Story Seven: Good Boy!

(This is an alternate universe, aka AU fic, and contains some Enishi OOC)

"Uh…yes, I… understand. Yes. No, no…I'm fine. Goodbye."

Takani Megumi hung up the phone in shock. Moments later, she collapsed into her nearby couch; holding her face in shock, magenta eyes wide.

Megumi lived along the neat neighborhood of Tokyo, where yakuza rarely if ever visited. The lawns green, the buildings clean, and the polite air of things… Her little apartment was perfect for her, Megumi who was studying so diligently to become a physician.

She had many friends, despite her hard work; Kaoru, Misao, and even Tsubame, Kaoru's little sister. Kaoru's sheepish boyfriend Kenshin also placed himself in Megumi's heart; she used to regard him jealously and specially among the other boys… but they weren't meant to be, and Kenshin fell for Kaoru instead. It had hurt—quite a lot, in fact; but Megumi kept strong and eventually moved on.

And Megumi met a man, a man named Yukishiro Enishi. Despite his unusual protectiveness, Megumi found him quite intriguing; in a way she had not even felt with Kenshin. Friendship and awkward moments bloomed into a relationship Megumi found wonderfully reliable, and undemanding.

Enishi was a Kung Fu artist; the owner of his own fitness school which taught martial arts in order to keep 'peace of mind and peace of body,' which made Megumi imagine Enishi dressed up as a monk, lecturing students who wished to be religious. However, Enishi also had this peculiar obsession with mechanics and explosives; harmlessly handled, but imagine the look on poor Kenshin's face when he opened up the trunk of Enishi's Hummer to find a few random brands of firecrackers bigger than the man's head and mob of thick red hair put together.

How they fell together, Megumi later on couldn't quite figure out. There were so different, and yet Megumi couldn't help but leech onto Enishi. He was the only one there, the only one she had. Megumi couldn't stand being alone.

But Megumi supposed Enishi was happy with their relationship; he never complained, scolded Megumi, or anything of the sort—when they disagreed, Enishi would listen and reply with an almost freakish decency and lack of heat. Nevertheless, Megumi appreciated Enishi's sense of respect; he didn't bug her for intimacy, or whine about how Megumi slaved over her homework instead of him. No; Enishi gave Megumi the space she required, unlike any man Megumi had met before. In fact, they didn't even live together. Enishi seemed to favor space, and disliked the idea of living in the same house as the doctor. Megumi denied the fact; Enishi was simply away most of the time… though oddly enough, the man spent more time watering his lawn than with her.

And then, three months into the relationship; the phone rang. Megumi had picked it up, gleeful to find Enishi's cell phone number blinking on the screen. Greeting him as usual, they engaged in the normal conversation they typically had. Enishi said he was at the JR train station, on his way home.

But then, Enishi said the most peculiar thing. "Megumi-san," he had said, "how far, exactly, do you plan for our relationship to go?"

Frozen, Megumi paused a moment, before forcing her jaw to work. "I—I would think that maybe, um…." She had no idea of how to reply. "Well, however long we found it possible to work it out, Enishi…san." She suddenly realized just how standoffish they addressed one another. Enishi-san and Megumi-san

"Mm." Pausing shortly, Enishi said, "I've had a wonderful time with you, Megumi-san. You're much more mature than most women, and I find that your hardworking stamina is most attractive."

Megumi stared into to the far wall, into its peachy whiteness with horror as Enishi continued. The man sounded completely undeterred by the silence on the other end of the phone, and continued speaking with a sort of drawl. With irritation, Megumi suddenly realized that Enishi had always owned that smug drawl. Why hadn't she noticed it before?

"But I think," Enishi continued, "we're not quite compatible. After all, Megumi-san, our schedules clash and our lives don't seem too keen on melding together. You're always so busy studying, you know; and I never get to see you anymore."

"Uh…yes, I…understand," Megumi had stammered. This couldn't be happening. She was always away? Megumi? Enishi was the one who was off teaching his Kung-Fooy-Nooie or whatever, pushing Megumi away by saying he was too busy for her.

"Really?" Enishi asked, as though he enjoyed torturing her.

"Yes…"

"Are you sure? You don't sound like it, Megumi-san. You sound nearly angry."

Megumi nearly felt like yelling obscenities into the phone. It hit her like a flying frying pan of just how…suddenly, just how infuriating Enishi really was! What had caused her to 'love' this man? "No, no…I'm fine."

"All right, then. As long as you're not mad." Enishi's voice said, obviously quite aware that Megumi was indeed not fine and rather wishing she could gnaw his ribcage out. "Bye, Megumi-san. See you around."

