Standard disclaimers apply.
A/N: A big thank you to all who reviewed chapter 7! You guys make me so happy, and at the same time, motivate me to write even more! Minna, kokoro komete arigatou! (With all my heart, thank you everyone!) Here's chapter 8…Kanryuu gets what he long ago deserves. Bish Bash Time!
Chapter 8: For her
Takeda Kanryuu pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose before he took a deep breath to steady his right hand, which was gripping the micropipette containing the DNA sample of a Down's syndrome patient. Leaning over the gel-electrophoresis set-up, Kanryuu slowly but steadily placed the tip of the micropipette over a clear well in the slab of agar resting in the buffer liquid, and pushing the tip into the well with well-controlled pressure and experience, getting ready to inject the DNA sample in for running…
Until the door to the laboratory suddenly slammed open, the sudden loud noise interrupting the smooth flow of procedures that he had carried out, causing his hand to jerk and spill the DNA sample, dyed with bromophenol blue, into the clear buffer solution, now streaked with droplets of blue. The agarose gel also spotted a hideous tear from the well to the edge; meaning that it was no longer able to serve its intended purpose.
"Kuso!" He cursed angrily under his breath, frustrated at wasting that piece of expensive agarose gel, before an anxious voice reached his ears.
"No, Sir. You cannot go in there! Chotto! Please don't make things diffi-"
"Where's Takeda Kanryuu?" Another voice came. "Ask him to get his ass out of there!"
At the sound of his name being spat so harshly by a stranger's voice, Kanryuu looked up from the experiment he was carrying out and carefully disposed of the micropipette's plastic tip before making his way to the door, ignoring the stares from some of the fellow researchers in the laboratory.
"Takeda-san…" The flustered receptionist, clearly having a hard time with the spiky haired stranger, acknowledged his presence as he emerged, with an expression that had both relief and desperation at the same time.
"I am Takeda Kanryuu." He introduced himself, looking at the stranger in front of him, and was immediately returned with a stare that warned all his senses to shut up. A tall, well-built young man with dyed, gravity-defying hair, a cigarette at the side of his mouth and an intimidating stare. A stare that spoke of hatred, anger and disbelief.
"What do you wish to-"
Takeda Kanryuu never got to finish his sentence as a fist came flying into his jaw, sending him reeling backwards onto the clean, linoleum tiled floor while the receptionist screamed hysterically at the display of violence. Pain started to jolt his nerves as he tried to prop himself up on an arm, while the other touched his bruising chin gingerly, only to be drawn back wet with blood. He could taste the acrid metallic stench of blood filling the interior of his mouth, before he instinctively spat the blood and saliva out onto the floor.
"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Takeda Kanryuu felt himself being pulled up roughly by the collar of his white laboratory coat, which was now stained with flecks of crimson, cringing slightly from the volume and the anger of the stranger's voice.
"What are you talking about?" He choked out weakly but indignantly as his hands pried at the larger and needless to say, stronger, pair holding him in a death grip.
"Takani Megumi." The stranger replied in a cold, baritone voice, pulling Kanryuu closer to his own face to make his point. "You wish you didn't know what I was talking about, right?"
"I have no idea at all," Takeda Kanryuu claimed, his voice increasing in loudness as his anger swelled. "You better let go of me this instant! You have no right to assault me like this!"
"Why didn't you reply her?" The grip was only tightened, with Takeda's coat pressing painfully against his ribs as he struggled to get out of the firm hold. "I am asking you why the hell did you not reply her! Bakayarou! Are you so busy with your stupid science or whatever shit you're doing? I demand an explanation! And if you know what's good for you, you better not give me bullshit!"
"Fine, so what if I didn't reply her?" Takeda Kanryuu challenged indignantly as Sanosuke let go of his collar, pushing him backwards as he did, causing Kanryuu to stagger for a few steps before he caught his balance. Brushing off imaginary dirt on his coat, he continued arrogantly, "Even if anything happens, it is between us. Since when did a lowly, uneducated gangster picked off the alleys of Harajuku gain the right to interfere?"
