Finally Megumi made as though to get up, and the doctor offered her his arm,  She rested an arm on it, more for courtesy and balance than aid, and they walked out to the sitting room where Kenshin and the sisters sat.
     Kenshin rose as they walked in.  "Suzumedono's gotten very good at chess," he said as he smiled at the girl.  "She's giving me quite a hard time."
     "Hard time nothing!  My sister beat you twice already!"  Ayame grinned at her younger sister who was giggling shyly, though not hiding her pride at all.  "Kennii," Ayame continued, "I'm so ashamed of you, beaten by a girl!"  She struck a dramatic pose, to which her sister's response was definitive.
     "Ayame, grow up.  You're supposed to be on my side!"  She rolled her eyes, and everyone laughed.  Some things never really changed.
     They passed the next several minutes in light banter.  No one said anything about the consultation; Megumi would discuss whatever had occurred if and when she was ready.  Kenshin couldn't help but to notice the resignation Megumi hid poorly.  He'd known the news wasn't going to be pleasant, but the strain of illness wore her down, and the facade she wore did little to hide the surrender in her eyes.
     "Why don't we take Megumidono shopping?"  Kenshin looked at the Genzai family.  "She can get some air, see the town, maybe get some new outfits.  Celebrate her freedom."
     "Oh, that would be nice," Megumi said distractedly.  She'd never been much of one for shopping.  "Except I have no money, no way to buy anything."  She did regret having nothing of her own, and she felt borrowing Kaoru's clothing was an imposition, but there had been little choice; Kanryu had kept her in rags for the last few years.
     "That is a wonderful idea, Kennii, and the money is not an issue."  Ayame smiled at the rurouni before she turned to the doctor.  "Right, Grandpa."  From her tone and expression, it was obviously not a question.
     The older man had to laugh at his granddaughter's obstinance.  "Consider it a present, Megumisan.  Several delayed presents, if you will.  Something tells me, had life taken a different path, we would have been colleagues and friends."  He smiled, only a little ruefully.  There was no doubt in his mind that this path was not what fate had originally decreed for Megumi, but perhaps, in another life, she would be rewarded for her suffering now.  He hoped so; she had suffered far too much for one with so much promise.
     "Oh, but I couldn't!"  Megumi looked down.
     "But you will anyway," Suzume said quietly, a smile playing around her delicate features.  She had become a beautiful young woman, growing up well from the cute child she'd been, though she'd grown quieter and more serious.  That was not to say she did not have a sense of humor; though she was acutely aware of the way people interacted, she was able to jest with the best.  She simply chose not to do so very often.
     Megumi blinked.  "But --"
     "No buts about it, Megumidono.  Not another word of protest."  Kenshin smiled and offered her his arm.  "Shall we go now?"
     "The sooner the better!  Come on, Suzume, let's take Megumisan to town!"  Ayame jumped up and grabbed her sister's hand, pulling her along to the doorway.
     "Hey!  No need to pull my arm out!"  The younger sister scolded laughingly as she was dragged while Kenshin took Megumi's arm and escorted her more slowly.
     "Shall I carry you?" he offered quietly.
     Megumi looked hesitant, but admitted to herself she did not have the strength to walk much more.  And shopping was always a drag on her energy reserves.  "I think that might be best."
     Kenshin blinked.  "Hey, you don't have to look so thrilled."  He smiled teasingly at her and it was her turn to respond with surprise.  Kenshin at thirty-six was much more relaxed than he had been when she met him eight years earlier.  He wasn't afraid to use his sense of humor anymore.
     Megumi was, in truth, perfectly happy to have him pick her up and carry her.  She was not ready to admit just how tired she was, especially in the face of such enthusiasm.  Even Kenshin seemed to think it was a good idea -- of course it had been his.  Nonetheless, in her limited experience, men were even less into shopping as a rule, and Kenshin himself didn't strike her as the exception.
     But he was dreamy.  Megumi smiled wryly.  Not that it really mattered much, after all.
     It all came down to the fact that she was dying.  She knew it as surely as if it was written in stone, even if the others didn't.  Genzaisensei was a wonderful doctor, and respected her need to prepare -- such news was not something that was shared easily.  And it would not be fair to let herself love him because when she died it would only be worse for him.  She wished she could just alienate him and go her own way to die, but nothing was ever that simple.  He was too sweet to hold a grudge over something foolish like a woman's whim, which was what this would amount to.  There was nothing she could do but tell him the truth.  The hardest part would be this shopping trip, and Megumi wished she could somehow call it to a halt.  If she pled fatigue early on, she might salvage some of her dignity, but if they saw the bruises covering her too thin body, the way her skin sagged loosely over her bent frame, they would know as surely as she.
