Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Under the Covers ❯ Tatoos and Swords ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 3: Tatoos and Swords

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Disclaimer: Not going to explain it.

Warnings: Cursing, a little violence, and a surprise at the end.

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Sano awoke with a long stretch and reached out for the older man who he had shared the bed with the night before, but his hands only came in contact with cold sheets instead of a warm body. Damn. The sexy cop got away without him knowing it…double damn. That officer was going to make his job a living hell if he was going to keep disappearing like that. Damn, damn, damn.

Sano sighed as he got out of bed. It was only two o'clock, and he had several hours before he, and the cop, had to be at work. That was promising, but the only thing was that Sano had no clue where the predatory man may be. The young man hurried and took a shower and got dressed as he pondered the problem of keeping the older man in his line of vision until it came time to follow through with his mission. Shishio had mentioned that trust was the key. So, now he faced the dilemma of getting Saitou Hajime of all people to trust him. Yeah, and Hell was going to freeze over any second now.

The young man, now clean and dressed, walked out into the hallway and heard music coming from across the hall. So the old man hadn't gotten far, he noted. He pressed his ear against the door to see if he could hear any indication of the policeman's movements within. All he could hear was the incredibly depressing music drifting from inside.

*********

Saitou moved gracefully around his living room in a flowing kata that he had learned years ago. His katana was gleaming in the soft afternoon light as he dropped down into a Gatotsu stance, the ultimate attack of the fighting style Mizoguchi Haitou Ryu.

A dark Nocturn by Chopin drifted through his stereo speakers as he moved with the fluid grace of a trained warrior. The dark music suited his dark mood as he brooded the events from the night before. How could he have been so stupid? He acted like a raw teenager, or even worse…a green rookie. A low growl worked it's way past his throat. He was so caught up in his anger and the blaring music that he didn't hear or see the ahou entering the room before he performed the thrusting maneuver known as Gatotsu.

*********

Pain. Searing pain. That was what Sano felt as soon as he stepped into the older man's living room. He looked down at the source of his pain wedged in his right shoulder. What kind of fucking knife was that? He supposed he probably should have knocked first, but he really didn't think that the bastard would stab him. He looked up and saw golden eyes with a hint of surprise and traces of regret.

"What are you doing here?" Saitou was shaken. Never before had his temper caused him to block out everything around. He had always prided himself with being aware of his surroundings, but this kid had just came out of nowhere. Luckily he was able to change the blade's path at the last second, making sure to hit the boy in such a manner that it would do no severe damage.

"Is that all you can say? You fucking stabbed me you psycho!" Sano dropped to the hard wooden floor and glared up at the older man.

"I had no reason to expect that you would come waltzing in here unannounced. It's not like I meant to stab you. If that was my intention, I would have done it this morning while you were still asleep." Saitou grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled.

"Holy shit! That hurts!" Sano immediately pressed his left hand to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"You'll have to go to the hospital," the older man stated dryly.

"No shit Sherlock. What the hell are you doing with a knife that big anyway?" Saitou watched as the kid continued to rant and bleed on his floor.

"It is a katana you moron. Furthermore, it is none of your concern why I possess it, just know now that I do." The officer pulled the kid from the floor none too gently before dragging him into his small bathroom and retrieving a first aid kit. "Sit," he ordered while pointing at the toilet.

"What are you going to do to me now? Beat me to death with a toilet paper dispenser?" Sano grumbled as he sat down, the chill of the white porcelain seeping through his jeans.

"Don't tempt me. Now, take off your shirt." When the kid didn't immediately comply with the demand, Saitou grabbed a hold of the shirt and pulled, ripping it in the process.

"Hey, take it easy. I'm wounded." Saitou found himself looking into big, brown puppy eyes as the kid pouted.

"You're not that wounded if you're still running that mouth of yours." The man snorted as he examined the wound. It was a clean cut and should heal nicely, but a few stitches wouldn't hurt. He bandaged the arm tight enough to keep the kid from losing too much blood, but didn't tie it too tight as to be unbearable. After he was finished, he washed his hands and walked out of the room.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you are going?" Sano rushed after him, feeling a little light headed.

"Getting my car keys. That is, unless you want to walk to the hospital." Saitou slipped on a pair of shoes, grabbed his jacket, and threw a sweatshirt at Sano. "Here, put that on." Sano did as he was told and followed the man into the parking garage.

