Chapter Fourteen: Dreams of Late

"Those dreams ought to have been long past...why now?" Himura Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin Volume 7

"Prince Shinta," said a tall man in a cape. "Your uncle is awaiting your presence."

A small, redheaded boy looked up from his toys. His sparkling, violet eyes were only doing so because of the tears he was holding back. Poor Shinta, his father had died not a week ago--and already, Shishio had declared himself king.

Shinta had no idea of the evils Shishio was plotting and putting into action, for he had been imprisoned in his room ever since Shishio had declared his rule. Meals were provided by Shishio's minions, and Shinta had no choice but to eat what they brought.

When Shinta had inquired the food-bringer of what had happened to the usual servants, the man simply shrugged and said, "Too rebellious, Shinta-sama. Shishio-sama had to do something with them."

That explained the roars of dragons in the courtyard, and the awful screams Shinta heard at night. They plagued his dreams, casting shadows in his room, and sent his poor heart pit-pit-pattering insanely.

"O-Okay," Shinta said softly, abandoning his toys and shakily getting to his feet. He followed the man out into the hall, and Shinta was shocked to find that many of his father's favorite artworks had disappeared.

"What happened to--?"

The man cut him off. "Shishio-sama's seeing that they're to be replaced by more appropriate figures."

How his father's beautiful gifts from foriegn, exciting lands could be inappropriate, Shinta didn't know; but he felt something was utterly wrong about the whole deal. But he kept silent, and followed the man obediently down the hall.

Suddenly, the man Shinta was following stopped, so Shinta halted as well. The man paused for a moment, and then said, "You can come out. I've spotted you."

A young boy of about sixteen stepped out of the shadows, looking disappointed. "I was sure that you would not catch me," he said. "But I suppose my movement was too quick?"

"Your heartbeat, too loud," the man replied, and the boy looked at his feet.

Biting his lip, the ninja said softly, "That can hardly be amended..."

"Exactly," the man snapped. "That is why you can never be the Okashira of the castle's Oniwabanshuu, Aoshi! You must become part of the shadows when you travel them, and cease your heartbeat so that the only noise it makes is silence."

Aoshi, the boy, looked dismayed. "As you say, father."

"Is that all you can say?" Aoshi's sire spat. "Stand up straight, like ninja would. If you can't be one, you can at least act like ninja... now, begone. I have to get Prince Shinta to his uncle."

"I thought you disapproved of Shishio-sama's rule," Aoshi protested, as though trying to prove to his father that Aoshi did care of his talk and paid his best attention.

The man simply rolled his eyes. "That can hardly be helped at the time. Shishio-sama will hold together the government for the present time, until the court decides of what is to come next... that is to say, if the court members aren't assassinated by then." Turning on his heel, without saying a farewell of any sort, Aoshi's father stalked down the hallway with a swish of his cape.

Shinta looked at Aoshi nervously, and Aoshi glanced politely at the young prince. "Shinta-sama," Aoshi said softly and respectfully, bowing.

"Aoshi-san?" Shinta whispered. "You're daddy is very unfair."

Aoshi looked shocked for a moment, as though wondering if Shinta had really said such a thing; but then his face molded into an expressionless look. "If Shinta-sama says so," Aoshi mumbled.

"But..." Shinta said softly, unexpectedly reaching out and taking Aoshi's hand in his small one. "...at least you still have one, right?"

Aoshi's jaw dropped lightly. He looked as though unsure of what to say or do; but he didn't get the chance, anyways. From afar, his father shouted, "Shinta-sama! Come along, Shishio-sama is awaiting you!"

"Oh," Shinta said softly, and gave Aoshi another glance. "Good luck with your training, Aoshi-san! I thought you snuck up on us very well. I did not see you at all! Bye!"

And Shinta promptly let go of Aoshi's hand, dashing down the hall after his escort. He left a very thoughtful teenager in his wake.

Kenshin gasped, waking up from his sleep. Sweat covered his brow, and he found that his hands were shaking slightly. Kenshin was sleeping in the bedroom he had rented for the males of his friend circle, and Anji was sleeping against the far wall. Either that, or Anji was praying; it was hard to tell since Anji had his eyes closed and head bowed.

