TEARS AND FORGETTING
by Mirune Keishiko


It was a cool evening for late spring. A slow breeze
turned into a gust of wind, scattering leaves across
the empty, lamplit street and blowing through
Sanosuke's loose-fitting white jacket. He shivered
involuntarily as he quickened his pace homeward.

He passed the Genzai Clinic on his way, and for a
moment thought his hair was getting into his eyes. It
wasn't late yet, but it was well after the usual
closing time; Sano thought he could see soft yellow
light through the window.

Curious, he walked up and peered inside. A single lamp
burned, illuminating a lone Megumi sitting at her
desk, filling out the patients' logbook. Beside her
was a cup of steaming tea. The woman looked up,
startled, as Sanosuke said, "Hey in there, fox lady."

She gave an amused smile on seeing him. "Oh, it's you,
roosterhead. You surprised me for a minute."

"Whatcha doin' up so late? The clinic should have been
closed up hours ago, right?"

"I just thought I'd stay over a little to finish the
records." She gestured at the logbook in front of her.
"Do you want to come in? It's cold outside tonight."

He nodded, and went around to the entrance as Megumi
unlocked and opened the door. "What are you doing
downtown at this hour?" she asked him as she resumed
her seat at her desk and continued to write where she
had left off.

"Just a couple of drinks with some friends of mine."
He plopped down on one of the empty clinic cots.

"Oh." As could be expected, Megumi's slender eyebrows
shot up, and she gave him her cool smile. "Whatever
made you leave so early? Usually you wait until you're
rip-roaring drunk to go home. Or did they try to make
you pay the bill?" The cinnamon eyes gleamed wickedly.

Stretched out luxuriously on the cot, Sanosuke glanced
at her sharply. "Onegai," he muttered, "cut me some
slack for once in your life, fox lady." Folding his
arms beneath his head, he shut his eyes.

Megumi smiled at that, and silently gave in. It was
too late and she too tired for a bout of the verbal
jousting the two of them usually exchanged. She
lowered her head, almost squinting in the dim light of
the lamp, and continued writing. Sanosuke lay quite
still on the cot, seemingly asleep. For several
moments peace reigned, nothing but the crickets and
the scratching of Megumi's pen breaking the restful
stillness.

Until a flurry of knocking sounded at the door. Megumi
started, dropping her pen. She cursed as some of the
ink leaked out in blobs on the page of the logbook.
Sanosuke, snuffling softly, cracked open one eye. "Who
is that?" Megumi called, pausing to sift fine white
sand over the inkblots to dry them.

"Please," came the thin, childish voice from the other
side of the door. "Takani-sensei, please come and
help. My mother is giving birth!"

With a sigh Megumi grabbed her doctor's smock from
where it hung over her chair and opened the door. A
small child standing on the doorstep gazed up at her
with wide, frantic eyes. Sanosuke sat up on the cot.

"Metoune Shizuru! Your mother isn't due until a few
more weeks!" Quickly slipping on the smock over her
kimono, Megumi rushed about the clinic, gathering her
medical instruments into a small bag. "Come in for a
minute while I collect my things. Help yourself to tea
if you like. Did you run all the way through town all
by yourself?" she asked, looking back at the child
over her shoulder as she rummaged in a cabinet.

Shizuru, probably no more than seven or eight to
Sano's eyes, was gratefully sipping Megumi's warm tea.
She nodded in response to Megumi's question. "Please
hurry!" she added plaintively.

"Should I clear out?" asked Sanosuke of Megumi, who
was stacking bedclothes on a chair.

She glanced up at him with something of surprise, as
if she had forgotten about his presence. "If you don't
mind, I'd rather you didn't," she said after a
moment's hesitation. "I have to bring a lot of things,
and I don't think I can carry them all. And I could
use the help--" Sanosuke, nodding, was already
scooping up the piled linen and closing the windows.

"Uh, shouldn't we hurry?" Sano knew next to nothing
about the process of childbirth, but he had the vague
idea that babies were prone to simply slipping out
with no prior notice. He stood, uncertain, off to one
side as Megumi flew about, tying a scarf around her
face to hold back her hair. Shizuru had taken to
tugging insistently on the woman's sleeve.

"Yes, yes. I'm ready." Having extinguished the lamp,
she hurried out the door, Sanosuke and Shizuru
trailing after her. She turned back, keys in hand,
when Sanosuke stepped in front of her. She raised her
eyebrows, puzzled.

