Chapter 4: Tsubame

Yahiko had only walked a few feet when something caught his eye. He paused mid-step and turned in the direction of the cart across the road. His sight found what he had noticed: a dirty mess of light green gi and brown yukata halfway hidden from sight.

There, standing near the wheel, was a tiny child with brown hair and big blue eyes. He couldn't have been anymore than five years old. There were tears in his eyes, and his mouth was quivering slightly. He seemed to be all alone.

Yahiko thought it rather odd to see him standing there. No child of that age would be all alone! Perhaps, he was lost. Yahiko wondered if he should help him.

His mind was quickly changed however when he heard an all too familiar droll laughing out over the noise of the throng around him. He felt himself choking on his own breath, his pupils flying to open doors in a blind panic.

Yes… that voice could only belong to one person.

Gasuke.

He turned and bolted in the direction of the nearest open door, all the time looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't spotted.

He swung his lanky, thin form around the shoji and peeked out from the open area, panting silently.

Gasuke and his dumb cohorts stumbled past. They had obviously been drinking quite a lot, and it sickened him that they would already be in such a state so early in the morning… and in public no less!

Gasuke turned and glanced lazily in the direction of Yahiko. Yahiko moved himself out of sight, leaning his back against the shoji. A bead of sweat slipped down his forehead.

…and he was gone.

Yahiko let out a sigh of great relief. "I was lucky this time… I'd better not go out in public so much… I wonder where I-"

"WELCOME!"

"KYAAH!" Yahiko jumped back, tripping over bucket, then a bunch of barrels, then being tangled in ropes with pieces of dug-up floorboard whacking him on the head.

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry!" The woman yelled, grabbing him by the wrists and pulling him out of the rubble.

"It's all right," He said, dusting himself off with his hands. "Uh-" He looked into the woman's face.

She was a kind-looking woman, very pretty, with her coffee-colored hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck. There was a white cloth tied upon her head, and she was dressed in an orange kimono with stripes and a white, frilly apron.

"Um…" He blinked.

"Oh! I'm Tae-san! Welcome to my restaurant, Akabeko!" She said cheerfully, placing her best smile on her face.

"Huh? Oh, uh-" Yahiko bowed politely. "Y-Yahiko, ma'am…" He murmured. "Sorry about this…" He rose up again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I uh…" He couldn't tell her what he was really doing, or she would probably call the police.

The police… he'd almost been caught a few times when he would pick other people's pockets. There was one policeman who seemed to know it all: Fujita Gorou. Rumors had spread that he was actually the famed Hajime Saitou, but Yahiko wasn't sure if he could believe that… though he did mysteriously disappear now and again just like the wolf he was dubbed while in the Shinsengumi.

"I uh-had to get out of the sun," Yahiko said, but he couldn't help but wonder just exactly how stale he sounded.

"It is warm out today," Tae said, smiling. Yahiko could sense that she didn't believe him, but she wasn't the type to ask questions.

He was grateful for that.

"So, would you like to have something to eat? Perhaps sukiyaki? That is what we're famous for!" She beamed at him once more. She was obviously quite proud of her restaurant.

"Uh- no thanks," Yahiko said, waving his hands in front of him. "I really should… be… go… ing…." His hands fell to his side, and he froze.

There was a stir in his young heart. He felt his cheeks warming. All others around him disappeared…. And there was only…

Her.

The chocolate-haired goddess was setting cups down at a table with her delicate hands, her perfect body bent perfectly over it. Her endless, starry, violet eyes were only made even more beautiful by her long, lustrous eyelashes. Her soft, pink lips were curved into a smile as she served her awaiting customers. If Tae-san was beautiful, no word could compare to this wingless angel.

The adolescent… was in love.

"Yahiko-san, are you all right?" Tae-san snapped him out of his daze.

Yahiko shook his head and turned to her. "Who is that?" He heard himself asking before he could stop himself.

"Who? Tsubame?" Tae asked innocently, glancing at her.

Tsubame… the perfect name for the perfect girl. (A/N: Let me remind you, these are all of Yahiko's emotions. Also, let me remind you that he's fifteen.)

"Uh-huh…" Yahiko nodded.

"She's one of the waitresses here," Tae said. "Why?"

"Uh-" Yahiko blushed again. "Just… curious…"

Suddenly, a man seemed to brush up behind the angel. He had the same color hair as Tae, but he dressed in clothes that looked somewhat worn, yet still valuable. He carried a boken over his shoulder, and he had lazy eyes and semi-crooked teeth.

"Ah… Mikio-sama…" Tsubame said quietly. Mikio put his hand on her bag and led her away somewhat forcefully.

…and the world crashed down on Yahiko. She had a boyfriend. He wondered why someone wouldn't just stab a knife in his heart. Then again, why would someone so lovely want someone like him? He was just a street orphan who was staying in a brothel and used to pick pockets for a yakuza who loved nothing more than hurt people. No, that didn't sound promising at all.

His shoulders slumped. "I'd better go," He said slowly to Tae, looking very disappointed. She stared innocently at him for a moment.

He smiled at her and walked out, concentrating on his feet.

