I Want You With Me, Always Disclaimer: This is the sequel to the lemon fic, �Pictures of You�. I should let you know that this is not a lemon, but I did try to write it so that it can exist apart from, �Pictures of You�. I hope you enjoy it. * All characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump comics, and Sony.* �When did she go?� Kenshin asked, eyeing Sagara Sanosuke nervously. He paced back and forth in front of the Kamiya Dojo, kicking dirt, and cursing silently to himself. Kenshin�s voice brought him back. �She left me two nights ago,� he said through clenched teeth. He stopped his pacing for a moment to face Kenshin. �She said she didn�t want to get any of us involved. But I�m going to find her, and I�m going to bring her home.� Sano paused for a moment, and then added wickedly, �Right after I kill that mother fucker, Kanryu!� �Sano are you sure about this? Killing Kanryu isn�t going to bring Megumi-dono back.� �No. It won�t. But it�ll make me feel really damn good to take that bastard out!� Kenshin looked thoughtfully at Sanosuke. �It never feels good for long, Sano. It never feels good at all.� Sano shifted his eyes so that he could avoid Kenshin�s disapproving gaze. He knew Kenshin was right. Goddamn, why can�t he keep his big mouth shut for a change? he thought to himself, turning back to glare at his friend. Kenshin stared blankly back at him-and then he smiled. �Sano, if you want, I can help you find Megumi. As far as Kanryu goes, I heard that he formed another gang. It�s a really nasty bunch, which he boasts is better than the, Oniwa Banshu. I think, Aoshi has heard the rumour.� �I don�t care if he�s heard it or not. I don�t care how bad Kanryu thinks he is now. If I can�t kill him, then I want to beat the shit out of him!� He paused again, and then stuck his fist into Kenshin�s stunned face. �Do you approve, or do I have to make you approve!� Kenshin held his hands up, and grinned at Sanosuke, nervously. �Hey, I won�t stand in your way. Beat him to a pulp if you want.� * * * * * * �Oh my God, poor Megumi-dono. She must be so scared,� Kaoru said. Sano was leaning by the door away from everyone. �She isn�t afraid for herself. She�s afraid for us. Kanryu threatened to kill us all if she didn�t join him, so she decided to save us by leaving. � Dr. Genzai sat by the table with Kenshin and Kaoru. A somber expression colored his face. �I wish I would have had a talk with her. I know that she was pre-occupied with something.� �Dr. Genzai, don�t blame yourself for any of this. It�s nobody�s fault; nobody except Kanryu�s, � Kaoru said, �He�s such a creep. He has to pay for what he has done to Megumi-dono.� Sano made a low grunting noise. �He has to die. Jail does nothing for people like him.� �Does Shinomori Aoshi, know that Kanryu�s back in Tokyo?� Kaoru asked. Kenshin shrugged his shoulders, and looked thoughtful. �Don�t know. If we get a letter from Misao-dono, then we know he�s on his way. I wonder if he would actually come back to Tokyo. Kanryu did kill all of his men, but I don�t know how desperate for revenge, Aoshi is. He has gone through a dramatic change since our last fight. All I know is that Kanryu is a wanted man. I hope his group is as tough as he says they are.� �Can we bring the police into this? Kanryu is a gangster,� Kaoru pointed out. �Kanryu hasn�t done anything yet. And I don�t want to give him any chances either. I want to kick his ass now!� Sano declared, emphasizing his statement by cracking his knuckles. He moved from the doorway, and made his way outside. It was early evening, and the air smelled of the coming rain. Rain reminded him of his first night with Megumi, so for one brief moment he actually smiled. �Megumi,� he said softly, �I�m coming for you.� * * * * * * Sano entered his apartment quietly. He headed straight for the corner where he kept his broken Zanbatou sword. Sano looked at the length of the broken halves of each blade, marveling at how large it had been when it was in one piece. He considered attaching it once again. So I can shove it up Kanryu�s ass! Sano thought, feeling an evil grin spread across his lips. He even chuckled softly. It was a sick idea. Then again, nowadays he was not thinking sane thoughts. He felt himself slowly grow cold, as if his heart could no longer have the capacity to feel any kind of emotion, any kind of conscience. Sano shuddered. No conscience. No emotion. God, I would be just as bad as- �Asshole, quit blocking the doorway. I�m trying to look up at the moon.� The voice came from behind him, and Sano turned to face whoever it belonged to. At the far corner of his room, stood a figure striking a match, and raising it to the cigarette, which was pressed between his lips. He blew a trail of smoke in Sano�s direction. �I see you are deaf as well as a dumbass. What does that fox see in you? Perhaps she left you because she came to her senses.