"Hello, Yahiko!" Kaoru said. "How was your day over at the clinic?"
But she got no answer, just a rude gesture and a slammed door.
"What's going on with him?" she thought out loud, turned and walked into Kenshin. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't see you there!"
"That's ok, Miss Kaoru!" he laughed, and looked to Yahiko's door. "It's a nice day. Do you want to go for a walk?"
"I'd love too!" she giggled. "Where to?"
"Wherever you want. I just need to get out for a while, that's all," he said cheerfully.
"How about to the bridge? That's always a nice place!" Kaoru said.
"The bridge it is!" he replied.
They walked out of the dojo into the warm sunlight. The birds were singing beautifully, and the breeze played with their hair. As they neared the bridge they saw a familiar couple. It was Sano and Megumi.
"Sano! Megumi!" Kaoru yelled, waving her arms and running down towards them.
"Hello, Kaoru-chan! Nice day, isn't it?" Megumi asked.
She nodded. "It certainly is!" She took off her sandals and put her feet in the cool water, sitting next to Megumi.
"Anything new since we left?" Megumi asked.
"Nothing really. What about you?"
"Should we tell them Sano?" Megumi asked.
"They'd be the first, besides Yahiko!" he said, playfully tugging her hair.
"Stop it! We're," she paused and looked up at Sano's smiling face. "We're getting married!"
"It's about time!" Kaoru said. She got up and held Megumi's hands jumping up and down. "I can't believe it! When is it?" she asked.
"In a few months, I hope," she said with a grin.
"Oh, Megumi! I'm so happy!" she said, hugging her. She was hiding her malicious grin from the group, thinking, 'Now that you're out of the way, I don't have to worry about Kenshin.'
"Yes! This is great news! If it's alright with you, Kaoru, we should have a party!" Kenshin said.
"Absolutely! I have some Sake around somewhere! We'll party all night!" Kaoru exclaimed.
They two girls started running back to the dojo, smiling as bright as the sun. Kenshin and Sano took their time walking back, carrying the girl's forgotten shoes.
"This doesn't come as much of a surprise!" Kenshin said with a grin. "But you say Yahiko already knows. How is that?"
"He was there when I asked her," Sano said. Kenshin's grin turned to a slight frown and he stopped walking.
"Is that why he has been in such a bad mood today?" he asked.
"Most likely. I barely noticed him leaving, but I don't think he'll be coming back any time soon. But one thing he said spooked me a bit. He said he had other methods of getting her love," Sano said.
Kenshin's eyes went wide with shock. A young child like Yahiko, thinking of drastic measures over something that would prove to be fruitless, it was a hard blow to him. "Sanosuke, I want you to be careful, especially around Yahiko. And make sure Megumi is in yelling distance."
"If you say so, Kenshin. That kid really has something wrong with him," he replied.
"Mm," Kenshin nodded. He looked at the road ahead, not seeing the girls, and laughed. "Let's get there before they get too crazy and invite the whole city!"
They started to run off, both smiling. But both smiles were half-hearted. Something was sitting in their minds, not letting go of their thoughts.
As they approached the house, they saw the girls in their most festive kimonos they owned, holding up small glasses of Sake. They were surprised to see Yahiko out there, a wide smile upon his face, jumping up and down and laughing.
"Yahiko! I'm surprised to see you out of your room, and in such a good mood," Kenshin said beaming.
"It's a party! I wouldn't skip it for anything!" he said, looking up at Megumi. 'I can't act that way forever. If I show her how mature I am, she'll like me better, and once my plans go through, it won't be for nothing,' he thought.
"Well, I think you're old enough to have a sip of Sake," Megumi said.
"He's only ten," Kenshin said.
"I was seven when I had my first, Ken-san," she said smoothly.
They walked into the room where their small party was going to be held. The two little girls were there, along with their grandfather. A large spread of food was lying on a low rise table, and they all sat and waited for Kaoru to pour their drinks.
"Silly girl, you still haven't learned," Megumi taunted as Kaoru tried to pour. "Let me, seeing as you don't know how." She took the bottle and poured the drink, sticking her tongue out slightly as she looked up a Kaoru.
"Vixen," she muttered under her breath.
"Ken-san, would you like some?" she asked seductively.
"Hey!" Kaoru yelled, taking the bottle from Megumi. "You're getting married! Isn't it about time you gave it a rest?" she yelled.
"It's still so much fun to get you mad!" she laughed, taking the bottle back and pouring Kenshin's drink.
"I'm so worthless, I don't even know how to pour Sake," Kaoru whined softly as Megumi giggled and Kenshin blushed.
The party lasted until the late hours of the night. Yahiko stood over the sleeping bodies, watching as the sun came up. He could fulfill his plans now, but it wouldn't be worth it. He had to wait, wait for a perfect time. It had to be before the wedding, before any ties were made. It would mean months of fake smiles and cheerfulness, but it was worth it. Sano would die at the hands of him, begging for his life as the poison took his body. It was perfect, and nobody suspected a thing. Perfect.
