Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin & Co; they belong to Watsuki-sensei and his pals. However, I sure do like playing with them!

White Rose, Black Rose

By Amberle-chan

Chapter Three

Later that morning Megumi went to check on Aoshi and to change his bandages. He did not say anything as she gently removed the old ones and replaced them with fresh ones after inspecting the wound in his abdomen, yet she could tell that he was still in pain by the way his eyes occasionally glazed over. There was a knock at the door as she replaced the last bandage, and a moment later, Misao stuck her head into the room.

"May Okina and I come in, Megumi-san?" the young woman asked.

Megumi looked down at her patient, who nodded, indicating that he was willing to see visitors. "Of course, Misao-chan," she said, smiling.

Misao entered the room more sedately than she would have entered other rooms, obviously in deference to Aoshi's condition. Okina followed her a moment later. He bowed slightly to Megumi.

"How is Aoshi doing today, Takani-san?" Okina asked.

Megumi began to reply, but was interrupted by Aoshi's sharp rasp, "You could ask me yourself, old man."

Okina smiled. "He's going to be just fine," he commented dryly.

Misao went to stand by Aoshi's bedside. "Are you in a lot of pain, Aoshi- sama?"

"No, I am fine, Misao," Aoshi replied, his eyes trying to reassure the young woman whom he had helped raise from childhood.

"Liar."

Misao whipped around to face Megumi, her wide eyes startled. Megumi frowned down at her patient, her arms folded across her chest. Aoshi narrowed his eyes at her in reply. "Your 'Aoshi-sama' is in a great deal of pain, Misao- chan, but he's too stubborn an idiot to admit it," she said flatly. "Given my past experience with him, I am not surprised." She walked over to the door. "I'll leave the three of you alone while I go to find something to relieve the pain he claims he's not in."

Aoshi showed continued improvement over the next two days, and as she promised, Megumi allowed him to get up and walk the hospital corridor on the third day. She accompanied him as he slowly made his way along the corridor.

"I have not seen Inoue-sensei at all in the last two days, Megumi-san," Aoshi said after several minutes of silence as they walked.

"He's probably very busy with other patients, and since you're the only patient I have at this hospital for now, it only makes sense that I take care of you myself," she explained. "I'm also pretty sure that his father keeps him hopping."

Aoshi glanced at her, one eyebrow arched. "I'm the only patient you have for now?" he asked.

Megumi sighed. She had not meant to reveal her decision to stay in Kyoto to any of her friends just yet. "I've been offered a position on the hospital staff," she said after a moment's silence. "It's a wonderful opportunity I cannot ignore. I've decided to take it."

"And you do not want to tell the others yet?" he inquired. "Why?"

Megumi frowned as she answered. "There's just too much going on right now. Between you and Misao and Soujiro's upcoming yui-no, my good news can wait. I don't want to take any focus off them."

They turned and walked back down the hallway to Aoshi's room in silence. Aoshi stood in his doorway and looked down at her. Once again, as she gazed back up at him, she could not tell what he was feeling behind those cool eyes. "Congratulations on your new position, Megumi-san," he told her solemnly. "I will not tell anyone else until you tell the others."

"Thank you, Aoshi-san," she replied. "I'll come back later to check on you again."

A week later, Aoshi was well enough to return to the Aoiya. Misao and Soujiro came with the carriage to take him back home. He still had some pain if he moved or twisted about too quickly, but it was lessening. He turned to Megumi before he climbed into the carriage and bowed slightly.

"I want to thank you for your help, Takani-sensei," he said formally. "I am deeply grateful."

She bowed back in acknowledgment. "You are welcome, Shinomori-san. I was happy that I was able to help, and that you are well." She began to turn away when he spoke again. "Are you not returning to the Aoiya with us?"

"No," she answered. "There are some things I must attend to here. I'll be back this later this afternoon."

Aoshi nodded and climbed into the carriage, and with a jaunty wave from Misao, it moved down the street.

Benjiro Inoue approached her as she re-entered the hospital. "I thought you would be going back with Shinomori-san," the young doctor said.

"No, not yet," Megumi replied. "I'll go back later. I wanted to speak with your father first."

"Have you decided to take the position, then, Takani-sensei?" he asked.

"Yes, I have."

"I'll take you to my father's office," he offered.

A half-hour later, Hideo Inoue stood up from his chair and bowed to her. "Excellent, Takani-sensei. I'm so glad that you decided to become part of our staff. I sometimes think that our male doctors can be too harsh with their patients. When they see that a gentler approach is better, as is usual with women doctors, perhaps they will learn something."

