My disclaimer has a first name, it's Idon'townKenshin! My disclaimer has a second name and it's AndIneverwill! Trala!

A/N: I think next chapter will have to wait until tomorrow, mostly because of my hygiene needs at this moment. I'm sure you guys can deal. (ha!) Anyway, Naruku doesn't get two chapters in a row like everyone else (aww…poor precita…) So we're moving right along with Sano.

Liem had told me that my characters seemed apathetic in the Shinshuu part of this chapter…I tried to fix it, but didn't end up doing much of anything, and I think I made it worse! Hopefully the first portion of this chapter will make up for any lack of emotion later on.

Tanoshimu!


Chapter 7

Sano: Adventures in Shinshuu (Part one)

-

Sano stood in the dojo gate, staring distantly off and ignoring the students that brushed past him in their hurry to escape an oncoming storm. He spotted Kenshin in the courtyard, talking to Aoshi, but Sano made no move to get the redhead's attention.

It was a few moments before Aoshi and Kenshin split off and the latter made a beeline for Sano.

"Sanosuke," Kenshin welcomed genially.

"Hey," Sano replied, his heart simply not in the one-word greeting. "I hope Shinomori isn't driving you guys too crazy."

Kenshin remained impassive. "Oh, not at all. Aoshi has been very courteous."

"That's…kind of what I meant," Sano replied, shaking hid head. "How's Naruku doing?" He had since heard of Naruku's emotional plummet after hearing about Akeri.

"Better," Kenshin said, brightening at the subject. "We got out and trained today, and she worked harder than she ever has."

"It's just like the koneko to find something good in that," Sano observed. "Kinda like the weasel, ne?"

"Well I think Naruku was just a little thrown by the news," Kenshin replied.

"I know what you mean. I may not have known Akeri as well as Naruku, but I did know her a little better than everyone else. I really thought she'd be able to start a new life."

Kenshin nodded as though he had been thinking the same.

"Listen, speaking of new lives, I kinda had a fight with Megumi," Sano said uncomfortably. It wasn't his style to discuss romantic problems with Kenshin of all people, but the rurouni was a good listener, and he had good judgment so to Sano it was fair game.

"A fight? About what?" Kenshin wanted to know.

"Well, I kind of half-way asked her to marry me," Sano replied, shrugging.

Kenshin looked pretty surprised. In his mind, he had always seen Sano as the one to back out of commitment like that. But now he was initiating it?

"What did she say?" Kenshin asked, knowing the answer would be in the negative.

"Not anything I was expecting," Sano replied, a sour look crossing his face. To Kenshin, it looked as though he was as mad as he said Megumi was.

Megumi settled snugly in Sano's arms as she drew the blanket up over herself. Her head rested just below his bare collarbone, her silky locks brushing against his browned skin.

"Megumi," he sighed.

"Mm…" She replied, her chocolate milk eyes flickering open.

"Where are we going?" He questioned, tracing his hands through her ink-colored hair.

Her eyes furrowed in a contemplative expression and she pulled away, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Do you ever think about, you know…marriage? Kids, some day?"

She drew back completely, bunching the blanket over herself. "Sano…what do you mean?"

"You know," Sano rolled over on his side to face her shocked face. "Man and his woman tend to run off to a shrine to be united under god." He brushed a hand over her milky white shoulder lazily.

"But Sano…I mean, us?" She took his calloused hand and set it down away from her; uncomfortable with the feelings he was bringing out in her. "Us getting married?"

Sano sat up completely, the blanket falling into his lap to cover his lower regions. "What do you mean by that? Am I not good enough? Are you not serious about us? Is this just a game, Megumi, or what?" He bellowed.

"No!" She sat up as well, clutched the blanket to herself. "That's not it at all! Don't you turn my words on me, Sanosuke!"

"Well then what exactly did you mean," he snarled.

Megumi sighed and hung her head. "It's just…we're different people, Sano. We have different lives. It's only by chance that our lives were tossed together. And sooner or later we'll be thrown apart again."

