The Road Less Traveled by Tin Mandigma --------------------------------------- This is a Rurouni Kenshin-inspired fanfic written entirely for entertainment purposes only. Standard disclaimers apply. -------------------------------------- 3: Counterpoint "Yahiko..." Kaoru hissed. "What are you doing?" They were standing outside the main gates of an imposing mansion which was half-hidden by large trees. Yahiko was hauling himself slowly up the steel barriers, grinning gleefully all the way. "I'm gonna see what's taking Ichiro and Kenshin so long," he responded as he carefully slid one leg over the spike-edged turrets. "You might fall, you idiot," Kaoru called out in exasperation. "Get down this instant!" Yahiko stuck his tongue out at her. "No way." Kaoru clenched her fists in rage. "You brat! It'll serve you right if the owner of the catches you sneaking into the grounds and have you impaled on where you are now!" She took a step forward when she saw Yahiko wobble on his footing as he prepared to jump to the other side. "Gods, Yahiko!!!" Megumi sighed and took Kaoru by the shoulder, gently drawing her aside. "Let him be." "But he might fall!" Kaoru protested. "He's gonna fall either way, Kaoru," Megumi pointed out. "It's just a question of 'how' and if you distract him now... the answer to the question could be very painful." Kaoru blew her bangs out of her eyes frustatedly. "I guess you're right," she muttered. "But what if the owner sees him--?" She gasped when she saw Yahiko take what seemed to her to be an awfully high leap before toppling to the ground with a distinctly hard thud. Megumi yelled, "Yahiko!" Kaoru ran forward. "Yahiko...Yahiko, are you all right?!" she called out worriedly. He didn't answer as he continued to lay face down on the stone-littered walk. Alarm began to flood with her with increasing rapidity. "Yahiko?!!!" Still no response. Kami-sama... "Here, let me," Megumi muttered as she knelt down besides Kaoru and reached out through the grids in an effort to get to Yahiko's neck. "You call out for help." "Yahiko!" Kenshin called out as he, Sano, and Ichiro emerged from the leaf-covered pathway leading to the house. He reached the boy first, instantly dropping to his knees in front of the prone body. "Yahiko? What happened?" he asked Megumi and Kaoru worriedly. "He wanted to see where you were," Kaoru answered him in a rush, her face pale with fear and concern. "He climbed up the gates and he--fell." "Don't try to lift him, Ken-san," Megumi warned when she saw him reach out to place a hand on Yahiko's shoulder. "He may have some broken bones--Sano what are you DOING?!" she screamed as Sano casually prodded the boy on the ribs with a foot. "Sanosuke, get away from him this instant! Sano!" "Down, Fox," Sano muttered wryly. "I think he'll survive..." He grabbed the boy's sleeve and abruptly hauled him to his feet. Megumi wanted to blast the gate to bits then and there, grab a stake, and plunge it through the idiot's skull. "What you are doing is against proper medical procedures... You'll kill him!!!" "I wouldn't worry too much about that," Sano retorted lazily. "Right, Yahiko?" The others watched in horrified fascination as Yahiko began to shake in Sano's grip in jerky seizure-like movements. Megumi felt Kaoru grip her arm and she knew without looking that Kaoru was about to cry. Megumi trembled with shock, knowing that it was only a matter of seconds before she lose it, too. "Yahiko...!" "Sano, stop it!" Kenshin shouted as he tried to pry Sano's hand away from the shivering boy. "What's gotten into you?!" Oh gods... Megumi's eyes widened. She remembered Yahiko's earlier remarks regarding ghosts... the ghost stories Ichiro told them as they made their way to this place...about possessions... Sano and Yahiko couldn't possibly be--she gulped-- in the grip of some sort of demonic rage could they?! But Ichiro had told them with the most solemn look on his craggy face that ghosts usually pick those who are easily tempted by earthly pleasures... like food, women, gambling...by that definition alone, Sano and Yahiko ought to have been possessed by the devil himself a long time ago... This was getting too hysterical for words-- Kaoru abruptly loosened her hold on her arm. Megumi heard her take a soft indrawn breath and she was acutely aware that the other girl was also trembling. Megumi turned towards