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Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls - Act 8

by starshifter ::: 30.Jan.2004

Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls **Act 8.1**

Sano pushed a lock of hair away with the tip of his finger, the rest of his hand being too greasy to do the job. He looked the car over again from bumper to bumper and turned around. The job was a lot tougher than he'd been led to believe.

Twenty minutes later, Yahiko found him muttering to himself under the hood, the din and banging enough to wake the dead. Yahiko grinned and went to the office. He drug a stool out and over to the car that Sano was working on, and after sitting on it, he pulled a hamburger out of the bag he was carrying and began to eat.

Sano's head soon popped up and he looked at his brother.

"How long have you been there?"

Yahiko held up the remaining half of his hamburger.

"Ah."

"They're all out of the turkey sandwiches; apparently they had a run on them."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"So what did you get me?" Sano asked as he reached for the diner's bag with the picture of a black kettle and Ma's written underneath.

"Ham sandwich and a slice of apple pie"

"Hum."

Sano stopped digging in the bag long enough to wipe his hands on the handkerchief hanging from his shirt pocket, then roughly unwrapped his sandwich and bit into it with gusto.

Yahiko produced a soda from the pocket of his jumper and Sano popped the lid off on the edge of the car's chassis.

He took a long swig and muttered "Gasket took helluva beating; even a wagon like this deserves a little respect."

Yahiko nodded as he chewed, and swung his legs out and back to hit against the stool. It was a relaxing, easy going meal for the two, and they had long since done away with meaningless conversation to fill the silence. Sano picked up his tools to resume his work when he was finished and Yahiko headed to the office, heeding the urgent call of his homework.

Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls **Act 8.2**

Aoshi walked towards the white service station in the last rays of the setting sun. He had called on Megumi, her retribution for the events of the night before being swift and loud.

'How dare he show up and ruin the remainder of the evening by demanding a fight of Sano?!'

'Couldn't he see how bad he looked to the Gensai's, to the little kids?

'Why couldn't he have given Sano half the chance he'd given Kenshin when he had first moved to Willow Falls?"

And on.

And on.

Aoshi could swear his ears where still ringing.

He wasn't about to tell her he was intending to confront Sano again this evening. Oh, no. She would not have taken that well at all.

He paused at the entrance to the garage; he could hear the faint noises of metal hitting metal. He knew he had come to see Sano for a reason, but now, he was unsure of what it was.

He had lost the fight with Sano, he had assumed the fighter would cut loose, haphazard and sloppy, and leave himself open. However, he had underestimated him, and Sano had fought and won because Aoshi was the one to lose control.

He was here to "test" Sano in another way; he wanted to see how he reacted to the challenge concerning his shady past. Sano's reputation in the community and the truth about his past where now Aoshi's ammunition.

He squared his shoulders and walked in.

Sano felt Aoshi's presence as soon as he entered the garage and stopped what he was doing.

He turned and met the piercing black eyes, then shifted his attention back to the car in front of him.

Aoshi walked to the stool and sat down on it. He watched Sano work for a few minutes and then opened his mouth.

"You work well with your hands."

Sano grunted and kept working.

Aoshi could tell that Sano wasn't going to make small talk. Okay. Direct attack.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that gang. That's why you had to leave back then wasn't it? You guys just got a little bit too wild for this town?"

Sano stopped and pulled away from the car.

Aoshi smirked.

Bingo.

"I remember the day you tried to join."

Aoshi hadn't expected that reply.

"We turned you down for your own good. We knew what was going on in that group of thugs that we were lackey's for and we didn't want to feel responsible for getting any more people involved. There was always a chance that those guys would turn on us. "

Sano grimaced and spat at him

"They rolled us over good too."

Aoshi could barely contain his satisfaction with the anger he was drawing out of Sano.

This was the opposition he had wanted.

However he wasn't prepared, not for what happened next.

Sano started talking again, body trembling, hands balled tightly into fists at his side

"One week they up and decided to go for a really big score and started making all the plans. They decided they would have to skip town after pulling the job, so they had to eliminate all the liabilities."

Sano slumped against the car.

"That's what we were. Liabilities."

Aoshi noticed then, the tremors running over Sanosuke's entire body. Violent muscle spasms. He frowned.

"They went after the orphans first, those of us with families - at first they were afraid to kill us - but they got bolder."

