Hello everbody! Thank you for continuing to read my story! I appreciate your reviews so much.
So on the plus side (or the bad side depending on how much you like this story) I totally lied when I said this was the last chapter. The NEXT one will be the last chapter. This time I PROMISE! Lol.
Enjoy!
Surprise and joy flooded Megumi as she gazed upon the people of her past. Kaoru, Kenshin, Yahiko, and little Kenji all smiled at her when they saw her reaction. She couldn't stop the ecstatic laugh that bubbled from within her. Kaoru stepped forward and gave Megumi a huge hug, flooding her senses with the familiar scent of jasmine.
"I've missed you so much Megumi," cried Kaoru in her ear.
"As I have missed you," she responded, her grin feeling like it was permanently attached to her face.
They leaned back, still in each other's grip, and studied one another. Kaoru was looking just as young as ever, however now there was now a look of maturity on her face that suited her. She had the look of a wife and mother even though her big, blue eyes let her innocence shine through. Her eyes were still that of a child. Her body however was another story. Although the kimono made her look soft, her body was firm with the muscle she gained as a martial artist. She was absolutely stunning.
Megumi stepped back and to the right, ushering them in, and studied each one in turn.
Kenji, in Kenshin's arms, was much bigger than the last time she saw him. His hair was a great deal longer—to the middle of his back—and just as fiery red as his father's. He was grinning, if a little shyly, and buried his head in his father's shoulder when Megumi smiled back at him.
Kenshin still looked like he was drinking from the fountain of youth. He now looked like he was about twenty-five although Megumi knew he was somewhere around thirty-three now. His hair was shorter than the last time she saw him and his scar had mostly faded. She noticed he walked a little stiffly now and the doctor part of her remarked that it was probably due to his constant injuries and his use of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. She also noticed that he had forgone his pink gi and had taken up a simple blue piece. He grinned at her as he walked past and said, "Hello Megumi-dono. It's very nice to see you again."
"I'm very happy to see you too, Kenshin," smiled Megumi, amused that he remained diligent in his use of the honorific.
Following after him was Yahiko and he had changed the most out of all of them. He'd gone from a ten-year-old boy to becoming a fifteen-year-old man, as he had obviously gone through his genpuku what with his chest puffed out. He had grown considerably, going from being just above her waist to just below her eyes. He was evidently doing well in the Kamiya Kasshin for he was well muscled and very fit. His hair was just as spiky as it had always and his cocky grin was still in place. He now wore a sleek, black gi with a blade at his side. Megumi frowned at this but figured everything would be explained in due time. He had an air of confidence that radiated from him as he walked, talked, and even looked at people.
"Hello, Megumi," he said, voice lower then what she remembered, "Long time no see."
She smirked at him and felt fox ears pop out of her head. "It's nice to see you too, Yahiko-chan."
Instead of throwing a fit like he normally would have done, he simply raised an eyebrow and tilted his chin up. "I'm anything but little now, Megumi," he said cockily, placing his hand on his blade.
Megumi stepped forward to the boy-man and pinched his cheek. "You'll always be my Yahiko-chan," she said sweetly while twisting and pulling his cheek.
He jerked away from her. "Ow! Geez, Megumi! You're just as annoying as I remember!" he said, rubbing his cheek.
Megumi simply laughed and was about to comment when Kaoru began to talk.
"Megumi, you'll just have to tell me what's been going on with you," she began as she walked farther into the clinic. "How's your clinic going? Have you had any trouble? Are you resting enough? Are you—," she cut off as Tomatsu came into her line of vision. She blinked in surprise and simply stared at him.
Remembering her anger toward him, Megumi said curtly, "Everyone, this is Tomatsu-san. I hired him a few weeks ago to work for me. Tomatsu, this is Kaoru-san, Kenshin-san, Yahiko-kun, and Kenji-chan."
The room was silent for a moment before Tomatsu bowed respectfully. "It's nice to meet you all."
Kaoru frowned at him and placed a finger on her chin. "You know Tomatsu-san, you remind of someone..."
"Sanosuke," answered Yahiko promptly. "Except Sanosuke wouldn't have bowed. He's got about as much manners as a hungry bear."
"San-ske," exclaimed a randomly excited Kenji. Everyone laughed at his outburst as Kaoru took Kenji from Kenshin's arms. She playfully flicked him on the nose and smiled when he giggled. Kenshin moved closer and placed a hand on Kaoru's back as she said, "I'm sorry to ask you this Megumi, but could we go to the kitchen? Kenji is going to get hungry soon and I'd rather not deal with him when he's cranky."
