After a quick shower, Megumi joined Sano in the kitchen. He already had all the vegetables washed and laid out on dishcloths to drip-dry. Megumi had to stifle a giggle when she saw him wearing an apron. It didn't fit into the image of Sanosuke Sagara, one of Japan's most eligible bachelors but he looked completely relaxed in his environment and moved confidently around the spacious kitchen.
"That's for you." Sano indicated an apron folded on the counter. Megumi put it on and stood beside Sano who was deftly slicing away.
"What do I do?"
"These need to be chopped up. You can put them in that tray after you're done." He reached across her back, pressing her against the counter. Megumi stilled, his chest warm where it rested against her back even through their clothes. She faintly registered a drawer opening and closing then a small object being pressed into her palm. "Wake up, Kitsune. You can daydream about me later."
"Wha—excuse me!" Megumi sputtered indignantly.
"Watch your fingers." Sano nodded at the vegetable peeler in her hand. Megumi rolled her eyes and began peeling the vegetables.
All the ingredients were washed, chopped, sliced, and ready to go. "Okay, now on to the fun part." Sano declared. He pulled out a large wok from one of the cabinets and placed it on the range. He fired it up and waited a minute or two before adding oil. As soon as it was hot enough, he sautéed the garlic until the scent came out and followed it with the onions and bell peppers. Megumi watched in fascination as ingredient after ingredient went into the wok and the mouth-watering aromas permeated the air.
"My hair smells like sautéed vegetables now," she sighed mournfully over her freshly washed tresses. Silently, Sano turned around and wrapped one arm around her waist, holding the shocked young woman close; then he threaded his free hand into her raven locks. Tilting her head to the side, he pressed his nose behind her ear and breathed in.
"Smells fine to me." Then just as suddenly he was facing the stove again as if nothing happened. Megumi felt weak and had to lean more of her weight against the counter behind her, unable to even muster the strength to scold the rooster-head.
"All done." Sano announced after a few minutes. He blew on a piece of beef to cool it off then held the fork to her lips to taste.
"Oishi!" Megumi exclaimed. "This is delicious – you certainly weren't lying when you said you made a mean itamemono." Sano grinned.
"Glad you approve. Now let's get outta here before Hitomi-san chases us out."
Everyone agreed with Megumi's assessment of Sano's cooking over lunch which was served in a different room from where they had eaten the previous meals. The setup was distinctly traditional with the dishes served on low tables and the shoji open to allow an unrestricted view of the gardens.
"This is very good, Sano-kun!"
"I want to be this good when I'm older, Oniisan!"
"I'll admit you're one up on this one, cousin." Katsu said between mouthfuls.
"I wasn't aware there was a competition," Sano muttered. He had gone red under the compliments and looked like he wanted to disappear. Megumi came to realize that although Sano certainly didn't have a false sense of humility about his talents, he didn't like being praised about them either. Couple those facts with what she had seen of his actions earlier that morning at the market, Sanosuke Sagara definitely made for a fascinating character study.
~O~O~O~
Tamayo encouraged them to go riding that afternoon while the parents opted to relax around the house. Sano made a call to a neighboring farm and asked to rent a few of their horses since the Sagaras only had two. The horses were duly delivered an hour later.
Yahiko was barely controlling himself from jumping up and down in excitement. "Calm down, kid, you'll excite the horses." Sano warned as the group trooped to the stable. Four of the horses were saddled up when they arrived.
"How come the fifth one isn't saddled?" Megumi wondered out loud.
"That big brute is Sano's."
"His name's Shogun." Sano interjected, offended on his horse's behalf at being called a 'brute'.
"It went let anyone else saddle him, much less ride him – I should know." Katsu winced at the memory. Sano approached the large beast who nickered at his approach. Sano patted the horse's flank and proceeded to get him ready for a ride. Yahiko was given the other horse, a docile mare which Mrs. Sagara favored on the rare occasions she rode. The borrowed horses went to the other three riders who had all had prior riding experience. Since their mounts had been walked over from the farm, the three went ahead of Yahiko and Sano at Sano's insistence since the two still had to lead their horses around the paddock for a few turns to stretch the animals' legs before hitting the field.
Katsu set a brisk canter which the other two easily matched. The crisp air blew against Megumi's face and she smiled in delight. She was having a marvelous time and she hadn't even thought of the engagement all day even with her constant interaction with Sano. Could she be softening toward the idea? She needed to take some time to sort through everything she's learned about him in just the past week but so far… So far, he was proving to be a wonderful person. She wouldn't mind learning more about him. Kaoru's shriek broke through her thoughts as the older Kamiya siblings horsed around. Megumi grinned as she sped up to join them. The family wasn't half bad either.
"Sanosuke-sama!" A house hand called after Sano and Yahiko as they were leaving the stable yard. Sano pulled Shogun to a halt. "Sir, a phone call for you from a Mr. Himura." Yahiko slumped in his saddle, disappointed at the delay. Sano considered the boy for a moment.
"Stay within sight of the stable, Yahiko. I'll be right back." Yahiko brightened that he hadn't been told to get off his mount. He nodded. Sano dismounted and secured Shogun to a nearby post. "Goro, please keep an eye on him."
