Chapter 1 - Fuwa

Sanosuke sniggered. He'd never seen Saito in anything but his police uniform. He looked completely different in a yukata. Somehow, it didn't fit with Sanosuke image of him. He observed the policeman as he purchased yakitori at a nearby stand. He hesitated a moment, debating whether he should go chat him up. Suddenly, another man with soft features walked up to him, fanning himself with an uchiwa. Sanosuke frowned, intrigued. The other man definitely wasn't police. He felt a sharp pain.

"Oi! I'm not your dad," he chided Kenji, sitting on his shoulders and pulling on his hair.

The boy pointed a pond with goldfish a few paces away from Saito and his companion.

"Let's go find a nice fish!"

Sanosuke grabbed Kenji and held him upside down for a moment. The boy squealed and laughed. He set him down and followed him to the pond. He observed the pair as they ate their food. Sanosuke felt like he'd seen the other man somewhere but couldn't quite place him.

"Excuse me, sir?"

He turned to face the owner of the fish stand. The man held out a wooden bassin with ten fish in it.

"If he keeps at it I will be out of business, sir," said the man, eyeing Kenji with concern.

"You caught all these?"

The boy nodded, a broad smile on his face. Sanosuke shook his head. This kid never failed to impress him. He apologised to the vendor and told him to put the fish back in the pond. He expected Kenji to protest but he was already running towards Megumi, the fish all but forgotten. He caught up with them as the woman picked the boy up. It was a miracle Kenji could walk at all; he rarely spent more than a few moments on the ground.

"Where is everyone else?" he asked.

"Kenshin is busy winning every prize Kaoru wants. Yahiko and Tsubame disappeared a while back, to do you know what the gods know where."

She grinned. He gave her a knowing smile then turned around. He could still just about see Saito and his strange friend.

"Take care of Kenji for a moment, will you? I'll meet up with you at Akabeko like we agreed if I can't find you."

"Wait! Sano, where…" she asked, but he was already out of earshot.

Sanosuke followed the two men at a distance for a while, stopping when they did. Saito towered over his gracile companion. Although both slender, Saito was wiry while the other man was sylphlike. Each of his movement looked as though it had been rehearsed a million time yet had the natural grace of an afterthought. They walked side by side, chatting and commenting on the yatai around them. The other man held a temari at the end of a string and distractedly bounced it up and down.

He lost them when they turned a corner. He hurried up and peeked around the building. Two hands grabbed the front of his yukata and pulled him in the darkness of the alleyway. He found himself inches away from Saito's face.

"Is something the matter, chicken boy?"

Sanosuke grinned, undeterred, and looked around.

"Where's your friend?"

Saito tightened his grip.

"Either you stop following me or you learn better techniques."

He released the man. Sanosuke staggered upright and rearranged his clothes.

"There, there. That's a touchy subject isn't it?"

Saito smoothed his hair before pulling a cigarette out of his sleeve. The match lit the space between them for a second.

"You should go," said the wolf, back to his usual calm self.

Sanosuke had half a mind to taunt the man again but something he'd seen in Saito's eyes in the light of the match stopped him.

"Sure. Evenin', officer."

He walked away. In the alley, Saito leaned against the wall and sighed. He took a drag then raised his hand in front of him. The fast fading red ember of his cigarette trembled in the darkness.

xxxxxx

The Kenshin-gumi walked by the canal. The last echoes of the matsuri could be heard in the distance. Ahead of the group, Kenshin carried a sleeping Kenji in his arms. From time to time, the wind would carry the father's soft singing voice to the rest of them. Kaoru, taking this rare occasion to get drunk, walked supported by Tsubame and Yahiko who had to steer her clear of the canal a few times. Megumi and Sanosuke brought the rear. He could feel her discreetly holding on to his sleeve.

"Kaoru has gone to town tonight, hasn't she?" he remarked.

She nodded.

"Ken-san is going through a rough patch. She needed some relief from all of it."

He knew, of course. They all did. Kenshin managed to keep most of his pain hidden, but they were no fools. Although they never acknowledged it directly, they did their best to help him and Kaoru get through those difficult periods.

"Where did you go earlier, anyway?" she inquired, steering the conversation away from this dark topic.

"I followed Saito. He was with a man I had never seen. I was curious…"

"Seems you closely avoided a good beating," she chuckled.

He knit his eyebrows.

"How do you know?"

There was no point lying to her, she always found the truth. Megumi's hand went from his sleeve to his collar. His initial shiver soon turned into a wince when she touched the tender skin of his neck.

"You have a strange red patch here. Wondered why…" She smiled.

Her hand lingered on his neck. He glanced at the others; they were far ahead. Seizing the opportunity, he bent down and kissed her on the lips. She cupped the back of his head and deepened the kiss. A nice, if surprising gesture. She broke the kiss and took a few steps ahead of him without looking back.

"That man with Saito was Ishikagi Uchisada. He's a very famous kabuki onnagata."

Sanosuke suddenly remember the posters he'd seen in town. He caught up with her.

"You saw them, too?"

She turned to face him.

"I spoke with them."

She winked. He shook his head. Ahead of them Kaoru stumbled, almost taking the two youngsters down with her. Megumi ran up to them to help. Sanosuke remained behind. What was Saito doing with an actor?