Chapter 14: Darkness

Kenshin….

The air was heavy with an essence of battle, neither opponent moving, and no sound but the wind howling by outside making the windows groan in displeasure. Kenshin stood protectively in front of Sano, legs stood apart, both hands on the handle of his sword resting in its sheath, staring intently at Saito.

Saito still stood by the fountain, sword drawn, but in no stance. He just stood there, eyeing Kenshin carefully, a small smirk on his lips. He needed to fight Kenshin, because perhaps then that could wash away this unruly feeling of jealousy that Kenshin had something he didn't.

To Saito, this feeling of wanting a love that Kenshin now so easily possessed, was such a pathetic and, almost corny feeling he felt like screaming at himself for being so weak. No one in the Yakuza should need love, all they need is a weapon and an order to kill, because that is what they do best. Love was for a mother to her children, husbands and wife's on their wedding day, not for a murderer.

And that included Kenshin.

Kenshin didn't deserve to be loved anymore than he did, so if Kenshin had it and he didn't, either Saito would need to find his own love, which as he was already married to the non-smiling and boring Tokio wasn't going to happen, or;

He'd simply have to take Kenshin's away.

If he couldn't have his own, taking away Kenshin's happiness was the next best thing. He should have continued to try and kill Sano after that fire, and he was disappointed in himself that he didn't.

Yes….Saito smiled to himself… If Kenshin won't pay attention to me, I'll 'make' him.

Saito drew his sword across him, legs widening in a stance that matched Kenshin's, and again, the air was silent.

Sano, still tied to the pole behind him, watched with wide, alarmed eyes at what he was witnessing. His heart seemed to have stopped in his chest, because if it was still going he certainly couldn't hear it. His skin felt cold, his breath caught in his throat, and his mind completely blank on what to do.

What were they waiting for?

Kenshin was trying to protect him, but Sano didn't want him protecting him, because at this rate with those eyes and that glare, Kenshin wasn't the Kenshin he knew, and if Kenshin killed Saito, he never would be again either. If only he could tell Kenshin what he really felt, that he didn't hate him, maybe it would snap him out of it.

Argh, why the hell didn't he take this damn duct tape off me! The thought of Kenshin killing someone, thinking that he'd lost everything when Sano still loved him, gave Sano the sudden energy to start moving again, his mind clearing from the worried clouds, needing to tug at those ropes, to grab Kenshin and just run away, to forget everything and start over, to—

Hang on, Sano suddenly realised he was still holding that small sharp object that Kenshin had given him, the object that was currently making his hands bleed cutting into him. Sano blinked stupidly, before the slow train of thought that Kenshin must have given that to him to cut through the ropes finally came into his mind.

If he could have spoken at that time Sano would have sworn at himself. Not believing how stupid he'd just been, he screwed up his eyes in his own annoyance, and hit the back of his head hard on the pole not believing how idiotic he was.

At that exact moment, Sano sudden saw that the space in front of him, which had been occupied by Kenshin protecting him, was suddenly empty, and the resounding noise of two swords clashing suddenly rang from somewhere to his right.

Out of nowhere Kenshin suddenly skidded to halt in front of the fountain where Saito had been standing, Saito running straight towards him from the first step of the stairs, and still with those golden eyes, Kenshin ran towards him and seemed to disappear in one instant, and to what it looked like to Sano, Saito fighting with just the air around him.

The two had obviously been waiting for a sound or movement to start their fight, and now Sano felt even stupider to have moved at such a precise moment that it was his fault they'd started.

The urge to get Kenshin out of here had now been heightened, and Sano fiddled quickly with the object in his hands, trying to find an angle he could cut the ropes at. Closing his eyes so he could concentrate, desperately trying to keep out the noise of the swords in front of him clashing together, trying not to think of what could happen if sword met flesh, Sano found a blunter edge of the object and using his thumb, worked the sharper edge at one of the ropes.

"I see your skills haven't wavered in the years that have passed Kenshin."

