Disclaimer:  All standard disclaimers apply.

Author's greetings:  Hey.  I can't believe it; it's the eleventh chapter already.  Still maintaining the same number of reviews, I guess.  But, that's fine with me.  At least, somebody's taking interest on this fic.  Just read on and enjoy.  By the way, if any of you guys know how to play the guitar and has the chords of 'Junjo na Kanjo', could you please e-mail me the chords?  Please?  It's lieveit1@yahoo.com.  It's because I was looking all over for it.  Thanks.

Rating:  PG (may fluctuate)

Second Chance

Chapter XI:  All At The Same Time

"What exactly are we doing back here AGAIN, Megitsune?"  Sano asked, confused and completely out of breath, as he dropped his hands to his knees tiredly to ease the pain from his weary legs.  He looked around the busy bustle of the marketplace doubtfully, then back at Megumi, who was exercising her eyes all over the place, but Sano himself had no idea whatsoever of what or who she was looking for.  "We've been walking around for two hours already, you know.  I have no idea what's going on in that brain of yours.  I repeat, what are we doing here, tell me once again?"

"We are looking for something."  Megumi mumbled.  "I just don't know what."

Sano groaned in reply and rolled his eyes heavenwards.  As far as he was concerned, accompanying Megumi was a big mistake.  And when he says big, it means VERY big.  When they left Kaoru and Yahiko at the restaurant two hours ago, they had first proceeded to the marketplace, walking around for over half an hour, looking for some unknown thing...  or person.  Then, Megumi had led him to some parts of the town, areas he wasn't even familiar with, and Sano had even thought the woman had no idea where they were going.  They hadn't stopped walking since then until they found themselves back where they started: at the marketplace.  It seemed to Sano they were walking around in circles.

"Seems to me we're walking around in circles."  He didn't realize he said that thought out loud.

She jerked her head towards him, frowning.  "Well, if you think what we're doing here is up to no good then you're welcome to leave me right now."

Sano kept quiet at that.  Finally, he let out an exaggerated sigh then shoved his hands into his pockets.  "I'm not leaving you."

"Oh really?"  Megumi challenged.

"Really."  He countered.  "C'mon, just tell me what you're looking for so I can help you look too!" 

She turned her head back in front and looked around once more.  "We're looking for something but I still don't know what it is."

"Then how could you know what to look for if you don't even know what you're looking for?!!!"  Sano exploded, his arms flailing about.

Megumi then glared at him, sighed and began walking away.  "You are so humiliating, rooster-head."

"Chotto matte!"  Sano ran to catch up with her.

She stopped right in front a newspaper stand and she read the headlines.  Still about the Takamigumi.  She thought.

Sano stood beside her and read the headlines himself, hands in his pockets.  "They're becoming aggressive, aren't they?"

"Hai."  She agreed. 

They stood there before the newspaper stand for some time, contemplating over the speed of which the events took place over the past few days.  People around them began getting curious that they began gathering beside and behind Sano and Megumi to read the newspaper headlines on display themselves.

"Hmmmph!  Those people enjoy killing other people!"  One skinny man with falling teeth beside Sano snorted.  "Good thing they're killing the bad ones!"

"That's right!"  Another woman replied as she shifted her baby to the crook of her right arm from the left.  "They are very heroic, indeed!  Imagine, killing all those corrupt politicians for the sake of the people!"  She stated overdramatically.

Several more people, who were forming a small crowd behind Sano and Megumi, nodded and murmured in reply.

"Let's all shout our support for the Takamigumi!"  An unidentified person suddenly raised his voice!

"HAI!"  The response rippled over the crowd like a strong tide.  Several more people started shouting until Megumi can't even hear herself respire.

"THAT'S IT!  I'M SICK AND TIRED OF ALL YOU PEOPLE!"  Sano suddenly exploded, feeling sick with all the compliments they were giving this murdering group.  He abruptly turned around and faced the crowd, shielding Megumi behind him protectively in case things got out of hand.  "How could you love this murdering group?!  No matter who or how you kill, you cannot deny the fact that you've killed and killing is murder!  Open your eyes and don't be IGNORAMUSES, WILL YA!"  He gave them his best Sano-glare.

