Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Trick or Treat ❯ What? no kiss goodnight? ( Chapter 6 )

He realized they'd stopped walking. And that he'd been caught staring at Saitous' mouth. `Oh shiiitt...'

The policeman in question raised an eyebrow at Sano. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Sano laughed nervously, his cheeks pink from embarrassment at being caught. "Eh-heh. Yeah, I was...eh...just trying to ignore my ankle, that's all." Actually, this was partially true. His ankle did feel like it was on fire. He hoped it was just a sprain and nothing more serious. He really didn't want to have to explain what had happened to Megumi and the others. Nope, this was going into his "it never happened" file.

A small frown creased the cops' face. "Maybe I should carry you after all."

"No, no! It's okay. We're almost there anyway." Sano pointed ahead of them. "It's just up the street a bit at the end, the one with the bamboo chimes." They continued walking and quickly found themselves at his front door. He took a small lantern off a peg next to the door. "I'd better light this. I'd rather not have you trip over something and blame me...er, my cousin."

Saitou chuckled dryly and reached into his pocket for his matches. "Let me get that."

Sano protested as he was pulled snugly against the cop. Saitou shushed him, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall, just relax." He struck a match and lit the lantern, not relinquishing his hold on Sano.

`Yeah, relax, riiiiight.' He was in a dress, held tight against the infamous Wolf of Mibu like a lover. That thought wasn't relaxing at all. He was acutely aware of Saitous' arms around him, and his own arm around the cops' neck. He could feel the buttons on the police jacket even through the layers of his kimono. He'd never been this close to the ex-Shinsengumi before. Not that he'd wanted to be, of course. His nose was practically pressed into the crook of Saitous' neck. The faintly sweet smell of tobacco was mixed with a spicier scent that Sanosuke supposed was Saitou himself. He inhaled softly, curious. It was surprisingly pleasant.

He started when gold eyes turned to his. They were almost nose-to-nose. The light from the lantern bathed their faces in a warm yellow glow, softening the usually harsh lines of Saitous' face. His eyes seemed to gleam in the light. They had a faintly amused glint in them.

"Shall we go inside? We really should get that ankle taken care of."

Sanosuke gave a weak, embarrassed laugh. "Uh, yeah." He slid the door open and they stepped inside. `What the hell were you doing, sniffing him? Jeez, you are a moron.'

The lantern lit the interior of the shack enough for Saitou to see the futon in the corner. He led Sano over and gently lowered the injured fighter to the mattress. Sanosuke put the lantern on the floor next to the bed.

"There's a lamp over there on the table if you need more light." He pointed to the other side of the room. Saitou walked over and lit the lamp, then turned and surveyed his surroundings. The space had few furnishings, only the worn futon, small table, single plain chair, and a small cabinet in the corner. A huge broken sword hung on the wall near the cabinet. Over the table were some drawings, obviously done by Dr. Gensai's granddaughters. Saitou smirked at the white-clad stick figure with brown spiky hair. The place was surprisingly tidy; blankets and clothes were neatly folded near the futon, the tatami mats had been carefully patched (more than once), and there were even a few pots of herbs near the lone window. Saitou made a soft surprised grunt as his eyes scanned the room. He looked back at the young fighter. "It's much cleaner than I expected from the ahou. You must've done some housecleaning for him."

Sanosuke frowned at the cop. "No, actually, I have not." he said hotly, sitting up a little straighter. "It always looks like this. Just because he's poor doesn't mean he has no pride. He's not gutter trash, no matter what you may think." He crossed his arms angrily over his chest, glaring at Saitou. `Grrr, fucking psycho cop, always putting me down. Bastard.'

Saitou smiled slightly, just a brief lift of one corner of his mouth. "Hnn. I suppose you're right. I apologize. I didn't intend to insult him, or offend you."

Sanosuke blinked in surprise. Saitou was…apologizing?

"Now, where does he keep his bandages? I'm sure he's got plenty to spare." He rolled his eyes slightly.

Sanosuke let out a short laugh. "They're in the little cabinet there. I'm sure he won't miss a few."

Saitou smirked as he grabbed a roll of the cloth strips. "Well, I won't tell him if you don't." he said conspiratorially with a wink, heading back towards the futon. He knelt in front of Sano, took off his gloves and gently lifted the injured foot onto his lap. "Let's see just how bad it is." he said, sliding the sandal and sock off carefully. Sano hissed as Saitou had him slowly rotate his foot. The ankle was swollen slightly but hadn't bruised. It hurt like hell though. "It doesn't seem too bad. "He said quietly, lightly tracing his fingers over the injury. Sanosuke gasped at the soft touch. It sent a flurry of twinges through his stomach.

"Did I hurt you?" Saitou looked up.

"N-no. It's fine." Sanosuke blushed as their eyes met. He looked away, uneasy, and tried to quell the fluttering in his gut. `Get a grip Sano! One night in a dress and yer acting like a friggin girl!'

Saitou didn't seem to notice Sanos' discomfort as he carefully wrapped the sprain.

"You should be able to walk on it with no problem once it's wrapped. It'll most likely heal completely in a day or two if you take it easy." He finished and sat back on his heels, his hands lightly holding the ankle still resting on his lap.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Sano cleared his throat nervously. He wasn't sure he liked the way Saitou was staring at him. Actually, he was sure he didn't like the look he was getting, he just wasn't sure what it meant, exactly. "Uhm, thank you for helping me back here and wrapping my ankle." He blushed again as he realized it was still cradled in Saitous' hands. He gingerly pulled his foot off Saitous' lap and tucked it under the hem of his kimono.

