Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Cost of Protection ❯ The Keeping of Small Secrets ( Chapter 2 )

The Cost of Protection

A Rurouni Kenshin Story

 

Chapter Two: The Keeping of Small Secrets

 

That first morning when Sanosuke woke, he lay for a long moment staring at the much patched ceiling of his apartment. It was an internal debate on his part concerning if he actually felt different this morning, or if he thought he felt different. He felt... slightly tired, but then staying up late drinking may have had something to do with that. He felt a little sore around his belly button and had the bruises to go with it. He felt sore in other places of his body that he knew were not from anything he did. Those hurts seemed to match well with the injuries Kenshin had taken fighting Shishio.

 

Huh, Sano hadn't really thought to ask Kenshin if those wounds were still hurting him. Now he knew.

 

Sanosuke grunted and began his morning routine. Washing his face outside, Sanosuke considered. He did feel different. Aside from the aches and pains. Those were minor, all of them. Sanosuke had certainly gotten worse and walked through worse on his own. Actually, the different feeling had little to do with anything physical. He felt good. Sanosuke smiled a little as he dried his face. He felt damn good about this. He could finally protect Kenshin instead of Kenshin always protecting him.

 

He also knew that he had to keep this little tid-bit of information from Kenshin as long as possible. The red-haired man would never go for it, if he knew. He would feel unreasonable guilt if he knew. It would be fine, hiding it though. Kenshin was a cautious man by nature and any pain he did receive, Sanosuke was fairly certain he could hide. Barring anything very serious, of course.

 

Still he wondered how the thing actually worked. Sanosuke knew that the old bruises and pains had been transferred to him, but what would happen if Kenshin were to take an injury this moment. Would it show immediately on Sano? The young man shook his head, he was in no mood to find it out too quickly.

 

But, Sanosuke had opportunity to find out shortly after he stepped into the Akebeko. He had stopped by the restaurant in order to check up on Tae, who despite her constant reminders about Sano's growing tab, had quite grown on him. He smiled and waved at the woman, amused to see her back at work. “So, Tae, not so much as a day off for recuperation after your adventure?”

 

Tae made an un-lady like sound before smiling back at him. “Some of us have business to run, Sano-san. We don't get days off. Besides, I'm not thinking while I'm working. Its all for the best.”

 

Sanosuke chuckled. “Yeah yeah, I see how it is.”

 

“And you, you know I'm not open for lunch yet what are you doing here? Unless, Sano-san, did you come to check on me?”

 

The young man blushed ever so slightly, a bandaged right hand straying to the hair at the back of his head. “I, well, uh... yeah.”

 

Tae's smile brightened, her brown eyes glittering. “Thank you Sano-san, I do appreciate the gesture.”

 

Sano quirked a small smile in return. “So appreciative that you might knock a little off my ta-- Ouch!”

 

Tae blinked at his exclamation, and raised an eyebrow as the ex gangster abruptly stuffed his index finger in his mouth. “Sano-san?”

 

Sanosuke pulled the wounded digit from between his lips and stared at it peculiarly. The pad of the finger was bright red, the shade of a fresh burn. There was nothing hot on him or in the middle of the hall to burn himself on... Well, wait, he hadn't burned himself. Kenshin must have had a cooking incident. Looking back to Tae, Sano grinned a little sheepishly and held his finger out for her inspection. “I guess I burned myself somewhere this morning and just now realized it. Sorry to worry you.”

 

Tae rolled her yes. “Sano-san, they joke that your a little slow in the head, and its experiences like these that make me see why they say it.”

 

The young man pulled a wounded expression. “Hey, whose this “they” you've been talking too?”

 

The woman covered her mouth as she laughed. “No one of importance, Sano-san. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a restaurant to run! Get out of here, you. And no, I'm not taking anything off your tab!”

 

With a gentle push from the restaurant owner, Sanosuke took his leave. The young man wandered at his leisure on a slow heading for the dojo. He was in no hurry to meet up with the creepy old woman again. But he was hungry for this lunch he hoped Kenshin was cooking. He had the burn to earn it and all.

