Coming of Age
Mirror and Image

It must first be said in his defense, that Myujin Yahiko was having a bad day. Actually, if you wanted to be technical, he was having a bad several days. The young fourteen year old had not been sleeping well. You see, for the first time in years he was dreaming about his parents. The boy had long thought he had put those dreams behind him; but suddenly his nights were afflicted by such visions, and it disturbed him greatly.

On this particular day, or night as the case may be, his dreams were particularly vivid. He remembered, if only in flashes, his old home where he, his father, and his mother lived. For a samurai family it was a small house, with only a few servants. Yahiko remembered his room, the amado pulled back and the garden beyond. In the evenings he could watch the sunset from his room. The trees would filter the light and give everything a splattered effect. Yahiko could remember watching his father practice in that spattering. The sunlight would glisten of his well-maintained katana and wakizashi. Another flash was of watching his mother cooking dinner. Her kimono was a bright green with patterned flowers scattered here and there. Her complexion was dark, like Yahiko himself, and her hair was a midnight color. He remembered the smell of lobster. It was to be his first time eating it. Then the boy remembered the day the news came. His father had been killed. Yahiko couldn't recall much of that day, except that the first question his mother had asked was if it was an honorable death. The answer was yes. The man giving the news looked expensive. His hakama didn't have a speck of dirt on it, and his gi looked as if it had just been bought. He couldn't remember the man's face, but he remembered sad eyes. And he remembered it was the first time he saw his mother cry.

Needless to say, these memories, these dreams were painful to Yahiko. He sat bolt upright in his futon. Not so much out of fear but out of surprise. It had been years since he thought about these things. What was bringing them up now? Nothing was different. His training in the Kamiya Kashin style was progressing well. He was starting to save some sen here and there from odd jobs to pay for a sakabatou. He almost had three whole yen now. He still had a long way to go, but still. Kenshin was still making the meals and Sanosuke was still free loading. Life was about as normal as ever. So why now, all of the sudden, was he dreaming about his family?

Just the thought of them brought up some painful memories. Life after his father's death in particular. They had had some money saved, but even after dismissing the servants and moving into a small apartment, they ran out in under a year. By that time Yahiko was just over five, and his mother was starting to loose her complexion. She loved her husband very much, and she never quite got over his death. She was a great mother, but she just couldn't quite function properly in other aspects of life. Yahiko remembered the day she got a job. She was talking to a woman who looked sad. In a child's eyes, he couldn't quite understand why his mother and the woman were sad about the new job. He thought that it meant money coming in. And that was a good thing. His mother had said so. But then he learned what his mother's new job was.

Yahiko was aware of hot tears stating to fall down his face in his dark room as he remembered walking into another room; the room he shared with his mother one night. He had wondered all over the neighborhood to find other children his age. He had found several, but they acted different than him. They told odd jokes, and were not above pummeling each other just for the sake of the fight. Yahiko was the child of a samurai, an heir to his family's name. He knew that such things were not honorable unless properly provoked. And just what was a 'terd'? It was with these questions and observations that he went into his home and found a man in the same futon as his mother. He didn't know what they were doing, but he knew that whatever it was was wrong. Very wrong. He had run out to the woman who had hired his mother-Akemi-san.

"Stop it," Yahiko whispered. "That was a long time ago. Things are different now!" The boy looked up, his gaze examining his room in the Kamiya Dojo. It was starting to get light out. How long had he been awake? A couple of hours it looked like. Muttering to himself, he pulled he covers back over him and tried to get comfortable.

It was up to Akemi-san to explain what his mother's job was. He remembered that she was sad when she told him. And it was this memory that he fell asleep to.

With these vivid dreams, and of course being awake several hours afterward, Yahiko was tired; and as a result the boy slept in. And in the Kamiya Dojo, that's a no-no.

The shoji slid open with a great force, for it was a great force that was opening it-Kamiya Kaoru herself.

And she was not it good humor.

"Yahiko! Are you still asleep? What's the matter with you, breakfast is already on the table!" The assistant master stomped forward and pulled all of the boy's blankets off, tossing them to one side.

"H-hey! What was that for your old raccoon?!" Yahiko curled up into a little ball as Kaoru continued to stomp around the room. Her next stop was to the pile of clothes on the floor.

"Really, Yahiko! You don't even put your things away properly. Who do you think is going to pick up this mess?"

