A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin was created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I do not take credit for anything that is his.

****

The dice were light in his hand as he rolled them around in his fist. Blowing between his fingers for good luck, something he rarely had on his side when it came to this sort of thing, Sanosuke flung them into the ceramic bowl.

"Odds, Sano-san!" The men he was gambling with enjoyed a good chuckle. "You lose again!"

Sanosuke sighed audibly. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered. He just had no luck. It was time for him to accept that. How many times had she nagged him about his gambling habits? Especially when they brought him, bleeding, to her clinic in the middle of the night.

"That's it," he said, standing up. "You have all the money I have in the world."

The men began to protest. "Come on, Sano-san. We haven't even warmed up yet!"

He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm out."

The protests continued even as he left the gambling room, bidding his friends a good night. He closed the screen door behind him and stepped into the alley. His first game in Japan since his arrival three days earlier and he couldn't even get a pair of evens. He shook his head at himself in disgust.

A noise from further down the shadowed alley caught his attention. A woman crying out softly. He was tempted to turn the other way, being all too familiar with that sort of back-alley noise. But when the cry became louder and much less pleasant, he was forced to investigate.

Sanosuke approached the scene with his usual careless confrontational face. He reached up and scratched his temple with his pinky finger as he addressed the thug who had his hands around a young prostitute's throat. "You know...there are better ways to prove your manhood." He laughed at himself; that was the sort of thing she would say.

The heavyset man released the girl and turned on Sanosuke. "Mind your own business," he growled.

Sighing, Sanosuke cracked his knuckles and prepared for the fight.

****

Megumi looked around the clinic with an air of satsifaction. She had managed to clean the tatami, straighten the supply closet and mix new medicines...and she had only closed up three hours earlier. At this rate, she would be in a hot bath in less than half an hour.

With visions of steaming water and French bath oil, Megumi blew out the candle she had been using for light. Stepping out of the examination , sh, she came face to face with Sanosuke.

"Sano!" She put a hand to her heart to calm it from the shock she had just received. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her a pained look. "Does this look like a social call, fox lady?"

It was then that she noticed his wounds. His knuckles were bruised; blood ran down his cheek from a rather nasty cut. He had been fighting. Shaking her head, she gestured him into the examination room.

"Sit," she ordered, pointing to the futon. He obliged and watched her every movement as she gathered supplies. When she had them all, she returned to his side. "What would you do without me, rooster boy?"

"Do you really want the answer to that?"

She could feel his gaze burning into her, but she valiantly ignored it as she dipped a cloth in alcohol and reached for his hands. "They don't look so bad," she commented, turning his palms over. "I think you'll survive."

"We'll see."

"Why do you do this to yourself, Sano?" Megumi delicately wiped blood from the cut on his cheek. "You've been back for three days and you're already coming here in the middle of the night, beaten up."

His gaze grew darker. "I am never beaten, fox lady." He winced as the cloth hit another cut.

She sighed, set the bloody rag to the side and reached for a roll of bandages. "You're impossible."

Sanosuke was quiet as she bandaged the worst cut. "Why aren't you at home, Megumi?"

The intensity in the question and his use of her real name sent a chill down Megumi's spine. Swallowing heavily, she tried to continue her work. "I need to be here...in case idiot's like you come in all beaten up."

He caught her wrist. "Is that the only reason?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Maybe you like being here better." Sanosuke shrugged. "Maybe being at home with that pasty husband of yours doesn't make youpy."py."

Megumi's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you dare speak about Gregory that way. He is a good man. A great man. He loves me. And he, unlike some men I know, would never leave me."

Sanosuke accepted her words with a condescending nod. "Maybe. But does he make your blood boil, Megumi? Do you want him every minute of every day? Do you dream about him at night?"

"You are a self-centered bastard if you think *you* do any of those things to me, rooster boy." She stood. "The cuts will heal in a day or so. You can go now."

"Maybe...I'm not talking just about you." Sanosuke jumped to his feet as though his wounds were nothing. "Maybe I'm talking about me."

"Maybe, maybe, maybe." Megumi put her hands on her hips. "Can you come up with another word? There are too many possibilities...too many 'maybes'. There always have been between us." Her hands dropped. "So, I did something about it. I found someone who speaks only in definites. And that's driving you crazy, isn't it? You're so jealous you can't see straight, Sanosuke."