The people looked back at him, first, in shock, then, in anger.  "Get outta here!"  A young man shouted from the back of the crowd.  "The Takamigumi is the savior of the people of Japan and you should have known that already!"

"Shut up, shrimp!  Keep your mouth shut if you don't wanna get hurt, pea-brain!!"  Sano yelled back, holding his clenched fist up for the young man to see.  But the thing is, Sano was grossly outnumbered. 

"Get outta here!!"

"Go back home to your mama!"

"Leave us alone!!"  The crowd yelled at Sano simultaneously as they began pressing in closer towards him, trying to overcome each other's voices.

"Sano, I believe it's time to go."  Megumi whispered to Sano's ear from behind.

"Hai."  He whispered back.  He took her hand and began leading her away from the crowd, pushing and shoving through the throng as he did so.  The people began moving in a frenzy of emotions that they did not realize their target was nowhere to be found.

When they were a good distance away from the crowd, Sano led Megumi into a narrow alley.

He collapsed against the wall, breathing in deeply.  "Man, I sure am glad we got away from there!  I had no idea those people were so narrow-minded!"

"Mind you, Sano, they had their own opinions."  Megumi said.

"Yare..."  He started to say, thinking.  "They should have tried confirming their opinions first before trying to attack us."

"Apparently, those people believe that the Takamigumi is a group that kills for the sake of the people.  They believe it is a group that means to save and liberate the people from the corruption of the Meiji government, or so they say.  That is their opinion.  But since we've seen what the Takamigumi really is about, then our own factual opinion clashes with their twisted and fictitious ones."  Megumi concluded.

"At least, I tried letting them see the truth, of which they were too blind to see."  Sano shrugged, smiling.

"I agree."  She chuckled.  "You gave such an inspiring speech, Sano."

"An inspiring and BORING speech."  A voice at their right said.

Sano immediately stood upright and shoved Megumi behind him at the sound of the voice.  "What the hell—" He looked around.  There, a few paces from them, was the speaker.  "Who the hell are you?!"  Sano bellowed.

The man was leaning on the wall, with the left foot bent against the wall with the right one on the ground.  He watched Sano at the corner of his right eye.

Megumi peeked from behind Sano's shoulder, then, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.  The man was quite good-looking.  If he stood next to Sano, he would probably reach up to Sano's ear.  His hair was cut short and was wearing a dark blue gi and black hakama.  While his arms were folded across his chest, Megumi could see his outer hand playing with what seems to be a semi-circular piece of golden metal, sort of like a pendant hacked at the middle.  She also realized that he might be a few years older than Sano, probably four to five years senior.  He looked sort of rakish; it was quite impossible for a woman to not gawk at him.

When the man saw the woman was staring at him from behind the goofy-looking guy, a smirk formed on his lips.

"Hey, man, are you deaf or what?!"  Sano suddenly exploded when he realized the man was looking past him.  "I said, 'who the hell are you'?!" 

The man ignored Sano's sudden outburst and continued to stare back at Megumi.  "What's your name?"  He asked her.

"Hell, I didn't tell you to ask her anything!"  Sano said.

"Megumi."  Megumi answered the unknown man without even thinking.

Sano turned his head towards Megumi, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.  "Megumi..." he said her name as though in warning.

The man nodded.  "I see..."  He mumbled, as if he didn't hear Sano, then stared at her once again, more intensely this time.  "I'm Kaido."

Megumi inclined her head a bit.  "Hajimemashite."

At that, Sano moved and covered the whole of Megumi's body behind his, blocking Megumi out of this Kaido's view.  "That's enough introductions."

Kaido then looked as if he just realized Sano's presence for the first time.  He frowned.  "Get out of the way, man.  I was talking to the woman."

"You're talking to the woman I'm protecting."  Sano said, both expression and voice serious.  He felt the stingy feel of Megumi's pinch spread throughout his body from his left arm.  He ignored it.

Kaido cocked his head to the side.  "The woman YOU'RE protecting?"  He asked.  "I don't see your name on her."

