Notes:
giggles Jime's back!! Jime's back!! happy dance around the
room Yahoo!!
Warnings: AU, Sano/Saitou (finally) violence (not much, just a little talking about death and stuff)
Hell of a Long Way Home
By: Emmy
Part Seven
---------------
I staggered back to the main room, took one look at Kaoru and trudged back to Hajime's room. I didn't want to be out in the open with Kaoru... she would be giving me too many stares, and they were not what I wanted to deal with. At least in Hajime's room I would feel comfortable. I was still blushing furiously as I sat down on his bed, I wrapped the blanket around me tightly. I fell back down onto his bed with a groan.
"I did not have to hear that... I really did not have to hear that..." I repeated to myself as I closed my eyes, trying very hard to rid myself of the images that were popping up in my head.
"What did you hear?"
"Aoshi and Kenshin going at it -- hey!!" I suddenly sat up as I heard the voice, but quickly fell back down to the bed as my stomach ached. I wasn't ready for that.
"Ow..." I muttered helplessly.
"What happened this time?"
Yup, that was definitely Hajime!
I sat up, this time ready for it and smiled as I saw him in the room, pulling his cloak off.
"Oh, some bitch of the Trilogy stabbed me in the stomach with a dagger." I replied flippantly.
His eyes widened as he got his cloak off and demanded, "Someone of the Trilogy was here?!"
"Yeah, but we have them gagged and bound in the commons room." I stated. "She came to assassinate me, but failed, so that's the end of that."
I frowned for a moment, "Wait... you knew about Aoshi and Kenshin?"
"Who doesn't know? It's not as if they say much about it, and I doubt they know that I know. It's not that big of a deal." Hajime said carefully, now that he had calmed down a little bit.
"But how would a robot... do... that?" I asked, my face in a perplexed expression.
Hajime chuckled, something that I had never heard from him. Hm, well I'm glad that -someone- found my confusion amusing. "Battousai's a -cyborg-, not a robot. And luckily for Shinomori, -that- particular part wasn't something that he lost."
"He's a fucking robot!" I stated loudly, and then groaned inwardly at my choice of words.
"And I didn't know that they were like -that-! It scared the shit out of me!" I said, exasperated.
"Why did it scare you?" He asked, with a smirk on his face, unloading three bags he was carrying as well.
I shook my head, I didn't know... I just didn't want to hear something like that... I paused instead.
"Hajime... I found the door in the corridor to the river... why were there dead bodies there?" I asked suddenly. He may have been mad at me for exploring on my own accord, but I could care less. I could always trust him to tell me the truth. That's all that he has been doing anyway.
I looked over and met his gaze. He was just looking at me. "You shouldn't have gone off exploring, Sanosuke." His voice was stiff, but he continued. "Those were guards were working for the Trilogy and just happened to come down on The Underground. We had to kill them."
"And that's where you put them, huh?" I asked, running a hand through my hair while I watched him.
He nodded. "Yes, until we get permission to throw them into the river."
"Who gives the permission?"
"The people that get the water from the river. They draw it a little down stream and we must know when they're irrigating the water. We don't want to thrown the corpse into the water when the city may be using it." He said simply and I felt sick.
"So those are only recent bodies? How many do you usually get?" I asked without another thought.
"A lot of the bodies that wash up aren't Trilogy bodies. A lot are civilians that they get rid of by sending down river when no family is alive to take the corpses." Saitou said carefully and I lowered my head to the ground. That's what they would have done with my family.
"No wondering the river smells like death..." I said shallowly. I shook my head and looked up. "So what did you find out about the river?" I asked after a moment's hesitation.
"You can listen when I report it to Aoshi and Kenshin."
I chuckled, "When they're done fucking."
"You're being rather blunt today."
"Hey! I was just traumatized!" I exclaimed, placing a hand on my chest, sticking my tongue out and winking at the same time.
"I hardly think that it affected you that much, just as that dagger to your stomach didn't affect you." He stated and I yawned.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh well, I need to be desensitized when I end up finding dead bodies every time I open a door." I said and then thought for a moment after Hajime changed. I guess he -had- come from the river, and he was soaking wet. He pulled on the first thing that was in his drawer after he had stripped down. For some reason I had a hard time keeping my eyes off of him. I cursed myself, I shouldn't have.
I wasn't like Aoshi and Kenshin...
At least I didn't think I was...
I looked up to him as he was pulling on his shirt, the last article of clothing he needed to get on, and looked at me. "You should at least get a pair of pants on." He stated flippantly.
I pouted. "The robot took my pants."
