Chapter Two
Hiding Out
Friday, 4:23 pm
Three days after the Karate' Kata Finals
"Hey! Himura, I got something I want to ask ya. Wait up will ya." Sanosuke jogged up next to the red head who had stopped and turned around when he heard his name. "Whew, you're a tough guy to find, ya know."
"Really," Kenshin's voice was smooth but laced with sarcasm and just a touch of his personality signiture insolence. "Maybe I didn't want to be found, Sagara. Ever think of that?"
"Huh?" The boy towered over Kenshin by at least five inches, but that had never made any difference when it came to guts,muscles, or skill in a fight. He had found himself looking at the ceiling and the floor way too many times to under estimate the shorter boy when he heard that particular tone in his voice. "Hey, look... don't go gettin' all twisted out of shape on me, Ok. I just wanted to talk to you, Man. Geez, why you so touchy all the time?"
"I don't know. Maybe I don't like being bothered with stupid bullshit that doesn't matter to me, or maybe I don't like being bothered with stupid bullshit that doesn't concern me, OR maybe I just don't like you, and your stupid bullshit, Sagara. Take your pick, which one do you think it is?"
"Ok, fine. So you don't like being bothered and you don't like me, what's the big news flash, huh? You don't like anybody, Himura, and you don't hang out anywhere in particular, so you never know anything that's going around here anyway. Your like a ghost or something the way you creep around."
"A ghost? I guess I can go with that, although, I always pictured myself as more of a spider type, because I DO actually know more about what goes on in this sorry excuse for a school that you think I do."
"Great for you. What do you do, hide in the hallways and the bathroom stalls?"
"Nah, I just know how to disappear. You know, fade into the back ground and just go unnoticed. It's real easy once you get the hang of it. Maybe you should learn how to do it, Sagara, then you could spare most of us from having to suffer the pleasure of your presance."
"You're really an asshole, aren't you, Himura. No wonder you don't have any friends."
"Hmmm, you think? Gosh, and here I thought it was because I only shower once a month. Damn!" Lavendar eyes twinkled with sarcastic amusement as they watched the other boy's discomfort grow the longer they talked, but Kenshin was not in the greatest mood and did he not really feel like making Sanosuke feel like a total fool, so he decided to give him a break. "All right, allright... So I'm an asshole, big deal. Your a fucking idiot, but at least your parents come to visit you more often that once or twice a year."
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"It doesn't. What did you want to say to me." Kenshin allowed a genuine smile of friendly indulgence to curl his lips as he nonchalantly folded his arms and waited for Sanosuke to speak. Of course, he was innerly shaking his head in dismay because the other boy had not even noticed that he had just beed called a 'fucking idiot'. 'Sad, Wasted... Predictable.'
"Well, umm..." Now that he actually had permission from the prickly red head to talk, Sanosuke found himself stumbling over his own words. 'Dammit! Why does he always make me feel like a stupid country boy with hay for brains? 'Cause you are a stupid country-boy, Sagara, duh.' He hated it when his inner voice had the gall to come up with a logical answer for everything. "Ok, listen. There is a bunch of us who are going to sneak off campus and go out to Hackler's Point tonight, and we wanted to know if you were interested in coming. That's all." He had big round brown eyes, and at the moment they looked like they might pop right out of his skull they were open so wide. "Whadaya say? You up for it? Huh?"
"What's the big draw out to Hackler's Point?" There was something strange going on here, and Kenshin was not so sure he liked it. Something about this whole thing smelled wrong, but he could not quite put his finger on it. "Is this some sort of tribal-manhood inititiation cerimont or something?"
"Geez, you are a sarcastic jerk. Don't you ever say anything nice to anybody." Kenshin just smiled blandly and shrugged." Whatever," Sanosuke shook his head in defeat and wondered for the millionth time why he was wasting his time with this guy. "You know I can't believe you have been here for three years and you don't know what's out on 'The Point'. I mean, everybody knows what's out there."
"Really? Everybody? Sounds majorly important, Sagara. Majorly... That's funny, you know, because I can't hardly imagine YOU knowing anything important. Can you?" He raised both dark brown eyebrows in a mock show of inquisitiveness, and Sanosuke sneered back.
'Asshole.' "The Lighthouse, Man." Kenshin just looked at him with the same bland stare. "Geez, you really don't know anything that goes on around here that's WORTH knowing, do you? The Lighthouse is supposed to be haunted." Sanosuke lifted his long-fingered hands into the air and wiggled them around, while he hunched his shoulders and started making ghost-like sounds and walking around funny. "OooooOOooooOOO... You know, ghosts and stuff. It's supposed to be scarier that Hell out there, and tonight is the best time to go."
"Why?" This was a bad idea.
"It's a new moon, Man. It'll be almost completely dark... no moonlight or nothin'. Just the stars and that's all. Way cool huh."
"Yeah, way cool..." The voice was just as bland as the look on Kenshin's face as he continued to think it all sounded like a bad idea. "So, whose 'the bunch' that are going on this ghoulish little picnic of yours?" 'I can hardly wait, and I bet I can guess half of them.'
"Ummm, let's see.... Me, of course." He thumped his chest proudly.
"Duh... God, Sagara, you really are a no-brainer aren't you."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, who else is going?"
"Uhhhmm... Shinomori and his girlfriend, Tomoe Yukishiro, Linka Gensai, the Weasal and the Fox girls, Ruakii and his little sister, and the two new kids... and you, if you aren't too chicken." A sinister sneer covered Sanosuke's usually absent minded face as he leaned down to glare into the shorter boys violet eyes. He was hoping that his last statement would rattle Kenshin's stoic detached attitude a little, but when he looked into those glittering crystaline orbs, he knew he had failed. 'Dammit!' He swore to himself. 'What the hell does it take to rattle your cage, Man?'
"Oh Gosh, hmmmm... Let's see... am I too big of a chicken to go?" Sanosuke rolled his eyes back as he listened to Kenshin's voice drip with sarcasm and insolant bad humor, and when he did finally look at the red haired teen, he was absently tapped his chin with a long pale finger as if lost in very deep thought, but the look on his face belied that notion. "Gee, hmmmm... I don't know, Sagara. I'd be violating my parole by going off campus without permission from the Master Wolf... I could really get into a lot of trouble... Boy, Oh boy, I don't know... Hmmmmm...."
"Geez, were you always this big of a prick, or did it take killin' that old man to fuck you up this bad?" The words were hardly out of his mouth before Sanosuke found him self thrown so violently to the ground that several of his vertebrae popped. "Ooooff! What the..." And then Kenshin was bending a knee into his chest effectively crushing most of the air out of his lungs, while pushing a very strong fist underneath his chin at the same time. Little blue and white stars started circling around his head and his vision began closing in on itself.
'Oh My God... He's gonna kill me! He's gonna kill me!! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!' He was screaming in terror inside his mind, but not even the smallest squeak came out of his mouth. It dawned on him at that moment that he had inadvertantly stumbled on the one thing that it took to rattle Kenshin Himura's cage, and now the ferocious little red-headed beast was on the loose and crawling down his throat. Sanosuke tried to look up into the face above him, and a shudder of pure terror went through him. Kenshin's eyes were not that sissy violet color anymore. Somehow they had changed into two glowing coals of amber fire, and they were filled with an anger Sanosuke had never seen in a human being before.
"Listen to me, you little shit." The voice was a feral growel coming from deep inside Kenshin's chest, and when he pulled his lips back in a snarl of purest anger, Sanosuke was allowed to see the demon that lived in his soul, and it scared him more than anything he had ever seen. "You don't know me... You don't know anything about me, and don't EVER presume that you do. Nobody knows what went down that night... NOBODY!! Least of all a stupid idiot like you. You can't even tie your own shoelaces let alone figure out my life or understand anything more complex than scratching your own ass. So don't fuck with me, you got that? Don't ever fuck with me or you'll be wearing your teeth around your neck." Then he backed off and stood up his breathing short and harsh as he struggled to calm the fury that had exploded within his heart and soul. 'He doesn't know anything... I should not have done that... I can't believe I did that... I really scared the shit out of him... He did not deserve that... I need to get a grip, get a grip, Kenshin... get a grip, Man.'
"Holy shit..." Sanosuke was still shaking like a leaf in the wind, and he was praying desperately that he had not pissed on himself while looking into the face of his own demise. As he lay there, he could not remember any other time he had ever been that scared. He had really thought Kenshin was going to kill him, and the way his eyes had changed... creepy, unnatural, way unnatural. Totally unreal. Sanosuke did not know peoples eyes could do that.
"Here." The sound of a quiet polite voice beside him brought him drifting back into reaility. 'What was going on?'
"Wha.." He looked up and became totally confused by what he saw.
"I'll help you up. Here, take my hand and I will help you get up."
"Are you serious?? You just tried to kill me, Man." 'He was insane.'
"If I had wanted to kill you, Sano, don't you think you'd be dead by now?" The usually snide voice suddenly sounded very different to Sanosuke. It almost sounded... sad? depressed? defeated? sorry? reproachful? Wierd.
"You're not gonna' clobber me again are you?"
"No."
"You swear?"
"Oh for God's sake, just give me your hand."
"Ok. But you better not do anything."
