Story Eight: IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!

"Hey, Fox! Lemme see the map!"

Megumi clutched the item in her hand protectively when Sanosuke attempted to take it from her. Glowering at the exasperated Rooster, Megumi snarled, "I don't think so. We're already lost, stupid; I don't need you to make things worse with your pitiful sense of direction!"

Megumi was visiting Dr. Gensai's sister, who lived in Izu, to check up on her health. Dr. Gensai was busy with the clinic, and Kenshin was too preoccupied with a very irritable, very dangerous, and very pregnant Kaoru to escort Megumi to Izu safely. Yahiko, being too young, was out of the question; which left Sano to escort Megumi to Izu, out of the pure sweetness of his heart.

Sanosuke grumbled, switching the weight of the massive bag of supplies over to his other shoulder. "WHY did I have to come with you?" he whined, as Megumi drove him on, up the hilly lands surrounding Izu. "Why do I have to be here? Why? I could be at home… eating Kenshin's food… procrastinating… gambling…warm…"

"Oh, shut up!" Megumi growled, taking another look at the map she held in both hands. The maximum luggage she carried was her little purse; while Sano carried her suitcase, his traveling bag, the food and water supply, and Megumi's medicine box. The poor boy was miserable, since Megumi forced him to take the lead, and the slave-driver of a fox never let him rest or slow his pace.

The worst part of this journey was that it was in the dead of winter. Snow covered the ground, intensifying the difficulties of travel; and intensifying Sanosuke's impatience. "When can we stop for lunch?" he sighed. "I'm tired of this shit."

Megumi rolled her eyes, tugging up the collar of her coat so that it shielded the side of her neck. "We ate when we left, Sanosuke. You can't possibly be hungry now."

"That was, like, four hours ago!" wailed Sanosuke, nearly tripping over his own feet. "And now we're lost… it's all your fault…"

Megumi growled. "How is it my fault?" she demanded.

"You got us lost," Sano complained, his breath coming in white clouds. "Everyone knows women can't navigate…"

Snorting, Megumi lowered her eyes back to the chart. "In that cast, you definitely have something missing in your pants."

He shot her an angry glower, but decided not to yelp back angrily as he normally would have. Sano was too hungry. Sano was too tired. Sano was too cold. Sano was too darn well miserable. "Stupid woman…" he grumbled, shuffling along in the snow.

"Stupid man…" Megumi returned, smirking. Sano awarded her with another glower, but his words were frozen when an especially cold blast of wintry wind passed right through his clothes. Megumi shivered, too, yelling, "Maybe we should find someplace to stop!"

"No kiddin'!" Sano shouted back, over the whistling wind. "The snow's gettin' worse!" Indeed, snowflakes now fell with twice the intensity of before, blanketing the earth anew in its white waves of cold. "Where to?"

Megumi blinked, squinting in the snow. Indeed, where to? Not a building was in sight; no sign of civilization was near. The Rooster and the Fox were stranded, out in the freezing cold of a rare, heavy winter in Tokyo, Japan.

"I…I don't know," she admitted, and she heard Sano groan with irritation.

His footsteps crunched in the snow as he trudged over to her side, gritting his teeth. "Well then, c'mon," Sano growled, leading her off towards the deeper part of the woods.

"Where are we going!" Megumi asked, catching up to him. The last thing she wanted was to be lost out in the snowstorm by herself.

Sanosuke looked back, replying, "There'll be less snow where the trees protect the ground. Maybe we can find a cave or somethin'."

Frowning, Megumi followed the shivering Rooster as he led her deeper into the forest; and to her amazement, he was right. The branches above shielded the ground underneath from a lot of the falling snow, leaving only a thin layer of fluffy white to cake the earth. Leave it to Sanosuke to be the rational one, Megumi thought dryly, a slight sneer quirking her lips.

"Ack… there's gotta be someplace around here…" Sanosuke grunted softly as he adjusted the weight of the luggage he was bearing once more, looking about dejectedly. The snow had lessened due to the trees, but it was as cold as ever.