her, half-afraid that she would faint, when she saw that Kaoru was indeed pale. And deathly pale at that. But not from fear or horror or revulsion. Megumi stared at her as she realized that Kaoru was actually shaking from anger and--laughter! Megumi nearly took a step away, wondering frantically if everyone in her party had gone insane--she gulped as she remembered that Kenshin possessed would be the worst scenario of all. She turned to his direction fearfully, about to break out into a stream of curses totally unsuitable to her otherwise practical and efficient image, and nearly fainted when she saw that he was laughing, too. And Ichiro. And Sano. And Yahiko was laughing the loudest of all even as his feet dangled on the ground. Gotcha. Oh damn. "I'm gonna kill you, Yahiko," she growled, her chest still heaving with tightly-strung emotions. "What the hell where you thinking?! And you--" she rounded on Sano furiously. "You knew and you willingly played the scene out--" "Excuse me?!" Sano protested. "You were the one who insisted on 'proper medical procedures.' Not me. I just let Yahiko have his bit of fun..." "At our expense!" Megumi screamed. She sensed Kaoru and Kenshin staring at her and she quickly took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It was just a joke, Megumi. Just a nice hellish joke. "Hey, Fox," Sano said cautiously as he let go of the now subdued Yahiko. "There's no need to get so worked up about it." "Yes, I know!" she snapped at him. And she did, really. It wasn't his fault. Or even Yahiko's. But her imagination had gone overdrive again, scenes playing out in her mind in grotesque sequences. Ghosts, mad men... Gods, what was wrong with her? A practical tasteless excuse for fun, she thought scathingly, and her only reaction was to think of wild and meaningless superstitious explanations. She took another breath. "I know," she repeated more calmly. "You just--surprised me." An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Sano watched Megumi, a hooded expression on his eyes, Kenshin and Kaoru watched Sano, Yahiko kept his gaze fixed surreptiously on the ground, and Ichiro's glance flitted back and forth to every person in the group. Megumi studiously kept her eyes trained on the sleeves of her kimono. She sensed Sano staring at her, could practically feel the mockery and hurt in his gaze burning through her skin, and she knew, with a flash of painful shame, that she would have to be the first to break the ice this time. Thankfully, Kaoru did the job for her. "Kenshin?" Megumi wondered, and not for the first time, just how much Kaoru depended on that one word to set things straight, to say it with conviction even when spoken in the tone of questioning uncertainty. Her very own talisman against the travails of daily life. At that moment, and still not for the first time, Megumi envied her that sense of deep completion, the belief, the *truth* that she had someone she could depend on no matter what happened. While she had floundered in a sea teeming with ghosts and decapitated heads, Kaoru had her rock to cling on: Kenshin. One look at him and she must have known, too. Or was it the other way around? Megumi sighed tiredly. Either way, it worked. Kenshin's gaze flickered at Kaoru's-- see?--for a moment before he nodded his head almost impercetibly in understanding. "We talked to the owner's right-hand man," he said smoothly, as if nothing had happened. "And he told us that it would be OK if we look around. The gardens are pretty big and the house even more so." He glanced at the women who were still standing outside the gate. "Well?" "That'll be great!" Kaoru agreed heartily. "Right, Megumi?" Megumi sighed inwardly, wishing that Kaoru hadn't *tried* to include her in the 'conversation.' She sensed that Kaoru was studying her worriedly and so was, she peeked to make sure, Yahiko. She couldn't bring herself to look at Sano. She sighed again, this time audibly. She'll be damned if she'll spoil the afternoon with an amateur display of theatrics and childish temper. Sensibility is the key to staying power here. After all, she told herself practically, it's not like everything was meant *meant* There couldn't have been any underlying intention of pricking and prodding her paranoia to the point that it swelled to about the size of her ego. She smirked. Whatever. "Megumi-dono?" Kenshin questioned her