Sanosuke reached up and grasped the hand that was being offered to him and it gripped his hard pulling him easily to his feet. He stumbled a little bit as a wave of light headedness washed over him, and he had to bend over to rest his hands on his knees so he could lower his head.
"You Ok?" Was that concern?
"Yeah, I guess so." He drew in a deep breath trying to steady himself, and then slowly stood up to face Kenshin. "Look Man, I didn't really mean anything by what I said, it's just sometimes you're so..." His face turned thougtful and he began to scratch his head as he searched for the words he wanted.
"I know, Sano. I'm an insolent, frustrating, stubborn, bad-ass and nobody knows how to approach me because I'm like a volcano waiting to blow up, and everybody is afraid they are going to get burned."
"Yeah, that's about right, but I was thinking a nuclear bomb was closer... you know, all the radiation fall-out and everything." A big grin split his thin face as he decided his description was the better of the two.
"A nuclear bomb, huh? Not bad... I guess that works for me." Kenshin dropped his head and stared at the toes of his sneakers for a long moment, and then he did something that nearly had Sanosuke in seizures. "I am sorry, Sano. Truly I am. I should never have done that to you. It is just that sometimes I have this really horrible temper, and I have not quite learned how to keep a grip on it. I know I scared you, and I am really sorry." He actually sounded sincere. This was very wierd.
"Hey Man, it's cool..." Sanosuke felt extremely unsettled by this abrupt change in a boy he had always thought was nothing more than a cold-hearted asshole. But there was the exact same boy standing right in front of him apologizing for almost scaring him to death. He was not sure how to take that. "Look, I'm Ok. You didn't break any of my bones or anything." Their gazes met for a moment and they both smiled wanly. "But you're right. You did scare the hell out of me."
Kenshin laughed very softly, and shook his head in sad self reproach. "I am sorry though. I should not have done that to you. I guess the only excuse I have is you pushed the right button."
"Or the WRONG one."
"Yeah, I guess that would be more appropriate considering what happened, wouldn't it?"
"I think so." Both boys laughed a little nervously, and then it grew quiet. Several long moments passed before either of them spoke again, and when one of them did, it was shocking what was said.
"Nobody knows, you know." Kenshin's voice was just barely above a whisper and Sanosuke was taken aback by the fragileness he heard in it. It almost had the tone of a small sad child to it.
"Knows what?" He asked quietly as he stepped a little closer.
"What happened."
"What do you mean, 'What happened?'? What happened? What are you talking about, Kenshin?" Sanosuke sounded more confused than usual as he stared at the pale frozen profile of the strangest kid he had ever met. But now, for some reason, he really wanted to know what was going on inside that kid's head. He wanted to know what it was that made a kid like him pull away from everyone and hide behind a bad-ass attitude so nobody got too close, because he had a sinking feeling, that was exactly the kind of kid Kenshin was.
"Nobody knows anything about what happened that night. I tried to tell them, but they would not listen to me. I was just a punk, so I could not possibly be telling them the truth. You know what I mean?" Deeply sad eyes turned to look at Sanosuke for a brief moment, and Sano nodded his understanding feeling like a big blanket of depression was dropping over his head as he did. "No one has ever believed me... I guess that is why I don't trust anyone... that's why I push everyone away... it's why I don't have any friends." The expression on his face was sad when he looked up into the hazy blue sky and shrugged. "I decided a while ago that it's better to stand alone and fight the whole world than it is fighting alone against a world that doesn't know you exist."
Sanosuke suddenly felt very bad about what he had said to Kenshin. He also began to believe more and more that Kenshin was not really as tough as he appeared to be. "Did you do it, Kenshin? Did you kill that old man like everybody says you did?"
"No. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong crowd."
"Then if you didn't do it, how'd they pin it on you?"
"I was the only one they found around the place. Everyone else got away clean. No finger prints, no video, no eye witnesses, nothing."
"Ok, but I still don't get it. How'd they find you and not the other guys?"
"Because I did not get away like they did. I tripped over a big pile of garbage in the alley behind the old man's store and landed all wrong, and I broke my leg... can you believe that shit?" He laughed a bland ironic sound that made Sanosuke wince. "I didn't do a damn thing, and I fall on my ass, break my leg, and get blamed for the whole fucking thing because I was the only one who could not get away."
"You know, there's rumors all over the school that you shot him; blew a hole big enough to drive a bus through in the midded of his damn chest, and that you ended up wiping his blood all over your clothes and stuff because you didn't want to mess up the merchandise you were gonna lift."
"Sounds about right for the mentality of this place..." He snorted in disgust and discouragment. "I did not shoot him, Sano." There was a long pause before Kenshin continued. "But I did end up with his blood all over my clothes. One of my so-called buddies was trying to get the gun out of his hand, and during the struggle, the gun went off, and it did blow a huge hole right in the middle of his chest. Then everything started to move in slow motion reel-time stuff. There I am watching this big puff of gray smoke come out from between the two of them, and then the old man comes flying straight backwards and smashes right into me. We go sailing off through the air like a fast-ball headed to homeplate, until we hit the wall like a ton of bricks. Next thing I know, we are both on the floor and he's laying in my lap with his head up around my chest, and there's a river of blood pouring out of his chest, his mouth, and his nose and he's coughing it up and spraying it all over the place. I remember he reached back and grabbed the front of my jacket and tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth but little whistling sounds and a bunch more blood. That was when my buddies ditched me." Kenshin turned away and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black satin letterman's jacket and started digging at the grass with the toe of his sneaker. "They knelt down in front of me and that poor old man, looked me in the eye, and said, "Hey Man, sorry 'bout this, but we gotta fly, the cops are commin'. You understand... We can't get caught, Man. We gots to go." I guess that was when I first heard the sirens... God, it sounded like every Cop in town was on his way, and my buddies took a fly out the back door and left me behind with that old man bleeding to death all over me. I could not believe they left me behind... just like that, you know. They didn't even blink and eye, they just turned their backs on me and ran." Violet eyes gazed blankly into the distance as the memory of that betrayal weighed heavy on Kenshin's mind. "Sometimes, I still can't believe it. They just left me there."
"And these were the guys who were supposed to be your friends?"
"Yes. We'd been hanging out together for two or three years, you know. Scronging around the streets and stuff. We did a little breaking and entering, but we never actually stole anything. We were just doing it for the rush, you know." He favored Sano with an ironic self recriminating smile. "What a rush, huh?" Then he chuckled morosely to himself. "Yeah, what a rush... stupid. The other guys, they got into a little bit of vandalism, but nothing too serious. I never went with them when they did that... It just wasn't my style, you know, but in all that time, nobody ever got hurt... there was never anybody around when we were screwing off, and we'd never gotten caught before... at least, I had never gotten caught before. They all had juvinile RAP sheets as long as my arm."
"Didn't you think maybe they weren't exactly the best bunch of dudes to be hanging with when you found THAT out?
"Yes, but I thought it made me look cool to hang out with the 'bad kids', and besides," A wicked smile crossed his lean face. "It really pissed off my parents because they were just the kind of kids they DIDN'T want me to hang with."
"Awwww... I think I'm getting a picture here. You don't get along with your folks to good, is that it?"
"Oh, I don't know, I guess we get along all right, as long as I fade into the background and don't make any waves or problems that they might have to deal with... as long as I don't do anything that makes them have to deal with Me."
"That's what you were talking about before..." Sanosuke muttered to himself as he recalled what Kenshin had said about HIS parents coming to see him more than once a year, and about fighting against a world that doesn't know you exist. "So, you hung out with the raunchy crowd to try and get their attention?"
"Sort of, well maybe in the beginning, but then I did it because I wanted to. They were my friends and we had a good time together. So, it sort of achieved two goals with one solution."
"You had your friends and did whatever the hell you wanted, and pissed your parents off at the same time. Is that it?"
"Yes. But at least they did notice me once in a while."
"Oh yeah, great. I'll bet they noticed. I'll bet Friday nights at the Himura house were a real grand ole' party time, weren't they?"
"The Seijurou house." Kenshin's voice had dropped again to the point Sanosuke could hardly hear him, and his face had frozen in a look of icy anger.
"The what?"
"The Seijurou house," He said irritably. "You said 'The Himura house' and that is wrong. It's The Seijurou House."
"Ok, you lost me, Kenshin. What the hell are you talking about now?"
"My Dad died when I was about five I guess, and my Mom got married again when I was eight. His name is Hiko Seijurou, so IT is The Seijurou House. Both my brother and sister are Seijurou's, and my Mom IS a Seijurou too. I am the only Himura in that whole fucking household."
"You've got to be kidding?"
"I don't think so. Hiko has been my step-father for nine years, and he has never given a shit what happened to me. All of his attention is centered on my brother and sister. He does not have time for a troublesome step-son."
"You've got a brother and sister, Kenshin? Wow, I didn't know that. I don't think anybody knows that. Are they younger or older?"
"Younger." The tone of his voice softened and the features of his face became pensive. "My step-brother, Soujiro, is the same age as I am only I am older by four and a half months. Our little sister, Cleo, is almost five. I haven't seen her since she was a baby."
"Wha... Why not? Doesn't she come with the rest of your family when they visit?"
