Return to Me
A Sanosuke and Megumi Fic
By Kitsune-onna
Author's Note and Disclaimer: Bwa! Another Sano and Megumi fic. So what happens here? Well it's ten years after the series. The gang is split up with Megumi in Aizu and Sano in parts unknown. This is where I usually say where the idea came from, but frankly I don't know. Please read and respond. I need motivation to finish the next part. Sano and Megumi belong to Watsuki-sama, although I like to borrow them for my own amusement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Return to Me
"'Scuse me, oji-san, but is this the road to Aizu?"
The old man looked up and up and up at the tall young man. He squinted against the sun and looked him over. Tall and scrawny, dressed in white pants and a white gi. He carried a single bag slung over one shoulder. The boy looked like a fighter all right and what he could want in a town like Aizu was beyond him. But then again, that was none of his business.
"Hai, it is. Just a few more miles and you can't miss it." The curiosity was just too overwhelming and finally got the better of him. "Might I ask what business you have there?"
The boy smiled. "I have a date with a certain Foxy Doctor."
The old man's eyes widened. "Would you be talking about Takani Megumi?"
Sagara Sanosuke knelt beside the old man to keep him from straining his neck. He couldn't keep the smile from spreading all the way across his face. "Hai, I am. She's there?"
The man nodded. When the boy knelt beside him, he could tell that it wasn't a boy. He was a man, close to thirty perhaps. "Hai, but she isn't entertaining anyone with thoughts of making her a bride. Rumor has it that she fell in love with someone in Tokyo and he never returned her affections."
That caught Sano by the heart. The rumors were true, but they worked both ways. Both he and Megumi had been too stubborn to admit how they felt about one another. He was always watching her. He would stare at the top of her head, admiring each blue-black strand of hair as she bent over his broken hand. Some nights, after a night of particularly heavy drinking, he would find himself on her street, watching her door until every light was extinguished. He wanted so much to knock and tell her how he felt, but he had always assumed that that was just the alcohol talking. Soon, though, he found himself giving up all of his usual habits, the drinking, the gambling, the women, all so he could impress the foxy doctor.
But it didn't work. It seemed like nothing he could do would be good enough for her. Finally, he decided to leave, see the world, and maybe do something that would make him worthy of her. That whole time, all he could do was think of her. In his dreams, he held her in his arms, the two of them melting together until they were one. He had always had fantasies about making love to her, but after he left the fantasies became more vivid, more real. He usually woke from those dreams thinking she was really beside him. Then he would roll over to take her in his arms only to find that he was sleeping alone on the side of some road.
He sighed deeply. It had taken him ten years to get up enough courage to find her. Somehow he knew she would return to her home. Once he was on the road to Aizu, there had been no turning back. He would find her and tell her how he felt and if she turned him away then so be it, but at least he would be able to say that he tried.
Sano rose to his feet and bowed to the old man. "Thank you for your help, ojiisan. I appreciate it."
"It's no problem, young man. Just take good care of her."
Sano smiled again. "I promise." With those words, Sanosuke turned and ran down the road leading to Megumi.
~~~~
"Sensei! Sensei!"
The sound of feet pounding on the street outside brought Takani Megumi out of her deep thoughts. She looked up from her journal and turned her head to look back at the door. A small smile crossed her face at the sight that greeted her eyes. She closed the book lightly and got to her feet and leaned back against the desk, arms crossed.
Standing in the doorway was a young man of eighteen. In his arms, he held his younger brother who was only eight. The younger boy's arms and legs were covered in small scratches that didn't look all that bad. They had probably hurt like hell though. There was a frantic look on the older one's face, as if he thought his brother was dying in his arms. Both boys were soaked to the bone, their clothes dripping and their dark hair plastered to their foreheads. She looked out the door behind them and could see that it was raining. She had been so wrapped up in what she had been doing, that she hadn't even noticed.
Megumi waved her hand slightly, gesturing for the boy to be put on the examining table. She went to her cabinet and placed what she needed on her tray. She was going to take her time, give the boy a chance to think about what happened. She wasn't cruel, she just didn't take kindly to repeat offenders. She dealt enough with one and...
