Author: Arashi (Arashi@kenkaya.com)
Website: www.kenkaya.com
Beta Readers: MKasshoku and Karina Kineshi
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin nor am I making any money off this story!
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Sitting alone in the cool night air, a young raven-haired women watched as the wind snatched two leaves from a nearby tree. Summer was halfway over and soon more leaves would be falling, but for now, only a few scattered bits of greenery could be found separated from the trees that housed them. It wasn't terribly unusual seeing leaves floating in the breeze, but something about these two particular ones captured the interest of the young woman. In the soft glow from her lantern, she noticed that the two leaves appeared to be dancing together. Torn from their home, the leaves found each other in the turbulent wind and no matter how the breeze tried to tear them apart they remained twirling around each other. As they disappeared from her sight into the dark sky, Himura Kaoru felt an unbidden sigh escape her lips.
It's silly but those leaves remind me of Kenshin and I We both had hard lives but somehow we found each other. He's my support, my love, my life I know we'll never be separated again but at times like this I can't help but worry about him.
Glancing up towards the illuminated heavens, Kaoru silently hoped that her husband would be all right, and that he'd be returning to her soon.
"Mind if I sit with you for a while?"
Kaoru turned at the sound of Megumi's voice. She let a bright smile light up her face as she nodded. "Sure Megumi." Kaoru hoped that her smile hid her previous thoughts from the other woman.
I'm sure she's got enough things on her mind I don't want to bother her with my own concerns. Kenshin's coming back to me but Sanosuke is going to be going away after this night is over
The lady doctor gracefully gathered her sleeping yukata around her as she sat down on the back porch beside the female kendo instructor. "I know I told you I'd try and get some sleep but I'm really not tired right now." Megumi folded her hands in her lap. "I thought maybe we could wait for Ken-san together?"
"If you're sure you're not tired, I don't mind the company."
Company was one thing, but if Himura Kaoru expected immediate conversation, she would have been disappointed. Though the two women had reached a level of understanding and friendship through the course of the past six years, the air was heavy with their unspoken thoughts and concerns.
I'm sure we're thinking about the same things I just don't know if she wants to talk about them.
Kaoru threw her companion a sidelong glance, trying to decipher the look on the lady doctor's face. Seeing the motion out of the corner of her eye, Megumi turned her head toward her friend and smiled slowly. "You're worried about Kenshin aren't you?"
Hearing her thoughts voiced by the other woman, Kaoru managed to nod her head slightly before focusing her attention on her hands resting in her lap. She felt somewhat guilty. "I know everything will be fine but I guess I can't help but worry about him."
"You know how Kenshin hates to make you worry."
Megumi's right Kenshin's always trying to assure me that everything is fine even when it's really not. Maybe that's what makes me worry so much?
Tearing herself away from her own thoughts, Kaoru lifted her gaze to meet Megumi's quiet scrutiny.
But while I sit here worrying about Kenshin Megumi is sitting here being strong I know she's hurting inside. She needs to talk to someone and I'm just the woman for the job.
"It's just Kenshin's way I suppose." Finding nothing in particular to capture her interest, Kaoru focused on the great expanse of the night sky. "He's always thinking about other people. Even though it can be frustrating it's still reassuring when he tells me that everything's all right. I guess I really do appreciate his concern."
"It must be nice having a man that always tries to comfort you." Kaoru would have had to be deaf not to hear the longing in Megumi's voice. "Some men out there do things without thinking about the effect it will have on the people close to them"
"Sometimes it's not their choice though" Kaoru knew exactly who Megumi's comment was aimed at. Some part of the young wife felt the need to stand up for their mutual friend. "Sanosuke had plenty of reasons to leave Japan I'm sure I don't think that"
The lady doctor interrupted Kaoru's further comments with the slight wave of her hand. In that one motion, Kaoru knew that the other woman had forgiven the ex-gangster for his sudden departure and five year absence.
"I know he had his reasons. I can't and don't hold it against him for leaving. I may have at first but now that he's back I understand that it was just something he had to do." Megumi smiled wistfully. "And in a way, I'm glad he left. It gave him time to think to put his life together It's just that I don't know how he can turn his back on everything he's returned to and agree to help out a man that he despises and a government he's always complaining about. He's leaving us all again and somehow it's much harder this time" Megumi trailed off like a boat that had lost the wind in its sails.
"I know why" An intense questioning look from the other woman enticed Kaoru to complete her unfinished statement. "I know why it's harder for youthis time."
"Why is that?"
Kaoru wasn't sure if Megumi was amused or irritated, but she decided to venture forth despite the possible consequences of the comment she was about to make. "Because this time You're in love with him."
Collapse was imminent. Complete exhaustion and injury threatened to claim consciousness. Staggering through familiar streets, a lone figure clutched to walls and fences for support.
I'm almost there just a little further
Focus was necessary to keep moving. Overcoming physical weakness and limitations was all a matter of willpower.
So how come I'm having so much trouble now?
Radiating pain, darkening vision, a lightheaded sensation, and ringing ears threw off the lone man's senses, but somehow through his fading perception he made out a sound that sent renewed vigor coursing through his veins.
Laughter that's Kaoru. I'm almost home
At first, Megumi felt shocked. She felt like she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. The fact that her friend knew exactly what was going on in her head seemed impossible. But gradually the lady doctor realized how much things had changed and how much evidence there was of the change.
Sano and I have been inseparable since he got back How could I possibly think Kaoru wouldn't notice these things? In another lifetime, I might have tried to hide my true feelings from my friends but not anymore.
Megumi felt the beginnings of a genuine smile tighten the muscles of her face.
Almost instantaneously, Kaoru's somewhat hesitant look vanished to be replaced by a mirror image. "I knew it! You do love him!" The younger woman's eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
There was no sense in denying the truth. "Was it that obvious?" Megumi briefly wondered what made her act so 'clever' around her friends. Perhaps there was some truth to Sanosuke's comparison of her to a fox?
In response to her question, Kaoru laughed. It was a familiar sound, full of warmth and amusement. "Of course it was obvious! Have you been watching how the two of you act around each other? You'd either have to be blind or Aoshi not to see it!" At that comment, Megumi couldn't help but join in the laughter.
In an unanticipated move, Kaoru threw her hands around the lady doctor's neck. "Oh Megumi, I'm so happy for you!" After a brief moment, the two pulled apart. Their eyes were full of the laughter that had disappeared from the night air. "Have you told him yet?" Kaoru leaned in attentively but didn't wait for a response. "What did he say? Is he in love with you as well? Are you two going to take your relationship to the next level? Do you think he's going to behave himself now?"
The string of questions continued and in her excited state, the female kendo instructor was impossible to stop. Almost
"What's goin' on?" Hair ruffled from sleep, Misao stepped out onto the back porch and her presence alone managed to interrupt the barrage of questions.
Kaoru quickly turned apologetic and put her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry Misao. We woke you up didn't we?"
