A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer: Nobuhiro Watsuki created Rurouni Kenshin. I take no credit for anything that is his.

Author's Notes: I was asked a question when this story was on Fanfiction.net that I'm afraid I couldn't answer directly to the person who posed it since I could not get his or her email address. The person asked whether this story is a romance or a hentai. My answer: I'm not sure if I would put it in either category. It's a drama about two lives and the choices made in those lives. Sex and romance are a part of life. Sometimes, you can't separate the two. I hope that helps.


****

Her body had rolled itself into the protective fetal position. As she came to, she could feel her knees pressing against her forehead. She struggled to lift her head, but it was so heavy. Her arm rose to physically force it up; when her fingers brushed her cheek, they encountered a sticky substance. Blood, she knew instinctively.

Her legs didn't seem to want to cooperate as she began to try to stand. She knew she shouldn't. She could have a concussion or any amount of broken bones. She could be bleeding internally. Moving, while not a good idea to the doctor in her, seemed the only logical solution to the fighter in her. The fighter that Sanosuke loved.

"Sano," she whispered. She needed him. He would pick her up, he would take care of her. But she was alone. She had driven him away...and now she could never have him.

Finally, she regained feeling in her legs. Megumi staggered to her feet, discovering that she could put no weight on her left arm. She could only use her right for support. It was obvious the arm was broken and needed to be set immediately. She began to take a mental note of her injuries and possible injuires. She eventually lost count.

Help was what she needed. Sanosuke's help was out of the question. Kenshin. Tears of joy mixed with those of pain as she pictured the kind-hearted swordsman. He and Kaoru and Yahiko....they would help her. If she could only get to the dojo... The picture she had of Kenshin smiling suddenly shifted; she imagined his friendly violet eyes turning golden-amber with hate, as she had been witness to in his battles. The Battousai in Kenshin would go after Gregory.

She refused to put Kenshin in that situation. The help that had almost been in her reach was now out of the question as well. Pain and lonliness, despair and fright threatened to overtake her. She pushed them aside with all of the wshe she possessed. The clinic. She had to get to the clinic. There, she could take care of her wounds; she was a doctor after all. And no one need ever be the wiser.

The streets were empty, dark and quiet. Megumi wondered how long she had been unconscious. Her body ached as she stumbled along the familiar path to her clinic. She barely took notice of the trail of blood she left behind as she climbed the few steps into building and let herself into the examination room.

Bandages. Alcohol. A piece of straight and sturdy wood. Scissors. She gathered the supplies with her good arm and spread them out in front of her. The broken arm was the first wound to fix. She could remember all the times she had set broken bones...the patient's screams of pain. Looking around for something to bite down on, she found nothing but the wood with which she planned to set the arm. She placed it her mouth.

Grasping her left wrist with her right hand and anchoring the elbow against her knee, she prepared herself. The wood in her mouth was not enough to completely muffle her scream as she snapped the bone back into place. The pain was too great; her world became black once again.

****

"Yahiko-kun!!"

The dark haired boy stopped in the middle of the street and swung his head around to locate the person calling his name. He sighed upon seeing that it was only ten-year-old Ayame and her sister, eight-year-old Suzume. Once they had his attention, they ran across the street towards him as fast as their tiny wooden sandals would let them.

"Yahiko-kun...where are you going?" Ayame asked, shielding her eyes from the rising sun.

He put his hands on his hips impatiently. "I am going to the clinic to help Megumi-san. 'Cause unlike *some* people, I can actually roll a bandage."

Suzume pouted. "It's not fair. You don't have to go to school, Yahiko-kun."

"Great swordsmen do not need school." Yahiko waved them away and kept on his way to the clinic.

They failed to take the hint and began to follow him. "You're not a great swordsman, Yahiko-kun." Suzume indicated the wooden weapon secured at the waist of his hakama. "You don't have a real sword like Ken-niisan."

Yahiko stuck his nose in the air. "It's only a matter of time. And then I will be a master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu *and* Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu."

Ayame gave him a skeptical look as she lifted the bottom of her kimono to avoid a puddle in the road. "I don't know, Yahiko-kun. Are you sure you can do both?"

"Yeah," Suzume piped in. "Kaoru-neesan says that those two fighting styles don't go together."

"She only says that when she's pissed at Kenshin," he replied. As they approached the clinic, Yahiko was puzzled to see several people patiently waiting outside.

"There's a line already," Ayame pointed out.

Yahiko scratched the top of his head. "I guess Megumi-san's not here yet." Walking past the patients, Yahiko kicked off his sandals and entered the waiting area. "Megumi-san?" There was no answer. He was about to turn around and leave when he noticed something on the floor. He bent down to investigate. It was a tiny puddle of dried blood.

His mood began to shift from one of mild annoyance to mounting worry. Although bloertaertainly wasn't an uncommon thing to see in a doctor's waiting room, he coul ima imagine that Megumi would not have cleaned the tatami.

