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An Evil Plan Gone Horribly Wrong	By : Sephirajo Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 12059 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Title: An Evil Plan Gone Horribly Wrong

Author: Sephira jo (contact at: sephirajo@yahoo.com)

Archive: With permission only

Part: 5/6

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Rating: R (no lemon . . . sano�s way to hurt to get any nookie . . . I mean really people!)

Genre: Romantic Comedy/Drama

Pairings: Kenshin/Kaoru, Sano/Megumi

Disclaimer: I don�t own Kenshin! *sob sob*

Author�s Notes: I hope everyone�s enjoying this fic. I know that I�ve enjoyed writing it so far. . .but it *is* almost done. It�s been a fun ride, esp. since this is my first real Kenshin fic. So keep reviewing (I want at least 200 reviews! LOL) Any way, I mean it. I hoped you all keep liking this fic, after this there�s only an epilog, and then: closing the book on AEP. I�m not much for sequels. . .but maybe a ton of reviews could sway me like a branch in the wind. You never know. Anyway, enjoy damnit!

* * ^-^ * *

Pain. Pain was the sensation that drug Sanosuke out of the world of blissful unconsciousness into the bleak, and hurting, world of the living. He groaned and tried to move, only to be stopped by the wild protestation of his muscles, still too sore to want to answer any commands of his mind.

He opened his eyes, well, at least those were working. Kind of, anyway. The world was a blurring mass of color, which made his stomach turn. Where am I? Sano wondered, not having any memory of how he came to be wherever he was. He shifted again, to the chagrin of his battered body. He felt like he had wrestled a bear, a lion, and Saitou, and had his ass handed to him. But the place where he was felt familiar somehow. He wasn�t on a futon in his rundown shack. He could tell because he couldn�t feel the permanent breeze over him. The ceiling here looked awfully familiar as well. Like something he had spent hours staring at before.

The clinic! The epiphany that struck caused his head to ache even more, if that was possible, it could have just been aftershocks to other pangs that riddled his broken body. Now there was only the issue of what the hell he had done to end up in so much pain. His whole memory on this near-death thing was eluding his shaking grasp at the moment. This was so much worse then his normal �beat-n-treat� that he used to get close to the Fox Doctor.

Megumi. Another sudden understanding racked Sano�s abused cranial cavity. Somehow, this time, his being here was directly related to something else. He had planned to get her what was it? The hammer pounding away at his brain made it impossible for him to remember, but for some reason he seemed to have developed a sudden fear of the colors fuchsia and amber.

Sano tried to turn his head at the sound of approaching footsteps, but the massive amounts of bandages about his neck, head and shoulders made the action all but impossible. He only received a blurry image of the person moving up next to him. Sano tensed and flinched reflexively, those actions radiating new pangs down his body, before the image blurred into a comforting one: Megumi.
She reached out and placed a cool hand on his aching forehead and Sano wished he could lean into the easy brush of those smooth fingers. If he wasn�t in so much pain, her touch alone would have put him in heaven. Hell, he could be dead for all he knew, but could one feel so much pain in heaven?

"You�re awake," Megumi said, her voice was sounded far off like he was listening through a rice paper wall.

Sano couldn�t answer with sound, so he nodded the best he could, that effort alone almost enough to send him spiraling back into the blackness of oblivion.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. Sano gave her the driest look he could manage without passing out. Megumi laughed softly, "Sorry, that was a dumb question, wasn�t it?" Sano would have nodded again, had the bandages around his head allowed it. Megumi smiled, a gesture that did more for him than any medicine she could concoct. "You�re in pretty bad shape this time, you dumbass," she said gently, sitting down on a western-style chair she had pulled next to the cot. Vaguely, Sanosuke heard the sounds of stirring and mixing. She moved over him, and he could make out her smiling face, "I�ve just mixed some medicine for you, if you like," she finished quietly.

Sanosuke shook his head, drugs were not something he wanted. He didn�t need to mess up his head some more.