A look of distress crossed his face. "Thrown apart…? Megumi, you mean more to me than just some meeting by chance. We won't be separated unless we let that happen!"

Megumi moved forward threateningly. "But it will happen. That's just the way life goes. We can't be together forever Sano!"

Sano was silent for a few moments. Megumi breathed raggedly and put her head in her hands; afraid she was going to cry over this spat.

"Well why not?" Sano spoke quietly. "Why can't we be together forever?" A pang of insecurity struck him at an odd angle. "Who? Who would you rather spend your life with, Megumi?"

Megumi sighed, and held her sobs in. "No one. You. It's only you, Sanosuke. But…I can see it. You want out of here. Staying in one place for this long is killing you. And you deserve to be free. And soon I'm off to Aizu where—"

"Wait. Slow down. Aizu?" He was puzzled. Then it made sense, and he was angry again. "Since when?"

Megumi averted her eyes from his own fiery brown ones. "Three days ago," she mumbled. "They sent word."

Sanosuke looked up incredulously. "God…Kami—when were you planning on telling me, huh? As you stepped onto the train and out of my life?"

Megumi seemed to have gotten some of her snap back. "Well I didn't want you to find out like this," she said with a huff.

"Kami…" he said again. He raised his ands and raked them carelessly through his hair, ruffling each bristle with nervous energy. "You've given up hope on us, haven't you? You're just gonna dump me for the next good job that comes around. Because I'm Sano, the freeloader. And you just want to get as far away from me as possible," his words were quite, but Megumi could hear the venom in then.

Suddenly she was very angry. Too angry, even, to keep her tears in. Salty droplets raced down her cheeks as she shouted, "You are so self-centered! This has nothing to do with you! You know this has been my dream since I escaped from Kanryuu! What gives you the right to take my dream away, saying it's only an excuse to get away from you! That's not fair, Sano…really not fair…" She wiped her eyes furiously, a few loud sobs escaping her reddened lips.

Sano stepped into his pants and threw on his threadbare coat. Somehow his clothes felt colder than his nakedness had. He shot a last forlorn look at Megumi's hunched over figure, tracing the pattern her hair made as it hid her face. He couldn't see her tears. He wanted to so much to kneel down and press her against him and murmur words into her hair. To breathe in her scent and tell her it was all right. That they would work it out.

Instead he turned his back and walked out, like the coward he was.

Megumi peeled back strands of her hair, tucking them behind an ear. They fell over her face again as she heard the door shut. Sano was gone, leaving Megumi cold, naked and very much alone.

Kenshin was silent for a moment or two after Sano finished. The younger man shifted uncomfortably, as though anticipating some sort of berating. But Kenshin was silent. When he did speak, he chose his words carefully.

"I think that Megumi does take you seriously," he said slowly. "And you need to go talk to her."

At seeing Sano's incredulous expression, Kenshin added, "Not necessarily to apologize, but you definitely need to talk. When did this fight happen?"

Sano thought. "It was last night."

Kenshin nodded. "That would be plenty of time for her to cool down some. Go see her after work hours are over," he advised.

"What, should I buy her flowers or something?" Sano asked, nonplussed.

Kenshin shook his head, hesitating slightly. "I guess if you wanted. I think you need to talk calmly."

Sano nodded, though in his mind he wasn't sure if that was so possible between Megumi and himself. They were two fairly impulsive people, especially Sano.

Still, he trusted Kenshin in all matters, so he saw no reason not to trust him on this one.

"Thanks for your help, buddy," Sano said cheerfully, pulling Kenshin into a headlock-type hug.

"Sure, Sano," Kenshin answered, ducking out of his grip. "Anytime."

-

It was the first time since their initial fight that Megumi had come seeking Sano, instead of the other way around. The day before, Sano had followed Kenshin's advice and came knocking on Megumi's door, only to find that she was out on a house call. At the time, Sano thought she was just avoiding him. But then there she was, looking for him, to talk to him.