 

He arrived at the dojo just past the noon canon. Sanosuke raised his noes to the air and smelled appreciatively of the cooking aroma. He walked around to the back porch and found the group all outdoors around the cook pot. With the exception of one foxy doctor and one creepy old woman.

 

“Hey. You all not feeding the old lady today or what?”

 

Kenshin smiled at him from his position stirring the food. “Hello Sano. It would seem that Shizuka-dono took her leave of us early this morning. Its just us, at the moment. Are you ready for lunch?”

 

Kaoru laughed. “You forget Kenshin, Sanosuke is always ready for lunch!”

 

Which is how he discovered that the creepy old woman was gone. A normal boisterous lunch told him that everyone was behaving as though nothing had changed. Kenshin accidentally dipping his finger into the hot of boiling liquid, quickly retrieving it, and looking at it for a long hard moment answered another question for Sano. Kenshin didn't feel the pain inflicted at all, it went straight to Sanosuke's all ready burned index finger. He didn't so much as flinch.

 

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

 

The second day brought a new set of experiences. Sano woke to submitted himself to the usual morning routine. From there, he wandered out into town and met up with his two friend Ginji and Tomo. The three of them were in high spirits, his two friends trailing him to Akebeko as this time Sanosuke fully intended to add to his tab. And, of course, check and see how Tae was doing.

 

There was laughter and rough humor among the men during lunch and much blushing and eye rolling from Tsubame-chan and Tae. Sano smiled as Tae eyed him and asked the usual of, “I'll assume this is going on your tab then?”

 

“You bet Tae, unless your feeling generous today?”

 

The woman snorted softly, but smiled brightly. “I should hardly say I am, Sano-san. Have a good day everyone.”

 

Sanosuke shook his head with a rueful smile. Tomo poked him in the ribs as the walked out the door. “Do you try to flirt with Tae-san, Sano-san? I don't think your going to earn your way out of your tab that way!”

 

The younger man laughed, still keeping the fish spine he had snagged firmly between his teeth. “I'm figuring that if she hasn't back handed me for it at this point, it can't hurt, ya know?”

 

Ginji rolled his eyes. “Really Sano-san. Sometimes if I didn't know the old you and the new you were the same person, I'd think I didn't know you at all.”

 

Sanosuke's eyebrows drew down at this statement. “What do you mean by that, exactly? I've always flirted with women.”

 

Ginji backed away a step, hands in the air in an open palmed gesture of surrender. “Nothing bad Sano-san. And, well, you never flirted like you do now. You were... never so playful. Not to worry of course, I'm as much friends with the old Sano-san as I am with the new Sano-san. But this new one is so much more relaxed!”

 

Tomo nodded in agreement as he flanked the opposite side of Sanosuke that Ginji had. “Ah, its true. I feel less like if I say the wrong thing that you'll blow up at me now.”

 

Sanosuke grunted, his eyebrows knitting closer together. “You saying I scared you two before?”

 

It would explain a few things, like how these two friends never made any attempt to tell him no to anything. Like how they backed off so quick when he looked angry. Ginji shrugged. “Yes and no? We knew you'd never really hurt us, your our friend after all! And one thing that you surely are, Sano-san, is loyal.”

 

The younger man snorted, and closed his eyes allowing for a small smile. “Well, all right then. But you know...”

 

Sanosuke hadn't quite the chance right then to finish the sentence. One moment he was walking down a flat, if busy street, the next his right ankle refused for a second to support him. With wide eyes, Sanosuke swung his right had wide to clap onto Tomo's shoulder for a moment of support.

 

Both men turned suddenly concerned eyes on him. “Sano-san, are you all right? We didn't have that much to drink...”

 

Sano began to wave them off before staggering forward once more. This time it was due to a second pain assailing his back. Sanosuke gasped very softly in surprise. He pulled back from Tomo and stood for a long moment in the center of the road, letting the foot traffic flow around the three men. It was strange. His ankle now supported him. It hurt a bit, felt as though he'd gotten it twisted. There was also a pain across his back, something that felt as though it would be a bruise in an hour or two. Neither pain was terrible by any stretch, but the shock of having them suddenly inflicted on him with out feeling any blow or having tripped on his own was breathtaking.

