Sakura Blossoms

[ARTandWORK]

(OMG. "every man there had a piece of the redhead." Wow. Should it have been for money sometimes or no?)

Katsu couldn't believe what he was hearing. What a disgusting little slut! Well, it was certainly going to be interesting when he stopped by to chat with Sano later!

He was almost sick to his stomach when the other continued on. He knew men slept together in times of war, but this was ridiculous! Katsu stuttered a thank you to Saito when he stood to leave, then sat a moment collecting his thoughts.

There was no way Sano knew this! He was sure that if he did, he wouldn't even stay in the same bed as that brat let alone kiss and, shudder, sleep with him! Sano deserved a guy who didn't keep secrets and throw himself at everything that walked.

Katsu stood and made his way to Sano's apartment. He had to know the truth! As he walked, he felt his distaste for Kenshin grow by the minute! When he finally arrived, he knocked on the door, then stepped inside.

[xXFoWLXx]

[Sure why not he’s a man whore already XD]

Kenshin knew that Sano had work, he had kissed him good bye after walk to stay with Natsu, to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.

Sighing as he watched the puppy on the back porch and laughed a bit. Seeing her chase her tail in circles. She ended up not catching it and falling over for being dizzy. He was doing their laundry, he had already cleaned the apartment. It was spotless and sparkling. It’s as if a woman has been keeping up the place.

The redhead seemed content and relaxed, he even had taught her how to sit and stay. She was in fact a smart puppy.

The redhead didn’t throw himself to anyone anymore. He remained faithful to Sano and he had been faithful to Tomoe. Of course when your single, you get lonely and hormones play a part in it.

He continued to scrub the clothes and once he was done he hung the clothes on the line. He sighed, feeling a bit accomplished. Watching his work, seeing the clothes, such as the sleeves, pant legs swayed a bit with the gentle breeze. He began to play with the puppy,”Aren’t you daddy’s little girl”he said, in a baby talk, when he scooped her in is arms.

[ARTandWORK]

(LMAO!)

Sano had a long day at work. Three ships, three! Had arrived earlier than expected and the docks were chaos as they tried to get them all into port. It was crazy! Sano wanted nothing more than to just curl up with Kenshin and go to sleep.

So when Katsu burst into the room, he practically wept. Seeing his friend walk across the apartment, he gave a groan and shook his head.

"Look Katsu, I'm dead tired. I'm not going anywhere tonight so if you think I'm going out gambling-"

"I need to talk to you about Battousai."

That certainly shut him up. He blinked at his friend, seeing just now how serious he looked. Katsu was hardly ever serious, and the last time he'd seen it was when the man was trying to get him to blow up the Internal Affairs buildings. He frowned and sighed, tell him to sit down. He put the kettle on, thinking that if he was going to have to deal with this, he at least wanted to be comfortable. Sitting across from the man, he sighed.

"Alright Katsu. What's this about? And he's not Battousai anymore. He's just Kenshin now."

Katsu looked at the man in front of him, wanting nothing more than to just reach across and kiss him. No, the time would come for that when Sano left Kenshin. Hearing the other, he scoffed.

"Is he still a whore?"

Sano felt his jaw drop and he was glad he didn't have the tea in his mouth or he would have choked. He blinked at Katsu before growling.

"Where do you get the idea!?"

Katsu knew that Sano would be pissed off at first, but he clenched his fists and continued on.

"There's a lot more to your precious boyfriend than meets the eye! Why not ask him about the many friends he made in the army. Or the tea houses!"

(Kenshin is the perfect housewife and such a woman.)

[xXFoWLXx]

[Ik seriously. I want to be just like him XD]

If he only knew Katsu was here and what he was telling the other. He laughed a bit, nuzzling his nose, against her wet one and the puppy yipped, wagging her tail. She was eating up the redhead’s affection and laughed.

He then smiled more, he wondered where his lover was? Hearing the puppy growling under her breath as she caught that same smell again. He then caught onto that familiar ki.

