Author's Notes: It's an old work I just dug up from my folders. Er, no, this isn't the serious, full-length Sano-Megumi sequel I promised a long time ago. Just a little one-shot thinggy idea I had from watching Detective Conan, but I'm thinking of splitting it into a couple of chapters.^^ I took a break from serious fics when I wrote this.^^;; I thought the story was pretty aimless, but I decided to post it anyway after months and months of neglect. Tell me how it fares, anyhow.^^

Little Rooster
-SwordSkill

"And stay out!" Megumi slammed the door of her clinic.

Sano glared back and mumbled, "Che. Foxes. Strange things. I knew they were crazy."

"No luck, eh, young man?" A short, bent man hobbled near Sano, leaning on a stick.

"Mind your business, oji," muttered Sano as he turned to leave.

"Hmm, this is my business," replied the other, grinning toothily while he rubbed his bald head.

"Oh yeah?" Sano sniffed. "What's it, annoying people?" He shrugged then said, "Now buzz off."

The old man tsked noisily. "No manners, youth of today. Think just because they're big everyone has to bow to them."

"Stop following me, old man. You won't get anything from me. Spent all my change gambling last night."

"Ach, gambling. That's wimpy stuff," said the stranger, shaking his head. "Now, sake-drinking. There's a man's game."

That caught Sano's attention. He whirled to face the old man and poke at his chest. "Oi, oi! I'm the champion in sake-drinking. No one can and will beat me, especially not you, old man!"

A glint flashed in the old man's eye. "Oh really?" he said in such a matter-of-fact way that made the ex-gangster challenge, "Akabeko, seven o' clock, tonight!"

"Bring a stretcher with you, my young fellow," said the old man, smiling at the furious Sano.

***

"Baka oji," muttered Sano, glaring at his elderly opponent who sat opposite him. "I'll make your head ring so loud tomorrow morning, you'll be hearing your ancestors singing!"

The old man said nothing but smiled infuriatingly back.

"Hmf! Tae! Serve all the sake till one of us drops," yelled Sano.

He heard Tae groan, "Again? Someone rubbed your sake-drinking pride again? Tell me who's going to pay first! Your tab is as long as an arm ever since the bout you had last week!"

"I'll pay, Sekihara-san," said the old man gently.

Tae's head popped up and said, "That's your opponent, Sano? Really, I thought you had more pride!"

"Be quiet and bring 'em on!"

When Tsubame fearfully laid six cups on the table, Sano grinned in his roostery way and cracked his knuckles. "Let's go, oji!"

The old man picked a cup. "Let's go indeed."

Two hours later...

Sano groggily picked up a cup with trembling hands. What was this? The ninetieth? Hundredth? And there serenely sat the old man with nary a sign of letting up.

Sano gulped the liquid and his head rang. The old man quietly eyed him as he sipped his cup.

"I'm...I'm starting ta'...ta' pity yuh, old ma-man," slurred Sano, desperately trying to keep his eyelids up. "I say yuh qui-quit be...fore yuh c-c-collapse."

"Oh no, I'm quite fine, thank you." Through Sano's double and spotted vision, he saw his opponent took another cup and down it in a single swig, saying, "Another round please, Tsubame-san."

Dang! This guy was strong! But not strong enough. Sano determinately took another cup and put it on his lips.

He started to feel bloated as bile rose up on his throat. No! He was not gonna throw up! No way! Not while the old man was still up!

The old man watched him curiously. "Are you sure you can take another, young fellow? You look like you're about to drop."

Sano tried to say something but instead he stuffed his mouth with his hand. A retching sound was heard.

His opponent looked genuinely concerned. "I think you'd better call in a doctor," he said to Tsubame.

Sano's eyes widened. "N-n-not the fo-ox l-lady!" he gasped.

The old man lifted an eyebrow with his cup halfway to his mouth. "Very well, Sano-san," he said, putting down his cup. "I give up."

"N-nani! Yuh-yuh're p-pityin' me?" cried Sano, outraged.

"Frankly, my boy, there's no one here that isn't," The old man cast his eyes upon the audience watching Sano being beaten.

Sano let flow a string of abuse as he struggled to bring another cup to his mouth. No way that oji was going to make a fool of him! No way!

A crash echoed throughout the Akabeko as Sano dropped his cup on the floor and sank to the table, asleep.