"Megumi-san?" he called again. Again, there was no answer. Taking a breath, Yahiko slid open the paper screen and stepped into the examination room. One of Sanosuke's English phrases slipped out of his mouth.

"Oh shit!!"

Megumi lay on the floor; her crumpled, beaten body was frighteningly lifeless. "Megumi-san!" Yahiko kneeled next to the older woman and gently pushed on her shoulder to flip her over onto her back. Her skin was pale. In fact, the only color on her seemed to be from the blood. There was a huge bruise forming on her jaw and her lip was split wide open.

There were only a few times in his short life that Yahiko had been this afraid for a friend. He shook her carefully in an attempt to wake her up. "Megumi-san...please!! Wake up! I don't know what to do for you! Please..."

A sound at the door drew his attention. Ayame stood in the waiting area. She was staring into the examination room, tears of fright building in her eyes. "Megumi-neesan?" she whispered.

"Ayame-chan." Yahiko thought quickly. "Take Suzume-chan. Run and get....get Kenshin. Bring him back here as fast as you can." When thrl drl didn't move, he raised his voice. "Go!! Hurry!!"

Ayame scrambled out of sight. He could hear her yelling to Suzume before his attention returned to the unconcious doctor. "It's all right, Megumi-san. Kenshin's on his way...it's all right." His hands were sticky with congealing blood. A single tear slipped down his nose. "Please be all right..."

****

The throbbing pain in her head brought her out of the darkness. She could hear voices somewhere nearby. They seemed so familiar...

"...she be all right, Genzai-sensei?" A man's voice. Soothing...concerned.

The response. "If she wakes up soon, yes. She'll recover quickly. I'm worried about the blow to her head though..."

Megumi forced her eyes open. Her vision was still hazy, but she could make out the clean wood rafters of the ceiling. Light filtered through a paper screen to her left. She was lying on a futon. This was not her house. Gregory's house. She blinked as though by clearing her eyes, woulwould know where she was.

Kenshin caught the movement with his highly trained peripheral vision. "Genzai-sensei," he interrupted the old doctor.thinthink she's waking up." Without hesitation, he walked to the futon and kneeled down. "Megumi-dono...can you hear me?"

Her tongue darted out, licking the dry, cracked corner of her mouth. "I can hear you," she whispered.

He smiled warmly. "You're at the dojo, Megumi-dono. Yahiko and I brought you here."

"Thank you..." Her voice was no louder than the rustling of a spring breeze.

"We're going to take care of you. You're going to be all right, Megumi-dono. Kaoru's going to come and give you a bath in a little while and Genzai-sensei has already started to take care of your injuries." Kenshin delicately touched a lock of his friend's hair. It was stiff with her dried blood. He could not stop the next words from leaving his mouth. The parts of himself that he fought with every day demanded that he know for sure. "Who did this to you, Megumi-dono?"

She didn't answer. Her eyes closed again as tears escaped both corners, running down her bruised cheeks.

Kenshin swallowed heavily. "It's all right. It can wait...until you're well."

He stood to go, but Megumi's good arm reached for him. "Please...Ken-san." Her eyes opened again. "Sano....I want Sano."

Carefully sidestepping her request, Kenshin brushed his thumb over an unbruised area of her forehead. "Try not to talk too much, Megumi-dono. Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

As Kenshin stood and turned, he saw his wife in the doorway to the room, a basin of warm water in her arms. "She asked for Sanosuke," Kaoru stated simply.

"I know." Kenshin lowered his eyes.

Kaoru blinked. "So...get him."

He shook his red head. "I don't think that would be such a good..." He stopped when a slender, but strong hand grabbed the end of his ponytail, pulling sharply. "Oro..."

Somehow Kaoru managed to balance the basin in one arm and yank her husband's hair with the other. "What do you mean it's not a good idea?! She asked for Sano, Kenshin! Don't you think he would want to be here for her??"

"Kaoru..." Kenshin extracted himself from his wife's death grip. "Who do you think did this to Megumi-dono?"

Her murderous expression fell. "Um...I don't know. Thieves? Yakuza?"

Kenshin touched his wife's cheek. In many ways, she was still so innocent. "Love...it was Williamson-san."

"What?" She nearly dropped the basin. "You don't really think that he could...that he could do...that? To his wife?"

He nodded sadly. "If Sano sees this..." He didn't have to finish. "It's best that we not involve him."

From his place on the other side of the paper screen, Yahiko heard every word. If Kenshin was right, than that foreigner had hurt Megumi. Nearly killed her. He wasn't stupid enough to believe he could take Megumi's husband down by himself, though his fighting skills certainly surpassed the British man's. He would need help. He needed Sanosuke.

She needed Sanosuke.

