Disclaimer: The title of this chapter has been changed from "The Wolf of Mibu Strikes" to "Love is Fickle" for the purposes of, well… The Wolf of Mibu isn't gonna strike for a while actually. Oh, and by the by, I don't own Ruroni Kenshin or affiliated characters.
Confessions of A Dangerous Hairstyle:
A Ruroni Kenshin Fan Fiction
By
C M Forde
"I still love you and there's nothing that's ever going to keep us apart again."
"You know, except for those statutory rape laws."
Knuckles cracked against Sano's jaw and he fell back with a grunt. Karou frowned and turned back to Kenshin, "Why couldn't you tell me earlier? Why did you feel the need to hide your age from me?"
"Because he's a dirty old man." Sano went down again.
The red haired man looked apologetic, his scar almost making him seem even younger than he already looked. "There's a lot in my past I'm not proud of Karou, a lot that I wish had never happened. I'm not the person I was ten years ago."
"Yeah, ten years ago you could probably date women your own age."
Karou spun around, face bright red, a single vein pulsing out in her forehead, "Yeah Sano? And how old is Misao?"
He blushed and frowned, "Hey, that's not the same thing!"
"Why not? You'll go to jail just as quickly as Kenshin will."
"Because… Me and Misao haven't done anything!"
Kenshin blinked, "But Sano, you told me that you and Misao made love five times a week. I think you also said that she could suck a-"
"LIES!!! I never said anything like that! He's a dirty rotten no good bastard is what he is! Trying to pass this all off on me! Pervert! Like I'd ever say anything like that bout my sweet wonderful Misao." He did his best impersonation of being abashed and insulted, but no one seemed to be buying it. "Kenshin's like forty Karou. Get him."
Karou grunted and turned around, heading off towards the back room while Kenshin continued sweeping. The Kamiya Salon had returned back to normal in the two days since the Juppon-Gatana incident had left their group confused and torn. Kenshin was still cleaning the place, Karou was still managing and Sano was still freeloading and smoking in the back alley. It was like nothing had ever happened. The two lovebirds were having a fine and dandy relationship, despite the fact that Kenshin could be Karou's father. Sano could almost believe that the red haired man had never been kidnapped, that he had never met a woman named Megumi.
"You told Kenshin what?"
He blanched a pale white and swallowed slowly as he turned around, "Misao! Honey! How long have you been standing there?"
The phone rang and Megumi picked it up, "Oniwabanshu."
"I wish to speak with Shinomori Aoshi."
She tilted her head to the side, filing down her nails with her feet up on the desk, "Sorry, Aoshi's out. This is his fiancée, can I help you?"
"I just wanted him to know that he only has six seconds to live, but since he's not there I guess the message is for you. Terribly sorry for the mistake."
Megumi frowned, pulling her feet from the desk, "What the hell are you talking about? Who is this?"
"Just consider this apt revenge for Shishio." The line went dead.
Megumi was on her feet in an instant, glancing around the room, nothing unusual or out of place. Was that just a prank call? Feeling her heart rising up to her throat in panic she rushed out of the room, towards the front door. It was a bomb. One of those Juppon-Gatana had rigged the place to blow. Her legs were pumping as fast as she could get them. How much time left before it went up in flames? Five seconds? Three? Less, she had to get out. The front door loomed before her. Escape, salvation. As fast as she could she threw it open, the morning sun glaring into her eyes, glancing off steel. She froze.
Hoji was there. He was smiling. He was holding a gun.
Megumi tried to move, instinct told her to get back in the building, get back to safety. But her mind was frozen. It wasn't a bomb. It was…
She didn't even hear the shot, just felt the ripping pain as the bullet tore through her chest, annihilating everything in its path. Bone hit, bent, shattered; she could feel it all like slow motion. She glanced down at herself, mouth agape, and watched the blood run from her breast. She touched the wound, and her fingers game back trailing dark red, slick and warm. Then her legs gave out and she tumbled to the ground. Her eyes were wide as she took one more struggling coughing breath, felt the liquid running through her throat, punctured lung, probably worse. Hoji laughed, but it seemed distant, inconsequential. Then she died.
Sano could barely see, Misao's beating had left him light headed and faint, pain wracking his entire system. But he recognized the figure who stepped through the door anyway, it was hard not to. Tall, blue black hair and eyes that could freeze the sun. Everything about him made Sano want to hit him in the face, his expression, the way he walked like he was part of some distant other world, like he was untouchable. The man walked right by Sano, who was sitting in one of the salon chairs holding a steak to his eye, he barely even gave him a curt nod, "Sagara."
"Prick."
Aoshi didn't respond to that, his expression didn't even change, "I came to speak to The Wolf of Mibu."
"Him and Karou are in the back 'stocking the pantry'. I swear, that girl needs her pantry stocked every ten minutes."
"Miss Misao?"
The way he said it hit a nerve Sano didn't know he still had, shooting up out of the chair and pulling the steak down to reveal his fresh shiner, "Yeah, you gonna be so familiar with her? I'm Sagara, Kenshin's The Wolf of Mibu, but to you my girlfriend merits a first name basis? I think I'm going to have to take offense to that you son of a bitch."
Aoshi stood stock still, arms crossed over his chest. The man seemed to eye Sano up for a second, but it was impossible to tell exactly what this stoic SOB was really thinking. After a few moments though, he seemed ready to act, either to apologize or take offense. Sano hoped to God he would take offense, there was nothing more he wanted to do right then than break that damned pretty nose of his.
