Chapter Ten
Kaoru hurried into the town, shadowed by Sanosuke. They had returned to the dojo, but Yahiko was nowhere to be seen. By then it was nightfall, so they decided to just go into town in the morning to see if anyone else had found either of them.
Kaoru could have easily been overjoyed to soak in the sights and sounds of her wonderful hometown of Tokyo, but not today. They had not received one greeting- only apprehensive stares. Maybe it was Sanosuke. Sometimes people looked at him like he had a bad smell around him, or something.
A pretty waitress came out of the doors of the Akebeko. Kaoru was hit with an instant wave of envy. Pan-Lin, with her wavy dark brown hair and lovely green-blue eyes, attracted eyes everywhere. Where on earth did she learn to walk like that? And not to mention her smile. If Kaoru could smile more like her... maybe Kenshin would notice her more. Jeez, even in Pan-Lin's orange waitress suit-which fit the woman way too snugly- she looked like some kind of a princess. Every time Kaoru saw her she felt like a shadow. Compare the two of them and... Well, everyone could see who was more beautiful.
"Hey, Kaoru!" Pan-Lin said, a massive grin on her face as she waved to Kaoru and Sano.
Of all people, why was Pan-Lin the one who had to say hello?
"Hello, Pan-Lin," Kaoru said. She tried to hide the irritation in her voice. She must have done a good job because Pan-Lin's smile didn't fade.
Kaoru glanced at Sano. Why was he looking at Pan-Lin like that? Angered, Kaoru punched him in the side. He groaned slightly, and then turned to her, about to unleash a wave of curses.
When Pan-Lin approached them, though, he was all back to normal.
"I'm glad you're back, Kaoru," Pan-Lin said cheerfully. She turned to Sano. "How's it going, Sagara? You look like you've had it pretty rough."
Right when Sanosuke was about to start flirting like an idiot, Kaoru interrupted.
''Um, have you seen Yahiko?" Kaoru asked.
Pan-Lin's face darkened.
"Yeah," she said.
"Did something happen to him?" Kaoru demanded.
"Didn't anyone tell you?" Pan-Lin asked incredulously. "The little Myoujin kid nearly froze to death last night."
"Where is he?" Sanosuke asked.
Pan-Lin seemed a little surprised at Sano's change in attitude.
"I saw them taking him over to Megumi's medical station," Pan-Lin said. "He looked terrible."
Kaoru didn't wait for Sanosuke as she ran straight down the street. Grim thoughts ran through Kaoru's mind as she rushed to the medical station. She rushed through the door, and nearly had a head-on collision with Megumi.
"Raccoon girl," Megumi said, surprise in her voice as she looked Kaoru over. "I was expecting you, but not this soon."
"Is Yahiko alright?" Kaoru asked immediately.
"You, of all people, should know the answer to that question," Megumi said.
Kaoru remained silent. He wasn't -? Was he?
"Oh, come on!" Megumi said, throwing her hands up in the air. "You know better than I do that Yahiko wouldn't die like that!"
"Of course," Kaoru said, struggling to hide her relief. "I'm not stupid, you know."
At that moment, Sanosuke came rushing in.
"Where's Myoujin?" he asked.
"So much for greetings," Megumi muttered. "He's over in this room."
Sano and Kaoru followed Megumi to the door of a room. "Be careful not to disturb him. He's not exactly in perfect condition for visitors-"
"Yahiko!" Kaoru cried, at the sight of Yahiko lying on a bed, bundled up in more blankets than she could count. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing softly. He looked a little... pale. Kaoru's eyes went from Yahiko to the figure sitting by his bed. Tsubame?
"Tsubame?" Kaoru and Sanosuke said in unison.
"H- hello, Miss Kaoru," Tsubame said cheerfully. "Yahiko's gotten a lot better since last night." Tsubame was silenced by Kaoru and Sanosuke's stares.
"I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do."
Kaoru and Sanosuke sat down on some rickety stools as Tsubame, with Megumi's help, explained to them everything that had happened.
"Yahiko was so brave," Tsubame said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "He came all the way into the forest to rescue me, even though I... I didn't deserve it."