"Baka Tori-Atama," Megumi sighed, coming to his side. "Now we're as lost as ever before."

Indignant, the boy snorted obnoxiously in attempt to preserve his pride. "Hmph. Quit whinin', already…" Looking about with an evaluating eye, Sanosuke growled, "My manly intuition tells me we should go….." There was a pause as Sano frowned in concentration, turning in a circle once or twice, abruptly declaring, "That-a-way!"

And thus he marched off in some random direction, nearly leaving behind an infuriated and slightly amused Megumi. She caught up to Sanosuke once more, muttering; "Now we're really lost. Your manly intuition has signed our death notes."

"Whatever." Sano scowled, refusing to look back at the snickering doctor. She always had a way with him; and Sano had always replied to that by being as obnoxious and annoying as possible. Megumi treated him like a child, so he acted like one. Sanosuke figured it was understandable enough.

They walked for a while longer, until Megumi was sure her legs had turned to lead. They ached; and it made them hurt all the more when she thought about Sano, who carried all that weight on his shoulders. Though he didn't show it, the fighter must have been feeling terrible discomfort.

"Have you found us a place to rest, or are you just going to keep on leading me into the woods, without any particular plan or common sense?" Megumi huffed at Sanosuke, who poked out his bottom lip in the familiar way he did, when irritated, determined, or disappointed.

"Feh. This forest must go on f'ever," he complained, coming to a halt. "Guess we'll just hafta camp under a tree."

"In the snow?" Megumi hissed.

"If you prefer it, Fox Lady," Sanosuke turned, giving her a sour look. "I'll clear the snow for ya, so you can sit on the muddy ground." Promptly he removed a bag from his back, settling it upon a patch of pure snow; and therefore Sano began to remove the many items from his body, putting them against a nearby tree.

Lazy-ass Sanosuke's just grumpy because he had to work, Megumi thought, inspecting Sanosuke's progress. And because he hasn't eaten. Stepping her way through the snow to Sano's side, Megumi silently shooed him aside when he was done, rummaging through her bag to retrieve a casket of rice balls.

Sanosuke watched her hungrily as Megumi opened the box, revealing perfectly made onigiri. It was a miracle that they were still intact due to the amount of shifting Sano did while carrying the bags, but it really didn't matter at the moment of how they looked. They were food.

Just when Sanosuke was ready to abandon all dignity and snatch the entire box out of the doctor's hands, Megumi picked one out and held it out to him. Sano stared at her for a minute; Megumi had never dared to touch anything he was going to eat, nor present it to him personally. She looked so indifferent as she offered the food to him, her dark magenta eyes peering out at him with an almost caring nature. The way the snow's pallor reflected in them made Megumi's long black hair stand out in shimmers, wreathing her white face with a midnight embrace.

"Hello? Are you going to eat it, baka tori?" Megumi frowned, waving the onigiri at Sano a bit, hoping to snap him out of it. The young man was gaping at her like she had just sprouted fox ears and a tail.

Stammering something, Sanosuke immediately averted his eyes, reaching out sheepishly to take the rice ball from Megumi. Their fingertips brushed, and Sano nearly dropped the onigiri at the contact.

Raising the fare to his lips, Sano thought, What was that all about? It's just the Fox-Lady. She looks like she always does…she isn't gonna bite you. Sanosuke took a bite out of the rice ball, his jaw pausing in mid-chew. In haste he swallowed, gasping, "They're—they're—!"

"Frozen," Megumi finished, after nibbling an onigiri of her own. Of course, the rice balls were not literally frozen; but they were cold enough to make Sanosuke's teeth burn. It was the sort of feeling Kaoru had complained about in Yokohama, when they had taken a disastrous trip by train to the port. The raccoon-girl had demanded to try some Western "Ice-cream," appalled to find that the delicious snack was unbearably cold when she tried to bite it. Kaoru, after shrieking a bit, resumed eating the ice-cream by licking, ignoring Yahiko and Sanosuke's snickers.