She stopped in her thoughts. She didn't like where those thoughts had been going. She had spent so much of the past few years trying to forget about him and she wasn't about to start now. She had a new life, one that didn't include any members of the Kenshin-gumi.
She wanted to live her life in peace and she wouldn't be able to do that if she thought about him all the time. After he had walked away, she decided to return to Aizu. There was nothing left in Tokyo for her. Kenshin and Kaoru had each other and she had no one. The city held too many memories of stolen glances and playful teasing. She needed a change and she needed it to be far away. At times, she felt as if she could never get far away enough. She found that she was always thinking about him, even without realizing it. He came to her in her dreams, offering promises he had never offered in the daytime. Sometimes in those dreams, she allowed herself to be wrapped up in his warmth, only to wake the next morning alone in her room.
She never cried though. She was too strong for that. She would simply climb out of bed and go on with her morning routine. It helped her forget. Sometimes she realized that she didn't want to forget what she felt for him. She wanted to remember what they had, even if it hadn't really been anything at all. She wanted to remember the stolen glances, the endless teasing, the hints of what they could have been together.
~~~~
"Achoo!"
Somewhere along the road, it had started to rain. He wiped his nose and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He stood outside the clinic, watching it closely. People passing by stared at him, wondering what a strange man was doing staring at a clinic in the pouring rain. The rain didn't matter and the people didn't matter. He had finally found his Megumi.
Sano took a deep breath and walked up the steps of the clinic. He stopped inside the door and his breath caught. She had her back to him, kneeling in front of a boy and bandaging his wounds. Although...it looked like she had paused in her work, lost in her own thoughts. What was she thinking of? Or better, who was she thinking of? He smiled again and walked the rest of the way inside, careful not to make a sound.
~~~~
"Oi, sensei. Sensei, are you all right?"
Megumi snapped out of her thoughts and looked up into the eyes of the boy she was fixing. She didn't realize that she had paused in the middle of cleaning the scratches. It was embarrassing when that happened and it was happening more and more as the days went by. Ten years and she still couldn't get that baka tori-atama out of her head.
She sighed and finished her work. "Now, Iori. This is the third time you've been in here this week. If you can't keep from getting hurt, I'm going to put you in a full body cast and tell your mother to keep you in bed for a month. And if that doesn't..."
"I think I kinda remember someone tellin' me the exact same thing once. I think the next threat is a cage, ne, fox?"
Megumi stopped in mid-sentence, her jaw dropping. She didn't just hear what she thought she heard, did she? It couldn't be. There was no way in hell it could be. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before getting to her feet. Slowly she turned around, eyes still tightly shut. Counting to ten again, she opened her eyes quickly. Standing before her, was the one man she never thought she'd see again in a thousand years.
"Hey, Megitsune," he greeted her. Across his face was that infuriating smile. "It's been a while."
Her jaw almost dropped to the floor again and it took all of her control not to just throw herself into his arms. This was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. She had to take her time and think things through. First, there was her young patient to worry about and then she would set her mind on that man.
She sighed, rubbed her eyes and returned her attention to the boy in the chair. "All right, Iori, you can go now. Please, please stay out of trouble. I don't want to see you back here for at least two weeks. Got it?"
The little boy nodded over and over as his big brother lifted him up. "Hai hai hai, Megumi-sensei! Arigatou!"
"You're welcome. Just remember what I said."
"I will." With that the two boys were gone.
The two of them were now alone. The silence in the room roared in her ears, drowning out the sound of the rain from outside. For the longest time they stared at each other, looking the other over from top to bottom. Megumi felt as if she could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. She didn't know what to say to him. It had been far too long. Ten years and she still saw the same boy he had been. Sano was still tall, but not as skinny. His muscles were better defined as if he had been training more. He was dressed in white pants and the white gi he had always worn. It seemed a bit faded, but otherwise none the worse for wear. Megumi was willing to bet the clinic that he still wore the kanji for wicked on his back.