"I'll lock up," he said quietly. "It looks like it'd
be best if you went on ahead. I'll catch up soon."

Nodding, she pressed the keys into his extended palm
and turned to leave. Shizuru had trouble keeping up
with her short legs, so after a moment Megumi picked
up the little girl in her arms - she was very light
for her age, the poor thing - and hurried on. Looking
back quickly, Megumi saw Sanosuke silhouetted in the
moonlight, locking the clinic doors behind them, the
stack of bedclothes mounted on one shoulder. His long
lashes cast shadows down his cheeks. A moment later he
raised his head, as if feeling her eyes on him. Megumi
felt a small spark of warmth blossom deep in her belly
as he met her gaze directly, unblinkingly.

Then she remembered Shizuru, who was busy tangling her
little fingers in Megumi's long hair. Turning, Megumi
hurried on along the street toward the Metoune home.
Behind them she heard Sanosuke fall into step.



Sanosuke winced as a low, reedy moan came from the
closed-off bedroom. The moan quickly built into a
lung-busting screech that went on for so breathlessly
long that Sano thought his ears would pop. Then the
scream abruptly terminated in a loud, strangled gulp.
Shoving his hands deep in his pockets, Sano peered out
the window somewhat furtively. He was pretty sure half
the neighborhood was awake by now, thanks to the
shrieking.

Hell, he thought with a mirthless grunt, I'm pretty
sure half the country's awake by now.

He walked over to the closed door leading to the
bedroom and hesitated, drawing a deep breath, then
letting it out slowly. Then he knocked and slid the
door open a fraction. "You sure you don't want any
help?" he asked Megumi, who was checking the progress
of the birth. Sanosuke kept his gaze carefully away
from the futon in the room, as much to save himself
the discomfort as to give respect to the woman in
labor.

Megumi glanced at him, quick eyes taking in the
flushed cheeks and the look in the long eyes that
begged her not to say yes. Tired and preoccupied as
she was, she almost smiled. "It's all right, Sano,"
she said, turning back to her patient. "I can take
care of this. Just knock when the water's done."

Nodding, feeling greatly relieved, Sanosuke shut the
door and went back to his previous spot in the common
room that doubled as a kitchen. He poked up the fire
underneath a pot of water he had put on to boil and
sat down in front of it, crossing his legs under him.
In the corner, an exhausted Shizuru slept in her
tattered futon. Sanosuke had made her get some rest,
had taken upon himself the commands Megumi issued as
she ministered to the laboring woman.

When they had gotten to their destination a few hours
ago - a small rundown shack in one of the poorer
sections of the Tokyo slums - Megumi had gone into
full "doctor" mode, as he called it. She'd taken the
bedclothes he'd carried and thanked him, before
shutting herself up in the bedroom, where the agonized
wailing signaled a childbirth already in full steam.

Unwilling to enter the bedroom unless it was
absolutely necessary, Sanosuke stayed outside in the
common room. Through the thin door and walls he could
clearly hear the pained screaming, but also -
filtering through it all like a calm, steady stream
amid a raging forest fire - Megumi's voice. Calm,
even, firm, it alternated between soothing and
coaxing, commanding and reassuring. Sanosuke shook his
head. That a woman could keep her head in such a
stressful, not to mention deafening, situation seemed
almost miraculous to him. He had been in some tight
situations, but the idea of a woman in labor filled
him with horror. He shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly he looked up. It dawned on him that he hadn't
heard any shrieking in some time. Megumi could still
be heard rushing about, but her patient had apparently
subsided. Is the mother dead? thought Sanosuke,
frowning and glancing at little Shizuru's sleeping
form.

And then, a thin, shrill wail came to his ears.
Sanosuke started at the sound, coming unexpected in
the midst of silence, and saw the white steam
billowing out from underneath the cover of the pot of
water.

He was about to knock on the bedroom door when it slid
open in his face. Megumi looked out and came face to
face with Sanosuke's bandages.

"The water's ready," he said, proffering the basin of
hot water in his arms.

"Thank you, Sano." She was visibly tired, but Sanosuke
noticed an odd sort of glow in her drawn face,
something like triumph. "Please, bring it inside. You
can come in now." Megumi led him inside the room.

"Is she all right?" Sano, setting down the basin on
the floor near the mattress, glanced dubiously at
Megumi's patient. The thin, frail-looking woman
appeared to have fallen asleep, sweat beading her
face, damp in her hair and pillow.

