Kirikae
By lawless
Because Genzai-sensei could not, for the life of him, figure out how or what happened, it was decided that Sano and Megumi should stay in the clinic for further observation. Of course, this drew some irate protest from the two. In the time it took for them to realize that there was currently no cure to their condition, their natural resentment for each other had grown exponentially.
Suddenly, they were noticing even more annoying things about each other they hadn't noticed before.
Like the way Sano's body seemed to itch all the time and Megumi had to constantly resist the urge to scratch herself like a dog. She told him she suspected he had fleas.
Or the way Megumi seemed to have a lot of hair – so much hair that got into everywhere that Sano feared he was going to cough out a gigantic hairball soon. He threatened to cut all of her hair.
To which, Megumi merely adjusted his hachimaki and calmly declared she would shave both his brows.
"Iisugi da, onibabaa!" Sano roared, watching in horror as Megumi held up a scalpel to his beautiful, thick brows. "Stop it, alright! Kuso! You win!"
Megumi smiled in gleeful triumph, causing Sano to wonder if his shit-eating grin really did look as irritating as he found it to be on Megumi. In fact, everything about himself was irritating on Megumi. He wondered if that was just her.
He passed a critical eye over his body and decided there was something off about it. It was not just the way Megumi carried herself in it that stood out to him. Sure, she was sitting seiza and not cross-legged like any self-respecting, man-spreading male would. And yes, she had wrapped his gi around his body in a futile attempt at modesty – as if, the bruises and scars were things to be ashamed about. In Mongolia, all the women dug his scars. No, it was something else. He thought for a moment, and noticed it for the first time.
Sano sniffed the air in the general direction of Megumi, only to draw back in disgust. - what is that godawful smell? "Oi, kitsune," he called.
Megumi merely arched a brow at him.
"Why the fuck do I smell like a girl?"
"Okashii na."
"Hontou no okashii."
"It's definitely strange."
Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko were all sitting in the next room, listening to all the sniping coming through the half-open shoji. ("Be grateful you don't smell like a hog." "Nani ga iitain da?!" "It means exactly what it means!")
"You think it was because of all the drinking?" Kaoru ventured while in the background the argument seemed to have escalated into a fight. At one point, Kaoru thought she heard Megumi threaten to cut off Sano's balls, to which Sano responded that he would parade naked around the streets. "I mean, it did get pretty rowdy last night," Kaoru bravely continued, adding under her breath, "even though it started so well and pleasant."
"So ka," Kenshin replied.
Last night, they were celebrating Sano's return to Japan (after a year of getting lost in Mongolia), and coincidentally, Megumi's yearly visit with her friends in Tokyo. The reunion was unexpected but welcome and, though embarrassed, Kenshin and Kaoru were more than happy to break the news of their marriage to their two closest friends.
"I've never seen the kitsune-ona that drunk," Yahiko said.
"Or Sano, for that matter," Kaoru rejoined. "I heard he couldn't even walk Megumi all the way home because he passed out right on the street."
"Yeah, and Megumi would have been too drunk to notice he wasn't with her anymore," Yahiko added.
"Where did you hear that?" Kenshin asked.
"Genji-san happened to mention it while I was out in the market this morning," Kaoru said. "He also said Sano must have picked up some strange habits abroad."
("Either that or he banged his head pretty bad when he fell off a horse trying to impress that Mongolian goat herder's girl," Genji muttered.)
(Kinou no yoru….)
The evening started well enough for Sagara Sanosuke. For two boisterous hours, he was able to enact his favorite role of blade-about-town. At the hour of the rooster, he played dice with Genji at his favorite gambling hall – and lost. He treated old man Genzai's granddaughters to anpan, challenged them to their favorite game of kagome kagome – and lost. At the hour of the dog, he played hanafuda with a group of intemperate cronies – and lost.
He was more successful when the clock struck four times to signal the hour of the pig. He spent dinner at the Akabeko-ya with Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko where he held court, entertaining them with tall tales of his misadventures abroad. The rest of the gang, led by old man Genzai, arrived late. Of course, he knew that the kitsune-onna was in town (she had arrived from Aizu about a week ahead of him) and so when she showed up behind the old doctor and the girls, Ayame and Suzume, he was not surprised even though it was the first time he'd seen her in roughly a year.
"Yo, fox," he casually greeted.
"Toriatama no baka," Megumi returned but her manner was congenial, and just like that it was as though no time had passed.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Stories were told. Food was eaten. Kenshin and Kaoru broke their good news. Congratulations were given. And Sano produced a bag of arkhi which he claimed was the best – simply the best, and watched with ill-concealed mirth as Yahiko took a sip and made a face.
"Kore wa nani?!" Yahiko exclaimed, wiping his mouth in disgust.
Sano guffawed loudly, as the others took careful sips and made exactly the same face. "Milk vodka," he declared, grinning widely. He downed his drink in one go and loudly proclaimed it "uma!"
