Nornal text = the present (See chapter one)
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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"I am lost So I am cruel But I'd be love and sweetness If I had you"
MILK (c) 1995 Garbage
"Somebody get me out of here I'm tearing at myself
Nobody gives a damn about me Or anybody else"
MEDICATION (c) 1998 Garbage
Kenshin tied his loincloth at the small of his back and proceeded to put on his kimono. He picked up the collar of the garment, held the back seem in line with his spine and picked the hem off the floor three inches. He let go of the back and grabbed either side of the robes collar and wrpaed it around himself. He secured it with his obi, which he tied it into a hideous looking knot, then picked up his hakama pants. He stepped into them and took the front stings into his hands tying them around his back. He did the same with the from but didn't bother with the formal tying of the bow. He smacked himself in the forehead suddenly remembering that he never put his tabi socks on. He always did that first. He slid them on his feet and hooked them shut on the side where his ankle bone was. His hair was wrapped up in a towel so that it didn't get wet in the tub. He took the towel off. He forgot to do that once and Sano had been standing in the hallway when he had walked out. "Uhh...I'll never live that one down degozarau..." His red hair cascaded down around his shoulders falling halfway down his back. He opened the door and proceeded into the hallway heading to his bedroom to tie his hair back.
He passed by the room Setsuna had been using, seeing Kaoru on her hands and knees scrubbing the walls. A few tatami mats had to have been thrown out and had been replaced that morning. They didn't want Setsuna to come back and have anymore flashbacks.
Kenshin walked partly into the doorway watching Kaoru. She had her kimono sleeves tied back with a tasuki cord and a scarf on her head.
"Kaoru-dono," she turned to face him almost jumping from her skin, "I'm going to be going to the clinic to check in on Sano and Setsuna. Would you like to come? Or, do you have anything that I need to pick up in that part of town?"
Kaoru stood up wiping sweat off her face. She dropped the rag she had been using into the bucket of hot water at her feet. "Can you pick up some daikon root and some tofu? I'll get you some money." She walked out the door with him following right behind. She went into her bedroom and got out a small purse with money in it. She took out ten yen and handed it to him, then put the purse away.
She then grabbed his kimono sleeve to make sure he had no holes in it. "Oro?..."
"Okay Kenshin, you're free to go now." She walked out of the room and went back to what she had been doing.
~~~~~
Setsuna sat in bed with pillows behind her eating a bowl of hot udon soup. Sano sat in the bed next to hers slurping broth all over himself. He had been nice enough to go into the kitchen of the clinic, which was technicaly Gensai senseis house, and cooked to the best of hi ability, udon for both of them.
She happily took the food from him and begain eating. She looked up from her soup over to Sano and smiled weakly. The soup was rather good. Although, it needed a bit more bonito soup base. She didn't complain, but slurped it as cleanly as she could.
Sano drank the broth left behind after the noodles were gone and put the bowl down on the bed. He got up from the bed and walked over to the window opening it letting a soft late summer breeze inside. He turned around and leaned against the window pane, turning his attention to Setsuna.
"So, why did you do it?" He asked bluntly.
She chewed the food in her mouth and put the bowl down resting her chopsticks on top of it.
"I don't think you would understand just why Sagara-san...," she said trailing off not looking at him.
"You said to Megumi that you wanted to tell me first, now you don't want to talk about it at all?"
"It's not the time or place for it..."
"Bull fucking shit. Obviously you are pretty fucking screwed up here. I think you need to eventually tell someone. Perhaps you should talk to Kenshin about it if no one else." He glared at her with a look of pluzzlement and compassion that was almost unnoticeable. "He went threw some tough shit. I think he can relate at least to some of it, if not all of it..." he trailed off, turning around to look out the window. "I'm sorry." He turned around put his hands in his pockets and walked out of the room just as Megumi walked in.
"What was all the yelling about?"
"Nothing Megumi-san." Megumi stuck her head back out the door and watched as Sano walked to the front of the clinic.
"Don't even think about it Sano," she yelled running after him.
