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Four Seasons
by Sheila Benedicto
�Tsubame! Wait up!�
Tsubame turned to see Yahiko running up to her. �Yahiko-chan!� She smiled. �Ohayou!�
�Geez, Tsubame-chan! We�re already 16 and you�re STILL calling me �Yahiko-chan�!�
Tsubame laughed. �But I think it�s cute.�
�Well, I don�t think it is, but, whatever you say.� He sighed. �So, where are you going?�
She laughed again. �Don�t you see the basket I�m holding? I�m going to the market, silly.�
�Oh. Well,� he said, taking the basket from her arm, �I�m coming with you then.�
Tsubame blinked and smiled. �Of course.�
When Spring blooms�
It was almost lunch by the time Tsubame finished her marketing. The basket Yahiko carried now had an assortment of fish, vegetables, and the ever-existent tofu. It was more than the usual amount of items she normally shopped for, not to mention undeniably heavier, but Yahiko didn�t seem to complain. He carried the goods as proudly as he would hold Kenshin�s sword. Tsubame smiled at that.
�What are you smiling at?� Yahiko suddenly asked, noticing her sudden smile.
�Nothing,� she evaded. �I was just thinking about the Sakura Festival. It�s going to be in two weeks, right? There are sure to be a lot of tourists by then.�
�Is that why Tae had you shop for all this stuff?� he said, gesturing to the basket he carried.
�Sort of. Actually, she said I could add to the items randomly if I thought we would need them. How are Kaoru and Kenshin preparing for the festival?�
Yahiko smirked. �Oh, the usual. Kenshin will be cooking. Although Kaoru�s slowly getting the hang of it. But with Kenji around, and another baby coming soon, I don�t think she�ll have the time to�uh� �practice�.�
He caught her smiling up at him again. �What is it now?�
�Don�t you think it�s pretty romantic how they ended up? I�m really happy for both of them.� She turned her face upwards, watching as each sakura tree they passed waited for its petals to bloom. �And with Sanosuke-san back in Japan, life must be very exciting back in the dojo, ne, Ya... oh!�
Tsubame�s view registered the rapid change between sky and road, and she closed her eyes fully expecting to hit the ground, but�
�Hey, are you okay?� Yahiko asked, his free arm wrapped around her waist, catching her in mid-fall. Both of them looked at the position they were in and blushed.
�Yes, I�m fine. Thanks. I guess I wasn�t looking where I was going, silly me�,� Tsubame replied as she straightened.
�No problem. You know I�d catch you anytime, Tsubame-chan,� Yahiko said, the statement making both of them blush even more. He coughed.
�Well, we better get this stuff to Tae-san before lunch,� he nonchalantly declared, walking a few steps ahead of her.
Tsubame grinned as she caught up with him. �Do you remember the time when we first met, Yahiko?�
When Summer blazes�
�Do you remember the time when we first met?� Sanosuke asked Megumi as she bandaged up yet another broken arm, wrapping it so tightly that it made him yelp in pain.
�Yes! You were such an asshole, then, like you are now.� Another yelp, the sound somehow pleasing her. �Some things never change. You come back and the first thing you do, you present your arm. Don�t you EVER get tired of it?!�
�Heck, no! I live for broken bones!� he joked, then winced as she tightened the bandage yet again, before tying it up. �For gods� sakes, Fox! That hurts!�
�And I thought you were beneath pain. You live for broken bones, remember?� Megumi sarcastically pointed out. She stood up and placed her medicine box on a shelf.
�I thought you missed me, Megumi,� he muttered thoughtfully.
Megumi sat in front of him and looked at his downcast expression. �Don�t tell me this is your attempt at being cute because I�m not buying it. However, if it makes you happy, I must admit that I do miss having you in my clinic��
He perked up. �See?�
�� BUT not ALL the time! There�s a limit to my tolerance when it comes to my patients. I don�t like it when I heal them and they go out getting their newly-set arms broken again. If you don�t care as to your condition, then would you please care about the time and effort spent on you? Really, Sano!�
�Can I help it if trouble likes me?� Sanosuke asserted.
�If you�re just going to sit there and make excuses, you might as well leave.� When he didn�t budge, she added, �And if you don�t want to do that, *I* might as well leave. I have a lot more important things to do than sit here and listen to you��
�No, Megumi, wait!� Sano said, grabbing her wrist as she started to rise. He saw her eyebrow go up a notch and sighed.
�Look, I didn�t go here just to get you mad at me again. I thought, that, maybe��
�Maybe what?�
�Maybe since I just got back, we could, uh, start over? I promise not to rile you for the rest of the week, at least.�
Megumi�s eyebrows went down somewhat. �This is new. Sanosuke, is this your version of an apology?�
�Heck, you�re really making this harder for me, huh?� he said, making her brows go up again, this time in challenge. �Fine. This is my version of an apology. So, how �bout it?�
�My, not rile me in a week? Now, that is something I can�t refuse. But since you�ve just arrived and all, I guess it won�t hurt��
Sano grinned as Megumi settled herself in front of him. �Going back to my first question, so, do you remember the time when we first met?�
�How could I forget? I remember, you stopped me from doing what I now know I would have deeply regretted.�
Sano blushed at that. �Wow, when you get Fox-lady started, she doesn�t stop.�
Fortunately, Megumi didn�t notice his cheeks redden, so intent was she on her memories.
�I was running away from Takada and Aoshi and his oniwanbanshuu that time.� She shook her head wistfully. �Do you realize how much time has passed since then? How much has changed? Sometimes, I can�t believe Aoshi and the oniwanbanshuu, who were once my torturers, are now our� friends��
continued...
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