"Here." He said, and pulled a pair of lounge pants of his out for me.
I smiled and accepted them, pulling them on quickly. I rode them low on my hips to make sure they didn't interfere with my stomach wound. I looked around the room for a moment and then asked hesitantly, "How long does it usually take them...?"
"Not much longer, but we should occupy ourselves with something else for a little while." Hajime replied smoothly, sitting down in a chair while pulling something up to read and I nodded.
I hesitated, I didn't really want to say it... but I had to have an answer.
"'Jime?"
"Hm?" He asked, shifting his gaze to him.
"Why did you... kiss me?"
He looked at me for a moment. "To startle you so you wouldn't follow me."
His answer was so assuring, so smooth, so planned.
"What if that hadn't worked?"
"It did, didn't it? That's all that matters." He replied, and I frowned.
"What if I thought it had meant something more?" I continued, not worrying about digging my own grave, I was already doing that quite nicely.
"Meant something more?" He echoed, and that's what I was afraid of.
"Yeah, like how Aoshi and Kenshin mean it, maybe not -that- much of a something more, but something more in that... general direction..." I trailed off, looking up at him, unsure.
He shifted in the chair he had taken, but it wasn't an uncomfortable shifting. It was a shifting to see me better. "I don't think I see what you mean."
I raised an eyebrow. He needed a demonstration, I could see. I stood up and walked over to him, placing a finger on my chin. "Well, something like this, I guess." I stated and sat down on his lap, placing my hands on his arms, and then, leaning in I kissed him.
I pulled away and watched for a reaction.
"Like that?" He asked, arching an eyebrow, "Are you sure it wasn't something like this?"
I froze as he leaned in, closing the distance between us and kissed me. But it wasn't even in the same category as the previous two kisses. He kissed me deeply, sliding his tongue inside my mouth, playfully battling with mine. I closed my eyes and moved my arms from where they were pinning his, to around his neck as the kiss become more needing.
I moaned against his touch, and then slowly pulled away as he lightened up. I blinked, our faces a few inches away.
My breath was heavy as I watched him. "I guess that was what I meant..." I stated breathlessly.
"Then I guess my answer would have to be yes." He stated and I grinned, leaning in for another kiss as his arms wrapped around my back and I twisted my fingers into his hair.
Ya know what the funny part is....
About two minutes ago, I thought that I was straight...
--------
End of part seven
Warnings: AU, Sano/Saitou (finally) violence (not much, just a little talking about death and stuff)
Hell of a Long Way Home
By: Emmy
Part Seven
---------------
I staggered back to the main room, took one look at Kaoru and trudged back to Hajime's room. I didn't want to be out in the open with Kaoru... she would be giving me too many stares, and they were not what I wanted to deal with. At least in Hajime's room I would feel comfortable. I was still blushing furiously as I sat down on his bed, I wrapped the blanket around me tightly. I fell back down onto his bed with a groan.
"I did not have to hear that... I really did not have to hear that..." I repeated to myself as I closed my eyes, trying very hard to rid myself of the images that were popping up in my head.
"What did you hear?"
"Aoshi and Kenshin going at it -- hey!!" I suddenly sat up as I heard the voice, but quickly fell back down to the bed as my stomach ached. I wasn't ready for that.
"Ow..." I muttered helplessly.
"What happened this time?"
Yup, that was definitely Hajime!
I sat up, this time ready for it and smiled as I saw him in the room, pulling his cloak off.
"Oh, some bitch of the Trilogy stabbed me in the stomach with a dagger." I replied flippantly.
His eyes widened as he got his cloak off and demanded, "Someone of the Trilogy was here?!"
"Yeah, but we have them gagged and bound in the commons room." I stated. "She came to assassinate me, but failed, so that's the end of that."
I frowned for a moment, "Wait... you knew about Aoshi and Kenshin?"
"Who doesn't know? It's not as if they say much about it, and I doubt they know that I know. It's not that big of a deal." Hajime said carefully, now that he had calmed down a little bit.
"But how would a robot... do... that?" I asked, my face in a perplexed expression.
Hajime chuckled, something that I had never heard from him. Hm, well I'm glad that -someone- found my confusion amusing. "Battousai's a -cyborg-, not a robot. And luckily for Shinomori, -that- particular part wasn't something that he lost."
"He's a fucking robot!" I stated loudly, and then groaned inwardly at my choice of words.
"And I didn't know that they were like -that-! It scared the shit out of me!" I said, exasperated.
"Why did it scare you?" He asked, with a smirk on his face, unloading three bags he was carrying as well.
I shook my head, I didn't know... I just didn't want to hear something like that... I paused instead.