     And she was simply not ready to share that.  It was hard enough to face as it was.  Maybe it might be easier to cope with friends, but it was hard to hurt them so, when they'd done all they could.  That was why she must leave them soon.  Surely they would understand.  She must leave them in order to protect them, but this time she would explain.  This time, at least, she had the freedom to tell them.  Every minute mattered, but not as desperately as it had eight years before.
     She only realized she had fallen asleep when she heard him calling her name repeatedly.
     "Megumidono...  Megumidono?"  Kenshin looked at the Genzai sisters in bewildered worry.
     "Hmmm.  I think I fell asleep."  Megumi opened her eyes slowly and blinked, stretching a little.
     "Megumisan, come on, this is one of the best places to shop!"  Ayame was full of the energy only a fifteen year old could when shopping was the game to be played.
     "Yes, Megumisan, it is very good.  They have quality clothes at good prices."  Suzume giggled and Megumi smiled; the girl was obviously teasing her older sister.   There was a very strong familial tie among the residents of the clinic and of the dojo.
     They just had strange ways of showing it, sometimes.  Megumi wished she could be part of that, even as she realized the futility of that wish.
     The shopping trip itself was relatively painless, so to speak.  The sisters fought over what color to dress Megumi in; she was a doll for their amusement, and she was disinclined to argue.  It was a nice change to be fussed over and adorned with beautiful things.  Eventually the sisters compromised, leaving their victim in a state of discombobulation while they discussed prices with the shopkeeper.  The blue and lavender kimono suited her beautifully, she had to admit, and it was simpler to put on than most things, so she might dress herself with ease.  Despite their youth and innocence, Ayame and Suzume were well aware of Megumi's weakened state.
     However, that didn't stop them from wanting to shop more for her.
     "Oh, come on Megumisan, you simply cannot have only one kimono!  It's just unthinkable!"  Ayame looked wounded at Megumi's suggestion to return to the dojo.
     "Oneesan, Megumisan is exhausted.  You can't expect her to just be able to zip through the stores like you can," Suzume chided.
     "Suzumedono's right, Ayamedono."  Kenshin, of course, was the ultimate voice of reason.  He didn't need to be trained in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to see that the once beautiful woman was ready to collapse.  He felt another flash of futile anger towards Takeda Kanryu, though he suspected it was more than the maltreatment she'd received at his hands that was costing Megumi so much.
     "Please.  I hate to be end of the party but I'm so tired."  None of the rest of the group could miss how much pain Megumi was in as well but no one was going to mention it if she didn't.
     "Very well," Ayame said breezily.  "We can always shop more another day."
     Kenshin nodded and picked up the frail woman once more.  "Ayamedono, you carry Megumidono's purchases.  Unless you'd like to carry Megumidono instead, and I'll carry the clothes."  He grinned and Ayame made a face at him.
     "I've got the clothes.  Though I don't see why you don't carry them, too.  It's not like we got all that much."  Indeed, there was only the one kimono and a few of the basic necessities.
     "Yare yare."  Megumi smiled at the sisters.
     Megumi fell asleep again on the way to the Kamiya Dojo.  Even a brief excursion tired her, a fact that frightened her more than she was ready to admit.  She wasn't the only one worried about it; Suzume admitted her own concerns to Kenshin as they walked.
     She didn't even wake up when he lay her down on her futon at the dojo, instead rolling on to her side, wincing, and sighing softly in her sleep.
    "Kaorudono, could you make some tea for Megumidono when she wakes up?  Suzumedono, I think you should bring Genzaisensei over for dinner."
    "Dinner?"  Yahiko stuck his head in.  "I hope you're cooking, Kenshin.  Megumi doesn't look up to it, and we all know about Kaoru's cooking."  The young man smirked.  Kaoru merely rolled her eyes at him.
    "Don't worry.  I'll have my revenge after the baby is born."  She smiled sweetly at him as she made her way out of the room to make the tea.  "YahikoCHAN!"  Her laughter trailed after her as her former student growled unconvincingly.  Even he would admit that Kaoru's cooking had vastly improved -- but only under duress and out of earshot.  Some relationships were best kept unchanging.
    "What happened, Kenshin?"  Sanosuke shot a concerned look at the sleeping figure as he came in from the direction of the kitchen as the sisters slipped out to collect their grandfather.  "Jouchan said she's out cold.  What'd you do, run a race or three?"
