Part 20: Parting

            Several days had passed.

            Bit by bit, Aoshi's memory was returning. She'd spend a little time with him each day, due to Misao's cajoling. She didn't know what to think sometimes…she wasn't sure if her company was wanted. But he never objected to it.

            So when Megumi showed up at the Shinomori/Makimachi household, this time, she carried a small box of Aoshi's belongings she found in her apartment. He might need them while she was away.

            Aoshi opened the door. Was that a hint of warmth in his eyes? Or was she imagining it?

            "Come in."

            "I…I can't stay long," she explained, stepping inside.

            As he moved inside the house, she set the box on one of the counter stools.

            "I…" She turned to face him. "I brought some of your things over…in case you need them."

            "I see." He began examining the items in the box. Mostly clothes and books. "Is…there…a reason you're returning this?"

            Strange question. "You…might need them."

            "Misao tells me that you're leaving," he said quietly.

            "That's right. For work."

            "Where are you going?"

            "San Diego."

            A hint of a smile appeared. "Misao was born in San Diego. Their naval hospital is located in a park comprised of many museums and a famous zoo."

            "I'll…be sure to look around." She felt his eyes on her for several long moments. Then she turned away. "I…should get going."

            "Megumi."

            She closed her eyes for a moment, opened them before facing him. "Yes?"

            "This…is difficult for everyone. I…want to remember everything that's happened."

            "I know." Megumi took a deep breath. When he remembered, would he feel the same? While she'd never run away from life's problems, her trip might be the medicine she needed. She wanted to get away…just for herself. When she came back, then things would settle. She was going to miss him so much. She thought of reaching out…indulging in any brief contact, enough to last her for four weeks, but she wasn't sure it would be welcome. "You are remembering some things, and that's good. I…wish I could do something else for you, but-"

            "You've been patient," he interrupted gently. "You also have a job to do. Am I wrong in assuming that your ambitious nature was one of the qualities I found attractive?"

            Megumi smiled softly. Only Aoshi could make attraction sound so…logical. He was ambitious like her. That drive was one of the things that had attracted them to each other much later on after their first meeting. "No…you're not wrong about that."

            His lips turned up slightly at the corners. It was a sad, but accepting gesture. She wondered if even a small part of him would miss her.

            "When do you leave?"

            She looked up. "Monday."

            His eyes met and held hers for several moments. "Then I wish you a safe trip."

            "Thank you..."

~

            Sanosuke had saved Sunday morning just for Megumi. With a plea to drop him off at the airport.

           She hadn't minded. When she had left Aoshi's home yesterday, she spent time with her aunts and father. Later today, Kaoru and Misao would be treating her to the best dessert café in Honolulu.

            She and Sanosuke sat at a picnic table, facing Kuhio Beach. He had spent the last two hours telling her about his new family. She was genuinely happy for him. He came to Hawaii and got exactly what he wanted. It had taken a couple bumps in the road, but other than that, things were going his way.

            Then he was silent. Megumi looked up to see Sanosuke studying her, his eyes serious.

            "What is it?"

            He looked away. "So how's Aoshi doing?"

            "Okay. He's remembering little by little."

            "Must be killing you."

            "The waiting is hard on everyone. Misao, more so. She's not used to Aoshi the way he is now."

            "And you?"

            "I can only be as supportive as he'll let me," Megumi answered. She sighed, glancing at him over her shoulder. "So what are you going to do when you get back to Norfolk?"

            He shrugged. "Sell the house. I already put in a transfer request."

            "Where?"

            "Anywhere but Norfolk," he responded dryly.

            Megumi's eyes widened. "Are you and Kat going to-?"

            "Hell no." At her expression, he continued, "It's over. Been over. Should have been over."

            "Such conviction…" She almost laughed out loud.

            "I may be slow sometimes at catching on, but once I catch on, I react fast enough," he replied.

            She shook her head, smiling. "There's no doubt about that." He was looking at her with an expression she wasn't sure she wanted to dissect. So she looked towards the ocean.

            "I wish I had married you, instead," Sanosuke said softly.

            Megumi quickly turned to face him. "What-?"

            "You probably don't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it, anyway." Sanosuke sighed. "Look at all you've done for me…without ever asking for anything. You helped me find out more about my dad…my sister…my mom…You even arranged it so my entire family would be there when I woke up in the hospital." He raked a hand through his short hair. "If I had been a better man, I would have never left you and I would have married you. You know how people talk about the one person in their lives who got away. Well, you're mine." She opened her mouth to protest, but he waved a hand. "And don't tell me that I'm just being grateful…I know the difference between being grateful and what I'm feeling now."

            Amazing how well he knew her. What was it about some people that made them form such connections? She supposed that she and Sano would always remain close. And while she respected Sano's honesty, she knew that they both knew that what they shared now was far more valuable than what they had so few years before.

            "Thank you. For saying that," Megumi said. Then surprising him, she leaned over, wrapping her arms around his neck, her cheek pressed against his. "I love you, too, you idiot."