"…Goodbye," Megumi replied, hanging up the phone in utter shock. She flopped into her chair, traumatized. The one man who would give her space, decency, respect… had just turned into the worst prick in the world! In less than five minutes! This certainly had to be a record.

With a sigh, Megumi dejectedly picked up the phone again, dialing Kaoru's phone number. After calling her pal to confide in, Megumi planned to fall asleep. Damn that Enishi…

-

Another problem, with this Yukishiro Enishi, was that he lived not two apartments away from Megumi's cute little dwelling. Ironic, yes; painfully so for Megumi as she miserably watched the white-haired man water his plants on his balcony, two days later after their breakup. To make sure he didn't see her, Megumi peeked out of her kitchen window.

What kind of pansy waters plants! Megumi thought sourly; and then ignored the fact that Kenshin loved to water plants, do the laundry, cook, baby-sit, go grocery shopping, and not to mention he had quite a taste in shoes. Megumi sighed. Kaoru has it good. Too good, it's inhuman.

Sighing once more, Megumi stopped her spying and straightened up from the sneaky position she had formerly assumed. Normally she would be studying or yapping to Kaoru or Misao over the phone; but instead she had been eating her depression food (Bear Claw ice-cream: chocolate ice-cream with caramel, chocolate-covered almonds, and melted fudge all over) and cursing Enishi and his silky, naturally white hair. And his six pack. And his dark green GM Hummer. And his uncannily amazing amount of good luck. Not to mention he wears the cutest little earring on his left ear…

STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM! Megumi nearly screamed at herself, almost stabbing a hole through her half-eaten carton of Bear Claw.

Despite Megumi's constant and unusual depression, she had not forgotten about the moving vans that constantly revisited the apartment grounds. Men had carried packages of all sorts into the empty apartment to the left of Megumi's own; placing them someplace inside the empty dwelling, only to go back for more, like hardworking ants.

A new neighbor hardly excited Megumi. Most likely it would either be some old people or a young married couple with two or three screaming, bratty kids. Megumi stuck another spoonful of ice-cream between her bright red lips, scowling. Things couldn't get any worse!

Oh, oh how wrong; how pitifully and utterly devastatingly wrong she was.

-

HE came. Yes, yes, he came that one day…that MAN. No, it wasn't Enishi…it was something worse. Worse than Enishi? Yes, Megumi would have scoffed the fact, too; but that was before he came.

He came…and his stupid excuse for a dog.

Megumi hadn't expected anything in particular three days after the breakup with Yukishiro Enishi; she was still shoveling in the Bear Claw ice-cream with abandon, and unfortunately had gained two pounds. The horror.

Then again, she probably got the gained pounds squished out of her when Megumi opened up her front door one day, only to be—"KYAAAAAAAAH!"—tackled by the biggest, scariest beast she had ever seen in her lifetime. It weighed at least two-hundred pounds, and resembled a large, fluffy, brown bear with a freakishly big purple tongue lolling out of its mouth; revealing sharp fangs. Up close, the creature's jaws seemed bigger than Megumi herself.

"ROWRF!" yelped the beast with utter pride; he had squashed her! He had squashed Takani-sensei!

Megumi's consciousness had just begun to drift away, when a bass voice broke the horrified silence. "N-NOTARO!" Megumi nearly passed out all over again when suddenly the giant, slobbering monster was shoved off her little body, to reveal a handsome young man.

She nearly died. Cast the passing out idea to the depths; Megumi's heart nearly stopped beating when someone with dark toffee hair knelt down next to her. His hair was spiked—a lot like Enishi's, to Megumi's displeasure—and highlighted with sandy brown streaks, four thin strands hanging out over his bright chocolate eyes. His thin, bronze face, sculpted but agile form, long legs and charmingly big feet…Megumi had very, very good reason to feel completely humiliated as the walking, talking heartache inquired with evident worry whether or not she was okay.

The guy made Yukishiro Enishi look like a stinky gym sock.

"Miss? Miss?" He was waving one of his tanned hands in her face, looking extremely worried at Megumi's unresponsive state. "Miss, are you okay? Jeez, Notaro! You killed her! Stupid mutt!"

"Roof," snorted the disgusting beast from the hallway, not seeming the slightest bit apologetic. Megumi suddenly scowled. What in the Hell is a dog doing here!

"Augh…" Megumi shakily sat up, refusing to look at the fretting young man next to her. Ohhhh, Kami-sama, why are you being so cruel to me!

