05/06 – Minor clean up of spelling and grammer errors (that I caught...) and reposted. Content remains the same. If you remember the story and care to move on, you won't have missed anything. DoC

Chains Required, Whips Optional

A Tale or Rurouni Kenshin

Chapter Five: Burying the Forgotten Hatchet

There was such a thing as a sense of deep dread even to the skewed perception of Sagara Sanosuke. He had committed a most heinous act. He had killed before the eyes of innocents. And the terror of that was reflected back at him several times over in the large doe eyes of a four-year old girl. She'd seen him kill more than one tonight, sweet little Suzume. He knew that look. He had worn that look himself so many years ago...

---------------Fade---------------

"Sanosuke, do you see the hill over there?"

Little Sanosuke peered through the shrubbery to look across a small plain finding the hill his Capitan was referring to. "Hai, Sagara Taichou."

Sagara Sozou nodded at the boy and smiled gently at him. They knelt in the soft dirt near the edge of a forested grove. The captain wore a navy Sekihotai uniform, katana at his waist. The child wore a tan farm outfit, synched tight about his waist. Both wore the ever present red bandanna of the Sekihotai, a gentle breeze playing the tails. Behind them in various places was the bulk of the first unit of the Sekihotai, scattered throughout the trees. "Our enemy is behind that hill, Sanosuke."

"They are?" Large brown eyes were wide with innocent child like wonder.

"Yes, they are."

"How do you know, Taichou?"

"Do you remember when I sent the scouts? They just returned and informed of the enemy position."

"Do they know we're here then?"

The elder snorted, amused by the boy even though he was more than aware of the gravity of the situation at hand. "Sanosuke, I have no doubt that they know we are here."

Sanosuke, having run from home three weeks before hand and joined the army, was out of his element as to how war and battle worked. "Isn't that bad?"

"Not necessarily. It is the way things work. You will find that out as you travel with us. In just a few moments we will go and engage them. I want you to go with Katsuhiro back to the river in the woods and wait for one of us to fetch you. I will have a gun sent with Katsuhiro, as he has proven himself rather adept with the weapon, so you don't have to worry about any ambushes of your own."

"Can't I go with you, Taichou? Or can I stay here? I want to see!"

Sozou closed his eyes and sighed softly. "No, dear boy, it is best if you go back to the river. War is no amazing thing to see, I promise you that," He was interrupted by another runner, who bent and whispered something in his captain's ear, "Of course, Jun, I'll be right there. Sanosuke, be a good lad and do as your captain tells you."

The leader stood then, ruffling the boy's hair fondly and moving back to his ranks. Calling them to order, he marched them onto the field. The child jumped when Katsuhiro slipped up behind him. "Yo Sano, you really wanna see it? The battle I mean?"

"Katsu no baka! You nearly sacred the life out of me! Yeah, I wanna see it."

Katsu grinned, leaning on the gun stalk in his hand, nearly as tall as the boy himself. Katsu had been with the army two years longer than Sanosuke, as a junior member he said. Katsu was also three years older than Sano, and was usually left in charge of the new recruit. "Then let's stay here, battle is neat to watch."

"But Sagara Taichou said..."

"Don't worry about it Sano, I know what he said, and I know he won't know unless you tell him. Will you?"

"No, Katsu, but I don't think..."

"I know you don't think. Now shut up and follow me, I found a great place to watch from."

--------------- Fade---------------

Sanosuke had indeed watched that battle. It had been his first time to witness killing. He had been shell shocked. It was the first step toward... toward being someone as screwed up on morals as he was. The young man focused again on Suzume and slowly, as though confronting an animal, reached his right hand out to the little girl. His shoulder still hurt like hell, but that hand was cleaner at the moment. The little girl took only a moment, much to his relief, to reach out and grasp that hand. He gave it a little squeeze and moved back into the room, eyes averted from the right wall.

The two girls inside had not moved. Expressions had changed but positions had not. Both sets of eyes turned directly to him. Kaoru still sat on the floor. Tiny shivers racked her body. Those cornflower blue irises focused on his every movement. Sanosuke swallowed and slipping his hand from Suzume's grip, the ex-gangster took the jacket from his shoulders. Moving toward Kaoru, he was surprised for a moment to see the girl flinch. Jou-chan did not flinch about anything normally. Unfortunately, he had seen this before. Rape was not uncommon on the streets of Tokyo.

