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Light of the Snow Red Village:
Part VI - Flickering Shadows: Pine of Winter - Chapter 6

by Akai Kitsune ::: 08.Apr.2004

~*~

Megumi had been watching the fights so attentively, she hadn't noticed sudden movement behind her until a cold, thin-boned hand wrapped around her mouth.

"Don't move," the smallest ninja whispered, the sharp point of his spiraled bullet against her back. "Don't speak, and don't draw attention to yourself. You hold your life in your hands."

She liked to see herself as being a prudent woman, so she followed his directions, despite the underlying desperation in her eyes. He led her up the stairs, through several corridors to where Kanryuu was waiting in an office.

"Back again, I see!" Kanryuu smiled as they entered, his expression deceptively gentle. "I'm so glad. You don't really think I'd let my dearest treasure get away from me, do you?"

"I never dreamed that you would follow through on basic human decency, if that's what you mean," she retorted, jerking away from the ninja behind her. "But if you're so confident, why did you have me brought here in secrecy?"

Kanryuu's eyes narrowed. "Don't try to be clever, Megumi," he growled, fists tightening on the arms of the Western-style chair in which he sat. "No amount of insults will get you out of this. I'm afraid you're here for good - so you ought to make the best of it and cooperate with me."

"I was under the impression that your hired lackeys were losing," Megumi couldn't withhold her snapping response, eyes darkening at his apparent confidence. "Isn't that why you spirited me off while my... friends... were distracted?"

She had trouble swallowing the word, despite all that had happened; she could barely comprehend the kindness shown to her by such strangers. They didn't even know her, and yet they were so concerned...

'I can rely on them...'

'... and... I can think of them as... friends...'

"Nonsense," Kanryuu dismissed her theory with a cold smile. "I simply did not want to see my precious treasure harmed in the battle. What would I do if you were hurt? I need one thing from you, Megumi, and one thing only..."

"You're not getting it," she answered immediately, crossing her arms, looking very much like a stubborn, sulking child. "I told you already."

Silently, unseen, her hand reached further into her kimono sleeve.

Kanryuu's lips tightened at her answer, the smile fading as he approached her, placing a gloved hand under her chin. He tilted her face upward to meet his gaze, his eyes two points of glistening steel behind thin-rimmed glasses.

"You'll do what I wish of you," he whispered, "For as long as I see fit, Megumi, my dear."

Megumi jerked her chin away, giving him the most defiant gaze she could manage.

"No," she said simply. "No more."

'Father... Mother... forgive me for-'

There was a thin, metallic sound of a sword unsheathing. Kanryuu's eyes widened as Megumi lunged forward, a tanto appearing in her hand, plunging down towards his heart.

'-for what I do...'

'... I'm sorry...'

~*~

Aoshi was more careful, the second time around. He timed his attacks well, increasing the amount of physical attacks and relying on his kodachi for simple defense. Kenshin was impressed, although he should have guessed there was more to the ninja than the first half of their duel had revealed. The Oniwabanshuu would never allow a captain to be so weak.

He had broken the sword's dance when Aoshi switched to offensive, blocking the kodachi with the hilt of his sakabatou and using their close range to his advantage, landing a clean blow to Aoshi's upper chest. The okashira was left stunned for a moment, and Kenshin let him rest, watching his opponent for any change in emotion. One would expect the man to grow angry, frustrated... he was obviously used to winning, and winning easily.

But Aoshi's mask of stone did not change.

'Never in all my life,' Kenshin thought to himself, amazed, 'Have I met a man so in control of his emotions.'

It seemed almost tragic. Kenshin could see how passionate - for lack of a better word - Aoshi was about his work. He could sense it, more than see, for the younger man never gave any indication at all that he was enjoying the fight.

'It's as if he doesn't even care... but he obviously does. Otherwise he wouldn't be trying so hard.'

"Aoshi," he tried speaking to the ninja leader again, hoping desperately to break through the mask of ice and convince the man to stop fighting, "Earning the title of the strongest isn't as easy as you think. You say that I was the strongest when I was Battousai, but that was ten years ago! Killing me will prove nothing, despite what you may say." His eyes narrowed. "Where is the glory in battle when no one will know what you have done?"

