(Date of entry: 9/14/03) You know, once I finished this story I didn't know what to do with myself. Soo.... I revised it!! Woohooo!! It's bigger, better, and.... um.... yeah.
For those who haven't figured it out yet, this has Kenshin/Sano yaoi, which means they kiss and.... other stuff... but it's NOT A LEMON!!!!
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The thing about Kenshin was that he almost never drank, especially in public. Because of this, it surprised Sanosuke quite a bit when Kenshin offered to accompany him to a little party that, considering the nature of those attending, would inevitably turn into one giant drinking contest. Privately, Sano liked to think that it was because Kenshin enjoyed being near him as much as he enjoyed being near Kenshin, but in reality he knew it was probably because Kenshin figured Sano would need help just standing up when it was all over.
Regardless of their true intentions, the two friends left the Kamiya Dojo at nine and headed for the lower-class little teahouse where they would meet Sano's friends. It was already dark by this time, and if Sanosuke looked up he could see the myriad stars that twinkled and danced across the sky.
"The stars are quite beautiful tonight, that they are," Kenshin remarked, tilting his head back to gaze at the night sky.
"Yeah," Sano agreed. "You normally can't see them this well in the city."
Kenshin nodded, his eyes still on the stars high above. Sanosuke couldn't help but admire his friend's elegant neck, accentuated by his mane of red hair that was frosted silver by the moonlight. It was all Sano could do to keep from reaching out and running his hands through Kenshin's long hair, to kiss that lean neck... Snap out of it, idiot! he mentally scolded himself. Don't let it get to you. Still, it was very hard to resist...
"Sano?"
"Yeah?"
Lowering his gaze from the sky to meet Sanosuke's dark eyes, Kenshin said, "I've been thinking lately, that I have."
"About what?"
"Well, it's Miss Kaoru's birthday soon, is it not? I believe she'll be turning eighteen, that she will. We should do something special for her."
Of course, it had to be something about Kaoru. Though Sano knew that it was wrong, he couldn't help but feel resentment for the younger girl. How could she get so close to Kenshin while he had to just stand by and watch? It was the worst possible torture that Sanosuke could think of. "You're right. Maybe we could take her to the theater or something."
"That's a great idea, Sano!" Kenshin smiled his kind, gentle smile, sending another jolt of longing through Sanosuke. Needless to say, he was very relieved when they finally reached the teahouse. From the boisterous laughter, Sano could tell that the party had started without him. No matter - all he needed was some sake right now, no matter how he procured it.
"Sano!" several people called out jovially as he entered. "Who's your friend?" one in particular, Yutaka, asked as Sano sat down next to him.
"This is Kenshin, guys. I've told you about him," Sano said, jerking his thumb at Kenshin, who sat down next to him.
"Oh yeah, I remember. Here Kenshin, have some sake." Yutaka gestured to a young geisha and said, "What do you think of our geisha? They're some of the finest in Tokyo - or at least the finest the cheapskates who are running this party could afford!" The geisha laughed appropriately at the joke as she kneeled next to Kenshin and poured some alcohol into a glass with practiced grace. Kenshin received it with a polite "thank-you" and sipped the fiery beverage, but only out of courtesy.
Sanosuke, on the other hand, was already on to his second glass. When someone asked if he wanted to play a quick game of dice, he slammed the sake glass on to the tray and drawled, "Why not?"
A pair of dice was withdrawn from an unknown source and a game of craps was promptly started, with Sano promptly loosing several yen. However, instead of laughing it off carelessly or muttering sullenly for the rest of the evening (having been known to do both on several occasions), Sanosuke barely reacted to the loss of money at all. They were on to the tenth round when an apprentice geisha with a face painted white as an actor's mask came up, bowed deferentially, and asked, "Excuse me, but is there a Himura Kenshin here?"
"Yes?" Kenshin asked, setting his sake glass on the low table.
"Himura-san, there are some police officers at the door who would like to speak with you," the geisha said, pointing towards the front door. Indeed, three men in crisp blue police uniforms waited politely at the entrance, looking around the dim, crowded interior with some distaste.
