Author's Notes: Well, here we are, with the sequel to "December Air". A stand-alone story in the same AU that stars our next spot light couple, Tsubame and Yahiko.

I hope you'll all enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed December Air (don't worry, a short sequel will be coming out for that story as well.)

The Ages for this Story:

Yahiko: 12

Tsubame: 12

Kaoru: 18

Misao: 18

Kenshin: 22

Aoshi: 22

Sano: 20

Megumi: 20

March Paper Delivery

"Yahiko, don't forget, there's a new house added to your route today!"

"I won't, I won't…man…Tae can be a slave driver." Yahiko Myojin, a young boy about twelve years old made his way over to a rickety old green bicycle with a bright, shiny, metal basket that seemed to be a new addition to the aged piece of equipment. With a bundle full of newspapers in his right arm, he used his sneakered foot to kick back the kick stand and hop onto the bike. Placing the newspapers delicately in the basket and placing a green baseball cap on his head, he placed his foot on the pedal and pushed forward, gaining enough momentum to put his other foot on the adjacent pedal. He moved forward rapidly as he gracefully rode out of the newspaper company building and onto the road, keeping close to the gutters, still shining with rain from the night before. Trickles of water splashed on his faded tires, slightly wetting his black pants.

As he passed a house, he threw the paper directly onto the porch. An old woman came out and smiled at him, "Thank you very much Yahiko-kun."

"No problem," he gruffly smiled, "Just doing my duty." With that, he sped off faster then before, the encouragement and thanks fueling him to keep going.

"Hmm…now…where's that new house?" Yahiko wondered out loud, checking a map that was attached to one of the handles on the bicycle. "I wouldn't want to miss it, or Tae will have my head on a silver platter."

Yahiko looked over the map, his eyes shifting around until he saw the red felt tip pen mark, "Ah! There it is! Tsuruoka Street, huh? That's pretty far north…I'll go there last, it makes more sense that way."

"Yahiko! You're late!" Yahiko was promptly scolded as he tried to furtively scoot the newspaper under the wooden door of the college dorm that he was visiting. But it was to no avail as the door slammed open as a corner of the paper slipped under. "Seriously! That's the fifth time in two weeks, am I going to have to report this to Tae!"

"Shut up Ugly! I got more important things to do then to deliver your paper!" Yahiko gruffly said to the woman now standing in the doorway, veins bulging. She was Kaoru Kamiya, the tenant of the dorm.

"Ugly! How dare you!" she growled, pulling Yahiko's cheeks. "I happen to be considered a beauty around here!"

"Arrgghh…Misao, help me!" Yahiko called, and his pleas were answered as the bubbly Misao Makimachi, Kaoru's roommate and college peer, came to the door, chewing lightly on rice crackers.

"Ahh Kaoru, be nice," Misao waved her hand going back into the room. "You don't want Yahiko to tell you-know-who that you don't want chocolate for White Day, do you?"

"That's right Ugly! If you don't want me to go and tell Kenshin that you'd rather he just leave you alone, you'd better be nice to meright?" He sneered, and Kaoru fumed.

"Fine, fine, I get your point, come in!" she huffed and stepped back from the door frame. Yahiko let himself in, not bothering to close the door behind him. Kaoru looked at him, annoyed, and shut the door herself. "What's up Yahiko? You seem slightly off..."

"I'm a little put out…" Yahiko sniffed, "I've got a new house to deliver to, and it's WAY up north! It'll take me at least a half an hour to get there! There goes extra video game time. All for an extra buck."

"Hey, you never know, it might be fun," Misao suggested, still chewing on the last of the crackers, "Maybe there's a cute girl there!"

"As if!" Yahiko snapped. "All I ever do is deliver papers to old people!"

"Do we classify as old people?" Kaoru and Misao asked together, eyes narrowed in a menacing way. Yahiko, sensing danger, quickly covered.

"Umm…I mean…old people and two lovely ladies!" he laughed and the two of them beamed.

"Now that's more like it!" Misao nodded.

"I agree," Kaoru smiled. "But hey Yahiko, you do never know, you might make a new friend."

"Whatever, I'm already late for the next house," Yahiko quickly grabbed his hat that he had left on the table and made his way for the door. But he didn't make it far as the door opened quickly, smashing him against the wall.

"Hello Kaoru-dono, Misao-dono, how are you?" It was Kenshin, smiling widely, completely oblivious to the fact that he was smushing Yahiko against the wall. Kaoru and Misao sweatdropped.

"Umm…Kenshin…" Kaoru pointed to the door, and Kenshin looked over to see the flattened Yahiko.

