These Changing Times
This fanfic series takes place two years after the Revenge Arc ends, in an alternate RuroKen universe. (Only because I started it well before the manga ended ^_^;;) Eighteen-year-old Makimachi Misao comes to Tokyo to stay with Kenshin and Kaoru... and to put her own troubles behind her. A newly attentive Sagara Sanosuke is more than willing to distract her. Then a certain Oniwabanshuu onmitsu turns up in Tokyo to help investigate a wave of vicious armed robberies sweeping the city...
Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. But be warned: this fic meddles with what seem to be considered the tried-and-true romantic pairings in RuroKen (in case I didn't already make that clear). So if you read further, please be kind and keep an open mind! ^^;;
Note: for those who are new to the language, go to http://home.netcom.com/~sakka/times/glossary.htm to get information on the Japanese terms and expressions used in this chapter.
Chapter 20 -- The Web Unravels
"Well, well... a visit from my lovely young granddaughter," Unmei purred, slowly rising to her feet. "This is most unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure, my dear?"
Misao studied Unmei's darkly triumphant expression. She knows... so there's no use playing games with her.
"You know why I'm here... obaa-san," Misao said, her voice strong and steady. "So let's dispense with the pleasantries, shall we?"
A malevolent grin spread across Unmei's face. "By all means," she said. "So... my Toushi accomplished his mission, and now your okashira is dying."
Unmei's eyes glinted with satisfaction at Misao's stony-eyed glare. "Poor man," Unmei said in a syrupy tone. "Poisoning can be such a dreadful way to die... if the mix is right. Is he in a great deal of pain? I do hope so..."
"Enough," Misao snapped. "You may as well tell me what poison Toushi used... it might persuade the police to go easier on you."
Unmei snorted. "You'll have to do better than that, Misao-chan," she said. "For thirteen years my fondest wish has been for Shinomori Aoshi's death... and now it's about to be fulfilled. What can you offer that would make me give up my heart's desire?"
"The police'll find the poison... maybe even the antidote," Misao said quickly. "They're tearing your doujou apart right now, looking for evidence against you..."
"They'll find none," Unmei said with a self-satisfied look. She tapped her skull with one wizened finger. "All onmitsu know the best place to store secret information is here, where no one can lay their hands on it. My memory is filled with secrets... all locked up tight. And unlike a door or chest, there is no key that can unlock a strong-willed mind."
Misao's fingers twiched involuntarily as she imagined herself hurling a handful of kunai at the old woman's gloating face. She swallowed her irritation, deciding to use a different weapon.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked about Toushi, obaa-san," she said quietly.
The victorious gleam in Unmei's eyes vanished as if blown out like the flame of a candle. "There's no need," she said, her voice sounding weak and old. "I know my grandson... Shinomori would already be dead if Toushi were still alive."
Misao bowed her head. "Gomen nasai," she said. "I know you'll find it hard to believe... but I really am sorry."
Unmei stared at her, her lips pressed so tightly together they almost disappeared. "He tried to kill you, child," she said harshly. "He showed you no mercy, even knowing who you were. I daresay he would have finished what he started had he survived his battle with Shinomori."
"I know," Misao said, raising her eyes to her grandmother's again. "But after you told me Toushi was my cousin, I recalled that he was always kind to me when I was a little girl. I'd rather remember him that way."
Unmei's jaw worked soundlessly, and for a moment Misao could swear she was on the verge of tears. But then the old woman cleared her throat, fixing her sharp dark eyes on her granddaughter.
"You would have made a terrible onmitsu, Misao-chan," she said, her voice slightly raspy. "Your compassion would have gotten you killed... not to mention your fellow agents..."
"Maybe so... in the old days," Misao said, smiling slightly. "But it's served me well in Meiji."
Unmei snorted, but Misao detected something resembling hope in her dark eyes. "I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to show the same compassion to your old grandmother," she said gruffly.
Misao studied Unmei gravely. "You're asking me to forgive you?" she said, frowning slightly.
Unmei nodded. "Not for what I did to Shinomori... I don't regret any of that," she said. "What I do regret is hurting you in the process. I never meant to, child."
Misao blinked her eyes rapidly to ward off another imminent flow of tears. "You don't understand," she said. "Aoshi-sama is my family, obaa-san, in all ways but blood. By hurting him, you hurt me..."
