1 Chapter nine
The next few weeks were bliss for Megumi and Sano, and it was good too that they had decided to make the best for it, for after the next few weeks, it was going to be hell for them.
After the incident at the forest, Sano and Megumi went back to camp holding hands. One look and everyone knew what was going on between them. But, they respected Sano and admired Megumi, and to everyone, it seemed like a match made in heaven.
One afternoon, after coming back from their usual raids on government warehouses, Megumi was among the crowd of women who waited at the front of the camp for the men to come in. Once they were back safely in camp, Megumi tended to the injured. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries this time. While she was washing up, Sano came up to her and whispered
"Shall we take a walk later before dinner? I promised the cook that I would pick some mushrooms for her."
Megumi blushed as she heard this, but nevertheless she replied
" I have a lot of washing up to do. You guys are failures at keeping the camp clean…"
" I'll wait…" came Sano's reply and Megumi blushed again.
Once Megumi had finished cleaning up the area, she washed her hands and dried them quickly before running over to back part of the camp, where she knew Sano was waiting for her.
He was leaning against a tree, absentmindedly chewing on a straw, hands stuck in his pocket, while a basket lay near his foot. He lifted his head as he heard her approach and grinned at her, using his foot to lift the basket to a height where he could take it with his hand.
Megumi smiled back, and took Sano's offered hand as they walked down the path leading to the forest.
" You know something? Yesterday, Ling asked when was I planning to have children…"
" Oh really? So how did you reply then?"
" When I get married of course…"
" I see, so I guess that means that you won't be having any then… ouch!"
Sano yelped as Megumi jabbed him hard in the ribs " Sorry… peace man…"
" What do you mean by I won't be having any Sanosuke Sagara! I mean to have children, two at least…"
" Boy or girl?"
" One of each, but I want the boy to be first, so that he can be an older brother to his sister…"
" Geez… at the rate you're going, how are you ever going to find a willing person… obviously Chinese men are into too much war to mess with babies, and they prefer their Chinese ladies, and you're not in Japan… so…"
" Don't be stupid… I have time… when this war ends, I'll just go back and look. By then everyone will have settled down then…"
" This war will take a long time to end… and I really mean a long time…" Sano looked at Megumi, tightening his hold on her hand as he said that.
" I know…" Megumi sighed.
After that, they walked in silence, and soon they came across a mushroom patch and they went about picking mushrooms till the basket which Sano had brought along was filled to the brim and could hold no more. Sano stuffed a few extra mushrooms into his pockets before getting up.
They went down the same path back to camp, but halfway through, Sano made a different turn and steered the both of them into another path. Thinking that he had done it unconsciously, Megumi pulled back and said
" You're going the wrong way, its this way…"
" No… I want to show you something…" Sano replied and pulled her in his direction.
They tramped about for sometime, before they finally reached open grassland. It was an area that Megumi had not been to before and she was astounded by the beauty of it. The land itself was untamed. Grass grew everywhere without restraint and the trees stood tall and proud. The land itself was on raised land and below, Megumi could see the vast pasture land that spread out far and wide in front of her.
" Beautiful isn't it…" Sano came to stand behind her, putting his arms round her waist.
" Ummm."
" When everything is over, I plan to stay here."
" What…"
" I've been thinking about it ever since I came to China. Frankly, I'm getting tired. I told myself that this war would be the last for me, and after that I plan to settle down…well, obviously, I can't return to Japan because I'm still wanted for some stupid crime, so I've been considering farming as my next future career prospect."
" Are you serious about this?"
" Yeah… I've been checking out the land around here, and so far, this is the best. Fertile soil, green grass, perfect for farming and raising cattle."
" Oh Sano! I'm so happy for you…" Megumi turned around to hug him, " I'm so glad for you. I never thought that you would think of settling down, but now that you
Say so, I can't help but be happy for you. You have my support…"
" Yeah, and I want you here with me when I do it…"
" Huh?"
" Don't act dumb Megumi, you've been waiting for me to ask you this haven't you!" Sano grinned and pulled her to him.
Megumi blushed, and tried to move away, but Sano only pulled her closer to him…
" So?"
"So what…"
" You wanna stay or not, I can always find someone else…"
" Oh you…" Megumi pounded fiercely on Sano's back. " Yes, I'll stay…"
" See, wasn't that hard wasn't it…"
Sano replied, as he kissed her.
They spent about half an hour at the grassland, then, as it was getting dark, they made their way back to camp, Megumi was having nice and happy thoughts of the grassland. She pictured having a house there, and two kids running about, chasing each other.
