Chapter 5: Wild Beast

He had no idea how long he had been sitting there. He had no idea when he had even sat down. Somewhere along the line someone had put a blanket around his shoulders as he sat on a small red-brick wall, head in his hands and eyes tightly shut, trying to block out what had inevitably happened.

The embers of the fallen building crackled quietly, the giant flames finally put out as the last few firemen packed away the hoses and safety equipment into the one remaining fire engine. The rain had subsided to a faint light mist getting carried in the wind, the crowd dispersing back to their own homes, some being taken by the police for questioning.

Kenshin felt a presence standing next to him, but had no intention of raising his head.

"I'm so sorry." came the voice. It was the one of the ambulance men Kenshin had spoke to earlier, who now sat down next to him on the wall. He looked sadly at the lowered head before him, avoiding eye contact, staring inertly at the pavement underneath them. "Will you let me take a look at your arm now?" he gently persisted.

"It's fine." came the fallen whisper, as Kenshin held his right arm closer to his stomach, trying to hide the blood on his sleeve.

"It's not fine." the man tried again, "I know it's not broken, but it's been badly burned from that stunt of yours. At least let me bandage it or it'll get infected."

As the man put his hand on Kenshin's arm, Kenshin flinched away, his hair falling over his shoulder. He sat there turned away for a moment, the pain in his arm nothing to what he felt inside right now.

When he had called out Sano's name, it was like another being took over him, something that had no regard for his own life. He had sprinted away from the crowd towards the crumbling building, ignoring the heat of the fire, ignoring the fireman who had grabbed him just inside the burning main hallway, struggling to pull him back out of the flames falling from the ceiling as Kenshin thrashed in his arms trying to get to Sano, not knowing what he could do or where Sano could be, but having to try, reaching out into the flames, screaming out his name until another fireman ran into the building to help with the first one, and managing to get Kenshin out of there just before the hallway collapsed with the rest of the building.

"Please let me look at it." the voice came again, and Kenshin sighed quietly, bringing his arm out from holding it to his stomach so it could be treated.

As the man went about cleaning his wound and bandaging it, Kenshin continued to stare aimlessly at the ground, his mind blank of all emotion. From in front of him two firemen walked dragging one of the long hoses behind them, walking past him.

"-finitely started deliberately."

"You think so?"

"Sure. There's no way a natural fire could start a blaze like that with all this rain around. Besides you could smell the petrol in there it was-"

Somehow, Kenshin's mind was distantly aware that conversation was important, but right now that thought didn't seem to get any further than a vague awareness of it, his mind already lost in other dreaded thoughts. Thoughts of Sano.

Why did this happen? He hadn't left that long ago. If he'd stayed then….Kenshin sighed. Then what? They'd both be dead?

Right now Kenshin couldn't have cared.

"Alright, that should do it." The ambulance man said, as Kenshin brought his arm back across his stomach, un-caring that the man had helped him. "Look…go home. You can't do anything more here." He said gently, putting his hand on Kenshin's shoulder to try and offer some small amount of comfort to the grieving young man.

When Kenshin didn't move, the man sighed sadly, getting up from the wall and walking back over to his ambulance.

What would he do now? It seemed every time he had a chance of being happy something went wrong. Now Sano was gone he….

Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he felt hot tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes again. Saying that…saying that Sano was gone… he didn't want…

Kenshin let the tears fall, dripping off his cheeks and falling to the ground, covering his head with hands as his body trembled, his heart heavy with yet another loss added to it's already hefty weight.

He was gone…just as he finally let himself love someone again, and they were snatched away.

"What the?….ooohh SHIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Kenshin blinked, his whole body seeming to freeze.

"What the hell? How-….When-….What the hell happened to my apartment?"

Slowly raising his head, Kenshin looked over in front of him to his left, and saw someone standing there that made his heart skip a beat.

It can't be…. Kenshin stared unbelieving; slowly sitting up straight, There's no way he…

"S-Sano?" he whispered, his eyes going wide, before he suddenly bolted from the wall he was sitting on.

Before Sano could get his head around the fact that his apartment didn't seem to be where he'd left it, his arms were suddenly full of a clinging Kenshin, burying his face in his chest and holding him so tightly Sano almost felt like his ribs were gonna be crushed.

