Chapter 3: Life Saved, Life Spent
"What the dead wish for is not revenge, but happiness for those left alive." -Himura Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin Vol. 9
"Miss, are you alright?"
A soft, mesmerizing voice echoed in Takani Megumi's mind. She moaned; she hurt all over. Dammit. I must be alive, still. Opening her eyes, Megumi's vision focused on a handsome face hovering over her.
She felt herself blush. How could Kami-sama be so wicked to me? I must look awful. Megumi coughed softly, trying to find her voice.
"Don't talk," the striking redhead commanded, sitting upright and grasping a nearby water bottle. Gently slipping his hand to the back of her head, the stranger lifted her face so that she could drink the water without choking.
Even so, Megumi coughed after drinking the water. But it felt good to her throat and chapped lips, and she discovered again the power to speak. "T-Thank you," she stammered, as the man laid her down again.
The man nodded and smiled. "My name is Kenshin--watashi wa Kenshin dez. May I ask yours, miss, or would you rather rest?"
"My name's Megumi...watashi wa Takani dez."
"Ah." Kenshin paused. "I'm afraid I lack a last name, Miss Megumi. I grew up an orphan, so please don't think me rude."
"No, of course not." Megumi looked at the man in wonder. What kind of parents would leave a child as beautiful as this? Clearing her throat, Megumi asked him, "I suppose I should thank you for saving me from the fire."
"Suppose you should, de gozaru ka?" Kenshin said, smiling.
Megumi flushed. "Er--yes, I do. Thank you."
"I learned that you were a doctor," Kenshin said, giving her another sip of the cold water. "So I guessed that your secret got out, and the government punished your village for not turning you in, de gozaru yo."
Megumi's face contorted in grief. When she finished with the water, she sat up slowly, and asked, "Is it all gone?"
"Hm? No. There's water left, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said absentmindedly, checking the bottle.
"No," said Megumi. "The village."
Kenshin lifted his chin in understanding. He set the water down, giving Megumi a sympathetic look. "It's burnt to the ground, Miss Megumi. I checked it this morning…there is nothing left. I am very sorry, de gozaru yo."
A look of horror overtook Megumi, and large tears welled in her cinnamon eyes. She buried her face in her hands, beginning to sob softly.
Kenshin's eyes softened, and he put a comforting arm around the horrified doctor. He couldn't exactly relate to her shame, but he knew it must be awful for Megumi.
"It's all my fault," Megumi whispered. "If I hadn't insisted on making my house a clinic, people wouldn't have come to me. Their loved one's would have died, but at least the village…at least they'd…at least…"
"Miss Megumi," Kenshin said firmly, pulling Megumi's chin out of her palms so they were eye-to-eye. "It is not your fault, de gozaru yo. You wanted to help the weak, and it was very noble of you to risk your safety to do so. It is not your fault that you were caught. Someone told the government, and it is their fault. Don't you ever blame yourself for this, Miss Megumi. Ever."
Megumi let out another little sob, but nodded. Kenshin released her chin, and held back a yelp of surprise when the lady doctor seized him in a hug, burying her face into his neck and continuing to cry.
Kenshin patted Megumi on the back, unsure of what exactly to do. He had never held a woman before, at the very least one who was crying. The whole female race was quite new to him, after being secluded in swordsmanship for twenty years.
When Megumi had stopped crying, she sheepishly let go of Kenshin, wiping her eyes in embarrassment. "I…I'm sorry," she stammered, but Kenshin shook his head. She smiled, but it didn't last long. "I have no place to go…"
Kenshin sighed softly. It was miles to the next town, and with the wild beasts of the forest, Megumi wouldn't last a night. "You will travel with me, then," he said, making Megumi blush and stammer no-thank-you's.
"Either that," Kenshin added, "Or you can fight off the wild boar demons by yourself, de gozaru yo."
"O-okay," Megumi agreed swiftly. "I'll come with you, Sir Ken."
Kenshin smiled in approval. He stood, and helped Megumi to her feet. When Kenshin was certain she could walk and stand, he handed her a towel and a change of men's clothes.
"There is a shallow, gentle river nearby," he said. "You should go and wash yourself; you have ashes all over you. It's best if you wear my extra clothes until yours dry, de gozaru yo."
Reddening again, Megumi accepted the articles. "T-Thank you," she muttered, bowing quickly and hurrying off towards the sound of the river.
-
Sanosuke tossed the huge, heavy case of Field produce into the back of the truck, stretching quickly afterwards. Crap, that hurt, he thought as one of his muscles tightened. After stretching it out, Sanosuke lifted another barrel and rolled it into place.