softly. She waited but only an audible snort followed that remark from a certain quarter. Fine, then. "Yes," she said and smiled at Kaoru and if the other girl saw a trace of defiance and remaining frustration in that smile, she didn't let on. "Let's go see the house." "Wow! It's so beautiful here!" Kaoru exclaimed as they walked through a particularly gorgeous pavilion, its wooden posts carefully carved and polished so that they glinted in muted brilliance from the rays of the late afternoon sun. She fingered the intricate carvings gently, almost caressingly, as she sighed. "I could stay here forever..." Megumi had to agree with her. The pavilion directly faced the landscaped gardens complete with a carefully constructed koi pond and a quaint overhanging bridge. The breeze was cool and refreshing, the flowers nodding with it in perfect synchrony. The effect was quite charming. Idyllic, almost. She loved it. But meeting the owner of the place had been the clincher. Omari Akiko was a bright, sharp-eyed and still attractive woman at the ripe old age of sixty. Or so she told them. Megumi suspected that she was a wee bit older than she let on but the woman obviously got a kick from people oohing and aahing over her 'looking so young' (and Kenshin and Sano had been particularly susceptible to her--charms) that she hadn't the heart--and the guts, she had to admit--to call that particular issue in question. Besides, centenarian or not, the woman was formidable. And rich. And powerful. Not to mention one of the most celebrated members of the Tokyo social circuit. Both Megumi and Kaoru had nearly fallen over themselves when they had learned who the owner of this particular 'old house' was. More precisely, they had been floored. A servant had come up to them as they wended their way through the outer gardens and said that the mistress of the house would like to meet them. Apparently, she had seen a boy pirouetting on top of her gates and she had been intrigued. She probably heard the ruckus which followed that event, too. Megumi smiled wryly. She had been reluctant to take the owner up to her offer. Her kimono was stained from tramping all over the forests and her hair wasn't exactly in great shape either. And it had taken some pretty powerful persuasion from Kenshin to get Kaoru to budge from her mournful examination of her own rumpled reflection in the clear waters of the stone fountain which stood in front of the house. Yahiko had made a wisecrack about foxes and racoons and their respective vanities but Sano had thankfully kept silent. Megumi scowled. The man had not spoken to her all afternoon. She didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign. She had waited, half in expectation, half in dread, for Sano to burst out with one of his patented you're-such-a-moron remarks when she had repeated Omari Akiko's name like a demented Buddhist priest for five times (at least) when she had finally been introduced to the woman. And, to make matters worse, she had tripped all the way to the other end of the room and landed on her bottom, caught in the simple act of reaching for her tea. Megumi prided herself on her compusure, her calm and cool efficiency, but meeting Omari Akiko had shaken that complacency. A simple look from the woman had made her feel woefully inadequate and when she had started speaking in those precise, cultured, crystal-cut tones, it had taken a considerable effort on Megumi's part to keep herself from rushing back to the house, scrub her body clean, and buy the most gorgeous and elegant kimono she could find. How's that for self-confidence, Megumi? she asked herself self-depracatingly. And the woman is probably old enough to be your grandmother twice over, for cryin' out loud. Of course, the fact that she still had that lethal combination of looks and wit didn't make matters any better. Kaoru, she had noted with pleasure and a bit of relief, had been more poised and certainly more in control. After the initial--shock, Kaoru had adjusted to the situation with admirable ease. By the end of the meeting, she was comparing notes with 'Aki-san' (Megumi had been afraid she would whack Yahiko with her silk fan when the word 'obaasama' had slipped his lips) about the relative merits of cooking soup with or without salt. Megumi shook her head as she wondered about that odd turn of conversation. Kenshin, she