"Feh." Sanosuke braced himself, and stuffed the entire rice ball into his mouth, swallowing almost immediately after. He ignored Megumi's incredulous and partially disgusted stare, and wiped his mouth. "They're gross. Did you make them?"

Megumi's stare turned into a glare. "Yes, I did," she growled, grimacing as she took another bite. "But it is not my fault they're cold."

"It is all your fault," Sano repeated sourly, folding his arms and plopping down against the tree. "They wouldn't be cold if you didn't drag me along on this stupid trip."

"If I hadn't 'dragged you along'," Megumi replied, sneering, "you wouldn't be eating them."

She had a point. Sano scowled—what was he thinking? Megumi always had a point. It was nigh impossible to win an argument against the vixen. Sanosuke watched her warily as Megumi sat down next to him, still holding her personal onigiri and also holding the box from whence it came.

"If we get out of this storm alive," Megumi said, with no emotion evident, "I'm going to kill you."

Rolling his eyes, Sano muttered, "I wouldn't die even if you killed me."

"Stupid, that makes no sense," Megumi said, unable to control the small smile forming her lips. Sano watched the red shapes form smoothly into a tight grin, his eyes glinting with fascination behind his bandanna and thin bangs.

Megumi shivered, finishing her rice ball and putting away the box. In contrast to how they felt before, Sanosuke and Megumi suddenly didn't feel so hungry. It's too cold to eat, Megumi thought, especially when the food is horrible.

There was a long silence between the two people, and neither dared to look at the other. Sanosuke folded and unfolded his hands awkwardly, unsure if he should say something, or stay quiet. It was in these moments he didn't know how to handle the Fox Lady—if they were in the middle of an argument, it was a piece of cake to talk to her compared to when it came to conversing like adults. Or breaking a silence, especially one like this. Sano was not exactly a ladies' man.

It's all her fault, he thought tiredly. It's her fault I'm here. It's her fault I had to eat that food. It's her fault I'm cold. It's her fault I'm so damn lovesick. He jumped in horror—he wasn't supposed to think that. He was supposed to keep those thoughts blocked out of his mind—they were the unthinkable, reserved for the nights he lay awake, disgustingly drunk.

Megumi looked at Sanosuke with concern. The man had appeared to be drifting off to sleep, when suddenly he jumped with something like to alarm. "Sanosuke?" Megumi said, frowning.

"Yeah?" he replied, casting her a questioning look.

"Are you alright?"

"Peachy."

Megumi scowled. "Then why did you jump like that?"

"Huh?" Sanosuke stared at her obliviously, pretending that he didn't understand.

Folding her arms, Megumi frowned some more. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't," Sanosuke replied.

Megumi answered, "Yes, you do."

"Nuh-uh."

"Mm-hmm."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Mm-hmm!" Megumi scowled, getting sick of Sano's stubborn attitude. "Just… never mind. Just shut up."

"No," Sanosuke said cheekily, grinning back at Megumi's infuriated scowl. He was disappointed to find that Megumi didn't bother to reply to him, for instead she turned her head the other way and began to ignore him.

Shifting slightly, Sanosuke slid downwards a bit so that he was reclining against the trunk of the tree. With a soft sigh, Sano folded his arms over his stomach, bowed his head, and proceeded to fall asleep.

Megumi glanced over to him, looked away, and then redirected her gaze back to Sanosuke in horror. "Wake up!" she yelled, shaking Sanosuke frantically. "Don't fall asleep, stupid! Wake up!"

Quite agitated, Sanosuke opened his eyes and pushed Megumi's hands away in irritation. Scowling, he hissed, "What's your problem?"

