Disclaimer: I do not own PMK or RK. 15 chappie's already? Wow, did I do that?

Chapter 15: Medicine Seller

Tatsu was strolling along and struggling with himself. Too slow. He had considered approaching Hotaru after Okita broke up with her; only to find Susumu had beat him to it. Hotaru has grown from a ditzy girl into a sensible woman. Too bad Ichimura Tatsunosuke isn't good at expressing his emotions. Then neither is Susumu. Yet he has seen them together on many occasions... Was he being paranoid?

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he bumped into someone. He offered the man a hasty apology and recognized a familiar face. "Aren't you the medicine seller from the mountains? Thank you so much for the ointment you gave us the last time, it healed my brother's head wound very well."

"Gee, don't mention it," Himura Kenshin smiled. The boy must have a very hard head. The ointment was little more than wood ash mixed with fat. "Did your brother really get hit by a falling branch? I thought the shape of the wound looked peculiar."

"Hai, a branch," Tatsu smiled. Actually, Yamanami had used an abacus, but he wasn't going to say that. "So, Himura-san, how's your wife?" Tatsu saw the young man's face fall.

"She died." Tatsu then saw the box Himura carried tied to his chest. He still was struggling to find a suitable reply when...

"DRAGON BOY! KENNI!" Sakamoto Ryouma came running down the street with a large group of angry samurai in pursuit. Tatsu sweatdropped. "Let's go, partner!" Ryouma slapped Tatsu on the back. That's it! Tatsu turned to run and found that his companion had vanished. Where did he go? Seeing the samurai draw near, he bolted, matching Ryouma pace for pace.

On a nearby roof, Kenshin hugged his precious cargo close as he watched the chase. He would like to talk to Ryouma about his little games. They were getting on everyone's nerves. But first, Tomoe. Kenshin hoped he'd be able to get a good plot for her ashes in the local cemetery.

The river! It had to be the river! They eluded their pursuers by leaping into the freezing river. A dripping wet Tatsu went to the kitchen for a cup of hot tea while he waited for the Comedian Duo to vacate the bath. No way is he gonna share a bath with Harada and Shinpachi, or Heisuke for that matter. The last time he did, he nearly drowned in a breath-holding competition. Harada was insistent their team wins.

He was not surprised to see Susumu and Hotaru there. Hotaru went to get him a clean towel to dry off. Both young men watched her go.

"Susumu-kun, I wonder what she sees in a cross-dresser like you," Tatsu could not resist taking a dig at the shinobi. Susumu looked at him and grinned. "At least, Tatsu-kun, I do not go swimming in winter."

Hotaru returned to see both of them bickering in a half-playful, half-serious manner over who she prefers. No, she smiled to herself. She wasn't ready for romance yet. Right now, she was content to enjoy both their friendship. And she told them so. The three of them chatted together until a taishi came in to announce that Kondo has returned.

Susumu immediately became very sober as he made his way to the office. The report was bad, very bad. Kondo listened to it and sighed. He felt old. Yamanami burst in to say a number of taishi had deserted their duties and disappeared. Among them is Toudou Heisuke. It was just as they had feared.

Shinpachi was distracted throughout the patrol. Tetsu sensed something was going on at the HQ, but did not know what. He wished Saya were here to help him chase away his worries with her sunny smile.

He failed to notice someone watching his every move as he walked by Umeya with the Second Patrol. That someone is Saya. Umeko watched the love struck girl and sighed. Why are girls attracted to danger? That boy's Miburou!

Well, granted there are some good Miburou. Captain Okita's a polite youth who used to come often to buy Umeya's plum desserts for the orphans at the Temple Orphanage. Pity he's so ill. Yamanami, who came often with his lady friend, was a good man too. At least they never try to run off without paying like certain taishis did. She hadn't seen both of them about lately...

Tetsu-kun, please, please be safe...Saya prayed. Go to him! No! Go to him... She struggled with herself.

I positively, absolutely, hate cats! Suzu chased the black cat that haunted the Umeya's kitchen out into the yard. He had bought himself a generous helping of grilled eel from the roadside stall. Leaving the eel on the kitchen counter, he went to put aside his precious swords. They do get in the way when working in the kitchen.

Upon returning, he found the eel gone. The kitchen girls were too busy with their duties to see what happened to it. Then he saw the cat grinning on the windowsill with a piece of grilled eel in its mouth. With an angry yell, he chased the cat into the bath house. He couldn't have seen what was coming next.

The bath house was dark. Only the occasion slat of moonlight broke the shadows. Where's that cat? Then he found himself face-to-face with the man whose sword he had stolen those months ago in the brothel...

Suzu let out a gasp of shock and pain as the one-eyed hitokiri grabbed him. Suzu had slashed open the man's face as he escaped from that hellhole. "So it's the rat who stole my sword and my eye. Allow me to return the favor..." He considered yelling for help. Realizing there were only Umeko and her kitchen girls around to hear him, he bit his lip. I'm doomed...Suzu thought as the burly man dragged him towards the tub.

Author's notes:

Having Tetsu patrol about Umeya's doing to do some serious getting on Suzu's nerves and Saya's. If you've guessed, Suzu's in for a rough time. Trust me, after this, he'll really hate cats. Personally, senbi loves kittys... (strings up Hello Kitty piniata, where's that bat?).

Kenshin's back, so's Ryouma. A bit of a Susumu-Hotaru-Tatsu thing building up...

Yamanami & Okita used to frequent Umeya. Ironic ain't it?