A Road Less Traveled by Tin Mandigma --------------------------------------------------- This is a Rurouni Kenshin inspired fanfic written entirely for entertainment purposes only. Standard disclaimers apply. --------------------------------------------------- VERY ROUGH DRAFT Part 9: Last Minutes Not long enough as it turned out. Megumi gave her pillow a solid punch in frustration. Sleep had eluded her yet again; she had memorized every crack and corner in the room and the ceiling held no new promises for her as it had already suffered her scrutiny even before this. Since... Megumi firmly squashed that last thought before it could settle more firmly and disturb even her waking moments. She huddled deeper into her sheets, praying that the coldness of the creeping dawn would somehow lull her into slumber. Squeezing her eyes shut resolutely, she willed herself to sink into the darkness which flooded her vision, straight into the arms of blissful unconsciousness. But the chill which tickled her arms distracted her, led her into a path she was wont to follow, where sleep fled and nightmares began... She was lying again on a cold floor and the shadows were coming-- Her eyes snapped open in alarm and she gave a trembling sigh, half in resignation, half in nameless dread. It was no use. The mingled sounds of Yahiko's and Sano's snoring drifted easily through the half-open door and a wry smile touched her lips. At least *they* didn't have any trouble sleeping. She wished she had their complacency. Unfortunately, though, her mind was not as tenacious against danger, immediate or imagined, as theirs probably were; her paranoia was already beyond help, thanks to the events of the last few days. Megumi turned on her side after giving her uncaring pillow another punch which bounced harmlessly off the soft surface. The peaceful visage of a sleeping Kaoru on the futon next to hers met her troubled gaze and she relaxed slightly. She had offered to stay with Kaoru last night, in answer to the wordless plea she'd caught in Kenshin's eyes and to pacify her gnawing concern for the girl. Surprisingly, though, Kaoru had pre-empted her with a quiet invitation of her own and the matter had been settled with Megumi's stuttered agreement. Kaoru had fallen asleep almost immediately, Megumi noted with relief. It was just as well. She was probably tired, what with looking through stacks of old documents and confronting ghosts... Her lips tightened ominously. She would be damned before she'd let that last part happen again. Megumi frowned bemusedly, wondering at the fierce surge of almost maternal protectiveness which flooded her; not only towards Kaoru but towards Yahiko, Kenshin and Sano as well. Since when did she stop looking at them as friends, people to be with when the need arose, and begin thinking of them as *family*, people to be with because she needed them? She didn't know; she couldn't say. And, she thought as she listened to Kaoru's even breathing, did she even care? A faint thump resonated throughout the hallway followed by muffled but distinct muttering. Megumi nearly jumped out of her futon, gaze sharp, when she remembered... She sighed in exasperation. Ken-san. She'd heard him sneaking out of his room very late last night, ostensibly to look in on Kaoru and her, which he did for a brief moment; the slight creaking of the floorboards had alerted Megumi and she'd closed her eyes just in time. She'd waited, wondering what he would do next, and had only been slightly surprised when, instead of returning to his room, he'd gone straight for the old study, where she and Kaoru had spent so many hours poring over eye-straining documents. He was probably at it, still, and she briefly considered going out herself and ordering him back to bed. 'And a lot of good that would do to me,' she thought, smiling wryly. She could shout herself hoarse and he would just probably smile innocently and point to his reading while gently ushering her out of the room and back to *her* bed. Now, if it was Kaoru... Megumi shook her head. Not even Kaoru would sway him this time, she felt. She'd never seen him so stubborn, so filled with determination to stop something they couldn't even *see*. But he never faltered, even without a concrete shed of evidence at hand. Something or someone was after Kaoru. That was enough. Her gaze softened as she watched Kaoru. Lucky, lucky girl. She wondered if... Suddenly, there was another crash; harsh and deafening, it practically shook the entire house. This time, Megumi did jump out of her futon, face set grimly as instinct told her that *that* wasn't