It pained him to even utter such words, feeling no need for the title or the supposed glory that accompanied it. But he refused to let Aoshi win this battle - not for the reasons the Oniwabanshuu commander was giving.

Aoshi's expression still didn't falter. "The glory is irrelevant. What's important is that I and my companions prove to ourselves that we have always been the strongest."

Kenshin dodged another strike, deflecting Aoshi's kodachi as he ducked under a punch. It was a hard balance, defending and avoiding each set of attacks from the kenpoist. "Even when your strongest companions lie unconscious all around you?" he retorted, swinging the sakabatou towards Aoshi's left side.

The kodachi blocked it, and the okashira spun into a kick, knocking Kenshin back a few steps and leaving him stunned. "Especially then," Aoshi replied calmly, "For we will prove our strength when a single man defeats a legend. They fell in the attempt to bring you down; therefore, they share the victory."

"If there is any victory to be had," Kenshin growled, leaping away from another kick. He twisted on his heel as Aoshi passed him, slamming his sword against the other man's back. Aoshi crouched and let the strike push his body into a roll, rising hesitantly to his feet a few meters away.

'We're wearing each other down,' Kenshin thought, rubbing his arm sorely where the kodachi had caught the skin during a close dodge. 'The question is... will he fall, or will I?'

'Where does true glory lie, in the eyes of this man?'

'I wish I could tell him... it's not something I have...'

"Are you hesitating again, Battousai?" Aoshi asked after a moment, breathing hard. Kenshin blinked; he hadn't noticed the weariness in the man's voice before.

'So... we really are reaching our limits now. A little more...'

'... just a little...'

"Why?" Kenshin smiled wryly, unable to help himself. "Are you tired?"

"Tired of waiting for you," Aoshi stated, his eyebrows curving downward in what might have been distaste in any other face. He began to step forward, sword raised.

'This man is impossible to read...'

'But I think... I'm beginning to understand.'

"Then stop waiting," Kenshin replied, relaxing into a defensive stance. "Stop depending on me to move. I'm not the aggressor here, after all."

Aoshi's eyes narrowed further. "You cannot bait me. Do you think I'm a fool?"

The rurouni shrugged. "Would you get angry if I did?"

His expression unchanged, Aoshi leapt forward once more, the kodachi lifted to meet Kenshin's waiting sakabatou. He tensed his foot, ready to strike when the former assassin moved into a stronger defending position.

But Kenshin didn't move.

Realizing too late, Aoshi halted, trying to correct his stance from offense to defense. Kenshin met his withdrawing strike and pushed forward, using the combined momentum of both their bodies. The sakabatou slid down the length of the kodachi's blade as Aoshi stumbled to regain his balance, and as he stumbled backwards, Kenshin slammed his hilt against the ninja's forehead.

Balance lost completely, both men fell to the ground. Before Aoshi could recover from that final blow to the head, he found Kenshin's sword at his throat.

The two stared at one another, both breathing hard and more than a little bloody.

"I don't like doing this," Kenshin murmured between breaths, "But I doubt you'd even hesitate if I threatened you any other way."

"What makes you think I'd stop for this?" Aoshi asked, his eyes challenging.

Kenshin smiled again, shaking his head. "Because you don't know me well enough to doubt," he answered after a pause, "And I really don't think you want to die right now."

"The shame of defeat is enough to kill some men."

"But is the okashira of the old era that weak?" Kenshin batted back. "I think you're the sort of man who would continue to live until he was confident he could fight again and win."

Aoshi didn't answer at first, his eyes sharp and cold as icicles. "Don't presume to know me, Battousai."

"And don't assume that I'll ever answer to that name," the rurouni snapped, the smile fading. "If you want to continue this little feud, that's fine. But right now I have more important things to do."

The okashira's eyes narrowed at his words, and to the side, Kenshin caught sight of a brief flash of light.