Aoshi was working on Sanosuke's injuries; the silence was only broken by the sounds of breathing, and occasionally a low, pained groan from the unconcious fighter. Aoshi decided to use the other bed as an operating table; he had put a white sheet over the covers so not to stain the bed with blood.

Kenshin sighed softly, taking extra caution not to look at Aoshi's hands or Sanosuke. He knew he'd probably be sick or something if he saw his friend's blood everplace, or his flesh being treated and sown together like that of a broken doll's. It would traumatized him, even though Kenshin had no fright of blood.

Lying back down, uneasily, upon his pillow; Kenshin thought about his recent dream. It wasn't a dream, Kenshin realized. Another flashback! I'm beginning to regain my memories! And--and I saw Aoshi! I knew him! He was... training to be a ninja of the castle's Oniwabanshuu... his father was the Okashira! Aoshi was expected to take his place, and... and... I remember!

Excited by this small realization, Kenshin allowed a soft smile to flicker to his lips.

Closing his eyes, Kenshin shut out all sound that his ears tried to listen to; and instead, listened to his heart beat. It was constant, and never broke it's pattern. Like the thrumming of a drum, Kenshin's heart pounded. Louder and louder it became, until the noise itself consumed Kenshin's mind; and soon, Kenshin went off again into the land of sleep.

-

Megumi stood alone, alone in a grassy field. The blue sky and the bright sun beamed down at her; not a cloud disrupted either scenes. The wind blew gently; rustling Megumi's hair and stirring the ocean of flowers and field. Her expression was downcast; a complete conflict of her surroundings. Her small red mouth had itself in a bleak formation. She looked down at her feet, her bangs shadowing her eyes.

There wasn't a more alone person in the world.

"A foxy doctor like you shouldn't look so serious," said a voice from behind, as two sinuous arms slipped through hers and wrapped themselves tightly about her waist. A spiky head appeared over Megumi's shoulder, gently pressing his cheek against hers.

Hoping to lighten Megumi's spirits, as her expression had not changed; Sanosuke added jokingly, "It makes ya look old."

When Megumi did not respond, Sanosuke blinked in confusion. Freeing her, he tried to turn her about so that she was looking at him, but Megumi was unwilling. So, without speaking, Sanosuke strode around to look at Megumi face-to-face.

"Megumi?" he murmured, taking her chin and tilting her face upwards so that he could see her eyes. His hand immediately withdrew as though Megumi had bitten him (of course, she had not), and Sano let out a startled gasp.

Megumi's eyes were a dead, dark black. She was alive, Sano could tell; but her eyes had changed uncannily. They did not sparkle and glint with Megumi's usual mischief, but only contained a very small line of brown around the rim.

Looking at his lady of affection, Sanosuke was frightened at her change. "Megumi, what's wrong with yer eyes?" he asked softly.

And quite suddenly--a burning feeling with the fleeting impression of force assaulted Sanosuke's cheek. He gasped, his hand flying to his face where Megumi had unexplainably slapped him.

"You left me," Megumi said in a menacing tone, that seemed to echo in Sano's ears. "You were so selfish and hot-tempered...foolish... And you left me, and even when I tried to get you back, you ran away again, and you're leaving me now."

"What? Megumi," Sanosuke said, feeling confused, "I'm right here! Look, I'm standing right here in front of you--"

"DON'T TALK TO ME WITH THAT TRASH!" Sanosuke jumped in fright as Megumi shouted angrily at him, shoving him backwards with unusual hostility. "Do you realize what you've done? Do you realize how--how WEAK you are? You're awful! After all that happened, after how upset I got, you couldn't be man enough to talk to me about it? You couldn't take my words, you couldn't take my feelings? Is it too much for you to suck it up and actually act like you have a bit of backbone?"

Sanosuke didn't know what to say. "I...? I... um," He averted his eyes, unsure of what to do, say, or think. He felt, indeed, very weak at the moment. "I... thought... maybe, you didn't want me around... so I left. Everything was so hard to understand, and everyone seemed to be angry with me..."

"And all's you can do is sit there and pout," Megumi snorted. "How disgraceful. Well, Mister Sanosuke, I am sick of your pity-party. You've got so much to live for, to chase after, to discover--and yet here you are, lying in your bed, bleeding to death and fighting for your life like a fish tries to breath out of water."