"No."
"No?! Why not?!" His voice was filled with incredulity and shock and a little outrage. Sanosuke could not believe what he had just heard. Kenshin had a little sister he had not seen for almost four years. What the hell was going on here?
"They do not bring her when they come."
"Why, Kenshin? Why don't they bring her? I can't believe you haven't see your own sister for almost four years. That's just plain wrong. What the hell is wrong with your family. Do you know why they dont bring her along?" The level of Sano's outrage was growing by the minute. The more he learned about Kenshin's family, the angrier he became.
"I guess... maybe... Shit, I don't know anymore. They don't bring Cleo because they don't want her to see Me 'locked up'. They think I'll be a bad influence on her like this, and Hiko believes that she is too impressionable and too intelligent to lie to about 'this'. So they decided not to let me see her until I'm 'fully rehabilitated'. That is what Hiko and MY mother decided was the best thing for MY little sister... but what is best for me? Who gives a fuck. They don't. They never did."
"You have got to be kidding. That is the biggest pile of bullshit I ever heard in my life." Sano shook his head sending his shaggy shock of dark brown hair dancing about his forehead. "Man, you got a raw deal coming and going. First, it sounds like you got stuck with the family from Hell, and then your buddies turn out to be A1 punks. Geez, Kenshin, no wonder you don't trust anybody." Kenshin did not respond to Sanosuke's abrasive remark. He just looked back down at the hole he was making in the grass with his shoe.
"So... What happened after your so-called punk buddies left you behind that night? What did you do?"
Kenshin wrinkled his brow for a moment as he reached back into his mind and touched the hated memories of that night, but despite the repugnance they carried for him, he decided maybe it could be a good thing if he finally told someone everything that had gone down. Considering his current reputation, it could not hurt.
"It took a bit of work, but I finally got the old man off me. I was really panicking by that time because I could hear all those sirens coming closer. But I think it was really too late by that time anyway. The Cops were right outside of the door on the sidewalks, but I thought I might still have a chance, so I went flying as fast as I could and tore my way out the back door into the alley. I tripped and fell over that shit because I was too busy looking over my shoulder to see if anybody was following me. That was probably the stupidest thing I could have done. It broke my leg right in half and dropped me to the ground. It hurt so bad I couldn't even crawl, and the next thing I know I'm being yanked up off the ground like an old bag of clothes. All these Cops were standing around yelling in my face, calling me a filthy little punk murderer and stuff like that. I kept trying to tell them that I didn't do anything, but they wouldn't listen to me. No one would listen. All they would say was "We caught you red-handed, boy, or maybe we should say red-headed." And then they would all laugh."
"Didn't anybody notice you were hurt or anything?" Sanosuke's voice was filled with astonishment and anger as he listened to the rest of Kenshin's story unfold.
"Yeah, they knew I was hurt. They ALL knew." His voice held a cold ominous tone that made the hair on Sanosuke's neck stand up, and he suddenly felt like the world around him was getting really small.
"What did they do to you, Kenshin?" He was almost too afraid to ask.
"Made me walk on it... all the way back through the alley, through the store, and up to the patrol car. Then I was being ordered to get in and sit down on the backseat. I told them I couldn't... I told them my leg was broke and it was killing me and I couldn't sit the way they wanted me to. This one Cop, I remember, he was a real hard-ass, you know... well, he gets in my face and starts saying to me that it's just to damned bad that my poor busted up little leg hurts and that I should have thought about that before I blew that old man away. And then... and then..." The voice choked up and Kenshin stopped speaking for a moment. Sanosuke reached out and rested a firm hand on his shoulder and, to his utter disbelief, discovered Kenshin was shaking.
"He... He shoved you into the car... didn't he? He grabbed you and shoved you into the backseat of that fucking car and bent your leg. He refused to let you put it up on the seat like it should have been... didn't he?" Kenshin nodded in stiff silence and then swallowed hard.
"I passed out. I couldn't take it, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in some sort of infirmary and my parents were there. I could hear them talking to some guy about my leg, and I heard him say that it was a good clean break and should heal without any complications. That seemed to relieve them somewhat, but then they were talking about what had happened, and I couldn't believe what I heard them saying." His voice choked up again and he had to stop talking for a few more minutes. Sanosuke waited without saying a word, and when Kenshin started talking again, he voice was low and filled with a pain that Sano had never heard before.
"They were asking what kind of deal they could get for me to reduce my prison sentance because I was only a boy; I was only 14. Then I could hear them apologizing for me being such a bad kid and saying they just didn't know where they had gone wrong with me because my brother was such a good boy. They could not understand what had driven me to do such a terrible thing, and yet they stood there and told that person that I had always been their most difficult child. I was the one they had worried about getting into trouble the most. I-I couldn't believe it... My parents were selling me out to the Cops without even asking ME what had happened... They have never asked me what happened that night. Not once. They just assumed I was guilty the same as everyone else, and handed me over to the County District Attourney's Office without saying a single word to me about anything. Then they turned their backs to me and walked away."
"Whoa... that's... I think that's the worst thing I have ever heard, Kenshin. I really mean that. How could your folks just hand you over like that without even talking to you about what happened? How could they not even ask you one time what happened? I can't imagine my Dad doing anything like that to me. I mean, he's a hard-ass when he has to be, but he has always listened to me when I had something to say. He's never just ASSUMED anything on me. He's always asked me first and waited to hear my side of the story. I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel if he never believed anything I said to him... I'm sorry, Kenshin. I'm sorry your folks were like that, and I'm sorry they did what they did to you. It never should have happened. They should have been in there fighting for you, not throwing you away like yesterday's garbage. I know if anything bad happened to me, my Dad would be right there doing everything he could to help me... no matter what."
"Then you are lucky, Sanosuke Sagara, and I envy you."
"No, I'm not lucky. I'm normal... I have a NORMAL Father and a NORMAL family life. You got cheated, Man. You got ripped off and cheated out of a normal life, and it's wrong. It's way wrong. It never should have gone down that way. You shouldn't be here."
"Then you are saying you believe me, Sano? You believe everything I told you is the truth?" There was a sound of shock and surprise in Kenshin's voice, and Sanosuke turned and found Kenshin looking right at him. His eyes were violet once more, but were this time they were filled with a sort of hopeful confusion as he searched Sanosuke's face. "You really believe I am innocent? You believe I didn't do it?"
"Hell yes. I might be stupid, but I'm not a total idiot. I know the truth when I hear it. Besides, you were right about one thing."
"What is that?"
"If you had wanted to kill me, I'd have probably been dead before I hit the ground, and if you had already killed somebody before then it really wouldn't have bothered you to do it again. But you didn't... In fact, you felt bad about what you did... You're no killer, Kenshin. You might be an asshole and a sarcastic moody prick, but you're no killer."
Kenshin smiled and laughed out loud. "Thank-you Sano, that means more to me than you can possibly know or understand."
"What? Me calling you an asshole and a sarcastic prick?"
"No, you idiot. That you believe me... Geez, you really do function on a differnt wave length than the rest of us, don't you?"
"I guess so." He shrugged and grinned. "But at least I make life a lot more interesting."
"That you do, my friend. That you do." And Kenshin Himura did something he had never done in his entire life. He offered his hand to Sanosuke Sagara in friendship, and Sano took it.
"There, now you don't have to stand alone against the whole world anymore, Kenshin Himura." He said in a quiet serious voice as he gripped the other boys hand firmly. "I would be proud to stand and fight at your side,and I would be proud to call you my friend." Kenshin had allowed Sanosuke the rare privledge of seeing inside of his carefully constructed defense barriers, and Sano had entered in as a friend. Kenshin released the hand he held and took two steps back, and when he caught Sanosuke's eye, he nodded to him in aknowledgment of their new relationship then he bowed formally in a show of respect.
"Thank-you, Sano." He said when he rose and faced the gapping mouthed teen. "I have never had a friend I felt like I could trust. I think I can trust you... Can I trust you, Sano? Can I trust you, or will I be forever watching my back waiting for you to betray me just the same as everyone else in my life has?"
"No way, Kenshin." Sanosuke threw his shoulders back and stood up straight and tall as he met his new friends wary gaze. "I don't do that to my friends. I don't believe in that shit."
"What do you believe in, Sanosuke Sagara?"
"If you go in together, you come out together or you don't come out at all." His brown eyes sparkled fiercly with the fervor of his convictions, and Kenshin could do nothing but believe him. "I promise I'll be there to watch your back, Kenshin. It's not like you really NEED anybodies help in a fight, but everybody needs somebody to watch their back for those sucker punches they don't see comin'."
"And you are going to watch my back for sucker punches? Is that it?"
"Yup. That's it."
"All right then, if you are really serious about that, you will have to start right now."
"Right now?" Sanosuke's face registered confusion. "Whadaya mean?"
"If I go with you on your little outing tonight, you're going to have to watch my back around Ruakii. After all, I did kick his ass in front of the entire Kata class, AND earn the Wolf's respect at the same time. I think he is probably pretty pissed off at me over that."
"Hmmmmm, I hadn't thought about that. You're probably right... Ok. It's a done deal. If you think you can sneak out of your room without getting caught, then I'll meet you down by the Eastside stream at 11:30."
