Wow, it's taking me forever to update! So sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

All In The Name Of Cement Shoes – Boys Will Be Boys

All seemed perfect in the world. The sun arose in all of its splendid glory, basting Misao in a warm sheet of glowing happiness. The birds outside seemed to chirp to a wonderful tune inside of the woman's head. But best of all, was the slumbering figure curled up beside her own form. It was pure delight to wake up to Aoshi in the current atmosphere. One lean arm stretched over her body in a loose, but protective manner. His normally immaculate hair was sticking every which way but how it was supposed to. It was giving her goosebumps by the minute. Of course, him breathing on her bare shoulder wasn't helping out at all. However, all good things must come to an end. And the end to Misao's momentous morning went by the name of Okina.

She had just begun to stretch and could almost feel every muscle come alive to the simple movement when she turned her head to the left. Staring at her with a perverted gleam in his eye was the old butler himself.

"Good morning beautiful!" A loud scream pierced the mansion, along with Aoshi's eardrums. He literally leapt out of bed and ushered his compatriot out of the room, leaving a startled Misao collecting her breath.

"Forgive Okina. He has a tendency to just barge in." A light blush crept over the former wedding planner's cheeks. Had he noticed where she was sitting at this very second? Did he care?

"Um, I'm sorry for sleeping in your bed. It won't happen again." She swallowed a large lump that had found its way to her throat. Inside, she was mentally wishing and praying and hoping to everything holy that he wouldn't send her away.

"Was I complaining?" Her oceanic eyes stared in disbelief as the multimillionaire winked at her and started towards the bathroom.

Outside of the master bedroom, Okina, Okon, and Omasu silently congratulated each other with mute laughter. Their boss was in love.

The Madeline Apartments (home to none other than Dr. Takani)

Megumi was almost making herself sick watching the worried Sano pace back and forth in her living room. The previous day had been a nightmare for her ever since she had found the thug slung on her examination bed. They had had a flirtatious conversation that resulted in the mentioning of Aoshi's fiancée, which just so happened to be Sanosuke's only living relative – his sister. She clearly remembered the cringe that flew throughout the ruffian's entire body. It was almost like a bolt of lightning had just hit him. The doctor then proceeded to be dragged behind him in an effortless attempt to stop him from creating bloodshed. She had latched onto his leather-clad arm and refused to let go until he came to his senses. She was even tempted to call for an anesthesiologist to knock him out cold.

Finally, after hours of begging along with her naturally stubborn attitude, Megumi had calmed him down. But that didn't mean that as soon as she turned her back, Aoshi would be a dead man. With as much hesitance as a worm poking its head out in the early morning, the practitioner agreed to let him stay the night with her. And that was the end of it. Sano was already on his way to her apartment before she even managed to finish her sentence.

So, here she was, sipping her morning tea and studying the frantic Sanosuke walk around in her living room. She couldn't complain. The moment they had walked through the door, the hoodlum had become a perfect gentleman. He paused beside the door and laid his shoes neatly on the floor. He then proceeded to strike up a friendly conversation, inquiring about a few pictures, cracking a few clean jokes, and then talking about his father. When Megumi noticed the bright red digital numbers on her clock were reading midnight, she stifled a yawn and went to grab herself a glass of water. When she came back from the kitchen, Sano was sprawled out on her couch, his leather jacket taking the place of a pillow. When she asked him why he wouldn't take the bed he simply replied 'I'm the inconvenience.'

"Calm down Sano. I don't see why you're overreacting. It's Aoshi Shinomori. He may not smile a whole lot, but he's harmless." Megumi could see a vein showing though the former criminal's tanned skin. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to discuss the rich businessman.

"Do you not read the newspapers, woman! He might as well be nicknamed 'Pacino' or 'Scarface'!" Megumi cocked her head to the side, causing her lengthy raven to follow suite. It was almost unbearable for Sano to watch the innocent but seductive pose. Almost.

"You can't be serious! You actually believe the tabloids and their stories about Aoshi in the mob?" A sudden wave of serious tension began to flood the room as Sano's dark eyes clouded with regret. The former hoodlum's usual joyful expression melted away before Megumi. He plopped down next to the female doctor and ran a scarred hand through his thick mane of hair.

