Disclaimer: Applied as previous chapters

AN: Finally a Megumi and Sano chapter! A little drama about his chapter… I published this chapter as a story under a different pen name, because I was going to publish my non RK fanfic under the Fluffybluff name and compile my RK fics under a more RK-centric pen name, but then I forgot that account's email address and password…. I like this story so much and I want to add this in Cherries and Plums but I can't since I have published it under a different name (and didn't know how to erase it coz of that password problem thing), but finally a few days back I managed to remember the password and finally deleted this story from that account and add it here! Yay!

I never intended for Cherries and Plums to be a KK-centric one-shot collection, but so far most stories that I wrote are KK and I feel like this collection needs a little diversity. A little trivia about this fic: there's a part where I wrote about a letter Sano sent, and for those who doesn't know which letter I referred to, you should the extra manga chapter called Haru ni Sakura. I shall remind you, Sano has a potty mouth so he's going to say bad words. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed the story, don't remember to review!

XX

Stopover

XX

Megumi sighed as she looked at the sun setting outside. Her patients had all been treated and her assistants had gone home, and the chilly autumn night made her feeling a little lethargic. However, she had to sweep the yard and tidied up her office now, or else she wouldn't have time to do so, since her daytime was always occupied with patients. It had been six years since she reopened her family's clinic. It was a little hard to gain the trust of the people in her first year, but now everyone knew her as the "survivor" of the Takani family.

She sighed as she took a broom. The autumn breeze made her sleepy and the scent of the leaves relaxed her, but she continued sweeping anyway. She had to finish everything before the night got too cold. Five minutes into an agonizingly slow sweeping, she heard a little rustle behind her. She turned around and was greeted by a familiar smirking face.

"Y' know, I asked around about you and they kept on pointing to this big house that looks like a haunted house. I didn't know that you're really staying here."

Megumi's eyes widened. He really had changed. His hair was really long now, and a thick beard covering his face. He had gotten a little taller than she had remembered too, his tattered white kenpo gi looked a little snug, covering his newly developed muscles tightly, and the edge of his pants ended in an awkward length, but all of those hidden under his white robe. The only thing that didn't change was his red headband that he wore faithfully no matter what.

"Sano. I didn't know that you're in town." She said calmly, trying to hide her shock.

Sano grinned at her flat reaction. "I'll only be in town for two days before departing to Singapore. You're not gonna finish sweepin' those leaves if you're sweepin' em like that."

Megumi looked at the miniscule pile of leaf she had gathered, but ignored his remarks about her sweeping methods. "Singapore?"

Sano nodded, his feet carelessly kicking the leaf mound Megumi made. "I haven't been to the South Eastern region. I heard it's quite cozy down there, and there's no winter. I seriously regretted stayin' in Mongolia during winter time. Almost frozen to death up there."

Megumi frowned. "Shouldn't you be in Tokyo instead then?"

"Well, I'm taking a boat from the Aizu port… Aizu has a port, right?" He asked light heartedly. Megumi shook her head in amazement. How could this dumb person survive? Or maybe he survived because he was too dumb. Who knows? "So, Kitsune, d'ya have some food?" He asked shamelessly.

Megumi sighed. He gave the broom to Sano. "Sweep the yard. I'll feed you if you did a good job." She said before disappearing into the house.

OOOOO

A warm bath and a complete meal, with vegetables, fish, miso soup and unlimited amount of rice was a luxury for Sano, who was now wearing Megumi's father's yukata and sipping his warm sake in bliss. It was the first time he felt his fatigue, like an old man who worked his ass off and came home at the end of the day. At least his life wasn't a stressful one, unlike those working men. He was enjoying life and he couldn't wait to step his feet to a new land.

Though, he would miss this. A delicious bowl of steamed rice and miso soup made by a certain kitsune onna. Apparently she paid attention to his letter he sent last year, since he clearly wrote something about wanting some rice and miso soup.

"Sano, come here." He heard Megumi called. Sano put down his sake cup and followed her to a room. It seemed to be her room, judging from the purple kimono hung near the futon and a vanity with lipstick and comb on it. He blinked, but then smirked.

"Momma wants some lovin' tonight?" He asked, and Megumi looked at him grimly.

"Say that again and the only lovin' for you tonight would be from the freezing wind and the annoying mosquitoes outside." She said threateningly. Sano chuckled.

"Geez, you're still so cranky, Kitsune. What's up?" Megumi took a dark blue silk pouch from her small drawer under her vanity table, and then sat down.

"Come." She said, patting her lap.

Sano looked at her, a little confused. She wanted him… to sit on her lap? "Aren't I too heavy to sit on your lap?" He asked.

"Baka. Seriously. How stupid can you be?" Megumi sighed, a little frustrated. "Here, lie down." She ordered, patting her lap again. Sano frowned but followed her order as he slowly put his head on her lap.

