A Job for Sanosuke
Chapter 7 – A Dish Best Served Cold
By Shirou Shinjin.
Disclaimer: I have not, do not, and most likely will never own Rurouni Kenshin, or its characters. They belong to various evil corporations, and the wonderful Watsuki-sama. I'm just going to borrow them for a bit, k?
Sano stared at the people seated around the table with an almost detached sense of horror.
Ginji and Tomo had been pure coincidence, Saito just happened to be married to Tokio, Megumi stopped by by chance, and Kenshin and Kaoru weren't supposed to be at the market... he'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But this... this was what today had been about all along. Suddenly, the pink kimono made perfect sense.
Seated around the table were eight business owners. Each sold different things to different crowds, but they all had one thing in common: Sano owned them money. A lot of money. A truly staggering amount of money.
And they'd come to collect.
"Aah! Sanosuke, thank you for bringing that in. I take it that you have all been introduced before?" she asked cordially, looking around the table. Sano didn't register her guests nodding mechanically as his own head bobbed out of sheer autonomy.
Oh he knew them all right. Knew every one of them by name. Only it wasn't the name their parents gave them, or the name their friends called them.
He knew each of them by the name of the restaurants they ran.
"Sanosuke-han has very generously offered to help me out tonight, isn't that right, Sanosuke-han?" Tae asked, a sweet smile on her face.
"Yeah."
"In that case, why don't you go and get the tea?"
"Yeah."
Sano slowly turned around, and stepped out of the room, making his way to the kitchen. Yahiko was hovering over the bubbling woks, trying to decide if he could risk sneaking off with some fish, and jumped back when Sano walked in. Sano didn't notice.
Yahiko started gibbering on about something, but Sano couldn't hear him. He picked up the pot of hot water, and some tea. Yahiko might have attacked him to get his attention, but it obviously didn't work. With tea and water in hand, he turned and walked back into the room.
Inside, the restaurant owners still seemed to be in as much shock as he was. They openly gaped at him, unable to understand how on earth Tae had stuffed this lazy, free-loading curse upon all hard-working restaurateurs the world over into a bright pink kimono. Just how much did he owe her, anyway!
For a long while, they stared at each other. Sano desperately wishing he could sink into the earth, and Tae's friends wishing their eyes didn't hurt so much. Finally, one of the older men broke the silence.
"Could I trouble you for some tea, waiter?"
Almost without thinking, Sano walked over to where the man was sitting. Leaning down, he put the tea in the cup, and filled it with hot water. He faintly registered a murmured "thank you" as he stood back up.
"Uh, I'd like some tea, too, waiter."
"Same over here."
"And could I get some extra soy?"
And so Sano went around, refilling tea cups, and handing out condiments. Tae chattered happily with her friends, and smiled knowingly at Sano as he served them. It looked, for all intents and purposes like a perfectly ordinary party with friends.
Strangely, they didn't seem inclined to poke fun at him. They were treating him as if he was just another waiter, largely ignoring his presence except when requesting something, or thanking him. Still, he wasn't getting out of this too easy.
"I must say, Tae-san; you have excellent help tonight," the elderly man who owned the traditional restaurant down the road said to Tae. "Where did you find him?"
"Oh, Sanosuke-han comes around every once in a while. He just... up and offered to help out the other day, and I took him up on his offer."
"Any thoughts to hiring him on a... permanent basis?" another inquired curiously.
"Oh, I don't think so," she said glancing over to where he was cleaning up some used sauce bowls and smiled. "I don't think he's really cut out for the restaurant business."
The man nodded. "Indeed. Although, the uniform is quite... eye-catching."
"You noticed?" Tae asked, clapping her hands together happily. "Isn't it just the most wonderful shade of pink?"
"It's a shade of pink, I'll give it that," he replied.
"You know..." one of the women seating at the table began. "Normally we don't get many men who can move with enough grace to carry around pot-loads of steaming food and tea without tripping over. I'm quite impressed."
