Chapter 2- Driven to Tears
Sanosuke dragged himself to the Kamiya dojo. He was exhausted from the previous night of fighting, laughing, and walking, but in a very good mood. The sun was now high in the sky. It must have been a little before noon, he figured. Kenshin was hanging the laundry up. Sanosuke chuckled. Wow, Jou-chan really has him whipped. he thought.
"Oh, hello Sanosuke." Kenshin smiled. "You're up early, that you are."
Sanosuke yawned. "Hey Kenshin-"
"Yeah, but you're so UGLY no one would ever-"
"What did you call me?"
Yahiko's muffled voice could be heard from inside the dojo. Moments later he ran out the door laughing, Kaoru soon followed with her wooden sword, yelling as she ran. Yahiko stopped as he saw Sanosuke.
"Rough night, Sano?" He laughed. "You look like shit! Ow! What was that for?" He turned furiously to
Kaoru, who was standing behind him with an expression none too attractive.
"That was for calling me ugly!"
"Ugly! Haha!" Yahiko darted into the dojo.
Kaoru turned to Sanosuke and Kenshin.
"Hello, Sanosuke." she tried to be pleasant, but she knew that by the end of the day they would be yelling at each other.
"Hey, Missy." he yawned once more. "What's going on?"
"Nothing really, Megumi's supposed to be coming over pretty soon."
Megumi, his lady fox, his kitsune, how Sanosuke had forgotten her so quickly at the sight of little Junko. He yawned again and then stretched. "Oh really. You think I care?" He let out a chuckle.
"Well, I just thought you'd like to know, Rooster-head!"
"I didn't think you cared so much about me, tanooki!" He laughed, he wasn't about to let Kaoru spoil his good morning. "I'll see you guys later!" He began to whistle and headed down the lane into town.
"He seems very happy today, that he does!" Kenshin smiled as he flung a damp sheet over the clothing line.
"He's probably going to meet Megumi on her way over here." Kaoru smiled before letting out a micheivous little chuckle.
"Oro?"
"Uh-nothing. I should be getting back to Yahiko!" She laughed nervously and bounded back to the dojo.
Suddenly, out of nowhere a rubber ball bounced off the ground, landing in Kenshin's face.
"Uncle Ken! Uncle Ken! Play ball with us!" Ayame squealed.
"Play ball, Uncle Ken!" Suzume repeated.
"Oooro!"
A third voice was heard a moment later. "Oh Ken-san, I've arrived." It was the voice of Megumi.
"Oh hello, Miss Megumi. Its nice to see you, that it is."
Megumi flashed a devious grin as she saw Kaoru aproaching.
"Megumi? Didn't Sano meet you on your way over here?" Kaoru had a look of desperation in her bright blue eyes.
"What? Rooster-head? I haven't seen him since yesterday. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason." Kaoru bit her bottom lip and invited Megumi inside.
Meanwhile, Sanosuke walked down the alleys. For no reason in particular, or so he told himself. No, he wasn't looking for her. If he did chance to run into little Junko, what would he say to her? He thought about this for a while. "'Oh, hi Junko-er Amaya. How's the business going?' Wow." He thought, "I'd better not run into her then." He let out a sigh and stuffed his hands in his pockets and continued walking.
Down the street, he heard a little voice. It was a boy, a very young boy. "Mama! My rice, I dropped it on the ground!"
"Here, you can have mine." A sweet voice, smooth as silk echoed in reply.
"That's her!" he looked over in the direction the voices came from. He saw her, standing tall in a plain green kimono, her hair tied back in a simple braid. No makeup was painted on her face, no ornaments adorned her hair or neck, but she still put the sun to shame. Her son looked just like her. As Sanosuke paced toward the mother and son, he noticed more and more features about the boy that mirrored that of little Junko. He had her big, brown eyes and her delicate nose and jaw.
As Sanosuke got closer and closer, two men got to her first. He could tell her young son knew what this was about.
Don't do it kitty... Sanosuke pleaded with her in his mind.
She took them a few feet away from Kiyoshi. Sanosuke could hear the words "crazy" and "with my son". The two men walked away, disappointed. As they past Sanosuke, one of them told him:
"She ain't doing anything tonight. Might as well not even ask her." And with that they were gone.
Good girl, Junko. Sanosuke congratulated her, in his mind, of course.
"Junko!" he greeted her with a smile. She bowed and introduced Kiyoshi to Sanosuke.
"Kiyo, I'd like you to meet one of my friends." she smiled sweetly at her son.
Kiyoshi looked at Sano and shook his head. "Don't make her leave tonight." he pleaded.
"You don't have to worry about it." Sanosuke bent down on one knee so he could see eye to eye with Kiyoshi. "She'll be home tonight." He gave the small boy a warm smile and stood up. He noticed Junko looking at the ground in shame.