"Thank you," Kenshin said to the woman, who bowed again and continued her rounds. To Sano and his friends, Kenshin said, "Excuse me. It'll be just a moment, that it will." He rose, smoothed the wrinkles in his hakama, and padded over to where the policemen waited. "You wished to speak with me?"
"Himura-san, I am Inspector Fushiyuuki of the Department of the Interior," said the foremost of the police, a man with a pencil-thin mustache, greasy, thinning black hair, and many medals and ribbons that attested to his high rank. "Is it correct to assume you are acquainted with one Sagara Sanosuke?"
Kenshin stiffened, resisting the urge to look back at his friend. "Yes, that I do," he replied, guardedly polite.
Fushiyuuki nodded, as if it was the answer he had wanted to hear. "Would you say that Sagara-san's views of the Meiji government are... less than favorable?"
The mask of cheerful ignorance remained steadfastly fixed on Kenshin's face. "I'm afraid I couldn't say, that I could not. We don't talk about politics that often."
One of the inspector's thin eyebrows lifted skeptically. "Please, Himura-san. We are all honest men here." Having suspicions to the contrary, Kenshin did not answer, but Fushiyuuki didn't seem to expect one. "It has been suspected by certain authorities that Sagara-san has conspired against the Meiji government. In particular, it is believed that he may have planned or is planning to destroy the Internal Affairs Building," he continued. "All that we need is for you to answer a few questions in order for us to deem whether he is guilty or not."
"I would be honored to help in any way possible, but I'm afraid that right now isn't the best time, that it is not," Kenshin said, outwardly calm. "Perhaps if you called another day..."
"Oh, of course. I couldn't expect you to leave a party early." Fushiyuuki placed his hat over his balding head and touched the rim in a sort of salute. He made as if to leave, then paused and said in that same sickeningly professional tone of voice, "I must say before I leave, Himura-san, that I believe it is in your best interest - and that of your friends at the Kamiya Dojo - to tell the truth."
Kenshin narrowed his lavender eyes angrily, immediately dropping all polite pretenses. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing." Fushiyuuki let his eyes wander casually about the room as if he couldn't care less about the matter he was discussing. "There hasn't been much rain lately. Fires have been a real problem in Tokyo for some time."
If the Battousai were still in control, the inspector would have been dead before the next breath was taken. Instead, Kenshin clenched his fist and hissed, "I don't respond well to threats."
"Now who ever threatened anybody?" Fushiyuuki asked with an air of mock innocence so thick it made Kenshin want to strike him down all the more. "I was simply remarking on the dry weather we've been having lately." He smiled, and with the same tone of voice that a cat may invite a mouse to dine he said, "I am a very busy man, so I will call upon you again in three days, Himura-san. Enjoy your party."
It was all Kenshin could do from cutting the conniving bastard into several pieces as Inspector Fushiyuuki bowed to the teahouse mistress and stepped out onto the street, whistling a merry tune the entire time.
O_O O_O O_O
Sanosuke watched Kenshin talk to the policeman, the warm blush of drunkenness already gracing his high cheekbones. Goddamn it, Kenshin, he thought, why the hell do you have to be so attractive? When he thought about it, Sano realized that he couldn't have picked a worse person to fall in love with if he tried. If he had to fall for another man - which preferably he would have liked to avoid altogether - why couldn't he have fallen for Katsu from his days with the Sekihotai or one of the many friends he went on drinking binges with? Damn it, Sano would rather have fallen for someone totally psycho like Aoshi or that dick-head Saito than the former Battousai. Well... maybe not, but it got the point across.
Kenshin was the only person Sano knew that he could be so close to on a regular basis and yet still feel so distant. Just being near him was agony for Sanosuke, and when Kenshin smiled it felt like every cell in Sano's body was being ripped apart. He'd tried taking out his sexual frustration on some of the whores in Tokyo's red-light district, but it just wasn't the same. It just made Sano long for Kenshin's touch all the more...
Yutaka looked his friend up and down with some concern. "You know, Sano, I've never seen you look so depressed while drinking."
Sano gave Yutaka an angry sidelong glance that said, Who the hell asked you?
"Lemme guess... woman troubles, right?"
"I suppose you could say that," Sano answered, looking pointedly at Kenshin.