His brown eyes narrowed, then relaxed into a brief second of melacholy. "Jealous?", he repeated. "Yeah...I suppose I am. But not just of that American idiot you married."

"Oh really? Who else?"

"I'm jealous of the people who got to see you every day for five y whe when all I could do was picture you in my mind. I'm jealous of Kenshin and Kaoru and Yahiko, everyone who stayed near you. Everyone who got be with you." He stook a step towards her. "I'm jealous of your...Gregory because he got to hold you. Got to stroke your hair, look into your eyes, enter your body." One hand lifted to touch a stray lock of her hair. "I'm a jealous man, Megumi."

She struggled to form words when he was so close to her. "It...it didn't have to be that way," she whispered. "You could have stayed..."

Sanosuke shook his head. "By the time I let myself admit all of this, I was halfway across the sea." Another step brought his body inchesy fry from hers. "You haunted me...every day for five years. It was unfair of me to ask you to wait for me. But what else could I do?"

His warmth radiated into her body. His immense strength and warmth. For the first time in a long time, she didn't think before she acted. Lifting up onto her toes, she pressed her lips to his. "You could have done that. A long time ago," she replied, lowering her heels. She took a step backwards, but he caught her arm.

"Do you think you can just do that and leave, fox lady?"

Megumi blinked. Perhaps she should have feared the dripping sensuality in his tone, but she didn't. The truth was she wanted to be swept away by that voice. She wanted to be emersed in it until all there was in her world was Sanosuke. "Sano..."

He cut her off with a kiss of his own. His lips were demanding but gentle as he urged hers apart with his tongue. Her mouth was warm and sweet. As he had known it would be. After a moment, she began to respond to the kiss, meeting his tongue with hers. The kiss was not a game, but a dance to which they both knew the steps all too well.

Megumi lifted her arms and let her hands lightly rest on his broad shoulders. His muscles rippled just below her fingers, exciting her in a way nothing else ever had. She felt his own hand around her waist, pressing her closer to the solid mass of his body. Her lips broke away from his for a moment. "Sano," she said again.

His mouth moved across her cheek to her ear. "What do you want?" he asked huskily.

Her knees buckled at the feeling of his breath. "I want..." His tongue darted out, tracing little patterns on the flesh behind her ear. "I want..." Her legs threatened to give out from the exquisite sensation.

Sanosuke's arms wrapped around her back and gently lowered her to the futon. He laid his body next to hers, careful to keep a bit of distance until he had her answer. His fingers ran across her raspberry colored lips and down the smooth, white skin of her throat, dipping into the V created by her kimono. He felt her shiver. "What do you want, Megumi?" he repeated.

Megumi's head lifted from the futon and her lips melted into his again. Between kisses, she whispered her answer. "I want you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, he slid his arm under her shoulders, bringing his body just over hers. She responded enthusiastically by finding the place where his neck met his jaw, and sucking on the surprisingly soft skin. His eyes closed; his fingers twisted around long strands of her hair.

Before he let himself give in completely, he worked his head out of her grasp and took her mouth once more. As they kissed, his hand roamed over the front of her apron, finding the buttons and ties and undoing them with earnest fingers. The square of material fell open, exposing the silk kimono underneath. He managed to get the apron off her arms and tossed it across the room.

Never breaking the kiss, Megumi lifted herself onto her elbows to allow him to work at the box knot of her obi. When he got it undone, he began to unwind the long cloth from around her waist. Once it was removed, the two sides of her kimono and under-robe split, revealing a long sliver of milky white flesh.

Sanosuke ran his index finger from the hollow at the base of her throat, down the space between her breasts, to her navel. His hand slowly slipped under the thin layer of cotton ane hee heavier layer of silk, drawing the kimono to one side. Megumi shivered again as the cool air touched the exposed half of her body. He pushed the kimono off her shoulder and lowered his lips to the smooth skin over her collarbone.

Megumi's back arched slightly as his lips moved lower to play on her nipple. His tongue made a slow, teasing circle around the taut flesh before he took it between his lips, sucking gently; his free hand slipped under the other side of the kimono, drawing it off her shoulder in the same manner. She suddenly found herself completely nude under Sanosuke.

