Spawn
By hye-kyo
Disclaimer: Nope, RK isn't mine…
Author's Notes: Just a little one-shot I thought of while reading Kenji-centered fics. Anyway, I know Kenshin is a nice man, a perfect nice guy but who knows what he might be thinking inside that pretty head of his. And besides who wouldn't like a little naughty Kenshin? So there. Sano will be talking here. So there. Read and review!
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Sano wasn't sure how he got there, or whom he was looking for. He looked around, his hands in his pockets as he nibbled on a fishbone.
He frowned, the sun was high and blazing. A film of sweat broke on his forehead as he took a step closer to the porch. Noticing the unusual silence, he upped his ki, his hands balled in fists in his pockets and his posture hunched.
He cleared his throat. There was no dangerous ki in the area. He had been far too long loitering in the dojo to know which ki belongs to whom. So far, there wasn't anyone present, even anyone he was familiar with. The dojo seemed empty.
Funny that it was empty at this time of the day. He relaxed a bit, leaning against the shoji. He looked back, felt the heat upon his nape. He was so hungry and thinking that it wouldn't be good to keep on eating at the Akebeko and putting his expenses on tab—Tae seemed to be getting grumpier everytime he does that—he decided to drop by the dojo for lunch.
But the dojo was deserted. He felt parched, he dusted his shoes off and stepped onto the porch. "Jou-chan?" he called but there was no answer.
The dojo was quiet, sad rather. He remembered vaguely how the redhead told him of his plans on marrying Kaoru. It was not uncalled for. Kami knows how much Sano has been praying for the day to come. Jou-chan with her hysterics at being unloved was too much for him. Her thoughts of growing old alone always made her ill-tempered, sharpening her aim, making him powerless against her. Why does she release her anger at him when all along it was to Kenshin whom she was angry with?
But the day Kenshin told her he would finally propose made Sano a little worried. That meant he could no longer drop by whenever he liked. Of course the new couple would need, ahem, private moments. It felt as if someone was going somewhere far. He felt a wave of nostalgia pass him, Kaoru had been like a little sister to him. And her getting married is like giving her away. But oh well, it was Kenshin she was going to get married with. And Kenshin is a good man. He nodded to himself.
Well, except for the little silly pranks he pulled on Sano every now and then. Like when Kenshin, after an elaborate plan, bailed him out from the police (though of course the reason why he was sent to jail was thanks to the redhead's cunning genius) and as an expression of gratitude for saving him, Kenshin forced Sano to promise he would return the favor when he needed it. And true enough, Sano was forced into bankruptcy when Kenshin needed the money for a date with Kaoru. And bankruptcy meant that he would have to do odd jobs for the wily kitsune-onna.
Just like the last time he owed money from the redhead. Trying to save himself from Kaoru's wrath at their loss of income, Kenshin volunteered Sano to a bidding contest. He was bid out by a guy whom Sano thought would just have him do some housework but it turned out the guy was a homo.
And some many other times that Sano refused to remember otherwise he would end up in a puking spree. And that would mean dirtying Jou-chan's dojo, thus suffering the shameful consequence of getting decked.
Right. Kenshin was a good guy. If only Jou-chan would see the glint in Kenshin's eyes everytime she emerges from the bath, or his "wanderings" late at night, wanderings that included creeping into her room when she was fast asleep in the pretext of checking whether she was safe. Kami knows what he does there. Or the smirk on his face everytime Sano gets bashed. Sometimes Sano wonders if Kenshin's other self was just the Battousai. Perhaps there is something more. Something really wicked.
Sano just hoped they wouldn't have little redheads so soon. He already feared the world getting populated by Kenshin's little army of redheads with innocent faces masking evil minds. Just imagining that made him shiver. He took in a sharp breath and returned to the issue at hand.
"Yahiko?" he frowned. The gate was left unlocked and no on was inside. Could it be? His form tensed as he suddenly broke into a run inside. The halls were empty. He found himself looking for tumbled things, out-of-place stuff, any sign of battle. But there was none. Except for the light peering through the paper panels and the buzzing of the dragonflies, the dojo was really empty. Lifeless.
Just then the smell of miso soup wafted in the air. With his hunger directing his thoughts he found himself floating to the kitchen. Closing his eyes he allowed the smell of miso, eventually joined by the smell of grilled fish and steamed rice float around him.
His hand found the doorframe to the kitchen and he reveled in the smell of food. Food is the greatest gift of the gods to mankind. Food is all that matters. Food is all that is to him. Only food and nothing more.
As he was silently musing at the greatness of food he heard hushed high-pitched murmurs. The area was suddenly filled with a hushed kind of ki that was altogether unnoticeable had not he been alerted by the noise. It was dangerous and unnerving, and surprisingly, something similar to Kenshin's.
And he was at the kitchen. So it probably was Kenshin. But the voices were tiny and Kenshin's voice was never tiny, though of course he sounded like a girl. The voices grew stronger and the ki more potent than before. Sano slowly opened his eyes, warily, to check his surroundings, food thoughts gone from his mind.
There before him stood his very nightmare.
Sano's eyes widened as he sweatdropped. He panicked, he was shocked. With a backward step of his foot he found himself losing his balance and then falling on his face, the ground coming closer and closer until he hit it. Cursing, he flipped himself, only to find himself closer to his nightmare than ever.
Now he was surrounded by an army of smirking little redheads, little sharp canines protruding from their tiny but vicious mouths.
Sano let out a blood-curdling scream. He hoped someone would find his dead body, give him a proper burial and pour sake over his tombstone. His thoughts trailed off as he felt a very stinging pain in his ribcage. His eyes darted down, to find a redhead burying its canines into his ribcage.
He was going to die. He should have known Kenshin was something else aside from Battousai. And the redheads, as if on cue, simultaneously let out a long evil laugh.
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Sano opened his eyes forcefully, beads of sweat dotted his forehead. The moisture percolated down his neck, his back and his chest.
He tried to catch his breath and swallowed hard. The air was stale and thick and he found that he could not breathe. He rested his head back on the pillow, his wrist over his forehead to block out the blinding light from the sun.
No, he took in a sharp breath, the nightmare was an omen.
He turned on his side. Perhaps he needed to talk to Kaoru into delaying having a child. Kenshin should not spawn.
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A/n: You know the drill guys…