"You, boy!" one of the observing guards barked. "Work faster. This isn't a workplace for freeloaders and lazy ones."
Sanosuke's temper flared, and before he could stop himself, he yelled back, "S'cuse me for breathin', your highness! And for your damned info, not one of us is lazy, unlike you an' yer government pigs! And if you weren't such selfish bastards--"
KABLAM.
Frozen stiff, Sanosuke's eyes locked on the bullet hole no less than three inches from his right foot. Everyone in the vicinity had paused, looking up to see who had been shot.
The soldier Sanosuke had addressed lifted his gun from aim, sneering. "Watch your mouth, you good-for-nothing excuse for livestock." Looking up and catching sight of the staring audience, he barked, "What're you staring at? Get back to work, or I'll put a bullet through all of yer heads."
"You already got one," Sanosuke muttered inaudibly, bending down to lift another barrel. "Twit."
A steady stream of soft curses echoed from Sanosuke's lips as he continued his work, constantly reminding himself that if he crossed the line again, he'd get shot for sure. And then what would Souzou and the orphans do?
They'd live off the neighbor's sympathy, Sanosuke thought bitterly. Meaning, they'd starve to death.
When his day ended, Sanosuke immediately went home after collecting his pay. He was relieved when he saw the burnt, black building that was nearly abandoned; and yet his home.
By chance, Sanosuke looked up into the sky before entering the house. Observing the blueness of the sky, he scowled when Kyoko's father's words reached him again. "How hard you cryin' now, eh, God?" he growled, narrowing his eyes and looking away in irritation. "Hmph."
Sanosuke walked across the dirty floor to the staircase, beginning the first flight of stairs. He paused halfway up. Something shiny caught his eye.
Looking, Sanosuke found that there was a small, silver locket stuffed in the corner of the third stair. It was pure silver, with a small red stone settled in the middle, encircled by what appeared to be gold.
His jaw dropped. Masaka! It's real! thought Sanosuke, as he bent down to pick it up. However, when he lifted it, the chain caught on something. There was a low crackling, and suddenly the section of stairs gave way.
"UWAAAH!" Sanosuke fell through, unprepared for the event. He scrambled to grab the lip of the hole, but his fingers slipped on the dust and he went tumbling through his floor with the valuable locket still in his hand.
He fell for about ten feet-Sanosuke was sure he was going to fall to his death-before landing roughly in a dimly lit room. He huddled in the darkness for a moment, catching his breath and trying to figure out where he was.
Sanosuke's brown eyes wandered to the source of gold light, clutching the locket protectively. He slunk silently back into the shadows, though he knew it was useless to hide from the immense man sitting next to the lamp.
"I know you're there. You don't have to hide."
Flinching, Sanosuke debated on whether to talk to the man, or not. His palms sweating, Sanosuke crawled forwards on his knees until he was about five feet from the man.
His eyes focusing, Sanosuke found that the man was indeed huge and muscular, a bandanna covering his head. He was at least four heads taller than Sanosuke, and even when sitting, the man appeared giant.
"W-Who are you?" Sanosuke stammered, and added, "And what th'heck are ya doing in my basement?"
"Basement? Yours?" The man snorted. "This, young man, isn't a basement; and nor is it yours. It's not mine, either."
"What're you talking about?" Sanosuke said, confused.
The man looked at him. "Did you pay for this building?"
"W-Well, no…" Sanosuke replied, itching his cheek. "But-"
"Then I suppose it isn't yours, is it? I didn't pay for rent, either, so this building isn't mine, as well," the man interjected.
Sanosuke hesitated, but then gave his name. "My name's Sanosuke."
"My name's Anji."
"You got a last name?" Sanosuke asked impatiently.
"Do you?"
The young man felt his irritation flare again. This Anji guy seemed to like playing mind games and beating around the bush. "Yeah, Sagara. Yours?"
"Yukyuzan."
"Well, Yukyuzan-san," Sanosuke said, with a hint of sarcasm. He wasn't going to let this mountain of a guy unnerve him. "Just what are you doing down here?"
Anji lifted a cup of water he had been holding, taking a sip. When he was done, he replied, "Lying low from top government officials who wish to brutally and slowly kill me in the most horrifying ways for assassination, arson, theft, and rebellion. Not to mention the possession of bombs and illegal weapons in which I have attained by use of faux money, and other illegal means."
A fine bead of sweat ran down Sanosuke's cheek. Okay, I've changed my mind. Maybe I don't like straight-out answers from this guy.
"E-Er… o-okay… uh, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy," Sanosuke stammered, grinning in fright.