He lifted his head from her breast to take in the sight below him. She was perfect in every sense of the word. Flawless. Her skin was as translucent as a pearl in the moonlight that filtered through the rice paper screen, a stark contrast to the long strands of ink-colored silk that spread out around her face.

"Beautiful..." he whispered. His lips engulfed her other nipple. "Delicious..."

Megumi giggled girlishly. "Delicious?"

The corners of Sanosuke's mouth turned up. "Yeah. Just like I've always imagined you would be."

"I've imagined things, too." Slender fingers wound into his thick, brown hair. His eyebrow raised, questioningly, as her hands then slipped under the collar of his gi, sliding it off hisuldeulders. "I imagined you would look this way." With the very tips of her fingers, she mapped out the lines created by every muscle in his torso. Dipping further, they brushed over his stomach, eliciting a muted gasp from him. "Perfect."

Before her hands could go any lower, he grasped her wrists. There was no amusement in his eyes, only serious earnest. "What are we doing here?" She opened her mouth, but he quickly continued. "If we do this, it won't be just one night, you know."

Megumi looked off to the right, willing hot tears back. "I know," she finally whispered.

"Are you sure?" Sanosuke moved her chin to look into her eyes again. "Do you realize what might happen? To your marriage?"

"Don't you think I've been thinking this over since the minute you stepped into this office?" She lifted herself back onto her elbows. "I've been over it so many times in my mind...it's like I've already done it. Still..." She stopped.

"What?"

Megumi sat up, forcing him up as well. They faced each other in the moon-illuminated darkness. Her hand reached out, cupping his bandaged cheek lovingly. "I want to make love with you. I wanted to make love with you before you left...all the years you were gone. And now that I have you back, I'm not going to let the moment pass." Her head lowered. "I know there are...considerations. I don't care. I don't think you do either."

Sanosuke shook his head. "I'm not a complete bastard, fox lady. You do belong to another man."

"I belong to myself." Megumi's eyes flashed again. After a second, her tone softened. "That's not true. I do belong to a man. But not Gregory." She smiled ruefully. "I belong to you. I always have. And even if we don't do this tonight, I still will." Megumi reached for his hand and brought it up to her mouth. Her lips traveled over each calloused digit. "Make love with me?"

His hesitancy long gone, Sanosuke reached for her again. Bare skin touched bare skin. He could feel her nipples hardening against his chest; the combination of soft satin and hard silk aroused him beyond the point of no return. He kissed her long and deep, savoring the taste of her mouth. Plums.

Her ever inquisitive hands moved to the ties holding up his white pants. Once undone, they were loose enough for her to slide them down his hips. As they lay back on the futon, she felt his arousal brush press into her soft flesh. It was terrifically wanton, lying naked in the office where she treated the greater part of Tokyo with a man other than her husband. But then, it was Sanosuke. And nothing was wrong about being with him.

"Sano..." she breathed as he moved his tongue across her breast once more. His fingers played on her belly. At her gentle urging they slid lower, into her dark curls. Megumi's back arched harder when the pad of his index finger found her nub of flesh, slippery with desire. He caressed it lovingly while his lips left a trail of wet designs down her flat stomach.

The finger that had her on the brink was replaced with his hot tongue. Megumi shuddered from the intense sensation. Sanosuke ran his lips over her sweet center, knowing from experience alone exactly how to please her. But no woman's pleasure had ever been foremost in his mind. Except Megumi. With her, his own release was secondary. He loved the way her hips gently raised to meet his mouth, the little moans that escaped the back of her throat, the feeling of her hands plunging through his hair. The increased intensity of all three told him she was approaching her peak.

To savor every moment of their first time together, Sanosuke gently worked his head out of her tight grasp and ran his lips back up her body until he could kiss her again. She met his tongue hesitantly at first; it tasted forbidden. After a moment, she relaxed back into the kiss, licking the inside of his lips as her hands slid down his back. The desire to give him as much pleasure as he was giving her overwhelmed her mind. Megumi gently pushed on his shoulders, urging him to roll over. When he got the hint, he gladly did so, pulling her on top of his bare chest.

Her mouth worked its way down his neck and over the broad planes of his upper torso. She encountered a hard peak of flesh and gently tugged at it with her teeth. His eyes closed and he whispered her name. She rolled his nipple between her lips, kneading it with her tongue before moving to pay homage to its twin. His hardness dug into her stomach; she was filled with ideas she had never had before. Giving him a wicked smile, she moved her body down his until her lips were posed just above his manhood.

