Yahiko awoke hours later, looking up at a familiar face.
"You've woken up just in time for dinner," Megumi said with a smile. There was a large spread of food on a table and she motioned for him to come over and sit. He took some food and started to eat.
"Has there been much work today?" Yahiko asked.
"It has been very busy. So many police have been attacked, and nobody knows who's behind it. It's really a mystery," she said through a mouthful of food.
"What I said earlier," he said quietly, "Would you mind not telling anybody else?"
She put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Of course, Yahiko, anything for you."
"I want to ask you something. About Sano," he said. "Do you like him?"
"He's certainly a hard one to get along with, but I do fancy him," she laughed and looked back at Yahiko, who looked heartbroken. "But you are much easier to get along with," she said playfully. She went and sat next to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."
"Megumi! We have more!" a man yelled. The door flew open and the head of police stood in the doorway.
"What has been going on around here?" she asked, letting go of Yahiko. "I'm so sorry. I have to tend to more people. Go back to the dojo and tell them that I need some help around here. Make sure Ken-San and Sanosuke what's been going on."
Yahiko got up and shuffled out of the room, looking at Megumi running into the room full of wounded police.
The sun was just setting. He picked up a stone and threw it at a tree, and it hit something. A bird fell from the tree with a small chirp, and Yahiko rushed towards it. He picked it up in his hands, it was still alive. It was completely black and very soft, and it chirped softly in his hold. He noticed it trying to fly, but it couldn't move its wing. He got up and went back to the dojo.
He walked in with the bird and laid it down on the floor.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you."
Kaoru stormed in. "So you've decided to come back, huh? Spent all day over there didn't you?"
But Yahiko didn't answer.
Kaoru walked over near him, not knowing what he was paying so much attention to. She kicked the bird away, not knowing what it was.
"You kicked him!" Yahiko said, rushing over to the fallen bird. He picked it up, tears in his eyes, and showed it to Kaoru.
"I didn't know! Yahiko, I'm so sorry!" she said.
"It's dead! You killed it!" he sobbed, holding it up near him.
"What is going on in here?" Kenshin asked.
"Kaoru killed my bird!" Yahiko yelled, pointing at Kaoru accusingly.
"I didn't mean too!" she retorted.
"Maybe Megumi-Dono would know what to do. It is not dead, Yahiko," said Kenshin, picking it up and examining it.
"She's too busy right now. Police have been being attacked, and she's overwhelmed with the amount of work," Yahiko told them.
"Is there anything we can do to help her?" Kaoru asked.
"I don't know, you should ask her," he said.
"Come on, Kenshin," she said, dragging him out the door.
"Well, it's just you and me then," Yahiko said to the bird.
"What's going on out here?" Sano yawned, walking in with a fish head clenched between his teeth.
"Nothing that concerns you," Yahiko said nastily, and tried to leave but was blocked by Sano.
"What's wrong with you kid?" he demanded.
"You are," he said, and pushed Sano and dashed from the room.
"He's seriously messed up," he mumbled, shaking his head.
"Megumi!" Kaoru called, bursting into the clinic. "We're here to help out!"
Megumi came from a room nearby, sweat on her face and looking exhausted.
"Thank you so much, Kaoru. You do know how to dress simple wounds, I assume?" she asked.
"Yes, and I can set bones as well," she answered.
"That will be wonderful. Somebody has been injuring all of the police. There are very few left," she said. "The ones you'll be tending to are over there. I have more serious wounds in here. Thank you so much!"
As they walked to the room, Kaoru said, "Even though she's a rotten vixen, I can't help feeling sorry for her sometimes. But I can see why Yahiko likes her," She stopped. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that."
"Megumi-Dono? He's much too young, and I thought she was with Sano?" Kenshin asked.
"You weren't supposed to know any of this! I heard him spill his heart out this morning! It was so sad. But now he'll have a grudge against Sano," she said with a note of panic in her voice.
Kaoru was quite right. Yahiko sat in his room, trying to think of ways to drive Megumi and Sano apart. None of them seemed to work at all. She knew how he felt, and she didn't feel the same way. He wished she would, he wanted that more than anything he could think of. It was all Sano. "I do fancy him." Her words kept ringing through his head. The only way to get her was to be rid of Sano, or make them hate each other.
He was imagining what it would be like with Megumi. He felt so secure in her arms, like nothing could ever happen to him. He wished he could stay there forever, up against her, without a care in the world.
He couldn't see why she fancied Sano. He was mean, he was always picking on him or picking fights, and he was ugly. No, he wasn't in her eyes. He only wanted to think of him that way in hopes of making himself sound better than him. But Sano was a trained fighter, and he was in training. Sano was about twenty, he was only eleven. But he had helped save her from Kanryu; that had to count for something.
Sano. He hated to hear that name now. He was taking the love of his life away from him. He couldn't just stand by and watch that happen without a fight.
"It's starting to slow down, I have one more wound to dress. You may go if you wish," Megumi said to Kenshin and Kaoru who were standing near her.
"You can come home with us and take a bath and relax. You have assistants on duty here, do you not?" Kenshin asked.
"Yes, but what if somebody who is severely wounded comes in?" she asked.
