ResolutionII


      The dark, unkempt man standing outside the door stared openly, surprise 
      showing uninhibitedly on his features. Saitou would not have recognized 
      the man for the foolish boy Sanosuke if not for the red band that was 
      still wrapped around his forehead. No longer was he clad in the flashy 
      white outfit of old, instead he wore an ordinary looking kimono and 
      hakama. A few seconds too late Sanosuke realized he had just been 
      insulted, and the blank expression of shock changed to one of annoyance. 
      He opened his mouth to retort, but Saitou cut him off.
      "I suppose you got lost," his smile widened as he saw the younger man 
      stiffen obviously at his assumption. "You need a place to stay for 
      tonight, and you thought how fortunate it is you had chanced upon a 
      woodcutter's hut."
      "I'm leaving," said Sanosuke warily, already backing away from Saitou as 
      if he were the most feral of predators.
      "The nearest town is far by foot, and you wouldn’t know the way in 
      darkness," there was a deliberate pause, "But you wouldn't know the way in 
      light either."
      With a snarl, Sanosuke spat on the ground near his feet and walked away. 
      Saitou chuckled. The brash temper was still there, that even the slightest 
      hint of sarcasm from him could incite.
      "You may stay if you wish, for no other payment than a little company."
      Sanosuke paused midway. Saitou could imagine the anguish going on in his 
      head. Yet if he had grown any wiser, he would give in to rationality and 
      accept the offer of a roof over his head. The lightest of snow had begun 
      to fall, and it would become colder as the night went by.
      With plain reluctance, Sanosuke turned around and walked towards the hut 
      again. Leaving the door open, Saitou made his way back to his desk, 
      assuming the restful position of before. He watched the other man as he 
      entered and shut the door behind him rudely. With a deliberate effort at 
      ignoring his surroundings, Sanosuke dragged a chair noisily to the far 
      corner of the room next to the window. It was an obvious attempt to put as 
      much distance between himself and Saitou as was possible in the small 
      space.
      "You do realize that I remain in name Fujita Goro, a police officer, and 
      that you're a wanted man?"
      Sanosuke looked so utterly stricken that Saitou chuckled again, much to 
      the younger man's annoyance.
      "You're older but no less of a bastard than before."
      "And you remain a naive boy. I have never succumbed to the whims of 
      corrupt politicians."
      "Aku, Soku, Zan," Sanosuke laughed mockingly. "Pompous bastard."
      Taking another languorous drag from his cigarette, Saitou merely looked on 
      coldly at his reluctant companion. The younger man shifted uncomfortably 
      in his chair under Saitou's insistent gaze, then looked out of the window 
      at the darkening sky for lack of anything better to do.
      It would be wrong to call Sanosuke a boy, for he was no longer one. His 
      face had thinned out, gained lines, the impetuous spark no longer in his 
      eyes. Though still long and lean, his figure had acquired the defined 
      musculature that came from years of intense physical activity. From his 
      travels in foreign lands, no doubt. Saitou was aware that Sanosuke had 
      left Japan those years ago, but he had little clue what happened to him 
      after that. Before, the false bravado of his cocky swagger and smart mouth 
      preceded him. There was little of that now, although his unrestrained 
      mouth likely got him into plenty of trouble still.
      "You should stop watching me," said Sanosuke, his face still turned toward 
      the window. 
      "How do you know I'm watching you, unless you're watching me through my 
      reflection on the window?"
      "Kuso, I've got a woman already!"
      "So have I."
      In the ranks of the Shinsengumi, there had been captains who made advances 
      on their minors. Lonely men, or just men who appreciated the beauty of the 
      lithe, supple adolescent body. Saitou had been aware of obscure noises in 
      darkened rooms in the middle of the night, but it was a matter that men of 
      the sword did not speak of. He could see the appeal in the brash 
      personality of a younger Sanosuke, an invitation to conquer and tame, 
      although there was certainly nothing aesthetic in his coarse manner. But 
      such thought was for men of those inclinations.
      Odd that Sanosuke should bring it up. This was an occurrence distant from 
      ordinary folk, although an age-old practice in the samurai classes. There 
      was an awkward silence in the small house, as Saitou sucked thoughtfully 
      on yet another cigarette, his eyes averted to the ceiling, while Sanosuke 
      continued to stare out of the window.
      "Tell me about this woman of yours."
      "About time you asked!"