Chapter 11: Shelter

He had slept later than usual, and had done a little reading before Megumi had woken up for the day.

The weather had improved slightly since dawn. Clouds still loomed overhead. When it would be safe to travel by train, he wasn't sure. No patients had arrived at the clinic for examination. In the current weather conditions, he doubted any of them needed to see a physician.

He immediately recalled the strange interaction he had last night.

What had been bothering him? That…tension…inside of him. Had…it always been there? And what about Megumi? Was she-

His sharp hearing picked up the sound of a faint voice…a young man's. Aoshi quickly made his way to the clinic, and caught the last strains of conversation, as Megumi was tucking several items away into her small medical chest.

"I'm sorry I can't be more specific," the young man, probably no older than seventeen, stated to the doctor. "But that's all I've seen."

"It's fine, Iwao-kun. I'll be able to assess the situation once I see her," Megumi assured calmly. She looked up to see Aoshi standing not too far away. "I have a quick visit to make."  

Aoshi glanced out the window, gazing at the sky for several long moments before turning to her. "Snow will be falling later."

"What makes you say that?" she asked casually, pulling a hooded cloak over her shoulders.

He frowned. "Megumi-san, you-"

"If it suits you, Aoshi, then you can come with me and tell me how you can predict the weather," she replied, turning to follow a bewildered teenager outside the clinic.

Aoshi set his jaw. It was very rare someone dismissed him such as that. While her tone was pleasant, the underlying meaning was very clear. She only answered to herself. No matter what he thought about the weather, she was going to see her patient. It was her dedication. Grabbing his coat to keep him warm, he proceeded to escort the doctor.

After she locked her home, the teen began to engage in conversation, mostly about his schooling, his travels abroad, and his family. Aoshi hung back, their conversation loud and clear as if they were right next to him.

He took in the Aizu scenery, the architecture, the trees planted by residents, still listening to the conversation in front of him. As they began to walk farther from buildings and more into country, his concern increased. A look at the sky told him another blizzard would be coming.

Iwao's home proved to be quite a distance from the center of Aizu. But once there, the boy quickly bounded up the path that led into his home. He quickly led to where his mother sat, quite uncomfortably in the center of the house.

"Hiroko-san," Megumi greeted pleasantly. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Only a little, Takani-sensei," the middle-aged woman responded with a faint smile. She placed her hand over her middle, looking very tired.

Megumi gently placed her hand over the woman's forehead. "Hmm…Iwao-kun told me that you had expelled your meal this morning…"

"Yes."

"What did it look like?"

The doctor's presence seemed to have some comfort, for the woman smiled briefly and said, "That's an odd question, Takani-sensei…"

"I know," Megumi said, smiling back. "But why don't you tell me everything that happened this morning that could have led up to that…"

As the older woman told her story, she shifted uncomfortably from time to time. And she held her belly as if she was in pain. Megumi listened patiently, her brows furrowing once in a while during the brief story, as if she had picked out several causes for the woman's illness.

"It sounds to me as if you're just having trouble keeping meals down." Megumi began to fidget with her medical supplies. "I have some medicine which should soothe your stomach. Until you get better, I recommend that you limit your food intake to just soup or very, very light solids."

"Thank you, Takani-sensei," Iwao spoke up the same time his mother expressed her gratitude.

Megumi handed him a corked bottle that could fit in one's hand. "Give your mother ten drops of this liquid mixed with one glass of water, twice a day. If she isn't feeling better in two days, contact me again."

~

"I lingered too long," Megumi said softly, more to herself.

She and Aoshi were walking back to her home, and as he predicted, snow began to fall.

"But Iwao doesn't have to worry. His mother will be fine," Megumi added. She then turned to look at her companion. "Taking care of my patients is my duty. Regardless of-"

"There's no need to explain," Aoshi interrupted. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he continued to walk. She quickly followed.

Something didn't seem…right to her. This…uneasiness. But she also felt the need to explain, anyway. "Aoshi, I just…wanted to thank you for coming. I know that you probably thought it was unwise to-"

"Does it matter what I think?"

Megumi blinked, certain she heard him wrong. Aoshi didn't strike her as the type who asked for anyone's opinion on anything. She was even more surprised to find him watching her…as if waiting for her reaction. The snow was coming down much harder, clinging to her hair and cheeks.

"Of course it matters," she answered, unable to stop the words from coming. Wait. "You…I…" She flushed slightly, rarely caught off guard. Then she cleared her throat and moved forward.

"Yes?"

She took a breath, huddling in her cloak. "I…I'm not sure why I said that. I'm being silly. I just want to go home and get inside."

And they continued to walk.

~

By the time they reached her home, the wind picked up and falling snow hindered his vision. Already he began to feel the cold seep into his blood, the snow prickling his skin like needles. The wind blew in his direction, slowing his movement. He turned slightly to see Megumi slowly make her way towards him. She stopped, bumping his arm.

Instinctively, she grabbed his arm for balance. "I need to get more firewood for inside."

"Now? Where would you-?" he called over the wind, shutting his mouth once she pointed to some trees in the yard of her home, several meters away.

"There's an underground storage area my brother had built several years ago."

It seemed to take an eternity, but they had finally reached the area she had indicated. He opened the door and left it open so they could both enter.

As he descended the stairs, he observed the narrow space, with one wall lined with shelves of firewood, some dry food, and he assumed medicinal herbs that had been crushed into powders and sealed in jars.

As he watched Megumi light a nearby lamp with matches, Aoshi allowed himself to take in her appearance. The way her long black strands fell around her oval face. The rich darkness of her eyes which could occasionally light with mischief. Intelligence and compassion shone in those eyes. Megumi flipped her hair over one shoulder, and he followed its movement, his eyes lingering on the graceful column of her throat above her kimono before slowly moving back to her face. Her eyes met his over the narrow space between them, and if he wasn't mistaken, her cheeks grew pink before her eyes darted away. For one brief, illogical moment, he wondered what she would do if…

A sharp gust of wind blew through the shelter, extinguishing the lamp. The instant he turned to look up the stairs, the door slammed shut, cloaking them in darkness.

A/N: I think it's obvious where this fic is headed now. So I pose a question for you A/Meg fans. Just how FAR do you think the romance between Aoshi and Megumi will go these next and last few chapters?