Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.
Megumi's POV
I sat out on the steps in front of the clinic enjoying the crisp evening air in a rare moment of silence in my busy day. The clinic's last patient had left a few moments ago, giving me my first chance to rest all day. I tilted my head up toward the sky and let the soft breeze run through my hair.
Suddenly I whipped my face toward the gated path leading up to the clinic doors. I could hear heavy breathing and the sound of something scraping slowly against the road. I stood and took a hesitant step forward.
"Who's there?" I called out.
There was a pause. "Miss Megumi?" I recognized the strained voice of Himura Kenshin. I felt my stomach churn in dread. I grabbed the hem of my kimono and ran to the gate. Opening it, I could make out Kenshin's slight form holding up a limp body.
"Sanosuke!" I breathed in shock. I ran forward and took his other arm and threw it over my shoulder. Kenshin and I quickly carried the unconscious man into the clinic. As Kenshin quickly lit some more of the lanterns, I ripped open Sanosuke's bloody shirt.
"Oh, god," I whispered to myself. I could see a small wound on the side of his abdomen, but it was clearly an exit wound. "We need to turn him over." Kenshin came over with another lantern for light and we, as gently as possible, turned him onto his stomach. I winced as I saw a gaping bloody wound in his broad back. I examined it carefully in the poor light. I breathed a small sigh of relief.
"What?" Kenshin asked from across the room. I glanced up at him quickly. His face was hidden under shadows. All I could see was his bloody clothing. I hoped fervently that he was not hurt because I needed to focus on Sanosuke.
"It missed his kidneys," I explained as I started to work. "It's still very bad, but I think I can … keep him alive." My hands moved quickly without too much direction from my mind. He had lost a good deal of blood, which was why he was unconscious. All I could do was try to control the bleeding as I sewed him back together. Sanosuke, what happened to you?
As I worked, Kenshin stood silently and watched me. He said nothing, offered no explanation. Finally, Sanosuke's wounds were as good as I had skill to make them. "Kenshin," I called him over. He stepped over toward me. "Help me turn him back over." Carefully, so as not to reopen the wounds I had just sewn shut, we got Sanosuke on his back. "Here, lift his shoulders a bit." Kenshin moved to Sanosuke's head and obeyed me silently. I deftly wrapped long strips of linen around his torn abdomen.
I finished and Kenshin laid Sanosuke's head down carefully. I turned to Kenshin. "Are you hurt?" He did not look up from the unconscious man before him as he shook his head. Glancing down at his hands, I saw that his knuckles were torn and bloody.
"Here," I said as I took him by the wrist and led him over toward a wash basin full of warm water. He did not flinch as I carefully cleaned his hands and wrapped them in clean linen. I'd never heard of Kenshin using his fists in a fight.
When I finished he looked up and gave me a small forced smile. "Thank you, Miss Megumi." I smiled back at him. He really looked awful. The right half of his clothing had been completely soaked in Sanosuke's blood from Kenshin carrying him. He looked tired and his eyes did not seem to focus on anything. The fact that he had come out of his stupor long enough to thank me though, reassured me he was all right. We were only in trouble when Kenshin ceased being polite.
I stood up and pulled a clean set of extra clothing out from one of the cupboards. "Here Kenshin, why don't you change? I'll be right back, ok?"
He gave me a small appreciative nod and I stepped outside. I hurried over to one my assistants' living quarters and asked her to tell Kaoru that Sanosuke and Kenshin were here. I stepped back into the dark clinic.
The extra set of clothing was right where I had left it. "Kenshin?" I said to the now empty room. Silence. I sighed, and turned back to Sanosuke as he stirred on the pallet. I knelt beside him and reached to touch his face.
He groaned softly and opened his eyes a little. I smiled with relief. "How do you feel?" I asked, gently ruffling his soft hair.
"Hungry," he said softly.
I gave him a wry grin. Yeah, he was going to be just fine, I thought to myself.
Kenshin's POV
Mistakes:
First of all, I allowed Sano to come with me. Because of the misguided notion that I could keep myself under control if someone was with me, I had seriously endangered his life just by allowing him to come.
Secondly, I lost control, nearly ending in the loss of two lives.
Lastly, I had been sloppy. Someone had been following us, and I did not say anything because I assumed Sano would know. Maybe he did, but even so, I allowed myself to forget that. That bothered me. When it came to situations like this, details never escaped me, but this one had.
That list ran through my head over and over as I walked down the empty streets of Tokyo. I was going to end this tonight. This entire conflict had been tearing me apart inside and I was willing to risk a total loss of control just to finish it. If I ended up killing every single anarchist I found, this would end. I only prayed I could finish it without losing myself in the rage.
I stopped dead in my tracks. You are doing it again, I told myself. The angrier you allow yourself to get, the harder it is to keep control. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. The linen wrapped around my hands bunched up as I dimly remembered punching the pavement beside Sano as his blood flowed down the street. All that frustration and anger came back to me in an intense wave.
Taking a few deep breaths, I got myself under control. Slowly, I pulled the linen wrappings from my hands. They would only compromise my grip on the hilt of my sword.
I continued on my way until I was back at the intersection where a few hours ago, we had been attacked. I paused, waiting for any sign of the Asps. I did not have to wait long. Two young and obviously drunk men rounded the corner a few minutes later. They paused when they saw me, and I noticed two small insignia on each of their arms. The black asp.
"Excuse me," I called to them. "I'd like to speak with your leader. Could you please tell me where I could find him?"
The two men looked at me like I was crazy. Being polite was obviously a bit of a mistake, I suppose. One of the men, the older, and I believe, drunker of the two, took a lurching step forward. "Hey lissten, guy!" he said. His speech was slurred and difficult to understand. "Our bosse don't want bothered by every guy in Tokyo!" He then laughed as though he had made a very funny joke.
I sighed in frustration. I did not have time to be messing around with these fools!
Apparently my frustration showed through, because the other man quickly wiped the grin off his face and said, "I'll go get him, then." He turned and hurried into one of the nearby buildings, while his friend staggered down the street and disappeared at the closest bar.
I stood in the pale moonlight waiting for the chief anarchist. It would start as talk, but I knew it would end in a fight. I knew that I could win the fight, but I feared losing my soul in the process.
A/N: Ah, corny ending, I know. I must apologize to all Megumi fans. I don't know her character very well (as is obvious) but she was the best choice for the beginning of this chapter. And, yes, I know, she doesn't call him Kenshin, but that's his name, damn it, so that's what she's calling him here. Well, anyway, there's probably only one more chapter and maybe an epilogue, but I'm not too sure yet.
Note to Sanosuke Sagara: (No, not the character; I'm not off the deep end yet.) I never even considered killing off Sano! Two reasons for this: First, I hate character death. It's like playing with another kid's toy. You can play, but you can't break it. Secondly, I love Sano! You may have noticed that I love picking on him. But he is still one of my favorite characters. Anyway, I just needed to piss Kenshin off. I can't make it too easy on him.