"They can bring them to the dojo. You need to relax for a while, Megumi. You're over tired," Kaoru said.
"And that's not very good! You're a doctor, you should know that!" Kenshin said playfully.
"Ok, I guess for one night," she said. She tied the bandage and walked out of the clinic with them, back to the dojo.
Yahiko was watching the path, and he saw Megumi coming home with the rest of them. He rushed to the front of the dojo, but stayed out of sight for the time being.
"I think I'll take a bath," she said.
"The hot water is all ready for you," Sano said.
"Sano! How did you know I was coming?" she asked. He shrugged and they walked off towards the bath.
They entered together, and Sano put the water in. Yahiko opened the door a small bit, so he could see what was going on.
"Sano, I want to talk to you," she said. She was undressing slowly, and turned around to see Sano staring straight at her. "Do you mind?" No answer. "Fine, be that way. It's about Yahiko," she said, getting in.
Sano just kept staring. "Fine, if you really must. Sano undressed and entered the bath as well. Yahiko was shocked by this, he thought they hated each other.
"You know why he's been acting so strange?" he asked, putting his arm around her.
"It's very odd actually, he's in love with me, or that's what he says," she giggled.
She was laughing at him. Laughing at the true feelings that he had. He could feel something inside of him, something that he had never felt before. Rejection. He had to hear what they were saying though, he couldn't cry, no matter how much it hurt.
"So that's why he's been so rude to me," Sano said. Megumi edged closer to him, laying her head on his chest.
"Yes. I really don't know what to do," she said.
"Well, you've got a lot to worry about. He'll forget about it eventually," Sano laughed. They looked at each other passionately, and kissed.
Yahiko couldn't bare it anymore. He ran to his room, his eyes leaking more tears than he had ever cried. He sat down on the floor, and saw the bird walking around. It chirped happily to see him, but he was in no mood to see it.
He took his bokken and hit the bird with it. It chirped in pain and lay dead on the ground, not guilty of any crime. Yahiko looked down on the fallen spirit, lying on the ground, never able to sing ever again.
"No, I didn't mean too. I didn't mean to hurt you!" Yahiko cried, stroking the dead body of it. "I didn't mean for it to happen! Don't be dead, don't be dead!" He lay down, and cried himself to sleep, out of anger, frustration, and utter sorrow.
The bird had done nothing, and neither had Sano. But the web tangled more and more, and nothing could undo some of the knots that had been made in it.
The bird laid on the ground the next morning, as though a grim reminder of the night's events. It now lay on the path that led to the house, being thrown out the window by a soul that denied anything that was not the way he wanted it.
"You've woken up just in time for dinner," Megumi said with a smile. There was a large spread of food on a table and she motioned for him to come over and sit. He took some food and started to eat.
"Has there been much work today?" Yahiko asked.
"It has been very busy. So many police have been attacked, and nobody knows who's behind it. It's really a mystery," she said through a mouthful of food.
"What I said earlier," he said quietly, "Would you mind not telling anybody else?"
She put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Of course, Yahiko, anything for you."
"I want to ask you something. About Sano," he said. "Do you like him?"
"He's certainly a hard one to get along with, but I do fancy him," she laughed and looked back at Yahiko, who looked heartbroken. "But you are much easier to get along with," she said playfully. She went and sat next to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."
"Megumi! We have more!" a man yelled. The door flew open and the head of police stood in the doorway.
"What has been going on around here?" she asked, letting go of Yahiko. "I'm so sorry. I have to tend to more people. Go back to the dojo and tell them that I need some help around here. Make sure Ken-San and Sanosuke what's been going on."
Yahiko got up and shuffled out of the room, looking at Megumi running into the room full of wounded police.
The sun was just setting. He picked up a stone and threw it at a tree, and it hit something. A bird fell from the tree with a small chirp, and Yahiko rushed towards it. He picked it up in his hands, it was still alive. It was completely black and very soft, and it chirped softly in his hold. He noticed it trying to fly, but it couldn't move its wing. He got up and went back to the dojo.
He walked in with the bird and laid it down on the floor.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you."
Kaoru stormed in. "So you've decided to come back, huh? Spent all day over there didn't you?"
But Yahiko didn't answer.
Kaoru walked over near him, not knowing what he was paying so much attention to. She kicked the bird away, not knowing what it was.
"You kicked him!" Yahiko said, rushing over to the fallen bird. He picked it up, tears in his eyes, and showed it to Kaoru.
"I didn't know! Yahiko, I'm so sorry!" she said.
"It's dead! You killed it!" he sobbed, holding it up near him.
"What is going on in here?" Kenshin asked.
"Kaoru killed my bird!" Yahiko yelled, pointing at Kaoru accusingly.
"I didn't mean too!" she retorted.
"Maybe Megumi-Dono would know what to do. It is not dead, Yahiko," said Kenshin, picking it up and examining it.
"She's too busy right now. Police have been being attacked, and she's overwhelmed with the amount of work," Yahiko told them.
"Is there anything we can do to help her?" Kaoru asked.
"I don't know, you should ask her," he said.
"Come on, Kenshin," she said, dragging him out the door.