Sano had the good grace to acknowledge the compliment, coming as it was from the strangest of sources. By this point, he was beginning to feel like a child handing over a bad report card to his parents, who just shook their heads and said "better luck next time," leaving him feeling suitably shamed.
Before long, he was bringing in more food and drink to the diners. The courses slowly made their way from the kitchen to the dining table, Sano going back and forth for several hours as the night wore on. As Sano was bringing in the final course, Tae clapped her hands together to get the table's attention.
"Now, everyone; I hope you've all enjoyed yourselves tonight," to which she received murmurs of assent from her guests. "But I think it's time we got on to that business we discussed earlier."
'Business?' Sano thought. 'This doesn't sound good...'
"Before we make a decision, I just wanted to thank Sanosuke-han for being so helpful tonight. It's rare to find someone so eager to help out others, asking nothing in return, isn't that right?"
The group again murmured, and a few nodded at Sano.
"Because that is why we're here, after all. Now, I know many of you are concerned about certain individuals who have been running up rather exorbitant tabs at our restaurants." Sano gulped.
"And whilst we would all like to see those debts paid, I think it might be better to just let bygones be bygones and start afresh."
"But Tae-san!" one of her guests interrupted. "Some of these... individuals... have racked up rather considerable tabs! You of all people should know that!"
"Think of the Zanza!" one of them added, pointing out who they were all thinking of.
Tae thought on this. "Very true, Kaito-san. But you don't honestly expect that bill to get paid, do you?"
"Well... no, I suppose not," he admitted sheepishly.
"That's what I'm talking about. Now, none of us could be considered poor; we do quite well for ourselves. Letting this go this one time won't plunge our businesses into ruin, as some of us may believe." At this, the more melodramatic members of the group looked around at the suddenly fascinating tatami.
"And I think that Sanosuke-han here has shown us that even if some people, such as Zanza, run up large unpaid bills, there are others who deserve a second chance. Don't you think we should give them the benefit of the doubt?"
The group quietly began discussing amongst themselves as Sano tried to remain invisible in the corner and not bite his nails.
"Are you suggesting we just... let these people eat for free?" one of Tae's guests asked.
"Oh of course not—I'm just suggesting that we accept this as a lesson in how to run a business at a loss, and get on with life. I'm sure that if we are generous to them, they will be more than happy to become paying customers, don't you think, Sanosuke-han?"
Tae's dinner guests turned as one to the suddenly very, very bashful ex-fighter for hire. "Uh... yeah, well... I guess one good turn and all that stuff?" he offered.
The men and women around the table fell silent for a while. Then, the young owner of the seafood joint down town spoke up. "I think Tae-san is right. Sanosuke-san has proved, at least to me, that there may be hope for our free-loaders. After all, we earn nothing from their visits at the moment—would it not be wise to make them into paying customers?"
A small woman sitting across from Tae nodded. "I agree; we only stand to gain from this. If they're willing to pay, I'm willing to welcome them back."
Slowly, each member of the group agreed in turn. "Then it's settled. If they decide in time to pay us something back, then that is their prerogative," at which she glanced over at Sano. "But we will consider the matter settled."
The group nodded in assent, and Tae clapped her hands again. "Very well. In that case, let's all enjoy desert!"
Sano collapsed against the counter, infinitely relieved that it was finally over. The last of the restaurant owners had said their goodbyes to Tae, and all the used bowls were drying next to the sink.
He just lay there for a while, collecting his scattered thoughts.
"Well done, Sanosuke-han. For a while there, I wasn't sure you were going to make it."
Sano laughed humourlessly. "You weren't the only one."
Silence descended over the room as Tae left to bring in some cups from the dining room.
"Tsubame and the brat?" Sano asked as she came back into the kitchen.
"They closed up and went home a while ago."
"Aah."
Clink, clink. Tae started putting the cups away. Sano's stomach rumbled.
Blushing slightly, Sano pulled himself to his feet. Tae laughed lightly to herself, and walked over to a nearby shelf and retrieved something. "Go change and I'll get you something to eat."
"But, uh... I'm kinda short on cash at the moment..."
