Sanosuke

That 'Seta creep' really set Sanosuke on edge. If Sanosuke was a cat, his fur would be rubbed the wrong way, his hackles would be standing up and he'd probably be hissing. How the hell is it any of his business who the Fox-lady is? Is he gonna screw stuff up with Kenshin too? If he does – I'll punch him. Unconsciously, he tightened his fists and ground his jaw, sticking his hands aggressively into his pockets.

Kenshin's amethyst eyes were calm and smooth as he lay a hand on Sanosuke's arm. "...You should calm down, Sano, indeed you should."

Nodding unconvincingly, Sanosuke flashed a crooked grin. "Yeah. Just… Like, if I could just go and… Punch a bunch of people systematically in the face and solve everything like that, wouldn't it be easier?"

Kenshin sighed, smiling slightly. "Oh yes. Things would be a lot easier, indeed they would. But this one thinks you should not worry. I have… Gotten help, indeed this one has."

"Help?" Sanosuke looked curiously over at Kenshin, forgetting about cracking his knuckles for a moment.

"Yes." Kenshin's jaw tightened. "...There is someone on this train whom this one has had some minor dealings with in the past. …Well, not with him in person, indeed not, but with his group – which he is now the leader of."

"He sketchy?" asked Sanosuke. He didn't wait for an answer. "He's sketchy, right."

"Rather." Kenshin said with a faint smile.

"…Who is it?"

"Shinomori Aoshi, indeed it is."

Sanosuke's eyes almost popped out of his head. "You made a deal with Boss Shinomori?!"

Giving Sanosuke a sideways look, Kenshin nodded. "Indeed so. …You work for him sometimes, right Sano?"

"…Yeah. I did it for when the kid was… Y'know. I needed the cash." Sanosuke looked down. Somehow, when I talk to Kenshin about this kinda shit it's like… I'm embarrassed or something…

"This one has nothing against that." Kenshin said comfortingly. "Indeed, this one may be your colleague now."

"Huh?" Sanosuke's eyes widened and he grabbed the smaller man by the shoulders. "You're serious? Shit, man! Aw shit! …God I wanna punch someone!" he growled, spinning around and punching the air. "…Why'd you gotta get dragged into this shit all over again!" he stopped, turning around. "…Does the Missy know?"

Quietly sighing, Kenshin nodded. "Kaoru-dono understood but… She doesn't like it, indeed she does not. She also didn't like the fact that I had a bottle of moonshine in my suitcase. It was meant to be a gift for Shishou, indeed she didn't. But I gave a some to Aoshi because this one thought, 'hey, business is well done over drinks'. But Kaoru-dono really didn't like it."

"No shit." Muttered Sanosuke. "…What does the Boss want from you as payment?" he asked.

"Loyalty." Kenshin said. "He asked for loyalty." Smiling, he met Sanosuke's eyes. "Something that's hard to come by these day, isn't it?"

**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**o**

Sanosuke stretched out in the compartment, sitting on the floor right next to the door to Megumi's room. He leaned his cheek against the cold wood. "Hey…" he called. "Fox-lady?"

"Yes?" she responded almost immediately.

"So, what kind of doctor are you?" he asked.

There was a pause. "The kind that tries to make sick people healthy? Is there another kind?" she laughed. Was it his imagination or was her laugh a little shaky?

"…Right." He said. "That's cool." There was another pause, then Sanosuke asked another question. "What would a rich-lady doctor want with a down-and-out street thug like me?"

On the other side of the door, Megumi said nothing for a while. "…Because this 'rich-lady doctor' is ridiculously desperate." He could almost sense her sad smirk through the door. "And you don't seem half bad, Rooster-head."