Chapter 13: Heaven in your Arms

Saito sat at the edge of the bed at an angle, fully dressed, looking down at Kenshin who now lay asleep. So many unwanted thoughts were running though his mind, thoughts of what had just happened. Why on Earth, for that split second as Sano's name rung out into the air, did he suddenly feel jealous? But jealous of what? He had a home, wealth from the Yakuza, someone to cook and clean the house, and even someone to control, so what on Earth was he jealous of? He loved his life, he could do anything, get away with, literally, murder. So what was he missing? He had to be missing something to feel jealous.

As he stared down at Kenshin, the light from the full moon shining down on his sleeping form, Saito disturbingly felt his heart soften, then anger again at the thought of Sanosuke.

Jealous….what was he jealous of? Was it…. it couldn't be that idiot student could it? The fact that Sano was loved by Kenshin perhaps? The fact that Kenshin loved Sano so much, but had always pushed Saito away? Was he jealous of the love they shared? But Saito had love, he had his wife, admittedly he hadn't touched her in years, but it was a wife's job to love her husband, so he had that.

At least, in a way….kind of….he sort of had love. Didn't he? He tried to think back to the last time he had bought Tokio flowers, the last time he had kissed her, anything that remotely resembled anything to do with love. But he couldn't remember, which meant it must have been a long time ago.

The feeling that rushed through him as Kenshin had held on to him, the feeling that, even if it wasn't directed to him, that feeling that someone loved him, he hadn't felt that in a very long time.

He had been right, that whole time. It wasn't the fact that he'd fallen in love with Kenshin, it was the fact he'd fallen in love with the idea of it. Even though he had been denying it, at one point he thought he might have fallen for Kenshin, which is why he had turned off his cameras for those weeks. He thought if he didn't see him, those feelings that were arising in him would go. They did, which proved that it wasn't Kenshin he loved, it was the fact he was jealous Kenshin had something he didn't. For so many years Saito had controlled Kenshin, so when Kenshin finally found someone other than him to pay attention to, Saito didn't like it, and for the first time in many, many years, Saito realised that, he was actually, alone.

But this was unacceptable; these pathetic and pointless feelings flowing through him were not something an assassin for the Yakuza should be having. So he leant forward, gently shaking Kenshin's shoulder to wake him up.

"Kenshin."

Slowly Kenshin's violet eyes opened, but it would seem Kenshin still hadn't returned to normal. His eyes still seemed glazed and unfocused, and as he looked up at Saito that smile returned, the smile that seemed to block the truth from his mind.

"Sano." He breathed gently.

"I'm not Sanosuke." Was Saito's blunt reply, but this just seemed to make Kenshin smile more, a wider smile to block the blatant truth.

"Yes you are." He giggled lightly.

"I'm not, and when you realise that," Saito put his hand into his pocket and brought out Sano's red bandana he'd taken from him when he put him in the trunk of his car, "You had better come and find me if you want to see him again."

With that he left the bandana in Kenshin's palm on the bed and got up, without another look back he walked out through the bedroom door, and out of the apartment.

Kenshin didn't know how long he had laid there for, just staring blankly at the line of red cloth in his hands. The sound of Saito's car driving away had long since vanished, and he could feel a small niggling sensation at the back of his mind, as if something was shouting, desperately shouting as loud as it could, to try and get through the cloud in his mind.

Not…Sanosuke? His mind gradually repeated. But that was silly, he had to be Sano, because they'd just been together. Not….not Sano? But Sano was the only one who could touch him, the only one who he would allow to touch him. Somehow that shouting voice in his mind was becoming louder, and as he stared at the bandana in his hand, the glazed look in his eyes suddenly vanished, and his eyes went wide in shock.

Not….. not…..

And suddenly that voice became as clear as day. Everything that had just happened, every movement, every feeling, every touch. That wasn't Sano, Sano had never come back, Sano had never forgiven him. That was….it was…

Kenshin shot up in bed, clutching the bandana tightly in his fist as he stared at it, his eyes terrified at what had just happened. That was Saito, he'd just…he'd let him touch him, let him…

Kenshin had to physically stop himself from shivering in disgust as he wrapped his arms around himself tightly, squeezing his eyes shut as his throat tightened in revulsion. But as disgusted as he felt, his eyes soon opened again, because he now realised that if that was Saito, then what was he doing with Sano's bandana?