He turned the sakabatou's blade away from Aoshi's neck as the ninja lifted his kodachi, meeting the younger man's last effort to win and sending the short sword flying out of his weak grip. Aoshi lifted a fist, but Kenshin brought the sakabatou back down on the commander's temple, finally knocking him unconscious.

Breathing hard, he pushed himself off the defeated man, sliding the sakabatou through his hakama ties, carefully so he would not tear them.

'That... was a fight I am going to remember for a long time.'

Rising to his feet, Kenshin lifted his eyes to the staircase, where Sano had disappeared in search of the missing doctor.

"Time to get back," he murmured, pausing a moment longer to catch his breath. Then he hurried upstairs, trusting his instincts to lead him to his friends.
 

~*~

    The tanto was half the distance to Kanryuu's chest when a small body tackled Megumi from the side, knocking her to the ground. As she lay there, stunned, the weapon was wrenched from her grasp, and a pair of wide, catlike eyes glared down at her.

"You're a foolish woman," Beshimi hissed, teeth bared angrily.

"You didn't check to see if she was armed?!" Kanryuu shrieked, straightening up with one hand against his chest. "She could have killed me!"

"But she didn't," Beshimi snorted, stepping away from the fallen woman and slipping the tanto through his belt. "You should be grateful I was still here."

Kanryuu grit his teeth, his face burning red. "Ungrateful witch," he glared at Megumi, giving her a swift kick and ignoring her cry of pain. "I offer you everything and you try this on me. This was your last chance, Megumi! Do you hear me? I will not tolerate this!"

Megumi coughed weakly, curling her arms around her stomach as he kicked her again. 'I'm going to die here,' she thought desperately, biting her lip against the pain. 'I'm going to die.'

'But... I was supposed to die a long time ago, wasn't I...?'

"You touch the lady again and you'll be eating those shoes, Mr. Kanryuu."

All eyes turned to the doorway, where a grim-faced street fighter stood, fists clenched at his sides.

Beshimi's eyes widened. "That's impossible," he growled. "How did you get past the okashira-?"

Sanosuke shrugged, cracking his knuckles loudly. "A lucky punch," he said simply.

'Hey, he never asked -who's-...'

Kanryuu stepped back, eyes darting nervously from side to side. "Don't just stand there," he snapped at Beshimi, "Do something!"

The little ninja narrowed his eyes, ignoring Kanryuu's demand. "You lie, street fighter. The okashira would never have let you pass!"

Sano smirked. "Would you like it better if I told you we beat him up?"

"Another impossibility!"

Rolling his eyes, Sanosuke raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm running out of answers, here."

A glint of metal in Beshimi's hand caught his attention, and he rolled to the side as a flicked bullet flew at him, imbedding itself in the wall. He cursed under his breath as another followed it, skimming past his shoulder. 'How many of those things does the little freak carry?!'

On the floor, Megumi lifted her head to watch, eyes watering from the pain of Kanryuu's blows. He had hit her in the past, but never in her life could she remember coming so close to death. She was certain he would have gone so far as to kill her to get the opium recipe if Sanosuke hadn't arrived.

'Isn't this ironic... I owe that unruly street fighter my life...'

As the others were distracted, she searched the office area for any sort of weapon. She hated the idea of hurting anyone - her history and passion for the art of healing screamed in objection - but she felt no pity for Kanryuu.

'He's hurt so many people... if I can help to stop him...'

'I didn't hesitate before... am I really qualified to...'

She felt Kanryuu's eyes turn to her, even from her position, and she froze.

"Trying to disappear, Megumi?" he murmured, edging closer.

"Hey!" Sanosuke shouted, noticing his movement and dodging another bullet. "I told you to stay away from her!"

Diving behind the desk, he grabbed a paperweight and threw it in the businessman's direction. It caught Kanryuu in the chest, and he yelped and fell backwards, stunned. Megumi struggled to her knees and crawled past him, claiming the makeshift weapon.

"What... do you think you're... going to do with that?" he huffed, one hand held against his chest as if he was having trouble breathing.