Sano paused and looked up to see Kenshin standing to the left, Saito on the right ahead of him, and a matching cut on Saito's sleeve, the same arm and same height Saito had cut Kenshin's arm when he had protected Sano.

Saito ignored the wound on his arm, and watched rather comically at Kenshin's behaviour. That brief moment of sword contact had told Saito all he needed to know. The Kenshin standing before him now was one that meant business. Saito had just tried to hurt Sano two times and both times Kenshin had reacted so quickly to protect him, bringing forth long since buried memories on how to use a sword.

Even now, the only reason he was fighting was to protect Sanosuke, but that was something Saito still couldn't understand, something that still frustrated him. Why risk your own life for someone else? It was pathetic and pointless, especially for someone who as far as Kenshin knew didn't love him anymore.

Still, the golden eyes that glared upon his own were ones that meant if he really did harm Sano, he would pay for it. Heh, but Kenshin wouldn't kill him, he can't do that anymore, his mind won't let him, so why is he even bothering to fight? All Saito needed to do was kill Sanosuke the first chance he got. That would either make Kenshin go mad and truly fight him to the death, the death of course being Kenshin's, or make Kenshin fall like putty in hands at the utter desperation and terror filled guilt he'd have at knowing it was hit fault Sano had died, because if he hadn't fallen in love with him, he wouldn't even be here.

"Are you actually trying to kill me Kenshin?" Saito said amused, "I thought you didn't do that anymore." He said smiling, the blood dripping down his arm matching Kenshin's.

In the silvery light around them from the moon, the piercing gold of Kenshin's eyes seemed to stand out above all else, and he smirked, "Why not?" he said, his voice seeming deeper, menacing, nothing like the sweet voice everyone else in his life knew, "It's not like I've got anything left to lose."

Once again Sano found his body frozen as Kenshin spoke, in a voice and spoken words Sano had never heard from his mouth, and the very sound sent chills down his spine. Kenshin hadn't lost anything, he still had Sano, he still had a love, if only Sano could say it! This duct tape was driving him mad, why the hell hadn't Kenshin removed it before Saito came along! If he had, all of this could have been avoided! Sano struggled desperately at his bindings, he had to get out of here, he had to stop them, Kenshin had tried all this time to protect him from his past, and now it was time for Sano to protect Kenshin from his past instead.

"Besides," Kenshin continued, as his knees bent slightly lower ready to attack, his eyes stabbing into the darkness, "what's one little murder between old friends?"

Both Sano's and Saito's eyes widened at that remark, as neither had been expecting it. In the flash of an eye Kenshin ran towards Saito, Saito counterattacking his attacks, but suddenly finding it a lot more difficult to do so.

What had just happened? Was he really trying to kill him? In front of Sanosuke? But he had thought he wouldn't do that. Oh well, no matter, perhaps Kenshin had already lost it after all, he already had earlier.

Sano watched them by his pole, hands moving feverishly behind him at the rope that seemed to be taking forever to cut through. He watched the two men fighting, Kenshin's words running through his mind that he would kill again. He wouldn't let Kenshin kill again, he wouldn't, he couldn't let him go back to that time.

He couldn't love a murderer, but the Kenshin he'd fallen for wasn't a murderer. Just like Aoshi had said, the murderer in Kenshin died the day he had that battle right here all those years ago, so if he killed someone now, even someone as deserving as Saito, then he'd lose that Kenshin he was so in love with.

A sudden moment of joy sprang through Sano's heart as he felt one of the ropes break apart, but as he tugged at them desperately, the joy soon depleted as it was still too tight. He needed to cut through more to be able to get out.

Damn it.

The more time he wasted here, the more likely it was for Kenshin to either be killed or kill himself, and he didn't want either to happen. Ahead of him the battle continued, the two warriors clashing swords so dangerously to each others' skin it was as if every strike had only been blocked at the very last moment. Sano had never seen, and never wanted to see again, Kenshin acting like this. It wasn't right, and he had to stop it, he had too, no matter what he had to do he had to get Kenshin out of here!

Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound, and Sano looked quickly up to the fountain where the last remaining piece standing up seemed to be sliced in half, and the blurred figure of Kenshin running out from underneath it just in time before it fell to the ground where he'd been standing.

Saito stood back from the fountain he'd just sliced through, Kenshin kneeling on one knee the other side, catching his breath. He hadn't used a sword for a long time, hadn't pushed his body to move so fast in many years, so unlike Saito, who hadn't stopped his work for the Yakuza, Kenshin wasn't as prepared for this fight.

"I've been meaning to ask you something Kenshin." Saito suddenly said, as Kenshin peered up at him through the bangs of his hair, both hands resting on the sword that dug into the carpet beneath him, "Have you ever wondered why I left you at that particular house after you left the Yakuza?" Sano paused once again at his ropes as he looked at Saito, Kenshin's glare still going strong but saying nothing. "The battle was here in Kyoto, yet I drove you all the way to that house in Tokyo, ever wondered why?"

Kenshin's breathing had slowed back to normal as he'd caught his breath, and he stood up. Sano turned his eyes back to Kenshin, watching as Kenshin stood, tense and ready for any moves Saito may make. Sano's eyes suddenly widened though, as for the first time he'd just noticed that his red bandana was tied around the hilt of Kenshin's sword.

"If you really are serious on killing me," Saito continued, although still a slight humorous tone in his voice, "I believe there are two little facts you should know first."

"What?" Kenshin said sternly, "I wasn't aware you like to stall with conversation."

Saito flashed a small smirk, eyes drifting down to the red patch staining the bottom of the fountain, "There is something I have never told you," he said, scraping at the red stain with the tip of his sword, "Although the Yakuza may have kidnapped me as a baby, when I found that my family never once tried to look for me, and had considered me dead after only a few days, I was all too willing to be loyal to ones who had given me skills in being able to defend myself, giving me a home, and even a new name. Saito Hajime is a name the Yakuza had given me; it's not my family name." Almost subconsciously Sano very slowly continued to cut at his ropes, listening intently. "Do you remember that man who tried to stop you killing your parents? The man who jumped out in front of you that day, right here, by this very fountain?"

"…yes." Kenshin said.

"That man was a detective," Saito continued, "one who had sneaked into our battle to try and rescue young assassins such as yourself."

Kenshin's eyes seemed to narrow, but not a glare, more as a worry, a confusion, a look that meant he wasn't sure what Saito was saying, but somewhere deep inside of him something was niggling at him that he knew very well what he was talking about.

"You see Kenshin, that man was my older brother, older by 14 years to be precise. I never knew I had one, but our Boss told me after the battle who he was…who you had just killed."

The gold in Kenshin's eyes seemed to fade, panic shining through.

Saito was all to enjoying this reaction, "And do you know what that mans name was? What my family's true name is?"

Kenshin took a step back, eyes now wide praying he was not going to hear what he thought Saito was about to say, because the only detective that he knew….the only one that had died…the year it happened, the few days after he arrived at that house…it couldn't….Saito couldn't be….he hadn't killed….

Kenshin's heart rate seemed to stop in his chest, his blood running cold; the gold in his eyes now completely disappeared as a dread shook throughout his whole body.

Saito smiled at him, eyes narrow, "Takeshi Shinomori. Aoshi's…my nephews…father."

If Sano's mouth hadn't been taped his jaw would have dropped to the floor. Aoshi was Saito's nephew? But…how…why…what the HELL? And Kenshin had killed…oh no. Sano looked across at Kenshin, eyes full of panic at what Kenshin's reaction would be to this.

"You killed Aoshi's father Kenshin." Kenshin felt weak in the knees, his sword dropping from his hand, "That's how I knew where to leave you, the address of my family, the family that had abandoned me so easily but took you in as one of their own so quickly."

Sano noticed that last sentence seemed to have been said through gritted teeth, but he was too busy staring at Kenshin, who if you'd said the whole of Japan was about to be wiped out the look on his face wouldn't have been any different as it was now.

"You're the one who caused Aoshi so much grief; caused him to seclude himself away, become the emotionless man he is today."

