Author's Note: This chapter is for Sano/Megumi and Aoshi/Misao fans
mostly. And, yes, I still have no idea how to go about doing this because
I concentrate on Kenshin and Kaoru so much more. Also, I wrote this really
late, so I don't think straight. Read and review, onegai!
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine, but I can borrow the characters for a little while, ne?
The Love of Life
Chapter 7: Startling Revelations
By CrismHeart
August 27, 2003
"You know that if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me." Those words replayed over and over in his mind. They were simple yet sweet and the voice that had expressed them so sincere. Kenshin knew that Kaoru meant what she said. Perhaps, he could take her up on her offer, someday.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Misao had pranced all the way to her beloved Aoshi-sama's house, instantly knowing that he would be meditating. She had memorized his schedule.
She did not want to disturb Aoshi during meditation so she stood in the doorway in a trance watching him. Misao would wait for him to finish before letting her presence be known. Heck, she would wait for him forever as long as he would realize her feelings for him in the end. She had been doing so already. Misao knew that she had fallen in love with him ever since she first laid eyes on him, which may sound peculiar to some people because she was only five at the time, but that did not matter to her; love knew no age.
Because he had the ability to sense ki, Aoshi had known that she was coming before she stepped just outside the doorway. To tell the truth, Misao always made him lose his train of thought when she was near. Although his eyes were closed and his back was turned, he had perceived her slight hesitation.
"Misao, you can come in now."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Megumi was taken aback by Sano's remark. "Why am I here anyway?" She thought to herself, confused. She knew that she had a practical reason a couple of seconds ago. Infuriated with herself, she took it out on Sano instead.
"I hate you!" she screeched, but even then she knew how false her words sounded.
All at once, Sano's arrogant façade gave way. "You- you hate me?" he stuttered.
Megumi cursed at herself inwardly, refusing to look him in the eye. She could hear the hurt in his voice. With tears in her eyes, Megumi turned and ran from Sano's apartment. She was not certain where she was headed; she just wanted to get away. All the while, she knew that she had made a huge mistake- one that she would regret for the rest of her life because that was the moment her heart broke.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kuso. You've done it this time Sagara." Sano declared muttered underneath his breath. He had known that Megumi was too good for him, but he never thought that she actually despised him, but Sano had heard the conviction in her voice and his whole world had crumbled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At first Misao was puzzled as to how Aoshi had known she was there, but she then accepted this fact very quickly. "He's so smart and sophisticated!" she gushed in her mind. "Wait, what am I doing? He's right there and I'm practically drooling!" Misao mentally slapped herself before taking a few nervous strides towards Aoshi.
"I brought you some tea." Misao told him.
Although most people, or all people, proclaimed Aoshi as unfeeling and detached, if he were under extremely close scrutiny, the way his eyes softened when he looked at Misao would be quite distinguishable. She was the first person to reach out to him and really want to get to know him, the one who was always jovial despite the circumstances, and she was also the only one who could warm his heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was getting dark now and Megumi was far from home, although that was not what was on her mind. She was still reflecting what had happened with Sano that afternoon. As Megumi wandered aimlessly down the streets, she became aware that it was not safe to be walking out so late. Her grandfather would probably be apprehensive. All of a sudden, Megumi heard footsteps that seemed to be following her. She had not noticed before when she had been deep in thought, but now that she contemplated it, Megumi could have sworn that whenever she stopped walking for a minute, the footsteps would as well. She was increasingly conscious of how perilous this situation and quickened her steps.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sano had taken a walk in hopes that he could ignore the throbbing of his heart. Maybe if he met up with a friend, he could keep his mind off of Megumi. However, the walk had the opposite effect on him. Sano knew the neighborhoods well, so it was impossible for him to get lost. After walking in circles, he saw someone approximately ten meters ahead oh him. Who could be out at this hour? The light given off by the lampposts did not reveal much, but Sano could tell that the person was a female and someone unmistakably familiar.
Running up to see who she was, the two turned to face each other.
Sano sighed, "What are you doing out here at this time of night and in this part of Tokyo? Don't you understand how dangerous it is? I'll walk you home."
Megumi nodded reluctantly. After an uncomfortable silence until they reached doorsteps of the clinic, Megumi confessed, "I- I lied to you before about hating you. I really don't. In fact, I- I think I love you." And to Megumi, those words never sounded truer. She explained to him about her dreams of becoming a doctor one day and how she did not want a relationship before because she felt that it would distract her.
Sano was shocked beyond belief when she admitted her feelings for him. Then he smiled, not one of his usual smug grins, but a real heartfelt one and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. "If you truly love someone, you won't stop them from their dreams."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Kenshin had not fallen asleep easily. He had tossed and turned the whole night and when he finally did, he had nightmares and woke up with beads of sweat along his brow. It was almost like a premonition that something dreadful would happen the next day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A tall shadowy figure of a man was smoking a cigarette in the dark. "Battousai. I have found you at last."
________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: Thanks to: flyinangel777, lillie-chan5, vindemon64, Yurikkuna, and Califpinay3001 for reviewing! Hope to see you next chapter! (I sound very enthusiastic with all these exclamation marks, don't I?) And give me suggestions to improve my story, although I already know the basics of what is going to happen.
flyinangel777: You're welcome! And yes, because I'm so bored, I actually read your bio, so if you need help just tell me (not that I really know what I'm doing either, but I hope I can be of assistance somehow).
lillie-chan5: You've convinced me to continue! I love seeing new reviewers! (Sorry, if I'm scaring you.) Good thing too, because I really need to work at this if I want to finish before school starts. Ack! So much schoolwork! *falls over and faints* Plus, I'm not very fast at typing.
vindemon64: Thank you so much for the nice review! Your comments are most encouraging.