Going back to the apartment, oh if he knew what was good he shouldn’t walk in. Going against his better judgement he opened the door letting himself in. With the pup in his arms and he walked into the livingroom, seeing Sano and Katsu.”Hey Sano. Your home awfully late, how was work? Oh it’s been awhile Tsukioka-san”He said, with a soft smile. He had been surprised to see the man.

“Oro?”He blinked, feeling the tension in the air, unsure what was up? Everyone looked so serious?! “Something the matter?”He asked. Natsu began to growl again, darting glares at Katsu. The dog knew what was up and didn’t like this man. Animals were able to sense things about people to tell If they like them or not!

[ARTandWORK]

(OMG, Keshin+Puppy=ADORABLE!)

Sano had a mind to knock his friend's block off! How dare he say these things about Kenshin!? Sweet, kind, generous Kenshin, who was the very reason they weren't executed for Grand Treason after what they tried to do at the Internal Affairs building! As far as he could see it, he owed his very life to Kenshin, and so did Katsu! He clenched his fists and felt wave after wave of anger roll off of him.

"What are you talking about, Katsu!?"

Katsu could tell his friend wanted to punch him. He could see it in his eyes, narrowed and flashing. His hair was sticking up and his face was flushed and pulled back into a growl. He knew this was pissing him off, and that he was going to be so much more upset, but Sano had to know the truth. Then he'd be his! He drew a breath and smiled coyly.

"Oh, dear Sano... You don't know? The Battousai slept his way into the Ishin Shishi, then slept his way through it! Spread like a common prostitute! Slept with his cohorts, his leaders, even his victims!"

Sano felt queasy. His stomach was turning and his throat was so tight he couldn't swallow let along talk. His eyes were wide and he was pale. No, Kenshin wouldn't! Kenshin didn't sleep his way in... He'd been raped by Katsura, that's what he said! He stared wide eyed at the floor as Katsu carried on, pretending to lounge around, pouring tea and sitting back.

"He'd seduce them, sleep with them and once he got what he wanted, he'd kill them. Probably even took money from them first! I wouldn't be surprised! He was in the war, what, five... six years? My, he must be exhausted!"

Sano felt like he was going to be sick. He barely even heard Kenshin come in and speak until he heard Katsu respond to his question.

"Oh no, nothing's the matter! We were just discussing your days as Battousai. Not with your sword, though. I mean on your back with your legs spread."

Sano gulped as Katsu said this and looked angrily up at him, then over to Kenshin.

(I feel like such a b*tch after writing that!)

[xXFoWLXx]

[I know it’s cute. XD LMAO. It’s alright, it makes it fun being a b***h :p]

Kenshin jumped a bit, hearing Sano yelling at Katsu. What was the other saying that pissed off his lover?

His eyes widened, hearing Katsu bringing up his terrible past. A time he wished to forget and yet it still keeps coming back to haunt him. He was not what Sano thinks, the Battousai was far different,then Kensin Himura.

His heart began to race and he grew rather pale. Hearing how he was described. He wasn’t that great of a person and still blames himself. He felt such shame. The first time was rape, when he got in. Katsura did take advantage of his innocence and defiled it. Afterwards it just went down hill. He had been so loose that it didn’t hurt anymore at that time.

Where did the other hear this?! He had to wonder, but other than that he froze. His legs became weak, in fact they were shaking. He leaned against the wall. He felt like puking, from the nerves and memories coming back.

The redhead said nothing, there was nothing he could say! He wasn’t denying that happened. He felt tears building up inside. Tears streaming down his face, he started to have a mental break down again. "It's true...as Battousai, I was a slut" He mumbled, as he then lost his voice. He collapsed to his knees and cried, holding his head in pain. Even his own past made him sick to his stomach. The puppy jumped from his arms, had her fur raised, growling showing her baby teeth, yipping at Katsu.

[ARTandWORK]

Katsu wanted to grin when he saw the brat break down and cry, but he felt horrible because his Sano looked like he wanted to do the same. And when he made that comment about Kenshin, he'd gotten quite the nasty look from the fighter. It was true, wasn't it? Kenshin was a slut!