had noted, was looking a bit uncomfortable at that point. As well he might since both he and Sano had been the focus of attention for the past half-hour. Megumi hadn't wanted to believe it at first but when she had caught the old woman fluttering her ridiculously long (and probably fake) eyelashes while calling Kenshin and Sano her 'favorite young men,' the conclusion was too obvious to be ignored. Omari Akiko was an outrageous flirt, even in her not-so-old age. Megumi wondered what she must have been like when she was in her prime. She must have been a fascinating sight. Oh yes. A look at her and the women must have grabbed their husbands and shoved them so deep in their hakamas, they'll never surface for air, least of all glance at the lady. Megumi had been wryly amused that Aki-san hadn't lost her touch. She had felt a flicker of what she was halfway to admitting as jealousy when she had seen Sano laughing at a particularly spicy tale about a sailor and his captain. In the space of a few minutes, Aki-san had made more inroads to Sano's heart, stomach, and sense of humor than she had in a year. A pitiful record, indeed. And not to say that Sano had been in his best behavior, either. On the contrary, Megumi had gotten the impression that he was deliberately being risque (or at least his version thereof) for some reason only he and the gods knew. The old woman had taken it all in stride (Megumi suspected that she was secretly delighted at this new--learning experience) however, only pointing out with almost maternal mildness that Sano's mouth must be a source of considerable attraction to flies. Such filth. Oh dear. Sano shut up after that. Kenshin had been another matter. Even now, Megumi fought the urge to burst out laughing as she recalled the expression on his face when Akiko had made some inane comment about his 'delicate' complexion. Porcelain-like, was the word she used. Or was it 'doll-like?' Follow that up with a comment about using umbrellas to protect that 'beautiful' skin from the heat of the sun and she was well on the road to hyperacidity. The look on Kaoru's face was also priceless. Somewhere between incredulous bemusement and wry resignation. Hell, if she had been Kaoru, she would have grabbed Kenshin and let him toast in the oven until he was as brown as a nut. A girl could only take so much, after all. Kenshin had recovered with almost miraculous ease, however, considering that Akiko had shown no signs of letting up with her rambling list of 'tips' in shampooing his hair, drying it properly (such gorgeous color), wearing the right colors to complement his frame and skin tone, etc. At that point, Megumi excused herself (she refused to let her hysteria get the better of her in front of company) but not after hearing Kenshin make an equally blithe observation about how old age sharpens one's wits and dulls one's sense of hygiene. Aki-dono must have gone through that phase, too. She had practically rolled on the floor after that. It had been a great afternoon. Ghosts had never seemed so far away. Ditto for grouchy, spike-haired guys. Megumi rested her chin on one hand as she watched a flock of birds take flight in the wake of the setting sun. OK, so she was at fault. She had overreacted. She had let her emotions, which weren't exactly rational at that point, get the better of her. She had come to the conclusion, after wrestling with her conscience and running list of good manners, that she should not--should *not*--have reacted in that way. It wasn't a life and death situation. There had been no guys running around wrapped in enough bandages to cover the length of Tokyo wielding cannon balls. Just simple clean and not-so-harmless fun between friends. Besides, she had apologized, right? Well, OK, she hasn't exactly said it out loud but she had been pretty sure that the look on remorse and guilt on her face had flashed like a beacon for people as far as Yokohama to see. And one chicken-head in particular. Megumi fidgeted restlessly. But then Sano must be the most dense person in all Japan, followed by Kenshin with the rest of the male population crowding close behind. "Thinking about Sano?" Kaoru asked softly. Megumi glanced at her, startled, and wondered if she was really that transparent already. She decided to ask. "Is it that obvious?" "You've never been really subtle when it comes to him," Kaoru