From: "Tin Mandigma" Hello, minna-san ^_^ Uh, so sorry if I haven't been commenting at all ^^;; I still have to catch up on last month's fanfics... Too much school and too little time ^_^v Anyway, here's the first half (more like three-fourths actually) of Road 11. It's kinda long. I'm still re-writing parts of the last scene. I'm glad I can finally wrap this story up (prolly by Part 13 ^_^.) Thank you very much to Rissa, Jan-san, Serizawa-san and Tatsuko-san for the encouraging comments :) A Road Less Traveled by Tin Mandigma ------------------------------------------------------ This is a Rurouni Kenshin-inspired fanfic written entirely for entertainment purposes only. Standard disclaimers apply. ------------------------------------------------------ 11: Matters of Intent (rough draft 12/11/99) Megumi wiped her brow tiredly as she emerged from Kozue's room, one hand clutching a basin of lukewarm water tightly to her chest. It had taken nearly two hands of time before Kozue could sleep without breaking out into hoarse screams and intermittent crying. She had also been feverish, which hadn't helped matters any. Megumi shuddered as she remembered the sight of the spiritualist's pale and tortured face, eerily glinting with sweat and tears in the firelight. She could only guess at the true extent of Kozue's horror, knowing only that it could never be less than her own. But Kozue had faced her fear bravely, Megumi told herself, as if in consolation. But... She took a deep trembling breath as Kenshin's words came back to her: 'At what cost?' She walked slowly down the well-lit length of the hallway, her thoughts in turmoil as she reviewed the afternoon's events. The 'exorcism' hadn't taken long, two to three minutes at most, but every scene in her mind had fleshed out, stretched to cover even the tiniest details, each heartbeat of a second, so that the memory seemed terrifyingly larger than life. She stumbled a step, and droplets of water splashed on her bare arm and leaked their way down her clothing, dampening it further. She absently tightened her grip on the wayward basin. The cost had been great, she acknowledged to herself in misery. And yet... The sound of voices raised in loud conversation assaulted her ears as she took a turn down a dim corridor and she sighed in mingled exasperation and dread. During the silent nerve-wracking ride back to Akiko's house, with Kozue clutched firmly against her shoulder and the others' horrified eyes staring blankly back at her, one question had tormented her own frightened mind, screamed loudly for justification: Was it worth it? She raised her head sharply as the sound of murmured words drifted through the dimness, growing louder with each step she took forward. Megumi's eyes darkened but she didn't stop, ignoring the warning ache in her chest as she approached their rooms. Light filtered out through the barely-closed shogi screens, illuminating the figures seated within. "I don't know... maybe we should... stop this... but we've gone too far... Kaoru-dono, I don't--... we can't give up now..." Words which made no sense but which were painfully clear to her nonetheless. Megumi hesitated for a moment, wondering if she could stand another--she sighed--discussion on what they had seen, to devise explanations and excuses without screaming with frustration and fear. She could sense the terror lurking in her subconscious, taunting her: Anytime now... Her jaw set. 'I will not break.' "I really don't know why I did it... I'm sorry. It' just that... The situation struck me as somewhat, well, ridiculous--" What *were* they saying? She reached out and slid the door open. The conversation stopped immediately as everyone turned to look at her. Kenshin leaned against the wall directly fronting the entrance, his arms crossed, his violet eyes gleaming contemplatively. Kaoru stood beside him, her initial surprise giving way to a faint smile at Megumi. Yahiko hunkered down on the floor, next to a visibly upset Akiko. Megumi cleared her throat. "I was just checking..." She faltered. "Is--Is everyone all right?" Kenshin watched her for an unnerving moment longer, and then he smiled, though lines of weariness etched his pale face. "Of course, Megumi-dono," he answered softly. "And Kozue?" Akiko asked. Megumi glanced at her and tried to force a smile of her own. "She's sleeping," she murmured as she slid the door shut behind her. She put the basin down on the floor with a hollow thunk and sat down beside Akiko. "Please continue," Megumi added. "I didn't mean to interrupt." "It's OK," a deep rough voice said slowly. "I was just apologizing to everyone for my--behavior earlier." Megumi looked up quickly. Sano stood in a corner of the room, adjacent to Kenshin, his hands shoved deep into his pockets in a characteristic pose. He looked up and met her surprised gaze with a wry grin. "What? Come to reprimand me, too?" Her breath choked in her throat as the terror threatened to burst forth. She could still see him, standing in the middle of the Room, his brown eyes gleaming in the darkness, laughing... She had thought she would faint but somebody grabbed her again-- Yahiko? Kenshin?