(Note: 11/17/04, Sunlit Horizon has been edited once again and all chapters have been replaced with the new versions. The final chapter has also been posted.)

Sunlit Horizon

The sun drifted across the sky and towards the earth at its steady pace, giving the impression it was going to crash into the ground. But the man knew better. With its deep red and orange colors slowly fading into darkness, the bright orb would disappear behind the hills off in the distance and leave the land unharmed. He had watched it rise in the morning, and observed it at dusk as those golden rays went to rest for another night of stars and moonlight. The attention he gave to the night sky taught him more than he thought possible, and he was thankful for it. The night always reminded him of his friends. They were the bright stars that stood out from the rest and sparked interest in even the most aloof people.

Kaoru, Megumi, and Yahiko would all be furious if he returned. All because he never said goodbye to them. Kenshin would be his forgiving self, if he hadn't changed, and welcome him. Although he had known Kenshin for years, Sanosuke feared the red haired samurai wouldn't accept his apology for being gone for over thirty months, and then where would he be?

The purpose of his leaving had been to make money. He wanted to pay off his debt and return the kindness Kaoru showed him. Sanosuke Sagara did in fact make money, and plenty of it. His savings had steadily increased over time and if he had wanted to he could have bought himself a nice mansion on a hill with a vast amount of land. Although with any large income there was a price; working several jobs a day took quite a bit out of a person, even if you were stronger than an ox, and he had slowly been worn down over the months of hard labor. He had become stronger through his physical work, and his facial features filled out into attractive curves. His teenage body had finally developed into a fully formed man, and it wasn't something many missed. He no longer wore his white jacket wielding the symbol 'evil'; it was too tattered for that, but he continued to bring it with him wherever he went. After all, it was a part of his past and would never be erased.

Since he always found his old clothes to be comfortable, Sanosuke stuck with his style and found fairly similar replacements. His pants remained loose and baggy, although now they were a dark red, and his shirt still hung open in front to reveal his broad and masculine chest. To keep out the harsh winds often bothering him at night, and the damaging light of the sun during the day, he covered himself with a shadowy cape, giving him an air of mystery.

Clothing wasn't his only change, walking by foot had become old, and considering he was far too tired to make the trip without assistance, he had bought a horse about six months ago. The mammal was shipped in from another country, and possessed mind bogglingly enormous power and speed. It was a Clydesdale: white head, brown body, and long ashen hair draping over his massive hooves. He named him Canyon, because his jumping distance was so impressive it felt as if the horse could leap over a large ravine with a slight effort. Yes, indeed this beautiful creature was elegant and powerful, but it took Sanosuke two months to gain his acceptance and tame him. Looking at them now, you couldn't have guessed the horse once hated the fighter.

"Tomorrow we'll be in Tokyo." Sanosuke spoke with a sigh, stroking Canyon's neck, and untangling his long pearl colored mane. The horse snorted in response to his rider's voice and raked the rocky ground with a heavy hoof. With a few clicks of Sanosuke's tongue, and a soft nudge in the sides, Canyon began a steady walk down the path.

Depression was something Sanosuke had been fighting since he left; he missed Yahiko's loud mouthed but always friendly or joking comments, Megumi's sly smile, Kenshin's all around good natured way and those beautiful bright violet eyes, Kaoru's cooking...

Kaoru's cooking? That might have been going a little too far, but he did miss her. She was cheerful and strong for a woman of her stature. Everyone had their good points, and their flaws. It had to be accepted, because there was no escaping it.

The darkening sky took him in that night, as it always did, and guided him along, towards Tokyo, and towards his old friends and home.

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Canyon was often considered the perfect horse. He tolerated long travels with a heavy load and was excellent company. Carrying five heavy bags tied to a saddle was not the easiest when traveling far distances, but this horse was unlike the rest. The brown sacks contained all of Sanosuke's hard earned yen that he had decided to take. The rest of his fortune would enter Tokyo a few days after his arrival.

The trip had been one of the largest learning experiences of his life. Kenshin had always amazed him with the skill he held in swordsmanship, and so he took up learning it. He knew he was nowhere near being as good as the wanderer, but two years of dedicated practice had gotten him far. He never touched a wooden sword, his was a true Japanese blade, and much like Kenshin's reversed blade that couldn't kill, his was covered with a metal guard and was incapable of causing death.

