[fic] Winning and Losing (1/1, G, Rurouni Kenshin)
Thus begins the ficspam for tonight, though I doubt anyone will care about it, since this one is RK and the others are KH, and not many people on my flist are into those. But I want them tagged anyway, so. :p
Title: Winning and Losing
Author: Rynne
Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin
Summary: Sano wins and loses, but much prefers winning.
Pairings: Sano/Kenshin
Rating: G
Notes: Written for arislanchan for the unexpected_task ficathon. Set immediately after the Kyoto arc. Very, very tame slash.
"You're thinking about Saitou," a voice lightly said, and Sano jumped and swore as he whirled around. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was.
"Don't do that, Kenshin," he said, plopping back down on the dirt. Kenshin was no threat.
"I am sorry," Kenshin apologized, smiling briefly before kneeling next to Sano, shifting the sakabatou away from his knees.
"And what makes you think I was thinking about Saitou?" Sano continued, once Kenshin was settled. "I do have much better things to think about, after all."
Kenshin glanced at him, some red hair escaping his tie and falling across his eyes. Sano resisted the urge to brush it away--though hair in Kenshin's eyes would be inconvenient were someone to attack him. Ah, who'm I kidding. I just like his hair. It's interesting.
Yeah, interesting.
"You were frowning," Kenshin said. He glanced down, and the hair obscured more of his face.
Sano blinked. "Lots of things make me frown. Kaoru's cooking, for one." Sano looked at Kenshin out of the corner of his eye, expecting a quick defense of Kaoru's cooking, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when none came. When Kenshin continued in silence, Sano shrugged mentally.
"It's a different frown," Kenshin said, finally, after Sano had just about resigned himself to the quiet again. "And you look angry."
Sano snorted. "He makes me angry. Made." And then, muttered, "Bastard." He's dead, damn him. No one could have survived those fires. Why do I keep thinking of him as if he's still alive?
Though bright red hair hid his friend's face, Sano almost thought he could see Kenshin's smile. "Let him go, Sano." Kenshin raised one of his graceful swordsman's hands and tucked the strands of red behind his ear. "This way, he is still winning your fight."
"He's dead," Sano snapped. "Dead men can't win fights."
"They can when the living dwell on them too long." Kenshin gazed at him, violet eyes sober--and Sano realized that this was something that Kenshin likely knew from experience.
Sano knew his friend had killed many people, of course. He'd been Hitokiri Battousai, and that was one of the things that led to the Shishio mess in Kyoto in the first place. But Kenshin normally acted so cheerful that it was easy to forget what he had been and done and seen; even when he was challenged, as Shishio and Aoshi and Soujirou had challenged him, his insistence on not killing anyone made it hard to remember that he had once not had those compunctions.
Sano had known death before, especially after Captain Sagara's murder, but Kenshin had known it better, had walked hand-in-hand with it for many years. Death won't leave him alone. It was a disquieting thought, and a sad one.
To distract himself from thoughts he didn't like, Sano muttered, "So how'd you find me here, anyway?" He picked up a rock and started absently tossing it from hand to hand.
Kenshin stood again, in one easy, graceful motion, then turned and looked away, out across the water of the river; but even when they weren't looking at him, Sano couldn't get the softness of those eyes out of his mind. "I have noticed you coming here before, that I have," he said, voice quiet, almost still, if a voice could be described that way. It reminded Sano, for a moment, of the water--powerful, but easily underestimated.
That was very like Kenshin, Sano thought. Fitting that it would extend to his voice. Sano looked at the rock in his hand, then threw it out into the river, and watched the ripples extend from where it had impacted before they faded away, leaving the water to seem untouched again.
"Especially to think about fights, and winning and losing," Kenshin went on. "This place, where..."
"Where I lost to you," Sano finished, but without bitterness. Before he'd met Kenshin, he never would have known what a blessing losing could be.
"And won," Kenshin added, turning again to flash a smile at Sano. Sano couldn't help but grin back at him.
Too, before he'd met Kenshin, he would never have thought it would be possible to both win and lose a fight. But eventually he had come to see that in losing that fight, he'd won--won back his integrity, won friends in Kaoru and Yahiko and the others, and won someone like Kenshin. Losing may not be so bad, but I like winning better.
"Have I thanked you for coming to Kyoto after me?" Kenshin asked, interrupting Sano's thoughts. Sano blinked. That came out of nowhere.
"You couldn't have seriously thought that I would stay behind, could you?" Sano scowled. "Idiot."
