Dear God, It's me Sano

The Plan

By Dr. Mwaahaha (Dose of Shounen-ai)

"He what?!" I scream. Everyone stops and looks at me. I calm down.

Must think logically. Must think calmly. Must think something other than the fact that Kenshin might have just ditched me for another guy.

"Sano, you ok?" my friend asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say sadly.

"So you're not going to go beat the living crap out of the other guy, right?" he says with a breath of relief.

"No, I'm cool." I won't go after the guy. Right? Sano? Right? "I'll be out for a walk though. I need some fresh air."

"Wait! Sano!" he yells after me, but I'm already out the door.

Damn it, wait till I get my hands on that guy! No. No. Mustn't jump to conclusions. Kenshin seems like a pretty straight guy. Besides, didn't he just tell me this morning that he used to be in love with a woman?

Yeah, this guy is probably just dealing business with Kenshin...

Ok, that sounds dumb, but I'm a hopeful guy. I walk around the corner and I hear voices.

Ah! Got to hide! Kenshin is really good at detecting any presence that may be around.

"Stop playing Saitou. What are you really here for?" I hear Kenshin demand. By the tone of his voice, I can tell that he's not in any hurry to jump into bed with this guy.

"I'm here to challenge you. I got tired of fighting with the weaklings there are these days," the Sourdough guys says curtly.

"I don't fight to please people's warrior spirit."

"Are you saying you haven't pleased a warrior lately?" Sourdough slyly asks. I can almost feel the glare that Kenshin sends him.

"How about that little boy you were playing with? Does he please you?" Sourdough kept asking Kenshin.

"Sano? I was just paying him back some money that I lost." Kenshin stated.

"Hmph. Perhaps. However, remember that our love is not something to throw away lightly," the Sourdough character warned Kenshin.

Our love? Their love? Sourdough and Kenshin?

"I also do not give my love lightly," Kenshin told him firmly.

That's it. I can't hear anymore. I turn around and run away. I don't care how much noise I making right now, I just need to go.

How could Kenshin just dismiss me so easily? Surely I'm more than just someone that he needed to pay back. Hell! I didn't even make him pay back the money. He wanted to pay it back!

Chikushou! Chikushou! Chikushou! Stupid Sourdough! Stupid Kenshin! But most of all how could I have been so stupid?! Of course Kenshin wouldn't want me. A bunch of girls love him. So, of course, he also has a bunch of guys that love him. Apparently strong guys like Sourdough.

I'm not going to cry, I just feel mad, and... heartbroken.

I walk toward the Akabeko. Here's where I first met him. Here's also where I told him that I wouldn't let him leave without me.

"Sano?" I hear a woman's voice call.

"Jou-chan? What are you doing here at night?" I ask Kaoru.

"I was looking for Kenshin. He's been out for the longest time, and he was beginning to worry me."

I sigh.

"That was my fault. I kept him out drinking, but I won't ever do it again." I sigh again. "No, never again" I mutter under my breath.

"Sanosuke? What's wrong? What do you mean 'no, never again'?"

"I can't tell you without blurting out a secret that Kenshin probably wouldn't want people to know."

"Sano, if it's affecting you like this, you should let me help you."

"I wish you could, but I this is something that I need to handle myself. Besides, you wouldn't want to help me in this."

"Try me."

"You love Kenshin, don't you?" I asked her.

She paused and looked thoughtful.

"No, I don't. I used to love him, but I realized that all it would just lead to heartbreak," Kaoru said sadly. Then she looked up at me. "Did he turn you down?"

I facefaulted.

"Ho...How...How did you know that I liked Kenshin?"

"I read your diary."

"What?!"

"Well...You left it in the dojo. I wasn't going to read it! I just opened it up to take a little peak, and Sano, I didn't know you were religious!" Kaoru is trying to change the subject here.

"I'm a little religious," I admit.

"Ah, that explains why you started off with 'Dear God, It's me Sano.'"

"Kaoru." I clench my fist. "You're really pushing your luck here."

"Ok! Ok! The point is I knew for a while that you liked Kenshin, and I...well, I was jealous for a while," she admits.

"Why were you jealous?" She's a girl, Kenshin would probably be more interested in her than me. Wait. He's with sourdough. Kenshin wouldn't be with either one of us. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

"Well, Kenshin would always hang out with you. He would also be more at ease with you, everybody could see that. And when there was a fight, you were the one that he preferred by his side. So I became jealous," she looks down, and even though I can't see her face that well in the dark, I'm pretty sure that she's blushing.

"Jou-cha-"

"But! I decided. If I couldn't have him, then I guess I wouldn't mind losing to you," Kaoru smiles at me with determination.

"You're OK that we're both guys?" I ask incredulously.

"Of course! Shounen-ai is very popular these days! Haven't you been reading any manga books?"

"Manga books." I clarified.

"Yea. Megumi made me sit down and read a few that had shounen-ai, and I got hooked!"

Wow. Go Megumi.

"So, Sano, you better tell me what happened with you and Kenshin. If he turned you down, I'll beat some sense into him."

"He's in love with someone else."

"What?!"

"I just saw him talking with his boyfriend," I'm starting to get angry again.

"Boyfriend? Well, at least that means that I won't have to convince Kenshin to like guys. Sano, come over to my house, and tell me what they said."

