Aoshi heard the creak of a floorboard in the corridor outside and instinctively tensed for what was to come.

By the weight of the step, Aoshi had guessed that this would be Okina, likely coming to deliver the mail as well as another reminder that it had been nineteen days since the doctor had promised to come to Kyoto.

Correction. Nineteen days and ten hours. Okina had lately been adding the hourly count as well.

"Come," Aoshi called out as calmly as he could. As annoying as the man was, constantly implying something which he would never dare acknowledge, Okina could not be faulted for his teasing about the doctor. After all, Aoshi had slipped in mentioning that the doctor was investigating starting a practice here in Kyoto and despite his warnings to the elder man that she could change her mind at any minute, Okina clearly had something up his sleeve. And that thought alone, was enough to endure Okina's constant teasing, if only a pretense to keep a much closer eye on him.

"Mail!" Okina slammed the door open cheerfully. "From Tokyo no less."

Aoshi took the proffered letter, and glanced at it curiously. The writing on the outside was very precise. And familiar.

"Well?" Okina looked at him impatiently. "I know it's from that Miburo. I've seen the letters that have come before from that man. Aren't you going to open it?"

"That anxious to get yourself involved in another mess aren't you old man?" Aoshi leveled a stern look at his elder over the top of the desk. "Yakuza and corrupt businessmen aren't enough for you?"

"Bah." Okina's eyes twinkled. When Aoshi had returned out of concern over some reports he had read about some streetfighting in Kyoto, he found that Okina and the Aoiya had some turf issues with some local yakuza who wanted a share of the Aoiya's profit in exchange for what they were selling as "protection." "You know they're taken care of."

"Ah." Aoshi knew that to be true. The yakuza were clearly ignorant of the Aoiya's reputation as ninjas and had assumed that the remnants at the Aoiya were weak. They were mistaken. And they were dealt with before Aoshi had even set foot back in Kyoto.

"Go ahead," Aoshi handed the letter back to Okina. "You read it while I finish these last figures."

"But it's addressed to you-"

"There are no secrets between us."

"Very well then," Okina impatiently began to open the letter. He almost dropped the other darker sheet of paper folded inside, but caught it before setting it aside. "Ah. I'll get to this next."

Aoshi nodded absently while continuing to scribble in his books. After a few seconds of uncharacteristic quiet, he looked up.

Okina's cheerful look had been replaced by a look much more serious. In fact, Okina's expression was grim.

"Okina?" Aoshi put his pencil down. Immediately he recalled that Misao had been on some errand with Soujiro Seta and Cho Sawegejo, two men now allied with the Wolf of Miburo. "Is it Misao? Has something happened?"

Wordlessly, Okina shook his head and then handed the letter over to him.

Aoshi took the letter and looked at it. It was barely a few lines long but he recognized the terse scrawl of Saitou Hajime.

=====================================================

'Megumi Takani's whereabouts are unknown. You would be advised to stay in Kyoto. Your name and history has incited much interest on part of the local police bureau. '

=====================================================

"Takani-sensei." Okina muttered. "What could have happened to her?"

Aoshi stood up quickly.

"Aoshi!" Okina also stood, with an alarmed expression on his face. "Perhaps it's nothing . . . you know how that woman is."

"Saitou Hajime would not waste my time with such a letter if it was so. That man would be able to ferret out any secret even if she had decided to just disappear. Besides which she has a niece which she would not leave behind."

Okina's voice grew sharp. "That letter - that means that you're their number one suspect. And there are those who will still remember you in Aizu none too favorably. You can't think of going now?"

"I could go." Aoshi turned away and looked out the window.

"You can't hide your actions from a man like Saitou," Okina's voice grew even sterner. "This letter is a warning."

As Aoshi turned around to directly a look at him, Okina involuntarily took a step back, clearly shocked by the baleful expression on Aoshi's face. Aoshi wasn't a person who particularly feared for himself or cared about threats. Okina attempted to recover. "If it's the doctor, I'm sure that Kenshin Himura and others have been notified. You must not go. At least not right now, not until we think this through. Promise--"

Aoshi withdrew again to the window and brooded for a moment, recalling the memory of a smile on a beautiful woman's face as she told him that she would see him again. A voice told him now to ignore everything and simply go to Aizu. Okina wanted him to think things through, to listen to other voices -voices of reason. He was not a man of impulse, but of careful thought and meditation. This small, impulsive voice - the one that in this moment he had wanted to listen to, had tricked him in the past, causing him and his own men harm. It could not be trusted.

"Aoshi." Okina came over beside him and put gentle pressure on his arm. "You can't proceed into the dark blindly, especially when there is no sign of the direction you must take. Wait until the morning until things are more clear. Promise."

Aoshi said nothing, but instead moved towards the door. Aoshi put up his hand as Okina took a step towards him, effectively stopping him. "I promise. But don't follow me now."

"Where are you going?"

"To gather my thoughts."

"But-" Okina's voice tapered off as Aoshi rapidly departed, with one letter on his desk still untouched.

~

Sanosuke Sagara rubbed the back of his neck as he strolled in the entrance of the Akebeko.

He was rather looking forward to a bowl of noodles. It had been a long few days back at his father's house with Uki's cooking and with the constant harassment by their well-meaning neighbors parading their daughters in front of him.

He conveniently disappeared yesterday to make his way back here to much safer territory.

"Sagara-san!" The overly polite Tsubame hurried over as soon as she saw him.

"Hey little missy," Sanosuke grinned at Yahiko's 'friend' in his usual casual way. The Akebeko had a reputation for good service, but this greeting certainly beat all records in terms of timeliness.

"You must go see Miss Kaoru."

"What's wrong?" Sanosuke's expression grew alarmed. "Has something happened to Kenshin? Yahiko?"

Tsubame started to stutter nervously. "No. it's not them. Megumi-sensei.. . "

At the mention of the doctor's name, Sanosuke was instantly out the door and on his way to the dojo. Never mind the odd looks he was getting as he ran down the streets to the dojo.

"Sagara-san!" The children looked up startled as he burst through the gate.

"Your sensei," he barked out. "Is she in?"

"Sano!" Kaoru emerged from the training room, ready to scold him for startling her and her students. But she bit her tongue when she saw the look on his face.

"I saw Tsubame, what's going on?! What's wrong with the fox-lady?"

Kaoru swallowed, "She -- she disappeared. Meg-chan was left alone. There was a message from the police saying that they suspected something had happened to her. It's not like before. Kenshin and Yahiko left two days ago to see what was going on. There's a morning train--"

"I can get there before morning if I leave now."

The kids gasped as they realized he planned to walk or run all the way to Aizu and started to protest.

Kaoru's look silenced them. "I understand, Sano. I only wish I could go with you."

"I'll bring her back safely," Sanosuke gave her shoulder a slight squeeze before he turned away. "Just like last time."

Like last time. the last time Megumi had been in Aizu and in trouble. he had been the one who had first run after her. And like last time, he and Kenshin and Yahiko would bring her back.

~~ sorry about the delay. It's been a hectic month. Conventions. Big O season 2. Big O season 2 sucking up all my fanarts energy. Heh.

Next part is short. But scary. Short and scary.