Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Way of the Wanderer ❯ Chapter 3

A/N: Well like I said I have two chapters in the same day. So here's the 2nd one I really don't have much to say aside from I don't own RK so please don't sue me

Way of the Wanderer:
Chapter 3

It was 12:00 in the afternoon, and the lunchtime rush had yet to start. Tsubame was in the kitchen of the Akebeko enjoying the quiet before the storm that was the usual lunch crowd. At the moment she was just standing there in a daze recounting the events of that morning.

***

It was 9:00 o clock that morning and Yahiko and Tsubame were on their way to the Akebeko like they did every morning. Tsubame was dressed in her French maid uniform while Yahiko wore a dark blue gi with a small aku symbol on the back, and a black hakama.

"It's getting pretty hot out eh." Yahiko said striking up conversation.

"Yeah, I guess that means that summer's starting up." Tsubame said. "Now if it would only hurry up and be fall."

"Nani?" Yahiko said voicing his bewilderment to her statement. "I thought you liked summer?"

"It's not that I don't like summer" Tsubame said quickly "It's just that Tae-san said that we could go back to our old uniforms when it starts to get cold."

"Well that's good." Yahiko said, but for some reason he just didn't seem too happy about the thought of not seeing Tsubame in her French maid outfit.

"You have no idea. This outfit really is no fun when it gets hot"

"Well that's because you're wearing all black, of course you're going to be hot silly."

"Oh you be quiet" Tsubame said as she playfully pushed Yahiko. "You're wearing dark clothing too ya know. And besides it's the heat that bothers me"

"Oh really, then what is it?

"This" She said as pointed down to her skirt.

"This what?" Yahiko saw nothing wrong with Tsubame's skirt or her silky smooth legs for that matter.

"My skirt sticks my leg in this hot weather." Tsubame said as she shook her skirt loose. Yahiko suffered from a mild nosebleed as he caught a glimpse of Tsubame's thigh. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he quickly brought his head back up.

"Oh yeah, that happen to me too, I mean my clothes sticking to me it the hot weather, it's...um very uncomfortable." Yahiko stammered blushing fiercely. Luckily Tsubame didn't notice because they had just reached the Akebeko.

"Thanks for walking me Yahiko-san" Tsubame said giving him a quick bow. "I guess I'll see you tonight." She then turn around and began to enter the Akebeko, when Yahiko grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "Nani" was all she could say before Yahiko gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I think I'll come by to help out this afternoon ok?" Tsubame just nodded hear head, completely in a daze.

Tsubame just stood there in the kitchen as she slowly brought her hand too her cheek. She let out a little sigh as she replayed the kiss over and over in her head. Her face flushed as she thought of Yahiko's lips on her face.

"Hey Tsubame what's taking that tea?" Yelled one of Tsubame's coworkers, snapping her back to reality. She then quickly poured four cups of tea and took them to a small room used by the staff for breaks. There she found her three coworkers, the Kisagara sisters, sitting around a table. It was almost impossible to tell the three sisters apart especially when they all wore the same uniform. So the three girls wore their hair differently so that people can tell them apart. First there was Hikari, she wore her long black hair, which went along the length of her back, in a ponytail tied with a red ribbon. Umi wore her hair in a simple long braid tied with a blue ribbon. While Fuujo, Fuu to her friends, liked to wear her hair unbound with small green ribbons.

"Sorry I took so long everybody" Tsubame said as she placed the tea tray down on the small table. "I just seem to go into my own little world."

"You been like that all day Tsubame-chan" Fuujo said just before she took a sip of her tea. "Tsubame, Tsubame-chan" she said waving her hand if front of Tsubame, who had slipped back into her trance, with one hand on her cheek, while her glowed with a slight blush.

"There she goes again." Umi said as she pick up her cup. "Three guesses whose she's thinking about" she then took a sip of her tea.

"Please like anyone needs to guess, you know she's thinking about her Yahiko-chan." Tsubame's eyes snapped wide open and glared at Hikaru.

"Don't call him 'chan'!" Tsubame yelled, out of pure reflex, however she soon regained her senses "Sorry"

"It's okay Tsubame-chan" Hikaru said, before giving a sly grin. "So Tsubame-chan is Yahiko coming by today?" Tsubame's face lit up.

"He better be coming by today or Tsubame-chan going to have to eat that huge bento by herself" Fuujo said, poking at the nicely wrapped lunch box. Tsubame gasped as she realized that she had inadvertently brought out the bento box, which he had indeed made for Yahiko, along with the tea.