Unmei gritted her teeth. "Even now you still remain loyal to that dog?" she said incredulously. "How can you? He destroyed your true family..."
Misao's eyes blazed. "You keep saying that," she said heatedly. "But I still don't understand why you see things that way. Taki challenged Aoshi-sama and was defeated... then tried to kill Aoshi-sama when his back was turned. Some would say Aoshi-sama showed him mercy by banishing him... I know that our code demanded that Taki be slain as a traitor after what he did."
Unmei's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps it would have been more merciful if he had been," she snapped. "Taki was never the same after that night. He'd been groomed for the Oniwabanshuu since birth... he knew of no other way to support his family than through his sword. I did all I could to help him... I used some of our old connections to find him jobs guarding the ever-dwindling number of Bakufu officials, who feared for their lives as the Ishin Shishi took control of Kyoto, then spread eastward to Edo.
"Then one night, one of Taki's charges died at the hands of the Ishin hitokiri known as Shishio Makoto."
Misao's knuckles whitened as she clenched her fists. "Shishio..." she murmured, remembering the fearsome former hitokiri who, with his Juppon Gatana, had plotted to overthrow the Meiji government two years before.
"You knew Shishio Makoto after his... accident," Unmei said, shuddering. "He was even more skilled in his hitokiri days. I still don't know how Taki managed to escape... he showed up at sunrise, covered in blood and pale as death, and refused to discuss what had happened with any of us. After that, no one would touch him... he'd developed a reputation as a coward who was more interested in saving his own skin than those he was supposed to be protecting."
Unmei's voice grew strained. "By that time, his wife had died giving birth to their second child... and the baby followed the mother a week later. No matter how hard I tried to lift Taki from his despair, his spirit was broken. He took to drinking... then turned to opium. He died of an overdose just after Toushi's eleventh birthday."
Misao swallowed, feeling both sorry for Taki and furious with him for throwing his life away. "Is that when you and Toushi moved to Tokyo?" she asked.
"Yes," Unmei said, sighing. "Toushi was a handful... neglected and bitter... so I turned to my old onmitsu training to try to instill some discipline in the boy, as well as earn a living for us both. It worked beautifully. By the time Toushi was fourteen, I could see that he would be a far better swordsman than his father. The boy was relentless... always pushing himself harder and higher... and there was a ruthlessness to him that his father had lacked."
Unmei's eyes glittered. "That's when it hit me... the way to avenge my son's dishonor at the hands of Shinomori Aoshi and the rest of the Oniwabanshuu," she said. "I would create my own version of the Oniwabanshuu... but without the moral trappings that restrained their power in the final days of the Bakufu. And Toushi would be their okashira... and, eventually, my instrument of vengeance."
Misao gritted her teeth. "So... you twisted him into something hateful and evil," she hissed. "How could you do that to your own grandson?"
"His heartlessness didn't come from my upbringing, Misao-chan," Unmei retorted. "He was that way since childhood... I merely taught him to use it to his advantage."
"And yours," Misao added in a rush.
Unmei smiled sardonically. "True enough," she said. "But he never objected. He was grateful to be of use, especially if it meant eventually having the chance to avenge his father's memory."
The old woman fell silent. Misao stared at the floor, hating herself for the question she was about to ask. But I have to keep her talking... for Aoshi-sama's sake... and besides, I really want to know...
"Obaa-san... why did you leave me behind that night?" she asked softly. "I was your blood, yet you left me with your greatest enemy. Why?"
Unmei's beadlike eyes widened slightly. "Oh, child," she whispered, reaching out to Misao, who reflexively backed against the bars of the cell door. "I tried to take you with us... but that old fool Okina stopped me. He told me I had no right to take you... that he would die before he would let me leave with you. He had Shinomori's backing, of course, so there was nothing I could do but leave you behind."
Unmei held up her hand as Misao opened her lips to ask another question. "I know... why didn't I ever contact you?" she sighed. "There was no point, Misao-chan. I suspected Okina wouldn't even let my messages get through to you, and the Oniwabanshuu never left you alone outside the Aoiya, not even for a second." Her voice grew hoarse. "I followed you sometimes when I still lived in Kyoto, to see if there was any way I could steal you away from them. But..."
