Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Fates ❯ Saitou Was a Child?!? ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Saitou Was a Child?!?

*********

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Warnings: Cursing and child abuse…no like…no read.

*********

"Very good. You have improved since the last time we have trained together." A tall man stated as he patted his ten year old pupil on the head.

"Arigato Sensei." The young boy bowed in respect to his instructor as he sheathed his sword.

"You still need to work on defense a little more though. Don't worry; you are still advanced for your age. Defense is harder to grasp. I shall see you in two days young master." The older man walked out of the personal dojo of his student's family, leaving the little boy to do little boy things. Or so he thought…

"Boy, a word with you." The tall, thin man walked into the dojo, approaching the small child.

"Yes 'Tousan?" The boy noted the look on his father's face and unconsciously backed away a couple of steps.

"I heard your Sensei say that you needed work. You have slacked on your training haven't you, boy?" The man asked the question in a stern voice that told the young man that it was a rhetorical question, and the man had come to his own conclusions.

"No sir! I train very hard!" The boy automatically went into panic mode. He knew that it wasn't good to anger his father. The boy dropped to his knees in front of the older man and bowed his head in reverence. "I promise sir! I practice like you tell me!"

"Quit your sniveling boy!" The older kicked the child in the side as he yelled. "If you trained as I told you, your Sensei would have not made such a comment." He lifted the boy onto his feet before backhanding him across the face. The boy hit the floor with a large thud, sobbing. "GET UP!" The man screamed.

"Gomen, 'Tousan, gomen." The boy sniffled as he picked himself off the floor only to be kicked in the face.

"Sorry! I'll show you sorry! You lazy little fucker! I pay good money for those lessons; at least you could take them seriously. You belong to a prominent family, boy. You need to start acting like it." This time the child wasn't given a chance to stand as the older man grabbed a katana sheath and started beating the boy with it.

""Tousan please! Stop, it hurts!" The boy could only curl up and cry out in pain and he was brutally beaten by his father. When the boy had no more energy to even cry, the beating stopped and the man picked himself up from the floor, throwing the sheath to the side.

"Take this as a lesson, Saitou Hajime, no son of mine will be labeled a good for nothing slacker. Now pick yourself up and clean up this mess. You have training to do." With that, Saitou Jubei walked out of the dojo, leaving a young, amber eyed boy trembling in pain, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"It hurts…it hurts…."

**********

"It hurts…it hurts…" The deep mumble woke Sano up from a peaceful sleep. He rose up from his place on the futon on the floor to see Saitou tossing fitfully in the bed, chanting that phrase over and over.

"He better not have a fever," Sano grumbled as he made his way to the bed. He ran a hand through his hair as he sat on the edge of the bed. Saitou seemed to sense a presence around him and curled up into a fetal position and started to tremble. Sano reached out a hand and laid it gently to the older man's forehead, checking his temperature. He didn't expect the man to jerk away in what one would almost deem fear.

"No 'Tousan. Gomen, I'll try harder. Don't hit me." The fearful murmurs continued, and Sano unconsciously began stroking Saitou's hair in a comforting manner.

"Hey man, it's me. Come on, wake up." When the gentle whispers and soothing petting didn't rouse the older man, Sano started shaking him. "Wake up!" Sano yelled, causing the man to shoot up in bed and clashing heads with him…hard.

"Shit! Ahou, what the hell?" Saitou held his head as he collapsed back onto the pillow.

"Damn, I knew you were hard headed but this is ridiculous," Sano groaned as he rubbed his forehead.

"What the hell do you want now? Can't you see that I was…ACHOO…*sniff*… sleeping?" Saitou felt uncomfortable under Sano's tender stare.

"You were having a nightmare." Sano's voice was almost a caress.

"Oh really? I guess I wasn't there." Saitou's voice was dripping with sarcasm and venom.

"Wanna talk about it?" Sano poured the older man a glass of water, which the man drank like he had spent a month in a desert.

"Can't say that I do," the reply came. "What is the date?" For some reason, Saitou felt that the dream meant something. He rarely dreamed of his father. Those were memories that he tried to lock away long ago, before the war.

Sano looked around the dark room for a calendar while sneaking glances at Saitou. A few moments ago the man was screaming for his father to stop hitting him in a broken voice, but now he looked as if nothing had happened. How can the man just shut it off like that?

"The fifteenth," The young man exclaimed in triumph as he finally found the calendar.

"Fuck me," Saitou groaned and pulled the covers over his head.

"Gee, Saitou, I never knew were interested." Sano chuckled at the growl he received in response.