However, her reverie was cut short as they neared camp. Sano was the first to stop, as he pulled Megumi behind a tree and peered out cautiously. The sounds of gunfire and crying children reached them. Obviously, something was being very wrong. Then suddenly, Sano's eyes widened and he got up from his hiding place. Megumi got up with him, but he pushed her back down, saying
" No, it's too dangerous, you stay here."
" What's going on!" Megumi demanded.
" The government soldiers are at the campsite. They found out somehow, where we were. Stay here, I'll go and help the others. When everything is over, I'll come back for you, I promise."
He stood up, but Megumi grabbed hold of his hand
" You'll be all right?"
" I'll be all right."
Came his reply, and before she could do anything else, he was gone.
The next few hours were excruciating for Megumi. She kept peering out from her hiding place behind the tree, but she couldn't see much, all she could see was people running about the campsite, frantically trying to get away from the soldiers. She felt so helpless that she couldn't do anything to help them. The screams of the people who were either caught or shot were so painful, that Megumi had to put her hands over her ears to shut them up.
When was it going to end? Would it ever end? She wondered about this.
'Bloody hell' Sano curse as he crouched behind a wagon, as bullets whizzed past him. The entire campsite had been caught unawares by the arrival of the government soldiers. Many of his men were already dead, and only a handful of them remained. Most of the women and children had fled towards the hills, and Sano was trying to prevent the soldiers from chasing after them. Cocking the gun he had in his hand, he turned to his right and took a shot at the soldier shooting bullets at empty spaces. Instantly, the soldier dropped to the ground, a hole in his breast pocket.
'Bastard' Sano thought to himself.
However, to his left, he saw one more of his men collapse to the ground, clutching at his side. Above the noise of the battle, Sano could hear the commander of the government soldiers coming out.
" We've got them surrounded! There can't be many of them left. I want all of you to search the hills for all the women and children! We shall teach them what it is like to live with the enemy!"
It was then that Sano remembered about Megumi. She was very near the camp, and would be one of the first few found. He had to find her before the soldiers did. Scrambling to his feet, he ran from cover to cover, till he reached the edge of the campsite and he slipped in to the forest.
Megumi was getting quite jittery now. The gunfire was less now, but she still saw no signs of the rebel group, nor did she see Sano at all. She was beginning to think that the government officials had captured the entire campsite. What was she supposed to do then? Go and own up?
Suddenly, she felt a movement behind her and as she was about to turn around, a hand came over her mouth. Megumi's first instinct was to scream and struggle, but Sano whispered into her ear
" Relax, it's me. Hurry now, there's no time to waste. Follow me."
Following Sano's lead, they went deeper into the forest, till they reached the opposite side of the campsite. The government officials had not gotten to that area yet, and it was all-quiet. Without giving an explanation at all, Sano suddenly started rubbing soil in Megumi's hair and all over her clothes.
" What are you doing?" Megumi demanded
" Quiet." Sano snapped and continued rubbing soil all over, till Megumi looked as if she hadn't bathed for days.
When he was done, he dusted his pants and grabbed Megumi by the shoulders
" Look Megumi, this is the only way now. The soldiers are now searching for the Women and I can think of all the atrocities that they are going to do to them, and I do not want that to happen to you. You are going to pretend that you've been kidnapped. We've tortured you and starved you for three days running…you are someone from the town, they will believe you for sure. Once the magistrate sees you, he will recognize you and all will be fine."
" What are you saying Sano? I don't want to go back, I want to stay here with you."
" Weren't you listening just now? You can't stay here anymore. You will be safe back in the town."
" What about you? What if you die fighting…"
" No, don't be stupid, I won't die, I promise…"
" That's what you always say! How can I trust your promise when you are doing something with such a great risk of getting yourself killed even. Can't you see that I don't want to leave you, can't you see that I…"
Megumi gasped as Sano pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. Closing her eyes, Megumi wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.
Sano looked down at her, his eyes filled with pain and sadness.
" This is hard for me too. But I don't want anything to happen to you. Go and get yourself safe first. We'll see each other again. And when that happens, we won't have to hide anymore. We'll go build our farm on that piece of land, and you'll have your two kids. I promise. Now go…"
Sano kissed her again, then pushed her in the direction of the campsite. With tears in her eyes, Megumi took two steps forward, then she looked back, but Sano was already gone, gone back into the forest to help the rest of the women.
