*********
Chapter Eleven; Timing is Everything
*********
Sir, you are tough, and I am tough
but who will write who's epitaph?
-Joseph Brodesky -'sir, you are Tough'
*********
"You want -how- much?" Sanosuke asked in surprise.
"Eighteen sen."
"Why don't you ask your Kaa-chan?"
"But Sanoooo!" Kaori whined, tugging on the older man's sleeve. "It's really important and you can't tell Kaa-chan!"
Sanosuke scowled looking meaner than he felt. "Your Kaa-chan gives you pocket money, and while I don't mind spotting you some I think I at least deserve to know why."
"Kaa-chan gave me allowance this morning, but it's not enough." Kaori looked around furitivly, in case her mother happened to be around. "There's a festival tonight and Tsubame doesn't have money to spare. Her pay check from the Akabeko only just covers her rent and food. Everything she's saving up is going for a new kimono."
"Kaori, that's not a selfish cause." Sanosuke told the girl in amusement. "Kaoru would undoubtedly give you some extra."
"I can't ask Kaa-chan for more money, I already get a bigger allowance than most kids in the street!" Kaori's tone made this benevolence of her mother's seem like a crime (who knows what ten-year-olds think?) "I'll clean your apartment!"
"You -are- serious!" Sanosuke chortled at Kaori's antics. If he lent Kaori the money and let Kaoru know about it then she would make up the difference.... but still, if he could get a clean apartment out of this and make the runt get used to working for her money... heck, sometimes being a surrogate big brother had its advantages.
"Okay, Jou-chan." Sanosuke reached into his money belt and counted out some sen. "You take Tsubame out and show her a real good time."
Kaori stared at the money in her hands. "Sano! This is nearly thirty sen!" tears gathered in her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Sano-nii-chan!"
Sanosuke laughed. "Hey, you're gonna work for it remember? Cleaning that apartment of mine for only eighteen sen would be criminal..."
He stifled his laughter as Kaori's face fell.
"Maybe I should go and start now... especially if I want to be able to get a bath before the festival..." she worried out loud.
Sanosuke got to his feet and ruffled her hair. "You work it out, I know your Kaa-chan has a key to my apartment. If she asks, tell her you lost a bet with me and have to clean the place up. That'll be almost true."
Kaori got up and scurried off to ferret the money away where ever it was that she kept her important things. Sanosuke snickered evilly as she left.
"I heard the whole thing." Kaoru commented from around the corner, Sanosuke peeked over at her and found her sitting on the veranda watching fish for supper grill.
"Didya?" Sanosuke chuckled and went to join her. "It's no crime that the kid wants to feel she's earned her money."
"I didn't say that I didn't approve of it." Kaoru smiled smugly at Kaori's behaviour. "In fact I'm proud of her, but thirty sen is an awful lot of money to give a child for cleaning your apartment."
"You've never been to my apartment have you?" Sanosuke asked skeptically and Kaoru frowned.
"There's nothing in there that will hurt her is there?" she asked in a dangerous tone of voice.
"Nah, I killed the thing in my closet this morning." Sanosuke laughed. "Still can't figure out what it was..."
"Probably laundry taken on a life of it's own." Kaoru groused. "Oh well, she can defend herself..."
"That's the spirit!" Sanosuke congratulated her and then looked around. "Oi, where's Megitsune?"
"She's helping out at Dr. Genzai's Clinic, Enishi is with her in case there's another... incident like the day before yesterday."
"That reminds me." Sanosuke remembered. "When are we gonna go after the guys who had Megitsune? My buddies finished checking out the losers who were chasing her; they were the personal bodyguards of Kanryuu Takeda."
"Hmmm." Kaoru bent her head down and fanned the fire underneath the fish. "It is coming to a head, isn't it? Maybe I should go have a visit with Mr. Takeda after supper. Would you like to stay here and keep an eye on the Dojo for me?"
