Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and certainly not any one of it's characters. I just write fan fics about them.

Author's Note: It's been two years since I last wrote for this story. I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support. I hope you'll like this installment. I will not place so much promises about the story but except that I will update this story. Please read and enjoy!

Megumi just couldn't believe at was happening.

Her father has decided to come and get her personally from the port since she refused to leave after hearing the news about the pirate attack. The conversation almost elevated in to a public display; her father in order to sway her conviction told her that is she does care for Aoshi, she must be strong. With those words she was swayed to get into their coach and head home.

She just couldn't believe that she had to wait for Aoshi one more day but those days of waiting turned into a week now. She just couldn't stand it anymore. There has been no news of rescue, no movement at all. She hated to use the word 'abandoned' but by how things are going it almost felt that way.

Megumi has decided to come and visit her father and seek for his help. She got up early and made her way to the wing of their house where her father's office was located. She wanted to settle matters immediately. The past few days she has been trying to request an audience with her father regarding this matter but he persistently kept on denying her request. Today however, Megumi will not simply stand aside, she will see her father.

She slid the door with great force and saw his father with a much older man. This man was also in formal clothing, too formal to just be any sort of business. "Right on time, Masaki-san meet my daughter Megumi." Megumi was frozen on the spot. Her father was the worst of all. With her eyes brimming with tears she smiled politely at this man and excused herself. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" "No father, nothing at all." She then began to run away from that wing of their home and past their courtyard's row of cherry trees.

She just couldn't stop crying, her appearance was dishevelled. She could not believe that in only a week's time her father is out in the open making deals to wed her again. He wouldn't even bother searching for her current fiancée. She wanted to seek help in order to find Aoshi, but what he gave her were a greedy man eyeing her body and a possible marriage proposal.

She couldn't believe her father's shamelessness. How could he easily throw away Aoshi's proposal just because he has gone missing.

What if Aoshi did come back and found out how her father has once again betrothed her to another man? She could not bear the shame to be looked by those gray eyes of Aoshi's with a look of disappointment and disgust, those eyes that have once filled her heart with love and passion.

Aoshi was the first man who respected her and treated her like a person and not like a doll or puppet of her father's; she had to save him. She had to.

It was almost sun set when she got back to their mansion. She tried her best not to attract any attention what so ever, as she made her way back to her room. As Takani Megumi, the lady of this household she was powerless but if she would take the step out if this house, then maybe, just maybe she could…

"Proper ladies don't get out of their house early in the morning and come back silently. You are acting like a common woman. No, much worse than that, you are a whore disguising yourself as a lady."

It no other than her father, "Father…" "How could you call me father when you continuously shame me in public and in front of my guest?" Megumi's eyes were brimming with tears, "Father, please help Aoshi. Please help my fiancée." Megumi's father looked deep into her eyes, "It is a sad lost my daughter, but it would only be wise to forget him. He's as good as dead." He then started to make way to his room.

Megumi has had enough of this, "You will not treat him like trash or a puppet you can simply discard, when it has lost its value. I am making this request to you as a daughter, please help him, and find him. If you won't I'd denounce my title as your daughter!" Takani-san stopped at his tracks; Megumi was almost smiling in disbelief. She felt victorious!

She has given it her all to persuade her father and finally he's hearing her out. She never thought that this day would come, when she'll be treated like a person by her father and not a mere beautiful porcelain doll to display. She was about to see her triumph in her father's worried eyes. As her father turned to face her, his face was icy cold, there were no anxious eyes. There was no sign of being moved.

The clear smirk on his face was visible to Megumi. Takani-san remained unmoved, "I have no use for a daughter who shames her father. You are a lady of noble birth because I am your father. You have nothing to denounce in the first place."

'Nothing to denounce…so all my value does come from my father. '

Megumi was horrified, after all her father was right. Even if she wanted to make a say in anything, she will always be behind her father's dark shadow. Her beauty, her wealth, her authority all came from this man before her eyes. Though she has been trying to deny this man's influence, she was after all clinging to her name, her title all of which came from the same person she was trying to end all ties with. She was truly a fool.

All the stress has finally gotten to her and she felt herself fall down on her knees. 'I am really hopeless; I couldn't even save the most important man in my life. I failed Aoshi.'

Seeing her daughter fall on her knees, he called out for help from nearby servants. He ordered them to take Megumi to her room and change her clothes into something appropriate for an engagement ceremony. He then made his way back to his office where he plans to wait until their guests have arrived. Megumi on the other hand looked lifeless. Taken back by how powerless she really was, she just allowed herself to be dragged and dressed up like a doll. She didn't even bother asking for another kimono, even if the one they were planning to dress her in was the same one she used when she was to be engaged with Aoshi.

In Megumi's head nothing really mattered now. 'I am a doll, my father's doll.'

Though Megumi was losing all her hopes, in the island Aoshi was trying his utmost best to quickly return by Megumi's side. After returning with fire wood for the fire they started, Misao was out by the beach trying to catch fish for dinner. "They all seem to be too fast for me. But I, the great Misao will not be…humph…" Aoshi's big hand covered Misao's mouth. He then silently crept up to a pair of fish and in a swift movement used his hand to catch his prey.

"Wow, Aoshi. You seem to pretty good at this." "Not really, your movements are swift too, but your loud voice scared them before you could catch any." Misao blushed at her mistake, she couldn't avoid being a blabber mouth but to be told by this man was just awful.