Blinking and still a little out of it, Yahiko looked to his hakama and gi. "I didn't get a chance to put them away…" he started.

"Didn't get a chance? Didn't get a chance?! Yahiko! You had all the time in the world yesterday to either fold these neatly of put them with the rest of the clothes that need to be washed. I most certainly am not going to pick up after you. Who do you think I am, you mother?"

Considering the previous night, that was not a good thing to say. "Of course your not my mother, you old raccoon!" the boy yelled. "Now get the hell out of my room!"

"Your room! I'm the one paying the bills Yahiko! This is my dojo, remember! You're just a boarder! I'll leave when I want to!"

Not to let her have the last word, Yahiko merely shrugged. "Fine, see if I care if you want to watch me get dressed." The boy grinned evilly. "I didn't think you were that kind of person."

Kaoru promptly turned very red. "How dare you! Where to you come off making that kind of implication?! You rude little boy!"

"I am NOT a boy!"

"Yes your are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Oro?"

That of course was Kenshin, hoping to inform Kaoru-dono and Yahiko that breakfast was getting cold. He instead muttered, "Those two…"

Well, breakfast was finally served, if a little cold, and everyone went about the day's routine. Since Yahiko had slept in, and insulted Kaoru for that matter, the boy found himself with the chore of cleaning the ENTIRE dojo. Kenshin offered to help, but Kaoru nipped that in the bud quite quickly as she ordered him to do the shopping while she went out and taught lessons at other dojos. And just when was she going to stop doing that? She had finally gotten a small number of students at her own dojo to teach an afternoon class. They were all paying, didn't they give her enough money? For crying out loud, Yahiko had to spend several nights of the week with Akemi-san while his mother worked! They had enough money from that, surely ten of twelve students paid about the same amount!

The boy paused as he cleaned the floor and sat down. Akemi-san said that his mother worked very hard at her job. She would often take three or four clients in one night. And Yahiko was not allowed in their room four or even five nights a week. Akemi-san said that that can tire out a woman, and that she was worried for Myujin-san's health. He remembered that he once told Akemi-san not to worry. His mother would live forever. He said that she had to, because his father had died honorably. Akemi-san looked at him sadly, but the smile on her face was unmistakable. The woman did that sometimes. In the midst of the saddest moods she would smile and bring up the weirdest things. It was usually about him marrying, if Yahiko remembered correctly. Completely out of the blue she would ask if he had found anyone, or that he would be quite a catch when he was taller.

Yahiko grumbled about that. It looked like he wasn't going to grow that much taller at this point. He was fourteen, and still he was shorter than even Kenshin! That thought made him sweep the floors with renewed vigor. He still had a few years, he would make himself be tall, the same way he would make himself be strong, the same way he would make his parents proud of him!

"I'll show them," he muttered. "I'll show them all. Just you wait." The boy returned to his bucket and soaked his cloth again. Putting it to the floor, he dashed along the wall.

And promptly crashed into the just arrived Kenshin and Kaoru. The crash was resounding, causing the whole dojo to shake. Kenshin was left spiral eyed and oro-ing while Kaoru almost immediately got mad. It appeared that she might have been having a bad day too.

"Yahiko! You have to watch where you're going! You nearly killed us just now!"

"Why don't YOU watch where you're going, huh? I was cleaning up the dojo just as you told me to! I'm doing my job! It's not my fault you're blind!"

"You've got a mouth today, Yahiko!" Kaoru shouted. "And you haven't finished yet? You should have been done hours ago! It's past noon! Have you been reading your bushido books instead?"

"I've done nothing of the kind! I just told you I spent all this time working! Why don't you believe me?"

"Maybe because you're not done by now!"

"I was doing as I was told, you ugly old raccoon!"

"How dare you call you're beautiful assistant master that-AGAIN!"

"I'll say it as many times as I want!"

Things basically degenerated from there. Kenshin was finally able to come out of his oro-ing to break it up. Lunch was a little late, but not terribly so. But it was in perfect time for Sano to drop by.

Things were just getting worse and worse for poor Yahiko. Perhaps it was an understatement to say he was having a bad day.

But anyway, the trio was eating somewhat quietly. Yahiko was sporting a few new bruises from his scuffle with Kaoru, but SHE was left untouched. That was so unfair. Even Kenshin sported a bump on his head from his attempt to break things up, but Kaoru was unscathed! The nerve!

