The first half is more Kaoru-crap (I really don't like her - can you tell?!). Second half is.... uh.... you can decide.
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The sun is taunting me, Kaoru thought, looking up at that accursed burning orb. She was positive of it. It seemed to hang, unmoving, in the air, dragging each day out until every minute lasted an agonizing eternity. And yet, when she looked at the calendar, Kaoru was always surprised to see how many days had passed since Kenshin was taken from her. It seemed like only yesterday; it also seemed like years had passed.
Saito had told her and Yahiko what was going on, of course, before Sanosuke had even arrived at the dojo; Sano's violent reaction to the news somehow cemented in her mind that it was the truth, though Kaoru didn't know how she could possibly doubt Saito in the first place - why would he lie about something like that?
Fiddling with the hem of a yukata she was supposed to be mending, Kaoru listened to the sounds of Yahiko and Sanosuke talking about something or another as they cleaned up around the dojo. Sano had insisted on moving in with them the day Kenshin was arrested - as an added surprise he also insisted that he earn his keep. Also, Saito spent so much time at the dojo (when he wasn't occupied elsewhere, that is) that he might as well have moved in. Frankly, Kaoru could have done without his presence but it reassured her that Kenshin trusted the officer with his friends' safety.
Kenshin... Now Kaoru knew why he had been acting so strangely. To face such an impossible decision on his own, with no help, no counsel - it must have been pure hell for him... And all that time Kaoru had wallowed in her own selfish thoughts...
She shook her head vehemently. No. She wasn't going to get caught in that cycle again. Kaoru had promised herself that she wouldn't let herself get all hung up on petty emotions at a time like this - it wasn't helping anybody. She attacked the torn sleeve of the yukata with a new vengeance, manipulating the sliver-thin needle with the same proficiency that she handled a shinai. Who said women wouldn't benefit from studying kenjutsu?
When she was halfway done repairing the tear, the shoji-screen was flung aside as Yahiko burst impatiently into the room with his usual lack of manners, causing Kaoru to accidentally prick herself on the finger with the needle. "Kaoru," Yahiko demanded, annoyed, "what are you doing cooped up inside on a nice day like this? Anyway, dinner's ready. I made it myself." The boy puffed out his chest with pride at this great accomplishment.
Kaoru tore her eyes away from the mesmerizing red droplet that had formed on the tip of her finger and looked up at the sun. It hovered just above the rooftops, though Kaoru was convinced that just a few minutes before she'd finished a quick lunch. Had so much time passed already? "The sun is playing tricks on me again," she said, smiling humorlessly.
"What?" Yahiko asked, giving his sensei a concerned look. He remembered how poorly she'd reacted to Kenshin's leaving for Kyoto, and he was just waiting for her to suddenly collapse in a blubbering heap any moment. So far she hadn't, but now he was beginning to worry that maybe she'd completely snapped. "Kaoru... are you... okay?"
"Yes." She could tell Yahiko wasn't convinced. "Oh, don't listen to me. Just a silly little game I was playing."
"Uh... okay..." After making sure that Kaoru was following him, Yahiko headed back to the dining area, where Sano was waiting. The three sat down and began to eat.
With no work - real or otherwise - to distract them, the three friends fell into an uncomfortable silence. They had been dancing delicately around the subject of Kenshin for several days, no one being willing to bring up the topic despite the fact that it was obviously on everybody's minds. The tension in the room grew like a balloon filled with too much air until it became too much and finally burst. Yahiko slammed his bowl of rice down and said, "I just don't get it! How the hell could they take Kenshin like that after all he's done to help the Meiji government?!" He glared at Sanosuke and Kaoru, as if daring them to provide a reasonable answer.
Sano laughed unpleasantly, little more than a derisive snort; Kaoru was pretty sure he was slightly drunk, as he had been much of the time lately. "You know that idea about democracy, where everyone is equal?" he asked, staring fixedly at the bottom of his bowl. "The Meiji government is like that, except only when it comes to criminals. No matter how helpful and loyal to the government Kenshin's been to the government before, they'll treat him equal to any other villain."
