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To Kyoto
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The next morning, Kenshin had woken up early to cook breakfast. He had already taken the liberty of packing his things so that he wouldn't have quite so much to do in the morning. Kaoru, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. In fact, Kenshin could hear her pacing back and forth, gathering and packing her things, in her room. He sighed, noting how she had ignored his suggestion of packing the night before. He smiled remembering how naïve she was and is now. Four years ago, she was a young girl, eager to see and explore what the world had to offer and now... she was older, a young woman. Kenshin blushed, pushing away such thought of Kaoru.
His ears twitched. He let his senses roam to the dojo where Yahiko did his katas with his shinai. That boy was getting better everyday. He let his memory go back to when Yahiko was still ten. He had such fire in him compared to right now. Now, he was fourteen, more refined and mature. Yahiko still had energy and arrogance in him but now was more in control.
If you could call it that... Kenshin thought wryly, referring to one of Yahiko and Kaoru's daily fights the day before. Yahiko had grown up and was becoming a young man now... yeah, right. He chuckled at the thought, moving his senses to Sanosuke. The former fighter for hire was still sleeping. Old Sano hadn't changed much, he noted. He was still the same even after four years.
He finished cooking breakfast and cleaned up, quickly eating his share and setting the food on the table. After doing so, he made his way down the hallway to Kaoru's room, her rapid pacing becoming louder. He shook his head, sighing and shaking his head slightly. He raised his fist and knocked the wooden panel of the shoji door. Her footsteps continued at its brisk pace.
"Yes?" Kaoru asked, acknowledging Kenshin.
"Kaoru-dono, breakfast is ready," he said. The rapid footsteps stopped as if she was debating whether she should eat now and pack later or vice versa.
"Alright, Kenshin. I'll be right out," she replied, her brisk pacing resuming. "Oh, do me a favor. Tell Yahiko to come in and call the rooster head up."
Kenshin let out a nervous laugh. "Yes, Kaoru-dono," he answered, his voice almost obedient.
"Forget it, I'm already up," a gruff voice responded. Kenshin turned to find Sano out of bed and already dressed. He nodded and motioned Sano to go to the kitchen. Sano complied without a word, walking at a rather quick step.
Probably wanting to get to the food before Yahiko...Kenshin thought sarcastically. Footsteps reached his ears. There was a thud of a shinai.
"OI! Stop hoggin' all the food, ya little brat!" a stern voice scolded, obviously Sanosuke.
"LITTLE?! BRAT?!" a younger yet equally arrogant voice retorted. Louder and faster chewing noises reached Kenshin's ears, slightly echoing in the hallway.
"HEY!" Sano protested. Kenshin could hear the swish of his clothing as he reached for a bowl and began to challenge Yahiko to an eating contest.
Do we have to go through this every morning? Kenshin thought grimly to himself, sighing as he did so. The good thing was that his friends were all packed up and ready to go. They were all excited and he had to admit that he was pretty anxious to get to Kyoto to see Misao and everyone at the Aoiya. But then... there were always memories.
He narrowed his eyes, walking slower. Yes, there were many memories there. Too many to count. He remembered every incident that occurred the last time he was there. Flames burned into his memory and a maniacal laugh echoed through his mind. Black smoke and the creaking of metal were all too familiar. Kenshin shut his eyes, refusing to recall anymore. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know what happened after the fight in Kyoto. All there was was darkness and nothing more.
When he reached the kitchen, he stopped, hearing the eating noises of Sano and Yahiko break through his grim recollection of past events. He opened his eyes; his eyes widened at the scene he saw before him.
Empty bowls were carelessly thrown to the side, food scraps nonexistent. They had almost eaten all the food! Kenshin stepped forward, speechless, nearly tripping over the shinai on the floor.
"Uhh... Sano? Yahiko?" he interrupted. Despite his protest, they kept eating, oblivious to Kenshin's presence in the room. "Don't eat all the food. Save some for Kaoru-dono..."
"YEAH!" a voice yelled from behind them. Sano ceased his consumption of food, nudging Yahiko to do the same. The boy shrugged off Sano's prod, still chewing and swallowing his breakfast. The older man's jaw rose slightly, making him look like he was pouting.
