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.

Author's Notes: I'm back, even though I never really left. However, if you're reading this I guess you already know that I'm posting again after a ten month hiatus. Hopefully, there won't be as long a gap between this chapter and the next. While I could think of plenty more to say here, I won't because you probably won't read half of it before skipping to the story. So enjoy and review or complain, depending on how you feel after the last ten months of nothing new.

The Last Battle of the Bakumatsu

Chapter 24

By SDB

"I want to sleep," Misao drowsily whined as she was shaken back to the conscious world.

"But if you don't hurry you'll miss it." Outa continued to push and pull her in hopes of getting her out of bed. She groaned before shrugging him off and pulling the blanket over her head. He watched her for a moment, frowning when she failed to move. Taking a firm grip of the blanket, he snatched it off her and sent her rolling across the floor.

"Outa," her dangerous whisper made him gulp but he didn't move. "You know it's not nice to steal a woman's blanket. What do you have to say for yourself?" Her deadly voice remained low as she moved into position to pounce on him.

"If you don't come quickly, you'll miss it." Before she could react, he tossed the blanket over her and darted out the door. Growling with frustration, she ran after him as he ran out the front door. She would have tackled him if he didn't have a finger over his mouth telling her to be quiet. She slid to a stop short of colliding with him and turned in the direction he was pointing.

At the far end of the porch, hidden by the early morning shadows was something she couldn't quite distinguish. She cautiously moved closer until she was able to make out what it was. Sitting against the house, wrapped in a blanket, were Megumi and Sano. They appeared comfortable as they leaned against each other. Megumi's head was resting against Sano shoulder and his head was resting against hers. A slight breeze gently blew across their hair creating a rather serene scene.

A million evil and wicked thoughts went through Misao's mind as she pondered what to do. This situation was almost too good to pass up. It could provide her with enough entertainment to last her a lifetime. However, her chance had passed as Megumi began to stir and her cinnamon eyes opened. She looked slightly disoriented at first before a contented smile spread across her lips. It wavered for a moment as she noticed two people watching her.

"Good morning Megumi," Misao smiled at the older woman, a plan developing in her mind.

Megumi didn't miss the devious glint in her eyes. She remained calm as she slipped out from under the blanked and moved away from Sano to the edge of the porch. "Good morning Misao, Outa. Did you sleep well?" She continued to smile at them as she smoothed out some of the wrinkles in her kimono.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Misao confessed with a wily smirk. "But considering what I've seen, I think you did a little more than just sleep." Megumi tried to keep the pleasant images that came to mind from turning her cheeks red. However, a quick look back at Sano and she saw a stupid grin plastered on his face.

"Not to be rude but I don't really think that it's any of your business." Her smile was a little forced but the younger woman broadened hers.

"I just thought you might want me to know. I mean, we were just leaving for the dojo and we didn't want to give Kaoru the wrong impression. If she were to ask about you, telling her what I saw might make her think you were doing something… indecent." She had to stop herself from laughing as the doctor's calm appearance dropped away.

There was nothing Megumi hated more than giving Kaoru the chance to embarrass her. "Does she really need to know about this?" She stood up from the porch and attempted to stop Misao's probably escape.

"Well, she likes to hear all the gossip and this piece would be sure to make her day." Misao was enjoying this, it wasn't often she had the upper hand on the cunning doctor. Before she could reply, there was a loud yawn from Sano as he stretched. He climbed to his feet, drowsily joining the group. His clouded eyes looked between the two women and his brother but he didn't say anything.

"Misao was wondering what was going on, is there anything that you'd like to say?" Megumi looked expectantly at him and he looked blankly back. His blank expression continued as he glanced at Misao.

"The only thing I can think of is that we're out of rice. If you want breakfast, you're probably going to have to go to the dojo. Kaoru won't let me in smelling like this, so I'll have a quick bath and catch up with you." Misao hid a giggle by clamping a hand over her mouth. Megumi just stared at him as he walked passed them and towards the house.

"That's not what I meant. Aren't you forgetting something?" Megumi glared at him as he scratched the back of his head in thought. Eventually, he hit upon the only answer he could think of.

"You're right," he muttered as he walked back to them. Before she could react, he slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her closer. "Morning Fox," his sultry whisper came a moment before his lips meet hers. She appeared to resist at first but slowly melted in his arms. Misao had almost cried out in victory but she now found herself blushing at the intense scene before her. She covered Outa's eyes and coughed loudly to draw the couple's attention. "I forgot there are children present," Sano grunted as he broke the kiss.

"Hey," Misao cried indignantly as he started to walk back to the house again. Megumi appeared frozen, a reddish tint to her cheeks and a slight longing in her eyes. With a bright smile Misao turned to Outa, "Let's get to the dojo, there's a lot to tell Kaoru." Megumi broke from her trance but was unable to stop them as they bolted out the gate and down the street.

