Mune no Monogatari

by Mirune Keishiko

Epilogue

Part Two: Unfinished Business

Three Years Earlier

13th year of Meiji (August, 1880)

With the summer evening's cricket-dense shadows darkening the trees all around them, his long hair fringing his cheekbones and tempting her to reach out and brush it back, and the soft glow from the pond's paper lanterns gleaming in the even bronze of his skin—he looked absolutely magnificent, solemn and handsome and regal as a princely hero straight out of the most girlish romances.

And when he raised his eyes to hers, their deep blue reflecting the lanterns' light and mimicking the star-flecked sky above, Megumi felt her heart flutter in her chest, the blood throb hot and dizzying in her temples.

"Megumi-san."

"H-hai?" she quavered, most uncharacteristically. She felt herself blush in frustration; she couldn't help it! And the pervasive scent of roses, while decidedly pleasant, was not exactly conducive to proper breathing, either...

Ara? Roses? Ah, but now she saw that the surface of the pond was strewn with rose petals, their crimson shapes marking dark spots on the calm glassy surface. Enchanted, Megumi lifted a hand to her pounding heart—he'd thought of everything!

She thought she would pass out once and for all when Aoshi took up the other hand, the one that wasn't clutching for dear life at the collar of her kimono, as though she felt stifled by the garment and needed air. Aoshi's palms were calloused and hardened, but his fingers slid smooth and gentle across her skin. Megumi swallowed involuntarily as he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, before raising those midnight eyes to hers once again.

"I understand that I have so little to give. That, on the other hand, I ask of you so much. That I lay this before you freely, that I have no hold over you, even though you have a hold over me far greater than I could ever wish to break. That the future is uncertain, and that at the same time, I have never had such a stake in it as I do now..."

Megumi drew a slow, shuddering breath as he spoke, tears rising out of both rapidly mounting joy and... and... well... sap.

I can't help it!—she blubbered to herself—he's so sweet, he's babbling now, of all people he's babbling, and he's babbling over me...

"However..."

She bit her lip to keep it steady as he reached for something in an inside pocket of his suit. The tears in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks when he drew out a small black velvet-covered box. But for his warm, tight grasp on it, she knew her hand would have been shaking wildly.

"If you will..."

It was a Western-style ring. Gorgeous. Heaven knew she'd sneaked enough glimpses into jewelry shop windows to know that that fiery ruby and that deep-glimmering sapphire were of first-class quality. It must have cost a dozen fortunes. Oh, Aoshi... Megumi's lip trembled despite herself.

"Megumi-san..."

"Hai?" she whispered.

He gazed up at her, earnest, hopeful, longing, his night-hued eyes more expressive than she'd ever seen them to be.

"Megumi-san..."

"Aa?" she repeated, a bit more impatiently. Get on with it, already! she thought.

But he continued to gaze up at her soulfully.

"MEGUMI-SAN!"

And with a startled gasp, Megumi awoke to find Aoshi's face inches from hers, expressionless as always. Striving to catch her breath, Megumi blinked hard, feeling her heart thud in her chest and this time from no pleasant dreams. She realized she had fallen asleep, ending up slumped against his shoulder. Surreptitiously she wiped a trail of drool from her chin.

And that had been such a lovely ring...

Aoshi watched her silently for a moment, and Megumi, heat flooding her cheeks, yearned to punch the silent amusement out of his gaze.

"We've arrived at the dojo," he said.

Sure enough, Megumi alit from the carriage to find Kaoru waiting with a ready smile and Kenji cradled in her arm, while Kenshin and Yahiko were already helping the coachmen unload the baggage.

"Did everything go well in Aizu, Megumi-san?" and Kaoru beamed with maternal pride as Kenji cooed, eagerly reaching out to play with Megumi's long hair.

"Quite well, thank goodness. The Sanadas have taken care of many things for me. And how are you all, Kaoru-chan?"

"We're doing just fine, thank you, Megumi-dono." Kenshin, on his way back out of the dojo to retrieve more cargo, smiled and bowed slightly.

"Glad to see that." Megumi ruffled Yahiko's hair as he passed by laden with boxes, earning an amiable grunt from the boy in response. "Misao-chan has gone?"

"She left right after you did, taking the Toukai path back to Kyoto. She said a nice long walk alone would do her good. But you both must be tired from all the trips you've been making." Kaoru led the way toward the house. Megumi glanced back to see Aoshi shouldering one of the heavier chests. "There's tea and refreshments waiting for you."

When Megumi paused near-imperceptibly, Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Kenshin made it, okay?"

"What, did I say anything? I didn't say anything." And with a loud peal of laughter that had all the others sweatdropping, Megumi followed Kaoru into the dojo.

Once they were well out of earshot in the dining hall, knowing that the menfolk would be occupied for a while yet with Megumi's things, Kaoru turned on her friend with a bright, almost predatory gleam in her eyes and a huge grin across her face. Quickly Megumi scooped Kenji into her own arms before Kaoru accidentally smothered him in her looming enthusiasm.

Kaoru burst.

"So, has he said anything? He has to have said something. Will we have a wedding? He'll want it as soon as possible, of course. Mou, but you don't have that much time! I'm so excited!" Thus squealing, Kaoru hugged herself, abstract gaze turning starry-eyed, cheeks flushing bright pink as Megumi calmly helped herself to tea and mochi. "If you need help with the kimono and everything, I don't know if you had time to really shop, but that's okay, I'll bet Tae-san's going to help too if we ask her. Ohmigosh, what am I going to wear? And Kenshin—"

"Kaoru-chan." At Megumi's dry tone, Kaoru caught herself and stared more sanely at her friend. Megumi took a bite of her mochi. "There is no wedding."

