Notes:
Jou-chan: This refers to Kaoru, translated into English as 'missy'. Sano uses it in the Japanese version of RK.
Yakuza: means gangs and such, organized crime Kimono: if you don't know
what a kimono is, here's a hint: almost everyone in Rurouni Kenshin
wears one. (Kenshin's is pink). And if you don't know who Kenshin
is...you're just plain dumb for reading an RK fanfic.
Baka: idiot, idiotic, stupid, etc.
Sanosuke's Mistake
Chapter 1
It was a cold, wintry day when Kaoru got royally pissed off at Sanosuke and kicked him out of the Kamiya dojo for the rest of the week. With nowhere to go (ie, nothing to do), he roamed the streets of Tokyo, eventually wandering into an unfamiliar prefecture. It was a little rundown, the yakuza's presence obvious, and oddly empty of people. Maybe it was the cold.
"Aw, damn."
A group of thugs appeared at one end of the street, and another group at the other. All were carrying swords and various projectiles, so rather than get in the middle of it (he hadn't had lunch because jou-chan had kicked him out before Kenshin finished making it, and didn't feel like fighting on an empty stomach) Sano slipped into a narrow side-street. It was a dead end. Sanosuke decided to stay there until those idiots were - "What the hell?" he exclaimed.
The bundle of blankets he stepped on moved to reveal - a woman - no, not quite there yet, she was more perhaps nearing jou-chan's age.
"You - you're not with the yakuza, are you? Please don't hurt me, I -"
"Don't worry, I'm not with those idiots. What're you doing out here anyway, it's not safe for a woman with people like that around."
"I - haven't got anyplace to stay - no one will let me have a job because of the way I look - "
She got up, and the blanket fell to reveal a tattered robe - he tried not to stare, but the tears were a little revealing. She was beautiful despite her appearance - long black hair fell to her waist, over her curvaceous figure. The girl shivered.
"Here," he said, "Use my jacket."
"Evil?"
"Long story. But don't you have any parents?"
"My father was killed - a long time ago. He went to fight for the Imperialists when I was eight."
"So you're what, nineteen, twenty?"
"Almost twenty."
She had long, black hair and green eyes, and looked.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked, staring at his bare chest.
"Nah."
""So...many scars."
She reached out and traced a particularly long one with her finger. Surprisingly, despite her frigid appearance, her finger felt warm. Her touch sent shivers down his spine.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Hatsuyo."
"I'm Sanosuke Sagara."
Hatsuyo coughed suddenly, and she turned from Sanosuke.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He turned her around to find that she had coughed up blood. "You need to get to a doctor."
"I can't afford a doctor"
"I know someone who can help. C'mon."
"No - "
Sanosuke promptly lifted her onto his shoulder and carried her - avoiding the yakuza fight - toward Megumi's place. He knew he would have to swallow his pride (and a great amount of it, too) and that she would never let him live it down, but there was something intriguing about this girl...he kinda liked her. "Sagara-san."
Hatsuyo sighed. What possessed this man to help her? No one had ever been so kind.
"Could you at least try to carry me in a more...dignified way?"
"Sure."
Sano dropped her down a bit so that he carried her like a baby against his shoulder. Hatsuyo sighed.
"Where are we going, anyway? What's the doctor's name?"
"Takani Megumi."
"Being as I have no money, how are you going to pay?"
"She's an old friend of mine. Besides, she kind of owes me a favor."
"If you say so."
"Megumi, I have a patient for you."
"Sanosuke, what are you doing? Put that poor girl down."
"She coughed up blood earlier but still didn't want to see a doctor."
"And you - running around without a jacket on! I'll be the one who has to take care of you when you get sick - it's freezing outside."
"Will you see what's wrong with her? Please?"
"I can't believe it. Sanosuke Sagara said 'please' sincerely."
"Megumi."
"Of course I'll help her. What's your name, dear?"
"Hatsuyo."
"Come with me. Sano, you stay in here."
"Alright."
About ten minutes later, Megumi came out.
"There's a number of possible reasons for her coughing up blood. She could have a cold and coughed hard enough to cut a bit of her throat, or..."
"Or what?"
"Tuberculosis."
"What's that?"
"Essentially, the lungs solidify and she can't breathe. Just hope it's not that."
Hatsuyo came back in.
"See, I'll be alright, Sagara-san."
"Oh c'mon. I'm just as old as you, so don't be so polite."
A few more patients came in and Megumi went to greet them.
"Alright...Sanosuke."
Hatsuyo followed the tall - and handsome, she was beginning to notice - young man outside. He was so kind...a thought crept into her mind, sneakingly.
Sanosuke rented a small room near the Kamiya dojo, at a rowhouse. He kept money he got from various odd jobs - he wasn't entirely a cheap bum, after all - and planned to gather it all, and get Hatsuyo a wearable kimono. On the way there, she told him of her life, and he of his. They both had rough childhoods (a fact that endeared Sano to this girl even more) and more or less held the same opinions.
"Is this your house?"
"Not much, but it's somewhere to stay."
"You're - giving me a place to stay - in your own home."
"And you're going to get decent clothing."
"W-why are you doing this for me?"
"Because..." Sano blushed, "You're...cool." Hatsuyo felt her face warm despite the cold, and she smiled.
Er...picking up this little story after a long, long while. o.o; I think I wrote it about a year ago.