A Truth In the Darkness

A Tale of Rurouni Kenshin

Chapter Four: Hopes, Dreams, and Fears

"How is he, Gensai-sensei?"

The older man sighed and rubbed at his eyes for a moment. "I can't say much at this point. He has taken some very serious injuries that will take time to heal."

Kenshin had gathered that much on his own. "Will he be all right?" Kenshin asked with some trepidation. He was a realistic man and could tell how very much his young friend had been injured. However, Sano was the only man he trusted as far as he did in recent years. Sano was, truthfully, his best friend. He couldn't bare to loose that. Getting only silence from the doctor, Kenshin implored, "Can you not tell this one?"

"I have treated and bandaged his wounds and dosed him with medicines. He's strong and I know from past experience with him that he's otherwise healthy. Sanosuke's chances of surviving his injuries are good, but there may be complications. . ."

Kenshin was not at all appeased by the sound of this. "Complications. . . ?"

"He must have inhaled a lot of dust in the mine, his breathing is very labored," Gensai expounded. "More so than his broken ribs would account for. He'll have to be watched very closely in the next few days."

Kenshin nodded in response to this, and noted that the older man had quietly left out any reference to the head wound Sano had received. That would be a hurdle to tackle later. Even so... "May this one see him?"

Gensai slid the shoji open ahead of Kenshin and allowed the red head to enter. "Shuhei-san was kind enough to allow me a room next door if you need me. I'll go write up a message to send off to Megumi-san and Kaoru-chan. I'll be back to check on him again shortly."

Kenshin silently showed his understanding to the elderly doctor as he slid the shoji closed again. The rurouni walked slowly toward the pallet, which was laid out on the floor in the middle of the room, accessible from both sides. Sano was lying on his stomach. He noted that most of what was not covered by blankets was covered in bandages. Even with the warm glow of the kerosene lamp in the room and the setting sun alighting the walls, Sanosuke looked pale. So pale.

Kenshin pulled his scabbard from his side and knelt beside his younger friend, resting the sword on the floor beside him. It wasn't as though he had not seen the beaten and abused form of his best friend before. Certainly not. It was a matter of the more he fought at the man's side, the more Kenshin realized how much he relied on the ex-gangster. And the time in peace spent at the dojo served to confirm how much he required Sano's friendly companionship.

Perhaps it was the emotions that suddenly threatened the rurouni that caused him to reach out and take Sano's frequently injured right hand into his own. It was uncharacteristic of him to need contact, however perhaps that would aide the younger man in coming back to them. Kenshin saw that Sano's other arm was heavily splinted, however the hand in his grip did not feel so cold as when he was carrying that form out of the cave.

"Sano...," he sighed softly as he knelt in the waning daylight. The sound of his injured friend's labored breathing echoed in his ears. Kenshin had no doubt that Sano was battling fiercely and determinedly for each breath. It was not his friend's spirit, his determination, or his will to live that he doubted. It was the flesh that contained them. It was a question that Megumi-dono had posed to him concerning his own body; a question he could not help but carry over the the 19-year old form of his friend. How much abuse could the mortal body take before it refused to be coaxed into healing itself one more time?

Another scar, or several, he thought. Kenshin was well aware of most of the recent ones scored on that young body. All caused by fights at his side, or for his cause. The rurouni painfully remembered where many of them were, as he had witnessed a number of them being inflicted. Not all, certainly not all. The boy had found plenty of trouble on his own accord.

However, he had never the opportunity to sit his young friend's bedside before. With Saito, he had been too concerned with finding the threat, and well aware that the others of the dojo were tending to the wounded Sano. After Shishio, Kenshin himself had been laid out far longer than Sano had. Once the younger man had recovered himself to be up and mobile, it had in fact been Sano who would come and talk with him while on bedside watch. It was, perhaps, somewhat unnerving to the ex-hitokiri.

It caused Kenshin to once again consider putting an end to it. He had realized that traveling with him, being his friend, had put both Sano and the other's at risk. And was often very bad for their health, to say the least. It was thoughts such as these that had driven him to leave his friends behind in Tokyo when he went to Kyoto. However, none of them would hear of it.

Sanosuke wouldn't hear of it.