Anji cast him a dubious look. "I'm sure. The same way those kids do, eh?"
Sanosuke froze. "You know about them?"
"It's hard to ignore the noise of giggling and the pattering toes walking up and down the stairs every day. They wait for you to come home like fox cubs for their mother." Anji took another sip of his water.
Sanosuke brushed aside the underhanded insult of being called a vixen, much less a mom. He had more important things to worry about. They come down the stairs? Someone could see them! Shit, Dad! What's wrong with that brain of yours?
Anji saw the devastated look on Sano's face, and smiled grimly. "Ah, you care quite much for them, I see. How fortunate for them." Anji shifted slightly, revealing the slits of another extent of the broken ventilation system.
The sight made something click for Sano. "…Wait! You!" Sanosuke cried, looking up at Anji. "You! You're the one reading aloud that I hear every night! You--yeah! You're the one!"
Anji nodded, sipping his water in silence.
"Nani…what are you reading?"
Anji held up a thick book.
"Can I see?"
Anji hesitated expressionlessly, but then handed Sanosuke the book.
Opening it to the first page, Sanosuke read out loud, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
"And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light…" Anji continued, closing his eyes. He hadn't even looked at the page.
Sanosuke frowned. "Oi, Anji…this is the Bible! I thought Shishio banned these."
"It's not like he can burn them," Anji said. "He tried, remember-last month. Not a page was scorched."
"I thought that was just a rumor."
Anji lifted his black eyes to meet Sanosuke's. "I think differently. I was there; they were to burn me next. I ran, and Shishio himself chased me. He was the one burnt to a crisp, and I took one of the Bibles and fled. Here. And for the last month, I have been down here, contemplating this book's contents and dwelling on every word. I'm now set on saving the people from this evil man."
Sanosuke wasn't sure what to do. He handed the Bible back to Anji, standing up and holding his palms out. The silver necklace shimmered in the poor light. "Look, Anji…I don't say this to be cruel, but you can't stay here. I've got those kids to hide and raise, and I'm not going to let you ruin their future. I've got to protect my dad, too. If the T.S.C. ever find out you're here, you'll be dragging the rest of us down to Hell."
Anji flinched, but said nothing for quite a while. He stared at the necklace in Sano's hand mysteriously. "They won't find me," Anji said, looking up. "But I can't say the same for you. And if you did let me go, you'd have to risk the chance of me telling officials that you're hiding orphans in your home."
Sanosuke growled angrily. "So I'm supposed to just let you stay here?"
"Yes." came the aggravatingly simply reply.
His hand bunching into a fist, Sanosuke snarled, "Well, I won't let you! I'm not gonna let some basement hermit ruin the kid's lives! I don't care if you beat the snot outta me, Anji! You're not going to stay!"
Anji glanced at him, viewing Sanosuke's skinny form. He raised an eyebrow, as though saying, 'Yeah, right.'
Sanosuke caught his breath, realizing that he just threatened to beat a giant man into a pulp, when he himself only stood a little less than six feet. Anji, at full height, must have been at least seven or eight feet tall.
Gulping, Sanosuke watched Anji for a moment, waiting for the man to attack him. He didn't; instead, Anji leaned against the wall, opened the Bible, and began reading the book of John.
"Rrrr!" Sanosuke yelled in rage. "Put down that book and look at me, you overgrown excuse for a human beanstalk! Look at me!"
Anji glanced up. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you still here, Sanosuke-san?"
A nerve appeared over Sanosuke's temple. "YES!" he shouted, irritated. "Yes, I am still here, and I'm getting MAD! And if you don't get out, I'm gonna flippin' KILL YOU!"
Sanosuke's comments seemed to surprise Anji. "I doubt that," he said calmly, even so.
"And I believe it with ever fiber of my being," Sanosuke hissed, seizing Anji's collar and bringing his nose inches from Anji. The pure rage and determination reflecting in Sanosuke's eyes impressed him.
"I will protect them with everything I am, and that's something even a giant basement hermit can't beat!" Sanosuke yelled. "You have no idea how much I care for them, and you can't stop me from protecting those kids, Yukyuzan Anji! You can't!"
Anji blinked, quite aware that Sanosuke had a death grip on the front of his shirt, and a shaking, clenched fist drawn back for attack. "You're right," Anji said, finally. "I can't stop you from protecting those children. But can they?"
Sanosuke looked up confusedly at the ceiling. It was only then that he heard heavy footsteps ascending up the stairs, loud guttural commands issuing from throats like the ones Sanosuke heard everyday in the Field. His chocolate eyes widened in horror.
