The table was set xuserx Normal xuserx 3 8 2001-11-07T02:06:00Z 2001-11-07T02:12:00Z 2 1254 7151 x 59 14 8781 9.2720 6 pt 2 2

The table was set. The food was there. Nothing left, really, but to eat. 'Easier said than done,' Tsubame thought despairingly. Watching her knight with shining shinai inhale mass quantities wasn't exactly all it was cracked up to be. 'It's… kinda cute how rice sticks all around his face… for a while.

            As he paused to breathe, Yahiko – looking like a hamster with his food-filled cheeks – could cast a partial glance to the other object of his affection… 'Why isn't she eating?? It's HER birthday after all--…!!!' (choke!choke!gag!)

***

            Moments later, the scene faded from black to hazy vision. 'Did I die?' He blinked, as the light blinded him and he gave himself a few moments to adjust. Instinctively, he tried to sit up…

"Orororoooo…" Oh, the pain. 'From what exactly?' he wondered. Suspect #1 appeared in front of his eyes as he slowly was eased back to a soft pillow, "…Kaoru-dono…?"

"Oy! He's awake. Can we eat some REAL food now??" his chicken-headed friend blurted out. Kenshin came to the well-known conclusion that pain was contagious, especially in the Kamiya dojo. Although the injured redhead was still trying to remember what happened, he couldn't ignore the fury of blows Sano was receiving. "Jo-chan! Enough already!!!" Hmm… he'd been cleaning… chores… spying on Sano and Kaoru… planning dinner…

"What did you mean by REAL food?!" Perhaps it would have been easier to concentrate without the headache and the feisty 'tanuki' girl chasing after his best friend – oh wait, that's right.

"Kenshiiiin!!! Sano! We're losing him again!"

"Orooroooo! Kaoru-do-do-do-do-dono!"

"Dammit Jo-chan, if you're gonna shake something loose!" Sano quickly plucked her off from the patient's gi. Kenshin watched the two of the most important people in his life face off. Normally he would "Maa, maa" and forget about it. But then he remembered what he had been watching before, the scene that had unfolded before him had seemed nearly … intimate. A young man and a young woman, spending time with one another in an exclusive part of the grounds, drawing closer and closer to one another with each passing moment, eyes locked together – his head began to feel light, and his chest heavy. But why?

***

            Gasping for air and pounding his chest, Yahiko managed to clear his windpipe.

            "Yahiko-kun, daijobou desu ka?" Tsubame was wondering how he ate without choking  - and now she knew. You didn't.

            "…ye-yeah," he sputtered out sheepishly. Dammit. What a time to remember what day it was. (Not that the date hadn't already been drilled into his skull; he remembered the events that occurred just that very morning.) 'What am I going to do? She bumped into me before I could get her present…'

            Tsubame smiled. She was well practiced at being a hostess and all. He hadn't said more than a handful of words to her! Tae, her pushy matchmaker boss and landlady, assured her that he would know. All this anticipation had built up to this day, as she hoped it would be special. Her dreams had been circled around this day for the past week or so, and how well it would go and perhaps the two of them could be… She blushed at even the thought of the word, 'dating.' From the moment they had met, Yahiko had made such an impression with his heroics and daring… Not as though she ignored all other men or anything, surely not. (Who could forget her nishiki-e collection! ^.^) But, there was a strange new feeling that arose within her when she looked at him. It began from her stomach and rose up to her cheeks and made them flush, and that barely shadowed the inexplicable torment of when he wasn't there. Nothing, even now, made sense when he was in the picture. She wasn't sure if she was ready for everything "growing up" had to offer.

--flashback--

            "Tsubame-chan, could you come in here? I'd like to talk to you for a minute…" Tae almost held her breath after she let the final word trail off. Her forehead creased… she felt that even though Kenshin and Kaoru seemed hit or miss, Yahiko and Tsubame could be a different story. For with youth brings hope… and surely, hormones.

            "Hai, Tae-san," Why was she being so serious? Tsubame began to look worried as she knelt down across from her employer. 'I hope I'll be kind like her… smart like Megumi-sensei, and strong like Kaoru-san…'

            Tae watched the young girl beam, and her thoughts wander aimlessly… those baby blue clear eyes made it clear to Tae, 'This is going to be pretty damn hard.'