In fact, the younger man had been insulted, thinking that Kenshin had considered him a liability and thus left him behind. One night, after the fight with Shishio, Sano had forced something of a hash out with Kenshin while doing his nighttime vigil. The rurouni had explained at the time that he had not left Sano behind because he thought he would get in the way. No, it was for the selfish reason of not wanting to see Sano get hurt again, as had happened to him by Saito's sword.

Sano had responded quite hotly that it was not Kenshin's decision to make. He had told Kenshin at the time that, even if there was a risk, it was worth it. And it didn't matter anyway, Sano would just go ahead and continue finding trouble and helping others on his own. Like he had with these children. His courageous friend certainly didn't do it for recognition or reward. He got precious little of that standing in Kenshin's far reaching shadow. He did it because he felt it was the right thing to do.

But, Kenshin had to admit, as much as he wanted to protect Sano, to keep him away from the danger of being targeted by enemies of Battosai, he wanted... no .... needed Sano at his side on such journeys, teasing him over laundry, at his back during a fight. He trusted no one as readily with his life. He treasured no one's company as he treasured Sanosukes'.

He certainly was not giving up hope. Kenshin would never give up hope, it was a life motto that he lived by. But these thoughts flowed through his mind more intensely as he sat and watched the brother of his heart nobly fight for his life.

Because that was the truth of it, on reflection. Sano was a brother to him. And Kenshin willing sat with him for the rest of the night.

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There was a vague awareness of patched brightness and warmth on his face. This thought had barely formed in his consciousness when a more urgent knowledge took him. Violet eyes opened, pupils dilated on the source of the sliding shoji, hand swept automatically to the hilt of his weapon. Gensai-sensai stepped though the door way with an arched white eyebrow and a nod in Kenshin's direction. Kenshin nodded back, released his sword and took the moment to orient himself.

The red-haired man sat cross legged against the wall near the bottom of the futon. Kenshin watched for a long moment as Gensai knelt, more agile than his years would have one think, beside the brunette sprawled on his stomach. Sano did not so much a stir beneath Gensai-sensei's ministrations. Nor had he during the course of the old doctor's periodic visits during the night. The last such visit has had been four hours before. Kenshin himself must have slipped into a cat nap during that time.

"You know, Himura-kun, Shuhei-san has a rather warm and hearty breakfast prepared down the hall," Gensai said as he held his fingers to Sano's neck, presumably checking he younger man's heart rate. "He's quite a cook, our host. Go and fetch yourself some food, I'll be a while with Sanosuke-kun."

Kenshin dallied for a moment as indecision took him. Finally, reason won out over his base desires. He would do no good to Sano by not eating and a stretch would serve him well. The rurouni acquiesced with a nod of his head to his elder's suggestion and unfolded himself from the floor to head down to the common room of Shuhei-dono's home. It was with a cocked head that Kenshin halted at the end of the hall, warmed by familiar voices reverberating through the gathering room.

He had been more soundly asleep than expected to have missed their arrival this morning. Ah, yes. Gensai-sensei had said he would send message to Kaoru-dono. It should not have surprised him to have the girl show up with Yahiko in tow. Sano was as much a brother to these two as he was to Kenshin himself. He smiled slightly, listening in to a quiet, yet heated argument between the two. Shuhei sat opposite them, rice ladle wagging in his one hand. "Mah, mah. Kaoru-chan, Yahiko-chan, calm down both of you and eat breakfast before it goes cold!"

"I'm not Yahiko-"chan"! And tell buso to stop being so prickly. I'd rather eat than talk to her anyway."

"Ha! I wish you would eat, Yahiko-chan! If your mouth were full I wouldn't be listening to you ranting!"

Shuhei huffed at this and thumped the kettle between them with his ladle. "Children! Both of you knock it off, you cause enough ruckus to wake the dead. Do I need to remind you of your injured friend just down the hall?"

Twin chastised looks followed Shuhei's ladle as waved it in direction of said hall. Twin sets of eyes widened on the sight of Kenshin standing and watching them from the doorway. "Kenshin!"

Kaoru jumped to her feet, chopsticks falling haphazardly to the floor and sprinted to Kenshin. Yahiko was slightly more delicate about his bowl and chopsticks, but stood before Kenshin in record time as well. Kaoru-dono wrung her hands as worried blue eyes watched him. "Oh Kenshin. Gensai-sensei sent word last night, we left at dawn this morning to get here! Megumi-san was beside herself, she would be here with us if someone else could tend the clinic. Gensai-sensei and Shuhei-san filled us in where they could. But Kenshin, how is he really? Sanosuke?"

