Guys thank YOU so much for the reviews!! Oh and soooo sorry for not updating sooner…well, you know, lots of things to do!!!

Shysie: their conversation was kinda stimulating,wasn't it? And thank you soo much for your wonderful comments…blushes

Crewel: hihi…yeah,Yahiko really seemed more mature than in the series,didn't he? When will Sano take action? Hmm…well,you'll just have to stay tuned! I wouldn't want to spoil it for you guys! winks

Gabyhyatt: thanks!!

Magicalsecret: I'm soo glad that you find it funny!! Hihi…

Charleymiamore: hehe…the fight was kinda interesting… I'll update again as soon as I can,I promise you!!

Well,I'll just shut my big mouth up and oooooooooon with the fic!!

CHAPTER SIX:

After two days at the ship, Kenshin and the others, finally arrived at Ezo. The city was big, yet people were not as busy as those who lived in Tokyo. The atmosphere was peaceful, and people who were in the streets seemed friendly and nice.
Satoshi: "I see that you guys already have a good impression of the city. Too bad that my house is in the outskirts of it." He looked from left to right, as if he was expecting to see something.
Megumi: "What is it?"
Satoshi: " 2 carriages are supposed to be picking us up..Where we are heading to is a bit far from here, so it is impossible for us to walk, it would take us days!!"
Megumi,just smiled. The others, however, seemed very busy looking at different shops already. Kenshin was being dragged by Kaoru, who was checking out a chocolate shop.
Kaoru (amazed):"KENSHIN!! LOOK!! It's…that sweet thing! CHOCOLATE!! There are lots of them! Let's go inside and have a look!".
( At that time, chocolates were not as popular to everybody, for it was a new thing in some countries. People seemed to be amazed when the first chocolates arrived in Asia.)
Kenshin hesitated. The chocolates were too expensive, and he knew very well, that entering that shop would be a terrible mistake.
Kenshin( hesitating) :"Oro…??Ermm...Miss Kaoru...I don't think it's a good idea to enter…"
Kaoru, who seemed so happy until Kenshin's comment, turned her head to him,her eyes suddenly filled with anger.
Kaoru (fiery eyes, fist ready) :" WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA!!?!?!?!"
Kenshin (smiling sheepishly): " Orooo..Umm…i mean...It's not a good idea to enter the shop...umm...YET!! coz...umm...we've just arrived…and…umm...i'm sure we'll be coming back to the city. It's better to…you know...save our money…coz...umm…there will be more candy shops along our way! Yeah that's it…candy shops that are better…better...and...TASTIER…!! Don't you think so Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin was still smiling, he surely hoped that would have changed Kaoru's mind, luckily it did.
Kaoru (putting down her fist) ( pensive look) : " Hmm..you're right KEnshin!! That's absolutely true. It would be best if we just waited….But after that, (puts her hand on mouth and giggles) There will be
Lots and lots and lots of tasty chocolates!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAH!!!HAHAHAAH!! (stops laughing suddenly, looks at Kenshin) Isn't that right?"
Kenshin( scared smile): " Yeah….OF COURSE!! Lots of..um..tasty chocolates! I agree with you, that I do! (sighs)."
While both of them were in front of the chocolate shop, Sanosuke and Yahiko were drooling in front of a cake shop which was just beside where Satoshi and Megumi were.
Yahiko ( saliva coming down) : " That seems so delicious…..I wish I could have a taste of that.."
Sanosuke (drooling) : " I surely wouldn't mind marrying someone who could bake cakes like those everyday…(drools)"
Voice: " Really? Then let's get married now!"
Sanosuke and Yahiko turn around. A fat woman wearing a hairnet and carrying a baking pin was standing right behind them. She winked at Sanosuke. He however, was shocked and couldn't speak. He tried to smile so that he wouldn't appear that rude, but that made the woman get closer to him. He tried to step away slowly, but the woman continued following him. Finally, seeing how the woman would not let him go, he started running. Everybody could hear the woman shout: " Come on now, don't be shy! MAMA will spoil you!"…
Just then, two carriages arrived.
Satoshi: "There they are. The carriages are big. Three people fit in one." Kenshin and the others (except for Sanosuke, who was still being chased) put their bags inside. Kenshin, Yahiko and Kaoru were already settled in a carriage. Megumi, who was sitting in the other one, was ready too. As Satoshi was about to ride in, Sanosuke came out of nowhere and ran inside as fast as he could.
Sanosuke( panting, looking behind): " COME ON! Let's go!! FAST!! "
Satoshi was a bit disappointed. He really wanted to sit beside Megumi, but since he didn't want to make a fuss of it either, and seeing how the fat woman was about to catch up, he just shrugged and entered the carriage as well.

