D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Hello! Wow! You people made me touch 60 reviews in just 3 chapters! Thank you SO much! Anyway, I'm glad you all liked the chapter, and don't worry; there's still time left for Megumi to change her mind, don't you think? Okay, so here's the forth chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 4:

Miss Takani…

Sano! Why are you still awake? I tucked you in half an hour ago!

I'm sorry. I just couldn't sleep…

Well, now that's a problem, don't you think? How are you going to wake up for school tomorrow?

…sorry…

It's okay, Sanosuke, really…but what should we do now? Do you want to sit next to me? I was just doing my homework.

Can I?

Yes…but I'm warning you, I'm not much entertainment when I'm working…

No! I'd love to watch you doing your homework! Thank you, Miss Takani!

-

'Sano…why are you still hanging around? I removed your stitches an hour ago!'

Megumi had just stepped out of surgery room, and was just starting to shrug off her coat when she noticed Sano, standing across the corridor from her. He had come earlier that day to remove his stitches just as she had instructed him.

Sano now grinned sheepishly. 'Sorry, I just wanted to see you at work…is that okay?' he asked.

Megumi took off her surgical coat and set it aside. Underneath she had her white coat on. 'Yes, it's perfectly okay, Sano,' she replied. 'But why on earth would you want to do something like that? Don't you have something better to do? Don't you have any lectures you have to go to at the University?'

'Nope! Today is the only day I'm free during the week!' he told her.

'My point, exactly! If this is the only day you've got free, you should go out and enjoy your time! I don't think that watching me cutting people open is entertaining enough,' she muttered.

'But I love watching you work!' he protested. He faltered for a moment. 'Unless…you really don't want me around, is that it?'

'Don't be silly, Sanosuke…I just told you it's perfectly okay,' she told him. She checked her watch. 'Okay, listen; I have a thirty-minute break now? Want to go get something to eat? I know a nearby restaurant which serves the most amazing Mexican food.'

Sano smirked. 'Is that a date?' he asked her.

Megumi slapped his arm. 'No!' she snapped, and he laughed. She sighed. 'Wait for me by the door, I'm just going to leave my coat in my locker, okay?'

Sano nodded and went off. Megumi shook her head in exasperation and went to the doctor's locker room. She pulled off her white coat, and stepped up before her locker. She entered the combination and wrenched the door open. She hung the coat inside and was about to close the door when she paused before the mirror. She checked her reflection in it, and automatically reached out to smoothen out her hair. She looked okay, but she could look better. She hesitated and then reached into her locker for the red lipstick she always kept in there, and applied some to her lips. It was okay to look good…it wasn't as if she was doing it for Sanosuke…

Right?

When she was done, she shut her locker closed and headed out towards the door, where Sano was waiting for her. He held out his arm for her as she approached and she giggled.

She rested her hand on his arm. 'Let's go, shall we? I haven't had any breakfast yet and I'm really hungry,' she told him.

Sano nodded in agreement. He pushed the door open and they both left the hospital building. They walked together in silence; none of them seemed to be able to come up with a topic for them to talk about. When they reached the restaurant, Megumi tugged at his arm to stop him.

'We're here,' she informed him.

They went in and found an empty table by the wall. Sano pulled out a chair for her and she sat down with a quiet, "Thank you", and then he took the chair across from her. A waiter approached them with two menus.

'You can have whatever you want,' Sano told her, looking at her above his menu. 'My treat.'

'Oh, no, Sano! I can't let you pay for my lunch!' she exclaimed, shaking her head. 'You already invited me once to lunch!'

'So? I can invite you again,' he said, shrugging. 'I can invite you once or twice or maybe even more.'

Megumi hid her face behind the menu. 'Okay…but what makes you so sure I'm going to accept your invitations every time?'

Sano pulled the menu out of her hands and leaned forward. 'Won't you?' he asked. 'Because I had been hoping you'd accept my invitation for tonight.'

Megumi frowned. 'Why? What's happening tonight?' she inquired.

'Nothing much,' he answered. 'I'm going out tonight with Kenshin and his fiancée, Kaoru…and I was hoping you'd join us. I really want you to meet them.'

'But do they really want to meet me?' she asked quietly, remembering Kenshin from the time he came to the hospital with Sano.

'Are you kidding me?' he demanded. 'Who wouldn't want to meet you? You're a great person…or don't you even know it?' He wagged a finger in her face. 'You know, that's a down-right shame, Miss Takani.'

Megumi laughed. 'Okay, I'll go,' she agreed. 'What time?'

'When do you finish work?' he asked her.

'Around eight thirty, maybe,' she replied.