The most surprising thing was that Megumi came right into the long house, a place she mostly liked to avoid going, without so much as asking for permission.

"Sano," she said, striding right up to him. "Sano, I want you to wish me good luck before I leave."

Sano jumped. "What? When are you leaving?" he asked, panicked.

"Not any time soon," Megumi clarified. "It will take a month at least before I can clear out of Tokyo. I figured it would take a while to get you to understand, so…"

"Megumi, I'm not stupid. I know you want this, to go back to Aizu and become a real doctor. I know that in Aizu you can help more people than you can here by far. I know in Aizu you can complete all your studies," Sano slowed down a bit. "But I can't help but be selfish when it comes to you."

That was simultaneously the sweetest thing he had ever said to her and the most irritating.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to wish you good luck and really mean it. I know there will always be a part of me that wishes you'd do badly in Aizu and come back to me," his face softened in a guilty expression as he reached out to stroke her hair.

"Sano…" Megumi trailed off. "You don't have to wait for me," she said softly, pushing against his chest.

Sano caught both her hands in his. He leaned down and whispered, "Yes I do. I need you, Megumi."

They stared at each other for a moment before Sano broke eye contact, backing away from her.

"I mean, we all do, don't we?" he cleared his throat. "Look at what's happened to Misao. And who else is going to tease Kaoru about Shinomori? What about Naruku? And you know that Kenshin will always need your medical expertise…"

"I think you only think you need me. I'm really something you just want," Megumi replied, catching his real meaning, which had nothing to do with their other friends.

"No Megumi. I need you."

"You're going to want to leave, too, one day," Megumi supplied herself with more words.

"I know I will," he replied. "Tomorrow."

"What?" Megumi scrunched her pretty features in confusion.

"Yeah," Sano swallowed. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"L-leaving?" she nearly shrieked. "Sano! But, why?"

"It's for you. Well, it is for me, I suppose. I need to be away…for a few days. I feel like I might be giving up something, for you. Like I'm giving up my freedom. After that I'll be able to see why you need to give me up for your own freedom. I don't know. It doesn't make much sense, does it?" he offered a crooked, self-depreciating smile.

Megumi gave an honest reply. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. "I'll miss you."

Sano placed a kiss on top of her head. "Are we all right, then?"

Megumi pressed herself closer, wanting to melt into him before they were torn apart. "I love you."

Sano moved away, and the next second Megumi found herself engaged in an all-encompassing kiss, which ended as quickly as it had begun.

"I love you, too. Good-bye," he stepped back and watched her go, knowing he would be the one doing that the next day. But he also knew that he would leave before he saw her again. He wanted to remember Megumi as she was then, still breathless from their kiss, her inky locks rippling across her back as they parted ways.

-

It was basically a hole in the wall. After all the time he spent contemplating where he could go in the tiny town, he had ended up in the worst possible place.

The men there were all too drunk and feeling too sorry for themselves to even start up a decent brawl. It was the kind of bar that seemed damp and dark even if it was sunny outside. The sake tasted flat and boring, and everyone around him were various shades of purple and gray—pasty skinned and dull.

It was the type of bar that didn't really have a name. Just and old building that happened to have alcohol. It didn't really need a name, it was probably the only bar in the whole godforsaken town.

It was the type of bar that made Sano wish he had never left Tokyo. What had he been thinking? He had needed to "get away" for a few days—who wouldn't, with all that went on? But what had led him back here, back to his hometown? Back to Shinshuu.

Being in the place where he grew up only made Sano more depressed. Had he really lived here as a child, amongst all these boring, washed-out losers? No wonder he had left before his tenth birthday.

But instead of getting out of the bar and sprinting away from Shinshuu, Sano sat and continued drinking. There were no sounds except drunk groans and clinking bottles of sake.

