Chapter 2~Tuesday and Wednesday
Again, that night, Megumi couldn't sleep.
Nightmares of when she was working for Kanryuu came
back with a vengence, keeping her awake, not letting her
sleep. Sano was once again, sleeping, lounged against the
wall, and her mind kept morphing his face into Kanryuu's. A
leering grin, and cruel eyes stared at her, no matter how she
lay.
Finally, she got out of bed and walked towards the basin of
cold water in her room and dipped her hands in, bringing the
icy water to her face. "Come on, Takani, get a grip." She
said softly to herself. "He's in jail...he can't hurt you
anymore..." She closed her eyes, standing on trembling
legs. Taking a heavy breath, she walked towards the
kitchen, for the tea and a sedative.
She refused to believe she was addicted to laudnum, but
every night would be a sleepless one, if it weren't for the
drug. She brewed herself a pot of tea and poured a liberal
amount of the bitter liquid into it. Suddenly, the teapot was
pulled away from her by strong, imposing hands. Startled,
she turned towards Sano.
Silently, he looked from the tea to the laudnum, then went
over to the sink, pouring both down the drain. He didn't look
at her as he did this.
She cried out in alarm. "Sanosuke, how DARE YOU?!" She
beat her fists against him, tears streaking her face. "Give
me the tea, please, Sano...oh, gods, please..."
He looked towards her and she saw his determination
waver. "I can't..." He whispered and started to pour it into
the sink.
She grabbed the teapot away from him, an almost feral
expression on her face as she held it to herself, almost as if
it were her baby and she was protecting it from a monster.
"Mine..." She whispered, eyes feral. "MINE!"
He knelt before her, reaching for it. "Fox, come on, don't do
this...please..." He whispered.
"MINE!"
He closed his eyes and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Let me have the teapot..."
"NO! Mine!" She began to sniffle. "I need it...I can't sleep,
please, Sano...just a cup...just a little cup...please..."
He opened his eyes, looking at her, his eyes pained. "I..."
He looked away, then released her, his fists resting on the
floor. "One cup, Megumi. Just so you can sleep." He said
finally, his face hurt.
"Sano, I know what I'm doing..." She said softly. "I don't
ever use much..."
He didn't look at her. "Go have your 'tea'." He said,
standing and walking towards a window. "But it's almost
morning as it is."
She saw that there were traces of light in the morning sky
and looked desperately down into her cup. Quickly, she took
a gulp of it to soothe her nerves, and set it down.
Sano saw and looked back out the window. "I'm worried
about you, Fox." He said softly, looking back at her, his eyes
somehow haunted.
"Why in the world should you be worried?! I don't use it all
the time, I certainly don't abuse it when I do." She turned
away. It was a lie, and she knew it. Gradually, she'd begun
to need more and more to sleep.
Sano strode towards her and grabbed her shoulders, staring
down at her, seriously. "Megumi-" He said softly. "I don't
want you to end up like some of my friends...please..." He
gently ran his hands to her upper arms and pulled her close.
"Please, just don't use any more..."
She gasped as she was embraced by him and felt her heart
flutter in her chest. "S-sano..." She whispered, as he held
her head cradled to his chest. She closed her eyes, leaning
into the embrace. Somehow, being held by this man was a
worlds away from how roughly Kanryuu had handled her.
She slowly lifted a hand and clung to his gi.
He rested his chin on top of her head, rocking her gently.
"Would you stop for me...?" He whispered, gently caressing
her fragrant hair.
"H-hai..." She whispered in return.
He smiled, kissing the top of her head unwittingly, his hand
gently stroaking her back. "Yokatta..." He said, sighing.
"Arigatou..."
She felt the laudnum begin to take effect and leaned more
heavily against him, her hands sporatically clenching his gi.
"Only for you..." She whispered, pulling back and staring up
at him. She knew she didn't know what she was saying, that
it was just the drug, but she wanted.
He saw her eyes holding that clouded look, this time,
knowing that it was more the drug affecting her, than him.
He had to resist her. He couldn't resist cupping her face
between his hands, and leaning towards her. It's just the
drug! His mind screamed. "Megumi..."
"Kiss me..." The words came unbidden to her lips and fell
forwards.
He closed his eyes tightly, fighting an internal battle that she
could tell he could lose if she pushed him.