Yutaka followed Sanosuke's gaze. When he saw who he was looking at, Yutaka stared at his friend with disbelief. "No way!" Sano nodded, somewhat mournfully, causing Yutaka to whistle and shake his head with surprise. "Man, Sano. I had no idea..."
"Neither did I, 'till I met him."
"To tell the truth, I never could have suspected that you, of all people, prefer men... Although in retrospect, that does explain a lot - just kidding, just kidding!" Yutaka recanted as Sano lunged for him. When he'd settled back down, Yutaka continued, "So... are you... and him...?" He discreetly stuck out his thumb, meaning he was asking if Kenshin was Sano's boyfriend.
"Are you kidding? He's got his own little tanuki-girl fawning over him every waking moment! Girls swoon about him everywhere he goes." Sano took another gulp of sake and motioned for more. As the ever-present geisha refilled his glass, he muttered, "It doesn't help that I've got a fox-lady hounding me every chance she's got..."
"You've really stepped in it this time, my friend."
Sano snorted derisively. "You're telling me." Somewhere in the back of his head, a little voice told Sanosuke that the alcohol was making his tongue dangerously loose and that he should shut up on the horrifying off chance that Kenshin would overhear... Speak of the devil, the aforementioned ex-assassin returned to his seat at that moment. He took up his sake glass and swirled the beverage absently, completely ignoring the geisha's playful flirtations. It didn't take a psychic to see that something was bothering Kenshin deeply. "Kenshin?" Sano asked, the effects of the alcohol immediately negated by concern for his friend. "Is something wrong?"
Kenshin didn't seem to hear Sanosuke at first. Sano was just about to repeat himself when Kenshin looked up and smiled. "No, nothing's wrong."
"What did that guy want to talk to you about?"
"Oh, he just wanted to ask me a few questions, that he did," said Kenshin in a voice that clearly told Sano to drop the subject. When Sanosuke nodded and turned to answer the question of another friend sitting nearby, Yutaka gave him a look that said, Aren't you going to ask him more? Sano shook his head; when Kenshin didn't want to talk about something, you don't talk about it - period.
However, as the night wore on, Sanosuke couldn't help but wonder what Kenshin was so worried about. And, he realized with a sinking feeling, he couldn't help but think it had something to do with him.
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Lalala.... send in your reviews, if you don't mind.
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The thing about Kenshin was that he almost never drank, especially in public. Because of this, it surprised Sanosuke quite a bit when Kenshin offered to accompany him to a little party that, considering the nature of those attending, would inevitably turn into one giant drinking contest. Privately, Sano liked to think that it was because Kenshin enjoyed being near him as much as he enjoyed being near Kenshin, but in reality he knew it was probably because Kenshin figured Sano would need help just standing up when it was all over.
Regardless of their true intentions, the two friends left the Kamiya Dojo at nine and headed for the lower-class little teahouse where they would meet Sano's friends. It was already dark by this time, and if Sanosuke looked up he could see the myriad stars that twinkled and danced across the sky.
"The stars are quite beautiful tonight, that they are," Kenshin remarked, tilting his head back to gaze at the night sky.
"Yeah," Sano agreed. "You normally can't see them this well in the city."
Kenshin nodded, his eyes still on the stars high above. Sanosuke couldn't help but admire his friend's elegant neck, accentuated by his mane of red hair that was frosted silver by the moonlight. It was all Sano could do to keep from reaching out and running his hands through Kenshin's long hair, to kiss that lean neck... Snap out of it, idiot! he mentally scolded himself. Don't let it get to you. Still, it was very hard to resist...
"Sano?"
"Yeah?"
Lowering his gaze from the sky to meet Sanosuke's dark eyes, Kenshin said, "I've been thinking lately, that I have."
"About what?"
"Well, it's Miss Kaoru's birthday soon, is it not? I believe she'll be turning eighteen, that she will. We should do something special for her."
Of course, it had to be something about Kaoru. Though Sano knew that it was wrong, he couldn't help but feel resentment for the younger girl. How could she get so close to Kenshin while he had to just stand by and watch? It was the worst possible torture that Sanosuke could think of. "You're right. Maybe we could take her to the theater or something."
