A.N.- Hi everyone, it's me again, DemonSlayer205. I'm here with another chapter from my new RK fanfic. I'd like to take this moment to thank the people who've taken the time out of their day to review my story. Thanks a lot, and please, if you some constructive criticism for me, by all means let me know. To everyone who read the story so far, but didn't review, please do review if you have the time. I'd like to know if my story is any good to anyone that reads it.

Also, another point I'd like to bring up about my story, is that there are going to be quite a bit of flashbacks throughout this story. Hence, the title of the story. I'm not exactly sure how long this story is going to actually be, but as of right now I only have about 4 chapters planned out. However, I can safely say that unless a serious bout of writer's block kicks in on me, this story will most likely be at least 15-20 chapters long, maybe longer depending on how everything plays out. Well with that aside, kick back, relax, and read&review my new RK fanfiction story.

Two of a Kind

Ch. 2- Recollections of Another

By: Ishimaru Amon

Great people are not defined by their technique, but by there passion

A carriage sped down a lone street in Tokyo, the sounds of the horses' hooves sounding like a small stampede to all who were still awake to hear them. The stars shone clear in the cloudless night sky, as the moonlight shone down on the land below. The drape on the window of the carriage was pulled open, allowing the passenger inside to glance out at the street the carriage was riding on.

Inside the carriage, a woman of her late 20's sat inside, her cinnamon colored eyes set on the street outside the window, as if searching for something, or someone. A small smile spread across her features as she remembered her last visit to Tokyo. It had been a reunion of sorts as the members of the Kenshin-gumi gathered under the sakura blossoms on Mt. Ueno.

'Well, almost everyone,' she thought to herself as she continued to gaze out at the street outside. Indeed their gathering at Mt. Ueno, while joyful and fun to all who were there, it didn't quite seem complete without a certain ex-gangster. No one had really heard anything from Sanosuke since he had left Japan, so it was quite a shock when Yahiko showed up with a letter from their long lost friend.

Everyone had been anxious to hear about how he was doing, especially Megumi, who had not known about Sanosuke's sudden departure from Japan until she came back to Tokyo to attend Kenshin and Kaoru's wedding. It had only been a few months after her departure to Aizu, and she hadn't really wanted to leave her patients there, especially when she had just settled down there. At first when she heard the news of his leaving, she felt indifferent, not really knowing what to feel about the situation.

After all, their relationship, wasn't really much of anything besides playful teasing(mostly on her part), bickering, and name calling. Besides, the toriatama wasn't really doing anything with himself other than gambling, drinking, getting into fights, and hanging around the dojo all day. Not to mention the fact that because of his departure, Yahiko now had his old place, and therefor no longer had to live with Kenshin, Kaoru, and their son Kenji in the dojo.

And so Megumi instinctively put on the mask of indifference, claiming that if the rooster had been forced to leave Japan for causing trouble, then this would teach him a lesson about staying out of trouble. Even during Kaoru's constant scrutiny about how she really felt about it, she continued to stick with the indifference. But after awhile, some part of Megumi had worried about him, after all he was for the longest time one of her most frequent patients. His right hand had been seriously damaged numerous times, the stress from the Futae No Kiwami taking it's toll on it, especially during his fights with Enishi's henchmen.

She had warned him time and time again to be careful with his hand and to try and stay out of fights. And time and time again, he had ignored her warnings, using it even when he knew it would most likely be damaged beyond repair. But even after damaging it over and over, he continued to come to her to get it treated; and even after warning him over and over not to use that technique anymore, she continued to fix it for him.

She didn't know why she did it, especially since he never really paid her for her services. She always thought she did it because she was a doctor, and her duty as such was to heal sick or injured people, no matter who they were or what they did. But the patients she treated always paid her, even if they couldn't do it immediately. But not him, no he was different. He would always engage in verbal battles with her, always tease her about things like being 22 and single.

Yet he would continue to come to her to get treated, never paying her for her services. So why? was always the question. It wasn't until after Kaoru and Kenshin's wedding, did she finally come upon a reason to that question. Only after the baka was gone, had she finally come to realize that there was some small part of her that grown to care for him. Actually care for the tall free-loader, who had just left her and the rest of them so abruptly.

She let out a wistful sigh as she recalled her chat with the tanuki girl and her husband that evening, the former conversation leading to a discovery that bewildered her, while the latter led her to discover more about Sanosuke's past and what made him the way he was.

Flashback

The night was filled with laughter and conversations of all kinds at the Kamiya dojo. A large group of people consisting of close friends and mutual acquaintances had gathered that day to witness the wedding of two people who had met by chance only close to a year ago. Inside, the women were gathered around each other to talk about the newly married couple's future together.

Meanwhile, the men sat off to the side enjoying sake while engaging on certain topics like government issues and old times. Among the group, a red-haired swordsman sat silently sipping his sake, unusually quiet on the discussions being carried on around him. He looked up over at the group of women crowded around his new bride, and he couldn't help but notice the absence of one of them.

