Disclaimer: I do not own any characters' from Rurouni Kenshin. Just the one's I made up

Characters are slightly OOC, but hey, I had fun writing this, so I hope you have fun reading it.

My first Rurouni Kenshin fic, so please bare with me ^_^

Sano's Past

"Oh what a tangle web we weave, when first practice to deceive"

~Shakespeare (also Darkwing Duck from the episode that had to do with spiders and the villain Moliarty –what ever-)

Hindsight is interesting. Two results can happen. One is that a person can learn from it, or two, that person is doomed to repeat it while feeling guilty and constantly saying, "Baka baka baka", and "I should of".

If only Sano had learned from his past, and had been honest, perhaps he could have avoided the chaos that was to come.

It was a normal, sunny spring afternoon in Tokyo. The birds sang as two figures walked alone on a dirt road. The taller figure, a young man dressed in white, had his brown hair held high by a red headband. The shorter (much shorter) figure, was a young woman, who wore a blue kimono and had her raven hair pulled back in a high ponytail by a indigo ribbon.

The woman, Kaoru, scolded the lazy Sanosuke, while they walked back to the dojo from the market. In her arms was a bucket of tofu, as Sanosuke walked with his hands behind his head, with a fishbone in his mouth.

"Honestly, Sano, you said you'd help. And yet I'm the only one who's doing all the work!"

"Relax Jou-chan. I would have thought that someone like you could at least carry tofu." He smiled as Kaoru's face scrunched up in anger. She was ready to hit him over the head with the tofu bucket, when an unfamiliar voice interrupted the two.

"Sagara Sanosuke. I have come for you." Sano turned to the voice. There he saw a man with a long scar on his face, about Sano's age and height, with sandy blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail. His green eyes glinted with a form of madness. Behind him a gang of longhaired men stood.

"And you are?" The man face faulted. He quickly regained his composure.

"Yoru, Takawa Yoru!" Sano stood pondering much to Yoru's dislike. After five minutes of thinking a light lit up in Sano's head.

"Oh right, Yoru, long time no see. It's been about what? Five years. Man you've changed. Well, got a go, see ya." Sano and Kaoru started to walk away when Yoru yelled in a frustrated, high pitched, squeaky voice.

"Hold it, Sanosuke. I'm here for revenge, and my sister's honor. I've trained hard for the past five years, and got myself a gang!"

"I can see that, and yet apparently your voice is the same as it was since puberty." Sano once again started to move, laughing at his own joke. However, the gang surrounded him and Kaoru, while Yoru tried desperately to regain his control and not go berserk on Sano.

Dramatically, Yoru took a stance and pointed his finger towards Sanosuke. "I will give you one last chance, Sagara. Fulfill my families honor, or you both will pay."

"And me without any money. Oi, Jou-chan, can you spare a few yen?"

Kaoru, who was thinking about chores that needed to get done, steamed at the ears when she heard him, and faced Sano immediately. "Sagara Sanosuke, you free loader. Why should I give you any money?!"

"Come on, Kaoru, think about our history."

"History?" came another high squeak from Yoru. "You barbarian! You two timing…" Filled with rage, Yoru found it difficult to continue talking, let alone breathe.

Sano narrowed his eyes. "How dare you call me names, Yoru. I don't care about your family's honor. In fact, your family has nothing to do with me! So just leave me alone."

"I...I…Men get him!" The gang started to move in. Sano stepped into a fighting stance, spitting out the fishbone. He met each man with his own glare, daring them to make the first move. Kaoru placed the tofu bucket on the ground by her feet, afraid that the bucket would break, and the tofu lost.

The only sound seemed to be the wind, and approaching footsteps of the gang on the dirt road.

Hair tossed and turned in the wind, yet no one paid much attention, even when the wind blew their hair into their faces making it impossible to see. As tempting as it was to move the hair out of their faces, they dared not, for it might show signs of weakness and unmanliness.

So Sano (due to his hair held back by the red head band) faced a gang of Cousin Its' from the Addams Family, who could only guess where Sano and Kaoru were.