"Of course," Megumi said smoothly. Turning toward the men she said, "You all can stay here and get to know one another."
As Kaoru and Megumi left with Kenji, Kenshin and Tomatsu stared at each other. Yahiko glanced back and forth between the two men as Kenshin quietly said, "It's very nice to meet you," he paused for a moment then raised an eyebrow, "Tomatsu-san."
Megumi and Kaoru spent the time it took for the soup to cook talking. Kaoru told her all about what had happened at the dojo since she'd left. Kaoru was teaching at several other dojos now that Yahiko was old enough to help out at their own. Apparently he was a very strict teacher due to his own rigid tutorage and had a class full of disciplined and talented, if not exhausted, students. After his genpuku when he had turned fifteen, Yahiko was awarded Kenshin sakabatou. Kenshin had thus passed on his gentle, life-valuing legacy on to the next generation. Along with his passing on hope, Kenshin had learned to completely let go of the past. He never carried a sword anymore and focused his attention mostly on domestic issues as well as simple pleasures with Kaoru and Kenji. Every now and then, when they needed money, he would be hired by Saito to accomplish something simple for the police (catch a criminal, investigate a disturbance, etc...) but he never used a weapon. He used simple martial arts moves to incapacitate the criminal until other officers arrived.
Kaoru waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Enough about me. Tell me about what's been going on with you." She placed her head in her hand and waited expectantly. Kenji, meanwhile, was singing a song to himself.
Megumi explained how things had been going. She talked about how at the beginning it was rough, both financially and socially, to which Kaoru started turned red. Megumi could sense a temper explosion coming from her and quickly moved on to the next topic. She talked about some of the annoying men who came to marry her and Kaoru couldn't help but laugh at the hopeless saps. She also talked about some of her patients. She described some of the interesting cases, the disturbing cases, and the ones that had a happy ending.
When Megumi finished Kaoru raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "Is that it?"
Megumi blinked at her words. "What do you mean?" she asked as she brought the soup and sat it in front of Kenji. Looking at him, she said, "Be very careful, Kenji-chan. It's hot."
He nodded solemnly. "Yes, 'Gumi-san," he said, shortening her name to make it pronounceable.
She smiled at him while Kaoru said, "You didn't even tell me when and how you met Tomatsu-san."
"Oh," she said. Feeling restless all of a sudden, she got up, walked over to the counter, and began slowly filling two bowls of soup. "I met him, oh, maybe four or five weeks ago."
"Hmm," she said, encouraging her to continue.
"He's working to pay off the treatment I gave him," she said, turning with the two bowls in hand.
Kaoru grinned mischievously. "That must have been some surgery you gave him if he's been working for you that long."
Megumi felt flustered but refused to show it to the younger woman. Instead, she raised her own eyebrows coldly and said, "Are you trying to insinuate something, Kaoru?"
Kaoru looked away and grabbed a napkin to clean Kenji's already messy face. "Not at all, Megumi," she said smugly. "I was simply making a comment. He's a very nice looking man." She picked out flecks of peas Kenji managed to get into his hair.
"Maybe so, but he's incredibly nosy." She placed the bowls in front of Kaoru and herself.
"How?" she asked, sampling her soup.
"Within the first two weeks I found him snooping through my paperwork. He's always asking personal questions, and just this morning he managed to get into my personal quarters," she said, slowly showing more and more of her frustration. It hadn't occurred to her until now that Tomatsu had gone into her bedroom when she'd specifically told him to never do that.
Kaoru nearly spit up her soup. She placed a hand firmly over her mouth and swallowed. "What!" she exclaimed finally. "He was in your room?"
Realizing her interpretation of what she said, Megumi's face heated but she fought it off. "Not like that, you silly raccoon," she said teasingly. "He gave me breakfast in bed," which she also realized was still on the tray in her room.
Kaoru tried to stifle a grin. "Oh," she said; a double-meaning obvious in her tone. "That was kind of him to do that for you."
Megumi's eyes narrowed. "I see what you're trying to do, Kaoru," she said, "and it's not going to work. Our relationship is strictly professional."
Kaoru took another sip of her soup. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two just had a lover's quarrel, what with the cold way you were treating him. Isn't it common for professional partners to be," she paused, thinking of the word, "cordial?" she asked as she raised her eyes to meet Megumi's.
Megumi raised her chin in defiance. "I don't know what you're talking about. We are cordial"
Kaoru rolled her eyes just as Kenji threw his spoon on the table. "I don't want more," he cried out.
Kaoru turned to him and picked up the spoon. She filled it with the liquid and held it up to him. "Eat some soup, Kenji. Aunt Megumi was nice enough to make it for you."