She felt her anger rising as she realised what she was in for when she arrived at the dojo. Her frustration turned to Sano, his kiss was too much like a boast about their new relationship. While she didn't mind that everyone knew, she would have preferred to tell them in her own way. Misao's devious mind was probably thinking up a juicy story that would blow everything out of proportion. She couldn't do anything about that now but she could do something about Sano's part in all of this.

She stormed through the house heading towards the bathhouse. The door was closed but she didn't hesitate flinging it open when she heard him whistling inside. Her voice caught in her throat as his head snapped up at her. He still had his pants on but he had removed the bandages from his waist. The two white scars appeared almost luminescent in the dim light. Seeing them again reminded her of the darker side of last night's discussion.

"Are you going to yell or join me?" His voice brought her back to reality as she caught up with the fact that he had started to untie his belt.

She half closed the door and turned her back on him. "Do you know what's happening right now?" she heard him chuckle loudly. "Misao has gone to the dojo and she's probably telling Kaoru what she thinks has been happening."

"And what does she think has been happening?" He tested the water and found it warm, probably from Outa having a bath earlier. He still felt a little out of it and didn't let the temperature bother him as he climbed in.

She just listened, since she really didn't have an answer. She wasn't sure what the little weasel girl was thinking but she knew that she had a wild imagination. "Aren't you worried about what they're saying?"

"Nope, not a bit." His disregard of the question infuriated her even more. "You shouldn't worry about it, you never did before."

"Still, with what she saw this morning, there's no telling what kind of story she'll come up with." She grumbled, the possibilities were endless, especially if Kaoru joined the speculation.

"You're starting to sound like you're afraid of what they're going to say." He dropped a soaking rag on his head and squeezed out the water. He closed his eyes and let it flow over his skin like a soothing caress. "Just do what you always do, use that charming wit and cunning mind to beat them at their own game." He repeated the process of dumping a wet rag on his head, as she remained silent. He felt a slight chill from a soft breeze and opened his eyes to see hers inches from his own.

"I guess you're wondering what my cunning mind is thinking up right now." She smiled as he swallowed hard, trying not to show any fear.

"Sure am but I don't think it's anything like what I'm thinking." He was contemplating pulling her in with him but he didn't think she'd appreciate that.

Her sly smile showed that she knew exactly what he was thinking. Stepping back she continued to grin as she picked up his clothes and towel. "These look like they could use a wash. I'm sure Kenshin won't mind if I add them in with the dojo's washing."

"And what am I supposed to wear when I go to get my clothes back?"

She widened her grin as she pulled his headband from the clump of clothes. "This should be enough for you." She let it flutter to the ground before closing the door. He heard her trademark laughter as she left him alone with only a thin strip of red fabric for cover. Knowing that she was gone, he started chuckling himself. It wasn't as if he didn't have something else to wear. However, his laughter slowly died away as he realised that she could be in his room taking the rest of his clothes.

Reluctantly, he jumped out of the bath and shook off the excess water. He opened the door a little and peered out at the back of his house. Holding the washrag in one hand and using it as cover, he darted out to the back door. He didn't hear any movement inside, so he slipped inside and went straight to his bedroom. He sighed with relief when he saw that the rest of his clothes were still there.

At first he went to grab his old mining clothes but they were a little worn. He then decided that if he'd have to dress like a westerner, he might as well do it with style. He dug out the best clothes he had, ones that he had only worn a few times when Aoi wanted him to look presentable. He pulled on the black pants, white shirt, black vest and black jacket. He left the tie behind, deciding against choking himself for the rest of the day. He pulled out a pair of dusty black boots and used the washrag to polish them up a bit.

Before he left his room, he noticed a small bundle of papers with his name on it. He assumed that it was the information Matsumoto promised to give him. He tucked it into the inside pocket of his jacket as he left the room. He tossed the washrag back into the bath and picked up his red headband. After deciding to slick back his wet hair, he wrapped it around his wrist. With nothing left to do, he strolled out to the front gate and locked it. In the warm morning sun, he walked toward the dojo while thinking of a way to get Megumi back.

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Megumi looked into the room with trepidation. Upon her arrival, she had been greeted by Kaoru. She had immediately asked why the doctor had Sano's clothes. Her quick response was to say that she'd brought them to be washed. That brought up the inevitable question of how she got them. Bluntly, she said that he took them off before she walked around her to get to Kenshin. From there it was a simple trade of Kenshin Washing the clothes in exchange for Megumi helping to make breakfast.

While she had been in the kitchen, Kaoru and Misao had been gossiping. The new topic was how Megumi had gotten Sano to take his clothes off. This was the reason for her reluctant entry but neither woman appeared to have noticed her yet. "If you're finished making up rumours to spread, breakfast is ready." They both cleared out of her way but before she could enter a pair of arms pulled her back.