� Sano took a deep breath in a huge effort to ignore Saitou Hajime- that emotionless, and conscienceless bastard. �Why the hell are you in my apartment?� Sano asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Saitou rested one hand on the hilt of his Katana sword, and puffed away with the other. �I have heard some news of a certain foul businessman named Takeda Kanryu. He is out of jail, and I hear that you�re looking for him.� �That�s none of your business!� Sano growled taking a step forward. He would throw Saitou out of his place if he had to. Saitou continued to lean, casually taking the cigarette butt from his lips, and dropping it on the floor. �Again, I wonder at how stupid you can be. This is my business. Kanryu has committed major crimes, and since he is out of jail, I am taking it upon myself to keep an eye on him. Since you are looking for him, I thought that I might lead you to him. You probably can�t find him on your own.� �Saitou, get the hell out of my place!� Saitou lit another cigarette. �I see. You are rude as well as stupid. Your emotions have always been your weakness, Rooster boy. That, and the Fox, whom you have fallen for.� Sano�s eyes widened. �How do you know about that?� Saitou smirked. �I can smell it all over you. She broke your heart.� Sano looked away, to stare outside. The last thing he wanted to do was pour his heart out to Saitou. He let out a deep sigh. It seems that everyone knows about Megumi, and I, Sano thought. But Saitou�s story doesn�t add up. Why the hell is he being so helpful? What does he have on Kanryu? He turned back to face Saitou, and found that he was directly behind him. Sano stumbled backwards a few steps, avoiding the smoke that Saitou blew into his face. Saitou caught hold of Sano�s jacket, and pulled him so that Sano�s face was inches from his own. Sano grabbed Saitou�s wrist, and attempted to twist himself free. �What the hell! Let me go!� Sano demanded, swinging his fist to get him off. Saitou easily blocked the shot, and shook Sano in his grip. �Someone should teach you some manners. Unfortunately there is no time for that. I came here to offer you my aid. I want Kanryu as badly as you do. So shut the fuck up and let me talk.� �What else is there for you to say? Are you going to lead me to Kanryu or are you going to bore me with more of your bullshit!� Sano said finally pulling himself free. Saitou shook his head slightly, and dropped his second cigarette. �Such a bad ass, huh? Tell me something. Do you think you have enough anger inside of you to kill Kanryu?� Sano shook his head. �I�ve decided not to do that. I do want to find out how he approached Megumi, and I want to know what he told her.� He paused to glare at Saitou. �Then I�ll beat him with all that I have!� Saitou shook his head again. �Pity. I may be wasting my time with you. Tell me one other thing. How do you plan to find your fox?� That question stumped Sano. He looked blankly at Saitou, as he thought, I wish that I knew. * * * * * * �He�s stationed in a house just outside of Tokyo. He has an army of fifty men. A bunch of greedy bastards who are being paid big money to do his bidding,� Sano said to Kenshin and Kaoru. It was a quiet day at the Kamiya Dojo, yet Sanosuke was less than peaceful, seated by Kenshin. He told them both about his encounter with Saitou, and they were both dumbstruck. �Saitou offered to help you? Is he okay?� Kaoru asked. Sano shrugged his shoulders. �Seems he has something against Kanryu as well. I guess you were right Kenshin. He is a wanted man.� Kenshin was eyeing something from afar. Sano and Kaoru turned to look at what had grabbed his attention. �More than you know. It seems you have a lot of help now, Sano.� Kenshin said acknowledging the familiar figure of Shinomori Aoshi coming through the gate of the Dojo. Sano narrowed his eyes. �Why are you here? I never invited you to my bash.� Aoshi stood directly before the three, looking down at them. Then his gaze shifted to Sano. �Revenge doesn�t require an invitation. Letting Kanryu out of jail was the biggest mistake that the police made. They have no idea of the danger he is now in.� Kenshin nodded. �Kanryu killed your men. It was only a few years ago, but the image must still be vivid.� Aoshi closed his eyes, remembering the massacre. �It�s more like a nightmare. That image steals it�s way into all of my thoughts. But I try not to let it bother me so much. My men would not want that.� He opened his eyes and fixed his stone stare on everyone. �So what�s the plan?� �Hold up a sec. How did you find out about Kanryu, all the way from Kyoto?