#rurokenweek

Well, compared to the options: Sano had grown bored hours ago and had conned Yahiko into going patrolling in the office building. Master had locked himself to his office and hadn’t been seen since. Even Saito had retreated from the other’s company, and currently, he was dozing in his cubicle, muttering in his sleep something about nuclear disasters, Zanza and how useless he found Kenshin.

To be honest, Kenshin wouldn’t even consider waking him up. Who knew if he was having a nightmare or positive dream? At least, by Saito’s (somewhat skewed) standards. The look on his face could have indicated either way…

No, better to leave him alone.

Wincing slightly, Kenshin pulled himself to his feet. Then he drew a neutral smile on his lips and headed towards the ladies group – no matter what Master always claimed, he did NOT enjoy brooding alone, thank you very much. He just had a healthy respect of the sheer amount of mayhem his office colleagues could come up when the situation allowed it.

“Sir Ken! How nice of you to join us,” Megumi-san called out to him, startling Miss Kaoru from the elaborate plan she was drawing in front of them.

“...Kenshin!” She breathed out, her pretty blue eyes zeroing on him.

Kenshin’s throat went dry, and he swallowed weakly. “Miss Kaoru,” he finally managed. “What are you drawing there, that is?”

“Oh, this?” Miss Kaoru reddened slightly. “Ah, well – um, you know while the electricity is still working, it seems that the storm is larger than anyone anticipated, so it might be that we will be stuck here until tomorrow. And for that, it wouldn’t hurt to plan out how to handle the necessities if something else goes wrong. Like, if the water supply cut out, how are we going to handle bathroom visits or washing, or–“

“Basically, we are amusing ourselves with coming up worst case survival scenarios,” Megumi-san interrupted, giving him a pointed glance, “At least it’s better than counting seconds to pass the time.”

“It’s not just an amusement, but reasonable precautions!” Miss Kaoru protested. “We already lost the internet, cell phones, and most phone lines. If the storm gets worse, water, electricity, and warmth might get cut just as easily, you know!”

“Yes, yes.” Megumi-san sighed dramatically. “And the pigs will fly, the rooster will grow up, and a certain unnamed person will stop pining and finally confess their feelings to the office sweetheart.”

“….what.” Miss Kaoru bristled. “You, you–“

“I’m sure Megumi-san didn’t mean it badly!” Young miss Tsubame cut between their bickering. “Please, let’s get back to the planning. Himura-san, maybe you would have some ideas how we could improve? After all, you know Director Seijuuro and his strategies the best.”

A shiver raced down his spine as the memory of Hiko Seijuurou’s strategies and viewpoint for crisis management flashed through his eyes. He had been just eleven when he had been stuck with Hiko in a summer cottage with no supplies (if the Sake bottle the older man carried with him wasn’t counted, and Kenshin certainly didn’t). Hiko had solved the issue by ordering the teenage Kenshin to forage mushrooms and berries from the woods, while he went fishing. With minimal instructions and hunger in his belly, it was no wonder Kenshin had eaten a few mushrooms on the way… and spend the rest of the day laughing himself sick, hallucinating and puking his guts out. The joy.

“Kenshin? What’s wrong?”

“Oro!” Kenshin forced himself to focus on the present. “Ah, nothing is wrong that it isn’t! This one would be glad to offer whatever help he can – even if this one is sure Miss Kaoru’s plan is very good already.”

Miss Kaoru reddened slightly at the praise and glanced aside. “Thank you.”

Megumi just huffed, “you two…”

“Oro?” Kenshin blinked, pretending he didn’t understand what Megumi was insinuating. “What have we done, that is?”

“Never mind her, she is just bored with no soap opera to watch!” Miss Kaoru squeaked in hurry, tapping the place next to her very purposefully. “Please, sit – and then, let’s get back to the planning, shall we?”

Warmth spreading in his chest, Kenshin stifled the foolish smile tugging at his lips and sat down gingerly, a calculated, neutral distance from her. The last thing he needed was her to realize how much he adored every single second spend within her proximity. They were working in the same company. It simply wasn’t appropriate. Even if they belonged to different units, the rumors of such a thing could affect her career and he couldn’t risk that.

No, it was better for him to yearn in silence.

“Miss Kaoru – could you walk this one through what you have planned out so far?” Kenshin asked.

“Oh, yes! Definitely!”” Miss Kaoru said. “Well, firstly…”

Parched upon that thought, Sano tilted his chin up so their mouths met again once and then twice before his lashes slowly fluttered and he found Saito regarding him with a similar intensity. Their lips barely touched as they stared at each other, saying nothing out loud and yet everything with their eyes, until Saito finally slipped Sano’s calves from where they rested on his shoulders and gently lowered them to the mattress.

