Fascination (Chapter Two)
by Inner Voice

Himura Kenshin was in an unusually good mood as he made his way up the inn's hallway and stopped in front of his room, sliding the door open almost noiselessly. He had just come from the inn's bathhouse, and the hot water had been wonderfully soothing to muscles that seemed almost perpetually sore, these days. He wasn't smiling—his expression as solemn as ever—but a certain lack of tension in his face and body told those who knew him well that he was as relaxed as a hitokiri ever got.
As he propped his swords up against the wall beside the door, Kenshin noticed a tray sitting on the low table in the corner of the room. His lips curved up slightly as he knelt at the table and picked up the cup of steaming hot tea that someone had left for him. Okami-san, most likely. The unflappable, sharp-tongued innkeeper had survived the destruction of the Kohagi Inn, and was now in charge of the Ishinshishi's newest safehouse. She remembered Tomoe—after all, she had been one of the first to notice the budding romance between the quiet girl and the equally quiet assassin—and had taken it upon herself to offer Kenshin some comfort with silent, everyday kindnesses like food left in his room or clothing mended without his asking her to.
Lost in thought, Kenshin sipped the tea slowly, letting its pleasant warmth seep through his chest. He reached for the teapot that Okami-san had left beside the cup—then stopped abruptly. Shouting and crashes had started up downstairs. Kenshin shot to his feet and ran for the door. He grabbed his katana and shoved the wakizashi in his sash.
Below, one cry rose above the din:
"We are the Shinsengumi!"

~*~

Souji dodged his opponent's desperate thrust easily. He swept his katana into the man's ribs while he was still off-balance, then stepped aside as he convulsed and fell forward.
Flicking the blood off his blade, he quickly assessed the situation around him. The Shinsengumi were clearly winning; their opponents were outnumbered and had been taken completely by surprise. Some Ishinshishi bodies were already sprawled around the dining hall.
A door slammed open on the second floor, footsteps pounded overhead, and Souji ran to the foot of the stairs to intercept the newcomer. His eyes widened at the sight of a barefoot Battousai dressed only in a thin white yukata, charging down the stairs with his sword at the ready. Souji grinned in anticipation.
He blocked Battousai's first thrust—fell back into a ready stance—sprang at the assassin—and his blade was turned aside. The two swordsmen stepped apart for a moment, each watching the other intently. Souji saw, as he examined his opponent, that Battousai's yukata was too big for him...it might hinder his movements, if Souji was lucky. He also noted absently that Battousai's hair was in a low, loose ponytail instead of the high one he'd worn before.
After a moment's pause, the two combatants simultaneously rushed at each other. Souji ducked Battousai's sweeping stroke. He thrust for the assassin's side, but Battousai dodged. Souji's momentum carried him past, and he swiftly turned back to his opponent. His sword came up to block Battousai's downward chop. Their swords slid against each other, then locked at the hilt. Souji's head came up to grin fiercely at Battousai—
—And he stopped to stare, fascinated. This close, Battousai's cold eyes were clearly a fierce amber. 'Just like Saitou-san's...' thought Souji. But he had never seen Saitou with stray locks of wet hair framing his face...a few red strands clinging damply to his cheeks...
To Souji, the moment seemed to last forever as he and Battousai strained against each other, their gazes locked.
"Retreat!" someone shouted. "Out the back door!"
Battousai broke away from Souji and dashed toward the other Ishinshishi, helping to cover their rear. Within moments, they were gone.
Souji didn't bother to order anyone after them—the Ishinshishi had been decimated and routed, and now the First Troop's job was to stay behind and secure the inn for the Shinsengumi's use.
While his men cleaned up the bodies downstairs, Souji went up to inspect the inn's second floor. He saw that one door was open...it must lead to Battousai's room, since the rest of the inn's occupants had been down in the dining hall. Only Battousai had come from upstairs.
Souji entered the room, looking around curiously. In the far corner was a small table with a teapot on it. An empty cup lay on its side on the floor nearby. Going over to the table, Souji touched the pot and found that it was still warm. When he picked up the cup, he saw that a few drops of liquid had spilled from it onto the tatami floor-mat. Battousai must have dropped the cup when he heard the Shinsengumi make their entrance.
It was very odd, Souji mused as he left to inspect the rest of the rooms, to see an interrupted moment of someone else's life. In his mind, he could almost see Battousai in the moments before the inn was attacked...enjoying a cup of hot tea, relaxing after a bath if his yukata and wet hair were any clue. The Battousai in Souji's mental picture somehow looked very young, with eyes closed in contentment and the too-large yukata practically slipping off his shoulders.
Souji smiled in amusement—it was strange to think of the Hitokiri Battousai doing everyday things like drinking or bathing, though of course he must. It made him seem so ordinary...Souji almost felt a bit of empathy with him.
At that thought, Souji stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.
'"Empathy"? What on earth—? Souji, you're too soft-hearted for your own good, if you're thinking things like that about an Ishinshishi!' he silently rebuked himself. Shaking his head ruefully, the Captain of the Shinsengumi's First Troop continued down the hall.




Author's Notes:
A yukata is a cotton robe used after bathing or for summer wear.
By the way, this would probably be a good time to mention that I know very little about strategy, swordfighting or Japanese history. If anyone out there spots a huge blunder, please tell me! If it's a small blunder, just call it poetic license. ^_^;
Also, I'll give credit where credit is due: freshly-bathed-Kenshin was inspired by Chapter 8 of The Darkest Shadows, The Brightest Lights by Naga…one of my favorite non-yaoi fics!
Lastly, thank you very much to those who reviewed the first chapter!

Koe760: Sorry, but any lime-ish stuff is far, far in the future...and there will definitely be no lemon. For the meantime, it's going to become a very kawaii, sweet romance.
April-san: Thank you very much for the greeting and the constructive comments! I hope you continue to like my version of Souji…
Devil: I saw that all your fics are in Spanish, so…muchas gracias por su revista! (tengo clases de Español. ^_^)
Lucrecia LeVrai: You wanted more…so here you go!
Kotori-chan: Well, this chapter had a meeting…and there will be many (more romantic) ones in the future.
Chiruken: o_O Chiruken-sama reviewed MY fic? Thank you! And thanks for the encouragement!
Lexa: Here's your update! Yes, this is a rare pairing…that's part of the fun of writing it. And thank you very much for putting this on your favorite stories list!