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It has been a couple of minutes since they've been in there. The roads were smooth at first, but were starting to get rough as they got nearer to the house.
Kenshin's carriage was the one following Satoshi's. The size of it was just the same as the one in front of them, but there seemed to be a little problem going on inside. Kaoru was sitting in between Yahiko and Kenshin. Yahiko was in the left window side, while Kenshin was near the door.
Yahiko (breathing heavily..): " Hey, Kaoru.."
Kaoru who was looking at the views outside turned to Yahiko.
Kaoru: " Hm? What is it? Are you alright? You seem so..tired.."
Yahiko: " No...i'm not tired…I was just wondering...is it me or...YOU'VE DEFINITELY GOT TO LOSE A FEW POUNDS!"
Kaoru (starting to get red) : " Wh..what?!!"
Yahiko: " You heard me! MAN! I can't breathe! At first I thought, ok, it's alright ...but now...GOD I'm dying! I'm gonna suffocate!"
Kaoru ( hands on strangling position): " Suffocate? Oh no, you won't die of that, you'll die of STRANGULATION!!"
The carriage was starting to move from left to right.
Kenshin( stop- it- you- guys-worried look, holding on tight to the carriage) :
" Oroo, oroooo!! Calm down..."
Kaoru stopped, suddenly, she sat still. Yahiko looked at her, and so did Kenshin.
Kaoru(teary baby eyes): " I'm not fat! Just because I eat (grabbing Kenshin's clothes with both hands) doesn't mean I'm fat!! Right?(sob)( menacing voice, looking at KENSHIN) RIGHT?? (baby teary eyes) I'm not fat...not fat! Not fat!! ( leaning her head on Kenshin's shoulder)"
Kenshin: " There, there…You're not fat Miss Kaoru..."
Kaoru (sobbing) : " But Yahiko said…"
Kenshin: " Yahiko didn't mean that..isn't that right Yahiko? ( mouthing SAY YES to him while nodding)."
Yahiko rolls his eyes.
Yahiko: " No..I'm sorry..You're not fat… ( rolls his eyes) (mumbles) whatever fatty patty…"
Kaoru ( still on Kenshin's shoulder) : " What am I then? (sniff, sniff)"
Kenshin: " You're…"
Kaoru, who was waiting to hear nice words from Kenshin such as " You're pretty, nice..etc.." finally lifted her head from him…
Kenshin: " You're...you're just chubbier…and bigger than you used to be!
( punch! Kaoru punches him!)( spiral eyes) ORO!!"

