From: "Tochi-san" A Bird With Broken Wings: part 1 By Tochi Disclaimer: *all standard disclaimers apply* Warning: *MAJOR* spoilers for the end of the RK manga. For anyone who does not want to know of certain happenings in the ending, I suggest you be reconsider reading this...just buy the manga, find out, then come back and read it. ^_^ _______________________________________________ Sanosuke was gone. Megumi slowly put the letter back down on the dresser and sighed softly. How long ago had that been? How long had she been keeping this letter? The thought bothered her and she slowly pushed it away from her as far as the table would go. No, she thought, no more... She sat on the floor surrounded by a flood of letters. She had never bothered to look at them after her arrival in Aizu nearly two years ago. The young doctor had put them aside in a safe drawer knowing that reading them would only make her feel even more guilty about leaving the others behind. Her decision was about renewal and self-discovery, not about going back. It was only until she knew she felt capable of herself and her new life when she could finally find the courage to face them. The answer was unexpected... Right after you left, Megumi-san, the police appeared to apprehend Sanosuke. He ran away from the police resisting arrest, then left the country. He said he wanted to see the world. But he told us not to worry, he'll take care of himself. Hopefully he'll find happiness in the new world. We wish him the best. All of us, Kenshin, Yahiko and I. We will miss him, as we miss you... Baka...Megumi closed her eyes and fell back upon the futon, letting a hand rest lightly against her brow. Her eyelids flickered gently and she let them fall shut with an aching sigh. How could he do this? How could he just leave them all behind? Go against his word? How could he betray her...? Her eyebrows furrowed in anguish. She admitted it. As much as it tortured her, she had to acknowledge her attraction to Sanosuke. But it was only an attraction, Megumi reminded herself. It was only because he had to be so goddamn sexy all the time! She had always thought herself way too smart to fall for any man purely because of masculine appeal. That just wasn't her. Her definition of a real man came from within. Kindness, intelligence, compassion, wisdom, respectabililty, decency...none of these quailties described Sanosuke. In fact, he was exactly the opposite. All muscle and no brain. All she had ever wanted from him was to go away. Crazy bastard... There was a light rap at the door and Megumi looking up slowly as it swung open a crack. Soft brown eyes and a sharp nose peered from behind the door. "Megumi is everything okay?" "Onii-sama..." Megumi quickly scrambled into a sitting position as the young man entered the room, setting down a tray of tea as he sat down on the futon beside her. Megumi cast her eyes down as he surveryed the morass of letters and boxes. Half expecting a short lecture on etiquette and dignity, she raised her eyelids just the slightest bit, instead, to see patient, sympathetic eyes rested on her. It loosened whatever tension she was feeling inside. He handed her a steaming cup. "You all right?" Megumi's fingers curled tightly around the delicate object as she stared blankly at the tea. "Yeah," came the obligatory answer. She wasn't too sure of herself to answer otherwise. She just hoped he wouldn't care. Or that she did. Takani Akiyoshi was five years Megumi's senior. A tall, sturdily built man with soft brown eyes. He was a quiet man. Straight forward and casual, yet wonderfully kind and insightful. And despite the obvious age gap, the two of them had been inseperably close as children. She, the fiery young girl he had found pleasure in comforting, and He, the first thing she saw when she first opened her eyes. What the ten years of separation did to their relationship was unsurprisingly limited, as they immediately picked up right where they left off at their unexpected reunion on the streets of Aizu. Akiyoshi himself couldn't have predicted this wonderful turn of events...although... He was still the same. She had changed. She had become jaded. Distant. Despondent. Seemingly strong and capable on the outside yet repressing a hidden lonliness within. How she could hold so many years of torment and affliction was beyond what he, as a man, could comprehend, and he felt both worry and great respect toward his little imooto-san. Whatever had come upon her during those years after the war Akiyoshi himself would never know, but he held her now, like he had done before as a child. She needed it then, and she needed it now. "Megumi," he murmured as she cradled her gently in his arms, "tell me what's wrong." Megumi sat unmoving in his embrace, neither accepting nor rejecting his comfort. She shook her head as she raised the steaming cup to her lips. "No," she answered. "There's nothing...I'm just...tired, that's all." The tea wavered gently under her nose. "I'll be fine...really." She faltered slightly as Akiyoshi's hold on her tightened. "You know you can't fool me Megumi," he chuckled lightly. "But if you don't want to you don't have to tell me anything..." "I'd like to, Aki," sighed Megumi. "It's just that..." It's just what? "I'm just a little confused myself I guess..." She turned to look at her brother. He scrunched his lips into a tight grin and nodded as if in understanding. Megumi smiled