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Chapter 2
All of their friends had gathered together for a party to help send the two
of them off on a happier note, but neither Kenshin nor Kaoru were too
pleased. Kaoru was still upset about what she had done, and Kenshin just
wanted to get going so he could start working on making Kaoru feel better.
Both, however, endured the goodbyes without complaint.
The food for the party was catered in by Tae and Tsubame, who had decided
to shut down the Akebeko for the event, and they brought not just their
spectacular sukiyaki but also a huge tray of other goodies and several
bottles of sake.
Sanosuke was vehemently avoiding the sake. Usually in the parties that he
went to, he drunk everyone else under the table, however this time he was
pretty sure that being drunk was inappropriate. He had missed the entire
incident, one in which Kenshin and Kaoru had desperately needed his help,
drunk and passed out on the floor of one of the gambling halls he
frequented. By the time he'd recovered and showed up at the dojo, Kaoru
had already been interrogated by Saitoh and Kenshin had already decided to
take her on this trip. Sano wasn't even around to help pick up the pieces-
all he could do was to help arrange this party. He was barely able to meet
Kenshin's eyes at that moment.
Megumi stood on the other side of the room, looking in mild disgust in his
direction. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Sanosuke since he had
returned from the gambling hall, but she certainly had some words for him.
Not right then, though- she didn't want to upset Kaoru or Kenshin any more
than they already were.
Surprisingly, Saitoh had footed part of the bill for repairs needed to the
dojo following the fight. Megumi wasn't sure what was going on there, but
she didn't like it one bit. However, she wouldn't look a gift horse in the
mouth- she knew how bad the financial difficulties were at the Kamiya
residence, and she wasn't going to tell Kaoru to not take it. Well,
Yahiko, really- he was going to be in charge of the dojo until Kenshin and
Kaoru returned, and that included the maintenance and, to a lesser degree,
finances. She would help him, of course, as would Tae (who had started
giving him a fairly decent salary as a waiter), Tsubame, and (once she got
her hands on the damn drunk and told him some things or three) Sanosuke.
And Dr. Genzai, Ayame, and Suzame, too, of course.
Yahiko was probably the only one who was having fun at the party. He was
going to be trusted on his own- they weren't going to treat him like a
child and forced to move in with someone else. True, he didn't entirely
like WHY Kaoru and Kenshin were going away, but he was pretty sure that
they'd be fine. They tended to keep each other from getting into too much
trouble- Kenshin kept Kaoru alive, Kaoru kept Kenshin sane. Well, in this
case, it might be the other way around- Kenshin was supposed to keep Kaoru
sane, but he was pretty sure niether of them would be in any danger. Ayame
and Suzame playing with Dr. Genzai in front of him was also helping to
lighten the mood, as well.
There WAS the fear that he might not be able to handle all of the troubles
that came from maintaining the dojo- his only source of income was his job
at the Akebeko, and while that kept him fed and gave him some pocket
change, he doubted it would be enough to pay for any significant amount of
supplies, so if anything broke he wouldn't be able to fix it. Well, not
unless he relied on his old pickpocketing skills... and he really didn't
want to do that again.
Tae served the food to everyone, Tsubame included. She had given the young
girl the night off, so that she could be with her friends. Tae, herself,
wasn't entirely sure if this trip was that good an idea... then again, it
just might be enough to inspire Kenshin to buy Kaoru the ring she so
deserved. Tae also wasn't sure about Yahiko- she knew that the small
salary she was paying him (which was really more than she could afford)
wouldn't be enough for him to support himself for very long. She was
fairly sure that Megumi, Sanosuke, and her young charge Tsubame would all
help him out (Tsubame probably wouldn't be able to do much, but she could
keep him company and stop him from being so lonely... hmm, and that might
just be another nice relationship for her to try and help smooth out-
though as young as the couple was, it probably would be difficult to push
it very quickly. She'd have to think about it), but it might not be
enough. She'd have to keep an eye on him, too, and make sure he ate
enough...