"It's not your fault, Tsubame," Kaoru said, giving the girl a comforting smile. "We all make mistakes sometimes, and the best thing we can do is try not to make them again. It's a part of learning the ways of life."
Tsubame nodded.
"I can't believe the kid actually pulled it off," Sano said, carried off in his own thoughts. "He almost died, but he pulled it off anyway." He turned to Kaoru.
"Looks like Yahiko's finally growing up."
Kaoru nodded, giving him a smile. She turned to Megumi.
"Thank you for taking such good care of Yahiko, Megumi," she said. "Without your care, he may not have made it."
Megumi brushed off the praise with a wave of her hand.
"I'm a doctor," she said, giving Kaoru a smile. "That's just what I do."
Megumi was also making amends for some mistakes she had made in her life. She had been forced to sell opium, a deadly, yet addictive drug that had taken the lives of many Asian people. When she had been about to kill herself, Sanosuke had stopped her, stating that she was stupid for believing that taking her life would help anybody, least of all herself.
The person who'd had the most impact on her, though, had been Kenshin, who had told her that to amend for her taking of lives, she could use her abilities to instead save lives. So far, she had been doing just that, and almost perfectly.
Kaoru frowned sadly when she looked at Yahiko. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. She'd seen him like this only once in the past, but the fact that he'd gotten better quickly didn't ease her discomfort.
"Yahiko will come out of this," Megumi said. "I'm just not sure how soon. When someone enters into a coma, they can stay in it for weeks, sometimes months. I would predict that Yahiko will come out sooner, but I don't know. He's a strong boy, or else he would be dead right now."
"Will he... recover fully?" Kaoru asked.
Megumi sighed. She sounded tired, but her sigh was mostly one of unhappiness.
"I don't know," Megumi said in a low voice. She did not like not knowing if a patient would recover. "I really don't know. He might not have the same mental capacity as before he went into the coma, and there is a high chance that he may never fully recover."
Kaoru felt pained. She stared at Yahiko, his haggard breathing almost enough to make her cry. Please get better soon, Yahiko. She urged him mentally.
I still need to teach you a good lesson for running off by yourself like this. Kaoru thumbed a tear out of her eye.
"I know Yahiko will be okay," Tsubame said.
Kaoru looked up at her. Her eyes shown with a deep radiance, and her whole face was the image of pure hope. Kaoru gave her a deep, meaningful smile.
"Yes, he will be," Kaoru said, nodding.
After speaking a little more, they walked out of Yahiko's room so they would not disturb him. Sanosuke closed the door softly behind them.
Megumi rubbed her hands together, exhaling deeply.
"All right," she said, forcing a small smile. "I suppose I should get a little refreshment for our tired guests."
Sanosuke stretched out.
"This gathering calls for some sake," he said. Looking at them. "Who's paying?"
Sano's carefree attitude brought a grin to Megumi's before solemn face.
"I heard you sniffling," she said, her voice almost dripping with mischief. "I never read anywhere that sake helped anybody recover from a cold."
"You're right," Sanosuke said, grinning at her wolfishly. "I suppose you'll have to do a little experiment. I'll drink some sake, and you'll have to give me a little check-up to see if it made me better or worse."
"Actually," Megumi said, her fox-ears appearing. "I was thinking of something a little bit different."
Despite Kaoru's mood, she had to smile. When Megumi's fox-ears appeared,
it always meant trouble. And Sano was going to be in a lot of that.
"Oh, really," Sano said, his grin widening. "You can stuff me in a bed like that one Yahiko's in and then check on me everyday. I'm sure I could get better that way."
"Sano, you unashamed lout," Megumi retorted, grabbing up a pillow and throwing it at him. He dodged it none too gracefully. Megumi was still grinning, though.
How on earth can she think that's funny? If Kenshin used one of those improper, out-of-line statements on me, I'd kick his butt all the way across the Indian Ocean. Kaoru thought. She felt a pang of sadness, right then. Where is Kenshin, anyway? If he doesn't return in the days he promised, then I swear I will find him, and he won't be able to walk for days.