"OI, YAHIKO!" Yahiko stopped, glaring at Sano with irritation.
"Whaddya want?" the young boy asked, his question barely clear through the many rice balls that he stuffed in his mouth.
"Jou-chan's here," he stated simply. Kaoru looked on the floor, spotting Yahiko's shinai. Immediately, she grabbed it, swinging it high over her head and giving her student a merciless smack on the head.
"WHADDYA MEAN, 'WHADDYA WANT?!'" she shouted. "I WANT MY BREAKFAST, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE WHAT YOU'RE EATING!!!"
Yahiko rubbed the spot where she hit him, clenching his teeth as he did so.
"Why? Aren't you fat enough, Tanuki?" he retorted. Kaoru retaliated with more screams and hits of the shinai. Sano sat in the corner, full and content, watching the fight with a smirk on his face. Kenshin turned away, heaving a sigh and bowing his head. It would take forever to get to Tokyo Station now...
He looked up, his eyes wide with alarm. The train!
"Kaoru-dono! Sano! Yahiko!" he exclaimed. " The train is going to leave without us if we don't get going!"
At this sudden realization, Kaoru rushed to her room. In turn, Yahiko and Sano sprinted to theirs'. A din of clattering objects and hasty footsteps filled the air. Kenshin shook his head, walking calmly to his room and gathering his things in which he stored in a compact gray bag. Using the alternate shoji door, leading to the courtyard, he strolled to the front gate of the dojo. He could hear rushed footsteps behind him. Something sped by him, a black ponytail trailing behind. A small bag swung wildly as Kaoru sprinted to the gate and opened it, pushing the door open. Gradually, Kenshin met Kaoru at the door, followed by Sano and Yahiko. Yahiko smiled deviously, shaking eagerly.
"Alright, we're ready!" Yahiko said impatiently. Kaoru nodded, pointing to the left, down the path, leading to Tokyo Station.
"Okay! We're going to Kyoto!" she yelled happily.
The next morning, Kenshin had woken up early to cook breakfast. He had already taken the liberty of packing his things so that he wouldn't have quite so much to do in the morning. Kaoru, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. In fact, Kenshin could hear her pacing back and forth, gathering and packing her things, in her room. He sighed, noting how she had ignored his suggestion of packing the night before. He smiled remembering how naïve she was and is now. Four years ago, she was a young girl, eager to see and explore what the world had to offer and now... she was older, a young woman. Kenshin blushed, pushing away such thought of Kaoru.
His ears twitched. He let his senses roam to the dojo where Yahiko did his katas with his shinai. That boy was getting better everyday. He let his memory go back to when Yahiko was still ten. He had such fire in him compared to right now. Now, he was fourteen, more refined and mature. Yahiko still had energy and arrogance in him but now was more in control.
If you could call it that... Kenshin thought wryly, referring to one of Yahiko and Kaoru's daily fights the day before. Yahiko had grown up and was becoming a young man now... yeah, right. He chuckled at the thought, moving his senses to Sanosuke. The former fighter for hire was still sleeping. Old Sano hadn't changed much, he noted. He was still the same even after four years.
He finished cooking breakfast and cleaned up, quickly eating his share and setting the food on the table. After doing so, he made his way down the hallway to Kaoru's room, her rapid pacing becoming louder. He shook his head, sighing and shaking his head slightly. He raised his fist and knocked the wooden panel of the shoji door. Her footsteps continued at its brisk pace.
"Yes?" Kaoru asked, acknowledging Kenshin.
"Kaoru-dono, breakfast is ready," he said. The rapid footsteps stopped as if she was debating whether she should eat now and pack later or vice versa.
"Alright, Kenshin. I'll be right out," she replied, her brisk pacing resuming. "Oh, do me a favor. Tell Yahiko to come in and call the rooster head up."
Kenshin let out a nervous laugh. "Yes, Kaoru-dono," he answered, his voice almost obedient.
