I'm sorry for this being so late! I feel like it takes me forever to get these things written. However, in my defense, I finished this thing like 2 days ago...but my computer decided that would be the best time to have the internet stop working :PP It's kind-of fixed now (it's much slower) but there's enough connection for me to upload this :D
I hope you guys enjoy! Review Review Review!
Disclaimer: *sigh* you know how it goes...
Days turned into weeks and soon Megumi couldn't imagine Tomatsu not working there. He'd been a huge help for the past few weeks. He'd taken care of all the physical labor she demanded of him, he kept the clinic tidy, and he'd done a superb job in keeping away pesky thieves.
The only thing he seemed determined not to do was scare away the hopeless saps who were in love with her. He seemed to think it was funny when a foolish man walked in with attempts to woo Megumi and left with shattered hopes and a greatly diminished ego.
"Megumi-anata," her patient said. "I can give you everything you need and more. I'll give you a husband, a home, and children. What more can a woman like you ask for?" he asked in a smooth, confident voice.
Megumi continued wrapping the bandage over around the man's sprained ankle. She had inwardly cringed at his casually used honorific. She'd grown used to comments like this though and took no more notice of it then she would a child's crush. It was awkward and a little embarrassing and was something that should be ignored.
"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, Hamada-san," she said calmly and professionally. "What you offer me is something that many women dream about." His handsome face lit up with a bright, victorious smile. "However," she said, his smile dimming, "I'm not one of those women."
She stood up from her place on the floor and looked down at him where he was sitting. "I have a hospital to run, Hamada-san. My husband is my clinic and my children are my patients. I'm dedicated to them whole-heartedly. You can offer me whatever you wish and I will turn you down."
Her mind took her back to when a knife was ripped from her hands. When a man got in her face and told her killing herself was stupid. When he told her she had a job to do.
"I have to help these people," she said quietly.
"Why?"
She looked up at him and saw a confused and stunned look on his face. He had tilted his head a little and his brows were furrowed together.
"I have to save people," she said, becoming more and more passionate and less and less professional with every word. "Otherwise, my life would be worth nothing." She blinked at her sudden fervor and said quickly, "I'm done with you now. If you stay off it as much as possible then you should feel better in about a week." She signaled toward the door and the man leaned over and grabbed his crutch. After he stood up, he made his way over the Megumi and placed a large hand on her cheek. He had the hand of a rich man; soft and smooth. They were the hands of a man who'd never had a day of labor in his life.
"One day, my love, you'll realize what a great man you could have had," he said, conceit dripping from every word. He talked like he felt sorry for her.
"I think the Lady Doctor said she was done with you," said a voice toward the door.
Megumi looked over toward the entrance of the room and saw Tomatsu. He was standing with one arm braced against the doorframe and was looking at Hamada. He'd obviously just gotten out of the bath house for his hair was plastered to his forehead and there was a slight damp spot on his gi. His face was blank, his tone firm, and his eyes were intimidating.
"Don't meddle with things that are outside of you understanding, boy," said the thirty-two year old Hamada.
Other than the slight raising of an eyebrow, Tamotsu didn't move. Megumi could practically taste the tension in the air and stepped away from Hamada so she stood in between the two. She was looking back and forth between the two when Tamotsu said, "Even the most unintelligible person in Japan knows that you shouldn't touch a lady without her consent. Something tells me she didn't like you touching her, Hamada-san," he said with a hint of sarcasm, making it that much more disrespectful.
Hamada took an unbalanced step forward on his crutch. Her inner doctor coming out, Megumi stepped back toward him to show him how to effectively use his crutch. After showing him Megumi looked up at Tomatsu. "Tomatsu-san, go outside and get the mail," she said harshly, annoyed he was being so rude.
He ignored her and continued to glare at Hamada. He seemed to take satisfaction in him not being able to walk.
"Tamotsu," she said, forgoing the honorific to get his attention.
He looked at her sharply and tilted his head to the side.
Megumi had found over the last few weeks that her knees were prone to weakness whenever he tilted his head like that.
Her knees quivered slightly while she said slowly, "Go get the mail."
His head straightened out and he gave her a stiff bow. "Yes, Takani-sensai," he said quietly. He pivoted around and walked silently out the door.