"Miss Kaoru?"
Kaoru started, and when she came to, she saw Tsubame looking up at her expectantly.
"Y- yes?" Kaoru asked, still a little dazed.
"Miss Megumi asked you if you would like to go to the Akebeko now?" the girl asked.
"Sure," Kaoru replied. "I'd like that a lot."
"Well, let's go then," Sano said, grinning. He pointed to Megumi. "She's paying for everything."
"That doesn't give you the liberty to spend all my money on sake," Megumi said, giving him a fox-lady grin.
The group walked over to the Akebeko. They must have looked odd: a kenjitsu trainer, an ex-gangster, a doctor, and a little girl walking across the street. No all that the group needed to make them complete was a red-haired rurouni in a purple gi, and maybe a ten year-old ex-thief. Kaoru sighed. She was supposed to feel light-hearted right now. Sano and Megumi were cheering up, and Tsubame was confident everything was going to be okay. Why couldn't Kaoru feel like that? Right now she felt... empty. That was the only accurate word.
As the group sat down at a table and a waitress- who to Kaoru's great relief was not Pan-Lin- took their order, Kaoru started to relax a bit. Maybe everything would be okay.
"It seems like the little missy is thinking of a certain violet-eyed rurouni who happens to be named Kenshin Himura," Sano said.
Kaoru looked up, startled at Sano's ability to read her thoughts.
"So that's who's missing," Megumi said. "Sir Ken."
Kaoru felt a wave of jealousy at the sudden remembrance of the first time Megumi had called Kenshin "Sir Ken". It didn't hurt as much, now, since that was what she called him. Kaoru had thought that Sir Ken was some sort of... lover's nickname she'd given him. Leave it to Kaoru Kamiya to feel jealous of Megumi. Kaoru thought guiltily. I mean, it's not like I think of Kenshin as mine, or anything. I don't even feel for him that way. I don't! He's just a friend. A very, very, very close friend.
"Ooh, you're blushing," Megumi said. "Sano's cold must be very contagious."
Kaoru bit her lip, and her cheeks grew warm.
"Contagious?" Tsubame said, growing a shade paler.
Just then, the waitress brought their food.
"Where's the sake?" Sanosuke asked incredulously.
"It'll be here in a moment, sir," the waitress replied. Despite her politeness, she sounded slightly amused.
Sanosuke looked so relieved, it almost made Kaoru laugh. Sano and his sake. Kaoru thought, amused.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Sanosuke demanded, pouting.
"Nothing, Sano," Megumi said, already diving into her meal.
Soon, mirth and laughter surrounded the table. Kaoru found herself fiddling aimlessly with her dinner, suddenly losing appetite. She was still too worried about Yahiko. She struggled to enjoy the outing, giving a small smile for each joke she heard. She simply sat with her friends, adding a comment or two in when she thought they wanted to hear one. The sun was already starting to set when they decided it was time to go. Megumi looked like she'd had a bit too much sake, for she acted giddy and said silly things.
Sano's face was so red, it was quite a surprise that he had not already fallen over, drowning in his much drink. Meanwhile, Tsubame had clutched Kaoru's arm tightly, seemingly for fear of the two drunken people getting up unsteadily from the table. Kaoru considered all these things absent-mindedly, in too much of a gloomy state to show much reaction. She went home that day with a heavy heart, her body and soul weakened from the stress of the day. When she laid down on her futon to sleep, her rest did not come as easily as it should have. She tossed and turned, sleep coming in snatches, thus giving her little rest. What rest she did get did nothing to ease her, but actually caused more anxiety, considering the troubling dreams she suffered from.
Authoress 10/28/09:
Wow, Yahiko survived deadly poison and yet he "there is a high chance he might not fully recover" from hypothermia?
Unfortunately, I'm infamous for not studying before writing things into my stories. It's a problem that I tried to correct by writing my Beautiful Broken Existence re-write, and while I gained a lot from the experience from trying, the story was a failure (though not because of that reason at all). You can be a good writer, and not write a good story because of not putting everything into it that you should.
Note to self: study the effects of hypothermia ASAP.