"Jeez, uh…I'm sorry, my dog…sorta got to your apartment before I could," the striking stranger said sheepishly. "I was going to visit my new neighbor's n'stuff… Notaro's kind of an idiot, and he likes to jump and slobber on people." Throwing a deadly look at the grinning mass of furry flubber, Sanosuke yelled, "GET!"

With an obnoxious sweep of its curly duster of a tail, Notaro the doctor-squishing dog padded off with a snort. Piggish beast, Megumi thought angrily. And that man… Turning to eyeball the knock-out with skepticism, Megumi thought, He's not from around here; his grammar's adequate to a ten-year-old's.

He sure is cute, though, Megumi thought, blushing slightly. She looked away immediately when the young man looked at her, and nearly hit the doorframe when Megumi felt him put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are ya okay, or…?" He looked really concerned; his politeness compelled Megumi to forgive him of his gangster-ish accent. She wouldn't lie that his features helped out a bit, too. The boy blinked his humiliated russet eyes, and Megumi couldn't help but take notice that this guy indeed, had very long eyelashes.

"I…I'm fine," Megumi said, looking herself over. Her yellow robe had a few smudges from doggy paws upon the shoulders; it'd take some chemicals to save it. Her hair—well, Megumi fixed that by running her fingers through her hair a few times. "I'm okay..."

The man flushed sheepishly, not really quite sure of what to say next. Scratching the back of his neck, he murmured, "The name's Sagara Sanosuke…Damn. This ain't quite how I planned to move in… nearly killed my new neighbor an' all. Or, at least, my dog did."

"If you can call it a dog," Megumi grumbled, and then gasped in surprise. She hadn't meant to say that aloud! Slapping her hand over her mouth, she gave the stranger a blushing glance, meeting his surprised one.

Suddenly, Sanosuke grinned. And he laughed, spreading his inhumanly perfect lips (Megumi was beginning to worry about herself, with the elaborate detail her eyes were drinking in concerning this man) to speak when—a hairy cannonball knocked him over. Actually, it wasn't a hairy cannonball; it was Notaro the doctor-killing mutt, who had decided to tackle his master.

The only problem with Notaro knocking Sanosuke over was that Megumi was right next to the man; meaning that she got bulldozed, too. Falling flat on her back under the weight of the spiky-haired young man, she found herself looking up into Sanosuke's wide eyes, her knees on the either side of his hips.

Awkward silence ensued. Sano began turning a steady scarlet; he hadn't blinked once, and neither had Megumi. And then, the obviously embarrassed Sanosuke said in a bare whisper, "…oops."

WHY hasn't he moved? MOVE! Why is he still staring at me? MOVE! PERVERT! MOVE! "Get. Off. Me." Megumi's eyes narrowed, and immediately Sanosuke scrambled back onto his heels, turning madly red and averting his eyes. Megumi sat up, scarlet as she fixed her already ruffled yukata.

"I—I'm really sorry," poor Sano stammered, itching the back of his neck. "I really am…k'so… baka ja ne noka? (Is this stupid or what?)" He blushed with renewal.

Notaro the dog came creeping up behind the blushing young man, wedging its huge furry head underneath Sano's elbow affectionately. Swiveling his mass of spiky brown hair to glower at the beast, Sanosuke therefore elbowed Notaro right on top of the head. "NOTARO, YOU MORON!" he yelled at the whimpering canine. "I told you to get lost!"

Amazingly, the dog did leave, and resumed curling up on Sanosuke's new apartment's doormat. He didn't fit, that's for sure. The dog must have really weighed a ton. Hmph, Megumi thought, thinking miserably about the weight she had contracted in three days. "It's alright," she whispered.

"Uh…okay." Standing, the gorgeous excuse for the beastly race otherwise known as man to Megumi held out a hand to help her up. Smiling (that alone caused Megumi to flush to the roots of her hair) brightly, the stranger backed up a bit so that he was standing on Megumi's doormat instead of in her doorway. "My name's Sagara—oomph!"

Megumi's blush drained away into a horrified look. Sagara blinked and turned his head to look over his shoulder, into the narrowed blue eyes of Yukishiro Enishi. The white-haired man glowered at Sagara, who obliviously gazed back.

"Er…hiya." Making a vague motion of greeting, Sagara-san waited for Enishi to respond. "I'm Sagara Sanosuke. And it's a little oppressin' to have you jab your shoulder into the small of my back like that, mister."

Enishi sneered. Megumi really wanted to die, as she clutched her fists over her chest and awaited Enishi's reply. "I suppose you're the man who's moved just next door to Takani-san?" Enishi asked in a voice Megumi had never heard him use.