"Well, it's just you and me then," Yahiko said to the bird.
"What's going on out here?" Sano yawned, walking in with a fish head clenched between his teeth.
"Nothing that concerns you," Yahiko said nastily, and tried to leave but was blocked by Sano.
"What's wrong with you kid?" he demanded.
"You are," he said, and pushed Sano and dashed from the room.
"He's seriously messed up," he mumbled, shaking his head.
"Megumi!" Kaoru called, bursting into the clinic. "We're here to help out!"
Megumi came from a room nearby, sweat on her face and looking exhausted.
"Thank you so much, Kaoru. You do know how to dress simple wounds, I assume?" she asked.
"Yes, and I can set bones as well," she answered.
"That will be wonderful. Somebody has been injuring all of the police. There are very few left," she said. "The ones you'll be tending to are over there. I have more serious wounds in here. Thank you so much!"
As they walked to the room, Kaoru said, "Even though she's a rotten vixen, I can't help feeling sorry for her sometimes. But I can see why Yahiko likes her," She stopped. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that."
"Megumi-Dono? He's much too young, and I thought she was with Sano?" Kenshin asked.
"You weren't supposed to know any of this! I heard him spill his heart out this morning! It was so sad. But now he'll have a grudge against Sano," she said with a note of panic in her voice.
Kaoru was quite right. Yahiko sat in his room, trying to think of ways to drive Megumi and Sano apart. None of them seemed to work at all. She knew how he felt, and she didn't feel the same way. He wished she would, he wanted that more than anything he could think of. It was all Sano. "I do fancy him." Her words kept ringing through his head. The only way to get her was to be rid of Sano, or make them hate each other.
He was imagining what it would be like with Megumi. He felt so secure in her arms, like nothing could ever happen to him. He wished he could stay there forever, up against her, without a care in the world.
He couldn't see why she fancied Sano. He was mean, he was always picking on him or picking fights, and he was ugly. No, he wasn't in her eyes. He only wanted to think of him that way in hopes of making himself sound better than him. But Sano was a trained fighter, and he was in training. Sano was about twenty, he was only eleven. But he had helped save her from Kanryu; that had to count for something.
Sano. He hated to hear that name now. He was taking the love of his life away from him. He couldn't just stand by and watch that happen without a fight.
"It's starting to slow down, I have one more wound to dress. You may go if you wish," Megumi said to Kenshin and Kaoru who were standing near her.
"You can come home with us and take a bath and relax. You have assistants on duty here, do you not?" Kenshin asked.
"Yes, but what if somebody who is severely wounded comes in?" she asked.
"They can bring them to the dojo. You need to relax for a while, Megumi. You're over tired," Kaoru said.
"And that's not very good! You're a doctor, you should know that!" Kenshin said playfully.
"Ok, I guess for one night," she said. She tied the bandage and walked out of the clinic with them, back to the dojo.
Yahiko was watching the path, and he saw Megumi coming home with the rest of them. He rushed to the front of the dojo, but stayed out of sight for the time being.
"I think I'll take a bath," she said.
"The hot water is all ready for you," Sano said.
"Sano! How did you know I was coming?" she asked. He shrugged and they walked off towards the bath.
They entered together, and Sano put the water in. Yahiko opened the door a small bit, so he could see what was going on.
"Sano, I want to talk to you," she said. She was undressing slowly, and turned around to see Sano staring straight at her. "Do you mind?" No answer. "Fine, be that way. It's about Yahiko," she said, getting in.
Sano just kept staring. "Fine, if you really must. Sano undressed and entered the bath as well. Yahiko was shocked by this, he thought they hated each other.
"You know why he's been acting so strange?" he asked, putting his arm around her.
"It's very odd actually, he's in love with me, or that's what he says," she giggled.
She was laughing at him. Laughing at the true feelings that he had. He could feel something inside of him, something that he had never felt before. Rejection. He had to hear what they were saying though, he couldn't cry, no matter how much it hurt.
"So that's why he's been so rude to me," Sano said. Megumi edged closer to him, laying her head on his chest.
"Yes. I really don't know what to do," she said.
"Well, you've got a lot to worry about. He'll forget about it eventually," Sano laughed. They looked at each other passionately, and kissed.
Yahiko couldn't bare it anymore. He ran to his room, his eyes leaking more tears than he had ever cried. He sat down on the floor, and saw the bird walking around. It chirped happily to see him, but he was in no mood to see it.
He took his bokken and hit the bird with it. It chirped in pain and lay dead on the ground, not guilty of any crime. Yahiko looked down on the fallen spirit, lying on the ground, never able to sing ever again.
"No, I didn't mean too. I didn't mean to hurt you!" Yahiko cried, stroking the dead body of it. "I didn't mean for it to happen! Don't be dead, don't be dead!" He lay down, and cried himself to sleep, out of anger, frustration, and utter sorrow.
The bird had done nothing, and neither had Sano. But the web tangled more and more, and nothing could undo some of the knots that had been made in it.
The bird laid on the ground the next morning, as though a grim reminder of the night's events. It now lay on the path that led to the house, being thrown out the window by a soul that denied anything that was not the way he wanted it.