Author: Arashi (marenski@hotmail.com)

Website: www.kenkaya.com

Author's Notes: Hoh boy... I'm back! Sorry for the loooooooong wait people. I hope you're all still interested in this one cause I FINALLY figured out what I'm doing with this fic! (and I finally have time to work on it now that school is over for the summer! Yatta!) I've been laughing all day just THINKING about what I'm going to do to the poor men and women of Rurouni Kenshin. I don't usually laugh reading or thinking about my fics people... I hope everything is as funny on screen as it is in my head. *grin* The real humor (or rather, the stuff I was laughing about) will come in next chapter so please look forward to it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Fruits Basket. I might be the first person to think of putting them together though... *shrug*

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Juunishi Part 5

"Alright, we're going in." Clenching one fist in resolution, the tall, lanky, ex-gangster, Sagara Sanosuke gave his companions a firm nod to boost their collective courage. The Aoiya was before them and waiting inside were their woman.

Sanosuke took one brave step out from the cover provided by the Aoiya's greenery. Suddenly crouching low, the ex-gangster raced across the open yard and dove behind another set of bushes much closer to the back of the Aoiya. The sound of multiple openhanded slaps echoed through the night air as more than one member of the cursed team of warriors smacked themselves in the forehead at the ex-gangster's incompetence.

"Idiot I thought we were through sneaking around?" In the darkness and shadow of the trees and underbrush, Saitoh Hajime was little more than a pinprick of fire dancing up and down as he spoke. As the Wolf of Mibu stepped into the moonlight, Sanosuke could see the cruel smirk he had wrapped around his ever-present cigarette. "Come on, morons." This comment he aimed at the other men and one woman still hiding in the bushes.

With confidence in his stride, the former third captain of the Shinsengumi began stalking toward the Aoiya's back porch. When he was halfway to Sanosuke's location, a woman's voice rang out from the room closest to the hiding gangster, causing Saitoh to stop in his tracks and stand frozen like a terrified animal.

"Takani-sensei? Where shall I put these extra bandages?" Some recognized the voice, others didn't, but it was obvious to everyone that Saitoh was keenly aware of the identity of the owner.

"Tokio" The name escaped from Saitoh's lips as a whisper and a puff of smoke. In half a heartbeat, the Wolf of Mibu raced the last few yards and dove behind Sanosuke's bush.

"Hmph, 'I thought we were done sneaking around'?" Sanosuke glared at the new addition to his hiding spot disdainfully.

"Be quiet before she hears us!" Saitoh hissed around his cigarette. With ears improved by his new canine sensitivity, the Wolf of Mibu detected the soft footfalls just in time to slam the ex-gangster's head down behind cover of the bush as a back sliding door opened the Aoiya to the cool night breeze.

Saitoh Tokio, a vision of grace and elegance, stood in the newly opened doorway illuminated by the backlight of the indoor lanterns. She inhaled deeply of the fresh outside air while the cursed warriors hunched quietly behind the bushes once again. Whether it was their new animal instincts or not, they all were able to sense the raw fear radiating from the powerful ex-Shinsengumi. If he was afraid to be caught, would any of them be safe?

Tokio exhaled slowly, savoring the cool darkness of a Kyoto night. From their hiding spot, Sanosuke and Saitoh peered through branches and leaves at the woman as she took a step outside. A look of puzzlement came to Tokio's face and she began tentatively sniffing at the air, reminding Sanosuke of her husband's new peculiar activities.

"You think she's been cursed to change into a mutt too?" Sanosuke whispered with a wicked grin. "I bet you two could have fun with that."

Saitoh refrained from striking the ignorant ex-gangster into oblivion. If he did, the man would surely let out a death cry and then their location would be compromised. It was primordial fear that stayed his hand The fear that only a married man could ever comprehend.

"Hajime, is that you?"

Choking on his surprise, Saitoh Hajime quickly realized his mistake. Clutching his smoldering cigarette between shaky fingers he crushed the roll of tobacco against the unforgiving earth. Would it be enough? Was his fate already sealed? Would she know that it was him? Had she recognized the smell of his favorite brand of cigarettes? The European imports were costly and hard to come by, surely she would know without a shadow of a doubt. Her wit was sharper than his katana.

"Hajime, you're not out here smoking are you? Stop hiding already and come inside."

The command was issued and his fate was indeed already sealed. Her voice was sweet, but it was lined with steel and certainty. She knew he was outside, and she likely knew his exact whereabouts and all the events that had transpired to keep him hiding in the first place. Her powers of perception knew no bounds! There was no sense in fighting it anymore; Saitoh Hajime knew when he was defeated. He slowly placed his hands on the ground to push himself up to his feet and surrender, causing the annoying ex-gangster's eyes to practically bug out of his head.

