Chapter 1
((Hiya. This is my first Rurouni Kenshin fanfic, so please go easy on me.))
It's been months since the Rurouni Kenshin made himself home at the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryû Kenjustu dojo. He and his friends have been through a lot lately, and a lot more is still ahead of them.
As the sun rose and its color blended in the sky like watercolors, Yahiko slept annoyed. The sun's rays enter through the window and beamed down on the young samurai's face. Yahiko squinted and rolled on to his stomach. He let out a soft moan.
The sound of someone walking in the hallway wearing slippers drew nearer. His bedroom door opened. Yahiko let out another moan.
"Yahiko…" It was Kaoru. She looked down at him and frowned. His black hair was a mess and Yahiko's legs were tangled up in his blanket. "Wake up. Did I give you a hard workout yesterday?" The boy replied by mumbling something under his breath. Kaoru stared at him and arched an eyebrow. "You won't be getting out of your chores, you know." She left the room and closed the door behind her.
Yahiko's brown eyes opened. He held a big grin as he quickly got up to put his clothes on. He strapped his wooden sword on, open the window, and began to climb out of it. He fell to the ground with a 'clunk' and stood up. He laughed. That Kaoru, Yahiko thought, I will be able to get away with not doing my chores!
He took several steps forward on the dirt floor. "And where do you think you're going, young man?" Yahiko stopped dead in his tracks. The voice was from a female. His head slowly turned to the left and his right arm came up to wave. "Heh-heh. Hi Kaoru."
Kaoru's hands were on her hips and her right foot tapped several times on to the ground. "You're trying to get out of your chores again, aren't you Yahiko?"
He began to stretch. "No I wasn't, I just need to relax. What? My joints are stiff." Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, yeah, right," she said sarcastically. "Your break is over, now get to work, Yahiko!"
The boy slouched as he walked to where the broom lay against the wall. Yahiko noticed Kenshin. The short man's red hair was always pulled back into a ponytail, just like this morning. Kenshin's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Yahiko grabbed the broom and began to sweep.
Kenshin looked over his left shoulder. He smiled. "Why-hello there Yahiko." He looked forward and continued to clean the laundry in a wooden bucket. "This one believes that today will be a fine day, yes indeed." Yahiko grumbled, "Kenshin, how is it that everyday you seem to be happy?"
"Oro?" Kenshin had to think for a moment. "This one gets plenty of rest, eats healthy, and thinks positively." That wasn't the answer Yahiko was waiting for. He sighed and continued to sweep the same spot over and over again.
Sanosuke staggered towards Yahiko and Kenshin. From the corner of his mouth, partially hanging out was a fish's bone. The tail bounced up and down as he continued to walk. Yahiko looked up at him. "What's the point of having those bones in your mouth?"
"I'm savoring the flavor, kid." Yahiko glared at Sanosuke. He called him kid. Sanosuke than directed his attention to Kenshin. "By the way, Kenshin, I've learned something about an old friend of ours…and old friend of yours."
Kenshin looked at him innocently. "Oro?"
The restaurant was crowded to over capacity. Waitresses were shuffling around, hoping that they wouldn't topple their try of food over, what an embarrassment that would be. The employees were being stressed out, meals were being undercooked or overcooked, and orders were mixed up.
At a table, Aoshi drank green tea by himself. Quietly he thought of how to get rid of the one he called battousi. The stir-fry and siemen on the table was still hot, untouched. He waited for a man named Jin-E. Jin-E was a man of pride, one that thought too highly of his self. But right now, revenge was being pumped into Jin-E's veins.
"This place is overflowing!" Jin-E sat down in front of Aoshi. Jin-E was grinning-grinning way too much; Aoshi couldn't help but to look at his flashing white teeth. Aoshi closed his eyes and sipped his tea. "What?" Jin-E asked.
"Have you seen your face lately, Jin-E? It seems like you have that same look on your face since the day you lost your virginity." Jin-E forced out a chuckle and looked down at the food. "You may eat," spoke Aoshi. "Don't forget why we are here today."
Jin-E dug into the stir-fry with his chopsticks. He grabbed a hold of the meat and baby corn. As he moved the chopsticks closer to his mouth, shoyu sauce dripped down from the food to the tabletop. He quickly chewed it down and shoved more into his mouth.
"Calm down. More food will be ordered if need be." Aoshi drank more tea.
Jin-E grunted. "The battosui made an embarrassment out of me. He shall die by my hands." He paused for a moment. "Wait till he sees me alive! What a shocker that would be." Jin-E let out an evil laugh.
The eyes of Aoshi watched Jin-E make a fool of his self. He thought about how he rescued Jin-E after the battle between him and Kenshin. Aoshi remembered it clearly.