"She's very tired, but she'll be fine. The birthing is
over." A small, tired smile curved Megumi's mouth.
Tenderly she wrapped in a towel the red-faced,
squirming newborn, whom she had laid on the floor on
the last of the clean bedsheets. Sanosuke, on his way
back to fetch more hot water, had to stop and look.

"He or she?" he asked softly, coming to kneel beside
Megumi. He stared, fascinated, at the tiny infant, who
was yawning prodigiously.

"He." Megumi gently pressed a kiss to the small
forehead. "I have to finish up with this baby's
mother. Sanosuke, can you hold him for me in the
meantime?" Sano's sudden panicked look proved
irresistible, and despite her weariness, Megumi
laughed. Not her usual "fox lady" laugh, but real,
quiet laughter. "It won't take very long," she
reassured him soothingly. "Now, fold your arms like
mine. Be sure to support his head at all times. His
spine is still very weak, and there's no telling what
could happen if his head isn't supported." Carefully
she placed the infant in the arms of a
poleaxed-looking Sanosuke. "And don't you dare drop
him," she said in mock-stern tones, rising to her feet
and returning to her patient's bedside.

"You have such confidence in me," Sanosuke said
sarcastically. She arched an eyebrow and said nothing.

The baby had fallen asleep, sucking on his tiny thumb.
Gingerly carrying him, Sanosuke inched his way to the
doorway, afraid that any sudden moves on his part
would send the infant tumbling to the floor. He heaved
a sigh of relief once he had made it safely into the
common room. Shizuru had awoken and now came forward
eagerly.

"You've got a brand-new baby brother, kid," Sanosuke
said, the gruff words softened by his smile.

"Can I hold him? Please please please?" She reached up
her thin arms, her dark eyes bright and happy.

"Mm... Well, okay. Just take care of him. And Meg-the
doctor said for you to hold his head all the time. Be
careful, all right?" And Sanosuke cautiously
transferred the baby to the young girl's arms.
Shizuru's small face shone as she beamed down at her
sleeping brother. You'll be having a different look in
your eyes once that brother of yours starts growing
up, Sanosuke thought with a grin, remembering the many
siblings that had made his life so hectic as a child.

The door to the bedroom slid open and Megumi stepped
out, wan and pale, carrying her bag of medical
instruments. Her slim hands fumbled to untie the scarf
around her head. Sanosuke turned to look at her
questioningly.

"Daijoubu," she softly answered his unspoken query.
"She's sleeping well. She should be all right in the
morning." Megumi smiled tiredly at Shizuru, who was
still cradling her baby brother. "Omedetou,
Shizuru-chan. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful sister.
Have you thought of a name for him yet?"

The young girl shook her head. "I don't know. What's
your name?" she asked suddenly, looking up at
Sanosuke.

Sano grinned ruefully and shook his head. "Trust me,
kid, you don't want it."

"You didn't tell her who you were?" Megumi slipped off
her bloodstained smock. "Shizuru-chan, you're far too
trusting. This man is Sagara Sanosuke." She waved
toward Sano, who grinned sheepishly.

Then Megumi became more serious. "Shizuru-chan, come
over here for a minute. There are some important
things you need to know." As the little girl came
toward her obediently, Megumi put an arm around her
and knelt so that she would be face-to-face with her.

"Your mother is going to be fine, Shizuru-chan," she
said gently, "but she needs to sleep for now. Try not
to disturb her, all right?"

The little girl nodded, her face mimicking the
seriousness on Megumi's.

"Tomorrow I'll come back and check on all of you. For
tonight, you are responsible for your brother."
Shizuru nodded again, eyes wide with the gravity of
her responsibility. Megumi smiled. "I'm sure you'll do
just fine. Just send for me anytime if you feel like
it, okay?"

"Hai, Megumi-sensei." Megumi looked at her
questioningly as the little girl pressed closer as if
to confide. "Sanosuke is nice." The girl smiled up at
her.

Megumi raised her eyebrows, her mouth curving in a
slight smile. "Yes, it's a nice name, isn't it?"
Twinkling with amusement, her eyes went to Sano, who
had his back to them, some distance away busily
putting out the fire.

Shizuru shook her head, impatiently. "No, I mean he's
nice," she whispered, her bright eyes on Sanosuke.
"Sanosuke-san."

"Sano?" Megumi felt almost amused. "Yes. Yes, he is."

