Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Certain Clarity ❯ Chapter 30

Title: A Certain Clarity (30/30)

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.

Author's Notes:

1. For those of you who didn't give me a perfect grammar/spelling score, would you mind dropping me a line and letting me know where I went wrong?

He watched Saitou covertly through his bangs as the broom-head left. The bastard had done it again! He couldn't believe he'd been fooled a second time. If he'd done it on purpose... But the thing that really rankled was that the damned psycho cop had stolen his glory too, and he wasn't even saying anything. And after Sano'd spent all that time braiding the damn bandages into a rope and... argh! He actually had the nerve to just stand there smoking his stupid cigarette like none of this made any difference. Hadn't he even been the least bit worried? But did Sano really want him to speak? Saitou'd just taunt him, call it overly theatrical or something. Well, Sano'd thought it was rather a good plan, actually! He'd even have saved the cult members... Well, if Saitou hadn't interfered, that is. It was a good one! Hell, he'd fooled Hoito... Bastard. Watching him die had felt good, but *he* should have been the one to do it!

Wasn't he going to say something? He could at least offer to help Sano down! Why the hell didn't he smoke the damn cigarette? Was he just going to stand there holding it? He didn't want to speak first, but this silence was really creeping him out. What the hell was wrong with Saitou? He could at least look at him, or tell him if he was angry or something... Saitou's eyes drifted shut. What the hell?! He started to speak, but stopped, mid-breath; the light of the candles glittered on Saitou's cheeks. Was he...? He couldn't actually be crying? Wait... Did that mean he hadn't figured it out after all? He was silent, but moisture leaked from the corners of his eyes. Sano just stared at him for a while. The policeman didn't seem inclined to look at him. The silence, among other things, was starting to bug him. "Yo, Saitou, what's with the whole bein' alive thing?"

The bowed head shot upright, sending those weird bangs flying.

"Whoa! They really do look like antenae! Uh..." Oops, maybe he shouldn't have said that out loud. He stared into burning amber eyes. "I mean... It's great to see you and all, but I'm dying to know..."

"Ahoooou" With a low growl, Saitou ground out his cigarette and paced towards the altar.

"Uh... That was probably a bad way of putting that." He reached behind himself to untie loosen the rope and dropped to the altar. "I'm just sorta surprised to see you up and about. Umm..."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Well... I was kinda surprised..." He slithered off of the altar.

With a certain predatory grace, Saitou closed the distance between them.

"You're not mad, are you?" He couldn't back up any further.

"Ahou!" He lunged...

"Don't kill me..."

...and enveloped Sano in a bone-crunching hug.

"Oh." He just had time to register the minute tremors that wracked the other man's body before the door opened.

"Boss, I... What the hell?!"

"Oh, hi broom-head."

Saitou let go of him amazingly fast.

"Didn't you used to be up there, rooster-head?"

"Well, ya know, I'm an important guy, can't afford to spend all day just hanging around..."

"Ahou..." Saitou glowered at him.

Chou grinned. "Well then I guess you might be wanting this after all." He handed him a package.

"What's this?" He looked around. Chou was grinning ever more widely, seemingly ignorant of his probable imminent demise at the hands of his boss.

"Your friend Tsukioka gave us what was left of that absurd jacket of yours."

He fumbled with the package. "Yeah, but it's kind of dead. It's not good for much more than..." It opened. "This isn't my jacket."

Saitou's face was as blank as he'd ever seen it.

"You had a new one made? I thought you said it was tacky?"

"It is."

He grinned. "Saitou... That's really..."

Saitou glowered.

Maybe he'd just leave that sentence unfinished. He shed Katsu's jacket. Tasteful it might be, but he preferred his own (well... technically the one Saitou had given him). He pulled the noose off. Damn he was glad to be rid of that thing. Now if he could just reach...

"You tied it to your sarashi?" The broom-head was laughing.

"Well what else was I going to do with it, hang myself? Damn, now my feet are cold; have you seen my shoes?"

"Ahou." He turned to the broom-head. "Have they finished searching the study yet?"

"Yeah, there's nothing much there."

"Damn."

"What about the secret room?" They turned to him. "It's behind the office. There's an entrance down here too, but it's locked."

