That Someone Part 2

My thoughts about why the bastard was so bitchy was interrupted by the bastard himself.

"Sanosuke!" Hah, my name.

"SANOSUKE!" I look down at the pudgy man and blink a few times, acknowledging his presence. "Get the box of tea up there." He points like a greedy child up at the shelve that is in front of my face. Obeying the �majesty�s�Eorders I snatch the box and hand it to him, somewhat forcefully and he gives me an annoyed glare in return. I use all my power of will to not bash his fucking head in right at this very moment in front of this food stall in the middle of the market place on this really hot summer day. I wish I could, but I think I�ll get arrested... I�m not sure.

I look over the heads of the crowded streets idly; no one I knew was around. Not even the guys from the gambling hall. None of the drunk fighters. Absolutely no one.

Not Kenshin... or his wife... either.

It�s hard not to think about them, all happily married, probably with a kid soon. It makes my stomach twinge when I think how they kiss or how they have sex. Not like *that*. I mean, I couldn�t imagine Kenshin doing either with Kaoru. C�mon, it�s Kaoru! Jou-chan! She is so much younger. Mentally, I mean. It must be like kissing a little sister. My mind gags at the thought, but that type of thinking comes regularly to me now.

I got a job to avoid them. Avoid them and they�re little revolting act of merriment. It made me sick to even talk to them while they where together, the way Kenshin is letting her crawl all over him like a sex hungry dog. Kaoru was worst than Megumi, last time I saw them, about two weeks ago getting a meal.

Going to get a meal from them is something I fear, so I stopped. I don�t go around to the dojo anymore. There is no reason to.

Kenshin loves her, and she loves him. There�s no room for me. Yahiko is like their little son; he has a better role than I do.

I�m just the one dude that fell in love with Kenshin. The real Kenshin. Himura Kenshin.

Has Kaoru ever gotten Kenshin mad? Has he ever glared her with the hatred to kill her? I think not. Kenshin is so polite and nice to her and she doesn�t know anything beyond the fact that he�s a nice guy! She doesn�t deserve a guy like Kenshin!

Shut up. I�m not jealous.

What was Kenshin thinking when he proposed to her? In front of me... everyone we knew. Why did he force me to say, "Congratulations"? He didn�t look as happy as Kaoru did when she kissed him. Their kiss looked so faked and stereotyped... Kenshin showed no passion, no desire to continue the show they put on.

I think I was the one who didn�t immediately smile with pure glee and happiness, I never did that day either. The cold, frustrating truth came to me. Kenshin needed a woman. Saying that over and over to myself as their lips touched in front of me, my eyes welded up as I hid my anger with skill. Sure it was beautiful and heartwarming, anything with Kenshin in it is beautiful, but it was *so* wrong...

No one else thought so. So I pressed my lips together to a weak excuse for a smile.

I had to run to catch up with my job, which was whizzing through the food stands buying all the food in the world and tossing it to the other two servants who where forced to come along like me. I looked up over the people in this small crowded town, and leaned on the food stall�s table.

Sighing thoughtfully, I get angry with myself for pondering all those thoughts. I have done so every day for the past four seasons. I miss them. I miss Kenshin.

A flash of crimson red reflected on my eyes. Shooting my head up I looked at the road lining the outside of the market place. I�d recognize that flash of red anywhere, the silky smooth trail of hair followed by a gi of the same color, even from afar. Kenshin.

Alone. A smile appears on my face, my face almost cracks in pieces because I haven�t done so for a long time. I look down at the politician, then back up at Kenshin. Then I wonder why I was thinking it was a bad idea to run over to Kenshin. I�m such an idiot.

Taking off like greased lightening I dodge and duck my way past the people, trying my best not to run into them. I arrive at the street, Kenshin hasn�t seen me yet and he�s a couple steps in front of me. He�s walking dangerously slow with his head hung miserably low, but I don�t take notice.

"Hey! Kenshin!" He freezes in his tracks at the sound of my voice.

I�m taken aback as he raises his hands to rub his eyes keeping his back turned towards me. He looks slowly over his shoulder back at me, he smiles weakly and his eyes scrunch up like they always do. There�s something wrong. It shoots through me like a bullet shot from two feet away. His mournful lavender eyes look up at me, they�re red and glossy and his smile fades.

He was crying?!

Running up to him and snatching his shoulders, I make him look toward me. He turns away from my face looking at the ground next to us almost like he was ashamed. I was about to yell, scream at him to stop crying because Kenshin didn�t do that. He�s not suppose to. Then I saw his arms limply at his sides, shaking, and the way he let me almost pick him off the ground. My heart jumped in my throat when something trickled down his face and the rest remained empty of any emotion. Screaming wouldn�t help, I realized, but seeing Kenshin cry... Seeing him, Himura Kenshin the strongest of all the imperialists, cry. I felt myself shutter and fight back the tears now attacking me.

There was nothing I could say; my mind was blank and babbling. An automatic thing came to me; it was something I had to do. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a tight embrace. He melted like butter, I could feel the clammy cheeks of his crying face as he snatched up the hug immediately and buried his face into my chest.

Squeezing his shoulders tightly as I rested my chin on the top of his head, "I�m sorry." I breathe out, not knowing why I had apologized, but he didn�t care. He was sobbing quietly, I could tell by the quivering of his back, but I wanted him to cry. He needed to cry and let out all the pain he had been hiding away from years and years, whatever pain it was that he needed to let it out. I�ll ask him what caused his release of tears later; there�s no way in hell I�m going to ask him here.

A soft, garrote voice comes from Kenshin as his arms shift to hang on tighter to my shoulders. First it�s a choke, I rub his neck with my thumb to urge him on, and then he tries to speak again.

"Thank you... Sano."

That Someone Part 1

That Someone Part 3