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Akabeko
Moon Kitty 2005
April 16th, 2008

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It was an altogether sunny day, bright and early in the morning, yet the clouds lining the mountains in the far-off distance promised a hint of rain.

Yahiko, having been told to practice the way he held his hands on the handle, walked slowly around the halls of the dojo, swinging his bokken down with a pronunciating 'hah!'.

Kaoru had been the one to request his practice, and his feet throbbed with every step he took. She had been making him practice every night for hours. She had claimed that if he wanted to be Japan's number one samurai he had to undergo a samurai's training regimen.

Everything had been peaceful throughout that day so far. And everything would have been peaceful... had Kaoru not slid open her door.

"Ouch!" a feminine cry echoed as the bokken completed its arch through the air, only to crash right on the top of Kaoru's head.

"Yahiko! What the heck are you-?" But the resounding CRK! that followed stopped short any other protest that might have followed. Carefully moving his foot back to rest next to the other one, they both froze as they spied Kaoru's ivory comb lying on the dojo floor broken almost completely in half.

Yahiko broke out in a cold sweat, staring at her downcast face. It was that that made him nervous. He couldn't make out whether or not she was crying or angry. All he knew was that when she let her emotions be hidden, it wasn't going to be anything pleasant.

When she raised her head, he could swear he saw tears in her eyes. In the next second, however, he saw fire and heard her mutter, "You had better buy me a new one... or else."

"B-but Kaoru!" he stammered, trying to make her understand that it had been an accident, but she wasn't hearing any of it.

Hanging his head, he sighed, knowing that he would have to put his samurai dreams on hold for a few days to buy Kaoru an exact replica of the ivory-colored comb she adored so much.

Without another word, he turned around and headed to the only place he knew would allow him to work. The Akabeko.

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Once he arrived there, he noticed it was fairly crowded and there were only a few people running around.

Peeking around the corner to get an actual visual of just how many people were there, he jumped when someone timidly tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning to yell at whoever had startled him, he blushed fiercely as he came almost nose-to-nose with Tsubame, Tae's youngest waitress.

"Yahiko? W-what are you doing here?" she asked, backing up a few steps so she wasn't so close.

He scratched the back of his head and laughed embarrassedly. "Well, earlier, I was practicing and I accidentally broke Kaoru's comb." At her expression of confusion, he shook his head. "It's a long story. Basically, I have to earn some money to buy her a new one."

Understanding dawned on the pretty girl's face and she laid a hand on his arm, smiling. "You can come back later tonight. Tae's getting ready to go on a trip to Izu, so she won't have any time to help me close. I could use your help if you're offering, however. It takes a while for me to close this place by myself."

He nodded, his face red, and stepped back. "I'll be back later tonight, then." As he walked away from the Akabeko, his arm burned where the girl had touched it.

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It was two hours before the Akabeko closed when Yahiko came back. However, he was getting tired of just sitting by the river and waiting for the Akabeko to close. Why was he sitting by the river, you ask?

One word.

Kaoru.

If he had come back to the dojo so shortly after leaving it, she would hover over him all day, yelling and screeching about her comb, calling him a slacker and a pig and all the other things she usually yelled at him that he didn't listen to.

But this time was different. Because he actually felt guilty. Of course, it had been an accident, but he had broken her comb. No matter how many ways he looked at it, it wasn't her fault. So he had to get her a comb. Not just any one, but one that looked like the one she had.

Most of the customers had left the restaurant, and as he slid open the door he came face-to-face with a man who had definitely had his fill of the sake. His friends apologized to Yahiko and then carried the man off into the distance.

He didn't see Tsubame at first, so he just stood there and waited, not sure if he could go into the kitchen to see if she was there. Luckily, after only a few minutes of waiting, she came out of the kitchen, the front of her apron showing damp spots from washing the dishes.

She looked as if she was being overworked. Her cheeks were flushed and she was out of breath as she ran over to Yahiko. Shoving a large platter into his hands and a notebook and pen, she quickly said, "Take people's orders and take them to the cook, please."

Nodding, he ran over to the first table and began taking orders.

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Later that night, Yahiko sighed as he collapsed against one of the tables. Finally, the Akabeko was empty! The last group of people had just left, and Tsubame emerged from the kitchen, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She collapsed right next to him and yawned. "Such a long night," she murmured, then looked around at all the tables and groaned.

There was so much mess waiting for them! Of course the cook had volunteered to take care of the kitchen, but the entire dining room was up to herself and Yahiko. Standing and rolling up her sleeves, she stared at the offending tables with a determined look on her face.

No way was she going to let this get her down! Yahiko stood as well and they both smiled at each other. "Let's do this," he said, and they went to grab rags.