Sanosuke blinked. "But--"

Continuing without waiting for Sano to make excuses, Megumi said, "Not to mention, Kenshin's on the edge of committing seppuku because he believes he near murdered his best friend, for some crazy reason! And some friend you're being... lying around and waiting to die."

"I'm not--"

Megumi jabbed Sanosuke forcefully in the chest. "You're not even trying! You're not even trying to fight for your life! HOW can you say you're trying to save your family when you're DYING? DYING, SANOSUKE! HOW CAN YOU SAVE YOUR FAMILY AND LIVE ON WHEN YOU ARE DYING!"

"I'M NOT DYING!" Sanosuke shouted at the top of his voice, causing the rabbits to flee from afar. "I'M NOT GONNA DIE!"

"Then..." Megumi hissed, bringing her face close to his. "Wake up."

Sanosuke opened his mouth to say something in reply; when Megumi suddenly stood on her tip-toes, seizing his collar and jerking him into a kiss. Confused as he was, Sano couldn't and wouldn't do anything in protest as their lips clasped.

An instant warmth seem to bloom from--well, everywhere. Sano couldn't quite explain it, until the fuzzy idea that this was all a dream occured to him. It relieved him and dissapointed Sanosuke at the same time, but heck--he'd dreamt about worse than kissing before.

It was kind of daunting, as Sanosuke's concious began to fade from this dream world, to know this unreal Megumi was kissing him, and not the real one. But already, Sano found he was holding her tight, like he would the real doctor. Most importantly, this moment made Sanosuke realize inside of just how important his friends were to him.

But suddenly, just as Sanosuke began to grasp the whole situation, she pulled away. Sano was confused by her smirk, and Megumi then pulled him near again so that she could whisper into his ear.

"Now you know that this is a dream!"

Sanosuke awoke, in a heavy, cold sweat. He gasped for breath, as though he had just broken the surface of a deep lake, from swimming up from the bottom. Sano hurt all over; mostly, the pain was centered around his stomach and his brain.

Groaning, Sano lifted a hand to lift the thick blankets covering him. He found that his stomach was heavily wrapped, and to his dismay, the air smelled of blood. I must have bled a lot, then, Sanosuke thought fuzzily, looking about the room. Everything was normal; Kenshin was sleeping in the bed a few feet from his, and Anji was softly snoring against the wall to Sanosuke's left.

Licking his dry lips, Sano closed his eyes with a moan. Man, I've got a headache... feels like Anji up'n'sat on my head or something...itai... Sanosuke would have moved to feel his forehead, but he was afraid to. He wasn't sure exactly why he was afraid to move, but for some odd reason, he was frightened he'd worsen his wound.

Huh, weird, Sanosuke thought, letting his head roll to one side, so that he could look out the window. Stars dotted the navy sky above the peaked rooftops, and Sanosuke could see a bit of the moon. It's not like me to worry over my crappy injuries... heh, why do that when a foxy doc can do the worrying for me?

His thoughts floated back to his dream, of Megumi and he. A blush flickered across his face, amid the redness symbolizing the irritating pain that constantly nibbled at him. His heart pounded in his ears, and Sanosuke found himself aching at the thought that even the Megumi in his dreams mocked him, and made a fool of him even in his dreams.

But she really... couldn't be that upset. Sanosuke sighed. Not over me. Not over the stray tramp that ran away from it's newfound master's home. Hey, when you got the goods, get 'em while ya can, and run while you're not attatched to them...

A frown crossed his features. I tried that, though. And the dog pound caught me; and here I am, waiting to be put to sleep.

-

Misao was huddled in the corner of the bar. Cloaked in shadows, the young ninja had her face buried into her arms, and was making no other sound than that of breathing.

Aoshi-sama couldn't have really done anything wrong in that place, she thought, trying to reason with herself. He's such a noble guy... right? I mean, they were just looking for that Bird-Head, and now... Misao was too confused and tired to think much at this point, and snuggled her face deeper into her arms.

