Chapter 8: A Night to Remember

(it just fits, okay? so sue me!)


"Oi, Kenshin," Sano whispered, hunching down to the rurouni's level, who was currently doing the laundry.

"Oro?" Kenshin said, looking up and arching his eyebrows. "Yes, Sano, what is it?"

"Um… could you…er…" Sano's eyes shifted nervously as he tried to iterate what he was trying to say and Kenshin watched with a bemused look. "I… I need some advice."

"Ummm, okay?" Kenshin replied, curiosity growing in him.

"Er… it's about Kyouri…"

Kenshin's eyebrows disappeared under the messy fringe of bangs, his eyelids lowering halfway, "Sano, you're asking this one for advice about women?"

"Yeah," Sano replied, giving Kenshin a "no duh" look. "Who else am I supposed to ask? The monkey?"

"How about asking an actual woman?" a feminine voice cut in, making the two guys jump. Sano and Kenshin both looked up to see none other than Megumi looking at them, Kaoru standing besides her with a curious expression.

"Who invited you, kitsune?" Sano frowned.

"Oh, I just thought I'd visit Ken-san since work's been kind of slow," Megumi laughed behind her hand. "I didn't expect to find you having woman trouble, though. I was surprised enough when Kaoru told me that you seemed interested in a girl that is staying at the dojo."

"She did, did she?" Sano growled as Kaoru ignored him defiantly.

"Yes," Megumi said matter-of-factly, "Now, what exactly do you need to know?"

"Nothing that concerns you, this is something that should be discussed between men." Kenshin went bug-eyed and gave a small "oro," feeling that he was the last person to come to for advice on women.

"That's the problem most men have," Megumi sighed condescendingly, "They don't ask a woman what to do and end up making matters worse."

"No. Way," Sanosuke said with finality, standing up and crossing his arms. "There is no way I'm coming to you for advice."


"H-how did you find me?" she stuttered, still wide eyed after she had jumped back in shock, away from him.

He smirked widely, happy to get such a fearful response from the girl, "Honestly, Kyouri, there wasn't a moment in the past ten years when I didn't know exactly where you were."

"Wh-what?" she faltered, then frowned, "Liar, then why didn't you come forward earlier?"

He grinned again, exposing two fangs as he did, "You chose your companions carefully, I was impressed." Blood red eyes narrowed as if pinning down a prey. "The Wolf Tribe and Fox Clan are better as allies, I wouldn't do anything to anger them."

"Bastard…" she growled, clenching her fists with anger even though she was visibly shaking from fear.

"Yes," he smirked. "But that was all right, I knew that, with a person like you, all I had to do was wait."

" 'A person like me'?" she said with a scornful expression.

"It doesn't take long for someone like you to become vulnerable, even if you don't realize it."

"Vulnerable?" she scoffed. "I don't think so. With my friends backing me up there is no way I'm letting you control my life."

A low, menacing sound escaped his lips as he laughed, "You foolish half-breed, just what are you getting at?" He advanced towards her, his tall dark frame towering over her as a dark, mirthful expression played on his face. "Friends? What friends?" He frowned. "Have you even told them what you are?" She paled as the red-blood eyes bore into her own. "A worthless creature shunned by all. One who doesn't belong in the human or demon world. Something viewed as a dangerous monster by humans and a pathetic weakling by demons."

"They're not like that," she countered, although her voice wavered.

"How can you be sure?" The edges of his lips curled upwards. "You're not sure. If you were, you would have already revealed your secret to them. You would already have taken off that damn necklace."

"I am going to tell them," she replied, breaking eye contact and looking towards the river as her nails dug into the palms of her hands. "I will tell them."

He drew close to her and tilted her face up gently back towards him so she couldn't look away, his face so near he only had to whisper what he was saying, "What do you expect from them, Kyouri? Acceptance? Love? Even when your mother, your own flesh and blood, refused to give them to you and abandoned you?" She was shaking all over as images of her mother walking out of that gate, without even looking back at her daughter, flashed in her mind. "A child like you, a friend like you, a lover like you, is something no one can accept."

