Within the Shadows- Sanosuke's Adventure in London
Disclaimer: All characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, and all affiliates.
Special thanks to a.k.a Arashi for beta-reading this chapter.
Chapter Five
Sano really liked this part of London. The sky had been bleak during the day but the nighttime atmosphere pushed away any weight of dread to open up his mind for feelings of content once again.
The streetlamps illuminated rows of immaculate houses, horse-drawn carriages, and the early-evening activity of shop owners closing up their businesses for the night. Sano couldn't help but think of life back home. He wondered how everyone was doing. At around this time, Kenshin would be cooking dinner as Yahiko came home from working at the Akebeko. Kaoru would be in her bath after her practice session and Megumi would be making her way home-.
Sano cursed at himself and then stopped his mind from wandering. Thoughts of them back home always seemed to creep into his head when he settled somewhere. Since attaining the apartment meant he didn't have to worry about shelter, Sano had actually considered staying in London for a while. With the free lodgings all he had to worry about was how to feed himself. He had also made quite a few friends in Mary, Trevor and his gang, so London began to look like a promising stop.
Yet, now he began to feel homesick and that had to stop; which meant he had to move on very soon. But before he left he wanted to enjoy some of what London had to offer. He also wanted to get to know Mary a little more. He knew she was a prostitute who drank a lot, but there had to be more than that to her charm. He felt a light grip on his elbow and he tilted his head downward to look at her from the corner of his eye. He vowed to learn more about her. But not before he got over some issues that were suddenly beginning to bother him.
A very pretty young woman smiled sweetly at him. A distinguished looking gentleman tipped his hat as he passed by. When a matronly woman nodded at him in acknowledgement Sanosuke stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to Mary. She stopped as well and cast him a questioning glance.
"What gives? These people look at me as if they know me? What do they want?"
Sano didn't like this new distrustful nature that suddenly appeared the minute he set foot in East London, but he couldn't help but feel as if he was being scrutinized. He did after all cause quite a scene yesterday morning and he wasn't sure if word about his arrival traveled this far into the city. Even if the folks in this part of town knew about him they wouldn't know who he was if they looked at him. Decked out in a gray suit, white-buttoned shirt, and a black tie he sure as hell didn't look recognizable. His friends in Japan would definitely faint if they saw that he had forgone his trademark gi for a suit, his flimsy shoes for leather boots, and his red bandana for a black velvet ribbon that tied his freshly washed hair away from his face. Mary had somehow managed to smooth down his unruly bangs as well and tuck them behind his ears. Yes, the former Sekihou Tai member could waltz back into Japan and not be noticed by the authorities- that is, without the recognizable smirk on his face. But the people in London didn't know anything about him or the way he smirked so he figured he was safe. He didn't feel so distrustful anymore and finally let himself relax.
Mary shook her head. "You're new around here. I am as well for that matter, however your foreign looks are very obvious. No one gives me a second glance because I blend in."
Sano gave her a sideways glance. "You wouldn't blend in where I come from."
She graced him with a regal smile. "I don't doubt that. You'll have to tell me where you come from. If you should make it back home someday I shall like to visit you."
Sano thought about that. It was a nice idea. "Sure, before I take off I'll sit down with you and tell you all about it."
Mary took his arm and gave it a squeeze to seal the deal. The streets were filled with fancy dressed couples and she was happy to be among them. For the first time since she arrived in England she didn't feel like a whore. She didn't look like one either since Sanosuke had insisted that she wear a beautiful white gown he had pulled out of the closet.
Even though they had agreed to keep their relations on a strict platonic level, Mary began to realize that she felt much different around Sanosuke. Her stomach fluttered whenever he took her by the hand, and her heart raced whenever she felt his hand slide to her waist as he ushered her through the crowded streets. This wasn't good. She took a faint breath and pressed her eyes together for a moment.
What is going on with me? I've only known this man for a day a half. Why do I feel as if I'm going to go weak all over if he doesn't put his arms around me-?