Sano snapped his head back round to Saito, glaring at him dangerously to shut the hell up. He was taunting Kenshin, enjoying the terror and guilt that flashed painfully across Kenshin's violet eyes, no words able to find their way out of his mouth as he stood there, barely stable, now knowing that he had killed the father of the man he called brother.

"Oh and, don't worry, I hold no grudge against you for killing my brother, after all, he was part of a family I didn't want anyway, I don't care about love, but as you're now so intent on killing me, I just thought I should let you know." He smirked, "In fact while you're at it, why don't go and kill Aoshi and Megumi too? Make a good job of finishing off the family."

Ok, so Sano didn't want Kenshin to kill Saito, but sure as hell as soon as these ropes were free he was gonna kill him himself! The man was practically laughing at Kenshin, laughing telling him he'd killed part of what Kenshin now called a family. The fucking bastard! How could he causing so much torture on someone? He was sick! Utterly sick! Saito must have had one too many sword clunks to the brain, because Sano didn't think it was possible for someone to be this sick minded.

Don't listen to him Kenshin, he's only trying to rile you! Sano said in his mind, Just ignore him, even if it is true don't let him get to you, don't let-

Sano's thought's stopped, and Saito's smirked disappeared.

Kenshin had dropped to the ground on his knees, head lowered. Tears rolled off his cheeks, his hands and arms shaking so hard as he reached for his dropped sword. Grabbing it by the hilt, he dragged it towards him, holding it up, body still shaking, and pierced the sword into the carpet so it stood on its end. Holding onto it, he slowly and shakily stood up, his eyes still sheltered by his hair, the tears still falling.

"Let me ask you something now." Kenshin said, his voice barely audible, and shaking just like the rest of him, "You say that you don't care about love, that you don't care about family…but what about Tokio?"

"Tokio?" Saito said surprised, wondering how on earth the conversation had ended up on her, "What about her?"

"You have a family," Kenshin continued quietly, leaning slightly on his sword, "She waits for you loyally every time to you leave the house, so how can you say you do not have love?"

"I got bored with her," was Saito's simple reply, "that's why I moved on to you, I just ignore her now; she has no point in my life."

"No, it's she that started to ignore you!" Kenshin suddenly shouted loudly, head snapping back up to look at him, this time violet eyes meeting him own.

"Heh, what are you talking about?" Saito said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with this conversation.

"The man you are now is not the one she fell in love with, so she started to ignore you when you'd come after me. She's waiting for you, the other you, the one she loved to return to her!" Saito's eyes widened slightly, but other than that there was no reaction.

"You say you don't care about love, but you do, you just do not realise it. You're like a child!"

"What?" Saito said, gritting his teeth.

"It's like young boys, trying to make the girl they like jealous by pretending they like someone else. To her, you have changed so much."

"Don't be ridiculous, I haven't changed, she's just ungrateful that the money I got from you helped towards her fine way of living."

"But you don't get money from me anymore!" Kenshin yelled, trying to get through Saito's stubbornness, "All you do now is for yourself! She started to ignore you, so you came looking for attention from me, so when I found Sano, you got jealous! I can see it Saito, why can't you! You had that love from Tokio, but you changed into someone she didn't love any more, and you can't see that!

"Shut up." Saito warned in a low voice, raising his sword, "Say one more word and I will kill you."

Somewhere along his words, Kenshin's tears had stopped, his mind too full of pain to even register the emotion that came with it now. If he was to die tonight, he could at least thank Tokio for her kindness in the long run by bringing back the man she loved, even if Kenshin couldn't have the one he loved, even if he couldn't have Sano.

"She's waiting for you." he said softly, "She's waiting for the man she loves…when will you stop being like this and return to her?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

This time is was Saito who made the first move, shooting towards Kenshin, yelling at the top of his voice as Kenshin reacted quickly to his attack, blocking his swing, the swords sliding against each other causing sparks to fly. Saito took another swing, Kenshin leaping to one side, finding himself at the bottom of the staircase on Sano's left.