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Sanosuke : " Can YOU CUT IT OUT ALREADY!!!"
Just like inside Kenshin's carriage, there seemed to be a chaotic atmosphere in the other carriage as well. Megumi hasn't stopped on teasing Sanosuke about what happened earlier.
Megumi ( giggling,with foxy ears) : " Well,,at least now you know whom you could run to…I mean, when you become rejected by every single girl…there's always her...Besides, you could have at least given her a chance you know. Maybe you guys are meant to be..."
Sanosuke( astonished) : " CHANCE? WHAT CHANCE? Have you actually SEEN HER?"
Megumi ( he'll-never-change-look): " Yeah, I have. She seemed nice! Don't tell me you're judging her already? You haven't even had the chance to get to know her!"
Sanosuke( raising voice) : " Who said anything about judging people? I don't do that!"
Satoshi, who was just sitting there, didn't know what to do. He already saw Sano and Megumi have fights. Usually, arguments between them would start with simple conversations like this. He did not know what to do, but something inside him was telling him to intervene before it was too late.
Satoshi (trying to change the topic of conversation): " Hey, guys, did you know tha..." But just as he was about to continue, the conversation being held between Sano and Megumi kept on going.
Megumi: "…yeah right!! Of course you do! You always judge people without even knowing them! Just admit it!"
Sanosuke( raising his voice) : " NO! I won't admit that! Why should I? I don't judge people by the way they look, nor judge them without getting to know them first!"
Megumi ( yeah-right look) : " Oh come on...we both know that what I AM saying is true.."
Sanosuke( raising his voice): " NO IT's not!!"
Satoshi ( worried look) : " Hey guys, come on...cut it out..", but nobody seemed to have heard him. The argument was getting bigger, their face getting nearer and nearer with every shout they made. Satoshi felt helpless. Each time Sano and Megumi fight, it would be Kenshin who would stop them from quarreling... Satoshi tried to do something about it, but his efforts became in vain. Although he did his best for the argument to stop, both seemed to have huge pride and ego, which couldn't be messed up by anyone or anything. Realizing this, Satoshi just sat there and observed how the situation would end.
Megumi (raised voice) : " You and your stupid pride! Why don't you just admit it! Admit that I'm right! Admit that you're…you're…a...a….PREJUDICIAL!!"
Sanosuke ( astonished) : " A WHAT?!! Come on! (laughs)Tell me one or two occasions where I have judged someone without knowing them? Tell me…..!"
Megumi (pensive look) (still raised voice) : " Just right now you have…with...with…with that woman...who just wanted to what…talk to you?"
Sanosuke (grinning, looking annoyed) : " THAT doesn't count"
Megumi (annoyed look) : " Of course it does..But anyways..Ok..like the time..when..umm..when You met me for instance!"
Sanosuke ( defensive look and voice) : " That..that's a complete different story! You know how the situation was...You know about my friend… Y..."
Just then, the carriage made a jump. The road was so bumpy, that Megumi and Sanosuke's faces were drawn closer… Both of them were just an inch apart.. Their eyes met for an instance, but seeing how close they really were, they put their heads up back straight, both trying to hide their red faces from embarrassment. The argument ended there, neither one of them spoke another word,until the carriage stopped and it was time for them to go.