"Guess I'm just in time," Sano calmly stated, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Megumi relaxed when she realised who it was. "You obviously didn't waste any time getting here."

"Well being naked is great motivation for moving fast."

"You ran all the way here… NAKED?" Misao screamed as she stared at him with a red face. From her position inside, Megumi obscured Sano's body. Also, they were silhouetted by the light behind them, which hid a lot of the detail.  Megumi was developing a crimson tint to her cheeks, as he held onto her tighter.

"Hey, she's the one who stole all my clothes."

"But… but I didn't think you'd come all this way with no clothes on." Megumi spluttered, not sure what to do with what she thought was a naked man clinging to her. Misao was still in shock but Kaoru was struggling to hold back her laughter. She seemed to be the only one who had looked at Sano's arms and noticed that he was actually wearing something.

"I guess you were wrong but I don't see your problem. I'm the one who ran here naked." Sano was on the verge of cracking himself. Megumi had kept her eyes forward since he grabbed her. Misao had turned away and seemed to be chanting to herself that she didn't want to see.

Yahiko suddenly appeared beside Sano and took a bemused look around the room. "Since when did you start wearing western clothes Sano?"

"WHAT!" Both Megumi and Misao cried simultaneously. Megumi shrugged the laughing man off, trying not to drop the tray of food in her hands. As he stepped away from her, she could see that he was actually dressed. Her anger only increased when she noticed that Kaoru was laughing along with Sano.

"I can't believe that I actually thought that…" Her short tirade ended in a frustrated scream. She placed the food down and angrily sat down next to it. Misao also sat there looking annoyed as Kaoru and Sano laughed about the faces they had made. Kenshin arrived with Outa and Kenji but when he looked at Yahiko for an explanation, the teenage boy just shrugged his shoulders.

Kaoru started to settle down as the others took their seats. She got up and gestured for Sano to follow her. With everyone else beginning breakfast, the two left unnoticed. Once they were out in the yard and out of earshot, Kaoru stopped. "We need to talk."

"Why else would you drag me out here?" he sarcastically commented.

She gave him a dark look and he realised she was serious about something. "I'm sorry," she sighed and bowed, catching him off guard.

"Huh, for what?" She straightened up but didn't look up at his face.

"When you first came back, the fight on the streets scared me. It wasn't just you, Kenshin started to look like the Battousai. Then, when you woke up, Kenji actually liked you when he doesn't even to like his own father. Everything was perfect, peaceful and then you turned everything upside down. I thought you were going to drag Kenshin in with you, just like Yahiko had been. I know it's not your fault but at the time I blamed you, for that I am sorry."

Sano stared at her for a while, the wind blowing his dry hair into his eyes. "You know, the Fox has been wondering if I hit my head and did some damage. I think she needs to ask you that."

"Sano," her low, lethal voice brought a nostalgic look to his face. "I'm trying to be serious here and you're acting like a moronic chicken head." He started to chuckle and she stared at him quizzically.

"You're taking this too seriously Jou-chan. Try relaxing a little," he tried to encourage her to smile but she continued to look concerned.

"You take life too easy. I have too much to worry about." She stared at the breakfast scene that could be seen through the open doors.

"You worry too much. Kenshin's not going to leave, he wouldn't have married you if he was." A sly grin appeared on his face as he continued to speak. "As for Kenji, he's a little too young to go out gambling and drinking with me. In ten years or so maybe he'll be old enough."

"Don't even joke about that," she punched his arm as he laughed.

"So was begging for my forgiveness the only thing you wanted to talk about?" He was beginning to think that they'd never get back to breakfast if they didn't hurry up.

She paused for a moment, glaring at him while trying to decide if shouting at him would help. "Actually, I remember Megumi mentioning that you were paying off your old debts."

"How much?" he sighed with suspicion.

"Considering everything, I'd rather have you work some of it off. With Kenshin not being as strong as he once was, there are things I won't let him do. So the roof, walls and floor all need attention as well as the fence, the storehouse and some trees…" She used her fingers as if she was checking off each chore for him.

"Stop," he silence her by putting his hand over her mouth. "I'll come by in the afternoons and you can tell me what needs to be done, okay?" She nodded since he hadn't removed his hand from her mouth. "Good, now let's eat because I'm starving."

"It's always about food with you," she groaned as they walked back to the house.

"No, it's all about food, sake and fighting." He chuckled before he appeared to remember something. "Anyway, I was wondering how Outa was doing?" The question was loud enough for Outa to hear and he looked at them both expectantly as they joined the group.

"Well, he's a very dedicated student and he has patience, discipline and manners. Something that I could never say about one of my students when he was that age." Yahiko grumbled to himself under Kaoru's steely gaze. "But in my opinion he'll make an excellent master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Of course, that's if you trust my opinion." Outa looked proudly at Kaoru before waiting for his brother's acknowledgement.