� Sano asked Aoshi glanced coldly at Sanosuke. �News such as this travels far. Especially if it is news that I must know about.� Sano grunted under his breath. �Just don�t get in my way when I pound him within an inch of his life. You can kill whatever is left of him.� �I�m not here to kill him. I am here to stop him from pulling the same stunt that he pulled with my men. I want to talk some sense into the leader of that army before they get killed. Do you have any idea as to what they are called?� The three shook their heads collectively. �I�ll bet Saitou knows.� Kaoru said. They all nodded in agreement. �He knows a little too much, if you ask me. I wonder why he is so interested in this,� Sano added under his breath, thinking back to his conversation with Saitou. * * * * * * * * * �There are fifty of them. Their base is in the outskirts of Tokyo, and they are extremely dangerous. I advise that you leave all of this to me, if you want to live to see your fox again.� The cigarette smoke in his face had caused Sano to suddenly snap. �What kind of shit is this? I want that bastard. I want to beat all the information that I can out of him, even if I have to take on his entire army so don�t do me any favors! I never asked for your help. Do yourself a favor, and get the fuck out of my apartment before I throw you all the way out into the town square!� �You won�t even come close.� He lit another cigarette. �Meet me at the complex, by sundown tomorrow.� Saitou brushed past Sano, heading for the door, �And be prepared for death.� * * * * * * * * * Sano shook his head to get the memory out. Saitou had some nerve. What the hell was he planning anyway? He looked up at the others, and told them of what Saitou had requested. They all seemed perplexed. �That sounds rather vague. What is going to happen when we get there?� Kaoru asked. She turned to Kenshin who was staring off into his own thoughts. He blinked as he came back, and turned to Kaoru. �We go and do what we plan to do, and that�s to stop Kanryu and his army from causing any trouble. With so many men on his side, you know he�s planning something bad for Tokyo. I can�t allow that to happen. I�m with you Sanosuke, if you will accept my help.� �Kenshin, you ass, it wouldn�t be a battle without you,� Sano said and clapped him on the back knocking him down to the ground. Kenshin landed at Aoshi�s feet, dazed. This display made Aoshi shake his head in bewilderment. �I�ll help you both, but if you try that on me Sanosuke, you�re going to taste my sword.� �I don�t know you well enough to taste any part of you. I�m saving all of that for when I see my Megumi again.� �Sano, don�t be so vulgar! Baka!! What Megumi-dono sees in you, I�ll never guess,� Kaoru exclaimed, and turned away in disgust. Sano gave her back a sly smirk, and then yanked at her ponytail. �Hey, Jo-Chan. Quit nagging, and put on your fighting gear. Oh, and while you�re at it, go hunt down Yahiko. He�ll kill me if I leave him out of this.� �Not if he likes killing leftovers!!� Kaoru yelled and moved to jump on Sano. Kenshin caught her in midair, and dragged her, thrashing and hissing, into the Dojo. Aoshi, looked stunned. He turned to Sano, a wave of uneasiness coming over him. �Do you think that you�re ready for this?� Sano answered him with a nod, and the sound of his cracking knuckles. * * * * * * �That psycho said to meet him here? Are you sure, Sanosuke?� Yahiko asked, surveying the area. The house stood before them, an intimidating form against the night sky, yet they all noticed that it seemed to contain no occupants. The windows were dark, and there were no guards coming out to attack them. Sano, shook his head in confusion, and turned to Kenshin. �This is the place. I�m sure of it. Saitou described it down to the oval shaped front door, with the dagger shaped knobs!� Sano said, indicating the odd looking door, and its unusual knobs. �I don�t get it. Why is Saitou not here? Why isn�t anyone here?� Kenshin turned away, and stared off in the direction of the Dojo. A realization had just hit him. �That�s because they�re all at the Dojo. Sano, you were right to be suspicious of Saitou. He did know something. I think that Kanryu went to kill us all.� Kaoru�s eyes widened. �Kenshin-� �Kaoru-dono. Suzume-chan, and Ayame-chan�?� �I sent them away with Dr. Genzai,� she answered, her voice shaken. Kenshin nodded. �Good. Now we must get back. Saitou has taken it upon himself to face Kanryu on his own.� They set out quickly for the Dojo. Yahiko shook his head in disbelief as he pushed himself to keep up with Sanosuke. �That guy is crazy. Why would he want to lead us away from the Dojo, if he knew that Kanryu was going to target us there? Doesn�t he know that the Kenshin-Gumi kick�s major ass?