 

Realizing belatedly that Tomo and Ginji were both watching him with distinct concern, Sano offered them an embarrassed smile before tapping his right foot on the dirt below. “Apparently I am capable of tripping over my own feet. I'm fine guys, just startled myself is all.”

 

Both men sighed, nearly in unison. Tomo smiled as he said, “You know I would have never considered the old Sano-san a klutz, but this one...”

 

Ginji threw his head back and openly laughed. Sanosuke offered a silent thank you to whichever deity was listening that his friends might buy that little deflection so well. An hour or so later, with Sano only hobbling slightly on his abused right angle, found the young man parting ways with his buddies and heading once again to the dojo. He could not wait to hear the story that went with these new pains of his, as he was sure he would be told all about it.

 

Low and behold, Sanosuke was not wrong in that guess. He had barely pushed open the back gate to the dojo, waving a hello at Kenshin as the other man hung laundry when he was fairly assailed by both Kaoru and Yahiko. “Oh man, Sanosuke, you really missed the action today!”

 

Kaoru pushed Yahiko out of the way as she took up where he left off. “There was this adorable kitten stuck in the tree just over there,” Kaoru pointed at the tree in question to demonstrate. “And of course I told Kenshin he had to go and rescue the poor baby, it was mewling so.”

 

Yahiko poked Kaoru hard in the side with his bokken, forcing her out of his way and garnering Sano's attention again. “So Kenshin goes up the tree, and what does the kitten do? It climbed higher! So there is Kenshin, chasing this kitten up the tree when we hear this loud crack. Next thing we know, Kenshin jumped to the ground. He must have landed strangely, because it was like one of his legs gave way beneath him and he rolled a little. And then this big branch came tumbling out of the tree and landed right on his back!”

 

Sanosuke blinked at this story, finally knowing what had caused his afternoon trip in the street. Kaoru pushed Yahiko back out of the way, taking over the story. “That's not the best part of this story though! Sanosuke, Kenshin didn't get hurt at all! And the size of that branch, he should have had such a bruise but...”

 

At this a loud exclamation of “Oro!” from his right drew Sano's attention to Kenshin. Who was currently be manhandled and stripped to the waist by Yahiko, The boy pulled the last of the dizzy rurouni's shirt off and turned him around for Sano to see for himself. “Look at that! Not a mark, not a bruise, not so much as something red and stinging! And the best part is, Kenshin said it didn't hurt him at all! Isn't this awesome? That old lady was telling the truth!”

 

Kenshin wriggled his way out of Yahiko's grasp, pulling his sleeves back up his arms. “Mah, mah, you two are making far too much out of this...”

 

Kaoru sighed, but gave Kenshin those doe eyes of hers. “We are not Kenshin. This is amazing! To think that you might truly never be hurt again is just such a wonderful thing...”

 

Sano inserted himself into the conversation before Kenshin could disagree again. “So with all this goin' on, what happened to the kitten?”

 

Kenshin gave him an appreciative look, seeking anyway out the conversation about his supposed “gift.” The man then glanced about for a moment before his eyes came to rest near Sano's feet. The red-head pointed to Sano's left just before the ex gangster felt a tiny bump against his ankle. “The kitten is fine, and she seems to like you, Sano.”

 

Sanosuke grinned himself as he lowered himself a carefully to the kitten's level where she was rubbing against his leg. Scooping the fuzzy little creature into his large hands, Sanosuke let a couple of fingers trail down her head. The little creature purred roughly in response. Looking up to the three members of the household, Sanosuke lifted her gently toward them. “Well, then I'd say this is a story with an all around happy ending.”

 

And it was, because Kenshin was still doing good in the world, one little life at a time, and Sano didn't even need to be there to protect him. Aside from that, he managed to cover his slight limp the rest of the evening.

 

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

 

On the third morning after the creepy old woman had given her 'gift' to Kenshin, Sanosuke woke up feeling stiff. By that wicked looking bruise he'd developed on his back, it really wasn't much of a surprise. And truly, Sano didn't mind.