"K-Kenshin what…? What are you doing here? I thought you went home?"

"Sano I…" Kenshin chocked, tears of relief streaming down his face as he clung desperately to the back of Sano's jacket, eyes tightly shut as he pressed himself as close as he could to him, "…I didn't…I thought you were dead you…" he buried his head against his chest, Sano quickly wrapping his arms around the quivering figure, looking down at him, face full of worry.

"Well…well what's going on?" he said, looking across at the collapsed building, "How did…what…Kenshin you…" he stuttered, not being able to think straight, looking back down at the tearful red head in his arms.

"It was a fire." Kenshin managed to choke out, "I came back…I wanted to be with you…I changed my mind, I wanted to stay…I love you," he cried, his knees feeling weak as he slowly slipped to the wet ground, Sano falling with him as he knelt there, still holding him in his arms.

"You…you love me too?" he asked quietly.

"I thought I'd lost you…" Kenshin whispered, his breathing ragged, trying to calm down, "I want to be with you…I love you Sano…I love you…I want to stay." He whispered, calming down, a barely audible "That I do" Being added on the end, and Sano held him tighter, kissing the top of his head.

Whatever the hell happened here would have to wait. He needed to get Kenshin home, he was in shock, half collapsed in his arms.

"Kenshin?" he said, trying to get Kenshin to look up at him, "Kenshin where's your car? I wanna take you home."

"But…but your apartment…" Kenshin pitifully protested, still not wanting to let go of him.

"Oh forget my apartment." He said sternly, "I wanna make sure you're okay. You might not believe it but I can actually drive, I could just never afford to get car after I took my lessons." Sano tried to stand up, bringing Kenshin with him now loosening his grip a little so Sano could finally see his face, "Where's your car?" he said gently, running his thumb over his cheek to wipe away the last tear that was threatening to fall.

"It's…err…j-just round the corner." He said, his voice still a little shaky, trying to will his brain back to the reality that Sano was fine, standing right in front of him alive and well.

"Ok…come on." He said, turning to walk towards the street, taking Kenshin's hand as Kenshin held it tightly, his other hand coming to grab his sleeve as they walked towards his car.

"Oh damn…looks like someone's been in your car."

Kenshin looked up when they stopped walking, and found the driver's door swinging open.

"No…I did that." He said quietly, "I didn't think of shutting it…I was too worried that you were in danger."

Sano looked down at him, clinging to his arm, feeling his fingers digging into his skin.

He really had been terrified hadn't he?

Sano's eyes softened as he looked at him. If that had been him in his position, then my god, he would have been just as terrified…to think that had lost Kenshin…wow, now that was a feeling he most definitely did not want to experience.

Slowly leading him over to the passenger side, Sano opened the door for Kenshin to sit down, which he did, but he didn't let go of his arm.

"Kenshin…" he said sadly, "You have to let go, I can't drive you home if you don't let go."

Kenshin didn't move for a moment, staring at the dashboard, before slowly letting his hand fall away from his sleeve. Shutting the door behind him, Sano made his way over to the driver's seat and got in, shutting the door and realising that Kenshin had left the keys in the ignition too.

Man…I'm surprised no one stole this they-

Sano's thought was interrupted as he suddenly found Kenshin's head resting on his shoulder, his hand clinging to his arm again, eyes closed. Sano looked down at the red head, and found himself smiling sadly. He didn't like seeing Kenshin like this, like he was lost and afraid. He wanted to see that smile again, that beautiful smile that never failed to capture his heart every time he saw it.

He'd get him home and then… ah…then what? It's not like Sano had anywhere to stay now, maybe he'd stay in a motel or something, he still had some money left from looking around in that Pawn Shop. God he'd been lucky that was open, good people in there, very good people to have it open 24 hours. Mind you, he supposed they got all the interesting stuff in the middle of the night. If he hadn't have been in there looking for a present for Kenshin, liking History and stuff he figured there may be something of value he could buy from in there, then he would have been back at home…and maybe he would have been caught in that fire…

Sano shuddered.

Ok, no time to be thinking such things, getting Kenshin home was his first priority, what he'd do and where he'd go after that was something he'd have to figure out later.

"Okay Kenshin, I need you to tell me where to go."

