Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls ❯ ACT 1 ( Chapter 1 )

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Disclaimer: No, I am too poor to hunt down, just because I wanted to use character names - I'll willingly give whomever, you know, credit for those.

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SAGARA: Rebel in Willow Falls *Act 1.1*

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~ Fall of 1943~

The night was black, the moon was high, and there were no cars zooming along a main highway, their headlights glaring. It was a dusty road, with fields of corn or cotton, and the like, growing along on fertile acres. The moon barely shed enough light to determine individual shapes or movements.

~~ Be careful, it's my heart ~~

~~It's not my watch you're holding, it's my heart ~~~

But a figure stumbled along in this obscurity, the fine dust kicked up and swirling along the way, in that heady, noiseless darkness.

It was a blind stumbling, no direction was evident, and the fields, the road, seemed to disappear into the blackness just ahead. However, the figure maintained the pace, making barely a sound, the reckless and ambling footfalls, as silent as the void because they were absorbed by the compactness of the dirt road.

~~It's not the note that I sent you that you quickly burned ~~

After what seemed like hours, the figure did come to a stop at the edge of a town, it had to be the edge, the gray middle ground, not quite in the light of the streetlamps as they stretched out their fingerlike rays, and not exactly in the perpetual darkness beyond.

~~It's not the book I lent you that you'll never return~~~

The figure swayed for a time, before moving side ways, under protective cover, along the outskirts of the town, before stopping again before a well lit and tree lined road.

~~Remember, it's my heart~~~

A violent lurch forward, brought the figure into the light, a boy, not much older than fourteen. He clutched at his left side with his right hand. Blood covered that hand, and trailed out in thick rivulets down his shirt and pant legs, finally mixing with the dust that had remained from the dirt road. He stumbled to a very well kept yard a few houses down, standing apart from the rest, due to a gated pathway and a sign hanging on a T, shaped pole with metal hinges. The boy didn't notice these things; instead, he roughly pushed the gate aside, the momentum of his feet carrying him up the path, and to the front door.

~~ The heart with which so willingly I part~~~

A song trickled out from behind the door, the tinny vibrations barely making it audible from more than a few feet away.

The boy grabbed the doorknob with his free right hand, and turned it, flinging himself into the brightly light hallway on the other side. He stumbled toward the direction of the music, the volume increasing as he neared, not pausing and not breaking his stride - gravity and momentum alone carrying him into the living area of the house.

~~ It's yours to take, to keep or break~~~

He heard a high-pitched sound, a scream, his name, before the force that had carried him there, abruptly dissipated,

~~But please, before you start~~~

The boy's unconscious body fell forward into waiting arms,

~~Be careful, it's my heart ~~~

*** see bottom of the page for song details*** ^_^

Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls *Act 1.2*

~~ Present-day 1947 ~~

Sano stopped hammering on the wall and admired the view, it was a nice sunny day, the sky was clear and he was comfortable but not hot.

His shirt was off, and his skin tanned, a healthy rich glow. His skin was flawless, except for a scar that seemed to come from out of nowhere under his left arm to run down to his hip, the rest of it, if it went further, was hidden by his tightfittin' dusty blue jeans.

He looked down the dirt road and saw a car kicking up dust in the distance.

"Yahiko" he called to the boy below,

"There's a car coming, we are going to have guests. Clean up your mess and start the fans in the kitchen."

"Okay!" the boy yelled back.

Sano himself started down the steps of the ladder and put his tools away. He grabbed his shirt off a rung of the ladder and slipped it back on. He didn't recognize the car or the people inside until said vehicle rolled to a stop in front of him. He then flashed a grin and said,

"Dr. Gensai and Mrs. Gensai, nice to see you again"

*

Miyako Gensai's heart nearly took a whole minute to start beating again. The fourteen year old boy who had appeared in her living room bleeding from head to toe, one evening in the fall of 1943, was standing in front of her, a boy no longer, with a dashing smile and a physique that movie talent scouts would rate an A+

Sano, Sanosuke, was back in Willow Falls.

*

Sano was still grinning as he walked them up the steps of the porch and through the door.

"Yahiko!" he called,

Come meet Dr. Gensai and Mrs. Gensai They brought you into the world!!!"

He watched proudly as their eyes turned to the doorway that Yahiko would come through, and they would see…

They would see that he had brought up Yahiko well, and have no complaints.

Yahiko entered and couldn't keep from grinning, not exactly at his guests, but at the casserole pan and pie plate that Dr. Gensai held in his hands.

Dr. Gensai followed Yahiko's eyes and started laughing.

"Sano, looks like Yahiko has a one, track mind."

Sano and Miyako laughed as well, and effortlessly made their way into setting up the table. They made quick work of the casserole, the cherry pie disappearing under Miyako's watchful eyes.

When they had finished, Sano sent Yahiko out to finish cleaning the tool shed, and prepared himself for a talk with the good doctor and his wife.

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other. Dr. Gensai broke it by clearing his throat and saying,

"Sano, it's really good to see you again. Tell us what you've been up to these four years."

Sano ducked his head in his arms and grinned to himself. `That's so like them, I feel like I am returning home from a long trip, and not after having runaway. They are the best people I know.'

He lifted his head and smiled at them.

"Where should I begin? I ended up in Los Angeles with Yahiko a few weeks after leaving; we stayed with my dad's cousin for awhile. Then I got a job, I was able to support us, we lived in a little apartment and Yahiko went to school."

Dr. Gensai nodded.

Miyako smiled and watched them both.

"And you stayed healthy? Yahiko is doing well?"

Dr. Gensai paused to let Sano answer.

