A/N: Glad to see that you guys enjoyed chapter 4! Here's chapter 5 coming up! Well, nothing BIG is going to happen in this chapter, it will mainly focus a lot on SM interaction. LOTS of conversation as well:) Oh and to Foxer, our darling rooster's not going to pop a cigarette in his mouth very often from now on…Guess who's the one controlling him:P
Please read and review!
Chapter 5: Getting to know you
For the first time in years, Sanosuke woke up to delicious smells of miso soup and curry rice and the unmistakeable sounds of someone busy at work in the kitchen.
Hmmm…oishisou…He thought, as he lazily threw an arm over his eyes to shield them from the morning brightness and with the other hand, reached out and felt about the coffee table for his watch.
Squinting as he raised the watch to his face, he saw that it was still early, at approximately 8am. Closing his eyes and shifting in his position on the sofa, his thoughts went back to last night. He and Megumi had been stranded in Ikebukuro, drenched and cold, with no mode of transport back, until Sanosuke suddenly thought of calling Katsu and Tae for help. Being the trusty friends they were, the couple wasted no time in driving the Akabeko van down to Ikebukuro with towels and hot tea. Sanosuke could sense that Katsu had many burning questions when he saw them, and he silently thanked Kami when Tae prevented Katsu from talking much by changing conversation topics regularly.
And the rest was well, pretty much the same as the first day he met Megumi, except that he didn't have to make do with the bathroom and she was awake this time round. Mentally reminding himself to find out more about her and prepare himself for the interrogation from Katsu which was bound to come, Sanosuke propped himself up on an arm and got off the sofa, making his way to the kitchen.
Entering quietly, he couldn't help but notice how good Megumi looked in an oversized t-shirt of his, her hair tied up in a messy bun as she leaned slightly over the pot of curry, stirring it slowly. Kirei…
Clearing his throat softly, he greeted her. "Ohayou."
"Ohayou gozaimasu," She turned around, returning his greeting. "Breakfast will be ready in a while, you can wash up first."
Despite the smile she wore, Sanosuke could easily tell that she was still upset over last night's turn of events from the weary expression in her eyes that no amount of smiles could mask.
But who wouldn't be? Any weaker girl faced with the same predicament would have immediately run back to Fukushima.
Ten minutes later, the two of them found themselves sitting opposite each other at the small table in Sanosuke's apartment, their freshly-prepared breakfast neatly placed on the table.
"Sorry if it isn't good enough…" Megumi started, adding a small smile that did not reach the eyes. "I tried to make do with the ingredients left from last night-"
"You don't have to force yourself to seem happy, Megumi."
Looking up at Sanosuke with widened eyes, Megumi could only stay silent, her ruby lips slightly parted.
"So, what exactly brings you to Tokyo?" He asked casually, before shovelling a huge mouthful of rice into his mouth.
"I came here to get married."
"WHA-" Sanosuke began before the rice got lodged in his throat and he launched into a severe coughing fit. After a few huge gulps of miso soup, he managed to choke out weakly. "You're kidding, right?"
"Do I look like I am kidding, tori-atama?" Megumi asked, pointing towards her own face questioningly. "Is marriage something to joke about?"
"Calm down. I was just surprised…You can't blame me eh? This sounds like some old drama…"
"What's wrong with coming to Tokyo to get married?"
A little alarm went off in Sanosuke's head. Megumi was clearly getting offended.
"It's just so…traditional," Sanosuke racked his brains for a tactful word. "I never thought you were that sort, kitsune."
"I never expected you to think, tori-atama."
OUCH. Sanosuke decided to ignore that biting remark for now, for she was still very upset. The wound is still raw; he has to avoid touching it for now. For some weird reason that he dismissed as one of the mysteries of the universe, he felt as if the wound was shared by him…It felt slightly painful talking about Megumi's impending wedding.
"Will you be having your wedding in Tokyo or Fukushima?"
"I don't know…why do you want to know?" Megumi, despite having said that, can't help but feel a bit disappointed with the entire situation. I've never ever thought about it…
"You might want to invite me after all the help?" Sanosuke asked cheekily despite the awkwardness of the conversation topic.
"Much as you exasperate me," Megumi added with a mock grimace. "I won't forget your help."
Sanosuke smiled and nodded, satisfied with her answer and went back to eating his curry.
"How about you?" Megumi asked. "Where are your family members? Are they in Tokyo as well?"
Sanosuke froze at the mention of his family members, before shrugging, his eyes fixed on a piece of carrot on his plate. There was no reply from Megumi for a while, so he looked up to see her regarding him silently, patiently waiting for an answer.
"I…I left home," Sanosuke declared with a small shrug, trying to mask the ache in the depths of his heart. "They probably didn't want me around anyway. What's the point of staying in that place?"