            "Yeah, but not enough to run away with me," he said wryly, wrapping his arms around her waist. Then he said huskily, "I'm really going to miss you."

            "You'll be so busy fighting women off now that you're single again you'll forget all about us." She was going to miss him, too. 

            "No way…"

~

            When they got to the airport, Sano got out of the car as she popped the trunk.

            "Thanks again, fox-lady. For everything." He set his bag on the curb and turned to her as she came around to his side of the car.

            "You're welcome." Megumi smiled at him. "Anytime you're in town to visit your family, give me a call."

            "I will." He gave her one last brief hug and kissed her cheek. "Take care of your man, all right? He loves you, so he'll come around."

            She laughed softly. "Thanks."

            Then a gleam entered his eyes. "But if things don't go well with him…you call me, I'll fly straight here so fast and give you the best se-"

            Megumi immediately covered his mouth with her hand, shock and laughter in her brown eyes. "Sanosuke Sagara! You are so…I can't believe you!"

            He pulled her hand away. "You get embarrassed too easily now, fox-lady." Then he shook his head disapprovingly. "And don't go causing trouble when you're away."

            Her mouth dropped. "Sano! What makes you think-?"

            "Don't give me that, I know you!" He grinned. "Four whole weeks without Aoshi around to keep you in check…"

            Megumi rolled her eyes. "I do not need to be kept in check." Then she dismissed him with a flick of her hand. "Go. Get out of here. And don't come back anytime soon."

            He winked. "Bye, Megumi."

            While she entered her car, he turned to enter the terminal. He was really going to miss this place. But luckily, he had plenty of reasons to come back and visit. Besides, he was looking forward to going back to Norfolk and settling things there.

            His house felt empty. But it didn't matter to him. He wasn't going to be living in it for long, anyway. He had gotten home from Hawaii early Monday morning.

            And had promptly passed out.

            When he woke up, it was just past the afternoon. Jetlag was still on him.

            He was single again. It was strange…not being with another person anymore. When he first joined the Navy, he'd had his share of brief affairs, one-night stands. Casual relationships had worked for him. And when he came to Hawaii, things changed. He fell in love for the first time, loved and hated it because their relationship was so rocky.

            And then he came to Virginia. He had recovered from his first love, and later on, he found someone new. They had been happy, too. But not at all the levels that counted. Most of their problems were like little rocks that grew into bigger ones, before they couldn't even be chiseled away.

            He frowned. Did someone have to try a certain number of times before getting the relationship thing right?

            Not that he had a problem with the way things were with Megumi. He missed her already. Weird how close some people could be. A person apparently couldn't have two best friends, but he considered Kenshin and Megumi his. He moved to climb out of bed, only to find Kat standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

            "Shit." He blew out a breath. "What the hell are you doing here?"

~

            "Call us when you get there," Kaoru said as she dropped Megumi off at Honolulu Airport.

            Megumi was bringing very little with her. A large rollaway, a canvas bag, and a laptop case. It would be enough to get by for four weeks.

            "I will…"

            "Misao said she'd keep an eye on Aoshi and let you know of any changes."

            "Thanks. I'll call her when I get there."

            Kaoru's eyes misted over. "I'm going to miss you!"

            "You can't cry," Megumi chided. "You did that yesterday!"

            "I know, but still…" The younger woman gave her a hug.

            Megumi was trying not to get emotional herself. It would be the first time she went away from home. Her aunts had been emotionally distraught, her father could barely keep his controlled demeanor, Misao and Kaoru combined had gone through four packs of travel tissues. "I'm sorry I can't be there for your big move-in day."

            "That's okay…you'll just have to come over on 'Girl Day' and we'll all do stuff. You can teach me to cook or something. Or give us our souvenir gifts."

            Megumi laughed through teary eyes. "I'll do that..."

~

            Kat swallowed. "I…wanted to see you…"

            Sanosuke crossed his arms. "What for?"

            "Please don't be like this…"

            "You cancelled on me, Kat."

            "You're angry…" she sighed.

            "Not really," he responded. "I just don't care, anymore."

            She sighed again, watching as he rose to his feet. "How…was Hawaii?"

            "It was great." Sano began unpacking his bag, tossing various clothes in the laundry.

            Kat continued to look at him.

            "I met my mother, my half-sister, my aunt, my stepmother, my grandfather…" he shrugged.

            "I'm…I'm happy for you," Kat declared.

            "Good." He kept his voice calm and quiet.

            "Sano, stop it." Kat blew out a breath, clenching her fists. "I'm sorry I cancelled our wedding. I know that what I did was stupid. I was jealous, I was insecure…but I had every reason to be."

            Sano frowned, stopping his unpacking and watched as she continued on.

            "I know I'm not perfect. But you just can't turn emotions off," she argued. "And I still love you. I refuse to believe that you stopped loving me."

            She had to be kidding. Was she that self-centered? Sano mentally shook his head. Okay, he didn't feel the same about her.

            "Listen, Kat…life's unpredictable. What sucks is that sometimes people realize what they want when they can't have it anymore." He shrugged again. "It took a lot of guts for you to come out here. I respect that."

