Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just using them.

Innocent Fun

Saito leaned against the cool wall and sighed. The weather had been hot and dry for the last week and it seemed that today would be no different. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up, taking the nicotine that he craved into his lungs. It was mid-afternoon and the market was empty; everyone would be down at the river trying to cool off. Saito watched the road for a minute before pushing himself off the wall and heading toward the river himself. As he walked he felt a familiar presence behind him and he caught a small rock that had been aimed at the back of his head.

"Nothing to do today but bother me, Aoshi?" Saito asked as the former Owniwaban leader fell into step with him. Aoshi just gave him a small smile and continued to walk beside him. Saito turned right and they entered a stand of trees that was close to the river. Saito saw the ahou walking towards them and let out a growl. Sanosuke fell in step with them and was soon followed by the Battousai.

"How much farther are you going Saito?" Sanosuke asked poking him in the ribs like a child. Saito stayed silent and lit another cigarette. "Are you gonna answer me? Hmmm, Saito?"

"Why don't you answer him Saito?" Aoshi asked poking him in the back beneath his left shoulder blade. "Are we going for a swim?"

"Why do you have little antennas coming out of your hair?" Sanosuke asked bouncing around him. "Can you use them to sense where things are at night? Are they really part of your hair?"

"Why are your eyes so much like a wolf's eye" Aoshi asked before Saito could open his mouth. "Do you have the sense of smell like a wolf too?

"I want to know if he can turn into a wolf, I think that would be neat." Kenshin said starting a discussion on what he would look like as a wolf.

Saito rubbed the bridge of his nose and picked up his pace a little. It was bad enough that he was practically dying from the heat, but to add these three to the mix might just send him over the edge. He was ready to ignore them for the rest of the way when the Battousai, Kenshin Himura, dodged in front of him and poked him hard in the stomach. Saito caught hold of the small man's sleeve and was able to get one good hit to the back of Kenshin's head before he ended up on his back. Aoshi stood over him with an innocent grin on his face.

"Sano did it."

"I did not! You did it Aoshi… I didn't do it Saito, he did." Sano explained trying his best to copy the innocent look on Aoshi's face. Saito stood up and stalked toward the water that showed through the trees. He brushed off as much dirt as he could and turned to see that the three of them had disappeared.

'What in the hell is wrong with them? They're acting like children. I hope they haven't gotten into anything again.' Saito thought as he stripped out of his uniforms jacket. He laid it down on the ground and rubbed the bridge of his nose again. Sensing the ahou behind him, Saito turned and caught the fist that had been aimed at the back of his head. He easily turned and tossed Sanosuke into the river. As soon as he had turned back towards the river, Aoshi and Kenshin pounced on him. The weight of their bodies made him lose his balance and all three of them ended up joining Sanosuke in the river. Saito surfaced and spit out a mouthful of water.

"What in the HELL is wrong with you three?" Saito yelled as the three miscreants surfaced. They all stood in a group, not wanting to face the angry man. Saito growled and Sanosuke was pushed forward by Aoshi.

"You tell him. He won't hurt you." Kenshin said trying to give Sanosuke some encouragement. Sanosuke pouted like a child and sidled up to Saito.

"We wanted to play, that's all." Sanosuke explained reaching up to touch one of the "antennas" with one hand. Saito grabbed his wrist, dragged him deeper into the water and pushed him under. Saito held him there for a five count. He pulled him up and made Sanosuke look him straight in the eyes.

"What did you do before you wanted to play?"

"We went to a new shop in town and the nice old lady gave us a free piece of candy. We thanked her and everything I promise." Sanosuke said grinning as he was able to grab one of the "antennas" successfully. "Do you want a piece? She gave us one for you too."

Kenshin rushed up to Saito and forced a piece of candy into his hand before dragging Sanosuke back into the shallower water. Saito stared at the candy and groaned. The woman who had given them this candy was a drug dealer and this was one of her newest products. It made adults act like children and it lasted for hours.

"How long has it been since you ate you candy?" Saito asked remembering how some of the men in his department acted the entire day that they had eaten the candy.

All three of them thought it over and then got into a fight over how long ago it had been. Saito grabbed hold of the back of Aoshi's shirt and pulled him away from the group as he was about to throw a punch at Sanosuke. He them grabbed Kenshin and held him under one arm as he kicked at Aoshi. As he squirmed, Kenshin got one good kick in. He caught Saito just below the belt and Saito dropped him. He doubled over with a groan.

"I'm going to kill all of you." Saito growled as he tried to regulate his breathing. "The second I'm able to stand you're all dead."

Sanosuke, Aoshi, and Kenshin all bolted for shore, avoiding Saito like he had the plague. Saito followed them at a slower pace and sat on the shores edge. He sat there for ten minutes with no interruptions and then Sanosuke came back into view with a small handful of flowers.

"Sorry Saito." He said holding them out toward Saito without getting into grabbing distance. Saito sighed and took the flowers. He reached for his jacket and found his cigarettes, but growled again when he realized his matches were in his pants pocket. He threw the cigarette on the ground and laid back. Kenshin and Aoshi came back with flowers as well and they were quiet for a whole minute before the questions started up again.

It was dark before all the questions ran out and the three of them were asleep on the river's bank. Saito stood up and began to patrol the area. They would only be asleep for a few hours before waking up and realizing what they had done. Saito had let his matches dry and he gratefully lit up a cigarette. He really needed the nicotine. He walked around for two hours before they woke up.

Aoshi turned a deep red when he saw Saito and began apologizing to him. Kenshin said nothing but looked extremely embarrassed and when Sanosuke looked at him, he turned pale. Saito smiled and they all stilled, no one had ever seen him smile like that before.

"If I ever have to babysit again, you three will die." Saito said in a menacing voice. He turned and walked away.

"But Saito, it was all just innocent fun!" Kenshin called making Saito tense up before starting to swear at them.

END

Hope you all liked it, it just came to me.