Part 7: Explosive Encounters
An hour before the first light of the day broke, Sanosuke awakened
to the sound of a knock at his door. He was slightly peeved at the loss
of sleep he could be having. Sanosuke didn't bother with putting on
his shirt. Whoever caught him, would catch him half bare. Either way,
it better be damned important. . .
"Sanosuke."
The soft voice of the doctor greeted him as he slid open the door.
He rubbed his eyes slightly, wondering if this was a mirage of some
sort.
"Megumi, what are you doing here at this time of the morning?"
Sanosuke asked, his voice taking on a slightly irate tone. "Shouldn't
you be getting some sleep?"
Megumi looked to her right, then her left. The street was utterly empty,
nothing but the misty dew of the impending dawn floating along the path.
Ignoring his question, she slipped past him into his home. Sanosuke
turned, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Megumi. ." he began, his deep voice intoning concern.
"You didn't stop by today," Megumi said softly. "It
was a strange day, wasn't it? I forgive you though."
Sanosuke arched an eyebrow, then grunted in some neutral response.
Megumi had her back to him, hiding the truth in her eyes from his view.
Something like this was unusual for Megumi, to come in the middle of
the night to his home.
"Upset I didn't come to take you home, Megumi?" he asked
curiously, innately knowing she missed him. He walked slowly toward
her, noting how hastily she dressed to get here. "You know you
shouldn't be out here at night alone. I told you about that before."
"Sano. . ." Megumi turned around, tears brimming in her eyes.
He was taken completely by surprise with this display of unabashed emotion.
"Megumi. .what is it?" he stood before her, tilting her chin
upward with his fingertips. "What are you crying for?"
"What have you done to me? Do you know what you've done?"
she asked rhetorically, enigmatically even.
"Stop talking in riddles! What is it?" he asked, grasping
her shoulders lightly.
She couldn't force the words out of her mouth. Ever since two months
ago, Sanosuke and Megumi had been secretly seeing each other. No one
suspected anything, not even Kenshin. Every night, Sanosuke would meet
Megumi at the clinic and walk the short distance to her home. It usually
was late, and not many people would be out in the streets, so no one
knew. But now, it was different. . .
"Sanosuke Sagara!" Megumi blurted out, gathering some strength
to tell him the truth. "You are going to be a father. . ."
For a moment, Sanosuke was speechless, not quite certain he heard correctly
what Megumi had just said. It played over and over in his head for a
minute. .
"You're going to be a father . . . a father . . . father. .
."
"Are you sure? How did. .FORGET how. .. I KNOW how. ." he
said, smiling to himself.
"Sanosuke!" Megumi exclaimed in shock. He had absolutely
no tact!
The funny moment turned quickly into a serious one. He realized how
much would change in their relationship now. They would have to come
public with it. Much to their chagrin. . .keeping it a secret was fun.
"Megumi," his hands caressed her cheek gently, "you
don't know how happy you've made me. . ."
"Sanosuke, I know you'll still be the same crass guy you you've
always been. That's what I love about you. I just want you do one thing
for me. . ."
"What's that?" he whispered something naughty in her ear.
He was quickly rewarded with a giggle and a slap on the arm.
"No, no silly! That's what got me here in the FIRST place! Oye!"
she shook her head at his silliness. "Just. . . please take care
these next few days, okay? Something terrible is going to happen. I
just know it. ."
Sanosuke leaned down to kiss Megumi deeply. His fingers ran through
her thick hair. . .he loved her hair so much. It felt so good in his
hands . . . Releasing her a moment to breathe, he gave her the much
awaited answer.
"Don't worry. Things will be fine. It will all work out. I have
faith in Kenshin, Megumi."
She nodded slightly, acknowledging his comment. At this point, all
Megumi would hope for was the best in this situation. Still, it was
nagging her.
"As long as you remember what you have waiting back home for you.
. ." she reminded Sanosuke.
"Believe me, Megumi. There's no way I could forget that,"
he said, rubbing a hand over the flatness of her stomach.
"Megumi. . .?"
"Sanosuke?"
"How much time do you have before you have to be at the clinic?"
"I was going to stop at the Dojo before I went to work, but I
don't have to be there until the afternoon. Why?" Sanosuke chuckled
to himself. That was just enough time to get more intimately acquainted
with that little one growing inside Megumi. That, and OTHER things.