"Well, considering all the raccoon girls I've seen, you're the best at wielding a pointed wooden stick." Both Sano and Yahiko started laughing as Kaoru struggled to determine if he had complimented or insulted her. When their laughter became irritating, she gave up and smacked them both over the head.

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It was mid morning and he was comfortably relaxing between consciousness and sleep. The sun was warm on his skin and if he opened his eyes, he'd see a perfectly clear blue sky. He didn't feel restless, he felt tranquil. For him it was an unnatural calm that he had never experienced. He suddenly didn't care if the Shinsengumi were there or not. He didn't need to fight them anymore. It was a disturbing thought considering his conversation with Megumi the night before.

It wasn't a huge leap to make, that his intensifying relationship with her was already calming him down. Maybe it was just the after effects of the rather passionate kiss he had given her before she left. He couldn't really define what had caused it but it was refreshing. Even the thought of the Shinsengumi didn't disturb this new state of being. He wasn't sure why, considering he had just read the information he had gotten from Matsumoto. The whole affair felt distant, like it was happening somewhere else. All he knew at the moment was that he was heading in the right direction.

He sighed as he thought of his near future. A party at his house had been decided upon, for the benefit of those who had yet to see it. Misao had gone shopping after she volunteered to cook and left with Megumi. Kaoru, Kenji, Yahiko and Outa were at the morning training session that he could hear in the background. Kenshin had been doing the laundry but having completed the task decided to join him.

Sano pulled the notes from his jacket and handed them to his best friend. "If Jou-chan finds out about this, we're both in hot water."

"Kaoru-dono would not like me interfering but I want to know what is happening. I know many of the hostages and I'd like to be reassured of their safety." Kenshin calmly replied as he unfolded the notes.

"Then let me give you a summary," the ex-gangster sat up and leaned against the house. "The mastermind Hasegawa was last seen leaving the country. He is being kept under surveillance but they won't arrest him until he returns to Japan. Saito has apparently infiltrated their communications network, so he knows what is being sent to the Shinsengumi. He doesn't know where they are exactly but I have a few ideas of where I would go. They probably are hold up in a canyon that the Sekihoutai used to use as a supply store."

"Is there anything in here about the hostages?" Kenshin interjected but didn't look up from the notes he was still reading.

"No but they're assumed to be in good health and safe for now. Saito is apparently coming up with some sort of plan to free them before they let the army rush in. According to the notes, he's trying to muster up as many good swordsmen as he can. I guess he thinks he can sneak in with a small group and save the hostages and leave what's left to the army." He didn't bother continuing, feeling that the red haired man wasn't really listening.

"It says here that there could be as many as four hundred swordsmen including the Shinsengumi. When you consider the fact that Saito would want to seek justice, especially against Nagakura Shinpachi. It is unlikely he would free the hostages and then leave." His voice was serious, his normally placid demeanour replaced by that of a hardened swordsman.

"I know but that's what he does and I wouldn't expect anything less. It isn't confirmed that there are four hundred swordsmen since they lost track of the ones from Hokkaido. They could be anywhere waiting for an attack signal and the creating havoc. In the end we're going to have to go in blind and fight to the death." Sano closed his eyes, a slight smile on his lips as he anticipated some action.

Kenshin looked at him inquisitively, "You said 'we,' have you been asked to go?"

"No but I think he will, eventually. Although, I doubt it will sound like a request." The former rurouni continued to look at him, puzzled by something.

"For someone who appears to be as calm and happy as I have ever seen, you still wish to leave and fight?"

The taller man smiled half-heartedly. "Peace of mind is a temporary thing. If you had the chance, would you save yourself the pain and not fought in the Bakumatsu?"

There was a long pause as he thought about his answer. "Despite all the pain and suffering I endured and caused, I still believe that I made the right choice."

"I know I will suffer and cause suffering but I'm still going to fight. You know that I have always gone after what I want, even if it could cost me my life. This is probably the last time that there will be a battle like the Bakumatsu. I'm not going there just to fight, I need to test my beliefs against theirs and see how strong I am." He could feel he body responding to his words, it felt like he was just about to step into a fight.

"And what about Megumi?" Sano remained silent as Kenshin folded the notes and handed them back.

"We've talked about it but if I don't go, I'll wonder if it was all worth it." He watched Kenshin nod his understanding as he stood up.

"If you wish to go then it would be prudent to tell Saito. He may believe that he doesn't need you." He looked back at his friend, his body language already giving him his answer.

"If he doesn't need me, he's not going to let me go no matter what I do. I'd rather force him to ask for help." They both smiled since they knew the Wolf of Mibu would never ask directly. As Kenshin returned to the laundry, Sano noticed something.

The peaceful feeling was gone.