This is bad. I'm getting less reviews than I used to. Sob. But it's okay! I'll try harder this time round! :) Thank you to all those who have reviewed! Arigato!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
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"Takuya-san! I'm back from the Aoiya!" Megumi called out as she entered the shop.
No answer. Megumi searched around the shop finding Takuya and finally came to Saito's room.
"Takuya went out to collect some herbs." Saito said coldly as he walked up to Megumi.
"You shouldn't be walking around. What if your thigh wounds open up again?" Megumi lectured.
"I couldn't really care less. You can always stitch them up for me again." Saito answered with a smirk yet again.
Megumi rolled her eyes and groaned. Saito has always been know for his quick wit and sarcarsm. How can she ever deal with it?
"Let me check on those wounds." Megumi said as Saito sat down on the bed.
Megumi untied the bandages and checked the stitches. No blood was flowing out nor was there any sign of infection. She put some herb medicine on his stitches and bandaged them up again. She couldn't believe she was doing this for Saito. The man who attacked her husband and almost caused him to die.
"So how are you and your little husband...?" Saito asked as he lit up a cigarette.
"I don't have to answer your nonsensical questions." Megumi snapped.
"By the looks of it, you seem to be here alone in Kyoto. Why? Running away from your husband?" Saito answered with a light chuckle.
Megumi pondered over Saito's words. Was she really running away from Sanosuke? Recalling all these thoughts put a dart through her heart. Why must this happen to her? What did she do to deserve this? Tears brimmed at the brink of her eye and she struggled to blink them away.
"Is that tears I see, Megumi-san?" Saito asked sarcastically as he took a long drag.
Megumi's lip shivered. Her life was already a mess, and Saito still made fun of her. Her heart felt like it was crumbling under pressure. She couldn't take it anymore. Megumi ran out of the room with tears rolling down her cheeks. Saito was at the back yelling at her asking her where she was going, but she couldn't care less. She just ran and ran till she reached a small hut. Finally she stopped and looked around.
"Where am I?" Megumi asked herself.
There was a small deserted straw hut at the edge of the road and a small shrine to the Gods. The surroundings was exceptionally quiet.
"Shucks. I better get back to the Aoiya. I've never been here before." Megumi said out loud as she surveyed the area.
"A beautiful woman... All alone?" A stranger's voice said as several voices behind sniggered.
Megumi turned around and faced five men with swords at their sides.
"W-What do you want?" Megumi stammered as she took a step back.
"Such a fine day... What are you doing all alone, miss?" The stranger answered.
"None of your business." Megumi snapped back as she tried to get past the five men.
"Now now, now. You don't expect us to let you walk the road back alone...?" The stranger said with a sly smile.
The other four men grabbed Megumi as the stranger walked towards her face to face. He carassed her chin with a finger and laughed.
"You don't happen to have any money, do you?" The stranger said as he held Megumi's waist.
"G-GET AWAY FROM ME! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Megumi screamed and struggled.
"Go ahead and scream, pretty lady. Once I'm done with you, you'll be up in heaven." The stranger chuckled.
The stranger tried to undress Megumi and took her money. Megumi struggled with all her might but she was just too weak and she was outnumbered. Now she regrets never taking up Kendo.
"Bring her into the hut." The stranger ordered the other four guys as he signaled towards the straw hut. "It's time for some fun, boys."
"LET ME GO!!! YOU BASTARDS!" Megumi screamed and kicked into the air.
"You better shut that mouth of yours before I cut your throat!" The stranger said as he reached for his sword.
"Now look who's here... The five bullies of Kyoto. Trying to take advantage of a harmless lady? I've been looking for you people." A deep voice asked.
"W-Who's talking?" The stranger said as he turned back.
Saito Hajime stood at the edge of the road and flicked his cigarette on the floor.
"I don't appreciate men like you." Saito said coldly.
"Get him, boys!" The stranger shouted.
