Into the Night

“Eiji-san did what?” I put down my cooking chopsticks and look at my daughter.

“He borrowed Chichiue’s sword.” She looks doubtful. “But we kids aren’t supposed to touch it.”

“Eiji-san is a grown man,” I say, but my mind is -racing-.

Hajime was… openly affectionate towards me.

Insistent on telling me the baby’s name.

Then left without his sword. I had dismissed it as going to work for paperwork… but does he -ever- leave his sword behind?

And Eiji-san, who seemed to be having a good time, suddenly leaving, without a word to Yukiko-san or I, but to Makoto?

Now… he has Hajime’s sword?

What…

No…

“Hahaue, you’re -burning- it!” Makoto squeals at me.

I look at the vegetables I was cooking, which are starting to char. “Oh, oh… yes. I’m sorry Makoto.”

I take off my apron. “I … need to get something for dinner. I’ll let Yukiko-san know, okay? To finish cooking dinner?”

“But Hahaue, if you need to get something for dinner, then why are we going to go ahead and eat?” She’s so perceptive… but my heart is pounding too loud that I can barely hear her.

I smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back shortly.”

I go to our room and grab something. I think of something up in the attic, but I can’t get there and goodness knows what I’d do with it if I did get to it. No… I need to go.

But what on earth could I do?

I couldn’t solve this problem myself… this is -my- problem…. and now he’s going to go down because of -my- weaknesses…

I give Yukiko-san the same story I do Makoto, but she looks nervous. “Yagi-san, I can go out… you don’t look well.”

“No, no…” I try to smile. “A walk will do me good.”

I leave shortly after. It’s nearly dark.

http://hajimenokizu.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/kenshin-100×100-100×100.jpg (Kenshin)

Well, sessha didn’t marry Kaoru-dono for her cooking skills, but this one is still proud of how hard she tries!

Too bad it was charred beyond what even we’re used to eating! So I went out to get something for us all, and more tofu for in the morning, as she somehow used a double portion on dinner tonight!

As I turn back to the road in front of the dojo, I see a figure. A woman? Short… rotund?

“Yagi-san – what are you doing out here?”

She turns to look at me and her face is pale – and I have a sinking feeling. That Saitou has come again… but her mouth is set in a grim line.

“If you could have kept your master in check none of this would have happened!” She snaps at me, without even a word of greeting. Yagi-san is usually polite, even to this one…

“Come now, what’s the matter?” I ask. But I have a feeling. Master has been bragging about his “Hide-chan”, and I warned him -not- to, but he seemed to be fixed on her, of all women.

“I’m not even supposed to -be- here,” she says. “-Meddling- broke up the last one…” she’s obviously in some distress. But does she speak of the time I went to Tokio-san?

“But this is all because of me. I couldn’t do as he asked,” she says, now, her voice shaking.

I take her arm, gently. “Let’s go to the dojo. You can sit, and I’ll bring you something to drink.” I don’t want to ask her about Saitou – her agitated state tells me enough. That we’re not going to have a quiet night tonight.

(OOC – Kenshin will enter in the main dojo thread. He may or may not be able to convince Hide to stay out of the room Hiko, Saitou, et al are in)