"Nanda? What the hell is that?"
"They drink this in Mongolia all winter long. Umai ka?"
"Umai…? It's disgusting!"
"It's quite strong," murmured Kenshin.
Beside him, Megumi took a sip, grimaced, then took a long gulp, emptying her cup. "I can see why they drink this in winter," she said, cheeks already blossoming a pale pink. She held her empty cup to him and said, "Mou ippai onaji mono."
Sano chuckled, impressed despite himself, and obligingly poured her another cup. "Na, kuso-gaki," he said, handing Megumi the cup and turning to Yahiko to give him a sage advice: "Drink a cup of this every day and you'll be wrestling cattle within the year."
"Urusee yo," Yahiko scowled with indignation. "Who wants to wrestle cattle for a year?"
Megumi cackled as she drank from her cup. "Only an idiot."
"Oi, I mean it will make you strong," Sano huffed. "Then maybe," he added with a gleam in his eye as Tsubame passed by with some drinks for the next table, "you can finally grow the balls to ask the chibi-ona out."
"…S-stop talking nonsense, baka yarou!" Yahiko's face was red and not from the alcohol.
All in all, a pleasant time was had by all. By the time the clock struck the hour of the rat, almost everybody but the kids was drunk.
Megumi was swaying gently on her feet when she said her goodbyes to the Himuras. Even Sano found it difficult to walk beside her without waving. Old man Genzai and the girls were walking ahead of them – a little too fast, it seemed, because after a while Sano could barely hear Ayame and Suzume singing "Kagome, kagome" as their figures got swallowed by the dark.
Soon, there was only the swishing sound of cloth against cloth and the clacking of Megumi's geta. And because it was a moonless night and the quiet was unnerving, Sano began singing under his breath, "Kagome, kagome, kago ko naka no tori wa…."
There was a scoff and Sano turned to leer at his companion. "Itsu itsu deyaru?"
Megumi sighed but started humming along.
With a grin, Sano continued, "Yoake no ban ni, tsuru to kame ga subetta…."
A shadowless night.
(Ushiro no shoumen daare?")
Tbc
AN This is for fun.
Right. And now for some Japanese lessons. Honestly, the meaning of the words from the first chapter is not the point. They're all slang phrases the meaning of which depend entirely on context. I thought perhaps I was able to get the message across by writing the context against which the phrases were said. But anyway, here goes nothing:
Kirikae – switch
Yakitori – skewered chicken
Chikushou – "damn" but literally means "beast"
Nanja korya – What the hell is going on
Yukata – a type of Japanese traditional clothing
Nanda? Nanda kuso? – What the hell? What the fuck?
Baka yarou – Asshole
Yabai – can mean "very good" or "very bad"
Ochinchin – a respectful way of referring to someone's penis
Gi – what Sano wears
Kusottare – shit-dripper
Monku akka? – Do you have a problem?
Gomen – Sorry
Baka ja nai no? – Are you an idiot?
Nani kuso? – What the hell?
Ano, gomen na – Uhm, I'm sorry
Urusai yo – It means "shut up" but it literally says "so noisy"
Sou desu – I agree
Kutta! – I'm full
Gochisousama deshita – Thanks for the meal
Kekkou desu – I don't want to
Aa, hen na, choo hen na – Yes, it's weird, it's very weird
Kuso – Dammit or shit
Sake – rice wine
Masu – a wooden box-like cup used for measuring rice but also used for drinking sake
Kitsune – fox
Obi – traditional sash or belt worn by women
Shoji – traditional Japanese window, door or divider
Jouchan – "little girl" which is what Sano calls Kaoru
Nani? – What?
Hentai-sensei – pervert doctor
Ore wo baka ni suru tsumori ka? – Are you trying to make me look stupid?
Baka mitai ni kanjiru – I feel really stupid.
Hachimaki – bandanna
Iisugi da, onibabaa! – You go too far, demon-woman!
Seiza – a position in which the person is kneeling while their butt rests on the back of their legs; just look at the way Japanese women in kimono sit
Okashii na – This is weird.
Hontou no okashii – Very weird.
Nani ga iitain da?! – What is that supposed to mean?
So ka – I see
Kitsunna-ona – Fox-lady
Kinou no yoru – Last night
Anpan – Japanese sweet roll
Kagome kagome – a children's game
Hanafuda – a card game
Toriatama no baka – Stupid roosterhead
Kore wa nani?! – What is that?
Uma! – Delicious!
Umai ka? – Is it delicious?
Mou ippai onaji mono – I'll have another drink
Kuso-gaki – "Shit brat" but used like "li'l shit"
Urusee yo – Shut up
Chibi-ona – Little woman
Kagome, kagome, etc. – It's the song sang by kids playing that game and it goes like: "The bird in the basket, when, oh when will it come out; in the night of dawn, the crane and turtle slipped; who is behind you now?"
The song is total nonsense (and yet is it?)