"No big deal. I can usually sleep through anything" The young okashira rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand and yawned. "But I swear I heard someone say Aoshi and I thought" The ninja girl glanced around hopefully.
"No sorry Misao no one's returned yet." Kaoru informed her.
"Oh" Plopping down ungracefully next to the kendo instructor, Misao leaned back, casually supported herself with her arms and dangling her legs over the edge of the raised porch. "So what were you two laughing about?"
Kaoru immediately remembered the wonderful news she'd just been privileged to discover. "Megumi and Sanosuke are in love!"
Whether or not Megumi wanted Misao to hear the news at that exact moment, there was nothing she could do to pluck the words out of the air.
What's done is done even if what Kaoru says is only a partial truth I know Sanosuke cares for me but I'm not sure if he feels the same way that I feel now
"It's about time!!" Misao's excited voice reached a volume that easily rivaled Kaoru's. "You two have been beating around the bush for as long as I've known you!"
Megumi felt her eyes widening, surprised by the weasel girl's comment and following laughter. Her self-control quickly returned and she felt the need to defend herself.
And sometimes the best defense is an attack
"Look who's talking, weasel girl." Feeling particularly sly, Megumi continued. "How long have you known Shinomori-san? You two haven't made any progress in your relationship." Misao blinked with a dumbfounded expression on her face, but Megumi continued her good-natured onslaught. "Sanosuke's been gone for the past five years Unlike a certain stone faced man who never smiles."
Misao started sputtering. "He He He does too smile! And yes, I've known Aoshi for a long time." The ninja girl jumped to her feet and clenched her fist in resolution as she turned to face her two friends. "And I decided something yesterday I think you two should know about! I'm going to confront Aoshi with my feelings!"
Kaoru and Megumi's jaws almost dropped. Seemingly unaware of their reactions, the excited woman turned and started pacing in front of them as she continued.
"I'm going to tell him tomorrow when I say goodbye. That way he'll have plenty of time to think things through. Aoshi's a complicated man and I can't expect him to work out his emotions all in one instant. By the time he comes back from Hokkaido I hope he'll have things figured out for himself." Kaoru and Megumi weren't sure if she was talking to them or if she was simply having difficulty with her internal monologue. Stopping suddenly, Misao turned her attention back to the two of them and surprised them again by shouting. "But damn it! How old am I? How long does he think I'm going to wait?"
"Is everything alright?" Tsubame appeared at the sliding door behind Megumi and Kaoru. "I heard shouting." Timidly the young waitress stepped out onto the back porch.
Three pairs of eyes turned to greet her and once again Kaoru found herself apologizing. "Oh Tsubame I'm sorry. We were just having a bit of a discussion."
Misao's mouth sealed shut in guilt as she realized it had been her outbursts that had disturbed the girl from her slumber.
"Oh no it's alright. I I was having trouble sleeping anyway." Gently lowering herself to sit next to Kaoru, Tsubame did her best to convince them that what she said was true. When that failed, she changed the subject. "So what were you all talking about?"
Grinning mischievously, the weasel girl stepped back to the porch and took a seat next to the young waitress. "So Tsubame" Megumi and Kaoru remained silent as they waited to see what was on Misao's mind. "How are you and Yahiko doing?"
Blushing immediately, Tsubame was too confused to form a complete thought. "Wha? I um Yahiko?"
Misao nodded as though she fully understood exactly what Tsubame was failing to communicate. "Yeah, Yahiko. Ya know, the handsome young swordsman with the spiky dark hair?" The okashira playfully nudged the waitress.
Megumi and Kaoru covered their mouths to hide their smiles and quiet laughter. Tsubame floundered in her uncertainty. "Um Misao-san? What exactly are you asking me?"
"You and Yahiko are a real couple now right?"
Tsubame nodded hesitantly. "Yes I think so. We've been together for the past five years and well"
"You can't let it go at that Tsubame. Has he ever asked you to be his girlfriend? Do you do romantic things together? Has he ever kissed you?" Misao shredded all boundaries of decency leaving Tsubame completely at a loss for words.
"MISAO!!" Megumi and Kaoru were too surprised by the okashira's comments to do anything but yell at her.
Laughing lightly, the ninja girl jumped off
the porch to stand in front of her friends. "I'm just teasing
you Tsubame! Relax."
The words were too insignificant to take back all traces of her
earlier questions. Tsubame was lost in thought and after a moment
she slowly raised her head to meet Kaoru's questioning look.
"Am I really Yahiko's girlfriend?" The waitress
suddenly looked like she was about to cry.
Kaoru placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Of course you are Tsubame." The kendo instructor left it up to the lady doctor to shoot an accusatory look at the ninja.
Misao scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Um I didn't mean anything by that Tsubame. We were all just talking about our 'men' so I thought we'd hear what you had to say on the subject."
"That's right" Megumi chimed in. "After all, you and Yahiko have one of the best relationships out of any of us."
Tsubame seemed somewhat comforted by their words but there was a new uncertainty in her face. "But we've never even kissed before. Does that mean he doesn't love me?"
Misao smacked her forehead, instantly aware of the damage that she'd unwittingly caused.
"Of course not Tsubame. Kissing isn't important. We all know how much Yahiko cares about you." Kaoru assured her.
"Do you think that he doesn't want to kiss me?"
"Tsubame-chan." Megumi decided to take matters into her own hands. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Yahiko will kiss you when he's ready. He's still young and inexperienced and the male population matures slower than we do. Give him time." Seeing that her words were having a positive effect on the young waitress, Megumi decided to finish by lightening the mood. "And don't worry. You'll have your first kiss well before the age of 21."
"Ack!" The twenty-one year old okashira jumped angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tsubame and Kaoru giggled as Megumi and Misao launched into a full-blown argument. Kaoru knew they were doing it to try and cheer up the young waitress and a quick glance at the smiling girl told her that their efforts were not wasted.
Halfway through a relative comparison between the lady doctor's age and her own, Misao suddenly stopped and glanced toward the house.
The change in her demeanor had Kaoru instantly on alert. "What is it Misao?"
"Did you hear that?" Misao seemed distracted. "I think I just heard the front gate" Stopping as realization struck, the okashira's eyes widened.
The four women were on their feet in half a heartbeat, racing around to the front of the house. The gate was opened and lying facedown and unmoving on the ground ten feet in front of it was a familiar red-haired form.
Kaoru felt fear rising up from some unknown depth but the strange mental paralysis that threatened to overtake her did not interfere with her legs. "KENSHIN!" She covered the distance between them in an instant, beating both the doctor and the ninja to his side. Collapsing into the dirt beside him, she quickly reached out and touched the side of his face. "Oh Kenshin" His eyes were closed and blood and dirt mingled freely on his cheek and forehead. "Kami-sama Kenshin, speak to me!"
"Tsubame, go get a bucket of fresh water." Being a doctor gave Megumi an automatic advantage in certain situations. She'd been trained to separate herself from situations that would cause other people to stand around in shock. "Misao, fetch my medicine chest." Without waiting to see if her orders were being carried out, she dropped down beside the husband and wife and swiftly appraised the situation. A quick check told her that Kenshin was breathing regularly.