"What the hell are you doing, Saitoh?" Sanosuke's muted howl of indignation somehow reached Saitoh's ears, and Saitoh's ears alone. He grabbed hold of the Wolf of Mibu and pinned him to the ground, clamping his hand over the other man's mouth to keep him silent.

"Hajime, come inside." Tokio's words caused the ex-Shinsengumi to stir. He pushed against Sanosuke's hold, trying desperately to obey his wife's command.

If not for the look of stark terror in his eyes, Sanosuke would have abandoned the man to his fate. "Get a hold of yourself Saitoh!" It was taking every ounce of strength in his body to hold his unwilling companion down, especially since he was trying to be extra quiet.

"Tokio-san?" It was a different voice, one that caused Sanosuke's head to shoot up so he could peer between the cracks in the bush to try and catch a glimpse of the speaker. "Could you help me with the last load of bandages?"

"Megumi" Sanosuke whispered. Her mere presence made him feel weak in the knees. He decided it was a good thing he was crouched low on the ground with good leverage or else Saitoh would have easily broken free of his hold.

"Is something wrong, Tokio-san?" Megumi took a step out onto the back porch, standing beside Saitoh Hajime's wife and casting cautious glances across the Aoiya's backyard.

"I thought I smelled my husband's special brand of cigarettes and I figured he was out here hiding somewhere. He knows I told him to cut back." Shaking her head once, Tokio turned to face the lady doctor with a polite smile. "But I guess since he hasn't come out, he must really not be back here."

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that? The man could be hiding from you."

"I asked him to come out." Tokio stepped back inside the house, followed closely by Megumi. Their conversation faded as they closed the door behind them. "He's never disobeyed me before"

~//~

"What the HELL was THAT???" Sanosuke angrily tossed the ex-Shinsengumi to the ground. Back in the relative safety of the group, he was able to raise the volume of his voice above a bare whisper. "One minute you were confident, the next minute you were scared shitless, and then the NEXT minute you were trying to give away our position!! What the hell is going on in that twisted mind of yours?"

Kenshin put his hand on the ex-gangster's shoulder, trying to quiet him. "Relax Sano, you two didn't get caught and nothing bad happened. Let's try and remain calm."

"Oi, boss?" Chou crouched down and cautiously poked at Saitoh with a stick. The Wolf of Mibu was lying on his back, staring up at the stars unblinkingly. "Dammit man, snap out of it." The blonde agent lifted his commander's upper body off the ground and slapped him full across the face.

Saitoh blinked and sputtered, sitting up in an instant of his own free accord. One trembling hand reached for his shirt pocket and his waiting cigarettes but by sheer force of will he resisted the craving for nicotine.

"You ok, boss?"

"I" Saitoh blinked once in confusion and then pushed himself to his feet. He glanced around at the twelve people hiding in the bushes with him and then caught sight of a certain ex-gangster. His blank look turned savage. "You bastard!!" Lunging for Sanosuke with a feral snarl, Saitoh Hajime wrapped his fingers around the other man's neck. "How DARE you come between me and my wife!! You made me DISOBEY her!"

It took half the group to silence Saitoh and pry his bloodthirsty fingers from the unfortunate ex-gangster's neck. While Sanosuke gasped and staggered around their hiding spot, Chou and Kenshin tried to calm the enraged former Shinsengumi.

Katsu stood with one arm resting inside his gi and the other hand stroking his chin in contemplation. "No doubt about it. Saitoh Hajime is whipped." Anji, Aoshi, and Misao all nodded in agreement. The youngsters, Yahiko and Yutarou cracked up with laughter.

Staggering back toward the group, Sanosuke headed toward his nemesis. "Dammit Saitoh, you bastard. Grow a backbone man! Don't let your wife own you like that!"

It took Kenshin, Chou, and Soujirou to keep Saitoh off the ex-gangster.

"Idiot!" Saitoh growled with all the fury of wounded pride. "You have no idea how much power that woman has! Not one of you pathetic weaklings would have ever been able to secure someone with such amazing beauty, strength, and intelligence as your bride!"

"Judging from the sound of things She's got him completely wrapped around her finger." Katsu continued his analysis, eliciting more nods of agreement and more snickering.

"I'll have you know" Sanosuke took an angry step toward the Wolf of Mibu. "The Fox is an easy match to any woman you could have ever picked up!"

"Which is precisely why you haven't been successful in your advances, I'd imagine!" Saitoh barked.

"I!" Sanosuke stopped, tripped up in his verbal assault by Saitoh's well-placed attack. In an instant, his frustration boiled over and he would have attacked the ex-Shinsengumi if not for a perfectly aimed ceramic sake cup.