The ratchet dropped out of Sano's hand, falling to the floor with a loud 'clank' that echoed through the garage.

Sano didn't fight the impulse to wrap his arms around himself, and Aoshi didn't really pay attention as he was doing his best to keep up with what Sano was saying. Sano was starting to stumble and choke on every other word.

"I was alone in the living room when they came through the door and pointed that gun at me. It was the first time I had faced my imminent death. I couldn't do anything, I froze."

Sano's breath started coming in short desperate gasps and he clung to himself, his arms wrapping around his frame tighter and tighter.

"I heard the click as that bastard cocked the gun-"

Sano shut his eyes, the traitorous images racing through his head at a dizzying pace. His blood pressure was high, and his heart felt like it would burst. He clutched his chest as a spasm struck him.

"She - got in front of me - she took it -

Sano clutched his chest as the pain seared through him again. Aoshi finally noticed and stepped forward, his hand reaching out to help automatically. Sano would have found the expression on his face comical, but Aoshi wasn't even there as far as he was concerned. The images and the pain made everything else trivial. Another spasm assailed him and Sano fell to his knees.

'Damn, I am just going to worry Yahiko and the Gensai's needlessly now.I should have been able to handle this, I should have been - strong-er'

That was the last conscious thought Sanosuke had before a bright light burst behind his eyes, and intensity of his anxiety attack caused him to pass out.

Sagara: Rebel in Willow Falls **Act 8.3**

Yahiko heard the ratchet drop. He didn't think anything of it and was about to continue reading his book, when a chill ran through him. He had heard talking before, he was sure of it now, it couldn't have been Sano just singing to himself. Sano was usually more - rhythmical in his selections.

He scooted his chair back and walked to the doorway. What he saw as he looked in the direction of the car and Sanosuke made his heart stop. Sano was clutching his chest and bent down on the floor. He started falling forward.

Yahiko wasn't even aware he had started running.

He wasn't aware of anything until he had Sano in his arms.

Not even of Aoshi.

Aoshi shifted uncomfortably for a few minutes, and in the time it took to look at the door in anticipation of leaving, Yahiko noticed him.

Aoshi swallowed.

"What happened?" Yahiko demanded loudly.

"He was telling me about the gang - about the night they came to your house to kill him."

Yahiko's eyes widened.

"Why would he tell you about that?"

"I don't know"

"I don't believe you, why?!"

Aoshi shrugged.

"I guess I pressured him; challenged him."

Yahiko's eyes burned. Tears started flowing and he couldn't stop them. He ducked his head down into Sano's chest

"Before you go running off, call Dr. Gensai." He mumbled.

Aoshi regarded him for a moment.

"Why'd he react like that?"

Yahiko's head jerked up quickly.

"My mother ran in front of him. He was just inches from her when she took that bullet."

Yahiko visibly shuddered.

"The bullet passed through her and grazed one of his lungs; it really messed up his left side on the impact. He barely survived."

Yahiko's eyes burned.

"He's blamed himself ever since! He blames himself for putting the family in that kind of danger. But even worse, he can't forget that night, because he sees the whole thing as clear as day in his dreams!"

Yahiko laid Sano down carefully and stood, fists bunched at his side.

"You want to fight him because you think he's dangerous. But, he isn't! "How could you ask him about it?? The fact that he even answered you shows he has respect for you!!

Silence filled the large garage.

"He-"Yahiko started angrily.

"I get it." Aoshi said quietly.

Yahiko blinked.

Aoshi hesitated for a second. Then he nodded towards Sano.

"I get it. I understand. Don't worry; I won't bother him or you anymore."

Aoshi turned and walked swiftly to the office. He placed the call to Dr. Gensai, and then walked out the garage door.

He was the biggest jerk. He grimaced. He couldn't build people up, no; all he could do was tear them down. He had to be at odds with them, or else he didn't feel strong. Sano had been willing to meet his challenge, but Aoshi had taken advantage and abused the privilege. He had lost. Again. This time he had made an emotional wreck out of the very person he secretly wanted to respect and understand. He slammed his fist into the car door, and watched as Dr. Gensai pulled up. The man hesitated only a second in the flight from his car to the garage to look at him. Aoshi opened the car door and got in. Instead of figuring out how to put the situation to rights, he was going to run and hide. Inaction. He cursed and slammed his foot on the accelerator. He was weak. He was ashamed.