Sano shook his head in disbelief when he heard Katsu. No, it just couldn't be! Kenshin would never allow that! He would never sleep around! When he saw the way Kenshin began to pale, how his eyes were wide and filling with tears, he knew it was true. Why hadn't the other told him?

"Kenshin... ?"

Hearing the other confirm what Katsu had said, he felt angry. So the other was lying to him! He stood and walked over to Kenshin. He took the smaller man by the arms and hauled him to his feet, holding him and shaking him as he asked.

"Did you sell yourself?! Answer me truthfully!"

He was mad about the lying, yes. But he was more mad about what had happened to the other. How could nobody see how messed up Kenshin was at the time and simply say 'no?' How could they take advantage of a teenager like that? How could things have gotten so bad that he resorted to whoring and sleeping around for the hell of it?

Katsu smirked at the scene before him, seeing the fighter haul the redhead up and shake him. He was pissed, he could tell! Katsu laughed a little at the scene. He glanced down at the puppy barking at him and gave her a sniff.

Standing, he walked over to the two. He snickered as he reached out, grasping Kenshin's face roughly and forcing the redhead to look at him.

"Answer him, whore!"

He reached out and backhanded Kenshin, smirking at the sound. Sano let go of Kenshin and punched the artist, snarling as he glared at him.

"Don't you dare!"

[xXFoWLXx]

Kenshin didn’t want to tell the other, due to embarrassment. It wasn’t his proudest moment, he regretted that and felt like s**t. Teenagers make mistakes and learn from them, he learned alright, learned the hard way. He also didn’t tell the other, because the other would quickly assume he was cheating on him or thought differently of him.

He noticed the other walking towards him, expecting the other hit him, or something. He felt the other grab his arms and pulled him to his feet, like it was nothing. Then again it was nothing for the fighter, Kenshin was pretty light for a man. Then felt the violent shaking and he tried controlling his stomach, from puking. His breathing sped up like he couldn’t breath having a mini panic attack.

He tried to snap out of the panic mood, as he heard the other. His own eyes tearing up even more, he couldn’t look the other in the eyes.

Wincing as he felt the Katsu grabbing his face forcefully and made him look up at him. Feeling the backhand from Katsu he winced. His face was already turning black and blue. The slap hurt a lot.”…I did sell myself….At fourteen years old”He mumbled.”I didn’t care about anything, I didn’t have self respect or anything. I hated myself and I still do now”He admitted. “Meeting Tomoe changed me…Made me open up my heart. I never cheated on her, just like I’ve never cheated on you”He said. He was still in that panic mood. Seeing Sano's anger and had punched his friend, he had fallen to his knees.

He then cried, covering his face.

[ARTandWORK]

Sano could tell the other was panicking by the way he was crying and the way he was gasping for breath. It made him feel like hell for scaring him like this, but for some reason he couldn't stop. He held tight to the other.

When Katsu had smacked Kenshin, he saw red. He didn't even think about it as he had lunged forward and punched his friend. All he could think was that the man had hurt his Kenshin. Katsu stared back at him like he was crazy. Catching on to what Kenshin was saying, Katsu pointed at him and snarled.

"Don't you hear him?! How can you defend a slut like that?! He just admitted it, he's a whore and he may as well still be one!"

Sano snarled and swung at Katsu again, who dodged the punch. The artist circled around Sano and walked over to Kenshin, seeing him on his knees.

"Must be a familiar position for you!"

He was reaching out his hand to grab Kenshin's hair. Sano grabbed his wrist and threw him back. He stared at his so-called friend and snarled.

"Why? Why would you bring all this up? Can't you see it's hurting him!?"

Katsu snarled right back, tears in his own eyes this time.

"Can't you see I want you for myself?"

Sano blinked at this. Katsu stood a moment huffing, glancing between Sano and Kenshin still on the ground. Finally he turned and ran from the house. Sano stared at him as he ran, dumbfounded for a few moments. Hearing the redhead's cries, he turned and rushed over.

"Kenshin, shh, it's okay, he's gone."