Setsuna picked up the bowl of udon and just starred at it. Samanosuke had been like that some times. Angry with her when she wouldn't tell him what was bothering her. She always got a 'I'm sorry...', then he would be found in the dojo of the Juu Jitsu school beating up the practice dummy. She found him there once. He said that he could never live with himself when he got mad at her like that. She smiled into her bowl of udon as the sad past crept into her tear ducts to flow down her warm face.
~~~~~
Kenshin looked to the sky as he stepped out of the gates to the dojo. It was going to be another nice late summer day. A wind gust rustled though his hair, and caused wind chimes to play their music.
He didn't like it one bit. He was a person who could feel things about people and it was still bothering him. Why couldn't he feel the sickness that twisted through her veins? The only thing he could sense is that she possibly had some sword training. More like ninja tactics. He had seen the trowing daggers, they were very similar to the ones Misao carried. He was just baffled that she could hide inside herself so well.
He couldn't break this promise though. He had already broke one many years ago. He had promised Tomoe that he would protect her and in the end...he was the one to kill her. He couldn't let it go and now this was a second chance on keeping that promise. He would prove to himself and everyone who trusted him, that he could keep her alive. Even if he had to talk with her for months to get the truth out. He needed to know what made her go crazy suddenly. He wanted to help her, better then to his ability.
He was going to try and talk with her when he got to the clinic, Sano also. He had, had a very strange look on his face when he finaly saw who he was giving his blood to. Perhaps her knows her from some place? He decided to talk to Sano first. He didn't want to stir up bad memories just yet with Setsuna. He wouldn't want a relapse to happen so quickly. He wasn't a doctor but, he knew that trying to get her to talk about it so soon after...may not be a very good idea after all.
Kenshin checked his sleeve to make sure he hadn't lost any of the money Kaoru gave him. She would have killed him if he showed up at the dojo with nothing for dinner and stating he lost her hard earned money on the way to guy the stuff. He found it was still there and enjoyed the breeze that blew through the air cooling off his skin. It was too hot for the end of August. Although, he would rather it be hot then snowing like mad out. The snow always mad him depressed. He would be damned if he would let Setusna die under the same circumstances as Tomoe. That just wasn't going to happen. He would risk everything to keep her alive. Especially since the chief of police hadn't even told him the whole story yet. He sighed and pulled his arms inside his kimono, resting them in the armholes.
A few children ran by him yelling at each other to wait up. He smiled at them as they ran out of sight down an alleyway. He had finally made it to the market place in town. Now to buy some daikon and tofu.
~~~~~
Sano sat on the front porch of the clinic picking up stones and throwing them at a nearby tree. Megumi emerged behind him in the doorway with a scowl on her face. "What the hell did you say to her Sano? When I looked back into the room, she was in tears." She wanted to kick him right in the head and this time she had an open shot for it.
He ignored her and chucked another stone at the tree. He didn't want to talk about it, especially if it meant telling Megumi about it. Megumi walked over and sat down next to him, all of the anger being drained from her face. She said nothing and just watched the rocks bounce off the tree bark. Sano ran out of rocks, put his elbows on his knees, and watched people walk by.
"I feel partly responsible for what happened to her...," he finaly said not looking at Megumi. "I meet her before...the incident at the dojo. She was in an alleyway being attacked by some guy. I intervened and kicked his ass. I turned around to leave and noticed she was holding throwing daggers. I'm just worried that I may have...hurt her pride."
Megumi fell to silence again, she didn't know what to say to him. Something like that wasn't a laughing matter even if it was Sano telling her this. she was almost nice enough to comfort him, but, was called inside by Gensai sensei. She got up not saying anything to him and walked back inside. She glanced back, hesitated then waked inside. "Coming!"
Sano sat there in silence. He was worried and mad that she didn't tell him what she was going through. It almost made him think that his worries were right and that's why she didn't want to talk all of a sudden. He stood up and walked back into the clinic. Maybe Megumi would let him get another room in the clinic...he couldn't stay in the same room with Setsuna if she hated him that much.