"Now what?" He asked.

"Close your eyes." She replied briefly.

"Fuck, no. I don't trust you." He insisted.

"SHUT UP AND CLOSE YOUR EYES!"

"Goodness, so much anger, this Kitsune, no wonder no one wants to marry you." Sano grumbled and closed his eyes.

He enjoyed the first thing she did to him, which was cleaning his ears. Albeit her temper, she had such a warm hand and he loved how she put her hand lightly on his neck as she proceeded to clean his ears. Her gentle movement slowly put him at ease.

He felt so relaxed sleeping on her lap until he felt cool water splashed gently on his face, and a cold metal grazed his cheek…

"WHAT THE FUCK, WOMAN!" Sano shrieked and jumped. Megumi quickly and instinctively pulled her blade-holding hand back. "YOU'RE TRYING TO SHAVE MY BEARD!"

"It can't be helped! I was disgusted watching your beard ate all the rice and all the vegetables… LIE DOWN SO I CAN FINISH THIS!" Megumi screamed.

"HELL NO!"

"Fine, if you want to look ridiculous with a bald patch on your face, be my guest." She said. Sano took a mirror from Megumi's table, and then looked at his reflection. There was a big, very visible, square shaped shaved area on his face. He screamed in horror.

"Damn it, Kitsune! Now all the Singaporean chicks would laugh at me." He said.

"Lie down." Megumi ordered briefly, and Sano half-heartedly put his head back on her lap. She continued shaving him while ignoring his annoyed expression. After awhile, though, he didn't care anymore. He was playing with her loose hair that fell down on her shoulder. She let him do whatever he wanted, as long as he was calm and distracted.

"Hey, so… Didya find anyone?" He asked, moving his mouth slowly so that she didn't slip and cut him.

"Hmmm, who?"

"Your family, I mean."

"No. Not yet."

"Not yet?" In Sano's experience, when people were lost for a long time, they rarely came back. Or if they did, they would come back as an entirely different person.

Megumi smiled. "Not yet." She said before landing a slap on his forehead. "Done. Get up. Sit in front of me." She said. Sano sighed and sat up, with his back facing her. He didn't complain anymore, only grunted a little when she took off his red headband.

"I heard Jou-chan and Kenshin has a kid now?" He asked.

"Yes. His name is Kenji. A cute little boy. Very smart cheerful just like the parents." Megumi said.

"Sorry that you don't end up with Kenshin." Sano said with a small chuckle. Megumi snorted and hit his head.

"Shut up. I'm happy to see them happy. It's not like Ken-san broke my heart or something."

"No?" Sano turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, and she shook her head. "Good then." Sano replied.

Megumi didn't change that much. She was calm, elegant, and very level headed, just like before, although she looked a little different. She smiled more, and not one of those bitter or mocking smiles she used to show. It was a truly peaceful smile. Maybe it was because she lived in her old house, where her beautiful memories were?

"Done." Megumi said, putting the blades back inside the silk pouch. Sano sighed and went back to lie down on Megumi's laps, much to her surprise. Megumi flicked Sano's forehead with her fingers and took the mirror from the floor. "Now you look… Well… As decent as you can be." She said, showing him his own reflection. Sano looked at his reflection.

"It's okay… I'm still handsome no matter what anyone has done to my hair." He muttered to himself. His spiky hair was so short now, even shorter than before. It was like the hair he had when he was ten.

"Stop sulking then." Megumi said, before muttering something like ungrateful brat under her breath. Sano chuckled and put his hands on his stomach, enjoying his human-pillow. Megumi grabbed his right hand and examined it. "It looks good… surprisingly." She said.

"Oh yeah, this guy in Mongolia did some voodoo shit to my hand. It's half-okay now." He said, opening and closing it. Megumi took his hand again and unfold the bandage. She then stood up without warning, making Sano bumped his head on the tatami-covered floor. "Oi! Careful!" He shouted. Megumi ignored him, and went out. A minute later, she came back with a medical box. She started treating Sano's hands as he used his other hand for a pillow and started humming some inaudible songs.

Suddenly, they heard a loud banging sound from the gate. Megumi was startled, and Sano got up, alarmed by the noise.

"Stay inside." He said, and before Megumi could say anything, Sano ran outside of the room. She sighed, took a hair tie from her drawer, and then tied her hair. Someone banging on the door in the middle of the night like this… It should be an emergency.

She was right. Sano was carrying a half-conscious guy and behind him there were three women crying. One was really old, one looked like her age, and the other one was a little girl. Blood was dripping from the guy's shoulder, and there was a thin but long hard of wood piercing through his shoulder. Megumi took out her apron.

"Now what?" He asked.

