Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Certain Clarity ❯ 19 ( Chapter 19 )

Title: A Certain Clarity (19/30)

Author: Franzi Dickson

E-mail: fdickson@ix.netcom.com

Archive: The SxSAS Archive, fanfiction.net and others (eventually). If you want it on your site, just ask.

Rating: NC-17 for wet dreams, sex, drugs, violence and other badness.

Warnings: m/m sex, lemon, assorted bad things in this part and future ones

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. I'm just doing bad things with them. Don't sue me.

He woke early for once and headed straight for the dining hall. The... stuff they were serving even tasted all right this morning. He hummed to himself as he ate.

"Whatcha so happy about?"

He shrugged and smiled. "Good night, I guess."

She looked suspicious. "Did *he* channel for you?"

"No..." He hadn't, had he? Hell, Sano didn't believe in that stuff anyway.

"Did he do something else?"

"What do you mean?"

She smiled innocently.

"Never mind!"

"Well?"

"No, it has nothing to do with him. I just slept well, that's all." He didn't think she believed him, but it was the truth. Dream though it was, it had really been nice... Too bad... No. He wouldn't think about that. He wolfed down the last of the porridge. "See you later, Hiromi."

He sat on the roof of the bathhouse. Even up here, there wasn't much of a view, but at least he had privacy. He lay back and stared at the sky; it was very blue today with just a few milky streaks of cloud. The sun felt good on his face. It was funny, but he felt so relaxed today, even with what had happened with Hoito. Come to think of it, what the hell had happened with Hoito? It could have just been a coincidence, he supposed. Weird though... He had tasted sweet. I wonder if Hiromi's brother knows how sweet he tastes... Hiromi's brother... He really should get around to investigating that guy. There was definitely something going on there. He wouldn't have thought that such an angry man would resort to poison, but maybe if he liked to watch them... It was a pretty horrible poison. His mood darkened. That would mean he was really sick though. It was hard to believe that anyone would have done it, but the cops had found all those bodies, most of them even younger than he was, if he remembered correctly. Damn. "I'll get you, you bastard, whatever it takes." He shook his head. Maybe he hadn't done it... He could be leaping to conclusions... Maybe he should ask Hoito... Hoito... His arm had been almost purple around the cut. Sano was surprised it hadn't broken. No, it was definitely time to do a little snooping. Maybe he'd find out more about whatever hold the man had over Hoito.

What, you mean besides the fact that Hoito wants him?

Shut up.

He could hear chanting from the cave as he carefully eased the door open. The office should be in the back, right? He thought he remembered Hiromi's brother disappearing back here to work. He moved quickly down the hallway.

Yes, this was it. Sano shut the door behind him. He lit the lamp on the desk. Convenient! Now where should he start... He went to the cabinets lining the far wall. Damn, what a bureaucrat! The man had filled them entirely with paperwork. Sano flipped through a few of the stacks. 'Rice purchases for spring...' 'Sanitation problems...' 'dormitory construction costs...' If there was anything interesting here, he was never going to find it. He surveyed the room - just the cabinets and the desk. He tested the floorboards, but none of them seemed especially loose. That left the desk. Opened a drawer. Paper... writing stuff... How boring. Another revealed a stack of bills. They appeared to be for a shipment of wool. For the cloaks? And then he found them: dozens of tiny curling papers, written in an infinitesimal but perfect hand. He held one up to the light.

'She brought her friend today, another rich widow. Trying to find out details. Dead for a number of years, boating accident: no children. Have located residence. Will investigate further.'

'Lost ring, silver with blue stone. Saw old portrait today: ring very distinctive - trying to have it copied. Boating accident near new year, twelve years ago. No news on other family members. Pigeons sick - don't send for a while.'

He read through them for a while. They all followed much the same course. Pigeons, huh? He had wondered why the bastard was keeping them. He growled. The poor, stupid, lonely old women! He wondered if some of them were here now. How could Hoito go along with this? The bathhouse...

'God damn it! This is bad for business!'

'I only follow my gift.'

'You're a fucking charlatan and you know it!'

That bastard! Just how long did he think he was going to get away with it? Then the other words came back to him, cold and clear.

'You'd better behave yourself! I won't put up with much more of this.'

What had the man meant by that? Surely he wouldn't...

"Brother Sano."

He jumped. "Damn, you scared me. What are you doing here, Hiromi?"

"I didn't see you at services. I thought you might be sick."