I can see no visible wounds beside this one on his forehead. He's unconscious, but he's not in any immediate danger. Nothing appears to be broken, and it seems he made it all the way to the dojo under his own power
"Kaoru, help me turn him over."
The other woman nodded hastily and assisted as the lady doctor carefully lifted and placed the unconscious man on his back. Moaning slightly at the movement, a pair of violet eyes flickered open and rested on the raven-haired woman hovering over him.
"Kaoru?" His voice was soft and weak, but the fact that he was conscious and able to communicate helped alleviate some of Megumi's remaining fears.
"Kenshin!!" Kaoru wasn't sure what to do so she deftly took one of his hands in hers. "I'm right here. Don't worry everything is going to be fine" Glancing pleadingly at the lady doctor, the young wife waited for some kind of sign that would tell her everything really would be all right.
Experienced hands pulled open the loose gi and probed muscles and bones for injury. Megumi nodded slightly as she worked, hoping that that simple movement would assuage the other woman's fears.
"Kaoru I'm sorry" Kenshin continued speaking slowly. "I'll be fine so please don't worry" Having said his piece, the former rurouni's eyes closed and he slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Kenshin" Kaoru's eyes started stinging with moisture as she felt her husband's hand go limp
"Kaoru, help me get him inside." After completing her preliminary examination, Megumi knew it would be safe to move her new patient.
Now I need to get him somewhere clean and bright where I can take care of him properly.
The other woman nodded and together, they pulled the former rurouni up between them and headed toward the house.
Something cool pressed against his forehead and Kenshin tentatively opened his eyes. A familiar ceiling slowly came into focus, and for a moment, the former rurouni wondered how he'd ended up back at his house.
The last thing I remember is
Before he could complete his thought, another welcome sight came into his view.
Kaoru
"Kenshin? Are you awake?" The worried face of his wife imposed itself into his field of vision. She lifted the cool wet cloth from his forehead to get a better look at him and a careful smile turned the corners of her lips when she realized that his eyes were open. Kenshin wouldn't have dared to ask for it, but somehow he was back in the safety of his own home in the company of the one person he'd do anything to be with.
"Kaoru" He felt her warm and delicate hands slide into his own. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply of her familiar scent. He smiled, assuring Kaoru that he was still conscious.
"You're alright Kenshin." Her voice wavered slightly, but there was genuine assurance behind it. "Megumi says you'll be fine." Kenshin made his own appraisal of his physical condition. His face and forehead throbbed, but he figured the injuries looked worse than they actually felt. His right shoulder was tightly bandaged and he felt a dull ache from both his feet.
Opening his eyes again, Kenshin fixed their violet gaze on the beautiful woman who watched him with concern. "She's right Kaoru. I'm fine." Mustering his most confident smile, he tightened his hold on his wife's hand. "So you don't need to worry about me any more You look tired. Didn't you get any sleep?"
"Oh Kenshin" She squeezed his hand gently but a quiet sadness touched her face. "You're always worrying about others" Forcing herself to brighten up she continued. "Why don't you try worrying about yourself sometimes? Then I wouldn't have to worry so much"
"Kaoru" He let go of her hand so he could reach up and traced the lines of her face. "I'm sorry I wasn't careful. Things shouldn't have ended up the way they did. I let them get out of my control." Kaoru placed her own hand over his and held it against her cheek.
"It's alright Kenshin. The important thing is you're fine. And we're together."
Kami-sama she is so beautiful beautiful, pure, and loving. What did I do to deserve her?
"You know something?" Kenshin traced his thumb tenderly over soft pale skin. "I love you."
The effect of his words was instantaneous. His wife smiled radiantly and slowly pulled his hand away from her face as she leaned toward him. "Oh Kenshin how could I not know?" She gently brushed a clump of his fiery red bangs out of his face. "I'm reminded every day." Saving him the trouble of trying to sit, Kaoru brought her face to his. "And just so you don't forget" She planted a tender kiss on his bandaged forehead. "I love you, with all my heart Himura Kenshin" Her second kiss found his lips, with a little help from the former rurouni.
Standing outside the Himuras' bedroom, Megumi tactfully waited until they finally pulled apart before she stepped inside the room with her armful of supplies. "You're finally awake I see."
"Good morning Megumi-dono." Kenshin smiled cheerfully; momentarily making the lady doctor forget the condition they'd found him in only hours before.
"How are you feeling?" She knelt beside his futon and placed an experienced hand over his forehead to check for signs of a fever.
"Much better now, Megumi-dono. Thanks to you."
"No need to thank me, Ken-san. Besides, everyone helped." Satisfied with his temperature, Megumi began to unwind the bandages from his forehead so she could replace them. "Tsubame and Misao have been running errands for me all night and would have stayed up right beside Kaoru if we didn't force them to get some sleep."
Kaoru confirmed the comment with a smile. "You should have seen Misao. She tried to convince the two of us to rest while she looked after you." Kenshin didn't bother to hide his amusement.
"Well, now that you're awake you and I need to talk about your current condition." Megumi finished wrapping fresh bandages around his forehead. "We can talk alone if you prefer." The lady doctor seemed hesitant to begin with Kaoru still in the room.
The former rurouni wasn't sure what kind of news she was going to give him, but he did know one thing. "Kaoru needs to hear whatever you have to say to me, Megumi-dono. Please proceed."
Sighing, Megumi folded her hands in her lap. "Well then, Ken-san I suppose it really doesn't matter" Reaching beside her, she picked up one of her medical sheets that she'd used to record his injuries. "You've got a minor concussion and abrasion on your forehead. This and the bruises on the side of your face were the easiest to discover and treat I'm afraid your other injuries are giving me a bit of trouble." She paused as she tried to decipher some of her hastily jotted notes. "It seems you've strained the muscles and ligaments in your right arm and shoulder causing some swelling that I'm trying to reduce by wrapping, elevation if possible, and ice. You'll need to keep your arm in a sling for a while and refrain from using it as much as possible."
Kenshin nodded, quietly urging the doctor to continue her assessment.
"Your feet have sustained injury I really can't tell for sure yet the extent of the damage but I want you to stay off them for the next couple of days at the very least. I'll be able to tell more after I've taken a better look at them." Megumi paused as she continued looking over the piece of paper. After a brief moment, she placed it on the ground next to her. "These are the worst of your injuries but I'm afraid that your entire body has suffered strain of one sort or another. And now I need to ask you a few questions."
Kenshin nodded, fully prepared to answer her to the best of his ability.
"Ken-san" Her professional demeanor slowly faded. "What exactly happened last night? I thought you and Sanosuke were putting on a show? Were you attacked by someone else?" Kenshin noticed the strain and urgency in her voice. "Please don't tell me that Sano did this to you"
As the lady doctor trailed off, the former rurouni realized the true reason behind Megumi's desire to speak with him alone. The woman's invincible wall was crumbling around her.