She heard footsteps approaching, but didn't worry about it. Instead, Misao kept her head down. Though she was sleepy, Misao felt she could spring up and attack if needed... though, she realized, this one must be a decent fighter if they could find Misao in the shadows.

Looking up, Misao was surprised and slightly unnerved to find Aoshi himself standing before her, seeming so tall and mysterious in the dimly litted downstairs.

"A...Aoshi-sama?" Misao forced herself to speak. "Is something wrong?"

Aoshi didn't respond for a moment, shifting his weight on the other foot. "Misao-chan..." he said at last. "...may I speak with you?"

"Sure," Misao said half-heartedly, taking the hand Aoshi held out to help her to her feet. Misao felt a tingling inside when Aoshi's battle-callaused yet strong palm interlocked with hers, but Misao couldn't help but wonder if those hands were really as wonderful and stainless as she had thought them to be.

Aoshi watched as the exhausted ninja girl maintained her balance, letting go of her hand. He remained silent for a moment, as the two exchanged unsure looks. Finally, Aoshi said, "Misao... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Misao said, growing alarmed. Normally, when a boy speaks to a girl beginning with 'I'm sorry,' it means a rejection of some sort.

"Yes," Aoshi said, in a heavier voice. "I was told by Megumi-san that I've upset you... and I want to apologize for it."

Misao's face contorted in horror. "Y-You mean..."

"No, I did nothing inside that place," Aoshi said firmly. "Kenshin-san and I were only looking for Sanosuke... did you really think that I would enter a building like that without good reason?"

"Aoshi-sama...I..." Misao stammered, biting her lip in joy. "I'm so happy you... I'm so happy that, uhm... we're still friends...?" She was so unsure of how to reply to the stoic man.

Slowly, a smile crept to Aoshi's lips, lighting a candle inside Misao's soul. "I would sooner forsake my life that forsake you, Misao-chan," said he, softly but without shame.

Misao grinned wide, unable to contain herself. "Aoshi-sama!" she cried, but could think of nothing else to say afterwards. This was quite unusual, since Misao was the type who always had something to say.

Aoshi twitched slightly, unsure of what to do next. Hug her? Seems too personal. Kiss her? Out of the question. Smile? Done that already. Take her hand and escort her upstairs? That's more like it.

"Come on, Misao-chan," Aoshi said, slowly and not without making sure he wasn't discomforting her, Aoshi took Misao's hand. "I'll take you to your room."

Beaming with renewed faith in her Lord Aoshi, Misao let him lead her up the stairs.

-

Suddenly, the guy's bedroom door opened. Sanosuke looked over to see of who it was; and thus entered Aoshi. Sanosuke watched the tall, dark man as he shut the door behind him and walked over, past Kenshin and to Sanosuke's bedside.

"'Sup, Iceshi?" Sano said, with a trademark grin.

Aoshi sighed, but internally was relieved that his patient had regained conciousness. "You are one lucky man, Sagara," Aoshi said softly.

"Aren't I?" Sanosuke said smugly, trying to hide his painful discomfort and roaring headache. "If I were someone else, I'd say Sagara Sanosuke was one lucky guy... havin' a foxy doctor running her hands all over me while I'm unconcious. Poor excuse for treating a life-threatening wound, ne?"

Aoshi was giving him a befuddled and quite creeped-out expression, but a considerably mild one since Aoshi still had a very stoic look about him. That confused Sanosuke, so he added casually, "What? Even a walking, talking, bartending iceberg like you has to admit Megumi's..." A different word had tried to force itself from Sano's lips, but amazingly; he transformed it into something more appropriate. "...hot."

To Sano's deeper confusion, a look of relief and understanding formed in Aoshi's face. Blinking, Aoshi replied, "Apologies, Sanosuke... I'm the one who treated your wounds."

"Huh?" Sanosuke's eyes bulged out of his head, as he finally understood Aoshi's point of view. Aoshi thought I was calling him--he thought--Megumi--foxy? Augh, never mind. But wait--!

Seizing his blankets and peeking underneath them again, Sanosuke looked at Aoshi with a mixed expression of horror, embarrassment, and disgust. "Geez, man! Did you have to take off my PANTS?"

"You're going to wake up the others," warned Aoshi; and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kenshin groan in his sleep, and roll over. "It was nessecary, so that I had full access to your wound. I'm a surgeon as well, you know."