"No... I'm not sick."

"Well then, what are *you* doing here?"

"I..."

"You're investigating Niichan, aren't you?"

Damn. "Yeah, yeah I guess I am."

"Are you a cop?"

He smiled sadly. "No."

"Why then?"

He swallowed. "Some things have been happening in Tokyo... I'm not a police man, but I knew one..." What should he say? "Hiromi, I think your brother might be involved in something."

Her lip quivered. "He wouldn't do anything bad!"

"You don't know that." How could he tell her when she was looking at him that way? Maybe with Hoito it had been partly an accident, but... "Look, this is more complicated that whether or not he's a good person."

"You think he's bad! It doesn't matter what you find; you'll just use it to prove that he's evil, but he's not!"

"I'm not saying he's evil, but he does have a temper and he might have..."

"I used to upset him and he never did anything! He'd turn all red and stuff, but he never ever hit me. Never! I don't care what you say; it's all lies anyway!"

"Hiromi, you don't understand. Something bad is going on; worse than you can possibly imagine and..."

"Why can't it be him? You're not rooting around in his desk, are you? You *want* it to be my brother!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is! Yes it is! You're just like all the others! You think he's perfect and that Niichan is evil!" She ran from the room.

He sighed. Perhaps it was true to an extent, but he had seen what sort of man Hoito was and even if he could have committed murder, he just wasn't capable of the kind of planning and calculation needed to get the bodies back to Tokyo like that. He was far too weak in any case. Initially, the crimes might not have required great *physical* strength if the victims had been tricked into taking it - his fists clenched - but the personality involved... The man was letting Taka abuse him, for gods' sake! Poor kid. He wondered if she'd ever be able to accept it. What the hell was he going to do now? He had evidence of one crime at least, but not the most important one. What if she told him? What would he do? Should he warn Hoito? Could he really trust him with the whole truth? He should see him in any case. He pocketed a few of the papers.

He knocked again. Still there was no answer. Where the hell was Hoito? He had had more than enough time to return after the ceremony. Was he just not answering? He shouldn't really go in, but... There was no one in the small house. He stood in the office staring at the wall. He wouldn't be in there, would he? Had something happened? He was suddenly aware of the odor of tobacco in the room. His stomach twisted. He had to look for him! He had to be sure...

After a few frantic minutes, he found the catch that opened the wall. He pelted down the corridor. "Hoito? Hoito, are you here?" The door swung open under his touch. "Hoito?"

"You shouldn't have come here."

He looked around, finally locating him in a dark corner. He had missed him at first because of his dark clothing. It was funny, he'd only ever seen the man in his customary white robe. "Hoito?" He approached slowly. "What's wrong?"

"I... I don't know... I usually control it better than this. I..."

He wrapped his arms around the shivering man. "It's all right. I'm here now."

"I think I'm going mad. I never had it this strongly before, and it won't leave... I keep trying to stop, but I can't..."

He hugged him tighter. "It's all right. Shhh" That odor... "Hoito? Have you been smoking?"

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I..." The man shook even harder as he babbled.

"Calm down. It's all right." He felt the frantic heartbeat through the thin, black shirt. Western clothing... "Shh" He stroked the other man's back, kneading the tense muscles; he hadn't realized how strong he was... He certainly didn't look it.

"Sanosuke..." His voice was deepening even as he said it. He pressed against the younger man.

"Hoito? What...?" The scent was all around him, the acrid, clinging cigarette smell that was so like... He moaned as the teeth grazed his neck.

"Sanosuke..."

He moaned. The hands were on his pants now... "Wait!"

The man paused.

"Wait... I..."

The almost feminine lips curved into a decidedly non-feminine smirk.

He tried to ignore the tongue darting out, moistening them. "No... I can't do this. I shouldn't... I..." The hands were reaching for his pants again. "No!" He scrambled backwards. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He stumbled blindly back through the passageway. What was wrong with him? What the hell was happening to him? He burst through the doorway and collapsed against the desk. Saitou... He smelled like... "I ran away. I fuckin' ran away." Is that what you want, psycho cop? Did I do the right thing or am I missing my only chance... Damn it! "Tell me what I'm supposed to do!" He pounded on the desk. Why was it like this between them? It was true, he was such an ahou; why couldn't he ever do anything right? "I'm fucking it up again, just like I always fuck things up with you. Just like always... Just like always..." Saitou!