He definitely missed Tokyo. He felt incurably dismayed, and would have liked to say it was just the dreary bar that had that effect on everyone who entered…He sighed. Was it stupid to run out on everyone and disappear to Shinshuu?

"Are you just going to sit around and feel sorry for yourself? Get off your ass!" A voice shouted, just left of Sano's ear.

Sano whipped around, along with a dozen other men.

"Jou-chan…?" Sano said without thinking. The reproachful yell sounded so much like the kenjutsu instructor.

He turned and realized his mistake. Whoever was yelling was not scolding him, but instead an older man, who had the most depressed face on out of anyone in the run-down shack.

"It's hard enough making ends meet without you wallowing around all day!" The girl who sounded like Kaoru continued to yell.

Sano's vision focused in on the yelling girl and the man at whom her scolding was aimed at. Sano was sure his heart skipped a beat or two at seeing their faces.

He set his current cup of sake down and turned so he was facing the source of the only noise in the bar. He smirked and got to his feet, striding over toward the yelling girl.

"Guess I could stay here a little longer after all," Sano mused as he plopped down beside the older man, who bore a striking resemblance to him.

"Who asked you?" the girl screeched, whirling on him. "What're you even talking about, you bum?"

Sano scowled. "Who're you calling a bum, half-head?"

She looked alarmed. "Half…?" She pushed her bangs around, realizing that the nature of his insult was because her bangs covered exactly half of her forehead.

A giggle from behind the girl brought Sano's attention to a small boy who he had previously overlooked.

"Don't encourage him, Outa!" the half-head ordered shrilly to the boy who was presumably her little brother. She spun angrily on Sano. "My name isn't 'half-head' you loser! I'm Uki."

She looked at him with a stubborn face. He stared back, his expression blank.

"Stop that!" she demanded hotly. "C'mon, Outa, this is no place for a kid like you. We gotta get home, even if our low-life father isn't gonna come along."

Said low-life looked up at Uki fleetingly before turning his gaze on Sanosuke.

"Who the hell are you?" he grunted.

Sano looked surprised, but then reverted to his usual smirk. "Just a freeloader out to kill some time." He leaned back casually.

Uki, who was halfway to the door, turned back around to look at the two of them. She gasped loudly, and Sano wondered if she recognized him.

"You got him to talk!" Uki cried, rushing back over to Sanosuke, who had a bead of sweat slide down his head in exasperation.

Instead of answering the girl, Sano stared down at Outa's round face. He turned toward the table and picked up a nearly empty sake cup. "Here kid," he handed it to the little brother, Outa.

Uki gasped once again. She smacked the cup from Sano's outstretched hand. "Don't give him that, you sicko! He's only eight years old!"

"It wouldn't have hurt him…" Sano said to himself. He looked back at the father when he made a movement toward Sano.

"Out to kill time, eh?" the older man said, smirking. "How 'bout a fight, then? One-on-one."

"With you, old man?" Sano shot back, a similar smirk reaching his lips. "Doesn't sound too exciting, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting too many more offers around here. Plus, I'm bored. So why not?"

"Absolutely not!" Uki cut in. "You can't fight him, are you crazy?"

"Stay out of this," her father said.

"Dad, you've got a bad leg. You expect to beat this guy? No way. I won't allow it. If you've got energy to spare getting in bar fights, you've got energy to spare working at home. C'mon, we're going."

She hooked her finger around the back of her dad's collar and dragged him away.

Sano looked after them, stunned. He shook it off. "Sounds like they've got a rough time at home. Wonder what's been going on around here since I left twelve years ago."

Four new men entered the bar, looking very different from the rest of the men there. They were talking loudly as they pushed past the door and circled around a table.

Sano raised an eyebrow. "Hm…they look like they may know a thing or two…"

Before he could make his way toward them, his sleeve was caught by one of the local drunks. "You aren't gonna go make a scene with Fudozawa, are ya newcomer?"

Sano wrenched away from the drunkard's grip. "We'll see."

