Sano was alone with Saitou and Kenshin in the last inn before entering Kyoto's border, thinking about how they would definitely have killed each other if this random meeting had happened fifteen or twenty years ago. Thinking of how much all their lives are governed by a lord or a master, a situation they couldn't escape... And how they shouldn't even entertain the idea they're free men.
They're not free, never free, they were only survivors and couldn't take the easy way out of ending their lives. They have to carry on living, stupidly and bloody, when they're unable to fight an argument an argument anymore in a civilized society or deal with the sexual tension between alleys and whorehouses; because Japan was apparently a unified and polite nation nowadays.
As though back-alley deals were a thing of the past and nobody spied anyone that was worth spying on. The fact that the law of the land was kill or be killed and that indiscriminately doing so happened to be the way of handling things in Japan was not a surprise to anyone. An arbitrary decision to make killings illegal as a way to stop clan wars? That was a surprise, and not a happy one.
Hundred years of blood pounded berserkers into being, a way of life, and all of that history coalesced in the veins of three different people, quietly waiting, in a room. Quiet now, against our own history. Resigned to insignificance.
Well, it is a good thing that none of the fragile new beings of the Meiji Era was nearby. This type of setting would tire them quickly when their thoughts are filled with dark nights, glints of swords and only the moon as the last female to wish you well and a good night, not knowing if that would be the last night of your life.
-Who are they , even ? But bloodied spirits marked by sheer survival when others perished ?-
When Kenshin's parents died for not knowing how to handle a sword, farmers only, trying to run away from the fights and getting attacked by simple bandits that were cruel, hungry and strong enough to slay innocent lives without a shred of remorse. Does he even remember his mother's face anymore? Not like he can remember sensei's, coming like an avenging entity from beyond the forest, astray and drinking offerings like that was all he had to do in his life. And maybe it was what he chose to do so, unaffected with others suffering unless it was a small child that knew which point of the sword to point at an unguarded belly. He would have been executed, like Shishio was supposed to die from his wounds, if he hadn't been quicker disappearing when he did.
My life is forever linked with my charming captain, brave and idealistic, knowing that he would change Japan... Knowing it so well in his heart that he inspired two small kids into following after his army. Captain Sagara felt that I would be secure with such an army that strived to make the entire country safe for them to play. But I barely survived the ambush when it happened, he even thought he was the last one to have survived with that legacy. From that day on and until the rest of his life Sanosuke Sagara can't trust anyone in a government that would trap good cit i zens, killing anyone from the shadows like cowards. Instead of choosing the honourable play they executed Sagara and his men for defying the imperialists' lies!
They 'd changed the rules because they were afraid of losing. And that was a likely event. Because no Nippon would ever bow their heads and lay their katanas in submission , such a thing was only possible after several clans, who refused, were punished for their insubordination with annihilation. The clans that did agree with the law having been convinced with swords on their necks and threats to their clans.
Saitou... what even to say about this man that was already so much older than him and Kenshin ? That was fighting and killing, risking his life and sanity for longer than any of us? That takes a man of a certain strain to manage to have a wife in a somewhat happy marriage since no one got betrayed in the darkest hours. He was a warrior, bred to fight, to kill and to die for his convictions. A true samurai. His motto was honesty , the lone wolf that served the shogun. He was not to set aside his path, not to earn money, intrude in other business or in private fights... To keep pure his sight.
Technically , Saitou was the only one amongst us sticking to his plans in the purest of forms. Since Battousai Himura was always considered more berserker than human, killer than a child , with a big sword and quick feet guiding him onwards.
Not even the housing we're at, any Japanese house even, survived the times of war. Temples, farms or castle. All had hidden rooms for storage, for sieges and for hiding. It was better if no one knew you were hiding an important thing behind a seemingly simple window or sliding doors. An inside garden was both a relief and a security breach, but it was a well-guarded secret if you wanted to survive another raid of chilling whistles whenever a dead body was found on the streets by the police.