"Why the Eastside stream? There is no road over there."
"I know, but there's an old foot trail that is supposed to lead down to the coast line, and then it's a straight shot up to the point."
"Ahhh, I see. All right. I'll be there at 11:30... Is everyone showing up there?"
"Uh-huh."
"Sano? Did I hear you right before? Did you say the 'new kids' are coming?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Just exactly 'who' are the 'new kids'?"
"Come on, you know... that one girl... she's in Old Man Gensai's morning Chem class... has really long black hair that's always hanging in her face... you know?"
"Yes, I know her." Kenshin felt the muscles tighten up in his stomach as he thought about the shy girl with the long black hair who had appeared in his Chemistry class, then his Art class, his English class, and finally his Ancient Japanese History class. His eyes were drawn to her like magnets, and he could not seem to stop looking at her. She had never seemed to notice though because she always sat with her head bent down causing her hair to creat a thick black curtain around her face. He had gotten to see her face a few times, and even though they were only brief glimpses, he had been able to discover she had petite almost elfin features. But it was her eyes that had really gotten to him. They were enormous in that delicatly structured face. They looked like twin pools of liquid cobalt, and for the brief moment he had caught their glance, Kenshin had found himself drawn into them until he was lost within their warm velvety depths. The memory of those incredible eyes had been haunting him for the last three days, and now he was being given the opportunity to actually be with her in a social engagement. He may actually get the opportunity to talk to her and hear her voice. A shiver of anticipation raced along his spine and tingled in his hands and feet as he considered the possible outcomes this one night could have on his future.
"Her little brother is going to come too. I guess he thinks he's a little hard-ass and has been bragging all over campus that he's not scared of anything."
"How old is he?"
"I don't know. About 13 or 14 I think. He's old enough to eat his own words if he's a back-house bragger though."
"I suppose, but none the less, someone will have to keep an eye on him if he does actually come. He's not exactly at the age of self-control yet, and he could get scared enough to go running off."
"Hmmmm, I guess that is true enough. Ok, I'll help keep an eye on the brat, but I'm not letting him get in the way of my other plans." His brown eyes twinkled wickedly and the smile that crossed his face was purely male.
Kenshin raised one elegant dark brown eyebrow questioningly and asked, "What other plans?"
"I've got my eye set on something else besides watching out for some screaming brat."
"And that 'something else' would be?"
"Megumi Takani."
"Interesting taste, Sano. I didn't know you were into spoiled self-centered little girls."
"Hey, she's not that bad. She's just... well, she's just got really rich parents, and that's not her fault."
"No, that is not her fault." Kenshin smothered a chuckled behind the ruse of rubbing his nose. "But that does not change the fact that she is self-centered and a bit snobbish."
"Maybe, but she has a lot of good points too, you know."
"Like what?"
"Liiiikkke.... She is really pretty, and her hair looks really soft, and... well, she is really pretty."
"Ok, Sano. She is very pretty, but you need more in a girl than for her to just be pretty. Does she like you?"
"I dunno." He shrugged and punched his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "She's never really talked to me or anything, but she does look at me sometimes."
"She looks at you sometimes?? Ok, well, I guess that is a start." He shook his head as another round of laughter threatened to spill from his mouth. "Sano? Have you ever even said 'Hello' to this girl?"
"Ummmm, well,.... ahhhh, not exactly. I don't know what to say to her... She's so pretty, and... well... Dammit! I just don't know what to say, that's all." His voice turned rough with his increased frustration.
"Ok,ok... I understand, but if you have 'plans' for her, you have got to at least be able to speak to her, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess so. But I don't know how to do that."
"Ahhhh... Come with me, my friend, and we will discuss the complexities of learning how to say, 'Hello, My name is Sanosuke Sagara, and I think you have a great ass."
"KENSHIN! I can't say THAT. She'd kill me or something."
"Ok," He failed to control the rich laughter that tumbled over his lips that time. "I will try to be serious. Come on, and lets see if we can figure out how to teach you to say 'Hello', all right?"
"Yeah, Ok. Kenshin?"
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Not a problem." And the two teens ambled off across the green carpet of grass heading in the direction of the boy's dormatory. They made for a strange coupling with one being so tall and the other so much shorter, but they had come to an important understanding between them, and that was all that really mattered. Being friends and being able to trust each other was the most important thing after all, what more was there to have?
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"Are you sure he's going to be there? I'm not wasting my time if he's not, so you better be absolutely certain." Ruakii always seemed to have the ability to look more like a sewer rat than the Wolf his father was, and his younger sister, Quii, was very good about pointing that out to him.
"Of course I'm certain he's going to be there. I told you already, you deranged neanderthol, I saw the two of them talking all buddy-buddy out on the Quad this afternoon, and then they walked off together towards the Dorm." Quii rolled her piercing yellow-gold eyes back into their sockets as her level of irritation with her brother started to become unbearable. "What is it with you and HIM anyway? You're starting to act like a dog stuck on a raccoon's scent, Ruakii, and you're acting just as stupid as one too."
"Hey, shut-up Runt. Nobody asked your opinion, did they?" He glared daggers at her from his reflection in the bathroom mirror where he was brushing his thick steel colored hair for the hundredth time. Quii was leaning nonchalantly against the door frame watching him like always, and just stuck her tongue out at him when he snapped at her. "You know one of these days I'm going to beat the shit out of you, Runt."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Go whine to somebody who cares, Ruakii." She waved him off with a eligant flip of her hand as she turned and walked back into her room. Flopping back down on her unmade bed, she looked back across the hallway and considered her brother for a few more seconds. "You never answered my question, Stupid."
"What question?" He was always so enthralled with his own reflection that half the time he never noticed when she insulted him. It worked out well for her.
"What is it with you and the Himura kid? So he kicked your butt in Kata finals, you still passed with one of the highest scores."
"How do you know that?"
"I heard Dad talking to Mom about it a couple of nights ago."
"You heard THEM TALKING ABOUT ME?" His voice rose to a dangerous tone as his glare took on a murderous gleam.
"Calm down, all I heard him say was Himura beat you out for the number one spot in the class, but that you finished right behind him."
"I finished SECOND? I finished behind HIM? FUCK!" He slamed his fist against the wall making the mirror shudder dangerously.
"Hey! There are children presant. Watch your mouth."
"Yeah? Where?" Ruakii tossed his head rudely in her direction before going back to the mirror, and Quii just laid there and watched him for a few more minutes.
"You know something?" Her voice was quiet and just a little bit sad.
"What?" He did not seem to notice. Ruakii never noticed anything unless it was in the mirror.
"One of these days... you're going to say something to me that I won't be able to forgive you for."
"Yeah, so? What's your point?"
"If I stop listening to your crap all the time, and talking to you, who will?"
"Hmmm, good point I suppose. But that won't ever happen."
"You think?"
"I know."
"You KNOW? Geez you're an arrogant jerk. How do you KNOW that it won't ever happen?"
"Because you wouldn't ever be able to keep your nose out of my business that long, and God knows, you wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut that long... you'd have to say something to me eventually. So, you see, I don't have anything to worry about."
"You really are a first prize dick."
"Hey! Watch your mouth, Runt. You don't talk like that!"
"No, just you talk like that, right?"
"Well... Yeah, I guess so, but you don't. You got me?"
"Oh sure, big brother. Like you care so much what I do or say."
"Quii... cut it out, ok. Your really starting to get on my nerves."
"Sorry." A long silence followed and then, much to his eternal irritation, she asked him another question. "Can I still come with you tonite, or are you mad and going to make me stay home?"
Ruakii looked across the hallway and saw Quii laying on her back staring at the ceiling in her room. Both arms were thrown over her head and her legs were pulled up at the knees. She looked like she was ten years old instead of 15, and that was something about her that always bothered him. Just when he thought he could not stand her for one more moment, she did or said something that changed his whole point of view on her.
"What is that supposed to mean? I never said you couldn't go. God your irritating, Quii. Why can't you give me a break once in a while? Do you always have to be so difficult to deal with?"
"ME?? Difficult to deal with? BULLSHIT!!!" Suddenly she was up off her bed and her face was only two inches away from his nose in about a half of a second. "YOU wrote the book on 'DIFFICULT' you stupid, ignorant, concieted, moron! And if you weren't my only brother, I'd probably disown you after all of the mean, cruel things you've said and done to me. All I have ever done was try to get along with you... and I try to find a way to fit into your stupid life... but you just don't get it, do you? No, you don't. I love you, you selfish ass... but I don't like you very much most of the time." And then she turned away from his wide-eyed shocked face and marched back into her room slaming the door behind her. The audible click of the locking mechanism was heard next, and then her radio came on.
Ruakii guessed that meant she did not want to talk anymore. He was not sure at this point in his life what was more difficult to understand, girls or sisters? It was a close race. It was very very close.
Thank-you for reading my new Kenshin fiction. Please Review.
***Update*** The next chapters 6-7 of 'Beloved of The White Flame' will be up very shortly... I hope. I am in the process of editing content and fixing problems.
The second half of chapter three for "Master of High Tower" on the Fictionpress site should also be up soon. Trust me, I am staying very busy. :) Tsuki-san.