But Kenshin just smiled. "I didn't want you to be hurt," he said.
"I know that," Sano replied, snorting. Kenshin always thought like that. "But I didn't want you to be hurt either, you know."
"You could have died, Sano." Those violet eyes were even more piercing than usual, full of emotions that Sano couldn't name. "First Anji, then Shishio..."
"But I didn't," Sano pointed out. It wouldn't do for Kenshin to descend into guilt and melancholy. Sano had always hated seeing him like that. "And you were hurt, too."
But Kenshin shrugged that away, as Sano knew he would. Kenshin had a singularly annoying disregard for his own safety. "It was my responsibility--" he began, but Sano interrupted him, slamming his fist down on a rock, pulverizing it with the Futae no Kiwami.
"It's my responsibility to watch out for you," he said hotly, angrily. Responsibility! The thing that tortured Kenshin so, responsibility for the lives he had taken, and the lives he would now fight to protect. Sometimes Sano hated Kenshin's sense of responsibility.
It was still part of Kenshin, though, and Sano couldn't imagine him without it. Even as a hitokiri in the Bakumatsu, it had been Kenshin's responsibility that kept him trying to create his new era.
"Sano..."
"Shut up," Sano snarled, jumping up and pointing at Kenshin. "You listen to me. I'm not about to leave you alone, even if I might get hurt. You'd get into far too much trouble without me to watch your back."
Kenshin's lips twitched. "I get into trouble with you watching my back, that I do," he murmured. Sano started to scowl again, but then Kenshin added, "And I would not have it any other way."
Oh. Sano couldn't think of anything to say to that, but he didn't think he needed to. Kenshin smiled at him, a soft smile, barely there, then walked over to him and put his hands on Sano's shoulders.
Then he pressed his lips to Sano's, firmly but without pushing. The kiss didn't last for very long, and Sano only had the impression of a wonderful warmth before Kenshin drew back and smiled at him again.
They stood there for a moment, silent, Kenshin watching him, and he still unable to think of anything to say. Kenshin tilted his head, then something in his eyes changed--was that disappointment?--and he started to walk away.
It was only when Kenshin was halfway across the clearing that Sano found his voice again. "Kenshin, wait!" he called, and started after him. When Kenshin stopped and turned around, so that Sano could see the lightening of his eyes, Sano realized that here was another thing he'd won.
Title: Winning and Losing
Author: Rynne
Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin
Summary: Sano wins and loses, but much prefers winning.
Pairings: Sano/Kenshin
Rating: G
Notes: Written for arislanchan for the unexpected_task ficathon. Set immediately after the Kyoto arc. Very, very tame slash.
"You're thinking about Saitou," a voice lightly said, and Sano jumped and swore as he whirled around. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was.
"Don't do that, Kenshin," he said, plopping back down on the dirt. Kenshin was no threat.
"I am sorry," Kenshin apologized, smiling briefly before kneeling next to Sano, shifting the sakabatou away from his knees.
"And what makes you think I was thinking about Saitou?" Sano continued, once Kenshin was settled. "I do have much better things to think about, after all."
Kenshin glanced at him, some red hair escaping his tie and falling across his eyes. Sano resisted the urge to brush it away--though hair in Kenshin's eyes would be inconvenient were someone to attack him. Ah, who'm I kidding. I just like his hair. It's interesting.
Yeah, interesting.
"You were frowning," Kenshin said. He glanced down, and the hair obscured more of his face.
Sano blinked. "Lots of things make me frown. Kaoru's cooking, for one." Sano looked at Kenshin out of the corner of his eye, expecting a quick defense of Kaoru's cooking, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when none came. When Kenshin continued in silence, Sano shrugged mentally.
"It's a different frown," Kenshin said, finally, after Sano had just about resigned himself to the quiet again. "And you look angry."
Sano snorted. "He makes me angry. Made." And then, muttered, "Bastard." He's dead, damn him. No one could have survived those fires. Why do I keep thinking of him as if he's still alive?
Though bright red hair hid his friend's face, Sano almost thought he could see Kenshin's smile. "Let him go, Sano." Kenshin raised one of his graceful swordsman's hands and tucked the strands of red behind his ear. "This way, he is still winning your fight."
"He's dead," Sano snapped. "Dead men can't win fights."
"They can when the living dwell on them too long." Kenshin gazed at him, violet eyes sober--and Sano realized that this was something that Kenshin likely knew from experience.
