This chapter: Everyone is texting Kenshin except Sanosuke? Hey, man, that's not okay.

Chapter Eleven

Texting

Aoshi navigated the thin streets expertly as though he'd lived in the city all his life, "We have plane tickets to Milan tonight. The show is in the evening so you'll still have time to rest beforehand. Remember, you won't be on stage, but there will be plenty of people seeking you out for potential bookings."

Kenshin felt the stress of his job returning already, "That was fast."

"With you being gone we're both behind schedule. Thankfully, all the bookings we had to cancel had understanding representatives that sympathized with your disappearance."

Kenshin leaned on the door and watched houses fly by, "Pity I couldn't have stayed disappeared. I was enjoying the distance."

"I understand your dislike of the job, but a person such as you dropping off the grid puts dozens of people in an uproar. When we get to the airport we'll pick up your phone. Keeping in better contact will prevent something like this from happening again."

Kenshin had always avoided purchasing a cell phone. His job was demanding enough and he had no desire to be in constant contact. He had a landline in his apartment and even that thing seemed to ring constantly.

Kenshin perked a bit, "By the way, does the contract you got for me have texting?"

"No, why?"

"Can we add that?"

Aoshi glanced at him, "Shouldn't be difficult. Any particular reason? You've always preferred the more personal methods of communication."

"Everybody at the museum has texting. I figure it's time I get with the times and this seems as good a reason as any."

"It'll be done."

Kenshin gave a tiny, happy sigh and continued to watch the landscape zoom past.

Aoshi looked again and saw Kenshin's content expression reflected in the window. He felt like sighing, for a much different reason, but held the urge at bay.

"I'm not sure how to respond to this situation, and I'm uncertain whether or not it's even appropriate to broach it. But I do know not talking about it will get under my skin."

Kenshin turned to him, "What do you need to talk about?"

"You barely know Sanosuke."

"I know." He sunk against the seat, "It was something I told myself the first day. I'm still telling myself that."

"So why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Sleep with him?"

"Oh, that." Kenshin's expression softened, "I just feel… connected to him. I can't explain it. It's like I knew him in a past life. It's the same way I felt when you introduced yourself - like I'd met you before."

Aoshi's brow tensed a moment, because he knew exactly what Kenshin was talking about. Even that asshole, Saitou, seemed vaguely familiar. Suppressing the urge to swear, Aoshi pulled his car over. The breaks squeaked as they came to a sudden stop on the side of the road.

Kenshin looked at Aoshi, concerned as he waited for him to speak. He'd never seen him this deep in thought, let alone bothered by his thoughts.

Aoshi sighed, quietly and slowly, "You love him."

Kenshin swallowed and softly spoke his reply, "It's too early to tell."

"It's too early for you to tell, but everyone else knows. Every single crazy employee in that absurd museum sees it. I see it. I used to believe such swift genuine attraction was impossible – the stuff of terrible movies and fairy tales – but you two take the cake on this one. Congratulations for that."

Kenshin didn't comment on Aoshi's uncharacteristic emotional reaction. He understood that Aoshi wasn't accustomed to dealing with romantic situations that dealt with individuals close to his heart.

He looked away from Aoshi, down at his hands folded in his lap, and asked, "So what am I supposed to do?"

Aoshi leaned back in his seat and propped an arm on the ledge of his window. Seeming to struggle with himself, he cupped his palm over his mouth as though creating a barrier to prevent blurting his thoughts without filtering them first. He inhaled long and slow. It was a sobering breath. His hand moved.

"You have to go back."

"But we have work."

"Not today. Maybe not even within the next few weeks. But you have to go back."

Kenshin felt himself smile, feeling a renewed sense of trust in his instincts. Aoshi said nothing more as he returned to driving.

It would be a long drive to the airport, and Kenshin decided spending it in silence was not desirable.

"Will you go back?"

"I have no reason to return."

"Are you sure? Bobby seems to like you. Don't you want to go see him?"

"No."

Kenshin laughed at the terse response, "You don't honestly believe yourself, do you?"

"That boy is both conniving and predatory. He jumped me in the shower. Personal space is something he clearly doesn't have or understand."

"You could have turned down his advances."

"Maybe next time you visit you should have him demonstrate his manipulation techniques. It won't be until after you've fallen for them that you realize what transpired."

"Are you saying you were tricked into actually enjoying yourself?"

"I was not tricked into enjoying myself. And I do enjoy myself under normal circumstances, contrary to common belief."

Kenshin closed his eyes against the sun, smiling, "I think Bobby was good for you."

"I would have preferred the quiet one."

"Kel?"

Aoshi inclined his head, "He at least appears to have some decency and sense."

"He is levelheaded compared to some of the others, but I'm sure you'd find things to nitpick about his personality, too. You always do."

"You're too accepting of the flaws of others."

"I see my point has been made." Kenshin chuckled, "I'm so very glad to have you as a friend, though."

Aoshi made a quiet grunt of acknowledgement and signaled his way into the fast lane.

