Well, I wasn't planning on updating both chapters in the same day but I felt the last chapter was rather slow and I'm craving more Sano and Kaoru action so I'm posting this one as well :)

Warning! This chapter is the reason why I decided to give my story the 'M' rating. It has rather graphic violence so if you're sensitive to that sort of thing please continue with caution. For those of you who like to see Sanosuke's wild and unrestrained side, please read on!


Chapter 4

Midnight Sentinel

Sano sat in his usual place at the bar, the stool at the far left corner, nursing the same bottle of sake he had been drinking for the past hour. He stared down into the crystal clear liquid… how unassuming the beverage seemed. Crystal clear, it looked just like water but it burned like fire. It burned away memories, feelings, everything. But… tonight it wasn't quite doing its job. It wasn't erasing anything just intensifying everything he had come to drink to forget. Visions of Kaoru swam in his head and though he tried he could not shake them.

His mind recalled her today in the dojo and this evening after her bath. She had been practically glowing after her bath and the yukata she had worn brought out the color of her sapphire blue eyes which stood out vividly against the darkness of her hair. The scent of jasmine was so intense after her bath that he was once again stunned by it. She was gorgeous, looking more beautiful than anyone had the right too. More beautiful than anyone he couldn't have had the right too.

He couldn't remember the last time he had thought of a woman in this way, or if ever. He could not recall any time before where he noticed such details about anyone but it seemed without his consent his mind catalogued every detail about her person and it was slowly driving him mad.

He poured the remainder of the sake into his cup before bringing the bowl of liquid to his mouth drinking it quickly before he slammed it back down onto the counter. He grimaced slightly as it burned its way down his throat traveling down to sit in his unsettled stomach.

Sanosuke was becoming increasingly irritated and despondent as he sat and continued to drink. Wasn't there anything he could do to stop these thoughts from bombarding him? He wished he could find a way to just be rid of the feelings he had. It would make his life so much easier. He actually, for once, wished that the fox doctor were around. At least then he would have someone to occupy his time. There had never been any sort of relationship between himself and Megumi, though everyone speculated they did, she had been someone to talk to and argue with. She would have kept his mind off of these ever present thoughts.

He noticed the two men that had been seated on the other side of the bar from him as they moved to leave. They had been eyeing him up all night… they were looking for a fight, he knew. As much as he wanted to beat the living shit out of two stupid punks he didn't think it was a good idea. Though it would be a nice stress release, given the foul mood he was in he was certain to kill someone and he damn sure didn't need that kind of trouble. Besides, it was getting late. The sun would be up in a few hours and he knew he needed to get home before a certain someone realized he hadn't come home yet. He cringed as he thought of her walking around this side of town alone at night. There was no end to the terrible things she could end up getting herself into.

The tall youth moved from his place at the bar readying himself to leave. Just before he turned to head out the door he did something very rare, the notorious cheapskate dropped a few coins on the counter to pay for his drink…

Sano walked slowly through the pitch black streets of Tokyo's seediest neighborhood. He was heading home to the dojo. Shortly after their return from Enishi's island, Kaoru had asked Sanosuke to stay with them. He wasn't sure why, though he figured it had something to do with the fact that she was scared to be alone, he obliged. He wasn't exactly attached to his one room flat anyway, though he kept it just in case he needed it. It was always nice to have several places to go, he had learned that as a gangster. He was happy when she had asked him to stay, regardless of her reasons it meant he got to be close to her. That's all he wanted really, was to be close to her and her asking him to stay made it that much easier.

As he walked down one of the tougher parts of the neighborhood he could hear laughing and men's voices. Some thugs were probably hassling some drunk for whatever money he had left in his pockets. People like that made him feel nauseated when they picked on those weaker than them. They were the lowest kind of people, they just fed on negativity and suddenly that urge Sano had earlier to brawl flared again with an intensity that frightened him. Unconsciously, he cracked his knuckles, his body was involuntarily preparing for a fight. It was reminiscent of his days as Zanza. The air around him felt thick but charged, static almost. He reminded himself that he really didn't need the trouble, he focused on relaxing the tense muscles in his back and arms.

That's when he heard her, her piercing scream hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt his heart skip a beat and his breathing altogether stopped.

'It couldn't be… could it?'

His answer came as the young girl yelled at her attackers "Baka! Get your damn hands off of me!" the familiar pitch of her voice when she was angry was undeniable.

In an instant he was flying down a nearby alley as fast as his feet could take him. Whoever had been stupid enough to mess with his Jou-chan could now consider themselves dead because as soon as he got his hands on them they would be. He slowed as he came to the end of the alley, he had to squint to make out her silhouette, but he could see her now. Those two bastards he had seen at the bar earlier were now the ones harassing Kaoru. The taller of the pair had grabbed hold of her from behind twisting her arms behind her back harshly while the other…the short, fat, greasy one was trying to slip her kimono off her shoulders.