"Perhaps I should remain here until the Ah…your cousin, returns."

Sanos' eyes went round. "What!? No, no, that's not necessary." `Fuck no.' He laughed nervously, one hand absently rubbing the back of his head. "You know how he is, he won't be back till very late. I'm sure you've lots more important things to take care of…" `People to beat up ,little kids to scare, small animals to kick.' There was no way in hell he could let Saitou stay.

"Hn. And just where is that rooster head anyway?" A frown creased the cops' mouth. "This is just like the brat, shirking his responsibilities. He's out drinking and gambling when he should've been with you. As you found out, this isn't the gentlest part of town. I'm going to have to teach him a lesson or two about duty." The amber eyes narrowed dangerously.

Sano made a mental note to avoid the Wolf for a week or two. "Please forget about it," he implored. "I arrived unannounced and didn't expect to be here this long. I saw no reason for him to change his plans on my account. Besides, I was with friends of his tonight, and thought it would be all right."

"The Kamiya girl and her lot?"

"Yes, that's right. It's not his fault."

"No, it's theirs." Saitou growled lowly.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Saitous' hand clenched into a fist. "They allowed you to walk back here unescorted, without the slightest thought of what might happen to an attractive young woman alone at night. Damn Battousai…" he growled the last part out.

`Whoops. Sorry Kenshin'

"Well, nothing did happen, thanks to you." He leaned forward and lightly placed his hand over Saitous' fist with a genuine smile of gratitude. "Now please, I'd really like to put this whole night behind me, ne?" A small part of Sanos' subconscious absently noted how soft the back of his hand was. `Must be from wearing those gloves all the time.' He didn't realize the fist had relaxed until he suddenly felt it turn over under his hand, warm calloused fingers softly touching his palm. He inhaled sharply at the almost caress and quickly removed his hand from Saitous'. He looked away, uncomfortable.

Saitou stood up gracefully and tugged his gloves back on. "Well, it's late and you should get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow then." he said, turning to leave.

"What do you mean?" asked Sano, confused.

Saitou stopped at the door and looked back at the young fighter. "I'll have to fill out a report about the attack. So, you will need to come to the station to give me the details." He smiled apologetically at the stricken look he was getting. "I'm sorry, I know it's distasteful, but it has to be done."

"But, but. I can't come there! I, uh, I'm leaving tomorrow. Early." There was no way he was going to the police station dressed like this! No way!

"If you prefer, I could come here and take your statement. I'm usually in very early."

Sano just gaped at the policeman. That was an even worse idea. Saitou would expect to see both "Suki" and Sano. And if "Suki" didn't show up tomorrow, Saitou would probably come around looking for her. And most likely lecture (punctuated with his fists) Sano endlessly about letting his "cousin" get attacked, not to mention her not showing up for his precious reports. There was only one thing to do. He sighed in defeat; shoulders slumped. "Okay, I'll be there in the morning." He sighed heavily. `Stupid costume party. I should've just gone as Captain Sagara in the first place!'

Saitou slid open the door and stepped outside. Sano looked up as he turned to slide it closed again. "Good night Saitou. And, thank you." He may be an egotistical mantis-faced bastard, but he did save him from being raped, possibly killed.

He couldn't really tell in the darkness but he thought a small smile graced the cops' face. "Good night…Suki."

The door slid shut and Sano was left alone with his thoughts. He rubbed his arms absently. There was something about the way he'd said "Suki" that sent goose bumps over him. He frowned in annoyance and began to undress. `Great. Now I gotta go out the daytime like this. If I get there early enough there shouldn't be too many people around. Argh! Can it get any worse?'

It was with much mental grumbling he cleaned himself up and went to bed. He needed his sleep; it was going to be a long morning.

Authors Notes;

So, next chapter is where Saitous' point of view comes in. After that, we'll get the thoughts of both bishies. Whoo-hoo, the voices in my head are multiplying. Also, the next chapter is the one I lost and had to completely re-write. That was a bitch. I had enough trouble thinking it up the first time. And still the whole I haven't actually completed the story thing. But I now have time to work on it a bit. Between the copious amounts of holiday baking I'm going to do.

So, I have survived October in Salem. We had approximately 60,000 visitors Halloween night. And they all came through our store…well, it seemed like it anyway. So dammed tired… It's fun at the beginning but by Halloween we're all like, "Yeah, thanks for coming to Salem. Here's your souvenirs, get the fuck out!" I mean, how many times can you be asked if you're a witch, or who does the best tarot readings, or which museum/tour/book is the best before you lose it and kick somebody in the nuts? Add to it that I have pink hair and look only a few steps shy of becoming an anime character myself. By the time it's over I'm like, "If one more person stares at my hair, asks me if I dyed it for Halloween, or if it's my real color I'm going to scream." It's amazing how many people from the middle of the country are shocked by me or my co-workers. And we're not even pierced or anything! Do they not have hair dye in the Mid-West? Geez.

Anyway, I hope you'll all stay with me as I try to finish this. Keep reading and don't forget to review and let me know what you think! Thanks!! Huggles!

Child of Ice; You don't really hate me. I know you'll be back.

Yukiko_angel; Actually, I have two shirts with evil written on them Hmmm, a kiss? Oh, I'm sure there'll be at least a kiss…

Self_insertion; Well, if I'm dead I can't update. I feel your pain, I hate waiting for updates too.