Dedicated to: Crystal (Yes, he will know what Zanza is doing; in fact, he's watching it all happen right now...), Xara (maybe you'll actually sign in this time ^_^ I have to admit myself, I'm starting to fall for the rough and tumble gangster, is that a bad thing? *smiles*), Omochi (will you be his cheerleader? *grins*), Alexiel (something tells me that Zanza is a WHOLE lot more romantical than Sano-chan; if you were Megumi, which one would you pick? ^_^ Why, both of course!), J. Liha (I like torture. I like it a lot. Well, I'll continue writing it as long as I have interest in it. No longer...), tanuki-chan (*sighs and uncocks her gun* AH!! She wrote one of my favorite kinds of reviews!!! *does a little dance* I made another person see the LIGHT!! Ohohohohoho... Saitoh sucking on a lollipop eh, you know, I might be able to fit that in somewhere... but God, I'm scared), Susan (your wish has come true. I'm introducing in the next chapter Hiko Seijurou the 13th. Your email really helped me get ideas, thanks!), Kat (ask as many questions as you want, it just doesn't mean I'll answer them directly ^_^ Zanza knows who Tokio is, but she won't try to stall anything. Batty and Shinomori are planning something here, and that's it...), and Sanosuke (This chapter is good for you, this is where you plan revenge ^_^)

Without further ado...

*********

They Say Cameras Are Only Good For Pictures... 8
By: Karina Kineshi (coronaflare@mail.com)

"Kenshin." Kaoru voice had dropped down to an awed whisper. "Kenshin... did... did you see that?" She rearranged herself from the back of their temporary "hiding spot" to get a better look, all the while sniffling in admiration. "He gave her part of her bandana! How romantic..." she cried.

"Yes..." Kenshin replied quietly, lest he give away their position. "I still think it's wrong that we are sneaking in on them, Kaoru."

She shot him a glare annoyed enough to make his heart freeze. "We aren't sneaking in on them Kenshin, we're merely spying on them."

Kenshin scratched the back of his head absentmindedly. "Aren't they the same thing?"

She scowled. "... shut up, Kenshin." Kaoru then turned her attention back to the couple lovingly embracing each other on the banks of the river. "I think it's safe to assume..."

"... that her answer is yes."

*****

"Oh God... I just... don't know what to say..."

Zanza pulled away and smiled. "How about yes?"

Megumi sighed, slightly frustrated at herself. "The most romantic moment of my life and I don't know what to say. It's odd, because I've gone through this about a million times in my head..." She stopped when she realized how foolish she sounded. Admit to Sanosuke that she had actually thought out what she was going to say when he asked her to marry him? He merely looked at her in that calm and composed manner, making her feel like she said too much. Megumi stammered, "I mean, if ever the occasion arose where some guy would ask me the same question... and what I would say if that certain guy would..."

Zanza tried to connect with her feelings. What he saw in her eyes was enough to tell him, but one can't live on thoughts alone. He yearned to hear it coming from her mouth. "... would that certain guy be me?"

She nodded numbly.

"Well... in your mind... what did your heart say?"

Megumi was taken aback. Sanosuke would never ask of such things like "your heart" or be concerned about her feelings. At least, that's the impression that she got from him. "In my mind?" she whispered. "My heart said..." Megumi knew in her mind that Sanosuke was nothing when it came to stature in the community, but her heart asked if she really cared about things like that.

Sensing her hesitancy, he took the opportunity to undo the "damage" that the previous ego had caused. She was thinking about it with her mind, even though her heart said that she would want nothing more than to be in his arms. Logic and feelings locked in a battle; there were two things to do: either win over logic or make feelings stronger. He chose the latter. "I don't expect an answer from you right away, I want you to take your own time to think about it."

Zanza stepped back for a moment and gazed at her with that small smile still on his face. Megumi had her head tilted to the side, wondering what he was going to do. "Please, think about it. I don't want it to be fake."

He doesn't want it to be fake...