Kenshin dropping a scroll. She didn't bother to put on her slippers or to glance at the startled and now wide-awake Kaoru as she rushed to the door and flung it open. Kenshin ran past her, sleeping robe anyhow, hand on the hilt of his sakabatou. "Stay here," he threw curtly over his shoulder, violet eyes cold, before he disappeared into the dark hallway. She stumbled after him in alarm. "Wait! Ken-san, not alone! Ken-san...!" Dimly, she heard Sano bellowing out to her as she tore down the corridor after Kenshin, unmindful of the cold which stabbed her unprotected feet like vengeful needles. Her throat tightened as she neared the main hallway, where the family rooms were situated. She couldn't see Kenshin anymore; he was probably inside that--that place by now... Megumi swallowed as she aproached the Room, its door already flung wide open in sinister invitation. Dim light flickered inside, throwing eerie shadows on the adjoining walls and on the doorway. Kenshin wasn't carrying a light when she saw him earlier. The lamp was probably still burning... Megumi skidded to an abrupt halt in the doorway, her breathing ragged. She peered into the room in trepidation. "Ken-san?" she called out hoarsely. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Kenshin, back to her, bending over something in the middle of the room. She heard the sound of the others' approach and her shoulders slumped for a moment as tension slowly ebbed away. "Ken-san?" Megumi repeated as she stepped forward hesitantly into the Room, noting that the lamp *was* still lit... When it went out. She froze in place, her eyes glazing with horror. She sensed more than heard Kenshin's abrupt exclamation of shock; felt more than saw the watchful wariness of his stance; knew more than understood that it wouldn't be enough to stop the coming of... The cold suddenly shot straight up into her body in damp rolling waves. She shivered, her teeth chattering against her will. "K-Ken-san..." she stammered out. She could barely see him in the darkness. She reached out with one shaking hand, intent on dragging him out of the Room if she had to, when the darkness darkened even more, plunging them both into an unseen and unseeing abyss. She could hear sounds in the background; confused voices screaming her and Kenshin's names. But she was powerless, unable to even open her mouth to respond. Her body felt taut as if every muscle had rigidified to bone. Ahead of her, she could discern the shadows lifting with sly deliberateness, disentangling themselves from the murky blackness to come together in an ominous union of evil and malice. The air was stifling; heavy with angry malignancy and scream-wrenching cold. Megumi sensed Kenshin take a step back and then another and she wondered with a dull sense of numbed panic how he could even move at all. Suddenly, his arm knocked against her ribs and she staggered as she was pushed back roughly, towards the open door, away from the writhing mass of congealed cold and darkness which followed them hungrily, step by frantic step. Megumi gritted her teeth as she forced herself to retreat, sensing then that she was only at the fringe of its menace and that Kenshin... The realization broke her paralysis. She grabbed *his* arm and hauled him with all the strength she had left to her side. But the cold had numbed her too much and her hand slid harmlessly down Kenshin's sleeve. She heard him draw a sharp teetering breath, his head jerking away from hers in horrified shock and she looked up slowly, fearfully. A scream abruptly formed in her throat at what she saw. With each movement closer, the darkness had assumed even more grotesque proportions, sprouting--what looked to her dimming gaze--arms. 'Another advance and it would be walking,' she thought, sickened. A few moments more and the shadows would take human form... Suddenly, a whistling sound, as incongruous as an infant's cry in a battlefield, cut through the overwhelming silence piercingly. Birdsong. The column of darkness disappeared abruptly. The lamp came on with a hissing sigh. Megumi felt faint as she clasped her shaking hands in front of her tightly. Beside her, Kenshin slumped on the floor, clutching something in his hands. "I--I--" he mumbled, eyes blank and staring. "Kozue-dono told me something about ghosts fading at dawn but I didn't..." Sano, Kaoru and Yahiko remained frozen in the doorway, their faces pale and exhibiting various degrees of shock. Sano was the first to break the strained silence. "What--" he cleared his throat. "What the hell was *that*?" Kenshin looked at him, his features relaxing slightly, a