Kenshin could not summon his rurouni smile for her. The thought was there, yet could not be fulfilled. "As Gensai-sensei has likely said, he looks to have a good chance of full recovery. Right now, his breathing is somewhat labored. His left arm is broken as are several ribs. Sano has not woken since the cave-in. However, Sano's color is much improved and he does not seem to be in pain at the moment."

Kaoru sighed, relaxing slightly before him. Yahiko eyed the rurouni suspiciously. "What aren't you saying, Kenshin?"

Kenshin blinked, reminded once again of Yahiko's perceptiveness despite his age. The rurouni closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, summoning the strength to bring to words the horror that lurked in his heart. "Sano received a head wound during the cave-in. This one is most concerned by his continued unconsciousness."

The worried look had returned full on to the Kamiya woman's eyes. "Your not saying you think he... that Sanosuke won't..."

An unnaturally broad grin stepped in among the three of them then. "Now you lot shouldn't be standing over here worrying about unknown things when a perfectly good breakfast is getting cold just over there." Shuhei-san, ladle still in hand, gestured back toward the rice dish. "You too, Himura-san. Food is on. I'd be insulted if you didn't eat."

"Look, I appreciate your generosity and all Shuhei-san," Yahiko ground out as he rounded on the old soba-stand keeper. "But we can't be in this kind of hungry good mood when our friend..."

The older man grunted. "If your friend is that same young man I watched save our kids yesterday, then I say you all shouldn't be so worried. I haven't seen many that strong spirited in my day. Takes more than a few falling rocks to knock down a man like that, I'll tell you. And you don't do yourselves or your friend down there any favors by fretting away your breakfast. Now go and eat!"

At this all three complied. Chastised, the residents of the Kamiya dojo finished their breakfast in relative silence. It was to this scene that Gensai walked back in on. He smiled to the group as they all turned to look to him, long eyebrows nearly grazing wrinkled cheeks. "Sanosuke-kun is doing quite well. His heart rate is good, and his breathing is considerably easier. With the ribs tightly bound, I should be able have him rest on his back by midday tomorrow. I even managed to get him to take some liquid."

"He's awake?" Kaoru asked hopefully.

Gensai's smile dimmed slightly as he turned it upon his adopted granddaughter. "No child, he hasn't awoken yet. I messaged his throat. Give him time to recover. Sanosuke-kun will come around, you'll see. Have faith in him."

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He was in pain, his back positively killing him and his head pounding out a new dance beat. He was thirsty and all though he didn't feel particularly hungry just yet, he knew his stomach was with out a doubt empty. These were not the things that woke him, no. Nature was beckoning loudly and it occurred to him that he had no idea as to how he was going to answer.

Lying on his back as he was, Sanosuke automatically went to move his left arm to support an upright effort. He'd been favoring his injured right hand for a few months now, he knew not to use that one. What he discovered, was that at the moment the left arm was an even worse idea. Even the twitch of effort pulled a heartfelt groan from his throat as pain awakened in the limb.

"Sano! Are you awake?"

The yelp of , well, he thought it was delight or hope or something like that, was followed quickly by the concerned face of Jou-chan leaning over him. Bright blue eyes met his, but the girl did not wait for a verbal response. She smiled delightedly and then called to somewhere over his feet, "Kenshin, Gensai! Sanosuke is awake!"

This set off a lovely banging gong between Sanosuke's ears, which sorely hampered his already questionable concentration. All the same, Jou-chan was oblivious and she quickly turned her attentions back to him. Her hands were gentle as she reached out to grasp his right arm and as she smiled, her eyes were most suspiciously wet. "Oh, Sanosuke, we've been so worried about you. Do you know you haven't woken in four days? You must be so hungry, so thirsty by now! Oh, I'll get you some water, you just stay right there."

Sanosuke complied, he didn't really have many options, and honestly he was still trying to absorb everything that she had said. It was a very good thing that she was not apparently expecting a response. He'd been out for four days? How did that happen? He didn't have very long to think about it, as the opening of a screen to the room heralded the entrance of Kenshin, the doctor, and after a brief pause Yahiko trailed into the room.

