This fan fiction is based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Rurouni Kenshin characters are the property of creator Nobohiro Watsuke, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, Sony Entertainment, and VIZ Comics. This is a non-profit work for entertainment purposes only. Permission was not obtained from the above parties.
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Recovery: Chapter 6 - Awakenings


by Haku Baikou ::: 08.Mar.2003


The first thing she saw when she awoke was a spill of glistening red across her field of vision.

Megumi blinked away the disorientation and realized that what she was seeing was Ken-san's hair, and that she was lying on the floor of his room. The memories cam rushing back, then, and she sat up quickly, her hand going automatically to her throat. She was reassured to find that the blood that came off on her fingertips was dried, not fresh. The events of the afternoon had shaken her to the core, and for the first time in years, Takani Megumi was afraid to be alone.

She'd never admit that fear to anyone, of course. Her composure may have been shaken, but her pride was still intact. She would keep herself busy, keep her mind occupied, and then she wouldn't be frightened. She was safe here at the Shirobeko, she knew. Okina was always around, and today was Kurojou's turn to stay and keep watch here instead of going to the Aoiya. And Sanosuke ought to be back by now, she guessed. It was probably late afternoon, judging by the position of the sun.

Megumi went downstairs to the kitchen where Sae and her staff were busy preparing for dinner.

"Megumi-sensei," said Sae brightly with her usual squinty smile. "Is there something you need?"

"No, thank you. I was wondering, has Sanosuke come back?"

"No. We haven't seen him."

"Aa, all right," she frowned slightly and headed back upstairs to Ken-san's room. The idiot was probably taking his time coming back, making sure no one tailed him. There was no sense in worrying too much. She'd keep herself occupied until he returned with more news.

She went to her bags and took out a small box filled with various tiny instruments of her trade. She selected a small sliver of a knife which she would use to remove some of Ken-san's stitches. It had been a week since the battle. Time for some of the stitches on his smaller wounds to come out.

She removed the ones from his neck first, carefully turning his face away from her as she cut the sutures one by one and pulled them out slowly. She stopped as he stirred, his jaw line clenching briefly. But then he was quiet again, and she managed to remove all of them on both sides without waking him. Next came the ones on his chest, and finally on his right hip, a wound compliments of Shinomori, according to what Sanosuke had told her. She frowned at the thought of Shinomori Aoshi. Ken-san had always thought there was some good in the man, but Megumi could not believe it. Too many bitter memories entwined in that train of thought, so she forced herself not to think of the days when she was a prisoner of Kanryu, forced herself to remain focused on the task at hand.

She was intent on her work, mind closed off to the world, when a soft, familiar voice shattered the silence.

"Megumi-dono."

She yelped in a most un-Megumi-like fashion at the unexpected sound of the rurouni's voice and almost cut herself with the small blade.

"Ken-san! You're awake," she observed brilliantly. She set the blade aside and turned, finding herself regarded by familiar pools of violet, free of the delirium that had clouded them for the last week. His eyes were still hazed from weariness and pain, but there was sense behind them, at least. Megumi could see that for the first time since his battle, the swordsman's mind was clear, completely lucid.

"Awake, hai." His words were hoarse and barely above a whisper, but they were, nevertheless, the most wonderful sound she'd heard in a long time. Himura Kenshin had finally returned to them.

"Welcome back, Ken-san," she said, her voice husky. "We've missed you."

Kenshin struggled to keep his eyes in focus and looked drowsily about the unfamiliar room, trying to get his bearings. His eyes widened suddenly, as an urgent memory struck. In a voice tinged with intense worry, he began to ask, "Is everyone--The Juppongatana--"

"Have been soundly defeated, Ken-san," she told him. She had known that that would be among one of the first questions he'd ask. "Our friends are all fine. Everyone from the Aoiya is safe."

She could tell that he'd been expecting the worst and was relieved when she'd allayed his deepest fears. His lashes dipped briefly, and he relaxed somewhat, sinking deeper into the softness of the futon. "Shishou," he said softly.

The violet eyes opened again, slowly, centering on Megumi as if she were his anchor, something to lock onto when the world was a slippery blur that threatened to overwhelm his tired senses. Megumi knew the sensation well, by what her past patients had told her, if not by personal experience. The disorientation after so long a lapse could be overwhelming for some.

She had been through this scenario time and time again, the awakening of a patient after a prolonged sleep, the anxiety experienced by those who were hurt and confused, who had no idea where they were or what had happened to them. She'd long developed the practice of filling them in on much needed information immediately, before they even had a chance to think of the questions themselves. It relieved their confusion somewhat and made their first waking moments a little more bearable. For this reason, she was glad that she was the one who'd been watching Kenshin when he awoke. A little professionalism in this situation was, in her mind, a good thing.