almost in spite of herself. She'd always loved it when he did that...the way Father used to do it... "Tell you what," he said giving her a little bounce like she was a baby. "Chikako-san and her friends are going out tonight. Why don't you take the night off and join them? I'm sure a couple hours of girl talk wouldn't hurt. If there's anything you need, I'm sure they'd only be too willing to help." Megumi swayed in hesitation, and exhaled deeply. "Alright," she said setting her cup down. "I'll do it..." Chikako-san was Aki's wife. Megumi had been thrilled to discover she had a sister-in-law, and was even more delighted to find that Takani Chikako was just as wonderful as Akiyoshi had described her to be. She wasn't a beautiful woman, but her strength in honesty and spirit went beyond any other woman that Megumi had ever known. Goofy and open-minded; the perfect blend of energy and bravado... Everything, Megumi thought resentfully, that she wasn't. "Megumi-san? Megumi-san...?" Megumi looked up sharply. Chikako was watching her from the opposite side of the table with her two friends, the distant murmur of the others at the restaurant merely a light buzz. "Oh, hai?" Megumi responded quickly feeling a bit embarassed with all the eyes on her. One of the other women, bluntly nicknamed Madam Long-Nails for her obvious lengthy fingernails passed Megumi a bottle of sake. "You've been awfully quiet this evening," she remarked in a throaty voice. "Aki tells us you've been fretting over some letter, is that right?" Megumi took the sake slowly and fiddled with the bottle as she pursed her lips, contemplating her thoughts carefully. Finally she spoke up, her voice boiling in frustration. "My friends from Tokyo sent a letter a while ago and apparently this guy I used to know is no longer in this country." She made a low muttering noise as she took a quick swig from the bottle. Chikako's face lit up in interest. "This guy--?" "Idiot that used to hang around their dojo," snapped Megumi. "I know I shouldn't care but I do and I'm angry and frustrated and I don't know what to do." She folded her arms across her chest and heaved miserably. The other lady, a thin preppy woman, named Squirrel by her peers, raised a wiry finger. "Well then, good riddance," she squeaked. This comment seemed to bother Megumi some and Chikako spoke up kindly. "So you-" "You hate him?" Madam Long Nail cut off Chikako with the shamelessly crude question. "No I-I...I don't really-hate him...No I mean I do...I just..." Megumi struggled making gestures with her hands. "You like him?" "NO!" Megumi brought down her hands with a bang upon the table, startling the entire restaurant, all eyes turned to look at a very flustered Megumi. She quickly recomposed herself, blushing furiously as the attention slowly drifted away. Squirrel glanced around and quickly dabbed at the spilled tea with her napkin. Madam Long-Nails raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really honey, what is it then?" Megumi shook her head. "I-I don't know..." she answered. "He's such a pain...always getting into trouble, so I can't help but worry about him. I--You should see his hand!" She emphasized the last comment with a quick show of the back of her hand. "Big ruined piece of flesh," she muttered. "Never takes care of it no matter how many times I tell him..." "I see..." The only answer Chikako could think of saying. "And I treat him for free!" Squirrel piped up. "Maybe it'll make you feel better if you just tell him how concerned you are-" "He's out of the country." "Oh yeah..." The four of them sat in silence for a brief moment. Then a mischievious grin spread across Madam Long-Nails' broad face as she raised her gaze to Megumi's solemn face. "Is he cute?" "Oh Gods yes," Megumi gushed longingly in spite of herself. She smirked and dangled the sake bottle casually before her mouth. "Big idiot that he is," she murmured and took another swig. "So you're kind of attracted to him...but you don't want to be," Chikako mused. Megumi nodded sadly, a strangled sob caught in her throat. Madam Long-Nails sighed. "Men can be such dogs," she remarked coolly. Megumi snorted. "Damn right..." Chikako sweat-dropped slightly and carefully took the bottle from Megumi's grip. "You better let me have this before you get me in trouble," she said sheepishly. Squirrel twitched slightly, then offered an opinion. "Maybe you should write him," she chirped. "Tell him how you feel." "I feel nothing," groaned Megumi. "I told you, I have no real feelings for him...just a bit attracted, that's all..." That's all, she repeated to herself. I admit it, isn't that enough? "Then forget about him," was Madam Long-Nails' simple reply. "God knows I've met many a man that didn't deserve a second chance. Got rid of 'em, just like that." She snapped her fingers. "If you want to be happy I suggest you give 'im the cold shoulder and get on with your life. You don't need him, he's history." Megumi froze. Get rid of him? The words echoed in her head. And since when did he affect me enough to force me to rid myself of him...? Sanosuke was always there but did he...She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes. No, Madam Long-Nails is right. Whatever the reason she was becoming so bothered about this she couldn't let it control her. She didn't love Sanosuke, that she knew in her heart of hearts clear as the summer day. She had never loved him and there