Disclaimer: None of the Rurouni Kenshin characters are mine. They belong
to Nobuhiro Watsuki. But all original characters belong to me. Please do
not take them without any permission. Arigatou.

Author's Note: Normally I try my best to refrain from creating too many
of my own characters, I usually prefer working on the marvellous beings
that Watsuki-sama has already created. But this time I think it's
necessary for my purposes. In terms of skill and intelligence, Saitou
Hajime is almost in a class of his own. But it's the philosophy behind
the motto Aku. Zok. Zan. that I want to dig at. A civil war was fought
on the basis of conviction, for which there is no clear-cut notions of
'wrong' or 'right'. That's something I hope to incorporate into this story.

I got the meaning of Shishio's name from a website ...Kuni Tori, I
think. It was a long time ago. And the information about Japanese
matchmaking ceremonies(last chapter)was from Mir's TFME. As for the
quote, Mara ...you mean it isn't from Julius Caesar??!*groans* I dunno
then...

Also, if anyone feels the second half of the story is a little strange
e.g. why the heck is she so happy to see him? I'll explain that all in
later chapters. :P Okay, so I spoiled some of the story. Feh... ...




Chapter Two: Chess

(21.6.1881)

Eight hours had passed since the meeting with his British employer. Soon
it would be dawn and he would have completed the first phase of his
mission. If all went smoothly that is, he reminded himself sternly. This
last part was most certainly going to be tricky and he would have to
play his cards with infinite care.

The neighbourhood was still fast asleep. Even the cat that was curled up
on a low wall did not stir as he passed it by. The person he sought
stayed just a few houses ahead.

Like any good man that took his job seriously, Shinohara Sasaki had done
his homework. Since the Bakumatsu there had been endless attempts to
cripple the young Meiji government. The most prolific and successful one
had been carried out three years before by a former Ishin shishi
assassin named Shishio Makoto. Indeed, he had lived up to his name as a
Lord of lions. But Shishio had made two fatal errors in Shinohara's
opinion. His first had been to underestimate Battousai Himura and Saitou
Hajime. Those two men combined had prevented a second burning of Kyoto
and an attack on Tokyo. Shishio's second mistake had been to get
personal. His challenge to Battousai had resulted in his own demise. An
assassin's pride, Shinohara mused. Shishio's pride as a warrior had been
his ultimate downfall.

Shinohara was well aware of his own pride as well. He enjoyed the
acclaim his name held in the most private of circles. And he too, basked
in the glory of successful missions, content to know that he had done
well by his standards. But he also knew that a large portion of his
success was owed to knowing when to withdraw and wait for another day.
Unlike Shishio, Shinohara felt no personal interest in Battousai or
Saitou. They were simply pawns of the government that he had to
neutralise before they became troublesome.

Dealing with Battousai was considerably easier. A project of this
magnitude required personal supervision so Shinohara himself had gone
down to Tokyo during the festival seasons a year ago. It was easier to
pass off as a tourist amongst other tourists. By sheer luck he had seen
Battousai in action. The man had been pursuing a gang of hooligans with
some police when a sudden spasm shot through his body and he dropped to
his knees. In a flash he was up again but the grimace, the tremors he
fought against, the whiteness of his face told their own story. That
evening Shinohara packed up and returned home with the knowledge that
Battousai had sustained some kind of permanent internal injury, probably
after his battle with Yukishiro Enishi. The man was no longer as
formidable as before. A constant flood of challengers would keep him
busy, or even better, kill him.

He had spent the better part of the night in certain places where even
the average criminal would be scared senseless to be in. Some whispers
in the right ears, a display of a legal document that his British
employer had secured for him ...it had been almost too easy. Himura had
been clever to vanish after the Bakumatsu; there were simply too many
foolish people waiting to slay a legend or pay him back for an old
grudge. But now thanks to Shinohara, his secret was out and the word was
spreading like wildfire even at this moment. But that matter was out of
his hands. Right now, he had his own life to worry about.

Ah, there it was. Deceptively simple in its elegance, isolated at the
very end of a row of houses. Treading softly, Shinohara was about to
slide open the shoji when he hesitated. Something was not right,
something ...He smiled and straightening his spine, knocked softly
before he opened the door. Bright green eyes met his.

"Ohaiyo, Midori Akira, Green Wolf of the Shinsengumi," Shinohara greeted
quietly as he shut the door behind him.

......................


"Ohaiyo, Midori Akira, Green Wolf of the Shinsengumi," Shinohara greeted
quietly.