He said all that needed to be said. She needed time now. Her of all people, she required her thinking space. He was true in what he said; he didn't want to marry her if it was going to be a joke. He'd thought about this too long and too hard to smother her. He was worried that at first, the sudden transition from Sano-chan to Zanza would frighten her, but he knew that he didn't need to worry. Just in case, he acted the way his former ego would act by turning around with his hands in his pockets. He grinned over his shoulder. "Maybe if you're lucky, you'll be the one I'll remove the 'evil' on my back for."

"If I'm lucky..." she mumbled sarcastically. That was Sanosuke for you, thinking he was all that and a pan of ohagi. "I'm so lucky..."

Decision made.

Zanza was surprised when a pair of thin but strong arms wrapped around him from behind. The flash of winglike purple sleeves were trying to wrap him in their embrace. Megumi was leaning her head against his back; near where he knew the kanji for evil was stitched. She pulled him closer and laughed. "My heart says..." He turned around and looked down at her; her eyes were dancing. "It's asking a single question of you right now."

"What?"

She smiled tenderly. "When should I start making you a new jacket?"

*****

"I... I don't believe..."

They had just come back from consulting Tokio about the situation, and just as Shinomori thought, she couldn't do anything about it. Battousai nodded his head as if he understood exactly what transpired between the boy and the divinity. He then turned his full attention back to the shimmering water.

"He... he's asking to marry her?"

Sano-chan's voice had gone so soft with disbelief that Shinomori feared that this would spiral him into depression. He put a hand on his shoulder and tried to pull him away. "You can't watch the real world too much; it hurts. We should be more concerned about how we're going to get you back..."

He's asking to marry her...

Zanza. Megumi.

"Leave me."

Battousai tried to pry Sano-chan's hands from the side of the cauldron, but found that they were refusing to budge. Sanosuke's boyish face was straining red with the effort of clinging on. Finally, the hitokiri gave up, seeing that Sano-chan's determination to keep watching was the only thing that kept him hanging. "Suit yourself kid. I'm not going to be held responsible for your actions. Shinomori, let's go."

"But..." Shinomori stopped when he saw that something in Battousai's eyes. It wasn't the typical hardness that he had become accustomed to, and that was enough to make Shinomori cast a forlorn look of his own. "I'll go." Before leaving, he cast one final look over his shoulder. Tears were glistening on Sano-chan's cheeks and merging with the water that he was staring so sorrowfully into. "I'm sorry..."

Sanosuke didn't know what hurt him worse, the fact that he was stuck in this place with no light or the fact that his own ego tricked him out of his own body. But that didn't prepare at all for this. It was just like burning your fingers on a fire; there's the initial pain that comes, then there's the searing agony when your nerves actually got the message through to your brain.

This hurt so much more.

She looks so happy...

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger when he saw how carefree and giddy she appeared when Zanza was twirling her around like that, legs splaying out to all angles while she threw her head back and laughed. But... he also couldn't ignore the look on his own face; Zanza was actually happy. Sano-chan didn't miss the tear that so discreetly formed in the corner of his eye, and the way he nonchalantly flicked it away did not go unnoticed.

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

They echoed all around him and made his own heart heavy. The woman he loved was in the arms of another: himself. The thought made him even angrier, and her felt so inadequate for not being about to control his emotions. Why couldn't he be more like Zanza and not show them? He shouted at the water, at the happy dancing images. "Megumi! You fell in love with me!! It's me!!! Don't listen to him, he's not the one!"

Oh, but he must be.

It had to be true; Zanza had to be the chosen soul. In Sano-chan's logic, Megumi had never been so happy around him except when he chose to use manners. This was exactly what Zanza was doing. "You fell in love with me..." he repeated uselessly. The elation on her face had not changed at all during his shouting fit; she truly could not hear.

"Why did it have to be this way?" Zanza had accomplished in three short hours what he had been planning for almost three months: asking for Takani Megumi's hand in marriage. Sano-chan thought with remorse that Zanza phrased it so much better than he ever could have, and that saddened him. It came so easily to a smooth talker, but to Sanosuke, it was just a little bit harder.