    Kenshin turned to his friend, exhaustion written on his own features.  "Megumi's a lot sicker than she wants us to know about yet, but I think she's decided to tell us.  I believe her visit to Genzaisensei confirmed something she already knew, but it isn't good."
    "If she wants to protect us from suffering again she's going to want to leave."  Yahiko's expression was grim as he looked at the other two.  "And I suspect she will want to."
    "Well, then we simply won't let her go."  Kaoru came back in with a set expression.  "Megumisan needs us more than she needs to spare us.  It's silly for us to let her go when we can help her ourselves until she gets better."  She looked to Kenshin, suddenly nervous.  "She will get better, won't she?"
    He met her gaze.  "I don't know what her condition is, but from the way she and Genzaisensei were acting when they came out of her examination, I will make no assumptions."  He did not want to tell her his suspicions.
    Fortunately, Kaoru chose to take his words at face value.  She knew him well enough to know he had his own ideas, but also that some things were best left alone.  Megumi would tell them when she was ready, in her own words and her own way.
    Very little was said over the next couple of hours.  Kaoru sat mending clothes and watching over Megumi while Sanosuke and Yahiko did some work in the yard.  Kenshin made a special dinner.  There were no exotic foods, but there was variety, and more than enough to go around.  Even with the Genzai family and Megumi,  there would be enough for them to eat their fill.  What a change from the old days, Kenshin smiled to himself as he cooked.
    Megumi stirred as the aroma of food began to permeate the dojo.  "Mmm..  Something smells divine."  She stretched and sat up as Kaoru laid down her current project; she had finished the mending and was now making an outfit for the baby.  "Oh, let me see?"  Megumi reached slightly for the fabric Kaoru had just laid aside.  "Oh!  That's beautiful, Kaorusan!  You're so lucky," she sighed wistfully.
    "I have very much to be thankful for, and a great deal of that thanks is for my friends and my family," Kaoru smiled down at the older woman.  "Every day reminds me of that, and I live every day to the fullest."
    "You've grown so much since..."  Megumi's voice trailed off.  "Forgive me.  I'm afraid I haven't, very much."
    "As long as you don't comment on my cooking like Yahiko still does."  Kaoru laughed.  "Kenshin's made dinner, by the way, and it should be ready soon.  Genzaisensei and the girls will be joining us."
    "That will be nice.  Is there anything I can do to help out at all?"
    "Not really.  If you like, there's still some time before we eat; I could draw you a bath."  Kaoru smiled cheerfully.  Megumi missed the twinkle in her eyes.
    "Oh, I couldn't impose on you like that, Kaorusan!"
    "Please!  It isn't a problem at all.  Watch."  Kaoru took a deep breath.  "YAHIKO!"
    "Now what do you want, ugly toad?"  Kaoru's former student walked in, fresh from the yard work.  Megumi noticed just how nicely he had grown up as he stretched, shirtless, with a mocking grin at the two of them.  "I was working hard, promise!"
    Kaoru tried not to laugh.  "Well I want you to take a break."
    "Great!"
    Before he could run off she continued.  "And draw up a hot bath for Megumisan."
    "Oh come on!"  Yahiko made a big show of grumbling about it as he turned and slouched out to the bathhouse.  Megumi glanced at Kaoru.
    "Some things never really change ne?"
    "And some things never stay the same," Kaoru's eyes met Megumi's with a look of understanding.  "Go on, Yahiko will get you towels and such."
    Megumi rose slowly as Kaoru went back to her needlework.  By the time she arrived at the bathhouse, Yahiko had already set out towels and soap and heated the water to a delicious temperature.  All Megumi had to do was get into the bath, which she did with a sigh.  "Ohh, this is perfect.  I've got to thank Yahikosan.  How on earth did he get the water to such a perfect temperature?"  She slid down under the water for a brief moment, coming up to watch her hair swirl loosely around her through the slight steam.  For once, she was not tempted to dwell on the poor condition of her body as she reveled in the comfort of a bath without time limits, without any limit but the eventual call of her hunger.
    When the water cooled, she emerged to find that someone had laid out her new clothes next to her towels.  How wonderful it was, she thought, to be able to wear clean, fresh clothes after a relaxing bath!  It had been far too long since she'd been able to really indulge herself.  How could someone be so alone for so long, and survive?
    A tear slid down her cheek as she put on the new kimono.  Survive, indeed.  She would tell them all tonight, after dinner.  She felt incredibly guilty at herself -- they had bought her new clothes, taken her into their home and their hearts and now she would be leaving them with cruel news.  So little in life was fair...