"Don't worry—this one's on me." She handed him what she was holding and went about finding something quick to make. Looking down, he saw a slightly tatty, old white jacket, with the kanji for "evil" on the back. He grinned, and went upstairs to change.
When he came back down, Tae had already laid out a simple meal for him. Hearing his approach, Tae looked up at him and smiled in approval. "Although I'm quite partial to the kimono, I must say that looks much better on you."
A wide grin broke out on Sano's face. "Thanks." He didn't bother trying to come up with something clever to say; he didn't have to.
He sat down and started to dig in. Tae was quite the cook—even cold, it was delicious.
"So, Sanosuke-han," Tae began, seating herself across from Sano. "I hope that after today we understand each other..."
"Oh yeah," he said around a mouthful of rice. "Perfectly. Crystal. It's cash or the kimono."
"Good to hear."
Sano paused for a moment. "Hey, Tae?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"What you did back there... with the others."
Tae beamed. "Not a problem. I was being honest, you know—you were a help today. Feel free to help out any time you like... I might even let you wear something a little less conspicuous next time..."
Sano laughed. "I'll keep it in mind," he said as he shovelled in the last of the food. "Man, it's not hard to see why you run a restaurant. You should come over to the dojo some time and spare us Jou-chan's cooking."
Tae shook her head. "Now, now. It's not Kaoru-chan's fault she can't cook."
Sano raised an eyebrow.
"It's not that Kaoru-chan can't cook, it's just that she gets distracted, or impatient, or loses her temper with the radishes."
Sano raised the other eyebrow. "You've never actually tasted her cooking, have you?"
Tae gave him a knowing look. "Who do you think tried to teach her to cook?"
"You're responsible for what she calls food!" Sano spluttered.
"I told you—I tried to teach her." Tae looked over to the kitchen. "I like to think that cooking is an art. Like I said, it takes patience, skill and determination."
"I guess... but most women seem to be able to manage."
Tae's face became thoughtful. "True... but most women can't hold a sword," she retorted. "Kenjutsu is an art too, you know. Kaoru will eventually learn to cook, but I doubt I'll ever learn how to fight like she can.
"Kaoru has a lot more spirit than most women I know. But most men judge a woman on her ability to cook or maintain a household. Because of that, she ends up overcompensating, and then she feels down when people make fun of her efforts."
Sano... really couldn't think of anything to say to that. He had to admit, Tae was a lot wiser than he gave her credit for. So he just stood up.
"Well, I suppose I'd better be getting home now. Need any help cleaning up before I go?" he asked.
"No; I'll be fine. Feel free to drop by sometime; I'm sure Yahiko and Tsubame would love to have a hand."
Sano groaned. "Oh man... that brat will have told everyone by now..."
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that. I had a chat with Yahiko about tact."
"You've... got something on him as well, don'tcha?"
"Of course," Tae beamed innocently.
Sano laughed. "Well, I suppose I'll see you around. Next time I come around, I'll give those two a hand with the tables."
"Is that so?"
"It's a promise." And Sano was a man who kept his promises.
"Oh, Sano, you're coming in rather late," Kenshin said as Sano ambled towards the dojo's porch.
"Hey Kenshin. Yeah, had a long day. Thought I'd drop by."
Kenshin smiled, and went into the kitchen to fetch some tea whilst Sano made himself comfortable on the porch. Kenshin returned in short order, and set the cup down next to Sano.
"So you had a long day, then?"
"Yeah." Sano stared into the cup for a moment before continuing. What was the harm? "I was helping Tae at the Akabeko."
Kenshin nodded.
"You know, waiting tables isn't as easy as it looks. It takes skill... and grace." Sano liked the sound of this and nodded to himself.
"This one can imagine," Kenshin said, the slightest trace of sarcasm drifting into his voice.
"Especially when you've got those tight uniforms on..."
Kenshin looked up at Sano. "Tight?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, she had me in this thing... bit tight around the shoulders, you know?"
Kenshin started down at his own cup, puzzled. "That's odd... this one could have sworn the shoulders were wide enough."
