Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and Escaflowne!

Now we'll have Kenshin's view, after so long with Van!

Enjoy!

Kenshin watched, hidden, as Sano talked with the bait of his trap. Why would Van suddenly want to know about Demon Gems? Could he perhaps be in possession of one? But how could he? They, as a crew, had never plundered any demon ships. Could he actually be an angel and he'd lied about his heritage? Perhaps "Draconian" was another name for angel, and while he'd been here on Earth, he'd acquired a Demon Gem!

Then perhaps the mermaid wanted it from the young man, so Kenshin would have to find the Demon Gem that Van had, just so he could tempt the sea maid with it. After that, the demon mermaid would be his!

Clenching a fist in triumph, he formulated a plan to find the treasure on the young man.

So in the morning, when Van was up and about doing random chores, Kenshin watched him with a critical eye, trying to see if it was poorly hidden. When he didn't find any signs of odd lumps on him, he knew he would have to somehow warrant a search on his person to find it. But how could he do so without losing further favor from his first mate?

It was then that Megumi came up and called to Van, "Fanel-san, it's time for your monthly physical!"

Van looked up and tilted his head in confusion. "Physical? What's that?"

"I have to check to see how your health is keeping up, Fanel-san. Please, come with me," Megumi explained, beckoning him.

Kenshin grinned and followed at a distance, knowing that Megumi was thorough in her physicals, and that required the removal of all clothes. He was just quick enough to see them enter the infirmary, before he stood next to the door, peeking through a crack that had never been fixed.

"Now would you please remove all your clothes, and I'll begin."

There was a pregnant pause, and Van whispered, "All of my clothes?"

"Yes, don't be embarrassed, I'm a doctor, I won't ogle you. I have a husband, you know," Megumi reminded him with a foxy giggle.

"All right, though I've never been naked in front of a woman since my childhood when my mother and nursemaids clothed and bathed me."

"Then close your eyes and don't think about this, and I'll be done in a few minutes."

Van removed his clothes, and Megumi gasped. Kenshin tried to see what was going on, but they were barely visible.

"My word, what happened to you? Those deep scars…"

"I fought in a war where I fought for my life every battle. The enemy sought me out specifically, and these weren't the worst of them."

"How could these have healed without you being near death? You would've had to have been bed-ridden for weeks, if not months, before you were able to move again!"

"No, these scars are special. I received them through an armor I used, and when it was damaged, I was wounded in the same way. I'm very good at hiding my scars, so it looks like I haven't collected very many. I fought even when I was injured, so yes, I was on my deathbed when the armor was repaired and I was able to heal. Are you going to check me over?"

"Oh, yes! Not even Ken-san has this many scars…"

It was only a few minutes before Megumi spoke again, sounding a little less concerned. "You're in top health, besides the scars. But I must ask, where did you get that?"

"This? From a friend."

"I see. You may get dressed and go, Fanel-san."

Kenshin cursed and stormed off, before Van could come out and discover that he'd been spying.

I guess after so long I'm used to having Kenshin like this, but this is more like he's Battosai, which does fit this character better...

This story has one review...ONE! I wonder if there's something wrong with it...

Anyways, what the heck, this one's fun to write!

Please review!