Despite the monumental life change that occurs when two people become engaged to be married, Megumi found that life went on as usual. The gossip papers still speculated, one or two (according to Kaiyo) even had a blown up photo of her ringed finger. Once the engagement had been formally announced to their parents, Megumi had informed her best friend who had shrieked into the phone, screaming "I knew it!" and Megumi had gotten a congratulatory call from her cousin Aoshi as well as felicitations from Sano's Kamiya cousins. Katsu had been his usual, charming self, undeterred despite his cousin being a participant in the loudspeaker call.
Sano and Megumi went about their usual daily activities. The responsibilities of school, internship, and work were joined by making time for each other which fell in the leisure, rather in the "duty" category.
Sano and Megumi refused to make a public announcement regarding their engagement but agreed to officially announcing it to the rest of the Sagara and Takani clans as well as any extended relations, as was only proper.
"I didn't realize we had so many relatives." Megumi groaned after one particularly long Sunday afternoon signing announcement cards.
"Not to mention branch families." Sano added, closing off another envelope.
"Being only children, it's easy to forget about them, I think."
San shrugged. "For the most part I only grew up with Katsu so I'd have to agree." Megumi studied her fiancé as he signed his name to another card. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Sano smirked without looking up. Megumi reddened and huffed. Sano closed off the envelope and tossed it onto the pile. "C'me here." He pulled Megumi, chair and all, close and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'm not complaining." Megumi laughed and wrapped her arms around him, leaning in for a kiss.
"Oh gosh!" Makimachi Misao walked in and threw her hands over her eyes. "I'm going out, Megumi. I'll be back in an hour or two." She backed out of the room and fled. Misao was staying overnight at the Takanis as a stopover on her way to visit her grandfather in the country. She had hit it off with Sano and agreed with her sister Hikaru that the two made a great people.
"I've never thanked you for your presents." Megumi said moments later.
"Believe me, Kitsune, those were nothing to what you've given me—continue to give me."
"Oh?"
Sano clenched his jaw. "Ya make me so happy that I'm afraid of waking up one day and finding that this is all just a dream." He looked at her. "I don't know what I've done to deserve you but I'm thankful."
Megumi shifted in her seat. "Well you're not so bad yourself," she said to lighten the mood. "And I'm not going anywhere."
~O~O~O~
Later that week, Megumi saw her mother dialing the phone and repeating the process when it went to voice mail.
"What's going on, Mother?"
"Ai, Megumi. You're father just left for a meeting but he was supposed to bring this to the Sagaras." Michiko considered the thick envelope. "I suppose I could have it messengered over."
"No need to, I'll take it. I'll drop it off on my way to school."
"Would you? Thank you, dear."
Megumi asked for the car to be called around then kissed her mother goodbye.
The Sagara home was only a few blocks away from the Takanis'. Like their country house, it was a lovely structure of traditional Japanese elements and western functionality.
"Good morning, Ms. Megumi."
"Hello, Hanako. Is Sanosuke home?"
"Yes, Ma'am. He just got back from his morning jog. Would you like some breakfast while you wait?"
"I've already eaten, thank you. I'll just go in to see him."
Megumi knew where Sano's room was. She had been there a few times before, when they were teenagers. They would go to grab a movie or a board game as their parents visited. Megumi couldn't detect any movement and Sano didn't answer when she knocked on the door. "I'm coming in." She called out before opening the door to the sound of the shower running.
Megumi looked around the room. It was undeniably masculine, with dark wood and bold blacks. There were more a few more bookshelves than she remembered there being before. A glance at the volumes showed the collection to be an eclectic mix of titles. Sano's bed was unmade, as if he had just thrown off the covers then gone for a run. A laptop with the Sagara Holdings logo as the screensaver sat on a desk that was littered with papers and ledgers. Next to the laptop was a framed picture. It was one from the gala. The camera had caught them mid-movement, perhaps a turn in the dance, but the moment was perfectly captured in time. Sano was turned toward her in the photo, with only his profile showing; her face, on the other hand was turned completely toward the viewer over Sano's shoulder. Her eyes were sparkling and an eyebrow was raised in challenge. Megumi couldn't deny the almost visible current between them.
She started when the door to the bathroom opened and her fiancé clad only in a towel slung low around his hips stepped out. He had another one in his hands with which he was drying his hair. He froze when his eyes landed on Megumi.
"I knocked." Megumi stammered, distracted by the sight of a gorgeously half-naked Sano with water droplets dripping from his hair, down his sculpted chest, and disappearing into the towel around his waist… She gulped and cleared her suddenly dry throat. "I—I'll wait outside."
"No, it's fine, I'll change inside." He grabbed some articles of clothing from various drawers and went back into the bathroom.
Megumi turned to study the picture that had captured her attention earlier. Thoughts and emotions coursed through her. How was it possible to feel so strongly for someone that you can't imagine living without them? How could it be that she loved him so much it consumed her? The overwhelming emotions coursed through her and a single tear tracked its way down her cheek. Since when did she feel so strongly about anything?
"Don't cry." Sano was suddenly a warm presence behind her, his arm around her shoulders, hugging her back against his chest. He wiped the lone tear with his thumb. "What's wrong?" Megumi shook her head and dropped it back against his shoulder to look up at him. Sano looked at the picture she had been gazing at so intently and traced a finger over her face in the photo. "I'm going to make ya happy. I'm going to spend my life keeping you happy." He vowed.
Megumi felt her eyes welling again. She tried to move the conversation to less-heart-engaging matters. "Where did you get this one? I haven't seen it in the gossip rags."
Sano snagged a memory card from the desk. "I got the entire set from the photog." Megumi turned in his arms and looked at him doubtfully.
"Did he leave with all limbs intact?"
Sano raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. "Hey, I didn't resort to violence." Megumi raised an eyebrow at that. "I may have also extracted a promise not to publish anymore pictures of us." He drawled. "But again, no violence."
"Just threats of, perhaps?"
"If the money wasn't enough to keep him in line." He admitted.
Megumi laughed. "Oh, Sano. What am I going to do with you?" The moment the words left her lips she realized her error. Sano's eyes darkened and he stepped close, holding her captive against the desk.
"I could think of a few things." He placed a warm sucking kiss against her neck. Megumi felt her knees weaken, a reaction that had been happening almost instantaneously whenever Sano got close enough… Sano brushed his lips along the column of her throat.
Megumi drew a shuddering breath. "Sano, I—I have to go." Sano chuckled. Despite her protest, her hands were tightly fisted in his shirt.
"Okay." Sano breathed, placing a chaste kiss against her lips. Megumi blinked.
She shoved him hard causing Sano to take a step back. "Baka! I'm going to be late!" She grabbed her purse and fled from the room, belatedly remembering the manila envelope she had gone to him to deliver. She was already getting into the car so she dug her phone out of her purse and dialed Sano.
"Miss me already?" She could positively hear his smirk through the line.
"I left a manila envelope on your desk. Father asked me to drop it off."
"Got it." She heard the papers rustle. "And Megumi?"
"Yes?"
His words warmed her all the way down to her toes. "I love you."
Just a filler chapter, my loves. I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.