Everybody's Fool
Perfect by nature
Icons of self-indulgence
She's so perfect. Why on earth would she, such a well-bred lady, ever want a fool like me? Following her like this should be illegal; actually, I'm certain it is. And I know Kenshin would kill me. What am I gonna tell her this time? "Oh, sorry Fox-lady, but I messed the hand up again... damn bandages, can't do a thing with them..." oh, sure, THAT'LL work... but at least I'll be able to see her... maybe even touch her... oh, that's dangerous territory, Sano. Don't go there.
Just what we all need
More lies about a world that
Never was and never will be
Have you no shame don't you see me?
You know you've got everybody fooled
Must be midnight by now. Likely she's asleep. She's not going to be happy. But here I am, knocking on her door anyway...
"...oming..." Came a voice from inside. The door swung open. "SANOSUKE! YOU IMBICILE, WHAT ARE YOU--" but the look on Sanosuke's face stopped her dead in her tracks. 'What on earth... is wrong with him... I've never seen a spirit more broken or lost in my LIFE!'
Well, I got her to yell at me... and I got a good look at her... maybe I can sleep peacefully now. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you... I can come back and see you tomorrow when you're more prepared to treat this baka with the broken hand." I was rambling, and because I had succeeded in making a complete fool of myself in what could have been record time... it was time for me to go...
Look here she comes now
Bow down and stare and wonder
Oh how we love you
No flaws when you're pretending
But now I know she
'I can't let him leave with that look on his face... besides, where would he go?' Megumi was so caught up in her thoughts that before she could get any of them past her lips, Sano was already half way down the street.
"SANO!" she called out, and I turned around half expecting to see her bleeding from a knife wound or some other horror. Except when I focused in on her, she just clung to the door frame with one hand and held her robe loosely together, and looked out after me...
"Megumi, what's wrong?" I asked her, walking back up her front steps taking her shoulders to steady her. She was so close... all I could think about was pulling her into my arms and never letting her go... but... those kinds of thoughts would get me no where... not with her... she was one to worship... not to have...not by ME anyway...
"Come in. Let me look at that hand, and... And you can stay here tonight." Megumi said and watched Sanosuke's features shift through about a million different levels of shock...
She's not arguing with me... she's not mad... what's going on here? This is NOT the normal fox-woman I know... 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Sano, take the offer and go inside...'
I released her and followed her inside the dark doctor's office/makeshift house.
Never was and never will be
You don't know how you've betrayed me
And somehow you've got everybody fooled.
"This hand will never heal if you don't take better care of it... you really should avoid places that run you into street brawls..." Megumi said not looking directly at me.
"Meg—"but I didn't finish... she looked up, shocked.
"What? No fox-lady?" She said, a slight smile gracing her flawless features.
"Not tonight." I covered quickly... maybe she could pawn it off to weariness.
"Sano... I'm not perfect." Megumi began, and I looked at her funny.
"Huh?" I managed as intelligently as I could.
"Just... don't think I'm... perfect." She said, being as vague as possible. She always was a difficult woman to understand.
"I don't think you're... perfect." I said before I had time to stop it. "I... I mean... You're just too good for... say... someone like... like m-me..." What was I? Some sort of stuttering idiot? –wait, don't answer that!
"You're not too good for me, Sano." She said... and I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I almost missed it... ALMOST...
Without the mask, where will you hide?
Can't find yourself, lost in your lie...
"WHAT?!" I nearly screamed. "What do you mean? You're... you're cultured, you're sophisticated... what am I? I'm nothing more than a street rat... for crying out loud, I'm possibly the WORST person for you... you knew that the moment you MET me!" damn me and my big mouth... WHY must it work faster than my brain?? Dammit!
"Sano..." Megumi was looking at me funny... wonderful... NOW I would have to explain that little tirade... Eff this and Eff that... Eff everything... this was just not my night... or wait... maybe it things would look up after all... That way she looks at me...
"I just mean that... that you're above me, and I know it, alright?" I spat, trying to get our normal routine of picking on one another going again... to no avail. Dammit again.
"There is a lot you don't know about me, Sano... and I know that, aside from your gambling and drinking and brawling... you're a good man who stands up for his friends... I know that you are good with children, even if you don't like to admit it... and Sano... I never hated you... it was all part of this... this other thing I had to be..." Megumi looked away from me... a tear slid down her cheek... What the hell was going on here... this was something strangely akin to... a conversation... no a CONFESSION... and last I checked, I was NOT a priest... this is weird... officially.
"Megumi." But... again... she seemed not to like that word coming out of my mouth... because instead of her biting words or her fingers this time, it was her lips that stopped the words...
I know the truth now
I know who you are
And I don't love you anymore
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! Ok, chill out, Sanosuke... you're kissing the woman whose lips you've up until now only dreamed of... So it's weird... So she's probably on some sort of aphrodisiac-drug-induced waking coma and will KILL you for all this in the morning... ENJOY THE EFF-ING MOMENT!!
Megumi pulled away but did not meet his surprised and questioning eyes. "Sano. I'm sorry. But now you know... how I really feel... I couldn't keep up the lie any longer... I—"
"Megumi, don't... don't apologize for the way you feel... the truth is, it's mutual. As if that kiss didn't say all it needed to..." Shut up, Sano... you're mouth is going to get you in A LOT of trouble if you don't.
"But I'm not who you thought I was..." Megumi was saying.
"That's alright... I quite like this in place of our feuding..." I smiled up at her drawing her down into my lap to capture those ruby read lips again, just for good measure.
It never was and never will be
You're not real and you can't save me
"You're not mad that I pretended to hate you the past two years?" Megumi obviously hadn't grasped the extent of my feelings for her... OH how many ways could I think of to show her??... Most assuredly insanely naughty, and equally as tempting in that dark house/doctor's office...
"No, Megumi, I'm not mad... we both pretended our feelings were something other than they are... I AM glad you told me the truth, though... I was about to go insane... I want you so much it hurts..."
She smiled. She actually SMILED at me. But... Somehow, I can't believe we never did this earlier... I can't believe we put up all these pretences... We played ourselves and everyone that cares for us for fools...One of these days, I guess this rooster head will learn...
I leaned and captured Megumi's lips once again... picking her up as I stood to carry her back into her bedroom.
It was time we became fools for love...
Somehow now you're everybody's fool...
© 2003
July 25, 2003
Aleesha Posey
Author's Notes: I don't own anything... only borrowing them for entertainment purposes... this is REALLY bad considering I wrote it at 4:35 in the morning... blah... don't kill me... as I must have murdered this song and this fanfic as well... my sincerest apologies...