Note: This epilogue is dedicated to Tokimaru, who inspired me to write about these guys with her fabulous site. And cos she thought they needed to talk a little more...

Gamble

Epilogue.

"You were going to tell me about your wife sometime, right?"

Saitou spat out the watermelon seeds casually. "If the subject came up."

Sano munched his melon and considered that for a moment. "How exactly might it have come up?" he asked politely.

Saitou narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "I can't imagine that it would have actually."

"You are shameless," Sano said, shaking his head in disgust. "Didn't it occur to you that I might actually give a shit that you have a wife and kiddies running around somewhere?" He whipped his head around so fast that melon juice running down his chin spattered across the pristine wooden deck. "You don't have children, do you?"

Saitou inclined his head. "Yes, I do."

Sano grimaced and buried his mouth in the melons soft flesh. "This gets worse and worse," he muttered. "Should I feel guilty? Little woman sits at home waiting patiently while you and I have fabulous sex in Tokyo?"

"Don't worry yourself about it," Saitou said politely.

"Just because you say so, I suppose," Sano muttered.

Saitou sighed, pulling a snowy white handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his hands and mouth fastidiously. "I'll talk about this once, and once only, Sanosuke. These two parts of my life are separate, and must remain so. Tokio knows about you as you now know about her. I do not discuss you with her, nor will I discuss her with you."

'Tokio,' Sano mouthed silently.

Saitou inclined his head. "Just so. You will never have occasion to meet each other, I wouldn't put either of you to that bother. That's it."

Sano looked down at the ravaged slice of melon in his lap. He understood the finality of Saitou's pronouncement. He wouldn't talk about his wife, it was as simple as that. Wild horses wouldn't drag another word out of him. All the same Sano couldn't leave it alone quite yet.

"Will you... see her..." He rubbed his sticky hands on his pants. "I mean will you, um, be with her? I mean..."

"You are as full of questions as this melon is full of pips," Saitou said, with a patronizing shake of his head.

"Oy, stop talking like a grandfather and answer me!" Sano yelled. "You know what I'm asking. Will you go from my bed to hers?"

Saitou shook his head. "No," he said simply.

Sano waited a beat. "That's it?"

Saitou heaved himself to his feet and brushed down his immaculate uniform. "You wanted an answer and I gave you one. I only have one lover at a time, boy, and right now you're the lucky candidate." He turned slitted amber eyes on Sano, one brow raised interrogatively. "Proud?"

"As punch," Sano said sourly, heart doing a little dance despite himself. Saitou wouldn't lie about that, why should he? If Sano hadn't left him yet, he wasn't about to do so now.

'You're gonna have to pick me up and throw me out of your life bodily,' Sano thought as he watched the lean figure of his lover disappear through the trees around the temple and disappear in the direction of town, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword with the habit of long years. 'I'm not sure exactly why or how but you're it for me, Saitou Hajime. Say what you like about Sagara Sanosuke, but he's nothing if not loyal.'

Sano tossed his rind into the bushes and jumped nimbly off the deck, turning to the shrine and making a brief obeisance before throwing a few coins into its dark interior. He turned on his heel and then paused. Turning back to face the shrine he put the palms of his hands together and closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he murmured, then he opened his eyes, dropped the statue a cheeky wink and turned for home, whistling merrily.

The End!