"What?"
"I had to get someone in just to make it long enough to fit you!"
"Granted, this one did not have time to take your measurements, but this one thought the kimono would fit you well enough..."
"Kenshin... what are you talking about?"
"We went to visit Tae-san."
"The uniform... it had to be altered."
"Yes," Sano said, very, very carefully. "Jou-chan altered it the other day... when you two went to the market... and then when visiting Tae... and then Tsubame... she said..."
"Well, yesterday she asked me to go find Kaoru-san in the markets. I guess she must have done it while she was over here."
"You must be mistaken; Kaoru-dono didn't make the alterations..."
"...I guess she must have..."
"We went to visit Tae-san."
"...this one did."
The cool evening air stirred a few leaves in the dojo courtyard.
A long silence descended.
A cicada chirped.
"You... made the alterations?"
"Of course."
"So... you knew the whole time?"
"Of course this one did."
"I see."
Sano stared at his cup. Then at his hands. Then at Kenshin's neck.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Aaaah! Sano—you're choking me!"
"BETRAYER! HOW COULD YOU!"
"SanoooOOOooooOOOoooo!"
Whack! Sano's hands dropped from the rurouni's neck as a water bucket somehow collided with the back of his head at high speed.
"Will you be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Kaoru huffed at the noisy pair, before stomping back to her room and slamming the shoji. Yahiko peered out from his room, sniggered, then closed the door again.
Sano pulled himself back on to the porch, and dropped his head into his hands.
"This is all your fault," he accused through his hands.
Kenshin blinked. "How is it this one's fault that you ran up your bill at the Akabeko?"
"Uh..." Sano pondered this a moment. "Well why didn't you at least tell me what was going to happen?"
Kenshin shrugged. "This one assumed that you knew."
"Kenshin, if I had known that thing was waiting for me, do you really think I would have gone willingly?"
"You went willingly?" Kenshin shot back with a smile.
Sano sighed. He just couldn't win. "Well, at least Jou-chan doesn't know. Jou-chan... doesn't know, right?"
Kenshin fiddled with his cup and looked up at the sky. "I don't think Kaoru-dono needs to know every detail of how you spend your days. I didn't see any reason to mention it to her."
Sano clapped Kenshin on the back. "Thanks for that."
"Of course, if she asked this one directly, I wouldn't lie..."
"Let's just stick to the 'she doesn't need to know' train of thought, ok?"
"What this one doesn't understand is if you didn't want Kaoru-dono to see you, why were you following us at the market?"
Sano spluttered. "Following you? I was trying to avoid you! I barely managed to keep out of sigh... wait a second, you knew I was there?"
"Of course this one did. You can't go leaping into a pile of foul-smelling crates while wearing pink and expect me not to notice."
"Oh, yeah..."
"Besides, who do you think kept alerting you to our presence?" Sano just stared at him. "I'm not so clumsy as to trip over that many times..."
Sano shook his head. "I should have known you would sense me."
"Sense you? This one could smell you. What was in those crates, anyway?"
"Didn't want to find out."
Once more, they settled into companionable silence. As they watched the night sky, Sano fell to thinking about what Tae had said about Kaoru.
"I take it you and Jou-chan are going back to the market tomorrow?"
Kenshin looked up at him in mild surprise. "Yes; she did want to look for a new kimono fabric. Why?"
Sano smiled secretly to himself and shrugged. "I'm going to head back to my place and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast." With that, he waved and was on his way.
It only occurred to him later, lying in bed, that when he told Tae he was going to head home, he'd gone straight to the dojo. "Guess I have more than one debt to pay off..."
"I still don't see why you're here," Kaoru muttered to Sano. After breakfast, Kaoru and Kenshin had left to spend the morning perusing the stalls for Kaoru's new fabric. It was to their great surprise that Sano announced that he would join them.
Sano grinned back. "Hey, I kinda blew you off the other day; so I'm here now." He looked over at her, and put on his best kicked puppy expression. "Why, don't you want me here?"
