Some stuff is shamelessly stolen from a movie with Julia Roberts called "Runaway Bride". If you've seen it, you'll know what it is. If not, I won't spoil it. Also, there's a little reference in here to a song by Everclear, and it's only one line. You'll recognize it when you see it. On with the show!

Dedicated to: Carolyn (the wait is over, here's Tokio ^_^ And don't be ashamed, I love people who like my fics *smiles*), Crystal (I can capture emotions? *grins sheepishly* Actually, I was sort of pissed off at my computer when I wrote the last chapter, it shut down on me about 3 times! Three!! But thanks all the same...), Xara (I'm sorry I didn't bold your name in the previous chapter, but it's been fixed. If you liked the Zanza of last, you'll like this chapter too, I made him even more "deliciously sexy and wanton" *smiles* Thanks, my vodka girl! *cracks up*), Susan (you know, I think I might be able to fit in Hiko! Any suggestions on his alter ego's personality? I love writing about couples that everyone likes to ignore ^_^), Sanosuke (torture you? Well, you'll find out by the end of this chapter exactly what I mean *grins maniacally* It's not going to be pretty when you thrash Zanza...), Arashi (oh God! It took me forever to send the chapter of Run To You, and I'm so sorry! Actually, I got the inspiration from betaing that, isn't that just weird? Thanks for being so patient with me!), Gaberiel (Wow, it's reviews this one that make me feel like I accomplished something. I like to convert new believers... *smiles*), J. Liha (One of your concepts in your review is included at the very end of this chapter, something about words...), tanuki-chan (lowercase "T"... Saitoh ego? Now that... that just disturbs me, but I'm thinking about it now... *typing like mad* No need to break out the band camp drills!!), Kitsune-onna (I made you cry? *weeps* Thank you so much for the wonderful review, and it's a fault that I refer back to my fics, this way, if you read one fic, you have to read them all...), Calger459 (The best part of writing a fic is making someone say "I've never thought about it that way before. I usually hate _____ but you made him/her very real". Thanks, what you said really did brighten my day... *smiles* It's alright to hate Megumi, I don't force my beliefs. People will kill me for this, but I don't particularly like Kaoru myself...), and Kat (If people didn't nag me, I wouldn't write fics. Be a nag; be proud of it! You can be my official nagger ^_^)

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They Say Cameras Are Only Good For Pictures... 7
By: Karina Kineshi (coronaflare@mail.com)

"Aww... don't you just look so cute in your new clothes?" Shinomori cooed.

Sanosuke yanked his arm out of Shinomori's hand and scowled. "The only reason I'm not wearing any clothes is because you told me not to, all right? I don't see what the big deal is about "hiding", anyways... what's the big deal? What can I hide?"

Shinomori was still smiling broadly. "You have nothing to hide, that's the point."

"Then why can't I put my clothes on?" He half begged and half demanded. "If I have nothing to show, there's no point in taking my clothes off!"

"Ah... but you do have something to hide..." Shinomori waggled his finger. "You aren't comfortable exposing your true self, and although you have nothing physical... it's all emotional."

He was right; souls wouldn't feel uncomfortable shedding their clothes unless they had something to hide. Sanosuke tried to cover it up by saying it was all physical, but instead, Shinomori saw right through the guise. The boy adamantly crossed his arms and sighed. It caught him off guard that Shinomori could sense something like that, as though he hadn't been in Gehenna for so long... He settled for humor. "You're right, it's all emotional. It's just the fact that I'm naked around you. Have you ever thought about that?"

A large grin slinked over his face. "Oh, grow up."

The room suddenly exploded with a blinding flash of red light. Sanosuke jumped in surprise and clung to Shinomori's arm, the man didn't even bat an eyelash. When the redness has gone, Sanosuke opened his eyes to find that they were standing on... a cloud?

