Megumi hurried over to the window. "Aoshi! What happened?"
"Someone...was...here..." he said hoarsely, gripping her shoulder as she tried to pry him off the window. "They...left...They..." He grunted in pain, clutching his side.
"Did they attack you?" she asked.
"No...they..." he trailed off, collapsing in her arms.
Megumi swallowed. "Aoshi..." Once again, she was stunned by how he could be strong one day, weak the next. Her eyes softened, and she glanced at her brother and their assistant. "Ayu, could you boil some water?"
"Yes, Sensei..."
Kei moved forward to help his sister put their patient to bed. "Did he just say that someone was here?"
Megumi moved the blanket over Aoshi's form. "Yes..."
"Megumi-chan...are we in danger?" Kei asked sternly. "You told me that this man is a friend of a patient...but...I want the truth."
She returned his gaze steadily. "Now is not the place for this conversation."
"Then we'll discuss this outside..."
"He's what?" Kei asked increduolously.
"Okashira of Edo Oniwabanshu...at least...when they were alive..." she murmured.
Kei sat back, absorbing it all. They were in his office, where they could be left alone to talk. "And how does he know Jiro-san?"
"I think Jiro-san was a friend of the Oniwabanshu years ago..." Megumi responded. "I don't know for sure if he became acquainted with Aoshi himself or the former okashira...but the two do know each other. I didn't lie about that..."
"There's something else that you're not telling me," Kei responded.
Megumi looked away.
"Megumi-chan..."
She lifted regretful eyes to meet her brother's gaze. "I...I've done many things...that I'm not proud of..."
"It can't be that awful..." Kei leaned forward. "Was this in Tokyo?"
Megumi nodded. She was over the pain of her life as Kanryu's prisoner, but she would never forget all the lives she destroyed. "Yes..." She swallowed fiercely. "Six years ago...I went to Tokyo working as a doctor's assistant. The physician...had been making opium for a less reputable businessman named Takeda Kanryu...They...They had a disagreement and Kanryu killed him. I had to take the physican's place...mass-producing opium...so Kanryu could sell them on the streets..." She sighed, her fists tightening in her lap. "Kanryu had many bodyguards to protect him and prevent me from escaping...he had also hired the Oniwabanshu as an extra precaution."
Kei's eyes rounded. "Then...Shinomori Aoshi was..."
"My prison guard," Megumi whispered.
"But...you seem to be on civil terms..."
Megumi sighed. "A lot has changed since then...When...When I was able to escape, I ran into a former gangster and samurai...they rescued me from Kanryu. That night...Aoshi was the only Edo Oniwabanshu member who lived. His men died by Kanryu's gatling gun. He...He blamed Ken-san, the samurai, for their deaths. For a long time...he was consumed by rage...he...he forgot what was most important..." Megumi looked at a point on the wall. "There were members in Kyoto...but those Oniwabanshu found lives of their own. Aoshi's men...knew nothing but their fighting skills. He tried to give them a life...something to be proud of. But...things changed when his men died...he was lost for a long time..." she murmured. "He gave up everything just to fight Ken-san...and...he nearly killed his mentor and alienated the girl who loves him in the process. But...Ken-san was able to get through to him...And...he hasn't taken up his swords since..."
"He's dangerous," Kei said quietly. "Whoever was here...they might want to finish the job."
"It's our duty to look after him, and I will continue to do so, regardless of the risks."
"Look at what's happened to you, Megumi-chan. If he had just-"
"I admit, there was a time when I despised who he was and what he represented, but that was a long time ago. I won't let the past rule my decisions." Megumi tightened her fists. "In Tokyo, I met many who deserved more than a night in jail for their crimes. But I treated them anyway because I'm a doctor. It's what we're supposed to do. Treat patients and not pass judgment. Remember?"
"Our parents used to say that a lot..." Kei mused aloud. Then he looked at her. "I don't want to see you hurt. I almost lost you once..."
She smiled briefly. "I'm not as delicate as you think..."
***
"You should eat something," his physician instructed, setting a tray of soup and tea by his bed.
He ignored her comment and asked, "Any news?"
"No," Megumi answered softly.
