Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Certain Clarity ❯ Chapter 27

Title: A Certain Clarity (27/30)

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.

Sano finally collapsed into the chair and laid his head on the desk. God damn it, Saitou, what am I supposed to do? It couldn't be happening - Saitou was dead - but the dreams kept coming, more real each time, and now Hoito... What if he... What if he wasn't faking it after all? Why hadn't he stayed to find out? Damn it all! The man's scent seemed to cling to him. Filthy smoker breath! Stupid Saitou, smoking the damned things to the end. It really did smell... Funny... Hoito had made no attempt to follow him. He stood and moved to the other side of the room. No smell. What did he do, smoke at the desk? Sano opened one of the drawers.

The ashy remains of a pack of cigarettes stared up at him from their dish. He lifted it out. They weren't butts. The cigarettes had been placed in the dish and allowed to burn completely. What? What the hell was Hoito trying to do, smell like nasty smoke? No, he wasn't trying to smell like cigarettes; the answer came to him as a flash:

He was trying to smell like Saitou.

And if that was the case... He rifled in the drawer. With a sinking feeling, he pulled out the little strips of paper. They were written in even tinier writing than the others and he had trouble making them out.

'Sagara Sanosuke - no known current residence - friends: residing at Kamiya Dojo'

'knew Gorou - still no idea of motivation for murder - police too quiet - be careful - spy?'

'smoker - referred to S. as ahou - dangerous - subordinate still at large'

'S. has history of violence, drinking - very stupid - probably not threat?'

With some effort, he unclenched his jaw. For a minute there, he'd actually considered sleeping with the bastard. He was shaking. Didn't Hoito heat this room? It was colder than being outside. What were the papers doing here? They should have been in Hiromi's brother's desk, not Hoito's. He shouldn't have things like that... But why not? He'd lied to that woman on the first night; why not to Sano as well? It made sense; yes, it really did. He rubbed his hands together. Why couldn't he get warm? As if Saitou would bother with a medium even if he could somehow... Damn it! He'd wanted to know what to do; he shouldn't complain now. Not a threat? Oh, I'll show you who's not a threat! He replaced the papers. His hands still shook. If Hoito didn't know who'd murdered Saitou then... Could it be someone else in the cult? It had to be related... There had to be something more here than just a mad cult leader! There had to be some answer here for him to find. Whatever: At the very least, he'd pay the creep back for trying to delude him like that. We'll just have to see who's really the stupid one! I'm going to bury you!

He woke late the early the next morning, but not early enough; Hoito was already looking for him.

"Sanosuke!"

Oh fuck! He wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go but back into his room. "Um, hi."

"I... I wanted to apologize for last night. I don't know what came over me. It's just that I've felt so odd lately."

"That's ok." He tried to edge around the man. Please let him go away. No, I haven't been searching your desk. No, I don't want to smash your face in or run away or maybe both at the same time... You could have at least smoked the damn cigarettes.

"No, it's not ok; I know I upset you." He took a step forward.

Sano felt himself backing away.

"I want to make it up to you."

Shit shit shit! The last thing he wanted was to be in a room alone with the man. How much longer could he keep up his mask before...

"Sanosuke..."

Back away, back away slowly...

"We have to talk about this; you don't understand what's happening..."

No? Sano thought he understood very well; the man thought he was a gullible fool and he was right. Had been right...

"Hiya, Brother Sano!" Hiromi bounced into the room cheerfully. "Aren't you supposed to be fixing the other doors today? You know I can't do it by myself."

Hoito's voice changed abruptly. "We can speak some other time then. Good day, Sanosuke."

"Um, bye." Sano shuddered; his face had looked... he wasn't sure. At least he was going now.

There was a moment of silence.

"Thanks, Hiromi; I owe you one."

She giggled. "Changed your mind, have you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what to think, but there's something fishy about that guy."

"Uh huh! Big time. See, niisan isn't the bad one!"

Damn. Here it came.

"It's not niisan; it's *him*!"

"Hiromi..."

"You don't still think he did stuff, do you? He's innocent!"

"What about the fake seances in Tokyo? Did he know about those?"

Hiromi looked away.

"Well?"

"Yeah..."

"And what else has he been involved in? Why is he hiding out here instead of being back in the city?"

"He didn't have a choice!" She turned to him, furious. "He had to take care of me! We had to eat!"

"Hiromi..." He tried to sound gentle. "A policeman's been murdered and..."

"No! I don't know anything! I'm not listening!"

"Hiromi!"

Damn.

The day had gone from bad to worse; he'd tried to find Hiromi at lunch, only to spot Hoito prowling around - looking for him, no doubt. Thankfully, the cult leader had been surrounded by so many adoring followers that Sano had been able to slip away before he was seen. The rest of the afternoon was no better; he couldn't go work on the bathhouse because Hoito was sure to come there and he couldn't lurk around Hiromi's because her brother was in. Hiromi's brother... He was the one who took care of the pigeons; he must know what Hoito had tried to do. He'd have to have a look at his office later. He couldn't just leave without knowing who'd done it or at least why or... Hell, who was he kidding? It was time for revenge, whatever Hoito was or wasn't guilty of. For now, he'd take advantage of the cult leader's absence. That secret room must have further secrets to reveal and he wasn't leaving until he found them.

Nothing! Nothing that he could find anyway. He'd looked in all of the most obvious places, but hadn't found so much as a scrap of paper, let alone anything that he could bring to the police (and he was sure now that they needed to be brought). He didn't dare search too viGorouusly for fear Hoito would notice it later. What was he looking for? He didn't know; evidence? A reason to stay? A reason to leave? Damn it!

What was that? He stood in alarm; voices and hurried footsteps were echoing in the corridor outside. There was no time and nowhere to hide.

The door slammed open.