ghost of a smile flickering on his lips. "Proof." Megumi sighed contentedly as Kaoru placed a hot steaming bowl of tea in front of her. She inhaled its fragrant scent with a grateful sniff. "Thanks," she said softly. Kaoru smiled at her. "No problem." She looked closer at Megumi, faint worry darkening her eyes. "Are you sure you're OK?" she asked gently. Megumi let out a forced laugh as she brought the bowl to her lips with slightly trembling hands. "I'm fine," she answered in what she hoped was a nonchalant tone of voice. "You and the rest of the world," Sano muttered dryly. She glared at him over her bowl. "What's that supposed to mean?" Wrapped in a thick blanket beside Yahiko, Kenshin sneezed loudly, effectively drowning out Sano's reply. "Excuse me," he said sheepishly if a bit incomprehensibly. "That's quite a cold you've got there, Kenshin," Sano observed tartly. Kenshin smiled at him cheerfully. "I'll feel better soon." Yahiko snorted. "It's a wonder you haven't gone down with pneumonia." He shuddered. "I never thought 'cold' could feel that way..." Megumi instinctively tightened her grip on her warm bowl. "I don't even think that 'cold' is the right word for it." "How about 'freezing?'" Kaoru said as she sat down beside Kenshin. "Shinomori had finally met his match," Sano muttered. "For sheer ice blockishness, I didn't think anyone could come close to him but now..." Kenshin laughed. "That's an apt way of putting it," he said wryly. "Even Shishou's cloak would have been a flimsy protection at best." "It was definitely that bad," Yahiko said as he vigorously stirred his tea with an errant chopstick. "At least the experience had its advantages," Kenshin put in with a contemplative tilt of his head. "Advantages?!" Sano asked disbelievingly. "Well, yeah, now I know we could survive bare-assed in Manchuria in all its winter glory but I don't think that counts--" He gaped as Kenshin placed a handful of papers on the table along with an old faded scroll. Megumi leaned forward, frowning at the scroll's familiar appearance. She'd seen it somewhere but... "Isn't that--" she began questioningly. "It was hanging in the Room," Kenshin said quietly. "I saw it lying on the floor when we--came." "You mean it made all that noise?" Sano asked, gaze narrowing. "Kenshin, that's impossible! That thing's so old I doubt it would even make a *whisper* should it fall from the wall." Kenshin nodded. "True. But unless the ceiling suddenly collapsed without us noticing, well," he shrugged. "I fail to see what else could have happened." "What is that thing anyway?" Yahiko asked curiously. "It's an early seventeenth century print executed by an unknown artist and dedicated to the entire Shizuku family," Kenshin answered. "The inscription itself is common but the date intrigues me..." Sano looked at him skeptically. "Are you saying that the ghost is giving us *clues* ? Isn't that too farfetched, Kenshin?" "At first I didn't believe it but..." Kenshin tapped the papers lying on the table with his forefinger. "I was looking through these documents when we heard," he shifted uncomfortably, "the--noise." His gaze darkened reflectively. "It's a bunch of deeds bequeathing additional lands to Shizuku Hojo by the local daimyo, dated 1620, in recognition of Hojo's loyal service." "And..." Sano said slowly. "I don't think it's a coincidence, Sano," Kenshin said abruptly. "The dates printed on the scroll *and* on the deeds are the same." Sano shook his head. "Establishing such a direct connection without more concrete proof is dangerous." "It is if we stretch the assumption that far," Megumi put in. "But what if we take the stuff as mere 'pointers' of actual events?" "Huh?" Yahiko asked confusedly. Kaoru sighed. "I think Megumi means that we should consider the dates as a sort of time frame." Kenshin nodded. "We wanted to narrow down our search, right? Well, I guess we this is it. From the early 1600s until 1660 when the house burned down." "So it all comes back to Hojo," Sano muttered almost inaudibly. Kenshin glanced at him sharply but made no reply. Instead he said casually as if Sano hadn't spoken, "I think we should look for more information about Shizuku Hojo. His relationships with the entire clan, his own family if he had any, his involvement in the district..." "But why would the ghost suddenly help us?" Yahiko asked. "I mean we all saw that--that *thing* earlier and it certainly didn't look nice to me. And what about all that stuff about possessing Kaoru?" "There's more to this than what we initially thought, Yahiko," Kenshin answered grimly. He looked at the