Would she ever see him again?
The next few weeks were bliss for Megumi and Sano, and it was good too that they had decided to make the best for it, for after the next few weeks, it was going to be hell for them.
After the incident at the forest, Sano and Megumi went back to camp holding hands. One look and everyone knew what was going on between them. But, they respected Sano and admired Megumi, and to everyone, it seemed like a match made in heaven.
One afternoon, after coming back from their usual raids on government warehouses, Megumi was among the crowd of women who waited at the front of the camp for the men to come in. Once they were back safely in camp, Megumi tended to the injured. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries this time. While she was washing up, Sano came up to her and whispered
"Shall we take a walk later before dinner? I promised the cook that I would pick some mushrooms for her."
Megumi blushed as she heard this, but nevertheless she replied
" I have a lot of washing up to do. You guys are failures at keeping the camp clean…"
" I'll wait…" came Sano's reply and Megumi blushed again.
Once Megumi had finished cleaning up the area, she washed her hands and dried them quickly before running over to back part of the camp, where she knew Sano was waiting for her.
He was leaning against a tree, absentmindedly chewing on a straw, hands stuck in his pocket, while a basket lay near his foot. He lifted his head as he heard her approach and grinned at her, using his foot to lift the basket to a height where he could take it with his hand.
Megumi smiled back, and took Sano's offered hand as they walked down the path leading to the forest.
" You know something? Yesterday, Ling asked when was I planning to have children…"
" Oh really? So how did you reply then?"
" When I get married of course…"
" I see, so I guess that means that you won't be having any then… ouch!"
Sano yelped as Megumi jabbed him hard in the ribs " Sorry… peace man…"
" What do you mean by I won't be having any Sanosuke Sagara! I mean to have children, two at least…"
" Boy or girl?"
" One of each, but I want the boy to be first, so that he can be an older brother to his sister…"
" Geez… at the rate you're going, how are you ever going to find a willing person… obviously Chinese men are into too much war to mess with babies, and they prefer their Chinese ladies, and you're not in Japan… so…"
" Don't be stupid… I have time… when this war ends, I'll just go back and look. By then everyone will have settled down then…"
" This war will take a long time to end… and I really mean a long time…" Sano looked at Megumi, tightening his hold on her hand as he said that.
" I know…" Megumi sighed.
After that, they walked in silence, and soon they came across a mushroom patch and they went about picking mushrooms till the basket which Sano had brought along was filled to the brim and could hold no more. Sano stuffed a few extra mushrooms into his pockets before getting up.
They went down the same path back to camp, but halfway through, Sano made a different turn and steered the both of them into another path. Thinking that he had done it unconsciously, Megumi pulled back and said
" You're going the wrong way, its this way…"
" No… I want to show you something…" Sano replied and pulled her in his direction.
They tramped about for sometime, before they finally reached open grassland. It was an area that Megumi had not been to before and she was astounded by the beauty of it. The land itself was untamed. Grass grew everywhere without restraint and the trees stood tall and proud. The land itself was on raised land and below, Megumi could see the vast pasture land that spread out far and wide in front of her.
" Beautiful isn't it…" Sano came to stand behind her, putting his arms round her waist.
" Ummm."
" When everything is over, I plan to stay here."
" What…"
" I've been thinking about it ever since I came to China. Frankly, I'm getting tired. I told myself that this war would be the last for me, and after that I plan to settle down…well, obviously, I can't return to Japan because I'm still wanted for some stupid crime, so I've been considering farming as my next future career prospect."
" Are you serious about this?"
" Yeah… I've been checking out the land around here, and so far, this is the best. Fertile soil, green grass, perfect for farming and raising cattle."
" Oh Sano! I'm so happy for you…" Megumi turned around to hug him, " I'm so glad for you. I never thought that you would think of settling down, but now that you
Say so, I can't help but be happy for you. You have my support…"
" Yeah, and I want you here with me when I do it…"
" Huh?"
" Don't act dumb Megumi, you've been waiting for me to ask you this haven't you!" Sano grinned and pulled her to him.
Megumi blushed, and tried to move away, but Sano only pulled her closer to him…
" So?"
"So what…"
" You wanna stay or not, I can always find someone else…"
" Oh you…" Megumi pounded fiercely on Sano's back. " Yes, I'll stay…"
" See, wasn't that hard wasn't it…"
Sano replied, as he kissed her.
They spent about half an hour at the grassland, then, as it was getting dark, they made their way back to camp, Megumi was having nice and happy thoughts of the grassland. She pictured having a house there, and two kids running about, chasing each other.