"Hmm... Interesting. Chou, come with me."

"What am *I* supposed to do?"

"The other officers are outside. You can wait with them."

"I want to come with you."

"Ahou. I'll be back in a minute."

Grumbling, he shrugged his new jacket on and wandered outside and over to the kitchen area where the police had set up. Stupid Saitou! Trust Chou to come along just when things were getting interesting... At least the cops were making tea. One of them handed him a cup. "Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it."

He blew on the steaming beverage. "What's gonna happen to the cult members now?" Maybe they were kind of dumb, but they mostly hadn't done much of anything.

"As soon as we've taken statements and made sure we have the leaders, they'll be free to go, poor bastards."

He nodded. Suddenly, there was a commotion from the other side of the compound.

"Coming through, coming through!"

A group of policemen were approaching, carrying someone. "Saitou... what?"

"We found him in the room you mentioned."

It was Hiromi's brother. Sano's eyes widened at the blood crusted on his head.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. He even regained consciousness long enough to ask about his sister."

His sister... "Oh shit! I totally forgot!"

"Do you know where she is?"

"I think she might be dead."

Saitou sighed. "I suppose we might as well start the search. Is there anywhere you'd recommend looking?"

Sano thought about it for a minute. "Well, Hoito spent a lot of time in the bathhouse..."

"Hoito?"

"Uhh... The cult leader. Ya know, the guy you wasted."

Saitou continued to look amused.

"I'll show you where it is." He set off across the compound before Saitou could say anything else. He didn't want to get ditched a second time.

"So this is the bathhouse?"

"The leader's private area is around the other side." He led the way.

"Very egalitarian."

"Yeah, well..." He opened a few of the cupboards.

"Ahou. A body wouldn't fit in there unless you chopped it up."

He shuddered. "Don't even say that." He hesitated at the last door. You wouldn't have to cut someone up to fit them in here... Did he really want to open it?

Saitou must have sensed his indecision because he reached out and jerked it open himself. They both stared down at the girl curled in the bottom of the closet.

Hoito, you bastard!

Saitou snorted. "Hiromi I presume."

"Huh?" Her eyes popped open. "Hiya brother Sano!" She popped out of the closet at them. "Oh no! What time is it? I'm so late! I was supposed to meet niisan for dinner, but I fell asleep! He's going to be really pissed! Have you seen him?"

Sano stared at her.

"Your brother is being tended to by a police doctor. I believe they have taken him to the dining area. He was asking for you."

"What? What happened to him?"

"Hoito wacked him over the head, but he's fine," Sano answered her.

She growled. "That jerk! Where is he?"

"He's dead. Saitou beat you to him."

"Good riddance! Hey, did you use that sword?! Cool!"

Saitou blinked. "When you see your brother, please speak to officer Chou and tell him you're all right."

"Ok, bye brother Sano. Hey... I thought you said your boyfriend was dead! Don't worry about me; I can find my way on my own. Niisan!!!" She bounded out the door and was gone.

"Boyfriend?" The policeman looked amused.

"I *never* said anything like that, honest." Sano was blushing. "I don't know how the hell she knew who you were... I mean... Uhh... What the hell was she doing in here anyway?"

Saitou peered into the closet. "Hmm... It seems she has confiscated all of the cult leader's papers. Excellent! I was worried we wouldn't have any concrete evidence."

"Huh?" Why would she...

Saitou turned back to him. "By the way, ahou, she wouldn't be the twelve-year-old who gave you the shunga, would she?"

"Fourteen-year-old." He hoped. "Wait, how did you..."

The policeman shrugged. "I must be psychic." He held up a few of the papers. "This 'Hoito' doesn't seem to have separated his papers very well. These seem to be the remains of a very unpleasant personal journal..."

Sano shuddered.

"These, on the other hand, are rather different." He handed them over.

"What...? Oh my... Oh my God; they're even worse than the other lot!"

Saitou snorted. "Well I'm not much of a connoisseur of shunga myself, but they do seem to be rather more... creative than most."

"Saitou... Why are they all sticky?"

"Hmm... Probably for the same reason she was hiding in the closet with them."

