The Legend Continues

Chapter Four- Goodbye Yahiko?!

By Sukunami Taka

"You potato sack!!! You are like a humpy dumpy old burlap that no one would marry!!!!!!"

"Who cares???!!!! You feeble useless softie who can't even take out a couple of low-lives!!!! No girl would like you!!!!!!! NYAH!!!!" Himura Kyoshi stuck out her tongue at the red-faced Sagara Shota who immediately responded by hitting her on the head, then leaping out of the way of her kendo weapon. The two raced each other throughout the dojo, crashing through furniture and shutters and nearly bulldozed into Gensai Suzumi who was carrying a lunch tray laden with food.

"Oi, miina……don't be long or your soup will get cold," she called out to the disappearing flash of crimson cloth.

Kyoshi tore after the wily Shota as he attempted to get out of the house. In between, they threw anything their hands could come into contact with; books, pots, sandals, brooms, Miyaka……

Kyoshi gave a yelp and double backed, catching the two-year-old toddler just before she fell to the floor. The raven-haired samurai breathed in relieve as Ayumi rushed to her adopted daughter. Behind her, little Jin smiled shyly while twitching his fingers as a sign of hello, and his older brother Makoto looked on in silence. Miyaka gurgled, crying out 'Kyo-ee' with her limbs stretched out in the hope to be carried but Kyoshi smiled apologetically and ran off after her nemesis.

Sanosuke's seventeen-year-old son laughed, seeing the door to freedom right in front of him. He could hear Kyoshi's footsteps and cursings behind and he hurried…..but he forgot about the stepping and fell over head first. With a thud, Kyoshi flew into him and landed sprawled across. The two struggled, arms and legs flailing as they pushed and grappled………a clearing of a throat made the youths stare up to the disapproving scowl on Myojin Yahiko's face. Both grinned, eyes wide in innocence but the scowl deepened.

"Eh hehehe…….ji-chan…." Kyoshi got up, grin still apparent, but Yahiko ignored her until the other stood next to her. In a sudden sweep, the first sensei of the Kamiya Dojo twisted the conflicting foes around and hung on to the collar of their hakama. Paying no attention to their yells, he knocked their heads together as he dragged them behind him…….to the training room.

---

"NANI?????!!!!!" cried out Kyoshi and Shota simultaneously. Yahiko calmly sipped his tea, a habit he picked up from Kenshin, and nodded. His wide brown eyes opened, looking at the dismay faces of his two charges, and he grinned to himself.

"But…..but……."

"You 'but' any more time and you see where I hit you…." Scolded Yahiko.

Kyoshi wailed, "But you can't LEAVE??????!!!!!!!!!"

Getting up smoothly, her sensei and long time friend casually slung a bag on his shoulder, "I can and I'm going to…."

"But…..you can't leave me with him………." She stabbingly pointed at the insulted Shota.

"Huh! Who would want to be left with you, you bag of turnip!!!!"

"SEE!!!!! You baboon faced garbage can!!!!"

"Nyah!!!!! Tomboy! Tomboy!"

"Wait till I…….!!!!!"

Yahiko sighed, shaking his head….. "URUSAI!!!!!"

The squabblers halted in mid-punch.

"This is EXACTLY why I am going away. You two can't get along and is driving me insane! Unless you can stop fighting, I won't come back……I believe there's a nice place in the mountains…lots of air………"

The two stared dumb-faced at Yahiko leaving while waving back with one hand, then they resumed tearing at each other's hair and flinging punches.

As night fell………a rumbling sound ensued….

"Oi………stop that…."

Shota flicked a strand of grass at Kyoshi who was nearly toppling over, "You try to stop……… hang ah eta……….." his stomach grumbled again, "Moh……..see what you did? You had to chase away the only one who could cook….."

Kyoshi stuck out her tongue, then collapse on the floorboards, hands supporting her head, "Che………Ayumi and Suzumi had to go look after Miya…..wait a time to get a fever………and ji-chan had to go and get a fit……….and it's YOUR fault too!!!!!"

"Humph!" Shota collapse behind her, so that they laid head-to-head, "Moh……..fine fine…..it's both our fault……now what do we do for food? I'm going to die from hunger…….aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa………."

The girl bolted upright and grinned, rather evilly in the moonlight, "Wakata! I'll cook! It can't be that hard….."

"Ehhhhhh…….can you?" Shota lifted an eyebrow, but she was already up and running to the kitchen.

"Get some firewood!!!" she yelled back. He sighed and unwillingly got up.

After several puffs of black smoke into her face, Kyoshi went bleary eyed. Leaning against the doorframe, Shota ran his hand through his soft fawn hair, yawning for the 21st consecutive time. The stubborn girl had been hunched over the stove for the past half an hour, and the result was burnt water and blackened rice……at least she could be given credit for not giving up, Shota thought, ehhyayaya….. he was startled by the sudden appearance of Kyoshi in front of him.

"Nani yo!!!" he snapped, agitated.

She held up a plate of white rice in front of his face and grinned broadly, "Taste…….!"

Tentatively, he took a spoonful, and spat it right out………

"It's not even cooked!!!!!!!" he yelled.

She snapped up, stomping back to the stove. Dumping the rice back in the wok, she started stirring furiously.

Shota finished cleaning his mouth free of rice and glared at her, "Humph!!! Why don't you just say you can't cook!!!!! You're wasting my time. Che………even Miyaka could cook better than you!!! You must have inherited your uncooking skills from your mothe…………"

CLANG!

Shota fell backwards in a whirl, head spinning as a large frying pan clattered to a rest on the floor. A massive gray mark was left on his face as his eyes went starry…………….

Suzumi grimaced from the window, sorry for the poor boy for aggravating Kyoshi. In her hands, she held a basket of warm plates of food, supposedly for the two, but now she was fearful to even step into the house. Shota had recovered from his shock and started grabbing a few utensils, going after the cackling girl. Suzumi sighed, returning to the gate with a what-to-do smile………………

The peaceful night sky filled with sounds of crashes and bangs, as the Kamiya Dojo ruptured once more with angry curses and thrown objects………..

Taka: ano, how did you like this chapter?