Waiting for busu is the absolute pits. Every damn Friday I have to take the train out after school to her school, and wait around while she bellows at her students and beats up on them with her bokken. Meanwhile my stomach reminds that I haven't eaten anything since lunchtime. Then, when her dumb club is finally over, I have to still wait and wait while she showers, and dresses. Then there's the half hour trip back home, and most of the time I feel like I'm going to keel over from hunger. Not to mention that Yutarou, Tsubame and everyone go out on Friday nights, and I'm always left out.

Waiting for her really stinks.

Meiji Heights
By Aishiteru
Part 3: Two Sisters and the Girly-man

Stomach 3, Yahiko 0. I think dad would be able to hear my stomach from Tokyo today. Kaoru's practice ran late - it was already dark. I absently slapped at a mosquito that landed on my arm. My shinai was digging into my back - I myself had kendo practice today. I slung it off my back, and lazily began to swing it.

"Watch where you swinging that, boy."

My head jerked up at that sneering tone. Boy! The guy couldn't be more then a year older then me, with rough untidy black hair, and really pale skin. "Say that again," I challenged, rising smoothly to my feet, and assuming the first stance.

"Watch where you swinging that, boy." He smirked.

That was enough to make me come forward in a rush, shinai arcing over my head, a blur of pale brown as it came down with all my strength on that smug face-

He caught it between his hands. I had time to feel a brief flash of grudging admiration -How did he do that?- when my shinai was wrenched out of my hands, and that jerk snapped it over his knee! My shinai! That I had saved up and scrimped for! True it wasn't the best...but it certainly wasn't the worst! "Why'd you do that for!?" I bellowed.

His only answer was another damn smirk.

Yelling incoherently, I charged him, fists and legs flailing. He went down with that smug look no longer intact, and we were exchanging quick flurries of blows - that one to the eye would hurt him tomorrow!- when suddenly someone was breaking us apart. I was being held firmly by the front of my shirt, suspended mid-air as was he.

"What are you doing, Enishi?" the guy holding us both asked. He sounded slightly incredulous, and not a little irritated.

"None of you business, Kiyosato!" the guy I had been tussling with snarled back. Looking at the guy holding us I thought I recognized him...yeah! Third row, second across. Kiyosato Akira, one of my sister's protégés. No wonder he did kendo at school - at his age he was so unskilled even I could have beaten him. Wait, that came out wrong. He was so unskilled, Yutarou could have beaten him. There, that was better. No, it wasn't. Maybe Yutarou couldn't have beaten him.

It's strange how your mind can go off on tangents like that.

They were yelling now - the guy I had beat up and Akira.

" -just because you're going out with my sister doesn't mean that you can tell me what to do!" With that, the guy bit Kiyosato! Well, they did know each other. We were both dropped, and we scrambled out of the way, setting off at a run to resolve our unfinished business.

We rounded a corner and had hardly begun, when again we were separated - by another guy! "Oro?"

I would have bit this person, stranger or no, because it was so damn frustrating, but he was smarter. He had us both by the scruff of our necks not the front of our shirts. "Aren't you Kamiya-san's and Yukishiro-san's younger brothers?"

I looked at the second guy who had caught us, and nearly choked as I replied. He wasn't that much taller then I was, and he had all this long girly hair. In fact, his face was pretty pretty too. Hah! "None of your business, girly-man!"

Thwack!

"Oro!"

"Yahiko! Apologize to Himura!"

I should have known. Now she shows up. "Why should I busu!?"

Thwack! Down came her bokken again. "Because he is not a girly-man. And he's one of my friends."

This, I felt was severely unfair. She got to hit me, and I couldn't even defend myself properly at the moment! "Fine....I'm sorry, girly-man. You having to be one of Kaoru's friends and all."

Thwack!

"A..a..." His eyes were pretty wide as he watched the fast paced exchange of words, and the one-sided exchange of blows between me and Kaoru. The other guy was watching with a kind of weirded out expression as well.

"Yahiko! Why is your shinai outside the gym in pieces?"

That brought the whole reason why I was fighting back into my head. "'Cos this jerk broke it!" I wriggled, and jerked, and wind milled my legs, but to no avail. Girly-man was a lot stronger then he looked.

"Maa maa!" he exclaimed. "Please calm down, Kamiya-san. I'm sure you and Yukishiro-san can settle matters peacefully."

We looked at each other from our vantages at the end of his arms.

"I don't think so."

"No way!"

"Enishi!"

A stunned guilty expression spread over his face, replacing that horrible smirk. "Neesan..." his voice was choked, and rather panicky.

"Enishi..." She was a genuine lady, with really long hair pulled back from her face. Her dress was a light lavender colour, and made of some gauzy material, and the shawl looped over her arms some heavier darker material, of deep purple. There was no way in a million years I could imagine busu in those kind of clothes, or looking as fragile. The pale skin that looked funny on her brother just deepened the impression of deliacy and it was luminous in the light. She was...really something. The guy from before, Kiyosato was hovering protectively behind her.