"Yeah, but what...? Oh... Eew!" He set them down hastily.

Saitou smirked at him.

"Hey, I'm not a prude, it's just... they were..."

"Sticky?"

"Yeah."

"So you said."

"You're laughing at me."

"Ahou."

"Sheesh, even when I practically die, you still laugh at me."

"Sanosuke..." The policeman's face was instantly serious.

"Uh..." He tried to back up, but found himself staring into those too-intense amber eyes again.

"Don't worry me like that again."

"Saitou..."

"Chou won't be back for a while." He stepped closer.

He smells nice... He tilted his face upwards as the sword-callused hands came up to cup it. He tastes nice too... His lips parted around Saitou's tongue. Their teeth clinked together as Saitou wrapped his arms around him. He found his hands trailing down the other man's broad back.

Saitou finally drew back. "Well? Say something."

"I missed you." That didn't come out right. Didn't convey any of the... Oh what the hell. He kissed the man back, pulling urgently at his jacket front, fingers fumbling on the buttons. It was some time before he managed to get it off, distracted as he was. His own jacket was simpler, but he broke away for a moment to place it safely on the bench beside the sticky shunga prints.

"My, my, fastidious aren't we?"

"It was a special gift; I don't want to mess it up."

Saitou didn't seem to have an answer to that. He began unbuckling his belt.

Sano admired the smooth curve of his ass as he slid the pants off. His hands went to his own pants, but Saitou stopped him. He knelt in front of Sano.

"What are you..."

"Shh." He nibbled at the ties.

He was undoing it with his *teeth*?! Kinky.

Saitou finally loosened the knot and slipped the pants over his hips.

He sucked in a breath as Saitou's lips found his erection. His hands hovered reflexively over Saitou's head, but he stopped himself. He felt the man chuckle around his shaft. "Oh Fuck!" His knees were buckling.

Saitou lowered him gently to the floor, still intent on his task.

He moaned. "Saitou!" That tongue was even more talented than in his dream. His dream... "Wait!"

"Hmm?"

"Couldn't we... Um..." God that was distracting!

"You want to?"

"Yeah, why not? You have this nasty habit of dying on me; might as well make hay while the sun shines and all that."

"It's night."

"Baka."

"Ahou. Do you have any lubricant?"

Damn. "Uh... There might be something in one of the cupboards." This was one of Hoito's nasty little haunts after all. He couldn't imagine that the man hadn't... Scratch that; he shouldn't imagine anything about the bastard. He's dead, good and dead; forget about him!

Saitou moved away. He shifted through the closet where Hiromi had been hiding. "This will do."

"What is it?"

"It's labeled as a cleaning product."

"Labled as?"

"I suspect it was intended for purposes not dissimilar to ours."

"Oh, really... Well get back over here then."

"Very well; if you're sure."

"I'm sure." He took the jar himself and smeared the stuff on Saitou. The cop's face glowed ferally at his touch.

"Stop messing around. Do you want me to come now?"

"That good huh?"

"Ahou."

He pulled the cop to him, one hand on his erection, the other spreading himself.

"Don't you want more preparation?" The delivery was far less rational than the words implied.

"Shut up and fuck me!"

A snarl.

It was faster than he expected and rougher. He mewled as they rocked together. Embarrassing sound! Saitou didn't seem to have noticed. He raked his nails down Sano's exposed chest. Sano moaned again. He felt so full and sparks were shooting through his body whenever they moved. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. Tight, everything was tight like the skin was trying to crawl off his face. He panted as he felt a hand grip his cock. Oh God! "Saitou!" He bucked against the older man, and then it was over.

They lay there for a moment, Sano gasping for air and trembling all over, Saitou licking his fingers.

Finally, Saitou moved, picked up the new jacket and wrapped Sano in it, nestling him in his arms.

"Do you think we ought to get dressed?" He really didn't want to move.

"I think I like you just in that."

"Yeah, but what if Chou comes back?"

"He won't"

"Why not? What did you tell him?"

Saitou smirked.

"Damned pervert! Bribing me with a new jacket and then molesting me; you ought to be ashamed of yourself." Saitou smiled back at him. Well, it was as close to a smile as the man ever got.

"Ahou."

-The End-