--and pushed her out into the hallway where Kaoru had clutched her arm as they ran frantically out of the house, Akiko clinging to them both. The rain had started to pour then, she remembered, and they had stood, helpless, as moisture drenched their clothes, increasing their trembling to near-paralyzing proportions. She had only been dimly aware of climbing inside the carriage but she could distinctly recall peering out of the small side window, her gaze searching the house, wondering, afraid... And then Yahiko dashed out, the sleeves of his gi flapping in the wind like drenched wings. Kenshin followed, taking a few steps forward before glancing at someone behind him. Megumi had turned away when she'd caught sight of Sano striding out of the house, dark hair plastered against his forehead, red headband falling onto his face like a solid drop of blood. Dimly, she heard Kenshin shouting something out to the driver and then the carriage rolled away slowly. She'd refused to look back, to make sure... "Fox?" Sano said softly. She flinched inwardly at the worry in his voice. 'He's all right, Megumi,' she told herself fiercely. 'He's all right.' She cleared her throat and tried to smile. "What?" He gazed at her silently, his eyes dark, and Megumi felt her smile waver. It nearly disappeared altogether when he murmured, "Are you OK? You look exhausted. And--" he tilted his head to one side, the movement anxious, almost child-like. "--scared." Megumi swallowed with an effort, her heart pounding, wondering frantically why he was talking like this, as if he didn't really know... "I'm--" "Hell, Sano, you laughed your head off while that--that *thing* tried to shock us all into the next life and you're asking *her* if she's scared?!" Yahiko interrupted loudly. "What do you think?" "I didn't mean it, OK?!" Sano yelled back, his jaw tightening. "I already said I was sorry!" Yahiko reared up from his sitting position, his fists clenched. "Oh yeah?! Even when you knew it took a lot out of Kozue-san to stand up like that for us?! That the effort could have killed her?! Or that Kaoru was there and that It could have grabbed *her*" he rasped hoarsely. "How could you have been so--so insensitive?!" Sano paled. "But I--I didn't--" "Sure," Yahiko sneered. "You gonna tell us now you're possessed, too?" Megumi felt a shudder run through her. She glanced at Sano, and winced when she saw his face. He was staring at Yahiko, his expression one of hurt warring with painful self-accusation and guilt. She had seen that look before, she thought numbly. Yesterday afternoon at the Shizukus' kitchen when he had almost-- She felt his gaze on her downbent head, and she knew he remembered, too. --raped her. "Yahiko, that's enough," Kenshin said quietly, warningly. "But Kenshin--" the boy protested. "I said 'stop it,'" Kenshin cut in coldly, his face set and hard. "This is no time to fight, or to blame others. We have to work together." He glanced at the still silent Sano and his expression softened slightly, though his violet eyes remained guarded, watchful. "Sano has apologized. Let's leave it at that." Yahiko scowled for a moment, glaring at Sano. The other man didn't say anything, only returned his angry look with one of blank contrition. It was enough to exasperate Yahiko into apologizing, however ungraciously, as well. "Fine," he muttered. "I won't say anything about it again." He shot an angry glance at Kenshin who only raised an eyebrow. "And I'm sorry for speaking to you like that," he choked out. "I was just kinda--shocked that you would, uh... Forget it." Sano cleared his throat. "Sure, it's OK, kid. I would have done the same thing. It was probably unnatural, huh?" he laughed shortly. Megumi flinched instinctively. The last time she'd heard Sano laugh... "I wasn't shocked," Akiko said crisply. "I would have expected nothing less from you, Sano." "Yeah? What?" the person in question snarled. "To laugh in the face of danger, what else?" Akiko returned dryly. Megumi was surprised she still had the strength to laugh. But laugh she did and if her laughter was tinged with just the slightest hint of hysteria, no one noticed. Or at least they all pretended not to. "And I had expected that *you* would turn this entire fiasco into *another* laughing matter, Aki-san," Sano retorted. "We have more in common than I thought," he finished bitterly. Akiko's face sobered. "Don't beat yourself up over it too much, Sano," she said gently. "In hindsight, the situation was so terrifying it was ridiculous. Chased by a bunch of shadows..." She shook her head. "It's just too incredible, even if I'd actually seen it myself. I remember telling myself I was just dreaming, back