Sano had almost expected the man to be driving a hertz or something. So, he was understandably surprised when he saw Saitou unlocking the passenger side door of a vintage, black convertible `Vette Stingray. The older man opened the door for Sano and motioned for him to get in.

"Fucking-A man. This car is the shit!" Sano sat in the cold seat, taking a deep wiff of the strong leather smell.

"Don't touch anything. This car is the closest thing I have to a child, and I swear to all that is good in the world that I will kill you if you damage anything in or on this car," Saitou growled as he started the engine and his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. As soon as they left the parking garage, Saitou grabbed his phone and dialed a very familiar number.

"This is Chou," the bored voice came over the line.

"Where are you now?" Saitou growled as he turned onto the hospital exit.

"In that rat den that you're makin' me stay in. It's one thing for you to have to be dragged to Tokyo, but did you have to drag me with ya?" Yeah, the broom head was pissed, but Saitou needed to have someone he could contact at moment's notice that would be able to put a team together without blowing his or Himura's cover. Chou was the lucky candidate.

"I need you to meet me at the hospital. We need to talk." With that, Saitou hung up the phone and threw it on the dash. He looked over at the kid, who was staring at him very intently.

"You could have at least said `goodbye.' Don't you have any manners?" Saitou arched a dark brow.

"This is coming from the idiot who walked into my apartment without knocking." Sano actually had the grace to blush at that statement. "Are you in much pain?" For some reason, Saitou could not stand the silence between the two of them.

"It stings," Sano muttered around a yawn as he leaned back further in his seat. Within moments, he was fast asleep. Saitou just hoped the kid hadn't lost too much blood.

*********

Chou rushed into the emergency room entrance like a mad man. That cricket-faced freak hadn't even told him why he was going to the hospital, or even if he was the one in need of medical attention. It was Chou's job to make sure that Saitou and the case remained safe, and he had already blown it. He could tell by the sound in the older man's voice that he was in deep shit.

"Can I help you sir?" An older man approached Chou.

"Yes, I'm looking for a man by the name of Fujita Gorou." Chou grabbed the man and shook him in order to express his worry.

"Oh yes, he brought in a young gentleman earlier. He said that he would be expecting someone. Please, follow me." The old man led him down a hallway to an examination room where Saitou sat in a chair reading the newspaper, and a younger gentleman sat on the exam table having stitches put in his shoulder.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Chou yelled at the stoic man, a little short of breath.

"Ahou needed stitches, obviously. Now try asking a question you don't have the answer to, Chou," Saitou stated dryly as he turned the page of the newspaper, not bothering to look up at the blonde officer.

"Why does he need stitches?" Chou sat down in the chair beside Saitou. The doctor excused himself in order to get some gauze and walked out of the room.

"That psycho stabbed me with a sword!" Sano yelled.

"Is all the crowing really necessary, rooster-head." Saitou looked up at his paper and sent a glare at the younger man.

"Damn, you stabbed him?" Chou felt dizzy. Saitou was supposed to protect the kid, not kill him.

"It was an accident. See, he left out the part where he came into my apartment unannounced while I was going through a kata." Saitou went back to reading his paper, and the doctor returned with gauze in hand.

"By the way, your ex-wife called." Saitou growled at this information.

"Someone actually married you?" Sano asked from the table.

"We do not need a comment from the peanut gallery," Saitou reprimanded sternly. "What could she possibly want this time? I've paid all my alimony, she got the house, hell, she even got the dog. There is nothing left for her to want." Saitou could feel his hands shaking. He was willing to kill for a cigarette at that moment.

"Why would she call broom-head and not you?" Sano yawned again.

"Because she doesn't have my new number and she doesn't really like talking to me." Saitou watched as Sano scratched his head in a sleepy manner and wondered how the kid could be so carefree.

"Broom-head! Just who the hell you callin' broom-head, rooster boy!" Chou was not in a good mood, and the kid wasn't helping it any.

"Children, don't make me put you in a corner." Saitou wacked both Sano and Chou over the head with his newspaper.

"Anyway, she said that she would be sending the rest of your stuff to me. She said that she didn't want to have to lug it with her to her new house. Oh yeah, by the way, she's selling the house and sending you half of what she gets." Chou had a merry little smile on his face. He always enjoyed it when Tokio called to give him information to relay to his boss. Saitou was funny when he was angry at his wife. The name calling would start . . .