-- about the same time, to a kid the same age… --

            "Oy. Sano."

            "I told you. We're not lost." At least they weren't an hour ago.

            "Sano."

            "What, Yahiko-CHAN?!"

            "DON'T CALL ME CHAN!"

            "Shimatta," and then Sano stopped, causing the trailing Yahiko to smack into his back. "Okay, I give. What?"

            "I have to… go."

            "Go where? Go? Go --… oh," Sano smacked his forehead. Speaking of which, nature was doin' a lil' dialing in his pants as well. Not the kind of stirrings he wanted (or was busy with the night before 'hehe'… but oh well).

            So, the two… 'men' did as men do. Rather, one stood there for a second or two and wiggled around a bit to let the waters flow; while the other was trying to hit the tree rather than the birds in it.

            "Dammit, Yahiko-CHAN, dontcha know how to work that thing?!"

            "I can do my business just fine…! But it looks like you can't keep 'up' ol' man!" Yahiko didn't know what bugged him more… the fact that Sano's hand just smacked the back of his head, or knowing where that hand had been. 'Ew…' After Sano had gotten them lost coming back from the 'perfect' fishing hole… which had no fish for the two of them, Yahiko wasn't going to take any crap from this chicken-head.

            "Look, kid, just be more careful with your equipment."

            "Dammit, it's not like I don't know the difference between this and my shinai…" Yahiko scoffed. I mean, sure, you hold both the same way at times… but, er, nevermind.

            "Hey, I'm just saying…" the older man trailed off as he refashioned his pants, "You might be too little (hehe) to know what it's capable of."

            What was that look on Sano's face? Why was he grinning like an idiot? "I can use it just fine, thanks," Yahiko stated firmly as he reorganized his parts as well.

            Sano just laughed and sat himself down… at another tree a few paces away. "Maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you – not 'cause I don't know lots, 'cause I do – but it's too much for a brat like you to handle … DAMMIT GET OUT OF MY HAIR!!"

            Yahiko munched away at Sano's stalks a while longer before settling down beside him…

***

            "Don't be silly, of course you can tell me," the young girl giggled. What could Tae possibly want to talk about? And why was she so hesitant?

            "Well let's start with you and Yahiko…"

            "Tae-san!!" exclaimed the talking beet.

            "Now now, Tsubae-chan… you're a girl… he's a boy… and…"

***

            "We do THAT? To them? With THAT?" Poor star studded Yahiko, sputtering at one hundred words a minute.

            "Calm down, you're a MAN right?" … 'That worked,' smirked Sano as Yahiko settled down on cue. "Look, y'gotta be smooth about this sorta thing or it ain't never gonna happen. 'specially be careful how ya pick the ladies 'cause--…"

            "'cause they can turn out like Kaoru?" And the clowns laughed, and laughed.

            "… but no, seriously, Yahiko," Sano cleared his throat.

            'No chan? This must be serious…'

            'Guess I'm gonna be the one to tell him… Yup.' "Look, you're gonna get up in there and it's gonna be snug and tight and all that good stuff, but you always… ALWAYS… This is golden rule stuff – you ALWAYS pull out…!"

***

            "Well, of course, why wouldn't they?"

            "Y'see dear, boys like it in there. And sometimes… they want to leave a tip. So sometimes us women have to… coax them out…"

            "MONEY comes out of that TOO?!" Tsubame nearly swooned…

***

            …as images of gals and guys 'consummating' came to mind. There was a less than comfortable silence as Yahiko let it all set in.

            "Hey Sano." The taller man jumped, as he hadn't heard a peep out of the boy for a while.

            "What."

            "You sound like you have and all… but have Kenshin and Kaoru ever…"

***

            "…those two haven't quite got the idea yet, but hopefully they will soon…" Tae smiled knowingly. She wanted the best for her friend, and often patron, Kaoru. "Well anyway, unless you're sure you love them… and perhaps you should maybe even wait until…"

***

            "…until you've practiced some on your own."

            Yahiko's eyes went to the size of plates, "You mean I have one of THOSE in ME?!"

            "Nononononono…" the rooster haired guy tried to ward off the panicking youngin'. "Look, just when you're alone or something and get… nature's 'upward' call…" (winkwink) "You can just take it and…"

***

            "…it  can be the most beautiful experience ever."