A/N:

Ah, I really do have to thank everyone for the emails asking me to continue this. Went through a rough patch, laptop broke down, but hey! Everything's up and running and here's the chapter :D I'm also eternally grateful to one of my best friends, Dallie, who wrote the Saitou scene for me. It helped break my writer's block.

Also, heaps of thanks to Mij, my beta-reader, for making this chapter and all my other stories presentable :)

Chapter 6 : A Flash Of Smoke, And All Is Known


Goddamn that fucking asshole!

Various curses were running amok in Sagara Sanosuke's head as he forced his way past the people in his path. There were startled cries and muttered curses accompanying his passage but he paid them no heed, preferring to continue raging in his mind. So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he failed to realize that this was the fifth time he passed these stalls.

How could he think of such mundane things when he had found out one of his good friends was being used as bait?

~~~~~

Sanosuke strode into the town of Kyoto, eyeing his new surroundings warily. How could he have forgotten how big this place was? Not to mention he had forgotten where the Aoiya, the OniwaBanshuu headquarters, was located.

He hoisted his small knapsack onto his shoulders, shrugging to himself. No matter, Sano, he consoled himself as he proceeded down the road, someone here's bound to know where it is. Having a restaurant as a hideout, he decided, was a much more strategic decision than he originally gave credit for. Not only would people be able to openly look for it, it also served good food.

His stomach rumbled as though on cue. The past few days on the road had not been kind to a lost ex-gangster with very little money to spare. It was just his luck that he had deviated from the route, which also meant that he had no inns or roadside stalls from which to buy food. He grinned widely then; he was bound to find some way to get those pretty waitresses at the Aoiya to pity him into giving him a meal.

Sanosuke's pleasant thoughts were interrupted as something bounced off his shoe. He managed to catch the brief wink of a smoldering cigarette before it rolled to the side. Eyes automatically narrowing, he searched the surrounding area. There were very few people he knew who smoked, and it would just be his luck that he happened to be in the same town as one of them.

Happened to be in the alleyway just to his right, actually.

"Saitou!"

"What are you looking for, brat."

Saitou Hajime was imposing as usual even in clothes that were not his customary dark blue police uniform. A smirk on his thin, drawn lips, he lit a new cigarette and took a deep drag before blowing the smoke deliberately in Sano's direction.

"None of your business, asshole." Sano took a step back to avoid the smoke but was engulfed in it anyway. He scowled. Bastard.

"Fine." Saitou shrugged and took another drag from the smelly little stick before motioning for Sano to come closer.

"I don't have time for this." Sano grumbled, walking away from the policeman. Hopefully if he ignored Saitou he would just go away. As much as Sano would love to engage him in a fight – I could beat him right now if I wanted to! – the fact was that he needed to find Megumi before Shinomori tried anything on her, and damned if he was going to let Saitou delay him. He hoped the fox would appreciate the sacrifice he was making.

"Are you that worried about your lady doctor, ahou?"

Sano froze and spun around feeling his hands tighten into fists at his side at Saitou's sly tones. "What?"

Saitou took one final drag on his cigarette before he threw carelessly to the ground, just missing Sanosuke's shoe. The gesture was rewarded with another glare from the gangster, who then deliberately and unceremoniously grounded it out, wishing it was Saitou's face instead.

"You do know she's with Shinomori Aoshi, right? Staying as his… personal... doctor". Cruel lips curved into a smirk at Sano's barely disguised growl and he continued, "Since you're looking for her, I want you to deliver a message to Shinomori for me."

Sano snorted. "What the hell makes you think I'd do you any favours? I'm not your errand boy!"

Arrogant bastard.

Saitou lit yet another cigarette as he strode towards Sanosuke. To Sanosuke's horror, the policeman moved even closer until they were only inches apart. Wolf-like yellow eyes narrowed. "I think you will, ahou."

Sano killed a nervous gulp; damned if he was going to let Saitou to see how intimidated he was.

"Tell Shinomori Kagura's out and no one knows where she is." He turned and began walking away leaving Sano to scowl at him. Why did he always have to have the last word?

"Asshole…" Sano muttered to himself.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot."

Sano looked up at Saitou. "What now?"

Saitou looked thoughtful, feigning innocence as he took another long drag on his cigarette. "Tell Shinomori good luck with that. And with the bait. I hear his lady doctor's feisty". With that, Saitou sauntered away.

"Bastard." Sano muttered again. But what the hell was Saitou talking about? He shook his head and hurried on feeling, somehow, more anxious than ever about finding Megumi.