Yahiko opened his mouth and was about to respond with another angry outburst when there was a soft knock on the door. Being the closest, Yahiko leaned over and slid the screen aside without getting out of his seat. The silhouette had at first led them to believe it was Ayame who had for some reason wandered over without Suzume, but upon opening the door Yahiko saw that is was in fact an unfamiliar girl much older than Ayame, but had looked younger because of her shortness. "It's not polite to come marching up to someone's door and interrupting them when they're eating, you know," said Yahiko, giving her a condescending look.
"Yahiko!" Kaoru scolded, shocked by his rudeness. She quickly rose and went over to where the girl stood, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "Yes? Is there something you need?"
"Uh..." The girl fished through her pastel kimono, finally withdrawing a folded piece of paper from an inner pocket. Instead of handing it directly to Kaoru, however, she peered inside and spotted Sanosuke. Holding out the paper, she said to him, "A tall policeman told me to give this to you."
"How d'ya know to give it to me?" Sano asked even as he rose to take Saito's letter - for that's obviously what it was - from her.
"Emm..." She looked away sheepishly. "He said... he said, 'You'll know the moron when you see him because his hair looks just like a mangy rooster's.' That's exactly what he said," she concluded, giving Sano an earnest look.
"Okay," Kaoru interrupted with a false cheeriness, "thank you so very much! Here, take this." She gave the girl a coin and shooed her away before Sano could blow up in the poor kid's face, since it was pretty obvious that he wasn't too pleased at being identified with a "mangy rooster."
"Man, Saito never misses a chance to rip on you, does he?" Yahiko remarked, giving Sanosuke a sideways glance to see how he'd react.
Sano just gave the boy a dirty look and read the brief note. "It's about damn time!" he exclaimed when he'd finished. Without further ado he stood and made for the exit.
"Where are you going?" the incorrigible Yahiko asked.
"Too see him," Sano replied without pausing. There was no need to explain who "he" was.
"What, now?"
"Yes, now. Would you like me to wait three to five business days?"
Kaoru watched Sano's back as he strode away. She knew that she should call him back, press some small token into his hands with the words, "Give this to Kenshin for me," or, "This is for him," or something romantic and cryptic like that. At the very least she should give Sano some verbal message to be relayed to the one she longed so deeply to see. After all, isn't that what any devoted woman would do if she were unable to see her loved one? Yahiko seemed to think so; he kept giving her strange, expectant looks. But she did not call out, and in a matter of seconds Sanosuke was gone, leaving her to sit in front of her meal with no intention of finishing it.
O_O O_O O_O
The warden peered through the small barred window that was the only portal between Kenshin's cell and the outside world. "Excuse me, but you have a visitor, Himura-san," he said, and then disappeared from view. That annoyed Kenshin - the warden's politeness, that is. Despite the fact that for all practical purposes he was a condemned criminal, the guy insisted on treating Kenshin with great respect that bordered on a sort of reverence. Maybe it was because he'd heard about all the stuff Kenshin had done for the government before, or he'd heard tales of the deadly Battousai from the revolution. Also, when ever he delivered Kenshin's meals the warden would look at the ex-assassin and shake his head in wonder, as if to say, Of all the people...
Get over it, Kenshin wanted to say. These things happen. But, of course, he never said anything.
"He's in here," Kenshin heard the warden say, though from where he sat at the far wall he couldn't see who the guard was talking to. There was the sound of footsteps receding; that would be the warden returning to his little table to read.
Then came another voice: "Oi, Guy-Who-Holds-All-The-Keys, aren't you gonna let me in?" It was Sano's.
"Sorry, can't. Against regulations."
"Well, then could I get five minutes alone?"
There was a pause, then a great sigh - the warden wanted to make it quite clear that even though it was against regulations and a major inconvenience on his part, he'd comply to the request. A shrill screech rang out as the door to the cell bloc was opened, then it slammed shut again. Kenshin heard all this with a strange detachment; he was still hung up on the sound of Sano's voice. It couldn't really be him; it wasn't possible... But there he was, peering in at Kenshin, and he did not look at all pleased.
"Oi, no fair sitting back there where I can't reach you!" Sano hollered. "Get up here so I can punch you in the face for being such a jackass!"