"Oh, no…" he whispered, turning on his heel and jumping frantically up and down, trying to reach the hole from which he had fallen.
When it became apparent that it was impossible, Sanosuke snapped his head towards Anji. "You! Help me reach the ceiling--I need to get up there, and help them! Th-The soldier's are gonna take 'em away! They'll-they'll kill my dad! They'll--in the name of God, what're you doing?"
Anji hadn't moved. "You'll only be shot."
The obvious noises of protest now echoed down the hallway: the screaming of children, and the echoing voice of Sanosuke's father, telling the soldiers to stop.
"I-I don't care! As long as I can protect them!" Sanosuke shouted incoherently. "They need me, Anji! They're all alone, by themselves! Please…" Sanosuke wiped away tears of hopelessness and stress, screaming, "Anji, help me!"
Anji didn't move.
"ANJI!" Sanosuke screamed.
The man still didn't move, and took another sip of his water.
The cries of children became louder and louder.
"ANJI!"
Closer.
"ANJI, THEY'RE TAKING THEM AWAY!"
And closer, the screams came.
"HELP ME!"
Louder, Sanosuke, a voice said sneeringly in his head. Shout louder.
"ANJI!"
Not loud enough, the voice taunted. Not loud enough, Sanosuke. You'll never get to them. They'll all die, all because you weren't strong enough to help them.
"PLEASE!"
It's all because you're a stupid, weak, little boy.
Sanosuke screamed in rage, his voice echoing like a scream from the bowels of Hell itself. He punched the nearby wall, as soldiers stepped around the hole in the stairs, carrying crying kids, one or two unconscious.
Sano's father's voice broke through the wild raging wind of Sanosuke's mind. "Stop! Please, don't do this! Sanosuke will be home soon, and he can talk with you-he can--"
Sanosuke was petrified when he heard the noise of a gunshot. Blood spattered from the ceiling, dripping down onto Sanosuke's face. His father's blood. It trickled down Sanosuke's mortified features, and in the low light, it appeared as though Sano's own skin had split.
"DAD!" Sanosuke howled, tears of anger, frustration, and grief racing down his cheeks and melding in with the blood.
I told you. They'll all die, because you couldn't protect them. You didn't love them enough.
"NO!" Sanosuke screamed, clawing at the air above. "KYOKO! TOMO! AI! JIRO! KIBA! MIYO! DADDY!"
As if in reply, the voice of a child; Sanosuke couldn't tell which one; screamed his name. "SANOSUKEEEE!"
Falling to his knees, Sanosuke let loose a heart-tearing sob, pounding the earth with his shaking fist. Tears splattered on his knuckles, reflecting in the darkness. Sanosuke's arms gave way, and he fell flat on his face, meeting the smell of dust and grime that covered the wooden floor.
Tears spattered the floorboards, and as Sanosuke lay limply, without a coherent thought; his front was matted with dust. His father's blood hardened on his face, itching his skin and causing Sanosuke to tear at his face weakly. Sanosuke's whole body shook, sweating abnormally as his temperature rose and fell, coldness and heat wracking his body in an insane pattern.
He didn't care. Sanosuke hid his face, wrapping his arms around his head and continuing to cry. He didn't care anymore: whether he was alive or dead, rich or poor, happy or sad, laughing or crying, helping or killing. Sano didn't care that he had cried out for his daddy like a little boy would. He didn't care one bit. All that Sanosuke felt, was this aching, heart wrenching, unsatisfied love for the people he couldn't save.
And that was enough to make Sanosuke break down completely.
He hand flew into the sleeve of his jacket, pulling out his secret dagger. Sanosuke blindly aimed for his neck, but strong hands caught his and wrenched the blade from Sanosuke's grasp. Sano writhed in the person's hold, screaming incoherently as the person attempted to pull his arms behind his back, trying to calm him. His restraint spoke into his ear, trying to tell him something; but Sano wouldn't listen.
Sanosuke howled in rage; flailing his legs wildly, twisting and squirming. His voice was growing hoarse, and threatening to fail, but he screamed anyways. Tears saturated his cheeks, pouring down into his clothes and onto Sano's captivator.
After a moment more, the person seemed to give up, and let Sano slump back to the floor. However, they kept the knife. Sano lie, whimpering senselessly, and watching his vision blur and die.
And then, soft voice reached his ears from a distance. It wasn't really a voice, but Sanosuke could have sworn he had heard it. It was Kyoko's voice.