"Yup," Sanosuke grinned.

"I heard her scream. What did you do to her?"

Both Megumi and Sanosuke's expressions turned to surprise and disbelief. Before Sanosuke could reply, as his expression was quickly turning to one of an offended person; Megumi butted in. "Yukishiro-san, Sanosuke-san did nothing," she insisted, giving Enishi a rather cold glare. "There's nothing to be worried about, and from the way you're treating him, you're not giving him a very warm welcome. You can go back to watering your plants."

Enishi blinked, narrowing his eyes at the doctor-in-training. Sanosuke scowled, disliking the unacceptable look Enishi was giving Megumi. So he said, being a very outspoken and honest person, "Hey, Yukishiro-san, I dunno who you are; but giving a woman a sneer like that is reserved for snotty pricks and bad-mannered punks. Just thought I'd give ya a heads up, ne? 'Cause I don't like the way you turn yer nose up at her."

The look Enishi gave to Sanosuke was enough to make a normal man's knees play the cymbals. Sanosuke stood, undeterred as Enishi said in the same steely voice, "A man with your vocabulary and appearance would know the attitude very well, then, Sanosuke-san? Men like that are often found handling women like whores."

Sano's mouth opened in shock, and for a minute Megumi thought he was going to sock Enishi right across the face. But instead, gritting his teeth, Sanosuke growled, "Maybe, Yukishiro-san, but not quite as well as the patronizin' creep that intimidates girls." Nearly poking Enishi in the chest, Sanosuke grinned nastily. "Back where I came from, we called guys like that cowards and queers."

Poised, Enishi shot back, "Where you come from, Sanosuke-san, people treat their animals better than their own children." Enishi flicked his eyes over to the not-so-far Notaro, who was lying on Sanosuke's porch like a giant hairball. "From the size of that disgusting creature, and the size of you, I'd say you took pity on the starving children and fed them to it. Or did you devour them first? I heard that's common in places like that."

"Damare," hissed Sanosuke, clutching his long fingers into a fist. "Shut up."

Sensing immediate danger, Megumi stepped out onto the porch and said to Enishi, "You be quiet, Enishi! You have no right to talk to Sanosuke-san that way!"

"And you have no right into this conversation," replied Enishi coolly.

Megumi tapped her foot against the veranda. "It's on my porch, Yukishiro-san."

Sanosuke grinned, folding his muscled arms over his chest. "She got you there, Mister Sunglasses. Go water your weeds."

"Hmph." Enishi sneered, turned on his heel, and stormed off to his beloved lawn; his back straight chest thrown out, swaggering down the hall.

"Pansy," Sanosuke huffed underneath his breath. "That's a pretty boy if I've ever seen one. Lookit the way he walks…shakes his butt more than a girl does."

Megumi would have laughed, but for some reason she could not. She would normally suppose that by utterly teeing Enishi off, Megumi would have her revenge and everything would be hunky-dory again—underline the hunky part, as she looked up again at Sanosuke, who was scowling off in Enishi's general direction.

Sighing, Sano looked at himself slightly, asking, "Do I really look that tacky?"

No, Megumi thought, gazing at Sanosuke's black tank, which gave her a nice view of his shoulders and just a bit of his torso. To her fascination, Sanosuke had a completely hairless chest; Megumi almost wanted to ask him why. Maybe Enishi was a pretty boy. But Enishi didn't go as far as to wax his chest, or whatever Sano did to make it that way.

"Enishi's just….different," Megumi sighed.

"Mm. He likes you," Sanosuke announced, causing Megumi to freeze in horror. Megumi cried out in confusion, and Sano smirked in a peculiar fashion—despite this, Megumi could obviously tell Sanosuke was not amused by this fact.

"That prick—Enishi or whatever, he likes you. The first thing he asked me is what I did to you, and not to mention he kept giving you looks like you were his girl pal and you'd cheated on him." As he spoke, Sanosuke typically stuck out his pinkie finger, signifying he was speaking about someone's girlfriend. "He's jealous, Megumi-san. Though I can't imagine why."

"Whaaaat?" Megumi cried, outraged.

Sanosuke laughed. "I meant about me, not you, Megumi-san! I mean I don't know why he thinks you'd humor someone like me. Hehe…" He seemed so amused about the whole misunderstanding that he looked Megumi in the eye and chuckled like it was the most absurd thing in the world.

"Ah…" Megumi puffed up, slightly offended. So, she attempted to change the subject. "Well… I'm sorry for Enishi's treatment towards you, Sanosuke-san."