As they both wiped down a table near the back of the restaurant, Tsubame found herself beginning to wonder why God had given her this chance. She had always liked Yahiko, ever since the very beginning when he had protected her from that group of bad men. Perhaps she could tell him tonight? But as she looked up and was about to say something, she noticed his head bent in concentration as he scrubbed away at the table.

There was no way she was going to have an opportunity to tell him tonight. Continuing her scrubbing, she blushed as his hand slid across the table and touched hers. She looked up at him, cheeks red, and saw that he was already staring at her.

"Something wrong, Tsubame?" he asked, a warm smile on his face.

If possible, she turned a few more shades of red and clutched the rag to her chest. "Yahiko... I..." She was about to say something, she knew. But she just couldn't get it to come out. What was she so nervous about? This was only Yahiko. Even if he didn't like her back, he would still say something to comfort her.

They both stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, and Tsubame finally came to the realization that she could tell him anything. She had incredibly bad timing, however. Just as she was about to tell him, a large CRACK! outside sounded, and they both jumped, their heads turning to look out the window.

"Rain?" Yahiko muttered, looking closer. Sure enough, a second later, rain came pouring down in torrents. "That must have been lightning we heard, then."

Tsubame sat there for a moment, dumbfounded. The perfect moment... ruined by lightning? She looked down at her lap. Maybe God wasn't trying to make a moment for her, after all.

Other than that, with the mention of rain, there was something that was bothering her. But what was it? Was it something that she was supposed to remember? She gasped. The firewood! It was going to get wet!

"Yahiko! I need your help with the firewood! Come on!" With no second thought, she grabbed his wrist and they both dashed from the building.

Not caring if she was going to get wet, she began picking up one log at a time and moving them a few feet into the shed. As she turned back around, she saw Yahiko carrying three pieces of lumber at once. Blushing in embarrassment, she went back to the pile and picked up two.

She didn't want to be seen as being too effeminate, but she knew Tae would kill her if she just left the new shipment of firewood in the rain. They would have to wait days for it to dry out and they didn't have much left.

The next time she went back to the pile of wood, she picked up three. This proved to be a mistake. There was a little slab of concrete in front of the door to the shed, and she was so short that she couldn't see over the pile of wood. Not to mention the rain getting in her eyes and her bangs being plastered to her face, she couldn't see where the step was. A moment later, she had fallen over and all she knew was that her knee was burning badly.

She clutched it and tried to will the tears from her eyes, and could hear the wood falling to the ground as Yahiko dropped them to rush to her side. "No, no! We need to put the wood in the shed!"

"But you're hurt!" he said, his eyes showing concern.

She shook her head fervently. "Please, just take care of the wood first. My knee is okay for right now."

He nodded and began to pick up the fallen logs, and it seemed he had new determination as he walked back and forth twice as fast as before. Tsubame smiled as she watched him. He was such a nice person.

Once he had gotten all the wood in the shed and shut the door, she had begun to stand up, favoring her right knee somewhat, but he had placed a hand on her shoulder, and before she even had a chance to ask him what he was doing, he had picked her up bridal style and was carrying her back inside.

She turned red in a second, and to his surprise, she didn't weigh much at all. Of course, her sopping wet work kimono added to her weight, but even with that, she was still as light as a feather. She had wrapped her small arms around his neck to somehow support herself, and he blushed.

He had always liked Tsubame, ever since he had first met her. That's why he had felt the urge to protect her from that group of bad men who had wanted to hurt her.

But how to tell her? It's not like he could just come out and say it to her face. She probably didn't even like him back. He would probably scare her off, and he didn't want to lose her friendship.

Once they got back inside, he set her down on a pillow, then kneeled in front of her and began to peel the wet kimono away from her skin. She blushed even more and reached down to cover herself up. It was improper for a woman to show too much of her body to a man before marriage. He simply slapped her hands away and she gasped when she saw that her knee was scraped up, blood flowing from the wound.

His eyebrows knit together and he ran off, going into the back where the first aid kit was. Tsubame hadn't known it was that bad. She must have scraped it against the concrete. But it was surprising. For how bad it looked it didn't hurt as much.

When he returned with the small white kit, she grabbed his hand, and he looked surprised at how bold she was being. She simply held it, and suddenly he understood that all she wanted was a source of comfort from the pain the cleanser was about to cause.

He did it quickly, wiping the wound off and bandaging it in a matter of seconds, then released her hand and went off to find a couple of towels or blankets to keep themselves warm before they caught a cold.

Yahiko had always been a nice person. But she found it hard to believe that he had done this much work and wasn't complaining. A normal person would whine about how much work they would have to do for little pay. But Yahiko hadn't said a word about it.

Tears began to gather in her eyes, and as Yahiko returned and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, she murmured, "I'm sorry."