"Take him to my office. It's on the right side." She said, pointing. Sano ran to Megumi's examination room and put the guy on the bed. He knew the drill already, so he ran to the kitchen and boiled some water. Megumi was a bit surprised by his initiative. Apparently he had learned other things during his trip.

She examined the patient, and since he could still response, she gave him some powder sedative. The operation went smoothly, and the guy was sleeping. Apparently that guy was fixing the roof when he accidentally fell and hit the wooden fence in front of their house. The wooden fences were a little old and fragile, and the pieces went into his wound. Megumi had taken every little piece out and sewn his wounds, much to Sano's amazement. Even during his travel, he still admitted that Megumi was one of the best doctors he had come across.

"Sensei, you have saved my husband's life! Thank you!" The woman her age said, still crying from a shock.

"Don't worry about it. You, your daughter and your mother in-law can leave and rest. I will stay and take care of him." Megumi said. The older woman frowned at her.

"No! No! Please! My daughter in-law will take care of her! Your husband has finally come home, so you shouldn't waste your time by taking care of my stupid son!" She said. Megumi blinked.

"Husband?" Megumi asked. The two women in front of her pointed towards a corner. She turned around and saw Sano yawning while scratching his armpit. She shivered as she felt something odd creeping down her spine, something between amazement that those women thought this brute was her husband, and probably a little disgust from seeing him sniffing his own armpit. The two women, however, didn't see her awkward face, and took her hand.

"It's alright, Sensei! Don't waste your time! Go to bed with your husband right now!" they said, forcefully dragged Megumi towards Sano, and then grabbed Sano's hand.

"Oro?" Sano blurted out confusedly, imitating his best friend.

"Come on, husband! Don't make your wife wait for you!"

"What for- Whoa! What the hell?" Sano asked in confusion as he tried to free himself in vain.

They both were dragged back into Megumi's room and then the two, surprisingly strong, ladies pushed them inside.

"Don't come out before dawn!" the older woman shouted.

"Have fun!" The daughter-in-law followed.

Megumi and Sano looked at each other. Megumi glared at him as sano grinned innocently, scratching his now short hair.

"What the heck did you tell them?" She asked with a grim face.

"Don't blame me, okay! The ladies thought that I was a burglar and they were about to abandon the dying man and knock the air outta me, so I said that I was your family! I said FAMILY! Not HUSBAND! It's not my fault that people thought I was your husband."

"DO I LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO WOULD MARRY A ROOSTER?" Megumi shrieked.

"Well, I'm not the one who's a kitsune, 28 years old, and not married. Be grateful that people think you have a husband." He replied with a chuckle.

Megumi sighed. "Whatever," she said. She glared at Sano. "I am going to change. Turn around and don't peek." She said. Sano grunted and turned around, muttering something about not interested in seeing a kitsune changing clothes.

She changed into her sleeping yukata, and then took out the futon from the storage space on her wall, when she saw Sano's hands helping her. Without saying anything else, he took out another set of futon. Megumi frowned.

"Who said that you're sleeping here?" She asked sternly, and Sano shrugged.

"No one. I'm just too tired to move anywhere else. If you're so annoyed by me, then you go somewhere else." He said with an annoying grin. Megumi sighed. She was too tired to argue with the thick headed rooster anyway. She stood still and let Sano prepared the futon for them. Their futon wasn't exactly put together, but it wasn't exactly separated either. Sano put a one inch of space between them. A really sad inch.

The situation suddenly became a little awkward. Sano was sitting on his bed, picking his ear, and Megumi was unconsciously sitting in seiza. Sano looked at her carefully, silently taking a mental picture of her beautiful features.

"You look like you're ready for a wedding night. Come on, add a bow to it, make it more realistic." He teased her with a snicker. Megumi blushed, and moved her body to the side so that she could sit more casually.

"Shut up." She mumbled, trying to hide her blush, but the candle lit was bright enough for Sano to see. She inhaled, trying to look less embarrassed. "Let me finish treating your hand." She said, grabbing the medical box that was lying around in her room earlier. She moved to Sano's futon and started tending his wound, ignoring his rather odd gaze.

"Don't worry. Y' know Kitsune, you're pretty for a woman your age." He said, and Megumi pinched him.

"Woman my age? I am now the same age as Ken-san when we first met him." She said.

Sano cackled. "Yeah, but women expires earlier than men."

"Shut up, you sexist brat." She said, intentionally pressed the wound harder than needed, making Sano winced a little.

"So… Didya find anyone?" He asked.

"You have asked that question to me earlier tonight." She replied.

"No no. Different meaning. I mean, didya find anyone… like Kenshin found Kaoru…?" He asked, this time more carefully.

"How could I, if everyone thought that I'm married to a rooster." She replied sharply, but Sano could feel a humorous tint layered in her tone.

"Are you planning to get married? Like… I dunno… attending one of those omiai?"

