Kenshin followed the boy to town. Watched as he talked to Tsubame and Tai, his face blushing pink from time to time as he talked to the younger girl.

Yahiko helped Tsubame carry water into the Akabeco, then got money to buy rice for the restaurant as well.

Following the boy, to the rice seller's booth, Yahiko ordered a bucketful and a barrel of rice.

A big man named Haru carried the barrel of rice behind Yahiko to the akabeco. The man was like a big teddy bear. Almost like Sanouske, only bigger.

"Thanks Haru, I really appreciate your help." Yahiko thanked the big man.

"No problem, Yahiko, especially after your father saved my mother from the yakuza." The man said before walking away.

Blinking, Kenshin was more than slightly startled at Yahiko's connections

Then Yahiko talked to Tsubame again, giving her the change for the rice before he headed back toward the kamiya dojo.

Grinning because of what Tsubame said to him before he left for the dojo, yahiko stepped lightly through the streets, aware of someone following him, but he couldn't catch a glimpse of whoever it was.

When he got into the dojo yard, he was met with utter chaos.

Everyone was running around the dojo, looking in every corner and under every cushion.

"What's wrong, guys?" He asked, setting down the rice.

"Kenshin's gone!" Sano said, running past him.

"What!" Yahiko asked, running after the ex-figher for hire.

"He's gone. Disappeared. That asshole." Sano cursed as he tripped and hit his head on a rock.

meanwhile

Kenshin watched the chaos from the back wall of the dojo. All because of him. He realized, now, what a big part of their lives he was. Tears streamed down Kaoru's cheeks as she twisted around, straining for any glimpse of him.

Restraining himself, he jumped onto a nearby roof and then over to the dojo roof. Silently, he lay down on the opposite side of the search party, closing his eyes as he ly on his back, his face to the warm sun. Somehow the sleeping draught had come back full force while he was following Yahiko back to the dojo, and laying down helped the dizziness to subside.

Kenshin pretended to be asleep, slowing his breathing as he relaxed his body.

He waited for five minutes before he was found. Aoushi found him; sound asleep.

Aoushi called up to the motionless ruroni on the roof of the dojo, startled as to how he had gotten up there without him noticing.

When the ronin didn't respond, his pulse quickened, thinking the ruroni had been killed. But when he lept onto the roof himself, he found that the man was only asleep.

They had found the clothes he had washed. THey were already half dry by the time the realized he was not in his room.

Kaoru had gone nuts looking for him, racing from room to room as tears welled up in her eyes.

He lifted the slender form into his arms, careful of the fresh bandages over the man's chest, and slid from the roof to land on the ground with a slight thud, his knees bending so as to not disturb the sleeping ruroni more than necesary.

"Is he okay!" Kaoru half pleaded as she raced up to check Kenshin's breathing.

"He's just asleep, Jou-chan. Just asleep." Aoushi adopted the fighter's nickname for the girl.

"Kenshin-no-baka. I can't belive he snuck out, did laundry, and fell asleep on the roof. He's crazy, i tell ya'. Crazy." Sanouske said, rolling his eyes as he walked brazenly into the dojo.

Knowing the fighter had been just as worried for their friend, Aoushi just carried the sleeping ronin into the dojo and laid him in his futon, covering him with a light sheet before joining the others in the practice area to watch Kaoru train Yahiko.

There's your chapter! Yayness! And i actually got it up this time! Yay!

penguins! -myca #1