"Oh! I'm sorry Yahiko, I didn't see you there!" Kenshin closed the door, letting Yahiko breathe for a second as he came out from the door. "How are you as well?"

"Great, until you came in," Yahiko coughed. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Just visiting," Kenshin smiled, "Sano and Megumi should be here soon as well. We're all thinking about having a party for White Day."

"Oh…that sounds great," Misao drooled. "Will Lord Aoshi be there? I wonder if he'll get me anything for White Day…I've really wanted those earrings…"

"Are you still obsessing over him Misao?" Yahiko asked incredulously.

"I'M NOT OBSESSING!" Misao growled, "Come back here you little brat!" She began to chase Yahiko around the room, Kaoru and Kenshin both laughing.

"Hey, are we missing anything?" The door opened once more, this time Sanosuke coming through with less of a dramatic entrance then Kenshin had. Megumi followed him, flipping her hair.

"Oh not much," Kaoru smiled, "Just Yahiko and Misao in a tiff again."

"Well, if the weasel girl and little Yahiko are done…" Sano spoke softly, sniggering.

"DON'T CALL ME A WEASEL!"

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"

"ACK! Kenshin, help, they're gonna kill me!" Sano writhed as both Yahiko and Misao jumped upon him, trying to tear him limb from limb.

"Ken-san, they really are such children," Megumi smirked, "Maybe we should go someplace else and have a little "adult" time?"

"Uhhh…"

"MEGUMI!" Kaoru screamed, "Get away from Kenshin!"

"Tanuki Girl is getting defensive I see!"

"I-I am not!"

"Oro! Let's both calm down now ladies!"

"You're all pathetic," Yahiko commented, getting up from killing Sano. "Seriously, you're supposed to be the adults around here!"

"Oh, seems Little Yahiko wants to be a grown up huh?" Sano asked, doing his best to stand up.

"I've got work to do, unlike you lazy college students," Yahiko held his head high and walked briskly out of the dorm, leaving his wacky friends behind.

"All right…I think that's it," Yahiko smiled, wiping his brow as he threw another paper on a door step. "Oh…I forgot…" he gave a dejected sigh, "I have to go to that new house, don't I? Oh well, I've got to keep going."

Yahiko rode on, not letting his tired legs get the better of him. He had always been a proud boy, acting strong, adult like, and especially stubborn. He had never let anyone call him a "kid" and since he lived with Tae at her apartment, he was practically an orphan. His parents died when he was only five, his father in a plane crash when he was working for the Japanese Defense Air Force, and his mother of cancer. Or at least that's what the doctors had said. Yahiko thought she died of a broken heart.

"Finally!" Yahiko panted and stopped himself with his foot as he reached a wide round ended street with only four or five houses on it. He looked around, then looked at the label of the paper. "5901 huh…?" His head swerved around until he saw the bright yellow house with the numbers on it. "That's the one!" Yahiko smiled and walked up, deciding to deliver the paper as personally as possible.

He dropped it on the welcome mat and began to turn around, until he jumped as he heard the door creak behind him. "Oh…I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

Yahiko turned around to see the speaker of the apology. She was a girl about his age, with brown short hair and brown eyes. Wearing a pink skirt and blouse, she blinked a few times. "Ar-are you the paper boy?"

"Uhh…yeah…I'm Yah"

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me get you your tip!" the girl ran back into the house, not bothering to stay for Yahiko's introduction. A few seconds later, she returned with a wallet in her hands. She fumbled through it, obviously not knowing where the money was kept, and finally took out 100 yen in coins. "Here, I'm sorry it took so long."

"Oh…you don't have to give me a tip!" Yahiko insisted, "I get paid for just coming here!"

"B-but our house is so far away from the company," the girl told him, soft-spoken. "It really must have been such a trouble for you."

"Ah, that's not true at all!" Yahiko told her, putting on a smile. "It's my pleasure, really."

"Oh…thanks…" the girl smiled at him, blushing slightly in the cheeks. "I'm Tsubame, what's your name?"

"Uhh…Yahiko Myojin," he introduced himself.

"Oh, hello, little Yahiko."

"EURK!" Yahiko sweatdropped, "I'm not a little kid…I'm twelve years old."

"Eeks!" she furrowed her brow, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were my age."

"Y-your age?" Yahiko asked. "You're twelve too? What school do you go to?"

"Umm…well, I just moved here," she explained. "So I don't go to any school yet, but I'm enrolled at Tsubasa Private Girl's School."

"Oh…" Yahiko said, slightly disappointed. "I don't go there."