Misao stared as the old woman's voice trailed off, her eyes suspiciously bright. Unmei swiped at her eyes and continued in a faltering tone --
"You were always so happy when I saw you... laughing and chattering with the people you were with. And I knew you probably wouldn't remember me at all, even if I could get close enough to snatch you from your keepers... you might have cried or screamed for help. It would have been too risky. So I left you alone."
Misao felt her own eyes grow hot as she imagined what her life would have been like had her grandmother taken her away from her Oniwabanshuu family. "I'm glad you did," she whispered. "I know you hate the Oniwabanshuu, obaa-san... but they raised me well. They've given me the best life I could have had without my parents. Jiya is like a father to me... the others like my siblings... and Aoshi-sama..."
She couldn't go on. The tears spilled down her cheeks again as she sank to her knees, her head swimming. "Onegai," she entreated, swiping her eyes with balled fists. "Obaa-san... I'm begging you... as one who shares your blood... please tell me..."
Unmei approached Misao slowly until she was standing directly in front of the kneeling onmitsu. "I don't know which poison... or poisons... Toushi used," she said, her dark eyes locked on Misao's pleading blue gaze. "That secret died with him. But I do know this much... regardless of which he chose... there is no remedy."
Misao could swear she heard her heart stop, could feel the blood drain away from her head and down through her body into her feet.
"Uso," she whispered, her face pale as rice flour.
"It's true," the old woman said, frowning as if she were scolding Misao during training. "Do you think onmitsu play games with such things? Our arts aren't meant to be reversed. If we want someone dead... they die."
"Then... it is... hopeless..." Misao said in a choked voice, her tears beginning afresh. Aoshi-sama... I've failed you... again...
Unmei studied her granddaughter gravely as she struggled to contain her anguish. Several long, silent minutes passed, marked only by Misao's muffled gasps as she swallowed her sobs and screwed her eyes shut to stop the crying. Then the old woman nodded slightly, as if she'd decided something, and said --
"Not necessarily, Misao-chan."
Misao's eyes snapped open. "Nani?" she croaked.
"Killing poisons are very difficult to obtain," Unmei said. "I haven't seen or mixed one since your grandfather's time. And since Toushi didn't have the patience to study such painstaking arts... I'm sure he merely took one of the premixed poisons I kept on hand, as he often did before a fight." She looked at Misao meaningfully, adding --
"They aren't meant to be deadly... only to stun and disable. But used in the wrong combination... there's just no telling. Your accursed okashira might fight them off... or he might not. There's nothing more that can be done. It's up to him now."
"Up to him..." Misao repeated softly, her red-rimmed eyes bright with hope.
Unmei shook a finger at Misao. "I didn't tell you this to give you false hope," she said severely. "And don't think I've changed my mind about wanting Shinomori dead."
Misao gazed up at her grandmother in puzzlement. "If that's so, obaa-san... why did you tell me this?" she asked.
Eyes warm with affection, Unmei reached out and stroked Misao's cheek. The young woman flinched, but didn't pull away.
"Step back from the girl immediately, Takashi Unmei," a voice suddenly intoned.
Misao jumped to her feet. Unmei's eyes flashed as she peered over Misao's head into the dimly lit corridor. "Meddling Miburo," she hissed. "I should have known you were spying on us."
"Yare, yare," Saitou sighed from the shadowed corner where he had concealed himself. He struck a match, lighting the cigarette that was already dangling from his lips. "I'm only here to make sure the weasel girl doesn't get taken hostage again," he continued, exhaling a long plume of smoke. "Your pathetic family squabbles don't interest me in the least."
Unmei glared furiously at Saitou, while Misao struggled to keep from hurling a sarcastic retort at the inspector.
Saitou's eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. "I'm pleased you seem to have recovered yourself, Takashi Unmei... now you can answer some of my questions," he said, smirking as he unlocked the cell door and motioned to Misao. "I'll have my men come for you momentarily."
Reluctantly, Misao rose to her feet and slipped through the opening, turning for one last look at her grandmother as Saitou locked the cell door. The old woman stared after her, her expression one of longing and regret.
"Sayonara, my granddaughter," Unmei said, raising one trembling hand.
