1Title: The Switch

Chap: 4

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"No, that's not right at all!" Kenshin scolded in frustration. "Move over!" He shoved Sano aside. "I'll show you how it's done!"

Sano scowled from the unseemly position in the mud into which Kenshin had shoved him. "What was that for? I know you have a fetish about washing clothes, but isn't this a little ridiculous? What's the big deal?"

"Washing clothes is a serious matter!" Kenshin snapped. "Everybody counts on me for clean clothes - including you! You couldn't function without me!"

'Clearly, the strain of residing in this neanderthal's body is degrading your sanity,' Battousai noted with disdain.

Sano's observation was much the same. "I think you need to relax, bud. You're sounding weirder than usual. I don't think civilization will end if the laundry isn't perfectly clean."

"Fine!" the Rurouni snapped. "If you're going to make fun of me then you can wash your ownclothes!" Kenshin stared down at the half-washed gi he still held in his hands. It was one of Kaoru's and he prided himself on keeping her practice clothes crisp and white. Kaoru rarely said anything regarding the clothes after her initial surprise when he volunteered his clothes-washing skills, but he knew she appreciated his efforts. Kenshin sighed and resumed his scrubbing.

Sano would never understand, washing the laundry was one of the more difficult chores, yet it soothed Kenshin to know he was repaying the kindness of his friend in some way.

"Way to prove your point," Sano remarked sarcastically.

"It relaxes me," Kenshin ground out.

Sano noted the rigidity of his friends muscles and the intensity with which he washed the gi. "You don't look very relaxed to me."

Kenshin increased his scrubbing efforts and counted to ten.

"Well there's a sight I never expected to see. It looks like that hit to the head did more good than harm. Megumi gave a haughty smile. "Too bad it affected poor Ken-san so badly. He seems to be picking up your bad habits." Megumi felt a twinge of regret when she noticed Kenshin grimace. Not only was he more volatile than usual, but he seemed to be strangely sensitive whenever Sano was mentioned.

"Well, I don't have all day. Ken-san, if you want those clothes washed properly, you should probably finish them yourself. I'll examine the rooster-head first."

"Why am I first?" Kenshin barely stopped before he added "Megumi-dono." In an effort to convince everyone they were fine - so, thus, everyone would leave them alone - Kenshin and Sano were attempting to act as normally as possible. That task was easier said than done, however, considering their difference in personalities. Too many slips had already been made, such as the washing incident just now, causing Kaoru to practically keep them under lock and key for fear they would hurt themselves or change personalities yet again.

Megumi cleared her throat impatiently causing Kenshin to stand with a forlorn sigh. He didn't care to leave his precious laundry in the uncaring hands of a man like Sano. Now, Kaoru wouldn't have a reason to praise him, although she would really only be praising his body at this point.

'That didn't come out right.'

'I thought it came out just fine,' Battousai countered. 'It's a shame you didn't think of it sooner. That would be a lot of fun.'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After they reached the room Sano and Yahiko were sharing, Megumi's first order was for Kenshin to remove his shirt.

'I don't remember having to remove our shirt this often in our old body,' Battousai criticized. 'Especially for a routine checkup.'

'Yes,' Kenshin agreed. 'And she's always touching me . . . er, Sano.' The man barely repressed a shudder as Megumi did just that under the guise of checking his heartbeat.

'It's sexual harassment,' Battousai declared vehemently. 'Isn't that against doctors' ethics? They aren't supposed to do any harm, right? I could be mentally scarred by her actions.'

"So," Megumi asked, "aside from the delusions, how have you been feeling? Do you have any headaches or dizziness?" The doctor couldn't resist a smirk. "Started hearing any voices?"

Kenshin scowled as her laughter assaulted his ears. "Your sarcasm isn't appreciated," he scolded her.

'Tell her "yes,"' Battousai urged. 'I'd love to see the expression on the quack's face when you tell her all the nasty things I've supplied to your brain.'

Kenshin wisely chose not to listen to his counterpart's suggestion. Instead, he slipped into a sulky silence while Megumi examined his hand.