The man said nothing. Standing in the hallway, dressed in a plain white
gi and black hakama, he merely continued to stare at Shinohara. Although
his eyes had noticed the katana that Midori was holding, he resolutely
held the other's gaze. "I have something to discuss that I believe you
would be interested in," he said.

The taller man tilted his head slightly and the emerald eyes glowed.
"You are ...?"

"Shinohara." This was the first time he had given his real name at once
to a stranger but he had no choice. If he lied, Midori Akira would cut
him in half without hesitation.

"Shinohara ...recognising me for who I really am is reason enough for
your death. What do you want?" The tones were pleasant enough but
beneath it ran a dark current of menace. The man's fine handsome
features were fixed in an inscrutable mask, his eyebrows dark slashes
against tanned skin.

"Will you hear me out completely before making a decision?"

Midori nodded. Like the man that Shinohara was going to set him on, this
wolf listened to reason as well.

"I'd like you to find and kill someone for me. His name is Saitou
Hajime." He was on dangerous ground now. He could see that in the other
man's eyes. "My request is not half as preposterous and insulting as you
assume. Saitou Hajime is nowadays known as Fujita Goro, Inspector Fujita
Goro."

There was silence. At least his head was still on his shoulders.

"In the year 1870, Saitou Hajime joined the government as a spy. His
alias is that of an ordinary police inspector. His primary duty is to
crush any rebellions against the Meiji government."

For a long moment Midori said nothing. Then came the flat denial that
Shinohara had anticipated. "You lie. Saitou Hajime the Third Captain
would not serve the rebel institution. He would not betray the Bakufu
that way."

'You mean he wouldn't betray your Shinsengumi compatriots that way,'
Shinohara thought gleefully with a touch of malice.

"I have official documents." Reaching under his haori, he withdrew a
thin file and handed it over. Was Midori Akira even aware of how tense
he was? Probably not, Shinohara surmised. It wasn't everyday that you
discovered a respected leader and icon had turned into a dog for the enemy.

...............

Even after looking them through, he was still not convinced. It couldn't
be, not Saitou Hajime. Not the man whom he had called friend and who had
addressed him in likewise fashion. They had given their honour and souls
to defend the Shogunate against the rebels who brought chaos and
destruction. Japan had run red with the blood the hittokiri had bled
from her. Saitou would not forgive that.

"You still don't believe me. I admit, documents can be forged. But not
the truth in a man's eyes. Look at me, Midori-san and judge for yourself."

Midori did as the unwelcome visitor asked and found himself
acknowledging the dreadful truth of the matter. 'So Saitou Hajime
...this is what becomes of you ...this is what becomes of the
Shinsengumi in your hands.'

"May I have the files back now?" Shinohara asked.

He returned them without a second glance. Shinohara opened his mouth
again and Midori silenced him with one glare before swiftly bringing his
anger under control. "I don't wish to know your reasons for killing him
and I do not want to hear about payments. You are a sly one, Shinohara.
You use my grudge to obtain the satisfaction that your own yearns for."

Shinohara bowed. "You will never see me again. This matter is yours now.
Do what you will." With great relief he stepped out of the house and
quickly made his way back to the shadowy alleyways. It was settled now,
Midori Akira would surely punish Saitou Hajime for what he saw as the
dishonouring of the Shinsengumi. And there was only one punishment
reserved for such a deed: Swift death.

.................

It had been years since he had wielded his blade in the name of the
Shinsengumi. After the Bakumatsu no Doran ended in bitter defeat, he and
his friends had been forced into hiding, hunted down by the Meiji
government who saw them as dangerous elements. Only his skill and
intelligence had saved his life. But many others had died, some had been
close to him, others had been greatly respected. Some had committed
seppuku rather than suffer defeat.

"And you bring it all to this, Saitou," Midori murmured. He didn't know
whether to be sorrowful or angry. Perhaps there was no need to feel
either emotion. He was a Miburo, he knew what to do.

Aku. Zok. Zan.

Evil. Swiftly. Slain.

The Meiji government was evil. So were all that served them. Justice had
to be done.

...................


It was June 21, 1881, Meiji year 14.

'On this day I finally set foot back in Tokyo,' Sano thought. He had
been to Mongolia, China, Turkey even. He had travelled the famous Silk
Road and seen strange and fantastic sights. Once he had even stolen
onboard a ship for the sheer fun of it only to discover that he was in
America a month later. But not once had he bothered with the dates of
when he had reached those lands.