"One of these days.." he muttered darkly.

"What was that, Yahiko?" Kaoru asked just as darkly.

The boy was about to repeat himself when an all too familiar "OI!" came from the gate.

"Sano!" Kenshin said warmly.

"What's up, everybody? You gonna let me in?" The tall man leaned over, putting his elbows on the gate even as he asked the question.

"Of course!" Kaoru said just as brightly. Then she turned and said, "Yahiko, go open the gate."

The boy balked. "Why me?!"

"Because your closest. Now move it!" Not wanting any MORE bruises, Yahiko grumbled and walked over to the gate to let Sanosuke in.

"Woah, looks like you got into another fight with Jyou-chan. Ne, Yahiko-chan?"

"DON'T CALL ME CHAN!!" The boy shouted. He was sooooooo not in the mood for this. Oh, how he wanted to be left alone!

"Fine, whatever you say Yahiko," Sano said cheerily. Then he added. "Chan."

Yahiko's demeanor soured even more so at that point, but he held his tongue. Maybe if he stayed quiet, they would not notice him. Or at least not call him "chan". He sat back down at his plate and acted for the entire world as if he were absorbed with his food.

"So how's everything been going with you guys?" Sanosuke asked as he also sat down. "Hey, is that sushi?" And so the free loading began as the white clad man started chowing down.

"Moou, Sano!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Keep that up and I'll have you finish cleaning the dojo that Yahiko was too lazy to finish!"

Said boy promptly choked on his current mouthful. It was only after a good coughing spell that he had enough air to mutter, "I WAS working the whole time. Old raccoon." He was quickly answered with a fist to the head courtesy of that raccoon, causing his head to land into his plate and ruining the rest of his lunch. And he was hungry, too…

Kenshin, watching the boy for the whole time, slid over noiselessly as Kaoru and Sano continued to banter and offered a share of his plate. "Here, Yahiko," he said softly.

The dark skinned boy refused. "I wasn't that hungry anyway, Kenshin."

The redhead merely smiled. "No, probably not. But it's best if you get a lot of food in you, de gozaru. That way you'll have enough energy to show those other students what the Kamiya Kashin style is really like. Ne?"

Well, finally! At least ONE good thing happened that day. Yahiko accepted the food gracefully. "Domo arigatoo, Kenshin."

"It's nothing, Yahiko. Accepting help when it's offered is sometimes a good thing."

Yahiko blinked. Something about that sparked a memory. He remembered talking to his mother once about help, when and when not to accept it. As her health failed more and more, Yahiko spent more and more time with her. It was around that time that two men, whom he would later become very familiar with, would start visiting her. Along with them came a doctor, or at least someone dressed as a doctor. He would give her some kind of powder, saying it would take away the pain. All it did was make her very distant. Sometimes his mother wasn't even sure where she was. When he went to Akemi-san about that, she would just change the subject. At the time, Yahiko's mother was almost white as a sheet. Her beautiful dark skin was now withered, and it looked old. Her long midnight hair had become brittle and unkempt. Clients wouldn't come to her anymore, and there was not money to pay for the doctor. That's what the two men were there for. They said that they paid the bill. Out of the goodness of their hearts. They were part of an organization, they were. Something called the Yakuza.

Yahiko blinked. What a time to get lost in thought! He looked around quickly. Kenshin was watching him, but Sano and Kaoru had reduced to name-calling. Good. It hadn't been that long. He looked to his plate and started eating again.

After lunch, Kaoru was finally able to get rid of Sanosuke; and it was time for the afternoon class to begin. The other students filed into the dojo in two's and three's as Yahiko changed into his training clothes. He was getting more and more pensive as the day progressed, the boy hoped ferverently that he would not drift off during class. With Kaoru in just as bad a mood as he was, and none of the students very fond of him, Yahiko had to make sure that his practice today was flawless.

"Konnichi wa, minna-san!" Kaoru said brightly as she began the class. "Lets start with our warm up exercises. Everybody pair up, please!"

The students filed into their normal pairs. Yahiko usually was tagged with the newest student, but he was absent. That left the dark skinned teen to pair up with Kaoru.