"Please..." She begged, her other hand going to his neck, to
coax him closer to her. "Please, kiss me...Sano..." She saw
his eyes slowly open and they were dark with need and
bright with something that she couldn't name.
He gave into her, his hands burying into her hair, his face
leaning down and his lips touching hers. He caressed her
lips gently at first, teasing them lightly, his tounge darting out
to coax her into parting hers. As she did, he deepened the
kiss, embracing her desperately. I love her...He realized,
and pulled away from her lips slowly. "Megumi..." He
whispered huskily, staring down into her eyes.
She slowly opened her eyes, gazing up at him.
"Please...kiss me..."
He captured her lips again, his hands moving to her back to
make long, loving stroaks, while her hands ran up and down
his chest, then around to his back. He shuddered slightly
under her touch, then forcefully pulled away from her,
stepping back. He saw the confused look on her face and
turned away slightly. "I...I have to stop now..." He
whispered, to himself as well as to her.
"But-"
"Megumi, if I don't stop now, I'm not going to be able to...do
you understand that?" He shook his head harshly.
"Besides, you never acted like this before. Only after you
had this damn drug. How can I be sure that you actually
want me to kiss you? How can I know that it's not the drug
that's making you...?" He closed his eyes tightly.
Megumi grabbed the back of a chair and held it so hard, her
knuckles turned white. "Y-you're right, Sanosuke...I'm
sorry...I wont make further advances on you..." She turned
away from and tried to walk towards the door when his hand
gently caught her arm.
"Megumi-" He shook his head fiercely. "I wont lie to you. I
am fully willing to do...whatever you may want me to...but I
don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you...I don't
want that..."
She looked back up at him, with tears glistening in her eyes.
"I know...but I wanted you. I was sure of what I wanted for
the first time since...I was employed by Kanryuu..." She felt
a tear slide down her face and pulled her arm from his grasp.
"Then again, you're right...It's probably just the damn drug..."
He watched her walk away to go change and winced
internally. He wanted her too, and gods, it had hurt like hell
to push her away, but he did. He pushed her away, because
he didn't want her to hate him later. He was protecting her
from him. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his hands
into fists. When he reopened them, he made a firm decision.
He would not let her have any more laudnum, although she
may hate him forever, he wouldn't let her get her hands on
any more.
* * *
It was a busy day that day. Megumi was grateful. If she had
been forced to spend most of the day with the silent, distant,
Sagara Sanosuke, she'd have screamed. Or thrown him to
the ground and had her way with him. She wasn't sure
which.
Such foriegn thoughts were the result of the brief time in the
kitchen when he'd electrified her with his kisses and set her
on fire with his touch. Then he'd pulled away. Prooved that
no man in his right mind would ever want her. She was not
the kind of woman a man fell in love with. She was the kind
they looked at for a one night stand. Yet, Sano's kiss had
held something Kanryuu seemed to have lacked.
She couldn't readily name it, she had never felt such a
drowning emotion before. No man's kisses had ever made
her so wish to throw her caution to the wind and give herself.
But he'd pulled away. She smiled at each new patient, and
doctor Genzai, and his grandchildren. Who ever came in.
Despite the heaviness in her heart, she forced a smile on her
face and worked carefully with any old or new injuries. It
was a full day.
She was glad.
Sano was all too aware of the tension between himself and
the lovely doctor. He made a firm decision and closed his
eyes slightly. He would not sleep lounging against the wall
tonight. He would hold her as they slept tonight. He would
comfort her, if she was afraid. He would be there for her if
she needed him. But only if she would let him.
The paper boy ran in and smiled, handing Megumi the
paper.
She smiled back, nodding greatfully at him. "Arigatou."
When he ran out, she looked at the paper, then her face
turned whiter than the china cup she'd drunk from this
morning. The paper fluttered from her fingers, and she
stared into nothingness.
Sano saw the reaction, and picked the paper off the floor. In
that moment, he understood what the problem was.
Kanryuu had escaped.
-End Chapter 2-
I know, several people out there are thinking of all the wonderfully cruel things you could do to me. Again, in this chapter, I threw a little twist into the plot that should make things intresting. Just so you all know, Kanryuu is in here for the benifit of the story. I hate him as much as the rest of you ^.- Thanks for listening to my ramblings again.