"Maybe I'm just a sentimental fool," he sighed aloud. He hoped that
Kenshin and Kaoru were still living there, that they had managed to keep
the dojo running. Last he knew, Yahiko was the only student that
Jou-chan had, the absent Yutaro notwithstanding. And then a truly
horrible thought struck Sano. "Kuso, the Akabeko still better be open,"
he muttered, lengthening his strides. No one made beef hotpot like
Tae-san, not even in China.

So it was with a sigh of relief that Sano rounded the corner and saw
that his favourite restaurant was still open. In fact, business was
booming. And for the first time he saw foreigners inside Tae's
establishment, some of them attempting to use chopsticks as they tackled
their lunch.

'The more things change. Even on the way back there were hell of a lot
more carriages. And I wonder what these new western buildings are for?'
He looked up at the new constructions, resurrected during his absence.
And because he wasn't watching where he was going, Sano didn't avoid the
two little boys that came careening straight into his legs.

"Waaaaah!"

"Oh shit."

The smaller child had not just banged his face against Sano's leg but he
had fallen and cut his brow as well. The older one was merely stunned
from the impact.

"You okay fellas?" Sano squatted down and lifted the boys to their feet.
"That needs to be fixed," he said, gently touching the cut. "Where's
your Kaa-san?"

"At home," the older child piped up. "We were just on our way from school."

"Well in that case..." He easily scooped both of them up in his arms and
started walking in the direction of the clinic. "Let's go see Dr Genzai,
shall we?"

"Dr Genzai's retired, silly," the young one replied.

"Hiko, don't be so rude," the elder brother shushed. "Gomen, Oji-san,
but Hiko is just sore that he didn't see you."

"Am not. Hirato is always talking nonsense." That statement earned Hiko
a smack on the head from his enraged sibling.

Hoping to distract the boys who were in danger of poking his eye out as
they squabbled back and forth, Sano asked, "What's the new doctor's name?"

At once Hirato blushed and Hiko giggled. "Ooooh. Dr Takani is my
onii-san's favourite doctor."

"Baka, she's the only doctor," Hiko retorted, still as red as a tomato.
Both didn't notice the imperceptible halt in Sanosuke's step before he
continued.

"Really? And when did Dr Takani come to Tokyo?"

"A year ago when Dr Genzai retired. She's been staying at the Kamiya
Dojo with Himura-san and his wife. Yahiko-san stays with them as well."

So, the Fox was back in Tokyo. That was something he was not prepared
for. Sano's eyes grew distant and he paid little attention to the boys,
lost in memories of the past. When Megumi had left for Aizu, Sano had
known then that one day he would leave Tokyo too. Perhaps she had left
knowing that it was a matter of time before Kenshin and Kaoru married.
Perhaps she had wanted a new beginning. It didn't matter, what her
reasons were. He knew very well why he had left. With her gone, there
had been a small but constant monotonous ache inside him. On days when
he was honest, Sano admitted that he missed Megumi. On days when he got
mad with himself, he swore that one day he would get rid of any feelings
for her. Leaving Japan had been one way; he had gone to see if the world
was big enough for him to escape from her.

'Hell, maybe it worked, maybe it didn't, I'll find out soon enough.'

...............


"Megumi-san, Megumi-san!"

"Tatsuya Hiko I'm getting too old for this," Megumi grumbled
good-naturedly as she swooped the six-year old boy into her arms as he
came flying through the door. He was one of her favourite patients
although he was quite the little monkey.

"Mmm, let's see what's wrong today. Hello, Hirato," she greeted cheerily
as the boy shyly made his way inside. It was amusing to know that he had
a painful crush on her and she was extra careful to be sensitive to him.
"How was school today?" She chatted with them as she washed and dressed
Hiko's cut, checking their bumps and bruises. It was a refreshing change
from the usual pale faces and dull spirits of her other patients.

'Although what can I expect, they are ill after all,' she mused with wry
humour. "Next please," she called out loudly, washing her hands in a
basin. Hearing footsteps enter the room, she said, "Sit over there
please, I'll be right with you in a minute."

"I know the drill, onna-sensei."

Megumi froze in the act of drying her hands. Not in a million years
could she forget that deep drawl.

"Oi, Kitsune."

Sanosuke. Her heart started hammering so loud and fast that Megumi
thought she was having a heart attack. Slowly she turned around, the
towel still clutched in her fingers. It was him. Before she could stop
herself, Megumi's eyes swept over him from head to toe. He was still
dressed in the same clothes, although she had to admit they were almost
falling apart. And his hair had gotten longer, it brushed the nape of
his neck now. And there was the shadow of a beard on his chin and
cheeks. She would have to get rid of that. Beards made kissing itc-

'What am I thinking?' She screamed mentally. Outwardly she gave a poised
smile and said, "Hello Sanosuke."

