminded him.

"Hai."

Kenshin looked around and found an empty seat across from Sano and sat down. Opening his book bag, he smiled slightly to himself. Life was always more fun with a challenge anyways.

----

whee first chapter is done: hope you guys liked it! i love KKE!