Chapter 3~Thursday and Friday
Megumi was numb for the rest of the day, treating patients in some kind of daze. Finally, Genzai had forced her to go to the back room to rest. Sano had accompanied her. She sat on the futon and stared into nothing. It hurt to be alone with Sano after his rejetion that morning.
Sano sat beside her, and gently touched one of her hands. "Can you tell me...?" He asked softly.
Silently, she shook her head, although she allowed herself the small comfort of holding his hand.
He traded hands, and slowly wrapped the other arm around her shoulders. "Why wont you let me try to help you...?" He whispered, guiding her head to his shoulder. "I don't like seeing you in pain, Megumi..." He whispered against her hair.
She leaned against him, face haunted. "Why did he have to escape...He'd been caught...he was no longer part of my life...why'd he have to escape...?" She felt tears welling in her eyes and turned towards Sano, beginning to cry. "I'm scared..."
He stiffened for a moment, then pulled her close, letting her cry against him. "It's okay, Megumi...I wont let him hurt you..." He whispered, stroaking her hair gently. "I swear it..." He rocked her gently. "I'll never let anything hurt you..."
She lifted her eyes and stared at him. "Do you know what Kanryuu did to me?!" She whispered, her face pained. "He could kidnap me and you'd never find me..." She held him tightly, her eyes large with fear. "Gods, I don't want to be forced to work for him again..." She clung to Sano, staring up at him.
He lifted a hand to her face, tenderly brushing the tears away from her face. "I swear it...He wont touch you..." He searched her eyes and realized all fronts had been discarded and let his down as well. "Meg, I love you...my heart wont let me not protect you from everyone, even if the one hurting you is yourself..."
She broke away from him, refusing to look at him. "You LIE!" She whispered, hurt. "If you l-loved me, you wouldn't have pulled away from me this morning...you wouldn't have always called me all those horrible names...you'd let me have what I need..."
He pulled her back to him, his arms tightly around her waist. "Megumi," he said gently, stroaking her arms gently. "I didn't want to pull away from you...I had to...because I don't want hurt either..." He caressed the shell of her ear with his lips and he continued to whisper to her. "If it wasn't what you wanted...I didn't want you to think I was the kinda bastard that would have taken advantage of you..."
She shivered slightly, knowing he was right. "But the names..."
"I called you names because I did not want everyone to know that I loved you..." He nuzzled her neck gently. "We both have reputations, but when I say your name...my hard-assed mask shatters..." He turned her towards him gently. "As for the laudnum, you don't need it." He caressed her hair, then cupped her face. "Megumi, whatever is haunting you...you need to let share your burden. Please, tell me..."
She sniffled, looking away. "I...I don't know if I can..."
He pulled her face close and kissed her lips gently. "Please...Megumi..."
She looked at him, nervously. "Y-you wont...hate me...?"
He sat on her bed and pulled her onto his lap. "I could never hate you..." He promised, touching her cheek lightly.
She nodded slowly, snuggling close to him. "W-while I was employed for Kanryuu...I wasn't just the person who made his opium. He forced me..." She felt tears pierce her eyes. "To serve as the geisha, for himself, as well as any guests he may have..." She heard Sano's sharp intake of breath and waited for him to shove her away, but he only embraced her more tightly. "When I wouldn't cooperate...he'd beat me, then...r-r-rape me..." She looked away, feeling tears flowing down her face.
He felt his blood boiling. "He raped you...?" He asked, gently caressing her hair. "How could someone do that..." He turned her face so he could stare down at her. "Megumi...I'm so sorry..." He caressed her face, then pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry..."
She shook her head, holding his hand against her face. "How could you know...?" She asked, blinking away tears. "I shut my emotions off, but damn you, you made me feel again!" She couldn't stop it as her tears began with renewed vigor.
He caressed her face a final time and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Megumi..." The ragged whisper was torn from him by her tears, from his inability to comfort her.