"The day after tomorrow! How could I have forgotten? I would never forget something like this!" the older man mumbled from under the covers and Sano could just arch an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" Sano pulled down the blankets and met Saitou's scowl.

"No. I have a meeting with someone very important the seventeenth, and, more than likely, I will still be here in bed, with my mother hen clucking over me." Sano bristled at the insult.

"Whining does not become you, old man." If looks could kill, Sano's next five reincarnations would probably never exist. "I'll tell you what; I'll head to the police station first thing in the morning and tell them to have this important individual to come here for the meeting. Surely you will be well enough to sit in your own home. Hell, I'll even clean the place, of course you will have to pay…"

"Fine, I'll pay your tab at the Akabeko if that will get you to shut up." Saitou shifted in the bed. Yup, Saitou had to be sick if he wasn't even going to put up a fight and agree to pay. But who was Sano to complain? "By the way, your damn hands are cold."

"Well it isn't exactly warm in the floor, even with a fire," Sano snorted as he snatched up his blanket to crawl back under it.

"Why didn't you say something?" Saitou's voice sounded odd, distorted by a stuffy nose.

"I didn't think it would matter one way or another." The young man sat lotus style down on the futon and scowled at the older man's back.

"That just shows how much of an ahou you are. Come on; get into bed before you get sick as well. Then, who would clean up the mess you made?" Saitou pulled down the blankets and moved over to the left side of the bed, making room for the rooster. Sano, knowing a good invitation when he saw one, jumped up off the floor and rushed over to the bed. Saitou just looked at him in mild amusement.

"Gee, grandpa, what narrow, creepy eyes you have," Sano chuckled, and Saitou rolled his eyes.

"Better to watch you with ahou," the older man replied.

"What a sharp tongue you have," the young man continued.

"Better to scold you with, moron." Saitou really wasn't in the mood for games.

"What strong hands you have," Sano finally crawled in the bed and lay down.

"Better to strangle you with, now shut up," the older man growled as he turned his back to the strange boy.

"G'night temee, see ya in the morning." Sano wiggled around trying to get used to the felling of the strange bed.

"I'll count the minutes," the former samurai muttered under his breath sardonically before drifting off to sleep.

********

"You are not wearing that," Saitou said as he adjusted his dark blue kimono. How he dreaded this day. He had a sick feeling about it ever since he had received the letter requesting his audience, well Fujita Gorou's presence.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Sano tugged at the leg of his haori.

"This is not the type of individual who would be expecting to see that kanji on your back. Now strip." Saitou walked over to his closet and began searching through the various articles of clothing. That action drained him to the point that he started panting. He was still weak…damn virus.

Sano, on the other hand, did as he was told and stood in the middle of the room in nothing but his nagajuban [1], feeling foolish. He looked over at his temporary ward and saw that the man was leaning against the closet, panting in exhaustion.

"Hey man, you okay?" Sano walked over to Saitou and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied, short of breath. "Here, put these on. Not exactly appropriate for a house servant, but it is better than what you had on." Sano took the clothes from Saitou and noticed that the man had handed him a finely woven red kimono and black hakama.

"I don't know how to tie these," Sano admitted with a blush.

"Come here. Now watch, because this is the only time I will do this for you." Sano watched quietly as nimble fingers tied his hakama and kimono. He seemed to be in a trance-like state as he studied the man before him, working diligently to tie his clothes.

Saitou must have sensed that was being stared at for he raised his eyes to the younger man's face. Their eyes met, of course, this wasn't the first time, but this was the first time they actually looked at one another. It was a moment the Fates had sat aside just for them, but they had no clue. The second that chestnut eyes met amber, lives were changed and the planet tilted on its axis. It was to be the single most significant moment of their lives.

Inexplicably, the space between them was starting to diminish, and they both were barely aware of warm, moist breath against their lips. The anticipation was as thick and sweet as warm honey, both uncertain how their advances would be received. If Sano was to act first, would his embrace be welcomed, or would the wolf feel threatened and attack? If Saitou was to make the first move, would the rooster become frightened and run away, or would he melt into his strong arms, willing and responsive?

The choice was taken from them as a loud knock sounded at the door. The two men jumped apart as if they had been caught with hands in the proverbial cookie jar, and straightened their clothes. They just stood in the middle of the room, looking at each other, until Saitou's stare became too much for Sano and he turned away with a small blush. Another knock on the door reminded them that they had a less than patient visitor.

