Woo... chapter four... things are going to take a turn to the dark side of the force, dark as in more of the stuff in chapter two and less humor. It's more introspect and "What is the meaning of life?" from now on, more or less. *singsong* But that doesn't include omake scenes...

Dedicated to my reviewers: Yaslana (and let the games BEGIN!!), Xara (whoa, vodka and donuts? I'd like to try that sometime... ^_^ Thanks for the compliment!), Eris Snow (you use the word "creative". I prefer the term "messed up" *laughs*), eri (I would choose giving someone a personalized thank you than the generic one in emails that says "Thank you _____. I updated my story, read it" kind of thing. Nope, never seen Buffy, so I didn't take this idea from there. Darn, could have saved me a lot of trouble...), Golden_flame4 (nope, not Angel Sanctuary. I was surfing around on thesaurus.com (can't believe I admitted that) but I saw that Gehenna is a synonym for Purgatory. I loved the sound and it went with the motif so... here's Gehenna!), Flutter (it's going to turn darker here, because "the sap reserves are running drier!" ARGH!!), Sano Obsessed (Wai!! Welcome to the club! Sanosuke is just so adorable isn't he? *grins*), sasori (if Shinomori appeared in RL? *falls over* I would be scared and intrigued at the same time...), Kat (You told the honest truth! The story is indeed messed, but I love it), and J. Liha (*grins* He's baaaackkk, and this time, bigger than life! But please don't faint either way, I don't need a lawsuit on my hands ^_^)

*bows majestically* Without further ado, I introduce the concept of soulmates...

*********

They Say Cameras Are Only Good For Pictures... 4
By: Karina Kineshi (coronaflare@mail.com)

Sanosuke glared at his visage in the cauldron; how dare that other soul do that in his body like that! He didn't know which soul of his had taken over; and to tell the truth, he was rather curious. Megumi didn't seem to notice any sort of difference, and by the way she was acting, she certainly didn't seem to mind.

Well, the soul had good taste for liking Megumi...

"Hey... Sano-chan... we're going to go away for a little while." Shinomori calmly put a hand on Sanosuke's shoulder. "Watching too much of the real world can really hurt you."

He jerked his shoulder away angrily and continued to watch. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until I find out who that guy is."

Shinomori sighed, but didn't say anything. His answer instead came from Battousai. "His name... is Zanza."

Sanosuke spun around in surprise; the soul's name was Zanza? He stammered, "But... Zanza and I are the same person... how can we be two different souls?"

"No, you two are nothing alike. You are the soul before Sagara was killed. Zanza is the soul that sought revenge and wanted to destroy the Ishin Shishi like me." Battousai explained. "You two are as different as night and day."

"Why do you think I've been calling you 'Sano-chan'? Do you think I'm doing it because I think you're cute?" Sanosuke and Battousai both looked at each other, fearing that they knew the answer to that question. Shinomori giggled. "Well, it does work both ways..."

Battousai sighed and shook his head. "Can't you think of seriousness here for just two seconds? You always did have more balls than brains..."

"Hey!"

"Anyways..." He disregarded the charging soul with a wave of his hand. "Zanza is the dark alter ego of yours, an evil twin of sorts. Not to say that all alter egos are evil, but normally in a person, there's always a happy ego and a depressed ego. You, Sano-chan, are the happy one..."

Sanosuke nodded slowly. "... and this Zanza is my depressed ego..." It was slowly starting to sink in for him, but the realization that they were two different people still had him stunned. "I understand now. Zanza was the one who took over when I felt nothing but hatred for those who killed my master..."

There was a couple of seconds of silence as the weight of his own words hit him. Shinomori took the opportunity to pull a giant piece of glass out of midair. "See... look." He held it up to Sanosuke's face, and to his surprise, the glass was reflective like the surface of a pond. But that wasn't even what surprised him the most.

Oh God...

Sanosuke gingerly touched his face while Battousai gently explained for him. "We here in Gehenna can choose whatever form we want, after all, we have no body. But if you aren't aware of your appearance... then you haven't found yourself yet."

Look...

"See... he just looks so adorable..." Shinomori gushed.

I have the face of an eight year old... and I never noticed that... everyone was so tall...

It wasn't Battousai and Shinomori that grew, it was him that shrunk.

Sanosuke reacted so violently that even Battousai was surprised. He flung the mirror out as far as he could into the blackness and closed his eyes. "Okay... I sort of get this. I'm what I was like before Sagara was killed. Not only that, but I look like him too, the same eight year old." He stopped. "What is the deal with this Zanza guy?" To tell the truth, Sanosuke really was confused. He knew just how Zanza would act around Megumi; she was the one who killed his friend with that opium deal. If he knew Zanza, he would probably kill Megumi for killing his friend.

'An eye for an eye' was his philosophy.

But then... Why did Zanza behave the way he did?

He shrugged, for now, there was nothing he could do about it. Might as well just let things take their course.

How he hated feeling helpless...

A thought had been nagging at his brain since he had gotten here, and he was determined to know the truth. "So... you know you said that everyone has different egos, right?"

"Right." Battousai visibly relaxed.

