"Kitsune."
Megumi snaps her head up at the word, looking for spiky hair and a smirk. But she quickly admonishes herself. She is in Aizu, and the rooster-head is far, far away, wherever he is.
She finishes bandaging a little boy's scraped hand and gives him a stern look. "Remember, don't use this hand. Or you'll end up like a certain idiot and lose all your brains when you try to fight with it."
"Baka!"
She startles, expecting a bright ribbon in a dark ponytail and a bokken flying at red hair. But she only sees an unfamiliar girl blushing at her companion. Still, the scene reminds her of another couple, two people who've deserved all the happiness they have.
They catch her looking at them; she flashes a friendly wink and tosses her hair. Then, she is back to stirring her medicines. After this, perhaps she'll send a letter to Tokyo.
"Imouto?"
Megumi freezes, her hand still in midair and holding a poster advertising her missing family. But it's only a group of children passing by and chattering away about someone's baby sister. There's been no sign at all of her mother or her older brothers, not even a hint in these past weeks.
Sometimes, she despairs and considers returning to the Kamiya dojo. At least, she wouldn't be alone there. Then, she thinks of her patients, of Kanryuu's piercing grin, of her friends who supported her. Of the euphoria when they were all reunited again after that terrible night and how it had been worth the endless days of heartache. So, she steels herself and continues with her work and her search.
She may be far from those she cares about, but she hears their words all the time. And for her, that's enough to keep her going.