"Forget it, I'm already up," a gruff voice responded. Kenshin turned to find Sano out of bed and already dressed. He nodded and motioned Sano to go to the kitchen. Sano complied without a word, walking at a rather quick step.
Probably wanting to get to the food before Yahiko...Kenshin thought sarcastically. Footsteps reached his ears. There was a thud of a shinai.
"OI! Stop hoggin' all the food, ya little brat!" a stern voice scolded, obviously Sanosuke.
"LITTLE?! BRAT?!" a younger yet equally arrogant voice retorted. Louder and faster chewing noises reached Kenshin's ears, slightly echoing in the hallway.
"HEY!" Sano protested. Kenshin could hear the swish of his clothing as he reached for a bowl and began to challenge Yahiko to an eating contest.
Do we have to go through this every morning? Kenshin thought grimly to himself, sighing as he did so. The good thing was that his friends were all packed up and ready to go. They were all excited and he had to admit that he was pretty anxious to get to Kyoto to see Misao and everyone at the Aoiya. But then... there were always memories.
He narrowed his eyes, walking slower. Yes, there were many memories there. Too many to count. He remembered every incident that occurred the last time he was there. Flames burned into his memory and a maniacal laugh echoed through his mind. Black smoke and the creaking of metal were all too familiar. Kenshin shut his eyes, refusing to recall anymore. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know what happened after the fight in Kyoto. All there was was darkness and nothing more.
When he reached the kitchen, he stopped, hearing the eating noises of Sano and Yahiko break through his grim recollection of past events. He opened his eyes; his eyes widened at the scene he saw before him.
Empty bowls were carelessly thrown to the side, food scraps nonexistent. They had almost eaten all the food! Kenshin stepped forward, speechless, nearly tripping over the shinai on the floor.
"Uhh... Sano? Yahiko?" he interrupted. Despite his protest, they kept eating, oblivious to Kenshin's presence in the room. "Don't eat all the food. Save some for Kaoru-dono..."
"YEAH!" a voice yelled from behind them. Sano ceased his consumption of food, nudging Yahiko to do the same. The boy shrugged off Sano's prod, still chewing and swallowing his breakfast. The older man's jaw rose slightly, making him look like he was pouting.
"OI, YAHIKO!" Yahiko stopped, glaring at Sano with irritation.
"Whaddya want?" the young boy asked, his question barely clear through the many rice balls that he stuffed in his mouth.
"Jou-chan's here," he stated simply. Kaoru looked on the floor, spotting Yahiko's shinai. Immediately, she grabbed it, swinging it high over her head and giving her student a merciless smack on the head.
"WHADDYA MEAN, 'WHADDYA WANT?!'" she shouted. "I WANT MY BREAKFAST, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE WHAT YOU'RE EATING!!!"
Yahiko rubbed the spot where she hit him, clenching his teeth as he did so.
"Why? Aren't you fat enough, Tanuki?" he retorted. Kaoru retaliated with more screams and hits of the shinai. Sano sat in the corner, full and content, watching the fight with a smirk on his face. Kenshin turned away, heaving a sigh and bowing his head. It would take forever to get to Tokyo Station now...
He looked up, his eyes wide with alarm. The train!
"Kaoru-dono! Sano! Yahiko!" he exclaimed. " The train is going to leave without us if we don't get going!"
At this sudden realization, Kaoru rushed to her room. In turn, Yahiko and Sano sprinted to theirs'. A din of clattering objects and hasty footsteps filled the air. Kenshin shook his head, walking calmly to his room and gathering his things in which he stored in a compact gray bag. Using the alternate shoji door, leading to the courtyard, he strolled to the front gate of the dojo. He could hear rushed footsteps behind him. Something sped by him, a black ponytail trailing behind. A small bag swung wildly as Kaoru sprinted to the gate and opened it, pushing the door open. Gradually, Kenshin met Kaoru at the door, followed by Sano and Yahiko. Yahiko smiled deviously, shaking eagerly.
"Alright, we're ready!" Yahiko said impatiently. Kaoru nodded, pointing to the left, down the path, leading to Tokyo Station.
"Okay! We're going to Kyoto!" she yelled happily.