Author's Notes: No words can explain how sorry I am that it has taken me this long to update...I apologize sincerely. Things have been thrown at me without mercy and I have been unable to obtain a workable computer with good internet so I could update, so now here I am, sitting in the library FINALLY updating. I'm so sorry!

Well, to those who have been waiting, thanks for being so patient...truly, I did not plan on a huge gap between this chapter and the last. I didn't intentionally leave you guys!

And I never will...

So please enjoy this longer-than-usual chapter and please give me your feedback...and I hope you all haven't forgotten me yet...

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

chap. 10 - the devil's drug

"A threat?" Sano repeated dumbly.

Meng nodded, pulling at his long, black hair tied back behind his head, "Or maybe the government's just reading our actions wrong."

"I don't think it has gotten as deep as the government," Sanosuke said, apparently unconvinced, "Maybe Giichi's just wanted for some small criminal acts."

"I didn't do nothing!" Giichi countered defensively.

"Well, in either case, it can't have gotten that deep."

"Or maybe it has," Meng said, "I think we're at risk, Sir. It probably will not be long until they find us here."

"And what makes you so confident that we've done something wrong?" Sanosuke asked, suddenly angered at the thought of the government after him and his army.

"I never said we've done anything wrong," Meng stated calmly, "I'm just saying... Maybe we're trying to save a country that doesn't want to be saved."

"The cops have to have a decent reason to come after us," Sanosuke said, ignoring Meng and wanting to believe it was all just a simple misunderstanding.

"Maybe they do." Meng shrugged.

Sanosuke's expression clouded as he breathed angrily, walking placidly out of the medical tent.

"Sanosuke?" a quiet female voice asked hesitantly, jarring his thoughts.

Sanosuke shook his head, tearing himself from the memory. He found himself still at his desk, sitting in his small wooden chair, his hands frozen over stacks of disorganized papers. He turned, facing Megumi, who was sitting in his tent, an expectant expression pasted on her face. His expression, however, was quite monotonous, and he gave her a long blank stare before replying in an unwavering tone,

"Yes?"

"Umm..." she started, apparently taken aback by his stolid tone and attitude, "Is there something wrong?"

He didn't respond right away, but only continued to stare at her, the expression on his face unnerving and disturbing Megumi, "Sano?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he replied succinctly, turning his back once more to attend to the things at his desk.

Megumi's breath caught in her throat. Now she was truly confused and perturbed; she wondered if she did anything wrong or said anything she wasn't supposed to. If she did do anything wrong, she couldn't figure out what it was.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud yell outside of the tent, shouting for Sanosuke,

"Captain Sagara!"

Sanosuke sighed almost angrily as he stood up roughly before making his way outside the tent, yelling back, "What?" Megumi sat dumbly inside the tent, remaining there as Sano had left her.
"It's...It's Hoji, Sir."

"What's wrong?" came Sano's response.

"He's fainted, Sir."

"Fainted?"

"Yessir."

Sano swore swiftly before offering a response, "Take him to the medical tent." Sanosuke's shadow moved slowly, and his fingers found its way to the entrance of the tent, opening the flaps. Megumi soon found two brown eyes staring right at her, not a trace of emotion to be found in them,

"Fox, can you see to Hoji? We're going to need your medical expertise." He didn't wait for an answer as he let the flaps drop, his shadow disappearing to where ever it was he was going.

Megumi sighed a sad sigh, slowly gathering herself as she stood and made her way after Sano to the medical tent.

The sun lingered between shadows before flickering behind moving figures. A small breeze flittered through gaps and spaces, but echoed against hollow walls. Light footsteps left small imprints in the dirt path, and the man who those footprints belonged to breathed evenly with each step. His shadow stopped as he reached his destination, and slowly reached out his hand to open the cloth flaps that hung before him.

Sanosuke kept a straight face as he entered the dark building. There was a single room, and he went barefoot as he stepped onto the raised floor, feeling the rough material beneath his feet. In the distance, his ears picked up small chirps of crickets.

He placed two steps into the room and crossed his legs, sitting across a man whose face was concealed within shadows.