. .
"Kenshin? Where are you?" a voice echoed through the halls
of the Dojo. There was nothing but silence. "Kenshin?!"
"God, Kaoru! Do you have to be so loud?" Yahiko opened his
door, peeking outside. "Yahiko! Kenshin's gone!"
"WHAT?" Yahiko's eyes opened widely, quickly awakening from
the half-sleep state he was in moments before.
Kaoru and Yahiko met halfway in the hallway, concern etched in their
expressions. It was early in the morning, the sun just rising not an
hour before. Normally Kenshin would have been up and about by now, but
for some strange reason, he was gone.
"Where could have he gone? Did he leave a note or anything?"
Yahiko asked.
Kaoru shook her head. She had a hard time sleeping that night after
his silent confession of love for her. It ran through her mind like
the unstoppable flow of the stream. Wherever he went, she knew she had
to keep her promise to him. Kaoru took a deep breath, closing her eyes
for a moment, then reopening them.
"Yahiko, after we eat this morning, we're leaving the Dojo."
"EH?! What the heck are you talking about?"
"Kenshin wanted us to leave the Dojo until this whole matter is
resolved. I have to agree with him. Matsumoto is going to be after us
too, if he hasn't already gotten people trailing us," Kaoru stated
matter-of-factly.
Yahiko gasped at Kaoru's reaction to leaving. Was there something wrong
with her?
"How can you leave the Dojo, Kaoru? Doesn't this place mean anything
to you anymore? Sure, they may be coming after us, but it's our job
to defend what's ours. Especially here!"
"My mind has been made up, Yahiko. That's the end of it,"
Kaoru said, turning around to the kitchen. She continued to walk down
the hallway, until Yahiko's words stopped her.
"I'm not leaving."
Making believe she didn't hear his words, she entered the kitchen.
Kaoru sighed audibly. She didn't want to leave the Dojo either, but.
. .Wait a minute, she thought, as she began heating some water. So many
of her memories were held in this place. Would it truly make sense to
run away? Wouldn't those bad guys find them anyway, if they really wanted
to? Kaoru was reconsidering Kenshin's proposal to leave. He may have
said that to protect her, not to prevent her from fighting. Since things
have changed between them, he was even more protective than before.
"I have to stay," she whispered to herself. "To fight
for what I believe in; to protect what is mine. . ."
In the meantime, Yahiko was highly upset. He sat on the floor outside
of Hiroe's room, thinking about what Kaoru. .no, what Kenshin wanted
her to do. Why would he do that? He, of all people, should know how
much the Dojo meant to Kaoru and him. Blinded by love, Yahiko thought.
"Yahiko, what's going on? I heard arguing out here a few minutes
ago," a voice from behind him asked softly.
Hiroe came out of the room, looking at the pensive Yahiko sitting on
the floor.
"Hiroe," Yahiko said, standing , "you've leaving."
"Huh?" a shocked expression came over her face. "Wha
-- what'd I do?"
"Kaoru's leaving the Dojo after breakfast. You're going with her,"
he declared.
"Wait, what about you? Aren't you coming with us?" Hiroe
grabbed his shirt insistently.
"No, I'm staying right here. Right here, " he repeated, as
if to remind himself.
The door in the front of the house opened, slamming against the wall.
Megumi stood in front of Sanosuke as they entered the house.
"Oye! Anyone awake?" Sanosuke shouted, his voice reverberating
through the halls.
"Sano!" Yahiko turned to look at his friend. "Kenshin's
gone!"
"What? When was this?" he moved closer to the young man.
"Damn it! How could he leave without me?"
Megumi gave Sanosuke a quick warning glance, which he caught in the
corner of his eye. Sanosuke knelt down before Hiroe.
"You feeling better this morning?" he asked softly. At her
nod, Megumi took her cue to check those bruises from yesterday.
"Come, Hiroe. A few of these bandages can come off today,"
she smiled at the girl. Hiroe went willingly with Megumi into her room
to remove some bandages. When the door slid closed, Sanosuke began to
speak again.
"Yahiko, when did he leave?"