"You mean make sure none of Kanryuu's goons comes to borrow Megumi while you're out. I got a better idea, I'll go get Saitou to bring his family over to visit and I'll go with you."
Kaoru pursed her lips. "That would be wise, I will probably need backup."
***
"I must say, you're quite talented." Dr. Genzai complimented Megumi as he examined a broken bone she had just finished setting and bracing. "Who were you apprenticed under?"
Megumi flushed. "Ah... no one you've met. He passed away recently."
Dr. Genzai lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, that's a shame. He must have really been something."
"Oh he was something, all right." Megumi agreed with a strained smile. "but he was a busy man and I did most of my studying out of books and observation. He was, however, an expert on western chemical medicines... except that he had the same English fondness for dosing almost all his patients with laudanum whether or not they needed it."
Dr. Genzai tsked. "Laudanum is fine drug, in and of itself but it really is over diagnosed these days. Especially in the cases of women, isn't that your area of speciality?" he asked her.
Megumi blushed, this time in pleasure. "Well, usually women -are- misdiagnosed. For example oftentimes when a woman goes to a western doctor with complications after a preganacy she is often diagnosed as having a 'nervous disease' and given opiates. In my own clinic back in the Okubansho I became very familiar with the problems of women and am finding other methods of treatment. I hope to publish my findings in a medical journal one day."
"That is a noble cause." Dr. Genzai congratulated her. "I've noticed much the same thing and while I haven't had a concentrated clientele like you have I have come up with a few myself. I shall lend you my notes!"
The two doctors shared a smile and Dr. Genzai trundled off to retrieve the promised notes, leaving Megumi to finish up with her patient. Of course, all she really had to do was watch the plaster on the man's cast dry.
Her area of study was something she hadn't even talked to Kao-san about before, but in this setting with another Doctor who was honestly interested in his patients' well being she found her dreams spilling forth.
She knew that she had something of a notoriety in Medical Circles; they called her the Whore Doctor, but honestly she did it because no one else would. Even in supposedly 'civilized' countries most doctors, even the rare female ones, would refuse to treat whores. Of course in those 'civilized' countries a woman was so very lucky to complete her medical degree and find work that she wouldn't dare risk her reputation by treating a Lady o' the Hour.
The true horror of the whole deal was that even though those women, when they were treated, were misdiagnosed because their true problems were what they were doing to themselves. It wasn't an uncommon practice for a whore, or regular woman for that matter, to dose herself with arsenic or lead to enhance her complexion and keep weight off. Belladonna was used to make the eyes brighter and shiner, and most white facial power included mercury. To achieve that 'misty' and 'detached appearance, Geishas and whores would often smoke a sticky ball of opium before greeting their customers.
No one would take the time to teach these women that what they did to their bodies was slowly killing them and even those who were wise enough to avoid those traps often died of easily treated diseases. All because no doctor wanted to risk their reputation and treat them.
"Here they are!" Dr. Genzai announced and lay a sheaf of papers in Megumi's lap. "There you go! See if our research cooraborates on any level?"
"Hey! Can I come back inside now?" Enishi called from the front yard.
"No you can't, young man!" Dr. Genzai yelled back. "You do more damage than you prevent! I realize you're here to guard Miss Takani but you're doing a better job of it out there!"
Megumi stifled a smug laugh; it was true. Enishi had already scared every child in the waiting room, dropped countless bottles of medicine, and even caused Dr. Genzai to reopen a wound that he'd been removing the stitches from. Now he was exiled from the clinic and being tormented by Ayame and Suzume's loving attentions.
But still, he did mean well and Megumi knew he disliked her because of their rivalry for dear Kao-san. Maybe it was time to take pity of the poor boy. "I'll go read this outside, he'll feel better if he can see me."
"Of course, but before you do could you fetch some water from the well out back?" the old man asked.
"Right away." Megumi tucked the papers into her sleeve and went into the back.