"You can't go to sleep," Megumi said, just as jaded as Sano. "If you do, in this cold, you may never wake up!" With her statement, Megumi's imagination presented her with the appalling image of a frozen, lifeless Sanosuke, leaned against the tree with his muscles slack, blue skin, lips parted slightly in the sigh of death…

Ruffled, Sano growled, "Why would you care…oh yeah, you wouldn't have anyone to blame stuff on or carry your bags. Excuse me." He turned away from Megumi with a huff, for he was not exactly in his best mood.

Megumi glared at his back, and decided she'd let him sleep. Now that she considered it, Megumi felt drowsy as well…shivering, Megumi was blasted back into wakefulness as the snowy cold reminded her of the wintry vice. Shakily getting to her feet, Megumi hobbled over to the luggage and rummaged through the belongings, until she found a blanket. Holding it close, Megumi returned to her spot beside Sano and wrapped her shivering form up in the cloth, sitting sideways and resting her cheek against the bark of the tree.

Chilly moments passed, as Megumi's body began heating back up due to the blanket's warmth, a relieving feeling. Megumi began falling asleep, and soon she did; just in time to see Sano shift, and lay his head in her lap.

-

Megumi awoke, wreathed by soft, thick blankets. A comfortable futon and pillow warmed her side, and Megumi found that someone with warm, bronze skin and a ridiculous mass of rooster-like hair had his arms wrapped around her waist, pressing Megumi up against his chest as he slept.

Tensing, her magenta eyes wide, Megumi slowly looked up at the face of her companion, swallowing loudly as the snoozing face of Sagara Sanosuke came into view. Half of her demanded that Megumi should open up her lips and howl bloody murder, while another half of Megumi whispered that maybe, just maybe, Megumi might let Sano have his way. After all, she did not know the circumstances of the situation just yet.

I don't give a damn about the circumstances if he raped me! Megumi thought, beginning to tremble. But then, her tremors were calmed when she immediately reprimanded herself; Sanosuke would sooner commit suicide than consciously harm a woman like that.

What do I do? Megumi then wondered, looking up at the content, oblivious face of the Rooster-Head. I could wake him up, and smack him to a bloody pulp. Or, I could kick him where it hurts as hard as possible. Maybe I could strangle him to death while he's still sleeping. But then he might wake up, and thinking that I am an assassin, he might unwittingly hurt me in return… With partial dismay, Megumi realized she had no plots or replies to this situation that didn't involve beating the crap out of Sano.

Sanosuke shifted, mumbling in his sleep as he nuzzled the top of Megumi's head with his chin and nose. Megumi flushed scarlet, flustered as the emotions she had long attempted to bury rose from the dead, the hope that maybe Sanosuke could one day show her affection instead of spite.

Don't lie, Megumi, a voice said happily inside her mind. You know you're enjoying this!

I am not, Megumi cried out inside. I hate him! I want him to let go of me. I want him to go away! I hate him! Grasping Sano's shoulders, Megumi shook the fighter slightly and growled, "Wake up, moron."

Sanosuke stirred, opening his fuzzy chocolate eyes. He didn't seem to know where he was—heck, Megumi didn't know, either—and blinked a few times in confusion. Then Sano looked down, unsure of whom he was holding; and gasped when he saw an agitated vixen glowering up at him.

"Fox…" he muttered, blushing furiously. Megumi almost wanted to laugh at him because of it, but she was too busy glaring at the Rooster to do so. "Wha…where are we…?" He looked about the room nervously, finding only a simple array of wooden furniture and a nearby shoji. To the pair's relief, their luggage was propped up against the far wall.

"I do not know," Megumi said stiffly, "but if you don't get your hands off my behind, I'm going to slap you into next year."

Instantly removing his hands from Megumi's waist (it's fair enough to Sano's dignity to note that he indeed did not have his hands on any offensive part of Megumi's body), Sanosuke blushed anew and muttered, "Gomen ne… I don't understand what's happened… when I fell asleep, we were still in the woods…"

"Same here," Megumi sighed, sitting up. Sano remained on his back, flushed scarlet with embarrassment and—he wouldn't lie—slight glee. He had snuggled with the Fox Lady! Sanosuke would have smirked in merriment, but he didn't want to risk Megumi's reaction.

