Crystal and mae: Thanks for liking the story!  Sorry I haven't updated in a day or two.  FF.net has been twitchy and not letting me log on.  Here's two chaps to make up for it.

I don't own Kenshin.

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BLADE OF THE PAST

Chapter Four – Going Fishing

Sano wandered through the streets, passing by his old haunts that were just barely starting to stir and receive customers after last night's games and drink.  He would have meandered in, just to see who was there and to maybe get a head start on his drinking for the day.  But she didn't like it when he drank.  Not that he cared what the missy thought.  Sagara Sanosuke didn't care one flip what anyone thought…but he found himself not wanting to gamble anymore.  He found himself not so interested in the games and the women as he was in the Kamiya dojo and its happenings. 

In particular, a girl who ran that dojo.

Sano wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but his attentions were more and more drawn to the raccoon-girl.  Alarming, really.  Even more alarming that a girl like Kaoru could make him want to bypass his old bars to go and sit on the porch at her dojo, watching her teach the few young boys who she'd picked up as apprentices this last year. 

But if anyone asked, Sano was just dropping in to bum a free lunch. 

He wandered down the streets, smiling at a few of the less reputable girls he'd known once upon a time and nodding at some of his old gambling partners.  Some of them even asked where he had been these last few months and where he was going this morning, and Sano just shrugged and replied, "Where my feet take me." 

With his hands casually in his pockets, he found himself searching the crowds for familiar red hair, or Yahiko's spiky raven hair.  Kaoru often sent one or both of them out on errands before lunch while she was teaching her younger students.  Her two older students, Yahiko included, were taught in the afternoon.  He didn't catch sight of anyone from the Kamiya dojo until he practically reached its gates and practically ran over Kenshin as he was leaving.

"Excuse me.  I didn't watch where I was…" Kenshin began until he noticed Sano blinking down at him, rightly confused as to why Kenshin would be running out of the dojo in a hurry and not notice a large body at the gates.  "It is a good morning, Sano, that it is," Kenshin said with that polite innocent smile of his.

"Sure thing, Kenshin," Sano replied.  "What are you doing…?"

"Going fishing for tonight," Kenshin said, hefting up a bucket and fishing pole.

Ayame and Suzume burst out of the dojo gates and into the street where Kenshin and Sano stood talking.  "Uncle Ken!" they whined simultaneously.

Kenshin looked guilty and turned around to them.  "What is it?"

"You were gonna leave without us," Ayame pouted.  She held her sister's hand and stared accusingly at her Uncle Ken.

"I just came out to see Sano, that I did," Kenshin lied, smiling down at the two girls.  He looked longingly up at Sano, surprising the younger man with that look.  Normally Kenshin jumped at the chance to go into town or do some fishing with the girls, but today it looked like Kenshin would rather have escaped alone.  Sano was at a loss as to whether or not he should interfere and save Kenshin. 

Kenshin answered that question before Sano had completely finished the thought, setting his bucket and pole down to swing a now laughing Suzume up and onto his shoulders.  Ayame picked up the bucket and pole and held them out to Kenshin, which he took with one hand and then held tightly to her with his other hand. 

"We're off to the river now, Sano.  I suspect you'll be staying for dinner as well as lunch?"

Sano frowned.  Something was wrong with Kenshin and the thick-headed samurai was going to pretend like everything was fine and dandy.  He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Kenshin. 

"It's a reasonable assumption, is it not?  If you are already here by lunch, will you not stay for dinner?"

"What's it to you if I stay?" Sano asked, getting defensive for no reason other than the fact that Kenshin didn't trust him with some bit of information or other.  And if the girls weren't attached to the red-haired bastard, Sano would beat the truth out of Kenshin. 

"I need to know if we need three or four fish for dinner, that I do," Kenshin said softly. 

"Seven!" Suzume laughed from Kenshin's shoulders. 

"Oro?"

"Seven, if you count Grandpa, Suzume, and me," Ayame explained, looking annoyed with her Uncle Ken's inability to figure that out. 

"Seven then," Kenshin corrected, smiling down at Ayame and then at Sano.  "And mind that you don't bother Miss Kaoru too much."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sano asked, getting defensive again in a matter of seconds. 

"It means that you shouldn't spend all your time watching her and distracting her from her younger students, that you shouldn't."  Kenshin gave a knowing look from under his bangs, along with a nearly mischievous smile.  "Come on, let's go to the river," he said to the girls before Sano could get a word in about his earlier comment.

Sano stood at the gates for a moment, watching as Kenshin walked slowly down the street with Suzume on his shoulders and Ayame holding his hand.  Kenshin didn't have to walk as slowly as he used to when he first went fishing with the girls, Ayame being older and bigger now and able to take longer steps.  Sano watched for anything suspicious about Kenshin as he disappeared into the other people walking along the street and around a corner, but Kenshin didn't express any of that odd feeling he'd given Sano when he'd first run into him.

He shook his head and walked though the open gates of the dojo, calling out a greeting to anyone there.