Shouts rang in the background, but neither man paid any attention to them. It was the man who spoke first,
"Place your bet." He leaned forward, rays of sunlight falling into his face and revealing two chocolate brown eyes set in a lean, well-chiseled face. His cinnamon hair had honey-colored streaks in them, falling delicately into his eyes. He had an unusual dark complexion, his olive skin well-toned.

Sanosuke remained silent as he carefully and confidently placed three coins in front of him.

The man's eyebrows quirked, skeptical and amused, "That's all? Mister, this is a private gambling room, and you come in here with only that?"

Sano kept a straight face, and only looked directly into his eyes. The look made the man break,

"Alright, whatever. Evens or odds?"

"Snake-eyes." The first words Sanosuke spoke rang in the room, reverberating against the walls.
The man whistled, "That's a hefty bet there." He gave Sanosuke a second look, as if wondering if he would take the bet back, "Alright, just 'cause I've got pity for you, I lose only if it's odds." His nimble fingers moved agilely as he pushed four generous stacks of coins before him, placing his own bet.

Sanosuke remained silent.

The man crossed his arms in front of him, his right hand holding two dice between his first three fingers, his left hand holding a small, thin brown cup. "So Mister, if you don't mind me asking, what're you going to do with this money if you win it?" He smirked, but did not move, "That is, if you win it."

Sanosuke gave the man a look, "It's not for opium, if that's what you're thinking. I'm only short of cash right now." That much was true. After being in Canton for only three weeks, Sanosuke found expenses were taking a toll on him, and he had deduced that the easiest and fastest way to earn more money was to gamble the little he had left.

The man laughed, moving his head to shake his bangs from his eyes, "I don't know if I believe you." His hands moved lithely, throwing the two dice into the cup and lifting it above his head, skillfully pounding it upside down in front of him. The stacks of coins shook slightly, their shadows wobbling unsteadily. His hands did not move, "The bastards who come in here only want the money to buy more of that devil's drug."

Sanosuke was amused, "Well, I take it you disagree with opium."
"Disagree?" The man laughed, "That's putting it lightly. Damn Westerners. Can't keep their fat noses out of the East's business. They'll do whatever they can to influence China. If there was something I could do to stop it, I would."

Sano's reply came fast, "There's the army."

The man snorted, "The government? I'd burn in hell before I became one of their loyal followers. I've never been much of a patriot." His eyes were ablaze; Sano had never seen anyone feel so much against the present-day China, and it made him wonder how many people actually disagreed with the Opium War.

The moment passed, and the man looked up at Sanosuke, "Well Mister, still sticking to your bet?"

Sanosuke nodded, playing confident.

The man's hand moved swiftly, revealing the two dice that lay beneath the cup. The man laughed,

"Well, I'll be damned."

Two bright red dots were glaring up at them, one on each die.

"Snake-eyes."

Sanosuke exhaled, relieved that he had earned some extra money. He pulled his three coins to him, as well as the four stacks the man had betted. Stringing them onto a piece of twine, he tucked it away, and stood to leave.

"Hey Mister."

Sanosuke turned.

"Drink?"

Sanosuke sighed, and turned back around, facing the man and sitting back down, "Never could turn down a drink." His countenance had finally loosened and he felt comfortable with the man who sat across from him, a man who had similar ideals to his.

"What'll it be?"

"You got sake

Sake?" the man repeated, "Don't got many people asking for Japan's drink."

Sanosuke made a face.

The man looked up, catching Sano's expression, "No need to hide it. I can tell you're Japanese. Mind you, most people probably wouldn't catch it." The man reached behind him, drawing two cups and a jug, placing them between them, "'Cause I'm Japanese too."

Sanosuke furrowed his eyebrows.

"You look surprised." The man laughed, and Sanosuke found it comforting that there was someone who could laugh in the day and age they were in. He poured the wine into the two cups, and reached for one, downing the entire shot. Rays of sunlight flashed in his eyes, the entrance-way behind Sanosuke reflecting in his glassy brown eyes.