"I hope that I am able to teach them more than that, Inoue-san," Megumi said.

"After what my son told me about your work, I'm sure you will." He clapped his hands together. "Now there is only the logistics to work out. Moving your things from Tokyo, finding a place to live here, and such."

"I'm sure that my friends here in Kyoto can help with that," she informed him. "It should not be too much of a problem."

"Good, then. You can start officially by the beginning of next week, then?"

"Hai." And with that one word of acceptance, Megumi finally knew she was ready to put the painful memories of Aizu behind her.

Misao's and Soujiro's yui-no took place three days later in the Aoiya's gardens. Omasu, Okun, and Kaoru spent the day before weeding and making sure that each flower was perfect while Kenshin, Kuro, and Shiro brought out low tables and benches, arranging them around the garden beneath the trees. Yahiko was enlisted as an errand boy, and spent the day running back and forth between the Aoiya and Kyoto's market district. Megumi remained inside the house, looking after Kenji when Kaoru needed help and helping to prepare some special dishes for the party. She also wanted to stay close to Aoshi just in case he needed her medical expertise. Surprisingly, he listened to her advice and rested. He seemed to content to sit on the porch and watch the activity quietly or just meditate in his room.

Megumi wanted to check on Aoshi before retiring to her own room that night, but instead of finding him in his room, she found him sitting on the porch, staring at the fireflies that were dancing among the flowers. She sat down next to him in companionable silence for several moments before she spoke.

"This is quite a change for you, isn't it, Aoshi-san?" she asked quietly.

He did not reply for several seconds and then nodded. "Hai, it is," he answered, "but I'm very happy for Misao. Soujiro is very good to her."

"Is it hard?"

He tilted his head downward so that his long black bangs hid his eyes. "In some ways. Misao has become a woman, and now I must let go of the child I helped raise."

"But you'll always be her Aoshi-sama."

She saw a small smile play across his face. "Yes, I know, but it's so much better this way now. I would never have been able to love her the way she once wanted me to." He turned to her, his blues eyes considering her carefully. "You have your own changes to deal with, Megumi-san."

"Yes, but I'm ready to make them," she said. "Things were not working out in Aizu as I had hoped. I can start over here. It's all due to you." One black eyebrow arched upward. "If you had never gotten shot, I would never have been offered a position at the hospital."

He stood up and looked down at her, an expression of amusement flitting across his face. "I am happy to be of service, Megumi-san," he replied, no trace of sarcasm in his voice. "Good night."

"Good night, Aoshi-san."

As dusk descended the next day, many friends gathered together in the Aoiya's gardens to witness the yui-no of Misao and Soujiro. It was a simple and beautiful ceremony, and after they exchanged their gifts, the celebration lasted long into the night. Aoshi maintained his usual quiet, calm attitude throughout the evening, barely speaking at all, except for a toast, giving the couple his blessing. After he took his one sip of sake in honor of the toast, he wished everyone a good night and retired for the night.

Megumi, even though she was slightly tipsy, watched him leave the party with anxious eyes. He seemed to have recovered a great deal from his wound, yet to her, he had been a bit more quiet than usual. It could have been that he was tired, but after their conversation of the night before, she thought she sensed an underlying sadness in his demeanor.

As the party wound down, she excused herself and went back into main house. She had intended to go straight back to her room, but found herself standing outside of Aoshi's doorway. Telling herself that she was only checking on him as his doctor, she slid the door open a crack.

Aoshi was deeply asleep, his breathing deep and even, his face turned partially to the open window. A drop of moonlight spilled into the room, letting her see his features clearly. She had watched him sleep many times in the hospital, yet on this night, his face was more relaxed than she had ever seen it, his facial features even more handsome. As she stood there, watching his chest rise deeply with each breath, she remembered something her mother had once said, "A person's true face can only be seen in sleep, Meg-chan. If you truly want to know how good a person's heart is, watch them sleep." As Megumi stood there in the doorway, she knew that, despite his past and his brief sojourn into a madness caused by intense grief, she was looking at a good man. She slid the door closed.

Aoshi did not open his eyes until Megumi's soft footfalls retreated down the hallway. He had felt her there, even before she had opened the door. He stared at the closed door, wondering what she had seen.

Kaoru and Kenshin were the only ones in the kitchen when she came down to breakfast the next morning. It seemed that everyone else had decided to sleep just a little later than usual. Kenji was sitting in Kaoru's lap as Kenshin fed his son some rice. She smiled at her friends as she sat down and poured herself some tea. Yahiko arrived a minute later, yawning mightily.