He then turned his attention back to the group of men surrounding him, and he found that he couldn't help letting loose a sigh as he noticed the absence of another close friend, one who he hadn't seen for a while now. He couldn't help but wonder about his friend's situation, and if it weren't for the fact that no one knew his location or his well-being, he would've chuckled at the fact that the two people who seemed to be missing from the celebration were the two people he had always hoped would themselves and each other.

His sigh wasn't lost on the young boy with spiky black hair who sat next to him. Yahiko looked at his mentor and friend worriedly for a moment, before finally deciding to find out what the problem was. After all, it was his wedding day, and he shouldn't have been so gloomy at a time like this.

"Oi Kenshin, you look down, what's wrong?" he questioned, his focused on the rurouni.

"Nothing Yahiko, just wondering about a good friend is all," Kenshin replied as his gaze went back to the drink in his hand. Yahiko had a feeling what 'friend' he was referring to, and he couldn't help but find himself feeling a bit down as well.

"You mean Sano," it was more of a statement than a question. Kenshin didn't reply, instead settling for a nod. The other two men with them, Aoshi and Gensai-sensei, grew quiet at the mention of the man's name as well. Gensai-sensei hadn't really known Sanosuke well, but he had instantly taken a liking to the young man who had spent so much of his time either hanging around the dojo, or winding at the clinic to have his hand or some other injury treated, mostly by his assistant, the foxy doctor.

He smiled as he remembered the verbal abuse they would give each other almost every time they met, especially when it was do to an injury he would receive after having gotten himself into another fight. He could also tell how unhappy his grand-daughters had been after finding out their 'Sano-nii' had gone away. Aoshi had not gotten to know the ex-gangster very well, but he knew about his reputation and respected him as a fighter, especially since he had beaten two members of the Oniwabanshu not long ago.

Yahiko found himself often thinking about Sanosuke, and wondering how he was doing. After all, while Kenshin was his idol, Sano was more like his older brother. The two were very similar both in the way they acted and their desires to be strong. In a way, Yahiko had always looked up to Sano as well, even going so far as to move in to his old place and take the symbol for Aku and display it proudly on his back, in memory of the man who he had fought along side of multiple times.

Kaoru in the meantime, had glanced over to find all of the men strangely quiet, and her husband staring at the cup of sake in his hand. She knew immediately who they were all thinking about, and her mood seemed to dampen as well. That's when she looked back and noticed that someone else was absent from their group as well. Realizing who, Kaoru properly excused herself, picked up a pot of tea and two cups, and walked outside to search the onna-sensei.

She found her sitting on the engawa outside, staring at the night sky, her face seemed to show that she was deep in thought. Kaoru silently walked over, placing the tea pot and cups down between them before sitting down alongside her. She didn't speak at first as she poured tea into the two cups, and then focused her gaze on the sky as well.

Megumi found herself glancing over at Kaoru, wondering what was going through her mind that made her want to leave the group of people inside in order to sit out here with her. Thanking the younger woman for the cup of tea, she picked it up and took a sip before setting her gaze back on the night sky. A silenced lingered between them for a few moments, before Kaoru decided to break it.

"Beautiful night out isn't it?"

Megumi smiled at the statement that was obviously the beginning of a conversation Kaoru had been wanting to have with her all day. She replied with a simple statement of her own.

"Yes, it is."

"You know the others are thinking about him,"

Megumi quirked an eyebrow at this, wondering where the tanuki was going with this.

"Who do you mean?"

"Sanosuke of course, we all worry about him you know,"

"And what pray tell gave you the assumption I was thinking about him?"

"I didn't say YOU were thinking about him, I said the others were," Kaoru looked at her with a smirk that seemed to say 'aha!'

Megumi simply let out a 'humph' , and flipped her hair back over her shoulder before choosing to respond.

"Well, it should only be natural that I worry about him from time to time, after all he WAS my patient, and the condition of his hand as you all know was very bad. And being that he can't seem to keep himself out of trouble, he's bound to damage it permanently."

Kaoru simply continued smiling at her, amused at how she was so quick to use her work as a escape whenever she was cornered. But she knew how Sanosuke felt about the kitsune onna, and wondered if she should tell her what she'd overheard during Sanosuke and Kenshin's late night conversation. After all, she knew that she might not be able to trick Megumi into openly admitting it, and although she told Sano that she wouldn't tell her, she also knew that it had to come out eventually and that waiting for either of them to do might not ever happen.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to break the little promise she made to him the night before he left Japan. 'I'll just consider it as payment for all the free meals he's gotten here,' she thought as she cast a sidelong glance back at Megumi.

"You know, he asked Kenshin about you before you left."

"Really? What did he and Ken-san discuss?" Megumi found herself now equally curious.

"Well, he asked Kenshin what he thought about you leaving, and about you as a woman," she said as she took another sip of her tea, stifling a chuckle at her friend's sudden curiosity on the subject. She then began to relent the conversation between their good friend and her husband, as Megumi just sat in silence, listening to every word spoken. After a few moments of silenced passed between them again, she chose to respond, her tone laced with disbelief at the younger man's words.