Saitoh, monitoring what was going on in the party from the shadows, unseen
by all (well, by all except Kenshin, but Kenshin wasn't about to complain
this time), couldn't believe he'd made that agreement with the Battousai.
How could he have been talked into anything so foolish? Or expensive...
Tokio was probably going to kill him. Well, maybe- she had a kind enough
heart she'd probably tell him he should have done it without the agreement.
Whatever, he still couldn't believe he'd made that agreement.
Tsubame was happy and sad, nervous and shy. Everyone she loved was around
her, even Yahiko. True, a couple of those people were about to leave on a
journey for an undetermined period of time, but that was the future. The
NOW was a happy time. And none were happier than Yahiko, which somehow
made her smile that much more. Tae called her over and whispered a few
words in her ear. Tsubame had been given the night off, but Tae needed her
to do one little thing while she set up for dinner. Tsubame smiled- of
course she would help.
Kaoru was totally accepting of what was happening. She was standing in her
place, behind Kenshin, letting him do the talking for her. She didn't know
what to say any more- she certainly didn't have any right to give
instruction to Yahiko, since she'd defiled the rules of her school. She
couldn't say anything to Megumi- there wasn't anything more to say, really.
She couldn't say anything to Tae- the other woman would be taking on more
than her fair share of responsibilities by helping Yahiko out. She
couldn't say anything to Tsubame, Ayame, or Suzame- she didn't want to
corrupt the poor girl by being too near her. She was a murderer, she
couldn't let those kids be too near a murderer. True, Kenshin had also
killed before, and she couldn't help but imagine him with kids, but he was
somehow... different. She didn't want to talk to Kenshin about it, right
now- not in public, anyway- and she wouldn't feel comfortable around
children until she did... until she found out whatever it was that made him
so good despite the blood on his hands. The only person she thought she
might be able to talk to was Sanosuke, but he was avoiding her and Kenshin,
for some reason.
Kenshin met with everyone and judged their moods instantly. Kaoru was...
well, the same Kaoru she'd been since the incident had happened. Sanosuke
was too embarrassed to meet his face. Saitoh, in hiding until he left as
per their agreement, didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. Yahiko was
delighted- and a little nervous- at being left on his own to fend for
himself, for once. Kenshin allowed himself a slight smile- the boy was a
very quick learner, and had a heart few could match. He'd do fine-
especially with everyone helping him. Megumi was looking a little...
angry. Not at him and Kaoru (though it was obvious she was annoyed that
Kaoru hadn't snapped out of it, yet), but more at Sanosuke. Kenshin didn't
even WANT to know what that was about. Dr. Genzai and the kids were having
fun, blissfully ignorant of the seriousness of the parting. Tsubame and
Tae were their usual selves- Tae was worrying over the food, and Tsubame
was nervous about the company, a little shy about Yahiko's presence, but
still happy to be around people who treated her as family. He saw Tae send
the young girl off on a quick task before returning to her serving.
Kenshin guessed why when he saw where Tsubame was going, and made a mental
note to bring back something nice for them- they deserved it. He also made
a mental note not to underestimate waitresses in the future.
Once all the food was served (and Saitoh learned also to never
underestimate a waitress when Tsubame showed up with a bowl full of
steaming hot Sukiyaki for his consumption), the party started in earnest.
Tsubame and Tae chatted politely with Yahiko, Ayame and Suzame ate settled
down and proceeded to something they thought was very important- eating.
Dr. Genzai was chatting politely with Megumi. Sanosuke was still sulking,
and Kaoru and Kenshin were hardly a couple of chatterboxes, but everyone
sensed their mood and, instead of letting it get them down, tried instead
to cheer them up by being cheerful on their own.
All too quickly, however, they ran out of food and the goodbyes had to be
said. The first people to go were Dr. Genzai and his two young charges,
since they needed to go to bed early.