He pulled the other into his arms, holding him tight and staring down at him with wide eyes. He did love the other. But why couldn't the other trust him? Did the other really think he would hurt him, or leave? Sano knew the other wouldn't cheat, he had learned that lesson from Shinsuei.

"Kenshin, you need to stop lying to me. What really went on in the Bakumatsu?"

(I think Katsu should keep pursuing Sano and send threats to Kenshin. Like threatening letters, things like he's going to tell everyone and such.)

[xXFoWLXx]

[Love it XD]

Kenshin had been surprised the other lunged at his friend. He expected the punch to his face.Why was Sanosuke defending him, even when he just admitted this truth? He stared at the wall and from the corner of his eyes saw Katsu pointing his finger at him.

Hearing the man point out his flaw to Sano, it seemed the other was in a rage that no kind of reasoning could get through to him. He’d never whore himself again, because giving yourself to someone destroys you more and more emotionally.

Frowning more and he gasped in pain feeling the man grasping a hold of his hair, roughly.

The past was indeed hurting him no matter what he will always be haunted by the past.

So the truth came out of Katsu, he can understand why the other is doing this. He knew the other had liked Sano.

The tears just rushed out like a stream and didn’t stop. Hearing Sano it started to soothe him and calm him down, but still cried a bit. He felt himself being pulled into the others arms and felt himself being pulled in tightly. He rested his head in the others neck, and he grasped a hold of the others cloth of his jacket.

As he was starting to calm down, he wiped his own face off with his own sleeve of the gi. “…I was ashamed of myself, if you knew the whole truth and scared you would judge me. I did sell myself as a kid. I didn’t care about anything…I was a terrible person. I had no self respect and I hated myself and I still do, because I allowed all that to happen”he answered. “When I did meet Tomoe she changed me”He said.

[ARTandWORK]

Sano's heart squeezed at the sound of the other crying, feeling as though it were ripping in two. When the other grabbed Kenshin's hair, his only thought was to protect him. In that moment he didn't see Katsu, but Shinsuei and Katsura and other faceless men who had hurt the redhead. It sent him over the edge.

He didn't care if Katsu wanted him for himself. He loved Kenshin, and that man had hurt him. He would be hard pressed to even think of Katsu even as a friend now.

Seeing how the other was curled in himself, he pulled away the other's hand from his face, wanting to see him. Seeing that he was crying, he gave a small sob himself. He picked up the redhead bridal style and carried him to their room. He sat him across his lap and wrapped a blanket around them, holding him close.

His eyes widened when he heard the other speak. He held the other tighter, shaking himself at what the other was saying. He hates himself? Sano tilted the other's face up to his, anger flashing at the sight of the terrible bruise on his cheek, and captured his eyes. He spoke softly, wiping the tears away.

"You're not a whore or a slut. And you're not a terrible person. You don't have to hate yourself."

He could the other gripping his jacket and sighed. He thought about what the other had said about judging him. The actions were disgusting yes, but he didn't think Kenshin was. And the fact that he did this at fourteen... It made him angry all over again!

"You were still a child, for heaven's sake! How could nobody see something was wrong and stop it!?"

[xXFoWLXx]

His head was throbbing from having cried and his bruise now forming and even his hair being pulled at. He can understand though why the other did this, love does crazy things to people. Can be for good or for worse. If Sano had left him for Katsu he’d understand why. He had lied to him and kept this part of his past a secret.

Kenshin had heard the other sob a bit as well and suddenly he jumped, feeling the other lifting him bridal style. Now was sitting in his lap and felt the other holding him close. How can the other still do this?! Why would he want too? Kenshin felt his head being tilted to look at Sano’s face.

The redhead felt the other wipe his tears away and spoke in such a soft tone. His own eyes widened, hearing the other, say he was no slut or whore. Kenshin had learned the world wasn’t black and white, there was a gray area.

This was part of the reason why he will never teach anyone his style, in fear the younger generation will repeat his mistakes. Which is why he was protective of Yahiko.

