Memo: I'm so sorry for the late update. I kind of had writer's block and I'm working my butt off three other stories that I have to complete or else a lot of evil fans are gonna get my head. Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it. Now here's the fifth chapter.

Chapter Five: Seeing Angels

"Why won't you just tell me now?" I asked Tsubame, growing slightly impatient. She gave me a knowing look as she took my hand and lead me further down the hall where no one could hear us. I sighed and allowed her to drag me, half anxious of what she's hiding from me. It was an hour ago when she told me to meet her in the hall and what do I get? Being dragged around by another woman. I already get enough from Kaoru as it is. Hopefully Tsubame won't be the same.

"All right. Remember when you guys asked me to go roller blading with you guys after the festival?" she asked shyly as I nodded my head, waiting for her to continue. "Well...I don't think I can go..."

"What! Why? I mean, it wouldn't be as fun without you. Remember: I don't have a date. So I'm counting on you."

"I know...But..."

"But what? Tae doesn't allow you to go out on dates?"

"No...It's nothing like that..." she blushed.

"Then what is it? What could you be possibly doing on a Saturday that can keep you from doing this?"

Her cheeks grew slightly redder as she looked me in the eye. "I can't skate..." she muttered quietly.

I paused and blinked, trying to get it all in. "Oh...I see..."

"I'm really sorry Yahiko. If I could, I'd go. But...Well, you know..."

"No problem. I'll teach you."

"Really?"

Damn. So much for my after school TV time.

"Of course. You can come meet me by the cherry blossom fields later. I'll be waiting for you," I said and waved to her just as the bell rang. She smiled and thank me by giving me a big hug. I could feel my cheeks burn slightly and I looked away from her once she let go. She was laughing again...Damn her...

"Why must I do this again?" I asked for about the hundredth time that day as she gave me a knowing look as she put on the skates. Slipping off her sneakers, she slid into the in-line skates and strapped on her helmet and pads.

"Because...It was your idea...You don't have to do this if you don't wanna..." she said slowly getting up from the floor, making sure she won't fall. "Besides, you said it yourself. If I don't learn how to skate soon, you might not have a date for that roller blading thing we're going to."

She had a point. In fact, that was the reason why I mentioned it in the first place. Skating to me is as easy as walking. Probably because I've ridden skateboards, bikes, scooters, and roller skates numerous times before with the other guys. And it's one of my favorite things to do over the weekend when the guys and I aren't pulling any pranks on anyone at the moment. But there was also something else that made me mention this. I don't know why, but when I suggested this, I felt like I wanted to be with Tsubame. I wanted to spend more time with her.

"Well...Do you have any idea how to skate?" I asked.

"Sort of..." she admitted as I let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay then. Let's see what you got."

She started off in a good start as she skated towards me, but before she could, she lost her balance and fell flat on her face. I sweatdropped, thinking there'll be a lot of work to do today. "All right. You just really need to work on your balance and speed. Sora and the other guys are pretty good skaters and you'll be holding us down if we keep waiting for you to catch up..."

She gave me a face that looked as if she was gonna take that as an insult. But before she could say anything I held out my hand as her expression changed into a confused one. "Here. I'll help you. Just...Take my hand..." I said as she stared at my hand doubtfully. I knew something was filling her mind as she stared. "What's wrong Tsubame?"

"Nothing..."

"Why? You don't trust me?" At that question I even began having doubt on myself. I've lied to her so many times. And I've lied to my friends more than once. It hurts my pride to do that since the last time I lied got me into big trouble (Evil Shorty: You know...That one episode when he took Kenshin's sakabatou/reverse blade sword).

But to my surprise, she took my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. "Of course I do Yahiko-chan."

My face literally turned blue. Did she just call me little Yahiko? But she didn't seem to notice as she took my other hand. I tried to forget all about it, though the word little kept on popping in my mind. I lead her through the side walks of the cherry blossom fields. And it seems like she was doing fine, that was, until I tripped.

I don't know how, I think that I tripped over a rock or something, but the next thing I knew, my back fell in contact with the side walk. And a second later, something heavy fell on me as I groaned in pain. I opened on eye and saw that Tsubame was lying on top of me, her head resting against the side of my neck as she slowly got off me.

"Oh...Yahiko. I'm so sorry..." she gasped, her cheeks turning instantly red. My cheeks turned red as well as I turned my head away as she got up. A few seconds later, I thought that she finally got off, but I was wrong. She, once again, fell. But this time, her lips almost landed on mine. We started at each other for a while, or at least, what seemed like forever.

She looked just like an angel falling down on me. How the afternoon sunlight made her body glow and became a background. How her eyes shine under the sun and her cheeks had a faint pink color in them. How her pouted lips almost touched mine. I couldn't even move, not because she was on top of me, but because I was surprised at how...How beautiful she looked like right then. She suddenly sat bolt straight up and jumped away from me.

"Yahiko. I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz..." she said, hiding her nervousness with a laugh. I grinned and sat up. Offering my hand to her again, but she then fell again, bringing me on top of her this time. But before I could say anything or even move, I heard a very...Very scary voice behind me...

"MYOUJIN YAHIKO! I KNEW I'D FIND YOU HERE!"

I slowly turned my head to come face-to-face with no one other than pure evil herself. Himura Kaoru. Otherwise known as the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin. She really looked mad at me this time. Not only because I told her that I was going to watch her son this afternoon after school and actually do the house chores today. But because I just happened to be on top of Tsubame. I jumped off her and felt my cheeks turn bright red.