Mary snapped her eyes open and saw that Sano eyed her curiously. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Sorry, love. My mind just went off on its own for a bit. Where did you say we were going?" she asked, hoping to take her attention off of his hand, which slid up her back to rest in the space just below her shoulder blades. She wondered if foreigners like Sanosuke were always this friendly.
"We're going to meet Trevor at a hall. He says I should check a real London party."
Mary looked skeptical. "Trevor? The man wanted to kill you the night before last. Why is he being so nice to you?"
Sano gave her one of his own reassuring smiles and stopped in front of a large hall. "He's not such a bad guy. We have more in common that we thought. I think this is it."
Mary gasped in delight. "Trevor asked us to meet him at a ballroom? How wonderful!"
Sanosuke peeked through the open doors, past the couples that filed in and out and saw more couples engaged in something he had never seem before. Men and women held each other and twirled around the floor with such skill they managed not to bump into other couples. Sano eyes grew wide as he stared at everyone in fascination. He figured they were obviously trained very well, for their footwork was phenomenal. Mary noticed that his attention was diverted elsewhere and poked him in the ribs.
"What are you so enthralled about? Doesn't anyone dance where you come from?"
Sano kept his gaze on the activity inside, but turned his head slightly to address Mary's question. "Is that what they're all doing?"
She found his fascination odd. "Yes. Am I right to assume that you've never danced before?"
He turned to fully face her and nodded his head. "It looks kind of hard," he said a shadow of apprehension crossing his face. Mary was surprised to see him look so uncertain. She may have only known him for a day and a half, but she felt it was enough time to ascertain that the expression he sported right now was very uncharacteristic of him. She blew off the nervous tinge in his voice, grabbed his hand and proceeded to march inside the ballroom with the tall, lanky foreigner in tow.
They made quite a spectacle as they entered he for being the only non-Englishman in attendance and she for the look of determination in her eye as she moved expertly through all the dancing couples and successfully claimed a spot on the floor. She skillfully twirled him so that he was positioned before her at arms length, looking down into her face as she clasped his left hand, set his right hand on her upper arm, and placed her own hand on his shoulder. She looked up into his eyes and noticed that he scanned the area around them with what looked like terror. Mary was not having that.
"Excuse me love," she said grabbing his attention. "You should loosen up if you are to learn how to dance properly. Get your back straight now, and your chin up, but do keep your eyes on mine at all times."
Sano found those directions very easy to follow. Kaoru told them to Yahiko all the time during their training sessions. He slowly felt his fear leave him and his confidence return with a vengeance. Mary noted the change in his demeanor.
"That's much better. For now you will follow my lead. When I step forward you step back. When I move to my right, you move to your left. When I twirl you follow my direction. It's not very hard at all. Ready?"
The ex-gangster took a deep breath and nodded his head. If he could take on the worst of Japan's, America's, and England's underworld, then he could certainly learn how to dance. So when Mary took the first step he concentrated hard on where he should move and took a step forward- right onto Mary's foot. The look of pain that washed over her face told him that he made a mistake.
"Remember, I'm leading right now. When you get the hang of this then you can take control and dazzle me with your expertise. All right?"
"Yeah, sorry," Sano said, and glanced down at her foot. "Are you okay?" He felt her hand grip his chin and move his head so that he was facing her once again.
"My foot is fine. Now keep your eyes on mine and remember what I said. Ready?"
She didn't bother waiting for a response. Sano's body moved along with hers and they made one set of steps successfully. Sano grew too confident too quickly and their second set had them bumping into an elderly couple. Mary glared threateningly at the man when he eyed Sano haughtily and she ended up pulling the fighter to a less populated corner of the floor so that they couldn't cause any more trouble. He looked relieved to be in a more secluded area and finally relaxed some more to allow Mary to take him back and forth along the floor and get a better understanding of the footwork. After a while he realized that she had relinquished the lead and he had been the one taking them around the floor for the past few movements. He was pretty proud of himself for mastering yet another art so quickly. He grinned down at his dance partner and leaned in to whisper into her ear.