Now that Sanosuke was warm, comfortable, and well-rested, he only had a few things left to solve: one, his location; two, why in the world he had woken up to Megumi's face; three, the growing hunger rearing in his tummy; and four, he was pretty darn thirsty, too. Having the cold and sleep issue solved, Sano found it a lot easier to handle the Fox Lady; a grumpy Sano was never a happy one.

The shoji door slid open, to reveal an elderly lady. Megumi and Sanosuke immediately recognized her as Doctor Gensai's sister, looking as healthy as ever and in spiffy condition. The two on the futon stared at her in disbelief as she hobbled into the room.

"Oh, you're awake! Wonderful," she smiled, and continued. "Some of the men importing goods to Izu happen to see you when arriving. They picked you up and brought you to me! You're very lucky, you know. The winter cold might have killed you."

"G-Gensai-san," Megumi stammered, blushing. She did NOT want little granny blabbing to her younger brother that she and Sanosuke had shared a futon; all of Tokyo would know before long. "I…I was told you had fallen ill…"

"I had," the elderly woman said, bowing. "And I thank you for answering my call, Takani-sensei! But it seems fate was on my side, and I managed to recover amazingly within the last few days. Though, I have a bit of a cough left, so would you mind giving me a little medicine for that?"

"O-Of course," Megumi stammered, and then said, "And… another thing… why is Sanosuke in my futon…?"

Dr. Gensai's elder sister blinked in slight surprise and confusion. "Why, from the way you two were all snuggled up out in the forest—according to those men, anyways; one would think you were courting."

Megumi blinked in response, her eyes darkening and her head slowly turning to look at Sanosuke with a fearsome stare. "We were snuggling, Sanosuke?"

Blushing and putting his hands behind his head, Sano muttered, "It was kind of selfish of you to hog the blankets like that."

"Baka Tori-Atama!" Megumi yelled angrily, causing Sanosuke to flinch with apprehension.

The old woman watched the couple bicker with amusement, getting up and proceeding to the door. "I'll make some lunch for the both of you," she said, "so get up when you feel like it." And she left.

A cold stillness filled the room as the Fox glared at the Rooster with unfathomable rage. Sanosuke averted his eyes, cursing himself. She's mad at me, now. I didn't think she'd be so damn ticked! "Megumi," he said, trying to squeeze some reason out of the lady, "I didn't touch you or take advantage of you. Why're ya so mad?"

"It's all your fault," she growled, slamming her hands down on the cushy part of the futon. "It's all your stupid fault…"

Hurt, Sano averted his eyes and asked softly, replacing his hands over his tummy. "Wh… what's all my fault?"

"This," Megumi hissed, waving her hands in the air as she did so, "this is all your fault! It's your fault! Now Gensai-san thinks you are my—my—"

Since it was obvious Megumi was going to go on stammering, Sano offered, "Boyfriend?"

"YES!" Megumi yelled, causing Sano to widen his eyes and a few of his brown bangs to blow out of his face. "Yes—and not to mention when I woke up, you had your hands all over me, and now how am I supposed to ever get a respectable husband if rumor goes around that I've already been with another man! Especially—" Abruptly, she stopped, noticing the look on Sano's face.

"…especially when he's better known as the Kenkaya Zanza?" Sano finished for her, the unmistakable expression resembling that of a kicked puppy flickering over his tanned features. "I didn't do anything to ya, you know… if you want we can talk to the old lady and tell her it was a mix-up…"

Megumi stared at him, the realization slapping her across the face like a snowball trained in Mitsurugi. He wasn't mad about it, Megumi thought. He isn't mad, or embarrassed about me. Now he thinks I hate him, and now Sano thinks he's ruined my life because we happened to be put in the same futon. He wants to erase it all, because I'm being a witch to him.

