Cover Girls

An alternate universe Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic

 

Chapter Five

"Riding in vans with roosters"

 

*********************************************

 

"I can't believe we've made it this far."

 

The soft, feminine whisper echoed off the walls of the near deserted clinic. The lone figure in the room was leaning over a sink in the corner, her impressive ebony mane was hidden under a surgical cap, her shapely lips were for once devoid of the rich, red lipstick she could never seem to do without. Tired cinnamon eyes scanned the room, lingering almost lovingly on neatly made-up cots and spotless white cabinets filled with the tools of her trade. Her life.

 

Slowly she reached up and dragged the cap off, freeing her beautiful hair from it's prison. She unconsciously ran her fingers through the length of it, seeking to free tangles that would never be found. After all, she was perfect, wasn't she?

 

"Yeah right." Megumi thought bitterly to herself as she shrugged off her doctor's smock and hung it neatly on it's rack. Sure, she had managed to finish high school earlier than most, and with the help of her late aunt and uncle, finish medical school and revive her father's old practice. There was no denying that she had achieved much for her twenty three years of existence, but if Ko-Neko-Neko wasn't good enough to make the cut. Then she would have just as much to lose. People depended on her here, the ones who couldn't afford medical insurance and therefore would be turned away anywhere else. The ones who ironically, needed the attention most of all. The ideals that her father had instilled in her before he died wouldn't allow her to turn her back on them. She had to fight with every weapon that she had, even if it were only her uncle's old bass guitar, it would just have to do.

 

Before Takani Megumi turned off the lights that night, a single sentence escaped her lips. It fell somewhere between a declaration, a wish and a prayer…

 

"Don't worry Dad, I won't let you down."

 

*******************************************************************

 

"Would it kill the Tanuki or the Weasel to get some groceries once in a while?" she grumbled to herself as she bent down to reach for a carton of milk at the very back of the convenience store refrigerator. Even though she complained about it, secretly she was glad that she was the one in charge of the shopping and cooking in the house. A visible shudder rippled through her body at the memory of one of Kaoru's dreaded 'casseroles'. Yuck. She'd seen road-kill more appealing than that thing. Luckily Misao was "clumsy" enough to knock it over onto the floor before it could do any lasting damage. She chuckled at memory despite herself. They sure had had a lot of good times in that big house, even after all of their parents had passed away. It would be such a shame to lose it now.

 

Giving the cashier a nod of thanks she walked out past the automatic doors to the place where she parked her precious "Bluebelle". She placed the paper bag on the back seat and was just about to climb into the driver's seat when a certain sound caught her attention.

 

Swearing.

 

Nothing new or special about that. However the person who was doing it now was just plain eloquent at it.

 

Turning around she could see a beat-up looking brown thing which seemed to have wheels but one could barely tell through all the smoke that spewed from under the hood. Next to it the irate driver was shaking his fist while using a combination of phrases that would make a hardened criminal blush.

 

Maybe it was because she'd had a particularly busy day at the clinic, maybe it was because of her fear of their financial problems remaining unsolved, maybe it was something that had happened years ago and just decided to bite her in the ass on that particular evening. Whatever it was, Megumi just found the scene to be completely hilarious.

 

And she laughed. A fully patented, loud, throaty Megitsune laugh that could be heard even over the racket of the young man's cursing several yards away.

 

Looking up from his rant, Sanosuke looked over to see none other than the bassist from "that kitty-girly band" leaning against the side of a blue van with an expression of pure mirth on her face. Her long hair was caught in a slightly ruffled French braid and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were squeezed tightly shut with mirth. Her laughing mouth was devoid of any decoration, save her wonderfully carefree smile that seemed to infect him with it's amusement as he forgot why he was so angry in the first place.

 

Gradually, Megumi laughter died down into a low chuckle and her eyes slit open to look across to where the driver had stopped his profane monologue to instead look at her with an expression on his face that was torn between  amusement and annoyance.

 

"You two have a falling out?" she asked jutting her chin towards the smoking wreckage next to him.

 

"Uh, well yeah sorta." He replied somewhat sheepishly.

 

"You need a ride?"

