DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor will I ever own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit from this and I will remove this if requested to do so for any legitimate reason.
WARNING: This story is rated R for violence, so if you do not like graphic depictions of people dying I suggest you find something else to read.
The Last Battle of the Bakumatsu
Chapter 6
Sano was standing toe to toe with Megumi who looked ready to explode into a rant about his stupidity. Sano looking for help glanced at the three people standing behind her. Aoshi was unreadable, Misao was snickering and Kenshin looked worried.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to rest before tonight," Aoshi emotionlessly stated and then walked into the house.
"Ah, I'll get you some tea Aoshi," Misao hurriedly stammered as she jogged to the kitchen. Kenshin looked around and obviously didn't want to be around at the moment Megumi erupted.
"I think I hear Kaoru calling," Kenshin offered weakly as Sano glared at him. Kenshin quickly made his escape leaving Sano and Megumi alone. Sano looked at Megumi waiting for her to act first. She had her head bowed so that he couldn't see her eyes and took a cleansing breath that she let out with an audible sigh.
"I need to check your wounds, follow me." Megumi's cold voice made Sano wish that she had yelled at him but he could only watch as she turned and walked back to his room. He followed picking up his trunk along the way. He paused in the doorway to see Megumi kneeling next to the futon sorting out some medical supplies. Sano placed the trunk down and reopened it. Megumi watched as he took out a wooden box that he placed on the dresser in the room. Opening the box he pulled out some of the packing before carefully removing a blue urn and placing it on the dresser.
"She must have been someone special," Megumi commented trying not to offend him by bringing up an obviously difficult subject.
"I guess she was, I mean she did save my life," Sano mumbled depositing the discarded box in a corner.
"I think it must have been more than that for you to bring her ashes all the way back and treat them with so much respect. The only other thing I have seen you respect as much is your beloved Sekihoutai." Sano's ruefully smiled as he sat on the futon with his back to Megumi.
"Really? Well it's a long story," Sano eased his shoulders out of his yukata as Megumi waited for him.
"I'd like to hear it sometime," Sano glanced over his shoulder to see if Megumi's face reflected the same emotion as her soft voice. "What? You keep going on how this woman saved your life, why shouldn't I be a little curious about her?" Megumi's defensive voice was a little harsher than she anticipated but Sano didn't seem to mind as he turned away looking amused. There were a few brief moments of silence as she started to unwrap his bandages and he removed his gauntlets.
"It's just that I don't remember having many serious conversations with you?" Megumi bit back a scream at Sano's stupidity.
"That's because you were always too stupid to know when the conversation was serious." Sano grunted for some reason before he decided to answer.
"So when I came back from Shinsuu, you really wanted to know why I went there?" Megumi paused in her movements as she remembers the night he came back just before they left to fight Enishi. However she let the question go unanswered as the last bandage was removed.
"Lie down," she stated and he compiled, sighing as he settled onto the futon.
"You still haven't answered my question," Sano muttered as Megumi began her cursory examination of his wounds. She wiped away several spots of blood where he had aggravated his wounds before she replied.
"And you aren't answering mine," she cut back as her sleeve brushed over the scars on Sano's stomach.
"Fine but you owe me a bottle of sake," Sano whispered as he closed his eyes.
"Why do I owe you anything?" Megumi responded in a voice that sounded like a shout compared to his. When she looked at his eyes, they were open but vacant as he delved back into his memory looking for something. Megumi decided to get back to her treatment but Sano's far away voice stopped her.
"Aoi, her name was Aoi. Her parents died of tuberculosis and had accumulated lots of debts, so she was sold into slavery. She never said where she was from, only that she was fifteen at the time and that was the last time she had been in Japan. That's all I know of what happened in her life before I met her in a brothel in some Californian railway town." Sano shifted slightly, glancing at Megumi who had stopped treating him and was staring at his face. For a moment he though he saw some pain in her eyes but when she blinked it was gone.
"You don't have to tell me," Sano detected a slight waver in Megumi's voice but her face betrayed no emotion.