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"Mmmph," Sano groaned, opening his eyes to a blinding shaft of sunlight that had seeped through his paper door. "Chikusho."

His head was pounding and his mouth had a strange, sour taste. He drew himself up his elbows. "What a hangover."

Then he remembered what had happened last night. Then who brought him here to his place? Probably that old man. Sano swore.

He stood up wobbily, and that's when he noticed that...he was short?

What the heck...!

His headband had dropped on his shoulders, looking three times bigger, and his bandage wrappings were loosely on his waist. His jacket looked like an entire blanket, and his trousers had dropped to his ankles.

"What the...what did that old man do to me?!" Sano yelled, realizing that his height seemed to have dropped to three feet. "And what's wrong with my voice?!"

His voice was squeaky like that of a young child. It reminded Sano of the time when he was a small boy. And his hair was short and fuzzy, like a...

"I'm...I'm a...I'm a KID!".

***

A few moments later, a short little boy emerged from Sano's apartment dressed in nothing but bandages wrapped all over him. His brown hair was in disarray, and his face was in complete disorientation.

It was that oji, thought Sanosuke angrily. He did this to me!!! Now where did he go?!"

He wandered along the streets aimlessly, praying no one would recognize him as he searched for the strange old man.

He must have put something in my sake...but is this possible? He shrunk me into a...a six-year-old! That -

And Little Sano said something too obscene for his age, causing an elderly couple to gasp in disapproval.

Is this permanent? I can't stay like this forever! I've got a life to live!

So deep was the little boy in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he was on the street where lived...

"Oh, you poor thing! You're barely dressed!"

Sano stopped in his tracks and had the fright of his life. He knew that voice...

"Ki-kitsune!" he gasped, turning around in horror.

And it was "Kitsune", frowning at him. She muttered, "I think a little epidemic called 'Sano-itis' has just inflicted all the children in this village. Oh, the country will be in ruins when I grow old!"

Sano growled inwardly. That girl really knew how to hurt a guy.

Then Megumi smiled at him. It was a real smile, a big one that spread over her oval face. It was genuine, not the cold, sarcastic ones she usually threw at him. She never smiled like that when they were together.

"Hello, little one," she said, sitting on her ankles to match his height. "What's your name?"

She doesn't recognize me! Think fast, Sagara!

"Souzo," said Sano squeakily, his old taichou's name popping into his head. "I'm, er, Katoh Souzo!"

"Hmm, Souzo, Sano's old master," said Megumi, rubbing her chin. "Funny coincidence you're named like him."

She remembers who he is, thought Sano gratefully.

"Well, come on, let's get you dressed properly," said Megumi, standing up and offering her hand.

"Get...dressed?" repeated Sano a little stupidly, staring at the pale, white hand, not knowing what to do.

"Yes, I don't want you running around without wearing anything much," said Megumi, chuckling. "Come on, Souzo."

Sano blinked a few times and took the hand, clutching it with his chubby little fingers. Then he felt a sudden urge to cover a laugh.

I'm holding Fox's hand! Hehe, if she only knew!

Megumi led him into her clinic and lifted him up onto the emergency bed.

"Now stay here while I get you something decent to where, Little Rooster," she said, patting his short crop of hair.

Rooster. Che. Is that all she ever thinks of me?

He caught her staring at him. "What?" he blurted out.

Megumi laughed, "You look exactly like Sano when I call him Rooster-head. Oh, that look is precious!" She laughed again before leaving.

Sano allowed himself a little chuckle. Ah, that fox knows me well.

He went back to his thoughts. NOW what was he going to do? If he knew Megumi, she'd probably adopt him or something. She always had these motherly instincts to take care of people or things. Probably that's why she wanted to be a doctor.

"Here you go, Sou-chan," said Megumi, coming back with a little green robe in her hands.

Sou-chan?

She held up the robe. "I think this was left by some little patient. But don't worry, I've washed it so there are no germs left. Here."

She handed the robe and looked at him expectantly.

Sano finally got it. "I'm...I'm going to change here?" he said, reddening to the roots of his hair.

"Well, of course," said Megumi, looking amused. "I won't look, if that's what you're worried about."

I'm sure you won't, thought Sano wryly, inspecting his new clothes. But still I'm a grown man...well, inside, anyway. And this isn't the time yet for you to see my beautiful bod whole yet. Not while I'm a little kid.

"Aa, Takani-sensei," said "Souzo" carefully, "can...can I change at the outhouse?"

