Writer's Note: Very sorry it took forever! I lost my computer disk and went through a freak out stage. And then…well, I had a hard time writing it. (It was about a week later that I began writing a completely different fic specifically for the Ice and Fire Contest, which can be checked out from my profile page!) This chapter is…well, necessary for development. Hope you like!!!
Agent Himura stood behind Chief Hijikata as a camera and multiple microphones edged ever closer.
"Are the Omitsu brothers being charged with murder?"
"Do you believe that these men are really saints?"
"Is it true that the Chinese Mob is looking to buy out Kina's Sake down the street?"
The Chief merely waved the questions away. "The Omitsu brothers are not being charged with the two murders. It was a clear-cut case of self-defense and they will be released from custody at an undisclosed place at an undisclosed time. Thank you."
Squeezing through the crowd of people, Sano made his way to the door, which Agent Himura held open for him. For a split second, eye contact was established and then broke off as Sanosuke entered the Police Headquarters.
Hajime and Aoshi were waiting in their cell when Sano came in.
"Hey, how you guys holding up?"
Aoshi patted him on his back and inspected the stubble on the Funny Man's chin. "It suits you."
"You think? Maybe the girls will see it as too hairy..."
"What'd you bring us?" Hajime interrupted.
Sano presented them with two pairs of jeans, two black shirts and their black overcoats.
Aoshi smiled appreciatively.
"But that's not all," with a grin, Sano pulled two rosaries from beneath his shirt and slipped them off his neck.
"The moron did something right for a change."
Each brother slipped their rosaries around their necks and playfully punched Sano in the arm.
"So, are you guys allowed conjugal visits?"
"What are you talking about?" Aoshi eyed the man.
"Well, the ladies just couldn't take me snooping around your apartment. Begged me to take them with me."
Tokio burst in and ran right into Hajime's arms. "I saw it on the news! I was so worried about you, Hajime! I told you! I told you the Mob was going to get you!"
"Don't worry, Tokio. Nobody got me. I'm fine. See? Not a scratch."
Meg came in quietly and eyed Aoshi for a long moment. Sano raised his eyebrows at the man and backed towards the doorway.
"I'll leave you guys to your respective ladies...don't do anything Okina would. Later!"
"Aoshi..." Meg began, looking up at him uneasily.
Uh oh...she used my real name.
"...Aa...?" Aoshi murmured, almost tentatively.
"Did you really kill those men?"
"They were going to kill Hajime."
"Yes or no?" she demanded.
Aoshi paused. He did not like this. It felt wrong. "I..."
Meg's surprised look told him she had just noticed his hands. "Oh my god..." a flash of anger flared in her eyes. "Did they do this to you?"
But Aoshi shook his head, his bangs swishing with the movement. "I did it to myself."
Tears came then, big, wet ones sliding down porcelain cheeks. Meg lurched into his arms with a sob and pressed her face into a warm chest. Aoshi slid his arms tightly around her body, his chin resting on the top of Meg's head.
"I was so scared..."
"..."
"Aoshi, say something...I've been worried sick over you!" she choked on a sob and burrowed deeper into the thin cotton robe. "Please..."
"I'm sorry I made you worry."
Megumi hiccupped. "I don't want you doing anything else reckless! I want you to be safe! If I lost you..."
"You will not lose me."
"I need to be with you. What if—"
"You will not lose me!" he said vehemently.
Meg started at his tone. It seemed as though the tears would not stop.
Aoshi placed a hand on the top of her head and pushed her into his shoulder. "I will be here as long as you need me to be."
He meant to exchange a look with his brother, but Hajime was busy sitting on the bed with Tokio tracing the edge of his ear with a finger, a satisfied smirk on his face.
Night had come and the women had gone. The brothers lay on their separate beds placed only a foot away from each other.
Shirtless, jeans and rosaries hanging on their necks, they once again stared at the cracks in the ceiling.
Jail. It felt strange to be "just visiting."
"Shinomori."
Aoshi scowled at the ceiling above. "What is it, Saitou?"
His brother grimaced. "Sorry. I was wondering what it was that you see in that fox of yours. She seems...ill-suited for you."
Aoshi could feel amusement tugging at the edge of his mouth. "She is the things I am not in all the right places."
Hajime rolled his eyes. "My own brother, sounding like a fucken pussy."
"You really must have a death wish."
"I'm not the one who sounds like some lovesick puppy. You call yourself a fucken man..."
"More than we can say about you."
"What? Fuck you! I'm all man, fuckhead! Just because I haven't done the beastly duty like you every night, doesn't mean my penis is dead!"
Aoshi smiled then. "Why do you continue to see Tokio?"
Hajime was quiet for a long time, actually considering the question. Finally, he said, his voice full of wonder, "I've never had anyone to worry over me the way she does."
God spoke to them that night. While they slept and the heavy rains sang over the city walls. His voice came to them with the wisdom of their earthly father, his familiar voice deep and resonant.
"And when I vest my flashing sword and my hand takes hold in judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies and I will repay those who haze me. O Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints."