Thok!
A kunai thudded into the wood door frame as soon as she shut the door. Megumi regarded it with annoyance. This was getting to be an annoying re-occurance.
"This had better not be another sick love-lorn psychopath after my Kao-san." she muttered darkly as she opened up the letter attached to the kunai.
She blanched as she read the note.
'Little Fox-chan, you've been away from home so long! I miss you very much, I am consumed with it. I'm afraid your little vacation is over now, it's time to come back. If you'd like to be reasonable, someone will be waiting for you in the back of the rundown Dojo where you're staying. If you don't plan on being reasonable, however, that person may just burn down a few buildings with some loveable, big eyed children in it. It's really up to you my dear.
Your Devoted Slave,
Kanryuu Takeda.'
***
"You want me to what?"
Sanosuke spat out the fish bone he was chewing on (the remains of a fish that didn't make it as far as Kaoru's wonderful fish dinner). "You heard me Spider-face. Kaoru needs you to watch the Dojo for her tonight.
Saitou leaned back in his desk chair and lit a cigarette. "Why should I?"
"I have no clue, but she's hoping you will."
Saitou snorted a cloud of smoke in annoyance. "All right, let's put it this way; Where is she going to be that she needs me, of all people, to watch over her boarders?"
Sanosuke smirked. "Me an her are going to go have a talk with Kanryuu Takeda about trying to poison members of her household."
"The Kanyruu Takeda?" Saitou chuckled. "And just what has she gotten herself into this time?"
"We don't know, and Kaoru says it's none of our damn business." Sanosuke said drolly. "but Megumi went missing for a few days and then ran into Kaoru on the street with some thugs chasing her, one claiming she was his crazy run-away wife. I found out through the grape-vine that the jerks were some of Kanryuu's bodyguards."
"Interesting... I'm afraid Tokio and the children are out of town visiting her parents. I suppose a lonely working husband might tire of his own cooking and go to stay with friends for a while..." Saitou took a drag on his cigarette. "When?"
"Kaoru's making supper right now, you're invited by the way, she and I are gonna slip out afterwards." Sanosuke grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "It would be worth it just to get the meal, Kaoru's a great cook."
*A.N* Thought you'd never hear Sano say that, huh?^.^¿
***
Megumi had shredded the tiny note as soon as she'd read it, but the words were forever etched into her memory, accompanied by Kanryuu's lilting, boyish tones.
'that person may just burn down a few buildings with some loveable, big eyed children in it'
She knew who 'that person' would be; cold, heartless Aoshi Shinomori, the Leader of Kanryuu's most cut throat thugs; the Oniwabanshuu.
Supper was drawing to an agonising close. Kaori, Enishi, and Yahiko were absent, at the Star gazing Festival, and that strange police officer was visiting that night. She vaguely remembered Kaoru explaining to her and Enishi that his wife was out of town for a while (all the while wearing that loveable smile that made Megumi want the squeeze her tight and never let go.)
'Kao-san can protect me from anything and anyone, but she can't stop them from hurting others.' Megumi thought numbly as she watched Kaoru and Saitou making odd small talk with almost identical expressions; sunny closed eyes and small ironic smiles on their lips. 'She'll worry herself sick after I'm gone unless I defuse her suspicions.'
"Do you want some more soup, Megumi?" Kaoru asked her suddenly, startling Megumi out of her sad reverie.
"Please!" Megumi held out her bowl, after all this would be the last time she'd ever eat something that her darling Kao-san had made with her own hands.
Kaoru ladled some broth into her bowl and handed it back to her. "So who is Kanryuu threatening to send after you?"
Megumi nearly dropped her bowl, she tried to cover up her unpleasant surprise with a haughty laugh. "Why, Kao-san! Whatever do you mean? Didn't we say that Kanryuu gave up on me a long time ago?"