"No!" she said forcefully, though she slumped down to the ground as her knees buckled under her. She covered her ears attempting to block out his caustic words as her wide eyes stared at the blades of grass. "I don't believe you…They wouldn't… he wouldn't… I know it… they're not like her…"

Expressionlessly he knelt down, pulling her hands down almost tenderly so she could hear him clearly. "Then why do you still wear that necklace?" She shivered at his touch, avoiding looking into the crimson of his eyes as he smirked. "Deep in you, even though you may say these things, you still doubt them, you still doubt the human that is in them. That's why you put on this charade." He frowned. "What were you thinking, Kyouri? Did you think you could carry on this façade? This act of being a normal human? True, you are happy now, but how long would it last? One year? Two years? You wouldn't be able to hide forever. Eventually, it would all crumble under you, and all you would be left with is ruins."

"I'll tell him," she replied quietly. "I'll tell all of them. It won't be a secret anymore." She thought of Sanosuke, how close he had been earlier that morning, and as she did she looked into her uncle's eyes, a new determination flashing in them. "After that, you will leave me alone." He didn't answer, but frowned, as if disappointed that he couldn't convince her.

"Kyouri," he sighed heavily. "Allow me to tell you a secret." He edged in closely, tucking her hair behind her ear, his cheek rubbing against hers as he spoke into her ear in such a way that it made her skin crawl. "No one of importance will care if a few humans go missing."

Ice cold words of venom burned through her, searing away any remaining hope that had been left within her. She suddenly felt vulnerable, naked, and defenseless as she shivered.

"No… you wouldn't…" she gasped as she felt hot tears begin to form in her eyes.

"Five minutes is all it would take to slaughter your friends."

"No... no, no, no…" she sobbed, shaking her head in denial as the tears streamed down her face and the ball in her throat choked her.

"Would they still accept you, if they found that you put their very lives in jeopardy?" She couldn't answer; she was having a hard enough time trying to breathe. She felt nauseous, as if everything but the demon in front of her was swirling around at a sickening pace. "Even if they did, would you be able to protect them?" The same manic smile that haunted her dreams stretched across his face. "Even my own brother couldn't protect his family, what makes you think a hanyou like you could?"

"I just wanted…" she whimpered sadly as she slumped down so her forehead was on the ground. "I just wanted to be happy…"

"Enjoy them, Kyouri," he grinned evilly. "Enjoy the last few moments of happiness before you return to me, to the world in which you truly belong. Come back here by tomorrow morning, or all your friends will be slaughtered by noon."

He stood up and left, walking casually away from the bank as if he had not just shattered someone lives right from under them, leaving them sitting helpless on the cold ground, hugging themselves as burning tears poured down their face.

I just wanted to be happy… with Sanosuke…


Megumi sighed heavily, shaking her head in such a way that Sano couldn't help feeling a bubble of frustration inflate within him, "You… are so tactless."

"What?" he grumbled.

"Without even declaring anything to her, you move in and try to kiss her, surprising her and probably scaring her," she sighed. "No wonder she ran off." Sanosuke seethed dangerously as Megumi cast him an exasperated look. "Hey, they're your blunders, I'm just pointing them out."

"Fine," he growled. "But you haven't told me what I'm supposed to do to fix them."

"Well, you could start by taking her out to dinner, at least."

"Dinner?"

"Yes, baka, it's what people do: eat together."

"I know what having dinner is!" Sano snapped, a vein popping on his forehead.

"Good." Then Megumi smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, if she has been able to put up with you for this long, then there's no reason she wouldn't be willing to give you another chance."

"And she did stay here instead of leaving with her friends," Kaoru pointed out. "I don't think you should worry so much, Sanosuke."

"You have a point, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin nodded agreeably.

Sanosuke gave them annoyed looks, "And just what are you two doing here, anyway? Getting 'advice' too?" Kaoru and Kenshin didn't answer, but just smiled innocently.

Sano sighed, slumping down. "So, all I have to do is take her to dinner…" he mused. "Is that really it?"