"You don't wanna go getting that crowd riled up. Fudozawa's got that special

move—the demon killer. Don't want to get in a fight with that one, you don't," the drunk continued.

"Maybe you don't, old man," Sano replied grudgingly. He looked over the top of the man's head at where 'Fudozawa' and the rest of the men were conversing. "Sagara Sanosuke, however, will be much obliged."

Sano hadn't been in a fight, much less a decent or challenging one, in months. He was definitely ready for any demon-killer that the world might throw at him.

Deciding against an introduction, Sano walked purposefully up to Fudozawa's table and noticed how all talk ceased immediately. Sano didn't particularly care. He frowned. "So, which one of you is Fudozawa?" he turned to look at the group of men. His gaze fell on the man in the center with a highly exaggerated window's peak hairdo. "It is you, M-baldy?"

The two men, one short one huge, that flanked the accused M-baldy stood up in aggravation. "Do you know who you're talking to, punk? That's Fudozawa, leader of the silk escapades here! Show some respect, he's got a rich patron backing him and he'll kill ya dead if you piss him off!"

"What are you two, cheerleaders?" Sano wondered.

The two looked at each other and back at Sano. The smaller one jumped back as if just seeing him. "Holy—it's Zanza!"

Sano quirked an eyebrow. "Sheesh, two years after I quit that gig. Am I really that well-known?"

Fudozawa's bodyguards looked at each other again. "You don't remember us?"

"No," Sano said flatly. "Who the hell are you?"

"Kihei and Gohei!" They announced. "The Hiruma brothers!"

When Sano remained silent, Fudozawa let out a barking laugh.

"We hired you to fight Battousai!" Kihei exclaimed.

Sano scowled. "Oh yeah. Well, what do I care, that was a lifetime ago!" he turned and stuck a finger in Fudozawa's face. "So, M-baldy, wanna fight me?"

Fudozawa, who was even bigger than Gohei in stature, looked over at Sano's slim build. "You look like a damned wimp."

"Heh," Sano took no offense. "I promise you, I'm not. So how 'bout it?"

There was a pause as Fudozawa seemed to be contemplating it. Gohei and Kihei looked around in confusion. "Nah. I got better things I ought to be doing. Like managing the way station and silk trade." He turned his back on Sano and beckoned for Gohei and Kihei to follow him out.

Angered and disappointed with his opponent's reply, Sano stomped after him, grabbing Kihei and tossing him to the side. Gohei turned around and Sano charged at him, too, bashing his face in pretty effectively.

Fudozawa turned around, slightly irked, but Sano knew he had his attention. He had just taken out Fudozawa's trusted bodyguards.

"What d'you say now, M-baldy?" Sano growled in Fudozawa's face. Taking out those two thugs had certainly not quenched his thirst for a good fight. He could only hope that Fudozawa was the least bit tougher.

Fudozawa leaned so his face was very close to Sano's. "Listen, punk," he growled. "I'd be careful who I mess with. This town is under the control of me. I've got the silk exports, and I've got the way station. Don't piss me off."

Not the least bit intimidated, Sano growled out his reply. "Are you really saying, 'don't piss off my rich patron?' He's the one with the money, so I guess it's really his way station, huh?"

Sano really hated the way guys like Fudozawa tried to act tough in their little power play. Sano knew that the people with the real power were the ones who wouldn't meet you face to face. They were the ones that lurked in the shadows, pockets full of yen, until you had become a real threat. Then they'd strike and take you out. Just like Shishio had tried to. And Kanryuu Takeda. Sometimes they were cowards, and sometimes they just thought they were too good for a fight.

"Shut up, punk," Fudozawa shot back. "You don't even know what you're talking about. I thought I might've liked you, kid, but you're too much of a brat."

Sano leaned back. "Hey, I'm just looking for what everyone else wants. A good fight. Since you're not gonna give it to me, I might as well look elsewhere. Maybe if I find who's really in charge here, they can point me in the right direction." Sano really didn't like this silk escapade thing. If the way station was taken over, how where diakon farmers like his family going to get the money they needed? It looked like more selfish, corrupt businessmen to Sano.