Hiding Out
Friday, 4:23 pm
Three days after the Karate' Kata Finals
"Hey! Himura, I got something I want to ask ya. Wait up will ya." Sanosuke jogged up next to the red head who had stopped and turned around when he heard his name. "Whew, you're a tough guy to find, ya know."
"Really," Kenshin's voice was smooth but laced with sarcasm and just a touch of his personality signiture insolence. "Maybe I didn't want to be found, Sagara. Ever think of that?"
"Huh?" The boy towered over Kenshin by at least five inches, but that had never made any difference when it came to guts,muscles, or skill in a fight. He had found himself looking at the ceiling and the floor way too many times to under estimate the shorter boy when he heard that particular tone in his voice. "Hey, look... don't go gettin' all twisted out of shape on me, Ok. I just wanted to talk to you, Man. Geez, why you so touchy all the time?"
"I don't know. Maybe I don't like being bothered with stupid bullshit that doesn't matter to me, or maybe I don't like being bothered with stupid bullshit that doesn't concern me, OR maybe I just don't like you, and your stupid bullshit, Sagara. Take your pick, which one do you think it is?"
"Ok, fine. So you don't like being bothered and you don't like me, what's the big news flash, huh? You don't like anybody, Himura, and you don't hang out anywhere in particular, so you never know anything that's going around here anyway. Your like a ghost or something the way you creep around."
"A ghost? I guess I can go with that, although, I always pictured myself as more of a spider type, because I DO actually know more about what goes on in this sorry excuse for a school that you think I do."
"Great for you. What do you do, hide in the hallways and the bathroom stalls?"
"Nah, I just know how to disappear. You know, fade into the back ground and just go unnoticed. It's real easy once you get the hang of it. Maybe you should learn how to do it, Sagara, then you could spare most of us from having to suffer the pleasure of your presance."
"You're really an asshole, aren't you, Himura. No wonder you don't have any friends."
"Hmmm, you think? Gosh, and here I thought it was because I only shower once a month. Damn!" Lavendar eyes twinkled with sarcastic amusement as they watched the other boy's discomfort grow the longer they talked, but Kenshin was not in the greatest mood and did he not really feel like making Sanosuke feel like a total fool, so he decided to give him a break. "All right, allright... So I'm an asshole, big deal. Your a fucking idiot, but at least your parents come to visit you more often that once or twice a year."
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"It doesn't. What did you want to say to me." Kenshin allowed a genuine smile of friendly indulgence to curl his lips as he nonchalantly folded his arms and waited for Sanosuke to speak. Of course, he was innerly shaking his head in dismay because the other boy had not even noticed that he had just beed called a 'fucking idiot'. 'Sad, Wasted... Predictable.'
"Well, umm..." Now that he actually had permission from the prickly red head to talk, Sanosuke found himself stumbling over his own words. 'Dammit! Why does he always make me feel like a stupid country boy with hay for brains? 'Cause you are a stupid country-boy, Sagara, duh.' He hated it when his inner voice had the gall to come up with a logical answer for everything. "Ok, listen. There is a bunch of us who are going to sneak off campus and go out to Hackler's Point tonight, and we wanted to know if you were interested in coming. That's all." He had big round brown eyes, and at the moment they looked like they might pop right out of his skull they were open so wide. "Whadaya say? You up for it? Huh?"
"What's the big draw out to Hackler's Point?" There was something strange going on here, and Kenshin was not so sure he liked it. Something about this whole thing smelled wrong, but he could not quite put his finger on it. "Is this some sort of tribal-manhood inititiation cerimont or something?"
"Geez, you are a sarcastic jerk. Don't you ever say anything nice to anybody." Kenshin just smiled blandly and shrugged." Whatever," Sanosuke shook his head in defeat and wondered for the millionth time why he was wasting his time with this guy. "You know I can't believe you have been here for three years and you don't know what's out on 'The Point'. I mean, everybody knows what's out there."
"Really? Everybody? Sounds majorly important, Sagara. Majorly... That's funny, you know, because I can't hardly imagine YOU knowing anything important. Can you?" He raised both dark brown eyebrows in a mock show of inquisitiveness, and Sanosuke sneered back.
'Asshole.' "The Lighthouse, Man." Kenshin just looked at him with the same bland stare. "Geez, you really don't know anything that goes on around here that's WORTH knowing, do you? The Lighthouse is supposed to be haunted." Sanosuke lifted his long-fingered hands into the air and wiggled them around, while he hunched his shoulders and started making ghost-like sounds and walking around funny. "OooooOOooooOOO... You know, ghosts and stuff. It's supposed to be scarier that Hell out there, and tonight is the best time to go."
"Why?" This was a bad idea.
"It's a new moon, Man. It'll be almost completely dark... no moonlight or nothin'. Just the stars and that's all. Way cool huh."
"Yeah, way cool..." The voice was just as bland as the look on Kenshin's face as he continued to think it all sounded like a bad idea. "So, whose 'the bunch' that are going on this ghoulish little picnic of yours?" 'I can hardly wait, and I bet I can guess half of them.'
"Ummm, let's see.... Me, of course." He thumped his chest proudly.
"Duh... God, Sagara, you really are a no-brainer aren't you."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, who else is going?"
"Uhhhmm... Shinomori and his girlfriend, Tomoe Yukishiro, Linka Gensai, the Weasal and the Fox girls, Ruakii and his little sister, and the two new kids... and you, if you aren't too chicken." A sinister sneer covered Sanosuke's usually absent minded face as he leaned down to glare into the shorter boys violet eyes. He was hoping that his last statement would rattle Kenshin's stoic detached attitude a little, but when he looked into those glittering crystaline orbs, he knew he had failed. 'Dammit!' He swore to himself. 'What the hell does it take to rattle your cage, Man?'
"Oh Gosh, hmmmm... Let's see... am I too big of a chicken to go?" Sanosuke rolled his eyes back as he listened to Kenshin's voice drip with sarcasm and insolant bad humor, and when he did finally look at the red haired teen, he was absently tapped his chin with a long pale finger as if lost in very deep thought, but the look on his face belied that notion. "Gee, hmmmm... I don't know, Sagara. I'd be violating my parole by going off campus without permission from the Master Wolf... I could really get into a lot of trouble... Boy, Oh boy, I don't know... Hmmmmm...."
"Geez, were you always this big of a prick, or did it take killin' that old man to fuck you up this bad?" The words were hardly out of his mouth before Sanosuke found him self thrown so violently to the ground that several of his vertebrae popped. "Ooooff! What the..." And then Kenshin was bending a knee into his chest effectively crushing most of the air out of his lungs, while pushing a very strong fist underneath his chin at the same time. Little blue and white stars started circling around his head and his vision began closing in on itself.
'Oh My God... He's gonna kill me! He's gonna kill me!! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!' He was screaming in terror inside his mind, but not even the smallest squeak came out of his mouth. It dawned on him at that moment that he had inadvertantly stumbled on the one thing that it took to rattle Kenshin Himura's cage, and now the ferocious little red-headed beast was on the loose and crawling down his throat. Sanosuke tried to look up into the face above him, and a shudder of pure terror went through him. Kenshin's eyes were not that sissy violet color anymore. Somehow they had changed into two glowing coals of amber fire, and they were filled with an anger Sanosuke had never seen in a human being before.
"Listen to me, you little shit." The voice was a feral growel coming from deep inside Kenshin's chest, and when he pulled his lips back in a snarl of purest anger, Sanosuke was allowed to see the demon that lived in his soul, and it scared him more than anything he had ever seen. "You don't know me... You don't know anything about me, and don't EVER presume that you do. Nobody knows what went down that night... NOBODY!! Least of all a stupid idiot like you. You can't even tie your own shoelaces let alone figure out my life or understand anything more complex than scratching your own ass. So don't fuck with me, you got that? Don't ever fuck with me or you'll be wearing your teeth around your neck." Then he backed off and stood up his breathing short and harsh as he struggled to calm the fury that had exploded within his heart and soul. 'He doesn't know anything... I should not have done that... I can't believe I did that... I really scared the shit out of him... He did not deserve that... I need to get a grip, get a grip, Kenshin... get a grip, Man.'
"Holy shit..." Sanosuke was still shaking like a leaf in the wind, and he was praying desperately that he had not pissed on himself while looking into the face of his own demise. As he lay there, he could not remember any other time he had ever been that scared. He had really thought Kenshin was going to kill him, and the way his eyes had changed... creepy, unnatural, way unnatural. Totally unreal. Sanosuke did not know peoples eyes could do that.
"Here." The sound of a quiet polite voice beside him brought him drifting back into reaility. 'What was going on?'
"Wha.." He looked up and became totally confused by what he saw.
"I'll help you up. Here, take my hand and I will help you get up."
"Are you serious?? You just tried to kill me, Man." 'He was insane.'
"If I had wanted to kill you, Sano, don't you think you'd be dead by now?" The usually snide voice suddenly sounded very different to Sanosuke. It almost sounded... sad? depressed? defeated? sorry? reproachful? Wierd.
"You're not gonna' clobber me again are you?"
"No."
"You swear?"
"Oh for God's sake, just give me your hand."
"Ok. But you better not do anything."