****

His fist slammed into the wooden post. The blanket tied around it helped to cushion the impact, but he still felt the punch all the way down to his knuckles.drewdrew his arm back and struck with the other, repeating the process faster and faster. A drop of sweat escaped his bandana and ran down his nose, dropping to the wooden floor.

She filled his mind. The smell of her hair. The feeling of her body wrapped around him. He punched the post harder. Her words as they parted. The condesenscion in her tone. The wood cracked under the pressure of his fist. She had called herself a whore. Did she really think that of herself? Was she that ashamed of having been with him?

Sanosuke gave the post another punch and watched as the wood split into two halves. Sighing heavily, he began to unwind the protective bandages from his hands. What did it matter now? She had made her feelings very clear. He was no longer what she wanted in her life. He was nothing more than a good...

"Sanosuke!!!" The screen door to his room slid open with terrific force.

"Yahiko?" Sanosuke gave him a hard look. "Thanks for the warning." Tossing the discarded bandages to the floor, he flexed his palms. "What do you want, squirt?"

The boy struggled to catch his breath. "Sano...you gotta...come with me."

Something in Yahiko's tone made Sanosuke's blood run cold. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"It's..." Yahiko hesitated. "Something's happened to..."

"To who?" Sanosuke grabbed the shorter boy's shoulder. "What's going on?"

Yahiko looked up at his older friend. "Megumi-san."

The hand on his shoulder became tighter. "What about her? Is she all right?"

"Kenshin didn't want to...but I thought you should know..." He trailed off.

Sanosuke ran his other hand through his spiked hair. "Tell me what happened to Megumi," he demanded.

Yahiko slipped out of his grasp. "She's at the dojo. She needs you."

He didn't have to ask twice. Sanosuke was already out the door.

****

Yahiko peeked through the wooden doors and into the Kamiya dojo's courtyard. Upon confirming that it was empty, he pushed the door open further to let Sanosuke in. "She's in my room," Yahiko informed him. "I'll stand guard outside." Sanosuke nodded and started off. "Sano!" Yahiko called out.

"What." The word was not a question, but an indication that the boy was keeping him from something important.

"She's pretty bad off...just to warn you," he continued. Sano said nothing as he stalked across the courtyard.

He slid the door to Yahiko's room open quietly. Not that he minded if he was caught. Not even the Battousai himself could keep him from seeing Megumi. When he stepped in the room and caught his first glimpse of her, his breath stuck in the back of his throat.

She lay completely still on the futon, wrapped up in a simple, cream colored yukata. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breath. One arm was set in a sling; as he approached, he took note of the bruises that marred her perfect skin. The lips he still tasted on his were cracked and split. Her hair was wet as though it had recently been washed. A basin of bloody water rested next to.
.

A million thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted to gather her in his arms and kiss away every single wound. He wanted to scream at the injustice...at the fact that anyone would dao too touch her this way. He wanted to hit something. He wanted to break down.

Megumi stirred. "Sano," she whispered.

He was on his knees next to her in a heartbeat. "I'm here...I'm here, Megumi." He reached for her good arm and placed her hand between his. Bringing it up to his lips, he gently kissed her knuckles...the only part of her body that didn't seem hurt. Evidently, she had put up little to no resistence to her attacker.

"I'm sorry...Sano."

He wiped a tear from her closed eye. "What are you apologizing for this time, fox lady?"

Her head swayed slightly from side to side on the neck pillow. "I hurt you...again. Last night...when I said..." She swallowed although her throat was dry. "I lied."

"I know," he said softly. "I know that now. So don't worry about it. All right?"

"All right." Her eyes opened. "You know....I am so...addicted to you." She laughed but the sound came out as a wheeze. "I always have been..."

Sanosuke held her hand to his cheek. He hated to break the moment, but he had know. "Megumi...I need you to tell me who did this to you." He paused. "Was it him?"

Instead of replying, she turned her head to the side. "I dreamed about you...when you were gone." She smiled faintly. "I dreamed...you came back to me. And sometimes I dreamed that you never...left at all." Megumi looked back at him. "Why did you leave me?"

"I had to," he replied lowly. "For your sake."

"But..." She shook her head as much as she could. "You didn't even...ask me to go with you. And you never wrote. You wrote Kenshin. But not me."

Sanosuke bit his lip. "I don't know what to tell you. I fucked up."

"So did I." Megumi's chin wobbled. "I married him...because I thought you were lying. In your letter...I thought you were teasing me." Her fingers were still pressed into his cheek; she moved them to gently caress his skin. "I thought you weren't ever coming back."

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have told you." He cleared his throat. "Megumi...who did this to you? Tell me. If it was him..." Her hand was becoming limp in his. "Megumi?" He watched as her eyes slowly closed. "Megumi!!"

"Sano?" Kaoru's voice was soft and surprised. He turned to look at her as she entered the room. "How did you...? I mean, how did you know that...?"

