Author: Arashi
Website: www.kenkaya.com (if you haven't been there, go... you'll enjoy it, trust me...)
Beta Reader: Karina Kineshi (thank you so much for your time and super helpful suggestions!!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin nor am I making any money off this story!
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"Wonderful, now that that's settled." Tokio smiled at each of them and set the tray of sake on the floor in front of Sanosuke. Yahiko held up a hand to stop her from continuing, his serious expression causing her to pause.
"It's not settled." The others focused their attention on the young swordsman.
"What do you mean, Yahiko-kun?" Tokio asked him.
"I'm sorry but, you're wrong if you think you can just send Sanosuke into danger alone. You didn't want to get the rest of us involved, but it's too late for that now. Sano just came back to Japan and there's no way I'm going to let him run off alone again."
"Yahiko" Sano muttered softly as he watched the mature young swordsman.
"Besides" Yahiko smirked. "Rooster-head's too stupid to be able to handle this alone." Sano moment of pride dropped along with his jaw. A nice comment from Yahiko always seemed to be coupled with a rude one.
"What Yahiko says is true Tokio-dono." There was just enough of a pause after Kenshin said these words for Sano to take them the wrong way. He started muttering under his breath. "I will not stand by and watch if there is anything I can do to help protect the ones I care about, that I will not." There was general group consensus.
"So you're going to have to take us with you Tokio-san!" Yahiko jumped to his feet with a mix of excitement and determination. "Nobody splits up the Kenshin-gumi!" Everyone watched Tokio expectantly as she placed her cup of tea down on the floor and slid it a few inches away from her. Behind her clear, knowing, eyes everyone could see thoughts churning in her mind. She exchanged a glance with Chou and then turned back to the others clearing her throat quietly.
"We were hoping to avoid this situation by only informing Sagara-san of the problem. No one else was supposed to get involved, but Hajime suspected something of the sort might happen." She made eye contact with a few of the people in the room. "We have conceived a role that may be played by two of you." Tokio gave Aoshi and Yahiko a meaningful glance. "But I'm afraid the rest of you would only cause difficulty for the mission. That includes you, Himura-san." Tokio lowered her eyes as Kenshin turned his piercing violet gaze to her.
"But Kenshin's the best of the best..." Yahiko stammered. "With him involved there's no way we won't succeed" Yahiko trailed off and then came back with more force. "It's not the Kenshin-gumi without Kenshin!"
"I didn't come here to get the 'Kenshin-gumi'. I came here to get Kenkaya Zanza." Sano's head shot up. The others slowly looked in his direction.
"Kenkaya Zanza?" His eyes flashed darkly but quickly returned to normal. "I'm afraid you're not going to find him I'm not Zanza, and I never intend to be him again."
"It's merely a role Sagara-san. You have the perfect alias; one that the Keishichou doesn't even have to provide you with. You might be surprised to hear that Zanza's fame has only grown in the last five years. Tales of the gangster turned freeloader turned gangster have spread all over the underworld."
"Gangster turned freeloader turned gangster?" Megumi's head turned slowing in Sano's direction.
"When did you turn from a freeloader to a gangster Sanosuke?" Kaoru sounded confused and the others all looked at him waiting for his answer.
"I never had time to explain before I left but well, that's part of the reason I had to flee Japan."
"But I thought you had to leave because you made enemies with crooked Meiji politicians?" Kenshin searched his friend's face.
"Yeah but first. I was kinda working for them... It was only for a while. I was messed up, ya know? I still thought Kaoru was dead and that you'd given up on life." Sano met his friends' looks. Kaoru and Kenshin both looked uncomfortable as they were reminded of the terrible things they'd all gone through because of Enishi. "I thought opening up my old business would help me to relieve my stress In the end it was actually my father who knocked some sense into me. I helped him out and stopped the people who had originally hired me to defeat him."
"You were hired to defeat your own father?" Megumi raised an eyebrow. "That's messed up, rooster-head."
"Hey fox, it's not like I knew who I was getting hired to fight! When I saw him we sat down and had a nice civilized conversation and I realized that I was wrong." Megumi snorted.
"That sounds like a lie Sagara Sanosuke."
"Well anyway, that's not the point! The point is, YES I went back to being Zanza for a bit, and NO I'm not going to be Zanza anymore." He crossed his arms.