She released the breath she'd been holding and looked back over at Hamada, disgust building within her. He looked at her and said, "Why on earth would you have a low-life like that working in your clinic?" he leaned forward and whispered, "He may try to take advantage of you, Megumi. He's a ruffian and doesn't know how to control his basic instincts."
The anger inside her rose to volcanic levels in a heartbeat. She resisted the urge to slap him in the face and sprain his other ankle in the most painful way possible.
"Please leave my clinic," she said, her fury hidden under a thin layer of self-control.
He gave her a said smile and placed a hand on her arm. "If you ever need any assistance in getting this man out of your life, you come and find me." He patted her arm in a fatherly way and limped out of the room.
Fury finally overcoming her, Megumi clenched her fists into her hands and dug her nails into her flesh. Her muscles tensed up to the point of cramping and her face twisted in a scowl.
How dare that man! He didn't even know Tomatsu! How dare he assume that because Tomatsu was a little rough looking he was a man out to steal her virtue. How dare he think so little of her that he'd assume she'd allow herself to be put in that position.
Megumi scrunched her eyes shut and didn't hear when Tomatsu entered the room.
"Megumi?" he asked quietly.
Her eyes snapped open. It was one of the few times he'd called her by her first name. Megumi looked up into his eyes and saw that his were reflecting her anger.
"He didn't touch you again did he?" he asked, hands balling into fists.
Megumi took a deep breath. She forced herself to relax her muscles and pulled her nails out from her skin. She did her best to change her voice to one of aloofness. "Of course not."
He nodded grimly. "Good."
He came forward and gave her three letters. "Here's the mail," he said and he left the room.
Megumi stared at the empty doorway. It was the first time Tomatsu had ever stopped a man from flirting with her. She frowned in confusion and shook her head. In all the days he had worked for her, Megumi still did not understand Tomatsu. He was a man of opposites. He could be funny, goofy, hyper, and flirtatious and the next he'd be quiet, deadly, intimidating, and violent.
He'd never been any of those negatives with her though. He always seemed to direct those toward the thieves who took more liberty than others in getting what he wanted. Flashing back to about a week ago, Megumi remembered when a man struck her simply because she was walking to slow. Her stomach twisted as she remembered how badly Tamotsu had beaten him.
"Why did you do that?" Megumi cried, running over to check if the man was breathing.
Tamotsu simply spit on the ground by the man who'd collapsed. His eyes were cold and dark.
She shivered at his remembered expression and returned to the present to check the mail. The first two were bills and she reminded herself that, yet again, she was behind on her paperwork. The last looked like a letter. Puzzled, Megumi slipped her finger in the envelope and tore it open. She slid the letter out and opened it.
Dear Megumi,
Hi! I know this is sudden and everything but Kenshin, Kenji, and I are coming up for a visit! By the time you get this letter we'll probably be half-way (you know how Kenshin doesn't like to waste time on the open road). It's been awhile since you saw Kenji, he's HUGE! I can't wait for you to see him. Get everything ready for our arrival, we are bringing Yahiko so make a lot of food!
Can't wait to see you! We miss our Aunt Megumi.
With lots of love,
The Himuras (plus Yahiko)
Megumi blinked at the welcome surprise. It had been so long since she'd last seen them. Kenji had just been born and was a few months old. Kaoru was glowing as a new mother should and Kenshin was filled with the silent pride of a man who had fathered a baby boy. Megumi smiled at the memory of the new family and slowly walked out of the room, lost in a happy past.
"Takani-sensai?"
Jerked back to the current time, Megumi looked up at Tamotsu in question.
Tamotsu looked at her intensely. "T—the men who come in here to...to pursue you," he paused and shifted on his feet and rubbed the back of his neck, "are you...interested in any of them?"
Megumi, startled, didn't say a word. She blinked a couple times and tried to get her brain to function. He sounded almost embarrassed at asking the question and the only thing running through her mind was how sweet it was that he was.
"It's just that, it didn't occur to me that he might actually be your—," she saw him gulp, "boyfriend," he let out air as he said it.
Megumi froze as she processed that.
"It's just that none of the men who came in here have touched you," he said, rambling. He shrugged and said, "I didn't think about whether you had a...relationship with this one."