"You dare say that again?" Sanosuke raised his fist, while Kanryuu instinctively shielded his face with his arms.
"Who-Who on earth are you?"
"Sagara Sanosuke," He muttered, walking towards Kanryuu intimidatingly.
"I-I don't think I-I know you…" Kanryuu stammered, his eyes following Sanosuke's footsteps as he closed the distance between them.
"Cut that crap. Why did you hang up on her that day at Daimaru?"
"I…Wait! This has nothing to do with you! You mind your own business-"
"Her business is my business."
Takeda Kanryuu looked stricken for a short moment, before a malicious smile spread across his gaunt face.
"So…she's got her own man! My, my…I was still feeling a little bad about leaving her to fend for herself and thinking that I still wanted to marry her…You know, I can't risk my wife finding out. But no! Smart, pretty Megumi has already found another…seems like I didn't even have to feel bad at all."
"You shut that hole in your stinking face. She still firmly believes that you'll keep to your promises, you scumbag!" Sanosuke shouted furiously, pushing Takeda Kanryuu with every sentence verbalised, pressing him to the wall, his fist raised and ready to make a punch bag out of the scientist. "Where's your sense of integrity?"
"Speaking of integrity…at least I do not push people to the wall and threaten them with violence! Such revolting displays of barbaric behaviour! I wonder what a gangster knows of integrity!" Takeda Kanryuu retorted, trying to puff his chest out to make his bold statement seem more credible.
"Kuso…Temee!" Sanosuke growled, "At least I know I am better than those who toy with the feelings of others!"
"You mean Megumi? Well, she's just too naïve! I mean, we all are adults. She should have known that we were just having a fling! For someone with her brains, she sure is not acting smart! Anyone with a brain can figure that out-"
Kanryuu's head was sent banging hard onto the concrete wall behind him; the trail of crimson trickling down his chin was once again flowing as Sanosuke sent a second punch into his jaw.
"That was for her…" Sanosuke breathed, staring straight into Kanryuu's beady eyes. "You can insult me, but I won't allow it if you insult her."
"How romantic," Kanryuu spat, rubbing his sore jaw gingerly. "She is a total fool for actually waiting till today…and you, a greater fool for liking her!"
"Shut up! You son-of-a-bitch!"
"I guessed right, didn't I?" Kanryuu taunted. "I never knew she could be so dense…I mean, after all the times I ignored her messages! And that day outside my company…I saw her from the laboratory window, and had to leave by the back exit. You would think that should be obvious enough, but no! She still persists, and called me when I was with my wife at Daimaru! Takeda-san here, Takeda-san there…Hell, I don't even love her! Not now, not back then in Fukushima either!"
Sanosuke's eyes widened when he heard the barrage of heartless words from Kanryuu's mouth, before sheer, uncontrolled anger took over. Raising his fist again, Sanosuke swore to pummel the breath out of this piece of filth, when suddenly…
"Say that again." An oddly quiet voice spoke up.
The two men turned their heads instantly in the direction of the voice, as a strangled cry escaped Takeda's mouth.
"Megumi…" Sanosuke acknowledged, taking in the sight of the girl standing in front of him. Dressed in the beautiful white trench coat he purchased for her as a Christmas gift, her eyes were filled with disbelief and pain, clearly telling the two that she heard the last sentence of their conversation.
"Takeda-san…was what you said all true?"
Takdea Kanryuu had the decency to look a bit ashamed of himself before nodding, and he quickly went on to beg her, when Sanosuke finally let go of him.
"Megumi…Please, leave me alone. My wife is getting suspicious already…"
"Your wife?" Megumi exclaimed incredulously, while Sanosuke instinctively came to stand by her side and place his hand on her shoulder. "When were you married?"