"At least not for real." Tokio smiled at him predatorily, and for the first time everyone knew that on some level, she and Saitoh were the same. "For the sake of Japan, you must take on the role of Kenkaya Zanza one more time. To kick off Zanza's return we have a proposition we think you'll like. Chou." Tokio gave the floor to Chou and the blonde haired Keishichou agent failed to hide his excitement.
"Before sending you off to prison there's one important thing that must be done. You need to be arrested. In style." Chou reached inside his vest pocket and pulled out another paper and tossed it to Sanosuke. Sano read it without hesitation. Whatever was written on the paper seemed to please the ex-gangster. The others crowded around waiting for Sanosuke to tell them what he was reading.
"Is this for real?" Sanosuke asked looking up at Chou hopefully. In response Chou nodded in affirmation.
"What is it Sano?" Yahiko asked as his curiosity piqued.
"It seems my old friend Mr. Tani is up to no good again." Sano casually handed the paper over to Yahiko so the young swordsman could read it over. Chou decided to explain it for the rest of them.
"The Keishichou keeps tabs on a lot of crooked politicians. Unfortunately, we have to have enough evidence to put them away before we make any moves against them. This is a pain in the ass." Aoshi shook his head imperceptibly as Chou spoke, amazed by the man's lack of professionalism. Chou continued, oblivious to Aoshi. "We know that Tani is as crooked as they come but we don't have any hard evidence against him. Tomorrow night we 'suspect' he is meeting with some of his underworld contacts." The way Chou said 'suspect' made it obvious that the Keishichou didn't 'suspect' anything. They knew. "They're 'probably' going to be going over their records of recent illegal business transactions. Some of their 'merchandise' should be there as well. Mr. Tani is suspected of selling off important and very secret government documents to the highest bidder. If we were to catch him with the documents we'd have enough hard evidence to put him away for life."
"And that's where I come in?" Sanosuke asked leaning forward as if in anticipation.
"Yup, you get to waltz in there and beat the shit out of Mr. Tani and his little friends. When the cops show up to stop you they'll 'discover' the documents and Mr. Tani will have a one-way ticket to jail. The bigger the mess you make the better it will look for your prison record."
"So, you want me to resist arrest, huh?"
"Of course. The more cops you beat on the tougher you'll look. Naturally you aren't allowed to kill any of them or seriously injure them. Think you can handle that?"
"Sure, as long as you don't mind having a bunch of unconscious cops to deal with. But honestly, there's no way they'll be able to take me in if I keep fighting them." Megumi rolled her eyes at Sano's bravado.
"We know how effective you are rooster-head. Don't think for a minute that we haven't been checking up on your skills." Chou paused a moment while Sano tried to figure out what he was talking about.
"Chikusho Sano" Something clicked in Yahiko's mind. "Remember those black faced guys we beat the night we went out gambling?" Apparently Yahiko had forgotten the rest of the people in the room.
"You two got in a fight!?" Megumi glared at the ex-gangster.
"What were you doing gambling!?" Kaoru turned to Yahiko. Yahiko was quick to scratch the back of his head and laugh weakly.
"Well um I mean"
Ignoring the women, Sano popped one fist onto his open hand like he'd just gotten a revelation. "Ah ha! You must have been the one who hired them!" Sano pointed his finger at Chou who rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Damn you guys are clever" The sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a sakabatou. "Yeah yeah, I hired those losers to kill you guys."
"NANI!??" Megumi, Misao, and Kaoru's voices seemed to shake the roof. Once the men had recovered and the women were restrained from attacking Chou he continued.
"Kill two birds with one stone I figured."
"Yahiko does not even resemble a bird you you you terrible cop!" Kaoru fumed.
"That's not what I meant!" Chou was getting a little frustrated with all the interruptions. Meanwhile, Kaoru's bird comment finally clicked on Sano and he was about to argue that he did not look like a chicken but Chou began explaining himself again, cutting Sano off.
"What I mean is, I hired those guys to attack rooster-head and the boy samurai to test their skills and give me reason to arrest the assassins. I got two jobs done at once. Rooster-head packaged them up nicely for me and I got to see the two of them fight. Bad guys locked away, fighting ability verified, mission accomplished. By the way" Chou turned his one eyed look to Sano. "That was pretty damn impressive." Sano started bragging to Chou while Megumi and the others sat trying to figure something out that seemed to be eluding them all.
"Wait a minute You hired those guys to kill them?" Chou nodded in response to Megumi's question and then shrugged.
"Yeah, so what?"
