Part V -- Megumi's Revision

    Well, that had been interesting, Megumi thought to herself as she leaned against the door of the Aoiya and sighed.  Cho had been a gentleman.  Perhaps too much of a gentleman, she continued to herself as she loosened her hair from the sticks.  What had started to be a simple lunch had gone on throughout the afternoon, becoming a tour of the town, followed by a twilight stroll, a candlelight dinner, a show...  And yet he'd tried nothing.  Megumi was disappointed, though she had to admit to herself that she wasn't even sure how she would have reacted had he attempted to seduce her.
    Aoshi was sitting just inside when she at last opened the door.  He seemed to be meditating as usual when she first saw him, nor did he move when he spoke quietly.  "You were gone a long time."
    Megumi eyed him suspiciously.  "And are you my guardian, that you must wait up for me?"  Defiantly, she tossed her long hair back, holding the sticks loosely.  Omasu had taught her to use those as weapons if need be, as something to throw.  Admittedly, her aim was not perfect, but three out of five (or maybe seven) times she could hit her target, roughly.  She knew she wouldn't need them, but for some reason this silent man made her feel as though she must defend herself...  He was not the same man he had been just short years before, when he'd been working on behalf of a certain despised arms and drug dealer, yet he was still very introspective and she found him to be unnerving.  She'd once wondered what would have happened had they been on the same side by choice, but Misaochan was frightfully in love with Shinomori Aoshi.  Thankfully for her, he seemed to reciprocate in his own silent fashion.
    The man who had once been called cold-hearted looked up at her now with a faint smile.  "No, I suppose neither of us needs guarding.  It is simply that there are those who have been concerned for your welfare."
    "Megumidono?"  Kenshin stepped out into the room.  "Aoshidono's right.  We were beginning to worry about you," he said softly.  Megumi noticed he was wearing his sakabattou; something he NEVER did indoors anymore.  The set of his shoulders showed the doctor clearly that he'd been quite tense, though now that he knew she was back safely he was beginning to relax.
    "I apologize, Kensan, but there was no need for concern.  I had a wonderful afternoon, and a lovely evening, with a perfect gentleman.  As hard as it may seem to believe from his appearance, Kensan, Sawagejo Cho is a well mannered and well spoken man.  Unlike some people we know," she said after a slight pause, looking coolly towards the doorway where Sanosuke had just appeared.
    If it were possible for the former Sekihou Tai member to breathe fire, he would have burned the restaurant down.  He was quite obviously furious with the woman who had just returned.
    It seemed he was too angry to speak, as he glared at Megumi for long moments.  She eyed him back with a stare as icy as his was full of flame.  The moments stretched out, and Kenshin and Aoshi shared an unnerved glance.  Aoshi couldn't help thinking that he was at the scene of an incipient battle, to make even his worst fights with Kenshin and even Shishio seem calm in comparison.  Nothing like a domestic disturbance to initiate a world war...  If he didn't know any better, he'd think Sanosuke was in love with Megumi, and perhaps she was not so immune to his character...  Why else would they seem about to kill each other?
    Yahiko, Misao, Kaoru, and Omasu all appeared in the doorway, peeking into the room as though they were afraid to even enter.  Morbid curiosity kept them all glued to their places as the moment stretched on... and on....
     Just when Misao was sure she was going to scream if nothing happened, Sano hissed venomously at the beautiful doctor.  "Nice of you to remember you had somewhere else to sleep," he growled, eyes narrowed.
    "And why should you be concerned as to where I sleep?  You have no claim on me," the woman returned coldly.
    "And why the hell would I want any kind of a claim on a loose bitch like yourself?"
    "You know nothing, Sagara Sanosuke.  You can make no claim on anyone, for you're no more man than a swaddled infant!"  The two had switched roles, and now Sano was ice where Megumi was fire.  "I am ashamed to have counted one such as you among my friends!"
    About to argue further, Sanosuke reeled back as though she'd slapped him full force.  Friends...  She'd counted him a friend, and he'd gotten so distrusting as to attack her...  He knew nothing about where she'd been, or what she'd done, only that she had met the Katanagari for lunch.  She'd trusted him, and now he'd betrayed that trust by not returning in kind...  He wasn't stupid, but times like this one made him doubt that very sincerely...
    "I'm goin' out for a walk," he said sullenly, striding out the door, half running, half sauntering.  Kenshin made a halfhearted move to follow, but Aoshi stopped him.
    "No.  I'll go after him.  He doesn't need to talk, now," the dark man said.  Kenshin nodded and the second slim figure disappeared into the night.