Kenshin couldn't help but smile. As genteel as always, I see. He rose stiffly to his feet and ever so slowly made his way to the iron door of the cell, one hand brushing against the damp stone wall for balance.
"Now I know why you were all weird that night," Sano continued. "You knew that I'd get pissed off when you took the blame for me! And what's more, you broke your promise that you'd never leave without telling me - again!" His face was beginning to turn a slight shade of red; he was really working himself up. "But what's worse of all is that you slept with me because you thought it wouldn't make me feel as bad when you ditched us!"
"I didn't need to hear that, you queer!" a rough voice called out from one of the other cells.
"Shut the hell up, asswipe!" Sanosuke snarled, then he rounded on Kenshin once more. "Goddamn it, have you ever oh my god what happened to you?!" This sudden change occurred when Kenshin finally stepped close enough for the dim lanterns to illuminate his face. Actually, Kenshin had no idea what he looked like, though he had to assume it was pretty bad. One of his eyes had swollen a bit, and it hurt to touch his face even slightly, the bruising was so bad.
However, his startling appearance only gave Sano something new to rant about; he was on a roll and wasn't going to stop for anything now. "And what the hell is this?" he demanded, jabbing a finger between the bars of the window and making Kenshin recoil protectively. "You could take on half the people here and not break a sweat! How the hell did you get fucked up like that?"
"The other half jumped me, that they did," Kenshin replied, hoping his jovial attitude was contagious and that Sano would calm down.
The actual effect was quite the opposite. "Quit the bullshit," Sano hissed bringing his face as close as possible to Kenshin's. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"
"A maximum-security prison?"
Sano growled in frustration. Since when was Kenshin so damn annoying? "'Prison' my ass! This is just where they keep people while the executioners sharpen their blades! Do you know what the penalty for treason is? Beheading! You're going to die." Though he said no more, the unsaid statement was obvious: I'm not going to let that happen.
"Sano..." Kenshin rubbed the nape of his neck - an old nervous habit. "I know exactly what's going to happen to me, that I do. I know you don't like it, but there's nothing you can do now, that there is not. Which I am grateful for, that I am." Again, the final sentence was passed silently between them: Please understand, I'm doing this because I love you.
Surprisingly, Sanosuke smiled - the first sign of an emotion other than complete outrage. "That's where you're wrong," he said, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Saito's got this political mumbo-jumbo plan figured out to force Fushiyuuki to let you free. And in case that doesn't work I've got something worked out with Katsu, too."
Instead of being elated, as Sano had hoped, a look of concern and even fear grew over Kenshin's face. "No, Sano," he said firmly. "You can't. I won't let you risk your life for me - "
"Who said I was risking it for you?" Sano interrupted.
Kenshin, struck dumb by surprise, stared at his friend for a moment.
Sanosuke grinned again, this time with a trace of his former mischievousness. "I'm in this only for me." When Kenshin remained silent, he elaborated: "You didn't think I'd be content with only one go, did you? Hell, I've been spoiled - I'll never be satisfied with another guy besides you as long as I live." He leaned forward and kissed Kenshin tenderly. It was rather awkward, having to navigate between the thick iron bars set in the little square portal that separated them, and the end effect was rather unromantic, but it was enough to make both of them ache with longing.
When their lips finally parted, Sano fished the little poem-code out of his pocket and slipped it between the bars to Kenshin. "Here. That jerk Saito wanted me to give you this," he said, his voice slightly breathless with passion. "You know, I'm still mad at you."
Kenshin was about to respond when the warden returned, signaling the end of their rendezvous. He watched as Sano turned and walked back down the corridor, pausing when he reached the guard sitting at the little table and reading a well-thumbed book. "Oi, Man-With-The-Keys - do you mind if I punch you in the face?"
"Wha -?" was all the warden was able to utter before Sano's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling.
"Thanks," Sanosuke said to the semiconscious man as he opened the door to leave. "I've been needing to get that out of my system for days."
Shaking his head, Kenshin looked down and struggled to read what was written on the paper in the dim light. Translated, the three-line poem said: Reinforcements en route. Hold current position. Await further orders.
Oooh, great. Kenshin didn't know what he would have done without those instructions.
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I know that was pretty pointless. I just needed an excuse to get Kenshin and Sano together again for a little bit.
