Megumi began walking from her home to Sano's. The rain was pouring from the grey sky soaking her blue t-shirt and dark jeans. The raindrops mixed in with her tears. Her dark hair was plastered to the sides of her pale face. Her black eyes were wide with tiredness. She hasn't slept the past two nights because of her jumbled thoughts. Confusion tore up her mind. She didn't know what she needed but she did know what she needed.
She wanted one thing. Comfort. She hasn't had that in her life. She didn't let anyone get close enough to the core of her heart to allow that simple thing. After she had been rescued from her boss, who was forcing her to make a dangerous drug, she had turned her heart into smooth marble. The hardest surface there is. There were no crack lines in the surface for people to dig there fingernails in and break into her fragile heart. No one would hurt her again, not ever. Even if that meant being alone. That only makes her heart ache, but she got through it though.
But lately she's been desperate for someone to wrap there arms around her and tell her that everything will be ok again. Megumi was halfway to Sano's home. Just a few more blocks and she'll be out of the cold rain. She was caught up in her thoughts. She remembered her and Sano's conversation from the other night….
Megumi was at her place. She just got done curing a patient. She heard someone clear their throat in front of her. Looking up, she saw Sanoskue leaning against her wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He always looked good in that position, especially when he was in his joking mood with a smirk on his face. But now his face looked serious, especially his brown eyes. They had a certain depth to them that she never noticed before until now.
"Yes Sano, how may I help you?" She asked in an even tone. He got up from leaning against the wall and walked over to her.
"I was on my way to lunch and I wanted to know if you would like to eat with me?" Sano asked. His tone matched hers. Sanosuke has asked her a million times before but she always turned him down. She didn't really think of him in that way. He usually asked in a joking manner but he didn't this time.
"I can't, Sano, I have patients to see." She rejected with as much kindness as she had. She turned to see her next patient.
"Why do you always turn me away, Megumi?" Sano asked. He sounded like he was losing some type of patience with her. He walked close to her.
"What do you mean, Sano?" She asked.
"You never let anyone get close to you." He stated more calmly.
"That is not for you to say." She hissed.
"Why, because you know it's true?…" He asked with obviousness in his tone. He was stepping close to her, backing her into the door.
"Sanosuke, if this is about me turning you down, I'm sorry. But don't be angry about it." Megumi averted her eyes to the side hoping to change the subject that was hitting a nerve inside her.
"This isn't about that. Well, maybe it is a little but that's not what we're talking about." He pulled himself away from her. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Then what are we talking about? Because I'm getting a little confused here." She pointed out, frowning.
"Megumi, your so closed around everyone. I've been seeing it since you came with us. It's not healthy."
"Take your own advice." She snapped.
"What are you talking about?" He asked with confusion.
"You hide behind your smirk and your smartass remarks. Don't tell me what you should be telling yourself." Megumi snapped again. He just smirked at her remark. "What are you smirking at?"
"I see that I've hit a nerve. You always snap at people when they have hit a nerve inside you." He stated. Megumi knew that he was right. He knew her inside and out. She really hated that.
"So? Everyone does that." That was the only thing she could say because he was right and she hated that. She saw his smirk turn into a frown.
"Megumi." He walked up to her so close that they could feel each others body heat. "I come to you like this because you know that I can understand better than anyone what you feel. You just refuse to acknowledge that information. You have closed off everything around you except your duties that you have to do. Just let someone show you that there are other things in this world other than the negativities. It doesn't have to be me, just let it be someone." He turned to go and was walking away. Then he stopped and turned, then said, "But I'm here if you ever need a simple thing." He turned and walked away, leaving her in confusion.
She hated him for leaving her in confusion like that. The past two nights were hell on her mind. All she wanted was comfort. Something as simple as that. She wanted someone to wrap their arms around her and tell that everything would be ok for a while. Just to feel safe and secure for a bit. Though she had to admit that it was her fault for feeling this way. Like Sano said, she closed herself off from everything around her except for her duties she had to do such as her healing jobs. After what Sanosuke said, she wasn't sure she could make it through another night with her pain. Everything was aching inside her. She always managed to get through it all. She was a strong person.