at the house." "We shouldn't have dragged you and Kozue-dono into this mess in the first place, Aki-dono," Kenshin murmured. "I'm sorry." Akiko waved her fan dismissively. "Don't worry about Kozue. She needed the first-hand experience. And she knew what she was doing. She'll be fine, like Megumi says. And as for me, it would take a lot more than a walking fog to scare me off," she finished bluntly. "I appreciate your concern, Kenshin, but your hair'll turn black first before *you* could charm this old woman into retreating like a senile coward. Got that?" "A lady she isn't," Sano muttered, ducking instinctively as a fan hurtled at him in full razor-cutting speed. Kenshin smiled. "I wouldn't dream of *charming* you, Aki-dono," he said politely. "The walking fog, as you termed it, would probably be more receptive of my attention." Yahiko grinned. "Think you could succeed where Kozue-san has failed, Kenshin?" Kaoru spoke up. "Why *did* she fail?" She looked contemplative, almost oblivious of her surroundings. Her blue eyes gazed at them intently but they held a distant expression, as if a part of her was still trapped somewhere else... Megumi hurriedly brushed the thought away. "What do you mean?" Kaoru shrugged, a bit uncomfortably. "It's just that, well..." She took a deep breath. "I really believed it would work, you know? I'm not an--an expert in supernatural matters but, from what we've all seen and experienced, I think that an essential part of any religious ritual, even perhaps more than the process itself, is faith. Belief." A trailing end of her ribbon flattened itself across her face and she tugged it away absently, impatiently. The familiarity of the gesture was oddly reassuring. "Kozue-san knew and believed in what she was doing. It was just so *powerful* at first. I was so sure that the ritual would do something, anything to that--that 'thing,' as Yahiko called it. But nothing happened." She frowned and bit her lip. "Maybe what Kozue-san did wasn't enough. Or--or--" "Or maybe nothing was *supposed* to happen at all," Kenshin finished reflectively. "What do you mean?" Akiko asked sharply. "If you're implying that Kozue was--" Kenshin shook his head emphatically, silencing her. "I didn't mean it that way, Aki-dono," he said softly. He turned to Kaoru. "I agree with what Kaoru-dono has just said. Faith *is* important in any ritual, religious or otherwise--" The doctor in her, steeped in the precise rationality and logic of science and medicine (or so she would like to believe), pushed itself to the forefront of her conscience in heated denial. She welcomed it wholeheartedly, glad to be able to *unsuspend* disbelief for once. "How can you be so sure?" Megumi asked skeptically. Kenshin shot her a look of surprise. She ignored it. "I think that 'faith,' especially in, like Kaoru said, 'supernatural' and 'religious' matters, only serves to rationalize, not to explain. In the process, facts are obstructed, lost in a haze of half-imagined truths." Kenshin gave her a bemused glance. "I would have thought that you'd be the last person to say that *now,* Megumi-dono," he reiterated mildly. "Especially in view of what we've all experienced. And I think that in this case, to merely explain would not solve anything. We need to rationalize in order to *understand.*" She flushed, both at Kenshin's answer and at Sano's amused appraisal, damn his eyes. "I never said that we could get rid of our ghosts by explaining them away, Ken-san," she retorted defensively. "Only that believing in them--and in ourselves--too much could result in drastic misinterpretation of the situation. Or skewed rationalization, whichever you prefer." She smiled wryly at Yahiko's confused frown. "In short, faith can be misleading." "Pre-cisely," Kaoru said slowly. "The problem with us is that we look at everything from our perspective, based on what *we* believe." Yahiko blinked. "Huh? What the hell does that have to do with anything?" "You saying we should think of our friendly neighborhood ghost as an *individual*, Jou-chan?" Sano inquired doubtfully. "Why not?" Kaoru countered. "If the spirit haunting the Shizuku house is indeed a ghost, then it had to be a human being before, right? It--he or she--lived within a pattern of experiences and feelings and beliefs once. We couldn't discover the whole pattern, not really, especially since the ghost--ghosts," she amended, "seem to be trapped in a fixed moment in time. But I'm sure we could work something out..." "Following your logic then, we could say that the exorcism didn't work simply because the ghost didn't *believe* in the ritual," Megumi said thoughtfully. Kaoru smiled. "I guess." Sano expelled a long-suffering sigh and turned to the silent Kenshin and wide-eyed Yahiko. "I get a feeling things have become much *more* complicated, thanks to Jou-chan's philosophical input." Akiko gave him a wicked grin. "I think you're just