"Sayonara, obaa-san," Misao replied somberly, feeling sorrow sweep over her as she took Saitou's arm. Obaa-san... Tou-nii... such a damned waste. If only things had been different...
.....................
Sano tucked a stray corner of blanket snugly around Misao's sleeping form, his hand lingering on her covered shoulder. After they'd returned from the police station, it had taken a heated argument and some of Megumi's medicinal tea to get Misao to calm down enough to fall asleep. She'd insisted on seeing Aoshi as soon as she and Sano had crossed the clinic threshold, and had been preparing to watch over him for the rest of the night before Sano and Megumi intervened.
... If I talk to him, maybe he'll hear me... maybe I can call him back from wherever he is right now ...
... Misao-chan! You have got to rest, or you won't recover from your injuries! You must go to bed this instant ...
... Listen to the fox-lady, Misao. Shinomori wouldn't want you to make yourself sick over him ...
Misao had finally relented, though Sano thought her surrender was probably more due to the pain she was suffering from her broken ribs as she tried to sit upright by Aoshi's bedside. They had settled her into a hospital bed and gotten her to drink the tea, but as Sano turned to leave, she had clung to him, begging him to stay until she fell asleep, and to wake her if there was any change in Aoshi's condition.
... Any change at all, Sano... even if it's for the worse... promise me ...
Sano had promised. Anything to put her mind at ease, to get her to rest her battered, weary body.
Sano watched Misao's sleeping face, his eyes narrowing slightly as she twitched, her lips tightening as if she were in pain. Her mouth moved soundlessly, forming words Sano couldn't quite make out. Sano ran his hand down her cheek and kissed her forehead, murmuring to her soothingly. Misao sighed and sank deeper into the bed with a faint smile.
That's it, my love... rest now... I only hope your troubles will be over when you wake again...
Sano stiffened as he heard Megumi clear her throat behind him. "Is she asleep?" she asked softly.
"Aa," Sano whispered, reluctantly turning away from Misao to face the female doctor.
"Come," Megumi said, motioning toward the door. "We should leave her alone... I don't have the energy to deal with her if she wakes up again."
Sano hesitated, frowning at Megumi as he struggled against his usual impulse to start arguing with her. Bossy fox... who the hell are you to give me orders?
Megumi's eyes hardened as if she'd heard Sano's thoughts. Baka tori... why can't you just listen to me for a change?
Suddenly, Sano's frown was replaced by a smirk. "Man, we never change, do we?" he muttered, striding past Megumi and out the open door. He paused in the hall as Megumi slipped out behind him and slid the door shut.
"I suppose not," she replied, a faint smile on her lips. "I'm going to make some tea... would you like some?"
Pleased by her peace offering, Sano decided to make one of his own. "Why don't you let me do that?" he said. "No offense, Megumi, but you look like you could use a break."
A small corner of Megumi's brain was indignant at Sano's suggestion that she might look as old and haggard as she felt, but at the moment, she was too tired to contradict him. She said, this time with a full-fledged smile --
"Arigatou, Sanosuke. I'll be in my office."
Sano returned her smile. "I'll be there in a minute," he said, heading down the hall to the back room where the kettle was kept. Megumi went to her office and set out two mats, sinking to her knees upon one with a grateful sigh.
By the time Sano got back with the tea, Megumi was dozing, her head lolling forward so that her chin nearly touched her chest. She awoke with a start at the clatter of Sano setting the tea tray down on the floor between the two mats. He handed her a steaming cup, then settled himself on the mat across from her. Neither spoke for a time, though Sano watched Megumi closely as she sipped her tea, steadfastly avoiding eye contact.
"Where's your assistant?" Sano finally asked.
Megumi froze, raising startled cinnamon eyes to Sano's dark, probing gaze. "He's at home, getting some sleep," she said stiffly. "He'll be back in the morning to relieve me. Why?"
"Just curious," Sano said in that breezy, offhand tone that Megumi knew from experience was usually a prelude to some infuriating observation. She bit her lip to keep from encouraging him, but as long moments passed by and Sano continued to silently sip his tea, she finally burst out --
"If you have something to say, rooster-head, then just say it!"