"Neesan..." He looked horribly guilty, and I could feel girly-man slowly relaxing his hold on us, and bringing our feet down to the ground.

"Enishi...you promised. No more fighting..." She looked so sad! A fight was nothing to get sad over! Kaoru and I brawled all day, and if I got into a fight at school, she gave me tips on how to win it! If I hadn't already of course. I rarely needed busu's advice.

Enishi hung his head. "I'm sorry neesan."

"Enishi. It isn't me you should be apologizing to."

He turned to face me, very slowly. "I'm sorry Kamiya-san. I'll bring you a replacement for your shinai." A quick grin flashed over his moblie features, and I groaned inwardly. A 'replacement' for my shinai, huh?

"And I apologize to you as well...uh, girly man."

I snorted with laughter. His sister, and Kaoru, and Kiyosato looked horrified. But girly-man just laughed. "Don't worry about it Yukishiro-san. I apologize as well, for detaining you and Kamiya-san."

"Ah...I thank you Himura-san." The sister. She bowed slightly to him. He bowed back, and I almost snorted. Trust people from this school to be this stuffy. I didn't care how good dad said it's clubs and academics were, there was no way I wanted to come here when I reached high school!

"Kaoru! Let's go home, I'm starving!"

"Yeah, yeah." She shouldered her bag. "Thanks, Kenshin. Sorry about the disturbance, Yukishiro-san."

We went home, and spoke of dad, kendo and what was for dinner. Waiting for Kaoru on Fridays might have been a pain in the ass, but at least she understood what a fight was about. And at least she didn't make me apologize. Enishi's sister was very pretty, but her manners and way of speaking were just too strange.

Author's Note: Sorry it's so short! That's just the way this chapter was though. I couldn't help it. There wasn't much plot, but I'm just trying to pull everyone together. I know, I know, it wasn't Misao and Aoshi either, but the next two chapters should be of the pair. I promise I'll make them nice and long. And it should be amusing and even harder then usual for Misao to cover up she's a girl in the next chapter. Let's just say, she's seeing red...I see many people were shocked by the appearance of Tomoe - why? I really like her; she's one of my favourite characters. So live with it!

Review replies:

Jason M. Lee: The history I'm stuck on? Just stuff about Kenshin's whereabouts, how public I can go with the fights, and the Shinsengumi. And Okita's attacks. As a matter of interest, is it Okita Soushi, or Okita Souji? I've seen it as Souji everywhere, but in the OVAs and series, everyone says Soushi! ANd oh yes, there will be chaos, although Enishi has black hair in this...hee hee.

len: Wait and see!

Crystal: Yay! Someone likes Tomoe!

Bumblebee-Queen: *tears in eyes* oh...thank you. A/M is one of my favourites, but in all the fics, Aoshi is so MEAN to Misao!!!! He doesn't act like that at all!!! After this, I'm writing a nice waffy A/M involving Okina pulling suitors out for Misao, and what Aoshi does...Similiar plots? Where? Tell me, cos I'd like to read them too! Fight club? I guess...but it's not really based on that. And a shower scene...you hentai! (Maybe).

Nye-Yen: Yes sir. Sorry this chapter is so lacking in content.

Tiian: Thank you! I rely on all you faithful reviewers to tell me if I'm going off on a bad tangent in my stories. Tomoe is one of my favourites too.

blue-eyes: Thank you!

Star-chan: I continued! Do I get to live?

amy, dynast: You and everyone. And I still haven't read it! Does anyone know where I can get it, online, or on streamload?

Kyme-chan: You liked how it mirrored the series? Phew. I thought some people might think it was boring.

Vesca: Why shouldn't Tomoe be there? She's part of the RK crew too. I like Kenshin with Tomoe and Kaoru. His stories with both of them are too sweet. And I like Tomoe too much not to put her in. Sorry there wasn't any A/M action in this chapter, but...soon! I promise!

tenshineko: Did I do an alright job on Kenshin's thoughts? They weren't too girly were they? There may be K&K...

lebleuphoenix: Yeah, it surprised me to switch to Kenshin, but that's just how it was. It was supposed to be Aoshi. It was supposed to be him too, this chapter, but it ended up being Yahiko. Aoshi is the chapter after the next; I've even written the start of it, and about a quarter of the next chapter already. Misao. Kenshin may suspect slightly, but he's such a trusting guy...

saicho-18: Yeah, I know there is a distinct lack of A/M action, but it's happening! It will come! There won't be a traditional love triangle between Kenshin and Tomoe and Kaoru, but Kenshin will have some sort of relationship with both girls.

Sano: The second chapter was way better? Really? I guess it has a bit more depth to it, but it seemed awkward in a lot places to me....this chapter must be pretty disappointing though. Sorry. The next chapter should be heaps better.

Thanks to all you reviewers! Your comments make me really want to write, as I know people are actually reading this story. Thank you! Please don't lost interest - I know this chapter wasn't very good. Gomen ne? Next chapter should be entertaining as we return to Misao's doings.