-"You had better come and find me if you want to see him again."-

Kenshin's stomach seemed to sink so low it felt like his entire body was suddenly drained of all energy. His eyes truly wide with fear, Kenshin suddenly bolted from his bed, ignoring the pain from moving so quickly after that experience, and rushed to his wardrobe. Throwing on the first thing that fell out, a pair of black pants and the same deep purple open necked shirt Sano had made him buy again after it got ruined in that fire, Kenshin grabbed a small box at the bottom and threw it open on the bed. He grabbed what looked like fairly old belt, one that hadn't been worn for many years, and placed it around his waist. Quickly moving round the other side of the bed, Kenshin grabbed his sword, the item that had started this whole mess, and placed it through a specifically shaped hoop on his belt, letting it rest at his side.

Saito, how could he do this, kidnapping Sano, was this just another one of his stupid pointless games? Did he really enjoy seeing him angry and in pain, did it give him some kind of kick? Whatever it was, he had gone too far. Sano had nothing to do with this anymore; there was no reason to take him. Sano didn't love him; he was no threat to Saito's controlling obsession anymore. But still, even if Sano didn't love him, no, in fact especially as Sano didn't love him, he couldn't allow him to be caught up in something that had nothing to do with him.

Whether Sano loved him or not, there was no way on this planet Kenshin was going to let Saito hurt him. So, as Kenshin left his apartment building to find him, he left his innocent wide eyes behind, and now wore nothing but a piercing golden glare that meant if Saito laid one finger on Sano, he'd be sending him straight to hell.

They had waited for a while before Soujirou dropped Aoshi back off outside Kenshin's apartment. They had hoped that what they had said to Sano would make him realise what Soujirou had wished he had done many years ago. When they had arrived, and saw Aoshi's car still parked, if a little crookedly, outside on the street, Aoshi thanked Soujirou and watched him leave, before getting back into his own car. If the car was still here, that meant Sano was still here, which hopefully meant he and Kenshin were working things out together.

Aoshi had never exactly forgiven Soujirou for leaving Kenshin that night, but he had never exactly disliked the younger man either. After seeing how guilty he felt, and how hard he was trying now to make sure Kenshin was happy, even if it was with someone else, he had grown a kind of respect for him, thanking him in his mind for being here to help Sano understand exactly what he would be missing if he left.

He hoped that Kenshin would be alright, that he and Sano would stay together, because he wasn't sure if he could go through seeing Kenshin so utterly devastated again like last time. He wouldn't go in to see Kenshin just yet; he'd wait until tomorrow, let things settle down then come round and visit. He should probably tell Megumi what had happened and explain the situation. If, heaven forbid, Sano still left, Megumi would be a better person to console Kenshin than he would. He wasn't good at giving out kind words to make someone feel better; Megumi had been the one to look after Kenshin more than he did.

The question was though, should he tell her about Kenshin's past? He had kept it a secret from Kenshin and everyone else that he knew what he had done. Ever since he was 13 he had known he was living with a murderer, but how would Megumi take it? Would it be right to tell her?

As Aoshi pondered what he should do, his thoughts were interrupted when a red Honda Civic shot out from the car park underneath the building and sped off down the road and out of sight. Aoshi stared at the empty street again for a moment, before he frowned.

That was Kenshin's car.

Tokio sat comfortably in a large cushiony arm chair next to a glowing fireplace. Curled up with her legs tucked up underneath her, she sat reading a book by the firelight, waiting, yet again, for her husband to come home. She knew he wasn't on an assignment from her father tonight, so he was probably harassing Kenshin again. She had lost count on how many times she had pleaded with him to stop this nonsense of controlling the poor child.

She had always thought of Kenshin as a child, even when the years had gone by after Kenshin had left the Yakuza, and Saito would go round to get payment from him, she would always imagine him as a child. After all, that's only how she had ever known him, a small, thin, yet completely dangerous little boy, with no love, no friends, nothing but knowledge of how to kill.

She had felt so sorry for him after the battle at the mansion, the way they treated him when he refused to kill anymore. The pain in his eyes at the realisation of what he had done, the wide violet eyes that she had never seen on him before, but the eyes he should have had as a normal child.

Tokio looked up from her book when there was a hard rapture on the front door, and she glanced up at a clock on the mantelpiece above the fireplace. She wondered who on earth could be calling here at this hour, but put her book down on the small table to her right and stood up.

Wrapping her cream coloured dressing gown tighter around her as she'd only come on of a hot bubble bath half an hour ago, she unlocked the door and opened it. As soon as she did, she found herself pinned against the wall behind her, a reverse bladed sword switched to its razor sharp edge pressed against her throat, and the piercing golden eyes of a young man she had known all too well years ago.