� Sano looked down at Yahiko�s angry face. Saitou did all of this for a reason. He wanted to have us out of the way, but why? What the hell is he planning? �Yahiko, stop complaining, and keep running. Save that anger for the fight!� * * * * * * Saitou stood before the Kamiya Dojo waiting for Kanryu. He lit a cigarette and puffed away lazily. He hated Kanryu in the worst possible way. He knew that someone like that would never change. Once a cold-blooded killer, always a cold-blooded killer. I should know, he thought to himself. He had made sure that no one was home. The little girls were away, and the entire household, along with Aoshi, probably reached Kanryu�s headquarters by now. He wondered how long they would stay there before they realized that they had been misled. He had wanted them out of the way, because he had some business to take care of with Kanryu. They would only interfere. Saitou looked up suddenly. He sensed the presence of a rat, and sure enough, a group of warriors emerged from the trees with Takeda Kanryu behind them. Saitou shook his head. �Fucking coward. Not man enough to lead your own army, hmmm?� Kanryu, glared at Saitou through his glasses. The right side of his face had been permanently disfigured thanks to a blow from Kenshin. That must be one of the things drawing him to this Dojo-which is exactly what Saitou had counted on. Kanryu signaled for his soldiers to halt, and he finally made his way to face Saitou. He had a rifle slung over one shoulder, with one finger resting lightly on the trigger. Saitou noticed that the finger twitched, as if it were itching to pump out the bullets. He smirked. �You want to shoot some holes in me, I presume?� Kanryu smiled an evil smile, and chuckled softly. �I see you warned them to get out of town. That�s okay. When they return home they�ll find that there will be no home to return to. I�m gonna burn it down-with you inside of it. Then we�ll finish them all off, even those two cute little girls. Such a pity, but I warned Megumi once before not to leave town. She knew back then that I would do it, and so she had chosen to come back. What made her think that this time would be different? I�ll kill that bitch as well, when I find her!� Saitou glared calmly at Kanryu, and put out his cigarette. �I see. You have your little plans, but you�re not going to accomplish any of them. You�ll be dead.� Kanryu laughed loudly and spread his arms out. �Are you telling me that you�re going to kill me? Look around you! I have fifty soldiers trained in the art of killing. They make the Hitokiri Bathousai sound like a pussy. Are you going to go through all of us?� �Yes. All of you.� Saitou drew his sword. �Get ready to die.� * * * * * * �I see Saitou. He has drawn his sword. Hurry, I don�t like his chances against them!� Aoshi said, quickening his pace and drawing his Kodachi swords. The army saw them coming, and they charged at them, swords raised, and death in their eyes. Kenshin drew his sword, and used his godspeed to floor six soldiers with one swipe. Kaoru, and Yahiko warded off a group of ten soldiers, as Sano used his fists to render them unconscious. Aoshi, made his way through a pack of them, and spotted their captain. He was an imposing figure, dressed in traditional Samurai gear. He stood to the side, watching all of his men go down one by one. Aoshi stopped before him. �I have something to say to you. Kanryu is no one to trust. Look around you. Your men have been defeated, and you are all alone in this fight. Kanryu will turn on you to save himself.� The Samurai stared intently at Aoshi. He wasn�t moved. �You should make sure that you know what you are talking about before you open your mouth. Turn around.� Aoshi did, and he was met with a blow to his head, by one of the soldiers. The Samurai laughed, and shook his head. �You are a fool. My men don�t stop fighting unless they are dead. I, Sota Hatsu have instilled that into them. Prepare for your destruction,� he said and Aoshi felt himself thrown back to crash against a tree. Kanryu laughed, and cocked his rifle at Saitou. �You see. I have a pretty strong army. They work for my money, and I pay them to win. I don�t expect to lose this battle, so kiss yourself good-bye,� he said, and squeezed the trigger. The noise of the shot, stopped Sanosuke, and he looked in the direction of Saitou and Kanryu. All around them, the soldiers were rising to attack again. Sano stood back to back with Kenshin, Kaoru back to back with Yahiko. �Kenshin, I think that this is going to be tougher than I thought. These guys don�t seem to know the word defeat. Did you see what their leader did to Aoshi?� �He moved so quickly, that Aoshi wasn�t able to see the hit to dodge it. He has a lot of power. Aoshi may have his hands full with him.