Kenji turned his head away defiantly and crossed his arms. Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "Kenji Himura. If you don't eat your soup right now I'm going to let Yahiko feed you and then you'll go right to bed."
Kenji looked back up at her with a pale face. His blue eyes began to water and his mouth started quivering. "B—but Yahiko is m—mean to m—me," he stuttered, his breath coming in gasps, signaling the start of severe crying.
Megumi blinked in surprise and looked at Kaoru. Kaoru met her questioning gaze and rolled her eyes at the antics of her son. "Eat the soup and Yahiko won't be mean to you."
Kenji looked at the spoon in his mother's hand suspiciously. He finally conceded with eyes still watering. He opened his mouth as Kaoru gently spooned the liquid into his petulant mouth. She pulled the spoon out as Kenji swallowed and she smiled. "There, wasn't that good?" she asked sweetly. Kenji shrugged innocently and took the spoon from his mother. He began feeding himself in dejected silence.
Megumi smothered her laughter with a hand and looked at Kaoru whose shoulders were shaking with her own restrained amusement. Once in control of herself, Kaoru said, "Doesn't he remind you Sanosuke?"
Megumi didn't even blink at that even though on the inside she shook. She had desperately hoped Kaoru wouldn't talk about this. She shrugged nonchalantly. "I've never thought about it."
Kaoru's face twisted to one of disbelief. "Oh don't you lie to me, Megumi Takani. I know you when you're lying even if I haven't seen you in years."
Megumi froze at her accusation. She was still trying to think of a response when Yahiko, Kenshin, and Tomatsu entered the kitchen. "I'm hungry," stated Yahiko.
"Yahiko, be polite," demanded Kaoru.
Now taller than her, he turned and looked down at her imperiously. "I'll be polite to whoever I want to be."
Kaoru whipped out her bokken, startling Megumi. She'd forgotten she could do that. "You'll be polite to whoever I tell you to!" she yelled.
Yahiko stuck his tongue out at her. Kaoru exploded and began chasing Yahiko around the room. Panic ensued. Yahiko and Kaoru were yelling at each other, Kenji was laughing and clapping his hands, and Kenshin was trying to catch and calm Kaoru. Tomatsu and Megumi were left to just stare at the madness. They looked at each other and both busted out laughing. Tomatsu threw his head back, while Megumi clutched her stomach and covered her mouth with her hand. Megumi ran out of air and reached out to lean against Tomatsu to stop from falling over. The noise level was escalating as Megumi said, "I've missed them so much." Tomatsu said something as well but she couldn't hear him.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Tomatsu shook his head in the universal 'never mind' sign. They continued to watch the lunacy that was going on until Kenshin had caught Kaoru and Yahiko had picked Kenji up and was using him as a shield. Kenji had laughed the entire time.
Once everyone had calmed and Kaoru and Yahiko were simply glaring at one another, Megumi said, "Perhaps we should start lunch?" Everyone grumbled in agreement.
Megumi headed into the kitchen followed by Kenshin. "Is there anything I can do to help, Megumi-dono?" he asked warmly.
Megumi turned toward him and raised an eyebrow. "Just because Kaoru can't cook doesn't mean I can't, Ken-san," she said teasingly. "Besides, you're a guest. Send in Tomatsu in. He needs to earn his meals anyway."
Megumi turned, ignoring Kenshin's soft protest. She began to pull plates and cups and bowls out of the cupboard and proceeded to chop up vegetables. As Kenshin left the room, depressed, her mind began to wander while performing the monotonous task.
With everyone over it was just as if the entire gang was together again. Kaoru and Yahiko: the troublemakers, Kenshin: the peacekeeper, and Megumi: the teaser. All that was missing was Sanosuke.
Megumi's heart gave a small twinge.
Instead they had a stranger. One who resembled Sanosuke enough to hurt her heart but different enough to not be led into the false hope of believing it was actually him. No, she wasn't concerned with who he was. She was more concerned with what he knew. How could he have known about the opium? The only people who knew about it were the Kenshin-gumi. How was it possible that this man, whom she met only weeks prior, know so much about her while she knew so little about him?
Heavy footsteps signaled the approach of said man. She kept her back to him as he stopped in the center of the room. The methodical chopping noise of the blade was the only sound besides the chatter of guests in the background.
"Did you need something, Takani-sensai?" he asked politely.
She paused a moment before answering. "Yes. Start boiling the water."
He moved immediately toward the pot and began to heat it. Once it started to warm, there was nothing else for him to do but wait. They fell into an awkward silence.