"Oh come on now, love. If you're quiet we won't hurt you, I promise." He said, the ardent tone of his voice making his intentions clear.

Blind fury blistered up in the young man as he took in the scene before him. They would die. He refused to let anyone that harmed that girl to live. Enishi had gotten away. These two would not.

Just as he moved to confront the men, fully intending on ending the life of the man who was currently trying to undress the struggling girl, Kaoru brought her knee up which connected directly with the groin of the man in front of her causing him to crouch down, she then proceeded to kick him in the face sending him reeling backwards. The man holding her was stunned slightly by what had just occurred and had slackened his grip on her just enough for her to get one arm free. She brought her elbow around catching him in the temple. She must have hit him in just the right spot with just enough force because the man collapsed to the ground with an audible thud. With her attackers now incapacitated, at least for the moment, she turned to run. If she could put some distance between them she may be able to get away.

She didn't get far as she connected only seconds later with something very hard. Kaoru stopped to find herself looking straight at the very sculpted chest of a young man, two strong hands reached out to grip the tops of her arms, and she began to panic. She had thought perhaps there had been a third man she hadn't noticed… she had incapacitated the other two but she wasn't sure she could compete with a third. Three men could easily overpower a young woman, no matter how strong she was. Her panic, however, faded instantly as she looked up to see his face and she realized it was none other than the man she had come to find.

But… he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were trained intently on the two men she had just been assaulted by and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the murderous glint they held. She had never seen him look so severe before. In none of the fights that she had witnessed had he looked so… frightening. Sure, Sano had a certain intensity when he fought but he never seemed so savage. She tried to reach out to him but the crushing grip he had on her arms forced her to be immobile, the pressure was harsh but it didn't hurt that bad. Realizing she would not be able to free herself she called his name, she had meant to say it firmly to grab his attention, but it only came out as a breathy whisper.

"Sano…"

If he had heard her he did not acknowledge it. Due to her restricted mobility she was only able to press both of her hands against his chest, pushing slightly she tried to break him from the trance he seemed to be in. She kept her hands on his chest and she noticed, for the second time that day, just how hot his skin was. She wondered if his temperature always ran so high or if it was just today that he seemed this way. His gaze slowly melted from the two men, he looked down at her now unleashing the full force of his eyes on her. She wanted to squirm, the intensity of his gaze was penetrating and though she wasn't frightened, she did feel vulnerable.

"Come on, Sano. Let's just go home. They were just some losers trying to be tough. Nothing to get too upset over, ne?" she said. She just wanted to get the hell out of here before the two thugs woke up.

She saw something stir behind his eyes, her words must have resonated somewhere within the depths of his mind. The murderous look he had held started to fade and she sighed a little in relief.

She heard a pained groan sound behind her and she watched as his eyes snapped up again, the rage that had finally started to soften began to burn within them again.

'Dammit, this is going to be bad' she thought.

Suddenly, Sano pulled her behind his back. He held a defensive stance as both men started to stir, one coming back into consciousness after Kaoru had successfully knocked him out.

"Stupid little bitch! How dare you! You really don't wanna know what I'm gonna do… to you…" the round man started, then faltered. He had failed to notice the very tall, and very pissed off Sagara Sanosuke that was now standing to defend the young girl before starting his tirade.

"And what exactly was it that you were going to do to my Jou-chan?" Sano asked, his voice coming out as a feral growl, the fury in his voice barely contained.

Kaoru gasped as she clearly heard her friend declare her as his and she couldn't deny the possessive undertones his words and voice held.

"S-s-sorry, man." The fat man's accomplice started, tripping over his words as he tried in vain to explain away their deplorable actions.

"We didn't realize this one belonged to you. We were just trying to have a little fun." The taller man stated from his place still on the ground. He had yet to get up since Kaoru had knocked him out.

Sano felt a little bit of pride swell within him for Kaoru. She had really thrown the two off guard. He was sure that when the two had begun their assault on her they would have never guessed they were fighting with one of the strongest females in the area, a dojo master no less. If it weren't for the blinding rage he was in right now he might even mention that to her.

"That so? I wasn't aware that 'fun' included attacking young women in the middle of the night. You disgust me. Stand up, I'm getting tired of talking. I'm ready to kick your ass."

"Whoa… we ain't lookin' for a fight, mister." The short greasy man said backing up until his back hit the wall at the end of the alley.

"Yeah we'll just be on our way…" The taller man said as he rose from the ground. He stood up to his full height, which, as tall as he was, wasn't nearly as tall as Sano. His scrawny legs were shaking slightly, fear wracking his body.

Both men realizing that the brown haired man would not be backing down, decided to make a run for it, rather than stay and fight. Each of the men ran to either side of him trying to evade capture and hopefully confuse the street fighter. Sanosuke's hands shot out to his sides catching both men's faces in the palms of his large hands. He clenched his hands, ensnaring them, before bringing both of his hands together, and in turn cracking their skulls against each other.