"I don't know when," he replied, scratching his head. "Kaoru's
yelling woke me up. That's not even the bad part. . ."
"Bad part?" he asked curiously. "Kenshin told Kaoru
that she should leave the Dojo for her own good," Yahiko reiterated
what Kaoru told him. "I already told Kaoru I'm not leaving."
Sanosuke's eyebrows furrowed deep into his forehead. Kenshin's taking
this whole protection thing too far now. He knew how much the Dojo meant
to Kaoru.
"So you're staying, eh? Well, I wasn't going anywhere anyway,
either. Where's Jo-chan?" Sanosuke looked left, then right, hoping
to catch a glimpse of Kaoru.
"She's supposedly making breakfast," Yahiko started to walk
back toward his room. "Do me a favor, Sano. Tell Kaoru I'm going
out for a little while, and I'll be back by noon. It's not like she's
going to be here when I get back, anyway."
Yahiko turned to walk down the hallway, presumably to clean up before
disappearing for the remainder of the morning. He had to stop by the
Akabeko and see Tsubame. Since his encounter with Hiroe, he's known
that he must face the other female in his life at the moment. How he
was going to tell her about Hiroe, who knew.
Sanosuke strolled down to the doorway for the kitchen, finding Kaoru
hard at work, making breakfast.
"Don't work so hard, Jo-chan. It won't be that great anyway,"
Sanosuke said, laughing to himself.
"Sanosuke!" Kaoru looked up from the teapot she was filling
with hot water. "Don't scare me like that! I could have dropped
this hot water on myself. . ."
She looked over at the calm Sanosuke. Something was different about
him this morning. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. No matter.
There was no time to worry about what could be going on in Sanosuke's
head at the moment. Kaoru realized that she would have to face up to
the fact that she was about to break one of her promises to Kenshin.
"Yahiko told me --" Sano stepped into the room, starting
to speak, but Kaoru cut him off.
"I already know what he told you, Sano. Don't worry. I'm not going
anywhere. Kenshin was just being a little overprotective, that's all,"
she announced, placing the dishes on a tray. "Here, take this inside
for me, please?"
She handed him a set of trays on top of each other with breakfast inside.
It actually didn't look too bad for a change, Sano noticed absentmindedly.
"Oh, Jo-chan," Sanosuke remembered, "Yahiko went out.
Said that he'd be back by noon. ." Kaoru nodded, watching Sanosuke
carry the trays into the other room. Things would be difficult if Kenshin
knew what she was going to do. .
Everyone cleaned up quickly, then had their meals. Hiroe was looking
considerably better without the bandages on her arms and legs. She was
still depressed over what had happened the day before, but just patiently
awaiting the outcome of Kenshin Himura's confrontation with Ryutaro
Matsumoto. Just like everyone else was.
Immediately after breakfast was over, a knock sounded at the door.
"Visitors, this early?" Kaoru muttered, walking over to the
door. In front of her stood a young man with a tattered letter in hand.
"Are you Kaoru Kamiya?" he asked softly. He looked like he
was in a rush to get moving again.
"Yes, I am," she said, taking the letter from his muddied
hands as he held it out to her. "Thank you."
Without a word, the young man was off and running once again, presumably
deeper into the town. Kaoru closed the door behind her, opening the
letter. A name popped out of the letter without warning.
"Misao-chan?" Kaoru's eyebrows deepened into a frown. She
had written recently, but Kaoru didn't expect another letter so soon.
Something had to be wrong.
"Misao? The weasel?" Sanosuke smirked. "What'd she say?"
Skimming the letter quickly, Kaoru dropped the letter in shock.
"Kaoru! What is it?" Megumi asked, picking up the letter
from the ground, reading it for herself.
"Misao's coming to Tokyo," Kaoru turned away from the three
other people in the room. ". . . because of Matsumoto. . ."
Megumi wrinkled her nose. This situation was getting more and more
worse with each passing minute. How could one man have so many places
in uproar?
"Misao says that Matsumoto and his group have been terrorizing
the people of Kyoto for the past several weeks. She found out the connection
between Ken-san and Matsumoto," Megumi stated.
Hiroe's face was confused. Kyoto? Yokohama? Tokyo? What was he planning?
