A/N: A pairing that came into my head once and hasn't left since. So, a series of connected drabbles to fill the gap.

Realization

You realize, quite suddenly, like a bucket of cold water has been thrown on you, that you do not love Kenshin.

Strange, you think – you haven't seen the man in a week, and you've barely thought about him for the past two. You've both been so busy, rebuilding the dojo, helping out in the town, hauling lumber, teaching classes, making rice, doing laundry…

But you don't love him.

And the realization came completely out of nowhere.

"Oh," you whisper as the needle you've been using to mend Yahiko's trousers presses sharply past your skin. You watch in fascination (is it because of the startling nature of your discovery?) as a tiny red bead of your blood appears from the tip of your finger. You watch it grow slightly larger, tremble with weight, and finally roll down your hand toward your knuckles.

You don't love Kenshin.

You come to your senses and move the finger to your mouth, tasting iron while you stumble toward the kitchen to find a bandage, Yahiko's hakama forgotten on the tatami. As you sweep past the open doors, the scent of spring hits you full on, and you inhale the rain, lavender, and grass deeply. From the dojo, you hear the swish of your student's practice sword as he swings it for the umpteenth time that morning.

Yahiko hasn't changed, you realize, and You don't love Kenshin.

You haven't decided if this makes you sad. You shake your head and enter the kitchen, where you find Sano.

He rises his hand and smiles at you widely, half-eaten rice ball clutched in his hand. "Yo, Missy," he calls.

You give him a disapproving stare and snap, "Haven't you just eaten breakfast?"

He shrugs and his eyes move to your hand, dangling by your side, which has started to bleed again. "I'm a growing man," he explains as you shake your head and find the medicine chest. "I'm hungry all the time."

"You remind me of an old man," you scoff, and wince as your injured finger smarts when you try to use it to unwrap a bandage.

A shadow appears behind you, and you feel the warmth of Sano's chest hovering centimeters from your back. Even through your kimono you can feel him there. You stiffen and his arms wrap around you, heavily bandaged hands taking the supplies from you.

You watch in fascination as Sano, who is more hurt than anyone you know, not even blinking an eye as he takes your finger gently in his hands and wraps the soft, clean linen around it, cutting it to size and fastening it with a tiny dab of bandage glue. You remember, immediately, how many times you've done this for him.

He chuckles in your ear and you can feel the heat from his breath tickle your neck. He raised Goosebumps. "Come on, Missy. I'm barely a year older than you," he says. "You never change, do you?"

And suddenly your back and neck are very, very cold. You whip around, but Sanousuke is already gone. The half-eaten rice ball lays forgotten on the table.

You don't love Kenshin.

A/N:

Next Drabble: Change