Hangover by flori-dono
Disclaimer: This is a Rurouni Kenshin-inspired fan fiction. The author is not 
making any money out of this. The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to 
Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shounen Jump, and Sony and others that should be mentioned but 
were not.

III

Megumi splashed water on her face. She felt terrible, having had almost no sleep 
at all.

She looked at her reflection on the mirror. To say that she looked bad was an 
understatement. Dark rings formed under her eyes, and her ink-black hair which 
would usually hung gloriously down her back, was tied in a limp pony tail. 

"I should be getting fat," she thought as she brought a hand down to her 
stomach. "Not the other way around."

To tell the truth, she was starting to get worried about the baby. As a doctor, 
she knew that she should be eating right, that she should be getting enough rest 
but she just couldn't do any of those. Not when there were lots of things on her 
mind.

"Megumi," Kaoru asked as she went inside the clinic. "Are you okay?"

Megumi turned around.

"Hai," she managed to say.

"Kami-sama," Kaoru exclaimed. "You look terrible!"

Megumi smiled ruefully as she patted her face dry with her towel.

"Thank you so much Kaoru-chan," she said.

Kaoru put a hand on to her lips. 

"Gomen," she apologized. "Please don't take it as an insult, but..."

Megumi sighed. 

"No, it's okay Kaoru-chan," she said. "I know what you mean."

"What happened?" Kaoru asked as Megumi took out some medicine bottles from the 
cupboard.

Megumi's hands stilled. Was it the right time? Yes, it was...

"Kaoru," she said. "You told me once that if I needed someone to talk to, I 
could go to you right?"

"Hai," the other girl said solemnly. Kaoru knew where Megumi was heading, and 
she was glad that the doctor was finally going to tell her.

Megumi sat down tiredly on one chair.

"Kaoru..." she began. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh," Kaoru responded.

"Is that all you can say?" Megumi queried, looking up, her brow creased in 
puzzlement.

Kaoru cleared her throat. 

"Well I AM surprised, I must admit. But there was the possibility right?"

Silence.

"Uhmm, so does the father know about this already?"

Megumi gazed intently at Kaoru's questioning eyes. 

"Yes."

"And what was his reaction?"

"He was angry... he learned it by accident you see."

"So would I be if I was in his place," Kaoru muttered.

"Pardon?"

Kaoru sighed. 

"Look Megumi-chan, I'm sorry," she said. "But just be in Sano's shoes, wouldn't 
you be angry too if you found out that you'll be a father and the mother of your 
child just wasn't going to tell you about it?"

Megumi listened silently. It wasn't nothing she hadn't thought of.

"He wanted me to marry him..." she said, silencing Kaoru.

"And the problem is you don't."

"I don't want to get married for the wrong reason."

"And what IS the right reason?"

"I want to marry for love," she said.

Kaoru stifled the urge to laugh. She didn't know who were worse, Sano and Megumi 
or she and Kenshin. 

"Look at what love can do to you," she thought. No, she would not interlope this 
time.  Better for the two of them to find out on their own, well, with a little 
push here and there... just a little. She wouldn't want to worsen the situation. 
It was bad enough as it is. 

"So tell me," she said to Megumi. "Is marrying Sano not marrying for love?"

Megumi looked up. 'No...' she wanted to answer, but what was the use? It would 
only be a one-sided affair.

Kaoru already knew her answer, but she didn't press her. Megumi's silence told 
her much anyway.

"Just think about it Megumi," she said, laying a hand on the other girl's 
shoulder. "Would marrying him be such a bad idea?"

Megumi sighed. 

"Honestly," she said. "I don't know anymore. Last night, when he learned about 
it, I was too taken by surprise and fear that I lashed out at him. I told him 
hurtful things which were only half true. I told him that he would be a terrible 
father because of the lifestyle he leads... because of his irresponsibility. But 
I didn't mean them, I know how kind and how good he could be... it's just 
that..."

Kaoru put her arms around the now weeping girl.

"Oh Megumi," she said, trying to console her. "In other words, you do want to 
marry him."

There was no use in denying now. Megumi brushed her tears away and looked 
directly at Kaoru's eyes.

"Yes," she said. "Because I love him."

Meanwhile...

Sano and Kenshin started off early that morning. Kenshin woke up to find Sano 
all ready standing in the yard. He had never seen such a determined look on the 
other man's face before and somehow, even Kenshin was bothered by that. They had 
walked silently all the way to the station; neither felt the mood to start a 
conversation.  As they neared their destination, Kenshin suddenly stopped and 
motioned for Sano to do so.