"Yahiko," he replied, tersely. His attention returned to Megumi. "She just stopped talking, Jou-chan. I think she might be..." He stopped, unable to continue the thought.

"Don't worry," sheuredured him. "The medicine Genzai-sensei gave her to help her sleep must be working." Kaoru padded into the room and kneeled down next to him. "She's going to need a lot of rest to get better."

Sanosuke wiped the track of a tear off Megumi's cheek and set her hand back down onto the futon. "Has she said what happened? Has she told you who...who did this?"

Kaoru hesitated. "She hasn't said anything. But..." She paused and sighed heavily. "Kenshin says it was Gregory-san."

Lightning flashed in Sanosuke's eyes. "Thank you." Standing up, he made a move towards the door.

"Sano!" She stood quickly. "What are you going to do?" He didn't reply. "Sanosuke...this isn't a back alley brawl. If you hurt him...you could get into serious trouble. You lived in America; you know foreign men. They don't always follow the rules we know. He's not above anything..." She looked down at Megumi. "You're not going to help her by killing him."

"Jou-chan..." He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm not going to kill him." A look of relief came over her pretty features. "I just need one punch."

****

"Brat...I told you stop following me!"

Yahiko ignored Sanosuke's angry words, tripling his speed to keep up with the man's long strides as he followed him through the streets of Tokyo. "And I told you that I want to kick his ass as much as you do!"

"You're just going to get in the way," Sanosuke told him. "I don't need your help." *And I don't want any witnesses,* he added to himself.

"Jack-ass!! Look, you've been gone for a long time!! I grew up, okay?? I'm not a little kid like I was when you left. I can fight *anyone*...by myself!! I don't need you or Kenshin or anyone to take care of me anymore! Got it??"

Sanosuke stopped and turned on the boy. "Why don't you just tell the whole city, Yahiko!" The boy raised his chin in defiance. "Now get back to the dojo."

"Make me."

"Don't tempt me..." When Yahiko still refused to budge, Sanosuke sighed in defeat. "This is my fight, kid. I'm not gonna let you get hurt in my fight. If you're gonna be fucking stubborn like this and tag along, then you're going to have to swear to stay the hell out of it. Do you swear?"

"I'm not swearing anything," Yahiko snapped. "But...I won't do anything stupid."

"Fine." Sanosuke continued on his way with the boy in tow. After a moment, he stopped in his tracks. His face was bright red with wounded pride as he turned back around to face Yahiko. "Where the fuck do they live?"

****

The British man was sitting in an armchair, reading a book when Sanosuke and Yahiko burst into the living room of his home. When he saw the taller intruder's face, he dropped his book and scrambled to his feet.

Sanosuke delighted in his reaction. "Williamson-san..." His tone was dangerously polite. "Afternoon."

Gregory swallowed heavily and made a pretense of relaxing. "Sagara-san. Yahiko-chan. You startled me." He plastered a smile onto his face.

"Oh? Really?" Sanosuke scratched his cheek innocently. "I thought you were tougher than that, Williamson-san."

"What do you mean?"

Sanosuke shrugged. "I've seen some of your handiwork. You're a pretty tough guy." He laughed. "Of course, it takes a pretty tough guy to beat the shit out of a defenseless woman, doesn't it?"

Gregory's face became pale. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Yahiko scowled. "You...fuckhead!! You know exactly what..." Sanosuke looked back over his shoulder and gave the boy a silencing look before turning back to Megumi's husband.

"You know what I'm wondering? I'm wondering why you let her live." Sanosuke stepped towards Gregory and watched him make an unconscious movement backwards. "You beat her to bloody pulp, but you don't kill her. Not too smart if you're planning on playing dumb later."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I suggest you..."

Sanosuke had him by the collar of his expensive shirt in two seconds. "You fucking bastard," he hissed in English to make sure his words were not lost on the man. "I should do to you what you did to her." He released the man and continued in Japanese. "But you're not worth it. You're not fucking worth it." With one relatively light push to the chest, he sent the man sprawling to the floor. The grim look still on his face, Sanosuke turned back to Yahiko. "Let's get out of here, kid. I'm getting sick just looking at him."

Yahiko didn't move as Sanosuke walked past him and out the door. He crossed his arms and looked down at Gregory. "And don't call me '-chan'!!" he said hotly, before following Sanosuke.

Neither man nor boy looked back to see Megumi's husband on the floor, rage boiling just below the surface of his skin.

****

"What do you think you're doing, fox lady?"

Megumi gripped onto the screen door for more support. Sanosuke stood in the dojo's hallway, his arms crossed in almost maternal indignation. "I...I need to.." She lifted her bruised chin as far as it would go. "Are you going to let me by?"

"Hell no. Look at you....you can barely stand." He moved towards her and gently wrapped his arm around her waist. "Give yourself a break, fox lady. I can get you anything you need."