"O—oh." Kaoru frowned, puzzled. Then she brightened again. "Oh, that's okay, Megumi-san, we really understand." She nodded reflectively, mouth pursing in thought. "Yeah, there really isn't time. You probably have other things to do and a temple ceremony takes weeks to—"

"No. Don't you get it?" And Kaoru pouted at her sharp tone. Megumi sighed—her exhaustion after the long trip and her own frustration was getting the best of her. "Gomen, I didn't mean it to come out that way. But there is no wedding."

With a steely cinnamon gaze she looked at Kaoru directly. At first, the younger girl blinked, uncomprehending—then her blue eyes went wide.

"No!"

"Yes." Megumi sighed again, pouring another cup of tea and thinking to drown her sorrows in it.

"That's not right!" cried Kaoru indignantly, pounding the floor so that the teacups jumped.

"..." said Megumi, finishing her mochi.

"What's not right, Kaoru?" And Kenshin entered the dining hall, with Yahiko and Aoshi at his heels. Sensing an imminent need to have her hands free, Megumi lifted Kenji into his father's embrace.

Kaoru turned scorching eyes to Aoshi. "Do you mean to tell me that—mrmmph!"

"She's a little excited about me going off abroad," said Megumi, smiling sweetly as she clamped the younger girl's mouth shut with one hand and held back Kaoru's flailing fists with the other.

Kenshin returned a similar smile, even though Kenji squirming in his arms and striking tiny dimpled fists against his chest must have been quite distracting. "Yes, it is indeed a wonderful idea, Megumi-dono. I'm sure you will enjoy yourself very much."

"I believe so, Ken-san." Since Kaoru seemed to have calmed down somewhat and was no longer struggling in her grip, Megumi let her go. "Though I'm definitely going to miss home," she added wistfully, looking around at the dojo.

"You won't miss busu's cooking, that's for sure," laughed Yahiko as he bit into some mochi, and Megumi was almost glad for his comment, because it kept Kaoru occupied glaring bloody murder at him than at anyone else in particular.

Afternoon faded quickly into evening in a hum of activity around the dojo. Megumi and Kaoru busied themselves sorting the doctor's belongings into what she would store away in the roomy storage shed and what the Himuras could make use of in the time she would be gone. Kenshin, at his wife's behest, was acting as porter; and Megumi sensed with some unease that Kaoru was having entirely too much fun ordering him about.

"Kenshin, you can put this away now. ...Oh sorry! No, come back! Be careful, that might break! You men never know how to take care of delicate things. I meant that one. No, silly, put that down this instant. I meant the one over there. Poor boy, is it heavy? I'm sure you can handle it, you big strong hunk o' man... Be sure to put it way over in the back of the shed, and move those other things over to the other side... Sorry about the dust..."

"Koishii, I'll have a word with you later," growled Kenshin out the corner of his mouth to his wife; fortunately, Megumi's hearing was keen. Kenshin's narrowed eyes were a smoky purple as they settled on Kaoru.

Kaoru winked at him. "I'm looking forward to it, anata."

Megumi waited until Kenshin had left, slightly huffing and puffing now on his third hour of carting parcels and crates and boxes back and forth from the shed to the engawa, before turning an admiring gaze on Kaoru sitting beside her. "Why, Kaoru-chan, I didn't know you had it in you. I guess I'm leaving Ken-san in very capable hands after all."

"Why, quite capable, thank you, Megumi-san."

And at Kaoru's too-innocent smile and the too-devilish twinkle in her eye, Megumi had to laugh.

Neither of them noticed Aoshi standing some way behind them, watching the scene with interest.

Yahiko had been banished to the other side of the house with plenty of assigned sword-swings to keep him out of their way. As the women had worked, they had heard the echoes of his rhythmic shouts striking a cadence in the air. Suddenly, however, Megumi paused; and Kaoru, too, noticed the stillness.

"Oei, Yahiko!" she called in feigned annoyance. "I don't hear you anymore!"

"We've got a guest, busu," he shouted from the house. And soon two figures, one slightly taller than the other, emerged onto the engawa. Rising to her feet, Megumi dimly registered Aoshi approaching them, looking almost as surprised as she herself felt.

"Hello again, minna!" said Makimachi Misao cheerily. "I'm back!"

tsuzuku

A/N. Hope everyone had fun in this installment. (grin)

To lawless, AzaleaFaye, Trupana (how I've missed you too!), eriesalia (many FFnet-deleted hearts, right back at you!), nuke-grrl (hope you're doing fine), ladie shinomori, yvonne, Larissa Hyuga (glad to be back.), surfer sea turtle, Mary-Ann, Lidens, and ak0: Many thanks, as always, for the reviews! Always warms a writer's heart to know there's an audience out there to receive the fruits of her labor. Even and especially after the long delay! (insert huge smiley here)

Further, special heads-up to lawless, AzaleaFaye, Thief Rikku, Larissa Hyuga, Sharon Herrera, eviladdict, ak0, Lidens, captaineccentric, CWolf2, and everyone else who responded to Chapter 19 (or 20, on FFnet). Your reviews certainly did not let me forget that I had a fic to finish, even if I took my time doing it. (smiley here, again)

To Evil FFnet Auto-Formatting which Deletes All Smileys: Fie upon you, I say! Fie! Fie!

edit. Sorry for whatever confusion might have happened over the timeline. Part One takes place at the time of the official Watsuki-sama epilogue, "Haru ni Sakura," i.e. 3 years after the MnM timeline, with Megumi coming home from studying abroad. Part Two takes place three years before Part One, i.e. in the regular MnM timeline. Again, sorry for the switching timelines.Ü