"What if the assassins had succeeded?" A general hush fell over the crowd as expectant gazes fell on Chou. "How could you know that Sanosuke would be able to defeat them?" After a moment a particularly evil smile came to Chou's face.
"We didn't. But if he couldn't defeat the guys then we definitely wouldn't want his help and I'd have one more murder to paste on the assassins so I could lock them up for life." Nobody could protect Chou from the furious rain of trays, cups, and bowls that resulted from his careless comments. Minutes later Tokio succeeded in quieting everyone down again. While Chou lay partially unconscious on the ground, Tokio took it upon herself to explain the rest of the situation.
"At any rate, the point Chou was trying to make before we got sidetracked is that we know the police will not be able to take you in as long as you fight convincingly. That's where the rest of you come in." There was a long pause as everyone sat in quiet wonder, not daring to guess what Tokio had in mind. "Himura-san. You said you were interested in helping. While you cannot go with us on the mission, there is one thing that you can do to help insure our success Some people in the underworld know of the man Zanza fought and lost to. They know that Zanza changed his ways and lived differently after the fight. Some also know the identity of the man he fought. The Hitokiri Battousai." Kenshin stared unflinchingly at Tokio. "People in the underworld never figured out why Zanza quit being a gangster after the fight. But details aren't that important. If Zanza and the Battousai were to fight once more, everyone would believe that Zanza had returned for good."
"For the sake of Japan?" Kaoru sat at Kenshin's side quietly urging him not to listen to Tokio, but it was obvious that the former rurouni was seriously considering her proposition.
"Yes Himura-san. We wouldn't ask you to do such a thing if there were not so much riding on the success of this mission." Kenshin turned to Sanosuke, trying to read the emotions crossing his friend's face.
"Me fight Kenshin again?"
"It's ridiculous Sano, don't do it." Megumi tugged at his sleeve but the former gangster ignored her, turning his gaze instead toward his red haired friend. Their eyes locked for a moment but then Sano looked away, instantly interested in the empty tray in front of him.
"Kuso, that's pretty damn awkward Tokio." Glancing up from the tray, Sanosuke found Tokio watching him intently. "I think I might have to start calling you by your family name Saitoh Tokio."
"Will you do it Sagara-san?" Tokio was all business.
"What do you think, Kenshin?" Sano desperately needed to know what his friend was thinking. Kenshin paused, collecting his thoughts.
"I can see how the fight may make your story more credible. demo I'd really rather not have to fight you ever again Sanosuke. But I guess I'll agree with whatever you decide." Kenshin sounded uncertain.
"It's not a real fight Himura-san. The two of you can work out anything you wish as long as it 'looks' realistic."
"Let's do it Kenshin." Sano broke the long moment of silence that was threatening to overtake them. He gave his friend a confident smile. "I think the two of us could put on a convincing show." Kaoru and Megumi both scowled.
"Alright Sano." Kenshin's violet eyes met Sano's brown as he nodded his agreement. Tokio and Chou both exhaled in relief. Apparently this part of the plan had caused them the most concern.
"What about me Tokio-san?" Tokio and Chou turned back to the young samurai while Megumi and Kaoru started arguing with Sano and Kenshin.
"If you're willing, we're going to insert you into the prison as a special prison guard and escort. Unlike Himura-san, you should not be easily recognizable to the prisoners, Myoujin-san."
"Great! That way I can keep an eye on rooster-head when he's in the prison!" Yahiko punched his hands together in excitement.
"Big talk Yahiko." Sanosuke scoffed, ignoring Megumi's irate questions. "Who's going to keep an eye on you?" A meaningful glance passed between Aoshi and Tokio.
"I am." The former okashira of the Oniwabanshu was well known for getting to the point.
"Aoshi-sama??" Misao's shrill voice ripped through the other conversations. "But you can't go running off without me!"
"The prison is no place for women, Misao-chan." Misao turned to Tokio with a furious gleam in her eye.
"Don't you 'Misao-chan' me, Tokio-san! I'm the okashira of the Oniwabanshu! There's nothing that I can't handle!" Yahiko covered his face and shook his head in embarrassment.
"What I meant to say, Makimachi-san, is that the prison is for men only. There are no women in the prison so you can see how your presence would complicate matters." A gentle touch on her shoulder stopped Misao before she started ranting in response to Tokio's comments.
"Misao" Aoshi spoke quietly. "Some jobs are better suited to different individuals."
"But Aoshi-sama"
"I think my presence may help this mission to succeed, but I fear that if you were to follow, success would become more difficult if not impossible. I ask that you allow me to go and that you remain behind But, as my okashira, I will respect your wishes."