"You might want to get that, ahou." Saitou's voice was a tad shaky. Whether it was from the strange moment they had just shared or it was from the virus, Sano couldn't tell. Instead, he just nodded his head and left the room. Saitou leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh. He must have been sicker than he thought. He practically jumped the kid. That would just be wonderful for his career, not to mention his health. Half of Tokyo would be ready to skin his ass if they found out that he had almost molested Sanosuke. This was not going to be a good day.

********

"May I help you?" Sano asked as he opened the door. Standing there was a tall, old man with graying hair and cold black eyes. He had an aristocratic heir about him that screamed money. The man looked down his nose at Sanosuke and snorted.

"Yes, I'm here to see police chief, Fujita Gorou. He has information on my son. This is the right address, isn't it?" The man had barely said anything and Sano could already tell that he wasn't going to like this bastard one bit.

"Hold on a sec, I'll go fetch him for ya. He's feelin' a little under the weather right now. So, come on in and make yerself comfortable." The young man didn't bother to stay around to hear what the decrepit asshole was going to say next.

The older man studied his surroundings, surprised to find such finery in the home of a lowly Meiji dog. This Officer Fujita had good taste that was for certain. Well, good taste except for his house servant. That kid was brash, uncouth, and possibly uneducated.

The man turned when he heard the door to the living area slide open, admitting the tall youth and another tall man behind him. When the kid moved out of the way, the older man's eyes went wide first with shock, and then narrowed with barely controlled rage.

"You lying, manipulating little bastard," the man hissed out between clenched teeth.

"Now, now, there is no need for insults. We are supposed to be grown men; I suggest you start to act like it. Please, have a seat." Saitou motioned to the three cushions laid-out on the floor with a tray of sake and tea in the center.

"You fucking little prick! How dare you make such a mockery of me? I received a letter stating that my son was dead!" Saitou just stared at the man with uncaring eyes.

"Um…Fujita-san…" Sano attempted to sound like the good little house servant that he was supposed to be, but confusion was robbing his ability to speak.

"Stay out of this ahou," Saitou reprimanded softly. "As for you, your son is dead, at least where you are concerned. He died in Kyoto about two months ago."

"Do you think that I am an imbecile?" The man screamed in rage.

"I hope that is a rhetorical question," Saitou all but yawned.

"My son is standing before me in the guise of some Meiji cock-sucker. At this point, I could only hope that he was dead." Saitou Jubei walked toward his son, with his fury in his eyes.

"Yer 'Jime's dad? Damn, you make him look like Buddha." Both of the Saitou men looked at Sano at that moment. An amused smirk crossed the policeman's lips, while a nasty grimace found its way to the older man's face.

"Just who the hell do you think you are kid?" Jubei began approaching Sano.

"You will leave him be," Saitou said in a firm voice. "Your business is with me."

"I do not understand you, boy. If you were a true samurai, you would have upheld the honor of your family and either died in battle or killed yourself when you were defeated." Jubei walked over to the tray and poured himself a cup of sake.

"I was not defeated during the war, and your sense of honor is outdated." Saitou looked around the room for his cigarettes. He looked at Sano for information on their whereabouts, and the young man shook his head in a reprimanding manner.

"Oh please, I remember how inept you were with a sword. What, do you expect me to believe that you are on the same level as the Wolf of Mibu?" Jubei snorted and gulped down the sake.

"No, it is not possible for me to be on the level of the Wolf of Mibu." Saitou's eyes were glowing with amber fire.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"It's rather difficult to be compared to myself." The sake cup fell to the floor, shattering into small pieces.

"You were the captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi?" Disbelief was apparent in the man's tone.

"Didn't you tell yer pa anything, cricket face?" Sano felt like he was seeing a part of Saitou that Saitou didn't even let himself see. He was seeing a little boy trying to get approval and acknowledgement from his father.

"He already has his opinions of me, nothing I do or say will change that." Saitou's confidence seemed to be slowly fading in the older man's presence, and Sano didn't like it.

"Well it sounds like to me that he's just trying make himself look like a man, because everyone knows that he ain't nothin' but a pussy." Sano smirked at the death glare Jubei shot him.

"Don't use double negatives, ahou. It takes away from the impact of your statement," Saitou winked at the rooster head, causing the boy to grin. The next thing Sano knew was there was a hand headed straight for Saitou's face. Surprisingly, the officer allowed it to make contact. Saitou's head turned with the force of the impact, but the hit was too weak to take him down. Saitou took a deep breath before turning his head back to his father.

"Ya bastard!" Sano started for the older man, but Saitou grabbed him by the arm.