The police officer, Goro Fujita raised an eyebrow. "Ah. So it -is- Kanryuu Takeda who is after you. I assume then, that you were the doctor he had formulating that refined opium for him."
Megumi choked on her own breath. "I didn't! I- I ran away!"
"Maa-maa!" Sanosuke consoled her. "No one is saying you did it because you wanted to."
"Megumi-chan?"
Kaoru's simple pronunciation of her name (plus an endearment! YAY!) crumbled Megumi's resolve and the story came rushing out of her accompanied heavily by tears; unfortunately she was crying so hard that no one understood a word she said. Kaoru left her supper tray and came to let Megumi sob into her shoulder until the worst of the storm passed.
"It was the doctor I was apprenticed to!" she confessed with a hiccup from left over tears, Kao-san still had a supportive arm around her and Megumi cuddled into her side. Even traumatized, she wasn't one to lose a chance to get close to the normally homophobic Kaoru.
"He developed the new type of opium; it's a small white powder that can be manufactured cheaply and doesn't need to be smoked. It's also twice as powerful as the old opium so its even easier to overdose. If it got out to the public the casualties would be catastrophic since Kanryuu can get normal people addicted to it by passing it off as normal medicine. Unfortunately for him, my predecessor burned his notes before Kanryuu had him killed so I'm the only one who knows the refining process. For a while Kanryuu thought his opium was gone and went back to the old process until it occurred to him that I might know; by then I had gotten my license to practice medicine and opened my clinic underneath the Kogane. When Kanryuu's men kidnapped me, Sanosuke noticed I was missing and came looking for me bringing Kao-san into the search. It was actually pure coincedance that I bumped into her on the street when I was running away from my 'escort'."
"How much of the opium did you make?" Saitou asked her.
"Not much, some of it got out onto the streets before I escaped. Kanryuu had made me make up about twenty doses before that, I took five with me and tossed them in a fire at a shinto shrine." Megumi admitted. "but now I have to go back..."
"What has he threatened to do?" Kaoru asked gently.
"He sent me a note at Dr. Genzai's clinic today. He has someone waiting for me and if I don't go then that person will start killing at random." Megumi felt Kao-san stiffen beside her then a tap on the back of her neck...
***
Kaoru leaned the unconscious woman back onto the floor, Saitou was already out of the room, presumably to carry out 'Aku soku zan' on whoever it was Kanryuu had sent to take Megumi back. More likely he'd wound them, question them, arrest them, and have the other policemen take them away.
'I hope it isn't Hanya or Beshimi.' Kaoru thought angrily. 'I've got plans involving the Oniwabanshuu. I'll be damned if I let Kanryuu kill them all again. I'd never be able to look Misao in the eye again.'
"Looks like we picked a good night to inform Kanryuu of the error of his ways." Sanosuke grumbled. He knelt down a brushed a lock of Megumi's hair away from her face. "Can I kill him?"
"You know I can't say yes." Kaoru chided him and Sanosuke pouted. "You may however break every bone in his body as long as he survives the experience... once I've finished with him."
*AN* I dunno about you guys but I would not want to be Kanryuu right now. ô_ô¿
Saitou returned a short time later bearing with him a beat, bloody little thug. He introduced him as 'Makoto Kanzaki, petty larsonist and arsonist.'
Under the Wolf's loving attentions, Makoto soon was telling them everything from the fact that Kanryuu had the Oniwabanshuu personally guarding his body from his rivals 24/7 at the moment to the fact that he (Kanryuu) liked wearing women's kimonos and posed as a call-girl in his free time. O_o
And so, now fully armed with mostly information of little consequence, Sanosuke and Kaoru set off for Kanryuu's estate, leaving Saitou behind to guard Megumi.
***********
End Chapter Eleven
***********
Seiyuu; Oops, reached my 3000 word limit before getting to the mansion. Darn. Sorry for the late update folks! Blame it on bad food and a loud party.
I'm fine... now.