"Tell me you don't hate me...?"
"I'll never hate you." He promised. He lifted her face, cradling it between his hands. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently, trying not to frighten her.
She sighed happily as his lips lowered to hers, claiming them with a tenderness the fierce man's appearance hid. She slipped her hands into his gi and around him, pressing her chest to his. "Sano..." She whispered, sighing again.
He rasped his lips across her cheek to her ear and bit it gently. "I wont pull away again..." He promised, licking the shell of her ear, his voice husky, thick.
She pressed her face into his chest. "Could you just hold me for now...?"
He stopped and looked down at her, his eyes soft. "I'll hold you forever, if it's what you want..." He murmered, rasping his lips across hers again. Gently, he laid her back, his lips caressing her's gently, his hands supporting her back and neck. He didn't make any further advances on her, but he did lay with half of his body on top of hers.
She looked up at him and flushed darkly, feeling like a green young woman once again. "Sano..." She whispered, cupping his face. She watched as he leaned his face against her palm, his eyes falling closed. "A-anata..."
He smiled, opening his eyes and looking down at her. "I guess it's better if we just held right now...until we're married of course..." He murmered, his lips caressing hers again.
She moaned softly in her throat. "Was that a marraige proposal, Rooster-Head?" She asked, smiling.
"You better believe it, Foxy Doctor..."
She layed back, and her eyes slipped closed, as Sano's arms went around her, one hand playing in her hair. To her surprise, she dozed off in his arms, then the doze turned into a deeper sleep.
"See, fox...?" He whispered, his lips turning up into a genuine smile. "All you had to do...was share your pain..." He rested his cheek against her breast and slowly dropped into a deep sleep as well.
-End Chapter 3-
WAIT!!! Don't close it down yet!!! I'm not done!!! There's still a sub plot I have to deal with!!! ::Eyes wide and panicked:: Come on, people! One more chapter!!! ;.; ^.- There's gonna be a fight soon...::Grins:: I knew that would get your attention.
Megumi was numb for the rest of the day, treating patients in some kind of daze. Finally, Genzai had forced her to go to the back room to rest. Sano had accompanied her. She sat on the futon and stared into nothing. It hurt to be alone with Sano after his rejetion that morning.
Sano sat beside her, and gently touched one of her hands. "Can you tell me...?" He asked softly.
Silently, she shook her head, although she allowed herself the small comfort of holding his hand.
He traded hands, and slowly wrapped the other arm around her shoulders. "Why wont you let me try to help you...?" He whispered, guiding her head to his shoulder. "I don't like seeing you in pain, Megumi..." He whispered against her hair.
She leaned against him, face haunted. "Why did he have to escape...He'd been caught...he was no longer part of my life...why'd he have to escape...?" She felt tears welling in her eyes and turned towards Sano, beginning to cry. "I'm scared..."
He stiffened for a moment, then pulled her close, letting her cry against him. "It's okay, Megumi...I wont let him hurt you..." He whispered, stroaking her hair gently. "I swear it..." He rocked her gently. "I'll never let anything hurt you..."
She lifted her eyes and stared at him. "Do you know what Kanryuu did to me?!" She whispered, her face pained. "He could kidnap me and you'd never find me..." She held him tightly, her eyes large with fear. "Gods, I don't want to be forced to work for him again..." She clung to Sano, staring up at him.
He lifted a hand to her face, tenderly brushing the tears away from her face. "I swear it...He wont touch you..." He searched her eyes and realized all fronts had been discarded and let his down as well. "Meg, I love you...my heart wont let me not protect you from everyone, even if the one hurting you is yourself..."
She broke away from him, refusing to look at him. "You LIE!" She whispered, hurt. "If you l-loved me, you wouldn't have pulled away from me this morning...you wouldn't have always called me all those horrible names...you'd let me have what I need..."