Again, that night, Megumi couldn't sleep.
Nightmares of when she was working for Kanryuu came
back with a vengence, keeping her awake, not letting her
sleep. Sano was once again, sleeping, lounged against the
wall, and her mind kept morphing his face into Kanryuu's. A
leering grin, and cruel eyes stared at her, no matter how she
lay.
Finally, she got out of bed and walked towards the basin of
cold water in her room and dipped her hands in, bringing the
icy water to her face. "Come on, Takani, get a grip." She
said softly to herself. "He's in jail...he can't hurt you
anymore..." She closed her eyes, standing on trembling
legs. Taking a heavy breath, she walked towards the
kitchen, for the tea and a sedative.
She refused to believe she was addicted to laudnum, but
every night would be a sleepless one, if it weren't for the
drug. She brewed herself a pot of tea and poured a liberal
amount of the bitter liquid into it. Suddenly, the teapot was
pulled away from her by strong, imposing hands. Startled,
she turned towards Sano.
Silently, he looked from the tea to the laudnum, then went
over to the sink, pouring both down the drain. He didn't look
at her as he did this.
She cried out in alarm. "Sanosuke, how DARE YOU?!" She
beat her fists against him, tears streaking her face. "Give
me the tea, please, Sano...oh, gods, please..."
He looked towards her and she saw his determination
waver. "I can't..." He whispered and started to pour it into
the sink.
She grabbed the teapot away from him, an almost feral
expression on her face as she held it to herself, almost as if
it were her baby and she was protecting it from a monster.
"Mine..." She whispered, eyes feral. "MINE!"
He knelt before her, reaching for it. "Fox, come on, don't do
this...please..." He whispered.
"MINE!"
He closed his eyes and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Let me have the teapot..."
"NO! Mine!" She began to sniffle. "I need it...I can't sleep,
please, Sano...just a cup...just a little cup...please..."
He opened his eyes, looking at her, his eyes pained. "I..."
He looked away, then released her, his fists resting on the
floor. "One cup, Megumi. Just so you can sleep." He said
finally, his face hurt.
"Sano, I know what I'm doing..." She said softly. "I don't
ever use much..."
He didn't look at her. "Go have your 'tea'." He said,
standing and walking towards a window. "But it's almost
morning as it is."
She saw that there were traces of light in the morning sky
and looked desperately down into her cup. Quickly, she took
a gulp of it to soothe her nerves, and set it down.
Sano saw and looked back out the window. "I'm worried
about you, Fox." He said softly, looking back at her, his eyes
somehow haunted.
"Why in the world should you be worried?! I don't use it all
the time, I certainly don't abuse it when I do." She turned
away. It was a lie, and she knew it. Gradually, she'd begun
to need more and more to sleep.
Sano strode towards her and grabbed her shoulders, staring
down at her, seriously. "Megumi-" He said softly. "I don't
want you to end up like some of my friends...please..." He
gently ran his hands to her upper arms and pulled her close.
"Please, just don't use any more..."
She gasped as she was embraced by him and felt her heart
flutter in her chest. "S-sano..." She whispered, as he held
her head cradled to his chest. She closed her eyes, leaning
into the embrace. Somehow, being held by this man was a
worlds away from how roughly Kanryuu had handled her.
She slowly lifted a hand and clung to his gi.
He rested his chin on top of her head, rocking her gently.
"Would you stop for me...?" He whispered, gently caressing
her fragrant hair.
"H-hai..." She whispered in return.
He smiled, kissing the top of her head unwittingly, his hand
gently stroaking her back. "Yokatta..." He said, sighing.
"Arigatou..."
She felt the laudnum begin to take effect and leaned more
heavily against him, her hands sporatically clenching his gi.
"Only for you..." She whispered, pulling back and staring up
at him. She knew she didn't know what she was saying, that
it was just the drug, but she wanted.
He saw her eyes holding that clouded look, this time,
knowing that it was more the drug affecting her, than him.
He had to resist her. He couldn't resist cupping her face
between his hands, and leaning towards her. It's just the
drug! His mind screamed. "Megumi..."
"Kiss me..." The words came unbidden to her lips and fell
forwards.
He closed his eyes tightly, fighting an internal battle that she
could tell he could lose if she pushed him.
