Guy's Night Out

Chapter 21

He hadn't left her alone at night since she'd been taken by Kageboushi's men. Damn propriety, and damn what anyone said.

Although, he thought to himself, among people of his own class, marriage was nothing more than what he and Megumi had been doing for months, simply moving in together with little ceremony and living their lives. For people like themselves with no family to please, such things were common enough anymore.

He knew that if her family was still alive, things might have been quite different for a woman of her background, no doubt an arranged and formal marriage to some suitable man of similar status and interests. Or, perhaps she would have chosen to practice her profession to the exclusion of a personal life and remain unmarried, unusual as that would have been for a woman of her grace and beauty.

Kenshin and Kaoru had legalized and publicly celebrated their marriage a month or so ago, a simple enough thing it had been. Sano and Megumi and others of their circle, including Aoshi and Misao from Kyoto, had been there for the brief blessing over sake, and changing formally into marriage clothes. Other than that, it was simply a celebration among friends.

Jou-chan had looked happy enough, thought Sano, and Kenshin was smiling a lot. But then, he had always smiled a lot. The difference was that now it seemed to be much less of a polite mask.

"Are you going to sit there on the porch brooding all night?" he heard Megumi's voice asking behind him. He turned to look at her.

"I'm not brooding, I'm thinking, there's a difference," he retorted.

"Try not to hurt yourself too badly," she snickered behind her hand. "I may be a doctor, but there's only so much I can do."

"I was thinking about you, so it was a little painful," he said, winking at her, rising to the bait once again.

He was glad to have his old foxy back, teasing barbs and all. She'd been far too quiet after he'd brought her back to her small house. His mind went back to that day.

After a few days at the dojo, Megumi was more than ready to come home. She missed her house, and her things, and was physically feeling fine.

Being an observant woman, she also had decided that Ken-san and Kaoru needed much less company than they currently had. She'd rarely seen two people trying so hard to hide the fact that they wanted to be alone together. She only hoped Yahiko had enough tact to find excuses to leave often.

With Sano carrying her things, she returned home. It seemed that Genzai- sensai's housekeeper had tidied things up for her. All the signs of the struggle in the kitchen that night were gone. Save one.

She went into that room last, after putting her things away. Sano was watching her with concerned eyes, but so far, she was her usual self. A bit quiet, but she was hardly the hysterical type, he thought.

Taking a deep breath, she ventured into the small kitchen. Sano stood in the doorway while she knelt down and touched her things, making sure they were all there. Unexpectedly, Megumi put her hands up to her face and made a oddly strangled sound.

He was there in a heartbeat, putting an arm around her and trying to peer into her face. "What is it, what's wrong?" he asked with frantic concern.

She looked at him between her fingers, and he suddenly realized that she was convulsed with laughter, not weeping. "Look!" she said, pointing at something metal hanging on the wall.

He looked. It was a large pan for cooking rice, badly dented on one side.

"That's the pan I hit Scarface with," she said gasping with laughter.

"Dammit, Megumi, you scared the hell outta me, I thought you were having a fit or sumthin!" he said in an aggrieved tone. "I won't be doing any cooking with that thing," she said, still mirthful. "Maa, that was my best pan, too. Now I'll have to get a new one."

Sano shook his head slowly. Unpredictable fox as always, he thought. Here he'd been expecting tears and panic and she was laughing her head off over a dented pan.

"Maybe we'll keep this one around just for whacking Yakuza henchmen," said Sano, chuckling, her laughter infecting him.

"Let's hope the opportunity doesn't arise again," she said, her face growing serious again.

He frowned. He had enjoyed seeing those fox ears for a few minutes.

"It won't happen again, I already promised you that," he rose and helped her up.

"So, you've appointed yourself my personal bodyguard," she said, a bit archly.

He grinned down at her, "I've never seen a body I'd rather be guarding," he said, eyes glinting as his glance traveled down her willowy frame.

"Is that all you can think of?" she said, slapping him lightly on the hand. It had begun to roam from her shoulder to her waist, pulling her in press against him.

"Yes," he said, kissing her fully on the mouth before she could say anything else. She resisted for a brief second, pushing against his arms, but his insistence won. She relented and allowed him access to her lips and tongue. Never breaking the deep kiss, he guided her gently to the floor.

She broke the kiss by turning her head abruptly to gasp at him, "In the kitchen?" and he growled, " Why not? It's the only room in the house where we haven't done this!" before claiming her mouth again. She shrugged mentally and turned her full attention to matching his seeking mouth and passionate touches.

Clothing was pushed aside, and finally shed entirely, as were any lingering inhibitions. There wasn't an inch of her body he didn't give his complete attention to with kisses and caresses. She ardently returned his attentions and finally, they were joined completely and intimately in body and soul.

In her kitchen, in the midmorning of a warm Tokyo summer, he replaced a memory of fear with one of love and passion.

He was shining with sweat, completely spent and still lying there when she sat up, and pulled his gi over her naked torso. "Where you goin'?" he asked, his voice still husky with recent exertions. "Just to do this," she said. She looked adorable with the sleeves of his gi hanging over her fingers, pushing them up. She took the dented pan off the wall and opening the door to the back yard, threw it outside. He heard a soft clang as it hit the ground.

"It was spoiling the mood," she said. He chuckled at her, and stretched out his hand to her to join him again on the floor.

"I'll never be able to cook in here again without blushing," she said, taking his hand, and kneeling next to him again.

"Suits me," he said. "I like the idea of you cooking and thinking about me."

"You just like the idea of me cooking you anything," she joked.

"Well, I am getting kind of hungry," he admitted.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Do I look like I'm ready to do any cooking?"

"I don't know, you look fine to me," he said, enjoying the view of her wrapped in his shirt. "I may make you wear that all the time."

"I doubt if there's a thing to eat in this house, I've been gone for days, you know," she said to him.

"Well, get yer clothes on and we'll go to see Tae at the Akabeko, my treat," he said, reaching for his pants. "I hate to say it, but I'll be needing that, too" he said, pointing to his gi.

"Your treat?" she questioned.

"Sure, Kenshin and I got paid pretty well. The police were very grateful for us helping to put Kageboushi outta business. Don't tell anyone, but I think that Jou-chan and him are going to finally tie the knot."

"You're probably the last person in Tokyo to figure that out, Sagara Sanosuke," she replied, picking up her clothes and shaking them to try to get out the slight wrinkles.

"Hey, I catch on, sooner or later," he protested.

"We really should take a bath," she said, trying to smooth her hair.

"Okay, we can do that first," he said, looking at her. Her current disarray looked wonderful to him, but he knew she'd never allow herself to be seen in public any way less than perfectly groomed. Visions of a wet and naked fox were making him forget about his stomach and focus on another kind of hunger.

"You don't mind me taking you there, just the two of us," he suddenly asked, his eyes questioning.

"No, of course I don't mind," she said quietly, smiling at him. "You're behaving as if I had some sort of reputation as a grand lady to live up to, idiot."

"Okay, if yer sure, fox," he said, "People are gonna start saying things, ya know."

"They already are saying things, rooster," she replied. "I for one, do not care, nor does it make any difference. I love you, and I don't care who know s it." She tossed back her long black hair for emphasis.

"Now," she said, "Let's have that bath."

The End