Boldly, Megumi asked, "How was it you came to think that I had dealings with opium?"
He hesitated for a length of time. "It was just one of those things you hear in the marketplace," he said cautiously.
Megumi began chopping the vegetables in a way that almost seemed cold. Silence fell once more and soon the air was full of the sound of bubbling water and the rise and fall of Megumi's sharp blade. Megumi informed him of the other ingredients needed and he proceeded to dig through the kitchen to find them. They stopped talking as each went on with their separate tasks; each left to his or her own thoughts.
Megumi knew he was lying. First of all, no one in this town knew anything about her. There was no one in the 'marketplace' who could talk about her, for there was nothing to talk about. The only thing people in this city knew about her was that she was a woman and she was a good doctor. That's it.
Megumi peeked at him just as he started pouring an ingredient into the boiling water. He grabbed a large wooden spoon and began to slowly stir the bowl. He was obviously not paying attention to the task. His eyes were unfocused and his expression was relaxed and void of emotion. He stirred the contents in the bowl smoothly until, after stirring more aggressively for a moment, one rogue bead of boiling water flew from the pot onto his arm. She watched as Tomatsu was forced out of his contemplation and winced as he flicked the blob away from his flesh. He was rubbing the now tender spot on his arm when he sensed Megumi's gaze. He lifted his eyes and Megumi schooled her expression to show nothing.
Their gazes met and held.
Kami, if only he wasn't so beautiful. He was tall and strong; fit and lean. His shaggy brown hair partially hid his deep brown eyes and his chest was barely concealed by a low-cut gi. When his lips parted and curved as he smiled it made her stomach clench up. He was funny, intelligent, caring, and loyal. Basically, it was a combination that could shatter the hearts of women everywhere. There were no words to describe how much she didn't want to become one of those females.
"Megumi?" breathed Tomatsu. She tore her gaze away from his and focused once more on the vegetables.
It was unfortunate that—whether she liked it or not—she was becoming exactly like them.
She closed her eyes. Why was it these thoughts preyed on her mind at times such as these? They seemed to spring without warning, making it difficult for her to breath. She just wanted to enjoy her company for the evening and not be bothered with such whimsical thoughts.
Something warm touched her arm and, startled, she opened her eyes and twisted her head. Tomatsu had taken hold of her arm. He opened his mouth to speak but it froze.
She gently pulled her arm out of his grasp. "We need to serve the food," she said, half-despising and half-enjoying the tingles that remained on her flesh from his touch.
Without checking to see if he was following, she re-entered the dining room and placed the meal in front of the rambunctious guests. Food went flying and yells were heard. For the next few hours there was yelling, laughing, burping, and all other manners of obnoxious behavior.
At around the fourth hour, after taking Kenji for a nap, Kaoru turned to Tomatsu. "So tell me a little bit about yourself, Tomatsu-san."
Yahiko and Megumi were in the middle of a heated discussion about whether being a doctor or a samurai was better, but Megumi still tuned in to the conversation on the other side of the table.
Tomatsu reached up and scratched his head. "There's not much to tell honestly. I was an orphan as a child and as soon as I was old enough I started traveling."
Kaoru's voice drifted over the table. "So how old were you when you first started traveling?"
"Oh, I'd say when I was around nineteen."
"Where have your travels taken you?"
"Oh, I've been everywhere. I spent a few months in China and Mongolia. I've been to Egypt, Greece, Italy, Germany, England, and the U.S. I also spent a lot of time in South America." Out of the corner of her eye she saw him scratch his chin. "I also passed through some of them little countries, but almost nothing interesting happened there."
Their conversation drifted out of hearing and Megumi was only able to imagine what they were talking about. She was mad that, in a few short seconds, Kaoru had learned more about Tomatsu then she had in weeks.
Needless to say, she was jealous.
Hours past and the conversation began to slow as the sun sunk below the horizon. Yahiko began to yawn obnoxiously and, taking that as a sign, Megumi rose and began trying to usher people into bed.
"You can have some of the patient rooms," Megumi said, making her way down the hallway to the empty quarters.
Kenshin stood as Kaoru did. "That's not necessary, Megumi-dono," he protested gently. "We can find an inn. We saw one on our way here in fact. We'll sleep there for tonight."
Megumi frowned at him and crossed her arms. "I will not have some of my dearest friends sleeping in some run-down inn when I have perfectly suitable rooms in this building." Kaoru started to interrupt but Megumi talked over her. "Don't offend me by rejecting my hospitality."