"Please..." She begged, her other hand going to his neck, to
coax him closer to her. "Please, kiss me...Sano..." She saw
his eyes slowly open and they were dark with need and
bright with something that she couldn't name.
He gave into her, his hands burying into her hair, his face
leaning down and his lips touching hers. He caressed her
lips gently at first, teasing them lightly, his tounge darting out
to coax her into parting hers. As she did, he deepened the
kiss, embracing her desperately. I love her...He realized,
and pulled away from her lips slowly. "Megumi..." He
whispered huskily, staring down into her eyes.
She slowly opened her eyes, gazing up at him.
"Please...kiss me..."
He captured her lips again, his hands moving to her back to
make long, loving stroaks, while her hands ran up and down
his chest, then around to his back. He shuddered slightly
under her touch, then forcefully pulled away from her,
stepping back. He saw the confused look on her face and
turned away slightly. "I...I have to stop now..." He
whispered, to himself as well as to her.
"But-"
"Megumi, if I don't stop now, I'm not going to be able to...do
you understand that?" He shook his head harshly.
"Besides, you never acted like this before. Only after you
had this damn drug. How can I be sure that you actually
want me to kiss you? How can I know that it's not the drug
that's making you...?" He closed his eyes tightly.
Megumi grabbed the back of a chair and held it so hard, her
knuckles turned white. "Y-you're right, Sanosuke...I'm
sorry...I wont make further advances on you..." She turned
away from and tried to walk towards the door when his hand
gently caught her arm.
"Megumi-" He shook his head fiercely. "I wont lie to you. I
am fully willing to do...whatever you may want me to...but I
don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you...I don't
want that..."
She looked back up at him, with tears glistening in her eyes.
"I know...but I wanted you. I was sure of what I wanted for
the first time since...I was employed by Kanryuu..." She felt
a tear slide down her face and pulled her arm from his grasp.
"Then again, you're right...It's probably just the damn drug..."
He watched her walk away to go change and winced
internally. He wanted her too, and gods, it had hurt like hell
to push her away, but he did. He pushed her away, because
he didn't want her to hate him later. He was protecting her
from him. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his hands
into fists. When he reopened them, he made a firm decision.
He would not let her have any more laudnum, although she
may hate him forever, he wouldn't let her get her hands on
any more.
* * *
It was a busy day that day. Megumi was grateful. If she had
been forced to spend most of the day with the silent, distant,
Sagara Sanosuke, she'd have screamed. Or thrown him to
the ground and had her way with him. She wasn't sure
which.
Such foriegn thoughts were the result of the brief time in the
kitchen when he'd electrified her with his kisses and set her
on fire with his touch. Then he'd pulled away. Prooved that
no man in his right mind would ever want her. She was not
the kind of woman a man fell in love with. She was the kind
they looked at for a one night stand. Yet, Sano's kiss had
held something Kanryuu seemed to have lacked.
She couldn't readily name it, she had never felt such a
drowning emotion before. No man's kisses had ever made
her so wish to throw her caution to the wind and give herself.
But he'd pulled away. She smiled at each new patient, and
doctor Genzai, and his grandchildren. Who ever came in.
Despite the heaviness in her heart, she forced a smile on her
face and worked carefully with any old or new injuries. It
was a full day.
She was glad.
Sano was all too aware of the tension between himself and
the lovely doctor. He made a firm decision and closed his
eyes slightly. He would not sleep lounging against the wall
tonight. He would hold her as they slept tonight. He would
comfort her, if she was afraid. He would be there for her if
she needed him. But only if she would let him.
The paper boy ran in and smiled, handing Megumi the
paper.
She smiled back, nodding greatfully at him. "Arigatou."
When he ran out, she looked at the paper, then her face
turned whiter than the china cup she'd drunk from this
morning. The paper fluttered from her fingers, and she
stared into nothingness.
Sano saw the reaction, and picked the paper off the floor. In
that moment, he understood what the problem was.
Kanryuu had escaped.
-End Chapter 2-
I know, several people out there are thinking of all the wonderfully cruel things you could do to me. Again, in this chapter, I threw a little twist into the plot that should make things intresting. Just so you all know, Kanryuu is in here for the benifit of the story. I hate him as much as the rest of you ^.- Thanks for listening to my ramblings again.