Chapter Eleven; Timing is Everything
*********
Sir, you are tough, and I am tough
but who will write who's epitaph?
-Joseph Brodesky -'sir, you are Tough'
*********
"You want -how- much?" Sanosuke asked in surprise.
"Eighteen sen."
"Why don't you ask your Kaa-chan?"
"But Sanoooo!" Kaori whined, tugging on the older man's sleeve. "It's really important and you can't tell Kaa-chan!"
Sanosuke scowled looking meaner than he felt. "Your Kaa-chan gives you pocket money, and while I don't mind spotting you some I think I at least deserve to know why."
"Kaa-chan gave me allowance this morning, but it's not enough." Kaori looked around furitivly, in case her mother happened to be around. "There's a festival tonight and Tsubame doesn't have money to spare. Her pay check from the Akabeko only just covers her rent and food. Everything she's saving up is going for a new kimono."
"Kaori, that's not a selfish cause." Sanosuke told the girl in amusement. "Kaoru would undoubtedly give you some extra."
"I can't ask Kaa-chan for more money, I already get a bigger allowance than most kids in the street!" Kaori's tone made this benevolence of her mother's seem like a crime (who knows what ten-year-olds think?) "I'll clean your apartment!"
"You -are- serious!" Sanosuke chortled at Kaori's antics. If he lent Kaori the money and let Kaoru know about it then she would make up the difference.... but still, if he could get a clean apartment out of this and make the runt get used to working for her money... heck, sometimes being a surrogate big brother had its advantages.
"Okay, Jou-chan." Sanosuke reached into his money belt and counted out some sen. "You take Tsubame out and show her a real good time."
Kaori stared at the money in her hands. "Sano! This is nearly thirty sen!" tears gathered in her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Sano-nii-chan!"
Sanosuke laughed. "Hey, you're gonna work for it remember? Cleaning that apartment of mine for only eighteen sen would be criminal..."
He stifled his laughter as Kaori's face fell.
"Maybe I should go and start now... especially if I want to be able to get a bath before the festival..." she worried out loud.
Sanosuke got to his feet and ruffled her hair. "You work it out, I know your Kaa-chan has a key to my apartment. If she asks, tell her you lost a bet with me and have to clean the place up. That'll be almost true."
Kaori got up and scurried off to ferret the money away where ever it was that she kept her important things. Sanosuke snickered evilly as she left.
"I heard the whole thing." Kaoru commented from around the corner, Sanosuke peeked over at her and found her sitting on the veranda watching fish for supper grill.
"Didya?" Sanosuke chuckled and went to join her. "It's no crime that the kid wants to feel she's earned her money."
"I didn't say that I didn't approve of it." Kaoru smiled smugly at Kaori's behaviour. "In fact I'm proud of her, but thirty sen is an awful lot of money to give a child for cleaning your apartment."
"You've never been to my apartment have you?" Sanosuke asked skeptically and Kaoru frowned.
"There's nothing in there that will hurt her is there?" she asked in a dangerous tone of voice.
"Nah, I killed the thing in my closet this morning." Sanosuke laughed. "Still can't figure out what it was..."
"Probably laundry taken on a life of it's own." Kaoru groused. "Oh well, she can defend herself..."
"That's the spirit!" Sanosuke congratulated her and then looked around. "Oi, where's Megitsune?"
"She's helping out at Dr. Genzai's Clinic, Enishi is with her in case there's another... incident like the day before yesterday."
"That reminds me." Sanosuke remembered. "When are we gonna go after the guys who had Megitsune? My buddies finished checking out the losers who were chasing her; they were the personal bodyguards of Kanryuu Takeda."
"Hmmm." Kaoru bent her head down and fanned the fire underneath the fish. "It is coming to a head, isn't it? Maybe I should go have a visit with Mr. Takeda after supper. Would you like to stay here and keep an eye on the Dojo for me?"