"Kenshin?" she said surprised. Not because of what he was currently doing to her, after all this behaviour was all she had known from him back then, but if Kenshin was here…then where was her husband?

"Where is he?" came the haunted voice from Kenshin, deeper, more serious than his normal voice everyone had grown to know, "Where is Saito?"

Being so close, she could see those golden flecks flickering in his eyes, the power the seemingly frail man portrayed in those eyes had been enough to scare off full grown men when he was a child.

"I don't know." She replied honestly, but that wasn't the answer Kenshin wanted to hear.

"Where is he?" he demanded again, the sword breaking the skin on her neck, letting a small trickle of blood flow down and stain the collar of her dressing gown.

But Tokio did not flinch, did not move at all. She could see, behind the glare, there was a sadness in his eyes. A worry and pain she recognised from that time after the battle, or rather the slaughter, that day.

"What has happened Kenshin?" she asked softly, almost motherly, slowly raising her left arm and wrapping her hand around the blade by her neck to show she wasn't afraid, "Tell me what has happened."

Kenshin saw out the corner of his eye the blood that now trickled from her hand as well, but still she did not flinch, from fear or pain. Slowly he took the sword away from her throat, letting it rest at his side again, but kept a tight grip on the handle in case Saito suddenly walked through one of these doors.

"Just tell me where he is." He said sternly, stepping back away to give her some room.

"I had thought he was with you, so I do not know where he is now." Tokio replied her neck stinging slightly.

"He was." Kenshin said, "But he's now taken someone very precious from me and I need to find him."

Tokio stared at Kenshin for a moment, almost surprised, because what he had just said was the difference between the old Kenshin and the new. This glare he held now was for love, not for following orders to kill; this glare was to save someone.

"If this…someone very precious to you, has been taken by my husband….. " she stopped for a moment, looking directly into Kenshin's eyes, hoping to pass on a hidden message, "….then you know there is only one place he would go." Kenshin's eyes widened slightly for just a second, before returning to his glare. "I cannot tell you where," Tokio continued, "I cannot betray my husband no matter how much he has changed, but you know….in your heart you know where he is." She lowered her head slightly, keeping her eyes fixed on Kenshin's.

Kenshin's eyes did not waver, but yes, in his heart he knew where Saito must have taken Sano. A place he was trying to deny he would have gone, but knowing Saito's sadistic mind, enjoying any pain he could cause him, there was only one place, back in Kyoto, where he could have gone.

Without another word, Kenshin nodded his thank you towards Tokio, placed his sword back in his belt and turned around, starting back down the corridor.

"Wait!"

Kenshin stopped and turned around, Tokio standing just outside her door. "Those eyes," she said, "Do not show someone you love…a past you do not want them to know." Kenshin's eyes immediately seemed to soften, as if he'd only just realised exactly what expression he held, and the gold flecks gradually disappeared. He stared back at her, eyes innocent and violet again, as a sweet yet sad smile appeared on Tokio's lips when she saw the gold disappear. "Whatever happens, do not let that precious someone see those eyes."

Kenshin waited for a moment, a sudden awkwardness between them. He had not seen Tokio since he was 11 years old, and she had always been the only one to give him a smile, to show him there were other emotions other than anger and hatred. Even if he had ignored those smiles when he was younger, now he understood them, he was grateful for her to show him those small forms of kindness in his childhood.

But what had he done the moment he saw her again? Threatened her life by holding a sword to her throat.

"I am sorry." He said softly, lowering his head in guilt, "I did not mean to hurt you."

Tokio smiled at him again, but this was a genuine, happy smile, "I have waited for many years to hear you say that, that you do not mean to hurt."

Kenshin smiled meekly back at her, but he still frowned in worry over Sano. Kenshin couldn't understand why Tokio stayed with Saito, she must know what he was doing to him, but still she did not say anything.

"Why do you protect him?" he asked, "You have said yourself he has changed, why do you not leave if you aren't happy?"

Tokio closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again, looking softly at Kenshin, "I will not leave. The man who lives with me now I do not know, that is true, but the man I fell in love with is in there somewhere, I am simply waiting for him to return." She smiled that sweet sad smile again, and all of a sudden, Kenshin understood, a lot more than just why she stayed with him.