"You sure?" Megumi asked, her hands wandering to adjust bandages shrugged loose by his movement, "It�s morphine, it will help ease the pain."

"No. No drugs," he managed to rasp out, surprised that he had any voice left with which to form words.

Megumi sighed, "Sano, whatever am I going to do with you?" she placed her hand on her forehead in a gesture of mock-annoyance, "What do you expect me to do for you if you won�t take any medicine, kiss you better?"

"That... that would be nice."

Megumi stared at him blankly before laughing softly, "Honestly, I don�t think you could handle that right now. Now, will you be a good boy and take your medicine, or do I have to force you too?"

When he thought about it, Sano realized he really wasn�t in the position to argue with the doctor. Battered, half-dead and in a world of pain he mentally conceded that the strong drug Megumi was offering would do some good and let him wander back off to sleep and try to remember what he had done to end up here this time.

He inclined his head to indicate that he would indeed be a �good boy� for Megumi and take the medicine. Moving slowly, she inclined his head enough to allow him to drink the bitter mixture of hot water and Morphine powder, feeling the effects of the strong painkiller immediately. "I still would�ve preferred you kiss me better, Fox," he thought aloud, not even aware he spoke as the velvet veil of sleep drifted over him, the image of a smiling Megumi imprinted on his mind.

* * *

I still would�ve preferred you kiss me better, Fox.

Megumi smiled, a faint blush staining her cheeks. If he had the energy to enjoy it she might have indeed kissed him better. Kissed it all away. As it was, she was surprised that most of the damage was superficial. There were no broken bones, no ruptured organs. She had half-expected Kenshin to kill her ex-fighter for hire, and was more than a little surprised that, except for massive bruising and a mild concussion, he was still in one piece.

The medicine had taken effect on Sanosuke, allowing him to drift off into a sleep, a sleep that Megumi had to keep a close eye on due to his head injury. With him resting, Megumi checked the bandages, changing some. A couple of the wounds needed a little more stitching to help them close up all the way. She stood up, stretching slightly. It was late evening already, but Sano�s state of being assured that she would get little to no sleep that night.

But, she thought, at least he�s here, with me, and not with someone else. Megumi smiled slyly, the guarantee that he couldn�t storm off after one of their shouting matches made the whole situation worth it to her. Right now, she could say whatever she wanted to him and he wouldn�t be able to even turn in the opposite direction. A captive Sanosuke. The daydream had always had appealed, and Megumi was more than a little amused that it had actually come to pass.

She was humming a happy tune to herself as she fetched the needle and thread for the last few stitches that would patch him up the rest of the way. Megumi moved back to her chair at the side of the cot and sat down, running the needle through the candle flame quickly to clean it before use. Sano�s deep and even breathing didn�t even falter as Megumi easily ran the needle through his wounded flesh as easily as she would fix a tear in a kimono. The morphine would keep the worst of this pain from reaching him, allowing him a peaceful rest under her loving eyes.

Love. It seemed impossible that she�d ever find it. Not so long ago, while under the iron grip of Kanryu, it was an impossible dream. After her experience with the crime lord who robbed her of so much more than her innocence she had vowed to never let another get close to her again, in fear of being hurt again. Men in general seemed to always have so much power over her. It had been a man�s war that had robbed her of her family, it had been a man�s ambition that had held her captive, a slave for more than just the illegal pharmaceuticals she had helped to make.

Back then, all I wanted was death, Megumi thought. She had been ready, ready to lie down and die in redemption for her sins. But he of all people had stopped her. And that had puzzled her. Of all people, at that time Sanosuke had more of a reason to wish her dead than anyone. It was by her hand, albeit indirectly, that a good friend of his had passed into the void. Not only Sano�s friend, but countless others as well. In the end, the only thing that kept her sane, that kept her going on with this life was knowing that somehow, he had come to accept her. And now...

Megumi shook her head, the feats of stupidity he preformed for her on an almost daily basis were, for lack of a better word, flattering. Of course, this easily took the prize. Of all the things Sanosuke seemed willing to pull to grasp her affection, taunting a retired hitokiri seemed a stretch, even for him. But that was Sanosuke, always surprising her somehow, and befuddling her always.

