A/N: Glad you peeps liked it! Onto the next chapter!

"I remember when Dad came home that day and told me that Kenshin had come in and asked for a job. It wasn't too surprising. We were all getting to that age where we were looking for jobs at one place or another. I had even asked Dad to get me a job at that restaurant. I figured that it would be easy since he worked there. But then I figured, 'oh yeah, I'm a family member' which squared it away that I couldn't get the job due to uh...to nepotism. I was waiting for Dad to come home one of these days and tell me that they wouldn't hire Kenshin for...for whatever reason they deemed worthy. It was sorta the uppity place in town. But then, he came home a week later; nothing was off or strange about him. He was calm and relaxed. He came into my room and told me that Kenshin had gotten the job. I was surprised. Really, really surprised....I suppose maybe that was the start of all the problems. That restaurant."

-Sanosuke Sagara

2.

"Dad! Dad you home yet?"

"I'm in the kitchen," Dad responded with a voice of distaste. "Stop yelling."

Sitting next to the window was a mountain like man I'd never seen before. He had his legs neatly crossed and his hands folded delicately on the table. He looked like something out of a mob movie to me; the expensive black suit, the glazed over, stoic look in his eyes. One of the gloved hands reached out for the coffee that Dad had made for him.

"We have a guest," Dad seemed to feel the need to tell me. The hardly glanced over his shoulder at me, but there was a strange look in his eyes.

"Is this your son?" he asked. His voice was deep, and dark. It seemed more like dark chocolate instead of dark in the scary way.

"This is Mr. Seijuuro."

I gave a small nod and put my bag down on the floor. I'd been out all day with Sanosuke and Aoshi, my closest and practically only, friends. We'd been out collecting rocks for an upcoming duel against other kids in the neighborhood. I was grateful to set the bag down.

"Good afternoon Mr. Seijuuro."

This tall man who I'd never seen before slid his foot over to the chair adjacent him, pulling it out. I took this as a sign to sit down. "I know this may seen very strange, but I've been waiting for you," he said, leaning onto the old dining room table. It gave an awful creek. "You asked for a job from Sozo Sagara?"

I froze out of joy, a smile plastered on my face. "Yes sir."

He nodded. "I'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright with your father."

Mr. Seijuuro's hand wandered to Dad. I waited for him to nod, begging him with my eyes. He was curt in the nod. "Good, now, I;m just curious if you've had any criminal record of some sort."

"N-no sir." My brows furrowed. "Why?"

"And what about any sort of illness?"

I looked to dad for a split second, then back to Mr. Seijuuro. Sure, I found this awkward; anyone would. But at the time, despite how awkward this was, I was having trouble deciphering such vital information. My mind focus in on the fact that I was probably about to get a job.

"Uh...no, not really I don't think uh...allergies I guess but..."

"Food allergies?"

"No sir."

He nodded to himself in an agreeing sort of way. "You wouldn't mind filling out a few things?"

"Do I get to read over them as well Mr. Seijuuro?"

"Of course, of course. I'm not trying to hide anything." He put his hands up in a defensive sort of way. After that he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small thing of rolled up papers. He flattened them out of the table, and handed us a nice pen from his sleeve. "Please, read everything over carefully. I don't want you to not be informed about this."

I was eager to sign the dotted line at the end, but Dad took the papers and started to read every word. His face was changing through a few different looks, from incredulous to looking like he was enticed by something he read. He flipped the page. I turned to look at Mr. Seijuuro sipping at the coffee, his eyes never leaving Dad. I couldn't help but noticing the watch chain hanging from his breast pocket, and the cuff links flashing in the pale lighting in our kitchen.

"Is this some sort of waiver?" Dad finally asked. I turned away from Mr. Seijuuro.

"If you want to call it that. We're just trying to cover all of out bases at this point. We've had a few mishaps in the past do to the criminal activity and the illness. We just, are worried about business is all," he said, rolling his shoulders as he did. I had to admit, when I first met him I thought that Mr. Seijuuro was God. He seemed to know everything. Plus he was well spoken, and didn't have anything to hide from Dad. He didn't seem to have a slimy persona, and in fact he didn't. That didn't mean that he wasn't shady in his own right.

"May I ask you a few questions Mr. Seijuuro?"

"Of course. Feel free."

"Why come here directly?"

He shrugged. "I like to deal with things personally. I'm not exactly a man who trusts people's judgement too well. I just feel that if I know what I'm getting into, it will eliminate further risks that I spoke of," he closed his eyes and turned his head away. "I run a clean business Mr. Himura. I don't want a few bad seeds to spoil that."

Dad looked lost. Mr. Seijuuro was convincing him, but Dad had these instincts that he never strayed from. His instincts and the words that Mr. Seijuuro was spouting were very conflicting. After a deadlock with himself, he handed the papers over to me. "Read it thoroughly Ken. I want you to make the decision."