"Megumi-dono it's not what you think my injuries are my fault, and mine alone. Sanosuke is not to blame."
"That damn rooster" Megumi clenched her fists, bunching the fabric of her yukata in her grasp. "I told him to take it easy on you why doesn't he ever listen to anyone?" There was a slight quiver in her voice, but Megumi vowed that she would not break down in front of her friends.
Never again if I can help it and definitely not over him how is it that he can cause me so much emotional turmoil? He is going to get a piece of my mind today oh yes
"Please don't be angry with Sano. This isn't his fault. My injuries are a result of attempting to use my old techniques, that they are. I brought this upon myself." Kenshin seemed eager to take the blame.
Kaoru interrupted, coming in at her husband's defense. "Oh Kenshin how can you say this is your fault? The way I see it, it's neither your fault nor Sanosuke's fault. Can we please just drop the subject?" The raven-haired woman glanced up towards the doctor.
Megumi brooded silently for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. "I'd bet my last yen that this is indeed rooster-head's fault. You don't have to cover for him Ken-san. I suspected he'd try something crazy like fighting you for real. In response you had to push yourself beyond your limits."
Boy is he gonna get it The lady doctor started fuming.
"Megumi-dono" Kenshin attempted to get her attention and failed miserably.
"I tried to explain your current limitations but would he listen? No!"
"Megumi-dono could I just"
Megumi ignored the former rurouni as she continued. "And now you're going to have to remain in bed for who-knows-how-long while he goes gallivanting across Japan?"
"Megumi-dono I"
"And after I specifically asked him to take it easy on you Of all the nerve Does that man ever use his head?"
"Megumi-dono it's just that"
It took the lady doctor an extra ounce of effort to pull herself away from her own train of thought. "Yes Ken-san, what is it?"
Suddenly, Kenshin found himself in a very perilous position.
"Oro"
Megumi's frustration and anger were all focused on one thing, and the former rurouni wasn't sure if he wanted to re-channel her energies.
Now that I have her attention, I can't get out of this. I'm going to have to tell her everything that happened last night Megumi-dono isn't going to be happy with meespecially since she came to me yesterday and asked me to take it easy on Sano She really was looking out for both of us but in the end things got out of our hands. Will Megumi-dono understand that?
Taking a deep breath, Himura Kenshin gathered his courage and met Megumi's gaze. "Megumi-dono There's something I need to tell you, that there is."
And you're not going to like it, that you are not.
"Chikusho he's still unconscious." Yahiko stepped out of the maximum-security cell and closed the heavy iron door behind him. A long sigh escaped his lips and he slumped against the cold brick wall. "When is Megumi going to get here? I've done all I can but there's nothing I can do to fix up some of his injuries, ya know?" The young swordsman tugged at the collar of his police uniform in frustration. "Dammit, what was he thinking last night? And damn the cops for refusing to allow a doctor to look at his wounds! I don't care if Sano beat up some of their officers! It's still wrong!"
"Keep it down" Yahiko's companion glanced down the long lonely corridor, indicating that there was always the possibility of being overheard.
Yahiko kicked his heel against the uncaring wall as he listened to the equally uncaring man sitting beside him. "Kuso Aoshi! Nobody is going to hear us! Chou said this part of the police station is run by the Keishichou"
"That doesn't make a difference"
"Argh! Why am I even bothering to talk to you! You don't really care about Kenshin or Sanosuke!" The young swordsman let his comment hang in the air for a long moment before he continued. Aoshi didn't bother arguing the point, which only angered Yahiko further. "Did you not see what happened last night? The two of them didn't bother to hold back on each other and now Sano's beat to hell and who knows how Kenshin is he disappeared last night in all the chaos while we were busy arresting people. And not knowing what's going on is driving me insane! Where's Tokio, where's Chou, where's Megumi?!" Yahiko grabbed at his hair, demonstrating how far over the edge he really was.
"You need to calm down." The former okashira of the Oniwabanshu knew how to be commanding without raising the tone of his voice.
Yahiko ran a hand back through his spiky hair to straighten it out and slowly slid down the wall to take a seat on the floor. "Listen Aoshi I'm sure you've seen a lot of terrible things in your life but in all your days, have you ever seen a battle like that between two men who are supposed to be best friends? Forget the fact that they were trying to make things look realistic because I'm fairly certain that it past over the threshold of a pretend fight" Yahiko recalled the battle that was still vivid in his mind's eye. "They were fighting for real they didn't hold back and I just don't understand."
"Not holding back?" If Aoshi were the kind of man to smile wryly, he would have at that moment. "Don't be foolish."
When Aoshi didn't bother to explain himself, Yahiko glared up at him. "What's that supposed to mean, exactly?"
"The Futae no Kiwami is a lethal punch. Any one of Sagara's blows that connected would have finished Himura if he hadn't been holding back. While it is true that they were putting everything they had into the fight it is also true that they were still holding back their full strength The strength that would have made both of them deadly."
"Chikusho! You know that Kenshin and Sano wouldn't kill each other!"
"Precisely and that's why you're a fool if you think they weren't holding back in their battle."
Yahiko spent a few quiet minutes stewing over Aoshi's words.
What he says it the truth but Mr. Icicle doesn't really understand what I'm trying to say. Why do I bother with this guy?
Sighing again, Yahiko pulled up his legs and rested his arms on his knees. A slight chill from the wall crept through his police uniform causing him to shiver. It was then that the young swordsman realized how long he'd been awake. The events of the twenty-four hour period had left him without an opportunity to sleep. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on his arms, curling up as comfortably as he could in a sitting position.
"Have you memorized your new profile yet?"
Aoshi's words snapped Yahiko back to his former alertness.
Chikusho he won't even let me take a quick nap it's not like Sanosuke's going to try and escape or anything.
"No I haven't Are we supposed to have them memorized?" The young swordsman didn't bother hiding his irritation.
"You never know what information may become relevant at a moments notice. I suggest you spend your free time looking over it."
Yahiko searched his pockets and then remembered handing everything back to Chou so that he wouldn't accidentally misplace the secret information. Before he had a chance to tell Aoshi, the former okashira picked up his double kodachi sheath and unscrewed the hilt of one of his weapons. He extracted a rolled piece of paper from a hidden compartment and handed it to Yahiko.
"I took the liberty of borrowing your profile as well as my own. I've memorized them both and I suggest you do the same."
Yahiko's eyes widened, but before he could complain he realized that it was a completely logical thing for him to do.
Of course I'll have to know about Aoshi's identity we're supposed to be partners after all. Che, why didn't anyone tell me being a secret agent would be so much work?
The young swordsman barely got a chance to look at both of the profiles before the door at the end of the long hallway opened. Chou's bright red outfit and tall blonde hair were the first things that Yahiko noticed. Tokio was close behind him and following behind them both was the other person that the young swordsman was anxious to see.
"Megumi!" Yahiko jumped to his feet. "I'm glad you're here!"
Chou fixed his one open eye on the young swordsman and Yahiko had the sinking suspicion that he'd done something wrong.