She glared back at him. "I know of a few places where getting hit with it might actually be an improvement."

"H-hey," Kanryuu edged back, eyes widening. "Ninja! I hired you to protect me!"

Beshimi scowled. "Deal with one or the other. Deal with both. Make up your mind..."

"Hurry up!"

The ninja readied another bullet, and Sano rose to intercept, when the door suddenly slammed open, and Kenshin stepped inside, breathless and leaning on the doorway.

Sanosuke smirked. "Late again."

His friend smiled wearily. "As if you are the prime example of how to be on time?"

Beshimi turned to Kenshin, hands clenched into fists. "Where is the okashira?!" he demanded for the second time.

Kenshin gave him a brief, sidelong glance. "Go downstairs and have a look for yourself," he replied after a moment. Sano's lip quirked, trying to withhold a snicker.

The ninja growled angrily at Kenshin, hesitating, then hurried towards the door.

Kanryuu lifted himself up into a sitting position, his eyes full of outrage. "You are paid to follow my orders!" he cried, trembling.

Beshimi whirled around, his cat-eyes sharp. "My duty is to my captain," he hissed. "I care nothing for my employers, and I don't take orders from fools!"

Kenshin stepped aside to let him pass, his attention once again turning to the fallen man. He caught sight of Megumi, her face bruised and streaked with tears, and his eyes narrowed.

"I gave you a warning, Kanryuu," he said quietly. "Did you forget?"

A low, animalistic cry of fear escaped the man's lips, and he scrambled to his feet, eyes darting madly for an escape. Kenshin offered him none, watching him in an almost casual manner.

"You can't do this," Kanryuu finally rasped, clenching his fists to conceal their uncontrolled shaking. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face. "You can't just barge in here and destroy everything!"

"And you can't expect me to sit by idly while you destroy lives," Kenshin shot back, stepped closer and offering his hand to aid Megumi. She took it after a moment, watching both him and Kanryuu in astonishment. "I'm here to keep a promise. What you do now is your own choice - but I strongly suggest you leave Megumi-dono out of your plans from now on."

Kanryuu's eyes narrowed, his anger overriding his sense of self-preservation. "Aren't you the clever one," he snarled at Megumi, taking a single step forward. "Calling on a manslayer for help! I'll keep chasing you, Megumi, make no mistake-"

A hand grasped his shoulder, and the man's eyes widened, suddenly realizing his mistake. Before he could react further, Sanosuke spun him around and slugged him in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground and away from all conscious thought.

"He has a damn irritating voice," Sano drawled, rubbing his sore knuckles.

Kenshin blinked, barely managing a soft, "Oroo..."

Megumi stared at them, her gaze darting between her two rescuers and the man who had held her in fear for over two years. In one day - one day - two men had shattered the barriers of her prison and granted her freedom. She held her breath for a moment, exhaling a loud sigh as the full impact of the idea hit her.

Freedom.

'So much... I...'

'Wasn't I supposed to die here?'

'... I always thought...'

"Oi, kitsune," Sano raised an eyebrow at her, "You all right?"

"Fine," she managed, her voice timid. She swallowed hard, pushing back her fears, and spoke again in a curt voice. "Although you certainly took your time reaching me. Were you sleeping when I disappeared?"

He scowled, rolling his eyes. "As if I care that you like running off with short guys?"

"Er..." Kenshin's voice made them both turn, as the rurouni stood by the window, gazing out.

"What's up, Kenshin?"

"You and Megumi-dono may want to get out of here," Kenshin turned back to them, pointing at the sudden commotion appearing in the front courtyard. "It seems that someone has sent the police force..."

Sano's eyes widened, and he leapt past the desk to stand beside his friend, looking over his shoulder. "Che. Better late than never, I guess. Think the girl tipped them off?"

"It must have been," Kenshin noted, watching the officers clear a path through the badly trained swordsmen of Kanryuu's mansion. "I meant what I said, Sano. If they find Megumi-dono here, they may want to take her into custody. Opium smuggling is punishable with death."