He pulled her back to him, his arms tightly around her waist. "Megumi," he said gently, stroaking her arms gently. "I didn't want to pull away from you...I had to...because I don't want hurt either..." He caressed the shell of her ear with his lips and he continued to whisper to her. "If it wasn't what you wanted...I didn't want you to think I was the kinda bastard that would have taken advantage of you..."
She shivered slightly, knowing he was right. "But the names..."
"I called you names because I did not want everyone to know that I loved you..." He nuzzled her neck gently. "We both have reputations, but when I say your name...my hard-assed mask shatters..." He turned her towards him gently. "As for the laudnum, you don't need it." He caressed her hair, then cupped her face. "Megumi, whatever is haunting you...you need to let share your burden. Please, tell me..."
She sniffled, looking away. "I...I don't know if I can..."
He pulled her face close and kissed her lips gently. "Please...Megumi..."
She looked at him, nervously. "Y-you wont...hate me...?"
He sat on her bed and pulled her onto his lap. "I could never hate you..." He promised, touching her cheek lightly.
She nodded slowly, snuggling close to him. "W-while I was employed for Kanryuu...I wasn't just the person who made his opium. He forced me..." She felt tears pierce her eyes. "To serve as the geisha, for himself, as well as any guests he may have..." She heard Sano's sharp intake of breath and waited for him to shove her away, but he only embraced her more tightly. "When I wouldn't cooperate...he'd beat me, then...r-r-rape me..." She looked away, feeling tears flowing down her face.
He felt his blood boiling. "He raped you...?" He asked, gently caressing her hair. "How could someone do that..." He turned her face so he could stare down at her. "Megumi...I'm so sorry..." He caressed her face, then pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry..."
She shook her head, holding his hand against her face. "How could you know...?" She asked, blinking away tears. "I shut my emotions off, but damn you, you made me feel again!" She couldn't stop it as her tears began with renewed vigor.
He caressed her face a final time and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Megumi..." The ragged whisper was torn from him by her tears, from his inability to comfort her.
"Tell me you don't hate me...?"
"I'll never hate you." He promised. He lifted her face, cradling it between his hands. He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her gently, trying not to frighten her.
She sighed happily as his lips lowered to hers, claiming them with a tenderness the fierce man's appearance hid. She slipped her hands into his gi and around him, pressing her chest to his. "Sano..." She whispered, sighing again.
He rasped his lips across her cheek to her ear and bit it gently. "I wont pull away again..." He promised, licking the shell of her ear, his voice husky, thick.
She pressed her face into his chest. "Could you just hold me for now...?"
He stopped and looked down at her, his eyes soft. "I'll hold you forever, if it's what you want..." He murmered, rasping his lips across hers again. Gently, he laid her back, his lips caressing her's gently, his hands supporting her back and neck. He didn't make any further advances on her, but he did lay with half of his body on top of hers.
She looked up at him and flushed darkly, feeling like a green young woman once again. "Sano..." She whispered, cupping his face. She watched as he leaned his face against her palm, his eyes falling closed. "A-anata..."
He smiled, opening his eyes and looking down at her. "I guess it's better if we just held right now...until we're married of course..." He murmered, his lips caressing hers again.
She moaned softly in her throat. "Was that a marraige proposal, Rooster-Head?" She asked, smiling.
"You better believe it, Foxy Doctor..."
She layed back, and her eyes slipped closed, as Sano's arms went around her, one hand playing in her hair. To her surprise, she dozed off in his arms, then the doze turned into a deeper sleep.
"See, fox...?" He whispered, his lips turning up into a genuine smile. "All you had to do...was share your pain..." He rested his cheek against her breast and slowly dropped into a deep sleep as well.
-End Chapter 3-
WAIT!!! Don't close it down yet!!! I'm not done!!! There's still a sub plot I have to deal with!!! ::Eyes wide and panicked:: Come on, people! One more chapter!!! ;.; ^.- There's gonna be a fight soon...::Grins:: I knew that would get your attention.