Aftermath

Part I: Moving Forward At Last

[AN] If you want the traditional happy ending, just read the first part as a oneshot. Things get deeper after that..

I think my primary aversion to writing Sano and Megumi is that there's so much of it, and there are really only so many ways to tell the typical happy-ending story if you're going to stick to canon. (I played a little loosely with it in my story "Coming Home" which culminates in the quintessential "Sano shows up and declares his love after all this time, and Megumi grudgingly admits she's not totally averse/throws herself into his arms" sort of scenario. And of course, it is assumed that they get married and live happily ever after and have lots and lots of kids because well naturally Sano and Megumi would. And then I decided to explore their actual relationship... They're such different people, with such different goals and interests... Ultimately, COULD they work? [/AN]

There was something in the air. She felt it as soon as she woke up; there was a sense of... ~Not foreboding, exactly, but I definitely feel that something is going to happen today. Maybe I should write to everyone in Tokyo and make sure they're all right.~ Megumi stretched and rose, wishing she had the luxury of taking her time, but there was the clinic to open and prepare for the day's influx of patients. She dashed off a short note to Kenshin and Kaoru, asking if everything was well and stating that she had felt compelled to check in with them as soon as possible, in addition to their regular communication. Once the letter was finished, she propped it up on the corner of her desk as a reminder to send it and resumed her normal routine. Wash, dress, open the clinic, make sure everything was as clean as possible and ready to face whatever the day brought.

The feeling did not fade, but as the day wore on and left the robe of morning behind, she began to feel fretful. It was a very slow day. The weather was clear and crisp, and the spring sun warmed the hearts of everyone she had spoken to. Aizu was still recovering, and would be a long time in doing so, but days like this always helped. Spring was always welcome, especially after such a harsh winter as the past two years had brought.

She stood in the door of the clinic, looking out into the street. Children ran and played, their spirits undimmed by the remaining evidence of the area's recent history. Adults went about their daily business with smiles that pushed away the shadows of the past. These were people who wanted nothing more than to move on to a better future.

So why couldn't she?

Everyone loved the "Beautiful Lady Doctor" as a doctor, especially coming as she did from the Takani bloodline with its reputation for an extensive medical repertoire and equal treatment regardless of a person's background. The entire community watched out for her, and even the poorest patient who could not afford to pay would find some way of compensating her, often with a service in kind. The clinic itself had been a run-down, barely functional little hovel when she'd arrived. With the political support she had been promised, and that which she won from the community, it was still small but no longer was it a place to shame the medical profession.

And it was true that she loved the community in return. But for all that the people as a whole loved her, the women had never made overtures of friendship, and the men... Well, even if she would have considered becoming involved with a patient, none of the men had ever given any indication of interest in her as a person, never mind as a woman.

It had been four years since she came to Aizu, and she still had not made any real friends such as she had made in just six months in Tokyo. Standing in the doorway that brisk spring day, watching the people in the street, a pang of loneliness gripped her, its toxic claws digging into her heart.

~I can't go back. It would be nice to stay with Genzaisensei, and I'm long past due for a visit, but I am needed here. How can I atone for the deaths that I've caused, if I run away from the people who need me most? How can I keep my promise to Kensan?~

At the thought of his name, she cringed. Sometimes the pain was still raw. ~I thought time was supposed to be a healer, too...~

"Oiy, Onnasensei, I don't stink that bad. I'll have you know I bathed just this morning."

That voice... The thrill that tickled her spine almost frightened her in its intensity. "Apparently," she said flippantly, "once a day isn't enough for you." Tossing her hair back over one shoulder, she turned an arched eyebrow towards a face that was at once achingly familiar and utterly alien.

~That damnably cocky grin... that hasn't changed,~ she noted. But everything else had. He seemed a bit taller, definitely broader - especially across the shoulders - and his hair, always unkempt and a bit long, was now a wild mass of brown spikes that trailed down his back. And over his head. He hadn't shaved in a while, and his face looked weathered. His jaw had filled out some, and he had hints of lines around his eyes that said whatever he'd been through had not been easy on him.