"I never thought that he could or would ever have such feelings for me. After all, he seemed to hate me, not to mention that we always fought over things I realize now were just silly," Megumi replied sullenly.

"None of us ever knew that he felt that way, well except maybe Kenshin. I guess that's why Sano spoke to him about it. I have to admit, Sanosuke was pretty good at keeping it hidden," Kaoru admitted.

"Yes I suppose so, although it's also like to him to admit such things to Kenshin and not to me of all people."

"Well talking about his feelings has never really been his style, especially if he thinks they might be made fun of."

Megumi didn't say anything, she just stared at Kaoru for a moment, before returning her attention to her now empty cup of tea, which she realized was shaking in her now unsteady hands. Kaoru, noticing the conflicting emotions raging through Megumi, decided to be up front about it. After all, it wouldn't do any good to break Sanosuke's promise and not find out how Megumi felt as well.

"So Megumi-san, just between us, how do you feel about him?"

Megumi looked at Kaoru with a blank expression for a moment, before returning her gaze right back to her tea cup.

"I...I don't really know Kaoru-chan, this is all so new to me."

"I'm sure you do Megumi-san, you just need to acknowledge it."

Megumi let out a sigh of exasperation as she looked back up at the sky, the new information she had just discovered seeming to uncover feelings she had long tried hard ignore, and what she had kept hidden from everyone else. She never thought that he would ever develop such feelings for her, or that he would ever be secretly watching her to make sure no one took advantage of her, or tried to harm her. It was then that she realized that for all the time they had spent around each other, she didn't really know much about him at all.

In fact, aside from his name, age, and reputation as a former gangster and fighter-for-hire, she didn't really know much else about him. She didn't know about his past, or his family members, or even if he HAD any family members. While he, he knew about her and her past, about how she lost her family during the war in Aizu, and how she came to Tokyo to be an apprentice under a doctor who secretly made opium for Kanryuu. Sanosuke knew about it all, while she knew very little about him.

"Megumi-san?"

It was then that she realized Kaoru was staring at her inquisitively, trying to get her attention, apparently still trying to get an answer from her. In truth, Megumi didn't really have one at that very moment, and she needed more time to think, and more questions to be answered.

"Kaoru-chan, I truly don't know how I feel about him, not right now at least. I mean this whole thing has made me realize so many things that I never thought much about before. I just need a little time to think, and to get some answers to some questions I have."

"What questions?"

"Questions about his past, about who he was or what he did before he met all of us. I just realized that I don't really know any of those things, but he knows all about my past."

"Oh that, well Kenshin can tell you about it, he knows more about Sano's past then any of us, aside from Sano himself."

"Well, I think I'll ask Ken-san tomorrow about it, and maybe give it some thought tonight."

"I'm sure Kenshin will be more than happy to answer any of them."

Kaoru then got to her feet, grabbing the tea pot and cups before turning to head back inside. She stopped just before she reached the door, turning to look at Megumi one more time. Megumi looked up to meet Kaoru's gaze, awaiting the tanuki's final response.

"Just remember Megumi-san, you can talk to me about anything, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you do care for Sanosuke."

"Arigato, Kaoru-chan, and thank you for the company, I appreciate it all."

"No problem, oyasumi nasai Megumi-san." Kaoru said before opening the door.

"Oyasumi nasai Kaoru-chan." Megumi responded before the door closed shut.

Megumi sat for a few moments before getting to her feet, the thoughts of Sanosuke's discussion with Kenshin replaying in her over and over, coupled with thoughts of her own about the toriatama. Stopping just outside the door to her room where she was currently staying, she returned her gaze to the night sky, whispering a few words to the wind as if they would carry them to the person she was speaking them to.

"Oyasumi nasai, Sanosuske."

Megumi then opened the shoji to her room and stepped inside before closing it, thoughts of what she would ask Kenshin the next morning running through her mind. She would find out as much as she could about him, so that she would hopefully find out if she truly felt the same way for him that he felt for her. It would be another long night onna-sensei indeed.

To Be Continued...

Glossary:

Oyasumi Nasai-good night

Tanuki-raccoon

Tori-atama-rooster head, nickname for Sano

Sensei-suffix for teacher or doctor

San-suffix for Miss, Mrs., or Mr.

Chan-suffix for children and among(usually female) friends

Nii-suffix used for Kenshin and Sanosuke, mostly by Ayame and Suzume, Gensai-sensei's grand-daughters

Sakura- cherry blossoms

Mt. Ueno-mountainous region filled with sakura trees, where the Kenshin-gumi met 5 years after the Jinchuu arc.

A.N.- well, this chapter didn't come out the way I had quite planned it, but that makes it even better for me, since it helps to extend the story a bit. More of Megumi's recollections in the next chapter, along with her visit to the dojo. Why? you ask, well, that too, coming up in the next chapter most likely, so r&r and let me know what you think so far. Til then, later.