Chapter 12 – Megumi's Discovery
Kenshin swung the arm that had feeling back into it as he mindlessly walked the streets. At least that's what he wanted it to look like what he was doing. Ever since he had gotten off the ship he had felt two different people following him. No doubt sent by Suiso. Kenshin was trying to decide if it would be safe to lose them when he saw a familiar face walking toward him. Kenshin panicked and ducked behind a wall of a building and leaned against it trying to look bored.
Megumi saw the flash of red. Could it be? Who else had red hair like that? She quickened her pace to get to the building Kenshin had disappeared behind.
Kenshin could pick out her footsteps from the crowd. She was getting closer, she had seen him. She was just to the corner of the building when Kenshin gave a shout. "Stop." He said quietly and demanding. Megumi stopped surprised by the force in his normal soft spoken voice. "Pretend you're shopping at the shop in front of you." Kenshin instructed quietly. Megumi did as she was told trying to figure out what was going on.
She picked up a little toy that was at the table then set it back down looking bored. She had always been good at hiding her true feelings. "What's going on?"
"Shh. I'm being followed and they can't know that I know you."
Megumi's heart pounded but she kept the bored expression on her face, never faltering. "Being followed?" She said flicking back her hair.
Kenshin nodded his head then yelled at himself. "She can't see you baka!" Kenshin rolled his eyes at himself. "Yes. How's Unmei?" He said knowing that would be the only reason Megumi would be here. Kenshin gave a fake yawn and stretched.
"He'll be okay as long as he doesn't move too much. He lost a lot of blood. Wait..." She said as she realized what she was saying her bored expression replaced with shock. "How do you know Unmei?"
"I can't, not now. Just tell Maki to get Taku and herself somewhere safe." Kenshin looked from side to side. "I have to go now. Wait awhile after I go to leave." Kenshin stepped out from his hiding place and passed Megumi like they had never met before. Megumi watched him go from the corner of her eye. Something had happened. His clothes were ripped and splattered with blood she could tell was his own. His head was wrapped in a white wrapping with blood showing that had seeped through and his Sakabato was missing from his side. She watched him turn a corner disappearing from her view. Shortly after, two big men that look like sailors took the same turn as Kenshin did. "What's going on?!" Megumi yelled out loud running back to Unmei's house now certain that blood stain sword was Kenshin's Sakabato.
Megumi barged so unexpectedly into the house it startled Maki. "Megumi! Did you get all the herbs you needed?" Megumi ran past the startled woman and went to the room where she had thought she had seen that sword. She found it leaning on the wall and looked it over carefully. It was Kenshin's Sakabato. "Megumi?" Maki asked confused.
Megumi twirled around. "Tell me. Tell me why! Why do you have Kenshin's Sakabato and why it's covered in blood?!"
Maki's eyes widened. "You know Kenshin?" Megumi stared at Maki. "Then you had better sit down."
Kenshin looked under a bush and sighed. "It's not here either." He mumbled as he stood up. He had been looking for his Sakabato for almost an hour now and there was still no sign of it. "It's got to be around here somewhere." Kenshin thought as he continued his search. He wanted to find it quickly because the men who had been following earlier had left and he was very worried that they had gone after Megumi.
"... that's what happened." Maki finished leaving Megumi speechless. Megumi still held the Sakabato and couldn't believe what had happened. "We don't know what happened to Senko, Kenshin, or Kaoru." Maki added.
"Kenshin!" Megumi shouted. "I saw Kenshin."
"You saw Kenshin?" Unmei's father said as he entered the room.
"He said that Maki and Taku have to find someplace safe quickly!" Megumi said remembering the conversation she had with Kenshin.
Maki shook her head. "I won't leave Unmei! Not when he's like this!"
"We could move Unmei to where you are." The father suggested.
"No." Megumi said shaking her head. "If you move him any more than he could die." Maki's lip quivered at the thought of losing her beloved. "I know somewhere you can stay. There are plenty of people there to keep you safe." Megumi said thinking of everyone back in Tokyo.
Maki rose to her feet. "I don't care what happens! I will not leave Unmei! I wouldn't leave Unmei even if Suiso stood over me threatening my life!"
"But how would Unmei feel if he found out that you got hurt just to be by his side." A voice came from the front of the house.
The three looked to each other and jumped to their feet. "Kenshin!" They all echoed as the red head entered the room with a comforting grin on his face. He had given up his search for his weapon to check on Megumi.
Megumi rose to her feet still holding Kenshin's Sakabato in her hands. Kenshin looked at it. "MY SAKABATO!" He cried at seeing it covered in blood. Megumi was a little shocked at the Rurouni's sudden outburst but slowly handed it to Kenshin. Kenshin took it from her and stared blankly at it. "What happened to it?!" He felt like crying.