He tentatively looked around, not daring to let go of his grasp. The scenery had changed, instead of the darkness and gloom that was everywhere in Gehenna, this place was light and cheerful. It was just like standing on top of the clouds in the air, horizon stretching out for as far as the eyes could see. And above, there was nothing but ocean blue skies. His attention was drawn to a rather oddly shaped cloud formation where he was facing, it looked like pillars made out of mist. There those twenty or so pillars made a half circle around what appeared to be a raised throne, also made entirely out of what looked like vapor.

"Welcome back, Shinomori-chan. It really has been too long." The voice was melodic and musical, and spoke softly. Sanosuke looked around for the owner, but couldn't find anyone. To his dismay, she was nowhere in sight.

He looked up at Shinomori who had his face turned slightly to the sky and smiling. "I like what you've done with the place, the clouds just make it so... cheerful, don't you think?"

The voice laughed lightly, a sound like windchimes fluttering on the breeze. "Of course."

Shinomori turned to Sanosuke and nodded his head. "Don't you think so, Sano-chan?"

Sanosuke cautiously looked around and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I guess so..." The voice didn't answer.

Shinomori sighed. The answer didn't seem to please him. Sanosuke shook his head in confusion, what was he supposed to say? "Tokio, this is the boy I've been telling you about, one of Sagara Sanosuke's souls..."

The voice seemed closer this time. "Yes, yes I see..." Strangely enough, Sanosuke felt calm. As calm as one feels when they are floating in a giant lake full of water and lazily watching the clouds go by. The way the voice said the last statement sort of disturbed him though, as if they knew something that he didn't. He felt like he was being paraded all around Gehenna with a sign that said, "Look at me!"

Shinomori nudged him in the ribs and pushed him a little further towards the throne with no one sitting on it. "Tell her what you want", he urged.

Sanosuke blinked, then shook his head in panic. How could he tell Shinomori that he was scared of saying something wrong? What if he said something totally off the wall? What if the voice was judging him?

A calming thought and a soothing voice filled his head. Don't be afraid, it said.

"I want to talk to you... about... well... you know..." The little fire of courage that the voice had provided was blown out when she didn't answer. Sanosuke turned to Shinomori with a look of despair on his face. Shinomori bade him to look in front with his eyes.

A gentle, hazy form of a something appeared about five feet away from his face. "Yes, I do know. Welcome to my throne, Sano-chan." The form shifted into a semblance of a woman... and it took slowly to materialize. Sanosuke felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest; was this the Tokio that everyone was talking about? Good Gods, she was radiant. She was wearing a brilliantly colored gold and silver kimono with bright red obi. Right down to the tabi on her feet, she was dressed in style. Her long black hair rippled over her shoulders like a waterfall and swayed like the wind was blowing through it. Her face was soft and smiling, and that was when Sanosuke could truly appreciate her beauty. Not only was she one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, she emanated a kind of serenity that Sanosuke had never felt before.

It was like he could stay forever in her presence and she would understand all his problems without saying a word.

Her giant lavender eyes regarded him with amusement. "I know why you are here, and the only thing that I can say is... nothing." She glided over the cloud to where he stood and hugged him. Sanosuke felt the sudden urge to cry his eyes out and tell her everything that had ever gone wrong in his life, but held it in and accepted the embrace.

Shinomori spoke up quietly. "What of Zanza?"

Tokio stood up and put her arm around Sanosuke's shoulders, just like a mother would her son. It was like light feather caressing his neck. "What he is doing is mortal transgression, he will be punished if he returns."

"How can he return? Will he ever? What can you do about it?" Shinomori echoed the questions inside Sanosuke's head.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it." She released her hold and started to walk back towards the throne. "There's nothing that I can do, but there is something that Sano-chan can. As you know already, I cannot say what, but—"

"— Wait!" Sanosuke bolted forward and ran towards her. "But it's wrong that he's in the body, isn't it? Why do I get the bad deal?" Shinomori gasped, and Sanosuke instantly felt a feeling of dread rise in his stomach. If Battousai didn't like to be interrupted, how much more so this graceful woman?

So much for not saying anything stupid...

She turned around and smiled wistfully. "Would you like to know why I am only half-transparent, Sano-chan?"