By the time they'd got back to Kenshin's apartment, parking in the underground parking lot specifically for that building, Kenshin had been dozing off, exhausted from the emotional excursion. Prying his hand of his arm, Sano gently shook Kenshin's shoulder.

"Kenshin?" Kenshin slowly opened his eyes, sitting up straight from leaning on him when he realised where they were, "Come on, let's get you inside."

Opening the door, and after Kenshin had got out making sure to lock it afterwards, Sano found Kenshin clinging to his arm again as they walked up the stone steps to the main street, then up the ones leading to main entrance. Walking into the elevator, Sano turned to him.

"Err, I dunno which floor you're on." He said, smiling embarrassingly. Kenshin slowly moved and pressed the number 5 on the control button pad, the doors sliding shut and taking them up.

Kenshin still hadn't looked at him properly in the eyes yet, he'd just clung to him like this, like if he'd let go Sano would just, disappear or something. Sano definitely wanted his smile back, he didn't want to think that he had been the cause of Kenshin's pain…well, not that he could have done anything about it at the time, he didn't even realise while he was out midnight shopping that his apartment decided to catch fire, nor did he realise that Kenshin had come back saying that he…

…loved him.

Oh yeah.

As the doors opened, Kenshin leading him through still not looking at him, Sano remembered what Kenshin had said to him.

He loved him…wanted to be with him…wanted to stay…

As Kenshin reached his door and unlocked it, Sano suddenly frowned in thought.

Wait a minute…if Kenshin wants to stay with me, then does that mean….?

"Sano?" Sano looked down at Kenshin, the door swinging open to his apartment, "About what I said earlier…that we…we shouldn't be doing what we were about to do?"

Sano swallowed, "Er…yeah?"

Kenshin finally looked up to him.

"I've changed my mind."

Suddenly Kenshin flung his arms around his neck, pressing his lips against Sano's and demanding entrance so forcefully for a second Sano stupidly thought if he'd taken home the right person. Struggling to stand up against such as powerful kiss, Sano gasped for breath as Kenshin pulled away, grabbing his wrist and practically yanking him through the door, slamming it shut quickly behind them, and pulling him swiftly through the kitchen and living room towards his bedroom.

"Werr..err hang on a minute Kenshin, don't you think this is going a bit - whoaa!" Sano found himself virtually flung down on the bed, Kenshin cleverly managing to remove his jacket in the process. Turning back around to sit up, he saw Kenshin, having hurriedly shut the door behind them, now slipping out of his shirt walking towards him.

Sano's face flushed, "Kenshin, I-I-I-I think you better think about this you…"

Kenshin flung his shirt to one side, crawling over on top of Sano making him fall down on his back onto the bed, one knee placed high in between his legs, while Kenshin buried his hands in Sano's hair and kissed him again, another forceful kiss that made any protests from Sano, as little as there were to begin with, melt along with any remaining thoughts of…well, anything really.

Sano moaned into this incredible kiss, his hands wondering what to do, whether to hold him or push him away, because he obviously wasn't thinking straight. What happened to his quiet, blushing little Kenshin? He'd suddenly become a wild beast, ravishing his form as Kenshin, haven broken the kiss, forced Sano to lean up a little so he could rip the t-shirt right off him.

"Ken-Kenshin wait—OW!" Sano tried to say something, but Kenshin had currently given him a very large and very painful love bite on his neck, and the more Kenshin wriggled around on top of him like this, straddling him in nothing but his leather pants, his hair falling about him like waves of silk, Sano was finding it more and more difficult to try and stop him…in fact more and more difficult to even breath!

What a dilemma! Kenshin was being the sexiest being on this planet, but Sano had to stop him! This wasn't right, this wasn't his Kenshin, he wasn't even saying anything he was just-

-Oh my god!

Something in Sano snapped, and as Kenshin had dipped his hand underneath the un-done zip of Sano's jeans, Sano suddenly sat up, grabbing Kenshin by his shoulders and pulling him back down, holding him tightly to his chest so he couldn't move anymore, his arms trapped.

"Kenshin snap out of it!" Sano demanded, as Kenshin tried to struggle in his arms, desperately trying to move downwards, but Sano kept his grip, "Stop it Kenshin! This isn't like you! Not after what's just happened, now stop it!"

Kenshin stopped.