If she was waiting for her Saito to return, then that meant…oh yes, Kenshin understood, and he felt like he understood Saito a lot more, even more perhaps then he did himself. Tokio had told him enough to understand, and although he could not promise anything for her, he would try and bring back the Saito she loved if he could, as his own re-payment for her kindness.

Kenshin nodded to her again, and turned around, running back to his search for Saito. Tokio watched him go, before going back inside her home and closing the door behind her. Whatever happened tonight, she hoped it would be something to snap Saito back to the man she loved, back to man she enjoyed seeing walk through the door of an evening.

Because if it wasn't…

By the time Kenshin had reached Kyoto, it was already the middle of the night. The edge of the beautiful old city was quiet, the only sound being the wind rustling the autumn leaves on the nearby trees, sending some floating to the ground. The night air was crisp, but not too cold, and the stars shone brightly in the sky above with no clouds to shade them.

Kenshin stood in front of a large set of metal gates, now rusty and overgrown with winding plants that slithered around the bars. To the left against a rundown brick wall, various swear words written as graffiti across it, was an old sign "Condemned", and an old police Do Not Enter tape was lying mangled on the ground. The gate was slighter ajar, the bolted lock lying on the ground, which meant that either kids had broken in or…or Saito was really here.

Kenshin stood still, the wind ruffling his un-tied hair, and stared through the bars to the huge building behind it. The building itself was gradually being covered by those tall, winding plants too, seeping their way through the bricks, causing a few of the balconies to have crumbled away. The once white bricks were now dull and dirty, and the surrounding area, which had once been filled with lawn mowed grass and beautiful colourful flowers, was now overgrown, the grass a foot high, and the flowers long since dead.

There were no lights coming from any window, no person could live here now, the 4-story Ellisman mansion just sat there quietly, letting time seep away at its life.

Kenshin's body seemed frozen to where he was standing, his heart beat racing in his chest, his violet eyes staring at that building. He had not seen this place for many years, had never come back here, never once thought to return. This was not just the place that filled his nightmares, this was the place where those nightmares had first began.

A part of him did not want to walk through those gates, did not want to see what had become of the place where so many people had died by his hand…including his parents. But no matter how scared that half of him was, the half that needed to rescue Sano was by far the strongest.

Slowly he raised one hand and pushed at one of the gates, having to push a little harder as the rusty joints didn't move so well anymore, and it creaked under the pressure. He stepped through, closing the gate behind him, and once again stared up at the dilapidated building. Taking a deep, nervous breath, he walked down the once gravel driveway, now crawling with weeds and patches of grass that had sprouted, and made his way to the front doors.

Stepping up onto the wooden patio, which now groaned under his weight, he stood by the large set of front doors, the once royal blue now faded away, battered down by the weather. It too was slightly ajar, and he noticed a broken spider web at the top of the door, which meant someone had walked through, and recently.

Grabbing the handle of his sword to calm his nerves, he slowly pushed open the door with his left hand, which swung back easily, if still creaking in displeasure. As soon as his eyes saw the inside though, his mind was filled with unpleasant memories, flashbacks of screams that flittered across his mind, and he closed his eyes quickly, turning away and placing a hand at the side of the door to steady himself for a moment, willing away the screams in his mind. When the screams had faded, and he opened his eyes again, he saw what was left of that night.

The Ellisman mansion, one of three mansions around Kyoto that the Kyoto Yakuza boss Yoshida owned. It wasn't his main headquarters, that was in another one of the mansions, this one was more of a summer home if anything. But even though it wasn't used as often, it was still decorated and looked after as if it was always busy with people.

The first thing that greeted you when you walked through those royal blue double doors was the huge round fountain in the middle, spikes of water shooting up from a section of twirling carved white marble in the middle, shooting outwards in such a formation it almost looked like a Christmas tree. At each side of the large room were two wide mahogany staircases that led up the wall, joining at the top to the first floor balcony that led all the way around the room, overlooking the main entrance beneath. Red carpets, golden leaf on the walls, expensive paintings and statues decorated the area, and last but not least, a huge domed skylight above, always filling the main entrance with a warming glow from the sun outside, leaving faint shadowy patterns from the swirls of clouded glass that decorated that skylight.

Now however, the room looked almost unrecognisable.