 

The day was fairly uneventful, with Sano's plans including simply paying off a couple of bills after a good evening of gambling. That and a nice warm bath. He met with Kenshin and friends at the dojo late in the afternoon, and was not at all surprised to see Megumi with them this evening. They agreed to have dinner at the Akebeko that night, and Sanosuke, the good free loader he was, was pleased to join them.

 

As they walked down the evening streets, Kaoru walked beside Kenshin, Yahiko trailing the two of them. Megumi walked beside Sanosuke at the back. She grinned wickedly up at him, a devious look in her cinnamon eyes. “So are we putting this all on your tab Sanosuke? How nice of you to buy for us all.”

 

The woman then put the back of her hand to her mouth and laughed like the vixen she was. Yahiko and Kaoru in front of them each giggled in turn. Sanosuke scowled. “Hey, your a doctor ain't you? You make the good money, you should buy for us tonight.”

 

Megumi chortled again. “I might make good money if I didn't spend so much of my time taking care of certain rooster headed idiots for free.”

 

All Sanosuke could say to that was a sharp exclamation of, “Hey!”

 

The entire group laughed as they continued on. They were a few blocks from the Akebeko when Kenshin's luck hit them again. Because really, who else could get randomly attacked by a bunch of low-life thugs in the middle of a busy street?

 

Said thugs came in yelling something about revenge and attacked the group. There were only maybe fifteen of them, and as Sanosuke looked, he realized a bunch of them were the exact same idiots who had been hired by Nobu. Sanosuke pulled Megumi behind him and began hitting and kicking at those that came into range. The other three had all engaged in the brief battle as well. Kenshin taking out the most attackers. The street cleared for the small fight. Until one small child darted out into the cleared circle right before one last desperate thug. Sano watched Kenshin's eyes widen as he twisted his body hard throwing his arm between the thug's sharp knife and the child's horrified face. The knife sunk into Kenshin's flesh, cutting easily through his shirt. With a second twist of his body, Kenshin brought the hilt of his sword hard to the thug's temple. The man fell with out a noise.

 

The crowd of onlookers around them began clapping, and a young mother darted out for her child. She thanked Kenshin profusely. Sanosuke silently clapped a hand over his now bleeding left arm. It wasn't a very deep cut, but blood really did show up very bright on his white jacket. Kaoru and Yahiko caught up to Kenshin shortly after Megumi did, the doctor grasping his arm and turning it to peer through the cut cloth. The woman's eyes narrowed. “Its simply unbelievable.”

 

Sanosuke caught her saying this even as the crowd cleared away and the usual flow of people picked up again. “There isn't so much as a drop of blood on you. I know I saw that knife pierce flesh, I know I did!”

 

Kenshin was staring nearly as hard at his own arm as Megumi was. “The knife did enter this one's arm. This one felt it, but felt no pain with it...”

 

Kaoru fairly beamed. “This is the best gift anyone has ever given anybody. Kenshin! Your invincible now, you really are. I'm so happy you'll always come away from these things unhurt now.”

 

Sanosuke squeezed the cut on his arm a little tighter and smiled to himself. It was worth it. Megumi huffed and turned her back on Kenshin, her eyes landing on Sanosuke. She must have spied the red escaping his hand because the doctor was suddenly marching toward him. “It figures, I have one man who can't get hurt and another who seems to be able to do nothing but hurt himself.”

 

Sanosuke frowned slightly. “Hey, I don't always hurt myself.”

 

This conversation had turned the attention of the other three on him, Kenshin's concerned eyes on his arm. “Are you all right?”

 

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. “Its just a cut, I'll be fine.”

 

Yahiko eyed one of the men at Sanosuke's feet, a knife glittering just beyond his fingers. Sano's eyes followed his, and he found himself grateful for the coincidence. “So, what, one loser with a knife and you couldn't dodge? Man, Sanosuke, I think your getting slow!”

 

Megumi waved the boy off. Grasping Sanosuke's right arm, she began pulling him along in the opposite direction of the Akebeko. Sanosuke, whined, “But what about my food?”