"Yare yare" Hiko rose from his spot in the bushes as Sanosuke crashed to the ground from the force of the thrown object. "We're either going in, or we're not going in But I wish you guys would make up your minds. I've got all the sake I need back at my home so if this isn't going to end in a little bit of fun, I'm leaving."

"Leave then." Enishi stated flatly. "No one asked you to come along."

"Maybe I don't want to leave yet? You got a problem with that, psycho-boy?" Hiko's mantle swirled around him menacingly.

"Master Enishi please" Kenshin disentangled himself from Saitoh to come between Hiko and his brother-in-law. "At any rate, it's getting late and we should really go inside. The more time that passes, the more worried they must all be" The red-haired man cast a longing glance toward the Aoiya.

"Fine." Saitoh stopped struggling and glared at his captors. "Let me go you morons." Soujirou and Chou released their hold and took a few steps back to avoid any repercussions that might come there way from the ex-Shinsengumi. "If Battousai is in a hurry to die, then I won't stand in his way. He and I will move in closer to the building and secure our entrance."

"I'm comin' too." Sanosuke huffed from his place on the ground.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am, dammit!"

"Saitoh" Kenshin turned and shot a pleading look at the Wolf of Mibu. "Just let him come so he'll shut up."

"Kenshin!??" Sanosuke wasn't used to open insults from his best friend.

Saitoh, on the other hand, thought the situation was particularly humorous. With his cruel smirk back in place he ignored the ex-gangster to give Kenshin an affirmative nod. "Alright, the idiot can come. Let's go."

Before Sanosuke could complain, Saitoh and Kenshin crouched low and darted across the yard. Hauling himself to his feet, he raced across the lawn and settled in low beside the former Hitokiri and the ex-Shinsengumi. Kenshin and Saitoh were conversing in a low tone that the ex-gangster could barely make out. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Shhh" Saitoh spat.

"Kaoru, Megumi-dono, and Tokio-dono are all inside the nearest room." Kenshin pointed to the location.

"Alright! I'm going first!" Without waiting for approval, Sanosuke sprinted the last few yards to the raised back porch and crouched low, almost sliding underneath it for cover.

"Moron" Saitoh growled as he hustled over to Sanosuke's new location and crouched beside him. Kenshin joined them a moment later and the three men strained their ears to hear what their respective women were discussing.

~//~

Inside the Aoiya's back room, Megumi readied futons and supplies for the returning warriors who would almost certainly be injured. Every passing minute brought more concerns to mind as the lady doctor tried to plan for any situation they were likely going to have to deal with. She anticipated having to sew up numerous slashing wounds and she knew she would have minor cuts and bruises to deal with, at the very least. In the back of her mind, there was also a certain voice that reminded her with absolute assurance that she would have one patient returning with a shattered hand and any number of other annoying and difficult injuries to patch up.

In frustration at the thought, Megumi slammed down her metal water basin.

"What's wrong Megumi?" Kaoru was stacking rolls of bandages but she wasn't busy enough to miss the waves of emotion rolling off the lady doctor.

In embarrassment, Megumi tried to compose herself. "I was just thinking about that stupid rooster." At mention of Sanosuke, all attempts at composure failed.

Kaoru interpreted the confusion and frustration rather accurately. "It really is tough waiting for the guys to return from a fight especially since we never know if they'll return in one piece or not. But there's no need to worry about Sanosuke" Kaoru trailed off, thinking her own thoughts for a moment before she remembered she was trying to cheer up Megumi. With a grin she continued. "He's as resilient as a cockroach."

"I wasn't worrying about him" Megumi snorted belligerently. "I was just thinking about how long it's going to take me to fix him up when he returns. He's probably going to have to be last because I'm certain he'll take the longest time to patch up. That man has no common sense especially when it comes to simple things like defense."

Tokio smiled over at the lady doctor. "But that apparently doesn't stop you from caring deeply for him"

Megumi's jaw dropped.

"There's no need to hide it Takani-sensei It's just us women after all." Tokio slid closer to her companions. "To tell you the truth, it's been a long time since I've had an opportunity to have a little girl talk. As much as I love Hajime, I really wish he'd let me spend more time with all of you."

"Horray, girl talk!" Kaoru clapped her hands together twice while Megumi stared blankly at Saitoh Hajime's wife. "Tokio, I never would have thought you cared about stuff like this."

"Of course I do!" Tokio voice held mock-offense. "Any woman in her right mind loves to get together with her female friends and discuss their male counterparts. It's perfectly natural! So spill the beans, Takani-sensei! What's up with you and the rooster?"

