Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit.
Conventions:
Sano's voiced thoughts are in []
Kaoru's voiced thoughts are in ()
*******************o0o*******************
Kaoru was freezing. Snow clung to her hair, her eyelashes. Snow nestled in the folds of her gi, in the waistband of her hakama. Snow melted and ran down her neck. Her feet were numb in their sodden tabi. She was getting tired. They had been slogging through this white nightmare world for what seemed like an eternity.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." she muttered to herself.
What had possessed her to go training in the mountains so early in the spring? She knew how unpredictable the weather was. But she had been going stir crazy listening to Sano and Yahiko snipe at each other day after day. The more time they spent cooped up inside, the more volatile they became... and Kenshin's ineffectual attempts to pacify them were just as bad. If she had heard "Maa, maa, futari-tomo -" one more time... That's when the idea for some outside training had occurred to her. A little exercise in the snow and they'd be too tired to cause trouble...
At first, everything went according to plan. Yahiko had lost steam pretty early on and Kenshin had returned to the inn with him to start a hot bath. Kaoru and Sanosuke had decided to go for a hike before returning. Who would have thought a snowstorm like this could have come up so quickly?
Kaoru peered ahead through the blowing whiteness. She was falling behind. Sano was breaking trail, knee-deep in snow. His (mostly) white clothes blended into the background, only his headband, hair and the 'Aku' kanji on his jacket standing out. If not for his constant stream of profanity, she might have lost him. As she watched, he stepped off the trail and sank up to his waist. She scrambled to help him, wordlessly extending her shinai for him to grab as he floundered back onto solid ground.
"Some fucking idea you had, Jouchan," he muttered. "We're gonna catch our deaths out here if we don't find someplace out of the wind to dry off."
"The sun will be going down soon. I don't think we're going to make it back to the inn tonight."
"I know. If we keep stumbling around in the dark like assholes, one of us is going to fall off a cliff or something. That'd be fucking ironic, ne? To beat the shit out of the Juppon Gatana and then break our necks going for a stroll?"
"I saw some kind of shed around here when we were on our way up. We'll have to stay there."
*******************o0o*******************
It was twilight by the time they found the tiny cabin. Kaoru and Sano stumbled inside wearily, grateful to be out of the wind. Propping her shinai in the corner, Kaoru brushed the snow from her clothes and hair while Sano poked around the dim interior. Her gi was soaking. Hesitating only a moment, she removed it.
"H- Hey-" Did he sound nervous? "What're ya doing?"
"It's wet," she replied, turning away. "Keeping it on will only make me colder." She tried to keep her voice matter-of-fact. "You should take off that jacket or you'll freeze."
Shivering, she laid the garment on the floor. The likelihood it would dry was very small. Stepping out of her sandals, she removed her tabi. She pulled the ribbon from her hair. The bandages around her torso and her hakama were damp, but – she couldn't.
"Heh. Good thing I found this, then."
Something heavy and soft hit her in the side of the head. She caught it as it slid toward the ground. (A blanket. Thank Kami-sama.) Wrapping it around her, she turned to face Sano. He was stripping off his jacket. His skin was a bluish color in the dim light.
"There's no wood here," he reported, laying the jacket on the floor.
"My shinai -"
"-is wet. Plus, there's no matches. Anyway, there's no smokehole, so even if we got the damn thing lit, we'd probably suffocate." Kicking off his shoes, he plunked himself unceremoniously on the floor and began removing the bandages around his feet. "It'd only burn for a few minutes in any case. Chikusho! I can't feel a thing."
"Sano." A terrible thought had occurred to her.
"Eh?"
"This is the only blanket, isn't it?"
He muttered something.
"What?"
"I said: 'Don't worry about it.'"
"Sano, you can't just sit half naked all night!"
"Che! Jouchan, you're always getting worked up over nothing. So it's a little cold! Nothing Sagara Sanosuke can't handle!" His teeth were chattering.
"You moron!" Kaoru's voice was sharp. "You're too big for me to carry if you get sick. You have to stay warm."
"Oh, yeah? Then what are you suggesting? That thing's too small to rip in half."
She stopped, taken aback. (The solution's obvious. Why should we hesitate?) Slowly, feeling the color rising in her cheeks, she said, "We have to share."
"You and me - sleep together? That's not very proper, is it, Jouchan?"
Exasperated, she yelled, "I'm already spending the night alone with you, you idiot! What difference does this make? It's not as if -" She swallowed. "As if anything were going to happen." (It's the only way we'll both get out of here. Kenshin - Kenshin will understand, won't he?) "Look, Sano. When I'm in my training clothes, like now, I think of myself first and foremost as a swordmaster. Not as a woman, okay?"