Kaoru and Kenshin looked at each other guiltily. "Oh, why not take the old braud up on her offer," said Yahiko, mid-yawn. "I'm too tired to walk anywhere else."
Kaoru glared over at Yahiko. "I can't believe that your manners are that terrible! Megumi just got done making us a delicious meal. You should at least be a little polite!"
Yahiko reached up and scratched his head lazily. "That's true. It's much better than the crap you'd have given me."
The bokken made an appearance once more as Kaoru beat Yahiko over the head. They ran into the next room over and the racket woke Kenji who then began to cry. Kenshin looked over at Megumi sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Megumi-dono. I'll go get Kenji and then we'll be right to bed, that we will. You need your rest."
Megumi rolled her eyes. "You're the ones who have been traveling. You need rest. Don't worry about me so much. I'll be fine."
Kenshin smiled sweetly at her. "If you say so, Megumi-dono."
Megumi winked at him as he turned to get Kenji out of one of the bedrooms. As his footsteps faded, Megumi was once more left alone with Tomatsu. She took a deep breath and silently let it out, releasing her nerves along with it. "Tomatsu, please go and grab some extra blankets for the Himuras."
"Yes, Takani-sensai," he said quietly. He left silently to do as she asked.
Megumi set about cleaning up the kitchen. She picked up all the dishes and placed them into the sink. Heading back to the table, she straightened the cushions and was beginning to wipe the table down when Kenshin peeked his head in. "Good night, Megumi-dono," he said, a sleeping Kenji resting on his shoulder.
Megumi smiled at the sweet scene. "Good night, Ken-san. Tell Kaoru we'll talk more in the morning." Kenshin nodded and disappeared from the doorway.
Megumi sighed and continued the job of wiping the table. Once that was finished she returned to the kitchen to begin the dishes. She reached in to grab the first plate and shivered as a chilly breeze swept across her flesh. Frowning, she looked up and saw that the window was open from when she'd tried to get some fresh air earlier that day. With another tremor, she walked toward it and shut it quietly. The reprieve from the cold was instantaneous and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Winter is almost here."
Megumi jumped and whipped around. Tomatsu was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed, watching her.
"Yes, I suppose it is," she said, calming her suddenly frayed nerves. She turned back toward the sink and set about trying to focus on doing the dishes. Footsteps approaching her made her stomach tighten more and more until Tomatsu came forward and took the plate from her hand.
"I wash, you dry," he said, smiling brilliantly.
She cursed her weak knees as she said, "That's unnecessary. You're probably tired."
Tomatsu shrugged. "You're probably tired too. You're just too stubborn to admit it."
She raised a brow but didn't protest. They worked quietly for a while. The work was methodical and didn't require much thought. That was unfortunate for Megumi. The mindlessness of it left her completely aware of when their hands accidently brushed each other's or when their elbows touched while manipulating the dishes. The silence steadily grew more and more tense and soon Megumi felt like she was being smothered by it.
"What did you think of the group?" she asked finally, trying to rid them of the oppressive stillness.
Tomatsu looked at her startled. "They seemed nice," he said, looking back down at the sudsy water.
She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Just nice?" she probed.
He chuckled at her perusal. "The boy is obnoxious."
Megumi snorted. "He gets that from Sanosuke. It's been five years since he last saw him. You'd think all the bad impressions he gave the child would have worn off by now."
"He can't have been that bad," he said.
"You don't know him," she said, placing a dish in the dry stack. "He had the worst manners in the world. No 'please' and no 'thank you'. He was the biggest mooch you could have ever met."
There was a pause in the conversation. "It doesn't sound like you miss him much," he said, stopping his dish washing to flick soap off his gi.
Megumi slowed until the towel in her hand stopped drying the dish. Setting the towel down, she once again placed a dish on the dry stack. "Not necessarily," she said slowly. "He had good qualities." Megumi stopped talking, aware that Tomatsu wanted her to elaborate. She couldn't. If she did, she might further embarrass herself by crying.
"Like what?" he asked, obviously not hearing her silent plea to stop the questioning.
Megumi shrugged, focusing on keeping emotion out of her voice. "He was strong and brave. He was intelligent when he wanted to be . . .," the knife of her past flashed through her mind, ". . . and he was a good friend," she said quietly. "He was a very good friend.
Tomatsu, who seemed to have finally sensed her mood, fell silent. For awhile all that was heard was the clinking of dishes and the splashing of water. Tomatsu handed Megumi the final cup and washed the soap off his hands as Megumi dried it.
"I'm sure he misses you too," he said quietly, drying his hands on his hakama.
Startled, she asked, "What?"
