Megumi passed a hand over her brow, thankful for the light breeze that lifted the smaller strands of hair away from her neck and forehead. It was a very warm afternoon and the humidity clung to the air as leeches would to her skin. She shot Sano a sour glance as he walked contentedly beside her, a silly smile on his lips.
"Can't take your eyes off me, huh?"
He turned to meet her embarrassed expression as a grin of delight crawled across his. She whipped her head the other way in aggravation. He was so good when it came to annoying her.
And fooling her.
She still couldn't believe that he'd managed to gather enough wit to talk her into promising him an outing as a payment for tending to his hand. He'd simply said to meet him at his room at the Gorotsuki Long House at noon and he'd treat her to a "memorable event". And, heck, it was sure turning into a memorable event. The moment she'd arrived at his room, all he did was glance at her usual white skirt and blue top before tsking and throwing her a simple happi jacket, soft shoes, pants worn and frayed below her knee, and a straw hat.
"You wish," she snapped, tightening the ribbon she'd decided to tie into her hair. She had to keep her arms away form her body and her legs slightly apart. She felt sticky from all the sweat that was trapped within her causing her to loath any unwanted interaction with anyone else's flesh, including her own. She glanced up at the cloudy, dark gray sky and sighed roughly. Here she was, miles from Aizu (and civilization) and stuck in the countryside with Japan's biggest idiot. "Where are you taking me, Rooster?"
"County fair, Fox," he said gaily, tossing an arm about her shoulders, causing her to cringe. "I'll buy ya anything you want—just as long as it's within my spending range," he added just as thunder rumbled off in the distance.
Megumi glanced up and frowned. She pouted up at the sky, praying for it to have mercy…and not rain. But, like everything else that she'd prayed for that day, she'd been denied her request. The rain started coming down slowly in a soft, even rhythm, but soon began to pour in a rapidly increasing pace. Before they knew it, the water had soaked through their thin clothing and into their skin.
Sano grabbed hold of Megumi's wrist and together they started for the western-like tar road Sano had so wanted to avoid for superstitious reasons. Even from the distance they were, Megumi could see the steam rising from the road as if the road were a cup of sweltering tea. They hurried down the hill, he tugging her wrist, her trying hard not to loose footing and fall face down into the mud. Suddenly, Sano released her, and took off—and over! the plain wooden fence painted (and now fading) white. Just as quickly as he'd let her go, he turned back to her with his hand outstretched.
Up until that moment, Megumi hadn't realized just how prone she was to sliding and falling.
"Careful!" he shouted over the powerful surge of the rain—to late.
She pitched forward and collapsed in the dirt and grass, which was drenched in water. She raised her face slightly, her mouth filled with muck and grime and her face covered in filth, as her hat (which had flown off) managed to float back down—well, perhaps not float. It was a miracle it had come back at all. To her dismay, he had the nerve to laugh! Laugh! He simply stood there, his head thrown back, one hand over his forehead, the other at his stomach, laughing!
Megumi cautiously got to her feet, the earth still mushy and soaked beneath her feet. Sano once again held his hand out to her and, without hesitation, she snatched it and he helped pull her over the fence.
Who knows how long they stood there together, the rain beating down on their shoulders and heads, watching humidity rise from the ground and vanish into the air. They were soaked to the bone. Ignoring the fact that they could very well catch a cold, Megumi admitted that the rain felt good. That painfully sticky feeling she'd felt was relieved and she could speak for Sano also when she said that.
She couldn't help but take another glance at his face.
He was relaxed; his face tilted heavenward, his eyes closed. A playful smile lingering on his full lips and droplets of water making their own little streams as they ran down his face and slipped off his chin.
"The rain's lettin' up," he said suddenly, catching her off guard.
To her surprise, he was right. Before long, the storm began to pass and the sun started to force its way through the thick pearl gray clouds, who were unwilling to let it though.
"Well, I guess it's too late to go to the fair now, Fox," he said pushing his hair back from his eyes. She estimated that they had stood there for some time. It was strange that she hadn't felt that much time had passed at all. He took her by the elbow and began to lead her down the road. "It's so much nicer away from the roads," he mumbled after he'd released her.
She glanced around. Everywhere trees drooped under the weight of the water and the grass was compressed and combined with more mud than anything else. Suddenly, from behind, she heard the familiar click clack of horse hooves and the sound of a wagon being pulled.
"Get ready to jump," Sano whispered into her ear, grabbing her hand and moving toward the fence that was sheltered by drooping trees. He slowly swung their hands back and forth while bending and unbending his knees. "One for the money…two for the show…three to get ready and four—" he charged for the wagon, "to go!"
He leaped up, dragging her behind, and landed loudly into the cart, capturing the attention of the car driver. Sano saluted him while Megumi flushed and tried to explain until Sano cut her off.
"Chill," he said leaning back against the hay. "He doesn't mind. Just as long as we don't demand anything of him."
Megumi sighed, frustrated. "Well then how does he know where to take us?"
Sano shrugged. "He doesn't. He'll just take us where ever he's gotta go,"
"Then, I might not make it back to the clinic on time! Knowing you, we could get back three days from today!"
Sano rolled his eyes. He put his arms behind his head and shut his eyes. "Screw time," he muttered. "Just ease up. I said I'd take you for a good time, right? Well, I can't give you one unless you want one." He crossed his ankles and yawned hugely. "Just relax…"
Megumi held him in a fixed gaze again. He seemed so at peace asleep. His breathing was ever, his richly tanned skin seemed to glow…
"You seriously can't take your eyes off me, can you?"
Megumi scowled, then decided to risk indecency for him. Heck, if the weasel and raccoon girls could handle it, so could she. Just as long as no one but Sano was there to witness it. The cart driver didn't matter. She'd never see him again anyway. She too leaned against the hay and crossed her ankles. "Do you thing you have enough spending money to get me a drink or two?" she asked.
Sano cracked an eye open. "Fox…you keep this up…and I'll buy a dozen drinks."
Megumi chuckled, lowering her voice. "Then you'd better hold my hair back during my hang over tomorrow."
Sano snorted and rubbed his neck. "It'll be the other way around. Trust me. You're too smart to get yourself drunk."
Megumi smiled and hugged her knees to her chest. She looked at him again, her expression soft and tranquil. She may have been a prodigy when it came to medicine but when it came to everything else she was clueless. But maybe when it came to actually having a good time…Sano was the real genius.
i ended up listening to 'freebird' about six times in a row, which is insane, then went on to 'and it stoned me' by van morrison, thus the title and influence on the summary. hopefully it reflected on the story. please review!