"Oh you two leave Tsubame-chan alone, if she wants to make her boyfriend lunch that's her business." Umi said as she poured herself yet another cup of tea.

"Boyfriend?" Tsubame said as she hid her face behind a tea tray. "I wouldn't say he's was my boyfriend."

"Good, then that means I can have him." Hikaru said.

"Oh no you don't Yahiko is mine." Fuujo stop back. The two sisters then start to argue over who would get to have Yahiko. Tsubame then slammed the tea tray down on the table and glared at Fuujo and Hikaru.

"I wouldn't say that either." She said very coolly

"Oh Tsubame-chan is quite bold today." Umi mutter to herself as she finished off her second cup of tea. Just then the door slid open.

"Hey is anyone in here, Oh I should have known you'd all be here." Yahiko said as he entered the room, his face aglow from training all morning.

"Hi Ya-hi-ko." Fuujo and Hikari said unison.

"Hey girls, hey Tsubame-chan how's it going" Yahiko said as he sat between Umi and Tsubame.

"I'm fine Yahiko-san, but you look like you could use a drink." Tsubame then hand Yahiko her cup of tea, which he quickly gulped down.

"Did you see that he drank from Tsubame's cup you know what that means?" Fuujo whispered to Hikari. Hikari nodded with a giggle.

"An indirect kiss." The two then started to giggle some more, until Tsubame gave them a quick glare, silencing them.

"Here Yahiko-san have some more tea." Tsubame said as she began to refill Yahiko cup. Just as the she was about to pour him another cup the door slid open yet again.

"What do you all think your doing?" Tae Yelled as she stormed into the ever-shrinking room. "Umi-chan go out front and clean off the tables, Hikari-chan get to the kitchen and start up the stove, and Fuu-chan and Tsubame-chan go out and greet the customers." The way Tae gave these orders was much like a commander.

"Hai!" The three girls shouted as if they were her troops. As the girls set out on their respective jobs Tae set her eyes on Yahiko.

"And You."

"Nan?"

"If you're going to hang around here everyday then I'm putting you to work." Tae then threw him a bag of coins. "We are going to need more rice, now get." Yahiko got and grumbled his way all the way out of the back door. Tae let out a heavy sigh before she made her way to the door leading to the front. "Ouff, what the...Ayame-chan."

"Tae-san that hurt." Ayame whined as she rubbed her backside.

"Are you ok sis?" Suzumi said rushing to help her sister up.

"I'm sorry Ayame-chan for bumping into you, but what are you two doing here?" Tae asked. Just before the two could give her their answer...

"TAE-SAN! The stove is all heated up!" Hikari called out from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry girls but I'm very busy you're going to have to come back a little later 'kay."

"But Tae-san we need to know if you have seen Yahiko-niisan..."

"Later girls, I'll have to get back to you later, okay." She then made her way to the kitchen. "I better get one of the girls to get more water out of the well, oh well that can wait for a little while." They heard her say to her self before she was out of earshot. Ayame and Suzumi then turned their attention to the man in crimson standing quietly in the corner.

"It looks like Tae-san is busy now so you're just going to have a bit before you can find out where Yahiko-niisan is." Suzumi said.

"That's ok," he said in a very soft and calm voice. He then made his way over to the two girls and patted the both on the head. "Thanks for leading me here, but I think it's time you got back to you Ojii-san." He then started to make his way around back.

"Hey where are you going?"

"Well it's not like I have anywhere I need to be, so I figure I could help out around here for a while." The young man said as he left the room.
The lunchtime crowd at the Akebeko is truly a sight to behold, with the restaurant fill to the brim with people stuffing their faces, and girls in French maid outfits scurrying around, it can get pretty chaotic. However the crowd leaves just as quickly as they come and the restaurant is soon empty save for it's manager, her few employees, and one very tired assistant master of a certain kenjitsu school.

"Oi I bushed." Yahiko said as he plopped down on the ground. "Hey Tae- san if your going to work me that hard then your going to have to start paying me ya hear." He called over to Tae, who was leaning against the wall behind him.

"I wouldn't put you to work so much if you didn't come by here so often." Tae shot back. "I mean really the way you spend your time here one would think that you didn't have any classes."

"Hey I don't see you putting anyone else who comes here for lunch to work." He shot back, however all his aggravation subsided as a loud growl came from his stomach. "Oh man I'm so hungry," he moaned holding his stomach.

"If you like you could eat this Yahiko-san." Tsubame said as she presented him with a bento box, the whole time her eyes seemed to be glued the floor. Yahiko immediately sprung up at the mere sound of food.

