Chapter 4
…He's lying! It can't be true! Kaoru would never want to send me away! I know he is lying!… Yahiko told himself over and over as he ran through the pouring rain. The icy cold rain water mixed with his salty tears until you could no longer tell if he was crying or not. The little boy ran into the old storage shed and closed the door tightly against the storm. He sat down on a low bucket shivering from the frosty wind that whistled through the cracks in the wall.
"I HATE HIM!" Yahiko screamed at the top of his lungs. Now he didn't even feel the cold air, he felt warmed by the anger and hatred that coursed through his veins. He still shook, not from the cold, but from the thoughts of what he would do to Sano if he ever got the chance.
"He made Kenshin leave, I know he did, he did something bad to Kenshin." Yahiko said, talking to no one in particular. …Just wait… he thought …Kaoru will come looking for me when I don't show up for dinner, then I'll tell her what Sano did and she will hate him too!… The boy thought with a satisfied grin on his face, and he sat down to wait for Kaoru to come find him
*****
Sano stood by the kitchen door, watching Kaoru make dinner. He stared at the soft flesh of her butt that her silk kimono clung to revealing her sensuous curves as she bent slowly to retrieve a pan off the bottom shelf. "God! I want her so bad!" Sano thought to himself with a sigh.
Kaoru flinched at his sigh, "Oh! Sano! You scared me! I didn't even hear you come back in. Where's Yahiko?" Kaoru asked as she looked around the kitchen.
"Oh…" Sano said nervously "he went outside to play for a couple of minutes." …Phew! That was a close one…
"He went outside?! But it's raining! Tell him to come back inside before he catches pneumonia!" she said worriedly. Sano just stood in the doorway staring at Kaoru. "Hello?! Earth to Sano, did you hear what I said." she asked rather annoyed. Sano ignored her and smirked.
"You know," Sano said as he took a step towards her, "you are so cute when you act motherly" he finished with a grin on his face.
"Uhh… Sano are you feeling okay?" Kaoru said as she looked at him teasingly.
"Better than I have ever felt before!" Sano exclaimed as he walked out of the room.… I hope that brat ran away. It's better that he never comes back here…. Sano thought to himself as he walked down the hall. He stopped next to Kaoru's room briefly before walking to his own room. He sat down on his futon and stared at the wall for a second before lying down and closing his eyes. Light footsteps came swiftly down the hall. …Huh…what is Kaoru doing?…He thought to himself a bit puzzled. Kaoru slid the door open and walked over to Sano's bed.
"Sano, wake up! Wake up!" Kaoru said her voice edged with fear. Sano sat up quickly guessing something was wrong.
"What's wrong Kaoru?" Sano said as he jumped to his feet.
"It's Yahiko, I can't find him anywhere!" she said near tears. "Do you think something happened to him?" She asked as her voice cracked with emotion. Sano's shoulders sagged …Damnit! Why is she worried about that brat! I thought something was wrong!… He felt a little angry at her.
"You know how Yahiko is. He probably just went wandering off. He'll come back when he's ready." Sano said in a detached voice. "Is dinner ready?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Kaoru said as she looked out the window.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine." Sano said soothingly. "Come on let's go eat."
*****
It was late, the sun was low in the sky and the rain had stopped. Yahiko opened his eyes slowly….I must have fallen asleep…. He thought as he looked around.
"What!?" the boy said as he jumped to his feet. He was still in the small shed. …Kaoru didn't even come looking for me!… He frowned miserably as his eyes welled up with tears. …Maybe she really doesn't want me here…Maybe Sano was right…Yahiko thought as a tear rolled slowly down his cheek. He sniffled as he said, "Maybe I should just leave." He walked out of the shed slowly and closed the door behind him. He headed towards the dojo moping…There is no use leaving at night, I'll leave tomorrow morning if Kaoru doesn't ask me where I've been….
It was now dark, crickets chirped as the wind rustled through the trees. Yahiko walked up the stairs quietly and slowly. He didn't want to wake Sano up, Sano was already mad at him and would be even angrier if he woke him or Kaoru up. Yahiko crept down the dark hall and into his room. He closed the door silently and laid down in his bed. He was asleep instantly.