They lay there together for a moment, no one speaking, no one moving, before Sano suddenly felt something wet on his chest, and Kenshin's shoulders beginning to shake.

Was he crying?

"Make love to me…"

Sano blinked.

"Please make love to me."

It was such a quiet voice, a desperate whisper, choked with tears.

"Please…I was so terrified I'd lost you…please Sano…I want you…I want to be so close to you…please…please make love to me….please don't push me away."

Sano held him close, a loss at what to say. He rested one hand on the back of Kenshin's head, slowly stroking his hair for a moment, letting him calm down. After a minute or two, Kenshin's breathing returned to normal, and Sano slowly turned over, resting Kenshin down on his back, his head falling back softly into the pillow.

"Alright." Sano said quietly, as he lay there on top of him, Kenshin placing his hand on Sano's own that had softly stroked down one cheek.

Sano leant down and kissed him tenderly, the fiery madness of a moment before lost, leaving a gentle and calming atmosphere between them. "I won't push you away." He whispered, kissing each cheek lovingly, his heart beat beginning to race as he went in for another kiss, Kenshin slowly wrapping his arms around his neck, doing exactly what he had wanted to do, getting lost in his love. "I'll never push you away."

Wiping the tears away from his cheek, that shy smile finding it's way to Kenshin's lips again, Sano smiled back. This was his Kenshin, the Kenshin he'd fallen so deeply in love with so quickly, the Kenshin he could kiss over and over again and never, never ever leave him.

"I love you Sano." Kenshin whispered, so much passion in his voice it almost made Sano himself feel like crying, to have found such a perfect being like this, for this Angel to love a drop out, stupid, fight picking idiot like him, he truly had to be the luckiest person on this planet.

Sano buried his head against Kenshin's neck, relishing the fact that they were here together like this, "I love you too…love you so much."

Sano had never thought it possible to love someone this much so quickly, this had to be fate. Meeting in the bar that evening, Kenshin turning out to be his teacher, everything was pulling them together, and Sano was going to take every chance to stay together too. Even his apartment burning down, maybe he could even live with Kenshin now? He hoped so…god he hoped he could be with him. To live with him, have dinner every evening with him…to sleep in the same bed with him.

Sano sighed contently, gently kissing down Kenshin's neck onto his chest, Kenshin's head leaning to one side, eyes closed, that blush on his cheeks, letting Sano finish what they'd started earlier.

As Sano reached for the clasp on Kenshin's leather pants however, Kenshin reached down to stop him, Sano wondering what he'd done wrong again this time. But as Sano's eyes looked up, he didn't see a look of worry on Kenshin's face…

He was smiling.

Bringing one hand around the back of Sano's neck, pulling him forward so he could kiss him again, a passionate kiss that told him to do anything and everything, Kenshin laid back down, letting Sano do whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted, and for as long as the two of them could keep up.

Kenshin wanted Sano to make love to him? He'd make love to him all night long.

Saito didn't like to show weakness, but after spending a fun packed night of stalking, burning down buildings and then heading over to your Bosses place for….top secret stuff, Saito was tired.

And pissed off.

He had wanted to get home as quickly as possible after drenching that apartment with petrol, and…opps!…dropping a lit cigarette to the ground as the building was immediately engulfed in flames. It was a crude method, but he had been feeling particularly evil that night, and wanted to make a damn good…or should that be bad…impression.

Getting a call from his Boss though he hadn't expected, and so had to go all the way over to Kyoto in the middle of the night. He understood though, mobile phones can easily be tapped; it was always best to meet in person. Still, he had wanted to get back to be able to see the look on Kenshin's face when he found out that his precious Sanosuke had been killed. Although he guessed it wouldn't matter too much, his video cameras recorded everything, he could just review his tapes to see that look of shock and pain across that pretty face.

Closing his apartment door behind him, Saito headed as usual to his little back room, walking into darkness as he had switched the monitors off while he wasn't there. Turning his desk light on and sitting down, he switched on one screen in front of him, typing into the keyboard. The system whirred for a moment, before displaying 'Replay' in the top left hand corner of the screen.

"Lets see what you've been up to since you got home…found out yet?" Saito smirked to himself, sitting back in his chair and relaxing, just to see how distraught Kenshin was, and then go get some sleep.

As the screen flickered on however, what he saw made that smirk immediately disappear.