Locking eyes with the young woman, Sanosuke held out his admittedly blood stained jacket. "I jus' wanna give you somethin' to wrap yourself in, Jou-chan. Nothing else."

Fat tears began forming at the corners of her eyes and she choked and sobbed nodding her approval of the offer. The young man swayed as he took another step toward her, adrenaline once again leaving him wallowing in that hole of seeping wariness and pain. Sano dropped hard to his knees beside Kaoru, unable to do so gracefully at this point. The young man was sure to avert his eyes as he gave the jacket to the girl. She wrapped herself in it quickly. Kaoru tugged on his pant softly when she had completed and he turned his head back toward her. The tears were running fully now. Gazing up at him for a long moment, she apparently made up her mind and holding the jacket closed with one hand she half crawled onto Sano's lap , then wrapping both arms tightly around him and burying her face in his chest.

The young man was unsure of what to do about this. He had always been awkward at best in situations with women crying. Raising his right hand, he gently patted her back. "Did he hurt ya', Jou-chan?"

To Sanosuke's relief, the young woman shook her head no. He sighed. At least in his list of failures for the past two days, he would not have to include that. He had managed to save his little sister of the heart from something as horrible as that from happening. By the state of dress she was in though, it had been by far to close of a call. Looking up to the kids in the room, silent as mice though they were, he called out softly to them. "Come over here Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan. We're all back together now."

Impressively, in spite of what they had witnessed him do, both children obeyed with out question. Sliding in together and wrapping their arms about each other, Kaoru and Sanosuke. The young man brought his right arm about all of them, holding them close and shielding them from the sight on the right wall in one move. The two girls joined their "big sister" Kaoru in sobbing into Sano's chest. Sano just closed his eyes and held them like that for a few minutes. As he did, he silently willed the black that kept encroaching on the edges of his vision away. The edge of it pulsed with his every heartbeat. Much as just a bit more blood slipped through the bandaging and down his back with every beat. The pain was not something that wanted to be ignored anymore either.

So there they sat, the girls seeking comfort in their savior, the killer, and Sano attempting to gather himself for what lay ahead. He had to now get the girls out of the fortress, after all. He sighed and squeezed them a little tighter. "It'll be alright now. We're all together. Everyone is okay. We jus' need to get out of here."

Kaoru's grip on him tightened dramatically, he looked down on her head. "You don't wanna stay here, do you Jou-chan?"

She shook her head no, yet to look up and meet him eye to eye again. "Then, there's nothing to worry about. We'll get out. I'll protect you if anything comes along."

Kaoru sighed through her tears before pulling herself back, the children pulling back as well. She looked up at him then and without saying a word raised her left arm before him, the one that had been wrapped about the right side of his back. Her arm and his coat sleeve were now covered in blood. It was Ayame who said softly, "I don't think your very okay, Uncle Sano. "

Oh. Was that bothering them? "I'm fine. I'll make it out of here no problem. We all will." Sanosuke swallowed then, and looking directly into Kaoru's eyes he added, "I promise you that."

The young woman's eyes softened slightly at that, and Sano offered her a small smile. Still, she did not say a word. The ex-gangster grunted then and began forcing his tired body to a standing position. Up was a problem, once he was there everything would be fine. Closing eyes tightly and using left arm for support, the young man said, "We need to up and run now though, while they're still caught off guard. So, let's move."

He was surprised, and under different circumstances would have been slightly humiliated, when he felt Kaoru slide an arm under his left shoulder and help him to his feet. Sano blinked his eyes open and looked again at the girl, her arm now supporting him about the waist. She shifted from his left side to his right then, and pulled his wounded arm across her own shoulder. Sano was confused however, to have her then reach up behind his head and untie the ever present bandanna. This she took, and explained silently her need, as the young woman tied it about her middle to hold the coat closed. The street brawler was temporarily dazed by this idea. Blinking, he looked back at Kaoru's face, and then proceeded to blow a now unrestrained fringe of hair from his eyes. "I've used that bandanna for emergencies alota' times, Jou-chan, but I can honestly say it's never been used as a coat synch before."

Kaoru offered him a wobbly smile, nothing more. This silence could become a problem. It would mean that until she spoke again, all Sano would have to haunt him would be her frightened yell. Not that it wouldn't haunt his nightmares for the rest of his days as it was... That and little Ayame's scream. Ayame. "Come on girls, let's go, ne?"