Maybe...

With one more disheartening thought to add to his mind, Sanosuke sniffled one last time and slapped the water with the back of his hand. The image scattered, and then pieced itself back together just as quickly. With her smiling face.

Most importantly, with his own.

Maybe... I'm not the chosen soul...

A little ways off, Battousai shook his head in pity. "Shinomori, this is really disturbing him. Shouldn't we do something?"

"Well exactly!" Shinomori crossed his arms indignantly and gave him an "I-told-you-so" look. "And this is coming from the man who just wants to sit back and not do anything about anyone: Mr. 'I-Don't-Care-Because-I'm-A-Emotionless-Blob' Battousai?"

Battousai rolled his eyes. "There has to be something we can do."

"Well..." He pondered for a minute. "... as you know, Tokio can't do anything, but he can. She put me into frozen stasis as soon as I got up there, so I didn't hear anything that she said..."

The redheaded boy regarded the comment with a slight nod. "... Judging by the look on his face, he doesn't know where to start. Do you think that maybe we can have contact with the outside world?"

"You mean, reality?"

"Yes. By way of rhapsodic dreaming."

Shinomori gasped, eyes flashing with unmasked concern. "Now, you know that it's forbidden for us to have contact with the mortal body." He concentrated on the ground, the fog swirling around his feet like a miniature twister. "It's against the rules."

"But..." Battousai interrupted. "Isn't what Zanza did also against the rules?"

"Well..."

"And, don't you want to get the rightful owner of the body where it belongs?"

"... Battousai..."

He went on. "It's not right. It's not right..."

Shinomori smiled weakly. "Batty, you always were the one for justice..." He stopped and seemed to contemplate the other man's argument. All the while, Battousai was watching him intently with amber colored eyes. Shinomori finally grinned. "Fine. I'll do it."

Battousai slapped his old friend on the back, his eyes shining with what looked like amusement. "I knew I could count on you." He saw the hesitant look on Shinomori's face and reassured him. "We're not going to break the rules Shinomori... we're just going to bend them a little."

*****

After Megumi got her bearings straight from being twirled around like a tornado for a few moments, she spoke up. "I wonder what Kaoru and Ken-san will think... how should we break the news to them?"

Zanza turned his attention to a tree just a few paces away. He took hold of Megumi's shoulders and pointed at the tree. "I think they already know." As if God decided to make it a perfect entrance, two figures crumpled in a heap at the base of the tree. "See?"

"Ken-san! Kaoru-chan!!"

Zanza laughed out loud, their position was just too funny to ignore. The girl was splayed on top of the redhead, limbs at all angles. Kenshin turned redder than his hair and tried to wiggle out from underneath his wife. Kaoru looked up with the most apologetic expression on her face. "Well..." she tried to explain. Finding no rational one in sight and under Megumi's disapproving stare, she took her aggression out on the man pinned underneath her. "Kenshin! How could you be so clumsy?"

"I wasn't clumsy... Kaoru-dono was the one who fell on top of me first..."

Kaoru's face was lined with crimson, more from embarrassment than anger. "But... I'm so sorry Megumi!" She shoved herself up off Kenshin and brushed off her kimono, the whole time stammering a confession to the ground. As if Megumi was there. "I only wanted to see what was going on, I didn't mean any harm by it... and... and..."

Zanza smiled. "Old habits die hard, right Kaoru?" He was referring to a previous memory of the girl trying to eavesdrop on a conversation that Kenshin and Megumi had once.

"Honestly Kaoru-chan..." Megumi's anger was nonexistent; she just had a high sense of justice that needed to be upheld. In other words, she was teasing her for making their "perfect moment" not-so-perfect. Of course, that was a lie; the whole afternoon couldn't have been better.

Things like this don't surprise me much anymore, they're common occurrence at the Kamiya dojo...

Kenshin picked himself up off the ground since Kaoru didn't look like she was going to offer him help any time soon. Her face was buried in her kimono sleeves. "Kaoru-dono had nothing to do with this. It was all my idea."