"What about your doctor friend who responded to your letter?" he pressed. Reaching up with a trembling hand, he tried to remove the hot cloth on his forehead. Damn. He didn't remember ever being this weak.
Her eyes widened. "You heard that?"
"Just that his letter arrived," Aoshi said softly.
Megumi sighed. "He treated a patient with similar symptoms..."
"And?"
She closed her eyes for several moments. Aoshi reached out, circling her wrist with his shaking hand. Her eyes flew open.
"What happened?"
When she looked at him, her composure had returned. "He passed away fourteen days after he first became ill..."
Aoshi looked at the ceiling. "I don't have much time left..."
Megumi gently disengaged his hand from her arm. "Your guess was right...sedatives and painkillers speed up the poison..."
He nodded his head once.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Megumi asked.
"No...not at this time..."
She then left. Aoshi turned, examining the food she had brought.
Ironic. The woman he had held prisoner two years ago was doing all she could to save his life. They had encountered several times since his men had died...and one of those occasions, he had threatened to kill her. He was a different man back then. He sipped his soup thoughtfully. He respected her, but he never really interacted with her until recently.
He set the bowl down before going into a coughing fit.
Eleven days was a long time. He hoped something would come up before his time was over.
***
Several days had passed. Aoshi was getting weaker and weaker. Megumi blew out a breath as she proceeded to finish her paperwork. She wasn't a miracle worker. There was only so much she could do. As Aoshi grew weaker, Megumi was beginning to lose hope.
"Megumi-sensei?" Ayu spoke up, standing in the doorway.
"Yes?"
"A letter has arrived for you. The messenger boy didn't say who sent it..."
Megumi took the letter and unfolded it. After skimming the contents, her lips parted in shock and her eyes rounded.
"What is it?" Ayu asked.
"It...It's a list of the ingredients used to poison Aoshi," Megumi whispered.
"What?" Ayu was stunned. "Can you trust it? Are you sure that-"
"This message...is from Jiro-san," Megumi continued. "He...He created the poison in the first place..."
A/N: Okay Girlquinn, Xiaoyu, what's up with mentioning all the bodily functions? Y'all are nasty...lol.
"Someone...was...here..." he said hoarsely, gripping her shoulder as she tried to pry him off the window. "They...left...They..." He grunted in pain, clutching his side.
"Did they attack you?" she asked.
"No...they..." he trailed off, collapsing in her arms.
Megumi swallowed. "Aoshi..." Once again, she was stunned by how he could be strong one day, weak the next. Her eyes softened, and she glanced at her brother and their assistant. "Ayu, could you boil some water?"
"Yes, Sensei..."
Kei moved forward to help his sister put their patient to bed. "Did he just say that someone was here?"
Megumi moved the blanket over Aoshi's form. "Yes..."
"Megumi-chan...are we in danger?" Kei asked sternly. "You told me that this man is a friend of a patient...but...I want the truth."
She returned his gaze steadily. "Now is not the place for this conversation."
"Then we'll discuss this outside..."
"He's what?" Kei asked increduolously.
"Okashira of Edo Oniwabanshu...at least...when they were alive..." she murmured.
Kei sat back, absorbing it all. They were in his office, where they could be left alone to talk. "And how does he know Jiro-san?"
"I think Jiro-san was a friend of the Oniwabanshu years ago..." Megumi responded. "I don't know for sure if he became acquainted with Aoshi himself or the former okashira...but the two do know each other. I didn't lie about that..."
"There's something else that you're not telling me," Kei responded.
Megumi looked away.
"Megumi-chan..."
She lifted regretful eyes to meet her brother's gaze. "I...I've done many things...that I'm not proud of..."
"It can't be that awful..." Kei leaned forward. "Was this in Tokyo?"
Megumi nodded. She was over the pain of her life as Kanryu's prisoner, but she would never forget all the lives she destroyed. "Yes..." She swallowed fiercely. "Six years ago...I went to Tokyo working as a doctor's assistant. The physician...had been making opium for a less reputable businessman named Takeda Kanryu...They...They had a disagreement and Kanryu killed him. I had to take the physican's place...mass-producing opium...so Kanryu could sell them on the streets..." She sighed, her fists tightening in her lap. "Kanryu had many bodyguards to protect him and prevent me from escaping...he had also hired the Oniwabanshu as an extra precaution."