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Call me Sano. Everyone does…besides, I don't give a damn 'bout Daddy's Lil' Princess. He can smooch his prince and live happily ever after fer all I care."

Megumi couldn't help but laugh at that, and Sano grinned. "Say," Megumi said, smiling eagerly and looking up at the oddly charming man. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

Sano grinned even wider. "Is that a date, Missy?"

Blushing furiously, Megumi barked, "No, it is not! I just want to welcome you to the neighborhood, that's all…" Hoping to regain a bit of her dignity, Megumi pointed savagely at the snoozing Notaro. "But that…thing has to stay at your apartment!"

Shrugging, Sano said, stepping off the mat, "Sure, okay. What time?"

"Er…six?" Megumi said, shrugging as well, feeling rather sheepish. She had nothing planned—she had just randomly blurted out on instinct for Sanosuke to have dinner with her; not that she exactly regretted it. Unlike poor Kaoru, Megumi knew exactly how to cook the kind of meal that would allure any man.

"Cool," Sanosuke nodded, smirking again. Megumi wished to slap him for that smirk; her self-consciousness wasn't to be made fun of. "See ya then, right, Foxy!"

"Who the Hell are you callin' foxy!" Megumi yelled at his retreating back, only for him to burst out laughing. "Get back here before I come after you, you— you—obnoxious Rooster!"

Immediately turning about on his heel, Megumi was pleased to find Sanosuke gaping at her with a rather delightfully stupid expression. "Did you just call me a Rooster!" Sano indignantly yelled, looking offended.

"You're the one who called me foxy!" Megumi returned, smugly.

Making a face, Sanosuke growled, "Foxes eat Roosters."

Megumi chortled, believing to have won the argument. However, with a slight snicker, Sanosuke grinned and said, folding his arms again, "And from the looks of it, Foxes eat chocolate, too."

With a rather horrified expression, Megumi looked down to find, amid the doggy prints, a little splotch of dark, rich chocolate ice-cream. Turning beet-red, Megumi yelled frantically, "I—it's because of your stupid dog! He—he got mud all over me! You wait until the maids find out what it's done to the carpet!"

"It hasn't rained for days," Sanosuke muttered, smirking and looking out a nearby window with pretend curiosity, as though wondering if it might suddenly begin to rain. Though, Sano knew very well that Notaro did leave those paw prints on Megumi's shoulders; but the wee little splotch was unmistakable.

"Don't you be smart with me!" Megumi shouted. "I told exactly the truth!"

Rolling his eyes, as though to humor her irritation, Sanosuke shrugged. "Alright, alright… see ya at six." Turning to go inside his house, Sanosuke paused as he watched the infuriated lady storm inside her home.

She's pretty cute. A wry grin twisted Sano's lips, remembering the ruffled woman laying her doorway, looking utterly shocked and a bit frightened, too. The way she smelled of lavender, her how soft her hands were when he helped her up… Sanosuke chuckled at Megumi's recent reaction when he had fallen on top of her. She looked so mad.

Looking down at his snoozing pooch, Sanosuke rubbed the top of Notaro's head with the heel of his shoe affectionately. "Good boy," Sano grinned.

OWARI.

MadiSano: Hey, I'm finally back! And with the AU fic! It wasn't as great as I hoped it to be, but I am thinking about continuing this oneshot in an actual fiction:o EniMegSano...interesting, ne? LOL I'll have to do some research and get a better idea on modern Japan... I'm still stuck in the Bakumatsu and Meiji Era...lol. I hope I did moderately well; this oneshot was inspired by Lauz! THANKS SO MUCH! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU:) By the way, I don't hate Enishi. I love him to peices (psycho maniacs are my type of guys, lol!), but it's just...I love Sano more. Hehe.

I am already half done with the next oneshot, featuring Sano escorting Megumi to a villiage...in the middle of a snowstorm? Uh-oh. LOL the title is: IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! LOL doesn't that sound like an accusation that would naturally ensue from both the Fox and the Rooster...? My, my. LOL Sano's more like Sano in the manga in that one though; he's not quite as goofy as in the anime. He's so cute though! Lol I'm a basketcase...Also, those of you who have seen the Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King...the end song, Into the West (really pretty!), do you think that'd make a really cute, romantic song for Sano and Megumi? I could figure out how to put their relationship to every word...somehow. Your take?

PS: CrimeSceneSC, I'm gonna work on your "When You Say Nothing At All" songfic after I finish the next oneshot! LOL I looked up the lyrics and immediately realized, "Hey...I know this song! DUH!" LOL I felt so silly. Wonderful song!