"I don't see your name on her either."  Sano countered.

A muscle visibly flexed on Kaido's jaw.  "You're trying my patience, boy."

"I can't wait to try my fists on you."  Sano said, smirking without humor as he cracked his fingers loudly.

Kaido stared at Sano impassively for a few seconds, looking as though he was thinking, his outer hand still playing with the piece of metal on its own.  Finally, he pushed himself off the wall with the use of his left foot.  He stood upright a few feet away from Sano.  "Would Megumi-san please back off a little?"  He said.

Megumi then moved away from Sano and stood a few feet away.  "Sano, be careful."  She whispered as she edged away from him with small, hesitant steps.

"Hai."  Sano whispered back.

By now, the hand playing with the crescent-shaped metal had stopped moving.  "Before this---" he held the metal up for Sano to see  "---hits the ground, you won't be breathing by then."

"I've seen worse."  Sano boasted.  "Bring it on."

Kaido smirked.  "Man, you're one arrogant pig."  He prepared to throw the semi-circular pendant up into the air.  "Nice knowing ya."  At that, he tossed the thing up into the air then charged towards Sano, punching him deeply into the stomach repeatedly.

Blood unexpectedly surged up Sano's throat and out his mouth when Kaido's fist made contact with his belly.  He opened his eyes wide and saw the metal falling down from midair, its acceleration increasing each second as it drops to the ground.  He reacted to Kaido's attack by grasping his opponent by the shoulder and kicking him at the stomach repetitively with the use of his knee.

At Sano's third kick, Kaido caught his knee by the palm of hand.  He raised his head and looked deeply into Sano's angry eyes.  Hissing quietly caused by anger...  he rammed his head onto Sano's painfully that Sano hissed in pain.  Sano staggered back but he was recovering from Kaido's head butt as he did so.  But he didn't see Kaido leap and twirl around in the air, his left leg extended fully to kick Sano at the neck, his leg being more like a sword getting ready to behead its victim.  Nor did Sano see that the crescent-shaped metal was now but a few inches from the ground.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"  Megumi's ear-piercing scream cut through the air.

Distracted by the woman's voice, Kaido bent his left leg with his right instead of extending it to perform the beheading task successfully.  His left knee smashed into Sano's right cheek as Sano was pulling himself together.  When Sano hit the wall at his right hard, the semi-circular pendant hit the ground, producing six successive tinkles.   

"Oh, my God, Sanosuke!" Megumi gasped as she ran towards Sano's body lying on the ground.  Her face was a portrait of worry and agony as she knelt down beside him, checking his pulse as she did so.  Bruises marked his forehead, ribs and belly and Megumi could see a trickle of blood coming from his mouth.  She ran her hand on Sano's forehead worriedly, then looked back up to the man who caused all these with angry eyes.

Kaido stooped down and picked up his beloved crescent-shaped pendant.  When he looked back up, he saw the woman staring at him with an expression he can not quite fathom.  He smiled at her as he shoved the metal into his sleeve.  "Can't say I didn't warn him.  But he's a lucky one.  Look.  He's still breathing."

Megumi stood up and walked towards him.  When she found herself right in front of him...  she suddenly slapped him across the face.

Kaido turned his head back in place, slightly annoyed.  "Oi!  What was that for?!"  He bellowed, rubbing his swollen jaw lightly.

She planted her hands on her hips haughtily and stared at him, one eyebrow raised.  "If all you can do in life is picking up a fight with someone, then I suggest you pick the right person to fight with."  She said, her voice tight.

Kaido frowned at her words, showing both his confusion and annoyance.  "Look, I didn't do anything wrong.  He was the one who started it.  Let me see.  I can still remember what he said..."  He looked towards the heavens as if thinking.  "What was it he said?  He said, 'I can't wait to try my fists on you'."  He mimicked Sano's voice over-exaggeratedly. 

"You provoked him first."  Megumi stated, rolling her eyes at him.

"What did I say?  I didn't say anything."  He shrugged.

Megumi sighed, exasperated.  "You said you couldn't see his name on me so he doesn't have any right to protect me, isn't that what you said?" 