"That's it? No welcome home kiss?" He smirked, automatically holding out
his right hand for her to inspect. That was a mistake. With that angelic
smile still pasted on her face, Megumi reached out and yanked his
fingers backwards so that they almost touched his knuckles.

The curse that exploded from his lips made the patients outside the room
jump. Some of them had thought that the rough-looking man might give the
beautiful doctor trouble. Now they nodded in satisfaction. Dr Takani was
not a woman one fooled with.

"Now what was that you were saying again?" Megumi asked as she proceeded
to unwrap the bandages around his hand. Needless to say, they were dirty
beyond salvaging. Even Ken-san's washing could not get all that grime out.

"Kuso, I was just kidding," he muttered. As she started washing his hand
and examining it, Sano allowed himself to smile as he glanced over her.
Who was she fooling? He had seen the way she had looked at him. At the
very least he knew that she had missed him. He had stopped breathing for
a moment when those shining brown-black eyes had met his. And then they
had shuttered once more, locking him out. But he had gotten a look inside.

"Your hand is ...it's perfectly healed Sano." Megumi's voice held
something akin to awe. "I don't believe it. Tell me you didn't get into
one fight."

"I didn't get into one fight." Her eyes were the size of saucers. "I'm
not lying. Not one fight. I got into hell of a lot of fights," he
quipped and ducked the blow to his head.

"SANOSUKE!"

"Cheh, relax Kitsune. I used my left hand." At once she snatched it and
began untying the bandages. "It's not damaged. I could handle them
without using the Futae no Kiwami."

"Unless you wanted to show off," she said.

"There's that too," he admitted with a boyish grin. "And there was
practise as well but I remembered to look after my hands. I didn't throw
away your advice you know."

How pathetic. She was so happy that he hadn't forgotten her totally,
never mind that it was technically only her advice that he remembered.
"Did you really get yourself into so much trouble overseas?" she
scolded. To her surprise, the look he gave her was completely serious.

"What do you think?"

Four simple words that formed a loaded question. Megumi sensed
instinctively that more was at stake here than just a flippant answer.
Gently laying his hand down, she looked at him and replied, "Maybe not.
Or at least half of those fights probably resulted from people trying to
find trouble with you." That was what she honestly thought.

"Good answer Fox," he teased. She scowled and snapped a sharp retort but
Sano was too light-hearted to care. If Megumi had continued to view him
as a foolish young brawler with nothing better than fighting on his
mind, he might not have been so willing to do what he was contemplating.
Three years on his own had made him grow up considerably and the fact
that he had been able to provide for himself had fostered a sense of
self-esteem in Sano. Although it wasn't fair to expect her to know that,
Sano reminded himself. He had to prove to her that he was different now,
not as lazy and rash as before.

She had passed the test. The tension in the room had evaporated and now
Sano was asking her to close early and have dinner with him at the dojo
with Ken-san, Kaoru and Yahiko. "Considering that you are the one who
has just come back and that I am staying there as a paying tenant, I
should invite you," she corrected.

"Then do it."

"Ah?"

"Invite me to dinner Kitsune." Chocolate-brown eyes twinkled into hers
and she swallowed hard. "Come on, I'm waiting."

"Very well. Sagara Sanosuke, will you like to have dinner with me ...I
mean, me and the rest," she ended lamely. 'If he so much as mocks me
I'll strangle him and bury his body out in the courtyard.'

"I'd love to," Sano replied. The corner of his mouth twitched
suspiciously but then he coughed and settled himself in a corner on one
of her chairs.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna stay here and wait till you're done."

"Sano, I won't be closing until another four hours at least."

"Well, it'll be a bigger surprise for Kenshin and Jou-chan if I turn up
with you. Besides, don't you wanna know what I've been up to?"

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get rid of him and secretly glad
that he was staying, Megumi opened a cupboard and retrieved a gi and
hakama she kept inside. "This should fit you. I keep a spare set of
clothes for my patients," she explained. "The bathhouse is just behind
in the courtyard. Go make yourself hygienic."

"Hai, hai." He strolled jauntily out the door before suddenly sticking
his head back in. "Aren't you gonna come with me? You never know what
other injuries I might have-"

The basin missed him by an inch. Chuckling, Sano walked off, ignoring
the astonished gazes of the patients.

------------------------------------------------------------------------