Disclaimer: Ok, now that I (Hopefully) have your attention, I do not own Kenshin or any of his friends or enemies. They're owned by someone who's not me. Long live Watsuki and all those that create such fertile worlds for us fanfic writers to play in. Oh, and I don't own Mr. Rogers, or his neighborhood either.
Authors Note: Due to the setting and situation of the story, I've had to tweak a few characters around slightly, maybe fit them into roles not normally thought of for them. At times they may also seem a bit OOC, but I tried to at least keep the essences of the characters intact throughout the story.
Also for anyone waiting for Chapter 3 of "Second Chance Redemptions" it will be coming, I just got this idea for this and decided to run with it. Anyway, enough of my talking. Back to the story.
Just Another Night
The police station was filled with the general controlled chaos that came with the change of shifts. It was just before midnight, and the swing shift officers were going home, to make room for graveyard. However, tonight the air was more urgent, officers shouting back and forth to each other as they rushed around.
Officers Kenshin Himura and Sanosuke Sagara walked in together, Sanosuke, or Sano as he was usually called, was talking animatedly while his friend listened with his usual attentive ear, watching the commotion and wondering what had happened.
"Ok, so I asked her to dinner like I said I was going to and she told me she had to shampoo her carpets! Now what kind of a lame-ass excuse is that?" Sano demanded.
Kenshin just shook his head. "You're trying too hard, that you are. You need to stop acting like you're chasing her." But he sounded distant. "What's going on here? Something must have…"
Sano just shook his head, muttering under his breath as they walked into the main room, heading over to Officer Saitou Hajime who with his usual displeased gaze seemed to be trying to ignore the other two.
The three of them made up Unit 42. Within the department the officers were divided up into smaller units, usually of about 3 to 6 officers, each assigned beats or specialty duties. 42 was the least desired unit in the entire department. Though it was never said out loud, it was just understood that this assignment was death as far as career went, they tended to only get the least wanted positions and the only people who ended up there were those that for one reason or another just didn't 'work' anywhere else, but were kept because there wasn't enough reason not to.
"Hey Wolf-Man…how goes it? Hey hey…someone brought donuts!" Sano's attention was quickly drawn to the slightly squashed, greasy pink box in the middle of the table. He flipped open the lid, going over the pastries inside the way a connoisseur of fine wines picked their next bottle.
Kenshin only smiled politely. "Evening. What happened?"
Saitou just looked at the two men. "Do you really think they would tell me?" He glared, his amber eyes narrowing. He looked overdue for a cigarette break Kenshin decided, and didn't press him further.
"Hi guys!" A new voice was added to the mix, as a young woman walked over to the table, smiling brightly.
All eyes turned towards her, and Kenshin found himself grinning at her. "Miss Kaoru! How are you?" Sano turned around as well, chocolate donut in each hand. "Hey Missy!" He greeted her with a typical lopsided grin. Even Saitou gave her a polite nod.
Kaoru smiled wider. "Pretty good, ready to go home though! It's been an insane day. There was some kind of explosion and bombing at the Spring Ridge Apartments. Most of swing shift is still out there, and they're gonna be sending out grave now too. Maybe you guy'll finally get to see some action." Her grin had faded into a more serious, concerned expression. She was a dispatcher for swing shift, but she always made it a habit to say hello to Unit 42 before she left, in particular one Officer Himura. She looked up to see Chief Seijuro walking towards them, and nodded to the men. "I better run…hey, catch you guys tomorrow, 'kay?"
"We'll be here." Sano called back, then started to chuckle to himself as he looked over at Kenshin, seeing him watch Kaoru intently as she walked away.
Kenshin looked over at him. "What?"
"Oooh I see what's going on here." He said knowingly. "And you talk about me chasing after people!"
Before Kenshin could answer Seijuro got to the table, with him a young man of about 20 with wild black hair and eager expression on his face.
"Gentlemen…this is one of our new rookies, Yahiko Miyoujin. As of tonight, he's part of your Patrol." Seijuro looked at each man through narrowed eyes. He knew the story behind each of these men, if the kid could deal with Unit 42, he could live through anything. "Get to the briefing room, we don't have time to play around tonight." He added, then walked away, leaving Yahiko with the three men.
He grinned eagerly. "Nice to meet you all. Like he said I'm Yahiko." He extended a hand to anyone who'd shake it. Kenshin smiled back and nodded, taking his hand in a surprisingly firm shake. "I'm Kenshin Himura. That's Officer Hajime." Kenshin added with Saitou didn't look over. Sano waved. "Sanosuke Sagara…but call me Sano. So we get fresh meat, eh? Whatcha in for kid?"
Yahiko blinked, not sure what to say to this. Kenshin laughed quietly. "Patrol 13 doesn't have the best reputation. Even you must have heard the rumors."
Yahiko looked down, his face growing red. "Er yeah….it's kind of a long story."
"It always is." Sano agreed as the foursome turned towards the briefing room.