She wanted to protest, but in truth, she wasn't sure if she could take another step without help. Still, she continued to try. "It's not something you can bring me, Sano." The blush that spread on her face angered her. She had made love with this man; there wasn't a part of her body he didn't know. "I need to get...to the toilet", she managed to say.

"Sheesh...why didn't you just say so?!" Before she could reply, he picked her up and carried her down the hallway and out into the sun-splashed courtyard.

Megumi winced slightly. Even though he was being as careful as he could possibly be, her body was still far from healed. Four days of rest at the dojo had certainly helped though. Having Sanosuke wait on her, hand and foot, was just an added bonus. Said aid her head on his shoulder for the short time it took him to carry her to the toilet. He gently set her down on the ground, still holding her up with one arm around the waist of her yukata.

"Need any help?"

She made a noise of indignation. "Hardly." Grasping onto the outhouse door for support, she stepped into the tiny structure, slamming the door behind her. After a moment, she called out, "You're not going to stand there, are you?"

"You're going to have to come out eventually. And then you'll need help getting back inside." Sanosuke watched as Yahiko passed through the courtyard; the boy gave him an extremely strange look upon seeing him talking to the toilet.

Megumi sighed. "I'll call for you. I promise."

Sanosuke hesitated for a second. Megumi was stubborn; if her temper was riled, she would never come out. "You win, fox lady. But I'm not going too far away." He had to chuckle as he walked away. She was too irresistible. A shadow fell over his face. She was too fragile. So very fragile. It physically hurt him to see her in pain, as he knew she still was. Some of her lesser bruises had begun to fade into a purplish-yellow, but on the whole, she still bore the marks of her attack. Unconsciously, his fist tightened.

"Sano." He looked up to see Kenshin standing a few feet away, Ame in one arm, a wooden box in the other. "Where is Megumi-dono?"

Sanosuke flipped a thumb back towards the toilet. "She's fine."

Kenshin smiled. "Well then, I'm going to take Ame to Genzai-sensei's and then stop for tofu. Kaoru will be back from her friend's soon."

"I'll hold the fort down."

With another smile, Kenshin headed out the dojo gate, Ame giggling happily over their adventure. Sanosuke watched them until they disappeared from sight. He turned around upon hearing a door opening behind him. Megumi still clung to the tiny shack for support; he quickly walked to her and without a word, picked her back up.

As carefully as possible, he returned her to the futon she had been occupying for the past few days. She laid her head against the neck cushion and sighed. "Thank you, Sano."

He lay next to her, propped up on one elbow. "Don't mention it, fox lady. I just want..." His finger brushed against her cheek. "I just want you better."

Megumi's eyes watered. "I don't understand you, Sanosuke."

"What?"

"Why are you here...taking care of me?"

Sanosuke blinked. "I have a vested interest in your welfare, fox lady. See..." He shifted. "If you don't get better, I'll go out....drink too much sake, get into a fight...and no one will be around to fix me up."

The corners of her lips turned up weakly. "I see. It's good to know that I have some small purpose in my life. To be your nursemaid." A minute of silence passed. "What happens when I do get better?"

"Um..."

"I can't stay here," she whispered. "I'm married to Gregory. He always told me....I belong to him."

"I thought you belonged to me." Sanosuke's lighthearted comment was weighted by the situation.

Megumi shook her head. "You're not my husband."

"Actually..." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was kinda hoping we could do something about that one of these days."

She bit her lip. "Don't say that, Sano."

"Why not?" he replied, suddenly serious. "Is it wrong to hope that you might really be mine one day? Is it so bad to think I might be worthy of you?"

Her hand lifted to cup his face. "Never doubt that," she said softly. "Never." The hand slipped back down. "But there isn't anything I can do. He's my husband."

"He nearly killed you!" Sanosuke's eyes flashed. "Don't tell me you're just....going back to him??!"

"Tell me what choice I have, Sano." She searched those eyes. "It's not as though he did anything illegal."

Sanosuke muttered in English for a moment. "I know," he finally said. "He knows it, too. That's why you can't go back, fox lady."

Megumi's cheeks were wet. "I'm scared, Sano."

He carefully drew her against his body and kissed her hair. "You know I won't let him hurt you again." She closed her eyes and let herself give into his strength and warmth. A temporary shield from the world. Yet, she could not forget the fact that soon the shield would be gone. And there would be nothing standing between her and Gregory.

Fragile. Sanosuke felt as though he were holding onto a doll made of china. Of course, had she known he was thinking that of her and were she in better physical shape, that china doll would have really decked him. He smiled into her hair. Her spirit was intact; it always would be. Gregory could not take that from her. He held her tighter. He would not let Gregory take that from her.