"Well, you have to remember to act accordingly when you do," Megumi replied, crossing her arms. "For instance, no mooching on the lady you're supposed to be treating. And don't take her to a pub or something, that would just be stupid."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, kitsune," Sano said grudgingly.

"Get what?" a voice behind him said happily, making Sano jump with surprise.

"Oi, Kyouri, don't scare me like that!" he snapped, glaring at her from the ground since he had fallen off the walkway.

Kyouri laughed, getting down on her haunches, looking down at him, "Sorry, Sano, didn't mean to."

"Er, it's okay," Sano muttered, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Ah, Sano, I was hoping to talk to you about something," she said brightly standing up as well, making Sanosuke look at her curiously. As she rocked on the balls of her heels nervously she said, "I realized as I was walking home that I've been in Tokyo for nearly three weeks, but I've never even been to the entertainment district. I was hoping you could show me around tonight." Sano stopped dusting himself off as a suspended silence submerged the group.

"Really?" Sano asked in disbelief, arching his eyebrows. Kyouri's face reddened slightly.

"Well, yeah, if you're not too busy or anything…"

Sanosuke grinned broadly, "Okay, it's not like I've got anything better to do tonight anyway." Megumi slapped her forehead exasperatedly as a sweatdrop slid down Kyouri's cheek.

"Gee, thanks," Kyouri said sarcastically.

Megumi gave a heavy sigh as she cast half lidded gaze on Sanosuke, "And to think I spent all that time talking to the bird-head for nothing…"

"Um, excuse me?" Kyouri said, having just noticed the doctor.

"Oh, hello, Kyouri-san," Megumi smiled, getting up and bowing, "I'm Takani Megumi, a friend of Ken-san's. We haven't met, but I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Oh, hello," Kyouri replied, bowing as well, "Nice to meet you."

Megumi laughed behind her hand, fox ears appearing on her head, "Oho ho, maybe you could knock some manners into that bird-head, too!" Sanosuke grumbled darkly as Kyouri grinned at Megumi. "Anyways, how about we get you dressed after lunch?"

"Huh?" Kyouri said.

"Well, we'll have to get you in a proper kimono," Megumi smiled coyly. "I think a blue one would suit you nicely, don't you think so, Kaoru?"

"Eh?" Kaoru said, looking up from where she was sitting, "Yes, I agree! Don't worry, Kyouri-chan, you can borrow one of mine!"

"Um, okay," Kyouri smiled nervously.

"Kaoru, do you have any men's clothes in the dojo?"

"Uh, yeah, there are some of my father's old clothes in the shack," Kaoru replied, knitting her eyebrows. "Why do you ask?"

"You should let Sanosuke borrow some."

"What!" Sano protested. "Why do I have to change?"

"Because if you go to the entertainment district dressed up like you are now, you and Kyouri-san will be mistaken for a yakuza and his prostitute."

"Hey!" both Kyouri and Sanosuke exclaimed.

"Kenshin and Yahiko can help you dress," Megumi shrugged, ignoring the cries of protest. "We'll get started after lunch, all right? All right!" Megumi laughed behind her hand again as Sano and Kyouri stood feeling harassed.

"Women…" Sano muttered, as he glanced at Kyouri. "You really wanna dress up?"

"Sure," Kyouri said cheerfully, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "Though it's been more than ten years since I wore a kimono…"

Sano grinned, then stopped as he noticed something, "Hey, your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"

"What?" Kyouri said, surprised. "Oh, n-no, I just had a bout of sneezes when I was walking home." She shrugged cheerfully. "I guess some pollen must've gotten to me or something."

"Um, right," Sano shrugged, thinking of the old saying that a person sneezed when someone talked about them behind their back.

"Come on, I didn't come all this way for nothing!" Megumi called to them. "It's good manners to feed a guest when they come to visit."

"Even when they're uninvited?" Kaoru growled as Megumi laughed coyly, leading the way to the sitting room.


"So, you finally got things going with Kyouri?" Yahiko said as he looked through the boxes of old clothes. He looked up just long enough to give Sanosuke an exasperated look. "It's about time!"