He had the gun, he had the people to do whatever it was, but. . .why
go after Kenshin when he had it all already? Hiroe couldn't understand
Matsumoto's greediness. All she could hope was that Kenshin would set
things straight, once and for all.
"If this date is right, then Misao should be here by tomorrow,"
Megumi said.
"Tomorrow?!" Kaoru exclaimed. "So soon. . ."
Megumi handed Kaoru back the letter. Excusing herself, Kaoru left for
the solace of her own room.
"Prepare for anything, Kaoru. ." she told herself, changing
from her lounging kimono into her fighting gear.
With Misao on the way, she knew a fight was about to ensue. There was
no avoiding it. She could only hope that Kenshin was having an easier
time coping with this than she was. . . .
Yahiko made his way down the semi-crowded streets of Tokyo to the popular
restaurant Akabeko. As usual, Tsubame, along with two other new girls,
were working hard serving food and drinks. The moment Tsubame laid eyes
on Yahiko, her gaze turned briefly to Tae. Tae simply smiled in answer
to Tsubame's unsaid question. She walked over to Yahiko, taking off
her apron, then stepped outside with him.
"Yahiko! I didn't think you would stop by today at all,"
her eyes glittered with happiness. Her smile was so bright and genuine,
he could help but smile back.
"Well, I didn't want you to think I forgot about you," Yahiko
looked down at his feet, muttering his words.
Tsubame chuckled. Yahiko tried SO hard to keep up that fearless image,
but he was just like her, a little shy but not afraid to take that little
chance at something more.
"What's going on at the Dojo? How is everyone?" she sat on
a bench just outside the restaurant. Yahiko followed suit.
"Well, Kenshin's going to confront Matsumoto. You know the guy
that's making our life hell?" Yahiko smirked at the words. "He
told Kaoru to leave the Dojo and stay with Megumi or Tae until this
whole thing was over. Can you believe that?"
Tsubame thought that strange. Kaoru was a strong fighter, even though
she was just a female. She could protect the Dojo, couldn't she? Was
there something that Kenshin knew that Kaoru didn't know?
"I guess you're going to stay at the Dojo, right? If I know you,
Yahiko-kun. ."
"You've got that right. I'm not going anywhere! They'll have to
carry my dead carcass out of that Dojo before I leave," he declared.
At Tsubame's wince, he immediately regretted his choice of words. "Sorry
Tsubame. It just upsets me, that's all."
"Mm. I know," she nodded, patting his shoulder. "What
about that girl that Sanosuke found?"
"How'd you find out about her?" Yahiko turned to look at
Tsubame curiously.
"Oh, Megumi-san stopped by yesterday evening and told us about
her. She was picking up something to eat before returning home."
"Well," Yahiko started, thinking there was no better time
than now to get out the truth. "I found out that I know her. Her
name's Hiroe. Before I was working for the Yakuza, my parents knew Hiroe's.
We became friends, practicing swordplay with each other."
Curiously, Tsubame wanted to know what she looked like. There was something
about this that was nagging her.
"What's she look like?" she asked softly. Knowing the comparison
that Tsubame was about to make, Yahiko chose his words as carefully
as possible.
"Hiroe's got long black hair, green eyes, just a little shorter
than me. That's about it," he shrugged.
Tsubame was jealous. She sounded so exotic. How could she compare to
her? Her slightly slumped shoulders gave her thoughts away.
"Aww, Tsubame! You're not thinking that I like her, do you?"
he asked, knowingly. He knew how insecure Tsubame could be at times.
"Well. . ."
"Hey, we're just helping her out right now, that's all. There's
nothing going on. I promise you!"
Tsubame made a cute little mewling face at Yahiko. He laughed at her
silliness, then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Yahiko-kun. . ." Tsubame pressed her hand to where he had
pressed his lips.
Yahiko simply smiled. The morning was moving along very quickly, making
Yahiko realize how much time was left before the duel. Things were moving
too quickly.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. I got these for you too," he said,
reaching behind him for the bouquet of flowers he picked along the way
to the Akabeko.
"Oh! Yahiko-kun! You didn't have to. . ." her voice trailed
off as Tsubame sniffed the light fragrance of the various blooms. "Thank
you. ."
"Only for you, Tsubame," Yahiko said, standing. "I have
to get going, all right? And you've got to get back to work too. . ."