"Ken-san?" Megumi was dumbstruck. Kaoru just looked at her husband with confusion etched in her features. "I would have expected it from Kaoru... but not from you!"

"I am sorry." Kenshin bowed his head reverently. "But... it was Kaoru's idea to give you a little engagement gift." He nodded his head towards the umbrella still lying on the ground behind the tree. Kaoru understood instantly and rushed to get it.

Megumi echoed Kenshin's words and looked at Zanza. "Engagement gift?" She covered her face with her hands, fingers massaging her temples. Megumi could feel her face becoming bright red, if she would have chosen a way to tell them, this wouldn't be the way...

Kaoru produced from her back one of the most beautiful umbrellas that Megumi had ever seen and started closing the distance between the two couples. Arms extended as if it was a peace offering, Kaoru smiled sheepishly. Megumi was shocked, but she accepted it without thinking. "Well, um... should we go to Misao-chan's? Or should we go home?"

This time, Kenshin was the one who answered. He took a look at the horizon and upon seeing that stars were already showing in the cerulean sky, he said, "It's getting late, I don't want to bother Misao-dono at this hour. We should just catch the next train ride and go home."

"What do you think, Megumi?" Kaoru seemed to be treading on eggshells. Megumi knew that she was the one who suggested that they spy on them, but Kenshin took the blame for her. Now that took a true man...

She looked up at Zanza and tried to decipher what was in his face. His expression told her that it didn't matter either way. "Yes, let's go home", Megumi finished. Without another word, Kenshin and Kaoru walked together in the direction of the train station. Kaoru said something to Kenshin. He smiled and said something back. Kaoru was obviously pleased with the answer, and then laid her head down on his shoulder. Megumi regarded them with amusement. "What do you think that's about?"

"Us, probably" was the answer that came from Zanza. She started to follow Kenshin and Kaoru, but he reached for the hand that held the umbrella. Megumi looked at him as he slowly spread it out until it was open in all its glory. If it was beautiful folded, it was even more so unfurled. "A pretty umbrella for a pretty lady."

She blushed. "It's going to be really odd looking at you from now on as my husband to be, you know that?"

For you and me both...

"I mean, I never thought that this would happen..."

Neither did I.

"... but..." Megumi smiled and linked her right arm through his left, umbrella over both of their heads. "I'm glad that it did." She spoke with such a clear sincerity that Zanza felt his heart jolt out of his chest. This was the moment he feared; he knew that sooner or later...

Oh God, what have I done?

*****

"Ha! Caught you again!"

Shinomori nearly jumped a foot in the air. He whirled around to see the grinning face of Sano-chan, who was hiding behind the chair he was sitting on. "Y-You!"

"Me."

Battousai chuckled. "Be careful Shinomori, he's a master at hiding and sneaking up on people."

Shinomori was obviously startled, he had his hand over his chest and he was breathing heavily. "How long has he been there?"

"A while."

"How much did he hear?"

Battousai smiled. "All of it."

The man was dumbstruck. "Last time I saw you, you were over by the... the..." He realized that his ramblings made him sound like an idiot, so Shinomori just stopped. He strode over to where Sano-chan was crouching and tousled his hair. "You sneaky little thing..."

Sanosuke grinned. "I'm getting better and better at this every day, aren't I?"

"Sure kid." Battousai summoned a chair behind Sanosuke and motioned for him to sit down. "I suppose you'll want an explanation." Sano-chan nodded. Battousai continued, "We'll give it to you, but first you have to tell us something. Why did you change your mind?"

"Change my mind?" Sanosuke knew what the hitokiri was asking. It could have been better worded as 'When did you stop feeling sorry for yourself?' He answered, "The sooner I get into action, the sooner I go back."

"Good answer." Shinomori finally sat down and crossed his legs. "I'm glad that you stopped watching reality. It hurts."

He mumbled. "Tell me about it..." The look on both of their faces wanted to know if anything else was going on. "... she said yes to him... but..."

Battousai leaned forward intently. "But what?"