"You mean make sure none of Kanryuu's goons comes to borrow Megumi while you're out. I got a better idea, I'll go get Saitou to bring his family over to visit and I'll go with you."
Kaoru pursed her lips. "That would be wise, I will probably need backup."
***
"I must say, you're quite talented." Dr. Genzai complimented Megumi as he examined a broken bone she had just finished setting and bracing. "Who were you apprenticed under?"
Megumi flushed. "Ah... no one you've met. He passed away recently."
Dr. Genzai lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, that's a shame. He must have really been something."
"Oh he was something, all right." Megumi agreed with a strained smile. "but he was a busy man and I did most of my studying out of books and observation. He was, however, an expert on western chemical medicines... except that he had the same English fondness for dosing almost all his patients with laudanum whether or not they needed it."
Dr. Genzai tsked. "Laudanum is fine drug, in and of itself but it really is over diagnosed these days. Especially in the cases of women, isn't that your area of speciality?" he asked her.
Megumi blushed, this time in pleasure. "Well, usually women -are- misdiagnosed. For example oftentimes when a woman goes to a western doctor with complications after a preganacy she is often diagnosed as having a 'nervous disease' and given opiates. In my own clinic back in the Okubansho I became very familiar with the problems of women and am finding other methods of treatment. I hope to publish my findings in a medical journal one day."
"That is a noble cause." Dr. Genzai congratulated her. "I've noticed much the same thing and while I haven't had a concentrated clientele like you have I have come up with a few myself. I shall lend you my notes!"
The two doctors shared a smile and Dr. Genzai trundled off to retrieve the promised notes, leaving Megumi to finish up with her patient. Of course, all she really had to do was watch the plaster on the man's cast dry.
Her area of study was something she hadn't even talked to Kao-san about before, but in this setting with another Doctor who was honestly interested in his patients' well being she found her dreams spilling forth.
She knew that she had something of a notoriety in Medical Circles; they called her the Whore Doctor, but honestly she did it because no one else would. Even in supposedly 'civilized' countries most doctors, even the rare female ones, would refuse to treat whores. Of course in those 'civilized' countries a woman was so very lucky to complete her medical degree and find work that she wouldn't dare risk her reputation by treating a Lady o' the Hour.
The true horror of the whole deal was that even though those women, when they were treated, were misdiagnosed because their true problems were what they were doing to themselves. It wasn't an uncommon practice for a whore, or regular woman for that matter, to dose herself with arsenic or lead to enhance her complexion and keep weight off. Belladonna was used to make the eyes brighter and shiner, and most white facial power included mercury. To achieve that 'misty' and 'detached appearance, Geishas and whores would often smoke a sticky ball of opium before greeting their customers.
No one would take the time to teach these women that what they did to their bodies was slowly killing them and even those who were wise enough to avoid those traps often died of easily treated diseases. All because no doctor wanted to risk their reputation and treat them.
"Here they are!" Dr. Genzai announced and lay a sheaf of papers in Megumi's lap. "There you go! See if our research cooraborates on any level?"
"Hey! Can I come back inside now?" Enishi called from the front yard.
"No you can't, young man!" Dr. Genzai yelled back. "You do more damage than you prevent! I realize you're here to guard Miss Takani but you're doing a better job of it out there!"
Megumi stifled a smug laugh; it was true. Enishi had already scared every child in the waiting room, dropped countless bottles of medicine, and even caused Dr. Genzai to reopen a wound that he'd been removing the stitches from. Now he was exiled from the clinic and being tormented by Ayame and Suzume's loving attentions.
But still, he did mean well and Megumi knew he disliked her because of their rivalry for dear Kao-san. Maybe it was time to take pity of the poor boy. "I'll go read this outside, he'll feel better if he can see me."
"Of course, but before you do could you fetch some water from the well out back?" the old man asked.
"Right away." Megumi tucked the papers into her sleeve and went into the back.