"Don't you like him too, Megumi-sensei?" pressed
Shizuru innocently.

Megumi opened her mouth for a reply and found she had
none. Instead, she glanced over at Sanosuke, who
seemed to be taking far too long to put out the little
fire. "I can't really tell you," Megumi finally
whispered to Shizuru. And before the puzzled little
girl could say anything further, Megumi stood up,
preparing to leave.

"I'll stop by again tomorrow morning, before my shift
begins at the clinic. Do you think you'll be fine
until then, Shizuru-chan?" The little girl nodded
solemnly, and Megumi smiled. "All right then. Sanosuke
and I'll be leaving now. Sano?"

"Yeah." He came forward, paused to riffle the little
girl's dark hair. "I'll see you around, kid." His
features hidden in shadow, he stepped outside the
shack. Megumi started to follow, but Shizuru's small
voice stopped her.

"Megumi-sensei?"

Megumi suppressed a sigh, turned back. "Yes,
Shizuru-chan?"

"Domo... arigatou. We'll pay you by the end of the
week--"

"It's all right." Megumi squeezed the child's shoulder
gently. "It's free."



For several minutes they walked along the still, empty
streets in silence, Sanosuke following Megumi a few
steps behind. Only their footsteps - hers soft and
precise, his more casual and almost shuffling - broke
the late night stillness. Megumi was too tired to talk
and thought longingly of her warm, soft futon waiting
for her at her apartment. She cast an envious glance
at Sanosuke, who didn't seem to be the least bit
enervated and walked along wordlessly, seemingly deep
in thought.

They had passed several blocks before he broke the
silence. "That was awfully nice of you."

Megumi, suspicious of a more sarcastic, biting comment
underlying his words, said nothing.

"Oei, I meant that as a compliment. You don't have to
be so guarded." The tone was faintly apologetic,
faintly annoyed. Megumi sighed.

"Sumanu. Thank you for the compliment. But even if I
weren't so nice, I'd be obligated to do what I did."

"Can I ask why? Or are you too tired to talk anymore?"

He's giving me a way out, Megumi realized. She
honestly didn't feel like discussing it. Not only was
she sleepy and bone-tired, but the topic was a rather
personal one. Still, she appreciated his
thoughtfulness by giving her a plausible excuse not to
talk about it.

He took her hesitation for a no and fell silent, not
wanting to force the issue. Megumi looked weary and
haggard in the dim moonlight, and Sanosuke, watching
her trudge along the street in front of him - her
dragging pace so different from her usual brisk,
graceful walk - felt his heart soften toward her in a
way it never had before.

To his surprise, she spoke. "Shizuru's father was a
skilled woodcarver. They weren't rich, but they lived
comfortably, until he died last year." She paused. "Of
an opium overdose."

The last words hung in the air. Sanosuke looked
quickly at Megumi. Her face was absolutely
statementless, but half-hidden in the sleeve of her
kimono her slender white hand was fisted tightly.

"You?" His voice was low.

"He was... one of the many." Megumi might have been a
statue, so pale and blank was her delicate face.

Disconcerted, Sanosuke thrust his hands deep into his
pockets, scuffed his shoe in the dirt. What could he
say? "Megumi--"

"I've left my old life behind," she interrupted him,
speaking quietly and softly; half to herself. "I've
started over. It's been months since I was working
under Takeda, since I was producing those packets of
slow death. I work at a clinic now, using my knowledge
and my skills for good. Who knows how many lives I
save, every day? How many people I help and serve?"

Silently Sanosuke quickened his pace, in order to
catch up with her. They had reached her small
apartment; she had come up to the doorstep and now
stood staring at the ground, as if unable to go any
farther. Softly, almost plaintively, she continued to
speak.

"I've enjoyed my fresh start, I've embraced my new
life willingly. The happiness and contentment I have
now - I almost forget all the things I once did. My
old life. The old Takani Megumi, making her Spider's
Web so that one man could get rich at the expense of
other people's lives."

She stared down at the step broodingly, eyes shadowed,
brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"But at times like these - when I come face to face
with the consequences of my past..." She sighed,
shaking her head. "I have forgotten. I have begun
again. I am happy. But what of those who cannot
forget? Who still suffer because of the crimes I
committed? Who will relive for every day of their
lives the evil I did that even I have forgotten?"