"I don't have to believe the tabloids. I've seen it first hand." The young doctor's widened eyes spoke of her shock without a single word dripping from her lips. He couldn't possibly be serious! Sanosuke! Involved with the mob? "My father had ties to the crime family that Aoshi works for. I didn't know it until I was invited to one of Aohsi's companies' warehouses and was threatened face to face. They use his business as a cover up."

The words began to form sentences and the sentences; a story, but it just couldn't sink into Megumi's brain. She knew that the man sitting beside her wasn't too good to be true, hence why it had to be true. The whole pairing meant little to no sense to her, but she was growing accustomed to it. No, she was beginning to like it and him. Nope, scratch that as well. She was just beginning to look forward to his spontaneous visits and his perverted motives. She liked the fact that she woke up anxious to talk to him that morning. Sure, he wasn't the sharpest stick in the stack, but…

"Those guys…Joey…they're going to find out that Misao is my sister and…" If it was possible, Megumi's face grew paler. Tears collected around the edge of his eyes as uncertainty settled within his being. The modern day healer studied her object of…whatever it is she felt for him. She once considered him incapable of loving the opposite sex, using them only for his pleasure. But the love was evident in the way that he spoke of her. That was the only thing he had left on this earth. Without a second's more of hesitation, Megumi Takani, preacher of the safe circle and all things practical, did the most impractical thing she had ever done since she was a teenager. She gathered Sano's hand in hers, and sped down the stairs to wave down a taxi. When the rooster head would inquire where she was taking him, she would simply reply 'to see your sister'.

Shinomori Estates

"Where is she!" Okina's old bones rattled at the volume that Ms. Tankani's friend's voice was reaching. The attractive doctor was the one who rang the gate buzzer and asked to speak to Aoshi. However, Okon had caught his attention with the garter that Misao had picked out to wear underneath her wedding dress, and was slightly distracted. This led to another voice, booming over the intercom and sticking his rugged face into the video equipment. Okina didn't like him one bit and refused to answer such a hostile man. He laughed soundly as the practitioner hauled him out of view by the edge of his ear.

"Manners! You need manners with Aoshi's staff! They don't answer to brute force, Sano!"

"Or rude remarks you filthy rooster haired ruffian," Okina added. The unshaven face was again in the area of the security camera.

"You wanna come outside and say that to my face, you ancient, senile, bag of bones?" Okina sneered into the screen, forgetting that Sano couldn't see him but getting braver by the steel gates outside.

"Ancient,my boy! Why don't you ask Dr. Takani? She knows that men are like a good wine – we get better with age." The elderly butler grinned in satisfaction. He was sure to win this battle of wits, considering his counterpart was unarmed. He peered down at the black and white screen in horror as Omasu pushed open the gates with the manual key-card. He punched the intercom button.

"Omasu! What in hell's depths are you doing?" The sweet maid smiled gingerly up to her superior and nodded towards the metal frame. Her hands were wrapped behind her, in an almost innocent manner.

"Dr. Tankani needed to come in to talk to you. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and opened the gate for them since YOU wouldn't! And if you're smart, old man, you'll start running." Okina wrinkled his forehead up in confusion.

"Why on earth would I run?" If the butler had been paying attention, he would've heard Sanosuke's heavy black boots marching up the gravel path and Megumi's high pitched wails calling out to stop him. But alas, he didn't hear. And within several seconds, Okina was pushed up against the wall with a stranger inquiring about Ms. Misao's whereabouts. Megumi begged the senior with her eyes to tell them where the petite beauty was.

"She's not here. She's with Master Aoshi looking at floral arrangements. The store is 'Morning Glory'." Megumi quickly thanked the butler and pulled the tough looking man out the door. She had heard of the floral shop – she had spent many a dollar purchasing the vendor's exotic flowers and plants. This could prove to be easier than she had thought.

Inside a black Mercedes outside 'Morning Glory'

3rd of December

3:04 P.M. (A Wednesday)

Joey sat behind the wheel of the expensive vehicle and smoked a cigarette. He and two other men – a skinny rat faced man named Vinny, and a tall, giant of a man who hardly spoke named Carlito – sat patiently and awaited the moment that their intended target would be alone. The green-eyed henchman pulled the stick shift into drive and slowly followed the Mazzaratti (I think that's how you spell it) that held Aoshi and his bride to be.