"Ahou, if hitting me makes him feel more like a man, then let him do it." Saitou dropped the kid's arm and turned back to his father. "Come on old man, you used to be able to better than that. I didn't even bleed this time."

"Do not mock your father, boy."

"As far as I'm concerned, I do not have a father. Now if you will excuse me, I'm not feeling well and need to lie down. Sanosuke, would you show Saitou-san out please." The policeman turned and walked back toward his bedroom, leaving both his father and Sano with their mouths hanging open in shock.

"He called me by my name," Sano murmured in shock. He composed himself and turned to the older man. "You heard 'Jime, time for you to go." Sano grabbed the man by the arm and all but dragged the man out of the house.

"Get your dirty hands off of me you stupid, uneducated piece of garbage!" Jubei jerked away from Sano as they got out of the front door and stormed away to his carriage.

Sano walked back into the house and went in search of Saitou, head drooping. He hated to admit it, but Saitou's father had hit a nerve. He couldn't help it if he wasn't as educated as most. Education, in the past, had taken money. Sanosuke never really had money. You had to have a job to get money, and most good paying jobs take some education. It was a vicious cycle. Not to mention that it didn't take a genius to figure out that Saitou's family had money. So, to someone like Saitou, he would look like street trash.

"Ahou? Did he give you any problems?" Sano found Saitou sitting in the main room yet again, eating the miso soup that the boy had made earlier.

"Nah, he ain't nothin'." The usual pep in Sano's voice was not to be found and Saitou studied him for a moment and noticed that the boy was acting like a beaten puppy.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Saitou wanted to laugh at such a ridiculous question…until he saw the look on the boy's face. Big brown eyes that usually sparkled were dull with pain.

"No. I do not think you are stupid. You are a survivor, and that takes intelligence. You may not be book educated, but you are street wise, and very few people have that trait." Sano sat down beside the older man in a defeated manner.

"But I don't know pretty and fancy words or literature or science. Hell, I can barely read."

"So, this automatically makes you stupid? That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard. Intelligence is not what you know, but your ability and want to learn new things. You are not stupid, Sanosuke. You are ignorant, and by choice. If you want to be educated, make the effort. But don't let Saitou Jubei bring you down. He is a fool that needs to push others down in order to make himself more of man that what he is." Saitou turned and looked at Sano. "No one could ever be good enough for him. Take it from someone who knows from experience."

"He used to beat ya pretty bad, huh? No wonder yer such a perfectionist. You never really got to be a kid. Damn, 'Jime, I never dreamed…"

"That was a long time ago, it doesn't matter now." Sano knew then that it was time to drop that subject of conversation. If Saitou wanted to talk about it, he would.

"Hey 'Jime, can you do me a favor?" Damn the big puppy eyes…again.

"Depends." Saitou took a sip of his tea and grimaced at the underlying taste of medicine. That Ahou was a damn sneaky bastard when it came to slipping him some medicine.

"Could you…um…teach me? Nothing really complicated like philosophy or somethin', more like how to read better and maybe some English." Saitou knew that Sano was a proud kid, and never asked for help. Wasn't that the reason he still lived in the slums, because he was too proud to ask for financial assistance?

"Fine, but if you slack off, even once, I will no longer waste my time on you. But you realize that this will cost you?" Saitou started twirling a chopstick between his fingers, since Sano had obviously hid his cigarettes, just to have something to do with his hands.

"Cost? But…but…I don't have money!" That look was just priceless.

"Did I say money, ahou? The way I see it, you have many connections in the lower income communities where it just so happens to be a circus of illegal activity or at least word of it. What I want is information…you don't have to go out of your way to get it. Just listen to what's going on around you, be a little more perceptive, and tell me what you know. Even you can manage that." Saitou ceased the twirling of the chopstick in favor of sticking it in his mouth, much like he would a cigarette. He really needed a nicotine fix in the worst way.

"Is that all? That don't seem like much of a payment to me." Sano scratched his head and prepared to answer Saitou's proposal.

"Well, if you feel that way, you can clean my house as well." Sano could have kicked himself for opening his big mouth.

"No, no, the information is plenty work for me!"

"That's what I thought." Saitou yawned and rubbed at a scratchy eye.

"Come on, 'Jime, let's get you to bed." Sano stood and offered his hand to his new sensei. Saitou studied the young man for a moment before taking the kid's hand and allowing him to pull him up. Saitou couldn't help but think that the Fates were making a big joke out of him.

*********

What did you think? You like? Sorry it took me so long to get this out, but school has really bogged me down.

Laters,

sirencirce