"You're a good teacher. What's this dance supposed to be?"
Mary returned his grin with a mischievous smile of her own. "It's supposed to be a Waltz, but I don't dance it properly." She lowered her voice. "I dance it like a tart."
Sano wasn't familiar with the term but he was able to understand what she meant all the same. He looked around to see if he could spot Trevor and his escort but the passing couples blocked his view of the entrance and prevented him from getting a good look at anyone. "Trevor's late. He's missing a good time."
"Trevor probably decided not to come. He is nursing quite a swollen lip after all," she added and glanced sheepishly up at Sano who began to laugh heartily. He remembered very clearly how his friend got that swollen lip and had to admit that at the time, he did deserve it.
Oh well it's his loss, Sanosuke thought as he moved to twirl around the floor some more with Mary, but he stopped when she suddenly refused to move anymore. She shrugged his hold off her and took his hand to lead him out of the ballroom.
"This is all very lovely, Sano but it's rather boring. If Trevor isn't going to show then lets head back into White Chapel. The Ten Bell's is having an open floor tonight so we can do some real dancing! What do you say? Will you leave your new, beautiful, posh neighborhood and venture into my part of town again?"
They were outside by then and flagging down a carriage. Sano wasn't sure what she was trying to say but he couldn't help feeling offended. "Oi, what are you trying to say?" he asked as a carriage pulled up to them. He helped her inside, and stepped in after her settling down across from her so that he could glower at her directly. She burst into a laughing fit at the sight of his sulky face and moved to tumble into the seat beside him. She leaned into him and gave his chin a soft, tiny peck with her lips.
"Don't be cross. I just thought you wouldn't want to come visit me anymore once you saw what this side of London is like. I didn't mean to imply that you were now a snob."
Sano looked grudgingly at her but he quickly relented and put an arm around her shoulder so that she could rest her head against him, and ultimately tousle her pinned up hairstyle. "I've seen and lived in parts of Japan much worse than what I encountered here. Believe me when I tell you, your part of town doesn't bother me one bit."
Mary quickly sat upright, her eyes sparkling from the new discovery she had just made. "Oh my goodness! You're Japanese!"
The young fighter nodded. "Yep. Before I went to America, I lived in Tokyo. I had friends who lived nearby my apartment building so I was at their place everyday." He stopped before he went any further. He remembered that he wanted to forget about them back in Japan, just for a little while.
She on the other hand wanted to know more, especially since she observed something very interesting about the expression he now wore. "These friends of yours must miss you terribly. The look on your face tells me that you miss them as well."
Sano's body grew stiff. What look on my face? He wondered and turned his head away to look out the window. He didn't want Mary to notice anything else that he didn't want to reveal- whatever that was. His mind had been flooded with thoughts of life back home, which wasn't unusual, but lately those memories were becoming difficult to bear. He couldn't quite understand the odd sinking feeling that came over him whenever an image of Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, or Megumi appeared in his mind. Sentimental feelings weren't his style so if this is what was happening to him he had to get them out of his head fast.
He felt her hand on his shoulder and he knew that she wanted him to turn and look at her. He knew she would want to know more and he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it. Her other hand moved to cover his and she gave it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."
Sano turned to look at her. She was so nice and understanding. The genuine concern in her eyes reminded him yet again of his friends back home and he sighed softly and gave up. Maybe he should talk about his friends for just a little bit. He had to get them out of his system somehow, and besides he and Mary had been through enough together that he owed her at least a glimpse of his former life.
"It's okay. You weren't too far off."
She gazed at him giving him her undivided attention. "They're like a family- Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Megumi- and I like to hang around them. We kind of stumbled upon each other and it just seemed natural that we stick together. I have other friends as well, like my buddies from the gambling halls, and my old friend, Katsu, but Kenshin and the others are the ones that I guess I actually miss."
He felt her hand stroke his softly. "It's all right, love. You don't have to tell me anymore." He turned his hand over so that he could entwine his fingers with hers.
"It's okay. They're great friends and besides, I want to tell you all about them. If you met them I'm sure you'd like them, and I know for a fact that they'd welcome you."
