Author's note:

Yipee!!!! I did it! I finally finished FFX!!!! Wooo hooo!!!

Nah,. I'm not really happy even though I DID finish it. I'm honestly sad, I wanted to finish it but I didn't want it to be finished. Auron's gone for good. [but he's in Kingdom hearts! OOH yeah!] Okay, so congrats to me! Finally time to officially start FFX-2!

Okay, I'm gonna stop the crap now.

BTW, I'm sorry that this is a yaoi fic, but I hope those who dislike yaoi [and already read this] would still continue. :)

Here we go!

Standard disclaimers apply

PS can someone give me those tips or gameshark codes in FFX-2? :) :) : p

Midnight 1868, Moonlit 1878 – hagaki ozuno

" This is the Kamiya dojo."

I stared on the dojo before me. It's the Kamiya dojo, like Kenshin said and like the sign says on the door. It's not that big, I mean, I've seen bigger dojo's than this. What would I expect from a man dressed this way? :)

" Come, I'll show the rest to you. I know it's not much of a place, but, the people who live here are worth knowing."

I flashed a forced smile.  " Um…I need to—"

" If it's Miss Kaoru you're worrying about, I'll take care of her. You just sit back and meet the others."  He started to open the big, wooden door.

" Why are you doing this…?" I unexpectedly said aloud. Kenshin heard it and patted my shoulder.

" One of the ways to compensate for not being able to remember you."  He grinned and opened the door fully.  At first, I hesitated a bit, but he tugged my gi and I was forced to go inside. Oh well, since I'm here…

" Ken-niichan!"

" Ken-ni!!!!"

Huh? What are these…kids? Whose kids are these?

" Ah, Ken-niichan! Who's that funny looking guy?"

" Yeah, what a funny hair! Hahaha!!!!"

Argh, these kids stink like that raccoon.

" Shh, mind your little mouths now." He softly patted the kids on the head before he turned around to introduce them.

" Sanosuke, this is Ayame."  He held the taller girl on his right. 'Ayame', as she was called, bowed a bit and smiled at me. Okay, so she doesn't stink at all. Hehe, never seen a kid this polite.

" And this little one is Suzume."  He then held the other girl, the smaller one with pigtails, and hugged her on his left.

" Hi!" Suzume greeted.

" Ayame, Suzume, this is Sanosuke. You could just call him Sano-niichan if you like."

I placed the barrels down and cracked a few bones. Boy, this is tiring. But seeing those little kids just made me "aww" inside. It kinda lessened the pain on my shoulders. Nah. 'Couldn't explain well.

" Come, let's meet the others." Ayame and Suzume tugged Kenshin along, and Kenshin motioned me to follow him. Well…I didn't know how to react, so I just place my hands inside my pocket and followed him to where he was going.

We headed for that little lake behind the house.  I saw some old man there, with what looked like doctor's clothes on. He was rolling a few bandages and he neatly placed those in a wooden box beside him.

Ayame and Suzume ran to the old man and sat beside him. Oh, maybe he's their grandpa or something. After getting some good hugs from the two, he turned his attention to Kenshin and me.

" Oh, a visitor?" he inquired.

" Yes. This is my friend, Sanosuke Sagara. He helped me carry the barrels of rice."

" Chuusu." I greeted with a slight bow.  The old man smiled through his well-trimmed white moustache and beard.

" Sano, this is Dr. Gensai."

" Pleased to meet you."  The old man—oops—I mean, Dr. Gensai stood and bowed fully.

" Well, if you would excuse us, Dr. Gensai. I'm just going to introduce him to Yahiko."

Dr. Gensai smiled. " Sure. We won't be staying that long either."

" Okay." Kenshin turned to me and tugged my sleeve for the nth time this day. " Let's go, Sano." And we started walking again.

" Um, the old man doesn't live here?" I asked curiously.

" Well, he's the family doctor of the Kamiya's and he's very close to Ms. Kaoru. He always visits here every other day with Ayame and Suzume."

" Ah, so the kids are his grandchildren?"

" Yup." 

" So, if that old man and his grandchildren doesn't live here…that leaves you to be alone with that raccoon in this house." I said, folding my arms above my head. " That's a pretty few people in a big house."

" Well, I guess so.  But Ms. Kaoru and I are not alone."

Not alone? Well, who could…oh, he said a name a while ago. Was it Yahoko? No, it sounded more like Yahuko… Or was it Yahoku? Darn, whatever. What do I care anyway?

So, Kenshin and I made our way to a small dojo inside the house. Right before I stepped inside, I heard a boy's voice. Hmm…it was like he's practicing some martial arts inside. I also heard whips of what sounded like a bamboo sword.

Kenshin finished my wandering mind by opening the door, revealing what I just thought. A boy, maybe around thirteen, was inside, practicing with a bamboo sword.

" Hello, Yahiko."

Ah, Yahiko. Just as I thought.  .;

" Ken—oh..." The Yahiko-boy went near Kenshin, but he was staring at me curiously.

" Yahiko, this is my friend, Sanosuke."

" Chuusu." He greeted. 

"Yahiko is a student of Kaoru. He's practicing the Kamiya Kasshin style that the Kamiya family passed on for years."

Okay, this boy hadn't said anything 'bout my hair. Good. He's far from his master's darn attitude.

" Hey, nice hair." He said sarcastically, and then he went back to practice.

I take that back.