The sanctified water began seeping through the cracks in the ceiling, dribbling onto foreheads and running down temples to disappear into hair. This time, God's voice came to them as their heavenly father, his holy tenor whispering in their minds, that unmistakable voice echoing its purpose.
"Whosoever shed last blood, by man, shall his blood be shed. For immunity of God make he the man. Destroy all that which is evil, so that which is good may flourish. And I shall count thee among my favored sheep, and you shall have the protection of all the angels of heaven."
Gasping for breath, both brothers arched their backs, the water running over their closed eyelids. They sat up, their rosaries jingling against their ribs.
Hajime looked over at his brother, his eyes full of purpose. "Destroy that which is evil."
"So that which is good may flourish," finished Aoshi.
Morning came and the boys began lazily dressing. The familiar black shirt and jeans fitting just so. Each brother looked straight into the other's eyes with deadpan expressions. An agreement passed between them in their silent, secret language.
Out of nowhere, a loud, annoying beeping noise screamed nearby. Both men looked around, puzzled. Hajime dug around in his discarded robe and pulled out a small black object.
"Hm. That chink's pager. Wanna go check it out?"
At Aoshi's nod, they left their holding cell to enter the general office area where the officers had coffee waiting for them. They had already become favorites among the law enforcers.
"Ay! Aoshi, get a good night's rest?"
"Hope you two make it home okay."
"Wanna go out for drinks later?"
Hajime was walking in the lead when something short ran into him. He looked down to see a flustered woman.
"Oh...e-excuse me, Mr. Omitsu..."
But he just ignored her and continued walking. Aoshi stayed back to keep the girl company.
"Y-you're Aoshi, right?" at his nod, the girl continued, "I'm Detective Kaoru Kamiya. I was wondering if you've seen that special agent from yesterday..."
"No, I haven't."
The girl looked disappointed. "Oh...okay. Thanks anyways." As she was turning to go, Yahiko appeared behind her, slapping an arm around her shoulders.
"So...Kaoru, still lookin' for that redhead?"
"No! Get away Myojin! I don't want to be seen fraternizing with you!"
The young detective was unfazed. "So...you think he's a natural redhead? You know...above and below?"
In retaliation, the girl hit the boy over the head with her nightstick. "Don't act so stupid, Detective! Just because you have no friends, don't bug me about it! And while you're at it, leave Aoshi out of it, too."
The young man rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Aw, shit. That smarts, ya stupid raccoon."
"FUCK YOU!"
Meanwhile, Hajime had borrowed some change from an officer and went to a nearby pay phone. He quickly dialed the number on Koji's pager and on the first ring, a Chinese voice came on.
"Golden Leaves Hotel. Suite number 24. Tomorrow at 8pm."
The line abruptly cut off while Hajime was jotting down the information on a small piece of paper. Hanging up the phone, he stuffed the slip into his pocket.
"Amen."
Aoshi waved his farewells to the officers before joining his brother and exiting the building into the blinding sunlight.
Some Ratty Warehouse
Base of Operations
Later that Afternoon
Sanosuke Sagara knocked on the little office door. It opened a crack and lazy eyes peered at him.
"What the fuck do you want?"
Great. His least favorite person. The young man held up a small brown baggie. "Got a package for Papa Sou."
The door swung open the rest of the way to reveal a lanky man in a smutty white business suit.
Kanryuu Takeda. Don's Personal Assistant. Sekihoutai Mobster.
When the greasy assistant reached for Sano's parcel, the man held it out of range. "Said I was to deliver it myself."
"Give me the fucken thing," Takeda snatched the bag from the young fighter's grasp and dropped it on his boss's desk, remaining a sentinel next to the Don's office desk.
Sano sat himself across from his employer, who was currently on the phone.
"Listen, you little cocksucker, we had an agreement! Drag your ass out of bed and get me my money!"
Souzou Sagara. Papa Sou. Sekihoutai Don.
Kanryuu eyed the young fighter with disdain. "Where'd you get that black eye, Funny Man?"
Sano ignored him.
"Hee hee hee, I think I'm so fucken fun-ee..."
Takeda is an asshole.
Sou sprang from his seat, the phone clutched in his white-knuckled fingers. "You know what?? Your number's up, you insignificant little fuck!" And with that, he slammed it down on the receiver. In frustration, he sat down, a hand under his chin. "I shouldn't have done that," he said to Sano. "You're not supposed to tell a guy you're going to kill him anymore. I tell ya, it takes all the fun out of the job."
The Don reached an arm out and opened up his specially-delivered bag. Pulling out a saran-wrapped ham and cheese sandwich, he unwrapped it and took a big bite. "Whenever the boys come over, they always talk about what a crackup you are. Cheer me up."
Sano looked like a deer in headlights. "I don't think…"
"Listen. I'm having a shitty day. Tell me a funny joke." Papa Sou took a generous bite of his sandwich and chewed expectantly, his black hair dancing.
The fighter scratched his head and glanced at the ceiling. "Uh…okay. There was this, uh, tourist, an imperialist…"
"Bastard!" yelled Papa Sou.