 

The lady doctor ignored him calling back to the rest of their group, “You all go ahead and have a nice dinner with Tae tonight, I'll go patch up the rooster. If he's a good boy, I'll feed him when we're done.”

 

Laughter followed them as the fox lady dragged him off to the clinic, just a few block away. She had him seated in a treatment room, slippers on his feet, before Sanosuke quite knew what to do with himself. “Okay rooster, let go of this cut of yours and let your doctor have a look at it.”

 

Sanosuke released his arm as ordered, And Megumi plucked at his jacket. “You managed to get cut with out cutting the jacket? That's a new trick.”

 

Sanosuke managed to just hide a guilty flash in his eyes as he silently pulled off his jacket to give Megumi full access to his arm. Megumi gave him a side long look all the same as she took his arm and began gently cleaning the cut. “Why so quiet, Rooster, did he cut out your voice box too?”

 

Sanosuke started, his mind entirely on different things. Namely how not to give himself away in the future like he nearly had with the uncut coat. “Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine. Just thinking, I guess.”

 

Megumi snorted. “I thought I smelled something funny in the air. Its just the sawdust burning between your ears.”

 

“Man,” Sanosuke groaned, “Your tongue sure is sharp tonight, fox-lady.”

 

“And your no fun at all for verbal sparring tonight. What on earth could you be thinking so hard about, Rooster?”

 

Sanosuke paused trying to come up with anything at all aside from his mysterious new set of ailments. “This 'gift' that creepy old woman gave Kenshin.”

 

Sanosuke mentally winced even as the words were out of his mouth. Really, why couldn't he say something about the kitten from the day before? All the same, The fox lady' face took on a somber look. “It is disturbing, isn't it. Its too good to be true, wounds do not just instantly heal. It does not work that way.”

 

Sanosuke smirked a little. “You keep saying that, fox-lady. Trying to make yourself believe?”

 

Megumi pursed her lips together. “Its unnatural though, don't you agree?”

 

Sanosuke sighed. “Yeah, it is, but its good, right? Kenshin is impervious to damage now. You don't have to worry about him.”

 

The lady doctor shook her head. “I can't help but be worried about what I don't know about. To have been cut with that knife and have no damage. I know as a doctor the cut should look very much like this one.”

 

Sanosuke froze at the comment. His mind was running little circles about itself as he hoped that Megumi did not make that connection. It shouldn't be an obvious thing. Certainly she wouldn't realize that...

 

“Actually,” Megumi paused, needle held in her hand as she looked closely at the knife cut on Sanosuke's arm. “Actually his wound would have looked exactly like this. How did you get this cut with out cutting your jacket again, Sanosuke? You managed not to tell me when I asked that before.”

 

Sanosuke's eyes skittered off to his right, landing on a jar of some medicine or another. “Well, it is a great trick, don't you think?”

 

But Megumi was no longer paying attention to him. She pressed a cloth to his cut and stood to peer over his shoulder and look at his back. “And this bruise on your back Sanosuke, it looks very much as though a branch fell on you. Were you rescuing kittens like Ken-san?”

 

Sanosuke pulled his shoulders slightly in on himself, feeling cornered. “I've been a bit clumsy lately, whats it to you?”

 

Cinnamon eyes met his as she sat back down on her stool. “If I ask you to unwind those bandages on your torso, will I find bruises there?”

 

Sanosuke leaned backward from the questioning woman. He tried desperately to deflect with a joke. “Mighty forward of you. Aren't you supposed to treat a guy to supper before you ask him to strip?”

 

Megumi's eyes narrowed nearly to slits, her grip on the cloth over his cut becoming nearly painful. “Take off the bandaging, Sanosuke.”

 

“If I tell you no?”

 

“Then I'll do it myself, with a knife.”

 

Sanosuke held her gaze with his own stubborn look for several moments. He was going to loose this battle. With a defeated sigh, Sano began uniting the bandaging while Megumi continued to hold the bandage on his arm. After a few moments, his torso was naked and Megumi's free hand was gently tracing the yellowing bruises that had been hidden there.