Megumi started at the sound of the door to the clinic opening. Casting a quick glance back at Sanosuke, Megumi smiled and made her way to the front of the clinic, making ready for just about anything; Tokyo had more than its share of strange cases. "Can I help you?" Megumi started casually, her voice even and calm. Then she saw who stood in the entryway. Kenshin.

The ruouni�s gaze seemed to be glued to the floor beneath them. Well, he knew. Good, it saved her the trouble of having to explain everything to a still irate Kenshin. But at the same time, it promised a Kenshin guilt trip unlike any other. All this being the case, he was most likely here to apologize. Megumi had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing, she was most likely the only one who found this whole situation funny.

"Ken-san," Megumi said, easily and calmly, "How can I help you?"

"Megumi-dono," He answered, his voice seemed sedated and Megumi felt a wave of pity for Kenshin wash over her. The news that he had been so blatantly mistaken could not have been easy for him to take. "May this unworthy one see Sanosuke, there�s something that needs to be said."

"Yes you may, in fact, he�s right where you left him," Megumi said, her nature making it impossible not to tease just a little. Kenshin flinched, Megumi shook her head slightly and again found herself fighting back soft laughter. Turning around Megumi led the way to the recovery room. Megumi entered first, and started when her gaze hit the cot where Sanosuke had been laid. It was empty.

"Huh," Megumi breathed, "That�s new."

Kenshin came to a short stop behind her. His eyes also on the empty line of cots. "Oro?"

Megumi sighed, "It appears my most frequent patient has left. Amazing, considering the condition you left him in," Megumi said, placing a hand on her temple warding off the headache that was bound to arise from this, she could feel the tension building already, "But then again, he always has been remarkably stupid," she finished.

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Kenshin asked, "This unworthy one needs to see him to-"

"Apologize?" Megumi finished easily. Damn, why did the damn redhead have to have guilt trips over every little thing. It wouldn�t surprise her if he apologized around the dojo for stepping on spiders. "Don�t worry about it, Ken-san, it wasn�t your fault. If anyone was to blame here, it�s Sanosuke. It was, after all, his idea, wasn�t it?"

"How do you know that?"

"Kaoru�s way to smart to come up with anything this bizarre and so obviously stupid. Kaoru is also way too honest to want to. Sanosuke on the other hand," Megumi shrugged, "he�s done things like this before."

Kenshin�s shoulders seemed to drop. Megumi smiled, "Ken-san, don�t worry, I�ll deliver your message. At least he listens to me. Sometimes anyway," She amended quickly. Kenshin nodded slowly, it was obvious he had wanted to deliver the apology in person, but with Sano gone missing in her own clinic, what could be done?

No more words passed between them until they reached the door of the clinic. Kenshin bowed stiffly to her then, "Thank you, Megumi-dono," he said.

"Don�t worry about it. Remember, it�s not your fault, and if that little racoon-girl doesn�t believe you send her to talk to me," Megumi said, then watched Kenshin leave, his form quickly disappearing into the evening. All things considered, Megumi was glad that Kenshin didn�t care for her that way. His constant apologizing for everything would get on her nerves real fast. Of course, Sanosuke also managed to press all the wrong buttons as well.

Sanosuke. Finally allowing herself laughter, Megumi shook her head and smiled, heading back to the small recovery room. As tough as he made himself out to be, Megumi knew that Sanosuke couldn�t have gotten far at all.

* * *

It was his voice that brought back the memories. The alley. The confrontation. Getting his head handed to him quickly and swiftly. It all came back when he heard Kenshin at the door of the clinic. Sanosuke�s first panicked thought was that the rurouni was back for more. Like hell I�m going to take that a second time! Sano thought, and with strength that he didn�t know he had left, he had flopped off the cot and rolled under it. Taking the only method he had right now to hide himself from Kenshin: hiding under the bed. It seemed childish somehow, but right now, Sanosuke didn�t care.