Megumi shut down the part of her brain that allowed her to hope that he was jealous. She quieted the voice in her chest that had begun to sing with joy. Up rose the Lady Doctor and she said coolly, "Of course not. I don't have time for anything outside my clinic."
Megumi turned away from Tamotsu to hide her face. It seemed, as of late, her mask wasn't lasting as long as it usually did. She began walking to her office and said without turning around, "I'll be having some old friends over in a few days. I haven't seen them in several years so if you could do me a favor and make sure the place is especially clean I would greatly appreciate it."
She entered her office and shut the door behind her. Walking over to her desk, she plopped down behind it and placed her head in her hands.
She couldn't allow herself to get so attached to this man. Even with all the time spent together she still didn't know his real name. Why on earth was she so attracted to him? Megumi had another flashback, taking place four days earlier.
It was unusually warm for a fall day. It was odd but instead of questioning it, Megumi decided to send Tamotsu out to chop wood to take advantage of the nice weather.
He'd been out there for an hour and Megumi hadn't heard him come in for water. Frowning she went and filled up a cup to take out for him.
Idiot she thought. He's going to get dehydrated. Megumi left through the back of the clinic. As the door clanged shut she saw Tamotsu.
He had stripped off his gi and was only in his hakama. The axe was raised high above his head and was swung down so forcefully it cut the wood cleanly in two. She watched the muscles in his back flex and shift with his every movement.
With every movement, her heart sped up.
Sweat gleaned off him and made him shine in the sunlight. His hair was plastered to his thick neck.
She wanted to run her hands through it.
His back muscles were held up by a strong, narrow waist that was encircled by bandages.
She wanted to wrap her arms around that torso.
Megumi's body temperature rose. She felt like she'd been in the sun for hours.
Tamotsu paused for a moment and placed the head of the axe on the ground. Placing one hand on the tip of the handle, he used the other to wipe the sweat from his brow. He froze mid-swipe and slowly turned around to face her.
Megumi, embarrassed at being caught staring, walked up to him. "If you don't drink water you're going to pass out," she said, finding safety in pretending to be the fretful doctor.
Tamotsu slowly reached his hand out and grasped the cup, never taking his eyes off Megumi. Megumi tried to pull her hand away but Tamotsu kept hers trapped under his larger one. Terrified at the intimacy of the moment, Megumi looked up at Tamotsu with almost a panicked expression.
A breeze swept Tamotsu's scent over her. He smelled like sweat, wood, and, like always, masculinity. This, coupled with his bare chest, nearly sent Megumi over the edge.
"Thank you, Takani-sensai," he said softly, not removing his hand. His eyes were smoldering Megumi and she nearly melted into a puddle at his feet.
"You're welcome," her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again. It failed when Tamotsu pulled her closer to him. They were now inches apart with the only parts of their bodies touching being their hands.
Her voice died in her throat as she looked up at Tamotsu. His eyes were dark and hungry. A ball formed in her stomach and clenched at his gaze. Her mouth parted as his breath rate increased.
As Tamotsu leaned forward, Megumi completely panicked. She ripped her hand away from him causing him to drop the cup of water and jumped two steps back.
Frozen, shocked, and out of breath, they both stood there, not moving.
"I—I'm sorry," stammered Megumi. "I'll go and—and get you some more water." She all but sprinted inside.
Megumi frowned at her recollection. They'd been tiptoeing around each other since then. Before, things had been friendly but it was now bordering on awkward. At times conversations were forced, and it always seemed like they both remembered the water incident at the same time. Tamotsu would stare at her with a strange look on his face and she would do her best to ignore it and start another topic.
Megumi clenched her eyes shut and repeated to herself over and over again:
I don't want a man.
I don't want a man.
I don't want a man.
I don't want a man.
...I don't want to get hurt again.
Megumi instantly rejected that thought. She was a strong, capable woman. She was intelligent, brave, and honorable. There was no such thing as a man who had the capabilities of making someone like her feel hurt. No man would have that power over her again.
There would never be another Kanryuu.
