Chapter 13:

"After The Curtains Close"



Soft sputtering was heard in the distance, like tiny leather whips cracking at the bare backs of slow-working slaves and Megumi squinted as she felt something bright glare down on her face. She shut her eyes tight. Her senses were dulled, but still, a bit fuzzy at first, she heard noise around her, tiny light snaps of what Megumi could only guess was sparks of fire.

Where was she?

Her left hand twitched, ticking slowly to the left, and in that small movement she knew she wasn't dead; maybe not alive, but certainly not on Death's door. Megumi recognized the strong ache of her arms, the dried blood encrusted over her hands, and the callused burn marks all over her body all too well. She could feel the horrible bruises on her back, the raw skin of her wrists and ankles, again, spotted with the liquid of her life. Honestly, it was the greatest feeling she had felt in a long time. Megumi felt... alive.

She could feel every drop of blood that moved within her body, through her heart as it pumped itself back through her veins, slowly at first, but gradually building up speed. The blood rushing through her entire body enlightened her soul, revived her brain back into command, and gave her back the life she had almost lost. She could practically hear the gushing sounds of it's waves beneath her skin.

Suddenly her chest rose, one faint breath easing it's way into her open mouth and seeping inside her, increasing the speed of her racing heart, and compelling her to move. Another breath came in, deeper this time, and her senses came alive.

Megumi had no way of describing the way she felt at that moment when everything became so bold. She could only depict it as being born. Everything seemed so new and foreign to her mind; her collection of thoughts, the art of smell, sounds coming into her eardrums, the hard pounding of her heart. It was a reoccurring deja vu of something she had known before and it captured her into it's seduction. Her tongue began to distinguish taste, her nose narrating smell, her skin taking in touch. Megumi never knew she could feel something so beautiful.

She felt warm all over, as if she were covered by a thick blanket made entirely out of wool, and as her brain began to function again, Megumi realized that she was off the ground. Not floating, no, someone was holding her. Her thoughts raced each other down the alleyway of her brain, running along the interior walls, and heading straight towards the core. They were jumbled at first, confused and uncertain, but the familiarity of the person's presence brought back something buried deep inside her and revived it.

Her mind was like an empty room held sacred for it's golden silence and then all so suddenly, someone drops a pin and everything draws forth in slow motion. The pin falls, and once it hits the floor, reality rushed her with it's crashing power: she was in the one place she never wanted to depart from, she was in the safest place imaginable, she was in Sanosuke's arms.

Immediately following this realization, Megumi heard at last, that same beckoning voice that had compelled her home in the first place.

"Megumi..." Sanosuke whispered, "please forgive me... I tried, Megumi, I really tried..."

She had made it. She was with him. She was home.

The corners of her mouth twitched as her lips trembled under her weak strength. Megumi wanted to speak, to tell him that it was all going to be alright, but she couldn't. Her mind had already gotten used to the lack of motion and thoughts, buzzing only to all the silent messages she tried to send her brain to move her lips, but they didn't budge. It was as if it didn't remember the art of speech. In her own body she was helpless. She couldn't even open her eyes, and it hurt her head to try. Megumi's left hand twitched again.

"Please don't leave me..." he murmured, unaware of the slightly moving figure in his embrace as he lightly brushed his fingers across her cheek, "... I love you..."

Sanosuke's body shook, racked by his cries, and he lifted his face up from her neck, gazing at her still face. She was so perfect, so stunningly beautiful despite everything that happened to her.

He had never once thought that he would ever lose her to anything or anyone, he had no idea life could be so cruel, he never knew he could hurt from the inside-out. Until now. When he left all those years ago, he still had that precious dream that he would see her again, sometime, somewhere. When he had found her with Tetsu, only weeks until their marriage, he still had hope that she would return to him, but now... Now that chance was lost and he had just found her again.

She was gone.

Slowly, cautiously, he brought his mouth down to her's, still quivering and dry, stained with wet tears that refused to stop their tirade down his face. Sanosuke kissed her for a long moment, gently, knowing that it would be the only thing he could have left of her, one last sweet memory that hurt as much as it pleased. He wanted to kiss her, he needed to, even if it was just... one last time. If it were up to him, he would have stayed in his exact same position until his dying day, holding her. He never felt as right as he did when she was in his arms, where he could protect her.