~O~O~O~
"I wonder what happened to the other two. They should be here by now." Kaoru twisted around in her saddle to look back in the direction of the house. A low hill obstructed a view of the stables and the field was empty.
"They're fine, probably climbing the hill as we speak."
"Let's ride back and meet them." Megumi proposed. The trio turned and made their way back.
Goro kept a careful watch on The Young Master's cousin. The boy didn't seem to be the foolhardy kind but Goro was still nervous lest something go wrong. Horses were big animals after all, even if Mr. Yahiko's mount was the gentle Lady Shikibu. Currently, the horse was walking sedately across the yard just outside the fence separating the open fields from the stable. A quarter of a mile away, an old man in his equally old truck labored up a hill. Suddenly, through no one's fault, a gasket exploded under the car's hood and although the driver was not harmed, the sound was as loud as a small bomb detonating. Lady Shikibu reared in terror and took to the ground running, Yahiko still on her back.
Megumi saw it before the sound reached her ears. Yahiko's horse was running straight at them, Yahiko low on the saddle with a terrified look on his face. In the distance, she could see Sano galloping after the runaway horse. She was riding ahead of Katsu and Kaoru and the closest to Yahiko, the distance between them lessening by the second. A road directly in Yahiko's direction marked the edge of the field. Only a few dozen feet beyond it, the grass ended in a steep thirty-foot drop. Without a second thought, Megumi spurred her horse into a gallop toward Yahiko. She dropped out of the saddle and stood a little off to the side of the oncoming animal's path.
"Yahiko! You need to jump!" Megumi screamed. The poor boy's eyes were screwed shut. "Yahiko!" This time he heard her but he shook his head. Megumi pointed at the road. Yahiko's eyes widened. Megumi held her arms out to him. "I'll catch you!" Yahiko nodded once. Thirty feet. Twenty. Ten. Yahiko slid his foot out of the stirrup. Five. "Jump!" He slid and practically fell off but Megumi grabbed him and pulled away from the still moving animal. Both humans dropped down. Sensing the change in weight, the frightened animal slowed down and panted to a stop, well away from the road. Sano thundered to a stop and leapt off Shogun, running toward Megumi and Yahiko who were still laying on the ground. He dropped to his knees on the grass and lifted Yahiko from Megumi. The boy was badly shaken but none the worse for wear. Katsu and Kaoru ran up and comforted their brother, checking him for injuries.
"Kitsune," Sano tenderly brushed the hair from her face. She could feel his warmth above her despite the cold beneath her. Megumi opened her eyes to find chocolate brown eyes studying her. Relief washed over Sano's expression. "Thank God!" He swept her up in a hug. Megumi winced, her left wrist felt tender but she wrapped both arms around Sano, feeling their two heartbeats hammering against her chest. She could feel Sano trembling against her. "Don't do that again." He whispered fiercely against her neck. Megumi breathed shakily.
"I'm fine, Sano." But he didn't let go for a long time, not until after his racing heart had calmed down considerably. He rested his forehead against hers.
"I think I just aged ten years." That elicited a laugh from Megumi and she couldn't help but hug him again.
~O~O~O~
Megumi had sprained her wrist when she fell with Yahiko. Her mother was currently hovering as she washed her arm.
"I'm fine, Mother, really. It's just a sprain. I didn't break anything."
"We'll have it checked as soon as we get back into the city. I don't understand how Sano could have let this happen."
"Mother, it's not his fault!" Megumi corrected. "He's already feeling guilty enough as it is but it certainly isn't his fault."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course it isn't. I'm just so upset that you're hurt."
"I'm okay, I promise."
"Well let me call Sano and have him help you wrap that up, ne?"
"I can do it myself, Mother."
"Nonsense! He'll help you. I insist!" With that, Michiko swept out of the bathroom to find Sano.
Megumi smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Mother." She left her parents' room and was met by Sano who took her the library where bandages were laid out on a table.
"Sit. This would sting." He dabbed antiseptic on her scratches – Megumi hissed from the pain. "Sorry." He then unrolled the bandage and deftly bound her wrist.
"Good thing I'm not a lefty, huh?" Megumi tried to lighten the situation. A dark mood seemed to be over Sano and Megumi felt uneasy at the intensity he radiated. He didn't laugh or even crack a smile at her attempt at levity. "Sano?" She stilled his hands with her own.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have let Yahiko stay on the horse by himself. I should've reached him sooner. I—" Megumi placed a finger against his lips.
"Stop it. It's no one's fault. I don't want you blaming yourself, you got that?" She held his gaze until he finally nodded. "Good. Now undo this thing you call a bandage and I'll tell you how to re-wrap it properly."
Naughty boy! He alternates between annoying and seducing her, ne? That kitchen scene was so much fun to write! Ugh, I don't know about the horse scene… It kinda played out in my head so there you have it.
rdex, my lovely reader who still doesn't login in but faithfully reviews my stuff, thank you! You always make me smile!
Dear readers, I ask for some feedback regarding my update schedule. So far I have been able to update every weekday since I began this story. However, the chapters aren't very long and a day in the story could be spread out over several chapters. Would you prefer less frequent updates but with longer chapters? I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. I actually enjoy spinning out a chapter a day because it gives me a sense of urgency and I don't fall behind with my writing but please let me know what you think. Thank you!