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The sun is taunting me, Kaoru thought, looking up at that accursed burning orb. She was positive of it. It seemed to hang, unmoving, in the air, dragging each day out until every minute lasted an agonizing eternity. And yet, when she looked at the calendar, Kaoru was always surprised to see how many days had passed since Kenshin was taken from her. It seemed like only yesterday; it also seemed like years had passed.
Saito had told her and Yahiko what was going on, of course, before Sanosuke had even arrived at the dojo; Sano's violent reaction to the news somehow cemented in her mind that it was the truth, though Kaoru didn't know how she could possibly doubt Saito in the first place - why would he lie about something like that?
Fiddling with the hem of a yukata she was supposed to be mending, Kaoru listened to the sounds of Yahiko and Sanosuke talking about something or another as they cleaned up around the dojo. Sano had insisted on moving in with them the day Kenshin was arrested - as an added surprise he also insisted that he earn his keep. Also, Saito spent so much time at the dojo (when he wasn't occupied elsewhere, that is) that he might as well have moved in. Frankly, Kaoru could have done without his presence but it reassured her that Kenshin trusted the officer with his friends' safety.
Kenshin... Now Kaoru knew why he had been acting so strangely. To face such an impossible decision on his own, with no help, no counsel - it must have been pure hell for him... And all that time Kaoru had wallowed in her own selfish thoughts...
She shook her head vehemently. No. She wasn't going to get caught in that cycle again. Kaoru had promised herself that she wouldn't let herself get all hung up on petty emotions at a time like this - it wasn't helping anybody. She attacked the torn sleeve of the yukata with a new vengeance, manipulating the sliver-thin needle with the same proficiency that she handled a shinai. Who said women wouldn't benefit from studying kenjutsu?
When she was halfway done repairing the tear, the shoji-screen was flung aside as Yahiko burst impatiently into the room with his usual lack of manners, causing Kaoru to accidentally prick herself on the finger with the needle. "Kaoru," Yahiko demanded, annoyed, "what are you doing cooped up inside on a nice day like this? Anyway, dinner's ready. I made it myself." The boy puffed out his chest with pride at this great accomplishment.
Kaoru tore her eyes away from the mesmerizing red droplet that had formed on the tip of her finger and looked up at the sun. It hovered just above the rooftops, though Kaoru was convinced that just a few minutes before she'd finished a quick lunch. Had so much time passed already? "The sun is playing tricks on me again," she said, smiling humorlessly.
"What?" Yahiko asked, giving his sensei a concerned look. He remembered how poorly she'd reacted to Kenshin's leaving for Kyoto, and he was just waiting for her to suddenly collapse in a blubbering heap any moment. So far she hadn't, but now he was beginning to worry that maybe she'd completely snapped. "Kaoru... are you... okay?"
"Yes." She could tell Yahiko wasn't convinced. "Oh, don't listen to me. Just a silly little game I was playing."
"Uh... okay..." After making sure that Kaoru was following him, Yahiko headed back to the dining area, where Sano was waiting. The three sat down and began to eat.
With no work - real or otherwise - to distract them, the three friends fell into an uncomfortable silence. They had been dancing delicately around the subject of Kenshin for several days, no one being willing to bring up the topic despite the fact that it was obviously on everybody's minds. The tension in the room grew like a balloon filled with too much air until it became too much and finally burst. Yahiko slammed his bowl of rice down and said, "I just don't get it! How the hell could they take Kenshin like that after all he's done to help the Meiji government?!" He glared at Sanosuke and Kaoru, as if daring them to provide a reasonable answer.
Sano laughed unpleasantly, little more than a derisive snort; Kaoru was pretty sure he was slightly drunk, as he had been much of the time lately. "You know that idea about democracy, where everyone is equal?" he asked, staring fixedly at the bottom of his bowl. "The Meiji government is like that, except only when it comes to criminals. No matter how helpful and loyal to the government Kenshin's been to the government before, they'll treat him equal to any other villain."