"That's a great idea, Sano!" Kenshin smiled his kind, gentle smile, sending another jolt of longing through Sanosuke. Needless to say, he was very relieved when they finally reached the teahouse. From the boisterous laughter, Sano could tell that the party had started without him. No matter - all he needed was some sake right now, no matter how he procured it.
"Sano!" several people called out jovially as he entered. "Who's your friend?" one in particular, Yutaka, asked as Sano sat down next to him.
"This is Kenshin, guys. I've told you about him," Sano said, jerking his thumb at Kenshin, who sat down next to him.
"Oh yeah, I remember. Here Kenshin, have some sake." Yutaka gestured to a young geisha and said, "What do you think of our geisha? They're some of the finest in Tokyo - or at least the finest the cheapskates who are running this party could afford!" The geisha laughed appropriately at the joke as she kneeled next to Kenshin and poured some alcohol into a glass with practiced grace. Kenshin received it with a polite "thank-you" and sipped the fiery beverage, but only out of courtesy.
Sanosuke, on the other hand, was already on to his second glass. When someone asked if he wanted to play a quick game of dice, he slammed the sake glass on to the tray and drawled, "Why not?"
A pair of dice was withdrawn from an unknown source and a game of craps was promptly started, with Sano promptly loosing several yen. However, instead of laughing it off carelessly or muttering sullenly for the rest of the evening (having been known to do both on several occasions), Sanosuke barely reacted to the loss of money at all. They were on to the tenth round when an apprentice geisha with a face painted white as an actor's mask came up, bowed deferentially, and asked, "Excuse me, but is there a Himura Kenshin here?"
"Yes?" Kenshin asked, setting his sake glass on the low table.
"Himura-san, there are some police officers at the door who would like to speak with you," the geisha said, pointing towards the front door. Indeed, three men in crisp blue police uniforms waited politely at the entrance, looking around the dim, crowded interior with some distaste.
"Thank you," Kenshin said to the woman, who bowed again and continued her rounds. To Sano and his friends, Kenshin said, "Excuse me. It'll be just a moment, that it will." He rose, smoothed the wrinkles in his hakama, and padded over to where the policemen waited. "You wished to speak with me?"
"Himura-san, I am Inspector Fushiyuuki of the Department of the Interior," said the foremost of the police, a man with a pencil-thin mustache, greasy, thinning black hair, and many medals and ribbons that attested to his high rank. "Is it correct to assume you are acquainted with one Sagara Sanosuke?"
Kenshin stiffened, resisting the urge to look back at his friend. "Yes, that I do," he replied, guardedly polite.
Fushiyuuki nodded, as if it was the answer he had wanted to hear. "Would you say that Sagara-san's views of the Meiji government are... less than favorable?"
The mask of cheerful ignorance remained steadfastly fixed on Kenshin's face. "I'm afraid I couldn't say, that I could not. We don't talk about politics that often."
One of the inspector's thin eyebrows lifted skeptically. "Please, Himura-san. We are all honest men here." Having suspicions to the contrary, Kenshin did not answer, but Fushiyuuki didn't seem to expect one. "It has been suspected by certain authorities that Sagara-san has conspired against the Meiji government. In particular, it is believed that he may have planned or is planning to destroy the Internal Affairs Building," he continued. "All that we need is for you to answer a few questions in order for us to deem whether he is guilty or not."
"I would be honored to help in any way possible, but I'm afraid that right now isn't the best time, that it is not," Kenshin said, outwardly calm. "Perhaps if you called another day..."
"Oh, of course. I couldn't expect you to leave a party early." Fushiyuuki placed his hat over his balding head and touched the rim in a sort of salute. He made as if to leave, then paused and said in that same sickeningly professional tone of voice, "I must say before I leave, Himura-san, that I believe it is in your best interest - and that of your friends at the Kamiya Dojo - to tell the truth."
Kenshin narrowed his lavender eyes angrily, immediately dropping all polite pretenses. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing." Fushiyuuki let his eyes wander casually about the room as if he couldn't care less about the matter he was discussing. "There hasn't been much rain lately. Fires have been a real problem in Tokyo for some time."
If the Battousai were still in control, the inspector would have been dead before the next breath was taken. Instead, Kenshin clenched his fist and hissed, "I don't respond well to threats."