"So Mister, what's your name?"

"Sanosuke."

The man exhaled deeply, closing his eyes and leaning backwards, "And your family name?"

"Sagara."

The man opened his eyes, his eyebrows raised, "That's not your real name."

"No, it's not. But it's the name I've taken."

"For good reasons I suppose," the man said, "But it's a strong name."

"Why do you say that?" Sanosuke asked, curious now.

"Because. You sound like a leader. You can tell a lot about a man when he gambles. You've got all the characteristics. Hell, I'd follow you to the edge of the world and jump if you did."

This time, Sanosuke laughed and shook his head, clearly amused at this thought, "And what's your name?"

The man didn't respond at first and instead poured another round, dipping his head backwards and swallowing the liquid. He set the cup in front of him before staring right back at Sanosuke, his voice prideful,

"Hoji."

"Have you found what's wrong with Hoji?" came Sano's voice, flat and devoid.

Megumi jumped, slightly surprised at the sudden interruption of her thoughts. Ignoring Sano for the moment, she put her forefingers against Hoji's neck, feeling for an irregular pulse or any signs that would lead her to his condition. She found it odd that she could feel the sharp breath of Sanosuke on her neck, both unnerving and uncomfortable. Finally, Megumi sighed, pulling her long hair out of her old navy silk ribbon, shaking her head, and facing Sanosuke,

"Hoji's had a severe bout of hypotension. In other words, he has had low blood pressure for quite awhile now, and how it has gone unnoticed until now is beyond me. He also seems to be having respiratory complications...even in an unconscious state, his breathing is rather shallow. His skin has begun to cave into his ribs and bones...I can't rule out malnutrition either."

Sanosuke stared back at Megumi with a blank face, "I just need a straight answer, Fox."

Megumi hesitated.

"Well?"

She blinked once, twice, before responding in a small voice, "His breath smells of opium."

A dark look flashed across Sanosuke's face, his gaze narrowed with tints of crimson lining the edge of his normally calm dark brown eyes, "Don't lie."

Megumi was taken aback by the abrupt change of expression on Sanosuke's face, but she did not flinch as she replied calmly, "I wish I were lying. Unfortunately, Hoji has been smoking opium for quite awhile now...I would say a good three to four months. Now that we've discovered the problem, the real situation is getting him off the drug. The withdrawal symptoms are not easy to get past." Megumi stopped, realizing that Sano clearly did not believe what she was saying.

He looked as if he were going to laugh or cry or both, all at once. His voice came almost cracked, but suppressed, apparently holding down many emotions he wanted to release, "And how...And how am I supposed to believe that Hoji has been smoking the very drug that he works against? How do you expect me to believe the words coming from your mouth? Hoji has detested the crap from the moment, the second, I met him!" Sanosuke's voice began to rise, obviously unable to maintain his anger.

Megumi replied softly, "I don't know, Sano."

"Don't give me that. You, of all people, should know how easy it is to buy that crap off the streets," Sano's anger remained compressed, the tips of his nails biting into his palms as he clenched his fists tighter, resisting the urge to punch something.

"What are you trying to say?" Megumi challenged, annoyed at how angry Sanosuke was becoming.

"What the hell do you think I'm trying to say?" spat Sano, "You were a dealer."

"What does that have to do with the situation?" Megumi asked as patiently as she could, aware that one of Sano's closest friends had come as close as he could to betraying him, "I've only been here for two or three days."

"For all I know, you might've given him the shit," Sanosuke snorted, ignoring her words, his words unfaltering.

Megumi felt time skip a beat, and looked up at Sano, an almost-angry, disbelieving look on her face, "What are you talking about?"

Sanosuke glared at the two men who still remained in the tent, watching the fight between Megumi and Sano escalate with wide eyes. He stared at them before uttering evenly pronounced words, "Leave us."

Both men saluted hastily before leaving the tent with little more than a few whispered mutters to themselves.