Yurikkuna: I wouldn't call my chapters perfect, but I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Like I said, I never really know what I'm writing.
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine, but I can borrow the characters for a little while, ne?
The Love of Life
Chapter 7: Startling Revelations
By CrismHeart
August 27, 2003
"You know that if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me." Those words replayed over and over in his mind. They were simple yet sweet and the voice that had expressed them so sincere. Kenshin knew that Kaoru meant what she said. Perhaps, he could take her up on her offer, someday.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Misao had pranced all the way to her beloved Aoshi-sama's house, instantly knowing that he would be meditating. She had memorized his schedule.
She did not want to disturb Aoshi during meditation so she stood in the doorway in a trance watching him. Misao would wait for him to finish before letting her presence be known. Heck, she would wait for him forever as long as he would realize her feelings for him in the end. She had been doing so already. Misao knew that she had fallen in love with him ever since she first laid eyes on him, which may sound peculiar to some people because she was only five at the time, but that did not matter to her; love knew no age.
Because he had the ability to sense ki, Aoshi had known that she was coming before she stepped just outside the doorway. To tell the truth, Misao always made him lose his train of thought when she was near. Although his eyes were closed and his back was turned, he had perceived her slight hesitation.
"Misao, you can come in now."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Megumi was taken aback by Sano's remark. "Why am I here anyway?" She thought to herself, confused. She knew that she had a practical reason a couple of seconds ago. Infuriated with herself, she took it out on Sano instead.
"I hate you!" she screeched, but even then she knew how false her words sounded.
All at once, Sano's arrogant façade gave way. "You- you hate me?" he stuttered.
Megumi cursed at herself inwardly, refusing to look him in the eye. She could hear the hurt in his voice. With tears in her eyes, Megumi turned and ran from Sano's apartment. She was not certain where she was headed; she just wanted to get away. All the while, she knew that she had made a huge mistake- one that she would regret for the rest of her life because that was the moment her heart broke.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kuso. You've done it this time Sagara." Sano declared muttered underneath his breath. He had known that Megumi was too good for him, but he never thought that she actually despised him, but Sano had heard the conviction in her voice and his whole world had crumbled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At first Misao was puzzled as to how Aoshi had known she was there, but she then accepted this fact very quickly. "He's so smart and sophisticated!" she gushed in her mind. "Wait, what am I doing? He's right there and I'm practically drooling!" Misao mentally slapped herself before taking a few nervous strides towards Aoshi.
"I brought you some tea." Misao told him.
Although most people, or all people, proclaimed Aoshi as unfeeling and detached, if he were under extremely close scrutiny, the way his eyes softened when he looked at Misao would be quite distinguishable. She was the first person to reach out to him and really want to get to know him, the one who was always jovial despite the circumstances, and she was also the only one who could warm his heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was getting dark now and Megumi was far from home, although that was not what was on her mind. She was still reflecting what had happened with Sano that afternoon. As Megumi wandered aimlessly down the streets, she became aware that it was not safe to be walking out so late. Her grandfather would probably be apprehensive. All of a sudden, Megumi heard footsteps that seemed to be following her. She had not noticed before when she had been deep in thought, but now that she contemplated it, Megumi could have sworn that whenever she stopped walking for a minute, the footsteps would as well. She was increasingly conscious of how perilous this situation and quickened her steps.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sano had taken a walk in hopes that he could ignore the throbbing of his heart. Maybe if he met up with a friend, he could keep his mind off of Megumi. However, the walk had the opposite effect on him. Sano knew the neighborhoods well, so it was impossible for him to get lost. After walking in circles, he saw someone approximately ten meters ahead oh him. Who could be out at this hour? The light given off by the lampposts did not reveal much, but Sano could tell that the person was a female and someone unmistakably familiar.
Running up to see who she was, the two turned to face each other.
Sano sighed, "What are you doing out here at this time of night and in this part of Tokyo? Don't you understand how dangerous it is? I'll walk you home."
Megumi nodded reluctantly. After an uncomfortable silence until they reached doorsteps of the clinic, Megumi confessed, "I- I lied to you before about hating you. I really don't. In fact, I- I think I love you." And to Megumi, those words never sounded truer. She explained to him about her dreams of becoming a doctor one day and how she did not want a relationship before because she felt that it would distract her.
Sano was shocked beyond belief when she admitted her feelings for him. Then he smiled, not one of his usual smug grins, but a real heartfelt one and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. "If you truly love someone, you won't stop them from their dreams."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Kenshin had not fallen asleep easily. He had tossed and turned the whole night and when he finally did, he had nightmares and woke up with beads of sweat along his brow. It was almost like a premonition that something dreadful would happen the next day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A tall shadowy figure of a man was smoking a cigarette in the dark. "Battousai. I have found you at last."
________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note: Thanks to: flyinangel777, lillie-chan5, vindemon64, Yurikkuna, and Califpinay3001 for reviewing! Hope to see you next chapter! (I sound very enthusiastic with all these exclamation marks, don't I?) And give me suggestions to improve my story, although I already know the basics of what is going to happen.
flyinangel777: You're welcome! And yes, because I'm so bored, I actually read your bio, so if you need help just tell me (not that I really know what I'm doing either, but I hope I can be of assistance somehow).
lillie-chan5: You've convinced me to continue! I love seeing new reviewers! (Sorry, if I'm scaring you.) Good thing too, because I really need to work at this if I want to finish before school starts. Ack! So much schoolwork! *falls over and faints* Plus, I'm not very fast at typing.
vindemon64: Thank you so much for the nice review! Your comments are most encouraging.
Yurikkuna: I wouldn't call my chapters perfect, but I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Like I said, I never really know what I'm writing.