Her voice, the low, passionate words trembling with
grief and regret, sank to a whisper. "What of people
like Shizuru and her mother, reduced to poverty
because I murdered yet another man with my poison, and
the baby who will never know his father?"

"Hey." The interjection slipped almost involuntarily
out of Sanosuke's mouth, as he saw the tears glitter
on Megumi's face. It was unusual to see coy, spirited
Megumi so sorrowful, unusual to hear her talk about
her inner fears and troubles. Concern overwhelming
him, he stepped toward her. She did not resist as he
pulled her gently close to him, let her sob brokenly
against his chest as he stroked her hair. "Shh. It's
going to be okay," he whispered soothingly, feeling
her hot tears soak into his bandages.

It was a strange feeling, to embrace and comfort one
with whom he had always been at odds. Megumi and
Sanosuke were notorious for sniping at each other
incessantly, as Yahiko had once put it, "every single
time they got together." But at that moment, Megumi's
wet cheek against his chest, his strong arms around
her shoulders, seemed the most perfect, the most
natural thing in the world.

Megumi's breath was hot against his skin as she
struggled to stop crying, gasped for breath, her body
shaking with emotion she strived to contain. She
raised her hands, began to push him away. "I'm sorry,"
she whispered, biting her trembling lip as she turned
her tear-streaked face away. "It's late. You should go
home..."

But Sanosuke held her firmly - gently, but with a
subtle strength that made escape impossible. Megumi
tried to walk away and found she couldn't. Startled
and suddenly angry, she flashed at him cold, if red,
eyes, trying unsuccessfully to break his grasp on her
shoulders.

"What are you--"

"Megumi." Intense brown eyes pierced her own. "Don't
run away. I'm trying" - the low voice softened almost
imperceptibly - "to help you."

She stilled at that, as if giving up. A small sigh
quivered through her. She laid her forehead against
Sanosuke silently; the tears had stopped, but she
found she couldn't stand by herself just yet. And it
felt so good to stop and lean on someone else's for a
change...

Megumi felt Sano's strength reach out to her,
supporting her now that her own strength was sapped.
It was getting colder as the night deepened, but she
felt enveloped soothingly in his warmth. She held on
tightly to his arms. The muscles shifted sensitively
beneath the skin, power and strength kept well in
check in the veins.

"You're worn out." The voice was gruff, unaccustomed
to carrying blatant concern. "It's been a long night.
You should think about this when you're rested, when
your head's clear."

Megumi nodded wordlessly against him, her black hair
gliding over his hands. Sanosuke had never imagined
her hair could feel so smooth and soft, like the
finest silk. He suddenly became aware of her nearness,
her warmth, the tempting softness and curves of the
woman he held so closely; her fresh, sweet smell of
gardenias - mixed with the more subtle, musky scent of
Megumi herself - seemed to almost drown him. He caught
his breath, feeling beneath the kimono the smooth,
soft skin of her back.

The first pangs of her sorrow over, Megumi had grown
quite still, her eyes shut, lost in the welcome warmth
and Sanosuke's faint, indescribably alluring scent.
She felt rather than heard the sudden catch of breath
in his lungs, the convulsive swallow. Her fingers
accidentally brushed against his chest, and the smooth
skin quickened; Sanosuke let out a low, guttural moan.
Suddenly conscious of his bare skin against her face,
the play of the muscles in his arms, she looked up at
him, feeling heat rush inexplicably to her cheeks.

Megumi's cinnamon eyes were crystal clear in the
moonlight. Sanosuke found himself staring deep into
them, noting absently that the red-brown streaks of
color were only surface marks, that beneath them the
black pupils were bottomless and endless. Blood had
flooded her face, tainting her cheeks faintly pink.
She looked so beautiful, felt so soft and tempting in
his arms, that almost before he knew it he had gently
met her full red lips with his own.

Megumi whimpered softly as Sanosuke's mouth sweetly
covered her own. As if afraid she would break, he
kissed her with a tenderness she had never suspected
to exist within such a strong, fiery man. She
responded eagerly, cupping his face with one strong,
delicate hand, letting the other wander along his jaw
and down his neck. Feeling Sanosuke shiver beneath her
straying fingers, she smiled into the kiss. Fire was
burning in her veins, surging through her body,
burning with an empty, gnawing ache... "Come inside,"
she whispered boldly, her lips moving against his. Her
hand left his chin and groped blindly for the door to
her apartment.

