THE MEETING

A quiet day on the slightly lower class suburb, only a few kids playing around the muddy playground and nothing else…

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Tsukioka Tsunan! I know you're in there!"

…..

"Hey, Answer me!"

…..

The tall spiky haired guy stood solidly in front of the old wooden door of one of the houses, he exhaled loudly in annoyance. I'm sure this is the right address.. the stall owner couldn't be lying, …or could he? He observed at the corner of his eyes that the children at the playground were now eyeing at him with a surprised looks. Damn… But he didn't pay attention anymore. He got to see…

"Katsuhiro! Come out"

……

The door was immediately opened, drawing in a haggard face of the nishiki-e artist who was living a discreet and mysterious life, or so the stall owner had mentioned briefly. He displayed an expressionless face, and those gray orbs were unfathomably dark and haunted..

"Who are you? ..What do you want?", he muttered icily.

Sanosuke smirked his usual cool smirk as he greeted the artist, " Is that how you greet an old comrade, eh, Katsu?" His smile widened as the other guy furrowed his brow slightly, trying to recall something.

…..

….. "… Impossible…. S-sano?", he uttered in a less composed voice, unbelieving.

"In flesh, my friend", says the former fighter for hire good-naturedly.

…..

"You..you're alive.. after, after all these times.. what.. how, how did you find me?", he asked, stupefied.

"Che… I had my ways…. And I s'pose I was lucky to have spotted this", he gestured to a carefully rolled nishiki-e that he found at the market place.

Katsu eyed the painting he drew. It was the portrait of the Sekihoutai leader, Sagara Souzo standing in front of the soaring rocky mountain.. and at the background stood two smaller figures.

"Guess I can't help but see the two brats standing at the background, now, can I?", Sano's voice was full of good humor, even the normally cold artist managed to pull a half-smirk at that comment.

"Eh, Katsu, is this how you treat your guest? By not letting them in?", the brown-eyed guy grinned, earning a scowl from his old comrade.

"I don't normally have guest, but, by all means, Sano, come in if you insist", he replied smoothly, with a slight edge of sarcasm hinted at his words. Too bad Sanosuke was rather too dense to notice.

Over a cup of sake, the two old friends conversed..

"I thought I was the only survivor of the Sekihoutai.. " Katsu took his cup and sipped it slowly, eyes downcast to the simple tatami floor.

"I thought so too myself.. for a long time.. but, hey, it's good to meet you again.. been awhile, and s'pose these days, things are getting better…", Sano commented, shrugging his shoulders in the process.

His attention snapped back. "How.. " he hissed out slowly "Just how can you appear so..relaxed.. after all those years?" His gray eyes came alive with a deep hatred "Don't you remember all that have happened? Don't you remember Taichou?…and… that bastard Isshin!", his voice raised a little, both fists were on his sides, trembling with barely controlled fury.

Sano observed his comrade, quietly nodding. "I suppose I'm learning to live… but, of course I remember…..I could never forget that day"

"I could never forget it.. it's as fresh on my mind like it was yesterday.. this nightmare never ends.."

The two stayed silent for a long while, contemplating, reflecting, reminiscing about the past….

Their downfall… Sekihoutai's downfall. Ironic really, after such a long time, the two survivors met again by sheer fate. Yes, it was probably fate that provided the chance meeting.

"Are you with me?", a voice spoke up, slicing the silence into two.

Sanosuke was dumb-founded. "Huh? what?"

"I said, are you with me? Are you on my side?", the gray-eyed man said slowly, repeating himself.

"Well.. of course.. you and I are the only survivors from Sekihoutai, of course I'm on your side.. we're on the same side", he answered firmly.

Katsu nodded solemnly, putting down the sake cup on the low table.

…. "Let me show you something….", Katsu stood up suddenly, waiting for his friend to follow suit. Then, the black-haired guy stood next to an old wardrobe with an odd flicker of light shone in his dull gray eyes. He waited for Sano to stand right in front of the wardrobe before swiftly, he shifted the worn down sliding door open, and made Sanosuke's eyes bulged in shock.

