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*
If you wanted to be notified when I update my fan fiction, I have a mailing
list. You can join at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sephira_jos_fanfiction_updates

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
tanuki 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 saké 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 almost 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.

* * ^-~ * *