Disclaimer: Sometimes less is better. Less words, more vibes….hummmm…mysterious voice I no own Kenshiiiiiiinnnnnn…..I not own Kennnshiiinnnnn……

A Blessing of the Cursed

a rurouni kenshin story

Scroll Six

The wave of humming voices washed over Sanosuke like the warm waters of a fresh bath. Half closing his eyes, he watched the veiled woman in front of him through his thick lashes as he took in a deep breath of air. Sanosuke could detect the smells of dozens of things, each a tribute the existence of life and others. How he had missed this bustle; the occasional yell of venders that overpowered the other noises, the wafting hints of foods, and so many faces. Just pure life.

Megumi simply moved forward like a modest queen, parting the surprisingly thick crowds as she exchanged short greetings with passerby. Her dark veil floated in the air with ethereal grace, supported by the wide straw hat she wore underneath. With her long thick hair done up in a proper bun, the silhouette that the naked eye could barely distinguish was that of a wise regal queen, closing in on her later years. Why she adopted such a disguise was still beyond him. Didn't women want to seem younger?

This seemed to be pure normality for her, however. She almost lazily walked to a small booth that looked to have seen better days, abandoned for quite a while by the looks of it. But the peeling paint and poor condition of the wood hardly seemed to faze Megumi, as she began to smoothly set out numerous jars of different herbs and medicines. She chatted amiably with a grateful sister, who couldn't seem to stop praising Megumi's skill at saving her sister every other sentence.

"I am eternally grateful to you, Megumi-san. I don't what I would have done if my sister had left so early on in her life!" she exclaimed, eyes shining happily. Megumi gently inclined her head in modest acceptance of her thanks. She brushed away dust from the table of the stall as she answered.

"You need not to thank me, I was only too glad to help. It your sister that was strong, I only encouraged the speed of her recovery." Sanosuke tried not to whip his head around and stare at the veiled Megumi. What the hell happened to the acrid remarks and snappy attitude? Not to mention, her voice was deepened to that of a demure elderly woman, her bowed head playing her disguise perfectly.

"By the way, Megumi-san, if I'm so rude in asking, who is this?" the middle-aged woman asked, just noticing the tall gangly man that stood at the medicine woman's side. Megumi turned to him, gliding slowly closer to his side. She gently took his hand between her two and raised her head to look at him. Her actions seemed almost…fond… Sanosuke just looked at where her eyes should be dumbly, keeping his face emotionless, wondering what the hell she was doing. He blatantly ignored the strange tingling of his skin that was left wherever her hands touched.

"This…" she said, turned to the other curious female, "is my beloved---" Sanosuke praised himself for showing no other signs of surprise than the tensing of his hand, which the soft white hands that encased his worn callused one responded with a sharp squeeze.

'I'm of no relation to her!!!' Sanosuke mentally screamed.

"—son. The past three months of my absence, I had been visiting him. The return journey was hard, so my dear Shiro-" Sanosuke balked at the name "-returned with me. He's returning back home in a few days." The other woman laughed, chuckling about what a sweetie "Shiro" was. Megumi looked up at him, and Sanosuke felt cold sweat run down his face. He could almost see the smirk that curved her full lips. She reached up.

And pinched his cheek.

"You're just the sweetest little son a mother can have…" she cooed, hand not leaving his cheek. The other woman, to Sanosuke's extreme horror, joined in, chuckling about how the world needed more sons that respected their mother. After a short while, the other woman finished her squinty-eyed tirade and ended her small visit.

"Make you stop by some time by my restaurant, the Akabeko!" Tae called after her as she slow faded into the crowd. "And eternal thanks to you, Megumi-san, again!" With that, the middle-aged woman left. When Tae turned her back, Sanosuke's large hand firmly clasped around Megumi's slender wrist, detaching her fingers from his numbing cheek.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he hissed from the corner of his mouth, the pair still appearing to passerby as a fond mother and loving son. She was unfazed by his angry inquiry, and deftly withdrew her wrist from his grasp. The fox turned back to the medicine stand, completing a painfully slow sale of a packet of herbs for headaches with a customer before answering.