� �Aoshi? What about us? I�m dying to get my hands on Kanryu, and Saitou is hogging him up! He has a lot of explaining to do when we�re finished here,� Sano said, and charged the soldiers who came at them. Kenshin flew into the air. �Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!� he screamed and took down one soldier who had gone after Sano. He wasn�t going to get up after that. Aoshi recovered quickly enough to dodge Hatsu�s next attack. He flew, and landed behind Hatsu, to knock him down. Hatsu rolled right back up to his feet, to Aoshi�s amazement. �You are strong. Why are you wasting such power on a man like Kanryu?� Hatsu drew his sword. �Why not? He has money, and these days, one needs that to survive. As long as he keeps paying me, I�ll keep killing for him.� He charged Aoshi, who blocked it effortlessly. Hatsu did not hide his surprise. �You have power, too. You sound like that leader of that Oniwa Banshu group that Kanryu keeps mentioning. He says that he killed all of them with his Gatling gun. What a bunch of punks.� Aoshi hated it when anyone disrespected the memory of his fallen comrades. He used his water flow movement, to strike Hatsu a number of times on his arms and legs. Hatsu went down bleeding from every wound. �My men were no punks. They were loyal to me, and just let Kanryu know what garbage he was. If you don�t watch yourself with Kanryu, he might do the same to you. Besides, where is your money going to come from when Kanryu�s dead?� Aoshi said placing his swords back into the hilt. He looked to the direction of the gunshot. Saitou had moved out of the path of the bullet, and it struck one of the Dojo�s pillars. He heard another shot come his way, and ducked, just avoiding a wound between the eyes. Kanryu, looked sinister as he kept pulling the trigger, and soon he turned his attention away from Saitou to direct shots at the others. Kenshin turned to Kaoru and Yahiko. �Get away from here! He�s gone trigger-happy! He�s even shooting at the army!� Kanryu shot down the soldiers who had been taken down by Kenshin and Sano. Sano ducked out of the way of the spray of bullets that came at them, grabbing Kaoru and Yahiko, and taking them to safety. Kenshin was already within reach of Kanryu, and he flew into the air to execute the Ryu Tsui Sen again -but Kanryu caught sight of him, and pointed the gun upwards. �You piece of shit. You made me look like a freak. I�m gonna get you for that. DIE!!� A spray of bullets came out of the barrel of the rifle. Kenshin found himself rolling away on the ground towards Sanosuke. Sano stooped to help him. �Saitou knocked you out of the way with his sword. Stay here. I have to get a piece of Kanryu�s ass!� �Sano, don�t!� Kenshin yelled, and went after him. Sano ran towards the two, targeting Kanryu. �You fuck! You threatened Megumi! You made her leave, and now you want to get rid of everyone here! I�m gonna enjoy pounding you into the dirt!� Sano declared, and charged him with his fist extended. Kanryu just stared, and pulled the trigger again. "SANO!� Kenshin screamed. He was beside Sano, and he drew his sword in time to block the shots. Kenshin dragged Sano to safety, and pressed him against a tree. �Stay out of the way! Look!� He gestured at the two figures of Saitou, and Kanryu. They faced each other ready for a duel. He saw Saitou revert to his Gatotsu stance. �I have to stop this. I can�t allow anyone to die!� Kenshin declared, and went for them. Whatever was left of the army, charged at Kenshin. Sano came to aid him. �You should know that I�m not gonna let you have all of the fun,� he said as he used his fists to counter their attack. �I don�t know if there�s anyway to stop Saitou. He�s determined to take Kanryu out.� Saitou glared at Kanryu, who had his rifle pointed to him. He looked anxious. �I�m almost out of ammunition. I have one bullet left, and I have decided to shoot it into you. Your little sword won�t be able to stop me.� �Bullshit,� Saitou said, and charged Kanryu. The gun went off, but it missed its target. Saitou�s speed had diverted the bullet. He went faster, looking into the shocked eyes of Kanryu. Saitou smelled the fear. His sword made contact, tearing through the flesh of his chest, the bone of his ribs, and breaking out the other side of his torso. Kanryu�s eyes bulged, and Saitou saw death slowly steal its way into that gaze. He pulled his sword out of Kanryu�s body, and watched it fall to the ground in a heap. Kenshin watched in horror, as he saw Saitou�s sword spear right through Kanryu. The army stopped their fighting when they saw the lifeless body fall to the ground. Hatsu, who had recovered from his attack, watched sullenly. He turned to his men, who were now facing him. They waited for the next command. He told them to retreat. Saitou wiped the blood from his Katana and slid it back into its sheath. He looked around at everyone. �Such sorrow over a piece of shit. Don�t waste it on him.