Sanosuke just blinked, dumbfounded. He was so entranced by every moment she made that he hardly noticed that she was more invisible than visible. Only the outline of her body was noticeable, with a few patches of color here and there where her kimono was. It was like looking at a person in a snowstorm. He nodded his head slowly and took in every detail of her appearance.

"I am only half-transparent because my mortal body is connected to spiritual one. I'm sure Battousai has told you that I am only one soul. If the only soul leaves the body, it dies. I can only be partially here, never completely, not even in my sleep." She turned and faced towards the throne again, fading ever so slightly. "Your woman friend, Takani Megumi... her souls are connected, different as they are. And that is what you need to find out."

He tried to make sense of what she was saying. Sanosuke looked to Shinomori for help, but found that his companion was not even moving. It was like he had been frozen in time. "I need to find a link", he said slowly.

"Yes."

A giant gust of air escaped through Sanosuke's lips. Feeling mischievous and relieved at the same time, he grinned. "I thought you couldn't tell me what I was supposed to do."

She stopped, turned around, and smiled back at him. The smile sent waves of warmth coursing through his body. "I didn't, I merely gave you hints. Besides... that was the easy part, the work is in your hands." He bowed respectfully, turned on one heel, and closed his eyes. The goal was in sight, the victory almost his.

"Goodbye, Sano-chan... Maybe we'll meet again..." The voice disappeared into the air, and even though his eyes were closed, he could see the outside world becoming darker and darker. The coolness under his feet was gone, and the light was diminishing. He opened his eyes, took in the sight, and sighed. Of what comparison is this cold and dark Gehenna to that vibrant place where Tokio was?

Simple. There was none.

He raised his face to the sky and whispered, "Megumi. I'm coming."

*****

After that earthshattering statement that Sanosuke made, Megumi nearly knocked over the screen in her shock. She mumbled something to herself about being so clumsy, and with a flaming face stuffed the dress into the suitcase, not even bothering to fold it. Sanosuke looked like he had been done for a long time and was waiting on her. He was staring at her with the most hurt expression on his face, as if saying that he'd do anything to make her happy was the hardest thing he'd ever said.

Could it be... he's asking me to... marry him?

Against all her best interests and her heart's wishes, she grabbed the suitcase and ran out of the room, face even redder than before. Why was that such a bad idea? Megumi had always wanted that maybe someday she could be like the wives she's heard about, with a little house on a cozy street with two children running about, and being together with the man she loved. No man was better suited for the job than Sanosuke in her mind, but...

She suddenly felt the urge to cry and was surprised when a small tear escaped her eyes. Odd, she had not even been feeling any sort of thing that would make her cry.

I am an idiot.

*****

Zanza, you are an idiot.

He knew that what he was going to say would surprise her, but he didn't think it would that much! It really hurt him when she just disregarded his heartfelt statement and stuffed that dress into that suitcase; she didn't even attempt to make eye contact. She didn't even bother to speak! Then the final blow to his pride was her dashing out of the room, her hair still done up in that upsweep. One side of her head was undone; she didn't even bother to fix the other side.

Wanted to get away from me that bad, huh?

Zanza sighed and stretched his fingers in sadness. "She thought I wanted to marry her..." He remembered that one second that they locked eyes, and he saw everything in her mind. He thought with a tinge of guilt that she wouldn't be happy when she found out that someone like him could read her thoughts. Souls that remember Gehenna have the ability to read minds, but only on a very limited basis. The person's mind that they were reading had to be looking into their eyes, and the instant that look was broken, so was the mind contact.

I am marrying her... but in another way...

It had been at least 3 minutes since she had rushed out of the room, and Zanza felt like he should go and try to explain. Either way, it would really hurt her. If he said that he didn't want to marry her, it would be a lie and she would feel horrible. However, if he said that he did, there would be a double meaning in that and he would feel remorse over what his mission was.

He closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer to God.

Please don't let me ruin this for myself... or for her...

*****

When Sanosuke walked out the door of the inn, Kenshin narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had seen Megumi bolt out of there just a couple minutes before. While Kaoru was graciously helping herself to all she could carry from the nearby vendors lining the streets, he was standing near the corner of one house while Kaoru was imperviously unaware.

