"Would you like some soba while you are here. I have a fresh batch already made. It'll just take a few seconds to bring it out," informed Kenshin, heading for the kitchen.

"You must excuse me of your generosity," smiled the former Shinsengumi captain of the third regiment, "Tea will be just fine."

Kenshin stopped and directed his attention back to his former rival, "Are you sure, Hajime-san? I heard from your wife, Tokio, that soba was one of your favorite foods," countered the ex-manslayer, a crimson brow curved up in disbelief by the refusal.

Saitou chuckled ill-humorlessly by the mention of his wife's name from the Battousau's and of his wife's slip of the tongue for his eating habits. Closing his eyes in acceptance of the interchange in information, he began taking off his leather gloves. Smoothly freeing his slender fingers, one at a time, until both gloves were off and held lightly in his fist. He then tucked them away in his rear pant pocket and took the opportunity to reposition his seating arrangement so that his knees laid on the cushion provided more comfortably than stiffly. Opening his amber eyes into curious slits, he stared at his host imploringly, "You make it seem like you were expecting my arrival, is this true?" he then asked, not overlooking for one second how keen the battousai could be when he wanted to be.

"I had not known of your arrival, de gozaru. It was just that I had decided to make this particular choice for supper tonight, de gozaru. Actually, I had intended for the soba to be an appetizer if you must know. For the main dish, I was going to cook a meat dish with tofu and potatoes thrown into a broth," clarified Kenshin. But Kenshin was confused. He had not meant to upset Hajime. It was just Yahiko and Sano had demanded that he make something different and before Kaoru-dono came home from her trip to the market.

Saitou considered Himura for a moment. Although, he knew how his wife was like, it didn't seem likely that Tokio would call in advance and inform the battousai of his once a week visit to the dojo. She was his wife but he had a suspicion that his "relationship" with Himura seemed not to deter her in the least. She somewhat seemed very accepting of his on- the- side activity and what made this visit different from the rest is that he actually had the gaud to pass through the gate that led into the raccoon girl's dojo instead of turning back and walking to his office at the police station. Where there, he usually pined over the younger man and berated himself for his indirectness by not approaching Himura and this infatuation he felt for the younger man. He wasn't even expecting such a responsive greeting on the battousai's part, considering the last time he had made his presence known. Maybe skewering the battousai's friend was a bit out-of-line in some pretense but he had been rather pissed that day when his commanding chief had assigned him to test the strength of his arch rival in a duel, he thought silently as Himura left him to his own devices to prepare the tea.

 

When Himura came back, Saitou noted he was carrying a lovely cherry-black lacquer tray that supported the steaming tea kettle, two saucer cups and a plate of cookies. He quirked an eyebrow at the added dish of cookies on the tray. Was that white cream inside of the golden thin funnels.

Kenshin smiled sheepishly and placed the tray down between them on the floor. He smiled apologetically that there was no table to place the tray on in the room. The other night, he was going through a difficult number of kata when Miss Kaoru and Yahiko were quarrelling and swinging their wooden swords around the room. Next thing he knew, one of their bamboo swords slipped from their hand's and hit him smack in the back. Off balance, he spiraled until what was once the 'game table' cushioned his fall as he OrOrororororo into unconsciousness and not quite paying attention of what he was doing, because he had been reflecting, the tea kettle slid from his fingers and Kenshin stared aghast as the heated water poured onto Saitou's police clothes.

"Oh! Gomen nashi, Hajime-san! I did not mean to scold you, " Using his sleeve, Kenshin pulled it over his hand and attempted to soak as much of the boiled water from the older man's lap as best he could.