Megumi's mentally shrank away from the memory of that man. He was manipulative, vile, perverse, and evil. He had no problem killing employees who were no longer capable of performing to his expectations. When an enemy became too powerful, he'd kidnap them and torture them. The man did anything to make money. He was sick. He was a demon.
Kanryuu had felt no remorse in dealing with Megumi however he wished. No matter what she did, he got his way. He had owned every part of her. He'd owned her talents. He'd owned her body. He'd owned her very soul.
That time period in her life was the equivalent of a deep abyss. There was no hope, no light.
Megumi dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. There was no such thing as a good man. It wasn't possible. Megumi's eyes began to form tears at remembered pain, both physical and emotional.
From deep in the dark recesses of her psyche, a glow seemed to come forth. As the glow grew, an image came to mind.
It was Sanosuke.
Sanosuke was proud, angry, and violent. He was lazy, couldn't keep a job, and a total mooch. His arrogance was legendary.
But then again—
He was strong, kind, and gentle to the weak. He was loyal, protective, and an amazing friend. He was honest, courageous, and not afraid to stand up for what was right.
When Kanryuu had driven her to suicide, Sanosuke had pulled her back.
Images of the two opposite men filled her mind. She was almost offended by having completely different people share the same space in her head. She forced Kanryuu's image away. It wasn't something she wanted to linger on. She turned her attention to Sanosuke.
She still hadn't forgotten what he looked like: short, spiky, brown hair, and that stupid jacket with 'evil' written on the back. Bandages were across his middle and a goofy, arrogant smile was plastered on his face. His dark brown eyes were filled with laughter
That is the face of a good man, a voice in her head said.
She raised her head a little, keeping her mouth covered. Yes, I suppose it is.
Someone knocked on her office door and opened it halfway. Tamotsu peeked in. "May I come in, Takani-sensai?"
She quickly wiped away one last renegade tear and beckoned him to sit. He entered slowly. He seemed a little unsure of himself as he lowered down into the seat. When he landed, he looked at her with a frown on his face.
"I wanted to apologize if I upset you," he said.
Megumi frowned along with him. "Why would you think I was upset?"
Tamotsu's mouth tipped down and he ran his hand through his hair. "I've spent a lot of time with some English politicians, Takani-sensai," he said, sounding frustrated. "Politicians are some of the slimiest, sneaky, and conceited people you'll ever meet. However, they are masters of reading people. After spending time with them, I started seeing how they saw things." His head tilted to the side fractionally. "It's obvious that you're upset. I know we haven't known each other very long," he faded for a moment then picked up again, "but I think very highly of you, Takani-sensai." He gave a small, shy smile, "I don't want to see you hurting."
Megumi, however, was a little zoned out. She couldn't help but compare this man to Sanosuke. Tamotsu was funny, kind, protective, and strong. He definitely had characteristics of Sanosuke. He was just as strong as he was, just as physically attractive, but unlike the rooster he was more mature. Megumi figured it was just because he was older. Megumi studied the man in front of her. He looked to be maybe twenty-fiveish. Realization flashed through Megumi as she remembered that Sanosuke would have to be twenty-four right now. He was no longer a boy.
Suddenly curious, Megumi asked, "How old are you, Tamotsu?"
Frowning at the change of subject, Tamotsu said, "Twenty-four. Why?"
Megumi's eyebrows pinched together at the coincidence. "You just remind me of a man I knew. He's twenty-four now too."
Tamotsu's eyes widen slightly and give an airy, nervous chuckle. He started kneading his hands together and shifted in his seat.
The change in his character startled her. "Are you okay?"
He looked down at his knees. "Actually, I've been—,"
"HELP! HELP! LADY DOCTOR!" a frantic, female voice cried out.
Megumi and Tamotsu both leaped to their feet in an instant and sprinted out of her office. Running to the entrance of the clinic, they spot an elderly woman followed by two men holding a third in between them.
"Miyaji-san!" Megumi exclaimed.
"Help! Help my husband! He can't breath!" she cried, tears running down her aged face.
The man being held started turning blue.
I hoped you guys enjoyed it more than I did...I didn't really like it :P But on the plus side, i'm finally beginning to see an ending for this! I'm thinkin maybe 2 or 3 more chapters...
(I accept flames! That means you need to REVIEW!)