He sighed and looked down at his feet before raising his head to meet her eyes. "I'm sure that he misses you as well." His eyes were wide and clear and bore into her heart. If it was possible, his eyes were filled with happiness tinged with gloom. It was almost beautiful.. His gaze became too much and tears began to form in the back of her eyes. She immediately dropped her head and focused on drying her hands.
This was ridiculous. Why was she tearing up just by looking at him?
"Yes, well, he's gone now," she said, her voice sounding slightly raw. "He must really be enjoying himself if he's been gone this long," she said, sarcasm evident in every word. Megumi dropped the towel on the counter, suddenly tired, and said, "Good night, Tomatsu. I'm going to bed. You may sleep in one of the extra rooms tonight if you want."
She stepped around Tomatsu to leave the room. When she was in the doorway he called her. "Megumi?"
Megumi stopped and turned to look at him, a question on her brow. He gave her a said smile and said, "I'm sure he has a reason for not being here. If he's as good a friend you say he is, then he must have an excellent reason for not being with you."
Annoyance ripped through Megumi. She didn't want him defending Sanosuke. "I'll be the judge of that," she said coldly. She turned on her heel and stalked to her bedroom.
Megumi awoke just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. She rubbed her eyes and sat up with a huge yawn. Itching her head, she stood and proceeded to get dressed, remembering her guests would probably be craving some breakfast soon.
After dressing, she left her room and headed to the kitchen. She heard muffled voices coming from the room and she slowed.
"—anything to do with me," said Tomatsu. Megumi frowned. His voice was strained and dejected sounding.
"You know what you have to do," said Kenshin quietly. He seemed to be consoling Tomatsu about something. Megumi was confused. Since when were Kenshin and Tomatsu on speaking terms? It sounded like they were having a serious conversation. Megumi rejected that thought the moment it came. Tomatsu was one of the most private people she knew, second only to Kenshin. "Sometimes doing the right thing isn't the easiest path," continued Kenshin gently.
Megumi strode in at that point, startling the two men sitting there. When she first entered Tomatsu had had his head in his hands and was talking down at the table. Kenshin was seated opposite of him and had placed his forearms on the table, his hands grasping each other tightly. Megumi pursed her lips at this. His voice and tone had been calm but his body language told her otherwise.
"Good morning," she said pleasantly, trying to avoid being suspected of eavesdropping.
"Good morning, Megumi-dono," said Kenshin smiling at her. Megumi noted that his rurouni smile was in place and wondered at what he was trying to hide. "I've already started breakfast, that I have. Why don't you take my seat?" he rose in confirmation of his question. "I need to check on the food anyways."
Megumi was about to protest this but Kenshin—startling her with his swiftness—left the room in a hurry. Annoyed at having been dismissed so readily, Megumi sat down at the table. Looking up at Tomatsu, she frowned. He seemed to be extremely nervous this morning. His eyes were flitting back and forth, his left hand was pulling at the cloth of his hakama as his right kept messing with his hair. When he met her gaze he smiled awkwardly and looked away, smile dropping from his face as he did so.
"Is something the matter?" Megumi asked.
He glanced up at her again before looking away. "No," he said, rubbing his nose.
She leaned forward and placed her elbow on the table with her head in her hand. "Your behavior begs to differ."
He peered at her out of the corner of his eye then turned away immediately, remaining silent.
She stared at the side of his head. "You know you can talk to me right?" Tomatsu jerked his head toward her, his face mirroring the surprise that she felt. She had thought that in her mind but didn't mean to voice it. She shrugged at him. "I mean you've been here for awhile," she started before looking out the window to avoid his gaze, "and I've already kind of dumped some stuff on you about my personal life. I wouldn't find it annoying at all if you felt the need to talk to me as well."
A bird flitted onto the tree she had been looking at as she waited for Tomatsu's response. It had just begun singing a lovely tune when he said, "There—there has been something on my mind actually," he stammered. Megumi turned toward him finally and saw that he was staring at the table. "My name isn't Tomatsu," he said heavily.
Megumi raised her eyebrows. "I know that. I was the one who gave you that name."
"Right," he said, chuckling nervously. "My name—,"
"Megumi?" interrupted Kenshin, peeking his head into the room. "I need something from the market for my meal. Can you point me in the general direction of it? I can go get it myself."
For a moment Megumi understood Kaoru's urge to throw something heavy at Kenshin. Tomatsu was finally going to tell her what his name was! But now she could tell from his current expression that he'd lost the desire to tell her anything. Megumi took a deep breath and released it slowly. Wanting Kenshin to go get it himself, but then again not wanting to be rude, she said, "Don't be ridiculous Ken-san. You're a guest. Just tell me what you need and I'll go and get it." She barely held in a sigh of annoyance.