Something is wrong...

He couldn't explain what he felt, and under normal circumstances, he would dismiss it as just a worry. But... in all of his experience as a hitokiri and living as a rurouni for ten years, it has taught him to trust his instincts, odd as they could be sometimes. Sanosuke had been acting like a totally different person since that whole picture deal, perhaps there was some higher reason why. There had to be something that Sanosuke was thinking about to cause him to behave in such a strange manner.

"What's wrong, Kenshin? You've been preoccupied this whole time." Kaoru's hand was on his shoulder, but he didn't pay attention. He was too busy watching Sanosuke frantically look around for a few seconds into the crowd of people before darting in the direction that Megumi took off in. "Hey, Kenshin!"

Kenshin spun around to face Kaoru, and in her arms was a water-colored paper umbrella. It was folded up, but even though you weren't able to see the pattern, it still looked very well made and of good quality. He apologized. "I know. Sorry... but..." He glanced over his shoulder again to see if Sanosuke or Megumi were in sight. "... but I still keep getting this odd feeling that Sanosuke's acting different..."

Kaoru pondered for a moment and looked at the ground. "I guess you're right; I can't believe that he offered to pay me back for all that money he owes me..."

"... and I can't believe you fainted over it." Kenshin gave her a warm smile.

She laughed briefly before her face turned into one of shock. Her mouth was wide open in surprise as she was still looking at the ground. "Kenshin... Oh Gods, Kenshin!!" Kaoru gripped his gi with unmistakable force and started shaking him, tears shining in her eyes.

He reacted quickly and in the only way he knew how. "Oro-o-o-o..."

Kaoru was giggling happily and dropped him to the ground. "Maybe he's going to ask her to marry him! Oh Gods, what if he does? They'd be so cute together..." While Kaoru was swooning, Kenshin collected his wits and hauled to his feet. "Can't you just imagine Kenshin! You're going to be an uncle to someone, and I'm going to be an aunt!"

Kenshin held his hands up as a gesture of peace. "Now, calm down Kaoru... there has to be another explanation for this..."

"It's the only explanation!" Kaoru announced giddily. "Just look at the facts anata, it all makes perfect sense! First, he pretends to have his soul taken to get Megumi worried, then he kisses her... Second, he acts all proper to win her over, just like a gentleman would! And the thing about changing clothes in the inn... does it take thirty minutes to get changed?" She gave him a mischievous smile. "Maybe that's where he proposed!" Kaoru excitedly opened her new umbrella and asked with determination, "Kenshin, where did they go?"

"But..." He tried to get a word in edgewise. "That still doesn't..."

"Kenshin!" She was growing agitated. Rule number one of marriage: If the wife wants to know something, then by damn you'd better tell her. "Where'd they go?"

The rurouni could do nothing but stammer an answer, despite his protests. "H-He was heading towards the K-Kamo river, but Kaoru-dono—" Adding the suffix to the end of her name was a last ditch effort; whenever he wanted something that normally did the trick.

"— no buts Kenshin! We must spy on them! I've worked way too hard to get him to actually propose to her!" Her eyes grew soft as she twirled the umbrella around her shoulder. "They've worked way too hard and they deserve each other." Her eyes grew determined again as she spun around and ran at a trot towards the river. "C'mon Kenshin!" she called over her shoulder.

"But..." He sighed in defeat. Rule number two of marriage: What the wife wants, the wife gets. Before sighing a second time and running after Kaoru's rapidly fading umbrella, he entertained a suspicion that just wouldn't leave him alone.

If he was proposing to her, why was she running away from him?

*****

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

The sound of his footsteps pounding on the dirt while he was running seemed to be talking with minds of their own. Every one was an accusation; voices mocking him in rhythm to the hammering of his feet.

You blew it. You blew it. You blew it.

With each step, he was getting angrier and angrier with himself. Why had he revealed such a secret part of himself? Why did she shoot him down like that? Somehow, he was expecting just this kind of thing from her; after talking to Megumi-sensei, they both shared one thing in common:

They don't know how to love.