others' somber faces, his own expression dark. "And I think we're about to find out what." Megumi sighed as she gently placed the last bowl on the rack. Drying her hands on a rag, she stepped away from the sink, careful to avoid the puddles of water on the floor. She dropped the damp cloth on the waiting table absently as she reached behind her to untie her equally splotched apron. It had been a tiring day, she thought morosely as she rubbed her eyes to counter the falling gloom of early evening which crept into the kitchen. Kenshin and Yahiko had left the house after breakfast to make further inquiries in town, leaving behind Sano with the women. Megumi thought she detected a flash of hesitation on Kenshin's face when Sano had offered to stay but she decided that she was reading far too much into little nuances than she ought to. She'd tried avoiding thinking about what had happened in the-- she swallowed--Room and that last conversation at the dining table seemed to her like a tacit closure of a preferably-forgotten event. But the strain of pretending was already telling. Kaoru had gone to the library soon after breakfast, leaving Megumi to deal with the dishes, a duty she had gladly accepted, hopeful that the mindless monotony of scrubbing bowls and pots would ensure further escape and helplessly aware that she was only fooling herself but still... Megumi sighed as she wondered where Sano had gone. He'd muttered something about checking something out in the back but he'd been at it for nearly the entire day already. She frowned. Maybe she should look in on him. He hadn't been himself these past couple of days, not that he would admit it, of course-- "Hey." The softly-voiced greeting made her look up. Kaoru was standing in the kitchen doorway, gazing at her curiously. "Hey yourself," she returned with a tired smile. "Uh--where's Sano?" Kaoru asked, looking around. A faint twinge of irritation niggled her. Megumi's brow furrowed, wondering at its source. "I think he's out back," she answered with forced lightness. "Oh," Kaoru said. "What do you mean 'oh?'" Megumi asked, the words coming out harsher than she intended them to. Kaoru looked surprised. "I just didn't know what to say," she offered lamely. "Then don't say anything at all," Megumi snapped. She took a trembling breath, struggling to control her rising temper. "Shouldn't you be resting?" she said in a calmer tone of voice "Why?" Kaoru retorted defensively. Megumi shrugged. "I thought you might be tired and--forget it," she muttered. "Stop treating me like a child, Megumi," Kaoru said angrily. Megumi felt her hackles rise. "I wasn't aware I was doing so." Kaoru crossed her arms in front of her. "Oh?" she repeated. Megumi turned her back, feeling hot and tired and unbearably guilty but unable to do something about it. "Just leave me alone, Kaoru," she said tiredly as she rubbed her forehead with an aching hand. Kaoru opened her mouth to say something but the stiff set of Megumi's shoulders was discouraging to say the least. She let out an exasperated sigh, turned around and promptly bumped into a surprised Sano who quickly moved out of her way. Megumi winced as the kitchen door slammed shut loudly. Silence and then, "What was *that* about?" Sano asked slowly. Megumi sighed. "She's angry with me," she said softly. Sano raised an eyebrow. "And no wonder," he returned mildly. "I could hear you talking before I went in. Your voice was like ice. What's wrong?" Megumi fidgeted uncomfortably under Sano's watchful stare. "I'm just--tired, I guess," she shrugged. "Hence, irritable. Hence, irrational." She sighed again. "And I took it out on her. End of story." Sano's gaze didn't alter. She went for the door. "Maybe I should go apologize..." He caught her arm as she went past him. "You can do that later," he said quietly. "You and Jo-chan need to cool down. Both of you have been trying to do too much since this--this stuff started." He tightened his grip on her slightly. "Besides, I'm sure Jo-chan needs a bit of thinking to do, too. It'll be OK." Megumi bit her lip, aware that he was right. "Yeah, I guess..." She felt Sano gently leading her to his side when a thought struck her suddenly. "And where have you been?" she asked curiously, drawing away from him a little. "You've been gone the entire day." Sano grinned at her. "Sharing a cup of tea with Kozue, would you believe?" When Megumi gave a disbelieving snort at that, he laughed. "Seriously, I looked around at the family shed. Thought I might find some stuff there." Megumi stared at him. "What?" Sano looked slightly miffed. "Hey, I do have a sense