It wasn't until they had to go home that Ayame and Suzame realized they
weren't going to be seeing Kenshin or Kaoru for quite some time. They
reacted... predictably.
"Ken-ni! Don't go!" Ayame cried, clamping on to his leg.
"Pwease? We want you to stay here, with us! Pwease stay?" Suzame sobbed,
clamping on to a leg as well- thought the leg she grabbed belonged to
Kaoru.
Kaoru felt like the physical contact stung. She had to go now, more than
ever, to keep from corrupting these little darlings with her presence.
However, she couldn't get away as long as Suzame clung to her like that.
She couldn't do anything to get the young girl to let her go- that would
just mean touching her with her blood stained hands all the more, and she
couldn't do that. Desperate for a rescue, she looked to Kenshin, who was
having his own problems in the removing-little-kids predicament. Ayame was
holding him too tight for him to pry her off without hurting her.
Thankfully, Dr. Genzai came to their rescue. "Now, kids," he said.
"Kenshin and Kaoru are going away on a very important trip. They may not
be back for a long time, but if you don't let go then they aren't going to
be able to get started on their journey, which would mean they'd NEVER be
able to come back."
Despite the flawed logic of the statement, that caught the two little
girls' attention. Tears in their eyes, they released the two adults and
joined Dr. Genzai.
"Bye Ken-ni! Bye, Kaowu-neesan. We love you!"
Kenshin, sensing Kaoru's discomfort, decided to answer for the both of
them. "Don't worry, you two- we'll be back before you know it. And when
we get back, we'll hold an even bigger party in honor of our return."
That gave the girls two really big smiles. "Pwomise?
Kenshin smiled back and nodded. "Promise."
The next to go was Tae, with the similar excuse of taking Tsubame home.
She approached Kaoru, her arms outstretched, and took her into a gentle
hug. "You be careful now, okay?" Tae said. "Quit blaming youself for
something you had no control over... and," here her voice descended into a
whisper, "Try to remember not to do anything I wouldn't do... at least, not
until the two of you get married, okay?"
If Kaoru had felt up to blushing, she would have. However, the sympathetic
hug Tae was giving her helped relieve some of the dark cloud hanging over
her shoulder, and so the embarrasment that she would have usually felt was
absorbed by other emotions.
After disengaging herself from Kaoru, Tae turned and hugged Kenshin, as
well- much to his and Kaoru's surprise. "Bring her back safe, okay?" Tae
said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Letting her voice fall into a
whisper again, she added, "You might want to look for a ring while you're
out there, okay?"
Kenshin looked a little abashed, but when Tae backed off he gave her a
short- and very quick- nod. Tae was taken a little aback- she was just
joking, but he seemed to take her seriously... which was definitely a good
thing. Tae turned to go, and Tsubame followed.
"Tsubame?" Kenshin called, stopping her before she got too far.
"Yes, Kenshin-san?" she asked, turning to see him.
"Keep Yahiko-chan out of trouble while we're gone," he instructed, grinning
slightly.
"Hey!" came a voice from the other side of the room. "I'm NOT a chan, got
it!?"
Blushing, Tsubame nodded. "I will, Kenshin-san." Turning back to follow
Tae, she nearly stumbled over her own clothing before rushing up to the
Akebeko's matriarch.
Sanosuke had tried to slip out while Kenshin and Kaoru were distracted by
the others' leaving, but Megumi had grabbed him before he could leave. She
was going to make SURE she could talk to him about all this, and the only
way she could make certain she had that opportunity was to keep him in
sight until she had that discussion.
However, it WAS getting late, and she would probably have a long day coming
up, and they definitely would, so she should probably leave soon, as well.
And take that troublesome drunk, Sano, with her.
"Come on, let's get out of here," she said to Sano, standing up and
dragging him along by the collar of his gi. He nearly tore out of her
grasp when she came up to Kaoru and Kenshin.
"Bye, you two... We'll see you when we get back. Try not to get in too
much trouble- I don't want to have to work too hard when you return," she
winked.