Kenshin and Yahiko both stepped close to th palette Sano laid upon, Kenshin smiling wanly upon seeing his open eyes. The old doctor knelt beside him and Jou-chan returned to stand beside the doctor, holding the cup of water tantalizingly out of reach. The doctor reached out to check the bandages t Sanosuke's head and began talking in a calm voice to him. "Well how lovely to see you awake, Sagara-kun. Do you know who I am?"

Sanosuke blinked, that seemed an odd question to ask, but all the same it was one he could answer. "Gramps."

His reply was hoarse, sounding terribly underused. His lungs and ribs balked at using extra air to talk. The old doctor smiled, well used to the less than polite term of endearment from this one. "Ah. Very good. And can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

Again, Sanosuke blinked in response to the question. His vision was slightly hazy, but not so bad as to be unable to count fingers. "Three."

He must have suffered a head wound, Sano decided. That would explain the strange questions. He could answer them, then. This would be all well and good as long as Gramps continued to ask questions that involved one word answers only. "Very good, very good. And tell me, do you know what happened to you?"

Sano twitched his eyebrows down on this question. There was something at the far reaches of his memory, something big... but as to what it was... "No..."

Kenshin leaned over further into his view t this response, his expression concerned. "You do not remember anything of the mine cave in, Sano?"

"Cave..." The word trailed off as a tumble of disjointed images assaulted th young man's mind. Yes, the old mine, the kids... The Kids! With a half gasp Sano very nearly tried to force himself up right, and might have made it if not for Gensai and Kenshin's hands pushing him firmly back to the pallet. The action set off a coughing fit, which caused Gramps to grab the water cup from Kaoru and press it to Sanosuke's lips. After a moment, the coughing subsided.

Kenshin's hands remained pressed to his shoulders as he urged quietly, "Sano you must stay still, you are very badly injured."

Sano reached up with a mighty effort and grasped one of Kenshin's arms with his right hand. Between gasping and painful breaths he panted, "Kyou?"

Gensai murmured softly, "Well, then I would imagine he remembers now."

However, Kenshin overrode this statement by gently squeezing Sano's right shoulder and informing him with a smile that, "Kyou is fine Sano. You did very well in protecting him. He was not even scared when I found the two of you. I believe his biggest concern was for you, my friend."

Kauru knelt as well, quietly taking over the spot Gensai had just vacated. Shoulder to shoulder with Kenshin, she touched Sano's face and said with a bright smile, "That little boy has dragged his mother down here everyday to see you Sanosuke. He has been telling you stories while you slept."

"And," Yahiko piped up from a above, where he was working very hard to study the floor boards beneath his feet, "That kid really wants you to watch him run. Guess you've got a fan. No accounting for some peoples tastes."

For all of the gentle concern that Kenshin and Kaoru were directing at him, Sanosuke was finally moved to a weak smile by Yahiko's awkward attempt at sarcasm. Everything was going to be alright if the kid was stilling willing to pick on him. "S'good. Smart kid."

This returned teasing brought Yahiko's eyes up to meet his and the boy smiled briefly before conscientiously smoothing his face into an ambiguous pose. "Yeah, yeah, Rooster. Whatever you say. I still think its bad taste."

This brought a chuckle to everyone in the room. And though it hurt physically for Sano, on another level it certainly did feel good to have something to laugh about.

Author's Free Talk:

Ugg. Yeah. So... It was written. And then I did something I probably shouldn't have. I decided to rewrite the ending. Which lead to rewriting pieces of the beginning. Which lead to some frustration. The results, are, as you see, a very long time between posts on a story that should have been done. I can't do anything at this point but apologize and say that, no... I haven't dropped the story.

What I can say is that I had to tweak. I was trying for a less detailed story when I started writing this, as I've been told in the past that I tend to be too wordy. And, I was uncomfortable with it but willing to try. In the mean time, I actually had a few requests for more details once I started writing this story. And My writers instinct said 'Really, why thank you for giving me the permission!' and off we went...

So, thank you to those of you who have been asking after this story after all this time. It's still here if your still interested. Thanks for continuing to badger me, if if I'm terrible at responses. And after this. I expect one more chapter to wrap things up in a nice and pretty little package. Besides, I have more friendship stuffs to explore with Sano and Kenshin, yeah?