Sano had to swallow his tea fast to keep from spitting it out in a burst of laughter. I forgot how much fun it is to get under her skin, he thought without a shred of remorse. He set his cup down with mock solemnity, saying --
"I just thought it would've been nice if he'd offered to take your shift tonight, since you've been working so hard... but I guess it's none of my business."
"You're damn right it's none of your business," Megumi snapped. "And for your information, Tatsuya-san did offer to stay... but I told him it wasn't necessary."
"Oh," Sano said, his eyes glinting wickedly. "And Tatsuya-san, being the good little boy he is, did exactly what you told him to."
Sano could almost see steam pouring out of Megumi's ears. "He is not a little boy," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Though I suppose that's how you would see someone who actually treats people with courtesy and respect."
"No doubt about it, little Tatsuya's a well-bred young man," Sano replied, taking his cup and downing the remnants of his tea in one long gulp. He wiped his mouth with his hand, flashing his best bad-boy grin as he drove his barb home. "Congratulations, fox -- you've found your ideal man. He's got looks... manners... and he obeys your every command. So when's the wedding?"
Megumi dropped her empty tea cup onto the floor, and Sano braced himself for her physical assault. But instead of flying at him with pounding fists, she buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.
Sano swore loudly, then slid himself over to Megumi's side. "Aw, fox," he grumbled. "It was just a joke... don't cry..."
"N- no... you... ha- hate me," Megumi sobbed, her dignity forgotten. "I can't bl- blame you... but it still... hu- hurts..."
Sano flushed. No doubt about it... I am the world's biggest baka-yarou, he thought with a wince. He put an arm awkwardly around Megumi's shoulders. "C'mon fox... I don't hate you," he said gruffly.
"You do!" she protested, shrugging his arm off. "You call me that aw- awful name all the time... and you argue with everything I say..."
Sano felt a flash of anger, and before he could stop himself, he blurted --
"Why the hell do you care if I argue with you? You're always right... so it shouldn't be a problem..."
Megumi raised her face from her hands, and the hurt he saw in her tear-smudged eyes cut through Sano's anger. "I don't know why I care... but I do," she said, sniffling. "I want there to be peace between us, Sanosuke."
"I doubt that's possible, Megumi," he said, his kind tone taking the sting out of his words. "We're like sake and honey... we'll never mix well."
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "So which am I... the sake or the honey?" she quipped.
Sano chuckled. "You've got a pretty good sense of humor, sensei," he said. "It's nice to see you air it out once in awhile."
Megumi smiled weakly and swiped her eyes dry with her sleeve. When she raised her eyes to Sano's again, he inhaled deeply and said --
"Megumi... I'm sorry for being such a jerk just now... and for what happened when you left Tokyo. It's weighed on my mind all these years, but I was too stubborn to do anything about it."
"And I was too proud to admit that I was wrong, too," she said, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, Sanosuke. I was unforgivably cruel to you back then... but I hope you'll find it in your heart --"
"Don't worry about it," Sano interrupted in his offhand way. "You were pretty much on the mark with everything you said... so there's nothing to forgive."
Megumi grabbed Sano by the arm and twisted him around to face her. "Baka!" she scolded. "None of those things were true... well, maybe the jobless part... and the fighting part... but you've got a good heart, Sanosuke. And that's what truly counts in a person."
"Thanks, kitsu- I mean... thanks, Megumi," Sano said, flashing her a smile.
They sat side by side for a few moments more. Megumi glanced sidelong at Sano's profile, noting his pensive expression. Thinking about Misao-chan again, no doubt. She may care deeply for Sano, but her feelings for Aoshi seem as strong as ever...
"It must be hard," she said unthinkingly.
Sano's head snapped around. "Nani?" he said.
Megumi colored. "Gomen... I shouldn't have..." she stammered, cursing herself for her lack of discretion.
"Well... you did, so spit it out, kitsune," Sano said, his eyes narrowed.
Megumi sighed. "I meant it must be hard for you... with Misao-chan being so distraught over Shinomori Aoshi," she said, watching his eyes.
Sano looked away, his mouth tight. "It's hard," he agreed. "But not for the reason you think. It's hard for me to see Misao in such pain... and know there's nothing I can do to change things for her. I can comfort her... wait with her... but if Shinomori dies..."
Megumi rested one of her hands over Sano's, which were tightly clasped around his knees. "She'll recover," Megumi said. "Especially since she has you."