            "You mean to tell me that you don't…"

            "I want you to be happy," Sano said slowly. "But I don't think you'd be happy with me."

            Her eyes narrowed. "Cut the noble crap, Sano. It's not you."

            His eyes hardened. "And to be honest…the last two weeks told me that I wouldn't be happy with you, either. You should marry a nice guy in the medical field who has a family just like yours. You'd understand each other better." 

            "Don't start insulting me-"

            "Look, Kat, are you gonna argue with everything I say?" he challenged. "I do want you to be happy. It's just not gonna be with me, that's all."

            They were silent for several long moments.

            "You're not even going to give me a chance to-"

            "Listen, Kat, you dumped me because you couldn't handle me being close friends with another female, right?" Sano asked. At her nod, he added, "There are some people who just can't handle that. And if that's the case, they don't have any business being married to someone who's close friends with the opposite sex."

            "She was your first love, Sano."

            "So? How does that make anything different?"

            "Do you still love her?"

            He looked at the ceiling. "I can't believe I'm hearing this…"

            "Do you?" she swallowed. "And I want the truth."

            "Me answering isn't going to make a difference," he responded. "If you wanted to work things out, and I was going for it, there'd always be that insecurity between us. I won't have a relationship like that."

            "But Sano-"

            "And it's more than that. As nice as your family is…you have to let them go so you can live a life with whoever you plan to marry." He frowned thoughtfully. "We made a lot of mistakes…I fooled myself into thinking that we were happy when the same problems kept showing up. Relationships are about growing and taking things to a higher level, not going at the same rate."

            Kat looked away. "You're…right. I…don't know what to say..."

            "Maybe it's both our faults we let it happen, I don't know…But sometimes…things just don't work out the way you thought. And…you just don't want to deal with them anymore." He glanced at the ceiling again and said quietly, "I'm going to sell this house. I've already requested a transfer."

            She bit her lip. "You're going to move away…?"

            "It sounds like a good idea."

            "For you?"

            "There's not really any reason to be here anymore…"

            She ducked her head. "So…it's really over."

            "I'm sorry…" Sano didn't know what else he could say.

            "Yeah…me, too."

            And she turned and left. Strangely enough, it felt good to let her go. He could finally move on.

~

            A few days later, Sanosuke logged onto his computer to find a message:

Sano,

            How's Norfolk? I bet you miss the warm weather. I came to San Diego a few days ago…it's cold. I miss Hawaii already.

            This brand new program seems to be working pretty well so far. I live in a multiplex owned by this retired Navy couple, and it's right next to Balboa Park – a very beautiful place, I might add. They seemed to have bad luck with tenants in the past. Apparently the husband's godson works in Navy Housing…they made arrangements to have their multiplex house any Navy personnel who are new in town. Would you believe that there's an 18-month waiting period for enlisted to get into Navy housing?

            Unfortunately, I don't have a car, but I do have a bus pass and I'm just minutes from downtown, so I'm not too bored.

            I went walking this morning and was nearly run over by a trailer. Some college students apparently were moving into their new place and weren't watching the street. A Navy pilot actually came to my rescue. He lives just down the street from me and was going for a run when he noticed what was happening. He managed to pull me to safety, but it was rather embarrassing…

            One of the nurses is coming over in a few hours to show me downtown nightlife.

            I'll talk to you soon.

~ Megumi

            Sano chuckled before typing back:

Damn, Fox-lady,

            It's only been five days since you got there  and already you're getting in trouble.

            I should be receiving new orders by end of the month. I told them I want Florida or California. Either place works.

            It sounds like you're in a real busy place. Good that the new program's working out for you. And good to see you're having fun, you need it. Don't you get to visit another hospital at the end of the year? You know which one you wanna go to?

            Have fun in downtown. Don't get too crazy. You really need someone to keep you in check. How's Aoshi doing? Misao keeping you updated? Jo-chan told me that Misao said he's remembering more and more. If that's what's happening, he'll remember your fine self and start to miss you like hell. 

~Sano

….finis?

A/N: Can you see where this is going? =P

I could have made this fic longer, but as eriesalia pointed out about 2-3 chapters earlier, I needed to start thinking about ending it, and as daiji said, writing too many chapters after would stretch it too thin. I'm not for writing oodles of chapters, anyway. ^_^ Again, I do apologize for the abruptness. I am glad, however, that Sano was reunited with his family. I originally started this fic for him, so I wanted to end it with him. And I apologize for not sending Aoshi & Megs to the altar. =P The amnesia bit wasn't meant to be drawn out like a soap opera, just to give Aoshi and Megumi a little breathing room...even more so now that she's 2000 miles away from the man she loves who doesn't QUITE remember how much she means to him… (ducks any flying objects) Anyway, I do promise you that Aoshi's well on his way to full recovery.

Thanks to the readers, reviewers, and shippers for your support and feedback.

NEXT: (OMG, am I insane???) Megumi's on her own in an unfamiliar place for four whole weeks. No friends, no family...How does she keep herself entertained? (MUCH shorter fic with MUCH less drama.)