jealous, Sanosuke." "Hell, no!" Sano protested. Kenshin rubbed his cheek absent-mindedly. "You know, Kaoru-dono, I think you're right." "Kenshin," Sano groaned. "Now that I remember, Kozue-dono said something about the efficacy of a ritual as being dependent on the identity of its object," Kenshin continued. "So?" Yahiko mumbled. "Maybe the ghost just wasn't a religious person." Kenshin's eyes gleamed. "Or maybe--" There was a slight tapping sound and then the shogi screens slid open, revealing a slight woman dressed in a plain blue kimono. One of Akiko's servants, Megumi surmised. Akiko looked surprised. "What is it, Sayaka?" The woman smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry for the interruption, mistress, but Ichiro-san has come and he wanted to see you..." "Oh," Akiko smiled widely. "Please tell him to join us." Sayaka bowed and retreated into the hallway. Sano gave her a puzzled glance. "Ichiro-san? What's he doing here?" "I asked him to look through *his* family's papers," Akiko murmured. "They've been devoted retainers of the Shizukus for years, almost part of the family actually. Who knows? They might have some heirlooms, artifacts..." She waved her fan dismissively. "Those sort of things do accumulate." Sano snorted. "Of course. I keep forgetting you're one of 'em. *We* would never dream of asking Ichiro-san to snoop on his employers in the sly." He raised a mocking eyebrow. "Rank does have its privileges, ne, Aki-san?" Akiko's smug expression didn't waver in the least. "Sometimes, I really do think you're a first-class snob, Sanosuke," she said sweetly. Sano bared his teeth. "I suppose I should be properly grateful for that compliment." Akiko inclined her head graciously. "Indeed." Ichiro chose to make his appearance at that precise moment, putting a temporary stop to the verbal fireworks. And a good thing, too, judging from Sano's beleagured expression, Megumi thought amusedly. Ichiro bowed respectfully at Akiko and smiled at the others. "I'm sorry if I'm late. I was delayed by the thunderstorm." "It's all right, Ichiro," Akiko replied. "We were in need of new material, anyway. Did you find anything?" "A lot, Akiko-sama," Ichiro murmured. He looked nervous, Megumi observed. She wondered privately how Akiko had phrased her request for 'new material.' "And?" Akiko inquired expectantly. Ichiro shrugged eloquently. "Mostly pictures and pieces of embroidered cloth, plus scrolls and paintings... But they're all fairly recent, most of them given to my grandfather." Akiko's expression fell as Sano shot her a triumphant glare. "But I *did* find something which I thought you might be interested in," he continued hurriedly as he rummaged inside the rucksack slung on his shoulder. Megumi saw Kenshin straighten from his lounging position, his expression tense. She glanced at Kaoru, troubled. The girl returned her stare with mild curiousity before inclining her head towards Ichiro who was holding what seemed like a package wrapped in layers of silk and paper. "What the hell is that?!" Yahiko burst out loudly. Ichiro sat down on the floor and placed the object in question carefully in front of him. "I found it among my father's things," he muttered as he gently peeled away strips of cobweb-ridden cloth which clung to his hand stubbornly. He shook them away, intent on his task, and his expression brightened as he removed the last layer of covering. "Here it is..." Megumi propped her weight on her hands and knees as she leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she tried to see clearly in the dim firelight She blinked in surprise as the outlines of Ichiro's find started to make sense to her. A broad expanse of what looked like old leather, edged with faded gold trim; the rustling sound of tattered but heavy pages; a glimpse of black figures, etched starkly against a yellowed background... "It's a book!" "What?!" Sano snapped, bewildered. Kenshin walked forward quickly and sank down on a seat beside Ichiro. "It is a book," he confirmed quietly as he brushed away the remaining particles of dust decorating the front cover. "A *very* old book." Sano and Yahiko gathered behind him, both looking hopelessly curious and trying to hide it. "And?" Akiko repeated, this time insistently. Megumi watched as Kenshin gingerly turned the cover, his expression one of intense concentration, before subsiding into bewildered incomprehension as he scanned the first few pages. "What is it, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked softly. Kenshin shook his head slowly and looked up at Sano and Yahiko who stared back at him blankly. "I--I don't understand... Ichiro-san?" Ichiro looked even more uncomfortable. "I was hoping *you* would make sense of this, Himura-san." Akiko scuttled towards Kenshin on her hands and knees and, despite herself, Megumi stifled a smile at the definitely unladylike position the mistress of the house had willingly assumed. "Aki-san..." Sano tutted disapprovingly. Akiko ignored him as she peered over Kenshin's shoulder. "What...?" she began confusedly. "It's in English...!" Megumi's eyes widened as faint memories of sitting beside her father while he conversed with his foreign patients in a strange unintelligible tongue swept over her. 