"Well..." Sanosuke started to twiddle his thumbs, so much so that Shinomori laughed comically. "... there are others here, right? I mean, jou-chan... Yahiko... Kinji... Tomo... the weasel girl... and..."

Megumi.

Shinomori put a hand on his cheek and smiled sweetly. Battousai saw right through the ego's ploy of naming everyone else except the one he really wanted to see. "So you want to see the alter ego of your beloved woman?" Sanosuke nodded happily, and one could see the excitement in his eyes. Battousai snorted, "You really are a child."

Before Sanosuke could protest and Shinomori could hit him for being so "mean", Battousai started walking into the fog. One would have to be dead to miss the hint of something in his voice. Sanosuke couldn't quite put a finger on it, but from what he knew, it sounded a little like regret. Once he was out of earshot, he asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Shinomori's eyes grew misty as he watched his friend trudge into the night. "He's a child himself. Forced to grow up quickly, you know... I suppose that's why he hates me so much; I always act like a child..." He chewed his lip thoughtfully, then did the quickest mood change Sanosuke had ever witnessed. Shinomori grinned, "Either that, or he really likes those dramatic exits!"

"Can you show me where Megumi is?" That was just what Sanosuke needed; all he had to do was just see her face and hold her. Maybe somehow talking to her alter ego would tell the Megumi in the real world what he was feeling...

Shinomori shook his head. "I know where she is; but she's so secluded and hardly ever talks to anyone. Suicidal. She makes even 'Batty' seem like a hyper fairy."

Sanosuke grimaced. The very thought was unimaginable. "When did she have control of the body?"

He seemed to echo his thoughts, while Sanosuke was thinking; Shinomori seemed to be mimicking him. "She's the Megumi who took over beginning from her parents death in the fire up until the point where she was rescued from Kanryuu." Shinomori stopped, and regarded Sanosuke with all seriousness in his eyes. "When she was rescued by you."'

When she was rescued by me...

"I'm warning you as a friend, Sano-chan. She has a way of... drawing people to her. If you talk to her, you must not make contact with her, no matter what your love is. This could offset events in the mortal world drastically—"

Sanosuke interrupted, annoyance in his voice. "But Shinomori, you don't know what it's like to be with Megumi! She's the only one I could ever love, and to love her I have to love all of her. I can't choose what traits I want and what I don't want." He spun on his heel and disappeared, his last statement reverberating all around the void.

"I love her, no matter what."

A few moments of deafening silence and Shinomori was once again alone with his thoughts. He spoke to the presence he could feel behind him but not see. "Battousai, I do believe..." Shinomori wrung his hands and laughed in disbelief. "I do believe they're soul mates."

"Soul mates?" Battousai asked incredulously. The concept was simple, but almost unheard of happening in reality.

"Divine mandate says that there is only one person that can ever complete another person in the mortal realm, right?"

"Correct, but..."

Shinomori continued, eyes closed. "... even though the two people may never find each other, if they find others who aren't their soul mates, they will always know in their hearts that something is missing. It's so hard to accomplish... but..." Battousai summoned the same black cauldron that Sanosuke had been looking into earlier and with a wave of his hand bade Shinomori to come over. "But..."

Battousai pointed into the pot at the watery reflection of people walking. "This Sagara Sanosuke and Takani Megumi do seem to be have a special bond, not only do their bodies fit, but their souls do as well. But..."

Shinomori nodded to himself. "We know that Zanza has a lot of pent up anger for this woman, but yet he loves her just as fiercely as the chosen soul." He brushed some hair out of his face. "Sano-chan has not even met the other ego, but he is adamant that he loves her, no matter what her temperament."

Battousai started to walk away in the direction that he knew he would find Sanosuke. Without turning around, he said, "There's only one way to confirm this, Shinomori. We must see if the woman's soul reciprocates in turn. Keep watch over the scene and inform me of any updates."

"Yes."

*****

Sanosuke had been wandering around the sunless void for what seemed like hours on end. He kept hoping that once the fog cleared, he would see her face... that just behind this incredibly thick wall was her, just waiting for him with open arms...

"Megumi? Where are you?" he shouted, expecting nothing in return. "I'm going to find you... no matter how long it takes..." he swore underneath his breath.

Something touched his shoulder that made him jerk away in surprise. "You will not find her like this. Gehenna is much too big just to be hoping for dumb luck."

Sanosuke picked up the pace, but found that his companion was matching him, stride for stride. "Battousai, I have to find her. Shinomori has already tried to sway me, but it didn't work. Don't tell me that you're going to try to convince me she not worth my time."

He was suddenly aware that the presence had vanished from his side. Dumbstruck, he stopped himself and turned around. Battousai was still standing there. "I will take you to her; but once again, you must not touch her. The reason you cannot find her is because she has been taken away and made safe."

"Safe?"

Battousai nodded. "The one thing she fears most is still alive, so therefore, his soul is also still alive..."

Kanryuu...