Kenshin bent down, picking up a small shard of a nearby broken statue, pieces scatted across the floor. Even though there was no electric light, the bright full moon shone down through the now cracked skylight, giving everything a shadowy silver light in the darkness. The red carpets were now rotten and dull, the gold leaf that once decorated the walls had gone unpolished for so long, and statues lay broken on the floor. Kenshin looked around the room, taking everything in. Every statue he remembered where it had stood, and every statue that lay broken on the floor he knew whose sword it was that had made it fall. Every painting that was left, he remembered the person whose had made those rips through the paper. Whether they be friend or foe that night, everything here had got destroyed by someone's weapon or defence; sword, gun, fights, anything they had been trained in destroyed the lives and possessions in this house at that time, and Kenshin remembered every single one of their faces.

But as he looked around, he deliberately had not looked at that fountain, but he knew, now he was here, there was no way he could escape from the memories. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he looked upon the now silent fountain, the water long since stopped and dried, nothing but a few leaves that had floated down from a hole in the skylight now lay at the bottom.

That, and the large patch of once white marble that was stained red. He knew what that red was, and who it had belonged to all too well.

Shaking his head slightly to rid his mind of these horrid thoughts, he focused on finding Sano. It was a huge mansion to look for one person in, but luckily, Kenshin only needed to take five steps before he saw him.

Behind the fountain at the back of the room, where two huge wooden doors led to the next room, was Sano. He was sitting on the floor, one leg tucked under the other stretched out in front of him, leaning on one of the wooden poles holding up the balcony above him. His head was slightly lowered, but his eyes were frowning, almost as in pain, before he finally raised his head and rested it on the pole behind him, slowly flickering open his eyes.

What the….. where am I?

The first thing Sano noticed was that for a start, he wasn't anywhere he knew of. The second thing was the immensely painful headache that was pounding at the backs of his eyes. The third thing, which he realised when he tried to raise his hands to his head, was that his hands were tied with rope behind his back around the pole, and the fourth thing which he realised quickly after when he tried to call out, was that no sound would come out through a piece of duct tape over his mouth.

He just sat there for moment, half stunned, eyes wide staring out into the darkness, wondering what the hell was going on! Where was he? Why was he tied to a pole? And….and wasn't he just going back to see Kenshin? Who the hell brought him here? Where was here? Who…what…..why….

What the fuck is going on?

"SANO!"

Sano looked to his left just in time to see a darkened figure come running towards him, before he found himself engulfed in Kenshin's arms, the smaller red head squeezing him so hard Sano never knew quite how strong Kenshin was underneath that slim physique.

He tried to open his mouth, to ask what was going on, but all that came out was an incoherent line of murmurs from his throat, the duct tape removing any form of communication.

"Sano I am so sorry!" Kenshin was saying, burying his head at Sano's shoulder, "I'm so sorry. You should never have been involved with this, with me, I'm sorry."

Kenshin clung onto him, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his heart that Sano hated him, knowing that the only thoughts Sano would be having right now were ones of revulsion, to get Kenshin off him, the one he hated for lying and murdering, as he deserved it. The only thing Kenshin could do for him now was to get him out of here, then disappear from his life, never to come back, just to stay away from all living beings.

But Kenshin didn't want to let go. Despite the danger he had caused, despite the man he held hating him, this would be the last time he'd get to hold him, the last time he'd ever feel that warmth

"I'm sorry." Kenshin repeated, his voice dropping to a whisper, "I know you hate me now, but I love you," Kenshin let go of him and moved to one side, his hands to the ropes that bound Sano to the pole, "and I'll get you out of here, that I promise."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

In a split moment as an all too familiar aura made itself known to Kenshin's mind, Kenshin leapt back in front of Sano, a searing pain suddenly shooting its way through his left arm, and he gritted his teeth.

Sano's heart rate seemed to have jumped through the roof! Saito had just raced passed them, his sword barely an inch from Sano's face when Kenshin suddenly wrapped himself around him, the blade catching Kenshin's arm instead.

Kenshin held onto Sano for a moment, his eyes lowered, repeating in his mind over and over again Tokio's words;

-"Whatever happens, do not let that precious someone see those eyes."-

He had already given Sano enough reason to hate him, he did not need to add to the list. He forced back that familiar feeling of wanting to attack, and make his body and mind relax, ignoring the sudden surge of anger towards Saito for daring to try and hurt Sano, and ignoring the pain from his arm where his blood was running down his now ripped sleeve.

"I was waiting for you to show, that I was." He said calmly, but not facing his opponent.

"As I was waiting for you." Saito replied. He now stood in front of the fountain, about 12 feet behind them, and he raised his sword, pointing it at Kenshin, "Now get up, we need to finish this."

"Finish what?" Kenshin asked, again in that all too calm voice, looking just past Sano's shoulder as Sano stared at Saito.