"Fucking whore, who does that damn bitch think she is?"

The need for a cigarette would kick in . . .

"Where the hell are my cigarettes?" Saitou patted his pockets in search of some nicotine.

"You left them in the car, temee," the rooster reminded.

The questioning would begin . . .

"Why is she selling my house?" Saitou grabbed Chou by the collar and growled in his face.

"'Cause I reckon she's getting' married to . . ."

"Don't even say it." Saitou dropped Chou back into his seat.

Then some random object would suffer his wrath . . .

Chou almost felt sorry for that newspaper.

*********

A few moments later, Chou and Saitou were standing outside while Sano was at the desk giving his billing information. Saitou had already gone through two cigarettes and was lighting his third.

"You okay, boss. You look like you need a vacation." The older man began to pace.

"Vacation? What the hell is that? Do you know the last time I had a vacation Chou?" The blonde shook his head. "I took Tokio to Paris the summer before I caught her cheating on me. That was five years ago. It was an attempt to work things out, but, as we can see, that didn't work."

"You work too hard. Do something fun for a change. This assignment is the perfect chance. The kid seems like he's the fun lovin' type, and for some unknown reason he actually enjoys your company." Saitou snorted at the advise about the same time Sano emerged from the building.

"Are you ready mantis face? I'm hungry." Did that kid always have to sound so chipper?

"For some who just had stitches and whines as much as you do, you sure are in a sickeningly good mood." Saitou throws the stub of his cigarette down and starts walking toward the parking lot.

"I'm always in a good mood, until you ruin it," Sano whispered under his breath.

"I heard that!" The kid and Chou both cringe at the stern tone of Saitou's voice. "If you want food, ahou, you better get your ass in gear."

"Hey broom-head, you coming with?" Sano checked his watch to see how much time he had before work and noticed that it was only four. They didn't have to be at the club until nine. Woohoo!

"Nah, I think I'll sit this one out. I try not to be around when he's in one of his moods." With that, Chou walked away from the young man.

"Your loss." Sano breaks into a jog to catch up to the older man. "You know, I really love this car." He leans down and starts petting it. "You are a pretty girl." Saitou turned away from the kid as people with curious stares past them by.

"Ahou, cut it out." Sano straightened with a smile and Saitou tossed him the keys. "If you try to act like a responsible adult, you may drive. You do know how to drive, don't you?"

"Hell yeah! Get your ass in the car old man. We are going to have a fun afternoon." Saitou got into the car and wondered about his sudden lapse in judgment.

*********

Aoshi paced the length of his living room while staring intently at the phone. It was five minutes after four…Megumi would be home. He looked down at his hand and studied the faded black numbers scrawled on its surface. Granted he had written it on a piece of paper, but he had not washed it off his hand just in case he lost the number.

Should he call?

It would complicate things. He tried not to complicate things. Yet, it could be worth it. He had been alone for a long time. Was it so wrong to desire to have someone in his life?

It could put her in danger.

The clock read ten after four, and now he was going to have to battle his conscious. But she would only be in danger if he told why he was here, which he would have to eventually. He could tell her after everything went down.

Now he was jumping ahead of himself.

Just because he called her and asked her out didn't mean that they would be compatible. She could him. He could hate her. Then again, she may prove to be someone that he could not live without, sell his soul to just look into her eyes, or travel to the ends of the Earth just to walk her down her street.

She could destroy him.

She held the power to bring him to his knees in her pretty little hand. She didn't know this though. She didn't have to know. He didn't have to tell her.

He…couldn't do it.

What if she really didn't want him to call? But she did give him her number. It could have been a bet with her friends. Yeah right, did that stuff actually happen outside of a movie?

He was going to do it!

He hurried and dialed the number before he could change his mind. He listened as the phone rang once, twice, three times. He was about to give up on the fourth ring when a breathless voice answered, "Hello."

"May I speak to Megumi, please." Aoshi swallowed hard. He couldn't figure out why he was so nervous…he was never nervous.

"This is she…"

********

"So, was that guy yer boyfriend?" Saitou practically choked on his egg roll at the kid's question.

"Who? Chou? Have you lost your mind? Why in the hell would you think that?" The thought of he and Chou being intimate made Saitou's stomach turn.

"Well, yer really nice to him and all. Yer never that nice to me." Sano mumbled.

"Are you jealous?" Saitou smirked.

"Yes," the kid whined.