'Good, so I'll come pick you up at…say, nine thirty?' he asked her. 'Will you be ready by then?'

Megumi nodded. 'That's good enough for me,' she agreed. 'But where are we going exactly? So that I know what to wear, that is.'

'Knowing Kaoru, we're probably going to a fancy restaurant,' Sano said thoughtfully. 'I'd say wear something really classy and sophisticated.'

'Classy and sophisticated…right,' she agreed. 'But for now, let's concentrate on lunch…where's my extra spicy taco?'

Sano stared at her. 'Wow! I didn't know I went out with the woman with iron-cast stomach!' he cracked. He was totally oblivious to the words he had mentioned, but Megumi noticed and she blushed. "The woman I went out with"...

'You know, you're so cute when you blush,' Sano told her.

'Oh…thank you,' she murmured, and looked down at her menu. She was aware of him watching her, but she didn't expect the hand which touched her face. 'Sano…'

Sano was looking into her eyes now. 'You know…I love you,' he said softly.

Megumi was stumped. 'I…' she started.

'You love me, too,' he told her.

'Oh…I do?' she said, her eyebrows raised.

He withdrew his hand from her face and crossed his arms on the table before him. 'Yeah…but you don't know it yet,' he said, smiling.

-

'Whoa! I must be in heaven!'

Megumi stared down self-consciously at herself. She was wearing a strapless, black dress which hugged her body tightly till her knees and then flowed outwards till her feet. It was slit all the way up to a bit above her knee. Her hair was piled up elegantly on her head and a pearl necklace rested around her creamy neck. And as a final touch, she had draped a silk shawl around her shoulders.

She blushed as Sano took her hand and kissed it. Then he straightened up and looked into her face for several moments. Megumi was sure her face was beetroot-red by now.

'Er…shouldn't we be going?' she asked him.

'What? Oh, yes! We should!' he exclaimed.

He pulled the door of his car open for her, and she climbed in. He shut the door and then turned around the car to the driver's side. He climbed inside and grabbed the stirring wheel with both hands. After a moment, he started the engine and pulled out onto the street. As they drove away from her apartment building, Megumi wished she could go back; she didn't feel exactly comfortable with Sano after what he had told her in the Mexican restaurant…which was the complete opposite of her dress, which showed she was totally comfortable.

'I see you got your driving license back,' she said conversationally.

'Yeah, I did,' he replied. 'Yesterday, in fact.'

'That's good, that means you won't have to take the subway train anymore,' she said, wrapping her shawl more tightly around her.

'I don't mind,' Sano told her. 'I've come to like subway trains…after all; I did meet you on a train, didn't I?'

'Yeah…yeah, you did,' she murmured.

They lapsed into silence, and it was an extremely uncomfortable one; in Megumi's opinion. Her hands were clasped tightly into her lap and her eyes were zoning on everything except Sano, who was concentrating on his driving. It was a total relief for Megumi when Sano announced that they had arrived.

He held his arm out for her like he had done at the hospital, and she took it. He lead her through the doors of the restaurant and then to a table where a couple were already seated. Kenshin and the raven-haired woman in his company stood up to greet them.

'Megumi, this is Kenshin; you've already met…and this is his fiancée, Kaoru,' Sano introduced her.

'Hi,' Megumi said, shaking their hands.

'Hello, Megumi-sensei,' Kenshin said politely.

Kaoru smiled as she shook Megumi's hand. 'Hi,' she said. 'Don't mind Kenshin, he's just polite like that.'

Megumi nodded. 'I think it's nice,' she told her.

Kaoru looked doubtful. 'You think?' she said. 'Do you think it's nice to call your fiancée Kaoru-dono?'

'Kaoru-dono…' Kenshin started to protest.

'See?' Kaoru said, and Megumi laughed. 'Don't worry, Kenshin…I'm not angry.'

Sano pulled out a chair for Megumi and she sat down. Next he pulled the chair next to her and sat down. He was sitting so close to her, that the hair on her skin was starting to prickle. Kaoru leaned forward towards Megumi.

'So…Sano tells me you're a doctor,' she said.

'Yes…a pediatrician, in fact,' Megumi replied. 'I've only graduated a few days ago.'

'But she's too good, you'd think she'd have been in the field for years,' Sano commented, smiling at her. She blushed.

Kaoru nodded. 'Really,' she said. 'Because I thought he was just…'

Sano seemed to see what she was getting at. 'Kaoru!' he cut her off, sharply.

'…kidding,' Kaoru continued. She laughed in an attempt to hide her loss for words. 'I mean, you don't look so old!'