The snap of a twig in the dojo's courtyard caught his attention. He lifted his head from her hair and narrowed his eyes. Someone was in the courtyard...and every instinct told him it wasn't someone who was supposed to be there. As not to frighten Megumi, Sanosuke gently urged her to lie back on the mat. "Get some rest, fox lady." He winked one chocolate colored eye. "I'll be right back."

Megumi nodded, showing the tiniest signs of fatigue in the way she gave in without protest to his suggestion. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on her neck pillow and felt his lips brush against her forehead.

Sanosuke stood up and quietly left the room. Once in the dojo's hallway, he slid the screen door shut and started for the courtyard. He just hoped that if there was a fight, it wouldn't wake Megumi up. Her well-being, he discovered, was far more important than anything else. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Sanosuke stepped into the sunny courtyard.

Greeting him at the dojo's gate, forced open by some swift, but silent means, was Megumi's husband. His own hands were deep in the pockets of his expensive suit pants; Sanosuke was acutely aware of what sort of weapon could be concealed there. On his guard, he addressed the English man.

"If you've come back for a second round on your wife..." He pulled his hands from his pockets and cracked his knuckles. "...you're going to have to go through me."

Gregory's expression was a horrific combinationamusamusement and apathy. "She *is* my wife. She belongs to me. So...if you want to speak technically...you've stolen my property." He smiled wickedly. "I want it back."

Sanosuke crooked his fingers, eggihe mhe man on. "Take your best shot, gaijin."

"Oh, you misunderstand, Sagara-san," Gregory said. "I won't be fighting you." Over the top walls of the dojo, several men swarthed in black appeared, each brandishing a sword. "But...I have friends who are more than willing to. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He started for the dojo's residence. "I'll be collecting my belongings and then be on my way. It won't do to be here when they find your body."

"When I get through with you...they won't *ever* find your body," Sanosuke growled.

Gregory laughs. "Big words from a big man who's surrounded by even bigger men with swords. Ganbatte kudasai, Sagara-san," he called, brazenly walking past Sanosuke. "Or as they say in my country, good luck. You're going to need it."

The first swordsman attacked Sanosuke from his right side. Relying on quick reflexes, Sanosuke dodged the blade and managed to land an awkward punch on the swordsman. His opponent stumbled away, dazed but not disabled, as a second thug approached Sanosuke from the front. Holding his sword high over his head, the man cried out and started for Sanosuke. Whipping his long leg around, Sanosuke caught the man in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him before he could bring his sword down. The weapon fell to the ground, followed by its owner.

Sanosuke thought quickly. It would only take Gregory a few minutes to find Megumi. With the other swordsmen closing in around him, he realized there was no way he could get to Megumi in time. Hating to do it, but knowing he had no choice, he yelled, "Yahiko!!!"

The boy emerged from the training hall, sweat glistening off his brow, wooden sword in his hand. Upon seeing Sanosuke surrounded by enemies, he raised the sword and prepared to join his friend. Sanosuke landed a punch on one man and shook his head. "No,iko.iko. Get to Megumi!"

Yahiko nodded and took off towards the main house. Sanosuke narrowly stepped out of the path of one man's sword, only to have to jump quickly back to avoid another. He was grossly outnumbered. Taking a deep breath, Sanosuke gambled on a miracle.

It came in the form of a slightly built, flame-haired man. Sanosuke saw the flash of red and magenta whip past him, knocking out his opponent. Just as quickly, the flash moved, taking out another two men with a powerful, yet relatively harmless blow.

Kenshin skidded to a halt and turned to face Sanosuke and the remaining thugs. "Go get her," he instructed Sanosuke, jerking his head towards the dojo. His usually tranquil violet eyes sparkled amber. Sanosuke wasted no time. He started for the house, leaving Kenshin to finish off the enemy.

"Stay away from her!" was the first thing Sanosuke heard as he stormed into the dojo. Without thinking, he started down the long hall to the room where he had left Megumi. He burst inside and took in the scene before him. Gregory had hauled Megumi to her feet; his fingers gripped her broken arm, twisting it. Megumi was struggling against him, but in her weakened state was no match for her husband. Yahiko was brandishing his weapon, threatening to attack the British man.

"I said...get away from Megumi-san!" Yahiko yelled. "You're hurting her!!" He whipped his head around when Sanosuke entered the room like a typhoon. "Sano!"

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed into twin slits. "I'll take it from here, kid," he said. The dead calm in his voice did not match the rage in his expression.

Megumi sucked in a breath as her husband pulled harder on her arm. "Sano...don't...please..."

"Listen to her, Sagara," Gregory hissed. "The only choice you have is to let me walk out of here with what belongs to me."

"Belongs to you?" Sanosuke shook his head. "You don't own someone because you slip a ring on their finger."

Gregory laughed. "What world do you live in?" Hened ned his face into his wife's neck, speaking half to her and half to Sanosuke. "A wife is a wife forever. Bound to her husband until death do them part....or until he gets tired of her." He lifted his head. "But, I'm not tired of her yet."

