Part V:  Stepping out at last

    When Genzaisensei heard about the meeting of the Megumi's, he was indeed annoyed that his protégé and partner had gone against his wishes, but he was not surprised.  Concluding that no harm had been done, he was rather astonished at how well they had gotten along together.  It was Megumi, in fact, who told him much of what Ekkusu had endured.
    He thought referring to her as "Ekkusu" was a bit ridiculous, but conceded the point when told it was her own idea.  Sometimes, however, he did slip.  "Amayasan has been complaining that she'd like to go out shopping, lately."
    "Genzaisensei, you have been overly restrictive with her.  She's been here over two months, even the worst of her wounds is all but healed.  We can't heal her emotionally by keeping her cooped up at the dojo for the rest of her life," Megumi chastised her colleague gently, finishing with a bemused, "and she prefers Ekkusu."
    The old doctor rolled his eyes.  This had been a frequent argument for the past several weeks, and he'd been getting the feeling it was a no-win situation for him.  "Very well.  She can go out, but I want you with her at all times.  And take someone else, too.  In fact, take them all with you."
    "It's bad enough you want me to go shopping with her.  I hate shopping."
    "And, in case you've forgotten, you're the one that told me she does as well.  In which case, the two of you ought to have a wonderful time complaining to one another."  He grumbled about it, but Megumi could see he was not entirely displeased.
    It was just as obvious to Genzaisensei that his colleague was not completely daunted at the prospect either.  No, shopping had never been a priority with her, but since that day that she had met Megumi Ekkusu, the woman had not spilled another word about her own story.  Whatever came next had to be incredibly juicy.
    Megumi smiled to herself, irony twisting her beautiful features as she turned from the old man with a sigh.  "Very well.  But I'm not taking all of them."  It would be interesting to see how Sanosuke held up underneath the impact of two Megumi's taunting him.  And on a shopping trip no less!
    In her own mind, she chastised herself for thinking so callously about Ekkusu's personal history.  It wasn't a show at a festival, or some legend, to keep her interested and entertained.  It was simply that, at times, it was so hard to believe the depths of pain this woman had survived.  Sometimes, she wondered, if it had been her and not her other self, would she have survived?
    The young doctor shook off the thought and turned back to her colleague.  "Well, then, Im going to take Ekkususan out on the town.  And don't worry, I won't go alone either."  She tossed a smile over her shoulder and walked in the direction of the Kamiya Dojo.
    Ekkusu sat on the porch, helping Kenshin fold laundry, while Kaoru and Yahiko practiced in the front yard.  The young brat was showing some serious promise, Megumi realized not for the first time as she approached.  The day they'd met, he'd saved her life, but he never failed to amaze her.  He did not falter even as he greeted her.
    "Megumi, oiy!  Did you bring something to eat?  All we've had is the ugly toad's cooking for days!  She won't let anyone else in the kitchen!"  Kaoru's pace didn't falter as the bokken impacted with the student's skull.  Yahiko's, however, did.
    "I told you, I'm going to learn to cook if it kills me!"
    "It'll kill the rest of us first!"  Yahiko parried the blow this time, and they two sparred -- well, at least, Ekkusu hoped it was only sparring.
    "Maa, maa, Kaorudono's cooking has gotten better lately..."  Kenshin winced as the bokken intercepted his own head.
    "Are you saying my cooking's that bad!  BAKA!"
    Megumi and Ekkusu shared a glance, and spoke as one.  "Such a violent woman..."  Laughing, they smiled at each other as sisters might.
    "Oiy.  It seems that the Kitsune have joined forces.  I'll be going now," Sano emerged from the dojo and started for the door.
    "Oh no you don't.  You're coming with me.  Genzaisensei's orders."
    "Huh?"  Sanosuke blinked intelligently as he stopped.
    "We're taking Ekkususan shopping."
    Now the ex gangster looked as if he wished he were anywhere else -- say, maybe, chained up with Shishio or Saitou standing guard over him.  "Shopping.  With you two."  He made a face.  "I'd rather be chained up with Shishio AND Saitou, with both my arms broken, than go shopping."
    "That could, in part, be arranged, you know," Megumi smirked.  Sanosuke sent a desperate glance at Kaoru.
    "Save me..."
    The young sensei, however, thought it was a lovely notion.  At least, that's what she tried saying in between the hysterical giggles that seemed to overwhelm her.  Kenshin, however, had a little more sympathy for his friend.  "It can't be that bad, Sano.  Think of it.  Two of the most beautiful women ever seen around here, who could be twins, and they want you to escort them."  He seemed not to notice Kaoru's giggling had stopped and she was now glaring.  "Sano, how often do you get asked by such visions of beauty to be seen with them in public?  Ororororoooroooo...."  For some reason, after Kaoru had stopped hitting him, he seemed to be slightly disoriented.
    "I suppose you got a point, Kenshin.  Or at least a bump."  Sanosuke sniggered.
    He pretended not to notice the rurouni glaring at him before the redhead whispered to Kaoru..  "Kaorudono, think about it, will you?  It's the only thing that may work.. That, or promising him they'll treat him for lunch.  And that's just not fair to them."
    Kaoru stared at him for a moment, but even as she listened, his words sunk in and she saw what he was saying.  "Gomen ne, Kenshin," she said, hugging him briefly.  "I suppose I only got jealous because it's true.  Megumisan is beautiful -- are beautiful?  Well, in any event, Sano would be truly envied by any who saw him with two such lovely women in his company."