"Don't talk about what you don't know, brat!" Fudozawa shot back for a second time.

He's got a real weakness for this moneymaker who's backing him. What is he, afraid? Wonder who this guy could be, though…

"Feh, I'm tired of your face, M-baldy," Sano said, stepping back. "Makes me want to smash it in. But I'll let you alone for now."

He turned away and walked out of the bar, frustrated that he hadn't gotten to fight either of the two men he'd wanted to. "Well, I don't see the reason to waste away in a hell-hole bar," Sano thought to himself, walking out of the smoky bar and into the dimming sunlight outside. The brightness of the outside nearly blinded Sano, and while he tried to get adjusted her ended up walking into someone.

"'Scuze me," he muttered, and was surprised when the person seized his jacket and turned him back around.

"Hey kid."

It was the lowlife from the bar, the one that supposedly had left with his daughter and son.

Sano eyed him unsurely.

"You said all that stuff to Fudozawa…man, I coulda told you it'd be useless. That man doesn't know anything," the man spoke to him like they were old time pals. "And as hard-headed as you are, I like you, kid."

Sano wasn't sure whether to feel proud or not. So he just snapped the toothpick he'd been chewing on in half.

"There aren't many who'd stand up to a big guy like Fudozawa… 'specially no skinny wimps like you. Why don't you come on over for dinner, all right?"

Sano was surprised to say the least, but there was a hint of something in the man's eyes that made him accept.

"I'm Higashidani, that's all you need to know," the man said as the two of them set off.

It was all Sano did need to know. It confirmed his belief that in his hometown, he had run into his biological family.

-

Sano sat around the Higashidani residents, reminiscing about what little childhood he could remember. One moment popped into mind. It was when he had first told his little sister that he was running away to join Sagara's army. She had cried more than Sano had ever seen anyone cry.

Sano scanned the small, three-room house and his eyes landed on Uki, who was bustling around in the kitchen. Sano held his gaze on her, not thinking about much of anything.

"Hey you bum, what're you looking at?" she demanded very suddenly. "I don't even see why you're here."

Sano shrugged, not sure himself. "Free meal."

She shot him a nasty look from the kitchen. "Keep an eye on the rice, Outa!" Uki called as she stepped out to the dinning room, arms full of plates.

"You're too soft on that kid," Sano told her, echoing his thoughts earlier.

"No one asked you! I'll raise my brother however I want to," she shot back. It was meant as playful banter, but it made Sano feel worse than he ever thought he could.

"Must be hard here, with Fudozawa taking over everything," he muttered.

Uki suddenly stopped. She set down her stack of plates on the table, hunched forward and unmoving. "We fought him for so long…and it never made a difference. After dad hurt his leg, there was nothing else we could do. Fudozawa had destroyed our daikon crops. No one helped us in our fight, but they started leaving us food and firewood in exchange for anything we could make. Straw hats, clothing…anything. Fudozawa wouldn't let them pay us for our products."

Sano looked confused. "What do you mean? Fudozawa's in the silk business, what's he doing messing with daikon farmers like dad?"

She spun around and glared at him. "What do you even know?" She turned back to the table, attempting to leave it at that. But two seconds passed and she turned around again, this time her expression was incredulous. "Did you…just…?"

Her father walked in, with the help of a cane, ruffling Outa's hair as he passed. "So, what've we got?" he looked around, his face falling slightly. "Just rice…again?"

"Actually, fish," Sano said, recalling Uki's excitement from earlier at having a meal with protein,

"Oh!" Uki said, surprised. She handed the clean dishes to Outa. "You finish setting, I'll go cook the fish." She trotted over to the kitchen.

Sano sat himself down, next to where his father was leaning.

Across from them, Outa hurried to set a bowl of steamed rice in front of the mortuary tablet.