There was something different about him though. She could see the maturity in his eyes and the intense look burning within them took her aback somewhat. He was no longer the boy she had once known. The punk kid had finally grown up.
Sano looked her up and down. She was still so beautiful. She was dressed in a simple blue kimono and wore a white jacket over it. Her dark hair was shorter, cut just to her shoulders. She wore no makeup, which was odd for her. There were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept well in days. He gazed deep into her eyes. It seemed as of she had lost all of that fire that he loved so much.
"Hello, Megumi."
Megumi shook her head. "After ten years, that's all you have to say." She turned her back to him and cleaned up her tray. "What do you want, Sanosuke, money, food, a place to stay? If that's what it is, I can give you a list of places to go for it."
He moved closer to her. "Don't be cold, fox."
She slammed her tray on the counter and spun around to face him. Her eyes burned with the anger and pain that she had kept locked up inside for so long. "I'm not being cold, I just want to know why the hell you're showing up on my doorstep after ten years."
Sano sighed and rubbed his eyes. Why was he here? Oh yes, the woman he loved. "I came here for you, Megumi."
Megumi blinked and let out a deep breath. She knew she couldn't have heard him right. She shook her head again and turned her back, putting her things away.
Sanosuke sighed, almost disheartened by her reaction. He wasn't going to let go that easily. Taking a few long strides, he crossed the distance and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing them. "Please don't turn your back on me, kitsune."
Megumi pulled away sharply and spun around. She hadn't realized just how close he was to her. When she turned, she was almost in his arms. She looked up at him, almost losing herself and all her courage. Narrowing her eyes at him, she pushed past him and put distance between the two of them. Then, she spun around to face him. "How dare you?! How dare you come in here after all this time and act like nothing happened. Ten years ago you walked out of my life. Were you expecting me to just fall into your arms?"
Megumi tossed her hair over her shoulder. What was left unspoken was the fact that she wanted to do just that. She was too afraid to do that, too afraid that it would turn out to be another dream. Or was it her pride that wouldn't allow her to do what she waited so long to do?
Sanosuke sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. So much for the joyful reunion. He walked by her, but stopped when he was just past her. "I'm sorry for leaving like that ten years ago. I wanted to go out and accomplish something that would make me worthy of you, but I guess nothing will ever be good enough for you." He continued on to the door. "See ya 'round, kitsune." He waved his hand over his shoulder and walked out into the now pouring rain.
Megumi stood in the center of the room staring at the door for the longest time. She had been right. He still wore the kanji on his back. After a few moments passed, Megumi rushed to the door. She looked up and down the street, but he had already disappeared into the growing storm. She leaned on the doorframe as she felt something wet on her cheeks.
//Rain?// she wondered as she wiped away the wetness with the palm of her hand.
It took her a moment to realize that she was crying. For the first time in ten years she was crying over Sagara Sanosuke.
~~~~~
//Baka! Baka baka baka baka!! I should have known better than to hope. She hasn't changed one bit. Still the same aloof, cold hearted bitch she always was.
//What the hell do I see in her anyway? A woman like that could never love a man like me. She hasn't changed.//
Sanosuke walked down the street fuming. He had looked forward to seeing her again. He regretted ever traveling to a place as far out of his way as Aizu. It was a mistake. He bent over and picked up a rock from the center of the road. He looked it over for a moment and then tossed it in the air. It plummeted back to the earth and with two swift hits, it exploded into a million tiny pieces. Using the Futae no Kiwami did nothing to relieve the tension in his muscles or the pain in his heart. No one short of Megumi herself could take away the deep hurt he was feeling.