'What on earth…'

"Look at these! This is what I've been doing in the past years! This is my sweet revenge.. and since you are here too.. let's begin plotting Isshin's downfall now!", he exclaimed. A psychotic look was portrayed on his face, full of desire to destroy, to kill once and for all.

Sanosuke blinked. "You.. you've made all these? These… these are…"

"Sakuretsudan… my most improved version, thanks to years of tedious researches and studies..", he replied casually.

Sanosuke bent forward to take hold of one. "It's…a.. bomb? Where did you learn to make these?", he asked in a mixture of amazement and dread.

"I had my ways…", he shrugged non-chalantly. "Now, are you still with me?", he asked once again, gray eyes boring to Sano's skull, demanding an answer.

'He is so bitter about the past… To think that at one stage, I looked like this too.. full of hatred.. full of bitterness…. And revenge..

How do I make him see, like Kenshin made me open my eyes?

How do I answer him?'

Sano cleared his throat. How am I gonna answer him?

Katsu observed the slight hesitant look on his friend's face.

He closed his eyes. I should've known…. To think that I could trust a comrade…

"It's fine if you don't want to come, I understand. I will be on my own, but.. all I ask of you as comrade .. don't tell anybody about this", he said in low voice, closing the wardrobe and turning his face away from Sano.

….

"What is your plan?"

Katsu stilled. "I will attack the Ministry of Defense courts first.. then make my way to the others…", he replied rather ambiguously, unwilling to tell him anymore than necessary. After all, he's not coming anyway…

"When?"

Frowning, the long-haired man replied, "Why are you asking? It's not like you'll …"

"I'll go with you", Sanosuke cut him effectively, showing every bit of calmness through his voice. Before Katsu can say anything else, he added, "After all, you'll need a helping hand, and who else could be better than me at this kind of job.. Oh, and I want to try out the home-made Sakuretsudan too…", he grinned, earning a smirk from the other. 'Baka Sano!'

"Do you have friends or loved ones?", the nishiki-e artist asked out of the blue.

"Huh? excuse me?"

"Do you have friends or loved ones, I said…" he repeated patiently. Sometimes he could be so… slow… Did the fall off the cliff affect his head so much? Katsu noted in irritation.

Immediately his head conjured up images of The Kenshingumi, and he smiled a little. "Oh, you could say that… what do they have to do with anything?", he replied, slightly puzzled.

"We could make a move next week, so that'll give you time to say your farewell to them", Katsu turned his head away to the painting of the wall. It was a sakura tree with its leaves falling down to the ground. "You do realize that once you're involved, we'll be fugitives, don't you?", he said quietly, pondering if Sanosuke really will be joining him in this mission at all..

Brown eyes crinkling at the corner, a deep voice of laughter erupted from him, causing Katsu to frown. "What is it?" he asked crossly.

"Ah, no.. it's just ironic.. funny.. but, anyway, it's the least of your worries.. I've always been living a solitary life myself.. and adventure isn't a new thing… but hey, that means.. farewell celebration, no? Do I get to invite my friends for some food and sake before our mission?.. ohh, and did I mention already that I know you're such a famous artist that makes quite a bit of fortune from your nishiki-e?", he winked playfully.

Rolling his eyes, Katsu took out his coin purse. "Figures. Here, you can use it all.. I don't care and don't really need it anyway, all I care about is that victory will soon be ours.. " he turned away to enter another room. "I'll see you at midnight next Monday at place A, Sano" he said flatly.

"Wait, you'll join in as well.. this is your money after all.. you better enjoy the food as well…on, …let's make it Sunday evening… Ja na!", Sanosuke called out, before he turned to leave, a rather fat leather pouch on his palms, whistling a cheery tune on his way out.

"Whatever.." gray orbs were focused on the ceiling as he lay down on his futon.

Finally, it's going to happen… Sagara Taichou, I will avenge you at last….

Maybe then nightmares won't plague my dreams anymore…

Monday morning can't come too soon… he sighed as he closed his eyes.

A/N: A slightly clearer story, perhaps? No? oh, well…. I did try… hope it's not too rushed.. anyway, perhaps I'll make another chapter while I'm at it… just as closure… And yes, even though this story isn't popular, I'll still do it anyway, just b'cause I feel like it.. he heh.. (sad, I know.. heheheh)