"Bye, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said. Kaoru mearly nodded.
Sano said nothing, trying to hang off in the background. Megumi prompted
him with a slap to the back of the head.
"Um, yeah, bye," he muttered.
Megumi looked at him in frustration before grabbing his arm and dragging
him off.
Kenshin chuckled a little watching them head off. He knew Sano was a
little embarrased about missing the fight, and that was why he was avoiding
them, but it seemed like Megumi would straighten him out quickly enough.
He, however, would have a much harder time straightening Kaoru out. With
everyone gone who was going to go, his attention returned to the problem of
helping her deal with having killed a man. He wasn't entirely sure if what
he had planned for her would work- after all, it had been several years
since he last killed a man, and he still wasn't entirely over it. Then
again, he'd killed many, MANY more men than just one.
Yahiko approached the two of them, yawning. "Well, I'm going to bed.
G'night, you two. See you in the morning."
Kenshin sighed. "Actually, Yahiko, I don't think you will."
Yahiko looked stunned. "You mean... you're leaving tonight?"
"No," Kenshin replied, shaking his head. "But we're going to be leaving
very early tomorrow. Before dawn. You won't be awake by then."
"Then maybe I should stay up a little later," Yahiko said. "I was hoping
to have a chance to talk with you two about some things before you leave."
Kenshin smiled. "Go on to bed. Megumi and Tae will be around to help you
out with anything you might have questions with."
"But... then I-"
"Yahiko," Kenshin said. "I know you just don't want to say goodbye. Well,
don't worry- as we told Ayame and Suzame, we'll be back before you know
it."
Yahiko wasn't buying it. "And how long will that be? Months? YEARS? How
will I get in touch with you if I need to you?"
Kenshin sighed. "Yahiko... I wasn't planning on this, but you do make a
good point. Regardless of whether we're ready or not, we'll be back- at
least for a short time- in six months. Okay?" Yahiko didn't move.
Kenshin offered a hand to shake. "Okay?"
Yahiko hesitated, then grabbed the hand... and pulled himself into a big
hug with Kenshin. "I'm going to miss you two," he said.
Kenshin returned the hug, smiling. Usually, Yahiko would be struggling to
get out of one, not giving someone else one. "And we're going to miss
you."
Yahiko broke her hug off from Kenshin and went over to Kaoru. "You get
better FAST, okay?"
Kaoru couldn't help but smile, even though she couldn't see herself getting
better EVER. "Goodbye, Yahiko," she said, taking him into a hug. "As
Kenshin said, we'll visit."
"I'm not going to give up my training, you know," Yahiko noted. "I'll
practice every day, just how you told me to. We can pick up right where
you left off when you get back."
Kaoru stiffened at the mention of training. She couldn't teach anyone any
more- she'd disgraced her art. But now was not the time to say that, so
she just kept silent.
Once she released him, Kenshin knelt down to ruffle Yahiko's hair. "You go
on to bed now, okay?"
Yahiko nodded. "Okay, Kenshin... Good bye."
After he left, Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "Why don't you go to bed, as well?
I've got some last-minute things to pack still, but you should get your
rest. It's going to be a long day for you, tomorrow."
Kaoru nodded, and went off to her bed. Once she was out of sight, Kenshin
walked over to where Saitoh was still standing.
"I hate you, you know," Saitoh said.
"I'm sorry for forcing you into this, Saitoh. But there was no-one else I
knew of who could do this job."
Saitoh shook his head. "Tokio is going to kill me- this is going to take
away a lot of our little time together... and a large amount of our money."
Kenshin nodded. "It may. It might not, you know, if you do it right."
"Well, I made an agreement. I don't have a choice, now, do I?"
Kenshin smiled. "Excuse me, I have to pack up a few things before I leave
tomorrow."
Saitoh merely nodded. "You're going to take her to see it, aren't you?"