"Takani-sensei is here to see the prisoner." Chou's voice carried an edge as sharp as the swords he loved to collect.
As the distance between the two small groups vanished, Tokio locked her gaze with Aoshi's. "Did anything happen while the two of you were on guard?"
Aoshi stood up from his chair and saluted her smartly. "No, ma'am." Yahiko found himself following suit, though he was fully aware that his movements weren't as fluid as the older man's. He briefly wondered why Aoshi seemed so comfortable with his fake identity.
"Two Akabeko waitresses have delivered some O-bento." Tokio relayed the information emotionlessly but Yahiko knew what the real message was.
Misao and Tsubame are here as well I'll get to see her one more time before we head off to Hokkaido. Just like Tokio promised us.
Tokio spotted the young swordsman's grin and graced him with a warm look that confirmed his suspicions. "You two are dismissed for a brief lunch break."
Aoshi saluted again and then started heading
down the hall. Yahiko bowed his head slightly to thank Tokio
and then he approached the lady doctor. "I did what I could
for him Takani-sensei." The woman seemed to
be subdued, and Yahiko figured that she'd already been informed
of the ex-gangster's condition.
"Thank you." Megumi didn't even look at him as she
headed toward the prison cell with her medicine chest clutched
tightly in her hands. Yahiko shrugged it off and hurried after
Aoshi. Even if Megumi was angry or depressed, he knew that she'd
still be able to help Sano out.
From what Kenshin had described, Megumi had a good idea what to expect when Chou opened up the metal door. But even so, she was still shocked by the smell of blood in the cool air of the small dark room. Lying on his back, the unconscious form of the ex-gangster seemed ghastly pale in the dim illumination coming from the hall. His skin was almost the color of his white gi and pants. As a glaring contrast, Megumi noticed the bright splotches of blood that adorned his shirt, hands, and face.
Oh Kami-sama Sanosuke
Tokio stood behind the lady doctor, and she immediately sensed the woman's apprehension and indecision. "Are you alright, Takani-sensei?"
Megumi was spurred into action by the other woman's words and quickly began her inspection of her newest patient. She put her fears aside so that she could fully focus on the task at hand. Tokio came to her side and watched with interest as the lady doctor checked the ex-gangster's vital signs.
After a few moments, Megumi pursed her lips.
This room is cold and he's lying here on a hard wooden board that would barely pass for a bench much less a hospital bed. They've manacled his hands together without bothering to treat the injuries he's sustained on both of them. His right hand is severely broken and his wrist has swollen up inside the restraint. They're lucky his circulation wasn't cut off or I'd be amputating right now
Frustration built inside the lady doctor as she stared down at the one man she had finally decided to love unconditionally. Any angry thoughts she might have directed at him disappeared as she realized how helpless he looked, unconscious and locked up in a place that he didn't belong.
His wounds weren't cleaned or treated and the cuts on his left hand and eyebrow need stitches. He's got a fever his pulse is weakit looks like he's damaged half his ribcage probably broken a few ribs He's injured his jaw his neckand I won't know what else until I can get him out of his shirt but then he's going to freeze.
She glanced up at the female Keishichou agent, giving her a serious look.
If this is anyone's fault it's hersShe's the one who forced this upon Sanosuke and she's the one who's going to have to help me rectify the situation. I know one thing that will get her attention if she's anything like her husband.
"If you want him to be any use to you later You must do exactly what I tell you."
Megumi could tell that Tokio didn't like the thought of being told what to do, but after only a brief pause the other woman nodded her head in agreement.
At least she'll listen to reason
"You ready Tsubame-chan?" Misao sat on the edge of Chou's desk right next to two piping-hot boxed lunches.
The young waitress nodded timidly. "Do you really think I should?"
"Hey, don't back out on me now! I thought we were going to do this together?" The weasel girl hopped off the desk and put her hands on her hips.
"H Hai."
Tsubame still seemed unsure of herself so Misao walked over to her and threw her arm around her shoulders. "You want him to think about you while he's gone right? Yahiko will like it trust me"
The door to Chou's office opened causing the two women to jump in surprise.
"What am I going to like?" Yahiko walked in and fixed Tsubame with an inquisitive look.
The young waitress blushed and remained silent leaving Misao to respond. "You're O-bento! Tsubame made it just for you!"
"Oh" The young swordsman could tell that there was something the okashira was leaving out. He'd always been able to tell when she was lying or tying to be sneaky about something, but when he fixed her with a knowing stare she only picked up one of the boxed lunches and held it out for him with a huge smile plastered to her face. Her cheerful mood was uplifting so Yahiko decided to let it go for the time being.
"Thank you for bringing us lunch." Aoshi stated as he took one of the steaming meals and immediately started eating it. Yahiko grabbed his own and started in on it, happy to have warm food in his empty stomach.
The two women watched in silence while Aoshi and Yahiko finished their meals. The men were too tired and hungry to bother making polite conversation, but when they were finished they both turned to appraise their visitors.
"Do you two have any news on Kenshin?" Yahiko asked hopefully.
The weasel girl's smile managed to stay in place. "Yup. He came back last night and Megumi-san says he's going to be fine. So you two don't need to worry about him."
"Phew that takes a load off my mind So um" Yahiko glanced toward Tsubame and scratched the back of his head. "I guess we gotta say goodbye to you two for a while."
"Not like that you aren't!" Misao grabbed Aoshi by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Chou said we could use his interrogation rooms to talk in private. Tsubame, you and Yahiko can talk in the one on the left Aoshi and I will talk in the one on the right." The young swordsman wasn't sure what he was getting into but he decided he didn't like the way Misao gave Tsubame a thumbs up sign before she hauled Aoshi off into one of the rooms.
"Tsubame, what are you and the weasel girl up to?" Yahiko closed the door behind him and folded his arms in front of his chest. "This really isn't the time to be playing games."
"It's it's not a game, Yahiko-kun" Tsubame absently brushed at the apron of her waitress outfit. "It's just that we wanted to say goodbye to you two in a special way"
Yahiko's eyes widened. "Wha What do you mean by that?" His heart started racing as the attractive young waitress took a step toward him, smiling shyly.
"I hope everything will be alright up in Hokkaido You'll take care of yourself, won't you?" Tsubame's eyes pleaded with him. Yahiko barely managed to nod as the young woman took another step toward him. "I'd be really sad if something happened to you"
"I I'll be fine, Tsubame."
Why is she looking at me like that?
Tsubame took another step and Yahiko found himself staring directly into her face. Not only was she too close for him to comfortably focus on anything else but also he felt himself oddly mesmerized by her sparkling eyes and the gentle curve of her lips.
What the hell? Why am I looking at her lips??
It was a mere fraction of a second later that he realized why he'd been staring at that particular part of her face. She drew in close to him, timid and unsure of what she was doing. Yahiko held his breath and remained rigid and unmoving, unable and unwilling to escape the young woman's spell. Warm lips, more tender than anything he could have imagined gently brushed against his cheek and Yahiko's eyes widened as realization struck.