"Hajime... I found the door in the corridor to the river... why were there dead bodies there?" I asked suddenly. He may have been mad at me for exploring on my own accord, but I could care less. I could always trust him to tell me the truth. That's all that he has been doing anyway.
I looked over and met his gaze. He was just looking at me. "You shouldn't have gone off exploring, Sanosuke." His voice was stiff, but he continued. "Those were guards were working for the Trilogy and just happened to come down on The Underground. We had to kill them."
"And that's where you put them, huh?" I asked, running a hand through my hair while I watched him.
He nodded. "Yes, until we get permission to throw them into the river."
"Who gives the permission?"
"The people that get the water from the river. They draw it a little down stream and we must know when they're irrigating the water. We don't want to thrown the corpse into the water when the city may be using it." He said simply and I felt sick.
"So those are only recent bodies? How many do you usually get?" I asked without another thought.
"A lot of the bodies that wash up aren't Trilogy bodies. A lot are civilians that they get rid of by sending down river when no family is alive to take the corpses." Saitou said carefully and I lowered my head to the ground. That's what they would have done with my family.
"No wondering the river smells like death..." I said shallowly. I shook my head and looked up. "So what did you find out about the river?" I asked after a moment's hesitation.
"You can listen when I report it to Aoshi and Kenshin."
I chuckled, "When they're done fucking."
"You're being rather blunt today."
"Hey! I was just traumatized!" I exclaimed, placing a hand on my chest, sticking my tongue out and winking at the same time.
"I hardly think that it affected you that much, just as that dagger to your stomach didn't affect you." He stated and I yawned.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh well, I need to be desensitized when I end up finding dead bodies every time I open a door." I said and then thought for a moment after Hajime changed. I guess he -had- come from the river, and he was soaking wet. He pulled on the first thing that was in his drawer after he had stripped down. For some reason I had a hard time keeping my eyes off of him. I cursed myself, I shouldn't have.
I wasn't like Aoshi and Kenshin...
At least I didn't think I was...
I looked up to him as he was pulling on his shirt, the last article of clothing he needed to get on, and looked at me. "You should at least get a pair of pants on." He stated flippantly.
I pouted. "The robot took my pants."
"Here." He said, and pulled a pair of lounge pants of his out for me.
I smiled and accepted them, pulling them on quickly. I rode them low on my hips to make sure they didn't interfere with my stomach wound. I looked around the room for a moment and then asked hesitantly, "How long does it usually take them...?"
"Not much longer, but we should occupy ourselves with something else for a little while." Hajime replied smoothly, sitting down in a chair while pulling something up to read and I nodded.
I hesitated, I didn't really want to say it... but I had to have an answer.
"'Jime?"
"Hm?" He asked, shifting his gaze to him.
"Why did you... kiss me?"
He looked at me for a moment. "To startle you so you wouldn't follow me."
His answer was so assuring, so smooth, so planned.
"What if that hadn't worked?"
"It did, didn't it? That's all that matters." He replied, and I frowned.
"What if I thought it had meant something more?" I continued, not worrying about digging my own grave, I was already doing that quite nicely.
"Meant something more?" He echoed, and that's what I was afraid of.
"Yeah, like how Aoshi and Kenshin mean it, maybe not -that- much of a something more, but something more in that... general direction..." I trailed off, looking up at him, unsure.
He shifted in the chair he had taken, but it wasn't an uncomfortable shifting. It was a shifting to see me better. "I don't think I see what you mean."
I raised an eyebrow. He needed a demonstration, I could see. I stood up and walked over to him, placing a finger on my chin. "Well, something like this, I guess." I stated and sat down on his lap, placing my hands on his arms, and then, leaning in I kissed him.
I pulled away and watched for a reaction.
"Like that?" He asked, arching an eyebrow, "Are you sure it wasn't something like this?"
I froze as he leaned in, closing the distance between us and kissed me. But it wasn't even in the same category as the previous two kisses. He kissed me deeply, sliding his tongue inside my mouth, playfully battling with mine. I closed my eyes and moved my arms from where they were pinning his, to around his neck as the kiss become more needing.
I moaned against his touch, and then slowly pulled away as he lightened up. I blinked, our faces a few inches away.
My breath was heavy as I watched him. "I guess that was what I meant..." I stated breathlessly.
"Then I guess my answer would have to be yes." He stated and I grinned, leaning in for another kiss as his arms wrapped around my back and I twisted my fingers into his hair.
Ya know what the funny part is....
About two minutes ago, I thought that I was straight...
--------
End of part seven