No response. Tracing the path of both children's eyes, he noted that they seemed transfixed by the man on the floor in the room. Skull caved in. Moving himself and Kaoru about so that they blocked the view, he asked the children again, "You ready to go?"

Ayame turned once again blank eyes upon him. It was Suzume, blessed little Suzume, who turned dark eyes to meet Sanosuke's own. Those eyes were full of a determination that one would not expect of a four year old. Grasping tightly to her older sister's hand, Suzume then grabbed a fistful of Sano's pants. Bobbing her head, she looked back up and said, "Let's go back to Ojii-san and Uncle Kenny."

The ex-kenkaya's smile was sincere. "That's the idea, kiddo."

With a determined air revived of his own, Sanosuke turned and with the support of Kaoru, began leading them out. Once beyond the frame of the door, Kaoru paused before pointing in the opposite direction of the stairs. Sanosuke was puzzled. "You... came up this way?"

The young woman nodded and began leading him this time. She reached the right hand door at the end of the corridor and with a deft hand pulled it open. To Sano's amazement, there was a much narrower stair case beyond. Just wide enough for one person at a time. Bracing left shoulder against the wall he, the young man peered down the flight. Kaoru made a timid step to go first, Sano held her back. "Let me go first, Jou-chan. Just in case."

The young woman did not hesitate or argue, as she was prone to doing. Again, this was something of a bother for Sanosuke, who was so used to the opinionated girl and her loud protests. Using left hand as a guide down the wall, Sanosuke began the trek down. Apparently, this route took them directly to the ground story; there were no break off points to go to any other floors. He approved of this entirely. Fewer exits and entrances meant less chance of further ambush. Until they reached the bottom.

Sano gingerly opened the swinging door at the bottom of the steps. Peering round it, he found to a mutual chagrin and pleasure That Kuromori and a group of men were standing at the other end of the large reception room that greeted him. This was the entrance hall. Lying at the foot of the stair case that lead up to the second floor, was a mass of tangled bodies. Some unconscious, other's dead. Across the ante chamber was the flight of stairs leading to the dungeon. Pinned to the wall against the upper flight, was a man speared through with a sword. The men all stood near the doors that lead out to the stairs used to climb to Matsuo-jo. By the look of things, they were making escape plans. Unfortunately, the eleven men and their leader were still plenty to take all of the six rowboats docked ashore.

Sanosuke couldn't allow that, there was no way he and the girls would make it swimming out of this hell hole.

Adrenaline once again became the young man's friend as it pumped into his veins at the sight of Kuromori. Strength returned to him, and he left the safety of the wall for support. Kaoru made a half pleading gesture behind him, clasping his left forearm hard and shaking her head 'no' as he moved to push the door open all of the way. Sano brushed her off, eyes glinting. This would end here one way or another.

The ex-kenkaya stepped fully into the ante chamber. "You aren't planning on runnin' now are you, Kuromori?"

Twelve heads turned hard in his direction. Cinnamon eyes, wide with terror focused on him. Sano smirked. There was an anger that still rallied in him, dampened one too many times. He wouldn't just leave this alone. He couldn't just cut his losses and run. Kuromori would pay for this entire indesgrecian. "I hope you don't think your gonna make it."

Kuromori's turned briefly to the door, the only exit from Matsuo, before facing Sanosuke again. Apparently, he didn't think they would make it off the isle either. Gesturing quickly to his remaining men, he twisted and ran up the grand stair case that lead to the second floor. His command came out as more of a cry, "To the war chamber, hurry!"

Had Sanosuke the ability for rationality at that point, he would have known the wisdom of leaving while they had the opportunity. Wise decisions were not on his mind right then. Burying the hatchet was. Forgetting the girls, knowing they were safe as Kuromori and the last of his stragglers fled up the stairs, Sano followed hard on their heels. Adrenaline blinding him to his own fatigue and utter weakness, the young man had no problems taking the stairs two at a time. Rounding the corner at the top, the young man slid on a small puddle of blood, falling hard on his right shoulder. He hissed as stars danced in his vision. Twisting in position, he spied the captor darting into a room about midway down the hall.

Temper and adrenaline once again muffled his pain as Sanosuke jerked himself up from the floor, already running again before he was entirely up right. Skidding to a halt before that now closed door, the ex-kenkaya did not even bother with the handle. Loosing an inarticulate yell into the hall, he flew a left handed Futai-no-Kiwami hard into the wood. The door exploded into the room with in. The place was another large room, half the size of the ante-chamber below. The walls were lined with an arrangement of weapons. The eleven men were along each wall, each with some sort of sharp device in his hands. Kuromori stood on a table near the other end of the room, katana drawn. "Attack him now!"