"Are you gonna keep Matsushita away?" Kiyoshi asked Sanosuke innocently.
"Kiyoshi! That's enough!" Junko responded sharply to her son.
"Say, Junko, Kiyoshi. Would you like to get something to eat?" Sanosuke changed the subject so the boy wouldn't be scolded too badly by his mother. Kiyoshi's eyes lit up in delight.
"I would love to," Junko started "but I don't have the money for it."
"I could pay for it." Sanosuke persuaded her, although he knew he couldn't pay for any of them. He hoped he would be in Tae's good graces.
They made their way to the Akabeko. Sanosuke, carrying Kiyoshi on his back. He really fell for the young boy, just as quickly as he fell for his mother. I wonder if we look like a family... Sanosuke thought as he placed the boy on the ground and smiled.
They entered the restaurant and took a seat. Tae, who was about to make a comment on the fact that Sano never paid for any of his meals, decided to say nothing. She waited on them with delight.
She enjoyed Kiyoshi very much. They had a great time, eating and visiting, though Junko seemed nervous, Sanosuke decided not to mention anything. Toward the end of their course, Tae left the table momentarily, and Sanosuke got up to "pay" her.
"Look, I know I never pay you, but-" he started.
"Its on the house." she smiled.
"Thank you!" Sanosuke turned toward the table.
"For them it is! You have to pay for yours though!" she laughed. Sano rolled his eyes.
"How much will I owe you, Sanosuke?" Junko asked pleasantly.
"Don't worry about, Kitty." he replied.
"I won't take anything if I can't pay it back, now how much do I owe you?" she continued, and took her purse out and began counting money. "Here. I hope this covers it." She put a few notes and coins on the table in front of Sanosuke. Of course it wasn't even enough for Kiyo's meal, let alone the both of them. Nevertheless he slipped it in his pocket and they were on their way.
"Would you like to meet some of my friends?" Sanosuke asked.
"I think I should be getting home soon." Junko was hesitant.
"But we're in the neighborhood. It would be nice to say hello since we're so close." he was persistant. He wanted her and Kiyoshi in his life.
"Well, fine. But not for too long." she relented. They walked along the lane to the familiar sight of the Kamiya dojo.
Sanosuke barged right in. "Hi! I want you all to meet someone!"
"Would it kill you to knock, Rooster-head?" Kaoru snapped. Sanosuke knocked on the wall in a fecitious manner.
"There, I knocked!" he escorted Junko and Kiyoshi into the room as Kaoru worringly surveyed the stranger's beauty. Kaoru was just getting the dishes ready for Kenshin to wash. Megumi was sitting there criticizing Kaoru for something she'd done. Yahiko's eyes were fixed on Junko and Kenshin could be heard in the other room.
"Oro!" The sound he produced made Junko chuckle. It was then that Megumi noticed another female in the room.
Junko bowed to Megumi and nodded to Yahiko. Kiyo did the same.
"This is my friend, Junko, and her son, Kiyoshi. We were nearby, so we decided to-" his words we cut short by Megumi's bitter voice.
"You decided to come here and ask to borrow money you know you can never pay back? Is that it, Rooster-head?" she barked from the table.
"Think what you want to think, Kitsune! I can get a job any time I want!"
"Oh and what would you do? Be some old man's little pet for ten minutes? And get paid for it?" she laughed her laugh that annoyed Sanosuke to no end. Junko pretended not to hear Megumi's words and began visiting with Yahiko. She was very attentive to the boy's nonsense.
"Will you teach me to fight with swords?" Kiyoshi asked Yahiko excitedly.
"Its a lot of hard work!" Yahiko warned the four-year-old.
"Please! I can do it!" Kiyo begged until Yahiko gave in. The boys went outside with Yahiko's sword.
"What may I call you?" Junko started.
"Megumi. My name's Megumi."
"Megumi-san, can I ask you not to use such language around my son?" Junko asked politely. "He really looks up to Sanosuke-sam-" she stopped herself. "Sanosuke-san."
"Sanosuke-sama!" Megumi shouted before bursting out in laughter. Junko remained respectful and kept her eyes to the floor as Megumi kept laughing. As her laughter died down, Junko excused herself and decided to be of use to Kenshin and Kaoru. Sanosuke bent down face to face with Megumi.
Sanosuke gave Megumi a scowl, in return he got a precotious grin from Megumi.
"Forgive me, I did not introduce myself properly." Junko said sweetly before taking a bow toward Kenshin and Kaoru. "My name is Junko. If I can be of service to you somehow, do not be hesitant to ask." She chose her words carefully, as not to give them any idea that their friend was consorting with-well, with a prostitute.
"I'm Kaoru, and this is Kenshin." Kaoru stuttered. She seemed threatened by the beautiful stranger.