"Yeah. That's what I said. An imperialist bastard, and a Japanese guy…" he was starting to sweat. "So they're all in the desert and they think they're gonna die when this genie pops up out of nowhere and tells each guy he'll grant them one wish. So the tourist says to the genie, 'I want all the tourists everywhere to go back to their homes and be happy and everything.' So POOF, all the tourists everywhere are back in their homes. And the imperialist guy…"
"Bastard," reminded Takeda.
"Uh, the im—uh—bastard guy says to the genie, 'I want all the imperialist bastards to be on their own island and happy and everything.' And POOF, all the imperialist bastards are on their own little island…and uh…this joke isn't funny, sir…"
With that, Papa Sou set his sandwich down, giving Sano his undivided attention. "Continue the joke." It was not a request.
Sano looked like he was going to cry. "So the genie looks at the Japanese guy and wants to know what his wish is. The man asks, 'You mean to tell me that all the tourists and imperialist bastards are out of Japan? Well…I'll have a Coke, then.'"
There is a pained silence before Souzou Sagara bursts into laughter, Takeda cautiously joining him. "…'I'll have a Coke, then…'"
Sano laughed nervously, beginning to relax. "Yeah, they're all out, so…ahaha…"
When the Don had stopped laughing, he wiped a tear out of his eye and said, "Tell me another."
"…w-what?"
Deep in a poorly lit basement, Hajime and Aoshi sat across a small coffee table from a man with blond hair spiked up in a wild manner. Nicely tanned hands placed two guns, a few bundles of cash, a pager, two wallets and a watch on the dusty surface. It was quiet as the man with the blond hair appraised them. Sighing, he threw the brothers two black duffel bags.
"Knock yourselves out, boys."
Music seemed to ring in their ears as the lights went on, revealing a caged off area filled with all sorts of goodies.
Antique guns, stealth guns, military-issue guns, government-issue guns, flamethrowers, mass-destructive materials and all the nice things that come with them lined the walls on various holders and displays.
Hajime looked wonderingly around and said, "It's like the fucken Terminator."
Each brother stuffed their duffel bags with various things. It was like shopping at Macy's in December. Hajime picked a knife off the wall and tested it's weight. "Nice…" It was a rugged, jungle-type hand-held number with fancy blade cuttings. Discreetly, he slipped it into his bag.
Strolling away from his bag, he went to fiddle around with a machine gun sitting on a tripod.
Aoshi paused in his browsing when an idea came to him. "You know what we need? Some rope."
Hajime made a face. "Rope? What the fuck do you need rope for?"
"I don't know. Charlie Bronson's always got rope and they always end up using it."
"That's the stupidest fucken thing I've ever heard. That's the movies, asshead."
Aoshi glanced at his brother's bag, pulling out the knife. "Is that so, Rambo?"
He was looking down the barrel of a machine gun faster than J-Lo kicking Matt Damon in the ass.
"Alright. Get your stupid fucken rope."
Aoshi smiled at his brother. "I'll get my rope," he said, walking over to the wall and picking out a coil. "There's some rope right here."
"You're such a child, Aoshi."
"This, coming from the man who still prematurely ejaculates?"
"WHAT?? Where the hell did that come from??"
"There's nothing wrong with that."
"Yes there is! But I'm NOT a premie, fucksucker! Must be tough being frigid."
"How about you shut your mouth?"
"How about I kick your ass??"
God was dying. Oh, his health was all well and good…but his children cracked him up. There was just no helping it. They were born to do good on earth and good in heaven…
It was an effort to stay seated on his white cirrus couch.
Later, standing in the hotel's elevator, the brothers exchanged a look. Still in their jeans and rosaries, long-sleeved black turtlenecks adorned their lithe figures.
Hajime observed his brother for a few moments. In all seriousness, he asked, "Are you nervous?"
Aoshi took a shaky breath. "A bit."
Hajime smiled at that. "Icy Tuesday being humane?"
"You really are a fucken jackass, Hajime."
"Just bringing you good cheer, brother," with a chuckle, Hajime hit the emergency stop button. The elevator came to a halt and the boys slipped on their black ski masks. Crossing themselves with rope slung around both of their shoulders, Hajime crouched and gave his brother a boost.
End Notes: Ha ha ha…sorry again, folks, for the delay! Some expressed a concern about Special Agent Kenshin Himura…now if you've seen the movie, it is made blatantly apparent that the agent is gay. In my story…I prefer to keep it a bit more ambiguous…perhaps you'd all agree that certainly Kenshin is "femmy." ^_^
About Papa Sou's sandwich…okay, so they don't really eat cheese in Japan. SUE ME.
Also, this was written when Ben and J-Lo's little fling was still "on." The injustice of it all still burns me! J-Lo is a complete bitch, Ben's an ass and poor Damon's the one getting kicked around. It's obvious he's the brains of the operation. Lol…
Thanks everyone for being patient and most likely helpful in some way. I fully intend to complete this story! Next Chapter: THE HOTEL!!! (Sorry, no sex. Just blood, gore and some laughs. ^o^)