"This one agrees," Kenshin grinned.

"Neither of you has room to talk," Sano frowned.

"Oro?"

"NOTHING IS GOING ON BETWEEN TSUBAME-CHAN AND ME!"

"See what I mean?" Sano grunted.

Yahiko snorted angrily, throwing a bundle of clothes at Sanosuke's head, "Here put this stuff on."

Sano pulled the clothes off his hair and examined them, "This is so stupid. Who cares what I look like?"

"Just put it on," Yahiko mumbled, "Or else Kaoru and Megumi'll get on my case." Sano grudgingly pulled off his jacket, getting dressed.


"Come on," Yahiko groaned. "How long does it get for one person to get dressed!" The door slid open, but instead of Kyouri, Kaoru emerged, looking peeved. She said nothing, but just knuckled Yahiko on the head, then disappeared behind the door once again. Yahiko mumbled and grumbled darkly, rubbing his head as he sat down next to Kenshin who was next to Sanosuke. Sano kept shifting uncomfortably in his seat, obviously beginning to feel nervous in his new clothes as the reality of a date with Kyouri sunk in.

Minutes ticked by in silence.

"Who the hell can put up with these damn sleeves!" Sano exclaimed suddenly, looking down at his dark blue gi with an accusing glare.

"Sano… shut up…" Yahiko muttered tiredly. Sano seethed, then kicked Kenshin so he would ram into Yahiko and knock him into the post.

"ORO!"

"Dammit, rooster head, you wanna fight?" Yahiko yelled, pushing a swirly eyed Kenshin off him and getting up.

"Bring it on, idiot midget!" Sano grinned, eager to relieve some stress. But before they could start, a shoe flew out of nowhere and hit Sanosuke square on the head. "What the hell!" He glared at Kenshin, but Kenshin shook his head quickly and pointed at Kaoru, who was standing at the doorway.

"You're gonna get your clothes dirty," she said disapprovingly.

"Who cares! All I'm gonna do is show Kyouri around anyway! NO BIG DEAL, DAMMIT!" Everyone's eyes widened as Sanosuke huffed angrily, obviously having reached his limit on nervousness.

"Sano? Are you okay?" said Kyouri as she stepped out and walked towards the group. Sano's anger was forgotten as she stood looking at him with a bemused expression. She was now wearing a dark river-blue kimono, delicately decorated with light green grasses and small gold fireflies, held together by a light yellow obi that was tied in a complicated bow. The color made her vivid green eyes stand out even more, especially since most of her bangs had been pushed back in an elaborate bun, which also exposed a gently curving neck.

Okay, so maybe he could see why it took so long for her to get dressed.

"Well?" Megumi demanded, emerging from the room as well. "Are you gonna do something or just stand there with your mouth wide open?"

"Huh?" Sano snapped his mouth closed as Kyouri smiled at him. "Yeah, you, er, you look good." Kyouri chuckled at his loss of words (making Sano's face burn), happy to get such a reaction from him even though she could practically feel Megumi rolling her eyes behind her.

"You look good, too," she smiled, noting how different he looked in the dark blue gi with a white collar and white hakama pants. She walked to the steps and slipped on some black lacquered geta (sandals, like the one Kaoru wears when she's not training) she had borrowed from Kaoru, then stood up. "Let's get going before it gets too late." She walked up to him and gave him an expectant look.

"Offer her your arm, baka!" hissed Megumi. Sano cast her a dirty look, but held his arm out stiffly for Kyouri. She grinned and slipped her own through his.

"Thank you guys," Kyouri smiled at the people watching both of them, her eyes strangely soft. "We'll be back later."

"Take your time," Megumi laughed.

"Have fun, Kyouri-chan!" Kaoru called.

"Don't forget to pay for everything, Sano!" Kenshin grinned happily.

"And don't be an idiot!" Yahiko smirked.

"I get it, okay?" Sano fumed. "Come on, Kyouri, let's hurry up and go."

"Bye!" Kyouri called as Sano led her out the gate.