~~~~~

It was only when he finally admitted weariness that he slowed down. By now people were giving him strange looks and giving him a wide berth. Irritated, he snapped, "What are you looking at?" He was lost, hungry, tired and worried. Couldn't the world just give him a break?

"Excuse me, young man? Are you looking for someone?" An old lady called out to him from her stall, her kindly face wrinkled in a friendly smile.

A sign?

He jogged over to her, nodding his head in greeting, "I'm trying to look for a friend. She's staying at the Aoiya and I don't know where it is."

The woman clucked her tongue, pale brown eyes thoughtful, "Oh, the lady doctor?" She chuckled when his eyes widened in surprise. "She's becoming very popular here."

Much to his chagrin, he realized it was only to be expected. Megumi had proven to be a success back in Tokyo, with her practical approach to medicine. Her beauty, of course, had carved for her a reputation among both men and women, who considered her a role model. "Could you just tell me how to get to the Aoiya?"

"I suppose I could," she answered, beaming at him.

He nodded, thinking to himself, old woman, if you weren't so wrinkled I'd tell you to get straight to the point.

She pointed behind his shoulder, "She's at the temple right now."

So close? Damnit! He thanked her and ran up to the imposing building just across the woman's stall. Though built on a hill, it didn't take long for him to see into the temple compounds, and catch sight of two figures seated on a balcony.

The one on the right was definitely Megumi. Her trademark lilac kimono was a dead giveaway, as was the throaty laughter that floated down to his ears.

What's so funny? Sano scowled as he realized her companion was none other than Shinomori himself. With a growl, he dropped his belongings to the ground.

Megumi as bait? Shinomori had a lot of explaining to do.

However, he froze as he watched the scene play out in front of him. What the hell? What was Megumi doing? Why was she leaning over like that? Why was she touching Shinomori's face? …

Why the fuck is Aoshi on top of her?!

Infuriated beyond belief, a challenge was on the tip of his tongue when he saw Megumi reach up to the former ninja, touching Shinomori's chest in a very, very intimate manner.

Sano was rooted to the spot, anger constricting his throat, his fists clenching till knuckles whitened and tendons strained.

High above, leaves rustled as though mocking him.

Obviously Shinomori Aoshi was more human than Sano gave him credit for, and obviously he had more in mind than simply using Megumi as bait.

Sano had no idea how long he stood there. For all he knew, it could have been seconds, minutes, hours or even goddamned days. All he knew was that when he heard a scream, he sprang instantly into action, a desperate, feral grin stretching his lips.

The only thing Sagara Sanosuke wanted to do was beat something up right now, and it seemed as though the world had granted it to him.

.oOOo.oOOo.

"Stupid rooster! You let him get away!"

"Who are you calling stupid, weasel girl?! You should be grateful I saved you from that loon!"

A bemused Megumi watched the scene as an indignant Sanosuke traded insults with an equally irritated Misao. Though Sano's tall form dwarfed Misao's petite figure, she was his equal in temper and, judging from the current volume of their argument, boisterousness. Dark eyes roving over the scene, Megumi frowned momentarily as she noted the gleaming throwing knives embedded into the trunk of the nearby tree.

Beside her, Aoshi watched on impassively, though one of his hands was resting on the hilt of his kodachi. The other was still gripping hers.

Funny, that. Megumi didn't realize he was so paranoid as to actually bring weapons with him when praying and meditating at a temple. Come to think of it, she didn't realize he was so forward as to straddle a woman in a temple. The thought brought a faint blush to her cheeks; now that was an experience she had never even dreamt of.

"Fox!" Sanosuke's voice dragged her attention back to the present as he glared daggers at her. He ignored Misao, who in turn was scowling fiercely at him.

"Sano, what are you doing here?" Though puzzled as to why he was here, Megumi instinctively knew he was furious at her about something and so decided she would be civil until there really was reason to be utterly, utterly, pissed off. Misao suddenly seemed to find the ground very interesting.

"I know Ice Man there is up to something…", Sano stopped, staring pointedly at her hand. Or to be more precise, at her and Aoshi's hands.

Misao's cheeks were turning a very interesting shade of red as she turned to pull the daggers out of the tree, yanking them out with more force than was necessary.

Aoshi however took no notice of Sanosuke's scrutiny, turning to tell Megumi to stand by as he slid his hand to her elbow, his touch lingering for only a moment. The gesture left Sano seething. Before he could say anything though, Aoshi tossed a casual, "I leave him to your expertise, Megumi."