"Mornin'," the young teenager drawled as he plopped down next to Kenshin. Placing his elbow on the table, he leaned his head on his hand and yawned again. "That was some party last night."

"Do you need a headache remedy, Yahiko?" Megumi asked sweetly.

He smirked at her. "No, I don't need a headache remedy, Megumi," he replied sarcastically.

Megumi chuckled as she sipped her tea. She had seen how much sake the boy had drunk the night before. She had no doubt his head was pounding. She'd give him something for it later when he didn't have to admit he was hurting in front of others.

"Make sure that you pack your things today, Yahiko," Kaoru instructed her apprentice. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning and you won't have time to do it then."

"Oh, give it a rest, busu," Yahiko growled. "Can I at least have breakfast first?"

"Yahiko," Kenshin said in a slight warning tone, trying to stop a fight before it began.

Megumi smiled and knew that it was time to reveal her good news to her friends. She would miss this, the bantering and the teasing that was laced underneath with love, but she also recognized that it was time she moved on with her life.

"I'm not going back to Tokyo," she announced as she put down her tea cup.

"What?" Yahiko and Kaoru cried together, and Kenshin's face became confused as he muttered, "Oro?"

"I've been offered a teaching position at Kyoto Hospital," Megumi informed them. "I've decided to take it."

Kaoru dropped Kenji into Kenshin's lap and ran around the table to give her a hug. "That's wonderful, Megumi!"

"Congratulations, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said with a smile.

"Way to go, Megumi!" Yahiko exclaimed. "Are you going to stay here at the Aoiya?"

"Only until I can find a small house here in Kyoto to rent, Yahiko," she replied. "I don't want to overstay my welcome here."

"You will always be welcome here, Megumi-san," a voice said quietly behind them. They all turned around to see Aoshi leaning against the kitchen doorway.

Megumi almost blushed at the sincerity she heard in his voice. "Thank you, Aoshi-san," she replied, bowing her head in acknowledgment. "However, I really should be closer to the hospital."

"I may be able to help you with that," Aoshi stated. "A business associate of mine has a house to rent that is not far from the hospital. I've already spoken to him. If the house meets with your approval, you can have it."

"Aoshi-san...," Megumi began to say, her face a mixture of bewilderment and gratefulness.

"You sound as if you knew Megumi-dono was planning to stay here in Kyoto already, Aoshi-san," Kenshin commented.

"I wanted to keep it a secret until after the yui-no, but I accidentally let the news slip to Aoshi-san when he was in the hospital," Megumi explained.

"I vowed to keep her secret," Aoshi's voice was solemn as he spoke, but when Megumi she looked up, she couldn't help noticing the warmth in his eyes. "Even though she had every right to share her good news sooner than she did."

The blush Megumi had been attempting to subdue lightly tinged her cheeks. She let her head fall so that her hair would hide her face. She stood up suddenly, walked over to one of the cupboards, and flung open the door. "Isn't anyone hungry?" she asked, trying to hide her sudden disturbed emotions. "I'll make breakfast."

As she began to pull out various items out of the cupboard, she never noticed the steady gaze of Aoshi's eyes upon her nor the considering glances Kenshin gave them both.

The next morning was very busy as everyone on the Aoiya staff awoke early to wish the Himuras and Yahiko goodbye. Both Megumi and Aoshi accompanied them to the train station.

"We're going to miss you so much!" Kaoru exclaimed as she gave Megumi a farewell hug. "But we'll visit each other soon, I know."

"Don't worry about your things, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said, as Megumi turned to tickle Kenji, who was in his father's arms. "We'll send them as soon as you're settled."

"Thank you, Ken-san," Megumi replied, smiling. "I'm going to miss you all." She turned to Yahiko, who was standing next to Kenshin, and giving into one of her teasing impulses, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. When she stepped back, Yahiko's face was very red. "Bye, Megumi," he muttered.

While she was occupied with Yahiko, Kenshin handed Kenji to Kaoru and bowed to Aoshi. "I know you will take care of Megumi-dono, Aoshi-san," Kenshin said quietly as he straightened.

Aoshi's face was solemn as he bowed in return. "Of course, Himura-san."

Minutes later, the train back to Tokyo was gone and Megumi was on her way back to the Aoiya with Aoshi. She knew she should have felt more saddened by her friends' departure, but she hardly felt depressed at all. She was eager to discover the possibilities of Kyoto.