    The other five looked at Megumi, who leaned back against a wall, dark bangs falling over her face.  She'd looked so beautiful, so happy when she came in from her date, and now she seemed so drained.
    "Megumisan?"  Omasu's voice broke the quiet.  Everyone was staring at the young doctor with wide eyes, waiting to see what she would do or say.
    "I think I'll just go to sleep," the woman said quietly.
    "Megumidono..."
    "Really, Kensan, I'm fine.  I had a wonderful time, Chosan really was a perfect gentleman, my honor was intact until I came back, and I think I'd like to rest more than anything else right now."  With these words she stepped quietly down the hall to the room she shared with Kaoru, Misao, Okon, and Omasu.  Stripping off the kimono and folding it carefully, she wrapped herself in the Western-style satin nightgown she'd purchased the first day of their stay and slipped quickly into her futon.
    It truly had been a wonderful day, until that hotheaded jerk had blown off at her.  She didn't doubt it was his fault everyone else had been so up in arms about her whereabouts.  Kenshin and Omasu had known, and no doubt told the others.  Was that what bothered Sanosuke so much?  Was he truly that jealous?
    It was a secret relief to know he did in fact care about her, but by the same token, this display of puerility on his part was a major turnoff.  Why did things always have to be so complicated when it came to romance?  He wasn't the only one who'd ever had it rough...
    In a dark street not so far away, Sagara Sanosuke's thoughts ran a course not dissimilar to Takani Megumi's own as she tried not to toss and turn in her futon.  Was it true then that she did in fact care for him?  They way she treated him, it was sometimes hard to believe...  But then, that was the way they treated each other from the very beginning.  Trust hadn't come easy, though the woman had proved herself again and again to be loyal to her friends and highly skilled at her profession, despite the terrible beginning she'd had.  How much abuse had she taken from Takeda Kanryuu before fleeing him?  How often had the creep used her, beaten her and tried to break her spirit?  How far had he gone to push such a strong woman to the breaking point?
    He remembered the night in the tower, where a beautiful woman had stood on the edge of her life and looked down over a chasm so deep she could see no other end, where in a flurry of fabric and thick, sweet-smelling dark hair, a knife had flashed, blood had been spilled...  But not the blood of her heart.  Even then, barely knowing her, he had known what it was to need so deeply, understood how dark things could be for her, and his hand had closed around the sharp blade aimed for her own heart, his eyes had met hers, his own anger meeting and facing and understanding her own despair.  Kenshin had understood then that it had to be him to confront the desperate woman then, for both their sakes.  Now it was his turn to understand, Sanosuke chided himself angrily.  How could he try and deny this woman her happiness?  Just because he didn't know if she truly returned his love...
    He stopped dead in his tracks.  "Love?"  His whisper seemed to echo in his ears, followed by a footstep.
    He turned.  "Aoshi."
    The dark figure nodded, stepped fully out of the shadows.  "I was not hiding my presence."
    The spike-haired man nodded slowly.  "I know."
    "If you love the doctor, you should tell her."
    "How can I love someone like her?  She's arrogant and demanding and so...  damned...  SURE of herself!"
    "Two of a kind," Aoshi said softly, the merest hint of a smile teasing his features.
    "What kinda bullshit is that?  We're nothing alike!"  Sano flushed with embarrassed anger.  No, he had nothing in common with the foxy doctor at all!
    "Then don't tell her.  But don't blame her for seeking her own happiness.  She's been denied so much, it's the least you can do."
    Sano stared at the quiet man.  If he wasn't mistaken, this was the most the guy had said since they'd gotten there.  Misao would be thrilled.  Like most of what he ever said, it made a lot of sense, too.  That was probably the hardest part of it all to accept.  "I guess I'd better decide if I love the Fox or not," he said softly.
    The other nodded, silent once again, and motioned back towards the Aoiya.  The two men fell into step, the quiet streets of Kyoto in the late evening providing quiet accompaniment to the rhythm of their footsteps.  There would be two people unable to sleep that night.
    Sanosuke was not so able to keep from tossing and turning, and several times Yahiko would grumble at him to stop and let him sleep.  Sharing a room with so many wasn't very comfortable, even if it was nearly big enough.