    Pretending he was only giving in simply to humor his friends, Sano rolled his eyes.  "Fine, I'll go.  But believe me, Kenshin, I'll get you for this..."  There was no doubt in his mind what being stuck with the two Kitsune onna would do to him.  He prayed he'd come out of this alive...
    "Well, that's settled then.  Let me just make sure I have spending money, and we can go," Ekkusu smiled happily.  "It will be so good to go outside at last!"
    The other woman smiled at her almost-mirror image and turned with a supercilious air to Sanosuke.  "Come along, then.  There's a lot to get done, and we don't need you slowing us down."
    "I don't see why I gotta come on some stupid shopping trip," he grumbled again.
    "If you're well behaved, Sano, maybe we'll even take you to lunch.  But ONLY if you don't grumble," Ekkusu said with a smile.
    The others laughed as the ex-gangster seemed to perk up.  "Ah, well, everything has a price," he said resignedly and headed out.  "Come on then, the sooner we go, the sooner we can eat!"
    His friends shared another look, and the two women walked out behind him.
    He walked a little way ahead of them, keeping a watchful eye on their shadows and listening for their footsteps, which he could discern from the crowd only by concentration and practice.  He hoped they'd talk; maybe he could pick up some juicy gossip -- rather, interesting news; better yet, the woman might discuss more of her past.  It had been a long time, a couple of months since she'd come to them, but she'd still not told them how she'd come into Kanryu's clutches, or come by the scars with which he'd clearly gifted her.
    Or even better, they might discuss food.
    No such luck, much to his chagrin.  Neither Megumi nor Ekkusu said anything much along the way.
    "My needs are simple," the newcomer said to her companions as they stood in the door of a tailor's shop.  "Maybe something nice to wear on special occasions, and something for company, everyday wear.  I'm all right with what I have right now."
    "What you have right now is castoffs and rags.  That's not all right, Ekkususan."  The doctor gave the other a gently scolding look.  "I can't argue if you don't want too much, but you will have more than two outfits.  Doctor's orders," she smiled.
    "Well I know not to argue with that," the scarred woman smiled back.
    "All I wanna know is, when are we gonna eat?"  Sano looked bored, and they hadn't even begun to shop.
    "Later," Megumi said curtly.  "For now, we have to take care of Ekkususan.  And unless you want to treat us all, I suggest that you stop complaining."
    It worked, though the tall man did not look happy.
    He wandered back outside while the two women discussed, debated, cajoled, coerced, and otherwise bargained with the shopkeeper.  It didn't sound too violent, to him, but shopping for clothes was always dangerous when women were involved.  He was just glad he still had his commemorative uniform, such as it were.  The white pants and jacket suited him, down to the kanji "Aku" on the back...
    "Oh Sanosuke, why don't you come inside for a moment?"  Megumi's voice -- or was it Ekkusu's? -- floated out to him, all gentleness and friendship.
    Blindly, he walked into the lion's den.  And turned around, running out, the second he realized what was up.
    "I guess he's not hungry."
    And ran back in.  "Women."  He hoped they didn't hear him.  He really was hungry.
    He kept quiet while they fussed over colors and fabrics, not noticing most of the conspiratorial smiles both Takani women exchanged.  Any that he caught, he thought were over what they were going to make him wear.  Visions of pink dresses and huge red bows made him wince, though he stood still, the promise of free food an incentive he could not deny.
    No way would they get away with this without buying him a DAMN big lunch.  And DEFINITELY no pink.  That was Kenshin's color.
    His mind wandered to all the things he could make them buy him for lunch while they flitted and did whatever girlish things they did, hardly noticing when they stopped, until Megumi wrenched his ear.
    "ITAI YO!!"  Oiy, Onna, what was THAT for?"  He tried to glare at her, but the effect was lost with his head tilted at such an angle.
    "We're leaving.  The clothes will be ready in a few days.  For now, there's one more stop to make and then we can have lunch."
    "Not a long stop, I hope," he said plaintively as Megumi pushed him away, releasing his ear.
    "Not very, you impatient oaf."
    Ekkusu smiled throughout the whole interchange, though it did not reach her eyes.  They resumed formation, Sano leading the way to he knew not where, watching the twin shadows behind him.
    Megumi would not allow him near the second store, instead handing some money to Ekkusu and taking Sano off to go find new bowls for medicine at the clinic.
    When Ekkusu came to meet them, she'd put a smile back on and was carrying several large packages, all carefully wrapped in several layers.  Not that Sano couldn't guess; the secure wrappings only made him even more curious...  He kept silent as images flashed through his head; images which would probably leave him bereft of his appetite should any of the women in his life catch a glimpse.
    It did, however, keep him distracted enough to get treated to lunch.
    They were on the way home when Ekkusu stopped abruptly, less than five minutes' walk from the dojo.
    "Wait."
    "Eh?"  Sano looked back at the two women, chewing a stalk of grass and raising a bewildered eyebrow.
    "I'd like to make dinner for everyone tonight.  I want to tell you all something."
    Megumi looked at Ekkusu.  "If you're not sure you're ready, you shouldn't force yourself to talk about it, Ekkususan."
    "No," the scarred woman shook her head.  "I've been here long enough.  I know you all, and you're my friends.  I have to put this out, so you know everything.  I want to share my story," she said, looking up at the others.  "I'm tired of crying when no one else can hear.  I'm not alone, and I want to thank you, so I'll make dinner.  If you two can please bring the others here, Genzaisensei and Taesan, perhaps, though it might not be good for the girls to hear..."
    Megumi nodded.  "If that's what you want, we'll do it."
    "Besides, you cook worlds better than Jouchan any day."  Sano shrugged with twinkling eyes as he turned to walk the rest of the way.