"Don't be." Sano smiled and continued to eat.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Saitou rolled his eyes. "You don't even know what it is yet, temee. After all, you owe me for the whole stabbing thing."

"I can probably guess that it is something that I would not enjoy." The rooster just shook his head at Saitou's cynicism.

"Hurry up man, this will be great." Sano hopped in his seat in barely controlled excitement.

***********

"I feel like an idiot. Is all this really necessary?" Saitou grumbled, eyes closed, as Sano led him down the street to some unknown destination.

"It's a surprise. Besides, I knew that you wouldn't agree if you knew where we were going." The sound of bell tinkling signaled that they had entered some sort of an establishment. "Okay temee, open yer eyes now."

Golden eyes snapped open to find himself staring at a wall of designs. He looked over his shoulder at the grinning young man and wanted to smash that grin right off his face. A tatoo parlor, how quaint.

"So what are you going to get this time? AHOU across the forehead?" Saitou asked sardonically.

"Nope, we're gettin' you tatooed my dear mantis face." Sano walked up to the wall and studied the designs. "So, what'll be old man?"

"I won't be getting any tatoos ahou," Saitou informed.

"Pretty please…with sugar on top?" Not the big puppy eyes.

Yes, the big puppy eyes.

"Why does this matter so much to you?" Saitou could understand if he was keeping the kid from getting a tatoo, but why did the kid want him to get one so bad?

"I have the feeling that you've never done something just for the hell of it. Well, today is yer first step to becoming a more fun and spontaneous person."

"May I help you gentlemen?" Saitou was a firm believer in not staring under any circumstances. He had seen some seriously gruesome things in his life. Hell, he even caused most of them, but nothing could have prepared him for this. The only part of the woman that wasn't covered either by tatoos or leather was her face. Her hair was in a Mohawk and dyed a disturbing shade of green, not to mention she had more holes in her body than slice of swiss cheese. Even her arms were pierced. He hated to admit it, but he was scared.

"We were just l…"

"Actually yes you can. Is Shura in?" Sano interrupted.

"Yeah, follow me." Sano wanted to laugh at the look on Saitou's face. He knew the conservative police officer would be shocked. This was going to be fun.

"Hey Zanza, what can I do for you?" Shura was an attractive lady that caused Saitou to relax somewhat.

"This is my friend Fujita Gorou and we're gonna get him a tatoo." Sano patted Saitou on the back.

"So, what exactly did you have in mind, handsome?" She slid a stool out for the man to sit on.

"Actually, I'm just humoring the kid. I don't want a tatoo." That earned Saitou a glare.

"Well, we could always pierce your nipples, or do a Prince Albert." Shura offered a mischievous grin.

"Oh hell no. You are not piercing anything, especially my penis!" Saitou reflexively brought his hands in from of his groin area and backed away.

"A tatoo it is then!" Sano said triumphantly. "Although the piercing would have been interesting."

"I hate you," Saitou growled, and Sano only chuckled.

"Where should we put it?" Shura walked around the older man, studying him.

"I cannot believe I'm doing this. I'm too old for this shit." Saitou absently pulled up his shirt and scratched his stomach.

"Yer only as old as ya feel temee!" Sano's eyes followed the motion of Saitou's hand and he unconsciously licked his lips at the brief glimpse of muscle and flesh. This was not lost on Shura.

"Okay, I think I got it. Take off your shirt, sexy." Saitou growled and stripped off his shirt. Sano studied the older man's torso completely this time. Last night, Sano didn't take the opportunity to look over the man's body. The young man looked over the plain of muscle and sinew, studying every crease and bulge. His gaze finally landed on an angry red patch of skin that signaled the making of a scar.

"Hey, how'd you get that?" Sano approached the older man and gently ran a finger over the still too sensitive patch of skin. Saitou's muscles jumped at the contact as he broke out with goosebumps all along his torso.

"I was working as a bouncer at a bar known as Purgatory a few weeks back, and one of the punks got a little rowdy and stabbed me in the side. He missed everything vital, but I was in the hospital for a few days. The stitches just came out a few days ago." Saitou watched as the kid looked at the scar for a few minutes before dropping to his knees in front of him. "What the hell are you doing?" Sano smirked before leaning over and placing a soft, intimate kiss over the reddened flesh.

"Kissing it so it will feel better." The boy stood and walked over to the wall of designs, giving Saitou a nice view of his backside.