It was a stolen kiss, like so many he had gotten away with before when she had fallen asleep in his arms after they made love or sometimes even when they were never together and he just couldn't hold himself back. Just seeing her there, here, so fragile and small, it took up a great amount of energy to keep the desire within. He always felt the need to kiss her, to hold her, to be with her, and now was the last time for it all. With a sigh, he hesitantly drew his lips away and pulled her tighter to his body, cradling her head against him like a small child.

It was useless to stop the tears from coming now for they only fell faster as the sunlight gleamed upon his dampened face and Sanosuke sadly shook his head, refusing still to utter the words 'good-bye' that would end it all. It was that tiny phrase that had always amazed him when people could say it without trouble. He knew he wouldn't be able to say it, not to her. He knew he'd choke on the first letter.

"G... g..."

God, it hurt. It hurt so bad. He felt helpless, small, a subject of deceit. How could he say it? How could he force himself to forget her? Sanosuke knew, that the moment he let that one little word slip from his mouth, he would have to let her go. Forever. That one word would end everything he and Megumi had ever shared. It would erase all the wonderful nights he had spent lying awake and holding her in bed, watching her as she slept, all the mornings he had cherished waking up next to her and receiving that special 'good morning' kiss. It would erase all the days that she had lit up his life, all the times that her smile managed to melt his heart, every minute that she blessed him with her just simply being there... Sanosuke pulled her closer, for even in death, he could never let her go.

'It's not fair...' he thought as he heaved another breath into his lungs which seemed to be wrapping itself tighter and tighter around his neck, 'It's just not fair...'

"S... Sanosuke..."

Megumi.

Sanosuke's eyes immediately shot open, blinking rapidly under the harsh sparks of the ongoing fire in the background as he asked himself if he had just heard her speak, or if maybe God hadn't felt complete satisfaction yet with his already severe emotional torture. But Sanosuke was sure he had heard something, a very quiet something, and that something sounded like...

'But that's... impossible...' His eyes only widened further when he felt a movement in his arms as Megumi's chest slowly rose up to allow clean air through her parted lips and he felt the soft tickle of hot breath against his shoulder as she let the air out.

She was... Megumi was... alive?

"I ..." Megumi whispered, her eyelids softly fluttering, like the wings of a new butterfly escaping it's cocoon after a long restless season, and they flew, her eyes finally opening to reveal the intoxicating gaze of her cinnamon colored orbs staring up at him in wonder. To Sanosuke, they were the most beautiful wings of any butterfly imaginable. "... I love you too..."

She had heard him. It boggled the mind to think that if she had heard every little thing Sanosuke had ever whispered to her in his life that was aimed to fall on deaf ears, she either would have slapped him silly or kissed him senseless. But she had not heard him all those times, she had heard him now, when it mattered most.

Sanosuke didn't know whether to laugh or cry, to scream or stay quiet; none of the reactions followed through to his brain. Was this real? Did he die somewhere along the way of saving her? Sanosuke blinked several times as he watched her hand slowly reach up to caress his face, and as her skin touched his, sharp tingles ran through his flesh from head to foot. Her hand was deathly cold to the touch, but it gradually became warmer and warmer with every second that passed, until soon, his skin burned hot under her palm. Her pale face gained back it's natural pinkish hue as another minute befell and her thumb smoothly moved across his dirtied cheek, expertly, as if lulling him into a peaceful slumber.

He instinctively leaned into her palm, unsure if he should close his eyes for the thought that she might leave him again in the split second that he took his eyes away from her. Slowly, his hand moved up from it's place at the crook of her neck to gently brush his fingers across her lips, gazing intently at her open eyes, her breath dancing against his fingertips; all proof that she was really... alive. A small smile found it's way onto her pale mouth, curving up at it's corners as she kissed every part of him that came close enough for her to do so; soft butterfly kisses that could have been easily mistaken for an angel's touch.

"I wanted to tell you for so long... I wanted to tell you everything," Megumi murmured softly as her lips lightly brushed against his fingers, kissing them gently, and she watched as Sanosuke's eyes allowed themselves to finally close before he brought her close and rested her cheek upon his bare shoulder. Megumi closed her eyes as well, her right hand slowly tracing lower until it laid directly over his pounding heart, and she sighed, taking in the exquisite feeling of his presence that she had waited so long to be in. "Sano, I wanted to tell you so badly... I'm so sorry..."