By now the sun was completely overhead and light dully illuminated the tent, the shadows flying off Sanosuke's face. He raised his right hand, and for a second, Megumi thought he was going to strike her across the face. But he didn't, and he forcefully reached into his gi and pulled out a small, triangular paper packet. He pulled out the exact object he had found at the floor of his tent that morning, and tore at one of the triangle's corners before throwing it on the ground. Loose dirt flew up with the impact of the small object, the contents spilling out of the paper and flying into the air.

"Opium."

Megumi nearly choked, as she nearly forgot how to breathe. Her breath caught in her throat, she swallowed and attempted to answer, "Sano..."

Sanosuke stared back at her, forcing down her words, "I don't want to hear it, Fox Eyes. I don't want to hear the excuses you have. Even if you didn't give opium to Hoji, your kind did. I don't know why you're holding on to opium packets. I don't know why you would have to. I probably would have never found out unless they had fallen out last night while we..." Sano trailed off, not wanting to speak the words. By speaking the truth out loud, he would admit to himself what had happened, and at the moment, he didn't want anything to complicate matters. For reasons unknown to him, his mind was clearer than it had been in a long while,

"For me, huh? You did everything for me? You want to know the truth, Fox Eyes? You didn't do it for me, you did it for you. You dealt opium to ensure your happiness. Because you thought I'd make you happy. You killed or severely inflicted numbers of people for you. You know what's driven you this far? Not me. Your selfishness has. You weren't even forced to make the crap. You chose to for your own reasons. Not for me. What reasons, ne? Because you love me?"

He stopped speaking, breathing deep even breaths. He continued to look Megumi straight in the eye, unfaltering. Meanwhile, white-hot tears began to stream down her face, darkening her kimono and falling to the ground, landing squarely in the middle of the opened opium. The white powder began to dampen and clump, gathering, mixing with the warm salty pearls.

Her eyes glistened, rays of sunlight reflecting in the glassy surface. She gathered her voice as much as she could, but could only manage two husky, broken words,

"I did."

She forced her feet to move, brushing past the damp, neglected opium before opening the tent's flaps and leaving Sanosuke standing behind her.

Megumi dared not breathe, for fear the poisonous fumes would intoxicate her lungs. Her eyes began to water profusely, and her body finally gave in, swallowing one tremendous gulp before holding the air in once again. The air around her was arid and dry, empty and filled with the fumes of opium, continuously burning from candles. There was no where for the bad air to go but up and around, enveloping her in a cloud of air that danced and melted before her eyes. She sat in a cramped room, no windows and no exit, with the exception of the tiny doorway and equally miniscule hole in the roof that let small filtered amounts of air out at once.

If the room was not so crowded, it might have been spacious, but Megumi was surrounded by many, many green plants, small in size but plentiful in leaves and pods. Before her were small dishes and small silver, sharp instruments that gleamed in the little light. On her knees, she crouched forward, reaching for an almost-ripened pod from one of the plants. Taking the green pod between her fingers, she pulled with a steady hand, disconnecting the small pod from its stalk. The leaves quivered as she pulled it away, tickling her hand.

Experienced fingers held the green pod still, her other hand holding a thin, but sharp, blade. The silver sang as it flew across the pod, creating dark, wide, and sharp gashes in the green flesh.

Almost immediately, a white, milky liquid began pouring out, released from the crevice that once held it, and skilled hands rushed the pod to a wide and low dish, balancing the fruit so the latex would not spill onto the ceramic, wasting precious, smooth elixir.

Megumi dared another breath, and held it in again.

She lifted her hands, and clenched her fist, flexing her long-worked fingers. She kept her lips sealed tight as she reached for a different pod on a different dish. The once-white milky liquid had hardened on this one, dried into an ugly-looking brown, sticky resin that stuck to the fruit's faded green, crusting and forming to the circular shape of the fruit.

Careful not to touch the hardened brown crust, she picked up another instrument -- this one with an uneven, jagged edge. Holding it over the now-empty dish, she began to tediously scrape off the resin, the raw opium falling delicately into the dish, undisturbed by the wind that was not present.

She breathed again and finished her task, setting the blade aside and tossing the now-useless pod into a small bamboo basket with hundreds of other useless pods.