Sanosuke shook his head in disbelief. "I mean, for all the time I've known Zanza and he was a part of me, I didn't think that he was capable of love. He was the ego that took over after Sagara-taichou died, so I thought that it was all anger there. How can he love?" Neither man had an answer. Dismayed by their lack of talking, he said, "Do you think he's going to hurt her?"

"We wouldn't know better than you would." Shinomori said regrettably. "But there is a way to find out."

Sano-chan perked up instantly. "Isn't that the rhapsodic dreaming you were talking about?"

Battousai nodded as something fell from the sky. Shinomori didn't expect it, but Sano-chan caught it with his hands just before it fell into his lap. "Let me try the impromptu way again with you. When someone goes to sleep, his or her soul goes into Gehenna for a very short while. Just like what you saw with Tokio."

Sanosuke turned the mirror over in his hand. "You mean, she was semi-transparent because she was sleeping, right?"

"Correct. Her soul can not completely leave the body, but it can partly leave." He paused. "Have you ever wondered where dreams come from?" The faraway look on Sanosuke's face answered his question, but he needed a verbal answer. "What are you thinking?"

He smiled a wistful smile. "I already know where dreams come from." Shinomori and Battousai's attention piqued. The boy seemed to know more of Gehenna than they did. He continued, that distant look still there, until he flashed them the widest smile Battousai had ever seen. "Megumi is my dream."

There was an awed silence in the void until Shinomori sighed dreamily. "Batty, that's so beautiful..."

Battousai didn't even miss a beat or stop to acknowledge Sanosuke's open declaration. "So... I'm guessing you have no idea." Sanosuke scowled while Shinomori rolled his eyes. He continued. "Sorry, we don't have time for poetry right now Sano-chan, please understand."

"That's all right... I..." Sanosuke shook his head as if trying to dispel a thought. "... I just don't know what came over me, that's all." It was an odd feeling; that wasn't something that he would have said under the circumstances, and Shinomori and Battousai seemed to know this. They looked at each other with something in their faces, uncertainty maybe? Sanosuke quickly tried to regain his bearings. "What do we do now?"

"Now... you know that thing you just said about Takani Megumi..." Shinomori had an uncharacteristic look of seriousness in his face. "Did it suddenly just appear inside your head? Or have you already thought this out before?"

"Well..."

"Did it come into your head like lightning? Or was it that feeling that you've done it before?"

"You mean like... déjà vu?"

Shinomori blinked. "Yes, like déjà vu..."

He was uncomfortable at being under such close scrutiny. "Geez guys, lighten up. It was just something I said; I don't know how it got in there..."

"But is it something you would have normally said?"

He fidgeted for a minute. "No..."

Battousai stood up and dispelled the chair behind him into mist. "We have no time to lose then. Something drastic is going to happen, and there's only one person who can help us."

Sanosuke's face drained of color upon hearing the word 'drastic'. He rose quickly and knocked the chair down. "What's going on? Why is he doing this to me? And who can help us?" He was starting to get angry at all the sidelong looks that Shinomori and Battousai were giving each other; they had a silent communication going on between them.

It's my life! So tell me what's going on!

"We must leave immediately. It's nearly dusk in the mortal realm, and the dreams will be starting shortly. If we make it in time, we can get to her in time."

"Her who?"

Battousai cracked a small smile. "The only person that can help us, the dreamweaver."

"Who's that?" Sanosuke didn't notice that Shinomori had already disappeared into the inky blackness. To where, he didn't know. "Who's the dreamweaver?"

"She was the one who taught me all the principles of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. I am very grateful and in debt to her for as long as I live. My honorable master, Hiko Seijurou."

A stunned silence, then a strangled cry of disbelief. "Your master's a woman?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's notes: I apologize for the incredible lack of action in this chapter, but it's really a transition. Things will pick up in the next one, and there we learn bits and pieces of Zanza's master plan through the dreamweaver's rhapsody. Stay tuned, and do review. The fic is getting really long and out of my "control", I've never written more than four chapters before for ANY fic, and I'm feeling sort of insecure with this right now. Hasta!