Thok!
A kunai thudded into the wood door frame as soon as she shut the door. Megumi regarded it with annoyance. This was getting to be an annoying re-occurance.
"This had better not be another sick love-lorn psychopath after my Kao-san." she muttered darkly as she opened up the letter attached to the kunai.
She blanched as she read the note.
'Little Fox-chan, you've been away from home so long! I miss you very much, I am consumed with it. I'm afraid your little vacation is over now, it's time to come back. If you'd like to be reasonable, someone will be waiting for you in the back of the rundown Dojo where you're staying. If you don't plan on being reasonable, however, that person may just burn down a few buildings with some loveable, big eyed children in it. It's really up to you my dear.
Your Devoted Slave,
Kanryuu Takeda.'
***
"You want me to what?"
Sanosuke spat out the fish bone he was chewing on (the remains of a fish that didn't make it as far as Kaoru's wonderful fish dinner). "You heard me Spider-face. Kaoru needs you to watch the Dojo for her tonight.
Saitou leaned back in his desk chair and lit a cigarette. "Why should I?"
"I have no clue, but she's hoping you will."
Saitou snorted a cloud of smoke in annoyance. "All right, let's put it this way; Where is she going to be that she needs me, of all people, to watch over her boarders?"
Sanosuke smirked. "Me an her are going to go have a talk with Kanryuu Takeda about trying to poison members of her household."
"The Kanyruu Takeda?" Saitou chuckled. "And just what has she gotten herself into this time?"
"We don't know, and Kaoru says it's none of our damn business." Sanosuke said drolly. "but Megumi went missing for a few days and then ran into Kaoru on the street with some thugs chasing her, one claiming she was his crazy run-away wife. I found out through the grape-vine that the jerks were some of Kanryuu's bodyguards."
"Interesting... I'm afraid Tokio and the children are out of town visiting her parents. I suppose a lonely working husband might tire of his own cooking and go to stay with friends for a while..." Saitou took a drag on his cigarette. "When?"
"Kaoru's making supper right now, you're invited by the way, she and I are gonna slip out afterwards." Sanosuke grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "It would be worth it just to get the meal, Kaoru's a great cook."
*A.N* Thought you'd never hear Sano say that, huh?^.^¿
***
Megumi had shredded the tiny note as soon as she'd read it, but the words were forever etched into her memory, accompanied by Kanryuu's lilting, boyish tones.
'that person may just burn down a few buildings with some loveable, big eyed children in it'
She knew who 'that person' would be; cold, heartless Aoshi Shinomori, the Leader of Kanryuu's most cut throat thugs; the Oniwabanshuu.
Supper was drawing to an agonising close. Kaori, Enishi, and Yahiko were absent, at the Star gazing Festival, and that strange police officer was visiting that night. She vaguely remembered Kaoru explaining to her and Enishi that his wife was out of town for a while (all the while wearing that loveable smile that made Megumi want the squeeze her tight and never let go.)
'Kao-san can protect me from anything and anyone, but she can't stop them from hurting others.' Megumi thought numbly as she watched Kaoru and Saitou making odd small talk with almost identical expressions; sunny closed eyes and small ironic smiles on their lips. 'She'll worry herself sick after I'm gone unless I defuse her suspicions.'
"Do you want some more soup, Megumi?" Kaoru asked her suddenly, startling Megumi out of her sad reverie.
"Please!" Megumi held out her bowl, after all this would be the last time she'd ever eat something that her darling Kao-san had made with her own hands.
Kaoru ladled some broth into her bowl and handed it back to her. "So who is Kanryuu threatening to send after you?"
Megumi nearly dropped her bowl, she tried to cover up her unpleasant surprise with a haughty laugh. "Why, Kao-san! Whatever do you mean? Didn't we say that Kanryuu gave up on me a long time ago?"