"Well, of course you don't silly, it's an all girls school!" Yahiko blushed at the stupidity that he had displayed as Tsubame giggled at him.

"I-I should get going," Yahiko blushed, and turned around.

"Do-do you have other houses to go to?" Tsubame asked him, and he turned around once more to face her.

"Umm…no, I went to yours last, because it's far and all."

"I…I…" Tsubame blushed, and stopped speaking for a moment, then regained her courage. "Do you think you could talk with me for a bit? I don't know anything about this place, and I don't have any friends…"

"S-sure!" Yahiko smiled, "I'd love to."

Yahiko had to admit, Tsubame was really cute. With pretty eyes, pretty hair, and that shy personality, she was a real find in Yahiko's eyes. 'What an idiot…' Yahiko told himself, 'She's probably already got a boyfriend after all.'

"I came here from Kobe," she told him, rocking back and forth as they sat on her front porch. "At first, I didn't want to leave."

"Why not?"

"Because I had friends…" Tsubame told him, "And I was really popular at my old school, I was student body president."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you'll be just as popular!" Yahiko assured her, "You're so nice after all!"

"You're sweet," Tsubame smiled, "What about you Yahiko? Where do you go to school?"

"Oh…umm…Takakano," Yahiko told her, pointing over his shoulder. "It's farther west, co-ed."

"So I bet you have a girlfriend, right?" Tsubame giggled, blushing at her daring remark.

"N-n-n-no way!" Yahiko tried to laugh, "Me? Girlfriend? No way!"

"Hey Yahiko?" Tsubame asked and Yahiko turned to look at her. "I don't have a boyfriend either."

"Huh?" Yahiko asked, slightly confused at the remark. He quickly changed the subject, blushing lightly. "Ahh, you're so nice and all, I bet you'll be really popular. Hey, White Day's coming up, do you want me to deliver all your gifts?" He chuckled.

"I…I probably won't get any," Tsubame smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. Yahiko sensed that she was hurt. "I'm new and all…and…"

"But I'm sure that all the boys in Kobe will send you gifts," Yahiko told her, trying to lighten her mood.

"I don't think so…" Yahiko looked up and saw that a few tears were collecting in Tsubame's eyes.

"Tsubame…"

"I had a crush on a boy in Kobe…" she said, "But I never told him how I felt. I didn't think he loved me anyway. He probably didn't even like me."

"Hey!" Tsubame looked up, her tears still collecting in her eyes as she saw Yahiko standing above her, eyebrows furrowed in anger, "Don't you dare start putting yourself down, you got that! If he didn't like you that's his problem, got that?"

Tsubame remained silent as Yahiko went on, but after a bit, a smile started to appear on her face.

"Now I don't want to ever hear any of that crap from you again, got it?" Yahiko commanded and Tsubame nodded, giggling.

"You bet…" she smiled warmly and Yahiko returned the smile.

"Well, my work here is done, I'm going to get going," Yahiko smiled and started to walk towards his bike.

"Ya-Yahiko!" Yahiko stopped as Tsubame called his name. He turned around to see her smiling at him. "Yahiko…promise…promise me that you'll come to my house last every Saturday so we can talk…okay?"

"Tsubame…?"

"If…if you break your promise…I'll never forgive you…" Tsubame told him, "I…I really need a friend."

Yahiko smiled and then tipped his baseball cap to her, "Anything you say Tsubame! I'll come over every Saturday until the end!"

"End…of what?" Tsubame asked curiously.

"One year." Yahiko lifted his finger to show a number "one". "At the end of one year."

"Thank you…Yahiko," Tsubame smiled warmly.

" See you next Saturday Tsubame!" Yahiko kicked his bike stand and jumped onto the seat.

"That's a promise Yahiko!" Tsubame called after him. "Don't break your promise!"

"Don't worry Tsubame, it's a promise! And Myojins don't break promises!" Yahiko waved after her, then sped off on his bicycle.

This was the beginning of "The Promise" that Yahiko had to keep. And he would have to work as hard as possible to keep it.

"Hmm…" Yahiko smiled up at the sky as his empty metal basket shined in the sun. "I think I heard that Kenshin was making chocolate for White Day…maybe I should…"

As Yahiko sped off towards the setting sun, he smiled to himself lightly and pedaled down the street, noticing that the rain in the gutters had finally dried up.

The End of the first chapter! What do you think? Do you like? Please review! I hope you all like the sequel to the story! It's a bit of a different tone, but it'll soon turn into that romantic comedy crap you all love :D

Please, please, please, PLEASE review!

Keep reading! AND REVIEW!