Kenshin shook his head. "Perhaps. We shall see."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Chapter 2
All of their friends had gathered together for a party to help send the two
of them off on a happier note, but neither Kenshin nor Kaoru were too
pleased. Kaoru was still upset about what she had done, and Kenshin just
wanted to get going so he could start working on making Kaoru feel better.
Both, however, endured the goodbyes without complaint.
The food for the party was catered in by Tae and Tsubame, who had decided
to shut down the Akebeko for the event, and they brought not just their
spectacular sukiyaki but also a huge tray of other goodies and several
bottles of sake.
Sanosuke was vehemently avoiding the sake. Usually in the parties that he
went to, he drunk everyone else under the table, however this time he was
pretty sure that being drunk was inappropriate. He had missed the entire
incident, one in which Kenshin and Kaoru had desperately needed his help,
drunk and passed out on the floor of one of the gambling halls he
frequented. By the time he'd recovered and showed up at the dojo, Kaoru
had already been interrogated by Saitoh and Kenshin had already decided to
take her on this trip. Sano wasn't even around to help pick up the pieces-
all he could do was to help arrange this party. He was barely able to meet
Kenshin's eyes at that moment.
Megumi stood on the other side of the room, looking in mild disgust in his
direction. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Sanosuke since he had
returned from the gambling hall, but she certainly had some words for him.
Not right then, though- she didn't want to upset Kaoru or Kenshin any more
than they already were.
Surprisingly, Saitoh had footed part of the bill for repairs needed to the
dojo following the fight. Megumi wasn't sure what was going on there, but
she didn't like it one bit. However, she wouldn't look a gift horse in the
mouth- she knew how bad the financial difficulties were at the Kamiya
residence, and she wasn't going to tell Kaoru to not take it. Well,
Yahiko, really- he was going to be in charge of the dojo until Kenshin and
Kaoru returned, and that included the maintenance and, to a lesser degree,
finances. She would help him, of course, as would Tae (who had started
giving him a fairly decent salary as a waiter), Tsubame, and (once she got
her hands on the damn drunk and told him some things or three) Sanosuke.
And Dr. Genzai, Ayame, and Suzame, too, of course.
Yahiko was probably the only one who was having fun at the party. He was
going to be trusted on his own- they weren't going to treat him like a
child and forced to move in with someone else. True, he didn't entirely
like WHY Kaoru and Kenshin were going away, but he was pretty sure that
they'd be fine. They tended to keep each other from getting into too much
trouble- Kenshin kept Kaoru alive, Kaoru kept Kenshin sane. Well, in this
case, it might be the other way around- Kenshin was supposed to keep Kaoru
sane, but he was pretty sure niether of them would be in any danger. Ayame
and Suzame playing with Dr. Genzai in front of him was also helping to
lighten the mood, as well.
There WAS the fear that he might not be able to handle all of the troubles
that came from maintaining the dojo- his only source of income was his job
at the Akebeko, and while that kept him fed and gave him some pocket
change, he doubted it would be enough to pay for any significant amount of
supplies, so if anything broke he wouldn't be able to fix it. Well, not
unless he relied on his old pickpocketing skills... and he really didn't
want to do that again.
Tae served the food to everyone, Tsubame included. She had given the young
girl the night off, so that she could be with her friends. Tae, herself,
wasn't entirely sure if this trip was that good an idea... then again, it
just might be enough to inspire Kenshin to buy Kaoru the ring she so
deserved. Tae also wasn't sure about Yahiko- she knew that the small
salary she was paying him (which was really more than she could afford)
wouldn't be enough for him to support himself for very long. She was
fairly sure that Megumi, Sanosuke, and her young charge Tsubame would all
help him out (Tsubame probably wouldn't be able to do much, but she could
keep him company and stop him from being so lonely... hmm, and that might
just be another nice relationship for her to try and help smooth out-
though as young as the couple was, it probably would be difficult to push
it very quickly. She'd have to think about it), but it might not be
enough. She'd have to keep an eye on him, too, and make sure he ate
enough...