"Do you realize where you are, Sagara Sanosuke?" she coolly returned, matching question for question. She made his name sound as a title that even the lowliest beggar would rather not bear.

"Why would that matter?" Sanosuke asked, crossing his arms and scowling at the shorter woman. She was hardly intimidated, as was the intended result, and flicked the stray hairs under her veil with haughty grace.

"There is something called loyalty to one's kingdom." She replied. "And if I am not mistaken, Aizu is currently at war, with Kyoto and Tokyo." Sanosuke paused, and then frowned deeply.

"We're not in Aizu."

"Good boy, maybe you're smarter than I first thought." The medicine woman patted his abused cheek as if she were petting a good dog. Sanosuke just growled, turning his gaze away from her.

"You know who I am," he gritted out in a low voice. "Why aren't you turning me in or something?" The young soldier was curious beyond description, despite his less than curious tone.

"If you leave armor out like that, it'll rust." Megumi said flippantly. After a long pause to ensure there were no prying ears, she continued almost reluctantly, as if she were unwilling to reveal such truth to any ear.

"Nobody's rarely what they seem. There is a reason why I happen to make my home near the border between the kingdoms of Aizu and Kyoto." Sanosuke pondered her statement, before finally nodding at her. The samurai had always prided himself with his uncanny ability to read when a person is sincere, so he'll believe her for now without prying further. The fox cocked her head fractionally to the side. She was smiling, shoulders lax without weights.

She returned to her stall, since people were beginning to gather into front of her stand. The medicine woman doled out her medicines with ease. With the low prices that she required, money quickly poured in. As with the love of the people and their laughter.

"Now Suzume-chan," she was saying to the small pigtailed girl in her lap. "Have you been listening to your grandpa?" The little girl nodded, a big smile on her face. Doctor Genzai, the plump old man that was her grandfather chuckled as he picked the herbs and medicines that he wished to purchase for the benefit of his practice. Megumi-san's herbal mixtures were top-notch, pure in content and made with obvious care. Any doctor, like himself, greatly appreciated a good poultice they can trust to work when they bind a wound.

{Note: Doctor Genzai and Megumi occupy different aspects of the doctoring business in my story. Doctor Genzai focuses more on physical injuries and diagnoses that enable him to give specific instructions. Megumi on the other hand, makes different medicines that Genzai can prescribe and she can make specific medicines for people that see her…do I make any sense….?}

"Bye-bye, Megumi-san!" the little pigtailed girl and the old doctor Genzai said as they left. More people followed after, and despite the long line, most of the waiting customers didn't seem irked by their wait.

Sanosuke watched her as she received every person with gentleness and open arms, patiently looking over those struck by sickness. Her concern was genuine, real for every person. No wonder the townspeople loved their medicine woman, Megumi-sama, so much. Her kind of doctor was rare; life was sacred to her. The samurai lifted an eyebrow at that revelation. Whatever kind of black magic she was using, it was for a good reason. Somehow, despite his suspicion of that branch of occupations, Sanosuke felt he could forgive her for it.

Finally, a temporary lull came to the steady flow of customers and Megumi leaned against the side of her stall with a tired sigh. A long silence followed, before she turned her head to study Sanosuke, who never left his position, leaning beside the stall with his arms crossed.

"Why are you still here?" she asked tiredly. It was already nearly mid-afternoon, the pair having spent most of the morning descending the mountain upon which Megumi's temple home resided. Sanosuke shrugged, before adding a small smile as well. A loud grumbling filled the silence to say in place of what Sanosuke didn't. With another small sigh, Megumi reached into her pocket and produced a fair amount of money. She extended it towards the surprised samurai, motioning for him to take it.

"Go buy us something to eat," Megumi commanded, her tired cloak now thrown away from her shoulders. Once again, she was a bossy snooty kistune. Sanosuke grinned and took the money as visions of plump chickens and delicious noodles danced in his head.

"Thanks, Megitsune!" he exclaimed, eyes alit like that of a child in a candy store. The other froze, apparently staring at him.