Megumi lifted her eyebrows. "Now aren't we trying to be a big man?"

I am a big man.

"But you can have a little privacy if you want to," said Megumi, smiling. "The outhouse is at the left of the clinic. By the way, how did you know my name?"

Sano shrugged casually. "You're famous, Takani-sensei. You're a good doctor."

Megumi smiled gently. "Thank you, Souzo-chan. You're a good boy." She bent down to squeeze his arm, making Sano's heartbeat go quicker.

He wondered.

***

"So where do you live, Sou-chan?" asked Megumi as she sat down beside him. "Would your parents be worrying now?"

"Um-mm," said Sano, shaking his head with childish playfulness. He was starting have fun playing a "kiddie" role. Besides, he needed some support for him to live. He wouldn't survive very long if he stayed in this age with no one to take care of him. For the meantime while he looked for the old man, he'd have to live with Megumi. Nothing malicious, of course, just business. He had thought of trying Kenshin and Jou-chan, but if the racoon and that Yahiko recognized him, there'd be two of them to deal with. Megumi was the lesser of the two evils, at least.

"I don't know who Oto-san and Oka-san are," said Sano with great drama. "I live with my sisters and brothers, but they don't mind me very much."

Megumi's face softened, and Sano suddenly hated himself for lying to her. He scratched his head and said, "It's not so bad, Megumi-neechan." It felt strange calling her by her real name. When was the last time he called her that?

Megumi stroked his hair, and Sano wished she wouldn't do that. It made him felt warm and fuzzy and another strange feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"Would you like to stay here, Sou-chan, for the meantime?" said Megumi.

Bingo.

"If you don't mind," said Sano, disgusted at his oozing politeness. It was embarrassing him more than he imagined, even though he knew Megumi thought it wasn't really him, Sagara Sanosuke. Just a matter of pride. But still, the concept was there. He was asking her if he could live with her. He would never live it down if anyone knew. So here goes...

"Onegaiii?" pleaded Little Sano, falling into Megumi's arms.

Kami-sama, what am I doing to her?!

"You're a very nice person, Megu-neechan," he added.

You really are, you know, even if I deny it a thousand times...

Then with a touch of drama, "I'd really like to live with you, even if it's just for a short time!"

I'll try to make it longer...

Megumi didn't say anything when she drew him into a tight hug. Sano felt the heat rise to his neck. He desperately tried not to feel anything; this was not the time to get romantic.

"Will ya?" he said, his voice muffled.

"Sure," said Megumi, releasing him, much to his relief. "Genzai-sensei and the girls are away. It'll be fun to have someone to look after. Sometimes it can get very lonely here."

Really, Fox? You never told me that. Well, come to think of it, why should you?

"I'll try to make it less lonely, Megu-neechan," said Sano sincerely, meaning it.

He then proceeded to tell her that he didn't have to tell his brothers or sisters about this, since there were so many of them they wouldn't notice that he was missing. Megumi wasn't satisfied, he had to get permission first from his older siblings before he could stay. Well, alright, Sano had said, and off he went the whole afternoon "getting permission" when he was actually wandering around town looking for the strange man that had shrunk him. It was in vain though, no one knew the old man that could best him in sake-drinking. Exhausted, he went back to Megumi in the evening, with her looking very worried. She scolded him, saying that he should tell her how long he would be away so she wouldn't work up into an anxiety. Sano couldn't help thinking how much she sounded like his own mother.

That night, Megumi decided that he could use the girls's bedroom while they were away. She tucked him into bed and pulled the covers to his chin. Doing so, she neared him in such away that they were staring at each other face-to-face.

Not so close, Kitsune, or I might not be able to stop myself, thought Sano as he looked at her beautiful face. Man, you're even prettier at night.

"Goodnight, Sou-chan," whispered Megumi, kissing him on the forehead.

Oh, Kami. He could smell her, he could feel her hair on his face. It was killing him.

"Megumi," he whispered quietly when she drew away.

"Sorry, did you say something?" asked Megumi, looking puzzled. Sano mentally kicked himself. This wasn't as easy as he thought, escaping the lures of the Fox Lady.

"Iye, nothing," he said, flashing a smile. "Oyasumi, Megu-neechan."

"Oyasumi, Sou-chan," returned Megumi, sliding the door as she left.

Sano sighed and turned on his backside. He'd have to watch himself.

end of chapter 1