You don't escape war. It will find you, it will make you prey or build you into a merciless predator, there was no in between; be you elderly, a woman or a child, if you bleed you can be killed, if you refuse you'll be made to move aside. War has a way of making ordinary people feel big and god-like in spirit, attempting to make everyone else heel to their power.
But people get tired. The spirit breaks. There is no more reason to be the last one standing unless you're actually winning more than you're losing and for some of them that started life in debt! That's too much of mindless killing with no end in sight. No matter if they're prideful beings that would never stop trying if they could, but they experienced peaceful times by now, women and friends, good food and drinking, sake that wasn't a toast for surviving or for being the one killing. They know what is like to lay in the grass by the sun and know that there isn't really any danger from the trees or behind a valley. And it is good. It feels nice to be able to relax like they could n 't unless they were with allies.
If they do need to fight one more time to keep that? Well... Guess that's what we are doing, isn't it? No one's bothering with conversation or lamps inside the room. Just a single candle to make everyone take their own restful spot, where their food could be eaten with not much of a mess and so everyone can enter that eerie meditative state where nothing else matters. You prepare, you say your prayers and your goodbyes, you don't need others, but you have awareness of where they are and what their weaker spots are.
Sano is at disadvantage here... He never won against Kenshin and he never fought seriously as well, he knows he was never a threat to the redheaded even when they weren't friends. And Saitou... He's pretty sure he would kill him, lick his sword and drink sake happily over his dead glazed eyes, he's that much of a ruthless bastard, that annoyance isn't even an act at this point, he's barely tolerable.
Sano's too young to have truly survived the Tokugawa reign as these two soldiers from opposite sides, destined to kill each other until there's no one standing. Not even the pain of martial court, the fact that there's a law, a new Era and no reason to fight, is enough to change them, their bodies are too used to the motion of pointing swords at each other's throat. It's a chemistry, a forest fire that grows bigger and more dangerous the longer they face their old enemy, flint y gazes wishing to kill by distance if it would be possible, without dirtying their weapons.
"It's too much chemistry", suspiciously so for some to care so much how the other lives or dies, and how they grunt in pain. Would they do something else except ignore each other if Sano wasn't there to curb them down? He was almost gutted to send a message to Kenshin. He was summarily ignored whenever those two looked at each other through blood-filled dreams. It was like he wasn't even there now, anyway, when they're keeping quiet and in close quarters like the headquarters of old. The headquarters Sano was familiar with was always filled with laughter, light and joy, he can't endure whatever the hell these two are sulking about. All this tension was making his teeth ache.
Does he need to look stupid and act like a geisha now as well? Pouring drinks after drinks down their throats in hopes they relax some and finally think of anything else besides the war? Does he need to show more skin and cleavage as well? Not that he doesn't do enough, when he was blessed nicely with a body that few would be embarrassed having, as their own or as their night partner. Strangely enough, he's the heaviest of the men in the inn. The tallest too, lanky Saitou has to wear his stupid police boots to hide how he's slightly shorter, he's too thin as well, it makes him look taller, a true lie. But no one can deny the delicate looks of Kenshin, small and feminine, hidden muscles capable of thrusting two pounds of metal through someone's bones, if needed.
It's not even that he looks like a woman and that he's really that delicate, in fact it is easier to think of Kenshin as a child that grew up too fast and didn't eat enough food. He's gentle, yes, but it's more like a mask to hide the scent of the hitokiri that cut Japan clean. He may have never been a child anyway, does he even remembers how to play? How he'd had carefree experiences? Not even his training was peaceful if he thought joining a revolution was the way to go, but now, acknowledging what he had missed... yeah, maybe he will try to fake happiness until he can feel something new again. You can never be too sure of what life has for you when you lived during the Bakumatsu.
He never told me anything, but it's easy to see he doesn't sleep well when others are in the same room as he is. A whole night of sleepless brooding men? No, none of them will handle that well. Drunk and horny men is better for the business of the inn and better for their hearts to leave the sword for a bit, before they can actually meet Shishio.