"Belittling yourself and the situation does little to mask your emotions, Sanosuke." Megumi replied calmly, her spoon held in mid-air.
That statement caught him by surprise, shock and disbelief. No one has ever told him anything like this. Whenever people heard of his problem, they either went "You are doing fine on your own.", "Poor Sano! Having a terrible childhood sure is tragic!" or worse still, "Who needs a loser family?"
"Treasure them…Do it while it's not too late. I never had a chance." Megumi continued, a serene smile gracing her beautiful features.
A questioning look from Sanosuke prompted her next reply. "They died in a fire. I was brought up by my maternal grandfather."
"Aa…Gomen."
"Daijoubu," Megumi kept her smile on. "It happened too long ago. I wished I could have loved them more…You should be happy that you can still do so, Sanosuke. Don't regret like I do. That's why I am looking forward to settling down…I want that family I never really had."
He didn't say anything; all he did was nod. He wasn't really ready to have anything to do with his family for now, but talking about it with this woman in front of him felt perfectly right. Their topics flitted between serious talks, childish banters, daily conversations and even arguments, but all seemed so right. There was no trace of any restriction he has to put on himself while conversing with her.
"Anyway, what exactly are you working as?" Megumi opted for a light-hearted topic instead; after all, this was kind of like an ice-breaking session.
"I work at the Akabeko, but come to think of it, I have no particular job scope. I'm the delivery man, the waiter, the cleaner, the stock checker…and many more. Whatever Lady Boss Tae decides to make me do. I mean, working there includes meals being taken care of, and Tae and Katsu are great friends of mine…It's nice working there. You?"
"I am fresh graduate," Megumi answered. "I studied medicine."
No surprise, Sanosuke thought. She does seem like the brainy sort…
"A doctor, huh?"
"That's what I hope to be. And studying medicine actually indirectly brought me and my boyfriend together. We met during a forum at Fukushima University…he's a researcher with Okazawa Drug Company."
He did not know why, but Sanosuke felt jealousy pinching his heart when he heard the pride in Megumi's voice as she spoke of her boyfriend. I wonder who the hell he is…Sanosuke mentally conjured up images of a bruised man lying on the dark streets of Ikebukuro at night after he was done with punching him in return for all the tears Megumi shed. For now, all he wanted was to know more.
"How long have you guys known each other?"
"2 years."
"How long have you guys been dating?"
Megumi was about to point out that Sanosuke was being overly nosy and interrogating her when his question stumped her. Dating…what exactly was considered as a date? Did emails and rare phone calls count?
"Dating?" Megumi, against her usual smart, fast reactions, asked dumbly.
"You know, as in going out? Perhaps to the movies, having dinner, amusement parks, shopping malls…?" Sanosuke listed, as he watched the growing confusion on Megumi's pretty face. Masaka…She hasn't been on a date?
"I don't think we've really gone on a date…" She answered hesitantly, her grip on her spoon tightening. Admitting her lack of romantic experience was only serving to add to her embarrassment at having this so-called relationship with Kanryuu…
Nonsense, Megumi! What are you thinking about? Takeda-san is a respectable man! He's serious, takes pride in his work and puts his career and dreams in top priority. You should be proud of him! Definitely not feeling embarrassed about how he doesn't go out on trivial things like movies! She mentally chided herself. You are almost acting like a desperate, needy woman!
"Not even holding hands?"
Megumi felt her face burn at Sanosuke's statement. How can this person talk about her love life, or rather, the lack thereof, as if he was interrogating her?
"Th-That is none of your business, isn't it?"
"Hey calm down…I was just asking," Sanosuke raised his arms in a defensive pose, whereas his mouth was curled up in a smirk. "Why get so defensive? Unless you really haven't done that before…"
He was greeted with silence.
"USO! You…You really haven't even held hands or been on a date?"
"So what?" Megumi retorted, her embarrassment going up one notch higher as she racked her brains for any recollection of having gone out or remotely had any physical contact with any man, only to score a big fat zero for her search results. Her teenage years have been spent studying and planning for her career, and the lack of male siblings and friends made the idea of actually being in a romantic relationship foreign.
Sanosuke studied the woman facing him. Gosh…It is almost impossible for a girl who looks like this to have not gone on a date! She won't even know what a date is, with her getting married soon…unless…
A crazy thought whizzed through Sanosuke's mind, and before he knew it, the words have left his mouth.
"So I am asking, do you want to go out on a date with me?"
Megumi looked at him as if he suddenly sprouted two more heads and grew purple spots all over his body.
"I mean, you know…just go out? So you know what it is like?" Sanosuke hurriedly added, his face burning as he tried explaining to make his previous statement sound less suggestive. "There will be no strings attached, ok? It's just…just for fun."