"My daddy told me the reason the sky was blue was because, when God looks down on us, he cries because he wants to help us out of our sadness and problems. His tears gather up on the outside of the sky, and they turn it blue. Daddy also said that, in a way, the blue sky is a promise that God would send someone to help us one day."
Sanosuke coughed and attempted to cease his tears, but failed miserably. Instead, they intensified. "No…"
"Yeah, Sano-san. I think my tousan was talking about you."
Another of Sanosuke's sobs ripped the air. "If that's what it takes to get you back, Kyoko-chan…I'll kill Shishio himself…even if it costs my life…"
Sitting in the corner again, Anji took a sip of his water.
End of Chapter Three
MadiSano: I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! (Sobs) I had to do it. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! It nearly killed me to put Sano through that, but...I know you're going to be sick of me saying this...I'm soooo sorry! But I promise, some good will come out of Sano's tears. AAAAH MY GOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SO INSENSITIVE! (Goes into a freak-out session.) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
And also, KaoKen and SanoMeg fans, don't get scared about Megumi and Kenshin traveling together. Nothing will happen between them, trust me…now THERE'S a scene I can't see myself writing…(shudders). BUT! Some crazy love triangles WILL occur between Sano, Megumi, Kenshin, and Kaoru. Sorry. But I like drama. Heh.
Also, I know Anji is supposed to be a fallen Buddhist priest, but I know nearly nothing of Buddhism. The only religion I'm decently familiar with is Christianity, and so I decided that mangling Anji's beliefs was better than screwing up something about Buddhism and angering any Buddhists that happen to read this. Right? I'm just being thoughtful.
Guess whaaat? Meg and Sano meet in the next chapter! Yatta! Also, Kenshin gets into some fights and we meet a certain lady pirate from the anime! Kaoru fans, be patient! She's coming up in the chapter after the next. Heheheh.
SHAUNTELL: Ahhhhhh thank you SO MUCH for the idea of including Tomoe and Kiyosato! I thought about your proposition for a bit when an idea smacked me between the eyes! They'll fit in perfectly--Enishi, too!--but you'll have to wait a while before their entrance. Thank you for reviewing! Also, I'm glad you like my Christian peices. They just somehow fit in with the storyline, and we don't come across many RK fics with Christianity (in a good way) involved.
CREWEL: Thanks for reviewing! SanoMeg moments will begin next chapter!
EVIL-CHAN: Hi, fellow hyper RK lover! I was so glad to see your review! I'll update soon on DOTD, okay? See ya and thanks again!
TENSHI N'ONGAKU: Thanks for the review and compliments! I'll try to maintain the good work!
STARSHIPDELTA: I'm glad you like it so far! I usually don't do serious AU fics, so this is my first time. I'm sorry about what happened to Sano's kids, but it'll all tie up in the story! Sano's out for revenge, right? And when that man gets mad, well...we all know what happens. He gets what he wants or the world ends. Lol. Thanks!
STELLAR: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like my Kaoru-theif idea. It's a little OOC, but I thought it'd be a cool way to portray her swordsmanship abilities, and it'd put more drama into the fic when Kenshin meets her. (hee hee hee!)
PLUTOBABY: I'm glad you like it so much! I'll try to keep up the good work, and hopefully make up for putting Sano in so much torture. (sweatdrops.) I'm so mean, huh? It's a habit.
ANONYMOUS BUT VERY INTEREST...: Sorry about your name. It's so long it wouldn't fit into the review box--I planned on checking your review in my E-Mail, but being the idiot I am I deleted it. Grr! Stupid me! Ha ha, I'm sorry. Please forgive me! Kaoru & Yahiko will be introduced in the chapter after the next. I have to plan out my events carefully, or it'll get really confuzzling. (I'm simple minded, you see.) Thanks SO MUCH for the awesome reviews! And about that New Years Wish...(insert evil smile.) You read my mind! Lol!
...Before you go, I have something to tell you all, so you won't be confused. YES, KENSHIN STILL KILLS PEOPLE! (Yes, I know: Oh no!) It's necessary to the storyline, but I promise he'll make his vow at a certain point. And no, he doesn't marry some icy chick named Tomoe and accidentally stab her through. And no, he doesn't marry Kaoru and accidentally stab her though. But I said nothing about that Kenshin wouldn't marry Kaoru. ...oops. You didn't read that!
Read and review, Beloved! From this point on, the heat is on. Please don't flame. I love Sano, it's just I love him so much I like to agonize him in various ways, though this is my first time hurting him emotionally. (sobs again)That's how I show my love. I hope to see you again, you know. You'd be even more insensitive than me if you left Sano crying and in depression like that!
Bye!