Sano smirked evilly. "If it makes you feel better, Jouchan, I never think of you as a woman."
She grabbed for the shinai. "What?"
"I don't like scrawny, violent Tanuki-girls, so you're safe with me."
"Oh, yeah? Well, I don't like lazy, no-good, freeloading, rooster-head gangsters either!"
"Tanuki-girl!"
"Rooster-head!"
They glared angrily into each others eyes. Finally Sano scowled.
"Fine then. Bring that blanket over here. It's fucking cold."
Kaoru turned away. "Just a moment." The bandages around her torso were secure. She undid the bow holding her hakama. (Just so nothing comes undone...) She tied it into a knot. Two knots.
She brought the shinai too. Sitting next to Sano, she placed it close by her right hand. "Just in case someone forgets he doesn't like Tanuki-girls."
"Kuso! Not likely." Sano took his share of the blanket and lay with his back to her. "'Night, Ugly."
"Good night, Jerk." She copied him, lying as far away as possible, given the small size of their covering. They just managed not to touch. (Why did I have to be stuck here with him?) Still, tense and angry as she was, the exertions of the day had drained her. And Sanosuke might not be good company, but he was warm. Slowly, Kaoru relaxed as warmth returned to her chilled limbs. She fell asleep.
*******************o0o*******************
Sano listened to Jouchan's quiet breathing. [Why'd I have to be stuck here with her?] He had to admit, she'd surprised him. He'd been expecting a cold night. Moving slowly to avoid disturbing her, he undid the cord on his trousers and tied it into a knot. Two. [No, better make it four. Shit! I hope I don't have to piss in the middle of the night.]
Some time before midnight, the snow stopped. The clouds were driven from the face of the moon by the stiff wind. Moonlight streamed through a chink in the wall onto the sleeping pair.
*******************o0o*******************
Someone was snuggling up to Sano suggestively. Someone soft and warm. A woman? He wrapped his arm around a waist. Definitely a woman. [Did I have too much sake at the Akabeko again? Musta passed out. What a pleasant way to wake up...]
"Onegai..." Her voice was pleading.
This was getting better all the time.
A tiny voice in the back of his mind was trying to tell him something. Some kind of warning. He ignored it easily. With his lifestyle, listening to tiny warning voices got you nowhere. Don't drink that. Don't bet that. Don't pick a fight with those five dickheads. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here he was with a willing woman climbing all over him and that little voice could go screw itself.
Right arm still securely holding her, he sleepily fumbled with the drawstring at his waist with his left hand. Some asshole had knotted it up but good. [That damned Yahiko - playing tricks on me again? Just wait 'til I catch up with that brat...]
"Onegai..." She sounded desperate.
[Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec, here, willya?]
The first knot yielded to his fingers.
She rolled onto his chest and buried her face in his shoulder, her soft hair spilling over his throat. The second knot gave.
She was trembling now.
"Onegai... Kenshin..."
["Kenshin?"] Sano froze. [Who the Hell is this, anyway?] Now fully awake, he opened his eyes and looked down at Kaoru's sleeping face.
[YOU ARE - DEAD!] The no longer tiny voice screamed in his head.
[Shit! Shit! Shit! I almost - with Jouchan! No - don't follow that thought! Shit!]
A second, bemused voice replied: [Well, she felt pretty good, didn't she? Better than you would've expected.]
[DEAD!] Countered the first voice.
A third, more rational voice, interjected. [Shut up. Lie still. She's still asleep. Just stay calm and play along until you can get her the fuck off of you and you MAY live.]
Heart pounding, he took a deep breath.
[Good. That's it. Now - let go of her, Moron.]
Cautiously, Sano loosened his hold.
Kaoru made a small noise of protest. "No! Kenshin..." She stirred.
[She's waking up! If she finds you like this, she's gonna ram that shinai right up your-] He gingerly replaced his arm and she subsided.
[Why did I have to be stuck here with Jouchan?]
*******************o0o*******************
She was having that dream again. It always started innocently enough. She and Kenshin were walking by the river at night, just content to be together. The fireflies rose lazily around them as they stood on the bank, hand in hand. She looked shyly into his warm gaze, the moonlight reflecting in his eyes. And then... he was embracing her - and it felt so right in his arms... but she couldn't stop the tears that ran down her face... because... because if he were holding her, it meant only one thing. She clung to him, throat working, unable to speak. (Please, please, please not this time. Don't do this to me. To us. Don't...)