"Look," he said, looking like he was trying to explain something to a child.  "I was just talking to you, not to him.  And I wasn't being perverse either.  He said he was protecting you, but that doesn't make you his woman.  Naze, are you?"

"NO!"  Megumi disagreed immediately, obviously alarmed by such a question.

"Then, what got him so riled up if you really are single?!"  He shook his head, confused, his hands moving about expressively.

At that, Megumi folded her arms across her belly loosely.  "You were ignoring him when he was asking you a straight question.  You know,"-- she looked at him straightly, furrowing her eyebrows in the process as if thinking for the right choice of words –-"you two could have gotten along just fine if the introductions weren't that tense.  Sano, the rooster-head with the empty head and fists of steel and you, Kaido, the air-brain with nothing to do with his life but to fight like nothing else matters."

Kaido looked past Megumi then to Sano's body on the ground, one eyebrow raised.  After staring at him for sometime, he looked back to Megumi.  "Puh-lease, I beg to differ.  I would rather appreciate going to war with the Ishinshishi and Oniwabanshu combined than collaborate with that brain of mush."  He tossed his head towards Sano's direction. 

"Oh really?"  Megumi asked, her raised eyebrow rising much higher.

"Yeah, really."  Kaido answered.

"So, I guess it's safe for me to say that you really have killed before.  Seems to me you've done that kicking-beheading thing several times already.  You were preparing to kick Sano's head from his body."

"Well, I did warn him, didn't I?"  Kaido said.

"That's not the point.  The point is: he's the one who's been beaten into a pulp now."  Megumi said, getting annoyed as each second passed.

Kaido looked at Sano's body once again.  "He doesn't look like pulp to me."  He looked back up to Megumi.  "Frankly, he looks perfectly fine to me, incredibly intact."

Megumi stared at him impassively for several seconds.  "You know," she finally said, "if I knew you better I'd say you're one of those Takamigumi assassins.  I don't mean to be prejudiced or biased here but you look like you enjoy seeing others get hurt."

A shadow suddenly passed over Kaido's face.  He looked down to the ground, then, he pulled his arms up his sleeves.  "I don't belong to that group.  Will never be.  Ever."  He said, voice hard and angry, as he turned around and began walking away from her.  He stopped a few feet away from her.  "I wouldn't kick his head from his body.  I couldn't."  He said softly, but loud enough for Megumi to hear.  He threw a casual wave over his shoulder as he finally continued walking.  "See ya around, Megumi-san."

Megumi watched him walk out of the alley, then sighing, she turned around and went back to Sano.  She knelt beside his body for a few minutes, placing her hand on his forehead.  After a few more minutes, she frowned.  "Stop the act, rooster-head."  She said, slapping his forehead. 

Sano suddenly sat upright, his hand involuntarily shooting up to the red hand mark on his forehead.  He looked at Megumi, frowning.  "Oi, Megumi, I'm wounded and bruised here and the least you could do is to not add to the injuries I already have!"

She stood up and began walking away from Sano.  "Get up.  Let's get back to the ryo-kan and have you fixed."

"What am I?!  A table?!"  Sano yelled after her as he quickly scrambled to his feet.  He stood there, staring into space, as if nailed to the ground, apparently left speechless by Megumi's obvious indifference.  What in the world?  Doesn't she even care that I'm injured and apparently wounded here?!  He wondered. 

"Meowwwww..."

Sano snapped out of his reverie at the sound of a cat's meow.  He finally realized he was alone in the dark alleyway as he looked around and saw that his only companion then and there was a black cat with a piece of fishbone on its mouth. 

"OI, MEGITSUNE!"  Sano yelled to no one in particular.  He started running out the alley to catch up with Megumi.  "Chotto matte!  I'm injured here!"

As these events were taking place at this part of the area, another series of occurrences were happening at the other side of town.

@@@

Yahiko picked up a pebble from the ground and braced his legs apart.  He gathered all the energy into his right arm, preparing for the practice swing.  Then he threw the pebble into the river.  He watched the pebble bounce on the surface of the water four times and finally sink after three seconds.  After the pebble had sunk, the ripples that took form on the surface of the water gradually stopped.

