Chapter Seventeen
Sano slunk after Saitoh as best he could. His hulking form could only sneak so much. He had thought to wear dark clothing for once. He wished the man had allowed them to take the car and he did his best to ignore the discomfort in his lungs. Cracking his knuckles he wondered what exactly awaited them.
"Yo old man, slow down will you?" He panted. "When's this going down anyhow?"
Saitoh ignored him and if anything he started going faster. Then he stopped abruptly and Sano practically slammed into. Peering curiously over the tall, lean man's shoulder. Lights peeped out from shuttered windows and a street light shone down from a half block away. Other than that it was dark and gloomy.
Headlights turned in and a sable, expensive looking car purred into the parking lot. Saitoh settled into the shadows checking over his gun. Sano crouched down beside him resting his knuckles on the ground to keep his balance. A chilly wind played across Sano's hair waving the brown spikes gently and he shivered slightly with a frown.
After another five minutes of tense waiting the second car pulled up. A tall, thin man slid out of the back glancing around with ice blue eyes. His trench coat billowed out around his legs gently and his dark clothing seemed to make him look treacherous. His eyes narrowed further and he glared at the place they were waiting. Sano realized he was holding his breath when the glacier stare turned elsewhere.
A not so subtle nudge from Saitoh made him tear his gaze from the chilled man and look to the other man exiting the car. This man was pale with straggly hair and a large nose. There was nothing imposing about him. He almost looked like a used car salesman.
"Kanyruu." Saitoh rasped with his hands quietly readying his gun.
"What about the other man?" Sano asked gesturing towards frozen dude. Saitoh issued an almost silent snort, "Aoshi Shinomori."
Fuck. So that was the leader of the Obiwaban. If he was any indication of the caliber of the group Sano was sure that the Shinsengumi would have a difficult time. He fought down the urge to whistle in admiration. If he did that it would be a race to see who managed to knock him off first, Saitoh or Shinomori.
Kanyruu scuttled over to the sable vehicle and a dark tinted window rolled down slowly. There was a brief exchange made in silence and Sano tensed. He glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye waiting for some sort of signal.
Suddenly the lean man shot from his handgun and all hell broke loose.
Shinomori leapt into action like an icy whirlwind. Somehow he deflected the bullet and Sano caught a glimpse of something long and metal reflecting in the moonlight.
Saitoh lunged, not at Shinomori, but past him to clash with a red haired figure. Sano caught a shimmer of golden, deadly eyes and a cross shaped scar on the man's cheek. It hit him like a dash of cold water and it explained why Saitoh would completely ignore his intended target. Battousai.
Did that mean he had to take care of Shinomori himself? The thought was more than daunting. He wasn't a coward, but the prospect of grappling with the lithe, deadly man wasn't something he was thrilled about doing. In fact he was down right scared. Suddenly he wanted a drink or twenty.
Aw fuck it, he thought to himself. Setting his sights on Kanyruu he launched forward hoping to at least pop off the slime ball before he was spitted on those handy dandy swords the iceman was swinging around.
The putrid rat squeaked in surprise and made as if to dive out of the way. Instead a solid blow to the jaw landed on Sano averting him. His fist whistled past the man and he couldn't slow his momentum. He stumbled past just managing to catch his fall feeling the sting as skin scraped against stone.
Turning like an enraged bull he glared at Shinomori. The man looked like he could be made of stone except for the tail of his coat flapping slightly. His emotionless, unreadable eyes were centered on the young man and he had slid into an offensive stance with twin blades held ready. His mouth was set in a mild expression. It was bland and uncaring, however, on his handsome face it looked harsh.
"Shinsengumi." He commented. His voice was an exact match to his face.
It was the face that said, you're not good enough to even feel my attacks. You're a worthless kid that couldn't hurt a crippled dog and a horrendous waste of time. Why bother? Turn around like a whipped cur and curl up in some out of the way corner. It would be better for us both if you disappeared to lick your wounds. Anger, no rage, bubbled up in Sanosuke. Those were the kinds of looks he had received all his life. Nothing succeeded in pissing him off like one of those looks. The face that the man in front of him managed to melt them into a single, uninterested glance...
With a wordless yell the Sano launched forward heedless of the sharp kodatchis. He watched through a red haze as one of the short blades descended towards his left shoulder. With paranormal speed he twisted out of the way somehow managing to only gain a shallow slice. Warm, sticky blood welled up soaking his clothing.
Again he barreled forward like a juggernaut noting behind his haze how Shinomori danced out of the way with the grace of a panther. He ignored that and continued towards Kanyruu.
The piece of dog shit made a squeal of surprise frantically pulling at the door to his fancy car. The ornate handle stuck obstinately displeased with the rough handling.
Sano grinned maniacally as bone met bone. His knuckled ground into the smaller man's cheek and he felt a rush of satisfaction. Now if he could just break the man's neck. Snap his spine like a terrier shaking a rat.
