Ch.1
Megumi law awake in the dark, shivering. The curtains were drawn, the lights were off, her hands tightly clutched the blankets to her chest, and the phone continued to ring. It had begun to ring incessantly, but she was too afraid to answer the phone, too afraid of who might be on the other end when she answered.
Beep.
"Megumi," she relaxed slightly. "It's Kaoru, please answer the phone…I know you're home…we're worried about you…(sigh)…if you need anything, call me."
Click.
She wasn't exactly sure when her life had begun to spin so out of control. It had started right after her parents died, although that wasn't exactly the moment either. Her parents, both doctors, had been ahead of their time. The way they looked at each other, even as a kid, she could feel their love enveloping her. She had wanted to feel that kind of love, too……and she had. She had fallen hard for him. No one had ever paid much attention to her before; maybe it was because her parents intimidated them, or maybe it was because she intimidated them. But he never seemed to be intimidated around her, and for the first time, she felt normal. They would walk down the streets of her neighborhood holding hands, and on those rare occasions when he smiled at her, she could feel her heart melt. When her parents died and he asked her to move in with him, she accepted immediately, and had run away from her aunt and uncle.
That was when things took a turn for the worst. The arguing, the fighting, although you could barely consider it fighting, it was mostly him hitting and her crying. Now that she thought about it…maybe abuse would have been a better word for it. Eventually she had decided to run away.
She had gone off to medical school and graduated at the top of her class. Finally, she thought, this is it. This was her chance to follow in her parents footsteps. Her professors had praised her for her brilliance, and with her accelerated courses, she had finished school early.
That was when the phone calls started. He was sorry that he had hurt her and he wanted her back. Oh, how he would do anything to have her back in his life. And against her better judgment, she had gone back to him.
But, to tell the truth, all of her problems really started with just one question.
"Megumi, do you love me?" he had asked her one night.
"Well of course, I..."
He had cut her off with a smile, but not the dazzling smile that made her heart flutter, this one had a more sinister undertone.
"Then you won't mind doing me a favor…"
That was how it had all begun…when had he become a drug dealer?
Beep.
Was it while she was getting through college?
"We're coming for you, Megumi…we know where you live."
Click.
He had used her again and again. Had her lure the men to him, and she had agreed, although by that time it was more because of fear than love. He took everything from her, continued to use her until she passed her breaking point and decided to turn to the police. They had offered her a proposition; if she testified against him, they would drop the charges.
Everything had seemed so simple at the time, and she had felt so free knowing that he was locked in jail. That is until the phone calls started and she began to find threatening letters at her door.
Megumi's heart started to race as she heard a lock click in the living room. She could hear the door opening slowly…
When had her hearing become so good?
She pulled the blankets over her head, as if that simple act would protect her from the incoming threat.
"Megumi-sensei?"
She quickly removed the covers and jumped out of bed. Trying to make herself presentable, she walked out into her small living room to greet her guests. "Kaoru…Kenshin….What are you guys doing here?" she asked, nervously tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"I told you… we were worried about you. Why haven't you been answering my phone calls?" Kaoru said, while studying her face for something...answers, maybe.
Megumi's face fell and she collapsed onto the couch sobbing. "I thought you might have been someone else…" she choked, her voice quivered on the last two words.
"Who? What's going on Megumi?" Kaoru demanded. When had Kaoru gotten so serious?
"Kanryuu's henchmen, they've been threatening me," she finally answered.
"That sounds serious," Kenshin said, his eyes dark with contemplation.
Finally, when no one seemed to want to say anything else, Kaoru started the conversation again. "Kenshin, maybe we should tell the police. There has to be something they can do to protect her," she said briskly to her fiancé.
Megumi shook her head. "Going to the police might just make them angrier. And what if the police don't help me, then what will I do? I'll be even worse off than before," she argued.
"Megumi, I'm sure they'll do something. Besides Aoshi is the police chief, he'll help you out," Kaoru spoke confidently trying to comfort her friend.
It took a while to finally convince her, but they were headed over to the police station before the night was over. They went straight for the Captain's office; Kenshin and Kaoru were known around there and no one stood in their way. They stepped inside, and Misao Makimachi, junior officer and secretary, looked up at them.
"May we have a word with Shinomori-san, Misao-dono?" Kenshin asked, politely.
"Of course, I'll tell him you're in to see him," she said cheerfully, and walked into his office without bothering to knock. After a minute she poked her head out the door. "He's ready to see you now."
"What do you need?" Aoshi asked as soon as they entered his office, without looking up from his paperwork.
"Aoshi, Megumi needs protection," Kaoru said, getting straight to the point. "Kanryuu's thugs are threatening her, she can't even answer her phone..." She looked at Kenshin for support.
"Kaoru," Aoshi cut her off, coolly, without bothering to hear what Kenshin might have to say. "I don't think that we'll be able to assign a police officer to watch her day and night."
"What?" Kaoru asked, standing up, the rage apparent on her face.
"But I do know someone who might be able to do the job..." he continued.
"Oh," she said. She relaxed back onto her chair. "Who?"
"Hold on a second, Kaoru," he said. Aoshi sounded as if he might have chuckled if that had been his thing. "I'm calling him as we speak."
"Hello, Sagara," Aoshi said, and caught Kenshin's look of surprise although it seemed as if neither of the women noticed. "Could you do me a favor?...I need you to protect a friend a mine...of course I'll pay you, idiot." Aoshi nodded as he hung up the phone and turned to his friends sitting in front of him. "He'll be here in twenty minutes, but for now, we wait."
Megumi winced. I hope Aoshi was just kidding when he called him an idiot...
A/N: Thanks a lot to my beta-reader Starry Night Blue. Don't forget to review...I worked really hard on this, and it's my first Sano/Meg fic so don't be to harsh...