The four men pushed Megumi to the floor and ran towards Saito, removing their swords from their sheath. Saito went into his Gatotsu stance. Swords clashed and Saito easily got rid of the four men. He stood face to face with the stranger as Megumi looked at Saito helplessly from the ground.
"Why you little... I'm going to avenge my men if it's the last thing I do!" The stranger said as he ran towards Saito with his sword.
The stranger thrust his sword towards Saito's chest only to have Saito counter him with his Gatotsu. The next thing that Megumi saw was the tip of Saito's sword thrust into the stranger's forehead. The prey was eliminated by Meiji's wolf.
Saito walked towards Megumi and held out his hand. Megumi was on the floor trembling. She took Saito's hand and stood up.
"Oh Saito..." Megumi cried as she broke out into tears and hugged Saito. Saito was taken aback. "Why? Why must all these happen to me? First Sano cheated on me, then this has to happen. Why must all these happen to me?"
"That crude man cheated on you?" Saito asked as he pulled away from Megumi.
"H-He kissed Tae at the restaurant. He couldn't even give me a proper explaination. He said he just had to do it at that point of t-time." Megumi stammered.
"That restaurant waitress? How rude... As cold as I may be, I will never cheat on my love." Saito said as he gazed into Megumi's swollen eyes.
Megumi tried to blink away the tears and she stared into Saito's amber eyes. He gave his first half-hearted smile in a long time. Megumi felt a certain warmth sweeping over her. How can she feel like this with such a man?
"Saito..." Megumi murmured.
Suddenly, a dizzy spell came over her and she squatted down. Black. Pitch black. She couldn't see anything. The last thing she remembered was Saito calling her name. The numbness.
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"Kenshin! What are you doing here?!" Misao exclaimed.
"Misao-dono. Nice to see you again. Is Megumi here?" Kenshin asked with a nod.
Misao's facial expression changed after she saw Sanosuke walk out to the front from behind Kenshin. Kaoru and Yahiko were desperately trying to convince him to shut up.
"Misao-chan. Please tell me where's Megumi. I really need to find her. Is she here?" Sano asked with anxiety.
Misao stared at Sano for about three seconds and anger was running through her thoughts. Who ever knew that Sano would turn out to be such an asshole?
"She's not here. And you're not welcome, Sanosuke. Gomen-nasai, Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko." Misao said.
And with that, Misao slammed the door of the Aoiya shut. She was pissed off with the fact that Sanosuke cheated on Megumi. And he gave such a lame excuse for his actions! Misao refused to open the door despite Kenshin and Sano incessantly knocking and shouting from outside.
"I've had enough of this. Futae No Kiwami!" Sano shouted as he blasted the door open with his extreme fist move.
Misao gaped as she saw the front door of the Aoiya blow open. Her body was thrown backwards from the impact and her arms and legs were cut and bruised by the little pieces of wood from the door. She was very ticked off this time.
"Aoshi-sama!!!" Misao yelled as she struggled to get up from the floor.
Aoshi came running down the stairs from his meditation room and saw the remains of the door on the floor and Misao struggling to pull herself up.
"What happened around here?" Aoshi asked.
"Get... That... Brute... Out of the Aoiya!" Misao said as she stared at Sanosuke.
Aoshi looked over to Sanosuke and saw Sano's impatient face. Behind him was Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko scolding him for breaking the door.
"I'm sorry. Misao refused to open the door. I need to find Megumi. It's extremely important." Sanosuke said almost pleadingly.
"Come in." Aoshi muttered as he helped Misao to stand up.
"You freaking fool! No wonder Megumi ran away from you! You're such an inconsiderate fool! First you cheated on Megumi, now you break our door! You really like destroying people's propery and their heart yeah!?" Misao shouted.
Sanosuke, Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko walked into the Aoiya feeling guilty. They followed Aoshi and Misao into Aoshi's meditating room and sat down. Aoshi tended to Misao's wounds as Sanosuke sat there in regret.