Something deadly cold and sharp poked into the back of his neck and a glacial voice demanded, "Drop him."
The sane part of Sano's mind recognized the threat to his life. The dominate, part the one that loved the high of the fight, refused to let go of it's prize. It wanted to press his fingers into the skinny man's neck and press down crushing the windpipe watching as Kanyruu turned an attractive shade of purple.
"Sano!" A small, frightened voice called out from across the way. At first it didn't click, he didn't even recognize that it was him being called. Not until the voice called out again breaking through his blood frenzied mind.
His eyes came back into focus and they darted over to see Megumi. His initial thought was, what the fucking hell? How dare that freak let her out, where in fucking blazes was he? He glanced around looking for the cross-dresser and subconsciously pounding his fist into his palm. When no Kamatari appeared more logical thoughts processed. She was here on her own. She had somehow tricked her caretaker and followed them into this hellhole dangerous place.
Completely sober, only feeling the vaguest traces of the adrenaline rush that had been pumping through him, he tried to wiggle out from the cold steel pressed against him. In the process he dropped Kanyruu, whimpering like the terrified pissant he was.
"Don't move."
"Let go of me you cold bastard!" Sano growled squirming even harder, "I need to get her out of here."
There was no replied except the steel pressed into flesh drawing a sluggish trickle of liquid. It crept down his spine.
"Listen, I promise I won't go after that excuse for a human being, got it? I just want to get the kid the fuck out of here. She's innocent." Sano continued. He didn't want to sound like he was begging, his pride resented it, but he couldn't get away unless Shinomori let him. For once his fist couldn't do the talking.
The pressure didn't relent and he felt his chest squeeze with fear. Not for himself, but for the girl. What could he say to get the bastard to let him go?
the sacred night: I have no idea, it's a headache sometimes though.
Fyyrrose: Oh shut up Raven, go back to BSR, he's with Aoshi there. Who knows what's on Kite's mind half the time? She may just like him because he doesn't ask questions. I want to see that *sniff* Oh well, sorry about Betrayal, stupid DVD, it wouldn't burn or record on a tape. I might try on my computer here at home.
Wistful-Eyes : All better? Good. No rabid fangirls allowed, they scare me ^^;; Any fanatic scares me actually. It is, unfortunately, but I tend to play with pairings quite a bit.
MissBehavin: Scary, yes. Quick, grab his face and make him smile!
Sano slunk after Saitoh as best he could. His hulking form could only sneak so much. He had thought to wear dark clothing for once. He wished the man had allowed them to take the car and he did his best to ignore the discomfort in his lungs. Cracking his knuckles he wondered what exactly awaited them.
"Yo old man, slow down will you?" He panted. "When's this going down anyhow?"
Saitoh ignored him and if anything he started going faster. Then he stopped abruptly and Sano practically slammed into. Peering curiously over the tall, lean man's shoulder. Lights peeped out from shuttered windows and a street light shone down from a half block away. Other than that it was dark and gloomy.
Headlights turned in and a sable, expensive looking car purred into the parking lot. Saitoh settled into the shadows checking over his gun. Sano crouched down beside him resting his knuckles on the ground to keep his balance. A chilly wind played across Sano's hair waving the brown spikes gently and he shivered slightly with a frown.
After another five minutes of tense waiting the second car pulled up. A tall, thin man slid out of the back glancing around with ice blue eyes. His trench coat billowed out around his legs gently and his dark clothing seemed to make him look treacherous. His eyes narrowed further and he glared at the place they were waiting. Sano realized he was holding his breath when the glacier stare turned elsewhere.
A not so subtle nudge from Saitoh made him tear his gaze from the chilled man and look to the other man exiting the car. This man was pale with straggly hair and a large nose. There was nothing imposing about him. He almost looked like a used car salesman.
"Kanyruu." Saitoh rasped with his hands quietly readying his gun.
"What about the other man?" Sano asked gesturing towards frozen dude. Saitoh issued an almost silent snort, "Aoshi Shinomori."
Fuck. So that was the leader of the Obiwaban. If he was any indication of the caliber of the group Sano was sure that the Shinsengumi would have a difficult time. He fought down the urge to whistle in admiration. If he did that it would be a race to see who managed to knock him off first, Saitoh or Shinomori.
Kanyruu scuttled over to the sable vehicle and a dark tinted window rolled down slowly. There was a brief exchange made in silence and Sano tensed. He glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye waiting for some sort of signal.
Suddenly the lean man shot from his handgun and all hell broke loose.
Shinomori leapt into action like an icy whirlwind. Somehow he deflected the bullet and Sano caught a glimpse of something long and metal reflecting in the moonlight.