Morning Glory Floral Shop

3rd of December

3:30 P.M. (A Wednesday)

Sano was ready to spread through the shop like a tornado when he found out that Misao had left a few minutes before with the multimillionaire. Sano was a little more than livid. But the anger drained along with the color in his face, as the shopkeeper inquired why the second party in the black car just didn't ride with them. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks – they had found Misao.

Some Unimportant Gas Station Outside of the City

3rd of December

5:00 P.M. (A Wednesday)

Misao sighed in exasperation as she watched Aoshi pace between two glass cases inside the gas station. They had been every which way but home, planning and making last minute decisions before the final date. And now, as she waited for Aoshi to ask directions and get something to drink, she had a moment to think to herself. The wedding day was getting so close. How was she ever going to get the nerve to tell the handsome man the truth?

SCREEECCHH!

Misao bolted from the passenger's side of the expensive vehicle as a small European car squealed into the tiny parking lot. Right behind it was a yellow taxi, obviously paying no heed to the speed limit as it pulled into the gas station. The blue eyed beauty gaped as she watched her older brother march out of the car and through the sliding doors. It couldn't be. The one thing she had tried to avoid had somehow found her in the most oblivious of places. Following behind her brother was the petite doctor that Aoshi had taken her to. The wedding planner slowly wedged herself out of the leather interior just as Sano yanked her fake fiancé by his collar. She couldn't tell what was being said, but she knew that the sudden attack didn't falter Aoshi's stoic nature. He remained cool under Sano's heated temper and even managed to rip the former criminal's fingers from his shirt.

Misao sighed inwardly. She was ill prepared for this little confrontation. She shut the door behind and began the short tread to the convenience store just as a black Mercedes pulled in beside the mousy girl. A tinted window rolled down to reveal a well built, green eyed man. Plump pink lips formed an 'O' as the face flowed into her memories. Joey!

"How's you doin' this fine evening?" Misao could feel her feet try to pull her away, but her instincts didn't kick in until two doors slammed shut, revealing a rat faced man with bad teeth and a large man that seemed more intimidating than Sano himself. She quickly flung herself to the door of the Mazzaratti, almost breaking off the handle in an effort to get away from the men. Before she could even scream, a pair of large arms grabbed hold of her and began yanking her towards the black Mercedes.

Inside the Gas Station

Same Time, Same Place

"You have three seconds to tell me where my sister is!" Those were the first words spoken to Aoshi by the brute of a man. He didn't know what he had done to the hooligan or why he was being thrown around, but he would soon learn just whom he was dealing with. He shrugged off the man's fists just as Megumi stormed in behind him.

"Aoshi! Don't hurt him!" She gripped the edge of the checkout counter in an effort to catch her breath. Both men gawked at her.

"Aoshi? Megumi, I could take this loser in a heartbeat!" Before Sano could even prove his point, a large fist was brought down on his shoulder, knocking the air out of him. Megumi squeezed her eyes shut, as if taking the blow for her crush. She knelt to his side, shaking her head. Now would be the best time to listen to her.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but perhaps if you asked me like a human being instead of running in here with your fangs bared, I'd be more willing to cooperate." Sano inhaled deeply, trying to recollect his patience.

"My sister. Where is she?" Aoshi crinkled his nose in confusion.

"You mean Misao? She's in my car, you horse's ass!" Sano bit down on his knuckles. The man was trying his nerves. If either of them had been paying attention, they could see two men grabbing Misao, the young woman kicking the fat man in the shin and the ratty man in the groin, yelling at them for a second, getting yanked up by Joey, only to be wrestled to the ground with Misao, until finally all three managed to push her in the trunk. If only they had been watching. Luckily for them, a certain female had caught the tail end of it.

"I didn't give her permission to marry you!"

"She didn't need your permission! It was an arranged marriage!"

"Um…boys…"

"Bullshit! It wasn't arranged! Our father's been dead for quite awhile. Just a few months ago, she was a friggin wedding planner!" Aoshi blanched.

"BOYS! We have trouble!" Megumi couldn't explain much more as she ran behind the car carefully memorizing the license plate number.

A/N: I was going for an X-Files type thing with the date and location….i'm a dork. And I know it too.