"Is it really that unusual for someone to have not gone on a date?" Megumi asked softly, her eyes fixed on her half-empty plate, absentmindedly pushing a clump of rice around in the curry, as if fascinated with the way the rice sopped up the savoury gravy.
It is not THAT unusual…but it sure is for a pretty girl like you…
"Not really…perhaps it's just because I have, so I find it a bit shocking."
"Sou ka."
The two fell silent, with Sanosuke silently cursing himself for his lack of tact with words and Megumi getting slightly upset with the harsh realization that all she and Kanryuu had was a spoken promise, with no actual relationship to speak of. Silence dominated, with only the occasional cling of the spoon against the plate. After what seemed like an eternity to the two of them, Sanosuke finally opened his mouth.
"Megitsune…"
"What did you call me?" Megumi demanded, her cinnamon eyes narrowing as she pointed her spoon at Sanosuke. "Baka tori!"
"Megi-Megumi," He deliberately mispronounced the first part, just to agitate her. It was so fun provoking her' if it didn't sound so psychotic, he would actually admit that it gave him a kick to see her agitated. "So…you haven't answered my question."
Megumi gulped silently. She thought that by keeping quiet, Sanosuke would just forget that he asked and she wouldn't have to be caught in a dilemma like she was at the moment. You know that you want to go out with him, Megumi. She thought, slightly embarrassed. But what about Takeda-san? Is this considered as cheating on him? Can I really trust Sanosuke? He did say there are no strings attached…
Thinking about the words 'no strings attached', especially when they came from Sanosuke, made her feel oddly detached.
"If you're worrying about some insane girlfriend of mine threatening to murder you, rest assured I am single at the mo-"
"I will go out with you," Megumi interrupted. "If there are…there are no strings attached."
There was a moment of silence from Sanosuke, until he returned her statement with a big bright grin.
"Yeah…no strings attached. How can there be?"
You are getting married anyway…Sanosuke just did not understand himself…She's about to get married to another man…why is he holding on blindly?
But for now, he will not think so much about it. He only prayed that he did not fall in too deep as he did with Sayo, because if he did, he would be going through all the heartache once again.
No strings attached…
Clapping his hands together, Sanosuke muttered softly, "Gochisousama deshita." Picking up hid plate, he entered the kitchen only to emerge later on with a cigarette in his mouth. Nothing like a good fag on a winter morning…
Sanosuke was about to take another long drag, when he suddenly felt the cigarette get pulled out of his mouth roughly.
"Hey!" Sanosuke yelled. "Nani yatten no yo?"
"No smoking." Megumi said sternly. "Koko ga kinen da."
"Nanda korya!" Sanosuke retorted, trying to reach for the cigarette, but quickly drew back his hand when Megumi threatened to press the burning end of the cigarette on his hand. "This is MY place!"
"Not when I am living here as well."
"It's not of your business, Megitsune!"
"It is when MY lungs are threatened! I wish to live longer, thank you very much! Baka tori!"
Marching into the kitchen with the cigarette held precariously in one hand and her plate in another, Megumi added sternly. "Don't you dare go light another one."
Control freak… Sanosuke thought sulkily, plopping himself onto the sofa to channel surf for any interesting programmes on TV. He was getting quite caught up with this fishing programme, when…
"Sagara Sanosuke! Is this the way you wash your dishes? Why are there rice sticking on the plate?" Came Megumi's screams from the kitchen over the sound of running water.
Hygiene freak…Suddenly, Sanosuke had a gut feeling that life under one roof with this woman is not going to be as easy as he imagined.
"Come and wash them again!"
To be continued…
A/N: Here's chapter 5 for you! Hope you guys enjoyed their conversation…I felt that they just have to sit down and know each other better! And woohoo! They're going out on a date…I am so excited! LOL. Maybe I'll make them go Tokyo Disneyland. Any suggestions?
Miso soup – Fermented soybean soup
Oishisou – smells delicious
Kami – God
Kirei - Beautiful
Ohayou – Good morning
Ohayou gozaimasu – Good morning (polite, formal)
Tori-atama – chicken head
Aa…Gomen – Aa…sorry.
Daijoubu – It's alright
Masaka – No way
Uso – No way (more frequently used during conversations)
Sou ka – I see
Megitsune – Megumi+Kitsune (LOL Sano's special nickname for her)
Baka tori – Stupid chicken
Gochisousama deshita – Thank you for the meal
Nani yatten no yo – What the hell are you doing (Gangster-ish Japanese)
Koko ga kinen da – Smoking is prohibited here
Nanda korya – What's this? (Gangster-ish Japanese again. LOL)