But she got no answer, just a rude gesture and a slammed door.
"What's going on with him?" she thought out loud, turned and walked into Kenshin. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't see you there!"
"That's ok, Miss Kaoru!" he laughed, and looked to Yahiko's door. "It's a nice day. Do you want to go for a walk?"
"I'd love too!" she giggled. "Where to?"
"Wherever you want. I just need to get out for a while, that's all," he said cheerfully.
"How about to the bridge? That's always a nice place!" Kaoru said.
"The bridge it is!" he replied.
They walked out of the dojo into the warm sunlight. The birds were singing beautifully, and the breeze played with their hair. As they neared the bridge they saw a familiar couple. It was Sano and Megumi.
"Sano! Megumi!" Kaoru yelled, waving her arms and running down towards them.
"Hello, Kaoru-chan! Nice day, isn't it?" Megumi asked.
She nodded. "It certainly is!" She took off her sandals and put her feet in the cool water, sitting next to Megumi.
"Anything new since we left?" Megumi asked.
"Nothing really. What about you?"
"Should we tell them Sano?" Megumi asked.
"They'd be the first, besides Yahiko!" he said, playfully tugging her hair.
"Stop it! We're," she paused and looked up at Sano's smiling face. "We're getting married!"
"It's about time!" Kaoru said. She got up and held Megumi's hands jumping up and down. "I can't believe it! When is it?" she asked.
"In a few months, I hope," she said with a grin.
"Oh, Megumi! I'm so happy!" she said, hugging her. She was hiding her malicious grin from the group, thinking, 'Now that you're out of the way, I don't have to worry about Kenshin.'
"Yes! This is great news! If it's alright with you, Kaoru, we should have a party!" Kenshin said.
"Absolutely! I have some Sake around somewhere! We'll party all night!" Kaoru exclaimed.
They two girls started running back to the dojo, smiling as bright as the sun. Kenshin and Sano took their time walking back, carrying the girl's forgotten shoes.
"This doesn't come as much of a surprise!" Kenshin said with a grin. "But you say Yahiko already knows. How is that?"
"He was there when I asked her," Sano said. Kenshin's grin turned to a slight frown and he stopped walking.
"Is that why he has been in such a bad mood today?" he asked.
"Most likely. I barely noticed him leaving, but I don't think he'll be coming back any time soon. But one thing he said spooked me a bit. He said he had other methods of getting her love," Sano said.
Kenshin's eyes went wide with shock. A young child like Yahiko, thinking of drastic measures over something that would prove to be fruitless, it was a hard blow to him. "Sanosuke, I want you to be careful, especially around Yahiko. And make sure Megumi is in yelling distance."
"If you say so, Kenshin. That kid really has something wrong with him," he replied.
"Mm," Kenshin nodded. He looked at the road ahead, not seeing the girls, and laughed. "Let's get there before they get too crazy and invite the whole city!"
They started to run off, both smiling. But both smiles were half-hearted. Something was sitting in their minds, not letting go of their thoughts.
As they approached the house, they saw the girls in their most festive kimonos they owned, holding up small glasses of Sake. They were surprised to see Yahiko out there, a wide smile upon his face, jumping up and down and laughing.
"Yahiko! I'm surprised to see you out of your room, and in such a good mood," Kenshin said beaming.
"It's a party! I wouldn't skip it for anything!" he said, looking up at Megumi. 'I can't act that way forever. If I show her how mature I am, she'll like me better, and once my plans go through, it won't be for nothing,' he thought.
"Well, I think you're old enough to have a sip of Sake," Megumi said.
"He's only ten," Kenshin said.
"I was seven when I had my first, Ken-san," she said smoothly.
They walked into the room where their small party was going to be held. The two little girls were there, along with their grandfather. A large spread of food was lying on a low rise table, and they all sat and waited for Kaoru to pour their drinks.
"Silly girl, you still haven't learned," Megumi taunted as Kaoru tried to pour. "Let me, seeing as you don't know how." She took the bottle and poured the drink, sticking her tongue out slightly as she looked up a Kaoru.
"Vixen," she muttered under her breath.
"Ken-san, would you like some?" she asked seductively.
"Hey!" Kaoru yelled, taking the bottle from Megumi. "You're getting married! Isn't it about time you gave it a rest?" she yelled.
"It's still so much fun to get you mad!" she laughed, taking the bottle back and pouring Kenshin's drink.
"I'm so worthless, I don't even know how to pour Sake," Kaoru whined softly as Megumi giggled and Kenshin blushed.
The party lasted until the late hours of the night. Yahiko stood over the sleeping bodies, watching as the sun came up. He could fulfill his plans now, but it wouldn't be worth it. He had to wait, wait for a perfect time. It had to be before the wedding, before any ties were made. It would mean months of fake smiles and cheerfulness, but it was worth it. Sano would die at the hands of him, begging for his life as the poison took his body. It was perfect, and nobody suspected a thing. Perfect.