of fair play, you know," he countered. "Figured if you guys would work yourselves to death for a ghost, the least I could do was to exert more effort to help--" "Do away with our 'weird' theories?" Megumi asked wryly. "Don't worry about it, Sano." She yelped as he lifted her by the waist and sat her down squarely on the table. "Sano!" "You're right. I won't," Sano grinned up at her. "Worry about it, I mean. I've got other--things in my mind right now" She gave him an exasperated look. "What the hell are you planning now?" His face was suddenly very close to hers. Megumi's breath constricted in her throat. "Simple, Fox. I plan," and he placed his hands on either side of her as he leaned forward, "to 'do away with one more 'weird' theory of yours,'" Sano murmured, brown eyes gleaming with expectation. She swallowed. "And--and what's that?" she managed to croak out. "This," he whispered and then his lips were on hers and thoughts of ghosts and apologies hurriedly fled from her sensation-swamped mind. He felt soft, she thought dazedly as she opened her mouth slightly to respond to his caress. And sweet. And Sano... She sighed as she looped her arms around his neck and she pulled him closer, encouraging him to deepen the kiss... She felt his hands encircle her waist in response and she hoped dreamily that the moment would go on forever... and ever... and... Her back suddenly cried out to her in excruciating pain as she was nearly pushed down on the table. Megumi's eyes flew open in shock, her hands instinctively sliding down Sano's neck to push against his shoulders. But his arms tightened around her body roughly and she winced in hurt anguish as her hip scraped against the sharp wooden edge of the table. She wanted to cry out but she couldn't speak against his mouth which drove painfully into hers, his teeth grazing her lower lip abrasively. The gentleness was gone, replaced by a merciless onslaught of uncaring lips, angry body wound more tightly than a steel wire, ready to snap... "Sa-sano," she managed to whisper hoarsely, tears flowing down her face, horrified at what he was doing to her, wondering painfully if she meant so little to him that he could willfuly ignore her pain... A harshly-drawn breath. Her name. And then she was free. Trembling, Megumi looked at Sano who had flung himself away from her to lean against the opposite wall, head bent, breathing harshly, back to her. Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the doorway and she turned towards it instinctively, anguished gaze darkening when she saw Kenshin standing there, face pale. His lips tightened as he took in her tear-streaked appearance but he didn't say anything beyond giving her a brief nod. After one more glance at Sano, he left. Megumi silently applauded his tact. She took a couple of deep breaths, striving to regain her badly-shaken balance. She turned to Sano then but he was still crouched against the wall, head averted. Megumi bit her lip hesitantly, feeling the tears drying on her face like caked mud. She wiped them away with an unsteady hand as she sat up and winced when her arms and back screamed in protest. But she ignored the pain. It was nothing compared to what she was sensing from-- "I'm so sorry." The choked words shook her badly. Swallowing nervously, she shook her head. "Sano..." she began. He looked at her then and the overwhelming guilt and contrition she saw there made her flinch. "I hurt you," Sano said hoarsely. "And that was unforgivable." She slid away from the table and took a careful step towards him but he eluded her grasp. "Sano," she sighed and cursed inwardly when tears sprang anew in her eyes. "Sano, please... It's--" she said softly. "It's all right." "Damn it, Megumi, it's not all right!" Sano shouted. He pushed his hair back roughly. "You really don't understand, do you?" he asked in a calmer tone of voice. She could only stare at him mutely. "I care about you," he enunciated the words with anguished persistence. "And I forced myself on you--" "You didn't force yourself on me, Sano," she countered, flushing slightly. "I wanted it to happen, too..." "At first, yeah," Sano mumbled. "But when--when everything started to change..." His eyes darkened. "Gods...! I--I don't know--" "What came over you," Megumi finished for him. Ignoring his warning glance, she clasped his hand and felt him tense beneath her touch. "Yes," he responded, watching her. "I couldn't control it... It was just too sudden and I--" He drew in a shuddering breath. "Megumi, what's happening to me?" he whispered. But she was just as confused as he was. "I--I don't know," she