---------------

With hardly a splash, Kenshin leapt from the dark waters of the ocean bay and to the small beach of Matsuo. On his heels, Saito slipped gracefully out of the bay. Behind him, and panting hard, Yahiko splashed noisily from the waters. Kenshin paused long enough to asses if the boy was all right before taking off at full sprint up the long flight of stairs that lead to the castle entrance. He could sense them all now, so very close. And alive.

Saito paced up along side of him as Yahiko dropped behind. Kenshin knew he could not wait for the boy, however. Upon reaching the great steel banded double doors, the rurouni and the wolf both plowed into a door each, spreading them wide and letting the torch light from with in bather the darkness outside. Two things hit him at once. The overwhelming sent of blood and death and the sight of the girls just across the room.

Sano was nowhere to be seen. Blessedly, even among the bodies on the floor.

Kenshin stepped over one of the unmoving corpses and moved gingerly towards the girls. They seemed terrified. The two little ones distressed, but in good condition. Kaoru, dressed only in Sano's Aku jacket, backed up as he stepped nearer. Ayame and Suzume had no such problems. "Uncle Kenny!"

It was stated in unison. Instead of resounding with joy, the words were driven by relief and desperation. Offering a brief smile for the children, Kenshin dropped a hand on each of their heads even as his vivid blue eyes looked back up to Kaoru. She didn't say a word. The young woman's arms were wrapped tight about her chest, she wore a look of fear that the Rurouni had hoped she would never have upon seeing him. Kenshin felt his heartbeat pick up in his chest. If Kaoru-dono wore Sanosuke's jacket, then what had happened to her clothing? The entire scene and response would imply...

"Where is Sagara."

Kenshin was brought back to the present by Saito's resounding voice. Perhaps he did not want to contemplate just then exactly what had happened to Kaoru. As usual, the officer's question came out as more of an ordered statement. Yahiko made it up to the doors at that point, and stepped into the room with an audible gasp. Impatient, Saito turned predatorily eyes upon the girls near Kenshin. "Where is Sagara."

Little four year old Suzume bit her lip before pointing up a grand flight of stairs. "Uncle Sano wen' after the bad guys up the stairs."

Glancing up in that direction, Kenshin spotted the man pinned against the wall. "Who did all of this?"

Ayame eyed the bodies, her face a contortion of horror. Kaoru closed her eyes and bit hard on her lower lip. Suzume looked the samurai directly in his eyes and stated, "Uncle Sano. They were gonna hurt us."

Kenshin felt a wave of horror wash over him. Sano...? The rurouni tallied the destruction wrought and paled. Sano had killed. A great deal. His young friend had always been rowdy and violent, but Kenshin had always seen him as innocent at heart. This... was not the act of an innocent.

The red head stared up toward the second floor. Realization dawned and he was bolting hard for the stairs. He needed to stop Sano from doing any worse, from bloodying his hands any further. What ever was on Saito's mind, he had already graced the top and was disappearing along the upper story even as Kenshin himself bound up the stairs. There were sounds of a battle on this floor. The samurai slid to a halt beside a now stock still Saito. The room beyond was more than a scene to behold.

---------------

Sanosuke was pleased to hear the order and barred his teeth in what might have passed for a grin as the men all came at him. With a grunt, the ex-kenkaya ducked a blow from a broad sword, coming up and palming its wielder hard in the sternum. He rotated with the man and used him as a shield from another who heaved a large wooden baton full of spikes down across his comrade's shoulders. Sano let the man fall even as he screamed and bound through a small opening over toward the left wall. Reaching up to the wooden pegs, the street brawler grabbed the first thing he could reach.

The mace was huge.

The young man turned and held the wooden grip up in time to block a blow from a military Katana. The sword pinged off of the metal shielding plates near the top of the crude weapon. Sanosuke took this brief respite to heave the heavy spiked ball at the end of the chain hard into the next man's middle, crushing his lower ribcage. The man spit out blood even as he collapsed to the floor. The young man then swung backwards with the wooden end of the mace, catching the katana wielder with a glancing blow to his head. He dropped like a stone.