Mary knotted her brows dubiously at him. "Me? I'm nothing but a tramp. They sound too respectable to associate with me."
Sano looked at her, her tone of voice revealing a hint of anger she tried her best to keep from him. He squeezed her hand with his. "Your life wouldn't mean anything to them. They've all survived a darkness that came close to consuming each of them, especially my friend Kenshin. He had the worst past of anyone that I've ever known."
"What happened to him?"
Sano shook his head. He had agreed to divulge but he refused to reveal the disturbing events of the past his best friend suffered through. "I don't want to talk about what he was like in the past. What matters now is that he's a great guy who's helped me fix the things in my life that I managed to mess up. I guess you can say that he saved me." Yep, he saved me- that runt, Sano thought and let a small smile play on his lips. Maybe thinking about them back home wasn't so bad after all. He found that thoughts of them eased the anxieties of staying in a new place. They were familiar and therefore comforting. Thoughts of home soothed his uncertainties. If only he could go back home right now. He would bring Mary with him so that she could see the beautiful scenery and meet the wonderful people he had been lucky enough to befriend. Mary!
Sano snapped out of his trance and turned to see that she had been calmly watching him as he lost himself in his memories. He felt like kicking himself. Not only did he get easily lost in his conscious mind, but his subconscious mind had a bad sense of direction too! Sano hoped that skill would have developed during his travels but he finally surrendered to the fact that getting lost was just part of his charm. He smiled meekly at his escort and raised his hand to scratch the back of his head.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to space out like that. What was I talking about?"
Mary snuck under his arm to lean against him and rest her head on his chest. She then turned slightly so that she could drape one arm across his waist. "It's all right. You were talking about how you didn't want to talk about your friend's past. If you feel so strongly about it then why don't you tell me about how he is now? In fact we have time before we get to the pub. Tell me about all of your friends back home."
Sano let his arm fall and rest on her shoulder. It sounded like a good way to pass the time and so for the remainder of the ride he did just that.
"I was thrown out of this place last night."
The gangster said this to the lady in front of said place and the realization finally set in for her. "Oh, you're right."
"So where are we going now?"
"Inside."
Sano wasn't sure she heard him right. "They're going to ask me to leave again. Why waste our time? Let's just go somewhere else. How about we go back to that ballroom on the West side?"
Mary glanced rigidly at him. "Absolutely not! No one will recognize you looking like that. Come on, now," she commanded moving ahead and opening the door so that they could go inside. Sano hesitated for he remembered clearly what the scene had been like last night. If he was going to come face to face with the lifeless yet fearful locals again the result might not be so civil this time around. He didn't want to leave that kind of impression on the city, or on Mary. They might decide not to associate with her if they saw that she hung around a trouble-making foreigner. This was a bad idea on so many levels. He could just feel it. But then, making Mary wait impatiently was another bad idea, for she turned to him and the nasty glare in her eyes clearly ordered him to hurry the hell up. His shoulders sagged and he followed her inside, resigning himself to the inevitable yet again.
They were barely able to get through the door.
A mass of bodies moved to and fro, bumping into each other and toppling canisters of gin along with their imbibers onto the crowded floor. Mary searched blindly for Sano's hand and held firmly onto it as they were shoved to the side by another sea of clumsy, drunk patrons. She was pushed against him and they stumbled along with other victims who had been caught in the momentum, squeezing through bodies that howled and cheered until they finally came to a stop against the wooden barrier of the bar. Sano was glad to be the one who made contact with it instead of Mary. His ribs ached slightly after that.
The wave of drunks continued on after them, as they ducked into an empty nook at one end of the bar. Sano watched the activity around them wondering what on earth all these people were doing. As if she read his mind, Mary answered him pointedly, "They're dancing, love. Don't worry we'll do some of that soon enough. It's still early. We'll wait until the floor clears a little. Care for a drink?"
Sano turned his head ever so slowly to meet her gaze. "That's dancing too? I kind of prefer what we were doing at the ballroom. Um, can you order me one of those things of gin?"