^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

"Are you sure they're together," Kaoru asks. She takes out a piece of paper and a brush to write out a plan to get me and Kenshin together.

"Would you talk like that to one of your female friends?"

"You're right, I wouldn't, but we still need to find out more information about this guy. What did you say his name was?"

"Sourdough." Actually, I have no idea what his name was. His name was kind of hissed. All I could make out was 'Sahidou'.

"You idiot! There's no such thing as that name."

"It's all I could hear! You try it next time!"

"Maybe I will!" she yells. She takes a deep breath. "Ok. First, we have to get more info on this guys that Kenshin's with. Next, we'll set up traps all over the dojo. Then, I'll 'accidentally' bump into him. I'll get him to come over to my dojo, and annoy the hell out of him. Meanwhile, you bring Kenshin. When Kenshin's here, we'll make 'SO-UR-DOUGH' fall into all the traps. You'll look dashing, and Kenshin will realize that you're the best match for him after all."

Kaoru looks at me. I think the plan over. It seems like it would work.

"Yes! It's perfect! You're great Kaoru!" I yell. We clasp hands around the paper with the plan.

"Mwoohoohoohoohoo!" We both laugh.

"What's going on?" Kenshin asks.

We all freeze. When the hell did Kenshin get here?! Kaoru and I dash to hide the paper.

"Kenshin! I...Jou-chan and I...we were just-"

"Planning!" Kaoru yells.

"Yes! Planning!" I quickly agree.

"Ah, I see," Kenshin nods.

Whew! He accepted that, good. I hear Kaoru let out a sigh in relief.

"Planning for what?" Kenshin sounds so damn innocent.

"Uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh," Kaoru and I say intelligently.

"We're not at liberty to say," I tell him. I shoot a look at Kaoru, hoping that she'd help me out here. "Jou-chan here has an embarrassing problem. Besides, I was just leaving!" I add.

"Yes. I asked Sano to help me out with a problem I've been having, but it's just so embarrassing that I can't possibly ask anyone else! Aha ha ha! Bye Sano! Thanks." Kaoru sends me a dirty look. I shrug at her.

"Oh, okay then. You two can tell me anything, you know that right?" Kenshin looks at us.

"Yes!" We both grin at him. Kenshin gives us a sheepish grin.

"Sano, you forgot to pick up the winnings from drinking. I was going to bring them to you tomorrow, but since you're here you can just pick it up from the laundry."

I sweatdrop.

"The laundry?" Kaoru asks.

"Yes, I was planning to do laundry in the morning. I figured I could keep it next to me in case Sano came early." Kenshin's eyes widen in confusion as if thinking 'doesn't everybody do that?'.

"Only you think up something like that Kenshin," I tell him as I walk out the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then Jou-chan!"

I walk over to the laundry, and pick up the money.

"Sano." I see Kenshin looking at me seriously. Um, could he please not look so serious? It's really kind of nerve racking. I put on a carefree face.

"Yea? What is it Kenshin?"

"I need to stay at your house tonight," he says with all seriousness.

He needs to what?! I hesitate before I start talking again.

"Exactly...um, why do you need to stay at my house?"

"I heard some people talking about raiding your house, and-"

"Hold on there Kenshin! I can take care of myself! Besides, of all people, I don't think that you should be coming over!" If he was going to stay at my house, I didn't want it to be for protection or pity.

Besides, that was like cheating on his boyfriend. Ok, so most likely Kenshin and I weren't going to do anything remotely sexual. But still! If Kenshin were my boyfriend, I wouldn't want him spending the night at a guy's house alone.

Kenshin looks hurt, but then hides it. Great. Now I feel guilty.

"I didn't mean to insult you. I know you're capable of fighting, but I'm not going to be able to rest tonight knowing that my best friend is being attacked. Wouldn't you do the same to me if our places were switched?"

He gives me such an innocent and sad look that I can practically see myself melting. Besides, what he said is true. There's no way in hell Kenshin could make me stay at home if I knew that someone was going to attack him.

"All right Kenshin, you win." Ha, Sourdough, take that. I may not have Kenshin yet, but tonight he's staying at my house.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^

What will happen at Sano's house? What is Kenshin's real purpose for going over to Sano's house? Why does Sano call Saitou "Sourdough"? Will Kaoru make sourdough?

Mwaahaahaahaa. ::clears throat:: I can only answer one of those questions. My nickname for Saitou is "Sourdough". Siatou can sound like "Saido" if you say it in a really low voice. (I'm a girl, so maybe it just works for girls trying to sound like guys) Then, say "Saitou" seven times really fast in a deep voice. It ends up sounding like "sourdough". Sigh.

So yes! This chapter was a couple pages longer than the other ones. It took me a while, because I am currently conditioning for Badminton alone with doing tons of homework. ^_^ I will write more as soon as I can. As for those people who asked me to do a Kenshin/Saitou fanfic, I'm considering it. Do realize, however, that I started this fanfic as a Kenshin/Sano fanfic. But...it could still change I guess.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki and Jump Comics, but mostly to Nobuhiro Watsuki, because he created it. This fanfic belongs to me, if you attempt to steal any part of my idea without my permission, I shall be most blood thirsty. 0_* ( this is my pirate face. Mwaahaahaa.

The title was created by my lovely sister Phoebe.