"Your hand is in very good condition for once," the doctor commented. "If you kept up this kind of care for it, I wouldn't need to criticize you so much about your future health." Megumi stared quietly in contemplation for such a long time that the man in front of her began to feel fidgety.

Finally, she spoke again. "They . . . are good hands."

Kenshin was surprised to hear hesitance in her voice. Though he knew she must suffer from feelings of vulnerability, she never allowed others to see what she considered a weakness.

'Her face is awfully red,' Battousai noticed, 'maybe she's sick? Not that I care, mind you.' He added hastily.

Horror filled Kenshin as pieces slowly began to fit together in his mind. 'She's not sick, you idiot. She's blushing!'

'Idiot . . . ?' Battousai echoed as Kenshin hastily stood up.

"I'm sure by now you know I'm fine," he assured Megumi. "So I don't see the need to stay any longer."

'I can't believe you called me that!' Battousai continued.

"Wait!" Megumi protested. "I need to explain something. I never thought I'd have the courage, but I made a promise."

'I'd have to say you're the idiot,' Battousai finally accused. "Not only have you wasted my reputation, but, in the past two years you've not even once attempted to seduce Kaoru. Can't you see how frustrated I am? I'd settle for wooing at this point! I can only imagine how tormented Kaoru must feel, being so close to such a perfect specimen of the male body, yet you won't allow me to -'

"Enough!" Kenshin finally exploded. "I am sick of listening to your disgusting perversions! What does a man have to do to get some peace around here?" The two bodies in the room stared at each other after Kenshin's outburst. When Megumi turned pale, the man assumed it was merely a combination of Kenshin's frustration and Sano's imposing figure.

"I guess I'm not so well after all," he forced a nervous chuckle. "Maybe I'm jealous of someone else now, so I'm exhibiting their personality, or whatever it was that you said," he finished weakly. When Megumi's countenance hadn't changed, he sighed and quietly slipped outside of the building.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Megumi was embarrassed.

No, what she felt went beyond that simple emotion. The gnawing pain chewing through her heart, was actually closer to shame. After discovering she was killing people and living with her cowardice she was no stranger to the emotion. Such a petty thing as being rejected by the man to whom she had professed her love shouldn't have left her in such a state of shock.

Even "Kenshin's" uncharacteristically rude, "What's your problem?" didn't distract her. However, his presence did remind her of the fact that there were duties to be performed and no more time should be wasted on nurturing crushed dreams.

"Nothing," Megumi replied cryptically. "It seems I made a mistake." A bitter smile formed on her lips. "I guess you can't always be right."

Habit almost caused Sano to make a sarcastic reply concerning Megumi's admittance of making a mistake. However, Sano was cursed to role-play as Kenshin and the original Mr.-Nice-Guy never said unkind things - especially to ladies. Instead, Sano merely grunted.

Megumi interpreted the noise as Kenshin's usual non-commital response. "How about you? Obviously, you haven't yet said anything to Kaoru. Are you scared?" Megumi attempted a laugh that turned into a sigh. "I'm confident you won't find yourself in the same predicament as me.

Sano's brain struggled to search for any triggers that might make sense of the woman's babbling. When no bright light of understanding flashed upon him, he decided an intelligent question might be in order. "Huh?"

"Don't you remember our little deal? You were supposed to tell Kaoru of your feelings for her and, well . . . if you don't remember all of it then perhaps it for the best. What is important is that you tell Kaoru you love her before she becomes an old maid."

"Heh, more like an old shrew." Sano didn't realize he had uttered these words aloud until he noticed Megumi's mouth drop open.

"Ken-san!" she exclaimed in shock. "I never expected to hear you say such a thing!" Her expression shifted from surprised to sly. "I never knew you had such a sense of humor."

"I ... er, sessha," Sano chafed every time he had to use the pathetic word Kenshin used in reference to himself. "Sessha was thinking that is what Yahiko or Sano would say." Sano gave his best imitation of Kenshin's Rurouni grin, but instead he merely looked as if he had gas.

