I Disclaim everything that is related to RK. The characters are used for creative and entertainment purposes--except for the Shadow Warriors, for they are mine. Hehehehe Babble, babble, babble..

Chapter Three:
The 'Barging In' Story

"How is she?"

Sanosuke quietly slipped inside the room where Megumi slept. Ayame sat beside the futon, together with Suzume. Both children grew up into healthy young ladies, although Suzume can be quite considered as a child still.

They are in Kaoru's house.

"She's sleeping. She woke up earlier--a little dazed, though--and we gave her some laudanum for the pain," Ayame replied as she squeezed a small towel from a nearby basin and placed it neatly on the doctor's forehead to fight the oncoming fever.

He didn't move from his place. He remained standing and surveyed the room. The windows are closed, and the paper screens gave ample light to the room. They used Kaoru's room to settle Megumi in temporarily. Actually, Sano was thinking to let her stay here until Takeda is caught. It will be much safer too, since he and Yahiko are also staying here and they will be able to protect her. The adventurer moved out of his low-cost renting abode years ago before he went to China, and now--with no place to stay--Yahiko suggested to use one of the spare rooms.

He watched Megumi and her labored breathing, spotting a few streaks of sweat on her cheek going down to the side of her face. Suzume and Ayame looked on, stillness and worry enveloping the whole room.

Finally, Suzume spoke, destroying the foreboding silence. "Who...who did this to her?"

It was meant for Ayame, but it was Sano who replied. "He was a bad man." And he's going to pay, he added mentally. He slipped his fingers into the shoji's cracks and slid them open. He made his exit quietly.

It wasn't the welcome he expected. Hell, it was lot worse than he expected. That ignorance he received in Akabeko is nothing compared to the possibility that somebody might die today. The clinic closed down earlier than usual, and probably will be closed until the extensive damage of the clinic could be repaired. The cannonball went through the other side of the house, but it didn't produce any more casualties. It just states that it was really Megumi they were after.

But why her alone? If it weren't for their meddling too, Takeda wouldn't be in jail. Sano walked along the all-familiar corridor that led to the outside, where Yahiko, Tsubame and Tae are sitting out in the front porch. Actually, Sano had now an inkling that made it obvious why he wanted Megumi dead. After all, she supplied him with opium, and she ran away, dragging them in the process. If she didn't run away that led to Takeda's downfall, he wouldn't be this vengeful.

It wasn't her fault. It was Takeda's fault. He knew for a long time that it wasn't Megumi's fault, because she was dragged and blackmailed to produce that stuff.

"How is she?" Yahiko asked upon seeing him approach. All three of them--Tae and Tsubame--are drinking tea. It seems the Akabeko girls brought something edible with them.

"She's fine. A slight fever, but she's fine," he replied, then sat down beside him and leaned on the post beside him.

"We brought her some soup," Tae said. "Tsubame made it."

"Really?" Sano asked. "She can cook?"

"Yes, I can cook," Tsubame replied, a bit torn. But understanding that he wasn't here in Kyoto for a long time to know that she learned how to cook, she explained, "Tae taught me how to. Though I don't understand exactly why she said that it has something to do with getting a boyfriend."

Yahiko choked his tea out. Tae supressed a giggle. Sano laughed. And still, Tsubame didn't get it.

"See, you knew," Tsubame announced bitterly.

Speaking of which, Sano remembered a certain teasing he promised to himself he'll do to Yahiko. "And someday you will--unless someone here doesn't be such a prickhead and make a move already."

"Why you--" Yahiko got up, ready to tackle him.

Well, he guessed right. Yahiko didn't make a move at all when he was away.

"Speaking of boyfriend, Tsubame," Sano said, completely ignoring Yahiko. "Why haven't you got a boyfriend yet? You're pretty. It will be easy for you."

"Pretty?" Tsubame blushed. "Me?"

"There were a couple of boys who took a liking of her and she didn't even noticed," Tae said aloud, remembering.

"I bet someone got jealous."

Yahiko have his arm round Sano's neck in seconds, trying to strangle him. Sano is blushing for air, while Yahiko is blushing in embarrassment.

And in minutes, Yahiko backed out, wiping his arms on the side of his trousers. "Sano, you should take a bath."

It took a while before Sano realized that it wasn't a joke. "I already took a bath!" he bellowed.

"And you should shave," Tae added. "You look like a hermit."

Everyone looked at him in quiet disgust. They were polite not to berate him further about it, so the three stared meaningfully at Sanosuke instead. Yahiko backed away a little and slumped back on his seat.

"I took a bath yesterday," he replied in defense. "I remember there was a festival in a nearby town and I took a bath to be in the festivities."

"Oh, you mean that Flower Festival?" Tsubame asked. "I was there. Three days ago."

"No, it was--" Yesterday? Now that he thought about it, he had a little problem with dates and he had been screwing the days for sometime now. He had a few mistakes back then, but he was able to go around it.

By the serious looks he's getting, there is no way to go around this one.

Crap.