"You mean you didn't know it was... well like that." Unmei's father said confused.
Kenshin gave him an annoyed stare. "I think I would remember something like this." Kenshin looked back down at his sword. "Where did you find it?" Maki tried her best to explain exactly where and when Senko, Kaoru, and Unmei had found it and Kenshin nodded slowly as she spoke. "So it was in about the same spot where I dropped it and the only person around then was..." Kenshin paused a moment annoyed "Suiso." Now that Kenshin thought about it that night Suiso had attacked him he had come back with a cut on his hand. "I think this is Suiso's blood."
"But why would he do that?" Maki asked.
Kenshin shrugged. Suiso was one mind he had trouble guessing. "Maki you and Taku must leave here as soon as possible. Suiso is after Taku."
Maki's mouth dropped. "Why?"
"Suiso said if I don't bring Taku back with me he will kill Senko or Kaoru." Kenshin told her.
"So that's why you're here alone! Suiso just let you go." The man said with a slow shake of his head.
Kenshin sighed he still hadn't figured out a way to get Kaoru and Senko back. "Are you alright Kenshin?" Megumi asked. Kenshin nodded and Megumi frowned at him. "Sit down and let me look at you!" She said forcefully.
"Yes Ma'm!" Kenshin said quickly sitting down. Megumi pulled up a stool next to him and undid the bandage on his head. Whoever dressed it did a fairly good job, for an amateur.
"I'm going to get my medicine. Maki I think you should start getting ready to leave." Maki nodded and left the room. Megumi left and came back and dressed Kenshin's injuries. "You need to heal Kenshin." She lectured him as she worked. "You can't keep going from battle to battle before your old wounds have a chance to heal." Kenshin opened his mouth as to say something but Megumi was the first to speak. "I'll let it slide this time because you didn't really have a choice, but please, PLEASE try to take it a little easy." She said as she finished.
"That I will." Kenshin said as he stood and thanked her. Right now he just wanted to wash the blood off his Sakabato. Kenshin was scrubbing it and was quite angry at Suiso when he heard a shriek coming from inside the house. He ran inside his Sakabato leaving a trail of water behind him and found Maki in tears. "What's wrong?"
Maki took a couple of breaths before she could speak. "I can't find Taku! This was on his bed." Maki handed Kenshin a dark blue Haori. The house fell quiet except for the sound of water dripping from the Sakabato.
Kenshin swung the arm that had feeling back into it as he mindlessly walked the streets. At least that's what he wanted it to look like what he was doing. Ever since he had gotten off the ship he had felt two different people following him. No doubt sent by Suiso. Kenshin was trying to decide if it would be safe to lose them when he saw a familiar face walking toward him. Kenshin panicked and ducked behind a wall of a building and leaned against it trying to look bored.
Megumi saw the flash of red. Could it be? Who else had red hair like that? She quickened her pace to get to the building Kenshin had disappeared behind.
Kenshin could pick out her footsteps from the crowd. She was getting closer, she had seen him. She was just to the corner of the building when Kenshin gave a shout. "Stop." He said quietly and demanding. Megumi stopped surprised by the force in his normal soft spoken voice. "Pretend you're shopping at the shop in front of you." Kenshin instructed quietly. Megumi did as she was told trying to figure out what was going on.
She picked up a little toy that was at the table then set it back down looking bored. She had always been good at hiding her true feelings. "What's going on?"
"Shh. I'm being followed and they can't know that I know you."
Megumi's heart pounded but she kept the bored expression on her face, never faltering. "Being followed?" She said flicking back her hair.
Kenshin nodded his head then yelled at himself. "She can't see you baka!" Kenshin rolled his eyes at himself. "Yes. How's Unmei?" He said knowing that would be the only reason Megumi would be here. Kenshin gave a fake yawn and stretched.
"He'll be okay as long as he doesn't move too much. He lost a lot of blood. Wait..." She said as she realized what she was saying her bored expression replaced with shock. "How do you know Unmei?"
"I can't, not now. Just tell Maki to get Taku and herself somewhere safe." Kenshin looked from side to side. "I have to go now. Wait awhile after I go to leave." Kenshin stepped out from his hiding place and passed Megumi like they had never met before. Megumi watched him go from the corner of her eye. Something had happened. His clothes were ripped and splattered with blood she could tell was his own. His head was wrapped in a white wrapping with blood showing that had seeped through and his Sakabato was missing from his side. She watched him turn a corner disappearing from her view. Shortly after, two big men that look like sailors took the same turn as Kenshin did. "What's going on?!" Megumi yelled out loud running back to Unmei's house now certain that blood stain sword was Kenshin's Sakabato.