Megumi looked bewildered at such a weak explanation, yet seemed to accept it anyway. "Well, as I was saying, you needn't fear rejection from Kaoru. You were wrong - no offense - about Sano's feelings. But I know I'm right."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After Kenshin hurried out of Yahiko's room, he looked around to discover Kaoru was finishing the laundry. A flash of anger surged through him. Did Sano not realize that Kaoru led a busy life supporting them? She deserved their support in return and Kenshin was going to start ensuring she received it from everyone.

"Well, Sano, what did Megumi-san have to say?" When he shrugged at her question and seemed confused as to his next location, Kaoru rolled her eyes. "You can come over here Sano. I won't make you help me. Kenshin was having trouble with the laundry so I figured he wasn't feeling well."

Kenshin obeyed her request, albeit warily. She was wearing one of the smiles she usually gave him when she wanted him to do something for her. It bothered him a little to discover she would use the same tactics on his friend. Kenshin had thought Kaoru's wiles were directed only at him.

"Ne, Sano, there is something you could do for me." Kenshin watched in a mix of fascinated horror as her hand moved to her obi. 'It would seem Megumi-dono was wrong. It is not us whom she loves.' Kenshin mourned as he imagined his love was removing the item. 'Still, I can't believe she would be so bold as to proclaim her . . . affections in the yard, and in such a manner . . . ' He flinched when he felt one of Kaoru's famed punches to his arm. He was relieved (perhaps a little disappointed, if he was honest with himself) to find a fully clothed Kaoru standing next to him with a piece of paper in her hand.

The Rurouni finally realized, to his chagrin, that he must have misinterpreted her actions. He could only assume that she had been reaching for the paper in her obi, as she had not previously been holding it in her hand. It made sense now that he thought about it, after all, kimono didn't have pockets.

'And you say I have a dirty mind,' the Battousai smirked. 'The idea that she was going to perform a striptease never even occurred to me . . . At least not this time,' he clarified.

"Now that I have your attention," Kaoru fixed him with a stern glare, "I'd like you to pick up a few things for me," she presented him with the shopping list she had been holding.

Kenshin groaned internally. 'She's always buys everything at once, and so I'm exhausted by the time I get home.' "I don't know . . . " he finally mumbled in response to Kaoru's request. When the young woman scowled, he quickly moved out of arm's range, lest she decide to hit him again.

"Come on, Sano," Kaoru snapped. "I know you're strong, you've proved it several times! Now move your lazy butt, and earn your food for a change!"

"I thought you didn't want me to go out on my own," Kenshin reminded her.

Kaoru blushed in embarrassment, worried that her friend might discover the real reason she asked him to perform her errand. "Oh, well . . . " As her voice trailed off, her eyes strayed to the door of the room where Megumi and - she thought - Kenshin resided.

Her actions further puzzled Kenshin. He couldn't understand why she would be concerned about Megumi and Sano. 'Now who's the idiot,' Battousai taunted smugly. 'She thinks it's us in there, you dolt.' Ignoring his counterpart's harsh words, Kenshin smiled sweetly at Kaoru.

"Don't worry. Kenshin would never betray you," he assured her.

"Sano, you know how I feel about Kenshin, but I'm not sure if he feels the same way about me."

'Should I tell her now?' Kenshin wondered hesitantly. He didn't want to jump to conclusions again, and thus make even more of a fool of himself. 'There is also what Megumi-dono told me to consider. Perhaps that was a confession of love . . . ?'

Before he could make a decision either way, Yahiko's door opened and the two residents of the room walked out. Sano wore an odd expression on his face when he announced, "Sano will go, and sessha would be happy to accompany him."

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I meant to have this chapter posted much sooner, but as the saying goes "Life got in the way." (Or something like that.) Hopefully the next chapter will progress this story forward. I'd really like to keep this story to ten chapters or fewer.

RECOMMENDED FANFIC: Dear Megumi: I'm Still Broke by Karina Kineshi

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