Disclaimer- I do not own Rurouni Kenshin nor am I making a profit by writing this story. RK is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki.
Summary- AU. Tokyo's Underground is becoming increasingly dangerous as its prominent figures become more and more powerful. Kenshin must work undercover to help bring down the biggest criminal mindss in the country, as lives all around him that are intricately connected are affected. Ensemble fic, all major characters the focus. Canon pairings.
A/N- Rated 'T' for now because of language but it will most likely go up later. Also let me know if I completely fail at honorifics. I tried.
Chapter Three
It was already nearing nine o'clock when Megumi entered the Oguni Clinic, intent on seeing her eldest brother. There were still a few people situated in the waiting room, and Megumi knew her brother wouldn't leave until the last person was taken care of. She knew he had been working hard for the past week because his father-in-law, Gensai-sensei, had hurt his back a little while ago.
The nurse sitting at the window looked bored, her face only displaying the barest of recognition as Megumi walked up to the window (ignoring a wolf-whistle from one of the men). Normally during the day Megumi's sister-in-law would sit at the window, but seeing as it was so late she must have been home with their children.
"Is my brother free for a moment?" she asked the nurse politely, casting a slightly disapproving eye over the fact that she was texting from her phone on the job. She should be helping the people in the waiting room!
"I don't know," the nurse replied gruffly, "Probably will delay seeing the next patient when he comes out to see you. Like I'm not here long enough."
"It's not like you're doing anything useful," Megumi snapped. "Why aren't you getting any of these patients' information?"
With a scowl, the nurse shoved back away from the table and grabbed several forms and clipboards, most likely going to do just exactly that. Megumi shook her head in disgust.
Without another word, Megumi opened the door that led to the exam rooms and the offices. Noting which door had no chart in the pocket next to it, she rapped on that one quickly. Her brother Ryouta opened it with an irritable expression, which softened immediately when he saw it was his sister.
"Give me about five more minutes and I'll meet you in my office," he said quickly, "I'm almost done with this patient—sore throat."
He closed the door firmly without waiting for a response.
With a sigh, Megumi kept going straight down to the end of the hallway to the office given to her brother two years ago by Gensai-sensei. She dropped her designer purse on his desk and sat in the chair, leaning forward to examine the framed photos situated lovingly on top of his desk along with scattered notes.
There was one of Ryouta and his wife Ayako, along with their two little girls Ayame and Suzame. Another held a picture of Megumi and her two brothers, taken several years ago. The next was a picture of the whole family including their parents. Lastly, there was a candid one of Ryouta when he was about nine, fishing with their father and laughing. He had sacrificed much of his desk space so that he could see these every day when he was at work. The picture of Ryouta and their father was one of her favorites; it was clear even when he was a child that he was the mirror image of Ryuusei Takani.
Megumi didn't have very long to wait for her brother, who came to see her like he promised immediately after his patient, even though there were still more waiting. Megumi could see the nurse down the hall putting a tall man with a bloody hand in the room Ryouta just vacated.
"You came for my notes and old textbooks, right?" he said through a yawn as he ran his fingers through his silky black hair, leaving it mussed. "Sorry, I completely forgot them. When do you need them by?"
Megumi stifled her annoyance as his forgetfulness, remembering that he had been incredibly busy and probably didn't have very much time lately for remembering things outside of work. "Tomorrow would be fine. Do you want me to see anybody? You're here awfully late," she made sure to sound reproachful.
"If you can see a few—I really don't want you to use your study time," he must have been really exhausted if he was accepting an offer of help, when he usually did not out of pure pride and stubbornness. He even had shadows under his eyes.
"Alright," Megumi said, suddenly sounding professional. She stripped off her coat and rolled up her sleeves. It looked like there was no extra doctor's coat hanging in the office like usual.
She followed her brother and took the room that the nurse just exited. Grabbing the chart and exchanging a glare with her, Megumi deliberately stuck her nose in the air and glanced at the notes. Suspected hand injury.
"A lady-doctor, eh?" an amused voice broke her concentration, and Megumi looked up to see a man sitting on the bench, leaning forward on his knees. She glanced quickly at his right hand and noticed that it had been severely abused.
"Not quite yet," she answered, trying to remain calm. "Does it make a difference to you—" she took a quick glance at the name. "Sagara-san?"
"Not really, no. Just wasn't expectin' it 'cause I saw the guy-doctor and thought he was the only one here," he said, holding his hand out so she could see it better. "I need a quick fix."
Megumi set the chart to the side, putting on latex gloves before she took his right hand in both of hers and carefully began to unwrap the sloppy makeshift bandage. "What's the hurry, Sagara-san? You need to rest your hand as much as possible if you want it to heal properly," she noticed his ring finger was crooked. "This finger is definitely broken. It'll need an X-ray to determine the extent of the damage. How did you damage your hand?"
The young man sighed irritably, as though it was her fault that he had a broken appendage! "Listen, I ain't got time or money gettin' a bunch of X-rays and stuff. I just need this hand fixed up as much as possible before next Thursday. I earn a livin' with this hand, y'know. And I thought this was the kind of clinic that doesn't ask any questions 'bout how these things happen?"
