Part 11: Cooling Off

She could not believe her own behavior. What had she been thinking? Megumi swallowed, feeling her cheeks flush. Ever since their pillow fight in the early morning hours, Megumi hadn't been able to keep her mind off of Sanosuke.

Was she insane?

Megumi needed to clear her head so she had spent some time shopping at the mall. Even if she wasn't going to buy anything…window shopping was therapeutic.

Sano…

What was she going to do about him? From the way he made things sound, it was pretty obvious to where they were heading.

It was scary and exciting at the same time.

But did she want things to end up that way?

While she was willing to admit that she found him attractive, was she really ready for something like this? Getting even more involved with him would be an unpredictable roller coaster.

She was nearly caught off guard when she spotted her father at the jewelry/watch store, carefully examining a watch as he tried it on over his wrist. As if sensing eyes on him, he looked up, meeting her gaze. After handing the watch back to the clerk, he made his way towards her where she stood outside the window of a shoe store.

"Hello, Father," Megumi greeted. Then she glanced at the store behind him. "Watch shopping?"

He nodded. "I'm looking for one with more features. You?"

"I just came to window shop…"

"How's work?" he asked as they began to stroll through the building, passing fellow shoppers who had joined the mid-morning rush.

"It's…good."

They walked quietly for a moment before he abruptly turned to her.

"I understand you've been seeing someone."

Megumi's mouth parted in shock. How did he…? Oh, wait. He was her father. Of course he'd know. And if he didn't know, he'd find ways to know.

"I…not really. Nothing serious." Megumi turned to look over the railing to the shoppers below.

"Is that so?" Ryuusei Takani moved beside her, studying her intently. "You were always so focused on school…you hardly had time for anyone."

"I…just…thought it would be a nice change, that's all," Megumi admitted.

This was really awkward. She and her father hardly ever talked about relationships or anything like that. But then again…how many fathers and daughters did?

He released a breath. "You're an adult. Who you see is your business. But I don't want you getting involved and regretting it."

"There's always a risk when it comes to that," Megumi said.

He cleared his throat. "Your current job situation must not be easy for personal time off. There's plenty of time for that later."

What was her father getting at?

"Father, I-"

"Not many men would understand your position," he continued. "I just don't want to see you hurt." He looked away. "You…are a very caring individual. It would be difficult for you to see someone casually. And men your age…are only after one thing. So be careful."

Her father's warnings were valid. She wasn't that naïve…she knew men in this day and age didn't always have the best intentions.

What about Sanosuke? Would he be bored of her as quickly as he became attracted to her? Even if he had held himself back a few times…

She just didn't know.

Ooo

Sanosuke stared out at the ocean from his work building.

At the moment, he was supposed to be doing an inventory check on supplies that had been brought in from the harbor's latest repair.

It had been well over a month since the fire. Construction would be done soon on the orphanage.

And he hadn't seen Megumi since then.

One of the reasons was that her work schedule had changed. He found out from Kenshin that she started working graveyard shifts and would spend most of her days asleep.

His conversation with Tsunan after he and Megumi spent the night together got him thinking.

Things were different with her.

Why?

He'd never really become seriously involved with women before. Not because he didn't think he could do it…then again he'd never really tried. But being away for so long thanks to his job…it was harsh on anyone, so he'd deliberately kept things simple.

Blowing out a breath, Sano picked up his clipboard before glancing at the items on the long workbench.

Megumi hadn't called him either.

Not that he was expecting her to.

He frowned, twirling his pen between his fingers. Whatever was happening between them, he wasn't planning to ignore it. It just wasn't his style. She wasn't going to leave his thoughts anytime soon, no matter how much time apart they had thanks to work.

He'd figure out a way to move things along.

Sanosuke glanced at his watch. Judging by the time, Megumi would probably be awake. Reaching for his cell phone, he set his clipboard down and made his way outside for a short break.

The phone rang several times before it picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, fox-lady. Did I wake you up?"

"Sano?" Surprise was in her voice. He wondered if she'd been waiting for him to call her. "Hi…yeah…I was still sleeping, but…that's okay."

"I heard you've been working some crazy hours."

He heard several shifting sounds before she said, "Something like that…So how've you been?"

"Good," he answered before saying, "Tsunan and the kids should be moving back into the place soon."

"That's great. Reconstruction's going faster than you thought."

"Pretty much." He switched phone hands. "Listen, when's the next time you're free? We could have dinner sometime."

She was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm…not sure," she hedged. "I'm still not used to this new schedule, so…I'm always so tired."

"That sucks." She sounded tired and…something else. He couldn't figure out exactly but something just…wasn't right.

Megumi laughed softly. "I know. I'm sorry, but I have some things to do before work…if I don't do them now I'll never get them done…"

"All right. I'll call you sometime."

When he hung up, he had the strangest feeling she was trying to avoid him. Then it went away and he shrugged it off. He'd try again in a few days.

A/N: Short update, I know. It's been a while. Any suggestions on Sano or Megumi's next move?