    Megumi watched the sky begin to lighten before her eyes finally grew heavy with sleep.  The nerve of him...  If he had something to say, why not just say it?  She might well be starting something wonderful with Cho.  There was no need to spoil that.  Cho, at least, had a steady job, and sharp intellect despite the coarse front he enjoyed putting up.  He'd shown her an entirely different side of himself during their long afternoon.  She remembered how he'd been after the whole mess with Shishio Makoto, how concerned he'd been for Kamatari and how he'd told them of the way he'd talked the despondent, effeminate young man into turning his life around.  He'd been so genuine, then, it was hard to believe he'd fabricated the whole thing just to cheer up one person, and they'd all believed every word of his tale.  His words came floating back to her, "
    He'd been scornful at the time, but his pleasure at their belief had been obvious.  In fact, it was that very quality which had attracted her to him in the first place.  He had to be tough, his cold front was a necessity, but underneath he really did care.  He'd told her his own side of the story about his fight with Kenshin, how he'd caught a little kid hanging from his scabbard on his sword, but despite his fervent declarations of bloodlust, the notion of slaughtering an innocent had galled him.  A fair fight was one thing; mindless slaughter for no apparent reason completely revolted him.  Unfortunately, working for Shishio had forced him to subvert that philosophy, but now that his profession was on the side of the law, he found his life much more satisfying.
    That much she knew, or at the very least, she believed.  As far as she knew, he had no reason to lie to her.
    It was difficult to understand Sanosuke, however.  Sometimes he seemed to be all about bitter memories, food, and evading work.  At other times, however, he seemed to show flashes of a much deeper side, an emotional, sensitive, intellectually open aspect of himself that he often seemed to exert every effort to suppress.  It was almost as though he was afraid of being seen as weak by anyone, as though he believed that gentleness was weakness.  Such a mindset might be an asset in times of conflict, but in the Meiji era surrounded by friends, it was undoubtedly not the best policy.
    Would he ever learn?
    When she woke up the next morning, everyone else had already left the room.  Megumi was a little surprised, as she was usually quite aware of other people moving around her even while she slept -- years of training in the medical field had attuned her to her patients and  various roommates.  Usually the sound of others moving around woke her up.
    She dressed quickly and went to the front of the restaurant, where Omasu was waiting for her.  "Good morning, sunshine!  Ready to go help Hirosuesan, or would you rather lay about all day and reminisce?"  The gentle teasing roused Megumi from her mild haze; she truly had slept very poorly.
    "No, I think it's better that I go today.  To break a routine for one late night is never a healthy choice."  She quickly finished off  the bowl of miso shiru that Misao had set before her and followed Omasu down the road to the Hirosue farm for her lesson.
    They were barely out of sight of the Aoiya when Omasu turned to her.  "Tell me EVERYTHING!" she demanded, her eyes aglow with that particular delight reserved for what men called "news" when it was their own discussion and "gossip" when women were involved.
    "There's very little to tell, really," Megumi said demurely.  Kenshin caught up to them just at that moment.
    "If that's the case, Megumidono, why were you out so late last night?"
    "Himurasan's got a good point!  Come, come, tell all, Megumisan, tell all!"
    Megumi sighed resignedly, but neither of her listeners missed the tiny smile she didn't try too hard to hide.  She told them how, after they'd left the farm, he'd taken her to an Italian bistro where he really had known the owner and had reservations for the best table.  She told them how they'd walked all over town, and he'd taken her up one of the nearby hills overlooking the city by cart, and then taken her around town in a government-issued vehicle.  He hadn't said so but she admitted that she suspected he'd asked Saitou for its use, though she WAS surprised the stubborn chimney had agreed.  She told them about the dinner in the French restaurant where they'd eaten outside (he'd known the owner there, too; it was amazing how many friends the guy had in high places) followed by the leisurely stroll to watch the sunset and then the Noh production he'd taken her to see (where for once he hadn't had connections.)
    After that, though she skimped on many of the details, she admitted that the scene at the Aoiya had rather ruined her night.  "I can't believe that chickenheaded moron!  The things he said..."
    Omasu shared a glance with Kenshin.  They were almost to the farm, and even without details Megumi's outing with Cho had sounded quite impressive, certainly nothing Sanosuke would have come up with on his own.  Yet, her being as upset as she was over the seemingly small episode with the ex-gangster struck them both as more than a little worrisome.
    "Megumidono, Sanosuke really isn't as coarse as all that.  You know he simply isn't very good at expressing himself seriously, when it's a personal matter," Kenshin said slowly.  "Why don't you try talking to him on the level, instead of making digs at him all the time?"
    Megumi gave him a look.  "But, Kensan, why doesn't Kaoruchan try that with you, ne?"
    Omasu tittered, but Kenshin was floored.  "Oroo.."
    "You got him good, Megumisan!  Come on, go change and we'll get started.  You're only going to be here another two days, after all."
