Nornal text = the present
Bold = written articles: letters, newspaper clippings, etc.
Italic = the stuff that happened leading up to the stuff in normal text. (flash back)
Bold/italic = Setsunas past (flash back)
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"Stop it, that hurts," screamed Sano at Megumi.
"Like I have to repeat myself. You need fluids to help with the loss of blood. Now hold still you free loading drunk."
Megumi stuck the IV needle into his arm, ignoring his cries of pain and anger. He was also mad at her because she had been keeping him in the clinic so that he wouldn't run off and drink. She had told him that he couldn't have any alcohol for three days and that started the whole argument. She tied the IV onto his arm with some gauze and walked out of the room.
Sano still had the look of pain and anger thickly coated on his face. He looked around the room from the bed he sat up on and leaned back against the pillows putting his arms behind his head.
"Ita...stupid needle," he mumbled when it moved in his vein poking him. He looked over at Setsuna laying in the bed next to him sleeping during all the commotion that was going on. He hated her for trying to take her life, the same way he had gotten angry at Megumi when she tried it.
"Chi...." he looked out the window and watched some birds on the tree picking at the bark for bugs. He just wanted to get out of there. It was creepy in the room with Setsuna. It almost seemed like he was sharing it with a corpse. He had been there getting an IV when she woke up the first and only time. Megumi might as well talked to the tree outside the window. She would have gotten a better response from it.
He heard movement from Setsunas bed and he looked over to see her sitting up holding her head at the temple with her right hand. She looked around the room and saw Sano sitting there with the IV in his arm shocked to meet her savior like this. She knew that she was in some sort of medical building, but why was he here?
"Baka...," he said to her then looked up at the ceiling putting his arms behind his head, forgetting about the IV again. "ITA! Damn it Megumi!"
Setsuna watched the scene play out and snickered covering her mouth with her right hand. Sano ignored her, not like she wanted to start something with him.
Megumi walked in the door wanting to know what Sano was yelling about and saw right away that Setsuna was up and coherent. She walked over to her bed and sat down on the left edge, made a face at Sano and turned to Setsuna to talk to her.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"Of course I do......not that I want to remember. It takes the pain away most of the time, but, when I started it wouldn't leave...," she trailed off and stopped looking at Megumi and now her gaze was out the window at the tree.
Megumi was confused at the fact that she had done this before. She put a arm around Setsunas shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "If it would make you feel better, you can talk to me later after that street punk leaves to go to home," she said giving Sano a dirty look that said, Don't even think about bad mouthing this poor girl. She would take the chance of sending Sano home two days early, just to find out the whole truth of this girl.
"I don't mind if he's here," said Setsuna turning to Sano. "I'd like to have him be the first person to hear anyway."
Megumi was shocked. Why would she want to talk to Sano about what happened rather then a doctor? She looked over at Sano who somehow did a good enough job of trying not to look interested. He looked over with just his eyes and quickly returned them to the ceiling. He was acting rather strange for a guy who hated people who tried to take their lives.
She got a evil grin on her face, put her hand in front of her mouth and laughed silently. Megumi could see why...it was obvious now. He thought she was cute. She stood up from the bed and turned to face Setsuna. "Well, I'll leave you two alone then." She walked out the door with a stupid grin on her face getting an angry look from Sano.
"I'm so sorry you had to see me like this...uh..."
"Sagara Sanosuke."
"Oh, are you related to Sagara Sozo?"
"None of your business I think," he said looking over to her, still lounging on the bed with his arms behind his head.
"I was just interested because my father fought with him during the war. He was massacred by the government...but I'm sure you knew what happened right?
He put his arms down, sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, I was there," with a grave look on his face.
"I'm so sorry Sagara-san. I didn't know..."
"Not many people do or care," he said looking into her eyes. For some reason he saw that she must genuinely ache for him, having to actually be there on that fated day. She had lost her father on that day, but why was it that she had to bring that up?
She made a weak smile at him then turned to the window. She wanted to thank him here she decided. They were going to have to share the room the next three days if Megumi had her way. She slowly took the sheets off herself and swung her legs off the side of the bed putting her bare feet onto the cold wooden floor.
"Oi, where do you think you're going jou-chan?"
"To get something...," she said standing up as best she could. She got a little dizzy, but was able to steady herself. She walked slowly over to the chair on the other side of the room and put on the slippers and house coat that lay on it. She picked up a ribbon that just happened to be laying on the dresser next to the chair and braided her long hair. She tied the red ribbon on to the end and made her way to the doorway.
Sano just watched her walk out the door making sure she wasn't going to fall flat on her face, then became disinterested when she finally walked into the hallway. He lounged himself back out on the bed and closed his eyes.
Setsuna turned down the hallway towards the clinics front area. She was sure she could find Megumi faster by looking for her. She wasn't so uncivilized to just yell through the clinic for her. She stumbled slightly, becoming light headed again. She fell to her knees as she became even more dizzy then she was and blacked out, falling to a heap on the floor hitting her head with a loud thud.
Sano heard the noise from the hallway, sighed, swore, then got out of bed. He grabbed the IV needle and ripped it out of his arm so he could go see if Setsuna was trying to kill herself, no pun intended.
He peeked his head out of the room to see her laying in a crumpled pile. He walked over with his hands in his pockets, shook his head then bent down to pick her up. Megumi heard the noise and came into the hallway from the room she was in tending to another person.
Sano picked her up and slung her over his shoulder and turned to put her back into her bed.
"Sanosuke!"
He turned around to see a very unhappy fox lady looking at both of them. He looked at her just waiting to see steam come out of her ears.
"What the hell are you doing out here! How could you let her get out of bed..." She stormed towards him ready to beat him over the head with nearest object. Be backed up into the room and quickly put her back onto her bed so he could defend himself from Megumi.
She walked by Sano, a vein in her forehead bulging. Setsuna was more of a concern to her at the moment. Megumi checked her out, seeing that she was forming a bruise on her forehead. I'll have to watch her if she hit her head hard enough. She left the room to get a rag and cold water to help stop the bruising on her head.
Sano walked over to Setsuna and looked at her. He squat down in front of her and put his face close to hers. "Baka..."
She opened her eyes, seeing Sano right in her face and freaked out. Sano screamed and fell onto his butt. He didn't expect her to wake up with him looking at her like that. She rolled over to her side and looked at Sano sitting on the floor on his butt.
"Daijoubu," she asked him snickering at his own stupidity. He looked at her with hate in his eyes that was turned into a look of hurt pride. He said nothing and got up, dusting his white pants off.
Megumi returned with cold water from the well and a rag. "Oh good, you're awake." She kneeled on the floor beside Setsunas bed and wet the cloth, then put it on the bruise.
"Why did you get out of bed. You could have just called to me or sent Sano to look for me..." She trailed off looking over to him, then changed her mind. He wasn't that good of a guy. At least not to her anyway.
"I'm going to get something to eat," Sano said leaving the room. Megumi looked up over the bed to protest to him, but he had already left the room. He had better not leave the clinic! She returned her attention to Setsuna, re-wetting the cloth with cold water.
"Sensei..."
"Call me Megumi." She put the cloth back onto the bump forming under the bruised skin.
"Megumi-san. Can you go to the dojo and bring something back for me?"
"Of course I can. What is it that you need?"
"I have a hair comb that I would like. It's in my room with my other belongings."
"I think Ken-san is coming by today. Maybe I'll send someone over to tell him to bring that with him." She smiled at her taking the cloth off again to re-wet it once more.