Megumi took a deep breath, trying to remember than not all men were as refined as the many she knew—why, this one was positively barbaric! Worse than Yahiko!
"If that is what you want," she said as emotionlessly as possible, but she was sure she couldn't hide the serious disapproval in her expression. Turning abruptly she opened the cabinets, gathering gauze, fresh bandages, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. She beckoned him to stand by her and hover his hand over the sink so that she could pour the peroxide over it.
Megumi diligently cleaned the hand as best as she could, neither of them saying anything. When she was positive she did the best she could, she directed him to sit back on the bench so she could wrap it.
"I could set the finger and put a splint on it," Megumi admitted, although reluctantly. "I really do recommend an X-ray. You can get one here, and set up an easy-to-afford payment plan. Gensai-sensei is incredibly lenient with the services rendered here."
As she finished, she quickly pulled on the broken finger, hearing a snap and a grunt from the man. She gave him credit for not being louder. A broken finger was painful, even if it was a smaller bone. She quickly grabbed one of the larger splints (the man's hands themselves were big and he wouldn't fit in a normal one), and went to work bandaging and taping his hand. When she was done he had bandages going up to his wrist.
"You may need further treatment for the finger at the least," Megumi said as she started gathering the supplies and putting them away, sure that repeating something was the only way to get a message into this man's thick skull. All he did was shrug. "You should have it checked again in a couple of weeks."
"That finger's not really important anyway," he said nonchalantly. "Thanks doc."
And he left. Megumi growled in annoyance. Idiot man!
She grabbed his chart to make her notes (all people that came to the clinic got one, no matter if they had only come once). She once again looked over his full information. Sagara Sanosuke. Born February 19, 1985. He was just twenty-three. A man physically, although obviously not mentally.
Really, younger men were stupid and had no sense. It was why she typically went for older men. Mature, successful, intelligent older men.
She went to see the next patient.
Kenshin leaned against the tree across from the Oguni Clinic. He had followed the man that he and his superior were going to discuss. His eyes caught movement in his peripheral and he turned to see Shinomori Aoshi practically materialize from the shadows. They nodded to each other in greeting.
"Who's your informant?" Aoshi asked without preamble. Just that second, the door to the clinic opened and a tall figure exited, adjusting his jacket. Kenshin nodded his chin to him. They both watched him for a moment. To his credit, the man seemed to sense eyes on him because he paused for a moment, looking around at the shadows. His eyes seem to rest where Kenshin and Aoshi stood, although it was too dark to see them. He shrugged and kept on walking, and Kenshin could see that he deliberately relaxed his shoulders as though he suspected nothing.
"He goes by Zanza, although he seems to trust me enough to give me his name—I know him as Sano," Kenshin said when Sanosuke was clearly out of earshot. "He's very familiar with the workings of the Underground, and he's hired by many different people. He has no particular allegiance. I don't think I gave myself away but either he suspects something and wants to help me, or he's just that stupid. I mean," Kenshin stumbled to correct himself, not wanting to paint Sanosuke in a bad light, "he's—he's not the most intelligent person I know but he does have street smarts, so I'm more willing to believe it's the former."
"Hn," was all Aoshi said, his piercing eyes still following Sanosuke's retreating figure. "It is possible that he's feeding you information to gain your trust so he could spring you into a trap."
Kenshin was already shaking his head before Aoshi even finished the suggestion. "No, it's not in his character. I've been around him for quite awhile. He despises dishonesty. Despite his lifestyle and some of the less than legal…activities he partakes in, I think he's a good man at heart. He doesn't have the intelligence to do it either. I think…I think he could be useful to use if he's made into an official informant."
Aoshi shrugged. "You will have to suggest it to the boss. Do what you can to make sure he's completely trustworthy. I am not optimistic, but if you are set on this then you need to make as convincing a case as possible. Without jeopardizing your cover."
Kenshin sighed. He'd rather interact as little as possible with the 'boss.' They did not…get along very well.
"The others are keeping tabs on Takeda," Aoshi interrupted his thoughts. "Focus your energy on Udou Jin-e. Make a move when you have the chance. He's too dangerous to let roam free. If possible, also do this in a way that won't blow your cover."
Kenshin nodded, already suspecting that Aoshi would keep him on Udou. He was the greater physical danger, although Takeda had more outside and political influence—the case against him needed to be built slowly for anything to be substantial in court. The men keeping tabs on him were good and talented and already deeply infiltrated in the Underground. It helped that they looked like they belonged there.
Taking this as his cue that they were done, Kenshin stood straight, no longer leaning against the tree. However, just as he made to walk in the opposite direction, Aoshi spoke unexpectedly.
"By the way, the 'boss' wants to be briefed personally by you. I'll contact you with the time and place," and with that he turned and started walking before Kenshin could even register what he said. He did not see the smirk the taller man had on his face when Kenshin couldn't help but grunt in annoyance.
Wonderful.
A/N- Hey so I'm getting a lot of hits on this story, but a significant amount less in reviews. I'll always continue as long as at least one person expresses interests, although sometimes it's admittedly disheartening to get so few. Ah well. Please review?