"Aoshi are you sure?"
"Positive."
"As the former okashira of the Oniwabanshu I'll respect your wishes. But Aoshi-sama If something bad happens because I'm not there, I'm going to kencho kick you into next year!" Misao clenched her fist in determination and Aoshi knew she'd make good on her threat. The corners of his lips turned up in his almost nonexistent smile.
"So it's settled then!" Yahiko barely contained his excitement. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow night Kenkaya Zanza will be arrested at Mr. Tani's mansion. Myoujin-san and Shinomori-san will be present in the guise of elite police officers. Himura Kenshin will arrive with the chief of police to stop Zanza and you two will be there as backup in case something goes wrong." Tokio turned from Yahiko and Aoshi and gave Sanosuke a meaningful look. "After that the dangerous criminal will be transported to Hokkaido. The arrangements will be made swiftly."
"So tomorrow night I get to beat up Mr. Tani? And then Kenshin and I are going to fight?" Tokio nodded in response to Sano's questions. "Sounds like getting arrested is going to be fun this time!"
"This time??" Megumi raised her eyebrow quizzically.
"Oops. I mean" Sano shook his head and then grinned stupidly at her. "Never mind."
"How many times have you been arrested?" His grin turned wicked.
"Just in Japan or total?"
"You're terrible!" Megumi smacked him and in response he laughed loud and easily. The tension that had been building in the room vanished. The others couldn't help but smile as Megumi and Sano started their usual bickering. Before they went too far, Sano put a stop to it by turning back to Tokio.
"So yeah if we're going to be trashing Mr. Tani's tomorrow night that doesn't leave us much time."
"For planning?" Tokio felt a wave of confidence wash over her. Up until that moment she wasn't sure if Sagara Sanosuke was going to be taking things seriously.
"No, for partying." Megumi put a hand to her forehead in frustration. The false wave of confidence continued on past Tokio, mocking her as it went by. Chou shook his head in silent wonder and turned to Tokio with a sort of "I told you so" look. He'd warned her that Sagara Sanosuke wouldn't deal with things in a serious way. Tokio sighed.
"We thought you might want to unwind after all this talk. That's why I had Aoshi-san and Misao-chan pick up the sake. We have some ohagi in the kitchen as well."
"Great, we'll have to throw a big party tonight!" Sanosuke punched into the air happily.
"A party?" Megumi eyed Sano skeptically.
"Yeah, you know. A party. You drink and eat and have fun and stuff." Sanosuke teasingly explained the principle to the lady doctor.
"I know what a party is dummy." To say that Megumi was exasperated would have been an understatement. It was a forced exasperation though. As she continued to speak her harsh exterior softened. "After everything you've just heard, you want to throw a party and get drunk? This is serious 'stuff' rooster-head..." Megumi's lower lip quivered. She got to her feet unsteadily. "Can I talk to you alone?" Megumi turned and walked out of the room without waiting for his response. Sano got to his feet, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He turned to regard his friends and then shrugged.
"We'll be right back."
"What is it Fox?" Megumi had her back to him as he walked into the room they'd been hiding in earlier. It took him a moment to realize that she was shaking. Tentatively, Sano reached out his hand and lightly touched her quivering shoulder. "Hey Megumi what's wrong?"
"Chikusho Sanosuke" She was crying and Sano didn't know why. He gently turned her around so he could see her face. Tears streaked down her cheeks and Sano felt a twinge of pain in his heart. I've made her cry again haven't I?
"Megumi?" She brushed the tears from her face, trying to hide the fact that she was crying. By sheer force of will she stopped the tears from falling.
"You must think I'm pathetic."
"No Megumi, I" He tried to reason with her gently, but she would have none of it.
"Don't lie Sanosuke Ever since you got back all I've seemed to do is cry. It's just that it's just that" Megumi searched for the words. "I don't want you to leave again. Listening to you talk like you don't even care at all that you're going into danger I just can't handle it. You just got back to Japan, and for the first time in our lives the two of us can actually be together." Megumi met Sano's warm brown gaze. "But you're willing to forget all that and run off to some godforsaken prison full of people who will probably try and kill you?" Megumi's eyes flashed and then she stared at the floor, unable to meet his intense gaze any longer. "What about me Sano What about us?"