The two faced off with each other in simple stances. One would make a thrust with a bokken and the other would block, then visa versa. There were several different variations of this that composed of the warm ups, and Yahiko did them to perfection. After all, he had been doing these exercises since he was ten. The exercise went by quickly, and Yahiko started to think that maybe he could get through this lesson.

After the warm ups came a basic review of the steps they had been learning. That to, Yahiko was able to do without incident. Even Kaoru noticed as he effortlessly did everything she told him too.

"All right, minna-san!" she called. "Today, instead of teaching you anything new, I want to see what you can do with what you know. Even in the Meiji era, there are battles that can occur at a moment's notice, and you have to be ready with whatever you have. So I want you to go to a DIFFERENT partner-"

There were several groans.

"-and start to spar."

There were several cheers with that.

"BUT!" Kaoru cried over all of them. "I first need to show you how it's done. The dojo could get pretty crowded if you all sparred at once, and I haven't taught you the formality of it. Yahiko, step forward."

"Of course she'd pick on me," he muttered under his breath. Yahiko stood up and walked over, sitting in front of her.

"Stand up, Yahiko," Kaoru ordered. "Now class, Yahiko has been… sparring for a few years now."

Oh, sure, Yahiko though sourly. Fighting with the Kenshin-gumi against psychos and ex-warriors could be considered sparring. Yahiko had had very little sparring, actually. Not the formal kind. He was just used to non-choreographed swordplay. That was what Kaoru was getting at. But now he was suddenly expected to know the formalities of sparring-such as how to bow and in what way to honor the opponent.

With all the talk of sparring, Yahiko was suddenly reminded of his father. Blinking, he pushed the thought away vigorously. Now was not the time to be nostalgic, damn it! He was in the middle of a lesson; he was about to enter a sparring match!

"Now, Yahiko, follow what I do," Kaoru said under her breath. Blinking, Yahiko focused on what his sensei was doing, mimicking it. The two held their wooden swords at their side, like real katana. They drew them slowly, standing an arms length from each other, and lowered the swords to the other's shoulder. The two nodded their heads in a slight bow, and then took a step back, simultaneously entering a fighting stance. The young teen gripped his shinai and glared at his opponent. Kaoru did the same. To the class, they looked like two entirely different people. The pair circled round each other, sizing the other one up and gauging who would make the first move.

Kaoru gave a fighting "ha!" and thrust. Yahiko parried and countered. The sparring match had begun. Despite the class's opinion of the boy, Yahiko had four years worth of training and was the senior member of the class. He bragged a lot and tended to be rude to anyone he thought was slacking, even when he himself would do so. He was arrogant, obnoxious, and entirely too proud of himself. But the students looked in awe as they saw that he could too back up his words. He just didn't want to hurt the beginners.

The sparring match continued. Kaoru had the upper hand most for of the match, but that was expected since SHE was the one running the dojo. But Yahiko was proud of the fact that he gave her a run for her yen a couple times when he would surprise her with a different combination of moves and techniques. At one point the two locked swords.

"We can't spare forever," she murmured. "Let's end this now as a draw."

Yahiko snorted. "And miss the look on the classes face when I beat you? Please."

The two broke contact and started circling again. The young teen was grinning madly and the sensei was glaring daggers. It didn't take the class too long to guess that the two had started fighting. Again. It was part and parcel to the day's lesson almost.

Yahiko attacked, fully set on defeating his sensei and proving his worth. An image of his father flashed across his memory, and the next thing the boy knew, he was on his face. Kaoru had side stepped the attack and batted him on the head with her bokken, effectively ending the match. Of course all the students were laughing at Yahiko. Maybe he couldn't back up his words after all.

Grumbling, Yahiko got up to his knees and saw Kaoru was offering a hand. She was going to help him up. Angrily, Yahiko waved it away and got up on his own. Kaoru stepped up once again arms length from the teen, her bokken held just at his shoulder. Yahiko did the same, following her lead as they performed the ending formality. The two resheathed their swords and bowed formally.

"And that," Kaoru said cheerfully, "is how you perform a sparring match. Now everyone find a different partner. When you have line up and we'll see what you can do!" Stealing a glance, she saw that her student was still standing. "You can sit down now, Yahiko."

The teen bowed, muttering something about raccoons under his breath.

