Night Out
By Yuki
Author's note: Hey, I got 10 reviews! Hehe... I told myself that if the reviews for the last chapter didn't even reach a double digit, then I'd definitely delete it and scrap it and just forget that I wrote it. Of course the fic had been gathering virtual dust at ff.net... I hope this update would get the same positive reviews. Thanks again and on with the fic!
Night Out
Chapter 2
She stood impatiently by the closed door and waited for half a second. No response. Kami! People and their sleeping habits! You'd think that by now someone should've come rushing to the door with the way she was pounding on it. She cursed underneath her breath and began pounding again. This was the second door of the day that she was close to demolishing down. She winced as she remembered the sight of splintered woods scattered all over Sano's floor.
At least no one had seen her kicking it open and basically obliterating it into pieces. What's up with that door anyway? Shouldn't all doors be big and sturdy? Really, it was the most feeble piece of door she had ever encountered! And anyway, Sano would never guess that she had destroyed his door. It's not like he'd care anyway. He wasn't even there!
Neither was Kenshin nor Yahiko!
Kaoru flushed angrily. Where could those stupid fools be?
"Megumi-san!" She called out. Why was the doctor still asleep? Was it not the Fox's duty and responsibility to be up early and save people's lives?
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Patience, Kaoru, patience. She inhaled slowly, closed her eyes and counted to ten. What was it that Misao had written on her last letter? The one about Meditating? Aoshi-sama and all his zen-stuff... Misao had written about it in great detail. Maybe she should try that.
Feel the calm wind soothing your skin. The happy chirpy birds. The brightening of the sky. The sound of water flowing through a stream...
One... Two... Three...
Nope. Not working.
By the time she got to five, she was already pounding, yet again on the door and cursing sake, Sano, male bonding and a really slow assed Lady Doctor she was trying to wake up. She was pissed. And a pissed Kaoru was worse than a...well, there was nothing worse than a pissed Tanuki. She hadn't eaten her breakfast yet, but for some reason there was this force, this energy that allowed her to walk all the way from her dojo and bring her here. Not to mention all the pounding and kicking of doors she had done.
She had barely even acknowledged the people who had greeted and smiled at her on her way here. There was no time to improve her social skills and to get her popularity ratings up. She had far more important matters to attend to. The idiots had not gone home. She had made it clear that they are expected to get their drunken ass back home before sunrise. Granted that the sun has not risen yet, but it was totally uncharacteristic of Kenshin to disobey her. Yahiko, sure. Sano, of course, it was expected of him even. But Kenshin? No way he'd ever go against her word. There was no other explanation for their disappearance. Something bad must've happened to them.
And if she was over reacting and they just happen to be sleeping somewhere in a dark alley, unhurt, but too drunk to get home - Kaoru smiled evilly - then she would just have to kill them.
She raised her fist again and was about to break the damn door when it viciously swung open, revealing a sleepy red-eyed Megumi.
Kaoru raised her eyebrows. Well, it seemed like Megumi didn't look oh-so-perfect all the time. The yukata she was wearing was horribly wrinkled up and her raven hair was all over the place. Kaoru couldn't help but grin at her.
"What?!" The lady doctor screeched.
"Ohayou Megumi-san." Kaoru greeted curtly.
"Ohayou? Ohayou? You came here to tell me Ohayou?" Megumi asked as soon as she saw who had been banging at her door at this ungodly hour. "Do you know what time it is?" She asked incredulously. She opened her mouth to give the girl a piece of her mind when she caught sight of a young man who delivered the morning papers for her neighbors looking at them with a small grin. He whistled and then winked at her. Megumi's mouth dropped open. What the hell? She had no idea the boy had a crush on her!
Megumi narrowed her eyes and glared at the young man. He smiled even wider. She followed the man's eyes and let out a small gasp when she realized what the whistle was for. She clutched her yukata and immediately closed it up. She defiantly pushed Kaoru out of the way and kicked an innocent flowerpot lying by her doorstep. "Ha! Take that you pervert!"
Kaoru watched with fascination as the pot flew from the ground in a perfect arch and landed on the man's head with a satisfying bone crunching sound. Today's papers were now flying through the air. Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Nice move, Megumi." She muttered softly and then let out a small yelp as Megumi grabbed her arm and dragged her inside the house.
Megumi slammed the door shut and faced the younger girl. "What is it? What is so important, Tanuki-chan that you have to pound on that door like there's no tomorrow? Is anyone hurt? What?!"
Kaoru stared at the doctor seriously. "They didn't come home."