Should Sano push these gentlemen then? It isn't as stupid as an idea like he always has, it's practically cliché of himself to ask for food, for sake, for music and fun because he hates brooding when he can't fight. It should be obvious to him: he can either fight this bloodthirsty reminiscent of soldiers or he can try something else! A horizontal fight is as exhilarant as a brawl, and with people so intense as Himura Kenshin and Hajime Saitou, that would be one of his better ideas ever.
It's only a matter of his survival now.
And if these idiots will remember to keep themselves whole and with minimal bruising! No chance of Shishio missing an opportunity if he sees someone limping or distracted by some fanciful lighting that stroke them the best way to showcase their bright eyes or glossy hair. Fuck, maybe he was already too drunk to deal with this rationally. But he's done the brooding bit. He fought Kenshin, he almost went to his arms prepared to die. He's not going to think too much on this now, when his survival is even less likely to happen.
So that's why Sano stupidly got up from his side of the room and put his lips to the redhead's. Not even a smooth kiss, it was a wkward, his arms were splayed in the wall and the floor, he had to crane his neck really well to get to Kenshin's face, because he had his chin down his chest and his incredibly dumb ass was back to the room. Vulnerable to any attack from Saitou, when he can't even see the policeman; now Saitou had an opening to kill him as he always promised he would do.
There was a soft gasp. A moment of confusion. Kenshin tentatively kissing back, water cooled lips to Sano's hot sakeed ones.
— Tch.
Saitou's displeasure was obvious behind his tensing muscles. Should Sano stop what he was doing? He didn't want to, Kenshin was warm and reliable, with an inner light that shined like compassion and strength and he missed that in his life, missed something that could be there like his captain once was and the lines were a bit blurry around familial bonds, about crushes and expectations of romance. Not that he would get between the crazy dojo lady and the ex hitokiri when everyone could see how much he longed for quiet, normalcy and the chance of a family. (Fat lot of good he would get with something immature and screechy like Kamiya Kaoru but you couldn't discount for bad taste.) - A nd it would be too painful to get someone closer to what he engaged in during the Bakumatsu. Every lady was soft in skin , but not in heart.-
They could die in a few days. If this is what will happen then he's already made peace with himself and will bravely punch everyone within distance until he has no more breath. But that is after, for now he has enough breath to smell Kenshin's musk from travelling and he wanted to know more about what made him twitch, he was too controlled and quiet otherwise.
Maybe Saitou would help him with this plan , that man had the strangest way of drawing out this insanity behind Kenshin's eyes. Like a well attuned lover. It's no surprise that he's a crazy son of a bitch, the question is how Kenshin could have fallen for his trap, maybe he just survived for too long, they couldn't be more different than each other, what, an after-fight fuck where they had to deal immediately? Betraying secrets? With the chance to be called traitors? What is it that he's missing in this story?...
— If you're even going to make a blunder of sex, you idiot, I'll have to take over. I can't stand here and let this embarrassment go on. Himura, shame on you as well, have some dignity!
— Like you can do any better?! Stay out of this, you leashed dog!
— Ask your dear wandering swordsman then, how well I do it. I bet he will tell you how he panted like a bitch and faked his limp like I had actually hit him somewhere vital. The sounds he makes almost like he was dying.
Well. That shouldn't have sounded so hot, should it ?
— Stop, Saitou. You know we said we wouldn't do anything anymore; you have your wife and I had... Too much has changed. You too, Sano, I think some of the ladies would be happy to get your attention if you want something.
— Shut up, Kenshin!
— Yes, Himura, do shut up. You're seriously going to ignore the tryst we had when I spied on your little organization? Have more poise, otherwise shut your damn mouth and start acting intereste d. I have no intention to work to get some over here.
"Such an arrogant bastard. He can't even be thankful?!" At least now Sanosuke was certain they would enjoy the most of their night. Tomorrow, they walk into Kyoto.
Beta-ed by Al. You can find them at FFNet 5441981 / Al-Evans; AO3 users / AlEvans26 and Tumblr at .com