Mary peered steadily at him. "You paying?"
Sano gaped at her. "Uh, well, "he stammered biting his lower lip sheepishly, "You know of all the things that Trevor left for me in that apartment, money didn't seem to be one of them, and I didn't win any during that game."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I see."
His mind raced for a quick solution, and then it came to him. "You know you're right about these folks not recognizing me. No one's tried to toss me out yet. You think I can put this on my tab?"
It was Mary's turn to gape at him. She shook her head incredulously at him, and raised her hand to get the bartender's attention. She flashed two fingers and then turned her attention back to her companion. "If you ask to put anything on tab you will be thrown out."
Sano didn't find it hard to believe that. When the bartender came over with their drinks he half expected the sea of people to part so that he could be thrown out without anyone being in the way. But none of that happened. The bartender was so busy with other orders that he didn't even give Sano a second glance. In fact no one seemed to even take note of his presence, which was a huge relief to him. He leaned back against the bar's frame, scanned the crowd and downed his drink. It wasn't sake, but it had its own kick that he could appreciate.
He saw the same faces from the night before, and many new ones that passed by to pick up a container of gin and then continue on their way. Those who stopped gave Sano the once over, curious about where he was from and wary that he would cause trouble. But none approached him and that suited the gangster just fine. He turned to pass his empty cup over to the bartender when he caught sight of a familiar face and felt the unpleasant sensation of his blood freeze in his veins. It was the strange man from the other night, the one who had ordered Trevor's gang to attack him. Sano stood up straight and stared hard at the man, his gaze following him as he made his way slowly through the crowd towards the bar and straight toward him. Sano watched him inch closer and closer until he slipped into an opening not three feet from where he stood. The man hadn't noticed him at all but then his body suddenly grew tense for he felt that someone was watching him, and his eyes shifted carefully from one person to another until they finally met the fiery eyes of the ex-gangster. He also gave Sano the once over, scrutinizing him carefully with a hint of recognition. Then he met his eyes again looking expectantly at him.
"May I help you, young Sir?" he politely asked turning away briefly to order his drink and then focused his attention back on the young fighter. Sano tilted his head and knotted his brows.
"Huh? You don't recognize me? Well how about that? I don't know if I should feel relieved or insulted. I was almost sure you wouldn't forget me since I sure as hell made it a point not to forget what you look like. I even gave the cops a description."
The man was taken aback by Sano's last sentence. "The police? Why on earth would the police want me? Really young man you must be mistaken, although I do apologize for I don't remember who you are. How is it that we know each other?"
Sano flashed him his wicked grin, the one he wore during his days as the gangster Zanza, and the man instantly went rigid all over again. His face turned pale, and a line of sweat immediately appeared across his forehead. "You-"
"-Are still pissed off about that night. You remember that night, don't you? You made me get into a fight with a local gang and then you left me to get arrested on my first night in town. That's not how you treat visitors."
The man narrowed his eyes, his brows coming together closely. His glare was unmistakable. "We don't need visitors like you. You assaulted civilians, you defaced city property, and," he leaned in closer so that no one but Sano could hear him, "you killed those women."
A young lady squeezed in between them to pick up a cup of gin, and heard the comment directed at Sano. Before she could catch herself she turned and gasped, staring at him with growing apprehension as her hands began to shake.
Sano groaned inwardly and secretly damned the man to the worst possible tortures in the darkest corner of hell. He was definitely going to pay for this round of trouble he started, but first Sano had to get himself out of this hole before he sank any deeper.
"Sano, who are you talking to?"
He turned to Mary who had leaned forward to peek around his body at the young lady who still stood next to him. She regarded the girl suspiciously quirking an eyebrow at the terrified woman. "Who are you?"
The young woman seemed to grow even more frightened now that she had captured Mary's attention. "Uh, I'm just getting a drink, Miss. I wasn't trying to chat up your friend."