Sanosuke had changed. His stubborn personality toned down, he stopped gambling, quit drinking, and even spent time helping a few teachers and was taught in return. Would his friends even recognize him? So much was running through his mind he didn't notice the distance traveled until he heard the voices of two children. They were laughing and chasing a ball past market stands and crowds. Canyon tugged on the reins and shook his head to wake his rider.

Sanosuke looked up and past the confines of his hood and immediately recognized the area. If he walked a bit farther he would reach the Akebako. If Tae still worked there he would be in luck; he owed her too, for putting up with his old habits.

As always when he walked through a town; people stared. Chances are they had never seen a horse quite like Canyon, and weren't used to finding hooded visitors in their area. Carrying his sword in public without it wrapped also made the people nervous.

He would have drawn less attention had he been going faster, and since he made no attempt to hide the fact he was carrying a large amount of yen with him, it drew more eyes towards him. By now he had become accustomed to it, and so was able to predict the men that were currently attempting to creep up on him.

His sword was secured to the back of Canyon's saddle on his right, resting in its sheath and tapping against the impressive beast's side quarters. If he needed the weapon it would be all too simple to draw it forth and slash at the thieves.

"Yahiko, could you take this to Kaoru for me? I forgot to give it to her last time she was here." A familiar voice called out: Tae.

"Sure, I was just on my way back." That was Yahiko's voice, but it had grown deeper and held more maturity. Yahiko... He had to be 17 by now. Time was passing too fast. He wished he could have been there to see the boy grow. He had to look up, find the voice, and see how tall the young swordsman had gotten. The boy was easy to spot, standing right in front of Tae, strong Japanese sword at his side, and friendly smile upon his face. Yahiko had turned into quite the handsome young man, but that was to be expected.

Sanosuke, who had allowed his mind to wander, quickly returned to reality when he realized the thieves had picked up on their advantage and darted forward. One man managed to snatch a sack of yen and rush away, but it wasn't about to be repeated. The second, and less successful, thug had reached for the money and received a foot in the abdomen, courtesy of Sanosuke, which sent him into a tumble across the ground. Rearing up on his hind legs, Canyon began thrashing the air with his mighty hooves and causing the remaining muggers to back up. His mass was intimidating enough to get his point across that he wasn't to be taken lightly.

"Tsh, tsh!" Sanosuke ordered, giving his friend another nudge in the sides. With a whinny the horse slammed his metal-shoed hooves back to the earth and took off in a run after the retreating form of a human. His head drove forward and back as he galloped along at a moderate speed. The horse enjoyed a chase, and wanted to wear his target down before he closed in. It wasn't long before the victim of the hunt was stumbling across a wooden bridge, panting and yelling for help. He dashed past a red haired man; short in stature, but with bright and curious eyes. The man had obviously been on his way into town, but when he was passed and shoved his balance was gracelessly knocked away. He staggered back to catch himself on the wooden railing of the bridge. When he thought the commotion was over his ears picked up a pounding noise, and he looked up to locate its origin. He released a surprised 'oro' at the mammoth sized horse racing toward him and ducked down to protect himself. The sound of rock feet striking wood reached the tiny male's ears, but the horse dashed past him as if he hadn't noticed the presence of another.

He watched after the tall steed as it thundered across the overpass and gained on the running man. Metal slid against metal as the rider drew his sword, and followed the motion by flipping it around in his hand for better accuracy and strength. Violet eyes widened with the familiar scrape of a blade being drawn and they soon locked onto the metal weapon. It gleamed in the afternoon sunlight; reflecting and blinding.

"Kenshin," Yahiko called out as he rushed towards the used-to-be samurai, "We have to..." The young man slid to a stop as he witnessed the event. The rider gripped his sword tighter and his horse pivoted away from his prey and gave its master full range of sword swing. The masked being threw a powerful stroke, striking the robber crosswise down his back and spinning him around as he dropped.

"No..." Yahiko breathed out quickly, grasping the hilt of his sword and dashing to the victim's side. The wanderer had moved into action moments later, and now stood near his young friend as protection.

Canyon neighed and shook his head with triumph as he stomped his feet excitedly. The horse turned to face the red haired man standing between him and his chase.

"How is he, Yahiko?" Kenshin asked, his serious voice dominant.

"Kenshin... he's... fine." The black haired teen gazed up at the wanderer's back, "The skin hasn't even been broken."

"Kenshin," The rider spoke softly and regretfully. The voice was faint, but the ex-samurai deciphered it. He knew immediately who it belonged to.

"Sano..." Kenshin inhaled quickly, eyes turning up to gaze in astonishment at his best friend.

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