admitted helplessly. "But Sano..." "And don't you tell me it's the ghost again, either," he murmured. "But what if it is?" Megumi retorted, feeling somewhat reassured by the trace of humor she discerned in his voice. "It'll be too easy," Sano said simply. He gazed intently at her. "And I don't want to be another excuse for you to go on one more round of ghost-hunting--" "We're not going 'ghost-hunting' just so we could prove the existence of ghosts, Sano," Megumi answered gently. "We're doing all these to help Kaoru because we care about her..." Sano sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "Yes. I know that. And I feel the same way but--" "And," Megumi cut in firmly. "*I* want to help you not because I think you're another interesting case but because I--I--" "Yes?" Sano questioned softly. She took a deep breath. "Because I care about you, too." The expression on his face, she mused later, was simply priceless. It nearly made her forget that--encounter in the kitchen. Nearly but not quite. She refused to think further than that. They went out of the kitchen in subdued silence, instinctively heading for the more comforting--and less painful--shelter of the dining room. They came in just as Kaoru was shoving a bowlful of rice into a screaming Yahiko's mouth and Megumi smiled slightly, warmed by the sight. At least things haven't changed. Much. Kenshin smiled though his gaze was--and no wonder, Megumi sighed--narrowly watchful. "Good evening." Sano grunted a reply as he hunkered down beside Yahiko and pounded the choking boy on the back. "Easy, Yahiko-chan." "Would you like some food, Megumi?" Kaoru asked a bit shyly. "Akiko-san sent a packaged dinner." She held up a wicker basket. "Kenshin brought it for us." Megumi wasn't even aware that she was holding her breath until the tightening on her chest warned her that she was going to turn blue at any moment. "I--" she cleared her throat and smiled back at Kaoru, wondering if her emotions would ever go back to controllable levels again after this 'vacation.' "That would be great. Thanks," she answered softly. Kaoru nodded, mingled understanding and wordless apology in her eyes. She waited until Megumi sat down beside her before leaning sideways and whispering, "I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I didn't mean to snap at you." Megumi shook her head. "It was my fault," she murmured. "Don't worry about it." She grinned at the other girl, ignoring the others' curious stares. "Friends?" Kaoru snorted. "Do you even have to ask?" "Women are so weird," Yahiko muttered as he took a swig of water. "Always crying and hugging and 'sorry, sorry' moments..." "Tell me about it," Kenshin replied lightly. "What do you think, Sano?" Sano sighed. "I think it has something to do with hormones and stuff," he said seriously. "I heard Genzai-sensei saying something about that once--" "We don't want to hear it," Megumi interrupted him. "I do," Yahiko said, wriggling his eyebrows. Kaoru bonked him on the head. "Shut up." Silence fell suddenly, uneasily. Megumi sighed as she bit into her rice cake. She could almost *hear* them groping for words-- "I have a suggestion," Kenshin said abruptly. They grabbed the bait with eager hands. "Yeah?" Sano asked. "Aki-dono wanted to know if we would like to spend the night at her house," Kenshin answered while staring at the bead of rice he held carefully between his chopsticks. "Why?" Kaoru put in. Kenshin let the rice bead fall on his empty bowl with a shrug. "A change of scene." Another pause. "Sure. Great idea," Sano mumbled through a mouthful of rice. Yahiko stared at him. "Did I hear you say that? You're actually *willing* to spend the night in Kozue-san's compa--oof!" he doubled over as Sano rammed a hard elbow on his ribs. "Don't push it, Yahiko-chan," Sano growled. "Are you sure, Sano?" Kenshin asked carefully. Sano shrugged. "'Course I am." He reached over the table to grab a waiting rice cake. "It's safer there." Kenshin glanced at Megumi for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. Megumi hurriedly averted her gaze. "Well? We could discuss more stuff there since Akiko-dono and Kozue-dono are around to give additional input." "Fine with me," Yahiko said. Kaoru nodded. "It'll be nice to see Akiko-san again." "And Megumi-dono?" Kenshin questioned softly. She sighed, sensing Sano's gaze on her. "Why not?" she said lightly. No one answered. But then it was a rhetorical question. End of Part 9 NOTES: Yep, this part needs more revisions ^^;; But I was just after arranging the scenes ^_^ Hope this works out fine for the moment, 'niways...