"No! Kaoru! This isn't what it looks like!" I protested, but she held up her hand. Otherwise, telling me to shut up and let her speak.

"Yahiko. How could you do this to her? Isn't she that lovely waitress from the Akabecko? I'm very disappointed in you Yahiko."

"Kaoru...Please...Let me explain!"

"I've seen enough Yahiko..." she said, about to walk off. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair, pulling it slightly. How am I gonna explain this to Kenshin?

But then, I heard a soft voice call out her name. "Wait...Kaoru..."

It was Tsubame and I watch her slowly get up to talk to her. Kaoru turned to see who called out her name and faced the younger girl. "Kaoru, this isn't what it looks like. Yahiko offered to teach me how to roller blade so I could join him and his friends on Saturday. But, I guess I couldn't help but keep on falling..." she explained in a polite tone as she blushed slightly. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Kaoru's expression soften.

"Well...That's unusual for Yahiko to just help out a young girl like you all of a sudden..." she trailed off and looked at the two of us. Then she smiled. "All right, all right. If this is what you guys are really doing, then I'm sorry for yelling at you guys earlier. Just be back before dinner all right Yahiko? I'm cooking!"

I made a disgusted look behind her back at the thought of her cooking. But as soon as she was gone, I turned to Tsubame and smiled at her. "Thanks..."

"No problem..."

It was dark. All I felt an eerie loneliness and guilt wash over my body as I searched for a familiar face in this void. Emptiness surrounded around me as I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind me. No one was. As I looked forward again, I saw that I was in the empty hallways at school as I stepped cautiously in the center. My heart was racing in fear and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ear as I stepped closer and closer to a door right in front of me. An energy seemed to grow stronger as I was in front of the door. Hesitantly, I opened it and peered inside. There was a flash of light and I was suddenly in Tsubame's apartment.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary, except in the middle of the room where a beautiful girl was standing with her back faced towards me. She had a silky white dress that looked slightly big on her because it was slightly off her shoulder and showed her back and majestic feathered wings on her bare back as my mouth dropped to the floor. She looked beautiful...Almost like an angel standing before my eyes as I blinked to make sure that I was looking at the real thing. It, of course, felt real. But that wasn't what surprised me the most.

Slowly, the angel turned to face me. She had a mask on her bright, chestnut brown eyes that looked as if it was crying. It took me a moment to realize that angel was actually Tsubame. And she was crying. She fully faced me, a fist resting against her chest, and saw that she looked...Like a whole different person.

"Tsubame...Why are you crying...?" I heard myself ask.

"Yahiko! How could you betray me!" she screamed, crying harder.

I didn't understand. I looked down and saw myself wearing a red England prince uniform and black pants. I was also wearing a red mask that looked a lot like Tsubame's white one. There was a light shining above me as I winced slightly. We just suddenly went on stage and it was completely empty beside me and Tsubame. But even if it was, I could feel people staring at me as I looked around. There was no one else. I turned to Tsubame and reached out a hand to touch her, but she seemed too far away.

"Tsubame...I..."

Her hair was covering her sad face and it seemed like she was getting smaller and smaller as if I was running backwards and leaving her alone in the distance. But the final words she said to me were the words that broke my heart apart.

"I hate you..."

I gasped and sat bold straight up on my bed, panting as if I ran a thousand miles. Cold sweat was dripping down my forehead as I looked around and discovered that I was only in my room. My alarm clock flashed 4:57 p.m. and it still seemed really dark outside. Slowly, I lowered myself back on the bed and rest my head against the pillow. I can't believe that was all just a dream...It felt so real... I thought as I stared up at the ceiling. I couldn't help but think of Tsubame and what that dream could possibly mean. My breathing slowly became regular again and I seemed to have trouble sleeping again. I knew that Kaoru and Kenji were probably fast asleep still. But to my surprise, I heard the door open and Kenshin came inside with a yawn.

"Are you all right Yahiko? I heard you whimpering in your sleep..." he yawned as he rubbed his eye, his hand still on the doorknob as I sat up on the bed. The blanket fell from my bare chest, down the my waist.

"I'm fine Kenshin. I just had a bad dream, that's all. You should go to sleep..." I murmured as Kenshin blinked a couple of times to focus his eye sight.

"You don't wanna talk about it?" he asked in a drowsy voice as I nodded my head.

"No, it's okay. Just go to sleep. I know you're tired..." I said quietly as he nodded.

"Okay. You should get some sleep too, that you do. After all..Isn't tomorrow that festival?" he asked as my eyes widened slightly.

"The festival! I forgot all about it!" I shouted as I jumped off my bed and ran towards my calendar across the room with a picture of a red sports car, tripping on random objects as I did. Trying to read the date in the dark, I saw that tomorrow really was the day of the festival. Excitement bubbled inside me as I anxiously wondered what they were gonna do at the festival this year. Every year was a little different since every year, another person chooses the games and events and stuff.

Kenshin laughed. "Well, then. I guess you better try to get a good night sleep then. It's only about five o' clock and school doesn't start in three more hours. And you still need to get that outfit am I correct?"

I nodded and jumped back to bed, knowing that it'll be impossible to get a good three hour sleep if I wanted to. The festival was almost here and every student at school would probably be eager to know what's going to happen. And there was going to be a lot of unexpected things that were going to happen...