"I'm not going to stop now that I have started, you did want to hear this," Sano cursed his cold tone. Megumi only nodded sadly, increasing Sano internal discord.
"I had met this guy in a bar fight about a year ago and as repayment for saving his life he took me along to help at his goldmine. Anyway when we arrived there and travelled to the nearby town I found out that Aoi was in the next town. Well I couldn't resist the idea of talking to someone from Japan so I went there to check it out," Sano flinched as Megumi applied some antiseptic to one of his wounds.
"I'm sure that's the only reason you went," Megumi sarcastically remarked as she worked.
"You think I was just going for the sex I suppose," the look from Megumi confirmed his statement. "You really think that lowly of me," Sano said bitterly, which surprised Megumi.
"What do you expect me to think with the way you behave," Megumi looked down at Sano who was regarding her with an impassive stare.
"The people that told me about her also said that she had tuberculosis," Megumi gasped slightly as Sano closed his eyes turning his face away from her. "The people that owned her just used her as cheap labour, cleaning up after other customers and stuff. Of course that was except when I showed up, I'd pay for her to join me at a table and we would talk and drink. I was good to speak in Japanese after four years trying to talk in languages I hardly knew. We became pretty good friends even though I did most of the talking. She would just pour me drinks as I recounted my travels and stories from my life in Japan." Sano started to smile at the memories of his late night conversations.
"So what happened then?" Megumi inquired in a timid voice. She was hesitant to interrupt his memories and she also felt guilty about her previous comments on his character.
"We struck it rich, that's what and we hit our usual hang outs to celebrate," Sano's tired voice caught Megumi's attention and she stopped to listen. "It was late when he showed up and Aoi and I were just drinking at our usual table. I didn't see him come in but I remember I was having a good time and laughing a lot. He thought we were plotting against him because we kept talking in Japanese. He confronted us and I told him to sober up but when I turned my back, he pulled my gun."
"Your gun?" Megumi interrupted causing Sano to look up at her. Uncomfortable in this position, Sano sat up but was sitting side on to Megumi.
"Yeah my gun, in America just about everyone carries a gun," Sano talks in a distant voice as he stares at Aoi's ashes.
"Everyone carrying a gun, that doesn't sound safe," Megumi muses as Sano continues staring at the urn. "You still haven't told me his name," Megumi's voice brings Sano back to the present.
"I'm not going to, not after what he did," Sano growled, the loathing he felt for him surfacing.
"I take it he shot you," Megumi spoke softly, carefully studying Sano's dark expression.
"Yeah, I turned around and he shot me twice, I just dropped to my knees in shock. I remember looking down as the blood soaked through my clothes. When I looked up Aoi, who was trying to protect me, had the gun forced into her mouth. This guy was supposed to be my friend, we had travel halfway across America together and here he was with a gun in Aoi's mouth and a twisted smile on his face. So I got up and punched him," Sano chuckled despondently.
"So you crushed his skull," Megumi morosely added but Sano's laughter faded.
"It wasn't that simple," Sano began to stare at his right hand turning it over to look at it from every angle. "I was beyond angry. I must have screamed because he looked at me horrified. Then I got up and punched him with everything I had, Futae-no-Kiwami and all. His head just exploded, blood, bone and brain went everywhere. Mostly it was all over my hand, arm and face. I remember looking at my bloody hand and then I just blacked out." Megumi took his hand in both of hers watching as he continued to stare at urn. Several minutes passed before Sano spoke again.
"I woke up two weeks later back in the hut by the mine. Aoi said that after they stitched me up, the town wanted nothing to do with us. So that's where we stayed. She looked after me till I was strong enough to start mining again and we decide once we had enough gold we would go back to Japan. Of course after a while her tuberculosis started to get worse. Eventually she couldn't move and there was no way she was going to make it to Japan. She asked me to fix some medicine for her but I spent enough time around you to know the difference between medicine and poison."
"You mean she wanted you to poison her while making you believe it was some sort of medicine?" Megumi's disbelief was accompanied by a hint of anger.