So I found myself confined in that house for a few more hours, playing with Ayame and Suzume, goofing around with this new pack of friends I've got. Later on, the raccoon came and Kenshin spent minutes of explaining [yeah, well he doesn't need to, because I can scram whenever I want, but that raccoon just said fine! and so, Kenshin, and the kids insisted me to stay for a few more hours….] why I was there. We ended up eating some food cooked by her. I was surprised that when she placed the food on the table, everyone's faces turned blue, and they didn't dare put the food in their mouth. Well, I am hungry, so I took a bite. And then…

The next thing I knew was that I blacked out.

When I woke up, Yahiko was laughing, Ayame and Suzume were fanning me, Dr. Gensai was checking on me, Kenshin tried to calm me down [well, I was mad and fuming embarrassed], and that darn raccoon even got the nerve to be upset. Well, if Kenshin hadn't calmed me down, I already shouted " Your piece of S stinks!" right at her face.

Ugh…but the taste never left my tongue. I complained about it, aloud.

So, Kenshin decided that he'd just cook something else to get rid of the aftertaste of the raccoon's deadly poison. Surprisingly, his dish tastes good, and I found myself asking for more.

Hence, the long day had to end, and blatantly needed to get home. The sun had finally set, revealing the black heavens donned with heaps and masses of stars. Kenshin walked me home, accompanied with a small lamp.  Ah, I've got to admit that this is one of the happiest and silliest day I'd ever had in my whole life, and never in my whole life did I expect that Battousai would be the one to give me that.

" Did you have fun?" Kenshin asked me as we walked down the dark road.

" I dunno…it's kinda hard to explain, but…yeah sure, I did.." I grinned, staring at the sky. " But I sure don't like the taste of that raccoon's dish!"

Kenshin giggled. " Well, we tried to tell you, but we knew that Miss Kaoru won't like that."

" Geez, that woman needs some serious cooking lessons from you."

" Don't worry, next time, we'll warn you." He patted my back like he was assuring me.

" Oh, well, there wouldn't be a next time."

Kenshin stared at me curiously. Maybe he got the wrong meaning of what I said.

" I-I mean, there wouldn't be a next time with that raccoon's dish." I stammered.

I saw him broke into a sigh.

I stared at him more, and that's when I remembered that I am a Sekihoutai…a man who is destined to hate the likes of him. But why couldn't I get mad at him? Is it because he has changed? Because he's fighting now for what's right? Are my motivations low? Or is it because…I owe him my life? I am so puzzled. This whole thing gives me the worst kind of headache I could ever have.

Even though I need to tell him someday that I am a man opposite his state before, I couldn't bring myself to say it. I just couldn't imagine what he would say or do. If before, I wished that he would remember, well now, I wish he doesn't.  Or just…. if he does remember, he would forget all about our past and just know me for the new Sano, not the Sano that he met 10 years ago.

" Miss… Kaoru's really trying hard to learn how to cook, you know…"

" Hm?"

" But I end up cooking a cure for the effects of her dishes." He chuckled out loud.

Ah, he was trying to change the quiet atmosphere.

" But I'm sure IN for a 'next time' with your dishes, brudda!"

So, finally, after a long walk and talk with this man, we finally got into the street where our small, little, and feeble cheap house stood. I was kinda embarrassed with the thought that he lives in a well-built average dojo, and I live in a shabby place like this, but I felt lucky to have decent meals from a decent cook [which is Megumi].

I turned to him and scratched my nape, showing that I'm kinda mortified.  He just shrugged and smiled back, maybe to make me feel that he didn't really care where I live. Overwhelmed, I responded with a playful wink as I shoved the piece of cloth that draped on the doorframe aside and slid the wooden door open.

" I'm home!" I greeted my two companions aloud like I was some kind of kid or something who just came home from playin' all day.

" You're unusually late, Sanosu---"

Megumi fell silent as her eyes lay on the little man beside me. Hehe, now I know what Kenshin feels upon seeing his friends speechless with my sudden [not to mention UNEXPECTED] appearance.

" Guys, Himura Kenshin." I introduced him casually, patting his back. " Kenshin, Yasu and Megumi."

The ol' man and Megumi smiled and bowed the usual way, and Kenshin responded with the same act.

I stared at Kenshin, and then at Yasu. Kenshin's eyes wore this I-think-I-know-you look, and Yasu looked like he was helping him to remember by, well, just by looking deep into his eyes. Believe it or not, Yasu's eyes are the most expressive pairs I have ever seen, and by just looking at it, you could read him easily like an open book.

I motioned Kenshin to go inside and sit beside Yasu. And then, I grabbed Megumi out of the house to give the two old pals time to talk and remember.

" Sano—"

He didn't want me to go.

" Don't worry, pal. Yasu's not gonna eat you." I joked as I finally shut the door tight.

I then turned to Megumi with a face that no painter can paint. A feeling of excitement…mixed with this feeling of sorrow.

I felt my fox friend grin as she patted my shoulder.

" Father told me about it." She said calmly.

" Really…" I smiled sheepishly. " He'd never learn to tie that mouth, won't he?" I added bitterly.

Her smile suddenly faded. " Then, why are you sad? This is your big chance, you should be happy."                 

" Nah, it's nothing really." I waved my hand, showing that it didn't bother me. But Megumi knew me too well. She knew when stuff bothers me, and when it does not. She sees right through my very self, my very soul, like how people read Yasu like an open book.

We sat outside the house the whole night, waiting until Kenshin finishes his confrontation with Yasu.

How I hoped it would end soon…

TBC

Author's note:

Nah, too short again. I usually write long chappies in my other fics [probably 9-10 pages back to back, font 6, 4 columns] but, heck. Maybe I need more inspiration….hehehe. BTW, if you see some grammatical errors here, I'm really very sorry. 'Got a little time to re-check them….and, oh well…

Please review!