His father motioned toward it, glancing at Sano. "My wife. Died two years after Outa was born."

Sano leaned forward, interested. "Really? I thought she had run out on you."

He laughed. "Yeah right, she was always crazy about me."

Both of their gazes returned to the tablet again as they fell silent.

"So," his father began. "You're really Sanosuke, then?"

"Yup," Sano returned. "And that makes you my sorry excuse for a father, right?"

Higashidani let out a barking laugh. "Getting sorrier every day."

Uki soon joined them at her mother's alter and wordlessly they all tapped the bell and gave a moment in prayer amongst the burning incense.

Uki opened her eyes and looked at Sano in surprise as they stood up to re-congregate at the dinner table.

After their meal, the men went outside to enjoy the last of the sunset while Uki cleared off the table and cleaned the dishes. Outa came outside as well, running around joyfully. Around the back of the house, he spotted a dog rummaging through the trash.

Outa's eyes became very big at seeing the dog, and even Higashidani peered around the bend.

Sano laughed. "You guys never seen a dog before or something?"

Higashidani didn't answer, so Sano followed his gaze to where Outa had literally jumped on the dog's back and the two of them were gamboling around. Sano raised an eyebrow when he realized that the dog was none other than Makkou! Naruku's annoying mutt had followed him to Shinshuu, he recalled, but he thought he'd lost track of him when he entered that bar in the afternoon, but apparently Makkou had followed him once again. It was too bad…Sano had been holding out hope that the dog had gone stupid and drowned himself.

"What's the deal with the dog?" he asked Higashidani with renewed curiosity. Outa looked surprisingly familiar with Makkou.

"He's ours," he replied gruffly.

Sano's jaw dropped. "No way! But the koneko found him on the way to Kyoto…"

"We found him as a runt puppy," Higashidani supplied.

Sano looked back at the dog in disbelief.

"Anyway, last year Outa ran off. Uki and me were scared as hell for him, but we hoped Ichiro—that's the dog's name—would take care of him. Well, Outa returned safely, and with some cash to boot, but he said Ichiro got swept up in the river. Ha! Never thought I'd see that mangy mutt again."

Sano grinned. Outa seemed tougher than he would've thought. "How funny that I ended up with your dog." And at that he let out a great guffaw. Higashidani joined him and they were rolling with laughter. It was almost like that time Sano had ended up in Shimosuwa on the way to Kyoto…

"Hey, you gotta tell me what's going on with that Fudozawa character," Sano said in a low voice once their laughter subsided. "Who's this sponsor that he's so touchy about? What do they want with the way station here?"

"I honestly don't know who the guy is. He's damned rich, though," Higashidani said with the usual amount of reluctance.

"You mean he's never come here to visit the product of his conquest?" Sano wondered. Surely he would want to rub it in everyone's faces.

"Nah. Tani used to," Higashidani added, keeping his eyes trained on Outa and Makkou, or 'Ichiro.'

"Tani?" Sano asked. More than ever he wanted to get to the bottom of this. He faintly remembered Tani—he was the ex-Ishinshishi that Jinei had once targeted. Sano and Kenshin were hired to protect pork bun Tani.

"Yeah. He used to subsidize Fudozawa's silk franchise, but he got killed a couple years ago," Higashidani went on.

Sano's eyes widened. "Wow. So who's coughing up the money now?"

"Guy who killed him, that's my guess."

Sano was surprised at how easily his dad said that. "No way!"

Behind them, Uki stuck her head out of the house to call them all inside, but it was only Outa who responded accordingly.

"Well no one can prove he did it," Higashidani said in reply to Sano's exclamation. "No one wants to, either. This guy has gotten to be pretty powerful underground. After his rich older brother went to jail, he took over those finances and also an arms smuggling ring…no one wants to mess with him."

"Not even Fudozawa, then," Sano said thoughtfully. "Wait a second, if he's got all that what's he doing going after a semi-rich government official?"