Sano was trying to cut through his ropes so quickly, with no regard to his own state that his hands were now bleeding very badly. He still had no idea what was really going on, his mind was filled with so much information and questions at the same time, he just knew he had to get Kenshin away from Saito, and now!

Saito had been playing with Kenshin before, but now he was being serious, he really was trying to kill him, and as he watched the pair of them fight up the stair case and out of sight to the balcony above him, Sano began to panic. He couldn't see them, he could only hear them, hear what sounded like a sword going through part of the wooden banister directly above him, but not being able to see Kenshin… what if something…

Sano suddenly flinched in pain, having caught one of his fingers again. Christ Sake how thick is this damn rope! To answer his own question though…

The rope suddenly fell away from his hands.

Blinking for a second, Sano slowly moved his arms and brought them out in front of him. The object Kenshin had given him was a broken part of one of the statues that was lying around, and his hands were a quite a blood filled mess after that.

Realising he was finally free, and ripping the duct tape off his mouth, pausing only slightly to flinch at the stupid idea of ripping that off so fast, he stood up, running out towards the fountain to look up at the balcony.

Saito and Kenshin had their swords locked together, before Kenshin swerved to one side to try and strike at Saito's legs, only for Saito to block and send the hilt of his sword smashing straight into Kenshin's stomach. Staggering back slightly, Kenshin didn't have time to pause as Saito came flying at him again, anger in his thin eyes, thoroughly pissed off at Kenshin's words.

Kenshin wondered at the back of his mind why he was bothering to still fight Saito. He had said what he could to try and make him go back to Tokio, he had already lost Sano, and now he could never face Aoshi again, or any of his family, not knowing what he had done to them. He had never thought his life could get any worse, but yet again fate was cruel and proved that when things got bad, they could easily go to hell.

The emptiness in Kenshin overwhelmed him, and as he fought back Saito's furious advances, Kenshin found a small, far away smile on his lips again.

His few years with Soujirou, and his one month with Sano, was the only happiness he had ever truly had in his 26 years of life, the only happiness he'd ever have. He now had nothing left, not one bit of happiness to return to, so why was he protecting himself from the sword trying to kill him? Perhaps after all these years, it was his time to go, to die, to have one possible chance to say sorry to all the souls he took, before spending the rest of eternity in hell for all the dreadful things he had done.

Along with his sad smile, came a tear, then another, his defences slipping as Saito's sword caught the edge of his right thigh, slicing through the flesh, Kenshin staggering back again leaning heavily on the wall.

This was it, his life over, but no matter how the demons in hell would try to get rid of them, Kenshin would keep the very few happy memories he had. Those once cold and lonely nights in the warm and loving arms of Sano, meeting him in the club that night, so protective of him when Sano hadn't even known him then. Every kiss they shared, every smile and wink thrown at him, everything that made Kenshin's heart flutter, he would always keep them, no matter what happened.

So, as Saito rose his sword, coming straight towards him, Kenshin lowered his own, closing his eyes, waiting for the one, final blast of pain that would end his life.

"KENSHIN I LOVE YOU!"

Kenshin's eyes shot open, and at the last split second, Saito's sword barely a hair's width from Kenshin's forehead, Kenshin dropped to the ground and leapt to one side over by the banister, Saito twirling round to face him angrily.

His heartbeat racing, Kenshin held his sword in his left hand, leaning on the not very stable banister with his right, staring through, rather than at, Saito, who was looking furiously down at Sano. Kenshin just stared, the three words that had left Sano's mouth seemingly to take forever to dig their way into his mind.

"I love you Kenshin!" Sano repeated, out of breath just for the sheer terror of what had nearly happened, "Stop this, please, I don't want you to die!" Sano felt tears in his own eyes as he stared up at Kenshin, who finally, slowly, turned to look down at him, his violet eyes wide and unbelieving,

"If it's what you want to hear, then I forgive you, for everything, anyone you've killed in your past, even your parents, I don't care. I love you, not the murder, and I want to stay with you!" he said desperately, wanting to run up there and hold him in his arms, but his whole body seemingly frozen to the ground.