The conversation died as they found seats, looking around at the rest of the officers already seated. Seijuro walked to the front of the room, starting out the briefing. "I don't know how many of you have heard, but there was a bombing at the Spring Ridge Apartments, on the north end of town. From how it looks, it was intentional, and whoever did it is still at large. We're sending heavy reinforcements out there now, as well as patrols to see what else we can track down. The reinforcements to the apartments will be Units 16, 41, 28, 10 and 14. I'll be sending more patrols…" He continued on, detailing who was going where.
Sano listened eagerly to each assignment, while the others sat back just waiting patiently.
Finally Seijuro got to them. "Unit 42 and the rest of you, you are on your normal beats tonight."
With a low groan Sano's head slipped down, hitting the tabletop, though no one else seemed to notice. Kenshin and Saitou rose to their feet, Yahiko did as well with a concerned look at Sano, who also rose to his feet.
"Another night of boredom…total boredom." He muttered. "We have a fricking crazed bomber running around and we get another night of patrolling Mr. Roger's neighborhood." Sano grumbled.
"Oh would you stop your incessant whining?" Saitou demanded.
"So…. where am I going then?" Yahiko asked, looking between the three men.
"Well…" Kenshin started. "I could take you, and Sano could ride with…"
"No way in hell!" Sano interrupted. "Listen kid, I like you, but I already got a partner. You can go out with the Wolf."
Saitou narrowed his eyes. "Your reaction is touching." He said sarcastically.
"Hey, I'm not the one who went through three partners in two weeks and couldn't get along with any of them!" Sano shot back.
Yahiko was looking rather unnerved by this talk, his enthusiasm seeming to waver slightly.
"Ok you two, grow up. We're officers, not grade schoolers." Kenshin shook his head at both of them.
Saitou growled under his breath. "I'll take the rookie."
Sano smirked like he'd won a huge battle while Kenshin let out a low sigh. To think he'd come so far, only to end up like this. Yahiko's enthusiasm was returning, it couldn't be that bad, after all, he was tough, and could take it. He was disappointed he wouldn't be going out on the bombing case, but seeing as how this was the supposedly 'renegade' unit he was bound to be in for some interesting times…
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Several hours laterYahiko tapped his fingertips rhythmically against the door panel and sighed to himself as Saitou turned the patrol car onto yet another quiet residential street.
"Would you stop that?" Saitou demanded, gritting his teeth around the unlit cigarette he'd been chewing on for the past half an hour.
Yahiko stopped the tapping, turning instead to stare at the computer set up between the seats, looking for something, anything in their neighborhood. "Sheeze, is this what it's like every night? Don't you guys get to do anything interesting? I can't believe they have us doing this…while everyone else gets to work on the bomber case!"
"This is our beat. Unless called up otherwise, this is where we work. And not everyone was called to that case, only some of the units." Came the short reply.
Yahiko rolled his eyes, then reaching over cranked on the radio dial. Static filled the air, followed by the twang of a guitar, more static, a commercial for home mortgages, then more static before rock music started pounding over the speakers. "That's more like it!" Yahiko grinned.
Without a word Saitou reached over and shut it off.
"Hey!" Yahiko turned it back on, only to have his partner shut it off again. "We're here to work. Not be entertained." Saitou said, not taking his eyes off the road.
Yahiko looked back out the window. He hadn't joined the police to do this. He could have stayed at home and done this!
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Meanwhile Kenshin and Sano were parked in the dark of a small alley, overlooking the door of the only bar in the quiet area they patrolled. Sometimes fights would break out, and people often left drunk, giving them something to do. But tonight it was quiet as well.
Sano flipped a coin into the air, catching it easily, then looked at it by the faint light of the computer. "Heads." He muttered.
Kenshin smiled slightly, then reached over and turned on the radio, after a few seconds soft jazz music started playing. They sat in silence for several more minutes.
"Damn…even here there's nothing going on!" Sano grumbled.
"Wait until the weekend. This place is always busy then, that it is. People getting drunk, and being stupid." Kenshin nodded at his own words as he put the car back in gear, pulling out of the alley.
"Funny, you notice they never show this side of things on TV? Can you imagine those guys on NYPD Blues, or CSI doing this?" Sano chuckled a little.
Kenshin shrugged. "I haven't a clue. Don't watch them on a regular basis."
Sano could never figure his partner out, Kenshin never seemed to watch TV, or do much of anything enjoyable for that matter, but he was always up on what was going on in the world, and seemed content to stay to his own quiet musings. He was also the only one of Unit 42 that never complained about his work, though sometimes Sano thought he could see disappointment behind his impassive eyes every time they were overlooked for a good assignment. But Sano brushed it off, it wasn't his business anyway.
"Wonder what the Wolf and the Rookie are up to?" he asked out loud.
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"…noise ordinance, neighbor complaint, 1432 Granite street…" the static-y voice came over the radio.