He kneeled down and smiled, "You have nothing to be sorry for. Make sure to keep the blanket around you. Here." He placed a rag in her hands and winked. "We still need to get this done. Just worry about the tables nearby, and don't strain yourself. I'm going to go to the back of the restaurant and clean up there. You going to be okay by yourself?"

She nodded and he helped her up, then walked away to get the other tables finished. She couldn't believe this. She had hurt herself because she was trying to be a show-off, and now he had to do most of the work while she was treated like an invalid.

And he still didn't complain.

As she began to wipe down one of the nearby tables, she began to hum a tune her mother used to sing her when she was a baby. The only reason she could still remember it was because her mom's friend used to sing it to her when she was little.

She had thought she was being quiet, but the emptiness of the restaurant caused her voice to echo a little, and Yahiko looked up, staring at her as she continued to wipe the table, humming the same tune, unaware that he was watching.

He smiled. A normal person would have complained that their knee was hurting and would want to sit down. But she was standing just fine, helping him, and was even humming a cheerful tune as if nothing had happened. She was amazing.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, another bolt of lightning struck and they both jumped. Yahiko watched as Tsubame fell down once again, but it seemed to be more on purpose than from shock.

He ran over to help her back up, and imagine his surprise when, instead of standing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "I don't like the lightning! Can I please just stay here for a while?"

Though his face was red and his heart was beating a mile a minute, he smiled and ran a comforting hand down her back. "Of course. You can stay here for as long as you want." He leaned back against the shoji that separated the tables from each other and gathered her even closer in his arms.

He had protected her then, he would protect her now, even though the enemy was Mother Nature. If she was afraid, he would comfort her. That's why he was there for her. He would always be there for her.

"Yanno, Tsubame…" he turned red as a tomato. "I've always kinda… yanno, uhh… liked you? And I guess uhh… I was kinda, um, wondering… if yanno, you liked me too?"

There was dead silence, and Yahiko bit his lip. Oh no, what have I done? I scared her off! Stupid!

When he looked down however, he wasn't expecting to see the younger girl's face in an expression of slumber. He smiled slightly and managed to pick her up, lying her down so she could sleep more comfortably. When her head hit the padding, she murmured "… Yahikoo…"

The boy in question smiled and leaned down, kissing her cheek. His cheeks lit up in yet another furious blush before he stood and retreated to the kitchen to finish the rest of the dishes.

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Yahiko walked up to the dojo the next morning, black bag with red satin fans decorated on it in hand. Kenshin was hanging the day's laundry and simply smiled at the boy, nodding. Sanosuke was nowhere to be seen, most likely sleeping a hangover off. And Kaoru was off to the side, swinging her bokken around like a wild animal.

Yahiko could tell she was still sore about the comb incident.

He walked up to her and shoved his hand out, looking away with a blush on his face. "Here," he said roughly.

She blinked and turned from her practice, setting her eyes on the box. Taking it from him, she opened it up to reveal a black comb with red fans on the handle. She ran a finger over it, and then looked at Yahiko. "This doesn't look like the one I had before."

Yahiko shrugged. "I was walking around all morning. I couldn't find any combs that matched the one you had. That's all I could afford, anyways. You don't get much from working one night at the Akabeko."

Kaoru smirked. "It's okay, brat, this one's even better than the last one. Thank you."

He scowled. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome."

Kenshin sweatdropped and kept hanging laundry, trying not to make it seem obvious he was eavesdropping. Those two certainly had an odd way of showing gratitude to one another.

"Now that you have your stupid comb back, I need to go back to the Akabeko for a few. I'll be back later in the afternoon."

After he had departed, Kaoru and Kenshin exchanged smiles and nodded knowingly before going back to their tasks.

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Walking inside the door of the once-again busy restaurant, Yahiko waited to see if he could catch a glimpse of Tsubame. When he saw a waitress, he pulled her aside after she was done delivering an order and asked her.

"Oh, little Tsubame's in the back washing the dishes. We've had such a mad rush this afternoon."

Nodding politely, he stepped into the back room and smiled when he saw Tsubame standing on a footstool in order to reach the dishes that had managed to pile up over a short period of time. And she didn't seem at all displeased to do them. The entire time, she was humming a cute little tune.

"So did you sleep good last night?"

She squealed and almost dropped a plate, managing to catch it just in time. "Oh, Yahiko! You scared me half to death! I have to admit, it's the first time I've ever fallen asleep in the restaurant. The carekeeper came in this morning and saw me dozing in one of the stalls."

"Yeah, I put you there when you fell asleep."

"I know." Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she walked over to Yahiko and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her face suddenly turned red and she leaned up on her tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. "By the way, I like you, too."

With that said, she scampered off out the side door.

Too stunned and embarrassed to go after her, he simply smiled goofily and waltzed from the kitchen to return to the dojo.

Maybe I need to break things more often.

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Authoress Notes

I thought this was kinda cute. Let me know what you thought of it! :D