When he overheard that Kenshin was there to apologize however, he couldn�t seem to make it out from underneath his hiding place. Other than one wayward arm that waved back and forth trying to catch attention, for some reason his voice was still not cooperating with him. No one noticed the arm, and Megumi kept insulting him. Although, looking back on the results "The Plan" had been really dumb, but most plots concocted over sake normally were.

Footsteps entered the room, this time only one set of them, and made their way to his cot. He looked out from underneath to be greeted by the face of Megumi. Her unbound ebony hair falling around her face like a wave, her dark eyes, and everything else about her made her beautiful.

"Okay you," She started, "out of there and back on the cot."

Sanosuke shook his head, dumbfounded to the point that he didn�t know what he was disagreeing to. Megumi just had that effect on him.

Megumi laughed, and even though it was directed at him, he loved the sound. But then again, when had her laughter ever been directed elsewhere? "I sent Ken-san away, so it�s safe now. So get out from under there, you idiot."

"No," He said, this time able to find his voice. His reward was watching Megumi�s cheeks puff up and she moved in closer. When she was in arms reach he struck, looking beyond the pain in his chest and arms he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her underneath the cot with him, to fast for her to break away. Even through the bandages, through the pain, the feeling of Megumi in his arms was pure heaven.

"Sanosuke," She started her tone thick with reproach.

"Shhh."

"Why?"

"I have a headache, and your voice hurts." He said, pulling her in a little closer.

"You know just what not to say to women, don�t you?"

"I try."

"I bet. But that doesn�t change the fact I don�t want to be on the floor, underneath a cot."

"Why not?"

"Because it�s getting my clothes dirty."

"So? You can always just take them off, problem solved," he said, the image of Megumi naked stirring his body a bit, before his body reminded him just how badly injured it was.

"You would just love that, wouldn�t you?" Megumi answered, but didn�t, for once, move away.

"Yes, and so would you."

"You wish."

"I know."

She laughed and moved against him. It would�ve been the greatest thing on earth had she not brushed one of his many open wounds. Sanosuke flinched and tensed and Megumi sighed. "You know, if you hadn�t been so stupid to get yourself like this, I might have done what you wanted."

"Really?"

"No. I just thought might make you feel a little better about getting beaten to a bloody pulp by one of our best friends."

"Oh," he said, dejected and let go of Megumi. Oddly though she didn�t move away from him. He looked at her and caught the weirdest expression on her face. It stayed for a minute, and then she burst out laughing.

"What?"

"You�re so stupid sometimes," was all she said, as she started to work her way out from under the cot, taking his arm and pulling him with her. Sano�s muscles screamed in protest, but he made no move to stop her.

"Huh?" He asked, as Megumi helped him up and back onto the cot, before sitting down next to him. Smiling she shook her head, a hand in front of her mouth as she laughed softly. "What�s so funny?"

Megumi gave him one of those looks. The one that said that he should know exactly what she found so damnably amusing. Sanosuke�s brows pressed together, sometimes --no all the time-- women were impossible to understand. And the results of those misunderstandings could be some of the most painful things around. His present state proved it. Here he was, wrapped like a leper, in more pain that he�d been in a very long time and Megumi laughing at him for a reason he couldn�t figure out at all. Well, he thought, At least she�s sitting next to me on the cot, that�s nice. No, it�s more than nice damnit, why did I have to go and get myself half killed!

Sanosuke�s train of thought was derailed quickly and easily when and dissolved into a fiery wreck when Megumi leaned over and kissed his un-bandaged cheek. His mind was still spinning a moment later when she pulled away, a slight and very becoming blush staining her cheeks. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something, but nothing came to mind and a moment passed, and then another. Megumi�s face underwent the all to familiar transformation from contentment to slight annoyance to full-blown anger.

