Chapter 5: What's in a Name

The line was dwindling closer to the front, and Kaoru stood, looking straight in front of her. The dangers that might come afoot were slowly settling in. She probably should have thought things through a little more, but she was here, and she was going to do all she could to help.

"Ah… This is taking so long!" The boy behind her moaned in frustration.

She blinked, looking up, then glanced behind her. "Yahiko?"

"Huh?" He looked at her. "Have we met?"

GAH! I DID IT AGAIN! "No! NO!" She said, waving her hand defensively. "I just… thought… it was you."

"Where'd you hear about me?"

"From… uh…" It came to her. "Some girl… let's see, it was… Tsu… Tsuba…"

"Tsubame!" He exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Yeah, that's the one," Kaoru said, smiling. "She talks about you all the time."

"Why was she talking to a pretty boy like you!"

Yahiko was apparently the jealous type.

"I just err… wash dishes in the back."

"Oh…"

He was also easily convinced.

"Yeah, err… She's always talking about how cute you are. It's really gross how she goes on though. Like I wanna hear about your love life…"

"Don't talk down about Tsubame like that!" Yahiko growled.

"I wasn't! I'm a guy. I don't care about what girls think about other guys," Kaoru replied. She silently applauded herself for pulling off her role so well.

"Well… I suppose that's true," Yahiko shrugged. "Tell me about your girlfriend if it'll make up for it."

"I don't have one," Kaoru said, blushing.

"Liar, no boy who looks like you would be without a girlfriend. You've probably even got a fan club!"

"Who me? Never! What's so special about me?" She giggled nervously.

"You're all pretty like a girl," Yahiko said simply as they moved forward in line.

"I'm no girl!" She yelped.

"I didn't say you were. I just said you were pretty like one."

"Oh… right…" She chewed on her bottom lip. That silent applause became a slap in the face. I just need to calm down and relax…

"So, no girlfriend…? SERIOUSLY?"

"Seriously," Kaoru said. "Lay off. I don't get out much, okay?" Because I'm always at home training you…

"NEXT!" A man yelled in her ear.

"I'm going, I'm going! Jeez, you don't have to yell," Kaoru said, passing him and walking up to one of the two officers that had placed themselves nearby. One had a pad of paper and a pencil, and the other had many baskets sitting next to him that were long and large and seemed to be packed to the maximum.

"Name."

"E-excuse me?" She asked.

"Name. Tell me your name. What's your name?" The police officer said irately.

"N-n-name?" She stammered. OH MY GOD! I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

"Spit it out!"

"Oh… my name's uh…"

MUST THINK! I DO SO BADLY UNDER PRESSURE!

"I'm ah- Ka---"

I CAN'T GIVE HIM MY REAL NAME! I HAVE TO COME UP WITH ONE! THINK, THINK, THINK!

"KA-HEY!" She yelled, as the man drew back his fist.

"What?"

Well… Maybe…

"Kahei… My name is Kahei," She said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. She'd saved herself.

"What's your surname?" He asked.

"EH?" AGAIN!

"Spit it out, Kahei," The man said, mocking her name.

Now that she wasn't panicking, she could think more clearly and quickly jumbled some letters together for a last name. "Kasuhige."

"Kasuhige Kahei, hm?" The man asked. "How old?"

She would never pull off a twenty-three year old boy with her height and voice. "Fifteen."

"What swordsman style have you learned, and how long did you study it for?"

"Ah--" If she told him about Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, she'd be caught for sure. "I err- have never learned any swordsman style. I mainly did housework my whole life."

"Go on," The man said, pushing her over to the next guy.

"Um…" She muttered, unsure of what to do.

The man reached into the basket and removed a katana in a sheath and handed it to her. The weight shocked her. The way Kenshin moved with one of them was starting to become an incredible sight.

"Take it and stand there," He said, pointing.

She followed his finger with her eyes then yelped. They were taking men and putting them in their groups. Only one chance out of three would she be with Kenshin.

"I hope that the Kamiya family was blessed with good luck," She muttered, stepping over to the back of the group, staying far enough away to keep out of trouble.

"Myojin Yahiko," Yahiko said to the man, and Kaoru watched him giving out his information.

"Age?"

"Fifteen, sir."

He spoke so strongly. She smiled warmly. Maybe he wasn't as childish as she was claiming.