'English,' her father had said, smiling at her frowning visage. 'I'm not really good at it but I do know a few phrases. It helps.' Kenshin glanced at Akiko sharply. "I thought as much, but I really don't understand this, Aki-dono." He proferred the open book for her inspection. Akiko duly squinted as she skimmed over the closely-written lines. Megumi saw her face darken, almost as if in alarm. Megumi frowned, wondering what had bothered the woman. She felt Kaoru crouch down beside her and take her arm gently. "Let's sit with them," she whispered. Wordlessly, Megumi nodded as she stood up. She caught a glimpse of a few words... letters, actually. Again another memory of her father, scratching something on a blank piece of paper. A-B-C-D... 'G-O-D,' she read slowly, instinctively focusing on a particularly short word. 'What in the world is that?!' "Aki-dono?" Kenshin questioned after a long silence. As if waking up from a long but fitful sleep, Akiko blinked and stared at him, looking faintly disoriented. "It's a Bible," she said. "A what?!" Yahiko said loudly. "You can't be serious," Sano inserted in the same time. "You mean the stuff those--those--what do you call 'em?--tote around all the time?" "Christians," Kenshin whispered. That hit her hard. Megumi heard Kaoru gasp as well as a faint protesting sound from Ichiro. "The Shizukus were Christians?!" she choked out in shock. "No!" Ichiro put in vehemently. "Not now anyway," Kenshin amended. He returned his gaze to the book. "But some of them were. A long time ago..." Akiko nodded slowly. "It makes sense, actually. This town belongs to the Shimabara district and it used to be part of the Amakusa fief." She sat back reflectively. "But I would never have thought... The Shizuku family has always been excessively loyal to those in authority." She glanced amusedly at Ichiro who pretended not to notice. "'Some of them were,' anyway." "Christians," Yahiko repeated slowly. "As in the Shimabara revolt?" "Well, yes, I suppose the two concepts are so closely related we tend to equate one with the other," Akiko replied, frowning. "The 'war,'" Megumi breathed. "But they're too far off," Kaoru said confusedly. "The revolt happened a long time before the house burned down. Around twenty years' difference, I'd say. Kenshin? What is it?" Kenshin looked mildly exultant. "Akiko-dono, what's this?" he asked pointing at a series of elaborate inscriptions on the front overleaf. Megumi drew in her breath as a couple of the inscriptions registered themselves on her befuddled mind, which wasn't strange in itself. The said inscriptions, executed in complicated kanji, were Japanese. Shizuku Hojo (1580- ) Shizuku Otaki (1600-1616) And then a huge black ink blot. "It's a family tree of some sort," Akiko answered. "A genealogical table. It's a sort of tradition in Christian families, I think. This must have been the family Bible." She turned to Ichiro. "It's a good thing your father kept this." Ichiro nodded. "He never threw anything away. I think that book was salvaged from the fire." "So Hojo began *this* tradition. And probably ended it, too." Sano said slowly. Megumi stared down at the elegant characters, wondering with a faint sense of awe who had written them with such painstaking care that they had endured the ravages of two hundred years of existence. Kenshin nodded absently. "The timing couldn't have been coincidental. In any case, there was heavy Christian influence during his time, as Aki-dono said. But he *was* most probably a convert, and the first in his family, besides." "And his wife," Kaoru said softly. "But she was so young!" "That wasn't very strange back then," Megumi commented soberly. "And Hojo being a close friend of the daimyo... It's a wonder he didn't get caught," Yahiko murmured. "The bakufu was against Christians, right?" "Yes," Ichiro supplied. "But in Hojo's case, well, I really don't think he was serious--" "Oh, he was serious all right," Akiko smiled slightly. "Come now, Ichiro, he even had a Bible! It's a rarity, I tell you. And how he managed to buy it, sneak it into his house, without anyone knowing... He was pretty devout, I'd say. And," she uttered in a strident tone as Ichiro opened his mouth to protest, "I'm not holding it against the entire family, all right? Your loyalty and position are still considered secure." Her voice suddenly sharpened, causing the unfortunate Ichiro to jump in his seat. "Kenshin? What are you doing?" "Just trying to see what's beneath this," Kenshin mumbled as he gently scratched the heavy black blot beneath Shizuku Otaki's name with his thumb. "Careful, Ken-san," Megumi