"STOP!" yelled Kaoru with her arms spread out to stop them. The wind even seemed to obey her command, leaving men with very tangled hair. "Sano, what family honor is he talking about?"

"I have no clue, but did you hear what he called me?" growled Sano.

Yoru was seeing red. "What do you mean you have no clue?! Five-years ago you said that you would marry my sister Yara."

"I did?"

"Yes. I have come here to collect. Either you marry her or die. Honor demands it!" Yoru stepped into a fighting stance, with a sword ready in his hands.

Sanosuke knew that there was no way that Yoru or his men could beat either him or Kaoru. Yet, he did kinda feel sorry for the man, just a little. So, out of the goodness of his heart Sano came up with a plan. A very stupid plan, but this is Sano we're talking about, and besides this plan is what made the story.

Stepping out of his fighting stance, and in a low, emotional voice, Sano spoke. "I can't marry her, and you can't kill me either." His face was tilted down, as his bangs covered his eyes, a frown scarred his features.

"Why not?"

Sano took a step closer to Kaoru, draping his arm around her shoulders. Lifting his head up, a goofy I-have-thought-of-the-perfect-plan grin appeared on his face. "Because I am marrying Kaoru. If you kill me her whole life will be ruined. Her mother's dying wish was for me to marry Kaoru. That's why I left so suddenly five years ago. I had to find my Kaoru, my Jou-chan, and fulfill that promise that I made."

"…"

"…"

First Kaoru was shocked and confused by Sano's action. Then his words sunk in.

"What?" asked Kaoru in an eerie dead tone voice. Sano inwardly winced. He knew that pain was waiting for him in the dojo, if he ever made it that far.

Leaning into her ear, so that only Kaoru could hear, he spoke. "Please play along Kaoru. The Takawa's have too much honor to interfere with out 'marriage', and will soon leave. This way no one will get hurt, and Yara can move on." Oddly enough Sano made sense, but she still had her doubts until, "I promise Jou-chan, I'll do anything. Just agree." A smile came to her face.

"Is this true?" asked a stunned Yoru, grabbing his chest for effect.

"Yes, it's true. Imagine my surprise when he came to the dojo just two years ago. It was hard for me to accept, even now. Yet he has proven himself worthy, by fixing the dojo walls and floor, refitting the roof, cleaning the floor and bathroom, and oh so much more." Kaoru said sweetly, a little too sweetly. Sano had a sinking feeling in his stomach that that was just the beginning of the long list of chores Kaoru had for him to do.

"I see, Sagara Sanosuke I had no idea."

"Yeah well, that's how it goes. Anyways, me and Jou-chan here, have to get back to the dojo and prepare for lunch. Bye." Sano picked up the tofu bucket with the undamaged tofu in it. Once again the two started to walk away. Unfortunately, Yoru had other plans.

"Very well. I shall go with you." Kaoru and Sano froze. The idea of Yoru coming with them scared the heck out of them. For one important reason only. If Yoru came with them, that would mean that they had to act like a couple in front of, gulp…Kenshin!

For the past few months, Kenshin was making his feelings for Kaoru known. They even went on a few dates, just the two of them. He even started calling her KOISHII!!!

"Huh?" was the panic reply.

"Of course. I have to make sure that you will honor your promise. That, and I would like to get to know the woman that stole your heart."

"Great. Hehehe. Um…how about dinner instead. See this was…"

"I understand. I have caught you two off guard and unprepared. So dinner it shall be." Yoru did a slight bow with his head and walked off, with the gang following him. Kaoru and Sano remained standing. All of a sudden, going to back to the dojo did not seem so great.

Collecting their nerves, they continued on, thinking how to explain everything to Kenshin, and possibly the Battousai.

T.B.C.

Well, there is chapter one.

Next Chapter: confronting Kenshin, and the dreaded dinner.

If I got any of the spelling, especially Japanese spelling wrong, just tell me.

The names came from a Japanese/English Dictionary that I have, and some I just made up ^_^

I know where this is heading, don't worry, but I need some help with the fillers, so if any of you can think of something fun that you would like to read, please suggest.