Saitoh, monitoring what was going on in the party from the shadows, unseen
by all (well, by all except Kenshin, but Kenshin wasn't about to complain
this time), couldn't believe he'd made that agreement with the Battousai.
How could he have been talked into anything so foolish? Or expensive...
Tokio was probably going to kill him. Well, maybe- she had a kind enough
heart she'd probably tell him he should have done it without the agreement.
Whatever, he still couldn't believe he'd made that agreement.
Tsubame was happy and sad, nervous and shy. Everyone she loved was around
her, even Yahiko. True, a couple of those people were about to leave on a
journey for an undetermined period of time, but that was the future. The
NOW was a happy time. And none were happier than Yahiko, which somehow
made her smile that much more. Tae called her over and whispered a few
words in her ear. Tsubame had been given the night off, but Tae needed her
to do one little thing while she set up for dinner. Tsubame smiled- of
course she would help.
Kaoru was totally accepting of what was happening. She was standing in her
place, behind Kenshin, letting him do the talking for her. She didn't know
what to say any more- she certainly didn't have any right to give
instruction to Yahiko, since she'd defiled the rules of her school. She
couldn't say anything to Megumi- there wasn't anything more to say, really.
She couldn't say anything to Tae- the other woman would be taking on more
than her fair share of responsibilities by helping Yahiko out. She
couldn't say anything to Tsubame, Ayame, or Suzame- she didn't want to
corrupt the poor girl by being too near her. She was a murderer, she
couldn't let those kids be too near a murderer. True, Kenshin had also
killed before, and she couldn't help but imagine him with kids, but he was
somehow... different. She didn't want to talk to Kenshin about it, right
now- not in public, anyway- and she wouldn't feel comfortable around
children until she did... until she found out whatever it was that made him
so good despite the blood on his hands. The only person she thought she
might be able to talk to was Sanosuke, but he was avoiding her and Kenshin,
for some reason.
Kenshin met with everyone and judged their moods instantly. Kaoru was...
well, the same Kaoru she'd been since the incident had happened. Sanosuke
was too embarrassed to meet his face. Saitoh, in hiding until he left as
per their agreement, didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. Yahiko was
delighted- and a little nervous- at being left on his own to fend for
himself, for once. Kenshin allowed himself a slight smile- the boy was a
very quick learner, and had a heart few could match. He'd do fine-
especially with everyone helping him. Megumi was looking a little...
angry. Not at him and Kaoru (though it was obvious she was annoyed that
Kaoru hadn't snapped out of it, yet), but more at Sanosuke. Kenshin didn't
even WANT to know what that was about. Dr. Genzai and the kids were having
fun, blissfully ignorant of the seriousness of the parting. Tsubame and
Tae were their usual selves- Tae was worrying over the food, and Tsubame
was nervous about the company, a little shy about Yahiko's presence, but
still happy to be around people who treated her as family. He saw Tae send
the young girl off on a quick task before returning to her serving.
Kenshin guessed why when he saw where Tsubame was going, and made a mental
note to bring back something nice for them- they deserved it. He also made
a mental note not to underestimate waitresses in the future.
Once all the food was served (and Saitoh learned also to never
underestimate a waitress when Tsubame showed up with a bowl full of
steaming hot Sukiyaki for his consumption), the party started in earnest.
Tsubame and Tae chatted politely with Yahiko, Ayame and Suzame ate settled
down and proceeded to something they thought was very important- eating.
Dr. Genzai was chatting politely with Megumi. Sanosuke was still sulking,
and Kaoru and Kenshin were hardly a couple of chatterboxes, but everyone
sensed their mood and, instead of letting it get them down, tried instead
to cheer them up by being cheerful on their own.
All too quickly, however, they ran out of food and the goodbyes had to be
said. The first people to go were Dr. Genzai and his two young charges,
since they needed to go to bed early.