I was surprised. I took the paper in my hand like it was the map to El Dorado. I did read it. Most of it at least. Enough to see that it did look like a really nice waiver about criminal activity and illness and the possibility that while I was in a kitchen that things could happen. Not that I didn't already know that. I waited a few minutes, looked over the nice print and pretended to be skeptical like Dad, but I signed the paper anyways. I handed it to Mr. Seijuuro, who passed it back to my father. "Now, all I need is your consent. He is still a minor."

Dad signed too. He knew there was no way to persuade me out of this one. The paper went back to Mr. Seijuuro who smiled and bowed his head. "I'm sorry to have taken your time," he said curtly, as though we had declined.

"No, no. We're sorry to impede on your time Mr. Seijuuro," I said, having a hard time believing those words had fallen from my lips. "It was a pleasure meeting you," I held out my hand, offering it to him. He took it smiling.

"I'll give you a call within the next three days," he said, and vanished like a puff of smoke.

It was amazing to be working at such a nice place. I remember walking in on my first day and looking at the dining room when it was empty. There were people taking the chairs from the tables, putting nice white table clothes over them and silverware. I marveled at the wonderful design on the carpet. Shades of emerald green, ruby red and gold lay over top a dark shade of maroon. The curtains were drawn revealing a bright ray of sunshine.

"Kenshin!" Sozo called out to me.

"Yeah?"

"C'mon. You're in the back."

I nodded, running past the men setting up and slipping into the kitchen. It was a large kitchen full of top of the line appliances and fresh ingredients for the food. I wandered through the there wondering where it ended. It was almost like a maze, a grand assembly line of people who created the five star food that was praised at this place. Sozo put me at the sinks with another young man by the name of Katsuhiro Tsukioka. I shook his hand, and he explained that for the first few weeks I would just dry. I nodded. He explained the workings of the place, when the rushes were, and something else I found very interesting.

"Mr. Seijuuro will come through here every few hours," he said. "He keeps a keen eye on everybody. You can't get away with nothin' in here." I nodded again. I wasn't very talkative in general.

After several days of getting the hang of drying and the rushes that were going on during the day, I found that things started to become routine and I was very use to the workings. I enjoyed when people would walk in and out of the kitchen, as they often did, since there was always live entertainment. I would catch a glimpse at the people on stage, or listen to the music that wafted through the kitchen. Katsu and I got in sync with one another after several weeks together. We would switch off the jobs and still be able to get everything done. By the way, people are very digusting; even the high class....You don't want to know. If you've worked as a dishwasher, you know.

One day, after about a month of working there and a few weeks before my next semester of school started, Mr. Seijuuro came in as usual, but he wasn't his usual happy self. He had a large scowl on his face and he stormed right past us into the back. It wasn't hard to tell what was going on. There was a crash then:

"So you're the fucker stealing my stuff huh?"

And he made sure everyone in the kitchen could hear him when he said it.

"Uh...sir I..."

Another crash. "Who's it for?"

"Sir..?"

"Who the hell is it for! I'm sure you don't need all that for yourself!" Another crash.

"Please sir I...I...I'm sorry I was just..."

"Sorry? You were sorry? That's not going to get my merchandise back is it? Are your words going to bring it back? Poof! Magic!" There was yet another crash. By that time, the entire kitchen had stopped and was listening to the conflict. I put down a plate and started to wander back. Katsu grabbed my collar.

"Don't," he whispered. "You don't want to see the last guy that got in the middle of that."

"I expect you to pay it back! Every cent. So why don't you come to my office and we'll tally up the numbers?" I pressed against the sink as Mr. Seijuuro walked by. He had the ugliest look on his face that I'd ever seen. And not only that, he held the man by the nape of his neck, dragging him through the kitchen. He didn't look to pretty.

Mr. Seijuuro stopped at the door. "Get back to work!"

I ducked my head so close to the water I was surprised that I didn't go right into it. I squeezed my eyes closed and waited for the sound of the door closing. "He's gone Ken."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. He won't be back too soon."

I sighed and sunk my hands into the steaming water. "Wh-what happened?"

"Hiko waited for the appropriate moment to get the man stealing his merchandise."

"Merchandise?"

Katsu looked me in the eye. "You'll figure it out. If Hiko was concerned about knives or stoves, he'd be getting a lot people. He expects that to be stolen. We've all taken something. But...take the important stuff and you're screwed."

"Stuff? What stuff?"

"Himura!" I physically jumped when hearing Mr. Seijuuro call me out.

"Go!" Katsu had a grim look over his face. "Go before he has to say it twice."

I nodded laying down my dishcloth and wiping my hands on my apron. I rushed out to Mr. Seijuuro who was at him office door motioning for me to come. I nodded and crossed the floor casually. I surveyed the area from the corner of my eye, wondering if there was anyone there that I knew. It was dinner time, and just about every table had someone at it. And then there was a table where a saw a little girl swinging her legs as she dug into an ice cream. I turned back to Mr. Seijuuro who motioned me into his office. The man was sitting in front of a nice oak desk.