"Would you join me if I bathed again?" The grin widened, and Sagara Sanosuke struck a pose of insolent confidence.

She couldn't help the flush that rose to her cheeks, but she was proud and relieved that her voice remained steady. "Bathing wouldn't be enough. You need to be boiled."

"Ah, it ain't that bad. Here, take another whiff," Sano said as he moved towards her.

"Takanisensei, is this guy giving you trouble?" One of the local police officers approached. He was a man not yet in his middle years and built like an ox. Megumi knew him to be an absolute sweetheart as long as you were on his good side, but every ounce of him was muscle and no one wanted to be on his bad side.

Unfortunately, she was dealing with Sanosuke.

"No, Satomurasan, thank you."

"Oiy, Kitsune, you never told these people about the man you're gonna marry?" he grinned saucily.

"Marry?" Satomura echoed, looking to Megumi in surprise.

He was even more shocked when he saw her expression. Indignation, surprise, and the burgeoning desire to punch in Sanosuke's face warred for dominance. "Marry you!"

"Oiy, ya don't have to look so unhappy at the idea." Thoroughly disgruntled, the one-time gangster deflated utterly.

Satomura decided to beat a strategic retreat. He also decided not to say anything to anyone else about this. He didn't want the doctor mad at him.

"You have some nerve, Sagara Sanosuke!" She glared at him, and he could tell her anger was genuine. The day's nerves had been the kindling on a fire built up over more than four years of solitude, stress, and loneliness. "You disappear for years without so much as a word since, much less an honest goodbye! When Kensan needed you, needed us all, where were you? Gone! Who knew where? I never did believe you made it there from… where did you say? Shimosuwa? In a day? Even for an idiot as idiotic as you, that's not even a joke!"

Although her mention of Shimosuwa startled him, he simply muttered, "Shinsuu." Beyond that, his several attempts to get a word in edgewise all having failed miserably, Sano sunk into sullen silence at the end of her tirade. It was easier to let her rant than to explain that she had left first and he had indeed been there to say goodbye. He had written to them all; he had sent postcards! Was it his fault if she hadn't seen them? And when Kenshin had fallen apart and hidden himself away in Rakuninmura, Sano had felt that his absence hadn't made a bit of difference. And as for why he had fled the country, he had never told them the details because he hadn't wanted them to be caught up in his trouble. It had been his fight. And he had wanted to protect his family… Both families. But he knew that saying any of that would not help his case any.

For the first time since she'd met him, Sanosuke did not leap to his own defense. Instead, once stopped for more than a breath, he looked at her evenly.

"Megumi. Listen to me. I'm only gonna say this once: You're right."

She looked at him for a long moment. Neither one of them spoke.

"You heard right. I said it. But I'm not gonna say it again. I screwed up. A lot. I ain't gonna ask for forgiveness, either." He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets – even the gesture brought another twinge to her heart! – and turned away, starting back down the road. Every move he made brought an ache to her throat. The sheer familiarity of his presence, no matter how much he'd changed, was enough to drive home the depths of the loneliness she'd endured. With him gone, and Kenshin married to Kaoru, she'd had no one. She'd had no childhood friends who'd stayed in Aizu, although the truth was she hadn't had many to begin with. "'Bye."

The method of his departure struck a chord of memory. Rakuninmura. A redheaded rurouni so sunk in exhaustion and despair that he could not even react to the hard punch Sanosuke had delivered. And once again, this time he had hit hard – but this time he had used Megumi's own weapon: words.

And this time, there was a response. "W… Wait. Sanosuke." The words came out barely above a whisper. "Sano. Please don't leave."

He stopped, looking over one shoulder. In the old days, he would have made some flippant comment. In his travels, however, he'd learned enough about when to keep quiet. This was unquestionably one of those times.

There was a tenderness in his gaze that she did not acknowledge as he followed her inside.

Takani Megumi was never at a loss. Shock, yes, she could be shocked. But very little could shake her confidence or leave her floundering for words.

Except Sagara Sanosuke's sudden appearance on her doorstep several years after his equally sudden disappearance.