 

The woman's eyes were wide, a certain understanding and horror dawning in their depths. “Sanosuke... these are the exact same pattern as the bruises that had been on Ken-san. I remember them precisely. And these...” the woman turned again to look at his arm, “And this wound... and... Sanosuke, it can't be!”

 

“Its... its not so bad, really.” Sanosuke said with a small shrug.

 

“Your taking all of Ken-san's injuries for him! How is that not a bad thing?”

 

Sanosuke sought out Megumi's eyes, determined that she understand this. “He's safe this way, isn't he? So I get a few extra bumps and bruises. So what? Think of all the good he can do this way, fox-lady!”

 

Megumi stared dumbstruck at him for a long moment. “But, Sanosuke, its not as though no one is getting hurt. You are still taking injuries.”

 

“I'm a tough guy, I can handle it.”

 

“Your an idiot too, for which I have no cure. I'm still stitching someone up, it just makes Ken-san look like some sort of super man in the mean time. And... does Ken-san know about this?”

 

Sanosuke's eyes instantly found his feet. “No.”

 

Megumi hissed a breath through her teeth. “And when do you plan on telling him?”

 

Sanosuke, bit his lip. “I don't.”

 

“You don't!?”

 

Sanosuke took a deep breath and faced the woman again. “Hear me out. I can't tell him. He'll change everything he does, how he acts. Worse, he'll feel guilty. Unreasonably guilty, we both know that! I can protect him this way, I can I do it quietly. He can go on defending the weak and saving those who need it. I can quietly save him. Its a good deal this way, don't you see it? We just can't tell him!”

 

The foxy doctor stood, one hand grasping Sano's wound, the other wrapped about his right bicep. “This is not right, Sanosuke. Nothing about this is! How am I supposed to be happy about you getting hurt? You hurt yourself enough on your own without help from anyone else. And for your information, you are as much my patient as Ken-san is! We should tell him so that at the very least he he will practice caution.”

 

Sanosuke half growled. “This is Kenshin we're talking about, he's always cautious. And, we are NOT telling him. Let me give him this, please!”

 

Megumi growled right back at him, shaking him by his arms. “And why should I let you be a self sacrificing idiot?”

 

The young man's features softened in the face of Megumi's concern. “Because whats done is all ready done, unless you know how to reverse some strange black magic? More than that. Megumi,” he paused to allow the doctor to realize he had used her given name. “Don't you think Kenshin has suffered enough in his life? I, no, we can save him the physical part of that suffering with this. Maybe with out the pain and all, he can come that much closer to finding happiness in his life. And, be honest with me, lady doctor. If you had to pick between stitching on me or stitching on your precious Ken-san at any given time, who would you rather it be? Who would you rather have with another little pain sitting in your office here? Who deserves some peace in his life?”

 

At this argument, Megumi froze. After a long moment her eyes turned back to his arm, her hand retrieved the needle and thread from her apron and with barely a word she began stitching. After a few stitches, the woman said very quietly, “I will not tell him. I'll even help you hide this. But, if you so much as get a scratch, I want you to come to me. If I see Ken-san scrap his knee, I will come find you. I will be watching you like a hawk, Sanosuke.”

 

Sano smiled a little sadly at this response. He knew that argument would work. He knew how desperately Megumi wanted to protect Kenshin as well. They all did. She would help him; she was on his side. For better or for worse, Sanosuke would continue as he had been.

 

 

 

Author's Note:

 

Oh, wow, this chapter turned out very long. I'm not sure if I should apologize or say “your welcome.” Anyway, I know I'm jumping the gun in posting this a tad. I just posted the first chapter yesterday. However, I am in a typing mood, and a sharing mood, and I felt a second chapter would give us all a better idea of what is happening with Sanosuke and Kenshin. Its some interesting stuff, huh?

 

Of course, keeping little secrets can lead to big problems later, I wonder how Sano will fair?

 

On that note, I never mentioned it in the last chapter, so I'll point it out now. This will in no way be a romance, sure my bad boy flirts with the ladies a bit, but no more than he did in manga/anime. Romance really has nothing to do with this story. Its more about this weird self-sacraficing kick Sano is on }:)

 

Review and let me know what you think of this, yeah?