The characters of Rurouni Kenshin do not be belong to me. They are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, Sony, Media Blasters....yada yada, you know the drill =D
We had the right love at the wrong time "Hey, Jo-chan, any louder and they'll hear all the way in Kyoto," declared Sanosuke with a wide grin. "Don't you dare change the subject on me, Sagara Sanosuke! What do you mean you're leaving Tokyo?" The street fighter sighed, reaching back to scratch his head in a sheepish manner. "I didn't say I was leaving Tokyo. Said I was leaving Japan, actually," he mumbled, refusing to meet Kaoru's furious blue-green gaze. Sneaking a peek at the small man sitting quietly beside him, Sanosuke found a pair of violet orbs examining him intently. But before he could even begin to figure out what the rurouni was thinking, Kaoru's voice caused both men to turn their heads once again. "You can't leave!" she declared vehemently, pounding her fist on the table to emphasize her words. "You've been living off the Kamiya dojo for years, and you haven't even begun to pay me back for all the free meals you've gotten! Not to mention the fact that you haven't paid your tab at the Akabeko either!" Despite her bravado, both Kenshin and Sanosuke could tell that Kaoru was distressed. One of her most trusted friends had just decided to leave the country, and she wasn't taking the news lightly. "C'mon Jo-chan, I promise to pay you back when I get some cash," assured Sano patiently. "It really ain't a good idea for me to stay here anymore, especially since the damn authorities are after me now." Kaoru blinked in an attempt to hide the tears that threatened to overflow, but she bit her bottom lip and stubbornly refused to back down. "That's hasn't bothered you before, Sano. You've never been on good terms with the Meiji government anyway. You're part of our family, you can't just get up and leave us like this!" "Please calm down, Kaoru-dono," spoke up Kenshin gently, trying to inject a soothing note into his voice. "Do you mind if I speak to Sanosuke alone for a bit?" Kaoru glared at the rurouni menacingly for a long moment, wanting to shout at him for interrupting her tirade but finding it difficult to do so. Kenshin calmly stared back, a reassuring smile on his face. Letting out a defeated sigh, she nodded and began clearing the bowls from the table before heading back into the kitchen. As she exited the room, Kenshin turned back to his friend with a question in his eyes. "She's right, you know," he murmured softly. "There's something more behind your intention to leave Japan. I don't believe that a few threats from the police would cause the famous Zanza to turn tail and flee from the country like this." "So why do you think I'm leaving?" asked Sano dryly, silently cursing both the rurouni and the raccoon girl for being so damn smart. They weren't going to let him off the hook that easily, and he knew it. "Why don't you tell me?" Tilting his head to the side, Sano frowned at his sake cup as if expecting the clear liquid to reveal an answer that he himself wasn't quite sure of yet. "Have you ever felt that something was missing, Kenshin?" Violet eyes widened as they continued to peer at Sanosuke from behind a mass of red bangs. "Missing?" "Yeah." Sano took a long gulp of liquid before continuing. "Like there's something wrong with your life, but you have no clue what it is or how to go about fixing it." Kenshin nodded slowly, understanding very well how it felt to wander aimlessly, searching for the one thing that could make life worthwhile. Sano shrugged. "It's like there's a part of me that I haven't found yet. And that's why I'm leaving. To look for whatever it is that's missing in my life." The street fighter flashed a foolish, self-deprecating grin at his friend. "I know it sounds kinda dumb, but I can't think of another way to explain it. Never was the intelligent type, ya know." Kenshin remained silent for a long while, the penetrating violet gaze never wavering from Sanosuke's face. "Sano, does anyone else know about your decision to leave?" "Besides you and Jo-chan? Nobody. Who else needs to know?" He shrugged carelessly before taking another sip from the cup in his hand. "So you're saying that you haven't told Megumi-dono yet?" Sanosuke sputtered, choking on the last of his sake. Kenshin watched in amusement as his friend succumbed to a fit of coughing. "The Fox? Why would she care? She'd probably be glad to see me go! At least when I'm gone she won't have to fix up that damn hand of mine anymore." Sano grimaced as he pictured an image of the fox lady with her medicine bag, preparing to hit him over the head after another round of bickering. "Sometimes, Sano, we tend to overlook things that are right under our noses. Whatever you feel is missing might have been with you all along, but maybe you just haven't realized it." "I don't understand," muttered Sano tiredly. "But it doesn't matter, cuz I've made up my mind. You're wasting time if you're trying to convince me to stay, Kenshin." The rurouni's only response was a nod. Though Sanosuke could be reckless and foolish at times, Kenshin knew that combined with those traits was a will of iron. The man had made his choice, and trying to change his mind would be like hitting a static brick wall in hopes of getting it to budge. That one thought led to another, and memories flooded Kenshin's mind with sudden clarity, making him chuckle. "Remember when you told me that if I left to go wandering again without your permission, you'd find me and then kick my ass?" Sano nodded with a grin, the words still crystal clear in his mind. "Well, now its my turn to extract a promise from you," continued the rurouni with an answering smile of his own. "If you don't return to Japan, I'll definintely be the one to hunt you down and kick YOUR ass." "You bet!" Sano held out a hand which Kenshin grasped in a firm grip, both men sealing