However, her reverie was cut short as they neared camp. Sano was the first to stop, as he pulled Megumi behind a tree and peered out cautiously. The sounds of gunfire and crying children reached them. Obviously, something was being very wrong. Then suddenly, Sano's eyes widened and he got up from his hiding place. Megumi got up with him, but he pushed her back down, saying
" No, it's too dangerous, you stay here."
" What's going on!" Megumi demanded.
" The government soldiers are at the campsite. They found out somehow, where we were. Stay here, I'll go and help the others. When everything is over, I'll come back for you, I promise."
He stood up, but Megumi grabbed hold of his hand
" You'll be all right?"
" I'll be all right."
Came his reply, and before she could do anything else, he was gone.
The next few hours were excruciating for Megumi. She kept peering out from her hiding place behind the tree, but she couldn't see much, all she could see was people running about the campsite, frantically trying to get away from the soldiers. She felt so helpless that she couldn't do anything to help them. The screams of the people who were either caught or shot were so painful, that Megumi had to put her hands over her ears to shut them up.
When was it going to end? Would it ever end? She wondered about this.
'Bloody hell' Sano curse as he crouched behind a wagon, as bullets whizzed past him. The entire campsite had been caught unawares by the arrival of the government soldiers. Many of his men were already dead, and only a handful of them remained. Most of the women and children had fled towards the hills, and Sano was trying to prevent the soldiers from chasing after them. Cocking the gun he had in his hand, he turned to his right and took a shot at the soldier shooting bullets at empty spaces. Instantly, the soldier dropped to the ground, a hole in his breast pocket.
'Bastard' Sano thought to himself.
However, to his left, he saw one more of his men collapse to the ground, clutching at his side. Above the noise of the battle, Sano could hear the commander of the government soldiers coming out.
" We've got them surrounded! There can't be many of them left. I want all of you to search the hills for all the women and children! We shall teach them what it is like to live with the enemy!"
It was then that Sano remembered about Megumi. She was very near the camp, and would be one of the first few found. He had to find her before the soldiers did. Scrambling to his feet, he ran from cover to cover, till he reached the edge of the campsite and he slipped in to the forest.
Megumi was getting quite jittery now. The gunfire was less now, but she still saw no signs of the rebel group, nor did she see Sano at all. She was beginning to think that the government officials had captured the entire campsite. What was she supposed to do then? Go and own up?
Suddenly, she felt a movement behind her and as she was about to turn around, a hand came over her mouth. Megumi's first instinct was to scream and struggle, but Sano whispered into her ear
" Relax, it's me. Hurry now, there's no time to waste. Follow me."
Following Sano's lead, they went deeper into the forest, till they reached the opposite side of the campsite. The government officials had not gotten to that area yet, and it was all-quiet. Without giving an explanation at all, Sano suddenly started rubbing soil in Megumi's hair and all over her clothes.
" What are you doing?" Megumi demanded
" Quiet." Sano snapped and continued rubbing soil all over, till Megumi looked as if she hadn't bathed for days.
When he was done, he dusted his pants and grabbed Megumi by the shoulders
" Look Megumi, this is the only way now. The soldiers are now searching for the Women and I can think of all the atrocities that they are going to do to them, and I do not want that to happen to you. You are going to pretend that you've been kidnapped. We've tortured you and starved you for three days running…you are someone from the town, they will believe you for sure. Once the magistrate sees you, he will recognize you and all will be fine."
" What are you saying Sano? I don't want to go back, I want to stay here with you."
" Weren't you listening just now? You can't stay here anymore. You will be safe back in the town."
" What about you? What if you die fighting…"
" No, don't be stupid, I won't die, I promise…"
" That's what you always say! How can I trust your promise when you are doing something with such a great risk of getting yourself killed even. Can't you see that I don't want to leave you, can't you see that I…"
Megumi gasped as Sano pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. Closing her eyes, Megumi wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.
Sano looked down at her, his eyes filled with pain and sadness.
" This is hard for me too. But I don't want anything to happen to you. Go and get yourself safe first. We'll see each other again. And when that happens, we won't have to hide anymore. We'll go build our farm on that piece of land, and you'll have your two kids. I promise. Now go…"
Sano kissed her again, then pushed her in the direction of the campsite. With tears in her eyes, Megumi took two steps forward, then she looked back, but Sano was already gone, gone back into the forest to help the rest of the women.
Would she ever see him again?