"You weren't?" Mary said hardening her gaze, which made the poor young lady squirm. Then she grasped hold of Sano's shoulders and turned him so that he faced the newcomer. "And why not? Look at him! He's a handsome lad, isn't he? And," she slid over to the startled girl and rubbed her elbow with hers, "he's new in town. I do believe he should meet more people before he starts to think that London is full of drunken prostitutes. Why don't you dance with him?"
Sano whipped his head around so that he could gawk at her, his eyes so wide one would think they would pop right out. The young woman seemed to calm down some, although she was still thrown off by Mary's offer. "Well, I'm not much of a dancer. Um, did you say that he's new in town?" She looked to Sano who had recovered from his shock and decided to remain silent and let Mary work her magic.
"Yes, he just arrived two days ago. He and I have been having a marvelous time, but I think he should make some more friends. What do you say?" She gave the girl a wry smile and winked at her, "Fancy a dance with an exotic gentleman?"
The girl relaxed some more and smiled warmly at Sano, seriously considering taking Mary up on her offer. Sano was relieved that he was saved from another awkward situation, but he wasn't sure he was comfortable with Mary setting him up on dates. He certainly didn't think he needed any help. He always managed to find his own women. But he wasn't about to voice any objections, especially since Mary had gone to the trouble to save him. Both women had now moved on to the side forgetting about him for the moment to drink and giggle about things he had no desire to know about. Yes, all traces of what the man had said previously were forgotten-
That man!
Sanosuke looked over to where he had left the bastard, and found that he was gone. Of course He wasn't about to stick around now was he? He left the ladies and moved in through the crowd searching for any sign of the damned stranger. So many faces passed before him, but he knew this particular face. He had stared at the man for so long he had his image engraved in his mind. And what was engraved in his mind materialized through the crowd at the other side of the room. Sano stopped suddenly and stared menacingly at his prey. The man stared back. His arm was around a very drunk young woman at the moment and Sano could see that they were heading for the door. He had to stop them. There was no way he was going to let this creep leave for a good time, not after he attempted to frame him for murder a second time.
I swear, in each encounter with this guy he's mentioned those women who were murdered. Either this guy knows something about the killer, or…
The notion entered his head once again and he began to push his way through the crowd to get at him before he escaped again. That had to be it, Sano thought to himself as he squeezed through bodies that seemed to be glued together. He has to be this killer these people are talking about. He has to be Jack the Ripper!
The man soon realized he was being pursued and abandoned his date to head for the door. The gangster was determined not to let him get away this time. His anger was back and he was ready to take his aggression out on the lowlife. He didn't care if it got him arrested again. He would happily sit in a jail cell for pummeling the man into the pavement. Bodies moved suddenly and it appeared he now had an opening. Sano took the opportunity and lunged forward with the man still in his sights. Then he was stopped dead in his tracks by a pair of hands that pressed firmly against his shoulders. Sano growled his rage at the damned fool and moved to blindly shove the person aside.
"Whoa, take it easy! I just wanted to say hello that's all." The hands were instantly snatched away for Sano looked like he would bite them clean off, and held up to appeal to the angry gangster to calm down. The voice suddenly caught Sano's attention. He relaxed momentarily to get a good look at who had blocked his path.
"Trevor."
The latter nodded eyeing his friend cautiously. "Funny catching you here, Sano. Are you alright?"
The fighter ignored the question and looked to see if his victim was anywhere in sight. The front door was wide open, swinging on its hinge. Sano felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He bolted past Trevor and maneuvered expertly through the sea of bar patrons until he was outside in the street. The stranger was nowhere to be seen.
Damn!
He turned round and round in the street looking in each possible direction to see if he could get a sense of where he would have headed. Trevor eventually made it to his side, breathing heavily as he leaned on one of Sano's shoulders for support.
"That was fantastic! How did you move through those people so easily?"
Sano reluctantly calmed down, taking one last look down an alley before focusing his attention on Trevor. "Huh?"
"You moved through the crowd like no one was there. And I heard you made short order of a brick wall yesterday morning. You're one amazing chap," Trevor commented, giving the fighter an admiring pat on the back. "You look like you were chasing someone just now. I can let my people know about it and they'll keep an eye out for him. Do you remember what he looks like?"
