Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. None of the characters from
Rurouni Kenshin belong to me. They belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki and I
acknowledge all his rights and the rights of the various companies
associated with RK.



Chapter Three:

Megumi twined her hands deeper into the horse's mane and clenched her
teeth. The hell-for-leather pace that Aoshi forced the horse to gallop
at was jarring her to the bones. Cold rain soaked her clothes and to top
everything off, she was forced to ride in intimate proximity with Aoshi.
In fact, they were so close that she could feel his body heat and his
arms pressed into her sides, helping her to keep her balance even as he
held the reins.

They had departed Aizu for Kyoto that afternoon itself. Megumi had sent
letters to her brother, asking him to return, citing an unexpected
emergency as the reason for her sudden departure. Aoshi had insisted on
taking the private routes that the Oniwabanshuu used for travelling,
public transport exposed their movements too much.

Megumi blinked against the raindrops that hung on her lashes, trying to
make headway out of the darkness of the night. Aoshi must be using his
Onmitsu skills to guide the horse. "Either that or he has extremely
excellent night vision," she thought. Privately she wondered if that was
part of the enhanced physique that all highly skilled warriors seemed to
possess. Just then, Aoshi shifted his leg to move the horse more to the
left and in the process his thigh brushed against the back of hers. She
squirmed uncomfortably, unused to having a man so close by. In spite of
the scandalously flirtatious reputation she sought to cultivate, Megumi
was rather inexperienced when it came to the physical aspect of
relationships.

"Megumi-san, you must sit still." Aoshi's reproach was as calm and
lecturing as a teacher's to a naughty student. Once more Megumi fought
down her annoyance. Aoshi was one of the few men whom she regarded as
her intellectual equal. Ken-san was naively jovial most of the time,
Sano no baka was notoriously easy to wind into a fit. But men like Aoshi
and Saitou made her behave. She was so busy with her own thoughts that
she didn't notice the subtle way Aoshi moved away from her and because
she was seated before him, she didn't see the way his eyes widened for a
fraction of a second when she had squirmed against him.

The next thing Megumi knew, she opened her eyes and realised she was
staring at Aoshi's profile. Sleep clouded and still bone weary, she
simply remained leaning against him, grateful for the way his body
cushioned hers from the jolting of the horse's gallop. "He really is a
beautiful man," she thought, looking away. Misao's obsession with him
was completely understandable, yet ... "There must be something more,
something deeper that the weasel girl sees." Megumi realised her lids
were heavy again and closed her eyes, intending to snatch forty winks in
spite of the lightning that danced close over head. The storm had
increased in intensity since she had fallen asleep.

The burst of lightning was so bright that she could see flashes of
white, then red from behind her closed eyes. The following clap of
thunder was so loud that it seemed to come from directly overhead.
Instinctively Megumi screamed, fingers digging into Aoshi's trench coat
as he fought to keep the neighing stallion from throwing them off.

The lightning had struck a tree several paces from them and Megumi
stared at it in mute horror. The branches were sparking and the flames
were growing taller and brighter. Suddenly she was transported back to
the Aizu of her childhood, when she had been a ten-year old child
running for her life.


***
"Megumi-chan, run," Okaa-san's harsh cries rang in her ears as she
sobbed and did as her mother ordered. The house was consumed in smoke
and yellow-reddish flames that licked hungrily at her kimono and
sandaled feet.

There! The door was there! She scrambled for it and burst out into the
garden. Instead of the fresh air that she expected, acrid smoke hit her
and to Megumi's horror, she realised that not just the mansion was
burning down. The grounds were enveloped in a sea of fire and from
beyond the walls she could see thick columns of smoke rising and rising,
so that the sky was blackened with it.

"Megumi, don't just stand there. Move, child!" Suddenly Okaa-san's firm
hand was on her shoulder, guiding her as they fled. Her mother's
beautiful pale skin was streaked black but those brown eyes, normally
soft and gentle, were fierce with determination. They were running
through the orchard, the cherry and plum trees that Otou-san had been so
proud of, now like torches of fire.

She had heard the cracking but ignored it, concentrating on the scorched
ground, carefully picking her way across the tiny fires. Then her mother
heard it. Both of them turned in time to see the huge branch break off,
burnt right through and still flaming. Megumi just stood there,
simultaneously mesmerised and paralysed by the sight of death rushing
towards her. She didn't know that she was screaming. Suddenly she was
stumbling, falling hard on the ground. Okaa-san had thrown her out of
the way but ...

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san!" She shouted, crawling to her feet. But her mother
was already swallowed by the fire and smoke, trapped under the branch.
This time, Megumi recognised that the screaming came from her.

***


Aoshi almost cursed aloud as he fought to keep the horse from bucking.
The animal was wild, rearing and pawing at the air. This time the trees
in front of them burst into flames. As they did, the reddish glow was
reflected something... "Metal. Those are metal shards in the trees,"
Aoshi realised. Someone-The ninjas who had tried to kill him and Megumi
had set a trap, using the metal to act as lightning rods to bring the
lighting down on them. "The path must have been littered with those,"
Aoshi thought grimly.

Just as he was gaining some control over the horse, lightning struck
twice more. There was a tremendous cracking as several branches broke
off and started falling towards them. Then Megumi's scream, shattering
and almost unearthly, filled his ears. She would have thrown herself off
the horse if Aoshi had not wrapped a firm arm around her waist.