    "All right.  I won't be long," Megumi said as she turned and went to the curtained off area where she changed clothes.  "But if the tori-atama even tries to speak to me, I'll be perfectly happy to use him as a practice dummy!"
    Omasu and Kenshin shared a Look.
    He trailed the two women out into the field.  "I can't believe you're leaving the day after tomorrow, Megumisan," he heard Omasu say.    "You've barely gotten here.  Then again you've made so much progress, are you absolutely sure you've had no training before this?"
    Megumi nodded.  "The only experience I have is medical.  Well, that and watching Kensan and the others.  But that's not much to go on, especially since most of that was watching Kaoruchan try to train Yahiko."  Megumi smiled teasingly.
    "Himurasan, may we borrow your sakabattou?"  Omasu turned unexpectedly to the amused redhead.
    "Oro??"  One hand went protectively to the hilt at his side as his eyes widened with confusion.
    "I'd like to see if Megumisan really learned anything from watching you fight with a sword, and yours is the only one we have."
    "Omasusan, I don't think this is necessary."
    "Nonsense, Megumisan.  You don't have to DO anything.  I just want to know if you can handle a blade.  Especially if you're going to be going around with the infamous Katanagari," the brunette fighter teased.
    Megumi's fair face flushed, though her expression didn't quite betray her embarrassment.  "I don't see what that has to do with it."  She flung her hair, braided as it usually was during these sessions, over her shoulder in a defiant arc.
    "A woman who dates a man whose greatest love is a sword should not be ignorant of its use," Omasu said importantly, just before breaking into a fit of giggles.  "Come on, Himurasan, hand it over."  She held out one hand for the wrong-sided blade.
    The rurouni looked momentarily lost.  Slowly, he freed the sheathed sword and handed it to Omasu, hilt-first, with a forlorn look that made both women giggle.  Megumi threw her arms around him briefly.
    "Oh, Kensan!  Thank you!"
    "You're too much, Himurasan!  Both of you!"  Omasu giggled, but Megumi looked thoughtful.
    "Well, you're the one fretting about my time limitations, Omasusan," she said after a moment.  "Shall we?"
    The other nodded.  "Here, let's see if you know how to hold this."  She passed the sheathed sword to the doctor, who held it with a skeptical expression.  "Well?"
    Megumi affixed the sheath to the skimpy outfit and turned.  Kenshin winced and Omasu tried not to laugh as the doctor stood  in a weak, unintentional parody of Kenshin's battoujutsu stance.
    "I don't think this is going to work," she said with no hint of dismay.  Freeing the sword, she handed it back to Kenshin with a shrug.  "And as long as the silly country girl doesn't hear about this, there's nothing more to be said on the matter."  Megumi picked up her staff and faced Omasu.  "Shall we?"
    Kenshin had to admit, though Megumi didn't seem to know what to do with a sword, she'd gotten very good with the bo she'd been training with.  In only two weeks' time, she'd become competent to readily defend herself in a sticky situation.  The harder part would be multiple opponents...  Poor Kenshin was about to find out the hard way just how Omasu intended to set up one of those situations.
    "The fewer people that know about this, the better off we are," she told the two of them before they broke for lunch.  "After we eat, Himurasan, you're going to play Thug Number Two.  I, of course, will be Thug Number One, and Megumi is going to defend herself against both of us simultaneously."
    "Oro?"
    "I don't think so!"
    Omasu looked at the two shocked friends in front of her and giggled again.  "Now, it's not that bad.  Just fight like a real person, Himurasan, not like yourself."
    "Orororoorooo..."
    Laughing, Omasu led the way back to the farmhouse.
    Cho was waiting for them.
    "Megumisan, I..."  His voice trailed off as he looked at the others watching him.  "Well, what are you looking at?" he growled.
    "I think Hirosuesan needs us in the kitchen, Himurasan.  Come on."  Omasu grabbed the bewildered redhead's arm and dragged him out of the room.
    Cho watched them leave with a wry grin before turning back to the black-haired woman.  "I wanted to say I enjoyed myself yesterday, and I would be pleased if you would join me again soon."  He winced at how forced his words sounded.  Though they'd been comfortable together out on the town, for some reason here he felt constrained.  Maybe it was the sight of her so informal, so natural that threw him off.  He desperately wanted to make the right impression on this woman who was so unlike his usual type, yet the more he said, the more he felt like a fool.  He wasn't a birdbrain like Sagara, after all!  This woman deserved so much more than that jackass could give her.  She deserved more than Cho felt he could give her, but he felt he had to try.