Sanosuke reached up and grasped the hand that was being offered to him and it gripped his hard pulling him easily to his feet. He stumbled a little bit as a wave of light headedness washed over him, and he had to bend over to rest his hands on his knees so he could lower his head.
"You Ok?" Was that concern?
"Yeah, I guess so." He drew in a deep breath trying to steady himself, and then slowly stood up to face Kenshin. "Look Man, I didn't really mean anything by what I said, it's just sometimes you're so..." His face turned thougtful and he began to scratch his head as he searched for the words he wanted.
"I know, Sano. I'm an insolent, frustrating, stubborn, bad-ass and nobody knows how to approach me because I'm like a volcano waiting to blow up, and everybody is afraid they are going to get burned."
"Yeah, that's about right, but I was thinking a nuclear bomb was closer... you know, all the radiation fall-out and everything." A big grin split his thin face as he decided his description was the better of the two.
"A nuclear bomb, huh? Not bad... I guess that works for me." Kenshin dropped his head and stared at the toes of his sneakers for a long moment, and then he did something that nearly had Sanosuke in seizures. "I am sorry, Sano. Truly I am. I should never have done that to you. It is just that sometimes I have this really horrible temper, and I have not quite learned how to keep a grip on it. I know I scared you, and I am really sorry." He actually sounded sincere. This was very wierd.
"Hey Man, it's cool..." Sanosuke felt extremely unsettled by this abrupt change in a boy he had always thought was nothing more than a cold-hearted asshole. But there was the exact same boy standing right in front of him apologizing for almost scaring him to death. He was not sure how to take that. "Look, I'm Ok. You didn't break any of my bones or anything." Their gazes met for a moment and they both smiled wanly. "But you're right. You did scare the hell out of me."
Kenshin laughed very softly, and shook his head in sad self reproach. "I am sorry though. I should not have done that to you. I guess the only excuse I have is you pushed the right button."
"Or the WRONG one."
"Yeah, I guess that would be more appropriate considering what happened, wouldn't it?"
"I think so." Both boys laughed a little nervously, and then it grew quiet. Several long moments passed before either of them spoke again, and when one of them did, it was shocking what was said.
"Nobody knows, you know." Kenshin's voice was just barely above a whisper and Sanosuke was taken aback by the fragileness he heard in it. It almost had the tone of a small sad child to it.
"Knows what?" He asked quietly as he stepped a little closer.
"What happened."
"What do you mean, 'What happened?'? What happened? What are you talking about, Kenshin?" Sanosuke sounded more confused than usual as he stared at the pale frozen profile of the strangest kid he had ever met. But now, for some reason, he really wanted to know what was going on inside that kid's head. He wanted to know what it was that made a kid like him pull away from everyone and hide behind a bad-ass attitude so nobody got too close, because he had a sinking feeling, that was exactly the kind of kid Kenshin was.
"Nobody knows anything about what happened that night. I tried to tell them, but they would not listen to me. I was just a punk, so I could not possibly be telling them the truth. You know what I mean?" Deeply sad eyes turned to look at Sanosuke for a brief moment, and Sano nodded his understanding feeling like a big blanket of depression was dropping over his head as he did. "No one has ever believed me... I guess that is why I don't trust anyone... that's why I push everyone away... it's why I don't have any friends." The expression on his face was sad when he looked up into the hazy blue sky and shrugged. "I decided a while ago that it's better to stand alone and fight the whole world than it is fighting alone against a world that doesn't know you exist."
Sanosuke suddenly felt very bad about what he had said to Kenshin. He also began to believe more and more that Kenshin was not really as tough as he appeared to be. "Did you do it, Kenshin? Did you kill that old man like everybody says you did?"
"No. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong crowd."
"Then if you didn't do it, how'd they pin it on you?"
"I was the only one they found around the place. Everyone else got away clean. No finger prints, no video, no eye witnesses, nothing."
"Ok, but I still don't get it. How'd they find you and not the other guys?"
"Because I did not get away like they did. I tripped over a big pile of garbage in the alley behind the old man's store and landed all wrong, and I broke my leg... can you believe that shit?" He laughed a bland ironic sound that made Sanosuke wince. "I didn't do a damn thing, and I fall on my ass, break my leg, and get blamed for the whole fucking thing because I was the only one who could not get away."
"You know, there's rumors all over the school that you shot him; blew a hole big enough to drive a bus through in the midded of his damn chest, and that you ended up wiping his blood all over your clothes and stuff because you didn't want to mess up the merchandise you were gonna lift."
"Sounds about right for the mentality of this place..." He snorted in disgust and discouragment. "I did not shoot him, Sano." There was a long pause before Kenshin continued. "But I did end up with his blood all over my clothes. One of my so-called buddies was trying to get the gun out of his hand, and during the struggle, the gun went off, and it did blow a huge hole right in the middle of his chest. Then everything started to move in slow motion reel-time stuff. There I am watching this big puff of gray smoke come out from between the two of them, and then the old man comes flying straight backwards and smashes right into me. We go sailing off through the air like a fast-ball headed to homeplate, until we hit the wall like a ton of bricks. Next thing I know, we are both on the floor and he's laying in my lap with his head up around my chest, and there's a river of blood pouring out of his chest, his mouth, and his nose and he's coughing it up and spraying it all over the place. I remember he reached back and grabbed the front of my jacket and tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth but little whistling sounds and a bunch more blood. That was when my buddies ditched me." Kenshin turned away and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black satin letterman's jacket and started digging at the grass with the toe of his sneaker. "They knelt down in front of me and that poor old man, looked me in the eye, and said, "Hey Man, sorry 'bout this, but we gotta fly, the cops are commin'. You understand... We can't get caught, Man. We gots to go." I guess that was when I first heard the sirens... God, it sounded like every Cop in town was on his way, and my buddies took a fly out the back door and left me behind with that old man bleeding to death all over me. I could not believe they left me behind... just like that, you know. They didn't even blink and eye, they just turned their backs on me and ran." Violet eyes gazed blankly into the distance as the memory of that betrayal weighed heavy on Kenshin's mind. "Sometimes, I still can't believe it. They just left me there."
"And these were the guys who were supposed to be your friends?"
"Yes. We'd been hanging out together for two or three years, you know. Scronging around the streets and stuff. We did a little breaking and entering, but we never actually stole anything. We were just doing it for the rush, you know." He favored Sano with an ironic self recriminating smile. "What a rush, huh?" Then he chuckled morosely to himself. "Yeah, what a rush... stupid. The other guys, they got into a little bit of vandalism, but nothing too serious. I never went with them when they did that... It just wasn't my style, you know, but in all that time, nobody ever got hurt... there was never anybody around when we were screwing off, and we'd never gotten caught before... at least, I had never gotten caught before. They all had juvinile RAP sheets as long as my arm."
"Didn't you think maybe they weren't exactly the best bunch of dudes to be hanging with when you found THAT out?
"Yes, but I thought it made me look cool to hang out with the 'bad kids', and besides," A wicked smile crossed his lean face. "It really pissed off my parents because they were just the kind of kids they DIDN'T want me to hang with."
"Awwww... I think I'm getting a picture here. You don't get along with your folks to good, is that it?"
"Oh, I don't know, I guess we get along all right, as long as I fade into the background and don't make any waves or problems that they might have to deal with... as long as I don't do anything that makes them have to deal with Me."
"That's what you were talking about before..." Sanosuke muttered to himself as he recalled what Kenshin had said about HIS parents coming to see him more than once a year, and about fighting against a world that doesn't know you exist. "So, you hung out with the raunchy crowd to try and get their attention?"
"Sort of, well maybe in the beginning, but then I did it because I wanted to. They were my friends and we had a good time together. So, it sort of achieved two goals with one solution."
"You had your friends and did whatever the hell you wanted, and pissed your parents off at the same time. Is that it?"
"Yes. But at least they did notice me once in a while."
"Oh yeah, great. I'll bet they noticed. I'll bet Friday nights at the Himura house were a real grand ole' party time, weren't they?"
"The Seijurou house." Kenshin's voice had dropped again to the point Sanosuke could hardly hear him, and his face had frozen in a look of icy anger.
"The what?"
"The Seijurou house," He said irritably. "You said 'The Himura house' and that is wrong. It's The Seijurou House."
"Ok, you lost me, Kenshin. What the hell are you talking about now?"
"My Dad died when I was about five I guess, and my Mom got married again when I was eight. His name is Hiko Seijurou, so IT is The Seijurou House. Both my brother and sister are Seijurou's, and my Mom IS a Seijurou too. I am the only Himura in that whole fucking household."
"You've got to be kidding?"
"I don't think so. Hiko has been my step-father for nine years, and he has never given a shit what happened to me. All of his attention is centered on my brother and sister. He does not have time for a troublesome step-son."
"You've got a brother and sister, Kenshin? Wow, I didn't know that. I don't think anybody knows that. Are they younger or older?"
"Younger." The tone of his voice softened and the features of his face became pensive. "My step-brother, Soujiro, is the same age as I am only I am older by four and a half months. Our little sister, Cleo, is almost five. I haven't seen her since she was a baby."
"Wha... Why not? Doesn't she come with the rest of your family when they visit?"