The rest of the class went quietly, for Yahiko had already had his sparring match and tried to content himself with just sitting and watching. But the snickers and giggles did not go unnoticed. Yahiko knew very well of his reputation for being all talk. He took the honorable route by not challenging any of these rank amateurs. But nooooo, they all thought they were better than him. Just like everyone else, they saw him as some kid who didn't know any better. How Yahiko HATED that! He was getting jeered at and poked fun of for trying to do the right thing! And lately he was especially sensitive to it. He had half a mind to beat the hakama off the entire class were it not for the fact that it would mean that it would scare off all the students. If Kaoru went back to being broke, she'd be even more snappish than usual.

And the sparring match was still getting to him. It reminded him of his father. He'd never seen him in combat, but he'd watched him spar once. He couldn't remember much of it, but his father was fighting with a family friend. They had also used bokken, and their ceremony to start the match and end it was the same one Kaoru had used. Yahiko couldn't remember his father all that much. He could recall his dark brown hair, and his big, strong hands. Warrior's hands. And he could remember when he would practice in the garden, the evening sun glistening through the trees and shining on his swords.

It was with these thoughts that class was dismissed. Kaoru told the students to be careful in the snow that had started to fall. The students left as Yahiko moved to change back into his normal clothes.

"Hold it right there, Yahiko."

No such luck. Yahiko's bad day was about to hit its climax.

"What do you want, Kaoru?" the irritated teen asked.

"What is your problem today?" she demanded. Her voice was firm.

Yahiko snorted. "You. Isn't that enough?"

Kaoru shook her head. "You've been distracted all day. I thought you were getting better when class started, but you're sparring was way off. You were very clumsy and awkward. Especially at the end. I saw that lunge coming a mile away. You've been acting like something else is on your mind. And that would do no good in a real fight."

"I'm fine, Kaoru!" Yahiko snapped. He just wanted to be left alone. Just this once. Was that so much to ask?

"Really?" the sensei asked skeptically. "Okay, then. Prove it." She tossed him his shinai.

"What?"

"Prove it. I want you to do all the moves, combinations, and variations I've ever taught you. Perfectly."

"Are you nuts?!" The boy nearly dropped his jaw to the floor. "That will take forever to show you everything!"

Kaoru smirked, her blue eyes dancing. "If you're really okay, then it shouldn't take you that long. And I thought you liked showing off?" She was deliberately baiting him.

"That's not fair, you old raccoon!" Yahiko yelled. "Just 'cause I'm a little distracted this one time you're gonna put me through my paces like some two-week newbie?!"

"Raccoon nothing!" she yelled back. "Yahiko, with all that potential you have you refuse to work with it! You're always slacking off and bragging to the other students! That's hardly the demeanor for a great swordsman. You can have all the right moves, but you can't be that good without the right attitude!"

This was too much. It was just too much. Four long years of hard work and he wasn't good enough?! She thought of him as a brand new student?!

"Really, Yahiko! I understand that you're having a bad day, but you have to show some respect for me and for swordsmanship! You-"

"Respect? RESPECT?!" Yahiko was shaking with rage. He'd never been so insulted in his life! "RESPECT?! Lemme tell you something about respect! The only people in my entire life who've respected me were my PARENTS! They never called me chan, they never treated me like a little kid. They treated me like the heir to the Myujin name! And they DIED for it!! About the only thing the Yakuza respected outta me were my purse stealing fingers; which is about the only reason they didn't BREAK anything when they felt like beating me! And YOU!! You're the worst of the lot! You pity me! I don't want you pity but you shell it out anyway! You pity me because of my circumstances; so to stroke your ego you offer me CHARITY and let me train under you; and just as soon as you get some real students instead of some amateur like me you'll have no more need to give charity and you'll toss me out like garbage!! Lemme tell you something you ugly old raccoon, I don't need, or even want your pity OR your charity!! Respect? You hypocrite, WHY SHOULD I RESPECT YOU?!!"

Yahiko shook with every word, hot tears streaming down his cheeks and this last betrayal he suffered. This was the last insult he'd endure! No more false security and charity. He'd had it. He'd had it for a while now. That was why he was dreaming of his parents. They were telling him to get the hell outta here before he was thrown out. All the anger, frustration, and out and out hurt he was feeling came out in an animalistic growl as Yahiko, shinai still in hand, ran out of the room and out of the dojo. He belatedly noticed Kenshin had been watching. He was the only one Yahiko would miss. He was the only one who was kind to him. And with that thought he ran out into the snow.

Finish this sugar high