� Kenshin glared at Saitou. �You didn�t have to kill him.� �No? I let him out of jail for that reason alone. It would have been foolish for me to spare his life.� Everyone looked at Saitou, dumbstruck. �You, let him out of jail! Why would you do such a thing!�? Kaoru screamed into his face. Saitou extended his arm to keep her back. �Battousai, control your woman.� �Kaoru-dono, please let Saitou speak,� Kenshin said as he grabbed Kaoru around the waist, hoisted her off her feet, and twirled her away. Then Kenshin faced Saitou again, his expression intent. �I am interested in what he has to say as well.� �You all want to know my little plan, huh? It�s very simple. I know that he hadn�t changed. He never was going to change, and it pissed me off to see the government waste so much money on him. I knew that if he were to go free he would revert back to his old ways. Approach old acquaintances,� Saitou glanced at Sanosuke, �And plan his revenge. I tried to keep you all out to a point, but I knew that your involvement would be inevitable. I knew that he would threaten the Fox, and I knew that he would come to this Dojo in search of the Battousai. All this among other things gave me ample reason to kill that shit.� �You used us! You put us in danger, and you drove my Megumi away!� Sano raged, stepping forward. He raised his fists, pressed his knuckles together, and cracked them. �You could have killed us all.� �You are as dumb as a rooster. I saved you all. You have no Kanryu to worry about anymore. I�ll even get rid of his body for you. My men will arrest the army, and once all this is cleared, you can go on with your boring lives.� Saitou turned to walk away, when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, and saw that it was Sanosuke. �What do you want? I have important matters to take care of now. Make an appointment with my secretary if you have anything else to say to me. I knew none of you had it, to kill Kanryu. I thought that I would do you all that favor.� Saitou turned away so that his back was to everyone. �Get that weak little hand off me, unless you want it to come with me to my office. I�m sure that you will need it for your journey to Yokohama.� Sano was taken aback. �Yokohama? Why would I go there?� �That is where you will find your Fox. She has taken shelter with a doctor, and his family. She helps out in his clinic, but since she is a stranger, she is not trusted to treat any of the patients.� Saitou shrugged off Sano�s hand, and made his way to the gate of the Dojo. �She�s not happy, but I�m sure that if you keep wasting time, she�ll be shacked up with some rich, handsome fellow, and she won�t even remember why she left Tokyo to begin with. Rooster Boy. I suggest that you run to Yokohama.� With that said, Saitou sauntered away disappearing quickly among the forest. Sano looked after him, inwardly thanking the wolf. He�s not such a bad guy after all, Sano thought to himself. He turned and noticed that everyone, including Aoshi, had curious expressions on their faces. Sano knotted his brows together not understanding their silence. Then Kaoru stepped forward and asked what they all wanted to ask. �Uh, Sanosuke? When did she become YOUR Megumi?� * * * * * * �A fight in the town square? A stranger beat Ake, Okanosuke, and their gang? Is this true? How strong can he be?� Dr. Fujina said, going into the other room to speak with the messenger in private. Megumi was filling a basin with warm water when she overheard the conversation. A fight in the town square. It�s probably, Sanosuke, she thought to herself, and then she giggled at such a foolish notion. A fight reminds me of that Baka, Chicken head. She sighed deeply, But I do miss him. She heard the commotion now. �Put Ake, and Okanosuke on these beds. Bring the others in one by one. Be careful with them. Oh, and that one. He�s the cause of all this trouble. I can�t let him die, but I will not treat him.� She heard gasps of alarm. �Then who will?� Megumi heard footsteps coming, then the knock on the door. Dr. Fujina came inside. �Megumi-san, I require your assistance. We have a lot of patients out there who need my immediate attention. Since you are a doctor, I am going to have you examine one of them. He is a stranger, and he is rather a gruff individual. I am sorry to put this burden upon you. I know you will do all that you can to aid him. I would not have been able to do it myself.