"They who?" Megumi asked irritated that her beauty sleep had been disturbed. She already had an idea on what had caused Kaoru's sudden appearance at her doorstep this early. She glanced outside and saw that the sky was still dark and dotted with little stars. Farther into the east, the sky was beginning to color yellow and orange and streaks of pinks. It would be a few more hours before sunrise. She gestured for the girl to follow her as she entered the kitchen. She picked a pot from the table and began making tea.
"Kenshin, Sano and Yahiko." Kaoru replied with a sigh, rubbing her eyes.
"Sit down." The doctor ordered and Kaoru obliged silently. Normally, she would have glared at Megumi for using that mothering-tone on her. She was not her mother, nor was she her sister. She was older than her and that was it. Kaoru firmly believed that Megumi did not have the right to order her around and treat her like a little girl.
Megumi sat in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "Where did they went and why?"
"Well, Sano won a few yen at the gambling house and invited-" Kaoru began slowly when Megumi interrupted her.
"Wait, wait. Back up a bit. Sano won? There's actually someone in this town that had lost to Sano?" Megumi asked, her eyes brightening.
Kaoru nodded solemnly. "I couldn't believe it the first time he told us. I thought he was already drunk or something. But he swears it was true, and he had the money to prove it."
"Amazing!" Megumi said shaking her head. "Are you sure he didn't rob the bank or Eiji-san's store?"
Kaoru paused, frowned, tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Nope. I don't think so. I mean, Saitou would be hunting him down by now." She reasoned out shaking her head as well.
Megumi looked out of the window and nodded. "You're right." The lady doctor shook her head once more. "And let me guess, after winning the money instead of paying the 100 yen that he owed me, he went out of his way to buy sake and gamble some more."
"Not exactly," Kaoru said with a sigh. "He invited Yahiko and Kenshin into a geisha house. He wanted to celebrate and-"
And again Megumi interrupted her with a loud shriek. "What?!"
Kaoru cringed. Megumi had real vocal powers. It could probably even ruin someone's eardrum. She remembered Sano's temporary loss of hearing last week. He had blamed Megumi for it and everyone scoffed at him and told him he was crazy. Poor Sano. Now she believed him.
Megumi bolted from her chair and started pacing the house. "Geisha house! That little... I cannot believe that he would take Kenshin and Yahiko to a geisha house! It's... it's..." she began clearly at loss for words, she stopped her pacing and faced Kaoru, her eyes glittering, "It's obscene! It's immoral! It's wrong... it's just so wrong! And oohhh! I knew that Sano was hanging by that geisha house way too much. I told him that it would only bring him trouble, but did he listen? No! Of course he didn't. He thinks it's some macho-testosterone guy thing when in fact IT. IS. JUST. OBSCENE!" The lady doctor began ranting her voice rising and rising almost into an unbearable pitch.
Kaouru shuddered. Could Megumi's voice actually be her secret weapon? Some martial art technique that she had developed on her own... She quickly clasped her two hands on her ears for protection. If she finds Sano sleeping in some hell-hole or his house (not much different between the two anyway) smashed with alcohol and snoring his trademark annoying snore, she'd no sooner hurry over to Megumi and bribe her to scream right into Sano's ear. That would teach the Roosterhead a lesson he would never ever forget.
"Geisha house!" She heard Megumi continue on with her ranting. "How could you let them go there?" The doctor turned to look at her. The brown eyes now looked liked balls of bright red fire. "And they aren't home yet!" She paused, raised her hand in mid-air and then to the shock of Kaoru, punched a hole on the table. "Kami! If I find him... sleeping on some Geisha's lap... I'm gonna kill him..." Megumi announced.
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. This was not the reaction she had envisioned. She knew Megumi would not be too happy, but this was just way too weird. Megumi sounded like she was jealous. "Him who?" she asked slowly, a little confused.
"Sanosuke of course! Who else?!" Megumi shrieked angrily.
Kaoru blinked. Huh? Sano? Did Megumi said Sano? "Why would you kill Sano? I mean, despite the obvious reasons, but why the... why the rage?"
Megumi went on as though she didn't hear her. "The sleazy Punk! I knew he's not the monogamous type... but a geisha! That's ridiculous! I tell you, those geisha friends of his probably did something to him. He was never that interested in them before!"
"Excuse me?"
"Why would he want those girls? Just because they are oh-so delicately pretty and annoyingly dainty. And does he ever notice that I actually have a real dignified career? No. Of course not. Typical of him. That blind fucking idiot!"