Kenshin frowned and shook his head. "I don't want to put you through any trouble, Megumi-dono."
Megumi stood while waving her hand dismissively. "If it were up to you Kenshin I would remain on my rear for your entire visit." She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Kenshin authoritatively. "Just tell me what you need." Kenshin was about to protest until Megumi raised her eyebrows. His mouth slammed shut.
"If I remember correctly," she started quietly, a smirk lighting her features, "Kaoru and Yahiko don't like to have a late breakfast," Kenshin's face paled, "and something tells me, based on his genes, Kenji doesn't much like his food late either." Kenshin's eyes widened. "So why don't you tell me what you need or I won't tell you where the marketplace is."
Kenshin's shoulders slumped in defeat and told her what he needed. Smiling at her victory, Megumi headed for the door. Footsteps sounding behind her made her turn her head. Tomatsu was following her closely and nearly ran her over when she stopped. "What are you doing?" she asked.
He smiled at her. "Well, you did hire me to escort you to the market. It would be unfortunate if, on the one time I didn't accompany you, you were the victim of a robber."
Megumi was about to argue just for the sake of arguing until she realized the validity of his statement. She shrugged and began heading out the door, knowing he was right behind her.
Besides, if she was lucky, she might just figure out who he was after all.
They entered the marketplace at the busiest time of the day. People were hustling and bustling to get to their desired stalls. Laughter, talking, and cursing could be heard based on who you were, what you were doing, and whether or not your foot had been stepped on. Megumi, being the expert shopper that she was, expertly weaved through the crowds with Tomatsu following behind her.
Conversation flowed easily between the two; mainly focusing on the plans for the day. They bounced ideas off each other as they walked. Actually, Megumi was doing the actual planning. Tomatsu was just acting like a fool. He kept cracking stupid jokes and saying ridiculous things that, although not usually one for idiocy, made Megumi laugh.
After giggling at something that was particularly hysterical, Tomatsu gave her a playful shove. Megumi bumped her hip into the corner of a booth earning herself the cursing of the man who owned it. Megumi—sincerely trying to keep a straight face—apologized profusely as Tomatsu chuckled loudly in the background. Once they managed to get away from the grumpy man, they burst out laughing again.
As they were walking Megumi noticed a crowd approaching her. Before she even thought to move, Tomatsu reached over and firmly placed his hand on the small of her back. He pulled her in front of him to avoid the crowd. Mere inches separated her back from his chest and he didn't remove his hand. The tightness of the crowd around them made it feel like they were even closer.
Megumi clutched her hands in front of her as she realized that, if she swung her arms, they reached back and hit his thighs. Thanking Kami that she was in front of him, her cheeks bloomed with color as tingles traveled up her spine. She was so focused on Tomatsu that she forgot to watch her footing. Her foot caught and her eyes widened as she stumbled forward to try and catch herself.
She felt something snake around her middle and pressure was put there as her full weight pushed against it. She dangled there for a moment before the strong grip pulled her back up.
"Careful, Takani-sensai," said a smiling Tomatsu. She turned around and looked at him. "We wouldn't want you to fall and scratch that pretty face of yours would we? It might scare away the patients" he said teasingly.
Megumi barely heard the words. His arm was wrapped around her waist still and she felt like she could run marathons with all the adrenaline pumping through her. She was pressed up against his side and could feel his lungs expand as he breathed, pressing her even closer to him. He looked at her expectantly and, regaining control of her emotions, Megumi stepped out of his grip and laughed nervously. "Yes that would be unfortunate," she said.
They continued their walk in companionable silence from there. It might have been Megumi's imagination but it seemed they were closer than before. Every now and then their hands would brush each others, shooting electricity up her arm. When moving out of someone's way now, she was forced to press herself against him, making her that much more aware of him.
Soon the crowd came to a standstill. "What's going on?" Megumi asked, rising to the tips of her toes.
Tomatsu tipped his chin up to survey over the crowd. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Someone's probably getting into a fight."
Megumi whipped her head towards him with a frown. "You shouldn't say things like—,"
Tomatsu suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. Her chest was pressed against his muscular as he lowered his head toward her ear. His hand reached around to her back and held her to him firmly as Megumi gasped for breath. She reached her hands up and frantically tried to push herself away. The electricity in her body was nearly overwhelming her.
"What are you doing?" she cried.
"Don't look now," he whispered, his warm breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine, "but our dear friend Hamada-san has chosen to make an appearance."