 

The invitation was so impulsive it surprised even Megumi herself. Usually she was the one who accused Kaoru or even Misao of being too trusting. But there was just something about the way he looked. His big, brown eyes peeking sheepishly from behind the few strands of spiky hair that escaped his red headband reminded her of a puppy she once had. Besides, someone who played "her" instrument that well deserved at least a little kindness.

 

"Um…you sure about that? Me being a stranger and all…"

 

Megumi just shrugged and unlocked the passenger side door. "Who's a stranger, guitar-boy?" she asked with her foxiest smile in place.

 

His frown was absolutely adorable, "Sano," he offered, "My name's Sagara Sanosuke." But in a moment the frown was replaced with a cocky grin that somehow reminded Megumi of a rooster, "What about you rocker-chick? What's your real name?" 

 

Megumi's eyes narrowed slightly but her smile remained, "It's Takani Megumi, you want that ride or not?"

 

Sano held his hands up in mock surrender, "I guess I don't have a choice do I?"

 

"Sure don't."

 

 

 

 

"You look different away from the stage."

 

Megumi glanced away from the darkening road for a moment at the man lounging next to her. "I could say the same for you." she replied noncommittally.

 

"Oh?" he asked placing his hands behind his head, "How come?"

 

Sano could almost see a pair of fox's ears pop up on Megumi's head. "From that distance thought you were good looking."

 

"Oi!!!"

 

Megumi's smile widened slightly before she could finish her sentence, "Now that I've seen you up close, well, I know so."

 

If she could have turned around, the blush that contrasted Sano's frowning features would have amused her even more than his, low, boyish grumble.

 

She just chuckled and turned left at the next light, explaining that she should at least take Sano directly where he wanted to go for all the teasing she was doing. Sano found that he just had to smile at the woman's lighthearted banter. Usually the women that he met were so standoffish, placing an invisible chasm between them the moment they got to know each other. Sure he'd slept with girls, hell, he'd slept with lots of girls. Still, this was the first time one simply chose to be comfortable with him.

 

He stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes. Even without the glitter of the overhead lights, and the sweatshirt that replaced the leather tube-top he last saw her wearing, she still seemed to have an aura of class about her. It was surprising how she used it to compliment her easygoing manner instead of hide it.

 

"Plus, there's no denying the fact that she's totally hot." He added mentally.

 

Megumi could feel his eyes on her as she pulled up next to the curb in the place that he had previously specified. In any other case she would have been unnerved, but on this particular occasion there was no need for such assumptions. It just seemed to be the way he was.

 

Shifting the gears into "park" her eyes scanned around the area. It wasn't a very posh part of town, mostly just low-rent apartment buildings and the customary liquor store. Nevertheless she knew it well. Most of her patients came from poorer areas like this one.

 

"Well here's your stop," she said, turning around to finally face him directly, "What are you going to do about your ca….what the hell is that?"

 

Sano resisted the urge to cringe under her accusing glare. Cautiously he followed her gaze to his right hand where he'd wrapped his bandanna around a burn he'd received from his "piece of shit ride" as he tried to pop the hood.

 

"Um…" he drawled as words suddenly seemed to fail him, "I ah…"

 

Megumi's frown grew even more intimidating, "Please tell me that you at least cleaned it." She growled.

 

Sano quickly decided that silence was his best bet.

 

Before he knew what was happening, Megumi had reached across his seat and taken something out of the glove compartment. Without a word she pulled the offending hand into her lap and undid the bindings.

 

"Kuso! That burns!" he complained as she wiped a moist swab over the wound.

 

Megumi just rolled her eyes at his childishness and proceeded to wrap a clean bandage tightly around his hand. "There," she said, "All done, despite the patient's lack of cooperation."

 

Sano looked at his bandaged hand and then at the woman who did the handiwork. "How'd you do that so quick:?" he asked.

 

"Practice." She replied simply.

 

"You a nurse or something?"

 

"Something like that."

 

"Hn," he hummed looking at his hand again, "Well thanks for the concern and the ride. I guess I'll see you at the quarter finals then."

 

Megumi wiggled and eyebrow as her smile returned, "Guess so."

 

With that, Megumi pulled off from the curb and they both went their separate ways with no memory of how crappy their days had been up to the point where they'd met.

 

***************************

 

                                 

  next                               main