"Until death do you part?" Sanosuke repeated. He shrugged and scratched his head. "If you insist..." Without warning, he sprinted forward. Caught off guard by the mass of man coming towards him, Gregory released his hold on Megumi, sending her spinning into Yahiko's arms.

Sanosuke hit the British man with as much force as possible. He could hear bones cracking as his shoulder slammed into them. Gregory cried out and fell to the ground. Sanosuke shook out his arm and bent down to pick up the fallen man by the lapel of his Western coat. He hauled Megumi's husband off the ground and held him up high. Gregory's legs kicked, but he could not wriggle his way out of Sanosuke's grip.

"Kenshin may not kill anymore...but I have no qualms," Sanosuke growled. "You fucked with the most important person in my life...the person I *live* my life for." His strong hand moved to grasp Gregory's neck, choking him. "If this is the only way to protect her...I'll do it."

Megumi shook her head against Yahiko's shoulder. "Please don't...Sano...you can't kill him..."

Sanosuke's fingers dug into Gregory's neck. "I've done worse things to better people for less, Megumi." He looked up at the writhing man. "Tell me why I shouldn't do this."

"Because..." Megumi began. "It will take you away from me. Again."

"She's right, Sano." Kenshin appeared in the doorway, sword in hand. "If you kill him, you will never be free again."

"Kenshin..." Sanosuke shook his head. "Don't. You can't say that to me...when you know that if he had done to Jou-chan what he did to Megumi..."

Kenshin slid his sword into the sheath hanging from the waist of his hakama. "I cannot make your choice for you, Sano. And I do not know what choice I would make in your place. But if you decide to kill him, you must understand the consequences that will follow."

"Didn't you say...he wasn't worth it?" Yahiko asked in a small voice.

Sanosuke's face slowly relaxed. His eyes darted to Megumi; she clutched her freshly wounded arm against her body. Anger welled up again. "I was wrong. It *would* be worth it. Not to mention satisfying."

There was a long moment of silence. Finally, Megumi took a breath. Using every bit of strength she had, she broke away from Yahiko and with only a slight stumble in her walk, approached Sanosuke. Her hand touched his arm, corded with the effort it took to hold up her husband. "Sano," she began, softly. "I belong to you. Killing him or letting him live won't change that." Her eyes met his. "Please don't make the wrong choice again."

After another second's pause, Sanosuke flexed his fingers. Gregory landed with a thump on the polished wood floor, choking for breath. Megumi relaxed, falling against Sanosuke's chest. He closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said in a dull voice.

Gregory coughed for another minute. "Sagara..." he managed to say in English. He continued speaking in his own language, as to keep Kenshin, Yahiko and his wife from understanding. "This...isn't over. I will...have you rot...rot in jail for this...." He rubbed his throat. "...for the rest of your life. And while you're rotting....I will come after them...all of them. Especially her. If you stay here with her, I will not rest until I destroy you. I have the power...I have the money...you have nothing. You are nothing! Do you understand?"

Sanosuke opened his eyes and replied in English. "Get the hell out of here." His arm wrapped around Megumi.

Yahiko watched, amused, as Gregory picked himself up off the floor. "Take a hike, gaijin!" he called out gleefully. Gregory scowled.

Kenshin tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his gi as Gregory stumbled past him. "Goodbye, Williamson-san," he said. With his arm, he jostled his sword enough to catch Gregory's attention...and remind him of a future price to be paid if he ever returned to the Kamiya dojo.

After he was long gone, Megumi lifted her head. Her eyes sparkled with tears. "Sano..."

He stared blankly at the floor, Gregory's English words still playing back in his mind. "Are you all right?" he managed to ask her.

She nodded. "I'll be fine now." A second passed. "What did he say to you, Sano?"

"Yeah..." Yahiko piped up. "What did he say??"

Sanosuke looked at the boy. His gaze moved to Kenshin's face. The same question was in the Battousai's eyes. Finally, he glanced down at Megumi. His heart felt equal parts joy and pain; joy from knowing she was now free to be with him. And pain for knowing that he could still cause her a lot of pain...just by being there with her.

He brushed his fingers ever so lightly across her cheek. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind. "I have to leave."

The words hit Megumi like a bullet, piercing her heart and tearing a path through her soul. She rapidly blinked, trying to force her mouth to work. "Sano..." was all she could whisper.

Yahiko recovered first. "What the hell??" he cried. "You just got back!! You can't leave, Sano!! That's the stupidest thing..." Kenshin held up his hand, effectively quieting the boy.

But Sanosuke and Megumi had never even heard Yahiko. The burden of the situation was too great for them; they barely even remembered that the other two were in the room. Sanosuke's fingers touched her bruises again. "I've made you hurt so much," he said quietly.

