A/N: Definitely inspired by my love for Alias.
Standard disclaimers apply.
086: Holiday
He was too old to be doing this. He should've listened to his wife – retiring before the New Year would have been fantastic. Instead, he promised to serve another year.
What a horrible mistake.
He was already sweating when he stepped out into the sweltering heat that belonged to Ecuador. Why the hell did he need to go after him during this hemisphere's summer? He could feel his balding scalp burning already.
While he slightly waddled down the stairs off the jet, he stripped off his jacket and tied it around his large waist. The cell phone in his pocket vibrated uncomfortably in his back pocket. The caller ID read his wife.
"How many years have we been married? Please do not call me when I'm out on a mission!" He growled quietly in the phone as he stepped onto the pavement.
"I know, Kihei, but I thought you would be warned ahead of time that my mother is here."
"Of all the freaking weeks…"
"It will only be a few days."
"I'm surprised she hasn't died yet."
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing, dear. Okay, I have to call headquarters now. I love you." He pressed the "end" button and sighed in frustration. How did his mother-in-law always find the worst times to visit? She was almost one-hundred-years-old – it was about time she threw in the towel in his opinion.
He dialed a few numbers as he walked over to the Jeep Wrangler parked a few hundred feet away. There were two rings before someone picked up.
"This is Defarge – I've landed and making headway for Red."
"Alright Defarge, keep your course. Report back when you're in the town."
Kihei pocketed his phone and sighed as he climbed into the dirty Jeep. How was he forced into this again?
After a two hour drive through open desert and cactuses, he was relieved to see the open ocean to his left. He had to admit – although Ecuador was one of the poorest third world countries, its views were stunning.
He got out in front of an open church – a wooden figure of Mother Mary holding a baby Jesus was at the entrance with a Spanish phrase at her feet. A few natives walked passed him to enter the church, making the sign of the cross.
The dirt trail in front of him continued down the steep hill where it went through a very simple, yet crowded town. He figured this was the place.
By the time he reached the town, he was sweating profusely. All he wanted was a long, cold shower. Why couldn't Sano have done this? After all, the two of them were best friends.
After calling headquarters once more, he kept his eyes open for that painfully familiar shade of red. However, everyone in the town looked like homeless people, and smelled strongly of pot.
Walking past the fourth stand of handmade jewelry made Kihei want to turn around and get back in the Jeep. He could honestly care less about him. In fact, he thought it was good riddance that he ran away from the CIA without leaving a message. The new generation of secret agents was too cocky in his opinion. Kihei was also pleased that his partner had disappeared as well. Although they were the best in the agency, he couldn't help but feel relieved that he would never have to see them –
"You're looking for me?" A voice said.
He froze, looking around him slowly. The person who spoke to him chuckled in amusement. He found him leaning against a wooden chair, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
Kihei couldn't believe he'd almost missed him – his bright red hair was still the same. He snorted – the kid was as cocky as ever.
Anybody who knew him would be able to tell who he was from a mile away. But he wasn't to talk – he worked with him for over seven years, yet he had almost passed him.
Kenshin Himura was truly a master at disappearing.
"What are you doing here?" The red haired man asked, staring at Kihei from behind a pair of sunglasses.
"What am I doing here? I think the proper question is what are you doing here? Of all the places in the world…Ecuador? In one of the poorest towns?"
"Exactly. Besides, I think it's quite relaxing. Everything is very chill." They were enveloped in a silence. A waiter came by and put an opened Coke glass bottle with a straw in it. Kenshin picked up the Coke and sipped it thoughtfully. "I figured one of these days one of you would come."
"Then why didn't you jump around if you really didn't want to be caught. After all, isn't that what you wanted? To never work with us again?" Kihei asked frustratingly.
A smirk grew on Kenshin's face. "And when did I say those words?"
Kihei closed his mouth and breathed out deeply. "You are unbelievable! I don't know why I was sent to this god-forsaken country to find you, who are nothing more than an arrogant, rude –"
"Could you stop insulting my husband, it's rather annoying." A beautiful woman said from behind Kenshin. She brought her sunglasses on top of her head to reveal deep blue eyes.
"Kaoru Kamiya? Is this is a sick joke?" Kihei hissed.
"What? The fact you found both of us in this 'god-forsaken' country, or the fact that we're married?" She asked casually, sitting on Kenshin's lap and taking his Coke.
Kihei balled his hands into tight fists and pursed his lips. He had his suspicions that the two of them had a relationship beyond that of coworkers, but he never expected the two to actually go off and marry each other. He didn't think their relationship would be that significant.
"Oh, Kenshin, I believe you've pushed some of his buttons." Kaoru said in a mockingly reprimanding voice.
Kenshin sighed loudly. "I'm sorry, he was just acting like a complete douche bag and I couldn't stop myself!"
"Katsu wants you." Kihei stated flatly, giving up on trying putting them in their place. Even though he was older and technically above them, he couldn't deny that their talent was exactly what the CIA needed.
"For what?" Kaoru asked curiously.
"Enishi is up to some weaponry sales in Saudi Arabia." Kihei explained, fishing into his pocket and taking out a few pictures. One had a man with shocking white hair, Enishi, talking on a cell phone and another with him talking to a few men that were currently wanted internationally.
Kenshin slid his sunglasses on top of his head as a mischievous grin slowly grew on his face. "Enishi." His amber eyes sparked with interest.
"He's planning on purchasing a recently developed prototype that could potentially destroy an entire city. We need to get this prototype to Langley."
He looked up to his wife with an expectant smile. "I think we had a long enough holiday, don't you agree?"
She ran a hand through his long, red bangs with an amused smile. Meeting Kihei's gaze, her smile turned into a smirk nearly identical to Kenshin's. "Yeah, I think it's about time we came back."
A/N: I really had too much fun writing Kenshin's character - in my mind he is just so hot in this fic. But anyway, Almandine WILL be posted shortly - I'm almost done with the chapter!
Please review!
MissGoalie