"I hate to interrupt, but have you decided what you want?" Saitou looked back over at the tatoo artist then to Sano yet again. Shura was almost apprehensive when she saw the evil grin spread across the older man's face. He leaned over and whispered in the woman's ear what he wanted and where he wanted it.

**********

"I can't believe you!" Sano slouched down in the passenger side of the car.

"I can't believe you are taking it personally." Saitou muttered as he pulled into the apartment building's parking garage.

"Why else would you have tatooed that on your chest?" Sano hopped out of the car as soon as it came to a complete stop and headed for the apartment building. Saitou was quick to follow, amused by the young man's tantrum.

"I'm telling you, there is no reason for you to be upset." The two men walked into the building, one sporting a pout and the other fighting to hide a smirk.

"Oh really? Why else would you have `Aku. Soku. Zan.' tatooed on your chest?" Sano poked the man on the left pectoral where the tatoo had been given, hoping that it would hurt. He then climbed into the elevator and hit the 4th floor button, not bothering to wait for Saitou to join him. The older man stuck his foot in the path of the rapidly closing elevator door, causing it to open and allow him entrance.

"It was an old saying that has been passed down in my family . . . since the day of the samurai. So, kid, it has nothing to do with that silly little kanji on your back. If I was going to `slay' you, I would have done it already." About that time, the elevator door snapped open and Sano was practically running for his apartment door. He had just unlocked his door and was getting ready to open it when Saitou grabbed him by the arm.

"Let me go."

"What is your problem? I told you it had nothing to do with you." Saitou was so close to ripping his hair out.

"I believe you, okay." Sano tried to jerk out of the older man's strong grip yet again. Instead, he found himself being pushed through the door to Saitou's apartment and trapped against the wall in the hallway.

"Then what is your problem?" The officer was trying to remain calm, but this kid had him to the end of his rope.

"Why don't you give me chance? It makes me so mad to think that today was just something to keep me from aggravating you, not because you actually enjoyed it. At first, I thought you were having a good time, but by the time Shura was done, you looked completely miserable. That's what made me so mad. I don't understand why you can't just be straight with me." Sano's chocolate brown eyes were dancing with rage as Saitou stared deep into them, almost as if he saw the boy's soul through his eyes.

"Want me to be `straight' with you? Kid you don't know what the hell you are talking about. You don't want me . . . you just think you do. I'm not kind, gentle, or even pleasant. You have no idea what you are asking for." Sano opened his mouth to protest, but Saitou crushed his lips in a forceful, bruising kiss that stole his breath and made his blood boil. The older man forced his tongue into the meager opening that Sano offered and plundered the warm, soft cavern for the boy's taste. Sano moaned under the assault and raised his hands to tangle in the older man's hair as he lost himself in the kiss.

Saitou growled deep in his throat when he felt the younger man's tongue sensually wind around his own. This was madness. He shouldn't be standing in the middle of his hallway, kissing his assignment (while said assignment was pinned against the wall), and most definitely should not have grabbed the kid by the ass and brought their lower bodies in closer contact. He needed to stop, he needed to think, he needed to . . . breathe. Saitou broke the kiss, panting like he had just run a marathon, but he noticed that the younger man was in much the same shape as he.

"Damn," Sano panted.

"I think that you so go home, kid. I have to get ready for work." `Fuck going to work, and fuck the kid instead,' his mind argued, but Saitou knew that would not be a good idea. It would never work, and Zanza deserved than what Saitou was in the position to offer. If they had met under different circumstances . . . no, that wouldn't work either. Zanza was still young, and more than likely didn't got bored easily. Saitou was too old for games.

"But . . . you can't kiss me like that and expect me to act like it didn't happen! This is far from over, temee. You might want to think about that." With that, the young man stormed out of the apartment to return to his own, and Saitou could only lean against the wall as his body trembled with desire for the young man. This assignment had become considerably more complicated than it should have.

*********

Yahiko: My virgin eyes!

Sano: What are you doing spying, you little brat?

Kenshin: Now, now, Sano, he's just a curious teenager.

Karou: Curious? Are you encouraging Yahiko's deviant behavior. *smack*

Kenshin: Ooorrrooo

Saitou: Not curious, just a hentai.

Karou: Yahiko! Get back here!

Um...yeah. I'm going to try get the characters under control, and you guys drop me a review . . . pweeze.

Laters,

sirencirce