Megumi knew that wasn't what the girl wanted to say. She knew Kaoru was going to say something about her being too old for Sano. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress, but she said nothing. Kaoru was right, and she knew it. Sano seemed aware of the tension hovering in the air around them, and clapped his hands together.

'Okay, shall we order now?' he asked.

There was a murmur of agreement around them and every one picked up his or her menu. Megumi looked down at the list of dishes and their prices. God; the food here is incredibly expensive! She closed her menu and put it down.

Kenshin looked up at her. 'You already decided on the meal you want, Megumi-sensei?' he asked, surprised.

Kaoru leaned forward. 'Don't stick to one meal, Megumi,' she advised her. 'When those two are paying, take the liberty of ordering everything you want…they won't hesitate to pay for us, would you, boys?'

As one, Kenshin and Sano shook their heads. Megumi smiled; tonight might turn out to be pretty well, after all. She had to admit that Kaoru was really nice; she was trying her best to make her feel welcome, and she was succeeding. Megumi actually loosened a bit and allowed Sano to have a few drinks. She even accepted to drink from the glass Sano offered her. When they were done, Sano stood up and held his hand out for her. 'Shall we dance?' he asked.

Megumi nodded and allowed him to guide her to the dance floor. Sano rested a hand around her waist and took her hand with the other. Megumi rested her free hand on his shoulder, and they both danced together to the music.

'Are you enjoying your time?' he asked her.

'Yes…very much,' she admitted. 'Kaoru is really funny!'

'Yeah, she is, isn't she?' he agreed. 'She and Kenshin have been engaged for six months now, and both of them are deeply in love with one another…it some times gets nauseating just watching them.'

'Oh, come on…you must've gone through the same thing before,' Megumi told him. 'And you must've liked it.'

'Not really,' he replied.

'You never fell in love?' she demanded incredulously.

'I had a girlfriend here and there,' he admitted. 'But I was with them just for the pleasure of the company…I never was in love with any of them.'

'Oh,' she murmured. 'Don't you think you'll ever fall in love?'

'I did, actually,' he replied, and looked directly at her. 'But I'm not sure if the girl I fell in love with takes me seriously.'

Megumi didn't say anything. She just rested her head against his shoulder and continued to dance. She really wanted to go home now.

-

Megumi walked down the corridor to her apartment, with Sano at her side. They were both silent; each one of them deep in thought. She stopped and turned to face him when they reached her doorstep.

'Well, Sanosuke, thank you,' she said, smiling. 'Tonight was really…'

But Sano didn't allow her to continue as he cupped her face between his hands and brought his lips to hers in one swift movement. He pressed his lips against hers and her eyes widened in shock. She tried to pull away from him but he only slipped a hand behind her back and pulled her closer to him.

Finally, she managed to push him away. Sano stood, a hurt expression clouding his features. Megumi leaned against the wall, clutching a stitch in her chest.

'Sano…' she whispered.

'No, it's alright, I get the hint,' he told her. 'Good night, Megumi.'

Megumi watched him walk down the corridor for a while, and then…'No! Wait!' she cried, allowing her shawl to fall to the floor as she ran after him.

Sano looked around at her, bewildered. 'Megumi, what…?' he started.

Megumi stopped before him. She looked up at him with tearful eyes and brought a hand up to his face. 'Sano…it's okay,' she said softly. 'I know now…'

Sano could hardly believe his ears. It was only when Megumi pulled his face towards her and kissed him that his brain started to register what she had just said. He slipped her arms around her and held her tight as they both melted into the kiss.

'Ew!'

They broke apart and looked around. A small girl with blond pigtails was standing before them, looking disgusted.

'A-Amy!' Megumi gasped, pushing herself away from Sano.

'Ms. Takani! That man was sucking your mouth out!' the girl cried.

Megumi flushed. 'No, Amy, he's…' she said, trying to find the right words.

Sano smiled. 'It's okay, Megumi,' he said, and kissed her cheek. 'I'll see you tomorrow, okay?'

'Y-yes, good night,' she said, flustered. She watched him head down the stairs.

'Ms. Takani!' Amy said. 'That man looks as old as my brother! Don't you think kissing him is wrong?'

'W-wrong?' Megumi stammered.

'Yeah,' Amy said, nodding. 'It was wrong! It looked as if you were kissing Ben or something!'

Megumi was silent. She was absolutely speechless. The kid was right; what was she thinking? 'You go to bed now, Amy, and don't tell anyone about what you saw, okay?' she croaked.

Megumi felt really ashamed.

-

A/N: Ah!I'm done! Too much drama in this chapter, eh? I think I've overdone myself this time, right? Well, anyway, I don't feel like writing a long note, so I'll leave you to review now, okay?

- S. N. B.