"You idiot! You just don�t get it do you? Does anything get through that thick skull of yours?!" Megumi exploded, even her voice couldn�t break Sanosuke�s stupor. And as Megumi turned around and stormed out, Sanosuke had it in his mind to follow her, but his body wouldn�t go through the motions. All of a sudden the room seemed to spin unrelentingly; mercilessly it threw him back onto the hard cot leaving him staring at the ceiling, more than half convinced that what had just transpired was a trick of the head injury mixed with his own fantasy. When all was said and done, was there really any way a well-bred, educated woman would want anything to do with him? Sanosuke, the ex-fighter for higher? Unable to help it, his world spiraled into blackness, taking his doubts and his short-lived triumph with him.

* * *

Megumi slammed the door to her small office, certain that she must have shattered it, and more than a little surprised to see the sturdy thing in one piece. Although she had long ago reached the conclusion that all men were put upon this earth for the annoyance of women, it was proven yet again that Sagara Sanosuke was the most awful, stupid, dense and annoying man of them all. And she loved him.

Megumi swore uncharacteristically and slammed her fists into her desk, her hands stinging with the aftermath of the powerful blow. What wore on her even more was the fact that it was her fault as well if he didn�t understand. On a very deep level she knew that not being able to express herself truly with words played a large part in the simple Sano�s not understanding. Her angry energy gone, Megumi sank to the floor, her eyes locked listlessly on the pale ceiling above her.

It shouldn�t be so hard just to say something with words, but Megumi had spent so long building around herself a prison of wit and cynicism that it was impossible for her to use words for anything else. At first, it had been for her own protection, if she could hide how she was feeling, he couldn�t hurt her soul, regardless of what he did to her body. Soon after, the actions followed. She could pinpoint the exact moment. It had taken all of fifteen minutes for Megumi to change from an open, warmhearted girl to a cold, cynical and aloof woman. Fifteen minutes of hell had changed her life forever.

Then Sanosuke had shown up. At first, she was sure he hated her, for what she had done, what she had been, and that had been easy to believe. In fact, she had wanted to believe that. It was easier to accept hatred from people than it was to accept the friendship that was offered so freely by Kenshin and Kaoru. And even that was easier to understand than love. But in the end, her mind, her damnably smart mind had seen what she would keep even hidden from herself. That below the layers, below their differences, she and Sanosuke were the same.

Both she and Sanosuke had lost what family they had to the bakamatsu. Both had been haunted by that past, Megumi was sure Sanosuke must still think of it daily, she knew that for herself a day didn�t pass where she didn�t remember her half-dazed walk from Aizu, tears streaming down her face. Both of them had learned quickly the harsh realities of life. Megumi having been sucked in by Kanryu, and Sanosuke quickly becoming a tough for-hire street fighter. And below the cocky attitude they both showed to the world around them, for a long time they both knew that all they were was unbearably lonely. And then, one day they had each other, only to find that because of what they were, what they had been, that with a cruel twist of fate, neither could admit to each other how they felt. So they had ended up in this bizarre dance of give and take, right next to each other, but far away. Tears welled up, falling one after another down Megumi�s face.

"I�m such an idiot," she whispered, her voice catching on her misery, "I�m just as stupid as he is."

"Even if you are, at least you�re in one piece."

Megumi started, shocked. Looking up she met Sanosuke�s eyes. The bandaged man looked down at her as he stood in the door way and for once, Megumi was speechless.

"Me," he continued easily, "I think I left my spleen back in that alley somewhere. And my brain... well, that�s long gone. And even if my mind was playing tricks on me a few moments ago, which is very possible, I�m also missing my heart," he moved forward stiffly, almost stumbling before he caught himself somehow, "but at least I know where that is. You stole it from me, almost the first moment I saw you," somehow, Sanosuke managed to maneuver his battered body to its knees to sit in front of her. Through her haze of tears, Megumi could make out his countenance, normally smug, now soft, his eyes understanding.

"But I couldn�t tell you," he continued, "So let�s get one thing straight here, Fox Lady," he said, and pointed his thumb stubbornly at himself, "I�m the idiot here. You�re just stubborn." Megumi gave him a dry look which he ignored as he continued. "You�ve obviously been madly in love with me a long time, but didn�t say anything, leaving me to suffer like this," he finished, over dramatically, Megumi thought, but she found herself smiling anyway, unable to help it.