She KISSED me! Tsubame kissed me!
Tsubame stood back and nervously clasped her hands together in front of her apron, waiting for his response. She was blushing madly, and Yahiko was dimly aware of a warm sensation creeping up his own neck. Slowly, he raised a hand to his face and felt the spot where the historic event had taken place.
My first kissshe only kissed me on the cheek, but I don't think I've ever felt anything like that before. It was like lightning when she made contact. My body is tingling! Is there something wrong with me??
He stared at the young, beautiful, woman wondering if she had the answer to his question. Tsubame bit her bottom lip. "Did did you like it? At all?"
She thinks I didn't like it! What am I doing? I need to tell her right now how much I enjoyed it, but I don't know what to say!
"Tsu Tsubame" He stammered, feeling like an idiot. "That was great And thanks for caring about me so much. You're the best girlfriend in the whole world."
Her face brightened like the noonday sun and she threw her arms around his neck. And for once, Yahiko and Tsubame hugged each other without worrying about what anyone else would say.
"Misao what is all this about?" Aoshi watched her calmly as she closed the door behind the two of them.
"How long have we known each other, Aoshi?"
The serious question from the generally unserious person almost caught him off guard. "Since you were born of course why?"
"We've been separated a lot during that time And now you're going away again. But I don't really mind Aoshi-sama because I know that you'll be coming back. I'm not worried at all. And I know I won't have to go chasing after you again cause you'll come back on your own."
It wasn't a question, but for some reason, the former okashira felt the need to reply. "Of course Misao"
"You've changed Aoshi." Misao fixed him with a strange look and the powerful ninja suddenly felt unsure of himself. Was change a good thing? "You've had a lot of time to think about things to work out your feelings It's been five years since you came back to us to me And I've been waiting all this time"
"Waiting?"
Misao heard a note of uncertainty from the man known for his composure. "You know what I'm going to say to you as a spy you know how to gather your information." The female ninja paused and searched his face. He watched her in disbelief as she uttered the words he never thought he'd hear from anyone. "I love you, Aoshi. I always have, and I always will"
His mouth opened to speak but instead it only managed to hang, partially open.
"And if you think I'm talking about the same childish love I've had for you all my life think again." With skills from years of martial arts training, Misao grabbed the collar of his police uniform and pulled him off balance enough so that his face met hers. And then, it wasn't just their faces that met. The young woman who had always worshipped him pressed her moist lips against his and he found himself powerless. Lips that he'd watched with interest while she smiled and talked were suddenly making contact with his own lips that rarely even smiled. To say that Shinomori Aoshi was surprised would fall far short of the truth. He stood there, leaning forward and not daring to move as she kissed him.
After a breathless moment, Misao finally pulled away. He hadn't kissed her back, but he hadn't resisted her either. It was a start, and more than the young woman would have asked for in a hundred years. "You don't have to say anything Aoshi. Not yet I'm giving you a little longer to figure out how you feel." She jumped back, gave him her biggest grin and flashed him a victory sign with two of her fingers. "Kick some bad guy ass up in Hokkaido! I'll be waiting for you!" And without another word, she darted out the door to leave Aoshi standing in the room, staring blankly at the spot where she'd been standing half a heartbeat earlier.
A little pain's not so bad really It lets me know that I'm alive, at the very least
The minute the thought popped into his head, he knew he'd returned to consciousness. He reluctantly brushed away some of the remaining cobwebs in his brain and slowly opened his eyes. He made a valiant effort to coalesce the double and triple image that assaulted his vision. It was strange, but even though he swore he'd opened both his eyes, only one of them seemed to be working. The thought might have scared a normal man, but he wasn't one of them.
At any rate, I can still see Now if only I could figure out what I'm looking at.
A few unacknowledged moments passed before he finally realized that he was staring at a plain wooden ceiling.
Ahhh a ceiling great now where am I exactly?
He thought briefly about getting up and getting himself away from wherever he was. That was his general rule of thumb for regaining consciousness in a strange place. Chances were good that you'd either lost consciousness in that place, which made it potentially dangerous, or the people who'd knocked you senseless had taken you there, which was also an equally bad thing.
Yup, it's definitely time to go.
Before he could convince his strangely reluctant body to listen, he sensed a presence beside him. He didn't need to see the person to know who it was. He found himself comforted just by having her near. Suddenly, getting up and leaving didn't seem all that necessary.
He discovered, to his great joy, that if he looked down and to his left he could see her. He remained absolutely still as he watched her work in the room illuminated only by a few scattered lanterns. Her face was drawn and her lips squeezed tightly against each other, but she was still beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that he felt momentarily guilty for having the honor of waking up with her by his side. Entrenched in her work, she gently cleansed the palm of his left hand with a liquid that caused a sharp twinge of pain to race up his arm. He must have flinched because her focus changed from her task to his face.
"Sanosuke?" Concern was etched on her features.
"Mornin." At least, that's what he'd meant to say. For some reason his jaw wasn't responding with it's normal efficiency.
She seemed to notice his flash of confusion and quickly placed her hand on his shoulder, reassuring him by her touch. "Don't talk Sano and lie still everything will be alright"
Everything will be alright?
A sudden flash of memory hit him like a zanbatou. In rapid succession, images from his midnight battle with his best friend flashed in front of his eyes. Reacting without thinking, he tried to sit up in alarm. Her gentle hand turned forceful as she kept him pinned. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep the pain from his undue movements from slamming into him. In a bright flash of agony, he relived every blow from his friend's sakabatou. The intense assault overcame his senses and for a moment, he knew blackness.
"Sanosuke? Sanosuke!"
Someone groaned in pain, and it wasn't until a moment later that his brain processed the information and let him know that he'd been the one to make the noise.
"Chikusho" He pried his eyes open and found three Megumi's hovering over him.
"When I said, lie still, I really meant, don't move. Would that have been easier to understand?"
Is sheteasing me?
"Megumi?" His voice sounded unnaturally hoarse in his own ears and once again his jaw refused to open without major complaints.
She placed a single finger to his lips, touching them lightly. "Don't try to speak your jaw and throat have sustained injury."
He opened his mouth to protest, but even that movement brought a fresh wave of pain.
"You need to rest right now, Sagara Sanosuke. Your fight with Ken-san would have killed a normal man" She paused and gave him a terribly serious look. "I'm not saying that to inflate your ego I'm saying that because it is the truth, plain and simple. The injuries to your head and neck alone should have been enough to finish anyone. As it is, I'm afraid you're going to be having a lot of headaches for the next couple of weeks and you may experience vision problems."
As she mentioned his eyesight, Sanosuke began to reach his hand up to feel his face.
Che, is there something covering my eye, or is it swollen shut? Or is it not working??
He didn't get to lift his hand six inches before she clasped his wrist gently and lowered his hand back to its original position. "Don't move Sano, especially not your hands If you're worried about your vision You had a deep cut on your eyebrow and the left side of your face is bruised. You eye is swollen shut, and I had to wrap it to cover the stitches on your eyebrow."