a promise that they knew would be kept. ------------- "Slow down, Kaoru! You're going to make us both trip and fall!" cried out Megumi as Kaoru tightened the grip on her arm. "Megumi, you don't understand!" Kaoru huffed as she continued to run towards the Kamiya dojo, which was just around the corner. "He's going to leave the country, and I think you're the only one who can make him stay! That's why I snuck out to get you, so you could knock some sense into that idiot!" Megumi skidded to a halt in front of the dojo gates, finally breaking free of Kaoru's hold. "And what makes you think he'll listen to me?" Kaoru turned back to stare at the young doctor incredulously. "If you can't do it, then who will?" "You're some piece of work, raccoon girl," murmured Megumi as she slipped off her sandals and stepped through the dojo's paper doors. "So I've been told." Kaoru grinned as she followed her inside, both of them stopping in their tracks as they found Kenshin and Sanosuke sitting at the low dinner table in comfortable silence. "Hey, Kenshin!" called out Kaoru, running across the room and hauling the unsuspecting rurouni up by the arm. "The fireflies are out this evening and I want you to come watch them with me!" "But Kaoru-dono!!! It's not even dark yet, and we won't be able to see any fireflies..." His voice trailed off as he took in the thunderous expression on her face. "I'd really like for you to come with me. Now..." Kaoru's voice hardened, dropping a few octaves as she glared at him threateningly, daring the man to refuse. A nervous Kenshin could only nod in assent and trail obediently after her, uttering a bewildered "oro" which caused Sanosuke to grin wickedly. "Damn, Kenshin's gonna have his hands full with her!" he announced merrily. "And to think that he used to be the feared Hitokiri Battousai." His laughter died as he noticed the woman standing at the door hadn't spoken at all since entering the dojo. Megumi continued to remain quiet as she settled herself at the table across from Sanosuke, her gaze fixed on anything but the man in front of her. An awkward silence ensued as both fumbled for the right words to say but found none that would improve the situation. Suddenly Sanosuke broke the ice. "So Fox, Jo-chan dragged you here, didn't she? She wanted you to convince me to stay." "She did." "Well, you don't have to bother, cuz nothing you say will change my mind. I ain't that easily pushed around." "I didn't think you were!" muttered Megumi in exasperation as she glared at the arrogant Rooster-head sitting before her. Why did the man always pretend to know what she was thinking? "I came here to see if it was true. Are you leaving Japan?" "Yeah." The one word made Megumi's heart sink, though she refused to allow herself time to ponder the reasons behind her reaction. "For how long?" Sanosuke stared at the doctor in confusion. She actually seemed upset about his decision, though he couldn't for the life of him understand why. The woman hated him, didn't she? "Not sure yet. Probably until I've seen all the places I wanna see." "Nothing will change your mind, will it?" asked Megumi softly as she raised her face to stare at Sanosuke's deep brown eyes, asking a question that she already knew the answer to. Sanosuke nodded, swallowing a lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "Then I only have one thing to say to you, Sagara Sanosuke. I wish you luck on your journey, and remember that the prayers of everyone here at the Kamiya dojo will always be with you wherever you go." Megumi smiled at him brightly before continuing, leaving Sanosuke at a loss for words. "Rooster-head, this will always be your home no matter how far away you decide to travel. I don't want you to forget that." Bandaged fingers slowly reached across the table, enfolding Megumi's hand in a gentle but firm grip that sent a shimmer of warmth across her arm. Though she stiffened, Sanosuke exalted in the fact that she didn't pull away. "Thanks, Fox. I appreciate that." "Oh, I almost forgot!" Megumi reached into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a circular object with a red pattern painted across the cover. Reaching for Sano's hand once again, she placed it in his upturned palm, gently folding his fingers around the medicine container. "Here, take this. I won't be there to patch you up anymore, and if I know you, you're going to be needing this." Sano blinked, recognizing the same medicine that had healed him after the fight with Anji in Kyoto. "And promise me that you'll come back in one piece, Rooster-head." "I promise," murmured Sanosuke quietly as he continued to cradle Megumi's hand in his. "And Sagara Sanosuke always keeps his word." ------------ "I don't understand, Megumi-san," spoke up Kaoru, her low voice laced with confusion. Crickets chirped softly as the two women stood on the dojo porch, watching Kenshin accompany Sanosuke to the gate. The dying sun reflected off the the street fighter's gi as the character "aku" swayed with his every movement. "I thought you liked him." "I do," was the quiet reply. "Then why are you letting him go?" Megumi turned to look at the younger woman standing beside her, and Kaoru was shocked to see her smiling despite the tears coursing down her pale cheeks. "Kaoru, people are like butterflies. You can't hold them captive in the palm of your hand forever just because you admire their beauty. They have to be free to fly. You can only set them free and hope that one day, they'll return to you of their own will." Megumi wiped her eyes and watched Sano's figure gradually grow smaller as he made his way down the street. Even though the two of them had chosen to walk in separate directions, she would hold on to the hope that their paths would cross again somewhere down the road. "Good-bye, Sanosuke," thought Megumi silently. "Until we meet again, take care of yourself."
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