"What do you want?" Misao snapped at Sanosuke as Aoshi finished bandaging her cuts.
"I want to find Megumi. I know she's here. I saw her things at the other room." Sanosuke replied as-a-matter-of-factly.
"So what if she came here? She's not here right now as you can see for yourself." Misao retorted.
"Where did she go? It's okay, I'll wait for her here till she gets back." Sanosuke said.
"I'm not her mother! I can't control where she goes and I wouldn't want an uncivilised brute like you hanging around the Aoiya!" Misao snapped as she banged her fist on the table.
"Gomen-nasai for imposing, Misao-dono, but I hope you will let us stay here and wait for Megumi so we can clear things up between the both of them." Kenshin said softly.
"Sigh... Fine. For the sake of the others, I will let you wait here, Sanosuke." Misao declared coldly.
"Will someone please explain to me what's going on?" Aoshi asked.
"Let me explain." Misao uttered with fury with protests from Sanosuke.
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Megumi opened her eyes. The stale air smelled really bad and the air felt cold. Her body was too weak and she felt thirsty. Then she remembered all that has happened. Megumi looked around her. She was alone, all alone. Where was Saito? Megumi staggered as she tried to get up from the mattress. She was in the straw hut where Saito has saved her from the five men. The door opened.
"You're awake." Saito said as he walked into the room. "You should rest."
Saito walked towards Megumi and gave her some water from a bamboo container.
"Arigato." Megumi answered as she took a sip from the container.
"You over-exerted yourself, Megumi. You need to rest." Saito said as he took out a cigarette to smoke.
"It's okay... Saito. Why did you save me? How did you find me?" Megumi asked softly.
"You really want to know?" Saito asked as Megumi nodded.
"Well, after you ran out of the room crying, I just wanted to find out what was wrong with you so I followed you. And found you in trouble with those people. As for why I saved you... Is it wrong to save someone?" Saito answered bluntly.
"Well, no but... I mean, who were those people? And where are they now?" Megumi asked frantically.
"Disposed of them. Killed them. Eliminated them. They're the five bullies of Kyoto. Always raping women and robbing them. I've been looking for them for a long time. So this is their hideout... I never knew." Saito said as he looked around the hut.
"You killed them...? Why?!" Megumi demanded.
"For your information, Miss Megumi, I'm not Kenshin who uses a Sakabatou. And I don't easily let people off when I'm fighting." Saito answered plainly.
Saito looked at Megumi shaking her head. She was obviously not pleased with the killings. Saito felt a pinch in his heart. Was he falling for her, that's why he cared about what she thinks?
"You killed those people because of me. They didn't deserve it... No one does." Megumi uttered as she looked up into Saito's eyes.
"I killed them because I had to. Even if it weren't for you, if I found them another day, I would've killed them." Saito explained.
"You could have just knocked them unconcious." Megumi replied.
Saito couldn't think of a quick comeback. His eyes were locked to Megumi's and they didn't seem to want to leave. Megumi was drawn deep into Saito's burining amber eyes. The colour of a leopard's coat. A deep searching meaning at every angle. Saito seemed so ethereal. Megumi leaned in closer and after a few seconds, they kissed.
'What's happening?! Why am I kissing Saito...? But I can't help it... He seems so perfect and mysterious. He's like a puzzle waiting to be solved.' Megumi thought to herself.
'I'm kissing the fox-doctor. What's going on? She's so beautiful. Her black hair. Her red lips. She's a total different woman. She's a woman I want to love.' Saito thought in his head.
Saito and Megumi were on the floor kissing and they couldn't stop. Not that they wanted to. Both of them felt a certain attraction to each other. Like Megumi and Sanosuke before they confessed their love. Megumi never ever thought that she would ever like a man like Saito. She finally found someone who could act their age. Someone who wasn't impatient and rash. Someone who could finally make her happy. Saito's hand pushed Megumi's head closer to his. He could feel her warmth and delicate kiss. Finally, they pulled away.