"Well when I cook the fish they won't get away anymore so let me handle that out." Misao gave a smile and Aoshi simply smiled back.

Everyone was camped in the big fire, but Aoshi tried to distance himself and started his own fire. Misao, seeing Aoshi walk away from the main group decided to follow him around. "You know what Aoshi, you're not really bad for a guy. You were great at fighting those pirates and you could really survive on this island. You even caught us dinner and…"

All of Misao's words did not register in his mind. All he could think of was how many days he has already been on the island and still no progress or signs of being rescued. Misao was about to go on with complimenting when she noticed that Aoshi's eyes were looking beyond the horizon. She then understood that all the while Aoshi was already miles apart she could only say, "Was someone waiting for you?"

Megumi's beauty was enthralling but she didn't feel anything to be giddy about. She just wanted everything to be over; this engagement does not anymore hold meaning in her eyes. She simply wanted to get over with it. She was quietly making her way into the room where the guests were, when she heard glass breaking from her father's office. She didn't understand very well but before she knew it she was running towards the room as fast as she could. She then slid the door and saw her father sprawled on the tatami mat. She hurriedly ran to his side, "Someone, help us quick!"

Servants rushed through the corridors and the house was totally in chaos. Megumi decided to stay beside her father. 'Why is this happening now?' Megumi never thought her father would be experiencing a heart attack. She had to do something, it did not matter if this man treats her like a doll…a puppet of his…then suddenly she felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks. She was crying.

Megumi has only known her life with her father. Though their relationship wasn't the best there is, he was after all her father. Through her sobs she managed to say, "Please don't go. Hang on…" She just felt more warm tears roll down her cheeks. Small drops of tears also landed on her father's face.

When Takani-san felt Megumi's tears he tried to open his eyes. His lids started to feel heavy and he was quickly losing his strength. Somehow he understood that death was about to take him and he didn't want to resist at all. From a distant he could sense the moisture on his skin, 'Was these tears? Is these Megumi's tears?' He then felt the need to open his eyes one last time, his vision was blurred but still he could see his daughter's face, "Megumi…" "Yes, father…" "I have not been a very good father to you, I always treated you like your master more than your father."

Megumi couldn't believe what she was hearing but to be talking like this, "Father, you are not going to die like this…so you can tell me all these things later." "Enough! Megumi Takani! I know that my death is coming and I may not have the chance to say these things to you and still you refuse to listen to me?" Megumi then allowed her father to speak freely, "You have always been a daughter I was proud off. Without my help and guidance you showed excellence in your fields. You created a name for yourself. However I was never part of it. You never asked for my help but you made it." He felt his chest tighten but he knew he had to try to say these words, "I then became jealous and I started to act like a father to you. I kept enforcing my will, my ways in to your own will. I kept acting high and mighty in your eyes and I tried to become an authority. I didn't know how to be a father, all I ended up being was a dictator to you."

"Words I wanted to say with love didn't come, instead words to bind you to me and hurt you were all I could say. I made your life empty and destroyed whatever you built with your own hands. I am so ashamed of myself." "Father…I have forgotten what it's like not to have you with me."

Takani-san held on to Megumi's hand, "Let me be a father just this once. You must live on for yourself, find the courage to be who you are. You are not just an empty person, you are not a doll. You are you. You are Megumi not even all that I have can make someone as beautiful as you. I am so sorry…" Megumi felt her father's hand grow cold. Her tears seem to overflow from her heart and it simply wouldn't stop.

With the death of her father, Megumi was reborn. She was no longer the spoiled brat who was helpless and easily moved. She had a mind of her own that won't easily be pushed aside. She was the new Megumi Takani. She knew that her weakness and her miserable past as a daughter who hated her father cannot be erased. However with the strength her father left her, made her stronger and a proud daughter. With this strength she knew she had the strength to protect those dear to her. She has the strength to save Aoshi.

The guests were sent away immediately and preparations were made for the death of the head of the household. Not long after the cremation Takani-san's remains, a gathering of fine sea farers was held at the mansion.

"I, the new mistress of Takani, Megumi Takani will commence a search for those aboard the ship that has been attacked by pirates. Lend me your strength and skills. " Megumi smiled contently in her heart, 'It won't be long Aoshi…'

Aoshi looked at Misao, "Do you remember the time you asked me if there was someone waiting for me?" "Oh you mean that time by the beach…" "There is one. She's waiting for me."

Misao looked at her hands, "So what's her name?"

With tenderness that almost broke Misao's heart, Aoshi said, "Megumi. Her name is Megumi."

Author's Notes: It's been so long since I updated so I had to re-read everything starting from the first chapter. I think after this chapter Megumi will be more like the Megumi from the series. I was intrigued by what kind of lady she was before she had to work with drugs in the series, when she was still the daughter of Takani-san. This is also my longest chapter for this story. I noticed I write pretty short chapters for this story so I hope this 1000+ word chapter would be a good start for the rest of the updates.

More about the story: I guess this chapter mainly focused on the relationship of Megumi with her father. I guess I wanted this chapter to kind of show how some father-children relationship is. You could say my personal experience helped a lot with this chapter's theme. I guess things will kind of open up after this chapter. Of course the people over at the island would still be present and maybe more characters with the rescue team that Megumi is forming. Well I guess that's all for now.

Tell me your thoughts about this installment throught reviews! I'd be glad to learn what your ideas are.