cautioned, wincing as tiny pieces of paper scattered from the book and into the air with each movement of Kenshin's finger. "I'm not doing anything," Kenshin said with blatant untruth. A solid bit of ink abruptly stuck to his thumb and he paused. "Kenshin..." Kaoru said. "It's all right," he answered. "I think I've got it." "Got what?" Sano questioned. "Another name," Akiko whispered. Yahiko frowned as he peered along with the others. "I don't get it. The word's indistinct..." "No, it's not," Kenshin said quietly. He carefully scratched away another portion. "See?" Megumi narrowed her eyes. "Ma-ri-sa," she read slowly. She exchanged puzzled glances with the others. "Hojo had a daughter?" "Not just any daughter," Kenshin murmured reflectively. "She was born in 1616," Kaoru commented, her expression darkening, as if in sadness. "Her mother must have died in childbirth." "Hojo didn't marry again," Akiko said. "That's odd. A man of his stature--" "He had his daughter," Kenshin cut in. "He had Marisa." "What a strange name," Ichiro said. "I don't think any daughter of this family was ever named Marisa..." "Kenshin?" Yahiko asked, turning to the silent man sitting beside him. "What did you mean by 'not just any daughter?'" Kenshin sighed wearily, his eyes distant. "I didn't think any of you would recognize it but I came across it, once, as a nickname." "What?" Sano said, confused. "Marisa," Kenshin answered, his hand hovering above the characters which blinked up at him darkly in the dim light. "Misa." There was a long silence. And it was, as usual, broken by Sano who let out a piercing whistle. "I think he's got it..." The sound was so shrill it shocked Megumi out her stupor. She clapped her hands over her ears. "Sano!" she yelled. Yahiko rammed his elbow against Sano's ribs. "Then it must be Hojo whom Megumi and Kaoru heard, calling out Misa's name..." he said softly. Megumi shivered involuntarily at the memory of that haunting voice. "Why not?" Akiko replied, her eyes glinting. "A man, unable to get over the death of his only and beloved child. That may explain why Hojo's spirit could not let go of the house, because of the memories contained in it." "And how 'bout your walking fog?" Sano queried skeptically. Akiko shrugged. "Another part of Hojo, perhaps, the one which couldn't forgive Marisa's loss." "Is *there* any date of death for Marisa?" Kaoru asked quietly. Kenshin shook his head. "None," he answered in a nearly inaudible whisper. "So maybe she really *was* lost," Megumi murmured. "He wants to know what happened to her, to ask her to come back to him. He must have missed her so much..." Kenshin frowned fiercely. The sight was so unusual Megumi stared. "I don't think so," he said, the fierceness creeping into his voice. He indicated the book with an inclination of his head. "If you ask me, there's a lot of hatred in that ink blot." "Yeah," Sano conceded. "I mean if Marisa was really important to Hojo, why would he practically *erase* her from something which must have meant a lot to their family and, thus, from his life?" "She must have done something really wrong," Yahiko said with the gravity of one who has gotten into quite a number of scrapes himself. Kaoru smiled at him. "Or done something to displease Hojo so much." She shook her head as Yahiko opened his mouth to protest. "It's not the same, Yahiko." "Maybe she did fall into disfavor," Ichiro put in hesitantly. "And her father banished her. Afterwards, he regretted what he had done and wanted to ask her to come back but by then it was, of course, too late." He grinned ruefully. "It's not unknown among families, even rich ones." "Starting to get into our swing of things, eh, Ichiro-san?" Sano nudged him with his elbow. "Don't tease him, Sano," Akiko scolded. "So what *did* she do?" Yahiko asked. "Forbidden love?" Megumi burst out. She flushed as the others gaped at her. "It's not unknown," she defended lamely. "We-ll, the Fox does have a sentimental streak," Sano drawled. He grinned as she glared at him. "I was just hoping you could spare me some of your romanticism..." "That was great, Megumi," Akiko said eagerly. "A handsome young man. A handsome *poor* young man. Hojo forbade the romance but Marisa insisted on it anyway. She must have eloped. Father and daughter never saw each other again. Hojo died a broken man..." she sighed. "How's that?" Kenshin made a non-committal murmur. "Are you all right, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked worriedly. He looked at them, his eyes unnaturally bright. "I have a few ideas but..." "But...?" Sano prompted him. "We have to go back to the house." End of Part 11a Tomorrow, minna-san, along with my some end notes regarding spirit possession and exorcism in Japan :) --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- Register now and you could win a Volkswagen New Beetle at LiQ.com! 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