*******************o0o*******************
Sano's arm was falling asleep. [C'mon, Jouchan. Roll over. Che! Am I really gonna have to gnaw off my arm?] Her breathing was ragged. Sano felt something wet fall onto his bare chest. Another. Tears?
[What the Hell is Kenshin doing to her in this dream, anyway?]
"Kenshin..." Her voice was agonized. "Please... Please don't... Don't go to Kyoto..."
[Oh. Not that kind of dream. What a relief.]
A sob shook her. "Don't go..."
Sano felt a sudden rush of pity. [Poor Jouchan. Even though Kenshin came back, she still can't believe he'll stay.] With his left hand, he awkwardly brushed the hair from her wet face. [What do I do? Try to talk to her? And say what? 'Kaoru-dono, this unworthy person loves you de gozaru?' Yeah, right... Anyway, it's Kenshin's place to tell her how he feels - if he ever gets around to it.]
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She stood in Kenshin's embrace, helpless tears streaming from her eyes. She knew what would happen next. He would turn and go and she would be unable to stop him. He would leave her alone in the darkness and her entreaties would be ignored and her tears useless. But this time, he didn't pull away. And she heard - Sanosuke? - murmuring: 'Jouchan. I'll bring him back to you. Don't worry. I'll always bring him back. I promise - so don't cry, ne? It'll be all right.' And this time, this time she didn't wake up alone in her cold bed, sobbing. This time Kaoru turned over and slid deeper into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
*******************o0o*******************
Sano sighed. It seemed to have worked. At least she wasn't crying any more. His arm was still pinned under her, but she was no longer draped over him. He smiled a little to himself. [Don't worry, Jouchan.] Now all he had to do was wait for the opportunity to extract his arm and everything would be fine. The adrenaline was wearing off; stark fear was gradually replaced by a pleasant lassitude. Slowly, his eyelids began to droop. [Gotta stay awake...]
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Someone was groping her. No, more like crushing her. Kaoru opened her eyes, instantly awake. (Size up the situation, then act.) Two strong arms were about her waist, squeezing her. A suspiciously spiky head was pressed up against her side. Sanosuke. He moaned softly and tightened his hold. (Why, that good for nothing pervert! Attacking helpless kenjutsu instructors while they sleep!) She sat up and lunged for her shinai, but he reacted before she could reach it, pulling her back against him.
"Captain, don't!"
(Huh? What kind of come on is that?)
*******************o0o*******************
He was having the dream again. The one he'd had hundreds of times since that night. He was nine years old, staggering through darkness, the weight of his precious burden almost too much for him to bear. "Sagara. Taicho - hang on. Don't let go." The Captain was wounded, nearly unconscious, and pursuit was close behind. The boy Sano half carried, half dragged his mentor through the underbrush. With each step he hesitated, his dread increasing. They were coming to the river. Once there, his dream would move inexorably to its conclusion. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did... he couldn't stop what he knew was coming.
*******************o0o*******************
"Don't let go. Not this time. Don't let them execute you -" Kaoru stared down at Sano. His face was twisted in agony, half buried in the bandages around her ribs. Her anger drained away, replaced by horror and pity. Sanosuke had told the Kenshin Gumi about that night. How the guilt of not being able to save the man he loved as a father had eaten at him. Twisted him. And now he was reliving it.
"The river..." His voice was muffled.
Kaoru watched him, wide eyed. The events of that night were ten years past. Could she change them? Should she? A single tear coursed down Sanosuke's cheek. Kaoru made up her mind.
*******************o0o*******************
They stood, swaying, at the edge of the chasm. The rush of the river below and the shouts of their pursuers were nearly drowned by the sound of the blood pounding in his ears. He felt his heart was going to burst. This was the moment. When the first soldier entered the clearing, he would be flung out into the darkness... But - what was this? Instead of shoving him away, the Captain's arms were tightening around his shoulders. Sanosuke felt a rush of relief - no, joy - as they fell into the river together, entwined in each other's arms.
*******************o0o*******************
Kaoru sat in the darkness, Sano across her lap. She held him tightly. (Your Captain's been dead for ten years. I can't change your past. But - maybe, just once - I can help you escape.)
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Sano's dream shifted. He was no longer a helpless boy, but a man. The unconscious form in his arms, so crushing before, now weighed no more than a girl. The sounds of pursuit had died away, but the sense of urgency remained. They had to get away. No matter what happened, he had to protect this man. Sano carried his friend through the darkened streets of - Tokyo? - looking for a hiding place.