"I deserve that," Megumi murmured. They both spun to look at her, and she looked up. "I will accept the punishment I deserve. Let me stay behind while you two escape. I... I thank you for helping. Maybe if Kanryuu is arrested and tried for his crimes, my death will be worthwhile."

She turned away, moving towards the door.

"Megumi-dono-" Kenshin began.

Within three strides Sano was behind her, grasping her arm and pulling her back to face them. "I can't tell if you're for real or just selfish," he growled, eyes dark as he stared down at her.

She gazed back in defiance. "And who are you to say what I am?! I can't live with these crimes!"

'I can't live with... with who I am anymore...'

"There's lots of people living with stuff they shouldn't have to," Sanosuke snapped, pulling her backwards and away from the door. She stumbled with him, eyes startled wide. "Lots of people fighting who don't want to. Kenshin, the kids and the girl back at the dojo. People who've taken a lot of crap from the government and scum like him." He jerked a thumb towards Kanryuu, lying limp on the carpet. "But at least they're living with it. They live every day and I don't hear them complaining about it."

"It's not the same..." she whispered, her voice trailing off. She lifted her gaze, catching sight of Kenshin watching her.

"Isn't it?" Kenshin asked quietly, a sad smile on his face. "You dreamed of becoming a doctor, Megumi-dono. All I ever dreamed was becoming a great swordsman - an arrogant dream, and one I achieved through the bloodshed of too many men. I had a choice, and I walked that path. You have a choice now, too... waste those skills you spent years trying to develop and die because of a man with no remorse, or use them to save lives rather than destroy." He lifted his sword, the smile fading. "I can only fight. That's all I've ever been able to do. But you... you can heal."

She stared, her mouth open, but she was unable to speak. Finally Sanosuke took her arm again, moving towards the door.

"We're leaving," he said gruffly, sending Kenshin a sideways glance. "You'll take care of the cops, then?"

"I saw the chief with them," Kenshin nodded, turning back to the window. "I'll speak with him when they arrive here. Take the back passage Megumi described in the mansion's layout - I'll meet you back at the dojo later."

Sano smirked in response, disappearing through the door with a shell-shocked Megumi in tow.

When they had left, Kenshin let himself relax, leaning back against the window pane and breathing hard. The earlier fights had left him drained - more so than he was comfortable with. Not simply physical, either; Aoshi's words had shaken him, as contradictory to his own ideals as they were.

"What's important is that I and my companions prove to ourselves that we have always been the strongest."

"The title of the strongest is everything to the Oniwabanshuu..."

'Strong... strong... that is what the world revolves around now, isn't it...'

'... what gives you the strength to survive...'

"It is all we have left."

'... what I have...'

'It's time to go back.'

He straightened up, doing his best to look decently presentable, as the door slammed open and the chief and his officers stormed in. They took one look at the room - the messy desk, the office items scattered across the floor, the unconscious man sprawled among them - until all eyes finally rested on the lone rurouni at the window.

Kenshin smiled in greeting. "Good evening, Uramura-dono."

~*~
 

"Stop that."

Megumi blinked, looking up at Sanosuke as he led the way down the darkened corridor. "What?"

"You're crying. Stop it."

She rubbed vainly at her eyes and sniffed, glaring at his back. "Don't be so presumptuous. Besides, I'm not crying."

He turned back sharply, making her jump. After a moment, she could make out his smirk in the shadows. "Aren't you?" he asked simply.

She presented him with a very unladylike scowl. "You're an intolerable man."

"And you're a fox with a wet nose."

Megumi's hands clenched into fists as he snickered and kept walking down the pathway. "I most certainly am not!"

'And I'm not about to let this spikey-headed half-wit outdo me!'

Sanosuke didn't reply at first, and when he did, his voice had changed. "What are you going to do now?"

Her step faltered, and she glanced up at him, unable to see his expression. "I... I really don't know."

"I can only fight. You... you can heal."

"I figured it would be easy," he said.