"Stupid," Megumi said quietly, surprised that her voice was staying even with the raging storm her emotions were going through, "It�s your own fault you�re suffering. How did you even manage to make it in here?"

"You�d be surprised how well I can push myself when I have to tell a stubborn fox that I love her."

Megumi shook her head, feeling warm from head to toe at the admission. She tried to work her own mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
"You don�t have to have to say it if you can�t," Sanosuke started, and Megumi almost mistook him for being sweet and understanding, until he finished, "I know you love me."

Megumi snorted, although she couldn�t stop the blush that came to her face.

"Hey, you�re the one that kissed me," Sano pointed out.

"Oh, did I now? Are you sure you weren�t dreaming?"

Sano shook his head with the ease of one use to being bandaged, "I�m sure. I can still feel it."

Megumi looked away quickly, and the next thing she knew, Sanosuke had his arms around her, and had managed to pull her close. He was warm, and although obviously built well, the usual panic at a man�s embrace failed to arise. Instead she felt oddly safe. Without thinking her own arms found their way over his back, and around him, and somehow her face became buried in the crook of his shoulder.

"If you can�t say anything right now Megumi, I understand," He said, his breath brushing against her hair, a stray bandage tickling her neck. "I can wait as long as it takes for you to love me back."

Megumi started, her heart thundering in her chest she tried to swallow her fear at admitting her emotions. It was unfair, after all, to just leave him with that and not say anything. Pushing aside her fear was easier than she thought it would be, it was biting down on her pride that was hard. She took a deep calming breath. "Stupid," she said, "I love you already. You don�t have to wait anymore. If you did, you�d be likely to get yourself killed anyway."

Sanosuke chuckled, "Yeah, most likely," he agreed, "but at least I have my own doctor to patch me up when I decide to court death."

Megumi smiled, and looked up, wanting to see his eyes for some reason that made no sense to her. Before she was aware of what was happening, Sanosuke lowered his mouth to hers, catching her lips in a kiss. The kiss was warm, loving, the perfect balance between taking and asking, and Megumi couldn�t help but to respond to it.

She was surprised however, when Sano pulled away with a groan. Megumi gave him a curious look, "What�s wrong?"

"I really wish I hadn�t gotten myself beat so bad, because right now there are a million things I want to do to you that I my body�s saying �no� to," he answered, and Megumi had to suppress the urge to deck him.

"Well really, what did you think would happen, taunting Kenshin like that?" She asked dryly.

"I hoped that you�d realize you were madly in love with me and Kenshin would finally get off his ass and realize how madly in love with Jou-chan he is. Why, did it work?"

"I don�t know," Megumi started, a sly grin on her face, "I knew I was madly in love with you. All your plan made me realize was that you were a desperate fool."

"May this desperate fool ask you a favor?"

"Maybe."

"Can we find a futon or something? I feel like I�ve been run over by one of those damned western train-things, and If I don�t lay down soon, I�m gonna pass out."

"That�s all you want to do with me? Just lay down and pass out?"

"Fox Lady, as much as I want to, I don�t have the strength for anything else right now."

"Oh well," Megumi sighed, then grinned evilly, "There�s always tomorrow."

"Don�t tempt me."

"And if you can�t, there�s always Ken-san."

"That�s not funny."

Megumi laughed and helped them up and to the back room where she kept a futon folded for nights that she had to stay to late at the clinic to head home. "You�re so gullible," She said, as she eased him down on the spread out futon and joined him there, giving him a quick peck on the nose, "I love you."

"Me too," He murmured as Megumi moved in closer, pulling a blanket over them, "Me too," he repeated as she snuggled closer, and together the two of them drifted off to a comfortable, for her any way, who could say for the battered and bruised Sanosuke, sleep.

* * ^-~ * *
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An Evil Plan Gone Horribly Wrong