"Tsubame-chan I love!" He said as he took the bento from Tsubame. Tsubame's face turned beat red after hearing Yahiko's sudden declaration of love. "I mean you really saved me, I thought I was going to die of hunger." He said as he began to tear into his lunch, not letting the small fact that he lacked chopsticks, or chewing for that matter, get in the way of getting that food in his stomach. The girls just watched in awe as he inhaled his food. "Ah, that was good!"

"Yahiko your face is covered with rice." Fuujo said noting the obvious, she then leaned in close to his face and started to pick the pieces off his face. "I swear you're like a little kid," she muttered very softly into his ear, which of course caused him to blush a little.

"Fuujo what do you think you're doing?" Hikari said as she pushed her sister away from Yahiko. "You don't just throw the rice on the ground," she then moved within inches of his face before whispering, "Wasting food is a sin," after saying that she gently plucked a piece of rice from his face and then popped it in her mouth. Yahiko sprung straight up after that.

"Um I think that...um that I...I have to get back to class!" Yahiko stammered out, as he rushed out the Akebeko. Then about ten seconds later he popped his head through the door. "Oh Tsubame-chan I'll be by later to pick you up tonight okay." Tsubame nodded her head and smiled.

"Of course Yahiko-chan, I'll be waiting for you." Now instead of the usual 'Don't call me chan" Yahiko just nodded and left once more. Suddenly out of nowhere Tsubame felt a force grip her left shoulder.

"Of course Yahiko-chan," Hikari said in her mock Tsubame voice, before giving her a friendly push towards Fuujo.

"I'll be waiting for you," Fuujo said in her own mock Tsubame voice, as she continued the game."

"Hikari-chan, Fuu-chan please stop it." Tsubame moaned, however the two girls paid her no mind. "Uuuuuumi-chaaaaaan," she called out to the most mature sister.

"Alright Tsubame-chan, I'll help," a sly grin then appeared on Umi's face "if you invite me to the wedding," and with that statement the two way torment became a three-way terror.

"Umi-chan not you too." Tsubame then notice that Tae-san was still resting against the wall. Surly she would put and end to this.

"Alright you three leave poor Tsubame-chan alone and I don't want to hear anymore of this crazy talk about being invited to any weddings ya hear." Tae said sure enough putting and end to this mean game. Tsubame mouthed the word 'thank you' to Tae for ending the game, however that thanks may have been premature. For soon enough Tae was also wearing a very sly grin on her face. "I mean really girl why would you need to be invited to the wedding when you're going to be helping me plan the whole thing." The four girls then exploded with laughter.

"Tae-san not you too," Tsubame's eyes started to well up as she saw her last hope fade. The sound of a soft cry soon stopped the girls' laughter. When they looked up they saw Tsubame bent down on the floor crying into her hands.

"Tsubame-chan" Tae then placed her hand on her shoulder. "It's ok we were just having so fun." Tsubame head then popped up.

"Oh I know that Tae-san, and actually I wouldn't mind marrying Yahiko, it's just that it's easier to get you guys to stop if I pretend to cry."

"Why you..." Fuujo was just about to tackle Tsubame for tricking them when the door slid open. Just then a young man about Yahiko's age and height entered the room. He wore a crimson yukata, which seem to be even redder against his pale skin. His amber eyes scanned the room before resting on Tae. He then pushed his long back hair out of his eyes.

"Um... Tae-san, I've done cleaning the tables is there anything else than need to be done."

"No dear, it should be pretty quiet around here until dinner time."

"Oh, ok," he then looked over the room once more "hmm, it looks like Yahiko-san isn't here I guess he went back to the dojo." He muttered to himself. "Well I guess I should be going, see you later ladies." He then left the Akebeko. For about five seconds no one said anything then quite suddenly Umi asked.

"Hey Tae-san, who was that guy?" Tae thought for a second.

"To tell the truth Umi-chan I don't know, I didn't even notice him until now. I'm not too worried about it though, he's probably was sent get Yahiko to come back to the dojo."

End of Chapter 3

A/N: Well that all folks this time I know that the next chapter won't be up soon cause I have Graduation coming up soon so you know your going to have to wait till that over. Oh and once again here a guide for all those who don't know Japanese.

-niisan: this is use to show that Ayame and Suzumi see Yahiko as an older brother but not actually their older brother.

Note: the reason that Hikari, fuujo, and Umi don't use honorifics with yahiko is because they are using yobisute (the permission not to use honorifics with someone). They use this cause they are really friendly girls and beside Yahiko is a really easy going guy so he doesn't really care.