He didn't know what time it was, but with the bright light coming from the windows where the curtains hadn't been drawn, it was obviously morning. Kenshin had awoken to find himself lying on his back, Sano lying half across him cocooning him in his arms. His lips were lightly pressed to the top of Kenshin's head as he slept, letting Kenshin rest his head just under Sano's chin, snuggling against his warm skin. Eyes blinking lazily, not wanting to wake up, Kenshin slowly moved to kiss Sano's neck lightly, before closing his eyes again, ever so gently holding him a little bit tighter.

Sano had been true to his word, he'd made love to him all night long, slowly and passionately, covering every inch of him with a love Kenshin had wanted to feel again for so long. They must have been awake for hours together, holding and touching, getting lost in each other's passions and desires.

Sano had turned out to be a very sensual lover. Maybe it was just with him, but it was like he couldn't get enough of him, wanting to touch and kiss everything that was laid out before him. Kenshin felt his own heartbeat racing the whole time, Sano's exploring hands and talented tongue driving him wild with a hunger for more, more of anything and everything that Sano could give him.

Kenshin had never felt so loved as he did that night, he'd lost count on how many times Sano had said he loved him, whether it was a gentle whisper on his lips as they kissed, or heavy breathing as he panted it in his ear, Kenshin's body and mind lost to this overwhelming feeling of never wanting to let go of this person his heart felt like it belonged too. Even when their bodies couldn't move anymore, they just lay there together, Sano's protecting arms either side of him as they kissed slowly, run out of energy, but not out of love, just relaxing into the gentle sensations as they finally drifted off to sleep together.

He'd fallen in love with him so quickly, so fast, but it felt like he had loved him forever, holding him so closely, just relishing in the fact that they were lying here together like this without a care in the world.

The glass flew across the sideboard and smashed on the floor below, the water it was holding spraying across the tiled floor. Saito leant with arms out stretched on the wooden panelling of the kitchen counter, teeth clenched as a fury like no other rushed through his veins.

Sanosuke was alive…but not only was he alive he was…

Smashing another glass onto the floor, Saito stormed out of his kitchen when his front door suddenly opened. Stopping in surprise, he watched as a woman walked through, placing her keys back in her handbag. She paused as she saw Saito staring at her, and looked through the kitchen to the smashed glasses on the floor.

"I take it your plan didn't work then." She said bluntly, closing the front door behind her.

"I am in no mood for your lectures this evening Tokio," he glared at his wife, as she ignored him and put the shopping bags she was carrying down in the kitchen, before walking down the hallway to the Lounge.

"Why is it you try to kill everyone you don't like?" she asked, still not looking at him as he followed her.

"It's not like you should worry Tokio, I would never kill you, you're too precious to me." He said, although there was a slight smirk to his tone of voice.

"Really?" she said dismissively, "I'm a marriage of convenience. The only reason you don't get rid of me is because I'm your Bosses daughter."

Saito watched her for a moment, switching on the side lights and untying her hair, letting it fall down her back, taking no interest in her husbands presences. "Tell me," Saito began, "What is it that has brought this on this evening Tokio?"

There was a pause in her answer, her back still turned to him, "That young man…Kenshin Himura…what have you done to him?"

"What exactly are you implying?" Saito asked cautiously.

"He's all you ever talk about," she said sadly, "How much you enjoy giving him trouble by always keeping him just inside his debt but…I've checked the bank statements…we haven't had any money from him this month. I know what you're like, you wouldn't let anyone off easy…so I want to know what you did to him?"

Saito stared at her back for a moment, before smiling, "What I did to him you ask?" his smile faded as he put his hand on her shoulder, his mouth by her ear, "I did to him what I haven't done with you for many years." With that he turned around without another word, heading to the bedroom to finally get that sleep he needed.

As he walked out of the room, Tokio sighed softly. She remembered, 16 years ago, that little redheaded boy…so cold…so cruel, but all the time thinking it was the right thing to do, what her father ordered him to carry out. She had tried many times to be with him, to have a motherly figure in his life, despite her father's protests, but all the time, everyday, it was nothing but training with husband-to-be, Hajime Saito, and the rest of the boys. He grew up thinking it was right…what they made him do. Saito spent everyday with him when he was growing up, surely at some point he must have felt friends with him? What happened? Why did he now feel such pleasure in tormenting someone he practically raised?