I'll never forget what that guy looks like, Sano vowed although he knew Trevor's efforts would be useless. He shook his head and waved the offer away. "Don't worry about it. He's probably hiding somewhere dark and damp, like a rat. I'll see him again, though. I'm not leaving London until I put him out of commission."
Trevor stared at Sano in awe, his face losing all color as he studied the intense gangster closely. He swallowed hard. "Uh- if you kill him let me know. I can take care of that too."
What the hell? Sano thought as he glanced at his friend critically, overly suspicious once again. It never occurred to him to ask Trevor what it was he did in the streets of White Chapel. "What kind of operation do you run?"
The accusing tone seemed to go right over the other man's head. "Oh, we'll dispose of the body where the authorities won't ever find it. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it for you."
Sano wasn't sure about this new information he had just learned about Trevor. He always thought it was odd that a man who lived in the fancy part of town came to conduct business in a slum. But he didn't want to learn anymore. The night was young and it had already brought him one too many surprises. He was officially worn out and all he wanted to do now was go back into the bar and dance with Mary. He glanced at Trevor out of the corner of his eye, noting that the other man looked expectantly at him waiting for a response from his earlier comment. He decided to play along for now.
"Thanks, but you won't have to. I'm not going to kill him." He turned away from Trevor, shoved his hands into his pockets and ambled over to the door of the pub. As he passed his friend he turned his head slightly and said nonchalantly over his shoulder, "Although, he'll wish that I did kill him", and then he was inside the pub before he could get a response. Sano didn't bother to see what kind of reaction that brought on. He forgot about Trevor and squeezed through the suffocating crowd again in search for Mary. He figured she would be at the bar so he went in that direction. A pull on his jacket sleeve stopped him.
"There you are, love! I thought you left me."
Sano thought he would never in his life be so happy to see someone. His face brightened as he laid eyes on Mary and he immediately grabbed her in a dancer's embrace and crushed her to him.
"No, I just needed some air. How about that dance?"
Mary raised an eyebrow and scanned the area around them. "Now? It's still so crowded in here. And I don't think anyone is in a condition to do much dancing."
He didn't care much about what anyone else wanted to do. His ears caught the sound of a fiddle that someone had begun to play and he started to sway to the music with Mary in his arms. He turned with her and she followed him, the music suddenly turning into a slow melody that made him relax his grip on Mary and move lazily on the floor with her. He didn't remember hearing this kind of music before. He liked it. He closed his eyes and lost himself in it, allowing his instincts to lead them as they moved back and forth with their bodies pressed closely together.
"Look at you showing off how much of an expert you are. You're quite good at this, and I'm quite a good teacher if you think about it. "
Sano opened his eyes to see Mary move to press her cheek against his chest. She closed her eyes now and snuggled up against him as she relaxed and allowed him to move their bodies along the floor. He had been about to poke fun at her teaching abilities but the look of absolute serenity on her face made him reconsider. She looked so at ease at the moment as if she had nothing at all to worry about outside the pub, outside of his arms. If he only knew how secure she did feel with him.
He hated to disturb her but he noticed many gentlemen pass them and direct hopeful glances at her. "Hey Mary, are you working tonight?"
She didn't even raise her head. "No. I'm not."
She let go of his hand and slid hers around him so that she could circle her arms around his waist. One hand didn't stay there for very long for he felt her fingers travel up his back to stop at the nape of his neck where his ponytail began. Her fingers found the ribbon and tugged it out letting his hair spill loose around his shoulders. A few of his bangs escaped from behind his ear and resumed their natural position in front of his face. He felt her fingers play with his hair and he began to lose himself again in his own world. Memories of home flooded back to him but he felt so calmed that he welcomed them. He was glad to see them, and with that he just danced slowly with Mary in his arms and no worries at all.
They had no idea that they were being observed from afar. Thoughts of death churned within whoever watched them. And he decided it was time to act.