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Katsu ensured the staff was in top form the following week. Jake and Kel were both off unless needed and Bobby was kept busy giving tours to the school field trip groups. His energy rivaled that of the children so he always enjoyed interacting with them.

Hiru was assigned to cover some of the jobs that leaned more toward secretarial. He didn't mind taking over some of the duties, and it freed Katsu to pay closer attention to Sanosuke.

"Are you moping again?"

Sanosuke shot him a look that said it all, "I have not been moping."

"Are you sure? You're wearing your moping hoodie."

"Dare I ask what makes it my moping hoodie?"

Katsu bit his lower lip to control his smile, "You only wear it when you're moping."

"You are such a brat."

"Come on. Let's get your mind off how much you miss Kenshin."

Sanosuke heaved a sigh, "And how do you intend to go about it this time?"

"Paperwork!" Katsu dropped a stack onto the coffee table.

"Ah, my old rival. We meet again."

Sanosuke set into reading and signing anything from insurance forms to terms of agreement. Receiving new works of art, or loaning them out to other museums, was a tedious process he hoped to one day delegate to someone else. Until that day, he handled all of it.

Midway through the stack, he looked up at Katsu to see him texting. He'd been doing that off and on since coming upstairs. It continued for another ten minutes before he said anything.

"Did Saitou finally give in to texting or something? You've been pretty attached to that thing."

Katsu hummed, "Oh don't worry. He still hates anything that isn't his pager or his old person flip phone. I'm texting someone else. I imagine you'll eventually fall under the texting curse, too. Give it time. You've already gotten a lot faster with your hunt and peck skills."

Sanosuke rolled his eyes and signed another form.

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Kel looked over the back of his couch at the sound of a familiar knock on his front door.

"Come in."

The door swung open and Jake strolled in. He was holding a brown paper bag, which Kel eyed and promptly deduced its contents. The dim lighting of Kel's cabin-like house blanketed Jake in a flattering way. Hiru would have watched him like a hawk, admiring how handsome the man was, but Kel averted his eyes without a thought.

"Hey," Jake toed off his boots and tossed a newspaper across the room, "how goes it?"

"It continues to go." Kel caught the paper and removed the rubber band to begin unfolding it, "How are you?"

"Well rested. Hungry?"

"Mm."

"Good, because I'm starving." Jake disappeared into the kitchen and returned with plates and chopsticks. He set them out nice and neat on the coffee table. Opening the bag, he set out two containers.

"Now," Jake sat beside him, "I made this exactly the way you showed me. Be honest with me on how it tastes."

"You do this every month." Kel put his chin on his hand and sighed as he flipped through the headlines.

"I'm not going to get any better feeding people with less refined pallets. You're the pickiest eater I know. So feel free to critique as brutally as you want."

Kel let Jake dish him a heaping serving of rice and top it with cashew chicken. It smelled wonderful, and he was sure it tasted just fine.

Jake handed him the plate and then dished his own before easing back into the couch, "You get any sleep this morning? You look like you didn't."

Kel rubbed his face, "A little." He flipped on the TV, knowing Jake liked to watch the news, too.

"Have you ever considered going to the doctor about that? Maybe they could prescribe you some pills to help."

"I've had several different prescriptions in the last couple years. They don't work."

"Jeeze. Now I feel like a tit."

Kel smiled, exhausted, "Nah. You're a bro. Always bringing me food. Worrying about me. Saying you need me to critique your food as an excuse to make sure I'm eating. It's very sweet."

"Dude!" Jake elbowed him, "I've been doing this for years and you just now tell me you've known all along? Why didn't you say something right away?"

Kel held up the day's headline, "Free newspaper."

"Is that all I am to you? Free newspapers?"

Kel seemed to perk and he dropped the paper in favor of the remote to turn the volume up, "Look."

Jake focused on the woman speaking.

"Recently found Kenshin Himura has returned home. If you watched our program previously, you'll recall we reported on his absence in the modeling world. Reports were that he had been kidnapped after a photo shoot with his photographer and agent, Aoshi Shinomori. We were not able to reach Himura or Mr. Shinomori for comment." Several photos of Aoshi and Kenshin were displayed on the screen. The news anchor went into a brief background on Aoshi, showing some of the photos he'd taken, and then provided a small snippet on Kenshin as well.

Kel picked up his cell phone and slid it open to reveal a full keyboard. He began typing away.

"Texting someone?"

Kel made an affirming noise, "Kenshin."

"What? You, too?"

"Who else have you seen texting him?"

"Both Hiru and Bobby. They've been texting him regularly since he left."

"Not Sanosuke, though?"

"Not that I've seen."

"M'not surprised. Might take a little while to kickstart that." Kel sent his message and snapped his phone shut. With a newfound sense of interest he picked up his plate and began eating.

"I'm afraid to ask what you guys have been texting him."

"You used too much soy sauce."

Jake chuckled, "Thanks. I'll be sure to work on that."