murmured. "Oh?" Megumi inquired lightly. "I must be losing my edge, then." Kaoru turned to her, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "You should just talk to him, you know." "What? And reinforce his bratty instincts?" Megumi retorted. "No way." "It's not that bad," Kaoru responded, still smiling. "Aki-san said..." "So it's Aki-san now, huh?" Megumi asked, rolling her eyes. "I guess you're just a stone's throw away from swearing by her, right? What hooked you--the cooking tips or the how-to-snag- a-man-and-keep-him-chained-to-your-kimono session?" Kaoru laughed. "I seem to recall that you were pretty interested in the latter part yourself." "Only to the extent that it applies to the present situation," Megumi replied with mock-haughtiness. "But that part about hyponosis really got to me. Maybe I should consider borrowing Ken-san's sakaba and waving it in front of Sano's face." "Not into it, I hope," Kaoru quipped. She turned to Megumi suddenly, her blue eyes quizzical and not a little bit hesitant. "Um, can I ask you a question? "Sure," Megumi answered, eyeing her curiously. "Ask away." Kaoru cleared her throat. "Why were you really mad at Sano? I mean, it couldn't have been the joke...He's dished out worse before and you never got this upset..." her voice trailed off in embarassment as she flushed. "I know that I have no business asking you this but I was worried...curious..." Megumi shook her head inwardly. So Kaoru really did sensed something. The girl must either be very sensitive or she, Megumi, had a face like a huge sign board with 'READ ME' written all over it it in bold letters. She decided that it was a mixture of both. But she really has to work on her affective skills, if only to hone her edge as a doctor. One look at her and the patient will nod, smile, and say, "Thank you, Dr. Megumi, but I don't need your help after all. The cure is in your face." Or something. Megumi sighed. "I--well--" she took another deep breath. "I don't really know. I was thinking of other things... and they weren't really pleasant--and Yahiko's prank hit kinda close to home. I overreacted. End of story." "You looked scared," Kaoru commented thoughtfully, avoiding her gaze. This time, it was Megumi who turned to her sharply. "What did you say?" "I said you looked scared," Kaoru repeated. "What were you thinking about?" Megumi shifted uncomfortably. "Not much. Just--stuff." She sensed Kaoru looking at her and she burst out, "OK. I was thinking about ghosts. I know that's pretty silly," she rambled, "but I just can't seem to let it go..." To her surprise, Kaoru nodded. "Yeah," she whispered. "I was kinda thinking about the same thing, too." She shivered suddenly, her face clouding, as if a shadow had fallen over her. "Strange, right?" "Well, ghosts have been the topic of conversation for the gods know how long... since we came in from the station, I think," Megumi said guardedly. "I guess the issue just stuck to our minds like some sort of chronic syndrome. It'll wear off, once we find Yahiko something else to fixate about." "Hmmm...." Kaoru murmured. She looked distracted and Megumi wondered if she even heard what she said at all. "Kaoru?" "Uh yeah..." Kaoru muttered, her attention snapping back to the present with such painful obviousness it wasn't even funny. "Sorry about that. I spaced out." She laughed lightly and then patted Megumi's arm. "But ghosts just aren't enough justification to a lovers' quarrel, ne? You need more ammunition, Megumi-sensei." "Hey," Megumi protested. "Who said anything about lovers' quarrel? About lovers. Period." Kaoru grinned at her. "I did. Besides, you just can't go on denying it forever, right?" "I don't even know if there's anything to deny at all," she muttered. She glanced at Kaoru and the question was out of her lips before she could stop them. Not that she really wanted to. "How was it for you and Ken-san?" Kaoru's lips curved in a reminescent--and enigmatic--smile. "You really want to know?" At Megumi's nod, she continued, "I have no idea. I mean, we're just--there. No explanations. No words." "No ghosts," Megumi interjected. Kaoru shook her head. "No. We definitely have those between us. And I'm not just talking about the floating kind." Megumi nodded then in understanding. Kenshin's past, after all, haunted his relationship with Kaoru. Haunted them all, in fact. More potently than