"Shinomori-sama?"
The man turned to Misao, who had stepped through the door, Yahiko right behind her. The kid grinned immensely, "Hey, you're the guy that rescued Kenshin right? Awesome! You could take some lessons from him Sano."
If he had been within reach Yahiko would not have lived to see puberty.
Aoshi nodded, "Miss Misao. You are well." It was a statement, not a question. "The Wolf of Mibu, is he in?"
She blushed in a way that made Sano feel wholly inadequate, "Yeah, he's in the back with Karou. Are you here to see him?"
He nodded and it seemed like Misao's heart was about to drop from her chest. Sano couldn't tell whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, though it made him feel like total crap. That damned Aoshi, can't even return the poor girl's feelings, what the hell kind of asshole… Wait. No no no, he was NOT supposed to be rooting for Aoshi. He was very certain of that much. Damn confusing asshole.
"Yes, I want to talk to him about where he was being held. To see if he could remember any of it."
Sano scoffed, "Oh please, what for? We beat those stupid Juppon-Gatana guys, what's he point?"
"The point is, Sagara, hat they are not the type to forget such things as what has happened to them. I still want to know why they kidnapped The Wolf, and what part it is you have played in it."
"No, you want to know about Battousai."
Every head turned to see Kenshin coming out of the back room, Karou right behind him. Kenshin had a seriousness in his eyes that the man seldom ever showed. It was frightening and cunning, Sano could believe this man had once been the famed Wolf of Mibu who had fought in The Salon Wars. The leader of the Shinsengumi. Aoshi didn't seem the least bit distressed about what the red haired man had said, "That too. There's a lot I want to know about this Juppon-Gatana, and you're the only person that can lead me to them."
Kenshin shook his head, "If you want to know more about them, you'd do better just to wait. Those kinds of men hold long grudges and have a taste for revenge."
Aoshi's eyes shifted slightly, to the small woman standing behind Kenshin, "I'm not worried. They can't hurt me."
Karou then stepped forward, coming around her boyfriend and standing strong on her own. Sano hadn't seen her like that in a long time, she really was getting over all of this. He was proud of her. "Don't you have anything you want to protect? Something you care about?"
"The only thing I need to protect is the honor of the Oniwabanshu, and that they can't take from me through weak revenge."
"What about Megumi?" He faltered at her question, for the first time that Sano had ever seen, Aoshi betrayed the slightest bit of emotion. Shame. "Shouldn't she have been the first thing on your mind? You love her don't you? Isn't that more important than your stupid honor?"
"Leave him alone!" The desperate cry left the entire salon completely silent, everyone's eyes on the source, Misao. Her face was red, and a few tears had already begun to well up in her eyes as her hands clenched into tight balls. "Why are you badgering him Karou? Why do you hate him so much?!"
The other girl looked aghast, took a step back. "No Misao, I…"
"Yes! Yes you did! You're trying to hurt him! You want to make him feel guilty! Of course he loves Megumi! How could you even ask that? It's cruel and terrible!"
"No. I didn't mean it like that. Misao please." She pushed past Aoshi towards Misao, she didn't even see it coming. The other girl's fist rocketed forward and took Karou in the cheek, knocking her back to the floor. Kenshin was there in an instant, taking a protective position at her side, glaring a warning at Misao. Karou didn't seem angry at all, she was shocked, silent and unbelieving. "Misao…"
"No! I hate you! Shut up!"
It was sudden, this emotion that had welled up inside of her, Sano could see it already. Like some writer had left out an important part leading up to her outburst. He wanted to go to her, but had the distinct feeling that if he did then he would receive the same treatment Karou had. And it would be a blow that their relationship would not recover from.
So she left in a hustle, storming out the door in a haste that knocked Yahiko over. No one moved for a few seconds, watching as she turned and ran down the sidewalk, out of view. She'd be heading home, Sano thought. Going back to her family, into the open arms of her mother and father probably. Aoshi was the first to move, giving a curt look to the other occupants of the salon and stepping outside, turning in the same direction Misao had gone.
He didn't even realize he had done anything until he heard Karou scream. Looking to his left he saw the mirror on the wall shattered around his fist, glass embedded in his skin and blood pouring from around his knuckles. It didn't hurt. Strange that, though it would definitely be much worse later. Some of those cuts would need stitches, he could already tell. But Megumi was a doctor right? Maybe he could get her to do it.
"Sano?" Kenshin started to approach, but retreated as the taller man spun on him, "What? Are you going to say this is somehow my fault?"
"No. Calm down, we need to get you to a hospital."
She snarled, "Why the hell should I go? It's not like it really fucking matters. Did you see that? Did you FUCKING see that? She doesn't even care about me anymore! It's just Aoshi this and Aoshi that. Well fuck her! I don't need her, it's not like I was in love with her or anything! Those two can go fuck off with whatever they please, not my damn business!" His hand flexed, the movement of the muscles burying the shards deeper into his skin, "I hope they're happy together! I hope they fucking die in each other's arms." As the first of his tears of anger and sadness fell, he heard the gunshots. Three in rapid succession. Bang. Bang. Bang. They had come from outside. From the direction Misao and Aoshi had gone.
__________
Author's Note: And thus ends us yet another episode of Confessions of a Dangerous Hairstyle. Many questions remain unanswered, but don't they always? There's no room for a rant or preview this time. Just a moment of silence for those who have been lost.
Next Time: A Moment of Silence