"They really are a cute couple," Megumi sighed once they were gone.

"It'd be nice to dress up and go out every now and then," Kaoru smiled dreamily as Kenshin mentally took note.


"Oohhh, that was fun!" Kyouri squealed happily, her face red as she stumbled forward.

"Kyouri, you are so drunk!" Sano laughed, even though his face was also a deep red.

"Are not!" Kyouri retorted. "It's just that everything keeps moving around…"

"That's called 'being drunk,'" Sano grinned. "You don't hold alcohol too well, do you?"

Kyouri giggled, "I don't get the chance to practice too much… whoa…" She stumbled and leaned on Sano's arm, making his already red face burn. Kyouri didn't notice however, as she sighed contentedly and her eyelids drooped, "This really was a fun evening… but I'm so tired right now…" She yawned widely, shifting more weight onto Sanosuke.

Sano laughed, "We're close to my neighborhood, you can sleep off the alcohol at my place for a while then head back to the dojo." Kyouri stopped, then gave Sano a suspicious look, to which Sano frowned back. "What? Geez, get your mind out of the gutter, I'm not that kind of guy."

Kyouri giggled again, then took a deep, sobering breath as rested her cheek on his arm, "Yeah, I know…"

A little while later they both staggered into Sano's small living space, laughing happily at nothing in particular as they both leaned on each other. Kyouri slipped off her shoes and sat down on the ground, stretching and yawning.

"Man," she groaned. "I can't see how someone can wear a kimono for too long before going crazy."

"I know what you mean," Sano grinned as he set out his futon, "I really hate wearing this gi, the stupid sleeves are too big and annoying. They get in the way of everything."

Kyouri watched as he spread out the blanket, then plopped down the pillow at the head of the futon before plunking down with his back to the wall.

"There ya go," he grinned, rubbing his eyes rather groggily. "You can sleep there for a while."

"What about you?" Kyouri asked.

"I'll sleep here, it's not the first time, so it's okay." She smiled thankfully at him as she stood up and walked over to the futon, undoing the bun in her hair so it came spilling down in brown waves around her. She looked at Sano, who was watching her with a content and relaxed expression on his sleepy face.

"Sano? You can sleep on the futon too," she smiled, then added more sternly, "Just no funny business."

"Yes ma'am," Sano grinned, sliding over just as she lay down on her side, facing the wall. She heard him stretch loudly as he settled down.

"Sano?"

"Mm-yeah?"

"Thanks," she smiled broadly to herself. "I had a great time."

"Yeah, me too. We should do this again some time."

"…yeah…" she said softly, feeling herself sobering up.

"Kyouri?"

"Hm?"

"Can I, er, put my arm around you?"

She gave a small laugh, "All right." She felt as he gently put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and the warmth of his body on her back. She breathed in deeply, taking in his scent and committing it to memory. He seemed to be doing the same thing as she heard him taking in a deep breath.

"Your hair…" he said in a muffled voice, "It smells just like it did ten years ago…"

"Eh?" Kyouri grinned, turning her head slightly to his direction and pushing herself closer to him. She had never felt so comfortable before... "How can you remember something like that?"

"'Cause… it smells like summer…"

She struggled to keep her voice from wavering, "Sano… how do you know what summer smells like?"

"Easy, it smells like your hair." She laughed at his response, making him grin broadly as he shut his eyes and sighed, beginning to drift into a heavy sleep.

Kyouri could say that she was proud of herself, because even as she had joked with him and she could feel him running his fingers through her hair gently, the tears running down her face didn't impair her speech or give away any indication that she was crying.

She knew that, in a few hours, Sano would wake up.

He would find that she was gone, and he would probably be furious.

She would be far away from him, and she would probably never be able to see him again.

But, just for now, as she listened to the quiet sounds of his sleep and felt the warmth of his body and arm that was draped across her waist, she wanted to pretend…

She had been doing it for ten years; a few more hours wouldn't hurt.


Note: Please tell me you all get what her uncle is! PLEASE! (-shakes weirded out reviewers-). And I hope you all know "hanyou" means "half demon." If you didn't, you do now!