"Megistune?!" she echoed incredulously. The air seemed to crackle with her fury. Sanosuke just smiled good-heartedly; anyone who would give him so much money was a good good person, despite everything else.

"Lighten up, Kitsune!" the samurai said with a small chuckle. "If you were any stiffer, people might get the impression that you were dipped in starch when you were born!" With a happy wave, Sanosuke jauntily swaggered his way into the crowds, whistling a tune that seemed to swing in beat with the red ends of his bandanna. Megumi watched the strangely clad young man disappear, her perplexed look fortunately hidden by her veil.

"Baka tori-atama…" she murmured with a sniff as she turned to another customer, though the barbs were absent in her low tone.

It was beautiful day, where the bare heat of the sun was brushed away with a cool breeze from the mountains. Everyone that could be outside was outside, milling about the marketplace to chat with friends and shop. By the later hours of the autumn afternoon, most of the spirit kitsune's herbal wares were gone, along with a large accumulating list of specialized ones to be made for later days. Along with a fair amount of money, those who could not pay then by money paid with other things. Megumi had a small sack of rice, enough for perhaps a week. Two fish hung from a string attached to the stall post back by the medicine woman's elbow, away from the dusty ground.

Sanosuke looked forward to those fat juicy fish tonight, and he made his expectations well known with gusto as Megumi gathered her things, ready to close for the day. If they wished to make it home before the dark settled in, the pair needed to leave soon.

"Maybe you can fry 'em, extra oil and some of those weird herbs you have! I'll bet that'll taste good. Or maybe you can make some soup. Those onion lookin' things you have look like what those cooks use, that'll taste—"

Sanosuke managed to catch the string of raw fish moments before his face would have been assaulted with fishy slime. Moments later, Sanosuke discovered said slime was called slime for a reason. He cursed extensively under his breath as he fumbled to keep a hold on the slippery fish, his awkward dance greatly appreciated by passerby. When he managed to keep a firm hold on the fish, he grinned sheepishly at the crowd, eyebrow twitching at the whispers of what sweet and wonderful son "Shiro" was.

"Here, Shiro-chan," Megumi said as she also dumped the sack of grain and what remained of her wares into his arms. "Take this for kaa-chan." Sanosuke struggled to keep a straight face as he heard someone whisper, "Awww…he calls her kaa-chan…"

(-chan is a very cute honorific, as opposed to –san, which is more respectful)

"Kitsune…" he fumed.

"That's tonight's dinner, Shiroi-chan," Megumi purred sweetly. "I'll make sure to make something absolutely delicious for your help in carrying everything…" The young samurai stared at for a few seconds, before closing his eyes and shaking his head in exasperation in an attempt to hide the strange colors that burst in front of his eyes.

"I think that's everything," Megumi declared as she glanced at the once again empty stall. She lightly brushed the bits of trash under the stall to one corner with her foot, where it will be picked up by the street-cleaners the following morning. She looked around to check for any straggling customers that may need her aid, upon seeing none, she turned to Sanosuke.

"I think we can go back home now," she said with an unseen smile. Sanosuke just grumbled at her, dark eyes flashing with ire. He had realized just exactly what a load she had dumped into his arms, and he wasn't looking forward to carrying it all the way back the temple. Sanosuke opened his mouth to complain.

"I'm not some sort of slave!" he groused irritably. "Why can't you…" His voice died with surprise, eyes widening as they focused over Megumi's shoulder while his mouth remained partially open. Megumi whipped around to where his eyes gazed. The tall man in front of the stall simply nodded at them, face emotionless as he watched the medicine woman and the disguised Aizu samurai.

"Do you need something sir?" Megumi asked kindly, pretending to ignore Sanosuke's reaction. The said young man quickly removed his stare and replaced it with a mask similar to that of the tall man in front of them. His long raven bangs did little to hide the graceful angles of his sharp face, icy blue eyes studying them with shielded intensity.

"Yes," he said, his low voice softly piercing. "I am in need of herbs that can calm one to an easy sleep." Megumi nodded and briskly grabbed her bag of wares from Sanosuke's arms. She searched around loudly in it, fumbling with unusual awkwardness.