Yahiko opened his mouth and was about to respond with another angry outburst when there was a soft knock on the door. Being the closest, Yahiko leaned over and slid the screen aside without getting out of his seat. The silhouette had at first led them to believe it was Ayame who had for some reason wandered over without Suzume, but upon opening the door Yahiko saw that is was in fact an unfamiliar girl much older than Ayame, but had looked younger because of her shortness. "It's not polite to come marching up to someone's door and interrupting them when they're eating, you know," said Yahiko, giving her a condescending look.
"Yahiko!" Kaoru scolded, shocked by his rudeness. She quickly rose and went over to where the girl stood, shifting from foot to foot nervously. "Yes? Is there something you need?"
"Uh..." The girl fished through her pastel kimono, finally withdrawing a folded piece of paper from an inner pocket. Instead of handing it directly to Kaoru, however, she peered inside and spotted Sanosuke. Holding out the paper, she said to him, "A tall policeman told me to give this to you."
"How d'ya know to give it to me?" Sano asked even as he rose to take Saito's letter - for that's obviously what it was - from her.
"Emm..." She looked away sheepishly. "He said... he said, 'You'll know the moron when you see him because his hair looks just like a mangy rooster's.' That's exactly what he said," she concluded, giving Sano an earnest look.
"Okay," Kaoru interrupted with a false cheeriness, "thank you so very much! Here, take this." She gave the girl a coin and shooed her away before Sano could blow up in the poor kid's face, since it was pretty obvious that he wasn't too pleased at being identified with a "mangy rooster."
"Man, Saito never misses a chance to rip on you, does he?" Yahiko remarked, giving Sanosuke a sideways glance to see how he'd react.
Sano just gave the boy a dirty look and read the brief note. "It's about damn time!" he exclaimed when he'd finished. Without further ado he stood and made for the exit.
"Where are you going?" the incorrigible Yahiko asked.
"Too see him," Sano replied without pausing. There was no need to explain who "he" was.
"What, now?"
"Yes, now. Would you like me to wait three to five business days?"
Kaoru watched Sano's back as he strode away. She knew that she should call him back, press some small token into his hands with the words, "Give this to Kenshin for me," or, "This is for him," or something romantic and cryptic like that. At the very least she should give Sano some verbal message to be relayed to the one she longed so deeply to see. After all, isn't that what any devoted woman would do if she were unable to see her loved one? Yahiko seemed to think so; he kept giving her strange, expectant looks. But she did not call out, and in a matter of seconds Sanosuke was gone, leaving her to sit in front of her meal with no intention of finishing it.
O_O O_O O_O
The warden peered through the small barred window that was the only portal between Kenshin's cell and the outside world. "Excuse me, but you have a visitor, Himura-san," he said, and then disappeared from view. That annoyed Kenshin - the warden's politeness, that is. Despite the fact that for all practical purposes he was a condemned criminal, the guy insisted on treating Kenshin with great respect that bordered on a sort of reverence. Maybe it was because he'd heard about all the stuff Kenshin had done for the government before, or he'd heard tales of the deadly Battousai from the revolution. Also, when ever he delivered Kenshin's meals the warden would look at the ex-assassin and shake his head in wonder, as if to say, Of all the people...
Get over it, Kenshin wanted to say. These things happen. But, of course, he never said anything.
"He's in here," Kenshin heard the warden say, though from where he sat at the far wall he couldn't see who the guard was talking to. There was the sound of footsteps receding; that would be the warden returning to his little table to read.
Then came another voice: "Oi, Guy-Who-Holds-All-The-Keys, aren't you gonna let me in?" It was Sano's.
"Sorry, can't. Against regulations."
"Well, then could I get five minutes alone?"
There was a pause, then a great sigh - the warden wanted to make it quite clear that even though it was against regulations and a major inconvenience on his part, he'd comply to the request. A shrill screech rang out as the door to the cell bloc was opened, then it slammed shut again. Kenshin heard all this with a strange detachment; he was still hung up on the sound of Sano's voice. It couldn't really be him; it wasn't possible... But there he was, peering in at Kenshin, and he did not look at all pleased.
"Oi, no fair sitting back there where I can't reach you!" Sano hollered. "Get up here so I can punch you in the face for being such a jackass!"
Kenshin couldn't help but smile. As genteel as always, I see. He rose stiffly to his feet and ever so slowly made his way to the iron door of the cell, one hand brushing against the damp stone wall for balance.