Megumi-sensei with her sharp tongue and absolute hatred for men was the obvious one, but with Takani Megumi, you really had to dig underneath the surface to see what was really wrong. Most people would think that if a woman flirts with men a lot, it means that she is comfortable around them, right?

Wrong.

Zanza knew from being in Gehenna so long that women flirt with men to cover up their own insecurities. If they are uncomfortable with men, they try to make themselves comfortable by talking and speaking even more with them. While this does work a little bit and make them more outgoing, it also hurts women too. There's going to be a point while the woman is flirting when she realizes that the man she loves is exactly like some other man who has hurt her before, even though it's just a small trait like hair color or smell. That stays with them for the whole time and is always shoved in the back of their mind somewhere...

He clenched his fist when he remembered a previous encounter; he had run into Kanryuu's other soul when he was still trapped in Gehenna. The sniveling man was pestering some girl like the woman-crazed maniac he was. Zanza strode over to him and punched him right in the nose.

That was the best Zanza'd ever felt in his life.

Too bad he couldn't tell this Megumi what he had done, but Megumi-sensei knew. In fact, she was the one that told him to do it! This was her reward for keeping silent about his secret... She knew how to manipulate just as easily as this Megumi could, so he could see that they were the same parts of a different soul.

But that's all going to change.

He was so lost in thought that he almost missed Megumi sitting on the riverbank on top of that suitcase and staring out at the water. Before going to her, he thought about what he was going to say. He knew for a fact that his alter ego, Sano-chan, would rush right into the situation without thinking it through first. That's why 99% of the time Megumi was annoyed at him; he was callous and didn't spare feelings. Zanza's job was to be the complete opposite, he was a man of few words, and so he chose them carefully.

"Hey."

"Hi." She didn't turn her head. "I knew you'd come."

Zanza took a deep breath and... laughed. He laughed so hard that Megumi turned around and looked at him with a mixture of shock and happiness. Once he was done, she was smiling in that "You're such an idiot" way and turned back to watching the water. With a small grin, he took a step and plod down right next to her on the ground. "It looks like you've figured me out, Megumi." He paused; he didn't take the time to think about this aspect, the marriage. Unlike his alter ego, he spoke what was in his heart. "... well, I know that I don't have anything to my name except a rundown apartment and my clothes... but there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."

Oh God, here it comes...

"... and I can guarantee hard times, and I can guarantee that sooner or later one of us is going to want out of this..."

It's so unreal...

Megumi steeled herself to not look at the person sitting right beside her. She picked a spot on the water to stare at until he was finished. If she was lucky, maybe she'd make it through without crying. So many thoughts were racing through her mind, but she concentrated them all into a beam and directed it at the spot of water she was focusing on. Megumi wanted to remember every word, every detail.

"... but..." His sudden stoppage and the resulting silence afterwards drove her to the breaking point, but somehow she managed to keep looking at the water. In a surprise move, he grabbed her hands and held them between his. Megumi looked at him and stared into his warm brown eyes. His face was so serious, yet devoid of any sort of teasing that Sanosuke usually had. She couldn't stop looking into those eyes; it was like he knew exactly what was going on inside her head.

What's he going to say now?

He broke eye contact and lovingly stroked her hands, continuing while he was looking at them. The emotion that this simple gesture conveyed was something that Megumi had never felt before, not even around Sanosuke. "... but... I know that if I don't do this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I know that you're the one for me, the only one."

I'm the only one...

He looked back at her again, this time he had small smile on his face and his eyes were dancing, but he was still serious. "Will you make me the happiest man on earth and... be mine forever?"

Somehow, Megumi had been expecting it, but it still came as a shock when he actually said it. Sanosuke and her had joked about marriage before, but he had decided that it was way too much work to win her over. Plus, he didn't want to get mixed up in that "marriage paperwork". Screw the legally binding sense of marriage, he said, it was close enough to have her on his own. He said all this, of course, with a large grin on his face. But now, he was so intent and focused, like he'd been working on this for a really long time. "I..."