There was a loud weird buzzing sound in Kaoru's ears. "Megumi are you ok? With the way you're reacting, I think you have a thing for Sano and boy, do you have it bad." Kaoru snickered, finding her own sense of humor too funny. Because Megumi and Sano? Really, could there be any worse disaster of a couple... wait, why was it so silent so suddenly.
Kaoru looked at Megumi who had stopped pacing and was looking at her in a very weird, very scary manner. As though she had caught Megumi by surprise and accidentally discovered some real big secret...
Kaoru's jaw dropped. Oh. My. God. "Oh. My. God." She voiced out in a tiny squeak as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "You?" she asked faintly and then smiled, "You?!" and then what followed next was laughter so un-lady like that Kaoru was glad Kenshin wasn't present at the moment to hear her snort loudly. "You and Sano?!" She sputtered some more... "But you hate each other and... oh God, that's just... you?" She giggled and held on to her sides.
The confession of the year! Of the decade even! No other confession was going to beat this one - ever. Sano and Megumi. Megumi and Sano. Ohohohoho.
By the time Megumi had recovered from her initial shocked reaction, Kaoru was already clutching at her stomach, laughing madly over her pronouncement. "Tanuki." Megumi warned silently, crossing her arms over her chest looking incredibly calm and dangerous. "Get a hold of yourself." She said coldly.
"Oh, Kami. Oh..." Kaou coughed and sat straighter, trying to swallow down the laughter that bubbled up her throat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just... you just admitted that you're jealous and I... it's amazing!" Kaoru said wiping at the corners of her eyes. She exhaled slowly and tried to calm herself. "Sano would only be too happy to hear that."
"I bet he would." Megumi said in a dead sort of voice. Inside she was screaming at herself. That little slip! That stupid little slip. Ohhhh that Sano was really going to have it. She could not believe she had blurted it out. She had been very careful not to let anyone notice her... "growing affection" towards the infuriating punk and now this! A full confession to the Tanuki girl, no less. What in Kami's name was wrong with her? She paused and clenched her hands into a fist. That's right. Sano and his elicit affairs! How dare he?!
Kaoru watched Megumi from the corner of her eyes. Well, she had only been kidding when she thought of Megumi murdering Sano with her voice, but from the look of things, it seemed like it would soon become a reality. "Er, Megumi-san..."
Megumi turned to look at her, "You're not serious about killing Sano all by yourself are you?" She asked in a worried voice.
Megumi raised her eyebrows. "No."
"Good." Kaoru said smiling sweetly. "Because I'd want to have a piece of him too."
Megumi smiled back at her. "Oh. Of course."
After a whole hour of discussion, half of which under the topic of the many ways to kill a roosterhead punk named Sagara Sanosuke, the two women both decided to try and re-trace the steps of the three soon to be mauled men.
Had Yahiko been there, he would have been delighted to find out that he had fallen under the "men" category. The About to be Killed Men Category to be exact, but still a very big leap from the dreaded suffix "chan".
"We should go back to the dojo first. Maybe the three idiots had found their way back." Megumi suggested running a hand through her already combed hair.
"I agree." Kaoru said nodding thoughtfully. "If they're still not there, we can swing by Sano's place again. They could've also gone there."
"Good thinking." Megumi headed the way out her room. "Then we'd check the gambling house. That's another place they can go to."
"Next the Akabeko." Kaoru said following Megumi.
"And then the police station. Maybe Saitou had already killed Sano. You know how the old cockroach hates Sano's guts." Megumi stepped inside the clinic to tell Genzai sensei that she would not be working today.
"Do you really think they got into trouble or something?" Kaoru asked softly.
"Personally, I think they're out cold and wasted underneath a tree or at a stinky old alley. But hey, that's not going to stop me from doing them harm. They deserve it for making us worry, among other things." Megumi said nodding at Kaouru's approval. She slid the door open and was about to greet Genzai sensei but stopped dead on her track, her mouth hanging open. "Oh no!" She exclaimed softly.
"What is it?" Kaoru asked, panicked. She pushed Megumi out of the way and looked into the clinic with dread. Her eyes turned big as saucers at the sight present to them. "Oh, boy, Megumi, you're in trouble," she whispered hoarsely.
The boy delivering the morning papers was groaning and moaning and turning helplessly on his two sides. He was obviously in pain. He looked like he was suffering. Hell, he sounded like he was battling death. He was lying on his back, a bandage wrapped around his face - from the jaws all the way to his swollen head and back again.
Ooops.