"I I" Megumi could only stutter.

"You'll have to excuse her Tokio-san. Megumi's still trying to come to terms with her and Sano's relationship." Before the lady doctor could stop her friend, Kaoru excitedly launched into a brief explanation of the situation. "It basically goes like this: She's in love with him and he's in love with her but neither of them can admit it to the other. So instead, all they do is bicker and fight and insult each other to compensate. Isn't it cute?"

"Kaoru, that's enough!" Megumi roared. "How can you sit there with a straight face and sum up my relationship problems like they're some kind of joke? I'm in LOVE with a man who's completely clueless and probably doesn't even think about serious things like a real relationship!"

"Did you two just hear a strange 'poof' noise?"

Tokio's distracted look and comment caused Megumi to bang the tatami floor in frustration. "You're not even LISTENING to me!" She wailed.

"Be quiet for a minute Megumi." Kaoru stood and took a step toward the back sliding doors. "There was a strange noise, and I could swear I just heard Kenshin say 'oro'!" Kaoru paused a moment and then rushed toward the door. "They must be back!"

~//~

"You hear that guys? She's in love with me! I knew it! I knew it! Whoohoo!" It was then that Sanosuke realized he'd turned into a rooster. "WHAT THE HELL? I didn't hug NOBODY!"

Kenshin slammed his hand over his friend's beak. "Orororo Sano be quiet before they hear us."

"What happened?" Saitoh sounded frantic. "He transformed without contact!" The implication of the new possible threat was terrifying. "Let's get out of here!" He was on his feet in a flash, ready to bolt for safety.

"Are you running away, Saitoh?"

The former third captain of the Shinsengumi paused and regarded the god-like swordsman briefly. "With my tail between my legs." Without another word he started racing across the yard.

"Stop right there, Hajime!" Tokio's voice held absolute power over the poor man. "What are you doing running around in the dark? You haven't been out here smoking this whole time have you? You haven't been spying on us have you?"

Saitoh could only whimper and slowly turn around. He'd been caught red-handed on all counts. Now he could only hope for a quick execution.

"Where's everyone else?" Tokio continued speaking, now with her hands placed angrily on her hips. Saitoh slowly pointed one hand toward the far bushes and the other toward Kenshin and Sano's hiding spot. Kaoru and Megumi took a cautious step out and peeked over the edge of the raised porch.

Kenshin, holding a violently squirming rooster, managed to smile weakly up at his wife. "Oro Good evening Kaoru-dono, Megumi-dono."

"Don't you 'dono' me, Himura Kenshin!" Kaoru huffed and hopped off the porch to haul her husband to his feet by his ear. "What are you and Saitoh doing out here, alone, in the dark, with a chicken?"

"Maybe we don't want him to answer that question." Megumi giggled and caught a glare from her younger friend. The lady doctor quickly cleared her throat and changed the subject. "So where's everyone else?"

The troop of downcast warriors sulked out from the shadows of the Aoiya greenery and headed slowly over to the others. A quick head count was all Megumi needed to realize that someone was missing, especially since he was the one she was unconsciously searching for. "Where's Sanosuke?" She turned back and aimed her question at the former rurouni.

"Umm" Furious squawking and thrashing from the chicken interrupted Kenshin's further comments as he tried to get the bird under control.

"He's not injured is he?" There was genuine concern in the lady doctor's tone. Kenshin and the chicken both stopped fighting each other and stared at Megumi.

"Um No he he's not. He's just uh" Kenshin glanced around frantically at his companions who were silently crowding around him.

"He's just going to be a little late is all." Katsu stepped forward, quick on his feet and always ready to make up random excuses. "He said something about picking up some sake for a victory celebration."

"You know Sano!" Yahiko added with an exaggerated grin.

"That idiot" Megumi clenched her fists at her side. "He's worried about drinking and partying while the rest of us have been worried sick?" The fox lady reached out, snatching the rooster away from Kenshin and dangling it by its legs. "Well, since none of you seem to be injured, I'll make myself useful and start preparing dinner" Turning around, Megumi stomped inside the Aoiya, her captive helpless and squawking in her grasp.

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Oh man... I have some fun stuff in store for all you people who are out there reading and enjoying this fic. Please review this baby and let me know if you're still enjoying it and want to see it continued. If no one is reading it anymore, I'd be VERY SAD!

Upcoming Part 6: Anyone know what foxes do to chickens? It's dinner time. Can the men of the Kenshin-gumi save their fine, feathered, friend before he ends up plucked, battered, and deep fried? Or will they simply accept the loss as unavoidable and enjoy their meal? *snicker* Either way, you won't wanna miss it!