AN: Hey everyone. This is something I posted long ago on rkchallenge. It's been sitting in my folder waiting for a revamp so I could post it. Here you go! Enjoy.

Two weeks.

"Why do I even try?" Yahiko quietly thought to himself, scrubbing hard the laundry that was set before him by a certain irate tanuki--one who has been particularly irritating for the last two weeks.

Whether she was doing it to get a kick or to past the time, Yahiko couldn't tell. The minute he enters the gate, it was 'do this,' 'fetch that,' 'let me see your so-and-so stance,' and whatever else that comes into her sadistic mind at the moment. Never was he offered a moment's respite from walking all the way from the other side of town.

He didn't even live in the dojo anymore and he was still made to do laundry there.

"Aren't I supposed to be a guest here?" he asked through gritted teeth, closing his eyes to keep the sun from blinding him as he hanged up the finished batch of wet clothing.

"Hey Yahiko, do you think you could—"

"Busu, do you mind if I just sit for one minute?" Yahiko snapped, completely forgetting her uncanny habit to bring out a bokken from nowhere.

Thwack

"When you think you can get up, please go into town and fetch some tofu for dinner," she cheerily said as she left Yahiko alone to tend to his bump.

"What am I, your slave?" Yahiko muttered to the tofu bucket as he trudged towards town. He carefully picked his path, all the while muttering nonsense to himself about how he had better things to do than to keep an overbearing tanuki company.

Yahiko paused, hearing the familiar clutter of a speeding carriage. He side-stepped out of its way but was splashed with mud anyways as it passed him. He uttered a few choice words that would have made a certain rooster proud though he wasn't in the country at the moment. Again his thoughts took a downward spiral as he contemplated why everyone seemed to have left town.

Sano in hiding, Megumi in Aizu, and Kenshin at some god-forsaken mission or another every other week.

"Hey Yahiko-chan! "

He was only halfway to town when Tsubame's voice distracted him from cursing the very woma--uh, reason why hewasn't able to accompany Kenshin. He smiled, ignoring the '-chan' that was tacked on the end of his name. Assured of his own height, age, and ability, having Tsubame call him 'little' wasn't as irritating as before. In fact, he rather liked how the extra syllable took shape on her lips.

"Tsubame-chan, what are you doing here?" he acknowledged, smiling wider at how she flushed prettily.

"Um, Tae-san bid me to give this to you for dinner at the dojo."

"Demo, this is too much, are you sure?"

"Hai. Yahiko-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Could—I mean, would you like to have some tea over at the Akabeko when you are done for the day? Tae-san thought you might like it, and you've been coming by almost everyday anyways so I thought--" Her cheeks reddened to an almost unimaginable hue as Yahiko smiled and daringly touched her elbow in assurance.

"I would really like that, Tsubame."

"O—okay. I'll see you in a little while." She said as she waved him goodbye.

Running back to the dojo, Yahiko didn't notice a carriage much like the last one, leaving the dojo gates. Too busy fantasizing and balancing the food, he forgot his customary sweep for ki as he entered the dojo. In fact, the sight before him didn't even register in his mind until Kaoru's high-pitched "eep!"

Yahiko blinked.

Kaoru's cheek was firmly snuggled into one calloused hand as she was looking up endearingly into a pair of violet eyes. His other hand was occupied with a tin container, his fingers touching the tips of her dainty hands as she accepted the gift.

"Probably chocolate," Yahiko muttered to himself as he half-listened to Kaoru's excuse of burning dinner, and thereby excusing herself while covering her sun-kissed cheeks with warmed hands.

Kenshin spared another glance at her back before turning towards Yahiko, who was almost as tall as himself.

"How was the mission?" Yahiko hurriedly asked as he handed the tofu bucket and food to the ex-samurai.

"It was alright. Nothing really happened, for which this one is glad." Kenshin amiably said, giving Yahiko his trademark smile. "This one was in a carriage and saw you walking to town but—"

"You couldn't wait to see Kaoru. Whatever." Yahiko snorted. "That's dinner from Tae, and I'm going to the Akabeko now, so don't let busu keep you up all night talking, alright? You need rest."

"Hai. And Yahiko?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you for keeping Kaoru-dono company."

Yahiko didn't say anything but turned around and kept walking. When he reached the gate, he laid one hand on its wooden surface and turned his head to look at his idol.

"You know I keep my word, Kenshin." He said seriously.

"Hai."

"You should keep yours, too."

"Oro? This one couldn't help being three days late—"

"I wasn't talking about that."

"Oh… This one has one more mission next week. It will only take a day to visit the bank in Yokohama." Kenshin murmured quietly, loud enough for only Yahiko to hear. "After that, this one can keep Kaoru-dono company for as long as she wants. Your…services will no longer be required."

Yahiko snorted again. "Just refer the police to me when you finally keep your word, then we can call it even." As he waved a hand goodbye, he smiled mischieviously and shouted "Your lucky Sano isn't around to borrow all of it away."

He grinned when he heard the expected, "Borrow all of what away, Kenshin?"

This time, as he walked towards town again, Yahiko couldn't keep from smiling.