…He's lying! It can't be true! Kaoru would never want to send me away! I know he is lying!… Yahiko told himself over and over as he ran through the pouring rain. The icy cold rain water mixed with his salty tears until you could no longer tell if he was crying or not. The little boy ran into the old storage shed and closed the door tightly against the storm. He sat down on a low bucket shivering from the frosty wind that whistled through the cracks in the wall.
"I HATE HIM!" Yahiko screamed at the top of his lungs. Now he didn't even feel the cold air, he felt warmed by the anger and hatred that coursed through his veins. He still shook, not from the cold, but from the thoughts of what he would do to Sano if he ever got the chance.
"He made Kenshin leave, I know he did, he did something bad to Kenshin." Yahiko said, talking to no one in particular. …Just wait… he thought …Kaoru will come looking for me when I don't show up for dinner, then I'll tell her what Sano did and she will hate him too!… The boy thought with a satisfied grin on his face, and he sat down to wait for Kaoru to come find him
*****
Sano stood by the kitchen door, watching Kaoru make dinner. He stared at the soft flesh of her butt that her silk kimono clung to revealing her sensuous curves as she bent slowly to retrieve a pan off the bottom shelf. "God! I want her so bad!" Sano thought to himself with a sigh.
Kaoru flinched at his sigh, "Oh! Sano! You scared me! I didn't even hear you come back in. Where's Yahiko?" Kaoru asked as she looked around the kitchen.
"Oh…" Sano said nervously "he went outside to play for a couple of minutes." …Phew! That was a close one…
"He went outside?! But it's raining! Tell him to come back inside before he catches pneumonia!" she said worriedly. Sano just stood in the doorway staring at Kaoru. "Hello?! Earth to Sano, did you hear what I said." she asked rather annoyed. Sano ignored her and smirked.
"You know," Sano said as he took a step towards her, "you are so cute when you act motherly" he finished with a grin on his face.
"Uhh… Sano are you feeling okay?" Kaoru said as she looked at him teasingly.
"Better than I have ever felt before!" Sano exclaimed as he walked out of the room.… I hope that brat ran away. It's better that he never comes back here…. Sano thought to himself as he walked down the hall. He stopped next to Kaoru's room briefly before walking to his own room. He sat down on his futon and stared at the wall for a second before lying down and closing his eyes. Light footsteps came swiftly down the hall. …Huh…what is Kaoru doing?…He thought to himself a bit puzzled. Kaoru slid the door open and walked over to Sano's bed.
"Sano, wake up! Wake up!" Kaoru said her voice edged with fear. Sano sat up quickly guessing something was wrong.
"What's wrong Kaoru?" Sano said as he jumped to his feet.
"It's Yahiko, I can't find him anywhere!" she said near tears. "Do you think something happened to him?" She asked as her voice cracked with emotion. Sano's shoulders sagged …Damnit! Why is she worried about that brat! I thought something was wrong!… He felt a little angry at her.
"You know how Yahiko is. He probably just went wandering off. He'll come back when he's ready." Sano said in a detached voice. "Is dinner ready?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Kaoru said as she looked out the window.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine." Sano said soothingly. "Come on let's go eat."
*****
It was late, the sun was low in the sky and the rain had stopped. Yahiko opened his eyes slowly….I must have fallen asleep…. He thought as he looked around.
"What!?" the boy said as he jumped to his feet. He was still in the small shed. …Kaoru didn't even come looking for me!… He frowned miserably as his eyes welled up with tears. …Maybe she really doesn't want me here…Maybe Sano was right…Yahiko thought as a tear rolled slowly down his cheek. He sniffled as he said, "Maybe I should just leave." He walked out of the shed slowly and closed the door behind him. He headed towards the dojo moping…There is no use leaving at night, I'll leave tomorrow morning if Kaoru doesn't ask me where I've been….
It was now dark, crickets chirped as the wind rustled through the trees. Yahiko walked up the stairs quietly and slowly. He didn't want to wake Sano up, Sano was already mad at him and would be even angrier if he woke him or Kaoru up. Yahiko crept down the dark hall and into his room. He closed the door silently and laid down in his bed. He was asleep instantly.