"Are you sure about this Sano-san?" Kenshin asked his wordless companion. 

"Hai," Sano answered.

"Because once we step inside, there's no turning back."

"If you think I will back out then you still don't know me Kenshin."

"Gomen..."

"Kuso," Sano said. "Don't apologize Kenshin. Heck, all these are my fault."

"Don't blame yourself Sano," Kenshin said concernedly.

Sano sighed. 

"Whatever..."

They resumed their walking and caught sight of the building. 

"This is it," Sano thought. "No turning back..."

"Long time no see, Himura!" the blond broom-headed man greeted them as they 
walked through the door. "And you too chicken."

"Yeah, nice to see you too," Sano returned. "So, is Mr. High and Mighty around?" 

"Ohayou gozaimasu Chou-san," Kenshin said.

"Yeah he's here," Chou muttered, somehow dismayed of Sano's unusual behavior.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Battousai and his partner Rooster Boy!" 

The three of them turned and found Saitou in the room.

"Ohayou Saitou," Kenshin greeted the man.

Saitou waved his cigarette towards them, his usual way of greeting "good 
morning."

"So what brings you here?" he asked. "Have you reconsidered my offer?"

"Iie," Kenshin shook his head. "It isn't sessha who came to see you."

Saitou raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze towards Sano.

"Don't tell me Sagara-rooster here needs my help?"

"Well, it's just that..." Kenshin started but stopped when he felt Sano's hand 
on his arm.

"I can speak for myself," Sano said. "I was wondering if you would consider me 
for the job you had in mind for Kenshin."

Saitou looked at him then threw his head back off in laughter.

"Wahaha! You rooster-boy? What makes you think I'll give you the job?"

"Saitou!" Kenshin said.

"Come on Kenshin," Saitou continued. "Why did you think I came to you? I need 
the best for the job and I wouldn't settle for anything less. Heck, it's 
embarrassing enough for me to admit that I need your help."

"Saitou," Sano said this time with more force. "I need that job. I'll do my very 
best just to prove to you that whatever it is, I can do it!"

"Desperate all of a sudden," Saitou remarked, blowing smoke on Sano's face. "I 
wonder if it's your account at the Akabeko. Your tab maybe has become so large 
that they would become bankrupt if you don't pay." 

"That's enough Saitou!" Kenshin said. "If there's any man here who can do that 
job aside from me, it would be him. He came to you here as a person and you 
should treat him as that."

Saitou sneered.

Sano tensed. It was taking a lot of effort for him not to rush towards the other 
man and punch the living daylights out of him. He wouldn't ask help from Saitou 
Hajime for any reason at all, but this was an exception. If he had to beg, then 
he would do it.

He surprised everybody as he knelt down in front of Saitou.

"Saitou," Sano started, his tone monotonous but held a steely edge to it. 
"Please, consider me for whatever work you had in mind. I shall do my best, just 
to prove that hiring me would be a right decision."

Saitou's eyes met amber ones.  He just raised an eyebrow and gave a final puff 
at his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and crushing it at his heel.

"Get up, Sagara!" Saitou commanded. "I can't stand seeing a man beg."

"I won't get up unless you hire me," Sano answered.

"Fuck you Sano!" Saitou exclaimed as he took hold of Sano by the arm and pulled 
him up. "I'll hire you if that's what you want! Just quit this martyr act, it's 
driving me nuts! And besides, it doesn't suit you."

If it weren't for the gravity of the reason why he was begging for a job, Sano 
would have laughed at the look on Saitou's face. Words couldn't describe the 
bewilderment and annoyance that was there. Instead he looked at him straight in 
the eyes and gravely thanked him.

Saitou snorted in disgust. 

"Come back tomorrow," he ordered. "And make sure that you've gotten rid of that 
maudlin demeanor or else I'd change my mind."

Sano nodded and walked out of the station. Kenshin followed him but not before 
making a final nod at Saitou.

"What was that all about?" Chou asked as soon as the two was gone.

"I have no idea," Saitou said, lighting up another cigarette. "But I bet it's 
about a woman."

"Huh?" 

Saitou looked at the other man and said, "You wouldn't know." Then he went back 
to his desk leaving Chou in a moment of confusion. 

TSUZUKU