But damn him for making her confront everything she has locked away. She has worked hard to forget everything and anything she has gone through. She became happy with the fact that she could just forget. But she couldn't forget her emotions that were tearing her up inside and she couldn't forget everything. But yet, she was happy in a way for doing what he did. Or else she wouldn't be working up the nerve to do what she was about to do
She was getting close to his house. She could see it. The rain was turning into a soft mist around her. Her tears were gone but the ache was still in her heart. It was dulling though as she got closer to Sano. She was loving that feeling because a certain peace was working its way inside her and she was going to cherish every bit of it. She was in front of his house. His car was in the drive way giving a sign that he was home. She opened the gate and walked through, going up his steps to his front door. She prepared herself to knock on his wooden door. Three knocks and he didn't open. She tried again, no answer. Giving up, she turned around and worked her way down the steps. She was on her way to the gate when she heard his door open behind her. Turning around, she saw Sano standing in the open doorway.
"Megumi?" He said her name in confusion. He studied her while she stood. He hair waist-length black hair was soaked and in tangles around her face. Her face had drops of water going down her chin. Her lips were wet and looked soft and her big brown eyes that were thick with dark lashes were wide with tiredness. Her clothes were drenched and she looked cold. She looked beautiful standing there. He was confused as to why she was here but all the same, he was happy.
"Are you ok?" He asked with concern. She walked up to him in the doorway.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…." She didn't know what to say. "Come in." He offered moving out of the way for her. She walked past him and into the house. Sano directed her into the kitchen. She sat down.
"Are you okay?" He asked again. He got two mugs out and put some water in both of them just below the rim, then put them in the microwave and set the timer. He waited for answer.
"Yeah, I just…." She paused again, not finishing her sentence. She didn't know what she wanted to say.
"You just…." He prompted. The timer went off and he got out the mug then set the teabags in.
"I just wanted to say that….." She hesitated before continuing. "That you were right."
"About what?" He said calmly. He picked up the mugs and set one in front of Megumi. There was a cup of sugar on the table so he put some into her tea and into his before mixing.
She was getting frustrated that she had to explain but then again, that was what she came here to do. "You were right about what you said the other day. About me closing myself off from everything around me and not letting people in." She was hoping that she wasn't making a fool of herself. If she was than she would have to smack herself a few times in the head.
Sano smiled before replying. "That must have took some guts for you to admit that someone was right about something about you. Didn't it?" He took a sip of his tea.
"Yes, it did." She confessed. She took a big gulp of her tea to calm her nerves. She winced when it burned down her throat. Sano laughed at her actions.
"What's so funny?" She asked, furrowing her brows. "Nothing, nothing." He chuckled. She let it go because she knew she wasn't going to get it out of him. "Do you want warmer clothes?" He asked looking at her soaked clothes. She forgot that she was wet for a second.
She shook her head, then answered "Yeah, sure." Sano got up and went to his room to get a pair of sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. Megumi was halfway done with her tea when he came back. "Here you go." He handed her the clothes. "Thanks." She said grabbing the dry clothes from his hand. She went to the bathroom and changed into them. The pants went past her feet but she rolled them to her ankles and the t-shirt went to her elbows and mid-thigh but she didn't mind, she was comfortable. She came out and saw Sano standing in the kitchen.
"Thank you." She said. "No problem. Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked. "Sure." She responded. They went into the living room. Sano put the movie in then sat down at the couch pulling a blanket over him. Megumi sat down beside him and looked over. Sano looked back at her than lifted the blanket with a smile as an invite so she could snuggle under the blanket with him. She sat closer to him getting under the warm blanket. Snuggling closer him, she pulled his arm around him curling in a ball. She was warm and she was happy. The movie came on, she noticed that it was an old black and white Dracula movie.
"You like old Dracula movies?" She asked smiling. "Yes I do." He answered. She just laughed and watched the movie snuggled close to him.
She got the one thing she wanted tonight…peace and comfort.