    "I enjoyed going out with you, Chosan, but tomorrow we're all going back to Tokyo.  Genzaisensei needs my help at the clinic, and I can't stay.  Tomorrow we have to pack and Okinasan's having one of his parties for us, and we leave early the next morning."  Megumi looked up at the tall blond, trying not to show just how disappointed she was at having to say no, but he was not so easily dissuaded.
    "Then tomorrow night, after your party, we can just go for a walk or something."  Desperate, he decided to try a twist on an old trick that generally worked with less intelligent women, but any port in a storm would do...  "You're a beautiful woman, Megumisan.  You're not like anyone I've ever dated before.  There's so much more to you.  I won't take no for an answer.  We will go out again before you leave."
    "Megumisan, are you coming for lunch?"  Hirosue's white head popped outside with a bland smile.  "Your young man is welcome also.  Come inside before it gets cold!"  She vanished back inside without waiting for an answer.
    "Tonight, after practice, we'll go for a walk then, Chosan.  In the meantime, I don't know about you but lunch sounds like a wonderful idea to me."  Smiling, she followed the farm owner's path as Cho trailed after her.  Who was in control here, after all?
    They ate quickly.  "I'm glad you're here, Sawagejosan.  You can help Himurasan and I with Megumisan's training.  We need to see how she holds up under multiple, simultaneous attackers.  You can be Thug Number Three.  Just fight like a street tough and not the legendary Katanagari.  Think you're up for that challenge?"  Omasu eyed the tall detective with a taunting smirk as she finished clearing the table.
     "I think I can handle it," he said arrogantly.  Not only did he get to see her in action, but he'd have the chance to gauge her skills directly!  The thought excited him on so many levels...
    "Well then, let's go to it!"  Omasu shot her pupil a "don't argue" look and returned to the fields.
    By the time they returned to the house, the sun was well on its way down.  Megumi was a little bruised from falling so often; though against one opponent she could handle herself easily, two was hard on her and she found three damn near impossible.  Still, she kept her dirt-covered chin up, unselfconscious about the darkening marks on her legs.  Though the others had pulled their strikes, the ground had not been so generous, and much of her bruising came from miscalculated falls.
    "That's going to hurt in the morning," Kenshin remarked quietly in an aside to Cho and Omasu while Megumi rinsed herself clean and dressed.
    "Will she be all right to travel back to Tokyo?  I'm sure there would be no problem with her staying on at the Aoiya if she's too badly hurt," Omasu said softly.  None of them wanted the proud and temperamental young woman to hear them discussing her as if she were a fragile creature to be protected.  After all, the whole point of this excercise was to toughen her up, and she would take it quite poorly if they were to suddenly begin cushioning her.
    "Megumidono will insist that it's only a little bruising.  Besides, Genzaisensei needs her at the clinic, and she takes her work very seriously.  If you can talk Megumidono into resting, Omasudono, then all I ask is that you teach the rest of us your secret."  Kenshin smiled ruefully.
    The subject of their discussion emerged, twisting her still-wet hair up into a braid on one side, the way she wore it sometimes for work.  "I don't doubt the others will be wondering where we are," she said.  "What are you all staring at?"  She glared at them all.  "You're worse than Sanosuke!"  Her mood had taken a right about face.  "There's no need for you to treat me like something to be coddled!  The others are waiting for us.  Let's not waste time."
    She managed not to wince as she spun and left the room with a bow to Hirosuesan, who had come into the room just then.  She knew just how sore she was going to be in the morning.  Sano was NOT going to like this.
    Why should she care, for that matter, what Sagara Sanosuke was going to be happy about, anyway?  After the scene he'd made when she'd come back from her date with Cho, he didn't deserve to be concerned about her!
    Why were these things so complicated...
    Cho followed with Kenshin and Omasu, keeping an eye on the woman who would not show her own pain as she returned to the Aoiya, each thinking about the all too explosive scene that was bound to happen.  Sanosuke would convince himself that Megumi's injuries were Cho's fault, no doubt, and would almost certainly challenge the Katanagari on sight.  Provided, of course, that he found out...  And if he found out the truth, Kenshin mused to himself, there was no way Sano and Megumi would EVER get together; he would develop a complex about protecting her himself, and she would take it wrong.  Any relationship that might come to them was bound to be interesting.  He sneaked a  glance at Cho.  The former Juppon Gatana was staring at Megumi with an expression that somehow didn't seem to sit right on his features.
    Kenshin stifled an oro as he realized what that look meant.  Sano was DEFINITELY not going to like this...