Frowning, she stretched her neck trying to see over her shoulder. Her ex-patient was standing a dozen feet away from them separated by the growing crowd. He was staring at her with an open mouth and an extremely shocked expression.
Megumi did a quick mental image of what he must be seeing and blushed. Here was the woman he wanted to marry being embraced by the same ruffian he'd been so disgusted with weeks prior. In public nonetheless!
Megumi managed to shove her way out of Tomatsu's grip. She turned to face Hamada-san but he'd already turned and his back was receding into the throng of shoppers. Pivoting, she faced Tomatsu once again, fury evident on her face.
"You purposefully embarrassed me!" she practically shrieked, earning the surprised looks of people around her.
Tomatsu smiled at her and shrugged. "I thought you didn't like that man. I was doing you a favor. He won't bother you anymore."
Megumi tightened her jaw and clenched her hands into fists. "You idiot!" she exclaimed.
Tomatsu frowned as she went on. "Do you not even consider the repercussions of your actions? I could care less if the man bothered me or not! I'm perfectly capable of handling it! However I cannot fight against a city full of rumors!" She took a breath as Tomatsu's face started to cringe. She continued in a softer voice. "How long do you think it'll take for the whole city to find out that the new Lady Doctor is having an affair with her employee? Not only that, that same Lady Doctor is flaunting it in public!"
Unable to stomach seeing his face, Megumi stalked forward, shoving people out of the way mercilessly. She heard Tomatsu apologizing for her rudeness but she could care less. His footsteps signaled his drawing nearer as he came into view in her peripherals.
"I'm—," he began. Megumi held up her hand to stop his speaking.
"Don't apologize," she said through clenched teeth. "Don't even speak."
From there, their walk was continued in silence. Megumi stalked through the mob while Tomatsu sulked behind her. They soon arrived at the booth. Megumi stepped forward and started to speak before stopping herself in shock. Here behind the booth was a man she never thought she would see again. Not after his last incident with the government.
"Tsukioka Katsuhiro?" exclaimed Megumi.
Leaning forward, the man squinted up to look at Megumi. His eyes widened with recognition. "Takani-sensai!"
"What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.
"I've just been working," he said vaguely, but happily. "It's great to see you! How has everybody been? How is that Ishin Shishi manslayer of yours, Kenshin? And what about Sanos—," he cut off unexpectedly, looking behind her. A huge grin lit up his face as he came out from behind the booth.
Flustered, Megumi tried to make a quick introduction. "Katsuhiro-san, this is Toma—,"
"I know exactly who this is!" he yelled, slapping Tomatsu on the shoulder and giving him a hug. Megumi was stunned as was Tomatsu whose mouth was hanging open, looking at her. "How long have you been back in Japan, Sanosuke? I'd heard you left." He looked back and forth between the two. "Don't tell me you've been here long enough to get married." He looked at Megumi and spoke behind his hand. "I'm so sorry you had to marry an idiot like this one," he said winking, glancing at over at Tomatsu. "He's got about as much class as a monkey." He started laughing loudly, drawing attention from the crowd.
Megumi's heart tweaked at the mention of Sanosuke's name. She was just about to correct Katsuhiro when all of a sudden Tomatsu shoved him away. He took two steps toward her and gripped her upper arms almost painfully. Megumi blinked with surprise and saw pain and sadness cross Tomatsu's face.
"What's going—," she started.
"It's not what you think!" Tomatsu cried. Megumi frowned out of confusion. "I swear I was going to tell you, it was just never the right time!" He released her arms and walked around in a circle with his hands on his head. "Dammit!" he cried. He faced her once more and held up his hands in defeat. "I didn't want you to think I was some insensitive ass who just blatantly disregarded friendship. I—I swear to you! I just—just had to…,"
He went on and on but everything slowed down for Megumi. The world almost seemed to stop and the outsides of her vision became fuzzy. Her heart raced. Her adrenaline pumped. Her mind however, seemed to be lagging behind her other reactions.
He flirts with me constantly. He loves fighting. He's obnoxious. He came to me with busted hands. He knew about the opium. He talks to Kenshin like their brothers.
A memory flashed.
He called me fox.
I'M AN IDIOT!
Megumi's body tensed with all the agitation. Her blood boiled. Her skin felt hot. Her toes were curled in her sandals like her fingers were in her palms. Her face became skewed and she clamped her jaw shut so quickly she almost bit off her tongue.
With all her pent up rage, she released every ounce of it with single word.
"Sanosuke."
A/N: AAAHH! Now we know! What do you think Megumi's reaction will be? I absolutely cannot WAIT to write the next chapter!
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