"Sh... it's okay, love. There's no reason for you to be sorry," he told her, hoping with all his might that she wouldn't start crying; it would only start him up again. "Megumi, how... how did you...?" But the sentence went unfinished for Sanosuke was automatically silenced by Megumi's sweet kiss.

Her lips were still soft, the kiss incredibly tender. It brought back so many memories and pushed away all doubts. It made them both feel dizzy, like a strong head rush after having too much to drink. It took only a second for Sanosuke to respond and he pressed his mouth to her's, deepening it, wanting to take in every single aspect so it would embed itself into his memory.

Finally pulling away, Megumi pressed her forehead to his, the very tips of their noses brushing against each other as she finally spoke, "There's plenty of time for questions later, Sano. Just... just hold me for now..."

She hadn't left him. Sanosuke felt his mouth go dry, enabling him to speak, and he settled on answering with a slight of nod of his head as he pulled her tighter against him. It was like a dream that made him wish he never had to wake up, but it was so unbelievably real. His life so suddenly regained meaning and value, all with just a few simple changes in the act.

His heart beat wildly in his chest with every movement she made, every word she said, anything she did. It was too much like how he reacted when he had first met her: electrified and enticed with every little thing she happened to do. It made him think everything she touched had just been blessed with the most sacred of all things.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming," Sanosuke silently requested, his hands carefully running through the silken strands of her hair, and his body relaxed as he felt her steady breath caressing him, cooling the burning sensation but adding to it at the same time. Sated, he breathed in her scent, unconsciously swallowing as he felt her lips brush against the bare skin of his tanned shoulder. It certainly didn't feel like a dream.

"You're not dreaming," Megumi whispered in answer.

Exhausted and relieved, Megumi turned her face to the side so that her forehead lightly pressed against his neck and her hands slowly drifted over him. Her renewed senses craved touch and she craved him. Unaware of the harsh burns he comprehended in protecting her from the clinic's unrelenting fire, her fingers accidently brushed against his back.

Feeling her hands move across his charred skin, Sanosuke winced at the light sweeps of her gentle fingertips, taking in a sharp breath through his gritted teeth at the harmful touch, and he felt Megumi's hands abruptly stop their delicate movements across his back. And slowly, she turned to look at him, her eyes radiating with energy, life, and above all, concern. Sanosuke could count on one hand how many people had ever really cared about him, Megumi being number one.

"You're hurt."

"I'll be okay," he replied with a weary smile and he gingerly brought his lips down upon her cheek, relishing in it's warmth and softness before he brought his kisses down to her throat, "You were worth it..."

"Sano, you..."

"MOMMY!" Suzuki cried as he ran forward, breaking the small intimate moment as he caught up to where the two adults sat on the ash-covered lawn and the small boy threw his arms around her neck, not at all worried if anyone saw him acting like a complete baby.

Sanosuke had to smile as he released his grip around Megumi's waist and allowed their son his share of celebration.

"Mommy, I was so scared, Mommy! I didn't know what happened to you and Uncle Kenshin said you were okay but I didn't believe him 'cause you wouldn't wake up and I kept calling you and calling you... and... and... you still wouldn't...!"

Megumi smiled as well, tears forming in the outer corners of her eyes as she pulled her son into her arms, ignoring the blunt and heavy ache that cramped up her muscles that still weren't quite used to being moved again. She was just so glad that she got to see him again, the pain no longer mattered.

"I know, Angel, I know," she whispered to him as he finally stopped in his jabbering to just simply hug his mother. Instantly at ease, Megumi planted a kiss atop her son's head and lightly grazed his dark bangs out of his reddened eyes as she brought him back into her arms. "I'm so glad you're okay, Suzuki, I'm so so glad... Oh, thank God, you're alright..."

"It was really scary, Mommy! I didn't know what was wrong and I... I didn't know what to do..!" Suzuki tried again, but was cut off by his strangled sobs that absolutely melted Megumi's heart. It was all she could do but hug him tighter.