Saito had been 17 when Kenshin left for good, making her swear not to tell her father what had really happened, or he'd lose out on his new 'bonus' every month. As far as 'he' was concerned, the Boss, Kenshin was dead, and Saito was going to keep it that way so he wouldn't go looking for him. Kenshin would have to pay Saito for his silence if he wanted to live, to not tell the police what he had done, or his Boss that he was still alive. He was only 11 at the time, so Saito expected that payments at first would be small, but the older he got, the more amount of money Saito demanded. He'd turned bitter, sadistic, and it made him smile that creepy smile that somewhere along the line Tokio had grown used to.

Saito was a clever man, a little too clever, he had a way of playing with people's minds. What he had done to Kenshin, and whatever he had planned in the future, she hoped that Kenshin wasn't alone in his fight for freedom from the chain's Saito kept around him.

"Morning beautiful." came an adoring voice, and Kenshin opened his eyes, looking up to the loving ones staring down at him.

Smiling sweetly, Kenshin moved forward a little and kissed him, the start of what he hoped with every cell in his body would be the first of many morning kisses. It was only going to be a short, sweet kiss, but somewhere along the line they began to get lost in each other again, the kiss deepening, Sano holding him more closely.

It was a small giggle from Kenshin that broke the kiss though, "Looks like something else has woken up as well, that it has." He said, a faint blush on his cheeks as he glanced downwards at Sano, before smiling back up at him.

"Can you blame me?" Sano grinned, before leaning down again for another kiss, moving further on top of him as that certain 'something else' dug into Kenshin's hip.

Kenshin laughed again, breaking the kiss, but Sano continuing to kiss his cheeks, and even the tip of his nose. "You know…" he said, kissing him again quickly, "You have the cutest laugh."

Kenshin, now aware of his laugh, simply smiled back trying and failing not to laugh as Sano stared at him intently waiting for him to do it again. He looked away embarrassed, the smile unable to leave his lips.

"So, you gonna tell me what happened to your arm?"

Kenshin blinked and looked back at him, "My arm?" He looked down at his right arm, still bandaged (although how it was still bandaged after last night he wasn't sure) and having completely forgot about it.

"What did you do?" Sano asked worried, leaning up on one elbow as Kenshin held his arm, feeling the heat underneath it.

"Did you… only just notice this?" Kenshin asked, because surely he hadn't…again not after last night.

Sano smiled back, "Of course not, but you seemed too out of it last night after the fire it just…didn't seem appropriate to ask." He said gently, Kenshin seeing the slight concern in his eyes, "Anyway, I could see it was all wrapped up ok, so I figured I could wait until now to ask you about it."

Kenshin blushed slightly at the memory of how he was acting when he had brought Sano home, spying his shirt still on the floor by the door where he'd ripped it off so quickly.

"Yeah umm…I am sorry about that." He said, looking away.

Surprisingly, Sano grinned back, "Are you kidding? That was totally hot, just…not at the right time." He added softly, Kenshin looking back at him to still see that grin still on his face, "So if you wanna do that again, an-y time, that's fine with me!" he grinned, Kenshin resisting the urge to roll his eyes and instead just smiled.

"So yeah, how did you do that?" Sano asked again, nodding at his arm.

"I…" Kenshin paused suddenly, frowning at the memory, "…you'll probably yell at me for this but…" Kenshin looked at him sheepishly, "I ran into your apartment building when it was on fire." Sano's eyes went wide, "I thought you were still in there…" Kenshin said sadly, looking down at the bedcovers, "I didn't know what to do, so I just ran in, hoping that…somehow…you'd just be in the doorway so I could get you out."

Kenshin avoided his eyes, he knew Sano would be angry with him, but suddenly he found himself engulfed in Sano's arms as he held him close, one hand at the back of his head "You're right, I would yell at you, if you hadn't been through enough already." He said gently, letting his fingers flow through his hair, before suddenly getting to a knot and pausing, both of them beginning to laugh again as they pulled away from each other.

"You're even cute with your hair in a mess." Sano smiled, causing Kenshin to blush yet again at the hidden message within that, "And thanks."

Kenshin looked back up at him, "For what?"

"For caring so much." He said quietly.