"Yes! She's getting suspicious of all the messages and phone calls I'm getting from you! I just got married last year, Megumi…I hope you can stop contacting me."
"Do you know how it breaks my heart to hear you say all these? Do you know how long I waited for you?"
"But no one asked you to wait! I thought you would have given up by now!"
"Unlike you, Takeda Kanryuu, I don't treat issues like marriage as jokes. And if you're really playing with me…Why didn't you tell me? Why did you have to drag it for 2 years and hurt me now? Were you even expecting me to come? If I didn't…How long would you have led me on under the impression that we were getting married?"
"I mean, we're adults…you should have figured out long ago that it was just a fling! I never expected you to wait for me, and until I saw your message that night when you're at hamamatsu-cho…"
"You realised I was serious."
"You should have known it was all for fun! And now, getting this gangster to assault me is not the solution to any problem, Megumi. I never ever thought that you would turn out to be one who resorted to violence."
"You bastard! This has nothing to do with her, I came on my-" Sanosuke shouted, pinning Kanryuu to the wall once again.
"Sano…Don't bother explaining things to him." Megumi stopped Sanosuke, before going up to Takeda Kanryuu and staring at his face for a while, with Kanryuu's eyes darting nervously between Megumi and Sanosuke's face, as if anticipating the worst.
SLAP!
Kanryuu's head reeled to the side from the force of Megumi's slap, as she looked at him with her hand still raised, slightly trembling from her overwhelming emotions.
"I don't ever want to see you again." She whispered, her lower lip quivering. "Issho mo."
"Megumi…Let's go," Sanosuke started, holding her by the arm. "This man is not worth it."
Without even a backward glance, she allowed him to lead her away from the source of her heartache, ignoring the angry shouts from Takeda Kanryuu behind them.
"I'll sue you for assault, you ruffian! Get ready to sit in jail!"
"I'd like to see you do that! Go ahead! You think I am afraid of jail? Send me in and when I get out, I'll come after you again!" Sanosuke retorted angrily, as Megumi tugged on his hand in a silent plea for him to drop the matter, to which he nodded in reply.
"I'll let you off today…Don't ever let me see you on the streets, you hideous fool!" Sanosuke threatened loudly, making a rude gesture at a spluttering Takeda Kanryuu before he walked off with Megumi, ignoring the stares of those who had come out onto the corridor to watch the commotion.
He did not know where she was heading off to, but he knew better than to actually ask. Following her silently along the quiet streets of Ikebukuro, Sanosuke decided to break the stony silence when his watch told him that they had been walking for more than an hour since they left Okazawa Drug Company.
"Megumi…"
She stopped in her tracks, her slender hands clenched in a tight fist as her back noticeably stiffened.
"Nani?"
"Are you alright?" He asked, before mentally kicking himself. Baka Sano! How can she be alright? Some question…who could possibly be alright after all that drama? And she's not even crying…that's the weird part.
"I am fine." She replied softly, her voice a bit too gentle to be convincing. Stepping forward, Sanosuke gripped her by her arms and spun her around to face him. Studying her facial expression, he softly chided.
"Uso tsukane yo."
"Tsuitenai."
"I don't believe," Sanosuke insisted. "You are acting weird, Megumi."
"I repeat, I am fine."
"No…you look very troubled."
"I am not troubled."
"You can tell me anything, Megumi! You don't have to-"
"Hottoite yo!" She suddenly shouted, causing several heads to turn and look at them in the middle of a street. "You already helped me solve the great mystery, alright? Thank you very much!"
"Wha-What was that for?" He asked, shocked by her outburst and her angry statement. He had expected many types of reaction, but definitely not this one.
Megumi ignored Sanosuke's statement, before turning back to continue walking down the street, not even bothering to see if he was following. She hadn't even taken more than 5 steps when he gripped her by the arm, eliciting a small cry of frustration from her.
"What do you mean?"
"You want to know? I'll tell you! Why did you have to go violent on him?" Megumi asked angrily. "Who asked you to go look him up?"