was never a reason to either. But in any case whatever it was it was making her miserable and depressed. If Sanosuke had ever unintentionally hurt her, this time it he had done it for good. So it's settled. She was going to get over it. No, better yet, she was going to destroy it. Before Megumi could reply, a sudden jolt of her chair prompted her to jerk forward, cutting off air supply as the table edge dug into her stomach. "Mou!" Megumi groaned through quick gasps of breath and whirled around-to stare directly into a pair of limpid blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. Nani...? The color of the summer sky... "Whoa, excuse me," came a clear distinct voice. Megumi blinked twice as the sky-blue eyes quickly expanded into the full figure of a young man...one of fair skin and hair like the color of bamboo shoots... A white man. As Megumi watched, fascinated, the white man stooped down and began gathering the papers and folded documents littered on the floor. He snuck a quick glance out of the corner of his eye to the dark-haired young woman sitting beside him. "Um, look I'm really sorry," he said in a slightly offhand way. "I'm in a rush so you really have to excuse me. I'm a busy man, I tend to do this." He spoke perfect Japanese... "You..." Megumi began and let out a quick intake of breath as she noticed a tremendous gash in the side of her kimono. "You ripped it..." "Huh?" He looked up quickly, silken bangs jerking up. He saw the damage that was done and let out a loud exhalation. He looked as if he had just stepped in a pile of dog waste. "Ummm...crap...jeeze, I'm really sorry..." He scrambled to his feet, stuffing the remainder of the papers into his cloak hastily. "You know I..." He flashed a Megumi a sheepish look between fistfuls of paper. She looked so pale...so confused and...sad. He knew it wasn't just because of him but still...he couldn't just leave her like this. Megumi's eyes had drifted to the floor, her face an expression of exasperation . Just her luck. As if things hadn't already been bad enough today. She was just too tired to think anymore...She could've just burst sitting there waiting for that foreigner to say something. Anything, she screamed inwardly. Say anything then go away... The soft weight of his hand on her shoulder caused her to wake up instantly. "Hey, you all right there?" his voice was more sympathetic, less hasty than before. Megumi swallowed and nodded numbly. "H-hai," she answered in a little voice. "Just...had the wind knocked out of me. I'll be okay." He smiled. "Okay then. If you need me to do anything-" "It's okay. I'll be fine...really." His smile broadened at the improvement in her voice. She'll be okay... "All right," he nodded in satisfaction, slipping his hand off Megumi's shoulder to the leather briefcase at his foot. "Well then I'll be off now. Sorry about the inconvenience." "No problem." The words came easily out of her mouth. She was no longer angry. Strange how a simple touch could change everything... With a brief nod, the Englishman left the table, looking back over his shoulder once at Megumi, raising an arm in a quick gesture of good-bye as he dashed out the restaurant door, golden locks glinting softly under the light of the moon. Chikako let out her breath in a rush "Did you see that?" She gushed excitedly. "Tell me your man looks better than that guy," Madam Long-Nails gushed loudly. Squirrel's girlish twittering resonated in the background as Chikako and Madam Long-Nails chattered on excitedly, much to Megumi's embarassment. She sat in silence as they babbled on for a few minutes, her mind going through the day's events in rapid succession. Everything had happened so quickly...the letter...the talk...the kimono...One after another the events had served to confuse and bewilder her. A cold sick feeling crawled up her skin as she thought about how Sanosuke would react to her ordeal... He'd laugh at me. But never mind, because within a couple hours none of this would matter any more. Finally she stood up, swinging her bag over her shoulders in one proud, swift manner. The others glanced up at her curiously as a large grin spread across the doctor's face. "You know," she said boldly. "You're right guys. I should get over him and forget he ever existed." She balled up her fist and shook it triumph. "I don't need that dork, and to prove it, I'm going to change the way I live my life." Chikako looked at her questioningly. "What?" "I'm going to stop being bitchy ol' Megumi. I can't live like this anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'm a new woman. One that does not know the name of Sagara Sanosuke." She turned and headed for the door. "And how are you going to do that, my dear?" Megumi paused, hesitating for a moment, then turned to the other women with a resolved expression on her face. "Well, to start it off," she replied, giving them a short wink-- "I'm cutting my hair." End of Part 1 My sincerest thanks to Angela-chan for doing such a great job of proof-reading this for me. Really, without your honesty and thoughtfulness this would still be the horribly misspelled, gramatically challenged, choppily written thing it was before. Arigato Gozaimasu! Tochi-san ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- Finding a sweetheart is hard work. Shopping for one shouldn't be. Click here for Valentine Surprises. 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