"No. I don't think so. I think I would have to stop working if I got married. Not every husband is understanding like Ken-san, after all. I'd rather be single like this than to have a husband controlling my every movement." She said.

"Modern woman, huh… There are more and more nowadays, all over the world." Sano said with a chuckle. Megumi tied his bandage and then looked up with a smile.

"Modern woman. I guess I'm one of them." She said with a confident smile.

"That's great." He murmured, before cupping her chin and leaned forward towards her lips.

Megumi sighed and closed her eyes, accepting his light kiss. She touched Sano's arm, and that lead him to deepening the kiss. He grabbed her hips and seated her on his laps, and she wrapped herself around him as he carelessly licked her lips, before exploring her mouth with his tongue. They were kissing for a long time, savouring each other's warmth, before finally broken the kiss, with Sano grinning at her.

"I like that, modern woman." He whispered, burying his head on her shoulder, inhaling the scent from her neck.

Megumi smiled. "Well of course you do. Now let's go to sleep. I have to wake up early tomorrow." She said, tugging his hair playfully.

OOOOO

Megumi was already awake so early in the morning. She checked the patient from last night, who was still sleeping, with the wife also sleeping soundly beside him, and then went to make breakfast. Halfway into cooking, she heard familiar footsteps behind her.

"Make mine to-go." Sano said from behind her. She turned around and saw him, already with his worn-out kenpo clothes with "AKU" written on the back.

"When's your ship leaving?" She asked. Sano shrugged.

"Dunno. I don't even know where the port is. That's why I have to leave early... Is there even any ports around here?" He asked the same question again.

"I can't believe I let a stupid brat kiss me." She said. Sano snorted.

"Nonsense. You liked it." He retaliated. Megumi only sighed and checked her rice.

"I'll make you some onigiri. Now stop disturbing me. Go and make yourself useful… somehow…" She said. Sano grinned, saluted her like a sailor saluted his captain, and then left.

An hour later, his onigiri was packed. She packed some vegetables and fish for him to eat in a small wooden container with a lid. She secured it tightly so that he could carry it around, packed a pair of chopsticks and then placed all of them in a small pouch. She went to her room and found Sano, lying down on the tatami with his small bag as a pillow, obviously too lazy to do anything. At least he put away his futon.

"Thanks." He said with a grin, as she handed the pouch. "Smells good." He added.

"Don't worry about it."

They walked out of the room and he looked around for one last time, looking at the house where Megumi lived in. It was big and pretty luxurious albeit a little rundown. She had a good job here in Aizu, a beautiful house, and also a lot of friends who cared for her. She should be in peace now. Like Kenshin, she was no longer living just to redeem her sins. She lived for herself, and for the sake of others.

"Y'know, 28 years old is a good age. I think I'll settle down when I'm that old." He muttered unknowingly. Megumi looked at him.

"Yes it is. So don't mock me for being 28." She said with a cunning smile.

"Still three years away from now." He said absentmindedly and Megumi patted his back.

"You have three years to grow up, then, Roosterhead." She said with a smirk. Sano looked at her, and then sighed.

"When I'm 28, you'll be 31." He said, shaking his head mournfully as if he regretted something.

"Shut up. If you want to come back, then come back. If you don't, then don't. I'll just assume that your stupidity has killed you or something and move on with my life." Megumi said in a scolding tone.

"Sheesh. Fine. Fine. I said I'll come back, so I will. It's not like you have many interesting prospects. No one's gonna want this bitter old lady anyway." He replied carelessly, and for that he got a hit on the back of his head.

They both walked to the gate and Sano said his goodbye briefly and left. After she couldn't see him anymore, Megumi turned around and went inside. It was time to prepare for her day. She went and checked at last night's patient again and found the wife was already awake. Megumi packed some medication to avoid infection for the husband.

The wife hesitatingly accepted the medication, and then stutteringly spoke, "Actually, Takani-sensei… We don't have the money right now… So…"

Megumi smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about money. You can pay me whenever you want, with whatever you want." She said. "I heard your vegetable dumplings are pretty famous in the neighbourhood, you can bring me some if you're making them." The wife blushed and bowed.

"Thank you… Sensei, I heard your husband left this morning?" She asked.

"Ah, yes, that stupid guy had left." Megumi said with a chuckle.

The wife looked at her with a sad face. "What a short time… Only a day… I guess that's the consequences of having a sailor as a husband…" She commented, and Megumi almost burst out laughing. Sano, a sailor? He was more fitting as a pirate. The wife, however, was still looking at Megumi with a concerned face. "When will he come back?" She asked.

Megumi thought for awhile. A smile bloomed on her lips. "In three years…" She said softly, while looking out of the window. She then looked at the woman in front of her and shrugged with an annoyed face. "…Maybe. Who knows what the idiot's up to this time!"