" We'll let you know, that we will." Kenshin smiled at her. Junko looked at Kaoru.
"Do you need help with anything?"
"No, not right now, Junko. Thank you though." There was still a hint of unsettled fear in Kaoru's voice.
"Is there something, wrong? Kaoru?" she asked, and acted concerned.
"No. Nothing." Kaoru forced a smile and turned around and began scrubbing the dishes vigorously.
The day continued and Junko got to know everyone quite well. She took a liking to Kenshin, he seemed so patient with everyone. She tried to win Megumi over, but to no avail. She talked to Kaoru, but Junko still didn't know why Kaoru seemed so fearful of her presence. She figured she would give it some time, everybody needs time. She also figured that Yahiko would be a good role model for Kiyoshi, he needed to play with other children, although Yahiko was much older than Kiyo, hearing her son chattering away outside brought a smile to her lips. And she still had the same great respect for "Sanosuke-sama".
It was time for another meal, to Kiyoshi's delight.
What a girl. Sanosuke thought as he watched Junko politely choke down Kaoru's cooking.
"What's in this, Kaoru-san?" Junko inquired to break the awkward silence.
"You don't want to know!" laughed Yahiko.
"Amaya Sakura!" Megumi exclaimed. "Now I know where I've seen you before!"
Junko nervously placed her chopsticks down and cast her eyes to the floor.
"So how's the business, Sakura?" she laughed horribly.
"Megumi, that's enough." Kenshin said sternly, although she couldn't hear him over her own obnoxious laughter.
"Kiyoshi, come." she commanded as a tear ran silently down her face. She took her son by the hand and they made their way to the door.
"Bye Yahiko, I don't think we can play anymore." Kiyoshi told his new friend as he put his shoes on.
"Thank you Kaoru-san for the meal." She bowed and they were out the door.
Sanosuke stood up.
"Don't you ever EVER talk to her like that again!" Sanosuke growled.
"Why can't I? She's just a whore." Megumi replied in a matter-of-factly tone and crossed her arms.
"Don't call her that! Junko is the nicest, sweetest girl I've ever met."
"Anyone will be nice and sweet if you pay them." she scoffed.
"And what makes you so high and mighty all of a sudden? Who was selling opium? Who was-" Sanosuke shouted. Megumi stood up.
"Well at least I wasn't selling sex! At least I never sold my body!" she screeched, inches from his face.
"Will everyone just CALM THE FUCK DOWN?" Yahiko yelled.
"Yeah, because I've had enough of this! I'm leaving." Sanosuke made for the door.
"Fine! Nobody wants you here!" Megumi yelled from inside.
Sanosuke slammed the fragile door shut and was on his way after Junko and Kiyoshi.
"Well, now everything is as it should be." Megumi declared in a psuedo-peaceful voice.
"You can leave, too, Megumi." Kaoru told her.
"What?" Megumi seemed apalled.
"You heard me. Get out of my house. There's the door."
Megumi pouted, and walked out the door. She could see Sanosuke walking up ahead to catch up with Junko. Megumi decided she'd done enough damage, and took the other way to her house.
"Junko!" Sanosuke called out. She was carrying her son in her arms a few feet ahead of Sano. She turned around.
"Don't call me Junko." she snapped.
"Why? That's your name..." Sanosuke tried his best to comfort her.
"Because I'm not pure! I'm not pure!" she yelled hysterically. She put Kiyoshi down. "Do you think I can just sit there in front of people like that while they know I go out every night and sell myself so I can feed my son?"
"People like what?" Sanosuke seemed confused.
"They're good people! They don't need their house tainted with my-my impurity!" her voice began to rise. "I don't want to-"
"They're not any better than you! Or me!" Sanosuke interrupted her. "Megumi has no room to talk!" He took her in his arms beneath the moonlight. He felt how delicate, how fragile she was. He released her and took her hand in his for a moment and then let it fall to her side. He picked Kiyoshi up and they walked down the dark streets.
"Why are we stopping here?" Junko asked upon seeing the small house she was just at the night before.
"You're tired." Sanosuke replied quietly, for Kiyo had fallen asleep on his back. Sanosuke gently placed him on his tatami and covered him with his coat. The boy stirred, and made a noise, Sanosuke placed his hand on Kiyo's chest to calm him down.
"I wish you were my dad." Kiyo whispered in a daze. The remark brought an unshed tear to Sano's eye.
"Well, Kiyo. I'm going to take care of you and your mother from now on." he whispered back. "Now go to sleep. Goodnight."
"Junko, you can sleep here." Sanosuke pointed to the space on his tatami next to Kiyo.
"Where will you sleep?" she asked as she lay down.
"I'll be fine." he replied as he sat in the corner. "Goodnight, Kitty."
She smiled as she began to drift into sleep.