"Never mind," Megumi sighed at last. To Sano's surprise, she lay down next to him again, folding her hands over her chest nervously. "I'm sorry… I guess it's not that big of a deal."

Rolling onto his side to inspect Megumi's weary expression, Sanosuke let a small pause ensue before asking, "…Does that mean you're not angry at me anymore?"

"Obviously," Megumi said, looking at the ceiling as though praying it might miraculously collapse and kill her. Moments passed, until a soft rustle of blankets was heard, and Megumi nearly had a heart attack when Sanosuke put his left arm around her waist and pulled the Fox against him. "H-Hey—! Just what do you think you're doing!"

"You said you weren't mad no more," Sano grinned, fitting Megumi's head underneath his chin just as it had been before. "So I guess you wouldn't mind, would ya?"

"Oh, shut up," Megumi growled, twitching. "This is all your fault, anyways."

"Nope," Sano shot back, yawning. "I'd let go right away if you asked me to. You're lettin' me do this, so therefore, it's all your fault."

Indignant, Megumi flew into a fit. "It is not my fault! You're the one who put your head in my lap, you're the one who hugged me, you're the one who did that damn puppy-dog face to make me feel bad, and you're the one who chose to—mmff!"

Sick of listening to the doctor prattle, Sanosuke shut Megumi up the best way he could figure: he flat out kissed her. To his surprise, Megumi didn't struggle at all—in fact, she simply twitched once in shock; and Sano could have sworn she moved her lips against his once or twice. Butterflies played the Hokey-Pokey in his stomach as the realization came to Sano, and he let the Fox Doctor go.

Silence. And then, Megumi asked, "What was that for?"

Rolling his eyes—to think Sanosuke had thought the meaning to be obvious!—he smiled and said, "You wouldn't shut up. So I did it for you."

She glared at him momentarily, at Sano and his lazy smirk. Then Megumi muttered, "This really is all your fault, Rooster."

"Just as much as yours, Fox," Sanosuke replied, his grin widening. "It's not my fault you won't cure me." Confused, Megumi looked up at Sano's gleeful expression for a reply. She got one, as Sanosuke grinned down at her and whispered, "Told ya once. Lovesickness."

Megumi reddened, from the heels of her feet to the roots of her hair—Sano was lovesick! Passing out was a good but unreachable option at this point, so Megumi instead lowered her eyes and said, "Oh."

"'Oh'?" Sano repeated, puzzled. Surely, Megumi had more to say than that!

She remained silent, gazing at the golden tinge of Sanosuke's chest until her vision blurred over from staring too long, into a mass of ginger. Megumi was faintly aware of Sano's anxious breath stirring her bangs, as his hold around her waist tightened in apprehension. Well, Megumi thought, can I cure him? Can I cure Sano's… malady?

"Sano…I don't know," Megumi said softly, blushing. Sanosuke remained silent, though he couldn't help but let a bit of disappointment leak through. But he listened anyways, waiting for Megumi to finish. "Sanosuke… what kind of lovesick?"

Sano felt a knot form in his throat. She's afraid I'm gonna treat her like the Akabeko, he realized. An eat-and-run. "I'm really lovesick," Sanosuke murmured, "I mean, I think about you before I go to sleep, and when I wake up in the morning. I think about you when I'm gambling, fighting, and hanging out with Kenshin and the gang. I wonder what you're doing every night…maybe saving the life of another person, or spending the night at Jou-Chan's… every time I argue with you, I hope you'll smile and me or say something nice instead; and every time I go to the Dojo, I hope you're there, too…and I break my hand all the time 'cause I want to see you again..."

The poor boy's face was crimson now, as he softly poured out his heart to the silent Fox Lady. Megumi listened to every word, and to the rapid heartbeat she could hear drumming inside his chest. How hard it must be, for the usually so tough-shelled fighter to admit his feelings, to his sparring partner and former object of spite? Megumi, he knew, had every right to reject him and snarl at him, for the more he thought about it; the more Sanosuke realized just how much of a jerk he had been, from the very start. He had tried to make up for it, but succeeded miserably.