Sanosuke found he couldn't produce a single coherent word upon feeling her warm breath over him. He could only lie helpless, but certainly not suffering, as she softly kissed the very tip. Her tongue made a maddening circle around him,ntuantually moving down to make a long swipe up his shaft.

She found it amazing how soft the skin covering something so hard could be. Like raw silk against a piece of wood. She greedily took of of him into her mouth, her reward being a ragged groan of pleasure. Eager to hear the sound again, she wrapped her hand around the base of his sex, loving the tip with her lips.

With a growl, Sanosuke pulled her back up, crushing his mouth against hers. Megumi wound her arms around his neck as he rolled them over once more. Unconciously, her legs spread to accomodate his body. She urged him on when she felt his arousal press into her wet folds. Slowly, almost cautiously, he slid himself into her tightness.

Warm. Wet. She surrounded him. He pushed himself into her until he could go no further and then remained still for a long moment, holding onto the feeling. She moaned in protest, grin her her hips into his. Chuckling, he looked down at her. "Getting impatient, fox lady?"

"I am not...impatient," she breathed. "You're not moving..."

As if to prove her wrong, Sanosuke drew his hips back and forwards, thrusting slow and deep. "Good?"

"Yes." Megumi's back arched as he thrust again. "Yes..." Her hands gripped onto his upper back. The pleasure was so great it threatened to engulf her entire being. He filled her entirely. He completed her.

His mouth found that beloved patch of skin at the base of her throat and worked at it as he continued to thrust into her body. He smiled when he felt her legs encircle his waist. She was not a passive lover like the women he had been with in the past. He would have been disappointed had she been. This was what he craved about her. Fire. Passion. Desire that matched his own. And perhaps...even more. Perhaps love.

Megumi clung to Sanosuke as tightly as she could as his thrust grew faster, urg urgent. Her world had been reduced to him and only him. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else crossed her mind as he brought her to the edge of oblivion.

When he felt her muscles contract around his body, when he saw her head roll back, when he heard her cry out his name, Sanosuke let his own pleasure wash over him. He dimly heard himself say words he had never said to another.

"I love you."

They lay in the embrace of lovers long after the pleasure faded. To keep from crushing her, Sanosuke pulled her onto his chest again, reveling in the feeling of her hair as it spread over his torso. His fingers idly stroked her smooth, white back.

"Did you mean it?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He wasn't so dense as to ask what. "Yeah." He softly kissed the top of her head. "I meant it."

Megumi was quiet for another long minute. The weight of the situation was becoming painfully clear. "I ought to be going." Before Sanosuke could stop her, she rolled off of him and sat up. She spent several seconds trying to tug her kimono out from under his body until, finally, he leaned to one side to let her.

"You don't have to go," he said as she donned the under-robe and kimono.

"Of course I do," she said, reaching for her obi. "Gregory is at home. Waiting for me."

Sanosuke sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "Is that really where you want to be, Megumi?"

Unwanted tears flooded her eyes. "Please...don't make this harder than it is." She wiped at her eyes and began to wrap the obi around her waist.

He stood and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around. In a minute, he managed to tie the obi into a perfect box knot. "There. He won't suspect a thing." There was an underlying coldness in his tone.

Megumi twisted around to examine the knot as best she could. "Where did you learn to...wait. I'm not sure I want to know."

Sanosuke shrugged and bent down to scoop up his discarded clothes. "Suit yourself."

Megumi watched as he dressed. "What happens now?" she asked softly.

"You go home to your husband." He shoved his arms into the sleeves of his gi. "I go to my room. Alone."

"Sano..."

He shook his head as he tied the strings of his pants. "I don't have a plan, Megumi. I didn't plan this..." When he looked back up at her, his eyes were so full of hurt that they nearly sent her into tears once again. "Just promise me you won't kiss him. Not while you can still taste me in your mouth. Not while I'm lying in my room, still tasting you in mine."

She nodded and bit her lip, still rosy from his kisses. "Good night," she whispered.

Throwing his cocky face back on, Sanosuke winked as he slid the rice paper screen open. "Later, fox lady."

If he heard her next words, she never knew. "I love you, Sanosuke."

****

To Be Continued...