"Now who ever threatened anybody?" Fushiyuuki asked with an air of mock innocence so thick it made Kenshin want to strike him down all the more. "I was simply remarking on the dry weather we've been having lately." He smiled, and with the same tone of voice that a cat may invite a mouse to dine he said, "I am a very busy man, so I will call upon you again in three days, Himura-san. Enjoy your party."
It was all Kenshin could do from cutting the conniving bastard into several pieces as Inspector Fushiyuuki bowed to the teahouse mistress and stepped out onto the street, whistling a merry tune the entire time.
O_O O_O O_O
Sanosuke watched Kenshin talk to the policeman, the warm blush of drunkenness already gracing his high cheekbones. Goddamn it, Kenshin, he thought, why the hell do you have to be so attractive? When he thought about it, Sano realized that he couldn't have picked a worse person to fall in love with if he tried. If he had to fall for another man - which preferably he would have liked to avoid altogether - why couldn't he have fallen for Katsu from his days with the Sekihotai or one of the many friends he went on drinking binges with? Damn it, Sano would rather have fallen for someone totally psycho like Aoshi or that dick-head Saito than the former Battousai. Well... maybe not, but it got the point across.
Kenshin was the only person Sano knew that he could be so close to on a regular basis and yet still feel so distant. Just being near him was agony for Sanosuke, and when Kenshin smiled it felt like every cell in Sano's body was being ripped apart. He'd tried taking out his sexual frustration on some of the whores in Tokyo's red-light district, but it just wasn't the same. It just made Sano long for Kenshin's touch all the more...
Yutaka looked his friend up and down with some concern. "You know, Sano, I've never seen you look so depressed while drinking."
Sano gave Yutaka an angry sidelong glance that said, Who the hell asked you?
"Lemme guess... woman troubles, right?"
"I suppose you could say that," Sano answered, looking pointedly at Kenshin.
Yutaka followed Sanosuke's gaze. When he saw who he was looking at, Yutaka stared at his friend with disbelief. "No way!" Sano nodded, somewhat mournfully, causing Yutaka to whistle and shake his head with surprise. "Man, Sano. I had no idea..."
"Neither did I, 'till I met him."
"To tell the truth, I never could have suspected that you, of all people, prefer men... Although in retrospect, that does explain a lot - just kidding, just kidding!" Yutaka recanted as Sano lunged for him. When he'd settled back down, Yutaka continued, "So... are you... and him...?" He discreetly stuck out his thumb, meaning he was asking if Kenshin was Sano's boyfriend.
"Are you kidding? He's got his own little tanuki-girl fawning over him every waking moment! Girls swoon about him everywhere he goes." Sano took another gulp of sake and motioned for more. As the ever-present geisha refilled his glass, he muttered, "It doesn't help that I've got a fox-lady hounding me every chance she's got..."
"You've really stepped in it this time, my friend."
Sano snorted derisively. "You're telling me." Somewhere in the back of his head, a little voice told Sanosuke that the alcohol was making his tongue dangerously loose and that he should shut up on the horrifying off chance that Kenshin would overhear... Speak of the devil, the aforementioned ex-assassin returned to his seat at that moment. He took up his sake glass and swirled the beverage absently, completely ignoring the geisha's playful flirtations. It didn't take a psychic to see that something was bothering Kenshin deeply. "Kenshin?" Sano asked, the effects of the alcohol immediately negated by concern for his friend. "Is something wrong?"
Kenshin didn't seem to hear Sanosuke at first. Sano was just about to repeat himself when Kenshin looked up and smiled. "No, nothing's wrong."
"What did that guy want to talk to you about?"
"Oh, he just wanted to ask me a few questions, that he did," said Kenshin in a voice that clearly told Sano to drop the subject. When Sanosuke nodded and turned to answer the question of another friend sitting nearby, Yutaka gave him a look that said, Aren't you going to ask him more? Sano shook his head; when Kenshin didn't want to talk about something, you don't talk about it - period.
However, as the night wore on, Sanosuke couldn't help but wonder what Kenshin was so worried about. And, he realized with a sinking feeling, he couldn't help but think it had something to do with him.
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Lalala.... send in your reviews, if you don't mind.