"Mommy's going to be just fine now, baby. There's no need to be scared anymore, alright? Hm?" Her smile only grew as she felt his vigorous nodding against her shoulder, already damp with his tears, and she gently patted his back as if he were a baby once more in need of a goodnight kiss to calm his fears of monsters under his bed. He had been so brave that day, it startled her that he was only five. Just the thought of what great kind of a man he would grow up to be made her feel so warm inside. Her little angel was growing up. "I am so proud of you, Suzuki..."

Suzuki's grip around his mother only tightened at her words. She was proud of him. Even after all he had so horribly failed her at, she was still proud of him. In his own way, he had taken part in the saving of his mother, but Suzuki knew who deserved the most credit. He knew who he had dragged over to the clinic for help, he knew who had really saved her.

Slowly, Suzuki's head came up, his cheeks soaked from his tears, and he finally turned away from Megumi and met his father's steady gaze. In those innocent eyes, once filled with regret and sorrow only minutes ago, glowed happiness and cheer. Without even a moment's notice, Suzuki flung himself into Sanosuke's open arms, startling him more than any words ever could, and his son just... cried; cried like the little boy he was, but at the same time, it mirrored the maturity and courage his father had seen earlier that day.

Letting his shock slip past, Sano smiled down at the mini-him with his arms around his neck and gently hugged his son back with all the sincerity he had ever yearned for himself from his own father. It was almost as if Suzuki knew he was his father, even though no one had ever really straight out told him. His hug was more than just something as simple as a 'thank you,' it was an acceptance of who Sanosuke really was. The only thing missing was his official title.

"Hey... it's okay now. There's no reason to cry anymore," Sanosuke soothed as he gave the boy a gentle squeeze, "Sh... it's okay... everything's gonna be okay..." Suzuki nodded against the older man's shoulder, still unable to speak through the small cries that escaped instead, but Sanosuke received his message loud and clear.

"Thank you..." Suzuki choked out between sobs, "Thank you so much..."

"Suzuki, listen me, alright?" Sanosuke instructed and he waited for the boy to look up before he resumed speaking as his new occupation as a teacher, a parent, and a friend, "I am always gonna be here for you. Always."

In the distance, Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko gradually made their way across the graying lawn, careful on the areas where the windows had shattered and broken on the floor, and they all kneeled down beside the happy family with expressions that looked neither expectant or shocked. Kaoru gently touched Megumi's hand, pulling her attention away from the satisfyingly sweet picture of Sanosuke and her son and the younger woman's tears formed again.

"We're glad you're okay, Megumi," Kaoru said, so low that Megumi's readjusting senses barely caught her words and she found herself smiling at her friends before her, glad as well.

"So am I," Megumi replied and she turned as she felt Sanosuke gently take hold of her left hand before clasping it in his own.

"For a moment there, we thought we lost you," Sanosuke whispered softly, one arm still supporting his son against his weight as he leaned forward and brushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, "I thought I lost you..."

"For a moment there, you did," Megumi said in return and she turned back to face her friends, now all closely gathered by her side, just the way it always should have been, "but my place was here... with the people I love most."

"You mean with me and Daddy, right Mommy?" Suzuki asked, his tears long gone and evaporated into the breeze, and she saw them travel instead to Sanosuke's eyes at the mention of the most important name he had ever inherited.

'Daddy.' It was with that one simple word that Sanosuke knew he had been given a great gift. He was finally home...

"Yes, Suzuki. With you," Megumi answered, her heart and soul finally warm again and wholly complete as she looked from son's to father's identical smiling faces, "and Daddy..."



A/N: So, how did I do with the ending? Too sappy? That's what I thought at first but then again, if YOU lost YOUR true love, wouldn't you act the same way? Oh and also, this isn't the last chapter of the story. I bet there's a few people still wondering what happened to Tetsu/Kurotara. Remember him? Mean guy, about yay high, has one black and one white eye? Yeah, because of all the excitement of tying the plot together, he was left out after the fire. The real ending is the epilogue so that'll be up pretty soon. Also, the epilogue might, I repeat, MIGHT, have a little sneak peek at the sequel I MIGHT write so look out for that too. Sequel, good idea? Bad idea? Lemme know, okay?