"You didn't do this, Sano." Megumi's lip trembled.

"If I hadn't come back and upturned your whole life, he wouldn't have done this to you," Sanosuke stated flatly. "And now if I stay..." He shook his head. "It won't end, Megumi. He'll keep hurting you...to hurt me."

"We'll fight him," she said, licka saa salty tear from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes flashed with life for the first time since they had last made love in the alley. "We won't let him win. And most importantly...we'll be together, Sano."

Sanosuke shook his head. "I won't put you in danger because I was stupid enough to take him on as an enemy. He's rich and powerful...and what am I?"

"The man I love," Megumi whispered.

His breath caught in the back of his throat. Clearing it loudly, he looked at Kenshin. "I need to get out of town quickly." He looked sheepish. "I don't have any money."

Kenshin lowered his eyes. "I will help you, Sano."

Yahiko threw his wooden sword across the room and began spouting the English words Sanosuke had taught him, interspersed with a few Japanese words of his own. "You coward!" he cried to the older man. "You're just gonna leave?? You're going to let him win?? And you!!" He pointed to Kenshin. "You're gonna help him??"

"If Sano feels this is the only way, yes," Kenshin replied, calmly.

"It can't be." Megumi shook her head, tears spilling down her bruised cheeks. "It can't be the only way..."

Trying desperately to ignore the crushing sensation on his heart that her anguish was producing, Sanosuke approached Kenshin. "Sorry, Kenshin. I'm going to have to borrow quite a bit. Yen doesn't get you anywhere in America."

Megumi blinked as a second bullet of pain shot through her. "America? Why America?"

Sanosuke swallowed. "Why not?" There was a long pause. "If I asked you to..." He stopped short. "Never mind." Sanosuke looked back at Kenshin. "Tell Jou-chan I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye."

Kenshin smiled sadly as he pulled a small bag out of his gi and counted out several coins. "She will be very mad that you didn't wait."

"Jou-chan's always mad at me." Sanosuke forced a laugh before turning to Yahiko. "See ya, kid."

Yahiko folded his arms tightly across his developing chest. "If you leave, I'll never forgive you, Sano."

"I'd rather you hated me forever than be an any danger because of me," Sanosuke replied, truthfully. He reached a hand out to mess the boy's hair. "Take care of everyone smaller than you. Ame, Ayame, Suzume....Tsubame." He winked.

Letting the tiniest smile creep onto his face, Yahiko nodded. "I will."

Finally, he looked at Megumi. She was managing to stay standing upright, but her whole body shook. He swallowed a bigger lump in his throat and blinked back the salt in his eyes. "I guess this is it, fox lady." Megumi didn't reply. After a long moment, Sanosuke approached her and pressed a soft kiss onto her forehead. "I'm not choosing to leave you," he whispered. "I'm choosing to protect you."

Still, she said nothing. Taking a step away from her, he accepted the coins from Kenshin and stuck them in the pocket of his white pants. He paused to look around the room once more. "I'll write when I'm settled."

"You better!" Yahiko threatened.

Sanosuke's gaze swept over Megumi one more time. His eyes bore into her, trying to memorize every detail. "Bye," he said quietly, before turning to go.

Megumi blinked. Her thoughts flew, but to her amazement, they all seemed to make sense. Without hesitation, she took a step forward. "Sano!" she called to him in a clear voice. He stopped but did not turn around to see her. With a breath, she continued. "Ask me."

He lowered his head with his back still facier. er. "Megumi..."

"Ask me," she repeated. "Ask me!!
Sa
Sanosuke shook his head. "Don't..."

"Ask me!!" she screamed with every bit of energy she had left.

He turned around slowly. "Would you really say 'yes'?"

Megumi smiled.

****

Dear Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko (and Ame),

We're very sorry that this letter is so late in coming. We wanted to write to you as soon as we arrived, but as soon as we did, we had to settle so many things that it was not possible to sit down and write you a proper letter. Now that we have been here for six months, we finally can.

America is indescribable. We have settled into a city that they are calling San Francisco. There is a small, but rapidly expanding part of the city where many other people from Japan live. It's nice to be around them; Americans are very interesting people, but nothing at all like us. Sanosuke tells me I have to stop thinking like that. I am an American now. But in all honesty, I think ill ill always be Japanese at heart.

I have started a small medical practice. It's not like Tokyo, but we're doing well. We have more than enough money to support ourselves. And the baby. He or she will arrive in about three months; we will write again as soon as it's born, to tell you everything.

We miss you all very much. Sanosuke wants me to add that he even misses Kaoru-chan's cooking, but I don't believe him. I wish I could say we will return to Japan someday, but for right now, we're very happy here. It's a whole new world, the perfect plac beg begin a whole new life.

All our love,

Megumi and Sanosuke

****

To Be Continued