Saitoh lunged, not at Shinomori, but past him to clash with a red haired figure. Sano caught a shimmer of golden, deadly eyes and a cross shaped scar on the man's cheek. It hit him like a dash of cold water and it explained why Saitoh would completely ignore his intended target. Battousai.
Did that mean he had to take care of Shinomori himself? The thought was more than daunting. He wasn't a coward, but the prospect of grappling with the lithe, deadly man wasn't something he was thrilled about doing. In fact he was down right scared. Suddenly he wanted a drink or twenty.
Aw fuck it, he thought to himself. Setting his sights on Kanyruu he launched forward hoping to at least pop off the slime ball before he was spitted on those handy dandy swords the iceman was swinging around.
The putrid rat squeaked in surprise and made as if to dive out of the way. Instead a solid blow to the jaw landed on Sano averting him. His fist whistled past the man and he couldn't slow his momentum. He stumbled past just managing to catch his fall feeling the sting as skin scraped against stone.
Turning like an enraged bull he glared at Shinomori. The man looked like he could be made of stone except for the tail of his coat flapping slightly. His emotionless, unreadable eyes were centered on the young man and he had slid into an offensive stance with twin blades held ready. His mouth was set in a mild expression. It was bland and uncaring, however, on his handsome face it looked harsh.
"Shinsengumi." He commented. His voice was an exact match to his face.
It was the face that said, you're not good enough to even feel my attacks. You're a worthless kid that couldn't hurt a crippled dog and a horrendous waste of time. Why bother? Turn around like a whipped cur and curl up in some out of the way corner. It would be better for us both if you disappeared to lick your wounds. Anger, no rage, bubbled up in Sanosuke. Those were the kinds of looks he had received all his life. Nothing succeeded in pissing him off like one of those looks. The face that the man in front of him managed to melt them into a single, uninterested glance...
With a wordless yell the Sano launched forward heedless of the sharp kodatchis. He watched through a red haze as one of the short blades descended towards his left shoulder. With paranormal speed he twisted out of the way somehow managing to only gain a shallow slice. Warm, sticky blood welled up soaking his clothing.
Again he barreled forward like a juggernaut noting behind his haze how Shinomori danced out of the way with the grace of a panther. He ignored that and continued towards Kanyruu.
The piece of dog shit made a squeal of surprise frantically pulling at the door to his fancy car. The ornate handle stuck obstinately displeased with the rough handling.
Sano grinned maniacally as bone met bone. His knuckled ground into the smaller man's cheek and he felt a rush of satisfaction. Now if he could just break the man's neck. Snap his spine like a terrier shaking a rat.
Something deadly cold and sharp poked into the back of his neck and a glacial voice demanded, "Drop him."
The sane part of Sano's mind recognized the threat to his life. The dominate, part the one that loved the high of the fight, refused to let go of it's prize. It wanted to press his fingers into the skinny man's neck and press down crushing the windpipe watching as Kanyruu turned an attractive shade of purple.
"Sano!" A small, frightened voice called out from across the way. At first it didn't click, he didn't even recognize that it was him being called. Not until the voice called out again breaking through his blood frenzied mind.
His eyes came back into focus and they darted over to see Megumi. His initial thought was, what the fucking hell? How dare that freak let her out, where in fucking blazes was he? He glanced around looking for the cross-dresser and subconsciously pounding his fist into his palm. When no Kamatari appeared more logical thoughts processed. She was here on her own. She had somehow tricked her caretaker and followed them into this hellhole dangerous place.
Completely sober, only feeling the vaguest traces of the adrenaline rush that had been pumping through him, he tried to wiggle out from the cold steel pressed against him. In the process he dropped Kanyruu, whimpering like the terrified pissant he was.
"Don't move."
"Let go of me you cold bastard!" Sano growled squirming even harder, "I need to get her out of here."
There was no replied except the steel pressed into flesh drawing a sluggish trickle of liquid. It crept down his spine.
"Listen, I promise I won't go after that excuse for a human being, got it? I just want to get the kid the fuck out of here. She's innocent." Sano continued. He didn't want to sound like he was begging, his pride resented it, but he couldn't get away unless Shinomori let him. For once his fist couldn't do the talking.
The pressure didn't relent and he felt his chest squeeze with fear. Not for himself, but for the girl. What could he say to get the bastard to let him go?
the sacred night: I have no idea, it's a headache sometimes though.
Fyyrrose: Oh shut up Raven, go back to BSR, he's with Aoshi there. Who knows what's on Kite's mind half the time? She may just like him because he doesn't ask questions. I want to see that *sniff* Oh well, sorry about Betrayal, stupid DVD, it wouldn't burn or record on a tape. I might try on my computer here at home.
Wistful-Eyes : All better? Good. No rabid fangirls allowed, they scare me ^^;; Any fanatic scares me actually. It is, unfortunately, but I tend to play with pairings quite a bit.
MissBehavin: Scary, yes. Quick, grab his face and make him smile!