With his chest now rising and falling lazily, Sano watched as Saito reached for the nearby damp cloth and made quick but careful work of cleaning them both up. The fabric brushed across the scar on Sano’s pectoral first--why not begin at the beginning, indeed--and as Sano mused upon that, he succumbed to the ministrations which made him feel important and cared for.

His mind reiterated that. Sano felt important to someone else, for the first time ever--felt cherished and desired and worthwhile.

While he recognized and even accepted this conclusion, he was still perplexed as to exactly how he’d ended up there, and how it had all started with this scar. Sano’s fingertips raised, pressing to the place beneath his shoulder now cool from the cloth and wondered how a stab wound given on his right side could have pierced his heart.

His eyes opened when Saito finally pulled away to sit tall, reaching for his pack of cigarettes and then lighting up. It was a rare instance when he allowed himself the luxury of assuming a relaxed position out of seiza; now was such a time and it gave Sano the perfect opportunity.

He seized it, rising and resting his chin on Saito’s shoulder from behind as his arms slipped around his chest. “Ne, Saito,” Sano purred, distracted momentarily by the stronger presence of the scent he loved most here. “...Do you believe in fate?”

The cigarette glowed brighter as Saito took a draw and his reply was delivered with an exhale of smoke. “No.”

Sano hummed, neither disappointed nor surprised. “Figured.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just wonderin’.”

Saito huffed, inviting elaboration.

“I guess sometimes I feel like fate had to be involved with bringing us here.” Sano nosed his shoulder and pursed his lips against it in a moment of thought. “Y’know what I’m saying? I mean, we didn’t really meet in the most conventional way.” A grin pulled out to his cheeks when he heard Saito snort with muted amusement. “And I guess it’s just...it’s kinda unbelievable that we ended up like this.” Raising his head, Sano’s gaze found the side of Saito’s face. “Right?”

Leaning forward, Saito perched his cigarette on the ashtray but made no effort to turn to Sano. “At times, opposites attract.”

“Are we really that different deep down, though?”

“No. However, sometimes…” Saito continued as his hand covered Sano’s braced against his chest, “it’s a fine line separating opposite situations, making them more alike than different.”

With a groan, Sano closed his eyes and pressed his brow to Saito’s shoulder instead. “The fuck does that mean, old man? Look...” His fingers separated, threading between Saito’s and flexing them to intertwine. “All I know is that when we first met, the only thing I wanted was to obsessively kick your ass.”

“And now?”

“My mind’s completely changed.” A pause. “...But don’t worry. Ass and obsession are still very much in the equation.”

Saito exhaled sharply. “Aho.”

“Maybe. But...” Sano finally pulled away and shuffled so he sat back on his feet at Saito’s side. “It’s like...it should’ve taken a lot for me to change like that and yet, it was so effortless. You just moved into my head and rearranged all the furniture. I mean, first, we’re fighting. And then we’re fucking. And then we’re eating every dinner together and living under the same roof and sleeping in the same bed.”

“Incredulous, I know,” Saito replied with sarcastic indifference.

“And all the while, it all started because of some score that never even got settled.” Sano shook his head. “I still don’t know how it happened. How did we get from there to here? It doesn’t even feel real sometimes.” He looked up to find Saito studying him.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of my experience, it’s that very fine line I mentioned earlier, which sits between contradictory things. Rivalry and companionship, for instance.” Without taking his eyes off Sano, Saito reached for the tobacco again. “Between hatred and admiration, between war and...” He took a pensive draw and motioned between them. “...this. It doesn’t have to make sense. The rules skew at some point. As I said.” He returned the cigarette to the tray. “At times, opposites and unlikely pairs are simply more suited for each other than similar entities. It defies logic and explanation.”

“Well...” Sano’s voice was soft as he gazed at the tatami. “What would you even call ‘this’?” He found Saito’s face again soon after. “Because the opposite of war is peace and I wouldn’t say that word exactly fits us, y’know.”

"No," Saito agreed with the slight raise of a brow. “That wasn’t quite the word I was thinking of.” He reached for Sano’s cheek with a bare hand and coaxed him forward so their lips touched. The kiss was tame compared to the fervor of earlier, but this instance, though almost chaste, was rife with emotion. When Saito finally drew away slowly, it was only far enough so that he could look into Sano’s eyes through rims of dark lashes. “Care to try again?” he drawled.

Sano’s mouth opened and immediately closed. He blinked and drew in a breath as he went to speak again, but nothing came out. Finally, he rasped just above a whisper, “That’s...that’s so unfair, what the fuck.” He grabbed Saito’s arm, clutching it tightly. “You can’t just fucking say something like that and make me guess if what I think you’re saying is what you’re actually saying.”