It wasn't until they had to go home that Ayame and Suzame realized they
weren't going to be seeing Kenshin or Kaoru for quite some time. They
reacted... predictably.
"Ken-ni! Don't go!" Ayame cried, clamping on to his leg.
"Pwease? We want you to stay here, with us! Pwease stay?" Suzame sobbed,
clamping on to a leg as well- thought the leg she grabbed belonged to
Kaoru.
Kaoru felt like the physical contact stung. She had to go now, more than
ever, to keep from corrupting these little darlings with her presence.
However, she couldn't get away as long as Suzame clung to her like that.
She couldn't do anything to get the young girl to let her go- that would
just mean touching her with her blood stained hands all the more, and she
couldn't do that. Desperate for a rescue, she looked to Kenshin, who was
having his own problems in the removing-little-kids predicament. Ayame was
holding him too tight for him to pry her off without hurting her.
Thankfully, Dr. Genzai came to their rescue. "Now, kids," he said.
"Kenshin and Kaoru are going away on a very important trip. They may not
be back for a long time, but if you don't let go then they aren't going to
be able to get started on their journey, which would mean they'd NEVER be
able to come back."
Despite the flawed logic of the statement, that caught the two little
girls' attention. Tears in their eyes, they released the two adults and
joined Dr. Genzai.
"Bye Ken-ni! Bye, Kaowu-neesan. We love you!"
Kenshin, sensing Kaoru's discomfort, decided to answer for the both of
them. "Don't worry, you two- we'll be back before you know it. And when
we get back, we'll hold an even bigger party in honor of our return."
That gave the girls two really big smiles. "Pwomise?
Kenshin smiled back and nodded. "Promise."
The next to go was Tae, with the similar excuse of taking Tsubame home.
She approached Kaoru, her arms outstretched, and took her into a gentle
hug. "You be careful now, okay?" Tae said. "Quit blaming youself for
something you had no control over... and," here her voice descended into a
whisper, "Try to remember not to do anything I wouldn't do... at least, not
until the two of you get married, okay?"
If Kaoru had felt up to blushing, she would have. However, the sympathetic
hug Tae was giving her helped relieve some of the dark cloud hanging over
her shoulder, and so the embarrasment that she would have usually felt was
absorbed by other emotions.
After disengaging herself from Kaoru, Tae turned and hugged Kenshin, as
well- much to his and Kaoru's surprise. "Bring her back safe, okay?" Tae
said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Letting her voice fall into a
whisper again, she added, "You might want to look for a ring while you're
out there, okay?"
Kenshin looked a little abashed, but when Tae backed off he gave her a
short- and very quick- nod. Tae was taken a little aback- she was just
joking, but he seemed to take her seriously... which was definitely a good
thing. Tae turned to go, and Tsubame followed.
"Tsubame?" Kenshin called, stopping her before she got too far.
"Yes, Kenshin-san?" she asked, turning to see him.
"Keep Yahiko-chan out of trouble while we're gone," he instructed, grinning
slightly.
"Hey!" came a voice from the other side of the room. "I'm NOT a chan, got
it!?"
Blushing, Tsubame nodded. "I will, Kenshin-san." Turning back to follow
Tae, she nearly stumbled over her own clothing before rushing up to the
Akebeko's matriarch.
Sanosuke had tried to slip out while Kenshin and Kaoru were distracted by
the others' leaving, but Megumi had grabbed him before he could leave. She
was going to make SURE she could talk to him about all this, and the only
way she could make certain she had that opportunity was to keep him in
sight until she had that discussion.
However, it WAS getting late, and she would probably have a long day coming
up, and they definitely would, so she should probably leave soon, as well.
And take that troublesome drunk, Sano, with her.
"Come on, let's get out of here," she said to Sano, standing up and
dragging him along by the collar of his gi. He nearly tore out of her
grasp when she came up to Kaoru and Kenshin.
"Bye, you two... We'll see you when we get back. Try not to get in too
much trouble- I don't want to have to work too hard when you return," she
winked.