Tsubame's head turned to the constant flow of people in and out of
the Akabeko's doors. Today would be a busy day. Tae would definitely
need her working full time.
"Yeah, I should go back . . ." she stood also, standing timidly
in front of Yahiko. The two young people looked at each other intently.
"Be careful, Yahiko-kun."
Nodding his response, he walked in the general direction of the Dojo.
He intended on returning and staying there. As Yahiko passed an alleyway,
he had the strange feeling that someone was watching him. Looking cautiously
around him, he found nothing to the naked eye. It wasn't his imagination,
but he couldn't do anything about it for the time being. He continued
walking to his destination.
In that same alleyway, a secret meeting was taking place between one
of Matsumoto's right hand men and the leader of the Tokyo group.
"Are preparations ready?" the mysterious man asked. His voice
was extremely deep and distinctive.
"Yes, sir. The group is prepared to put our lives on the line
to protect Japan," the Tokyo group leader proclaimed, bowing deeply.
"Matsumoto-sama is grateful your efforts. We couldn't do this
particular operation without you. Now, we start a half hour before sundown.
The meeting with the Battousai will be a perfect diversion to eliminate
the Kamiya Dojo," the man said softly, secretively.
"How will we activate the gun, sir? We don't have the specifications
on it," the leader asked.
Matsumoto's man took a few steps toward the wall. Enclosed in darkness,
he turned to face the Tokyo leader once again.
"Kidnap the girl."
"Understood, sir," said the bowing leader. "If you will
excuse me. ." The leader disappeared into the secret doorway behind
him. The plot was finally afoot. . .
It was one o'clock already. Where were these guys? Kaoru spent most
of the morning cleaning, but toward lunch time, she had the sudden urge
to go to the local shrine. Megumi and Sanosuke were still inside the
Dojo, watching over Hiroe. It was a good thing that Genzai-sensei decided
to keep the children with him today. He CLAIMED that things would be
light. What was really disturbing Kaoru was the fact that Kenshin still
had not returned by the time she left.
Walking the short distance to the shrine, she stood at the entrance,
simply gazing. Her father had taken her there on a few occasions, but
after he died, she didn't have any reason to return to the sacred place.
Until now. In her hand was her wooden boken, preparing for anything.
Matsumoto's men could be anywhere.
"Again. . ." she told herself. Was it truly possible for
Kenshin's past as the Hitokiri Battousai to just fade away, to not present
so many problems? Although they've all been dealing with it well, it
wasn't something married life would welcome.
Kaoru walked to the enclosed altar and bell directly ahead of her.
The shrine was very important to the Kamiya family, although much of
it had been lost with time. Several of Kaoru's ancestors were buried
here, along with the body of her mother. Although Kaoru's mother did
not live very long, just for those few short years of her life, she
made a heavy impact on her father and the way they lived. Her father
often talked about how her mother used to do this and that, saying that
Kaoru reminded him of her when she did certain things. She smiled at
the memories of her father. However, the impact of turbulent times made
life difficult. Returning to the present, Kaoru lifted a hand to ring
the massive bell. She clapped her hands twice, then fell to her knees,
praying.
After a few minutes passed, she felt the presence of another person.
Lifting her head to look behind her, she noticed a rather morose man
walking slowly toward the bell. He wore his raven black hair long, similar
to Kenshin's, but his was flying free, unimpeded by the queue Kenshin
usually held his hair in. The stranger was sporting a long katana in
a red saya, wearing it on his left side. As he came closer, she realized
just how much like Kenshin he looked like. Except one thing. It was
the green eyes the man had. They were so wondrous, so unreal. It reminded
her of Hiroe's eyes slightly, but these were much more complete and
bright. Kaoru turned her head back to the enclosed altar, lowering her
head. He came next to her, took off his katana and placed it next to
him as he knelt beside her.
"You don't mind sharing this space, do you?" he asked softly,
his voice gentle and deep.
Kaoru shook her head. It was a public place after all, a sacred place.
She returned to her thoughts of Kenshin, her family, both past and present.
All she could do is have faith in Kenshin. With that conclusion, Kaoru
picked up her boken and stood up. The man turned his head to look at
her briefly, then returned to his praying.