"I love you, I forgive you, I don't want you to die and I don't want you to kill anyone! Please, just come back down here and we can go, anywhere, I don't care, I just want to be with you!" Sano was repeating himself but he didn't know what to say. He was panicking so much, he just wanted to see Kenshin walk down those stairs and get safely out of this mansion, away from his past.

"I'm so sorry I ran away from you, my god I'm so sorry, but if you can forgive me then I want to spend forever with you! I love you Kenshin!"

Kenshin stared at him, his heart beat feeling slow in his chest, "You…" Kenshin whispered to himself, "…love…me?" He stared at Sano almost confused, his throat tightening, new tears in his eyes, but for the first time in a long time not tears of sadness. "You love me?" Kenshin repeated quietly, although a little louder, as if the words were finally beginning to seep in. "You love…me…"

Kenshin couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Sano loved him? After everything, after all of this, Sano still wanted him? But that wasn't possible…was it? But Sano had said it, said he loved him, said he forgives him, and this time, it really was Sano! This was the real Sano saying that he loves him, the real Sano saying he wants to be with him, and as Kenshin smiled for the first time in what felt like forever, Kenshin knew this was real, not Saito taking advantage and…

…Saito?

"Although I find guns crude compared to the feel of a sword slicing through flesh…you really have become a pest."

Almost as if time had suddenly slowed, Kenshin broke his eye contact with Sano and looked to his left, Saito throwing back his jacket bringing out a gun from an inside pocket. His thin, angry eyes were glaring at Sano, and as the barrel of the gun clicked into place, and Saito pointed the gun towards him, Kenshin dropped his sword in horror and finally found movement in his legs.

Without thinking of what he was doing, Kenshin ran in front of Saito, nothing but the intense need to protect Sano running through every nerve in his body. But with a loud bang echoing around the empty mansion, the old banister that had been sliced through earlier finally collapsed under Kenshin's weight as he fell back against it, and before Saito even realised what he had done, and as Sano watched in terror, Kenshin fell over the side, and fell down through the air.

But it wasn't the hard floor Kenshin fell onto, for Sano had sprinted forward, catching Kenshin in his arms as he collapsed to the floor. Just as he did, there was a familiar noise of a police siren getting closer coming down the driveway, and Saito, who had been staring shocked at the gap in the banister, snapped out of it and watched as the headlights outside came through the windows, and without another thought, he ran through a nearby door.

"Kenshin!" Sano yelled, kneeling on the floor holding Kenshin against him in his arms, "Kenshin are you alright?"

Sano answered his own question when he placed his hand on Kenshin's chest, only to feel something warm on his fingers, and as he looked down, saw blood pouring out of a gunshot wound in Kenshin's chest, Kenshin starting to choke as blood trickled from his mouth.

A terrified chill ran throughout Sano's body, his heart beating so fast in his chest, eyes wide as he stared at his love struggling to breathe in his arms, pain etched across his pretty face, one hand desperately grabbing at Sano's shirt.

His mind blocking any other thought, Sano suddenly ripped off his own shirt as quickly as possible and pressed the fabric to Kenshin's wound, Kenshin groaning in pain as he did. Sano's mind felt blank, he didn't know what else to do, all he knew was that he had to stop the bleeding, he had to stop or….or…

Suddenly the front doors behind him burst open, and several well armed policemen came charging through, one ordering some upstairs, and others through various other doors.

"Sanosuke!"

Sano looked around to see Soujirou running towards him, having been the one giving out the orders, but he froze when he saw Kenshin lying in Sano's arms, a small pool of blood beginning to collect on the carpeted floor.

"What are you doing?" Soujirou suddenly shouted, kneeling down the other side of Kenshin.

"I'm trying to stop the bleeding!" Sano replied back, panic and anger running through him all at the same time.

"Don't!" Soujirou shouted, quickly looking Kenshin over and shoving Sano's hands and shirt away from Kenshin's wound, quickly opening Kenshin's shirt to get the fabric away from the entrance.

"I've got to stop the bleeding!" Sano persisted, putting his shirt back over the wound, only for it to be swatted away again.