Kaoru's flat look didn't change. "I'm just saying it's odd, that's all." She clearly didn't believe he was here out of the goodness of his heart. "I bet you're after something..."
As the two of them bickered, they came upon the last stall for the day. Kaoru broke off the argument, and started sifting through the piles of cloth. That's when something caught his eye.
"It's just what I've been after! ... It's such a vibrant shade of red!"
Sano ran his hand over the soft cloth, laced with intricate patterns. Tae was right; she was still a girl at heart.
"Hey, Jou-chan!" he said, pulling the bolt from the pile. "How about this?"
Kaoru snatched the cloth from his hands, and started fawning over it. "Yes! This is just what I was looking for! Thank you, Sano!" she said with an easy smile and bounded off to haggle with the seller. Kenshin wore a wide smile himself.
It wasn't long before Kaoru was finished, and walking back out with her new prize clutched in her arms. As she was walking towards them, beaming with thoughts of her new kimono, Sano heard a group of rough voices from a nearby soba stand. He caught the words "red hair", "pink", "pansy", and a string of rather unflattering terms. One look at Kenshin confirmed that he had heard as well.
"Humph. Come on, let's go, Kenshin," Kaoru said as she made to drag the rurouni off. 'Looks like Jou-chan heard as well...'
"Hold on there, Jou-chan. I've got to take care of something first." With that, he turned and started striding over to the group of three punks. It didn't take long for them to notice him.
"Oh no, not you."
"Well, well, well. Look who it is. What did I tell you three about making cracks about people's clothes?" Sano cracked his knuckles. "Remember that discussion we had yesterday?"
They gulped.
"I think you might need a reminder."
"Kenshin?" Kaoru asked the rurouni beside her as the three yakuza punks ran screaming from Sano as he tried to follow through on his threat to turn them into soy paste. "Since when has Sano been touchy about what colour you wear?"
Kenshin shrugged. "Who knows," he said enigmatically. "Maybe he's had a change of heart."
Author's Rambling
I can't tell you how good it feels to finally get that done. I've been waiting to spring both of those surprises for a while now. Despite the restaurant owners all gathering together to see Sano dressed in pink was the whole point of the story, I'm actually more fond of the "Kenshin hemmed the kimono" curve ball. I've been setting that one up since I first planned this story out... not to mention that Sano spends all that time avoiding Kenshin when he already knew!
I also like to think that this whole experience would be very humbling for Sano. I feel that after surviving this ordeal, Sano would have grown up just a little bit. This, in turn justifies how he acts towards Kaoru; he's realised that even though she knows he cares about her, and doesn't mean it when he calls her a tomboy or complains about her cooking, it doesn't hurt to treat her like a girl once in a while.
I'm also rather impressed in that this is the longest chapter I've written for this story thus far. I had hoped that the dinner scene would be longer, but I think padding it out wouldn't have helped, and the chapter is long enough as it is.
So what now? I've still got to write the epilogue for this thing. One last plot hole to close up before I'm done. After that, I have two omakes planned; I'm still not sure if they will be posted with the main story or separately, since I may have to raise the rating slightly for one of them...
Also, for those of you who don't check my profile regularly (which is, what... all of you?), I now have a website where I can post my stories. The main advantage of posting them there over (which I will continue to do), is that I can post up different formats and fanart. When I'm done with AJfS, I plan on posting up a "plain HTML" version of the story without all the crud in it (suitable for viewing from your hard drive or PDA), and a nice printable PDF version for, uh... printing.
Speaking of Fanart, that's right—there is fanart for AJfS! sunbune/bunetwo did a picture of Sano in the dreaded pink kimono a while ago, but it didn't have anywhere to live. It's now happily sitting on my website. So if you want to check it out, follow the link from the profile page.
So; just an epilogue and a few omakes to go. Let's see how long this writing stint of mine lasts...
Until next time,
Ja, ne
–賜狼審神
22nd April, 2006
I don't think I need to point out where this chapter's title comes from... do I?
Special Thanks
Goes to Author-chan and SiriusFan13 for giving this chapter the once-over.