Kei's eyes rounded. "Then...Shinomori Aoshi was..."
"My prison guard," Megumi whispered.
"But...you seem to be on civil terms..."
Megumi sighed. "A lot has changed since then...When...When I was able to escape, I ran into a former gangster and samurai...they rescued me from Kanryu. That night...Aoshi was the only Edo Oniwabanshu member who lived. His men died by Kanryu's gatling gun. He...He blamed Ken-san, the samurai, for their deaths. For a long time...he was consumed by rage...he...he forgot what was most important..." Megumi looked at a point on the wall. "There were members in Kyoto...but those Oniwabanshu found lives of their own. Aoshi's men...knew nothing but their fighting skills. He tried to give them a life...something to be proud of. But...things changed when his men died...he was lost for a long time..." she murmured. "He gave up everything just to fight Ken-san...and...he nearly killed his mentor and alienated the girl who loves him in the process. But...Ken-san was able to get through to him...And...he hasn't taken up his swords since..."
"He's dangerous," Kei said quietly. "Whoever was here...they might want to finish the job."
"It's our duty to look after him, and I will continue to do so, regardless of the risks."
"Look at what's happened to you, Megumi-chan. If he had just-"
"I admit, there was a time when I despised who he was and what he represented, but that was a long time ago. I won't let the past rule my decisions." Megumi tightened her fists. "In Tokyo, I met many who deserved more than a night in jail for their crimes. But I treated them anyway because I'm a doctor. It's what we're supposed to do. Treat patients and not pass judgment. Remember?"
"Our parents used to say that a lot..." Kei mused aloud. Then he looked at her. "I don't want to see you hurt. I almost lost you once..."
She smiled briefly. "I'm not as delicate as you think..."
***
"You should eat something," his physician instructed, setting a tray of soup and tea by his bed.
He ignored her comment and asked, "Any news?"
"No," Megumi answered softly.
"What about your doctor friend who responded to your letter?" he pressed. Reaching up with a trembling hand, he tried to remove the hot cloth on his forehead. Damn. He didn't remember ever being this weak.
Her eyes widened. "You heard that?"
"Just that his letter arrived," Aoshi said softly.
Megumi sighed. "He treated a patient with similar symptoms..."
"And?"
She closed her eyes for several moments. Aoshi reached out, circling her wrist with his shaking hand. Her eyes flew open.
"What happened?"
When she looked at him, her composure had returned. "He passed away fourteen days after he first became ill..."
Aoshi looked at the ceiling. "I don't have much time left..."
Megumi gently disengaged his hand from her arm. "Your guess was right...sedatives and painkillers speed up the poison..."
He nodded his head once.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Megumi asked.
"No...not at this time..."
She then left. Aoshi turned, examining the food she had brought.
Ironic. The woman he had held prisoner two years ago was doing all she could to save his life. They had encountered several times since his men had died...and one of those occasions, he had threatened to kill her. He was a different man back then. He sipped his soup thoughtfully. He respected her, but he never really interacted with her until recently.
He set the bowl down before going into a coughing fit.
Eleven days was a long time. He hoped something would come up before his time was over.
***
Several days had passed. Aoshi was getting weaker and weaker. Megumi blew out a breath as she proceeded to finish her paperwork. She wasn't a miracle worker. There was only so much she could do. As Aoshi grew weaker, Megumi was beginning to lose hope.
"Megumi-sensei?" Ayu spoke up, standing in the doorway.
"Yes?"
"A letter has arrived for you. The messenger boy didn't say who sent it..."
Megumi took the letter and unfolded it. After skimming the contents, her lips parted in shock and her eyes rounded.
"What is it?" Ayu asked.
"It...It's a list of the ingredients used to poison Aoshi," Megumi whispered.
"What?" Ayu was stunned. "Can you trust it? Are you sure that-"
"This message...is from Jiro-san," Megumi continued. "He...He created the poison in the first place..."
A/N: Okay Girlquinn, Xiaoyu, what's up with mentioning all the bodily functions? Y'all are nasty...lol.