"If you do that you'll kill him!" Soujirou shouted back sternly.

"What? He'll die if I don't!"

"He'll die if you do!" Soujirou snapped, Sano looking even more worried and confused than before, "Look at the wound!" Soujirou said, "There's no exit wound, which means the bullet has lodged itself in Kenshin's lung, that's why he's choking! If you stop the blood from coming out it'll fill up his lung and you'll choke him to death!"

"But…"

Sano felt so shocked and scared he could barely breathe himself. Kenshin had been shot, Saito had shot him…but Saito was pointing that gun at him, not Kenshin. Why did Kenshin do that? Why! Why did he…. Sano felt an unbearable feeling of hopelessness run over him as blood continued to pour from Kenshin's chest, Kenshin spluttering blood from his mouth as his lungs gradually filled with blood anyway, too much for the one bullet hole to leak. He couldn't stop the bleeding without choking him, but if he let the blood come out he'd bleed to death.

Sano vaguely registered Soujirou calling for an ambulance on his mobile, but all he could see was Kenshin, feeling Kenshin's hand trying to hold on to his arm, the pain and terror in his violet eyes as he looked up at Sano, silently begging him to help, but Sano…

"….what can I do?" Sano said hopelessly, barely a whisper as he held Kenshin in his arms, un-able to do anything to take away the pain, to bring back the happiness he was going to give Kenshin when they'd got out of here.

Kenshin couldn't die, he couldn't, not like this, not now, not when everything had finally fallen into place, not when everything would finally be okay.

"Sa…no…"

Sano stared down at Kenshin, his body shaking and tears beginning to fall at the state he was in, dying in his arms and not being able to do anything about it.

"Hold on Kenshin," Sano sobbed, trying to hold back the tears without any success at all, "Please hold on." He wrapped his other arm around him and brought him closer, holding him to his chest never wanting to let him go. "You're gonna be fine, you have to be, so just hold on a little longer ok? Just don't die, please don't die." He buried his face in Kenshin's hair, his tears falling onto those red strands.

"S-Sano," Kenshin repeated, raising one very shaky arm to place his hand on the side of Sano face, "Is…what you said true?" he asked, coughing and wincing heavily in pain from doing so, "Do you…" he gritted his teeth, his lungs filling with a heat that smothered his insides, "…really…still love me?"

Sano, lost for words, simply nodded.

Through the pain he was suffering, Kenshin smiled, because for the first time ever, he truly had the best reason to smile. Sano knew everything, knew what he'd done, knew who he had killed, and yet here he was, holding him so tightly, and saying he loves him, that he wants to stay.

Kenshin had waited his whole life time for someone to say those words, to forgive him, to love him, and now, his one wish had finally come true.

"Sano." Kenshin gasped as the pain in his chest grew more and more, his breath becoming short as his lungs filled with blood, "I don't…I don't want to die….I don't want to die…" He sobbed, holding onto Sano as tightly as he could, but he could feel his strength seeping from him, just like his life. Moments ago he had wanted nothing but to die, to let him leave this world and leave this pain, but now, for the first time ever, he had a reason to live.

"Sano…I don't want to die…" he said gently, "I love you I…." Kenshin lightly rested his head against Sano's bare chest, Sano holding him so tightly, sobbing silently as he felt Kenshin's arms around him begin to slip away.

Kenshin lay there, resting in Sano's arm, his heaven on this earth, and smiled softly, the choking feeling in his chest suddenly not feeling as intense as a moment before, and he almost seemed to snuggle slightly against him.

"I may never reach the real heaven…" he said, an overwhelming tiredness suddenly washing over his mind, the pain disappearing, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "…but at least I got to see a little of it… being with you…that I…did…."

As Kenshin closed his eyes, the seemingly far away sound of ambulance sirens in the distance, and Sano's muffled voice shouting something from above him, the pain finally vanished completely, and Kenshin let his arms fall from around Sano, and darkness consume his mind.

If he was going to Hell, at least he left from Heaven.

To Be Continued…