"I think about you a lot," Sano whispered. "But I was afraid to tell you that, 'cause I knew you deserved to hate me…and I was afraid you did, or would. And then this happened, and I ruined everything—"

Sano gasped as the Fox Lady's lips met his, unexpected as her words that came afterwards. "Be quiet, stupid," she ordered, in an oddly affectionate manner. "I don't hate you. In fact, you should hate me. I'm the one who caused your friend to die, and…"

A little silence developed between the Rooster and the Fox, as the lanky teenager looked down at the doctor, who stared right back up at him. Then he smiled, and laughed softly. His laughter grew, until Megumi suddenly found that she, too, had began to giggle.

"Wha—w-what's so f-f-funny?" she demanded, amid her snickers.

"Dunno! You tell me!" Sano laughed, smiling wide. They both continued to giggle like children, until both Megumi and Sanosuke were out of breath and panting. Hugging the Fox to him still, Sanosuke sighed and looked down at Megumi solemnly.

Pulling the blankets over her shoulder, Megumi sighed too, and looked up at the silent Rooster-Head. "You know, Sanosuke…" she whispered, "I've been sick. I've been extremely sick ever since I fled from Kanryuu…and my illness is incurable. One day, I will die of it."

"W-What!" Sanosuke's eyes widened in horror, and he immediately sat up in alarm, looking down at the lady doctor. "Die? Die? You can't die! What do you mean? What are you sick from? Meg—Megumi, tell me what it is and I'll do whatever I can to get a cure—"

Putting her hand over his mouth, Megumi pulled the fretting boy back down onto the futon with her, putting her head on his chest. His heart was beating frantically, and Megumi smiled. "You didn't let me finish, Sanosuke. Ever since I ran from Kanryuu, I've been suffering from this illness, and a doctor like me is very unwilling to admit to anyone that she is sick; especially from this sort of disease. And because of it, I find it difficult to heal your lovesickness."

"What is this disease?" Sano asked, his voice trembling.

Megumi smiled. "Like you, Sanosuke, I am extremely, undeniably lovesick. And unless I find someone to cure this for me, I will die of a broken heart."

Comprehension perched on Sanosuke's face, and he smiled in relief. "I think I can cure that, Foxy-sensei," Sanosuke sighed, pleased. "But only if you let me."

Megumi snickered, pulling Sanosuke's lips to her own in reply. After a while, they pulled away, and lay together for a few minutes, curled up. Sanosuke laid his head on Megumi's chest in ease, and Megumi busied herself by stroking his Rooster-like hair and narrow features with her long fingertips. "You may do whatever you please to cure me of this lovesickness, Sagara Sanosuke," Megumi whispered into his ear, "because it's all your fault, anyways."

OWARI.

MadiSano: An amazingly quick update! Haha:) In fact, I have another one ready to post right now (which will be posted after the next fic), and then my "When You Say Nothing At All" songfic is reeaaallly close to being finished...I'm on a writing rampage! Yay! Heh. I'm glad you all approve of the "Into the West" songfic...but I've found another song I really like that I want to use, too! Ack! Ah well, I'll inform you all about that later...it's called "At the Beginning." If you've seen the credits of the cartoon Anastasia, you've heard it before. :)

Also, new idea! This came to mind with the help of MissTeak: Sanosuke's daughter (Seiko) is about to have her first date:o With who? Who? Who? Why, Himura Kenji, of course! But the thing is...daddy doesn't want his little girl to grow up quite so fast, even if she's going to hang out with Kenshin's son. The outcome...? Chaos. Kaoru's temper unleashed. Much oroing. :) You like? Anyways, that's about it, all...oh wait! Yes, I may continue Good Boy...we'll see. Heh. Glad everyone liked Notaro! XD He's so funny!