There was another pause full of shy smiles, Kenshin finding it embarrassing to look him in the eyes. It was funny, he felt like a school kid with his first crush, innocent and shy to everything. As the silent moment passed, Kenshin realised Sano was staring at him rather lovingly.

"W-what?" Kenshin asked smiling.

"I was just thinking. There's been no weird 'awkward silences' or anything, we've just continued talking and kissing like we'd been doing this for years."

It was true. Kenshin had woken up and had had no feelings of awkwardness, what he would say to Sano when he woke up, how to act around each other after last night, nothing. That made Kenshin smile, and he leant over and kissed Sano again, his smaller hands cupping his cheeks.

"Like that?" Kenshin whispered as he finally pulled away, leaving this time a blush on Sano's cheeks.

"…Yeah." Sano smiled back.

Saito sat at the end of his bed, staring out the window to the bright sun outside. Tokio should learn when to keep her mouth shut, or daughter of his Boss or not, if she said that again…

Running his hand through his hair, Saito thought back to the matter at hand. Sanosuke. The stupid college student who wouldn't leave Kenshin alone. How the hell did he get past him when setting that building a light? He must have sneaked out beforehand, which made Saito even angrier at himself for not spotting him.

Well, there was more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes. If Sanosuke wouldn't leave, even after burning his home to the ground, then he had forced Saito to take the more painful route. If Sano had left when he had told him before, then sure, Kenshin would be a little upset, as would Sanosuke, but they hadn't known each other for that long so it wouldn't have been so bad. Now he'll play with him. He'll make Sano doubt, make him worry, send him hints of Kenshin's past and find out exactly how far this love goes. Because just at the right time, he'll make him ask…ask Kenshin about his past, and when Sano does exactly the same thing that Soujirou had done, Kenshin will lose all hope…

…and fall right into his arms.

A thought flashed through his mind so quickly it barely had a chance to register; but when did he stop caring about the money, and simply start to want that body instead?

"We should get up." Kenshin said, but with no movement from either of them as they lay in bed together, the sentence didn't seem quite so serious.

"Why?" Sano asked, cuddling him a little closer.

Kenshin looked up at him and smiled, "Why don't you go and have a shower while I make some breakfast hm?"

"Can't I have a shower with you?" Sano asked cheekily, nose to nose.

Kenshin smiled back, eyes closing happily "Maybe another time, I'm hungry now." He said cutely, trying to wriggle out from underneath Sano. Sano however wasn't going to let him go easily, and latched onto his waist, a silly smile on his face as Kenshin laughed, trying to crawl off the bed with Sano attached to him.

"S-Sano…get off…" Kenshin chuckled, trying to manoeuvre to the edge of the bed.

"Aw come on…it's your birthday isn't it? I wanna make love to you all day." He said cutely, completely love struck with his little angel.

"You've already done that all night." Kenshin smiled, managing to slip his legs over the side of the bed,

"Yeah and?" Sano tried to protest, but as Kenshin finally managed to stand up, Sano was still hugging him around the waist and so found himself falling off the bed and onto the floor, bed sheets and all.

As he lay there face down on the floor, Kenshin smiling and almost snickering as he tried to untangle himself from the bed sheets, Kenshin grabbing his dressing gown hanging at the back of the door, slipping it over him.

"The bathroom is the door on the right." He said as he opened the bedroom door, while Sano finally managed to grab the sheets and stand up, before lunging for Kenshin with a predatory glint in his eye…

And smashing straight into a closed door, Kenshin's cute and happy laugh floating away behind it.

As the gentle hum of the shower drifted through the apartment, Kenshin stood by his open fridge, grabbing a carton of orange juice from inside and a glass from one of the top cupboards. The thought crossed his mind he should really move those glasses to a lower cupboard as he nearly always dropped something when trying to reach up to get one, either that or re-do his kitchen so everything was lower and in his reach. Filling the glass with juice, Kenshin took a sip idly glancing over to the clock on the wall.

In doing so, Kenshin nearly choked at the time.

Putting his glass back down on the counter, Kenshin ran back into his bedroom and flew open his bathroom door, Sano freezing in shock standing under the shower, the water still running over him.

"Sano! It's 11.30!"

"So?"

"On a Thursday!"

Sano blinked at him "So?"

"We have to get to college!"