� Megumi looked at Dr. Fujima, a disturbed expression clouding her face. His cheeks colored slightly, from his shame. �I am sorry. For such a statement, I should not be privileged with the title of the town doctor. I am letting my prejudice cloud my judgment, but I am angry that he had the nerve to commit such an atrocity in my town. How dare he set foot here, and attempt this. I am sorry, but this I cannot forgive. As soon as he is better, I will see to it that he is banished far away from us.� Dr. Fujima turned to the direction of the door. Megumi turned away, and prepared herself for work. She heard the shuffling of footsteps, and the dragging of a limp body into the room. When she heard them all leave, she turned around to face her patient. �Oi, Fox you�ve wandered far away from home.� Megumi�s knees went weak, at the sound of that voice, and she felt herself sinking to the floor. She stared at him as he stood before her. His mouth spread into a wide grin, as he winked at her. �Is that where the examination is going to take place?� Megumi blinked in disbelief. How did he find me? she thought. She watched as he opened up his jacket. His grin turned into a wicked smile. �I guess I�m gonna have to undress for that, right?� That statement made Megumi rise quickly to her feet, and turn her widened eyes to the door. �Sanosuke!� She looked at him again noticing his wounds. �You�re hurt.� Sano shook his head, and waved her words away. �They�re just scratches. You should know me by now. Those ladies did nothing to me.� �Your hand is bruised again.� She took his swollen hand and rubbed it gently between her palms. The ripped bandages gave way so that she now felt his rough, callused skin. He closed his eyes, savoring her touch. �Anything to see my Megumi. I had a long trip. I wanted a room to stay in, and the manager at the local inn, refused to give me one because he didn�t like the Kanji on the back of my jacket. And well, you know the rest.� �How did you find me?� she asked. �It�s not important. I�m here to take you back. I want you with me, always.� Megumi, felt tears well up in her eyes. She felt his bruised fingers grip her chin, and tilt her head up, so that he could gaze down into her face. �You don�t have to worry about Kanryu anymore. He�s gone. For good.� Megumi gasped in disbelief. She pulled herself free from his hold. �Sanosuke, you didn�t-?� He shook his head. �I didn�t. Someone else did. Kanryu had a lot of enemies. Not a very popular guy.� Megumi looked to the floor, and shook her head slowly. �He went after Kenshin, didn�t he? He went to the Dojo and attacked them anyway. That monster! I am so stupid!� �Megumi, stop. There was nothing that you could do. You warned us that he was lurking about, and we took care of it. I must admit, I did want to kill him. I wanted to make him suffer the way he made you suffer all of those years you spent with him. It pissed me off to find out that he wanted you to go back to his abuse. But you don�t have to worry anymore. He�s gone, and to be honest I�m not sorry at all. What I am sorry for, is not making you talk to me before any of this happened. I never wanted you to feel that I couldn�t protect you. You didn�t feel safe with me. I�m here to tell you that I won�t let you feel that way again.� Sano wrapped his arms around Megumi, and pulled her into his embrace. She sank into him, pressed her face against his chest and cried. Sano kissed the top of her head. �Oi, Fox. Don�t ruin your face with all of those tears. Everyone at home will think that you�re not happy to see them.� Sano made her look up at him. �I really am sorry, Megumi.� he said softly. Megumi, smiled up at him through her tears. �Don�t be. I should apologize to you. I should have had faith in my Baka Chicken head.� �You call me that again, and I�ll leave you here with that old fart, they call a doctor,� Sano said, looking at her through narrowed eyes. Megumi quickly stopped crying, and soon enough she had her fox ears sticking straight up. �That old fart wants you out of here as soon as I make you feel better. You still want that examination?� �Oi doc, I�m getting jealous. Do you follow this procedure with all of your patients?� �Only with the ones who never pay me,� Megumi said pulling Sano to the door. �Let�s go before, Dr. Fujima decides to check in on us.� Sano followed her into the street, and allowed her to lead him onto the main road. �Are you going to examine me on the way to Tokyo?� he asked sliding his hand under the fold of her kimono. Megumi felt the hand trail up and down the flesh of her thigh. She turned to Sano, and gazed at him wantonly. He actually became nervous, feeling an erotic tension churn within him, and then he sank down to his knees in a delirium when she declared, �Sano get ready. I�m going to examine you all the way to Tokyo.� -MKasshoku Fanfiction Archive Main Page |