She glared at him again. "You would say that, wouldn't you? Someone who does nothing but fight and gamble all day. You think it's so simple to put an entire life back together."

'Why am I telling him this? It's not as if he'll understand.'

'He has... every reason to hate me. I don't want sympathy.'

Sanosuke kept walking, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He glanced back, his face unreadable in the dark. "So I gamble. So I fight. I know my vices, fox - but I know my place, too. Kenshin's taught me that much. I do what I'm best at, and so does he. And... so should you. Anyone can tell you that."

"According to Kanryuu, what I do best is make him opium," Megumi said bitterly.

He snorted in response, pushing against the wall that lay barely visible in front of them. It creaked open, revealing a back alley leading out into the empty Tokyo streets. "Don't know why you listen to him. I told you - his voice is irritating. You should learn to tune that sort of thing out. That's what I do."

'It's the voice of truth. How can I just go on and forget all this? How can I continue... without always thinking of what I've done?'

'I... I can't help it.'

Instead, she shrugged. "Even a fool has one talent."

Sanosuke whirled around, fists clenched. "What?!"

There was a small smile drifting across her face. He blinked in surprise.

"I should have died," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment. Her voice didn't carry a lot of conviction.

He stopped in his tracks, and she bumped into him, stumbling to a halt. Her nose brushed against his shirt, catching a whiff of his scent. It was like a forest, she thought idly, a mix of sweat and pine. Rustic, but not a bad scent, really. Somehow she'd expecting something different from him.

She looked up to see a sharp scowl in Sano's expression.

"Idiot," he said simply. His eyes were dark, and she blinked in surprise. He seemed to understand a little, though, for he spun around again and kept walking in silence. She let herself smile again, following behind and enjoying the quiet of the night.

'I should have died... but... I'm glad I didn't.'
 

~*~

    Kenshin walked down the streets of Tokyo alone, deep in thought about the day's events. He was in a surprisingly good mood, considering all that had happened.

The police had immediately taken charge as soon as they arrived, arresting Kanryuu and anyone they could find. Uramura had been happy to see him, but as Sano had suspected, the man had been told ahead of time that they were there.

"We had actually been waiting for an opportunity," the police chief explained, standing by as his men took care of the arrests. "But the one problem was those ninjas he had employed. We knew enough about them for us to keep our distance and bide our time." He smiled wryly beneath his glasses. "Then Kamiya-san met me on my way out of the precinct. She told me about you going to see Kanryuu, and... well, I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity. I waited for an approval of the attack and went ahead with it."

"I'm glad we were able to help," Kenshin replied. "What of the ninjas, then? Have you seen them?"

Uramura raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping to ask you the same thing. I had assumed you took care of that, but if even you haven't seen them-"

"There were no men in the ballroom area, by the stairway?" Kenshin interjected, eyes wide.

The chief shook his head. "Just some broken weapons, I'm afraid."

Kenshin had backed off then, but his mind wandered back to Aoshi and his team. Throughout the entire trip back to the dojo, he felt as if something was watching him, not angry or dangerous, but simply... challenging.

'You never forget a defeat,' he mused silently, tilting his head to look at the moon. 'You can win for years and years, not pay it any attention at all... but a defeat never leaves you.'

'Some men... carry deep grudges over those defeats...'

~*~
 

He finally returned to the dojo in the early morning, tired, sore and in desperate need of a long nap. First things first, of course - he planned on checking in with the others to ensure that Sano and Megumi had arrived safely.

Hikari met him at the doorway of the house, smiling and giving him a small wave as he approached. She looked him up and down, the smile fading at the sight of his wounds and bruises, and after a moment she murmured, "You're back."

He nodded. "Yes."

"You look tired." Another nod. "Sanosuke-san is already napping in Yahiko's room, and Takani-san is with Tsubame-chan and Kaoru-san in the kitchen. Kaoru-san was making tea for everyone, but... I'll let her know you're going to sleep."

Kenshin blinked as Hikari turned away, starting to walk down the hall, and he caught her hand, gently pulling her back to face him. "Hikari...? Are you all right?"