Blushing furiously, Sano hissed back, "It's not like you were going to--to--aw, geez..." Sanosuke made a face. After a moment, he asked shyly, "Y... you didn't... look, or anything..."

Aoshi stared at Sanosuke like he was an alien from outer space, and indeed wondered what had gone wrong in his medical procedure to infect Sano's brain like so. Unless, it had been like this before. Most likely.

"It isn't likely that you are the only male in the world," Aoshi's eyes narrowed, expressing his disgust. The rest of his face remained expressionless. "I'm experienced in the medical field. I didn't scream like a ninny and scamper down the hall and out the door like the hounds of Hell were chasing me."

Sanosuke's utterly red face had an expression of unmasked embarrassment and irritation. "Even tho' you act like a block of ice, you have yer ways of being a bastard, just like the rest of them..."

Aoshi couldn't help but smile. Sanosuke asked, before Aoshi could say anything else, "Did you talk to the weasel girl? Has she stopped crying?"

Suddenly, Aoshi's face returned to being a stoic block of ice. He pointed at Sanosuke for emphasis, and said in a deadly tone, "Do not call Misao-chan that."

"Oooh, now it's Misao-chan, is it?" Sanosuke giggled, pleased to have found something to tease Aoshi with. "Next thing you know, it'll be Misao-kun, then Misao-san, and then Misao-samaaaa--Oi, mebbe that's what you call her when she does that thing that ya love--"

"Misao-chan is but my friend," Aoshi said in the same, deadly voice. Sanosuke shrunk back, wondering if he had gone too far. "She's my nakama. Don't ever talk about her like that."

Bobbing his head, Sanosuke gave Aoshi a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Iceshi..."

Childish, thought Aoshi, as he looked at his young patient with distaste. I wasn't like that six years ago. Thinking again, Aoshi confirmed, Then again, Sanosuke didn't have a eight-year-old girl to raise when he was seventeen. As far as Aoshi knew, of course.

"Hmph," Aoshi snorted. "You should get back to sleep. Now that you've regained conciousness and your usual attitude, I'm not worried." Turning on his heel to leave, Aoshi paused yet again halfway out of the room

Looking back at Sano, Aoshi added, "Be prepared for visitors when you wake up." He then left the room, leaving Sanosuke to his thoughts, and then his dreams.

End of Chapter Fourteen

MadiSano: I know, I know. Not much happened. It's all fluff. But I'm working on patching up and strengthening relationships right now...they'll all need it pretty soon. Uhh...this is my first time doing Aoshi/Misao, so have patience with me if I did something wrong. And there are KenKao moments and SanoMeg moments in the next chapter, where the guys try to make everything all better again...aww! Lol. I should have updated sooner. I'm sorry! Really!

LADY NEPHENEE RANULF: I'm glad you like Sano! He's pretty much the only character that I can write to a point that I can call effortless. I am seriously considering putting Enishi in the fic, but as to whether he should be little Enishi or big Enishi, I do not know. Maybe if it depended on popular vote, on whether the readers want little Eni or big Eni. Hmm. What do you think? I'll try to put a bit more of AoMi in here, but since it's my first time, I'll probably make some mistakes! Bear with me! As to Kenshin's fire powers, and if it has any relation to Shishio's style...you'll have to wait and see! Heh! Bye!

CREWEL: Lots more SanoMeg in the next chapter. Poor Sano tries to explain what happened in the geisha house...lol. Thanks!

JASMINE BLOSSOM625: A KaoTomKen triangle?I don't know if I could evenpull that off! I could try,just to torture everyone...lol. But rest assured, KK is dominant. It will endure, promise!

ENCHANTEDSLEEPER: I'm glad the KK fluff was acceptable! I try, I really do. And as to Sanosuke dying...I do torture, not characterdeaths. Lol! I have a twisted way of showing what characters I like, which isby torturing them in various ways. (Kenshin, Saitou, Sanosuke...) Thanks and see ya!

MISS TEAK: Aww, youflatter me. Lol. I apologize for theprolonged update, I had a terribly busy and strenuous week! I'mbetter now, but usually, you can always count on me fora weekend update. Your reviews make it all better, too! Thanks so much for your support, and I really hope to hear from you soon!