Sanosuke felt lightheaded, bereft of the heat and
softness of her lips. The moment she finished
speaking, he impatiently claimed her mouth again, the
gentle tenderness giving way to stark hunger, feeling
hot arousal start to build inside him. He slipped his
tongue between her parted lips, entering and exploring
the heat and sweetness of her mouth as she moaned
softly. Her whispered words took some time to make
sense in his fevered head.

When they finally did, he felt he would go crazy with
the fiery heat building up, throbbing inside his body.
Tonight, he thought dizzily, his hands tangling in her
long, silky hair, tonight, I come inside...

With a groan he pulled away, withdrew. Megumi could
not hold back a small, disconsolate wail. The warmth
evaporated, leaving Megumi shivering in the cool
night, as he stepped backward, away from her, shaking
his head and clenching his shaking hands into fists.

"What's the matter?" she demanded, confusion and
disappointment in her soft voice.

Sanosuke, trying to catch his breath, averted his
eyes. If I look at her for just one moment, he
thought, desperately, I won't be able to stop myself.
"This isn't the time for this," he said in strangled
tones.

"What?" The sensuous heat had turned to simmering
anger, injured pride.

Sanosuke shook his head again. Shoving his trembling
hands in his pockets - his fingers remembering the
slide of her hair between them - he quickly turned
away. "This isn't the time," he said, low and
quavering. "Megumi... We can't do this. Not tonight. I
don't want to..." He trailed off. I don't want to take
advantage of you, he finished silently. Not while
you're sad and confused and vulnerable like this.

"I thought you wanted me." Forgoing modesty for the
truth, Megumi spoke clearly, almost bitterly.

Sanosuke almost smiled, except he shivered slightly at
the words instead. "Wanted" was an understatement. He
could feel the blood rushing hotly in his veins, the
sharp, sweet ache of unsated desire pulsing through
his entire body. His jangled nerves sang keenly of the
few steps it would take to cover the short distance
between them and take her back in his arms, pick up
where they had left off. After all, she had invited
him -- technically he would only be taking her up on
her offer. It would be so easy... so sweet, and so
satisfying...

"Kami-sama knows I do," he muttered harshly,
swallowing. "Kami-sama knows..."

..right now I feel like I could make nonstop love to
you until the sun came up. He swallowed again, past
the tightness in his throat. What he could remember of
honor and nobility, of respect for Megumi, railed
desperately against the rest of him, which blindly
sought satisfaction, an end to the ache of his desire.
Megumi was confused, sad, tired, lonely; she wasn't
thinking straight. If they ever did get to that point
in their relationship - which as it was had yet to be
clearly defined- Sanosuke didn't want it to be hurried
or hasty, tainted with regrets or bitterness. Megumi
deserved better.

But, he thought desperately, if I don't leave now,
I'll never be able to again...

"I better go." The memory of her fingers tracing
teasingly along his skin burning in his mind, he
forced himself to turn away, from the disappointment
and hurt on Megumi's beautiful face, and left.

For several moments he heard nothing, only his
footsteps on the dirt street. Then, behind him,
Megumi's swift footsteps, her door opening and then
slamming shut again. He shook his head. She would hate
him forever. He would have to avoid her for perhaps
two or three weeks from now. Maybe even a month...

He thought of her lips, sweet and soft on his, and
sighed. He might as well go fishing, idle away the
time until dawn. His whole body was tense and taut,
thrumming with frustrated arousal, and almost painful
with the great temptations he had refused that night.

There's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight, he
thought with a sigh.



--owari--


notes: Hmmm! Well, what did you think? Anything and
everything you can find to fling at me (praise and
flaming both) is welcome. Oh,
and if you think Megumi seems to be acting a little
out of character here, it's just that she's very,very
tired and sad. I believe Megumi is one of the more
misunderstood and/or misinterpreted characters in RK,
so I wanted to make her a little more human, more
many-sided here, instead of simply the lovely, cunning
"kitsune-onna" with the sly little "ohh-hohohohoho!!"
laugh we've come to know and love.

disclaimer: Megumi, Sanosuke, and the Genzai Clinic
are not my property; they belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki,
though I am barely worthy to speak of such a great
man. (Oh yeah, also to Shueisha and Fuji TV and I
think Sony Entertainment.) Shizuru, her baby brother,
and her mother are figments of *my* imagination, thank
you very much. For people who would know, Shizuru-chan
is named after a certain brown-haired chain-smoking
young woman. E-mail me to know if your guess is
correct! ^.^x