"That's right, at least at first," Sano responded absently as he tried to articulate what happened. "Before she swallowed any she broke down crying and confessed. I told her that I knew what it was and said that I didn't mind helping her. After she calmed down she drank it and I held her as she died. She smiled, the first genuine smile I ever saw on her face just before it ended. I guess it was her way of thanking me," Sano's eyes were closed and he smiled as he remembered Aoi's smile. It was a sad smile that made Megumi regret that she never had the chance to meet this woman.
"In the end it was a good way to die," Sano's voice was unnervingly serious as he turned his eyes toward Megumi. "I'd like to die like that if you couldn't save me," Megumi bit her lip to stop herself from gasping in shock. Her face was emotionless but it softened as Sano's stare bore into her.
"I don't think I could," Megumi whispered as she bowed her head. There was silence and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was examining her.
"You say that now but when you are in a situation like that you know it's the right thing to do," Megumi looked up to deny his statement but his smile stopped her. It was one of confidence, not in himself but in her. That confidence was also reflected in his eyes. The combination of the two seemed to take away Megumi's ability to speak. She sat there trying to conjure up something to say but in the end he spoke first.
"I was wondering where that was," he pondered out loud as he lifted the hand Megumi was holding. She tried to pull her hands away but he held he left hand in place. Her sleeve slipped down her arm to reveal a red ribbon, neatly wrapped around her left wrist.
"I just wanted to make sure it wasn't lost," she moved to untie it but Sano stopped her.
"Keep it," he replied as he released her hand and it hovered on its own in front of her.
"But it's the last reminder you have of the Sekihoutai," Megumi asked slightly taken back by the offer.
"It's not like that is the original ribbon, not even the first replacement. I can't remember how many I've lost or that have gotten destroyed but it is still a reminder of my past just like my gi is a reminder of my beliefs." Sano looked a Megumi who was giving him a strange look. Eventually she just shook her head and started to smile.
"You must be getting soft to be talking like this," Sano chuckled at her comment, his depressing memories pushed to the back of his mind.
"Not really but we never really had a serious conversation before so this is the first time we have really talked." Sano's comment seemed to stall the laughter as both regretted the truth in the statement.
"Turn around so I can bandage you up again," Sano turned his back to Megumi who bandaged Sano's chest again. They stayed in a comfortable silence, although thoughts about Sano's story plagued both of them. Sano heard the door open behind him but he didn't need to turn around to see who it was or to know he was in a serious mood.
"Now turn back around so I can check you head," Sano complied but made no effort to strike up a conversation with the man standing in the door. Megumi unravelled the bandage on Sano's head and leaned forward to inspect the wounds to his forehead.
"Don't think of trying anything," Megumi forcefully whispered as she notice a grin spread on Sano's lips.
"I wasn't, I was just noticing the colour of your eyes," Megumi lifted an eyebrow in question. She didn't really believe him, she wanted to but this was Sano. She sat back and looked at him seriously as she got back to being a doctor.
"As long as you cover those wounds they should be fine. Here," she pulls up her left sleeve and tries to remove Sano's old headband.
"Hey I told you to keep it," Megumi looked up to protest but Sano had moved to his trunk where he proceeded to search around for something. As he did so Kenshin stepped into the room and bent down so that he could whisper into Megumi's ear.
"You should make a closer examination of his right hand Megumi-dono," Megumi gazed at Kenshin inquisitively but Sano cut in.
"It's nothing to worry about Kenshin," Sano voice was deadly serious but Kenshin met it with a smile.
"I think you should let Megumi-dono decide that Sano?" Kenshin didn't flinch under Sano's glare. Sano didn't want anybody to know about his hand tremors, especially Megumi.
"Decide what? What are you two talking about?" Megumi didn't try to hide the concern in her voice but neither of the two men noticed it. Sano was untying a red silk ribbon from where it secured a pile of white clothes into a small bundle.