a trapped specter ever could. And probably because of that, his 'ghosts' were twice as dangerous. "But we live with them, you know? *I* live with them," Kaoru murmured reflectively. "Otherwise, we will just go around trying to exorcise them forever. And I know that we can't. Besides, I don't see any reason now to. We had--have," she amended quickly, "our chance. Why not take it? Why ask for something more? And trying to explain it, give it some sort of concrete form..." she shook her head. "It's like saying that you could grab love and shape to whatever you will. And I don't think that's possible." "You love him." It was more of a statement than a question. Kaoru returned her look steadily. "Do you really have to ask?" Megumi smiled at her wistfully. "Sometimes, words are enough to make reality real, Kaoru." Kaoru paused and then smiled back at her. "True. The problem is looking for the *right* words. A slip and you can be building something else which doesn't really--belong." "Have you found the right words, Kaoru?" Megumi asked her as she watched the water ripple gently in the nearby pond. "You don't need to look far for them, Megumi," Kaoru returned just as softly. "Your heart is close enough." "Oi!" Yahiko hollered from the house. "Aki-obaasama--" there was a pause. Megumi and Kaoru looked at each other, wondering if he was being clobbered. They were both too far out to see. "Aki-CHAN is looking for you!!!" Megumi sighed. "What lousy timing." Kaoru chuckled. "We gotta save the best for last, ne?" She took Megumi's arm and they began to retrace their path back to the house. "Besides, Sano will be there." "If he isn't, I'll look for him in my heart," Megumi muttered grumpily. Kaoru stared at her in frank surprise. "Why, Megumi, what an absolutely beautiful thing to say." Love, Megumi thought, could really do you in. If Omari Akiko didn't do it first. They had come back to the house to find Akiko talking to a tall lanky woman dressed in a totally garish kimono done in shades of orange and violet with ruby-studded combs perched on her thin wispy hair. Megumi shook her head when she saw Kenshin and Sano standing warily near the door, as if they were poised to flee. She wondered what sort of threats Akiko made to get them to stay in place. One look at that other woman and she would have gone running. As it turned out, the 'other' woman's name was Kozue and she was a mystic. Apparently, Aki-san's tastes were really quite eclectic. Ichiro had commented that she collected people as she would collect artifacts. Now, her particular passion was on the supernatural, specifically communicating with the spirits of dead people. Megumi could feel the beginnings of a smirk forming in her lips which she quickly replaced with a look of suitable gravity and polite interest when Akiko glanced in her direction. Sano hadn't been quite as circumspect, however. She caught him actually rolling with his eyes at the woman, complete with a full-fledged unashamed skeptical grin. So he was not a believer, was he? Neither for that matter was she. Megumi had always believed that there were indeed things in this world which were beyond the realm of science, beyond explanation by the rules of logic and common-sense. But she had also looked upon with disdain on others' efforts to do so, partly because she felt they were just indulging in an exercise in futility, and partly because she preferred to stick with the 'explainable' areas in reality, the 'black' and 'white' sides of life. Not the gray areas which lurked in the corners. And besides, she told herself practically, she had all she needed to survive with the 'explainables.' Why look for certainty, she remebered Kaoru's words, somewhere else? "Kozue has just come back from a trip to Kyoto," Akiko said with a beaming smile as she led Megumi and Kaoru into the house, followed closely by the Kenshin, Sano, and Kozue who was conversing in low murmurs with a wide-eyed Yahiko. "I didn't expect her to come back so soon but," and here she lowered her voice conspiratorially, leaning close to the two girls, "she's a very talented mystic. Lord and Lady Sorata were able to communicate with their dead daughter through her. Same voice, same memories." Akiko chortled, "I loved that session. I discovered things about the Soratas I had no idea about before." "Does she go into a trance then?" Kaoru asked