The street brawler moved fast enough to duck another swing from the man with the spiked baton, only to take a hard hit to his back from a man wielding a small war hammer. Sanosuke twisted hard as he staggered, just missing a hit from a man with battle axe held in a tight two handed grip. The young man stood up right then and spun on his heel, letting the mace fly wide about him in a circle. The unorthodox move caught three men off their guard and sent each flying into a wall. Recovering from this spin, Sano plowed the front of the wooden handle into the gut of the man with the battle axe, he staggered and fell to the floor.

Dodging a second hit from the war hammer, the ex-kenkaya instead found himself thwacked hard on his wounded shoulder with a quarter staff. Grunting in pain, Sanosuke tried to turn and return the favor. He was caught off balance by the man with the huge club as he swiped at Sano's left leg. The street brawler hissed as the spikes tore into his flesh. Pulling instinctively back from it, he tripped over another man behind him and they both went tumbling to the floor.

Instinct had Sanosuke roll quickly even as his leg pounded in pain. The war hammer fell just then, shattering the ribs of the unlucky fellow Sano had landed on. Mace still gripped tight, Sano swung the ball at the knee cap of the hammer wielder, dropping him hard. Moving fast, the young man stood up and rammed his left shoulder hard into the man with the club, driving him the five steps backwards into the wall of weaponry. His skull cracked soundly on the stone, he dropped there. Spinning fast, Sano threw the mace at the last remaining flunky with enough force as to drive the man back to the opposite side of the room.

Chocolate brown eyes hard as steel turned onto Kuromori, who held his ground on the table. Left arm and sword shaking, sweat beading down his forehead. "N-now Sagara-kun. You wouldn't have t-taken my threats seriously? I w-was just kidding around a-about the whole thing! I-- Battosai!"

"Sano!"

The young man exhaled and turned slowly to face the blown out door. There stood Kenshin, his face hard. Beside him Saito, his look for all the world appraising, thoughtful. But it was Kenshin's fierce eyes that raised the hackles on his neck. "Sano, this one can not condone this. Leave Kuromori to me. We will not kill him or anyone else tonight."

Kuromori collapsed onto his knees on the table. "Oh Battosai, you are a gracious and..."

Sanosuke however growled, his eyes blazing. "Stuff it you fuckin' coward! Kenshin, have you seen Kaoru? Did'ja take a good long look at the girl? This is the bastard that ordered it! I can't let that go!"

"This one did see her Sano. And this one is angered by it, but killing is not the answer."

"Yeah, and what is? Put 'im in jail? Let 'im break out and try it again? Does that sound like a good answer? I don't fuckin' think so!"

The rurouni's eyes narrowed. "He will receive due punishment."

The young man however, the rage flaring still with in him looked up the ceiling and fairly howled, "Kenshin, I can only think of two good punishments for this guy! Either we rape him or kill 'im and I ain't volunterin' for the first!"

With that, he stormed from the room, directly between Kenshin and a silent Saito. Sano turned with intent of marching on down the stairs. He didn't make it. His tired body had finally given it's all and the world went black as the floor came up fast under his chin. Sanosuke was finally free from it all, for a time.

Language Notes:

kenkaya- Fighter for Hire. Mentioned it before, but I never did translate.

Taichou- Capitan (as in 'Capitan Sagara')

Hai- yes

'Katsu no Baka'- 'Katsu you stupid'

Author's Notes 11/05

What is this? Two chapters in one month? Egads! But if you must know, I've been waiting the whole story to write this chapter. It was such fun! I just adore unusual fight scenes, I just hope their coming across coherently. I really did just fly threw them here, it was very easy to get into the morbid horror of it all. I'm starting to wonder if I should change one of the genre's on this... "Horror: The Night Sanosuke went on a Killing Spree..."

Anyway, I know only two of you had a chance to review the last chapter, but they were a pleasure to read. I'm very pleased to be considered original. As to you Avek, I agree about the normal portrayal of Sanosuke. I like to think he is more complex than the one dimensional character he is often written as. (Not always, I've read some fantastic stories out there where he actually is a fleshed out character.) I'm just after proving a point that the man is not all together as innocent as many want to see him.

So, can you see where the real angst will come in before I wrap this up? Oh... Sano Kenshin tension. Have to love a good 'bout of anger between friends. And how will Kaoru respond to all of this?

Well you will find out when I type and post the finale to this story in chapter six.

Here's hoping for your continued enjoyment of this work of fiction in all of it's dark glory, and your continued patience with my sporadic posts. (There is a light at the end of the tunnel now though )

DoC