Megumi barged so unexpectedly into the house it startled Maki. "Megumi! Did you get all the herbs you needed?" Megumi ran past the startled woman and went to the room where she had thought she had seen that sword. She found it leaning on the wall and looked it over carefully. It was Kenshin's Sakabato. "Megumi?" Maki asked confused.
Megumi twirled around. "Tell me. Tell me why! Why do you have Kenshin's Sakabato and why it's covered in blood?!"
Maki's eyes widened. "You know Kenshin?" Megumi stared at Maki. "Then you had better sit down."
Kenshin looked under a bush and sighed. "It's not here either." He mumbled as he stood up. He had been looking for his Sakabato for almost an hour now and there was still no sign of it. "It's got to be around here somewhere." Kenshin thought as he continued his search. He wanted to find it quickly because the men who had been following earlier had left and he was very worried that they had gone after Megumi.
"... that's what happened." Maki finished leaving Megumi speechless. Megumi still held the Sakabato and couldn't believe what had happened. "We don't know what happened to Senko, Kenshin, or Kaoru." Maki added.
"Kenshin!" Megumi shouted. "I saw Kenshin."
"You saw Kenshin?" Unmei's father said as he entered the room.
"He said that Maki and Taku have to find someplace safe quickly!" Megumi said remembering the conversation she had with Kenshin.
Maki shook her head. "I won't leave Unmei! Not when he's like this!"
"We could move Unmei to where you are." The father suggested.
"No." Megumi said shaking her head. "If you move him any more than he could die." Maki's lip quivered at the thought of losing her beloved. "I know somewhere you can stay. There are plenty of people there to keep you safe." Megumi said thinking of everyone back in Tokyo.
Maki rose to her feet. "I don't care what happens! I will not leave Unmei! I wouldn't leave Unmei even if Suiso stood over me threatening my life!"
"But how would Unmei feel if he found out that you got hurt just to be by his side." A voice came from the front of the house.
The three looked to each other and jumped to their feet. "Kenshin!" They all echoed as the red head entered the room with a comforting grin on his face. He had given up his search for his weapon to check on Megumi.
Megumi rose to her feet still holding Kenshin's Sakabato in her hands. Kenshin looked at it. "MY SAKABATO!" He cried at seeing it covered in blood. Megumi was a little shocked at the Rurouni's sudden outburst but slowly handed it to Kenshin. Kenshin took it from her and stared blankly at it. "What happened to it?!" He felt like crying.
"You mean you didn't know it was... well like that." Unmei's father said confused.
Kenshin gave him an annoyed stare. "I think I would remember something like this." Kenshin looked back down at his sword. "Where did you find it?" Maki tried her best to explain exactly where and when Senko, Kaoru, and Unmei had found it and Kenshin nodded slowly as she spoke. "So it was in about the same spot where I dropped it and the only person around then was..." Kenshin paused a moment annoyed "Suiso." Now that Kenshin thought about it that night Suiso had attacked him he had come back with a cut on his hand. "I think this is Suiso's blood."
"But why would he do that?" Maki asked.
Kenshin shrugged. Suiso was one mind he had trouble guessing. "Maki you and Taku must leave here as soon as possible. Suiso is after Taku."
Maki's mouth dropped. "Why?"
"Suiso said if I don't bring Taku back with me he will kill Senko or Kaoru." Kenshin told her.
"So that's why you're here alone! Suiso just let you go." The man said with a slow shake of his head.
Kenshin sighed he still hadn't figured out a way to get Kaoru and Senko back. "Are you alright Kenshin?" Megumi asked. Kenshin nodded and Megumi frowned at him. "Sit down and let me look at you!" She said forcefully.
"Yes Ma'm!" Kenshin said quickly sitting down. Megumi pulled up a stool next to him and undid the bandage on his head. Whoever dressed it did a fairly good job, for an amateur.
"I'm going to get my medicine. Maki I think you should start getting ready to leave." Maki nodded and left the room. Megumi left and came back and dressed Kenshin's injuries. "You need to heal Kenshin." She lectured him as she worked. "You can't keep going from battle to battle before your old wounds have a chance to heal." Kenshin opened his mouth as to say something but Megumi was the first to speak. "I'll let it slide this time because you didn't really have a choice, but please, PLEASE try to take it a little easy." She said as she finished.
"That I will." Kenshin said as he stood and thanked her. Right now he just wanted to wash the blood off his Sakabato. Kenshin was scrubbing it and was quite angry at Suiso when he heard a shriek coming from inside the house. He ran inside his Sakabato leaving a trail of water behind him and found Maki in tears. "What's wrong?"
Maki took a couple of breaths before she could speak. "I can't find Taku! This was on his bed." Maki handed Kenshin a dark blue Haori. The house fell quiet except for the sound of water dripping from the Sakabato.