Sanosuke knew Dr. Gensai desired more information to be provided in his answers than the simple "yes" and "no" responses that his questions implied. He also was fully aware, that out of anyone in Willow Falls, they deserved a full account of Sano's and Yahiko's life, but he was still hesitant to reveal things that they might judge him by or use against him. But, it was better to trust them; after all, they had…

Sano suddenly realized that he hadn't answered the questions and that they were both looking at him expectantly. He shook his head and apologized for his inattention.

"I started boxing, that was my job, I got knocked around a lot, but nothing seriously damaging. He added quickly noticing Miyako's face. I had a very good defense strategy; I was so good, I won two division championships."

He could see they were growing uncomfortable and shifted their thoughts from him to Yahiko expertly.

"As for Yahiko, it was traumatic, changing to a new house and a new location. My cousin wasn't exactly willing to think of him as her kid, so the first few months were hard on him."

Sano sighed and looked down.

"He was depressed, and I didn't know what to do, I thought I was doing enough just trying to keep us together."

Sano continued to look down; he pulled his hands up from underneath the table and started working them against each other.

"But, I met a few people at the boxing studio, and the manager's wife and family were really great, Yahiko brightened up once he had kids his own age to hang around with and talk to."

"He was also with his brother constantly; he could get immersed in what his brother was doing." Dr. Gensai observed.

Sano laughed. "Yeah, you could ask him anything you want about my matches, he's got it all memorized."

Sano then grew serious. "Don't get me wrong. Studio's can be a bad environment for a kid, and he was only with me when school was out or Elise couldn't watch him. I quickly learned what people to stay away from and I didn't drink or do drugs. Sano grinned. I also don't smoke."

Dr. Gensai nodded and smiled.

"You never did like the smell of tobacco."

Sano grinned devilishly and then looked at Miyako's perplexed countenance. "The boxing wasn't my only job; I did have plenty of side jobs. It's just; I wanted to tell you about the boxing first for shock value."

Miyako's eyes widened, "SANO!"

She slapped him playfully and then went to pour them tea.

Dr. Gensai howled with laughter.

Sano continued.

"I worked as a paperboy and sacker for awhile and then I got into a machine shop as a trainee. I can fix your basic Ford from the ground up."

He leaned back in his chair.

"In fact our car is one they let me work on in my spare time, it'd been abandoned."

Miyako returned to the table, passed around the tall clear glasses of brownish liquid and frowned.

"But Sano, if you were doing so well, why did you come back?"

Sano straightened back up and shook his head.

"Lots of reasons, silly and stupid reasons."

"Like what?" prompted Dr. Gensai.

Sano grinned, "Well, Yahiko vaguely remembers a girl named Tsubame."

Dr. Gensai and Miyako both beamed at the mention of their granddaughter.

"She's the sweetest girl!! I am sure she remembers him too!!"

Sano laughed at their response and continued.

"He also wanted to live in a house, in a place that wasn't as crowded as the city. I have to admit, I was getting tired of it too. I decided to at least come back here and give it a try, for Yahiko anyway."

Dr. Gensai nodded wisely.

"Sano, don't forget about yourself, you can get a job here, and I insist on you getting into the high school, you should finish your education."

Sano shrugged. "I don't really see any good in going to school if I also need to find a job, it would be too much time away from Yahiko, and it would be too much, even for me"

Sano trailed off, ducking his head into his arms again. Everyone was silent for a time, listening to faint sounds coming from outside the house, eventually, Sano recovered and spoke again in earnest.

"I have to make all the arrangements for him; we are going into town to enroll him in school tomorrow."

Dr. Gensai nodded. "Good."

They all became quiet and shifted uncomfortably for a time.

Miyako finally got up from her chair and pushed it in, and Dr. Gensai did the same. "Sano, don't forget, we'll help you with anything." She stated as she grasped his hand and kissed him on the cheek. "I hate to eat and run but we better go and see about Mr. Trask while we are out this way."

Sano nodded and escorted them to their car.

Miyako stopped as she was getting into the car.

"You and Yahiko better stop in and see us tomorrow."

Sano nodded "You can count on it."

"Good."

Dr. Gensai reached across the roof of the car and shook Sano's hand.

"Sano, just think about going back to school okay? It won't be as hard as you think, hm?"

Sano gave a nod and glanced back at the tool shed. "Yahiko!"

Yahiko finally ran up as they were pulling away, "Goodbye! Dr. Gensai and Mrs. Gensai! See you tomorrow!"

Miyako stuck her head out the window and yelled.

"Tsubame will be there! She'll be thrilled to see you!"

The car rolled away, and waves were exchanged until the dust kicked up by the car filled the air.

Yahiko and Sano turned back towards the house.

"You told them I remembered Tsubame?" Yahiko asked.

"Yep." was the reply.

"What else did you tell them?" He asked, suddenly growing suspicious.

"That you stutter and blush uncontrollably around girls."

Yahiko started and his face reddened.

Sano grinned.

"YOU DID NOT!!"

"I did." Sano said with as straight a face as he could muster.

AUGH! SANO!! Yahiko yelled.

"Gotcha!" Sano laughed, breaking into a run toward the house.

Yahiko was close behind him.

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A/N:

Okay here's were I will put my other disclaimer.

I am going to add a few little things to make it a little more like the 1940's but I am not going to be able to concentrate on a lot of era details like I was planning. I am going to be taking many liberties with the era, plot, characters, etc. The characters will be slightly in character, but not much. I'll try to use all the names from the series (with others from here and there), helps you visualize them more. In addition, any parallels between this story and anyone's real life, is unintentional. Any mistakes I make in descriptions of race, religion, etc. is also unintentional and shows my complete lack of knowledge of such things. Also, I switch POV's like crazy, yeah, I am insane.

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Be Careful, It's My Heart

Words and music by: Irving Berlin
Additional notes: From the film "Holiday Inn," 1942