And so, despite her overwhelming urge to pounce on and embrace Ken-san (and probably scare the hell out of him) she instead, quickly summed up the events of the last week, adding plenty of assurances as to everyone's well-being. She told him of how he had been brought to the Aoiya by Sano and Aoshi, and how they had all made it then to the Shirobeko since the Aoiya had been destroyed. She left the details of their friends' battles untold, however. Those were for Kaoru and Yahiko to tell. They'd earned it.

"You'd be proud of everyone, Ken-san. They did well, that night. They didn't leave much for Hiko-san to do, I'm afraid."

He blinked a couple times after she was done speaking, trying to process everything she'd told him, fighting off weariness. By force of will his eyes had remained open as he hungrily soaked in the information she had to give, determined to hear all the news.

And because she knew Ken-san would be too considerate of her own feelings to ask about something he knew Megumi was sensitive about, she added on her own, "Kaoru is fine, as I'm sure you're wondering, Ken-san. She worried about you a great deal, of course, but she's all right. She's visited you every day. She would never have left your side at all if Sanosuke and the others hadn't convinced her to get out of the house a bit and help them at the Aoiya."

"Arigatou, Megumi-dono," he said finally, beginning to fade out again. His eyes widened slightly at another thought. "Megumi-dono?"

She leaned in closer to hear him better. "Yes, Ken-san?"

"You must be tired. Have you had a chance to rest?"

He could still surprise her. All the patients she'd seen in all the years she'd been caring for people.... Leave it to Ken-san to awaken from a nightmare, only to think of her welfare before his own.

"Hai, I've rested," she whispered. "I'm very well."

(Now that you're back, she added silently.)

"Can I get you anything? Are you hurting very badly?" she said in her lightest, most merry voice, trying not to betray her emotions or let him see the tempest in her mind.

"Iya," he answered. But he had hesitated. She knew he was lying.

Megumi filled a cup with warm water and mixed in a small amount of crushed seiyo-otogiriso. Kenshin's eyes were closed when she brought the cup back to him, but he awakened easily enough at her light touch. She got an arm around his back and managed to lift him to a half sitting position, his head resting against her shoulder.

"There's blood on your neck," he noticed, concerned.

She almost froze. Almost.

Megumi recovered herself quickly and was relieved that Ken-san was too tired to detect her alarm. She hadn't told him about today's disturbing events. She'd be damned if she would ruin his peace of mind now of all times.

"Blood? I'm afraid it's yours, Ken-san," she lied easily. "Now drink all of this. It'll take some of the pain away and help you sleep." She smiled down at him. "Believe it or not, the world doesn't need you for once. It's doing fine on its own. So, you can take it easy for a little while at least, neh?"

His eyes were threatening to close again, but he resisted. "Sessha would like to see everyone," he said faintly. "Kaoru.... Yahiko...."

"And Okina, and Misao, and Sanosuke," she finished for him, keeping her tone light. "And you will. Later. They're at the Aoiya right now anyway and won't be back for some time. Rest, Ken-san, so you'll have more strength when they arrive. Listen to the doctor on this one. Megumi-dono knows all." She followed the sing-song Fox Lady tone with a more serious, "I promise I'll wake you when they come."

He managed a smile and nodded slightly as she lowered him back down.

And then he drifted out again, leaving her alone, shaky, and not knowing why she felt that way.

Megumi adjusted Ken-san's covers and brushed long red bangs clear of his pale face. She sat for a moment, watching him sleep, then got up slowly, stiff and tired from the day's exertions. She hugged herself, shivering slightly as she looked out the window over the rooftops towards an Aoiya too far away to see. So many friends there were at the Aoiya, all of them so very dear to Ken-san....

Especially Kaoru. Always Kaoru.

"Don't be a baby, Takani Megumi," she said to herself, fighting off the familiar jealousy she always felt when thinking of the girl. Megumi, not Kaoru, had been the one to greet Ken-san in his first waking moments. And she had been a comfort to him. He had gone back to sleep with a smile on his face. That memory was a treasure to her, one to lock away and keep close to her heart. A small consolation when she knew that her moments alone with the rurouni would be coming to a close now that he was recovering, and that those would be the only moments she'd ever have alone with him. Soon he would be Kaoru's again, and Kaoru's alone.

But that didn't matter, did it. Ken-san was getting better. His well-being was the only thing that truly mattered.

"Yare yare," she said to herself overcome by a strange melancholy. She leaned against the windowsill, idly playing with strands of her hair.