She gave him an odd look. "I thought I was supposed to ask you."

His lips quirked a little. "You didn't ask. What's wrong?"

Hikari's eyes drifted to the floor, rocking back and forth on her toes for a moment before answering. "I... I get worried when you're gone, you know."

"I know," he said quietly. His hand lifted a little to touch her shoulder, but fell again, his expression unreadable.

She leaned back against the wall frame, closing her eyes. "Tousan... I like it here."

Kenshin winced, hands tightening into fists beneath his sleeves. "I... do too."

There was a long pause, and Hikari's eyes flickered open, giving him a nervous look. "Can we stay?"

This time, it was his turn to close his eyes, his expression pained. "Ume-chan, you know we can't."

"Even if Kaoru-san never tells us to leave?"

'She's too kind for that,' he thought, smiling inwardly. Aloud, he said, "That's only part of it, Hikari."

'Wanderers are only welcome for so long. You know that.'

'You've always known that.'

She turned away, her dark hair swishing softly against her training uniform. Tomoe's hair, he thought absently, and chided himself for it. It was hard enough for her to deal with him; never mind having to live with her mother's shadow everywhere she turned.

"I hate this, tousan," she whispered, and before he could reply, she had disappeared down the hall and into her room. He watched her, his heart aching from far too much, all at once.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he spoke into the darkness, his voice torn.

'I'm sorry... truly, I am. I never wanted it like this...'

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's voice suddenly called him, and then she emerged from the kitchen, dusting flour from her hands. "Oh good, you're back! Hikari said she was going to go back to bed. Did you see her?"

He hesitated, then gave her a nod. "Yes, we spoke already. Everyone's doing well here?"

Kaoru smiled brightly. "So far. Sanosuke and Yahiko are snoring like crazy down the hall, but that's no surprise. Megumi-san and I have been waiting for you. Do you want some tea?"

"I think I'd like that, thank you." Kenshin followed her into the dining area, where Megumi and a sleepy-looking Tsubame knelt around a table with the leftover mochi cakes and some hastily-made broth, teacups steaming in their hands. Kaoru waved him over to a spot and passed him a cup, kneeling at the remaining side.

"Kenshin-san, you've been hurt?" Tsubame gasped, covering her mouth as she noticed the cuts on his chest. Kaoru blinked, seeing them in the light for the first time.

He gave them both a calming smile. "It's all right. The tea is already making me feel better."

They watched him doubtfully, and after a moment Megumi rose to her feet, moving around the table to kneel beside Kenshin. "Kaoru," she instructed, "Get me the medicine chest Gensai-sensei left behind for Yahiko. Tsubame-chan, can you please get some more water, in a bowl?"

"Megumi-dono-" Kenshin objected, but she silenced him with a serious look.

"Let me do this," she told him quietly, her hands poised at the collar of his gi to remove it. "Let me help you... this is the only way I can."

He shrugged, the smile gone. "You are a doctor, above all things. I have no money to pay for your services."

Her fists tightened around the material, her voice fierce in his ear. "You've done enough, Ken-san. What you've done... it was enough."

'More than that. I have a chance at getting my life back...'

Seeing her expression, Kenshin silently put the teacup back on the table and pulled down the sleeves of his gi, allowing her to examine his wounds.

Kaoru returned with the case filled with the bandages, then Tsubame arrived with the water. The three of them sat in silence as Megumi worked, her practiced hand easily cleaning each wound and winding the bandages around Kenshin's chest, her eyes filled with nothing but determination. When she was finished, she sat back as Kenshin readjusted his shirt, fixing his collar to hide the bandages resting neatly beneath. The silence in the room was almost oppressive, but no one could think of a way to break it.

Finally, Megumi closed her eyes and murmured, "Thank you."

The words felt so empty, so indescribably shallow. Nothing she could say at that moment would be sufficient in her mind - nothing could fully convey the gratitude she felt, then.

But Kenshin's responding smile, while small, told her many things; first and foremost among them, it told her those simple words were enough.
 

~*~

Part VI - Owari

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