"Now I know why you were all weird that night," Sano continued. "You knew that I'd get pissed off when you took the blame for me! And what's more, you broke your promise that you'd never leave without telling me - again!" His face was beginning to turn a slight shade of red; he was really working himself up. "But what's worse of all is that you slept with me because you thought it wouldn't make me feel as bad when you ditched us!"
"I didn't need to hear that, you queer!" a rough voice called out from one of the other cells.
"Shut the hell up, asswipe!" Sanosuke snarled, then he rounded on Kenshin once more. "Goddamn it, have you ever oh my god what happened to you?!" This sudden change occurred when Kenshin finally stepped close enough for the dim lanterns to illuminate his face. Actually, Kenshin had no idea what he looked like, though he had to assume it was pretty bad. One of his eyes had swollen a bit, and it hurt to touch his face even slightly, the bruising was so bad.
However, his startling appearance only gave Sano something new to rant about; he was on a roll and wasn't going to stop for anything now. "And what the hell is this?" he demanded, jabbing a finger between the bars of the window and making Kenshin recoil protectively. "You could take on half the people here and not break a sweat! How the hell did you get fucked up like that?"
"The other half jumped me, that they did," Kenshin replied, hoping his jovial attitude was contagious and that Sano would calm down.
The actual effect was quite the opposite. "Quit the bullshit," Sano hissed bringing his face as close as possible to Kenshin's. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"
"A maximum-security prison?"
Sano growled in frustration. Since when was Kenshin so damn annoying? "'Prison' my ass! This is just where they keep people while the executioners sharpen their blades! Do you know what the penalty for treason is? Beheading! You're going to die." Though he said no more, the unsaid statement was obvious: I'm not going to let that happen.
"Sano..." Kenshin rubbed the nape of his neck - an old nervous habit. "I know exactly what's going to happen to me, that I do. I know you don't like it, but there's nothing you can do now, that there is not. Which I am grateful for, that I am." Again, the final sentence was passed silently between them: Please understand, I'm doing this because I love you.
Surprisingly, Sanosuke smiled - the first sign of an emotion other than complete outrage. "That's where you're wrong," he said, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Saito's got this political mumbo-jumbo plan figured out to force Fushiyuuki to let you free. And in case that doesn't work I've got something worked out with Katsu, too."
Instead of being elated, as Sano had hoped, a look of concern and even fear grew over Kenshin's face. "No, Sano," he said firmly. "You can't. I won't let you risk your life for me - "
"Who said I was risking it for you?" Sano interrupted.
Kenshin, struck dumb by surprise, stared at his friend for a moment.
Sanosuke grinned again, this time with a trace of his former mischievousness. "I'm in this only for me." When Kenshin remained silent, he elaborated: "You didn't think I'd be content with only one go, did you? Hell, I've been spoiled - I'll never be satisfied with another guy besides you as long as I live." He leaned forward and kissed Kenshin tenderly. It was rather awkward, having to navigate between the thick iron bars set in the little square portal that separated them, and the end effect was rather unromantic, but it was enough to make both of them ache with longing.
When their lips finally parted, Sano fished the little poem-code out of his pocket and slipped it between the bars to Kenshin. "Here. That jerk Saito wanted me to give you this," he said, his voice slightly breathless with passion. "You know, I'm still mad at you."
Kenshin was about to respond when the warden returned, signaling the end of their rendezvous. He watched as Sano turned and walked back down the corridor, pausing when he reached the guard sitting at the little table and reading a well-thumbed book. "Oi, Man-With-The-Keys - do you mind if I punch you in the face?"
"Wha -?" was all the warden was able to utter before Sano's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling.
"Thanks," Sanosuke said to the semiconscious man as he opened the door to leave. "I've been needing to get that out of my system for days."
Shaking his head, Kenshin looked down and struggled to read what was written on the paper in the dim light. Translated, the three-line poem said: Reinforcements en route. Hold current position. Await further orders.
Oooh, great. Kenshin didn't know what he would have done without those instructions.
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I know that was pretty pointless. I just needed an excuse to get Kenshin and Sano together again for a little bit.