//Ten years is too long to be apart. We've both changed too much. She doesn't need someone like me in her life. She never did. That's why I left.//
He shook his head and realized that he was just making excuses. He knew the reasons he left. He was angry, so he wasn't exactly thinking straight. He had to calm down somehow. Sake. That's what he needed. Lots and lots of sake. He looked down the street wondering where he could go. With a shrug he started down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Be Continued....don't you love those words? ^n_n^
A Sanosuke and Megumi Fic
By Kitsune-onna
Author's Note and Disclaimer: Bwa! Another Sano and Megumi fic. So what happens here? Well it's ten years after the series. The gang is split up with Megumi in Aizu and Sano in parts unknown. This is where I usually say where the idea came from, but frankly I don't know. Please read and respond. I need motivation to finish the next part. Sano and Megumi belong to Watsuki-sama, although I like to borrow them for my own amusement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Return to Me
"'Scuse me, oji-san, but is this the road to Aizu?"
The old man looked up and up and up at the tall young man. He squinted against the sun and looked him over. Tall and scrawny, dressed in white pants and a white gi. He carried a single bag slung over one shoulder. The boy looked like a fighter all right and what he could want in a town like Aizu was beyond him. But then again, that was none of his business.
"Hai, it is. Just a few more miles and you can't miss it." The curiosity was just too overwhelming and finally got the better of him. "Might I ask what business you have there?"
The boy smiled. "I have a date with a certain Foxy Doctor."
The old man's eyes widened. "Would you be talking about Takani Megumi?"
Sagara Sanosuke knelt beside the old man to keep him from straining his neck. He couldn't keep the smile from spreading all the way across his face. "Hai, I am. She's there?"
The man nodded. When the boy knelt beside him, he could tell that it wasn't a boy. He was a man, close to thirty perhaps. "Hai, but she isn't entertaining anyone with thoughts of making her a bride. Rumor has it that she fell in love with someone in Tokyo and he never returned her affections."
That caught Sano by the heart. The rumors were true, but they worked both ways. Both he and Megumi had been too stubborn to admit how they felt about one another. He was always watching her. He would stare at the top of her head, admiring each blue-black strand of hair as she bent over his broken hand. Some nights, after a night of particularly heavy drinking, he would find himself on her street, watching her door until every light was extinguished. He wanted so much to knock and tell her how he felt, but he had always assumed that that was just the alcohol talking. Soon, though, he found himself giving up all of his usual habits, the drinking, the gambling, the women, all so he could impress the foxy doctor.
But it didn't work. It seemed like nothing he could do would be good enough for her. Finally, he decided to leave, see the world, and maybe do something that would make him worthy of her. That whole time, all he could do was think of her. In his dreams, he held her in his arms, the two of them melting together until they were one. He had always had fantasies about making love to her, but after he left the fantasies became more vivid, more real. He usually woke from those dreams thinking she was really beside him. Then he would roll over to take her in his arms only to find that he was sleeping alone on the side of some road.
He sighed deeply. It had taken him ten years to get up enough courage to find her. Somehow he knew she would return to her home. Once he was on the road to Aizu, there had been no turning back. He would find her and tell her how he felt and if she turned him away then so be it, but at least he would be able to say that he tried.
Sano rose to his feet and bowed to the old man. "Thank you for your help, ojiisan. I appreciate it."
"It's no problem, young man. Just take good care of her."
Sano smiled again. "I promise." With those words, Sanosuke turned and ran down the road leading to Megumi.
~~~~
"Sensei! Sensei!"
The sound of feet pounding on the street outside brought Takani Megumi out of her deep thoughts. She looked up from her journal and turned her head to look back at the door. A small smile crossed her face at the sight that greeted her eyes. She closed the book lightly and got to her feet and leaned back against the desk, arms crossed.
Standing in the doorway was a young man of eighteen. In his arms, he held his younger brother who was only eight. The younger boy's arms and legs were covered in small scratches that didn't look all that bad. They had probably hurt like hell though. There was a frantic look on the older one's face, as if he thought his brother was dying in his arms. Both boys were soaked to the bone, their clothes dripping and their dark hair plastered to their foreheads. She looked out the door behind them and could see that it was raining. She had been so wrapped up in what she had been doing, that she hadn't even noticed.
Megumi waved her hand slightly, gesturing for the boy to be put on the examining table. She went to her cabinet and placed what she needed on her tray. She was going to take her time, give the boy a chance to think about what happened. She wasn't cruel, she just didn't take kindly to repeat offenders. She dealt enough with one and...