"Oh my," she finally intoned as she withdrew one jar. "It seems we have run out of water to brew your herbal tea…I shall have to borrow. And Shiro-chan, do make sure the kind sir is comfortable during the wait!" With that, Megumi quickly trotted away to a faraway stall. Sanosuke rolled his eyes with exaggeration of an unwilling child and sat in her place, depositing his armful to the side. The other man raised an eyebrow, cool blue eyes clearly amused.

"Shiro-chan?" he asked. Sanosuke growled.

"Don't ask, Ge-" the lanky samurai cut off his sentence upon the minute movement of his commanding general's head, a scarce inch to either side.

"Kuromori Genji," Aoshi Shinomori introduced himself. "A pleasure to properly meet the renowned Takani-san's son. I never did inform you of my last name the last time we ran into each other." He bowed elegantly. Sanosuke returned the favor.

"Takani Shirosuke," he replied, for the lack of a different family name. After a few counted seconds, he continued to add, "You have the looks of a traveler."

"Yes, I travel much. The mountains of Kyoto are treacherous, but rewarding. However, I intend to remain in this town for a while more to rest and restock my supplies before I continue." Sanosuke nodded, digesting the meanings veiled beneath the small talk. If he guessed right, General Shinomori was telling him to stay put for the time being, to try to gather information and prepare for a return to the army in the future.

"Ah. Doesn't the road get lonely at times, by yourself and no companion?" Sanosuke knew there was a slim chance that Aoshi could possibly know of any news of Jou-chan, but he had to try.

"Yes, it does. However, I have yet to find someone that could keep up with the pace I like to set." Sanosuke kept his disappointment well hidden.

"A pity. No traveler should be without a proper traveling companion." No sign of Kaoru. It was already nothing short of miracle that the General and himself were in the same town, both still in one piece. Last Sanosuke had remembered from that horribly embarrassing battle, the three remaining soldiers had split in three different directions. No one else had survived, the entire troop wiped out by a surprise attack that contained undefeatable odds.

"You boys got to know each other?" came Megumi's coy voice, breaking the silence that had settled over the two. Aoshi nodded again at the medicine woman, his silent thanks understood by the other. She handed him a small pot of steaming liquid.

"This should suffice for a few days. But if you run out, I'll be here every now and then, and I'll resupply you," she instructed like any other patient.

"Thank you, Takani-san. Sayonara and a good day, the both of you." 'Genji' bid farewell to 'Shiro' and his 'mother', and turned to leave. His trench coat fluttered the wind, moving as if it had life of its own as the tall traveler faded with the distance, the waning crowd of colors swirling around his figure.

"We need to go, Rooster head," Megumi said quietly. She wisely did not pry into the conversation held during her absence. Sanosuke growled again, but did dutifully pick up the previously discarded load. They exited the town, soon upon the lonely mountain road that lead to the temple.

"If you still want that fish for dinner we'll need firewood to be chopped when we get home." It felt strangely right to Sanosuke for her to refer to that dilapidated shack of a temple home, and it bothered him. Now safely out of the town's earshot, Sanosuke allowed himself to drop the role of the dutiful son and release his irritation.

"Quite bossing me around, Fox. You're not the one carrying everything!"

"You want me to carry it? Whatever to the whole big strong man thing you had going yesterday? Or are you too weak? Fine, give me everything, and you can go whine about something else!"

"Hardly that I can't carry it, it's just your nagging voice that's annoying!"

"Oh-ho! If you were truly strong, then you wouldn't be annoyed by such things!"

And so, the pair returned to the temple, along a path shielded by trees.

scroll six end

ShiroiMatsu: Sorry for a slow update. But now that it's summer, I'm looking forward to becoming a speed demon…(yeah right…). Review and tell me about any ideas you think can fit in this story, I'm open! As for the story itself, I'm trying to keep this think under 10 chapters, keeping the plot simpler and focusing more on Sano's and Megumi's relationship and their characters. But then I never was the character mushy gushy type to pycho-analyse everything. Sigh, I'm trying.