Sano wished that Kenshin would just hurry up and take this blasted piece of duct tape from his mouth, then he could tell him what he'd come back to say! That he loved him, that he forgave him, everything he wanted to say, everything he wanted to do to bring back that smile, but as he was now, he could do nothing. Just listen to Kenshin's voice saying he knew he hated him, when all he wanted to do was scream out that he loved him.

That and kick Saito's butt straight back to whatever sick place he'd come from.

Saito seemed to flinch at Kenshin's question, and he gritted his teeth slightly, annoyed, "The fact that even knowing this idiot hates you, you still pay more attention to him than me, irritates me. I'm the only one you should be paying attention too especially as I'm currently pointing a sword at your back. Very poor defence Kenshin."

Kenshin seemed to smile serenely, and Sano wondered what the hell he could be smiling about at a time like this!

"You don't like it…do you? What Tokio has done." This left a confused look on both Saito and Sano's faces, but Kenshin did not elaborate any further. Instead, he turned back, still kneeling on the ground, and looked up at Saito. "Alright, I shall fight, but Sano is to be freed first, this has nothing to do with him anymore."

Without waiting for an answer, Kenshin turned back to Sano to start trying to untie him again, but again Saito lunged for him, the sword aiming straight for Sano's face, when in a flash of silver, another sword appeared just in time, blocking the other barely an inch from Sano's face.

Saito jumped back, returning to where he was standing before, as Kenshin, still kneeling at Sano's side facing him, had his sword straight out at the side of him, protecting Sano.

Sano, again his heart rate nearing the roof, looked at Kenshin with incredibly worried eyes. Kenshin's head was lowered, his eyes not visible beneath the hair that had fallen over them, and as the seconds past, Kenshin slowly put his sword back in his sheath.

"We fight now Kenshin." Saito said sternly, his eyes narrow but almost sparking at the prospect of seeing Kenshin raise his sword like that after so many years.

The air was quiet, Sano's eyes looking from one to the other, stuck in the middle of something he had no idea how to handle.

"I'm sorry." Another whisper, and Sano's eyes turned back to Kenshin, who still looked at the ground. "I'm sorry for everything. I know you hate me….but I love you so much…you gave me a reason to live again."

Reason to live again? What does he mean?

Suddenly Sano felt very sick. What was….what was Kenshin going to do?

"I know I should never have fallen in love with you, I've put you in danger for something you should never have been a part of, and for that, I will never forgive myself."

Sano wanted to shout at him to shut up, to stop talking like that! He struggled against the pole behind him, trying to find any loose knot or opening in his ropes, because however this sentence from Kenshin was going to end, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.

"I have lived in hell for so long…." Kenshin finally looked up into Sano's half terrified eyes, and cupped his cheeks in his hands, leaning forward and pressing his lips to his, because despite the duct tape that kept them apart, Kenshin did not want his last kiss to be from Saito, "…but I found my heaven in your arms." He whispered gently as he pulled away, his eyes shining, a sad smile on his lips.

Kenshin looked away again as if in thought, before he suddenly held Sano one more time, hugging him gently, and whispered one more line, even more quietly so Saito couldn't hear, "And I am sorry for what you are about to see." With that sentence, Kenshin dropped something into Sano's hand behind him, something sharp, Saito unaware.

Sano didn't know what it was, but he held on to it, his mind too busy with worry at what Kenshin was talking about.

"How touching." Saito said, sarcasm thick in his voice, "Now get up." He demanded.

Sorry for what he was about to see? What was Kenshin talking about? He wasn't actually going to fight Saito was he? But he could get hurt! He could be killed! The panic rose in Sano's chest but nothing could come out through his mouth, and he felt like he was going to explode! If Kenshin knew he loved him, maybe he'd stop, maybe they could just run away together, far away from this place, from Saito, hell from Japan! Who cares as long as he was with him!

Sano struggled and struggled against his ties, whatever object Kenshin had given him cutting into his skin, but he didn't care about that. He had to move, had to help, had to just grab Kenshin and take him away from all of this, from all the pain, all the sadness, just start all over again!

Kenshin….I love you, please don't do this….Kenshin….Kenshin! Kenshin please! KENSHIN DON'T, COME ON SNAP OUT OF IT!

But Sano soon realised what Kenshin was apologising for, because as Kenshin stood up, his back to Saito, he looked over his shoulder at him, his eyes flaring in a golden rage.

"So impatient to die are you?"

To Be Continued…