"Bye, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said. Kaoru mearly nodded.
Sano said nothing, trying to hang off in the background. Megumi prompted
him with a slap to the back of the head.
"Um, yeah, bye," he muttered.
Megumi looked at him in frustration before grabbing his arm and dragging
him off.
Kenshin chuckled a little watching them head off. He knew Sano was a
little embarrased about missing the fight, and that was why he was avoiding
them, but it seemed like Megumi would straighten him out quickly enough.
He, however, would have a much harder time straightening Kaoru out. With
everyone gone who was going to go, his attention returned to the problem of
helping her deal with having killed a man. He wasn't entirely sure if what
he had planned for her would work- after all, it had been several years
since he last killed a man, and he still wasn't entirely over it. Then
again, he'd killed many, MANY more men than just one.
Yahiko approached the two of them, yawning. "Well, I'm going to bed.
G'night, you two. See you in the morning."
Kenshin sighed. "Actually, Yahiko, I don't think you will."
Yahiko looked stunned. "You mean... you're leaving tonight?"
"No," Kenshin replied, shaking his head. "But we're going to be leaving
very early tomorrow. Before dawn. You won't be awake by then."
"Then maybe I should stay up a little later," Yahiko said. "I was hoping
to have a chance to talk with you two about some things before you leave."
Kenshin smiled. "Go on to bed. Megumi and Tae will be around to help you
out with anything you might have questions with."
"But... then I-"
"Yahiko," Kenshin said. "I know you just don't want to say goodbye. Well,
don't worry- as we told Ayame and Suzame, we'll be back before you know
it."
Yahiko wasn't buying it. "And how long will that be? Months? YEARS? How
will I get in touch with you if I need to you?"
Kenshin sighed. "Yahiko... I wasn't planning on this, but you do make a
good point. Regardless of whether we're ready or not, we'll be back- at
least for a short time- in six months. Okay?" Yahiko didn't move.
Kenshin offered a hand to shake. "Okay?"
Yahiko hesitated, then grabbed the hand... and pulled himself into a big
hug with Kenshin. "I'm going to miss you two," he said.
Kenshin returned the hug, smiling. Usually, Yahiko would be struggling to
get out of one, not giving someone else one. "And we're going to miss
you."
Yahiko broke her hug off from Kenshin and went over to Kaoru. "You get
better FAST, okay?"
Kaoru couldn't help but smile, even though she couldn't see herself getting
better EVER. "Goodbye, Yahiko," she said, taking him into a hug. "As
Kenshin said, we'll visit."
"I'm not going to give up my training, you know," Yahiko noted. "I'll
practice every day, just how you told me to. We can pick up right where
you left off when you get back."
Kaoru stiffened at the mention of training. She couldn't teach anyone any
more- she'd disgraced her art. But now was not the time to say that, so
she just kept silent.
Once she released him, Kenshin knelt down to ruffle Yahiko's hair. "You go
on to bed now, okay?"
Yahiko nodded. "Okay, Kenshin... Good bye."
After he left, Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "Why don't you go to bed, as well?
I've got some last-minute things to pack still, but you should get your
rest. It's going to be a long day for you, tomorrow."
Kaoru nodded, and went off to her bed. Once she was out of sight, Kenshin
walked over to where Saitoh was still standing.
"I hate you, you know," Saitoh said.
"I'm sorry for forcing you into this, Saitoh. But there was no-one else I
knew of who could do this job."
Saitoh shook his head. "Tokio is going to kill me- this is going to take
away a lot of our little time together... and a large amount of our money."
Kenshin nodded. "It may. It might not, you know, if you do it right."
"Well, I made an agreement. I don't have a choice, now, do I?"
Kenshin smiled. "Excuse me, I have to pack up a few things before I leave
tomorrow."
Saitoh merely nodded. "You're going to take her to see it, aren't you?"
Kenshin shook his head. "Perhaps. We shall see."
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