Disclaimer: Lets see. I own the Kenshin figure I bought, the Kaoru figure that was given to me as a gift, and the Sanosuke figure I conned my brother into buying for me. Thats about it. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, if you haven't figured that out yet. I can still dream though....
Thunder All Through the Night
The dark, heavy clouds rolled closer, snatching away the last of the twilight and bringing on an early night. Thunder boomed, still far off but drawing steadily closer. Rain began to fall, first softly, then heavier.
Takani Megumi sat in the empty clinic, sorting through her medical supplies, taking out this and that to mix a fresh batch of medicine to help relive pain. She stood up to go get a cup from the other side of the room. The rain padded against the roof of the clinic with soft plops. The rain didn't bother her much. No, it was the other things that often accompanied the rain that brought back the memories.
Lightning flashed overhead. Thunder boomed. The cup Megumi was holding slid from her hand and shattered against the floor.
Flash. A bolt of lightning struck a tree.
Boom. The thunder sounded and the tree fell.
Flash. Lightning lit up a tear-streaked face, eyes begging for help that wouldn't come in time.
Boom. Bare feet padded against the wet ground as their owner ran away from the horror.
Megumi sank to her knees, burring her face in her hands and tensing with every boom of thunder overhead. A tall figure standing in the doorway watched the scene for a moment before calling out. "Hey Fox, what's got you so worked up?" Sagara Sanosuke asked, hiding the worry in his voice behind an air of lazy curiosity.
Megumi jumped at the sound of his voice, or perhaps it was because of the particularly loud boom of thunder that vibrated the walls of the clinic moments after he spoke. "What are you doing here, Rooster Head?" Megumi asked, forcing her voice to sound calm and slightly irritated. She stood up so she could place her hands on her hips and glare at him properly.
Sano shrugged. "It started to rain and I was closer to here than my place or the dojo," he stated as if it were obvious.
Megumi rolled her eyes, then jumped slightly as thunder crashed overhead again. Realization appeared in Sanosuke's eyes as he watched her. "You're afraid of the thunder, aren't you, Fox?" he stated, crossing his arms in a knowing manner. Megumi glared, but it was ruined by the effects of more thunder.
Uncrossing his arms, Sano walked into the room. "You know thunder's nothing to be afraid of."
"Neither are trains," Megumi countered.
Sano opened his mouth to argue further, but gave her a lopsided grin instead, letting her win that one.
Megumi turned away and began to pick up the pieces of the shattered cup. Her hand unconsciously tightened around the sharp piece as the thunder sounded again. Blood leaked from the cut and slid down her wrist as her mind processed what just happened.
Sanosuke stepped forward and took her hurt hand in his, making a tsking sound, rather like something she would do, as he inspected the cut. Rooting through her things, he pulled out the bandages and slowly began to wrap her hand.
"Why do I get the feeling our roles have suddenly been reversed?" Sano mused as he tied off the bandage. "You should really be more careful, Fox." He released her hand and it fell back to her side. Embarrassed by her carelessness, Megumi chose to remain silent.
"So why are you so afraid of thunder anyway?" Sano asked, plopping down on the floor.
"You're not going to leave me alone until I tell you, are you?" She sighed as she sank to the floor as well. Sano shook his head and she started her tale with another sigh.
FLASHBACK
Dark clouds gathered overhead. Two little girls were playing on the outskirts of the small forest. They stopped their game and looked up and the clouds. The first, a girl with long, green-black hair, spoke in a quiet voice. "Do you think it will start to rain, Meiko-chan?" she asked. The other, with shorter, brown hair, answered in the same quiet tone, as if they were afraid the rain would start if they were too loud. "I hope not, Megumi-chan. 'Cause then it might start to thunder and thunder is scary." Megumi nodded her agreement.
Suddenly lightning lit the sky and thunder boomed. "Maybe we should get home." Meiko suggested in a nervous tone. Megumi nodded and the two started to make their way back. Before either of them knew what was happening, a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree. The tree groaned and before she could move out of the way Meiko found herself trapped under the tree. Megumi watched in horror as the tree crushed her friend. Tears rolled down Meiko's face. She felt the worst pain she had ever felt before and she couldn't tell where it was coming from. Blood pooled out from under the tree. Megumi ran for help as fast as she could, small feet padding against the wet ground...
END FLASHBACK
"Help did not come in time," Megumi finished, unaware of the tears in her eyes. "Meiko died alone before any of us got there. I keep wondering if going for help was the right thing to do. Should I have stayed with er so she would not have died alone?"
Arms strong enough to crush boulders wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a warm, and mostly bare, chest. "You did what you thought was right, Fox. No one could ask for more than that," Sanosuke said softly in her ear.
Megumi's face turned a brilliant shade of red, due to the fact she was so close to Sanosuke.
"And it's okay if you want to cry," Sano continued. "I won't tease you."
Megumi let the tears that had been threatening to spill slide down her cheeks. She buried her face in Sanosuke's jacket. It smelled clean, a distant part of her mind noticed. Perhaps Kenshin had washed it for him.
Sanosuke held her against him, rocking her gently and muttering soft words of comfort as she cried. It broke his heart to see her so distressed, though he tried not to show it too much. Her sobs quieted and finally stopped, and she went slack in his arms, drained from everything that had happened that day, from treating patients to the storm.
Sanosuke tightened his hold on her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Do you want me to stay with you until the storm stops?" he asked. She nodded, a blush creeping up again, and he leaned back against the wall, moving her to a more comfortable position. She rested her head against his chest and listened as he told her stories about his life in the Sekihoutai, to distract her from the storm.
Soon exhaustion took over and sleep claimed Megumi. In her dream she was surrounded by a misty fog. A small figure from her memories stepped out of the fog with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Megumi-chan," Meiko said. "I did not want you to torture yourself over my death. I know you were trying to get help." Megumi felt tears well up in her eyes, and before she could run to hug her friend she woke with a start.
Sanosuke's arms were still draped loosely around her waist, his head lolling to one side in his sleep. Megumi gave a small smile at this image and settled back against him, closing her eyes.
They stayed like that for the rest of the night. Megumi taking comfort in Sanosuke's presence and the thought that Meiko forgave her. Sanosuke just happy he could give her some comfort.
*Owari*
Author's Note: Hello! I hope you enjoyed my first Rurouni Kenshin story. Sorry if I got them a bit out of character. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think. I'm trying to improve my writing skills, so constructive criticism would be welcome. Thank you for reading ^^. If you click that little button and review, I'll give you a cookie. ^_^