Author: Arashi (marenski@hotmail.com)
Website: www.kenkaya.com
Author's Notes: I got an email from Susan asking me if I'd do this. So here it is! I hope this is along the lines of what dementedchris has started with her "Our Kenshins" and "Our Kaorus" tribute fics. (go check them out if you haven't already) I felt a lot of emotion when I wrote this one, I hope some of that transfered into the fic itself. Oh, and by the way Karina Kineshi... I posted mine, let's see you post yours!
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or the original idea for these tributes. But there's something I have realized... You and I have taken these characters further than Watsuki-sama ever did. In a way, we're just as responsible for their personalities as he is. How many of us could be credited for Sanosuke?
Dedication: This one's for all the Sano writers and fans out there. (Karina Kineshi, MKasshoku, and eri... just to name a few!) We've done the impossible: We've taken Sagara Sanosuke and made him our own.
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He stormed into our peaceful lives, forever turning them upside down.
When we met, he carried an oversized sword and the confidence to match. We didn't care that he couldn't even come close to touching our rurouni because he'd already succeeded in touching us.
His attitude amused us, his strength and stamina amazed us, and his white gi with the 'character for evil' captivated us.
We immediately realized that he wasn't perfect and we thanked Watsuki-sama for that.
Each one of his faults glared out as us, but we simply smiled back. He was just what we wanted, just what we needed. It was him who made us realize we'd come to the right place. We were merely freeloaders, looking for a place to crash he showed us the way to the dojo and free meals, leading us into a world so different from our own.
And since we couldn't get him out of our mind,
we decided to delve into his. We became a part of his life,
forever changing it.
He was never afraid to bite off more than he could chew, so we
wanted to test his limits. We gave him heartache and pain, tortured
him with his past and his present, we pushed him over the edge,
turning him into the feared gangster Zanza.
His mere existence issued us a challenge, and we would not back down.
We tore down the framework of his being, exposing
his weaknesses for the whole world to see. We crashed through
his front of invincibility, leaving him weak and vulnerable.
We knocked him down until even he couldn't stand up again.
We picked up the pieces when we were finished, either putting
him back together or scattering him forever in the wind.
It was our anger that fueled his.
He made us crave justice, and we felt his frustration. Together we learned the truth about life: It isn't fair. But we couldn't accept that cruel fact, and neither could he.
So we made him fight against it.
We relied on his power. He stood at Our Kenshins side, protecting us from our demons without a thought to his own safety.
He was the perfect friend and partner for Our Kenshins, but sometimes we wanted to see him stand alone. He held untapped resources that we decided to exploit.
We wanted to see just how strong he could become. We gave him countless obstacles and enemies, scenarios we weren't sure he'd be able to handle. But he surprised us. We grew to trust and respect him and his powerful Futae no Kiwami. We entrusted him with the lives of Our Kenshins and Our Kaorus, Our Yahikos, and Our Megumis. He wouldn't let us down, he couldn't... and he never backed down from a fight.
We discovered how willing he was to sacrifice, how eager he was to please.
We took advantage of that and his crazy lack of defense. We sent him time and time again, bleeding and broken to a certain fox lady's clinic. We watched him squirm and complain while we bandaged and stitched him. We reprimanded him, teased him, and made sure he never heard the end of it.
But how many times did we shatter his right hand just to see Our Megumis wrap him up tenderly?
Deep down inside, we wanted to take care of him.
No matter what terrible things we threw at him, he kept the same cocky attitude and carefree spirit. We were a bit jealous of that. So we called him names and constantly bickered with him. It was all in good fun, whether he understood that or not. We knew he had the propensity to be a little slow he was always ruff around the edges. No matter how hard we tried to refine him, there were certain things we could never change.
We were happy about that. We liked him the way he was.
His badass attitude didn't stop him from being lovable, and it didn't stop us from picking on him either. In fact, it probably encouraged us!
So we ran up his bill at the Akabeko and tacked on interest for good measure. We lost him a fortune at gambling and made him drink till he could barely stand. We stuck a fishbone in his mouth and left it there, unwilling to explain why it was there or where it had come from. We questioned the physics of his gravity defying hair. We made Our Yahikos gnaw on his head and we force-fed him Our Kaorus terrible cooking. We convinced Our Kenshin-gumis to go on long train rides just to watch him huddle and shake with fear. We made him dress up and stand still while we 'stole his soul' with our cameras. We got him good and lost and laughed at him as he tried to find the way back home. We called him names, smacked him with all sorts of inanimate objects, and forced him to find other people to scam free meals off of. We made him deal with Our Saitohs
Oh, how we loved to tease him, our one-and-only
Rooster-head
After everything he was willing to do for us, we couldn't stand
by and watch him suffer through life alone. Fate was willing
to deal him a hand that we were not.
We gave him someone to reassure him when he started to doubt himself. Through them, we boosted his confidence that always seemed so unshakable to everyone else we knew better though We gave him someone to lean on and allowed him to show his weakness without holding it against him.
He had loneliness.
So we gave him love and a place to call home.
We gave him someone who could pick up the pieces of his broken life. We healed him, inside and out.
We gave him forbidden romance and fiery passion.
But when the feelings were too much for him to handle, we gave him his space. We couldn't coop him up or force him to stay in one place forever.
And when things just didn't work out, we let him go.
But we couldn't forget about him, so we chased him around the world and through time, persistently dogging his footsteps as he traveled through deserts, mountains, and faraway cities.
We waited for him to find his own answers, and when he did we brought him home.
We gave him everything he never thought he'd get out of life: Family, friends, happiness, and a future For him, we were willing to change the world.
And in return he gave us everything he had to give. He fought for us with every ounce of strength in his body could we have done anything less for him?
Our Sanosukes Our Zanzas Our Sanos Our Chicken-heads, Rooster-heads, and Tori-atamas Our Morons and Ahous Our Kenkayas and Our Gangsters Our Bandana Wearing Heroes Our Self-Proclaimed Badass
He wasn't perfect, but after all is said and done We came pretty damn close to making him that way
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Now go check out "Our Kenshins" and "Our Kaorus" by dementedchris if you haven't already! Leave a review with your comments and thoughts. These tribute fics are for the authors by the authors. If you're interested in doing some of the characters who don't have tributes yet, write them up and post them. (you might want to email dementedchris or Susan before you do!)
On a side note, the RKRC polls are open! It's time to vote for your favorite fics of 2001.
Check it out and place your votes here: http://www.sekihara.dreamhost.com/rkreaders/