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Friday had finally arrived and Katsu gladly eased into a chair at their dinner table. Saitou had been gone all week filling in for an injured officer. He was due to return around 3am and Katsu was looking forward to driving home to greet him. For now he would enjoy the dinner Jake had prepared for them.

"Hiru should be finishing up anytime now. Before I came down he was on the last batch of papers."

Jake set a plate of seasoned steak topped with grilled vegetables in front of Katsu, "No hurry. You guys have been busy this week. Could have called me in sooner, you know."

"Oh, I know. Time just kept getting away from us. This looks wonderful, by the way." Katsu picked up his fork and knife and began cutting the steak.

Bobby wandered in, nose aimed at the screen of his phone and little fingers typing expertly away.

Jake shook his head, "You guys are going to burn out all those buttons for as often as you've been pressing them."

Bobby sat next to Katsu, "It's for a good cause."

"What do you guys text him, anyway?"

"All sorts of stuff." Bobby set his phone down and reached for the pitcher of lemonade to pour himself a glass.

"That's really vague, kiddo."

"We talk about normal stuff. I ask how he is, what he's been up to, how Aoshi is doing - that kind of stuff. I just want to make sure he's kept in our circle. Can't let him drift away."

Hiru entered with a dramatic noise of distaste, "I'm finally done. That last guy was unbelievably picky about the guidelines for how his paintings are to be displayed. Shoot me now." Finger pressed to his temple, he made a gesture with his hand similar to pulling the trigger of a gun.

Bobby scooted a chair out for Hiru, "So do you text Kenshin normal stuff or are you weird about it?"

Hiru scowled, "How does one go about being weird in their texting? I just send him greetings and ask how his day is going."

"See?" Bobby looked at Jake, "Normal stuff."

Katsu made a worried face, "Oof, I must be doing it wrong then, because I've been harassing him about coming back and rogering Sanosuke real good like."

"Katsu!" Bobby and Hiru snapped it at the same time.

Jake started laughing.

"You can't do that! What if you scare him away?" Bobby looked aghast.

"Ohhh, like you're one to talk."

Jake cut in, "Makes me wonder what Kel has been texting him."

Katsu exchanged glances with Bobby and Hiru.

"I'll text him and ask." Katsu pulled out his phone. Bobby and Hiru did likewise.

"Wow." Jake set another plate on the table, "I feel out of place. And really, really old."

Sanosuke stepped into the room, saluting Jake and then stopping to deconstruct the sight before him. Katsu, Bobby, and Hiru all with noses in their phones was not a normal sight. Until recently.

"Why is everyone texting more lately?"

Jake let him in on the trend, "They've been texting Kenshin."

"What? How'd everyone get his number?"

Hiru snorted, "I saw it on your desk when I was submitting all that friggin' paperwork you filled out."

Sanosuke looked at Bobby, "And how'd you get it?"

Bobby pointed at Hiru while continuing to type with one hand.

Jake motioned to the open chair with a plate of food in front of it to signify it was meant for Sanosuke, "Kel apparently has it, too."

"Jeeze. I haven't even sent him a message yet."

"We know." Hiru gave him a disapproving look, "You need to amend that."

"Alright, Mr. Scowls-in-Disapproval-at-his-Boss. I will."

"When?"

"Later tonight. After dinner. You gonna text Kenshin that?" Now he was mocking him.

"Please, I'm not that incapable of entertaining myself."

Sanosuke ate his dinner, having to nudge Katsu on several occasions to remind him to pause texting to eat. It was a sort of payback for all the times he'd been harassed about letting his food get cold, or just not eating altogether. It was nice to be on the other side of that for once.

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Kenshin settled into bed after a warm shower and picked up his phone to see more messages from Bobby, Hiru, and Katsu. To his surprise, there was one from Sanosuke. He opened it first.

'Sorry about half my staff sending you what seems like a relentless barrage of texts. I walked into the kitchen to see three of them texting. Hope you're doing well.'

Kenshin began composing a reply, 'Their messages have kept me company all week. I have been doing very well, as has Aoshi-despite all the phone calls he's been receiving from news stations. I imagine they will die down soon.'

It wasn't a minute later he received a reply while reading through his other messages.

'Kel mentioned something about seeing you on the news. Sorry again about all the… kidnapping business. (I cut Saitou's pay. He hasn't noticed yet.)'

Kenshin breathed a laugh, 'I'm sure he'll catch on soon. He seems sharp.'

Feeling his text was too finalizing, and not yet ready to end the conversation, he texted again.

'Do you have a free weekend that I could potentially come for a visit?'

The response came after a few minutes, 'Looks like the weekend after next is pretty open if that works for you. Everyone here will be ecstatic to see you again.'

Kenshin smiled at the message, his chest already filling with fondness and excitement, 'Can we plan on that weekend, then?'

'Absolutely.'

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12.11.2014

Next chapter: Aoshi needs reassurance and Kel has it in spades. Sanosuke and Kenshin spend some time alone together.