She stopped in her thoughts. She didn't like where those thoughts had been going. She had spent so much of the past few years trying to forget about him and she wasn't about to start now. She had a new life, one that didn't include any members of the Kenshin-gumi.
She wanted to live her life in peace and she wouldn't be able to do that if she thought about him all the time. After he had walked away, she decided to return to Aizu. There was nothing left in Tokyo for her. Kenshin and Kaoru had each other and she had no one. The city held too many memories of stolen glances and playful teasing. She needed a change and she needed it to be far away. At times, she felt as if she could never get far away enough. She found that she was always thinking about him, even without realizing it. He came to her in her dreams, offering promises he had never offered in the daytime. Sometimes in those dreams, she allowed herself to be wrapped up in his warmth, only to wake the next morning alone in her room.
She never cried though. She was too strong for that. She would simply climb out of bed and go on with her morning routine. It helped her forget. Sometimes she realized that she didn't want to forget what she felt for him. She wanted to remember what they had, even if it hadn't really been anything at all. She wanted to remember the stolen glances, the endless teasing, the hints of what they could have been together.
~~~~
"Achoo!"
Somewhere along the road, it had started to rain. He wiped his nose and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He stood outside the clinic, watching it closely. People passing by stared at him, wondering what a strange man was doing staring at a clinic in the pouring rain. The rain didn't matter and the people didn't matter. He had finally found his Megumi.
Sano took a deep breath and walked up the steps of the clinic. He stopped inside the door and his breath caught. She had her back to him, kneeling in front of a boy and bandaging his wounds. Although...it looked like she had paused in her work, lost in her own thoughts. What was she thinking of? Or better, who was she thinking of? He smiled again and walked the rest of the way inside, careful not to make a sound.
~~~~
"Oi, sensei. Sensei, are you all right?"
Megumi snapped out of her thoughts and looked up into the eyes of the boy she was fixing. She didn't realize that she had paused in the middle of cleaning the scratches. It was embarrassing when that happened and it was happening more and more as the days went by. Ten years and she still couldn't get that baka tori-atama out of her head.
She sighed and finished her work. "Now, Iori. This is the third time you've been in here this week. If you can't keep from getting hurt, I'm going to put you in a full body cast and tell your mother to keep you in bed for a month. And if that doesn't..."
"I think I kinda remember someone tellin' me the exact same thing once. I think the next threat is a cage, ne, fox?"
Megumi stopped in mid-sentence, her jaw dropping. She didn't just hear what she thought she heard, did she? It couldn't be. There was no way in hell it could be. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before getting to her feet. Slowly she turned around, eyes still tightly shut. Counting to ten again, she opened her eyes quickly. Standing before her, was the one man she never thought she'd see again in a thousand years.
"Hey, Megitsune," he greeted her. Across his face was that infuriating smile. "It's been a while."
Her jaw almost dropped to the floor again and it took all of her control not to just throw herself into his arms. This was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. She had to take her time and think things through. First, there was her young patient to worry about and then she would set her mind on that man.
She sighed, rubbed her eyes and returned her attention to the boy in the chair. "All right, Iori, you can go now. Please, please stay out of trouble. I don't want to see you back here for at least two weeks. Got it?"
The little boy nodded over and over as his big brother lifted him up. "Hai hai hai, Megumi-sensei! Arigatou!"
"You're welcome. Just remember what I said."
"I will." With that the two boys were gone.
The two of them were now alone. The silence in the room roared in her ears, drowning out the sound of the rain from outside. For the longest time they stared at each other, looking the other over from top to bottom. Megumi felt as if she could have cut the tension in the room with a knife. She didn't know what to say to him. It had been far too long. Ten years and she still saw the same boy he had been. Sano was still tall, but not as skinny. His muscles were better defined as if he had been training more. He was dressed in white pants and the white gi he had always worn. It seemed a bit faded, but otherwise none the worse for wear. Megumi was willing to bet the clinic that he still wore the kanji for wicked on his back.