"What swordsman style have you learned, and how long did you study it for?"

"I've been studying Kamiya Kasshin-ryu for five years, sir, and I'm proud to say so on behalf of my sensei."

Those things you say… Sometimes I even forget how you call me busu! She thought proudly. That's my boy!

"Go on," They said, tossing a sword at him. He caught it and marched over in her direction.

"Yo," He said, throwing the sword over his shoulders and hanging his arms around them.

"Eh-heh…"

"Why were you so nervous?" Yahiko asked.

"N-nervous?"

"Yeah… I mean, you couldn't even remember your name," Yahiko said, smirking at her.

"I…" She blushed. "I'm just new at this… I'm really… no good at…"

"Don't talk down about yourself!" Yahiko yelled.

"H-huh?" She looked up at him.

"You heard me talking about my sensei! She's a girl, but she never gets down about herself, EVER!"

"You really… admire her, don't you…"

"More than anyone," Yahiko said.

I'll never get mad at him again! She said to herself. Who would've known he's so sweet! I LOVE YOU, YAHIKO!

"That's really noble of you…" Kaoru said, sparkly eyed. "I'm sure she loves you very much for that nobility!"

"Hah, she hates me for calling her busu," This got a giggle out of him.

"Well, most girls would," Kaoru said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but she's like my sister. I have to tease her, you know?"

They both waited in silence for a few moments.

"So…" Yahiko said. "Kahei-kun, do you have a family?"

She kept staring ahead of herself.

"Kahei…"

"…"

"KAHEI!"

"AH! Right, that's me!" She yelped, smiling at him. "What?"

"Do you have any family?"

"No… My parents died awhile ago, and I never had any brothers or sisters…" Thank God she actually got to tell the truth for once. All this lying was starting to make her worry that the spirits would be looking down on her and placing bad judgment. "I've kind of been alone since then…"

"I'm sorry," Yahiko said. "Well, I'll try to stick with you so you're not alone now, okay? I mean, we're both some of the youngest here."

"Y-yeah…" She said. "We are…" She really hoped that all this deception wouldn't weigh her down.

"You two!"

"YES, SIR!" They both squeaked, saluting.

"There," The man said, pointing at a line led by…

"S… Saitou…" Kaoru whispered. "Not him… no… I wanted to be with…"

"WHA! I don't want to be part of his team!" Yahiko yelled.

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it," The man responded. "Both of you little parasites get over there."

Kaoru dragged along with Yahiko trailing behind her.

"This sucks," She said.

"I agree."

Kenshin glanced at them from his lead in his line. Kaoru looked up into his eyes, then down, then up again. They watched each other for a moment, then he turned back to his line and began commanding them on what to do.

She stared after him for a few moments, clutching her fist to her heart.

"All right," Saitou said, passing down the line. "You can all get ready to go now. Move out."

"Where?" Kaoru asked.

"Well, if you knew, I wouldn't have to lead you, now would I?" Saitou said irritably, raising his eyebrows. "Move out."

Like children, they trailed behind Saitou in a silent game of follow the leader.

All of the men were placed in a wooden cart full of hay and told to keep low. The stacks piled on the sides with empty places at the bottom, so it wasn't very hard. The only problem was with the crowding.

Kaoru was almost sitting on top of Yahiko, but in the bundled heap of males, she found that Sanosuke was part of their group as well and looking all but happy about it.

"Sano!" Yahiko called.

"Yahiko!" He responded, crawling over some of the guys and laying across the two of them. "How's it going? I see you two soul mates found each other."

"Shut up, Sano," Kaoru muttered, glaring. "That's not funny."

Sanosuke laughed, but soon after his look became sour. "Damn… of all the people to be ordered around by… Somebody planned this, I tell you. It's a government conspiracy."

"He doesn't trust anything from the government," Yahiko whispered to her.

"I know."

"How?"

"Uh…"

Sano looked up at her.

"The… The sign! Yeah, the sign on his back. All the Sekiho-tai had to wear it. They would have good reason not to like the government."

"ALL OF YOU WILL BE SILENT!" A police officer said, piling hay up at the end of the cart and closing it. "Your cover must not be blown."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him.

Saitou hopped up into the carriage pulling the cart and covered the windows with the curtain. The driver sent the horses off down the path.

"How come he gets to ride in high class style?" She whispered.

"SHHH!"

"Okay, I get it…"