"It's nothing Fox, Kenshin is just worrying about nothing," Sano hid his eyes from them as he bowed his head to tie the new ribbon around his head. Megumi didn't trust people who hid their eyes intentionally when talking and when it was Sano she knew something was going on. Megumi turned to Kenshin who was also watching Sano with concern.
"At lunch I saw Sano's right hand shake involuntarily. He tried to hide it so I'm sure this isn't the first time it's happened." Sano was glaring at Kenshin when Megumi looked at him and he wouldn't meet her gaze.
"Show me your hand," Megumi demanded and Sano meekly complied. She carefully studied his hand and wrist, making him flex each finger and probing the flesh for anything abnormal. She found nothing other than the result of his severely broken hand from five years ago.
"There is nothing physically wrong with your hand but that doesn't mean that the spasm wasn't a result of a previous injury. When did they start?" Sano just casually shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't remember but it has been for at least a couple of years," Sano spoke seriously after Megumi stared sternly at him.
"Do you remember any bad head injuries or being hit hard in the head?" Sano just smirks.
"I got into a lot of fights where I got hit in the head," he chuckled but Megumi gave him a warning glare to make sure he took this seriously. "No I don't remember having a bad head injury. What does being hit in the head have to do with my hand tremors?" Megumi sighed and then spoke in her normal clinical voice, one that Sano used to ignore.
"The chances are that if you have suffered some bad head injuries in could have translated into some damage to your brain. That damage could be the cause of your tremors but there is no way I can treat it. There is also the possibility that it could get progressively worse and cause more debilitating injuries. Of course it could just be psychological," Megumi noted that Sano actually seemed to be listening intently.
"Psychological?" Sano echoes questioningly, never breaking his gaze from her.
"It means the brain is overwhelmed by a extremely stressful and traumatic event and can't deal with it in a normal way. You may not remember what it was because your brain is deliberately stopping you from remembering it. Since it's localised to your right hand, it may be something that you did with that hand," Megumi looked at Sano, silently suggesting the story he just told her.
"It started a long time before I punched him," Sano muttered. He looked a little downcast and Megumi's professional attitude softened to show a little concern. Kenshin was unaware of what Sano was referring to and just looked puzzled so he decided to leave.
"You should rest some more Sano," Kenshin spoke as he rose to leave. "Saito and Aoshi should be able to handle this matter so there is no reason for you to get involved more than you have to." With that Kenshin left, leaving Megumi alone with Sano again. She began cleaning up her medical supplies while Sano unravelled the clothes in front of him.
"Just in case something does happen I want you to know that these will be yours," Megumi looked up after finishing her cleaning.
"You can't be serious," she gasped as she laid eyes on a pile of eight small gold bars.
"I don't care if you don't keep them. Give them to Kenshin and Kaoru, Yahiko or even to charity but you decide what to do with it." Sano watched Megumi as she alternately stared at him and the gold.
"Did you really need this much?" Megumi spoke as she stretched out a hand to touch one of the bars.
"Well I have debts to pay and houses aren't cheap," he replied evenly.
"A house?" Megumi asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, you don't expect me to raise a family in a one room apartment like I used to have and I'm not staying here for the rest of my life." Megumi just stared blankly at him before regaining some of her composure.
"Family? Are you sure you don't remember any serious head injuries?" Sano just laughed that off.
"Well people change and I have dreams you know," Sano mumbled as he gathered the gold and piled them on his trunk. Megumi was a little taken aback by Sano who seemed to be a little too serious compared to his old self.
"Good luck then," Megumi stood up and opened the shoji. "Or should I say good luck to the woman you intend to marry," Megumi chuckled but Sano smirked.
"Careful what you say Fox, that woman might just be you," Megumi was slightly startled by his comment but she turned around intent on showing some contempt for it. However Sano was quick to slide the door shut before she could retaliate. It wouldn't normally have stopped her but the brief image of Sano just before he disappeared brought her mind and body to a screeching halt. She could have sworn that there was some truth to his statement that his face failed to mask. As Megumi walked away she tried to repress the hope that sprang from that single image.