"I-I can't believe this is actually happening." Megumi panted.
"Neither can I..." Saito answered.
"What do we do now?" Megumi asked.
"Do you want me to accompany you back to the Aoiya...?" Saito said with a smile. He wanted more time with this woman.
"I-I think that'll be a good idea... But don't tell anyone about our relationship..." Megumi said with a sly smile.
"So you've got your husband back. You took your revenge." Saito declared with a light chuckle.
"It's different this time. I'm really attracted to you." Megumi said with her finger touching Saito's strong jawbone. Oh how she loved this man.
Saito chuckled softly and took Megumi's hand with his as they stood up and walked out of the hut. It was the first time in a long time when he smiled with pure happiness in his heart. Megumi couldn't be bothered with Sanosuke anymore. She just wanted her life to stay put like this forever. She wanted time to stop.
They walked together down the road back to the Aoiya and Saito plucked a flower from the roadside and gave it to Megumi. Megumi sighed a soft sigh of content. She has never recieved flowers from Sanosuke in her life. How could she ever be so blind? She chose a street gangster and yet a masculine real man was in front of her now.
"You know what..." Megumi said as she stopped in the middle of the road.
"What?" Saito asked as he took Megumi's hands in his again.
"I...I've never felt this way before. I really do like you, Saito." Megumi stammered.
"I feel the exact same way, Megumi." Saito replied and gave her a hug.
"I really want to thank you for saving me... They could have raped me and killed me. I was defenceless." Megumi said.
"Don't thank me. I would've done it for you anytime." Saito answered.
They continued their walk and finally reached the Aoiya. Megumi's eyes open wide in shock as she saw the door in a mess. She didn't know what had happened to the Aoiya. Frantic, she ran in shouting. Saito followed her into the Aoiya.
"Misao-chan?! Aoshi?! What happened?!" Megumi shouted with fear.
Misao heard Megumi's voice and ran down.
"Everything's fine, Megumi! Where have you been? By the way, you should know that-"
"-That I'm here. Megumi." Sanosuke said as he walked out of the room.
Megumi raised her palm to her mouth in shock. She didn't want Sano here. Not when she just found Saito. She wanted Sanosuke out of her life. She couldn't stand the sight of him anymore. She didn't want to remember all the pain and hurt she went through. But somewhere deep in her small heart, she still loved Sanosuke.
Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko stepped out of the room and greeted Megumi. They all walked down the stairs and stood in front of her.
"What... When? Why?" Megumi stammered.
"I came to get you back, Megumi." Sanosuke said with his boyish grin.
"What...? No... I don't want any of this... NO!" Megumi shouted as she took a step back.
Saito walked in front of Megumi and shielded her.
"Hajime? What are you doing here?" Kenshin and Sano asked at the same time.
"This is Kyoto, mind you. I live in this area." Saito replied.
"As in... Why are you with Megumi?" Sano asked.
"Why can't I be with her? We met at the medicine shop, you fool. And I don't think I'm going to let you take her back anytime soon." Saito challenged.
"What has this got to do with you, Hajime?! Why are you shielding her?" Sano retorted angrily. "You don't know anything!"
"This one thinks we all have to talk." Kenshin declared seriously.
"Why don't we just sit down and talk properly?" Kaoru asked.
"I-I don't know. I can't... I CAN'T! I DON'T WANT TO!" Megumi screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks yet again.
Megumi was confused. She still loved Sanosuke, but she didn't want to just leave Saito. She didn't know where to turn, or who to choose. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to think things straight. Too many thoughts are running through her head. Dizziness came over her once again. Pitch black.
"Megumi-san!" Sanosuke and Saito yelled.
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So how did I do? Tell me if Megumi should choose Sanosuke or Saito! Actually I've pretty much got the idea in mind, but it's pretty heart-breaking. Tell me who you readers want Megumi to choose! Please please please read and REVIEW! Click the button! You know you want to! :) Till next time!