Of course, Sanosuke himself was no stranger to overconfidence, but in the face of Megumi's sudden, genuine anger, he hadn't known quite what to say or do to defuse the situation. ~I can't rightly say I didn't do anything to deserve it, either,~ he had to admit to himself. "Probably not the most romantic proposal, was it," he said after a long moment, trying to ease the tension.

She hadn't looked at him since he entered the clinic, but now she turned to him. "Sano…" He realized that the brightness of her eyes was brought on by the tears she was desperately trying to keep from spilling over. "Sano… I'm sorry."

Wordlessly he opened his arms to her and she hesitated only a moment. The clinic was empty. Even if anyone were to witness such brazen behavior, surely it could be chalked up to an emotional reunion... In two steps she was wrapped in his strong embrace, her fists curled over her mouth as she cried into his shoulder. Like her laugh – her real laugh, the unaffected laugh they rarely witnessed, her tears were largely silent in spite of the strength of her sobs. He was afraid to move or speak, and long moments passed as he held her.

"Sensei?" Someone called from the doorway; Megumi had led him into one of the small examination rooms. They could not be seen.

She straightened up, started to leave the room.

"You're in no shape to see a patient just now," he said. "You look like you've been crying."

Megumi looked at Sanosuke for a long moment, loath to admit that he was right. Her shoulders slumped as the voice called out again.

"I am sorry. Please come back later unless it's an emergency."

"No, sensei, I just wanted to ask for more of the stomach medicine. Can I come back later?"

She recognized the voice, now. "Of course, Kaedechan. Come back after dinner and I'll have it ready for you."

"Thank you, sensei!" the girl called out, and Sano heard her leave.

He studied the woman before him for a long time. She looked slightly faded. Her beauty had not diminished, but she looked tired and worn compared to the woman he remembered. She was not wearing any makeup, but in his eyes that only enhanced the natural paleness of her skin, the depth of her eyes, and the delicacy of her lips. He noticed she looked thinner; still voluptuous under all the layers, but she had not led a prosperous life since coming north.

~If this is the Kitsune now, maybe waiting was the right thing,~ he thought. ~We never would've made it work the way we each were before I left.~

"So does this mean you're glad to see me?" he finally said, with a lopsided grin that was not cocky this time but rueful.

"You must think me sillier than the country girl," she said, turning away from him. "Bawling like a little child at the slightest provocation."

"Not so slight. Four years of being alone is five too many."

"Sometimes I feel as if the whole world has moved on around me, and I am standing still."

"Funny you should say that," he leaned back against the wall, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "Sometimes I feel as though the world is standing still, and I'm running backwards."

"Let's start over?"

"Heh." He turned and left.

"Where are you –" she started to follow him out of the clinic, but he had turned around and was knocking on the doorframe just as Kaede had moments before.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a doctor by the name of Takani Megumi?"

She blinked at him, taken aback, but the sparkle in his eye caught her up and she decided to play along.

"I am Takani Megumi. May I help you?"

"My name is Sagara Sanosuke. I need to be examined. I think I have a sickness."

"Come inside and tell me your symptoms," she said, having an even harder time than he was at keeping a straight face.

"I have no appetite. My mouth is dry, and my heart is racing. I can't sleep, but when I do, my dreams are all about the same thing."

"I see. And how long ago did your symptoms start?"

"I'd have to say about four years ago."

Neither one of them was even attempting to hide their smiles: they had faded.

"That's a very long time to experience such symptoms. Have you never consulted a medical professional about this before?"

"I did. But she told me she can't cure lovesickness." He shook his head, long brown locks twitching in all directions. "Dammit, Kitsune, I don't know. I know it's stupid but I think I fell in love with you in that observation tower. You looked so lost, so vulnerable. I'd never seen you that way before or since… until now. "

"I thought you said we were starting over."

"Heh." He shrugged, that odd little half-smile of embarrassment more full of apology than his words. "I lied."

"Do… Do Kensan and Kaoruchan know you've come back?"

"Yeah. I stopped by for a few days there before coming here. Told them not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you… but I didn't expect it'd go over so well.