There was something different about him though. She could see the maturity in his eyes and the intense look burning within them took her aback somewhat. He was no longer the boy she had once known. The punk kid had finally grown up.
Sano looked her up and down. She was still so beautiful. She was dressed in a simple blue kimono and wore a white jacket over it. Her dark hair was shorter, cut just to her shoulders. She wore no makeup, which was odd for her. There were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept well in days. He gazed deep into her eyes. It seemed as of she had lost all of that fire that he loved so much.
"Hello, Megumi."
Megumi shook her head. "After ten years, that's all you have to say." She turned her back to him and cleaned up her tray. "What do you want, Sanosuke, money, food, a place to stay? If that's what it is, I can give you a list of places to go for it."
He moved closer to her. "Don't be cold, fox."
She slammed her tray on the counter and spun around to face him. Her eyes burned with the anger and pain that she had kept locked up inside for so long. "I'm not being cold, I just want to know why the hell you're showing up on my doorstep after ten years."
Sano sighed and rubbed his eyes. Why was he here? Oh yes, the woman he loved. "I came here for you, Megumi."
Megumi blinked and let out a deep breath. She knew she couldn't have heard him right. She shook her head again and turned her back, putting her things away.
Sanosuke sighed, almost disheartened by her reaction. He wasn't going to let go that easily. Taking a few long strides, he crossed the distance and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing them. "Please don't turn your back on me, kitsune."
Megumi pulled away sharply and spun around. She hadn't realized just how close he was to her. When she turned, she was almost in his arms. She looked up at him, almost losing herself and all her courage. Narrowing her eyes at him, she pushed past him and put distance between the two of them. Then, she spun around to face him. "How dare you?! How dare you come in here after all this time and act like nothing happened. Ten years ago you walked out of my life. Were you expecting me to just fall into your arms?"
Megumi tossed her hair over her shoulder. What was left unspoken was the fact that she wanted to do just that. She was too afraid to do that, too afraid that it would turn out to be another dream. Or was it her pride that wouldn't allow her to do what she waited so long to do?
Sanosuke sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. So much for the joyful reunion. He walked by her, but stopped when he was just past her. "I'm sorry for leaving like that ten years ago. I wanted to go out and accomplish something that would make me worthy of you, but I guess nothing will ever be good enough for you." He continued on to the door. "See ya 'round, kitsune." He waved his hand over his shoulder and walked out into the now pouring rain.
Megumi stood in the center of the room staring at the door for the longest time. She had been right. He still wore the kanji on his back. After a few moments passed, Megumi rushed to the door. She looked up and down the street, but he had already disappeared into the growing storm. She leaned on the doorframe as she felt something wet on her cheeks.
//Rain?// she wondered as she wiped away the wetness with the palm of her hand.
It took her a moment to realize that she was crying. For the first time in ten years she was crying over Sagara Sanosuke.
~~~~~
//Baka! Baka baka baka baka!! I should have known better than to hope. She hasn't changed one bit. Still the same aloof, cold hearted bitch she always was.
//What the hell do I see in her anyway? A woman like that could never love a man like me. She hasn't changed.//
Sanosuke walked down the street fuming. He had looked forward to seeing her again. He regretted ever traveling to a place as far out of his way as Aizu. It was a mistake. He bent over and picked up a rock from the center of the road. He looked it over for a moment and then tossed it in the air. It plummeted back to the earth and with two swift hits, it exploded into a million tiny pieces. Using the Futae no Kiwami did nothing to relieve the tension in his muscles or the pain in his heart. No one short of Megumi herself could take away the deep hurt he was feeling.
//Ten years is too long to be apart. We've both changed too much. She doesn't need someone like me in her life. She never did. That's why I left.//
He shook his head and realized that he was just making excuses. He knew the reasons he left. He was angry, so he wasn't exactly thinking straight. He had to calm down somehow. Sake. That's what he needed. Lots and lots of sake. He looked down the street wondering where he could go. With a shrug he started down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Be Continued....don't you love those words? ^n_n^