Sanosuke's gaze swung around to face Megumi. A full second passed before he exploded, "What the fuck was that about?!"

.oOOo.oOOo.

Kagura stared out of the window, ignoring the quivering youth before her. She had listened to his report with rapt attention, frowning as he recounted his meeting with the young girl – Shinomori's charge, she recalled –, the events of the fight and the intrusion of the tall stranger.

"Shadow was coming too," was the whimper, "Shadow was on balcony, Master. Shadow was coming. Shadow was going to hurt Yowan."

She ignored the trembling boy so she could mull over the unexpected events.

So… Yowan's little excursion revealed the girl as a fighter. Weak, and no doubt Yowan could easily beat her in a match, but she would still be a time-consuming obstacle. As for the unknown man, it was best to assume he was Shinomori Aoshi's equal.

What could it mean? A couple more friends who could potentially protect Takani Megumi had appeared. Potentially. Were they there by her request? But the doctor didn't suspect anything, did she? But if she knew, what else could explain the appearance of the newcomer, if not her calling for extra precautions? Why, if she didn't know?

Nervousness tugged at Kagura's insides then, and she began to fiddle with the beads of her bracelet. What was she to do?

"Dear-heart, sweetheart, there is no change in our plans." The voice was like honey, a balm to the itch anxiety brought.

"But she'll know!" Kagura protested weakly.

There was a tug at her sleeve, and she looked down to see the glittering mismatched eyes of her adoring servant. "Master, Pretty knows nothing. Yowan watch Pretty. Pretty knows only anger. No fear in Pretty."

She rewarded his contribution with a small pat on the head.

"See? She knows nothing, dear-heart."

"But what about Shinomori?" she hissed, her hand automatically clenching into a fist, catching strands of his long chestnut hair. "Will he tell her?" she went on, ignoring the boy's cries of pain.

"We will just act sooner, that's all, sweetheart. Then we'll have the doctor."

A serene smile.

"We will teach her never to tear us apart."

"Yes," she whispered, "We'll teach her."

.oOOo.oOOo.

Misao cast a furtive glance at the man walking next to her, then at the bickering couple behind her. It was obvious to her that the moment Sanosuke appeared, he was itching for a fight. And she wasn't stupid. She could practically feel him constantly glaring at Aoshi-sama, and she had the sinking feeling that she knew why. Sanosuke must have seen what she had seen, and obviously he wasn't too happy about it.

She cast another look at Aoshi. The tall man had his gaze fixed on a point somewhere in the horizon, and for a brief moment, she was back in that cabin a year or so ago. Aoshi-sama, striding past her without a sign of acknowledgment. Okina, soaked in his own blood, unconscious.

She was scared to ask. Around Megumi-sensei, he acted normal but once the doctor was out of sight he seemed… withdrawn? But she had to know. As she took a deep breath, a small thought flitted past, Please, please don't let him shut me out.

"Do you want to know who your attacker is?"

His question came out of nowhere, and the abrupt suddenness shattered her already frayed nerves. "Aoshi-sama, he talked just like you! He said all these weird things in your voice! In Megu-"

He cut her off then with a quiet, "We'll talk about it later, Misao. Now is not the time." Still not looking at her, his body language told her more. It told her that it should not be discussed with others, and that she should now take care.

She felt it then.

Aoshi-sama was very worried, and that unsettled her deeply. Here was the man who helped raise her as a child, the man whose care and dedication earned her admiration and eventually her love, and she had learnt to read him better than most people. He was usually so confident and calm. For him to be slightly uneasy was cause for alarm. For him to be so troubled that his hand was constantly on the hilt of his ever-present kodachi called for full-fledged panic.

Everything centered around Takani Megumi, and Misao needed to know what was going on.

"Sano, I am going to buy herbs for the clinic. Don't you even think about following me". Misao turned to see Megumi scowling at Sanosuke, her brown eyes lit with barely suppressed anger.

Aoshi turned to Misao, "Take Sagara back. I'm sure he's tired from his travels." Megumi had already stalked off, and he turned to follow her.

Misao nodded, then yelped as a hand shot past her to grab Aoshi's sleeve. "I know what you're doing, asshole. I know about Kagura. I know what you're up to, and fuck if I'm going to let you use the fox like that" Sano snarled.

Aoshi's expression was cold. "Sagara, you know nothing." With that he turned and left.

A/N:

Just a small heads-up; I've started a new story that's A/Meg; "Visions Of A Son". If you're interested, check it out.