Tsubame glanced over her shoulder at Yahiko's retreating figure. "Ah---" She began, but she knew that it was too late. He was already gone, and now she'd never get to speak to him.

"Come on, Tsubame. We have business to speak of," Mikio said gruffly and continued shoving her away from her job.

Yahiko glanced over his shoulder at her as did she. Their eyes met.

"Deh---" Yahiko's entire face went red, while her pale cheeks became rosy. He walked a bit faster out of Akabeko and made sure the door was shut.

After a bit of a walk, he found himself returning to where Iris resided. He entered very quietly and shut the door. He still felt a bit down… but for some reason, his heart was still aflutter. So this was what love was like? He'd never been in love before… but then again, he'd never met her. This Tsubame girl was absolutely stunning, of course, but he'd never actually SPOKEN to her. Maybe she was really cruel! Maybe she was dull as a rock! Maybe… he was just trying to make himself feel better.

Ah, how cruel the fate of a young boy's heart. He didn't find it very fair that he should love her when he spotted her, especially when she was taken. That seemed a bit capricious of him. It was quite unexpected, indeed.

"Yahiko?" Iris's voice.

He turned from the door. "H---Hullo…" He said. Why was he still so nervous.

Iris giggled. "You're as red as my combs, boy," She sniggered, making Yahiko turn even redder, of course.

"I uh-" He stumbled over the sentence. "I um-just-uh-saw-um-uhhh…" That was when he realized…

This girl didn't look like Iris at all! She had her kimono wrapped up firmly like an average woman, her hair was down and pulled back in a ponytail, and she had on no make-up. She looked just as beautiful as always, if not better, for she didn't have all of the clutter that made her look the part of her job.

"Iris, you-" He was stuttering again. "You-uh- Y-you… um…"

"You didn't expect me to walk around like a whore all day, did you?" She smiled at him very kindly. He blushed in embarrassment. "Come, Yahiko, dear, let's have tea together, and you can tell me about your morning."

Yahiko followed without question. It was funny… he really felt very comfortable around Iris. He'd only known her for two days, tops, and yet, he felt like she'd been with him… forever… She saved him from the streets, took him into her home, fed him, kept him clean, made him smile, treated him as if he were her own… It was almost as if she loved him… Yes, it was a love, but it was a different kind of love… a kind of love he'd felt before… in… his…

Mother.

He shook his head to forget about it. No, he wouldn't let anyone replace his mother… Though, if he had to, Iris would be his first choice. He half-smiled at the thought of it. Mother… Mother, Mother, Mother… If only he could really say that now…

Iris had set down to cups at the table. The two sat in silence, drinking their green tea while the birds sang outside the thin, paper doors.

"So…" Iris started, lowering her cup and setting it on the table. "Who's the girl?"

"Guh-girl?" Yahiko colored once more. "Y-you mean…"

"Uh-huh…" Iris smiled at him slyly. He couldn't hide anything from her.

"Well… I was hiding from Gasuke… in a restaurant… and there was this waitress there… and…"

"Waitress?"

"More like an angel…" Yahiko said. "She was r-really pretty…" He felt his words were far from how he felt.

"You mean… Tsubame?"

"Ah-Yeah!" Yahiko nodded. "Her name was Tsubame!… but… she's already got a boyfriend… and I wouldn't stand a chance…"

"Well, you lose confidence easily," Iris laughed. "Tsubame is as single as you are!"

"Really?" Yahiko looked at her, stunned, at a loss for words.

"Of course! She's very quiet. She's turned down a lot of boys," Iris said. "I've spoken to her about it. She says it has something to do with feeling right with someone."

"Feeling… right with someone?…" Yahiko echoed.

"You should talk to her!" Iris seemed quite excited about this turn of events.

"T-t-talk to her!" Yahiko cried. "-but- but I don't know what to say! What if she doesn't like me! What if she's got someone else in mind! What if I'm not good enough! What if she laughs at me!" He was going at a hundred miles a minute.

"Goodness! Calm down," Iris said, taking his face in her hands. "Yahiko… just… follow your heart… it will tell you what to say. She won't laugh at you, you're definitely good enough, she's got no one in mind… and if someone didn't like you, they'd have to be senseless…"

Yahiko's eyes widened. He then smiled. "Thank you…" He murmured. "Iris…" His smile grew even wider. "I'll… follow my heart…"

"Yeah, I know it's corny…" She leaned in closer and placed her forehead against his, "but it's never let me down before."

"Right," Yahiko nodded, now smiling so broadly, he swore it was touching his ears. "I'll go and talk to her tomorrow then."

"That's my boy!" Iris laughed… and Yahiko laughed too.

Her boy… His mother used to call him that. She used to hold his face in her hands too… Yes… Iris was almost exactly like his mother…

Before he knew it, he had thrown his arms around her and was laughing quite loudly. "That's right! I'm your boy! -a-and I'll make you proud! I promise!"

Iris was taken aback for a moment, but beamed as she recovered. "You'd better!" She said, her eyes brimming with hot liquid. "-or I'll kick you out!"

Yahiko continued laughing. "'Kay! I'll be good then!"

"Good!"

"GOOD!"

The two talked and told stories for the rest of the morning.