He stopped crying and said.”Back then anything goes, I threw my childhood away when I joined the Ishin Shishi, I was part of the keiheitai at first, I had to show what I already knew about swordsmanship in the exhibition and that’s when I met Katsura”He said.

[ARTandWORK]

Sano was definitely not going to leave Kenshin, especially for Katsu. The very thought of the artist infuriated him! The next time he sees the man, he may very well deck him.

Seeing how bad the bruise got he frowned. He set the other down gently on the futon and went back to the kitchen. He grabbed some ice and a cloth, as well as some of Kenshin's medication and a cup of water before going back to him. He set the cup and medication down and pulled the other back into his lap, gently pressing the ice to his cheek. He frowned at the sight of the bruise, turning an ugly blue.

"Katsu's such an a**. I'll kick him where it counts if he ever touches you again!"

Seeing as the other stopped crying he sighed a bit in relief. He leaned forward and kissed the other's forehead. Of course he would want to hold the other still. The way he saw it, what was the difference between holding him now and holding him before he knew? There wasn't any, Kenshin is still the exact same person, he just knows a little more about his past. A past the other shouldn't have to worry about alone.

Hearing the other mention his childhood being thrown away, about how anything goes. When he heard the name Katsura, he frowned and pulled the other tighter against him. What else did that man do, if he raped a child and let him run wild like that?

"Did Katsura... Hurt you other ways? Or let others hurt you?"

[xXFoWLXx]

The redhead didn’t so much feel it anymore, he should be use to getting hurt. The worst he ever got in injury wise was broken bones, like his arms and shoulders. He never broke his legs or anything like that. He had to becareful of dislocating anything. Remembering when he broken or dislocated something in a fight he had to quickly pop it back into place which hurt like hell.

Feeling himself being placed down on the futon, he rubbed the temples on his head and sighed. He seemed to get hurt a lot in his cheeks, mainly his scarred cheek. Seeing the other return with ice and medication, he sighed.

Kenshin felt the other pull him into his lap again and felt the coldness pressed to his cheek and he winced. He placed his hand ontop of the others, that held his ice to his face. “I kind of knew he liked you”he said. “I guess I don’t blame him for acting this way. You should probably talk to him and clarify things”he said, softly. He hated the thought of violence, since well he was a pacifist. "I'm sorry...For lying to you and not telling you that part of myself. I wanted to forget it, but I was afraid"He said. There was no way in hell he would have shared that with anyone.

The swordsman frowned, thinking about it. Shaking his head, the thoughts sickened him. Sighing he said,”He did let the others have a shot at me of course, none of them took me seriously. This was when I was forced to wear the kimono for the tea house assignment “He said.”Which is why I took my anger afterwards out at my victims…”he answered, honestly. He took the medicine, hoping it will calm his nerves down.

[ARTandWORK]

Sano knew the other could handle a lot of pain, but the reason behind that made him frustrated. He knew it couldn't be helped, Kenshin was a swordsman after all, so he was bound to get hurt. He just wished that it didn't have to be as often as it seemed. He'd broken and dislocated several bones and joints, and his hand was in a constant state of mangled. He sighed as he lifted the ice to check the other's cheek, then pressed it back down. Hearing the other, he frowned.

"I loved the guy, but as a brother. We grew up together. I can't believe he tried to pull this. I will clarify, that he's not to come near you again!"

He sighed and blinked at the hand on top of his. Hearing him, he frowned again. He took the cloth from the ice and wet it with some of the water, wiping the other's face clean of tears. He spoke softly.

"I can see why you would want to forget. But I think burying things and hoping they don't come back has been getting you into trouble a lot lately. And please no more lies or secrets. How am I supposed to help you get better if you won't be honest with me?"

He pressed the ice back to the other's cheek and rubbed the spot where Katsu ripped out his hair, trying to make the pain go away. He buried his nose in the other's hair, listening as the other told him about what happened in the tea houses. Was it true about sleeping with them, then killing them? He supposed a kid who was looking for control would do that. He watched as the other took his medication.

"I'm sorry they did that to you. I'm sorry things were so bad."