MACKENZIE: Brat. Lol. I swear, people could mistake us for sisters, we fight so much! And over the internet, too! It can only get worse, right? Heh. As for the guy that attacked Sano...no, it is not Soujirou. Lol, I love to make you mad! Haha! Anyways, you have no idea who he is. Not the faintest clue, my friend...but you'll see soon enough. Here's a hint: "No...his skill was nothing. But his desperation to live was terrible." I know. I'm evil. Too bad. Ha ha.

ANONYMOUS-CHAN: Everyone's scared of the posing KKT triangle. And Tomoe only showed up for a little bit! Maybe it was the way I wrote her? Saitou is more on the prowl right now, so he won't be back for the next chapter...but the one after that, who knows. And as to your guess, no, it was not Okita. But yet a very good guess, now that I think about it! I could have actually done that. As to Sano's reaction to Kenshin...Sano keeps his important stuff close to his heart, and when someone messes with it, he can get pretty scary. Such as when he fought Kenshin for the first timein the anime, when he had his Zanbatou. And as to why I like SanoMeg: Megumi's so heartbroken and lost after what happened with Kanryuu and the Opium, that she's lost her true smile and she's a very lonely person. Aoshi (NEVER!) wouldn't be suited for her, I think, because he's having such a time controlling himself, meditating and trying to focus his ideals and spirit. Megumi needs someone who can focus entirely on her, which Sano can do that. He becomes really possessive to the things he loves, and I know Megumi would be protected by Sano's entire potential. Aoshi needs someone (like Misao) who can focus all on him, and give their all. Two needy people who want the other's all won't work, because neither are ready to give it unless the other gives it first. I hope you get what I mean...besides, Megumi and Aoshi need someone who can make them laugh. SanoMeg and AoMi, only...noserious AoMeg. Besides, you can easily tell in the anime and manga Sano and Meg have some sort of affection for one another. Sano, a crush, most definitely. As to Shura/Kenshin, I think her love for him was just in desperation to find someone to trust deeply. She's been betrayed, her world is crashing down, and yet there's Kenshin; happy as a peach when he's about to be executed. Shura wants that peace, and Kenshin is the only wholly trustable and sincere guy around besides that one mute guy that looks like a monkey. Forgot his name, Sarujirou or something. But Shura's infatuation with Kenshin was, in a way, a miscarried way of saying, "I'm lonely, and I have no one to trust. You're so peaceful and happy, and because I don't understand that, and I want your peace and trust; I think I like you." But that's just my opinion. I've never really thought about it! Heh! Thanks a lot, and see ya! PS: I could actually write an entire fanfiction's worth as to why I like SanoMeg so much, but I'll spare you all from it because...well, you know! It'll be too long! Hehe.

SHAUNTELL: Kaoru won't commit suicide...but if she went up against Saitou, as said, she would be killed easily. And I'll have an awful time if Kaoru really died, because (not only because I'll be flamed to a crisp) she's basically Kenshin's foothold on sanity in the world. You know? Heh. See ya, thank you.

BEANS: YAAAY! (hugs) You're back! ...Okay, I'm better now. Lol. The review button is urged to be pressed, but it never wants to submit, true. I deal with that ALL the time...evil thing. Lol! I've never actually tried sake before, but I'll believe you when you say it's not too good. It's alcohol, anyways. And I made you teary-eyed? Sorry! I'm glad though, in a sense, that I can write to that point. And yes, the characters began to get into a little OOC attitude for a bit back there, but I had no concentration at that point, sooo...lol. I'm glad you like my new summary, I tend to change it every two weeks or so. And One Piece...as long as I get Zoro (or Zolo? I think they change the name from the anime to the manga or something...). I don't know why I exactly like that guy so much...but he's just...cool. Lol. And if you wish, I will back down and you may have One Piece and I will take over Fruits Basket! And if not that, Wolf's Rain! And if not that...I don't know, Naruto or something! Lol. Thanks a lot, and hope to hear from ya soon!

That's it, minna. I will update as soon as I get around to it...it'll be sooner than before, to be sure! Lol! See ya!