She gazed at the starless sky and let out a sigh. Kenshin had not visited her today.
'Bet that tanuki is doing something with my Ken-san!

She undid her braid as she watched the leaves rustle in the wind. It was a cool evening.

Kami-sama… who am I kidding? I am simply fancying myself to have any feelings for him. We are friends. Our only bond is that we both have our own painful pasts…. And I am not even sure if that is a bond. Still, Ken-san is very dear to me… Maybe we have a brother-sister relationship… No, that's not it. What ever it is… it's platonic.

A leaf floated its way to her lap and came at rest on her knee.

'Ugh! Why hasn't Sanosuke come for his weekly check-up yet? It's getting late!'

After sighing once more, she untangled every strand of her hair and flipped it over her shoulder. However, there was one strand that simply refused to rest on her back and decided to float on the slight breeze, in front of her porcelain face. It was quite stubborn, compared to the other locks.

Stubborn. Just like that baka tori-atama… How many times have I told him not to get himself into trouble? But does he listen? No!
"Jirettai, kitsune-onna," says he, "I don't get myself in t' trouble, 'kay? The trouble usually gets me! I jus' sit there, sippin' my sake, an' then this bloke starts punchin' me. D'ya expect me t' run away like some kinda chicken?"

…

Why am I even thinking about that tori-atama? I do not think about Sagara Sanosuke, unless I want some no-good, big-mouthed, tactless, stupid, messy-haired, gambling, drinking, brawling, broke, quite handsome, cute, caring, loving – … scratch that – idiot to waste my precious time and skill on the umpteenth time that he has mangled his hand.

She shook of all thoughts related to Sanosuke and hugged her legs.

'Alone on Tanaba,' mumbled Takani Megumi to herself, 'pathetic fox that I am.'

She rested her chin on her knee.

Everywhere in Japan women and girls are being wooed by someone. Kaoru has got Kenshin… They are probably having a dinner together… And Tsubame and Yahiko… holding hands and blushing… and Sanosuke and… some girl are probably –

She did not finish her thoughts, because a painful feeling rose up from her stomach. She could not stand thinking about him with someone else.

Change of subject. What is the use of this wistful thinking? There is no use waiting here for no one! No one will visit some arrogant female doctor called Takani Megumi on Tanaba.

Angrily, she stood up, pissed with herself, the whole male population of the earth and for some reason, Sanosuke. With a flick of her hair, she turned around, slammed the door open and was about to shut with great force, when all of a sudden, she saw something that stopped her tempered actions.
She blinked a couple of times to make sure that what she was seeing was not an illusion. And it was not. Some tall, gravity-defying haired man had opened the porch door and was coming her way.

The tiniest of smiles graced her face as she neatened her hair, thinking:
I guess I won't be alone on Tanaba after all.