"I didn't ask if you wanted a fight or not." he said from between clenched teeth.

Sano let go as both men crumpled to the ground at his feet. He reached down, lifting the fat, slimy bastard from the dirt by the front of his shirt. The smaller man's feet dangled in the air and he groaned in pain. He brought the man's face close enough to his, so that their noses were almost touching, he hissed "I would say if you ever do it again you're a dead man but unfortunately for you I already ran out of fuckin' patience today." With that, he pulled back his right fist and slammed it straight into the nose of the man sending him sailing backward into the wall of the alley. Blood trickled from the other man's face and Sano could hear him struggling to breathe through the nose that was now surely broken. A rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins. He wanted him to suffer.

Before the man could even get to his feet Sano was on him again pounding away at his face. All coherent thought left him as he felt the steady crunching of bones and sloshing of blood beneath his fist. The other man's blood coated his hands, making them slick, each blow possessing just a little less power due to decreased friction the fluid caused. He knew if he continued the onslaught the man would surely die but he couldn't force himself to care. He knew exactlywhat they would have done to Kaoru had he not been there to intervene and the thought disgusted him, caused bile to rise in his throat. They weren't even fit to look at her let alone touchher. She was an innocent, there was no excuse for them to touch her.

Just as his blows were reaching a fevered pitch he felt two small hands grab onto his forearm mid swing causing him to stop. He looked back to see Kaoru looking at him, her beautiful sapphire eyes shimmering with unshed tears, the delicate pattern of blood sprinkled across her face. The sight of her made his heart clench in his chest and his breath stop short. What was that look she was giving him?

Was she afraid of him?

His gaze shifted down to the man beneath him… he was alive… but just barely. Sano could hear the strangled, ragged, breaths emitting from what barely resembled a face. He felt an itch beneath his skin, a slow burning and his arm twitched from its place in her small hands. Something deep inside of him was begging to finish this, to find some sort of release… to put this man out of his misery and remove the threat to his Jou-chan.

He wondered if this was how Kenshin felt when he struggled with the hitokiri within himself.

Sano let out a shaky breath, he hadn't realized he had been holding, and slowly lowered his raised arm. He heard a choked sob escape from the small woman behind him and he turned to her. In as soft a voice as he could muster, so as not to frighten her further, he spoke "Jou-chan… it's okay. I'm okay now. I promise I won't hurt you."

He saw her eyes grow wide as both shock and confusion swept across her features. "I know you won't hurt me Sano. I know that. You just scared me. You could have killed him…" she said, her hushed voice growing quieter as she reached the end of her statement. "I don't want you to live with the burden of murder. I couldn't allow you to continue, even if it was for my sake. I do not want death brought about on my account."

Silent tears slid down her face as he reached out his hand to wipe them away, leaving her cheek smeared with blood. He flinched as he noted the sharp contrast of the opaque blood against her pristine flesh. She should never have been dirtied this way and it was his fault. She shouldn't have witnessed the brutality that had occurred. He shouldn't have run out without telling her where he was going or when, and if, he would be back. He knew she would come looking for him. That's just how she was, always thinking of others first and he was ashamed of himself for not being more like her.

He felt as though he should apologize to her for being so irrational and for not being as thoughtful as her beloved Kenshin.

It was no wonder she couldn't love him. He was completely worthless. Even when he was trying to help her, to protect her, he failed. Instead of feeling protected she felt afraid and worse she was worrying about him. He didn't deserve that. Flying into a murderous rage was not the mark of a good man. It was the action of a child.

He was pulled back from his reverie at the touch of her hand across his cheek. The gentle caress caused his eyes to flutter closed and for a moment he felt a sort of inner peace he had never felt before. Kaoru was his salvation, this he knew. That's what made the fact that he could not have her all the more bitter.

"Let's go home, Sano. I'm pretty sure you hurt your hand and we need to get you wrapped up and cleaned up before Kenshin and Yahiko wake up, hm?" she said.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry Jou-chan. I didn't mean to scare you." He stated, his eyes were downcast unable to look at her.

To this she said nothing, she leaned down and tore off a piece of her kimono and wrapped it around his right hand to stop the bleeding until she could get home and dress it properly. Luckily, she had worn one of her more tattered kimono's out so it was no big loss that she had to tear this one. She grabbed his left hand in her own small one and helped pull him to his feet. They walked that way, hand-in-hand down the alley, towards their home.

The second of Kaoru's assailants made no move to stop the two as they left the scene not wanting provoke the ire of the tall street fighter again. Who would have guessed a scrawny kid like that could cause this much devastation? He silently picked up his friend, whom he was sure was slowly bleeding to death, and ran as fast as he could towards the local doctor's house.


Hope you enjoyed! I'm going to try to be good and upload a new chapter once a week but let's see how long that will last. I'm a notorious procrastinator but I'm sure you all will help motivate me! Look forward to an update sometime next week, the next chapter is also very SanoXKaoru heavy.