"I…I-"
"Do you know how worried I was when I woke up to find you missing? Then I suddenly got this feeling…so I took a cab down to Ikebukuro and…and the first thing I saw when I ran up the stairs was you slamming him into the wall!"
"He played with your feelings! I was merely getting back at him for you!"
"Did you have to resort to violence? I was already vexed enough over this and now he's under the impression that I hired a gangster to go take revenge! Now he sees me as barbaric, irrational and violent! I don't know why you think that going to him and punching the daylights out of him will solve the problem in any single way! I could have handled it perfectly!"
"So you mean to say that I am a barbaric, irrational and violent gangster?" Sanosuke asked indignantly, pointing his index finger towards himself.
"No, I did not say-"
"Sure you do, Megumi. It's written all over your face!" He interrupted, raising his right arm in accusation, his usually soft brown eyes burning with the anger of being unappreciated and accused.
"Now you're being ridiculous!"
"Great! Why not you pile more of those adjectives on me? So much for wanting to help you! For what did I even wake up early to go down to Ikebukuro for? I didn't do all those in exchange for a bunch of stupid accusations and lectures from you!"
"Sanosuke, use your brains for goodness' sake! Now there might even be a lawsuit waiting for you! It's not worth it!"
"It's none of your business, right? I am the one who used violence. I am the bloody stupid barbarian! If there's anyone who's going to jail, it's gonna be ME. So why are you worrying?"
"You know that's not what I am referr-"
"Yes, you are. You are so ashamed that I ruined everything for you, right?"
"Honestly, it's so hard trying to get through to you! Baka!"
"Then don't!"
"I think we are too different! I can't believe I actually tried to reason with you!"
That statement hit Sanosuke like a tsunami, destroying every other thought in its wake.
"Sagara-san, we are too different. I am not what you are looking for, and we should not pursue things so aimlessly. God has planned for us to be good friends, so please do not try to go against His plans. You are a good man, and one day, you'll find a girl worthy of your affections."
Megumi just said the same thing as Sayo.
Is it plain coincidence, or does Kami-sama really wants to poke fun of him?
"Of all people…I did not expect you to say that to me." Sanosuke laughed bitterly. "I am such a fool."
Megumi saw the hurt on his face and immediately felt a stab of regret at her harsh words…after all, he went to confront Kanryuu because of her. And when she was running up the stairs, she caught a sentence that Sanosuke said.
"You can insult me, but I won't allow it if you insult her."
It was all for her.
No one else had ever done that before, and she just had to hurt the person who willingly did so much for her.
A part of her wanted to step on pride and run over to apologise to him, yet another part of her was too stubborn to even budge or make a sound. When guilt strikes, most people try to undo the damage they inflicted with apologies and actions, doing all in their ability to make things right for the regrettable action or statement they made. Unfortunately, Megumi was one of the few who only got even more pompously defensive and stubborn, her pride being too much for her to swallow.
Torn between the two options, Megumi did something that she knew she would regret.
She turned and left.
"I need to be alone."
Running and running down the streets, leaving Sanosuke standing alone, as hot tears flowed freely from the excruciating pain in her heart, from the tumultuous events that have taken place on that horrid morning.
To be continued…
A/N: I feel evil. But as Hamasaki Ayumi sang in "Rainbow", "No rain, can't get the rainbow."…The skies will be clearing up soon! Especially with the thundercloud Kanryuu out of the sky.
Please review! I hope you guys were not bored to tears by the biology part in front…-sheepish grin-
Kuso – Damn it
Chotto – Wait
Bakayarou – stupid idiot
Kuso…Temee – Damn you!
Issho mo – In my entire life
Nani – What?
Uso tsukane yo – Don't lie ("Male" talk…LOL females say "Uso tsukanai de")
Tsuitenai – I am not lying
Hottoite yo – Leave me alone
Baka – Idiot
Kami-sama - God