Sometimes, life is like that.  Nothing will change if you don't try changing anything at all.  When the pebble hit the surface of the once still waters, ripples suddenly took form.  And I have changed the stillness of the water because I have done something or tried to do something.  Yahiko thought.

He heaved a sigh.  He was probably going nuts.  Maybe this was all Kaoru's fault.  No... the recent events should be blamed.  Everything was driving him crazy and this craziness even invaded his thoughts sometimes. 

He turned around and began walking away from the river's edge.  With everything at their worst, what could possibly go wrong?  He comforted himself as he reached the dusty road.

Too bad.  He thought to soon. 

His ears suddenly perked up at the sound of something at his right.  It sounded like... hooves?  Confused, he slowly turned his face to the right, one eyebrow raised.  His eyes widened in shock when he saw more than fifteen horses rapidly coming towards him.  Cold blood coursed through his veins. Shock pinned him to ground and numbed his entire body.  He stood on the ground, watching the horses come nearer, their speed threatening to run him over.  His brain screamed move out of the way, for God's sake! all the while.  They were coming nearer... nearer.  Only a few more seconds and they're going to hit him.  But he was frozen.  He couldn't move.  Nearer... nearer...

At the last second, the horseman at the front of the group suddenly boomed the order to stop.  Yahiko shut his eyes, expecting the worst.  The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was total chaos.  All the horsemen pulled on their reins, yelling to their horses to halt and dust swirled around, making everything and anything invisible.    

Yahiko waited a few more seconds before he opened his eyes.  When he finally did, the first thing he saw was a big nose and two huge eyes.  They stared at Yahiko, gaze unwavering and Yahiko stared right back, still pinned to the ground.  The horse suddenly gave out a sound, which Yahiko thought was a scream, and nudged him at the chin.  Yahiko fell back on his backside, stifling a scream.

He winced at the pain at his buttocks and moaned.  "Hell!  Weren't you people watching where you're going?!"  He exclaimed.

A huge hand closed around his throat, lifting him off the ground.  Yahiko's eyes opened fully and saw that the person who held him stood up to six foot and two inches. The man was using his size to intimidate Yahiko.  His shoulder-length white hair was severely pulled back from his face.  According to Yahiko's judgment, the man was at least thirty-five years old.  But why the white hair?

He choked and his hands involuntarily tried prying the man's hand from his throat.  Yahiko's mouth opened, willing some air into his lungs but found the task impossible; the white-haired horseman's hand blocked his windpipe.  He squirmed and fought but to no avail.  The hand only tightened its hold.

Just when he thought he was going to pass out from lack of air, a voice spoke, "Nobu, let the boy go.  Do not vent out your anger at him.  He is innocent."

The white-haired man suddenly let go of Yahiko's throat.  Yahiko fell to the ground, coughing and trying to swallow some useful air.  "Damn you..." He gasped in between inhales.

Nobu, or whatever his name was, smirked and turned his head to look at the old man who had spoken to him.  "He's innocent all right.  Too innocent to understand that what he just said were foul words."  He said, a hint of sarcasm marring his tone.  He turned back to Yahiko and kicked him out of the road. 

Yahiko rolled down to the side of the road and stopped a few feet from the river's edge.  He groaned in pain when he tried to move his limbs.  He forced himself to roll into his back.  He heard whips hit against the horses' backsides, which forced the horses back into full gallops. 

Yahiko listened to the horses' hooves until the sound faded in the distance.  Then he forced himself into a sitting position, groaning as he did so.

Yeah, change.  All at the same time.  He told himself, surprisingly unaffected by the turn of events.  He had experienced the worst.  What's wrong with expecting more?

TBC

Author's note:  I finally finished it.  I hope you enjoyed.  Sorry for all the errors you might have found.  All of the chapters, including my other fics, were all actually typed hastily.  So I never had time to read any of it from the top until after I've uploaded it to FF.net, much less correct any typographical error before I update.   So that's all.  I just hope you enjoyed.