"Sano." He heard someone calling his name.
"Jouchan?" Relief washed over him.
She stood in the gateway of the dojo, framed by lantern light. "Bring him inside. He'll be safe. Yahiko's gone to get Megumi-san. You don't have to carry him any more, Sano. Rest, all right? I'll watch him until they return."
Something wasn't right. Kaoru was just a child during the Bakumatsu. She couldn't have helped him... So the one in his arms must be... Kenshin. Of course. Kenshin as he had been following the fight with Shishio: battered and spent, blood oozing from countless wounds. That's why no one was pursuing them. He and Kenshin had defeated them all. Looking into Kaoru's steady gaze, a feeling of peace suffused him. Slowly, Sanosuke released his hold. Everything was going to be all right.
*******************o0o*******************
Sano rolled onto his back, a faint smile on his sleeping lips. "Told you I'd bring him back, Jouchan," he murmured. Kaoru smiled, then shivered. She'd been sitting with her upper body uncovered for what seemed like hours. Sighing, she slid back under the blanket. (It'll be dawn soon. I'll get up in a moment... after I've warmed up a bit...)
*******************o0o*******************
Sano surfaced slowly from his restful slumber. Eyes closed, he gradually became aware of his surroundings. Cold air, warm blanket. [Oh, yeah. Stuck in the snow with Jouchan... Well, better get up.] He turned onto his side and found himself staring into Kaoru's blue eyes as she blinked sleepily at him. He could feel her breath on his lips...
"GAH!" The two of them recoiled violently. They found themselves sitting bolt upright, six feet apart. Sano's left hand went to the cord on his trousers. [We didn't. We haven't - have we?] He sighed with relief. Still tied. He suddenly noticed where Jouchan's left hand was.
As one, they pointed at each other's waistbands. Two knots each.
"What, don't trust me?" Sano found his voice as he heard Jouchan exclaim: "What, don't trust yourself?"
They reddened and looked away, mumbling. "Betsu ni..."
Sitting exposed to the cold air, Sano was suddenly reminded of an uncomfortable fact of nature. [Jouchan's looking a little pale herself. Dammit! I hope I can untie those knots fast!]
"You go left, I'll go right," he called as they both bolted for the door.
*******************o0o*******************
Kaoru picked up her gi. It was frozen solid.
Sano pried his stiff jacket from the floor. "Doesn't look too comfortable, ne? I wonder if this is how Aoshi does his laundry?"
She smiled in spite of herself. (We're alive. Nothing happened. The sun is shining and there'll be a hot bath when we get back. Frozen clothing is a nuisance, but really, things could be worse.) "Well, should we rip the blanket in half? We can't wear these."
Ignoring her, Sano intoned: "Misao. The only thing colder than my heart... is my underwear."
Kaoru brained him with her frozen gi. Ice crystals flew from the cloth. "Will you be serious? I want to get going!"
Sano snapped his fingers. "Oi. You just gave me an idea. Give me that." Suspiciously, she handed it over. Taking the gi in his left hand, Sanosuke stood in the open doorway, holding the cloth at arm's length. "Hey, Jouchan. I haven't had a chance to show you this yet." He made a fist with his right hand. "Futae no kiwami!" Fine ice crystals exploded from the gi. He shook it sharply. "Heh. Dry." He handed it back.
Kaoru shrugged into the cold garment. "Not bad. How'd you know it would work?"
"I didn't. Why d'you think I tried it on your clothes first? Che! I'm not gonna shred my favorite jacket on a hunch."
"It's your only jacket, moron!"
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, that blanket saved our asses. If we took it with us, the next person might not be so lucky."
"You're right." Kaoru blushed. She carefully folded the blanket into a neat square and placed it in the corner while Sano dried the rest of their clothes. Tabi too.
"Anou, Sanosuke." She hesitated.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He grinned over his shoulder at her as he pulled on his jacket. "You should thank me. Spending the night with an ugly girl like you is enough to give anyone nightmares." He stopped grinning suddenly. [Wait. I did have nightmares. The nightmare.]
Jouchan wasn't acting right. Instead of bashing him for the insult, she was staring at the floor.
"I think - I had nightmares too." Her voice was quiet. She glanced at him. "How did yours turn out?"
Sano scratched his head, puzzled. He thought for a moment. "Surprisingly okay," he finally said. "You?"
Her smile was dazzling. "Mine too."
Sanosuke grinned. He felt pretty damn good. "Then put your shoes on, dummy. Kenshin's waiting."
*************~ Owari ~******************