…Is anyone mad that I put demons into the Ruroken era? (-twiddles fingers-) I think it's plausible…

Umm, what else is there to say? I just hope you guys liked the chapter. Was it too cheesy?

Oh! Now I remember something! If anyone's seen the cover for Yahiko no Sakabatou or seen Samurai X: Reflection, you'll note the cool gi and hakama Yahiko was wearing (there was a little "aku" character on the back, too!). That's kind of how I imagined Sano was dressed for their date (tho' I guess he wouldn't have time to put the little "aku"). Also, I'm not really sure how Sano would respond to that kind of nervousness, so I made him kind of explosive. He was snappy when Megumi first came around (in the manga, anyway), so I guess that's how I imagine him…

Oooh, oooh! (-bounces up and down-) Another thing! I went to Los Angeles for spring break (got back on thu) and I went to Little Tokyo and had soba noodles! Whee hee! (-sooo easily amused-). I also got the cutest wittle Sano pin, along with a bokken that cost 9 bucks and now looks really authentic since I took off the "made in Taiwan" sticker! (China town and the BodyWorlds exhibit at the Science Center was also really cool…)

Reviewer Responses:

Fairy Mage: Yep, I did use the English versions 'cause I actually bought those, but I read the scanlated Kyoto and Jinchuu ark from directmanga. I think I like the more literal translations… The necklace is very pretty, and shiny too! (-grins-). (-punches air-) Bird kick of rage! WOOT! (-grins-) I like your reviews! They're so funny! And you've read the manga! (-pats fairy mage on the head-).

Omasuoniwabanshu: XD. Well, the suspense about her secret should be gone now. I hope I didn't lay it on a too thick…

WhiteRabbit5: I'm glad you liked the way I made the manga scenes, though honestly I didn't write them all the way out because I'd get waaay too bored. Yeah, I guess the emotional debate with Kyouri may have been a little long, but I love those scenes, so I tend to get carried away (-sweatdrop-). lol I had forgotten about that! I guess that just makes their pact a little more important or something. Heh heh, things always tend to work that way in fanfictions/anime/manga: lots of ironic coincidences. I hate the animation used in the anime, Sano's hair is all poofy or something, it looks stupid (-grumble mumble-). Sorry, I haven't been updating very well at all, inspiration comes at random times, tho' when it does it hits like a bag of bricks! Have you made that summary yet? I've been getting all these "author alerts" in my e-mail and I've been dying to see what happens to Naruku… (-threatens Usashi-kun with new bokken-). Heh heh, "I'm still young"? What does that mean? Only old farts can draw manga well? lol I've been trying to draw too, and I've gotten to the point where I don't flinch every time I look over my pictures. I was looking for a manga pen set in Little Tokyo, but I couldn't find one…(-depression-). Well, keep at it! Everyone gets better the more they draw. (are you making a manga of your fic? (-biiig eager grin-)). I think the necklace thing gets a little more explained in this chapter, but there's still a lot more to it that I'm saving for later. (long response to a long review, ne? I love it!).

Sangokirara5: Nope, I didn't (though that makes more sense now). Sorry! I've got yahoo, not aol. I'm glad you're still reading!

Shadic the Hedgehog Author: Any relation to Sonic? (I loved that comic when I was little!). ANYway (-walks out of memory lane-), I'm glad you like it! I honestly don't think Sano and Megumi make a good couple (they're both too stubborn, they'd end up fighting all the time!). But I guess I'm a little biased, ne? Hmm, that's really weird, I think you should talk to the directmanga staff, tho'. It does exist, though, since I've downloaded, like, five series from there and haven't had that many problems. Errors do happen a sometimes, tho', so it's a real pain to get anything, but it's as good as it gets! So, um, yah, thanks a lot for reading! (kie-san-dono? Kind of long, ne?).

Such awesome reviews I keep getting, thanks so much, guys! Wow, I'm almost to fifty! (whee!).

SO DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE ANOTHER ONE, DAMMIT!

(…O.o sometimes I scare even myself…)