interestedly. Akiko nodded, "Yes. She claims that she's possessed by the spirit of the particular dead person she's in communication with." Megumi heard something which sounded suspiciously like a snicker from behind. She smiled inwardly. Sano. Kenshin was too polite to snicker. He was probably going 'oro' inside, though. Apparently, Akiko heard it, too, because she turned to glare at the now straight-faced men who met her narrow stare with innocent ones of her own. "Hmph. I didn't know you were so interested in mysticism, Sanosuke," she muttered. "That you will stoop to eavesdropping..." "I wasn't eavesdropping!" Sano protested. "I just happened to hear your last remark... Actually, Kenshin repeated it for me, didn't you, Kenshin?" Kenshin winced. "Sano, you snitch," he muttered. "I take it you don't believe me and Kozue then," Akiko demanded. "Uh, it's not that we don't believe, Aki-dono," Kenshin said carefully. "It's just we haven't seen something like *that* happening before." "I for one would love to talk to Shishio and see how's he doing in the next life," Sano said with a wide smile. "Do you think Kozue-san will suddenly sport bandages, too?" "Sano," Kaoru hissed as she darted a glance at the now obviously offended Kozue. "Well, then, why don't we see?" Akiko huffed. She turned to Kozue, "Do you think we could have a session now?" Kozue looked startled, "Now? I really don't think so... I need time to prepare." "Being a mystic must be a tiring job," Sano commented seriously. "All those stuff you have to look up, people to interview just in case... Research, you know?" Kozue raised an eyebrow at him, her lips pursed in a thin line. She didn't say a word but that pencilled eyebrow said it all. 'Shut up, you moron,' it screamed. Megumi had to hand it to her. Sano practically wilted at that look. Only a little but then it takes a lot to get to that thick skull, after all. "Sano," Kenshin murmured. "I don't think Kozue-dono will--" Akiko beat him to it, "That's enough, Sanosuke," she said sharply. "If you want proof, we'll give you proof." Her glare told him that she'll shove it up his backside if he had to. Megumi didn't know what made her say it. Maybe she symphatized with Kozue (a woman with ruby-studded combs on her hair had enough to carry around without being bothered by rude chicken-heads who do not know when to shut up). Maybe she wanted to see Sano's face when he gets into a conversation with the guys who invented trains. Maybe she wanted to prove that there are no 'gray' areas, that they are only the making of mystics and eccentric old women. Maybe she wanted to reassure myself that there are NO spirits lurking around in the Shizuku house. In any case, her mouth ran off without her again. "How about tomorrow night? You can come over with Kozue-san. Dinner and then our proof-making session. It'll be perfect." Megumi stitched a smile on her face after that particularly illuminating speech. She wondered when she could take it off. Not when Akiko was eyeing her with obvious delight and gratitude and practically bubbling over with effusive acceptance. Not when Yahiko was extolling about her virtues as he prepared to battle the ghosts lurking in the dark,old house. And certainly not when Kaoru, Kenshin, and Sano were staring at her as if she had gone stark raving mad (her smile did waver a bit when Sano put that thought into eloquent speech) with ridiculous incredulity. Well, they would just have to live with it, right? End of Part 3 NOTES: Aahh!!! Again, I did not finish where I wanted to ;_; Something'll happen next part...something, something, something... ^^;; The dialogue is basically loose-talk, ne? I really don't want to make this very dark. Just wanted to project a casual attitude on the part of the characters and maybe point to later contrasts ^^;; BTW, I hope you forgive the references to 'mystics' and 'spirits' and everything in this 'fic. I wasn't too sure about the prevalent religious (or not-so- religious) beliefs in Meiji Japan so I basically drew from my own background and inserted Kozue in the story. I'm pretty certain that there were mediums then. I am not sure about their nature, though, or their rituals. I'll look it up and try to provide some sort of clarification in the next chapters. In any case, I hope it's OK if I just stick to my own, uh, perception of mystics, mediums, and the like. Domo! ^__^