"No."
"No?! Why not?!" His voice was filled with incredulity and shock and a little outrage. Sanosuke could not believe what he had just heard. Kenshin had a little sister he had not seen for almost four years. What the hell was going on here?
"They do not bring her when they come."
"Why, Kenshin? Why don't they bring her? I can't believe you haven't see your own sister for almost four years. That's just plain wrong. What the hell is wrong with your family. Do you know why they dont bring her along?" The level of Sano's outrage was growing by the minute. The more he learned about Kenshin's family, the angrier he became.
"I guess... maybe... Shit, I don't know anymore. They don't bring Cleo because they don't want her to see Me 'locked up'. They think I'll be a bad influence on her like this, and Hiko believes that she is too impressionable and too intelligent to lie to about 'this'. So they decided not to let me see her until I'm 'fully rehabilitated'. That is what Hiko and MY mother decided was the best thing for MY little sister... but what is best for me? Who gives a fuck. They don't. They never did."
"You have got to be kidding. That is the biggest pile of bullshit I ever heard in my life." Sano shook his head sending his shaggy shock of dark brown hair dancing about his forehead. "Man, you got a raw deal coming and going. First, it sounds like you got stuck with the family from Hell, and then your buddies turn out to be A1 punks. Geez, Kenshin, no wonder you don't trust anybody." Kenshin did not respond to Sanosuke's abrasive remark. He just looked back down at the hole he was making in the grass with his shoe.
"So... What happened after your so-called punk buddies left you behind that night? What did you do?"
Kenshin wrinkled his brow for a moment as he reached back into his mind and touched the hated memories of that night, but despite the repugnance they carried for him, he decided maybe it could be a good thing if he finally told someone everything that had gone down. Considering his current reputation, it could not hurt.
"It took a bit of work, but I finally got the old man off me. I was really panicking by that time because I could hear all those sirens coming closer. But I think it was really too late by that time anyway. The Cops were right outside of the door on the sidewalks, but I thought I might still have a chance, so I went flying as fast as I could and tore my way out the back door into the alley. I tripped and fell over that shit because I was too busy looking over my shoulder to see if anybody was following me. That was probably the stupidest thing I could have done. It broke my leg right in half and dropped me to the ground. It hurt so bad I couldn't even crawl, and the next thing I know I'm being yanked up off the ground like an old bag of clothes. All these Cops were standing around yelling in my face, calling me a filthy little punk murderer and stuff like that. I kept trying to tell them that I didn't do anything, but they wouldn't listen to me. No one would listen. All they would say was "We caught you red-handed, boy, or maybe we should say red-headed." And then they would all laugh."
"Didn't anybody notice you were hurt or anything?" Sanosuke's voice was filled with astonishment and anger as he listened to the rest of Kenshin's story unfold.
"Yeah, they knew I was hurt. They ALL knew." His voice held a cold ominous tone that made the hair on Sanosuke's neck stand up, and he suddenly felt like the world around him was getting really small.
"What did they do to you, Kenshin?" He was almost too afraid to ask.
"Made me walk on it... all the way back through the alley, through the store, and up to the patrol car. Then I was being ordered to get in and sit down on the backseat. I told them I couldn't... I told them my leg was broke and it was killing me and I couldn't sit the way they wanted me to. This one Cop, I remember, he was a real hard-ass, you know... well, he gets in my face and starts saying to me that it's just to damned bad that my poor busted up little leg hurts and that I should have thought about that before I blew that old man away. And then... and then..." The voice choked up and Kenshin stopped speaking for a moment. Sanosuke reached out and rested a firm hand on his shoulder and, to his utter disbelief, discovered Kenshin was shaking.
"He... He shoved you into the car... didn't he? He grabbed you and shoved you into the backseat of that fucking car and bent your leg. He refused to let you put it up on the seat like it should have been... didn't he?" Kenshin nodded in stiff silence and then swallowed hard.
"I passed out. I couldn't take it, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in some sort of infirmary and my parents were there. I could hear them talking to some guy about my leg, and I heard him say that it was a good clean break and should heal without any complications. That seemed to relieve them somewhat, but then they were talking about what had happened, and I couldn't believe what I heard them saying." His voice choked up again and he had to stop talking for a few more minutes. Sanosuke waited without saying a word, and when Kenshin started talking again, he voice was low and filled with a pain that Sano had never heard before.
"They were asking what kind of deal they could get for me to reduce my prison sentance because I was only a boy; I was only 14. Then I could hear them apologizing for me being such a bad kid and saying they just didn't know where they had gone wrong with me because my brother was such a good boy. They could not understand what had driven me to do such a terrible thing, and yet they stood there and told that person that I had always been their most difficult child. I was the one they had worried about getting into trouble the most. I-I couldn't believe it... My parents were selling me out to the Cops without even asking ME what had happened... They have never asked me what happened that night. Not once. They just assumed I was guilty the same as everyone else, and handed me over to the County District Attourney's Office without saying a single word to me about anything. Then they turned their backs to me and walked away."
"Whoa... that's... I think that's the worst thing I have ever heard, Kenshin. I really mean that. How could your folks just hand you over like that without even talking to you about what happened? How could they not even ask you one time what happened? I can't imagine my Dad doing anything like that to me. I mean, he's a hard-ass when he has to be, but he has always listened to me when I had something to say. He's never just ASSUMED anything on me. He's always asked me first and waited to hear my side of the story. I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel if he never believed anything I said to him... I'm sorry, Kenshin. I'm sorry your folks were like that, and I'm sorry they did what they did to you. It never should have happened. They should have been in there fighting for you, not throwing you away like yesterday's garbage. I know if anything bad happened to me, my Dad would be right there doing everything he could to help me... no matter what."
"Then you are lucky, Sanosuke Sagara, and I envy you."
"No, I'm not lucky. I'm normal... I have a NORMAL Father and a NORMAL family life. You got cheated, Man. You got ripped off and cheated out of a normal life, and it's wrong. It's way wrong. It never should have gone down that way. You shouldn't be here."
"Then you are saying you believe me, Sano? You believe everything I told you is the truth?" There was a sound of shock and surprise in Kenshin's voice, and Sanosuke turned and found Kenshin looking right at him. His eyes were violet once more, but were this time they were filled with a sort of hopeful confusion as he searched Sanosuke's face. "You really believe I am innocent? You believe I didn't do it?"
"Hell yes. I might be stupid, but I'm not a total idiot. I know the truth when I hear it. Besides, you were right about one thing."
"What is that?"
"If you had wanted to kill me, I'd have probably been dead before I hit the ground, and if you had already killed somebody before then it really wouldn't have bothered you to do it again. But you didn't... In fact, you felt bad about what you did... You're no killer, Kenshin. You might be an asshole and a sarcastic moody prick, but you're no killer."
Kenshin smiled and laughed out loud. "Thank-you Sano, that means more to me than you can possibly know or understand."
"What? Me calling you an asshole and a sarcastic prick?"
"No, you idiot. That you believe me... Geez, you really do function on a differnt wave length than the rest of us, don't you?"
"I guess so." He shrugged and grinned. "But at least I make life a lot more interesting."
"That you do, my friend. That you do." And Kenshin Himura did something he had never done in his entire life. He offered his hand to Sanosuke Sagara in friendship, and Sano took it.
"There, now you don't have to stand alone against the whole world anymore, Kenshin Himura." He said in a quiet serious voice as he gripped the other boys hand firmly. "I would be proud to stand and fight at your side,and I would be proud to call you my friend." Kenshin had allowed Sanosuke the rare privledge of seeing inside of his carefully constructed defense barriers, and Sano had entered in as a friend. Kenshin released the hand he held and took two steps back, and when he caught Sanosuke's eye, he nodded to him in aknowledgment of their new relationship then he bowed formally in a show of respect.
"Thank-you, Sano." He said when he rose and faced the gapping mouthed teen. "I have never had a friend I felt like I could trust. I think I can trust you... Can I trust you, Sano? Can I trust you, or will I be forever watching my back waiting for you to betray me just the same as everyone else in my life has?"
"No way, Kenshin." Sanosuke threw his shoulders back and stood up straight and tall as he met his new friends wary gaze. "I don't do that to my friends. I don't believe in that shit."
"What do you believe in, Sanosuke Sagara?"
"If you go in together, you come out together or you don't come out at all." His brown eyes sparkled fiercly with the fervor of his convictions, and Kenshin could do nothing but believe him. "I promise I'll be there to watch your back, Kenshin. It's not like you really NEED anybodies help in a fight, but everybody needs somebody to watch their back for those sucker punches they don't see comin'."
"And you are going to watch my back for sucker punches? Is that it?"
"Yup. That's it."
"All right then, if you are really serious about that, you will have to start right now."
"Right now?" Sanosuke's face registered confusion. "Whadaya mean?"
"If I go with you on your little outing tonight, you're going to have to watch my back around Ruakii. After all, I did kick his ass in front of the entire Kata class, AND earn the Wolf's respect at the same time. I think he is probably pretty pissed off at me over that."
"Hmmmmm, I hadn't thought about that. You're probably right... Ok. It's a done deal. If you think you can sneak out of your room without getting caught, then I'll meet you down by the Eastside stream at 11:30."