She picked up the dish filled with raw opium, her hands trembling ever-so-slightly. Directing the ceramic towards a small, steel pot sitting above a comfortably-burning fire, she poured the powder into the near-boiling water. The flakes fell into the clear liquid, instantaneously dissolving and frantically dancing within the bubbles that formed from the bottom of the pot. The color of the liquid went from clear to a murky brown in a matter of minutes.

Sweat began to bead at her forehead, slipping into her eyes like tears.

She tended to the fire and made sure it was kept at a moderately low heat. When the mixture was finally ready, she removed the pot from the orange fire, pouring the brown liquid into a square-shaped container with an open top. A special type of fabric lined the container, allowing the mixture to be filtered, leaving behind the unwanted vegetable waxes of the opium poppy plant.

Megumi inhaled slowly, removing the lining and placing it in the same bamboo basket. A murky, wet substance was left behind in the container, and all Megumi had left to do was hang it over a low heat, leaving behind the smokeable form of opium. Then, all she would normally have to do was press the opium into bricks and ship it off to be sold.

But, having done this for less than two weeks for the old man, she knew that he was a private seller, merchants from local Canton coming to him in order to purchase the illegal drug.

Megumi, however, having previous experience, did not press the opium into bricks, but used a more refined method of adding an ingredient she knew she was not permitted to add, slipping the powder from packets in her kimono. If she were caught, she could not even begin to fathom the consequences. But nonetheless, what was produced was a fine, white powder, delicately measured into stiff, paper triangle packets that were quite costly considering the amount.

Megumi gulped, and her thoughts wandered as she continued her monotonous task, set before her again and again, and day after day. She knew what she was doing was wrong, there was not a doubt in her mind that even began to attempt to provide justification. But her excuse, her reason, for doing what she did, she believed, was for Sanosuke. In the back of her mind, she was beginning to forget the image of Sanosuke. She was beginning to forget what is face looked like...the images in her mind were blurred and fringed at the edges...she was forgetting his scent, the sound of his voice and even his strong presence. It all scared her beyond the harsh reality.

Within two weeks of being in Canton, she was shoved out of every available applicable job that was reasonable within her mind.

As she was moving the forming-opium from the fire, a short figure hobbled into the room, balancing on a lone, crooked wooden cane. Splotches of age dotted his temples, his grisly hair quivering as he limped into the room, his squinty eyes pulled into a broad grin. The usual pipe trembled on his pale lower lip, smoke issuing from the small mouth.

"Well, well, my dear," he smiled, "It looks as if things are doing quite well." He exhaled, white wisps wavering into the air. He pursed his lips on the long, brown pipe, looking about him at the room, taking in Megumi and all her work.

Megumi did not respond, but merely continued to work, pretending to have not heard him.

"Your opium is catching brilliant prices, my Fox," the pipe shook violently, "You really have got quite a talent with these drugs."

"I'd rather not have this 'talent' at all," Megumi said quietly, vehemently.

"What was that, my dear?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily.

"Mmmm," the old man murmured, lulled by the sensation of the smoke sweeping over him, "At any rate, I will need a new batch of your wondrous opium by early next week. A very important client, my dear, is expecting much of it." He breathed again, the white smoke washing over Megumi. She coughed, her eyes watering as she choked, waving her hand about in a frail attempt to clear the poisoned air from her lungs.

The old man turned slowly with age, moving to leave the room. Before he was even able to make it past the broad doorway however, the thin form of Megumi swept past him, never to return to the caverns of the room ever again. Her shadow had left its mark.

"Always remember...frail dreams are not suspended from threads of spider's webs...weak hopes are abashed by those who can...turn a corner, and the fork in the road leads to the same cruel destination..."

Words so whispered in her ear with a vengeance, while soft pleated feat suffocated tear-soaked dirt beneath. Running away yet again, and with no means of looking behind for one last sweet time. Broken in mirrored pieces, she wandered beyond the norm to a place perhaps that would be better.

Smoke enveloped her, and she swallowed the last tint of hope.