Sano knew his friend had killed many people, of course. He'd been Hitokiri Battousai, and that was one of the things that led to the Shishio mess in Kyoto in the first place. But Kenshin normally acted so cheerful that it was easy to forget what he had been and done and seen; even when he was challenged, as Shishio and Aoshi and Soujirou had challenged him, his insistence on not killing anyone made it hard to remember that he had once not had those compunctions.
Sano had known death before, especially after Captain Sagara's murder, but Kenshin had known it better, had walked hand-in-hand with it for many years. Death won't leave him alone. It was a disquieting thought, and a sad one.
To distract himself from thoughts he didn't like, Sano muttered, "So how'd you find me here, anyway?" He picked up a rock and started absently tossing it from hand to hand.
Kenshin stood again, in one easy, graceful motion, then turned and looked away, out across the water of the river; but even when they weren't looking at him, Sano couldn't get the softness of those eyes out of his mind. "I have noticed you coming here before, that I have," he said, voice quiet, almost still, if a voice could be described that way. It reminded Sano, for a moment, of the water--powerful, but easily underestimated.
That was very like Kenshin, Sano thought. Fitting that it would extend to his voice. Sano looked at the rock in his hand, then threw it out into the river, and watched the ripples extend from where it had impacted before they faded away, leaving the water to seem untouched again.
"Especially to think about fights, and winning and losing," Kenshin went on. "This place, where..."
"Where I lost to you," Sano finished, but without bitterness. Before he'd met Kenshin, he never would have known what a blessing losing could be.
"And won," Kenshin added, turning again to flash a smile at Sano. Sano couldn't help but grin back at him.
Too, before he'd met Kenshin, he would never have thought it would be possible to both win and lose a fight. But eventually he had come to see that in losing that fight, he'd won--won back his integrity, won friends in Kaoru and Yahiko and the others, and won someone like Kenshin. Losing may not be so bad, but I like winning better.
"Have I thanked you for coming to Kyoto after me?" Kenshin asked, interrupting Sano's thoughts. Sano blinked. That came out of nowhere.
"You couldn't have seriously thought that I would stay behind, could you?" Sano scowled. "Idiot."
But Kenshin just smiled. "I didn't want you to be hurt," he said.
"I know that," Sano replied, snorting. Kenshin always thought like that. "But I didn't want you to be hurt either, you know."
"You could have died, Sano." Those violet eyes were even more piercing than usual, full of emotions that Sano couldn't name. "First Anji, then Shishio..."
"But I didn't," Sano pointed out. It wouldn't do for Kenshin to descend into guilt and melancholy. Sano had always hated seeing him like that. "And you were hurt, too."
But Kenshin shrugged that away, as Sano knew he would. Kenshin had a singularly annoying disregard for his own safety. "It was my responsibility--" he began, but Sano interrupted him, slamming his fist down on a rock, pulverizing it with the Futae no Kiwami.
"It's my responsibility to watch out for you," he said hotly, angrily. Responsibility! The thing that tortured Kenshin so, responsibility for the lives he had taken, and the lives he would now fight to protect. Sometimes Sano hated Kenshin's sense of responsibility.
It was still part of Kenshin, though, and Sano couldn't imagine him without it. Even as a hitokiri in the Bakumatsu, it had been Kenshin's responsibility that kept him trying to create his new era.
"Sano..."
"Shut up," Sano snarled, jumping up and pointing at Kenshin. "You listen to me. I'm not about to leave you alone, even if I might get hurt. You'd get into far too much trouble without me to watch your back."
Kenshin's lips twitched. "I get into trouble with you watching my back, that I do," he murmured. Sano started to scowl again, but then Kenshin added, "And I would not have it any other way."
Oh. Sano couldn't think of anything to say to that, but he didn't think he needed to. Kenshin smiled at him, a soft smile, barely there, then walked over to him and put his hands on Sano's shoulders.
Then he pressed his lips to Sano's, firmly but without pushing. The kiss didn't last for very long, and Sano only had the impression of a wonderful warmth before Kenshin drew back and smiled at him again.
They stood there for a moment, silent, Kenshin watching him, and he still unable to think of anything to say. Kenshin tilted his head, then something in his eyes changed--was that disappointment?--and he started to walk away.
It was only when Kenshin was halfway across the clearing that Sano found his voice again. "Kenshin, wait!" he called, and started after him. When Kenshin stopped and turned around, so that Sano could see the lightening of his eyes, Sano realized that here was another thing he'd won.