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Concessions	By : lawless Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 3634 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- 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.

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CONCESSIONS
by Lawless

...He never wanted to return, certainly never planned on returning...And then the letter came...

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DISCLAIMER: This is a fanfic. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters.

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Prologue: The Embarkation

Tokyo Harbor
He watched the usual bustle of the docks, a lone man leaning against the rail of the steam ship, Asuka. There was a slight breeze passing from the East and the chill it brought reminded the people of the coming cold as they drew their coats closer to their bodies. But the man on deck did not seem bothered by it as he continued his quiet observation of the scene below him.
He was a young man of six and twenty, slightly built but tall and lean. His hair was a dark earth-brown pulled back from his face by a red bandanna, some strips of which were blowing gently in the wind. His eyes were dark and hooded, stormy from the thoughts raging in his head.
To him, it seemed only yesterday that he had watched the same scene from the deck of another steam ship, only this time he was leaving instead of arriving. The same hustle and bustle had greeted him as he stepped off the planks, studiously avoiding the sweaty dockworkers who were carrying wooden crates and cargo. But, it had in fact been weeks ago, almost a month, when he had finally returned to Japan after seven years of his self-imposed exile.
Some exile, he thought, allowing a slight curve to grace the otherwise grim line of his mouth.
It was true that in the end he had been unable to escape his past. He had thought that it wouldn't catch up to him, but it did and he was finally forced to leave his home country and all that it stood for him. He remembered the friends that were with him on that fateful night some years past before he boarded that ship as a stow-away and left with nothing more than the clothes on his back and some money he borrowed from an old friend. He hadn't known where he was going then, hadn't really cared, so long as it was...away.
For years, he had wandered, traveled the seven seas, saw parts of the world he never even heard of. And somewhere along the way, he discovered that nothing was more joyous to him than to watch the hull of a ship cut a path in the blue ocean, the salt spray on his lips and the wind on his face. He never wanted to return, certainly never planned on returning. He loved his freedom and besides, there was nothing left for him to return to. His family would do fine without him. His friends would carry on as they always did. There was one person with whom he was at odds with and that alone made her special. But he had always known that she of all people would go on. So no, there was nothing for him to return to.
And then, the letter came.
"Winter is early this year," a voice said, pulling him out of his reveries.He turned to find earnest onyx eyes looking back at him. If he felt surprised, the emotion did not register on his face.
"Huang Li Wei," he acknowledged, watching as the diminutive woman leaned against the rail next to him. The wind whipped her short-cropped hair around her face but she ignored it. "I suppose you got what you came for."
The Chinese woman only shook her head. Her eyes grew distant and she said nothing more. For his part, he returned his attention to the scene in front, allowing his mind to drift along with the swirling breeze.
He had been in Hong Kong at the time when he got hold of the letter. He recalled that he had been standing near the window of his apartment room, watching the harbor. He had only just arrived from America and the view that came with the room was a deliberate choice on his part. Somehow, the thrashing ocean was like a calming salve, soothing him with the knowledge that his wanderlust was not unfounded. Behind him, Huang Li Wei, the same friend who was with him now, had picked up the crumpled piece of paper on the floor and had come to stand by his side. She didn't say anything. She never had to.
The letter was dated six months ago. The contents, written in crisp kanji, informed him of the deaths of one Himura Kenshin and his wife. Nothing more personal than that was stated. And certainly, nothing that indicated that the people involved were two of his closest friends. He had been wrong, after all. There was something for him to return to. He left Hong Kong the next day on board a steam ship owned by an American friend. He was finally coming home.
"Do they know you're leaving?" Li Wei suddenly asked, still fixing her eyes at something distant.
He shook his head. "They'll know soon enough."
"You never were one for goodbyes, were you?" He thought he heard a mocking quality in her voice but when he glanced at her, her face remained impassive. He shrugged and gazed ahead. "Concessions are made all the time, Yang Liu," she said, using the nickname he acquired during his long sojourn in Hong Kong. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She looked at him then, fixing him with her bottomless onyx eyes. "If you're broken, that means you're brittle," she said, then added almost as an afterthought, "Be like the willow tree we named you after."
He shrugged again. Then, he said quietly, "I know."
They stood quietly like that for several minutes, comfortable in the silence that settled between them. There never was a need for words. Their liaison was strange to say the least but for them both, it was settling. He raised his head to watch the Tokyo sky blaze a bright orange, a signal to everyone that dusk was soon to come.

- oo - TO BE CONTINUED - oo -

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A/N My second attempt at a Sano/Megumi fic. Yes, it's a Sano/Megumi fic. I don't pretend to be a brilliant writer. Not even close. But if I don't write this, there's every chance that I might just go slowly mad. So bear with me please.
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Concessions