He nodded imperceptibly. "What else?"
Megumi pursed her lips again as he spoke but refrained from chiding him. "You've broken three ribs and severely bruised a few more. You're lucky you wear a tight wrapping around your waist already That's about all I could do for the injury anyway. You'll need to take it easy for a while so they have a chance to heal" He nodded again, too tired to argue with her. "You've got a variety of bruises and scrapes, but your worst injuries are your hands." She paused a moment and picked up a fresh roll of bandages. "I just finished stitching up your left hand that's probably what woke you up." She carefully lifted his hand and began wrapping the bandages around his palm. "You've broken your right hand again worse than before." She avoided eye contact as she continued working. "If you're not careful this time there won't be anything I can do to fix it."
He settled back as he watched her work, feeling strangely content. "You can fix anything"
Her eyes flashed angrily for a split second but when she turned and met his gaze, her look softened. "Listen Sanosuke I appreciate your confidence in me but you don't seem to understand the current state of your hand. It was already broken before your fight last night. And then it seems you forgot yourself and used that crazy attack of yours. You've broken your fingers and the bones in the back of your hand were sticking out when I arrived. The skin on your hand is heavily scarred and it's not going to heal as quickly as it used to." As she spoke, Sano slowly lifted his heavily bandaged right hand to take a look at it. Megumi was watching his face so intently that she either didn't notice or didn't care what he was doing. "It's the same thing with the bones And on top of that hands are made up of complicated muscles and ligaments and yours have been through so much that it is highly likely that you've already permanently damaged them."
Sanosuke dropped his hand back to his side and gave her his full attention. She continued, explaining his injuries in detail, but the whole time he felt a smile forming.
She's so amazing... She's smart, beautiful, wonderful...
"You need to listen to me this time." She continued, sensing that his attention was slipping from the topic. "If you don't let your hand rest, it's finished" Unable to meet his intense gaze any longer, she turned back to her work. "When you come back from Hokkaido I'd rather have you in one piece"
Her quiet comment elicited a single bark of laughter from her patient. He winced slightly as his ribs protested the movement, but a wide grin spread itself across lips that were swollen and split. "Relax Fox."
"Relax?" She glared at him, thinking about all the work she'd done to try and fix him up. She thought about the seriousness of his injuries and about how terrified she'd been to walk into the prison cell and find him bleeding and unconscious. "Why exactly should I relax!?"
With each word he spoke, he felt his jaw limbering up. "Cause this is nothing. I've lived through much worse. And nothing is going to happen to me in Hokkaido to keep me from coming back in one piece."
Megumi had to put a tight rein on her emotions to keep herself from yelling at him. "Sanosuke I can see you don't understand the situation as much as I do For once do you think you can just listen to me?"
"Hey I always listen to you."
Megumi's eyes widened and then narrowed in frustration. "If that were true then none of this would have happened." She vaguely indicated his multiple injuries. "I told you to yesterday to be careful in your fight with Ken-san but did you listen? No!"
"Hey hey you didn't say anything about taking care of myself You just told me to take it easy on Kenshin" Sanosuke felt a strange sensation creeping up the back of his neck as he watched the lady doctor's reaction to his words. "Wait is Kenshin alright?" He went to sit up again but she managed to stop him before he made it too far. He was almost thankful as he felt his head sink back against the comfortable pillow that cushioned it. "Kenshin is he?"
"He's fine Sanosuke but like you, he'll need his rest."
Tension that he hadn't been aware of melted out of his body. "Oh good you had me scared there for a minute"
"It's not quite that simple" She hesitated a moment before continuing. "We found him last night passed out in the front yard."
"Chikusho" His jaw tightened causing a spasm of pain that he completely ignored.
"Ken-san's Hiten Mitsurugi techniques were too much of a strain on his body. He's pulled quite a few muscles and I believe he's fractured both his feet probably since so much of his style involves jumping and quick movement"
"Shit" Sano clenched his left hand and felt each one of his fresh stitches pulling against his palm. "Megumi I I"
I what? I didn't think? I didn't know? I didn't listen to you? Why am I such an idiot?
The lady doctor laid her hand over his and gently coerced him to open it before causing himself more injury. "It's alright Sanosuke I won't pretend to understand what happened between you and Ken-san last night but you're both going to recover so I really can't complain. Or at least if you listen to me you're going to recover."
Sanosuke sighed and stared up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling very foolish.
I don't really care what happens to me but hell if I wanted that to happen to Kenshin. I hope he'll be all right. But I guess he'll have Jou-chan and Megumi around to take care of him Speaking of Megumi this is the last time I'm going to get to see her for a while isn't it?
"Sano?"
He fixed his one eyed gaze on the lady doctor. "Yeah Fox?"
"Ken-san told me details about your fight so I could be prepared to treat you today I've treated your hands, your ribs, your face, your neck, and your head is there any other injuries I should take a look at?"
He paused a long moment and allowed his brain to receive messages from all parts of his body. He realized that his previously dislocated shoulder was left untreated. "Uh my shoulder kinda hurts I dislocated it last night."
Megumi blinked. "Oh. Ken-san must have forgotten that detail. Well let's see I'm going to have to take a look at it."
Without waiting for her consent, Sano rolled over on his side, threw his legs over the bed and used his elbow to prop himself up. Megumi gasped at his sudden movement but spared him the complaints that burst into her mind. Instead, she helped him sit up fully and kept her hand on his chest to keep him from falling off the bed. After the momentary look of dizziness passed from his face, he replaced it with one of his stupid grins.
Does he expect me to be proud of him for acting like an idiot? So what if no other man in Tokyo would even be conscious after receiving his injuries
She sighed and shook her head. "You're impossible"
"Don't you mean impressive?"
"The only thing that's impressive about you is your stupidity Now we need to take off your shirt."
"My my aren't we in a hurry."
"Sano"
"You're just dying to get me out of my shirt again, aren't you?" He leaned his face towards hers, still smiling like an idiot.
What's gotten into him?
"Sano! This is serious. And we don't have time to play around"
He noticed the faint blush creeping up on her face and felt satisfied that he could still have that effect on her. "Who said anything about playing around?" He lowered his voice and softened it, doing his best to sound enticing. He'd already figured out how much she liked it when he talked that way.
She stared at him wide-eyed as he cradled the back of her head in his bandaged left hand and brought their lips together, kissing her hungrily. For a moment she seemed hesitant, but the urgency she sensed from him fueled her own feelings. She leaned forward into the kiss, pushing him back against the cold, stone walls of the prison and climbing up onto the bed beside him, partially straddling one of his legs. He was enjoying every moment and every sensation and found himself drowning in her lips and her closeness. One thing stood in the way of complete contact and his clumsy bandaged hands found the folds of her medical smock. As he worked to free her from her confines, her own hands played across his body.