Yahiko didn't waste any time grabbing up the radio. "This is car 212, en-route to Granite Street!"
Saitou raised a brow, glancing at the rookie.
"What? It's on our beat." Yahiko said defensively.
Saitou said nothing, only chewing again on the end of his already mangled cigarette. He couldn't wait to be able to stop and actually smoke it while there was anything left of it. He pulled up in front of the house and before he even stopped the car Yahiko had bailed out, walking up to the door of a house with throbbing heavy metal clearly heard even from the street.
One more aggressive bite sent a few shreds of tobacco down the front of Saitou's uniform before he threw the small object from him, getting out of the car with a defiantly angry look on his face. "Damn rookie running off half cocked…" he muttered.
He got to the door just as Yahiko was ringing the doorbell. Several rings later no one had still answered. Saitou reached over and banged his fist loudly on the door several times, then stood back. The door was finally opened by a girl of about 18 in fishnets and Goth makeup. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw it was the police.
"What'dya want?" She demanded, still keeping her cold expression.
Saitou started to speak, but Yahiko cut him off. "You've got to turn your music down."
"It's not bothering anyone." The girl said defiantly.
"It's bothering your neighbors. Now turn it down, or turn it off!" Yahiko ordered.
The girl glared at him. "We've gotten several calls about this. We're trying to do this the friendly way." Saitou looked hard at her.
"And if I don't?"
"Then we'll have to arrest you." Yahiko cut in again.
Her eyes widened again. "On what charges?"
"Disturbing the peace, and resisting an officer." Yahiko said seriously.
The girl seemed to regard the two in front of her before turning over her shoulder. "Hey Lain, turn that shit off! The coppers don't like it!" She turned back to the men and smirked as the music was turned drastically down. "There. Happy?"
Yahiko looked angry at her reaction, but this time Saitou cut him off. "Thank you. Don't make us come back tonight."
The door slammed in their face and the two men walked back down the path, getting back into the patrol car. "Next time rookie, let me do the talking. Also, let me handle the radio." Saitou growled.
"Aww c'mon! I did that right!" Yahiko protested.
"It may have worked, but it was tactless and unprofessional."
"Oh great! Now you're gonna tell me next time sit in the car!" Yahiko sounded angry again.
"Actually that would work." Saitou started up the car.
"You've got to be kidding." Yahiko crossed his arms.
Saitou found his cigarette again and put it back in his mouth. This was going to be a very long night.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"So…" Sano started as he looked out the window. "When you gonna ask Kaoru out?"
"I'm not." Came Kenshin's short reply.
"What? Why not?"
"Because I'm sure she's already got some kind of significant other in her life already." Kenshin stared straight ahead as he drove.
"Hey, you won't know until you ask!" Sano smirked slightly.
Kenshin didn't reply, not seeming to have heard the comment. But Sano knew he was just not going to answer it. He ran a hand through his already wild hair, making it worse.
"…noise ordinance, neighbor complaint, 1432 Granite street…" The radio cut through their silence.
Sano moved to grab the radio but another voice was too fast.
"This is car 212, en-route to Granite Street!"Sano laughed, recognizing the voice. "Sounds like the rookie is settling right in!"
Kenshin chuckled as well. "I wonder how many cigarettes Saitou has chewed through by now."
"No kidding." Sano stretched slightly. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll need backup."
After about 15 more minutes of silence Sano looked at the time. "Hey, isn't it about time for a break? I could go for something to eat about now…seeing as how nothing else is going on."
Kenshin nodded "I'm with you on that one." He agreed as he turned the car back towards the main streets.
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The next morning found all four men back in the office after finishing reports and debriefings. Kenshin and Sano walked over to Yahiko and Saitou.
"So ya both lived!" Sano smirked.
Saitou glared at them as he took a long drag from his now lit cigarette. "Tonight…one of YOU is taking the rookie out!" He growled as he stalked past the other two on his way to the parking lot.
Yahiko walked over, one brow raised as he frowned.
"How was it?" Kenshin asked.
"Someone needs to get the stick out of his ass before I go out with him again!" Yahiko scowled.
Sano started laughing and about choked on a mouthful of coffee at this. "Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks that!"
Kenshin shook his head. "Now you two…it's been a long night for all of us, lets just go home and get some sleep."
The remaining three walked out to the parking lot talking among themselves not realizing that across town…things were about to heat up again…
Author's Notes: wow, ok this is way longer then I thought it would be. Now before you start throwing things at me for making our favorite heroes and peoples the 'misfit group' it will all come to play in the end, and for the good. Also this chapter may have seemed very light, and maybe even silly, but this is a darker story, and that will be set up in the upcoming chapters. However I will try to interlace it with bits of humor to keep it from getting too dark. Comments, suggestions, ideas? Reviews of all kinds are accepted, but not flames. Flames are evil. Thank you for staying with me this long, and look out soon for chapter 2!
StarShipDelta