"Let me go!" She cried even as she ironically clung to him, her eyes
huge, terrified orbs. Kicking his mount viciously, Aoshi forced it into
a run as he shielded Megumi with his body from the sparks. Heat seared
his back and for a moment he thought they would be buried. But it passed
as the branches crashed to the floor and then they were flying through
the air and rain. Beneath his body, Megumi was shaking violently and
sobbing.

"Let me off," she demanded in muffled tones.

"We can't stop, Megumi." The answer rolled out automatically from his
mouth even as Aoshi scanned the surroundings. Try as he might, he could
not sense any presence, no human gaze watching them, no subtle aura or
"ki".

"I have to get off." This time Megumi's voice was as cold as any tone
that he had ever used. "I'm going to be sick. If you don't stop I'll
throw myself off and even if you prevent me, the struggle would disturb
this beast enough to throw both of us off. Either way, I don't care."

For a moment Megumi though Aoshi was going to ignore her but then the
horse gradually slowed and he brought it to a stop. Sliding down
hastily, Megumi ran to a nearby tree and fell to her knees. Arms folded
tight around her belly, she tried to quell the shivers even as she
retched dryly. When that passed, she remained on the ground, panting and
swallowing her sobs. "Oh Kami, just like with Kaa-san," she whispered,
trying to wipe the memory away. "Be calm Megumi. Be calm. This is no
time to breakdown."

Black boots entered her line of vision and she knew Aoshi was standing
in front of her but Megumi was beyond caring. Suddenly, Aoshi knelt and
then his hands were on her shoulders, gently but firmly raising her to
face him. "Don't." She tried to turn away, knowing that she would
breakdown once more but he was inexorable. "Please don't, Aoshi," she
muttered, wiping away tears.

He waited, letting Megumi collect herself. Amazingly, from a quivering
bundle of emotional nerves she managed to gather an inner source of calm
and when she finally turned to look at him, her face was pale but
dignified. "I'm sorry for that outburst." She did not offer any
explanation nor did he require one. From what Aoshi knew of her family
history, Aoshi had expected Megumi to be afraid of fire. But just now
she had screamed out the words 'Kaa-san' unknowingly and it was too easy
to guess from where this deep horror sprang.

"There's an old hut nearby. It is known only to the Oniwabanshuu and we
can get there on foot. I'll send the horse off to mislead anyone
following us, although that won't fool an experienced tracker for long.
But it will buy us some time."

Was it just her imagination or was his voice a tiny bit warmer?
Exhausted, Megumi let the question pass as she watched Aoshi slap the
horse lightly on its rump, sending the disgruntled animal off. Then he
returned to her and stretched out a hand. Taking it, Megumi rose shakily
to her feet. She almost slipped on the muddy ground but he tightened his
grip and she righted herself.

"Won't the ninjas see our footprints and follow us?" she asked
hesitantly. The rain had begun to lighten considerably and there would
not be enough to wash away any trail they would inevitably leave.

"You're right Megumi-san." Approval thawed the ice in his eyes a little
and she wondered if he was aware of it. "In that case, please forgive me
then."

"Wha-what are you--" Megumi sputtered as Aoshi reached out and
effortlessly scooped her into his arms. Their eyes met and held for a
brief moment. Sudden warmth spread over Megumi's face and she looked
away. She was blushing! "And of all people because of Shinomori Aoshi.
Megumi no baka!" She cursed herself for a fool.

Aoshi expelled a breath silently as he adjusted his grip on her. Megumi
was light for a tall woman, but it was nothing surprising, judging from
the slender waist beneath his hand. Her face was pink and the way she
avoided his gaze bespoke of genuine shyness. For all her smart-talking
ways and sharp tongue, Megumi was a modest woman. Aoshi remembered how
Takeda Karryuu had terrified her. Not just with his threats of a painful
end or with his guns but also with the lascivious looks he gave her. And
because of that, Aoshi posted Beshimi as a guard over Megumi. He wasn't
playing guardian angel, merely making sure that Takeda did nothing
dishonourable to his prisoner.

"Hold on tight."

That was all the warning he gave before Aoshi suddenly made a tremendous
leap straight up into the air. Arms around his neck, she clung to him
for dear life as he leapt from tree to tree. "What a clever way to avoid
leaving tracks. And we're still undercover of darkness. If there is
anyone following us, Aoshi will know," she thought. It never occurred to
Megumi to doubt Aoshi even though they had been ambushed.

He certainly moved with more stealth and grace than that dumb horse, she
thought sleepily. Twice her head jerked as she snapped awake, lifting
her head from his shoulder. The third time, his hand came up and kept
her head against him. Something warm spread in Megumi's chest. Aoshi was
telling her to sleep. Never in a million years would she have imagined
such a scenario. Not with Shinomori Aoshi. Sometimes she had fantasised
about Sano coming to her rescue like he had done once, but even in those
fantasies she had always had an active part in the story, always in
control of the situation in some way. But now she was completely
helpless, dependent on Aoshi for her survival. And the oddest thing was,
she was perfectly unworried, trusting everything to him. For once she
didn't need to be in control. For once she could let someone else take
care of her.

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