"Damn it Megumi" Sano worked his jaw. "You know I care about you" Tenderly he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and their eyes locked together again. "You know I wouldn't be leaving if some part of me didn't know that I have to. This might be my chance to prove to the world that I'm useful. If I try and back out of this I know Saitoh will find some way to make my life a living hell." He smiled ironically. "And besides, it sounds like they really need my help."
But Sanosuke"
"No 'buts' Megumi. There's no need for you to worry about me. There's not a man on the face of this planet that I'm afraid of. I'll take care of this little problem and then I'll be back. And when I come back Megumi" Sano leaned in close enough that he could smell the scent of her hair. "I promise" Gently he turned her face up to his. "I'll never leave you again." Sano sealed his vow with a passionate kiss. Megumi released her frustrations, feeling Sano's strength comfort her and in that moment she knew that if he had ever made a promise he intended to keep, this was it.
"Hey Sano!" Yahiko rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. "AHHHH!" Every day of training for the last five years might have been to help me survive THIS moment! The thought burst into Myoujin Yahiko's mind as he witnessed the site before him. Megumi and Sanosuke were locked together but instantly pulled apart as he blundered into their room. This time, Yahiko was more prepared. He turned and ran like he'd never run in his life. An enraged rooster was only moments behind, tearing up the floor in his pursuit. A yelled apology was all Yahiko managed but he knew Sano didn't hear him over his own string of curses. The two raced past the room where everyone was waiting and out of the house. Once they were in the yard, Yahiko used his momentum and years of training to leap over the front gate. His foot touched briefly on the shingled roof and then he pushed off, sailing out into the street. He barely touched back to the ground before he sprinted off toward town. Sano considered running straight through the front gate but restrained himself, barely.
"DAMN YOU YAHIKO! YOU LITTLE PERVERT!" The young swordsman had escaped his wrath.
"Oro?" Sano whirled and found Kenshin standing in the door staring at him wide-eyed.
"Kenshin! Yahiko um" Sano pointed absently in the direction Yahiko had disappeared. Kuso, now I feel stupid. "Never mind." He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked over to his friend. "So what's up Kenshin?"
"Yahiko didn't tell you?"
"Uh nope. Tell me what?" Kenshin sighed.
"I'll explain it inside." Sano followed Kenshin into the room where the women were all chatting happily.
"Doesn't that sound wonderful Megumi?" Megumi had already returned to the room and Kaoru had just finishing explaining something to her.
"That sounds much better than sitting here in the dojo and watching them get drunk." Megumi covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. "Hohohohohoho!" Sano could almost see a suspicious pair of fox ears pop out of her head. He was glad though because it meant she was feeling more like herself.
"What's goin' on?" Sano eyed Megumi curiously but it was Misao who responded to his question.
"Since you guys are going to be leaving us behind while you go running off to Hokkaido, we decided that you'll have to make it up to us tonight!" The weasel girl sounded a little too excited for Sano's tastes.
"What?" Sano turned to Kenshin who lowered his head in resignation. A quick glance at Aoshi revealed a man lost in unpleasant thoughts.
"They want us to take them out to the summer festival tonight." The small voice belonged to Kenshin. It wouldn't be as fun as staying at the dojo, but it didn't sound that bad to Sano. Strangely enough, Kenshin and Aoshi looked like they absolutely dreading it.
"What's so bad about that Kenshin?" Sano whispered to his friend. Whether or not Misao had heard him, her next comment answered part of his question. She held her hands up to her face and her eyes sparkled in anticipation.
"Supposedly there's going to be western food and western DANCING tonight! I've always wanted to try western style dancing!" Kenshin and Aoshi gulped and Sano's jaw dropped.
"Ddancing?"
"There's only one more thing, Sanosuke-san." Tokio took this moment to drop the other problem on him. "I'm afraid you can't be running around in that recognizable outfit." Sano reached down and played with the edges of his new gi. "You're going to have to be 'undercover' tonight."
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Dancing? Yes that's right! I need one chapter of complete and utter romance/humor before we delve into serious action plot stuff! And what's this about being 'undercover'? What am I going to do to poor Sano now? Mwahaha! (just to let you all know, I'm doing some fanart of the next chapter. Hopefully the pic will be up with Chapter 14 at my site, www.kenkaya.com. Haven't been to my site yet? Stop by and take a look, you won't regret it! Sign the guestbook while you're there! *grin*) As always, I'd LOVE some feedback. I don't care if you're already reviewed, review again please! *begs shamelessly* The more responses I get, the faster I edit my chapters. *wicked grin*