Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Installment Two: Heal

"Ow!"

"Oh stop being such a baby. This never would have happened if you'd been more careful," admonished Megumi.

Sano blew on his hand and shook it gently. He could have sworn Megumi had wrapped his hand that tight on purpose. He frowned as his hand grew from a bluish tint to a grapey purple. Even worse was that he could see the sickening color through his white bandages. "Couldn't you have wrapped it a little looser?"

Megumi glared at his hand before giving it a good solid whack.

"Ow!"

"I could have, but maybe now, you'll think before using it; that is, if you think at all."

"Oh, low blow vixen." Sano rubbed his bandaged hand. At least the tight wrappings dulled the pain a bit. "Are you sure this isn't going to cut off my blood flow or something?"

"Yes I'm sure. I'm a doctor after all."

For a while, the two of them said nothing. Sano observed as Megumi packed up her medical supplies into her medicine cabinet. Megumi's long fingernails made light tapping noises against the small drawers. Sano's fingernails were always kept short. With the amount of fist fighting he did, long nails were a hindrance and a useless attempt. Even off the battlefield, they seemed to chip themselves off.

"So I overheard you talking the other day with the old doc."

Megumi was in the middle of closing a drawer, when she opened it fully and placed its contents in another drawer. "Really? What did you hear?"

Sano leaned back on the chair she situated him at. He ignored her question. "You've got the right idea. After all, the reason Kenshin risked his ass for you was so you could someday find your family. So you owe him two things: sticking here until it's all over, and then leaving to find your family."

She closed the last drawer. "You're more perceptive than I thought." Megumi left the room to find a teakettle.

Silence reentered the room. Sano banished it with another attempt. "You know you're a good doctor, so what are you worried about?" His voice wasn't unheard by Megumi.

She came back into the room with the tea and two cups. She poured some for herself and left the kettle next to Sano's hand. Realizing that he would probably make a mess of the table if he tried to pour the tea with his bandaged hand, Megumi took pity on him and poured him a cup. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You're worried about Kenshin."

Megumi arched an eyebrow. "And what does that have to do with me being a good doctor?"

Sano took a swig of the tea before saying, "You're worried that Kenshin will be too wounded for you to go back to Aizu as early as you hoped for, or even worse, wounded enough that he'll need you by his side until the end of his days. That does worry you, right?"

"Of course not!" she denied. Megumi saw Sano's skeptical look and said, words as sharp and graceful as a sword, "Whether or not I return to Aizu this month or the next doesn't matter to me; I know I will return someday. And even if Ken-san is in need of treatment permanently, that will be Kaoru-chan's job. She is more than fit for the job."

Despite having been proven wrong, Sano had a very smug grin on his face. "What are you smiling about?" snapped Megumi.

"Eh, it's nothing." Megumi angrily refilled his cup of tea. "Seems as though you've given up on Kenshin."

"Don't be foolish," she scoffed, though her tone was light. "He is, and always will be, the man who saved my life and conscience."

"Hey, I was there too you know."

"Yes, but if I remember correctly rooster-head, we weren't on very good terms."

Sano looked wounded. "Oh come on vixen. I thought we were over that." Megumi only rolled her eyes.

"Well if you're done, go home. I have other patients you know."

"Yeah, yeah." Sano got up and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Megumi cleared away the tea and cups. "Hey vixen."

"What?"

"I have a feeling this hand is going to bother me until the end of my days. What'll I do when you're gone?"

Megumi glanced at him before looking away. "Well I suppose you can visit me in Aizu."

Six years later

Sano leaned his head back, staring at the night sky. The stars shone brightly in the deserted steppes of Mongolia. His horse stood sleeping next to him.

He could still remember that talk with Megumi, six years ago. Things had been chaotic then, and Megumi's leaving had been the least of his worries. Even when the fiasco with Enishi ended, it seems it was destiny that the dojo would never be the same.

Sano flexed his now almost completely healed right hand. He had been lucky that Megumi's family medicine had been so successful in Japanese markets that it was now being marketed in certain Mongolian and Arab ports; goodness knows how often he'd needed it.

He unwrapped his right hand. It looked as good as new, save the obvious wear and tear around his knuckles. 'Looks like you really were a good doctor, eh vixen?' Sano exhaled loudly. His horse snorted a bit. 'But still… I have something else you need to heal.'

Sano stood up and grabbed a piece of parchment and pen from his saddlebags. Sitting down cross-legged, he began to write.

A few notes:

1) This was my first attempt at a Sano/Megumi centered piece. (No, that is not an excuse for my writing deficiencies. I'm just saying )

2) I really wanted to squeeze in the phrase "Every once in a while, you have something good to say", or something to that effect, like in volume 18 and 28, but I didn't. Bummer.

3) Both installment titles didn't have very much thought put into them.

4) Not all installments will be romantic.

Thank you for reading, and I'd love to know what you think. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, as well as encouragement.