"... our local divinity has declared that she be put in a place where Kanryuu can never find her, but I know where she is. If I take you to her... you must understand—"

Sanosuke cut him off with a shake of his head. "When are you people going to get it? I understand everything, just take me to her." Battousai's eyes were swimming with molten lava, and instantly Sanosuke regretted interrupting him. He had the domineering existence of being in command, and that kind of position demanded respect. After the short 16 year old stared down the taller man for what felt like an eternity to Sanosuke, he mumbled an apology. "Sorry. I just..."

Instead of finding that his head had been dismembered from his body, he looked up to see that the expression on Battousai's eyes had changed. Gone was the lava, he had that same, forlorn look as when he walked away earlier. He put a hand over Sanosuke's eyes and gently spoke, "Listen; don't try to find her with these. They are deceiving; don't trust them."

Sanosuke found Battousai's request odd at first, but he was out of options. He would have done anything to find Megumi, even if it meant feeling like a fool for a couple of minutes.

"Don't think, just listen..."

He could hear nothing but the sound of silence in his head. This cold, dark world that has been robbed of the sun was also eerily silent. No life anywhere, but when he was around Megumi... life just seemed to bloom around her... he imagined her face, the way her smile seemed to light up everything, the way her eyes danced when she teased him, the way that...

Sanosuke could hear it, a faint, almost indistinguishable sound.

Singing.

At first, it sounded so faraway and distant, but now the singing was growing strong as though he was moving towards it. But... his feet were on the ground. The voice was clear and strong; all the emotion that was put into the words coupled with the revelation that it was Megumi's voice almost made Sanosuke sink to his knees.

Kage wo tsukuranai hikari wa nai... kanashi keredo...

[There is no light that does not pierce the darkness... it is sad, but...]

Donna itoshisa ni mitasarete mo... kurushimi wa aru...

[No matter how much someone is filled with affection, there is suffering...]

The haunting words sent his mind reeling. Yanking himself out of Battousai's grasp, he started to run aimlessly towards the sound of that pitiful lament. All that was foremost in his mind was...

"Megumi! I'm coming!"

*****

Kenshin looked over his shoulder at the other couple, Kaoru on his arm. He was still shocked that Sanosuke had apologized for "being so dumb as to suggest walking back, even though I wouldn't mind". Megumi almost seemed to faint right then and there. Something had happened to Sanosuke, he wasn't acting the same since that picture was taken. Sanosuke seemed more soft-spoken now, but something was definitely wrong...

Did that thing really did steal his soul?

"Anata... what are you thinking?"

Kenshin shrugged it off as a mere product of his imagination; after all, this was Sanosuke he was talking about. His emotions change with the sunrise.

But...

"Nothing... but don't you think that Sano is acting a bit... odd?"

Kaoru dismissed the concern with a dazzling smile. "Kenshin, you worry too much. He's probably feeling dumb because he zoned out like that and Megumi had to slap some sense into him."

"No... I mean what happened afterward." Kenshin pressed on. He remembered the way that his friend had looked at the woman doctor right after he had been slapped, then the intense kiss that followed. It took a lot to make Kenshin blush, but that had him ready to run out of the room and take Kaoru with him. If it weren't for the fact that it was public, then they might have progressed to...

Kaoru appeared thoughtful. "Oh, you mean the kiss? Well, other than the fact that it was so... so..." She blushed trying to get the word out. "... so... yeah, but no one else saw except us, Kenshin." She tore herself away from his arm, a look of mock indignation in her eyes. "How come you can't kiss me like that in private?"

"Oro?"

Meanwhile, Megumi was so lost when it came to Sanosuke that it was enough to make her tear her hair out. After that spectacular kiss, he had not said even one word to her. Even now, she kept at a decent arm's length away from him walking down the street.

And he was silent. He stared at the ground as if it would suddenly disappear from underneath him. She didn't know what she could say to him, it was like his mind was occupied on something...

Megumi didn't even know that she was staring at him until he turned to her and said, "Meg, can we ride on another train?"

Meg?

She blinked twice before coming up with an answer. "Why would you want to ride another train? And what's the deal with calling me Meg?" She was really lost now...

Sanosuke grimaced, tapped his head lightly, and then opened his eyes again. He smiled, "I just thought you might like it better than fox, that's all. It's rather disrespectful to name you after an animal..."

"..." Megumi was dumbstruck.

The heat, it must be the suit burning him up...

She chose to ignore the fact that it was a rather cool temperature outside. She placed her hands on her hips and stopped walking. "All right... who are you, and what have you done with the Sanosuke that I know?"

He stopped about two feet away from her, walked back, and took her arm. He lightly planted a kiss on the back of her hand, bent over just like a gentleman would do. After he made contact with her skin, he looked up at her. That look made Megumi want to crawl into his arms all over again. "I'm still the same Sanosuke... you just don't know this side of me."

Yes, it had to be the suit...

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Author's note: The song Megumi's ego was singing is in actuality Amakusa Sayo's image song from the cd. Although I despise the woman in the anime, her seiyuu has a wonderful voice. To hear it, go to here: http://zerog.simplenet.com/kenshin/songs2.htm and click on #6. Thanks to uhsieh@yahoo.com for putting up such a great site, my eternal gratitude goes to you! The words fit more than the tune does, so be prepared...