"But she'll never be the same," Sano said, giving voice to the fear growing within him since he'd first told Misao of Aoshi's poisoning. "She'll blame herself, Megumi... no matter what anyone says... I know her. And then... what if she feels she doesn't deserve happiness after that? She'll be like Kenshin was... torturing herself over the past and setting herself apart from others."
"I think there's a big difference between Misao's past and Ken-san's," Megumi said dismissively.
"I know that," Sano snapped. "But it doesn't make Misao's pain any less real."
Megumi was silent for a moment before she continued in a gentler tone --
"Even if what you're saying is true... Misao is a very different person than Ken-san... she's used to being with people, not apart from them. If the worst does happen, she may need to be alone for awhile... but she'll be back."
She squeezed Sano's hand. "After all, Kaoru-san's love for Ken-san, and his for her, was strong enough to pull him away from that lonely path," she said with a knowing smile.
Sano nodded, afraid his voice would betray the uncertainty clogging his throat. Their love was strong enough... but ours? I wish I could be sure...
Megumi stretched and rose to her feet. "I'll look in on Misao, then I'm going to sleep for awhile," she said. "You're welcome to stay in one of the spare rooms."
"I'd prefer to stay in Misao's room, if that's okay," Sano said tentatively. "I won't bother her... I just want to be nearby in case she needs anything."
Megumi resisted the urge to remind Sano that it was hardly proper, even if Misao was injured, for them to spend the night in the same room. But Sano caught her raised eyebrow and sighed in exasperation.
"Yare, yare," he growled. "Fine. Can I at least have a room near hers?"
Megumi couldn't stop the foxlike giggle that bubbled up inside her. "Follow me," she said, leading the sulky street fighter to the room adjacent to Misao's. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he turned and said --
"Na, Megumi... I meant what I said about Tatsuya being a nice guy."
Megumi's eyes skipped away from Sano's to study a point over his shoulder. "I know," she said. "But you're mistaken if you think there's anything between us."
"Liar," he said, a teasing sparkle in his eye. "I see the way you look at him... it reminds me of the way you used to look at Kenshin when you thought no one was watching."
"I... do... not!" she sputtered, blushing profusely.
"You do. And I'll tell you something else," Sano said with a broad grin. "I've seen him looking at you, too... and I don't mean the way a doctor examines his patients. He's got it bad for you, kitsune-onna... he's just too damn shy to do anything about it."
Megumi stared open-mouthed at Sano. As he slid the door shut, he gave her a salacious wink and a final piece of advice --
"You should start by giving him that really nice, soft kiss of yours... it sure worked for me."
Sano backed away from the door and counted to himself --
"Ichi... ni... san..."
Megumi burst through the door, her eyes flaming.
"Sa... no... suke!" she hissed in a barely restrained whisper. "Korosu!"
Sano darted around Megumi and raced down the hall, chuckling, as the doctor chased after him.
.....................
Misao slept through that night and much of the next day. By the time she awoke, the shadows were growing long against the wall. For one disoriented instant, she thought she was at home in Kyoto and had slept through her afternoon training with Aoshi.
"Aoshi-sama... gomen," she mumbled, rolling over and opening her eyes. Only when she saw the examining table across the room from her did she remember --
Oh no! Aoshi-sama... how long have I been...
She sat up abruptly, then cried out as the sharp movement sent a surge of nauseating pain through her torso.
In an instant, Sano was at her side, cradling her head as he helped lower her back onto the bed. "Gomen... I forgot," she murmured sheepishly as Sano smoothed her hair back from her face.
"You're sweating... here," he said, taking a cloth from a basin at Misao's bedside and wringing it out.
"Sano... how is Aoshi-sama?" Misao said, still a little breathless from the pain.
"He's alive... but he's still unconscious," Sano replied as he gently dabbed the cool, damp cloth over Misao's forehead and cheeks. "He no longer has a fever, and his heartbeat's strong... he just hasn't come around yet. Megumi said it's no cause for worry." Yet, he added to himself, remembering how the doctor had said that there had been cases where patients hadn't ever awakened from such a deep slumber.
"Yokatta," Misao sighed, her eyes fluttering closed as Sano rubbed her face with a soft, dry towel. The tenderness in his gestures and the glow of love she'd seen in his eyes touched off a fierce yearning within Misao to be held... comforted... touched.