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Yahiko ( amazed, looking at different directions) : " THIS IS HUGE!!!! You said it was a house!"
Satoshi(blushing) : " It is.."
Everybody was impressed the moment they stepped out from the carriage and arrived. They knew very well that the house where they were heading to, was going to be big, but they weren't expecting it to be as big as a palace. The house was painted peach. It fits very well and is clearly visible on top of
the hill, that was just a couple of miles from there. Several crops were there as well. The air was very clean and it was quite noticeable that the house was near the sea.
Yahiko: "This isn't a house….This is a mansion! Even a palace! If this is a house, what do you call Kaoru's dojo? A cellar?"
Kaoru(frowning defensively): " HEY!...(decreases the frown)well...you do have a point… it is quite big…look at all these! The land, the house, if that's what you call it…"
Kenshin: "Those crop lands are yours as well,I presume."
Satoshi: "Yeah, they are…They have been there, the moment father and mother moved in. Behind the house, there's a stable. If you guys ever want to have a ride, tell me or one of my people. They'll be glad to help you."
Voice: " Satoshi-sama!"
Satoshi: "Nobutaro-san!", he went to where the man was standing and hugged him manly.
Satoshi: "Everyone, I'd like you to meet the person who has been taking care of us, ever since! This is Nobutaro-san. My most loyal servant here."The others bowed and greeted the old man.
Nobutaro: " If you please, some food and tea are waiting for you at the terrace.."
Sanosuke, YaHiko (together) : " FOOD?!"
Satoshi ( laughing) : " Yeah, come on, let's go."
A huge hallway had welcomed them when they entered the mansion. There were different kinds of paintings and statues, and a huge, golden chandelier was hanging on top. Kenshin and the others left their bags so that the other servants could take them. They followed Satoshi, who led them to the food and tea. As they stepped into the terrace, two people were already sitting there. They seemed to be having a cup of tea as well.
Man: " Satoshi! You've arrived! I was starting to get worried about you!" The man hugged him and shook his hand. The man seemed to be the same age as he was. He had black hair and was a bit taller than Satoshi. By the way he was dressed, it looked like he had just went horseback riding.
Satoshi: "Keiji!!! So happy to see you too. I see you've brought Nida along." He turned his head to where the young lady was. He gave him a kiss on the cheek. Unlike the other man, the young lady had light, brown and wavy hair. She was wearing an elegant dress, which made her look like a mysterious porcelain doll. She gave Satoshi a aren't-you-gonna-tell-us-who-they-are-look and smiled.
Satoshi : " Oh, right. Everyone, this is the guy I was talking about in the ship. He's like a brother to me."
Keiji: " I see you've been talking about me already. (looking at the kenshingumi) hope he hasn't said anything bad about me.(chuckles)" Satoshi presented them one by one, and everyone bowed their heads.
Keiji( looking at Megumi): "I see… you're the famous Tanaki Megumi! You are pretty indeed, just like father said." He held Megumi's hand and kissed it.
Sanosuke( muttering): " hmmpf..having lots of fans lately…"
Keiji: " I'm quite positive I'll be having you as my sister in law, am I right?"
Megumi (blushing): " Well..uh.."
Satoshi: " Keiji, please…don't scare her, they've just arrived…"
Keiji laughed.
Keiji: " Ok, ok…i'm sorry...but really, Satoshi here, is a great man indeed, you won't regret…you know…marrying him,( winks at Satoshi)..(pensive look) Tanaki Megumi..you won't happen to be related to mister Takani Ryusei..the famous doctor?"
Megumi (smiling) : "I'm his daughter"
Keiji: " I see…"
Nida: " ehem-ehem."
Satoshi: " Oh, yeah i almost forgot… … and this beautiful, young lady over here, is Keiji's sister. It was just about a couple of years ago they actually discovered they were siblings. THAT thanks to these necklaces they are wearing. It's actually a long story…" She bowed her head and smiled again.
Keiji: "Now that we all know each other, shall we eat?"
They all went to the table and sat down.
Satoshi: " Don't be shy, feel free to eat whatever you want."
The moment he said this, Yahiko and Sanosuke were the first ones to take lots and lots of food from the table. Keiji laughed, and so did Nida.
Sanosuke:" More cakes please!"
Megumi: " You've eaten enough! I know it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to say an OK, but, could you STOP ALREADY!"
Sanosuke: " Why waste the food?"
Megumi (whispering) : " You're embarrassing us!!!"
Sanosuke( whispering) : " Since when have I ever said NO to food? It's just some cake!"
As Sanosuke and Megumi continued whispering, the others stared at them.
Nida: "Are they…together?"
Kenshin coughed. Kaoru patted him on the back and Yahiko just laughed.
Satoshi: "NO! Of course they're not together! That's what I thought when I went to miss Kaoru's dojo…Besides, it's impossible for them to be together, they keep on fighting. I don't think they're compatible enough...You know…"
Nida smiled.
Nida: " Good"
Keiji, who was drinking his cup of tea, put his cup down.
Keiji: " Oh no..i know that face."
Nida: " What face?"
Keiji: " THAT face.."
Nida: " I haven't got THAT face... Are you sure they're not together?"
Kenshin: " Umm..not exactly…b…"
Nida( cutting Kenshin off) : " ALRIGHT! That's what I needed to hear." She stood up, and went to where Sano was.
Nida: " It's Sano right?"
Sano who wasn't sure what that was all about, just nodded.
Nida( tugging Sano's clothes) : " Come, I'll show you around. You'll have lots of cakes later. ( turning to Megumi) You don't mind, do you?"
Megumi ( surprised) : " I..I..Mind what?"
Nida: "Mind that I take Sano away from you."
Megumi (surprised): " N..N.No..Why would I?"
Nida (smiling) : " good…knew you were gonna say that..I mean, since you guys aren't together or anything...Besides, you'll probably be marrying brother Satoshi anyways…ok that's it then..( putting her hand inside Sano's hand), (dragging him) Let's go!"
Sanosuke, who just grabbed a piece of cake, dropped it unintentionally again. Before he could say something and do anything about it, Nida had already dragged him along with her.
Everybody was surprised except for Keiji.
Keiji: "Sorry about that…. The ones who took care of her actually spoiled her. She has this mentality of getting everything she wants. (sipping some tea) in this case...Sanosuke..."
Satoshi: " But don't get it wrong, she's actually nice and everything.."
Kenshin and Kaoru forced a smile. Megumi was just silent, as for Yahiko……..
Yahiko (pensive look,thinking) : " When she said…taking Sano away from Megumi, was that literally or technically speaking?"

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Oooooooooooh…Looks like our Megumi has some competition!! And she looks like a "mysterious porcelain doll",too… Well,stay tuned you guys and ummm…Please review and don't EVER be afraid to criticize and ask questions!!

Au revoir! See you in the next chappie!! (I'll update as soon as I can,I swear!)

mist8ken