Disclaimer: This is from The Enchanted Island Stories from Shakespeare adapted by Ian Serraillier. I don't know Kaoru's father's name so I'm borrowing the name that Akai Kitsune used. I did not get permission by the above parties.
A Fox for a Wife
Chapter 5
"Sanosuke-san," Yahiko inquired, "it's been three days now. Don't you think Megumi's fit enough to travel to her father's place?" Yahiko needed to know. He was getting rather bored with waiting around at the house all day. He wasn't use to Sanosuke being married. Every other afternoon when Sano was 'free' they would usually pay a visit to the local gambling sites and have a fun night out, but Sano was trying to be an honorable husband.
"Hmmm... I think she might ready to leave, it has been a while and she is behaving nicely," Sanosuke answered. "I'll tell her at that we're leaving."
Yahiko looked up from their game of Chinese checkers, "right now, Sano?"
"Yeah," he stood up from his comfortable chair to seek out his Megumi. "If, that is, she isn't doing anything that I wouldn't want her to." Sano winked at Yahiko who let out a big, exasperated sigh while rolling his eyes.
Sanosuke wondered where she was. He remembered that Megumi likes talking to one of the maids that worked here. She said that she was... what was the word... lively.
'What's that servant's name?'Sanosuke thought, 'I know it starts with an 'm'... Misao! That's her name!'
He was deep in thought when he passed one of his servants, "Hey you there! Tenchi, do you know where Megumi is? Or the servant Misao?"
"Megumi is with Misao, Sagara-san," he answered pausing in his chores, "but I don't know where Misao is. Okon might know, sir, she's in the kitchen."
"Thank you, Tenchi." Tenchi shrugged as if it were the norm, bowed and then left Sanosuke.
Tenchi was one of the people he had to act with and he accidentally hit him hard when he was fussing with Megumi, Sano was surprised that he didn't get a cold answer from him.
Sanosuke turned around; the direction that he was going would take him to the opposite direction of the kitchen. He started heading down there but stopped when he heard loud, pounding footsteps nearing him.
"Outta the WAY!" Screamed a girl from behind him. He was roughly pushed aside by that same girl. "Sorry Mister!" She kept on running. Sano was angry that any of his servants would be so rude, he was angered more because she didn't stop to see if she had hurt him or damaged anything in her brashness.
After Sanosuke got straightened out he heard merry laughing from behind him that was like a chorus of a thousand angels singing. He turned around to see and hear that Megumi was the one laughing. He loved her voice. He did not know how it could have been hidden from him this whole time, or, how could he be so cruel to someone so charming, lovable... so cute? He was tempted to through away his plans, to ruin his plots, for that voice and the beauty behind it. He gave his head a shake. He would not fall prey, he was the hunter and she was the prey! He would be strong but oh, how soothing and beautiful it had been.
Megumi stopped laughing once she saw Sanosuke, he looked a little distressed, but other than that he looked just as he had the he told her that they would have to leave to her father's in the rags they were in.
"Hello, Sanosuke," Megumi said pleasantly although she did not feel pleasant or happy towards Sano. She stopped in front of him incase he needed anything from her.
Sano wondered at the silkiness of her greeting, "Ah, Megumi, I was just looking for you. We are going to leave..." Sano caught himself. He realized that his plans would not work if they were to leave tomorrow. He would have to put it off longer, but how much longer he did not know. "Koishii, tomorrow you can go shopping with one servant for the day. Then we might be able to see your father."
Megumi wondered what he could have been going to say before he stopped himself; maybe he was just pulling her chain. For all Megumi's cleverness she could not figure out what was going on inside of Sano's head.
Megumi watched him walk away before walking after Misao. The girl, only a few years younger than herself, was quite energetic and the only soul here that Megumi got along with. She went to the empty room that Misao had described and found her sitting in the middle of the floor. Megumi always thought that she was... odd.
"Megumi!" Misao shot up from the floor to stand I front of the startled Megumi. "How about we have a girl's night out? Huh? How does that sound? You've been cooped up in here for way too long!"
Megumi was at first too startled to compute what Misao had offered, but when it did she smiled mischievously. "That is exactly what I need Misao! But, tonight? Hmm... Let's go tomorrow, Sano has given me permission to go out tomorrow evening so that I can shop."
"Tomorrow?" Misao's eyes slowly opened, her smile slowly faded. "Sanosuke's permission? Since when do we need his permission! We're independent!"
"Misao, you don't understand! I'm married! And what Sanosuke says goes... right?" Megumi sounded depressed even to her own ears. Her eyes drifted to the floor in tired despondency.
Misao gasped in exaggerated horror. "What are you saying? You can't give up! The only reason that I continue to work here even though Sano obviously is going to boot me soon is because I was drawn to your independence! Come on! Don't give up!" Misao was waving her hands all over throughout her speech, at the end of it they fell to her side.
Megumi sighed, "I guess you're right."
"You guess I'm right?" Misao growled furiously. "Tell yourself that I'm right!"
Misao calmed down, breathing in slowly to calm her nerves. "I'm gunna go back to work now, and tomorrow we are going to have our night out! I'll go with you shopping but then, afterwards we'll have our fun."
Misao left Megumi alone in the room to think. All of her earlier vigor dripping away in huge torrents as she slipped back into her humble servant manner. Tonight she would have to have a long talk with a certain cop.
A/N: Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this story. I was just inspired today to finish the fifth chapter and during my writing I was inspired for later chapters. I never updated because I had no idea what direction this was going to go but now that I do don't expect frequent updates because I still don't know what 'frequent' is for me.
What does Misao have to say to a cop? And what cop is it? Megumi's spirits are already done?! Will that night out really help? I don't even know the answers to half of these questions!
