Author's Note: Hiya all! Thanks so much for giving me a total of around ten reviews since I last updated! Thank you thank you thank you! Made jump up about a mile from my seat in the library where I was checking… I'm sorry for making you all wait so long; it's just that my exams are nearing (again?) and I had so many projects coming up and tests and all, then there was my friend's birthday so a whole two weeks have flown by. Anyway, this week my mother tongue teacher was away for FOUR WHOLE DAYS so that pretty much gave everyone a lot of time to daydream… AND I got this chapter written as well. Anyway enough crapping, on with the "show"!

Kitsune's Confession

Chapter Six: Wake-up call

"Megumi-san!" Dr Gensai called after the lady doctor as they crossed paths in the clinic. "What is it?" she asked as she turned round to face him.

"There's a new supply of medicine that just arrived at the medical hall down the road," he explained. "I've been meaning to go down and get it myself, but my leg's been acting up the whole day and giving me problems so…"

"It's all right," Megumi replied before he could finish his sentence. "You should be resting with that bad leg of yours instead of running around and making it worse. Give me a minute to get ready."

So saying, she went off to "get ready" by going into Sanosuke's room and checking on him one last time before she left. She really didn't want to part with him but it wasn't right to make an old man like Dr Gensai do all the work…

"Ofo! Watch it, you old ha-" grumbled a slightly-built kid with a bokken as they collided with each other. "Megumi-san!"

"Yahiko? What are you doing here?" she asked puzzled. Come to think of it, what's he thinking calling me an old hag?

"Uh, I dropped by to see how rooster was doing," Yahiko explained quickly. "On my way back from getting tofu."

Megumi raised an eyebrow at the kid samurai. Obviously he was wasn't very good at lying because he held a bokken and not a bycket of tofu.

"Well, I'm sure Kaoru and Ken-san are going to enjoy their tofu," she said rather sarcastically. Yahiko grinned sheepishly, "I know," he admitted. "But I just had to come see how he's getting on."

Feeling a bit surprised as well as touched by his concern, the lady doctor nodded. Casting a final look at Sanosuke, she said slyly, "I won't tell Kaoru that you snuck out if you watch over Sanosuke while I'm gone1"

What the- Yahiko grumbled to himself. He could've sworn he saw two fox ears popped out the very moment she said that! "Fine," he muttered unwillingly. He trudged into the room and plopped down hard on the chair.

"Arigato Yahiko-chan!" she thanked him cheerfully, and went off.

"How many times do I have to say, my name's not Yahiko-chan!" he retorted, gritting his teeth.

…

Several minutes later, the kid samurai sat slouching against the wall. He was supposed to have started practicing by now, but considering the odds, Kaoru was probably grinding her axe specially for her one and only student.

Jeez, how long can he stand snoring for nearly two weeks straight? He commented inwardly to himself. Yahiko began muttering randomly, trying not to let the boredom to get to him.

"Open sesame, open rooster's eyes, open Ugly's skirt…ewww! What was I thinking?" he grimaced at the very thought of it.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of Sanosuke's bandaged fingers twitch.

"What the-? I could've sworn he had just moved!" a shocked Yahiko exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Hey! Wake up rooster head!" he cried, shaking the unconscious patient.

…

Megumi approached the medicine hall.

"Excuse me," she began. "I was told that the Ishida powder just arrived today so I came to replenish my supply.

The medicine seller at the corner nodded approvingly as if in deep thought. "Uh," said the lady doctor hesitantly.

"Zzzzz…"

Slap! Slap! Slap!

She knocked the snoring fellow sharply with a shrill cry of "Wake up!"

I can't believe that woman's a doctor, thought his colleague, who had been watching from where he sat waiting for customers. The plump man waddled over and asked her, "What can I do for you?"

"I would like some Ishida powder." Megumi repeated her request, feeling slightly exasperated at this poor service.

"Flowers? I believe you should take a trip round the corner to the florist. We don't sell Ishida flowers here, only medicines." He replied beaming.

Great. One's a sleeping "beauty" and the other's hard o hearing. Megumi sighed. This was going to take quite a while.

…

When he still did not respond, Yahiko got impatient and started to get up from his seat. "I'm gonna go get my death sentence," he announced to no one in particular.

Just as he was about to talk off, he heard a faint call of, "Kitsune."

"Dwah?" he yelled in shock, spinning around. "A-a ghost?" He had heard of former patients returning from the dead to haunt the very place they had spent the last of their days awaiting the grim reaper.

"Kistune… Kitsune…" To Yahiko's utmost horror, the corpse on the bed got up all by itself! "Gyaaaaaaahhhhh!" he cried, throwing himself at the zombie and attacking it with all his might.

…

"Gyaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" the kid samurai continued thrashing about in his nightmare with the "zombie" chanting a curse on him!

"Kistune…"

Crash! Due to his ardent "struggling", the seat broke and he landed on the floor with a rough thud! "Owww…" he whined, rubbing his sore rear end.

"Kitsune…" repeated Sanosuke softly, his eyes opening a little.

"Ah!" Yahiko bolted and made for the door, only to collide with none other than Katsu!"

"Oof! Watch it you ha-" Yahiko quickly stopped himself from uttering the forbidden word again.

"Nani?

"Eh, nothing, "he said quickly.

"Well you were about to sprint out of here." Said Katsu, slightly puzzled at the ten-year old's behaviour.

"He's getting up!" Yahiko blurted out, pointing a finger in the patient's direction.

"What the-" said Katsu, looking also.

In the next few moments, the two were in a scuffle to get to the bed first.

"Oof! Watch it!"

"Move over!"

Slowly, Sanosuke's eye lids fluttered open, as if he were waking from a deep slumber.

A very very deep sleep that lasted almost two weeks.

"Wha-" he muttered, trying to move. Instantly, his friend Katsu helped him to sit up in his bed.

"How long have I been here?" he muttered, rubbing his tousled hair and inspecting the bandages all over his now healing injuries.

"About two weeks." Yahiko informed him.

For awhile, Sanosuke sat frowning, as if concentrating on something of utmost importance.

All of a sudden, he sprang up. "Where's she?" he asked looking a little anxious.

"Who?" they both asked, slightly confused.

"Kitsune, I gotta speak to her." He explained. "I gotta ask her why…"

"Why she cried."

"You…you knew?" Katsu asked shocked. "But how could you…?"

The look that the former Zanza gave his friend told him that now was not the time for questions.

"I heard her talking… about me," he said slowly, as if he were explaining a basic process to a pair of madmen.

Huh? The ten-year old frowned, his mind a jumbled mess.

"But it's not like she's gonna tell me face to face so…"

"So?" Katsu asked, sensing that his friend had one of his big plans as usual.

"I got an idea."

…

"Oof!"

Katsu was helping Sanosuke to get to another room next to his.

"I don't get it," he huffed as he lifted the taller (and heavier) man. "Why do you want to play hide-and-seek with her?"

"Just help me will you?" Sanosuke muttered.

Author's Note: Hehe, that's done. The whole thing is nearly finished. Haha. During class while I was writing this, I asked my friend to read it aloud. Sh'e got this talent to make her voice very helium like like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. It was way hilarious. I nearly fell off my chair listening to her.

I will be editing my previous chapters before the grand finale. I can't wait! I bet you can't also!

Please review! Arigato!

My fingers are hurting…

-grin5- mC