She found her thoughts straying towards a certain gruff-mannered street fighter whom she hoped was safe after his solo journey back to the others. Her eyebrows lifted at that surprising self-revelation. She cared about the guy, of course, as she cared for any of her friends. But she hadn't been aware that Rooster Head ranked so highly in her concerns. He was an annoying rogue at the best of times, and a downright bastard at the worst. Baka. He was supposed to take a circuitous route back, sure, but it shouldn't have taken him that long. She hoped he hadn't run into more trouble on the way back. Hoped he wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere.

Megumi shook her head, clearing away her morbid thoughts. Kaoru and Yahiko would never bide by such grim musings. Nor would her new acquaintances, Okina and that crazy weasel girl, Misao. They all had an idealistic outlook on life. It was an optimism that Megumi had thought long lost from her own soul and only now was rediscovering in herself, a hope tiny and delicate as a fledgling bird. But that hope was there, against all odds, ready to be kindled and nurtured thanks to these new friends she had met through Ken-san.

As if cued by her thoughts, the front door opened downstairs and Megumi heard Sanosuke's steps as he bound up the stairway, taking the steps two at a time. Relief (and just a touch of irritation at the noisiness of his approach) flooded through her as he entered the room, all energy and motion, as usual. She was pleased to see him. But there was no way in the world she was going to let him know that. She managed to keep from smiling like an idiot, and instead, arched one eyebrow in mirthful contempt.

"So. What took you so long?" she asked.

He slouched against the wall, and hesitated before mumbling: "I got lost."

It was the last thing she'd expected. And yet it should have been the first.

Megumi laughed and laughed.

Sanosuke grimaced, his cheeks flushing red. He was about to retort with some rude, snappy comeback, she was sure, when he did a double take.

"Oi, there's still blood on your neck!"

She blinked. "Ken-san said the same thing."

"What?" he said, with a quick look towards the sleeping rurouni.

"I didn't tell him what happened though. I didn't want to worry him."

"Chikushou! He was awake, and I missed it?" Sanosuke's sharp features contorted briefly in a beady-eyed scowl which quickly became a thoughtful frown. Megumi stared in academic fascination at how the young man's expressions could alter so rapidly. "What else did he say?"

"He asked how everyone was," she said.

"Heh, that comes as no surprise."

"No, it certainly doesn't."

Megumi looked fondly back at the sleeping figure behind her. She thanked the gods constantly for the day they led her across Himura Kenshin's path. He was the kindest, most gentle person she knew. He was wise beyond his twenty-eight years and possessed a grace that was obvious both physically and spiritually. He saw the best in people. Was even able to see the goodness in Megumi at the lowest point in her life when she had thought all honor was lost forever and given up on herself. Her life had fallen to pieces. But now she was building it up again, piece by piece, thanks to Kenshin and these kind people she'd come to call her friends.

"Kitsune-onna."

Megumi looked up at the young street fighter. She found no trace of the scoundrel about him at the moment, and the familiar taunt had been spoken without its usual teasing tone. He looked thoughtful. Well, as thoughtful as an idiot could, at any rate.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked.

"'Sessha,' Ken-san still called himself." Megumi shook her head slowly. "He's just saved all of Japan and risked everything doing so. And he still thinks himself unworthy. I was wondering.... How could such a man, who can see so clearly into the hearts of others, be so utterly...."

"Wrong about himself," finished Sano.

"Hai."

Sanosuke shrugged and joined her at the window, drinking in the view of the city. "I don't think I'll ever understand the guy, really," he said slowly, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "I don't think anyone could, not even jou-chan."

There was an odd moment of silence between the two of them as they looked out over the expanse of Kyoto.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Megumi. She took out the small knife he'd given her and held it before him. "Thank you for this." She felt awkward, never dreaming that she'd be thanking Rooster Head for anything.

"Keep it. It was for you," he said casually, his eyes looking off into the distance again after a quick glance down at the object. "You're the only one of us who isn't a trained fighter. I thought it'd be safer for you to have it."

She stared at him. Couldn't think of a single thing to say, for once, and just stared at him.

He finally noticed her gaze. And in a typical Sanosuke response, misinterpreted her silence as scorn.

"Uh, look, if you don't want it, you can give it back to Oumime. It's one of hers that she didn't need," he said, beginning to become irritated. "I sure as hell don't need it. I wouldn't be caught dead with a puny little knife like that!"

Megumi tucked the small blade back into place, saying nothing. Sanosuke, to Megumi's wicked satisfaction, looked completely perplexed.

"Baka," she murmured amused, confusing the young man even more. She was sure her own face was a perfect study in serenity as she kept her gaze fixed on the Kyoto horizon.

Sanosuke looked as if he would say more, then thought better of it, and--wisest choice he ever made--decided to keep his mouth shut. He shrugged in mock defeat and leaned against the frame of the window.

The sun was setting.

They watched it in silence together.

Iya - No.
Kitsune-onna - Fox Lady.
Yare yare - well, well.
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