"Father," Kaoru whispered, "give me the strength to
get through this. Help the man I love. . ."
At those words, the stranger stood, facing Kaoru abruptly. He examined
her closely, but Kaoru stepped back away from this strange man.
"What? What is it? Is there something on my face or something?"
she put a hand to her face.
"No. Not on your face. In your face," he said, crooking his
head in question. "You say about the man you love. . ."
For some reason, it was extremely odd that this man was mentioning
such personal things to her. You don't just repeat what someone whispered
to themselves, she thought.
"I guess I did," she smiled. "It's written on my face,
you say? That's a new one!" she laughed. "Maybe these days
it is. ."
Kaoru crooked her head at the man. For some reason, she felt like she
could talk with him about being in love, or more specifically, in love
with Kenshin. Picking up his katana, he rang the bell twice, clapped
his hands, then turned to Kaoru once again.
"Love is good, girl. Something very hard to come by in this day
and age. It could be a once in a lifetime thing," he told her.
"Enjoy it while it lasts. . ."
He turned to leave the shrine when Kaoru stopped him.
"Sir! You say it like you've been in love before," she said
daringly. When he stopped and turned, she took in a sharp breath.
"I have. But I made mistakes that can't be forgiven. That's the
price and consequence of life," his sad green eyes told her. Something
told Kaoru that there was something more than just what he was saying,
but it certainly wasn't her place to press the matter. She didn't even
KNOW the man.
Not knowing how to respond to his comment, she remained silent. He
turned back to the road and began walking once again. What a strange
encounter, Kaoru thought. The sun was high in the sky, the wind blowing
lightly.
"Oh no, what if Kenshin came back to the Dojo. . .?" Kaoru
covered her mouth in half shock, starting to run out of the shrine and
down the road to the Dojo. The words of the stranger stuck in her head
though. . "Love is good . . . could be a once in a lifetime
thing. . " Once in a lifetime. . . .
The sound of battered bodies against pavement sounded in the still
air of the day. Sanosuke could only do so much against the forces of
ten men. It took five of those men to knock him out, gaining enough
time to achieve their goal. Megumi tried to sneak out of the Dojo via
the back entrance, but was quickly surprised by a man waiting there
for them. Megumi hid the scared Hiroe behind her back. Where was Sanosuke?,
she thought.
"You don't want me to hurt you, do you, cutie?" the greasy
man asked.
Internally shuddering, Megumi quickly looked behind her to find an
empty hallway. She backed up a few steps, then started running.
"Come on, Hiroe! Run!" Megumi told her. The two ran through
the house, discovering the half-conscious Sanosuke in the training hall.
"Me. .gu . ." his eyes focused on her in the distance. His
voice was too low for her to hear. Several men still held him captive.
Shadows crossed the room toward Sanosuke. All he could see was the
faint figure of a man. He must be their boss, he thought.
"Is this the one?" he pointed to Hiroe, still hid behind
Megumi. He received a nod from one of his men, then walked to Megumi.
"Give her up, woman. You're outnumbered and you can't defend yourself.
Give up," he warned her.
"Never. ." Megumi's eyes took on an unknown determination.
Her voice was unsteady as she said the words, but was rewarded with
a heavy backslap to her face. Megumi fell to the side, but held Hiroe's
hands even tighter. Hiroe was in such shock that all she could do was
wrap her arms around Megumi's waist.
"Megumi-san! Are you all right?" Hiroe asked softly.
"I'm fine, Hiroe. I won't let them take you," she vowed,
wiping a trickle of blood from the side of her lips.
"I have no time for this," the man grabbed Megumi by the
neck, lifting her from her kneeling position. Choking her, she grasped
frantically at her neck for air.
"NO!!" Hiroe screamed, grabbing the man's hands insistently.
"I beg you! Please, leave them alone. Please. . . .I'll go with
you. . "
The man chuckled, looking into Hiroe's eyes. Hiroe could tell this
man had nothing but malicious intent in mind.
"You were going to come with us, anyway, girl," he declared,
casting Megumi aside carelessly against the far wall. The man was obviously
unaware of his own strength. He grabbed Hiroe's hand, turning to the
exit. With a whistle, he signaled his men to retreat. Moments later,
they were gone. And so was Hiroe.
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