He grinned. "Screw sneaking around, I want the legality and all the perks that come with what I'm asking you. So...?" He twiddled his thumbs sheepishly. "... whaddya say?"

She turned to him and smiled. That was the Sanosuke she knew. Instead of throwing herself into his arms and hugging him, she went for the other route. "You forgot to mention how beautiful and talented I am."

"Well..."

"... and you forgot that you have loads of sake bottles in that apartment..."

"Um..."

She mockingly glared at him with half lidded eyes. It was about time she used her man wiles, Kaoru had her share of it today. "Normally, when you ask a girl to marry you, you give her something."

"Ah, but I do have something..."

"Well you—" Megumi was about to say something until she realized what he said. A sarcastic retort just stopped itself in midsentence, and all she could do was stare at him. Was he serious?

He grinned sheepishly and reached into the pocket sewn inside his jacket. Dammit, he wasn't expecting this. Zanza knew perfectly well that he didn't have anything to give her, but... could he call on the power of Gehenna again? He had done it when he made their clothes magically reappear on the train, making it look like he'd brought them all along. Would it work a second time? What to give her? "You have to close your eyes first."

Megumi gave him a one sided smile that said "I don't like surprises, but just this once since you're asking me to marry you". She sighed, "Fine, but don't think that this will help influence my decision in any way..."

Call on Gehenna again?

No. He'd do it the mortal way this time. "I changed my mind, don't close your eyes." He gave her a lopsided smile. "It's so much better this way."

Sanosuke reached up behind his head and felt around his hair for a couple of minutes. Megumi thought he looked so comical, if she hadn't known better it appeared like he was scratching his head in embarrassment. No such moment; he found what he was looking for. Once Sanosuke had the end of one of the bandana tails in his hand, he wrapped it around his neck so that it was directly in between his lips. He took the corner of it in his teeth and gave it a sharp yank. The red bandana tore a little bit and separated, forming a band of red cloth about the length of a pinkie finger.

"I know it isn't much... but..." With fluid precision and tenderness, he reached for her hand and wrapped the tiny bit of cloth around her left middle finger, just like a ring. He tried to tie it with a small knot, but fumbled for a bit because the fabric was too small. Megumi couldn't speak, the way he touched was just too... overwhelming. After fiddling with it for a few moments, he finally raised his head and sighed. "It may not mean much to you, but it does to me." She turned her hand around and admired his handwork from all angles; it was simply beautiful. Sanosuke stopped and touched her hand again, sending electric impulses racing down her spine. "Now I have both my past..." He then reached up and touched her face, his eyes devoid of mischief. "... and I have my future."

This was the bandana from the group he was in before Kenshin met him... it really does mean a lot to him...

The Sehikoutai. He gave that up for me?

He gave her a few seconds to think about it and just stared at the light bouncing off the water. The sunset was incredibly beautiful; it was perfect for the moment even though he hadn't planned it. Brilliant reds, fiery oranges, and luminous yellows combined with the cool greens and midnight blues, it was like God painted it especially for them to make the moment last forever. He sighed and breathed in the air, vaguely aware that the whole time Megumi was staring at him.

"Sanosuke..." Her voice was cracking, and Zanza looked at her with concern. "... Sanosuke..." Megumi crumpled into Zanza's unexpectant arms, and it took him somewhat off guard.

How you can smile with all those tears in your eyes?

He started to stroke her hair; she was really crying now. His right shoulder was getting wet, but he didn't care. "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to make you cry..." The simple beauty of the moment and the emotional power behind it was overwhelming, more than Megumi could handle. In fact... more than he could as well, he thought as he wiped a single tear with the back of his hand.

I'd... never felt this way before...

She stopped for a moment and looked happily into his eyes. "No, I'm glad you did. I... I guess, what I really want to... I want to say..." What Zanza saw inside her mind was enough to make him hug her even tighter. "My answer is..."

Please God, don't let this moment end.

In her eyes, he saw it. There was just no need for words.

Yes, Sanosuke. I love you with all my heart.