"Sano," she breathed as he set the towel aside. She reached up to brush his lips with her fingertips, her own parting slightly as he lowered his face to hers in response to her touch. He kissed her as if it was their first time... softly, carefully... inviting her response rather than demanding it. Misao threaded her fingers through Sano's wild mane, stroking his hair as she traced his slightly open mouth with the tip of her tongue. Sano hummed low in his throat, his lips parting fully, his hand slipping beneath Misao's head and cradling it as they kissed deeply. Misao moaned in protest as Sano pulled away from her mouth, dropping kisses along her jaw... down her neck... behind her ear... feeding the sweet ache of desire that temporarily masked the discomfort of her injuries.
"Aishiteru, Misao," he whispered ardently, pressing his cheek to hers, careful to keep his weight off her torso.
Misao tightened her arms around Sano's shoulders, reveling in the heart-swelling affection and pulse-pounding attraction only Sano could stir within her. "I love you, too, Sano," she said, planting a lingering kiss on his cheek.
Sano raised his face slightly, his eyes wary. "Honto?" he asked. "You're not saying that just because I did? It's all right if you don't, Misao... I mean... I know how you feel about Shinomori..."
Misao shook her head. "It's not the same thing," she said. "It's true... I will always love Aoshi-sama... but I see now that my love for him is still that of a little girl for the one she adores. That's why we'll never be anything else to each other."
She pressed her hand against Sano's mouth as he tried to interrupt her. Stroking his cheek, her eyes shining with happiness, she continued --
"My feelings for you helped me realize this. Since I returned to Tokyo, you've always treated me as a woman and an equal. No one else has ever treated me that way... not Jiya... not the Oniwabanshuu... certainly not Aoshi-sama. I know they all love and respect me, but they still see me as that child that they've coddled and spoiled and fussed over all these years. And I can't help but act that way around them because of it. Even with Kaoru-san... Himura... it's much the same."
Her voice deepened. "With you it's different, Sano... I've been able to be my true self... and you encourage me to be that way."
Sano nodded. "I feel the same way about you, kirei," he said, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Everyone has this picture of how I'm supposed to be... so I act like they expect me to. Only with you have I ever felt like I could be different... like I could be the person I am deep inside."
Misao smiled. "We're good for each other," she said.
"In more ways than one," Sano added with a sly grin, running a finger lightly over her lips. Misao nipped it playfully, giggling.
"True. I've never felt so... drawn... to anyone," she said, a faint blush staining her cheeks. "But it's more than desire." Her voice faltered. "I can't describe it... what I'm like inside when we're together... it's like the feeling I get when I hear beautiful music... or see a splendid sunrise..."
Sano's throat tightened. "I know exactly what you mean," he said hoarsely. "You bring me such joy... just being near you... it's hard for me to describe it because I feel like my words won't do it justice."
Misao's voice broke with emotion as she said --
"So... never doubt that you're the one I want, Sagara Sanosuke. No one else."
"Misao..." he whispered, kissing her forehead, her eyes. "I'm so glad... I love you so much..."
They were in the midst of another lengthy kiss when a loud whistle made them jump apart. They stared at the doorway, where a grinning Yahiko, a scowling Yutarou and a shocked Tsubame stood staring at them.
"Woo-hoo! Go Sanosuke!" Yahiko hooted.
"Damn, Misao," Yutarou grumbled. "I really thought you had better taste."
Tsubame just covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head.
"Che. Don't you brats ever knock?" Sano growled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The boys tumbled through the door, continuing to tease Sano mercilessly, while Tsubame hung back shyly, watching the embarrassed grin Misao wore fade as she became lost in thought.
"Misao-san?" the girl asked timidly, studying Misao's sober expression. "Daijoubu?"
Misao met Tsubame's eyes with a sad smile. "I'd be better if I knew for sure that Aoshi-sama was going to be all right," she said softly. Aoshi-sama... please... you have to recover. I can't accept any other possibility...
Tsubame laid her hand over Misao's with a comforting smile. "I've brought dinner from the Akabeko," she said brightly, holding up a large bag. "Let's eat... then you can visit him, ne?"
-- End of Chapter 20 --