It wasn't long before Ayame and Yahiko prepared a bath for him. "I'll take care of your clothes," Ayame said, "you can place it in the bin outside the bathroom."

He went inside and started taking his clothes off. He placed the dirty garments on the wooden bin outside. He sank into the warm water and sighed heavily. He felt like home again, and he can relax. Smoke floated around him and he sink down further. His muscles eased. His eyes drooped.

There was a glint on the stool in the room. Sano saw the knife Yahiko provided to shave his beard. He chuckled. He wasn't welcomed properly, Megumi got almost killed, and they had the nerve to insult him. Well, okay, most of it are true, and they're family.

He laughed. Hard.

Outside, Ayame and Yahiko exchanged baffled looks at Sano's sudden laughter.

"Do you think we placed too much wood in the fire?" Ayame asked.

"I don't think so. He's laughing. He must be yelping in pain if the water's too hot for him," Yahiko explained and continued to meddle with the firewood in the hearth.

Megumi's eyes fluttered open. Where am I? She stared at the familiar ceiling before she realized where she is.

Kaoru's house.

She sat up and felt a sharp pain on her left arm. She was wearing Kaoru's bedclothes; she pulled the sleeve up and saw bandages wrapped around from shoulder to elbow. Damp cloth fell from her forehead and onto the futon. She noticed her own fever and Suzume is leaning on the wall nearby, sleeping.

It took a while before the events earlier came back to her. She remembered Sanosuke's surprise return, greeting her with that insane chatter. Then Yahiko came bursting in, just in time when she hurled a medical instrument--which turned out to be a scalpel--a few centimeters between the teenager and the adventurer's faces.

There was a loud blast and she blacked out.

What in the world happened to me? She stood up and felt herself almost fall off. This is probably the effect of the laudanum she had earlier. She regained her balance after leaning on the wall for a minute, then resumed walking towards the door.

"Megumi-san!"

Suzume woke up and ran to her side. "You should be in bed!"

"I'm all right now, Suzume," she replied. "What happened anyway?"

Suzume helped Megumi back to her futon as she explained all she know. She said that the blast was fired from a cannon and she was hurt in the process. "We don't know who did it to you. Sanosuke-san seem to who it is, though..."

Of course! Takada Kanryuu! That realization sends chills to her body. "Do you want some soup, Megumi? Tae-san and Tsubame brought some earlier." Suzume said, then headed to the door without waiting for her reply.

Megumi checked her wound and found that it started to bleed. "And could you get me some bandages and--"

The shoji slid shut.

"--Water?"

I can get my own basin of water, she said to herself, feeling that familiar independence again. She doesn't feel lightheaded anymore, and she could use some walk to clear up some things in her confused head.

She stood up, wrapped a jacket around her shoulders and went out.
The cold wind slapped against her clothes gently as she made the walk to the nearest source of water-the bathroom. And sure enough, the sky is getting that Indigo color announcing that dusk has come at last. The day that Kanryuu would make his attack on her had come at last, and felt a mixture of anger, worry, and a bit lost.

But she has to find a way to keep Kanryuu from hurting anyone else. Megumi had a feeling that she was the only one who got hurt, and she felt glad about that. At least it was her, not Yahiko, Ayame, or Sano. It is going to be her fight.

Now, all she has to do is to make a plan.

She rounded a corridor, never noticing that Yahiko and Ayame were by the hearth, making sure that Sano's bath is warm enough. All of them have their backs to each other. And Megumi doesn't know that Sanosuke Segara had the bathroom occupied.

The bin where Sano's clothes are supposed to be is empty. Ayame took the clothes away at once and burned it in the hearth. So there was no indication that the bathroom isn't vacant. She started to feel a little lightheaded too, and thought that the thin smoke emitting from the cracks of the door is just a haze of her vision.

Sano rose from the bath and decided to clean up his face from the hair. His eyes widen when he saw himself in the mirror: all that tangle mess of hair in his face and head, it's a wonder how can his old fading red bandana can hold that much hair. He does look like a hermit. He took the knife, and started shaving.

Only a few strands are poking from his chin when he finished, deciding that he look human and hygienic enough to have Ayame cut his hair short after his bath. At least have her approach him is enough.

There was somebody at the door. "Ayame! Don't burn my clothes, will ya?" He yelled, but it was too late.

The door slid open and he was staring at Megumi's shocked face.

Then he remembered that he's naked.

Crap.

Authoress' notes:

The Authoress walked along the path without any worries at all. After all, her story is going well like she planned it. Then again, she felt her hair pricked on her neck. She turned around and saw the grim stares of her readers.

"What?!" With a tone of innocence in her voice. "As if you didn't enjoyed reading it..."

I am an EVIL author. I know that already.

Anyway, I'm planning to put back some characters. One of them is Sano's reporter friend, who's also a member of the Segara Troop force. I think his name is Katsu. I need more research on characters names...I also have other characters in mind, but since I ain't as sure as Katsu, so no use revealing them here.

Reviews are, as always, grateful. Feedback is also welcome. Thank you.

Ushuaia