"Takani-san? Is that you?" Megumi heard the doctor ask from the other room. She took a deep breath and composed herself.
"Yes Genzai-sensei."
The old doctor peered from the room and nodded. "An early casualty." The doctor informed her. "Says he had been attacked by an ugly old hag."
Megumi's nostril flared. She positively choked. "A what?" She asked in a small voice so very un-Megumi like of her.
"An ugly old hag." Genzai-sensei confirmed. "Yes, I'm afraid that was the only description he was able to give. The poor boy said he'd been standing innocently by the street when a mad old hag kicked a pot that hit him in the head. I'm mixing some medicine to bring the swelling down."
"Mad ugly old hag?" Megumi repeated, eyebrows twitching.
"Yes, yes. I think the boy had the story wrong though. He woke up dazed and began mumbling about open yukatas, flying pots and ugly old hags."
"Is it serious?" Kaoru asked trying to keep a straight face.
"No. Just some swelling. He'd be fine. Such a strong skull I might add. Reminds me of Sanosuke actually." Dr. Genzai paused and then scratched his beard. "Speaking of which, Sanosuke dropped by just about after midnight, asking for a few pills for headache, says it was for Yahiko-chan. How is Yahiko-chan anyway?"
The two girls looked at each other. "Sano went here?" Kaoru asked suddenly all ears.
"Yes. I remember because he had pounded on the door 'till I woke up." Genzai-sensei rubbed his head expecting to hear some concern from the girls.
"Did he seem drunk?" Megumi asked instead.
"Well, now that you mentioned it, he did have sake breath." Dr. Genzai nodded thoughtfully. "But he didn't seem drunk. He was very calm and was smiling and kept talking about Yahiko having a headache and this Keiko-chan taking care of him."
"Keiko-chan?" Megumi's voice began to rise again. "Any other girl's name he mentioned to you?" Megumi said stepping forward.
Kaoru stepped in front of her and smiled at Genzai-sensei. "Did Sano said something about Kenshin? Like how bored he was and wasn't enjoying himself and was missing er, um, a certain someone he left back home?" She asked hopefully.
Gezai-sensei paused for a few seconds thinking and then he brightened up. "Ah yes! Yes! He did mentioned Himura-san. But Sano had cheerfully announced that Himura-san was indeed having fun and was surprisingly getting all warm and comfortable with a certain Ayako-chan."
There was a rather long pause from the two girls as this little story sink in. Kaoru's smile was frozen on her face. It faded slowly and was replaced by a shriek. "WHAT?!" She threw her fist in the air. "Warm and comfortable with... with..." she couldn't bring to say her name. Her rurouni had cheated on her!
Genzai-sensei almost stumbled in shock. "Girls? Is there something wrong?" He asked sounding confused.
"Yes!" The two girls replied in unison.
"Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the girls name?" Genzai-sensei offered.
"What time did Sano came here?" Megumi asked again ignoring him.
"Well, I can't really remember...." Genzai-sensei began slowly, as though trying to think up of a lie or an excuse to get the girls to calm down.
"Onegai, Gezai-sensei, you have to remember. You have to! It's really important." Kaoru pleaded.
Gezai-sensei closed his eyes and tried to think. No he couldn't lie to these girls. He had to tell them the truth. "It had been before midnight. I remember Sano telling me that he stopped by at the Akabeko to ask Tae-san some medicine. He said he didn't want to wake me up but he had no other place to go since Tae-san had no medicine with her. And we all know that the Akabeko doesn't close up until after midnight. So, it was likely that Sano came here before midnight." He looked at the two girls and then raised his eyebrows. "They are not in trouble because of those girls, are they?"
"Oh yes they are!" Megumi announced. She turned hurriedly away, swearing softly.
Kaoru bit her lips. She bowed her head and thanked Genzai-sensei for his help. "And oh, Megumi-dono would not be working today."
"Nani? Why? Is there something she has to do?" The old doctor asked frowning.
"Yes. Unfortunately, Megumi-san is planning on killing Sano today." Kaoru informed him quite calmly. "See you at dinner Genzai-sensei. Tell the little ones I said Hi!" And with that Kaoru was out of the door trying to catch up with Megumi.
Genzai-sensei was left standing, rooted to his spot. "Kill Sanosuke today?" He mumbled thoroughly shocked and confused. Surely, he had misheard Kaoru-chan. She couldn't mean what she said... could she?
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End Note: Ok, that's it for now. Tell me what you guys think ok. Flames would be expertly dodged. And all other comments, suggestions and reviews would be greatly appreciated...