"Why the Eastside stream? There is no road over there."
"I know, but there's an old foot trail that is supposed to lead down to the coast line, and then it's a straight shot up to the point."
"Ahhh, I see. All right. I'll be there at 11:30... Is everyone showing up there?"
"Uh-huh."
"Sano? Did I hear you right before? Did you say the 'new kids' are coming?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Just exactly 'who' are the 'new kids'?"
"Come on, you know... that one girl... she's in Old Man Gensai's morning Chem class... has really long black hair that's always hanging in her face... you know?"
"Yes, I know her." Kenshin felt the muscles tighten up in his stomach as he thought about the shy girl with the long black hair who had appeared in his Chemistry class, then his Art class, his English class, and finally his Ancient Japanese History class. His eyes were drawn to her like magnets, and he could not seem to stop looking at her. She had never seemed to notice though because she always sat with her head bent down causing her hair to creat a thick black curtain around her face. He had gotten to see her face a few times, and even though they were only brief glimpses, he had been able to discover she had petite almost elfin features. But it was her eyes that had really gotten to him. They were enormous in that delicatly structured face. They looked like twin pools of liquid cobalt, and for the brief moment he had caught their glance, Kenshin had found himself drawn into them until he was lost within their warm velvety depths. The memory of those incredible eyes had been haunting him for the last three days, and now he was being given the opportunity to actually be with her in a social engagement. He may actually get the opportunity to talk to her and hear her voice. A shiver of anticipation raced along his spine and tingled in his hands and feet as he considered the possible outcomes this one night could have on his future.
"Her little brother is going to come too. I guess he thinks he's a little hard-ass and has been bragging all over campus that he's not scared of anything."
"How old is he?"
"I don't know. About 13 or 14 I think. He's old enough to eat his own words if he's a back-house bragger though."
"I suppose, but none the less, someone will have to keep an eye on him if he does actually come. He's not exactly at the age of self-control yet, and he could get scared enough to go running off."
"Hmmmm, I guess that is true enough. Ok, I'll help keep an eye on the brat, but I'm not letting him get in the way of my other plans." His brown eyes twinkled wickedly and the smile that crossed his face was purely male.
Kenshin raised one elegant dark brown eyebrow questioningly and asked, "What other plans?"
"I've got my eye set on something else besides watching out for some screaming brat."
"And that 'something else' would be?"
"Megumi Takani."
"Interesting taste, Sano. I didn't know you were into spoiled self-centered little girls."
"Hey, she's not that bad. She's just... well, she's just got really rich parents, and that's not her fault."
"No, that is not her fault." Kenshin smothered a chuckled behind the ruse of rubbing his nose. "But that does not change the fact that she is self-centered and a bit snobbish."
"Maybe, but she has a lot of good points too, you know."
"Like what?"
"Liiiikkke.... She is really pretty, and her hair looks really soft, and... well, she is really pretty."
"Ok, Sano. She is very pretty, but you need more in a girl than for her to just be pretty. Does she like you?"
"I dunno." He shrugged and punched his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "She's never really talked to me or anything, but she does look at me sometimes."
"She looks at you sometimes?? Ok, well, I guess that is a start." He shook his head as another round of laughter threatened to spill from his mouth. "Sano? Have you ever even said 'Hello' to this girl?"
"Ummmm, well,.... ahhhh, not exactly. I don't know what to say to her... She's so pretty, and... well... Dammit! I just don't know what to say, that's all." His voice turned rough with his increased frustration.
"Ok,ok... I understand, but if you have 'plans' for her, you have got to at least be able to speak to her, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess so. But I don't know how to do that."
"Ahhhh... Come with me, my friend, and we will discuss the complexities of learning how to say, 'Hello, My name is Sanosuke Sagara, and I think you have a great ass."
"KENSHIN! I can't say THAT. She'd kill me or something."
"Ok," He failed to control the rich laughter that tumbled over his lips that time. "I will try to be serious. Come on, and lets see if we can figure out how to teach you to say 'Hello', all right?"
"Yeah, Ok. Kenshin?"
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Not a problem." And the two teens ambled off across the green carpet of grass heading in the direction of the boy's dormatory. They made for a strange coupling with one being so tall and the other so much shorter, but they had come to an important understanding between them, and that was all that really mattered. Being friends and being able to trust each other was the most important thing after all, what more was there to have?
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"Are you sure he's going to be there? I'm not wasting my time if he's not, so you better be absolutely certain." Ruakii always seemed to have the ability to look more like a sewer rat than the Wolf his father was, and his younger sister, Quii, was very good about pointing that out to him.
"Of course I'm certain he's going to be there. I told you already, you deranged neanderthol, I saw the two of them talking all buddy-buddy out on the Quad this afternoon, and then they walked off together towards the Dorm." Quii rolled her piercing yellow-gold eyes back into their sockets as her level of irritation with her brother started to become unbearable. "What is it with you and HIM anyway? You're starting to act like a dog stuck on a raccoon's scent, Ruakii, and you're acting just as stupid as one too."
"Hey, shut-up Runt. Nobody asked your opinion, did they?" He glared daggers at her from his reflection in the bathroom mirror where he was brushing his thick steel colored hair for the hundredth time. Quii was leaning nonchalantly against the door frame watching him like always, and just stuck her tongue out at him when he snapped at her. "You know one of these days I'm going to beat the shit out of you, Runt."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Go whine to somebody who cares, Ruakii." She waved him off with a eligant flip of her hand as she turned and walked back into her room. Flopping back down on her unmade bed, she looked back across the hallway and considered her brother for a few more seconds. "You never answered my question, Stupid."
"What question?" He was always so enthralled with his own reflection that half the time he never noticed when she insulted him. It worked out well for her.
"What is it with you and the Himura kid? So he kicked your butt in Kata finals, you still passed with one of the highest scores."
"How do you know that?"
"I heard Dad talking to Mom about it a couple of nights ago."
"You heard THEM TALKING ABOUT ME?" His voice rose to a dangerous tone as his glare took on a murderous gleam.
"Calm down, all I heard him say was Himura beat you out for the number one spot in the class, but that you finished right behind him."
"I finished SECOND? I finished behind HIM? FUCK!" He slamed his fist against the wall making the mirror shudder dangerously.
"Hey! There are children presant. Watch your mouth."
"Yeah? Where?" Ruakii tossed his head rudely in her direction before going back to the mirror, and Quii just laid there and watched him for a few more minutes.
"You know something?" Her voice was quiet and just a little bit sad.
"What?" He did not seem to notice. Ruakii never noticed anything unless it was in the mirror.
"One of these days... you're going to say something to me that I won't be able to forgive you for."
"Yeah, so? What's your point?"
"If I stop listening to your crap all the time, and talking to you, who will?"
"Hmmm, good point I suppose. But that won't ever happen."
"You think?"
"I know."
"You KNOW? Geez you're an arrogant jerk. How do you KNOW that it won't ever happen?"
"Because you wouldn't ever be able to keep your nose out of my business that long, and God knows, you wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut that long... you'd have to say something to me eventually. So, you see, I don't have anything to worry about."
"You really are a first prize dick."
"Hey! Watch your mouth, Runt. You don't talk like that!"
"No, just you talk like that, right?"
"Well... Yeah, I guess so, but you don't. You got me?"
"Oh sure, big brother. Like you care so much what I do or say."
"Quii... cut it out, ok. Your really starting to get on my nerves."
"Sorry." A long silence followed and then, much to his eternal irritation, she asked him another question. "Can I still come with you tonite, or are you mad and going to make me stay home?"
Ruakii looked across the hallway and saw Quii laying on her back staring at the ceiling in her room. Both arms were thrown over her head and her legs were pulled up at the knees. She looked like she was ten years old instead of 15, and that was something about her that always bothered him. Just when he thought he could not stand her for one more moment, she did or said something that changed his whole point of view on her.
"What is that supposed to mean? I never said you couldn't go. God your irritating, Quii. Why can't you give me a break once in a while? Do you always have to be so difficult to deal with?"
"ME?? Difficult to deal with? BULLSHIT!!!" Suddenly she was up off her bed and her face was only two inches away from his nose in about a half of a second. "YOU wrote the book on 'DIFFICULT' you stupid, ignorant, concieted, moron! And if you weren't my only brother, I'd probably disown you after all of the mean, cruel things you've said and done to me. All I have ever done was try to get along with you... and I try to find a way to fit into your stupid life... but you just don't get it, do you? No, you don't. I love you, you selfish ass... but I don't like you very much most of the time." And then she turned away from his wide-eyed shocked face and marched back into her room slaming the door behind her. The audible click of the locking mechanism was heard next, and then her radio came on.
Ruakii guessed that meant she did not want to talk anymore. He was not sure at this point in his life what was more difficult to understand, girls or sisters? It was a close race. It was very very close.
Thank-you for reading my new Kenshin fiction. Please Review.
***Update*** The next chapters 6-7 of 'Beloved of The White Flame' will be up very shortly... I hope. I am in the process of editing content and fixing problems.
The second half of chapter three for "Master of High Tower" on the Fictionpress site should also be up soon. Trust me, I am staying very busy. :) Tsuki-san.