"I've spent the last four years traveling the globe, wondering if the police would still be after me when I returned. As it turns out, Kenshin told me they'd decided to forget about it when certain activities of the guy's came out. So it looks like I'm off the hook," he grinned. "But even more than that, there was another hook I didn't wanna be off." The smile faded. "I wondered what happened while I was away. What you were doing. Not a day went by when I wasn't thinkin' about the Kitsune who cast her fox magic over me. I coulda had a girl in every port, but I didn't want any of 'em. None of 'em were you.

"So here I am. I'm not the same lazy bum I was. I even paid off my tab at the Akabeko."

"Really. Now I know you're an impostor," she said archly.

"Heh. I deserved that… I was real irresponsible back then, no question. And yeah, I still like the dice and the cups, but I know my limits these days. I went to Tokyo first because I planned to stay here in Aizu… if you'll have me here."

"Have you any medical training?" she asked abruptly.

"Medical… I guess I learned a few things on the road," he said uncertainly.

"I could use an assistant."

"An assistant?"

"Someone to do the heavy lifting, follow directions, help keep the place clean… An assistant. It doesn't pay well." Megumi looked slightly embarrassed. "I may be mercenary in my approach with those who can afford it, or should be able to afford it when they're not gambling all their money away," she added pointedly, "but these people need my help, and they have so little themselves…"

Sanosuke grunted softly by way of acknowledgment. Megumi's pride was a tender thing; after making such headway, he was hardly going to risk saying something that would throw off the delicate balance they seemed to have achieved.

"You'll need to find somewhere to stay."

"You mean you won't pay me, and you won't put me up?" The grin rolled back into place on his rugged features.

Indignation sparked in her eyes. "Just a moment ago you were so proud not to be the same lazy bum I remembered."

"Just sayin', is all."

"Well, it would hardly be appropriate for us to stay alone."

"Unless you marry me."

"You understand that by moving under my roof, and accepting a life with me, you would need to assume my family name as well?" Knowing what pride he took in the name "Sagara" which he'd adapted in honor and memory of the captain of the Sekihoutai, to which he'd dedicated his heart from childhood, she didn't think it likely he would choose to become...

He hadn't thought much about it, but it was true: if they were to be married in the traditional way, without incorporating any of the weird Western notions that were only barely beginning to make their way into the heads of Japanese youths, he would have to abandon his captain's name and become…

"Takani Sanosuke." They said it together.

They stared at each other, and she tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Sounds goofy. Don't do it," she said archly, but she was smiling as she spoke.

He grinned back, but inside, his mind whirled. ~No reason not to tell her...~ "I've heard those exact words before. From Sagara-taichou."

Her eyes widened, and he nodded. "I was born a farmer's son. I later learned that he took a family name too - Higashidani."

"Higashidani Sanosuke?" Megumi said. "The names get stranger."

At that, he smirked. Just a little. "Yeah, the family's pretty strange to start with. Maybe you'll meet 'em one day." The smirk faded into something shaded with regret. "But when I asked Sagara-taichou if I could take the name 'Sagara' for my own, he said exactly the same thing you did. 'Sagara Sanosuke? Sounds goofy. Don't do it.'"

Even now the words echoed in his memory; as he spoke them aloud, he heard his captain's voice.

"It seems we've a lot to learn about one another," Megumi said slowly. "Such as the fact that there's more to each of us than our banter ever showed."

"Yeah," he said as slowly. "Ya know, if I'm to be your assistant, you didn't say anything about not feedin' me." The grin was back.

"Mooch," she glowered at him.

"Fox," he taunted back.

"Sponge."

"Snob."

"Bum."

~Damn, I missed you, woman.~ The grin spread. "What's for dinner?"

"Baka." She started for the kitchen. ~I never imagined how much I'd missed you.~ She wasn't about to let him see her smiling back at him.

[AN] For those who may not remember, Shimosuwa was the area in which Sano was when the Sekihoutai were slain, and also the place where he trained years later with Anji. Whether or not Megumi knew this or not is open to debate. It's probable; she may have gotten the names confused in the heat of anger or used the wrong place name deliberately in order to further disconcert him. [/AN]