Sano looked around the bathroom walls for a moment as if thinking, before turning back to him "So?"

Kenshin stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown horns, "We have to go." He said quietly, the sudden rush of panic disappearing and now not knowing what to do with Sano's lack of panic.

"No we don't. I think my apartment burning down is a pretty good reason not to go in don'tcha think?" he smiled.

"I don't…really think you should be smiling when saying that." he said, sweat dropping.

Sano stared at him for a moment, nothing but the sound of running water filling the air, before he suddenly reached out and grabbed Kenshin, wrapping his arms around his waist and lifting him into the shower with him.

"S-Sano!" Kenshin stuttered in surprise and embarrassment as Sano was of course completely naked, the water from the shower head beating down on them both, Kenshin's dressing gown getting soaked.

"I think you should stop worrying," Sano said, "So what if we miss one day?"

"But…" Kenshin began, protest gradually fading from his mind at the situation they were in, "I think it is going to be a little suspicious if we're both off on the same day, especially after those rumours going around, that it will."

"Oh let them rumour," Sano dismissed, as he cornered Kenshin against the wall, putting his hand under Kenshin's chin tilting his head back a little, the water running down his face. He stared at him for a moment, a small blush on Kenshin's cheeks wondering exactly what Sano was thinking.

Sano suddenly smiled mischievously, leaning down a little so he was face to face with him. "Is it 'another time' yet?"

Kenshin blinked at him, his blush deepening as he realised what he meant from their earlier conversation. "S-Sano I don't think-"

His speech was interrupted as Sano kissed him, pressing him against the wall as the water pounded down on them both. As Sano's hand pushed the dressing gown off Kenshin's shoulders, letting it drop to the ground, any protesting thoughts from the redhead about getting to college melted from his brain, letting Sano kiss him deeply and lovingly as they stood pressed against each other under the shower.

Guess it was that 'another time' then.

"Hey Seta, weren't you working on that case?"

Soujirou Seta looked up from the files he was organising in the cupboard behind his desk and looked over at the two officers he worked with, sitting at the end of his desk.

"What case?"

"You know, about a year ago you got assigned to carry on the investigation over what happened at the Ellisman Mansion when it was dropped about 10 years ago? Where that detective got killed right? Ahh…I forget what his name was."

"Shinamori?" Soujirou inquired.

"That was it!"

"Yeah," the other man began, "Rumour has it they've started work in Tokyo again, check this out." The man slid a photo across the desk, Soujirou walking over and picking it up. "We had a scan run on the guy in the shadows on the right, recognise him?"

The picture was of Sanosuke's apartment building just before it caught fire, and there in shadows of an alleyway at the side, was the definite face of Saito.

"Hajime Saito…" Soujirou said quietly, recognising his face from the filed reports, "Yes but…why are you showing me this?" he smiled.

"Check out the building 2 minutes after that photo was taken." The other man said, handing him a small bundle of photos. As he looked through each one, low and below, the building was on fire, but as he came to the last one, Soujirou's eyes went wide and he dropped the other photos.

"Hey what's wrong?" one man asked at the shocked look on his younger colleagues face.

"When…when were these photos taken?"

"Early this morning, why?"

"Who's covering this?" he asked, a slight panic in his voice which was strange to hear from him.

"Err…old man Okina's doin' it I think. They've got him on the small cases as the fool refuses to retire an—HEY! Where ya going?"

Soujirou had ran to the back of his office, opening the door, "I'm getting on this case." He called out as the door swung shut behind him, leaving the two men to stare bewildered at where he had been standing.

"Ah, kids these days." one of them said, grabbing the photos he'd dropped, picking up the last photo Soujirou was holding that he had dropped when he ran. "I wonder what's so special about this photo that made him panic like that?" he asked, looking at the photo of the burning building, now most of it crumbled to the ground, and a young man on the far left sitting on a small brick wall, his profile staring up at the building, long wet red hair clinging to his back. "Hmm…oh well." The man dismissed, leaving the photos on his desk for him, and walking with his colleague back to their own desks.

If he had looked closer however, he would have seen a small picture frame on Soujirou's desk, squished between the computer and the screen, that same red head smiling brightly with his arms wrapped around him, the only picture left to remind Soujirou of what a fool he had been to leave.

To Be Continued…