"I don't reckon he did it for the money," Higashidani supplied. "Some people are saying he just hated to see an ex-Ishinshishi so well off. I guess the silk exports and Fudozawa's franchise were just an extra gain for the assassination. Makes sense, I guess. There are plenty of people who hate the current government."

"This guy sounds pretty dangerous," Sano said, his eyes gleaming slightly in the moonlight.

"Guess so. I could give you a name if you're so interested," Higashidani offered.

"I thought you said you didn't know who he was?" Sano replied.

Higashidani shrugged as he awkwardly got to his feet. "I don't. I just know his name, nothing else. Take it or leave it, I'm going inside."

Sano looked up. "I'll take it."

"In that case, the patron for Fudozawa's silk is Takeda Enizu," Higashidani told him gruffly. With his cane, he started inside. "You're welcome to stay the night."

Sano stared numbly ahead of him as his father turned to go inside. Behind him, the front door shut and Sano blinked.

He knelt down and picked up a large stone. Angrily, he chucked it deep into the darkness. "Damnit!"

He crossed his legs and slammed his fist down furiously. "All this way to run into that bastard again. Gotta get back to Tokyo and tell Kenshin." He exhaled deeply and then a smirked crossed his face. "Maybe I ought to kick up some dust here before I leave."

He could not simply let Fudozawa go on terrorizing his hometown. Especially if he was working with the likes of Enizu.


A/N: Looong chapter…That's because I basically had to combine two full-length chapters. Oh well. Please tell me if anything seems off (and it helps if you are specific.) I am very willing to go back and edit.

If you haven't guessed by now, the beginning of chapter one takes place right before the part in this chapter when Sano is in Shinshuu, in that bar.

Also if you haven't guessed, which you should have, he is with his Dad, sister and brother, all of which he hasn't seen since he was nine. (Actually, he's never met Outa before, I guess.) They, however, don't know that he's their brother, but Higashidani does know that he's Sanosuke.

Anonymous Freak: Hey! I'm glad you've been reading and enjoying my fic. It always makes me so happy to know that...Also, I think it rocks that you like all pairings. It's definately good to keep an open mind, but don't be afraid to make your own opinions about things.

Now, for reviews that were sent before I reposted. These are the people who have been really sticking with me, and I love them for it.

Hitoezakura: Thank you, I'm so glad that you're so enthusiastic. We'll get back to Aoshi and Kaoru soon enough, but the next few chapters are gonna focus on more plot points. After that, well, you'll see!

Wandering Aimlessly: Hey, it's been a while, ne? Love the new penname. Yup! Enizu's comin' back with a vengence. Gotta hate him.

Zioncross: Thanks, I like being thought of as having a style that's unique…Makes me feel good. Sano's part is something that I planned from the beginning, but was never really sure exactly why…

Crewel: Next chapter, I promise, will have a nice reunion scene with Sano and Megumi. I've often felt like devoting a fic just to that pairing, but I'm much too crazy to have a fic that's centered on one thing only, unless it's a one-shot. I love having a billion plotlines!

Liem: I see where you're coming from…I realized that it was kind of a stupid move to try and smush all of Sano's encounters in Shinshuu into only two chapters…and that is one of the few things that I am still not fixing with this repost! Oi…Well if Uki knew that Sano was the Sano, she would be plenty surprised. In fact, she doesn't even know his name right now, so she hardly remembers him as her older brother when she was six. I don't really know what you meant with the apathy thing, so I didn't know how to fix it! I've been worrying about it, I think I made it worse…anyway, I figured it would be fun to drop some hints about Enizu before coming out and saying his name, just because there's so much suspense there already, That was the very first time his name has been mentioned in this fic, you'll notice.

Whew…I'm getting pretty tired. I love your support, everyone, and thank you so much for bearing with me while I had to repost this… I know it was a bit annoying, but my brain is working so much better with this fic, I think it was worth it. Stay tuned for next chapter!