The police officer, Goro Fujita raised an eyebrow. "Ah. So it -is- Kanryuu Takeda who is after you. I assume then, that you were the doctor he had formulating that refined opium for him."
Megumi choked on her own breath. "I didn't! I- I ran away!"
"Maa-maa!" Sanosuke consoled her. "No one is saying you did it because you wanted to."
"Megumi-chan?"
Kaoru's simple pronunciation of her name (plus an endearment! YAY!) crumbled Megumi's resolve and the story came rushing out of her accompanied heavily by tears; unfortunately she was crying so hard that no one understood a word she said. Kaoru left her supper tray and came to let Megumi sob into her shoulder until the worst of the storm passed.
"It was the doctor I was apprenticed to!" she confessed with a hiccup from left over tears, Kao-san still had a supportive arm around her and Megumi cuddled into her side. Even traumatized, she wasn't one to lose a chance to get close to the normally homophobic Kaoru.
"He developed the new type of opium; it's a small white powder that can be manufactured cheaply and doesn't need to be smoked. It's also twice as powerful as the old opium so its even easier to overdose. If it got out to the public the casualties would be catastrophic since Kanryuu can get normal people addicted to it by passing it off as normal medicine. Unfortunately for him, my predecessor burned his notes before Kanryuu had him killed so I'm the only one who knows the refining process. For a while Kanryuu thought his opium was gone and went back to the old process until it occurred to him that I might know; by then I had gotten my license to practice medicine and opened my clinic underneath the Kogane. When Kanryuu's men kidnapped me, Sanosuke noticed I was missing and came looking for me bringing Kao-san into the search. It was actually pure coincedance that I bumped into her on the street when I was running away from my 'escort'."
"How much of the opium did you make?" Saitou asked her.
"Not much, some of it got out onto the streets before I escaped. Kanryuu had made me make up about twenty doses before that, I took five with me and tossed them in a fire at a shinto shrine." Megumi admitted. "but now I have to go back..."
"What has he threatened to do?" Kaoru asked gently.
"He sent me a note at Dr. Genzai's clinic today. He has someone waiting for me and if I don't go then that person will start killing at random." Megumi felt Kao-san stiffen beside her then a tap on the back of her neck...
***
Kaoru leaned the unconscious woman back onto the floor, Saitou was already out of the room, presumably to carry out 'Aku soku zan' on whoever it was Kanryuu had sent to take Megumi back. More likely he'd wound them, question them, arrest them, and have the other policemen take them away.
'I hope it isn't Hanya or Beshimi.' Kaoru thought angrily. 'I've got plans involving the Oniwabanshuu. I'll be damned if I let Kanryuu kill them all again. I'd never be able to look Misao in the eye again.'
"Looks like we picked a good night to inform Kanryuu of the error of his ways." Sanosuke grumbled. He knelt down a brushed a lock of Megumi's hair away from her face. "Can I kill him?"
"You know I can't say yes." Kaoru chided him and Sanosuke pouted. "You may however break every bone in his body as long as he survives the experience... once I've finished with him."
*AN* I dunno about you guys but I would not want to be Kanryuu right now. ô_ô¿
Saitou returned a short time later bearing with him a beat, bloody little thug. He introduced him as 'Makoto Kanzaki, petty larsonist and arsonist.'
Under the Wolf's loving attentions, Makoto soon was telling them everything from the fact that Kanryuu had the Oniwabanshuu personally guarding his body from his rivals 24/7 at the moment to the fact that he (Kanryuu) liked wearing women's kimonos and posed as a call-girl in his free time. O_o
And so, now fully armed with mostly information of little consequence, Sanosuke and Kaoru set off for Kanryuu's estate, leaving Saitou behind to guard Megumi.
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End Chapter Eleven
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Seiyuu; Oops, reached my 3000 word limit before getting to the mansion. Darn. Sorry for the late update folks! Blame it on bad food and a loud party.
I'm fine... now.