Normal 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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"You're burning me out but I'm back at your door, like Joan of Arc coming back for more" VOW (c) 1995 Garbage
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He sat there in the darkened room with his back to the doorway. The man sat there smoking a cigarette holding a glass filled with wine which he swirled around. There was a soft knock on the office door, then it opened slowly.
"What news do you have for me boy," he said not attempting to face the young boy who walked into the room. He was dressed in a kimono, hakama but had a western dress shirt underneath the kimono. His tabi made no noise as he walked into the room, standing in front of the door, a smile not escaping his lips.
"The spy we sent after Mino, Kaname never came back. His last letter stated that they were headed towards Tokyo, so I've sent someone to investigate if he's been killed. I also heard rumors that she is still going by the name Setsuna. Although this time she is not using a surname, nor is she staying in any place for too long. There is a possibility that she may be under the governments protection if she has reached Tokyo safely. Not much else is known at this time Sir."
The man let out a long breath of smoke, got up from his chair and walk to the other side of the desk. He was dressed in a black three piece suit and wore black dress shoes that were polished to a mirror like appearance, which reflected the glow from his cigarette ever so slightly.
"Don't chase after him in Tokyo. If he was too stupid to get killed that's his problem." He put his wine glass down on the dark cherry desk and leaned against it taking another drag of his cigarette, then put it out in the glass ashtray that he pulled over next to him.
"So, she was headed towards Tokyo...Don't do anything drastic right now. Send one man to Tokyo to see if she is even there. Have him report back here in fourteen days. I want a detailed report if she is there. I want to know everything."
"Yes Sir." The young boy turned and exited the smoky room the same way he had entered, letting a sliver of light play against the man leaning on the desk. The mans expression was hard and unemotional.
"So you're still alive my little wench. We'll just see how long that lasts." He picked his wine up again and took a sip, a small evil smile crossing over his face.
~~~~~
It was now two days after the incident that left her in the clinic and she was ready to go back to the dojo. Megumi gave her the okay to go back there, explaining that she shouldn't push herself when she got there. Kenshin was coming by later that day and would walk her back. She was so happy to get out of there. She felt vulnerable laying in a bed all day. She needed to get her strength back.
Megumi walked into the room with a yukata and undergarments so she could help Setsuna get dressed. She smiled greatly at her, enjoying dressing the younger girl up like a doll. She stepped back after trying the obi into a bow, and remembered she need to do something with her hair.
"Wait right here Setsuna, I'll got get you something." She raced out of the room happily and returned with a bright green hair ribbon to match the leaves in the kimono pattern. Setsuna sat on the bed as Megumi brushed her hair back into a ponytail. She secured it with the ribbon and stepped back to look at her handy work.
"You look very nice Setsuna! Wait 'till Ken-san sees you like this." She beamed happily knowing that Kenshin would feel much better seeing his newest friend looking so healthy finally. Megumi gave Setsuna quick hug and quickly left the room to tend to the things she had put off to get Setsuna ready to go back to the dojo.
Setsuna looked around the room, her eyes coming to rest on the bed next to her, the IV equipment still in the same place as it had been when Sano had left the room the other day. She would rather would have had Sano be the person to see her like this. It would put a smile on his face to see her up and about rather then laying around in bed all day.
She stood up from the bad and peeked her head out into the hallway. No sign of Megumi and Kenshin wasn't there yet. She turned around and walked over to the dresser and picked up the hair comb that has caused so much trouble for her and tucked into her obi. She now had everything she would need, and she walked out into the hallway checking again for signs of anyone. She walked quietly down the hall towards the back of the clinic. She stopped in the room that Megumi had told her to take a pair of zori and tabi from. It almost looked like it was Megumis bedroom. She put the tabi on and walked silently out looking again to see no one. She headed further back and found a back door that she opened and snuck out of, heading someplace she had no idea where it was.
~~~~~
Sano lay on his futon, bare chested staring at the ceiling. He sat up and grabbed his shirt off the rope that was strung between the two walls, and put it on. He rubbed his face still feeling the effects of the lack of sleep and too much to drink. He stood up and walked over to the other side of the room picking up the sake jug that sat on the floor. He shook it finding that it was empty, frowning. His stomach protested to him that he needed food instead of sake and he tossed the jug to the floor. He grabbed his shoes and the little money he had, and decided that he was actually going to go pay for some food at the Akabeko. Although he knew it would get him much. He opened the door of his one room apartment and saw her walking down the road. It couldn't be her, Megumi wouldn't let her leave. He hurriedly put his shoes on and ran after the girl in the green yukata.
"Oi, jyou-chan!"
The girl turned around and beamed a big smile on her face.
"Sagara-san!"
So it was her, but why was out by herself, and dressed up in that yukata that I swear I saw Megumi wear?
"What are you doing out of the clinic?"
"I decided to escort myself around town. Plus I wanted to find you and give you something to thank-you...for saving me more then once." She reached into her obi and pulled out the comb and handed it to him. He looked at it as if taking it from her would kill her. "Please, it's all I can offer you in thanks."
"I could never take something like that from you." Why the hell is she even talking to me after what I said to her? And then offering this in thanks to saving her? What the hell is going on? "It means to much to you for me to accept anything like that from you, really I can't take it."
She looked around the side of him to see a door with his name on and returned her smiling face to him, "Do you live over there?"
He looked over to where she pointed and became embarrassed. His house, er, apartment wasn't anything to be showing off to a lady. It was a mess and he didn't even have any tea or even some sake to offer her.
"Yeah...I live over there." He blushed ever so slightly and looked away from her. She walked past him, and stepped up to his door and opened it to look inside. Sano ran over and shut the door quickly standing there blocking her way. "Um...I need to clean up a bit...and..."
"I understand," she said holding back a laugh. She noticed then that his right had was bandaged up, when the previous day it hadn't been. "How did your hand get hurt?"
He turned away from her no knowing what excuse to give to her. There was no way that he could tell her the real reason behind his injured hand. He looked up to her and was ready with a poorly thought out excuse, but, he couldn't do it.
"It's okay if you don't want to tell me Sagara-san." She beamed at him happily trying not to pressure him. "Would you mind walking me back to the dojo? I got myself lost trying to find you and..."
"Sure I don't mind. Maybe Kaoru will be kind hearted enough to let me stay for breakfast. Hopefully Kenshin is cooking."
"I'm afraid he may not be since he's probably ripping his hair out right now wondering where I ran off to."
Sano rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead. Great, now I'm going to get in trouble for her running off without telling Kenshin. "Come on, let's get to the dojo before someone dies of Kaorus cooking."