"Take a seat Himura."

"Yessir." I spoke quickly and quietly. When I sat I refused to look Mr. Seijuuro in the eye. He went behind his desk, but didn't sit down. He was pondering his words.

"Since you're new here Himura, I felt that you should understand some things," his eyes were on the beat up guy next to me. He looked like a waiter. He was middle aged and had the craziest look in his eyes. "So, about how much do you think you took?"

"I...I don't know."

"You don't know. Was it, how much you could carry in a night?"

"I...maybe..."

"How often was it? Every night. Bi-nightly?"

"Once a week sir."

"On Tuesdays?" Mr. Seijuuro asked. "Yesterday was Tuesday wasn't it Himura?"

I jumped again. "Yessir."

"Was it Tuesday?" he addressed the other man.

"It is...sir..."

"Do you really think I'm that fucking stupid?" Mr. Seijuuro crossed his arms and it only made him look more intimidating. "Answer me?" His eyes twinkled something vile.

"I...no...I don't think...you're..." he kept fading out.

"Speak up!"

"No sir!"

Mr. Seijuuro nodded, turning his eyes down toward his desk where a book lay. He opened it up and shoved it in this man's face. "How much does that say?" I saw the man's Adam's apple shaking. He was sweating something awful. "Well? What does the paper say?"

"39,647.78...sir."

Mr. Seijuuro sighed. "Let's make it an even forty thousand." The man's face was even more stricken. "You give me the money, or I'll tell them. And you don't want me to tell them."

I was lost and a bit scared, but I tried to stay calm so Mr. Seijuuro didn't see me as weak. Really I wanted to wet myself. My fingernails were clawing into my hand. "But I don't..."

"No buts!" The man's head fell considerably, his nose nearly touching his thighs. "I run a business, and I will make sure no one runs that business in the ground. You deal with me, you deal with powerful people. Be happy I'm lenient with you. I'll give you one week to give me the money, and if you can't..."he trailed off darkly.

The waiter sat there for a few minutes, his hands wringing in his lap and tears forming at his eyes. I didn't know what to think of Mr. Seijuuro. There was no way I knew what was going on in the first place, so I found it rather alarming that he was trying to show me what this degredation, and on top of it he was calling himself lenient. He kept my eyes to my lap as well.

"Is...is that all sir?" the man finally asked, sniffing as he did.

"You're fired." His eyes shut, as if Mr. Seijuuro had stabbed him through he heart. "Get out of my sight. Next time I see you, you better have that money."

"Yes...sir."

The ex-waiter slithered out of the office, closing the door behind him. I let out a small sigh were I had been holding my breath. There were only so many times I had seen a scene like that, and all of them were in the movies.

Mr. Seijuuro finally sat down. "Sir?" I asked shyly.

"Are you scared?" he asked. I nodded, rubbing my hand against the other. "Good. Remember that your humanity is still with you."

"Sir?"

"I'm out a waiter," he said, exasperated. "And as much as I trust the others, I think you'd be good in the position."

"Sir...I've...I haven't even..."

"Get Han to train you. He should be on the floor. Yellow hair."

"Now sir?" I asked, confused.

"Are you still on the clock?"

I took that as a solid yes.

Considering that I'd been dismissed, I walked out of his office and onto the floor. I saw Han immediately, I'd gotten a little friendly with when he passed in and out of the kitchen. He was at the table with the girl that I saw earlier. I tapped him on the shoulder. "What?"

"Mr. Seijuuro said to talk to you about...training?"

His face was sympathetic. "So he finally caught Tobias huh?" Han shrugged. "Alright. Go into the kitchen and I'll get you a uniform. Let me finish this up alright?"

I nodded and walked away, but not without turning back around. The little girl with shiny black hair and a frilly little dress smiled at me, winking. I don't think her parents really noticed. I knew it was her. Kaoru didn't change too much.

I got home late that night since there were more people than usual and I was training. Han offered to drive me home, which I was thankful about. I wouldn't even want to call Dad at that hour. When I walked in though, Dad was sitting up watching T.V. I gave him a smile.

"Where were you?"

"Work."

"So late? You get off at seven. It's ten..."

"I know..."I lowered my head. "I uh...got a promotion."

Dad looked at me. "To what?"

"Waiter. Some guy got fired today so Mr. Seijuuro put me in the position."

"Does it pay more?" Dad asked immediately. I thought a moment, but realized that I had never been asked or been told.

"I don't know," I responded. "But I saw Kaoru."

Dad only shook his head. Whatever. I was happy.

A/N: I love this chapter. It just flowed out of me. Tell me what you think. Till next time, KenSan out!