Weird Friends

"'Sup, Kenshin," called a voice, entering from the front gate. The slight swordsman, bent over a load of laundry, looked up at the approaching figure of Sagara Sanosuke. The ex-fighter for hire had taken to visiting the dojo several times a week; on most occasions, he stayed for meals as well. As he had promised, he was watching Kenshin's behavior, and talking to him about his ideals, to gain a better understanding of him as an ex-Ishin Shishi. Much to all of their surprise at the Kamiya dojo, Sanosuke was an intent listener, and of a fair and intelligent mind. Thug behavior aside, he wasn't what they had imagined.

"Hello, Sano-san," Kenshin said, smiling pleasantly and focusing his attention back on the laundry. Sano came to stand next to him, his tall shadow falling over Kenshin's work.

"You know, that's pretty weird, Kenshin," he said, matter-of-factly.

"What is?" Kenshin inquired, not bothering to look up. He'd have to crane his neck too far, and end up staring into the sun.

"You calling me by a nickname, and then adding '-san' to the end of it. It's like how you call that little girl 'Kaoru-dono'. I don't like it." He lapsed into a brief silence.

"Well Kaoru-dono doesn't seem to mind it—"

"No, well, that's fine for her," Sano said, interrupting him. "But from now on, would you just call me 'Sano'? No honorifics, and no calling me 'Sagara' anything. After all, I'm nobody special, and I'd like the same respect I give to you, given back to me." He was referring to his tactless usage of Kenshin's first name only, as though they'd been friends for years, and not merely acquaintances of a few weeks after a brutal fight. Kenshin sighed.

"Well, if you insist. But to be honest, this one never really thought about his habit. Addressing people this way is second-nature."

"I can see that," Sano commented. He strode away from standing by Kenshin's side, to take a seat on the engawa and watch him work from there. There were several moments of silence, in which Kenshin worked methodically on the clothes, and started to hum absently. Sanosuke closed his eyes and leaned against one of the support beams, strangely contented in this atmosphere. If he hadn't discovered the truth of Kenshin's past for himself, he would have beat any man into the ground for claiming that the effeminate, gentle, and soft-spoken Rurouni was once a deadly assassin. Sanosuke had no patience for liars, and manipulators of the peaceful.

And this was precisely why Kenshin's story made no sense to him. How could someone so seemingly docile be capable of the sorts of things Kenshin had once done? And how could he, Sagara Sanosuke, a past member of the Sekiho Army, be remotely comfortable in his presence?

The answer, he found, was given to him by Kenshin himself.

"Oi. Kenshin."

Kenshin turned his head, finding Sanosuke looking at him intently.

"Are you gonna spend the rest of your life doing jo-chan's laundry?" came the pointed question. A look passed between him and the guarded eyes of the older man. When his violet gaze turned away, Sanosuke knew that he wasn't being ignored, but that his question was being pondered.

Kenshin's eyes wandered around the sizable front yard, scanned the skyline above the house, and meander about the property. It was an interesting question Sanosuke asked him, and one which he had not had to answer in a long time. Would he stay long enough to spend the rest of his life doing Kaoru-dono's laundry? And even if he stayed…would he ever dedicate his life to more than that? He realized that it was the latter question his young friend was more interested in. Yet it was the former that he himself wondered more.

His eyes finally rested on Sanosuke again, and he knew that what the young man saw startled him. He could feel the intensity in his own gaze, a telltale sign of soft turning hard, and glints of amber peeking through the harmless mask. But his emotions subsided as he answered him.

"No, probably not, Sano," he answered truthfully. "I'm rurouni after all. And, as much as I am grateful for Kaoru-dono's hospitality and friendship…" He looked down, hiding his eyes from Sano. "…this one cannot encroach upon her graciousness forever."

Sano cocked a grin, ready to play devil's advocate.

"So, one day, you'll just get up and leave, leaving the little miss and the kid to fend for themselves? That doesn't sound like a reformed Ishin Shishi." Slightly fearing his own boldness, Sano waited for Kenshin's reaction, knowing that it was probably going to be nothing short of terrifying. He was not disappointed.

Kenshin's shoulders visibly tensed, and in slow motion he raised his head to look Sanosuke straight in the eyes. Where there had been only glints of it before, his eyes were now full gold and menacing like nothing Sano had ever seen before. And yet he couldn't keep the cocky grin off of his face, despite the added nervousness in his own eyes.

A tense silence enveloped the two men. For a wild second, Sano prepared himself to defend against any aggression from Kenshin, fearing for his life. But that crazy idea passed swiftly, as Kenshin sighed and relaxed, and he realized that the hitokiri within him would never strike again. Instead, Sano was surprised by the amount of faith he had suddenly found in the man, and the amount of respect he had for his self-control.

"You've seen the heart of the issue, then, Sano," Kenshin said quietly, in a calm voice. "I would never leave Kaoru-dono and Yahiko in such a manner.

"When the time comes for this one to move on—"

"You'll make sure they're protected and provided for. Forgive me for baiting you. But I had to know for sure, in my own way, what sort of man you really were. I can see now that I was correct in my deductions."

Feeling much relieved, Sano stood up and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I'm heading out now, Kenshin," he announced. "Tell Kaoru and the brat that I stopped by. And save me some grub, if you're cooking tonight." He waved and left in long strides, Kenshin looking after him. He paused briefly at the gate and turned around to say one more thing.

"You're a good man, Kenshin. I'm glad I decided to hang around and find that out for myself. The missy and the kid are lucky to have you around." He waved one last time, and then crossed the threshold of the gate into the street.

Once he could no longer feel Sanosuke's ki, Kenshin sighed.

Some truly weird friends this one is making… he thought to himself.

A/N: This was another story I had in my documents. Just a one-shot concerning Kenshin and Sanosuke's friendship, in it's early stages, and a bit about Kenshin's ideals and how he balances his rurouni life with the growing attachment he has to his new home. Not sure if this really makes sense, but, it did to me so... Heh :). And I'm also a sucker for Kenshin and Sano's friendship. I love the dynamics between friends. They happen to be a favorite pair of mine. Other friendships I like are the ones between Ichigo and Renji from Bleach, Howl and Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione from Harry Potter. And there are more, those are just a few reference points :).

Anyone else have special non-romantic relationships that they really love reading about? Just asking out of curiosity :).

Thanks for reading! _ce