They were gentle and soothing, warm to the touch and exciting. He loved how she touched him... How she played with the muscles of his back and his chest. Her hands slid down across his rib cage and a sudden jolt of pain brought everything crashing to a halt. Their lips broke apart as his entire body flinched from the pain. He bumped the back of his head against the wall causing himself more pain.
"Chikusho" He groaned and then opened his eye when he realized that he'd squeezed it shut. Megumi's face was directly in front of his, and she was smiling mischievously.
"As much as I'd love to stay right here with you we really do need to take a look at your other injuries."
"Dammit Fox, you did that on purpose?" He gingerly probed his ribcage, where the vixen had attacked him. "That's not funny"
"And neither are untreated injuries. Now help me get your shirt off so I can get a look at that shoulder of yours."
I can't win
He sighed and assisted to the best of his ability as she slid his gi off one shoulder and then the other. Her hands probed his shoulder gently, but the contact didn't excite him. Once again her hands were the hands of an experienced doctor.
"Don't look so depressed Sano You should have realized that I'm going to have to punish you for not following my orders. If you weren't injured right now, you and I could spend our time together differently."
The subtle hint left Sanosuke mentally cursing himself.
Now why didn't I think about this before? And I can't forget that this is the last time that we're going to get to see each other before I leave for Hokkaido I need to tell her how I feel and make her understand I know she's attracted to me and all but I want more from her. But does she understand that this isn't just about lust? And right now does she think I'm anything other than a complete idiot for not listening to her?
"Hey Megumi"
She stopped wrapping his shoulder and met his gaze. "What is it?"
"I know you're kinda mad at me for not listing to you and getting all beat up in the process and beating up Kenshin and ruining our last visit before I leave for Hokkaido and even for agreeing to go to Hokkaido in the first place..." She didn't bother to argue the point or interrupt him so he continued. "And" He trailed off, trying vainly to come up with a way to explain himself and his feelings. A sudden thought popped into his head, causing him to smile at the memory. "Do you want to hear a story?"
She blinked in confusion. ""I know you're mad at me so do you want to hear a story!?" You've suffered a worse head injury than I thought." The lady doctor returned to her work, shaking her head in wonder.
Sanosuke scowled at her and caught her hand with his left. "Can you just listen?"
"Fine Sano but remember, we don't have all day." She didn't bother to mention that she was curious to see what kind of story he could possibly tell her to justify everything that had happened.
"Ok well After leaving Japan the first place I found myself in was America."
"This sounds like a long story Sanosuke" She picked up a fresh roll of bandages.
"Don't interrupt" He gave her a serious look and then continued. "The place is a lot different than Japan and I soon discovered that if I wanted to travel across it, which I did, I'd need to find myself some means of transportation besides my own two legs." Megumi rolled her eyes and finished wrapping Sano's injured shoulder while he spoke. "I asked around, and everyone told me that the best way for a lone man to travel through the deserts and plains separating me from the East Coast was to go by train And I Uh I decided that I'd rather have some freedom while I traveled" Megumi hid her smile as she thought about the ex-gangster's real reason for avoiding the train. His unnatural fear of the large moving vehicles had always been one of the Kenshin-gumi's favorite jokes. Fortunately, Sano didn't notice her amusement. "I decided instead, to buy myself a horse."
"A horse, Sanosuke?" Megumi was slightly surprised by the turn in his story. She tried to imagine him riding a horse through some foreign country.
"Yes A horse. Now where was I oh yes. Anyway, so I went to go buy myself a horse but apparently somebody thought it would be funny to send me to the worst horse dealer in California" The ex-gangster broke off for a brief moment muttered under his breath something that Megumi thankfully didn't understand. She got the basic emotion though, Sano was still pissed at whoever had tricked him. "So anyway, I get there and the guy is almost completely sold out and at the time I knew nothing about buying a decent animal So I let this guy rip me off by selling me a completely untrained horse."
"That's terrible Sanosuke but what's your point?"
"I'm getting to it!"
Megumi grinned and draped the man's white gi over his shoulders to keep him as warm as possible in the cell. He didn't seem to notice as his memories drifted up from wherever he'd been keeping them.
"The horse was absolutely terrible! In all my days, I've never seen an animal like him. I picked him because he seemed spirited and I thought a lively horse was a good one. What an idiot I was I couldn't get him to do a damn thing!" He smiled and turned to Megumi. "If I wanted to go left, he wanted to go right If I wanted him to gallop, he wanted to stop Never in the all the months that the horse and I traveled together did it ever drop its attitude!" Sanosuke laughed once and grinned. A sudden wistful look came across his face and he stared off toward the door of the cell. "But Kami-sama In all my years of traveling, I never found a horse I loved as much as that one It never did a thing I wanted it do to but I still loved it"
Megumi found herself surprised by the emotion that he was expressing about an animal, but when he turned back to face her, she understood what he was getting at with his story.
"Megumi I know I don't listen to you half as much as I should but do you think" He faltered a moment, glancing down at his bandaged hands. "Do you think you can love me anyway?"
"Oh Sano" She folded her arms around him and took special care not to injure him when she pulled him close. "I meant to tell you before how I felt but everything's been getting in our way I'm not sure how I felt about you before you left Japan but I know now that I love you."
Sanosuke's eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Megumi really?" His voice broke, but he didn't care.
"Of course Sanosuke" She pulled away from him and gently brushed his wild bangs out of his eye. "Only I think I can succeed where you failed with your horse. I'm going to tame you, Sagara Sanosuke if it's the last thing I do." She smiled at him radiantly and irresistibly.
"And what if you can't?" He smirked, drawing her closer to him. "Many have tried all of them failed."
"I'll keep you anyway."
-----------------------
Sorry about the long wait people. I hardly wrote at all over Christmas break because evil video games, family, and friends got in the way. I hope you all can forgive me? And I hope this doesn't stop people from reviewing!
Special thanks to: eri, Draconicalpriest, Firuze Khanume, Karina Kineshi, MegumiFuu, Wintermute, SnuggleBunni, Mkasshoku., Carolyn, Sagara Sanosuke, Nayru Ikari, Seiyo, Jason M. Lee, omni82, chibi tomoe, Chibimora, Lara-chan, Daniel Do Amaral Rodrigues, Em, and laijenn for reading and taking the time to review my two previous chapters! I put a lot of work into them and I'm so glad that you let me know that my work was worth the effort! Chapter 17 was just especially for you guys!
Coming Next: It's a big secret! *sticks out tongue* But wait... is that cigarette smoke I smell? Could it possibly be... the wolf of Mibu?? You won't wanna miss it!
Oh yeah, as a side note, I just wrote a story
called "Oceans In Between" which I've affectionately
started calling "The Run to You OVA's". It's a look
in Sano's mind as he leaves Japan. Eventually I'll start adding
chapters all about his adventures while he traveled the world.
But this isn't just some new fun for me! Oh no! I'd like to challenge
any of you authors/readers/fans out there to write some stories
about Sano's world travels! If enough people are interested,
I'll probably have a contest with cool prizes! Email me or leave
a review here or for "Oceans in Between" if you're
interested!